Recaps

Zoe and Josh negotiated with Mira about sending the Mother Goddess Church’s starving followers to Castel, and Mira agreed to a preliminary arrangement. The next day, the Mother Goddess Church rebelled again, plunging Blood Port back into chaos.

• Josh explained that Castel had welcomed Northern Territory refugees but needed to take in far more people across the Storm Ocean.
• Mira questioned whether Castel could support the refugees, and Zoe assured her that the island had ample food and work for newcomers.
• Mira showed concern for her followers’ survival and reached a preliminary agreement with Zoe and Josh about recruitment.
• Zoe left the meeting delighted, while Josh reflected on how hunger had driven people to join cults for food.
• The next day, the Mother Goddess Church launched another rebellion, sending Blood Port into chaos again.

Galahad recounted Castel’s overwhelming power to the prince, then learned that the Mother Goddess Church had rebelled in Blood Port. The prince mobilized his reorganized Harbor Guard, and Galahad regained his resolve by remembering Isabella’s fearless rise to power.

• Galahad described Castel’s weapons, factories, airships, and defenses, concluding that Blood Port could not hope to match it.
• A servant reported that the Mother Goddess Church had rebelled and the lower district was in chaos.
• The prince ordered his forces to assemble and declared that the Harbor Guard would face the rebels without relying on Castel’s troops or weapons.
• Galahad remembered Isabella’s confidence when she first came to claim Blood Port and reaffirmed his resolve to serve as her sword.

Gwen sensed that disaster was approaching just as chaos erupted in Blood Port, and she rushed toward the Mystic Society. Josh and Zoe learned that the Mother Goddess Church had started a rebellion, while Gwen warned Josh that monsters had filled the streets.

• Gwen worried about an ominous feeling and ran toward the Mystic Society when she heard screams and chaos outside.
• Josh and Zoe discussed the Mystic Society's future and the Northern Territory refugees before Granny arrived with news of the rebellion.
• Granny said the prince's side had also been caught off guard, and Josh began organizing the believers to prepare.
• Grandma led the Faithguard Army closer to the Mystic Society to protect the refugees and avoid the prince's schemes.
• Gwen arrived with street urchins and warned Josh that monsters were roaming the streets.

Gwen warned Josh that stitched-together monsters were among the Mother Goddess believers, prompting him to organize defenses and alert the Faithguard Army. The prince rode with Galahad and the Harbor Guard to investigate the Mystic Society, where they learned monsters were roaming the lower city, then spotted them approaching.

• Gwen told Josh she had seen monsters stitched together from multiple people among the Mother Goddess believers.
• Josh reported Gwen’s warning to the grandmother, who said she would alert the Faithguard Army, and he organized the believers’ defenses.
• The prince left the upper district with Galahad and several dozen Harbor Guard cavalry to investigate the situation.
• The prince found the Mystic Society building barricades and deduced that they were waiting for Faithguard Army reinforcements because the danger exceeded their ability to handle it.
• A member of the Mystic Society told the prince that monsters were wandering through the lower city among the Mother Goddess’s followers.
• The Harbor Guard cavalry saw Mother Goddess believers and monsters emerge in an alleyway.

The prince and Galahad confronted a horde of emaciated Mother Goddess believers and grotesque monsters, whose wounds could not stop their advance. After the sight of a monster devouring another believer terrified the cavalry, the prince rallied his soldiers and led a charge, though they were not heading toward the monsters.

• The prince and Galahad saw that the Mother Goddess believers were more emaciated and lifeless than during the previous rebellion, and the prince spotted monstrous figures among them.
• The prince ordered the cavalry to fire, and a volley knocked several believers down.
• The wounded believers rose and kept advancing, while a stitched-together monster bit into and devoured one of them.
• The cavalry froze in terror, but the prince shook off his fear and called to Galahad.
• Galahad roared to snap the knights out of their stupor, and the prince led the cavalry forward in a charge that was not aimed at the monsters.

After the prince fled Blood Port, Josh and the Esoteric Order faced the advancing Mother Goddess followers alone. Their poorly trained musketeers fired a chaotic volley that barely slowed the attackers, leaving Josh convinced they could not hold the line.

