Recaps

Captain Daitetsu briefed the Steel Dragon Squad on a mission to eliminate the Native Species sealed inside White Star while minimizing damage, and Xiao Ran agreed to take part. The selected pilots gathered at White Star as Xiao Ran and Ingram arrived, where Ingram greeted Ryusei, Aya, and Dance.

• Refina questioned how the squad could fight inside White Star without causing excessive damage, and Daitetsu explained that Xiao Ran would join the operation and follow its restrictions.
• Daitetsu ordered the squad to prioritize close-combat pilots, psychokinesis users, Super Robots, agile units, and skilled personnel, then sent the captains to select combat teams.
• Elsam, Refina, and Tetsuya chose eleven pilots, including Kyosuke, Elsam, Giliam, Kitamura Kai, Zeng Jia, Kusunoha, Bullet, Ryusei, Lamia, Aya, Mai, and Dance.
• Xiao Ran arrived at White Star in Darkness Sky with three drones, while Ingram landed nearby and greeted Ryusei, Aya, and Dance.

Xiao Ran briefed the forces on White Star’s dangers and assigned them positions for the mission to confront the sealed Native Species. The squads prepared to move out, with Ingram appointed captain of the SRX Squad and battle commander of the Platinum.

• Ingram apologized for his past actions, and Idarong Sheng reassured him that he had been controlled.
• Xiao Ran announced Ingram’s appointment and asked him to explain White Star’s layout and mission risks.
• Ingram identified the sealed Native Species’ chamber, critical system zones, and energy core, warning that combat must be carefully contained.
• Xiao Ran assigned Zengar and Elsam to guard the routes, Kitamura Kai and Giliam to protect the energy core, and Aya, Kusunoha, and Brande to support them.
• Xiao Ran ordered the remaining forces to enter the core with him and Ingram, then told everyone to move out.

Xiao Ran opened the seal and attacked the Native Species massed inside, but the central monster summoned more creatures through a vortex of black mist. As green vines surged through the doorway toward Darkness Sky and the Gutsy, the fight escalated.

• Xiao Ran positioned Darkness Sky before the sealed door while Ingram prepared the controls and Kyosuke guarded the other side.
• Ingram opened the seal, and Xiao Ran sent GN Dragoons into the chamber before firing a barrage at the Native Species and the giant creature at its center.
• The central creature formed a vortex of black mist that summoned Native Species, and one attacked Darkness Sky as its shield was destroyed.
• Xiao Ran identified the giant creature as the source of the summoning and warned the others to be careful.
• Green vines shot through the doorway toward Darkness Sky and Kyosuke's Gutsy.

Xiao Ran and Ingram fought off the Native Species pouring into the Seal Space while vines threatened to spread across White Star. Xiao Ran created an opening to the giant Native Species and sent a Micro Missile through it, leaving the decisive attack unresolved.

• Native Species vines overwhelmed Gutsy until Ingram and Xiao Ran freed it, and Xiao Ran told Kyosuke to retreat because the creatures were targeting him.
• Xiao Ran used GN Fangs and GN Dragoons to suppress the Native Species as vines spread throughout the Seal Space and threatened to corrode White Star.
• Ingram warned that they needed to deal with the giant Native Species, while Xiao Ran held back to avoid worsening the breach in the seal.
• Xiao Ran struck through the gate with a massive Beam Saber and used linked GN Dragoons to guide a Micro Missile through a gap toward the giant Native Species.

Xiao Ran used a MED Micro Missile to kill the giant Native Species and helped wipe out most of the creatures inside White Star. When a Native Species and Zovok fleet appeared outside, he left Ingram to finish the cleanup and flew out with Sanger and Elsam to confront them.

• Xiao Ran sent a MED Micro Missile through a passage formed by GN Dragoons, and it devoured half of the giant Native Species, killing it and closing the Space Channel.
• Ingram attacked the gate, helping Darkness Sky escape, while Xiao Ran's remaining GN Dragoons blasted the advancing Native Species.
• Xiao Ran and Ingram retreated through separate passages as their allies fired into them, destroying more than half the Native Species inside White Star.
• Xiao Ran led a charge through the ruined passage, cutting down the Native Species that remained.
• A fleet of Native Species and Zovok appeared outside White Star, so Xiao Ran left Ingram to eliminate the remaining creatures and departed with Sanger and Elsam.

