Chapter Summaries

Arthur and his companions finished exploring Geppetto's laboratory, and Arthur considered his plans involving Nidhogg, Bloody John, and Glaster. In South Los, Eli helped Dr. Linst treat Walsh, then reacted with surprise when the doctor asked about Medium Credos.

• Arthur received 1,000 XP after his group reached 80% exploration of Geppetto's laboratory.
• Malinda collected the laboratory's books and papers and said she would copy them before giving Arthur the originals under a new contract.
• Arthur decided to leave Nidhogg where he was for now and planned to use Bloody John to draw out Glaster of the Pale Hand.
• Eli brought Dr. Linst to treat the wounded Walsh, and the doctor warned that Walsh needed bed rest and a dry wound.
• Dr. Linst asked Eli whether he knew Medium Credos, and Eli recited Credos's many titles in astonishment.

Dr. Linst sought help bringing his wife back from the dead, but Eli and the Bandaged Swordsman warned that only Arthur Credos could advise him and that resurrection might not restore the person he loved. After Eli sent Walsh away with a coat, Walsh set out to recover and seek revenge on Glaster, then heard a stranger offer to help kill him.

• Dr. Linst told Eli that Arthur Credos had said the dead could be brought back but warned that he might not know who he had revived.
• Eli urged Dr. Linst to trust Arthur, and the Bandaged Swordsman said he could not help him or identify who returned from the Land of Slumber.
• Eli and the Bandaged Swordsman discovered that Walsh was awake, then told him to leave after he revealed a sharp piece of bone.
• Eli gave Walsh a coat so he would not die nearby, and Walsh left determined to recover before taking revenge on Glaster.
• A voice beside Walsh asked whether he wanted to make sure Glaster died a horrible death.

Walsh followed Bloody John’s lead toward the doctor, while Bloody John realized Glaster was trying to draw out the Bandaged Swordsman. Horton, now alive again and calling himself X, appeared and set off with Bloody John to pursue the swordsman.

• Bloody John told Walsh that Glaster was targeting the doctor and urged him to go there, so Walsh headed off to disrupt Glaster’s plans.
• Bloody John deduced that Glaster had used Walsh as bait to lure out the Bandaged Swordsman, whom Glaster wanted to abduct.
• Bloody John realized Glaster had anticipated his actions and resolved to kill him, then greeted the figure who appeared from the shadows.
• The figure revealed himself as Horton, asked to be called X, and confirmed his deal with Bloody John: X would get the Bandaged Swordsman, and Bloody John would get revenge on Glaster.
• X told Bloody John to follow him toward the place where the Bandaged Swordsman and Eli were staying.

Eli and the Bandaged Swordsman left their exposed hideout while Doctor Linst was confronted by a stranger demanding he sign a Contract to bring his wife back to life. Walsh saved Linst with a sword made of bone, but three crossbowmen then emerged to attack the wounded newcomer.

• Eli and the Bandaged Swordsman left their hideout after Walsh’s rescue had exposed it.
• A disguised stranger stopped Doctor Linst and offered to bring his wife back to life if he signed a Contract.
• Linst refused and tried to flee, but Walsh beheaded the stranger with a bone sword.
• Three crossbowmen appeared, and the wounded Walsh raised his hand and fired at them.

Walsh and Dr. Linst fought back-to-back against enemies surrounding them, with Walsh shielding the doctor while Linst used a longsword. Just as five crossbowmen prepared to fire, Eli appeared on a rooftop with two Thunder Guns and opened fire.

• Walsh used Bone Spikes to kill three crossbowmen, then struggled with the strain of regrowing the bones.
• Walsh told Dr. Linst to flee while he held off the attackers, but enemies appeared behind them and trapped them.
• Dr. Linst picked up a crossbow and fired at the approaching crowd as Walsh fought with his Bone Sword.
• Walsh and Dr. Linst worked together, with Walsh defending and Linst thrusting his longsword into their attackers.
• Five crossbowmen aimed at Walsh and Dr. Linst, but Eli appeared overhead and fired both Thunder Guns into the crowd.

Eli escaped with Walsh and Dr. Linst while the Bandaged Swordsman faced a deathly middle-aged man in the alley. Eli led them toward the supposedly safe refuge at 2 Kirk Street.

