Recaps

Aleister and the Mirror Demon discussed who had attacked Alphons and why, concluding that the blast was probably not an assassination attempt but a deliberate gesture from someone who knew the Night Demon was protecting Aleister. Aleister left the encounter suspecting the explosion was a peculiar welcome gift.

• The Mirror Demon reappeared through the shattered mirror fragments and apologized to Aleister, then resumed flattering her.
• Aleister and the Mirror Demon debated whether Anna Kingsford or the Night Demon had attacked Alphons, and the Mirror Demon argued Kingsford was unlikely to have used the Kiss of Betrayal.
• Aleister reasoned that the attack made little sense as an attempt to silence Alphons or frame someone, since it only strengthened suspicions about Kingsford.
• Aleister pointed out that the explosion had caused little damage because the Night Demon absorbed its force, suggesting the attacker knew she was guarding Aleister.
• Aleister concluded that the blast was more likely a deliberate test or a gift than an assassination attempt.

Aleister concluded that Anna Kingsford and the Ring Angel were behind the Ouroboros Ring conspiracy and the attack on her. After containing the blast site, she planned to keep Alphons from reviving normally and fuse his remains with ritual materials to turn him into an ally.

• Aleister traced the links among Kingsford, James Moriarty, Jacob, and the Ouroboros Ring, and suspected Kingsford had arranged the conspiracy with the Ring Angel.
• The Nightmare Demon warned that police were delayed, and Aleister sealed the ruined house inside an invisible barrier.
• Aleister told Viennes to gather ashes bearing traces of the Path of Love, explaining that Alphons could revive if the remains were not purified.
• Aleister refused to destroy Alphons completely and decided to search the basement for materials to fuse with his remains.

Police officers stationed outside Piloty Manor debated why they could not intervene in the attack on Alphons von Piloty, while Jack recounted how goblin merchants’ canceled orders had ruined his family and town. Their conversation ended with doubts about Star Antimony’s rulers and a hope that the human Pope would not let the country collapse.

• Liz questioned why the police were waiting outside Piloty Manor, and her senior explained they could not act without orders amid a possible conflict involving the Red Chancellor and the society.
• Jack described how goblin merchants canceled contracts for his family’s brick factory, leaving it bankrupt and leading to his father’s murder and his brother’s suicide.
• The officers discussed the poverty and human trafficking spreading through Star Antimony, with some defending Earl Leipzig for paying more to clear poor people’s debts.
• A young policeman asked why Star Antimony did not take over goblin banks, but the officers could offer no clear answer.
• The oldest officer said he believed the Church would not abandon Star Antimony because the Pope was human and merciful.

Aleister discovered a sealed ritual site beneath Alphons’s basement and found a contaminated relic Iver had sought: Offer Mercy’s Eye. The chapter ended with the relic’s effects revealed after Aleister freed it from its crystal orb.

• Aleister descended into the destroyed basement, where she found Alphons’s Blood Slaves dead from the explosion.
• Aleister recognized the protected metal door’s seal as similar to one she had encountered before and opened it with her mana and the word “Rebirth.”
• Aleister entered an intact ritual site and discovered two eyeballs trapped inside a damaged crystal orb, which stirred an intense desire in her.
• Aleister smashed the orb and freed the eyeballs, revealing that the liquid inside had been contaminated liquor.
• Aleister touched one eyeball and identified it as the contaminated Offer Mercy’s Eye, part of Sister Sasha’s Holy Banquet set that Iver wanted.

Aleister traced the Foul Blood Angel ritual to Sister Sasha’s remains and realized the sealed liver might also belong to her. She considered using Iver’s authority to create a Pure Blood Angel, then resolved to make herself the material instead.

• Aleister recognized that Sister Sasha’s contaminated eyes had drawn Children of the Moon into obsessive fascination, explaining the Perfect Being Embryo’s attack on Iver’s lower back.
• Aleister connected the Sasha Set and the Narcissus Territory instance to Lucia Tepes and inferred that the Foul Blood Angel ritual used Sister Sasha’s corpse as its material.
• Aleister concluded that the ritual’s creators had fused with Sister Sasha’s remains to steal the Blood Angel’s power through their symbolic bloodline connection.
• Aleister suspected that the sealed, still-vibrant liver belonged to Sister Sasha and decided to break its seal.
• Aleister considered creating a Pure Blood Angel with Iver’s help, then declared that she herself was the most suitable Child of the Moon to use as material, as Little Crow sensed her Jealousy imprint.

