Chapter Summaries

Stripped of her divine power and abandoned by the God of Justice, Gabriel was taken in by Catherine, who tried to turn her against her former god and recruit her to serve the Arcane Mage. Gabriel refused, and Catherine and Nalu prepared to train her as a gift for their master.

• Gabriel collapsed from hunger and despair, and Catherine entered her room with Nalu and carried her away.
• Gabriel awoke in a sunlit bed and told Catherine that the God of Justice had abandoned her and taken her divine power.
• Catherine argued that the God of Justice had wronged Gabriel, then revealed her fallen wings and her loyalty to the Arcane Mage.
• Gabriel refused Catherine's offer to join the Arcane Mage, insisting she would never serve an evil mage.
• Catherine summoned Nalu, who revealed that she had changed sides, and the two planned to train Gabriel for their master.

After honoring the war dead, Catherine persuaded the United Kingdom to give her lifetime control over military and political affairs, intending to destroy the country from within. Gabriel recognized the danger but, powerless and imprisoned, began to despair as Catherine warned that she too would soon be brought under her influence.

• Catherine delivered a speech honoring the fallen and urged the people to keep fighting the Magic Empire, while Mobius thanked her and returned to the front lines.
• Catherine and Nalu continued training the captive Gabriel, and Catherine told her that people could be led to surrender their power through a carefully staged show.
• At a secret joint assembly, Catherine demanded sweeping authority over the United Kingdom, and the government approved her lifetime control over major military and political decisions.
• Catherine admitted to Gabriel that she intended to destroy the United Kingdom and boasted that the people had willingly handed her the power to rule them.
• Gabriel fell silent and began to tremble as Catherine warned that she would soon become like the people she despised.

Li Lin and Angela searched the Astral Plane for the place where the God of Justice had disappeared, but the name they had found resisted translation. After meeting Stifal, they received a lead to a planar merchant, whose mysterious message revealed a new path.

• Li Lin struggled to translate the Mechanus name “Land of Endless Cycles” while Angela played cards with devils in an Astral City tavern.
• Stifal joined Li Lin and Angela, defeated Angela at cards, and offered to help them find the place they sought.
• Li Lin told Stifal that he was searching for the God of Justice’s destination, and she suggested consulting a planar merchant.
• Stifal led Li Lin and Angela to a remote stone table, where she left the devils’ winnings as payment.
• Li Lin wrote the place name in Mechanus on a blank sheet, and its changing words revealed a new path before the paper burned away.

Li Lin and Angela reached the hidden sanctuary and found the God of Justice guarding the Wheel of Fate. After Li Lin exposed the God’s plan to control fate and rule the Upper Planes, the God revealed his Supreme God power and threatened Li Lin.

• Li Lin and Angela crossed the sanctuary’s lake and entered the temple, where they saw a strange clock-like object with a moving pointer.
• Li Lin attacked the cloaked guardian and demanded to know what he was protecting and why the Wheel of Fate had a pointer.
• The guardian separated Angela from Li Lin, then revealed himself as the God of Justice.
• Li Lin deduced that the God of Justice had killed the Three Supreme Gods and used their power to alter the Wheel of Fate.
• The God of Justice said he intended to rule the Upper Planes and bring peace, while Li Lin called his plan foolish.
• The God of Justice declared that fate was on his side and threatened to destroy Li Lin and his empire.

Angela fought the God of Justice in his fate-controlled domain, resisting his divine power and ultimately breaking the world he had created. She stood over the ruined space and challenged him to explain the rules and fate governing life and death.

• The God of Justice trapped Angela in a barren domain and used divine power and fate to make her attacks miss.
• Angela resisted his assault, summoned resentful ghosts, and fought back with undead energy despite her strength being depleted.
• The God of Justice declared Angela dead and engulfed her in white light, leaving only her fallen folding fan.
• The domain cracked apart around the fan, and Angela emerged unharmed amid the ruins.
• Angela mocked the God of Justice's claims about rules and fate and asked where the rules of life and death were.

Li Lin battled the God of Justice while uncovering how he had used the Pointer of Fate to steer events and defeat the Magic Empire. After Li Lin exposed the God of Justice’s flawed magic and challenged his identity, the god revealed his real name as Tang Longfei and unleashed a golden dragon form.

