Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ran explained how his Spatial Recognition Ability let him operate the GN-BITs and agreed to train the Gundam pilots before their next mission. He then analyzed the simulated battle, identifying mistakes in Setsuna, Tieria, Lockon, and Hallelujah’s tactics.

• Xiao Ran told Tieria and Ian that his Spatial Recognition Ability let him manually control the GN-BITs without overwhelming the mecha’s computer.
• Miss Huang announced that Xiao Ran would train the pilots to improve their practical combat experience before the mission, and Setsuna asked him to make them stronger.
• Miss Huang warned Setsuna and Tieria that their weaknesses in the simulated battle could jeopardize a mission or lead to a Gundam being captured.
• Xiao Ran criticized Setsuna for rushing into combat without coordinating, and Tieria for overtrusting Kyrios Gundam’s defenses and failing to retreat.
• Xiao Ran told Lockon to keep moving and use teammates to create firing opportunities, and advised Hallelujah to use Arios Gundam’s speed and firepower for an opening assault.

Xiao Ran learned that the Ptolemaios’s Haros could assist with repairs and modifications, and began planning how to obtain them for Prometheus. During half a month of intensive simulated battles, Setsuna, Tieria, Lockon, and Hallelujah improved until they could defeat Xiao Ran.

• Xiao Ran saw the Ptolemaios’s many Haros and asked Ian about their abilities.
• Ian explained that Haros could handle simple tasks directly and perform complex repairs or modifications using stored data and blueprints.
• Xiao Ran decided to pursue Haros and more Side Missions, while Ian used Haros to install weapon retraction mechanisms on Gundam Kyrios.
• Xiao Ran trained with Setsuna, Tieria, Lockon, and Hallelujah every day for half a month, helping them improve while his Piloting Skill proficiency grew.
• On the ninth day, the four pilots defeated Xiao Ran after losing one unit, and by the eleventh day he needed a partner to face the remaining three.
• Xiao Ran stayed aboard the Ptolemaios for half a month, delaying Wang Liu Mei’s request for him to return to Earth.

Xiao Ran left the Ptolemaios for Earth after Wang Liu Mei secured him an official position in UNION. Before departing, he received advice and equipment from Celestial Being, and assured Tieria that he had other units available if trouble arose.

• Wang Liu Mei contacted Xiao Ran and asked him to return to Earth after arranging his UNION appointment.
• Miss Huang told Xiao Ran that Setsuna and the other three would lead Celestial Being’s first mission during the Humanity Federation’s tenth-anniversary celebration, and advised him not to reveal his piloting abilities in UNION.
• Ian gave Xiao Ran a lightweight half-face mask equipped with a miniature computer, recording lenses, and a targeting sight function.
• Xiao Ran said farewell to the Ptolemaios crew, and Setsuna thanked him for training the team.
• Tieria piloted a Shuttlecraft carrying Xiao Ran away from the Ptolemaios, and Xiao Ran explained that he had other units capable of matching Gundam Kyrios.

As Celestial Being prepared its first mission, Xiao Ran returned to Earth and recruited Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long into a secret organization he planned to establish with VEDA’s authorization. The chapter left Wang Liu Mei agreeing to join and Hong Long set to train under Xiao Ran.

• Celestial Being arranged to send the Arios Gundam to Earth and the Exia Gundam to the AEU orbital elevator using its supporters’ influence and resources.
• Xiao Ran met Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long at the orbital elevator terminal, then dismissed Wang Liu Mei’s concerns about his delay and the UNION’s agreement.
• Xiao Ran asked Wang Liu Mei to investigate the other people from his test and offered to cover the expenses; he also asked whether Hong Long could pilot an MS.
• Xiao Ran told Wang Liu Mei that Hong Long would follow him for special training, and she reluctantly accepted his arrangements.
• Xiao Ran revealed that VEDA had authorized him to create a covert organization with his own Command Authority, backed by MS, energy-source, and Quantum Computer data he possessed.
• Wang Liu Mei agreed to join Xiao Ran’s organization and said she would watch how he changed the world.

