When the temple explodes and a red god-marker appears on Carl’s map, Carl immediately tries to retreat and orders Donut to drink both potions despite her cooldown concerns. Before Carl can act further, the marker races away from town at impossible speed. In the aftermath, Carl sees dead hunters everywhere, a few of his spent spiders still wandering, and Li Na and Zhang disabling the remaining mushroom guards. Even though the immediate threat seems gone, Carl still feels that the situation is dangerous and unresolved.

Chris and Florin rejoin the group, and Carl demands an explanation. Donut admits she ignored Carl’s order to drink the potions, which sparks a brief argument about trust and command. Elle then gives the clearest account of what happened at the church: a green magical explosion killed several tree-like beings, formed a massive hedge with a flower at the top, and pulled blood and body parts into the blossom. A Crest hunter appeared inside the flower, swelled grotesquely as the gore was forced into him, burst apart, and gave rise to a small antlered squirrel form of Diwata, sponsored by Circe Took, which then flew away with only a five-minute timer. As the teams gather, Mordecai has Elle collect petals from the strange flower before it vanishes.

The group is disturbed that Diwata did not attack Carl even though he still bears the mark over his head. Samantha arrives carrying a severed hand with a ring she wants saved for later, and Carl presses her for information about Diwata. Between distractions and threats, Samantha explains that Diwata is associated with Apito, shifts between male and female forms, mates with creatures in whatever shape is useful, and can produce ordinary living offspring rather than only divine or demonic hybrids. According to Samantha, that reproductive power is unusual and resented by other gods because it belongs to a much higher authority.

That explanation lets Carl and Katia understand Diwata’s real priority. Carl concludes that Diwata fled because the god had only a short window to reach her daughter, not because Carl was safe. Donut and Carl connect that daughter to Vrah and realize Diwata, acting through Circe’s sponsorship, likely went to cure the gonorrhea Carl gave her. The result is a new strategic problem: Vrah is probably active again, and she may now be even more dangerous and angry. The tense discussion ends on a grotesque note when Big Tina wanders into town and begins eating the still-unconscious mushroom guards.