Chapter Summaries

William returned to Flumouth and learned that Zed had been sealed and Spacy had died while delaying the Blood People’s construction of the Pulse Tower. As the organization prepared to reclaim Zion, William suppressed his fury and vowed to kill every Blood Person.

• Deslin told William and Jin that Zed had been sealed for four months, that he was still alive, and that the organization was preparing a plan to rescue survivors and possibly reclaim Zion.
• William reassured Deslin, then joined Jin in exploring Flumouth, where they planned to visit Keximani and see Yuri.
• An owl led William to Frontal Sanatorium, where he met Chamberson and learned that the hospital had become the organization’s general office and that it had once screened patients for mental talents.
• Chamberson explained that Spacy had tried to destroy the Pulse Tower and died after transforming himself into a skin-like solution to delay its construction.
• William’s grief and anger over Spacy’s death caused eerie hands to stir beneath his skin, but he regained control and vowed to leave no Blood People alive.

William learned about the losses and defections caused by the Zion Incident, then reunited with Regan in Flumouth and recruited him for the Reclaim Plan. Regan revealed his mechanical-ascension Pathway and introduced the powerful Miss Fei, leaving the old friends ready to counterattack.

• Chamberson explained the organization’s casualties, the low-level gentlemen’s defections to the blood people, and the remaining forces in Flumouth.
• William thanked Chamberson and headed to the Power Station to find Regan.
• Regan recognized William, stopped working, and agreed to join him for the Reclaim Plan.
• William gave Regan the death-plague sample and discovered that less than a third of Regan’s body was flesh and blood.
• Regan described his mechanical-ascension Pathway, and Miss Fei emerged from his cables with an aura above Open Source.

William returned to Zion and stopped Yuri and Jin’s sparring before joining the Silver Ring gentlemen to prepare the Reclaim Plan. As the meeting was about to begin, footsteps from outside made William tense at the prospect of someone from the Monastery of Suffering.

• William and Regan descended to Keximani’s arena, where Yuri and Jin were fighting, and William intervened to calm Jin and stop the match.
• Yuri welcomed William and announced that Keximani could begin preparing the Reclaim Plan against the bloodfolk.
• Deslin called the Open Source-level gentlemen to a general assembly at the Frontal Sanatorium, where 131 gentlemen gathered.
• Gregory Alaus learned that the director returning from the Old World was delayed at the Feren Great Cemetery, so he prepared to start the meeting without him.
• As footsteps approached the meeting room, William recognized the possibility that someone from the Monastery of Suffering had come to Zion.

Doctor Asimov, a Special Record Combatant from the Monastery of Suffering, joined the meeting about reclaiming Zion. William offered to scout the city and vanished to carry out his plan, leaving the others to await his findings.

• Asimov introduced himself to William and recognized that William had completed and fused the Thorned Iron Chain.
• First Doctor Alaus explained that the Gentlemen needed to estimate the number of Sick Ones and Silver Circle Diseased in Zion before planning their return.
• Asimov said he could not inspect the bloodfolk without a Monastery search warrant, so William offered to scout Zion with Deslin's help.
• William claimed he had over an eighty percent chance of success and could finish within a day, then vanished from the meeting room.
• Jin vouched for William and asked Asimov to repair his armor, which Asimov identified as belonging to a Tumor Knight.

William prepared to infiltrate Zion and arranged for Deslin to open an escape passage if needed. On the moon, he met Lorien and invited him to take part in a play in exchange for blood supplies.

• William and Deslin agreed that she would create an exit passage if he sent her a signal while infiltrating Zion.
• Deslin set up a Star Magic formation more than five kilometers from Zion as William went to a cave to summon his Moonification Disease.
• William’s Moonification call lit up the sky, but when he reached the Moon Surface, no one answered until the Female Doctor arrived and led him to Lorien.
• Lorien offered to merge with William, but William’s Abyss Mask appeared and spread Killing Aura, interrupting the attempt.
• William invited Lorien to perform in a play and offered high-quality blood, including ancient blood plasma, as payment.

William and Lorien agreed to investigate Xian together, disguising themselves as defectors to infiltrate the bloodfolk. After a patrolman attacked them, Viscount Dimitri Xiani intervened and led them toward full-body Blood Modification.

