Chapter Summaries

Luther and Klein discovered that a shortcut in Groselle’s dream led to the edge of the Giant King’s Court, then separated so Luther could descend to Liveseyd and confront Ankewelt. Elsewhere, Heliodorus left his church after driving an inverted cross into his heart.

• Luther suggested the Earth Mother Goddess might be Omebella, the Harvest Goddess, and Klein cautioned that the idea was only a hypothesis.
• Luther and Klein opened a stone door and found gray fog at the edge of Groselle’s dream instead of the Giant King’s Court.
• Klein returned to reality while Luther asked to descend to the Dragon of Imagination’s City of Miracles, Liveseyd.
• Luther called out Ankewelt, and the Ancient God opened a stairway through the fog to the Hall of Truth.
• Luther entered the hall and saw Ankewelt coiled around a pillar, holding a white Classical Quill in one claw.
• Heliodorus extinguished the candles in his church, drove a wooden inverted cross into his heart, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Luther confronted the Dragon of Imagination in Groselle's Travels and proposed that they cooperate against Adam. Ankewelt confirmed that the current God of Combat was Badheil, and Luther brought the news back to Klein at Meager Manor.

• Luther reasoned that Ankewelt had only partially awakened, then provoked him by mentioning Adam's apotheosis plans.
• Luther's presence stirred the tide within him, shaking the hall and nearly throwing Ankewelt from his perch.
• Luther proposed cooperating against Adam, warning that Adam might destroy Groselle's Travels and Ankewelt's remaining chance at revival.
• Ankewelt wrote that the God of Combat Luther had mentioned was indeed Badheil.
• Luther emerged from Groselle's Travels at Meager Manor and told Klein that Ankewelt had confirmed Badheil's identity.

Klein showed Luther the dangerous Mystical Item Rotten Meteor, then sacrificed it to the Evernight Goddess in exchange for ingredients for his Sequence 3 potion, Scholar of Yore. With the ingredients obtained, Klein prepared to advance while Luther advised him to get into the right condition first.

• Klein told Luther he planned to sacrifice Hvin Rambis's Mystical Item, Rotten Meteor, for the main ingredients of the Scholar of Yore potion.
• Luther asked to see Rotten Meteor's true form, and Klein opened the heavily sealed box for him.
• Luther glimpsed a vast, corrupting cosmos and a colossal tentacle, suffered a violent shock, then recovered.
• Klein sacrificed Rotten Meteor to the Evernight Goddess and received Hound of Forgan blood and a Mist Demon Wolf hoarfrost crystal.
• Luther warned Klein to prepare himself before drinking the potion because it could make him lose control.

Klein drank the Scholar of Yore potion and vanished into a mysterious place beyond the Spirit World as Sefirah Castle began to emerge. The event drew the attention of several figures, while George III outmaneuvered Zaratul in a chess game.

• Klein confirmed the potion was dangerous, then drank it as Spirit Worms emerged from his body and consumed it.
• Klein turned illusory and disappeared, while Luther sensed the gray fog and ancient palace of Sefirah Castle.
• A postman in Backlund, Leonard Mitchell, and a blood-eyed raven each spoke the words “Sefirah Castle.”
• Zaratul warned George III that he could not glimpse his future as they played chess and discussed their alliance against Gehrman Sparrow.
• George III used Distortion to make Zaratul place his piece incorrectly, then checkmated him.

After Klein advanced successfully, Luther took Hvin Rambis’s corrupted Spirit Body to try to cleanse it. In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, Derrick’s team found the graves of the Giant King’s parents and discovered that both had been human.

• Klein emerged after advancing, and he and Luther suppressed their hostility before returning to Meager Manor.
• Klein told Luther that most of his potion had been digested, and explained that Arianna had warned him Hvin Rambis’s Spirit Body was corrupted by the cosmos.
• Luther took Hvin Rambis’s Spirit Body from Klein to see whether he could remove the corruption.
• Derrick led the exploration team through the Decaying Forest toward the Barren Tunnel and the Giant King’s Court.
• Elder Lovia persuaded the team to investigate the guarded burial place, where they defeated an evil spirit formed from the Giant King’s lingering obsession.
• Derrick saw that the opened coffins held human skeletons, revealing that the Giant King’s parents had been human.

