Chapter Summaries

Lord of Mysteries: Starting as a Reader
1638 summaries

Ch. 661Fallen Meteor

Chapter Summary: “Fallen Meteor”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Bernadette, Isabella, and Bruna assess the treasures recovered from the ruins. Their most important gains are:
    • A card containing a sealed Demigod-level bizarre creature.
    • A map detailing the ruins’ facilities and the Card of Blasphemy combinations needed to access them.
    • A dangerous notebook containing occult knowledge written by the Underworld Emperor.
  • Isabella concludes that the ruins were likely a laboratory jointly created by the Underworld Emperor and the Black Emperor to investigate realms beyond the True God level. She speculates that an accident during these experiments may have caused the later Pale Disaster.
  • The group agrees that the notebook should eventually be returned to the Death Archon. Bernadette reveals that he is currently in Backlund and that the ruins’ central area may require the Red Priest, Black Emperor, and Moon cards to enter.
  • Klein summons Emlyn to the Gray Fog and questions him about Lilith’s oracle and the coming Apocalypse. Emlyn becomes a Tarot Club member and chooses “The Moon” as his codename.
  • Klein delays responding to Daly, then visits Old Kohler in the East Borough. Before leaving for a planned southern vacation, he pays Kohler in advance and asks him to continue gathering information.
  • Goddess’s Eye Ilya visits Klein’s home but finds him absent. Suspiciously, she uses mystical means to investigate and utters the name “Edessak.”
  • Klein ends his commission for Prince Edessak after providing misleading but plausible information about Talim. On his way out, he encounters Trissy, who reveals that her full name is Trissy Cheek.
  • The name shocks Klein because Roselle’s diary identified Cheek as the name of the Primordial Demoness.
  • At the chapter’s end, Abner witnesses numerous fireballs falling from the sky toward Backlund’s outskirts, creating a spectacular and ominous scene.

Character Developments

  • Isabella establishes herself as the group’s primary expert in analysis and occult research, taking responsibility for studying the ruins’ map and proposing that the notebook be preserved in the Wisdom Tower.
  • Bernadette demonstrates practicality and diplomacy by resolving the dispute over the notebook and identifying the Death Archon as a suitable intermediary. She also continues moving toward Backlund and the ruins’ deeper secrets.
  • Bruna asserts her connection to the Death God and her duty to reclaim his relics, but accepts Bernadette’s compromise.
  • Emlyn officially joins the Tarot Club as the Moon. His fear of Klein remains evident, but his connection to Lilith and the Sanguine gives him increasing importance in the approaching Apocalypse.
  • Klein continues balancing multiple identities and investigations. He prepares for a temporary absence, protects Old Kohler, and remains increasingly alarmed by the revelations surrounding high-level entities and the Primordial Demoness.
  • Trissy reveals that she has been manipulated and forced into an identity and relationship she did not choose. Her true name connects her directly to one of the most terrifying beings in the setting.
  • Ilya becomes more suspicious of Klein’s network after repeatedly missing people connected to the Desire Apostle investigation.
  • Abner is positioned as a witness to the chapter’s climactic supernatural event.

Significant Themes

  • The Apocalypse and divine preparation: Multiple high-ranking beings—including Lilith, the Earth Mother Goddess, and possibly the Goddess—appear to be preparing agents and investments for the coming Apocalypse.
  • Forbidden knowledge and dangerous experimentation: The ruins and the Underworld Emperor’s notebook reveal attempts to explore powers beyond the True God level, emphasizing the catastrophic consequences of pursuing knowledge beyond mortal limits.
  • Inheritance and legitimacy: Bruna’s claim to the Death God’s relics, the Death Archon’s role, and the importance of the Tarot cards all reflect struggles over bloodline, authority, and succession.
  • Identity and manipulation: Trissy’s forced transformation and renamed identity contrast with Klein’s deliberate use of aliases and roles, highlighting the difference between chosen and imposed identities.
  • Accumulating cosmic danger: The sealed Demigod creature, the Primordial Demoness’s name, the Apocalypse prophecies, and the falling fireballs all suggest that increasingly powerful forces are converging.

Important Character Interactions

  • Isabella and Bernadette cooperate over the card and map, while Isabella and Bruna clash over custody of the Underworld Emperor’s notebook.
  • Bernadette mediates between them by suggesting that Bruna safeguard the notebook before returning it to the Death Archon.
  • Klein interrogates Emlyn and brings him into the Tarot Club, assigning him the Moon identity.
  • Klein supports Old Kohler financially and reassures him before leaving, showing their trusting employer-employee relationship.
  • Ilya’s unsuccessful attempt to find Klein increases her suspicion of his connections.
  • Klein’s encounter with Trissy changes from casual questioning to intense alarm when she gives her full name.
  • Abner’s observation of the falling fireballs provides the chapter’s final transition from private revelations to a large-scale public crisis.
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Ch. 662The Players Before the Great Smog

Chapter Summary: “All Parties Before the Great Smog”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Audrey purchases the Sequence 5 Ocean Songster potion formula from Escalante for 7,000 pounds. To protect the buyer, she keeps both the money and formula until the latter can be verified.
  • During the Tarot Club’s gathering, Audrey learns that Prince Edessak is connected to the Demoness Sect, particularly Witch Trissy, and that a major catastrophe may soon strike Backlund. Mr. Fool also reveals that “Cheek” is the true name of the Primordial Demoness, shocking Audrey.
  • Audrey immediately leaves to warn the countess, while Escalante notices a mysterious tremor beneath the villa.
  • The Demoness Shako receives an oracle from Mr. Fool warning that Edessak may be in danger. Lina, the Demoness of Pleasure, decides to rush to Red Rose Manor, while Shako goes to report the threat to the authorities.
  • A meteor shower suddenly strikes the outskirts of Empress Borough, apparently targeting Red Rose Manor. Lina disappears toward the disaster zone, while Shako seeks assistance from the Church of Storms.
  • Xio reports the Primordial Demoness information to Princess Vera. Vera dismisses the issue temporarily, explaining that she and the Church of Evernight are more concerned with protecting ritual arrangements in Factory and Dock Boroughs.
  • Vera explains that the rituals are designed to reduce extreme emotions and prevent the True Creator from descending amid the coming chaos. She believes the Aurora Order will attempt to destroy the main altar.
  • Near Red Rose Manor, Klein is nearly killed by the meteor shower. Azik rescues him by taking him into the Spirit World, but Ilya pursues them, causing their passage to destabilize.
  • A mysterious quill reveals that Klein, Azik, and Ilya are accidentally transported near Ince Zangwill, Tiest, and a Royal Family Chaos Hunter. A battle between the Demigods begins.
  • Klein recognizes that he cannot contribute to the fight and flees, while Ince notices strange gray fog surrounding him and suspects that Klein possesses unusual protection.
  • At a school in East Borough, Abner summons a Demigod-level Bone Dragon to prepare for the approaching Demoness of Despair, hiding its true appearance behind an illusion.

Character Developments

  • Audrey demonstrates increasing wealth, confidence, and tactical intelligence. She carefully protects her clients’ identities and reputation, yet is visibly shaken by learning the Primordial Demoness’s true name.
  • Escalante remains composed but becomes suspicious of Audrey’s sudden departure and the larger circumstances surrounding the transaction.
  • Lina shows courage and protective instincts by rushing toward Red Rose Manor despite the danger. Her instructions to Shako also reveal her desire to keep her “younger sister” safe.
  • Shako has advanced to the Witch stage and wants to help Lina, but accepts a more indirect and safer mission.
  • Princess Vera is revealed to be pursuing her own advancement. She hopes the crisis will allow her to inherit the characteristics of a fallen Chaos Hunter and advance openly to Sequence 3, while still genuinely trying to save civilians.
  • Xio displays growing mystical knowledge and political awareness, correctly identifying the purpose of Vera’s rituals and understanding the True Creator’s threat.
  • Klein recognizes his limitations in a Demigod-level confrontation and wisely prioritizes survival rather than becoming Azik’s burden.
  • Azik continues to protect Klein, while Ince Zangwill remains wary of him because of their previous confrontation.
  • Abner reveals significant hidden power and urgency by summoning a Bone Dragon, suggesting that he expects his current identity in Backlund to become untenable after the coming disaster.

Significant Themes

  • Impending catastrophe and converging factions: The Demoness Sect, Aurora Order, Churches, Royal Family, and independent Beyonders all prepare for the same approaching crisis, each pursuing different goals.
  • Protection versus self-interest: Characters such as Lina, Azik, Shako, and Vera protect others, but their actions are mixed with personal ambitions, political calculations, or strategic necessity.
  • Knowledge as danger: Learning the Primordial Demoness’s true name has an immediate psychological impact on Audrey, emphasizing the perilous nature of occult knowledge.
  • Chaos and order: Vera’s plans center on preserving order and suppressing extreme emotions, while the True Creator and Aurora Order represent forces that could exploit social unrest and madness.
  • Preparation before disaster: Nearly every major character is forced to choose a role—fighter, messenger, protector, investigator, or survivor—before the Great Smog and the larger Backlund crisis begin.

Important Character Interactions

  • Audrey and Escalante: Audrey negotiates the potion-formula transaction with unusual maturity and caution, while Escalante analyzes her behavior and suspects she may be concealing another objective.
  • Shako and Lina: Shako reports Mr. Fool’s warning, and Lina assigns her a safer task while secretly trying to protect her from the danger at Red Rose Manor.
  • Xio and Vera: Xio brings intelligence about the Demoness Sect, but Vera redirects her attention to defending the Church of Evernight’s anti-chaos rituals.
  • Klein, Azik, and Ilya: Azik rescues Klein from the meteor shower, but Ilya’s pursuit causes all three to be drawn into a dangerous Demigod battlefield.
  • Ince and Klein: Ince notices that Klein survives misfortune that should have affected him, deepening his suspicion that mysterious powers—possibly connected to the gray fog—are shielding Klein.
  • Abner and his students: Abner’s students witness his extraordinary summoning but cannot perceive the Bone Dragon clearly because of the protective illusion.
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Ch. 663The Great Smog and...

Chapter Summary: “Great Smog and…”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Professor Abner abruptly ends his lesson and orders Daisy and the other students to gather the school staff and seek refuge in a nearby church. He leaves on the Bone Dragon, using Psychological Invisibility to travel toward the East Borough.
  • Abner deliberately allows the students to glimpse the Bone Dragon, strengthening his mysterious image and authority so they will obey him without questioning his warning.
  • Panatia, the Despair Nightingale, arrives in East Borough and begins releasing a supernatural plague through the spreading yellow-and-black smog. She kills several vagrants mercifully—or so she claims—and the fog rapidly spreads across the East, Dock, and Factory Boroughs.
  • The smog causes severe respiratory illness, panic, and mass casualties, especially among the elderly, poor, and physically vulnerable. Panatia proudly names the disaster the “Backlund Great Smog Incident.”
  • Abner ambushes Panatia, using the Cursed Tudor Badge and a prepared Prophecy to manipulate and restrict her movements. He fuses with the Bone Dragon through the Pure White Eye and attacks her in close combat.
  • While Abner and Panatia fight, ordinary citizens struggle to survive:
    • Old Kohler collapses from the smog but is rescued by Miss Sharron, who gives him medicine and retrieves his dropped ham.
    • Aitris recognizes the supernatural nature of the fog and sends Freya to a church while returning to rescue her mother.
  • Abner gains the upper hand over Panatia, who is forced to rely on substitutes and loses an arm despite using Black Flame, ice spears, disease, and other abilities.
  • Just as Abner prepares to finish the battle or withdraw, a mysterious Angel-like woman appears. Panatia is erased from existence, but Abner and the Bone Dragon are also suddenly erased, leaving his fate uncertain.

