Chapter Summaries

Li Lin experimented with transferring Magic Empire mages into human bodies, hoping to let them leave Ringwraith City and help run the revived empire. The bodies could not withstand the mages’ magical power, so Li Lin proposed adapting the Symbiosis System for further experiments on soulless bodies.

• Li Lin had Dark Elves bring thirty prisoners from the Five-Nation Alliance into a blood magic circle.
• Li Lin used necromancy to extract the prisoners’ souls and destroy them, leaving their bodies alive but mindless.
• Li Lin’s volunteer mages tried to fuse with the empty bodies, but most bodies burst apart under the strain of their magical power.
• Li Lin pulled the remaining mages’ souls out and sent them safely back to Ringwraith City, concluding ordinary bodies could not contain magic.
• Nia warned Li Lin that adapting the Symbiosis System for humans was dangerous, but Li Lin insisted the soulless bodies were only tools for experimentation.

Li Lin asked Princess Shirley to persuade the continent’s smaller countries not to join the Temple and Five-Nation Alliance against the Magic Empire, then presented her with Yi Aier’s heavily armed experimental warship. Shirley boarded the floating sea fortress with its Dark Elf crew as the trial run began.

• Li Lin and Nia reviewed the thirty-fifth failed experiment and concluded that a soulless body could not regulate itself during magic-core assimilation, so Li Lin decided to consult Angela when she returned.
• Princess Shirley thanked Li Lin for the weapon being provided to the Sea-Encircled Country, and Li Lin asked her to persuade other nations not to join the Temple’s planned coalition against the Magic Empire.
• Li Lin warned Shirley that the Magic Empire would show no mercy to countries that opposed its revenge, while promising to target only the Five-Nation Alliance and reclaim its former territory.
• Li Lin saw that Yi Aier had built a metal warship bristling with roughly fifty magic cannons, and Yi Aier defended the design as the kingly way of using overwhelming numbers of guns.
• Shirley boarded the sea fortress and learned that its Dark Elf crew would hand it over and leave; Li Lin then signaled Yi Aier to begin.

Li Lin demonstrated the Magic Empire’s floating fortress by letting Princess Shirley fire its weapon and destroy a Kudel warship, then the arriving fleet. He transferred control of the fortress to Shirley alone, leaving her with a weapon her father could not command.

• A Kudel captain spotted the enormous metal fortress appear beside his warship and ordered signals sent for reinforcements.
• Li Lin guided Princess Shirley to aim the fortress’s weapon, and she destroyed the Kudel warship with a single shot.
• Yi Aier ordered the fortress’s turrets to fire on the arriving Kudel fleet, which was blasted apart.
• Li Lin gave Shirley a ring and used her blood to bind the floating fortress to her control alone.
• Li Lin told Shirley he had entrusted the fortress to her because he did not trust her father, and she silently looked at the ring.

After reuniting with Angela, Li Lin decided to support Princess Shirley in replacing the king of the Sea-Encircled Country and tested a magical enhancement that caused a subject’s body to explode. Angela suggested using stronger test subjects, such as paladins.

• Angela returned to Li Lin and reported that the king of the Sea-Encircled Country was courting her and readily accepting the Magic Empire’s terms.
• Angela told Li Lin that Princess Shirley had been sent away as a political gift and remained determined to build her own position.
• Li Lin decided to establish relations with the Sea-Encircled Country by backing Princess Shirley, with the sea fortress and Dark Elf guards as support.
• Li Lin explained the Magic Empire’s magic-core enhancement to Angela, then implanted one in a soulless test subject whose body burst apart.
• Angela suggested trying stronger-bodied test subjects, such as paladins, after Li Lin explained that beasts could control the magical power while soulless bodies could not.

The Xialuo Kingdom and Dideyasi prepared a flood trap for the advancing undead army, while Catherine secretly followed Angela and Li Lin’s plan. After affirming her resolve to die when Dideyasi fell, Catherine sent paladins to lie in wait, concealing that they were being used for Master’s experiment.

• The undead army advanced toward Xialuo and Dideyasi, prompting both kingdoms to prepare for its attack.
• Catherine persuaded Xialuo to divert the Dragon Eye River and planned to drown the undead in a mountain gorge with holy light.
• Angela told Catherine that she would not interfere with Catherine’s choice to die, and Catherine declared she would destroy the Temple and Dideyasi before ending her own life.
• Catherine instructed the paladins to hide in the mountain forests and bury themselves to conceal their scent from the undead.
• After the paladin left, Catherine revealed that the gods would not bless the soldiers and that they had a different role in Master’s experiment.

