Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points & Events

• The chapter is a call-to-action, urging readers to cast their monthly votes in the final five hours of a double-vote period.
• No specific plot events occur; the chapter serves as an update and appeal for reader engagement.

Character Developments

• No significant character developments occur in this chapter, as it's primarily a message from the narrator, Old Moon.

Significant Themes

• Engagement & Participation: The theme of reader involvement and active participation in the story's progression is emphasized.
• Time & Urgency: The sense of urgency created by the ticking clock (five hours left) is a significant theme.

Character Interactions

• There are no character interactions in this chapter, as it's a direct address to the readers by the narrator, Old Moon.

Plot points and events

• Merlin confronts Valon, who attacks without warning using a powerful Special Force Field that combines several effects, including distortion, chaos, and gravity.
• Merlin’s spells and Valon’s force field cancel each other out. Both recognize they are closely matched, and Merlin decides not to risk a prolonged battle.
• Merlin explains that he comes from another world and seeks the Rumba Stele. Valon withdraws his force field and asks whether Merlin knows how to escape Mobata World.
• The two examine the stele. Merlin recognizes its crude Body-Training Method and historical carvings as closely resembling images from the Mysterious Relief and the Land of Glory, linking the stele to Orumba.
• Merlin tests the stele with Mind Power. Its carvings come alive, and a dark vortex opens. An inscription says entry requires both a Spell Caster’s Mind Power and the blood of a Sacred Domain expert.
• Valon provides blood, and he and Merlin are drawn into the vortex. The three remaining Sacred Domain experts cannot activate the stele with their blood alone and stay behind to guard it.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin discovers that Valon is a formidable rival, reassesses his own apparent superiority, and chooses cooperation over a costly fight. His Spell Caster Mind Power proves essential to activating the stele.
• Valon shifts from hostile opponent to cautious ally once Merlin reveals his purpose. He is curious about other worlds and willing to risk entering the stele’s portal alongside Merlin.
• The three Sacred Domain experts remain hopeful that the stele’s secret could help their people, but their failure to enter leaves them dependent on Merlin and Valon.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Even near-legendary strength does not guarantee victory, and avoiding needless conflict can be wiser than fighting.
• Cooperation across differences: Merlin and Valon set aside their rivalry to pursue a shared mystery.
• Knowledge and rightful access: The stele responds only to a specific combination of Mind Power and blood, suggesting its secret was deliberately reserved for particular seekers.
• Mystery and connection: The stele’s resemblance to artifacts and history Merlin has seen hints that Orumba’s legacy links distant worlds and histories.

Plot points and events

• Merlin and Valon are transported to a strange space where Merlin’s Mind Power is suppressed. They meet Orumba, the mysterious figure Merlin came to find.
• Orumba creates a pavilion, lake, and tea before them. Merlin assumes the scene is an illusion, but Orumba insists it is real, demonstrating powers that seem to surpass the rules Merlin understands.
• Orumba explains that he has traveled between countless Dimensional Worlds, each with its own rules. He has spent hundreds of thousands of years in the Void Realm.
• He reveals that he helped bring life to the Land of Glory and experimented with its inhabitants. His Body-Training Methods failed to produce people capable of exceeding the limits of a Titled Legend, so he moved those people to a separate world: the Mobata World. “Mobata” means flawed or incomplete.
• Orumba later devised Spellcasting by using the Land of Glory’s elemental energies and the Void Realm’s rules rather than trying to break them. Merlin realizes that Spellcasters, too, were created through Orumba’s experiments.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin remains composed and inquisitive, pressing Orumba for answers and quickly connecting the revelations about the Mobatans and Spellcasters. His understanding of the world is fundamentally shaken.
• Valon is initially stunned by the setting and Orumba’s power. Learning that his people were treated as failed experiments leaves him overwhelmed.
• Orumba is calm and candid, describing immense power and centuries of experimentation as though they were ordinary. His explanations reveal both curiosity and loneliness: he says he had never met another being able to travel freely between worlds.
• Merlin challenges Orumba’s choices, especially the treatment of the Mobatans, while Orumba confirms Merlin’s deductions without apparent defensiveness.

Significant themes

• Limits of knowledge and reality: Orumba’s abilities challenge Merlin’s understanding of illusion, creation, and the rules of existence.
• Creation and experimentation: The Mobatans and Spellcasters emerge from Orumba’s attempts to alter or work within the Void Realm’s laws.
• Failure and identity: The Mobatans’ name reflects Orumba’s judgment of them, raising the painful question of how a people’s identity is shaped by their creator.
• Loneliness and ambition: Orumba’s vast travels and experiments are driven partly by boredom and isolation, as well as a desire to change what he finds.

