Chapter Summaries

Glaide Sauron hosted Angelica Zaki, Bornova Gustav, and Viève for a meeting in Trier, while the military’s representative stayed away. Angelica began by calling for a plan to eliminate the Primordial Moon’s followers and the Mother Tree of Desire’s influence within the barrier.

• Glaide prepared Red Swan Castle for a meeting with representatives of the Church of Steam, the Sun Church, and the Golden Queen Angelica Zaki.
• Bornova Gustav arrived, and Glaide wondered whether his changed demeanor was connected to Roselle Gustav’s resurrection.
• Viève arrived in a blaze of sunlight and joined Bornova and Glaide in waiting for Angelica.
• Angelica emerged with a newfound majesty that Glaide sensed came from the power of a Conqueror.
• Glaide explained that the military’s representative was investigating an incident involving an Outer Deity, though the others knew he was avoiding a defeated opponent.
• Angelica began the meeting by proposing they eliminate the Primordial Moon’s followers in the Southern Continent and the Mother Tree of Desire’s power within the barrier.

Angel Gray coordinated with Orthodox Church angels to prepare a decisive campaign against the Primordial Moon’s followers on the Southern Continent, while seeking leads on Zarathus. Bornova’s information about the vanished town of Orville led Gray to suspect that Yarnam City and a hidden location called Dilan were connected to Zarathus’s promotion ritual.

• Angel Gray told Bornova and Viève that Bornova had planted concealed information on Suah that could locate him, and asked the angels to protect Southern Continent cities during the coming operation.
• Bornova and Viève agreed to defend the cities while the churches targeted Suah and the Chained God.
• Gray asked Glaide Sauron about Zarathus, but he said the Secret Order had no records of Orville or Dilan and that an open search could alert its leaders.
• Bornova explained that Orville had appeared overnight with three thousand residents in Pas Province, then vanished before officials could investigate.
• Gray connected Orville’s disappearance to Yarnam City, a possible Marionette Town built by Zarathus, and concluded that Klein could use the Spirit World to trace Dilan’s location.

Angel Gray briefed Viève, Bornova, and Glaide on the threats posed by Zarathus and Letitia, secured their support for the Fool against Amon, and revealed that a real Tree of Shadow beneath Trier could destroy the city. The angels agreed to help hunt the two resurrected Outer Deity servants and begin addressing the tree’s danger.

• Angel Gray told Viève, Bornova, and Glaide that Zarathus’s resurrection might depend on the Marionette Town Orville and asked them to help find and destroy it.
• Viève said the Sun Church would assist, and Bornova firmly supported the Fool; Viève said the Eternal Blazing Sun also hoped the newborn god would repay His assistance.
• Angel Gray explained that Letitia, the Dragon Scholar, had apparently resurrected after her death and that false dragon legends could help locate her, so the angels agreed to mobilize their forces.
• Angel Gray asked about the Tree of Shadow, and Viève described a sect that worshipped a divine tree linked to the Mother Tree of Desire.
• Angel Gray revealed that the Tree of Shadow was planted beneath Trier in the Fourth Epoch and could awaken, spread into the Astral World, and cause more than a million deaths.
• Viève promised that the two Churches would immediately begin dealing with the Tree of Shadow.

Emlyn, Leonard, and Audrey responded to signs of an approaching crisis while the churches quietly assembled forces across the Southern Continent. Above the gray fog, Klein finished preparing for an operation and concluded that Adam already knew about it.

• Emlyn learned that the Earth Mother had issued a genuine warning for Southern Continent Beyonders to protect churches and nearby areas, and he set out to mobilize the Sanguine.
• Leonard arrived in East Balam for a routine rotation and suspected the churches were preparing a major operation; he later saw the Crimson Moon appear full in the afternoon sky.
• Pallez teased Leonard about switching to the Demoness pathway, and Leonard reacted with embarrassment and anger.
• Audrey used her abilities to keep her family at home and planned to protect her friends and ordinary acquaintances after Mr. Fool's warning.
• Klein completed his preparations above the gray fog, checked the Tarot Club members, and inferred that Grisha Adam had learned of the operation.

