Chapter Summaries

Rayne faced Graz'zt, the Master of Gloom, when the Demon Lord appeared through the Abyssal Gate and tried to bargain for the surviving demons. Rayne rejected the deal and blasted Graz'zt back into the Abyss; as the chapter ended, the Goddess of Magic appeared before him.

• Graz'zt's aura plunged the area into an illusion that affected everyone except Rayne, his Archmage avatar, and his Heavenly Soldiers.
• Graz'zt offered to spare Rayne for killing Losadios if Rayne let the remaining demons return to the Abyss, but Rayne refused.
• Graz'zt threatened Rayne and tried to win him over with promises of friendship, while Rayne pretended to consider the offer and let the Star Destroyers charge their cannons.
• Rayne ordered the four Star Destroyers to fire their Star Annihilator Cannons, destroying the Abyssal Gate and forcing Graz'zt back into the Abyss.
• The explosion and Fel Energy flames killed the remaining demons around Yigo City, while the Star Destroyers' Deflection Force Fields protected them.
• Borchi regained his senses and learned that the Master of Gloom had returned to the Abyss, just before the Goddess of Magic appeared and Rayne greeted her.

Rayne received a precious Demon Soul from Vejestri after explaining how he had outmaneuvered Graz'zt, then resumed the campaign to clear Losadios of demons. Examining the gift, he discovered it belonged to a Moonlight Toad and contained the Legendary Element Hourglass of Time.

• Vejestri apologized for arriving late, praised Rayne for rejecting Graz'zt's bargain, and warned him about possible retaliation.
• Vejestri bestowed the Demon Soul powering her avatar on Rayne, who stored it in a Purple Origin Soul Crystal and told Borchi to keep her descent secret.
• Rayne ordered the armies to clear Losadios while Strange and the Archmage avatars coordinated the Star Destroyers and ground forces.
• With the demons' leadership dead and the Abyssal Gate destroyed, Rayne's forces swept through the territory and harvested demon souls.
• Rayne examined the gifted Demon Soul and identified it as a Moonlight Toad's, containing the Legendary Element Hourglass of Time and several time-based spells.

Rayne assessed the Moonlight Toad’s powerful Demon Soul and prepared to fuse with it as he planned for the coming struggle over the Empire and Master Ogulvi. After recovering the East Coast of the New Continent, he entered the Underdark to begin his Soul Transformation Ritual.

• Rayne examined the Moonlight Toad’s spells and elements, including five Ninth Circle time spells, and decided to fuse with its Demon Soul to become a Level 25 Wizard.
• Rayne planned to strengthen his Archmage incarnations and have Reslin lead a group to confront Master Ogulvi in the Underdark next year.
• Rayne directed his army to clear demons and monsters from Igo, Quinte, and Morando, then oversaw construction of three Magic Torchlight Towers.
• In late November 2544, Rayne activated the three towers, bringing the East Coast of the New Continent under his rule and prompting people across the continents to set sail for it.
• Rayne entered the Underdark alone and arrived at the ninth floor of the Obsidian Tower, where the Soul Transformation Ritual was ready.

Rayne completed his eighth Soul Transformation, became a level twenty-five Wizard, and gained the Moonlight Toad’s spells and Legendary Hourglass of Time. He upgraded several elements and finished raising Heart of the Overmind to Level Fourteen, but had not yet discovered what its new ability did.

• Rayne used the improved Hess Magic Array, potions, and Elune’s Tear to fuse the Moonlight Toad’s Demon Soul and advance to level twenty-five.
• Rayne gained the Hourglass of Time and the Moonlight Toad’s spells, then found that his Mutated Cellphone had gained no new functions.
• Rayne spent electricity and Soul Diamonds to raise Titanium Extreme Golden Body, Energy Fusion Furnace, Titan Divine Power, Staff of God, and several other elements.
• Rayne invested one million units of electricity to raise Heart of the Overmind to Level Fourteen and sensed that he had gained a powerful new ability.

After the Level 14 Heart of the Overmind let Rayne create Legendary High Tier Thunder Forged Divine Soldiers, he discovered that those soldiers could produce Thunderforged Heavenly Soldiers of their own. He planned a hundred-thousand-strong legion and prepared to mass-produce troops, leaving the Empire’s future in his sights.

