Recaps

Baresi’s assault drove the masked assassin into a crater, where Baresi discovered he wielded exceptionally pure Necromantic Magic Power. The necromancer emerged after gravely wounding Baresi, while the Church’s forces raised a Light Barrier to face him.

• Baresi trapped the assassin beneath a rain of flaming dragon lances, forcing him to defend himself with a huge sky-blue shield.
• Baresi descended into the crater and cried out after discovering the assassin’s Necromantic Magic Power, which began corroding his Holy Power.
• Baresi escaped the crater, but a bone spear pierced his chest and left him gravely wounded.
• Kaká ordered the Church’s knights and priests to protect Baresi as the necromancer emerged from the crater.
• The Church’s forces formed a massive Light Barrier while the necromancer stood before them in white bone armor, carrying a purple bone shield and a skull-topped staff.

A necromancer attacked Baresi with a barrage of curses and nearly killed him before retreating through a mysterious blue light. Kaká treated Baresi and discovered that at least nine necromantic curses had weakened him during the fight, while the Church began securing the battlefield and spreading news of the necromancer’s return.

• The necromancer’s bone spears struck the Church’s light barrier while Kaká secretly used Holy Power to stop Baresi from rapidly aging.
• The necromancer declared that Baresi would not live, then retreated through a blue light and vanished.
• Kaká confirmed that the necromancer had left, and the Church members recorded the battle and sent word of Necromantic Magic Power’s return.
• Priests tried to keep Baresi alive, but the necromantic aura in his wound resisted their Holy Power.
• Kaká treated Baresi and found that at least nine curses had weakened his senses, strength, and mind during the fight.

Sun Fei explained how he used a Scroll of Town Portal and several Diablo combat modes to ambush Baresi, though the priest survived the attack. Kaká resolved to hunt down the powerful necromancer, while Sun Fei returned to Chambord's camp before the competition's final matches.

• Kaká realized the necromancer had inherited powerful, nearly lost arts and vowed to find and kill him, then saw that Baresi was close to death.
• Crowds gathered in Saint Petersburg for the Martial Combat Competition's final matches, with Chambord's camp drawing attention because two of its fighters had reached the top seven.
• Sun Fei returned to his tent through a portal, drank a Full Rejuvenation Potion, and entered Diablo to replace the equipment he had used in the assassination.
• Sun Fei revealed that he had killed Baresi because the priest would continue pursuing Angela for the Church, so he had secretly placed a Scroll of Town Portal on a Church knight's mount.
• Sun Fei used Assassin, Amazon, and Necromancer modes to disguise his identity and distract the Church, but Baresi's unexpected Moon Class strength let him survive and overpower Sun Fei.

Sun Fei explained how he used Necromancer curses and Bone Spears to kill Baresi, then returned safely to camp and cleared himself of suspicion. The expert competition’s top-seven draw left Shevchenko with a third consecutive bye as Sun Fei prepared to face Xindi.

• Sun Fei recalled switching from Assassin and Amazon modes to Necromancer mode, whose curses countered Baresi’s Light Holy Power and weakened him.
• Sun Fei used Bone Spears to wound Baresi, who fled the pit before a final spear pierced his chest and left him unconscious; Baresi’s destroyed heart ensured his death.
• Sun Fei reviewed his escape plan, left the king’s tent, and appeared before the camp in the morning sunshine.
• The seven remaining expert competitors drew their next matchups: Sun Fei faced Xindi, Elena faced Kanute, and One Sword faced the Silver-Armored Berserker.
• Shevchenko received another bye, advancing without a fight for the third consecutive round and drawing Sun Fei’s curiosity.

An investigation confirmed that Shevchenko had received three consecutive byes fairly, while Elena won her match against Kanute with ease. The chapter ended as [One Sword] opened his duel with [Silver-Armored Berserker] by drawing his rusty sword.

• The crowd questioned Shevchenko’s third consecutive bye, but Dominguez investigated and confirmed the draw was legitimate.
• Elena faced Kanute on the Number One Sword-Testing Platform and overwhelmed him with her ice arrows.
• Kanute surrendered after Elena destroyed his staff, securing Chambord City a place in the top four.
• [Silver-Armored Berserker] taunted [One Sword] and urged him to surrender before their match.
• [One Sword] answered by unleashing a streak of sword light.

