Chapter Summaries

Kallen received authorization to study the Summoning Spell Art for [Black Prison Castle], then watched Mavario demonstrate the castle’s devastating weapons. As the teams began studying the spell, Kallen started forming its foundation beneath his feet, astonishing Muli’s team.

• Kallen was chosen to receive authorization, and Mavario marked his and Muli’s hands with runes before Husen gave each team a scroll containing the Summoning Spell Art for [Black Prison Castle].
• Muli suggested that Mavario was an inheritor of Marchetini’s memories and spirituality, and Mavario summoned [Black Prison Castle] to demonstrate its Piercing Crossbow and Magic Crystal Cannon.
• Kallen deduced that the Church’s war equipment would be a costly, one-use benefit restricted to the Gate of Reincarnation, and the teams began dividing the scroll’s contents for study.
• Kallen spread his hands and began thinking through the spell art, while an enormous black Star Glow and the castle’s foundation appeared beneath his feet.

Kallen redesigned his squad’s Black Prison Castle as an Eastern-style fortress, assigning spaces and weapons to suit each member’s abilities. After both squads summoned their castles, Mavario inspected Kallen’s design and asked what lay behind a room’s door, which Kallen revealed was the washroom.

• Kallen stopped forming a standard castle and planned customized stations so each squad member could use their abilities with his support.
• Kallen’s squad selected a Formation Curtain, Tracking Repeating Crossbows, a Cage of Imprisonment, a Priest Star Chain, and a Judgment-grade Magic Crystal Cannon.
• Muli’s squad summoned a rough, crooked version of the standard Black Prison Castle, and Mavario told them to stay overnight to refine it.
• Kallen’s squad summoned a carefully modified castle with an Eastern-style design, a formation room, two crossbow platforms, and a cannon emplacement.
• Mavario inspected the castle and instructed Kallen to activate its Divine Artifact; before Kallen could do so, Mavario asked what the room behind a door was, and Kallen answered that it was the washroom.

Kallen established a connection with the War Scythe, learned to control the Black Prison Castle and its weapons, then returned to the hotel to rest before the Trial briefing. His nightmare ended with the scythe falling into an abyss and an unseen figure angrily saying, “Order...”

• Mavario guided Kallen through a mental connection that let the War Scythe acknowledge him and answer when he called through the Black Prison Castle.
• Kallen connected the castle to his squad’s weapons and tested them against Aisili’s summoned bird, trapping it with Mars’s formation and firing the Magic Crystal Cannon into the sea.
• Kallen’s squad returned to the hotel, where Ventura gathered the other rooms’ cigarette and alcohol allotments while Kallen told everyone to rest before practicing the next day.
• Kallen dreamed of the War Scythe, watched it fall into an abyss and heard an unseen figure angrily say, “Order...”

Kallen dreamed of the War Scythe and heard a prisoner in the abyss ask Order how much longer he had to wait, then awoke badly injured but recovered after sleeping. Later, he told his squad their borrowed war equipment would have to be left behind after the Gate of Reincarnation and arranged for their hotel meals to be downgraded so they could receive the difference in Point Vouchers.

• Kallen resisted an impulse to enter the abyss, endured visions of a vast battlefield, and heard a prisoner ask, “Order, how much longer must I wait?”
• Kallen woke bleeding and in severe pain, washed himself, and told Ventura to keep the incident secret.
• Kallen slept until the afternoon, learned that the day’s lessons had been postponed, and arranged for a hotel logistics director to buy the squad’s cigarettes and alcohol.
• Kallen told his squad that their war equipment would remain inside the Gate of Reincarnation, and promised they could earn Point Vouchers to buy equipment later.
• Kallen sold the goods to the hotel representative and asked him to provide simpler meals in exchange for the difference in Point Vouchers.

Kallen and the other candidates attended their final class before traveling to Reincarnation Valley, where McKinney warned them about the Church’s factions and insulted Kallen for having no family. Barrett later revealed that two figures from the previous era had sent a message from the Gate of Reincarnation, and Kallen privately confirmed the Church’s suspicion about an evil god.