Angel used a Brass Compass to locate the hidden headquarters of the Primordial Moon’s followers and found Suah preparing to flee beneath the Chained God Tolzna. She transferred Suah into the Mirror World, beginning the assault.

• Angel waited on a mountain ridge for Klein’s signal while the Witch Church’s Saints and angels guarded believers across the Southern Continent and Rorsted Archipelago.
• After Klein told her to begin, Angel used the Brass Compass to find coordinates for Suah’s hidden location and traveled there through the Mirror World.
• Angel arrived in a dark, withered forest protected by Tolzna’s curses and saw the Chained God, Suah, and the deformed believers gathered below him.
• Suah sensed Angel, prayed to Tolzna, ordered the believers to act, and unleashed curses at her.
• Angel transferred Suah into the Mirror World before he could escape.

Angel separated Suah from Tolzna and attacked the Chained God to seize his Uniqueness before the Mother Tree of Desire could control him completely. Meanwhile, the Mother Tree’s cultists tried to mature the hidden Tree of Shadow beneath Trier, but a mysterious woman descended into the cavern.

• Angel trapped Suah in the Mirror World and sent meteors crashing toward Tolzna.
• Angel transformed into her Mythical Creature Form and attacked Tolzna with Salinger's Blood Banner and Flames of Destruction.
• Beneath Trier, Mother Tree of Desire followers completed a bloody sacrifice to force the hidden Tree of Shadow to mature.
• Scorching sunlight tore into the cavern, burning the cultists as a beautiful female figure descended through the light.

Saint Viève burned the Tree of Shadow’s crown in Trier while Klein monitored attacks on cities across the world. As the crisis continued, Klein left Sefirah Castle and went to Dilan to drink his third Mystic Seer potion.

• Saint Viève purified the cultists and set the Tree of Shadow ablaze, but blood-colored light dimmed the sunlight as she began invoking the Eternal Blazing Sun.
• Klein watched Angel hold off Suah and Tolzna while cultists attacked cities including Matani Bond, Bayam, and Backlund.
• Emlyn confronted the ancient Shaman King Kalaman, while Reinette Tinekerr prepared to help him reclaim her hand.
• Alger drove the corrupted mist away from Bayam, and Dominic and Sonia attacked a Rose School stronghold together.
• Klein saw Benson Moretti, Lily Granger, and Melissa Moretti take shelter in Saint Samuel Cathedral as Justice, Xio Derecha, and Fors worked to protect Backlund.
• Klein took the Mystic Seer characteristic and potion ingredients from the Gray Fog, then traveled to Dilan to advance.

Klein secretly reached Dilan, Zarathus’s hidden town, and drank the final Sequence 1 Mystic Seer potion. As the Celestial Worthy’s imprint overwhelmed him, Zarathus used a temporary miracle to return from the Historical Void and prepare to attack.

• Klein entered Dilan and found its silent castle filled with motionless former marionettes.
• Klein searched the castle, found no sign of Zarathus, and turned the trapped guests into marionettes to release their Beyonder characteristics.
• Klein mixed and drank his final Sequence 1 potion, using his anchors and preparation to resist the Creator’s imprint.
• The Primordial Yellow Celestial Worthy’s consciousness suppressed Klein, leaving only half of him in human form.
• Zarathus’s Miracle Invoker characteristic pulled him from the Historical Void, and he wished for spirituality before borrowing power from his past self.
• Zarathus regained his Mystic Seer abilities and prepared to strike Klein while he accommodated the characteristic.

Zarathus exploited Klein’s struggle against the Celestial Worthy to seize control of his Spirit Body Threads and turn him into a marionette. He took the Fool’s Uniqueness and began the ritual to become a god.

