Chapter Summaries

Samael explained to Hippolyta why preserving Rome and disrupting Persia’s alliances mattered to Greece’s survival, then insisted on continuing his mission despite his curse. He and Hippolyta prepared to head for Eagle's Nest and Evening Bell Temple.

• Samael read the latest issue of One Thousand and One Nights and angrily cursed Scheherazade for ending it on a cliffhanger.
• Hippolyta urged Samael to recuperate before entering enemy territory, but he argued that his curse would not be cured by rest and that he needed to strike while the opportunity lasted.
• Samael explained how Rome’s survival, the blocked Hunnic route, pressure on Persia, and the wedge between Carthage and Egypt could prevent Greece from being encircled.
• Hippolyta offered to complete the Persian mission while Penthesilea and other Amazons escorted Samael back to Greece, but Samael refused and said he alone could make the next move.
• When Hippolyta asked where they would go, Samael named Eagle's Nest and Evening Bell Temple.

Arash spoke with the overcautious Scheherazade in the palace while she worried about the wounded Great King and resolved to write another bonus chapter. Elsewhere, Samael arrived at Eagle’s Nest and reunited with Calamity Jane, whose fellow Hassans learned that the Old Man already knew about their relationship and was waiting for them.

• Arash met Scheherazade in the palace courtyard and questioned her new layers of protective gear.
• Scheherazade admitted she feared an assassination attempt against the wounded Great King and resolved to write a bonus chapter that night.
• Samael and his companion reached Eagle’s Nest, where Cursed Arm and the other Hassans confronted them.
• Samael recognized Calamity Jane, removed his hood, and embraced her after announcing he had come for their appointment.
• Hundred Faces and Foggy Drunkenness questioned whether Calamity Jane could bring an outsider to Eagle’s Nest, but she revealed that the Old Man knew about them and awaited them at the Evening Bell Temple.

Samael reunited with the Old Man of the Mountain at the Evening Bell Temple and discussed their past cooperation and Cyrus the Great. They praised Cyrus’s rule, while the chapter left their conversation ongoing.

• The Hassans in the Eastern Village waited anxiously while Samael and Calamity Jane stayed inside the Evening Bell Temple.
• Hassan of the Stillness served Samael and the Old Man of the Mountain, and Hippolyta helped when her nervousness made her fumble.
• Samael greeted Ziusudra and recalled their time in Uruk, explaining that he had come to catch up and thank him for helping Anna.
• The Old Man of the Mountain offered Samael Jellab prepared by Calamity Jane, and their conversation grew more cordial.
• Samael asked what they thought of Cyrus, and the Old Man of the Mountain and Calamity Jane praised the Great King’s rule.

Samael tried to weaken the alliance between Cyrus and the Assassins’ Order by suggesting that Cyrus was connected to Jehovah and might seek the Planetary Great Source. The Old Man of the Mountain remained uncertain, but Samael believed he had planted enough suspicion to advance his plan.

• Samael recalled Cyrus’s generosity and resilience, while lamenting that the emperor had survived two assassination attempts.
• Samael reminded the Old Man of the Mountain that Cyrus freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity and restored their temple treasures.
• The Old Man of the Mountain noted that Cyrus followed Zoroastrianism, whose doctrine associated fire with light, and Samael linked this to Jehovah.
• Samael warned that Cyrus might seek the Planetary Great Source and use it to reforge the star and become a god above gods.
• The Old Man of the Mountain fell silent as doubts about Cyrus took hold, while Samael resolved to exploit the suspicion and widen the rift between Persia and the Assassins’ Order.

Samael gave the Old Man of the Mountain revelations about the Assassins’ future and asked Hassan-i Sabbah to join his cause. Hassan accepted, transformed into a black-clad swordsman, and pledged his sword and service to Samael.

• Samael told the Old Man of the Mountain that his weapon could help once, but the Assassins would never leave the mountains, and offered him advice instead of a gift.
• Samael’s three warnings revealed the future defeats of Rome and Persia and the Assassins’ eventual destruction by the Mongols, though he noted that this altered world could change those outcomes.
• Samael delivered Anna’s teachings, “All Is Vanity” and “All Is Permitted,” and the Old Man of the Mountain saluted him in gratitude.
• The Old Man of the Mountain asked why Samael had entered the human war, and Samael declared his ambition to establish new Rules for the world.
• Samael asked Hassan-i Sabbah to help him without fighting Persia, and Hassan transformed into a black-clad swordsman and pledged himself to Samael.