Xiao Ran arrived at White Star as the Steel Dragon Squad, Zovok, and the Native Species fought in a three-sided battle. When enemy forces converged on Darkness Sky, Xiao Ran realized he might be their real target and unleashed its GN Particle light dragons across the battlefield.

• Xiao Ran arrived outside White Star with Sanger and Elsam while the Steel Dragon Squad battled Zovok and the Native Species.
• Xiao Ran noticed Exeline and Kyosuke Nanbu receiving special attention from the Native Species, and identified the Grey Antelope, a Zovok commander unit, and Alphimi's Soul Throne among the enemy forces.
• The Native Species and Zovok drones abandoned nearby targets and rushed toward Darkness Sky, followed by Soul Throne and Grey Antelope.
• Captain Daitetsu moved the Hagwane and the other Steel Dragon Squad warships to protect Darkness Sky, but Xiao Ran ordered them to stop and reform their defensive formation.
• Xiao Ran evaded the incoming attacks and used Darkness Sky and its remote units to spread GN Particles across the battlefield, suspecting that he was the enemies' primary target.

Xiao Ran ordered Daitetsu to hold the defensive formation while he and his allies engaged the advancing Zovok and Native Species forces. He fought the Grey Antelope pilot and steadily suppressed him, leaving the battle ongoing as the two mechas continued to clash.

• Xiao Ran told Daitetsu to maintain formation and focus on eliminating the enemy forces rather than protecting him.
• Sanger and Elsam moved ahead of Xiao Ran to meet the attackers as Xiao Ran charged the Grey Antelope and his remote units destroyed enemy grunts.
• The Grey Antelope pilot unleashed a rapid barrage, but Xiao Ran evaded it and used accurately timed shots to disrupt his attack rhythm.
• Xiao Ran and the Grey Antelope pilot repeatedly collided and exchanged fire, though the Grey Antelope pilot struggled to keep pace.
• Xiao Ran assessed the Grey Antelope pilot as a capable fighter but far below his own level.

Xiao Ran defeated Grey Antelope and confronted Alphimi in Soul Throne, intending to bring her into the Steel Dragon Squad. Alphimi questioned whether Xiao Ran was truly human, and he insisted that he was.

• Grey Antelope unleashed a barrage of drone attacks, but Xiao Ran made Darkness Sky vanish and reappear behind it.
• Xiao Ran severed Grey Antelope’s left arm, struck its side, and used the GN Dragoons to leave it unable to fight.
• Xiao Ran picked up Haro, transferred his control to another Darkness Sky, and cleared away the nearby Native Species.
• Alphimi used Soul Throne’s ghost-flame passage to disappear and reappear in front of Xiao Ran.
• Alphimi asked Xiao Ran why he seemed so pure if he was human, and Xiao Ran replied that he was human.

Alphimi tried to persuade Xiao Ran to join the Native Species, but he rejected her and suggested she join humanity instead. She declared that humanity would soon be destroyed and attacked Darkness Sky with the Soul Throne, beginning a fierce battle that ended with both machines charging toward each other.

• Alphimi sensed Xiao Ran's purity and invited him to join the Native Species, but Xiao Ran insisted he was human and urged her to protect Earth with humanity.
• Alphimi declared that humanity must be destroyed, then used the Soul Throne's Space Transfer to attack Darkness Sky from behind.
• Darkness Sky evaded and counterattacked, but the Soul Throne's demon masks blocked its Beam Saber and forced it to dodge.
• Xiao Ran pressed the Soul Throne with repeated Beam Saber strikes, while Alphimi used Space Transfer to escape and reposition.
• The Soul Throne charged Darkness Sky head-on, but Xiao Ran turned aside and fired at it to avoid being caught in a collision.

Xiao Ran fought Alphimi and used Quantum Shock to disrupt her and the Native Species linked to her. He then seized the Soul Throne and forcibly established a link with Alphimi, leaving their connection in progress.

• Xiao Ran evaded the Soul Throne's attacks and fired through a Space Gate as it prepared to fight back with its blade.
• The Soul Throne sent crescent blade lights at Darkness Sky, while its ghost masks transformed into towering monsters and attacked from both sides.
• Xiao Ran used Quantum Shock on Alphimi, and the Native Species across the battlefield briefly stiffened as they shared its effects through their connection.
• Xiao Ran entered quantization, grabbed the Soul Throne, and forced a link with Alphimi using his Pure Innovator abilities.

