Chapter Summaries

Teresa and the Catastrophe-level forces helped the Burning Legion subdue the Awakened in the Claymore world, while Tao Yu’s forces took control of Tokyo and collected demons for research. In Yongling City, Tao Yu exposed an Evil God Cultist infiltrating a delegation and handed him over to the Administration Bureau, leaving both delegations surprised by the Legion’s show of good faith.

• Teresa and the others helped Mak'bara subdue Isley and the Awakened, while the Burning Legion gathered demons as research specimens.
• The Great Tomb of Nazarick arrived above Tokyo as the Burning Legion enforced registration and established its rule over the city.
• Tao Yu learned that Boundary Breaker teams had arrived near Yongling City and ordered Shalltear to bring both the City Lord's Mansion and Administration Bureau delegations to him.
• An Evil God Cultist exposed himself among the Yongling City representatives, revealed that the city's Saint had relied on the Evil God's power, and persuaded two pioneers to join him.
• Tao Yu subdued the cultist and handed him over to the Administration Bureau, which promised to report the Legion's cooperation to the empire.

Tao Yu prepared the Great Tomb of Nazarick for his departure, but a powerful divination and attack revealed that Yong Xinglai had rebelled and become corrupted. Tao Yu pursued him across worlds and killed him, absorbing the corrupted power as Yongling City's witnesses realized why the Saint had fled.

• Tao Yu left Harribel, CC, and Thanos to defend the Great Tomb of Nazarick and asked the Witch Church to stand by as backup.
• Yong Xinglai attacked the Great Tomb of Nazarick from afar, but Tao Yu intercepted his strike and confronted him.
• Yong Xinglai fled through the void, and Tao Yu chased him, following him to Yongling City's New Frontier.
• Yong Xinglai arrived at the destroyed teleportation site and began to attack the Catastrophe-level witnesses, but Tao Yu tore through the void and pursued him again.
• Tao Yu sealed the area as Yong Xinglai destroyed his body and Sacred Artifact to unleash a corrupted final attack.
• Tao Yu stopped the corruption, scattered Yong Xinglai's attack, and devoured its remnants in his shadow.

After killing Yong Xinglai, Tao Yu negotiated with the Glory Empire for compensation and control of the ruined Yongling City Frontier, then began rebuilding it with Nazarick’s forces. He secretly left the construction site to investigate the danger his divination had warned him about.

• Jiang Ziqing contacted the Administration Bureau, and Bennett suspected a mole among the Empire’s higher-ups after learning Yong Xinglai had fled and been killed.
• Tarona offered Tao Yu a chance to join the Glory Empire and, as compensation, promised him two billion Wish Power and control of the new Frontier in Yongling City.
• Tao Yu arranged for Nazarick to help rebuild the contaminated Frontier and planned to employ pioneers and local survivors in the work.
• Shi Wen returned to find the old settlement destroyed and watched demons and survivors begin constructing a base in a nearby ruined city.
• Tao Yu strengthened Nazarick with a remnant of Yong Xinglai’s Saint’s Will, then secretly departed to investigate the danger revealed by his divination.

Hidden Mist ninjas led by Zabuza killed a giant monster, and Tao Yu used Zabuza to learn about growing trouble in Pandora and the New Frontier. After discovering a strange life-form beneath an icy fissure and suspecting a Saint’s ambush, Tao Yu sent a Limbo clone disguised as Styx to investigate, where the clone and Sun Kai were trapped by a group of Saints.

• Zabuza’s Hidden Mist squads blinded a coastal monster, planted explosives in its joints, and killed it.
• Tao Yu secretly questioned Zabuza with a genjutsu and learned about tensions in the New Frontier and worsening activity in Pandora.
• Tao Yu found an abnormal fissure in the frozen world and discovered a flowering remnant that Medici identified as carrying an aura associated with the Mysterious World.
• Tao Yu suspected that an unknown Saint had set an ambush for him, so he sent a Limbo clone disguised as Styx to test the trap.
• The clone ordered Sun Kai to bring a spaceship, but five pillars of light sealed the area as several Saints appeared and confirmed the clone’s and Sun Kai’s power levels.

Tao Yu's Limbo clone, posing as Nether River and later Minghe, fought the Sword Venerable and five Saints inside a sealed formation. After the Sword Venerable ascended and destroyed the clone, Tao Yu revealed his sword formation, but the Venerable escaped, leaving Tao Yu to face the injured Saints.

