Chapter Summaries

Locke and the other contestants arrived at Kalimra Frontier Town, where the Cloud Marsh Cup would have them deploy Tactical Magic Plants in the war against the Mekanians. As the town repelled a Mekanian assault, Locke wondered at the scale of the machine forces emerging from Cloud Lake.

• The Airship announced that Kalimra Frontier Town was the Cloud Marsh Cup’s main venue and explained the competition’s judging, points, and paid viewing system.
• Locke learned from Montgomery that the Nine-Headed Snake and tetraploid Rusty Pearl Flower had been adjusted and prepared for deployment.
• More than a hundred Mekanian mechanical warships attacked the Void Battleship, but its Kinetic Nullification Curse shield blocked their shells and missiles.
• Kalimra Frontier Town welcomed the wizard leaders, and giant plant tentacles destroyed the attacking battleships.
• More machine giants emerged from beneath Cloud Lake and attacked the town, leaving Locke astonished by the Mekanians’ strength.

Locke identified the Mekanians attacking the Void Battleships as experimental constructs designed by Second-Ring Alchemist Wizard Raymond Griffin. He concluded that the Cloud Marsh Cup was an evolving experiment, leaving the wizards to face a new threat whose capabilities were still developing.

• Ten Mekanians landed on the Void Battleship carrying Locke and attacked it, but the ship’s Kinetic Nullification Shield stopped their autocannon fire.
• Locke noticed the Mekanians survived First-Ring Magic [Light-Energy Impact] and explained that they lacked a true Permanent Defense Field.
• Locke revealed that mobile sub-body component robots covered the Mekanians, assembling into equipment or sacrificing themselves to protect the main body.
• Montgomery realized the Mekanians were built from cell-like components that simulated a living body and a Permanent Defense Field.
• Locke identified Second-Ring Alchemist Wizard Raymond Griffin as the creator and concluded the Cloud Marsh Cup was an experimental site where the Mekanians continued to evolve.

As Mekanians damaged Locke’s Void Battleship with self-destructions, the competition began broadcasting contestants to senior wizards and judges. Locke unleashed an amplified Gold Sandfall that destroyed the Mekanians attacking his ship, allowing it to reach Kalimra Frontier Town.

• A Mekanian self-destructed, and several more used their Solar Furnace Alchemy Arrays to weaken the Void Battleship’s Kinetic Nullification Shield.
• The competition committee announced that Second-Ring and Third-Ring Wizards were watching live as the recording stage began.
• Edgar David’s War Ancient Tree and witch Diana defeated groups of Mekanians, while Yennefer attacked with her Petrifying Mushroom Hammer.
• Despite Barbara and Montgomery offering to fight, Locke told his companions to conserve their strength and prepared his own magic.
• Locke used two drops of True Blood and Abyssal Energy to amplify Gold Sandfall, destroying over a hundred Mekanians.
• Locke’s Void Battleship broke through the remaining mecha forces and entered Kalimra Frontier Town.

Third-Ring Wizards judged the Cloud Marsh Cup contestants and debated the strengths of the leading competitors, including the wizard from the Land of Six Towers. As the contestants entered Kalimra Frontier Town, Witch Catherine turned the judges’ attention to the upcoming choice of native wizard forces for the practical test.

• Wizards across the Cloud Marsh Wetland watched the contestants enter Kalimra Frontier Town, while 130 judges gathered in the competition’s special viewing hall.
• A Third-Ring Wizard from the Rose Council praised Edgar David, Diana, and Yennefer for their performances.
• A Third-Ring Breeder from Root Crown Court praised the large-scale magic of the Land of Six Towers wizard, and revealed that Wizard John had helped arrange equipment for his organization.
• The Rose Council wizard criticized the Land of Six Towers contestant’s team, project proposal, and sixth-place ranking, while Wizard John said the competition would show what the contestant could do.
• Witch Catherine reminded the judges not to show bias and noted that higher-ranked Breeders could choose first among the native wizard forces for the practical test.

Locke and the other Cloud Marsh Cup participants arrived in the Sureas Plane, where the Sureasians prepared them for a coming assault against the Mekanians. The wizards chose Sureasian legions for a three-day coordination period, and Locke selected the overlooked fast-moving Legion Three.