One Sword tested a new sword intent against the Silver-Armored Berserker, who broke through it and revealed the Sorrows, Joys, Partings, and Reunions Sword Formation. The formation overwhelmed One Sword with memories and emotions, leaving him motionless with his eyes closed as the spectators watched in confusion.

• One Sword's rain-like sword intent drove the Silver-Armored Berserker around the platform and wounded him.
• The Silver-Armored Berserker released a flash of silver light that dispelled the sword intent, then argued that One Sword should admit defeat.
• The Silver-Armored Berserker opened an ornate case, drew three silver swords, and planted two around One Sword.
• The Silver-Armored Berserker activated the Sorrows, Joys, Partings, and Reunions Sword Formation, spreading bleak emotions across the platform.
• The formation stirred One Sword's buried memories and dulled his senses, leaving him standing motionless with his eyes closed while the spectators wondered what was happening.

The Silver-Armored Berserker trapped One Sword in the Sorrows, Joys, Partings, and Reunions Sword Formation and repeatedly wounded him, shocking the spectators and experts. One Sword eventually overwhelmed him with superior Dou Qi, broke both his arms, and turned openly murderous after the Berserker refused to submit.

• The Silver-Armored Berserker attacked One Sword with strange, swift swordsmanship while One Sword kept his eyes shut, and One Sword narrowly dodged the first strike but was wounded at the ankle.
• The Silver-Armored Berserker continued attacking through the sword formation, leaving One Sword battered as Sun Fei and the other experts realized how helpless he was.
• One Sword unleashed a surge of Dou Qi that blasted the Silver-Armored Berserker away, then demanded that he submit and offered to spare his life.
• The Silver-Armored Berserker refused and resumed his attack, forcing One Sword to close his eyes and suffering another wound.
• One Sword struck with another wave of Dou Qi, broke both of the Silver-Armored Berserker's arms, and asked whether he could still wield a sword.

The Silver-Armored Berserker continued fighting despite his broken limbs, and One Sword answered with a lethal strike. When the dust settled, One Sword was injured and the Berserker lay facedown in a pool of blood, leaving the outcome unclear.

• One Sword broke the Sorrows, Joys, Partings, and Reunions Sword Formation and badly wounded the Silver-Armored Berserker's legs.
• The Silver-Armored Berserker refused to surrender and attacked with the Nameless Sword in his mouth, sending the Sorrow and Joy Sword and the Parting and Reunion Sword flying at One Sword.
• One Sword struck again with a killing blow as the Silver-Armored Berserker charged into him, and their swords collided in a violent burst of sparks and debris.
• After the dust settled, the crowd saw that One Sword's hand was bleeding and that he looked shocked, while the Silver-Armored Berserker lay facedown more than thirty meters behind him, covered in blood.

After One Sword defeated Silver-Armored Berserker, Sun Fei admitted to saving the wounded fighter and faced One Sword’s anger. Sun Fei then met Magic Princess Xindi on the platform, where she recognized his overwhelming strength but insisted on testing him in three moves.

• The referee declared One Sword the winner, and the old king of the Bolo Empire ordered his physicians and magicians to treat Silver-Armored Berserker.
• One Sword challenged Sun Fei for interfering, but Sun Fei admitted he had saved Silver-Armored Berserker and dismissed One Sword’s threats.
• One Sword left, troubled by Sun Fei’s rise and his own loss of composure.
• Magic Princess Xindi took the platform for her match against Sun Fei as the royal court magicians raised a reinforced Water Curtain Heaven Flower barrier.
• Sun Fei sent Torres to give the Bolo king a Healing Potion, then joined Xindi on the platform.
• Xindi told Sun Fei she knew he was stronger than her, but summoned her battle staff and demanded they decide the match in three moves.

Sun Fei faced Magic Princess Xindi’s three-move challenge and survived her first forbidden spell, the Embrace of the Ice and Snow Goddess, without harm. Xindi began her second attack, Blazing Flower of Flame, as the crowd watched.

• Sun Fei revealed enough of his strength to make the spectators believe he had reached Seven-Star Class, though he suppressed his true power.
• Magic Princess Xindi gathered a powerful forbidden spell while Sun Fei prepared to meet her attack.
• Xindi cast the Embrace of the Ice and Snow Goddess, freezing Sun Fei inside a massive block of ice.
• Sun Fei shattered the ice and erased its shards with controlled force, emerging unharmed and astonishing the onlookers.
• Xindi announced her second move, Blazing Flower of Flame, and raised her war staff above her head.