Ramesses II dreamed of Nefertari and their child before waking in fury and naming Moses, as the Feather of Death descended behind him. Meanwhile, Samael arranged an assassination plot meant to turn Persia and Egypt against each other and break the anti-Greek alliance.

• Ramesses II dreamed that a monstrous child attacked him in Nefertari’s presence, then woke and shouted Moses’s name as the Feather of Death appeared behind him.
• Samael defeated Hundred-Faced Hassan at a chess-like game, and Hassan’s duplicate ordered the gambling Assassins to complete their training a hundred times.
• Samael watched the Assassins perform their gymnastics training while Hippolyta asked how his plans were progressing.
• Samael told Hippolyta that his second move was underway and explained that he intended to have Persia’s Assassins’ Order target Egypt’s Pharaoh to fracture their alliance.

Samael stayed in Persia to recover, trusting that Cyrus would keep their arrangement quiet while Hippolyta protected him. He told her to wait and send a letter to the Pharaoh to stir up trouble, leaving his next move pending.

• Hippolyta urged Samael to leave Persia, but he argued that staying near Cyrus was safer than returning to Rome or traveling through Greece.
• Samael hinted that the Assassin who had infiltrated Rome on the night Romulus fell was inexperienced and had been on his shift, while the Assassins' Order had withdrawn to Eagle's Nest.
• Calamity Jane served Samael and Hippolyta Jellab, then hugged Samael and fell asleep against him before fleeing into his bedroom in embarrassment.
• Hippolyta offered to stay with Samael and even provide Amazon warriors, but he refused and warned that he could be overwhelmed by them.
• Hippolyta asked what to do next, and Samael told her to wait and send a letter to the Pharaoh to add fuel to the conflict.
• Hippolyta worried about threats to Samael's safety, and he reminded her that she was there to protect him; she pledged her life to it.

Samael learned that the Old Man of the Mountain had failed to kill Ramesses II, who revived inside the Radiant Composite Temple, and explained how the failed attempt could still serve their plans. Back in Egypt, Ramesses II received an urgent letter from the Romans.

• The Old Man of the Mountain reported that he had beheaded Ramesses II twice but could only bring back a fragment of the Pharaoh’s scepter.
• Samael explained that the temple’s power allowed Ramesses II to revive and said the Pharaoh was more useful alive than dead.
• Samael and the Old Man of the Mountain agreed to conceal their involvement and let the Pharaoh blame the Persian Empire.
• Samael left the Evening Bell Temple, expecting his greetings to reach their destination soon.
• Ramesses II’s neck cracked as he moved his revived head, and Nitocris nervously offered to find remedies for him.
• Ramesses II received an urgent letter from the Romans and was intrigued by its arrival.

Nero persuaded Ramesses II to keep Rome standing and join forces against Persia, prompting him to prepare a strike on a Persian fleet. Several days later, Samael completed his second move and turned his attention to an old friend.

• Nero warned Ramesses II that Persia would threaten Egypt if it conquered Rome and Greece, and proposed that Egypt help Rome resist Persia and the Huns.
• Ramesses II agreed to act against Persia, ordering Nito to gather Anubis's legion and prepare the Dark Night Sun Ship.
• Ramesses II ordered Nito to lure a Persian fleet into coastal waters so he could attack it as a gift to his new allies.
• At Eagle's Nest, an encrypted letter and a sheet marked “Moses” and “Jews” were burned, and Samael reversed the chessboard's position and declared his second move complete.

The Roman fortress survived the Hunnic Wolf Riders’ final probing attack, and the consul credited his decision to accommodate the Celts and Boudica’s reinforcements for the defense. At the Golden Horde, Attila questioned whether Heaven was real, but the old shaman urged her to stop carrying the burden of the Huns’ quest and live as she wished.

• The Roman consul sent centuries onto the battlefield to finish off wounded enemies and rescue Roman survivors after the Hunnic assault ended.
• The consul reflected that the Romans had held the defensive line because he had given the Celtic tribes leeway and Boudica had brought reinforcements to restrain Attila.
• The consul learned from scouts that the Hunnic Wolf Riders had withdrawn more than a hundred li and believed their attack had been their final probe.
• At the Golden Horde, Attila asked the old shaman whether Heaven existed and wondered whether the Huns had sacrificed so much for a place that might not be real.
• The old shaman told Attila that gathering the tribes and leading them forward mattered more than reaching Heaven, and encouraged her to follow her own wishes.
• The old shaman brought Attila roasted Dragon Meat and urged her to eat instead of dwelling on the question.

