Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ran and Sheryl joined the battle at Freya’s ruined debut concert, where an unknown Variable Fighter squad attacked amid Berserk Syndrome. Sheryl began singing through Guardian Type 3 as Xiao Ran rescued Yao Bacania and Freya and fought back, leaving the song resonating in the hearts of people across the city.

• Sheryl recognized the strange feeling as the Song of the Wind as Xiao Ran brought Feiying and the others down to Andor Star.
• Xiao Ran landed at the damaged concert venue, tasked Sheryl with helping there, and took control of Feiying to rescue Yao Bacania and Freya.
• Sheryl changed into her special uniform and began singing through Guardian Type 3’s Song Weapon.
• Xiao Ran destroyed the missiles pursuing Yao Bacania and Freya, shielded them with Feiying, and asked Hayate to take them back to the stage.
• Freya and Yao Bacania felt Sheryl’s song appear directly in their hearts.

Xiao Ran used Eagle’s Rainbow Cannon to stop the berserk fighters and missiles over the city while Sheryl’s song calmed the pilots and civilians. The Kingdom of Windermere claimed responsibility for the attack, warned that the Brishigaman Cluster would become dangerous, and Xiao Ran learned that another planet had already been occupied.

• Xiao Ran unleashed Eagle’s Rainbow Cannon, destroying missiles and disabling most of the attacking fighters without killing their pilots.
• Sheryl’s song helped the berserk New Unified pilots regain control, and the city’s skies grew quiet as civilians watched the spectacle.
• A mysterious fighter squad revealed its emblems and identified itself as the Knights Order of the Kingdom of Windermere.
• A blond Windermere pilot apologized to Xiao Ran, said they wanted to reclaim what belonged to them, and urged him to leave the Brishigaman Cluster with Sheryl.
• Xiao Ran received Arad’s message that Borudol had already been occupied by the Kingdom of Windermere.

Windermere declared war on the New Unified Government and demanded that its forces leave the Brishigaman Cluster. Xiao Ran let the Windermere pilots depart, but the exchange made him realize the crisis was more serious than he had thought.

• Lloyd Frame announced that the Kingdom of Windermere was at war with New Unified and called for the withdrawal of its army from the Brishigaman Cluster.
• The Blonde Man told Xiao Ran that Windermere sought freedom through its own strength and apologized for choosing war and using VAJRA bacteria rather than seeking dialogue.
• Xiao Ran criticized Windermere’s actions, said his envoy was already on the way, and let the six Windermere machines leave.
• Xiao Ran landed beside Sheryl and Delta Squad, where Freya struggled to accept that her country had started the conflict.
• Sheryl asked Xiao Ran whether the situation was under control, and he assured her that he would handle it while privately recognizing the danger.

Xiao Ran explained why he would not grant Windermere independence without its request, then gathered information and allies as war with the Unity Army approached. After reviewing Kane’s report, he planned to investigate Windermere’s demands and capabilities while using the conflict to purge the Unity Army and strengthen control over the New Unified.

• Hayate challenged Xiao Ran over his calmness and concern for Freya and Chuck, but Xiao Ran said Windermere had only asked him for aid and had never requested independence.
• Xiao Ran asked Arad for information about Windermere, Berserk Syndrome, the star cluster, and the Unity Army’s actions, then invited the Valkyrie members to travel with his fleet.
• Makina, Reina, Yao Bacania, and Mirage chose to accompany Freya aboard the approaching warship, while Sheryl stayed with Freya to comfort her.
• Xiao Ran read Kane’s investigation report and agreed that they needed to reduce their reliance on the New Unified for intelligence and tighten control over its Intelligence Department.
• Xiao Ran approved sending Zenga and the others to investigate Windermere’s demands and trump cards, and said the war could provide an opportunity to purge the Unity Army.