Character Developments

  • Abner/Professor: Demonstrates strategic planning, psychological manipulation, and growing confidence. He uses his teacherly persona and the Bone Dragon to establish authority over his students, then employs preparation and calculated close combat against a powerful Demoness. His willingness to risk himself shows his determination to stop the catastrophe.
  • Panatia, the Despair Nightingale: Reveals her cruel, detached nature by treating the mass deaths as an artistic creation and claiming she is showing mercy to her victims. Despite her confidence and powerful abilities, she becomes increasingly pressured by Abner and ultimately loses her arm before being erased.
  • Daisy and the students: Their awe and trust in Professor deepen after witnessing his supernatural power. Daisy takes immediate responsibility and helps organize the evacuation.
  • Old Kohler: His vulnerability highlights the suffering of ordinary citizens, but his survival is made possible by Miss Sharron’s intervention.
  • Miss Sharron: Shows compassion and practicality by rescuing Kohler and even retrieving the ham he was protecting, suggesting familiarity with Sherlock’s network and concern for ordinary people.
  • Aitris and Freya: Their relationship becomes more emotionally significant. Aitris risks himself to save Freya’s mother, while Freya reluctantly accepts his instructions and heads toward safety.

Significant Themes

  • The fragility of human life: The smog kills impoverished and vulnerable people with terrifying speed, emphasizing how easily ordinary lives can be destroyed.
  • Authority and obedience: Abner consciously constructs a mysterious, supernatural image to make his students trust and follow him during a crisis.
  • Cruelty disguised as mercy: Panatia frames her killings as a kindness compared with dying slowly from the smog, exposing her distorted morality.
  • Heroism amid catastrophe: Characters such as Abner, Miss Sharron, and Aitris risk themselves to protect others, contrasting with Panatia’s detached destruction.
  • Uncertainty and sacrifice: Abner’s final erasure, alongside Panatia’s, leaves the outcome unresolved and suggests that stopping the disaster may require enormous personal risk.
  • The collision of ordinary and supernatural worlds: The Great Smog devastates common citizens while powerful Beyonders and Angels battle within the same streets, largely unseen or misunderstood by the public.

Character Interactions

  • Abner commands Daisy and the students, using fear, mystery, and responsibility to secure their cooperation.
  • Panatia confronts Abner after he taunts her from above, and their battle becomes a contest between her destructive abilities and his preparation, Distortion, and physical assault.
  • Miss Sharron rescues Old Kohler, creating a brief moment of kindness amid widespread death.
  • Aitris urges Freya to flee, then returns alone for her mother, while Freya expresses gratitude and concern for his safety.
  • The mysterious Angel intervenes in Abner and Panatia’s fight, erasing both opponents and abruptly ending the confrontation.
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Ch. 664Hero

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

  • In a Dock Borough warehouse, Xio discovers that the Aurora Order is using the resentment, despair, and other negative emotions accumulated in the surrounding boroughs to fuel a ritual intended to summon the True Creator.
  • Princess Vera’s hidden altar has absorbed much of these emotions, delaying the ritual and preventing its immediate success. However, a demigod from the Aurora Order, Saint Tenebrous Kisma, arrives and destroys the surrounding arrangements, leaving only the main altar functional.
  • Kisma attacks Vera using Shadow Control, a black-armored knight form, and a Grazed Vampire Shaman King from the Moon pathway. Vera counters his attacks with her Imperative Mage abilities, including Deprivation and Incarceration.
  • Xio assists by using the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact Fangs of the Stars to declare that no ghosts may remain in the warehouse. She Exiles the Shaman King shadow toward Saint Wind Cathedral, though Kisma retrieves it before it can be redeemed.
  • The ritual suddenly collapses when the accumulated souls and emotions dissipate. Kisma senses the danger and flees into the shadows.
  • Saint Anthony arrives and confirms that the evil god’s descent has been stopped. Vera explains that she and Xio only delayed the ritual; someone else must have disrupted it.
  • The chapter then shifts to Klein’s confrontation with Mr. A. Mr. A begins offering himself as a vessel for the True Creator, but Klein throws a cursed brass Master Key into the ritual. The key connects to Mr. Door, whose destructive power causes the ritual’s protective light to collapse and triggers a massive explosion.
  • Klein survives using a paper figurine substitute, injures Mr. A with a Mind Breath charm, and immediately escapes rather than risk fighting the recovering Shepherd.

Character Developments

  • Xio demonstrates courage and growing competence by confronting a demigod-level enemy and using Fangs of the Stars effectively. However, the artifact’s suicidal side effect briefly overwhelms her, forcing Vera to restrain her.
  • Princess Vera proves herself an exceptionally powerful and composed saint. She remains focused on protecting the altar, withstands Kisma’s coordinated assault, and easily turns the battle in her favor despite dividing her attention.
  • Saint Tenebrous Kisma is revealed as a powerful but cautious demigod. He recognizes Vera as a serious threat and retreats once the ritual fails rather than continue an unfavorable battle.
  • Saint Anthony represents the Church of Evernight’s intervention and acknowledges the role of unnamed “heroes” in stopping both the ritual and the Great Smog.
  • Klein displays strategic intelligence and restraint. Instead of trying to overpower Mr. A directly, he uses the Master Key to sabotage the ritual, then prioritizes survival over greedily attempting a final kill.
  • Mr. A is shown as fanatically devoted to the True Creator, willingly offering his body as a vessel, though his ritual is ultimately destroyed.

Significant Themes

  • Heroism and recognition: The chapter repeatedly refers to unseen “heroes” who prevent catastrophe, while Xio feels inadequate by comparison. Heroism is presented as the result of decisive action, not fame or acknowledgment.
  • Faith and fanaticism: The Aurora Order’s ritual and Mr. A’s self-sacrifice illustrate the destructive extremes of religious devotion and the willingness to surrender one’s identity to a higher power.
  • Strategy over brute force: Vera and Klein succeed through preparation, specialized abilities, and tactical decisions rather than direct strength alone.
  • The danger of power: Powerful artifacts and abilities carry severe costs. Fangs of the Stars helps Xio defeat a supernatural enemy but induces a powerful suicidal impulse.
  • Cooperation against catastrophe: Vera, Xio, the Church of Evernight, and Klein act separately but contribute to stopping the True Creator’s descent and limiting the Great Smog.

Character Interactions

  • Vera and Kisma engage in a tense confrontation between two demigods. Kisma questions Vera’s presence, while Vera challenges the Aurora Order’s internal motivations and calmly counters his attacks.
  • Vera and Xio work as allies, with Vera protecting Xio from Kisma and later restraining her when the artifact’s backlash drives her toward suicide.
  • Xio and the Shaman King shadow clash through Xio’s Edict, demonstrating her ability to support Vera despite being outmatched in rank.
  • Vera and Saint Anthony exchange information after the battle. Anthony credits Vera with preventing the descent, while Vera humbly attributes the decisive interruption to someone else.
  • Klein and Mr. A face off in a battle of ritual power and improvisation. Mr. A relies on faith and the True Creator’s descent, while Klein uses Mr. Door’s curse and then retreats before Mr. A can recover.
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Ch. 665The Prince and the Demoness

Chapter Summary: “Prince and Demoness”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • In the Unknown underground ruins, the Augustus Family’s Chaos Hunter and Imperative Mage Tiest struggle against Azik. Fearing reinforcements from the Churches, the Chaos Hunter uses a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact to attack Azik while Tiest distracts him.
  • The artifact temporarily disrupts Azik’s mind and causes him to lose control of the Underworld Gate, allowing Tiest to escape. However, the Chaos Hunter suffers catastrophic backlash, his body cracking and bleeding profusely.
  • Tiest realizes the situation can no longer be concealed. He uses Exile to send Ilya into the void, then teleports away with the injured Chaos Hunter and Ince Zangwill.
  • Ince confirms that 0-08 has not independently altered events. He then uses Fallen Morning Star to create a Concealment Barrier, preventing Goddess’s Eye from tracking them. Tiest explains that Azik’s apparent vulnerability was deceptive and that permanently killing him would have been extremely difficult.
  • At Red Rose Manor, Trissy reveals to Prince Edessak that the Royal Family had been cooperating with the Demoness Sect. She explains that Edessak was intended to be sacrificed and framed as a lustful prince who secretly kept a Demoness, while Trissy served as both a hostage and a disguised carrier of an important Demoness artifact.
  • Devastated by the revelation, Edessak nevertheless chooses to let Trissy escape. He accepts that his life has been shaped by others and that he is merely awaiting the story’s predetermined ending.
  • Edessak’s childhood friend Lina arrives in female form. He warns her to leave and gives her his last potentially useful card as a keepsake. The card depicts a naked, spider-silk-wrapped woman whose identity appears familiar.
  • Abner awakens in darkness after being separated from the Bone Dragon. He realizes he has been transported to the Nation of the Evernight, a strange, silent town where every inhabitant appears to be asleep.
  • He encounters the severely injured Mr. A. Preparing for battle, Abner summons a Sword of Lava through the Magic Mirror’s Grazed ability and enhances it with the Red Angel’s Fatal Attack.

Character Developments

  • Tiest demonstrates pragmatism and survival instinct, abandoning any attempt to eliminate Azik when he recognizes the danger and escaping with Ince and the wounded Chaos Hunter.
  • The Chaos Hunter pays a heavy price for using the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, suffering lethal-seeming physical backlash.
  • Ince Zangwill remains cautious and methodical, checking 0-08’s behavior and protecting himself from Goddess’s Eye before questioning Tiest.
  • Prince Edessak undergoes a tragic emotional collapse. He moves from disbelief and anger to resignation, accepting that he was expendable in a political conspiracy. Despite his despair, he shows compassion by releasing Trissy and warning Lina.
  • Trissy is exposed as a pawn of the Demoness Sect and Royal Family. Her bitterness and desperation are tempered by surprise at Edessak’s unexpected mercy.
  • Abner regains his composure quickly after being transported and immediately assesses his surroundings and prepares for combat. His new defensive and offensive abilities show his increasing strength.

