Chapter Summaries

Iver adopted the identity Aleister and built a cover story while meeting the other participants in a New Moon Promotion Ritual. Gawain began the ritual, transporting the nine participants into a giant’s house and explaining the rules of their survival contest.

• Iver explained why he had chosen the alias Aleister and planned to use Inspector Gordon’s presence to establish Aleister’s connection to the Noble Red Society.
• Deer Antler tried to recruit the silent Gray Hood and Knight into an alliance, while Knight proposed cooperating with Aleister and Gray Hood.
• Iver invented a detailed background for Aleister while speaking with Deer Antler, Red, Thunder, and Knight.
• The remaining participants arrived, including King, who advertised his alchemical goods and attracted Deer Antler’s interest as a potential customer.
• Gawain explained the ritual’s rules, including its three victors, kill points, and the special victory conditions of Holy Object Contention and Mad Killing.
• Gawain recited the ritual’s script about a Giant couple capturing nine humans, and the participants were transported into the giant-sized setting.

Iver awakened bound in a storeroom at Pankerde Temple, where he and eight other warriors were being held as food by a giant couple. After recognizing that the ritual rewarded both cooperation and betrayal, he escaped his bonds with the Shadow Fiend and saw a monk free himself with flames; the monk then urged Iver to kill Red.

• Iver learned the ritual's tasks and realized that the contestants could cooperate to escape but would compete for only three promotion spots.
• Iver used the Shadow Fiend to corrode his rope and free himself in the dark storeroom.
• A silent monk lit the room with flames from a phoenix-shaped tattoo and freed himself.
• Red called for help while still bound, and Iver approached him using the name Aleister.
• The monk stopped Iver and told him to kill Red instead of saving him.

Sheriff Luo explained the Mad Killing victory rules to Iver and proposed teaming up, but Red and Aleister killed him before they could cooperate. Aleister then rejected Red’s offer of an alliance and killed her, leaving the ritual’s survivors reduced further.

• Sheriff Luo explained that killing everyone could fulfill the mission and that ritualists who had kills would gain an advantage as the number of survivors fell.
• Iver agreed to work with Sheriff Luo, who identified himself as an ascender of the Path of Wisdom from the Parthian Ancient Kingdom.
• Red attacked Sheriff Luo with shadow blades, and Aleister cut him in half before he could respond.
• Red offered to cooperate with Aleister, but he realized that killing weaker ritualists was safer than sparing them as teammates.
• Aleister bound Red with shadows and severed her head.

Lily, King, and Deer Antler found themselves tied together in a sealed ritual site, where Deer Antler planned to secure points by limiting the others’ chances to escape. King gave up on advancing and offered Deer Antler his chance in exchange for payment, while describing a worsening conflict in Starnet.

• Lily freed herself with Thread Control and used Silken Thread Perception to sense King and Deer Antler nearby.
• Deer Antler assessed the ritual missions and decided to seal the main door so the others could not earn points for escaping.
• King told Deer Antler to kill him and offered his chance to advance, explaining that the sealed setting made victory unrealistic for him.
• King said he had joined the ritual to sell goods and described rising potion prices, falling material prices, and the conflict between the Rosy Cross Society and the Royal Alchemy Association.
• Deer Antler promised to pay King a deposit after returning, and King thanked him.

Deer Antler revived King as a silent undead and continued through the ritual with Lily, who concealed her intent to kill him. Meanwhile, Gordon, Knight, and Gray Clouds escaped together, and Gray Clouds began to reveal a secret about Avalon’s founding and the succession of the Nine Pillar Gods.

• Deer Antler killed King, then revived his corpse through necromancy and commanded him to open the enormous door.
• Lily called herself Gray and claimed she would protect Deer Antler from the shadows, while secretly watching for a chance to kill him.
• Gordon and Knight agreed to seek the Holy Lance and smash the giants’ Magic Cauldron, though Gordon objected to attacking the giants.
• Gordon explained that the giant couple might be High Giants and Apostles of Bear Angel, making an assault on them reckless.
• Gray Clouds introduced himself as a werewolf fleeing the Child of the Moon and offered to reveal secret history about Avalon and the Nine Pillar Gods.

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.