Chapter Summaries

Black and White awakened in the Initial Dream Realm and tried to reach Witch, who revealed her jealousy and resentment toward Lysithea. Black chose to remain in the dream and asked Witch not to wake her again, leaving Witch holding her close.

• Witch returned to the Initial Dream Realm, where Black and White had awakened and clung to her ankles.
• Witch realized Watcher had sent them into reality to awaken the Sisters, but said she would not let Black and White sacrifice themselves for Lysithea.
• Witch confessed that she resented Lysithea for receiving the happiness and care Witch had never had, and admitted she wanted Lysithea to suffer.
• White apologized to Witch, but Witch kicked her away before asking Black what she wanted to say.
• Black told Witch she had never wronged her, then said she was dreaming and asked Witch not to wake her again.
• Black embraced Witch, and Witch let her stay as Black praised Watcher.

Ash survived a sudden real-world neural shock and discovered that Van Mula’s White Mist had vanished, leaving the city’s residents incapacitated. Meanwhile, Cleo Si and Light’s operation to capture Ash unfolded under cover of the citywide crisis, while a Secret Guard pursued a separate mission.

• Ash entered Watcher Form during a neural shock, then recovered enough to realize that quitting the dungeon had triggered a berserk wipe for his teammates.
• Ash found the Front Desk Lady incapacitated and saw that Van Mula’s White Mist had disappeared, revealing a clear night sky.
• Cleo Si and Light discussed their successful raid, which the Time Difference Agency had concealed from the Gospel, and agreed on their targets: Ash, Annan, and Bange.
• Cleo Si said she would protect Annan, while Light warned that the Secret Guard in the convoy could threaten her.
• Cleo Si explained that the Secret Guard had used a divine Miracle to disperse Van Mula’s White Mist and was pursuing its own mission target.

Ash used his Dream Shards to prepare for danger after the attack in Van Mula, buying a deluxe gift box that gave him a versatile support Miracle. He rejected the other top prizes and chose to purchase the Secret Poison Diary.

• Ash asked the Gospel whether he would be in danger that night and learned that he would be.
• Ash opened the Peerless Secret Sword Five Spirits Deluxe Gift Box and obtained Emotion Sword, Infatuation, and the Miracle Orb Miracle: Emotionally Devoted.
• Ash realized the Miracle could provide attacks, healing, and status effects, though it did not give him the offensive showpiece he wanted.
• Ash considered the Random Spell Spirit Summoning Card and Agent Possession Card, but decided neither suited their current circumstances.
• Ash chose to purchase the One-Winged Art Spirit: Secret Poison Diary.

Ash bought a Secret Poison Diary and other rewards, then joined the Funeral Agency chat group as Red Hats tracked him to the Game Layer. Light Rex confronted Ash with a search warrant and a rifle, revealing how the Red Hats had found him despite the Twisted Mask.

• Ash bought the Secret Poison Diary, which could make him immune to one recorded Secret Poison, and bought Experience Pearls for the Witch and the Sword Maiden.
• Ash exchanged ten Dream Shards for Witch's Dream, temporarily raising his Mind School realm to Gold Grade for twenty-four hours.
• Ash opened the Funeral Agency chat group and saw Butler, Bo Jin, and Death Artist discussing their approach, with Death Artist warning him to run.
• Red Hats shattered the Game Layer's windows and entered under a Cross-Region Search Warrant, with Cleo Si announcing the surprise search.
• Light Rex aimed a rifle at Ash and explained that the Red Hats had traced his game account through Annan's home, his login address, and his playtime.

Ash attempted to escape arrest by surrendering and then fighting, but Light and Cleo Si overwhelmed him with a ricochet shot. Igula and Harvey intervened to rescue him, and Bange Doran joined their attack as the Red Hats were distracted.

• Ash surrendered to Light and Cleo Si, then used Heart Sword to cut open his robe and dodge toward the Game Pods when the Red Hats approached to cuff him.
• The Red Hats shut their eyes to avoid Ash’s Fiend Windbreaker, but Light struck him with a ricocheting Miracle Shock Bullet that shattered his Sword Body Bulwark and badly injured him.
• Igula appeared through a ceiling panel and signaled for Ash to stand; Ash used Emotionally Devoted Joy Sword to suppress his pain and rose to draw the Red Hats’ fire.
• Cleo Si confirmed Ash was resisting arrest and lifted the kill restriction, while Harvey used Immortal Coffin Cold Rainy Night to overwhelm the Red Hats with Negative Energy.
• Igula drew the Red Hats’ attention by announcing Mind Shriek, and they created Soundproof Walls to defend themselves as Bange Doran entered and attacked them with Blooming Ice.

