Recaps

Walast, commander of the Temple's First Knight Order, visited the caravan to warn Pikachu to keep the Dark Elves from causing trouble, and Mina explained how Walast had become a more measured paladin. The confrontation ended peacefully, but Kalin returned with an empty purse after shopping with the Dark Elves.

• The Temple sent Walast and other paladins to investigate the Dark Elves living in the caravan's storefront.
• Walast told Pikachu that the Temple would watch the Dark Elves and act if they committed evil, and Pikachu promised they would cause no disturbances in Dragon Cry City.
• Mina told Li Lin and Angela about Walast's past, including how a thief sacrificed herself to save him and how the experience changed his approach to justice.
• Kalin returned and said she and the Dark Elves had bought a few things, while Li Lin noticed that the purse he had given her was empty.

Li Lin confronted the Elf Goddess after Kalin brought hundreds of tortured elven slaves to the island at her request. He agreed to keep the elves only if the goddess surrendered authority over their lives, then ordered them shipped under guard while he continued his plans.

• Li Lin found hundreds of abused elves outside the door and demanded an explanation from Kalin.
• Kalin admitted the Elf Goddess had asked her to bring the elves to the island, and Li Lin summoned the goddess to negotiate.
• Li Lin refused to let the elves disrupt his plans and demanded that the Elf Goddess entrust their lives to him; she agreed.
• Li Lin ordered the fat merchant to arrange ships and guards for the elves, and he told Kalin to prevent escapes and watch for suspicious people.

As Kudel's armies advanced through the Black Road and tensions rose at court, Li Lin and Angela prepared to leave their mark on Kudel by exploiting a chance encounter. They drugged a young woman connected to the grand court mage, and Li Lin began using magic to make her comply with a request.

• Li Lin learned that two Kudel legions were advancing underground with Dark Elf guidance, while Maya warned that the king might use them to launch an attack as soon as they reached the surface.
• Li Lin told the fat merchant to finish his business and sail west to avoid suspicion, and he grew wary of the grand court mage's attention and the changing atmosphere at the palace.
• A young woman worried that her grandfather, the grand court mage, had shut himself away in his tower and could not be reached.
• The little maid drugged the young woman's tea, then welcomed Angela and Li Lin into the room; Angela praised the maid and drank her blood while Li Lin watched.
• Li Lin and Angela discussed how Angela's bewitchment could turn humans into devoted slaves, and Li Lin admitted that resisting her had saved him from that fate.
• Li Lin used magic to wake the young woman and began asking her to do him a favor.

Li Lin confronted Nia over her guilt about failing to protect the Magic Empire and persuaded her not to give up her role as leader of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys. After Nia left, he met Rolandis Fali, whose mind was affected by his spell, and invited her to go somewhere with him.

• Nia admitted that she was afraid and considered giving up what she carried, but Li Lin slapped her and challenged her to face her mission rather than flee.
• Nia reaffirmed that she would remain leader of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, then withheld what she knew until Li Lin carried out his plan and left through a portal.
• Rolandis Fali entered the library, where Li Lin introduced himself while the spell he had cast on her the previous night influenced her feelings.
• Li Lin invited the unsettled Rolandis to accompany him, and she agreed despite barely knowing him.

Li Lin stopped the carriage and confronted the old mage, revealing that the king planned to trap him and his Dark Elves after their deal. He offered to return Rolandis unharmed if the old mage concealed their departure, and the old mage agreed to travel with them.

• The old mage used the magical ornament he had given Rolandis to locate Li Lin's carriage, but Fina disrupted his tracking spell.
• Li Lin stopped the carriage when he sensed the old mage's arrival, and the old mage found Rolandis under magical control.
• Li Lin explained that the king intended to attack after his forces passed through the Black Road and said he needed the old mage as insurance for a safe departure.
• Li Lin offered to return Rolandis unharmed if the old mage concealed their journey to a southwestern port, but threatened her if he broke their agreement.
• The old mage accepted the exchange and climbed into the carriage to accompany them.

Li Lin restrained Angela from harming the female mage and discovered that his body was beginning to strain under his magic. Angela secretly advised Nia on how to approach Li Lin, and the chapter ended with Rolandis waking and confronting them.

