Recaps

El-Elf captured Tessa and laid out how he could cripple Mithril’s West Pacific Base, while Xiao Ran revealed that Amalgam might have spies inside Mithril. Al declined to let El-Elf inspect the organization immediately, and El-Elf continued toward the Danaan, eliminating everyone in his way.

• El-Elf infiltrated Tessa’s room, declared Tessa, Jerome, and Al his prisoners, and explained how his planted bombs and hidden teammates could defeat the base.
• Tessa challenged El-Elf’s plan, but he described using the armory as a decoy and sealing the Danaan inside its harbor.
• Xiao Ran arrived and told Tessa, Jerome, and Al that Amalgam had likely planted spies in Mithril’s teams and headquarters.
• Xiao Ran offered to loan El-Elf to Mithril to help detect suspicious activity, but Al said Mithril needed to discuss the offer.
• El-Elf headed toward the Danaan’s harbor and swiftly eliminated every Mithril target he encountered.

El-Elf overwhelmed Mithril’s defenses in a base exercise, exposing serious security flaws and prompting Mithril to accept his help screening its personnel. Chidori returned to Japan under protection while Xiao Ran began an exhausting training program for Sousuke Sagara.

• El-Elf triggered real explosions outside the base and used traps and grenades to eliminate Mithril’s defenders before reaching Danner's Son and ending the exercise.
• Mithril recognized its defensive and personnel-screening problems, and after two days invited El-Elf to help investigate and screen its members, beginning with the Western Pacific Corps.
• Chidori returned to Japan with Cruz, Sousuke Sagara, and Melissa Mao protecting her, while Xiao Ran took Luo, Jerome, Al, and Doctor Peroz away with his Hell Monarch.
• Xiao Ran put Sousuke Sagara through intensive training in piloting, λ-DRIVER use, reflexes, and perception, leaving him almost no time to rest.

Xiao Ran trained Sousuke Sagara to sharpen his senses and control the λ-DRIVER while covering Chidori's protection detail. As Main Mission One neared its end, Tessa arrived at Xiao Ran's base in a battered state with an unconscious, handcuffed young man, and Xiao Ran recognized the incident as one involving a λ-DRIVER-equipped AS.

• Xiao Ran trained Sousuke Sagara to rely on his senses, and Sousuke learned to move blindfolded and focus his mind.
• Xiao Ran, Chidori, and Cruz helped Sousuke improve his use of the λ-DRIVER through practice and combat training.
• Xiao Ran took over protecting Chidori while Sousuke, Cruz, and Melissa Mao went on missions, then returned the duty to Sousuke.
• Xiao Ran was contacting Luo about the new unit and Hell Monarch modification when he heard someone outside and drew his gun.
• Tessa arrived at Xiao Ran's base, bruised and filthy, with an unconscious young man in handcuffs; Xiao Ran brought them inside and recognized the likely incident.

Tessa told Xiao Ran that A21 had attacked a research institute and that Major Kalinin was missing, then asked him to protect Takuma until Mithril could help. After Xiao Ran found and crushed a transmitter implanted in Takuma, he fled with Tessa, but Danner's Son was still hours away and he had no AS available.

• Tessa explained that A21 had attacked the facility holding Takuma and that Major Kalinin's fate was unknown.
• Xiao Ran contacted El-Elf and asked him to alert Danner's Son and arrange support for Tessa and Takuma.
• Xiao Ran found a transmitter implanted in Takuma's arm and crushed it, waking Takuma briefly before he fainted again.
• Xiao Ran packed weapons and ammunition, then left with Tessa and Takuma because A21 might target them and endanger nearby people.
• El-Elf reported that Danner's Son would take at least three hours and twenty minutes to reach them, while Xiao Ran had no AS available.

Xiao Ran brought Tessa to an abandoned factory while preparing for a possible confrontation with A21 and arranging for Mithril to send the modified Hell Monarch. With Sousuke Sagara and Chidori Kaname reunited with them, he planned to secure Tessa and Chidori before trying to rescue Major Kalinin and dismantle the organization.

