Chapter Summaries

Summary of “Preparations Complete”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After returning from Above the Gray Fog, Sifa coordinates with Klein, exchanging information about their abilities, possessions, and available allies. Together, they devise a plan to hunt the mythical creature Squidward.
• Sifa uses a projection of his former Sequence 9 self to remain in bed and appear asleep, concealing his movements.
• He then uses a projection of Mr. X to transport him to Bayam.
• At the Church of Waves, Sifa prays to the Lord of Storms, revealing Squidward’s location: a Cloud Castle above the Rhine River near Trier, the capital of the Intis Republic.
• Although no immediate response comes, a sudden gale, lightning, and thunder within the church indicate that the Lord of Storms has accepted his request for aid.
• Sifa summons Miss Viri through the Golden Harmonica and asks for her assistance in hunting the mythical creature. Grateful that Sifa has strengthened her people and achieved what she could not, Viri agrees to help.
• Declaring the preparations complete, Sifa travels to Trier and takes on the appearance of a young Loen gentleman.
• He enters a tailor’s shop on Belsi Street, buys an elaborate Intis-style outfit, and changes clothes. His discarded clothing mysteriously vanishes, suggesting the use of supernatural methods or a projection.
• As he leaves, the weather suddenly worsens. A rat watches him from the shadows and appears to pray or communicate.
• Lightning then strikes toward Sifa, setting the operation into motion and ending the chapter on an imminent confrontation.

Character Developments

• Sifa demonstrates careful planning, resourcefulness, and increasing confidence in coordinating supernatural allies. He combines projections, divine assistance, Miss Viri’s support, and disguise to prepare for the dangerous hunt.
• His relationship with the Lord of Storms is reinforced. Sifa remembers becoming a blessed at the Church of Waves and deliberately chooses it because of its stronger spiritual connection to the deity.
• Miss Viri shows gratitude and loyalty toward Sifa, acknowledging that he has helped strengthen her people and accomplished goals beyond her own reach.
• Klein remains an important strategic partner, though he does not appear directly in the chapter.
• The mysterious rat and its apparent prayer imply that another supernatural force is monitoring Sifa and may be involved in the coming attack.

Significant Themes

• Preparation and strategy: The chapter emphasizes gathering information, disguising one’s identity, coordinating allies, and exploiting supernatural abilities before taking action.
• Divine intervention: Sifa’s prayer and the Lord of Storms’ apparent response demonstrate the influence of gods in mortal affairs.
• Identity and concealment: Sifa repeatedly uses projections, disguises, and altered appearances to hide his true identity and move undetected.
• Alliances and reciprocity: Sifa’s past assistance to Miss Viri creates a bond of mutual obligation, showing how favors and relationships function as sources of power.
• Impending danger: The worsening weather, observing rat, and sudden lightning strike create suspense and signal that Sifa’s enemy—or another supernatural entity—has detected him.

Character Interactions

• Sifa and Klein: They exchange intelligence and jointly formulate the operation.
• Sifa and the Lord of Storms: Sifa prays for aid, and the storm that follows appears to be the deity’s affirmative response.
• Sifa and Miss Viri: He requests her help in the hunt, and she willingly agrees out of gratitude and respect.
• Sifa and the tailor’s clerk: Sifa adopts the role of a polite foreign traveler, purchasing Intis clothing while concealing his supernatural activities.
• Sifa and the unseen observer: Though they do not directly interact, the rat’s surveillance and possible prayer establish a hidden connection between Sifa and an opposing or unknown force.

In Cloud Castle, Squidward attacked a demigod in Trier while Klein and Reinette ambushed her. Squidward lost contact with her animal army and realized something was wrong, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Squidward tracked the demigod in Trier through her praying animal soldiers and unleashed lightning, hail, hurricanes, and torrential rain against him.
• Klein appeared in Cloud Castle as a projection from the historical void and summoned Reinette with his Adventurer's Harmonica.
• Reinette used Yesterday Once More to borrow her past power and became an Angel-level Wraith.
• Reinette possessed Squidward while shadows and a crimson moon cut her off from her army.
• Squidward noticed that none of her soldiers had responded to the battle and realized something was wrong.

Klein’s conspiracy against Squidward brought Reinette Tinekerr and the former Death Consul Azik Eggers into the Cloud Castle, where the three angels fought the Weather Fairy. Squidward obscured herself with divinely empowered mist, then struck Klein with lightning after recognizing him as the key to sustaining the Death Consul.

• Klein used Arianna’s concealment powers to infiltrate Squidward’s Cloud Castle and cut her off from her army.
• Klein summoned the former Death Consul Azik Eggers from history, and Reinette Tinekerr was expelled from Squidward’s body.
• Squidward realized three angels were confronting her and transformed into her complete mythical creature form.
• Squidward fought the feathered serpent and Reinette Tinekerr, then raised divinely empowered mist that blurred her Spirituality Threads.
• Squidward recognized Klein as the conspiracy’s key and struck him with lightning, charring him.

Klein, Reinette Tinekerr, and Azik weakened Squidward through coordinated attacks, but she turned the battle around and destroyed Azik’s projection. As Squidward tried to escape, Viril appeared as another Angel and blocked her path with waves and luminous fish.

• Klein’s Historical Void Projection and Reinette repeatedly controlled Squidward, giving Azik’s Feathered Serpent a chance to engulf her in flames of death.
• Squidward unleashed chaotic weather that disrupted Klein and Reinette, then surrounded the Feathered Serpent with divine flames and destroyed Azik’s Historical Projection.
• Squidward transformed into a fiery whirlwind and charged for the hall’s entrance, but Viril appeared as an Angel and drove her back with an illusory wave.
• Reinette’s gaze briefly turned Squidward into a goat, but Squidward escaped the effect by dissolving into mist and reappearing elsewhere.
• Viril blew her conch again and sent luminous fish toward Squidward, whose ice wall was riddled with holes when the fish struck it.

