Chapter Summaries

Tarnished comforted himself after meeting Melina, then confronted Varre and took the Pureblood Knight's Medal from him. He returned toward the Academy after Lennia told him Bloody Finger Hunter-Yura had come seeking help.

• Tarnished found Vyke's dead maiden in the Church of Repose, covered her with his cloak, and reunited with Melina.
• Tarnished reproached Melina for focusing on her mission instead of asking about his well-being, and Melina wondered how she could better keep him company.
• Tarnished met Varre in Liurnia, rejected the Bloody Finger, and demanded the Pureblood Knight's Medal because the Five-Party Alliance planned to attack the Mohgwyn Dynasty.
• Varre summoned a Sanguine Noble, but Tarnished called out thirty-six Royal Revenants, who tore both enemies to shreds and retrieved the medal.
• Lennia arrived and told Tarnished that Sellen had summoned him to the Academy, where Bloody Finger Hunter-Yura had come asking for help.

Tarnished tried to recruit Yura to help destroy the Mohgwyn Dynasty by challenging his plan to sacrifice himself to save Eleonora. After Maren captured the Ravenmount Killer, Yura learned that she and Vila were Black Knife Assassins, leaving him to wonder whether every maid at Stormveil was one.

• Tarnished welcomed Yura, learned he was pursuing the Ravenmount Killer at the Academy, and offered to send soldiers, but Yura insisted on hunting the assassin alone.
• Tarnished revealed the Five-Party Alliance planned to attack the Mohgwyn Dynasty and urged Yura to join, exposing that Yura was hunting Eleonora, his former companion, in hopes of saving her.
• Tarnished argued that Yura's plan to die for Eleonora could not save her and urged him to believe that building a better world might change her heart; Yura asked for time to decide.
• Maren brought the unconscious Ravenmount Killer into the room and demanded extra pay, then accepted Tarnished's authorization to collect Goat Milk Candy for the children.
• Tarnished told Yura that Maren and the silent maid Vila were Black Knife Assassins, prompting Yura to ask whether all the maids of Stormveil were assassins.

Eleonora confronted Yura at the Second Church of Marika, where she killed a Sanguine Noble and defeated Yura before Morgott and Tarnished arrived. After Tarnished’s allies captured her, Eleonora revealed that the Purifying Crystal Tear was a weapon against the Blood Lord and demanded a duel before handing it over.

• Eleonora rejected the Sanguine Noble’s offer to kill Yura, stabbed him from behind, and beheaded him.
• Yura and Eleonora fought with Nagakiba and Twinblade, and Eleonora knocked Yura down before a spy crow interrupted her confession.
• Morgott, Tarnished, and Ranni confronted Eleonora, who fled but was surrounded by Tarnished’s gathered allies and captured.
• Tarnished asked Eleonora for the Purifying Crystal Tear, and Eleonora said she would hand it over only if Tarnished defeated her in a duel.
• Tarnished accepted Eleonora’s challenge and asked Alexander to bring her Greatsword.

Tarnished fought Eleonora in a duel, enduring her dragon roars before defeating her with repeated Giant Hunt strikes. After the victory, Morgott announced that Jerren had completed preparations for the Radahn Festival.

• Eleonora and Tarnished began their duel, and their opening exchanges ended with both badly wounded before they healed with Crimson Tears.
• Tarnished unleashed Lion's Claw, but Eleonora revealed her dragon blood and battered him with Greyoll's Roar.
• Tarnished resisted Eleonora's seventh roar and countered with Giant Hunt, striking her seven times until she collapsed unconscious.
• Tarnished celebrated his victory and returned to Ranni and Morgott, who told him that Jerren had finished preparing the Radahn Festival.

Tarnished, Morgott, and Ranni prepared their alliance for the journey to Caelid, discussing the dangers of preserving Radahn’s soul and setting out with their allied army. After traveling through prosperous Limgrave, the party arrived outside Redmane Castle, where the Scarlet Rot stretched across the horizon.

