Chapter Summaries

Lin En reassured Mirror after she kissed him, and she vowed to serve as his right hand, while he worried that his kindness had sparked romantic feelings. Back at the Cathedral, he reunited with Hana Ye and declared that he now had the final say in Clockwork City.

• Mirror asked Lin En to punish her for kissing him, but he comforted her and tasked her with building a loyal inspection squad.
• Mirror embraced Lin En and vowed to remain his right hand forever.
• Lin En left Mirror and worried that she might develop romantic feelings instead of the sisterly bond he had hoped to nurture.
• Hana Ye rushed to greet Lin En at the Cathedral and complained that she had been frightened while he was gone.
• Lin En picked up Hana Ye and told her that he now had the final say in Clockwork City.

Lin En summoned the bishops, Mogans, and Nero to face them over their failure to stop rumors questioning his identity. He admitted that he was an Outer God, an unknown evil from beyond the Great Rift, and left them to confront the truth.

• The nobles and bishops waited outside the Grand Cathedral while members of the Tribunal Office summoned them one by one to meet Lin En.
• After the bishops went inside, Mogans and Nero were called in and knelt before Lin En, who kept them waiting in silence as he teased Hana Ye.
• Mogans admitted that he and Nero had allowed rumors about Lin En to spread because they wanted to see how he would handle them.
• Lin En told Mogans and Nero that he really was the Great Demon who had infiltrated the Church, then revealed that he was an Outer God from beyond the Great Rift.

Lin En forced Mogans and Nero to prove their loyalty after they questioned whether he was a Great Demon. He accepted their offers of power, then revealed that seven Bishops had witnessed the exchange and ordered two Bishops arrested for their role in the Church unrest.

• Lin En told Mogans and Nero to leave, prompting both men to beg for another chance and pledge unconditional loyalty.
• Mogans offered Lin En control over the Exorcist Association’s administrative affairs and forces, and Nero pledged the Demon Suppression Corps’s support.
• Lin En made Mogans and Nero repeat their vows before the seven Bishops who had been listening behind a curtain.
• Lin En warned the Bishops that those who had knowingly enabled looting and arson would be punished.
• Masked Tribunal Office personnel seized two Bishops and took them into custody.

Lin En used the Tribunal Office’s investigation to arrest two bishops who had incited violence, then intimidated the remaining Church leaders into obedience. After reflecting on the power he wielded, he asked Hana Ye whether she would stay with him if her father tried to take her away or she learned that things were not what they seemed.

• Lin En presented evidence linking the two bishops’ subordinates to hundreds of acts of arson and ordered the bishops taken away for a public hanging.
• The bishops attacked Lin En with Holy Flame, and Mogans, Nero, and three other bishops subdued them and broke their legs.
• Lin En warned the remaining Church leaders to keep their houses in order and let them leave the Grand Cathedral.
• Mogans, Nero, and the others departed in fear, recognizing how decisively Lin En had manipulated the meeting.
• Lin En mused about the pleasures and dangers of wielding power while Hana Ye praised his commanding behavior.
• Lin En asked Hana Ye whether she would remain with him if her father tried to take her away or she discovered that events were more complicated than they seemed.

Lin En told Hana Ye that her father had secretly allied with the Crimson Secret Cult and planned to make her the Vessel for a Great Demon during a Red Moon Descent. Hana Ye said she wanted to stay with Lin En, and he warned her to contact him if her father returned, before their teasing ended in a playful fight.

• Lin En asked Hana Ye whether she would return to her father and warned that he might give her to the Crimson Secret Cult.
• Lin En explained that Tyrael’s information pointed to an agreement between Hana Ye’s father and the Great Demon, with Hana Ye destined to become its Vessel.
• Hana Ye struggled to understand the plot and admitted that she only wanted to stay with Lin En.
• Lin En promised to have Ophiel and the others place protective seals on Hana Ye and told her to contact him if her father returned.
• Lin En joked about wanting a Little Red Card Vessel, so Hana Ye bit him and he spanked her.

Ophiel was ambushed and killed in Clockwork City after leading the cleanup of escaped monsters, while an unknown swordsman vanished into the night. In the Holy City, Lady Jiu learned of Ophiel’s death and set out to retrieve her body and kill the attacker.

