Chapter Summaries

Klein and his companions rescued Danitz by ambushing and killing Steel Maveti and his allies. After treating Danitz, they planned to cross the Berserk Sea with help from Vice Admiral Iceberg’s crew, and Nimrod shocked Danitz by asking whether forty-two thousand pounds would buy a suitable ship.

• Danitz sensed Steel Maveti, Scawl, Huntley, and the zombies ambushing him, then fled toward the White Agate after Lumian-na’s Spear of Destruction pinned Maveti.
• Audrey drove Maveti into a frenzy, Klein attacked him with holy bullets, and Huntley possessed Scawl while the group defeated their enemies.
• Nimrod brought the wounded Danitz to the group, and Klein healed his fatal wound after letting him finish his supposed deathbed message to his parents.
• Sharron urged the group to leave, and Nimrod collected the Beyonder characteristics before Danitz led them to a hotel in Bayam.
• Nimrod told Danitz they planned to cross the Berserk Sea and asked whether forty-two thousand pounds would be enough to buy a ship, leaving Danitz horrified by the sum.

Nimrod divided the spoils from the fight with Steel Maveti among the group, and Klein took the flying carpet. After spending the day exploring Bayam with Klein, Lumian-na and Nimrod prepared to return to Trier.

• Nimrod arranged a legal short-term rental in Bayam and asked Danitz to help them find a way to purchase a ship.
• Nimrod valued the spoils from Steel Maveti and his men, gave each companion a share worth 3,000 pounds, and Klein chose the flying carpet.
• Nimrod told Lumian-na they would return to her world after dinner the next day, while she dreamed of planning Guillaume Bénet's death.
• Emlyn and the Hanged Man agreed on a transaction for the Sanguine Baron's legacy, with Emlyn providing medicines as part of the payment.
• Klein, Nimrod, and Lumian-na spent the day visiting Bayam's bars and Beyonder Gatherings.
• After dinner, Nimrod told Lumian-na it was time to return to Trier.

Lumian-na asked Nimrod to help her hunt Guillaume Bénet, and he planned to prepare a powerful weapon for her. After reading Miss Magician’s letter and handing some of her work to Anthony Reed, Lumian-na went to visit the Church of the Fool with Nimrod, whose chosen disguise was Amon.

• Lumian-na told Nimrod she wanted to settle matters in Trier and asked him to divine Guillaume Bénet’s location; Nimrod agreed to help after preparing a coming-of-age gift.
• Nimrod planned to steal Artisan abilities from the Knowledge Moor so he could craft a powerful Beyonder weapon for Lumian-na.
• Miss Magician’s messenger delivered a stack of occult books and a letter suggesting Lumian-na visit the Church of the Fool before leaving Trier.
• Lumian-na decided to visit the church with Nimrod and considered handing Passion’s internal affairs to Anthony Reed while accounting for Franca’s infiltration of the Iron and Blood Cross Order.
• The next day, Lumian-na handed some gang affairs to Anthony Reed and traveled to Quartier de la Place, where she recognized Nimrod’s disguise as Amon and hesitated to enter the church with him.

Lumian-na visited the Church of the Fool after learning about its work helping the poor, and the sermon revealed Gehrman Sparrow’s role as the Angel of Redemption. Meanwhile, the voice of Termiboros tried to turn her against her godfather by claiming he was Amon, while Amon watched from within the Fool’s seal and prepared to resist.

• Lumian-na questioned a bartender about Danitz, who now served as an emissary of the Fool, and learned the church assisted people in need.
• Lumian-na examined the church’s murals, attended the evening sermon, and heard the bishop identify Gehrman Sparrow as the Angel of Redemption’s form.
• Termiboros challenged Lumian-na’s faith in her godfather and claimed that he was a Deceiver named Amon.
• Lumian-na rejected Termiboros’s suspicions and questioned why Amon would keep the same appearance.
• Amon, disguised as Termiboros inside the Fool’s seal, sensed another Parasite and resolved not to surrender without a fight.

