Chapter Summaries

Bruce considered the risks of becoming an Extraordinary and decided to learn more about the available identities before choosing one. He began studying swordsmanship for self-defense and planned to seek professional instruction in Rhode Town.

• Bruce asked Fawcett about choosing an Extraordinary identity, and Fawcett explained that the choice could only be made once and that advancement strengthened an identity’s abilities.
• Bruce decided to delay choosing an identity until he had learned more, and he declined Fawcett’s recommendation of Secret Prayer because of the risks of contacting hidden entities.
• The Ghost advised Bruce to study Flaikent’s swordsmanship notes to improve his safety.
• Bruce studied the notes and decided to visit Rhode Town the next day to find a swordsmanship school.

Bruce visited the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club in Rhode Town to find an instructor who could teach him swordsmanship fundamentals. After a successful free trial with Andre Hilton, Bruce arranged to attend lessons on a flexible schedule.

• Bruce chose the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club over a swordsmanship society after learning about the options in Rhode Town.
• Bruce met Lilith Hilton and asked about beginner instruction, then reviewed the introductory course and requested a trial lesson.
• Lilith introduced Bruce to Andre Hilton, who gave him training clothes and a nylon sword before teaching him basic stance and grip.
• Bruce was impressed by Andre's careful instruction and asked to condense the lesson schedule.
• Lilith agreed Bruce could come whenever he wished, and Bruce requested that Andre teach all his lessons.

Bruce practiced swordsmanship while waiting for a chance to investigate the basement and find the Dark Bible. When Danvers left for a ball, he entered the basement with Ghost and Fawcett, touched the wall hiding the book, and was struck by a terrifying psychic force.

• Bruce balanced paperwork, swordsmanship training, and study while keeping his goal of obtaining the Dark Bible in mind.
• Danvers left a note saying she was going to a ball in Rhode Town, so Bruce decided to investigate the basement with Ghost and Fawcett.
• Bruce discovered that the basement had once been used for human sacrifices and learned from Ghost that the Dark Bible was hidden inside a wall.
• Bruce touched the wall and collapsed as disturbing images and whispers overwhelmed his mind.

Bruce suffered a violent reaction after touching the Dark Bible's sealed wall, but his spirituality rose enough to qualify him for a new innate ability. After he spoke Hozniya's name and attracted the deity's notice, he learned the deity had ignored him and heard that the Dark Bible's seal would break within days.

• Bruce used Breakthrough to confirm that his agonizing reaction to touching the wall was a temporary effect of his connection to the Dark Bible, then recovered as the voices and pain faded.
• The ghost said Bruce's reaction showed he was favored by the Dark Bible, and Bruce discovered that his spirituality had risen from 21 to 67.
• Bruce asked whether Fawcett and the ghost knew the name Hozniya, triggering strange phenomena in the basement and alerting Night Watcher Cruno to a deity's attention in Lane Village.
• Fawcett explained that speaking a divine being's name could draw its attention, and Breakthrough confirmed that Hozniya had noticed Bruce but ignored him.
• The ghost said the Dark Bible's seal would break within days and warned Bruce that opening it could make him lose control, though his connection might help him gain power without becoming fallen.

Bruce developed the Divine Might talent, continued training and researching business, and learned of a supernatural incident in Bekelia. When the Dark Bible’s seal began to break, he and Ghost hurried to the basement to watch it emerge.

• Bruce spent 50 Spirituality points to gain the Divine Might talent, which could briefly immobilize nearby targets through intimidation.
• Bruce completed his basic swordsmanship course and stayed at the manor to refine his skills while researching business opportunities.
• Bruce read that the Goddess of the Night Church and the Thunder Sanctuary had sealed off Bekelia after a massive earthquake.
• Bruce sensed an unusual presence at the manor, and Ghost told him the Dark Bible’s seal was starting to break.
• Bruce and Ghost went to the basement, where strange patterns appeared on the sealing wall and the chained Dark Bible began to emerge.

Bruce recovered the Dark Bible and discovered it contained powerful spells that only a Wizard could use, including a way to turn Fawcett into a human. As the book’s influence stirred dark impulses and strange whispers in Bruce, its scarlet light surged into his body.