Aleister realized that her newly awakened Child of the Moon instincts and overlapping Paths had made her want to preserve her own existence alongside Iver. She decided to collect the complete Sister Sasha Set and consider using Isabel’s stored soul to help achieve that, then left after cleaning up the ritual site and tending to the dead girls.

• Aleister calmed down after losing control and recognized that touching Sister Sasha’s corpse had awakened her Child of the Moon trait and the Path of Love.
• Aleister considered preserving part of her consciousness through fusion with Iver and realized Isabel might still carry a portion of Iver’s soul that could help.
• Aleister decided she would collect the complete Sister Sasha Set, while the Night Demon felt a strange jealousy toward her master.
• Aleister put away the polluted Offer Mercy's Eye, destroyed the remaining ritual traces, and covered and cleaned the dead girls before leaving.

Aleister learned of Stibnite’s suffering and received Iver’s approval to use the Church’s power to help its civilians. When she touched the mysterious liver from Earl Dawn’s crystal orb, its power stirred a worldwide drunken frenzy, and Iver announced the birth of a Banquet Angel.

• Aleister used Wind Listening to overhear the Stibnite officers’ callous response to starving civilians, then sent the memories to Iver.
• Iver ordered Aleister to help Stibnite’s civilians and said she could use the Nine Pillars God Church’s resources.
• Aleister returned to Prince Siya Erduo’s residence and planned to prepare an action report and investigate the Church’s response to the crisis.
• Aleister opened Earl Dawn’s crystal orb and touched the liver inside, releasing a powerful force of the Path of Love that made her collapse into sleep.
• Iver briefly lost control when he sensed the force, causing a blackout in the Theocracy, while drinkers around the world fell into a drunken frenzy.
• Iver sent the Cardinal Bishops a Holy Word announcing that the Banquet Lord had ascended and the Banquet Angel had been born.

The king of Stibium judged Si Yardo unfit to inherit the throne and discussed the mysterious Aleister with Jester Laro. He concluded that Aleister had disrupted Pengbo Naqi’s plan to use Dionysus’s hidden liver, and ordered Laro to spread word of her appearance to the Rosy Cross Society.

• The chapter explained that Stibium’s throne could pass to anyone recognized by the Red Chancellor and Black Chancellor, leaving Si Yardo under pressure to prove himself worthy.
• The old king asked Jester Laro what he thought of Si Yardo, and Laro described him as weak and untalented in alchemy but compassionate enough to become a good king.
• The old king decided Si Yardo was a mediocrity and considered whether the mysterious Aleister was connected to the Pope Your Majesty’s glove.
• The old king ordered Laro to tell the Rosy Cross Society that Aleister had appeared in Leipzig, hoping to observe their reaction.
• The old king suspected Lady Kingsford had helped Aleister learn that Earl Dawn possessed Dionysus’s hidden liver and had thwarted Pengbo Naqi’s attempt to use it to complete the Banquetor’s ascension.

Valentine VII revealed to Jester Laro his plan to provoke a disaster in Stibnite, kill Louise, and awaken with her in new bodies to rebuild the kingdom. He left Laro instructions to hold the King Selection Ritual if he failed and choose an outstanding Balancer as Valentine VIII.

• Jester Laro mocked Lucian as a possible heir, but Valentine VII said he had never considered him.
• Valentine VII ordered Laro to inflame the conflict between the Academy, the Red Fort, and the Association, saying Stibnite needed a disaster.
• Valentine VII explained that he planned to kill Louise and awaken with her, then purge the factions of Transcendence and Love and rebuild Stibnite under Balance.
• Laro asked what to do if Valentine VII failed to awaken, and the King told him to preside over the King Selection Ritual and choose an outstanding Balancer.
• Laro suggested Lady Freya as a possible heir, but Valentine VII rejected her and declared that Valentine VIII should lead Stibnite to greatness again.

Aleister met Isabel in Morgan's Funhouse and explained why she had avoided her, believing herself to be a temporary illusion who should not become Iver's replacement in Isabel's heart. Isabel sensed Aleister's loneliness and panic, then began telling her how she had come to love Iver.

