Chapter Summaries

Bai Mo and Arcueid returned to Uruk, where Bai Mo saved Kingu from a strange monster and let the powerless fugitive escape. Kingu collapsed by the roadside and fell asleep, then woke to find a veiled woman asking if he needed help.

• Mery told Manaka that Bai Mo had gone to Uruk and asked her for a favor involving Gorgon, hinting that she might see Bai Mo again.
• Bai Mo and Arcueid found Uruk protected by a vast barrier and noticed that the demonic beasts had become fewer.
• A bizarre monster emerged inside the barrier and attacked Kingu, but Bai Mo severed its arm and destroyed it.
• Kingu fled from Bai Mo and collapsed in an alley, wondering what he had become before falling asleep.
• Kingu dreamed of a peaceful forest and a woman by a lake, then woke to a veiled woman asking whether he needed help.

Bai Mo entered Imaginary Number Space to investigate the source of the distortions threatening Uruk, carrying Crimson Moon’s demonic sword and a means to return. Gilgamesh warned that Tiamat was also in Imaginary Number Space and that her awakening would bring the decisive battle.

• Bai Mo and Arcueid went to Gilgamesh’s hall, where Gilgamesh explained that imaginary-number distortions were appearing across Uruk and Siduri had been sent to rest.
• Gilgamesh gave Bai Mo a needle that could take one person into Imaginary Number Space and let them return by snapping it, while Crimson Moon warned that the space was boundless and the mission could be a trap.
• Gilgamesh revealed that Tiamat was in Imaginary Number Space and would eventually awaken, and he told Bai Mo to scout rather than fight.
• Crimson Moon gave Bai Mo the demonic sword Real of the World, and Bai Mo entered Imaginary Number Space.
• Crimson Moon considered using Gorgon to trigger Tiamat’s awakening, but Gilgamesh warned that Uruk was not ready for the battle.
• Crimson Moon assured Gilgamesh she would not act against Bai Mo’s interests, then returned control to Arcueid, who complained that she had not gotten to say goodbye.

Bai Mo searched the Sea of Imaginary Numbers for signs of the enemy and discovered a slab containing Dark Leiao’s offer to trade techniques. He then found Sajyou Manaka, rescued her from dissolving, and learned she could help him find Tiamat.

• Bai Mo followed an unusual fluctuation and found a jade-like slab that displayed Dark Leiao offering to exchange secret arts for original cultivation techniques.
• Bai Mo marked the slab for later and continued searching the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.
• Bai Mo found Sajyou Manaka, who had sensed him despite his concealment and began dissolving when he tried to leave.
• Bai Mo used Magnetic Field Rotation-Cellular Regeneration to save Manaka and warned that he would erase her memories if she stopped valuing her life.
• Manaka told Bai Mo she had entered the Sea of Imaginary Numbers through Gorgon and offered to help him find Tiamat using her authority of [Womb of All Beasts].

Bai Mo and Manaka fought their way through the Sea of Imaginary Numbers and discovered a Lahmu city, which Bai Mo attacked with the rampaging imaginary-number whale. As he battled the Lahmu, the Thirteenth Taibao revealed himself with a surprise attack, but Bai Mo had already dodged behind him.

• Bai Mo protected Manaka from an enormous whale-like creature covered in Lahmu and cut through its black torrent with the Blade of Hell.
• Bai Mo used Mad Giant Shark and the God-Severing Way to destroy the whale and tear through the Lahmu surrounding them.
• Bai Mo followed Manaka's directions to a city-sized Lahmu settlement and drove the rampaging whale into its center, destroying a quarter of the city.
• The Lahmu absorbed the remains of their fallen and attacked Bai Mo in coordinated waves, while he fought them with Avici Hell Blade - Eighteen Levels of Hell.
• The Thirteenth Taibao disguised himself as a Lahmu and attacked Bai Mo with the Die-Heart-Destroying Electric Claw, but Bai Mo dodged and appeared behind him.

The Thirteenth Grand Protector fought Bai Mo in the City of Lahmu, then tried to recruit him against Enlil after Manaka escaped. When Bai Mo rejected him, the Thirteenth Grand Protector sprang a trap that swallowed them both in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.

• The Thirteenth Grand Protector ambushed Bai Mo with a powerful sword attack, but both fighters appeared unharmed on separate towers.
• Bai Mo sent Manaka away, then fought off the Thirteenth Grand Protector's Sea Tiger Exploding Fist with the Orca Tyrant Fist.
• The Thirteenth Grand Protector sealed them inside an energy barrier and proposed that they join forces against Enlil.
• Bai Mo rejected the proposal and accused the Thirteenth Grand Protector of bluffing because he could not defeat him.
• The Thirteenth Grand Protector attacked Bai Mo, and the ground opened beneath them; Bai Mo stabbed him with the Blade of Hell as both disappeared into a torrent of imaginary-number power.

