Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Bustling Twin Royal City”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Instructor announces that the Great Summons is entering its climax and warns Rayne not to hesitate when facing former allies from the Tower of Dawn.
• Rayne and the Instructor exchange hostile but familiar remarks, suggesting a past friendship and rivalry between them.
• Leo appears in the sky after winning the Great Summons. He senses that someone—or a group—has been observing him, but he cannot detect them, implying they possess overwhelming concealment abilities.
• The hidden observers discuss Leo’s victory. Rayne accepts it with pride as a natural result of Leo being a Prossian. One of Rayne’s apprentices asks to fight Leo, but Rayne allows it only because Kyle has abandoned his intention to kill Sogra King.
• Leo travels to Twin Royal City and finds the population living normally despite the presence of a powerful Wizard. A fruit seller explains that the people are accustomed to Wizards because their conflicts usually involve nobles rather than commoners.
• Reflecting on ordinary life, Leo thinks of Chris, who may have returned to fishing in a mortal kingdom.
• At the royal palace, three thousand knights surround Leo. He defeats them effortlessly with an Arcane Hand-created net and Mental Radiation, demonstrating the overwhelming gap between Wizards and ordinary soldiers.
• Leo enters the palace amid panic and reaches Sogra King, who is seated on a throne. Sogra King reveals that he expected Leo’s arrival and had assumed his own son would be the one to confront him.

Character Developments

• Leo: Becomes increasingly aware that powerful figures are watching and judging him, though he cannot yet comprehend their concealment magic. His victory and effortless defeat of the knights reinforce his growth into a formidable Second-Rank Wizard Apprentice. He also shows restraint and an awareness of ordinary people’s lives.
• Rayne: Displays confidence in Leo as a fellow Prossian while maintaining a cold, intimidating attitude toward the other Wizards. His response to Kyle shows strategic calculation and control over his subordinates.
• The Instructor: Remains jovial and teasing on the surface, but his hidden strength and dangerous aura make clear that he is an extremely powerful Formal Wizard.
• Kyle: Appears frightened by Rayne’s authority and has apparently abandoned his plan to kill Sogra King, changing the political and personal stakes surrounding the confrontation.
• Sogra King: Tries to appear composed but is clearly terrified. His statement suggests he understands Leo’s connection to his son and may know more about the events leading to the confrontation.

Significant Themes

• The vast power gap between Wizards and mortals: The destruction of the three thousand knights illustrates how helpless ordinary forces are against even a relatively young Wizard.
• Hidden observation and manipulation: Leo’s inability to detect the Instructor’s group emphasizes the existence of higher levels of power and suggests that events are being watched or orchestrated by unseen players.
• The divide between commoners and nobles: Twin Royal City’s residents view Wizard conflicts as matters concerning the upper classes, allowing them to continue their daily lives largely unaffected.
• The cost and limits of power: Leo recalls the superior Wizard-grown apples while eating an ordinary one, highlighting the privileges and resources associated with the Wizard world.
• Fate versus personal choice: Kyle’s decision to abandon his attempt on Sogra King changes the relevance of who ultimately kills the king, showing how individual choices can redirect larger conflicts.

Character Interactions

• The Instructor and Rayne trade sarcastic threats rooted in their former friendship as Wizards of the Tower of Dawn.
• Rayne speaks with his apprentice about confronting Leo, but his intimidating presence prevents Kyle from openly resisting him.
• Leo talks with the fruit seller, learning how common citizens perceive Wizards and revealing his own concern for peaceful ordinary life.
• Leo confronts Sogra King in the palace, beginning the chapter’s central royal confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Sogra King realizes that the person who arrived is not his son, meaning the royal family’s plan to establish a Wizard lineage has failed.
• He reveals that Leo’s true opponent is Wizard Virdan, a young Prossian who once left the Tower of Dawn and now lives on Blackwind Isle.
• Virdan explains that he has no interest in protecting the king; he has come solely to challenge Leo.
• Their battle begins inside the palace as a formal but dangerous exchange of spells:
  • Virdan uses Arcane Hand to fire an enchanted arrow, then teleports above it and strikes Leo with Two-Stage Cutting, wounding him.
  • Leo responds by summoning one hundred Flesh Puppets through the Knight Puppet Spell, but Virdan destroys them all with a powerful lightning spell.
  • Leo counters with Blazing Lava. Although Virdan evades through lightning-based movement, Leo’s spell proves superior when their attacks collide.
  • Virdan is surprised to learn that Leo has already reached the fourth stage of spell mastery despite studying magic for only three months.
• Virdan abandons his damaged Wizard robe and declares that the warm-up is over, insisting on a more serious duel.
• The fight shifts into aerial and close-quarters combat. Virdan disrupts Leo’s balance with summoned bird wings, but Leo uses the Pumpkin Carriage Spell and his enhanced physical strength to gain the advantage.
• Leo disarms Virdan in close combat, forcing Virdan to retreat and rely on ranged spells and mobility.
• Virdan finally casts Multi-Stage Cutting, a vastly faster version of his earlier attack, slicing Leo into countless pieces and ending the chapter on a major cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Leo demonstrates remarkable growth, combining powerful spell mastery with overwhelming physical strength gained from one hundred bottles of Withered Wood Potion. He is confident, adaptable, and able to compete with a highly experienced Wizard despite his short magical training.
• Virdan is introduced as a skilled, battle-hungry Prossian who values challenging strong opponents. He is initially confident because he studied Leo’s previous battle, but Leo’s superior mastery of Blazing Lava surprises him.
• Virdan proves to be highly versatile, using teleportation, lightning transformation, aerial movement, balance-disrupting spells, and rapid cutting techniques rather than relying on brute force.
• The Sogra King is shown to be politically desperate after his plan for a Wizard lineage fails, though he plays little direct role in the battle.

Significant Themes

• Strength recognizing strength: Virdan’s interest in Leo reflects the Prossian desire to test oneself against powerful opponents rather than dominate the weak.
• Experience versus rapid growth: Virdan possesses greater experience and knowledge of Leo’s techniques, while Leo compensates through exceptional talent, physical enhancement, and unusually fast spell advancement.
• Adaptability in combat: Both Wizards continually adjust their strategies, shifting between ranged spells, summons, teleportation, aerial movement, and melee combat.
• Hidden ability and underestimation: Virdan initially underestimates Leo’s spell proficiency, while Leo must quickly identify and counter unfamiliar techniques.

Character Interactions

• The Sogra King summons Virdan as Leo’s opponent, revealing the political failure behind the confrontation.
• Virdan and Leo speak as fellow Prossians, immediately recognizing each other’s mindset and motivations.
• Their respectful conversation quickly becomes a competitive duel, with Virdan confidently explaining his advantages and Leo responding calmly.
• Virdan repeatedly taunts or challenges Leo’s claims, while Leo remains composed and answers through action rather than boasting.
• Their relationship develops from wary recognition into a serious rivalry, with the outcome unresolved after Virdan’s devastating Multi-Stage Cutting attack.

Chapter Summary: “Return”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Leo survives Virdan’s deadly Multi-Stage Cutting spell by using Lightning Flow Transformation, recognizing that without this evasive ability, the attack would have killed him.
• Their battle devastates the Sogra palace. Virdan withstands Leo’s Potato Mine explosions with a protective barrier, but the destruction causes the palace to collapse.
• The Sogra King is crushed to death in the ruins. His final thoughts are for Kyle, whom he views as the future hope of the Sogla Royal Family.
• Leo and Virdan meet in the sky after the destruction. Virdan praises Leo’s well-rounded spell configuration and admits that Leo’s combat abilities have exceeded his expectations.
• Virdan chooses not to continue fighting, explaining that his goal was not to kill Leo. With the Sogra King dead and the battle concluded, he departs using magical wings.
• Leo reflects on Virdan’s strength and concludes that the Prossians’ reputation as naturally gifted Combat Wizards is deserved. Virdan’s power comes not from overwhelming Magical Pressure, but from selecting and mastering spells suited to different situations.
• Leo returns to the ship after roughly half a day of travel. Other Wizards now view him with fear and keep their distance because of his victory over Sephir and Banville.
• Back with his team, Leo learns that Ilis confronted a Formal Wizard who had allegedly delayed Leo’s return. Although her behavior was reckless, Leo thanks her.
• Alice explains that several Wizard teams are still missing. Formal Wizard Jindeli has ordered that the ship will wait only three days before departing, prompting Leo to become concerned and suggesting that he may have discovered something important.