• The Sword Venerable demanded that Nether River wear divine shackles and open his mind, but Nether River attacked with a time loop and a sea of blood.
• Nether River manifested a towering Dharma Form, empowered it with Bankai and Sacred Artifact projections, and clashed with the Sword Venerable, who shattered his giant sword and battered his body.
• The five Saints joined the fight, but Minghe used his tendrils and sword fragments to injure them before the Sword Venerable ascended and destroyed him.
• After Minghe vanished, the Sword Venerable found only a ring, while four more Minghe figures revealed a Zhu Xian Sword Array surrounding the battlefield.
• The Sword Venerable cut through the formation and escaped, and Tao Yu turned toward the five wounded Saints.

Tao Yu returned to the Mysterious World after defeating five Saints, learning of their ties to the Bai Family and planning to pursue advancement on the Red Priest path. In Backlund, he encountered Amon’s Worm of Time and was summoned by Mr. Fool, who greeted him in Sefirah Castle.

• Tao Yu tortured the five Saints for information, learned that a world of Human Immortals and Ghost Immortals might offer a path to godhood, killed them, and realized their organization had links to the Bai Family.
• Tao Yu warned his allies about the threat, arranged precautions across several worlds, and headed to the Mysterious World to seek advancement and investigate Mr. Door’s corruption.
• Tao Yu crossed into the Mysterious World and sensed a hole in the Oldest One’s barrier, while Klein—now a Sequence 3 Scholar of Yore—noticed that Mr. Fate had returned.
• Tao Yu found an Amon avatar in Backlund, identified it as a Worm of Time, and casually ate it before deciding to seek advice from Mr. Fool.
• Mr. Fool drew Tao Yu into Sefirah Castle, where Tao Yu took his Fate seat and Mr. Fool welcomed him back.

Tao Yu reunited with Klein in Sefirah Castle and proposed joining forces against the Primordial Demoness, while Klein shared information about Conqueror characteristics and George III’s planned ascension. They agreed to prepare a surprise attack during the apotheosis ritual, and Klein planned to bring Tao Yu together with Bernadette and Will.

• Tao Yu told Klein he intended to obtain the Red Priest pathway materials and later join forces against the Primordial Demoness, and Klein offered him a lead on a Conqueror characteristic.
• Klein met Tao Yu as Mr. World and revealed that the Evernight Goddess and Adam had watched Tao Yu leave, while Tao Yu said he could withstand a King of Angels or a True God.
• Klein identified Conqueror characteristics held by the Soren Family and Einhorn Family, and said the Royal Family of Loen had traded its characteristic to the Black Saintess through the Witch Church.
• Klein explained that George III planned to become a Black Emperor, and Tao Yu decided to stop his ascension and take the characteristic.
• Tao Yu and Klein assessed their allies and the Royal Family of Loen’s forces, then agreed to attack during the apotheosis ritual and discuss plans with Bernadette and Will beforehand.

Bernadette reunited Audrey, Fors, and Xio with the returning Tao Yu and Klein, then summoned Will as the group discussed the Black Emperor’s apotheosis ritual and the danger posed by Adam and Amon. Tao Yu revealed that he intended to keep Adam occupied, leaving the others to prepare to disrupt the ritual while Will grew wary of Tao Yu’s power.

• Bernadette warned Audrey, Fors, and Xio to stay safe in Backlund, but Tao Yu appeared at her gathering and the three welcomed him as Mr. Destiny.
• Klein arrived, and Tao Yu revealed Bernadette’s identity as Emperor Roselle’s Eldest Princess, prompting Audrey to make mistaken assumptions about Mr. Fool and Roselle.
• Bernadette summoned Will, the Snake of Mercury, who sensed that Tao Yu was an ominous presence and questioned why he had not detected the danger earlier.
• Tao Yu explained that Adam was manipulating events around the Black Emperor’s apotheosis ritual and that Amon had also been watching Will.
• Bernadette and Will agreed that destroying the mausoleum could disrupt the ritual, while Tao Yu said he would keep Adam occupied.
• Will asked Tao Yu for his name, and Tao Yu told him to call him Mister Fate, alarming Will further.

