Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Retaliation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In postwar Egicol City, former soldier and newly empowered Beyonder Xio struggles to readjust to ordinary life. He has advanced from Hunter to Provoker but feels discarded now that the war is over.
• At the Wind Flower Bar, a man calling himself Carter demonstrates his Pyromaniac abilities and appeals to former military Beyonders who resent being used as wartime tools and then abandoned.
• Carter reveals that he belongs to the Iron and Blood Cross Order, which plans to publicly prove that Beyonders still exist. He recruits Xio by promising that he can help him advance to the Pyromaniac Sequence.
• Xio follows Carter to a warehouse in the Factory District, where they discover that the building is surrounded by blood and supernatural danger.
• Before they can react, animated clothing restrains both men, while branches and leaves from a nearby tree attack Xio. He is killed brutally, dying not on the battlefield but in his hometown.
• Carter uses Fire Crows to burn through his restraints, but his shoes betray him and drag him down. An elderly man then emerges from the warehouse carrying a sinister black flute.
• The old man announces that he is taking revenge on the Iron and Blood Cross Order. He blames their Angel, His Highness Don Quixote, for destroying his group’s home.
• Carter claims ignorance of Don Quixote and the Order’s larger actions, but the old man dismisses him as a mere Sequence 7 and demands that he lead them to the Order’s headquarters.

Character Developments

• Xio: His postwar alienation makes him vulnerable to Carter’s recruitment. His desire for recognition, purpose, and advancement overrides caution, leading him into a deadly trap. His death emphasizes how easily discarded soldiers can be exploited.
• Carter: He presents himself as a charismatic revolutionary who understands the resentment of former military Beyonders. His Pyromaniac abilities allow him to survive the first attack, but he is ultimately captured and exposed as an expendable lower-level member of the Order.
• The elderly man: Revealed as the orchestrator of the ambush and motivated by revenge. His controlled, puppet-like demeanor and black flute suggest powerful supernatural abilities and a connection to a larger group harmed by Don Quixote.

Significant Themes

• Abandonment after war: Former soldiers are celebrated and used during conflict, then ignored or suppressed once peace returns.
• Exploitation and manipulation: Carter exploits Xio’s frustration by offering purpose and advancement, while the Iron and Blood Cross Order may itself be using recruits as disposable assets.
• Consequences and retaliation: The chapter reveals that powerful figures and organizations have caused destruction whose victims are now striking back.
• The collapse of secrecy: Ordinary people have begun witnessing Beyonder powers, making it increasingly difficult for supernatural forces to remain hidden.
• Ignorance within organizations: Carter’s lack of knowledge about Don Quixote shows that even members of the Order may not understand the larger forces or crimes connected to their cause.

Character Interactions

• Carter wins over the bar’s Beyonders through public generosity, fiery rhetoric, and a demonstration of power.
• Xio responds emotionally to Carter’s criticism of the authorities and openly accepts the invitation to join him.
• At the warehouse, Xio and Carter are caught together in the ambush, but Carter’s greater power lets him survive Xio’s death.
• Carter confronts the elderly avenger, who reveals that the attack is retaliation against the Iron and Blood Cross Order and forces Carter into cooperation.

Sifa sent an expedition beyond the Star Highlands and said farewell to Abrio before traveling with Sharron to Trier. There, he began investigating the Iron and Blood Cross Order and went to the Red Fox Bar, leaving Sharron at the inn.

• Sifa inspected the expedition led by Grey Wolf and Nefi, and it departed from Abidos toward the Green Forest Ancient Trail.
• Abrio told Sifa he was returning to the Celeste, and Sifa let him leave before asking Katarina to oversee Church of War affairs in his absence.
• Sifa and Sharron traveled to Trier by Mr. X's Teleportation so Sifa could investigate the Iron and Blood Cross Order's possible sequence 1 Hunter characteristic.
• Sifa checked into an inn, asked Sharron to request help from her teacher if needed, and left her there.
• Sifa learned about the Red Fox Bar's nightlife and underground boxing matches, then traveled to Parasol Tree Street and arrived at the bar.

Chapter Summary: “Throwing Money at People”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sifa arrives at the Red Fox Bar in Trier, a luxurious establishment catering to wealthy and influential patrons.
• He deliberately displays his wealth, overpaying his coachman and using a valuable gold coin to buy a beer, leaving the remainder as an extravagant tip.
• To attract attention and assess the bar’s atmosphere, Sifa announces that he will buy every woman in the bar a drink.
• A striking woman in a red dress, Sheryl, approaches him and introduces herself.
• Sifa gives the false identity “William Wilfoss,” claiming to be from Loen.
• He flirts openly with Sheryl and provocatively suggests spending the night with her, deliberately drawing the attention and anger of nearby Intis men.
• Morton, an Intis gentleman and Sheryl’s apparent acquaintance or romantic interest, confronts Sifa and attempts to drive him away by offering him one pound.
• Sifa mocks Morton’s pettiness and retaliates by throwing ten pounds’ worth of gold coins at him, asserting his financial superiority and refusing to back down.

Character Developments

• Sifa: Demonstrates confidence, theatricality, and strategic manipulation. He uses extravagant spending and deliberate provocation to establish himself as a wealthy, fearless outsider. His behavior is not merely hedonistic; he appears to be testing the social environment and attracting attention for a larger purpose.
• Sheryl: Presents herself as flirtatious, confident, and socially adept. She quickly recognizes Sifa’s wealth and engages him, though her reaction becomes more cautious when Morton appears.
• Morton: Reveals himself as possessive, nationalistic, and easily provoked. His attempt to use money to remove Sifa exposes both his jealousy and his wounded pride.
• The bartender and bar patrons: Their reactions show how strongly wealth influences social status in the bar. Sifa’s generosity immediately earns him attention and approval from the women while provoking resentment among some men.

