Chapter Summaries

Aaron, Lilliat, and Vernon traveled to Vicent to protect Mageto Mining Company director Relion Astam from the Blood of Decay. While they settled into a safehouse and planned to observe discreetly, Aaron began considering how to forge a Strange Object that could let people meet through dreams.

• Aaron met Vernon and Lilliat at a café across from Mageto Mining Company after seeing Relion Astam enter the headquarters.
• Vernon explained that the Green Banyan Council feared the Blood of Decay would target Relion, and Lilliat apologized for bringing Aaron into the task.
• Aaron suggested they find lodging and keep a low profile; Lilliat rented an apartment and assigned Aaron the room with its own washroom.
• After dinner, Aaron returned to his room, sealed it spiritually, and arranged his collected materials on an alchemy bench.
• Aaron examined the God of Suffering relic and the Great Demon Statue's contamination and characteristics, then considered forging an Angel-grade Strange Object to create a meeting place in dreams.

Aaron explored the Spirit Realm to find a secret location for signal base stations, negotiated permission to build them among the Black Pharaoh's pyramids, and forged another station in a hidden region. He began shaping the Great Demon Statue's spirituality into the effect of Dreams.

• Aaron rejected the Great Marsh and other locations before finding a black desert occupied by the Black Pharaoh and its mummy guards.
• Aaron burned the mummy guards and fought his way to the Black Pharaoh, gaining spirituality from the creatures he incinerated.
• Aaron negotiated a Spirit World contract that allowed him to build signal towers in the pyramids and required the Black Pharaoh and its guards to protect them.
• Aaron built a signal base station at a pyramid and left to construct more relay stations.
• Aaron used Furnace Fire to melt the Great Demon Statue's spiritual crystal and began forging its spirituality into the effect of Dreams.

Aaron used the Fool's Crown to trace people across the world who recited the Spirit of Unknown Void's honorific name. He found several familiar worshippers and sent them revelations, including Metana, Nicholas, Ye Funai, Lily, and Percy.

• Aaron wore the Fool's Crown and used the God of Suffering's residual characteristics to detect worldwide prayers to the Spirit of Unknown Void.
• Aaron observed John discover an obscure reference to the Spirit of Unknown Void in an old manuscript, and John's prayer marked him to Aaron.
• Aaron watched a native shaman offer sacrifices and pray to several secret existences, but decided the shaman was not who he sought.
• Aaron found Metana praying as the Moromon God and sent her an image instructing her to sleep at midnight.
• Nicholas, Ye Funai, Lily, and Percy received revelations from the Spirit of Void; Percy silently looked at the wreckage of the Investigation General Bureau.

Percy was drawn into a dream gathering of the Invisible Cult, where he met other members and discovered that the missing Investigation Bureau Diviner, Lady Fireworks, belonged to the cult. Aaron used Yasuo to present the dreamscape as the cult’s new meeting place and identify its core members, leaving Nicholas curious about the empty seats by the divine throne.

• At midnight, Percy entered a dream and disguised himself as Crow of the Invisible Cult.
• Percy met Lily and her younger sister, then recognized Ye Funai as Lady Fireworks, the missing Investigation Bureau Diviner.
• Ye Funai warned Percy that he was from the Investigation Bureau, and Lily mistook him for a cult undercover agent.
• Aaron surveyed the gathered believers and used the Fool's Crown to create a virtual dreamscape for their meetings.
• Yasuo appeared as the Divine Envoy, introduced the dreamscape, and led the members in prayer to the Spirit of Void.
• Aaron explained that the seats beside the divine throne belonged to core members, some of whom had become Longevity Ones.

Aaron introduced the newcomers to the Invisible Cult’s deeper secrets and asked them to share news from Plymouth. Nicholas revealed that Invis planned to promote three churches backed by Age Controllers, while Aaron warned against confusing the churches with the powerful beings behind them.

• Aaron told the group that their loyalty had been confirmed, invited the newcomers to choose codenames, and explained how they could request contact through prayer.
• Metana reported that she had passed a review and could provide intelligence on Plymouth’s upper society and the royal palace.
• Lilli reported that the Black Queen District was recovering, Halsey had returned to his territory, and mystical cases in Plymouth were increasing.
• Percy said Invis was considering three cults to present as true gods, and Nicholas named the White Tower, the Death God Cult, and the Tundra Society.
• Ye Funai identified the gods behind the churches as the God of Wisdom, the Death God, and the God of Ice.
• Aaron cautioned Percy that Age Controllers and the religious orders backed by them were not the same.

