Chapter Summaries

Rayne received a Bronze Giant Demon Soul from Ansiwodoss and fused with it, gaining and strengthening numerous close-combat and defensive Elements. After using his remaining Soul Power to ascend, Rayne reached Level 14 Wizard and became able to fuse with another Demon Soul.

• Ansiwodoss gave Rayne a Legendary Intermediate Tier Bronze Giant Demon Soul that matched his needs, and Rayne thanked his teacher for retrieving it.
• Rayne appraised the Bronze Giant's Elements and decided its Body of Steel, Strength, Energy Absorption, and close-combat abilities made it an excellent fit.
• Rayne fused with the Bronze Giant Demon Soul in the meditation room, overcoming its resistance with Soul Power shockwaves.
• The fusion raised Rayne's Body of Steel to level 5 and improved several other Elements, including Indestructible Iron Fist, Self-Healing, and Heavy Strike.
• Rayne spent all the energy in his Soul Power Pool to trigger Soul Ascension and reached Level 14 Wizard, allowing him to fuse with another Demon Soul.

Rayne strengthened Wizerland by offering Sunlight Blood to its leading wizards, then met Archon Gneus Chikro, who came to report on the supervision of the Nether Floating City. The chapter left Rayne and the Wizerland leaders listening to Gneus’s report.

• Rayne confirmed that his fusion had succeeded and reached the Legendary Intermediate Tier, prompting Ansiwodoss to urge Roni to focus on advancing.
• Rayne gave Ansiwodoss and Roni bottles of Sunlight Blood and offered ten recipients a supply for five years.
• Ansiwodoss accepted a bottle and agreed to decide how the ten slots would be distributed while keeping the potion’s supply confidential.
• A Wizerland wizard announced that Archon Gneus Chikro had arrived with his Imperial Guard, and Gneus was escorted upstairs to meet Ansiwodoss, Rayne, and Roni.
• Gneus greeted the three leaders and explained that he had come to report on the procedures for supervising the Nether Floating City.

Gneus proposed an Oversight Committee to supervise the Nether Floating City, and Rayne agreed to join it despite the risks of entering Duke Redstone’s sphere of influence. As the chapter ended, Roni asked Rayne whether he intended to run for Imperial Archon.

• Gneus proposed an Oversight Committee headed by the Archon, and Ansiwodoss approved after confirming Grey Eagle supported it.
• Gneus invited Rayne to join the committee, and Rayne accepted after deciding the position would advance his political plans and draw Duke Redstone’s attention toward him.
• Gneus welcomed Rayne to Northril and explained the Empire’s upper politics as they began building an alliance.
• Gneus departed for Dean Sabra’s investiture ceremony, and Rayne used his Soul Eye to confirm that Gneus believed Ansiwodoss would support his next term as Archon.
• Roni asked Rayne whether he planned to run for Imperial Archon.

Rayne explained to Roni why he wanted to become the Empire’s Chancellor, using a story about a mountaineer to describe his ambitions to pursue both influence and magical strength. He then attended Dean Sabra’s investiture ceremony with Anxiwodoss and Roni, where Duke Redstone arrived late with a large group of Legendary Wizards, including members from Nether Floating City.

• Rayne told Roni the story of George Mallory climbing Supreme Mountain and said he wanted to become Chancellor because the opportunity was there.
• Rayne described his ambition to pursue both influence and strength, and Roni stopped trying to dissuade him.
• Anxiwodoss, Rayne, and Roni traveled to the temple of the Goddess of Magic to attend Dean Sabra’s investiture ceremony.
• Rayne observed the Empire’s powerful guests and memorized the faces of Imperial Council members who supported Anxiwodoss.
• Anxiwodoss and the other Soul Saint Wizards discussed Duke Redstone’s unexplained delay before he arrived with Legendary Wizards from Pallas and Nether Floating Cities.

Duke Redstone arrived at Bruwots Academy’s ceremony with seven Nether elders, revealing his continued influence over Nesser despite the High Council’s resolution. The Magic Goddess descended to honor Sabra Percival, who was enfeoffed as the Duke of Blue Oak, with Bruwots City and three northern East Province cities as his fief.

• Duke Redstone entered the ceremony with seven Nether elders and challenged the High Council’s authority over Nesser.
• Rayne recognized the elders, identified one as a possible lead in the investigation into Master Ogulvi’s fall, and provoked Duke Redstone into silently enduring his taunts.
• The Duke of Purple Flame and Black Robe Duke arrived before Governor Gneus began the ceremony with a prayer to the Magic Goddess.
• The Magic Goddess descended through her statue and congratulated Sabra Percival on becoming a Soul Saint Wizard.
• The Goddess enfeoffed Sabra as the Duke of Blue Oak and granted him Bruwots City and three northern cities of East Province.