• The Bandaged Swordsman killed the remaining attackers, and Dr. Linst recognized his exposed skin as that of a dead man brought back to life.
• Eli carried Walsh and pulled Dr. Linst away as the middle-aged man approached, while the Bandaged Swordsman stayed to confront him.
• The middle-aged man praised the Bandaged Swordsman and his [Evil-Breaking Slash], then unleashed a spreading deathly aura.
• Bloody John arrived on a door panel propelled by seawater, but fled when the middle-aged man used a signal flare and cries for help to draw the Countess of South Los's forces.
• The Bandaged Swordsman charged the middle-aged man with a blazing sword as Eli, Walsh, and Dr. Linst escaped.
• Eli reassured Walsh and Dr. Linst that the Bandaged Swordsman had arranged a safe escape route and named 2 Kirk Street as their destination.

The 'Bandaged Swordsman' killed the middle-aged gentleman who had pursued Eli, Walsh, and Dr. Linst, but the gentleman reappeared ahead of them on Xixico Road. 'Horton' intervened and pulverized him, leaving the three survivors to reach Kirk Street and sense that something was wrong.

• The 'Bandaged Swordsman' used Kuliqi's vision to identify and kill the middle-aged gentleman, then took his corpse in search of a replacement body.
• Eli carried Walsh while dragging Dr. Linst toward the Shire District, but the middle-aged gentleman appeared on Xixico Road and pinned all three with his deathly aura.
• As Eli prepared to use his scroll, wind blades enveloped the middle-aged gentleman and revealed 'Horton' as their source.
• 'Horton' said he had survived the sabotaged ritual, completed an unexpected ritual, and planned to collect interest before crushing the middle-aged gentleman into pulp.
• Eli, Walsh, and Linst continued to 2 Kirk Street, where their relief turned to alarm when they sensed something was wrong.

Walsh killed Eli and Doctor Linst after mistaking the Medium's illusion for reality, but Arthur Credos revealed the deaths and pain were real and captured all three men. The Medium then confronted the darkness around 2 Kirk Street and taunted the Resurrected One, who answered from nearby.

• Eli dragged Doctor Linst through the street, repeatedly smashing him into obstacles and threatening to run over his wife with a carriage.
• Walsh stabbed Eli and Doctor Linst with the [Bone Sword], believing they were illusions.
• Arthur Credos emerged from 2 Kirk Street, overpowered Walsh, and forced him to face the reality of the deaths before capturing him alongside Eli and Doctor Linst.
• The Medium revealed that he intended to use the three bound men as bait and dragged them through a darkness that shattered to reveal the real Kirk Street.
• The Medium admired the [Death Snake Banyan] and called for the Resurrected One, who appeared beside him and offered to make him fertilizer.

Arthur confronted a Pale Hand member who had impersonated him and attacked Eli, Walsh, and Dr. Linst. As the impostor summoned thousands of skeletal warriors, they knelt before Arthur, revealing his authority over the dead.

• Arthur ordered the Death Snake Banyan to stop the impostor and lash his face while it caught Eli, Walsh, and Dr. Linst.
• The Chief Swordswoman and Malinda condemned the Pale Hand for impersonating Arthur, and Malinda resolved to use the South Los Family’s power against them.
• The impostor unleashed a hypnotic sound attack and summoned deathly aura, soulfire, and three thousand skeletal warriors.
• Arthur stepped toward the skeletal warriors, and they stopped to kneel before him as their soulfire blazed.

Arthur seized control of the Pale Hand’s 3,000 skeleton warriors, then burned them with Deathfire when their handler tried to detonate them. He redirected the gathered deathly aura into the Death Snake Banyan and faced the Pale Hand member as they transformed and attacked.

• Malinda identified Arthur’s control of the skeletons as the Black Cat Faction’s Communing with the Netherworld, astonishing the Pale Hand member.
• The Pale Hand member tried to detonate the skeleton warriors with deathly aura, but Arthur used Deathfire to burn them and absorb the aura.
• Arthur transferred deathly aura to the Death Snake Banyan to help it grow, while explaining that he could not safely keep the unstable skeleton warriors.
• The enraged Pale Hand member’s body swelled as they charged Arthur, who answered with Song of Death: Sword One.