Aaron tested the Fool’s Crown and endured its severe intelligence-lowering effect before purifying himself. The next day, he assigned Lilliat to protect Lai Liang at a charity auction, which passed without incident.

• Aaron wore the Fool’s Crown, struggled to remember his prayer, and discovered that its negative effect dulled his intelligence and rationality.
• Aaron purified himself, then confirmed to Lilliat that their group had met in a dream and listened as she discussed the gathering and its implications.
• Lilliat watched Lai Liang leave for work, and Aaron reasoned that an assassination attempt would most likely happen at a public event.
• Aaron sent Lilliat to guard Lai Liang at a charity auction while he continued building his spirituality by devouring contaminated materials.
• Lilliat returned that evening with food and reported that the auction had ended without incident.

Lai Liang read a seemingly harmless book that revealed itself as a living secret lore, and its knowledge drove him mad. The next morning, Lilliat told Aaron that the target they had been assigned to protect had gone mad.

• Lai Liang read an ancient text about serpent worship and heard an echo answer his murmured question about the serpent’s secret.
• Lai Liang realized the book’s cover had changed to “Snake Molting Secret Continuation, Volume II” and tried to forget what he had seen.
• The book’s writing filled Lai Liang’s mind with the image of a monstrous creature, and he collapsed as his bodyguards and servants rushed in.
• Aaron read the newspaper over hot cocoa while Mr. Vernon prepared breakfast.
• Lilliat returned with news that the Blood of Decay had acted and that their protection target, Lai Liang, had gone mad.

Aaron and Lilliat planned to rescue the corrupted Lillion with a ritual while using Lilliat to draw out the Blood of Decay hunters. At St. Katerina Hospital, Lilliat began praying to the Spirit of Unknown Void, and Aaron answered her ritual from nearby.

• Lilliat explained that Lillion had been driven mad through a disguised dangerous document, and Aaron warned that the Blood of Decay hunters were likely targeting her.
• Aaron urged Lilliat to attempt a threefold ritual to save Lillion and said he would hunt the Blood of Decay hunters if they interfered.
• Lilliat visited Mrs. Asdam at St. Katerina Hospital, identified herself as a healer of the Tower, and asked for a quiet room and the dangerous document.
• Lilliat sealed Lillion's ward, prepared the three candles, and prayed to the Spirit of Unknown Void for his salvation.
• Aaron sensed Lilliat's prayer from a nearby building and sent a wisp of his Power of Secret Source through the ritual channel.

Lilliat completed the ritual, and the Spirit of Void purified Lai Liang and removed the lingering effects on her. Aaron killed Penn and the nearby members of Blood of Decay, then returned to Lilliat, who gave him the ancient book that had driven Lai Liang insane.

• The Spirit of Void answered Lilliat’s ritual, purifying Lai Liang and cleansing her of pollution and its aftereffects.
• Penn revealed himself as an infiltrator from Blood of Decay, cursed the detectives and bodyguards, and rushed toward the hospital room.
• Aaron killed Penn before he could interrupt the ritual, then used the divination link to find the group’s nearby safehouse.
• Aaron defeated the Blood Hunters despite the Stillness Scarecrow, devoured the magical item, and burned the group’s remains to reclaim their spirituality.
• Lilliat returned home with Madam Asdan’s gift of thanks, where Aaron told her Blood of Decay had been dealt with.
• Lilliat gave Aaron the ancient book that had driven Lai Liang insane.

Aaron used the living mystical book to divine the location of Blood of Decay's headquarters in Liqius and traveled there to attack. He arrived at the entrance and killed two members, while the others stared in shock.

• Aaron threatened the mystical book with white flame, causing it to reveal the title Snake Molting Secret Continuation, Volume II.
• Aaron used the book and traces from the battlefield to divine that Blood of Decay's headquarters was in Liqius.
• Aaron reviewed the book's past in a dream, seeing an elderly scholar give it to a blood hunter and glimpsing its snake-scaled author.
• Aaron divined that the risks of attacking were not great, then left Lilliat and used Spirit Realm Teleportation to reach the headquarters.
• Aaron appeared among Blood of Decay members and killed two with his Cane Sword.