Squidward tried to escape Cloud Castle as Klein summoned the Church of Evernight’s Angel of Concealment, whose indiscriminate attack disrupted the battle and exposed Squidward. As several immense wills drew near, a Sun-like Flame Spear pierced Squidward’s chest.

• Reinette Tinekerr and Miss Viri attacked Squidward while Klein tried to control her spirituality threads and prepared a summoning.
• Squidward used frost and flames to counter the angels, then unleashed a storm that weakened the hall’s concealment and drew attention from outside.
• Klein summoned the Angel of Concealment, who immediately targeted Squidward as the hall’s concealment collapsed and a breach opened.
• Squidward used an illusory hurricane to misdirect Miss Viri and tried to slip toward the doorway in the form of flames.
• The Angel of Concealment engulfed the hall in a strange world, then directed the angels’ residual power at Squidward and revealed her position.
• Squidward emerged from the combined attack in her ordinary form, only for a Sun-like Flame Spear to appear in her chest as immense wills approached.

Sifa revealed how he had deceived Squidward and coordinated with Klein to ambush her at Cloud Castle. After Squidward’s final escape attempts failed, Sifa’s attacks reduced her to ashes.

• Squidward emerged from the explosion gravely wounded and discovered Sifa and his forces waiting in the ruined garden.
• Sifa explained that a Sequence 4 projection had fooled Squidward in Trier while he infiltrated Cloud Castle with Klein and eliminated her soldiers.
• Sifa’s concealed spear struck Squidward with fatal force, and she threatened to destroy Cloud Castle rather than be captured.
• Sifa called down a Lightning Storm that dispelled Squidward’s illusory Flame Giant and blocked her attempt to flee as a hurricane of flames.
• Squidward tried to conceal her movements, but Sifa unleashed a torrent of compressed blue flames that reduced her to ashes.

Chapter Summary: “Beyonder Characteristic Secured”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On the collapsing Cloud Castle, Sifa uses a Yesterday Once More talisman to temporarily recreate the Fire of War he had previously obtained from Klein.
• The recreated Fire of War restores Sifa’s spirituality and strengthens his final attack, a Plasma Light Flow, allowing him to destroy the severely weakened Weather Fairy, Squidward.
• Squidward disappears, leaving behind the Weather Warlock Beyonder Characteristic, a dark-red gemstone containing images of storms, wind, lightning, and snow.
• Sifa claims the characteristic and confirms that he has also obtained the necessary supplementary ingredients to eventually advance.
• The Fire of War reignites after absorbing some of Squidward’s spirituality and Divinity. This allows Sifa to temporarily use Weather Warlock abilities—approximately three times—before the stored Divinity is exhausted.
• Sifa, Klein, and Reinette escape as Cloud Castle completely disintegrates. Reinette absorbs the remaining Beyonder Characteristics from Squidward’s soldiers.
• Other powerful figures arrive afterward, detecting traces of a battle involving a Seer, a Hunter Demigod, an Ancient Bane, and a Weather Warlock. However, interference prevents them from discovering what truly happened.
• In Backlund, Klein uses the power of Sefirah Castle and an Angel’s Embrace to further conceal the operation from divination and prophecy.
• Sifa returns to the Trafalgar through the Spirit World. Because of the River Styx Ring’s negative effect, he has forgotten six hours of memories and must consult his own notes to reconstruct the evening’s events.
• He stores the Weather Warlock characteristic in the Spirit World Treasure Chest and offers several unusable Beyonder Characteristics to the Lord of Storms in gratitude for her suspected assistance.
• Exhausted, Sifa falls asleep, only remembering that he still owes Miss Viri her payment.

Character Developments

• Sifa successfully completes a major objective by acquiring the Weather Warlock Beyonder Characteristic. His advancement to that level is now realistically within reach once his potion is digested and the ritual prepared.
• Sifa also gains temporary access to Weather Warlock powers through the Divinity stored in the Fire of War, increasing his combat capabilities even before formally advancing.
• His use of written records and personal codes to recover his missing memories demonstrates his caution and preparedness regarding the River Styx Ring’s drawbacks.
• Klein proves the value of his advancement to Scholar of Yore, using Sefirah Castle more effectively to conceal the group and protect them from divination.
• Klein reflects on Sifa’s growing mastery as a Conspirer, recognizing that higher-level conspiracies can become increasingly mysterious and difficult even for Angels to detect.
• Reinette Tinekerr assists in securing the spoils by absorbing the characteristics left by Squidward’s forces.
• Miss Viri remains a trusted ally, though Sifa has not yet paid her for her assistance.
• The Lord of Storms is implied to have secretly aided Sifa during the battle, particularly through the lightning that exposed and struck Squidward’s true body.

Significant Themes

• Power gained through danger: Sifa’s new advancement opportunity comes only after surviving a battle involving angelic and demigod-level forces.
• Concealment and deception: The operation succeeds because of the combined effectiveness of Sifa’s conspiratorial planning and Klein’s concealment abilities.
• The cost of power: Sifa’s victory comes with consequences, including exhaustion, reliance on temporary stolen Divinity, and the River Styx Ring’s loss of six hours of memory.
• Preparation and safeguards: Sifa’s notebook, coded records, spiritual storage, and careful offerings show the importance of planning in a world where memory, identity, and information can be manipulated.
• Divine intervention and reciprocity: Sifa acknowledges the Lord of Storms’s possible assistance through formal offerings, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and repaying divine aid.
• The uncertainty of truth: Although the battle leaves powerful traces, outside observers cannot reconstruct the actual events, reinforcing the chapter’s focus on hidden motives and incomplete knowledge.