Significant Themes

  • Political betrayal and expendability: Edessak learns that even royalty can be treated as a disposable sacrifice in larger conspiracies.
  • Manipulation and predetermined narratives: Edessak’s belief that he is living inside a “story” crafted by others emphasizes the chapter’s recurring concern with fate, control, and scripted events.
  • Survival over victory: Tiest and Ince abandon the attempt to defeat Azik, showing that escape and concealment are more important than pride or revenge.
  • Mercy amid tragedy: Edessak’s decision to free Trissy and protect Lina contrasts with the ruthless schemes surrounding him.
  • Hidden identities and uncertain powers: Trissy’s disguise, Lina’s female form, Azik’s mysterious nature, and the strange Nation of the Evernight all reinforce the instability of appearances and identities.

Important Character Interactions

  • Chaos Hunter and Tiest vs. Azik: Their cooperation briefly restrains Azik, but the battle ends in retreat rather than victory.
  • Tiest and Ince: Tiest directs the escape while Ince provides concealment, with both prioritizing secrecy and survival.
  • Trissy and Edessak: Trissy reveals the conspiracy, shattering Edessak’s faith in the Royal Family. Edessak responds by allowing her to flee.
  • Edessak and Lina: Their farewell reveals their longstanding friendship and Edessak’s concern for Lina’s safety, despite his own impending doom.
  • Abner and Mr. A: Their encounter ends the chapter with the expectation of an imminent confrontation in the Nation of the Evernight.
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Ch. 666Mr. A's Value

Chapter Summary: “Mr. A’s Value”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Abner attacks Mr. A with a Lava Sword enhanced by Fatal Attack, making the strike function as a weak-point attack regardless of where it lands.
  • Mr. A survives by switching souls from his grazed Marionettist and activating Paper Figurine Substitute, leaving behind a decaying paper substitute.
  • Abner had anticipated this escape method. He had already planted mental attacks through the Lava Sword, drawing on the abilities of the Demon soul within the Magic Mirror.
  • Because Mr. A had previously been weakened by Mind Breath, he cannot fully resist the implanted mental influence. He falls into a hallucination in which he sacrifices Backlund’s people, enables the True Creator’s descent, and is rewarded by becoming part of the Lord.
  • The “Lord” he believes he is merging with is actually the Magic Mirror, which consumes Mr. A’s soul and associated abilities. Abner successfully kills Mr. A and obtains his Marionettist characteristic and other souls.
  • Abner realizes that the battle’s noise may attract the Demoness of Despair and other trapped Beyonders. Although his fusion with the Bone Dragon gives him an advantage, he cannot defeat her quickly, so he chooses to hide.
  • He uses Ivens’s Concealment Barrier to become invisible on physical, psychological, and mystical levels, speculating about the mysterious creator of the technique, “Evans,” and its connection to the Pure White Eye.
  • Abner enters the mysterious Misty Town and examines its apparently abandoned houses. Using Thread Marionette, he confirms that the food consists of Marionette-like entities connected by Spirit Body Threads to the ancient church where Antigonus lies.
  • He remembers that the town becomes far more dangerous when the Crimson Moon becomes clear, so he locks himself inside a house and waits while sorting through the souls stored in the Magic Mirror.
  • Abner discards weaker or redundant souls and retains seven valuable ones: Demoness of Affliction, Marionettist, Dreamwalker, Baron of Corruption, Scribe, Wind-blessed, and Demon.

Character Developments

  • Abner demonstrates careful preparation, tactical foresight, and growing power. Rather than relying solely on direct combat, he combines physical attacks, mental manipulation, the Magic Mirror, and concealment techniques.
  • He also shows restraint by avoiding a confrontation with the Demoness of Despair until he is fully prepared, despite believing he may currently have a slight advantage.
  • Mr. A is revealed to be mentally unstable and deeply fanatical. His damaged defenses and devotion to the True Creator make him vulnerable to Abner’s dream-based manipulation, causing him to willingly surrender himself.
  • The Magic Mirror continues to develop as it consumes more souls, though Abner worries that overcrowding may eventually limit its abilities.

Significant Themes

  • Faith and manipulation: Mr. A’s absolute devotion becomes the means of his defeat; his religious vision is fabricated and exploited by the Magic Mirror.
  • Preparation versus brute force: Abner wins because he predicts Mr. A’s escape methods and plants countermeasures in advance.
  • Identity and substitution: Mr. A uses a paper substitute to evade death, while the Magic Mirror impersonates the divine figure he expects to meet.
  • Secrecy and hidden power: Abner’s concealment technique emphasizes the importance of remaining undetected in a place governed by mysterious and dangerous forces.
  • Acquisition and accumulation of power: Souls and Beyonder characteristics are treated as strategic resources, with Abner carefully selecting the most useful abilities and eliminating redundancies.

Character Interactions

  • Abner and Mr. A: Their confrontation is both physical and psychological. Abner’s Lava Sword damages Mr. A, while the implanted mental effects ultimately deceive and consume him.
  • Mr. A and the True Creator: Mr. A’s imagined encounter reflects his fanatical relationship with the True Creator, though the apparent divine union is actually a trick by the Magic Mirror.
  • Abner and the Magic Mirror: Abner directs the Magic Mirror’s abilities and evaluates the souls it has consumed, treating it as both a weapon and a growing repository of powers.
  • Abner and the Demoness of Despair: Though they do not meet in the chapter, Abner anticipates her possible arrival and deliberately avoids a premature confrontation.
  • Abner and Antigonus’s town: Abner investigates the Marionette-based environment while preparing for the dangers connected to the church and the approaching clear Crimson Moon.
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Ch. 667A Murder Plotted Eleven Hundred Years Ago

Chapter Summary: “Murder from Eleven Hundred Years Ago”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Misty Town suddenly fills with vague, corpse-like residents under the crimson moon. They wander the streets, making animalistic noises, while a newcomer—Finkel, Prince Edessak’s former butler—is immediately killed and transformed into one of the hanging corpses inside the church.
  • Abner recalls that escaping the Nation of the Evernight requires entering the ancient church, finding an indentation and obsidian piece, and drawing a symbol connected to the Goddess’s holy emblem. He initially suspects that this process might release Zaratul’s Historical Projection and wonders whether the Goddess brought him there for that purpose.
  • When the moon is obscured and the town’s apparitions vanish, Abner uses simulated Door Opening to move through the houses and approach the church. Along the way, he encounters mutated Sequence 5 Beyonders who have become insane after consuming one another and mixing incompatible Beyonder Characteristics.
  • Inside the church, Abner uses the Magic Mirror to switch his soul into a Marionettist state, allowing him to control his Spirit Body Threads and resist the force pulling everything upward. He finds numerous people hanging from the ceiling like smoked meat, including Finkel.
  • At the altar stands the monstrous statue associated with Mother of Heaven and Sealed Artifact 0-17. However, instead of the expected old-man projection of Zaratul, Abner finds a young Abraham Family Wanderer who appears to have died more than eleven hundred years earlier. Beside him are an old parchment and a pewter jar of ashes.
  • Abner opens the Pure White Eye to investigate. The Wanderer’s eyes turn white, and the ashes become historical dust that rushes through the passage into the Land of Unknown. Abner realizes the Wanderer had prepared a trap long ago, using Abner’s arrival and the Pure White Eye to lure Zaratul’s Historical Projection away from ordinary history and prevent Zaratul from completing his resurrection.
  • Abner concludes that the Goddess brought him to Misty Town not to free Zaratul, but to ensure Zaratul remains unable to escape and eventually loses control while advancing to Attendant of Mysteries.
  • The chapter ends with Abner suspecting that the Abraham Wanderer may not be truly dead. He also theorizes that generations of transmigrators have been developing a secret technique involving the separation of corruption, the creation of avatars, and possibly the resurrection or inheritance of earlier transmigrators.

Character Developments

  • Abner remains cautious and analytical, relying on his knowledge of the original storyline while constantly revising his assumptions when reality differs from it. He demonstrates increasing mastery of his abilities, combining the Magic Mirror, Marionettist techniques, the Pure White Eye, and simulated Door Opening.
  • His attitude toward the Goddess becomes more nuanced. He initially fears that She may be manipulating him into releasing Zaratul, but he eventually realizes that Her true intention may be to prevent Zaratul’s resurrection.
  • Abner becomes increasingly suspicious of the transmigrators who preceded him. Rather than viewing them as merely dead remnants, he begins considering that they may have left behind long-term plans designed to benefit—or control—future transmigrators.
  • The Abraham Family Wanderer is revealed as an extraordinarily far-sighted figure. Even after more than a millennium, his plan successfully manipulates Zaratul’s Historical Projection and uses Abner as an unwitting participant.
  • Finkel serves as a grim reminder of the church’s danger: despite being a recognizable and formerly living character, he is reduced to one of the dried, hanging corpses.

Significant Themes

  • The dangers of relying on known history: Abner expects events to follow the original story, but the transmigrator Wanderer’s intervention proves that the past has already been altered.
  • Long-term schemes and inherited plans: The Wanderer’s trap, spanning over eleven hundred years, suggests that the actions of transmigrators form a continuing chain of strategies and unfinished projects.
  • Resurrection and identity: The chapter questions what it means for someone to be dead when Historical Projections, avatars, remains, and spiritual techniques can preserve or restore aspects of a person.
  • Corruption and loss of control: The mutated Beyonders illustrate the consequences of uncontrolled consumption and incompatible Beyonder Characteristics. Zaratul’s threatened loss of control becomes another major concern.
  • The uncertainty of divine motives: The Goddess’s actions appear dangerous and manipulative, yet may ultimately serve to prevent an even greater threat.
  • Inheritance and exploitation: Abner suspects that earlier transmigrators may have designed a technique allowing later transmigrators to take control of their remains and gain powerful avatars, raising questions about whether he is being helped, used, or prepared for a larger role.