• Li Lin and the God of Justice traded spells and summoned creatures in a precise contest, while the God of Justice claimed they came from the same world and defended his plans for equality.
• Li Lin realized the God of Justice had used the Pointer of Fate to create predetermined futures and likely guide the Magic Empire’s defeat.
• Li Lin provoked the God of Justice into defending the deaths caused by his revolution, while they continued fighting over freedom, order, and rule.
• The God of Justice attacked with a spell combining ice, fire, and wind, but it collapsed because its opposing attributes violated the world’s rules.
• Li Lin declared that the God of Justice was unworthy of the title and demanded his real name; the god identified himself as Tang Longfei and transformed into a golden dragon.

Li Lin summoned a red dragon and a silver dragon to fight Tang Longfei and Seres, while using magic to disrupt their attacks. As Tang Longfei’s attempts to control the future grew unstable, the Hall of Fate suddenly burst apart.

• Tang Longfei sent Seres the gold dragon to attack Li Lin, who summoned a red dragon and a silver dragon for aid.
• Li Lin and the dragons fought Tang Longfei and Seres as Li Lin countered Tang Longfei’s divine spells and empowered his allies.
• Li Lin recognized that Tang Longfei’s repeated attempts to shape the future were distorting fate, and Tang Longfei struggled to protect both himself and Seres.
• Tang Longfei seized an opening when the dragons faltered, but a counterforce struck as the Hall of Fate contracted and burst apart.

Li Lin stopped Tang Longfei’s control of fate and freed the Wheel of Fate, which departed as their world collapsed. Tang escaped into the Astral Plane, but Li Lin said the rules would force him to return and face judgment.

• Tang Longfei’s control over fate and his mixed divine powers collapsed, leaving him unable to resist Li Lin.
• Li Lin seized the Pointer of Fate, while Angela pinned Tang Longfei; Tang’s trap activated but the Wheel of Fate suppressed it.
• Li Lin released the Wheel of Fate, which vanished and caused the surrounding world to collapse.
• Tang Longfei offered to cooperate, but Li Lin rejected his offer and said he would seek revenge for the people of the Magic Empire.
• Tang Longfei fled into the starry sky, and Li Lin told Angela that the rules would bring him back; Li Lin also asked her to keep the golden dragon’s head for Bahamut.

Li Lin and the gods planned to obtain the Great Book of Law and prepare for a war against the God of Justice, whose angel legion threatened the Magic Empire. After the meeting, Li Lin worried that his forces lacked troops capable of fighting angels, until Catherine announced that her gift for him was ready.

• The gods reported that their attacks were weakening the God of Justice's divine realm, but they remained concerned about his ability to absorb divine power and endanger them.
• Li Lin proposed attacking the United Kingdom to draw out the God of Justice while Sena infiltrated the Supreme Temple to steal the Great Book of Law, with the Lady of Secrets assisting her.
• Li Lin and the gods agreed to prepare for the possibility that the God of Justice would send an angel legion to the Prime Material Plane; Li Lin estimated he needed six months to a year.
• The God of Light said the gods would seek help from hidden gods and awaken the ancient gods, while Li Lin planned to ask another friend to harass the God of Justice.
• After the meeting, Li Lin concluded that the Magic Empire needed a powerful army capable of fighting angels, and Catherine told him that her gift was ready.

Li Lin showed Gabriel a record of the Five-Nation Alliance’s invasion and atrocities against Ringwraith City, challenging her belief that its people were innocent and his empire was simply evil. Gabriel was left shaken and uncertain as Li Lin gave her time to consider what she had seen.

• Li Lin dismissed Angela and Catherine, then asked Gabriel to follow him while he dealt with the question of what to do with her.
• Li Lin discussed justice and evil with Gabriel, explaining that the Magic Empire acted in the interests of the whole Prime Material Plane rather than claiming to be just.
• Li Lin brought Gabriel to a room containing one of Ringwraith City’s cores and used it to show her the city’s recorded history.
• Gabriel witnessed the Five-Nation Alliance’s soldiers killing civilians and children, assaulting women, and killing Li Lin’s student Kaili as the city fell.
• Li Lin told Gabriel that he sought revenge for his people and would not abandon it until the Five-Nation Alliance was destroyed.
• Li Lin left Gabriel alone to think about what she had seen.

Gabriel accepted Li Lin’s account of the God of Justice and revealed the Angel Legion’s strength and plans. After Li Lin punished Catherine and Angela by making them watch him with Gabriel, the women and Nalu turned the tables and surrounded him.