Arthur killed a Pale Hand member and recognized that the hidden enemy was using mystic arts of distortion. Lady Glaster revealed herself, and Arthur greeted her with an insult.

• Arthur killed the Pale Hand member with a silent sword-energy slash while the Death Snake Banyan concealed its newly advanced form.
• Malinda and the Chief Swordswoman searched for Glaster, suspecting the slain enemy had used distortion mystic arts linked to the Theophat Psychic Order.
• Lady Glaster approached from West Merck Avenue and revealed herself after Arthur saw through her illusion.
• Lady Glaster flirted with Arthur and provoked Malinda, but Arthur called her a slut.

Arthur and Malinda exposed Lady Glaster’s plan to steal what others loved, but Glaster invoked an imperial Dueling Contract to force Arthur into a swordsmanship contest. Arthur accepted, and Malinda declared him South Los’s greatest swordsman.

• Arthur explained that Malinda had lured Lady Glaster into a trap, and Malinda and the Chief Swordswoman played along.
• Lady Glaster offered to bear Arthur’s child and threatened to use Distortion to take Malinda’s unborn child for herself.
• Arthur and Malinda rejected Glaster’s plan, and Malinda condemned her for trying to steal and control what others cherished.
• Lady Glaster summoned an imperial Dueling Contract and challenged Arthur to a contest of pure swordsmanship, threatening his child if he refused.
• Arthur accepted the challenge and stepped into the Contract’s range, while Malinda assured the Chief Swordswoman that he was South Los’s greatest swordsman.

Arthur reflected on the visions behind his upgraded Swiftbird Swordsmanship, which revealed the origins of the swiftbirds and a Golden-Eyed Black Serpent’s escape from its father. The skill awakened Arthur’s bird-serpent sword intent, and he remained confident about facing Glaster because of his Death Intuition.

• Arthur recalled spending 3,000 XP to raise Swiftbird Swordsmanship to Lv5 and witnessed a swiftbird hatch and raise a serpent that later ran away.
• The serpent swallowed one of its father’s swiftbird avatars and continued toward the end of the river of time.
• A small gray snake licked the blood left behind, fell asleep, and began transforming as it grew wings and down.
• Arthur read that his upgraded swordsmanship granted greater speed, stronger strikes, bloodline awakening, and bird-serpent sword intent, along with increases to Physique and Spirituality.
• Arthur decided the skill’s stated limit only reflected his current ability and faced Glaster with confidence because he also had Death Intuition.

Arthur recognized Glaster as a dangerous opponent, exposed her concealed past, and accepted the threat of a duel under the Imperial Contract. Glaster revealed her North Wind Swordsmanship, leaving Arthur to face her while he calmly asked whether she had ever heard birdsong.

• Arthur suspected Glaster understood the truth of his swordsmanship and decided she had to die before she could threaten him.
• Glaster proposed having a child with Arthur, but Arthur accused her of treating a child as a tool and exposed her past of exploiting her beauty to acquire Mystic Arts.
• Glaster threatened to starve Arthur and soak him in a cesspit, then accused him of arrogance and declared that he had underestimated other Mystic Arts and sword styles.
• Glaster revealed a rapier and invoked the North Wind Swordsmen Corps, alarming Malinda and the Chief Swordswoman.
• The Chief Swordswoman warned Arthur to be careful, while Arthur remained composed and asked Glaster whether she had ever heard birdsong.

Lady Glaster attacked Arthur with North Wind Swordsmanship after he refused her offer, but Arthur countered with a giant white bird and revealed Entry Rank Swiftbird Sword Intent. He killed Glaster with a single strike, leaving Malinda and the Chief Swordswoman stunned by his talent.

• Glaster explained that Arthur had learned the simplified Swiftbird Swordsmanship from marks left on the doorframe by Ferran, then offered to make him her husband and the father of her children.
• Arthur rejected Glaster, and she attacked him with her North Wind Swordsmanship, surrounding Kirk Street with wind and snow.
• Arthur summoned a giant white bird whose gale drove back Glaster's attack, astonishing Malinda and the Chief Swordswoman with its Entry Rank aura.
• Arthur revealed that he had learned Swiftbird Swordsmanship after seeing it once and advanced it into Entry Rank Swiftbird Sword Intent.
• Glaster recognized Arthur as a monster like Credos, and Arthur passed her before she split in two and fell dead.