• Kallen slept through another nightmare of being split in two by the War Scythe and woke at four in the morning to join his team for breakfast and coordination discussions.
• At the final class, McKinney described Reincarnation Valley and warned Kallen and Ventura that church factions would target them because they had no families.
• Kallen’s team and Muli’s group stood in protest until McKinney retracted his remarks and apologized to Kallen and Ventura.
• Barrett introduced Gaitenbert and Funites, whose names had appeared in a soul message from the Gate of Reincarnation, and said the Church suspected an evil god had helped send souls there.
• Kallen agreed with Muli to explain what he knew about the Gate of Reincarnation over dinner and privately confirmed that the evil god had indeed helped.

Kallen and the two squads prepared for their upcoming entry into the Gate of Reincarnation, agreeing to prioritize finding compatible souls while treating the other assignments cautiously. After a day at Amber Bay, Kallen noticed that Muli and Ventura appeared blurry in a moving photograph taken before Passio’s birthday banquet.

• Barrett assigned the trainees three tasks for the Gate of Reincarnation: find compatible souls, gather intelligence about its factions, and seek contact with Gaitenbert and Funites; Kallen later called Kevin, who warned him that the third task might be a trap.
• Kallen and Muli agreed that their two squads would focus on finding souls, gather intelligence when possible, and travel together under Kallen’s command.
• Kallen described his knowledge of the Gate and the Simosen Family to both squads, and the trainees discussed how to cooperate and prepare for possible danger from the Reincarnation Church.
• The next morning, both squads visited Amber Bay for Passio’s birthday; Kallen relaxed on the beach while his teammates played and socialized.
• Muli arranged a group photograph, and Kallen noticed that Muli and Ventura appeared blurry in the moving image.

At Passio’s birthday banquet, Kallen sparred with Muli and the two became friends, while Muli’s grandfather secretly selected him and Ventura as candidates to serve as vessels for the Order God Church. The chapter ended with Ventura keeping watch beside Kallen as Kallen wondered whether Ventura was lucky.

• Kallen relaxed at Passio’s banquet, where Muli invited him to visit his family’s manor and later asked him to spar in a secluded coconut grove.
• Kallen used his Spell Arts to keep Muli at a distance until Muli conceded, and the two returned to the banquet to eat and talk about their families.
• Kallen correctly guessed that Muli’s grandfather had treated him harshly, and Muli declared that Kallen had become his friend.
• The photographer, who served as a divination-system director, told Muli’s grandfather that Ventura and Muli were the best candidates to replace two vessels; the grandfather refused to consider replacements.
• At the hotel, Ventura made a bed beside Kallen’s door, and Kallen asked whether he thought he was lucky.

Kallen studied formations at the Training Base before traveling with his squad to Reincarnation Valley, where he learned that Ventura and Muli had been ordered to serve as vessels for returning souls. Kallen persuaded Geluowen to let him take Ventura’s place, and the group prepared for the token-binding ceremony.

• Kallen declined Muli’s invitation to a family dinner, then received formation notebooks and advice from Instructor Pilo.
• Kallen and the others departed for Reincarnation Valley, delayed by a teleportation problem before continuing by ship from a small island.
• On the ship, Geluowen explained that fog near Reincarnation Valley recorded spiritual imprints and described the strange activity around the valley.
• Geluowen showed Kallen and Ventura an order requiring Ventura to host Funites’s returning soul, and Kallen objected to the danger.
• Kallen offered to replace Ventura and threatened to keep his squad from entering the Gate of Reincarnation if the order was not changed.
• Geluowen agreed to make Kallen the host, and Muli told Kallen that he too had agreed to sacrifice himself because of his grandfather’s influence.

