Chapter Summaries

Raelir freed Frithr but fell deeper under the Abyss’s influence, believing its voice was Vedrfolnir’s. Nefer analyzed the clues surrounding the Crimson Moon purge and began using a chessboard to model Raelir’s hidden behavior as Dainsleif summoned him to meet the others.

• Raelir confronted his helplessness over the purge and let Frithr go after warning her to keep their meeting secret.
• The Abyss, disguised as Vedrfolnir, urged Raelir to abandon Tholindis, but Raelir refused and resolved to protect her.
• Nefer pieced together the Black Sun Dynasty’s massacre of Crimson Moon descendants and the Vinster King’s Abyss research, then began modeling Raelir’s behavior with her chessboard.
• Qian Renxue resolved to train subordinates in Nefer’s information-based investigative methods.
• Dainsleif’s chess piece appeared and called Raelir to join him, saying the others would explain an urgent matter.

Dainsleif gathered Rerir and several powerful figures after Vedrfolnir was blinded and imprisoned by Her Majesty. He asked them to storm the royal palace and rescue his brother, framing the attack as an attempt to awaken the ruler rather than a rebellion.

• Moon Hunter agreed to help Dainsleif, but first went to leave a note for Tholindis at the Khaenri'ah Institute of Alchemy laboratory.
• Rerir and Dainsleif joined Gold Rhinedottir, Surtalogi, and Hroptatyr, who argued over their standing in Khaenri'ah and their relationships with the ruler.
• Dainsleif told the group that Her Majesty had ordered Vedrfolnir blinded and imprisoned after he offered her counsel.
• Dainsleif asked the others to join him in storming the royal palace that night to rescue Vedrfolnir.
• Hroptatyr warned Dainsleif that he was the royal guard captain and had sworn loyalty to the throne, while Gold Rhinedottir questioned whether he had planned a coup.
• Rerir worried that Khaenri'ah's foolish ruler made it impossible for someone like him to emerge unscathed.

Nefer and the others learned more about Tholindis’s Moon Marrow research and saw her entrust the Iridescent Moon’s Moon Marrow to Frithr. Meanwhile, Dainsleif began the assault on the royal palace as Rerir went to the prison to rescue Vedrfolnir, where he found him.

• Tholindis’s records revealed that Moon Marrow was a doorway to a special space and that opening it required immense power.
• Tholindis gave Frithr a Moon Fragment and asked her to protect it, saying it would let everyone see a red moon; the observers recognized it as the Iridescent Moon’s Moon Marrow.
• Dainsleif and his allies confronted the palace guards, and Dainsleif called on them to stand with him in the name of justice.
• Rerir left the palace assault to reach the prison and rescue Vedrfolnir.
• Rerir found Vedrfolnir in his cell and greeted him.

Rerir questioned the blinded prophet Vedrfolnir, who warned him that fate could only be resisted by persevering and continuing his story. After Vedrfolnir pointed him toward the Khaenri'ah Institute of Alchemy, Rerir rushed there to find Tholindis but was blocked by monsters.

• Vedrfolnir told Rerir that the King had blinded and imprisoned him after he warned that Khaenri'ah would perish, and revealed that he had begun to see the future again.
• Rerir asked Vedrfolnir how to save himself and Tholindis, and Vedrfolnir said fate did not value sacrifices and laughed when Rerir described hearing a voice that had guided him.
• Dugu Yan and others watching the Sky Screen discussed whether fate could be changed, and Dugu Yan said the Akademiya and Lesser Lord Kusanali had altered Douluo Continent's course.
• Vedrfolnir urged Rerir to persist, then told him to investigate the Khaenri'ah Institute of Alchemy because of abnormal energy fluctuations in the palace.
• Rerir remembered Tholindis was at the institute, ran toward it, and encountered monsters blocking his way.

Rerir reached the Khaenri'ah Institute of Alchemy too late to stop Tholindis from falling through a Moon Gate. Desperate to find her, he accepted the Abyss's power and jumped through the gate himself, though the chapter revealed that it tore him apart.

• Rerir recalled rumors that Her Majesty had hidden mechanisms throughout the royal palace and capital, then hurried toward the Khaenri'ah Institute of Alchemy as monsters attacked the city.
• In Tholindis's memory, Abyssal Monsters trapped her inside the institute, and she cowered in fear until Rerir broke through the door.
• Tholindis misunderstood Rerir's warning as a rejection and fell into a Moon Gate, which vanished with her.
• At the royal palace, Rerir ignored Dainsleif and accepted the Abyss's power after Vedrfolnir invited him to take his share.
• Rerir imagined a happy life with Tholindis, then watched her fall through the Moon Gate in his vision and vowed to find her.
• Rerir returned to the institute and jumped into the Moon Gate, though the revealed memories showed that the gate tore him apart.

