Chapter Summaries

Richard led a White Wizard Legion to protect retreating forces, while Delis warned that the Star River Mayflies might be preparing a decisive battle. As most of the Third War Zone withdrew, Great Wizard Twilight made preparations for a final confrontation, and the Star River World’s sky began to darken with strange spatial ripples.

• Master Delis objected to assigning three inexperienced rookies as a rear guard, and the deputy replaced them with veteran wizards before Delis led the retreat toward Fortress No. 394.
• Richard intercepted retreating wizards at Fortress No. 394 and used a Legion Spell, Blazing Sun Storm, to destroy thirty thousand Star River Mayflies.
• Delis joined Richard’s forces, warned him not to engage the pursuing mayflies, and explained that their elite troops had grown stronger and more fearless of death.
• Delis told Richard that he suspected the Star River Mayflies were preparing a decisive battle, so Richard withdrew with the expanded White Wizard Legion.
• Great Wizard Twilight learned that seventy-two percent of the Third War Zone’s wizards had returned and ordered his subordinate to destroy the Teleportation Gate and activate the backup retreat plan if he failed.
• The sky over the Star River World darkened as space rippled like an inverted sea.

Richard led the White Wizard Legion through a Shadow Mayfly ambush while the Star River Mayflies began their full invasion of the Star River World. Three Great Wizards appeared to defend the world, but three Mayfly Kings also crossed the World Wall, leaving the battle facing a far more dangerous enemy.

• Richard refused to abandon the White Wizard Legion and coordinated its escape while Delis revealed and delayed a swarm of five hundred thousand Shadow Mayflies.
• Richard bound the Legion Spell with mental power and Radiation Control, then led the legion through the swarm using a Sky-Rending Arrow and Legion Shield.
• Richard and Delis sensed the Star River Mayflies linking their Mind Networks as a black mountain began emerging through the spatial ripples.
• Great Wizards Twilight, Green Rock, and Bronze Spear attacked the mountain, destroying part of it and killing hundreds of thousands of mayflies.
• Three white Mayfly Kings emerged from the black mountain and blocked the Great Wizards’ attacks, confirming that the Star River Mayflies’ World Lord-level forces had crossed the World Wall.

Richard and the White Wizard Legion endured the aftershocks of Great Wizard Twilight and a Mayfly King's battle while retreating, following Ulysses's advice. As Expedition Nests poured into the Star River World, the Third War Zone Command prepared its defenses but still needed three hours to activate the Teleportation Gate's self-destruction device.

• The Mayfly Kings attacked the three Great Wizards, and Great Wizard Twilight's Death Knell staggered nearby White Wizards as its death rule clashed with the Mayfly King's power.
• Richard pulled Ulysses from the Secret Realm, and Ulysses advised the White Wizards to destroy their auditory nerves and avoid resisting the Mayfly King's sunlight with energy barriers.
• The Mayfly King turned into a sun and entered beneath the veil with Great Wizard Twilight, while Richard's legion continued retreating and Ulysses agreed to watch for ambushes.
• Mountain-like Expedition Nests entered the Star River World, and Third-Ring Wizards saw that many more were waiting beyond the Spatial Rift.
• At Third War Zone Command, Great Wizard Twilight's student learned that the Day of the End was installed, but the Teleportation Gate self-destruction device needed three more hours before activation.

Richard’s legion joined a larger White Wizard force, and they discovered that Star River Mayfly illusions had thrown the other legions off course. Inside the Expedition Nest, the mayflies prepared a mental maze to trap the wizards, though one Mayfly General warned that the wizards might have hidden preparations of their own.

• Richard’s overuse of Legion Spells caused him to bleed, and Delis and Ulysses warned that further strain could permanently damage his soul.
• Richard led his legion toward a distant Elemental Disturbance and joined Kav’s ten-thousand-man White Wizard Legion fighting a million mayflies.
• Richard, Aifert, and Stark realized that mental interference had distorted the White Wizards’ perceptions and route, while Ulysses’s resistance to illusions had kept Richard’s group on course.
• Kav accepted Richard’s guidance for the journey, and Richard wondered what the mayflies intended to accomplish through such extensive mental interference.
• Inside the Expedition Nest, two Mayfly Generals discussed the Mayfly Maze and their plan to crush the wizards, while one cautioned that the wizards might have secret preparations.

