Chapter Summaries

Rayne crushed Duke Dans's forces and helped drive Malk's army back into Kingsland, leaving the Dragonkin army poised to besiege the city. Malk then threatened Kingsland's residents and demanded a duel with Rayne.

• Rayne broke the Golden Force Field, killed Duke Dans and the remaining Legendary Lionheart Knights, and pursued the fleeing Golden Lion Regiment.
• The Ice Wolf Knights retreated north after heavy losses, while Rayne's forces helped defeat Malk's troops outside Kingsland's west gate.
• Rayne learned that Emilith's forces had repelled Malk's southern assault, though Malk escaped into Kingsland and had strength approaching the path to Saint Tier.
• Emilith's allies agreed to rest and prepare to besiege Kingsland, believing Malk could no longer turn the battle around.
• Malk sent a letter threatening Kingsland's residents and demanding a duel with Rayne.

Rayne accepted Malk’s duel challenge to prevent Malk from using the Red Dragon Arrays to burn Kingsland and kill more than a million people. He planned to keep Malk occupied while Kleios and Kadeja secretly destroyed the arrays, and the chapter ended with Emilith agreeing to the plan.

• Duke Fisher warned Rayne that Malk was among the strongest figures in Kongator’s history, while Emilith and the other leaders urged Rayne not to duel him.
• Rayne argued that Malk might burn Kingsland if they refused, and Emilith explained that the Red Dragon Arrays had to be connected to unleash Inferno Torrent across the city.
• Kleios and Kadeja offered to destroy the arrays, but they needed at least two hours, while Malk had given Rayne only one hour to accept his challenge.
• Emilith considered withdrawing the army, but Rayne concluded that Malk would not be deterred and had chosen the duel to eliminate him.
• Rayne accepted the challenge and proposed that Kleios and Kadeja infiltrate Kingsland to destroy the arrays while he delayed Malk.
• Emilith agreed and ordered someone to tell Malk’s messenger that Rayne would duel him.

Rayne faced Malk Lauberdil in a duel outside Kingsland City while the Dragonkin army waited nearby and two councilors infiltrated the city. Rayne discovered Malk’s threat to burn the capital was a lie, but learned Malk possessed Grosh’s legendary divine art and a powerful weapon; the duel was about to begin.

• Malk rode his Spirit Wind Stag out of Kingsland City alone, and Rayne approached him mounted on Borchi.
• Rayne challenged Malk’s threat to burn the capital, then used his Soul Eye to discover Malk was lying about it.
• Rayne examined Malk’s abilities and learned he had Grosh’s Battle Roar, which raised his Strength Element by one level.
• Rayne recognized that the Spirit Wind Stag possessed Endless Spring Breeze, an element that could help his teacher recover from bodily collapse.
• Malk asked to see Bolo Brandon, then spared him after learning Rayne had not killed him.
• Malk dismissed the Spirit Wind Stag, took up the Legendary Tier warhammer Wrathbringer, Power of Infinite Rage, and prepared to duel Rayne.

Rayne and Malk began their duel, with Malk's Infinite Rage giving him overwhelming strength and putting Rayne at a disadvantage. Rayne landed a devastating counterstrike, but Malk healed instantly with Endless Spring Breeze, and the battle continued.

• Rayne and Malk prepared for the duel, activating their spells and combat abilities as the spectators watched the timer count down.
• Malk unleashed Infinite Rage, pushing his Strength Element beyond level 11, and the duel began with both fighters moving too quickly for most onlookers to follow.
• Malk won their first direct clash and hurled Rayne into the snow, then pursued him with another hammer strike.
• Rayne recovered as his chest wound healed, evaded Malk's follow-up, and used Dragon's Roar and Light Burst to create an opening.
• Rayne struck Malk's head with the Thunderbolt Hammer, breaking through his defenses and caving in his face.
• Malk transformed into a breeze and regenerated his face with Endless Spring Breeze, leaving both fighters ready to continue.

