Recaps

Lily, disguised as Mr. Gray, followed Antler through the maze-like building and used his assumptions about her identity to learn that he was Minister Charles Drost. Antler asked her to arrange the murder of his illegitimate daughter, and a howl from Thunder interrupted their conversation.

• Lily used Silken Thread Perception to map the building while Antler led her through rooms they had already visited.
• Antler mistook Mr. Gray for a member of Lloyd's and revealed that he was Minister Drost, hoping to build a connection with Gray-Green.
• Lily asked questions to verify Antler's identity, and he confirmed that his secretary had been John Laf and that his illegitimate daughter worked for the Moriarty Family.
• Antler asked Mr. Gray to have Gray-Green kill his daughter, who was studying at Royal Law University, and requested that her death look natural.
• Thunder's anguished howl sounded in the distance, and Antler ordered Mr. Gray to investigate.

Antler and Lily joined Thunder, Knight, and Dark Cloud, but their confrontation was interrupted by Aleister’s arrival. After Thunder was killed and Knight escaped to find the Holy Lance, Aleister chose to pursue the ritual’s deeper rewards and invited Lily to come with him.

• Antler sealed unfamiliar gates and used a Petrification Ray on a door while Lily waited for a chance to kill their companions.
• Lily strangled Dark Cloud and dragged him into the darkness as the King attacked Knight; Knight defeated the King, but Antler revived him.
• Thunder woke and blinded the group with a burst of light, then burned the King’s skull and stopped him from reviving.
• Aleister arrived with a Shadow Hound, shattered Thunder’s shield, and killed him with a shadow spear while Knight fled to find the Holy Lance.
• Lily offered to chase Knight and Antler, but Aleister declined and said he wanted to seek lost history, improve his Shadow Affinity, and inspect the Holy Lance.

Iver comforted Lily after she learned that Minister Drost had ordered her killed to hide her illegitimate birth. He promised to help her take revenge and give her the Moriarty surname, then set out with her and Shadow Demon to kill someone before pursuing the Holy Lance.

• Lily told Iver that Minister Drost had hired assassins to kill her because she might expose their relationship.
• Lily realized that the Moriarty Family had treated her well out of kindness, not because of her biological father’s influence, and her mixed feelings toward Minister Drost became murderous intent.
• Iver promised that Minister Drost would die within a month and offered Lily the chance to kill him herself or leave the deed to Iver.
• Iver told Lily he would protect her and give her the Moriarty surname, then reassured her that he was with her.
• Iver postponed searching for the Holy Lance and ordered Shadow Demon to lead them to someone he could kill.

Antler hid in Aleister’s storeroom and waited for the ritual to end, believing Aleister would soon be consumed by the Shadow Demon. Aleister bypassed the sealed door, found Antler, and killed him with the Shadow Demon’s power.

• Antler resurrected two powerless corpses, sealed the storeroom door with Petrification Ray, and decided to wait out the ritual.
• Antler recalled that Aleister had summoned a Shadow Hound, a sign that the Shadow Demon’s power was manifesting through him and that he was nearing a loss of control.
• A voice outside asked Antler what was almost there, and Antler used Petrification Ray to reinforce the sealed door.
• Aleister’s shadow spear pierced the bronze door, but Antler fired Petrification Ray through the opening and thought he had stopped him.
• Aleister appeared behind Antler and impaled him with barbed spikes and a spiral spear before the Shadow Demon tore him apart.

Iver explained how the Dream Realm’s phantom inhabitants could be devoured, then used the temple’s layout and the giants’ behavior to reason out where they were. His suspicions were confirmed when a red-haired giant emerged from a room that was not his home, revealing himself as Aspartavas, a future apostle of the Domain of Love.

• The Shadow Demon devoured the resurrected dead, and Iver learned that Dream Realm phantoms served as easy-to-digest nourishment.
• Iver considered why the Nine Pillar Gods created rituals that mixed historical settings with participants from different Paths.
• Iver deduced that the temple’s layout could lead them to the Holy Lance and suspected the giants had seized a Candle Holder temple.
• Iver explained that he had made noise to draw both sleeping giants out of their bedroom, and he and Lily hid when footsteps approached.
• A red-haired giant emerged, and Iver recognized him as Aspartavas, the Giant Chieftain and future Shadow Angel of the Domain of Love.