Richard led a fifteen-thousand-strong White Wizard Legion to Fortress No. 194, where Star River Mayflies had surrounded the defenders and cut off communications with the Command Department. After Richard and Delis fought their way inside, the commanders learned Richard was an Alchemy Master and placed their hopes in him.

• Richard watched three White Wizards reorganize the fifteen-thousand-member legion into a disciplined force and lead it toward Fortress No. 194.
• Richard's legion reached the besieged fortress, where wizards struggled against the Star River Mayflies and could not contact the Command Department.
• Richard and Delis transformed and used Legion Spells with their forces to carve a path through the Mayflies and enter the fortress.
• Kav and Aifert warned the commanders that the Mayflies could interfere with perception, while the fortress commander confirmed that their energy field had blocked magic signals.
• Kav introduced Richard and Delis, and the commanders cheered when they learned Richard was an Alchemy Master.

Richard and the Alchemist Wizards at Fortress No. 194 developed a way to communicate through the Curtain despite the Star River Mayflies' interference. The chapter ends with the Third War Zone Command receiving the blueprints and reestablishing contact with the fortress.

• Richard gathered Alchemist Wizards from the White Wizard Legions and shared his Dimensional Long-Range Energy Wave technology so they could develop a communication device.
• The wizards solved the weakened-signal problem by using a Star Cluster Gem, then Richard realized Ulysses could carry a relay into the Curtain.
• Richard and the Alchemist Wizards built a transmitter and relay, and Ulysses placed the relay inside the Curtain.
• After more than three days without contact, the Acting Commander-in-Chief at Third War Zone Command received word that Fortress No. 194 had established communication and sent blueprints for a communication device.

Fortress No. 194 sent the Command Department blueprints for a device that could communicate through the Curtain, allowing the wizards to coordinate a breakout. As the Great Wizards confronted the Mayfly Kings, the Mayflies invoked the Mayfly Sacrifice Rule, and Great Wizard Twilight recalled a prophecy of his death.

• The Acting Commander-in-Chief summoned Alchemist Wizards, who identified Fortress No. 194’s blueprints as a communication device that bypassed the mayflies’ interference and learned that Richard had helped create it.
• The Acting Commander-in-Chief ordered the Alchemist Wizards to reproduce the device, while Richard continued fighting the Star River Mayflies and strengthened his Radiant Giant Battle Form and Radiation Control.
• After the Command Department connected with Fortress No. 194 and ordered it to break out for Fortress No. 9, Richard prepared Ulysses to help with the retreat.
• Great Wizard Bronze Spear and the other Great Wizards emerged from the Curtain to face the injured Mayfly Kings.
• The Mayfly Kings invoked the Mayfly Sacrifice Rule, drawing power from dead Star River Mayflies; Bronze Spear broke his seal and surged in strength, while Great Wizard Twilight remembered a prophecy that Sullivan would die in a net of sun and insects.

Great Wizard Twilight survived the Mayfly King’s devastating sunlight attack and opened the Gate of the Underworld, summoning Death God Togert to fight in his place. Togert began harvesting the Mayfly swarm’s souls and targeted the Mayfly King, while the wizards watched from below.

• The Mayfly King accelerated to the speed of light, severed Great Wizard Twilight’s arm, and shattered Twilight’s rule net.
• The Mayfly King’s crystal spell blasted through Twilight’s defenses and vaporized his skull, but Twilight regenerated his head and reignited his Soul Fire.
• Great Wizard Twilight destroyed a Crystal Ball to open the Gate of the Underworld, and Ulysses warned Richard and the other wizards not to look at it.
• Death God Togert emerged from the gate, agreed to fulfill his contract, and began harvesting Star River Mayfly souls without harming the wizards.
• The Mayfly King froze the swarm’s souls with the Soul Rule, but Togert tore through the net, devoured millions of souls, and swung his axe at the Mayfly King’s true body.