Character Developments

• Leo demonstrates greater confidence in his combat abilities and spell versatility. His battle with Virdan teaches him to respect the Prossians’ strategic spell selection and fighting talent.
• Virdan is established as a highly capable and composed Combat Wizard. He recognizes Leo as a serious opponent but remains confident enough to withdraw without needing a decisive victory.
• The Sogra King dies as collateral damage rather than in direct combat, emphasizing the destructive consequences of Wizard battles. His final concern is the survival of Kyle and the royal family’s future.
• Ilis reveals her fierce loyalty to Leo by confronting a Formal Wizard on his behalf. Though impulsive and inappropriate, her actions show that she genuinely cares about him.
• Alice continues to act as a responsible mediator, restraining Ilis and informing Leo about the situation aboard the ship.
• The other Wizards’ reactions show that Leo’s reputation has grown significantly, but this fame also creates fear and social distance.

Significant Themes

• Combat strategy over raw power: The duel demonstrates that victory depends on having a carefully designed set of complementary spells, not merely possessing greater Magical Pressure.
• The danger of Wizard battles: The Sogra King’s death and the destruction of the palace show how ordinary people suffer from conflicts between powerful Wizards.
• Respect between rivals: Leo and Virdan part without hostility, each recognizing the other’s skill despite their confrontation.
• Loyalty and personal risk: Ilis’s willingness to challenge authority for Leo contrasts with the caution of others who avoid becoming involved.
• Reputation and isolation: Leo’s victories earn him respect and fear, but they also cause other Wizards to keep their distance.

Important Character Interactions

• Leo and Virdan: They exchange mutual praise and analysis after their battle. Virdan acknowledges Leo’s comprehensive spell configuration, while Leo recognizes Virdan’s exceptional combat talent.
• Leo and Ilis: Leo is surprised by Ilis’s reckless defense of him but thanks her rather than reprimanding her. Ilis insists she acted according to what she believed was right.
• Leo and Alice: Alice updates Leo on Ilis’s behavior and the missing Wizard teams, setting up Leo’s concern about what may have happened during his absence.
• The Sogra King and Kyle: The King’s dying thoughts reveal his hope that Kyle will survive and preserve the royal family’s future.

Chapter Summary: “Growth Equivalent to Level 6 Mental Power Talent”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Leo realizes that the three Formal Wizards from the Tower of Dawn would not remain at the site for several days merely to handle the Mutated Creatures. He and Alice suspect the Great Summons incident may have a deeper, unfinished purpose.
• Leo reflects that, because of his team’s earlier failure and his inability to complete the Death List, no team will qualify for the Genius Wizard Title.
• While resting through meditation, Leo finally completes the Perfect-Quality Intermediate Meditation Method Codex and receives 500 Refinement Points.
• Mastering the perfected method significantly improves Leo’s understanding and meditation efficiency. More importantly, it restores his mental-energy growth rate instead of allowing it to decline over time.
• Leo realizes that this stable, accelerated growth is normally an advantage exclusive to individuals with Level 6 Mental Power Talent. Although he lacks that talent, his perfected meditation method gives him an equivalent benefit.
• That evening, Leo goes to the deck to hear the results of the Great Summons.
• Meanwhile, Formal Wizard Brock questions his son Banville about losing to Leo. Brock explains that Banville’s defeat was caused not by inferior spells or mental energy, but by a lack of combat experience.
• Brock decides to send Banville to train in the dangerous Crimson Sea after they return to the Tower of Dawn, where fighting magical creatures will improve his practical abilities.
• Banville leaves the room and discovers that Anna and the other team members had been waiting outside, worried that Brock might punish him.

Character Developments

• Leo: Gains a major cultivation breakthrough. His perfected meditation method allows him to maintain rapid mental-energy growth, greatly improving his future potential and giving him an advantage comparable to Level 6 Mental Power Talent. He also becomes increasingly aware that the Great Summons may conceal a larger threat.
• Alice: Demonstrates sound judgment by agreeing with Leo that the Formal Wizards’ continued presence likely signals unfinished business.
• Banville: Initially views his defeat as the result of Leo’s “shameless tricks,” but Brock helps him recognize that his real weakness is insufficient combat experience. He accepts the need for practical training and shows emotional growth through his response to his friends’ concern.
• Brock: Acts as a strict but perceptive mentor and father. Rather than dwelling on Banville’s failure, he focuses on extracting a useful lesson and arranging training to correct the weakness.
• Anna and the other teammates: Reveal their loyalty and genuine concern for Banville, proving that their friendship extends beyond success in the competition.

Significant Themes

• The value of practical experience: Knowledge of spells and superior mental energy are not enough; real combat ability depends on experience and adaptability.
• Growth through failure: Banville’s defeat becomes an opportunity for improvement rather than a permanent setback.
• Talent versus effort and technique: Leo’s perfected meditation method allows him to gain an advantage normally associated with an innate Level 6 talent, suggesting that exceptional mastery can compensate for natural limitations.
• Friendship and loyalty: Banville’s teammates remain supportive after his loss, emphasizing that true relationships are revealed during failure.
• Hidden danger and unresolved events: The Formal Wizards’ continued presence hints that the Great Summons may involve a larger incident still developing beneath the surface.

Character Interactions

• Leo and Alice discuss the suspicious behavior of the Formal Wizards and agree that their presence likely has a deeper purpose.
• Brock critiques Banville’s defeat but gives him constructive guidance instead of simply punishing him.
• Banville challenges Brock’s interpretation of the battle, while Brock teaches him that combat experience was the decisive factor.
• Anna and the other teammates wait outside Brock’s room out of concern for Banville, and their support reassures him that he has gained genuine friends despite losing the Great Summons.

Chapter Summary: “Victor”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Banville tells his teammates that his father not only refrained from scolding him after his defeat by Leo, but also taught him how to overcome Leo. Encouraged, Banville vows to win their next confrontation.
• In private, Sephir obsessively analyzes combinations of Bloodline Abilities, but concludes that none can defeat Leo. Frustrated, he begins questioning Wizard Nova’s teachings and decides that Nova’s understanding of the correct path to becoming a powerful Wizard may be flawed. Sephir resolves to find a new path and challenge Leo again.
• A banquet is held on the ship after the Great Summons. Leo joins Ilis, Alice, Bruce, and other Wizards. The gathering reveals the differing personalities and relationships among the participants:
  • Ilis enthusiastically welcomes Leo and enjoys the food despite her awkward manner of eating.
  • Alice apologizes for failing to tell Leo about the banquet, while Leo remains unconcerned about his plain Wizard robe.
  • Bruce arrives with a female Wizard, apparently his close companion, and thanks the group for surviving the dangerous operation.
  • Fia apologizes for previously avoiding Leo because she feared offending a Formal Wizard; Leo accepts her explanation without resentment.
• The three Formal Wizards—Jindeli, Brock, and Tuo Li—announce the results of the Great Summons. Although Leo’s team killed four Death List targets, Leo’s later achievements were not counted because his teammates had already returned to the ship.
• No team completed the full objective of killing all assigned targets and the Sogra King. Nevertheless, the Formal Wizards decide to award the Genius Wizard Title to the most outstanding team.
• Despite everyone expecting Leo’s team to win because Leo killed the Sogra King and defeated both Sephir and Banville, Jindeli announces that Banville’s team is the victor. Leo reacts calmly and applauds with the others.

