ONE BIG FAT LIE AND A FEW TWISTED TRUTHSEven in his past life, Cid’s dream wasn’t to become a protagonist or a final boss. He’d rather lie low as a minor character until it’s prime time to reveal he’s a mastermind…or at least, do the next best thing—pretend to be one! And now that he’s been reborn into another world, he’s ready to set the perfect conditions to live out his dreams to the fullest. Armed with his overactive imagination, Cid jokingly recruits members to his organization and ma...

THE DOOR OF DARKNESS IS CAST OPEN—THE WORLD ADVANCES TO A NEW FIELDThe specter of war hangs thick in the air of the Oriana Kingdom, where Princess Rose is expected to wed Duke Perv. This supposed marriage cannot and will not stand, though, as it would throw a major wrench in a certain shadowbroker’s plans. Not one to miss an opportunity for sleuthing, Cid makes his way to the royal capital to put a stop to the ceremony, but are there even bigger schemes at work behind this unholy matrimony...

NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH Cid pays a visit to the Sacred Land, where he finds himself getting roped into the Goddess’s Trial. It’s a ritual event that summons warriors from the past to engage with only the most worthy from the present. When Cid squares off against the witch who brought devastation to the world, the door to the Sanctuary creaks open, granting the Shadow Garden valuable insight into the possessed and the Cult of Diablos. That is until Cid, blissfully ignorant o...

THE RED MOON HANGS LOW IN THE NIGHT--AN OMEN OF WHAT’S TO COME Deep within the Lawless City lies the Blood Queen, a Progenitor Vampire, slumbering in her coffin for many moons. An expert at landing himself in trouble, Cid should know better than to go after her…but he’s dying to get a piece of the action. It’s time he shed his daytime persona to take on the role of Shadow! It seems, however, that he’s not the only one with this idea. Soon enough, he finds the three rulers of the Lawless Ci...

BEFORE MUCH LONGER… THE WHITE FOG WILL ENGULF THE WORLD IN SILENCEAll is well at the Midgar Academy for Dark Knights, but then something wicked suddenly draws near: The students are vanishing one by one—even Cid’s older sister, Claire! Zeta of the Seven Shadows sets off to investigate, while Cid and Alexia embark for Claire’s room where they find…an ancient script, cool magic circles, and incantations that seem important and yet don’t actually do anything whatsoever. What does it all mean,...

A mysterious cabal called the Thirteen Nightblades has been running things in the Midgar Kingdom from the shadows, and its members have concealed all manner of crimes through their connections to the Cult of Diablos. How impressi—no, how terrible. These dastardly nobles commit so many evil deeds, and yet justice always evades them. That’s when a serial killer known only as “Jack the Ripper” appears, plunging the corrupt capital into chaos! In order to eradicate evil, an even greater evil i...

Cid Kagenou has a dream. Not of being some typical protagonist or the Final Boss-he has his eyes set on becoming a hidden mastermind working in the shadows! Now that he’s been reborn in another world, Cid has been hard at work building the perfect stage to act out his long-desired role. The only issue? His imaginary adversaries and plot devices seem to actually exist in this new realm…and he alone is left in the dark!

Cid is invited to Lindwurm, the Sacred Land, where a ritual known as the Goddess’s Trial is held. Ancient warriors are summoned according to the strength of the challenger, providing an opportunity for honor and glory—all the normie stuff Cid specifically wants to avoid! If his truestrength is revealed, all his work to play the part of anobody will be for naught...

In the depths of the Sanctuary, where ancient memories of mighty warriors slumber, Shadow Garden lays bare the long-hidden truth behind the demon Diablos and the hero Olivier—all very critical plot information that Cid pays zero attention to because it’s time for the semiannual Bushin Festival! Playing the part of a weak-looking guy who’s actually super-strong is Cid’s raison d’être, and where better to strut his stuff than a tournament arc?

The Midgar Academy for Dark Knights is occupied by terrorists posing as the Shadow Garden! Faced with a stressful, high-intensity hostage situation…Cid is having the time of his life! Whether it’s being the first student struck down as an example or swooping in dramatically from the rooftops in the nick of time, there’s no better opportunity for him to show off his prowess as a shadowy mastermind!

When the foul-tempered Princess Alexia is captured by the Cult of Diablos, the Shadow Garden takes the stage, assaulting the cult’s hidden base. Crossing swords with the kidnapper, Cid gets the chance to make his true debut as an eminence in shadow (and show off his totally awesome secret technique). As the attack lights up the night sky over the capital, all will know of the hidden powers that lurk in the darkness!

All eyes are on the Bushin Festival as the totally enigmatic Mundane Mann advances toward the finals, winning all his matches in an instant. Just who could this mysterious knight (who is certainly not mild-mannered Cid Kagenou in disguise) possibly be? However, beneath the festivities, a dark drama unfolds as Princess Rose goes on the run following her assault on her fiancé! Was the sordid affair simply a prenuptial argument gone too far, or is something more wicked afoot?