• Lorien accepted William’s offer to help investigate Xian after they negotiated an otherworldly treasure and a plan to merge if they faced the Seven Marquis and were outmatched.
• Lorien transported himself and William to the mountain cave, where they disguised their strength and prepared to pose as defectors.
• William and Lorien traveled toward Xian under moonlight, rehearsing the appearance of having struggled before abandoning the Gentleman Organization.
• A bloodfolk patrolman charged at William and Lorien, but a finger snap caused it to swell and explode.
• Viscount Dimitri Xiani appeared, praised their determination, and offered to make them his direct subordinates if they passed full-body Blood Modification.

William and Lorien entered Viscount Dimitri’s new stronghold and underwent Blood Modification as part of their infiltration. William survived by having his internal pathogens destroy and study the Blood Plague, then woke to learn that he and Lorien had been made Dimitri’s personal attendants.

• Viscount Dimitri showed William and Lorien the Blood Sac High Wall, a formidable structure built from blood and skin that could hinder the Reclaim Plan.
• After Dimitri verified their identities, William and Lorien passed through the wall and were sent to undergo Blood Modification in a blood pool.
• William’s internal pathogens killed the invading Blood Plague and analyzed it, allowing his body to produce compatible blood without being infected.
• William removed his clothing, let the modification process finish, and fell unconscious in the pool.
• William woke in a luxurious bedroom and learned from Viscount Dimitri that he and Lorien had both passed Blood Modification and would serve as Dimitri’s personal attendants.
• After Dimitri left, William felt a powerful murderous intent toward him.

William used his insanity brain to make Viscount Dimitri’s butler reveal details about the blood people’s ranks and forces in Zion, then left the manor with Lorien to survey the new estate. Lorien decided to stay behind and infiltrate the blood people, while William planned to return and report before the human army’s attack.

• William compelled the butler to explain the blood people’s hierarchy, revealing that ten Counts and one of the Seven Marquis were stationed in Zion and that the Skin Apostles had returned to the Old World.
• William asked about Zede, but the butler had never heard of him, then agreed to let William and Lorien tour Zion.
• Lorien proposed staying behind, imprisoning Viscount Dimitri, and disguising himself as the Viscount to aid the human army from within.
• William and Lorien walked through Zion’s crimson streets and saw that the former Divine Skin Manor had become an estate filled with powerful auras, including one that felt ancient and threatening.

William toured the Blood People’s New Zion and concluded that their apparent civility concealed a nature he intended to destroy. Lorien captured Viscount Dimitri to study and impersonate him, while William considered how the Organization could breach the Blood Sac High Wall and learned that Yellow Skin could rapidly absorb its Skin structures.

• William saw how the Blood People had repurposed Zion’s hospital, academy, and Power Station, and judged that their nobles only restrained their true nature after losing the war.
• Viscount Dimitri returned to his manor and found his two young men and butler missing, then crushed the butler after he relayed William’s mocking message and laughed uncontrollably.
• Lorien led Viscount Dimitri into an operating room, subdued him, and began a conscious craniotomy to learn enough about him to perfect a disguise.
• William examined the Blood Sac High Wall and set aside plans to break through, deciding to reproduce its structure and take it back to the Organization.
• Yellow Skin told William it could absorb a 50-by-50-meter section of the wall in five seconds and urged him to launch a general assault before the Blood People became wary.

William infiltrated New Zion disguised as a Bloodfolk, escaped detection with Lorien’s help, and returned with intelligence for the planned operation. He revealed that New Zion had ten Silver Circles, a Seven Marquis, and a formidable wall, while Asimov offered to cut a passage through it.

• A Countess caught William examining New Zion’s wall and tried to inspect his blood and invade his memories, but Lorien intervened by claiming William as his manservant.
• Lorien warned William that his careless behavior had nearly exposed him, and William returned through a Pure White Gate to Principal Deslin with news that Moon would support the Reclaim Plan.
• William told Deslin that New Zion had ten Counts and one Seven Marquis, then they returned to the waiting conference at the Frontal Sanatorium.
• William demonstrated that his modified blood retained the Blood Plague’s characteristics without its pathogenicity, impressing Asimov.
• William formed a detailed model of New Zion from his suit and explained that the wall was a major obstacle to rescuing Teacher Zed.
• Asimov offered to cut a passage through the wall if William could clear away its outer skin sac structure.

