The filthy mud, filled with a strong corruptive power, entangled Laine's hand, and terrifying corruption was trying to penetrate his body.

"No!" The first to lose composure were Veronica and Teresa; the female sorcerer quickly took a step forward but ended up bumping into the light screen created by Tygris. Veronica was a bit better off as she pressed her hands against the light screen wall: "Laine, be careful!"

Emperor Carl Franz frowned, and the Rick Guards surrounded the Emperor in the middle, swords drawn, watching Laine with a wary gaze. At the Emperor's command, they would mercilessly eliminate the Fallen.

However, in everyone's eyes, Laine's hands burst into golden flames, and the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lake Fairy had pale blue spiritual vortexes flickering in his eyes. These threads full of corruption were burned and purified in the spiritual vortex, and the mud filled with corruption evaporated in the air, leaving only burning ashes.

Laine roared in anger, broke free from the entanglement of the Book of Chaos, and stepped back twice, pure spiritual energy sweeping around him, eradicating all corruption released from the Book of Chaos.

The scene was left with nothing but a scorched smell and wisps of white smoke. The Rick Guards had their weapons drawn, pointing directly at Laine, ready to annihilate him right there if he showed any sign of tumult.

"You defeated Chaos, didn't you?" Emperor Carl Franz said in a low voice.

The Emperor was somewhat unsure, the confusion in his eyes making everyone tense.

"...I defeated only the corruption of Chaos, not Chaos itself." Laine gestured to indicate he was fine, focusing on the Book of Chaos: "Just a bit short."

Laine turned around, showing no signs of any abnormal changes. The blessing from the Lake God and his own powers still circulated around him, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, allowing the Rick Guards to sheath their sharp swords while Tygris moved forward, approaching the wooden table.

The Book of Chaos had already burned a large hole, and the Power of Chaos within had completely dissipated under Laine's counterattack. Naturally, nothing was left inside the book. Tygris sighed lightly: "I always said I should have come, Laine. You were right to resist and purify the corruption, but as you purified the Chaos corruption, the knowledge and secrets contained within were also lost, as these are closely intertwined with Chaos, much like magic."

"I'm sorry." Laine acknowledged his actions were somewhat inappropriate and offered an apology.

"Lord Tygris, could you explain a bit more? Why does purifying Chaos corruption make the knowledge inside disappear as well?" The Emperor showed interest, gazing regretfully at the now charred Book of Chaos, querying Tygris.

"The Chaos Domain, also known as Subspace or 'Yishir,' 'Supreme Heaven,' is the source of all magic—born of the winds of Chaos—and the Chaos Domain, or Subspace, is the emotional projection of all living beings, like a human's shadow, indelible. The source of all magic is indeed the winds of Chaos; you can see the Octagonal Emblem of Chaos, which was not randomly chosen by the Chaos Evil Gods as a symbol but represents the Magic Eight Winds." Tygris briefly explained: "So, this implies that all things originate from Chaos. Furthermore, Subspace is not solely comprised of Chaos Evil Gods; many benevolent and just deities also safeguard the mortals against the relentless battle with Chaos Evil Gods."

"The Great Vortex filters the wind of Chaos, but magic is still not entirely safe, and likewise, the books imbued with Chaos Power contain immense knowledge and invaluable treasures because Chaos Power reveals the origins of the world."

"It is particularly challenging for humans to grasp the power of the wind of Chaos because humans are not a race skillful in using magic. In utilizing magic, you must strengthen yourself against corruption while avoiding excessive pursuit of power which may lead to downfall. You must ensure strong willpower to feel the magic wind yet not be too stubborn, lest your will be unknowingly twisted by Chaos. Hence, I always believe the best approach for humans in facing these forbidden entities is not to interact but to purify directly." Tygris looked regretfully at the Book of Chaos: "Therefore, we may never know what Egrem saw... Perhaps it's better not to."

Everyone fell silent; the threat of Chaos is eternal, and mortals have no recourse apart from resisting with all their might.

"Nevertheless, we still need the power of magic. Casters have proven to be powerful weapons against Chaos. We cannot simply pretend magic does not exist due to its inherent dangers, which would only force those with a talent for casting in the Empire's citizens to turn towards Chaos." The Empire's Emperor quickly overcame his internal doubts, loudly declaring: "They must also join the ranks in confronting the enemies!"

"Exactly, Your Majesty, let me express my admiration for you." Tygris finally smiled: "Your thoughts are the fortune of mortals."

There were no further incidents afterward, and Emperor Carl Franz also departed. The remaining group spent the entire day touring Brunswick's Royal Wizard Academy, from the Sky Academy, which boasts sixteen Wizard Towers, to the Jade Academy nestled in a beautiful garden, from the Flame Academy with the heat surging throughout the institution to the Shadow Academy located deep within the slums—each of the eight academies has its unique features and aligns with its own magic wind.