Chapter Summaries

After returning from a revenge mission, Kallen handled York City District’s reforms and financial troubles while the Militia Regiment fought in the desert. During his meeting with the Whip Bearer, reports revealed that the desert campaign had turned against the militia, though the York City and Dinge District regiments had survived and begun rebuilding their defenses.

• Kallen approved issuing bonds to fund York City District’s reforms and read Neo’s report about the militia’s orders to join a major campaign against the Desert Rebels.
• Kallen wrote an article arguing for Whip of Order control over militia regiments, but the article was blocked as rival factions competed for influence over the forces.
• Kallen met Fudeng for lunch, apologized for acting impulsively, and learned that his article had not been published.
• Miguel reported that the Militia Regiments had lost communication after routed troops struck their encirclement lines, and Kallen suggested that Orthodox Order God Church forces might have disguised themselves as Desert Rebels.
• Fudeng learned that Muli and Senrol had restored communication and were gathering retreating regiments to rebuild their defenses, then scolded Kallen for smiling at the news of the front-line defeat.

Puer and Kevin’s scouting party found signs that a large, well-equipped force had concealed its movements near the militia regiments, prompting Neo to prepare defenses and warn Senrol. At dawn, Night God Church forces attacked, but Neo’s regiment opened fire with its cannons and forced the infiltrators to face a heavily fortified camp.

• Puer found evidence that someone had cleaned traces beneath rocks and in a hollow, and Kevin detected the use of different Purification Scrolls.
• Puer warned Neo that the clues suggested a serious threat, and Neo reinforced the camp and sent a warning to Senrol’s neighboring regiment.
• Earl Recar sensed danger approaching, so Neo ordered the regiment to strengthen its defenses, eat, rest, and take battle positions.
• Night God Church forces advanced before dawn, using Nightwing Giant Birds to disrupt communications and Night-Walking Warriors to infiltrate the camps.
• Kevin sensed the attackers’ positions, Puer gave the coordinates, and Fanny directed the Magic Crystal Cannons to bombard the enemy’s heavy swordsmen.
• The Night-Walking Warriors triggered the camp’s traps and reached a towering wall covered in formations, where they despaired at the difficulty of infiltrating it.

Neo’s regiment repelled a Night God Church attack and took in scattered militiamen while waiting for the Knight Order, leaving him worried that surviving forces and added responsibilities would disrupt their plans. Elsewhere, the High Priest learned that Kallen and Muli had distinguished themselves and asked Fudeng to bring Kallen to meet him.

• Neo coordinated summoners, archers, and crossbowmen to mark and kill Night-Walking Warriors attacking the camp, then refused to pursue their retreating survivors.
• Neo ordered scattered militiamen treated and supplied outside the walls while keeping them out of the camp until the Knight Order arrived.
• Senrol offered to place his regiment under Muli’s joint command, prompting Neo to complain that the arrangement would interfere with their plans to rob tombs.
• The Knight Order’s Military Discipline Officer arrived to tally results, and Regiment Commander Daan summoned Muli to explain how the defenses had been prepared in advance.
• The High Priest learned that the Orthodox churches had escalated the war and praised Muli’s performance before asking Fudeng to bring Kallen to meet him.

Kallen used lunch with Fudeng to advocate reform and greater investment in the Militia Regiments, then accompanied him to a high-level meeting at the High Priest’s Office Divine Temple. The High Priest announced a major escalation in the desert, and Kallen drew special attention during the meeting’s closing praise.

• Kallen told Fudeng that the Order Church should adapt its rules and let history judge its reforms, impressing the Whip Bearer.
• Fudeng ordered Miguel to convene a meeting on increasing investment in the Militia Regiments, and Kallen recommended expanding and supporting the two regiments that had distinguished themselves.
• Mobiten announced that the High Priest wanted to see Kallen, and Fudeng invited Kallen to accompany him into the Office Divine Temple.
• The High Priest assigned the church’s leaders new tasks and announced a major deployment to the desert in response to other Orthodox Order God Churches entering the conflict.
• The meeting’s leaders praised the great God of Order, and Kallen added the missing words after sensing a gaze fall on him.