• Ophiel oversaw the sweep of Clockwork City with the Exorcist Association and the Demon Suppression Corps after helping defeat the Great Demon.
• Ophiel worried that the Valkyrie remained unreachable as she walked toward the Grand Cathedral.
• A cloaked swordsman appeared behind Ophiel and killed her in a swift clash, leaving her wounded and bleeding on the street.
• The statue of Lady Ophiel, the Sixth Divine Attendant, shattered in the Great Sun Church, alerting Lady Jiu to her death.
• Lady Jiu said she would collect Ophiel’s body and kill, then left the church.

Lin En found Ophiel gravely wounded and apparently dead in a church after she was discovered unconscious in the street. The clergy revealed that her attacker had sealed her Holy Flame origin substances, and each of her blade wounds corresponded to an implanted origin substance.

• Lin En arrived at the church with Mogans, Nero, and other officials to learn what had happened to Ophiel.
• Clerics reported that Ophiel had returned to the Cathedral alone after helping seal the demonic hand, then was found at dawn in a nearby street.
• Lin En entered the inner hall and found Ophiel lying amid a healing formation, covered in severe wounds.
• Lin En checked Ophiel and found no pulse, breath, or heartbeat.
• A clergyman explained that the attacker had corroded and sealed Ophiel's Holy Flame origin substances, preventing them from healing her injuries.
• The clergy revealed that each blade wound on Ophiel's body matched a location where one of her origin substances had been implanted.

Lin En discovered that Ophiel’s body and soul had been devastated by an attacker who knew her intimately, and he decided to seek the Valkyrie’s help by bringing her remaining soul into the Warp. Meanwhile, a mysterious Church-robed woman carrying a black coffin arrived at Clockwork City, which was surrounded by strange blade-like flowers.

• Lin En learned that five of Ophiel’s Origin Substances and most of her soul had been severely damaged, leaving her alive only because her seventh Origin Substance preserved her soul’s foundation.
• Lin En concluded that Ophiel’s attacker had carefully targeted her while she was exhausted and might have been someone she knew.
• Lin En ordered Mogans, Nero, and the others to guard Ophiel, then went to see the Valkyrie and said he would let a god save her.
• A mysterious woman in a golden Church robe arrived at Clockwork City carrying a black coffin.
• Exorcists on the city walls saw that blade-like buds and vines had grown into a dense ring around the city.

Lin En returned to the Warp and visited the imprisoned Shinsen Saya, teasing her before revealing grim news. He told her that Ophiel, one of her Seven Divine Attendants, had died.

• Lin En returned to the Warp outside the Great Rift and wondered how he could trick Shinsen Saya into maintaining the Great Sun.
• Shinsen Saya worried that her fragile remote link to the Great Sun might fail and struggled to understand Lin En’s true nature.
• Lin En appeared in Shinsen Saya’s cell, and she saw his human form beneath his monstrous exterior.
• Shinsen Saya attacked Lin En with her golden greatsword after he teased her about their Soul Fusion.
• Lin En told Shinsen Saya that Ophiel had died.

Lin En told Shinsen Saya that Ophiel had been nearly killed and asked whether she could save her. He revealed that he had gained Ophiel’s trust by claiming to be Saya’s Divine Chosen, then warned that Ophiel’s death could leave the city open to the Spirit Realm and the Lord of Crimson.

• Lin En described Ophiel’s targeted attack, the damage to her origin substance and Holy Flame, and how close she was to death.
• Shinsen Saya attacked Lin En and demanded to know what he had done to Ophiel.
• Lin En said he had not harmed Ophiel and asked whether Saya could save her if he brought her there.
• Lin En revealed that he had pretended to be Saya’s Divine Chosen, gaining Ophiel’s trust in Saya’s name.
• Lin En warned that the Lord of Crimson might have orchestrated the attack and that Ophiel’s death could allow the Spirit Realm’s forces to invade the city.

Lin En forced Shinsen Saya to agree to help restore Ophiel’s soul, then returned to find his church overrun by a powerful intruder. A hooded woman wearing the Church’s emblem sat beside Ophiel as Lin En faced the unexplained attack.