Character Interactions

• Sifa and Klein: They cooperate closely during the operation and divide the spoils according to their prior agreement: Hunter-related items go to Sifa, while other rewards go to Klein. Their exchange remains restrained but reflects mutual trust and professional respect.
• Sifa and Reinette: Reinette follows the escape plan by entering Klein’s iron cigarette case, later absorbing the remaining Beyonder Characteristics from Squidward’s soldiers.
• Sifa and Miss Viri: Sifa acknowledges her assistance and intends to pay her, though he postpones it due to exhaustion.
• Sifa and the Lord of Storms: Sifa offers tribute after concluding that the deity may have secretly intervened in the battle.
• Klein’s reflection on Sifa: Klein recognizes that Sifa’s Conspirer abilities are becoming increasingly formidable and that future plans led by him may be capable of deceiving even Angels.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Klein prepares to meet Miss Sharron and Maric in an abandoned house to obtain Hanged Man Pathway Beyonder blood for his ongoing collection of blood from all 22 Pathways.
• He demonstrates a new Scholar of Yore ability: summoning objects he once possessed or used from the gaps in history, even if they were later sold, returned, or destroyed. He temporarily summons the Master Key, which can exist for roughly ten minutes.
• On his way out, Klein notices an ordinary-looking Sequence 9 Hunter. The Hunter is actually one of Sifa’s projections, moving through the East Borough to search for secret signals.
• Sifa deciphers the signals and learns that the Demoness Sect will negotiate at New Community Cemetery on the night of the 25th.
• To contact Trissy safely, Sifa uses Dean Wengris’s projection, relocates himself, and strengthens the projection so it appears nearly lifelike. Through a mirror and a mysterious black substance, he establishes communication with Trissy.
• Dean informs Trissy that the upcoming negotiation is certainly a trap, but explains that both sides know this and will still participate because the Demoness Sect possesses something they want.
• Dean reveals that the powerful Angel known as “Lord Don Quixote” has arrived in Backlund and will lead their side in the confrontation.

Character Developments

• Klein: Shows increased mastery of his Scholar of Yore abilities, discovering that historical projections can retrieve former possessions for temporary use. He remains cautious and observant, immediately recognizing the Hunter he passes as a Beyonder.
• Sifa: Demonstrates careful planning and strategic caution. He uses projections, decoys, relocation, and remote control to communicate with Trissy while minimizing the risk of exposure.
• Trissy: Continues to use seduction and emotional manipulation as weapons, but recognizes that the coming meeting is dangerous and correctly identifies it as a trap. She also shows curiosity about the arrival of the opposing Angel.
• Dean Wengris: Acts aggressively and maintains psychological control during negotiations. He emphasizes that Trissy is dependent on their protection and cooperation, reversing the apparent power dynamic between them.
• Miss Sharron and Maric: Do not appear directly, but are important to Klein’s immediate objective of obtaining Beyonder blood.

Significant Themes

• Power and leverage: Cooperation is portrayed as an unequal bargain in which each side participates because the other possesses something valuable.
• Deception and mutual suspicion: Both factions understand that the cemetery negotiation is a trap, yet neither can withdraw because of their competing objectives.
• Identity and transformation: Trissy’s history as someone who was once male is used by Dean as an insult, highlighting the chapter’s recurring tension around gender, identity, and the Demoness Pathway.
• Preparation and indirect action: The characters rely on projections, coded messages, summoned objects, and remote communication rather than confronting one another directly.
• Growing supernatural mastery: Klein’s ability to summon past possessions reflects his advancing powers and expanding understanding of history-based abilities.

Character Interactions

• Klein briefly crosses paths with Sifa’s Hunter projection without either directly engaging the other.
• Sifa, through Dean’s projection, taunts and intimidates Trissy, rejecting her attempt at seduction and insisting that she is the dependent party in their arrangement.
• Trissy responds with flirtation, feigned innocence, and calculated questions, probing whether a stronger Angel has joined Dean’s side.
• Dean confirms the arrival of “Lord Don Quixote,” signaling that the upcoming confrontation with the Demoness Sect will involve high-level supernatural forces.

Sifa finalized a plan with Demoness Trissy while posing as Dean Wengris, then learned that Loen’s war situation was worsening despite repeated victories. After the Royal Third Fleet fought another battle, several hooded women followed a black-haired, blue-eyed woman through the New Community Cemetery on the twenty-fifth.

• Demoness Trissy warned Dean Wengris that attempts to track an Angel-level Demoness could expose the trackers to curses, and Dean confirmed that his group had prepared precautions.
• Sifa ate with the soldiers and discussed the strained war situation with his adjutant O'Neill, while privately worrying that a Feysac Weather Warlock could exploit the coming winter.
• The Royal Third Fleet fought the Feysac people for several days and repelled them again by the twenty-fifth.
• Several hooded women followed a woman in a white robe through the New Community Cemetery in the East Borough.

White Saintess Katarina negotiated with Dean Wengris to exchange Trissy for a Beyonder Characteristic, but both sides launched their plans as the exchange began. The cemetery erupted into a chaotic confrontation.

• Katarina met Dean Wengris through a mirror and showed him the rusted, bloodstained crown she offered for Trissy.
• Dean Wengris arrived with Trissy, several Pyromaniacs, and the protection of a powerful being, then demanded that they exchange Trissy and the item simultaneously.
• Katarina agreed, and both sides approached to make the exchange.
• As Trissy and the box-carrying Demoness passed each other, Trissy regained awareness and reached for the box while the Demoness ran toward the mirror.
• Katarina attacked with her gray transformation, Dean Wengris's Pyromaniacs charged, and the nearby Sequence 9 Hunter shot at Katarina as the cemetery descended into chaos.

Demonesses and Hunters fought to stop the White Saintess, Katarina, as illusions, substitutions, and supernatural attacks shifted the battle. Katarina escaped control by revealing her incomplete mythical creature form, then vanished while a giant Wraith seized her spilled blood and hair.