Xiao Ran established Tian Shen with Wang Liu Mei as its second-in-command and secured a brigadier general appointment in UNION. After traveling to the capital, he received his rank from the president in a private ceremony.

• Xiao Ran recruited Wang Liu Mei to help establish Tian Shen, promising her command authority over its future MS support unit in return for her investment and support.
• Wang Liu Mei gave Xiao Ran an altered military identity and arranged his appointment as commander of a northern coastal base, explaining that the position had required substantial payments to UNION's conglomerates.
• Xiao Ran promised Wang Liu Mei the designs for a compact Quantum Computer, and she agreed to protect and adapt the technology for later commercial use.
• Xiao Ran, Wang Liu Mei, and Hong Long traveled to UNION's capital, where Xiao Ran met the president and affirmed his readiness to command the base.
• Xiao Ran swore an oath before UNION's flag and received the rank of brigadier general in a recorded but private ceremony.

After Xiao Ran rejected a faction change, Prometheus assigned him a dangerous mission to eliminate threats to Celestial Being within UNION without exposing his true faction. When unknown Gundam-like machines attacked a UNION base, Celestial Being debated intervening, and Setsuna insisted Alex should join the response.

• Xiao Ran rejected the offer to join UNION and received a mandatory mission to eliminate three potential threats to Celestial Being while keeping his true faction secret.
• A young man reported that unknown MS had attacked a Japanese Special Economic Zone garrison, killed its commander, occupied the base, and demanded supplies and MS from UNION.
• Xiao Ran suspected the attackers were participants and weighed whether to volunteer, worried about exposing his identity and worsening the conflict.
• The Ptolemaios crew watched footage of the attack and recognized that the unknown machines resembled Gundams, though they lacked Solar Furnaces.
• Setsuna urged Celestial Being to intervene so the world would not mistake them for the attackers, and Miss Huang agreed to proceed if VEDA approved.
• Setsuna declared that Alex would appear with the team, while Tieria went to contact VEDA.

Xiao Ran volunteered to lead UNION’s vanguard to the Japanese Special Economic Zone after VEDA ordered Celestial Being’s intervention to begin early. After seeing footage of the enemy’s powerful Gundams, he claimed he had an exclusive machine capable of opposing them and secured Graham Aker for the mission.

• Xiao Ran received Wang Liu Mei’s message ordering an immediate departure for the Japanese Special Economic Zone and volunteered to lead the vanguard.
• The president agreed to let Xiao Ran command the operation after Xiao Ran claimed he had ace-level combat and command abilities.
• Xiao Ran studied footage of the attack and recognized several powerful enemy machines, including multiple Gundams, and concluded that a Flag would be no match for them.
• Xiao Ran told the president that his classified, personally developed machine could contend with the enemy MS and offered a theory about how they had been built.
• The president promised Xiao Ran command of the Japanese Special Economic Zone if he repelled or captured the enemy, and Xiao Ran requested Graham Aker for his unit.

Xiao Ran chose the Black Astray as the unit he would reveal to UNION, then flew it to a military base on his way to the Japanese Special Economic Zone. The base accepted his credentials and prepared to receive him and Graham Aker for the operation.

• Xiao Ran retrieved the Black Astray from his Storage Slot in a secluded canyon and discovered that its Beam Sabers were locked.
• Xiao Ran piloted the Black Astray toward the UNION base, deciding that revealing the unit was worthwhile as long as he concealed its PS Armor and energy systems.
• Several Flag units intercepted Xiao Ran, verified his identity as Brigadier General, and escorted him to the base.
• The base commander watched the Black Astray land and discussed Xiao Ran's promotion and the unit with an aide.
• Graham Aker watched the Black Astray from inside the base and wondered whether Xiao Ran would become his commanding officer.

