The Third Layer of the Magic Ring Tree Layer World.

HSSSS...

As the Gray Mist Rift opened,

Zorn, carrying a black Monster Treasure Chest, found a secluded corner.

After obtaining the resources, Zorn had come to the Magic Ring World Tree Layer by himself.

Madam Mable and Rosian, meanwhile, remained in the Gray Mist World Layer to deal with any potential upcoming battles.

Not only did Zorn get the resources needed for the ritual, but he also obtained seven Golden Magic Ring Source Fruits.

With this batch of resources, combined with his own Calamity Sacred Mark,

Zorn would be able to complete his advancement by tonight, or tomorrow at the latest.

But right now, the second wave of the war was about to begin.

Zorn needed to construct the "Magic Ring World Sealing Ritual" as quickly as possible.

He had to seal off the entire World completely.

However...

Once the World was sealed,

Zorn wouldn’t be able to travel between the different World Layers if the distance was too great.

Therefore, Zorn needed to bring his Steam Magical Castle along with him.

After a little over ten minutes, Zorn successfully finished constructing the "Magic Ring World Sealing Ritual."

At the same time, he had Vanessa and the old butler exit the castle, allowing the Steam Castle to automatically fold itself into a large "Steam Treasure Chest."

After giving some instructions to the old butler and Vanessa,

Zorn picked up the Steam Treasure Chest and quickly left this World Layer.

...

The moment Zorn arrived on the Sixth Layer of the Gray Mist World,

he felt the thick atmosphere of war.

Several huge, indistinct silhouettes were stacked and intertwined above the Layer Realm Gate.

The enemy was fighting for control over the Layer Realm Doorway.

Terrifying sounds echoed out from time to time.

Once control over the cross-layer doorway was seized, they could deploy their own personnel within a certain range.

This would give the invaders a considerable advantage.

Sweeping his gaze over the power emanating from those massive silhouettes,

Zorn’s brow furrowed slightly.

The silhouettes from the enemy side in the Fifth Layer World possessed the power of more than a dozen Level Six Extraordinaries.

On his side, a Level Seven Duke and a Count were fighting against them.

Ogrande City was severely lacking in Level Six Extraordinaries.

"How are the preparations coming along?"

Seeing Zorn arrive, Marquis Albert asked with a grave expression.

"They’re ready,"

Zorn responded swiftly.

"But... before that, I need to use the Magic Ring Origin Resonance to get a good sense of how many of their experts have entered the Gray Mist World Layer."

"Mm."

Marquis Albert nodded slightly.

"Find out their exact numbers as quickly as possible. It will help us plan better."

Zorn put down the Steam Treasure Chest and placed one hand on it.

WOOOO...

A deep, melodious, and high-pitched steam whistle sounded.

As the Steam Treasure Chest spewed out a massive amount of Steam Grey Mist, Zorn was submerged within it.

A golden halo bloomed like ripples on water.

Now in resonance with the Tree of the Magic Ring, Zorn began to examine the number of Transcendents on each layer of the Gray Mist World Layer.

The first four layers only had a few scattered members of the Knight Order, and their Levels were not high.

But within the fifth layer, there were as many as two to three hundred people.

One Level 8 Transcendent,

Two Level 7 Transcendents.

Twenty-three Level Six Extraordinaries.

In addition, Zorn could also sense what was happening in Split Mist Town, at the entrance.

One Level 8 and one Level 7, along with seven or eight Level Six Extraordinaries, were guarding the entrance.

Not only were the Transcendents who had entered numerous and powerful in combat,

but the ones guarding the outside were also quite formidable.

’With this kind of lineup, they’re clearly determined to wipe us out.’

Sensing the enemy’s aggressive posture, Zorn’s heart tensed slightly.

’But with me here, not only will you fail to succeed, you will also pay a terrible price in blood.’

His assessment complete, Zorn looked at Marquis Albert and said,

"Lord Marquis, although there are still Level 7 and Level 8 Transcendents outside,"

"there are only two Level 7 Transcendents and one Level 8 Transcendent inside the Gray Mist Layer World."

"Based on their previous attack strategy, the two Level 7 Transcendents will lead a portion of the Level Six Harvesters to strike first."

"Once those two Level Seven Transcendents enter, I will activate the ritual and seal off the entire World."

"This will create a situation where their high-end combat power is isolated."

"After that, we’ll be able to maneuver more effectively."

"Everyone..."

Zorn looked at the few remaining Level Five and Level Six Transcendents around him.

"Let’s begin!"

As Zorn opened the Gray Mist Rift once more,

the Level Five and Level Six Transcendents immediately departed one after another.

Soon, only Zorn, Marquis Albert, and the two Level Sevens, Grand Duke Amalante and Count Siers, remained in this area of gray mist.

Marquis Albert nodded at the two of them.

Grand Duke Amalante and Count Siers immediately relinquished their control over the Layer Realm Doorway to the sixth layer.

Once the Harvesters and Church members on the fifth layer realized their side had seized control of the doorway,

they immediately poured through.

In an instant, five or six Level Six Transcendents descended upon the sixth layer of the Gray Mist World, clearly led by those with stronger Defense and mobility.

The Grand Duke and the Count attacked at once.