• Danvers developed a black rose on her chest while trimming the flowers, and images involving Bruce flashed through her mind.
• Bruce touched the Dark Bible and saw a ritual in which a woman resembling Danvers was bound on a stone platform with a black rose on her chest.
• Bruce opened the book and read spells invisible to Ghost and Fawcett, becoming so engrossed that his eyes turned completely black.
• Bruce told Fawcett that the Dark Bible contained spells to reincarnate a Vengeful Spirit, but that he needed to become a Wizard to cast them.
• Bruce explained that Ghost could grow stronger by absorbing the souls of Extraordinaries or demons, then felt dark impulses and heard strange prayers.
• The Dark Bible flashed scarlet, and its light surged into Bruce’s body.

Bruce was transported from Wayne Manor to a cult palace, where the worshippers mistook him for Eris, the Dark Lord. He discovered he could use Eris’s many talents but sensed that doing so could attract other gods, and learned that the cultists sought help for Zambesi on the Western Continent.

• Bruce appeared in a mysterious palace and caught the black scepter, which calmed his mind and body.
• The black-robed cultists hailed Bruce as the Dark Lord and begged him to save them.
• Bruce checked his character status panel and found he had taken on Eris’s identity and vast collection of talents.
• Bruce used Divine Might to answer the cultists, then realized that using a god’s talents could draw the attention of other gods.
• A cult leader asked Eris to save Zambesi, and Bruce learned through his Spirituality that it was on the Western Continent.

Bruce, impersonating the Dark Lord in Zambesi, learned that the people had turned to the god after their country was repeatedly plundered and they ran out of ways to protect themselves. He stopped them from making further human sacrifices and began searching the Dark Lord’s abilities for a way to identify followers with the aptitude to become Extraordinaries.

• Bruce recognized that he had arrived on the war-torn Western Continent and asked the black-robed figures what was happening in Zambesi.
• The leader explained that Zambesi’s people had hidden in an underground city to escape raids, but their dwindling supplies had driven them to worship the Dark Lord.
• Bruce learned that a powerful mysterious figure had led the people to convert and wondered whether their faith could let him grant them the Dark Lord’s power.
• When the followers offered more human sacrifices, Bruce stopped them and declared that he had no need for sacrifices.
• Bruce considered making the devoted followers into Believers and searched the Dark Lord’s innate abilities for a way to detect their spirituality, finding a promising ability.

Bruce used Divine Vision to identify twelve people in Zambesi with enough spirituality to receive divine favor, then promised to bless them in a week. He also spotted a spiritually gifted imprisoned woman wearing an extraordinary ruby and ordered her brought to him.

• Bruce activated Divine Vision, saw the Divine Scepter absorb his growing madness, and found twelve spiritually gifted people among Zambesi's nearly two thousand inhabitants.
• Bruce sent black mist to mark the twelve chosen people and announced that they would receive extraordinary power after purification and a ritual in one week.
• The chosen people thanked the Dark Lord while Bruce considered using spells from the Dark Bible because he lacked the Believer Potion Formula.
• Bruce decided not to take the Divine Scepter to Wayne Manor, fearing the Night Watchers might notice the divine artifact.
• Bruce discovered a spiritually gifted imprisoned woman whose ruby seemed extraordinary and ordered Zambesi's leaders to bring her to him.

Bruce discovered that Amaya’s red gem contained crystallized blood from Zambesi’s former guardian, an Extraordinary, and returned it to her after its power awakened in response to her longing. Amaya gained the strength, speed, and flight of three wondrous creatures, then attacked Bruce, leaving Zambesi’s leaders fearing for their people as he tapped his scepter.

• Zambesi’s leaders explained that Amaya had remained devoted to the former guardian deity and had been imprisoned for opposing the Dark Lord.
• Bruce used Divine Vision to discover that Amaya’s red gem was crystallized Extraordinary Blood containing strength, speed, and flight.
• Bruce infused the gem with divine power, and Amaya’s bond with it deepened as she desperately yearned for the strength to protect Zambesi.
• Bruce returned the gem to Amaya, awakening its power and surrounding her with visions of a lion, a cheetah, and an eagle.
• Amaya charged at Bruce, and Zambesi’s leaders feared the Dark Lord would destroy them as Bruce tapped his scepter against the floor.

