Chapter Summaries

During the war between Isata and White Mountain Boros, three fourth-ring white wizards launched a surprise attack on Anderson’s position. Anderson’s wizard tower came under fire as the attackers moved in to kill him.

• The battle between Isata and White Mountain Boros intensified, spreading across nearly two thousand kilometers and killing even fourth-tier beings and fourth-ring wizards.
• Anderson was sent from Isata to defend a frontline position, where he relied on his wizard tower as a last resort because its energy supply was limited.
• Three fourth-ring white wizards agreed to attack Anderson, despite learning that his student was Isata’s hoped-for third fifth-ring wizard, because Charles had been missing for more than ten years.
• Anderson sensed danger inside his tower and raised protective shields as more than ten long-range sorceries struck.
• Three enemy wizard towers flew toward Anderson, and he realized he was under attack.

Anderson was trapped in his wizard tower as three White Wizard Sages attacked and the Dimensional Anchors blocked escape. He used the scrolls Charles had left him to defend and counterattack, then activated a summoning scroll that appeared to answer his call.

• Three White Wizard Sages anchored the space around Anderson and attacked him while the other Wizard Sages were occupied fighting across the defensive line.
• Anderson's wizard tower's mana pool rapidly drained as Webster tried to reach him but was held back by an enemy Wizard Sage.
• Anderson remembered Charles's box of scrolls and had Boxi activate Fifth Circle shields that repelled the attackers' witchcraft.
• Boxi launched a flaming meteor from a scroll, damaging one of the enemy wizard towers and forcing the attackers to reinforce their defenses.
• Anderson activated Charles's summoning scroll, and a dark-red witchcraft array formed in the sky as he called for Charles to return and save him.

Anderson used Charles’s summoning scrolls while the White Wizard Sages besieged his tower, and Charles answered from the Abyss World. Only Charles’s enormous armored hand emerged, but it cast a Dimensional Anchor and destroyed one Wizard Sage’s tower, leaving the battle unresolved.

• The three White Wizard Sages dismissed Charles’s expected fifth-tier projection, while Anderson revealed that he had many summoning scrolls and gave Lady Boxi defensive and offensive scrolls.
• Charles sensed Anderson’s summons and found he could not send his full projection through, so he sent part of himself instead.
• Charles’s huge armored hand emerged from the summoning array, alarming the wizards and drawing their attacks.
• Charles’s hand cast a Dimensional Anchor, then crushed the Wizard Sage who had celebrated that it could not teleport out, destroying his wizard tower.

Charles’s projected demonic hand destroyed three fourth-circle wizard towers and killed their wizard sages, while Pushton confronted Archibald to stop him from intervening. The fading hand collected five elemental cores and sent them to Anderson’s wizard tower.

• Charles’s projected hand smashed the first wizard tower, killed its fourth-circle wizard sage, and seized two elemental cores.
• The hand destroyed a second tower and killed its wizard sage as the remaining white wizards tried to flee.
• Pushton confronted Archibald, warning him that intervening would give Pushton a chance to attack.
• Charles’s hand pulled the fleeing wizard tower back, crushed it and its wizard sage despite his self-destruction, and took two more elemental cores.
• The fading demonic hand sent all five elemental cores flying before Anderson’s wizard tower.

Charles’s projection saved Anderson and destroyed three wizard towers, prompting powerful beings to question Pushton’s resources and discuss opposing his advancement. At Isata’s meeting, Pushton summoned the sleeping Charles and gave him a golden seat beside himself, shocking Noah.

• Charles’s projection told Anderson that the gifts were for him before its power faded and the wizardry array disappeared.
• Powerful beings across the Wizard World discussed Charles’s strength, Pushton’s Origin, and whether to support or stop Pushton from advancing.
• Pushton returned to Isata while Noah resented Charles for receiving the Tower Master’s help.
• At Isata’s meeting, Noah praised Anderson for having a fine student, and Anderson insisted Charles had succeeded through his own effort.
• Pushton summoned the sleeping Charles to the meeting and made his former seat golden beside his own, startling Noah.

Charles learned that Pushton’s meeting to discuss his advancement to seventh-circle wizard would take place in four years, and promised to return. In the Abyss, Charles continued building power through his followers and arenas, and his Fear Divinity finally condensed.