• Locke arrived in Kalimla Town with the project team and learned that the Sureasians had fought the Mekanians for thirty years in the name of Truth.
• The Sureasian commander announced that ten teams of mages and ten tactical weapons were ready for a general assault on the Mekanians' iron fortress in three days.
• Edgar David chose the most balanced legion, Diana chose the strongest attacking legion, and Yennefer chose the strongest defensive legion.
• After the other teams made their selections, Locke chose Legion Three, whose specialty was high movement speed.
• Alaric questioned Locke's choice, and Locke said he had selected the legion at random.

Locke directed the No. 3 Sureasian Legion as the Cloud Marsh Cup finals began, ordering it to attack the Mekanian Steel Fortress and destroy the Machine Soul’s physical body. As the competing teams displayed their creations, Edgar David’s Life Ancient Tree and Diana’s Luna Laurel Treant demonstrated formidable powers.

• Locke checked communications with the No. 3 Legion and ordered its commanders to advance toward the Mekanian Steel Fortress after five minutes, with rear support from Montgomery, Barbara, Tacitus, and Leopold.
• The finals began, and the Sureasian legions charged toward Cloud Lake to fight the Mekanians, whose missiles and artillery targeted the attacking forces.
• Locke told the No. 3 Legion’s commanders to use the Nine-Headed Snake Magic Plant to form an eight-layer Permanent Defense Field against the incoming hypersonic missiles.
• Edgar David’s No. 1 Legion summoned a Life Ancient Tree whose Life Spring rapidly restored the troops, impressing the judges and prompting discussion of Edgar’s talent.
• Diana’s Legion summoned a Luna Laurel Treant that spread frost across thousands of meters and froze Mekanian mechs out of the sky.

The wizards watching the Cloud Marsh Cup were astonished when Locke’s Sureyas Legion received most of the True Sight Crystal’s attention and revealed its stacked defenses. Dean Richie recognized the practical potential of Locke’s Nine-Headed Snake Magic Plant and resolved to recruit him for Boniface University.

• Rose Council wizards praised Diana’s Laurel Treant and Yennefer’s Mushroom King, while noting the high quality of the competition.
• The True Sight Crystal devoted most of its footage to Locke’s Sureyas Legion, drawing the attention of the assembled wizards.
• The wizards saw each Sureyas mage protected by eight layers of Botany magical shields, which shrugged off the Mekanians’ missiles.
• A Rose Council wizard marveled that Locke had realized a project proposal using the Land of Six Towers’ resources, and Wizard John suggested their wager was decided.
• Dean Richie considered how difficult it would be to break through the stacked defenses and decided Boniface University should offer Locke a professorship.

Locke Augustine’s Nine-Headed Snake Magic Plant drew attention during the Cloud Marsh Cup after the Sureyas Legion used it to shield its team with eight layers of Permanent Defense Field. As interest in the plant spread, a Second-Ring Wizard planned to negotiate exclusive agency rights with Locke, while Hassan quietly reflected on his old friend’s success.

• The judges watched the Sureyas Legion advance toward Cloud Lake behind eight layers of Permanent Defense Field, and Witch Catherine recognized the Nine-Headed Snake’s potential to protect an entire army.
• Witch Catherine sensed an instinctive desire to protect Locke and wondered whether he carried a True Dragon bloodline.
• Breeders and Botany Wizards across the Cloud Marsh Wetland discussed wanting the Nine-Headed Snake and predicted it would take years to become widely available.
• A Second-Ring Wizard visited the Mithril Law Office to commission a contract for negotiating exclusive agency rights to Locke’s Magic Plant.
• Hassan denied knowing Locke, prepared the contract, and privately wished him well as the Second-Ring Wizard hurried away after hearing about Wizard Secret Realms.

Sophia the Witch watched Locke’s defensive Magic Plant withstand the Mekanians’ attacks before leaving to advance to Second-Ring Wizard. On the battlefield, Locke’s legion pressed toward the Steel Fortress as rival teams were eliminated, and Edgar announced that he would reveal a trump card against Locke.

