Chapter Summaries

Roy completed a towering fire-bronze centaur statue, gave it a Sanctified Soul Core, and painted it with black Soul Pigment to create a fear-powered Emotional Engine. Aliftia arrived to review the construct and began testing its durability with a full-strength elemental attack.

• Roy finished the centaur statue and infused it with the Sanctified Soul Core, bringing its eyes, halberd, and flaming mane to life.
• Black Cat Domi fled into a snowdrift after the statue awakened beneath her.
• Roy painted the statue with black Soul Pigment, adding eerie patterns intended to absorb fear and convert it into power.
• Aliftia arrived at Snow Castle and inspected Roy's completed statue.
• Aliftia transformed into a blazing elemental form and prepared to attack the statue with all her strength.

Roy demonstrated the Fire Copper Statue’s fire resistance, overload, and other abilities to Aliftia, revealing that it could enter a Saint Form and recover from damage. Aliftia took the golem for evaluation by the Archmages, though he warned Roy that the assessment could take years.

• Roy showed Aliftia that the Fire Copper Statue absorbed fire attacks and returned them as Flame Rays.
• Roy used fire to trigger the statue’s overloaded state, and Aliftia restrained it with monster-flesh tendrils after it charged around wildly.
• Roy described the statue’s Level 2 abilities, including Heat Ray, Flame Slash, Flame Cloak, and its divine-grade traits.
• Roy revealed that the statue could draw on nearby creatures’ fear, shift between physical and illusory forms, and recover from damage in its Saint Form.
• Aliftia took the golem away for evaluation and told Roy that the Archmages might take up to fifteen working years to respond.

Three months after completing his sanctified heart, Roy returned to Applaney City to seek materials that could repair it and to pursue a rare auction item. He arrived amid growing unrest, and a protest at a luxury shop erupted into violence and fire.

• Roy completed the sanctification of his Life Energy Crystal, but realized his heart remained damaged and decided to seek materials for a Demonized Heart.
• Roy and Athedia traveled to Applaney City, where they planned to attend the year-end auction and look for Asnite's Flesh and Blood Crystal.
• Roy settled into a mansion on President Street with Athedia and Furia, then headed toward the church to see Sister Winsbell.
• Roy noticed the city’s worsening unrest as a coachman warned him about demonstrations and attacks on nobles and the wealthy.
• Demonstrators surrounded a luxury wool shop, smashed its windows, and clashed with the servants before a fire bottle ignited the scene.

Roy reunited with Sister Winsbell, found that her holy emblem had grown more sanctified over the years, and began considering how sanctification might lead toward godhood. He then learned that the Duchess had been murdered amid growing unrest and that the Asnite's Flesh and Blood Crystal had vanished from the ransacked Andora Opera House.

• Roy saw Sister Winsbell distributing food and reflected on how the years and hardships had changed her.
• Roy reunited with Sister Winsbell and learned that riots in Applaney City had killed several priests, though her reputation had kept her safe.
• Roy sensed that the holy emblem he had left with Sister Winsbell had become more sanctified after years in her care.
• Roy considered whether living people or souls could be sanctified and whether that process could reveal a path to godhood.
• Roy learned that the Duchess had been murdered, unrest had intensified, and the Andora Opera House had been ransacked.
• Roy discovered that the suspected Asnite's Flesh and Blood Crystal was gone.

Roy concluded that a lost Sanctified Item might survive as a projection and could be valuable for his research, though Planje's investigation found no trace of it. Meanwhile, Muvir and Fudi exploited the duke's grief to advance their plans, and Oliver discovered an amber-like stone that merged with his hand.

• Planje reported that the mob had smashed, looted, and burned the place where the Sanctified Item had been, leaving its trail cold.
• Roy explained that a highly sanctified object could return through a projection, and he hoped to find the item for its potential Alchemy Talent and research value.
• The duke ordered a harsh military crackdown after his duchess's death, and Muvir and Fudi saw an opportunity to gain power and resources for summoning their Lord.
• Muvir and Fudi planned to tempt the duke with promises of immortality, expecting him to pursue divine power at any cost.
• Oliver received a strange amber-like stone from a subordinate, and its candle-like flame melted into his palm after resonating with his Supernatural Seed.