Character Interactions

  • Abner and Finkel: They do not speak directly, but Finkel’s arrival and immediate transformation into a hanging corpse affect Abner’s understanding of the church’s deadly nature.
  • Abner and the Abraham Wanderer: Their interaction is indirect but pivotal. By opening the Pure White Eye, Abner activates the Wanderer’s centuries-old trap and enables the removal of Zaratul’s Historical Projection.
  • The Abraham Wanderer and Zaratul: The Wanderer’s posthumous scheme effectively “murders” Zaratul’s projection, preventing it from reconnecting with the outside world and completing its resurrection.
  • Abner and the Goddess: Although the Goddess never directly appears or speaks, Her influence frames the entire chapter. Abner ultimately realizes that his presence may have been arranged to preserve Her control over Zaratul’s fate.
  • Abner and the earlier transmigrators: Abner mentally compares the Wanderer’s schemes with those of other transmigrators, increasingly suspecting that they belong to a coordinated, multigenerational plan centered on corruption separation, avatars, and resurrection.
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Ch. 668Three "Doors"

Chapter Summary: “Three ‘Doors’”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Abner examines a mysterious parchment marked with the numbers 1–3, each paired with a symbol. Using his Pure White Eye, he realizes the parchment is a set of three concealed spatial compartments—effectively “doors” requiring specific keys.
  • Pressing Door 1 reveals a stone stele containing the beginning of a Sequence 4: Bizarro Sorcerer potion formula. The accompanying whistle-like symbol suggests that the key is Azik’s Copper Whistle. Abner tests an identical whistle, but it only weakly affects the mist concealing the stele, proving it is an imitation rather than the true key.
  • Door 2 reveals information titled “The method of leaving Misty Town.” Its stone symbol appears to represent the required Obsidian, which is likely somewhere in the town and may eventually be found by Klein.
  • Door 3 reveals a complete secret art for creating a Spatial Card, similar to Roselle’s card that sealed a Bone Dragon. The eye symbol indicates that Abner’s Pure White Eye itself is the key. He eagerly memorizes the technique.
  • Searching the Abraham Wanderer’s remains, Abner finds nothing else, but notices a wall containing an incomplete archaic symbol. The missing section is precisely large enough to hold the Obsidian and functions as the exit from the hidden Secrecy world.
  • Abner concludes that the Obsidian is probably held by one of the surviving, increasingly deranged Beyonders in Misty Town. Finding it will be difficult because they are hiding, and the dangerous Despair Nightingale Panatia is also present.
  • Rather than imitate Klein’s original strategy of cooperating with the townspeople, Abner considers using a Historical Projection as bait or a source of food. This leads him to contemplate temporarily controlling the Abraham Wanderer’s body, whose condition resembles that of the Bone Dragon.
  • However, Abner remembers that the Miracle Invoker was corrupted while attempting something similar, causing him to recognize the danger of acting rashly.

Character Developments

  • Abner demonstrates the growing usefulness and precision of the Pure White Eye, allowing him to decode the parchment, identify the nature of its compartments, recognize the symbols’ meanings, and understand the Wanderer’s physical state.
  • He shows increasing confidence and independence, evaluating the treasures pragmatically rather than becoming overly attached to the Bizarro Sorcerer formula.
  • Abner also displays caution. Although he devises a potentially powerful plan involving the Wanderer’s body, he recalls the risks of corruption and does not immediately act.
  • The deceased or absent Abraham Wanderer is characterized as thoughtful and deliberate. His rewards were designed primarily to aid Klein but also happened to benefit Abner, and each compartment was paired with a meaningful clue.
  • Klein remains an indirect presence: the Bizarro Sorcerer formula and the method of leaving Misty Town appear to have been left as compensation for him.

Significant Themes

  • Inheritance and preparation: The Wanderer’s carefully arranged rewards preserve knowledge and resources for future allies, emphasizing how plans can extend beyond death.
  • The cost of power: Valuable spatial abilities and demigod-level secrets are not freely obtained; each requires the correct key and carries hidden dangers.
  • Cunning versus brute force: Abner must rely on deduction and manipulation rather than simply fighting the hidden Beyonders to recover the Obsidian.
  • Corruption and restraint: The threat of pollution from the Unknown makes even seemingly advantageous plans dangerous, highlighting the need for caution among high-level Beyonders.
  • Spatial concealment and symbolic knowledge: The chapter emphasizes that understanding symbols, artifacts, and hidden rules is essential for navigating supernatural environments.

Character Interactions

  • Abner interacts primarily with the Wanderer’s legacy, deciphering the parchment and interpreting the clues the Wanderer left behind.
  • His actions are indirectly connected to Klein, since the first two compartments appear intended to compensate or assist him.
  • Abner mentally accounts for Panatia as a potential enemy and obstacle, recognizing that her presence makes searching for the Obsidian especially dangerous.
  • He also reflects on the earlier failure of the Miracle Invoker, using that history to judge whether controlling the Wanderer’s body is safe.
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Ch. 669Historical Projection

Chapter Summary: “Historical Projection”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Abner determines that Zaratul’s “contamination” came from contact with the Land of Unknown while transforming the corpse of a senior transmigrator into a Marionette. Because Abner currently possesses the highest authority over the space beyond the Pure White Eye, he believes he can safely interact with it as long as he avoids entering or probing too deeply.
  • Using the Pure White Eye, Abner inspects the body of an Abraham Family Wanderer and extends his spirituality into it through a Secret Art. The process is unexpectedly easy because the Wanderer’s residual spirituality is highly compatible with him.
  • The Pure White Eye warns Abner against investigating the unusual compatibility too deeply, forcing him to suppress those thoughts with a self-suggestion.
  • Abner discovers that the Wanderer is trapped beneath the statue of the Mother of Heaven. Secrecy prevents him from using most of his abilities involving the Spirit and Astral Worlds, while an invisible force—apparently Lilith’s or the goddess’s power—prevents him from moving.
  • He theorizes that this Wanderer may be intended as a replacement for Zaratul: either a potential candidate for the Lord of Mysteries or a disposable pawn meant to interfere with Amon.
  • Synchronizing with the Wanderer’s residual spirituality reveals a memory fragment. The Wanderer is identified as Alvin Abraham, who once asked a mysterious black-haired woman whether he was merely a spare candidate or disposable pawn. She replied that his fate depended on his own desires and that she would support him if he chose to compete for the Lord of Mysteries. Alvin refused because doing so might endanger the world.
  • Abner experiments with Alvin’s abilities and finds that the most useful is Record, which includes the ability to summon Historical Projections.
  • Because the Nation of the Evernight restricts history, Abner avoids summoning the Mother of Heaven and Antigonus, but decides to test the projections of Zaratul and Vincent Miranda.
  • Zaratul’s projection uses a Wish to summon “Lost Obsidian.” A starving townsman is abruptly transported into the church and turned into one of the hanging pieces of “cured meat,” while an obsidian fragment appears.
  • Abner places the obsidian on a parchment, completing the information on a tombstone marked with the number two. The inscription reveals how to open a hidden door and explains several symbols.
  • A final unexplained symbol—a crowned skull, apparently connected to the God of Death’s domain—remains a mystery. Abner memorizes it and plans to perform Prophecy after leaving the Nation of the Evernight, where Fate is also restricted by Secrecy.
  • Abner concludes that he must first kill the Demoness of Despair responsible for the Great Smog before attempting to return to the normal world.

Character Developments

  • Abner demonstrates greater mastery of the Pure White Eye, Secret Arts, and Historical Projection abilities. He remains cautious, using self-hypnosis and deliberately avoiding dangerous investigations.
  • He becomes increasingly suspicious of the goddess’s plans, recognizing that the Wanderer may be a carefully prepared backup candidate or sacrificial pawn in the struggle over the Lord of Mysteries.
  • Alvin Abraham is revealed as a powerful senior transmigrator who consciously rejected the chance to compete for the Lord of Mysteries out of concern for the world’s safety.
  • Zaratul’s Historical Projection is shown to retain the terrifying utility of a Miracle Invoker’s Wishes, even though the projection disappears immediately after fulfilling its request.

Significant Themes

  • Power and danger of knowledge: Abner repeatedly encounters information that is hazardous even to contemplate, emphasizing that understanding supernatural truths can itself be dangerous.
  • Identity and compatibility: The unusually smooth synchronization between Abner and Alvin raises questions about shared qualities, residual influence, and the relationship between transmigrators.
  • Manipulation and expendability: The chapter explores whether powerful individuals are genuine contenders or merely backup plans and disposable pieces in the schemes of gods and higher existences.
  • Choice versus destiny: Alvin’s conversation highlights the tension between personal ambition and responsibility for the world’s survival.
  • Limits imposed by secrecy: The Nation of the Evernight restricts movement, history, Spirit World access, and prophecy, demonstrating how Secrecy can reshape reality and limit even demigod-level abilities.

Character Interactions

  • Abner interacts indirectly with Alvin Abraham through the residual spirituality and recovered memory fragments.
  • Alvin’s past conversation with the mysterious black-haired woman reveals her willingness to support his ambitions while leaving the final choice to him.
  • Abner uses Zaratul’s Historical Projection to obtain Lost Obsidian, resulting in the projection’s Wish affecting an unsuspecting townsman.
  • Abner remains wary of the possible influence and intentions of the Mother of Heaven, the goddess, and other powerful figures connected to Alvin’s confinement.
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Ch. 670Door

Chapter Summary: “Door”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Abner reflects on the aftermath of the Great Smog of Backlund. Although the Demoness of Despair accelerated the disaster, the long-term deaths from disease and poverty were largely unavoidable because the smog was rooted in Backlund’s social and environmental conditions.
  • Despite understanding this, Abner still believes Panatia deserved death because she caused the disaster solely to conceal a conspiracy and advance her Acting, rather than to improve society.
  • Using Alvin the Wanderer’s Recorded Historical Projection ability, Abner summons Vincent Miranda, the former Death Archon and Lord of the Dead, who was also Jane’s ancestor.
  • Miranda’s projection transforms into the Feathered Serpent God and unleashes Pale Flame over Misty Town. The flames spare buildings and civilians whose Spirit Body Threads have been removed, but destroy the remaining Beyonders.
  • Panatia temporarily resists with Black Flame and Ice abilities, but the Angel’s Pale Flame corrupts both her body and spirituality. She dies before she can reveal her incomplete Mythological Form.
  • After Panatia’s death, Miranda’s projection disappears. Abner collects her Beyonder Characteristic and examines her possessions.
  • Among the spoils are a Beyonder robe, an ordinary mirror, ritual supplies, a dangerous monocle made from a Dream Stealer characteristic, and the Card of Blasphemy known as the Door card, depicting Roselle passing through a door.

Character Developments

  • Abner: Demonstrates a strong but pragmatic moral sense. He accepts that the Great Smog’s consequences cannot be fully prevented, yet still seeks justice against Panatia. He also shows increasing confidence in manipulating high-level historical projections and analyzing mystical artifacts.
  • Vincent Miranda: Is revealed through his projection as a terrifying former Sequence 2 Angel. His Feathered Serpent form appears to combine features associated with both Salinger and the Phoenix Progenitor, deepening the mystery surrounding his ancestry and connection to Azik.
  • Panatia: Her arrogance and desperation become evident as she attempts several defenses but is utterly overwhelmed by Miranda’s Angelic power. Her death confirms the vast difference between a Sequence 4 and an Angel.
  • Roselle: Appears only on the recovered Door card, which becomes the chapter’s final significant discovery.

Significant Themes

  • Justice versus inevitability: Abner distinguishes between disasters caused by structural social problems and those deliberately exploited by individuals, concluding that inevitability does not excuse Panatia’s motives.
  • The overwhelming power of Angels: Miranda’s projection effortlessly destroys powerful Beyonders, emphasizing the enormous gap between high Sequences and Angel-level beings.
  • Death and corruption: The Pale Flame symbolizes spiritual and physical decay, reducing both body and spirituality to nothing.
  • Mystery of heritage and resurrection: Miranda’s hybrid appearance raises questions about his relationship to Salinger, the Phoenix Progenitor, Azik, and the mechanisms of resurrection.
  • Dangerous knowledge and artifacts: The monocle offers access to hidden Secrets but gradually erases the wearer’s identity, reinforcing the risks of mystical advancement.

