Chapter Summaries

As the Apocalypse Altar’s countdown neared its end, Loki explained how Merui’s Sword colors determined access to purification regions while Alan and others worried that Angel had not arrived. Just before the final blood sacrifice began, a massive black shadow burst into the altar, leaving the apprentices and watching wizards stunned.

• Falga sensed his gray Merui’s Sword and learned from Loki that its color corresponded to a region of the Apocalypse Altar, with the central golden region offering the strongest purification.
• Falga convinced himself that his wisdom, talent, and luck made him likely to comprehend the Law of Purification, while Alan worried that Angel had not reached the altar.
• Falga celebrated the possibility that Angel would miss the countdown, while Sini Cui Ze and Kafolian also feared Angel would not arrive and Jiebo hoped a dangerous enemy would stay away.
• As the countdown ended, the Magic-Energy Array turned milky white and began the final blood sacrifice of the Sea of Purification, its creatures, the apprentices outside the altar, and civilization itself.
• A black shadow carrying people burst into the Apocalypse Altar at the last moment, stunning the apprentices inside and the wizards watching from outside.

Angel and his companions arrived at the Apocalypse Altar on a Flame Griffin, and their passage forced powerful apprentices, including Dela and Jiebo, to yield. Rosen recognized Angel and wondered how he had escaped the illusion and reached the altar in time.

• Angel and his companions rode a Flame Griffin into the altar plaza, where Sini Cui Ze, Kafolian, and Hermes let them pass.
• Dela attacked the group with an Ice Hand and Eternal Freeze Liquid, but the griffin shattered the Ice Hand and Angel turned the liquid into harmless water.
• The Flame Griffin continued toward Jiebo, who yielded after Angel told him to move aside.
• Muse identified the creature as a Flame Griffin, while he and Rosen wondered whether it had come from the Source World.
• Rosen saw Angel on the griffin and reflected that he had once again created a miracle.

Angel and his companions reached the Apocalypse Altar on Toby’s transformed back, and Toby returned to his familiar bird form. Toby explained that after defeating the extreme rage within himself, he received a bloodline-like inheritance that gave him the Wrathful Griffin transformation.

• Toby transformed into a giant griffin and carried Angel and the others from Erdus to the Apocalypse Altar in five minutes.
• Toby landed in the golden zone, shrank back into a small bird, and reunited affectionately with Angel as the apprentices recognized Angel as Sanders’s disciple.
• Nausicaa, Shan, Qili, and Xiliu met Toby, while apprentices debated Angel’s strength and Alan and Loki celebrated his arrival.
• Angel learned from Toby that he had defeated the extreme rage inside himself and gained an inheritance that manifested as the Wrathful Griffin transformation.

Angel watched the Purification Garden begin its purification, as a green sprout emerged where the Law of Purification had sunk underground. The sprout grew into a great tree after the purification cleared Angel’s bodily impurities and healed his hidden injuries.

• Angel learned that Merui’s Sword colors divided the apprentices into four areas, and Nausicaa and her companions returned to the gray area.
• The Law of Purification sank underground, four colored walls separated the areas, and Dela returned to the golden area as purification began.
• A green sprout emerged at the altar’s center and unleashed purifying energy that entered every apprentice’s body.
• The purification removed grime from the apprentices, while Angel’s body released little impurity and his hidden injuries were healed.
• The green sprout put out branches and rapidly grew into a great tree.

During the Purification Garden’s evolution, Angel endured energy purification easily, but the soul-nourishing fragrance was absorbed by the wound on his back and rapidly matured Striped Green Velvet. The chapter left Angel worried about the plant’s growth and the wound, while the watching wizards wondered why he seemed unaffected by soul purification.

• Green motes purified the apprentices’ energy, and Angel remained calm because they could not purify his high-quality magic power, while his mental power improved.
• A Purification Law Flower bloomed and spread fragrance that began purifying the apprentices’ souls.
• The fragrance caused flowers to bloom across Striped Green Velvet and its mother bud to open, alarming Angel because Felicia had warned that its maturity could harm him.
• The fragrance repeatedly vanished into the wound on Angel’s back, nourishing Striped Green Velvet until its bud was nearly halfway open.
• Angel saw Qili, Jiebo, and the other apprentices suffer, then pretended to cry out in pain so he would not stand out.
• Midora and Muse noticed Angel’s act on the light screen, while the wizards wondered whether his apparent immunity meant his soul quality was exceptionally high.

After the Law Fragrance purification left Angel’s soul unchanged, Jiebo advanced and the Purification Garden began its evolution under Rosen’s guidance. The world’s will descended, but Angel failed to comprehend the Purification Veins; as the apprentices departed, an intense itch started near his shoulder blades.

