Chapter Summaries

Jiang Rui and his companions fought Stiyl and Kanzaki Kaori while trying to retrieve Index, and Stiyl was stabbed as Kanzaki arrived. Index awakened and began activating Automatic Writing, while Ghost Blade confronted Kanzaki after revealing her betrayal of the Puritan Church.

• Jiang Rui, Nine Tails, and Kitagawa faced Stiyl, and Kitagawa trapped the building and its surroundings in a web.
• Jiang Rui destroyed the Witch Hunt King by flooding the first floor, and Nine Tails stabbed Stiyl through the heart before Kanzaki Kaori arrived.
• Kanzaki Kaori's spatial slash broke through the defenses, forcing Jiang Rui and Nine Tails to escape through a wormhole after striking Stiyl.
• Kamijou Touma held Index as she awakened and began activating Automatic Writing's special mode and the Grace of the Lord of Light.
• Ghost Blade appeared before the enraged Kanzaki Kaori, and Kitagawa confirmed that Ghost Blade had betrayed the Puritan Church.

Jiang Rui and his allies unleashed their coordinated attacks on Kanzaki Kaori, but an Angel Spell revived and strengthened her before she could be killed. Automatic Writing then identified Kitagawa as a traitor and began a new attack, leaving the group facing another crisis and considering retreat.

• Jiang Rui, Nine Tails, Kitagawa, and Ghost Blade surrounded Kanzaki Kaori, while Kitagawa prepared to restrain her and the others readied their finishing attacks.
• Kanzaki Kaori charged Ghost Blade, but Kitagawa trapped her in Net of Heaven and Earth while Ghost Blade unleashed Hyakki Yagyō and Jiang Rui and Nine Tails launched their attacks.
• Yinyin Qingcao spoke with Fiery Sky as he watched the battle and realized four Sequence 5s were fighting Kanzaki Kaori.
• A vast Angel Spell appeared over the battlefield and restored Kanzaki Kaori, and Jiang Rui recognized that Kamijou Touma and Index had triggered it.
• Kanzaki Kaori used Flash of One to break apart the combined attacks, but Automatic Writing activated and targeted Kitagawa as a traitor with Sulfur Rain.
• Ghost Blade suggested retreating, while Nine Tails offered to help Jiang Rui obtain Index's grimoire.

Jiang Rui and Kamijou Touma fought to stop Index’s Automatic Writing and destroy the collar controlling it. As Kanzaki Kaori prepared to help, Jiang Rui revealed that he intended to kill both her and Stiyl.

• Jiang Rui realized Index’s Automatic Writing was acting without a remote controller, while Kanzaki Kaori decided she needed to escape with Index before the girl died.
• Jiang Rui told Nine Tails to help Kitagawa and Ghost Blade, then pursued Kanzaki Kaori and urged her to let Kamijou Touma save Index.
• Jiang Rui explained that Index’s collar controlled Automatic Writing and called on Kamijou Touma to destroy it with Imagine Breaker.
• Index used Saint George Domain and a magically controlled sword, but Kamijou Touma dispelled the barrier and caught the sword by its hilt.
• As Index began preparing Dragon Breath, Jiang Rui told Kanzaki Kaori that Kamijou Touma could destroy the collar, then declared that both she and Stiyl would die.

Jiang Rui and his allies helped Kamijou Touma defeat Index’s Dragon Breath and then used a memory extraction device to access her 103,000 grimoires. Inside Index’s Mind Palace, Great Sage began transferring the memories, while Jiang Rui learned the library could also become his own Mind Palace.

• Kanzaki Kaori’s defensive spell blocked the falling light feathers, but Kamijou Touma charged through Dragon Breath and pinned Index, shattering her wings.
• Nine Tails and Kitagawa escaped after the magic circle collapsed, while Kanzaki Kaori fled with the unconscious Stiyl and Kitagawa pursued them.
• Jiang Rui decided to extract Index’s memories and bought a specialized device, borrowing 14,000 Extraordinary Points from Nine Tails.
• Jiang Rui placed the device on Index’s forehead and entered a vast library containing her memories and grimoires.
• Great Sage explained that the device had revealed Index’s Mind Palace and began transferring the memories, telling Jiang Rui that the library could become his own Mind Palace.