Kallen attended a meeting at the Office Divine Temple, where Norton drew him into a private audience and questioned his views on the Church and the age without gods. Norton left unconvinced by Kallen’s carefully considered answers, while Kallen returned to focusing on his work in York City District.

• Kallen resisted Norton’s first attempt to pull him out of his seat with a mental tug, then deliberately let himself be drawn into a hidden platform beside Norton.
• Norton laughed at Kallen’s attempt to rock his chair for another chance and used a gentler tug to bring him over.
• Kallen and Norton discussed books, the Order God Church, and Kallen’s changing views on divinity and the Order Regulations.
• Kallen called the epoch without gods wonderful, but Norton grew cold and told him to do his work well.
• Norton suspected that someone had coached Kallen, while Kallen returned to the meeting and later decided to concentrate on his duties in York City District.
• Kallen studied a mural of Tyranus, then Alfred sneezed at the Office as Leon and Vic joked that the District Chief was thinking of him.

Kallen reported his meeting with the High Priest to Fudeng, then returned to York City District and learned that Byrne was dying. Byrne offered Pamireth Church’s support to solve Kallen’s financial crisis and asked him to help Order absorb the church.

• Kallen gave Fudeng a deliberately brief account of his conversation with the High Priest, then left the carriage with Little Kangna.
• Little Kangna told Kallen about a dream in which she searched for him while carrying a crystal-like apple, and Kallen suspected it was an inherited memory of the Rebel Dragon God.
• After returning to York City District, Kallen met Byrne, who revealed that an old poison infection had become unmanageable and that he might live about two more years.
• Kallen and Byrne discussed the High Priest’s meeting, York City District’s financial troubles, and the Order God Church’s plans to send reinforcements to the desert.
• Byrne proposed that Pamireth Church fund Kallen’s Militia Regiment in exchange for Kallen helping his son secure the Church Venerable position.
• Byrne urged Kallen to take Pamireth Church’s money, then use his influence to weaken and ultimately absorb the church into Order.

Kallen learned that the Whip Bearer was sending nearly two hundred elite Whip of Order squads from Frontier Space to reinforce the desert, turning the militia forces there into a legion that would attract a fierce contest for command. He prepared to receive them and considered whether he should go to the front himself.

• Kallen returned to the dormitory, ate with Aoji and Daina, and then briefed Alfred, Vic, and Leon about his trip to Dinge District.
• Kallen reviewed reports of growing church involvement in the desert and spoke with Neo, who described the militia regiment’s success and worried that reinforcements might bring a new commander.
• Miguel told Kallen that nearly two hundred Whip of Order squads from Frontier Space would assemble in his district within three days before heading to the front.
• Kallen calculated that the mobilization could bring the Whip of Order’s desert forces to more than ten thousand and realized senior officers would compete to command them.
• After agreeing to prepare for the reinforcements, Kallen wondered whether he should go to the front.

Kallen weighed whether to compete for command of the expanding Whip of Order legion and arranged to question Neo about his apparent inherited military expertise. He then met Pamireth Church executive Derius, who sought a promise from Kallen, but Kallen left the negotiation to Vic, who demanded ten times the written offer.

• Kallen and his secretaries discussed the legion commander position, and Kallen admitted he lacked confidence commanding an army of that size.
• Alfred explained that Neo might have inherited the military memories of the Mad Pope and the Ancestor of the Bloodthirsty Otherworldly Demon, so Kallen arranged to question him directly.
• Kallen ordered Alfred to prepare for incoming personnel and told Leon to move up the next communication with the front.
• Kallen went to the Ankara Hotel with Little Kangna and Aoji to meet Derius, who presented a proposal from the Pamireth Church.
• Kallen left after Derius revealed the actual offer was twice the written amount, leaving Vic to demand ten times the offer and warn that refusing would bring the outcome Derius feared most.

Kallen negotiated support for the Pamireth Church with Derius, then faced three unruly Order clerics who forced their way toward the Ankara Hotel. With the Regional Guardian declaring them allies, Kallen and Aoji prepared to teach them the rules.