Dean Sabra received the title of Duke of Blue Oak, and Governor Gneus announced that Master Ogulvi had gone missing. At the tournament awards ceremony, Rayne’s students won the Intermediate and Advanced Tier championships, while Duke Redstone’s growing hatred made him a dangerous enemy.

• Dean Sabra completed his investiture as Duke of Blue Oak, and Bruwots celebrated with cheers and fireworks.
• Governor Gneus announced Master Ogulvi’s disappearance, while Rayne noticed that Nether elder Desad was hiding something about it.
• Dean Sabra moved the guests to the arena, where the Soul Saint Wizards arranged themselves with Ansiwodoss in the central seat and Duke Redstone reluctantly joined them.
• Duke Redstone blamed Rayne for his diminished standing and swore revenge, while Rayne considered how to destroy him and his power.
• Dean Sabra presented the tournament awards, and a Third Tier Wizard from a lesser-known academy won the Low Tier championship.
• Garou won the Intermediate Tier championship, and Anwella, Polaris, and Dalamar took the top three places in the Advanced Tier division as Rayne’s students.

Rayne invited Master Oruoin to Glamorgan after recognizing his interest in Anwella and hoping to draw the powerful Combat Wizard closer to the Modu School. Oruoin agreed to stay for a few days and warned Rayne not to let a future Floating City distract him from cultivating his own strength.

• At the awards ceremony, Master Oruoin watched Anwella with keen interest, and Rayne realized he might be able to use that interest to invite Oruoin to Glamorgan.
• Rayne asked Oruoin to visit Glamorgan under the pretext of discussing the Combat School, while Duke Redstone and Master Tim Kainan reacted with displeasure.
• After Rayne mentioned that Anwella also wanted Oruoin's guidance, Oruoin agreed to stay at Glamorgan for a few days, and Duke Redstone departed angrily.
• At Wizerland High Tower, Oruoin praised the Floating City but told Rayne that a Combat Wizard should rely on personal strength rather than external defenses.
• Rayne accepted Oruoin's admonition while keeping his own plan to build a different kind of Floating City in mind.

Rayne hosted Master Oruoin and Anwella at Glamorgan Castle, where he learned more about the Combat School’s barriers to growth. He revealed that his intuition could detect conflicts between Demon Souls, leaving Oruoin eager to use the ability to cultivate powerful Combat Wizards.

• Rayne brought Master Oruoin and Anwella to Glamorgan Castle, where Fabian prepared the castle’s best guest rooms for them.
• Oruoin explained that the Combat School struggled to grow because Soul Merging Seeds were scarce and costly, talent requirements were high, and incompatible Demon Souls weakened many students.
• Rayne considered using his Soul Eye and access to World Tree Seeds to train Combat Wizards by finding suitable Demon Souls for them.
• Oruoin praised Anwella’s talent and strength, and Rayne hinted that his other students were similarly exceptional because of his guidance.
• Rayne told Oruoin that he could sense whether Demon Souls would conflict, and Oruoin realized this ability might allow them to cultivate powerful Combat Wizards in batches.

Rayne persuaded Master Oruoin to help establish a school that would develop Combat Wizards into specialized paths, with Rayne using the Soul Eye to guide their training. Oruoin agreed to recruit teachers and build the school in the Dragon Forest in Rayne’s duchy, and Rayne named it the Aix Combat School.

• Rayne offered to use his ability to identify soul conflicts for the Combat School, and Oruoin promised to protect his secret.
• Rayne proposed a school that would provide students with resources and teachers while developing specialized Combat Wizard paths modeled on Demon Hunter branches.
• Oruoin raised the need for five million Gold Shields and qualified instructors, and Rayne offered to fund the school while Oruoin agreed to recruit teachers.
• Rayne and Oruoin agreed to hide the school in a remote location, and Rayne proposed the Dragon Forest in the Duchy of Augustus.
• Oruoin approved the location, and Rayne named the school the Aix Combat School.

Rayne secured Oruoin as the headmaster of Aix Combat School and persuaded Villian Loges to fund its launch in exchange for swordsmanship guidance. Oruoin agreed to spar with Villian at Glamorgan Castle, while Rayne and Anwella joined to observe.

• Rayne explained the name Aix Combat School and persuaded Oruoin to become its first headmaster.
• Rayne and Oruoin planned the school's construction, recruitment, staffing, supplies, and security.
• Villian Loges arrived at Glamorgan Castle seeking a spar with Oruoin to help him break through to Saint Tier.
• Rayne asked Villian to organize student recruitment across the Empire and fund the school, and Villian pledged two million Gold Shields.
• Oruoin promised to spar with Villian during his stay in Glamorgan and invited Rayne and Anwella to watch.