• Trissy’s spider threads and black flames defended her from Katarina’s petrifying tide while the Demoness with the wooden box used invisibility, a wand substitution, and a mirror illusion to evade attacks and enter a mirror.
• A Sequence 9 Hunter fired at Katarina, allowing a flame spear to strike her mirror illusion as she appeared beside Trissy and spotted two Dean Wengrises.
• A high-sequence Seer began controlling Katarina’s Spirituality Threads, but Katarina used Shriek and another petrifying tide to break free and affect everyone around her.
• A Wraith possessed Katarina as Dean Wengris attacked with flames, while the Hunter’s bullets—enhanced by the Iron-blooded Knight—wounded her.
• Katarina revealed her incomplete mythical creature form, drove out the Wraith, broke through Dean Wengris’s flames, and vanished as the giant Wraith seized her spilled blood and fallen hair.

Sifa’s carefully planned operation against the Demoness Sect ended with the Sect’s members vanishing before powerful figures reached the cemetery. He recovered the Witch characteristics and traces of Katarina, but the Conqueror characteristic escaped with another Demoness, while Trissy remained hidden in the Mirror World.

• Katarina petrified Trissy, but the target vanished as a Historical Projection, and she recognized a Scholar of Yore was involved.
• A Scholar of Yore disguised as Dean Wengris used marionette rats and insects to bombard Katarina’s position, but she evaded the attack.
• As powerful Beyonders approached the cemetery, the giant Wraith, the Scholar of Yore, Dean Wengris, the Pyromaniacs, and the separated Beyonder characteristics disappeared.
• Sifa returned to a room in the Backlund Bridge Area and stored the Witch characteristics and the blood and hair collected from Katarina.
• Sifa explained that he had used a Sequence 3 Gehrman Sparrow projection to impersonate Dean Wengris and summon Trissy’s Historical Projection, while the real Trissy hid in the Mirror World.
• Sifa noted that the Demoness Sect had brought a Conqueror characteristic, which another Demoness had escaped with, while Katarina had stayed to attack Trissy.

Chapter Summary: “Experiment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sifa reflects on the failed parts of his plan during the confrontation with the Demoness Sect. He had originally hoped Gehrman Sparrow’s projection could summon Arianna’s Historical Projection to conceal the cemetery, but repeated attempts failed.
• He instead used the Wraith Staff and Twilight Giant Card to become a Giant Wraith, hide his aura, and possess the metal cufflink on a Sequence 9 Hunter projection. This allowed him to secretly possess Katarina at a crucial moment and obtain her hair and blood.
• Sifa had intended to use the same tactic against the Demoness Sect’s Angel, allowing Gehrman’s projection to control her Spirituality Threads. However, the Angel never appeared directly.
• Trissy returns through a mirror, badly injured, and confirms that the opponent was the Black Saint, whom she failed to stop. Sifa realizes the Black Saint had concealed her aura, escaping detection even from Amyrius’s abilities.
• Despite Trissy’s failure to obtain the desired Beyonder characteristic, Sifa honors their agreement. He promises that the Conspirer faction will send at least one War Bishop to help her in the future, though they will not sacrifice themselves.
• The next day, Sifa travels to an uninhabited island and begins testing the abilities of Gehrman Sparrow’s Scholar of Yore projection.
• Gehrman successfully summons numerous Historical Projections of powerful items, including the Master Key, Sun Brooch, Biological Toxin Bottle, Kindling Glove, Lucky Clover, Death Knell, Life Staff, Sea God Scepter, and Creeping Hunger.
• He can even summon the high-level Groselle’s Travels and the Black Emperor, Red Priest, and Tyrant Cards, though these require repeated attempts and provide only limited information, generally up to Sequence 3.

Character Developments

• Sifa demonstrates adaptability and caution. Although several aspects of his plan fail, he secures a way to track Katarina later and gains valuable information about the Black Saint’s concealment abilities.
• He also becomes more methodical, recognizing that fully understanding his projections’ capabilities is essential for future battles.
• Trissy is shown to be strong but outmatched. She survives a confrontation with the Black Saint but is injured and unable to complete her objective. Her relationship with Sifa remains pragmatic, based on mutually respected agreements.
• Gehrman Sparrow’s projection proves far more versatile than expected. His ability to summon a wide range of mystical items and even high-level Cards greatly expands Sifa’s tactical options.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus unpredictability: Sifa makes extensive preparations, yet the Demoness Sect’s hidden Angel and Gehrman’s failed summoning attempts force him to improvise.
• The value of partial success: Although Sifa does not achieve everything he wanted, obtaining Katarina’s hair and blood still gives him a reliable means of tracking her.
• Information and experimentation: The chapter emphasizes the importance of testing powers systematically rather than relying on assumptions.
• Trust and reputation among conspirators: Sifa honors his promise to Trissy even after she fails, showing that maintaining credibility is strategically important.
• Concealment and deception: The Black Saint’s ability to disguise her aura highlights the importance of hidden identities and misleading detection abilities in Beyonder conflicts.

Character Interactions

• Sifa and Trissy: Trissy demands that Sifa uphold their agreement despite failing to secure the characteristic. Sifa agrees, promising future assistance while clarifying that neither side is obligated to risk their lives.
• Sifa and Gehrman’s projection: Sifa directs the projection’s experiments, testing increasingly powerful items and learning their abilities, limitations, and negative effects.
• Sifa and the Black Saint: Though they do not directly confront one another, the Black Saint’s escape and concealment frustrate Sifa’s plans and leave him concerned for Trissy’s safety.
• Sifa and his projections: He uses Dean Wengris and Amyrius as part of his larger strategy, while also relying on projections to disguise himself, fight, and gather information.