• Pushton summoned a fragment of Charles’s consciousness through a puppet, and the wizard sages greeted Charles.
• Pushton told Charles that a meeting about his possible advancement to seventh-circle wizard would take place in four years, and Charles promised to attend.
• Charles withdrew his consciousness from Isata’s puppet and returned to analyzing the Abyss World’s rules while his divinity formed.
• Charles reflected on how Ratmen across the Abyss worshipped him and how arenas directed demons’ and Ratmen’s battles and sacrifices toward him.
• Charles watched as the Fear Divinity successfully condensed.

Charles condensed the Divine Core of Fear, used his accumulated faith power to become a god, and established an earthly divine kingdom at Millstone Fortress. Within a year, he advanced from weak divine power to lesser divine power and considered granting divine spells to his believers.

• Charles used the faith power of his Ratmen and demon believers to ignite divine fire and form the Divine Core of Fear.
• Charles considered the duties gods owed their believers and decided to create an earthly divine kingdom to shelter their souls after death.
• Charles opened his divine kingdom at Millstone Fortress, expanded it to the size of a county seat, and then refined it.
• Charles advanced his divine core from weak divine power to lesser divine power in less than a year.
• Charles considered granting divine spells to his believers and wondered whether he could advance another rank within three years.

Charles considered how slowly faith would increase his power and decided he needed to pursue origin power through conquest and conflict instead. A year later, he emerged from his tower at Millstone Fortress and summoned his followers to offer their loyalty.

• Charles concluded that relying on faith would take too long to reach seventh-tier strength, so he planned to seek origin power through war and conquest.
• Charles decided to return to the Wizard World to prepare for gathering origin power and advancing to a seventh-ring wizard.
• Another year passed, and Charles emerged from his tower nearly fifty meters tall, stronger than Hachiwote had been.
• The Flame Ratman Imperial Guards, including fear warriors, fear knights, and fear priests, gathered as Charles's followers recognized that he was setting out.
• Zarlos and Dorkas watched Charles, while Dorkas regretted losing his freedom without gaining strength.
• Charles addressed his followers and demanded that they offer their loyalty to their ruler.

Charles gathered his greater demons in Millstone Fortress, reviewed the expansion of Ratman settlements, and prepared to leave the Abyss World for battle. He entrusted its defense to Scorchflame and appointed Bruce to spread the faith of the God of Fear.

• Charles summoned his greater demons, who knelt before him, and teased Zarlos about his claim that he had missed him.
• Bruce reported that Ratmen had established settlements across the habitable Abyss, mined minerals, and continued to multiply.
• Charles dismissed the other demons and told Scorchflame to help Bruce guard Millstone Fortress and the Abyss while he prepared for battle.
• Charles appointed Bruce Pope of the Church of the God of Fear and instructed him to spread the faith so Charles could gather divine power.

Charles prepared to return to the Wizard World as the war between Isata and White Mountain Boros continued, though its outcome depended on Pushton, Archibald, and those behind them. A huge Abyss Gate opened over Isata, and Sage Webster recognized it as Grand Sage Charles’s return.

• Charles learned through Anderson that the war between Isata and White Mountain Boros had claimed countless lives, while the true decisions rested with Pushton and Archibald and their backers.
• Isata trained large numbers of novice wizards for the war, lowering the barriers to learning spells while sending many new wizards toward the battlefield.
• Sage Webster taught Third-Ring Wizards in Isata after learning he would not be sent to the front.
• A gigantic, dark-red Abyss Gate opened in the sky above Isata, drawing the attention of its wizards.
• Sage Webster identified the gate as Charles’s teleportation gate and reminded his students that Charles was now Grand Sage Charles.

Charles returned to Isata through the Abyss Gate in a towering Abyssal Grand Lord form, astonishing the wizards and Sage Pushton. He and Pushton exchanged thanks while Pushton wondered at Charles’s strength, which seemed to rival sixth-circle powerhouses wielding origin power.