• Zarathus took control of a Gehrman Sparrow marionette and used it to confront Klein, whose mind and body were being overwhelmed by the Celestial Worthy.
• Zarathus seized Klein’s Spirit Body Threads and used the mental imprint in his Mystic Seer characteristic to disrupt Klein’s resistance.
• Zarathus briefly let the imprint help restore Klein’s balance, then took control of all his Spirit Body Threads and made him a marionette.
• Zarathus grafted Klein’s state onto himself, adopted the Fool’s appearance, and retrieved the Fool’s Uniqueness from the Historical Void.
• Zarathus pressed the Fool’s Uniqueness onto his face, beginning his attempt to ascend to godhood.

Zarathus used the Fool’s Uniqueness and a balance of entangled consciousnesses to become a true god, triggering Fooling across the world. In the Cursed Land, Angel killed Tolzna, cursed the fleeing Suah, and drank her Sequence 1 potion to advance toward becoming a Demoness.

• Zarathus grafted Antigonus’s and Klein’s mental imprints onto the Celestial Worthy’s consciousness, balanced them, and accommodated the Fool’s Uniqueness.
• Zarathus’s accommodation fooled intelligent creatures across the world, and he realized something was wrong as the effects took hold.
• Angel fought Tolzna and Suah in the Cursed Land while her diseases weakened them and Tolzna’s corruption threatened the Mirror World.
• When the worldwide Fooling confused everyone, Angel seized the opening and killed Tolzna with Chaos Vortices.
• Suah fled into the Spirit World, and Angel transmitted a lethal curse through his connection to Tolzna.
• Angel drank her prepared Sequence 1 potion, intending to accommodate its characteristic and ascend to godhood.

Angel accommodated the final Apocalypse characteristic and became the Primordial Demoness, while Klein outmaneuvered Zarathus and returned as the Fool. The Outer Deities sensed the Fool’s return and began violently attacking the barrier.

• Angel used the lingering apocalyptic aftermath of killing the Chained God Tolzna to accommodate the final Apocalypse characteristic, triggering disasters across the world.
• Angel’s characteristics and Demoness Uniqueness aggregated, and she became the new Primordial Demoness before a burst of confusion interrupted her pursuit of Zarathus.
• Zarathus appeared to become the Fool, but Klein’s parasitism and manipulation of fate caused Zarathus’s apparent ascension to be a deception that restored Klein’s identity and control.
• Klein used the bewilderment of gods and angels as an anchor to accommodate the Mystic Seer characteristics and Uniqueness.
• The Outer Deities sensed the Fool’s return, and their attacks made the barrier tremble as strange celestial signs appeared across the sky.

Angel accommodated the final Apocalypse characteristic and became the Primordial Demoness, but Zarathus’s attempt to become the Fool ended with Klein reclaiming his identity and advancing. The Outer Deities reacted to the Fool’s return by attacking the barrier, which began to tremble under the assault.

• After killing Tolzna, Angel drank the prepared potion and accommodated her third Apocalypse characteristic, balancing the lingering psyches with Cheek’s resistance to the Original Creator.
• The Apocalypse characteristics and Demoness Uniqueness converged, triggering disasters around the world as Angel transformed into the Primordial Demoness.
• Angel sensed a new god in the Spirit World, but Zarathus’s Fooling confused her and revealed that he had usurped the Fool’s divine position.
• Zarathus became the Fool, then realized Klein had parasitized him and manipulated his revival through the Historical Void; Klein reclaimed his identity and returned to his original body.
• The gods and angels’ astonishment and confusion anchored Klein as he accommodated the Mystic Seer characteristics and Uniqueness, while the Outer Deities recognized the Fool’s return and violently attacked the barrier.

Klein completed his advancement and became the Fool, then returned to Sefirah Castle to assess his new powers and the dangers ahead. As he considered the second hint from the future, an old wooden door appeared and someone began unlocking it, signaling that Sefirah Castle had been invaded.