• Sophia the Witch and her Second-Ring senior apprentice praised Locke’s completed project, and Sophia left for the World Hall after establishing a contract with the White Wizard Association’s Eye of Truth.
• Locke ordered the Sureyas Legion to keep advancing under eight layers of Permanent Defense Field, which recovered after the Mekanians’ bomb attack.
• Wizard Marius Lawrence’s Big Windmill Siege Grass failed in battle, and his Sureyas Legion was destroyed; Marius blamed his team and left the viewing hall.
• The Thunder Marsh Lowland contestant’s Sunlight Mycelium Cannon was disabled when the Mekanians blocked the sunlight, and he left after blaming Yennefer.
• As the Windwhisper Siege Flower legion came under pressure, Edgar acknowledged Locke as a rival and prepared his Life Ancient Tree Treant to reclaim attention from the True Sight Crystal.

Wizard Edgar used the Life Ancient Tree to create a Nature Incarnation, devastate the Mekanian forces, and expose their hidden fortress, but Yennefer accused him of breaking the competition rules. The committee halted Edgar’s avatar while viewers voted, giving the Sureasians an opening to race toward the fortress.

• Wizard Edgar linked his vitality to the Life Ancient Tree with the Breath-Linked Branches Spell, transforming it into a powerful Nature Incarnation of himself.
• Edgar Treant unleashed Nature Storm against the Mekanians and used Dual Casting and a Life Spear to force their hidden steel fortress out of Cloud Lake.
• Wizard Edgar claimed he would win the Cloud Marsh Cup, while Locke recognized the Nature Incarnation’s power as comparable to his own Magic Plant.
• Yennefer reported Edgar for entering the competition directly, and the committee suspended his avatar’s advance pending a vote by paying viewers.
• Yennefer used her Lingzhi Magic Plant to alert the Sureasians, who headed toward the exposed fortress while Edgar was held back.

The tournament committee allowed one wizard from each team to enter the battlefield, prompting Yennefer, Diana, Alaric, and Locke to join the fight. Locke unleashed his Green Dragon mimicry and charged the Steel Fortress as Diana’s ice attack struck it, leaving Locke to brace for her next attack.

• After the audience vote cleared Edgar of breaking the rules, the committee added a rule allowing each team to send one wizard into the battlefield.
• Edgar accused Yennefer of hiring the Ladybug Marauders, and Yennefer admitted nothing outright before entering the battlefield as a Black Wizard.
• Diana and Alaric entered the battle, while Locke used True Blood and Plant Mimicry: Green Dragon to raise his Magic Pressure above 9,000 and fly toward the Steel Fortress.
• Diana unleashed Ice Moonlight at the Steel Fortress, and Edgar’s natural incarnation summoned a storm around it as Yennefer and Alaric reacted to the three powerful attacks.
• Locke caught up to the Steel Fortress, and when Diana warned him to move aside, he summoned the Nine-Headed Snake Magic Plant and covered himself in nine layers of Permanent Defense Field.

Diana, Edgar, and Locke attacked the M ekanian Steel Fortress, discovering that its buildings and inhabitants were all Subunit Component Robots that formed a self-repairing fortress with a simulated Permanent Defense Field. As the Cloud Marsh Cup neared its end, Locke realized the defense was only an imitation and began considering how to overcome it.

• Diana froze the Steel Fortress as Edgar struck it, but the damaged building broke apart into cube robots and rebuilt itself while a cannon blasted Edgar away.
• Edgar explained that the fortress was assembled from Subunit Component Robots, and Diana's ice attacks prompted it to form high-temperature cannons.
• Locke attacked with Sea Golden Sand, but the fortress redirected his attacks and replaced damaged robots, leaving the city unharmed.
• Locke concluded that the entire fortress simulated a Permanent Defense Field and considered how to defeat it, while Edgar and Diana continued attacking separately.
• Locke realized the defense was not a true Permanent Defense Field and said he had an idea.
• The judges discussed Locke's Dragon Might and the fortress as the Cloud Marsh Cup approached its end, noting that the results would be announced if the M ekanian fortress escaped.