Arthur killed Glaster and gained XP, then asked Julie to investigate Glaster and the groups connected to her. After Julie left, the Bandaged Swordsman confronted Arthur and demanded to know who he was.

• Arthur saw that Glaster was dead, gained 1,000 XP, and had her corpse taken underground by the Death Snake Banyan.
• Arthur reviewed the XP he gained from killing three mystical side individuals and considered using Horton to hunt pirates overseas.
• Arthur asked Julie to investigate Glaster, the Pale Hand, and the possibly present Theophat Psychic Order.
• Arthur told Julie he owed Eli, Walsh, and Doctor Linst a favor, and she left to report to the Count.
• Arthur signaled Malinda to wait, then faced the Bandaged Swordsman, who demanded to know his identity.

Arthur staged the Bandaged Swordsman’s return to manipulate the witnesses into speculating about his origins and accepting him. After the Swordsman carried away Eli, Walsh, and Doctor Linst, Malinda confronted Arthur about his secrets and left, while Arthur prepared to get down to business.

• Arthur revealed that he had revived the Bandaged Swordsman using the dead mystical man’s corpse and deliberately let a small group witness his movements.
• Arthur agreed to help the Bandaged Swordsman in exchange for a task, framing the bargain as repayment for saving Eli, Walsh, and Doctor Linst.
• The Bandaged Swordsman accepted Arthur’s terms, then carried the three apparently unconscious men away from Kirk Street.
• Malinda asked Arthur how much he was hiding, then left after telling him to return on his own the next morning.
• Once Malinda had gone, Arthur dropped his smile and rose to attend to business.

Arthur bound the souls of the impostor and Glaster, then examined Glaster’s valuable equipment while the soul weakened under deathly aura. He discovered the Song of the North Wind’s icy powers and noticed a change in Glaster’s reaction before inspecting two more items.

• Arthur used Soul Binding on the impostor, whipped his soul until it dissipated, and sent the corpse away as fertilizer.
• Arthur bound Glaster’s soul, concealed his plans with a bluff, and submerged it in deathly aura until it grew confused.
• Arthur inspected Glaster’s rapier, the Song of the North Wind, and tested its icy wind by coating part of the laboratory in frost.
• Arthur noticed Glaster react to the sword before becoming confused again, then examined two more pieces of equipment and reacted with surprise.

Arthur acquired Carmen's Wristband and Carmen's Leap, then used divination on Glaster's remains to locate one of her bases. He restored Glaster's corpse so he could question her soul and potentially recruit her followers, then examined the Selena Family Core Mystic Art.

• Arthur inspected Carmen's Wristband and its stored scrolls, reflecting on how Glaster had avoided a direct fight with him.
• Arthur examined Carmen's Leap and concealed the cufflink on his person rather than risk attaching it to his clothing.
• Arthur used Glaster's finger bone twice for Bone Divination and identified a mill beside a hill as the set destination for Spatial Leap.
• Arthur used Corpse Transmutation on Glaster's body, intending to learn more from her soul and keep her followers from scattering.
• Arthur took the Selena Family Core Mystic Art from the Athos Box and furrowed his brow.

Arthur spent XP to raise Illusory True Shadow Art and learn Gliding Art, gaining new combat and movement abilities while lamenting the cost of further upgrades. He left Glaster trapped in a deathly aura, but returned just as Glaster began to struggle for escape.

• Arthur saw that learning the incomplete Ritual of the Barbarian King required 3,000 XP, far beyond his current 1,400 XP.
• Arthur raised Illusory True Shadow Art to Lv2 and tested Shadow Flash, discovering he could teleport several times before exhausting himself.
• Arthur learned Gliding Art Lv1 and tested its skating-like movement around the laboratory and Glaster.
• Arthur decided he would eventually raise Gliding Art despite its unexpectedly high XP cost, then left for Caesar Manor before dawn.
• After Arthur left, Glaster began struggling to save himself, but Arthur suddenly reappeared before him with a gentle smile.