Chapter Summaries

Shade danced with Margaret at her disaster-relief banquet, then visited Dorothy, Luvia, and Miss Galina as a powerful earthquake shook Moon Bay. The next morning, Shade learned how two Bloodkin had aided the Dragon Devouring Order and that its Sacrificial Ground could appear directly in the city.

• Margaret told Shade that her banquet had strengthened the Anjou Family’s ties with local nobles, and she asked him to go to the opera with her again.
• An earthquake struck while Shade visited Dorothy and Luvia aboard the ship, but Illustrious Miss said it had not caused a tsunami.
• Shade returned to Belinder Manor, where Miss Galina welcomed him and said she would leave for Moon Bay the following evening.
• Captain Rades sent Shade a parcel and letter, then Shade went to Spider Alley, where he helped Mr. Albert and Mr. Bernhardt stop a reanimated corpse.
• Mr. Albert and Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that Carmen Eddington and Thomas Pigin had supplied the Dragon Devouring Order with Bloodkin and helped its operations in exchange for money and pure dragon blood.
• Mr. Albert said the Sacrificial Ground could appear in the city center or float above it, using its spatial properties to enter an area without damaging its surroundings.

Shade and Mr. Albert investigated the disappearance of the Felinja couple, who had become entangled in the search for three precious Rhodes Cards. Shade found signs that Mrs. Felinja had once served as a royal maid and suspected he recognized her, leaving the mystery unresolved.

• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that the Divine Advent Ritual would take over twenty minutes and that several organizations would create chaos across the Moon Bay Area.
• Mr. Albert asked Shade to help find the missing Felinja couple, who had vanished after becoming involved in the incident surrounding three Rhodes Cards.
• Shade and Mr. Albert visited Old Lady Fox, who said the couple had gone out on Wednesday a week earlier and never returned.
• Shade noticed that the couple had no photographs in their home and found newspaper issues that frequently featured Princess Margaret.
• Shade examined the couple's folded towels and deduced that Mrs. Felinja had once been a maid to a great noble, possibly the royal household.
• Shade told Mr. Albert that he might have run into an acquaintance.

Shade and Mr. Albert traced the missing couple to Old Lady Fox’s home and learned that Miss Brown was a former Military Intelligence Section Six agent who had escaped with Mr. Feringa. At their address, they discovered that Mr. Dylan and the Gray Gloves were searching for a fugitive agent’s secrets, leaving Shade’s investigation entangled with theirs.

• Shade and Mr. Albert searched Old Lady Fox’s home, found hidden weapons, travel documents, and a badge belonging to a noblewoman from Wilundell, then questioned Mrs. Fox about her nephew and his wife.
• Shade convinced Mrs. Fox to trust him by revealing his knowledge of Miss Brown’s past, and she explained that the couple had fled Tobesk with his help and left her money before disappearing.
• Mrs. Fox told Shade and Mr. Albert that the couple had bought a property at 28 Winder Street, where they might still be living.
• Shade and Mr. Albert went to 28 Winder Street and encountered Mr. Dylan and the Gray Gloves searching the apartment.
• Mr. Dylan told Shade that a dying Military Intelligence Section Six agent had passed secrets to someone else, and that one of the agent’s suspicious contacts had appeared at the apartment.

Shade and Mr. Albert followed a key’s trail to a Lower District house, where they discovered Director Anlos was also investigating the missing agent’s card and documents. Anlos explained that someone with knowledge of the Sixth Office had offered to sell the documents, and Shade offered to help while claiming he only wanted the card.

• Shade pressured Mr. Dylan for information and learned that a valuable card and intelligence about bribed Gray Gloves agents were connected to the missing agent.
• Mr. Albert traced a key found in the house through a locksmith and lock-shop records to 7 Augustus Street, Building B.
• Shade knocked at the address and identified himself to the armed occupants, who let him and Mr. Albert inside.
• Shade discovered Director Anlos at the house and told him he was investigating the Rhodes Card with Mr. Albert.
• Anlos said the dead agent had passed the card and important documents to someone who later offered to sell the documents through Sixth Office channels.
• Shade offered to help Anlos investigate while claiming he only wanted the card.

Shade and Mr. Albert pursued the people carrying the documents and card through Moon Bay’s sewers, uncovering more of Albert’s history with Eternal Light along the way. After navigating a gunfight between rival groups, they found the wounded Miss Brown and Mr. Feringa by the Tatton River.

• Director Anlos sent Shade and Mr. Albert into the sewers to follow the suspected agent while warning them about the Gray Gloves and city gangs.
• Shade and Mr. Albert discussed their hidden identities, and Albert explained how Eternal Light had reached an agreement with the Seekers of Light Research Society and refused to cooperate with the Dragon Devouring Order.
• The pair followed traces through the sewers, encountered a Water Ghost, and emerged near the Parsifal Club, where they saw city gangs, Gray Gloves, and Military Intelligence Section Six agents exchanging gunfire.
• As they pursued the fleeing targets, Shade told Albert that he would protect civilians from war but would not support either army.
• Shade and Mr. Albert followed the fighting to the Tatton River and found Mr. Feringa carrying a suitcase and Miss Brown pressing onward despite a gunshot wound to her arm.