Attila withdrew the Huns from the western front and set off alone for Greece after being promised answers about her origins. With Rome’s immediate crisis eased, Samael anticipated Cyrus’s next move against Greece, but a grim report arrived from Mesopotamia: Paradise Lost had been found.

• Attila told the old shaman she would withdraw the Huns and travel to Greece to learn about her past.
• Samael learned that the Huns had withdrawn and reviewed how Rome’s enemies had been weakened and turned against one another.
• Samael warned Hippolyta that Cyrus might launch a final assault on Greece to seize its Planetary Great Source.
• Calamity Jane brought Samael hot Jellab, flatbread, and lamb, then fled in embarrassment after he hugged and kissed her cheek.
• An unseen visitor told Samael that they had found Paradise Lost.

Hassan-i Sabbah reported that the Underworld was deserted, prompting Samael to suspect Ereshkigal and the others had relocated to Greece. Samael planned to travel there, while he asked Hippolyta to return to Rome and help Nero hold power.

• Hassan-i Sabbah told Samael that the Underworld was abandoned, with its Spear Cages dismantled and plants carefully transplanted, but no souls or guardians remaining.
• Samael guessed that Ereshkigal and the Underworld pantheon had settled in Greece, and decided to travel there the next day to investigate.
• Samael told Hassan-i Sabbah to handle his duties and prepare Eagle's Nest in case Persia retaliated.
• Samael asked Hippolyta to return to Rome with the Spear of Nation-Building and her Amazon Warriors to support Nero and suppress unrest.
• Hippolyta agreed to return to Rome, then glanced back at Samael with uncertainty as he left for his house.

Samael accepted Hippolyta’s request to father her child, and they spent the night together before her return to the Amazons. Meanwhile, Skadi prepared to leave the Celtic tribe for Greece, while Boudica stayed behind to defend Britain and Ireland and investigate leads about Avalon, the six Fae Clans, and the Horned God.

• Hippolyta entered Samael’s room and asked him to father a daughter before she returned to the Amazons.
• Samael agreed, and he and Hippolyta chose the name Diana for their future child before sealing the room for the night.
• Skadi finished restoring seventy or eighty percent of her strength and decided to leave for Greece because she felt uneasy and the situation in the Shadow Realm was stable.
• Boudica agreed to remain in Britain and Ireland to defend the region and investigate leads about Avalon, the six Fae Clans, and the Horned God.
• Skadi and Boudica embraced, wished each other well, and set off for their separate duties.

Cyrus sought Ahura’s help to suppress the curse left by a foreign god, then vanished during a purification ritual. A sinister figure took his place, seized the Golden Chalice, and summoned spirits to begin remaking the planet.

• Cyrus suffered intense pain when the curse flared and plunged into the Sacred Pool, which eased his injuries but failed to remove the marks.
• Cyrus worried that Persia’s worsening situation would not allow him time to find a cure, so he entered Ahura’s Sanctuary and pleaded for healing and guidance.
• Ahura promised to cleanse Cyrus and grant him victory, but Cyrus vanished as the purification light faded.
• A sinister figure rose in the darkness, activated the Magic Formations, and took the Golden Chalice from the Ley Lines.
• The figure poured fluid into the runes and recited a summoning incantation, calling forth spirits as the Seven Pillars of Light activated.
• The figure laughed, drank from the cup, and declared that he would remake the planet.

Scathach learned that Athens had defeated the Persian fleet at Salamis after Egypt switched sides, but the Athenians planned to exile victorious commander Themistocles. She was left incredulous at the citizens’ assembly for considering his exile while the war continued.

• Hildr rushed into Scathach’s courtyard with news and nearly got struck by Scathach’s spear.
• Thrud explained that Egypt had turned against Persia and that Athens had defeated the Persian fleet at Salamis under Themistocles.
• Scathach took the Egyptian defection as a sign that someone she cared about was safe and might soon reunite with her in Greece.
• Thrud, Hildr, and Ortlinde told Scathach that Athens planned to exile Themistocles because citizens had died while awaiting rescue after the battle.
• Scathach was appalled that the Athenians would consider exiling their victorious commander during the ongoing war.