Bai Mo fought the Thirteenth Grand Protector, Bai Lubao, inside the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, where its strange energy weakened Bai Mo and amplified his opponent. After Bai Lubao trapped him with a killing strike, Bai Mo revealed Real of the World and began cutting through the imaginary number energy.

• Bai Mo and Bai Lubao were swallowed by the black torrent, and Bai Mo realized the Thirteenth Grand Protector had regenerated his body with imaginary number power.
• Bai Mo tried Electric Claw against Bai Lubao, who explained that the Sea of Imaginary Numbers weakened Bai Mo's attacks and empowered his own.
• Bai Lubao pursued Bai Mo through the city, while Manaka watched from hiding before vanishing to search for Tiamat.
• Bai Mo interrupted Bai Lubao's Rapid Bullet Fist with Sky Explosive Fist, but Bai Lubao wounded Lahmu with his blood and prepared a Sea Tiger Exploding Fist.
• Bai Lubao used imaginary number power to slow Bai Mo before their Sea Tiger Exploding Fists collided, but Bai Mo revealed Real of the World and cut through the energy around his fist.

Bai Mo defeated the Thirteenth Grand Protector, discovered that Enlil was building a Lahmu civilization with the Me, and provoked Enlil into attacking him. He continued targeting the towers that held the Me as Enlil trapped him in a maze of lethal winds.

• Bai Mo and the Thirteenth Grand Protector traded devastating blows, and Bai Mo killed him before neutralizing the explosive force inside his own body with Ryougi Lataib.
• Bai Mo slaughtered the Lahmu surrounding him and discovered a Craftsman Me in one of the city's towers, realizing that Enlil was cultivating a new Lahmu civilization.
• Enlil confronted Bai Mo with a vast storm, but Bai Mo escaped the fissure Enlil opened beneath him and flew toward another tower.
• Enlil attacked Bai Mo with a wind blade that combined magnetic field power with his own strength, and Bai Mo assessed him as near the Atomic Fission Realm.
• Bai Mo destroyed a second tower and took its Poetry Me as Enlil summoned Space-Time Wind and trapped him among walls that redirected the pursuing blades.

Bai Mo seized the Me of War despite Enlil’s attempt to stop him, then discovered Sajyou Manaka fused into Tiamat’s flesh. When he tried to send Manaka out of Imaginary Number Space with Gilgamesh’s pointer, he learned they were trapped in Tiamat’s prison.

• Bai Mo shattered Enlil’s wind attacks, broke through several towers, and taunted Enlil for not appearing in person.
• Enlil unleashed the seven-hundred-thousand-horsepower Evil Wind as the Me of War fell into an abyss, but Bai Mo dived down and claimed it.
• Bai Mo found Tiamat sleeping and discovered Sajyou Manaka submerged in crimson flesh on her back.
• Manaka joyfully greeted Bai Mo and made unsettling declarations of love, while Bai Mo told her to be quiet and asked whether she could return.
• Bai Mo gave Manaka Gilgamesh’s pointer and snapped it in her hand, but it failed to transport her; Manaka explained that Tiamat’s prison had no way out.

Enlil recalled the gods’ decision to create laborers by sacrificing two gods, then spoke with the Thirteenth Grand Protector after sealing Bai Wunan in Mother’s prison. The Thirteenth Grand Protector pretended renewed loyalty while secretly revealing that he had deceived Enlil and was preparing revenge with the other souls in the stele.

• In a memory of ancient Sumer, Enlil ordered Enki to create a being to replace the younger gods’ labor, and Enki explained that a god’s blood was needed.
• When the gods avoided choosing a sacrifice, Enlil declared that two gods should be killed.
• Enlil told the Thirteenth Grand Protector that Bai Wunan was sealed in Mother’s prison and ordered him to recover his soul using the remaining power of the gods in the stele.
• The Thirteenth Grand Protector swore loyalty to Enlil, who said one Demon God was enough to deal with Uruk.
• After Enlil’s watchful presence disappeared, the Thirteenth Grand Protector dropped his act and told the souls in the stele that his deception had succeeded and vengeance was near.

Bai Mo and Manaka became trapped inside Tiamat’s prison, and Manaka convinced him to enter her [Womb of All Beasts] to reach Tiamat’s dreams. As their consciousnesses descended, Tiamat stirred and a second “Sajyou Manaka” opened her eyes before Bai Mo.

• Bai Mo confirmed that Tiamat was still asleep and considered summoning Ereshkigal to escape.
• Manaka explained that Mery had sent her to check on Tiamat and that she had fallen into the prison during Bai Mo’s fight.
• Manaka offered to connect Bai Mo to Tiamat’s dreams through her [Womb of All Beasts], and Bai Mo entered despite his reluctance.
• Bai Mo’s spent life force began recovering inside Tiamat, but he stopped Manaka from drawing more of her life force to him.
• Bai Mo and Manaka sank into Tiamat’s consciousness, and Tiamat’s breathing stopped as “Sajyou Manaka” opened her eyes before him.