Jiang Rui returned from transferring the original canon into his memories, then joined the pursuit of Kanzaki Kaori and learned Aleister wanted him to take on world-level missions. As Ghost Blade struggled to keep up with Kanzaki, a Sequence 7 girl offered to help.

• Great Sage explained that the original canon could not be copied for resale and that Index's unique ability let her contain other grimoires; Jiang Rui received 68,545 copies in his record.
• Jiang Rui returned to reality after five seconds, recovered from the mental aftereffects, and traveled with Nine Tails to District 18 to claim the kill.
• Aleister called Jiang Rui, said his missions would become world-level, and told him to retrieve the alchemist's corpse; Jiang Rui agreed.
• Jiang Rui found Nine Tails, Frenda, Kinuhata Saiai, and Fiery Sky watching the pursuit, then learned Ghost Blade was struggling against Kanzaki Kaori's speed and defense.
• A vacant-looking Sequence 7 girl said she had an idea to help Ghost Blade and Spider Queen and asked for a share of the spoils.

Jiang Rui trapped Kanzaki Kaori and her allies in his Dream Manifestation barrier, then coordinated a barrage of attacks that left the Saint severely injured. Kanzaki survived and began regenerating as Jiang Rui’s group prepared to strike again.

• Yinyin Qingcao offered to use Saint’s Collapse against Kanzaki Kaori, but Jiang Rui declined and Nine Tails gave her a storage device containing information about the world.
• Jiang Rui transformed the battlefield into a vast cityscape resembling Shanghai, revealing his Dream Manifestation barrier and restricting Kanzaki Kaori’s movements.
• Jiang Rui fired a Spiral Sword while Ghost Blade and Kitagawa attacked Kanzaki from different directions, and Nine Tails used wormholes to redirect their attacks.
• Kanzaki evaded the combined assault by using Flash of One to propel herself away, but the resulting collision nearly shattered Jiang Rui’s barrier and badly burned her.
• Kanzaki crawled from the wreckage and began regenerating as Nine Tails covered Jiang Rui’s eyes, while blades and meteors rushed toward the injured Saint.

Jiang Rui and his allies defeated Kanzaki Kaori after Nine Tails unleashed a catastrophic dark-star attack that destroyed much of District 18. Nine Tails’s mental connection with Jiang Rui left her feeling as though she had given him her first kiss, and the chapter ended with her asking whether he wanted first place for capturing Kanzaki.

• Kanzaki Kaori rejected Nine Tails’s falling meteor with her Response of the Non-Heavenly Man spell.
• Nine Tails used Dark Star Burst, and the dark matter in her miniature celestial body collapsed into a black hole that devastated District 18.
• Nine Tails’s healing aura and Jiang Rui’s will caused an intimate mental connection, which Great Sage interrupted before Jiang Rui could go too far.
• Kanzaki Kaori collapsed, and Ghost Blade handed Jiang Rui Stiyl’s S-rank kill treasure chest while teasing him about marrying into the Star Spirit Race.
• Nine Tails told Jiang Rui she could ask her family for World Source Material because of him, then captured the weakened Kanzaki and asked if he wanted first place.

Jiang Rui and his allies cornered Kanzaki Kaori, defeated the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church members who tried to intervene, and killed Kanzaki despite promising to protect Index. The mission ended with Jiang Rui ranked third, while he destroyed Index’s pendant and hoped he would never have to fight Railgun.

• Jiang Rui confirmed that Stiyl was dead and examined Kanzaki Kaori’s Seven Heavens Seven Swords as Nine Tails prepared to kill her.
• The Amakusa-Style Remix of Church emerged from the ruins, and Jiang Rui wounded Kanzaki Kaori to stop her recovery before Nine Tails captured the group.
• Jiang Rui told Kanzaki Kaori he would spare her subordinates and protect Index, then offered her the sword as a sign of respect.
• Nine Tails attacked Kanzaki Kaori with a railgun as Jiang Rui hurled the captured church members away, and the blast killed Kanzaki.
• Jiang Rui received mission credit, points, and the right to open a killing treasure chest, then crushed Index’s pendant into powder.