• Sage Webster ended his lesson and led the third-circle wizards to welcome Grand Sage Charles as the Abyss Gate opened above Isata.
• Grand Sage Pushton joined Sage Webster and watched the gateway, wondering why its aura seemed stronger than before.
• Charles emerged from the Abyss Gate nearly fifty meters tall, leaving the wizards stunned by his immense size and oppressive power.
• Sage Webster asked how Charles had grown so large, and Pushton claimed that the things he had given Charles might have accelerated his growth.
• Charles sensed Pushton’s condensed origin power and greeted him, then credited the Tower Master’s gifts with awakening his talent.
• Pushton asked how Charles had grown so powerful, and Charles repeated that the Tower Master’s gifts might have strengthened his talent as they both laughed.

Charles learned from Pushton that six-ring wizards seeking the seventh ring faced rivals and Wizard Kings who coveted Origin power. Back in his tower, Charles questioned the Book of Causal Paths about its ambitions and learned that his existence was already helping it accumulate karmic Origin power.

• Charles asked Pushton why he had not rallied other six-ring wizards, and Pushton explained that many were his enemies and that the meeting would give him grounds to kill those who blocked his advancement.
• Pushton warned Charles that six-ring wizards and even seven-ring Wizard Kings could become enemies over Origin power, and advised him to seek Origin power only when his strength stopped improving.
• Pushton told Charles that ascension depended on a single decisive instant, then ended their conversation when a friend arrived.
• Charles asked the Book of Causal Paths whether it wanted to use him to reach the seventh tier, and the book said their interests complemented each other.
• The Book of Causal Paths said it could not see Pushton's fate because Pushton had mastered Origin power, and explained that Charles's existence helped it accumulate karmic Origin power.

Charles waited in Isata for a special meeting of the Wizard King's Court, reflecting on his growing power and choosing not to return to the Osela plane himself. As the golden hall of the Wizard King's Court began summoning its members, Charles prepared to attend with Pushton.

• Charles considered how becoming a Sixth-Ring Wizard had brought new troubles, then decided that Fifth-Ring Wizards had troubles of their own.
• Charles spent his free time instructing his former students and decided to send wizards to conquer the Osela plane rather than enter it himself, leaving the elves a final patch of pure land.
• Charles abandoned the idea of having descendants because he believed it would not matter if he became a Seventh-Ring Wizard or died trying.
• Pushton told Charles that a special Wizard King's Court meeting was approaching and instructed him to use his Sixth-Ring Wizard authority to learn how to participate.
• Charles confirmed with Anderson that his teacher knew how to attend, then waited for Pushton to notify him so they could enter together.
• The golden hall in the Wizard King's Court began to glow as beams of light descended onto its thrones, signaling that the meeting was about to begin.

Fourth- and fifth-circle wizards gathered at the Wizard Throne, where white and black wizards eyed one another and traded insults. In Isata, Pushton told Charles he would appear before the newly appointed sixth-circle wizard to surprise the other attendees.

• Fourth-circle wizards took their seats at the Wizard Throne, where white and black wizards from rival academies exchanged insults.
• Fifth-circle wizards arrived, and the gathering awaited the descent of the sixth- and seventh-circle wizards.
• Pushton told Charles to prepare to go to the Wizard Throne from Isata.
• Charles offered to arrive first as a newcomer, but Pushton insisted that he would appear before Charles to surprise the gathering.

At the Wizard Throne conference, the sixth-circle wizards descended one by one, and Pushton of Isata received a particularly grand welcome as a candidate for seventh-circle advancement. The arrival of a powerful new sixth-circle wizard at Isata’s seat stunned the gathering, while Archibald recognized him as Charles.

• Pushton communed with his Wizard Sage authority and sent a thread of it into the Wizard Throne.
• Sixth-circle wizards descended in turn, and the gathered fourth- and fifth-circle wizards rose to welcome them.
• Pushton descended with a hundred-meter projection, prompting every wizard in the court to welcome him as Isata’s renowned Sage and a possible seventh-circle wizard.
• Archibald watched a dark-red projection descend toward Isata’s seat and suspected that it belonged to Charles.
• Charles’s projection expanded to eighty meters, and his throne rose to match it, astonishing the wizards and troubling White Wizard allies of White Mountain Boros.

Charles attended the Wizard King's Court, where the Wizard Kings gathered and Pushton explained their titles and the history of their deaths. The gathering ended with Charles observing that several ancient Wizard Kings, including the Third, were absent and likely dead.

