Chapter Summaries

Amon awakened the exclusive Spirit Word Bug, which let him become an information-based lifeform and control digital devices and networks. After testing the ability with a phone, he scattered fragments of himself throughout the global data network, leaving his physical body with power roughly equivalent to an ordinary Second Generation Dragon.

• Amon's awakened Spirit Word, Bug, let him inhabit digital devices, infiltrate networks, and divide his consciousness among multiple vessels.
• Amon used a pink phone he had taken from a woman to test the ability, entering it even after removing its battery.
• Amon emerged from the phone more than ten minutes later, and his aura was greatly weakened.
• Amon revealed that he had scattered countless fragments of himself through the global data network, leaving his body with roughly ordinary Second Generation Dragon-level power.

Amon explained to Rigerif how Herzog’s experiments and Maria’s blood related to Dragon Kind, the Kingdom of God, and the Holy Grail. After learning that she could still be targeted by others, Rigerif chose to join Amon’s dragon organization, whose name he had not yet decided.

• Rigerif told Amon about Herzog’s Migdal Bavel experiments and connected his evolution to Herzog’s theories.
• Amon revealed that the gods were Dragon Kings, that Maria had brought back a Dragon King’s power, and that he had taken it from her.
• Amon confirmed that Rigerif could serve as a Holy Grail and warned that the Holy Palace Medical Association or other ambitious factions might covet her.
• Rigerif formally asked to join Amon’s organization, and Amon accepted her as an official member.
• Rigerif asked for the organization’s name, and Amon invited her to choose it because he had not decided yet.

Rigerif joined Amon’s newly formed organization and gained his protection while they remained hidden. After Pierce took over as her Attendant Officer, Rigerif followed Amon’s direction and urged him to steer the ship toward the Gate of the Kingdom of God, but Pierce proposed returning first.

• Rigerif learned that Amon had no organization beyond himself and agreed to join, provided he protected her and kept her identity concealed.
• Pierce entered, announced that the Cult had appointed him Attendant Officer, and questioned Rigerif about Vincent, Maria, and the Watertight Compartment.
• Pierce inferred that Rigerif had an unseen ally and tried to negotiate with that person, but Amon told Rigerif to direct the ship toward the Gate of the Kingdom of God.
• Rigerif concealed Amon’s presence and asked Pierce to continue Vincent’s mission, but Pierce said he needed time to study Vincent’s manuscripts and suggested returning first.

Amon persuaded Rigerif to accept Pierce’s plan to dock the ship, while preparing her for a new role in China. He revealed that she would run a food-processing business as cover for supplying food to a Nibelungen, and named their organization House of Hungry Dragons.

• Rigerif agreed to Pierce’s proposal to dock at a port, and Pierce decided to search for the mysterious assassin after the passengers disembarked.
• Amon told Rigerif he could fly her to land if necessary, but she rejected the idea because of the freezing winds.
• Amon said he would give Rigerif a new identity as a Northern European merchant and have her establish a food-processing plant in China.
• Amon explained that the plant would serve as a cover for buying food to feed the creatures in a Nibelungen.
• Amon named their organization House of Hungry Dragons, and Rigerif mistook the Chinese name for “House of Evil Dragons.”

The Scarlet Naga unleashed Spirit Word: Quake, triggering an enormous earthquake and flood as she tried to destroy the dam. As the Orthodox considered a devastating strike to stop her, Wa Master reached the Naga to negotiate.

• The Scarlet Naga's dance caused the riverbank and cliffs to collapse, while the river surged into a destructive flood.
• Mai Sakatoku reported the disaster to Su Enxi, who identified the Spirit Word as Quake and explained how it resonated with the earth and water veins.
• Su Enxi warned that the earthquake could destroy the dam and flood downstream cities, prompting Mai Sakatoku to flee with Lu Mingfei.
• Wa Master struggled through the raging river to reach the Scarlet Naga and negotiate with her.
• The Naga slowed her dance when she noticed Wa Master, allowing Wa Master to reach her.