After Kanzaki Kaori’s defeat, Jiang Rui learned that Like a Dream was earning points alongside Brunhild and considered joining the effort. Aleister ordered the Eighteenth District witnesses eliminated, while Jiang Rui claimed Kanzaki’s sword as her grave marker and learned Ghost Blade had ties to the Knights Faction.

• Ghost Blade asked about the people Jiang Rui had thrown away, while Kitagawa explained that Like a Dream was fighting beside Brunhild and might betray her when her powers weakened.
• Nine Tails opened Kanzaki Kaori’s treasure chest, and Jiang Rui claimed the Saint Marks and a blade technique among the spoils.
• Aleister told Jiang Rui that Kanzaki was the first Saint to die in history and ordered his squad to eliminate every witness in the Eighteenth District.
• The Great Sage offered to refine Jiang Rui’s blade technique, so Jiang Rui declined Ghost Blade’s offer of the Seven Heavens Seven Swords and left it as Kanzaki’s grave marker.
• Ghost Blade revealed that he was Princess Carissa’s guardian knight in the Third Sacred Radiance Knight Order, and Kitagawa accused him of steering the Royalist and Knights factions into cooperation against the Puritan Church.

After Ghost Blade and Kitagawa left the ruins, Jiang Rui led his team through the aftermath of the battle and examined how Yinyin Qingcao had become involved with the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church. He explained to Frenda and Kinuhata Saiai that their conflict with magic arose from Aleister’s plan to replace the supernatural with science.

• Ghost Blade and Kitagawa confirmed their gains, added Jiang Rui as a friend, and left to answer Princess Carissa’s call.
• Frenda and Kinuhata Saiai arrived, and Jiang Rui assigned them an epic-level mission to help deal with the aftermath.
• Jiang Rui used Frenda’s connection to the Hyakki Yagyō private force while he and Nine Tails watched the operation from a rooftop.
• Jiang Rui told Fiery Sky that Yinyin Qingcao was likely connected to the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church and urged him to work with her against its remaining members.
• Jiang Rui explained that Aleister planned to eliminate magic by creating Artificial Heaven, then told Frenda and Kinuhata Saiai that divine authority and science were opposed.

After the battle, Jiang Rui considered his advancement, new equipment, and a possible mission involving Himegami Aisa, while Nine Tails planned to tease Accelerator. The next afternoon, Jiang Rui skipped summer tutoring, and Tsukuyomi Komoe visited his villa with Kamijou Touma, where the girls immediately suspected him of bringing home another girl.

• Jiang Rui reflected that Saint Marks: God-Splitting granted a powerful temporary boost but did not raise his base attributes, and he regretted not devouring Kanzaki Kaori's corpse.
• Jiang Rui discussed advancement with Nine Tails and realized he had neglected his Sequence 8, Light Prayer, while worrying about the cost and requirements of progressing through multiple Sequences.
• Jiang Rui told Nine Tails he planned to ask Aleister for a mission concerning Himegami Aisa and Aureolus Izzard, and Nine Tails said she intended to tease Accelerator.
• Jiang Rui skipped summer tutoring, so Tsukuyomi Komoe visited his home with Kamijou Touma to thank him for saving Kamijou Touma and Index.
• Jiang Rui and Kamijou Touma were startled when Frenda, Nine Tails, Kihara Tsumiki, and Kinuhata Saiai saw Tsukuyomi Komoe and accused Jiang Rui of bringing home another girl.

Saten Ruiko visited Jiang Rui and asked him to help her become stronger, prompting him to offer her a choice between technology and magic. She chose both, leaving Jiang Rui to decide how to grant her request.