• Klein stabilized his new form as the Fool, gathered the characteristics left by Zarathus's marionettes, and returned to Sefirah Castle as Orville and Derrenburg collapsed into the Spirit World.
• Klein sensed that the gray fog had become transparent to him and reflected that he still needed to stabilize his identity as the Fool before the Outer Deities learned the truth.
• Klein considered the approaching apocalypse and sensed that Angel had become the Primordial Demoness, then extinguished her crimson star before she could detect him.
• Klein examined his authority of Fooling and recalled how it had blinded Zarathus and concealed his plan from Grisha Adam and Amon.
• Klein recalled the two hints about the Celestial Worthy and God Almighty, but an old wooden door suddenly appeared in Sefirah Castle as someone turned its brass lock.

Klein confronted Amon inside Sefirah Castle and realized their competing authority left them unable to force each other out, while he questioned Amon’s real purpose. In Trier, the Eternal Blazing Sun descended through Lutique to burn the Tree of Shadow, but a strange sunspot-covered Giant of Light appeared as the chapter ended.

• Amon entered Sefirah Castle and explained that he sought the sefirah, having recognized Klein’s plan to become the Fool.
• Klein tested his authority against Amon’s and found that neither could remove the other or leave while the other opposed it.
• Klein concluded that Amon was bluffing about releasing the Celestial Worthy’s will and wondered what he truly intended to accomplish.
• The Tree of Shadow recovered under crimson moonlight, pierced into Trier, and sent branches bursting through the city streets.
• The Eternal Blazing Sun descended through Lutique and set the Tree of Shadow ablaze with overwhelming golden light.
• A sunspot-covered Giant of Light formed on the sun in the Astral World as the Eternal Blazing Sun’s power struck the Tree of Shadow.

The Eternal Blazing Sun descended into the space beneath Trier to burn the Tree of Shadow, while Amon explained to Klein how the Lord of Mysteries and God Almighty differed in their methods of resurrection. The Sun began destroying the tree despite the danger to Trier, leaving Viève and Lutique shocked by his actions.

• The Eternal Blazing Sun entered the barrier and declared that he would burn the Tree of Shadow and eliminate the Mother Tree of Desire’s arrangements.
• Klein questioned Amon about the Sun’s descent, and Amon explained the Lord of Mysteries’ influence over many potential vessels through Sefirah Castle.
• Amon contrasted God Almighty’s concentrated approach to resurrection with the Lord of Mysteries’ strategy of cultivating multiple vessels, then said the Eternal Blazing Sun was likely in a poor state.
• Beneath Trier, the Eternal Blazing Sun appeared as Lutique’s divine possession ended and immediately set the Tree of Shadow ablaze.
• Viève and Lutique watched in shock as the Sun burned the tree despite the danger to Trier.

The Eternal Blazing Sun destroyed the Tree of Shadow, triggering an apparent sacrifice of Trier to the Mother Tree of Desire. The city was revealed to be an empty mirror copy, and the chapter ended with the Eternal Blazing Sun confronting Grisha Adam, his former Lord.

• The Abyss connected to the Tree of Shadow, stirring desires across Trier as its roots spread and threatened to sacrifice the city to the Mother Tree of Desire.
• The Eternal Blazing Sun burned the Tree of Shadow to ashes, and blood-colored light engulfed Trier before carrying the apparent sacrifice into the Abyss.
• The light faded to reveal that Trier had been replaced by a mirrored city, while Angel emerged from the Mirror World and the Mother Tree of Desire's plan failed.
• The Eternal Blazing Sun regained clarity as the Abyss receded, then watched his shadow separate and grow into the True Creator, Grisha Adam.
• The Eternal Blazing Sun asked Grisha Adam when he had discovered what was happening.

Grisha Adam confronted Osekes and revealed that Primordial God Almighty had been reviving within the Eternal Blazing Sun, while exposing Osekes’s cooperation with the Outer Deities. In Sefirah Castle, Klein and Amon discussed God Almighty’s plans and used the threat of his return to counter the Celestial Worthy, leaving their struggle unresolved.

