Chapter Summaries

Arthur discovered that Yura’s strand of Mikhailo’s Greater Touch could enhance and parasitize a host before resurrecting Mihailo, and he suspected the Lady of Pain meant to use him as a vessel. As Arthur pressed Yura for a better bargain, someone emerged from a smoke ring and interrupted them.

• Arthur read the properties and resurrection stages of Mikhailo’s Greater Touch (Incomplete), then pretended to be delighted so Yura would not suspect his alarm.
• Yura explained that the Lady of Pain had given her the strand as a bargaining chip and asked Arthur to cut off the High Priest and Saintess from their congregants without harming them.
• Arthur distrusted Yura and suspected the Lady of Pain was preparing him as a vessel, so he considered how many strands she might possess and whether she had other plans.
• Arthur claimed that helping Yura would require outside assistance and a steep price, while Yura promised to give him a satisfactory answer at daybreak.
• As Yura moved closer to Arthur, a figure stepped out of a smoke ring and asked whether they had arrived at a bad time.

Yura grew jealous when Arthur ignored her in favor of Malinda, while Arthur and Malinda used a private dance to disguise their suspicions that someone was watching them. The chapter ended with Arthur setting off fireworks over Xilond and praising Malinda’s beauty.

• Malinda ignored Yura, and Arthur interrupted her before she could press him for an answer, leaving Yura jealous and resentful.
• Yura left after wishing Arthur and Malinda good night, unaware that Malinda watched her with concealed suspicion.
• Arthur told Malinda that someone was watching them, and Malinda embraced him without hesitation.
• Arthur led Malinda in a dance from the cabin to the terrace, where they moved together beneath the moonlight.
• Arthur used Fuginn's view to time borrowed fireworks over the Xilond docks, then told Malinda that she outshone them.

Arthur and Malinda feigned romance to deceive Yura while secretly discussing their plans against the Lady of Pain. As Yura’s tentacle altered Joe, Arthur noticed the change and Malinda offered to help secure West Berlin.

• Malinda embraced Arthur as they watched the fireworks, and the Eastern’s crew assumed they were a couple enjoying a romantic evening.
• Yura watched them angrily as her face twisted and a tentacle split off from her body, crawling into Lucius’s cabin.
• The tentacle entered Joe’s ear while he hallucinated about Yura, briefly changing his eyes before he resumed murmuring without a smile.
• Arthur used secret speech and words written on Malinda’s palm to explain what had happened and discuss contingencies against the Lady of Pain.
• Malinda asked Arthur whether he wanted West Berlin, and he answered by writing four words on her palm.

Arthur and Malinda made a bet that would determine whether Malinda quit smoking and whether Arthur would keep her pipe and tobacco. Malinda won when Pendragon launched a firework, and she presented Arthur with a new pipe in a Wooden Box.

• Malinda asked Arthur whether he had fought the Marquis of West Berlin, and Arthur confirmed that the Marquis was very strong and had multiple trump cards.
• Arthur proposed a bet about whether more fireworks would launch within half an hour: Malinda wagered she would quit smoking if she lost, while Arthur wagered he would keep her pipe and tobacco if he lost.
• Malinda bet that more fireworks would launch, despite Arthur warning her the odds were low.
• Arthur contacted Pendragon, who used the last working firework after Kili provided matches.
• Malinda celebrated her win, lit her tobacco, and gave Arthur a Wooden Box with a new pipe, reminding him to keep it in his hands at all times.

Arthur planned to build his reputation as the River God's master to gain XP, while Malinda borrowed power from her undead parents and broke through a barrier. The Eastern reached Dordot Harbor, where Arthur began putting a new plan into motion.

• Arthur admired the pipe Malinda had engraved with her name, and Malinda left to prepare for their arrival in Dordot Harbor.
• Malinda entered her hidden chamber beneath 6 Whitebird Street, drew power from her parents' coffins, and shattered the barrier against step-entry.
• Arthur considered how to gain XP by convincing the Inner River God Cult that he was the River God's master, noting that he needed 99,999 XP to reach the seventeenth rank at the limit.
• The Eastern reached Dordot Harbor the following evening, and Arthur stored another incomplete Mikhailo's Greater Touch despite Abel's protests.
• Arthur watched Dordot Harbor draw near, smiled, and declared that a wonderful night had begun.