Xiao Ran and Kane assessed Windermere’s hidden strength and concluded that its confidence might come from Berserk Syndrome, a singer, or the Ruins of the Previous Civilization. Xiao Ran agreed to bring in forces from other worlds and swiftly suppress Windermere while investigating the Ruins and avoiding possible VAJRA infection.

• Kane explained that Windermere sought independence and its former interests, but Xiao Ran judged it could not gain true freedom without provoking New Unified’s retaliation.
• Kane and Xiao Ran considered whether Windermere’s confidence came from a hidden trump card and whether the Fleet was being used as a refuge or being deliberately kept at a distance.
• Kane suggested that Windermere might be experimenting with Berserk Syndrome, developing a singer capable of challenging the Fleet’s diva, or controlling the Ruins of the Previous Civilization.
• Kane recommended that the Fleet use its strongest forces to suppress Windermere before its hidden capabilities could become a greater threat.
• Xiao Ran approved the plan, ordered that reinforcements from other worlds sever contact with this world, and directed the Fleet to investigate the Ruins and uncover how Berserk Syndrome and its bacteria worked.

After returning to Ragna, Xiao Ran arranged defenses against Windermere and prepared to coordinate with the New Unified. He then joined Captain Ernest and Gaius personnel for an intelligence exchange, where a map and images were brought up for the briefing.

• Xiao Ran sent both Shanamias, both Lacuses, and Artemis from Ragna to the Fleet, while Mwu, Sheryl, Saki Maski, and Miyoshi Meiya stayed behind.
• Xiao Ran planned to rotate in military forces from several worlds, isolate VAJRA-infected personnel, and have Lanka consult the Bug Empress about controlling and countering the bacteria.
• Xiao Ran prepared to suppress Windermere once the forces from the other worlds assembled, while the New Unified also prepared to strike back.
• Two days after returning to Ragna, Xiao Ran attended Captain Ernest's invitation with Sheryl, Kane, El-Elf, Aiba Shinyo, and Saki Maski.
• Xiao Ran introduced Kane and El-Elf as heads of his Fleet's special intelligence agency and said they would coordinate with Ernest.
• Yo Bakaniya activated a virtual display showing images and a large map as the intelligence exchange began.

Arad and the others discussed Windermere’s forces and its role in the Berserk Syndrome incidents, learning that Xiao Ran’s fleet had once supplied Windermere with fighter technology. The chapter left the group suspecting Windermere had used abnormal FOLD Waves to control defenders and seize Borudol Planet without fighting.

• Arad explained that Windermere was isolated by Dimensional Faults and that its SV-262 Demon Dragon IIIs had been built with technical support from Xiao Ran’s fleet.
• Kane confirmed that the fleet had supplied Windermere with fighter technology, and Xiao Ran treated the disclosure as unimportant.
• Arad identified Dvent as commander of Windermere’s Aerial Knights Order and explained that the White Knight title passed to the order’s strongest member.
• Ernest said Windermere’s fighters had turned black after the war with the Unified, while Kane noted that Windermere put the fleet’s name first in its external dealings.
• Yao Bacania reported that Windermere had orchestrated only some Berserk Syndrome incidents, using abnormal nonstandard FOLD Waves to control rioters.
• Yao Bacania said Windermere may have captured Borudol Planet without bloodshed by controlling its defense forces.

Xiao Ran questioned Gaius about Berserk Syndrome and warned that another force might be conducting experiments. He then announced his intention to acquire Gaius, while Kane and Xiao Ran later suspected New Unified was behind any other experiments, possibly targeting them.

• Xiao Ran asked Yao Bacania about the likelihood, frequency, and origins of Berserk Syndrome outbreaks, and Kane questioned her about recorded cases and transmission.
• Ernest asked whether other forces might be experimenting with Berserk Syndrome, and Xiao Ran said Gaius should share any intelligence it uncovered.
• Xiao Ran told Ernest he wanted to acquire Gaius and promised to upgrade its equipment, prompting Ernest to agree to relay the proposal to Gaius's higher-ups.
• Xiao Ran left with Sheryl while Kane and El-Elf stayed to exchange intelligence with Gaius, then returned to the Burning Legion with Ernest's data.
• Kane asked Xiao Ran who might be controlling other Berserk Syndrome experiments, and Xiao Ran suspected New Unified was targeting them.

