Chapter Summaries

Mr. A, Nimrod, and Klein fought the Indulgence Faction’s Prisoners, and they killed Wraith Steve after Klein’s Sun abilities exposed him. As Botis and a mysterious old man arrived, the survivors prepared for another battle.

• Mr. A killed Zombie Jason with the flesh magic of a Grazed Baron of Corruption, while Nimrod stole the Scarlet Lunar Corona from Werewolf Tiel and threw it above Sefirah Castle.
• Wraith Steve possessed Mr. A, but Klein emerged from hiding and used Purification to force Steve out of Mr. A’s body.
• Nimrod stole Steve’s wariness, allowing Botis to stun him while a Sun Scythe strike left him vulnerable; Mr. A then killed Steve with his molten greatsword.
• Mr. A, Nimrod, Klein, Botis, and a gaunt old man faced one another beneath the crimson moon as Mr. A armed himself for the impending battle.

Zatwen attacked Klein, Mr. A, and Nimrod to fulfill the Mother Tree of Desire’s mission, but the Saint of Secrets and the others fought back as Klein escaped with Mr. A. The battle drew a black-slime arm that seized Zatwen and a purifying bolt of Leodero’s lightning, which devastated the West Balam Docks.

• Zatwen recognized the Saint of Secrets and the suspected True Creator’s incarnation among the group, then attacked with a transformation curse.
• Mr. A blocked the curse as a Black Knight, but Klein rescued him and fled while the Saint of Secrets banished Zatwen long enough to stop his pursuit.
• Nimrod used the Shadow Lantern’s divinity to weaken Zatwen, while the Death Governor pressed the attack and Zatwen tried to summon Suah.
• Azik, Botis, and Nimrod abruptly vanished, and a black-slime arm seized Zatwen and dragged him into the Spirit World.
• A bolt of Leodero’s silvery-white lightning struck the abandoned West Balam Docks, destroying buildings and disintegrating the surrounding ground.

After the True Creator’s attempted descent provoked the Lord of Storms to devastate West Balam Docks, Klein regrouped with Azik, Nimrod, Mr. A, Sharron, and Maric. The survivors discussed their uneasy cooperation and prepared to evade the police as Backlund descended into panic.

• The Lord of Storms destroyed West Balam Docks, and Despair Nightingale realized the Aurora Order had nearly brought about the True Creator’s descent in Backlund.
• Botis praised Mr. A for holding off a Sequence Three opponent, then left to avoid being discovered by the Church of Storms.
• Klein returned to the alley, reflected that his escape performance had greatly advanced his Magician digestion, and agreed to meet Azik the next morning.
• Azik left with two clients and promised Klein the items taken from three Rose School members, while warning him to stay safe.
• Nimrod proposed cooperation with Sharron and Maric; despite Sharron’s distrust of the Aurora Order, she accepted after Nimrod promised to contact her later.
• Klein warned the group that the police would soon search the East Borough, and they agreed to avoid using Beyonder abilities or revealing their whereabouts.

Klein, Nimrod, and Mr. A escaped a police search in the East Borough and learned that Frye-ya’s sister Daisy had been kidnapped. Klein tracked Daisy to human trafficker Capim’s basement, and Azik arrived as Klein prepared a rescue and revenge plan.

• A police officer dismissed Frye-ya’s report about her kidnapped sister while questioning East Borough residents about evil god worship.
• Klein led Mr. A and Nimrod through the East Borough as the Churches of Storms and Evernight and the Military searched for followers and unaffiliated Beyonders.
• Frye-ya asked Mr. A to rescue Daisy, and Nimrod took Daisy’s vocabulary notebook to use in finding her.
• Nimrod and Mr. A agreed to punish those responsible for harming believers, and Klein offered to help by sharing his investigation of kidnappers and human traffickers.
• Klein identified Capim as Daisy’s kidnapper and located her in the basement of Capim’s home.
• Azik sat down across from Klein in a coffeehouse as Klein planned to rescue Daisy and take revenge on Capim.