Tao Yu and Klein prepared to stop George III’s apotheosis ritual, while factions across Loen took their positions around the royal mausoleums. Before the planned national broadcast began, Tao Yu attacked the Loen Royal Palace to seek the Conqueror characteristic and assassinate George III.

• Klein explained that the Loen Royal Family’s discovery of Tudor’s mausoleum had renewed its ambition, and Tao Yu suggested Klein might use the mausoleum to reenact history for his advancement ritual.
• Tao Yu met Trissy, who said she could borrow the Primordial Demoness’s power and enter the mausoleum, while Klein outlined a plan with Trissy and Bernadette to attack separate targets.
• The Black Saintess Clarice and Duchess Georgina prepared for George III’s ritual, while Charon, Hermes, and Bernadette made their own preparations for the coming conflict.
• Klein told Tao Yu that George III’s national speech on Saturday would begin the apotheosis ritual and that destroying a mausoleum remained their responsibility.
• Tao Yu arrived at the Loen Royal Palace, announced his intent to assassinate George III, and used shadows to pull the palace and everyone inside into the shadow realm.

Tao Yu invaded the palace, overcame George III’s defenses, and tracked him to a royal manor where he seized the Conqueror characteristic. After killing George III, Black Saintess Clarice, and Duchess Georgina, he absorbed several characteristics but sensed the mirror might be connected to a mysterious place.

• George III’s palace was engulfed in a shadow world, and Tao Yu appeared in his sealed study, demanding the Conqueror characteristic.
• George III tried to bribe Tao Yu and escape, but Tao Yu used their exchange to locate a royal manor in Awwa County.
• Tao Yu confronted George III, Duchess Georgina, and Black Saintess Clarice at the manor, where the Conqueror characteristic was hidden inside a mirror.
• George III attacked Tao Yu while Georgina tried to summon help and Clarice fled into the mirror, but Tao Yu stopped them and killed George III with Heaven’s Punishment.
• Tao Yu took the Prince of Abolition characteristic, extracted the Conqueror characteristic, and killed Clarice and Georgina; he then absorbed their characteristics and wondered about the mirror’s connection to the Primordial Demoness.

After killing George III, Tao Yu shared information about the Abyss and the outside world with Adam, who warned him that Cheek might be suppressing something dangerous. Klein, Bernadette, and Trissy learned that George III had died, and Tao Yu returned to invite them to claim the inheritance tied to a true god’s Uniqueness.

• Tao Yu demonstrated the Conqueror’s abilities, then offered Adam information about the pioneers and the Abyss in exchange for cooperation.
• Tao Yu revealed that Medici had left the world with him, and Medici told Adam the outside world was also threatened by the Abyss.
• Adam told Tao Yu that the Red Priest’s Uniqueness was held by the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, then offered information about the Primordial Demoness and warned that Cheek seemed to be suppressing something.
• News spread that George III had been assassinated, leaving Klein, Bernadette, and Trissy baffled about what had happened to their plans.
• Tao Yu returned to Klein’s home, admitted that he had killed George III, and invited everyone to eat before claiming the inheritance.

Tao Yu confronted Amon in George III’s mausoleum, where Amon stole the Black Emperor Uniqueness before Tao Yu trapped and overwhelmed him. After Amon escaped with the Uniqueness, Tao Yu prepared to help Klein complete his ritual, but the Primordial Demoness began descending through Trissy.

• Charon learned that George III had died and left the place he had been guarding, while William Augustus I realized the Augustus family’s plans had collapsed.
• Amon took the Black Emperor Uniqueness and Beyonder Characteristics, trapped William Augustus I and Klein’s group inside the mausoleum, and recognized Klein as the Scholar of Yore he had long sought.
• Tao Yu summoned Medici and used shadowy seals, Fallen authority, and control over time to trap Amon, then swallowed William Augustus I in black sludge.
• Amon briefly wielded the Black Emperor Uniqueness to break through the seals, threw the Conqueror Characteristic to Tao Yu, and escaped with the Uniqueness.
• Tao Yu told Klein the mausoleum’s relics could help complete his ritual, but the Primordial Demoness began descending through Trissy, and Tao Yu sensed the Abyss’s corruption in her.

Tao Yu helped Klein advance to Angel, then repelled Charon and Suah when they attacked Klein, while Mother Tree of Desire’s intervention was also driven back. After Klein found information about the last Conqueror Characteristic, Tao Yu began planning to enter Fourth Epoch Trier, but the chapter ended with a Fosak airship bombardment of Backlund that Tao Yu suspected was part of Adam’s apotheosis ritual.