William proposed a two-team plan to reclaim Zion, destroy the Pulse Tower, and rescue Zede, and the leaders approved its general strategy. The final assault was scheduled for that night, under the moonlight.

• Jin woke during the meeting and offered to use her explosives against the blood wall, while William suggested she might instead destroy the Pulse Tower.
• William outlined two goals: seal the passage and destroy the Pulse Tower, while a covert team rescued Zede from the Academy.
• William proposed leading a team to draw the nobles' attention, with Jin, Yuri, Alaus, Asimov, and his ally Moonscar Lorien; moonlight would cover the rescue team’s infiltration.
• Asimov confirmed that Zede could still be the organization’s strongest fighter if alive, and William explained that Lorien had agreed to help and infiltrated Zion as a noble.
• Alaus approved William’s strategy and assigned Deslin, Marco, and Regan to infiltrate the Academy and rescue Zede before everyone regrouped for an assault on the Divine Skin Manor.

William learned that Galon’s death would close the Skin Passage, but he and Yellow Skin planned to sever Galon’s connection to the Skin Factory instead. As the Reclaim Plan began, the moon lulled the Bloodkin while the human force breached the city wall.

• First Doctor Alaus explained that killing Galon would close the Skin Passage, and William agreed to use Yellow Skin to sever Galon’s connection to the Skin Factory.
• William, Jin, and Regan shared a meal before the assault; Jin explained that his broken Outer Realm Weapon required him to awaken his cancerous attributes.
• Regan agreed to take responsibility for Teacher Zed while the others prepared for the battle.
• The moon drew close and bathed the Bloodkin in tranquil moonlight, leaving the city guards relaxed.
• William led the concealed human force up the mountain, and Mr. Asimov cut a passage through the blood wall with his surgical-knife chain.

Marquis Gluttony mobilized the Bloodfolk against the human invaders while Lorien watched the blood moon alter the battle’s prospects. After William’s letter reached him, Lorien agreed to escort Deslin’s Second Squad to the Academy District.

• The Countess reported that humans had breached the city wall, and Marquis Gluttony ordered Olinka and Fidel to guard the special human in the Academy District while he led the attack on the breach.
• Marquis Gluttony stained the moon red with his blood, and Lorien became angry but refrained from removing the bloodstains after the Female Doctor warned that doing so would expose him.
• Deslin, Mako, Martin, and the transformed research institute director arrived at Lorien’s residence through a spatial disturbance.
• Deslin thanked Lorien for helping the Reclaim Plan and gave him a letter from William asking him to escort the squad to the Academy District if the moonlight disrupted their concealment.
• Lorien read William’s letter, calmed himself with the IV, and told the humans to follow him.

Asimov’s group entered the city, where Gregory Alaus’s plants transformed the streets, but Marquis Gluttony Graton arrived and forced them into a confrontation. Graton brought four Counts to face the five Silver Ring humans as blood citizens sealed the battlefield inside a Blood Prison.

• Gregory Alaus entered the city and replaced its blood plants with vegetation and flowers that infected blood citizens with plant parasitism.
• The moon turned red, and a crushing pressure forced the weaker gentlemen to flee as a Human Bomb destroyed the streets and dropped the group to Zion’s lowest level.
• Marquis Gluttony Graton confronted the five humans and demanded that William identify his organization, but William mocked him and challenged him to fight.
• Graton analyzed William’s taunts, recognized his madness, and summoned Count Berenice Hadjiev, Count Magda Somolet, Count Potter Mega, and Count Kacimirz Kose.
• Blood citizens filled the surrounding districts and joined their blood to create a Blood Prison around the battlefield.

William used his Fear Circus ability to terrify the Blood People and collapse the Blood Prison, allowing the humans to retreat across Zion. Marquis Gluttony pursued William and Jin, while Jin’s explosive gift destroyed part of the eastern street district.

• Jin and Asimov attacked the newly formed Blood Prison, but their blows failed to break it.
• William told his teammates to scatter and hold off the Crimson Nobles until Teacher Zed was rescued, then drew the Blood People’s attention by clapping and commanding them to look at him.
• William identified himself as the Fear Circus’s Chief Actor and used his fear-inducing power to make the Blood People flee, causing the Blood Prison to collapse.
• First Doctor, Yuri, and Asimov withdrew toward separate destinations, while Jin chose to retreat alongside William.
• Jin left behind an explosive flesh-like egg that destroyed about one-fifth of the eastern street district, and Marquis Gluttony ordered Count Kose to accompany him after William.