Leonard learned that Sefirah Castle was one of nine things left behind by the Original Creator and joined the Tarot Club to observe Mr. Fool. At the gathering, Audrey asked the World for a Dreamwalker Beyonder characteristic, but he said she could not buy one yet.

• Leonard asked Pallez about Sefirah Castle, and Pallez said it was one of nine things left behind by the Original Creator.
• Leonard speculated that Mr. Fool might be an incarnation of a Sefirah, then was summoned above the gray fog.
• Leonard observed the Tarot Club members, including the resentful Emlyn and the noticeably happier Cattleya.
• Cattleya reported that she had found no pages of Roselle's Diary, and Klein began the trading session.
• Audrey asked the World for the Dreamwalker Beyonder characteristic, but he said she could not buy it for the time being.

At the Tarot Club, Luther accepted Fors’s request to help her travel and demonstrate Beyonder abilities in exchange for monitoring large-scale national events. He warned the members that Backlund might soon become dangerous, and Audrey agreed to watch for signs of trouble.

• Klein told Audrey he would decide later whether to sell her Hvin Rambis’s Sequence 5 characteristic, since Luther might be able to cleanse its corruption.
• Fors asked Luther to take her to places around the world and regularly demonstrate Beyonder abilities so she could record them for her Scribe potion.
• Luther agreed to help Fors and asked her to alert him about any large-scale events involving the whole country.
• Luther asked the Tarot Club members, especially those in Backlund, to report such events and warned them that Backlund might soon become dangerous.
• Audrey agreed to watch for the coming events and decided to have Susie keep a closer eye on her father.

At the Tarot Club, Emlyn sought a way out of protective custody while Leonard and Cattleya reported mass sacrifices among True Creator worshippers and a powerful Aurora Order fleet sailing east. Luther suspected the fleet was heading for the Forsaken Land of the Gods and asked Derrick whether he had seen its members at the Giant King's Court.

• Emlyn asked Leonard how he could escape protective custody, and Leonard suggested that the Sanguine seek influence by offering medical assistance during the war.
• Leonard told the Tarot Club that Aurora Order members across Loen had begun sacrificing themselves in groups because they could no longer sense the True Creator.
• Cattleya reported that the Iron and Blood Cross Army in Intis had also experienced collective sacrifices.
• Alger described an Aurora Order fleet bearing blood-red emblems that had routed Loen and Feysac ships before sailing east toward dangerous waters.
• Luther suspected the fleet was heading to the True Creator's sanctuary in the Forsaken Land of the Gods and asked Derrick whether he had seen them at the Giant King's Court.
• Derrick said he had not seen them and told Luther that he was exploring the Decaying Forest with his companions.

At the Tarot Club, Sun reported that the City of Silver’s team had discovered the Giant King’s human ancestors and was preparing to explore the Royal City. Back on the Black Throne, Luna completed a spectacular performance, and Luther planned to watch the expedition while cleansing Pride Hvin Rambis’s spirit body.

• Sun told the Tarot Club that the City of Silver’s team had reached the Decaying Forest and found that the giants’ ancestors were ordinary humans.
• The members debated whether giants and other humanoid races had human ancestors, and Emlyn objected to Luther’s suggestion about the Sanguine.
• Derrick said the exploration team was resting before entering the Royal City and asked Mr. Fool for protection.
• Luna performed a series of tricks on the Black Throne, and Antiya praised her while Luther concluded that she had digested her Magician potion.
• Luther learned that the City of Silver was preparing to explore the Royal City and decided to follow Lovia’s progress at sea and cleanse Pride Hvin Rambis’s spirit body.

Luther tested whether he could cleanse the corruption within Hvin Rambis and discovered that his black tide could dissolve it, though it left Hvin's Spirit Body carrying the tide's aura. He then received Lovia's prayer as the City of Silver's team prepared to enter the Giant King's Court, where Colin led them onward.

• Luther tried to purify Hvin Rambis with the Bronze Cross, but its light began destroying Hvin's Spirit Body before it could remove the corruption.
• Luther submerged Hvin in his black tide, which dissolved the corruption and left Hvin's Spirit Body clean but frightened.
• Luther sealed Hvin in the box again and decided Klein should air him out in the Real World before using him as a Marionette.
• Luther received Lovia's prayer and used it to view the City of Silver's exploration team gathered before the Decaying Forest.
• Colin looked toward the sky, then told Lovia, Derrick, and the team to move out.