Catherine led the Xialuo Kingdom and Dideyasi to destroy a ten-thousand-strong undead army with a river ambush and divine power, raising her influence while Henderson was blamed for leaving his post. Li Lin and Angela used the battle to capture paladins for their magic core experiments, then turned their attention to Lalia’s attack on the Dark Elves.

• Catherine refused to leave the front line and waited until the undead had entered the canyon before ordering the river channel opened.
• Catherine flew above the flood and unleashed divine light, allowing the paladins to charge and defeat the undead army at a cost of around two thousand men.
• Catherine’s victory made her the Temple’s most influential figure, while rumors blaming Henderson for abandoning his orders damaged his reputation.
• Li Lin and Angela revealed that they had abducted paladins during the battle and were using them in magic core fusion experiments.
• Li Lin told Angela that Lalia’s forces had attacked the Dark Elves, and Angela agreed that Lalia’s rebellion would need to be dealt with.

Weijia ruled Lalia from behind its Grand Duke while secretly maneuvering to gain a greater role in the fight against the Magic Empire. Angela confronted her for attacking the Dark Elves, killed her, and took her unborn child as a test subject before vanishing.

• Weijia celebrated Lalia’s victories and reveled in her control over the Grand Duke and the former princess.
• Angela confronted Weijia about attacking the Dark Elves and accused her of seeking influence in the alliance against the Magic Empire.
• Weijia pleaded for her life and admitted her ambition, but Angela revealed that she had sent Weijia to conceive a child for her master’s experiment.
• Angela tore the fetus from Weijia’s abdomen and killed her.
• Angela destroyed Weijia’s corpse, kept the fetus, and disappeared into the shadows.

Li Lin tested Angela’s ability to seize control of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys and explained how Magic Controllers had once turned the Magic Empire’s spells and weapons against it. He suspected the God of Justice’s appointed savior might have the hereditary ability and concluded that Magic Controllers’ power likely came from the God of Magic who was never born.

• Li Lin had Angela take hold of Nia’s Eternal Library, and Angela resisted its defenses, seized control, and cast a spell through it.
• Nia and the other Spirit Envoys described how Angela had taken control of their bodies without suppressing their wills, confirming Li Lin’s account of Magic Controllers’ power.
• Li Lin revealed that Magic Controllers had once turned spells and more than a thousand Weapon Spirits against the Magic Empire, explaining why he had sent the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys away.
• Li Lin proposed that Magic Controllers could not control the automatically operating Barrier of Undeath because no one held control over it.
• Li Lin warned that the appointed savior might be a Magic Controller and that the ability was hereditary, then suggested its power came from the God of Magic who was never born.

Li Lin explained how he and the other archmages killed the unborn God of Magic but failed to obtain the Power of Manipulation, which had scattered into Magic Controllers. After deciding to hunt down its fragments, Li Lin refused Nia’s offer to become an uncontrolled test subject and vowed to recover the power at any cost.

• Li Lin told Angela and the others that thirteen archmages had killed the unborn God of Magic and divided his power, but had overlooked the separate Power of Manipulation.
• Angela proposed capturing and killing everyone who possessed the scattered power so Li Lin could absorb it, and Li Lin ordered her to surround the Federation’s residents while he made a detecting magic item.
• Li Lin confessed to Nia that he blamed himself for the Magic Empire’s destruction and for the archmages’ failure to secure the Power of Manipulation.
• Nia offered to sever her soul connection and become an independent magic weapon, reasoning that Magic Controllers could not manipulate magic that operated independently.
• Li Lin refused to risk Nia or the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys and vowed to recover the Power of Manipulation, even if doing so caused bloodshed.

Li Lin captured the Federation’s remaining inheritors of the Power of Manipulation and absorbed a third of the power, then prepared to attack Kudel. His plans were interrupted when Kalin arrived with news that she might have found Miu'erkasi.

• Li Lin used a magic circle to identify people with the Power of Manipulation in the Federation’s last city, and Angela forced them to surrender by threatening their families.
• Li Lin absorbed the last of the power he had gathered and explained that he had captured inheritors across the Federation over three months, bringing his share to about a third.
• Li Lin decided to attack Kudel and rejected Angela’s suggestion to make the city surrender, since the Five-Nation Alliance might mistake the move for weakness.
• Angela tried to seduce Li Lin in Li Lin’s study, but Kalin barged in with another pureblood elf and interrupted them.
• Kalin announced that she might have found where Miu'erkasi was.

