My Fusion System: Fusing a Thousand Chickens at the Start Chapter 421

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After King Landhar III's voice was heard, everyone on stage came to a halt. Non-stage participants appeared agitated, while stage participants like Watson and the others appeared composed. Some people collapsed on the main stage from exhaustion and dehydration, as well. Even if there was another battle, it appeared as if they would be unable to continue fighting.

As the scene unfolded, King Landhar III remained standing to take it all in. He said, “It appears that everyone is exhausted. Let's take a half-hour break. The second round will begin very soon! It's a round of elimination. After that, the remaining participants will draw lots. The one who draws the first lot will fight the one who draws the second lot. The one who draws the third lot will fight the one who draws the fourth lot, and so on until the sixteen winners are decided…”

King Landhar III explained the rules above while the contestants below complained..

“There's only one hour left. That's too little time!”

“I wasted most of my energy in the battle, and I also suffered a few serious injuries. It's practically killing me to fight in such a situation. It seems that I'd better forfeit voluntarily.”

Many people had the same thoughts. The vast majority of their attention was drawn to the main stage. Unlike Watson, who could split the stage with ease, they had to fight to get a chance to stay on stage. The hour-long chaos of combat between various foes had depleted their bodies' reserves of all remaining energy.

The experts who had divided the arena were utterly unaffected by what had happened. They already had a huge advantage over those elites, and that advantage had widened; their chances of winning had shrunk even further.

It was as if King Landhar III could hear what those competitors were thinking; he yelled, “Does anyone feel that the one-hour rest that I have arranged is too short? Do not worry; I will make sure the match is organized fairly! Consequently, I have a little something for everyone. I promise that within an hour, all of you will be back to full strength.”

King Landhar III's voice summoned a group of golden armored guards, led by Hoen, to the competition site, where they arrived with a tray in hand. They had a pot of wine and a cup of fruit juice in their hands, both from the tray.

“That is the fruit juice and wine made from the Forest of Eternity's sun and moon gems. That fruit takes its time to develop, soaking them in the Spring of Life's water for a thousand years. The high concentration of vitality in the wine made from that fruit is excellent for treating injuries quickly. The Holy Dragon Tavern and other taverns in the kingdom do sell that wine, and a bottle would typically cost a tonne of gold. However, His Majesty is kind and generous to share that wine for free! The sun and moon wine is available for those who can drink it, while fruit juice is available for those who cannot.

Hoen's voice spread far and wide via his aura, and those who heard it had different expressions.

“It is wine made from the fruit of the Forest of Eternity. That wine is familiar to me. The Holy Dragon Tavern does have it for sale. When I first arrived in the city, I was eager to try it, but it was too expensive for me. I did not expect to get it for free from His Majesty,” one of the contestants said.

“That wine has the exact effect that His Majesty said it would have. It certainly has the potential to aid in the healing process for those who have been injured. It can also help those who have not achieved gold-tier strength and awaken the cultivation talent for their light or dark elements. It is great! His Majesty only ever gave the full sun and moon fruits to ten geniuses at a banquet before. I had no idea he would give so many now. No matter how they make the wine, it will still cost a lot of money.”

A young noble girl who had previously attended the royal banquet sighed.

The three people from the Winter Nation were the most shocked, not the people in the crowd.

“The wine was brewed from the sun and moon fruits. I remember that those fruits are important items in the Elven Kingdom. Their rarity is not inferior to water from the Spring of Life. The Winter Nation spent a lot of money to get some spring water of life from the Elven Kingdom. We hope to use the water from the Spring of Life to create an undead army to destroy the Holy Dragon Kingdom! Normally, the Holy Dragon Kingdom should not have things from the Elven kingdom. Did the Elven Kingdom make a deal with the Holy Dragon Kingdom as well as the Winter Nation?” Ash's expression was one of shock as she muttered to herself.

As the Princess, she knew about most of the Winter Nation's plans. For that reason, they sent their ministers to the Elven kingdom to discuss with the elf king about countermeasures to take against the Holy Dragon Kingdom. Their presence at the Holy Dragon Kingdom to participate in the competition was also a part of that plan.

As soon as they had gathered enough information about the Holy Dragon Kingdom, the Winter Nation and the Elven kingdom would join forces to attack them. However, things had changed. A valuable artifact from the Elven kingdom had been seen at the Holy Dragon Kingdom. That was not normal.