Significant Themes

• Money as power and social influence: Sifa uses wealth to command attention, gain access, and dominate social interactions.
• Postwar nationalism and resentment: The tension between Sifa as a Loen man and the Intis patrons reflects lingering hostility after the war.
• Performance and identity: Sifa adopts the name “William Wilfoss” and performs the role of a wealthy, provocative gentleman, suggesting that appearances and calculated behavior are central to his mission.
• Masculinity and wounded pride: Morton and the surrounding men interpret Sifa’s flirtation as a challenge to their national and masculine status.
• Luxury amid political turmoil: The bar’s elegant, carefree atmosphere contrasts with the recent war, highlighting how the wealthy remain insulated from broader unrest.

Character Interactions

• Sifa’s interactions with the guards establish him as a welcome, wealthy customer.
• His exchange with the bartender shows how easily generosity transforms indifference into enthusiasm.
• His flirtation with Sheryl is designed both to entertain and to provoke the men around them.
• Morton’s confrontation turns the encounter into a contest of national pride and financial power.
• Sifa wins the exchange by dramatically outspending Morton, reinforcing his constructed image as an extravagant and untouchable gentleman.

Chapter Summary: “Causing Trouble”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sifa deliberately provokes a confrontation in a bar by flaunting his wealth, offering the bartender increasingly large sums of money and mocking Morton, a recently returned soldier.
• Morton attacks Sifa, but Sifa reveals himself as a Beyonder and defeats him with flames. When another patron draws a revolver, Sifa burns his wrist and then drives the remaining men into hiding with repeated fireballs.
• After wrecking the bar, Sifa compensates the bartender with the pile of gold coins. He theatrically kisses Sheryl’s hand and leaves, turning the incident into both a spectacle and a romantic performance.
• The police question the witnesses. Morton denounces Sifa as a dangerous lunatic, while Sheryl praises him as an ideal, romantic, and powerful man.
• Over the following week, Sifa repeatedly causes disturbances in Trier’s bars and publicly displays his extraordinary abilities.
• Sifa explains to Sharron that this behavior is intentional: he wants to attract the Iron and Blood Cross Order, an organization interested in Beyonders who openly display their powers. His wealth is meant to make him even more noticeable.
• After a week, Sifa visits the Trak Club, a middle-class and aristocratic club, where his lavish spending has helped him gain entry.
• He meets James Robert, the gentleman who sponsored his membership and invited him to a high-stakes card game. Sifa suspects James and the other players intend to cheat him, possibly with the assistance of Beyonders.
• James introduces Sifa to Paul, who demands that anyone entering the game provide at least 1,000 pounds in cash. Sifa calmly produces a bank draftbook from Gustav Bank, demonstrating that he possesses the required wealth and surprising Paul.

Character Developments

• Sifa becomes increasingly bold, theatrical, and calculated. His public provocations are not random acts of violence but part of a deliberate strategy to attract the Iron and Blood Cross Order. He combines wealth, charm, and supernatural power to construct an attention-grabbing identity.
• Sharron observes Sifa’s behavior with restrained curiosity. Although her expression remains largely emotionless, she understands and accepts his explanation once he reveals his plan.
• Sheryl is captivated by Sifa’s confidence and power, interpreting his performance as romantic and heroic rather than reckless.
• Morton is shown to be hot-tempered and easily provoked. His pride and anger lead him to attack Sifa, only for him to be humiliated and defeated.
• James Robert appears cordial and helpful, but Sifa suspects that his invitation to the card game conceals an attempt to exploit him.
• Paul acts as a gatekeeper for the card game, initially doubting Sifa’s status and financial ability. His skepticism is undermined when Sifa reveals his connection to Gustav Bank.

Significant Themes

• Strategic self-presentation: Sifa uses spectacle to create a reputation and draw the attention of a specific organization.
• The visibility of supernatural power: The chapter contrasts ordinary people’s fear and fascination with the deliberate public display of Beyonder abilities.
• Wealth as influence and protection: Sifa’s money allows him to enter elite circles, compensate for destruction, and strengthen the persona he is creating.
• Performance and manipulation: Sifa treats both conflict and social interaction as performances, using mockery, romance, and confidence to control how others perceive him.
• Risk and calculated danger: Although Sifa repeatedly puts himself in dangerous situations, he does so with a clear objective and confidence in his abilities.

Character Interactions

• Sifa and Morton clash after Sifa mocks him and appears to flirt provocatively with Sheryl. Their confrontation allows Sifa to reveal his fire-based powers.
• Sifa and Sheryl share a playful, staged romantic exchange after the fight, with Sifa kissing her hand and presenting himself as a gallant gentleman.
• Sifa explains his larger plan to Sharron, who silently recognizes the logic behind his repeated disturbances.
• James welcomes Sifa to the Trak Club and positions himself as his sponsor, while Sifa remains wary of his motives.
• Paul challenges Sifa’s right to join the card game, but Sifa’s bank draftbook establishes his wealth and leaves Paul with little grounds for rejection.

Sifa joined James and his associates for a Texas Hold’em game, pretending to lose control after winning some money. He revealed a royal flush and swept a pot worth tens of thousands of pounds.

• Sifa signed a promissory note for ten thousand pounds and went with James and Paul to the card room.
• James introduced Sifa to Lambert, Hanliff, and Drouf, whose glances with James and Paul revealed that they worked together.
• Sifa played cautiously at first, then acted recklessly and raised the stakes until Paul, Hanliff, and Drouf called his all-in bet.
• Sifa left briefly while the waiter secured the cards, then returned as the game resumed.
• Drouf showed two pairs, Hanliff showed a flush, and Paul showed a full house before Sifa revealed the ace and ten of clubs for a royal flush.