After reviewing Gaius’s intelligence, Xiao Ran concluded that the New Unified had secretly investigated the Brishigaman Cluster Ruins and that the fleet needed to take control of the Unification. The chapter left Xiao Ran’s group planning to investigate the Unification’s research and secure or destroy the Ruins.

• Kane and El-Elf sent Gaius’s intelligence to the Intelligence Department for analysis, and Xiao Ran, Kane, El-Elf, and Mwu reviewed the report.
• Xiao Ran learned that the Unification had concealed most of its information about the Brishigaman Cluster Ruins and had gone to war with Windermere to occupy the Ruins there.
• Kane said Gaius may have introduced the Unification to the Ruins and possibly led its early investigations, but he warned that Gaius’s intelligence needed verification.
• Kane noted that the report did not establish any link between the Unification and the VAJRA bacteria or reveal how far the Unification’s research had progressed.
• El-Elf urged the group to determine whether the Unification’s VAJRA research posed a threat and to seize, investigate, and then destroy the Ruins.

Xiao Ran prepared to purge Earth Unified and bring corporations across the galaxy under his influence while Windermere pressed its campaign against New Unified. After learning that Windermere’s young singer would succeed its dying king and that Unified also used VAJRA bacteria, Xiao Ran set his plans in motion as a massive fleet departed and a Ruins was discovered.

• Sanger returned from Windermere and reported that its king was near death and its singer was next in line to rule.
• Xiao Ran decided to capture Windermere’s future king during the coming attack and strengthened his resolve to purge Unified after learning it used VAJRA bacteria.
• Xiao Ran sent delegations across the galaxy to negotiate corporate acquisitions, while Cruze led a large group to Earth to purge Earth Unified under cover of business talks.
• Kane sent Magius agents to help Cruze by taking over important figures if necessary.
• About half a month later, a massive fleet departed, and influential figures discovered a Ruins on a planet in the Brishigaman Cluster.

Xiao Ran rejected Gaius’s demand that he travel to Earth for acquisition talks, warning that he would take control of the company regardless. Ernest then offered intelligence about a suspected Windermere factory on Borudol and sought Xiao Ran’s support for an investigation.

• Ernest told Xiao Ran that Gaius would negotiate an acquisition only if Xiao Ran came to Earth.
• Xiao Ran refused to travel to Earth for now and said Gaius’s leaders could meet him on Ragna or aboard his fleet.
• Xiao Ran warned Ernest that he would acquire Gaius regardless of the cost and told him to relay the threat to Gaius’s leadership.
• Ernest reported that Gaius had discovered a secret Windermere factory on Borudol that might produce the substance behind Berserk Syndrome.
• Ernest asked Xiao Ran to support an investigation of the factory, offering the intelligence as a gesture of cooperation.

Xiao Ran arranged for Kane to help Ernest investigate a secret factory and discussed a possible Ruins investigation on El-Sahar, revealing sensitive information that alarmed Ernest. After Ernest left, Xiao Ran reaffirmed his determination to acquire Gaius and keep the Valkyrie Squad and its songstresses under his control.

• Xiao Ran agreed to provide people to cooperate with Ernest, and Kane arrived to discuss the secret factory and preparations for possible combat.
• Kane assigned his people to investigate the El-Sahar Ruins, which Ing and Master Asia had found clues pointing toward in a hidden dimension.
• Ernest realized he had overheard classified information and feared that Gaius and he would be absorbed into Xiao Ran's organization.
• Xiao Ran told Ernest to work with Kane and familiarize himself with the Fleet, while Ernest remained silent rather than accept or refuse.
• After Ernest and Kane left, Xiao Ran dismissed Gaius's proposal that he go to Earth and resolved to acquire Gaius and secure the Valkyrie Squad and its songstresses.