The City of Silver’s exploration team reached the Giant King’s Court and opened the doors to the Royal City. When a path’s aura of degeneration threatened Lovia, Luther covered the stairway in shadow, allowing the team to continue onward.

• Colin led the team through the cavern and opened the doors to the Royal City, revealing the Giant King’s Court to the explorers, Klein, and Luther.
• Colin ordered the team to check the stairways, and Lovia sent flesh puppets down both paths to test them.
• The left path destroyed one puppet, while the right path forced the other to tear off its own head and nearly made Lovia do the same.
• Lovia identified an aura of degeneration and prayed to the Blood God for protection.
• Luther covered the right stairway in shadow, and Lovia and Derrick tested it before the team continued.

The City of Silver team crossed a dark palace in the Royal City, where a supernatural sleep claimed Elena, and reached a hall containing the apparition of an ancient meeting. When the Angel of Fate Ouroboros appeared among the figures, the team fell into an illusion and joined the meeting.

• Colin led the City of Silver team toward the tallest tower, taking them through a palace filled with darkness that resisted their light.
• Derrick and most of the team fought off a sudden wave of sleep, but Elena fell asleep and vanished into the darkness.
• Luther watched the team’s exploration and recognized the lingering darkness as an influence associated with the Darkness Pathway.
• The team reached a grand hall with murals and a dark red table, where crimson flames and whispers revealed eleven hazy figures seated in a meeting.
• Ouroboros turned his gaze toward the team, and his revolving ring drew them into an illusion in which they became the figures at the table.

Luther witnessed a past meeting that revealed the origins and members of Rose Redemption, then studied Ouroboros's mural with the City of Silver expedition. The chapter ended with Luther identifying Sasrir and Amanises as the meeting's organizers and learning the Evernight Goddess's true name.

• Luther saw the City of Silver expedition reenact a Rose Redemption meeting, and the Fool broke the fate loop by pulling Derrick above the gray fog.
• Luther examined Ouroboros's mural, which showed eleven figures gathered around a table.
• A City of Silver Guardian spoke the name Aucuses and was burned alive by golden flames.
• Colin Iliad read the names of the figures in the mural, identifying the angels and gods, including Amanises as the Evernight Goddess.
• Luther concluded that Sasrir and Amanises had organized the meeting on behalf of opposing factions.

Luther connected the Evernight Goddess to the Goddess of Misfortune and Rose Redemption, while the City of Silver's team pushed deeper into the Giant King's Court. As Colin opened the doors to the Giant King's residence, Luther heard the sound of the real world's ocean and saw the explorers facing it.

• Luther deduced that Amanises had served Flegrea as the Goddess of Misfortune before becoming the Evernight Goddess, and suspected she had helped establish Rose Redemption with Sasrir.
• Derrick noticed Colin Iliad's shock at the mural, while the City of Silver explorers mistakenly believed the kings' rebellion had caused the catastrophe that drove their Lord away.
• Colin ordered the team to continue exploring, and they advanced through the Royal City while overcoming dangers left by divine power and twilight.
• Colin opened the doors to the Giant King's residence, revealing a vast palace bathed in orange-red light.
• Luther heard the sound of tides from the real world and saw the City of Silver team turn toward the ocean beyond the cliff.

The City of Silver's exploration team reached the sea and fought Mirgon the Light-Slayer, a living Silver Knight guarding the Royal Court. After Colin ordered the team to return and recover, Luther gave Lovia the Silver Knight potion formula and ritual, leaving the route to the Giant King's residence open for a later expedition.

• The City of Silver's explorers saw the sea and a fleet Luther recognized as the Pilgrim Fleet of the Aurora Order.
• Mirgon the Light-Slayer attacked the team, and Luther used Lovia's prayer to reveal the giant's concealed form.
• Luther and Klein helped Colin and the explorers defeat Mirgon, and the team obtained a Sequence 3 Warrior pathway Beyonder Characteristic.
• Colin ordered the injured and exhausted team to return before exploring the Giant King's residence.
• Luther gave Lovia the Silver Knight potion formula and advancement ritual.