Rayne faced Malk after Malk raised his Strength Element to Level 12 and gained overwhelming power. Unable to match him directly, Rayne avoided close combat and endured Malk’s Hurricane Spell, leaving their duel unresolved.

• Malk praised Rayne’s strength, then used Grosh's Battle Roar to raise his Strength Element to Level 12 and intensify his power.
• Rayne charged to interrupt Malk’s enhancement, but Malk blocked his hammer strike, counterattacked, and wounded him with Rage Hammer and Wind Shear.
• Malk’s attacks repeatedly broke through Rayne’s defenses, forcing Rayne to use Lightning Flash to escape a near-fatal blow.
• Rayne decided to avoid using Thunder God's Hammer unless necessary and used Any Door to keep his distance from Malk.
• Malk cast his Eighth Circle Hurricane Spell, and Rayne endured its Wind Blades and slowing force while his injuries healed.

Rayne wore down Malk through the Hurricane Spell by evading his attacks and forcing him to spend Soul Power healing. After using mirror images to overwhelm Malk and exhaust his resources, Rayne struck the final blow and crushed his head.

• Rayne evaded Malk’s attacks inside the Hurricane Spell while landing hammer blows that forced Malk to heal with Endless Spring Breeze.
• Rayne recognized that Malk’s healing consumed substantial Soul Power and used potions and displacement spells to outlast him.
• After fifteen minutes, Rayne’s Battle Music increased his power while Malk’s Soul Power and stamina dwindled.
• Rayne summoned five mirror images and used them to trap Malk in repeated attacks that left him severely injured and drained his Soul Power.
• Malk’s Infinite Rage ended, and he failed to escape because Spirit Wind Warp was on cooldown and his Soul Power was exhausted.
• Rayne knocked Malk’s hammer away and crushed his head with a final strike.

Rayne defeated and killed Malk with the genuine Thunder God's Hammer, securing the Dragonkin’s victory in their struggle for Kongator. Before his soul faded, Malk revealed his plans and entrusted Rayne with protecting one of his children in exchange for information about two Legendary Wizards.

• Rayne emerged from the dissipating hurricane as the sole survivor, and the Dragonkin realized he had defeated Malk.
• Rayne discovered Malk’s soul still lingered, and Malk formed a temporary body to speak with him.
• Malk recognized Thunder God's Hammer and accepted his defeat, then revealed that his threat to burn Kingsland had been a deception and that he had intended to abdicate regardless of the duel’s outcome.
• Malk explained that he had wanted to leave the throne and become a wandering mercenary, but regretted that his chance to pursue that life was gone.
• Malk asked Rayne to protect one of his illegitimate children and offered information about the two Legendary Wizards as payment.
• Rayne accepted Malk’s offer, and Malk whispered the information before dissolving into a breeze.

Rayne killed Malk, and the Dragonkin army captured Kingsland after the Red Dragon Array failed. Emilith took the Iron Throne, formally restoring the Zhuogengbao Family to the throne of Kongator.

• Rayne watched Malk's soul enter Grosh's Divine Kingdom, then claimed Malk's Dimensional Space Ring and Amber Crystal Pendant.
• Rayne avoided taking the Rage Hammer because Grosh's power warned him away, and he agreed to sell it to Dylan Lauberdil for three million Golden Dragons.
• Rayne ordered the Dragonkin army to attack Kingsland after Kaijade and Kleios confirmed the Red Dragon Array had failed, while Kleios and Kadeja pursued Malk's wounded Spirit Wind Stag.
• The Dragonkin army captured Kingsland and Red Dragon Fortress, while the remaining enemy forces were hunted down and the Duke of Brandon was taken prisoner.
• Rayne joined Emilith in the Dragon Hall, where she sat on the Iron Throne and was saluted as the restored ruler of Kongator.

