Chapter Summaries

Richard questioned why ordinary people suffered despite social aid, and his teacher argued that powerful people and gods had no interest in changing the system. Later, Klein finished reading a diary entry about Zaratul and the Seer and Monster pathways, then tasked the Tarot Club with assassinating Intis ambassador Beckland Jean Madan.

• Richard told his teacher that he visited an elderly woman in the slums to help and read the newspaper to her.
• Richard asked why people remained miserable, and his teacher said that those in power did not care about them and that gods would not allow a society that no longer needed them.
• Richard chose to keep learning from his teacher despite hearing that the people could never be saved through that imagined society.
• Klein read the diary entry describing Zaratul as a Sequence 2 Miracle Invoker and revealing sequence names from the Monster and Devil pathways.
• Klein issued a mission for the Tarot Club to assassinate Intis Republic ambassador Beckland Jean Madan.

Edward Vaughan spent a routine day managing Aurora Order affairs, meeting Miss Fors, and learning that Mr. A planned to assassinate the Intis ambassador for a ten-thousand-pound bounty. The assassination preparations proceeded with help from Edward’s ally, while a suspected Devil’s murder in the East Borough caught the Abyss Angel’s interest.

• Edward made his ally review the Aurora Order’s ledgers and reports, then went out through the East Borough and considered the Demoness Sect’s abandoned proposal.
• Edward met Miss Fors, discussed the Abraham Family and her Bracelet, and praised her improved play manuscript before his ally summoned him to the Aurora Order.
• Mr. A and Kisma planned to assassinate Ambassador Beckland at his ball, and the Abyss Angel gave Mr. A the abilities of Death and Imprisonment to assist.
• Mr. A arranged to enter the ball hidden in a timber merchant’s daughter and planned to use her to lure the ambassador away before killing him.
• Kisma told Edward about a murder in the East Borough involving a victim whose organs had been hollowed out, and the Abyss Angel became eager to find the suspected Devil.

The True Creator wondered whether Edward Vaughan had helped free him from madness and recalled a warning he once felt when Edward tried to plant seeds. Klein read that the Aurora Order had claimed responsibility for the Intis ambassador’s murder, while the Monarch of Decay destroyed a planet with a flower that consumed its possibilities.

• The True Creator considered whether Ouroboros, a Sealed Artifact, or Edward Vaughan had caused his temporary escape from madness, then remembered stopping Edward from planting seeds after sensing danger.
• Klein read that the Aurora Order had claimed responsibility for the murder of the Intis ambassador and suspected the gruesome crime bore the marks of the Devil Pathway.
• Klein set aside his suspicions and prepared to catch an adulterous couple in the act.
• The Monarch of Decay plucked a flower that had anchored a dying planet, and the planet and its inhabitants crumbled into cosmic dust.
• The chapter’s note explained that the flower belonged to the Withering pathway and had drained the planet’s possibilities until only decay remained.

Traynor Sauron Vaughn avoided being drawn into the political fallout from Beckland’s assassination while arranging aid for Helene. At the Tarot Club, Klein learned more about Roselle’s ambitions and the Sauron Family; meanwhile, Edward received Roselle’s furious greeting and survived it.

• Traynor dismissed the need to avenge Beckland, offered money to the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and agreed to conduct only a cursory investigation.
• Traynor canceled his meeting with Helene but lent her his protective charm and arranged supplies for Ernst.
• Klein introduced the World dummy at the Tarot Club, gave a mission to find Lanevus, and read Roselle’s diary pages about Bornova, Bernadette, and the Sauron Family.
• Klein learned from Roselle’s diary about Sequence 0, the Blasphemy Cards, and the paths to godhood before opening the meeting to trade and discussion.
• Edward read about the Government Employee Examination and recent murders before answering a prayer from Roselle.
• Roselle’s curse blew apart half of Edward’s head, but Edward recovered and joked that he wanted to visit Roselle’s grave.

Lanevus escaped the Aurora Order but ran into Jason Beria and a Devil Dog, revealing that the Abyss Angel was in Backlund. Meanwhile, Mr. A and Mr. Z were confined after separate failures, and their rivalry over the Lord’s monthly charm left their friendship strained.

• The narrator cleaned up his bloodied body and belongings after a call from Roselle, then returned to his leisurely workday.
• Lanevus escaped his bodyguards and encountered Jason Beria and a Devil Dog in an alley.
• Lanevus told Jason that the Abyss Angel was in Backlund and described the Angel’s warning in his dream.
• Jason decided to use Lanevus to learn more about the Abyss Angel and threatened to feed him to his dog if he withheld information.
• Mr. A and Mr. Z confessed their mistakes in confinement, then clashed over which of them would win the Lord’s charm.