Dordot Harbor prepared for the arrival of the Medium of South Los, while Jacqueline and Catherine learned their father planned to offer them to him. Achisto gathered the Inner River God Cult’s forces and coordinated with Dale Bock to strike the Pain Cult.

• Dordot Harbor was cleaned and locked down ahead of an important guest’s arrival.
• Jacqueline told Catherine that their father intended to offer them to the Medium of South Los and open the family library to him.
• Jacqueline warned Catherine to keep their secret trump card hidden from their father, and hinted that they still had a chance.
• Achisto arrived in Dordot Harbor and declared that the Inner River God’s divine radiance would shine there that night.
• Achisto asked Dale Bock if he was ready to deal the Pain Cult a fatal blow, and Dale agreed while concealing his disdain.

Dale Bock prepared to lead the Torrent Squad against the Church of Pain, while Achisto learned that the Eastern had arrived in Dordot Harbor. Arthur disembarked and was welcomed by Jacqueline and Catherine, who planned to act as they escorted him toward the castle.

• Dale Bock concealed his contempt for Achisto and declared that he and the Torrent Squad would move out under Achisto's command.
• The twelve members of the Torrent Squad appeared, bolstering the Inner River God Cult's confidence in victory.
• Toran arrived and announced that the Eastern had reached Dordot Harbor.
• Jacqueline and Catherine greeted Arthur as he stepped off the Eastern and escorted him toward a carriage bound for the castle.
• Arthur noticed how alike the twins were, while Jacqueline and Catherine exchanged a glance and prepared to act.

Jacqueline secretly met Arthur and learned that her father had allied with him and would likely act that night. As the Marquis’s daughters waited to see who prevailed, Yura summoned the priests of the Church of Pain aboard the Eastern.

• Jacqueline slipped into Arthur’s carriage while an illusion took her place beside Catherine, then tried to recruit Arthur by offering him West Berlin.
• Arthur refused to break his promise to his partner, and Jacqueline left without revealing whether she would cooperate with him.
• Jacqueline told Catherine that their father had allied with the Medium of South Los and that they would probably act that night.
• Jacqueline and Catherine decided to wait for the outcome, ready to serve whoever won or to be free if their father and the lady destroyed each other.
• Arthur arrived at the Marquis’s castle, while Yura summoned the Church of Pain’s priests aboard the Eastern in the name of the High Priest, Her Holiness the Saintess.

Yura advanced her plan to impersonate the High Priest and Saintess, manipulating Lucius into supporting her as the Eastern’s passengers disembarked at Dotedo’s port. At the West Berlin castle, the marquis led Arthur into its original tower and asked him for the whereabouts of a person.

• Yura used the High Priest’s and Saintess’s identities, voices, and secret channels to contact church priests and deacons, while planning to use them to pressure the Inner River Church.
• Yura told Lucius he was the only person she trusted, and he agreed to stand behind her despite his growing pain.
• With the port lockdown lifted, Yura and Lucius left the cabin as the Eastern’s passengers disembarked, while Joe continued murmuring in the Washroom.
• The Marquis of West Berlin showed Arthur the castle’s original tower, where they could speak privately.
• The Marquis asked Arthur to tell him the whereabouts of a person.

Arthur met with the Marquis of West Berlin, who needed his help to protect Dordot Harbor, and used the Contract’s power to negotiate a promise. They agreed to cooperate against the Golden Lion, leaving their partnership poised to begin.

• Arthur gave the Marquis a blank note, showing he had not trusted the supposedly secure meeting place.
• The Marquis offered Arthur gold to smooth over the deception, but Arthur stayed silent and waited for him to hear his terms.
• Arthur asked the Marquis for a promise, then named the Inner Bay and the Golden Lion as the focus of their common cause.
• The Marquis grasped Arthur’s hand, and they agreed to a fruitful partnership.