• Angel told Qili he had absorbed fewer strands of Law Fragrance, and she tried to comfort him by suggesting his soul was too refined to absorb much.
• Jiebo advanced inside the One-Horned Abyss Whale’s protective water bubble, stunning the apprentices and strengthening Qili’s resolve to face him.
• The great tree produced a luminous fruit, which Rosen identified as a fruit of the Law of Purification before transforming the tree into a cocoon.
• Rosen pressed the Flying Fish World and the Sea of Purification into the cocoon, triggering the world’s will to descend and the Purification Garden’s evolution.
• Angel failed to comprehend the Purification Veins, and as he prepared to leave with the other apprentices, his shoulder blades began to itch intensely.

After a soul-deep itch forced Angel to rush to Sanders’s estate, he collapsed and dreamed of his childhood bedroom and a figure in an ice coffin. He woke after three days to learn he had advanced to third-level apprentice while unconscious, leaving him alarmed by the unexpected breakthrough.

• Angel felt an unbearable itch in his butterfly bones and rode Toby out of the Purification Garden to find Sanders.
• Toby swept aside anyone blocking their path, while Midora noticed Angel’s deathly pale face and Shan wondered why he had left so abruptly.
• Angel ignored the Magic-Energy Eyes’ no-fly warnings and reached Flowering Garden, where he collapsed before Butler No. 1.
• In a strange darkness, Angel followed whispers into his childhood bedroom at Pat Manor and was dragged into an ice coffin after hearing, “His Majesty has returned.”
• Angel woke in his bedroom after nearly three days unconscious and learned that the Sealing Potion’s side effects had left him weak.
• Butler No. 1 told Angel he had advanced to third-level apprentice, and Angel confirmed the change in his mind space but felt alarmed.

Angel woke from a three-day unconscious spell having advanced to an official wizard, then investigated the changes to his soul and the wound on his back. He remained uncertain about the wound and Sanders’s strange absence as he began meditating, while a butterfly flew toward Sky Mechanical City from far away.

• Angel learned from Butler No. 1 that Midora had diagnosed him, while Sanders had remained shut in his study for weeks.
• Angel heard Sanders’s hoarse voice and another man’s laughter and address through the study door, then suspected Sanders’s old friend was inside.
• Angel examined his soul and found it had grown more solid and could affect the material world without soul power.
• Angel discovered that the wound on his soul replenished soul power faster when he was depleted and slowed its flow when he was full.
• Angel returned his soul to his body and began meditating as a butterfly flew toward Sky Mechanical City.

Angel learned more about Toby’s powerful Wrathful Griffin transformation and released Frod, who revealed that the Dream Conch was hidden in the Central Empire on the Revelation Continent. Angel planned to retrieve it during a future journey and promised to free Frod if he succeeded.

• Angel and Toby discussed the Wrathful Griffin’s abilities, including its strength, fire control, and power to manipulate rage.
• Angel showed Toby illusions of Black Castle, Gloria, and Felicia, reassuring Toby that Gloria was safe.
• After the Sealing Potion’s aftereffects vanished, Angel released Frod from the Soul-Nurturing Flower and heard that the Dream Conch was hidden in Frod’s former home in the Central Empire.
• Angel learned that the Revelation Continent was reachable from Dusk Harbor Coast with a slight detour and planned to visit it on his way to Edge Island.
• Angel promised to free Frod if he retrieved the Dream Conch and said he would refine a temporary residence for him.

Angel left Frod in the Kula Kuka tribe’s care before visiting Bogula’s fortress to seek Shadow, only to learn Shadow had gone to the Northern Icefield. He then headed to Mansi Magic Material Street to stock up on materials for future alchemy projects.

• Angel praised Dodolo’s handwriting, left the Soul-Nurturing Flower with Babaya’s people, and confined Frod within an illusion filled with books.
• Angel left the manor with Toby and traveled to Mechanical City, where he found the city subdued by the Purification Garden’s casualties and controversy.
• Angel learned that Shadow had left Mechanical City half a month earlier and intended to become a wizard before returning.
• Falga told Angel that Shadow had gone to the Northern Icefield to pioneer a plane, then departed for Silent Hill.
• Angel decided to visit Nausicaa for information about Hukedik and stopped at Mansi Magic Material Street to buy materials for weapons, protective gear, Frod’s residence, and potion-making.

Angel explored Manshi Street and entered Fingernail Alchemy House, where its owner, Fingernail Granny, recognized his reputation and sold him rare materials. He declined to trade for alchemical notebooks but asked about tools for making alchemical garments.

