Recaps

Isabel entered the Promotion Ritual with Iver and analyzed the identities and motives of their unfamiliar teammates. She suspected that Olive was Ibn and Pirate was Director Kent, while Iver kept Pirate from learning their identities.

• Isabel awoke in the Promotion Ritual’s third seat and saw Iver, but noticed that Sherlock was absent.
• Isabel questioned the Parthian-dressed newcomer, who introduced himself as Olive and said he promoted the Path of Transcendence.
• The man between Iver and Isabel introduced himself as Pirate, a Third Level Inspector, and offered to protect the group in combat.
• Iver questioned Pirate about his origins and recognized that his claim to come from Midsummer County concealed his actual location.
• Isabel inferred that Pirate was likely Director Kent and that Olive was Ibn, then followed Iver’s silent signal not to reveal their identities.
• Isabel briefly imagined Avalon ceasing to exist, then rejected the disturbing thought and wondered why it had come to her.

At the Full Moon Promotion Ritual, Iver and Isabel met the other candidates, including the Moon Princess Lucia Tepes, and watched tensions rise between Pirate and the Necromancy Academy trio. The ritual’s hidden host, Akropolis, finally introduced himself as an apostle of Lord of Scales and Feathers and the teacher of Hippocrates.

• Stranger, Grape, and Consultant arrived together, followed by Physician and Cheese, whom Iver recognized as Lucia Tepes, the Moon Princess of Iris.
• The candidates introduced themselves, with Isabel posing as Lu Lu, a bard, while Iver presented himself as Fox, a priest skilled in healing and dispelling.
• Pirate refused to protect the candidates from Stibnite, and Consultant challenged him while warning that the trio would defend themselves.
• Iver tried to ease the conflict, and Physician explained that he would treat the wounded without taking sides in a fight.
• Akropolis appeared as the ritual’s host and revealed that he was an apostle of Lord of Scales and Feathers and the teacher of Hippocrates.

Iver recognized the distorted ritual setting as the Silver and Tin Palace banquet hall, where the main quest “Cruel Autumn” began. Akropolis explained the ritual’s rules and hinted at the Fallen Angel’s fate before the examination opened with the announcement of Avalon’s destruction in 1899.

• Akropolis showed the Advancers a distorted vision of the Silver and Tin Palace banquet hall, and Iver recognized it as the setting of “Cruel Autumn.”
• Akropolis explained that Advancers could postpone choosing an advanced class and warned Demon Scholars to be cautious.
• Iver inferred that Akropolis expected the Fallen Angel to perish and the Ring Angel to take over, making the Demon Avatar an unsuitable path.
• Akropolis set out the ritual’s six-day time limit, cooperation penalties, scoring, elimination, and risks to participants’ real bodies and souls.
• Akropolis declared the scene fictional, began the examination, and recited that the Cruel Autumn incident proclaimed Avalon’s destruction in 1899.

Iver witnessed a staged banquet where Queen Sofia and Princess Isabel met Queen Louise and Prince Lucian, only for Sofia to be poisoned and Isabel framed as an assassin. Shafiya rescued the real Isabel from the ensuing coup, while Louise and her allies remained in control of the ruined hall and Sofia lay dead.

• Queen Louise and Prince Lucian arrived at the Silver and Tin Palace to discuss the marriage alliance, and Minister Drost served wine to the royals and nobles.
• Queen Sofia collapsed after drinking the wine, and an injured double of Isabel appeared and accused the real Isabel of being an impostor.
• Shafiya recognized the distressed Isabel as the real princess, but Drost ordered her capture as Avalon’s knights turned on one another.
• Shafiya carried Isabel through the palace wall and escaped after using a triangular symbol to break the black-robed mage’s time-slowing spell.
• Louise stayed in the ruined banquet hall with her two Fifth Level attendants, while Lucian drank and Drost poured wine as Queen Sofia lay dead.

Iver entered a Promotion Ritual as a version of himself from a worldline untouched by the Ring Angel, and he analyzed how to rescue Isabel, save others, and stop Stibnite. After realizing that this Iver had lost Yulia, he found her remains in the form of a warm ruby necklace.