Shade and Mr. Albert rescued Mr. Feringa and Miss Brown, then learned why the couple had become entangled with Military Intelligence Section Six and the Gray Gloves. Mr. Albert gave Shade the Founding card and revealed that Viscount Bell Gra had arranged the killings to obtain it, leaving Shade to decide what to do with the card.

• Shade and Mr. Albert shot the five gangsters pursuing Mr. Feringa and Miss Brown, then summoned the police and led the couple away.
• Miss Brown explained that the suitcase held evidence of Gray Gloves agents taking bribes, while the murdered agent Clock had given her the suitcase and the precious card that prompted the pursuit.
• Mr. Feringa admitted that he had hoped returning the documents might earn forgiveness from Military Intelligence Section Six, and Shade told the couple to apologize to their companions and live quietly in Moon Bay.
• After Mr. Feringa and Miss Brown left, Mr. Albert confessed that he had kept the card for half a month and handed it to Shade.
• Shade examined the Founding card, whose effects let its holder reveal an opponent’s cards or avoid losing after busting.
• Mr. Albert revealed that Viscount Bell Gra had hired the gangsters to obtain Founding and said the Viscount would die of ricin that night; Shade asked whether the card was his to keep.

Shade asked Tolomay Albert to join the coming battle against Destiny, and Albert revealed that ancient light had made him a Diviner and taught him about the Chosen Ones. They made a covenant for the Battle of Moon Bay, leaving Shade with a share of Albert’s light and a clearer picture of the ritual’s requirements.

• Shade asked Albert whether he would face Destiny at the Dragon Devouring Sacrificial Ground, and Albert described how an ancient beam of light had merged with him on the New Continent.
• Albert admitted that he had concealed being a Diviner from Shade and confirmed that he possessed the Hope Diamond.
• Albert asked whether Shade would sacrifice himself for justice, and Shade refused, saying he could not abandon those who needed him.
• Albert proposed a covenant: if he sacrificed himself in the Battle of Moon Bay, Shade would give some of his power to Eternal Light; if Shade sacrificed himself, Albert would give light to someone close to him; and if both survived, they would exchange powers.
• Shade accepted the covenant, and a portion of Albert’s ancient light merged into him.
• Albert explained that the Chosen One Ritual required the Dragon Devouring Sacrificial Ground, forging a sword, five ancient relics, and seven dragon scales from the Seven Great Families.

Shade and Mr. Albert prepared for the Chosen One Ritual while the Dragon Devouring Order began testing Moon Bay’s defenses. As the Divine Advent Ritual approached, Shade chose to defend the sacrificial ground and arranged for the orphanage children to leave the city.

• Shade and Mr. Albert reviewed the dragon scales and relics needed for the ritual, and Mr. Albert agreed to divine for the missing Eddington Family scale and lend Shade the Hope Diamond.
• A fireball and a Flesh Aberration dragon beast attacked Moon Bay’s shield, and Shade identified the assault as the Dragon Devouring Order probing the city.
• Shade told Luvia that the Church needed to bring its relic to the sacrificial ground, then chose to join Iluna there rather than face the deep-sea evil in the Outer Sea.
• Shade promised Iluna that he and Luvia would stay by her if Moon Bay was destroyed, and Iluna kissed him before leaving for the night.
• Shade asked Priest Augustus to move the Moon Bay Orphanage children to Red Heart Orphanage and urged the priest to leave the city after them.
• Shade concluded that the preparations were nearly complete and planned to summon Doctor Schneider at a crossroads that night.

Shade arranged copies of his Moon Bay intelligence for Leisha and discussed the coming war with her before the manor’s guests held a pre-war banquet aboard the Radiance Messenger. The chapter left Galina arriving by an improvised spell, soaked after falling into the ship’s pool.

• Shade asked Leisha to copy the documents and photographs he had uncovered, and she recognized their value to both kingdoms’ intelligence services.
• Leisha asked which side Shade would support if war broke out, and he said he would work to end the conflict and would not let her suffer a loss.
• Leisha told Shade she would choose him over her ambitions and kissed him while continuing to copy the documents.
• Illustrious Miss proposed a banquet before the group set out, and the guests prepared a celebration aboard the Radiance Messenger.
• Miss Sylvia used a spell from a secret-technique book to summon Galina, whose arrival dropped her into the swimming pool.
• Galina climbed out with Angelina’s help, and her mood improved when Shade complimented her purple bra.

