Chapter Summaries

Little Lion fought Count Bette in the secret room, using several Church Mystic Arts and surviving the Count’s attacks. Little Lion realized that Count Bette’s immortality came from stealing time stored in flesh.

• Count Bette discovered that Little Lion’s heart had been branded with Puppet Dance, and Little Lion transformed into a wooden puppet that attacked him with poisoned spikes.
• Little Lion used the Death Poetry Society’s Dance of Death, but Count Bette dispersed the gray mist by sacrificing Alvis’s heart and briefly showed a white streak in his hair.
• Little Lion transformed his wooden arms into gun barrels and fired bullets using Mechanical Gunpowder Modification, while Count Bette searched for the Distortion point engraved on his scalp.
• Little Lion detonated himself and the wooden furniture, reducing the puppet to ashes and destroying half of Count Bette’s body.
• Little Lion’s soul returned through his ring, and Parasitic Revival restored him to life in a prepared body.
• Little Lion concluded that Count Bette replenished his flesh by stealing the time stored within it.

Little Lion tried to steal Count Bette’s supposed time-based immortality, but Count Bette revealed the Time Dragon rumor had been a deliberate cover to protect his true ability. The Count identified Little Lion as Greisa Hamlet and demanded the truth about the Blood Clan’s extermination after gouging out his right eye.

• Little Lion realized Count Bette’s power seemed connected to time and prepared to steal it with the Thief’s Interstice.
• Count Bette identified the Thief’s Interstice and recounted how the Blood Marquis had taken Rogue Carmen’s right eye.
• Count Bette accused the Golden Lion Family of exterminating the Blood Clan and suggested Little Lion’s family had acted out of shame and rage.
• Little Lion attempted to deceive Count Bette into thinking they shared an enemy, but the Thief’s Interstice failed to steal the Count’s ability.
• Count Bette admitted that he had spread the Time Dragon rumor to conceal his real ability and protect himself.
• Count Bette called Little Lion Greisa Hamlet, gouged out his right eye, and demanded the truth about the Blood Clan’s extermination.

Count Bette stole Little Lion’s eye and triggered the backlash of Thief’s Interstice, but Little Lion petrified him and killed himself to escape the consequences. Fuginn swallowed Thief’s Interstice, then was destroyed by the pair’s combined attacks; as Little Lion and Count Bette resumed fighting, Fuginn’s remains became deathly aura wrapped around the mystic item.

• Count Bette tore out Little Lion’s right eye and explained that Thief’s Interstice could steal experiences as well as possessions and abilities.
• Little Lion’s aging backlash struck, and he used Medusa’s Arrow to petrify Count Bette before shattering his own skull with Parasitic Revival.
• Fuginn swallowed Thief’s Interstice while Little Lion revived and Count Bette broke free of the temporary petrification.
• Little Lion and Count Bette tried to stop Fuginn from escaping, but their throwing knife and acid destroyed both the raven and Thief’s Interstice.
• Little Lion and Count Bette blamed each other and resumed their brutal fight as Fuginn’s remains became deathly aura surrounding Thief’s Interstice.

Arthur followed the clue from Thief's Interstice into Carmen Huntington's trial, recognized the enormous step as a trap, and passed by refusing to climb it. The trial rewarded him with the Mythic lesser organ Thief's Gatefold, revealing Carmen's attempt to create his own path beyond the Ascension Ladder.

• Arthur used Fuginn to swallow Thief's Interstice and was transported to a trial space containing a single enormous step.
• Arthur recalled Carmen Huntington's life and concluded that climbing the step would be a trap that could cost him the true use of Thief's Interstice.
• Arthur turned away, then returned to write his name on the step and urinated on it.
• A one-eyed old man appeared, laughed, and declared that Arthur had passed the trial before vanishing with the step.
• Arthur received Thief's Gatefold, a Mythic lesser organ whose notes described Carmen's struggle to advance beyond the Fourth Tier.

Arthur examined [Thief's Interstice] and discovered it could steal a target’s existence, then secretly transplanted it into the floor beneath Fuginn. After Fuginn resurrected with a third eye, Count Bette and Little Lion stopped fighting and learned Arthur had been behind the confrontation.