• Iver watched a storm descend on Avalon as a voice explained that Yulia had become a phantom demon and that Sherlock had not returned from reporting a conspiracy.
• Iver reviewed his tasks and planned to evacuate Isabel, rescue Sherlock, save as many people as possible, and kill Minister Drost.
• Iver reasoned that he might complete the Shadow of Avalon Ritual before Isabel escaped, but the plan risked his life and could endanger her.
• Iver realized his abilities and history belonged to a version of himself who had followed the pure Dedication Path and never been influenced by the Ring Angel.
• Iver understood that this baseline worldline had left Avalon and many of his acquaintances worse off, then discovered that the necklace in his hand was Yulia's remains.

Iver reunited with Oswald and James, then recognized that Minister Drost’s invitation to the Silver and Tin Palace was a trap meant to put him under control. James prevented Diomedes from taking Iver, but Diomedes’s relief suggested the danger surrounding the banquet remained unresolved.

• Oswald returned and brought Iver to meet his foster father, James, in the Reception Room.
• Diomedes, the Drost Family’s guardian elf, invited Iver to the Silver and Tin Palace to witness the banquet.
• Iver suspected Drost knew he had uncovered the scheme and refused to go, recognizing the invitation as a trap.
• James backed Iver’s refusal and warned Diomedes not to drag him away.
• Diomedes accepted James’s decision without protest, and Iver recognized his relieved expression from Lily’s account of an earlier assassination attempt.

Iver recalled his past-life knowledge of Professor Moriarty’s role in his future death and grew convinced that his adoptive father had long known something was different about him. He asked Moriarty for help, and Moriarty invited him to explain, leaving Iver facing his father’s unsettling awareness.

• Oswald warned Diomedes to stay cautious and avoid going out before leaving Moriarty Manor with him.
• James asked Iver when he had sensed trouble and why he had firmly refused the rebellion’s invitation, but Iver did not answer.
• Iver remembered the Version 6.0 battle in which he had died protecting the player from Edward’s instant-death spell and Moriarty’s attack.
• Iver realized Moriarty might have noticed his changed behavior and previous-life memories from the day he first asked for ritual materials.
• Iver finally asked Moriarty for help, and Moriarty called him “Mr. Iver Moriarty” and “my adorable Little Key.”

After witnessing a vision of Queen Sophia’s murder and Avalon’s coup, Isabel awoke overwhelmed by anger and grief while Shafiya comforted her. Shafiya struggled to choose between getting Isabel to safety and recovering Sophia’s blood to complete the ritual that might help reclaim Avalon.

• Isabel watched a vision in which Minister Drost poisoned Queen Sophia, framed Isabel for the murder, and the Round Table Hall knights slaughtered one another.
• Isabel awoke trembling and crying with anger, and Shafiya held her and promised to protect her.
• Shafiya considered taking Isabel to the Theocracy, where she could escape the Stibnite People and other threats.
• Shafiya realized that she also needed Queen Sophia’s blood to complete the Shadow of Avalon ritual and resurrect Lancelot.
• Shafiya agonized over leaving Isabel in danger while attempting to recover Sophia’s body, burdened by the fate of Avalon and her infant daughter.

Shafiya brought Isabel to Moriarty Manor after Isabel named Iver as the only person she trusted, while Iver questioned James about his identity and purpose. The chapter ended with Iver and Isabel recognizing each other as their true selves.

• Shafiya weighed the risks of rescuing Queen's Blood and hiding Isabel, then asked whether Isabel had a trustworthy friend who could shelter her.
• Isabel asked Shafiya to take her to the Moriarty Family and revealed that she and Iver had been pen pals for years and that he had read her diary.
• Shafiya agreed to bring Isabel to Moriarty Manor, while Isabel privately worried that this Iver might not be the person she remembered.
• James tested Iver with questions about the Little Key and his wariness of Father, then confirmed he wanted Iver to stay alive.
• Iver asked James to lend him Oswald, and James immediately agreed.
• Shafiya arrived at Moriarty Manor with Isabel, and Iver and Isabel recognized each other.

Isabel fled to Iver after learning she was expected to marry a Stibium Prince, and Professor Moriarty reasoned through the forces behind the Queen’s poisoning and the betrayal at Round Table Hall. Convinced that Moriarty would support Iver and Isabel, Shafiya began revealing the secret of the Shadow of Avalon Ritual.

• Isabel clung to Iver and begged him to save her from marrying a Stibnite Person.
• Shafiya told Isabel that Minister Drost had poisoned the Queen and that a double had been prepared to replace Isabel and marry the Stibium Prince.
• Professor Moriarty questioned Shafiya about the two Fifth Levels accompanying the Stibnite People and analyzed how the Red and Black Factions were positioned against each other.
• Professor Moriarty explained that Stibium had likely bought support from Minister Drost and other leaders, and revealed that Diomedes had tried to lure Iver out to kill him.
• Professor Moriarty declared that he and the Moriarty Family would support Iver and Isabel, prompting Shafiya to reveal the secret of the Shadow of Avalon Ritual.

