Chapter Summaries

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.

Nini and the banshees bombed [Loving Mother], but their dwindling supply of explosive packs could not keep up with the battle. When the damage triggered an early devouring, the people of Blood Port joined forces to resist the evil god by pulling against it with their will.

• Nini bombarded Mira with explosive packs while Theus watched and worried that the limited supply would run out before [Loving Mother] could be killed.
• Nini ran out of explosive packs, and Mira urged the banshees to sacrifice themselves before [Loving Mother] grew stronger.
• [Loving Mother] began an early round of devouring, dragging the people of Blood Port toward it through black threads.
• The prince, Galahad, Grandma, Josh, Zoe, Kyle, and others pulled together against [Loving Mother], staggering it backward with their combined will.

Josh, Zoe, and the people of Blood Port resisted [Loving Mother]'s assault until Nini connected with the Skyveil Behemoth and brought it over the city. The Banshees withdrew as bombs fell on [Loving Mother], while the prince and Gwen watched the attack unfold.

• Josh found that reciting the Holy Scripture helped the Mystic Society refugees resist [Loving Mother], while Zoe steadied herself by choosing her own will and identity.
• Galahad saw [Loving Mother] withdraw from their clash after he envisioned the evil god burning inside the Stellar Furnace, and he found the prince still standing firm.
• Mira worried that the Banshees might flee and apologized for expecting them to make sacrifices, but Nini explained that she had connected to the Skyveil Behemoth.
• The Skyveil Behemoth descended through the storm clouds, and Nini and the Banshees retreated as bombs fell from the airship onto [Loving Mother].
• Mira watched the attack amid the flames, while Galahad shielded the prince and Gwen watched the bombardment from the clock tower.

The Skyveil Behemoth bombed [Loving Mother] and the docks until the evil god was destroyed, ending the rebellion but leaving Blood Port devastated. As survivors took stock and Mystic Society refugees hailed the airship as divine, Theus arrived in Blood Port after having been nearby in the sea.

• The Skyveil Behemoth, guided by Nini and the Banshees, bombarded [Loving Mother] until it was reduced to sludge and the dock district became a crater.
• The black threads vanished, the clouds cleared, and the Harbor Guard and Faithguard Army bound the surviving believers as the rebellion ended.
• The prince rose from the ruins, saw how much of Blood Port and his plans had been lost, and stared up at the Skyveil Behemoth.
• Mystic Society refugees argued over whether the airship was a creation of Castel or a divine envoy, while Zoe insisted Theus was not a god.
• Josh worried about how Theus would react to the refugees' new beliefs, unaware that Theus had just come ashore in Blood Port.

Josh tried to flee after realizing his Mystic Society had become heretical under Castel’s new Church, but Gwen’s reunion with him exposed him to the believers and Castel’s forces. Taken aboard an ironclad, he resigned himself to waiting for the lord’s return, where Nini greeted him with an unexpected request for an interview.

• Josh decided his Mystic Society’s fabricated scripture would make him an obstacle to Castel, so he tried to slip away from the believers.
• Gwen spotted Josh, rushed to him, and drew the Mystic Society believers’ attention; they celebrated their High Priest and carried him to the shore.
• Josh tried to warn the believers away from Castel, but a Banshee reassured him that they were all fighting for Castel.
• Castel’s soldiers invited Josh aboard an ironclad while the Faithguard Army treated the wounded and cleared Blood Port’s ruins.
• Nini introduced herself to Josh and asked to interview him for a report.

Josh recounted the Blood Port rebellion to Nini, who eagerly turned his answers into sensational interview notes. As Theus and the prince emerged from their negotiations, Nini and Josh discussed Castel’s recovery and the ironclad, whose practical design was less deliberate than it appeared.

• Nini interviewed Josh about the prince rescuing the Mystic Society, Josh leaving with Zoe, and the final bombardment that killed Mira and [Loving Mother].
• Nini reflected on Mira’s responsibility for the disaster and Castel’s ability to recover, while Josh remembered that he still owed a shipload of soap.
• Josh and Nini discussed Castel’s recent inventions, including the Skyveil Behemoth and the Stellar Furnace.
• Nini mistook the ironclad’s lifeboats for attack boats, while the narration revealed it was a boxy, heavily armored ship built quickly as a stopgap.
• Theus and the prince emerged together after their negotiations.