Kallen took Ventura’s place in the Token Binding Ritual, reassuring his squad that he could withstand the danger while confronting what the Church’s faith demanded of its members. After the ritual, Muli gave Kallen a valuable Purple Pill to improve their chances of keeping their identities, and Kallen realized it was meant to buy his life.

• Ventura told Aisili, Blanche, Bart, and the others that Kallen had chosen to take his place, and Kallen refused to discuss changing the decision.
• While eating with his squad, Kallen reconsidered the Order God Church’s practice of sacrificing people without needing to justify it, then had his new thoughts appear in Alfred’s black notebook.
• Kallen reassured his worried squad that his strong soul gave him a better chance of resisting Funites and promised to lead them after they left the Gate of Reincarnation.
• Geluowen led the Token Binding Ritual, during which clerics embedded a snake scale in Kallen and a lion’s hair in Muli to prepare them as vessels for Funites and Gaitenbert.
• Muli confessed his fear of losing his name and soul, then gave Kallen one of his two Purple Pills, which could improve their odds of surviving with their identities intact.

Kallen and Muli arrived in Reincarnation Valley ahead of their trial in the Gate of Reincarnation, where Kallen rejected Peide’s offer of information and spent the evening exploring town with Muli. Back at the hotel, Kallen tested Muli’s purple pill and discovered that it suppressed the soul, leaving Muli more vulnerable to Lord Gaitenbert taking over his body.

• Kallen and Muli arrived in Reincarnation Valley and met Tengge and the Reincarnation Church’s welcoming delegation before reporters interviewed Kallen.
• Geluowen held a brief meeting, distributed Reincarnation Vouchers, and encouraged the squads to explore before entering the Gate of Reincarnation.
• Kallen refused to meet Peide at the hotel and later rejected Peide’s offer to share information about the Gate of Reincarnation.
• Kallen and Muli walked through town, declined to enter a brothel, and ate dinner before returning to the hotel.
• Kallen tested Muli’s purple pill with the Power of the Dark Moon and realized that it suppressed the soul and made it easier for Lord Gaitenbert to occupy Muli’s body.

Kallen led his squad toward the Gate of Reincarnation, warning them that the trial might separate the teams and promising Muli he could protect him from Gaitenbert. The Lost Giants carried the five squads up the steps as the Gate of Reincarnation opened.

• Kallen reflected on how his Order path limited his use of the Eyes of the Dark Moon and warned himself not to trust powerful elders too readily.
• Aisili, Blanche, and the others returned from shopping, and Kallen's group rested before departing the next morning.
• On the carriage ride, Muli gave Kallen the purple pill, and Kallen advised him to watch movies instead of making ominous remarks about surviving.
• Kallen warned Muli that the squads might enter separate locations and instructed both teams to establish communication before deciding whether to regroup.
• Kallen promised Muli he could keep him alive if Gaitenbert and Funites still existed, then urged everyone to trust in Order.
• Five Lost Giants carried the squads up the Gate of Reincarnation's steps as the gate began to open.

Kallen entered the Gate of Reincarnation with his squad and found a strange world where souls lived in villages. After the Lost Giant merged into the meadow, Kallen encountered villagers who worshipped him as an auspicious being and asked whether he came from inside the gate.

• Kallen and the other squads entered the Gate of Reincarnation on the backs of Lost Giants and endured a long fall before landing in a gray meadow.
• Kallen ordered his squad to set up communications and keep together, then left to scout while the Lost Giant merged into the meadow.
• Kallen spotted a village and used a Sea God Church spell to inspect its approaching inhabitants, who had strange, fluid-like bodies and crude weapons.
• Kallen tested the villagers with a fire spell that landed nearby, and the crowd prostrated themselves in worship.
• A little girl and an old man approached Kallen, whom the old man called an auspicious being, and the girl asked if he had come from inside the gate.

Kallen’s squad reached a village inside the Gate of Reincarnation, where its residents welcomed them as Auspicious Ones and offered food and help. After discovering that bamboo shoots were safe for the living to eat, Kallen realized the villagers’ smiles resembled people watching pandas.

