Wait, so my biggest take from this chapter is that the mini Burks are real?!?! Maybe

Very enjoyable chapter drop. And now we know slightly more about Burk than before.

cats, amiright?

I love Burk.

Time for nightmare crystal mine with Tobi.

Bravo!

Shit just got real.

The mini-Burks being real is very disturbing. Is this how he's been winning all battles?

Maybe the mini Burk's are some kind of esper ability of his? Or spirits like Ciel, just choosing to mimic Burk when they talk to him?

Aw, I wanted to trust Nightshade.

Oh boy, will we finally see Burk break a sweat or will he just Burk his way into Burktory? Tune in next time, on Burk!

I'm pretty sure the mini-Burks aren't real: they're just part of Burk's (somewhat overactive and delusional) imagination.

Thanks for the chapter drop. This has benn real fun to read :D Can't wait to see what's behind the Mini-Burk-Devils

*sigh* Me too, anon, me too...

Wait, doesn't everyone have a mini-Burk, Ciel, or whatever the name of your's is?!

@James brokanon
It is not the first time we have seen invisible friends talking to a protagonist, given Ciel. That said, if this was the story of "protagonists with insufficiently imaginary friends", then what of Noel's caution about Ciel? I kinda assumed that Noel's old friend with spirit problems was the source of the Nightmares, but they haven't been a protagonist? Unless Tobi's story is set in the past, and she has since had invasive spirit shenanigan problems...

@Keinname But they seemed to know things that Burk didn't. They warned him about the Skystroke hero's attack.

Seems like Nightshade is also under control of that contract, since they were trying to spill as much information as possible after Burk signed it.

Seems like Nightshade is also under control of that contract, since it seemed like they were trying to spill as much information as possible after Burk signed it.

@Keinname: Up until this chapter, I would have agreed, but the "advice" red-devil Burk gave Burk about being behind Nightshade to avoid Skystroke's attacks was deliberately showcased as uncannily helpful. I'd bet money that it's a deliberate red flag about Burk having more to him than just an overactive imagination.

So, I'm pretty sure the mini-burks ARE real, in some sense of the word. Exactly what flavor of reality they are remains to be seen, but it's been pointed out they're kind of similar to Noah's Ciel. Which could potentially explain a lot...

I mean, didn't Ciel seem really eager to help Noah out in all kinds of ways? Suggesting she was highly capable of delivering on her offers?

What if Burk, when confronted for the first time with these mini-Burks, wished to be an unstoppable hero? And now he is, to some degree. I could imagine that kind of scenario playing out, at least, and it would explain a lot.

The only question would be what limitations and downsides might eventually rear their heads... It's possible, based on what we've seen, that Burk's spirits are using him for entertainment. What happens when Burk stops being "fun"?

All speculation - There's still very little evidence to go on, but I stand by my original point that the uncanny advice cracks this wide open as something we should be paying attention to.

Re: the spirits discourse, it’s also worth remembering that one of the first things fleshed out in the comic was Moe the Shifter going mad after discovering his pandemonium spirit. If that doesn’t set a tone for the story, I dunno what does.
Still waiting on the return of his gloriousmess the Aristocrat tho, and I wouldn’t chalk Burk up to spirits, though him possibly being an Esper seems likely. We still have his past in the Oceanic Cartel to learn, too. Burk is mystery wrapped in enigma wrapped in muscles of great Burkitude.

Time for the Eddstadt cat fight to begin in earnest >:D

I'm not sure what to make of the line that "these idiots have no idea who they're dealing with."

On the one hand, we already know that.

On the other, this line was delivered by a shoulder spirit capable of delivering, as Woodledude put it, uncanny advice. And it was said about an esper's contract, which is outside Burk's usual area of expertise.