Sun Fei withstood Xindi's devastating fire attack and stopped her from casting another spell that could have killed her. The Magic Princess fell unconscious in his arms, and Sun Fei won the third battle at the peak.

• Xindi unleashed a powerful fire spell that clashed with Sun Fei's glazed-colored fist for nearly ten minutes.
• Sun Fei dispersed the flames, while Xindi was left badly injured from using magic beyond her strength.
• The crowd erupted in cheers, and Shevchenko lost his composure as the VIPs recognized Sun Fei's rising power.
• Xindi began chanting a still more dangerous spell despite Sun Fei warning her to stop.
• Sun Fei appeared beside Xindi, knocked her unconscious with a controlled blow, caught her as she fell, and won the battle.

Sun Fei defeated Xindi in the tournament and returned to camp, where he learned Angela had gone to the imperial capital with the eldest princess. After receiving two reports that Church agents were investigating him, he considered the threat and destroyed the letters.

• The old king of the Bulan Kingdom thanked Sun Fei for saving Xindi, and the crowd celebrated Sun Fei as all four semifinalists were confirmed.
• Qiuxiang told Sun Fei that the eldest princess had taken Angela, Chunmei, Xiaqing, and Dongrui to the imperial capital.
• Sun Fei caught Victoria lounging on the Flying Cloud Leopard hide rug and scolded her before she fled the tent.
• Paris warned Sun Fei that Church agents had appeared in the campgrounds and were investigating him.
• A messenger emerged from a sky-blue portal with a second report confirming Paris's information, and Sun Fei destroyed both letters.

Sun Fei trained the young assassins, learned how to wake Čech, and discovered that Iaquinta would face Krasic in a Martial Saint Battle in five days. The Empire Ranking Competition semifinals were drawn, pairing Sun Fei with Elena and Shevchenko with One Sword.

• Sun Fei taught Inzaghi, Michael Owen, David Beckham, Cavani, and Raúl assassin techniques while others trained around the Chambord camp.
• An envoy from the Bolo Empire delivered an antidote and instructions from the Silver-Armored Berserker, allowing Sun Fei to determine how to awaken Čech.
• Sun Fei sent Urban Management officers to investigate troop movements and learned that Iaquinta would fight Krasic to the death atop Martial Saint Mountain in five days.
• Angela stayed in the imperial capital for a grand banquet, while Sun Fei spent the night leveling Barbarian Mode in the Diablo World and reached level 76.
• The Empire Ranking Competition semifinal draw matched Sun Fei against Elena and Shevchenko against One Sword.

Sun Fei waited for news of Angela while training his men, then discovered that Shevchenko’s semifinal against One Sword had taken an unexpected turn. After Angela returned drunk and Sun Fei cared for her, Robben reported that One Sword had lost, leaving Sun Fei stunned before his own match.

• Sun Fei stayed in camp instead of watching One Sword face Shevchenko, training Inzaghi and the Four Little Dragons while Čech taught Drogba and Pierce to command troops.
• Sun Fei sensed Shevchenko matching One Sword’s powerful aura and sent Robben to record the duel.
• Angela returned to camp drunk, and Sun Fei carried her to bed and stayed beside her as she slept.
• Angela woke before Sun Fei, brought him porridge, and reminded him that his match was approaching.
• Torres announced Robben’s return, and Robben reported that One Sword had lost to Shevchenko.

Sun Fei reviewed Shevchenko’s victory over One Sword and recognized the Little Prince of Luck as a formidable dark horse, then advanced to the final when Elena forfeited. While Shevchenko recovered from his injuries, Sun Fei completed the third act in the Diablo World and obtained a piece of Natalya’s Odium.

• Robben reported that Shevchenko had defeated One Sword, and Sun Fei used the Diwei Crystal to watch their fight.
• Sun Fei recognized Shevchenko’s perfectly consistent, relentless fighting style and concluded that One Sword had lost after fighting below his usual level.
• Elena forfeited her semifinal against Sun Fei, sending him directly to the final against Shevchenko three days later.
• Sun Fei spent two days completing the quests in Kurast Docks and killing Mephisto in the Durance of Hate with Elena.
• Sun Fei obtained Natalya’s Totem Grim Helm, a piece of the Natalya’s Odium set.

Sun Fei completed the first quest in Pandemonium Fortress and reached level 79 with his Barbarian before the Empire Ranking Competition final. As rumors swirled around the coming battles, Paris warned him that the Church was investigating him, leaving Sun Fei to suspect a dangerous rift between the Church and the imperial family.