Lorien and the Second Squad infiltrated the bloodfolk-controlled Arfros Tistic Academy under disguises, with Principal Deslin guiding them toward Zede’s prison. They reached the Fetal Heart Chapel, where Lorien used his illusion to clear their way, and prepared to continue toward Zede.

• Lorien disguised himself as Viscount Dimitri and forged entry documents for Deslin, Marco, and Regan, allowing the group to board the Flesh Train to the academy.
• On the train, Lorien discussed his connection to William and Regan’s unusual metal body while the group approached the blood-soaked campus.
• Deslin recognized that the bloodfolk’s strongest activity centered on the Weilsman Teaching Building, where Zede had once taught and was now imprisoned, but led the group toward the Fetal Heart Chapel instead.
• A Viscount teacher recognized Lorien’s disguise outside the chapel, and Lorien convinced him that his brain was injured and he needed to rest.
• Lorien ordered the teacher to die the next day, and the teacher accepted the command while Regan scanned Lorien to check whether he had been affected by an illusion.

Deslin led Lorien, Marco, and Martin to the prison where Zede was undergoing bloodfolk transformation. Their attempt to rescue him was discovered, and the chapter ended as Lorien summoned his Moonlight Greatsword for battle.

• Deslin used the Star Chart to teleport the group to the prison beneath the Weilsman Teaching Building.
• The group found Zede impaled in a Blood Vat while six Blood Priests and Counts Olinka Nichols and Field Erasti guarded him.
• Lorien asked Marco and Martin to hold off the nobles while Deslin and Regan freed Zede.
• Lorien's illusion put the six Blood Priests to sleep, but Field rang his bell to dispel it and summon two more Crimson Nobles.
• Lorien called down blue moonlight and manifested the Moonlight Greatsword on his back.

William and Jin confronted Marquis Gluttony Graton and Count Potter Megab outside Divine Skin Manor as cyan moonlight struck the Academy. Jin lost her sword and was invaded by Megab, while William shielded her and began a one-on-one fight with Graton.

• Graton and Potter Megab intercepted William and Jin near the Black Bridge to Divine Skin Manor, while cyan moonlight suddenly shone on the Academy.
• Jin attacked Graton with her Blood Infant Sword and a Fleshy Orb Bomb, but he swallowed both the bomb and the sword.
• Megab shrank to microscopic size and burrowed into Jin's body, so William enclosed her in a tent of Death Aura.
• William challenged Graton alone and struck him in the face with a Black Death Skin-gloved punch, sending him flying and twisting his neck.

William fought Marquis Gluttony through the streets and used a feigned retreat to create an opening for his death weapon, but the Marquis survived the slash and emerged leaner and more powerful. The two remained poised to continue their battle.

• Marquis Gluttony healed the wound on his cheek by devouring it and recognized William's spatial jump and unusual abilities.
• William retreated from the Marquis's increasingly fast punches, using Flash and star teleportation as the fight drove them from Black Bridge to the city wall.
• William pretended to tire and let the Marquis commit to a haymaker, then dodged and summoned Deslake. Dark Hand (the Blackhand of Deathlike).
• William slashed along a Slaughter Line, but a mouth on the Marquis's body bit the axe and deflected the attack, leaving only a shallow wound.
• Marquis Gluttony revealed that the battle had burned away his excess fat, then shed the steam around him to reveal a muscular physique and greater pressure.

William tested Marquis Gluttony’s spatial devouring ability while evading his attacks, then taunted him into abandoning his plan to capture him alive. After Gluttony crushed William with a devastating attack, William’s body liquefied and a changed version of him emerged from a black pool.

• Marquis Gluttony recognized that William had lured him away to fight alone, then revealed mouths on his arms that could devour objects through space.
• William fired bullets at Gluttony to estimate the mouths’ range, then used Star Instant to evade him and avoid the devouring field.
• William taunted Gluttony for relying on his gluttony trait instead of activating his true Bloodkin sickness, prompting Gluttony to decide to kill him.
• Gluttony used the mouth on his face to devour the space between them, pulled William close, and crushed him with a massive palm.
• Gluttony’s mouth rejected the crushed remains, and William’s body melted into black blood before he crawled out of the resulting pool with a changed aura and another pair of eyes.