Chapter Summary: “Approaching”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sifa tests the capabilities of Gehrman Sparrow’s projection, focusing on the items and historical figures it can summon.
• The projection easily summons lower-level items such as Creeping Hunger and Death Knell, while stronger artifacts like the Life Staff and Scepter of the Sea God require repeated attempts.
• Gehrman successfully summons historical images of Danitz, Daly, Sharron, Maric, Edwina, Cattleya, Azik Eggers, and Reinette Tinekerr.
• Summoning Arianna initially fails, but succeeds after Sifa has Gehrman recite the Evernight Goddess’s Honorific Name. The Angel of Concealment remains impossible to summon.
• Sifa is surprised to discover that Gehrman can summon his own historical image with ease, likely because of Gehrman’s connection to the Book of Mysteries.
• Sifa evaluates Gehrman’s enhanced abilities as a Scholar of Yore. His control over Spirituality Threads, Marionette conversion, command range, and movement through Marionettes have all greatly improved.
• Sifa concludes that Gehrman’s ideal combat style is to summon numerous historical images while hiding within the Historical Void, using Marionettes only when necessary.
• After Sifa recalls the projection, “The World” informs him that the unconventional method of entering the Secret Mausoleum has been mastered and that George III will deliver a major public speech on Saturday.
• Sifa decides that the operation to stop George III’s apotheosis will begin that day. He plans to continue digesting his War Bishop potion and gathering Fire of War beforehand.
• Sifa reports the plan to Mr. Fool, asking Him to inform Gehrman Sparrow that he will act on Saturday.
• Trissy receives a letter suggesting that the long-awaited confrontation is imminent. She accepts the possibility of death, reflecting on the massacres she has committed, and prepares the blood of the Demoness Shermane.
• In the Sonia Sea, Alger—now truly an Ocean Songster—receives the same information. He is assigned to spread news among the Feysac people that George III intends to become a god, and immediately recognizes a current opportunity to do so.

Character Developments

• Sifa: Demonstrates a careful, analytical approach while testing Gehrman’s powers. He is nearly finished digesting the War Bishop potion and grows increasingly determined to confront George III. He begins preparing both militarily and mystically for the coming battle.
• Gehrman Sparrow / The World: His advancement to Scholar of Yore has substantially strengthened his summoning, Marionette, and historical projection abilities. He is now ready to participate in a high-level operation involving Angels and an attempted apotheosis.
• Trissy: Shows resignation and fatalism concerning the coming conflict. Although she acknowledges her past crimes, she appears willing to risk death and prepares to use the Demoness blood she has hidden.
• Alger: Has fully advanced to Ocean Songster and is actively conducting attacks at sea. He remains committed to the wider plan and quickly sees how to exploit the political situation among the Feysac people.

Significant Themes

• Preparation before a decisive confrontation: The chapter focuses on testing abilities, gathering resources, and coordinating allies before the attack on George III.
• Power and its limitations: Gehrman’s enhanced abilities appear overwhelmingly versatile, but the failures to summon certain figures emphasize that even high-level powers have boundaries.
• Identity and historical connection: The ease with which Sifa’s own historical image can be summoned highlights his close connection to Gehrman and the Book of Mysteries.
• Sacrifice and moral reckoning: Trissy’s thoughts reveal her awareness of the lives she has destroyed and her willingness to face death as a possible consequence.
• Political manipulation and warfare: The coming conflict depends not only on direct battle but also on spreading rumors, influencing factions, and exploiting George III’s ambitions.

Character Interactions

• Sifa directs Gehrman’s projection through a series of summoning experiments, commenting on the figures and assessing the results.
• Sifa and Gehrman’s connection is emphasized when Gehrman easily summons Sifa’s historical image.
• Sifa communicates with Mr. Fool to coordinate the timing of the operation with Gehrman Sparrow.
• “The World” delivers the crucial information that the Secret Mausoleum method is ready and that George III’s speech will provide the opening.
• Trissy receives an unknown letter that confirms the approach of the planned confrontation and responds by preparing for possible death.
• Alger receives instructions from “The World” and prepares to spread the rumor about George III’s intended apotheosis among the Feysac people.

Summary: “A Deal for Five Ice Creams”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On Sonia Island, Glen Town remains outwardly peaceful despite the war. Feysac warships and supply vessels fill the harbor, and bars operate under an earlier closing time to prevent unrest.
• Alger enters the crowded Wild Horse Bar and is confronted by Sea Monster, a Feysac man who warns him that his Loen appearance makes him a target.
• Alger sells Sea Monster intelligence, including:
  • The Church of Storms has arranged an ambush in the surrounding waters.
  • Merchant ships should avoid sailing unless their owners are willing to risk heavy losses.
  • Rumors in Loen suggest that slaves are constructing nine secret mausoleums near Awwa County, East Chester County, and Backlund.
• Sea Monster becomes serious after hearing about the mausoleums, implying that the information may have major significance.
• On the Trafalgar, Sifa uses a paper crane to request a meeting with an Angel-like being known as the “baby.”
• In a dream, Sifa enters the mysterious black spire and meets the baby in a black carriage. He asks for good luck before an operation scheduled for Saturday.
• The baby agrees, but demands five genuine ice creams from Cerenzo Restaurant as payment.
• The following day, Sifa disguises himself with the Thousand-Faced Traveler and Duke’s appearance before delivering the ice creams to 160 Boklund Street.
• He meets Doctor Aaron, Velma Glaintis, and a baby in a black carriage, suggesting that this baby is connected to the supernatural entity from his dream.