Bruce used Divine Might to subdue Amaya in Zambesi, then returned to his body in Wayne Manor with access to Eris's Character Status Panel. Fawcett explained Eris's history and suspected the god was weakened or dead after Bruce invoked his name without drawing a response.

• Bruce subdued Amaya with Divine Might, spared her, and ordered Zambesi's leaders not to punish her.
• Bruce told Zambesi's leaders to invoke his name in one week, then vanished from the throne as his consciousness returned to Wayne Manor.
• Bruce checked his Character Status Panel, discovered his spirituality had risen, and found a gray panel displaying Eris's abilities.
• Bruce learned that about half an hour had passed and asked Fawcett about Eris, the Dark Lord.
• Fawcett explained that Eris was an evil god who had broken away from the Goddess of the Night's divine system, then guessed he was weakened or dead because he did not respond to Bruce's invocation.

Bruce considered how he had usurped the Dark Lord Eris’s divine identity and suspected Eris was gravely injured or asleep after fighting the Goddess of the Night. He chose to become a wizard so he could use the Dark Bible’s magic, but needed to leave Lane Village to practice safely and also sought a Believer potion formula.

• Bruce reasoned that the Dark Lord Eris might have fallen into a deep slumber or been severely injured after his battle with the Goddess of the Night, allowing Bruce to usurp his identity unnoticed.
• Fawcett and the Ghost asked Bruce for magic that could provide a body and strength, and Bruce found the necessary spells in the Dark Bible.
• Bruce weighed whether to become a wizard, then decided to take on the identity so he could use the Dark Bible’s magic and honor his promise to Fawcett and the Ghost.
• Bruce said he would prepare the wizard’s potion formula and look for a safe place away from the Night Watchers to practice magic.
• Bruce asked Fawcett whether it had a potion formula for the Believer identity or knew where he could obtain one.

Bruce concealed his reasons for seeking the Believer Potion Formula while Fawcett agreed to give it to him and warned him against trusting gods. After avoiding Danvers’s questions, Bruce began studying the Dark Bible’s magic in the safety of his study.

• Bruce asked Fawcett for the Believer Potion Formula, and Fawcett agreed after Bruce promised to be careful about recruiting believers for the Dark Lord.
• Ghost sensed an inexplicable force attaching itself to its body while Bruce and Fawcett discussed the Dark Lord.
• Danvers privately examined the black rose on her chest and decided to wait before telling anyone about her abnormality.
• Bruce encountered Danvers on the stairs, hid the Dark Bible behind Fawcett, and claimed he had tripped in the basement.
• Bruce opened the Dark Bible and found sections on runes, potions, curses, and witchcraft and gu, but struggled to understand their contents.

Bruce planned to travel to Jiaxi Town in Walkervis to avoid the Night Watchers while preparing to become a Wizard and carry out his plans. Before bed, he developed a new ability for himself: Swordsmanship Mastery.

• Bruce studied the Dark Bible, copied the Believer Potion Formula from Fawcett, and learned that becoming a Wizard would not be detectable by others.
• Bruce decided to leave Lane Village and chose Guen Brody’s celebration for his two hundredth public school in Jiaxi Town as his destination.
• Bruce planned to donate books at the event and discussed hiring servants with Danvers, leaving most of the arrangements to her.
• Bruce reviewed Dark Lord Eris’s abilities and used his spirituality to develop Swordsmanship Mastery.

After unlocking Swordsmanship Mastery, Bruce discovered that it gave him exceptional control with a sword and went to Rhode Town to test his skills against Andre. He lost their spar because his body lacked strength and stamina, then agreed to take Andre’s lessons.

• Bruce tested Swordsmanship Mastery with his Cross Sword and found that his movements had become instinctive and precise.
• Bruce traveled to Rhode Town, where he told Lilith he wanted to spar with Andre and planned to gather ingredients for the Wizard's Potion Formula.
• Andre agreed to assess Bruce’s swordsmanship, and their first exchange astonished him with Bruce’s control.
• Andre fought seriously, overwhelmed Bruce with Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship, and knocked the Nylon Longsword from his hand.
• Andre praised Bruce’s swordsmanship and said strength and stamina were his main weaknesses, so Bruce agreed to take the training lessons Lilith offered.