Li Lin investigated reports that Holy Wrath had been seen near Kudel, but he could neither locate nor summon Miu'erkasi or Fate's Protection. Suspecting a Magic Controller might be involved, he decided to go to Kudel alone while Angela prepared a diversion, and he took her with him in ring form.

• Kalin reported that elves recognized Holy Wrath on a paladin near Yamalik, southwest of Kudel, and Li Lin questioned the possibility that Miu'erkasi had been there.
• After Kalin left, Li Lin tried and failed to summon Miu'erkasi and Fate's Protection, finding that he could not locate either weapon spirit.
• Li Lin consulted Catherine and Nia, who said the Temple had no records or known holdings of a holy sword like Holy Wrath.
• Li Lin decided to travel to Kudel alone to investigate, while asking Angela to lead an undead army in a show of force nearby.
• Angela objected to being left behind, but Li Lin transformed her into a ring and opened a portal to Kudel.

Li Lin found Holy Wrath in the possession of a young paladin in Kudel and arranged for Angela to enter a martial trial under a child’s disguise. Angela prepared to test the sword’s power, while Walast sensed that she was dangerous.

• Li Lin searched Kudel’s temples for Holy Wrath and arranged for Catherine to gather the paladins at a trial.
• Li Lin spotted Walast and sensed Holy Wrath responding to the young paladin accompanying him.
• Li Lin decided not to seize the sword immediately and sent Angela to enter the trial for a chance to fight.
• The young paladin defended Angela when a burly man tried to remove her from the registration desk.
• Walast warned the young paladin that Angela was dangerous after sensing her presence.
• Angela returned to Li Lin with two trial tokens and said she wanted to test the power of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys’ greatest sword.

Angela stunned the tournament by defeating holy knights with overwhelming speed, while Li Lin concealed his strength and kept winning narrowly. When the Temple arranged for the two to face each other, Angela failed to appear and forfeited, leaving Li Lin in the match.

• Angela entered the arena and knocked out a holy knight with a single swift strike, shocking the crowd.
• Li Lin masked his skill by narrowly defeating his opponent, while Walast and a young knight discussed the pair’s abilities.
• Li Lin and Angela watched the young knight’s match and judged his fighting skills harshly.
• Angela kept defeating holy knights, while Li Lin continued to win close matches as the Temple grew wary of them.
• The Temple arranged for Li Lin and Angela to face each other, but Angela never appeared, so she forfeited.

Kaite prepared for his tournament match while reflecting on Walast’s lessons about power and responsibility. Walast confronted Li Lin, learned he was the Arcane Mage and ruler of the Magic Empire, and heard his justification for revenge against the Five-Nation Alliance; Walast left resolved to defend his own faith and choices.

• Kaite studied his holy sword’s strange glow and recalled Walast’s warning that power could cause disaster when its wielder failed to control it.
• Kaite practiced for his next match against the masked warrior after the unexpected battle had removed the opponent he had expected to face.
• Angela celebrated missing the previous match and promised Li Lin she would perform after the tournament.
• Walast identified Li Lin as the Arcane Mage and asked why he had come to Kudel; Li Lin said he was there to fight and slaughter, but not yet, and warned Walast against intervening.
• Li Lin accused the Five-Nation Alliance of atrocities against the Magic Empire and rejected the innocence of its descendants, while Walast said he could not judge a war he had not witnessed.
• Walast argued that revenge would perpetuate conflict, then left after affirming that he would fight for his own faith and choices.

Kaite fought Li Lin in a tense arena match that turned into a standoff and then a desperate assault. After Li Lin revealed himself as a mage, summoned Angela and an undead legion, he forced Kaite to continue fighting, and Kaite accepted while keeping a hidden trump card in reserve.

• Kaite ignored the crowd's complaints and waited for Li Lin to attack, but eventually launched the first strike when he saw Walast's anxiety.
• Li Lin deflected Kaite's opening blow and held off his relentless attacks until Kaite used a holy combat technique to shatter Li Lin's sword.
• Li Lin revealed his face and summoned Angela, who attacked the referee after the clergyman disqualified them and ordered them from the arena.
• Li Lin raised a magical barrier, revealed himself as a mage, and summoned the Scourge Legion to surround the arena and threaten the crowd.
• Kaite secretly considered using his hidden trump card, then agreed to continue the fight under Li Lin's demand.

Li Lin used Angela and Kaite’s exhausting duel to weaken Kaite’s control over Holy Wrath and Fate’s Protection, then seized both Weapon Spirits. The two weapons returned to their original forms as people before Li Lin, while Kaite lay defeated.