“Your Highness, don't rush to a conclusion. Perhaps that so-called wine brewed from the sun and moon fruits is just a gimmick. They might be brewed from other things. Let's taste them first. Then we can understand what they are.”

Douglas consoled Ash. As he was from the Winter Nation, he was very good at drinking wine. Therefore, he had chosen wine. He drank a pot of sun wine that had a golden red color. Suddenly, he stopped talking.

“It seems that that wine is brewed from the sun and moon fruits, indeed. I can feel a trace of the Spring of Life aura in it! This is significant. Something from the Elven Kingdom has appeared in the Holy Dragon Kingdom. Maybe there is a deal between the two kingdoms. We must report this to the Empress on time. It seems that she was right to ask us to come to the Holy Dragon Kingdom to gather information.”

Ash drank a glass of moon wine. She felt a vibrant fragrance wantonly in her mouth, and then a comfortable coolness flowed through her limbs and bones. Then, she frowned.

She stretched a finger outward, and a faint black light appeared on her fingertip. It was the product of a fusion between dark elements.

“Eating the sun or moon gem can raise a person to the gold-tier. It does not affect any gold-tier elite, but it will awaken their talent in light or dark elements! Even though the effect is weak, it is the same as the legendary moon fruit. Perhaps it's because there is only a small amount of the fruit in the wine.”

After drinking the moon wine, Ash confirmed that King Landhar III was not using gimmicks. The wine was made from the sun and moon fruits, indeed.

The second round drew between 800 and 900 participants. It was possible to divide the wine or fruit juice amongst them. So, King Landhar III had to prepare 2,000 glasses of wine and fruit juice. He did say that the wine and juice were available at the Holy Dragon Tavern and other locations. A large number of sun and moon fruits had appeared to be in that area. It was a mystery how they got their hands on those exotic fruits in the first place.

As Ash's mind was filled with doubts, Douglas had already poured some of the sun wine into Harold's mouth. The wound on his chest immediately healed. Then, he opened his eyes. With a confused look, he said, “Am I not severely injured? Why can't I feel any pain? And why am I here?”

Harold guessed that he should have been eliminated by then. He should have been in the lounge or infirmary. He should not have appeared on the battlefield.

Douglas explained faintly, “Harold, you've recovered because you just drank a bottle of sun wine made from sun gems.”

“The sun fruit that is the Elven Kingdom's most precious treasure? That's too extravagant. Did the Princess make the wine?”

Harold looked at Ash gratefully. Ash was their princess, and the Winter Nation had signed an agreement with the Elven Kingdom. It would not be a surprise if Ash had one or two sun fruits with her. He did not expect Ash to shake her head instead. Pointing at the top of his head, she said, “King Landhar III gave us the wine. Everyone here has a bottle.”

“Everyone got a bottle of wine made from the sun fruits. Did I hear wrongly?”

Harold could not help but notice the other competitors had each poured themselves a glass of sun wine. In addition, there was moon wine as well as sun wine. Harold was in a good mood as he got to his feet. He could not stop staring in amazement at what he had discovered.

“Wine brewed from sun fruits? I've advanced to gold-tier! I've recovered my strength, and I've also become stronger. I might be able to win the battle later,” a participant muttered excitedly.

“My physical strength has also completely recovered. It won't even take an hour. I'll be able to recover fully after drinking that wine for a few minutes! I can use the remaining 50 minutes or so to warm up or observe the other contestants.”

“It is not only effective, but the taste is also wonderful. His Majesty said that the wine is currently sold at the Holy Dragon Tavern and many other taverns. After the competition ends, I'll definitely go to those taverns and buy more of those wines to store at home.”

The rest of the people also praised the wine. Some commended the effect, while others admired the taste.

“His Majesty is indeed great, indeed. Using that wine during the competition will let everyone recover and gain a wave of goodwill from the contestants. It is also an opportunity to advertise the wine produced by the Severed Fingers Gang to become famous all over the kingdom. This will create a series of chain reactions. Perhaps there is also a purpose that I have yet to know. He is really cunning, indeed.”

Watson also picked up a glass of Sun Wine and downed it in one gulp. He clicked his tongue and raised his head to look at the sky.