Oliver’s Supernatural Seed awakened after Fudi attacked him, and he killed his former comrades before Muvis revealed the Blood Sacrifice Ritual. Meanwhile, riots spread through the city, and Roy used supernatural power to turn away a hungry mob while noticing a blood-red Spiritual Entity linked to the unrest.

• Fudi accused Oliver of keeping the supernatural treasure, beat him, and triggered the power of the Supernatural Seed within him.
• Oliver manifested a powerful Saint Form, resisted physical attacks, and killed the people who attacked him.
• Muvis offered to explain how to refine the treasure and called it God's Grace, the Gift of Fate.
• Refugees broke into a wealthy residence, killed its master and servants, and burned the estate.
• Roy used Friendly Scent and a witch formation to control a mob and give them food, then noticed a blood-red Spiritual Entity connected to the rioters.

Roy learned that mass passions might be creating a new demon god and continued developing his blood-mercury body modification path. After Shelby reported that cultists had obtained the sought-after item and were planning a sacrifice with Duke Tulip, Roy learned that their plan had been accelerated as smoke blotted out the daylight over the city.

• Roy judged that the surging will of the masses, perhaps combined with Asnite's Remnant Soul, was bringing about a new demon god.
• Roy refined his plans for transforming his body with blood mercury and considered adding sanctification and Spiritual Materialization to his advancement path.
• Shelby told Roy that followers of the Lord of the Black Fog had teamed up with Duke Tulip for a massive sacrifice and that Night Watchmen sent to their manor had been killed.
• At the manor, Muvis urged Oliver to move to the Factory District and begin the plan early, while Oliver agreed despite not understanding the danger.
• Beacon smoke rose across the city and darkened the sky, leaving Duke Tulip astonished that the sacrifice had begun without warning him.

Roy flew through the killing fog to the Factory District, where Oliver’s cultists were producing Fog Demons. As Roy fought his way toward them, Muvis urged Oliver to summon the Lord of the Black Fog’s avatar, which began to take shape above the city.

• The killing fog engulfed Applaney City, and Roy sent Domi to find Furia an alchemical mask before riding Athedia into the sky.
• Roy saw Fog Demons drain civilians into withered corpses and discovered that fire and other elemental damage could destroy them.
• Roy and Athedia reached the Factory District, where Roy recognized the Fog Demons as creatures produced by a special process.
• Athedia dodged crossbow fire and killed a crossbowman while Roy and Bloodhoof Kailon fought Oliver’s forces and held off the Fog Demons.
• Muvis urged Oliver to activate the summoning array, and the avatar of the Lord of the Black Fog began descending above the city.

Roy defeated Oliver and the Evil God's believers, then discovered that the Flesh and Blood Amber held Demon God-level residue. After destroying the cult’s idol and ritual sites, he began to suspect he had overlooked something.

• Roy summoned explosive Alchemical Creations that wiped out the Evil God's believers, then pierced Oliver with his spear.
• Oliver used the power of Asnite's Flesh and Blood Crystal to phase away from Roy's attacks and gain a burst of strength.
• Roy struck Oliver with Blackening Potion-filled throwing spears, whose corrosive fog and repeated impacts left him dying and pinned to the ground.
• Roy took the Flesh and Blood Amber from a distance and recognized the Demon God-level residue within it.
• Roy destroyed the cult's altars, magic formations, and black idol, causing the smoke over Applaney City's Factory District to dissipate.
• Roy sensed that he might have overlooked something.

After Roy defeated Oliver, he returned to Shelby and learned that the Night Watchmen were handling the aftermath. The next morning, his new Alchemy Talent, Aesthetic Value, appeared, and an ornate waist chain unexpectedly mutated into a growth-capable magical accessory.

• Roy noticed the black fog still lingering over the city and speculated that the Lord of the Black Fog's influence might remain.
• Roy refined Oliver's body into a crystal-like substance and returned to President Street to tell Shelby what had happened.
• Roy learned that the Night Watchmen had gone to handle the battlefield and civilian casualties, then inspected the Candle Flame and Flesh and Blood Crystal he had acquired.
• Roy's Phantom Panel revealed the Bronze-grade Alchemy Talent Aesthetic Value, which gave artistic alchemical products a chance to mutate and emotionally resonate with sapient beings.
• Roy crafted and appraised gem accessories to test the talent, but none initially showed signs of mutation.
• Roy's Dancer's Waist Chain gained Aesthetic Value, became growth-capable, and advanced from a Level 0 item to the next grade.