Great Wizard Twilight and the Mayfly King fought after the Pig-Head Death God’s summoned presence began to fade. Twilight sacrificed his life using the Wizard Civilization Rule of Equivalent Exchange, and Great Wizard Bronze Spear added a piece of his Bronze Spear to balance the exchange and ensure the Mayfly King’s death.

• The Mayfly King wounded the Pig-Head Death God with True Illusions, but the Death God countered with Conceptual Death and erased two of the Mayfly King’s limbs.
• Ulysses explained Conceptual Death to Richard, while the Pig-Head Death God recognized that the Mayfly King’s True Illusions could exhaust his death rules and counter his strongest attack.
• The Pig-Head Death God harvested millions of mayfly souls to pressure the Mayfly King, who attacked Great Wizard Twilight until the Death God was pulled back through the Gate of the Underworld.
• As the Mayfly King prepared to kill Twilight, Twilight activated the Wizard Civilization Rule of Equivalent Exchange and offered his life for the Mayfly King’s death.
• Great Wizard Bronze Spear added a piece of his Bronze Spear to Twilight’s side of the Rule Scale, balancing the exchange.

After Great Wizard Twilight died in the Star River World, the Truth Council unanimously passed the Wizard World Mobilization Act, committing every Wizard to the coming Civilization War. In the Third War Zone, the remaining Mayflies numbered an estimated 1.3 billion, and the Acting Commander-in-Chief prepared emergency measures while ordering Richard and Delis back to headquarters.

• A Black Robe Wizard traded Great Wizard Twilight’s death for the Mayfly King’s life, killing the King and leaving the Star River World stunned.
• Richard ordered the Wizards in the Third War Zone to break out while the Star River Mayflies’ Mind Network was in chaos, and Ulysses led the retreat.
• Great Wizard Twilight’s death triggered the Bell of Mourning, and the Truth Council convened at the Eternal City of Truth.
• Shaping Crown proposed the Wizard World Mobilization Act, and every Great Wizard and Truth Wizard voted to approve it.
• The Acting Commander-in-Chief learned that an estimated 1.3 billion Star River Mayflies remained in the Third War Zone and ordered emergency preparations, including standby destruction of the Teleportation Gate.
• The Acting Commander-in-Chief ordered Richard and Delis to return from Fortress No. 194 to headquarters.

Richard and the White Wizard Legion continued their slow advance toward Fortress No. 9 as Ulysses recovered the dead Mayfly King's Mayfly Heart. Ulysses explained that the Wizards' Civilization Rule, Equivalent Exchange, had erased the Mayfly King's resurrection method, leaving Richard eager to study the valuable organ.

• Richard and Delis learned that War Zone Command had called them back to headquarters, and Delis believed the Grand Wizard's contingency plans had arranged their transfer from the Star River World.
• Richard's White Wizard Legion advanced toward Fortress No. 9 through the Star River Mayfly horde, with Ulysses guiding them and Richard holding off the attackers.
• Ulysses found the dead Mayfly King's Mayfly Heart, saw that a resurrection method inside it was being corroded, and seized the organ under heavy attack.
• Ulysses returned to Richard with his tail feathers stripped away, and Richard learned that Ulysses had removed the Mayfly King's resurrection method from the Mayfly Heart.
• Ulysses explained that the Wizards' Civilization Rule was Equivalent Exchange and that the Grand Wizard had used it to ensure the Mayfly King's death; Richard welcomed the recovered Mayfly Heart as a valuable prize.

After entering Fortress No. 9, Richard investigated the Mayfly Heart and discovered that its golden secretion rapidly increased his physique. He returned to the fortress just as the Expedition Nest destroyed the Third War Zone’s Teleportation Gate, followed by a message announcing the Acting Commander-in-Chief’s death.