Nimrod borrowed power from the Knowledge Moor to create a temporary Artisan charm, then used it to begin forging a sturdy blade for Lumian Lee. Afterward, he wondered whether he could send an avatar into the Western Continent.

• Nimrod left the Church of the Fool after Holy Communion and went to Hugues Artois's safe house.
• In Sefirah Castle, Nimrod explained to the Celestial Worthy that he wanted to forge Lumian Lee a blade capable of withstanding his growing Calamity power.
• Nimrod disguised himself as the Knowledge Moor's Celestial Master and performed a ritual to request an Artisan charm.
• The Knowledge Moor granted Nimrod's request, and he drew its power through the seal to create a charm containing temporary Artisan abilities.
• Nimrod reflected on his nostalgia for the Western Continent and considered sending an avatar there before activating the charm and starting work on the weapon.

Nimrod forged a powerful but dangerous Beyonder saber from Shadow Tree wood and Maveti’s characteristic, then gave it to Lumian-na as a coming-of-age gift. Lumian-na named the weapon “Abomination,” and the chapter ended with her resolving to live up to Nimrod’s care and expectations.

• Nimrod shaped Shadow Tree wood into a saber and infused it with Maveti’s Zombie characteristic, carefully selecting and returning its abilities.
• Nimrod finished the saber with powerful cutting effects and the potential to advance using higher-sequence characteristics, while sealing it against severe curses and corruption.
• Several days later, Nimrod brought the saber in a gold case to Lumian-na’s safe house and explained its abilities and risks.
• Lumian-na drew the saber and named it “Abomination,” after the Rose School’s Sequence One, promising herself not to disappoint Nimrod.

Lumian-na returned to Trier after discovering where one of her enemies was hiding and proposed joining Franca’s Deep Valley Monastery investigation under a false identity. She also urged Franca to stop keeping Jenna only partly informed about the dangers of the Beyonder world, and the group set out toward Deep Valley Quarry.

• Franca told Lumian-na that she had accepted a commission worth around twenty thousand Verl D'Or, and Lumian-na criticized her for involving Jenna without being decisive about the dangers.
• Lumian-na advised Franca either to let Jenna experience the Beyonder world firsthand or keep her away from it, and warned that a Demoness could draw danger toward her family.
• Lumian-na revealed that she had found one of her enemies’ whereabouts and had delayed leaving Trier to pursue revenge.
• Franca realized Lumian-na had layered false identities to conceal her presence in Trier, while Lumian-na teased her about her caution and Assassin training.
• Lumian-na offered to join the Deep Valley Monastery assignment under a false name, both to earn money and to set a trap for her enemies.
• Franca and Lumian-na walked toward Deep Valley Quarry, where Franca quietly wondered whether Lumian-na had come only to help her.

Lumian-na, Franca, and Jenna investigated Deep Valley Quarry while searching for a missing gatekeeper, and discovered that a suspicious mechanized monk had entered the grounds. They hid and decided to wait for him to leave before ambushing him, leaving the confrontation still to come.

• Franca and Jenna discussed how to keep the quarry gatekeeper unconscious until they returned, but Lumian-na noticed he was already unconscious and warned that someone might be inside.
• Lumian-na prayed to Nimrod, who used the magic mirror to reveal a mechanized monk carrying a carbide lamp inside the quarry.
• Franca spotted a light approaching, and the three hid to watch the monk's route.
• The monk struck the quarry gatekeeper unconscious and opened the gates, prompting Lumian-na to suspect he was an evil-god cultist or rogue Beyonder.
• Lumian-na divined that the Beyonder was not especially powerful and proposed waiting for him to leave, or for a fight to create an opening before they attacked.

Lumian-na and Franca ambushed Claude, a Sequence 5 monk from the Church of Steam and Machinery, at the quarry. Lumian-na’s assault overwhelmed his defenses, and Franca struck him from behind as the battle continued.