• Li Lin forbade Angela from mistreating the female mage because he had promised a mage and wanted to preserve the Arcane Mages' reputation.
• Angela noticed Nia remained silent in book form, then transformed back into a little girl and encouraged Nia to be more proactive with Li Lin.
• Li Lin's meditation was disrupted by pain as he realized his unmodified body was struggling to withstand his magic.
• Li Lin resolved to use less magic until he could find traces of Suoxiate and have his body modified again.
• Rolandis woke, raised her staff, and demanded to know where she was and who Li Lin and Nia were.

After three days of travel, Li Lin stopped at a seaside inn when Rolandis’s exhaustion threatened to leave her unable to be returned unharmed. Rolandis tried to escape that night, but Fina intercepted her, and the chapter ended with Li Lin and Angela watching their fight from the window.

• Li Lin took Rolandis westward in the carriage, and after three days of deprivation he stopped at an inn so she would not become an invalid.
• After dinner, Rolandis used magic to check for surveillance, slipped out of her room, and made her way toward the inn’s back door.
• Rolandis tried to escape into the night, but Fina appeared and blocked her path.
• Rolandis attacked Fina with a spell, but Fina’s Minor Spell Immunity Shield stopped it.
• Fina asked Rolandis to return, and Rolandis began preparing another magical attack as Li Lin and Angela watched from the window.

Fina fought Rolandis but was defeated after Rolandis pierced her chest with Sonic Spear. Fina survived the wound, and Angela ordered Mina to tie a stone to her and throw her into the sea while Li Lin refused to intervene.

• Rolandis used an explosion to obscure Fina's view and tried to escape through a portal, but Fina's Dimensional Anchor trapped her.
• Rolandis launched a furious barrage of spells that destroyed Fina's Minor Spell Immunity Shield and forced her to evade while holding back from seriously harming Rolandis.
• Rolandis hit Fina with Sonic Spear, piercing her chest and sending her crashing into the grass.
• Mina rushed to help Fina, and Li Lin revealed that Fina was still alive despite the gaping wound in her chest.
• Angela called Fina useless and ordered Mina to tie a stone to her and throw her into the sea; Li Lin allowed it.

Lika was caught attempting to seduce her brother after Weijia drugged him, and the Grand Duke had them imprisoned. Weijia then drugged Lika in her cell and prepared to hand her over to an approaching man.

• Lika drugged her brother and tried to make him belong only to her, but the Grand Duke interrupted and ordered them both thrown into the dungeon.
• Weijia told the Grand Duke that Lika had forbidden feelings for her brother, then encouraged him to pursue his daughter while Angela watched from the shadows.
• Lika feared that she and her brother had been ruined, but Weijia comforted her and brought her pastries in the dungeon.
• After Lika ate the pastries, Weijia revealed that she had drugged her and admitted she resented Lika's kind, approachable manner.
• Weijia stepped aside as a man approached Lika's cell, and Lika screamed when she saw him.

Li Lin traveled with Rolandis while worrying about the unrest in Lalia and Nia's silence. Angela secretly coached Nia on pursuing love as a battle, leaving both Nia and Rolandis to consider her ruthless advice.

• Rolandis accepted her captivity after her escape attempt failed and endured Mina's unappealing food during the journey.
• Li Lin told Rolandis only that she would be free to leave when the time came, while he worried over Lalia's instability and Nia's refusal to answer him.
• After Li Lin left the carriage, Angela revealed that she and Nia had arranged Nia's silence to make Li Lin care about her.
• Angela advised Nia that love was a war in which a woman should test whether the man she loved was worthy of conquering her.
• Angela warned Rolandis not to tell Li Lin about their conversation, then left the carriage, while Nia and Rolandis reflected on her advice.

Li Lin prepared to leave Qixie Port while arranging a covert operation at sea and honoring his agreement to release Rolandis. Kalin reported that the plan was in position, and Li Lin ordered it to begin while sparing a merchant and his subordinates.