• Richard learned that Commander Thorin had been seriously wounded and sent to the rear after the Star River Mayflies’ offensive.
• In the secret realm, Richard approached the Mayfly Heart, but its rule-powered radiance battered him until Ulysses and the evolving World Mushroom drained its energy.
• Richard used the Flesh Scalpel to collect golden liquid from the Mayfly Heart and found that drinking it increased his physique by five points in ten minutes.
• After meditating to restore his Mental Power, Richard left the secret realm and sensed a terrifying energy fluctuation.
• Richard saw the Expedition Nest destroy the Third War Zone’s Teleportation Gate, then received a message saying the Acting Commander-in-Chief was already dead.

After the Third War Zone Command was destroyed, Richard used his Wizard Hero authority to unite nearby wizard legions and direct them toward Fortress No. 12. He equipped his forces with the Military Department’s stored weapons, preparing to lead a counterattack against the Star River Mayflies.

• Richard and Delis learned that the Command Department had been destroyed, and Delis warned that coordinating a breakout would be difficult.
• Richard used his Wizard Hero medal to claim command and chose to lead the nearby forces toward the First War Zone.
• Richard contacted Frank, confirmed that Frank’s legion could counter the Star River Mayflies’ sensory interference, and ordered it to enter Fortress Number Twelve.
• The wizard legions near the First War Zone obeyed Richard’s orders and began gathering under his command.
• Richard ordered Fortress No. 9’s stored weapons distributed among the legions and placed the remaining equipment in his secret realm.

Richard’s wizard legion destroyed a Star River Mayfly force, reached Fortress Number Twelve, and helped its defenders defeat the besieging swarm. Richard then ordered the forces to rest and reorganize for an imminent breakout toward the First War Zone.

• General Tian recognized the wizards’ long-range attacks and ordered the Star River Mayflies to form stronger defenses and investigate.
• The Fire Lizard Regiment and wizard legion attacked the mayfly army, while General Tian’s final message about the wizard main force was intercepted and relayed to headquarters.
• Richard and Ulysses discussed whether the Fire Lizards should learn Dragon Language Sorcery, but Richard rejected the idea because teaching alien creatures knowledge was forbidden.
• Richard’s legion reached Fortress Number Twelve and joined its wizards in annihilating the Star River Mayflies besieging it.
• Richard met Frank, the fortress’s temporary commander, and announced that the forces would rest for one hour before beginning the breakout.

Star River Mayfly Generals split their swarm to encircle the wizards fleeing toward the First War Zone, while the wizards debated how to cross the Kolodo Mountain Range. Richard proposed using a White Wizard Legion to cast a crude legion version of Mist Barrier, offering the wizards a chance to turn the mountains to their advantage.

• An old Mayfly General ordered the swarm divided into three groups to flank and seal in the wizards, while accounting for dwindling energy supplies and differences between tribes.
• Delis proposed that the wizard forces split up in the Kolodo Mountain Range and regroup at its highest peak near the First War Zone.
• Richard presented his prototype legion spell, Mist Barrier, and proposed having the White Wizard Legion cast it to blanket the mountains in fog.
• An elderly White Wizard praised Richard for sharing the spell and promised to seek compensation for him if the legion survived.
• Richard told the wizards their interests were bound together and that knowledge would be worthless if they failed to escape.

Richard led the wizard legion through the Star River Mayflies’ ambush and into the Kolodo Mountain Range, where the Mist Barrier protected them from the encircling forces. The mayfly generals, unable to stop the breakout, requested a Sky Strike.

• Richard prepared the five-hundred-thousand-strong wizard legion with war airships and learned from Ulysses that tens of millions of Star River Mayflies were waiting ahead, with hundreds of millions more approaching from the flanks.
• At thirty kilometers from the ambush, Richard ordered the legion to unleash Falling Stars, then followed with a fire barrage that devastated the mayfly formation.
• Richard and the Black Wizards attacked with support from White Wizard regiments, while the Mayflies’ counterfire failed to halt the legion’s advance.
• The Star River Mayflies retreated toward the Kolodo Mountain Range, and the wizard legion entered the mountains just before the flanking armies closed in.
• Five minutes later, the mayfly generals gathered outside the mist-covered mountains and requested a Sky Strike.