Nefer and the others reviewed Rerir and Tholindis’s tragic end, then prepared to regroup after leaving the Secret Archive. Nefer realized they had never escaped the consciousness layer and were trapped inside her Chess Box, where she had to find a way out herself.

• Qian Renxue, Shui Yue'er, and Shui Bing'er reflected on Rerir’s obsession and the fate that joined him with Tholindis.
• Nefer returned from the Moon Hunter’s memories and discussed Khaenri'ah and the Nordkale People’s plan with Lauma and Jahoda.
• Nefer, Lauma, Jahoda, the Traveler, and Paimon headed for the Secret Archive’s main doors, but a blaze of light engulfed the Sky Screen.
• Shui Bing'er concluded that the Moon Hunter had discovered their intrusion and trapped them in his memories.
• Nefer realized that returning to the office had been an illusion and that they remained inside the consciousness layer of her Chess Box.
• Nefer told Jahoda she had to find the way out herself because only she understood the Chess Box.

Nefer’s group continued through the chessboard illusion and the Sky Screen revealed memories from Nefer’s childhood, including her father Sinuhe’s efforts to secure water and improve the tribe’s future. The memory ended with tribespeople accusing Sinuhe of deception as corpses covered the ground.

• Nefer reassured the group, then led them onward through the illusion while urging them to stay calm.
• The Sky Screen shifted to young Nefer’s perspective as she met her uncle Retnu, who asked her to find her father, Sinuhe.
• Young Nefer spoke with Uncle Apophis, who planned to perform a new song at the festival and said Sinuhe needed to approve it.
• Sinuhe told Nefer that he had found a new well and explained his partnership with the Akademiya, which he hoped would help the tribe escape hardship.
• Tribespeople accused Sinuhe of secretly taking their water and falsely claiming to be an Akademiya emissary, and the scene revealed bodies scattered across the ground.

Nefer recalled finding her father Sinuhe’s unsubmitted plea for help beside the slaughtered Sinti, then remembered how she entered the Akademiya from Aaru Village. The scene left off with Nefer questioning why her assignment was easier than her classmates’.

• Nefer found Sinuhe’s letter asking the Akademiya to protect the Sinti after they took water from the Iabu people’s well, and saw that her father and his people had been killed.
• Shui Yue'er, Qian Renxue, Dori, Nahida, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Focalors, and Ouyang Kong reacted to the Sinti massacre and the Akademiya’s failure to help.
• Anpu pleaded with an Akademiya official to give Nefer a chance, and Nefer claimed her family were all buried beneath the sands before signing the form to enter the Akademiya.
• Candace explained that Aaru Village had given Nefer its only Akademiya slot, while Dehya and Candace discussed why she had been chosen.
• Meneto assigned Nefer a paper, and Nefer asked whether its easier topic meant he thought she was foolish.

Nefer searched the House of Daena’s unclaimed letters and found her father Sinuhe’s appeal to Grand Sage Azar to admit her to the Akademiya. The ignored letter revealed that Sinuhe’s promised help had never been returned, leaving Nefer to reflect on her father’s hopes.

• Meneto told Nefer that unclaimed outside letters were kept in a box in the House of Daena.
• Nefer searched the box and found a letter from Sage Cyrus to Grand Sage Azar criticizing the Akademiya’s unequal treatment of desert students.
• Cyno and Sethos recognized that Cyrus had tried to speak up for the desert people, but his letter had been ignored.
• Nefer found Sinuhe’s letter asking Cyrus to help her enter the Akademiya and read his praise of her abilities.
• Nefer concluded that the Akademiya had never taken Sinuhe or his promise seriously, despite his hopes for a better future.

Nefer left the Akademiya and traveled to the Iabu people’s territory, where she used her position as an envoy to negotiate access to a ruin beneath their well. The chapter left Arif convinced that the Akademiya’s offer was genuine, while Nefer’s revenge plans remained concealed.

• Nefer watched footage of her past and told Jahoda not to pity her.
• Nefer said goodbye to Katayoun and left the Akademiya, privately admitting that her farewells and explanations were lies.
• Nefer arrived at the Iabu people’s territory and met their leader, Arif.
• Nefer offered fifty million Mora for the right to develop an ancient ruin beneath the Iabu-controlled well.
• Arif threatened Nefer, but she invoked the Akademiya’s authority and persuaded him that the offer was legitimate.