• Angela told Li Lin and the others a legend about a pirate's treasure and ghostly wrecks, but Li Lin stopped her and asked Mina and Fina to find a discreet ship.
• Li Lin told Rolandis to get ready to meet the old mage, indicating that he intended to release her as promised.
• Li Lin contacted Kalin, who reported that the plan had reached its designated position and complained about the elves.
• Li Lin ordered Kalin to begin the operation, sparing only the merchant and his subordinates and letting the elves carry it out.
• Kalin vanished, and Li Lin left the room to complete his deal.

Li Lin returned Rolandis to her grandfather, ending his agreement with the old mage. After the mage chose to leave rather than fight, Li Lin and Angela prepared to depart by sea.

• Rolandis asked Li Lin who he and his companions were while he watched the sea and awaited the old mage.
• The old mage arrived through a portal, and Angela released Rolandis so she could reunite with her grandfather.
• The old mage checked Rolandis for harm, confirmed she was unharmed, and acknowledged that Li Lin had kept his word.
• Li Lin told the old mage their agreement had ended, and the old mage chose to withdraw through the portal rather than fight.
• Angela complained that the old mage would warn the king, but Li Lin argued that few would believe him and told her to wait for future chances to kill.
• Li Lin turned toward the approaching sisters and asked Angela whether she was afraid of water as they prepared to depart.

Rolandis learned from her grandfather that Li Lin was an Arcane Mage, and the old mage identified him as Loxia Kaiser Erland, the Dominator. Fearing the threat he posed, the old mage summoned the Inner Circle Council and warned that the person able to wield the forbidden weapon Hymn of Destruction had appeared.

• Rolandis told her grandfather how frightened she was, and he explained that Li Lin was an Arcane Mage whose Magic Tattoos made him far beyond ordinary mages.
• The old mage identified Li Lin as Loxia Kaiser Erland after Rolandis mentioned his talking spellbook and the inhuman young woman beside him.
• Rolandis recalled that Li Lin planned to go to sea, then left so her grandfather could consider what she had told him.
• The old mage contacted the Inner Circle Council and proposed raising security for Hymn of Destruction to the highest level, with more than a hundred mages assigned to guard it.
• The old mage told the Council that the person capable of wielding Hymn of Destruction had appeared.

Li Lin and Angela took the Shell out to sea, where Angela used her strange power to sail through a sudden storm and fog. As they reached four ships, Angela revealed that she had sunk the Titanic, and Li Lin signaled Kalin.

• Mina and Fina bought the Shell from the chief constable, and Angela volunteered to sail it without sailors.
• Mina and Fina became violently ill as soon as they boarded, while Angela prepared to set sail.
• Angela sent the Shell racing through a storm and thick fog, and the chief constable found only its mooring rope left at the dock.
• Li Lin studied Angela's mysterious power as the Shell moved unnaturally across the sea and approached four enormous ships.
• Angela told Li Lin that she had sunk the Titanic to punish humans for calling it unsinkable.
• Li Lin fired a signal spell toward the ships and wondered whether he should be glad he had not named his fleet.

Li Lin learned that the elves had been freed from their captors but were growing restless and wanted to return to Elf Island. After the Elf Goddess ordered them to follow Li Lin’s plans, Kalin brought the elves’ Divine Chosen to meet him, while Nia still refused to answer him.

• Kalin told Li Lin that the elves had killed the sailors and slavers who had oppressed them, while she kept the fat merchant and his people out of danger.
• Kalin explained that many elves wanted to sail home, and the Elf Goddess had appeared, ordered them to follow Li Lin, and stopped their ships at his designated location.
• Li Lin asked Kalin to bring the elves’ Divine Chosen to him and asked what else she had discovered; Kalin said he would see soon.
• Kalin left after teasing Li Lin about making up with Nia, whose Eternal Library still did not answer him.
• Kalin returned to the captain’s cabin with an elf beside her.

Li Lin accepted the Elf Goddess’s Divine Chosen and her elves, then ordered them to sail for Booty Bay to investigate Suoxiate’s disappearance. The Divine Chosen refused Angela’s attempt to claim her young maid, while Angela promised Li Lin she would gather information without killing anyone.