Character Developments

• Alger remains confident, calculating, and aggressive. He casually sells mixed truths and rumors, leaving buyers to determine their reliability. His encounter with Sea Monster also shows that he is willing to provoke danger rather than be intimidated.
• Sea Monster is presented as both wary and pragmatic. Although he warns Alger about the hostility of the Feysac patrons, he respects Alger enough to purchase all his information. The mausoleum rumors visibly concern him.
• Sifa demonstrates caution and respect when dealing with a powerful supernatural being. He understands that supernatural assistance always requires payment and carefully confirms the terms of the bargain.
• The baby appears innocent and childish but is actually an Angel-level existence. Its playful demand for ice cream contrasts with its immense power, making its behavior both humorous and unsettling.
• Doctor Aaron and Velma Glaintis are introduced at the end of the chapter, likely becoming important to Sifa’s operation or to the baby’s identity.

Significant Themes

• Superficial peace and hidden danger: Glen Town’s lively bars conceal the pressure of war, military tension, and possible violence.
• Information as power: Alger treats intelligence as a commodity, mixing truth and rumor and forcing others to judge its value for themselves.
• The uncanny contrast between innocence and power: The Angel appears as a baby and asks for ice cream, yet can grant supernatural luck and may possess immense influence.
• Exchange and obligation: Sifa recognizes that power always demands a price. Even a seemingly trivial payment may carry hidden implications.
• Secrecy and conspiracy: The Church of Storms’ ambush and the construction of mysterious mausoleums point toward larger political and supernatural plots.

Character Interactions

• Alger and Sea Monster exchange threats and teasing banter, reflecting both their rivalry and established familiarity.
• Alger sells Sea Monster information while maintaining control of the conversation and refusing to guarantee its accuracy.
• Sifa respectfully negotiates with the baby, contrasting with the unnamed “other guy,” whom the baby apparently considers less polite.
• The chapter ends with Sifa meeting Doctor Aaron, Velma, and the black-carriage baby, creating a direct link between his dream bargain and the real world.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• On Saturday morning in Enqi Town, Helibel dresses formally with her mother, Enilu, to attend Emperor George III’s wartime speech at Memorial Square.
• Enilu reassures Helibel about her older brother Sifa, a renowned young general who may be involved in the war on the eastern coast of the Intersea.
• The town is crowded with refugees, particularly women and children displaced by the fighting. Enilu reflects on their suffering and the absence of men who have gone to war.
• Newly installed Broadcast Machines, developed with technical assistance from Tingen University, transmit the emperor’s speech across Loen simultaneously.
• George III announces that Loen has halted the first phase of the Feysac attack, but emphasizes the enormous number of young soldiers who have died. He leads the nation in a solemn prayer and moment of silence for the fallen.
• The chapter then shifts to the outskirts of Backlund, where the Demoness Trissy waits for an arranged meeting with a group of Hunters.
• A masked man arrives, identifying himself as her temporary assistant. He confirms that their task is to help Trissy destroy a mausoleum, and the two prepare to depart.

Character Developments

• Helibel shows growing maturity by choosing clothing appropriate to the solemn public occasion. She expresses pride in Sifa while also revealing concern for his safety.
• Enilu appears compassionate and perceptive, recognizing the refugees’ hardships and gently comforting her daughter about Sifa.
• Sifa, though absent, is characterized as exceptionally strong and admirable through Helibel and Enilu’s praise.
• Emperor George III presents himself as solemn and empathetic, using the deaths of soldiers to unite the population emotionally behind the war.
• Trissy remains wary and sharp-tongued, but her concern that the Hunters might abandon the agreement suggests unease about the mission.
• The masked assistant is secretive and professional. His formal manner contrasts with his threatening, anonymous appearance.

Significant Themes

• The human cost of war: The speech focuses on young soldiers whose deaths have destroyed families’ hopes and futures.
• Collective grief and patriotism: The emperor transforms widespread private sorrow into a shared national mourning ritual.
• Propaganda and political influence: The broadcast technology allows the king’s message to reach the entire kingdom, strengthening centralized authority and shaping public emotion.
• Technological progress: The Broadcast Machines represent a major advancement in long-distance communication and hint at broader social changes.
• Displacement and civilian suffering: Refugees, especially women and children, endure hunger and uncertainty even far from the battlefront.
• Secrecy and conspiracy: Trissy’s meeting introduces a covert mission involving Hunters, a destroyed mausoleum, and an unidentified masked operative.

Character Interactions

• Helibel and Enilu share a warm mother-daughter relationship, discussing clothing, Sifa’s safety, and the suffering caused by war.
• The residents of Enqi Town collectively respond to the emperor’s speech, their individual memories of lost family members merging into a shared moment of grief.
• Trissy and the masked assistant immediately establish a tense, guarded dynamic. Their exchange contains sarcasm and mutual suspicion, while both remain focused on the agreed mission.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Klein secretly travels to Awwa County, near a hidden mausoleum, without informing anyone. Using his abilities, he summons a historical projection of Azik Eggers, the former Death Consul and a Sequence 2 Angel.
• To mislead his enemies, Klein also summons a version of himself from more than ten seconds earlier. His concealed past self accompanies Azik’s projection to the mausoleum, while Klein’s true body retreats into the historical void within the Gray Fog.
• The concealed Klein uses blood supplied by Mr. Door to draw a special symbol. The symbol opens a phantom door, allowing him and Azik’s projection to enter the secret mausoleum.
• Meanwhile, members of the Loen royal faction prepare to enter the mausoleum. One of them correctly suspects that Klein is using a layered deception: the Angel projection may be a distraction while Klein’s true body approaches from elsewhere.
• Before the royal faction can fully act, the Feysac royal family arrives. A powerful Feysac man confronts the Loen representative, accusing the Loen faction of attempting to elevate someone into a True God. He transforms into reddish-yellow flames and attacks.
• Elsewhere, Sifa personally travels toward the mausoleum with Trissy to carry out his advancement ritual. He refuses to use a projection because the ritual is too important and dangerous to entrust to another version of himself.
• Sifa and Trissy use another blood-drawn symbol to open a phantom door and enter the mausoleum. They find a vast underground ruin filled with darkness, strange moss, silent human figures, halls, and a seemingly bottomless ravine.
• Trissy descends into the ravine, followed by Sifa in the form of scattered flames. However, an unseen authority declares that concealment is forbidden, forcing both of them to reveal themselves.
• Their presence is discovered by Prince Grove, the Demigod who supports George III. He appears above the mausoleum and confronts them.