• Sun Fei entered Pandemonium Fortress, met Archangel Tyrael, and accepted the quest to kill the fallen angel Izual.
• Sun Fei killed Izual the day before the Martial Combat Competition and reached level 79 as a Barbarian.
• Rumors and wagers spread ahead of the Empire Ranking Competition final between Sun Fei and Shevchenko and the Martial Saint Battle between Krasic and Iaquinta.
• Sun Fei continued training the Four Little Dragons and treating old Arjen, whose leg had begun to heal.
• Paris warned Sun Fei that the Church had investigated his associates and his fight with Chris Sutton, prompting him to consider tensions between the Church and the imperial family.

Sun Fei faced Shevchenko in the Empire Ranking Competition final and discovered that Shevchenko became a fearsome, frenzied fighter when he wielded his sword and shield. Sun Fei disarmed him, ending the madness and leaving Shevchenko clear-eyed as the crowd watched.

• Sun Fei reviewed the Letters and Visits Office’s intelligence and pretended to remain inside the Chambord camp to mislead the Church’s watchers.
• Sun Fei and Shevchenko met on the sword-testing platform, where Shevchenko thanked Sun Fei for sending him medicine.
• Shevchenko took up his sword and shield, entered a frenzied state, and attacked Sun Fei with powerful sword techniques.
• Sun Fei matched Shevchenko’s attacks and realized his strength and relentless drive came from a distinct mad state triggered by his weapons.
• Sun Fei jolted Shevchenko’s sword from his hands, and Shevchenko’s blood-red eyes cleared as he returned to his usual self.

Sun Fei was celebrated as the Empire Ranking Competition’s number one expert, received golden battle armor from Emperor Yassin, and sensed powerful forces throughout the Imperial Capital during his procession. The chapter ended when hostile Spartak warriors mocked him and one of them sent a thin gust of force toward his carriage.

• Shevchenko admitted defeat, and the crowd hailed Sun Fei as the new martial king.
• Angela, Lampard, and the VIP guests celebrated Sun Fei’s victory, while Christo looked gloomy.
• Sun Fei rode through the twenty-li affiliated kingdom camp and the Imperial Capital as crowds cheered him and scattered flowers.
• At the palace square, Sun Fei received golden battle armor sent by the gravely ill Emperor Yassin and continued his procession.
• Sun Fei sensed powerful auras and discovered that an inconspicuous guesthouse courtyard was shielded from his perception.
• Sun Fei recognized the courtyard’s occupants as Spartak warriors, who mocked him before one raised a hand and sent a gust of force toward him.

Sun Fei quietly stopped a Spartak warrior’s sneak attack during the parade, then attended the Martial Combat Competition awards ceremony. Chambord City rose to first-rank status, and Sun Fei received command of the newly formed Wolf Fang Legion with sweeping authority to build it.

• Barton secretly attacked Sun Fei with a stone, but Sun Fei deflected it back and wounded Barton without killing him.
• Sun Fei chose not to escalate the encounter with the Spartak warriors, wary of provoking their Martial Saint.
• The imperial court held the awards ceremony, promoting Chambord City to a first-rank vassal state and transferring nearby territories to its rule.
• The empire demoted poorly performing vassal states and promoted others based on their competition results, while noting that the war could bring further rewards.
• The empire named Sun Fei commander of the Wolf Fang Legion and gave him broad authority to recruit troops and choose officers.

After the awards ceremony, Sun Fei turned Chambord’s new prestige into a flood of gifts and entrusted their distribution to Victoria. Old Arjen presented a plan for the Wolf Fang Legion, and Sun Fei named him its commander, leaving the camp to follow his orders.

• Second Prince Dominguez announced that the Wolf Fang Legion would deploy in fifteen days and be disbanded after the southern war, while Sun Fei would hold no real military authority over it afterward.
• Sun Fei avoided the nobles crowding the Chambord camp and had his people accept and register their gifts without granting anyone an audience.
• Sun Fei ordered Victoria to divide the gifts between the camp’s soldiers and another purpose, and the Chambordians celebrated their rise and the wealth they had received.
• Old Arjen presented Sun Fei with a scroll outlining plans for forming the Wolf Fang Legion and retaining its military power after the war.
• After reading the scroll with Old Arjen in private, Sun Fei declared that Old Arjen would be responsible for forming the Wolf Fang Legion and ordered everyone to obey him.