Summary: “An Expected Interception”

Key Plot Points and Events

• During a Texas Hold’em game, Sifa—posing as Mr. William—wins with an apparently impossible royal flush. Paul and Drouf recognize that William’s hole cards had previously appeared to be the ten of hearts and seven of spades, but they cannot accuse him without admitting they illegally peeked at his cards.
• William excuses himself, allowing the Scholar of Yore to replace him and use its abilities to produce the royal flush. His earlier apparent winning streak was also deliberately staged to encourage James, Paul, Drouf, and Hanliff to wager heavily.
• After winning two heavy cases of money, Sifa leaves in a hired carriage. He buys the carriage from the driver, dismisses him, and has the Scholar of Yore impersonate the driver so that he can continue traveling without exposing himself.
• As expected, James and the others arrange an ambush. Fireballs destroy the carriage, and Sifa escapes while pretending to be an ordinary Sequence 7 Pyromaniac.
• Sifa carefully limits his displayed strength, allowing the attackers to believe that their weakening abilities and attacks are effective. He identifies three hired Sequence 7 Beyonders: a Briber with a Barbarian background, a Magician, and another attacker using air bullets.
• He intentionally appears injured and confused, concealing his true abilities while counterattacking with controlled flames. After drawing out the attackers, he retreats into an alley to end the performance.
• There, he encounters a Sequence 5 Reaper who identifies himself as a Hunter and attempts to lead Sifa away. Sifa realizes that this man belongs to the Iron and Blood Cross Order—the organization he intentionally wanted to attract.

Character Developments

• Sifa/Mr. William: Demonstrates careful planning, confidence, and exceptional control over his abilities. He manipulates both the card game and the ambush, using the Scholar of Yore, disguises, staged weakness, and controlled combat to achieve his real objective: gaining the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s attention.
• The Scholar of Yore: Serves as Sifa’s substitute and assistant, creating the royal flush and later impersonating the carriage driver.
• Paul, James, Drouf, and Hanliff: Shift from suspicious gamblers to conspirators. Once they realize William has won a large sum, they organize an expensive retaliation rather than accept the loss.
• The attackers: Their coordinated assault reveals that Sifa’s opponents have access to powerful Beyonders and considerable resources, but they are ultimately misled by his false display of weakness.
• The Sequence 5 Reaper: Represents a far more significant and dangerous figure than the hired attackers, confirming Sifa’s suspicion that the ambush is connected to the Iron and Blood Cross Order.

Significant Themes

• Deception and performance: Sifa’s victory and escape depend on convincing others to believe false appearances, from the royal flush to his apparent injuries.
• Preparation and calculated risk: Every stage of the plan—from provoking the gamblers to buying the carriage—is designed around anticipating the enemy’s response.
• Power concealment: Sifa deliberately suppresses his true strength, showing that information and misdirection can be more valuable than overwhelming force.
• Greed and retaliation: The gamblers’ inability to accept their losses leads them to spend heavily on an ambush, ironically increasing Sifa’s profit and furthering his plans.
• Strategic self-exposure: Sifa makes himself conspicuous on purpose, turning danger into a method of attracting the organization he seeks.

Character Interactions

• Paul nearly exposes the card trick by blurting out that William’s hole cards were different, but William turns the accusation back on him by asking whether he had peeked.
• James protects Paul by reframing his words as mere surprise, while Hanliff reminds the group that they have already prepared an ambush.
• During the attack, Sifa allows the Briber and Magician to believe they have weakened and injured him, encouraging them to become careless.
• The final interaction with the Reaper marks the transition from a revenge ambush to Sifa’s intended encounter with the Iron and Blood Cross Order.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sifa is approached by a Reaper named Jerry Collins after an attack distracts the interceptors pursuing him. Though cautious, Sifa agrees to follow Jerry to a warehouse in the Factory District.
• Jerry reveals that he belongs to the Iron and Blood Cross Order, a secret organization composed entirely of Hunters. He explains that the official Beyonders have noticed Sifa and warns that he will soon be arrested or forced into serving the authorities if he remains unaffiliated.
• Jerry offers Sifa protection and freedom to use his abilities, while explaining that the organization worships the True Creator and seeks to expose the supernatural world to the public.
• Sifa does not commit immediately. He agrees to consider the offer and receives instructions to contact Reed Parker at the Fire Dragon Bar if he decides to join.
• Following Jerry’s warning, Sifa avoids his old hotel and checks into the cat-filled Orange Cat Hotel. A blue cat follows him into his room.
• Sharron arrives and informs Sifa that the hotel is being watched. Sifa reveals that he already knows and intends to delay responding to the Iron and Blood Cross Order so that he does not appear desperate to join.
• Through the Gray Fog, Sifa receives a message from Fors, who asks Mr. Fool to arrange a meeting with Mr. Chariot concerning her teacher’s family.
• In Backlund, Fors prepares to teleport to meet Sifa. Xio jokingly assumes the meeting may be romantic, but Fors clarifies that it concerns an important matter involving her teacher.

Character Developments

• Sifa continues to demonstrate strong Hunter instincts: he remains alert, positions himself near exits, questions Jerry carefully, and chooses new accommodations rather than returning to a monitored hotel. He also shows strategic patience by delaying his response to the Iron and Blood Cross Order.
• Jerry Collins presents himself as persuasive and pragmatic. He emphasizes both the dangers Sifa faces and the personal freedom the Order could provide, while revealing its radical goal of making the supernatural public.
• Sharron remains a dependable aide. She observes the surveillance around Sifa and supports his plan without questioning his motives.
• Fors displays unusual energy and determination as she prepares to meet Sifa, emphasizing the importance of the information concerning her teacher’s family.
• Xio provides a lighter, more ordinary perspective through her teasing and curiosity about Sifa’s identity.