• Tao Yu used William I’s Hand of Order to break Mr. Door’s sealed space, allowing Klein’s godhood ritual to complete and Klein to advance to Angel.
• Charon ambushed Klein from the historical void, but Tao Yu struck him and drove him off.
• Suah attacked Klein from the Spirit World, and Tao Yu wounded and restrained him with his Zanpakuto and Chains of Heaven.
• Mother Tree of Desire interfered to rescue Suah, but Tao Yu pierced the projected image of The Bound One with the Spear of Longinus and dragged Suah out of the Spirit World.
• Klein found records identifying Fermonda Champagne Soren as the madman in Fourth Epoch Trier, while Tao Yu planned to seek the Conqueror Characteristic there.
• Tao Yu and Klein saw Fosak airships bombing Backlund, and Tao Yu suspected the attack was tied to Adam’s apotheosis ritual.

As Feysac airships attacked Backlund after George III’s assassination, Tao Yu and Klein intervened to protect civilians, while Tao Yu’s Conqueror authority forced the attackers to change their targets. The assault exposed a wider war’s looming alliances, and Amon appeared near Leonard before fleeing when Tao Yu arrived.

• Tao Yu explained that the Feysac Empire’s raid would intensify the war and predicted that Feynapotter would side with Feysac while Intis would determine the balance.
• Klein left Tao Yu and used his marionettes and Miracle Invoker abilities to rescue civilians as the airships bombed Backlund.
• Tao Yu warned the attackers against targeting civilians, and Ahomatova Einhorn recognized the voice’s Conqueror authority and ordered the airships to head for Empress Borough.
• Audrey took Fors and Xio to a safe house as the airships resumed bombing, while Earl Hall prepared to go to the palace and Hvin Rambis felt Tao Yu’s command affect him.
• Leonard left St. Samuel Cathedral to evacuate civilians, and Pallez recognized Tao Yu’s Conqueror authority as Amon appeared nearby and then fled.
• Tao Yu greeted Leonard after Amon escaped and asked whether any apotheosis rituals were underway or Amon had been trying to reclaim a characteristic.

Tao Yu reunited with Leonard and Pallez, revealed that he had confronted Amon, and gave them a way to call on him for help. At the Tarot Club, Tao Yu returned as Mr. Destiny and met its new members, while Klein worried that Tao Yu’s past dealings had made him owe millions of Gold Pounds.

• Leonard met Tao Yu during the bombing chaos and secretly gave him three days before reporting him to the Church of Evernight.
• Tao Yu used his Conqueror ability to ensure Leonard could not expose him, then told Leonard and Pallez that he had encountered Amon during George III’s apotheosis attempt.
• Pallez suspected Amon planned to free Bethel Abraham, and Tao Yu gave Pallez a Saint’s Will Scroll and an honorific name for summoning him.
• Tao Yu returned to the Tarot Club, recognized Leonard among the new members, and was welcomed back as Mr. Destiny.
• Cattleya offered more of Emperor Roselle’s Diary, while Klein worried about Bernadette’s demands and the millions of Gold Pounds he owed after using Tao Yu’s counterfeit money.

At the Tarot Club, Cattleya revealed that George III had attempted the Black Emperor apotheosis ritual before Tao Yu admitted he had killed him and shared details of the affair. Tao Yu also learned that members of the Abraham family were considering rescuing the corrupted Mr. Door, then planned to travel to Trier with Anderson as Intis joined the war against Loen.

• Cattleya told the Tarot Club that George III had attempted the Black Emperor apotheosis ritual and been assassinated, and asked about the Black Emperor's resurrection.
• Emlyn shared what he knew of George III's preparations, while Klein said the previous Black Emperor might be connected to a small island and invited Bernadette to consult his blessed.
• Tao Yu revealed that he had killed George III, then requested information about Fourth Epoch Trier, the Iron and Blood Cross Order, and the Abraham family.
• Fors told Tao Yu that Verdu supported a plan to rescue Mr. Door, but Tao Yu warned that Mr. Door should not return yet and resolved to intervene himself when he was strong enough.
• Tao Yu learned that Intis had declared war on Loen and decided to travel to Trier with Anderson without making a public entrance.