Emilith convened Dragon Hall after the Dragonkin conquered all of Kongator and imposed severe punishments on the defeated families. After the meeting, Rayne received the Soul Stone from Kadeja and saw that it contained the Superb Element “Endless Spring Breeze.”

• Emilith’s armies captured the Duchies of Etis, Brandon, and Dans, bringing all of Kongator under Dragonkin control.
• Emilith ordered the execution of those who took part in the Usurpation War and confirmed that Duke Brandon would be executed.
• Emilith offered Dinglaji the title of Duke Dans, but he refused it and pleaded for Coster’s life.
• Emilith agreed to spare Coster if he paid ten million Gold Dragons, ceded four territories, and surrendered his right hand; she also imposed territorial and financial penalties on the Etis and Brandon families.
• After the meeting, Kadeja gave Rayne the Soul Stone containing the giant azure stag’s Demon Soul and the Superb Element “Endless Spring Breeze.”

Rayne and the Speakers secured the Spirit Wind Stag’s Demon Soul to heal his teacher, while Rayne suspected a vast conspiracy behind the enemy Wizards’ interference. In Kingsland, Emilith’s government publicly tried and executed Duke Brandon and other traitors, warning the remaining nobles against rebellion.

• Rayne learned that two enemy Wizards had interfered with the Speakers’ hunt for the Spirit Wind Stag, and suspected they were testing whether his teacher had been injured.
• Rayne decided to return to Wizerland and tell his teacher about a shocking but unconfirmed theory; Kadeja took the Demon Soul back while Kleios stayed for Emilith’s coronation.
• Scale-Warden Blood Guards brought Duke Brandon and other prisoners before the people of Kingsland for trial.
• Earl Tal accused the prisoners of treason and other crimes, and cited Malk’s letter as evidence that he had planned to burn the city.
• Earl Tal beheaded Duke Brandon with his own Ice Greatsword, and the guards executed more than a hundred other prisoners.
• Emilith watched the executions as the nobles remained on the terrace, understanding them as a warning against treason.

Rayne completed a Teleportation Array in Red Dragon Fortress and attended Emilith’s coronation as Queen of Kongator. He arranged for Chairman Kleios, a Red Dragon who worshipped the Goddess of Magic, to crown her, sending a signal about her religious stance while no Divine Power appeared.

• Rayne built a Teleportation Array in Red Dragon Fortress that would connect to Glamorgan Castle, and planned to establish more arrays across his territories.
• Rayne joined Emilith’s ceremonial procession to the Great Dragon Temple, where crowds gathered to celebrate her ascension.
• At the ceremony, Rayne noticed hostile nobles from the Brandon and Etis Families, while Coster of the Dans Duchy appeared subdued and had lost his right hand.
• Valrogan announced that Chairman Kleios would crown Emilith, surprising the guests and worrying Emilith about the Dragon God’s reaction.
• Kleios placed a dragon-shaped crown on Emilith, and Rayne observed that no Divine Power appeared as the guests greeted their new queen.

Emilith enfeoffed Rayne as the founder of the Duchy of Augustus, and he suppressed the nobles’ opposition before returning to Red Dragon Fortress. There, he recovered a huge cache of Source Crystal Ore and found Malk’s half-elf daughter, whose soul concealed a mysterious secret.

• Emilith granted Rayne several territories and established the Duchy of Augustus, while Rayne intimidated the nobles into accepting the decision.
• Rayne met the other dukes, then returned to Red Dragon Fortress to finish the Teleportation Array.
• Sikarius told Rayne that the missing royal treasure had been found in a harbor warehouse, and Valrogan identified the suspected thief.
• Rayne discovered that the recovered treasure included eight chests containing 280,000 pounds of Source Crystal Ore and arranged to take it for his account.
• Rayne visited the address Malk had given him and discovered that Malk’s daughter was a disguised Half-elf with a hidden secret in her soul.

Rayne discovered that Anwella, Malk’s half-elf daughter, had extraordinary potential and a Legendary weapon fused with her soul, so he offered to train her as a Combat Wizard. Anwella accepted and left with him for the Wezelan Floating City after revealing her true appearance.