Character Developments

• Leo: Remains calm, modest, and detached from recognition. He does not care that his later kills were excluded from the official tally and accepts Banville’s team receiving the title without protest.
• Banville: Recovers confidence after his defeat and becomes determined to challenge Leo again, believing his father’s advice will lead him to victory.
• Sephir: Suffers a deeper psychological setback. His failure against Leo causes him to doubt both his own chosen path and Wizard Nova’s guidance, but he turns that frustration into a renewed determination to improve.
• Alice: Continues to show responsibility and some guilt over having ordered the team’s early return, since that decision prevented their full achievements from being recognized.
• Ilis: Displays her friendly, enthusiastic nature and comfortable relationship with Leo.
• Bruce: Appears sociable and playful, while also acknowledging that Alice’s decision helped ensure the team’s survival.
• Fia: Shows caution around powerful Wizards but takes the opportunity to repair her relationship with Leo.

Significant Themes

• Recognition versus true achievement: Official results fail to reflect Leo’s actual accomplishments because the rules exclude his later actions, suggesting that reputation and merit are not always measured fairly.
• Failure and self-reinvention: Banville and Sephir respond differently to defeat—Banville gains confidence through external guidance, while Sephir questions his entire ideological foundation.
• The limits of authority and doctrine: Sephir begins to recognize that even a genius such as Wizard Nova may be mistaken, emphasizing the importance of independent judgment.
• Composure and humility: Leo’s indifference to the title contrasts with the excitement of the other Wizards and reinforces his calm confidence.
• Survival and teamwork: Despite competition and resentment, the characters acknowledge that surviving the dangerous Great Summons required cooperation and difficult decisions.

Important Character Interactions

• Banville’s teammates encourage him after he announces his intention to defeat Leo.
• Sephir confronts his own failure in solitude, mentally opposing Wizard Nova’s teachings.
• Ilis and Leo share a relaxed, friendly exchange at the banquet.
• Alice apologizes to Leo for the lack of formal attire and later feels uneasy when Bruce mentions the team’s early retreat.
• Bruce thanks Alice and the others for helping the team survive, while lightly teasing them before leaving with his companion.
• Fia apologizes to Leo for avoiding him, and Leo reassures her that he understands.
• The Formal Wizards publicly announce Banville’s team as the winning team, surprising the gathering and creating a contrast between Leo’s actual strength and the official result.

Chapter Summary: “One Move Is Enough”

Key Plot Points and Events

• During a ceremony honoring Banville’s squad, four apprentices suddenly attack Wizard Jindeli by spitting scarlet, blood-like streams at him. Jindeli survives because his Permanent Defensive Stance automatically shields him.
• The spell controlling the ship’s inhabitants briefly stops, freeing Leo and the others from their forced applause. However, more than thirty apprentices soon resume clapping, their eyes bloodshot, and march toward the stage under renewed control.
• Banville realizes that Anna and the others have been manipulated and expresses concern for them. His father, Brock, confirms that a controlling spell is responsible and suggests finding its source to restore them.
• The enemy leaders, Rayne and the Instructor, arrive with Sono and two Prossian wizard apprentices, including Virdan. The Instructor reveals that the entire ceremony and the apprentices’ behavior were part of a deliberate trap.
• The Formal Wizards divide the battle: the Instructor challenges Jindeli, while Rayne declares that he will fight Brock and Tuo Li simultaneously. The battles are moved into the sky so the Formal Wizards do not endanger the apprentices below.
• Jindeli orders the Tower of Dawn apprentices to kill the Prossian attackers, but Banville points out that the controlled wizards are being used as hostages, preventing a direct assault.
• Sephir ignores this concern and attacks Sono and the other Prossians, dismissing the controlled apprentices as worthless. His feather attack is neutralized by Kendia, a Prossian wizard whose arms transform into blades that generate a vortex.
• Kendia introduces himself and challenges Sephir, acknowledging Sephir’s reputation as a Level 6 Mental Power Talent genius. Sephir confidently declares that a single move will be enough to kill him and transforms his wings into bat wings.

Character Developments

• Banville demonstrates compassion and responsibility by worrying about Anna and the controlled apprentices rather than treating them as enemies.
• Brock acts as a perceptive and protective father, quickly identifying the control spell and seeking a way to save the victims.
• Jindeli remains composed under surprise attack thanks to his defensive magic, then takes command and emphasizes the honor of the Tower of Dawn.
• Rayne displays confidence and contempt toward the Tower of Dawn, willingly accepting a two-on-one battle against Brock and Tuo Li.
• The Instructor reveals himself as the mastermind behind the elaborate trap and adopts an openly confrontational attitude.
• Sephir is portrayed as arrogant, ruthless, and highly confident in his strength. His willingness to attack despite the hostages contrasts sharply with Banville’s caution.
• Kendia emerges as a skilled and respectful rival, specifically seeking to test himself against Sephir.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and loss of free will: The controlled apprentices show how the enemy has turned ordinary wizards into weapons and hostages.
• Strength versus compassion: Banville and Sephir represent opposing responses to the crisis—one prioritizes saving lives, while the other values power and survival above all else.
• Pride and factional hostility: The confrontation reflects the deep hatred between the Tower of Dawn and the Prossians, with both sides questioning the other’s morality and strength.
• Confidence before battle: Sephir’s claim that “one move is enough” highlights the chapter’s focus on martial pride, overwhelming power, and the danger of underestimating an opponent.
• Strategic division of forces: The enemy carefully arranges the battlefield, separating the Formal Wizards while using controlled apprentices to restrict the younger wizards’ choices.

Character Interactions

• Banville and Anna: Banville reacts with alarm when Anna attacks, showing their personal connection and his refusal to view her as an enemy.
• Banville and Brock: Brock helps Banville understand that the controlled apprentices are victims of a spell, reinforcing the father-son relationship.
• Jindeli, Rayne, and the Instructor: Their exchange exposes the hostility between the factions and establishes the formal wizard duels.
• Banville and the other apprentices: Banville prevents an immediate attack because the controlled wizards are being used as hostages.
• Sephir and Kendia: Their confrontation begins with mutual recognition of talent but quickly becomes a contest of confidence, culminating in Sephir’s declaration that he can win in one move.

Chapter Summary: “Setback”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sephir attacks Kendia with rapid vampire movements and claws, then transforms into a magma behemoth and unleashes molten lava.
• Kendia effortlessly counters both attacks: he paralyzes Sephir with an electrical spell, blocks the magma with a radiant barrier, and then crushes him beneath a powerful gravity field.
• The Wizards witnessing the fight are terrified by Kendia’s overwhelming strength, especially because Sephir is considered one of the strongest Wizard Apprentices on the journey.
• As the ship descends into chaos, the controlled Wizard Apprentices continue attacking their allies. Because they feel no pain or fear, the unaffected Wizards are forced to fight cautiously.
• Sono declares that he will fight Leo, while Banville intervenes, accusing Sono of controlling Anna and the others.
• Sono hints that his spell is not ordinary mind control, suggesting that the controlled Wizards may not be truly alive despite still moving and having circulating blood.
• Sono asks Virdan to restrain Banville so he can battle Leo without interruption. Virdan objects to being ordered around but agrees after provoking Banville into accepting the challenge.
• Leo pursues Sono away from the ship using the Pumpkin Carriage Spell, recognizing that defeating Sono is the key to ending the crisis.
• Banville fights Virdan. He demonstrates advanced ability by transforming into soil to evade Virdan’s difficult Multi-Stage Cutting spell.
• Virdan acknowledges that Banville has entered a level normally associated with First-Rank Wizard Apprentices, then escalates the fight by unleashing a massive lightning attack.