After the White Mist thinned across Van Mula and triggered withdrawal, Igula rushed to rescue Ash, who had been captured by Red Hats on the Game Layer. Despite the danger and Annan’s disappearance, Igula planned an attack to give Ash a chance to escape.

• Igula suppressed his withdrawal with Mind Miracles, realized the White Mist’s dispersal had caused a city-scale disaster, and headed to meet Ash.
• Igula saw motionless Senheiser People in the corridor and discovered that Ash had not checked the group chat.
• Igula used the Gospel to locate Ash on the seventy-second floor, where eight Red Hats, including two Three-Winged Sorcerers, had captured him.
• Butler reported that Annan had lost contact and urged the others to give up on Ash and protect her instead.
• Igula asked Harvey to interfere with the Red Hats and told Bange to break into the Game Layer and fire when signaled.

Igula, Ash, and Bange ambushed the Red Hats in the Game Layer, exploiting their rules to create an opening for Bange’s attack. Two Saint Domain Artificers revealed their Void Wings and shielded the Red Hats, leaving the ambush thwarted.

• Igula persuaded Bange to help attack the Red Hats, arguing that weakening them would make it easier to find Annan and escape pursuit.
• Igula hid with Ash among the Game Pods and planned to use a Criminal Declaration and Mind Shriek to occupy the Red Hats while Bange attacked.
• Igula began his countdown as Bange burst into the Game Layer and fired sixty-two Miracle Gun Bullets from his Ice Curse Dual Guns.
• Two Saint Domain Artificers unfurled Silver, Golden, and Seven-Colored Void Wings, creating Barriers that shielded the Red Hats from Igula’s Mind Shriek and Bange’s gunfire.
• Light praised their tactical coordination but said they had underestimated Saint Domain Artificers.

Ash and Igula were captured after their plan failed against the Red Hats’ Holy Domains, but Clan Leader Qinna intervened and challenged the raid on Senheiser territory. With the other Six Medallion Clan Leaders arriving, the Red Hats faced the united leadership of Van Mula.

• Igula realized his plan could not work against the Red Hats’ Holy Domains, and Cleo Si ordered Ash, Igula, and Harvey to surrender.
• Qinna arrived in Nona’s body, knocked Cleo Si aside, and struck Igula for taking one of her clansmen hostage.
• Qinna explained that Six Medallion Clan Leaders used Backup Bodies to protect their families, then demanded that the Red Hats follow proper channels for a cross-city manhunt.
• Light threatened Qinna with the Red Hats’ numbers, but Qinna insisted she was not alone.
• Five other Clan Leaders entered through the shattered windows, and Qinna declared that Van Mula’s millions stood against the eight Red Hats.

Ash and the others faced Van Mula’s Six Medallion Clan Leaders as Light demanded Ash’s capture, but Qinna chose to protect him after he claimed to be Annan’s fiancé. The clan leaders’ standoff remained unresolved, while Qinna’s unusually intimate response left Ash and Igula stunned.

• The Six Medallion Clan Leaders arrived and used their Gospels to shield the Red Hat Members from Light’s Holy Domain attack.
• Light apologized to the clan leaders and offered them everything he gained in exchange for taking Ash back for interrogation.
• Glasses Man asked Qinna whether Senheiser would risk a fight with the Holy Domain Artificers to protect Ash.
• Igula reminded Ash of Annan’s bond with Aunt Nona, prompting Ash to appeal to Qinna by claiming he was Annan’s fiancé.
• Qinna approved of Ash, told him to call her Sister Qinna, and licked blood from his cheek, shocking both Ash and Igula.

Light turned against Ash and attacked the Senheiser clan leaders, while Ash and his companions regrouped to search for Annan. Liss hid from someone in Steel Boots, but when Substitute brought her to a mirror, she discovered the Black Knight waiting behind them.

• Qinna and the other clan leaders refused to surrender Ash, so Light abandoned his Red Hat uniform and shot at him, killing Senheiser people before the leaders stopped the bullet.
• Ash healed Igula and tried to leave with him and Bange, but Light and Cleo Si attacked the clan leaders and Light fired at Ash again.
• Ash, Igula, Bange, and Harvey regrouped on the seventy-first floor and prepared to look for Annan, then Ash asked where Liss was.
• Substitute hid Liss in a wardrobe while someone in Steel Boots entered her room and left without finding them.
• Liss asked Substitute to carry her to the mirror, where she saw the Black Knight standing in the shadows.