• The Divine Chosen reported that 725 elves had been placed under Li Lin’s command by the Elf Goddess.
• Li Lin learned that the elves could sail and assigned the Divine Chosen to lead the ship to Booty Bay, where Suoxiate had been located by divination.
• The Divine Chosen warned that elves who had sought the Pirate King’s treasure at Booty Bay had not returned alive.
• Li Lin noticed a young elf girl behind the Divine Chosen, and the Divine Chosen identified her as her maid.
• Angela asked to borrow the girl, but the Divine Chosen refused and offered to provide other maids instead.
• Angela requested a young virgin for dinner and promised Li Lin she would gather definite information without getting anyone killed.

Li Lin and his companions encountered pirates attacking three merchant ships, and Li Lin used his magical longbow to help the sailors defeat them. One pirate ship escaped the battle, but Li Lin’s final shot struck it with a blinding explosion.

• Angela used threats, inducements, and hypnosis to gather information from the elves, while Li Lin quietly accepted her help.
• Li Lin coaxed Nia into speaking again and learned Angela had persuaded her to ignore him using a plan called “tsundere.”
• Kalin alerted Li Lin to the pirate attack, and Nia identified the merchant ships as belonging to the Sea-Encircled Country.
• Li Lin fired magical arrows that killed pirates and helped the sailors capture three pirate ships.
• Captain Vincent ordered the sailors to pursue the remaining pirate ship, and Li Lin’s final sphere of light struck it as it nearly escaped.

Li Lin rescued Vincent’s fleet from pirates and met the Sea-Encircled Country captain while considering how to win the island nation’s support against the Five-Nation Alliance. After Li Lin revealed that his fleet planned to sail to the legendary Grand Line, Vincent reacted uneasily.

• Li Lin’s magical attack broke the pirates’ resistance, and the survivors surrendered to Vincent.
• Vincent learned that a fleet of merchant ships was approaching and met Li Lin, whose crew was mostly elves.
• Li Lin considered Nia’s advice that an alliance with the Sea-Encircled Country could threaten the Five-Nation Alliance from behind.
• Vincent thanked Li Lin for saving his fleet and offered to guide Li Lin’s ships across the sea.
• Li Lin told Vincent that his fleet intended to seek out the legendary Grand Line, and Vincent’s expression changed.

Nia and Kalin discussed their secret pact with Suoxiate while Li Lin attended Captain Vincent’s banquet and considered the captain’s invitation to the Sea-Encircled Country. Li Lin decided to inspect the country before choosing how to deal with it, then found Angela at his ship’s stern with a young elf.

• Angela complained that she had been excluded from the banquet, while Nia and Kalin discussed the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys’ pact and Suoxiate.
• At the banquet, Li Lin noticed Vincent was trying to dissuade him from seeking the Grand Line and suspected the captain was hiding something.
• Vincent invited Li Lin and the fat merchant to visit the Sea-Encircled Country, and the merchant eagerly welcomed the idea.
• Li Lin left the banquet, deciding to inspect the Sea-Encircled Country before choosing whether to seek its alliance or use extraordinary measures.
• Back aboard his ship, Li Lin found Angela at the stern with a young elf.

Angela tested whether Aila would choose to keep living despite being treated as a burden, then rescued her from the sea when she refused to let go. Li Lin took the unconscious Aila away for Nia to care for, while he and Angela departed through warped space.

• Aila, a blind and mute elf, was ordered to meet Angela, who insulted her and threw her into the icy sea.
• As Angela stepped on Aila's hand and urged her to give up, Aila decided she wanted to live and clung to a piece of wood until she lost consciousness.
• Angela lifted Aila from the sea and told Li Lin that Aila had made a willful choice to keep living despite being a burden.
• Angela explained that she had once been rejected by the world too and had always refused to surrender her life.
• Li Lin used magic to take Aila away so Nia could care for her, then left with Angela as space warped around them.

Li Lin took Angela to Suoxiate and showed her the memory of his former self, Luoxia, defending the Magic Empire before dying from a spell that turned its dead into undead. The scene ended, and Suoxiate welcomed Li Lin back as her master.