Richard’s wizards used Mist Barrier to cross the Kolodo Mountain Range while the Star River Mayflies struggled to coordinate a Sky Strike. The mayflies’ self-interest delayed their response, allowing the White Wizard Legions to enter the First War Zone.

• The Star River Mayfly Generals argued over how to locate the wizards, then sent twenty million mayflies along both flanks to scout for Sky Strike beacons.
• Richard and Ulysses concluded that the mayflies’ caution and internal rivalries were slowing their pursuit, and Richard devised a plan to hide the wizards’ position.
• After nearly half a month of coordination, the wizards split into five forces and attacked five suspected mayfly locations, eliminating the scouts serving as beacons.
• The Expedition Nest received five Sky Strike coordinates, but an old mayfly persuaded its colleague to wait rather than risk committing resources to a potentially false location.
• The White Wizard Legions broke through the Kolodo Mountain Range and entered the First War Zone.

Richard and the Third War Zone wizards broke through to Fortress 214, where Lata recognized that the Third War Zone had likely fallen. After returning to the First War Zone Command Department, Richard learned he was being sent back to the Wizard World and would not have to return to the civilization front before becoming a Great Wizard.

• Lata inferred that the Third War Zone had likely been destroyed and led his forces to guide Richard’s five-hundred-thousand-strong wizard corps through the First War Zone.
• Richard’s wizards reached Fortress 214 safely, and the First War Zone Command Department ordered him and other elite agents to return.
• Richard retrieved his equipment from the secret realm before traveling to the First War Zone Command Department.
• Claude praised Richard’s Cross-Curtain Communication device and told him he would return to the Wizard World, likely staying away from the front lines until he became a Great Wizard.
• Richard boarded an airship to the Hub World and watched it enter the Teleportation Gate.

Richard returned from the front to learn that the Council had drafted every Third-Ring Wizard and that the war had cost more than two million Wizard lives. He promised Anna he would help Gerald, then discovered that Wizard Academies had begun accepting adult apprentices and put Fire Lizard Warriors under the chief constable’s command to help enforce the law in North Extreme City.

• Ross and James discussed the Military Department’s refusal to enlist Black Wizards and its rumored plan to classify Wizards as ordinary or elite.
• Anna told Richard that the Council had drafted all Third-Ring Wizards and many Second-Ring White Wizards; Richard revealed that a Five-Ring Great Wizard and more than two million Wizards had died in the war.
• Richard promised Anna he would help their teacher Gerald, then asked Kayan to procure materials through the Richard Gerald Merchant Guild and the Nine Stars Merchant Guild.
• Richard contacted Jimmy and asked to see the Dean before traveling to North Extreme City.
• Richard learned from Mayor Ivan and chief constable Hans that Academies had started accepting adult apprentices under an order from Great Wizard Kanon.
• Richard assigned a squad of Fire Lizard Warriors to Hans to help stop lawbreakers in North Extreme City.

Richard learned that the Wizard Council’s Great Wizarding Initiative aimed to strengthen the Wizard Rule by expanding the number of Wizards, and Great Wizard Kanon assigned him to develop a workable system. Richard designed regulations for public knowledge and Wizard Apprentice recruitment in the Far North, where the initiative began.

• Richard asked Great Wizard Kanon to transfer his teacher Gerald to the rear, and Kanon agreed before explaining that more Wizards strengthened the Wizard Rule and its blessings.
• Great Wizard Kanon assigned Richard to manage the Great Wizarding Initiative and gave him research on breaking the physiological limits of a Third-level creature, while advising him to delay advancing to Great Wizard.
• Richard received records showing that Kanon Wizard Academy had distributed 1.72 million cursed Basic Meditation Methods and drafted a system of academic journals, rewards, patents, and harsh penalties for witchcraft crimes.
• Richard presented his plan to the mayor and chief constable of North Extreme City, then agreed to limit Wizard Apprentice places initially and bar children under fifteen from receiving meditation methods.
• The Great Wizarding Initiative began in the Far North, with the plan expected to spread throughout the Wizard Dimension over the coming centuries.