Significant Themes

• Caution and survival: Sifa’s careful movements, suspicion, and avoidance of predictable locations reflect the dangers of being watched by both official and unofficial forces.
• Freedom versus authority: Jerry frames the choice as one between joining the Order and retaining personal freedom or submitting to restrictive official organizations.
• Manipulation and appearances: Sifa deliberately delays his decision to avoid appearing desperate, showing how both sides use impressions and timing as strategic tools.
• The secrecy of the supernatural: The Iron and Blood Cross Order’s goal of revealing the supernatural challenges the established system of concealment maintained by orthodox churches and authorities.
• Trust and alliances: Sifa must weigh the risks of accepting help from a dangerous secret organization while relying on allies such as Sharron and the Tarot Club.

Character Interactions

• Sifa and Jerry Collins: Jerry attempts to recruit Sifa by warning him of official persecution and promising protection and freedom. Sifa listens but remains noncommittal and cautious.
• Sifa and Sharron: Sharron reports the hotel surveillance, while Sifa explains his deliberate plan to keep the Order waiting. Their exchange shows mutual trust and efficient cooperation.
• Sifa and Fors: Fors indirectly contacts Sifa through the Gray Fog to request a meeting about her teacher’s family.
• Fors and Xio: Xio jokes that Fors may be dating Mr. Chariot, but Fors quickly corrects her. Their conversation adds humor and highlights their close friendship.

Chapter Summary: “Infiltrator”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xifa arrives in Backlund disguised with the Thousand-Faced Traveler mask, making himself appear ordinary and preventing anyone from connecting him to the supposedly deceased Vice Admiral Xifa Disraeli.
• He observes that the East Borough has fewer residents and many unrepaired buildings, but the postwar economy has created more jobs. The people appear less hopeless than before.
• Xifa meets Fors, the Magician, at a safe house. She tells him that her teacher has provided two Spirit World coordinates containing Demigod-level Monsters from the Apprentice and Marauder pathways.
• Fors transports Xifa into the Spirit World to hunt a Marauder-pathway creature known as an Infiltrator, which can parasitize Spirit World creatures and hide within them.
• They reach a bizarre floating street formed from tightly packed buildings and tangled bridges. Xifa seals the entire area inside a massive ice barrier so the monster cannot escape.
• Xifa summons a projection of Admiral Aemilius, who issues the Decree: “Parasitism is forbidden here.” The Infiltrator is forcibly expelled from its host, revealing itself as a writhing lump of flesh.
• The creature attempts to parasitize its host again but fails. Xifa then uses controlled flames to destroy the surrounding buildings and expose the monster, while deliberately limiting the attack so it will survive.
• The chapter ends with the entire sealed street engulfed in flames, turning the ice enclosure into a gigantic glowing “streetlamp,” as Xifa continues the attempt to capture the Infiltrator alive.

Character Developments

• Xifa demonstrates his growing confidence and power as an Angel. He quickly analyzes the Infiltrator’s abilities, combines multiple powers effectively, and uses overwhelming force with careful control.
• His disguise reflects his continued need for secrecy and his separation from his former identity as Vice Admiral Xifa Disraeli.
• Fors remains outwardly composed but is internally nervous around Xifa, feeling that his gaze can penetrate her secrets. Her fear and awe show that, despite becoming a Demigod, she still feels a significant psychological gap between herself and an Angel.
• Fors’s smoking habit and writing career are indirectly highlighted, particularly when Xifa asks about her novels. She briefly worries that he knows too much about her real-world identity.
• Admiral Aemilius’s projection serves as a powerful tool in Xifa’s strategy, using a Decree to neutralize the Infiltrator’s main survival method.

Significant Themes

• Identity and concealment: Xifa’s disguise and presumed death allow him to move through Backlund unseen, emphasizing the dangers and advantages of hidden identities.
• Power and intimidation: Xifa’s casual, destructive fighting style contrasts with Fors’s expectations and reinforces the overwhelming difference between Angels and Demigods.
• Control versus destruction: Although Xifa uses massive flames and destroys the entire environment, he carefully restrains the attack to capture rather than kill the target.
• Postwar recovery: The East Borough remains damaged, but increased employment and faint signs of happiness suggest the beginnings of social recovery.
• Fear before superior power: Fors’s unease shows that advancement in status does not eliminate vulnerability when facing someone vastly stronger.

Character Interactions

• Xifa and Fors cooperate professionally, with Fors providing transportation and information while Xifa leads the hunt.
• Fors’s nervousness contrasts with Xifa’s relaxed attitude; he casually asks about her novels, while she worries that he may know her identity and fears being drawn into repeated missions.
• Fors reacts with shock to Xifa’s brutal-looking tactics and reminds him that the Infiltrator must be captured alive.
• Xifa reassures this concern through his actions: despite the apparent devastation, his flames are controlled and intended to eliminate the monster’s hiding places rather than kill it.