At Dordot Harbor, Chet worked while waiting for an opportunity, and Tax Collector Beiretz prepared to help the Inner River Church stage an explosion. As Beiretz summoned the overseers, a gunman shot him, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Chet recalled how the Inner River Church had ruined his family and explained that he had come to the Wharf to wait for an opportunity.
• Beiretz regretted missing the church gathering and resented the Eastern and the Medium from South Los for their status and fortune.
• After receiving a note with divine instructions, Beiretz decided to gather the Wharf’s overseers and cause an explosion to announce the church’s return.
• Beiretz rang the Wharf bell and called the overseers to a meeting.
• A gunman fired twice, and the second shot hit Beiretz.

Chet assassinated Beiretz, and Dale Bock used the ensuing explosions and panic to escape and draw attention to the Harbor District. As attacks and fires spread through West Berlin, priests of the Church of Pain gathered to await the High Priest and Her Holiness the Saintess.

• Chet shot Beiretz, but Dale Bock killed Beiretz's guards and threw Chet's bomb into Beiretz's office, destroying the building.
• Dale Bock slipped into the fleeing crowd as police arrived, while further explosions sounded around the docks and inner city.
• A member of the Torrent Squad killed Laut and his family, then set Laut's Tailor Shop on fire and hung their heads beneath its sign.
• As attacks and fires spread across West Berlin, priests of the Church of Pain waited for the High Priest and Her Holiness the Saintess to arrive.
• The High Priest and Her Holiness the Saintess approached, and the assembled priests sat up expectantly.

Arthur discussed the Marquis of West Berlin’s plans with Jacqueline and Catherine as the marquis left to confront the Inner River Church’s attack. He suggested the marquis might be the real prey—or a hunter who had made his targets believe they were hunting him.

• The Marquis of West Berlin read reports of the Inner River Church’s mobilization and left the banquet hall to act personally, exchanging a nod with Arthur.
• Jacqueline asked Arthur whether she and Catherine still had a chance, and he said their odds were slim.
• Arthur explained that prey became vulnerable when it thought itself the hunter, prompting Jacqueline and Catherine to reconsider their father’s role.
• Arthur pointed out that the marquis handled everything himself despite ruling a vast territory, and Catherine realized what he was implying.

Greisa Hamlet’s allied merchant fleets arrived outside Dordot Harbor and attacked after seeing the harbor’s fires, only to be devastated by a hidden artillery ambush. Aboard his secret art ship, the Golden Lion Vessel, Greisa expected the night’s operation to make the ship famous.

• The Duoyige, Rota, and Feisier fleets waited outside Dordot Harbor for Greisa Hamlet’s signal to seize it.
• Feisier, Duoyige, and Rota ordered their twenty ships to sail toward the harbor and prepare to fight after seeing flames and an explosion.
• The fleets’ sailors celebrated the chance to plunder, but Geerjisi’s hidden cannons and musketeers slaughtered them in repeated volleys.
• Greisa Hamlet traveled covertly aboard the Golden Lion Vessel and declared that he would make it the fifth legendary ship.

Greisa Hamlet revealed an unusual ability when Sweet confronted him in disguise, then attacked the Marquis of West Berlin's Chief Swordsman with unpredictable punches. Sweet's defensive item absorbed a blow, and he noticed Greisa was tiring as their fight continued.

• Greisa Hamlet celebrated his expected victory over the Marquis of West Berlin and Dordot Harbor, believing he could claim the harbor for the Golden Lion Family.
• Sweet, disguised as Greisa's personal guard, attacked or confronted Greisa, who detected him and hurled wine and a glass at him with a strange ability that made them vanish and reappear.
• Greisa laughed, then realized his plan had failed and attacked Sweet with sudden punches that shifted direction unpredictably.
• Sweet dodged Greisa's attacks, but one punch struck his chest and shattered a defensive item.
• Sweet observed that Greisa's punches were slowing and that he was tiring, then began considering a way to exploit the weakness.