Character Developments

• Klein demonstrates increasing mastery of deception, historical projection, concealment, and misdirection. His plan uses several false possibilities simultaneously, making it difficult for enemies to determine where his true body is.
• Azik Eggers appears as a summoned historical projection rather than in his original living state. His rigid behavior makes the projection identifiable to experienced observers.
• Delink Augustus is shown to be cautious and strategically perceptive. He recognizes that Klein may be employing a triple misdirection and refuses to be distracted by the Angel projection.
• The Feysac royal representative acts decisively and aggressively, openly challenging the Loen faction’s apparent plan to create a True God.
• Sifa displays both caution and personal resolve. Although he is reluctant to expose himself to danger, he personally participates because his advancement ritual cannot be delegated.
• Trissy acts with confidence and determination, guiding Sifa into the mausoleum while maintaining concealment until the mausoleum’s rules force her to reveal herself.
• Prince Grove is established as a major hostile force. His control over the mausoleum’s environment suggests that he possesses significant authority within it.

Significant Themes

• Deception and counter-deception: Klein’s layered strategy illustrates the constant struggle to predict an opponent’s intentions and distinguish real actions from distractions.
• The danger of divine advancement: Multiple factions are willing to risk conflict around the mausoleum because someone may be elevated to True Godhood, showing the enormous stakes of the ritual.
• Identity and historical projections: Klein’s ability to summon earlier versions of himself and Azik raises questions about the difference between the original person and a temporary historical manifestation.
• Power struggles between kingdoms: The confrontation between the Loen and Feysac factions reflects the broader political and supernatural conflict surrounding the rise of a new god.
• Limits of concealment: Even powerful concealment abilities can be overridden by higher authorities or special environmental rules, as demonstrated by the mausoleum’s command that concealment is forbidden.

Character Interactions

• Klein’s past self works with Azik’s projection to create a convincing diversion and gain access to the mausoleum.
• Delink Augustus and his ally discuss how to respond to Klein’s apparent attack, with Delink warning that the Scholar of Yore may be hiding beside the Angel projection.
• The Feysac royal representative directly challenges the Loen faction, accusing them of trying to create a True God, and immediately initiates an attack.
• Sifa and Trissy cooperate in entering the mausoleum, though Trissy takes the lead and moves ahead without confirming whether Sifa is following.
• Sifa and Trissy are exposed by the mausoleum’s anti-concealment authority, after which Prince Grove appears to confront them.

Chapter Summary: “Mutual Deprivation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sifa recognizes Prince Grove as a Sequence 3 Chaos Hunter and identifies the crown of thorns on his head as the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact 0-36.
• Grove attempts to bind Sifa, but Sifa uses a Marauder-like position-swapping ability to exchange places with Trissy, placing himself above the mausoleum and Grove in the valley.
• Trissy attacks Grove by releasing mystical diseases and launching an Ice Spear, but Grove exiles both attacks into the void.
• Grove summons a powerful spear of pure light, while Sifa counters with a spear of dark crimson flames. Their attacks collide, creating a destructive storm.
• Sifa survives the clash and closes the distance instantly. Using Steel Body and enhanced propulsion, he lands a devastating punch that sends Grove flying and injures his arms.
• Grove uses Deprivation to strip Sifa of his Steel Body ability. Sifa retaliates through Theft, eventually stealing Grove’s Deprivation ability.
• Grove deprives Sifa of his Flame ability before losing Deprivation entirely. Sifa then uses the stolen power to deprive Grove of his Decree ability, preventing him from imposing dangerous mystical rules such as Mystical Weakening.
• Grove attacks with the unavoidable Execution ability, but Sifa transforms into liquid mercury and evades the blow.
• Sifa uses Mercury Transformation to engulf Grove and nearly suffocate him. Grove’s Grade 0 Sealed Artifact releases powerful light, allowing him to escape.
• The chapter ends with Grove, shaken and confused, asking Sifa, “Who are you?”

Character Developments

• Sifa demonstrates increasingly sophisticated combat ability, combining position theft, Theft, Steel Body, Flame, and Mercury Transformation. He proves capable of fighting a Sequence 3 directly and adapting quickly to Grove’s abilities.
• Sifa’s use of Mrs. Christie to steal Deprivation marks a major turning point. He temporarily turns Grove’s own greatest strength against him.
• Prince Grove is shown to be highly experienced, powerful, and supported by a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. However, he is caught off guard by Sifa’s identity and unusual combination of abilities.
• Grove experiences humiliation and alarm after being physically overwhelmed, losing Deprivation and Decree, and having his Execution attack evaded.
• Trissy acts as an initial ally and supports Sifa with plague and ice attacks, though Grove quickly neutralizes her efforts.

Significant Themes

• Mutual deprivation and reversal of power: The chapter’s central idea is that each combatant strips the other of their abilities, culminating in Sifa stealing Grove’s Deprivation power.
• Adaptability versus established strength: Grove possesses greater authority and a powerful artifact, but Sifa’s rapid reactions, versatility, and unconventional abilities allow him to challenge him.
• Identity and concealment: Sifa’s disguise and unclear pathway create confusion, leaving Grove unable to determine whether he is a Hunter, a Marauder, or someone using stolen powers.
• Power as something transferable: Abilities are treated not only as personal strengths but as resources that can be stolen, deprived, or turned against their original owner.
• Escalation and uncertainty: The battle repeatedly shifts advantage between the two sides, emphasizing that neither overwhelming force nor status guarantees victory.