Knight found the Holy Lance in the giant’s hall, but its enormous size made it impossible for him to wield. Aleister arrived and offered to cooperate, and Knight revealed his name as Barton before asking how Aleister entered the Path of Transcendence and whether he had a chance to do the same.

• Knight followed the light to a hall containing the Magic Cauldron and hid when a giant entered.
• After the giant left, Knight found the enormous Holy Lance and realized a human could not wield it.
• Aleister arrived and told Knight that everyone except the two of them and Gray Hood was dead, while Gray Hood briefly appeared from the shadows.
• Knight learned Aleister had trusted his earlier offer of cooperation and asked whether Aleister was a good person.
• Knight revealed that his name was Barton and asked how Aleister entered the Path of Transcendence and whether he could do so too.

Iver considered Knight’s belief that the Path of Authority could complement the Path of Transcendence and recognized that it matched the future transformation of Avalon. He warned Knight not to pursue transcendence yet, leaving open the possibility that he could take that path once he was ready.

• Knight told Iver he suspected the Path of Authority and the Path of Transcendence were meant to work together.
• Iver recalled how Isabel would later rebuild Avalon as Camelot, change its government, and end the old restrictions on other paths.
• Iver judged Knight’s insight correct but premature, and worried that current Transcenders would exploit him.
• Iver told Knight that questioning the Path of Authority had already brought him close to transcendence, but advised him to wait before choosing a new path.
• Iver privately resolved to give Knight a chance to become a Moulting Warlock after the Butterfly Angel was brought down.

Iver advised Knight to wait before choosing a second Path, then learned the fifteen-year-old had advanced with startling speed and potential. As the giant returned, Iver sacrificed his guaranteed victory to attempt a riskier triumph through resurrection and the Holy Lance.

• Barton admitted that he did not know what he wanted and explained how his parents' lessons about knighthood seemed to conflict.
• Iver warned Knight that changing Paths too soon could lead to incompatibility and said he had been forced onto his own Path.
• Knight revealed that he was fifteen, had become a Light Cavalry only half a month earlier, and had already touched the wall of the Second Level.
• Iver realized Knight was an unusually gifted young recruit and began explaining his three questions about the courage, resolve, and daring needed for the Path of Transcendence.
• As the giant returned, Iver ordered the Shadow Demon to kill him and send him into the Magic Cauldron, abandoning his secure victory to pursue a greater one.

Iver emerged from the Magic Cauldron transformed and claimed the divine spear Rhongomyniad. After smashing the cauldron, he fought the giantess and ended the chapter driving the spear at her.

• The Magic Cauldron revived Iver as a towering, mute warrior while Barton watched from hiding.
• The giantess realized a slave had escaped and reached for her axes, but Iver used the Shadow Fiend to seize one and then claimed the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad.
• Iver learned the spear’s powers and shattered the Magic Cauldron, releasing the souls trapped in its garnets.
• The giantess recognized Kastenning’s Holy Lance and attacked Iver, destroying the room with her blows.
• The spear’s flames restored Iver after the axe struck him, and he charged the giantess as the Silver Scale marked her an oathbreaker.

Iver killed the Giantess during the Promotion Ritual, escaped Aspavaton’s petrification with the Shadow Cloak, and earned first place before the ritual ended. The Serpent Father granted him three purple traits in the Blood Sea world.

• Iver used Rhongomyniad and the Shadow Demon to wound the Giantess repeatedly, then drove the Holy Lance into her eye and shattered her head.
• Giant Chieftain Aspavaton arrived and petrified Iver, but Iver activated Shadow Cloak to break free and vanish.
• Aspavaton reached for Iver as the ritual ended, and Iver raised three fingers toward Barton before the dream world collapsed into scenes of the participants’ deaths.
• Iver returned to the Blood Sea world, where his score of 5800 placed him first in the ritual.
• The Serpent Father granted Iver Challenger's Courage, Silent Dead, and Shadow Avatar.

After the New Moon Ritual, Iver examined three traits and chose Shadow Avatar, the entry he had deliberately sought. Its flexible effects strengthened his Shadow Affinity and Darkness Vessel, helping him use Shadow Demons and adapt his future build.