• The prince and his cavalry withdrew, leaving the Esoteric Order to face the Mother Goddess followers.
• Josh identified himself as High Priest and pointed the attackers toward the prince, but they ignored him and advanced.
• Josh learned that the Harbor Guard had sold the Esoteric Order several dozen muskets in exchange for soap.
• The Esoteric Order distributed the muskets, but their first volley was inaccurate, and one weapon exploded, injuring its user.
• The Mother Goddess followers continued toward the barricades as monsters dragged away and devoured the fallen, while Josh realized his people could not stop them.

Josh organized an evacuation plan while the Mystic Society fought to hold its barricades against the Mother Goddess Church’s followers. He realized the followers were feeding corpses to monsters that grew larger and stronger, and the first monster reached the defensive line.

• Josh chose evacuation over a direct fight and planned routes to the upper district or the docks while believers organized the retreat.
• Josh arranged the believers into a barricade defense with muskets, spears, bows, and crude shields to buy time for the elderly and children.
• The Mother Goddess Church’s followers advanced without dodging or resisting, and Josh struggled to keep the inexperienced defenders in formation.
• Josh climbed above the alley and saw the monsters devouring fallen followers’ corpses and growing larger.
• The first monster forced its way to the front of the defensive line before Josh could devise a response.

Josh and Zoe tried to hold the Mystic Society’s defensive line against a towering Flesh Mountain, but the monster overwhelmed the barricade and trapped Josh beneath the rubble. As Josh thrust his spear at it, Duke Tis returned with soldiers and brought the monster down.

• The Flesh Mountain froze the defenders with terror, but Zoe rescued Josh from its grasp and helped him rouse the others.
• Josh ordered the Mystic Society’s followers to hold the line as the monster smashed through their barricade.
• The monster buried Josh’s leg beneath the rubble, and he wondered whether he should have abandoned the Mystic Society and fled.
• Josh thrust his spear into the monster as it opened its mouth to devour him.
• Duke Tis arrived with a mass of soldiers, and the Flesh Mountain toppled with Josh’s spear still embedded in it.

The prince and the Harbor Guard returned to save Josh and the Mystic Society, while Josh and Zoe searched for the Faithguard Army and discovered it battling a gigantic Flesh Mountain. The Faithguard soldiers were holding their own, but Zoe became distracted by something she seemed to hear.

• The prince led the Harbor Guard into the alley and ordered the musketeers to drive back the Mother Goddess believers attacking Josh and the Mystic Society.
• Zoe questioned why the Faithguard Army and Granny had not arrived, and Josh concluded they might be in the west.
• Josh led Zoe through the evacuating streets to a bell tower, where they spotted the Faithguard Army fighting a monster in the Upper District.
• Josh and Zoe recognized the enormous Flesh Mountain as a creature like the monsters among the Mother Goddess believers.
• The Faithguard Army evaded the Flesh Mountain's attacks and fired back, drawing on its experience fighting giant enemies.
• Josh tried to take Zoe downstairs to find help, but he noticed she was listening intently to something.

As Blood Port rebelled, Theus connected Zoe, Beatrice, Gwen, and the others through the Link and learned about the Mother Goddess Church’s Transcendent path and its evil god, [Loving Mother]. The group realized the mountain-sized monster facing them was the Mother Goddess’s descended true body, which could grow without limit and become practically invincible.

• Theus received an urgent report about the Blood Port rebellion, issued orders, and opened the Link to check on the others.
• Zoe asked Beatrice for information on the Mother Goddess Church, and Scepter explained that its priests rapidly lost their bodies and souls and usually died within two months.
• Scepter revealed that Mother Goddess priests fed believers’ souls to [Loving Mother] and could modify believers to sacrifice for the evil god’s descent.
• Scepter described the Mother Goddess’s descended true body as a crude assembly of human limbs that began weak but could grow without limit.
• Zoe recognized that the mountain-sized monster in the distance was the descended Mother Goddess and feared its potential to become practically invincible.