• Angela overwhelmed Kaite with her speed and death aura while Walast stopped the paladins from attacking Li Lin to protect the civilians.
• Kaite endured Angela’s attacks until she drove him toward Li Lin, then used the opening to lunge at Li Lin with Holy Wrath.
• Fate’s Protection appeared to block Angela, but Li Lin took control of Kaite’s sword and stopped his attack.
• Li Lin explained that Kaite’s Power of Manipulation had weakened after the fight, allowing him to control both Holy Wrath and Fate’s Protection.
• Angela pinned Kaite down as Li Lin summoned Holy Wrath and Fate’s Protection to return to their original forms.
• Two people appeared before Li Lin after the weapons’ light faded.

Li Lin recovered the Power of Manipulation from Kaite and reunited with Miu'erkasi and Beika, restoring all seven Ring Spirit Envoys and Ringwraith City's full functions. He assigned Miu'erkasi to train an undead cavalry and ordered Angela to exterminate everyone in the Federation within half a month.

• Li Lin summoned Miu'erkasi and Beika, then drained Kaite of the Power of Manipulation before Angela killed him.
• The Temple ordered Walast arrested for his decision, while Li Lin returned home with the two Weapon Spirits and learned more about the Power of Manipulation.
• Li Lin welcomed all seven Ring Spirit Envoys and explained how Miu'erkasi and Beika had been separated from him.
• Li Lin assigned Beika her duties and asked Miu'erkasi to lead ten thousand undead knights in training as a cavalry unit.
• Miu'erkasi demonstrated her ability to command the undead knights, and Li Lin gave her half a month to prepare them as death knights.
• Li Lin told Angela to kill everyone in the Federation within half a month, and Angela accepted the order.

Li Lin prepared the Magic Empire to attack Kudel, explaining that he trusted Angela’s hidden power to help secure victory despite the risks posed by the God of Justice. He gave his forces ten days to prepare and ordered all seven Ring Spirit Envoys to join the campaign.

• Angela’s undead army annihilated the Federation’s resistance across twenty cities, swelling to nearly three times its former size.
• Li Lin chose Kudel and Lalia as the next targets, arguing that their defeat would draw the remaining resistance together around Dideyasi.
• Beika and Suoxiate questioned Li Lin’s confidence and warned that the God of Justice could destroy the undead army, while Li Lin revealed that Angela possessed far more power than she had shown.
• Li Lin assigned Yi Aier to equip five hundred revived mages with magic war chariots and asked Miu'erkasi about the Black Edge Knights’ training.
• Li Lin ordered an attack on Kudel in ten days and commanded all seven Ring Spirit Envoys to take the field.

Li Lin arranged a no-holds-barred rehearsal battle between Angela and the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys to test whether her power could support the Magic Empire. Angela demonstrated her speed and unusual scythe against their coordinated attacks, and the battle paused just as the Envoys prepared their finishing moves.

• Li Lin explained that the battle would test Angela against the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, and Angela agreed to show them her strength.
• Angela transformed her folding fan into a giant scythe and broke through Nia’s Stasis Spell before evading Miu'erkasi, Anna, and Kalin’s coordinated attacks.
• Angela threw her scythe at Nia, then appeared behind Yi Aier, but Beika blocked her strike.
• Angela dodged Yi Aier’s magic cannon and appeared to pierce Anna, only to discover that Suoxiate had trapped her in Infinite Corridor.
• Angela shattered Suoxiate’s illusion and summoned her scythe back as the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys gathered power for their next attacks.
• Li Lin called the rehearsal to a halt before the finishing moves began.

Li Lin stopped the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys’ contest and sent them to attack Kudel, where they defeated a five-thousand-strong force with ease. The Envoys realized the soldiers had only been sent to delay them, and continued toward the coming battle with the Five-Nation Alliance.

• Li Lin halted the sparring match, warned the Envoys not to damage one another, and heard Nia assess their coordination.
• Nia promised that the seven Envoys would take Kudel without help from Angela or the Scourge Legion.
• Anna killed thirteen border guards, and Kalin sounded a horn to summon Kudel’s troops.
• Miu'erkasi declared that the Envoys had come to reclaim the Magic Empire’s territory, and Nia shielded them from a volley of arrows.
• Miu'erkasi, Anna, and Kalin destroyed the cavalry while Beika, Nia, and Yi Aier routed the infantry.
• The Envoys concluded the force had only been sent to delay them, then continued their advance against the Five-Nation Alliance.