• Iver recognized Challenger's Courage, Silent Dead, and Shadow Avatar among the traits he had obtained.
• Iver assessed Challenger's Courage as narrowly useful because dispelling control was generally better than resisting it.
• Iver reviewed Silent Dead's brief post-death revival and explained its uses for Demonkin and the limited resurrection methods in the real world.
• Iver chose Shadow Avatar, which he had pursued by using Shadow Demons throughout the ritual.
• Iver found Shadow Avatar raised his Shadow Affinity and helped compensate for missing entries, with effects he could later convert through rituals.
• Iver planned to adjust the trait as he gained Dark Attribute entries, cultivated his Shadow Demon, or prepared for difficult battles.

Iver completed his ritual and gained a larger Dark mana pool, while Lily awoke with a new sense of security beside him. Lily reflected on her painful past and resolved to use her Shadow Affinity to remain useful to Iver and follow him in the future.

• Iver awakened with the Shadow Avatar, Shadow Affinity, and Darkness Vessel traits, and confirmed that behavior could influence which entries he obtained.
• Iver cleaned up the ritual while Lily slept, then watched as she awoke and looked at him with a sense of peace.
• Lily recalled how rumors about her mother’s work disrupted her schooling and led her to seek help from Minister Drost, who arranged for her to serve the Moriarty Family.
• Lily realized that Minister Drost had confined her to prevent her from gaining the Drost surname and that he had hired an assassin who killed her mother.
• Lily chose Shadow Affinity to work alongside Iver and planned to follow him when he left his wheelchair.

Barton reflected on his successful Promotion Ritual and received a cautious welcome from his mother, who warned him to stay indoors while an assassin remained at large. Meanwhile, Minister Drost ordered an urgent search for Aleister, seeking both his identity and his mother’s contact information.

• Barton tested the Second-Level Lightning Affinity he had gained and considered the lessons he had learned about alliances and trust during the ritual.
• Barton’s mother returned home, discovered his Promotion Ritual, and told him to sleep before discussing his three days of truancy.
• Barton’s mother warned him not to go out at night while the Griffin Brigade searched for an assassin, and said she would invite Iver Moriarty to discuss Professor Moriarty’s death and the family estate.
• Barton asked whether Sherlock was dead, but his mother said it was uncertain and advised him to ask Iver when they met.
• Minister Drost instructed Diomedes to send letters to investigate Aleister’s connection to Lloyd’s and to locate Aleister’s mother within half a month.

Iver planned to use a Crowned Angel technique to extract the phantom demon from Yulia and prevent her from losing control, while Lily asked the Shadow Demon to teach her Shadow Stealth. The chapter ended with Yulia affirming her trust in Iver as he prepared for the ritual before sunrise.

• Iver learned that Lily had chosen Shadow Affinity twice, and she asked the Shadow Demon to teach her how to enter shadows.
• Iver proposed trading his flesh for the Shadow Demon's power so it could grant Lily the seed of shadow, then said he would first make a transcendent item requiring fifty units of Fire Attribute mana.
• Iver told Lily to fetch Yulia before sunrise on the new moon and explained to the Shadow Demon that he planned to extract the phantom demon from Yulia using a Crowned Angel technique.
• Lily returned with Yulia after encountering Mr. Oswald, who had noticed Lily despite her stealth.
• Iver embraced Yulia and learned that she had worn her amulet and felt no pain for a week.
• Yulia told Iver she would always believe in him as he prepared to free her from the phantom demon's effects.

Iver began a dangerous ritual to extract the Paradox Flame Butterfly from Yulia, using the conflicting auras of the Candle Holder and the Fallen Angel to form a seal. The ritual revealed Yulia’s memories and suffering, and Iver reached her within a cracked Red Crystal, promising to save her.

• Yulia deduced the materials in Iver’s amulet, and Iver prepared to use its Tarot Cards to free her from her body.
• Iver’s conflicting prayers drew crimson and black auras into the ritual, causing his eyes to burst and bleed as the forces formed a bridge between him and Yulia.
• The Paradox Flame Butterfly awoke inside Yulia, but Iver named it and commanded it to obey him under the Mark of Sloth.
• Iver’s soul-and-fate chain entered Yulia, showing him memories of her coughing, burning, and enduring agony while controlled by the Phantom Demon.
• Iver found Yulia asleep inside a cracked Red Crystal and vowed to save her as he reached out to touch it.