• Tarnished persuaded Morgott to recruit workers to rebuild the Second Church of Marika and provide jobs, while Morgott confirmed that Lansseax would guard Leyndell.
• Ranni explained that powerful souls flowed toward the Suppressing Pillar in the Land of Shadow and estimated she had a fifty percent chance of retaining Radahn’s soul.
• Morgott led the allied forces toward Caelid, and Tanith joined them with Volcano Manor’s fighters after they crossed into Liurnia.
• The army traveled through Limgrave, where Ranni, Morgott, and Tanith observed its busy farms, workshops, schools, and mixed human and Albinauric workforce.
• Tarnished and Morgott tricked Tanith into eating a sour Rowa Fruit, and Blaidd later complained to Ranni after tasting one himself.
• The party reached the outskirts of Redmane Castle four days after setting out from Leyndell.

The allied army arrived at Redmane Castle and joined Jerren’s forces to contain Scarlet Rot, protect Caelid, and research ways to fight the infection. After a successful first sweep and a feast celebrating their new unity, Ranni looked toward the Weeping Hills and quietly addressed her brother.

• Tarnished, Morgott, Ranni, and Tanith brought supplies and allied troops to Redmane Castle, where Jerren showed them Caelid’s devastated landscape and explained the threats around the walls.
• Tarnished, Morgott, Ranni, Tanith, Jerren, and the other leaders planned mixed patrols, Flowing Water Barriers, and further Scarlet Rot research.
• The allied and Redmane forces formed three mixed units, cleared nearby rot-stricken beasts, established three barrier nodes, and brought back an injured pup as a live specimen.
• Jerren hosted a feast where soldiers from across the Lands Between celebrated their first victory and pledged to keep Caelid from falling.
• Ranni stood on the castle wall beneath the moon and gazed toward the Weeping Hills, saying, “Brother...”

Tarnished, Ranni, Morgott, and their allies fought Starscourge Radahn at the Weeping Hills and defeated him, freeing the stars and allowing him to die lucid. When Radahn's soul flew toward the Lake of Rot, Tarnished led the others in pursuit.

• Jerren gathered the heroes for a festival at the Weeping Hills, where they would fight Radahn and end the scarlet rot spreading through his body.
• Radahn recognized Ranni briefly before madness overtook him, and he attacked the scattered heroes with his greatbow and twin blades.
• Radahn unleashed a meteor strike that devastated the battlefield, but Tarnished, Morgott, and Ranni joined forces against him.
• Tarnished blocked Radahn's final meteor with the Fingerprint Stone Shield, and Ranni struck him with a spear of starlight.
• Radahn regained his clarity, told Ranni to find happiness, and died as the stars began moving again.
• Ranni spotted Radahn's soul flying toward the Lake of Rot, and Tarnished set off after it with the others.

The Tarnished pursued Radahn’s soul across the Lake of Rot but was ambushed by Needle Knight Leda and six followers, who tried to convince him to join Miquella’s cause. Ranni and the Tarnished’s allies arrived, leaving Ranni to chase Radahn while the Tarnished’s group faced Leda’s forces in battle.

• The Tarnished rode Torrent across the Lake of Rot and nearly captured Radahn’s soul with Ranni’s Glintstone Orb.
• Needle Knight Leda’s Piercing Needles struck Torrent, sending the Tarnished into the scarlet-rot lake as Radahn’s soul escaped farther away.
• Leda and six followers confronted the Tarnished and revealed that they were guiding Radahn’s soul to the Land of Shadow for Miquella.
• The Tarnished rejected Leda’s offer to join Miquella and prepared to fight all seven followers despite being infected with rot.
• Ranni arrived on Glintstone Dragon Adula as Bernahl, Blaidd, Alexander, Mirian, Edgar, and Hanwuna joined the Tarnished; Ranni continued after Radahn while the others engaged Leda’s group.
• The Tarnished faced Leda as the two groups began fighting across the Lake of Rot.