Locke disrupted the Steel Fortress’s simulated Permanent Defense Field with Earth Extreme Magnetism while Edgar and Diana continued attacking. Yennefer tried to destroy Locke’s Nine-Headed Snake Magic Plant, but its stored Magic Pressure let it repel her and keep protecting him.

• Edgar and Diana attacked the Steel Fortress for ten minutes but failed to break through its simulated Permanent Defense Field.
• Locke used Earth Extreme Magnetism to disrupt the component sub-robots and cause the fortress’s defense field to malfunction.
• Yennefer activated mycelia she had planted in the eight Sureasians, causing them to faint and removing their Magic Pressure from Locke’s protection.
• The Tetraploid Rusty Pearl Flower let the Nine-Headed Snake retain stored Magic Pressure, so it continued functioning without the Sureasians.
• Yennefer struck the Nine-Headed Snake with her Petrifying Mushroom Hammer, but its nine defense layers overwhelmed her, sent her flying, and broke her hammer.

Locke pursued the Steel Fortress beneath Cloud Lake after tracking it with the Historical Pointer, while the judges worried that his actions would expose the Cloud Marsh Cup’s staged events. In the Bottomless Pit, Locke resisted a mana-draining force as the Machine Soul panicked and demanded that the Cloud Marsh Wetland’s leaders save her.

• The judges recognized the top three Cloud Marsh Cup contestants, then watched the Steel Fortress split apart and dive into Cloud Lake.
• Locke used the Historical Pointer to track the Steel Fortress and chased it beneath Cloud Lake, alarming the judges and the livestream audience.
• The judges discussed cutting the livestream to hide the unfolding situation from paying viewers.
• Locke entered the Bottomless Pit, discovered its mana-sucking force, and protected himself with nine layers of Permanent Defense Field and the Nine-Headed Snake.
• The Machine Soul, appearing as a little girl in a pink dress, told the Cloud Marsh Wetland’s higher-ups she could no longer keep acting and threatened to sell her shares unless they rescued her.

Wizard Edgar and Witch Diana searched the depths beneath Cloud Lake for Locke and the Mekanians' Steel Fortress, while Locke caught up to it. Wizard Eberhard Morrison intervened and told Locke he had already won the competition, leaving the fortress to escape as Locke pretended he could not continue the chase.

• Wizard Edgar sent his Treant clones into the bottomless pit beneath Cloud Lake and searched for the Steel Fortress, worried that Locke was ahead in the competition.
• Witch Diana found Wizard Edgar, asked whether he had seen Locke and the fortress, and agreed to search separately with him.
• Locke caught up to the Steel Fortress as the Mekanians stopped attacking and their component robots assembled into a giant mecha.
• Wizard Eberhard Morrison appeared by teleportation and told Locke to stop chasing because the judges had already awarded him the championship.
• Locke pretended his Mana was exhausted, and Wizard Morrison created a flower bridge beneath him as the Steel Fortress continued deeper into the pit.

Locke learned from Wizard Morrison how a Second-Ring Wizard’s Great Magic enables a second transcendence, and recognized that his Forest Sanctuary shared some of its characteristics. Morrison also gave him a rare Magic Plant Prosthesis from the Cloud Marsh Cup Competition Committee, leaving Locke to understand it was a silencing fee.

• Locke sensed that Wizard Morrison’s flower island was unusually stable and learned that Morrison’s Great Magic was a green moon formed from the spell [Plant Gravity].
• Wizard Morrison explained that each Second-Ring Wizard possessed one Great Magic and used it to transcend the limits of their racial soul a second time.
• Locke connected Great Magic to his own Forest Sanctuary and realized why Dean Lewis thought it could help him reach the Second Ring.
• Wizard Morrison showed Locke a gift from Raymond Griffin: the experimental Griffin No. 1 Magic Plant Prosthesis, which could strengthen a plant’s defenses and extend a wizard’s Permanent Defense Field.
• Locke recognized the prosthesis as a silencing fee from the Cloud Marsh Cup Competition Committee.

