Chapter Summaries

Bayard and Iver left Crescent Moon Manor through a concealed passage while Supervisor Cornelius explained the manor’s Blood Slave business. Iver realized the Empire’s destruction was less than a month away and that Bayard’s memories could help him uncover secrets from the era.

• Bayard and Iver followed Supervisor Cornelius through a concealed underground passage that led past the manor’s suites.
• Supervisor Cornelius explained that the suites amplified sounds between neighboring rooms and pitched services for buying back or turning aging Blood Slaves into jewelry.
• Bayard rebuked Supervisor Cornelius for frightening No. 14 and said she intended to leave with her.
• Iver learned that the Child of the Moon had been in the Imperial Capital for about a year and concluded that the demon summoning that would destroy the Empire was likely less than a month away.
• Iver recognized that Bayard’s memories could reveal buried figures and hidden resources, making her an invaluable source of historical secrets.

Supervisor Cornelius led Iver and Bayard through the Secret Passage and explained how its sealed door opened, while Iver realized the New Moon Ritual’s quest was designed to force participants into killing one another. They emerged at Theresa Abbey, where Iver recognized a location known for equipment drops.

• Supervisor Cornelius led Iver and Bayard to the Secret Passage’s sealed door and explained that it required equal amounts of Wind, Earth, and Dark Attribute Mana injected simultaneously.
• Iver realized the quest could trap participants unless they used blood to open the door, likely forcing them to kill people with the necessary mana.
• Iver concluded that Twin Mirrors’ quest was designed to encourage deception and betrayal rather than cooperation.
• Supervisor Cornelius opened the door, and he, Iver, and Bayard passed through it into a curtained secret room.
• Supervisor Cornelius identified the room as Theresa Abbey, and Iver recognized it as a fixed equipment-drop location.

Iver learned how Sister Sasha's remains formed the powerful Sasha Set and realized Theresa Abbey might lead to Crescent Moon Manor in his own spacetime. After Supervisor Cornelius left, Iver asked Bayard for meat, and she offered to take him to a favorite soup restaurant.

• Iver learned that Sister Sasha was the Banquetor's lover, the mother of the first Child of the Moon, and a phantom whose remains formed the Sasha Set.
• Iver discovered that the Offering of Pure Wrist could turn life-force sacrifices into healing or, if unused, into life-stealing contact.
• Iver realized that opening Theresa Abbey's Secret Door might let him reach Crescent Moon Manor and claim its hidden treasures and vampires.
• Iver recognized Supervisor Cornelius as the red-haired Fifth-Level Child of the Moon he remembered from the future, while Cornelius felt a chill and left.
• Iver said she wanted meat, and Bayard took her hand and offered to bring her to a favorite soup restaurant.

Bayard led Iver through the bustling Herasul Empire and brought him to the tavern she had loved since childhood, where she shared her memories and invited the lonely person within him to return. Iver was struck by the ritual’s unusually crowded, vivid world, and the chapter ended with the shadow demon sighing inside him.

• Bayard led Iver through the lively streets of the Herasul Empire, where people from the Nine Great Paths mingled openly.
• Bayard took Iver to a tavern, ordered ale and meat soup, and explained that citizens were betting on who would become the next emperor.
• Iver wondered why this Promotion Ritual contained so many people and seemed more complex than the rituals he had experienced before.
• Bayard recalled how she had found refuge in the tavern as a child and how she returned there after taking over the family business.
• Bayard told Iver she had brought him to share her childhood and let the lonely person within him see the tavern again.
• Iver froze at Bayard’s words, and the shadow demon sighed inside him.

Iver summoned the Shadow Demon, which appeared as the assassin Chloe, while Miss Bayard discussed her trade association and revealed that she knew she was a soul simulated by the Twin Mirrors. As she reflected on being an imitation and on the one person she could not bear to lose, she concluded that it was fortunate none of this was real.

• Iver called the Shadow Demon out, and it took on the appearance of assassin Chloe, whose shadow it had stolen.
• Miss Bayard teased the Shadow Demon about its appearance and recalled changing how she dressed to avoid being mistaken for a man.
• The tavern owner told Miss Bayard that business was growing faster than he could manage and asked her to look into importing domesticated trolls for labor.
• Miss Bayard told Iver that she had realized she was a false soul created by the Twin Mirrors and that the world around them was a reflection of history.
• Miss Bayard explained that Children of the Moon eventually recognize themselves as monsters and become cruel as their suppressed desires emerge.
• Miss Bayard thought about wanting Iver to become her immortal companion, questioned whether doing so would destroy who she was, and said it was fortunate none of it was real.