• Angel browsed Manshi Street, noting the many shops with strict entry requirements and unusual conditions.
• Angel passed the alchemy test set by the Fragrant-Wood Puppet Niha and entered Fingernail Alchemy House.
• Fingernail Granny greeted Angel and explained that the apprentices had been watching him because they recognized his reputation as an enchantment alchemist.
• Angel listed the materials he needed, and Fingernail Granny provided rare supplies for potion studies and Metallurgy at a price Angel considered reasonable.
• Angel asked about the shop's alchemical notebooks, but declined to exchange advanced knowledge for them.
• Angel told Fingernail Granny that he needed tailoring tools for alchemical garment-making.

Angel bought tailoring supplies and searched for wizard-level thread, but refused Landis’s invitation to the Profound Alchemy Society after recognizing the Profound Mark as the True-Name Sigil of the Abyssal Demon God, the Lord of Profundity. Unable to find the thread elsewhere, he considered attending the Profound Exchange and bought books to study.

• Angel bought tailoring tools and materials from Fingernail Granny, then refused Landis’s invitation to join the Profound Alchemy Society.
• Landis told Angel that a roll of Abyssal Dragonhorn Beast sinew would be offered at the next Profound Exchange, and Fingernail Granny explained that the event was a small trade fair open to outsiders.
• Fingernail Granny told Muse that Angel was good material and discussed the access card Muse had given him.
• Angel recognized Landis’s Profound Mark as the True-Name Sigil of the Lord of Profundity and explained to himself why he feared drawing the Abyssal Demon God’s attention.
• Angel searched other alchemy shops for wizard-level thread but found none, so he decided he might have to attend the Profound Exchange.
• Angel visited Wizard Tongue, bought academic journals, and spent eight hundred magic crystals on the Complete Compendium of Basic Magic Runes.

Gloria visited Sanders and offered to use her Creation Art to resolve his soul-body mutation in exchange for his help retrieving her original body. Sanders accepted, but Gloria’s body was hidden in the Nightmare Realm, where it had fallen into the possession of a legendary Demonic Beast.

• No. 1 tried to turn away Gloria, but Sanders let her into his study.
• Gloria recognized Sanders’s soul-body trouble, and Sanders confirmed that her own soul shared a body with a fragile apprentice-level soul.
• Gloria offered Sanders a trained Gourmet Apprentice as payment for recovering her original body, but he refused.
• Gloria offered to use Creation Art to solve Sanders’s mutation, and Sanders agreed to help her reclaim her body.
• Gloria told Sanders that her body was in the Nightmare Realm, and he considered whether Angel could help retrieve it.

Angel visited Youthful Grace Hall after the Purification Garden, where he reunited with Nausicaa, Shan, and Xiliu and learned that Nausicaa had advanced. As Shan prepared a barbecue of Erdus’s meat, Angel asked about Hukedik, whom the women vowed to pursue.

• Angel left Manshi Street for Kihara Bar, thinking about earning money and repaying Sanders the 150,000 Magic Crystals he owed.
• Angel showed his Youthful Grace Hall invitation to the bartender and entered as bar patrons speculated that he might be Angel, the apprentice who had helped everyone escape the Purification Garden.
• Nausicaa, Shan, and Xiliu were astonished to learn Angel had become a third-level apprentice, while Angel congratulated Nausicaa on reaching the second level.
• Shan brought out the Erdus meat she had saved and began grilling it for Angel and the others.
• Angel asked whether they had found Hukedik, and Nausicaa and Shan said they had not but vowed to deal with him when he returned to Savage Cave.

Angel shared a meal with Nausicaa, Shan, and Xiliu, hearing news and gossip about apprentices after the Purification Garden. He then visited Midora’s Potion Hut to study alchemy, where an unexpected message arrived on his communicator.

• Angel and the others ate Erdus’s meat, and Xiliu briefly tried but failed to break through to third-level apprentice.
• Shan recounted Viking’s survival and escape from the Purification Garden, while the group discussed Jiebo’s departure and rumors about other apprentices.
• Nausicaa told Angel that she and the others would soon return to Savage Cave, and Angel asked her to record ideas and problems concerning the Mechanical Arm.
• Angel went to Midora’s Potion Hut instead of returning to Flowering Garden and spent the night studying Midora’s Alchemy Trick Notes.
• Angel learned about the Fire Melting Method and the Eye of Nalda, then received a message on his communicator.