Key plot points and events

• Orumba reveals that he created the Spellcaster Civilization by introducing basic Spell Models, allowing its people to develop magic and related disciplines.
• When the Spellcasters rebelled against the gods, Orumba secretly guided gifted leaders under different identities. These included Augustus, Sethis, Santo, and Dis—the Blackfire Monarch.
• Orumba’s goal was for someone to rise beyond the Void Realm’s rules. But Augustus, Sethis, and Santo instead merged with those rules, gaining great power while becoming bound by them.
• Disappointed, Orumba created the Hidden Land and eventually prepared to leave the Void Realm. He warns Merlin not to merge with the rules, since doing so would prevent him from reaching the wider Dimensional Worlds.
• Before vanishing, Orumba removes the seal isolating Mobata World and gives Merlin and Valon Life Tablets. Each tablet can resurrect its owner up to three times.
• Merlin and Valon return from the Hidden Land after half a year. The Rumba Stele then crumbles, and the surrounding space begins to lose the seal’s power, making it possible for beings of Legendary-level strength to reach the Void Realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin learns that Orumba shaped the Spellcaster Civilization and mentored several of its greatest figures. He recognizes the significance of Augustus, Santo, and Dis, and understands the danger of merging with the rules.
• Valon shares in Orumba’s revelation and receives a Life Tablet, though much of the explanation remains unclear to him. On returning, he looks to Merlin for understanding.
• Orumba’s farewell is both regretful and hopeful: he admits his experiment did not produce the being he sought, but hopes Merlin—or someone like him—may eventually surpass the rules.
• The three Sacred Domain powerhouses welcome Valon back and ask about the stele, but Merlin and Valon know its destruction signals Orumba’s departure.

Significant themes

• Freedom versus power: Merging with the rules grants immense strength but sacrifices the freedom to transcend them.
• Creation and legacy: Orumba’s hidden influence shaped an entire civilization, whose achievements grew beyond his initial designs.
• Ambition beyond limits: Orumba’s true hope is that someone will break the Void Realm’s constraints and explore the greater Dimensional Worlds.
• Mortality and exception: The Life Tablets demonstrate a power that ordinary beings—even Supreme Existences—cannot exercise under the Void Realm’s rules.

Key plot points and events

• Valon learns that Mobata World is connected to the Land of Glory and the Void Realm. Merlin warns that contact between the two civilizations could lead to conflict, and considers sealing the passage between Mobata World and the Land of Glory.
• Merlin offers the Mobatans the Spellcaster Civilization’s protection, but Valon refuses dependence. He intends to lead his people into the Void Realm and pursue the possibility of a powerful, independent Mobata Civilization.
• Merlin returns to the Land of Glory and discovers that obtaining Orumba’s Life Tablet has made the Hidden Land’s living guards his servants. The Sphinx Guard confirms Merlin can now refine the Elemental Origin.
• Merlin takes control of the Elemental Origin, becoming the Plane Lord of the Land of Glory. He can now perceive the entire Plane and draw on its power, though becoming a Titled Legend still depends on his own understanding and ability to condense a Supreme Law.
• Merlin gathers five guards—each rivaling a Great Legendary—and moves the Hidden Land to a secret location. He hides the Life Tablet there and leaves the Sphinx Guard to protect it.
• With the Life Tablet secure, Merlin sets out to meet Butuo XVII.

Character developments and interactions

• Valon shows independence and determination. Despite the danger and low odds, he chooses to pursue his people’s own future rather than accept Spellcaster protection. Merlin respects his resolve, though he doubts the Mobatans can break their limits.
• Merlin grows substantially in authority, becoming master of the Hidden Land’s guards and ruler of the Land of Glory. He acts cautiously by securing the Life Tablet and concealing the Hidden Land, while looking ahead to building a larger force.
• The Sphinx Guard explains Orumba’s instructions, acknowledges Merlin as master, and accepts the duty of guarding the Life Tablet.
• Merlin and Valon part on different paths: Merlin returns to consolidate his power, while Valon chooses to lead the Mobatans into the unknown.

Significant themes

• Self-determination versus protection: Valon rejects safety under a stronger civilization in favor of his people’s independence.
• Power and responsibility: Merlin’s new control over the Plane gives him immense reach, but he still faces limits in his personal advancement.
• Security and foresight: Merlin’s relocation of the Hidden Land reflects his determination to protect the Life Tablet and prepare for future dangers.