• Kallen learned that the village hoped to escort the trial participants to a great city in return for a reward, and he told the villagers to return home.
• Kallen contacted Muli and arranged for the Muli Squad to travel to his village so the two squads could join forces.
• The villagers brought food and water, but Kallen found that their usual provisions could harm the living and ordered the drinking water filtered.
• Kallen identified Nailu Tajima’s food as harmful soul-affecting plants and questioned her about the village’s customs and reproduction.
• Kallen tasted the bamboo shoots the villagers brought and found them safe, so his squad eagerly ate them.
• Kallen recognized that Nailu and her grandfather were smiling at the squad as though they were watching pandas.

Kallen’s squad repelled a Bounty Hunter Squad that attacked near the village, and the village chief explained why the hunters targeted auspicious lords. As Kallen’s team prepared to wait for Muli Squad, a three-headed python and a black lion reacted to their arrival and revealed connections to Funites and the God of Reincarnation.

• Kallen detected a scout approaching underground and captured her, then ordered the squad to secure the meadow while he and Ventura advanced.
• Kallen and Ventura defeated the hunters’ hidden attackers, with Ventura’s violent side emerging during the fight; Kallen promised to counsel him.
• The village chief identified the attackers as bounty hunters who kidnapped auspicious lords, and said their remote location was unlikely to attract another squad soon.
• Kallen returned to camp, learned Blanche could not save the captured scout, and sent Bart to conduct covert reconnaissance.
• A three-headed python discussed leaving after luring the newcomers and declared that it and its companions were Funites.
• A woman whipped the black lion Gaitenbert Simorson until he changed his claim from praising the God of Order to praising the God of Reincarnation.

Kallen discovered that the Gray Moon was gradually being obscured, suggesting the Gate of Reincarnation might remain open for nearly two months, and reunited his squad with Muli's. He laid out a route through three major cities to find suitable souls for the team, while he and Muli waited for Gaitenbert and Funites to appear.

• Ventura asked Kallen about the holy flames, and Kallen revealed that he could wield the Power of Light through a Symbiosis Contract with a Light Demon Beast.
• Using the Eyes of the Dark Moon, Kallen noticed a black line obscuring the Gray Moon and concluded that the Gate of Reincarnation might stay open for nearly two months.
• The Muli Squad arrived at Tajima Village, and the two squads shared a meal of bamboo shoots before gathering to plan their journey.
• Kallen dismissed the Muli Squad's objections to his command and set Black Forest City as their first destination, followed by the Dark Cavern and Blazing Valley to seek souls suited to different squad members.
• Kallen explained that he and Muli would wait for Gaitenbert and Funites rather than contract with other souls, saying they would at least reclaim the lives that belonged to them.

Kallen and Muli discovered that Reincarnation believers were persecuting Order believers in the Inner Gate World, and Kallen led his squad to intervene. He summoned [Black Prison Castle] to shelter the women and children, then revealed the power of Order as the battle began.

• Kallen declined the village chief’s offer to escort the group, brought Nailu along to collect intermediary fees, and led everyone toward Black Forest City.
• At a riverside hollow, Kallen and Muli watched Reincarnation believers surround an Order-believing old man and the women and children he was protecting.
• The old man used a soul-burning secret art and cast Order Cage, revealing that the pursuers were Reincarnation believers hunting followers of Order.
• Kallen ordered Muli to command a surprise attack while he went to protect the trapped civilians, and he summoned [Black Prison Castle] around them.
• Kallen called forth chains wreathed in Order Flames and told the Reincarnation leader, “Order, as you wish.”

Kallen and Muli’s squad rescued Order believers from Reincarnation pursuers, then Kallen explained the truth about the Gate of Reincarnation to Mrs. Ganfusen and the boys. After discovering the boys’ exceptional gifts, he urged Bart, Ventura, Yilaman, and Demel to consider Soul Contracts with them, but Ventura rushed over to ask which boy wanted to play with him.