Character Interactions

  • Abner commands Alvin the Wanderer to summon and direct Vincent Miranda’s Historical Projection.
  • Miranda’s projection attacks the Beyonders of Misty Town at Abner’s direction, while Abner observes the Angelic transformation under the protection of the Pure White Eye.
  • Panatia directly confronts Miranda’s Pale Flame, attempting to escape and use her strongest abilities, but is killed before she can complete her transformation.
  • Afterward, Abner interacts with Panatia’s remains and possessions, analyzing their potential uses and dangers before discovering the Door card.
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Ch. 671Return to Bayam

Chapter Summary: “Return to Bayam”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Abner examines the Door Card of Blasphemy taken from Panatia, the Demoness of Despair. He speculates about why the card is connected to the Door Pathway and whether its arrival in the Nation of the Evernight was orchestrated by Roselle, the Calamity Seal, the Goddess, or another transmigrator.
  • The card remains sealed, and Abner’s attempt to activate it using the known incantation for the Black Emperor Card fails. He decides to postpone further experiments until he is in a safer location.
  • Abner prepares to search Misty Town for Beyonder characteristics left behind after the Feathered Serpent God’s projection used Pale Flame to cleanse the town.
  • The Wanderer’s remaining corpse suddenly warns him that the Red Moon is about to penetrate the mist again, bringing catastrophic danger. Abner realizes this warning is likely caused by the Goddess influencing the corpse and urging him to leave before the town undergoes another destructive “maintenance.”
  • Abandoning the search for additional spoils, Abner returns to the church and places the Obsidian Slate into a matching recess behind the Black Altar and the statue of the Mother of Heaven.
  • The wall becomes a transparent Door. Abner severs his spiritual connection with Alvin Abraham’s remains, accepting that he cannot take the Wanderer with him.
  • He draws the Dark Emblem and a Crimson Moon symbol, opens the Door, and escapes the Nation of the Evernight.
  • Abner emerges on a familiar snow-covered mountain near the Hot Spring Resort north of Indo Port. Since six hours have passed, he plans to return to Bayam through the Teleportation Altar and get something to eat.

Character Developments

  • Abner becomes more cautious and disciplined. Although tempted to continue scavenging the dangerous town, he suppresses his greed and prioritizes survival.
  • He grows increasingly aware that powerful beings—including the Goddess and other hidden masterminds—may be manipulating events around him. His suspicion and strategic thinking deepen, though he recognizes that overanalyzing divine schemes is dangerous.
  • Abner shows consideration toward Alvin Abraham by acknowledging that he cannot rescue him and voluntarily severing their spiritual connection rather than exploiting the corpse further.
  • His plans shift toward remaining inconspicuous after displaying divinity in Backlund.

Significant Themes

  • Fate and Beyonder Convergence: Abner suspects that the deaths, artifacts, Pathways, and locations surrounding Misty Town were connected by Fate and deliberately arranged.
  • Divine manipulation and hidden schemes: The Goddess’s possible intervention emphasizes how mortal actions may be guided or manipulated by higher powers.
  • Greed versus restraint: Abner must choose between gaining more resources and escaping safely, ultimately choosing restraint.
  • Mystery and incomplete knowledge: The sealed Door Card, the unknown activation method, and the unexplained arrangements of the Gods reinforce the limits of Abner’s understanding.
  • Secrecy and survival: Abner recognizes the need to conceal his abilities and avoid attracting attention after his public display of divinity.

Character Interactions

  • Abner investigates Panatia’s connection to Roselle through the Door Card and considers the possible involvement of the Goddess and other hidden figures.
  • His spiritual synchronization with the Wanderer provides the warning that prompts his escape, though Abner realizes the Goddess may be acting through the corpse.
  • Abner briefly interacts with Alvin Abraham’s remains through his spiritual link and earlier use of Historical Projections, then ends the connection before leaving.
  • The chapter closes with Abner planning future dealings with Lion Leon, Bianca, the suspected transmigrator Mr. Felipe, Helene, and Hunter Anderson, setting up journeys to Trier and West Balam.
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Ch. 672The Hunger That Dared Not Squirm

Chapter Summary: “Hunger That Dared Not Stir”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Prince Edessak tells his childhood friend Lina—formerly known as Leland—about his betrayal, impending execution, and connection to the Demoness Trissy. He believes his death is necessary to appease the Church and accepts that escape is nearly impossible.
  • Lina refuses to let Edessak surrender. Because he once searched for her during her disappearance, she decides to risk contacting the mysterious deity known as The Fool for help.
  • Lina performs a ritual using Edessak’s Card of Blasphemy as a sacrifice and recites The Fool’s honorific name for the first time directly, hoping to obtain protection for Edessak.
  • Meanwhile, Klein escapes after witnessing Mr. A’s destruction and the aftermath of the conflict involving the Aurora Order, the Demoness Sect, and the True Creator.
  • Azik arrives and explains that Ince Zangwill survived their battle while retaining the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact 0-08 and possibly another powerful concealment item, likely Fallen Morning Star.
  • Klein tells Azik about the Card of Blasphemy he has hidden in Backlund, believing it may help restore Azik’s lost memories. In return, Azik gives Klein a dangerous living glove called Creeping Hunger, warning that it must be fed human flesh and souls whenever used or it will devour its wearer.
  • Klein hides in a small town and brings Creeping Hunger above the gray fog to study it. At that moment, Lina’s prayer causes an unfamiliar Crimson Star to flare.
  • Klein recognizes Lina and realizes she is asking for The Fool’s protection of Edessak. He reasons that the recent death of a Royal Family Demigod may provide a scapegoat, reducing the need for Edessak’s execution.
  • Klein attempts to contact Mr. Tower to arrange Edessak’s rescue, but the connection is blocked by fog, leaving him confused and suggesting that Mr. Tower is inaccessible or otherwise isolated.

Character Developments

  • Edessak moves from resignation toward faint hope. Although he believes himself responsible for an unbearable political and religious crisis, Lina’s determination briefly challenges his fatalism.
  • Lina demonstrates loyalty, courage, and decisiveness. Unlike Edessak, she refuses to accept death as inevitable and is willing to expose her connection to The Fool and sacrifice a priceless artifact to save him.
  • Klein continues balancing compassion with strategic calculation. He wants to save Edessak not only because he sympathizes with him, but also because he opposes the Royal Family faction that cooperated with evil organizations and caused mass deaths.
  • Azik shows gratitude and concern toward Klein by giving him Creeping Hunger, while also accepting the possibility that the Card of Blasphemy may help recover his memories.
  • Ince Zangwill remains a major threat, having survived the battle and retained control of 0-08.

Significant Themes

  • Hope versus resignation: Edessak sees death as the only possible resolution, while Lina insists that survival requires taking risks.
  • Friendship and loyalty: Lina’s willingness to endanger herself for Edessak contrasts with the betrayals surrounding him.
  • Sacrifice and dangerous bargains: Lina offers a Card of Blasphemy to gain divine assistance, while Klein and Azik exchange powerful but hazardous items.
  • Political scapegoating and hidden conspiracies: The death of a Royal Family Demigod may allow the Church to redirect blame and alter Edessak’s fate, exposing how powerful factions manipulate truth.
  • The cost of power: Creeping Hunger provides formidable protection but requires horrifying sustenance, emphasizing that supernatural strength often carries a moral or physical price.

Important Character Interactions

  • Edessak and Lina: Their emotional conversation establishes the depth of their childhood friendship. Lina challenges Edessak’s despair and chooses to fight for his survival.
  • Lina and The Fool: Lina directly invokes The Fool and attempts to establish a closer connection, risking exposure in exchange for protection.
  • Klein and Azik: They discuss Ince Zangwill, 0-08, Fallen Morning Star, and the Card of Blasphemy. Azik gives Klein Creeping Hunger as a reciprocal gesture for Klein’s intended help.
  • Klein and Lina: Through the Crimson Star, Klein discovers Lina’s plea and prepares to intervene.
  • Klein and Mr. Tower: Klein tries to contact Mr. Tower to organize Edessak’s rescue, but the failed connection ends the chapter on a cliffhanger.
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Ch. 673The Demoness Card

Summary of “Demoness Card”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Klein divines that Mr. Tower is still alive but trapped somewhere inaccessible, possibly even from the mysterious space above the Gray Fog. Concerned for him, Klein sends an oracle through Mr. Moon to Bishop Utravsky, asking him to report Tower’s disappearance to the Earth Mother Goddess.
  • Klein considers how to rescue Lina and Prince Edessak from Red Rose Manor. He realizes that killing their captors will not be enough: Edessak must be transported far away and hidden from the Loen Royal Family’s investigations. His main obstacle is finding a way to provide teleportation.
  • A strange iron-black mist spreads through the city. Fors senses that it is dangerous and worries about Xio and Abner. A sudden, violent storm blows the mist away, leading Fors to suspect that a powerful Church of Storms Beyonder may have intervened.
  • Klein, acting as Mr. World, summons Fors above the Gray Fog. He asks for one of the Spirit World-traveling stones from her bracelet. In exchange, he offers to repay her debt of ten pages of Roselle’s Diary and promises to seek the Spirit Warlock potion formula.
  • Fors declines the formula-search offer and instead asks Klein to owe her a future favor. He agrees, provided the favor is not excessively dangerous or difficult.
  • Fors sacrifices one of the bracelet stones. Klein receives it and passes it to Lina, giving her a means of teleportation that may allow her and Edessak to escape.
  • Klein then examines the Demoness Card. The card reveals the potion formulas from Sequence 9 through Sequence 0, including the high-sequence names “Despair,” “Ageless,” “Catastrophe,” and “Apocalypse.”
  • The Sequence 0 Demoness ritual requires surviving a battlefield involving a divine war and spreading its destruction into reality, the Spirit World, and the Astral World until the Barrier between them breaks down and the area returns to primordial Chaos.

Character Developments

  • Klein: Shows genuine concern for Tower, treating him as a friend and respected senior rather than merely a useful ally. He also demonstrates strategic thinking by identifying teleportation as the key to rescuing Edessak and Lina. His negotiation with Fors reflects his growing ability to manage the Tarot Club’s resources while maintaining the authority of Mr. Fool.
  • Fors: Becomes more alert to supernatural danger, recognizing that the spreading mist is abnormal. She also displays greater confidence and independence by negotiating a future favor instead of accepting Klein’s proposed assistance with the Spirit Warlock formula.
  • Tower: Though absent, his apparent imprisonment becomes an important concern for Klein and raises questions about the dangers facing the Tarot Club’s members.
  • Lina and Prince Edessak: Their situation becomes more urgent. Their survival depends not simply on defeating their pursuers, but on escaping the Royal Family’s reach and avoiding divination and prophecy.
  • Roselle: His bizarre “cobweb bandage” outfit on the card provides comic relief and reveals an unexpected, eccentric side of his legacy.