Character Developments

• Kendia is revealed to be vastly stronger and more composed than expected. He neutralizes Sephir’s varied attacks with ease, establishing himself as a dominant combatant.
• Sephir suffers a humiliating defeat despite using multiple powerful transformations, showing the limits of brute force against Kendia’s precise spellcasting.
• Leo remains focused and strategically calm. Rather than becoming distracted by the battles around him, he targets Sono, understanding that Sono’s defeat may free the controlled Wizards.
• Banville displays courage and confidence by taking responsibility for fighting Virdan. His ability to counter Multi-Stage Cutting shows that he has reached an advanced stage of Wizard Apprentice strength.
• Virdan maintains his usual composure and confidence, recognizing Banville’s growth while still treating the battle as a test of strength.
• Sono becomes more suspicious and threatening. His cryptic remarks imply that his spell belongs to a more unusual and dangerous category than simple mental manipulation.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and hierarchy: Kendia’s effortless defeat of Sephir demonstrates the enormous gap that can exist even among elite Wizard Apprentices.
• Strategy over raw strength: The battles emphasize counters, spell compatibility, and tactical decision-making rather than simple destructive power.
• Uncertainty and hidden abilities: Sono’s explanation of his spell creates doubt about the true nature of the controlled Wizards and raises the stakes of the conflict.
• Crisis and survival: The ship’s disorder forces the Wizards to fight while protecting allies and preserving their chances of surviving until the Formal Wizards resolve the larger battle.
• Recognition of growth: Virdan’s acknowledgment of Banville’s abilities highlights Banville’s progress and establishes him as a serious combatant.

Character Interactions

• Kendia vs. Sephir: Kendia completely dominates Sephir, turning Sephir’s aggressive assault into a demonstration of Kendia’s superior control and defensive ability.
• Leo and Virdan: Virdan refuses to resume his unfinished duel with Leo because Sono has claimed Leo as his opponent.
• Banville and Sono: Banville challenges Sono over the apparent control of Anna and the others, while Sono mocks Banville and questions his understanding of the spell.
• Virdan and Banville: Virdan steps in to fight Banville and uses the battle to test and acknowledge Banville’s advanced abilities.
• Leo and Sono: Both leave the ship to fight elsewhere, with Leo pursuing Sono because he believes Sono is responsible for the ongoing catastrophe.

Key events

• Banville and Virdan fight. Virdan’s Combination Spell, which attracts and absorbs magically created objects, puts Banville at a disadvantage.
• Banville resolves to keep fighting for his companions, but Virdan ends the duel and warns him against grounding his will in other people. He reveals that Wizard Kyle uses Necromancy.
• Virdan confirms that Anna and the others are already dead. Banville collapses, losing the will to fight, and Virdan dismisses him as an unworthy opponent.
• Meanwhile, Leo pursues Sono to an isolated island. Sono explains that his fast-flying spell consumes life force, then sheds the skin he has been wearing, revealing himself as Kyle.
• Kyle admits that the real Sono is dead. Leo is horrified to learn Kyle killed his own younger brother.

Character developments and interactions

• Banville shifts from confidence to uncertainty when faced with an unfamiliar Combination Spell. His devotion to his companions gives him resolve, but Virdan’s revelation about their deaths devastates him.
• Virdan demonstrates both considerable skill and a tendency to lecture others, which he attributes to having many younger siblings who became Wizards. He stops fighting Banville and shares what he knows about Kyle.
• Leo recognizes that “Sono” has seemed unlike the man he knew, but is shocked by the truth.
• Kyle presents himself as composed and conversational, even while revealing the disturbing extent of his deception. His casual admission that he killed Sono sharply contrasts with Leo’s outrage.

Significant themes

• The chapter explores will and motivation: Virdan argues that a Wizard should act for himself, while Banville’s strength is tied to protecting others.
• Death and the body are central, through the revelation of Necromancy, the apparent deaths of Anna and the others, and Kyle’s use of Sono’s skin.
• Identity and betrayal emerge as Kyle’s disguise is exposed, forcing Leo to confront how thoroughly he was deceived.

Chapter Summary: “Necromancy’s Display”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kyle confirms that he personally killed his younger brother, Sono. He claims Sono’s death was necessary because Sono joined the Uriel Gathering instead of remaining at the Esmond Gathering, making him suitable as a vessel for Kyle’s plan.
• Kyle views Sono’s sacrifice as worthwhile because it offered the Sogla Royal Family a chance at eternal prosperity and helped Kyle complete his mentor’s task, even though the larger plan ultimately failed.
• Kyle and Leo discuss Necromancy and the Tower of Dawn’s restrictive attitude toward the discipline. Kyle argues that the restrictions are not truly based on humanitarian concerns, since other fields—such as Bloodline Modification—also experiment on human bodies.
• Kyle believes Necromancy is suppressed because its growth could threaten the Tower of Dawn’s authority. Under his mentor’s protection, he has been able to study and use Necromancy freely.
• Kyle reveals that the upcoming battle is not part of his assigned mission. Instead, he intends to demonstrate Necromancy’s power by defeating Leo, one of the Tower of Dawn’s most impressive Wizards.
• Kyle unleashes an immense Magical Pressure of 800, far exceeding Leo’s, and summons a skull. When he throws it to the ground, skeletal hands begin emerging across nearly the entire island, signaling the start of a massive Necromantic attack.

Character Developments

• Kyle is revealed to be extremely cold and utilitarian, willing to sacrifice even his own brother for research and political goals. However, he becomes noticeably more passionate when discussing Necromancy, suggesting that it is central to both his identity and his magical research.
• Kyle’s likely specialization in Necromancy explains his unfamiliar spells, including the techniques he used to control Wizards and fly earlier.
• Leo becomes more wary of Kyle and recognizes that Kyle’s philosophical claims about Wizards pursuing truth may serve as excuses for ruthless behavior. Leo also deduces Kyle’s true motivation: using the battle to elevate Necromancy’s reputation.
• Leo’s reputation is emphasized through Kyle’s praise of his rapid achievements, including defeating powerful geniuses shortly after entering the Tower of Dawn.

Significant Themes

• Research versus morality: Kyle embodies the extreme Wizardly belief that personal feelings and ethics are secondary to knowledge, progress, and results.
• The justification of sacrifice: Sono’s death is treated as an investment rather than a tragedy, highlighting the danger of reducing people to tools.
• Suppression of unconventional disciplines: Necromancy’s restrictions raise questions about whether institutions ban practices for ethical reasons or to preserve political control.
• Power and reputation: Kyle sees Leo’s defeat as a public demonstration capable of changing how the world views Necromancy.
• Ideological conflict between Wizards: The coming battle is not merely personal or strategic; it represents Necromancy challenging the Tower of Dawn and the disciplines it favors.

Character Interactions

• Kyle confronts Leo with the truth about Sono’s death, provoking Leo’s disgust at Kyle’s lack of sentiment.
• Their philosophical exchange contrasts Leo’s skepticism with Kyle’s rigid belief that Wizards should pursue truth and research above all else.
• Kyle appeals to Leo as a fellow scholar of Necromancy, framing the duel as an academic demonstration rather than a simple attack.
• Despite claiming admiration for Leo, Kyle openly intends to use him as a “stepping stone” to prove Necromancy’s superiority, turning their intellectual conversation into a deadly challenge.