Bruce waited for the people of Zambesi to summon him so he could return as the Dark Lord and give them his promised blessing. After arriving in the underground city, he gathered the ingredients needed for a Believer Potion and began preparing it before the silent onlookers.

• Bruce bought Potion ingredients and other materials in Rhode Town, but learned that some formula ingredients would take two weeks to arrive.
• Bruce spent the following week training, studying the Dark Bible, and waiting to hear prayers from Zambesi.
• Amaya questioned whether the Dark Lord could protect Zambesi as its leaders and chosen people gathered to receive his blessing.
• Bruce answered the prayers, appeared on the divine throne as Eris, and used Divine Vision to inspect the people and underground city.
• Bruce used Divine Power Seizure to draw the ingredients for a Believer Potion into the palace and began mixing them.

Bruce created the Believer Potion and made twelve favored followers into Believers of Eris, the Dark Lord, then tested their new abilities. He discovered that their belief expanded his control of the divine body and called the six leaders of Zambesi forward to receive his blessing.

• Bruce prepared twelve drops of the Believer Potion and told the followers to recite Eris, the Dark Lord, after swallowing them.
• The twelve followers became Believers, and Bruce sensed their calls and gained slightly more control over his divine body.
• Bruce recognized that the Believers could use darkness-based abilities, including teleportation, and considered how their powers and limits worked.
• The twelve Believers demonstrated their abilities while Bruce explored his divine power and the magic of the Dark Bible.
• Bruce summoned Zambesi's six leaders and offered to bestow his blessing, leaving them trembling with excitement.

Bruce granted Zambesi’s six leaders the power of the Roaring Flame Chariot spell, then departed as the people prepared to resist their invaders. Amaya watched Zambesi rally around its renewed hope and wondered if the Dark Lord might be like a righteous god.

• Bruce chose to give Zambesi’s six leaders fire powers, but limited the blessing to them to avoid attracting other gods’ attention.
• Bruce inscribed the Roaring Flame Chariot runes on the leaders’ hands, and they endured the pain before gaining control of flames and new strength.
• The six leaders thanked Bruce, who considered Zambesi’s survival and left its people to decide their own fate.
• Bruce vanished from the divine throne, and the black-robed worshippers rallied to take back their land and defend Zambesi.
• Amaya watched the people shout “Zambesi forever” and wondered if the Dark Lord seemed a little like a righteous god.

After returning from Zambesi, Bruce resumed his routine and continued improving his swordsmanship. When Andre revealed that he would be away for six months to a year, Bruce agreed to serve as a temporary assistant instructor at the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club and help protect it from the Swordsmanship Hall.

• Bruce returned from Zambesi and encouraged himself to pursue power of his own before hiding the Dark Bible in the study.
• Ghost sensed that Bruce had left briefly, while Fawcett watched him with concern; Ghost struggled against something controlling its body.
• Bruce trained with Andre and Laura Bridge at the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club and felt his swordsmanship improving.
• Andre told Bruce that headquarters required him to attend a meeting and training in Sokvinia for six months to a year, leaving Laura to run the club.
• Andre asked Bruce to help teach at the club and protect Laura and Lilith from pressure by the Swordsmanship Hall, and Bruce agreed.

Bruce agreed to stay at Andre’s home and help protect the Wind-Cutting Swordsmanship Club while Andre was away. He prepared to move in, wary of the Swordsmanship Hall and mindful that becoming a Wizard and resolving Fawcett and Ghost’s troubles remained his priorities.

• Andre worried that the Swordsmanship Hall would target his club during his long absence, so he asked Bruce to help protect it.
• Bruce accepted Andre’s invitation to stay at his home, where Andre showed him the available rooms.
• Bruce returned to Wayne Manor to pack, while keeping his plans to become a Wizard and address Fawcett and Ghost’s troubles in mind.
• Bruce looked into the Swordsmanship Hall and learned that the Parker Family backed its dishonest entertainment business, which competed with Andre’s genuine club.
• Bruce practiced with his Cross Sword and reflected on improving his speed, then told Danvers about his plans.
• Danvers urged Bruce to be careful and warned him that the Parker Family had a poor reputation.