Plot points

• Butuo XVII, now confident after receiving the Golden Saint Armor, tells Merlin that the armor has strengthened the Royal Family’s position and discouraged rebellious Spellcasters.
• Merlin announces that he is leaving the Land of Glory, possibly for good. He entrusts the Wilson Family and the Dark Spirit Domain to Butuo XVII.
• Butuo promises protection for Merlin’s family, grants Old Wilson a hereditary dukedom, and pledges to safeguard the Dark Spirit Domain.
• Merlin declares that the Spellcaster Alliance, created to oppose the Light Church, should disband now that its purpose has passed. He hopes the Spellcaster World can regain its former glory.
• Before leaving, Merlin quietly looks in on people from his past: Old Wilson has returned to Wilson Castle, Gute is enjoying life with young Andi, and the elderly Shirley is traveling back to Bright City to fulfill her final wish. Merlin says goodbye to Shirley, though she only senses a familiar voice.
• Merlin breaks through the seal surrounding the Land of Glory and returns to the Void Realm.
• The Light God Lord, who has been watching the Land of Glory, descends as soon as Merlin leaves. He attacks Merlin personally, enraged that a low-level Spellcaster destroyed one of his manifestations of will.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin leaves behind his old life without hesitation, convinced that the Land of Glory was only the beginning of his journey. He ensures his family’s future but accepts that he may never see them—or Shirley—again.
• Butuo XVII welcomes Merlin’s departure, since Merlin’s power and position had made him a potential source of political tension. He nevertheless honors Merlin’s contributions by promising support for his family and domain.
• Shirley remains focused on returning to Bright City, apparently unaware that Merlin has watched over her one last time.
• The Light God Lord shifts from distant surveillance to direct action, treating Merlin’s destruction of his manifestation as an unforgivable affront.

Significant themes

• Farewell and letting go: Merlin revisits the people and places that shaped him, then chooses to move forward.
• Legacy and responsibility: Though leaving, Merlin secures protection and a foundation for the Wilson Family and the Dark Spirit Domain.
• Political transition: The Golden Saint Armor stabilizes the new empire, while the Spellcaster Alliance’s wartime purpose comes to an end.
• Power and vengeance: Merlin’s return to the Void Realm brings immediate danger as the Light God Lord uses overwhelming divine power to pursue him.

Plot points and events

• After the war with the Rock Clan, the Light God Lord reaches the Land of Glory and confronts Merlin, apparently in retaliation for Merlin destroying the Light Church there.
• The Light God Lord’s full-force attack overwhelms Merlin. His body and Rainbow Mage’s Heart are destroyed, leaving only his spatial rings.
• Santo and Sethis arrive and attack the Light God Lord, but he tries to escape to the Plane of Light. Augustus appears and wounds him with a single strike, forcing him to retreat. The three Arcane Mages cannot safely pursue or kill a Supreme Existence.
• Augustus retrieves Merlin’s rings and discovers that Merlin’s mental imprint has not vanished. The Arcane Mages wait, suspecting he may have survived through an incarnation.
• Deep beneath the Hidden Land, the Life Tablet restores Merlin completely. The Sphinx Guard, who had been guarding it as instructed, welcomes him back.

Character developments

• Merlin experiences genuine death and resurrection. Though his apparent strength has changed little, the ordeal deepens his understanding of darkness and lets him glimpse the Supreme Law of Darkness. It also reveals a path toward the Illusion Heart Realm.
• The Light God Lord is shown to be immensely powerful, but Augustus’s attack proves he can be wounded. He leaves vowing revenge.
• Augustus demonstrates why he is the Spellcaster Civilization’s foremost mage: his arrival turns the confrontation and forces the Light God Lord to retreat.
• Santo and Sethis respond swiftly to defend their civilization and are surprised that Merlin’s mental imprint may have survived.
• The Sphinx Guard fulfills Merlin’s order to protect the Life Tablet, enabling Merlin’s return.

Significant themes

• Death and renewal: Merlin’s resurrection turns a seemingly final defeat into a new beginning.
• Power and its limits: Even the Arcane Mages cannot easily stop a Supreme Existence from escaping, while Merlin’s usual abilities are helpless against one.
• Growth through suffering: Merlin’s brush with death grants insight into darkness and illusion that he could not previously attain.
• Preparation and contingency: The Life Tablet, obtained from Orumba, proves essential; without it, Merlin would have died.

Character interactions

• The Light God Lord attacks Merlin, then clashes with Santo and Sethis when they arrive to defend the Spellcaster Civilization.
• Augustus confronts and wounds the Light God Lord, while Santo and Sethis witness the reversal and discuss Merlin’s apparent death.
• Augustus recognizes the possibility that Merlin may still be alive, prompting the three mages to wait.
• Merlin returns to the Sphinx Guard, who reports no understanding of what threatened his master but is relieved to see him restored.