Nefer revealed how she had deceived the Iabu and Unu tribes into fighting over a well, killing each other and avenging the destruction of her homeland. After Lauma and Jahoda changed the subject, the group continued toward a temple that Nefer said was near.

• Nefer persuaded the Iabu chief to take back the well by suggesting a traitor had betrayed them, while privately enjoying how easily she could provoke him.
• The Sky Screen showed Nefer making a deal with Nizer of the Unu people, offering fifty million for the well and steering the tribe toward attacking the Iabu.
• Nefer watched the Iabu and Unu people die in battle beside the bloodied well and said she had done for her father what he had been unable to do.
• Lauma tried to comfort Nefer, and Jahoda redirected the conversation by asking when they could leave.
• Lauma said a temple lay ahead, and the group discussed desert faith, Cyno, and Sethos as they continued walking.

Nefer and her companions escaped Moon Hunter Raelir’s attack, but he continued trying to break out of the chessboard in the Secret Archive. The Sky Screen then showed a prank depicting Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo in a dramatic sacrifice scene, leaving them mortified.

• Moon Hunter Raelir emerged from Asheru, attacked Nefer, and was driven back by Dori’s charm and the powers of Dainsleif and Columbina.
• Nefer trapped Moon Hunter Raelir in a magic circle, and the group’s minds returned to the Secret Archive.
• Black-red mist poured from the chessboard, and Nefer suppressed it before collapsing into a chair.
• The Sky Screen showed a female version of Chrysanthemum Douluo sacrificing herself for Ghost Douluo, making both Douluos dry-heave and leaving Xiao Wu repulsed by the scene.
• The Sky Screen announced that the sacrifice scene was only a prank, while Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo reacted to the damage to their reputations.

Nefer explained how Rerir traced her through the Chess Box and revealed the history and divine origin of her power. The gathered allies learned more about Moon Hunter and the Moon Gate, but Columbina said they lacked the power to explore beyond it while preparing to fight him.

• Columbina rescued the group, and Nefer explained that Rerir had reverse-read her thoughts through the Chess Box, trapping them in a simulated chessboard.
• Nefer revealed that she had ties to the King of Ibis, who gave her the Chess Box, and recounted her people's destruction and her revenge.
• Nefer gathered Albedo, Little Durin, Varka, Flins, and the others in the Secret Archive and reported that Moon Hunter was Rerir, a former subject of the Vinster King in Khaenri'ah.
• Varka said the Favonius Knights could not ignore the growing threat of the Wild Hunt, while Flins asked Columbina about the door in Rerir's memories.
• Columbina identified the door as the legendary Moon Gate and said her Frost Moon authority could open it, but she needed to save her strength to fight Moon Hunter.

Flins and the others discussed the Moon Hunter’s fragmentation and Dainsleif’s grief over Rerir before ending their meeting. Varka later told the Traveler that Nefer’s Chess Box could hold the Moon Hunter for only two days, then discussed plans with the Traveler as the Sky Screen concealed their conversation from its viewers.

• Flins, Albedo, Varka, and Dainsleif speculated that a powerful force had shattered the Moon Hunter and discussed the curse-like nature of Abyssal power.
• Lauma comforted Dainsleif over Rerir, and the group ended the meeting so Nefer could rest.
• Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan admired Lauma’s figure and joked about worshipping the Three Moon Sisters.
• Varka told the Traveler that the Chess Box would restrain the Moon Hunter for only two days and asked for help persuading Dainsleif to join their efforts.
• Varka began sharing plans developed with Albedo and Durin, but the Sky Screen skipped their discussion; the Traveler later offered a suggestion that Varka approved.

Varka and the Traveler gathered allies at the tavern to confirm a plan for confronting the Moon Hunter, with the Traveler agreeing to help. The group committed to the operation, and Dori negotiated compensation from Nefer for the power spent from her protective pendant.

• Varka thanked the Traveler for offering to help and agreed to consider his suggestion before arranging a tavern meeting.
• At the tavern, Varka explained Albedo's findings about the Moon Hunter and argued that the enemy would stay in the designated area.
• Lauma, Flins, Aino, Ineffa, Nefer, the Traveler, Jahoda, and Dori agreed to the plan, and Varka gave everyone a chance to withdraw.
• Dori revealed that a business partner had asked her to help and complained that Nefer had used up the power in her protective pendant.
• Nefer offered to make amends, and Dori asked for her Chess Box, jokingly offering to take the Moon Hunter along with it.