• Gabriel apologized to Li Lin, decided the God of Justice had betrayed justice, and shared what she knew about the Angel Legion and its Weapon Spirits.
• Angela questioned Gabriel’s quick change of allegiance, and Gabriel offered to make amends to Li Lin as punishment for her past actions.
• Li Lin restrained Angela and Catherine and silenced them while he took Gabriel to bed, leaving the two to watch.
• Gabriel fainted after Li Lin’s assault, and he turned to punish the restrained Angela and Catherine.
• Angela broke free, knocked Li Lin to the floor, and invited Catherine and Nalu to join her in serving him.

After Gabriel proposed persuading the Angel Legion in Hell to abandon the God of Justice, Li Lin arranged for the God of Light to awaken Gabriel’s own power. Gabriel regained her wings and prepared to pursue her mission, while Li Lin decided to visit a future ally before sending her into Hell.

• After waking from an exhausting night with Angela, Nia, Catherine, Nalu, and Gabriel, Li Lin rested while the others slept.
• Gabriel proposed going to Hell to persuade the two-hundred-thousand-strong Angel Legion to turn against the God of Justice, and Li Lin raised concerns about her power and the angels’ safety.
• Li Lin summoned the God of Light, who awakened Gabriel’s inner power and restored her wings without granting her divine power.
• The God of Light departed after agreeing to take control of the angels’ energy if Gabriel persuaded them to change sides.
• Li Lin told Angela that Gabriel could not go to Hell alone and resolved to visit a future ally first.

Li Lin traveled through Hell with Gabriel, Angela, and Anna on his way to Glory Fort, where Gabriel hoped to gather angels for a mission. After an adventuring party tried to buy Gabriel and then attacked them, Li Lin and his companions killed the attackers and continued to a tavern.

• The Angel Legion was forced to retreat to Glory Fort after demons overwhelmed its advance, while devils waited for the fort’s defenses to weaken.
• Li Lin arrived in Hell with Gabriel, Angela, and Anna, choosing to rest in a devil stronghold rather than risk traveling through demon territory.
• An adventuring mage offered five Star Blue Diamonds for Gabriel, and Angela teased her about the proposed price.
• Li Lin refused to sell his companions, and the mage’s party attacked him and the others.
• Li Lin turned the mage’s spells against him while Angela, Anna, and Gabriel killed the other attackers, then he entered a tavern.

Li Lin and his companions learned that demons were massing against Glory Fort, and Gabriel went ahead to warn the angels despite the risk that they would reject her. She reached the fortress as the demons began their attack, while Li Lin and the others continued behind the devil army.

• Li Lin questioned a devil in the tavern and learned that the Blood War was about to resume, with the devils marching toward Glory Fort.
• Gabriel insisted on helping the angels at Glory Fort, and Li Lin teleported her ahead while warning her to protect herself.
• Gabriel arrived at Glory Fort and warned the angels that demons were attacking and devils might exploit the battle.
• The angels questioned Gabriel about her lost divine power before chaotic roars announced the demons' attack.

Gabriel faced her former angelic comrades after the God of Justice ordered them to kill her, and asked them to judge her for themselves. As they questioned the order, Li Lin, Angela, and Anna struck the approaching devil army, throwing its ranks into chaos.

• The angels and Gabriel destroyed the demons threatening the Glory Fort, then received an order to eliminate Gabriel as a fallen angel.
• Gabriel's deputy delivered the order, but the angels hesitated because Gabriel still radiated holy power and showed no signs of evil.
• Gabriel asked her former sisters to trust their own judgment, and they gave her room to explain her powers and the planar robe she wore.
• Li Lin and Angela watched the angels' confrontation while a devil army advanced toward the city of angels.
• Li Lin unleashed a spell that raised thousands of stone pillars through the devil ranks, while Anna killed a greater devil and Angela attacked with ghosts from her fan.

Li Lin left the battle between devils and demons while Gabriel tried to persuade the angels in Glory Fort to reject the God of Justice’s commands. As Hell’s aura began to corrupt the angels, Li Lin protected them with a crystal’s warm light.