• Rayne observed Anwella practicing swordsmanship and recognized her exceptional talent, the Blood Soul Curse in her soul, and a Legendary weapon bound to her.
• Anwella detected Rayne despite his invisibility and attacked, but he caught her rapier and quickly overpowered her.
• Rayne learned that Anwella lived alone and that her mother had died three years earlier, then offered to take her as his student.
• Anwella recognized Rayne Augustus as the new Duke and accepted his offer to train as a Combat Wizard.
• Anwella packed a small bundle, revealed her concealed half-elf appearance, and followed Rayne through a Portal.

Rayne returned to Wizerland with Anwella, introduced her to his other students, and arranged for her to begin training as a Combat Wizard. He then went to meet Ansiwodoss and was surprised to find that his teacher's frail condition seemed to have improved.

• Rayne gave Anwella Malk's Dimensional Space Ring and brought her through the Portal to Glamorgan Castle, where Reslin arrived with supplies for another Teleportation Array.
• Rayne sent the Source Crystal Ore from Glamorgan Castle to King Kong Fortress, then took Anwella through a Portal to the Wizerland Floating City.
• Rayne introduced Anwella to Dalamar, Polaris, Garou, Sparrowhawk, and Jenna, and told them she would become a Combat Wizard.
• Rayne asked Jenna to help Anwella settle in, then traveled to the Wizerland High Tower to meet Ansiwodoss.
• Rayne sensed that Ansiwodoss was no longer as physically frail as before and asked whether he had solved his body's problem.

Rayne told Ansiwodoss that Wizerland’s restoration-war gains would sharply reduce its debt, then revealed that he believed the traitor in the High Council was its founder, Master Ogulvi. Ansiwodoss was left facing the shocking identity of the hidden enemy who had endangered his life.

• Ansiwodoss recovered with the Endless Spring Breeze element and gave Rayne Spell Seals from the Spirit Wind Stag to handle.
• Rayne recounted the restoration of Kongator and gave Ansiwodoss a ledger showing Wizerland’s gains would reach about forty-five million Gold Shields.
• Ansiwodoss welcomed Emilith’s promise to send the money and offered to help her if she faced difficulties.
• Rayne asked Ansiwodoss about the Spirit Wind Stag hunt and said he had identified the traitor in the High Council.
• Rayne named Master Ogulvi, the first Soul Saint Wizard and founder of the High Council, as the suspected traitor.

Rayne told Ansiwodoss that Master Quitu of the Nether Floating City had helped oppose Wizerland, leading them to suspect Master Ogulvi had betrayed the Empire and allied with Sazastan. Ansiwodoss revealed that the secret behind Soul Saint Wizards’ motives was lifespan, leaving Rayne to grasp why Master Ogulvi might have turned against the Empire.

• Rayne explained that Malk had identified Master Quitu by his voice, which he remembered from an encounter in the Nether Floating City more than a century earlier.
• Ansiwodoss questioned whether Malk had been deceived or Quitu had been impersonated, but Rayne argued the accidental voice slip made those explanations unlikely.
• Rayne and Ansiwodoss considered why the Nether Floating City had targeted Wizerland and concluded Master Ogulvi might have learned of Ansiwodoss's condition through Sazastan.
• Rayne recalled that Master Ogulvi could have helped Kolsted and Sazastan seize a Floating City, but could not understand what the powerful Soul Saint Wizard wanted.
• Ansiwodoss told Rayne that Soul Saint Wizards shared a secret about lifespan, prompting Rayne to see a possible explanation for Master Ogulvi's actions.

Rayne learned that Soul Saint Wizards had limited lifespans and discovered the dangerous spell Master Ogulvi used to prolong his life. After considering the risks and signs that Ogulvi might be hiding outside the Empire, Ansiwodoss ordered a secret investigation to confirm whether he was still alive.