Roy discovered that the factory smoke had combined with poison to create deadly gas settling over Applaney City, and he rushed to protect Furia and check on Sister Winsbell. He reached the church through the smoke as countless souls rose from the city and demon gods feasted on them.

• Roy gave Athedia the refined waist chain, while Planje declined it.
• Shelby warned Roy that poisoned factory fuel and lingering ritual smoke were producing chlorine gas and phosgene that would sink toward the city.
• Roy secured Furia in a safe place and quickly crafted her protective armor as the poisonous smoke spread.
• Roy sensed Sister Winsbell’s Rose Holy Emblem activating and flew to the church, leaving Athedia and Planje to guard the others.
• Roy saw corpses and countless rising souls around Applaney City, while the Lord of the Black Fog, Evil God U'ar, and other demon gods fed on them.

After a mass poisoning devastated Applaney City, Muvis revealed that he had engineered the sacrifice to gather souls and strengthen himself. Roy rushed toward the church, where Winsbell was trapped among the dead as Hell began to intrude into the Material World.

• The surviving Night Watchmen received orders to abandon their base and protect classified documents and supernatural items.
• A bishop at the Grand Cathedral of Holy Light read an urgent telegram reporting an incident in Applaney City and prayed for guidance.
• Muvis absorbed Hell's reward for the city's deaths, recovered his strength, and began summoning demons.
• Roy confronted Muvis and accused him of manipulating the city's inhabitants into sacrificing its million residents, but Muvis claimed the Outer Gods' plan had failed and that he had kept their pact.
• Roy hurried toward the church while Winsbell stood amid the corpses, protected by the fading light of his Rose Holy Emblem.
• Mirage-like visions of Hell's lava and flames descended over Applaney as invisible shadows attacked Winsbell.

Roy watched Sister Winsbell undergo Hell’s trials after her death, seeing her flaws stripped away until her humanity began transforming into divinity. At the ninth layer, an Abyssal Demon accused her of betraying her faith and sentenced her to eternal damnation.

• Roy found Sister Winsbell’s corpse and followed her soul through a planar overlap into Hell.
• Winsbell crossed the River Styx and passed through the trials for lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, heresy, violence, and deceit.
• Roy realized the trials were removing fragments of Winsbell’s flaws and transforming her remaining humanity into divinity.
• At Hell’s ninth layer, an Abyssal Demon declared Winsbell guilty of betraying her deity and condemned her to eternal damnation.

Roy saved Sister Winsbell from being bound in Hell and offered her the Proto-Apostle’s body when her own could no longer house her soul. Winsbell entered the apostle, and an angel was born.

• Ambator judged Sister Winsbell’s soul and declared that her devotion had faltered because she had fallen for Mr. Yilor.
• Winsbell panicked as she realized her feelings for Yilor meant she had not been completely loyal to her Lord.
• Roy used his Soul-Binding Spirit Rope to stop Ambator from claiming Winsbell and pulled her soul back to the Material World.
• Roy realized Winsbell’s damaged body could not contain her soul, but her soul resonated with the Proto-Apostle at over 100 percent synchronization.
• Winsbell saw Roy’s true spiritual form, entered the Proto-Apostle’s body, and began transforming into an angel.

Roy created Winsbell’s angelic form, then escaped Applaney City with his companions while pursued by entities drawn to her holy aura. As they planned to return to Snow Castle, a winged figure identified as a Holy Light Envoy caught up with them.

• Roy examined Winsbell’s new angel form and learned that she had become a powerful Rose Angel with healing and combat abilities.
• Roy and his companions left President Street, but the Lord of the Black Fog and Evil God U'ar’s followers pursued them after sensing Winsbell’s holy light.
• Roy used smoke made from Holy Relic Residue and Fog Demon remains to disguise the group as Fog Demons, allowing them to escape.
• Outside Applaney City, Roy told Planje what had happened and considered how he had managed to retrieve souls from Hell.
• Roy decided that the group should return to Snow Castle rather than risk entering the ruined city, but a winged Holy Light Envoy caught up with them.