Sun Fei entrusted old Arjen with forming the Wolf Fang Legion while preparing to watch the approaching Martial Saint Battle. After defeating Diablo in the Diablo World, Sun Fei joined the top contestants on their journey to Martial Saint Mountain, where the duel was set to take place that evening.

• Sun Fei trusted old Arjen’s military experience and assigned him full responsibility for forming the Wolf Fang Legion.
• Old Arjen quickly filled three battalions with elite fighters, though several recommended commanders became hesitant to join.
• Sun Fei opened all five seals in the Chaos Sanctuary and, with Elena, killed Diablo, raising his Barbarian to level 84.
• Sun Fei woke beneath ominous clouds and traveled with the top twenty-five contestants to Martial Saint Mountain after they surrendered their weapons and passed inspection.

Sun Fei and the affiliated kingdoms' experts climbed Martial Saint Mountain under intense security, crossing chains suspended above a deadly abyss and traversing passages through the peaks. The group emerged into a springlike hidden paradise high on the central peak, while Sun Fei's unease persisted.

• Royal Imperial Guard experts searched the group, confiscated their weapons and storage devices, and arrested one affiliated-kingdom expert after a purple light flared during inspection.
• Sun Fei and the others climbed through a winding passage to South Third Peak, where ten armed Martial Saint Mountain experts led them across chains stretching into the clouds.
• The Silver-Armored Berserker crossed first, Magic Princess Xindi flew with magical wings, and Sun Fei followed after the others had left the plaza.
• Sun Fei rescued two people who nearly fell from the chains and carried them to the far plaza, where they stayed behind rather than continue.
• Sun Fei and the remaining experts crossed six chain spans, climbed into the central sword peak, and emerged from a passage into a lush springlike landscape.

Sun Fei and the other guests reached the viewing area on Martial Saint Mountain, where he reflected on Krasic’s legacy and surveyed the prominent visitors gathered to watch the Martial Saint Battle. The chapter left Sun Fei seated with Chambord City’s experts as the assembled delegations awaited the battle.

• Two young warriors guided Sun Fei and the others to a grassy viewing area on Martial Saint Mountain.
• Sun Fei recalled how Krasic had crushed rebellions and protected the empire for twenty-six years.
• Sun Fei recognized Paris, Ziyan, Dominguez, Christo, Shirley, and other familiar figures among the gathered spectators.
• Sun Fei identified the Church delegation, Huntelaar of Ajax, Costacurta of Eindhoven, and Gilano of Saint-Germain.
• Huntelaar sensed Sun Fei probing his strength, opened his eyes toward him, and then looked away.
• Sun Fei sat with Čech, Elena, and Chambord City’s experts near ten armored young warriors from the imperial military.

Sun Fei navigated the tense political rivalries among imperial nobles and confronted the arrogant Spartak warriors as the crowd awaited the Martial Saints’ duel. When the two fighters appeared atop the summit, Sun Fei recognized Zenit’s Martial Saint, Krasic, and was stunned.

• Sun Fei spoke with Paris and Second Prince Dominguez, while Ziyan approached him on behalf of the eldest princess, leaving observers unsure which imperial faction he supported.
• As dusk neared, the subsidiary kingdom experts returned after being rebuffed by nobles, and Fourth Prince Christo’s group mocked Sun Fei.
• Three Martial Saint Mountain experts brought Spartak warriors to the viewing area, where their taunts angered the crowd.
• Sun Fei appeared when the Spartak warriors insulted Elena, and they backed down after recognizing him.
• Iaquinta and Krasic appeared atop the stone pillar, and Sun Fei was shocked to realize Krasic was Zenit’s Martial Saint.

Sun Fei reunited with his mentor, Zenit's Martial Saint Krasic, on Sword Peak and blocked an attack from Spartak's Martial Saint Iaquinta. Krasic then confronted Iaquinta directly, beginning a battle watched anxiously across Zenit.

• Sun Fei recognized Krasic as the mysterious powerhouse who had taught him and greeted him with concern.
• Iaquinta learned that Sun Fei had injured Barton and launched a crimson strike to take Sun Fei's arm.
• Sun Fei blocked and shattered Iaquinta's attack with his right fist, stunning the onlookers.
• Iaquinta prepared to attack Sun Fei with full force, but Krasic intervened with a massive cyan palm.
• Krasic and Iaquinta's palms clashed as people across Zenit watched and prayed for Krasic to win.