Aaron attacked Blood of Decay’s headquarters and discovered its blood pool was the ritual achievement needed to advance as a Crimson Noble. He fought Bokin Soren and the cult’s elite, whose vein-cutting ritual gave them enhanced powers, and the battle continued as they began cursing him.

• Aaron slaughtered Blood of Decay members and entered their underground plaza, where visions revealed Sothos descendants tortured and drained into a blood pool.
• Aaron recognized the pool as the great work required to advance as a Crimson Noble and used his Crimson powers to make Blood of Decay members’ hearts beat until they burst.
• Aaron confronted Bokin Soren and the remaining elite, who cut their own veins in a ritual that left them weak yet spiritually powerful.
• Bokin used Blood Manipulation against Aaron, who suppressed the effect and summoned Green Banyan roots to impale the attackers.
• Bokin revealed his Non-Human form and fought Aaron at close range as the impaled cultists chanted curses.

Aaron defeated Bokin Soren after countering his cursed Law with the Spirit of Void, but a Crimson Crowned One began appearing through a Spirit Realm Gate. Realizing Bokin’s whistle had summoned reinforcements and the hall might be a trap, Aaron stopped his attempt to escape and stayed behind.

• Bokin Soren broke Aaron’s Cane Sword and attacked him with a Law that made wounds bleed and spread through memory.
• Aaron transformed into Furnace form and battered Bokin with pure white flames, then used Tower’s knowledge to overwhelm his mind and pierce his heart.
• Bokin used the Stagnation Curse to halt Aaron briefly and blew a whistle before Aaron burned him to ashes.
• Aaron realized the Spirit of Void had purified Bokin’s memetic infection and sensed a Crimson Crowned One arriving through a Spirit Realm Gate.
• Aaron recognized the whistle as a concealed summons and suspected the hall was a trap, so he stopped his Spirit Realm escape.

Aaron realized that killing Bokin Soren had marked him for a trap in the Spirit Realm, where Mother of Night or other powerful beings could have ambushed him. He stayed to face Flander instead, and used Fool’s Crown to counter Flander’s Animation Law, leaving Flander dazed and nearly pulled into Aaron’s dreamscape.

• Aaron deduced that his killings of Sothos bloodline members had left a trace that could lead Spirit Realm creatures to ambush him if he teleported there.
• Aaron recognized that Flander had also sealed off teleportation in the area, creating a second trap to keep him from escaping.
• Aaron put on Fool’s Crown and chose to confront Flander rather than risk entering the Spirit Realm.
• Flander used his Animation Law to animate Aaron’s organs and make them struggle to leave his body.
• Aaron drew the consciousness of his animated organs into a dreamscape, then affected Flander with it and nearly dragged him into a nightmare.

Aaron escaped Flander’s sealed territory by cutting through its barrier with the Sun King’s Spear, then returned to Lilliat’s apartment in Vicent. He realized that using his two powerful Strange Objects had exposed him to greater danger from the Age Controllers.

• Aaron purified the influence of the Blood of Decay and fled the headquarters in his Furnace Form.
• Flander caught up and attacked Aaron, but Aaron used the Sun King’s Spear to tear open the crimson barrier.
• Aaron crossed the breach, sealed the spear, and escaped through the Spirit Realm before Flander could catch him.
• Aaron returned to Lilliat’s apartment after first teleporting to the outskirts of Green Forest City to ensure he was no longer being tracked.
• Aaron considered how using the Fool’s Crown and Sun King’s Spear could draw the Lord of Corpse Collection, the Mother of Night, or other powerful beings after him.

Aaron told Vernon and Lilliat that he had destroyed the Blood of Decay, then asked Lilliat about the Green Banyan Council and whether its members might join his faith. That night, he summoned Lilliat to the dreamscape and appeared as their ancestor, Aaron Sothoth.

• Aaron revealed at dinner that the Blood of Decay no longer existed, prompting Vernon to rush off and contact the council.
• Lilliat worried about Aaron's safety, then explained the Green Banyan Council's nine seats and its chairman, Tias von Sothos.
• Aaron asked whether the entire Green Banyan Council could convert to his Lord, and Lilliat considered how that might unite her family and sect.
• Aaron summoned Lilliat to the dreamscape and appeared before her as the ancestor Aaron Sothoth.

Aaron used a dream to restore his Sothoth name and persuade Lilliat to urge the Green Banyan Council to serve the Spirit of Void. He then summoned Ye Funai, presented himself as the Count of Green Forest, and assigned her to prepare a concealed site in the Spirit Realm for a wonder.