At the prewar banquet aboard the ship, Iluna, Angelina, and Emilia bonded while Shade danced with the guests. After Emilia revealed that Shade’s staff might be a branch of the World Tree, the three young women secretly began a drinking game together.

• The guests gathered for the ship’s banquet, where Shade played drinking games and later danced with the women while Iluna, Angelina, and Emilia chatted together.
• After the banquet, Emilia told Iluna that Shade’s staff was probably once a branch of the World Tree, leading Iluna to wonder how it could be revived.
• Angelina suggested a secret drinking game, and Iluna fetched wine and glasses for the three of them.
• Iluna, Emilia, and Angelina clinked their glasses together as the maids noticed their game but let them continue.

As Moon Bay’s foretold battle began, Shade and his allies waited aboard the Radiance Messenger while attacks, light eruptions, fires, and earthquakes spread through the city. At dawn, Shade left the others and used the Yggdrasil Key to enter the washroom, preparing for what came next.

• Shade summoned Doctor Schneider with the mirror, warned him to look for two demons and a brown-robed man, and watched him enter the fog.
• The Church’s fleet fought the Dragons offshore as Vampire Beasts entered Moon Bay and Ring Arcanists battled them in the streets.
• Fireballs, Dragons, earthquakes, and pillars of Dangerous Radiance struck the city, unleashing infected monsters and fires while the Church held back a tsunami.
• The Witches went out in shifts while Shade, Iluna, Luvia, and Dorothy stayed aboard the Radiance Messenger and waited through the night.
• At dawn, Shade told Luvia he was going to the washroom, locked the VIP cabin door, and inserted the Yggdrasil Key into the washroom keyhole.

Shade entered the Time Corridor to face a powerful enemy in the Doomsday Era and summoned Adele Isabella for help. As an enormous Angel attacked him with devastating light, Isabella carried Shade toward it and warned that only darkness could defeat it.

• Shade used the Time Key to enter the Final Epoch in Tobesk and summoned Adele Isabella, telling her he faced a battle he might not win.
• Shade walked into Saint Derain Square and saw an enormous six-winged Angel emerge in the sky.
• The Angel attacked with beams and a whip of light, while Shade defended himself with the Great Sin Chains and the Yggdrasil Staff.
• Shade transformed the staff into a greatsword of light and asked Adele Isabella to help him fight the flying Angel.
• Adele Isabella carried Shade toward the Angel and warned him that light could not kill it and that he needed the power of darkness.

Shade and Adele Isabella fought the Angel, whose sorrowful face belonged to Miss Brown, until Shade used the doomsday sun’s power to defeat it. He gained insight into “the end” through the black sword, but was warned that his body and soul could not bear its power.

• Shade and Adele Isabella evaded the Angel’s attacks, and Shade recognized Miss Brown’s face in its radiance.
• Shade used a Truth Crystal to identify the Angel’s additional forms as illusions, then tried several attacks that barely affected it.
• After Adele Isabella stopped time, Shade launched himself toward the black sun, used Praise the Sun and a Dragon Roar, and struck the Angel with a sword infused with the sun’s power.
• The Angel fell into the plaza, where Adele Isabella found Shade standing over Miss Brown with one-third of his body transparent and a black sword in hand.
• Shade’s sword and right arm spread with black fire and pale red light as he gained insight into “the end,” and the voice by his ear warned him to let go of the sword.

Shade defeated the Past Miss Brown but collapsed from the effects of the Twisted Light, and Adele Isabella treated him in their ruined home. After recovering, Shade used Sunlight Healing for her, and Isabella thanked him for coming to her side.

• Shade drove his burning black longsword into Miss Brown, who turned to sand after asking for a ray of light, and he collected the card and Black Key.
• Miss Isabella caught Shade as he collapsed, and he told her to put him in water before losing consciousness.
• Miss Isabella treated Shade in the bathtub, and he woke to find that she had restored his body and salvaged his belongings.
• Miss Isabella told Shade that his body had absorbed the Twisted Light and suspected Luvia Annette might be responsible for his unusual abilities.
• Shade cast Sunlight Healing over himself and Miss Isabella, and she cried as she thanked him for coming to her side.

Shade told Adele Isabella that he planned to use the Doomsday City Mystic Lock and her power to help face the descending god, then asked her to merge with him. Adele admitted she needed him and agreed to prepare to reach his Spacetime, leaving Shade with a plan for the coming divine battle.

• Shade explained that the Hope Diamond was with the Seventh Chosen One and that he planned to borrow it after dealing with Moon Bay.
• Shade told Adele that he planned to use Doomsday City and merge with a woman who loved him to avoid bringing its full destruction into the Present World.
• Adele understood Shade’s plan to combine the Mystic Lock with an Unknown Level Relic and use God Summoning when the moment was right.
• Adele told Shade that she had never loved anyone before, confessed that she needed him, and kissed him after he embraced her.
• Shade explained how extreme casting with the Philosopher’s Stone could help bring Adele to his era, and she agreed to prepare to answer his call.
• Shade began calling the Witch Adele, and she said she did not mind.