Zoe learned that the twenty-story [Loving Mother] could be sent away only if someone willingly sacrificed themselves for every Mother Goddess follower who sacrificed themselves. Scepter explained why the desperate followers chose the goddess and concluded that one life for one life was fair.

• Scepter explained that [Loving Mother] grew stronger as She devoured people, and that the twenty-story monster before Zoe far exceeded the threats in the records.
• Zoe asked whether a fully grown [Loving Mother] could be defeated, and Scepter said She would leave if Her followers wished Her to return.
• Scepter revealed that each Mother Goddess follower who willingly sacrificed themselves required one willing sacrifice from the opposing side.
• Ken admitted that he had never experienced famine, and Scepter described seeing starving people firsthand and recognizing them as individuals with hopes and families.
• Scepter said desperate people turned to [Loving Mother] because She had answered them, and concluded that one life for one life was fair.

Gwen learned that a Transcendent could sacrifice themselves to stop [Loving Mother], while her friends tried to keep her from making that choice. She secretly warned Granny, who joined forces with Zoe and Josh and then went to alert the Prince as the battle continued.

• Scepter explained that a Transcendent could voluntarily sacrifice themselves when [Loving Mother] could not be controlled, leaving Ken shaken and Zoe subdued.
• Gwen returned to the battlefield, where her friends urged her not to sacrifice herself, and she denied wanting to die for Blood Port.
• Gwen used Little Gwen to strike at the tower, drawing Granny’s attention and revealing that Gwen had secretly warned her.
• Zoe told Granny and Josh about Scepter’s knowledge, and Granny believed her and set out to find the Prince.
• Galahad’s attack and other unexplained strikes disrupted [Loving Mother], while Granny realized they had unexpected allies.
• Granny appeared before the Prince and Galahad and warned them that they had run into big trouble.

The Banshees debated whether to help Blood Port fight [Loving Mother], then used Mind Synchronization to reach a shared decision. Ash led them ashore, leaving their squad marching through Blood Port toward battle.

• The prince listened to Granny's account and struggled to decide whether to face [Loving Mother].
• The Banshees argued over whether they should fight the monster or leave Blood Port to its own defenders.
• Ash proposed Mind Synchronization, and the Banshees merged their thoughts to settle the dispute.
• Ash ordered the Banshees to march to battle, and they emerged from the sea in heavy armor.
• The Banshees advanced through Blood Port, crushing rubble and followers of the Mother Goddess as rain began to fall.

Kyle led the Faithguard Army in a cautious delaying fight against [Loving Mother] while Granny coordinated with Josh and the Prince to buy time for an evacuation. He discovered that wounded Mother Goddess followers had later killed themselves, explaining how [Loving Mother] continued to grow stronger.

• Kyle directed the Faithguard Army to dodge [Loving Mother]'s attacks and fire during openings, while Granny's ability drew the monster's attention when the troops faltered.
• Granny told Kyle that Josh and the Prince were working with the Mystic Society and that the Harbor Guard would arrive, but defeating [Loving Mother] might require sacrifices.
• Kyle led his soldiers toward the shore and ordered them to wound Mother Goddess followers rather than kill them, hoping to deny [Loving Mother] bodies to consume.
• When Kyle passed through the alley again, he found the wounded followers dead and noticed that many had slit their own throats.

Kyle realized that the Mother Goddess’s followers were willingly killing themselves so [Loving Mother] could grow stronger, and the Faithguard Army struggled to hold Her back. The Prince led the Harbor Guard in a cavalry charge, giving the soldiers courage as he raised his lance before the evil god.

• Kyle understood that the Mother Goddess’s followers were sacrificing themselves willingly, and [Loving Mother] was growing by devouring their corpses.
• Kyle urged Grandma to retreat as [Loving Mother] grew stronger and the Faithguard Army faced relentless attacks.
• The Prince arrived with the Harbor Guard, drawing [Loving Mother]’s attention away from the Faithguard Army.
• The Prince and Galahad led the cavalry in a charge, inspiring Kyle and the soldiers with their courage.
• The Prince raised his lance as the Harbor Guard charged toward [Loving Mother].