• The Lord of the Nine Hells sent devils to detain the angels, but Balors attacked the battlefield, and Li Lin, Angela, and Anna withdrew.
• Gabriel shared her memories with the angels and urged them to join the Magic Empire; some lowered their weapons, but the God of Justice struck her and opened a passage to Mount Celestia.
• Gabriel resisted the passage’s pull to protect the angels, and the Lord of the Nine Hells, appearing as a succubus, sealed the passage with Hell’s power.
• Li Lin confronted Asmodeus and sent him away, then helped the wounded Gabriel and recognized that Hell’s aura threatened the unprotected angels.
• Li Lin tossed a diamond-shaped crystal into the sky, and warm light spread over Glory Fortress.

While Li Lin was away, Yi Aier obsessively imagined that he might pursue her after becoming intimate with Nia, then sought advice from Beika and Miu'erkasi. She learned that Anna had gone to the Lower Realms with Li Lin and hurried off to question Kalin, leaving Beika and Miu'erkasi privately unsettled by her speculation.

• Yi Aier spent days imagining how Li Lin and Nia had become intimate and worried that she might be next.
• Yi Aier confronted Beika about what she should do if Li Lin asked her to share his bed, but Beika dismissed her concerns and returned to inspecting the city's shield.
• Beika blushed after Yi Aier teased her about Li Lin carrying her to bed, then insisted she did not care about their relationship.
• Yi Aier asked Miu'erkasi how she would respond if Li Lin pursued her, prompting Miu'erkasi to reconsider her own feelings.
• Miu'erkasi told Yi Aier that Anna had gone to the Lower Realms with Li Lin, and Yi Aier left to talk with Kalin.

The God of Justice, weakened and furious after losing the Angel Legion, decided to use the Great Book of Law as his final resort and tore Mount Celestia from its place to send it toward the Prime Material Plane. Li Lin said he needed the book to stop the disaster and warned the gods he would seal off the Prime Material Plane if they failed to obtain it in time.

• The God of Justice realized his hesitation and failed attempt to reclaim the angels had left him with dwindling power and unstable godhoods, then went to the sealed library to confront the Great Book of Law.
• The Elf Goddess and the Lady of Secrets sensed the planes shaking as the God of Justice pulled Mount Celestia out of its original plane, and the Elf Goddess sent her daughter to warn Li Lin.
• The Goddess of Dance told Li Lin that Mount Celestia was heading toward the Prime Material Plane and that the gods could not stop the God of Justice without being devoured by him.
• Li Lin told the gods they had to obtain the Great Book of Law, or he would seal off the Prime Material Plane to protect it from the approaching collision.

The planar tremors devastated the Prime Material Plane, prompting Li Lin to shelter his allies in Ringwraith City and bring Gabriel’s surviving angels back from the Lower Planes. As Mount Celestia drew closer and the gods’ plans remained uncertain, the elf queen revealed an ancient weapon that Angela identified as a nuclear bomb.

• The planar disturbance caused heavy losses across the Prime Material Plane, while Ringwraith City remained protected and the United Kingdom suffered plague, crop failure, and other disasters.
• Li Lin relocated the elves, Dark Elves, and people of the City of a Thousand Towers to Ringwraith City, and Angela recalled most surviving undead to safety.
• Li Lin and Nia brought Gabriel and 130,000 surviving angels back from the Lower Planes, and Li Lin assigned them to patrol the King's Shield without preaching.
• Li Lin judged that he had to wait for a chance to stop Mount Celestia and kill the God of Justice, while the Lady of Secrets estimated Mount Celestia would reach the Prime Material Plane within half a year.
• The elf queen revealed an ancient weapon preserved in the elves’ capital, and Angela recognized it as a nuclear bomb.

Kelisi was summoned from Ringwraith City's library to the main tower, where she encountered Angela, Li Lin, and a naked elf woman enclosed in a sphere of water. Li Lin told Kelisi to wait while he dealt with the matter that had brought the elf woman to the tower.

• Kelisi directed the mages sorting and protecting the library's dangerous books until a tremor interrupted their work and Nia summoned her to the main tower.
• Kelisi traveled through Ringwraith City and observed its diverse residents, then found the tower unusually busy and a strange, weapon-like object in the designated room.
• Angela startled Kelisi several times and told her to wait for Nia, who would arrive shortly.
• Li Lin arrived with a naked elf woman and discussed the elves' relocation and their taking a valuable object belonging to the Magic Empire.
• Li Lin asked why Kelisi was there, learned that Nia had summoned her, and told her to wait.