Iver completed the Great Sin Ritual and sealed the Paradox Flame Butterfly, freeing Yulia from the Phantom Demon. With Yulia safe and unconscious, Iver realized he could change her destiny and perhaps change the world.

• Iver dispelled the Red Crystal’s seals and completed the ritual, forming the Paradox Flame Butterfly from Yulia’s flames.
• Yulia awakened briefly, then collapsed unconscious; Lily caught her and confirmed her pulse and body temperature were normal.
• Iver named the new card Great Sin: Paradox Flame Butterfly and learned it could summon Flame Butterflies or call forth the Great Sin Beast.
• Iver decided to use the Illumination Spell to treat Yulia and told Lily that Yulia’s destiny now belonged only to her.
• Iver reflected on saving Yulia and realized he might be able to change the world.

Iver saved Yulia by restoring her health and revealed to the Shadow Demon how he had used a new ritual to redirect the Fallen Angel’s Great Sin Imprint. He reassured the demon that he might seal it someday, then began feeding it his blood, bones, and flesh to make it stronger.

• Iver used fourteen points of Light Attribute mana to restore Yulia’s body and let her sleep in his room while Lily cared for her.
• Iver told the Shadow Demon that he had redirected the Great Sin Imprint onto the Paradox Flame Butterfly and planned to make the Shadow Demon his next Great Sin Beast.
• The Shadow Demon understood Iver’s ritual for tricking the Fallen Angel’s power and sealing Phantom Demons into cards, and it agreed to obey him.
• The Shadow Demon worried that being sealed would cut it off from the outside world, so Iver promised he would wait and might seal it last if it remained obedient.
• Iver prepared a silver Ritual Knife and offered his blood, bones, and flesh to the Shadow Demon as a sacred offering.

Iver explained the Shadow Demon’s nature and the Dream Realm’s regions while preparing a Shepherding Ritual to give Lily some of the demon’s power. He revealed that Demon Scholars who became Demon Avatars could only serve the Fallen Angel, a secret he chose to keep to himself.

• The Shadow Demon offered to share part of its power source with Lily, hoping to strengthen its position with Iver.
• The Shadow Demon told Iver that it had killed the Demon Scholars who summoned it before, and Iver explained that demons sought souls rather than cruelty for its own sake.
• Iver explained that the Shadow Domain was part of the Dream Realm and described how hosts protected Promotion Rituals from phantom demons.
• Iver recounted how Jean de Fontanel developed the first Demon Contract and how the early Demon Scholars became apostles of the Fallen Angel.
• Lily asked why Demon Scholars served the Fallen Angel instead of the Serpent Father, and Iver prepared to guide the Shadow Demon’s power into her body while concealing what he knew about the two gods.

Iver and Lily completed a Shepherding ritual that bound Lily closely to the shadow demon, giving her shadow abilities and allowing the demon to move between their shadows. The chapter ended with Iver discovering he could relay commands to Lily remotely through the shadow demon.

• Iver and Lily performed the ritual using the Amethyst Octahedral Dice, and the shadow demon’s power flowed between them until their connection stabilized.
• Lily discovered she could disperse into shadows and gained authority over the shadow demon, which could hide in her shadow within a limited range.
• Iver told Lily to test her range, then cleaned the ritual site while she explored as far as Edward’s room.
• Lily reported that she could reach about fifty meters away, while the shadow demon could spread only a little over three meters from her.
• Iver remotely ordered Lily to raise her hand through the shadow demon, confirming that he could communicate commands to her without speaking.

After Iver sealed the Phantom Demon inside Yulia, she woke free of pain and weakness and realized she could keep living. She shared her relief and fear with Iver, then explained why she cherished her battered Dudd plushie.

• Iver stayed beside Yulia as she rested, while Lily read nearby.
• Yulia woke feeling healthy for the first time in years and burst into tears in Iver's arms.
• Yulia told Iver she was happy she could stay with him and no longer feared dying soon.
• Iver admitted he had been afraid the sealing ritual would fail and described how close Yulia had come to death.
• Yulia asked about Dudd and said she hoped to share the plushie's seemingly endless vitality.

Oswald confirmed that Yulia had recovered and explained that he was leaving to search for Professor Moriarty, whom he believed was still alive and in danger. He arranged for Yulia to attend school with Iver, while Iver considered how to protect her and prepared to return to school.

