Chapter Summaries

Merlin created a Mental Avatar, then used Matrix to examine captured Atlan Civilization warships for information about Void-Class Warships. After finding no records and seeing Matrix grow stronger from devouring their intelligent programs, Merlin was summoned by Santo the Arcane Mage to leave.

• Merlin examined his Mental Avatar and learned that condensing another one soon could damage his foundation.
• Merlin ordered Matrix to devour the City-Class Warship’s intelligent program and read its data without taking control of the ship.
• Merlin had Matrix search the City-Class Warship’s records for information about Void-Class Warships, but found none.
• Merlin fed data from several Empire-Class Warships to Matrix, which grew stronger while still finding no information about Void-Class Warships.
• Santo the Arcane Mage called Merlin, telling him it was time to leave.

Merlin prepared to leave with Santo the Arcane Mage to seek aid from other powerful civilizations, while the Arcane Mages secured the Spellcaster Civilization against his absence. Merlin and Santo’s darkness avatar traveled into the Void Realm, where Merlin learned that Didimos had been nurtured as a hidden trump card and would be waiting at the City of Arcane.

• Merlin left the Atlan Civilization warships and a Mental Avatar with the Arcane Mages to help protect the Spellcaster Civilization after he departed.
• The three Arcane Mages concealed Merlin’s aura with seals and sent him away with Santo the Arcane Mage’s darkness avatar.
• Merlin and Santo arrived in an empty region near the Divine Alliance and discussed the Spellcaster Civilization’s exposed borders.
• Santo revealed that Didimos had been nurtured as a powerful reserve who could turn the tide below the level of Supreme Existences.
• Merlin continued with Santo toward the City of Arcane, where he expected to see Didimos again.

Merlin and Santo the Arcane Mage traveled aboard an Atlan warship toward the Giant Clan to seek support for the Spellcaster Civilization. On the way, they encountered a sea of fire that swallowed a Sloth Beast, then swept over them as they tried to escape.

• Merlin brought out an Empire-Class Warship, and Santo the Arcane Mage chose the Giant Clan as their destination.
• Merlin used Matrix to set a course for the Titan Plane, and the two traveled for months aboard the warship.
• Merlin woke from the Illusory World and saw a Sloth Beast trapped with its head inside a vast sea of fire.
• The sea of fire swallowed the Sloth Beast and pulled Merlin's warship toward it.
• Santo the Arcane Mage and Merlin abandoned the warship and fled, but the sea of fire exploded and engulfed them.

Merlin and Santo the Arcane Mage explored a scorching Plane where elements were absent and Rule Power was suppressed. After tracking a powerful beast into a forest, they captured it, but three riders on ferocious birds attacked them with Legendary-level flaming arrows.

• Merlin and Santo the Arcane Mage woke in a strange Plane with three suns, no elements, and weakened Rule Power.
• They followed a horned beast as a giant bird chased it toward a lush forest beneath a sudden downpour.
• Merlin and Santo entered the forest and pursued the beast to a waterfall, where Santo seized it with Darkness Law.
• The beast unleashed blue flames with power close to a Law, but Santo extinguished them and captured it.
• The giant bird returned with two more birds and three strangely dressed riders, who fired Legendary-level flaming arrows at Merlin and Santo.

Merlin and Wizard Santo encountered three members of the Yan Kingdom’s Royal Family in the Royal Gardens and learned that the kingdom was recruiting powerful people amid a crisis. They agreed to accompany Yanlong to the royal palace, where they hoped to learn more about the Yan Kingdom and the Flame Kingdom.

• Merlin shattered the three fiery arrows and used his Mind Power to communicate with the three strangers while the Matrix collected their language.
• Merlin and Wizard Santo learned that the strangers were members of the Yan Kingdom’s Royal Family, who invited them to seek an audience with the king as recruits.
• Wizard Santo warned Merlin to prioritize his safety, but Merlin reassured him that his mind-control abilities would protect him among the powerful people at the royal palace.
• Merlin and Wizard Santo accepted the invitation and traveled with the three royal family members on their fierce birds.
• Merlin learned the leader was Yanlong and discovered that the Yan Kingdom faced a crisis, but Yanlong refused to explain further before they reached the king.

Merlin and Wizard Santo arrived in Flame City with Yanlong and discovered that the Yan Kingdom had several figures on par with Titled Legends. The king’s recruitment test turned deadly when a One-Horned Fire Beast began killing applicants, and Santo prepared to act as it attacked Merlin and him.