Shafiya and the Moriartys planned how to restore Avalon and counter the Stibnite People, while Iver proposed a ruthless alternative to the Shadow of Avalon ritual. After Isabel gave Iver her life-saving necklace and Old Moriarty approved the plan, Iver left to act, having learned more about his adoptive father’s principles.

• Shafiya reasoned that Avalon could be stabilized by separating Lloyd's supporters from those loyal to the Stibnite People and restoring Isabel’s authority through Iver.
• Iver warned Shafiya that she could not obtain the Queen’s Blood before a necromancer corrupted the remains, then proposed drawing the enemy’s attention to the remains while he killed the infant Prince John to activate the ritual.
• Iver offered to bear the guilt and asked Shafiya to rescue Sherlock, while Isabel pledged to stand by him and gave him Isolde’s Tears.
• Old Moriarty called John’s death a Necessary Evil, ordered Shafiya to leave with Oswald, and trusted Iver to act alone.
• Iver realized that Old Moriarty’s response revealed both that he did not regard Iver as a mere tool and that he considered premature death an acceptable cost.

Diomedes reflected on Charles Drost’s corruption and his own quiet efforts to undermine him as he realized Iver had come willingly to negotiate. Iver persuaded Diomedes to take him to the Silver and Tin Palace, hoping to trade his cooperation for Sherlock’s life and leave both of them alive.

• Diomedes recalled Charles Drost’s transformation from a cheerful young man into a corrupt traitor and Kingslayer, and remembered how he had secretly protected Drost’s illegitimate daughter and warned the Moriartys.
• Iver asked Diomedes to take him to Charles Drost and assured him that Drost would not be able to kill him.
• Iver explained that he wanted to save Sherlock, whom he suspected Drost was holding and questioning.
• Iver offered to act as a hostage and trade information, evidence, and Professor Moriarty’s support for Sherlock’s release and both their lives.
• Diomedes accepted Iver’s plan and escorted him to the Silver and Tin Palace as a companion rather than an abductee.

Shafiya and Oswald planned to recover the Queen’s remains, with backup missions to collect her blood or rescue Sherlock and protect Iver. At Moriarty Manor, Professor Moriarty revealed secret knowledge about Ouroboros to Isabel, leaving her to decide what to tell Iver.

• Shafiya assigned Oswald a sequence of missions to reclaim the Queen’s remains, collect her blood if necessary, or rescue Sherlock while protecting Iver.
• Shafiya resolved that if Iver could not kill Prince John, she might arrange his death herself and take responsibility.
• Isabel stayed at Moriarty Manor and concealed her identity and knowledge while speaking with Professor Moriarty.
• Isabel heard the Death Knell and mocking laughter, signaling deaths and an exposed ascender identity, then worried that Iver might be in danger.
• Professor Moriarty explained that Ouroboros once belonged to the Equilibrium Path and was known in ancient times as the Reincarnation Angel.

Iver entered the ruined Silver and Tin Palace and assessed which surviving knights had truly supported Drost and which had been swept into the rebellion. Drost invited Iver to talk in Queen Sophia’s bedchamber, unaware that Iver intended to use the meeting to gather information.

• Iver saw the bloodied and wounded knights scattered through the palace, and Minister Drost approached him while the others hurried away.
• Iver concluded that many knights had joined Drost through coercion, opportunism, or group pressure rather than conspiring to kill Queen Sophia, and he mentally sorted potential allies from suspects.
• Iver considered how the Promotion Ritual revealed the knights’ loyalties and could provide useful information to him, Isabel, and the Stranger.
• Iver greeted Drost with a friendly expression and planned to interrogate him for information while Drost was alive again in the ritual.
• Diomedes told Drost that Iver had come willingly after the attempted kidnapping, so Drost invited Iver to discuss matters in Queen Sophia’s bedchamber.

Iver brought Minister Drost to Queen Sophia’s bedchamber and used its hidden Truth Fire to make Drost believe he was tied to Countess Emma and the Stibium conspiracy. Drost confessed that Sherlock was alive and begged for help, but then suspected that the man before him was not really Iver Moriarty.