Chapter Summary: “Dispute”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fors returns to Backlund with Mr. Chariot after he captures two Demigod-level Monsters in the Spirit World.
• Mr. Chariot demonstrates overwhelming power: he seals the area, destroys every obstacle, creates projections of Sequence 4 Demigods, and coordinates them to capture the targets alive. Fors is deeply shaken by the display and reflects on how terrifying Angels are.
• Fors delivers the two captured Monsters, sealed inside a music box, to her teacher Dorian Gray Abraham. Dorian is astonished that two difficult Demigods were captured in only one day.
• Dorian brings Fors to a secret gathering of Abraham Family members. The family now possesses three Demigod-level Monsters, enough to serve as sacrifices for a ritual intended to help their First Ancestor return.
• Dorian argues that the ritual should not be performed immediately. The family must first investigate the First Ancestor’s current condition and prepare safeguards in case she returns while still insane.
• Verdu strongly objects, accusing Dorian of abandoning his family by converting to the Fool and involving Fors, an outsider. He insists that he alone should bear any sacrifice if necessary, then leaves via Teleportation.
• The remaining family members agree to preserve the sacrifices and postpone the ritual until they understand the risks more fully.

Character Developments

• Fors gains a clearer understanding of the immense gap between her own power and that of an Angel. Her admiration and fear of Mr. Chariot intensify, while her concern for Dorian and the Abraham Family shows her growing loyalty and maturity.
• Mr. Chariot is portrayed as extraordinarily powerful, efficient, and methodical. His ability to overwhelm multiple Demigod-level Monsters makes clear that he could have killed them easily if capture had not been required.
• Dorian Gray Abraham demonstrates caution and responsibility. Although he wants the First Ancestor restored and Abraham’s glory recovered, he prioritizes the family’s survival over reckless action.
• Verdu is revealed to be intensely devoted to the Abraham Family and its First Ancestor. His willingness to sacrifice himself reflects courage and loyalty, but his hostility and inflexibility make him unwilling to accept outside advice.
• The Abraham Family collectively shows greater prudence than Verdu, agreeing that the ritual requires further preparation.

Significant Themes

• The terrifying power of higher-level Beyonders: Mr. Chariot’s effortless domination of Demigod-level beings emphasizes the vast difference between Demigods and Angels.
• Caution versus blind loyalty: The central dispute concerns whether devotion to the First Ancestor justifies immediate action or whether careful preparation is necessary.
• Family identity and belonging: Verdu questions whether Dorian is still truly an Abraham after converting to the Fool, highlighting tensions between tradition, personal allegiance, and survival.
• Responsibility and sacrifice: The family must decide who bears the risks of reviving the First Ancestor, while Dorian argues that sacrifice should not be undertaken without understanding the consequences.
• Trust and outsiders: Fors’s participation challenges the family’s insularity, as she is both Dorian’s student and a powerful Demigod despite not being an Abraham.

Important Character Interactions

• Fors and Mr. Chariot part after returning from the Spirit World, with Fors privately expressing awe at his abilities.
• Dorian reacts with disbelief and excitement when Fors reveals that the two Monsters have been captured.
• During the family meeting, Dorian presents Fors as a legitimate participant because she is his student and a Demigod.
• Verdu rejects Fors’s involvement and attacks Dorian’s loyalty to the Abraham Family, creating the chapter’s main confrontation.
• Dorian and the other family members ultimately choose patience and preservation over Verdu’s more impulsive approach.

Chapter Summary: “Sense of Crisis”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the music box is placed in a safe, Verdu secretly returns, drugs the guard with cigarette smoke, and replaces the real music box with an identical imitation. He then escapes using “Travel.”
• In Trier, members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order monitor Sifa, who is hiding under the identity Mr. William in a hotel.
• Jerry Collins reveals that Sifa possesses at least fifty thousand pounds, making him a valuable potential source of funding for the Order.
• Jerry deliberately leaks Sifa’s location to the police to create a sense of danger and force him to seek protection from the Iron and Blood Cross Order.
• Sifa realizes that Jerry is manipulating events and understands that the Order’s plan is to drive him into their arms. Since they fail to act quickly enough, Sifa considers creating the crisis himself if necessary.
• When police and official Beyonders finally surround the hotel, Jerry detonates a fireball against the hotel sign as a warning.
• Sifa escapes through the washroom window and runs through the back alleys while pursued by police and an official Beyonder.
• Jerry secretly assists Sifa by deflecting a Flame Spear with a Fireball, allowing Sifa to flee and catch a passing carriage.
• Later that night, Sifa disguises himself and goes to the working-class Fire Dragon Bar, where he asks the bartender for Reed Parker.

Character Developments

• Verdu demonstrates skill, stealth, and preparation by replacing the music box without detection, suggesting he has his own agenda involving the artifact.
• Jerry Collins is shown to be an expert manipulator and a “Conspirer.” He carefully engineers a crisis to pressure Sifa into cooperating and donating money to the Order.
• Sifa remains calm and perceptive. He immediately sees through Jerry’s strategy and even considers manufacturing danger himself to advance his own plans. During the escape, he deliberately limits his displayed abilities to those appropriate for a Sequence 7.
• The mustached Order member acts as Jerry’s assistant, helping monitor Sifa and prepare the police operation.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and counter-manipulation: Jerry attempts to control Sifa through fear, but Sifa recognizes the scheme and uses the situation to his own advantage.
• Creating a sense of crisis: The chapter emphasizes how danger can be deliberately manufactured to force someone into making a desired choice.
• Hidden agendas and deception: Verdu’s theft and substitution of the music box, as well as the Order’s surveillance, show that appearances and stated intentions cannot be trusted.
• Resourcefulness and controlled identity: Sifa survives by maintaining his disguise, limiting his abilities, and exploiting the environment.
• Economic hardship and social unrest: The Fire Dragon Bar is filled with unemployed workers affected by factory closures and the war, highlighting Trier’s instability and class conditions.