Xiao Ran forced Alphimi into a mental link and discovered he could influence or control her as their powers clashed. Through her memories, he learned about the Native Species’ hellish world and their plan to destroy humanity and find keys to open a gate, while Kira and Athrun’s fleet joined the battle.

• Xiao Ran pulled Alphimi into a Mental Space and sensed that his power could influence or control her by consuming the red that represented her.
• Alphimi clasped Xiao Ran’s hand, and their minds entered different worlds while their bodies and mental projections went still.
• Kira and Athrun led dozens of warships and Variable Fighters through a FOLD Jump passage, surprising the Zovok and Native Species and easing the Steel Dragon Squad’s pressure.
• Xiao Ran explored Alphimi’s memories and saw the desolate world inhabited by countless Native Species and ruled by a colossal leader.
• Xiao Ran learned that the Native Species sought to assimilate and destroy humanity, find enough keys to open a gate, and had cultivated Alphimi before sending her to this world.

Xiao Ran used his link with Alphimi to show the Native Species that humanity sought peace and coexistence, then ordered his forces to attack the Zovok while allowing the Native Species to leave. Alphimi sided with Earth’s humans, and the battle ended with White Star secure, though Xiao Ran remained unsure whether the Native Species’ leader would accept his message.

• Xiao Ran shared humanity’s history, hopes, and examples of coexistence with Alphimi, hoping she would relay his message to the Native Species’ leader.
• Xiao Ran withdrew from the Soul Throne and ordered his forces to concentrate on the Zovok while letting the Native Species leave.
• Alphimi awakened, accepted Xiao Ran’s convictions, and ordered the Native Species to help Earth’s humans defeat the Zovok.
• The Native Species joined the human forces, forcing the Zovok army to retreat as the battle outside White Star wound down.
• The Native Species left White Star peacefully, and Xiao Ran hoped Alphimi had conveyed his message to their leader.

After the White Star battle, Xiao Ran assessed the Native Species as a rule-bound threat that humanity might be able to communicate with, while the Earth Defense Force repaired and reorganized its forces. During a brief lull, Luo and Lirico grew closer as they upgraded Valcione and trained together.

• Xiao Ran concluded that the Native Species were neutral beings governed by rules, and that humanity could reduce the threat by convincing them Earth would not cause chaos.
• The Native Species sealed within White Star were eliminated or departed, and the Earth Defense Force began repairing the base and researching the materials that had contained them.
• Char resumed command of White Star's defenses as captured Zovok warships and reassigned fleets reinforced his forces, placing heavy demands on logistics.
• The Rebel Army stayed entrenched on Hades Island, while the battered Zovok forces and the Native Species remained quiet during several peaceful days.
• Xiao Ran worried about Luo's emotional cluelessness as Luo and Lirico spent their days upgrading Valcione, sharing its information, and training together.

Xiao Ran learned that Renard had advanced the Burning Legion’s Artificial Intelligence, potentially allowing it to control B-class mecha in independent combat. The new prototype mecha neared testing, but mass production of the upgraded AI had not yet begun.

• Xiao Ran teased Liuli and Luo, then asked Luo to look after Liuli while she stayed there.
• Luo said the prototype mecha was nearly ready for testing, though its combined technologies and complex controls still needed evaluation.
• Renard said he had made only a minor contribution to the mecha, but Luo credited him with breakthroughs in its AI, interface, balance, and stability.
• Renard explained that his AI breakthrough could let MS units fight independently, and Xiao Ran recognized its potential to strengthen the Burning Legion’s B-class mecha forces.
• Renard said production had not started because the upgraded AI still needed testing and further refinement for different mecha.

Xiao Ran learned that Renard had developed specialized AI models for B-class mecha and then inspected several machines in the Burning Legion’s research facility. He saw a newly built melee-focused mecha for Graham and ended at the new, forty-meter mecha Luo’s team had made for him.

• Renard explained that the new AI had been divided into models for different mecha roles and needed extensive testing before deployment, and Xiao Ran told him to keep it under strict control.
• Xiao Ran asked Luo to show him the new mecha and followed him into the R&D department’s small factory.
• Xiao Ran saw the dismantled Emperor Mecha, EX Wild Bird, and Valcione, along with an almost-complete black-and-white mecha modeled after the Bushin Guren.
• Luo explained that the new mecha had Dual Solar Furnaces, extreme speed and melee capability, weak defense, and limited ranged attacks; Graham said it still had no name.
• Xiao Ran noted that a high-output ranged attack was useful when evasion was impossible, then looked toward the new mecha Luo’s team had built for him.