Locke realized that the Scorpion Woman's Ring had only suppressed his [Fated Death] mark, and that Great Wizard Sura’s weakening Magic Pressure meant something had happened in the Land of Six Towers. Witch Medea used the Mage Plane’s fortune to cast a prophecy directing her east toward a World Stone and a young man, as the story left the identity of the prophecy’s target uncertain.

• Locke used Griffin's Box and the Nine-Headed Snake Magic Plant together to create a powerful defense, while Director Morrison raised Flower Island and reassured Witch Diana and Wizard Edgar about their losses.
• Locke discovered the Scorpion Woman's Ring was still on his hand and that Great Wizard Sura’s Magic Pressure on it had weakened.
• Locke removed the ring, saw his [Fated Death] mark return, and realized it had never erased the spell and that the Child of Destiny could be more than one person.
• Witch Medea branded an iron cross onto her hand and used the Mage Plane’s harvested fortune to cast a [Prophetic Poem] about finding a suitable World Stone.
• Witch Medea interpreted the prophecy as a command to travel east, abandon her current life, and eventually trade with a young man, while wondering whether he was a First-Ring Wizard.

After Locke’s group appeared to have won the Cloud Marsh Cup, its members celebrated and discussed where they would go next. Locke stayed behind to study the True Sight Crystal containing Great Wizard Sura’s advancement, hoping to understand what had happened in the Mage Plane.

• Director Morrison told Locke that the Scorpion Woman Ring could not reliably suppress powerful diviners and that he could not remove the Fated Death hidden in Locke’s left hand.
• Locke reunited with his research group in Kalimla Town, and they celebrated their likely championship while waiting for the award ceremony.
• The committee let Yennefer leave but blacklisted her from future Cloud Marsh Wetland competitions for attacking Locke’s legion.
• Montgomery, Tacitus, Barbara, and Leopold discussed their plans to seek work or remain in the Land of Six Towers after the competition.
• Locke declined to celebrate at Witch’s Kitchen, watched his group depart, and turned his attention to the True Sight Crystal showing Great Wizard Sura’s advancement.

Locke watched Great Wizard Sura’s recording and realized that soul damage and Divination magic had left Sura dangerously weakened before his attempt to advance to the Second Ring. In the recording, Sura found Uriel’s nearly complete Ultimate Demonkin embryo and began absorbing its bloodline energy, but Uriel warned him that his excitement showed how weak he was.

• Locke concluded that Sura’s growing paranoia came from Divination magic and the strain of his power overwhelming his damaged soul.
• Locke realized that wizards approaching the Second Ring often entered a decline in power and judgment, making the breakthrough especially dangerous.
• Sura directed thirty-two Mage Saints to locate the Demonkin, whose Ultimate Demonkin embryo was hidden beneath a volcano.
• Sura drove a silver dart into the embryo and gloated to Uriel that it was only about ninety-nine percent complete.
• Sura began drawing bloodline energy from the embryo to ease his symptoms and ordered Uriel to leave his body.
• Uriel warned Sura that his heightened emotions proved his weakness and asked whether he had forgotten something.

Great Wizard Sura overcame the native Mage Saints’ rebellion and forced the World Hall to appear, believing his victory was secure. Uriel warned that Sura’s actions had brought the world’s consciousness to acknowledge his contribution, while Locke began to understand the connection between the World Stone, the Superior Meditation Method, and Great Magic.

• Jell Fisher exposed his cross-shaped birthmark, disrupting Great Wizard Sura’s control and enabling eight native Mage Saints to attack him together.
• Great Wizard Sura’s Dryad avatar wounded the eight Mage Saints but held back from killing them to avoid damaging his Great Magic.
• Great Wizard Sura’s main body appeared and struck Jell Fisher with Bloodflame Arrow, leaving the rebel Mage Saints defeated.
• Uriel told Sura that forcing out the World Hall had made the world’s consciousness acknowledge his contribution and urged him not to celebrate too soon.
• Great Wizard Sura used his staff and magic formations to capture the World Power and summon the World Hall.
• Locke studied the scene through his True Sight Crystal and connected the World Stone, Superior Meditation Method, and Great Magic.