The Traveler and Paimon learned that Dori had prepared a device commissioned by Nahida and built by Kaveh for the coming danger, while Dori explained her debts of gratitude. They then met Albedo and Little Durin on Hiisi Island, where they heard that the study of captured Wild Hunt creatures had gone smoothly but yielded disappointing results.

• Lingyuan Douluo teased Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo about being lovebirds, then flew away before they could retaliate.
• Dori showed the Traveler and Paimon an amplifier made by Kaveh, explaining that Nahida had commissioned it as part of preparations for a possible disaster.
• Dori said she repaid debts and kindnesses to Alice and Nefer, while insisting that she remained a merchant at heart.
• Kaveh and Alhaitham bickered as Kaveh wondered what the amplifier would be used for, and Dugu Yan chose not to pry into Dori's past.
• The Traveler and Paimon met Albedo and Little Durin on Hiisi Island, where Little Durin clarified that the captured Wild Hunt creatures had been neutralized and rendered inactive for study.

Albedo concluded that Rerir was inseparable from the Abyss and could not be destroyed while the Abyss remained, while Columbina was too incomplete to overcome the crisis. As the allies prepared for battle, Columbina asked Dainsleif to fight alongside them, but he remained unsure because of his past with Rerir.

• Albedo explained that the Abyss had irreversibly corrupted Rerir and that he could not be fundamentally destroyed while the Abyss persisted.
• Little Durin revealed that the world rejected Columbina, preventing her from becoming complete, and Albedo and Durin prepared to carry out the second contingency plan.
• Lauma entrusted the Frostmoon Scions to Varka and announced that she would fight for Nod-Krai, while Varka promised to protect them.
• Columbina spoke with Dainsleif about their names, his memories of Khaenri'ah, and the truths they had uncovered about Rerir.
• Columbina invited Dainsleif to fight alongside them, but he hesitated over his complicated feelings about Rerir and asked for time.

Dainsleif considered joining Columbina and the Traveler’s group as they prepared for the Moon Hunter’s release. The battle began, and after Flins and Lauma were knocked from the field, the Traveler and Nefer faced Moon Hunter Raelir alone.

• Dainsleif told Columbina he would seriously consider helping deal with the Moon Hunter, and she encouraged him to accept the group’s gratitude and decide whether to join them.
• Flins reflected on his renewed desire to fight, while Nefer delivered Aino’s support plan and warned that the Chess Box was close to failing.
• Nefer opened the Chess Box, releasing the Moon Hunter as the Traveler, Nefer, Flins, Lauma, and Aino launched their coordinated assault.
• Lauma revealed the Moon Hunter’s position, and the group fought until Raelir knocked Flins and Lauma out of the battlefield.
• Raelir attacked the Traveler and Nefer, who dodged as they faced him alone.

The Traveler and Nefer endured Moon Hunter Raelir’s attacks while the others revealed a plan to turn his strength against him. As the Transmutation Circle absorbed his power, the chapter showed that Columbina was meant to receive it and briefly challenge him.

• The Moon Hunter cut off the Traveler and Nefer from Lauma, Flins, and the others, then intensified his attacks as they struggled to survive.
• Nefer’s illusion failed, and the Sky Screen revealed Varka’s plan for the Traveler and Nefer to make the Moon Hunter expend all his strength.
• Nefer provoked Raelir by invoking his memories of Tholindis and his fear of being unable to bring back the one he loved.
• Raelir unleashed black-and-red tendrils, but a golden Transmutation Circle beneath the Traveler and Nefer absorbed his attacks.
• Albedo, Little Durin, and Columbina sustained the circle with Dori’s amplifier, while Albedo explained that it would channel Raelir’s power into Columbina.
• Little Durin offered to release Abyssal power and create negative pressure to help Columbina reach the strength needed to contend with the Moon Hunter.

Columbina and her allies defeated Moon Hunter Raelir by turning his own power against him and casting him through the Moon Gate, which Dainsleif then closed. Afterward, Lauma treated Nefer’s blindness while the group celebrated their victory and prepared for her recovery.

• Little Durin linked Albedo, Lauma, Flins, Varka, Jahoda, Aino, and Columbina with Pyro elemental power, allowing them to share their strength and traits.
• The Traveler and Nefer held off Moon Hunter Raelir until Columbina took control of the fight, countered his attacks, and opened the Moon Gate.
• Columbina pushed Raelir through the Moon Gate, and Dainsleif closed it before Columbina announced that they had won.
• The Traveler worried about Nefer, who revealed that she was blind, and Lauma treated her with her silver blood while urging her to rest.
• Jahoda helped Nefer back as Columbina praised the group, and Shui Yue'er teased Shui Bing'er about her affection for Nefer and Lauma.