Tarnished and his allies defeated Miquella’s forces at the Lake of Rot, then learned that Sage Gowry commanded the Kindred of Rot and was preparing a vessel for the Goddess of Rot. After planning separate missions to Nokron and the Mohgwyn Dynasty, Tarnished decided to kill Gowry before departing.

• Ranni arrived on Adula with Radahn’s soul and unleashed the Dark Moon, freezing the battlefield and forcing Leda’s group to retreat.
• Leda summoned Commander O’Neil and his Spirit Legion while Moore called swarms of Kindred of Rot, but Bernahl, Blaidd, and Hanwuna fought them until Jerren’s cavalry arrived and routed the insects.
• At Redmane Castle, Morgott warned Tarnished that Miquella’s kindness was dangerous, and Tarnished explained how Miquella’s followers had been manipulated.
• Tarnished proposed sending Morgott and Jerren to attack the Mohgwyn Dynasty while he, Blaidd, and Bernahl went to Nokron to obtain the Fingerslayer Blade for Ranni.
• Tarnished identified Sage Gowry as the Kindred of Rot’s leader and revealed that Gowry was cultivating Millicent as a vessel for the Goddess of Rot.
• Tarnished took the broken gold needle recovered from O’Neil and decided to deal with Gowry before leaving for Nokron.

Tarnished negotiated with Sage Gowry for the Kindred of Rot to join the Five-Party Alliance, and Gowry repaired the Gold Needle. After learning Gowry intended to make Millicent a vessel for the Goddess of Rot, Tarnished killed him and his guards, then entered the church where Millicent lay.

• Tarnished confronted Sage Gowry with the broken Gold Needle and offered the Kindred of Rot an autonomous region in exchange for joining the Five-Party Alliance.
• Gowry agreed to the proposal and used insect resin to repair the Gold Needle, which Tarnished intended to use to help Millicent.
• Tarnished warned Gowry that he would destroy the Kindred of Rot if they tried to spread Scarlet Rot across the world, then attacked him with the Greatsword.
• Gowry revealed his plan to make Millicent a vessel for the Goddess of Rot, and Tarnished killed him and burned his remains.
• Tarnished killed the Kindred of Rot guarding the church and found Millicent curled up inside.

Tarnished used Miquella’s Unalloyed Gold Needle to suppress Millicent’s Scarlet Rot, then leveled up and explained that Ranni planned to resurrect Radahn. When Millicent woke, Tarnished revealed that she was Malenia.

• Tarnished gave Millicent the Unalloyed Gold Needle, which eased her Scarlet Rot, and she fell asleep as it took effect.
• Tarnished summoned Melina, joked that Millicent was his eleventh wife, and explained that he had used the needle to stabilize her condition.
• Tarnished gave Melina a million Runes, told her he had killed Starscourge Radahn, and described Ranni’s plan to place Radahn’s soul in a puppet body.
• Melina used the Runes to raise Tarnished to level one hundred, and he practiced fighting with the Fingerprint Stone Shield and Godskin Stitcher.
• Millicent woke feeling better, learned the needle had been made by Miquella for Malenia, and Tarnished told her that she was Malenia.

Tarnished told Millicent that she was one of Malenia’s offshoots, but helped her accept her own identity and invited her to join the journey. After gaining a prosthetic hand and proving her swordsmanship, Millicent joined Tarnished, Blaidd, and Bernahl on their expedition to Nokron, the Eternal City.

• Tarnished explained that Millicent and her four sisters had emerged from Malenia’s Scarlet Rot bloom, and that Millicent embodied the courage to resist the rot.
• Tarnished brought Millicent to Redmane Castle, where Morgott accepted her, gave her Malenia’s Valkyrie prosthesis, and watched her wield the Mantis Blade with Malenia’s Waterfowl Dance.
• Tarnished invited Millicent to help retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade in Nokron, and she agreed to travel with him, Blaidd, and Bernahl.
• Tarnished encouraged Millicent to define herself through her choices, and she vowed to be his sword, shield, and traveling companion.
• Tarnished, Millicent, Blaidd, and Bernahl reached the meteor crater in Limgrave and descended through its opening toward Nokron.