• Aleister awoke in Morgan's Funhouse and found Isabel waiting for her after many nights apart.
• Aleister told Isabel she was Aleister Crowley, not Iver, and proposed keeping their meetings infrequent and focused on important matters.
• Isabel embraced Aleister and recognized her fear of becoming attached and causing grief when she disappeared.
• Isabel asked Aleister to hear the story of how she came to love Iver, beginning with her memories of his calm and godlike bearing.

Isabel comforted Aleister by revealing how she came to understand Iver’s hidden vulnerabilities and love him, helping Aleister voice her fear of disappearing. As Aleister sobbed in Isabel’s arms, Isabel promised she would be remembered and vowed to heal the wounded heart she shared with Iver.

• Isabel told Aleister how awe, trust, and curiosity toward Iver grew into love when she glimpsed his hidden melancholy and fear.
• Isabel recalled breaking down in Iver’s arms and realizing that he, too, was silently weeping beneath his perfect image.
• Isabel held Aleister and urged her to cry, promising to name and love her first child Aleister and assuring the girl that she would not be forgotten.
• Aleister admitted she had lied about not caring and confessed that she did not want to disappear or be forgotten.
• Aleister’s restrained tears became loud, unrestrained sobs as Isabel held and comforted her.

Aleister and Isabel discussed how the trolls’ Construction Teams had rapidly transformed Midsummer County into a developing port city. Aleister explained that the trolls’ kneeling was likely a sign of fear, not gratitude, as their work promised to make the county prosperous.

• Aleister insisted that Isabel tell her the important news before she rested, and Isabel asked about Midsummer County’s port.
• Aleister described the county’s empty streets, warehouses, and impressive roads, while Isabel explained that troll Construction Teams had built thirty-three high-rise residences in just over ten days.
• Isabel recounted how the trolls cleared the forest, built roads and warehouses, and used mysterious construction methods that frightened locals and drew reports to the authorities.
• Isabel said residents eventually befriended the trolls and asked them for blessings, believing their presence brought good fortune.
• Aleister predicted that Midsummer County would prosper thanks to its port, railways, roads, and housing, then said the trolls had probably knelt out of fear rather than gratitude.

Aleister explained how Avalon could use the railway contract’s bishop requirement to connect important cities and discussed the benefits of relocating clergy and residents. After Isabel woke from their shared dream, Aleister felt comforted and went to sleep, while considering how she might bring Stibnite’s clergy to Avalon.

• Aleister told Isabel that the trolls’ bows and blessings came from fear of violating their slave rules, and Isabel promised to stop residents from asking them for blessings.
• Aleister advised Isabel to inspect the railway work, choose its routes strategically, and station three bishops in each important city to meet the contract’s terms.
• Aleister explained how bishops, railway access, migration, and affordable housing could help cities grow, and she considered bringing Stibnite’s clergy to Avalon if her plans there failed.
• Isabel interrupted Aleister’s advice with a playful bite before waking from the dream, leaving Aleister comforted and calmer.
• Aleister settled into the warm spot Isabel had left behind, wished her good night, and fell asleep.

Earl Leipzig, also known as Prince Heinrich, confronted General Leo Karl, who had lost his Demon Avatar and condemned Heinrich’s transformation as a Child of the Moon. Heinrich defended his living collection of human artworks and revealed that he survived by sharing himself with the people who loved him.

• Earl Leipzig returned to his residence and found General Karl waiting in his study.
• General Karl accused Heinrich of losing his humanity, and Heinrich realized Karl had lost his Demon Avatar when Starry Night descended.
• Heinrich showed Karl his living collection of human artworks and claimed their owners had come to him willingly.
• Karl challenged Heinrich’s claim and accused him of using a damage-transfer ritual to survive.
• Heinrich denied using deception or enchantment and said he had shared himself with the people in his collection.

Earl Leipzig told General Karl that the Children of the Moon had killed their critics and intended to rule Stibnite under their newly born god, Banquet Angel. He also said the Red Minister would personally deal with Alphons, declaring that even the Headmaster could not stop him.

• Earl Leipzig explained that the sculptures were people who had willingly merged their souls with his, and General Karl revealed that he had become a Fire Holder.
• Earl Leipzig told General Karl that the Ouroboros Ring Ritual required a Fifth Level Transcender as a sacrifice, a role that had originally been assigned to Karl.
• General Karl reported that the Rosy Cross Society opposed the Red Minister and had begun publicly condemning him and the Child of the Moon.
• Earl Leipzig revealed that the Children of the Moon had killed and drained the blood of their critics, and that Leipzig would become Stibnite's new capital.
• Earl Leipzig said the Red Minister would personally deal with Alphons, and that even the Headmaster would not be able to stop him.