• Charles's strength on the Wizard Throne astonished the Sixth-Ring Wizards, while Pushton ignored their questions and spoke privately with Charles.
• The Thirteenth Wizard King descended, and Pushton explained that Wizard Kings concealed their names and were titled by the order in which they advanced.
• More Wizard Kings arrived, including the Thousand-Faced Wizard King and the Twenty-Fifth Wizard King, whose number reflected a historical rank rather than the current count.
• Pushton told Charles that Wizard Kings could die or disappear after expending too much origin power, though they might eventually revive.
• After all nineteen current Wizard Kings had arrived, Charles noted that the Third Wizard King and most of the top ten were absent and likely dead.

At the Wizard Throne meeting, Pushton explained that advancing to Wizard King would consume the Wizard World’s Origin Power before raising its upper limit, leaving existing Wizard Kings vulnerable while it recovered. He warned Charles that some Wizard Kings might kill him to seize Origin Power they needed to replenish.

• The Thousand-Faced Wizard King and the Thirteenth Wizard King presided over a meeting to consider Pushton’s ascension.
• Pushton claimed he had enough Origin Power and experience to become a Wizard King, while the Thousand-Faced Wizard King warned that the breakthrough would drain the Wizard World.
• Pushton explained to Charles that he would need external Origin Power to grow his seed of power into a Seventh-Ring body, and that advancing in the void would take centuries and leave him vulnerable.
• Pushton explained that his ascension would eventually raise the Wizard World’s Origin Power limit but could keep its reserves depleted for thousands of years, delaying the revival of dead Wizard Kings.
• Pushton warned Charles that some Wizard Kings might kill him to take his Origin Power and replenish what they had spent reviving.

Charles learned that powerful wizards seeking to advance faced danger from others who coveted their origin power. At the Wizard Throne, a vote rejected Sage Pushton’s advancement to the seventh ring, and the Thousand-Faced Wizard King renewed his offer to take Pushton’s origin power.

• Charles realized that sixth-ring and seventh-ring wizards threatened those seeking to advance because they wanted their origin power.
• The Thousand-Faced Wizard King proposed that Pushton contribute his origin power before receiving approval to advance, while the Thirteenth Wizard King challenged his motives.
• The Thirteenth Wizard King called for an anonymous vote, and Charles voted in favor of Pushton’s advancement.
• Pushton told Charles that other wizard sages and some Wizard Kings would not allow him to advance.
• The Wizard Spirit announced 1,112 votes in favor, 2,945 against, and 58 abstentions, rejecting Pushton’s advancement.
• The Thousand-Faced Wizard King repeated his proposal to Pushton after the vote.

Sage Pushton rejected the Wizard Throne’s opposition to his advancement and threatened to kill every Sixth Ring Wizard who voted against him. A second, named vote still rejected his advancement, leaving the Thousand-Faced Wizard King to claim that the sages were not afraid of Pushton’s threats.

• Pushton told the Wizard Kings he would advance despite their opposition and kill the Sixth Ring Wizards who voted against him.
• Pushton challenged the Thousand-Faced Wizard King to send his avatar against him and argued that his accumulated origin power made him unmatched in the Wizard World.
• Pushton requested a new vote with named ballots, and Charles again voted in favor.
• The Wizard Spirit announced that nine Wizard Kings supported Pushton and ten opposed him, then read the named votes of the lower-ranking sages.
• The Wizard Spirit announced 1,517 votes in favor, 2,240 against, and 58 abstentions, and the Thousand-Faced Wizard King said the voters were not afraid of Pushton’s threats.

Pushton refused to abandon his advancement after the Wizard Throne’s vote went against him and declared that he would answer any attack. He vanished from the throne and struck a powerful Sixth Ring wizard, starting a battle that shook the Sea of Rules.

• The Wizard Throne’s public vote showed that ten Wizard Kings and numerous wizard sages opposed Pushton’s advancement, though more supported him than in the previous vote.
• Pushton refused the Thousand-Faced Wizard King’s demand to retreat and insisted that those opposing him had declared war first.
• After Pushton vanished from the Wizard Throne, the Thousand-Faced Wizard King ordered the opposing wizard sages to kill him when he began his ascension.
• A Wizard King realized Pushton had already acted, and Charles calculated that he had teleported across at least a continent to attack a Sixth Ring wizard.
• The attacked wizard accused Pushton of striking first, and the ensuing battle caused violent tremors in the Sea of Rules.