Significant Themes

  • Loyalty and mutual aid: Klein’s concern for Tower shows that relationships within the Tarot Club have developed beyond convenience or exchange.
  • Power and responsibility: As the Fool, Klein is expected to protect others, yet he privately recognizes the limits of his abilities and relies on allies such as Bishop Utravsky and Fors.
  • Negotiation and trust: The exchange with Fors demonstrates how the Tarot Club operates through bargains, promises, and carefully balanced obligations.
  • Escaping fate and surveillance: Lina and Edessak’s rescue requires defeating not only physical enemies but also supernatural methods of tracking, emphasizing the pervasive power of divination.
  • Destruction and cosmic instability: The Demoness pathway’s final ritual presents destruction as something capable of affecting every layer of existence. The divine war is not merely a conflict between gods but a force that can unravel reality and return it to Chaos.
  • Humor amid danger: Klein’s embarrassment over Roselle’s card image briefly contrasts with the chapter’s increasingly serious revelations about imprisonment, catastrophe, and the collapse of the world’s Barrier.

Character Interactions

  • Klein communicates with Mr. Moon to enlist Bishop Utravsky’s help in locating Tower.
  • Klein, through Mr. World, bargains directly with Fors, combining repayment of her debt with a possible future favor.
  • Fors’s sacrifice allows Klein to transfer the teleportation stone to Lina, linking several members of the wider story through Klein’s role as the Fool.
  • Klein reflects on Miss Judgment’s connection to Tower, Mr. Azik’s surveillance by the Evernight Church, and Madam Daly’s possible assistance, showing how his plans depend on a broad network of allies and institutions.
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Ch. 674Iron-Faced Man

Chapter Summary: “Iron-Faced Man”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Lina reveals that the “stone” on the altar is a Beyonder item bestowed by Mr. Fool. It allows her and Prince Edessak to teleport away from Rose Manor.
  • Steward William Sykes arrives and attempts to enter the sunroom. Lina realizes he is a Royal Family infiltrator and hastily activates the item, escaping with Edessak just before Sykes breaks in.
  • They teleport to an abandoned manor in the North Borough, a previously prepared safe house connected to Lina’s allies.
  • Sykes senses that the escape involved mystical powers and is confused by the presence of a “Demoness,” believing the kidnapping was not part of the planned cooperation.
  • Lina gives Edessak the Iron-Faced Man’s Mask, a Beyonder item capable of concealing the wearer’s aura and mystical traces. It is especially effective on members of the Royal Family, particularly princes and kings.
  • The mask cannot be removed normally; it must be stained with the blood of a blood relative.
  • Lina admits that the mask and another anti-divination item she acquired after leaving Tingen may have been deliberately arranged for her to obtain, reinforcing her belief that powerful mystical beings have been manipulating events.
  • Meanwhile, Audrey learns from her father that the Backlund plague crisis has been contained. A powerful “Dragon Rider”—identified by readers as Mr. Tower—helped stop the Demoness from spreading the plague.
  • The Churches’ representative reportedly “erased” both the Demoness and the Dragon Rider, though Earl Hall believes this likely means imprisonment or exile rather than death.
  • The plague nevertheless kills nearly ten thousand civilians in the East Borough, Dock Borough, and Factory Borough, with the death toll potentially having doubled without the Dragon Rider’s intervention.
  • Audrey reports the situation to Mr. Fool. Klein reacts with anger and grief, particularly worrying about Old Kohler and blaming the Aurora Order, the Demoness Sect, and factions within the Royal Family.
  • Klein investigates the meaning of Mr. Tower’s “erasure” and discovers that the mist surrounding The Tower’s Crimson Star has disappeared, allowing him to contact The Tower again. He suspects the Earth Mother Goddess intervened on behalf of Her Blessed.

Character Developments

  • Lina demonstrates quick thinking and deep trust in Mr. Fool, prioritizing Edessak’s escape over her own safety. She also becomes increasingly aware that her past acquisitions may have been guided by hidden powers.
  • Prince Edessak begins transitioning from a sheltered royal figure into a fugitive. His betrayal by Sykes shocks him, while the mask symbolizes his complete severance from his former identity and protection by an underground mystical network.
  • William Sykes is revealed as a covert agent rather than a loyal steward. His confusion suggests that multiple factions are operating independently within the larger conspiracy.
  • Audrey is proud that the Tarot Club helped avert a greater catastrophe but is deeply disturbed by the civilian death toll. Her concern for Mr. Tower shows her growing emotional attachment to the Tarot Club’s members.
  • Klein becomes increasingly grim and decisive. The mass deaths intensify his hostility toward the conspirators, while Mr. Tower’s apparent “erasure” causes him immediate concern.
  • Mr. Tower is established as a major heroic force who fought the Demoness and protected Backlund, despite being treated as a possible enemy by the Church of Evernight.

Significant Themes

  • Hidden manipulation and fate: Lina realizes that seemingly accidental discoveries may have been arranged by higher powers, emphasizing the chapter’s theme of unseen beings directing human events.
  • Identity and concealment: The Iron-Faced Man’s Mask represents Edessak’s loss of royal identity and the need to hide from both physical and mystical authorities.
  • The cost of salvation: Although the catastrophe is prevented, thousands die, showing that victory over supernatural threats still carries devastating human consequences.
  • Conflicting authorities: The Churches, Royal Family, Demoness Sect, Aurora Order, and Tarot Club all pursue different agendas, making “justice” and “heroism” politically ambiguous.
  • Trust and betrayal: Edessak’s trusted steward is exposed as an enemy, while Lina and the Tarot Club rely on mysterious allies whose motives remain uncertain.
  • Sacrifice and recognition: Mr. Tower acts heroically but is still “erased” by the Church, highlighting how genuine protectors may be misunderstood or punished by established powers.

Character Interactions

  • Lina and Edessak develop greater mutual reliance during their escape. Lina acts protectively, while Edessak follows her guidance and begins accepting his new fugitive status.
  • Sykes’s confrontation with Lina and Edessak exposes the betrayal at the heart of Edessak’s household.
  • Audrey discusses the crisis with Earl Hall, who praises her contribution while revealing the scale of the disaster.
  • Audrey’s concern for Mr. Tower shows that she views him not merely as a fellow Tarot Club member but as a heroic figure deserving protection.
  • Audrey’s report to Klein links the worldly crisis to the Tarot Club’s higher-level investigations.
  • Klein’s renewed access to The Tower suggests that Mr. Tower survived and that powerful divine intervention may have protected him.
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Ch. 675The King and the Poor

Summary: “King and the Poor”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • In Sodela Palace, King George III receives a report that Prince Edessak has been taken away by an unidentified Demoness. The main suspects are Leland, Edessak’s childhood friend, and Vice Admiral Tracy, who had also been connected to him.
  • Rather than investigate the truth, George III constructs an official narrative: Edessak supposedly colluded with Demonesses and Intis spies, fled after being exposed, and was killed by Tracy. The king intends to let Edessak remain in hiding and deny his identity if he ever resurfaces.
  • George also orders Duke Gral’s death to be explained as suicide brought about by guilt. Gral is confirmed to have been completely destroyed, including his soul.
  • To placate the three major Churches and calm public unrest, George offers major political and social concessions: relaxed property requirements for parliamentary seats, the elimination of rotten boroughs, factory and banking reforms, anti-pollution legislation, minimum labor guarantees, working-hour limits, reform of the Poor Law, and permission for the Churches to place personnel in the military.
  • He plans to blame Intis for its alleged cooperation with the conspirators. With Hvin Rambis’s assistance, Baron Larry will provide testimony implicating Intis’s Bianca and military attaché, while Bianca is conveniently unavailable to contradict him.
  • Meanwhile, Old Kohler awakens at Bravehearts Bar after being rescued from near death. His first concern is recovering his muddy bag of ham. He then notices a beautiful young woman watching him from the room.

Character Developments

  • George III demonstrates his political pragmatism and ruthlessness. He is willing to fabricate evidence, sacrifice allies, manipulate foreign relations, and make sweeping reforms to preserve the monarchy and avoid open conflict with the Churches.
  • Edessak is effectively erased from public history. The royal family decides that his survival is politically inconvenient and will deny his identity if necessary.
  • Duke Gral becomes the official scapegoat for the royal faction’s crimes, despite the wider conspiracy involving powerful figures.
  • Hvin Rambis is revealed to be a puppet whose personality has been stripped away by a Mind Dragon. He now obediently supports George’s political maneuvering.
  • Old Kohler survives and retains his simple, practical nature, immediately prioritizing his ham over questions of the supernatural rescue.
  • The mysterious young woman is introduced as Kohler’s apparent rescuer, though her identity and motives are not yet revealed.

Significant Themes

  • Political manipulation and manufactured truth: George openly replaces reality with a convenient official story.
  • Power and compromise: The royal family survives by trading away political privilege and accepting Church oversight.
  • Scapegoating and propaganda: Gral, Edessak, and Intis-linked individuals are used to absorb blame for a broader conspiracy.
  • Social reform amid crisis: The promised labor and electoral reforms suggest that catastrophe forces long-delayed changes benefiting the poor and working classes.
  • Survival and ordinary human concerns: Kohler’s recovery contrasts the palace’s grand political calculations with the humble, immediate concern of preserving food and staying alive.
  • Loss of identity and agency: Edessak is denied recognition, while Hvin has literally lost his personality and become a tool of others.

Character Interactions

  • George questions the Earl of the Palace about Edessak and directs him to spread the official explanation.
  • The king uses the earl as an intermediary to negotiate with the three major Churches and manage public opinion.
  • George consults Hvin Rambis about Baron Larry’s testimony and the planned framing of Intis. Their exchange shows George’s strategic cynicism and Hvin’s obedient manipulation.
  • Kohler’s brief interaction with the mysterious woman is silent but significant: he recognizes her as the beautiful “Angel” who saved him, setting up a new mystery at the chapter’s close.
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Ch. 676Prelude to a New Story

Chapter Summary: “Prelude to a New Story”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • At Harvest Church in Bridge South Borough, Emlyn White helps treat victims of the Great Smog. Mrs. Liv, rescued by Aitris in critical condition, survives because of Aitris’s vitality potion and Emlyn’s medical expertise.
  • The plague has overwhelmed the church, which now shelters both believers and nonbelievers. Freya and Daisy assist Emlyn in brewing medicine out of gratitude for saving their mother.
  • Hazel, Father Utravsky, Emlyn, and the sisters distribute medicine to the victims. Hazel remains at the church despite her father Senator Macht’s wish to take her home, choosing to help the suffering.
  • Emlyn delivers the Fool’s coded message—“The mist disperses, and the Moon Knight returns”—to Bishop Utravsky. The bishop says the Earth Mother Goddess knows of his actions and approves of him.
  • Emlyn reveals that he has found a way to remove the psychological suggestion compelling him to return to the church. Utravsky points out that the suggestion was intended only to make Emlyn appreciate life and harvest. Emlyn is horrified to realize that his supposed temporary influence may have deepened his devotion to the Earth Mother Goddess.
  • In Bayam, Abner returns to Fragrant Manor, where Helene and Lion Leon have just come back from a Beyonder gathering. Abner reminds them that Helene’s contract is ending and that he must fulfill the conditions promised to Leon.
  • Abner invites Helene to accompany him to Intis. She reveals that Tracy’s associates have placed a bounty on her, specifically describing her as someone who may be serving as a maid.
  • On the Black Death, Tracy unsuccessfully attempts to contact her mother, Katarina. Though Tracy claims not to care deeply for her mother, she realizes she is emotionally dependent on her and fears that something has happened.
  • In the Intis Embassy’s underground prison, Envoy Owen bargains with a captured Demoness, offering freedom in exchange for carrying out a task.