Tarnished led Blaidd, Millicent, and Bernahl into Nokron to seek the Fingerslayer Blade, revealing that the Greater Will had long since abandoned the Lands Between. After they overcame several Mimic Tears, the group entered the Ancestral Woods and came under attack.

• Tarnished and the others descended into Nokron, where they found Inverted Hawk Soldiers surviving among the ruins and learned the legion had been abandoned underground.
• Tarnished explained that the Eternal City had created the Fingerslayer Blade to target the Fingers, and revealed that the Greater Will had left while the Two Fingers continued issuing its last commands.
• A Mimic Tear copied Bernahl, Blaidd, and Millicent in turn, but each defeated their duplicate; the tear that copied Tarnished overloaded and melted.
• The group crossed a bridge into the Ancestral Woods, where a glowing arrow shot from the forest and grazed Blaidd.

Tarnished and his companions met the underground Ancestral Followers, learned the dangers of Nokron, and fought their way toward the Night Domain. They discovered an intelligent Silver Tear disguised as a treasure chest, which begged them to take her away.

• Tarnished used an Ancestral Followers' token and a howl to stop the arrows and gain Elder Stonehorn's trust.
• Elder Stonehorn told the group about the Erdtree's persecution and gave them a map to the Night Domain, while Tarnished promised trade with the surface.
• The group crossed ruined rooftops, saw clay statues of people trapped by the Night Domain, and defeated defective Mimic Tears.
• Blaidd opened a sealed room and was swallowed by a chest-shaped Mimic Tear until Tarnished and the others pulled him free.
• The Silver Tear revealed that she was intelligent and begged the group to take her from Nokron, and Tarnished reconsidered his Mimic Tear's identity.

Tarnished met Ashmi, a talking Mimic Tear who agreed to become his wife and entered his body to meet Melina. Guided by Ashmi, Tarnished and his companions found the Fingerslayer Blade, where Tarnished explained the Eternal City’s failed experiments with gigantification and artificial gods.

• Ashmi revealed that she was a Mimic Tear named GODS7943 who could copy creatures, and Tarnished asked her to become his twelfth wife; she agreed.
• Tarnished introduced Ashmi to the Fingerprint Stone Shield and Millicent as his tenth and eleventh wives, and Ashmi comforted Millicent by calling her pure.
• Ashmi entered Tarnished’s body and spoke with Melina, whom Tarnished declared his thirteenth wife.
• Ashmi guided Tarnished, Blaidd, Bernahl, and Millicent to a chest containing the Fingerslayer Blade.
• At a giant woman’s corpse, Tarnished explained that the Eternal City’s gigantification experiments caused fatal tumors and that the city later pursued Mimic Tears and the Fingerslayer Blade.

Tarnished and his companions retrieved the Fingerslayer Blade and discussed the Greater Will’s destruction of the Eternal City. Tarnished then revealed that Blaidd was magically bound to kill Ranni if she defied her fate, but ended the chapter by promising good news about the Nox Mirrorhelm.

• Tarnished opened the chest and took the Fingerslayer Blade, while Ashmi explained that it could harm the Fingers but was useless without someone powerful enough to wield it.
• Tarnished said the Greater Will had destroyed the Eternal City after it created a weapon against the Fingers, and that the Greater Will had since abandoned the Lands Between.
• Blaidd noticed that Tarnished credited the Haight Family with good secrets and Gideon Ofnir with bad ones, prompting Tarnished to admit some information shared a common source.
• Tarnished revealed that Blaidd was Ranni’s shadow and would be compelled to kill her if she broke free of the Two Fingers’ control.
• Blaidd vowed to help Ranni and asked Tarnished to kill him if he lost control, but Tarnished promised good news from Gideon Ofnir: the Nox Mirrorhelm.

Tarnished revealed that Blaidd’s shadow was destined to turn against Ranni, then offered the Nox Mirrorhelm as a way to protect him from mental control. Ranni flew alone to retrieve it, and the chapter ended as she unleashed the Dark Moon over Liurnia.