• Arthur read [Thief's Interstice]'s attributes and realized it could eventually replace a target and inherit their life, belongings, skills, and experiences.
• Arthur secretly embedded [Thief's Interstice] in the damaged floor beneath Fuginn while Count Bette and Little Lion were distracted.
• Arthur resurrected Fuginn, whose new third eye appeared between his brows.
• Count Bette and Little Lion paused their battle and asked who had arranged the confrontation; Arthur admitted he had.
• Little Lion recognized Arthur's voice, and [Thief's Interstice] began to flash.

Arthur stole Little Lion’s Parasitic Revival mystic art, which granted nine instant revivals, but his attempt to steal Count Bette’s immortality failed despite passing the evaluation. As Fuginn feigned weakness and Little Lion challenged Arthur about his remaining lifespan, Arthur realized Count Bette’s immortality came from a mystic item and prepared to try stealing again.

• Little Lion and Count Bette tried to evade Arthur’s Thief’s Interstice by circling behind each other, but Arthur’s theft completed while they spun.
• Arthur stole Little Lion’s Parasitic Revival Lv5 at the cost of five years of lifespan and learned it allowed nine perfect revivals.
• Arthur attempted to steal Count Bette’s immortality, but the theft failed after the evaluation passed, revealing that he had selected the wrong target.
• Arthur concluded that Count Bette’s immortality was a mystic item rather than a mystic art or bloodline talent.
• Arthur prepared to use Theft again as Fuginn feigned weakness, while Little Lion asked how much lifespan Arthur had left.

Little Lion tried to trick Arthur into wasting a century of his life with [Thief's Interstice], while he and Count Bette prepared to fight over the Mystic Art. The raven revealed that Arthur had outsmarted them both, stolen Little Lion's ring, and was ready to begin a game.

• Little Lion claimed Arthur had lost at least a hundred years of his lifespan by stealing his perfected [Parasitic Revival] and mocked him with the Fountain of Youth ring.
• Count Bette and Little Lion prepared to fight, each still intent on killing the other and claiming [Thief's Interstice].
• Count Bette attacked Little Lion with an Acid Arrow, and Little Lion retaliated by making the dagger Count Bette had stolen explode.
• Little Lion discovered that his ring was gone, and he and Count Bette realized the raven had faked its old age and stolen it.
• Fuginn called them idiots, and Arthur announced that they would play a game.

Arthur stole Abdul’s Respect from Greisa Hamlet and an item from Count Bette, discovering supplies and powerful single-use weapons inside the ring. The ring’s account of Abdul’s progress in Fire Control Art left Arthur wondering what became of the master, while the second stolen item astonished him.

• Arthur stole Abdul’s Respect from Greisa Hamlet and found that its space preserved the vitality of its contents.
• Arthur discovered Parasitic Revival supplies, gold, Fountain of Youth, healing items, and three powerful single-use weapons inside the ring.
• Arthur considered Abdul’s Fire Control Art and wondered whether Abdul had reached Lv6 or Lv7 before something happened to him.
• Arthur examined the item he had stolen from Count Bette and was astonished that something like it existed.

Arthur discovered that Count Bette’s immortality depended on the damaged Holward’s Masterpiece and forced him to kill Greisa Hamlet. Count Bette obeyed, then confessed to the murder and handed Arthur the key to Greisa’s flagship, the Lion.

• Arthur examined Holward’s Masterpiece and learned that its portrait could grant immortality but could also be destroyed by demigod-level power.
• Arthur ordered Count Bette to kill Greisa Hamlet within one minute, and Count Bette attacked the house with acid.
• Greisa tried to name his killer, but Count Bette’s acid melted him before he could finish.
• Count Bette picked up the crystal key left behind by Greisa and presented it to Arthur.
• Count Bette declared that Rondo Hart Bette had killed Greisa Hamlet.

Depro and Diliven joined forces to kill Peggy, then turned on Count Bette when he appeared. Count Bette dissolved both sons and blamed Greisa Hamlet and the Inner Bay before declaring war.