Luther helped Fors record powerful abilities on a remote island, then traveled to Backlund to meet Klein, who contacted Trissy through a mirror. The chapter ended with Luther, Klein, and Trissy preparing to exchange information for the final battle against George III.

• Luther demonstrated powerful abilities for Fors until she recorded several, then continued until her spirituality was exhausted.
• Luther traveled to the Loen Charity Education Fund Foundation in Backlund and met Klein, who was using Hvin Rambis's marionette as Dwayne Dantès.
• Luther told Klein he could provide Justice with a Sequence 5 portion using the Gluttony characteristic he possessed.
• Klein used a mirror and a black substance to contact Trissy, who accused him of giving up because he feared the Loen Royal Family.
• Luther warned Trissy not to provoke him, and Klein urged them to focus their resentment on George III and exchange information for the final battle.

Klein, Luther, and Trissy prepared to sabotage George III’s advancement ritual by attacking his mausoleums, and Klein reaffirmed that he would help Luther stop the king. The chapter ended with Audrey telling Klein that George III planned to give a nationwide speech on Saturday.

• Klein explained the plan to destroy George III’s mausoleums, and Trissy chose the mausoleum in East Chester County after Luther objected to her first choice.
• Luther supplied the remaining Secrets Suppliant Pathway blood, completing the collection from all twenty-two Pathways needed to open the mausoleums.
• Klein told Luther he would join the dangerous battle because he opposed George III becoming a True God and could not accept the deaths of ordinary people in Backlund.
• Klein and Luther encountered Audrey and Melissa at the foundation, and Klein directed Melissa to a staff member without revealing that he was her brother.
• Audrey told Klein that her father’s information indicated the king was preparing to give a nationwide speech on Saturday.

Audrey warned Luther and Klein that George III planned a nationwide speech, which could be his advancement ritual or a trap for his enemies. They used Groselle's Travels to draw the Quill of Alzuhod's historical projection, and Klein wrote a reasonable future in which George III advanced if nothing disrupted the event; they then began planning their preparations for the coming fight.

• Audrey told Luther and Klein that the fronts had stabilized and George III planned a nationwide speech, leading them to suspect he would advance on Saturday.
• Klein divined that the speech carried intense malice and might be a trap, but he and Luther could not tell whether George III would also use it for his advancement ritual.
• Luther called on Ankewelt through Groselle's Travels and persuaded him to help Klein draw the Quill of Alzuhod's historical projection.
• Klein used the quill to write that George III would try to advance during the speech if nothing unexpected happened, then the quill vanished.
• Luther and Klein discussed preparations, including the mausoleum items, visiting Queen Mystic and Will, and securing support from their messengers.

As Loen’s citizens gathered to hear George III’s nationwide speech, Benson and Melissa noticed that he had begun calling himself emperor. Luther met Klein on the way to Anniversary Square, where they planned to watch George III’s actions, but Klein revealed that he had found a monocle.

• Benson and Melissa joined the quiet crowd gathering in Cherwood Borough to hear George III’s speech.
• Melissa admired the strange device broadcasting the speech, while Benson wondered why George III had called himself emperor instead of king.
• Luther waited for Klein before they headed toward Anniversary Square to observe George III and respond to his plans.
• Klein arrived late, said he had found what he was looking for, and put a monocle over his right eye.

Luther discovered that Amon had taken control of Klein and tracked him through Luther’s avatar. When Amon threatened to take Klein away while George III’s ritual proceeded, Luther chose to summon the Fool rather than yield to the threat.

• Luther recognized Amon wearing a monocle over his right eye and attacked him, but Klein briefly regained control and warned Luther about someone behind him.
• Luther spotted his missionary avatar Li, and Amon revealed that he had followed the connection between Li and Luther to find Klein.
• Luther summoned the Phantom Tide to disrupt Amon’s influence, but Amon severed the connection and grabbed Klein to leave.
• Luther transformed into a Silver Knight and blocked Amon, who reminded him that George III’s advancement ritual was happening at the distant square.
• Luther refused to be threatened and began chanting to summon the Fool while letting the tide in his mind surge, startling Amon and Klein.