Key plot points and events

• Merlin waits in the Land of Glory after the Light God Lord kills him, having been revived by the Life Tablet. The attack destroys or takes his major possessions, including his Empire-Class Warship and Illusion Pearl.
• He fears the Light God Lord may still be outside, so he remains hidden for over a month.
• Merlin realizes the Matrix is no longer inside him. Its disappearance leaves him conflicted: he is relieved to be free of something mysterious, but also recognizes how much it helped him.
• To check whether it is safe, Merlin cautiously probes beyond the Land of Glory with his mental strength.
• Outside, the three Arcane Mages—Santo, Augustus, and Sethis—have been waiting. They believe Merlin survived because the Light God Lord destroyed an avatar rather than his true body.
• Merlin decides to conceal the Life Tablet and claims the dead Merlin was an avatar. He then leaves the Land of Glory, knowing he cannot return without a Supreme Arcane Mage’s help or another death and revival.
• The Arcane Mages welcome him back. Santo is relieved, and Augustus returns Merlin’s spatial ring, which the Light God Lord apparently left untouched.

Character developments

• Merlin is shaken by the loss of his treasures and by the Matrix’s disappearance. He acts cautiously, keeps the Life Tablet secret, and prepares a plausible cover story.
• Santo shows genuine concern for Merlin and relief that he is alive.
• Augustus is amused that Merlin apparently managed to fool the Light God Lord.
• Sethis shares the group’s curiosity about Merlin’s survival.

Significant themes

• The cost of survival: Merlin’s revival saves his life but does not restore his lost possessions.
• Fear of the unknown: The Matrix’s unexplained presence and disappearance deepen Merlin’s unease.
• Secrecy and trust: Merlin withholds the Life Tablet’s existence, even from allies, because of the danger it could attract.
• Power and vulnerability: Even the most formidable beings can be outmatched by rule-based power, while survival may depend on concealment and strategy.

Character interactions

• Merlin cautiously observes the Arcane Mages before revealing himself.
• The Arcane Mages interpret Merlin’s survival as proof that the Light God Lord was fooled by an avatar.
• Santo welcomes Merlin with relief, while Augustus returns his ring; Merlin eagerly checks its contents.

Summary

Key events

• Merlin checks his spatial ring after returning and confirms that nothing is missing. Santo explains that he left it untouched because Merlin’s mental imprint remained intact.
• Merlin tells Santo, Augustus, and Sethis that the Light Church has been destroyed and the Land of Glory has formed the Spellcaster-ruled Black Moon Empire. The church’s destruction prevents the Light God Lord from tracking or interfering with the Land of Glory.
• Merlin learns that the three Arcane Mages badly wounded the Light God Lord. Convinced Merlin is dead, the god will retreat to the Plane of Light and sleep for at least a thousand years.
• Before leaving the Land of Glory, Merlin takes one last look at the place that shaped his life, then departs with Santo for Santo City of Arcane.
• Back in the city, Merlin visits the Blackfire Monarch, then decides to build a force of his own and acquire control over many Planes. He hopes that studying their Elemental Origins will help him condense a Supreme Law and become a Titled Legend.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin’s anxiety over the Light God Lord eases when he learns the threat is temporarily contained. Though reluctant to leave the Land of Glory behind, he makes the choice firmly and focuses on his next goal.
• Santo, Augustus, and Sethis recognize Merlin’s role in protecting the Spellcaster Civilization’s birthplace. Their combined strength also demonstrates the power of the Arcane Mages.
• The Blackfire Monarch’s interest in Merlin’s mental-power progress hints that he has been prioritizing the Mental Power System, perhaps at the cost of further Supreme Laws.

Significant themes

• Protection and legacy: Destroying the Light Church secures the Spellcaster Civilization’s origin and gives the Land of Glory a chance to recover.
• Farewell and growth: Merlin’s final view of the Land of Glory marks his acceptance of how far he has come and his readiness to move on.
• Power through preparation: Merlin’s plan to gather Planes and study their origins reflects his determination to pursue advancement strategically, toward the rank of Titled Legend.

Key plot points and events

• In the Mission Hall, Merlin studies a map of the Spellcaster Civilization’s territory to find somewhere to claim multiple Planes. He rules out the Chaotic Region because Spellcasters have too little influence there to protect a large new territory.
• He chooses the southern Boundless Region, where Spellcasters have a stronger presence and his holdings could connect with theirs, making them easier to defend.
• Merlin applies to leave Santo City of Arcane. He accepts the condition that, unless he establishes a City of Arcane himself, he must answer the city’s calls unconditionally. He obtains a detailed map of the region and returns to his room to prepare.
• Merlin checks the Illusion Pearl and finds it intact. Ditas explains that meeting Orumba convinced him that the Mental Power System could ultimately transcend the Void Realm’s rules. He proposes a final stage called Spiritual Immortality, in which the perfected Illusory World turns illusion into reality. It remains a theory, and Ditas withdraws to develop it.