Iver woke in Bayard's arms after falling asleep, and the two shared a final quiet moment before deciding to return to Crescent Moon Manor. Elsewhere, the Sage escaped a private room in the Secret Passage, furious at the Children of the Moon and determined to retaliate against the Iris Flower Kingdom.

• Iver woke in Bayard's arms and could not remember falling asleep after their conversation.
• Iver told Bayard that he would remember her as herself, and Bayard said he had already told her the same thing once.
• Bayard took Iver to look around the tavern, but when he asked where she wanted to go, she said she had brought him to the place she most wanted to visit.
• Iver and Bayard agreed to return, while Bayard resolved to survive through the mark of love she left in his heart.
• The Sage staggered through the Secret Passage after escaping a private room where the Children of the Moon had nearly killed her.
• The Sage recalled witnessing the Children of the Moon's banquet and vowed to increase pressure on the Iris Flower Kingdom and find a way to wage war against it.

The Philosopher used the Hatter’s remains to restore some strength and lay ritual traps through the Secret Passage, while conserving materials in case she needed to force open a door. When a sinister presence appeared, her Drunken Bull ritual revealed an empty black robe, whose voice seemed to recognize her as Alai.

• The Philosopher killed the Hatter in the Secret Passage, then decomposed his corpse and used the remains in a Vitality Regeneration Ritual.
• The Philosopher set Enervation, Strong Acid Arrow, and Poison Thorn traps along the passage to hinder anyone pursuing her.
• The Philosopher decided to conserve her remaining materials and not restore her strength, in case she needed them to open a door.
• The Philosopher sensed a sinister presence and hurled a bundle while summoning the Drunken Bull.
• An empty black robe appeared and spoke in a cold voice, asking, “You are... Alai?”

The Sage tried to bargain with the Wraith, but the Wraith’s companion killed her and replenished his Blood Pool. As the pair sensed hidden observers, Iver and Bayard revealed themselves behind the Secret Passage, and the Wraith realized they had walked into a trap.

• The Sage recognized the Wraith as a preservationist using a substitute and offered to cooperate, but the Wraith rejected her claims and attacked.
• The Wraith slowed the Sage with a Sequence Art, while her companion threw away her last Ritual Pack and consumed her, leaving only her skeleton.
• The Wraith and her companion sensed two women nearby and prepared to face them, believing they held the advantage.
• Iver and Bayard appeared behind the Secret Passage, and the Wraith shouted for her companion to run.

The Shadow Soul’s attack on Iver’s group failed, and Iver’s Shadow Demon killed him through a terrifying illusion. Iver then sent Alice after the fleeing target and ordered her to hunt the Children of the Moon.

• The Shadow Soul explained how she and Janet had prepared to cooperate, using Janet as a Blood Pool to power their spells.
• Janet threw off the ragged cloth and fled, but the Shadow Demon’s Shadow Blades shredded it and revealed her.
• The Shadow Soul realized Gray and Alai had switched identities before a Shadow Blade pierced his heart.
• The Shadow Soul awoke in a dark room and believed his death had been a dream, but a girl’s words and savage smile revealed the illusion had continued until he died of fright.
• Iver introduced Alice to the Shadow Demon and ordered her to kill the designated target, then hunt the Children of the Moon while preserving her existence.
• Alice pursued the target after absorbing vitality, while Iver told the Shadow Demon to remain at his side.

Jinjie tried to understand why Crescent Moon Manor had been sealed while hiding among the guests, but an Earthbound Spirit began killing people through illusions. As the hall descended into chaos, a fleeing Child of the Moon was killed by a young man who called her a monster.

• Supervisor Cornelius told Jinjie and the other guests that Crescent Moon Manor was sealed during a search for infiltrators, and Jinjie considered how the lockdown affected his plans to escape.
• An elderly Child of the Moon collapsed and died, and another Child of the Moon identified an Earthbound Spirit as the cause before falling under its illusion and killing someone.
• Supervisor Cornelius urged everyone not to attack what they saw and said that the church and Necromancy Academy had been notified.
• The woman holding Jinjie ran for cover, collided with a young Blood Slave, and attacked him with her fangs.
• The young man pierced the woman through the heart with a spiral-shaped shadow spear and called her a monster.