Xiao Ran inspected his newly manufactured unit as Luo explained its systems, weapons, and unfinished test-machine status. The unit’s capabilities were demonstrated in a simulation that showed it destroying a Zovok fleet with a splitting beam attack.

• Xiao Ran examined the new unit and asked Luo whether it was his, and Luo confirmed it was undergoing final adjustments.
• Luo explained that the unit combined technology from DC, the Burning Legion, and the Fury, and could still be improved with materials such as Zifield Crystal.
• Luo described the unit’s four Solar Furnaces, four Ougang Extractors, Thermonuclear Energy Engines, armor, miniature MS, layered wings, crystals, and weapons.
• Luo showed Xiao Ran a simulation in which the unit combined its handheld weapons and fired a beam that split into tens of thousands of beams, engulfing a Zovok fleet.

Xiao Ran reviewed Luo’s simulation of a powerful new mecha and learned about its weapons, transforming drone units, and high-speed design. He approved of the machine and looked forward to piloting it in battle.

• Xiao Ran watched the new mecha demonstrate attacks ranging from a vast beam barrage to guided, crystallizing shots and powerful close-range weapons.
• Xiao Ran questioned the vulnerability of the mecha’s oversized handheld weapons, and Luo explained that other weapons and two large Beam Sabers could compensate.
• Luo described four transforming drone units that would be installed after Renard’s Artificial Intelligence was complete, detailing their forms, weapons, and emergency escape capability.
• Luo explained that artificial muscles and several advanced systems gave the over-forty-meter mecha mobility comparable to Darkness Sky, along with extreme speed and firepower.
• Xiao Ran praised Luo’s work, said he liked the mecha, and looked forward to piloting it in battle.

Xiao Ran inspected a new unit tailored to his combat style, then discussed the pilots’ progress and the growing danger of future missions. Graham revealed that his injuries had helped him master a trait, while Xiao Ran urged the others to advance to A-Class and sent them to the Steel Dragon Squad after their units were ready.

• Xiao Ran admired the new unit but realized its connected pipes meant it was not ready for testing.
• Renard suggested that Liuli visit her unit, and Luo arranged for her to leave so the others could talk privately.
• Graham told Xiao Ran, Luo, and Renard that his fight with Grey Antelope had helped him master a trait that infused his attacks with Fighting Spirit and aura.
• Xiao Ran told Graham to advance to A-Class after the mission and said he would look for a suitable bloodline or inheritance for him.
• Luo admitted he had not mastered a trait, while Xiao Ran noted Basak’s effort to control his berserk state and urged everyone to advance before missions grew harder.
• Xiao Ran told Luo and Graham to take Basak and Nalu to the Steel Dragon Squad once their units were settled.

Xiao Ran assessed the growing gap between himself and his B-class teammates and urged them to strengthen their combat abilities before missions became more dangerous. He left Graham with a possible path to improve through the Steel Dragon Squad, while assigning Luo and Renard separate responsibilities.

• Xiao Ran reflected that Graham, Basak, Cruze, Luo, and Naluo were falling behind his rapid growth, and that future missions could put them in greater danger.
• Xiao Ran considered the Steel Dragon Squad a safe place for Graham to fight and learn from Zengar, whose Shigen-ryu inheritance might suit him.
• Graham accepted that Grey Antelope had outmatched him and clenched his fist as he thought of the man who had injured him being imprisoned.
• Luo agreed with Xiao Ran that he needed enough combat strength to protect himself, even though he focused mainly on research.
• Xiao Ran told Renard to avoid fighting and take charge of the base after Luo left, and Renard agreed to refine the Artificial Intelligence and oversee the work there.

Xiao Ran joined the Steel Dragon Squad aboard the Black Steel and approved a plan to destroy the Rebel Army and Shadow Mirror Unit on Hades Island. As the surprise attack approached, he ordered four pilots to launch underwater and keep the enemy occupied.

• Xiao Ran brought Luo, Graham, Basak, Zechs, Nalu, Saki Maski, Hishikawa Ryoto, Murong Liu, and Luni aboard the Black Steel to join the Steel Dragon Squad.
• Daitetsu and the other captains planned a two-stage attack on Hades Island, with the Steel and Black Gold striking first and the Platinum and Flying Dragon following with their main cannons.
• Xiao Ran approved the plan, and the Steel and Black Gold descended to Earth before submerging and waiting for the surrounding forces to encircle Hades Island.
• At two in the morning, Daitetsu told Xiao Ran that the attack would begin in ten minutes and that the enemy's attention had been drawn toward the outer waters.
• Xiao Ran learned the Steel could launch units underwater and ordered Basak, Luo, Graham, and Zechs to sortie immediately to draw enemy fire and enable further launches.