• A C-rank Side Mission tasked Xiao Ran with dismantling A21, protecting Tessa, rescuing Major Kalinin, and returning safely to Danner's Son.
• Xiao Ran told Luo that trouble might be coming, and Luo reported that the Hell Monarch was ready but the new machine would take at least a month to complete.
• Xiao Ran drove Tessa and the unconscious Takuma to an abandoned factory, where he tied Takuma to a pillar and gave Tessa a pistol for protection.
• Xiao Ran told Tessa that Mithril support would arrive in a little over two hours and warned that Major Kalinin might be in danger if they waited too long.
• Sousuke Sagara arrived at the factory, then returned with Chidori Kaname, who had brought clothes for Tessa and food for the group.

Xiao Ran decided to go alone to rescue Kalinin and destroy A21, but an armed group surrounded the factory before he could leave. After confirming their imposing leader was another participant, Xiao Ran fought back, and the man demanded that he hand over Takuma.

• Xiao Ran heard Tessa and Sousuke Sagara discuss waiting for Danner's Son's reinforcements and locating A21 and Kalinin.
• Xiao Ran decided to leave Chidori, Tessa, Sousuke Sagara, and Takuma at the factory while he went alone to attack A21's headquarters and rescue Kalinin.
• Xiao Ran sensed an armed group surrounding the factory, including a huge, unarmed man he suspected was a participant.
• Xiao Ran threw two grenades at the suspected participant, who kicked them away and confirmed Xiao Ran's suspicion.
• Sousuke Sagara protected Tessa and Chidori and shot two attackers, while Xiao Ran leapt outside and shot down four more.
• The participant faced Xiao Ran and demanded that he hand over Takuma, offering to leave without fighting.

Xiao Ran negotiated with a hostile participant to exchange a captured person for the kid A21 wanted, buying time while he waited for reinforcements. The A21 force withdrew, and Xiao Ran planned to protect Major Kalinin and later confront the participant from a position of strength.

• Xiao Ran recognized that the masked participant was wary of fighting and asked about his mission and behavioral alignment.
• The participant revealed that he had to bring the kid back and activate a giant AS, and that his alignment was neutral chaos.
• Xiao Ran agreed to let the participant take the kid in exchange for Major Kalinin, setting a one-hour deadline.
• The participant ordered the A21 members to withdraw from the factory, and they left with resentment toward Xiao Ran.
• Sousuke Sagara joined Xiao Ran, who explained that he had negotiated to avoid a costly fight and prioritize Major Kalinin's safety.

Xiao Ran exchanged Takuma for Major Kalinin, then forced the man who had taken Takuma to choose between cooperation and becoming his enemy. The man, Luo, agreed to cooperate after Xiao Ran offered a contract and a guarantee of one hundred thousand Merit Points.

• Xiao Ran exchanged Takuma for Major Kalinin while Sousuke Sagara, Chidori, and Tessa waited in ambush.
• The man threatened Takuma, then prepared to leave with him after ordering his lackeys to put him in the car.
• Xiao Ran warned the man to stay away from A21 and revealed that he knew about the man's chain Side Mission.
• An aircraft appeared above the factory, leaving the man at a disadvantage as Xiao Ran demanded that he cooperate or become an enemy.
• Xiao Ran offered Luo a contract and one hundred thousand Merit Points as a guarantee, and Luo agreed to cooperate.
• Luo gave Xiao Ran his number, 10356, and Xiao Ran sent him a temporary team contract for the mission.

Xiao Ran exchanged Takuma and guaranteed Luo’s survival in return for his cooperation, then explained to Mithril why he had avoided fighting Luo. With A21’s giant AS still a threat, Xiao Ran prepared to attack once reinforcements and his own unit arrived.