• Depro and Diliven fought together against Peggy, who revealed a powerful sword technique.
• Diliven stabbed Peggy from behind, and Depro beheaded him.
• Count Bette entered the battle carrying Peggy's head and condemned Depro and Diliven for killing their brother.
• Depro and Diliven called Count Bette an impostor and attacked him, but he sprayed acid and dissolved them.
• Count Bette blamed Greisa Hamlet and the Inner Bay for the night's events and declared war against the Inner Bay.

Arthur used Count Bette to rally his soldiers into declaring war on the Inner Bay, then secured the Count’s obedience with seven Contracts. After leaving Count Bette to advance according to plan, Arthur summoned his Medium from the river and found a promising written description.

• Arthur used [Ringing Art] and [Bluff] to make the soldiers of Swook Street cry out for war, and Count Bette ordered his fleet and lords to mobilize.
• Count Bette reported to Arthur in a Shire Carriage and signed seven Contracts to secure his loyalty.
• Arthur ordered Count Bette to advance toward the Inner Bay and vanished from the carriage.
• Count Bette resolved to redeem himself and earn Arthur’s appreciation by carrying out a new plan.
• Arthur activated the [Key] by the river, summoned his Medium, and examined its written description with interest.

Arthur inspected his new ship, the Medium, and contacted the Countess of South Los to report that Count Bette had declared war on the Inner Bay. The Countess praised Arthur and offered him land and a baronial title, while Arthur left her poised to respond to the conflict.

• Arthur examined the Medium's abilities and boarded the autonomous ship to catch up with the Eastern and travel toward the Inner Bay.
• Arthur contacted the Countess of South Los and told her that Count Bette had declared war on the Inner Bay.
• The Countess of South Los reacted with surprise, and Arthur used the news to unsettle her and prompt her to consider her response.
• The Countess praised Arthur's accomplishments and offered him a parcel of land in South Los and the title of Baron.

Arthur told the Countess of South Los that Count Bette had killed Greisa Hamlet, the Little Lion, and used the news to keep their deal unresolved. He set sail with the [Key] while Mrs. Susan asked the pouting Countess what she thought of him.

• Arthur considered the XP he had gained and welcomed the Count of South Los's offer to publicize his name.
• Arthur told the Countess of South Los that Count Bette had personally killed Greisa Hamlet, the Little Lion.
• The Countess celebrated and assumed the news would fulfill their deal, but Arthur denied that it resolved South Los's crisis or meant they could kill the Old Lion.
• Arthur ended the call, took out the [Key], and ordered the ship to set sail.
• The Countess pouted as Mrs. Susan asked what she thought of Arthur.

Mrs. Susan tried to persuade the Countess of South Los to consider a marriage alliance between Arthur and the Countess, using her rivalry with Malinda to make the idea appealing. As the Countess pondered the proposal, Jimte felt pain from an injury in the Inner Bay.

• Mrs. Susan reflected that Arthur needed the House of South Los's people and wealth to support his rise and keep him safe.
• The Countess praised Arthur and agreed to invite him to a victory banquet when he returned to South Los.
• Mrs. Susan provoked the Countess's rivalry with Malinda by suggesting she would lose if Malinda's children surpassed her own.
• The Countess grew restless as she considered Arthur as a potential husband, while Julie and Cathy watched her reaction.
• Jimte drew a breath and winced from the searing pain across his back.

Jimte realized that Barro Hamlet was exploiting the Old Lion’s absence to seize power in the Inner Bay, while Joel Coleman continued hunting him. Jimte feared he would be made the coup’s scapegoat, but took comfort in knowing he had a powerful backer.

• Joel Coleman wounded Jimte with a sword slash, and Jimte fled while lamenting that the blow had ruined the armor Annie had sewn for him.
• Jimte led Joel Coleman through the Inner Bay and noticed that the Golden Lion Family and its guards were conspicuously absent.
• Jimte concluded that Barro Hamlet was preparing a coup, possibly while the Old Lion was away, and guessed the nobles and merchants would strike a deal after the upheaval.
• Jimte realized the scheme would leave him to be executed as a scapegoat, but reminded himself that he was not alone and ran into an alley.
• Joel Coleman stopped at the alley and sensed that something was wrong.