Character developments

• Merlin is planning beyond individual battles: he aims to establish a substantial, defensible territory and recognizes the value of Santo City of Arcane’s support. He also continues to assess his capabilities before acting.
• Ditas shifts from doubt to renewed conviction. Orumba’s ability to rise above the rules inspires him to imagine a comparable culmination for mental power, though he admits the idea is only a conjecture.

Significant themes

• Power and foundations: A civilization’s strength depends not only on its greatest figures but also on its broader population of powerful Spellcasters and its established territory.
• Strategic expansion and mutual support: Merlin’s choice shows that claiming land requires political backing and defensible connections, not merely personal strength.
• Transcending limits: Orumba’s example prompts Ditas to consider whether mental power, like physical strength, can overcome the rules that govern the Void Realm.
• Duty and belonging: Merlin’s membership in Santo City of Arcane offers practical benefits but also binds him to serve when called.

Character interactions

• Spellcasters in the Mission Hall recognize Merlin and discuss his reputation, while Merlin exchanges a few words with them before requesting maps from the Legendary Mages.
• A Legendary Mage explains Merlin’s obligations as a member of Santo City of Arcane and provides access to regional maps.
• Merlin questions Ditas about his recent silence; Ditas shares how Orumba changed his outlook, then asks Merlin not to interrupt him while he develops the idea.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Merlin resurrects and finds the Empire-Class Warship still intact, with Matrix still controlling it.
• Merlin decides not to bind with Matrix, maintaining control over the warship without Matrix's influence.
• Merlin manufactures three Martial Arts Robots, each comparable to a Great Legendary, adding to the four Statue Guardians, giving him a force of seven comparable to Great Legendaries.
• Merlin leaves Santo City of Arcane, heading to the Boundless Region in his Empire-Class Warship.
• Upon reaching the Boundless Region, Merlin senses he's close to condensing the darkness-element Supreme Law.

Character Developments

• Merlin shows caution towards Matrix, refusing to bind with it again.
• Merlin demonstrates strategic thinking in manufacturing Martial Arts Robots to strengthen his forces.
• Merlin's understanding of darkness-element Spells deepens, bringing him closer to condensing the Supreme Law.

Significant Themes

• The struggle for control and influence between Merlin and Matrix.
• The importance of strength and preparation in facing challenges and conflicts.
• The pursuit of power and understanding in magic and law comprehension.

Character Interactions

• Merlin interacts with Matrix, giving commands and refusing to bind with it.
• Merlin tests the Martial Arts Robots' capabilities using a Statue Guardian.
• Merlin's thoughts and actions are not influenced by other characters in this chapter, as he acts independently.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Merlin arrives at the Golva Plane in the Boundless Region, observing its prosperity and Spellcaster activity.
• He learns about the common practice of hiring Legendary Mages to guard Planes for Elemental Crystals.
• Merlin decides to accept Frans's offer to guard a Plane for three months in exchange for ten million Elemental Crystals.
• Merlin meets with Frans and other hired Legendary Mages, signs the contract, and travels to the true Boundless Region.

Character Developments

• Merlin: Shows curiosity and adaptability in the Boundless Region, accepts a job to understand the region better, and demonstrates his strength and reputation as a Civilization-Level Prodigy.
• Frans: Revealed to be from Santo City of Arcane, hires Legendary Mages to protect his Plane from the Golden-Winged Insect Clan, and shows anxiety about the Insect Clan's threat.

Significant Themes

• The power dynamics and common practices in the Boundless Region, where Spellcasters hold significant influence.
• The threat posed by the Golden-Winged Insect Clan and the need for powerful Spellcasters to defend against them.

Character Interactions

• Merlin interacts with various Spellcasters, learning about the Boundless Region and its practices.
• Merlin meets Frans and other Legendary Mages, signs a contract, and travels together to protect Frans's Plane.
• Mage Ansiya warns Merlin about the troublesome Golden-Winged Insect Clan and their resistance to ordinary Spells.

Key plot points and events

• Merlin and several other high-ranking Spellcasters visit the newly claimed Frans Plane. Frans explains that he took control of it after its Insect Clan owner died, but the Golden-Winged Insect Clan now intends to reclaim it.
• The group prepares to defend the Plane. Ten days later, four Golden-Winged Broodmothers arrive with an enormous swarm of insects.
• Frans and the other Great Legendaries attack, but the seemingly endless insects are difficult to eliminate and begin wearing down their magic and defenses.
• Merlin realizes that the swarm’s simple minds make it vulnerable to his Illusion. He immobilizes hundreds of millions of insects, allowing the Spellcasters to bypass them and charge the broodmothers.