Lily and Miss Shadow Demon killed Prohibition, who tried to bargain for her life after realizing another transcendent might still be alive. Miss Shadow Demon then vowed to hunt the monsters and the one who stole the name Bayard, while Bayard and Iver confronted Supervisor Cornelius in the Underground Ritual Room.

• Miss Shadow Demon killed the wounded Child of the Moon while the young man coached her on using shadow needles and blades.
• Prohibition identified the young man as Miss Alai and tried to persuade him to spare her, but he killed her before she could finish.
• Lily decided to report the encounter to Young Master after they escaped, while Miss Shadow Demon declared she would hunt the monsters and the name thief Bayard.
• Bayard sat with Iver on her lap in the Underground Ritual Room and challenged Supervisor Cornelius as Alice materialized behind him.

Lily returned to the hall and found Iver had arranged the final steps of the New Moon Ritual, including a confrontation between Bayard and the Shadow Demon. After Bayard was swallowed and the victory conditions were met, Secret Reflection ended early, revealing a series of unsettling scenes that left Iver protesting.

• Lily returned to the ash-covered hall, where she found Iver waiting with Bayard, the Shadow Demon, and a girl who resembled Lily.
• Iver told Lily that six advancement candidates had been killed, while one escaped, and the Shadow Demon realized the events were part of a Promotion Ritual.
• The future Shadow Demon explained that Bayard had once offered herself willingly, then merged with her past self to reconsider her revenge.
• The girl hugged Bayard and asked permission to kill her, and Bayard agreed; the Shadow Demon then swallowed Bayard with Shadow Hound's Bite.
• Iver revealed the identities of the remaining participants and asked Lady Terpsichore to settle Secret Reflection, triggering an early victory.
• The collapsing Dream Realm showed scenes of the participants' deaths and a girl sleeping in a black-haired woman's arms, prompting Iver to exclaim in dismay.

After Iver’s victory in the Secret Reflection ritual, Twin Mirrors replayed his experience and granted him two purple entries before upgrading Illusory Blood to a golden entry through Pillar God’s Grace. The new entry let him assume the Child of the Moon form, giving him a near-undetectable disguise and a transformed mana pool.

• Iver’s results showed a first-place score of 6400 points, with three survivors and the Twin Victory failure condition untriggered.
• Twin Mirrors replayed Iver’s experience in reverse and showed No. 14 embracing and kissing him through the mirror.
• Iver received the purple entries Shape-Shifting and Heart-Taking Whisper, then wondered whether the sensations from the mirrored scene had been real.
• Twin Mirrors upgraded Illusory Blood to the golden entry Child of the Moon, allowing Iver to switch races through a ritual with a disguise that could not be seen through.
• Iver realized the Child of the Moon form could grant him bat transformation and Fascination, while converting his combined mana into Wind, Earth, and Dark pools.

Iver completed his promotion and gained the Golden Entry Illusory Blood, letting him disguise himself as a Child of the Moon. Lily also advanced and chose Shadow Avatar, while Hai Na remained unconscious during her more difficult promotion.

• Iver's promotion granted him the Golden Entry Illusory Blood, allowing him to switch between human and Child of the Moon forms through a ritual.
• Iver assessed his new mana balance and planned to delay further advancement while he strengthened his Phantom Demon and prepared to address Avalon's problems.
• Lily woke and told Iver she had chosen the purple Entry Shadow Avatar, which could enhance her shadow abilities and mana.
• Iver checked on Hai Na, who was still struggling through her promotion from the Third to the Fourth Level.
• Sherlock asked about Iver's gains, and Iver surprised him by revealing that he had obtained a Golden Entry.

Iver used Twin Mirrors’ blessing to take on three forms, including Fourteen as a Moon Child, and demonstrated the form’s frightening powers to Sherlock. He returned to his usual appearance, grateful for the abilities while recognizing that the form was false even though its power was real.

• Sherlock doubted Iver’s claim that a Pillar God had blessed him, so Iver used a mirror to reveal that he could choose among three forms.
• Iver transformed into Fourteen’s Moon Child form and asked Sherlock to give him a name.
• Iver turned his eyes crimson and became a swarm of bats, terrifying Sherlock with Gaze of Fear before returning to his usual form.
• Sherlock recognized the form as a Moon Child, and Iver explained that he had gained the form without being transformed into one.
• Iver examined the Moon Child form’s blood-drinking instinct, vitality, and ability to turn his hand into a dagger, then changed back and thanked Twin Mirrors.