Chapter Summary: “Skeleton Fusion Spell”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Leo realizes Kyle deliberately chose the island battlefield because the environment greatly strengthens his Necromancy. Leo views this reliance on home-field advantage as undermining Kyle’s claim that Necromancy is inherently powerful.
• Leo summons one hundred Flesh Puppets in a defensive formation. Kyle’s numerous skeletons initially cannot overcome them, since each individual skeleton is weaker than a Flesh Puppet.
• Leo notices that destroyed skeletons leave no remains; the earth absorbs them. As skeletons are eliminated, the surviving ones grow harder and larger, revealing the spell’s fusion mechanism.
• Once only one hundred skeletons remain, Kyle ends the preparation phase. The enlarged skeletons now match the Flesh Puppets in strength, resulting in an even battle.
• Kyle explains the Skeleton Fusion Spell: fallen skeletons fuse into surviving ones, granting them increasingly powerful physical abilities. The spell transforms a large army of expendable skeletons into a smaller group of formidable undead.
• Leo attacks Kyle directly with Blazing Lava and an Arcane Hand arrow. Kyle blocks the lava with a bone wall and catches the arrow, though the impact tears away the flesh on his hand. He heals himself with a potion, exposing his unusual resilience and accepting a rise in Mental Radiation.
• Kyle reveals that he studied Leo’s techniques during the Great Summons. He neutralizes Leo’s Potato Mines by draining their energy with a purple aura, demonstrating his familiarity with Leo’s abilities.
• While Leo focuses on attacking Kyle, the skeletons overwhelm and destroy many Flesh Puppets. The deaths of both the Flesh Puppets and skeletons shift the battle further in Kyle’s favor, because each destroyed skeleton strengthens the survivors.
• Leo summons another hundred Flesh Puppets and casts Blazing Lava again, but the skeletons are now much stronger. Kyle reveals that he can restart the Skeleton Fusion Spell by using additional skulls, causing more skeletons to rise from the island’s soil.
• Leo becomes concerned that the spell may have no practical upper limit: repeated mass sacrifices could theoretically produce an overwhelmingly powerful skeleton. However, he suspects there must be some hidden limitation.

Character Developments

• Leo begins confidently, recognizing Kyle’s dependence on the battlefield and initially controlling the fight through his Flesh Puppets. As the fusion process becomes clear, his confidence gives way to caution and strategic concern.
• Leo also demonstrates adaptability by attacking Kyle directly rather than relying solely on his summoned creatures. Nevertheless, Kyle’s preparation and knowledge of Leo’s spells repeatedly blunt these tactics.
• Kyle remains calm and confident throughout the battle. He reveals himself to be highly observant, having studied Leo’s previous spells, and strategically exploits both the environment and the Skeleton Fusion Spell.
• Kyle’s physical condition is unusual: despite severe injury to his hand, he shows no visible pain and heals rapidly with a potion. This reinforces his endurance and possibly hints at the cost or nature of his Necromantic abilities.

Significant Themes

• Home-field advantage versus inherent strength: Leo questions whether Kyle’s Necromancy is truly powerful if it depends so heavily on the battlefield and available corpses or skeletons.
• Sacrifice and transformation: The Skeleton Fusion Spell turns destruction into progress, making every defeated skeleton contribute to the strength of the survivors.
• Preparation and information: Kyle’s knowledge of Leo’s spells gives him a major tactical advantage, emphasizing that understanding an opponent can be as important as raw power.
• Escalation and hidden limits: The battle raises the danger of abilities that grow stronger through repeated use. Leo begins searching for the spell’s possible constraints before Kyle can accumulate limitless power.
• Attrition warfare: Leo’s attacks are counterproductive because killing skeletons accelerates their fusion, while Kyle’s forces are expendable and continuously replenished.

Character Interactions

• Leo and Kyle engage in a battle of both magic and strategy. Leo challenges Kyle’s dependence on the environment, while Kyle argues that Leo is failing to account for the broader battlefield.
• Kyle openly explains the Skeleton Fusion Spell, using the explanation to boast about Necromancy and emphasize that Leo’s Flesh Puppets are no longer superior.
• Leo attempts to bypass the skeleton army and attack Kyle directly, but Kyle counters each move with prepared defenses and knowledge of Leo’s techniques.
• Kyle’s remark that Leo should not focus only on attacking highlights the central tactical conflict: Leo fights reactively through direct assaults, while Kyle controls the battlefield and turns every exchange to his advantage.

Chapter Summary: “Final Skeleton”

• Leo studies Kyle’s Skeleton Fusion Spell and discovers its limitation: skeletons can fuse only with others summoned in the same batch, not with skeletons from different summons.
• Protected by his Flesh Puppets, Leo destroys the skeletons one by one until only the Final Skeleton remains. The completed creature possesses overwhelming speed and strength, easily crushing Leo’s Flesh Puppets and seemingly placing Kyle on the verge of victory.
• Rather than attack the Final Skeleton, Leo unexpectedly targets Kyle with Multi-Stage Cutting. Kyle barely survives by transforming his body into shadow through an Elementalism spell, realizing that even a moment’s carelessness against Leo could be fatal.
• The Final Skeleton repeatedly pressures Leo. Leo uses Lightning Flow Transformation, sacrifices a hundred Flesh Puppets to block another attack, retreats, and combines Blazing Lava with Multi-Stage Cutting to destroy the Final Skeleton.
• Kyle argues that Leo’s mental energy cannot withstand prolonged spellcasting. Leo counters by drinking a Perfect-Quality Mana Recovery Potion, which restores his energy without causing the Mental Radiation associated with ordinary potions. Although his supply is limited, Leo gains renewed confidence.
• To better understand Kyle’s strange magic, Leo casts the Aiming Spell, sharpening his focus and insight. He realizes that Kyle’s technique resembles Banville’s abilities and suspects both are forms of a more unusual type of magic.
• Leo deliberately provokes Kyle by suggesting that Kyle’s spell mastery is comparable to Banville’s. Kyle, who is deeply proud of his Necromancy research, reacts angrily and insists that his spells are vastly superior.
• Angered, Kyle casts the Skeleton Fusion Spell again and explains that the only similarity between his magic and Banville’s is that both are Combination Spells. He claims Banville’s abilities stemmed from a special talent rather than genuine spell research.
• The chapter ends with Leo asking Kyle to explain what a Combination Spell is.

Character Development and Interactions

• Leo demonstrates patience, tactical creativity, strong endurance, and the ability to exploit an opponent’s emotions. His use of the Aiming Spell marks a shift from merely surviving Kyle’s attacks to actively analyzing and hunting him.
• Kyle remains confident in his Necromancy but is shown to have an emotional weakness: pride in his research. Leo successfully provokes him, causing the first visible break in his composure.
• Their conflict becomes increasingly psychological. Leo relies on observation and manipulation, while Kyle relies on overwhelming magical force and his belief in Necromancy’s superiority.

Major Themes

• Power and limitations: Even Kyle’s seemingly unstoppable spell has restrictions, while Leo’s resources and potions also impose limits.
• Strategy versus brute force: Leo survives the Final Skeleton not by overpowering it directly, but through timing, sacrifice, retreat, and layered spells.
• Pride in one’s work: Kyle’s anger reveals how deeply wizards identify with their research and discoveries.
• Unexplored magical systems: The introduction of Combination Spells suggests a broader and possibly more advanced form of magic connected to both Kyle and Banville.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kyle explains the secret behind his unusually powerful spells: Combination Spells, created by casting two spell mediums simultaneously and gaining the effects of a third medium.
• Leo’s system identifies Kyle’s explanation as a low-grade Spell Pyramid Codex, which Leo records using refinement points. The Codex is later upgraded to ordinary quality.
• Leo learns that the Spell Pyramid consists of constructing nine unique Combination Spells. Completing the pyramid amplifies spell power, reduces mental-energy consumption, and allows the construction of the tenth spell, Permanent Defensive Stance.
• Permanent Defensive Stance breaks through a Wizard’s mental-energy limit and begins the process of advancing to a Formal Wizard.
• During the ongoing battle, Leo summons a hundred Flesh Puppets. Instead of attacking Kyle’s skeletons directly, he has them hold the enemy back while he secretly studies the Codex.
• Leo attempts to create Combination Spells using several pairings, including:
  • Potato Mine + Pumpkin Carriage Spell
  • Knight Puppet Spell + Potato Mine Spell
  • Knight Puppet Spell + Blazing Lava Spell
  • Knight Puppet Spell + Pumpkin Carriage Spell
• Every attempt fails because Combination Spells possess uniqueness: no two Wizards can construct the same combination, even when using identical spells.
• Kyle realizes Leo is studying the Codex during their life-or-death battle and becomes both angry at Leo’s confidence and alarmed by his rapid progress.
• Fearing that Leo might successfully create a Combination Spell and turn the fight around, Kyle escalates the battle by casting another Combination Spell: a massive wraith formed from dark clouds.

