Chapter Summaries

Galahad wrote a letter to the prince describing Castel’s steel industry and the Stellar Furnace, which burned an evil god as fuel. He set aside the unfinished letter to watch the Skyveil Behemoth’s upcoming bombing exercise.

• Galahad wrote that Castel’s steam engines burned physical pollution and used rituals to bind summoned beings to control it.
• An engineer showed Galahad the Stellar Furnace beneath a church, where a living evil god was confined and used as fuel.
• Galahad described Castel as a vast industrial landscape of steel, concrete, factories, and railways.
• Galahad wrote that the Skyveil Behemoth would soon return for a bombing exercise and planned to discuss warfare with its engineers.
• Someone knocked at Galahad’s door, and he put down his pen to watch the exercise before finishing the letter.

Theus brought Galahad to watch a bombing exercise, assuring him that his earlier fainting had been an accident. As a colossal, engine-roaring beast tore through the clouds overhead, Galahad stood frozen in terror.

• Theus decided to bring Richard along after worrying that Galahad might react badly to the Skyveil Behemoth.
• Theus and Galahad watched from a distant viewing area as the Faithguard Army prepared for an exercise near the eastern shore.
• Galahad heard machinery rumbling overhead and realized the sound was coming from the cloudy sky.
• The clouds split open, revealing a colossal beast that blotted out the sunlight and made Galahad tremble with fear.

Galahad watched the Skyveil Behemoth pass overhead and mistook its immense presence for a monstrous threat, while Theus and the others welcomed it. When the airship began its bombing exercise, Galahad saw a bomb devastate the shore and realized Blood Port could do little but hope the airship ignored it.

• Galahad recovered from his terror as the Skyveil Behemoth moved out from overhead and revealed its full, shark-painted form.
• Theus admired the airship, while the Banshees and islanders excitedly discussed its appearance and destructive firepower.
• Theus announced the exercise and urged the crew to drop bombs, and Galahad assumed the airship would attack with stones.
• A bomb struck the shore and erupted in a massive blaze, leaving Galahad horrified by the airship's destructive power.
• Galahad feared for Blood Port as a voice announced that bombing calibration was complete and the exercise was commencing.

Galahad watched Castel’s bombardment drill and saw that his swordsmanship and armor could not withstand modern explosives, leaving him shaken. Theus considered how collective knowledge might affect the world and watched Galahad struggle to face Castel’s power.

• Steel bombs rained down on the drill ground, and Galahad realized that even his skill and equipment could not withstand a bombardment.
• The workers, Faithguard Army soldiers, and Banshees watched the explosions with excitement, seeing the weapons as the product of their own labor and knowledge.
• Theus reflected that shared knowledge might stabilize the laws of physics and wondered whether Castel’s collective will could bring about other changes.
• Theus worried that Nini’s widely read newspaper or the worship of Chloe might influence reality, then decided to investigate why Castel seemed special another time.
• Theus watched Galahad, whose usual calm and confidence had vanished after witnessing the bombardment.

After Galahad left for Blood Port, Theus considered the White Calamity and connected with the others. Their conversation turned to the Life Mother Goddess Church after Writer defended its efforts to feed and save the poor, and Scepter revealed its horrific practices.

• Theus sent Galahad back to Blood Port and watched him leave with new resolve after seeing a steel ship at sea.
• Theus considered the White Calamity, planned to seek information from Isaac, and thought about sending the Black Pearl to contact Nora.
• Theus connected Gwen, Ken, Jeremiah, and Ruo An through their threads, and Ken greeted the group.
• Gwen said she had escaped the Northern Territory and was safe with someone who gave her porridge.
• Writer asked whether all cultists were evil and described the Life Mother Goddess Church as a group that distributed food and saved lives.
• Scepter said the Church combined multiple people’s bodies and souls, then challenged Writer’s defense by pointing out that it devoured souls after death.

Scepter explained that the Life Mother Goddess Church had forcibly devoured believers’ souls and that twisting bodies also corrupted souls, while warning Writer to stay away from the cult. In Blood Port, Gwen silently decided to protect Writer, then left Josh behind after he awkwardly offered her an early meal.

• Scepter told Writer and French Fries that souls had vanished from destroyed Life Mother Goddess Church strongholds and explained how bodily transformations could twist souls.
• Scepter warned Writer that cultists were skilled at beguiling people, and Theus ended the connection to process what he had learned.
• Gwen remembered seeing the monster on Mira devour Tommy’s soul and decided to protect Writer without telling her.
• Gwen left her room and passed Josh, who offered her an early bowl of porridge, but she said she needed to use the bathroom.

Gwen watched over Zoe from afar, then decided to investigate the Mother Goddess Church for her. As she entered Blood Port’s poorer districts, she noticed the residents seemed spiritually incomplete and came face-to-face with chief priestess Mira.

• Gwen slipped past the Mystic Society believers’ patrols and followed Granny to the Castel manor, where she watched Zoe writing from the balcony.
• Gwen’s friends suggested ways to help Zoe, and Gwen decided to investigate the Mother Goddess Church and destroy it if it threatened her friends.
• Gwen left the Upper City and crossed into the Lower City, noticing residents praying fervently and seeming somehow incomplete.
• Gwen stopped when Mira, the Mother Goddess Church’s chief priestess, blocked her path and revealed her face.

Gwen met Mira, the Mother Goddess Church’s high priestess, who could see Gwen and her phantom friends. After Mira sent her away, Gwen encountered hooded men who claimed they could help her find her parents and followed them into an alley.

• Mira spotted Gwen and asked who she was, then learned she had wandered south after her parents died.
• Mira saw Gwen’s phantom friends, chatted with her, and took her to the building where followers were cooking porridge.
• Mira drank a bowl of porridge and told Gwen she could have some next time before waving her off.
• Gwen asked her friends what they thought of Mira; the unicorn warned that Mira was dangerous, while the armored girl said Mira was like Gwen’s mother.
• Several hooded men surrounded Gwen, offered to help her find her parents, and led her deeper into the alley.

Josh learned that Castel planned to build influence in Blood Port through an embassy and diplomatic personnel, and he eagerly agreed to help. Grandmother also asked whether he could contact the Life Mother Goddess Church.

• Josh recalled how the Life Mother Goddess Church's food distribution had eased the Mystic Society's shortages.
• Grandmother told Josh that Galahad was returning and Castel would send Faithguard Army personnel to Blood Port to discuss cooperation.
• Grandmother explained that Castel wanted an embassy in Blood Port and could seek approval from Josh, Mira, or Zoe.
• Josh decided to help Castel expand its influence, though Grandmother was unsure what he thought she had asked him to do.
• Grandmother asked Josh whether he could contact the Life Mother Goddess Church.

Zoe, Josh, and Granny met with Mira to negotiate between Castel and the Mother Goddess Church, offering food aid in exchange for welcoming Blood Port’s refugees. Mira showed interest but questioned why Castel had approached her instead of recruiting the Mystic Society first.

• Granny, Josh, and Zoe traveled to the Mother Goddess Church’s territory to meet Mira on behalf of Theus and Castel.
• Mira recognized Zoe from their previous encounter with the Harbor Guard, and Zoe explained that Castel had taken in the Esoteric Order and welcomed Northern Territory refugees.
• Zoe offered Blood Port food aid as proof that Castel could support the people it hoped to bring to the island.
• Mira reacted with interest to the food offer, then asked Josh why Castel had come to her instead of approaching the Mystic Society first.
• Josh recalled that Theus did not oppose his past actions and seemed faintly approving of them.

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.