Joel Coleman confronted Carral and Jimte in an alley, using a force field to protect himself after abandoning his faith in the sword. Carral exposed Joel’s shattered swordheart and taunted him that his sword no longer wanted him.

• Joel Coleman planted his longsword in the ground and spread a force field that rejected and suppressed swords.
• Jimte considered Hayes’s likely plans to capture the Old Lion’s sons and use them as bargaining chips, then asked Carral how to handle Joel.
• Carral sheathed his Twin Swords, and Joel praised his respect for swordsmen before entering the alley behind ten layers of defensive force fields.
• Carral accused Joel of repeatedly failing to become an Ascendant and losing faith in his sword, prompting Joel to charge at him.
• Carral dodged Joel and whispered that Joel’s sword no longer wanted him.

Carral killed Joel Coleman and claimed his longsword, while explaining to Jimte that his ability to see sword wielders’ openings came from his own Swordheart rather than the Einhaas Family’s Sword Body. Carral and Jimte headed for a safe hiding place to await Hayes’s signal, unaware that a falcon watched them from above.

• Carral exposed Joel’s lost Swordheart, then crushed his heart after Joel realized he had been mortally wounded.
• Carral took Joel’s longsword, which hummed affectionately in his hand, and Joel died unable to accept what had happened.
• Jimte mistook Carral’s Swordheart ability for the Einhaas Family’s Sword Body, but Carral did not explain further.
• Carral saw that the points of death on Jimte had grown indistinct and asked what they should do next.
• Jimte said they would hide somewhere safe and wait for Hayes’s signal, and he and Carral entered an alley without noticing a falcon overhead.

At St. Joan's Girls' Academy, Ailier and four other student leaders gathered secretly to investigate why the supernatural had been hidden from them. Their meeting was interrupted by Miss Jennifer, who had overheard them.

• The chapter explained that a deity's appearance had protected St. Joan's Girls' Academy and that the Old Lion had removed supernatural influences from it.
• Ailier, Renee, Donna, Jo Lily, and Junis met in the abandoned Hunter's Hut to discuss the sword strike that split a building.
• Ailier argued that the event was not a coincidence and suggested that someone had been erasing the students' memories.
• Jo Lily considered whether their memories had been erased, while Junis jokingly mourned the man she imagined she had forgotten.
• Ailier and the others heard laughter outside and drew their weapons as Miss Jennifer entered the hut.

Jennifer and Jane waited in the Hunter's Hut as part of Cassandra Credos's plan to test the five girls. Ailier and her friends returned, and the chapter ended with them being welcomed as trainees of The Invisible.

• Jennifer let Junis and the other girls leave the Hunter's Hut after catching them with weapons and a bomb.
• Jennifer found Jane, who had been hiding in a concealed compartment, and complained about Cassandra Credos's plan to test the five girls.
• Jane sensed someone approaching, and she and Jennifer pulled up their hoods.
• Ailier returned to the Hunter's Hut with Renee, Donna, Jo Lily, and Junis, warning them that she was choosing to face the unknown herself.
• Ailier opened the door, and someone congratulated the five girls and welcomed them to The Invisible.

Jennifer recruited Ailier, Renee, Donna, Jo Lily, and Junis as apprentices of The Invisible after they returned to the history classroom. She led them toward the school auditorium while Jimte and Carral arrived outside St. Joan's Girls' Academy and stopped before entering.

• Ailier persuaded the others to return, and the five students found Jennifer waiting for them in her white cloak.
• Jennifer revealed her Hidden Blade, introduced The Invisible, and told the girls that they had passed the test and become apprentices.
• Jennifer explained that the girls had earned their chance by discerning the truth and warned Junis that missed choices could not be reclaimed.
• Jennifer and Jane led the five students toward the school auditorium, and Junis and the others felt grateful to Ailier for bringing them back.
• Jimte and Carral arrived outside St. Joan's Girls' Academy as their temporary hideout, but they stopped before entering.