• Luo signed Xiao Ran’s contract, accepted the guaranteed one hundred thousand Merit Points, and left with Takuma’s rescue mission still to complete.
• Xiao Ran declined to fight Luo, explaining that he could not ensure the others’ safety and that the two had agreed not to interfere with each other’s missions.
• Mao arrived in an M9, and Kalinin confirmed that A21 was planning something with Takuma; Xiao Ran revealed that the group had built a giant AS equipped with a λ-DRIVER.
• Xiao Ran told Tessa that protecting her and Chidori came first, while Kalinin agreed that provoking Luo without sufficient combat power would be unwise.
• Cruz took Chidori, Tessa, and Kalinin away to safety as Xiao Ran awaited reinforcements and his own unit.
• A blazing object streaked toward the factory, split apart in the sky, and dropped a large package by parachute two or three kilometers away.

Xiao Ran received Luo’s heavily modified Hell Monarch, renamed it Demon King, and tested its flight capabilities. After an explosion erupted at the city harbor, he flew there while directing Mao and Sousuke Sagara to wait for reinforcements before joining the fight.

• Xiao Ran inspected the remodeled Hell Monarch and saw that Luo had rebuilt its armor, cockpit, systems, and Flight Pack.
• A distant explosion and fiery sky signaled the start of a battle at the city harbor.
• Xiao Ran entered the cockpit, adjusted the OS to his preferences, and activated the mecha’s PS Armor.
• Xiao Ran renamed the machine Demon King, launched it into the air, and flew toward the harbor.
• Mao and Sousuke Sagara saw the Demon King flying, and Xiao Ran told them to await Danner's Son’s reinforcements and the Strongbow before joining the battle.

Xiao Ran piloted Demon King against Takuma’s giant red AS at the burning harbor, testing its λ-DRIVER defenses and exploiting its weaknesses. His powered-up strike damaged the beast’s leg joint but failed to destroy it, leaving him puzzled about why his own λ-DRIVER had not worked as expected.

• Xiao Ran arrived at the harbor and assessed the massive red AS’s strength, armor, and dependence on its λ-DRIVER.
• The beast targeted Demon King with its Gatling guns and Fire Snakes, but Xiao Ran dodged while firing beams that its red barrier absorbed.
• Xiao Ran circled the beast, attacked its leg joint, and escaped beneath its legs, but the λ-DRIVER blocked his shots.
• Xiao Ran activated Demon King’s λ-DRIVER and struck the joint before the beast could raise its defense, damaging the connection and setting it ablaze.
• The beast stayed upright and activated its λ-DRIVER, while Xiao Ran wondered why his own λ-DRIVER had not strengthened his attack as intended.

Xiao Ran struggled to activate the λ-DRIVER and realized his rationality and confidence were suppressing the emotions it required. He finally drew out a small amount of its power to blast apart the beast’s head, but the attack fell short of destroying it, and he examined his attributes as he descended.

• Xiao Ran reasoned that Innovator mode and Spirit Burst had made him too calm to activate the λ-DRIVER, and considered which of his allies might be able to use it.
• The beast turned on the Demon King Mecha and swung its energy-wreathed club, but Xiao Ran dodged and ran along the club to reach the beast’s head.
• Xiao Ran focused his determination into a shot, briefly channeling λ-DRIVER power through the beam and blasting apart the beast’s head.
• Xiao Ran sensed that the λ-DRIVER’s power had only helped his attack penetrate the beast’s head armor, not destroy the entire beast.
• Xiao Ran checked his status and considered his high attributes, 146 unspent free points, and the steep cost and limits of raising attributes above 100.

Xiao Ran struggled to understand the λ-DRIVER after his attack drained much of his Mental Power, then coordinated with Mithril to destroy the giant AS before the Japanese Military could seize it. Sousuke Sagara pierced the giant AS with a single λ-DRIVER shot, and helicopters evacuated the Arbalest and Demon King from the port.