• Oswald confirmed that the Phantom Demon inside Yulia was gone and agreed that Iver could keep the details of her recovery secret.
• Oswald revealed that he had received official news of Professor Moriarty's death but believed him to be alive, and that he planned to leave to find him.
• Oswald explained that Yulia could now attend school, and Yulia eagerly agreed to go with Iver.
• Iver worried that Yulia would be unprotected when he later faked his death and considered asking Princess Isabel for help.
• Oswald arranged a carriage to the Inspectorate so Lily could collect Iver's newly made wheelchair and take the siblings back to school.

As Yulia moved her belongings to Royal Law University, Lily accompanied Oswald to the Inspectorate to retrieve Iver’s wheelchair and met Diomedes, the elf who had helped her join the Moriarty Family. Diomedes warned Lily to be careful, leaving Oswald to recognize that he understood the danger behind the warning.

• Yulia packed her research notes, tools, and materials for her move to Royal Law University, and chatted excitedly with Iver during the carriage ride.
• Lily saw the Inspectorate’s quiet, secretive offices as Oswald explained its work and took her to Edward’s office to collect Iver’s wheelchair.
• Edward greeted Oswald and asked Red Lady to handle a task before she left the office.
• Oswald reunited with Diomedes, an old friend who had once helped arrange Lily’s entry into the Moriarty Family.
• Diomedes recognized Lily and warned her to be careful, while Oswald indicated that he understood what Diomedes meant.

Lily told Iver and Yulia how the Moriarty Family’s adoption-based succession began, and Iver realized Oswald might be preparing him to inherit the family. Iver suspected Minister Drost was using Lily as leverage and planned to kill him, but York Holmes called before Iver had settled on a way to separate Drost from his guardian.

• Lily recounted Oswald’s explanation that Constantine Moriarty founded the family’s tradition of passing it to adopted heirs after killing Mordred’s biological sons.
• Iver concluded Oswald might be treating him as the Moriarty heir and suspected Minister Drost wanted him to plead for Lily’s safety.
• Iver told Yulia that Drost was their enemy and confirmed that he intended to kill him despite Diomedes’s protection.
• Iver considered using the Shadow Fiend and the Paradox Flame Butterfly, but could not figure out how to isolate Drost from his guardian.
• York Holmes called Iver and complained that he had tried to reach him six times.

After learning that Lloyd's had approved a powerful assassination attempt for Tuesday night, Iver realized the president’s political maneuvering had unexpectedly completed his fake-death plan. He arranged for Yulia to stay safely with Princess Isabel while he prepared to face the attackers with Lily and Miss Shadow Demon.

• Lawyer York told Iver that four Demon Scholars, two Demon Dogs, a Lash Demon, and a Blade Demon would attack him Tuesday night, and explained that the president had supported the assault as a way to mislead Avalon and preserve Lloyd's position.
• Iver suspected the president was using him to weaken Vice President Boca’s faction and keep Lloyd's from turning against the Noble Red Society.
• Iver told Yulia he would invite Princess Isabel over the next afternoon so Yulia could ask to go with her to the royal palace and avoid the night attack.
• Iver said he could handle the assassins himself with the help of Little Butterfly, while Lily said she and Miss Shadow Demon would help and then disappear for a while.
• Iver concluded that the president’s greed had removed the last flaw in his plan and quietly sent Aleister his regards for Vice President Boca.

Isabel visited Yulia and gave her three rare alchemical manuscripts, winning her favor before discussing Yulia’s enrollment with Iver. Isabel sensed that Yulia was far more cold and competitive than she appeared, and grew eager to see how she would behave at school.

• Isabel visited Iver’s home to meet Yulia and gave her three rare, handwritten alchemical books from her grandmother’s collection.
• Yulia gladly accepted the books and grew impressed by Isabel’s knowledge and respect for alchemy.
• Iver thanked Isabel for the gift and asked for her help enrolling Yulia at the Royal Law University.
• Isabel agreed to arrange a separate examination and suggested placing Yulia in the Second Faculty before a possible transfer to the Secret Department.
• Isabel sensed Yulia’s calm, cold, and competitive nature beneath her gentle behavior and became curious to see her at school.