Chapter Summaries

Richard was caught impersonating his father at a pastry-shop birthday celebration and was brought home to be punished by both parents. Meanwhile, Kallen called to wish Mr. Eisen a happy birthday, and Madam Tang Li arranged for him to join the family dinner.

• Richard’s parents found him being celebrated as “Young Master Eisen” at the pastry shops, and he hurriedly left with them after telling Lisa to give Leon his car keys.
• Richard tried to talk his way out of punishment during the drive home, but Kaixi threatened him and his parents brought him to the Guman residence.
• Madam Tang Li chatted with Xili while she prepared the family birthday dinner, then learned that Richard had been caught at a pastry shop and was being beaten by Eisen and Kaixi.
• Kallen called Madam Tang Li to wish Mr. Eisen a happy birthday, and she insisted he come to dinner after teleporting back to the Church Administration Building.
• Madam Tang Li told Eisen to pick Kallen up in an hour and urged him to finish beating Richard first, while Richard pleaded with his grandmother for help.

Kallen returned to York City District with Neo, Alfred, and their spoils, then visited his maternal grandmother with Philomina. He reunited with Madam Tang Li and learned that Richard was still being punished by his parents.

• Neo complained about being denied iced coffee while he and Kallen waited for teleportation, and Alfred babbled and sang under the effects of assimilating Konpacini's inheritance.
• Kallen decided not to report the cave where Torisa had died, since reporting it could cost the group their spoils, including Kallen's Diamans Sword.
• After teleporting to York City District, Kallen sent Neo to the Church Hospital and left for the Guman family home with Philomina, who wanted to return the Nightmare Blade to Madam Tang Li.
• On the drive, Old Delong welcomed Philomina to visit the family and offered to show her where her grandmother had been buried, but she declined.
• Madam Tang Li warmly welcomed Kallen, then clashed with Philomina when she tried to return the Nightmare Blade; Kallen persuaded Philomina to accept it as a gift.
• Kallen arrived to find Richard absent, and Kaixi told Mr. Eisen that she had beaten Richard and left him hanging in the basement; Mr. Eisen decided they would continue after dinner.

Kallen shared dinner with the Guman Family, visited the injured Richard, and received a blade-practice scroll for Philomina from Old Delong. As Kallen and Philomina left, a message arrived that Woforen, Chief Bishop of York City District, had been targeted in an assassination attempt.

• Kallen enjoyed dinner with the Guman Family as Mr. Eisen showed signs of recovery and Philomina ate heartily.
• Kallen and Philomina visited Richard in the basement, where he recovered from his beating and discussed returning to work.
• Old Delong gave Philomina a scroll recording the blade practice of the children's grandmother.
• Kallen and Philomina left the villa, and Old Delong gave Philomina the scroll before returning inside.
• A raven delivered Minister Bernie's message that Woforen, Chief Bishop of York City District, had just been targeted in an assassination attempt.

Kallen and Philomina arrived at Bishop Woforen’s home and discovered that Leon’s parents and other relatives had been murdered in a sand-based attack, while Woforen was gravely injured. Leon grieved and blamed himself for being away, but Woforen made him promise to live cheerfully and carry on the family.

• Kallen, Philomina, and Leon entered Woforen’s home under the watch of a secret security force, where Bernie explained that a special task force from the Dinge District was on its way.
• Leon found his father dead inside a sand barrier and his mother pierced by sand spikes, then grieved over their bodies.
• Kallen discovered more murdered relatives and servants throughout the house, including a man impaled by a pillar of sand, and suspected the attack was meant to implicate the Desert Order God Church.
• Leon tried to reach his grandfather, but clerics held him back while Woforen underwent emergency treatment.
• Leon entered Woforen’s room and admitted he had spent the evening away from home; Woforen told him he had survived because of that and urged him to live without guilt.
• Leon promised Woforen he would carry on the family and forced himself to laugh as his grandfather requested.