Roy encountered a powerful Holy Light Envoy, which praised Winsbell and tried to persuade her to convert, but she remained loyal to her own faith. After learning the envoy had attacked Applaney City, Roy arranged to leave the Aster World and departed by teleportation.

• The Holy Light Envoy used Detect Evil on Roy, then praised Winsbell’s talent and urged her to follow the Lord of Radiance.
• Winsbell refused to change her faith, explaining that her convictions belonged to her own heart.
• The Holy Light Envoy left, and Roy ordered the group to get out of the area.
• Roy learned from Shelby that the envoy had killed Fog Demons and the avatar of U'ar in Applaney City, severely wounding Muvir.
• Roy applied to the alliance for permission to leave the Aster World, and the application was approved.
• A little under half a month later, Roy reached the ancient castle and formally left the Aster World.

Roy returned to the Witch Tower after seven years in the Aster World and reviewed the gains he had brought back, including new abilities, allies, and materials. He began developing a creation using his discoveries while the organization prepared to assess his work, and the chapter ended with wizards examining his Bronze Statue Casting.

• Roy returned to the Witch Tower, where the Red Skirt Ghost told him that Aliftia had arranged for the organization to review his work and that he could recuperate for at least three months.
• Roy reviewed his gains from the Aster World and considered making Furia a Rose Maiden under a contract that would claim her soul after death.
• Roy began designing elegant objects and shaping leftover Fire Copper, hoping to combine Aesthetic Value with the soul of Lailebuli to create a powerful being.
• Roy learned that the Witch Tower had prepared eight hundred thousand Raw Magic Stones for him, then posted requests for materials instead of withdrawing the funds.
• Wizardly projections gathered in a distant castle to examine the Bronze Statue Casting Roy had refined.

Roy’s Fire Copper Statue impressed the organization’s senior members with its unusual design and combat performance. The Elder Council classified Roy as an Advanced Member with Level 3 Wizard benefits, and Aliftia later told him he could attend higher-level trade fairs and open a materials shop.

• Aliftia presented the Fire Copper Statue’s features, including its use of fear to power its Emotional Engine.
• The assembled members watched the statue fight a simulated undead golem army, where it endured a prolonged battle against six Frost Dragons before being dismantled.
• Anirasud claimed the statue for his collection, and the senior members approved classifying Wizard Roy as an Advanced Member with Level 3 Wizard benefits.
• Several days later, Aliftia told Roy about his new status and explained that he could attend corresponding trade fairs and open a materials shop.

Roy learned about the organization’s cross-plane exchanges and accepted Aliftia’s request to find Sulfur Stone in return for a large advance payment. He chose the Kirik Magic Ring as his membership treasure and received it at the Witch Tower, where he quickly mastered it.

• Aliftia explained the value of cross-plane exchange meetings and offered Roy one million Magic Crystal Coins to find Sulfur Stone.
• Aliftia showed Roy several membership rings, and Roy chose the Kirik Magic Ring for its ability to dominate minds and coordinate legions.
• More than half a month later, Roy received the ring at the Witch Tower, checked it with Hermes' Eye, and mastered it using his unlocking permissions.

Roy tested the Kirik Magic Ring’s domination abilities and trained Furia in alchemy before his Aesthetic Value unexpectedly transformed a copper lamp into a Fog Demon Charm. The lamp summoned alluring Phantom in the Fog demons, which Roy appraised as smoke-type monsters with poison fog and charm abilities.

• Roy used the Kirik Magic Ring to dominate ordinary Animate Statues and found that its authority could control targets without being consumed, though complex minds occupied more of it.
• Roy tested the ring on the Witch Tower’s Ghost Maid, but released her after discovering that her programmed nature left her without thoughts or memories to interrogate.
• Black Cat Domi taught Furia about Will Rune meditation, then brought her to watch Roy’s alchemy lesson and practice.
• Roy’s Aesthetic Value unexpectedly enhanced a copper lamp, creating a Fog Demon Charm, and he sent Furia away before testing it.
• Roy lit the lamp with specially prepared oil, summoning Phantom in the Fog demons, whose appraisal revealed potent poison fog and mind-corroding charm abilities.