The prince and his Harbor Guard lured [Loving Mother] into the Faithguard Army’s gunfire, slowing Her growth until their ammunition began to run out. Granny offered the prince a chance to retreat with the others, but he refused.

• The prince’s mounted party dodged [Loving Mother]’s attacks while the Faithguard Army fired at Her.
• Kyle realized [Loving Mother] focused on the prince because Her believers hated him as Blood Port’s lord.
• The Faithguard Army’s bullets slowed [Loving Mother]’s growth, but Kyle learned they were running out of ammunition.
• Granny told Kyle that the Mystic Society was assembling at the harbor and the ships were ready to evacuate them.
• Granny invited the prince to retreat with them, but he refused.

The exhausted Harbor Guard could no longer outrun [Loving Mother], and the real Prince offered to sacrifice himself to save Blood Port. Just as the evil god closed in, It suddenly sank into the ground, leaving Kyle and Granny uncertain whether anyone had chosen sacrifice.

• Kyle and Granny discussed the Prince's refusal to retreat and suspected he might use a sacrifice to stop [Loving Mother].
• The real Prince urged Isabella to let him sacrifice his soul, but she refused to answer.
• A rider named Jefferson was thrown from his horse and crushed along with a building by [Loving Mother].
• Isabella halted the exhausted Harbor Guard as [Loving Mother] caught up, while Galahad stepped in front of the Prince.
• The ground shook, and [Loving Mother] abruptly sank into the earth as It tried to crawl forward.

The prince's group lured the [Loving Mother] into Blood Port's Lower District, where Isabella's Harbor Guard trapped it in the sewers and detonated her stockpile of gunpowder. The explosion nearly blasted the monster apart, but Granny realized it was still alive.

• The prince's group led the [Loving Mother] over the Upper District wall and into the Lower District, where it sank through the buildings into the sewers.
• Granny recognized that the prince's group had deliberately lured the monster to a prepared trap, and the prince explained that he had used the Lower District's old sewers and chaotic buildings against it.
• Isabella revealed that the crates surrounding the trapped monster held the gunpowder she had stockpiled for a war with the Holy See.
• Isabella and the Harbor Guard ignited the crates, unleashing a huge series of explosions that nearly blasted the [Loving Mother] apart.
• As the Faithguard Army and Harbor Guard celebrated, Granny warned that the evil god was not dead.

Mother Goddess believers fed [Loving Mother] their flesh until She revived, with Mira rising from Her body. As [Loving Mother] overwhelmed the battlefield, a barrage from an unknown source stopped Her hand from crushing the Faithguard Army.

• Mother Goddess believers swarmed into the pit and devoured [Loving Mother]'s flesh, reviving Her as their bodies burst and fell.
• Mira emerged fused to [Loving Mother], while the faces of believers who had sacrificed themselves appeared across Her body.
• [Loving Mother] rose stronger than before, and Granny, Galahad, and Kyle ordered the forces to retreat as panic spread.
• [Loving Mother] swept away Granny's figures and sent Galahad flying before reaching for the Faithguard Army.
• A barrage from afar struck [Loving Mother]'s descending hand and forced it back before it crushed Kyle and his soldiers.

Ash and the Banshees arrived to rescue the Faithguard Army and Harbor Guard, using heavy armor and overwhelming firepower to take control of the battle against [Loving Mother]. As their ammunition dwindled, Ash directed them southeast toward the sea.

• Kyle recognized the Banshees as reinforcements, and Ash declared that they were taking over the battlefield by the Count's will.
• The Banshees surrounded [Loving Mother], dodged its attacks, and drew it away from the Faithguard Army and Harbor Guard while firing their weapons.
• The soldiers knelt and prayed to Theus, while the prince grew livid and Galahad marveled at the Banshees' steam rifles and Gatling Guns.
• Galahad recalled that he had sent someone to steal the Faithguard soldiers' Holy Scripture and remembered its opening line: “Knowledge is power.”
• Ash asked the Banshees how much ammunition they had left, and they reported using less than a third while noting that she had directed them southeast.
• Ash continued guiding the Banshees toward the sea.