Kallen reconstructed how the assassin killed the Dirga Family by approaching each victim in the guise of someone they trusted, then concluded that the killer had worn a mask of Leon. Bishop Byrne revealed he had already ordered the Garrison to arrest everyone in York City who could make masks.

• Woforen asked Kallen to look after Leon, and Kallen promised to do so as Leon's captain.
• Woforen chose to burn his life for a month of time rather than wait years for a possible recovery, and Bernie asked Leon and Kallen to leave the room.
• Leon said Richard's trip to the Pastry Shop had saved him, while Kallen examined the bodies and discussed the crime with Bishop Byrne.
• Kallen and Bishop Byrne reconstructed the murders, concluding that the assassin had approached the family openly and killed them by surprise.
• Kallen deduced that the killer had worn a mask of Leon, and Bishop Byrne said he had ordered the Garrison to arrest everyone in York City who knew how to make masks.

Kallen learned how the assassin’s Identity Mask had been made and secured Bishop Byrne’s promise to delay questioning Lemar, while Byrne refused to spare Leon from the investigation. After Fudeng arrived with Aoji, Kallen told Leon that the killer had worn his face; later, someone returned to the Pavarro Funeral Society and was greeted as the young master.

• Bishop Byrne explained that high-quality disposable Identity Masks deteriorated within a day, which meant the assassin had likely obtained one locally, and Kallen wrote Lemar’s name for the investigation.
• Bishop Byrne promised to question Lemar last and revealed that he had also chosen not to investigate the exact time of Mr. Pavaro’s death, leaving Kallen owing him two favors.
• Fudeng arrived at the estate, and Bishop Byrne explained that the church’s higher ranks would wait for the investigation because the killings appeared to be an outside provocation.
• Kallen told Leon that the assassin had entered his home wearing his face, and Aoji calmed Leon before revealing that she was the Frost Dragon who had accompanied Fudeng.
• At the Pavarro Funeral Society, Kevin sensed someone’s arrival, and Pike and Dinkum greeted the man who entered as the young master.

Kallen killed Dinkum and Dalis while preparing to turn the Funeral Society into a scene of murder, as Puer and Kevin debated whether to risk their lives to protect the household. When Kallen entered the warehouse, he found Puer, Kevin, and a mysterious woman waiting for him, and she identified him as a follower of the Fallen God.

• Kallen suffocated Dinkum with sand, hurled him into the hearse, and buried him beneath a sand sculpture shaped like a red rose.
• Puer and Kevin sensed a dangerous intruder and argued over whether to hide as pets or risk fighting to protect the people in the Funeral Society.
• Dalis arrived seeking tea and conversation, but Kallen impaled him with sand spikes and destroyed his body before cleaning the resulting mess.
• Kallen entered Alfred's room, saw shifting illusions that showed scenes from the Desert Order God Church, and paused before killing him.
• Kallen found the warehouse sealed by an isolation magic formation, then saw Puer holding a black cat beside Golden Retriever and heard a woman call him a follower of the Fallen God.

Kallen’s household came under attack by Kallen, an inheritor of the Fallen God, who abducted Puer after she offered to lead him to where the God of Light fell. Kallen returned to find his family alive but Puer missing, and Kevin urged him to use their Symbiosis Contract to find and rescue her.

• Kallen revealed himself as an inheritor of Miliolai’s line and attacked Puer, Kevin, and the others with sand.
• Puer offered to show Kallen where the God of Light fell in exchange for sparing the people in the house, including Kevin.
• Kallen restrained and abducted Puer, then left Kevin and the others behind after noticing his own sense of impending death.
• Kallen sensed danger at home and rushed there with Philomina and Aoji.
• Kallen found Alfred, Mrs. Lake, Dora, and Doreen alive, while Kevin told him that the Fallen God’s inheritor had taken Puer and urged him to locate her through their Symbiosis Contract.