Character Developments

  • Emlyn White: Despite his usual arrogance and disdain, he voluntarily helps plague victims and continues fulfilling the Fool’s mission. He becomes increasingly alarmed that the Earth Mother Goddess’s psychological suggestion has influenced him more deeply than expected.
  • Hazel Macht: Demonstrates compassion and moral courage by remaining at Harvest Church to aid victims instead of retreating to safety. Her thoughts also reveal lingering admiration for Abner and trauma connected to previous Demoness attacks.
  • Freya and Daisy: Move from gratitude toward active participation in the church’s relief efforts, helping brew and distribute medicine while caring for their critically ill mother.
  • Abner Braine: Returns to Bayam and resumes responsibility for Helene and Leon. His planned journey to Intis may become complicated by the bounty against Helene.
  • Helene: Faces renewed danger because of Tracy’s bounty and must decide whether to travel with Abner or remain in Bayam.
  • Tracy: Her concern over Katarina’s disappearance reveals unexpected emotional dependence beneath her resentment and apparent indifference.
  • Katarina: Her unexplained absence creates uncertainty and raises the possibility that she has encountered serious trouble in Backlund.
  • Envoy Owen: Is shown exercising control over a captured Demoness, suggesting a new scheme involving the Intis Embassy.

Significant Themes

  • Compassion amid catastrophe: The church becomes a refuge for all victims, regardless of faith, emphasizing humanitarian duty over religious division.
  • Faith and manipulation: Emlyn’s growing devotion to the Earth Mother Goddess raises questions about whether belief can remain genuine when influenced by supernatural suggestion.
  • Hidden consequences of power: The Great Smog, Demoness plots, psychological abilities, and political bounties all demonstrate how supernatural conflicts harm ordinary people.
  • Unexpected emotional bonds: Tracy’s concern for Katarina and Emlyn’s reluctant attachment to Harvest Church show that relationships can develop even when characters resist them.
  • Transitions and new beginnings: Abner’s planned trip to Intis, Helene’s uncertain future, Katarina’s disappearance, and Owen’s bargain all establish conflicts for the next stage of the story.

Important Character Interactions

  • Emlyn and the Freya sisters: He directs their potion-making while they assist him with gratitude and growing cooperation.
  • Hazel and plague victims: Hazel provides medicine and comfort, deepening her commitment to helping others.
  • Emlyn and Bishop Utravsky: Their exchange centers on Emlyn’s message, the Mother Goddess’s approval, and Emlyn’s realization that his faith may have been altered.
  • Abner and Helene: Abner offers her a place on his journey to Intis, while she warns him about the bounty placed on her.
  • Helene and Lion Leon: Their shared contract and service at the Beyonder gathering tie their futures to Abner’s decisions.
  • Tracy and Katarina: Although they are absent from one another, Tracy’s failed attempt to contact her mother reveals their complicated emotional connection.
  • Envoy Owen and the imprisoned Demoness: Owen establishes a coercive bargain that promises freedom in exchange for service.
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Ch. 677Return Voyage

Summary of “Return Voyage”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • At Fragrant Manor, Abner asks Helene whether she will continue traveling with him after her contract ends. Although she initially feared he might exploit or imprison her, Helene reflects that Abner has treated her fairly, protected her from Tracy, and respected her choices.
  • Helene decides to remain with Abner, partly because traveling with him is safer than returning alone to Intis or relying on distant relatives and consular contacts.
  • Abner immediately undercuts her positive impression by declaring that the wages she has accumulated will serve as payment for escorting her. Helene privately resumes thinking of him as a miserly, exploitative Vampire, though she still chooses to stay.
  • Abner reveals his travel plans: he will leave Bayam openly by ship for Pritz Harbor, then travel by rail to Intis. He asks Lion Leon whom he should send farewell letters to.
  • Leon lists numerous women and prominent figures with whom he has maintained Abner’s “social life,” including Governor’s wife Riche, Miss Clay, Mrs. Aino, and Abby, the daughter of the Nois Gang leader. Leon explains that he did not act improperly but caused several women to have realistic dreams, further damaging Abner’s reputation.
  • Leon then warns that Abby possesses a mysterious power and may be connected to the Naturism Sect, an organization associated with the Mother Tree of Desire. Abner recognizes the danger and decides to report the matter to the Tarot Club so that the Hanged Man can alert the Church of Storms.
  • Despite Helene’s belief that she is becoming independent of Abner, he reminds her that their contract lasts until the New Year and orders her to continue working as a maid, beginning with boiling water for his Beyonder-item forging.
  • The chapter includes the specifications for Abner’s new item, the Transformation Wand—Fire. It transforms the user into a red-armored girl capable of using powerful Devil abilities, including flame attacks and desire-based Fascination. However, remaining transformed for more than two minutes causes the weapon’s Flame Sword to erupt inside the user, potentially killing them.
  • During Abner’s return voyage, he stops at Damir Port and shows the wand to Mr. Gaston. Gaston is shocked that Abner knows the King of the Five Seas commissioned him to create a similar item, setting up a new mystery.

Character Developments

  • Helene becomes more trusting of Abner. She acknowledges his reliability, strength, and respect for her autonomy, and chooses to stay with him despite his exploitative work arrangements.
  • Her trust is tempered by renewed annoyance when Abner deducts her wages as an escort fee and orders her to continue serving as a maid.
  • Abner remains practical, calculating, and opportunistic. He is protective of Helene and alert to supernatural threats, but he also treats contracts and finances strictly, contributing to his stingy reputation.
  • Lion Leon proves socially reckless and morally unconventional. He imitates Roselle’s understanding of socializing, creates realistic dreams for women in Abner’s circle, and uncovers important information about Abby through dream infiltration.
  • Mr. Gaston is introduced as someone connected to the King of the Five Seas’ own Beyonder-item projects, implying that Abner’s creation may have broader political or supernatural significance.

Significant Themes

  • Trust versus exploitation: Helene recognizes that Abner genuinely protects and respects her, yet he still takes advantage of their contractual arrangement, creating an uneasy mixture of loyalty and resentment.
  • Freedom and dependence: Helene’s decision to remain with Abner appears voluntary, but her continued employment and financial dependence show how limited her choices remain.
  • Reputation and social identity: Leon’s behavior creates rumors and misunderstandings around Abner, demonstrating how easily public reputation can be shaped by appearances and supernatural interference.
  • Supernatural danger beneath ordinary life: Political departures, farewell letters, and social relationships conceal threats involving the Naturism Sect, the Mother Tree of Desire, and dangerous Beyonder artifacts.
  • Power and its cost: The Transformation Wand grants extraordinary abilities but imposes a severe and immediate drawback, emphasizing that supernatural strength always carries consequences.

Character Interactions

  • Abner and Helene: Their relationship combines employer and servant roles with growing mutual trust. Helene respects Abner’s protection but remains exasperated by his penny-pinching behavior and demands.
  • Abner and Leon: Abner is embarrassed and frustrated by Leon’s interpretation of his instructions, especially the realistic dreams Leon creates for Abner’s acquaintances. Nevertheless, he takes Leon’s intelligence about Abby seriously.
  • Helene and Leon: Helene enjoys Leon’s revelations because they expose Abner to embarrassment and allow her to take pleasure in his discomfort.
  • Abner and Mr. Gaston: Their meeting at Damir Port ends on a note of surprise, as Gaston reveals that Abner’s fire-transformation artifact resembles one commissioned by the King of the Five Seas.
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Ch. 678Vice Admiral Deep Sea's Intel

Chapter Summary: “Vice Admiral Deep Sea’s Intelligence”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Abner learns that Litorio, the third mate of The Black Emperor and holder of the Transformation Wand—Wind, may have commissioned a similar transformation item. Litorio likely wanted to avoid loneliness by forcing another companion to undergo a similar transformation.
  • Mr. Gaston reveals that Litorio’s bounty has risen from £9,000 to £11,000 after he discovered a secret belonging to Vice Admiral Deep Sea, Howl Constantine, and survived an attempt to silence him.
  • Because Vice Admiral Deep Sea has connections to powerful Intisian families, Litorio’s discovery may involve a major political or supernatural secret.
  • Abner connects this information to a revelation he received in the Elf Trial: Vice Admiral Deep Sea is involved in sacrificing people to a sea monster possessing the Prophet characteristic. Abner suspects the sea monster is linked not only to Deep Sea but also to an Intisian family through a contract.
  • Abner confirms his theory through prophecy. He then offers Mr. Gaston the Transformation Wand—Fire in exchange for helping him obtain Litorio’s intelligence. Gaston agrees to negotiate, taking 80% of any additional value he secures, while Abner receives 20%.
  • Audrey attends her coming-of-age ceremony at the New Year’s gala. Despite the celebration, she remains somber because of the enormous death toll from the Backlund Great Smog and the plague that followed. The queen publicly presents her as a symbol of hope.
  • Klein, now using the identity and appearance of Gehrman Sparrow, visits a cemetery containing the victims of the Great Smog. He finds the remains of several people connected to his former life, including Mr. Cosen, his wife, and his former landlord. He is relieved to learn that Old Kohler, Daisy, and Freya survived, with Sharron helping arrange their escape and new identities.
  • Abner and Helene return to Backlund with Lion Leon disguised as an orange cat. Klein and Abner pass one another at the station, recognizing each other but deliberately avoiding contact.
  • At the end of the chapter, a young girl traveling with her brother recognizes Abner and asks whether he is Detective Abner Brain.

Character Developments

  • Abner demonstrates increasing caution and strategic awareness. He realizes that confronting Vice Admiral Deep Sea directly could be disastrous if powerful Intisian forces are involved. He also uses his wealth and magical creations to pursue information indirectly.
  • Mr. Gaston is established as well-informed about Intisian and maritime affairs. His opportunistic personality appears when he negotiates an 80/20 share of any improved deal.
  • Litorio gains importance as a resourceful and dangerous pirate. His discovery about Vice Admiral Deep Sea was significant enough to earn him a bounty comparable to that of a Pirate Admiral.
  • Audrey reaches an important social milestone but has become more mature and emotionally burdened by the suffering caused by the Great Smog. Her public image as Backlund’s “bright gem” contrasts with her private grief.
  • Klein adopts the identity of Gehrman Sparrow and shows emotional restraint while mourning the dead. His visit to the cemetery reveals his continuing concern for ordinary people from his past and his relief at learning that some survived.
  • Sharron is shown to be quietly protective and practical, helping Old Kohler and others escape official scrutiny.
  • Helene silently notices Abner’s generosity toward Gaston while resenting his refusal to raise her wages, adding a small humorous interpersonal contrast.