Character Interactions

• Jerry and his partner discuss how to pressure Sifa into joining or funding the Iron and Blood Cross Order.
• Sifa internally analyzes Jerry’s plan and anticipates the Order’s intended actions.
• Jerry indirectly helps Sifa escape by destroying the hotel sign and later deflecting the Flame Spear, ensuring Sifa reaches the bar safely.
• The chapter ends with Sifa initiating contact with the bartender and asking for Reed Parker, setting up his next move.

Sifa met Reed Parker through Jerry Collins and agreed to join the Iron and Blood Cross Order so he could get closer to its headquarters. He was taken to one of the Order’s bases, where Jerry welcomed him and asked what he needed to do to join.

• Sifa found Reed Parker’s contact at a bar, placed a bet on a cage fighter, and proved his identity by conjuring a fiery whip.
• Reed Parker confirmed Jerry Collins had instructed him to help Sifa, and Sifa agreed to join the Iron and Blood Cross Order.
• A woman used a harmonica to make Sifa drowsy, but he resisted and pretended to fall asleep as the Order carried him to a manor outside Trier.
• Sifa realized the manor was only one of the Order’s bases and abandoned his plan to abduct Jerry Collins to learn the headquarters’ location.
• Jerry Collins entered the study, welcomed Sifa, and Sifa asked what he needed to do to join.

Sifa joined the Iron and Blood Cross Order by donating 10,000 pounds, then planned with Sharron to pressure the group into revealing its headquarters. That night, an unknown figure captured a man in Trier and demanded information about the Order’s local members.

• Jerry Collins accepted Sifa as a member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order after Sifa donated 10,000 pounds and promised to help him with his trouble in Trier.
• Sharron met Sifa at the Clover Hotel, where he explained that he wanted to discover the Order’s headquarters without making its members suspicious.
• Sifa planned to withdraw his remaining funds and asked Sharron to attack Reed Parker and other agents to make Jerry Collins seek help from headquarters.
• In Trier’s Factory District, an unseen attacker dragged a man into a warehouse and questioned him about the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s members in the city.

Toma tortured an Iron and Blood Cross Order member in Trier and learned that Mr. Jerry Collins was in charge there, with Reed Parker at the Fire Dragon Bar as his contact. Meanwhile, Nefi investigated suspicious figures following the Abidos expedition and captured one of them to question him.

• Toma threatened and tormented a captive with zombies until the man revealed Mr. Jerry Collins's name and directed him to Reed Parker at the Fire Dragon Bar.
• Toma killed the captive and told someone in the shadows to summon Hobbes for the coming show.
• Grey Wolf told Nefi that suspicious people might belong to nomadic tribes that preyed on passing caravans, and Nefi agreed to track them.
• Nefi followed the expedition's pursuers and captured one man after the group used a silent whistle and a black bird to communicate.
• Nefi woke the captive in a deserted place and asked him in Ancient Feysac who he was.

Chapter Summary: “All Sides”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nefi encounters a tracker from the Southern Continent’s Black Cloud tribe. Following Sifa’s instructions, she knocks him unconscious and captures the other trackers as well.
• Grey Wolf interrogates the captives with the help of an interpreter, combining punishment and divination to extract information.
• The trackers reveal that the Black Cloud tribe has been warned and plans to attack the expedition after it leaves Green Forest Road.
• Nefi is confident the group can defeat them, while a war priest suggests capturing the tribe’s leader to facilitate the spread of their faith. The expedition team develops a surprise-attack plan.
• In Trier, Chapman welcomes his wife Meli’s supposed elder sister, Catherine, into his home. He is immediately captivated by Catherine’s beauty and begins imagining an affair with her.
• After arriving at the villa, Catherine reveals that she is actually the Demoness Sect’s Black Saint, while Meli is a Sequence 6 Demoness of Pleasure.
• Catherine orders Meli to locate Don Quixote of the Iron and Blood Cross Order. She explains that the Order possesses two Conqueror characteristics stolen from the Demoness Sect after the traitor Katarina defected.
• Catherine intends to recover the characteristics, prevent the Order from obtaining another, and punish Katarina.
• Two days later, an unidentified figure appears in a window across from the Fire Dragon Bar, setting up the next development.

Character Developments

• Nefi demonstrates her overwhelming physical strength and direct, decisive nature. She is effective at capturing enemies but lacks interrogation skills, recognizing the need to rely on specialists.
• Grey Wolf proves resourceful and capable, using divination and interrogation techniques to quickly uncover the trackers’ origins and plans.
• Meli is revealed to be a subordinate of the Demoness Sect and a powerful Beyonder in her own right, despite presenting herself publicly as a gentle, innocent wife.
• Catherine is exposed as the disguised Black Saint of the Demoness Sect. Her calm authority and strategic priorities show her high status and determination to protect the sect’s interests.
• Chapman appears outwardly affectionate and generous, but his thoughts reveal lust, vanity, and a willingness to betray his wife if given the opportunity.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The Black Cloud trackers, Meli, and Catherine all conceal important truths beneath their outward appearances.
• Power and manipulation: Both Grey Wolf’s interrogation and Catherine’s use of Meli show how information and weaker individuals can be controlled to serve larger objectives.
• Religious expansion and conquest: The expedition plans not merely to defeat the Black Cloud tribe but to capture its leader and spread their faith.
• Desire and corruption: Chapman’s obsession with Catherine contrasts with Meli’s hidden identity and highlights the dangers of lust, deception, and moral hypocrisy.
• Factional conflict: The Demoness Sect and Iron and Blood Cross Order are competing for Conqueror characteristics, making supernatural resources central to their struggle.