Azik told Klein that Zatwin was a Sequence 3 Silent Disciple who had survived the Lord of Storms’ distant attack, then warned him that Mr. L harbored an ancient secret. At the Tarot Club, Klein reported the attack and warned of investigations into unaffiliated Beyonders, while Nimrod sold Fors a Trickmaster formula and advised Derrick on handling Colin Iliad’s suspicions.

• Azik identified Zatwin as a Sequence 3 Silent Disciple who had called upon Suah and survived the Lord of Storms’ attack, though the Rose School demigod would likely stay away for a while.
• Azik told Klein he sensed an ancient secret in Mr. L and warned Klein to remain wary, then began recounting a story about his first life as a Governor.
• At the Tarot Club, Klein explained that the Rose School’s Abomination had appeared at the West Balam docks and that the Lord of Storms had attacked in Backlund, then warned that unaffiliated Beyonders would soon be investigated.
• Fors bought the Trickmaster potion formula, Beyonder characteristic, and supplementary ingredients from Nimrod for 1,100 pounds, leaving her with no savings.
• Derrick told Nimrod that Colin Iliad had begun suspecting him, and Nimrod advised him to be honest with the Chief or claim his guide was Amon, revealing that Nimrod’s surname was Amon.

Lumian-na discussed her dangerous switch to the Witch pathway with Franca, then prepared to take over the territory and captains formerly under Lumian’s command. At the Underground Quarry, Anthony Reed arrived to meet Nimrod’s Chosen and discovered that Nimrod was a terrifying mechanical creation.

• Franca warned Lumian-na that switching pathways and advancing through potions risked losing control, but Lumian-na said she had prepared for her return to Passion.
• Nimrod told Anthony Reed that his Chosen would handle negotiations with Hugues Artois and ordered Anthony to bring Triona into Passion to take over Lumian’s former territory.
• Nimrod met Lumian-na in the Underground Quarry and told her she could attend the psychological treatment arranged by Madam Magician.
• Anthony arrived at the quarry and mistook Lumian-na for Ciel’s younger sister, while Lumian-na played along with the misunderstanding.
• Nimrod removed his hood, revealing a body assembled from gears and levers, animated by wisps of gray fog.

Nimrod posed as a mechanical monk and joined Passion, while Lumian-na met with Susie and Justice for psychological treatment. Fors and Audrey then discussed a troubling dream in which the Tarot Club had an extra member.

• Nimrod introduced himself to Anthony as GM-032, a spirit serving a Great Old One, and said he would guide Hugues Artois without managing Passion.
• Lumian-na met with Susie at Mason Coffeehouse and described her recent experiences, including founding Passion, fighting the Stinger Gang, and becoming a Witch with a great being's help.
• Justice revealed that she had been observing Lumian-na invisibly and confirmed that the being guiding her was the one they believed in, after which she said Madam Magician would resume contact and adjust Lumian-na's missions.
• Nimrod told Lumian-na that another god who had placed a bet on her had secretly observed her treatment.
• Fors told Audrey she had dreamed of the Tarot Club before Mr. Fool fell asleep and that it contained an extra member whose identity and appearance she could not recall.

Anthony Reed and Nimrod negotiated Passion’s support for Hugues Artois’s campaign, while Nimrod helped Anthony set aside painful memories until his revenge could be carried out. After meeting Nimrod’s mechanical body, Hugues Artois unexpectedly declared that he had attained enlightenment and was an incarnation of the Celestial Worthy.

• After Passion took over the Stinger Gang’s holdings, Hugues Artois sought Anthony Reed’s support to secure the Market District’s votes.
• Anthony told Nimrod that his comrades had died because of Hugues Artois, and Nimrod offered to temporarily remove the painful memories; Anthony accepted the temporary relief but refused to abandon his past.
• At dinner, Hugues Artois and Anthony agreed that Hugues would protect Passion’s businesses in exchange for its votes, while hinting at the great beings behind them.
• Hugues Artois met Nimrod in private, saw his mechanical form and the figure who emerged from it, and dismissed the alarmed Outer Deity believers when he remained unharmed.
• Hugues Artois apologized to Anthony for his past crimes and declared that he had attained enlightenment and was an incarnation of the Celestial Worthy.