Wa Master invoked her ancestor Wa to calm the Naga, who recognized Wa as an old friend and became absorbed in hearing her love story. Their conversation ended with the Naga wondering whether Wa was still alive, while the devastated river remained still around them.

• The Naga stopped her destructive rampage and recognized Wa Master as a descendant of her old friend Wa.
• Wa Master cautiously drew back the Dragon-Severing Platform and explained that her ancestor had loved a human and concealed her Dragon Kind identity.
• The Naga eagerly asked what had happened to Wa after humans discovered her secret.
• Wa Master recounted how Wa and her family moved away after neighbors exposed her, then said Wa had disappeared after her husband died.
• The Naga wondered whether Wa was still alive and reflected that long slumbers left the human world changed beyond recognition.

Scarlet Naga rejected Wa Master's offer to help against Odin and vanished beneath the river, leaving Wa Master searching the depths. She burrowed deep underground and entered an ancient hall surrounded by gray mist.

• Wa Master tried to persuade Scarlet Naga to seek revenge on Odin together, but Scarlet Naga revealed she was a Second Generation Dragon and Odin was the King of Sky and Wind.
• Scarlet Naga refused compensation for the loss of Bronze and Fire's authority, then abruptly left after feeling herself pulled away from within her consciousness.
• Wa Master awakened her bloodline power and pursued Scarlet Naga into the river, but lost her trail in the dark abyss of Heimo.
• Scarlet Naga used Spirit Word to bore through the riverbed and create a temporary fortress deep underground.
• Scarlet Naga stopped resisting the pull and awoke in an ancient great hall filled with gray mist.

Daoist Priest persuaded Naga to abandon her plan to flood the dam in exchange for God's Blood. Naga then negotiated with Wa Master, who agreed to provide one drop within an hour and report any future news of Odin.

• Daoist Priest asked Naga to abandon her revenge against humanity to protect the lives downstream of the dam.
• Daoist Priest offered God's Blood as compensation, and Naga agreed to call off the flood.
• Naga returned to Wa Master and said she would not trigger an earthquake, but demanded compensation for her losses.
• Naga demanded one drop of God's Blood and immediate notice of any news about Odin, and Wa Master agreed on behalf of Orthodox.
• Naga gave Wa Master one hour to deliver the God's Blood.

Vasily Zaitsev’s FSB team prepared to confront dangerous cultists aboard the Yamal in Murmansk, while keeping the ship’s wealthy guests safe. Captain Sasha received orders to abandon silent observation and secure specific targets as the undercover mission neared its end.

• Vasily Zaitsev ordered his team to keep their weapons lowered and not open fire until the guests had left the Yamal.
• Vasily warned Sergei that the targets were unusually dangerous and that stray gunfire could endanger the wealthy passengers and bring devastating consequences.
• The FSB agents outside the ship took positions and prepared for the guests to disembark.
• Captain Sasha told the undercover agents serving as senior crew that Moscow had ordered them to isolate and secure specific targets aboard the Yamal.
• Sasha urged the agents not to make mistakes as they anticipated the end of their long undercover mission.

Captain Sasha ordered an emergency operation to transfer the ship’s passengers and suspected threats into isolation at the port after Olev discovered an opened cocoon in the Watertight Compartment. Meanwhile, Far North struggled with the disappearance of Rigerif, their only lead, as the ship approached its final confrontation.

• Olev discovered active red threads and an opened cocoon in the Watertight Compartment, then reported it to Captain Sasha.
• Sasha suspected an unknown life-form had hatched, sent an emergency report to Moscow, and received orders to prepare a high-risk port operation.
• Sasha assigned Ivan to contact Vasily's port team, Olev to monitor the Watertight Compartment, and Grey Wolf to watch key passages and suspects.
• Far North prepared a farewell party, but Pierce discovered that Rigerif had disappeared and angrily questioned the men assigned to guard her.
• An elderly Far North leader urged Pierce to find Rigerif quickly, and Pierce demanded that her guards explain what had happened.