Character Interactions

• Nefi and the trackers: Nefi overwhelms and captures them without communication, relying on force.
• Grey Wolf and the captives: Grey Wolf uses an interpreter, interrogation, and divination to extract their intelligence.
• Nefi, Grey Wolf, and the war priest: They cooperate in planning a surprise attack and considering how to exploit the tribe’s leader.
• Chapman and Meli: Their affectionate marital exchange hides Chapman’s shallow, sensual fixation and Meli’s concealed allegiance.
• Chapman and Catherine: Chapman is immediately enthralled by Catherine, while she remains distant and focused on her mission.
• Meli and Catherine: Once alone, Meli submits respectfully to Catherine, revealing their true hierarchy and the façade of their family relationship.

Sifa sent Sharron to attack the Fire Dragon Bar and pressure the Iron and Blood Cross Order, but an unknown Wraith possessed Reed Parker and turned the bar into a massacre. The incident revealed that remnants of the Rose School had reached the Intis Republic to seek revenge, and Sifa and Sharron left as the bar burned.

• Sifa instructed Sharron to attack the Fire Dragon Bar but spare Reed Parker so he could raise the alarm.
• Sharron entered the card room and waited for Reed Parker, then sensed another unusual presence.
• An unknown Wraith possessed Reed Parker and made him shoot two women and two guards before setting the bar on fire.
• Reed Parker shouted Mr. Don Quixote's regards to the Iron and Blood Cross Order, then shot himself as the fire consumed him.
• Sharron told Sifa that she had not caused the massacre, and Sifa recognized that the Rose School remnants had already reached the Intis Republic to retaliate against the Order.
• Sifa ended his projection and left, while Sharron escaped through the Mirror World.

Jerry Collins learned that the Iron and Blood Cross Order had been blamed for Don Quixote’s actions and ordered its members to lie low while William investigated the attack. At Congressman Chapman’s residence, Catherine learned that the Fire Dragon Bar had been destroyed and sent Meli to identify who was targeting the Order and Don Quixote.

• Jerry Collins and Arnold Nielsen connected Reid’s dying message about Don Quixote to reports of an Angel who had been mistaken for a member of the Iron and Blood Cross Order.
• Jerry ordered the Order’s members to return to their bases, told Arnold to notify Tony, and assigned the investigation to William as a test of his abilities.
• Meli told Catherine that Reed Parker had killed people and set fire to the Fire Dragon Bar before taking his own life with a message about the Order and Don Quixote.
• Catherine considered possible causes for Reed’s actions and instructed Meli to discover who was targeting the Order and Don Quixote, offering them assistance.

Arnold Nielsen sent William to investigate the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s missing members and the murder of Reed Parker. Disguised as a worker at the Flying Fish Warehouse, Sifa anticipated a Rose School probe, then saw phantoms attack the workers.

• Arnold Nielsen told William that Reed Parker had killed several people at the Fire Dragon Bar before setting it ablaze and taking his own life, and that the Order suspected he had been controlled.
• Arnold asked William to investigate the Flying Fish Warehouse, where several Order members had last been seen, and William agreed.
• After Arnold left, Sifa told Sharron he knew the Rose School was behind the attacks but wanted to discover where they were hiding.
• Sifa disguised himself as a dock worker and searched the Flying Fish Warehouse, finding no traces of the Rose School’s cleanup.
• Sifa’s spiritual intuition alerted him to phantoms emerging from the ground, and he realized the Rose School was testing the workers to expose any Beyonders.

Chapter Summary: “Tracking and Being Tracked”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hobbes, a Demigod of the Rose School, secretly observes the Flying Fish Warehouse through a mirror. He controls Phantoms to test the workers, suspecting that members of the Iron and Blood Cross Order may be among them.
• Hobbes deliberately caused the previous night’s massacre—possessing Reed Parker, killing him, and burning down the bar—to lure the Iron and Blood Cross Order into investigating the warehouse.
• When the Phantoms attack, the workers merely complain about the cold rather than panicking or using Beyonder abilities. Hobbes wonders whether they are ordinary workers or trained Beyonders concealing their abilities.
• Rather than capture them and risk frightening away the Order’s more important members, Hobbes withdraws, hoping to draw out a more valuable target.
• Sifa, disguised as the Pyromaniac William Wilfoss, has already detected Hobbes but pretends not to notice him. After work, he returns to the Hunchback Hansen Inn and informs Sharron that a Rose School Demigod is watching the warehouse.
• Sifa chooses not to report the discovery immediately, since doing so would make Jerry Collins suspicious. He plans to delay his report and first determine where the Rose School members are staying so their location can later be exploited.
• Several days later, the Iron and Blood Cross Order discusses William’s investigation. Jerry orders him not to use himself as bait and says they will wait for Tony to return before taking action.
• Jerry and Arnold assess William favorably, considering him bold but not reckless and potentially suitable for recruitment into the Order’s core membership. His wealth is also viewed as an advantage.
• That night, Hobbes observes someone emerging from the ruins of the Fire Dragon Bar and follows them, believing they may be an Iron and Blood Cross Order investigator.
• The mysterious person disappears inside a building, leaving Hobbes unable to track them. Hobbes suspects they used Traveler abilities or a teleportation item.
• Hobbes returns to a Rose School foothold through the Mirror World. As he emerges from a mirror, Sifa—now wearing the Twilight Giant card’s silver-white armor—appears within it, revealing that he has been tracking Hobbes in return.

Character Developments

• Hobbes is shown to be patient, calculating, and focused on drawing out the Order’s senior members rather than wasting resources on minor targets. However, he is frustrated when his pursuit is foiled by teleportation or Traveler abilities.
• Sifa demonstrates strong concealment and strategic discipline. He maintains his William Wilfoss disguise, hides his knowledge from both sides, and carefully delays information to preserve his cover. His appearance as the Twilight Giant marks a more direct move against Hobbes.
• Sharron continues acting as Sifa’s partner and support, ready to assist but allowing him to control the timing of their actions.
• Jerry Collins and Arnold grow more confident in William, judging him reliable, capable, and potentially worthy of recruitment. They also reveal that the Order intends to wait for Tony before launching a major operation.