• Lin En provoked Shinsen Saya and told her Ophiel’s survival depended on her help, threatening to make Ophiel serve him to protect the Goddess.
• Lin En returned to his Vessel, intending to bring Ophiel’s soul fragment to Shinsen Saya for restoration.
• Lin En discovered that Mogans, Nero, and the other church members had been subdued by a powerful attacker.
• Lin En found a hooded woman in a Golden Robe beside Ophiel, with an open Spirit Coffin nearby, and recognized the Church’s emblem on her robe.

Jiu, the Valkyrie's Third Attendant and Yan's elder sister, arrived in Clockwork City to claim Ophiel's body and avenge her. Lin En refused to let her take Ophiel, saying he could bring her back to life and take her to the Valkyrie himself.

• Jiu introduced herself as Yan's elder sister and placed Ophiel in the Spirit Coffin.
• Jiu's Blade Jungle engulfed Clockwork City and the First Layer of the Spirit Realm, killing countless low-level Weirds and trapping the city's clergy and bishops.
• Jiu explained that Ophiel's Effigy had preserved a sliver of her consciousness to identify her murderer, and said she planned to purge the city in revenge.
• Lin En told Jiu he would not let her take Ophiel because he intended to bring her back to life.
• Jiu challenged Lin En's claim that he could revive Ophiel, but Lin En said he could take her to the Valkyrie and declared that he ranked above her as God's Choice.

Lin En tried to stop Jiu from delaying Ophiel’s treatment by claiming the Valkyrie had sent him to investigate corruption within the Church. Jiu remained suspicious, but Lin En’s Holy Flame and warnings left her uncertain as he blamed her for the consequences of Ophiel’s death.

• Jiu challenged Lin En’s claim to be the Valkyrie’s Divine Chosen and said she would not entrust Ophiel to someone she did not know.
• Lin En threatened that Jiu would be responsible if Ophiel died, then claimed the Valkyrie had sent him to investigate Warp entities infiltrating the Church.
• Lin En suggested that Jiu or her former comrades might have been corrupted, prompting her to reconsider his warnings.
• Lin En’s body blazed with Holy Flame, which Jiu recognized as the Valkyrie’s power but found suspiciously timed.
• Lin En demanded that Jiu stop delaying Ophiel’s treatment and warned he would tell the Valkyrie that Jiu had caused her death.

Lin En prepared a formation to protect Ophiel’s shattered soul so he could take her to the Valkyrie, while Jiu gave him seven days to bring Yan back. After Jiu left, Lin En learned of her fearsome reputation and wondered whether the Valkyrie’s connection made him Jiu’s master too.

• Jiu warned Lin En that moving Ophiel’s fragile soul could kill her, but he decided to take her to the Valkyrie and use her blood.
• Lin En inscribed a formation around Jiu’s Spirit Coffin to seal and protect Ophiel’s soul, reminding Jiu of a technique her elder sister Saya had once used.
• Jiu gave Lin En seven days to bring Yan back and threatened to kill everyone there if he failed.
• Jiu left Clockwork City, and Mogans told Lin En she was a legendary First Generation Divine Attendant feared for defeating Great Demons and the Gods’ Families.
• Lin En wondered whether he could claim to be Jiu’s master because the Valkyrie was her master and Lin En was the Valkyrie’s master.

Lin En brought Ophiel’s surviving soul fragment into the Warp and demanded information about Shinsen Saya’s seven followers in exchange for handing it over. He forced Saya to agree by threatening to destroy Ophiel’s Origin Substance, then exploited Saya’s distress to gain more fragments.

• Lin En activated the Magic Formation and took Ophiel’s Origin Substance, which held her last soul fragment, into the Warp.
• Jiu recognized the formation as the one her elder sister had used and wondered whether Saya was still there.
• Lin En showed Shinsen Saya Ophiel’s Origin Substance and demanded details about all seven of Saya’s followers.
• When Saya resisted, Lin En pretended to throw the Origin Substance into the Black Mist, then caught it again and asked if she agreed.
• Saya gave in, condemned Lin En, and vowed to watch his deeds bring about his downfall.