Tao Yu hired Anderson Hood in Bayam to help him reach the Iron and Blood Cross Order, then paid for their passage to Intis. As their ship entered the Fog Sea, Anderson spotted a pirate ambush targeting Vice Admiral Iceberg and was identified by the merchant ship’s crew as a powerful Beyonder.

• Tao Yu traveled through the Spirit World to Bayam and found Anderson Hood at the Seaweed Bar.
• Tao Yu hired Anderson to guide him toward the Iron and Blood Cross Order, paid him a hundred thousand Gold Pounds in advance, and left travel arrangements to him.
• Tao Yu and Anderson boarded the Swordfish for Intis, where Tao Yu studied supernatural rituals while Anderson gathered food and assisted him.
• Tao Yu warned Anderson not to lose sight of his advancement, then told him the ship might encounter trouble in the Fog Sea.
• Anderson recognized the Golden Dream, commanded by Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina, and the Black Death, commanded by Vice Admiral of Ailment, fighting amid an ambush by Admiral of Blood Senor’s fleet.
• When a pursuing pirate ship threatened the Swordfish, Anderson introduced himself to the crew, and the first mate recognized him as a formidable fighter.

Pirates attacked the Swordfish and the Golden Dream, but Anderson and Edwina fought back before a Rose School demigod intervened. Suah dragged Zatwin into the Spirit World and delivered him to Tao Yu, who recognized the demigod as a former pursuer.

• Huntley and his pirates boarded the Swordfish, but Anderson killed the attackers and shot Huntley into the sea.
• Anderson convinced the Swordfish’s captain and first mate to help Vice Admiral Iceberg, and the ship headed toward the battle around the Golden Dream.
• Edwina and her crew struggled to contain the Admiral of Blood, whose Winner item repeatedly helped him escape their attacks.
• Anderson arrived on the Golden Dream, but Zatwin appeared and cursed the defenders as Tracy and the Black Death closed in.
• Suah’s hands seized Zatwin and dragged him into the Spirit World, shocking the Admiral of Blood and the Golden Dream’s crew.
• Tao Yu recognized Zatwin aboard the Swordfish and recalled that the Rose School demigod had once been ordered to hunt him.

Anderson killed Admiral of Blood, while Tracy and the remaining pirates surrendered. Aboard the Swordfish, Tao Yu used Edwina’s prayer to contact the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, who warned that Tao Yu’s goal was too obvious; Tao Yu remained determined to go to Trier for the Conqueror characteristic, though he began considering the dangers.

• Anderson killed Admiral of Blood and seized his Beyonder Characteristic as the pirates’ ships fell into disarray.
• Iron McVittie, Tracy, and Admiral of Blood’s remaining subordinates surrendered to Edwina and the Golden Dream’s crew.
• Tao Yu learned from Zavent that the Mother Tree of Desire had ordered its followers to leave him alone and had been gathering women of childbearing age, preferably Beyonders.
• Tao Yu asked Edwina to pray to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, then used his Black Emperor and Conqueror powers to seize and redirect the connection.
• The God of Knowledge and Wisdom appeared to Tao Yu and warned that his goal was too obvious; afterward, Tao Yu asked Edwina to stay with him, and she agreed.
• Tao Yu considered possible threats awaiting him in Trier but resolved to continue pursuing the Conqueror characteristic.

Tao Yu studied blessing rituals with Edwina and Medici, then devised a way to bestow power that could sever a recipient’s connection to the Primordial Demoness. After the group reached Trier, Tao Yu used the ritual on Tracy, leaving her strengthened and free of her ties to the Primordial as they prepared to pursue the Iron and Blood Cross Order.

• Edwina joined Tao Yu’s voyage and shared Reader pathway knowledge while Medici helped with the group’s lessons.
• Tao Yu developed a blessing ritual based on Edwina’s examples and Medici’s explanation of how blessings lent power.
• The Swordfish reached Intis, where news of Admiral of Blood’s defeat spread, and Tao Yu’s group continued by steam train to Trier.
• Tao Yu asked Anderson, Edwina, and Tracy for ways to contact the Iron and Blood Cross Order, and Edwina suggested tracking down one of its officers.
• Tao Yu performed his new blessing ritual on Tracy, whose power grew and whose connections to the Primordial Demoness were severed.