King Landhar III returned to the sofa and poured a glass of sun wine for the two envoys from the Winter Nation and said, “Come, the two of you, have a taste of the wine brewed from the Forest of Eternity's precious fruits.”

“Then we won't stand on ceremony.”

The two envoys picked up the sun wine and drank it. They looked surprised. At the same time, a hint of solemnity flashed in their eyes. Obviously, as envoys, they also doubted the appearance of the sun fruit in the Holy Dragon Kingdom.

While the two envoys were drinking, King Landhar III put the wine cup to his mouth and pretended to drink. However, his eyes were on the expressions of those two envoys. Sensing the indescribable solemnity in their faces, King Landhar III smiled. He downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

The envoys were there to gather intelligence; they thought he did not know about that. However, everything was going according to his plan.

‘The appearance of the sun fruit will make the Winter Nation wary of the Elven Kingdom for an extended period. Next, it's time to implement the second phase of the plan. I have Watson to thank for that. With him around, the things that I had planned to complete in ten years will probably be reduced to one year.'

An hour passed quickly. After drinking the wine, all the contestants rubbed their hands in anticipation, full of confidence for the upcoming battle.

Then, King Landhar III's voice echoed in the sky. “Next is for you to draw lots. The remaining contestants have been counted, and the number is 801. Therefore, it is destined that some of you will not be able to participate in the first round of the battle. I hereby announce that the contestant who draws number 801 will immediately advance to the elimination round. If everyone is ready, then come to the drawing box that I have prepared.”

As his voice fell, Antonio's figure appeared in the sky. With a wave of his hand, a massive ball of light immediately appeared beside him. From the outside, it was impossible to see what numbers were inside. Once a human body entered the ball of light, the numbers inside the ball of light would automatically be imprinted on their body. Since it was made of magic, those numbers could not be forged or changed.

“Who will draw first?”

“I'll do it.”

“Let me do it first.”

Following Antonio's question, the contestants responded one after another. They spread their combat aura wings and flew into the sky to draw a number.

Those contestants were at least gold-tier. A small number of them were at peak silver-tier. At that moment, everyone on the field was at least gold-tier, so there were close to a thousand young gold-tier elites. That showed the Holy Dragon Kingdom's strength. It made the audience proud when they saw that scene.

The drawing was done very quickly. There was a minor incident during that time. Augustus immediately went to Watson after he drew his number. He stretched his glove with the number 799 engraved on it and shouted, “Watson, I hope you can draw number 800. That way, we can fight each other in the first round.”

“Young Master Augustus, you don't have to be so anxious. I also hope that I can draw the number 800.” Watson glanced at Augustus, went to the light ball in the sky, and stretched his arm into it. When he took it out again, he found that a three-digit number formed by symbols appeared on his arm. The first two magic symbols formed the numbers 8 and 0 respectively.

“Is it really 800?”

Watson raised his eyebrows and continued reading. When he saw the last number, he was stunned because it was the number 1—he had gotten the number 801.

Casey, who had come up with him to draw the lot, let out a wail. “D*mn it, 800! That's only one number away from 801. Why am I so unlucky? “

Drawing number 800 meant that Casey would have to face Augustus later. For him, who used to be Augustus' follower, that was undoubtedly a huge challenge.

“Okay, now the owner of number 801 has appeared. He is my disciple, Watson. From now on, Watson will stay with me for the sake of fairness. Everyone, continue to draw lots.” Antonio announced that Watson was the lucky one. Then, he gave the young man a look, which made Watson feel strange. He suspected that his master had helped him get that number.

It had taken Antonio and Reid two days to agree on the King's competition—Watson had to win, no matter what. He would get to marry the Princess and be a step closer to the King, and he would also be the next in line to inherit the throne.

If Watson won, perhaps they did not need to stage a coup. They only needed to wait for King Landhar III to abdicate and declare Watson the new King. The risk of doing that was shallow, and everyone would be happy.

Before the competition started, Reid and Antonio had agreed to do what they could to increase Watson's chances of winning. Did they come up with a name for the mission? Was that what the two masters called a secret operation?

Watson could not help but think so, and the other contestants who heard Antonio's words looked disappointed. All of them wanted to be that lucky person. However, they did not think that Antonio had done anything to help Watson get that number because that was the King's competition. 

No matter how everyone respected Antonio, he would not play tricks in front of the King, right? Of course, they did not know that the King had a good relationship with Watson, so he would not care about such a trivial matter.

After spending half an hour, the drawing was over. Charlotte got number 100, Lily's was number 200, Lana was number 555, Christina was number 680, and lastly, Casey was number 800. 

“There are no strong opponents in the area between number 100 and number 200. But Sister Nia is number 600.”

After receiving her number, Charlotte looked at Lana and Christina worriedly. The rules of that elimination round were to defeat the opponents until the last person standing.

“It doesn't matter. She knows her strength, and she doesn't intend to win” Lana, who was holding the parasol, was very calm about Charlotte's words, while Christina looked in the direction of Nia. Her eyes were burning. “We'll know who wins and who loses after the battle.”

If she had faced the Ice Demoness before, then she might be scared. However, she was not scared at all. After all, she had already grasped the Kingdom of the Sword, and no matter how strong Nia was, it was impossible for her to block a starlight-tier attack.

“Since everything has already been explained, then I will officially announce the start of the competition. There will be 400 matches in the first elimination round. After that, there will be 401 people left. The remaining people will draw lots again. From number 1 to 401, the battles will start again. The person to draw number 401 will not have an opponent, and we will do the same until there are only 16 people left. Since this depends on drawn lots, former partners will inevitably compete with each other. I will not deliberately adjust to such a situation. After all, luck is also a part of strength.

“If everyone has no objections, let the competition begin! The venue of this round is not within the academy but the kingdom in the sky. That divine kingdom is the stage that I have built for the participants.”

As the voice of King Landhar III resounded throughout the entire Royal Academy, Antonio, who was in charge of guarding the light ball in the sky, raised a staff that looked very simple in his hand. The academy mages on the ground also raised their staff. Then, they released powerful magic that rose into the sky and gathered in mid-air before it turned into a divine kingdom.

The shape of the divine kingdom was similar to the shape of the royal city. There were also nine massive walls outside. The only difference was that the houses in the divine kingdom were not ordinary manors and houses; instead, they were made up of magnificent temples and circular arenas. Participants could choose to fight in the arenas or temples of their own accord.

That magnificent divine kingdom covered the entire sky as if it would descend in the next second, giving people a great sense of oppression and shock.

“How powerful is the Astrologer to be able to create such a vast divine kingdom?” Douglas sighed as he stared up at the night sky with the other two members. Harold's grouses of dissatisfaction could be heard right behind him. “D*mn it, Douglas, I got number 1, and you are number 2. We have already had our first encounter in the preliminary round. Is the so-called lottery a true reflection of public opinion?”

“Just now, King Landhar III said that the lottery is not absolutely fair. Luck plays a part too. Even if the King set up our encounter, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, we're in their kingdom,” Douglas lowered his head and said helplessly. Even if they knew that the King had deliberately arranged for the people from the Winter Nation to defeat each other, there was nothing they could do.

Furthermore, there were three of them. No matter how they killed each other, there would be one left in the end. Therefore, the King's conspiracy would not be too effective against them.

“If that's the case, I'll just admit defeat when the battle starts.” Harold smiled miserably, revealing his serrated teeth. “I'm injured anyway. Although my physical strength has recovered, my mental state is not the best. I'll lose if I have to face that swordswoman again! You and Princess Ash are stronger than me. As long as any one of you can enter the finals, it'll be fine.”

“Don't worry, Harold. I will win this! I wonder what the people of the Holy Dragon Kingdom will think when we win this thing?”

Douglas pushed his monocle upward and clenched his fists.

The divine kingdom in the sky had already stabilized while they were talking. Antonio had used the Crown Staff to build it, and he did it with the help of other mages. He did not release the divine kingdom's power. He only kept up appearances. Although there was still a sense of pressure, it would not affect the performance of each contestant.

However, a moderate sense of pressure would make the contestants feel more tense, and they would be able to display more power than usual.

After the divine kingdom was formed, the 800 contestants took up a palace or an arena in pairs according to their respective numbers. They took up battle positions, with only Watson remaining on the spot.

Then, Antonio waved his hand, causing the divine kingdom in the sky to become semi-transparent. The audience below could see the battles of each participant as long as they raised their heads.

“I announce that the second round has officially begun!”

Whoosh!

The 800 contestants immediately began to fight. Victory and defeat were determined almost instantly on some of the fields.

“Ice Flower Bloom!”

Nia snapped her finger, and her opponent turned into an ice sculpture. The ice sculpture was the shape of an iris flower. Even the person inside it remained in an offensive posture. There was not even a hint of fear on their faces.

On another battlefield.

“Platinum-tier fighting technique, Infinite Sword Slash.” Christina extended her hand and pointed at the enemy in front of her. Countless blades appeared on her body, cutting the entire arena around her. Her enemy fell to the ground after enduring three strikes. He voluntarily admitted defeat.

In a specific temple.

A young man dressed in colorful clothes that did not quite match the clothes of the people of the capital had a smile on his face. He held two scimitars in his hands. With just a flash, he had cut off the arm of his enemy. What surprised people was not that young man's actions but the scimitars in his hands. They had a platinum-tier aura as if the young man's strength could only burst because of the weapon in his hands.

There were many elites who could crush their opponents, which led to the end of those exciting battles before many of the audience had the time to watch them. Of course, there was one very eye-catching spot in all the battlefields, and that was Augustus and Casey's field of battle.

“Augustus, we are old friends, so I'm here to give you a piece of advice. Surrender. That way, you won't have to fight Watson. That is a good thing for you and me. “

“Casey, you've been trying to stop me from going against Watson ever since I first came to the capital. It seems like you're terrified of Watson! I don't know what happened between you and Watson when you were in the floating city, but…” Augustus said, his eyes turned cold. “But don't think that I'm the same as you, Casey. A coward like you can only be a follower. You followed me before, and now I heard that you're following Watson. You're really good at throwing yourself into the enemy's hands! Oh, right, that platinum-tier sword, he gave you that, right? How many rounds do you think you can go through by relying on that sword?”

“Augustus, what do you mean by being a follower? I'm a person who can judge a situation and can clearly see the gap between the enemy and myself. As for me following Watson, I'm not throwing myself to my enemy. I can bend where the wind blows. And Watson didn't give me that weapon. I bought it at a high price,” Casey retorted.

“This platinum-tier weapon is very powerful. Plus, I am much stronger now, and you might not be my match! I don't wish for this battle to destroy our relationship. You should stop.”

“Why are you babbling so much? Casey, your words make me want to vomit! Burn, scum!”

The fire in Augustus' hand flashed and disappeared. Flames immediately surrounded Casey's body.

“Platinum-tier fighting technique, Sky-connecting Waterspout!”

Casey waved his platinum-tier weapon in front of him. A waterspout immediately appeared, extinguishing all the flames that Augustus had summoned. At the same time, the huge waterspout rolled toward Augustus. “You see, Augustus? I told you that you might not be my match now.”

“Is that so?”

With a sneer, Augustus extended his finger toward Casey. The black glove covering his right index finger suddenly expanded as if the flesh below was rising and falling. As he moved, the waterspout that was approaching Augustus stopped moving. A layer of pale blue flame covered the dense water element. In just an instant, the waterspout had turned into a fire tornado. Furthermore, it was rolling toward Casey at an even faster and fiercer speed.

“What's going on?”

“Hey, Augustus, you can control the platinum-tier battle technique that I released? That is too heaven-defying! Make it stop! Do you intend to let it burn me to death? I admit defeat. Is that not enough?”

Casey looked at the approaching fire tornado and hurriedly raised the Water Dragon Sky Sword in his hand, trying to block the high-temperature flames. The platinum-tier weapon that had always been victorious had lost its effect in front of Augustus. The pale blue fire tornado swallowed Casey. His entire body was covered in flames as he fell to the ground. His body gradually turned into a small black dot in the flames. That made him reach his hand outward anxiously and shout, “I surrender! I want to surrender! Ah, it hurts so much.”

As he said those words, a sky-blue light screen immediately appeared in the divine kingdom. It washed over Casey's body, extinguished the flames on his body, and brought him to the ground.

Before he fell, Casey looked at Augustus with a deadly gaze. His charred lips moved as he said with difficulty, “Augustus, I have always treated you as a friend. Since you are very similar to me, you must remember my words. Do not provoke Watson—”

“Get lost!”

Augustus did not wait for Casey to finish speaking and rushed forward as if he wanted to crush Casey's head. Unfortunately, Casey's body had already turned into lights and was transported to the ground.

He curled his lips slightly to express his dissatisfaction. Then, Augustus lowered his head, and his gaze penetrated through the transparent terrain and landed on Watson. “A mere ant dares to say that he is very similar to me and even says that he is my friend? What a joke. I will not be friends with a coward. If he had defected to the enemy, then he should die with the enemy. Watson, I didn't expect you to be so lucky to draw an empty lot. However, your luck will not last. Casey's end will be your end.”

Watson also noticed the battle between Augustus and Casey. He did not feel sad when he saw the scarred Casey. Instead, it was Augustus' cold gaze that made him feel uncomfortable.

He had a hunch that Augustus' victory would be because of one reason—to take revenge on him. Therefore, Augustus would not hesitate to attack the people around him.

“Fortunately, the first person to face Augustus was Casey. If it were Tina or Miss Charlotte, I would feel bad if they were injured in the battle against Augustus because of me,” Watson thought to himself. 

He could not help but look at Antonio beside him and lowered his voice as he said, “Master Antonio, I hope that the Augustus next number will be separated from my friends. Otherwise, arrange my number next to his and let me finish him off with my own hands.”

“Really, Watson, what are you talking about? Don't tell me that you think that I could control the numbers? No one can do that without His Majesty's authorization. Otherwise, even with my status, I will still be punished.”

“So, you can't control the numbers. I was overthinking then.”

“No, I didn't say that I could not control the numbers. I'm saying that the King told me to give you the empty lot. Did you make some kind of deal with him?”

So it was the King's intention.

Watson understood it. He thought it was way too coincidental that he had picked the last one out of the 800 numbers. As for why the King had arranged it that way, he knew the reason for that, especially when the King had mentioned Kiana a few days ago.

“But if you let me get the last number, won't it cause dissatisfaction among others?”

“Don't worry, Watson. As long as we don't say anything, how would the people find out about that?” Antonio's face showed a proud expression.

After waiting for almost an hour, everyone's battle ended. Most of the 400 winners dragged their injured bodies toward Watson; they were ready to draw the next lot.

“A new round of balloting has appeared. Watson has gotten the number 401.”

As Antonio's voice rang out, a heated discussion broke out among the contestants. They were not discussing Watson's luck but Antonio's fairness in the ballot system.

“D*mn it, why is it Watson again? Has he taken all the last numbers?”

“Watson must have cheated in some way! Maybe because he is Master Antonio's disciple, and Master Antonio deliberately gave him the last numbers. That is really unfair!”

“Yes, we must resist such a situation. His Majesty is holding a competition in the Royal Academy, and even commoners can participate. It has to be fair! However, someone is doing such a thing; he must be challenging the royal family's authority!”

All sorts of contestants were looking for reasons to attack Watson; they even requested to draw lots again. It was no wonder that they were fighting each other to the death in the arena in the sky, but Watson only needed to stand there, and he would be able to advance all the way. What right did he have to get that luxury?

Augustus was the loudest in the crowd. He was still waiting to fight Watson and crush him on the spot, but he could not even touch him. That was too bad.

Watson could only smile bitterly at those people's discussions. He knew that he had won the two draws in a row. The contestants would definitely feel that there was something fishy going on. He did not know why Antonio thought those people would not notice that.

“Since everyone feels that the draw is not reasonable, then I will organize another round. This time, I will not organize it. Instead, Master Reid will do it. It is reasonable, right?”

As he spoke, Antonio waved his hand and took back the numbers in everyone's hands. Then, Reid took his place at the and distributed the numbers to everyone. After that, he calmly announced, “The person who drew number 401 is Watson! It seems that Watson is really lucky. He did not cheat. One might call him the chosen one.”

“I did not expect the Sword Saint to do this. The result of the draw is the same. Perhaps it's really not a conspiracy? “

“What? How is that possible? Master Reid and Master Antonio are the same. They are both Watson's masters. They're just changing from one hand to another. What's the difference?”

“Draw again. Otherwise, we won't compete.”

The contestants were even more indignant at Reid's appearance. They pointed at Watson and cursed. Their voices were even louder. The problem had caused those contestants to be so emotional that they could not continue the competition for a while.

Chapter end