Ash and the Banshees realized [Loving Mother] was not weakening and attacked Mira, who was connected to the monster. Mira exploded, unleashing black threads that pierced people across Blood Port, while the Banshees escaped into the sea and the threads avoided Gwen.

• Ash noticed there were few Mother Goddess believers at the docks and suspected [Loving Mother] was recovering without devouring anyone.
• Ash concluded Mira was at the center of the danger and ordered the Banshees to concentrate their fire on her.
• The Banshees' bullets forced [Loving Mother] to cover Mira, but the monster grew larger instead of weakening.
• An unfamiliar voice warned the Banshees to retreat, and they escaped into the sea just before Mira exploded.
• Black threads spread from Mira and pierced the prince, Harbor Guard, Faithguard Army, civilians, and surviving Mother Goddess followers, while they veered away from Gwen.

Theus arrived at Blood Port with a force of Banshees after warning Ash and the others to evade the black threads released by “Mira.” With reinforcements gathering, Theus and Ash prepared to confront [Loving Mother] before dealing with Blood Port.

• Black threads pierced people near [Loving Mother], but caused no visible wounds, and the prince saw the real prince’s soul pierced as well.
• The Banshees escaped the threads and recognized Theus’s voice through the Mind Link; he told them to turn around as he and Nini approached by sea.
• Theus explained that he had swum from Castel because reports from Blood Port arrived too slowly, and he had recognized “Mira” as a being like the [Moth Lord].
• Nini told Ash that paddlewheel ships, the Faithguard Army, new ships, and airships were on their way as additional forces assembled in Castel.
• Theus announced that he would intervene directly, and Ash agreed to face [Loving Mother] before addressing Blood Port.

Theus and Nini led the Banshees in a heavy-machine-gun barrage against the [Loving Mother], overwhelming its healing until they saw that its black threads were connected to Blood Port's people. When bullets failed to pierce the Cocoon above the monster, Nini ordered a squad to attack it with steam rifles in breaching mode.

• Nini warned Theus that the black threads might strengthen or control the [Loving Mother], and Theus asked Ash how she would respond.
• Ash advocated an immediate attack with overwhelming firepower, and Nini organized the Banshees into firing squads.
• The Banshees riddled the [Loving Mother] with bullets, while the black Cocoon pulled in insects and used them to restore the monster.
• Theus realized that many of the threads were connected to Blood Port's civilians, Harbor Guard, and Faithguard Army, putting them at risk of being devoured.
• Nini saw that heavy-machine-gun rounds could not pierce the Cocoon and led Squad One in with steam rifles set to breaching mode.

Nini and the Banshees blasted open [Loving Mother]’s Cocoon and discovered Mira inside, no longer able to control the creature. Mira warned them that [Loving Mother] would kill everyone in Blood Port, while Nini insisted they could defeat it.

• Nini ordered the Banshees to fire their steam rifles at [Loving Mother]’s Cocoon, tearing it open.
• The Banshees saw Mira inside the Cocoon, and she woke and realized she was connected to [Mother Goddess]’s flesh.
• Mira warned everyone that she could no longer control [Loving Mother] and urged them to flee.
• Nini questioned Mira about the destruction in Blood Port, and Mira saw the ruined city and its dead and injured.
• Mira claimed no attack could harm [Loving Mother], but Nini pointed out that the Banshees were already beating it badly.

The Banshees battered the [Loving Mother], but it kept growing by dragging living beings toward itself and absorbing them. Mira revealed that sacrificing Transcendents was the only way to banish it, but Nini instead discovered its weak point and overwhelmed it with explosives.

• The Banshees' gunfire drove the [Loving Mother] back, and Mira explained that its black threads pulled living beings toward it.
• Theus realized the threads tested willpower, and Mira warned that the [Loving Mother] could grow without limit by absorbing its victims.
• The [Loving Mother] dragged animals and unconscious people toward itself, healed its wounds, and grew thicker as its attacks weakened.
• Mira said the only way to banish the [Loving Mother] was to sacrifice Transcendents, but Nini handed her explosive packs instead.
• Nini hurled explosives at Mira atop the monster, forcing the [Loving Mother] to block them as crates of explosives arrived from the sea.