Character Interactions

• Sifa and Grove engage in a rapidly shifting duel of counters: Grove attempts binding and deprivation, while Sifa responds with position theft, physical force, and stolen abilities.
• Trissy and Grove clash briefly when Trissy attacks with disease and ice, but Grove exiles both threats.
• Sifa’s theft of Grove’s powers transforms their relationship from a straightforward confrontation into a mirrored struggle, with each attempting to deprive the other of essential abilities.
• Grove’s final question reflects both his confusion and his recognition that Sifa is far more dangerous—and far less identifiable—than he initially assumed.

Klein abandoned one Secret Mausoleum after encountering powerful enemies, then entered another and discovered an angelic battle already underway. He summoned Reinette Tinekerr to fight Hermes while Akhmatova Einhorn attacked, leaving Hermes transformed into a rabbit beneath the incoming assault.

• Bernadette entered a Secret Mausoleum, where William Augustus I revealed her and the Patriarch of the Church of the God of Combat.
• Klein used Restart to recover, abandoned the mausoleum guarded by Zaratul, and entered a different Secret Mausoleum with Jonnas and Enuni.
• Klein blasted the mausoleum with Lightning Storms, then recognized that he had been trapped in a realistic dream and tried to escape it.
• Akhmatova Einhorn's attack disrupted the dream, and Klein realized the old man he faced was Hermes, an ancient angel of the Spectator pathway.
• Reinette Tinekerr failed to use Ancient Hermes in front of Hermes, then borrowed power from her past self and transformed him into a white rabbit as Akhmatova Einhorn's attacks closed in.

Chapter Summary: “Gang Fight”

Plot Points and Events

• In the ruins beneath Backlund, Prince Grove confronts Sifa, who appears in a mercury-based form while wearing an iron mask.
• Grove attempts to use Exile, but discovers that Sifa has already Deprived him of both Exile and Decree. Sifa had chosen these abilities because they were especially dangerous: Decree could impose favorable rules, while Exile could remove an opponent from the battlefield.
• Grove argues that Sifa is helpless without his Iron Transformation and flame abilities, and offers to let him leave if he abandons Trissy. Sifa refuses.
• Sifa activates an Iron Curtain, sealing the area and disrupting communication between Grove and the ruins’ guards.
• He then uses Gehrman Sparrow’s abilities to summon numerous Historical Projections, including:
  • A fully empowered projection of Sifa himself as a War Bishop
  • Reinette Tinekerr at Angel level
  • Gehrman Sparrow projections to manipulate Grove’s Spirituality Threads
  • Amyrius, who prevents teleportation and binds Grove
  • Edwina, Cattleya, Crazy Adventurer Gehrman, and multiple Hunters and Pyromaniacs
• The projections coordinate their attacks. Reinette possesses Grove with an Angel-level Wraith, Gehrman controls his Spirituality Threads, Amyrius restricts his movement, Edwina repeatedly detonates his malice, Cattleya interferes with mystical techniques, and the Hunters unleash a continuous barrage of Fireballs.
• Grove is overwhelmed by the sheer number and variety of opponents.
• When Trissy returns from the void after Exile ends, she is stunned to see the powerful prince being attacked by a large group.
• Sifa tells Trissy to ignore Grove and destroy the mausoleum. Trissy complies and heads toward it, where numerous guards emerge to stop her.

Character Developments

• Sifa demonstrates impressive strategic thinking and adaptability. Rather than relying on his usual abilities, he combines Deprivation, sealing, summoned projections, battlefield control, and coordinated attacks.
• He also reveals that his capabilities extend far beyond the Hunter, Marauder, and Warrior pathways, particularly through his access to Scholar of Yore-style Historical Projections.
• Prince Grove, initially confident and threatening, becomes alarmed and overwhelmed once he realizes that Sifa has neutralized his most dangerous abilities and prepared a large-scale ambush.
• Trissy shifts from confronting Grove to following Sifa’s tactical instructions, showing that her immediate priority remains the destruction of the mausoleum.
• Gehrman Sparrow functions as a crucial force multiplier, enabling the summoning and coordination of powerful projections.
• Reinette Tinekerr’s Angel-level presence emphasizes the extraordinary scale of Sifa’s preparations.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus individual power: Grove is extremely powerful, but Sifa’s planning and layered tactics allow him to control the battle.
• Strength through cooperation: Sifa’s projections work together as a coordinated army, demonstrating that teamwork can overcome a stronger individual.
• Adaptability and deception: Sifa deliberately allows Grove to believe that removing his familiar abilities has weakened him, then reveals a much broader arsenal.
• Control and restriction: Deprivation, the Iron Curtain, anti-teleportation decrees, binding, possession, and Spirituality Thread manipulation all limit Grove’s freedom and turn the battlefield against him.
• Overwhelming force: The chapter humorously and dramatically reframes a major confrontation as a “gang fight,” with Grove being attacked from every direction.

Character Interactions

• Sifa and Prince Grove: They exchange threats and negotiation attempts, but Sifa rejects Grove’s offer and decisively takes control of the confrontation.
• Sifa and Gehrman Sparrow: Sifa relies on Gehrman’s projection-summoning abilities, while the summoned Gehrman projections provide battlefield control and spiritual manipulation.
• Sifa and Reinette: Sifa summons Reinette’s projection to possess Grove, exploiting her Angel-level power.
• Sifa and Amyrius: Amyrius supports Sifa by sealing off teleportation and binding Grove.
• Sifa and Trissy: Sifa orders Trissy to attack the mausoleum rather than participate in Grove’s defeat. Trissy accepts the instruction.
• Trissy and the mausoleum guards: Their confrontation is about to begin as Trissy enters the mausoleum area and the guards mobilize against her.