• Lumian-na launched a black Flame Spear at Claude, setting his body and Spirit Body ablaze and briefly immobilizing him.
• Claude freed himself with his Spirituality Gem and used starlight spells and alchemical machinery to defend himself and attack.
• Lumian-na charged with Abomination, broke through Claude’s starlight shield and mechanical defenses, and used a Magic Mirror Substitute to evade his gunfire.
• Lumian-na used black Fire of Destruction to destroy Claude’s living machines, while Franca slipped behind him and pierced his chest.

Lumian-na and Franca ambushed Claude, a monk connected to the Hidden Sage who was preparing to help open Fourth Epoch Trier. Lumian-na killed him despite his partial transformation into a divinity-bearing foe, stole his Spirit Body, and looked forward to hunting Guillaume Bénet.

• Franca struck Claude from the darkness, while Lumian-na prepared to attack and questioned Franca’s combat experience.
• Claude raved about opening Fourth Epoch Trier, manifested divinity, and created a mechanical scepter with his prosthetic eye.
• Lumian-na emerged behind Claude and wounded him with her blade, while he transformed his flesh into machinery and formed a giant hammer.
• Lumian-na met Claude’s hammer with her blade, surviving the explosion but suffering severe injuries as Claude believed he had won.
• Lumian-na appeared through the flames and split Claude’s head with a black gleam, then crushed his skull to prevent his return.
• Lumian-na stole Claude’s Spirit Body for Nimrod to seal and anticipated hunting Guillaume Bénet.

Lumian-na survived her battle with the Astronomer through Nimrod’s help and planned revenge against Guillaume Bénet. Nimrod arranged to report the Astronomer’s spirit to a powerful figure in the Church of Steam and Machinery, whose name he revealed to Lumian-na.

• Franca and Jenna found Lumian-na gravely injured, and Lumian-na used an illusion to conceal her wounds while she recovered through her reset mechanism.
• Lumian-na warned Jenna that she would have to choose between the Beyonder world and an ordinary life, then accepted Franca’s help getting to a safehouse.
• Lumian-na asked Franca to help her hunt Guillaume Bénet and the Evil God Worshippers he had recruited.
• Nimrod gave Lumian-na the Astronomer’s preserved spirit and advised her to hand it over to the Church of Steam and Machinery.
• Nimrod went to sacrifice the spirit to a Church contact and told Lumian-na she could invoke the name Yuggs Stiano if she faced an enemy she could not overcome.

Nimrod divined Guillaume Bénet’s whereabouts, and Lumian-na used the visions to deduce that he might be hiding as a dog or a woman. She decided to hunt him soon with Franca and Anthony.

• Nimrod performed a divination for Lumian-na and showed her scenes connected to Guillaume Bénet, including a large dog and a woman in a basement.
• Lumian-na considered whether the scenes showed Guillaume’s activities in chronological order or revealed identities he had taken through Animal Transformation or Substitution.
• Lumian-na concluded that Guillaume was most likely disguised as either the dog or the woman, and decided to eliminate both possibilities.
• Lumian-na said the hunt needed to happen quickly and planned to bring Franca and Anthony rather than Passion’s squad leaders.

Lumian-na, Franca, and Anthony carried out a plan to find and attack Guillaume Bénet at his hideout on Vincent Street. Lumian-na confronted him and broke free of his attempts to control her, then unleashed a blazing attack as he fled and called for his followers.

• Anthony used Psychological Hint and Nimrod's illusion-based disguise to enter Guillaume Bénet's hideout disguised as a servant.
• Franca reached the Abandoned Mine Tunnels and prepared to divine Guillaume Bénet's location.
• Lumian-na used the divination as a distraction, discarded the Magic Mirror, and attacked Guillaume Bénet before the divination finished.
• Guillaume Bénet evaded Lumian-na's first slash, but she stabbed him with [Abomination] and forced him to use Iron Body.
• Guillaume Bénet called Lumian-na by name and tried to control her, but [Abomination] and the City of Calamity's contamination helped her break free.
• Guillaume Bénet summoned the Fate Believers to delay Lumian-na and fled, but saw her raise [Abomination] amid Blazing White Flame and slash toward him.