Scathach uncovered the political motives behind Themistocles’s exile and set out to rescue him, but a strange pillar of light appeared from the mountain where he was imprisoned. In the Chaos Sea, the Feathered Serpent God and her leopard-eared companion sensed a summons as they approached land.

• Horo advised Scathach to investigate whose interests Themistocles had threatened, and Scathach ordered the Valkyries to uncover his political connections.
• Thrud, Hildr, and Ortlinde reported that Themistocles had backed Pericles’s democratic reforms, making him a target of Athens’s Divine Blood Aristocrats.
• Scathach decided to break Themistocles out of prison on Mount of the God of War and send him to Sigurd and the others.
• A blue-white pillar of light erupted from Mount of the God of War, and Scathach and the Valkyries felt a powerful summons from it.
• In the Chaos Sea, the leopard-eared companion sensed the same kind of call, while the Feathered Serpent God punished her and turned her into a sail for their raft.

Nero tried to escape Rome for Greece, where she believed a grand epic was unfolding, but Brunhilde stopped her until Nero persuaded her to travel together to find Samael. As Brunhilde and Nero departed on the Silver Winged Pegasus, Hippolyta ordered Penthesilea to lead a thousand warriors to Greece while she remained in Rome.

• Brunhilde caught Nero sneaking out of the palace and insisted she stay in Rome to help stabilize the empire.
• Nero escaped Brunhilde's hold and briefly summoned a powerful Machine God phantom with her blessings from Mars and Venus, but it shattered when she lost synchronization.
• Nero convinced Brunhilde to take her to Greece by claiming Samael was seriously injured and might need help.
• Brunhilde took Nero to the stables, and they flew from Rome on the Silver Winged Pegasus toward Greece.
• Hippolyta ordered Penthesilea to lead a thousand Amazon warriors by ship to Greece while she stayed behind to govern Rome.

After Persia’s defeat at Salamis, Xerxes tried to avoid blame by presenting Darius I with three powerful foreign allies, while Rama demanded help finding his wife Sita. Cyrus the Great arrived at sea with seven formidable figures as the story left both sides preparing for what came next.

• After losing two hundred warships, Darius I demanded that Xerxes explain the defeat before Cyrus the Great arrived.
• Xerxes proposed bypassing Athens’s navy and invading the Greek city-states by land with the help of three foreign heroes.
• Karna, Jinako, and Rama entered the command tent, and Darius I learned that Karna and Rama were exceptionally powerful Divine Blood Heroes.
• Karna pledged to help Persia, Jinako offered casual support, and Rama agreed to serve on the condition that he could see his wife Sita alive.
• Rama’s mention of the Planetary Great Source made Darius I suspect Xerxes had revealed its whereabouts.
• Cyrus the Great sailed toward Salamis with seven powerful figures standing behind him.

Samael rescued a Golden Fox from the Sea of Chaos and brought her aboard his boat. After feeding her smoked meat, he tried to teach her to say, “Great Chu rises, Chen Sheng is king!”

• Samael found a Golden Fox tangled in his fishing net and dried her fur aboard his boat.
• The Golden Fox scratched Samael when he inspected her, then healed him with green light from her claws.
• The Golden Fox followed the smell of roasted poultry and eagerly ate the meat Samael offered.
• Samael offered the Golden Fox smoked lamb ribs but asked her to make a proper fox call first.
• Samael taught the Golden Fox to say, “Great Chu rises, Chen Sheng is king!” and she responded with a confused “Mi... migu?”

After days at sea, Samael reached a familiar but unfamiliar shore with the Golden Fox, who had grown comfortable traveling with him. When the fox slipped away near the road, Samael accepted the failed kidnapping attempt, then spotted a vast cloud of dust ahead and sensed trouble.

• Samael woke aboard his ship and found the Golden Fox sleeping in his bed instead of her own nest.
• The Golden Fox ate a meal and drank Honey Wine while Samael tended to the ship and enjoyed their quiet days at sea.
• Samael sighted land, docked in a hidden bay, and carried the fox ashore with her wineskin.
• As Samael neared the roadside, the Golden Fox vanished into the grass, and he concluded that his attempt to win her over had failed.
• Samael saw a vast cloud of dust ahead and turned cold and alert at the activity.