Oliva woke after his failed Promotion Ritual, but his memories of the ritual conflicted with Janet’s, who believed Gray and Alai were separate people. Meanwhile, the Stranger woke in Leipzig after advancing successfully and realized he might have forgotten to meet Prince or General Karl.

• Oliva woke in pain and feared that he was still trapped in a hallucination.
• Janet entered and warned that Oliva’s spirit-body damage might require amputating his left arm.
• Oliva insisted that Alai had switched identities with Gray and controlled the Shadow Demon, the Child of the Moon, and the Earthbound Spirit.
• Janet dismissed Oliva’s account and tried to make him accept her own interpretation of the Promotion Ritual.
• The Stranger woke less than ten kilometers away, pleased that he had advanced and inspired Bashir Valentine, then wondered whether he had forgotten to meet Prince or General Karl.

Albert Lore told Prince Heinrich and Earl Karl about meeting Valentine I during the Promotion Ritual, while Iver decided to travel to Stibium under the guise of Miss Aleister. Iver revealed that Earl Leipzig held the key to the next era.

• Earl Karl rushed in to confront Albert, and Prince Heinrich calmed him before Albert recounted meeting Valentine I during the Promotion Ritual.
• Albert explained how Pengbo Naqi had brought Valentine I to Crescent Moon Manor, prompting Earl Karl to withdraw to the window in anger.
• Prince Heinrich encouraged Albert, praised his service to the kingdom, and said he had tried to recruit Miss Alai.
• Lily told Iver about her recruitment and Earl Leipzig's secret code, but Iver insisted they should go to Stibium disguised as Miss Aleister.
• Iver told Sherlock that Earl Leipzig possessed the key to the next era.

Earl Leipzig revealed Stibium’s plan to annex Avalon before the Rosy Cross Society performed a ritual that could elevate many Fifth Level Demon Avatars to the Sixth Level. He named the ritual the Ouroboros Ring, leaving Albert and General Karl wary of the kingdom’s ambitions.

• General Karl suspected that Alai was the same Aleister who had angered Her Majesty in Avalon.
• Earl Leipzig explained that Drost would be sacrificed to appease Avalon after Stibium annexed it, while the Alchemists would be framed as rebels and purged.
• Earl Leipzig said he expected Alai to attend because the Rosy Cross Society’s inheritance could help her reach the Sixth Level and persuade her to join their side.
• Earl Leipzig disclosed that an ancient tablet described a ritual using the Fallen Angel’s power to elevate multiple Fifth Level Demon Avatars, and said Stibium first needed Avalon’s approval and annexation.
• Earl Leipzig said the ritual might lead to the Seventh Level and named it the Ouroboros Ring.

Hai Na completed her advancement to the Fourth Level and told Iver, Lily, and Sherlock that her Promotion Ritual had shown her a possible future. She had dreamed that the Stibnite People destroyed Avalon, but the others treated the vision cautiously rather than as a certain outcome.

• Hai Na woke from her Promotion Ritual and absorbed the power she had brought back from the Dream Realm, completing her advancement to the Fourth Level.
• Iver noticed Hai Na's demeanor had become sharper and more imposing after her advancement.
• Hai Na hesitated before telling Iver, Lily, and Sherlock that she might have foreseen the future in her dream.
• Sherlock explained that Promotion Rituals could reveal possible futures, while warning that such visions were unreliable and not inevitable.
• Hai Na revealed that she had dreamed the Stibnite People destroyed Avalon and its royal family, then wondered why the others were not surprised.

Hai Na recounted the brutal future she experienced in a New Moon Ritual, where betrayal and monsters left most of the civilians she protected dead. After she vowed to kill the traitor if she met him in reality, Iver offered to help her find him and make him her first target.

• Hai Na described a future Avalon ruined by Dark Magic, famine, and shadow wraiths, while Iver, Sherlock, and Lily listened.
• Hai Na recalled serving as a Bureau of Supervision inspector and trying to protect twenty-eight civilians in that future.
• Hai Na said a ritualist using the code name Cake Maker betrayed her, sacrificed a civilian, and attacked her, leaving only six survivors.
• Hai Na vowed to kill Cake Maker if she encountered him in reality, and Iver praised her resolve.
• Iver promised to help Hai Na find Cake Maker and let her kill him, while Sherlock chose not to intervene.