Significant Themes

• Mutual surveillance and deception: Both sides believe they are investigating the other, but Sifa is secretly tracking Hobbes while maintaining a false identity within the Order.
• Patience and strategic restraint: Hobbes avoids exposing his larger plan by attacking unimportant workers, while Sifa delays reporting his discovery to protect his cover and gather more information.
• Bait and counter-bait: Hobbes created the massacre to lure the Order into action, while Sifa and the Order are themselves using investigations and possible bait tactics to expose the Rose School.
• Trust and recruitment: The Order’s favorable opinion of William shows how successfully Sifa has integrated himself into their circle, though his true identity remains hidden.
• Escalation of conflict: The final encounter in the Mirror World suggests that the indirect investigation phase is ending and that Sifa is preparing for a more direct confrontation with Hobbes.

Character Interactions

• Hobbes observes and tests the warehouse workers through his Phantoms but does not directly confront them.
• Sifa and Sharron discuss the Rose School Demigod and coordinate their deception strategy.
• Jerry and Arnold evaluate William’s performance, with Jerry emphasizing his wealth and potential value to the Order.
• Hobbes follows a suspected Order member, only to lose him through an apparent teleportation technique.
• The chapter ends with Sifa confronting Hobbes indirectly inside the Mirror World, reversing the hunter-and-prey dynamic.

Chapter Summary: “Alliance”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After several days of inactivity, Sifa begins taking a more serious approach to locating the Rose School and the Iron and Blood Cross Order.
• Sharron discovers that the Rose School has been monitoring the Fire Dragon Bar, one of the sites connected to the recent incidents in Trier.
• Sifa uses a Pyromaniac projection as bait to lure Hobbes into a building. He then disguises himself as a Wraith and follows Hobbes through the Mirror World to the Rose School’s hideout.
• The hideout is a shabby gravekeeper’s cottage in a cemetery. Sifa overhears Hobbes and Toma discussing their lack of progress and considering praying to Suah for guidance.
• Catherine, the Black Saint of the Demoness Sect, suddenly appears through the window and reveals that she shares a common enemy with the Rose School: Don Quixote.
• Catherine explains that Katarina, the former White Saintess, has betrayed the Demoness Sect and allied with Don Quixote. Her explanation and overwhelming aura convince Hobbes and Toma that she is sincere and far more powerful than they are.
• Catherine proposes a joint ambush: the Rose School will deliberately expose itself to attract the Iron and Blood Cross Order, while Catherine waits in hiding to strike. The Rose School receives permission from Suah to proceed.
• Sifa returns to the inn and informs Sharron of the Rose School’s location and Catherine’s alliance with them.

Character Developments

• Sifa becomes more proactive and tactical, using deception, disguises, and surveillance to uncover the Rose School’s hideout. He also continues manipulating events so that rival factions target one another.
• Sharron remains a reliable intelligence-gatherer and practical adviser. She suggests that Sifa secretly help the Iron and Blood Cross Order if they are close to being destroyed.
• Hobbes and Toma are shown to be frustrated by their failure to locate their enemies. Their willingness to cooperate with Catherine demonstrates both their caution and their recognition of her superior power.
• Catherine emerges as a powerful and calculating ally. She seeks revenge against Don Quixote and Katarina while using the Rose School to create an opportunity for attack.
• Katarina is established as a former saintess who has betrayed the Demoness Sect and now works with Don Quixote.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and indirect conflict: Sifa, Catherine, and the various factions all attempt to use others as bait or shields rather than confront their enemies directly.
• Temporary alliances: Former enemies cooperate when facing a greater common threat, though their goals remain separate and potentially conflicting.
• Deception and suspicion: Catherine emphasizes the danger of Conspirers and the need to make the trap appear accidental. Trust is limited, even among allies.
• Power and hierarchy: Catherine’s aura immediately establishes her status as an Angel, forcing the Rose School’s Demigods to treat her with respect and accept her proposal.
• Sifa’s strategic self-interest: He views the conflict as a way to expose the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s headquarters, while also hoping they survive long enough to remain useful.

Character Interactions

• Sifa secretly observes Hobbes and Toma before Catherine interrupts their discussion.
• Catherine confronts the Rose School directly, reassures them that she is not their enemy, and explains her conflict with Katarina and Don Quixote.
• Hobbes and Toma cautiously accept Catherine’s proposal after recognizing her power and apparent sincerity.
• Sifa later reports the development to Sharron, who encourages him to intervene if the Iron and Blood Cross Order is threatened with total destruction.

Jerry Collins identified the Rose School as the likely enemy and sent the Iron and Blood Cross Order to surround the Rest Cemetery, where Tony Dawn confronted the Rose School’s Demigods. Sifa secretly substituted a Pyromaniac projection for himself as the battle began, and Hobbes launched a petrifying attack at Tony.

• Jerry Collins told Tony Dawn that William Wilfoss’s investigation pointed to the Rose School and the Rest Cemetery as the enemy’s hideout.
• Tony ordered the Iron and Blood Cross Order to surround the cemetery and prepare for battle.
• Arnold brought Sifa to the woods outside the cemetery, where Sifa secretly replaced himself with a Pyromaniac projection to conceal his identity.
• Tony confronted Toma and Hobbes at the cemetery, demanded to know why they had attacked, and offered to let them leave if they handed over Reed Parker’s killer.
• Hobbes threw a mirror near Tony, and a gray-white mass surged from it, petrifying weeds as it spread toward him.