Character developments

• Merlin applies his Mental Power User abilities in a major battle for the first time in this chapter. His experience with danger has strengthened his Illusion, bringing him close to the Illusion Heart Realm.
• Frans is shown as a capable but cautious defender: he secured the Plane and sought allies when the Insect Clan’s return threatened to overwhelm him.
• Ducas and Ansiya support Frans, though Ansiya’s frustration reflects how troublesome broodmothers are to fight.

Significant themes

• Numbers versus specialized power: The Insect Clan relies on vast swarms, but Merlin’s Illusion turns their greatest strength into a vulnerability.
• The struggle for territory: Planes can change hands and spark prolonged conflicts among civilizations and races.
• Growth through adversity: Merlin’s brush with death has deepened his command of Illusion, giving him a decisive new advantage.

Character interactions

• Frans welcomes the Spellcasters and explains the dispute, while Ducas immediately pledges support.
• The group discusses the Insect Clan’s strengths and weaknesses before facing the swarm.
• When Merlin claims he can handle the cannon fodder, the others doubt him. His Illusion quickly proves them wrong, earning their astonishment and enabling them to attack the broodmothers.

Plot points and events

• Merlin’s Illusion keeps the insect armies from responding to their four mother insects, allowing Frans, Ducas, and two other Legendary Mages to gain the advantage.
• Ducas kills one mother insect by repeatedly striking it with his two laws. Its death causes many insects caught in Merlin’s Illusion to die as well. The three surviving mothers flee.
• Frans buys the remaining Golden-Winged insects from Merlin for twenty million Elemental Crystals. Including his earlier payment, Merlin receives thirty million, and the contract ends.
• Frans proposes an alliance: Merlin’s Illusion could strengthen the four mages and help them claim more Planes. Merlin declines, judging them too weak to advance his own plans.
• Seeking nearby unclaimed territory, Merlin learns that the region’s accessible Planes are already occupied by other races. He decides instead to seize the three Planes between the Frans Plane and the Golva Plane, despite Frans’s warnings that attacking an occupied Plane could provoke a costly, prolonged conflict.
• Merlin asks Frans which enemy-held Plane is closest, preparing to act.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin demonstrates the strategic value of his Illusion and remains confident in his superior strength. He refuses to disclose his hidden resources, including his powerful abilities and warship, and chooses an independent, forceful course.
• Frans respects Merlin’s abilities and invites him into an alliance, then cautions him about the dangers of attacking occupied Planes.
• Ducas proves the strongest of the four allied mages, using two laws to kill a mother insect.
• The Legendary Mages, initially inclined to look down on Mental Power Users, now recognize Merlin’s Illusion as a major advantage.

Significant themes

• Strength and leverage: Merlin’s Illusion changes the balance of battle and makes him a valuable potential ally.
• Independence versus cooperation: Merlin turns down an alliance because he believes it would constrain rather than advance him.
• Conquest and risk: In the Boundless Region, securing territory means confronting its current owners, and even a strategically valuable target may lead to a dangerous conflict.

