During a protracted civil war that pitted the North against the South, the outnumbered Northerners used dark magic to create monsterous super-soldiers called Incarnates. Now that the war has ended, those Sacred Beasts must learn to make their way in a peaceful society, or face death at the hands of a Beast Hunter. Nancy Schaal Bancroft, the daughter of an Incarnate, turns to hunting the hunter herself. But once she catches up with her quarry, she discovers hard truths about the lives of these Sacred Beasts.
Intent on stopping Cain Madhouse, Hank and Schaal continue their journey toward New Patria. Along the way, however, they have an unexpected meeting with Arachne. She claims to be acting alone, but her message raises more questions than it answers… Meanwhile, Cain has a reunion with the one man who knows the truth behind the Incarnate project. He holds the key to the Incarnate creation process, which has remained stubbornly beyond Cain’s grasp. What are Cain’s true ambitions? And are Hank’s goals really so different? Those whose fates were upended by the Incarnate project assemble in New Patria for a bloody showdown…