Character Developments

• Leo demonstrates exceptional adaptability and cunning. He deliberately provokes Kyle into revealing the secret of Combination Spells, then uses the battle as an opportunity to learn the Spell Pyramid Codex.
• Leo’s existing mastery of several spells, particularly those at perfect quality, gives him an unusual advantage in beginning to study Combination Spells.
• Despite repeated failures, Leo remains analytical and determined, trying multiple spell combinations rather than abandoning the attempt.
• Kyle shifts from anger to confidence when he believes Leo is merely testing him, but his attitude changes when he realizes Leo has genuinely learned the principles behind Combination Spells.
• Kyle’s respect and fear of Leo increase as he recognizes that Leo may be capable of advancing during the battle itself.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge as power: Leo turns Kyle’s explanation into a direct strategic advantage, showing that information can be as valuable as raw magical strength.
• Improvisation under pressure: Leo studies and experiments with a new magical system in the middle of combat.
• The difficulty of advancement: Although the Spell Pyramid appears conceptually simple, constructing Combination Spells requires exceptional control and unique magical configurations.
• Individuality and uniqueness: The rule that no two Wizards can create the same Combination Spell emphasizes the personal nature of magical development.
• Overconfidence and psychological warfare: Leo’s calm behavior unsettles Kyle, while Kyle attempts to regain control by escalating his attacks.

Character Interactions

• Kyle explains Combination Spells to Leo, believing that revealing the secret will not change the battle’s outcome.
• Leo conceals his excitement, pretends to regret learning the secret, and deliberately resumes the fight while studying the Codex.
• Kyle observes Leo’s unusual behavior and correctly deduces that he is learning in the middle of combat.
• Their exchange becomes a battle of both magic and perception: Leo attempts to gain a breakthrough, while Kyle launches a stronger Combination Spell to prevent him from doing so.

Plot points and events

• Leo uses Lightning Flow Transformation to evade Kyle’s dissolving wraith, then reveals he has been holding back: Basic Body Fortification makes his close-combat power vastly greater than his Flesh Puppet’s.
• Armed with a sword formed from Arcane Hand, Leo cuts through Kyle’s skeletons despite Kyle’s Bird Wing Spell, which is meant to hinder Battle Mages.
• Kyle’s skeletons fuse into a Final Skeleton, but Leo destroys it with a single blow. He explains that straightforward strength can overcome Wizards who depend on favorable conditions and spell combinations.
• Realizing the enormous gap between them, Kyle loses his resolve and flees. Leo pursues him in a Pumpkin Carriage while Kyle casts spells behind him. The chase is still underway when the chapter ends.
• Leo reflects that his extraordinary strength comes from his Prossian physique, Battle Mage enhancements, and more than a hundred bottles of Withered Wood Potion. He also considers why Battle Mage research is neglected, while recognizing that this approach is less suited to prolonged fights against Mutated Creatures.

Character developments

• Leo reveals the scale of his physical power and his preference for clever spell combinations, even as he accepts that brute force is effective against opponents like Kyle. He remains curious about the wider potential and limitations of Battle Mage techniques.
• Kyle shifts from confidence in necromancy and his Final Skeleton to shock, fear, and flight once Leo demonstrates his superiority.

Significant themes

• Preparation and adaptability versus raw power: Kyle relies on specialized spells and an advantageous setup; Leo’s overwhelming physical strength renders them ineffective.
• Conviction under pressure: Kyle’s pursuit of truth collapses when his life is threatened, prompting Leo to note that survival is necessary to continue seeking truth.
• Strength depends on context: Leo’s combat style dominates this duel but may be less effective against enemies requiring sustained, long-range destructive power.

Character interactions

• Kyle repeatedly uses spells and skeletons to stop Leo, but Leo breaks through each defense and openly challenges Kyle’s claim that necromancy is the strongest magic.
• Leo’s calm observations contrast with Kyle’s escalating disbelief and panic. Once the Final Skeleton is destroyed, Kyle gives up fighting and runs; Leo follows.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Giant Wraith attacks Leo, but its slow movements are easily evaded by Leo’s Pumpkin Carriage Spell.
• Leo taunts Kyle for relying on evasive tactics and challenges the supposed superiority of Necromancy. Kyle attempts to flee rather than confront Leo directly.
• As Leo closes the distance, Kyle reaches the ship where Virdan and Kendia are fighting for the Prossian side.
• Virdan declares that the Tower of Dawn has effectively lost the apprentice battle and orders its Wizards to stop resisting. The exhausted apprentices, including Ilis, Alice, Bruce, Fia, Hughes, and Lexus, cease fighting.
• Kyle calls for Virdan and Kendia to save him. Virdan intervenes and asks Leo to end the battle, but Leo immediately severs Virdan’s right arm.
• Kendia redirects his gravity spell toward Leo, temporarily forcing him down onto the ship. However, Leo escapes the spell’s range and cripples Kendia by cutting off both his legs.
• Leo then kicks Virdan away and cuts off both of his legs as well, decisively defeating both powerful wandering Wizards.
• Leo confronts Kyle and remarks that Necromancy is not as powerful as Kyle believed. Kyle is too intimidated to respond.
• The Tower of Dawn apprentices cheer for Leo and urge him to kill the defeated Wizards, but Leo ignores them because he is more interested in questioning Kyle and studying Necromancy.
• Sephir, enraged by his humiliation, attacks Kendia. Leo strikes him with an invisible attack, leaving a deep wound across his chest, and orders him not to interrupt his questioning.

Character Developments

• Leo: Demonstrates overwhelming speed, precision, and combat ability. He remains calm, pragmatic, and focused on his own goals rather than pursuing a dramatic or honorable duel. His curiosity about Necromancy reveals his identity as a researcher as well as a powerful fighter.
• Kyle: His confidence in Necromancy collapses under Leo’s pressure. He abandons his earlier arrogance and begs for help, becoming visibly frightened and unable to defend his beliefs.
• Virdan and Kendia: Initially appear to control the battlefield and successfully force the Tower of Dawn to surrender, but they are swiftly incapacitated by Leo. Their inability to react to his speed emphasizes the vast gap between them and him.
• Ilis: Suffers a serious psychological setback after failing to defeat a Wizard corpse. Her confidence in her magical talent and future as a Wizard is shaken, though she has not yet abandoned her path.
• Sephir: His pride and humiliation provoke him into an impulsive attack, which Leo immediately stops.
• Tower of Dawn apprentices: Their exhaustion and defeat leave them demoralized, but Leo’s arrival restores their confidence and inspires them to cheer for him.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and speed: Leo’s physical and magical abilities render conventional defenses and battlefield advantages nearly meaningless.
• Pragmatism versus pride: Leo refuses to fight according to Kyle’s preferred rules, arguing that using his speed is simply the sensible choice. Kyle and Sephir, by contrast, are driven by pride and emotional reactions.
• The limits of Necromancy: Kyle’s claim that Necromancy is invincible is directly disproven by Leo’s effortless defeat of his forces and allies.
• Psychological consequences of defeat: Ilis’s near-collapse shows how repeated failure can threaten a Wizard’s confidence and “Dao heart.”
• Knowledge over glory: While others want Leo to kill the defeated enemies, he prioritizes questioning Kyle and learning more about Necromancy.