The Steel Dragon Squad launched its assault on Hades Island, with Daitetsu taking command while Xiao Ran prepared to sortie in his new machine. The four lead units struck the surrounding Rebel Army and cleared the way for the Steel and Black Gold to rise safely from the water and deploy more forces.

• Daitetsu ordered Berserk, Black Astray, Susanoo, and Red Dragon to launch from the battleships.
• The four units formed an escort as the Steel and Black Gold advanced underwater toward Hades Island.
• Xiao Ran gave Daitetsu full command of the battle and left the bridge to prepare his new machine.
• Graham, Basak, Luo, and Zechs launched a surprise attack on the Rebel Army around Hades Island.
• The four units drew enemy fire and broke through the formation, allowing the Steel and Black Gold to emerge and deploy more units.

The Steel and Black Gold launched an assault on Hades Island, but the Shadow Mirror Unit’s main force halted their advance with machines that could rapidly recover from damage. Xiao Ran recognized their Metal Cells and sortied to draw more enemies away while the Flying Dragon and Platinum prepared to act.

• The Steel and Black Gold attacked Hades Island, where the outnumbered Steel Dragon Squad used its superior pilots and machines to break through the island’s defenses.
• Axel led the Shadow Mirror Unit in Soul Reaper and stopped the Steel Dragon Squad’s advance with a force whose strength matched theirs.
• Xiao Ran recognized that the Shadow Mirror Unit machines could regenerate from damage using Metal Cells.
• Xiao Ran ordered a sortie, told Daitetsu that he would draw enemy forces away, and directed the second echelon to focus on ordinary defensive units.
• Xiao Ran launched his new machine into the sky as the Flying Dragon and Platinum stood by in space.

Xiao Ran unveiled his new machine by devastating the Shadow-Mirror reinforcement force and nearby Rebel Army with a single controlled barrage. The surviving Steel Dragon Squad members realized the scale of the threats ahead and the responsibility they would have to shoulder.

• Xiao Ran emerged from the Steel in his flame-painted machine and rose into the sky as enemy beams bent away from its armor.
• Xiao Ran combined the machine’s weapons and unleashed a vast beam barrage that split into thousands of guided attacks across the battlefield.
• Xiao Ran’s attack eliminated nearly all enemy forces in the area, filling the displays with Clear notifications.
• Zengar watched Xiao Ran’s power and resolved that he and the Steel Dragon Squad had to become stronger.
• The Steel Dragon Squad members understood why they had been gathered and recognized the responsibility awaiting them.

Xiao Ran wiped out most of the enemy forces at Hades Island and ordered the Steel Dragon Squad to handle the survivors while he pushed toward the island’s core. There, he sensed several approaching machines and realized they were piloted by clones.

• Xiao Ran used overwhelming firepower to destroy most enemy units, leaving machines with Metal Cell armor and the blue Soul Reaper intact.
• Xiao Ran ordered the Steel Dragon Squad to clear the remaining enemies and told Kyosuke Nanbu to deal with the Soul Reaper alone.
• Xiao Ran flew into Hades Island while Captain Daitetsu ordered Zengar, Elsam, and the SRX Squad to follow him.
• Xiao Ran reached the island’s core and sensed several machines approaching, then recognized them as clones.

Xiao Ran confronted the Rebel Army and Shadow Mirror forces gathered outside their headquarters on Hades Island and demanded their surrender. When Sakura attacked with Lavisa Xiu, he charged into the surrounding units and unleashed his new GN Dragoons.

• Xiao Ran arrived above the Rebel Army headquarters and identified Wodan Ymir, Wendrou Mousa, Raimon, and Sakura among the assembled enemy pilots.
• Xiao Ran recognized the Earth God and Power Seizer units and realized that clones and Shadow Mirror androids had joined the Rebel Army.
• Xiao Ran broadcast a demand that the Rebel Army and Shadow Mirror Unit surrender.
• Sakura rejected Xiao Ran's demand and attacked him with Lavisa Xiu, prompting nearby units and grunts to join the assault.
• Xiao Ran advanced toward Lavisa Xiu and released his GN Dragoons, which attacked the surrounding grunt units.