• Grisha Adam told Osekes that he had discovered the Primordial’s influence within the Eternal Blazing Sun and explained how God Almighty’s revival had pressured several other beings.
• Grisha accused Osekes of agreeing to help the Outer Deities by destroying the Tree of Shadow and sacrificing Trier, and Osekes admitted the accusation was correct.
• Grisha argued that Amon and Klein would intensify their struggle for Sefirah Castle without his help, forcing Osekes to consider the consequences.
• Klein questioned Amon about the Eternal Blazing Sun, and Amon explained how God Almighty’s revival could turn Osekes into a vessel for the Pillar.
• Amon described God Almighty’s past connection to the Brood Hive and revealed Outer Deity plots to strengthen similarities between God Almighty and the Eternal Blazing Sun.
• Amon said he was addressing God Almighty through the gray fog, and Klein realized they were both invoking God Almighty’s revival to counter the Celestial Worthy.

Angel and Grisha Adam carried out their plan to kill the Eternal Blazing Sun, while Klein realized Amon had come to Sefirah Castle with a hidden purpose. The Sun’s return and the struggle over Sefirah Castle’s authority left the conflict poised to escalate.

• The True Creator killed the Eternal Blazing Sun, and Angel gathered two of the Sun’s remaining characteristics as the old sun vanished from the sky.
• Amanises and Roselle reinforced the barrier as the other gods filled the gaps left by the falling sun, while the Mother Goddess of Depravity pressed the crimson moon against it.
• A new sun rose over the Physical World, and Angel gave the Sun’s characteristics to Viève and Lutique as relics for the Church.
• Grisha told Angel they had used the Eternal Blazing Sun’s death to deceive a powerful existence, while Angel considered how Klein and Amon might have been involved in the plan.
• Klein realized Amon might be trying to deceive both God Almighty and the Celestial Worthy, but Amon stole the thought before Klein and Amon began fighting for control of Sefirah Castle.

Klein and Amon maintained a staged struggle over Sefirah Castle to deceive the Celestial Worthy and God Almighty while their resurrection plans remained uncertain. Amon relinquished his control to Klein, who attacked him; Amon later awoke without his Crystal Monocle and greeted a shadowed figure.

• Klein realized the upheaval in Sefirah Castle made outsiders believe the Celestial Worthy might soon revive, though he and Amon were only pretending to fight.
• Klein and Amon discussed the Celestial Worthy's slow revival and the concessions both Pillars were making to ensure their own side produced a Great Old One first.
• Amon said becoming the Lord of Mysteries had been a means rather than an end, then declared that Klein could keep the fate and responsibility for himself.
• Amon stopped contesting Sefirah Castle, returning its authority to Klein, who hurled the Roselle Card of Blasphemy at him in a supernova of light.
• Amon awoke in a hidden curtain of shadows without his familiar Crystal Monocle, put on a worn brass-framed monocle, and spoke with a figure in the shadows.

After defeating Amon, Klein confirmed that he remained at the Fool’s level while he stabilized, and he and Angel discussed their ascension and the threats facing Earth. At the next Tarot Club meeting, Angel took Mr. Fool’s place as host.

• Klein examined the Beyonder characteristics left by Amon and decided that accommodating another pathway’s Uniqueness would risk letting the Celestial Worthy take control.
• Klein checked on his allies and learned that Angel had become the Primordial Demoness after defeating Suah and that Tolzna had died fighting.
• Angel told Klein about the True Creator’s confrontation with the Eternal Blazing Sun, and Klein explained how he and Amon had deceived the Celestial Worthy and God Almighty during their battle above the gray fog.
• Klein and Angel discussed the dangers of advancing to Great Old Ones and the burden of defending the barrier, then set aside their responsibilities to stabilize themselves together.
• At the next Tarot Club meeting, Audrey noticed that Angel was sitting in the Fool’s seat and heard her announce that Mr. Fool was absent and she would preside.