• Li Lin brought Angela through the underwater illusion of treasure and into an endless corridor, then led her through a door to show her the past.
• In the memory, Luoxia stood against five heroes who accused him of destroying their country, while the wounded Suoxiate tried to protect him.
• Luoxia fought the heroes despite his weakened power and revealed that they were Magic Controllers who could counter spellcasters.
• Luoxia unleashed a death-mist spell that raised the dead and drove the heroes from the palace, then dissolved into dust as Suoxiate stayed beside him.
• The memory faded, and Li Lin greeted Suoxiate; she appeared in the corridor and welcomed him back as her master.

Li Lin reunited with Suoxiate and explained that he had left the Ring Spirit Envoys behind to protect them from Magic Controllers who could seize control of magic weapons. After Nia and Kalin learned that a larger conspiracy might lie behind the five Magic Controllers, Li Lin decided to activate Ringwraith City.

• Li Lin returned to his ship with Suoxiate and introduced her to Angela, where Nia and Kalin confronted Suoxiate about why she had not summoned them during his battle.
• Suoxiate revealed that Li Lin had ordered her not to summon the others, and Li Lin explained that Magic Controllers could take control of magic weapons and use them against their owners.
• Li Lin said he had chosen to let the Ring Spirit Envoys sleep rather than risk their capture, and promised he had devised a way to resist Magic Controllers.
• Nia questioned why five supposedly rare Magic Controllers had appeared across five countries, and Li Lin agreed that a greater force might be behind them.
• Nia said the fleet was headed toward the Sea-Encircled Country, and Li Lin told Angela to fetch her luggage before announcing that he would activate Ringwraith City.

Li Lin returned to his ruined citadel, Ringwraith City, and mourned the people who had died defending it, including his former student Ailina. He completed the spell he had begun before his death, and its light spread across the ruins as the dead city began to revive.

• Li Lin and his companions returned to the Capital of the Magic Empire and learned that the gods had sent the stranded elves and dwarves back to their homelands.
• Li Lin led the group to Ringwraith City and explained that he had come to complete the magic he had left unfinished.
• Li Lin found the remains of Ailina, remembered her efforts to defend the fortress, and destroyed the sword that had killed her.
• Li Lin walked through the citadel, erasing the preserved remains of those who had died defending it.
• Li Lin took control of the necromantic sphere above his throne and summoned the God of Death to fulfill their bargain.
• Li Lin completed the spell, sending the sphere into the sky and bathing the ruins in light as the dead city began to revive.

Li Lin revived 13,700 mages inside a barrier that bound them to the capital of the Magic Empire, then began organizing the city’s recovery. As the Five-Nation Alliance prepared to investigate and claim the city, Li Lin ordered repairs and defenses, intending to announce the empire’s return.

• Li Lin’s spell dispersed the necromantic fog and restored 13,700 mages to human form, though they could not leave the barrier or attack other countries.
• After collapsing from the spell, Li Lin assigned Nia to help the revived people, Suoxiate to inspect the core, and Kalin to assess damage in the Garden of Verdure.
• The Vila Federation Council learned that the fog around the capital had lifted and ordered an elite force to investigate, while the other nations prepared similar responses.
• Li Lin learned that the surviving mages were cautious about restoring the Magic Empire, the core could be repaired, and Ringwraith City had suffered only minor damage.
• Li Lin ordered Suoxiate and Nia to repair the core by the next day and put Nia in charge of defenses as the Five-Nation Alliance approached.
• Li Lin declared that the time had come to announce their existence.

Li Lin persuaded the surviving mages to help him evacuate the Capital of the Magic Empire and activate its core before the Five-Nation Alliance arrived. As enemy knights reached the ruins, the city began rising into the air.

• Li Lin threatened to stop sustaining any mages who refused to support his plan, and they agreed to help him oppose the Five-Nation Alliance.
• Li Lin ordered the mages to move valuables to Ringwraith City and prepare to activate the core, intending to leave the alliance nothing of the capital.
• The mages worked to evacuate the city while Nia and Suoxiate neared completion of the core's repairs.
• Angela warned Li Lin that humans were approaching, and he ordered Nia to begin activating the core.
• A Five-Nation Alliance force entered the ruined capital and watched in shock as the city glowed and rose from the ground.