Lumian-na pursued Guillaume Bénet into underground Trier, while Franca and Anthony Reed helped corner him and prepare for the fight. After disabling Guillaume’s sound-based control by puncturing her eardrums, Lumian-na charged at him, beginning her hunt for revenge.

• Lumian-na cut down the Fate Believers guarding Guillaume Bénet’s residence as Guillaume sent Pauline, Anthony Reed, and other servants away with an unconscious substitute to draw off possible helpers.
• Guillaume Bénet entered the hidden passage to underground Trier, intending to prepare a trap for Lumian-na or change his identity and pursue her.
• Lumian-na found the passage, while Anthony reported that he had planted a Psychological Hint in Guillaume and Franca warned that Guillaume was setting up rituals.
• Lumian-na entered the abandoned mine with Abomination and prepared to fight, knowing Franca was concealed nearby and ready to strike.
• Guillaume Bénet tried to seize control of Lumian-na with the Soul-Seizing Secret Art, but she resisted and charged at him after he noticed blood from her punctured eardrums.

Lumian-na and Franca executed their trap and killed Guillaume Bénet, turning his Rebirth ability against him by sending him back to Cordu Village. Nimrod appeared afterward, took Lumian-na home, and told her to rest.

• Lumian-na fought Guillaume Bénet at close range, enduring his acid spells and anesthetic gas while appearing to succumb to the Werewolf Curse.
• Franca revealed herself and cursed Guillaume Bénet through his reflection in a Magic Mirror, weakening his Metal Body and draining his spirituality.
• Lumian-na struck Guillaume Bénet with [Abomination], killing him and redirecting his Rebirth ability into herself before severing its pull.
• Guillaume Bénet's spirit was drawn toward Cordu Village, and Lumian-na left him to die without using Spirit Channeling.
• Nimrod appeared with Guillaume Bénet's burning spirit body, praised Lumian-na, and took her home.

Danitz dreamed that Edwina came to question him about Steel Maveti’s death and teach him a Spirit-Mediumship Ritual, while Klein and Nimrod also entered the dream. Lumian-na arrived and proposed a commercial partnership with Edwina to obtain a large ship and hunt pirate leaders.

• Edwina told Danitz that rumors claimed he had killed Steel Maveti and declared war on the Admiral of Blood, then asked him to recount what had happened.
• Danitz described the events at sea and in Bansy Harbor, and Edwina concluded that Lumian-na’s group was exceptionally powerful before asking Danitz to learn a Spirit-Mediumship Ritual.
• Klein entered Danitz’s dream, and Nimrod appeared through the gray fog and watched as Danitz hid beside him with popcorn.
• Lumian-na entered the dream with gray fur growing on her exposed skin and explained that it was a temporary negative effect from a Beyonder Item.
• Lumian-na told Edwina that her group wanted to hunt pirate leaders and proposed an initial commercial partnership to secure a large ship for sailing the open sea.

Lumian-na, Klein, and Nimrod arranged a future ship and contact with Edwina while planning their voyage from Bayam. After recovering from a brutal fight with an old enemy, Lumian-na joined the others as Nimrod prepared to approach Bayam’s Resistance Army, and Danitz returned to guide them to the local factions.

• Edwina agreed to arrange an ocean-going ship and left contact with her to Danitz, while Nimrod offered to reach the group through his messenger.
• After leaving Danitz’s dream, Lumian-na explained that she had used a dangerous Beyonder item to fight an old enemy, and Klein congratulated her on finding peace.
• Klein considered Nimrod’s plan to sail from Bayam to the Southern Continent and support the Aurora Order’s efforts there.
• The next afternoon, Nimrod discussed winning over Bayam’s Resistance Army and using a war to disrupt destiny’s course.
• Danitz returned to the inn and asked when they would visit the local factions.