• Xiao Ran discovered that destroying one of the giant beast’s heads had consumed at least twenty points of his Mental Power and wondered why Takuma could use the λ-DRIVER so effectively.
• Tessa told Xiao Ran that Mithril had only ten minutes to destroy the giant AS and ordered him to cooperate with the incoming team; Xiao Ran asked for Sousuke Sagara to target its heat dissipation system.
• Sousuke Sagara arrived in the Arbalest, and Xiao Ran directed him to attack the damaged area beneath the giant beast or its head.
• Sousuke Sagara fired a λ-DRIVER-powered bullet through the giant beast, causing it to collapse into wreckage, and reported that the mission was complete.
• Four helicopters arrived; two bombed the wreckage while the others secured the Arbalest and Demon King and carried them away from the port.

After the A21 operation, Xiao Ran returned with Chidori and Sousuke Sagara to Chofu City, leaving the Demon King aboard Danner's Son for Mithril to transport later. Tessa thanked him for his help, and the chapter ended with Japan on high alert as authorities hunted A21's remaining fugitives.

• Xiao Ran received 2,000 Merit Points and increased Mithril favorability and Justice alignment after A21 was dismantled, Tessa protected, and Kalinin rescued.
• Tessa thanked Xiao Ran, who comforted her by patting her head and then caught her when she tripped; the onlookers reacted with surprise and jealousy.
• Richard arranged for Xiao Ran, Chidori, and Sousuke Sagara to return to Japan by helicopter, while the Demon King remained aboard Danner's Son for later transport.
• Xiao Ran's group arrived in Chofu City and saw police, Self-Defense Force helicopters, and AS units patrolling as Japan remained on alert for A21 fugitives.

Xiao Ran learned that Amalgam had supplied A21 with Behemoth and waited for Luo to contact him. Luo reunited with him in Japan and revealed that he had brought a frightened Whispered girl there after rescuing her from people pursuing her; Xiao Ran agreed to arrange her schooling while Luo protected her.

• Xiao Ran learned from Richard that Amalgam had supplied A21 with Behemoth and had handled Takuma's λ-DRIVER conditioning.
• After waiting three days, Xiao Ran answered Luo's call and met him at a hotel suite in Japan.
• Xiao Ran found a frightened girl with Luo, comforted her, and stayed with her until she fell asleep.
• Luo explained that he had found the girl a month earlier, worked for A21 transporting Behemoth, then returned to rescue her from people who were pursuing her.
• Xiao Ran offered to arrange for the girl to attend school and told Luo to focus on protecting her.

Xiao Ran examined Luo’s attributes and learned how the Super Zone’s Guts system affected mecha performance and innate skills. He explained that he was a Real Zone participant who had entered the mission through an item, and remained eager to stay in the Super Zone after the mission.

• Luo showed Xiao Ran his attributes, including the Harmonizer bloodline and Rapid Impact skill.
• Xiao Ran assessed Luo’s abilities and read his D-rank skills, then found the special Guts skill.
• Xiao Ran learned that his Guts index was 15, too low to use mecha innate skills such as the λ-DRIVER.
• Xiao Ran concluded that high Guts could greatly boost Super Robot mecha, though innate skills consumed Guts.
• Xiao Ran told Luo he came from the Real Zone and had entered the mission using an item.

Xiao Ran explained the differences between the Real Zone and Super Zone to Luo and outlined their team’s plans for the mission. After arranging temporary accommodations for Luo and the girl, Xiao Ran planned to wait for Main Mission One to end and for Luo to finish building his Variable Fighter.

• Luo told Xiao Ran that Super Zone participants completed missions only after rest periods of up to three months, and gave him the Super Zone Newcomer's Manual.
• Xiao Ran described his Real Zone rank, the mecha restrictions he faced in the Super Zone, and the strength of his two teammates; Luo agreed to let Xiao Ran lead the mission.
• Xiao Ran explained that they would protect their target and support a justice-minded local faction before Main Mission Two began.
• Xiao Ran arranged for Luo and the girl to leave the hotel and planned to house them near his residence, with Luo later joining Mithril.
• Xiao Ran decided to wait for Main Mission One to end and for Luo to complete his Variable Fighter, which suited him better than using the λ-DRIVER.