Pierce searched for the vanished Rigerif while Amon kept her hidden in plain sight at the Yamal’s farewell ball. As passengers began disembarking, Amon and Rigerif prepared to leave with the crowd, though Pierce’s people were watching the gangway.

• Pierce ordered his subordinates to search every passenger and inspect the ship, while worrying that Rigerif might have escaped into the sea.
• Amon danced with Rigerif and explained that they would leave with the other guests to avoid attracting attention.
• Rigerif noticed Pierce’s searchers watching the ballroom, but Amon’s Spirit Word made them overlook her despite her lack of disguise.
• Pierce announced that Mr. Vincent was too ill to attend and promised each guest a commemorative gift as they disembarked.
• Half an hour later, the passengers officially began disembarking.

Pierce discovered that Amon had not collected a farewell gift and ordered him checked, but a phone call from Odin interrupted him with news that the Holy Palace Medical Association was changing its plans after Vincent’s death. Odin showed Pierce a harbor explosion, while Amon pulled Rigerif to cover and headed toward the spectacle.

• Pierce’s attendants searched departing passengers under the cover of handing out gifts, while Alpha Group watched the gangway and prepared to assault the YAMAL once everyone had left.
• Pierce realized the Saintess was missing and noticed one gift remained; an attendant said it was meant for a tourist registered as Amon.
• Odin called Pierce, identified himself as a representative of the Holy Palace Medical Association, and explained that Vincent had been their Ferryman under the code name Charon.
• Odin directed Pierce’s attention to the harbor, where a huge explosion tore through the night and shook the YAMAL.
• Amon used a Spirit Word to conceal himself and pulled Rigerif behind a low building to avoid falling debris, then suggested they go see what was happening.

Alpha Group was caught in a devastating ambush at the port, and Commander Vasily rallied the survivors as attackers opened fire. From a water tower, Amon and Rigerif watched the battle while Amon concealed how he produced his equipment.

• Explosions tore through Alpha Group's warehouse position, killing or injuring several soldiers and scattering the survivors.
• Vasily recovered from the blast and ordered his surviving troops to establish a defensive line and check their equipment.
• Attackers fired on Alpha Group from multiple positions, and Vasily's soldiers returned fire.
• Amon watched the firefight from a water tower with Rigerif, having knocked out the sniper team stationed there.
• Rigerif questioned how Amon kept producing binoculars and other items, and he claimed he was a magician.

Pierce decided to flee the Yamal with most of his men while searching the harbor for the escaped Saintess, Rigerif, after Odin promised him the role of Charon. Odin learned that Maria was dead, Rigerif had escaped, and his spies had been removed, then confronted an unknown caller who claimed responsibility.

• Odin told Pierce that a Russian Federal Security Service faction had attacked the harbor and urged him to leave, promising to make him the new Charon.
• Pierce ordered the Yamal to sail while he and a search party went ashore to find Rigerif.
• Captain Sasha ordered his team to seize the Yamal or disable its propulsion so the ship could not leave the harbor.
• An Odin subordinate reported Maria’s death, the Far North’s collapse, and Rigerif’s escape.
• Odin realized his spies had been removed, and an unknown caller taunted him before Odin demanded to know who was speaking.

Amon used a satellite phone and a second Parasite to make Odin realize that his control over the Far North had been lost. Odin was left uncertain about the identity and intentions of the mysterious Hybrid organization that had threatened him.

• Amon took control of a satellite and sent Odin incomplete information about Vincent's death.
• After learning that the Federal Security Service of Russia planned to act in the Far North, Odin sent people to intercept the Alpha special operations team.
• Amon called Odin through a servant and revealed that the Holy Palace Medical Association's plans and agents had been compromised.
• Odin proposed that they pursue the Kingdom of God together, but Amon mocked the idea and said his organization would show no mercy to threats against national security.
• After Amon hung up, Odin questioned who the organization was and why it had intervened in the Far North.