Character Interactions

• Leo and Kyle: Their exchange is dominated by taunts and ideological conflict. Leo criticizes Kyle for avoiding direct combat, while Kyle insists Leo should face his spell head-on. Their battle ends with Kyle terrified and unable to rebut Leo’s criticism.
• Leo and Virdan: Virdan attempts to negotiate and calm Leo, but Leo responds by severing his arm and later both legs, making clear that diplomacy cannot restrain him.
• Leo and Kendia: Kendia briefly traps Leo with a gravity spell, but Leo escapes and cripples him before he can react.
• Leo and Sephir: When Sephir attacks in anger, Leo wounds him instantly and reprimands him for interrupting his conversation.
• Virdan and the Tower of Dawn: Virdan announces their defeat and offers mercy, prompting the apprentices to stop fighting.
• The Tower of Dawn and Leo: The apprentices praise and encourage Leo, viewing him as the force that has reversed their hopeless situation, though Leo remains indifferent to their cheering.

Key plot points and events

• After defeating Kyle, Leo calmly acknowledges Kyle’s skill and asks him about his Necromancy. His composure contrasts with the blood left by his Arcane Hand, keeping the other Wizard Apprentices afraid.
• Sephir, though beaten and humbled, privately decides that Leo’s victory proves the value of overwhelming specialization. He resolves to follow that path and challenge Leo again.
• Leo asks whether Kyle’s corpse-control spell gives the dead genuine awareness. Kyle explains that it does not: the corpses merely imitate the personalities and habits they had when alive.
• Kyle demonstrates this with Anna’s corpse, whose lifelike concern for Banville is only an illusion created by the spell. Banville realizes that Anna and the others’ apparent affection and concern were not real, leaving him devastated.
• Kyle reveals that his spell combines Necromancy with Fleshcraft. It uses bodily substances believed to influence emotion as a medium for making corpses convincingly reproduce past behavior.
• Leo recognizes similarities to a spell he saw Wizard Jindeli use and receives a system notification offering him the Inferior-quality Bloodthread Undead Manipulation Spell Codex for 500 Refinement Points.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo shifts from victor to investigator, showing both mastery of Necromancy and a serious interest in learning from Kyle.
• Kyle is frightened into cooperation, but his explanation demonstrates expertise and clarifies the limits of his spell.
• Sephir loses his pride but turns defeat into renewed ambition, misinterpreting Leo’s strength as proof that specialization is the right path.
• Banville seeks reassurance that the dead cared for him, but Kyle’s explanation destroys that hope. Kyle, focused on answering Leo, dismisses Banville’s distress.

Significant themes

• Power and specialization: Sephir concludes that concentrated strength can overcome broad expertise, while Leo’s own curiosity suggests that knowledge across disciplines also matters.
• The boundary between life and imitation: Kyle’s spell can reproduce emotion convincingly without restoring consciousness or genuine feeling.
• Grief and self-deception: Banville’s hope that the corpses’ affection was real collapses when he learns it was only mimicry.
• Wizardly obsession: The chapter portrays Wizards as stubbornly committed to their research, even when faced with evidence that challenges their beliefs.

Key plot points and events

• Leo realizes he has learned a Combination Spell and wonders whether he can cast it or add it to his Spell Pyramid. He questions Wizard Kyle about the Wizards killed in the Tower of Dawn.
• During the battle, Rayne defeats Tuo Li and Brock with a powerful Combination Spell that twists and breaks through their Permanent Defensive Stances.
• The Instructor defeats Jindeli by sealing his Permanent Defensive Stance. Jindeli flees, but the Instructor stops Rayne from pursuing him because he wants Jindeli for experimental research.
• Rayne learns that Leo defeated his relatives Virdan and Kendia. He does not promise revenge, but subjects Leo to crushing pressure, leaving him coughing blood.
• The Instructor confirms that Kyle also lost to Leo. Kyle declines his mentor’s offer to avenge him, saying he will face Leo himself next time.
• The Instructor then turns his attention to Leo. Though he says he will not simply ignore his student’s defeat, he begins by placing scarlet cards into the fallen Tuo Li and Brock.

Character developments and interactions

• Rayne demonstrates how much the Prossian Wizards have advanced since leaving the Tower of Dawn. He is formidable but respects the Instructor’s research priorities, and he frames defeat as a reason to grow stronger rather than seek protection.
• Leo remains confident and physically resilient, but Rayne’s pressure shows that his bodily strength has limits against powerful Wizards. The Instructor’s interest in him raises the stakes.
• Kyle accepts responsibility for losing to Leo and chooses to settle the matter himself rather than rely on his mentor.
• Virdan and Kendia likewise refuse to ask Rayne for revenge, echoing his belief that they should improve and defeat Leo on their own.
• The Instructor prioritizes experimentation, even when it means sparing an enemy Rayne could pursue. His concern for Kyle coexists with his curiosity about Leo.

Significant themes

• Growth through hardship: The Prossians credit their adversity with developing their talents, while Rayne urges the defeated to become stronger rather than seek revenge.
• Wizardly power and its limits: Permanent Defensive Stances are central to a Formal Wizard’s security, but Rayne and the Instructor reveal that powerful Combination Spells can overcome or even seal them.
• Ambition and rivalry: Kyle and the Prossian relatives treat defeat as motivation for future improvement, while the Instructor’s interest suggests Leo may become the focus of further conflict or study.
• Research over personal loyalties: The Instructor’s decision to preserve Jindeli for experiments shows that scholarly aims can take precedence even over the immediate pursuit of an enemy.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Instructor’s spell strips Brock and Tuo Li of their rational restraint. He insists it does not implant thoughts or control their minds; it simply lets their underlying impulses surface.
• Brock reveals that he sees Banville as an experimental subject created for his research and now wants to kill him. Banville tries to deny that his father truly means it, but Brock’s words deepen his despair.
• Tuo Li similarly admits that he kept Ilis alive to observe and use her for research, then attacks her. His magical hand crushes her, while his Permanent Defensive Stance blocks her attempt to fight back.
• Terrified apprentices flee after Sephir argues that remaining near the conflict will make them targets. Rayne and the Instructor let them go.
• Hughes, Lexus, and Fia seek Leo’s protection. Leo admits he has no clear plan, but after receiving a telepathic request from Tuo Li to kill him, he sends the three apprentices away and attacks.
• Tuo Li appears to let go of Ilis and draw Leo into the giant hand’s reach. Leo recognizes the trap, abruptly changes direction, and avoids it. Ilis escapes the hand and joins him.

Character developments

• Banville is emotionally devastated by the revelation that Brock regards him as a disposable experiment. Though he insists Brock’s words cannot be genuine, his confidence in that belief is collapsing.
• Brock shows the selfishness beneath his paternal role: his attachment to Banville is subordinate to his research and his fear of dying.
• Tuo Li reveals a conflicted attachment to Ilis. He claims to value her as a student and asks Leo to kill him rather than let him harm her, yet he still attacks her under the spell’s influence.
• Leo remains wary and tactical under pressure. Instead of blindly carrying out Tuo Li’s request, he anticipates the danger and uses his attack as a feint to help Ilis escape.
• Hughes, Lexus, and Fia place their trust in Leo, while Sephir takes initiative by leading the apprentices’ retreat.

Significant themes

• Inhibition and truth: The Instructor frames the spell as removing restraint rather than creating hostility, raising the question of whether people’s suppressed impulses reveal their “true” selves.
• Family and exploitation: Brock’s treatment of Banville exposes how affection and parental authority can conceal the exploitation of a child for research.
• Powerlessness and survival: The apprentices’ flight reflects the overwhelming gap between them and Formal Wizards, while Leo’s ingenuity offers a limited chance of resistance.
• Conflicted loyalty: Tuo Li’s plea to be killed contrasts with his violent actions, showing the struggle between his remaining concern for Ilis and the impulses unleashed by the spell.