Xiao Ran met General Johnson and learned the advance force’s strength and mission for the operation against the Japanese military base. He organized the gathered pilots, promoted four of them, and prepared to lead the force to Japan.

• Xiao Ran met General Johnson, who explained that the advance force would investigate the enemy and could attack the base, while 53 Flag MS were being assembled and more than 300 MS would later encircle the area.
• Xiao Ran told General Johnson that his Black Astray could match the enemy machines and identified it as an Astray.
• Graham Aker, Billy Katagiri, Howard Mason, Darryl Dodge, and the other pilots reported their names and assignments to Xiao Ran.
• Xiao Ran promoted Graham Aker to temporary major, Billy Katagiri to captain, Howard Mason to lieutenant, and Darryl Dodge to second lieutenant, then offered future posts to pilots who stayed under his command.

Xiao Ran told Graham and Billy Katagiri that his unit could overwhelm ten Flags and offered them the chance to gain advanced technology or an exclusive unit in exchange for a great risk. He claimed an organization had spent two hundred years preparing humanity to unite against dormant Alien Lifeforms in the Solar System, then asked what they thought.

• Xiao Ran said the Black Astray could defeat at least ten Flags, and Graham admitted that an identical unit would give him confidence against the unknown MS.
• Xiao Ran offered to build Graham an exclusive unit and give Billy Katagiri extensive MS and other technical data if they accepted a price.
• Xiao Ran warned Graham and Billy that hearing his proposal would leave them no chance to regret it, and they chose to listen.
• Xiao Ran claimed Alien Lifeforms had been discovered in the Solar System two hundred years earlier and could awaken to threaten Earth.
• Xiao Ran said an organization had secretly developed technology for two centuries and sought to unite humanity before the Alien Lifeforms awakened, then asked Graham and Billy what they thought.

Xiao Ran recruited Graham and Billy into Celestial Being’s newly established Tiandu team and explained its mission and resources. As their aircraft reached the deployment zone, Graham took command of the MS forces for the operation.

• Graham enthusiastically agreed to join Celestial Being, and Billy joined after seeing Graham’s decision.
• Xiao Ran explained Celestial Being’s plans, Gundams, and Solar Furnaces, then told Graham and Billy they would join Tiandu to guard against threats within the organization.
• Xiao Ran tasked Billy with reviewing technical data and preparing a new machine for Graham, who proposed modifications to the Black Astray.
• When the aircraft reached the deployment zone, Xiao Ran transferred MS Command Authority to Graham.
• Graham organized the pilots into squads and ordered them not to attack without authorization.

Xiao Ran took command of UNION’s forces surrounding the Second Military Base, where twelve Participants held more than a thousand hostages. Unable to risk a direct assault, he left the encirclement to Brigadier General Mok and arranged a separate plan, ending as a black mecha emerged from the sea to meet him.

• Brigadier General Mok transferred command of the Japanese Special Economic Zone’s forces to Xiao Ran and briefed him on the occupied base.
• Xiao Ran learned that twelve enemy mecha had taken control of over a thousand hostages and that fewer than eight hours remained before the deadline.
• After reviewing live footage, Xiao Ran ordered Brigadier General Mok to maintain the encirclement while he went to meet the enemy mecha.
• Xiao Ran sent Graham away in the Black Astray and waited on a reef for a mecha controlled by an AI Chip.
• A black mecha rose from the sea and extended its right arm toward Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran piloted Gundam Kyrios into position for Celestial Being’s operation to rescue hostages, while Graham’s forces engaged the participants occupying a military base. As the mission began and Setsuna arrived in Exia Gundam, Xiao Ran launched his GN-BITs and joined the fight.