Ernest learned that Kane’s Borudol investigation had uncovered a possible link between Borudol water, Windermere apples, and Berserk Syndrome, while also revealing the F Fleet’s frightening intelligence capabilities. Xiao Ran then appeared in Ernest’s office and declared that he had taken control of Gaius’s Ragna Branch and would begin training its personnel.

• Yao Bacania and Arad reported that the F Fleet’s operatives could use unexplained abilities to control others, and that they had found Borudol water and Windermere apples at the secret factory.
• Arad said Kane suspected the water and apples produced a substance that triggered Berserk Syndrome, and Yao Bacania said the team was testing the products and their export destinations.
• Ernest told Yao Bacania and Arad that the F Fleet had surrounded Laguna Planet and was already positioned to take control of Gaius, including its Valkyrie team.
• Xiao Ran, Kane, and El-Elf entered Ernest’s office, where Xiao Ran said he was now Gaius’s largest owner and would directly command its Ragna Branch.
• Xiao Ran ordered Gaius’s pilots, Valkyrie team, and Ernest to undergo three months of special training with his fleet.

Xiao Ran acquired Gaius and placed the Ragna Branch under his direct command, while revealing that the takeover had involved coercive methods alongside voluntary agreements. He ordered the branch to prepare for fleet training, leaving the Valkyries on Windermere while Delta Squad and the other forces departed.

• Cruze, Shirakawa Shuu, and Yuzes acquired more than sixty percent of Gaius's shares, transferred its command authority to Xiao Ran, and began preparations to purge Earth's New Unified Government.
• Ernest received official notice that Gaius had become an F Fleet subsidiary, and he, Yao, and Arad accepted Xiao Ran's authority over the Ragna Branch.
• Yao Bacania asked whether the acquisition was legal, and Xiao Ran admitted that it was barely lawful on the surface and that some owners had received different treatment.
• Xiao Ran ordered the Ragna Branch to transfer its intelligence to Kane or El-Elf and prepare to move to the fleet for special training.
• Xiao Ran agreed to leave the Valkyries on Windermere while Delta Squad and the other combat forces joined the fleet, where they would be assessed and trained.

Xiao Ran arranged rigorous training and assessments for the Delta Squad, believing its members might become useful to Gaius or the Burning Legion. The Gaius members left Ragna for the F Fleet, while the Burning Legion took over the branch’s duties.

• Xiao Ran judged the Delta Squad to be middle-tier and considered Hayate a talented but undisciplined pilot who might qualify for the Steel Dragon Squad.
• Xiao Ran left Ernest with El-Elf to handle intelligence and took the Valkyrie team away, assigning guards to protect them on Laguna Planet.
• Xiao Ran told Kane to arrange formal training for Ernest and the Delta Squad, followed by trials in the MUV World and a final mission to clear BETA from a planet.
• Xiao Ran set passing conditions that included destroying at least three hives without Reaction Missiles or MDE Bomb warheads, and promised customized Variable Fighters to those who reached B-class pilot level.
• The Gaius members of the Ragna Branch departed for the F Fleet through the FOLD Jump Channel, and the Burning Legion took over the branch’s responsibilities.

Xiao Ran learned that Mei Yun was a three-year-old clone of a Star Singer and ordered preparations for a swift operation against Windermere. Three days later, his fleet was assembled, and he gave Windermere twelve hours to withdraw from its occupied planets or face suppression.

• El-Elf reported that Mei Yun had been cloned from cells found in the Windermere Ruins and might be the key to opening them.
• Xiao Ran ordered increased protection for Mei Yun and planned a suppression operation against Windermere in three days.
• Xiao Ran told El-Elf to capture important Windermere personnel before the operation and notify Windermere of the coming attack.
• Three days later, Xiao Ran boarded the New Jior with Sheryl and Valkyrie as the fleet assembled under Jeffrey's command.
• Xiao Ran gave Windermere twelve hours to abandon its occupied planets and withdraw, or the fleet would begin suppression operations.