• Tsukuyomi Komoe and Kamijou Touma visited Jiang Rui to thank him, while Nine Tails left to interfere with Accelerator’s experiment.
• Frenda revealed that she had invited Saten Ruiko, Misaka Mikoto, Shirai Kuroko, and Uiharu Kazari to Jiang Rui’s home.
• Misaka Mikoto and Kamijou Touma resumed their familiar argument, while Kinuhata Saiai reflected that life with her new companions made her happier than before.
• Jiang Rui took Saten Ruiko aside, and she explained that she wanted to become an esper and learn magic so she could protect herself and her friends.
• Jiang Rui presented Saten Ruiko with the power of technology and the brilliance of magic as choices, and she asked if she could have both.

Jiang Rui taught Saten Ruiko magic and bound her supernatural power to his Saint Marks, while Great Sage’s evolution became an Archmage rank instead of Raphael. In the living room, the others planned a barbecue party that would require Jiang Rui to cook.

• Jiang Rui used the Wisdom Document to teach Saten Ruiko magical formulas, open her mana circuits, and give her a whirlwind spell.
• Jiang Rui solidified a whirlwind mark on Saten Ruiko’s hand, making her his affiliate and allowing him to influence her magical power.
• Jiang Rui discovered that Great Sage had become Archmage Great Sage, while Great Sage said it had gained another Sequence but had not fully evolved.
• Saten Ruiko hugged Jiang Rui gratefully, then grew embarrassed when he asked whether she had hugged him enough and announced a second lesson.
• Frenda secretly messaged Nine Tails that Jiang Rui was in danger, while Kinuhata Saiai proposed a dinner party and a barbecue at the villa.
• Misaka Mikoto and the others considered the barbecue and hoped Jiang Rui would cook, while Jiang Rui sensed that someone was plotting against him.

Jiang Rui organized a rooftop barbecue and sent Water Clones to invite Nine Tails, Fiery Sky, and Izumikawa Aiho. Meanwhile, Nine Tails baited Accelerator into chasing her by kidnapping a Misaka Sister, leaving him furious and forced to rescue her.

• Jiang Rui ended his lesson with Saten Ruiko, then found Kinuhata Saiai and the others preparing a rooftop barbecue.
• Jiang Rui sent Water Clones to invite Nine Tails, Fiery Sky, and Izumikawa Aiho, and planned to take food to Heaven Canceler and Aleister.
• Jiang Rui asked Saten Ruiko to help deliver food to Heaven Canceler, while Misaka Mikoto discussed the practical uses of his ability.
• Fiery Sky was astonished that Jiang Rui had invited so many important characters to a party.
• Nine Tails kidnapped an unconscious Misaka Sister to provoke Accelerator, who chased her through an abandoned area and cursed at her.

Accelerator encountered Nine Tails and Jiang Rui during the Misaka Sisters experiment, but declined their invitation to a barbecue and lost the clone they had brought. At the gathering afterward, Nine Tails challenged Jiang Rui over his doubts about eventually having to kill the people he befriended.

• Nine Tails confronted Accelerator and offered to return a Misaka Sister clone, while Jiang Rui arrived in his Water Clone.
• Jiang Rui invited Accelerator to a barbecue with the Third, but Accelerator refused and Nine Tails used a black hole to take the clone from his hand.
• Jiang Rui and Nine Tails delivered the clone to Heaven Canceler before returning to the lively gathering at home.
• Nine Tails noticed Jiang Rui was troubled and asked whether he felt bad about friendships that might last only a few months.
• Nine Tails asked Jiang Rui whether he would refuse to kill someone he liked, comparing the universe to data.

Jiang Rui played Werewolf with his friends, then began training Saten Ruiko in magic and brought her to register her new abilities at the Library. He suggested the title “Storm Commander,” leaving Saten to consider what to call herself.

• Shirai Kuroko asked Jiang Rui whether he had helped Saten Ruiko develop her ability, and Jiang Rui teased her about Misaka Mikoto’s concerns.
• Misaka Mikoto recruited Jiang Rui to fill out the Werewolf game, and the group stayed together until midnight before going home.
• Saten Ruiko began her second day of magic training, while Jiang Rui explained why learning spells required repetitive study and extensive theory.
• Jiang Rui took Saten Ruiko to the Library to register her esper information and make her the sixth member of their team.
• Jiang Rui explained that Saten could shape the future definition of her ability and suggested “Storm Commander” as a fitting title for her wind magic.