Kallen pursued the assassin Walotti with Aoji after he abducted Puer, following their bond across the sea and through a dangerous teleportation formation into Ruilan. As Walotti prepared to kill Puer to escape, an old man who had been bedridden for half a year raised a finger.

• Kevin spoke to Kallen and revealed that Puer had been captured, so Kallen used their symbiosis bond to locate her.
• Aoji carried Kallen into pursuit, but her roar alerted Walotti and caused him to flee faster; Philomina stayed behind.
• Walotti headed for a teleportation formation at sea, and Aoji froze it in place so she and Kallen could follow him through it.
• Kallen and Aoji emerged in Ruilan, crossed the Vien Strait, and continued chasing Walotti as Kallen tracked Puer's position.
• Walotti revealed his identity, admitted that his mission to inflame conflict between Desert and Order was complete, and raised a sand spike to kill Puer.
• In an ordinary bedroom, an old man who had been bedridden for half a year slowly raised a finger.

Mason helped Father Rasma prepare for a charity event, and their conversation revealed that Rasma guarded the sleeping Dis and that Mason’s nephew Kallen was in Vien. When Dis stirred, Rasma followed his signal and opened his sight toward the fleeing assassin, who was heading toward Rojia City with Puer.

• Mason and his children delivered food to the church, where Mason talked with Father Rasma about his family, his sleeping father Dis, and his nephew Kallen in Vien.
• Rasma invited Mason to drink wine and eat canned herring, and Mason spoke warmly about Kallen and how homesick he seemed.
• After Mina, Lunt, and Chris finished unloading, they donated their payment to the church donation box before leaving with Mason.
• Rasma froze when Dis raised a finger, then stepped outside the courtyard and used his power to look toward the direction Dis indicated.
• Kallen asked Lady Aoji to slow down so Puer would not be endangered as they pursued Walotti toward Rojia City.
• Puer warned Walotti that the city was a vacuum zone because a great beast guarded it, then pointed out the gigantic eye of Rasma opening in the sky.

Rasma rescued Puer for Dis and met Kallen while pursuing the assassin who had attacked a bishop’s family. After throwing Lady Aoji aside several times, Rasma decided to make Kallen help finish the assassin and use the fight as an excuse to train him, though Kallen’s mention of Vic left Rasma furious.

• Rasma admitted he had come to Puer’s rescue because Dis had demanded it, despite resenting being made to save a cat.
• Lady Aoji pressed Kallen to identify the enormous Eye of Order, but Rasma arrived and kicked her into a valley before she could force an answer.
• Rasma recognized Kallen as Dis’s grandson, defeated Aoji’s attacks, and explained how to exploit the weaknesses of a dragon fighting in human form.
• Kallen told Rasma that the Fallen God Church assassin had nearly killed the District Chief Bishop’s family, and Rasma realized the assassin had fled toward the area as a supposed safe haven.
• Rasma offered to train Kallen after he finished off the wounded assassin, and Kallen said he would pass Rasma’s guidance on to Vic, making Rasma furious.

Rasma explained how he was cut off from outside information, then punished Aoji for trying to use him to break her restraints and offered Kallen an assessment with a place as his student at stake. Meanwhile, Rasma’s doppelganger battered Walotti and challenged Kallen to defeat him, while Rasma planned to claim Kallen as his student regardless of the result.

• Rasma described how relationships could transmit information and realized Dis had likely preserved his faith bloodline in Kallen, whose talent might rival his grandfather’s.
• Aoji attacked Rasma in an attempt to break her seal, but Rasma exposed her plan, tortured her with lightning, and imprisoned her in a freezing lake.
• Rasma examined Kallen’s physique and proposed an assessment, saying he would take Kallen as his student if Kallen failed to impress him.
• Rasma’s doppelganger overwhelmed Walotti, then Rasma brought Kallen to face him and promised Walotti a chance to live if Kallen defeated him.
• Rasma told Puer he intended to take Kallen as his student regardless of the assessment, hoping to bring him into the Order God Church’s notice.