Nimrod revealed that he had deeply parasitized Hugues Artois and planned to take over his identity while helping Anthony Reed gain revenge. After manipulating Hugues’s campaign team, Nimrod returned to another timeline and discovered he now had a body free from the usual restrictions and scrutiny.

• Nimrod revealed to Anthony Reed that he had taken control of Hugues Artois’s body, leaving Hugues trapped within his own spirit body, and promised Anthony a chance to complete his revenge.
• Nimrod told Anthony to return to Passion and help gather votes while he learned Hugues Artois’s memories and habits.
• Nimrod used Hugues Artois’s voice to convince Cassandra that Tibert Jacques’s plan to blow up Bono Goodwell’s factory could draw the Church’s attention, then had her fetch Tibert and Bono.
• Nimrod warned Tibert and persuaded Bono Goodwell to abandon the factory bombing, using the campaign team’s schemes to advance his acting method.
• Nimrod returned between worlds and found himself facing another version of himself, who transformed into Dionysus after putting on Smiling Face.
• Nimrod realized his new body was free from Amon, Adam, and the True Creator’s scrutiny and could borrow his main body’s Beyonder abilities.

Klein, Mr. A, and Nimrod prepared to raid Capim's mansion and rescue the kidnapped girls, while Nimrod planned to strike at Capim's powerful allies as well. They arrived at the mansion during dinner, ready to attack as Capim toasted his guests.

• Klein and Mr. A questioned a man connected to Daisy's kidnapping, and Klein used the gray fog to learn the layout of Capim's mansion and identify its four Beyonders.
• Nimrod altered the captive's memories to disguise his death, and Mr. A returned him to Capim's employ without raising suspicion.
• Klein shared the spoils from the battle with Mr. A and Nimrod, then arranged to learn how to use a Shepherd's abilities from Mr. A.
• Nimrod announced that he intended to target the powerful figures connected to Capim, while Klein worried that the Military might investigate the Fried Company.
• At dinner, Mr. A, Nimrod, and the World arrived outside Capim's mansion and prepared to attack as Capim raised a toast to his guests.

Klein and Mr. A attacked Capim’s mansion, defeated Judge Harras, and rescued the abducted girls and the Lord’s believers while destroying evidence of the Aurora Order’s involvement. After the attackers escaped, Amon revived through Capim’s corpse and speculated that Pallez Zoroaster had lured him there, just as a lightning strike hit him.

• Mr. A ambushed Harras and the mansion’s defenders, while Klein fed Creeping Hunger and fought Harras, exposing that Harras was a Sequence 6 Judge using a Beyonder item.
• Harras fled Klein’s attack, but Klein pursued him and used an explosion to wound him before Nimrod captured and killed him.
• Mr. A left to rescue the abducted girls and the Lord’s believers, while Nimrod gave Klein Harras’s glove as advance payment for future Robot pathway formulas.
• Nimrod burned Capim on a cross and concealed traces of mysticism, while Klein planted Tarot Cards on the corpse before they escaped.
• Ace Snake and a golden-eyed man investigated the mansion and suspected the attackers belonged to the organization that had abducted Qilingus.
• Amon revived through Capim’s corpse, wondered whether Pallez Zoroaster had lured him there, and was struck by a bolt of lightning.

Derrick Berg entered the bottom of the Round Tower under observation, where Amon’s attempt to parasitize him triggered a terrifying awakening of the Lord of the Mysteries’ will. Nimrod intervened through Sefirah Castle to destroy the Amon avatars and persuade Colin Iliad that the Ancient Sun God would awaken, while Klein prepared to attend Mike’s club.