Character interactions

• Brock’s attack and accusations force Banville to confront the possibility that his father never saw him as more than an experiment.
• Tuo Li’s assault puts Ilis in immediate danger, while his private appeal makes Leo an unexpected participant in their conflict.
• The apprentices turn to Leo for leadership; he protects them by urging them to flee before confronting Tuo Li himself.
• Leo’s feint prevents Tuo Li’s giant hand from capturing him and gives Ilis the opening to break free.

Chapter Summary

• Tuo Li’s betrayal is confirmed: After Leo saves Ilis from Tuo Li’s attack, he uses the Prismatic Dragon Scale to verify that Tuo Li genuinely intends to kill him. Leo realizes that Tuo Li and Brock are being controlled by the Instructor’s spell, making Leo, Ilis, and Banville shared targets.
• Tuo Li struggles against the control: Tuo Li attempts to attack Leo and Ilis with Giant Hand and overwhelming Magical Pressure, but briefly regains control of himself. He declares that, as a Formal Wizard of the Tower of Dawn and a seeker of truth, he will not willingly surrender his reason to instinct. Leo infers that Brock has likely been resisting the same control, explaining why neither Formal Wizard has yet killed their weaker opponents outright.
• A desperate apprentice draws Tuo Li’s attention: A Wizard Apprentice who was abandoned on the ship panics and attacks Tuo Li, protesting that the Great Summons was unfair and that apprentices should not have been forced to confront Formal Wizards. Although his spells cannot harm Tuo Li, they cause Tuo Li to redirect his Giant Hand toward him.
• Leo chooses escape: Leo concludes that he cannot break the Instructor’s composite spell or defeat two Formal Wizards protected by Permanent Defensive Stances. His only viable option is to flee and hope the Tower of Dawn sends reinforcements, especially since Jindeli has already escaped to seek help.
• Leo and Ilis flee together: Leo carries the injured Ilis away using the Pumpkin Carriage Spell. He instructs her to keep attacking Tuo Li, and any other wizards they encounter, to slow their pursuers. Ilis accepts, showing that her earlier idealism and reluctance to use underhanded tactics have weakened after confronting the threat of death. Leo also prepares numerous Flesh Puppets to delay Tuo Li.
• Alice is left behind: Leo’s flying speed quickly surpasses the other fleeing apprentices, including his teammate Alice. She tries to speak to him, but the wind drowns out her words, emphasizing the desperate and fragmented nature of the escape.
• Brock secretly seeks Leo’s help: Brock contacts Leo telepathically and asks him to kill both himself and Tuo Li. He explains that he does not want to murder Banville, even though the Instructor’s spell has twisted his desires and erased his reason. Brock believes a true wizard must restrain emotion through rational thought and refuses to accept being manipulated. He promises to reveal how Leo can kill them.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Leo becomes more pragmatic and strategic, abandoning any hope of defeating the Formal Wizards directly and prioritizing survival. He also begins treating Ilis as an ally whose cooperation is essential.
• Ilis is seriously injured but remains willing to fight and obey Leo’s survival plan, demonstrating increased flexibility under pressure.
• Tuo Li is revealed to be internally resisting the Instructor’s control, though he repeatedly loses control and attempts to kill Leo and Ilis.
• Brock retains enough self-awareness to oppose the Instructor and secretly appeals to Leo, creating a possible path to ending the threat.
• Alice is separated from Leo during the escape, reinforcing the danger and emotional cost of the crisis.

Significant Themes

• Reason versus instinct: The Instructor’s spell suppresses the Formal Wizards’ rational judgment and turns their emotions into murderous impulses.
• Survival versus morality: Leo and Ilis are forced to use desperate, potentially ruthless tactics, while the abandoned apprentice’s breakdown shows how quickly moral order collapses under overwhelming fear.
• Manipulation and autonomy: Tuo Li and Brock’s resistance highlights the importance of maintaining control over one’s mind and choices.
• Unequal power: The apprentices’ helplessness before Formal Wizards underscores the extreme gap in strength and the unfairness of the Great Summons.

Plot points and events

• Leo checks the Prismatic Dragon Scale and confirms that Wizard Brock is still hostile, so he treats Brock’s advice with caution.
• The escaping apprentices are trapped by a defensive barrier cast by the Instructor. Two hostile Formal Wizards are still hunting them, leaving them with no clear way out.
• Brock tells Leo that a spell has robbed him and Tuo Li of reason. He claims Leo can turn them against each other, then attack when their defensive spells weaken. Leo suspects a trap but decides the idea may be useful.
• Leo sends Alice away with Ilis and returns to the ship, hoping to delay the Formal Wizards until Wizard Jindeli reaches the Tower of Dawn and brings reinforcements.
• Only Banville remains aboard. Leo uses Tuo Li’s attack to make it appear that Tuo Li has threatened Banville. Brock, who considers Banville his research subject, intervenes, and the two Wizards turn on each other.
• Brock and Tuo Li begin fighting at full strength, creating a spectacle of far greater danger than their earlier attacks on the apprentices.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo acts cautiously but decisively, judging which parts of Brock’s advice might be true and risking a return to the ship to protect the others.
• Alice initially objects to Leo’s plan but agrees to take Ilis when she sees there is no safe alternative.
• Brock and Tuo Li are revealed as controlled and irrational, with their conflicting obsessions—Brock’s claim over Banville and Tuo Li’s hunt for Ilis—making them easy to provoke into fighting.
• Leo and Banville become part of Leo’s gambit: Leo positions himself in front of Banville and lets Tuo Li’s spell appear to endanger him, triggering Brock’s intervention.

Significant themes

• Strategy under pressure: Leo turns the enemies’ own motives and impaired judgment against them.
• Trust and uncertainty: Brock’s hostility makes his advice suspect, but Leo cautiously uses the part that proves true.
• Power and danger: Once the Formal Wizards stop holding back, their duel threatens everyone nearby and shows how precarious Leo’s plan remains.

Key plot points and events

• Brock and Tuo Li, two Formal Wizards, continue their duel at sea. Their spells devastate the surroundings, but neither can break the other’s Permanent Defensive Stance: Brock’s is formed of extraordinary steel, while Tuo Li’s is a forest that grows across the water.
• Leo keeps his distance with the defeated Banville, hoping the battle will last until help arrives. A group of Wizard Apprentices flies over to watch. Leo repeatedly warns them that the fight is dangerous, but many stay, eager to observe Formal Wizards’ spells.
• As the duel’s effects spread, the apprentices finally try to flee. Lightning and fire engulf the area, killing Sephir and knocking Hughes, Lexus, and the other apprentices from the sky. Their survival is uncertain. Leo and Banville endure the shockwaves.
• Leo notices Rayne’s group sheltered by a defensive spell and wonders whether the Instructor intends to send them into the conflict. Then a voice in Leo’s mind reveals that both Wizards’ defensive stances are close to collapsing—and urges him to seize the chance to kill them.

Character developments and interactions

• Leo acts cautiously, warning the apprentices several times, but ultimately accepts that they chose to take the risk. His attention shifts to the possible opening in the duel.
• Sephir is so fascinated by the fight that he approaches in a trance, convinced it will reveal how Wizards can become stronger. His ambition costs him his life.
• Hughes and Lexus trust Leo enough to remain nearer to him than the other observers, but they still refuse to leave because they do not want to miss the rare spectacle. Both are struck down.
• Banville remains in Leo’s grasp and survives the shockwaves, helped by heat-resistance potions.
• Brock and Tuo Li remain locked in an escalating stalemate, their spells threatening everyone nearby.

Significant themes

• The danger of ambition and curiosity: The apprentices’ desire to witness powerful magic overrides sound judgment.
• Power and its collateral damage: Even a stalemate between elite Wizards makes the surrounding area lethal.
• Warnings and responsibility: Leo tries to protect the others, but cannot make them heed him.
• Opportunity amid danger: The duel’s imminent turning point presents Leo with a chance—and a potentially deadly choice.