Plot points and events

• Merlin learns that the nearest plane to Frans’s is the Vimm Plane, ruled by Vimm, a Wing Clan powerhouse said to have defeated four formidable opponents alone.
• Despite Frans warning him that Vimm is a dangerous target, Merlin decides to take the three intervening planes and connect them with Frans’s territory for mutual protection.
• Frans and three other Great Legendaries follow Merlin, expecting his attempt to seize a plane to end badly—and wanting to witness the outcome.
• At the Vimm Plane, Vimm warns Merlin away. Merlin presses forward, and Vimm leaves his plane to fight him without risking damage to it.
• Merlin unleashes the power of his Rainbow Mage’s Heart. His freezing wind, darkness, and flames overwhelm Vimm, nullifying the Wing Clan warrior’s speed and golden defenses. The battle appears close to a decisive end.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin acts with growing confidence, treating the conquest of planes as a practical way to strengthen the Spellcaster Civilization’s position. His power proves far beyond what the others expected of an Archmage—apparently rivaling a five-law Great Legendary.
• Frans is cautious and tries to dissuade Merlin, but follows him to observe the confrontation. Witnessing Merlin’s strength leaves him shocked.
• Ansiya is intrigued by Merlin’s plans and encourages the group to watch, expecting him to learn a lesson.
• Ducas and the other Legendaries initially doubt Merlin’s chances, then recognize that his ability exceeds even that of a Civilization-Level Prodigy.
• Vimm begins as an assured, authoritative ruler, but Merlin’s layered attacks leave him trapped, unable to use his speed, and increasingly desperate.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Vimm’s fearsome record cannot protect him from an opponent whose abilities exceed conventional expectations.
• Ambition and risk: Merlin challenges a powerful ruler to expand and secure territory, while more experienced mages view the move as reckless.
• The extraordinary nature of talent: Merlin’s strength as an Archmage disrupts the established hierarchy and suggests the emergence of a prodigy beyond civilization grade.
• Strategic cooperation: Merlin’s proposed chain of planes would let neighboring rulers support one another against outside threats.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Merlin kills Vimm, a Wing Clan mage, so quickly that Vimm cannot escape or use a desperate counterattack. With Vimm dead, the Vimm Plane becomes unclaimed.
• Merlin enters the plane and takes control of its elemental origin without difficulty. He notes that its elemental origins—especially darkness and fire—may help him pursue supreme laws.
• Frans, Ducas, Forte, and Ansiya enter the plane and see that Merlin has claimed it. Impressed by his strength, they ask him to help secure planes for them in return for their assistance in guarding and expanding his territory.
• Merlin proposes an offensive and defensive alliance. Frans agrees, and the group forms an alliance centered on mutual support and the eventual linking of their planes. For now, it controls only the Frans Plane and the newly claimed Vimm Plane.
• Merlin brings out his Atlan Empire-Class Warship and has its Mining Robots survey the Vimm Plane. The plane is poor in resources, but its ore could still provide energy equal to 360% of the warship’s capacity—enough, Merlin estimates, to build nearly three Martial Arts Robots.
• The survey prompts Merlin to grasp more fully the potential danger of the Atlan Civilization, whose technology could let it rapidly build powerful robots from a single plane’s resources.

Character developments

• Merlin demonstrates overwhelming strength and confidence, then shifts from claiming territory to planning a lasting power base. He sees the alliance as both practical protection and a possible foundation for future control.
• Frans recognizes the value of Merlin’s protection and readily joins the alliance, hoping it will secure his own plane and connect it to safer territory.
• Ducas, Forte, and Ansiya abandon the idea of partnering with Merlin as equals. They instead seek footholds of their own through cooperation with him.
• Merlin’s view of the Atlan Civilization changes: he moves from knowing it as a formidable technological power to recognizing how quickly its warships could create forces comparable to Legendary Mages.

Significant themes

• Power and security: Holding a plane is difficult; alliances and mutual defense are essential to keeping territory.
• Ambition and empire-building: Merlin’s alliance is presented as the beginning of a broader sphere of influence, not merely a short-term bargain.
• The danger of technology: The warship’s ability to turn a plane’s resources into powerful robots suggests that technological civilizations can rival or surpass traditional magical powers.
• The value of resources: Even a resource-poor plane can fuel a dramatic military expansion.

Character interactions

• Merlin invites Frans and the others to inspect the newly claimed plane, earning their respect.
• Ducas negotiates for future planes for himself and his companions; Merlin considers granting them border territory in exchange for their support.
• Merlin asks Frans to commit to the group, and Frans agrees, since his plane’s safety depends on expanding and linking their territory.
• Merlin and the Matrix assess the plane’s mineral wealth, leading Merlin to reflect on the Atlan Civilization’s potential.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Merlin spends three months in the first Plane, extracting unusual minerals and manufacturing Martial Arts Robots.
• He receives news that core materials for producing Martial Arts Robots are exhausted, requiring a search for new materials.
• Merlin decides to connect and occupy the second and third Planes simultaneously, aiming to condense a Supreme Law and become a Titled Legend.
• He learns about the occupants of the second (One-Horn Clan) and third (Ponio, a Giant Clan member) Planes.
• Merlin and his forces split: Merlin goes to the third Plane, while Ducas and others, accompanied by ten Martial Arts Robots, go to the second Plane.
• Merlin confronts Ponio, who is aware of Merlin's intentions and ready to defend his Plane.

Character Developments

• Merlin: Continues to accumulate power and knowledge, aiming to become a Titled Legend. He demonstrates strategic planning and confidence in his abilities.
• Ponio: A Giant Clan member with three Laws, occupying the third Plane. He is aware of the situation and ready to defend his Plane.

Significant Themes

• Accumulation of power and knowledge for ascension (Merlin's pursuit of becoming a Titled Legend).
• Territorial disputes and the struggle for resources (the competition among Planes and civilizations).
• The vastness and diversity of the Void Realm (different races, Plane sizes, and power dynamics).