• Rayne created a clone with a Sub-Mind Chip, and it advanced to Legendary High Tier with 130 copied Elements, though many of its abilities remained underdeveloped.
• Rayne found that the clone could level its Heart of the Overmind to Level 7, create 512 soul fragments, and make another Thunderforged Heavenly Soldier at a steep electricity cost.
• The new Thunderforged Heavenly Soldier created a second-generation clone, prompting Rayne to consider the risks before confirming that the clone remained under his control.
• Rayne named his direct creations Thunder Forged Divine Soldiers and their descendants Thunderforged Heavenly Soldiers, then planned a hundred-thousand-strong army and specialized battle groups.
• Rayne upgraded one Thunder Forged Divine Soldier into a near-perfect Legendary Peak replica, but rejected the 300,000-unit cost and decided to focus on mass-producing troops.

Rayne visited Wizerland Floating City, where Ansiwodoss revealed that he had successfully modified the Hess Magic Array into a technique that could help Transcendents advance. As political opposition gathered against Rayne’s reelection as governor, he assured Ansiwodoss that his plans remained under control and hinted that he would act soon.

• Rayne played cards with Roger and Zoltan, then discussed five-year-old Octavius’s swordsmanship and his planned first Soul Transformation next year.
• Rayne used a Phase Beacon to reach Wizerland Floating City, where Roni tested Ansiwodoss’s modified Hess Magic Array and found that it greatly eased Spell Seal fusion.
• Ansiwodoss explained that the array could benefit Transcendents of any profession, and Rayne suggested naming it the Ansiwodoss Promotion Technique.
• Ansiwodoss warned Rayne that Tim Kainan was pushing to bar Soul Saint Wizards from serving as governors, while the Nether School’s new High Council vote had left the Modu School tied with its rivals.
• Rayne refused Ansiwodoss’s suggestion to put Brais or Reslin on the High Council and said his plans were under control, then joked by starting a countdown that frightened his teacher.

On the day the Empire-wide assembly was meant to establish an election committee, Rayne faced a coordinated challenge from the Nether School and Balance School, whose leaders convened the High Council in the Imperial Council Chamber. After the election committee was formed, a Legendary Wizard submitted a motion barring Soul Saint Wizards from serving as governors.

• Rayne arrived at the Temple of Truth with the Rick Guard and Sikarius’s First Company of the Extreme Legion to preside over the assembly.
• Mayov requested an emergency High Council meeting in the council chamber, and Tim Kainan appeared to declare that a major motion required an immediate vote.
• Eight members of the Nether School and Balance School projected onto the dais, prompting Ansiwodoss to suspect that someone in the Modu School had defected.
• The seven Soul Saint Wizards of the Modu School arrived, and Rayne began the assembly after the factions took their seats.
• Rayne established the election committee without opposition, then a Legendary Wizard proposed legislating that Soul Saint Wizards could not serve as governors.

Rayne faced a proposal to bar Soul Saint Wizards from serving as consuls and defeated it in the Imperial Council vote. Governor Moserio then proposed making Rayne Lifetime Consul, and as the council began voting, Reslin and ten Archmages set out for the Mind Flayer city of Elainto.

• Master Nestu proposed legally prohibiting Soul Saint Wizards from serving as consuls, arguing that concentrated power could threaten the Empire’s system.
• Rayne called for a vote, and the proposal was rejected by 244 votes to 85 after many councilors backed Rayne instead of Tim Kainan’s plan.
• Governor Moserio proposed appointing Rayne Lifetime Consul, prompting Tim Kainan and Kailstone to object and accuse Rayne of seeking imperial power.
• Rayne silenced Kailstone’s projection and began a vote on the Lifetime Consul proposal, which drew overwhelming support as voting continued.
• Reslin opened his eyes in the Obsidian Tower and led ten Archmages through a Teleportation Array toward Elainto.

Rayne’s support for becoming Lifetime Consul surged as nobles, officials, military leaders, and representatives of two Churches cast approval votes. In a parallel confrontation, Reslin and his powerful duplicates met Master Ogulvi at Elainto to declare Rayne’s ambition to become emperor and challenge Ogulvi to oppose him.