• Minister Drost took Iver to Queen Sophia’s bedchamber, where Iver recognized the disguised Truth Fire and understood how Drost planned to use it.
• Iver told Drost that the Stibium people intended to eliminate him after using him, and the Truth Fire confirmed his claim was true.
• Iver claimed Countess Emma belonged to him, and Drost concluded that Iver was a powerful superior connected to Stibium.
• Drost lied that Sherlock was dead, but the Truth Fire flickered, so he admitted Sherlock was imprisoned in the Underground Ritual Room and pleaded for help.
• As Drost asked what Iver wanted, he reconsidered the clues and realized the man might not be Iver Moriarty at all.

Iver interrogated Minister Drost with the Truth Fire and learned how Drost contacted Blood Diamond and poisoned Queen Sophia. After Iver explained how Curse Poison Goodnight worked, Drost realized the Stibnite People might have intended to kill him before his awakening extended his life.

• Iver threatened Drost and used the Truth Fire to make him answer questions without lying.
• Drost revealed that Blood Diamond was his regular witch contact, that he hid her blood at Lloyd's headquarters, and that she had supplied Curse Poison Goodnight.
• Iver learned Drost had put the poison in the Holy Tree Number One wine, which would kill Queen Sophia because of her remaining lifespan.
• Iver explained that Goodnight was an old curse poison that acted according to the drinker's lifespan, and Drost recognized that the Stibnite People might have targeted him before his awakening.

Iver uncovered how Drost’s gift to Queen Sofia had delayed Stibnite’s plans and changed the fate of Avalon and Stibnite. He revealed himself as Aleister Crowley, then persuaded Drost to transfer Diomedes to him in exchange for protection.

• Iver explained that Drost’s lifespan-extending potion had kept Sofia alive, disrupting Stibnite’s plans and contributing to Avalon’s recovery and Stibnite’s eventual division.
• Iver let Drost ask one question, then identified himself as Aleister Crowley, and Drost accepted the answer as proof of his connection to the Crowley Family.
• Drost begged Iver to save him, and Iver offered protection in exchange for Diomedes and Drost’s agreement to adopt him and transfer the family headship.
• Drost agreed to the deal and went to fetch ritual paper while Iver prepared to dictate the contract.
• Iver privately recognized Diomedes as the highest-level resource available from Drost during the Promotion Ritual.

Minister Drost saw Aleister Crowley reveal her true form and became convinced that Iver Moriarty had been replaced, then decided he could use the contract and Diomedes to turn her against Professor Moriarty. He signed a binding agreement with Aleister, confident that the Silver Crowned Dragon would prevent her from lying.

• Drost returned and found Miss Crowley in her noble form, deciding she could not be Iver Moriarty's disguise because she was a Child of the Moon and an heir to the demon family.
• Drost concluded that the real Iver had been replaced and feared how many people in Avalon might have suffered the same fate.
• Drost recalled Professor Moriarty's influence over Lloyd's and his own past efforts to conceal the murder of his illegitimate daughter from Moriarty.
• Drost decided to use Diomedes as bait to make Aleister fight Professor Moriarty and eagerly asked her to sign a contract.
• Aleister read the binding contract aloud as Drost signed it, and he felt reassured that the Silver Crowned Dragon would prevent her from lying.

Aleister and Minister Drost signed a contract that made her his adopted heir and transferred Mr. Diomedes’s service to her. After Diomedes recognized Aleister as Duchess Bayard, she exposed Drost’s attempt to bind her and prepared to confront him.

• Minister Drost authenticated a contract adopting Aleister and arranging for her to inherit the Drost family headship, while concealing that the agreement would transfer Mr. Diomedes to her.
• Mr. Diomedes discovered that his master had changed and learned from Drost that Aleister was his new master.
• Mr. Diomedes recognized Aleister as Duchess Bayard and recalled meeting her on Glass Island centuries earlier.
• Aleister accused Drost of deceiving her with the contract and revealed that she was not a Stibnite Person by transforming into Bishop Iver.
• Drost tried to flee, but Mr. Diomedes blocked his way while Iver challenged him to fight.

Mr. Diomedes froze Drost in time and cut him in half, but Iver summoned the awakened Paradox Flame Butterfly to take revenge. After healing and burning Drost repeatedly, she killed him, and Iver welcomed her back as someone distinct from Yulia.