Edward learned that the detective Talim had mentioned was named Sherlock Moriarty, while Xio sought the Charity School’s help in finding Lanevus. Maria discovered that the Pilgrimage Church had ordered Lanevus captured and warned Mr. Z about Xio’s investigation; Viscount Traynor ended the chapter baffled by Richard Ernst’s praise of the Aurora Order.

• Edward spoke with Talim about the serial murders, love, and a detective named Sherlock Moriarty, then asked whether Roselle had written The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
• Xio asked Maria to help locate Lanevus, and Maria agreed while hiding that the Pilgrimage Church had declared him a traitor and ordered his capture.
• Maria wrote to Mr. Z, reporting Xio’s pursuit of Lanevus and asking him to remove Aurora Order members from the area.
• Richard Ernst’s letter praised the Aurora Order’s cooperation, leaving Viscount Traynor bewildered by its description of them as kind and diligent.

The Ruler of Withering met Roselle in the cosmos, questioned him about his past, and revealed that he was Edward’s ancient superior. Roselle returned to Earth with the truth about his homeland, but sensed a devilish presence behind him.

• The Ruler of Withering created a courtyard and spoke Chinese to Roselle, who distrusted him and attacked him when questioned about his wars and responsibility.
• The Ruler of Withering restrained Roselle, told him his ritual was complete, and said he would send him back with no memory of their meeting.
• The Ruler of Withering revealed that he was Roselle’s former subordinate, that Roselle had shifted blame onto him, and that Edward was part of him.
• The Ruler of Withering promised to keep helping Roselle bring catastrophe, but said he would kill him when the continent fell into decline.
• Roselle returned safely to Earth, realized it was the homeland he had sought, and understood that he had awakened thousands of years later.
• As his three loyal knights celebrated his return, Roselle sensed a devil behind him and saw his fragmented face reflected in stained glass.

Klein helped a poor East Borough father and daughter, then learned from Tyler about worsening human trafficking and strange murders tied to a deranged killer. Meanwhile, Fors discussed her play with Edward, who revealed that an ancient book connected “Deathly Whispers at the Full Moon” to an unknown evil god in the Fourth Epoch.

• Klein met an impoverished older man and his daughter, Tyler, while getting his torn jacket mended.
• Klein bought food for the older man, heard his family’s story, and learned that Tyler supported them with sewing work.
• Tyler told Klein that Miss Maria had warned people to stay inside because women were being trafficked and bounty hunters investigating a deranged killer had been tortured and murdered.
• Fors and Edward discussed possible endings for Fors’s play, and Edward suggested a tragic ending or a fictional god bringing the lovers together.
• Fors asked Edward about “Deathly Whispers at the Full Moon,” and he said an ancient book claimed the phenomenon began in the Fourth Epoch as an unknown evil god conveyed information.
• Edward withheld further details while privately considering that Fors would become useful to him only after reaching Sequence 5.

Edward searched the East Borough for Lanevus while Maria struggled with the investigation and other urgent problems. Klein entered the Dockworkers' Association to investigate Lanevus and recognized a familiar figure outside, leaving him shaken.

• Edward discussed the Aurora Order's hunt for Lanevus with the True Creator and decided to search the East Borough himself.
• Xio and Maria gave up pursuing Lanevus alone and considered reporting the killings to the major churches.
• Edward identified Maria as a Pilgrimage Church representative, said he was searching for Lanevus, and asked her to sacrifice Capim to him.
• Klein disguised himself as a reporter and persuaded Maria to let him interview the Dockworkers' Association.
• Klein saw a changed man outside the association and recognized him through his Seer's intuition, trembling in shock.

Klein confirmed through divination that the familiar man was Lanevus and told Miss Justice that Lanevus possessed the divinity of the Fallen Creator. In the City of Silver, Colin Iliad and Lovia heard a pregnant woman describe a hopeful dream, while an angel arranged a hunt for people contaminated by Lanevus's blood and learned that the Church of Evernight was investigating.

• Maria warned Klein to leave the East Borough, but he slipped out through the back door and headed to the Quelaag Club.
• Klein divined the source of his sense of familiarity, identified Lanevus, and told Miss Justice that Lanevus possessed the divinity of the Fallen Creator.
• Colin Iliad remained skeptical of Lovia's claim that the Lord had descended, until a pregnant woman described a dream that gave them hope.
• An angel's servant, Andariel, reported that he had helped eliminate about a third of the contaminated people and had seen someone wearing red gloves speaking with a Church of Evernight clergyman.
• The angel suspected that the Church of Evernight was searching for Lanevus and decided to wait and watch for the night's events.