• The leader of the Reincarnation pursuers ordered an attack, but Kallen fought them with Chains of Order and the Sword of Arius while Muli’s squads struck from outside and drove them into retreat.
• Kallen dismissed Black Prison Castle and organized the survivors’ evacuation, but the old man, Ganfusen, praised Order and dissipated before Kallen could speak with him.
• Kallen told Mrs. Ganfusen and the four boys that they lived inside the Gate of Reincarnation and that the Order God Church was powerful outside it, giving the boys renewed hope.
• Kallen examined the boys with the Eyes of the Dark Moon, recognized their exceptional souls, and proposed that Bart, Ventura, Yilaman, and Demel enter Soul Contracts with them.
• Ventura ignored Kallen’s explanation and hurried to the boys, shyly asking which of them wanted to play with him.

Ventura, Bart, Yilaman, and Demel formed Soul Contracts with four children of Order, and Kallen arranged for Mrs. Ganfusen’s people to move to Tajima Village under the Order God Church’s protection. Mrs. Ganfusen gave Kallen a rubbing of an old mural, which Muli recognized as depicting a passage from “Light of Order.”

• Ventura warned Lan about his illness, but Lan chose to form a Soul Contract with him and insisted they would return to the world inside the gate together.
• Bart agreed to choose a contract partner, and Yilaman and Demel eventually made their choices as well.
• Kallen performed the Soul Contract ceremony, during which Ventura and the others cleansed the boys’ souls before merging with them and growing stronger.
• Kallen told Mrs. Ganfusen to move her people to Tajima Village, where the Order God Church could protect them and future Trial participants might become their contract partners.
• Mrs. Ganfusen gave Kallen a rubbing of a mural her husband had kept, and Muli identified it as a scene from “Light of Order” showing the God of Order and his four attendants.

Kallen’s group traveled to the Dark Cavern, where he arranged Soul Contracts between three of his companions and the cavern’s leaders. When the ladybug leader insisted on contracting with Kallen instead, Miss Paul appeared behind him, opened her eyes, and declared that he was hers.

• Kallen sent Nailu and Mrs. Ganfusen’s group back to Tajima Village with crystal coins, then continued toward the Dark Cavern with his companions.
• After running out of Bamboo Shoots, Kallen’s group hunted field rats for food and reached the Dark Cavern’s outskirts.
• Kallen entered the cavern’s outskirts and negotiated with its centipede, spider, and ladybug leaders, who agreed to meet his terms and offered Reincarnation Cleric badges as a greeting gift.
• Dijiate formed a Soul Contract with the centipede, and Passio began one with the spider while Kallen went to bring the ladybug to the Formation.
• The ladybug demanded to form a Soul Contract with Kallen, but he refused and summoned his existing partner, Miss Paul.
• Miss Paul opened her eyes and declared that Kallen was hers.

Kallen spoke with Puer and Kevin, learned that the Blazing Valley held Raniedal’s dangerous sealed palace, and was warned that someone might be pushing open the Gate of Reincarnation. Meanwhile, Kevin discovered that the Wall God Church had transferred the sealed Wall God into the gate, while her followers anticipated her return.

• Puer used a positioning Spell Art to locate Kallen and learned that his planned destination, Blazing Valley, contained Raniedal’s sealed palace and spiritual imprint, so Kallen agreed to change his plans.
• Puer relayed Kevin’s warning that someone inside the Gate of Reincarnation might be trying to open it, and told Kallen to finish his contract and wait near the teleportation point.
• After Puer fell asleep, Kevin searched newspapers with Alfred and noticed that the Wall God Church had become unusually active.
• Kevin revealed that he had secretly transferred the sealed Wall God Rilielsa from the God of Order to the God of Reincarnation, making her a likely candidate to awaken first.
• In Reincarnation Valley, Mr. Bede showed Piaget a painting of the Wall God pushing open the gate and declared that she would be the first god to return.