• Yanlong brought Merlin and Wizard Santo to the royal palace, where they met the king and other volunteers seeking recruitment.
• Merlin used his Mind Power to discover four figures in Flame City whose strength matched a Titled Legend, including the king.
• The king announced that applicants had to defeat a captive One-Horned Fire Beast to pass the recruitment test.
• The beast killed the first volunteer, and the king ordered it to attack the remaining applicants, killing several people in the hall.
• The One-Horned Fire Beast turned toward Merlin and Santo, and Santo fixed his gaze on the king and said they could act.

Merlin and Santo subdued the Yan Kingdom’s king and discovered that the mysterious Holy Land might hold the key to leaving the Flame Domain World. As Santo fought three Titled Legend-level experts, Merlin wondered whether their upheaval would summon the Holy Land.

• Merlin killed the fire beast, controlled Yanlong and the king’s guards, and used Mind Control to subdue the king.
• Santo left the hall to stop three hidden experts from reaching Merlin.
• The king told Merlin that the Yan Kingdom had four beings of comparable strength and that ancient records named their world the Flame Domain World.
• The king said the mysterious Holy Land secretly influenced the world and might contain people capable of leaving it.
• Three flame-marked experts attacked Santo, but he suppressed them with his Supreme Law.
• Merlin wondered whether the disturbance in Flame City would draw the Holy Land’s attention.

Merlin and Mage Santo concluded that the Flame Domain World was likely a Plane created by a Supreme Existence far beyond the first tier, and waited for the Holy Land to respond. Meanwhile, Flameglow failed to harm a gigantic monster and set out for the Flame Kingdom after hearing that two outsiders had appeared there.

• Merlin used his Mind Power to control three Flame Domain experts, and Mage Santo judged that the world had been artificially created by a powerful Supreme Existence.
• Merlin warned Mage Santo that the Holy Land might contain beings who rivaled Monarchs, and they decided to wait for its response.
• Flameglow attacked a colossal monster in the desert, but it endured his flames and blew him far away with a breath.
• A messenger told Flameglow that two outsiders had defeated the Yan Kingdom's four strongest experts and headed toward the Flame Kingdom.
• Flameglow suspected the outsiders had arrived with the monster, postponed fighting it, and flew toward the Flame Kingdom to meet them.

Merlin and Santo went to the Flame Kingdom to provoke the Holy Land into appearing, but the Holy Land’s lord, Flameglow, arrived and revealed power close to that of a Supreme Existence. Merlin and Santo were left wary as they sought a way to return to the Void Realm.

• Merlin and Santo arrived at the Flame Kingdom’s Royal Capital and found six powerhouses who rivaled Titled Legends.
• Merlin used Mind Control to seize the six powerhouses and questioned them about the Holy Land, but they knew little more than the people of the Yan Kingdom.
• As Merlin and Santo considered escalating their disturbance, a Flame God-Devil shattered Santo’s Darkness Law blockade over the city.
• Flameglow appeared, identified himself as the lord of the Holy Land, and remarked on Merlin’s ability to control the Flame Clan’s powerhouses.
• Santo recognized that Flameglow had nearly reached the threshold of merging with the natural order, and Merlin realized he could be powerful enough to kill Santo’s avatar.

Merlin and Santo discovered that the giant beast in the Flame Domain World was the Sloth Beast, then learned from Flameglow that even he could not leave the Plane. At the Holy Land, they saw a statue of the Flame Emperor, one of the Thirty-Six Emperors, and Merlin began explaining the ancient secrets of the Void Realm to Santo.

• Flameglow led Merlin and Santo to the giant beast, and they confirmed it was the Sloth Beast from the Void Realm.
• Merlin told Flameglow that the Sloth Beast was nearly impossible to kill and suggested driving it out of the Plane, but Flameglow revealed that he could not leave the Flame Domain World.
• Flameglow invited Merlin and Santo to the Holy Land, where they saw a statue of the Flame Emperor, creator of the Plane.
• Merlin recognized the Flame Emperor as one of the Thirty-Six Emperors, and Flameglow confirmed it.
• Santo asked Merlin about the Thirty-Six Emperors, so Merlin decided to tell him about them and the Remnant Clan.

Merlin told Flameglow and Santo about the Remnant Clan and the Thirty-Six Emperors, and they learned that the Flame Domain World had been built as a prison for the Remnant Clan. After Merlin and Santo suspected the Atlan Civilization was connected to the Remnant Clan and asked Flameglow to help them leave, Flameglow revealed that even the prison’s wardens could not escape.