Beneath Grand Duke Amalante’s feet, the sand rippled like the surface of water.

His body quickly sank into the earth and rock below.

The moment his entire being was completely submerged in the soil,

BOOM—! An explosion rang out in the distance.

A towering black divine statue, a full seven or eight meters tall and mounted on a warhorse carved from black rock, descended from the sky.

Grand Duke Amalante’s Divine Statue Knight Sequence was extremely unusual and possessed immense power.

Count Siers also transformed into gray mist in an instant.

Then, near the Level Six Transcendents, a five-to-six-meter-tall gray mist giant rapidly took form.

Gray Mist Giant Warrior. This was Count Siers’s Sequence; he also possessed the bloodline power of a gray mist giant.

Naturally, the two Level Seven Transcendents were overwhelming these few Level Six Transcendents in battle.

Tuned to the Golden Magic Ring Tree Origin, Zorn soon sensed the two powerful Level Seven Transcendents break into the sixth layer.

At the same time, Zorn immediately activated the "Magic Ring World Sealing Ritual."

BZZZZ...

A peculiar layer of golden light spread out rapidly.

Even though the battle was raging fiercely,

everyone could feel the bloom of this strange golden halo.

On the fifth layer, Bishop Andre Burke sensed that something was amiss and immediately tried to force his way into the sixth layer.

Marquis Albert, who was nearby, also sensed his intention and immediately moved to intercept him.

"Albert, what’s the point of this desperate resistance?"

"If you had surrendered earlier, I could have preserved your identity and status in Ogrande City, allowing you to continue wielding Authority there."

"Once we conquer these Ancient Ruins, all of you will be purified by the light of our Lord."

Archbishop Andre’s voice was grand and mighty, like a holy whip lashing the soul.

But Marquis Albert simply blocked him, paying his words no mind.

With Marquis Albert obstructing him, Archbishop Andre couldn’t get through for the time being.

At this moment, the two Level 7 experts from the Harvester organization and the Church joined the battle.

In addition, a powerful Forbidden Object like the Clockwork Knight came into play.

Suddenly, Grand Duke Amalante and Count Siers were beaten back, steadily losing ground.

Not long after,

high in the vast, majestic sky, the immense, leafy silhouette of the Magic Ring World Tree gradually appeared.

The entire World was immersed in a spreading, golden, rippling halo.

"Albert, no matter how many petty tricks you pull, you can’t change the fact that you have failed!"

Archbishop Andre’s furious voice carried over.

"Is that so?"

Marquis Albert replied coldly.

"Lord Albert, it’s done!"

Zorn suddenly called out from his corner of the gray mist.

Receiving the definite news, Marquis Albert was overjoyed.

"Withdraw!"

He immediately relayed the message to the two who were fighting.

Grand Duke Amalante and Count Siers immediately forced back the surrounding Transcendents, quickly reverted to their true forms, and appeared near Zorn.

It had to be said, the methods of these Level Seven Transcendents were indeed strange and mysterious.

This was also the main reason why the Fighting Master class began to lose its effectiveness upon entering the Middle Tier.

A Fighting Master, who relied purely on their two hands for physical damage, was completely unable to contend with powerful mystical methods like strange and powerful Magic, Witchcraft, and Forbidden Techniques.

As the three gathered, Zorn instantly opened a Magic Ring Gate.

A golden doorway materialized beside him.

The three of them immediately filed through it.

In the distance, the Holy Fierce Sun High Priest, sensing that things were going badly, tried to use the Middle Rank Forbidden Sealed Object, the Clockwork Knight, to control Zorn.

Zorn, long prepared, had a golden arm suddenly hammer out from behind his back.

BZZZZ~~~

The power of Forbidden Weaving bloomed. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The trajectory-controlling Forbidden Power that was meant to control Zorn immediately scattered in all directions.

The surrounding gray mist that was affected by it immediately took on the distorted forms of numerous Clockwork Knights.

Forbidden Weaving could not only control the powerful forbidden characteristics of the Forbidden Sealed Objects in his own hands,

but it could also counter the powerful characteristics of other Forbidden Sealed Objects.

The strength of a World-level boss template and its Skills was undeniable.

It was just that Zorn’s Level was a bit lacking.

However, by borrowing the power of the Ancient God’s Hand to unleash Forbidden Weaving, he could resist it to a certain degree.

After shaking off that strange power,

Zorn calmly departed through the golden Magic Ring Gate.

This retreat had also been planned well in advance.

Although Marquis Albert was uninjured,

Duke Amalante and Count Siers were both seriously injured.

If they fought the two enemy Level Seven Transcendents now, they would surely suffer casualties even if they could win.

It was better to retreat and recover from their injuries first, then wait for an opportunity to launch a Surprise Attack.

If they succeeded, they would surely secure a stable victory.

Following their departure,

Archbishop Andre of the Holy Fierce Sun Church on the fifth layer tried to open the doorway to the sixth layer world, only to find that the gateway, which should have opened easily, was now as heavy as a mountain and impossible to open.

His old, graying eyebrows knitted together.

After a moment of examination, he slowly raised his palm. Ripples from the golden screen of light in the sky flowed over his hand.

He looked up, examining the sky, where the silhouette of the deep and vast Magic Ring Tree was projected.

He had a vague feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed.