Chapter Summaries

Amon and Edward uncovered the Beria Family’s assassination plot against Duke Pallas Negan, while Leonard killed the real Jason Beria. Edward then used Amon’s help to conceal his identity and locate the Beria Family, but Leonard confronted him before he could leave.

• Ikanser showed Klein Arrodes’s image of Jason Beria fleeing by riverboat, and Klein recognized Edward Vaughan nearby and warned that the Desire Apostle and Jason Beria might be different people.
• Amon discovered that the Beria Family planned to assassinate Pallas Negan, and he and Edward traveled to the villa where the assassination was taking place.
• The real Jason Beria escaped after Negan’s death but was attacked by Leonard Mitchell in silver armor, who declared that Jason was not completely dead.
• Edward found the remains of Jason Beria and used Amon’s angel-level concealment to hide his identity and follow the mystical connection to the Beria Family.
• Edward prepared to pursue the Beria Family, but Leonard approached and struck at him with a bloodstained greatsword.

Leonard and the Red Gloves confronted the man who killed Jason Beria, but Leonard collapsed after the stranger unleashed his emotions and recognized him as Amon. Meanwhile, Edward and Amon’s scheme disrupted Gliela Beria’s sacrifice and set Edward against her, leaving Gliela in fear as a powerful ally answered Edward’s call.

• The unfamiliar powerhouse persuaded Soest and the Red Gloves not to attack, then struck Leonard down when he charged after him; Leonard recognized the figure as the Old Man before losing consciousness.
• Gliela Beria prepared a sacrifice at the Beria Family base, but a disguised demigod attacked her and a brown-haired man used Death to wound her.
• Amon revealed that he and an Outer Deity had been manipulating events as the Beria family members placed monocles over their eyes and altered the altar.
• Edward fought Gliela as their clash devastated the surrounding land, while Gliela invoked the Mother Tree of Desire and the red moon’s power.
• Edward told his ally he had found Medici alive, and the ally’s power turned the Beria altar’s lives into a sea of blood that countered the spreading plants.
• Edward approached Gliela as the opposing forces became deadlocked, and she felt fear and despair.

Edward devoured Beria’s characteristics and completed his advancement to Sequence One, the Filthy Monarch, after severing the Demon Monarch’s arm. He claimed a throne in the Abyss-linked Spirit World as the Blood Sanctify Sect arrived, while distant figures sensed the upheaval.

• Edward consumed Beria’s body and soul, turning his flesh into a black sword and using the sacrificial rite’s souls to strike down the Demon Monarch’s arm.
• Saint Tenebrous began the brutal sacrificial rite beneath Backlund, and the offerings’ souls reached Edward through the blood-inscribed Honorific Name.
• Traynor and Richard Ernst sensed the disturbance from afar, while Richard continued working with the Pilgrimage Church in Bayam alongside Galan De, Sharf Maxwell, and Alger.
• Edward placed the Crown of Thorns on his head, became the Filthy Monarch, and connected the Spirit World regions of five destroyed cities into a lifeless region he considered naming Hell.
• Edward made a throne from Farbauti’s severed arm and rested as Crow suggested he consider a new Honorific Name; members of the Blood Sanctify Sect later found the ruined Beria Family base.

After the assassination of his brother, Prime Minister Aguesid Negan and Earl Hall chose the Aurora Order as a public target while planning to blame the Feysac Empire later. The Aurora Order’s Backlund base came under a coordinated assault by the orthodox churches, forcing Saint Tenebrous and the survivors to flee as their underground church was destroyed.

• The Monarch of Decay told Adam that the preparations for a divine kingdom had made it possible to bring down a complete one.
• Aguesid Negan and Earl Hall discussed the assassination of Aguesid’s brother and agreed to blame the Aurora Order, with plans to accuse the Feysac Empire later.
• Saint Tenebrous received a divine warning that the Aurora Order’s Backlund base was under attack and ordered its members to abandon the site.
• The Churches of Steam and Machinery, Evernight, and Storms attacked the base, breaking through its defenses and overwhelming Lewis Wien’s Lock of Sealing.
• Saint Tenebrous led the survivors toward a refuge at 5 King Street, while Mr. A stayed furious that the attackers were destroying the Lord’s church and murals.

Klein learned that Patrick Jason Beria was dead, was released from Machinery Hivemind supervision, and digested his Magician potion. Meanwhile, Edward freed Medici from his ancient seal with the True Creator’s approval, leaving Medici overcome with devotion at the sight of his god.

• Machinery Hivemind members told Klein that Patrick Jason Beria was confirmed dead and that Klein no longer needed monitoring; Isengard Stanton later praised Klein’s deductions in a letter.
• Klein sensed his Magician potion finishing its digestion after reading Isengard’s letter.
• Amon traveled with Edward, who reflected on his failed human puppet and admitted he had killed Edward Vaughan after the puppet developed emotions.
• Edward returned to 8 Williams Street and used his Abyss powers to dissolve the seal holding Medici, while Amon stayed aboveground.
• Edward invoked the True Creator, who confirmed their agreement, and Medici recognized the god’s presence and bowed devoutly.

Edward and Medici left the underground hall and went to the Aurora Order’s base, only to find it had been destroyed and the Order had taken refuge at Edward’s villa. Edward realized the churches might learn from the murals that the True Creator’s condition had improved, while a mysterious child entered his study.

• Ace Snake and Saint Anthony found no trace of the angel and suspected the escaped Aurora Order members were still in Backlund.
• After the True Creator confirmed their release, Edward withdrew his spirituality, and Medici made a spiteful candle from a Tudor descendant’s remains before leaving with Edward and Amon.
• Edward took Medici and Amon to the Aurora Order’s ruined base, where they found only church forces and no cultists.
• Edward teleported with Medici and Amon to his villa and discovered more than a hundred Aurora Order members inside.
• Saint Tenebrous told Edward that the Three Gods’ churches had attacked their base and the True Creator had directed them to seek refuge with him.
• Edward considered what the church members might infer from the murals, then saw a child emerge from the shadows and enter his study.

Klein dreamed that the sealed evil spirit was gone from the ruins beneath the Pound estate, while Pallez soothed Leonard’s fever and nightmares after his near-fatal encounter with the Abyss Angel. Edward arranged a discreet manor for the recovering True Creator, who planned to leave Backlund and meet the Red Angel.

• Klein dreamed that the door concealing the evil spirit beneath the Pound estate stood open and empty, then went back to sleep.
• Leonard called for water in his hospital ward while Soest reported outside, and Pallez used stolen water to ease his thirst.
• Pallez stole away Leonard’s distressing memories and guided him into a peaceful dream, where he relaxed and fell asleep.
• Edward warned the True Creator that his rise as a Filthy Monarch would attract the Seven Gods and complicate his advancement.
• The True Creator rejected Edward’s expensive manor and agreed to rent Fie Manor for a year instead.
• The True Creator decided to leave Backlund at dawn and delay meeting the Red Angel until she had prepared.

Klein received the Machinery Hivemind’s bounty and set out to meet Emlyn White about his advancement ingredients, while the Aurora Order relocated to Fie Manor. Amon’s encounter with Medici ended in an unexpected moment of understanding before Edward sensed the gaze of the Fool, prompting Amon to turn into a crow.

• Klein found 1,000 pounds from the Machinery Hivemind in his mailbox and decided to visit Emlyn White about his Sequence 6 ingredients.
• Klein greeted Stalin Sammer, who told him that her family planned to spend the new year traveling to Feynapotter.
• Amon met Medici at the Aurora Order hideout, and Medici laughed when Amon said he had already come back; Medici then invited Amon to become his adjutant, but Amon refused.
• Saint Tenebrous moved the Aurora Order’s members to Fie Manor in batches, using a Door Pathway Sealed Artifact and Mr. X to transport them.
• Edward explained that an Angel from the Beria Family had an ability resembling a second life, then sensed a gaze and identified the Fool above the gray fog.
• Amon felt the gaze and transformed into an inconspicuous crow.

Klein learned that Alia would help Freya study and encouraged Daisy to pursue university, then discovered that Bernadette was investigating the mysterious “Black Emperor” ghost. A dream divination showed Edward Vaughan taking the evil spirit and addressing Klein with the honorific names of the Fool and the Celestial Worthy, leaving Klein torn between fleeing and finding out more.

• Klein met Daisy and Freya, who had moved to a safer home, and heard that Daisy planned to teach Freya what she learned at school.
• Alia offered to teach Freya reading and arithmetic so she could qualify for a Foundation clerk job, and encouraged Daisy to aim for university.
• Klein learned from Sharron that a High-Sequence Beyonder wanted the identity of the “Black Emperor” ghost investigated, and recognized the woman as Bernadette Gustav.
• Klein used dream divination to see a black carriage arrive at the Miller Carter residence and Edward Vaughan take away the evil spirit behind the blood-seeping door.
• Edward Vaughan looked toward Klein through the dream and whispered the honorific names of the Fool and the Celestial Worthy, leaving Klein urgently wanting to know how Edward knew them.

Klein’s divination of Edward Vaughan allowed the Monarch of Decay and Amon to enter Sefirah Castle, where they explored its secrets and identified Klein as the Fool. Edward later visited Klein, paid him with money and a Nightmare characteristic, then killed him after recognizing him from the Tingen incident; Emlyn waited for Sherlock, who did not arrive.

• Klein divined Edward Vaughan, and the Monarch of Decay and Amon used the resulting connection to enter Sefirah Castle.
• The Monarch of Decay explored the Tarot table, established a connection to Sefirah Castle, and learned from Amon about the hall of light cocoons.
• Amon and the Monarch of Decay left Sefirah Castle, with the Monarch of Decay saying they would visit the Fool.
• Edward visited Klein, paid him five hundred pounds and a Nightmare characteristic, and asked about the Fool.
• Edward recognized Klein from the True Creator’s descent in Tingen and killed him with the power of a Desire Apostle.
• Emlyn waited for Sherlock to arrive with the Beyonder ingredients, but Sherlock still had not come.

The chapter presents two bad-ending choices in Sefirah Castle, both of which let the Monarch of Decay reach and kill Klein. It explains that Klein escaped Decay’s lock through his death and notes that the events above the gray fog unfolded in less than a minute.

• Klein hesitated over the name “Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings” and let his guard down as the Monarch of Decay’s tentacles climbed through the gray fog.
• Klein threw three Sun Paper Angels, but Decay seized him and his Sun Holy Emblem, then killed him and consumed his memories and soul.
• In the second bad ending, Klein invited Mr. Edward, the Monarch of Decay, into Sefirah Castle, where Decay killed and consumed him.
• Decay used Klein’s soul to find the six steps in Sefirah Castle and prevented the people in the Cocoon Branch from awakening.
• The chapter explained that Klein’s death let him escape Decay’s lock and that the events above Sefirah Castle had taken less than a minute.

Edward and Amon discussed humanity’s stalled civilization and Amon asked the Monarch of Decay for a blessing before returning to Sefirah Castle. At Fie Manor, Medici met the Ancient Sun God again and was welcomed as his War Angel.

• Amon’s attempts to cook with a makeshift microwave ended in an explosion and several ruined dishes, prompting Edward to explain how Old Earth scientists had harnessed electricity.
• Edward argued that gods and their influence had prevented humanity from developing naturally, and Amon suggested that his father’s descent had changed civilization’s course.
• Amon asked the Monarch of Decay to bless him so others would not detect anything abnormal when he returned to Sefirah Castle, and the god demanded a glimpse of a possible future as payment.
• Medici hesitated before entering the Glass Greenhouse, then transformed into his angelic form and approached the Ancient Sun God with Amon following behind.
• Medici knelt before the Ancient Sun God, who thanked him for his efforts and called him his War Angel.

Edward discussed Amon’s upbringing with the True Creator, who reflected on his guilt and his duty toward humanity. The True Creator then questioned Edward about the meaning of his Sequence 2 honorific name and whether he served one of the visitors from beyond the world.

• Medici, Sauron, and Einhorn argued in the chapel about the True Creator, the Six Gods, and whether their families could still be protected.
• Edward told the True Creator that he had guided Amon by making him interested in human creations, while the True Creator defended his earlier approach to educating Amon.
• The True Creator recalled his lost homeland, the catastrophe that had killed most of its people, and his responsibility for the madness of his followers.
• Edward described his tentative honorific name as “King of Hell, Abyss Ruler, Creator of Endless Evil” and said he still needed to seize the Uniqueness.
• The True Creator asked Edward who the phrase “Essence of Withering” referred to and whose believer he was among the visitors from beyond the world.

Edward Vaughan calmed the True Creator after he began suspecting Edward’s honorific name pointed toward an Outer Deity, then discussed the suspicion and his past with the Monarch of Decay. Amon explored the Monarch’s Mirror World and refused to reveal what he knew about surviving ancient cities, while Edward remembered Adela and the chapter ended with a request for wedding vows.

• The True Creator questioned Edward Vaughan about his honorific name and possible contact with beings beyond the Starry Sky, then succumbed to sleep after Edward’s spider plant covered his head.
• Edward and the Monarch of Decay concluded that the True Creator had noticed the honorific name’s problem because he had grown suspicious of Edward and his own condition.
• Edward revisited the manor and recalled how he had designed it for Adela, who had married him against her family’s wishes.
• Amon entered the Monarch of Decay’s Mirror World, saw its desolate cities and the vacant site of the Temple of Despair, and refused to disclose whether ancient cities survived in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• The Monarch of Decay sent Amon back to Edward, who spoke of remembering Adela and how bold and passionate she had been.
• Someone asked Edward to repeat their marriage vows, and Edward agreed despite saying he could not enter a church or make that covenant.

Edward and Amon discussed Richard Ernst’s bleak future and Adela’s suicide, while the story returned to Maria’s East Borough workers and Ademisaul’s sudden premonition of catastrophe. Ademisaul warned that everyone was dead, leaving Maria to protect him and urge Alia to stay away as she faced the danger threatening the district.

• Amon asked Edward whether he regretted not collecting Adela’s soul, and Edward said Richard Ernst was the only person he had high hopes for despite expecting him to die.
• Edward remembered that he had led the Personal Guards who searched for Adela’s maternal grandparents’ family shortly before her death.
• Adela told the Devil she had killed herself because she loved him and could not bear to love her enemy, then died before he could get his question answered.
• Alia visited Maria’s East Borough factory, where she discussed her hopes of becoming a Beyonder, Daisy’s job prospects, and Ademisaul’s plan to take the surname Viliana.
• Ademisaul suffered a terrifying vision after looking toward the Bell of Order and gasped that they were all dead before collapsing with blood pouring from his eyes.
• Maria told Alia to stay away from the East Borough and insisted Ademisaul remain, then watched the people in the district while realizing they had no idea a catastrophe was coming.

Leonard adjusted to the Church uniform and reflected on how Pallez had protected him from a dangerous Devil by erasing clues that could reveal his identity. He resolved to keep Pallez with him and stay silent, then left the dormitory for the Church, where he struggled to answer a baker who greeted him.

• Pallez reminded Leonard that the Devil could recognize him by his voice and that his uniform and silence would help keep him alive.
• Leonard recalled his hospital stay, when Pallez had erased dangerous memories, while Soest explained that Leonard's reckless conduct had canceled out his mission merits and that he would receive a 200-pound injury allowance.
• Leonard thanked Pallez for saving him twice and asked him to keep parasitizing him so nobody else would be mistaken for Leonard and put in danger.
• Leonard left for the Church and stopped at his usual bakery, but after nearly answering the owner's greeting, he stayed silent and left with his bread.

Edward witnessed Talim die from a Demoness Curse after Talim confessed his unrequited love. Two days after Edward killed him, Klein resurrected in his home, realized how outmatched he was, and resolved to keep going for Dunn and Tingen before falling asleep.

• Edward rejected the overly sweet eggnog and spoke with Talim, who praised Edward's devotion to his late wife and confessed his love for a woman who had not chosen him.
• Talim left the restaurant and collapsed dead as the Demoness Curse around him vanished; Edward prepared to feign grief for the authorities.
• Jurgen noticed that Sherlock Moriarty had been absent from 15 Minsk Street for more than two days but decided it was too soon to report him missing.
• Klein's heart began beating again under the red moon, and he awoke after two days dead with Dunn's soul sealed inside a glass bottle.
• Klein realized Edward Vaughan was the Devil who had killed him and despaired over the vast difference in their strength, but Dunn's concern reminded him to keep trying for his captain and Tingen.
• Klein divined that the night was safe, washed, and went to bed exhausted.

Klein fled Minsk Street after fearing Edward Vaughan might discover that he had survived, ending his tenancy and seeking a new place to hide while waiting for Emlyn to secure his advancement ingredients. At the Harvest Church, he learned that Talim had died suddenly, leaving Klein stunned by the loss of another acquaintance.

• Klein packed his belongings, disguised himself, and left his home on Minsk Street to avoid being found by Edward Vaughan.
• Klein ended his tenancy with Stalin Sammer, who returned 13 pounds and 12 soli of his prepaid rent.
• Klein went to the Harvest Church, where Emlyn said he would meet the seller of Klein's ingredients during lunch and try to obtain them that day.
• Klein stayed at the church and searched newspaper listings for a new home, choosing to consider a furnished suite in Hillston District.
• Klein found Talim's obituary in the newspaper and realized Talim had died of a sudden heart condition on December 18.

Klein acquired the Beyonder materials he needed from Emlyn and used Angel’s Embrace above the gray fog, while Amon explored human emotions after solving a Rubik’s Cube without Beyonder abilities. The chapter ended with Edward reading a research report about crossbreeding broiler chickens and apple trees.

• Klein ate lunch at the Harvest Church and performed a ritual to bestow Angel’s Embrace on himself, noticing that the Black Emperor Card had been moved.
• Emlyn White returned with a mutated pituitary gland from a Thousand-Faced Hunter and a bottle containing its blood, and Klein confirmed the materials and paid him 1,650 pounds.
• Klein collected the materials and escaped the church by igniting a match and vanishing in crimson flames.
• Amon realized he was happy to have solved a Rubik’s Cube through ordinary human thinking and told Edward Vaughan about it.
• Amon asked Edward for Chinese pastries as a reward, and Edward agreed.
• Edward read a letter recommending a research report titled “Records of Experiments Crossbreeding Broiler Chickens and Apple Trees.”

Edward and the Monarch of Decay planned to establish Hell and use the coming war to advance Edward’s apotheosis, while Klein moved into a new apartment and prepared to pursue Beyonder ingredients. A mysterious figure then judged Frank Lee’s mailed experiments and ordered him to rewrite them, leaving Frank terrified when he found the rejection stamp on the original records.

• Edward and the Monarch of Decay agreed to build Hell, involve the Devil Families after the man-made disaster, and seek clues to the Sefirah once they controlled part of the True Creator’s consciousness.
• A royal butler visited Mrs. Stalin to invite Detective Sherlock Moriarty, learned that he had left for Midseashire, and asked her to keep the visit secret.
• Klein rented a new apartment, wrote to Ikanser Bernard about keeping a low profile, and anonymously reported Edward Vaughan to the Evernight Church.
• A shadow questioned Frank about his experimental methods, condemned his lack of safety testing, and told him to redo his work before sending him out of the dream.
• Frank found his mailed experimental records back in his laboratory with a stamp reading “Unsatisfactory. Rejected; rewrite.”