• Imperial Council members cast approval votes for Rayne, including Batura, the leaders of the Trade City-States, most Legion commanders, and representatives of the Church of the Earth Mother and the Church of Justice.
• Rayne watched Black Robe Duke Tuzray, whose eyes briefly revealed a golden hourglass before he returned a knowing look.
• Reslin used repeated True Mirror Image spells to create four versions of himself, then sent one into Elainto while his Archmages took positions outside the city.
• Reslin met Master Ogulvi and admitted that Rayne wanted to become emperor, prompting Ogulvi to unleash a display of power before abruptly withdrawing it.
• Reslin summoned ten Archmages into the palace and declared that Rayne was qualified to become emperor, leaving Ogulvi facing a formidable group of high-level Spellcasters.

Reslin refused Ogulvi’s demand for the secret behind Rayne’s rapidly leveling Mage Clones, and the two sides began a battle in the palace. Reslin’s clones trapped Ogulvi in repeated True Illusions and unleashed a coordinated barrage, leaving Ogulvi engulfed in spells as Reslin prepared Annihilation Singularity.

• Ogulvi offered Reslin the Aurelian Empire in exchange for his secret, then demanded that he fulfill their old exchange when Reslin refused.
• Ogulvi summoned ten Saint Tier Spellcaster clones and challenged Reslin, who accepted the fight rather than give up his secret.
• Reslin’s Number Three True Mirror Image crushed a Miracle Gem, releasing Makado’s Tenth Circle True Illusion and interrupting Ogulvi’s Time Stop.
• Reslin’s clones used Time Acceleration and Time Stop to create dozens of mirror images, which bombarded Ogulvi’s defenses with Ninth Circle spells while Number One prepared Annihilation Singularity.
• Ogulvi broke free of the first illusion, but Number Two used another Miracle Gem to trap him again, and the mirror images’ spell barrage engulfed him when Time Stop ended.

Reslin used time magic, illusions, and coordinated attacks to overcome Ogulvi’s defenses and kill him with an Annihilation Singularity. After Ogulvi vanished, Rayne sensed that his death might not be as simple as it seemed.

• Ogulvi’s Mind Saint clone took the spell barrage in his place, while the attacks devastated the palace and killed or crippled most of his clones.
• Ogulvi rewound time, but Reslin and his three True Mirror Images resisted the effect and forced Ogulvi to counterattack with Spell Plunder and a Tenth Circle Antimagic Field.
• Ogulvi mistook Reslin for Rayne and triggered his ring’s spell sequence, but Reslin dodged the Annihilation Singularity and used Time Stop, True Illusion, and crystals to turn the attack against Ogulvi’s clones.
• Reslin exploited Ogulvi’s temporal gap, stripped away his defenses with repeated Time Plunder spells, and killed him with an Annihilation Singularity that erased his body and soul.
• Rayne saw Black Robe Duke Tuzray give him a knowing smile and doubted that Ogulvi’s death was final.

Rayne realized Ogulvi might have survived as more than a clone, while Reslin watched the fallen Ogulvi clones and ruined palace restore themselves before Ogulvi reappeared. Ogulvi confronted Reslin about Rayne’s sudden rise and suspected secret, then proposed another deal as both sides recognized the danger of fighting directly.

• Rayne saw the Black Robe Duke unharmed and wondered whether the Ogulvi he had killed was only a clone.
• Ogulvi’s power restored the damaged palace and resurrected his ten dead clones, then Ogulvi emerged from the Brain Pool.
• Ogulvi admitted that Reslin had become a worthy opponent and asked how he had cast a Tenth Circle Spell instantly.
• Ogulvi recounted Rayne’s rise from an ordinary young man and concluded that he possessed a powerful artifact or secret, but Reslin denied his deductions.
• Ogulvi and Reslin recognized that neither could safely kill the other, so Ogulvi proposed another deal.

Reslin and Ogulvi negotiated a truce, exchanging three Miracle Gems for Ogulvi’s Eleventh Circle spell and his vote in the High Council. Reslin left Elainto as the Empire’s vote concluded, with the result seemingly decided in his favor.