Xiao Ran's forces took Windermere without a battle, and he questioned its leaders about their plans and the Proto Civilization warship Sigur Valens. After assigning Heinz to cure those affected by Berserk Syndrome, Xiao Ran began using his powers to extract the truth from Chancellor Loid.

• El-Elf and Kane's infiltration force captured Windermere's leaders before a battle could begin, while Xiao Ran's fleet spread across the Brishigaman Cluster.
• Heinz told Xiao Ran that Sigur Valens, also called the Wind King, was a weapon left by the Proto Civilization.
• Xiao Ran asked Heinz to restore those affected by Berserk Syndrome, and sent him away with El-Elf.
• Xiao Ran questioned Loid about Windermere's plans, but Loid claimed he had only helped Heinz reclaim Brishigaman from New Unified.
• Xiao Ran accused Loid of directing the plan and pressed his hand to Loid's head to learn the truth directly.

Xiao Ran exposed Loid’s plan to use the Star Singer, VAJRA bacteria, and the Proto Civilization Ruins to merge life across the galaxy and gain immortality. Loid was arrested, and Xiao Ran left his fate to death while Gis confronted him over his betrayal.

• Xiao Ran extracted Loid’s memories and ordered his guards to take him away and isolate him.
• Xiao Ran told Gis that Loid had planned to use Berserk Syndrome and Heinz’s singing to drive the New Unified out of the Brishigaman Cluster.
• Xiao Ran revealed that Loid’s real goal was to activate the Ruins through the Star Singer and create a galaxy-wide mental network at the cost of all life.
• Loid admitted he had pursued true eternity for Windermere and lamented that he had failed.
• Gis punched Loid and told him that flying together through the sky had already been eternity to him.
• Xiao Ran ordered the guards to remove Loid, whose fate he had decided would be death.

Xiao Ran forced Gis to take control of Windermere, accept strict conditions, and cooperate with the Fleet after Loid’s defeat. As Fleet personnel began stabilizing the region, Ernest and the Ragna Branch arrived at Fleet Territory and saw its immense forces for the first time.

• Gis accepted that Loid could not be spared and agreed to Xiao Ran’s demands for Windermere.
• Xiao Ran ordered Gis to recall Windermere’s forces, withdraw its declaration of war, hand over intelligence, and cooperate with inspections, while taking Heinz away for education.
• Gis ordered his subordinates to follow Xiao Ran’s instructions and admitted Windermere had been wrong.
• The Fleet sent personnel to Windermere to stabilize the region and investigate the Ruins, while Cruze continued the purge of Earth’s New Unified.
• Ernest and the Ragna Branch arrived in Fleet Territory and saw its vast warships, Variable Fighters, MS, VAJRA, and enormous structures.

Ernest and Delta Squad arrived with the Elysion at the immense F Fleet, where they learned of its vast forces and advanced technology. After the fleet took control of their ship, a colonel ordered them to undergo separate training and revealed that the fleet served as a public name for the Burning Legion.

• Arad, Ernest, Hayate, and Mirage surveyed the fleets, Dyson Sphere, and forces gathered in Fleet Territory as Ernest described the fleet's strength and its suppression of Windermere.
• Ernest obeyed the Fleet Control Department's order, and fleet forces surrounded, boarded, inspected, and secured the Elysion in the Military Port.
• A colonel informed Ernest that he and Delta Squad would receive different training, follow strict secrecy rules, and temporarily leave the Elysion after preparing for an hour.
• The colonel explained that the team would receive Personal Terminals and Level One Authority, and warned them against violating security restrictions.
• The colonel welcomed Ernest and Delta Squad to the Burning Legion and reminded them to collect new uniforms at their training locations.