While Mery and Jaguar Man waited for Bai Mo and Manaka to return from Tiamat’s mental world, they worried about the danger of a fight with the Primordial Mother Goddess. Inside that world, Bai Mo saw the severe damage to his soul, then a woman mistook his injuries for harm she had caused and dragged him and Manaka toward her home.

• Jaguar Man tied ropes around Marduk’s hand axe and complained to Mery about the group’s prospects against Enlil and Tiamat.
• Mery and Jaguar Man speculated about Bai Mo’s encounter with Tiamat, with Mery imagining they might become allies and Jaguar Man fearing a catastrophic battle.
• Bai Mo and Manaka arrived in a city within Tiamat’s mental world, where Manaka saw that much of Bai Mo’s soul appeared damaged or missing.
• Manaka urged Bai Mo to leave Uruk and let her help repair his soul, but Bai Mo gently refused and pulled his hand away.
• A horned woman carrying groceries collided with them, apologized to Bai Mo, and dragged him and Manaka down the avenue toward her home.

Bai Mo and Manaka found Tiamat living in a dreamlike home inside her prison, where she treated Bai Mo as injured and prepared a meal for imagined guests. Manaka secretly planned to keep Bai Mo from leaving, while Bai Mo and Tiamat finished cooking for fourteen; Tiamat then addressed the empty table as if Enlil and Ishtar were there.

• Tiamat brought ointment to treat Bai Mo’s nonexistent left arm, but Manaka took over and said she understood his condition.
• Bai Mo and Manaka concluded they needed to leave Tiamat’s dream and rely on her to find the prison’s exit, since Ereshkigal likely could not help.
• Manaka secretly resolved to use the Beast’s authority to interfere with Bai Mo’s Command Spell and keep him in the prison.
• Bai Mo helped Tiamat prepare food, while Manaka imagined making him breakfast and suggested a picnic.
• Tiamat set out fourteen portions and warned the empty table not to bully Manaka or prank their guest, naming Enlil and Ishtar.

Bai Mo and Manaka visited Tiamat in a dream where she lived with imagined children, and Bai Mo realized she was choosing not to wake. When Bai Mo asked to leave, Tiamat fell silent before agreeing to guide them out.

• Bai Mo recognized that Tiamat was willingly immersed in Mery's dream and that Kingu could only end it by killing Gorgon.
• Tiamat asked about Bai Mo's family, and he said he had left his parents at fourteen and been raised by someone kind.
• Manaka took Bai Mo's hand, but he pulled away and knocked her on the head, interrupting the moment.
• Tiamat asked whether Bai Mo and Manaka were companions or lovers, and Bai Mo called them companions while Manaka moved her chair closer to him.
• Bai Mo asked Tiamat how they could leave, and she grew quiet before agreeing to take them out.

Bai Mo and Manaka escaped Tiamat’s dream after Tiamat chose to remain behind, then used a Command Spell to summon Ereshkigal in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers. The summoned figure appeared asleep and carried an ancient aura unlike the Ereshkigal Bai Mo knew.

• Bai Mo realized Tiamat’s resistance was keeping them from reaching the city gate and invited her to leave with them, but she refused and asked them to go without her.
• Tiamat bid Bai Mo and Manaka farewell, and Bai Mo led Manaka over the wall and out of the dream through a rift opened with the Real of the World.
• Bai Mo used the marker Dark Leiao had left to travel through the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, while Manaka secretly tried to disrupt his summoning with a beast’s call.
• Bai Mo invoked his Command Spell to summon Ereshkigal, and the stone tablet helped the summoning succeed despite Manaka’s interference.
• A sleeping figure resembling Ereshkigal appeared amid a surge of blue-violet power, and Bai Mo shielded Manaka from it.

Bai Mo learned that Ereshkigal was dissolving as a mysterious being merged with her, threatening to shatter her Spirit Origin. He charged into the spatial torrent to save her, while Manaka realized he had never intended to abandon her and became consumed by possessive desire.

• Ereshkigal released a catastrophic torrent of power that warped space, and Bai Wunan warned Bai Mo to retreat if he could not withstand it.
• War God Ke Bao used his Heavenly Eye to see that Ereshkigal was dissolving as power poured out of her body and her form cracked.
• Manaka explained that Ereshkigal might be merging with a being drawn to her summoning in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, a process that could destroy her Spirit Origin.
• Bai Mo used the Real of the World and his sword to cut through the turbulent spacetime, then advanced toward Ereshkigal despite Manaka's warning.
• Bai Mo vowed to bring Ereshkigal and Manaka back safely, and Manaka realized he had never considered abandoning or using her.
• Manaka's affection for Bai Mo turned into a fierce desire to keep him all to herself.