• Colin Iliad ordered Derrick Berg and Lovia Tiffany to remain under separate observation and sent Derrick to the bottom of the Round Tower.
• Following Mr. Lovers’ advice, Derrick prayed to the Fool instead of Amon, and the Amon avatar in the next room interpreted the Fool’s honorific name.
• The Amon avatar transferred its parasitism to Derrick, but the honorific name summoned memories and the Lord of the Mysteries’ will, causing Amon’s nearby avatars to explode into Beyonder characteristics.
• Nimrod briefly revived within the Amon avatar and told Colin Iliad that Amon had destroyed a city-state for abandoning the Ancient Sun God, urging the City of Silver to keep its faith.
• Klein confirmed that the problem with Sun had been resolved, and Nimrod declined his offer to send him back before Klein left for Mike’s club.

Klein met Mike Joseph and Talim Dumont at the Quelaag Club to discuss a commission from Prince Edessak Augustus. Suspecting the matter was tied to Ince Zangwill or the Demoness Sect, Klein secretly alerted Nimrod's messenger before accepting the task.

• Mike Joseph told Klein that a friend needed a reliable detective to investigate trouble involving an important person.
• Talim Dumont gave Klein a confidentiality agreement, which Klein signed before Mike left them alone.
• Talim revealed that Prince Edessak Augustus had confined a commoner woman at Red Rose Manor and wanted Klein to investigate her and her associates after mysterious incidents began there.
• Klein secretly summoned Nimrod's messenger and considered whether the commission was connected to Ince Zangwill and the Demoness Sect.
• Klein accepted Prince Edessak's commission.

Klein accepted Prince Edessak’s request to investigate Trissy, while Nimrod analyzed the competing plans in Backlund and resolved to guard Klein against hidden dangers. The chapter ended with Klein putting on red gloves and asking Edessak to speak with him privately.

• Klein read a newspaper report on Capim’s death and the Aurora Order’s claim of responsibility.
• Nimrod read Klein’s letter, assessed the schemes involving the royal family, the Demoness Sect, Ince Zangwill, and several gods, and decided to protect Klein from possible dangers.
• Nimrod considered Trissy a potential threat and revealed that his gray-fog gift had already changed her body to resemble his shape.
• Klein met Prince Edessak, who explained how he would conceal Klein’s secret and support his investigation of Trissy.
• Klein put on bright red gloves and asked Edessak to send his attendants away so they could talk privately.

Klein warned Prince Edessak that Trissy was a Demoness and sensed a threat from a high-sequence enemy, while Trissy revealed that the Angel of Time had instructed her to tell Edessak the truth about his father’s plans. Nimrod secretly watched their conversation and decided to invest in the abandoned prince before returning to his Hugues Artois avatar at an Earth Mother church.

• Klein identified himself to Edessak as a Red Glove, warned him that Trissy was a Demoness, and felt a deadly premonition before leaving the estate.
• Klein hurried above the gray fog to prepare Creeping Hunger and the Disciplinary Paladin glove, intending to seek help from the Church of Serenity.
• Trissy told Edessak that she had once been a man named Tris and that the Lord had warned her Edessak might be killed by his own father.
• Trissy revealed the Angel of Time’s honorific name and explained that the Lord had ordered her to help Edessak survive.
• Nimrod secretly observed Trissy and Edessak, judged the prince worth supporting, and returned to his Hugues Artois avatar at an Earth Mother church.

Nimrod used Emlyn White’s release from the Earth Mother’s church to approach Father Utravsky and secure shelter while pursuing a real devil, a Sequence 5 Desire Apostle. After Lilith warned him to beware of the Mother card, Nimrod left as Adam prepared for Duke Negan’s assassination and Soest’s team moved to confront Patrick Jason.

• Nimrod helped Emlyn White realize that Father Utravsky’s suggestion had not forced him to change his faith, and Emlyn left the church.
• Nimrod, posing as Hugues Artois, asked Father Utravsky for a room and hinted that he hoped to cooperate with Emlyn White.
• Nimrod told Father Utravsky that he intended to kill a Sequence 5 Desire Apostle, then slept in the church.
• Lilith recognized Nimrod as a Chosen of the Lord of the Mysteries and warned him to beware of the Mother card.
• Nimrod left the church with thirty minutes remaining before Jason Beria’s planned assassination of Duke Negan, while Adam prepared to reward the devil with the Abyss card.
• Soest led the Red Gloves team to confront Patrick Jason after they found the Desire Apostle’s whereabouts.