Fenrir warned Prince Siya Erduo that his vision showed Red Phase leading the Children of the Moon into a civil war that would engulf Star Antimony and kill the king. Aleister realized that her own actions may have triggered the sudden change in the future and left Red Phase with a decisive advantage.

• Fenrir summoned Prince Siya Erduo, Aleister, and Honey Badger before dawn to report an omen of war.
• Fenrir described a future in which Red Phase killed Earl Dawn, raised the Banquet Lord, killed the king, and rallied the Children of the Moon to seize power across Star Antimony.
• Prince Siya Erduo considered the threat and concluded that outside powers, including the Theocracy, would not intervene in the country's internal struggle.
• Fenrir admitted that his earlier visions had shown different dangers and that he had not foreseen the sudden change.
• Aleister traced the altered future to her own chain of killings and the Banquet Lord's unexpected ascension, then feared that she had inadvertently helped Red Phase gain the upper hand.

Aleister rejected Fenrir’s suggestion to let a ritual destroy Astyn and agreed to rescue Inspector Vena after Children of the Moon began killing Rosy Cross Society members. She left with Prince Siya Erduo and the others to storm the Police Department, while her unexplained violent urges continued.

• Honey Badger and Fenrir debated how to stop the Children of the Moon from uniting the four nations under their rule.
• Aleister revealed her Child of the Moon traits and declared that she would kill anyone who tried to cause trouble.
• Fenrir suggested helping the Demon Scholars complete a ritual that would destroy most of Astyn, but Aleister refused.
• Fenrir learned that drained corpses, including Mr. Frank Schumacher and other Rosy Cross Society members, had been found in City Hall Square.
• Fenrir reported that Inspector Vena was confined in his office by armed police, and Aleister deduced that Red Prime’s forces were watching to see who would come to his aid.
• Prince Siya Erduo asked Aleister to save his friend, and she agreed before leading the group to storm the Police Department.

After Inspector Frank Schumacher was found hanged in City Hall Square, the security police sealed off their department as Prince Siya Erduo arrived. A woman in the car used her charm to make a middle-aged inspector reveal the Earl Leipzig’s plans and the rewards he had been promised.

• Leipzig residents discovered Inspector Frank Schumacher and other prominent people hanged in City Hall Square, while guards blocked access to the Security Police Department.
• Prince Siya Erduo arrived at the sealed department, and a middle-aged inspector claimed Royal Alchemy Association alchemists were defusing a bomb inside.
• The woman in the car asked where the Earl Leipzig was, and the charmed inspector said the Earl was at his mansion but would soon go to the Police Department.
• At Prince Siya Erduo’s prompting, the woman asked what benefits the inspector had received from the Earl Leipzig.
• The inspector revealed that the Earl had promised to promote him three ranks to Second-Class Police Supervisor and give him property, and said Stibium would soon change completely.

Aleister used her enhanced Bewitching Aura to make the police force turn on itself as she escorted Prince Siya Erduo through the Police Department to reach Inspector Vena. At Vena’s office, she gave Siya a pistol and challenged him to prove he had the resolve to act.

• Aleister enchanted the inspectors, made one shoot his colleague, and survived gunfire with protective rituals and a shield.
• The Bewitching Aura spread through the Guard Line, turning its operators against one another and triggering a savage battle among the police.
• Aleister led Prince Siya Erduo into the Police Department, where enthralled officers offered little resistance and stronger defenders were made to attack their comrades or kill themselves.
• Siya asked if Aleister was the Witch Who Brings War, and she admitted she would use any means necessary to achieve her goals.
• At Inspector Vena’s office, Aleister handed Siya a pistol and asked whether he had the resolve to use it.

Aleister pushed Prince Siya Erduo to confront the rebels, and his first attempt to kill one nearly ended in disaster before he survived with the help of his alchemy potions. After Siya Erduo went to save his imprisoned friend, Aleister struggled against the Child of the Moon’s bloodlust and resolved to overcome its corruption.