Bai Mo endured the spatial turbulence surrounding the unconscious “Ereshkigal” to study spatial power, while using the Asura Eternal Life Art to keep himself and Manaka alive. When “Ereshkigal” awakened and unleashed a wave of spatial power, Bai Mo discovered he could pass through it unharmed.

• Bai Mo decided he had to save Ereshkigal because losing her would let Enlil take control of the Underworld.
• The Great Blade Martial God used the Real of the World to cut a path through the spatial turbulence, but could not get close enough to “Ereshkigal.”
• Bai Mo refused to absorb the Real of the World and let the turbulence slice him apart so he could study spatial power, regenerating with the Asura Eternal Life Art.
• Manaka stayed close behind Bai Mo as the turbulence injured them both, privately taking comfort in their shared pain.
• After an unknown amount of time, “Ereshkigal” recovered and unleashed a vast surge of spatial power.
• Bai Mo raised his hand and passed through the spatial barrier unharmed.

Bai Mo met Ninkigal, a goddess who had taken over Ereshkigal’s body, in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers. Ninkigal offered to help him escape in exchange for dealing with Dark Leiao, leaving Bai Mo to consider the bargain.

• Ninkigal revealed that she was not Ereshkigal and said Ereshkigal would return after she left the body.
• Ninkigal insisted Bai Mo take responsibility for bringing her out of her temple, while Manaka tried to persuade her to drop the demand.
• Bai Mo agreed to hear Ninkigal’s request after realizing he had run into trouble.
• Ninkigal offered to help Bai Mo escape the Sea of Imaginary Numbers and grant him other assistance if he helped her deal with Dark Leiao.
• Ninkigal told Bai Mo he could take as long as he liked to consider her offer.

Bai Mo returned to Uruk with Ereshkigal, established a contract with Ninkigal, and reassured Ereshkigal that she had helped him. As Gilgamesh asked what had happened, Ishtar appeared, leaving him puzzled by how she and Ereshkigal could be present separately, while Ninkigal planned to meet a soul from beyond this world.

• Gilgamesh enjoyed a rare spell of peace in Uruk before Bai Mo and Ninkigal emerged from a portal with Ereshkigal.
• Ninkigal confirmed her contract with Bai Mo, offered him a goddess's blessing, and departed after he declined.
• Ereshkigal emerged from the Starry Night, stumbled in the air, and felt ashamed that she had failed to help Bai Mo.
• Bai Mo reassured Ereshkigal that her support had helped him, then escaped Arcueid's playful pin and praised her progress.
• Gilgamesh asked Bai Mo to explain what had happened and questioned how Ereshkigal could be there while Ishtar approached outside.
• Ninkigal awoke far away and decided to make a memorable impression when she eventually collected a soul from beyond this world.

Bai Mo told the others about Ninkigal and distributed the recovered Me, while Gilgamesh realized Enlil had used one to mark Uruk. The Me led them to Ishtar’s tower, where they caught her trying to hide a black gemstone connected to the signal.

• Ereshkigal discovered that she could leave the Underworld in her own body, and Bai Mo explained that Ninkigal had removed her restrictions while occupying it.
• Bai Mo recounted Ninkigal’s origins and his plans to face Dark Leiao, then brought the group to a council chamber in Uruk.
• Bai Mo showed the group the recovered Me, and Gilgamesh concluded that Enlil had used the Me of exploration to plant coordinates in Uruk.
• One Me pointed toward Ishtar’s tower, so Ishtar rushed inside, claiming she would punish Kingu while secretly searching for evidence.
• Ishtar found a black gemstone carrying magical energy, and Bai Mo, Ereshkigal, and Gilgamesh caught her with it.

Gilgamesh and the others discovered that Ishtar had hidden a dangerous gem in the tower after sneaking away from her post to recover lost treasures. Gilgamesh punished her with a debt and new restrictions, while Ishtar begged Bai Mo for help and was refused.

• Bai Mo noticed a gem in the tower that he had not seen before, and Arcueid and Ereshkigal suspected Ishtar had recovered and hidden it.
• Ishtar admitted that she had secretly left Uruk to search for her lost gems and concealed the suspicious stone despite recognizing something was wrong.
• Gilgamesh condemned Ishtar for abandoning her duty and ordered her to wear a tablet calling herself an idiot goddess.
• Gilgamesh threatened to hold Ishtar responsible at a compensation ratio of one to five hundred and planned to add Magecraft restrictions to her contract.
• Ishtar clung to Bai Mo and begged him to save her from the debt, but he refused and told her to take responsibility.