Lin En forced Shinsen Saya to share information about her Seven Divine Attendants, then watched her begin restoring Ophiel’s soul from its Origin Substance. After returning to his Vessel, he promised the sleeping Ophiel he would find her killer and kept her Spirit Coffin with him.

• Lin En threatened Shinsen Saya into transmitting information about her Seven Divine Attendants, and she broke down in tears over betraying them.
• Shinsen Saya explained that Ophiel’s Origin Substance preserved memories and soul fragments, then began restoring her while warning Lin En not to disturb her for three to five days.
• Lin En asked whether Ophiel would still be herself, and Shinsen Saya said her surviving foundation and her knowledge of Ophiel’s soul would let her rebuild her.
• Lin En returned to his Vessel, touched Ophiel’s cheek, and promised to find her killer and repay the blood debt.
• Lin En closed Ophiel’s Spirit Coffin and stored it in the Ring so he could keep it safe until she recovered.

Lin En confronted Jiu as she set out to investigate Ophiel’s attacker, warning that her impulsive arrival could worsen the danger. He invoked her past failure and the Valkyrie’s orders to make her stay with him, leaving Jiu furious and threatening to kill him.

• Lin En told Jiu that Ophiel’s soul and body were in the Valkyrie’s care and that she would recover within days, while Jiu warned him to protect her and promised to reclaim her Spirit Coffin.
• Jiu left to investigate alone, but Lin En argued that her public arrival and urge to attack Clockwork City would alert the enemy and endanger its people.
• Lin En confronted Jiu about the previous Sixth Divine Attendant’s death, reminding her that her reckless advance had left the Church’s rear vulnerable.
• Jiu summoned blades around Lin En, but he walked through them and ordered her not to interfere with his plans.
• Lin En ordered Jiu to remain with him and follow his directions, citing the Valkyrie’s orders, and Jiu threatened to kill him.

Lin En kept Jiu under his watch and brought her to investigate the attack on Ophiel. Jiu concluded that a human attacker with exceptional physical enhancement and sword skill had killed Ophiel with one strike, leaving Lin En to investigate high-tier Ability Users in the city.

• Lin En ordered Jiu to stay with him and asserted that Shinsen Saya would support his authority.
• Lin En privately reflected on Jiu's immense strength, her distrust of him, and her loyalty to the Valkyrie and her friends.
• Lin En took Jiu to the cordoned-off site where Ophiel had been attacked and asked her to assess the evidence.
• Jiu identified the wounds as sword injuries inflicted simultaneously by a single strike from a highly skilled, powerful attacker.
• Jiu ruled out a Weird from the Spirit Realm and advised Lin En to investigate local high-tier Ability Users who specialized in physical enhancement.

Lin En suspected that the top-tier Ability User who killed Ophiel had targeted him and feared Hana Ye’s father was responsible. He identified Hana Ye’s father, Youzhi Liusi, as a powerful suspect, but the killer’s identity remained unconfirmed.

• Lin En and Jiu considered the killer’s motive, and Lin En suspected the attack on Ophiel was a threat aimed at him.
• Lin En hurried back to the Grand Cathedral, where he found Hana Ye still asleep and resolved to keep her identity secret from Jiu.
• Mogans and the others sent Lin En records of body-enhancement Ability Users from Clockwork City.
• Lin En found a file for Youzhi Liusi, Hana Ye’s father, and learned he had reached the sixth tier and possessed powerful Sequences.
• Lin En recognized Liusi’s title, the White Killing God, and treated him as a major suspect in Ophiel’s murder.

Lin En investigated Hana Ye’s father and resolved to find him before he could take Hana Ye away. When Hana Ye reunited with her sister Glass Lamp on Gear Street, Glass Lamp was suddenly shot in the head.

• Lin En reviewed Hana Ye’s father’s records, suspected he had dealings with the Lord of Crimson, and ordered Mogans and the five Bishops to locate him.
• Lin En took Hana Ye with him, while Jiu followed; Hana Ye mistook Jiu for Lin En’s mistress and teased him.
• Lin En and Hana Ye reached Gear Street, where Hana Ye recognized her sister Glass Lamp among the Exorcists and ran to embrace her.
• A deafening shot struck Glass Lamp, blowing apart her head as Hana Ye and the onlookers watched in horror.