• Kallen told Derius that small churches would need Order's protection to survive the coming age of conflict, and urged him to act as a loyal Pamireth Church Venerable while accepting Order's support.
• Derius agreed to prepare the first funds and supplies, then left to meet his father; Kallen told Vic to pursue the payment.
• Aoji threatened to complain about Kallen to the Whip Bearer, but backed down when she remembered what Kallen could expose.
• A giant python carrying three Order clerics arrived at the Ankara Hotel, and the young people attacked its defenses and disabled a security rider.
• The Regional Guardian identified the intruders as allies, and Kallen ordered the hotel defenses lowered before revealing Aoji and Little Kangna in their dragon forms.
• Kallen told the Regional Guardian that he would teach the three young clerics what rules meant.

Kallen subdued Andrew and his companions after they challenged his authority, then ordered them to hang at the hotel entrance for three days and face further discipline. After returning to headquarters, he spoke with Neo about an urgent matter and was told that he should take command of the Militia Regiment.

• Alyosha and Zhansenni surrendered to Kallen, but Andrew challenged him to a duel and was swiftly restrained by Kangna's bone cage.
• The district guardian injured Andrew while intervening, and Kallen ordered Andrew, Alyosha, and Zhansenni to hang at the hotel entrance for three days without food or water.
• Kallen learned that the three were Frontier Space officers being transferred to the Militia Regiment, and Andrew's father apologized to him through a communication formation.
• Kallen told the suspended trio to submit written self-criticisms after three days and threatened to disqualify them from joining the Militia Regiment if Andrew's account was unsatisfactory.
• Kallen returned to headquarters for an urgent meeting, while Little Kangna rushed off to finish her homework before speaking with Puer.
• Neo told Kallen that Muli was no longer fit to command the Militia Regiment and urged Kallen to take over.

Kallen pursued the Whip of Order legion commander position while building support and managing his district. After touring a staged execution meant to impress newly arrived clerics, he left Andrew and the others shaken by what it meant to lose their Order Clerical Robes.

• Kallen told Andilao he intended to compete for the legion commander position and urged him to support his candidacy, then contacted other Academy Faction members to make his decision known.
• Kallen refused Daina's offer to ask the High Priest for help, explaining that it would damage his chances.
• Kallen dismissed Andrew's twenty-page self-criticism because Andrew and the two Vice Captains still failed to understand that their real wrongdoing was bypassing proper channels.
• Kallen and Vic took Andrew and the two Vice Captains to the new execution ground, where Mr. Alfred had gathered newly arrived Whip of Order clerics to watch.
• The condemned prisoners were stripped of their Order Clerical Robes and pleaded to die wearing them, silencing the clerics and leaving Andrew frightened.

Kallen and Alfred guided the Frontier Space Whip of Order clerics through an outing designed to reconnect them with Order and prepare them for the coming war. After learning that an emergency meeting would decide the legion leadership, Kallen said the next move was his.

• Alfred arranged a theater performance, food, and shopping for the visiting clerics, while Kallen watched and recognized the purpose behind treating them like tourists.
• Mavario asked Kallen to let Lister and Old White remain with the returning clerics and join the front lines, and Kallen agreed to consider them during reorganization.
• Kallen told Andrew and the other two young clerics to resume their duties and submit sincere written self-criticisms when reorganization began.
• Alfred showed the clerics evidence of other churches' atrocities at the Ankara Memorial Hall, then highlighted Kallen's actions and military achievements to stir their resolve for the Desert campaign.
• Alfred asked about Kallen's candidacy for legion commander, and Kallen said he had chosen a risky approach based on what he believed the Whip Bearer wanted.
• Vic reported that the Whip of Order would hold an emergency meeting for district chiefs and above the next morning, and Kallen said the next step was up to him.

Kallen spent the day in Dinge District before the Legion Commander selection, distancing himself from the Academy Faction while receiving support and a military proposal from his former teacher, Pilo. At the assessment, Kallen submitted no proposal and instead promised to obey the Superior Knight Order, leaving Fudeng’s handpicked choice remark hanging over the competition.