• Aleister pressured Prince Siya Erduo to shoot a guard, and his first shots wounded the man without killing him.
• The wounded guard transformed into a demonkin, knocked Siya Erduo against a wall, and nearly struck him again before Siya Erduo used a Petrification Potion to stop it.
• Siya Erduo healed himself with potions, admitted his mistake to Lady Aleister, and destroyed the petrified demonkin with another potion.
• Siya Erduo said killing the demonkin gave him confidence that he could overcome his fear, and Aleister sent him to rescue his imprisoned friend.
• Aleister fought the Child of the Moon’s urges to drink blood, have sex, and kill, then bit through her thumb to bone and vowed to overcome its evil instinct.

Iver investigated why his emotions and connection with Aleister were fading during the division of their powers, and discovered that remnants of the Tenth Source River were causing the disturbance. He regained his clarity and connection with Aleister, but learned that her Path Urge had reached the Sixth Level.

• Iver noticed that his connection with Aleister had been severed and that his emotions were fading as Dedication grew stronger.
• Lord of Scales and Feathers explained that the Gap of Dualities divided power evenly, but Iver’s choice to sever the Child of the Moon vessel had made the process a dangerous trial.
• Iver connected the mysterious Sacred Number Eleven and the Path of Love to a hidden Tenth Source River, realizing its remnants were affecting him and Aleister.
• Iver’s thoughts cleared as he recognized that Candle Holder had drawn power from the Tenth Source River, and his connection with Aleister returned.
• Lord of Scales and Feathers told Iver that Aleister’s Path Urge had reached the Sixth Level.

Pengbo Naqi confronted Valentine VII in the Triumphal Palace and killed him after allowing the old King one chance to strike. Pengbo Naqi took control of Stibium and named Lucian Valentine its future King.

• Pengbo Naqi visited Valentine VII and demanded the King's scepter key to open the Herasul Secret Treasure.
• Valentine VII asked Pengbo Naqi to spare his children, then challenged him with his Goldstone Knight power.
• Pengbo Naqi survived Valentine VII's attack, emerged reborn from the old King's body, and killed him by draining his Blood Energy.
• Pengbo Naqi ordered the palace servants to dispose of Valentine VII's remains and bring him to the King's bedroom.
• Pengbo Naqi told the gathered court that he would not become King and that Lucian Valentine would be Stibium's new King.

Albert and Aurora reunited at the Spirit Tower, where their awkward closeness led to a macabre exchange of heads. Aurora then told Albert that the King had died and the Red Queen had killed him.

• Albert enjoyed returning to the Spirit Tower and drank its three potions before meeting Aurora, who had not slept.
• Albert worried about Aurora’s revealing pajamas, lent her his robe, and tried to look after her.
• Aurora removed her head to watch Albert experiment, and Albert removed his own head so Aurora could hold it.
• Aurora told Albert that the King had died and the Red Queen had killed him.

Albert learned that the Red Prime Minister had removed King Valentine VII and backed Lucian as the new King. In his laboratory, Albert showed Aurora a creature that grew transplantable arms and described his plan to develop sources of organs to save lives, before Aurora’s new junior schoolmate Christina fainted at the sight of the lab.

• Albert heard Aurora report that Pengbo Naqi had deposed Valentine VII, arrested those involved, and supported Lucian as the new King.
• Albert returned to his laboratory with Aurora and showed her the Thousand Hands God-117, which grew arms for transplants by consuming small living creatures.
• Albert explained that he hoped to create creatures that generated organs such as livers, reducing the need to kill people for ritual materials.
• Aurora brought her new junior schoolmate Christina to meet Albert, and Christina fainted after seeing Albert’s severed head, the headless body, and the laboratory full of limbs and organs.

Christina woke in Aurora’s bedroom after fainting at the Spirit Tower, where she met the renowned necromancer Albert Lore. She learned that Alice had brought her there while she was unconscious, and Albert recognized her connection to Aleister, leaving Christina astonished by her mentor’s influence.

• Christina woke in Aurora’s bedroom, where Aurora had removed a giant teddy bear covering her.
• Christina spoke with Albert Lore, who apologized for the frightening undead experiment she had seen and described his unusual research.
• Christina recognized Albert as Stibium’s celebrated young necromancer and wondered how he knew Aurora and why he was at the Spirit Tower.
• Albert asked whether Christina belonged to Aleister, and Christina was surprised that he knew her mentor.
• Alice took control of Christina’s body, explained that she had brought Christina to Albert and Aurora, and recognized Albert from his association with the Stranger.
• Albert bowed to Christina and said it was an honor to see her again, leaving Christina stunned by Aleister’s clout.