Liss fled the Black Knight through the Senheiser estate as it tested her with engineered accidents and discovered that she could not be harmed or affected by the White Mist. The Black Knight concluded that Liss was not human but a Spell Spirit, leaving her terrified as the pursuit continued.

• The Substitute carried Liss through the collapsing estate while the Black Knight pursued them and repeatedly caused dangerous accidents.
• Liss realized the Black Knight might be targeting Elder Sister and tried to protect her by acting innocent and pleading with it.
• The Black Knight learned that Liss was unaffected by the White Mist, while other people in the estate showed withdrawal symptoms.
• When the Black Knight collapsed the ceiling, Liss shielded the Substitute from the rubble and escaped with it despite her injuries.
• The Black Knight concluded that Liss could not truly feel pain because she did not own her body, and declared that she was a Spell Spirit.

Igula questioned Liss about how she and her sisters coexisted, while Light deduced that the Six Medallions Family’s Backup Bodies were controlled by Spell Spirits. The Black Knight tricked Liss into revealing she was Princess Lysithea, then trapped her and the Substitute beneath the collapsing floors.

• Igula asked Liss to explain how multiple personalities could coexist within one soul, but she refused to let him study them.
• During the battle on Senheiser’s seventy-second floor, Trenchcoat Man revealed that the Clan Leaders controlled their Backup Bodies through the bodies’ own souls, and Light realized they were Spell Spirits.
• The Black Knight told Liss that she and her sisters were Spell Spirits born from Princess Lysithea’s memories and soul, and Liss accidentally confirmed the claim.
• The Black Knight identified Liss as Princess Lysithea and demanded that she return to Nabistin and the Isu Royal Family.
• The Black Knight collapsed several floors of the corridor and destroyed a nearby door, trapping Liss and the Substitute while trying to force her sisters out.

As the Black Knight cornered Liss, Red Death prepared to sacrifice herself to disrupt the Secret Guard’s soul, while the sisters argued over surrender and survival. Diya reached toward the Black Knight after the others’ voices vanished, but Ash crashed through the ceiling and reached for her hand.

• Liss confessed to White Queen and her sisters that the Black Knight had cornered her, and Red Death revealed that using her Mask on the Secret Guard would destroy her.
• The Black Butler urged Diya to surrender so Red Death would not have to die, but Red Death insisted that returning to the High Tower would doom all five of them.
• Red Death told Liss to touch the Secret Guard to activate her Mask, while Liss refused and the Black Butler pleaded with Diya to stop the sacrifice.
• The Black Knight burst Liss’s protective bubble and removed her Mask, silencing the sisters’ voices as Diya prepared to reach for it.
• A shriek interrupted the Black Knight, and a falling section of ceiling with a Sword Body Bulwark crushed it as Ash dropped into the room and reached for Diya.

Ash chose to rescue Liss before Annan because he believed Liss needed someone to give her hope, while Annan could rely on the people who cared about her. After Ash and Igula attacked Liss’s pursuer, they learned the target was a powerful Yisu Secret Guard whose armor and soul were protected by Gospel blessings.

• Igula questioned why Ash prioritized Liss, and Ash explained that Liss might feel abandoned while Annan had hope of being rescued.
• Ash admitted he also wanted to assert his fatherly authority over Liss, but Diya—still in Liss’s body—warned him just before the ceiling collapsed.
• Ash and Igula used Mind Shriek and an Airstrike Sword Body Bulwark to attack Liss’s pursuer from above.
• The Gospel identified the surviving pursuer as a Yisu Secret Guard with extensive authority and protections, and Igula hurriedly warned Ash not to act.

Ash attacked the Black Knight and used the Fiend Windbreaker's illusion, but the Secret Guard resisted it with her Gospel. The illusion revealed the Black Witch, who identified herself as the Secret Guard’s aunt and exposed their identical faces.

• Ash healed Diya with his Emotionally Devoted Joy Sword and strengthened himself with his Emotionally Devoted Love Sword before attacking the Black Knight.
• Igula warned Ash that the Secret Guard could use Gospel Points to resist the Fiend Windbreaker’s mental suggestion.
• Ash trapped the Secret Guard in an illusion of a world-ending Black Sea, but she used her Gospel to calm and purify it.
• The Black Witch appeared in the illusion, and the Secret Guard mistook her for Empress Isu before recognizing her as Princess Lysithea’s supposed Spell Spirit.
• The Black Witch called the Secret Guard her aunt, and the Secret Guard discovered that her helmet had vanished and that she had the Black Witch’s identical face.