• Mr. Diomedes explained that the Pope Guard inherited powers connected to Equilibrium, Dedication, and Twilight before slicing Drost in half with an invisible sword.
• Iver summoned the fully awakened Paradox Flame Butterfly, who had reached Level 47 and taken on an adult form.
• The Paradox Flame Butterfly used her flames to heal Drost and burn him repeatedly, then killed him and reduced him to ashes.
• Iver comforted the Paradox Flame Butterfly, who returned to him as flame butterflies and recognized his affection as meant for her alone.

Iver named the Paradox Flame Butterfly Lia and recognized how deeply she had cared for him and how he had treated her as a weapon. Lia accepted the name, chose to call him Daddy, and greeted him as if beginning their relationship anew.

• The Paradox Flame Butterfly told Iver that she had once been named Yulia Moriarty, and Iver offered to give her a name for her rebirth.
• Iver named her Lia, explaining that she was an equal part of the Yulia he had loved, not her shadow or remnant.
• Iver realized Lia had sealed herself away out of love and apologized for making her use Self-Destruct and for treating her like a tool.
• Lia said she liked the name Lia but wanted a different way to address Iver, and he told her she could call him anything.
• Lia chose to call Iver Daddy and greeted him with, “Nice to meet you.”

Iver learned that a curse on the Moriarty bloodline caused descendants to forget children born to them, potentially explaining Freya’s exile and James Moriarty’s role. After Shafiya returned with Oswald, Sherlock, and Queen's Blood, a Demon Scholar trapped the group inside the Silver and Tin Palace, setting up a three-on-one fight.

• Iver told Diomedes that he had once known Miss Bayard, then asked him about her deal with the Moriarty Family.
• Diomedes explained that the Bayards cursed Moriarty descendants to forget their children after they achieved a certain level of accomplishment.
• Iver realized the curse may have caused the family to forget Freya and suspected that she was James Moriarty’s illegitimate daughter.
• Shafiya emerged with Oswald and the wounded, unconscious Sherlock, and Oswald reported that they had obtained Queen's Blood and rescued Hermes.
• A Demon Scholar sealed the Silver and Tin Palace with blood-colored runes and confronted Shafiya, while Iver realized the attacker did not know Oswald and Diomedes were there.

Iver analyzed the ritual General Karl had prepared to trap Shafiya and realized it silenced everyone while preventing Shafiya from escaping. As Karl flooded the palace with flames and finally broke into the bedchamber, he froze at the sight of the many people waiting inside.

• Iver studied the ritual’s runes and identified its age restriction, flame enhancement, and mass silence.
• Iver realized the ritual was designed to imprison Shafiya, who was over 119 years old, while leaving Karl and the others largely unaffected.
• As the heat spread through the palace, Shafiya used her authority to calm the crowds and direct them away from the Silver and Tin Palace.
• Karl surrounded the bedchamber with flames, destroyed its reinforced wall, and entered with his Flame Demon Power released.
• Karl paused in surprise when he saw how many people were inside the room.

Oswald and Diomedes joined forces to defeat General Karl, but the Flame Demon inside Karl began to emerge as the group escaped through Shafiya’s portal. The chapter left the others fleeing while the Flame Demon rose from the embers.

• Diomedes slowed time as Oswald used his divine arts to wound Karl, triggering the Flame Demon’s automatic counterattack.
• Oswald evaded Karl’s attack and used the force of balance to cleave Karl in half, destroying the seals that enabled his body to heal.
• The red barrier shattered, and the group sensed a new danger as Karl’s remains began to burn and twist.
• Shafiya opened a portal, and Iver carried the unconscious Sherlock through while Diomedes took the weakened Oswald.
• Shafiya followed through the portal just before the Flame Demon rose from the embers.

Moke witnessed the Flame Demon erupt from General Karl’s body and begin destroying the Silver and Tin Palace, killing its inhabitants and turning them into fiery beings. He fled with a knight as the demon’s flames spread and formed a Flame Demon Legion.

• Moke recognized the towering Flame Demon as the demon within General Karl, released when Karl died.
• The Flame Demon struck the ground, sending fiery snakes through the palace that killed knights and servants alike.
• Moke urged a knight to flee with him, and the knight carried Moke toward the palace exit.
• A fiery snake pierced a knight on their escape route, transforming his soul and armor as flames consumed him.
• Moke saw the dead become burning knights, servants, and skeletons, while the Flame Demon shrank and the Silver and Tin Palace caught fire.
• The transformed inhabitants gathered as a Flame Demon Legion.