Character Interactions

• Merlin and Matrix: Merlin receives news about the exhaustion of core materials from Matrix.
• Merlin and Mage Frans/Ducas: They discuss the strategy for occupying the second and third Planes. Merlin entrusts Ducas with ten Martial Arts Robots to aid in the second Plane's seizure.
• Merlin and Ponio: They confront each other, with Ponio ready to defend his Plane against Merlin's attempt to seize it.

Plot points and events

• Merlin defeats the Giant King Ponio by trapping him briefly with an illusion, then destroying him with his Thunderfire spell. He takes control of Ponio’s plane and uses its rich mineral deposits and elemental origin to strengthen his understanding of darkness and fire.
• Frans reports that his group has captured a second plane and killed a powerful One-Horn Clan fighter, though Ducas was injured. Their conquests connect three planes into a continuous territory stretching from the Golva Plane to the Frans Plane.
• A vast, lifeless Purple Plane drifts into the Boundless Region. Its ancient, powerful aura attracts explorers, including Legends, and its arrival begins to stir the region.
• Over the next six months, Merlin expands his holdings to eight planes, with Ducas leading the capture of five more. His darkness element nears the point of forming a supreme law, but he remains just short of becoming a Titled Legend.
• Foreign powers grow wary of Merlin’s expansion and begin organizing against him, making further conquests harder. Frans and the others arrive in a hurry at the end, suggesting new developments.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin remains cautious despite his strength, recognizing that even a powerful opponent like Ponio could have posed serious danger. Ponio’s death also prompts Merlin to reflect on his own mortality in the Boundless Region.
• Merlin’s success brings both strategic gains and greater visibility: he now commands a much larger territory, but rival groups are starting to coordinate in response.
• Frans delivers the news of victory and Ducas’s injury; Merlin praises the success and tells them Ducas should rest. Ducas’s leadership in later conquests contributes to Merlin’s rapid expansion.

Significant themes

• The danger of the Boundless Region: Strength and vigilance are essential, and even victory can carry risks.
• Expansion and its consequences: New territory brings resources and power, but also attracts opposition.
• The limits of progress: Merlin’s elemental mastery advances quickly, yet the final step toward a supreme law remains elusive.
• Ancient mystery and opportunity: The Purple Plane’s unexplained arrival offers potential treasures while hinting at a history beyond the known conflicts.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The author, Old Moon, admits to struggling with writing the current arc and expresses difficulty in producing enjoyable content.
• Old Moon decides to spend the night planning and promises to make up for it with at least three updates the next day.

Character Developments

• Old Moon: Shows self-awareness and honesty about their current writing struggles, demonstrating a commitment to improving their work.

Significant Themes

• Struggle and perseverance: Old Moon acknowledges their difficulties but remains determined to overcome them.
• Importance of planning and preparation: Old Moon decides to spend time planning to improve their writing output.

Character Interactions

• Old Moon addresses their readers directly, expressing gratitude for their support and asking for their continued backing despite the current challenges.

Key plot points

• Merlin’s allies—Frans, Ducas, and the others—report that a powerful Golden Light Clan member, Maya, is coming to reclaim a plane the Spellcaster Alliance seized.
• Though the Golden Light Clan is weak, Maya is its strongest member and is comparable to a Titled Legend. The clan’s escaped survivor persuaded him to intervene.
• Frans recommends avoiding a fight and surrendering the plane. Merlin refuses: he needs the territory and its planar origin, and sees Maya as a chance to test himself and advance toward condensing a supreme law.
• Maya travels to the plane with several clan members. He intends to drive the spellcasters out and teach them a lesson, but is careful not to provoke a wider conflict with the dominant Spellcaster Civilization.
• Merlin leaves the plane to meet Maya in the Void Realm. The two face off, their auras clashing, while Merlin’s allies watch anxiously from nearby planes.

Character developments and interactions

• Merlin remains confident and ambitious. Rather than retreat from a superior opponent, he welcomes the challenge, believing it may help him reach the level of a Titled Legend. He also considers his warship’s main cannon a safeguard.
• Frans and the alliance members are alarmed and urge caution. They depend on Merlin’s strength to protect their newly acquired territory and keep their alliance intact.
• Maya is formidable but politically restrained. He is angry that his clan’s foothold was taken, yet recognizes the danger of escalating a dispute with the Spellcaster Civilization.
• The chapter sets up a tense confrontation: Merlin and Maya meet without speaking, while their supporters worry about the consequences of the impending fight.

Significant themes

• Ambition and self-testing: Merlin treats danger as an opportunity for growth.
• Power and political caution: A weak civilization must weigh its claims against the influence of a stronger one.
• Territory and survival: The seized plane is valuable both as the Golden Light Clan’s foothold and as the foundation of Merlin’s expanding alliance.