• Xiao Ran activated Gundam Kyrios, reviewed Miss Huang’s detailed battle plan, and flew into the clouds to monitor the operation through Black Astray.
• Graham led more than twenty mecha in a probing attack on the base, and the participants rose to fight them while ignoring the hostages.
• Xiao Ran ordered Graham to send in the forces in the rear using Reinforcement Tactics and realized the participants were fighting for Merit Points.
• With the mission countdown reaching zero, Setsuna descended into the base in Exia Gundam and announced that he was beginning eradication.
• Xiao Ran launched Gundam Kyrios’s ten large GN-BITs, descended with his Beam Submachine Guns, and activated Quick Lock.

Xiao Ran and Celestial Being launched a coordinated assault on the occupied base, rescuing the hostages and engaging the participants' mecha. The battle continued with the attackers holding the advantage, though several enemy units remained in combat.

• Xiao Ran used ten GN-BITs to disable the three D-class mecha guarding the hostages, and Lockon sent Arios Gundam toward the base.
• Exia Gundam destroyed Buster Calamity's weapons and limbs while Gundam Kyrios and the GN-BITs attacked the enemy formation.
• Lockon fired on Turski to protect Exia Gundam, and Arios Gundam intervened against Skygrasper Gundam and Taurus.
• Graham ordered UNION's forces to protect the hostages and attack the occupying mecha, treating Celestial Being's units as allies for the moment.
• Exia Gundam fought Leopard Gundam, Arios Gundam tangled with Turski, and Gundam Kyrios pinned down MK-II Gundam and Ground Combat Gundam while GN-BITs attacked Taurus.

Xiao Ran and Celestial Being’s allies fought off the participants while UNION troops evacuated the hostages. After Turski endangered the evacuees with a beam attack, Xiao Ran destroyed Turski and Taurus, but their pilots ejected, and the retreating participants remained under pursuit.

• Graham used the Flag to evade the modified Leo’s fire and charged at it with a high-frequency short blade.
• Celestial Being and the Flags pinned down the participants as UNION units escorted the hostages away; Xiao Ran kept Taurus occupied with five GN-BITs rather than risk harming the evacuees.
• Turski abandoned its fight with the Arios Gundam and fired at Gundam Kyrios from above, forcing Xiao Ran to use the GN-BITs to block the beam and shield the crowd below.
• Taurus escaped during the blast, so Xiao Ran pursued it, seized it with Gundam Kyrios, and used ten GN-BITs to attack Turski; both machines exploded after their pilots ejected.
• Xiao Ran ordered Graham to accelerate the evacuation, while UNION Flags and Gundam Kyrios pursued the retreating participants and their ejected pilots.

Xiao Ran and Celestial Being defeated the remaining participants, leaving only the fleeing Skygrasper Gundam before the chapter’s end revealed that another Gundam had intervened. Xiao Ran returned to the Black Astray with Graham, while Celestial Being departed and questioned the origins of the Gundam-like machines.

• The Black Astray and the Flags destroyed the Ground Combat Gundam, and the remaining participants’ machines were defeated or captured as the Skygrasper Gundam escaped.
• Gundam Kyrios returned to the battlefield carrying a Gundam head, and Xiao Ran ordered the UNION units to guard the prisoners before leaving with Graham.
• Xiao Ran told Setsuna, Lockon, Tieria, and Hallelujah that the Black Astray was his machine, then returned Gundam Kyrios to them and departed with Graham.
• Setsuna and the others left for their designated location, privately wondering about Xiao Ran and the Gundam-like machines.
• Xiao Ran recalled seeing a green-particle machine block the Skygrasper Gundam and identified it as Gundam Judgment from the Angel organization, piloted by Fonn.

Xiao Ran returned to the reclaimed base and discussed Celestial Being’s technology and possible plans for Solar Furnaces with Graham. After reporting the battle’s losses and meeting with the President, Xiao Ran was promoted to Major General and placed in command of all military affairs in the Japanese Special Economic Zone.