• Merlin recounted how he learned from the Purple Emperor’s inheritance about the Remnant Clan’s ancient war against the Thirty-Six Emperors.
• Flameglow confirmed the history and explained that Lord Flame Emperor had built the Flame Domain World to imprison the Remnant Clan, though none remained there.
• Merlin and Santo questioned Flameglow about the prison and learned he had lived inside the Flame Domain World for an exceptionally long time.
• Santo asked whether the Atlan Civilization might be the Remnant Clan, and Merlin said it could be related or descended from them.
• Merlin explained that the Atlan Civilization was at war with the Spellcaster Civilization and asked Flameglow to help them return to the Void Realm.
• Flameglow said the three wardens appointed by Lord Flame Emperor could not leave the Flame Domain World, alarming Merlin and Santo.

Merlin and Santo learned that the Flame Domain World was a prison they could not escape, and Flameglow revealed that his attempts to leave had triggered its power to draw people inside. They considered using the Sloth Beast to break free and followed Flameglow to the guards’ control area, where he showed them the Life-and-Death Prison.

• Flameglow told Merlin and Santo that only Supreme Existences with access to Rule Power could escape the Flame Domain World, and Santo’s attempt to tear it open failed.
• Merlin questioned Flameglow about the prison’s control, and Flameglow admitted that his efforts to escape had caused the world to pull people inside at irregular intervals.
• Santo and Merlin realized the Sloth Beast might be able to break the prison, though they knew it was difficult to provoke.
• Merlin asked Flameglow to take them to the guards’ control area, and Flameglow introduced the other guards, Yan Hao and Yan Meng.
• Flameglow showed Merlin and Santo the Life-and-Death Prison, where pale blue flames burned away Merlin’s Darkness Law.

Merlin used the Flame Emperor’s pale blue flames in the Life-and-Death Prison to comprehend the essence of fire and condensed the Supreme Fire Law, becoming a Great Monarch. The disturbance cracked the Flame Domain World’s core, and Santo sensed that the supposedly unbreakable prison might have a way out.

• Flameglow explained that the Flame Emperor was a unique lifeform born from flames and that the wardens were adopted beings from different Planes.
• Merlin asked Flameglow to release a small portion of the Life-and-Death Prison’s flames so he could comprehend the Fire Law.
• Merlin saw the pale blue flames use his own flames as fuel and realized that burning was the essence of fire.
• Merlin condensed the Supreme Fire Law and became a Great Monarch, whom Santo suggested should be called the Glory Monarch.
• A crack appeared in the Holy Land as Rule Power poured in, and Santo recognized it as a possible sign that the Flame Domain World could be escaped.

Merlin became a Glory Monarch by condensing the Supreme Fire Law, and Santo and Flameglow realized that the rift created during his breakthrough might offer a way out of the Flame Domain World. They could not control the pale-blue flames in the Life-and-Death Prison, but Santo suddenly thought of a possible solution.

• Merlin condensed the Supreme Fire Law and became a Glory Monarch.
• Merlin joined Santo and Flameglow, who told him that a brief rift had appeared when he condensed his law.
• Santo proposed that shaking the Life-and-Death Prison, the core of the Flame Domain World, might open a path to escape.
• Flameglow agreed that the prison and the pale-blue flames left by Lord Flame Emperor could be the key, but none of them knew how to control the flames.
• Merlin offered to try controlling the pale-blue flames, but Santo stopped him and began considering something capable of resisting their burning.

Merlin devised a plan to use the Sloth Beast to destroy the Life-and-Death Prison and help everyone escape the Flame Domain World. After carefully luring the beast to the Holy Land with illusions, Merlin and Flameglow exposed its head to the pale blue flames, which hurt it, leaving their escape attempt at a critical point.

• Mage Santo proposed using the Sloth Beast to destroy the Life-and-Death Prison so the pale blue flames could break open the Flame Domain World.
• Yan Hao and Yan Meng attacked the sleeping Sloth Beast, but their powerful strikes did not wake or harm it.
• Merlin failed to control the Sloth Beast with Mind Control, then spent ten days weaving a food illusion that eventually made it move.
• Merlin kept using illusions to awaken and lure the Sloth Beast from the desert to the Holy Land, while Flameglow and the others prevented panic in the kingdoms.
• Merlin guided the Sloth Beast's head into the Life-and-Death Prison, and Flameglow released the pale blue flames, which engulfed the beast and made it struggle in pain.