Rayne brought Oruoin and Villian to King Kong Fortress so the Legion could watch the two swordmasters spar. After Villian saw the scale and strength of Rayne’s forces, Oruoin and Villian took their positions on the parade ground, ready to begin.

• Rayne led Oruoin, Villian, and Anwella through a teleportation array to King Kong Fortress and ordered the Legion to assemble.
• Villian discovered that Rayne had more than two hundred Extreme Warriors and a large force of Gunwing Knights, and promised to keep the fortress secret.
• Six hundred Gunwing Knights and one hundred and twenty Extreme Warriors gathered on the parade ground, alongside Sun Walkers from the Sunstrider Tribe.
• Rayne introduced Oruoin as a Soul Saint Wizard, and the assembled warriors eagerly prepared to watch him spar with Villian.
• Oruoin drew a cross-shaped sword while Villian readied the Logos Family’s ancestral weapon, Storm Ripper, and asked Oruoin to instruct him.

Rayne watched Master Oruoin train Villian, Sikarius, and Anwella, then reviewed preparations for their new Combat Wizard school. Suspecting Duke Redstone was hiding behind an important Magic experiment, Rayne decided to disrupt it before traveling to Northril.

• Master Oruoin defeated Villian, Sikarius, and Anwella in a swordsmanship spar and advised each of them on improving their skills.
• Oruoin expressed a wish to take Anwella as his student, but Rayne arranged for her to study under him at Aix Combat School instead.
• Rayne and Oruoin reviewed newspaper announcements for the school, while Rayne noted that construction, staffing, and enrollment preparations were underway.
• Rayne asked Fabian about anything unusual in the territory, then reconsidered Duke Redstone's unexpected silence and the warning in Phyllis's diary about his long-running Magic experiment.
• Rayne resolved to give Duke Redstone and Pallas Floating City a disruptive surprise before departing for Northril.

Reslin hunted creatures in the Sunset Plane to replenish his Soul Power, then upgraded the Key of the Gate to the Eighth Circle and gained overwhelming mastery of spatial magic. After preparing, he traveled to Urg City, where he set his sights on destroying Duke Redstone’s Pallas Floating City.

• Reslin slaughtered the mantis people and other evil creatures in the Atas Desert, restoring his Soul Power and raising himself to Legendary Peak.
• Reslin upgraded the Key of the Gate to the Eighth Circle, greatly strengthening his spatial spells and deciding to pursue time magic for his path to Archmage.
• Reslin looked beyond the Key of the Gate and received the Eighth Circle spell Tim Kenan's Disintegration.
• Reslin tested his improved teleportation and Any Door, then returned to Glamorgan Castle and prepared for his next undertaking.
• Reslin traveled north to Urg City and resolved to destroy Duke Redstone’s Pallas Floating City.

Reslin observed Pallas Floating City and devised an attack using its towers and scheduled airship arrivals. After capturing a Pallas Emblem and sending mirror images into the city, he seized an airship and sent it crashing toward the two command towers.

• Reslin watched Pallas Floating City for a day and formed a plan based on its paired towers and airship traffic.
• Reslin entered Urg City, tracked a Psion to his alchemy shop, and used Greater Sleep to incapacitate him and a female Wizard before taking his Pallas Emblem.
• Reslin created ten mirror images, equipped them with Loki masks and Dimensional Space Rings, and opened a Portal into Pallas Floating City.
• Reslin sent the mirror images onto the arriving Magic Airship, where they killed its defenders and took control of its cockpit and systems.
• The captured Magic Airship accelerated toward Pallas's two tallest Wizard Towers.

Black-robed attackers disguised as followers of The Deceiver sent two magically enhanced airships crashing into Pallas's northern and southern towers, destroying both control centers. Duke Redstone realized Iola's Core was the real target, but when he reached it, an enemy detonated a black metal box and engulfed him in an explosion.

• A runaway airship dodged Pallas's spells as coordinated explosions erupted across the Floating City, and Montalin summoned Duke Redstone for help.
• Duke Redstone froze the first airship with a Stasis Field, but it blinked free and crashed into the northern tower, causing a blast that breached its protection.
• The second airship evaded Duke Redstone's spells and struck the southern tower, bringing it down and triggering the northern tower's collapse.
• Duke Redstone realized the attackers had targeted Iola's Core and teleported to its underground hall, where he found a black-robed figure beside a black metal box.
• The black-robed figure turned toward Duke Redstone, and a terrifying explosion swallowed him.

Duke Redstone used Time Stop and Twist Reality to contain a devastating attack on Pallas Floating City, but the blast damaged Iola's Core and forced the city to descend. After Pallas landed in the wilderness, Redstone vowed revenge against the unknown attackers.