• Aaron posed as the Count of Green Forest and permitted himself to reclaim the Sothoth surname, which Lilliat welcomed.
• Aaron told Lilliat that his family’s descendants should believe in the Spirit of Void, and she promised to persuade the Council Chairman.
• Lilliat awoke from the dream and decided to head to the council headquarters.
• Aaron dismissed the Count of Green Forest illusion and summoned Ye Funai to the dream palace, where she believed he was the Longevity One of the Present World.
• Aaron placed Ye Funai under his temporary authority and ordered her to find a concealed Spirit Realm site suitable for constructing a wonder.

Percy learned that Aaron Yugus had destroyed the Blood of Decay, while the Green Banyan Council received word that Aaron was coming to meet them. The council summoned its hidden Chairman, who ordered them to bring Aaron to his mausoleum.

• Percy woke from a dream in which the Count of Green Forest had tasked him with investigating the Gourmet Association and Flander.
• At breakfast, Percy heard that Aaron Yugus had destroyed the Blood of Decay and wondered whether the Count of Green Forest had helped him.
• Doreen told the Green Banyan Council that the Blood of Decay’s headquarters had been destroyed, Bokin Soren was dead, and its remaining forces were shattered.
• Dozoren Sothoth read a letter saying Lilliat of the Doran Family wanted to bring Aaron Yugus to the council headquarters and confirmed that Aaron had destroyed the Blood of Decay.
• The councilors used a black mirror and blood to contact Chairman Tias von Sothos in his mausoleum.
• Tias ordered the councilors to bring Aaron to his mausoleum.

Ye Funai explored the Spirit Realm to find a place for her advancement ritual, but Martin of the Sunset School tracked her down and pursued her. His escape failed when a Gumon Giant attacked and the mist revealed that transference was forbidden there.

• Ye Funai explored the Spirit Realm, recording the coordinates of a white-flower sea and discovering golden volcanoes and ruins that hinted at a former nation.
• Ye Funai encountered Martin, a Mechanical Mentor and Lamplighter of the Sunset School, who recognized her as the diviner Fireworks and marked her with his lantern as she teleported away.
• Martin followed the lantern’s marker through the mist and attacked Ye Funai, who warned that his arrival meant he was destined to face calamity.
• A Gumon Giant emerged and attacked Martin from within Secret History, causing his attacks to pass harmlessly through it.
• Martin tried to rely on his lantern to escape, but a mythical serpent-bodied creature with bat wings declared that transference was forbidden in the mist.

Ye Funai was captured by Gumon giants and brought to their hidden habitat, where she considered recruiting them to build Spirit World wonders. Aaron and Lilliat reached the Green Banyan Council’s abandoned castle, where the trapped Speaker awaited them behind an underground mausoleum door.

• A Gumon giant used a forbidden ability to capture Martin and prevent Ye Funai from escaping.
• The Gumon giants carried Ye Funai through the Mist of History to their concealed home, where she saw young giants playing and building with blocks.
• Ye Funai recognized the block designs and considered using the giants to construct wonders, though she hesitated to deceive them.
• Aaron left Vernon Doran in a secluded place, then accompanied Lilliat to meet Dozoren Sothoth of the Green Banyan Council.
• Dozoren led Aaron and Lilliat to the abandoned castle and explained that the Council’s Speaker was sealed in its underground mausoleum.
• Aaron and Lilliat arrived at the rune-covered iron door, where the Speaker wished to meet them.

Aaron entered the Sothos family mausoleum and used his Purification power to suppress the unfinished ritual that had kept Tias von Sothos from fully dying. After Tias recognized Aaron’s resemblance to the family ancestor, Aaron took the ancestor’s portrait and turned to discuss how to resolve Tias’s condition.

• Aaron opened the mausoleum’s iron door with Spirit Language and entered, dispersing the Underworld wind with Purification.
• Living corpses welcomed Aaron into the burial chamber, where Tias awakened inside a coffin and addressed him as a descendant of Sothos.
• Aaron’s radiant power turned the attendants into corpses and nearly annihilated Tias before Aaron stopped the purification.
• Tias introduced himself as chairman of the Green Banyan Council and explained that his ritual was incomplete, leaving him neither fully alive nor fully dead.
• Tias showed Aaron a portrait of the Count of Green Forest, and Aaron noted his resemblance to the ancestor before keeping the painting.
• Aaron told Tias they should consider how to solve his condition.