Merlin, Santo, and the others escaped the Flame Domain World when the Sloth Beast cracked the Life-and-Death Prison. Afterward, Flameglow, Yan Hao, and Yan Meng agreed to join the Spellcaster Civilization and help determine whether the Atlan Civilization was connected to the Remnant Clan, while the Sloth Beast remained nearby.

• The Sloth Beast's violent struggles cracked the Life-and-Death Prison and opened a breach in the Flame Domain World.
• Merlin, Santo, Flameglow, Yan Hao, and Yan Meng flew through the breach before it closed and the prison restored itself.
• Merlin learned that Flameglow could no longer control the Flame Domain World and asked what the three guardians would do next.
• Santo invited Flameglow, Yan Hao, and Yan Meng to join the Spellcaster Civilization and identify whether the Atlan Civilization was connected to the Remnant Clan.
• Flameglow agreed to join without accepting restraints and vowed that the three would fight the Remnant Clan if it still existed.
• Flameglow pointed toward the Sloth Beast and asked what would happen to it.

Merlin and Santo decided to travel to the Giant Clan aboard the Sloth Beast, using Merlin’s Illusion to guide it and strengthen their diplomatic position. During the journey, Flameglow revealed that he could sense the rules, and Santo explained that merging with them offered only one chance and should not be attempted without confidence.

• Merlin said he could use Illusion to influence the Sloth Beast, and Santo decided its presence would strengthen their appeal to the Giant Clan.
• Flameglow and the other two agreed to accompany Merlin and Santo, and the group boarded the Sloth Beast and set off through the Void Realm.
• Santo asked Flameglow whether he could sense the rules, and Flameglow confirmed that he could but would not yet attempt to merge with them.
• Santo explained that anyone who failed to merge with the rules would permanently lose the chance to try again, and warned Merlin to wait until he was confident.
• Merlin recalled what Orumba had taught him and privately considered that he might never choose to merge with the rules.

Merlin stabilized his Illusion Heart Realm and learned that he would need a mind capable of containing endless worlds before attempting to fuse with Ditas's Illusory World. The group reached the Giant Clan's territory aboard the Sloth Beast, where a Middle Giant King discovered them and demanded to know who they were.

• Merlin decided to focus on the Mental Power System because his Spellcaster System had nearly reached its peak.
• Ditas told Merlin to wait until his mind could contain endless worlds before attempting to fuse with the Illusory World.
• Santo recognized the surrounding Planes as part of the Giant Clan's sphere of influence, and Merlin sensed that giants lived across them.
• Merlin used Illusion to guide the Sloth Beast deeper toward the Titan Plane while the giants watched from a distance.
• A Middle Giant King spotted Merlin and the others on the Sloth Beast's back, landed beside them, and demanded to know who they were.

Merlin, Santo, and their companions traveled to the Titan Plane to request an audience with Kronos about a matter affecting the Spellcaster and Giant Civilizations. Kronos initially refused to meet them, but changed his mind after learning they had brought a Sloth Beast.

• Santo introduced himself as an incarnation of Santo the Arcane Mage and requested an audience with Kronos, so the Middle Giant King escorted the group to the Titan Plane.
• Merlin left the Sloth Beast asleep outside the Plane while he and the others entered the palace and asked to speak with Kronos about an urgent matter.
• An Upper Giant King told them Kronos was away and sent word to him, leaving Merlin and the others waiting at the palace.
• At the Ancestral Land, Kronos reflected on its deadly danger and his failure to raise another Titan Giant for the Giant Clan.
• After hearing that the Spellcaster visitors had brought a Sloth Beast they could apparently command, Kronos decided to return to the Titan Plane and meet them.

Titan Giant Kronos considered Santo’s request for the Giant Clan’s aid and offered an alliance in exchange for help retrieving an item. He led Merlin and the others to the Giant Clan’s Ancestral Land, where he asked them to enter and obtain it.

• Kronos returned to the Titan Plane and learned from Santo that the Spellcaster Civilization sought the Giant Clan’s help against the Atlan Civilization, the Rock Clan, and the Light Pantheon.
• Kronos weighed the dangers of intervening and asked Santo’s group to do the Giant Clan a favor before he would agree to an alliance.
• Merlin awakened the Sloth Beast with his Illusion, impressing Kronos and showing him that the Spellcaster Civilization still had powerful assets.
• Kronos led Merlin, Santo, and the others to a vast Plane filled with the aura of death and revealed that it was the Giant Clan’s Ancestral Land.
• Kronos asked them to enter the Ancestral Land and retrieve a specific item.