• Little Kangna trapped children in a beach formation, and Kallen opened it and told her not to practice formations carelessly in public.
• At an Academy Faction gathering, Kallen admitted to Andilao that he was trying to move beyond the faction, and Andilao agreed to explain his departure to the other bigwigs.
• Kallen visited Pilo’s retirees’ club, where Liwen gave him a military proposal and told him that serving Knight Order commanders had arrived early to serve as assessors.
• At the cathedral, Kallen entered the preliminary assessment without a proposal and told the assessors he had no thoughts beyond obeying military orders and maintaining the militia regiment.
• After Kallen left, Sommer accused Fudeng of arranging a handpicked choice, and Fudeng admitted that he had used the selection as an excuse to meet his old friends.

Kallen Silva was appointed Legion Commander of the Whip of Order’s Desert Legion after correctly recognizing that the Whip Bearer wanted an obedient, adaptable leader. Back in York City District, he was welcomed as Legion Commander and contacted Neo at the front, where he called him Deputy Knight Commander.

• Andilao realized Kallen had understood that the Legion Commander selection favored a candidate with no independent agenda, and he congratulated Kallen before the appointment was announced.
• Number Two named Kallen Silva Legion Commander, and Fudeng presented him with his special Identity Token before the assembly praised the God of Order.
• Kallen received congratulations from officials and regional leaders, then returned to York City District, where Clerics welcomed him as Legion Commander.
• Byrne urged Derius to transfer money quickly, warning that Kallen would deal openly and decisively with anyone who angered him.
• Kallen contacted Neo at the front, learned about the soldiers’ improvised Order Pot, and addressed Neo as Deputy Knight Commander until Neo answered with an insult.

Kallen prepared to lead the Order God Church’s forces at the front while Neo organized the York City Militia Regiment for the coming war. After inspecting the regiment’s training and speaking with Byrne, Kallen faced his doubts about his rising position and decided to read the Order Regulations again.

• Neo reassured Kallen that the war would favor their well-supplied forces, and Kallen said he would arrive at the front with the main force within days.
• Neo ordered half pay for the Desert Order God Church’s people and told Ventura and Muli to prepare commanders and expand the regiment around York City’s existing command structure.
• Kallen told Daina he was going to the front, then inspected the militia’s modular training and praised the work of Drill Instructor Sainis and his staff.
• Byrne congratulated Kallen, urged him to be careful at the front, and discussed his plans for Derius and the future of his family.
• Kallen admitted that his rapid rise had left him feeling insecure, but declined Byrne’s advice and said he would reread the Order Regulations.

Kallen received practical gifts from Eunice and prepared to lead the Whip of Order forces to the desert front, where he took command of the newly unified Whip of Order Desert Legion. After punishing two Dinge District officers for logistical failures, he announced his authority and led nearly ten thousand clerics in pledging themselves to Order.

• Eunice gave Kallen practical supplies for the campaign, and Kallen accepted them before leaving the Ancient Castle with Old Saman, Dali Wenluo, Mrs. Gandiro, and Molindi's coffin.
• Kallen visited the Guman Family, collected Madam Tang Li's supplies, and left Delong behind; at headquarters he received a commander’s robe from the Whip Bearer and let Thousand Enchantments join it as its artifact spirit.
• Kallen appointed Daina as his attendant officer, then departed with his troops through the Teleportation Hall and arrived at the desert Transfer Base.
• Kallen's York City District forces emerged in disciplined formation, and Kallen arrived riding a bone dragon as Scarlett and Luo Lijiesi handed over the Dinge District recruits.
• Kallen ordered Daina to whip Scarlett and Luo Lijiesi for logistical failures, then announced that all Whip of Order forces in the desert would be reorganized under his command as the Whip of Order Desert Legion.
• Kallen read the Whip Bearer's order aloud, and nearly ten thousand clerics saluted and shouted, “For Order!”