• Ogulvi offered to support Reslin’s claim to the Aurelian Empire in exchange for the method of making Miracle Gems, but Reslin refused and asserted that the Empire was already under his control.
• Reslin and Ogulvi haggled over a trade, eventually agreeing on three Miracle Gems for Ogulvi’s spell and vote, with both sides promising not to interfere before the exchange was completed.
• Reslin told Ogulvi that Chieldalin Gem was the main material for Miracle Gems, encouraging him to investigate a process that could not be replicated through ordinary research.
• Ogulvi revealed that his Eleventh Circle spell was Ogulvi’s Phantom Spirit Realm, an Illusion that was also reality, and nearly disclosed that it required special spellcasting materials.
• Reslin and his avatars teleported away from Elainto, while the final Imperial councilor cast a vote and the result appeared certain.

After Rayne’s Lifetime Consul proposal passed the Imperial Council, he submitted it to the High Council, where rival factions and shifting alliances determined its fate. The vote reached nine in favor, four against, and two abstentions, passing the resolution.

• Rayne announced that 271 councilors supported Moserio’s proposal to make him Lifetime Consul, and the Imperial Council celebrated the result.
• Rayne pledged to serve the Empire for life if the High Council approved the resolution, but Tim Kainan accused him of seeking to become emperor.
• Osiria, Oruoin, Sabra, Ansiwodoss, Duke Silverstar, the Storm Queen, and Chronomancer voted in favor, while several Soul Saint Wizards voted against or abstained.
• Duke Silverstar and the Storm Queen reversed their expected opposition, and Chronomancer declared himself responsible for leading the Nether School.
• Prophet Medif abstained, but Black Robe Duke Tuzray voted in favor, bringing the resolution to nine votes in favor, four against, and two abstentions.

Rayne secured the High Council’s approval to become Lifetime Consul, then declared the council dissolved and claimed authority from the Imperial Council and the people. The Soul Saint Wizards divided over his move, and the chapter ended as eight Floating Cities gathered above the imperial capital.

• Black Robe Duke Tuzray voted for Rayne’s Lifetime Consul resolution, which passed nine to five with two abstentions.
• Rayne announced the resolution’s passage, and Imperial Councilors began chanting that the Consul was supreme and immortal.
• Rayne declared the Kemetis High Council dissolved, prompting Tim Kainan and Kailstone to rally opposition against him.
• Ansiwodoss supported Rayne, while Oruoin and Medif stayed neutral, Duke Silverstar and Storm Queen sided with Rayne, and Master Huai withdrew from the High Council.
• Tim Kainan and his allies departed the council chamber as Falanis Floating City, Aen Floating City, Pallas Floating City, Tiris Floating City, Wezelan Floating City, Agralon Floating City, and Aelestral Floating City joined Nether Floating City above Northril.

Eight Star Destroyers appeared above Northril as Rayne’s fleet joined the conflict between the Consul and the High Council. After the Goddess of Magic moved the fighting to the West Mountain Range, Rayne’s fleet shattered Pallas Floating City’s barrier and sent it crashing into the mountains.

• The Saint Avatars of Vejestri, Tyrael, and Gaia descended over Northril, while gods and Demon Lords watched the city.
• The Imperial Fist deployed around Fubeden Castle under the Consul’s orders as the imperial councilors learned that the Consul had been elected Lifetime Consul and planned to dissolve the High Council.
• Rayne’s nine Star Destroyers appeared above Northril, and Tim Kainan, Mayov, Kailstone, and the Great Sage recognized the threat they posed.
• Tim Kainan began casting a Tenth Circle Spell, but Vejestri forbade fighting above Northril and sent the opposing forces to the West Mountain Range.
• Rayne ordered his Star Destroyers to attack Pallas Floating City with missiles and main-cannon beams, breaking its Arcane Barrier and destroying it.
• Pallas Floating City plunged into the West Mountain Range as Duke Redstone cried out in grief.

Rayne’s Star Destroyer fleet overwhelmed the Empire’s Floating Cities, destroying Pallas and crippling Falanis before sparing its people at the gods’ request. The fleet then attacked Tiris, where the Dark Sun, Loki, the Deceiver, appeared.