Amon told Rigerif that the battle at Murmansk Port was being fought over her and warned her that the Holy Palace Medical Association intended to use her as a sacrifice. As Pierce approached with reinforcements, Rigerif resolved to treat her pursuers as enemies and defend her freedom.

• Alpha Group and an armed force fought to a stalemate at Murmansk Port while Amon and Rigerif watched from a water tower.
• Amon explained that two members of the Holy Palace Medical Association had set the groups against each other over Rigerif, and that Pierce was coming to capture her.
• Rigerif saw Pierce approaching by speedboat and grew furious that her pursuers would not let her go.
• Amon warned Rigerif that she could be offered as a sacrifice to open the Gate of the Kingdom of God.
• Rigerif accepted that the pursuers were her enemies, and Amon urged her to take up the sword to defend her freedom.

Captain Sasha seized control of the Yamal while Pierce searched the harbor for Rigerif. When Pierce found her and demanded she return to the Far North, Rigerif refused and challenged him to fight.

• Pierce took most of the Far North forces ashore, and Captain Sasha, Oleg, and Ivan killed the remaining Far North members and took control of the Yamal.
• Pierce led his men through the harbor's alleys to seek help locating Rigerif, but found her waiting for them beneath a broken streetlamp.
• Rigerif told Pierce she had formally resigned as the Far North's Saintess and ordered him to leave her alone.
• Pierce rejected her resignation, surrounded her with his men, and drew a silenced pistol to force her back.
• Rigerif picked up a wooden stick, pointed it at Pierce, and challenged him to use his strong measures.

Amon ambushed Pierce and the Far North after Pierce exposed Amon’s position, then forced Rigerif to confront the man who had imprisoned her. Rigerif killed Pierce herself, ending his hold over her and proving she could act without Amon protecting her.

• Pierce guessed that an invisible ally stood beside Rigerif and ordered the Far North to fire at the empty space.
• Amon stopped time, killed most of Pierce’s men, and spared Pierce and two men he had parasitized.
• Amon revealed himself and urged Rigerif to deal with Pierce as the first elder of their organization.
• Pierce begged Rigerif for mercy, then grabbed a pistol and fired at her when she refused.
• Rigerif dodged the shot, broke Pierce’s gun hand with her stick, and killed him by driving the broken tip into his throat.

After the Far North operation, Amon took Rigerif to a restaurant in Murmansk, where she relished her newfound freedom and asked where they would go next. He planned to secure her a Russian passport in another city and guide her across the country, while privately intending to build her trust and dependence.

• Ivan confirmed the dead attackers were from the Far North, then learned Vincent's body had been found aboard the ship with two young women.
• A lieutenant dismissed Ivan from the operation and ordered him to submit a report, keep quiet, and take a vacation.
• Rigerif enjoyed Borscht and Kvass with Amon, savoring her ability to make simple choices for herself.
• Amon told Rigerif they would travel to another Russian city to arrange a passport before continuing toward China, and she eagerly anticipated seeing the land.
• Amon privately planned to cultivate Rigerif's trust by acting as a gentle, reliable guide on their journey.

Alexander Rybalko was questioned by Lieutenant Colonel Tarasov about the vanished Saintess and Amon, then realized his vacation might not be peaceful. Elsewhere, a masked man convened an emergency meeting and announced the loss of Charon, Maria, and the new Saintess, Miss Rigerif.

• Lieutenant Colonel Tarasov met Alexander Rybalko in a café and questioned him about Saintess Maria, Amon, and the disappearance of the new Saintess.
• Alexander Rybalko said he had no information beyond his report and suggested that Maria might have escaped, while acknowledging that Amon could have attracted the young Saintess.
• Lieutenant Colonel Tarasov thanked Comrade Rybalko, took the report, and left, prompting Rybalko to doubt that his vacation would remain peaceful.
• A masked man summoned an emergency meeting of eight allies in a chamber decorated with a mural of Yggdrasil.
• The masked man announced that Charon's ship had been seized by Russia's Federal Security Service, Maria had died, and Miss Rigerif had vanished.