Angel returned to Sanders after advancing to a Level Three apprentice, and explained that the Fragrance of Laws had somehow given his soul enough power to advance while he slept. Sanders arranged for Angel to study on Demon Illusion Island, then asked him to join a dangerous trip to the Nightmare Realm to test his Nightmare Soul Physique.

• Sanders was astonished that Angel had advanced without encountering a barrier, and Angel described his purification, the itching on his back, and his unconscious advancement.
• Sanders found no lasting harm from the advancement and told Angel to study the fundamentals and prepare to open spell slots; he offered access to his study on Demon Illusion Island while he was away.
• Angel asked whether Sanders's departure was connected to the mysterious person who had called Angel his disciple, but Sanders said it was unrelated and refused to discuss the matter.
• Sanders asked Angel to help with a dangerous experiment in a cleared region of the Nightmare Realm, warning that the stitched woman might be the greatest danger there.
• Sanders explained that he wanted to test whether Angel could carry objects into or out of the Nightmare Realm and what limits applied; Angel agreed to go with him the day after tomorrow.

Angel discussed his experiences in the Purification Garden with Sanders, who warned him about Erdus's inheritance and explained the dangers of Striped Green Velvet. They also planned to find Angel a suitable bloodline, and Angel left with Crystal Wall Microorganisms for forging spatial tools.

• Sanders warned Angel not to let the benefits of Erdus's mirage inheritance dictate his future path, and Angel agreed to make it part of his foundation instead.
• Sanders explained that mature Striped Green Velvet would produce dangerous spores that Angel would need to control, discard, or transfer to a loyal magical pet or servant.
• Angel asked Sanders about bloodlines, and Sanders agreed to watch for a suitable one in Sky Mechanical City or the Nightmare Realm.
• Angel asked Sanders for Crystal Wall Microorganisms instead of repaying the 150,000 magic crystal debt, and Sanders gave him a bottle containing thirty percent of his supply.
• Angel planned to use the microorganisms to forge spatial tools and earn money, repay his debt, and gain alchemy experience.

Angel visited the Profound Alchemy Society’s exchange gathering, where Landis tried to learn about his alchemy inheritance and Sanders. As apprentices presented requests and offers with little success, a black-robed man abruptly advertised a batch of goods and invited interested people to contact his private communicator.

• Angel returned to Manshi Street with an invitation card for the Profound Alchemy Society and noticed that its embossed writing was in Abyssal Script.
• Angel observed the society’s pavilion, saw Viking arrive in a windmill-shaped vehicle, and entered using his invitation card instead of submitting items for appraisal.
• Landis welcomed Angel and explained that the invitation card was bound to a society communicator, then probed him about his alchemy inheritance and Sanders without getting answers.
• Angel joined the exchange gathering, where Little John and other apprentices offered knowledge or goods in hopes of making trades, but most received no responses.
• A black-robed man stood up and pitched a batch of new goods, telling interested attendees to add his private communicator.

At the Profound Alchemy Society’s exchange gathering, Angel watched Landis eject Pierre, a merchant who disguised slave trading as a talent market, before the alchemists resumed exchanging knowledge. Angel agreed to share the method for crafting Energy Stabilizers in return for a supposedly extinct Dreamweaver Ant, which he hoped to give to Jon.

• Pierre disrupted the gathering by advertising his talent and slave-trading business, and Landis recognized and dragged him out.
• The attendees discussed Pierre’s shop and its unusual rules for buyers, while Angel listened closely.
• Landis returned and restarted the exchange, and the apprentices traded mostly alchemy knowledge.
• A shy apprentice asked for help with the complex core of an Energy Stabilizer, but the gathering offered her no assistance.
• Angel privately contacted the apprentice and offered to share Energy Stabilizer crafting knowledge in exchange for her Dreamweaver Ant.

Angel obtained Abyssal Dragonhorn Beast sinew and a mysterious parchment at the Profound Exchange, then went to the Nail Alchemy Shop to wait for someone while completing his Fire Melting Method. Viking recognized Angel’s voice as that of the person who had saved him, while a hidden entity revealed that Angel had already been marked.

• Viking sought transplantable lower limbs from the Kalabites, then rejected Volta’s offer of snake legs and recognized Angel’s voice as he left a neighboring compartment.
• Angel traded with a red-haired woman, receiving Abyssal Dragonhorn Beast sinew and an ancient parchment after agreeing to refine an item for her.
• A blood-red eye told a woman in a sacrificial robe that Angel had already been marked and that she should not concern herself with him.
• Angel left the exchange and went to the Nail Alchemy Shop, where Fingernail Granny had the Fragrant-Wood Puppet let him enter.
• Angel waited for someone at the shop while deriving the Fire Melting Method, and the door opened just as he finished.