Walotti repaired his body and soul before fighting Kallen, who used layered defenses and the Key of the Magic Cube to survive the assassin’s attacks and counter with Order-Storm. After the duel’s first exchange, Rasma discovered Kallen’s connection to the Guman Family and discussed Dis’s past, while Puer ended by asking whether Rasma had heard of the General Store.

• Walotti used yellow sand and his own abilities to restore his body and sever his soul’s injuries, then prepared to fight Kallen.
• Kallen warmed up while Walotti recovered, and Rasma and Puer discussed the duel and Kallen’s character.
• Walotti broke through Kallen’s defenses and nearly struck his face, but Kallen used a Gate of Reincarnation as a decoy and appeared behind him with the Key of the Magic Cube.
• Kallen unleashed Order-Storm, driving Walotti into a tower of sand and leaving him bloodied but still standing.
• Rasma recognized the Key of the Magic Cube and realized Dis had rescued Delong Guman’s eldest daughter, who became Kallen’s mother; Puer said the mission’s failure had not been an accident.
• Rasma predicted Kallen would be at a disadvantage in their next fight, and Puer asked him whether he had heard of the General Store.

Kallen fought Walotti while Rasma and Puer discussed his training and Dis’s regard for him. When Walotti unleashed a mass of fused corpses and powers to overwhelm Kallen, Kallen answered with the Flame of Light, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Rasma criticized Kallen’s fighting and agreed to train him, while Puer reminded him that he owed Dis for his goodwill.
• Kallen and Walotti fought a prolonged battle until Walotti tried to bargain, but Kallen refused and declared he would use him as a sparring partner before killing him.
• Walotti transformed by fusing with corpses and used a cleric’s Eye of Lostness to distort Kallen’s perception, but Kallen countered with the Eyes of the Dark Moon.
• Walotti used a Time Wolf’s power to reverse Kallen’s memories, but Kallen’s memories of Dis overwhelmed the wolf and broke its attack.
• Walotti scattered his body into a swarm of faces and overlapping powers, and Rasma told Kallen to defend with Order Purification.
• Kallen instead cast Light-Song of the Sacred Flame, unleashing a pillar of Flame of Light against Walotti’s attack.

Kallen defeated Walotti with the flame of light, revealing that the pollution could not harm him and that he had grown far stronger. After Rasma told him to claim the Order God Church’s reward, Kallen asked his father to take him home for a visit.

• Puer questioned whether Rasma would still take Kallen as his student, and Rasma admitted he had another reason to act against Dis.
• Walotti identified Kallen as a Light Remnant and sacrificed his own soul to draw pollution toward him.
• Rasma appeared to stop Walotti, but Kallen withdrew his defenses and let the pollution engulf him.
• Kallen remained unharmed, and Thousand Enchantments devoured the pollution before Kallen crushed Walotti with a giant hand of light.
• Rasma told Kallen to take the female dragon and claim the Order God Church’s reward, but Kallen asked his father to take him home for a visit.

Kallen returned to Mink Street for a brief home visit, quietly prepared food for his family, and shared a restrained but deeply emotional reunion with Dis. As his three-hour limit approached, he went to visit Hoffen’s grave, while Mason returned home and realized Kallen had come back.

• Rasma allowed Kallen to visit home for three hours and warned that he would kill him in two years if Dis refused to enter the Divine Temple.
• Rasma transported Kallen and Puer to Mink Street, where Kallen entered the house quietly and left money for Mina and Chris.
• Kallen visited the sleeping members of his family, then sat beside Dis before leaving the room and crying privately.
• Kallen prepared noodles and wontons for his family, and Puer told him she had recounted his experiences to Dis.
• Kallen and Puer went to the cemetery to visit Hoffen before Kallen’s time was up.
• Mason returned home after drinking with Rasma, found Kallen’s bowl of noodles, and realized Kallen was back.