Xiao Ran brought Yani Garcia, another Whispered whose family had been killed, to stay with Chidori while he arranged a nearby home and school placement. He then studied the Super Zone newcomer manual and learned how its missions, risks, and mecha rules differed from the Real Zone.

• Xiao Ran introduced Yani Garcia to Chidori and comforted her when she panicked over her family's fate.
• Sousuke Sagara arrived, and Xiao Ran asked him to watch over Chidori and Yani at school while outside guards provided support.
• Chidori agreed to shelter Yani, and Xiao Ran said he would arrange a home next door and enroll her at school.
• Xiao Ran told Sousuke that Yani was a Whispered, then returned to his base and listened to Chidori and Yani through surveillance equipment while reading the manual.
• Xiao Ran learned that Super Zone participants entered missions monthly, newcomers faced high casualties, and Super Robot mecha were graded by their typical combat power and had limited modification options.

Xiao Ran read about Super Robot pilots, mecha, and technicians, then arranged Yani’s enrollment at Jindai High School. The chapter ended with Yani officially joining Chidori’s class.

• Xiao Ran learned that Super Robot pilots needed fighting spirit to operate advanced mecha, could control mecha through force, recognition, or temporary dominance, and faced serious risks if their mecha were destroyed.
• Xiao Ran realized technicians were valuable to the Super Zone and reflected that Luo and the Whispered might have strong potential there.
• Xiao Ran contacted El-Elf, who used Mithril’s help to settle Yani’s identity and school enrollment procedures.
• After staying awake through the night, Xiao Ran asked Luo to take over watching over Chidori and Yani while he prepared to enroll Yani.
• Xiao Ran took Chidori and Yani to Jindai High School, where Chidori guided them through the enrollment process.
• Xiao Ran paid Contribution Gold, and Yani was enrolled in Chidori’s class.

Xiao Ran toured Jindai High School, where Tsubaki Kazunari accidentally knocked out the seemingly ordinary janitor Oonuki Zenji, prompting Xiao Ran to remember the janitor’s monstrous abilities. After arranging for Luo to watch over the school, Xiao Ran asked El-Elf to protect Tessa and explain what he knew about the school’s unusual residents.

• Xiao Ran toured Jindai High School and watched Tsubaki Kazunari use qi to punch Oonuki Zenji unconscious.
• Xiao Ran recognized Oonuki Zenji as the seemingly indestructible janitor from his memories and watched Sousuke Sagara carry him to the infirmary.
• Yani asked Xiao Ran to pick her up after school, and he agreed before leaving her with Chidori.
• Xiao Ran asked Luo to watch over the school and warned him that it was more dangerous than it appeared.
• Xiao Ran told El-Elf to go protect Tessa aboard Danner’s Son and asked about Jindai High School’s suspicious residents.
• El-Elf identified Hayashimizu Takanobu, Tsubaki Kazunari, and Oonuki Zenji, but said his investigation had found that none posed a threat to them.

Xiao Ran considered the risks awaiting participants after Main Mission One and urged Luo to finish the Variable Fighter quickly. After El-Elf arrived, he analyzed reports of scattered battles and concluded that participants were already competing to collect Whispered, leaving Xiao Ran wary of the coming Danner's Son anniversary.

• El-Elf told Xiao Ran that he had found nothing unusual at the school and relayed Mithril's invitation to Danner's Son's anniversary celebration.
• Xiao Ran accepted the invitation, suspected the anniversary would coincide with Main Mission One's conclusion, and messaged Luo to finish the Variable Fighter within half a month.
• El-Elf arrived five hours later, and Xiao Ran explained the new teammate's encounter with other participants and the group's plans.
• El-Elf inferred that the opposing participant likely controlled other Whispered and that forces might be pushing participants to collect them through a Side Mission.
• El-Elf found Mithril reports of small-scale battles and disappearances across several towns, which he suspected participants had caused.
• Xiao Ran told El-Elf to investigate further and planned to speak with Jerome at Danner's Son while arranging to deliver Luo's machine as logistical support for Mithril.