Significant Themes

  • The hidden cost of power and secrets: Litorio’s intelligence suggests that supernatural schemes are tied to political families and broader conspiracies, making Abner’s future confrontation far more dangerous.
  • Preparation versus recklessness: Abner recognizes that acting on incomplete information could lead to a fatal trap, emphasizing the importance of prophecy, investigation, and indirect action.
  • Public hope versus private suffering: Audrey’s coming-of-age celebration presents her as a symbol of optimism, even as the city continues to mourn tens of thousands of victims.
  • Identity and transformation: Litorio’s and Abner’s transformation items, Klein’s new identity as Gehrman Sparrow, and Lion Leon’s disguise all reflect the characters’ need to conceal themselves or adapt to changing circumstances.
  • Memory, mourning, and survival: Klein’s cemetery visit emphasizes the human consequences of supernatural conflict and the importance of remembering those lost while protecting the survivors.
  • Coincidence and concealed connections: Abner and Klein cross paths without openly acknowledging each other, suggesting that their separate identities and plans are increasingly converging.

Character Interactions

  • Abner and Gaston discuss Litorio, Vice Admiral Deep Sea, and the value of the Transformation Wand. Their negotiation establishes a practical alliance based on mutual benefit.
  • Abner’s concern for the coming sacrifice is shaped by his earlier supernatural vision and confirmed through prophecy.
  • Audrey interacts with the queen and her parents during the gala, while the queen publicly frames Audrey as a source of hope for Backlund.
  • Klein reflects on his former acquaintances while visiting their graves, showing that his relationships continue to influence him despite his new identity.
  • Abner and Klein recognize each other at the train station but maintain their disguises and avoid speaking.
  • The chapter closes with a stranger directly identifying Abner, potentially threatening his anonymity and setting up the next development.
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Ch. 679The Door and Home

Chapter Summary: “Doors and Hometown”

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Outside Backlund Steam Station, Benson and Melissa encounter the famous detective Abner Braine. A gold-rimmed-glasses gentleman—implicitly Klein in his new identity—briefly observes Abner before entering the station.
  • Melissa recognizes Abner from newspaper reports and suspects that, because of his extraordinary detective work, he may be a Beyonder. She approaches him enthusiastically and obtains his business card.
  • Benson and Melissa discover that their newly rented home at 26 Kinster Street is next door to Abner’s residence at 28 Kinster Street. Melissa views this coincidence as an opportunity to get closer to the Beyonder world.
  • Klein asks Miss Sharron to watch over Melissa, knowing that she is actively seeking contact with supernatural matters.
  • During the journey, Lion Leon teases Abner about attracting women, while Abner focuses on finding the activation incantation for the Card of Blasphemy associated with the Door pathway.
  • Abner realizes that the card was forged by Roselle under a full moon and connects the moon with homesickness and the desire to return to one’s homeland. He proposes the word “Hometown” as the activation incantation.
  • After concealing the carriage, Abner recites the incantation, apparently activating the Door card.
  • At three o’clock, Emlyn returns home and enters the mysterious gathering above the gray fog. The Tarot Club members greet Mr. Fool and praise him for saving Backlund once again.

Character Developments

  • Melissa becomes more proactive and confident in pursuing the supernatural world. Her recognition of Abner and immediate attempt to befriend him show her initiative and growing curiosity.
  • Benson continues to act as a protective older brother, shielding Melissa during the encounter and treating Abner warmly. He remains unaware of the deeper supernatural significance of their new neighbor.
  • Abner demonstrates sharp observational skills by recognizing the likely identities and relationships of Benson, Melissa, and Klein. His insight into Roselle’s emotional state allows him to solve the Card of Blasphemy’s riddle.
  • Klein remains cautious and protective toward Melissa, arranging for Miss Sharron to watch her while maintaining his disguise.
  • Emlyn is eager and nervous about the Tarot Club gathering, but once again arrives late and misses the formal greeting.
  • Lion Leon continues to provide comic relief through its teasing and irreverent personality, while still contributing clues to Abner’s investigation.

Significant Themes

  • Doors and transitions: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes entrances, exits, stations, houses, and transportation, reflecting movement between identities, locations, and supernatural realms.
  • Home and homesickness: The word “Hometown” links Roselle’s longing to return to Earth with the Door pathway’s symbolism and Abner’s successful activation of the card.
  • Coincidence and fate: Melissa and Abner becoming neighbors appears to be an ordinary coincidence, but Melissa interprets it as possible divine guidance toward the extraordinary world.
  • Identity and disguise: Klein’s concealed identity and Abner’s recognition of him highlight the difficulty of maintaining secrecy in a world filled with Beyonders.
  • Curiosity versus protection: Melissa’s desire to investigate the supernatural contrasts with Klein and Sharron’s efforts to protect her from its dangers.

Important Character Interactions

  • Melissa and Abner: Melissa approaches Abner as an admirer, while Abner politely responds and quickly realizes her connection to Klein.
  • Benson and Abner: Benson warmly introduces himself but instinctively places himself between Abner and Melissa, emphasizing his protective nature.
  • Klein and Sharron: Klein asks Sharron to safeguard Melissa, trusting her because of their shared experience in the Dream Labyrinth Tower.
  • Abner and Lion Leon: Their exchange mixes teasing with the serious investigation into the Card of Blasphemy’s activation.
  • Emlyn and the Tarot Club: Emlyn arrives at the gathering just after everyone has greeted Mr. Fool, then hears the members praising him for preventing another disaster in Backlund.
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Ch. 680"Moon"'s Debut and All Kinds of Speculation

Chapter Summary: “Moon”’s Debut and All Kinds of Speculation

Key Plot Points and Events

  • Emlyn “Moon” is introduced as the newest member of the Tarot Club. He is confused when Justice says that Mr. Fool saved Backlund, but quickly realizes she is referring to the Great Smog and plague outbreak.
  • Emlyn is surprised because he had heard the disaster was caused by a Demoness of Despair attempting to advance. His knowledge of the Sanguine and the supernatural makes him aware that the official explanation is incomplete.
  • He examines the other members and becomes fixated on Temperance, initially mistaking her for a high-quality puppet. When he realizes she is a living Beyonder with a Spirit Body, he feels disappointed that she is not an actual marionette.
  • Justice publicly thanks World and The Tower for their contributions during the Great Smog. She explains that World’s warning helped prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths, while The Tower delayed the Demoness of Despair and prevented an even greater immediate death toll.
  • Abner/The Tower modestly refuses sole credit and points out that Judgment also helped. Judgment reveals that she exiled a Vampire shepherded by Saint Tenebrous.
  • This causes Hanged Man to realize that the Aurora Order and one of its Saints were involved in the disaster. Klein privately feels relieved, knowing that the Saint’s absence likely saved his life.
  • The members speculate about Judgment’s identity, with Justice wondering whether she might be Princess Vera because of their similar temperament and involvement in the Great Smog.
  • Emlyn asks about the “Vampire.” Judgment shows an image of the creature, but Emlyn is disgusted by its appearance and abruptly loses interest. His reaction leads the others to suspect that he is either deeply interested in Vampires or is a Sanguine himself.
  • Temperance recognizes Emlyn as the Vampire connected to Harvest Church and silently confirms this with World, who acknowledges it.
  • Klein has World and Fool exchange polite remarks while minimizing their achievements. He then announces that Magician’s diary debt to Mr. Fool has been transferred to World through a private transaction.

Character Developments

  • Emlyn is established as proud, eccentric, socially awkward, and strongly concerned with the Sanguine. He views himself as superior because of his noble heritage and background, yet is repeatedly humbled by the Tarot Club’s powerful members.
  • Alger/Hanged Man demonstrates his sharp observational skills, immediately analyzing Emlyn’s emotions and the hidden implications of the Great Smog. He also becomes interested in the Aurora Order’s involvement.
  • Justice/Audrey shows gratitude and fairness by publicly acknowledging the contributions of World, The Tower, and Judgment. She also begins investigating Judgment’s possible identity.
  • The Tower/Abner displays humility and responsibility by refusing to claim excessive credit despite having significantly reduced the disaster’s death toll.
  • Judgment/Xio is revealed to have played an important role by stopping a Vampire under Saint Tenebrous. Her restrained attitude contrasts with the scale of her contribution.
  • Klein/World/Fool continues carefully managing information and appearances. Klein feels relieved that Judgment helped keep Saint Tenebrous away, while using World and Fool to control the conversation and conceal sensitive matters.
  • Fors/Magician realizes how far beyond her current Sequence the Tarot Club’s activities have taken her, becoming awed and frightened by the number of Demigods involved.
  • Temperance confirms that Emlyn is the Vampire from Harvest Church, while Emlyn remains humorously disappointed that she is not a puppet.

Significant Themes

  • Hidden truth behind public disasters: The Great Smog is shown to have involved Demonesses, Saints, secret organizations, and struggles between powerful supernatural forces, rather than being merely a natural or political catastrophe.
  • Humility and shared responsibility: Several members refuse to take full credit for saving lives, emphasizing that major victories result from many people’s combined efforts.
  • Power and social hierarchy: Emlyn assumes that members with greater status or noble backgrounds should be stronger, but discovers that the Tarot Club contains individuals far more powerful than he expected.
  • Identity and speculation: Much of the chapter revolves around guessing who the members truly are, including Judgment’s possible connection to Princess Vera and Emlyn’s true Sanguine nature.
  • Information control: Klein carefully reveals only what is necessary, redirects praise, and manages the members’ understanding of the Great Smog and the Tarot Club’s activities.

Character Interactions

  • Justice and World/The Tower: Justice sincerely thanks them for their roles in preventing greater casualties, while The Tower downplays his achievements.
  • The Tower and Judgment: The Tower redirects credit to Judgment, prompting her to explain that she merely dealt with the Vampire under Saint Tenebrous.
  • Hanged Man and Judgment: Alger immediately questions her revelation about Saint Tenebrous and the Aurora Order.
  • Justice and Judgment: Audrey studies Judgment and wonders whether she could secretly be Princess Vera.
  • Temperance and World: Temperance silently asks whether Emlyn is the Vampire from Harvest Church; World confirms it.
  • Emlyn and Temperance: Emlyn repeatedly watches Temperance, believing she may be a puppet, and becomes increasingly disappointed when he realizes she is a living Beyonder.
  • Emlyn and Judgment: He asks about the Vampire she fought, but the image disgusts him, exposing his likely Sanguine identity to the rest of the Club.
  • Fool, World, and Magician: Klein announces through World that Magician’s diary debt has been transferred to World, advancing an important ongoing exchange of information.
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