Kallen left Mink Street after visiting Grandpa Hoffen’s grave, collected Walotti’s remains, and returned with the injured Lady Aoji as the Whip of Order halted its pursuit near forbidden territory. He reported Walotti dead to Fudeng, but his hesitant answer left it unclear who had killed the assassin.

• Kallen and Puer left Mink Street, and Kallen reflected on his family, his growing strength, and his grandfather’s influence as Puer urged him to keep earning merit.
• Kallen collected fragments of Walotti’s bones and brought Puer along, planning to explain that she had helped track the assassin and to let others draw their own conclusions.
• Rasma resolved that Kallen had to die, fearing his talent and growing influence, and vowed to act within the two years he had given himself.
• More than four hundred pursuing Order Clerics halted at the boundary near Rojia City after receiving the Whip Bearer’s orders, while twenty-six colleagues remained kneeling and alive.
• Fudeng arrived and ordered everyone to withdraw from the forbidden area, but they stopped when Kallen landed with Lady Aoji, Puer, and Walotti’s bones.
• Kallen presented the bones to Fudeng, confirmed that Walotti was dead, and answered that the assassin had said Kallen killed him.

Kallen accepted public credit for killing the assassin and was taken with the injured Aoji to the Order Temple for examination. At the Gate of Order, he learned that visitors under twenty-four could carve their names on a stone stele, whose dividing line had been damaged by a young man decades earlier.

• Fudeng announced that the assassin was dead, while Kallen let the church credit him with the kill.
• Malin told Harry to return to York City and brought Kallen and Aoji into Fudeng's carriage.
• Fudeng ordered Malin to prepare a substantial commendation for Kallen, then left him and Aoji to continue toward the temple.
• Kallen and Aoji were escorted through the Order Knights Corps encampment and across the luminous mist to the Gate of Order.
• The little boy told Kallen he could carve his name on the stele and explained that a Temple Elder had blamed its cracked dividing line on age and brittleness.

Kallen entered the Order Temple, where clerics examined his memories and found evidence of protection from a powerful being about to condense a Godhead Fragment. The Divine Temple interpreted the report as Rasma’s covert support for Kallen, and Fudeng promoted him to Director of the First Office of the Discipline Investigation Committee.

• Kallen wrote his name on the Gate of Order’s stele, entered the damaged Order Temple with Aoji and Puer, and learned that the temple had been damaged during the battle against an Outland Evil God.
• A woman led Kallen to the fifth floor, where Mavario and three Archive elders began examining Kallen, Aoji, and Puer’s memories.
• Kallen used a phantom of Dis to drive the examining elder from his consciousness, and Old White reported that a powerful being had left protective force within Kallen and was about to condense a Godhead Fragment.
• The Divine Temple elders concluded that Rasma had secretly protected Kallen because the church had suppressed Rasma’s students, and they sent Kallen’s file to the Whip of Order twice to signal that his reward should be doubled.
• Fudeng saw the duplicate files and promoted Kallen to Director of the First Office, transferring its current director to the post of Second Office Director.

Kallen completed the Divine Temple’s inspection and joined Mavario and Lister on a visit to Lost Paradise, where they gathered ingredients for a meal. In its garden, Kallen found a purple hair clip, and a young girl called him “Dad.”

• Mavario had the [War Scythe] scan Kallen, then privately decided not to report the unusual sense of closeness he had felt from the artifact.
• Kallen bathed and reunited with Puer, who had been returned to him by the temple attendant.
• Lister invited Kallen and Mavario to Lost Paradise, and they traveled there through a Teleportation Magic Formation.
• Kallen and Puer explored the garden and tasted its exceptionally delicious produce while Lister and Mavario went to catch fish.
• Kallen found a purple hair clip on a melon vine, then heard a young girl behind him call him “Dad.”