Kallen’s Legion received its equipment, integrated its recruits, and completed a week of training while Kallen organized its command and prepared for war. After the churches’ public declarations and Kreid’s mobilization address, headquarters ordered Kallen to move his Legion to a designated location, clear any enemy forces, and build defenses.

• Kallen and Neo inspected the Legion’s supplies, including hundreds of magic crystal cannons and a hundred White-Haired Giants Elders, while Neo urged Kallen to request more artillery.
• Kallen settled into camp, organized his staff, and held officers’ and inner-circle meetings; Little Kangna, Daina, Puer, and Kevin joined him around camp life and training.
• Kallen supervised seven days of training, and the York City District and Dinge District contingents became disciplined and coordinated as one Legion.
• The Church Venerables visited the Desert Forbidden Land, while Kreid gave a prewar address and the churches publicized their support for the Desert Order God Church’s independence and the campaign against the Desert Remnants.
• Knight Order headquarters ordered Kallen to take his Legion to a specified location, eliminate any enemy forces there, and establish a defensive system.

Kallen and Neo planned the legion’s advance toward Chiya Grand Canyon, while Puer and Philomina’s reconnaissance uncovered evidence that the canyon was a trap. After enemy infiltrators exposed themselves among the scouts, Puer ordered the squad to scatter and break out, then prayed to Kallen for strength.

• Muli briefed Kallen and Neo on Chiya Grand Canyon’s strategic value, and Neo ordered the legion to camp rather than advance ahead of the Ninth Army Group’s formation.
• Kallen refused Little Kangna’s request to join Puer’s scouting mission and learned that his promised hot lunch was cold mush.
• Puer and Kevin found multiple suspicious stretches of ground in Chiya Grand Canyon and concluded that the seemingly empty area was a trap.
• Philomina was ambushed by Earth God Church clerics who trapped her and sent a disguised impostor to infiltrate the reconnaissance squad.
• Puer used code calls to identify three disguised infiltrators, and the scouts killed them before their bodies revealed their true forms.
• Puer exposed the disguised Philomina as a Mud Monster, ordered the scouts to scatter and break out, and prayed to Kallen for strength.

Puer and Philomina escaped an ambush in Chia Grand Canyon after discovering that its defenders had prepared an organized defense, and Puer’s attack bought them time to retreat. Kallen learned that the canyon was defended and prepared to act, while Neo warned that an Earth God Church or Life Order God Church garrison could cause heavy losses.

• Puer used her fixed prayer to turn human, destroyed the mud monster, and bombarded the encircling Earth Clerics to help her squad escape.
• Kevin caught Puer as she turned back into a cat and carried her away, while Philomina escaped after the Barrier trapping her collapsed.
• Bilyen and Rook discussed their failed ambush, confirmed that Order’s Commander would suspect the canyon’s defenses, and prepared tunnels and seeds for the coming attack.
• Kallen learned through the Symbiosis Contract that something had happened to Puer and asked Pilger Dog for support, but Pilger told him to take the canyon alone.
• Kallen and Neo concluded that Chia Grand Canyon likely had an organized garrison, and Neo warned that many would die if the defenders belonged to the Earth God Church or Life Order God Church.

Puer’s reconnaissance revealed extensive underground defenses beneath Chiya Grand Canyon, and the Whip of Order Legion advanced to flush out the enemy. After the defenders unleashed enormous vines from underground, Neo realized the enemy forces included the Life Order God Church and concluded that finding their roots would lead the legion to the command headquarters.

• Puer reported her reconnaissance findings to Neo and Kallen, and Neo inferred that tunnels and fortifications covered the area beneath Chiya Grand Canyon.
• Philomina killed a cleric but suffered a severe poison injury, then hid to recover as magic crystal cannon fire began nearby.
• The Whip of Order Legion bombarded the canyon and advanced a heavily defended formation to scout for mines and build a fortress above the enemy tunnels.
• The defenders attacked with massive vines that burst from underground, killing soldiers and Giant Weng and forcing Ventura’s formation to withdraw.
• Neo recognized the vines as evidence that the Life Order God Church had joined the defense and reasoned that the command headquarters would be beside the vines’ roots.