Xiao Ran took Luo and El-Elf to Jindai High School to witness the power of people in this world. They watched a shadowy monster overpower Sousuke Sagara and Tsubaki, leaving El-Elf and Luo stunned by the strength an ordinary person could unleash.

• Xiao Ran introduced Luo to Chidori and Yani, then brought him and El-Elf to Jindai High School after dinner.
• Xiao Ran, El-Elf, and Luo waited at the school until El-Elf detected activity and they heard chainsaws and gunfire.
• Sousuke Sagara and Tsubaki fled a black shadow that shrugged off bullets and grenades while chasing them through the school.
• El-Elf used his surveillance network to show Xiao Ran and Luo the battle, where the shadow smashed walls and swallowed a grenade.
• El-Elf and Luo marveled at the monster’s physical power, and Xiao Ran explained that even an ordinary person in a Super Robot world could unleash extraordinary strength.

After a battle with a seemingly tireless monster wrecked the school, Kaname and her friends took a trip to Okinawa during the month-long break. On the flight toward Mithril’s Merida Island base, an emergency changed their plans, and the group prepared to parachute from the aircraft.

• At sunrise, the monster collapsed into sleep, and Sousuke Sagara and Tsubaki also fell exhausted after their all-night fight.
• The principal found the school badly damaged and gave the students a month off.
• Kaname and her classmates traveled to Okinawa, while Xiao Ran, El-Elf, and Luo acted as their guards.
• After the classmates flew home, Kaname, Yani, Xiao Ran, El-Elf, and Luo boarded a Mithril aircraft with Sousuke Sagara, bound for Merida Island.
• A message from Colonel Tessa prompted Sousuke Sagara to announce a route change and prepare everyone for a high-altitude parachute drop.

Xiao Ran joined Mithril’s briefing after offering to help defend Danner’s Son and learned that an unidentified armed group had seized a U.S. military base. The chapter ended with him asking whether the enemy had any other unusual AS units besides the red Hell Monarch.

• Sousuke Sagara and the others parachuted into the sea and boarded Danner’s Son through its recovery chamber.
• Xiao Ran told First Officer Richard he would take part in the operation against the armed group occupying the U.S. base.
• Danner’s Son held its anniversary celebration, and Xiao Ran later attended the morning operations meeting with El-Elf and Luo.
• Kalinin reported that the enemy used advanced AS units, including a red Hell Monarch that Xiao Ran identified as Kowloon’s machine.
• Kalinin assigned Xiao Ran and Sousuke Sagara to separate teams and outlined a two-pronged assault to suppress the enemy and rescue the hostages.
• Xiao Ran asked whether intelligence had revealed unusual capabilities or other unfamiliar machines among the enemy AS units.

Xiao Ran suspected the occupation of the military base concealed a larger objective and prepared Mithril for another operation. He demanded authority over the combat squad, then learned El-Elf had already secured full command approval from Jerome Boda.

• Kalinin said intelligence had found no unusual force beyond the Hell Monarch, while Xiao Ran warned that the armed force could overwhelm a military base.
• El-Elf revealed he had monitored Mithril's communications, and Tessa explained that Mithril's leadership had authorized his intelligence oversight.
• Xiao Ran ordered El-Elf to investigate the enemy's purpose and told Luo to support Mithril's next operation in an M9 while prioritizing his own safety.
• El-Elf chose to stay aboard Danner's Son to protect Tessa, Chidori, and Yani, while Xiao Ran told them to remain together under his watch.
• Xiao Ran demanded an M9 for his teammate and authority to order the combat squad to withdraw; after Tessa objected, El-Elf said Jerome Boda had already granted Xiao Ran full command authority for the operation.