Klein watched the Church of Evernight attack Lanevus, then pursued him through the sewers and killed him to avenge Williams. Afterward, a disguised Klein met a Chinese-speaking gentleman who recognized the name Sherlock Moriarty and addressed him in Chinese.

• Audrey passed Xio and Fors Mr. Fool's warning that Lanevus possessed the True Creator's divinity and that they should report it only to the Church of Evernight.
• Klein disguised himself as a worker and watched Crestet Cesimir lead the Church of Evernight's assault on Lanevus, who claimed to be the True Creator before the Church destroyed the divine flesh.
• Klein tracked Lanevus into the sewers and killed him with a Slumber Charm, a punch, and a snapped neck, then laughed as his Clown potion fully digested.
• Klein climbed out of the sewer and met a disguised middle-aged gentleman, who recognized the name Sherlock Moriarty and asked in Chinese what to call him.

Klein met Edward Vaughan, a fellow transmigrator who had lived in the world for fourteen hundred years, and struggled with what that meant for his hopes of returning home. Their conversation turned to Edward’s friendship with Roselle, ending on a misunderstanding about Demonesses.

• Edward, an Outer Deity studying human civilization, met Roselle Gustav and observed the many humans who looked like him.
• Klein met Edward Vaughan on a Backlund street and introduced himself as Zhou Mingrui, while Edward sought to learn about him.
• Klein and Edward compared their transmigrations and learned they had arrived at similar times, though Edward had been in the world for fourteen hundred years.
• Klein panicked at the implications of Edward’s long separation from Earth, then recovered enough to discuss Roselle’s diary and their friendship.
• Edward reminisced about cooking with Roselle and mourned that he considered Roselle his best friend, though Roselle apparently had not felt the same.
• Klein repeated Roselle’s saying about Demonesses, and Edward agreed that they tasted good, while Klein misunderstood his meaning.

Klein learned from Edward about the Hermits of Fate and Amon, then returned home and planned to focus on advancing as a Beyonder. Meanwhile, Richard brought Alia to Backlund, where he recognized a sleeping owl as his teacher.

• Crestet Cesimir and his companions found Lanevus's corpse covered with tarot cards and examined the strange scene.
• Klein showed Edward Lanevus's badge, and Edward explained that it belonged to the Hermits of Fate, who tried to escape Amon.
• Edward revealed that Amon was the King of Angels of the Marauder pathway and warned Klein that their pathways were adjacent.
• Richard arrived in Backlund with Alia and offered to help her find work while she studied at university.
• Richard spotted an owl in a tree and tentatively addressed it as his teacher.
• Klein burned away traces of his outfit and belongings above the gray fog, then resolved to pursue his advancement and live as an ordinary detective for now.

Daly confronted Crestet Cesimir for excluding her from the operation against Lanevus, while Richard brought Alia to Edward’s home and reported on the Rose School and preparations for a new Black Emperor. Edward assigned Richard to find Roselle’s diaries and investigate the Abyss, then noticed Alia’s connection to Traynor and wondered why Traynor had come to Backlund.

• Daly learned that Crestet Cesimir had kept her out of the operation against Lanevus and angrily lamented that Lanevus had died before she could capture him.
• Richard gained Owl’s permission to take Alia to a villa in Cherwood Borough, where Edward let her stay in a guest room.
• Richard reported increased Rose School sacrifices, suspected cooperation with the Blood Sanctify Sect, and disappearances tied to trafficking in the Southern Continent and Backlund.
• Edward told Richard that someone was preparing for George III to become the new Black Emperor and offered him ten thousand pounds to collect Roselle’s diaries and search for traces of the Abyss.
• Edward said Alia had the potential to become a Beyonder but would die without gaining divinity, then noted her connection to Traynor and wondered who had sent him to Backlund.

Eight-year-old Traynor sneaked out to meet Ciel, and their friendship deepened as they shared food and talked about inventions and their futures. They parted without learning what their parents were discussing, while hints of travel and adult intrigue remained unresolved.

• Traynor followed his secret route out of the estate, fell from the wall, and collided with Ciel, who had tried to catch him.
• Traynor led Ciel to their hideout, where Ciel showed him a model airplane designed by his father, Gustav.
• Ciel lamented that he could never match his gifted sister or his father, and Traynor encouraged him by reminding him that every Artisan could help change the world.
• Ciel asked whether Traynor knew what Gustav and Uncle Edward discussed, but Traynor suspected Ciel's sister had prompted the question and told him not to ask again.
• Traynor told Ciel that his mother planned to take him abroad when he was older, and the boys returned to sharing the remaining treats.

Edward visited the Aurora Order, discussed the search for Medici and negotiated a reward with the True Creator. The chapter ended with Edward noticing a poster announcing an exhibition commemorating Emperor Roselle.

• Edward recalled watching the plot against Roselle unfold without intervening as the emperor's death drew near.
• Klein reviewed his encounter with the Abyss Angel and resolved to be more cautious when speaking with him.
• Edward heard Maria report evidence that Capim's men were trafficking missing female workers and told her to sacrifice Capim's soul to him.
• Edward met with the True Creator, shared a possible lead on Medici at Binsy Island, and accepted an Angel-level favor as payment for continuing the search.
• Edward left the Aurora Order and saw a poster announcing that an exhibition commemorating Emperor Roselle would open on the 16th.

The Monarch of Decay revealed his cosmic nature when Adam invaded his sea of consciousness, trapping Adam’s avatar and threatening him with death. Meanwhile, Klein obtained the ingredients for his next advancement and became a Sequence 7 Magician.

• The Monarch of Decay recognized Adam’s attempt to kill him inside his sea of consciousness and exposed the universe hidden beneath its Abyss-like surface.
• The Monarch of Decay told Adam that his avatar could not transmit its memories to the main body and that he would not escape.
• The narrator bought a ticket to the Roselle Memorial Exhibition and quietly nurtured a Soul Decay curse in its target.
• The Hanged Man and Sun Derrick supplied Klein with the remaining Beyonder ingredients he needed for the Magician potion.
• Klein brewed and drank the Magician potion, endured its dangerous effects, and completed his advancement to Sequence 7.

Zaratul survived Adam’s apparent attempt to kill him and received a Sequence 1 Writer characteristic, while Edward encountered a Devil Dog tied to the serial murders. At a reduced Beyonder gathering, Klein heard Wild Dog plead for help rescuing a captured friend, but no one agreed to help.

• Zaratul controlled Edward Vaughan as a marionette, but Edward suddenly revived and struck at him, forcing Zaratul to flee into the Historical Void.
• Zaratul found a Sequence 1 Writer characteristic in his cloak after Edward left for the Conference Hall.
• Edward confronted a black Devil Dog connected to the serial murders, then let it go and urged it to cause more deaths and raise the bounty.
• Edward spoke with Fors, who told him the reward for information about the murderer had risen to two thousand pounds.
• Klein attended a smaller Beyonder gathering, traded for a lead on the Apothecary potion formula, and learned that Wild Dog’s friend had been imprisoned by the Mandated Punishers.
• Wild Dog asked the gathering to help rescue his friend, but Eye of Wisdom warned him against it and no one volunteered.

During the Intis revolution, Edward Vaughan’s hidden identity, the Monarch of Decay, helped turn the battle against the Holy Light Angel and watched Roselle’s effort to become the Black Emperor end in fiery destruction. Roselle recognized the Monarch of Decay before dying, while his corruption threatened to prevent him from resurrecting.

• As White Maple Palace erupted into battle, Edward Vaughan and Zaratul waited while the Monarch of Decay sensed Adam’s influence and concealed himself.
• The Holy Light Angel attacked Benjamin Abraham, and Edward intervened; Zaratul sent his spirit body threads toward Edward, but a Fortune Thief charm swapped their fates and let Edward kill the Holy Light Angel.
• The Monarch of Decay took control of Edward’s body long enough to reverse Adam’s plan, then watched Roselle’s corruption erupt as the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery overwhelmed him.
• The Monarch of Decay found the dying Roselle in the burning ruins and revealed that he had helped bring about his downfall, warning that Roselle would not resurrect successfully.
• The Monarch of Decay left Roselle and returned to being Edward Vaughan, while the Genie's demand that he honor their agreement went unanswered.

Edward left the ruined palace after Roselle’s death, leaving Traynor in Intis and entrusting him with his wedding ring for Adela’s coffin. Two months later, Edward traveled toward the Southern Continent and marked the Balam Empire’s imperial mausoleums on his itinerary.

• Edward spoke with the dying Florent, who cursed him and grieved over the Sauron Family’s fate before dying in the ruins.
• Traynor told Edward that Ciel Gustav had been captured by the Church of Steam and Machinery while Bernadette Gustav had escaped, and Edward told him to remain in Intis.
• After Edward vanished into the Spirit World, Traynor rescued Florent’s body and collected the Beyonder characteristic, then Edward returned and gave him his severed finger bearing his wedding ring for Adela’s coffin.
• Two months later, Edward traveled aboard a ship bound for the Southern Continent while newspapers reported Roselle’s death and the upheaval in Intis.
• Edward reviewed a travel notebook and marked the ruins of the Balam Empire’s imperial mausoleums as his next destination.