• Ansiwodoss told Rayne that Soul Saint Wizards lived about two thousand years because their souls deteriorated despite their long-lived bodies.
• Rayne calculated that Master Ogulvi was at least 2,370 years old, and Ansiwodoss revealed that Ogulvi used a Tenth Circle Longevity Spell requiring a living Saint-level creature.
• Ansiwodoss explained that the Longevity Spell lasted only one hundred years, could fail or be dispelled, and would cause Ogulvi's body and soul to perish if it became ineffective.
• Ansiwodoss said he had not seen Ogulvi's true body for more than four hundred years and suspected he might be hiding in the New Continent.
• Ansiwodoss decided that he and Rayne must secretly confirm Ogulvi's condition before taking any action.

Rayne and Ansiwodoss planned to investigate Master Ogulvi while preparing for Dean Sabra's possible rise as the thirteenth Soul Saint Wizard. After Rayne presented a plan for developing the Duchy of Augustus and converting the Dragonkin, he refined Source Crystal and returned to Glamorgan Castle, where he was stunned by a mysterious woman.

• Ansiwodoss told Rayne to keep a low profile while he secretly investigated Master Ogulvi and sought proof of his suspected fall.
• Ansiwodoss said he would use Dean Sabra's investiture ceremony, expected within three years, to draw Master Ogulvi out in person.
• Rayne presented Ansiwodoss with his and Emilith's plan to develop the Duchy of Augustus and eventually lead the people of the Duchy of Zhuogengbao to convert to the Goddess of Magic.
• Ansiwodoss agreed to pray for a response to Emilith's request, and Rayne returned to his duties and instructed his students.
• Rayne refined more than three hundred and fifty thousand pounds of Source Crystal ore over two days, bringing his total supply to more than seventeen thousand pounds.
• Rayne returned to Glamorgan Castle and entered the reception room, where he saw a mysterious woman and was left stunned.

Rayne met Vejestri, the Goddess of Magic, who accepted the Dragonkin's proposed change of faith and offered Emilith the chance to become her Chosen One. Vejestri questioned Rayne about his encounter with Balkor, let him keep the Iron Crown, and presented him with a reward.

• Rayne recognized Vejestri's avatar and greeted her with a noble hand-kissing gesture, then admitted he had rarely prayed to her.
• Vejestri told Rayne that Emilith could convert the Duchy of Zhuogengbao's people to her faith within a hundred years, and promised Emilith a Chosen One position if she succeeded.
• Vejestri asked Rayne whether he had met Balkor, and Rayne confessed that he had encountered Balkor's avatar on the Thane Plateau.
• Rayne showed Vejestri the Iron Crown Balkor had given him, and she told him to keep it rather than risk alerting Balkor by destroying it.
• Vejestri offered Rayne a crystal vial as a reward, and Rayne saw a strange Demon Soul inside.

Rayne recognized the living Celestial Sprite in Vejestri’s bottle as a Magic Sprite bearing the Sixth Circle Limited Wish Spell, and the Goddess gave it to him. Vejestri praised Rayne’s achievements and urged him to pursue her plans and pray more before her avatar disappeared.

• Rayne examined the blue mist in the crystal bottle and identified its fourth element as the Wish Spell, the King of Ten Thousand Laws.
• Vejestri revealed that the creature was a Magic Sprite she had cultivated from a Celestial Sprite and gave it to Rayne as a reward.
• Vejestri explained that Rayne would have to recite the seal’s incantation within three breaths when fusing with the living Sprite, or it could escape.
• Vejestri praised Rayne’s accomplishments and compared his potential to Emperor Alfa, then remarked that he prayed too infrequently.
• Vejestri encouraged Rayne to carry out his plan for the Duchy of Augustus and prepare to serve the Empire, stressing that he should pray more.
• Vejestri whispered that she looked forward to Rayne’s performance, then vanished, leaving him alone with the crystal bottle.