• Tarnished gave Ranni the Fingerslayer Blade, and she explained that killing the Two Fingers would sever the last shackle of her fate and let her pursue the Age of Stars.
• Tarnished told Ranni and Blaidd that the Greater Will’s protocol would eventually drive Blaidd mad and force him to attack her, but Ranni insisted she would continue toward godhood.
• Tarnished offered a way to protect Blaidd, and Ranni briefly revealed her concern before blasting Tarnished with Comet Azur; Ashmi emerged and met Ranni.
• Tarnished identified the Nox Mirrorhelm as a device that could repel mental interference, and Ashmi confirmed it could block the Two Fingers’ control.
• Ranni summoned Glintstone Dragon Adula and flew alone toward the catacomb, declaring that she would save Blaidd herself.
• Ranni transformed Liurnia’s sky into night and sent a second, pale blue Dark Moon plunging toward the earth.

Ranni opened a pit at the Moonlight Altar and descended to confront the Two Fingers while Tarnished and his companions were attacked by Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. At the same time, Leda launched a surprise assault on Caria Manor to reclaim Radahn's soul, leaving two battles underway across Liurnia.

• Ranni gave Blaidd a modified Nox Mirrorhelm for protection against mind control, then set out with Tarnished, Bernahl, Millicent, and Blaidd for the Moonlight Altar.
• The Five-Party Alliance's forces mobilized toward the underground world as Leda gathered Miquella's followers and prepared a surprise attack on the undermanned Caria Manor.
• Ranni used the Dark Moon to destroy the Manus Celes Grand Church and opened a deep pit before jumping inside to face the Two Fingers.
• Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, erupted from the ground and attacked Tarnished, Bernahl, Millicent, and Blaidd as they guarded the altar.
• Leda received word that her allies had begun their operation, then led her assault team toward Caria Manor to reclaim Radahn's soul.

Leda’s squad attacked Caria Manor while the Haima Conspectus rebelled at Raya Lucaria Academy, but Tarnished had anticipated both assaults and turned them into traps. With Kachacha captured and Sellen’s forces heading to the manor, Tarnished left the story confident that Miquella’s squad was surrounded.

• Leda, Freya, Kachacha, and their allies massacred Carian defenders at Caria Manor and headed toward Ranni’s Magic Tower in search of Radahn’s soul.
• At Raya Lucaria Academy, Glenn led the Haima Conspectus in a rebellion for Miquella, but Sellen, Eleonora, Yura, Moongrum, and Mimic Tears sprang a trap and defeated them.
• Sellen sent Academy forces, Eleonora, and Yura to reinforce Caria Manor after learning that Tarnished had planned the ambush.
• The civilians and fallen defenders at Caria Manor dissolved into silver liquid, revealing they were Mimic Tears, while two Black Knife maids wounded and captured Kachacha.
• At Moonlight Altar, Tarnished confirmed that Leda’s squad had been lured into the manor and that the Academy’s reinforcements were closing in, then declared Miquella’s squad checkmated.

Leda’s retreating party was ambushed repeatedly by Tarnished’s forces after Seluvis betrayed Ranni and was killed by Bernahl. The exhausted survivors reached the Ruin-Strewn Precipice ravine, where Latenna and hundreds of archers trapped them and began firing.

• Seluvis disabled Ranni’s Magic Tower wards for Leda’s group, but Bernahl killed him and revealed that Tarnished had anticipated their scheme.
• Bernahl, Vila, and Maren fought Leda’s companions as Sellen’s Mage Corps surrounded the tower; Freya stayed behind to hold off their attackers while the others escaped toward Liurnia’s Lake Region.
• Alexander and thirty-six Royal Revenants ambushed the survivors in the lake, knocked Thiollier unconscious, and left the rest fleeing north without him.
• Leda, Ansbach, Moore, and Dryleaf Dane reached the ravine leading to the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, where Latenna, the Albinaurics, and the Ancestral Followers surrounded them from the cliffs.
• Latenna ordered the archers to loose their arrows at the trapped survivors.