Jiang Rui agreed to Aleister’s demand that he capture Aureolus Izzard alive, after learning the Puritan Church wanted Aureolus in exchange for not reclaiming Index. He arranged to bring Accelerator and Kamijou Touma along, while the chapter also followed Touma and Index as they went to a burger restaurant.

• Jiang Rui kept Saten Ruiko’s database rating at Level 3 so she would not attract attention, though her Storm Commander title passed review.
• Kamijou Touma followed a flyer’s discount offer and took a hungry Index to a burger restaurant, where they encountered Himegami Aisa and her guards.
• Kihara Tsumiki summoned Accelerator for Aleister, who told Jiang Rui that Aureolus Izzard’s capture was tied to the Puritan Church’s demand for a replacement for Stiyl.
• Aleister warned that the Puritan Church might reclaim Index and the grimoires if Jiang Rui failed, and Jiang Rui agreed to capture Aureolus unharmed.
• Jiang Rui asked Aleister to provide Kamijou Touma as well as Accelerator, since Aureolus had the Gregorian Choir.

Jiang Rui prepared to capture a dangerous target alive and recruited Accelerator to help, while limiting the mission team to himself and Nine Tails. The group arrived in the rain to meet Accelerator, and Jiang Rui left to explain the target and begin the operation.

• Jiang Rui forgot that he had ordered everyone to gather early and clarified that Kinuhata Saiai and Frenda did not need to join the dangerous operation.
• Jiang Rui explained that he planned to strike before the target acted, with Kihara Tsumiki providing emergency teleportation support.
• Jiang Rui showed the team Accelerator’s photo, and Frenda and Kinuhata Saiai backed out while Nine Tails agreed to help.
• Jiang Rui and Nine Tails met Accelerator in the rain, and Accelerator gave them canned coffee before asking about the mission.
• Jiang Rui told Accelerator that they needed to capture the target alive, then stepped through a wormhole with Nine Tails to pursue the operation.

Jiang Rui and Nine Tails recruited Accelerator and went to find Kamijou Touma, whose horrified reaction to Jiang Rui left him running toward their wormhole. Meanwhile, Aureolus Izzard arrived at Index’s apartment to save her, while a flashback revealed Jiang Rui and Aleister had arranged to lure him there.

• Nine Tails questioned Jiang Rui about letting the protagonists grow stronger, and Jiang Rui explained that the real danger was surviving the mission’s one-month period after attacking them.
• Jiang Rui and Nine Tails pulled Accelerator through the wormhole and brought him to a school to wait for Kamijou Touma.
• Kamijou Touma recognized Jiang Rui as the girl who had tortured a man in front of him, retched, and ran toward the wormhole.
• Aureolus Izzard visited Kamijou Touma’s apartment, found Index there, and claimed he had come to save her before forcing his hand into the closing door.
• In a flashback, Jiang Rui and Aleister agreed to leak Index’s whereabouts to Aureolus before the following afternoon.

Jiang Rui gathered Kamijou Touma and Accelerator to explain a mission involving Aureolus, while the group tested Imagine Breaker and argued about its threat to their abilities. The chapter ended with Jiang Rui handing out Aureolus's information and the others preparing to read it.

• Kamijou Touma arrived and discovered that Jiang Rui, Nine Tails, and Accelerator were together, then froze under Jiang Rui's released aura.
• Nine Tails asked Kamijou Touma to help, and Jiang Rui explained that his Imagine Breaker could erase supernatural powers.
• Accelerator tested Imagine Breaker by punching Kamijou Touma, whose right hand stopped the attack and bypassed Accelerator's reflection.
• Accelerator realized that Imagine Breaker could threaten vampires, while Jiang Rui argued that both she and Accelerator had weaknesses.
• Kamijou Touma agreed to help his friends, and Jiang Rui gave him and Accelerator information about their target, Aureolus.