The Black Witch overcame the Secret Guard’s relentless Miracles and confronted her aunt’s envy of Lysithea, then transformed into a Four-Winged Spell Spirit. As the Secret Guard struck the Gospel and fell into agony, the Senheiser Building crumbled and Diya fell into the night beyond Ash’s reach.

• The Secret Guard unleashed a barrage of world-destroying Miracles against the Black Witch, but the Black Witch endured them and reached the Cloud Palace.
• The Black Witch comforted the Secret Guard, who confessed that she hated and envied Lysithea for the life and future she had been given.
• The Black Witch revealed four ink-black wings, thanked her aunt for granting her wish, and fell with her as the Cloud Palace collapsed.
• The Secret Guard awakened in reality, recognized that Diya was about to fall into someone else’s hands, and struck the Gospel, plunging herself into agony.
• The Senheiser Building crumbled beneath Diya, and although Ash reached out with Honeyed Words Hidden Sword, Diya fell into the night.

Diya fell from the Senheiser Building, and Ash leapt after her despite lacking wings. He used a Miracle to teleport them to Igula’s position, where Annan, Bange, and Harvey arrived and urged everyone to flee.

• Diya fell from the tower and wondered whether anyone would catch her.
• Ash chased after Diya and caught her, admitting that his Contract might have compelled him to act.
• Ash used Honeyed Words Hidden Sword and the Substitute Sword to perform the Miracle Rushing, teleporting himself and Diya to Igula on the fifty-sixth floor.
• Igula sat exhausted while Diya clung to him, and Ash marveled at how the Miracle had saved them.
• Annan arrived with Bange and Harvey in a Floating Car and told them to get in and run before Qinna discovered the damage.

After Ash rescued Diya and the others, they regrouped in the Floating Car while Bange treated Ash’s badly injured hand. Diya told a new version of her fairy tale that cast Ash as her knight, then embraced him and decided she no longer needed to envy the Sword Maiden.

• Igula said the Black Knight’s body was alive but its soul had departed, while Ash discovered his right hand was badly torn from using it to hold Honeyed Words Hidden Sword during his fall.
• Bange began treating Ash’s hand, and Diya asked for a mirror before telling the Sisters a revised fairy tale about a Princess and a thief who rescued her.
• The Sisters teased Diya about making Ash her knight, while Diya insisted she would take the role of Lysithea after the Bronze Dragon Trial and argued with Liss over Ash.
• Diya hugged Ash when he joined them in the Floating Car, and she reflected that she no longer felt jealous of the Sword Maiden because she had a knight to protect her too.

Annan led the group through Forest Park to an escape route after fleeing the Good Home Reunion Agency. Ash revealed that Qinna had approved his marriage into the Senheiser family, and the chapter ended as Harvey sensed something intense beneath the Mermaid Stinkweed Farm.

• Annan explained that the group could not escape Van Mula by car because the Good Home Reunion Agency could track their travel through the Gospel and control intelligent tools.
• Igula praised Annan’s fight against her pursuers, easing Bange’s resentment toward Ash and Igula for not rescuing her sooner.
• Ash told Annan that he had pretended to be her fiancé and that Qinna had agreed to protect their escape.
• Annan warned that Qinna might turn Ash’s supposed marriage into reality to secure his place in the Senheiser family.
• Annan led the group toward an underground passage, but Harvey stopped and reacted to a powerful presence below.
• Annan identified the place beneath them as a Mermaid Stinkweed Farm.

The Funeral Agency descended into the Earth Abyss and found a glowing underground plaza filled with lifelike Mermaid Stinkweed. Harvey condemned the farm as an affront to life, while the others wondered whether the place had affected his judgment.

• Liss clung to Ash in the dark stairwell, and Igula's smile frightened her into refusing to let him carry her.
• The Funeral Agency reached an underground plaza populated by glowing figures made from Mermaid Stinkweed.
• Annan explained that Mermaid Stinkweed was used to make the Cat Grass Cigarettes Harvey smoked.
• Harvey struck a plant figure apart and called the farm sinful, corpse-desecrating, and soul-twisting.
• Ash, Igula, Liss, Annan, and Bange debated whether Harvey's reaction showed that the place had altered his mental state.