• Graham asked Xiao Ran about the Gundams’ Solar Furnaces, GN Particles, and detached GN-BITs, and Xiao Ran explained how they worked.
• Xiao Ran considered obtaining red Solar Furnaces and reviewed what he knew about their connection to Celestial Being and Ribbons.
• Xiao Ran and Graham landed at the reclaimed base, where Brigadier General Mok reported the investigation, recovery efforts, and casualties from the battle.
• Xiao Ran directed Mok to handle the dead according to standard procedure and told him the unknown machines had not been acting as their allies.
• The President promoted Xiao Ran to Major General and gave him full responsibility for military affairs in the Japanese Special Economic Zone, including the prisoners and base reconstruction.

Xiao Ran took command of UNION’s Japanese Special Economic Zone and managed the aftermath of the base’s recapture while the battle drew worldwide media attention. He concealed his identity as Stark and personally welcomed Raphael Aifman, who arrived with UNION’s mainland delegation.

• Xiao Ran discussed his promotion and exchange of MS technology with Brigadier General Mok, then met the other base commanders and began managing the devastated base.
• Xiao Ran ordered the captured participants held under heavy guard until an E-Carbon Armor prison could be built, while reporters and leaked footage spread news of the attack worldwide.
• Xiao Ran asked Brigadier General Mok to tell the Presidential Palace to announce only the surname Stark, and agreed to receive an incoming mainland delegation.
• Xiao Ran decided to bring Red Dragon in as his secretary and considered Graham for an assistant position.
• Xiao Ran welcomed Raphael Aifman at the flagship and learned that the elderly MS expert was Billy Katagiri’s teacher.

Xiao Ran persuaded Old Man Raphael to keep the captured unit’s nuclear power source secret and revealed that he belonged to Celestial Being. He explained the organization’s mission and warned that alien lifeforms would soon threaten Earth, then asked Raphael to consider joining a new institution to address the crisis.

• Raphael praised luck as an important factor in survival, and Xiao Ran recalled battles where luck and help had saved him.
• Raphael examined the Black Astray, and Xiao Ran claimed it ran on High-Energy Battery Packs while worrying that the captured MK-II’s nuclear engine could threaten Celestial Being if UNION learned about it.
• Xiao Ran took Raphael into his office and asked him to conceal that the captured unit was powered by nuclear energy, revealing that the Black Astray also used it.
• Xiao Ran told Raphael that he belonged to Celestial Being, founded by Aeolia Schenberg, and explained its plan to unite humanity by directing the world’s conflicts against itself.
• Xiao Ran warned Raphael that alien lifeforms would soon come to Earth and offered evidence, including a chance to speak with Aeolia, before inviting him to help establish an institution to address the crisis.

Xiao Ran secured Old Man Raphael’s agreement to inspect his organization, handled news of Celestial Being’s public appearance, and formally assumed command of the Japanese Special Economic Zone. At the military base, he inspected the captured Participants and entered Cell Three to speak privately with the woman who had surrendered.

• Old Man Raphael refused to join Xiao Ran’s organization before seeing its technology for himself, but agreed to visit and promised not to expose Xiao Ran’s identity.
• After learning that footage of the battle was spreading online, Xiao Ran told Brigadier General Mok’s adjutant to wait for the homeland’s response and ordered strict security around the prisoners.
• The President’s envoy formally appointed Xiao Ran the highest military commander of the Japanese Special Economic Zone, and Xiao Ran confirmed Graham and the other pilots’ promotions.
• Xiao Ran took Old Man Raphael to the base, where Raphael and Billy began examining the salvaged machines while the Participants were held in separate E-Carbon cells under heavy guard.
• A second lieutenant told Xiao Ran that the pilot of the white Ground Combat Gundam had been shot dead while attempting to escape, and identified Cell Three’s occupant as the sole Participant who had surrendered voluntarily.
• Xiao Ran went with Graham to meet the woman in Cell Three, and the second lieutenant opened her door and disabled the cell’s surveillance camera.