• Duke Redstone activated his Time Stop Ring and discovered that a Black Wizard had sacrificed himself to unleash an explosion powerful enough to threaten Iola's Core.
• Duke Redstone used protective spells, a Gate of Another World, and Twist Reality to divert and contain the blast, but Iola's Core and the control arrays were damaged, causing Pallas to lose power and begin descending.
• Duke Redstone compressed the remaining energy and sent it through an Any Door above the Floating City, where it exploded and severely injured him while destroying nearby Wizards.
• Duke Redstone told Montalin and the gathered Wizards that Iola's Core would take years to repair, then ordered everyone to prepare for Pallas's descent and vowed revenge.
• Pallas moved away from Urg and landed in an uninhabited wilderness, while magical messages announcing the event spread across the Empire and Old Continent.

Duke Redstone assessed the catastrophic losses from the attack on Pallas and investigated the Black Wizard’s methods, but he could not identify who was behind it. He set aside the pursuit and focused on healing his injuries and restoring the Floating City.

• Montalin reported that the attack had killed 396 people, including 313 teachers and students from the Magic Academy, and Duke Redstone mourned Pallas’s losses.
• Duke Redstone suspected Rayne Augustus but decided Rayne was unlikely to have orchestrated the attack.
• Duke Redstone and Montalin used Light and Shadow Rewind to discover that a Black Wizard had destroyed Iola’s Core with a mysterious black box and had opened Any Doors using a stolen Pallas Emblem.
• Duke Redstone traced the stolen emblem to a Psion who had been put to sleep in Urg City, but Montalin’s investigation yielded no further clues.
• Duke Redstone rejected both Rayne Augustus and the Deceiver’s followers as likely masterminds and postponed the pursuit while he focused on recovery and repairs.

Rayne waited with Oruoin when news arrived that Pallas Floating City had been attacked and forced to land, though Kailstone had prevented its Core from being destroyed. Rayne secured Oruoin’s public defense but realized Ansiwodoss suspected him, and returned to Wezelan High Tower to face his teacher.

• Oruoin received an urgent message through his Kemetis Emblem reporting that Pallas had been attacked, forced to land near Urg City, and that Kailstone was seriously injured.
• Rayne pretended to be shocked and pleased that Pallas had not crashed, while privately regretting that Reslin had failed to destroy Iola’s Core.
• Rayne claimed he had stayed at the training grounds and asked Oruoin to clear his name; Oruoin vouched for him to the other Soul Saint Wizards.
• Oruoin noted that Ansiwodoss and Duke Redstone had not replied, and Rayne said he would explain matters to his teacher in person.
• Rayne teleported to Wezelan High Tower and found Ansiwodoss waiting for him with a strange expression.

Rayne explained the Pallas attack and the unstable Titan Engine to Ansiwodoss, who urged him to leave Pallas intact for now. After resurrecting and restoring Reslin, Rayne traveled to the Storm Temple to meet Titan Elder Sorim, who welcomed him and asked what he wanted to trade.

• Rayne admitted that Reslin had not yet been resurrected and told Ansiwodoss that Reslin could bypass Floating City defenses without cracking their teleportation authorization.
• Rayne showed Ansiwodoss the Titan Engine and explained that it exploded after about twenty seconds, revealing that Reslin had used three fueled engines to attack Pallas.
• Ansiwodoss urged Rayne to stop attacking Pallas, and Rayne agreed despite suspecting Kailstone had been involved in the attack on Wizerland.
• Rayne resurrected Reslin in the Sunset Plane, restored him to Level 19, and decided he needed a stronger weapon before traveling to the New Continent.
• Rayne traveled to the Storm Temple, where Lodar let him pass to see Sorim, and Sorim welcomed him and asked what he wanted to trade.

Rayne exchanged fifteen thousand pounds of Source Crystals with Sorim for the Legendary-Tier Endless Storm Staff and discovered its powerful spellcasting enchantments and True Mirror Image Spell. As Rayne considered the staff’s potential, someone arrived at the palace asking whether he was there.

• Rayne asked Sorim to exchange the Endless Storm Staff for fifteen thousand pounds of Source Crystals, which Sorim accepted.
• Rayne took the staff and learned that it accelerated spellcasting, strengthened spells, and could cast the True Mirror Image Spell.
• Rayne realized that combining the staff’s enchantments with Mirror Image could multiply a Spellcaster’s force into an army of copies.
• Sorim explained that he had acquired and maintained the staff but had never used its full potential because he did not study Mirror Image.
• A visitor arrived at the palace and called out to Sorim, asking whether Rayne was there.