Shade visited Adele Isabella, explained the danger facing Moon Bay, and received the Calamity Card Light's Prayer, which revealed how Miss Brown's sacrificed soul could unleash devastating beams over the city. After returning to the present, Shade learned the card granted Powerful Ray of Light and rejoined the others aboard the Radiance Messenger as the final battle approached.

• Shade explained the current situation to Adele Isabella, and she promised to await his call.
• Shade examined Light's Prayer and saw memories of Miss Brown being sacrificed by the Seekers of Light Research Society and her soul later becoming an angel that ravaged Moon Bay City.
• Shade returned to the present, where Adele resolved to visit Moon Bay during the Sixth Epoch's divine war.
• Shade discovered that Light's Prayer granted the Powerful Ray of Light ability and put the card away.
• Shade rejoined the group aboard the Radiance Messenger, and Luvia noticed he had changed clothes during his brief absence.

Shade found the final dragon scale beneath the Dragon Altar in the Ancient Dragon Nest and recovered a letter from the Eddington Family’s ancestor. As he left during a massive earthquake and the twelfth pillar of light appeared, Moon Bay’s orphanage began collapsing with Priest Augustus and children inside.

• Mr. Albert sent Shade a divination note identifying the fourth child’s nest as the place to find the final clue.
• Luvia confirmed that the last dragon scale lay beneath the Dragon Altar in the Ancient Dragon Nest.
• Shade lifted the altar and found a Mithril-alloy box containing the dragon scale and a letter from the Eddington Family’s ancestor.
• Shade learned from the letter that Moon Bay had originally been meant to commemorate the sword he and the Witch had drawn together.
• An immense earthquake struck as Shade left the Dragon Nest, and a crack appeared across the golden Dragon Egg.
• The twelfth pillar of light erupted above Moon Bay as the orphanage collapsed around Priest Augustus and the children he was trying to save.

After an earthquake buried Priest Augustus and three children beneath a collapsed building, he struggled against despair and his own deathly power to keep them alive. Just as he lost hope, a mud-covered hand reached through the rubble and filled the darkness with light.

• Priest Augustus woke beneath the ruins and realized that he and the children were trapped, with little chance of rescue.
• As he dug upward, Priest Augustus remembered his past and began to believe that Destiny would leave them to die.
• The deathly aura of the Deathbringer Angel emerged as Priest Augustus stopped digging, but Marian’s words rekindled his resolve to save the children.
• Priest Augustus punched through the rubble and prayed for even a ray of light as his strength failed.
• A mud-covered hand grasped Priest Augustus’s hand, restoring his strength, and sunlight streamed through the opening in the ruins.

Shade and Bill rescued Priest Augustus and three children from the collapsed Moon Bay City Orphanage, while Augustus recovered his strength and warned that the dead were trapped in the fog. On his way back to Belinder Manor, Shade encountered a Dragon Devouring Order cultist and cut off his Black Dragon head.

• Shade and Bill uncovered the rubble and rescued Priest Augustus and three unconscious children, giving Shade a third insight into guidance.
• Shade healed the survivors, and Priest Augustus regained his strength and said the strange light had led the rescuers to them.
• Priest Augustus told Shade that the souls of people who had died in Moon Bay City were trapped in the fog, then left with Bill to take the children to the Red Heart Orphanage.
• Shade headed back toward Belinder Manor and encountered a Dragon Devouring Order Ring Arcanist in an alley.
• The cultist attacked Shade with Black Flames, but Shade struck through the flames, knocked away the cultist's bronze detector, and severed his Black Dragon head.

Shade defeated several Ring Arcanists and recovered the final Dragon Scale, then learned from Miss Pawo that the Dragon Devouring Order wanted a Chosen One’s power for its god. She warned him that the god would be strongest in daylight, while a sea battle between the Church fleet and the cultists had already begun.

• Shade fought the dragon-modified Ring Arcanists, defeated them, and recovered the Brass Dragon Scale, completing his collection of all seven Hawthorne Family Dragon Scales.
• Miss Pawo explained the Dragon Devouring Order’s plan and warned Shade that its arriving god would be nearly unbeatable in bright daylight, advising him to turn the battlefield to night.
• Miss Pawo said the Truth Society would not interfere and warned Shade that the Seekers of Light Research Society might want both sides destroyed.
• Shade returned to the Radiance Messenger as enormous waves battered it and saw tornadoes rising over the sea.
• Luvia reported that the Church fleet was fighting Dragon-riding cultists and that Miss Aurora and Miss Sylvia were supporting the Mermaid Girls against monsters.