Jason Beria escaped the Nighthawks, restored his body, and traveled to his safe house to collect the Card of Blasphemy. Nimrod revealed that he had secretly followed Jason, stole the card and Jason’s powers, and killed him; afterward, Nimrod returned toward Loen as Hugues Artois received a visit from the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun.

• Soest ordered the Nighthawks to change the armor’s wearer and continue pursuing Jason, while Jason escaped through the sewers.
• Jason met his companion, traveled by pirate ship, and used a bloody ritual to create a new body and recover his strength.
• Jason disguised himself as a monk, traveled to his safe house, and found the Card of Blasphemy bearing the Sequence 0 Abyss pathway.
• Nimrod appeared, took the card, and explained that he had secretly followed Jason and stolen his danger premonition and Devil abilities.
• Jason tried to escape, but Nimrod’s layered theft and misfortune left him defenseless; Nimrod killed him and digested his Dream Stealer potion.
• Nimrod headed back toward Loen, while Hugues Artois was told that representatives of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun had arrived.

After learning that the Goodwell Chemical Factory was about to explode, Lumian-na used her divination and Witch abilities to enter the factory and rescue Elodie. Franca and Jenna reached the scene and saw Lumian-na carrying Jenna’s mother to safety.

• Nimrod returned to the Circle of Inevitability Timeline after fully digesting the Dream Stealer potion and regained Heaven-Theft.
• Lumian-na rejected Amon’s attempts to persuade her to release him and planned to report his words to her godfather.
• Lumian-na sent Franca a warning that the Goodwell Chemical Factory would explode while Jenna’s mother was inside.
• Lumian-na divined Elodie’s location, sealed a leaking gas tank with ice, and carried Elodie out of the factory.
• Franca and Jenna hurried to the factory and saw Lumian-na carrying Elodie, prompting Jenna to cry out to her mother.

Lumian-na entered the chemical factory to rescue survivors and learned the explosion was a deliberate sacrifice, then followed Nimrod’s lead to hunt down those responsible. She killed Tibert in an alley and turned toward Ronet.

• Lumian-na rescued Jenna’s mother and entered the toxic chemical factory, determined to confront the cultists behind the explosion.
• Nimrod, disguised as Hugues Artois, ordered Ronet and Tibert to make Bono Goodwell compensate the victims and keep the incident under control.
• Nimrod secretly sent Lumian-na Ronet and Tibert’s route while Anthony remained behind to manage the rescue scene.
• Lumian-na ambushed Tibert in an alley, pierced him with a powerful blow, and tore him apart with black flames.
• Lumian-na vanished after fixing her gaze on Ronet, who realized he was now facing her alone.

Lumian-na killed two followers of the Monarch of Decay, then encountered Mr. K, an Oracle of the Aurora Order who offered help against an impending catastrophe. The Purifiers investigating the murders learned that Hugues Artois himself had reported them, complicating their suspicions about his campaign team.

• Lumian-na killed Ronet and used a ritual to summon Nimrod, who extracted the two Beyonder characteristics and urged her to follow her heart while warning her to avoid the Purifiers.
• After Nimrod told her he had reported the followers to the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, Lumian-na left Ronet’s spirit body intact and cleaned up her traces to draw the Purifiers’ attention to a Witch in a black robe.
• Lumian-na met Mr. K, who relayed the Lord’s revelation about a tree rising in Trier on the fourth day and promised to assist when followers of desire unleashed a catastrophe.
• Mr. K gave Lumian-na four of his fingers to use to summon him, and she decided to contact Anthony about suspicious people in the Market District.
• Angoulême’s Purifier team determined that the victims were Beyonders of abnormal sequences, then learned that Hugues Artois had reported the murders.