Yura seized control of the Church of Pain by declaring herself High Priest and forcing its priests to submit. With the priests behind her, she prepared to use the church’s resources to expand its influence while privately planning to betray Lucius.

• Yura entered the Church of Pain gathering with Lucius and demanded that the priests address her as High Priest.
• Yura used Pain Whipping and the Ordeal of Hanging to punish the priests who challenged her authority.
• Yura flayed and burned a loyal priest as a warning while considering how she would later torment Lucius and exploit his pain.
• Yura proclaimed herself High Priest, and the frightened priests unanimously supported her.
• Lucius watched the takeover with growing conflict, sensing that events were not unfolding as they should.

Yura rallied the Church of Pain to fight the Inner River Church, but artillery killed the assembled priests and exposed her as a vessel for the entity the Marquis of West Berlin sought. The Marquis trapped Yura in stone and magma before attacking her, while Kili rescued Lucius; the battle ended with the Marquis's Chief Swordsman unexpectedly dead.

• Yura swore loyalty to Your Eminence and urged the priests to fight the Inner River Church, winning their support as Lucius struggled to understand her changed nature.
• Artillery fire annihilated the priests, while Yura escaped underground and Kili dragged the unconscious Lucius to safety.
• The Marquis of West Berlin identified Yura as the entity's vessel and used mystic art scrolls to turn the ground to stone and then magma.
• Yura emerged badly burned and sent thousands of fanged strands of hair at the Marquis, whose armored warriors cut them apart as they attacked.
• The Marquis's smile froze when he discovered that his Chief Swordsman had died.

The Marquis of West Berlin learned that Sweet had been killed as a ritual by the Torrent Squad unleashed a giant skull against him. Greisa killed Sweet and took his head, then vowed to turn the defeat into victory.

• The Marquis of West Berlin realized Sweet was dead as an evil radiance appeared over West Berlin and hundreds of people were drawn into a ritual.
• The Torrent Squad revealed itself and sent a giant skull of green flame charging at the Marquis of West Berlin.
• The Marquis shattered the skull with [Ironblood Slaughter], but realized something was wrong.
• Sweet tried to capture Greisa after believing Greisa could not move while attacking, but Greisa remained unharmed and cut Sweet in half.
• Greisa beheaded Sweet, took his head, and declared that he would turn defeat into victory.

Greisa ordered Dale Bock to accelerate their plan and attack the Marquis of West Berlin using a powerful Death Abyss ritual and the Blood of the Night. Dale Bock sacrificed his Torrent Squad to ascend to the third rank and launched a scarlet sword of light at the marquis.

• Greisa deduced that the Marquis of West Berlin had set a trap for another target and began making arrangements to turn his defeat into victory.
• Dale Bock reported that the Torrent Squad’s surprise attack on the Church of Pain was succeeding when Greisa ordered him to attack the marquis immediately.
• Greisa sent Dale Bock a massive Death Abyss ritual plate and the Blood of the Night jewel, which Dale Bock recognized as tools that could help kill the marquis.
• Dale Bock gathered the Torrent Squad and used the ritual to draw in nearby people, but the summoned skull shattered against the marquis.
• Dale Bock sacrificed the Torrent Squad, absorbed the gathered blood and death, and rose to the third rank.
• Dale Bock released a hundred-meter scarlet sword of light and sent it toward the Marquis of West Berlin.

Dale Bock used the Blood of the Night to attack the Marquis of West Berlin, who countered with his Golden Bow and spent years of his lifespan. Dale Bock revealed that the attack had been a trap to make the Marquis use his trump card, and declared that he had won.

• The Marquis of West Berlin recognized Dale Bock and used Cannon Formation to keep his distance from the scarlet sword.
• The Marquis summoned the Golden Bow and fired a golden arrow, sacrificing at least three years of his lifespan to destroy the sword and vaporize most of Dale Bock's body.
• Dale Bock used the Blood of the Night to repair himself and mocked the Marquis for falling into his trap.
• Dale Bock explained that he had expected the Marquis to use the Golden Bow and had exploited his opponent's fear of the apparent curse.
• Dale Bock declared that he had won and that no one could change the outcome.