• More than six thousand Thunder Spear Missiles devastated Pallas Floating City, and the Goddess of Magic repaired its Rune Arrays enough to slow its fall.
• Tim Kainan ordered Falanis to retreat as its Ultimate Arcane Fireball struck the Augustus, but Rayne’s Star Destroyer emerged unharmed.
• The Great Sage Kongjielade’s Meteor Spell struck the Augustus without damaging it, and Rayne’s Annihilation Cannon pierced Falanis’s barrier.
• Rayne redirected the missiles that were about to bombard Falanis after the Goddess of Magic and the Earth Mother Goddess asked him to spare its people.
• The Star Destroyer fleet blasted Tiris Floating City, and an evil figure appeared there as an eclipse began and onlookers identified him as Loki, the Deceiver.

Loki revealed that he had controlled Tiris Floating City and Magna, Duchess of Purple Flame, for years, then resisted the gods’ attacks with an Advanced Tier incarnation and the Dark Sun Divine Domain. As Loki sent his cultists to attack Northril and tried to escape with Iola’s Core, Rayne deployed armored Transcendents and dragons through Portals to defend the city.

• Loki used the Dark Sun Divine Domain to destroy the Thunder Spear Missiles and revealed that he had secretly controlled Tiris Floating City and the Duke of Purple Flame.
• Medif revealed that the Duke of Purple Flame was his mother, while Rayne urged the Imperial fleet and allied Floating Cities to attack Tiris.
• Loki’s Advanced Tier incarnation killed Tyrael’s incarnation and survived Vejestri’s Supernova Burst behind the Dark Sun Divine Domain.
• Loki unleashed more than one hundred thousand cultists toward Northril to delay the gods while Tiris Floating City prepared to jump away with Iola’s Core.
• Rayne opened more than a hundred Portals around Tiris, sending armored Transcendent warriors and dragons into battle against Loki’s forces.

Three hundred Rainbow Dragon Knights joined the Empire’s forces against Loki’s endless army of believers, while the Three Gods of the Empire attacked her avatar. Vejestri restrained Loki long enough for Rayne’s nine Star Destroyers to fire on her, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Three hundred Rainbow Dragon Knights emerged from Portals and helped the Extreme Warriors and Imperial Fist slaughter the first wave of Loki’s believers.
• Loki expanded the Dark Sun Divine Domain and poured endless believers from Tiris Floating City, overwhelming the defenders with their numbers.
• The Three Gods of the Empire attacked Loki, and Tyrael split her avatar in two, but the Dark Sun Divine Domain began to restore her.
• Vejestri rescued Tyrael, entered Tiris Floating City, and used her Magic Divine Domain to halt time and delay Loki’s recovery.
• Rayne asked Vejestri to restrain Loki, and the nine Star Destroyers fired their main cannons, striking Loki’s avatar as Vejestri’s Divine Domain collapsed.

Rayne destroyed Loki’s Advanced Tier avatar and forced the surrender of Aen and Falanis Floating Cities while his forces occupied the defeated cities. At Fubeideng Square, defeated rulers, imperial forces, Floating City leaders, gods, and a vast crowd gathered to await Rayne’s appearance.

• Tiris Floating City’s Rune Arrays destroyed Loki’s avatar, then the city exploded and crashed into West Mountain, killing hundreds of thousands of followers and devastating the surrounding area.
• Loki threatened Rayne, who insulted him in response before turning his forces toward Aen, Falanis, and Pallas Floating Cities.
• Great Sage Kongjielade surrendered Aen Floating City, and the Rainbow Dragon Knights took control and escorted him and the city’s leaders to Northril.
• Marius’s Extreme Legion occupied Falanis Floating City, and Tim*Kainan agreed to meet Rayne at Fubeden Square with Mayov and the captured leaders.
• The Imperial Fist reached ruined Pallas Floating City, where Kailstone recognized Reslin’s magical clones and was summoned to Fubeideng Square.
• The defeated rulers and representatives gathered at Fubeideng Square as thousands of Rayne’s troops and nine Star Destroyers arrived, while gods and mortals waited for Rayne.