Chapter Summaries

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.

Xiao Ran took command of Danner's Son and prepared Mithril for a dangerous operation, insisting that Tessa trust his judgment. Luo arrived with the completed black Variable Fighter, leaving Xiao Ran with a powerful new machine and its exhausted engineer.

• Xiao Ran explained to Tessa that he had taken control to protect her and Mithril from a threat beyond their current capabilities.
• Richard announced that General Jerome had placed Danner's Son under Xiao Ran's command and that a delivery from Logistics was waiting.
• Xiao Ran ordered Danner's Son to load every missile and said he would provide bombardment coordinates if necessary.
• Luo arrived aboard the black VF-19-style Variable Fighter, landing dramatically on Danner's Son's deck.
• Luo handed Little Eight to Xiao Ran and said he needed to sleep after working for several days.

Tessa and Richard inspected the Variable Fighter while Xiao Ran studied its specifications, but the machine triggered a dangerous resonance between Chidori and Yani. After Xiao Ran broke the connection and sent them to the infirmary, he reflected on Chidori’s unusual role and examined the fighter’s armaments and systems.

• Tessa and Richard examined the Variable Fighter, while Xiao Ran reviewed its technical data and Luo looked it over.
• Chidori and Yani began murmuring technical observations in unison, and Xiao Ran slapped them to break their trance.
• Chidori regained consciousness and Yani fainted as Xiao Ran sensed their connected minds and a hostile stream of information.
• Tessa took Chidori and Yani toward the infirmary, and Xiao Ran asked Luo to have El-Elf protect them.
• Xiao Ran concluded that the Variable Fighter had triggered a resonance that awakened Yani and examined the fighter’s weapons, engines, and armor.

Xiao Ran prepared Mithril’s forces for an assault on the target island, assigning Luo the Demon King Mecha and taking command himself in a Variable Fighter. After El-Elf exposed five traitors aboard the Danner’s Son, Xiao Ran launched the operation and led the attack toward the island.

• Xiao Ran reviewed the Variable Fighter’s limitations with Richard and ordered him to help El-Elf find suspicious crew members aboard the Danner’s Son.
• Luo tested the Demon King Mecha and discovered he could use its λ-DRIVER, though he needed greater fighting spirit and strength to activate it.
• Captain Gale McAllen and the combat team saluted Xiao Ran, who took command and ordered everyone to board their machines.
• El-Elf captured five suspected traitors, including two SRT members, while Kalinin began interrogating them and El-Elf guarded Chidori, Tessa, and Yani.
• Xiao Ran flew toward the target island as the others approached underwater, then assigned landing points and ordered the troops to retreat if they encountered a red AS.

Xiao Ran piloted the Variable Fighter through heavy fire and destroyed the AS units guarding Landing Site A. After warning the incoming squads that enemy numbers exceeded intelligence reports, he flew toward Landing Site B and came under anti-air fire from the base.

• Xiao Ran evaded the AS units’ Fire Snakes while diving toward Landing Site A.
• Xiao Ran launched six missiles, then used the explosions as cover to attack and destroy most of the defenders.
• Xiao Ran cleared the remaining AS units at Landing Site A and warned the First and Second Squads to approach carefully.
• Xiao Ran flew toward Landing Site B, but base defenses fired shells and missiles at his Variable Fighter.
• Xiao Ran transformed into Fortress Mode and shot down the incoming missiles while Tessa, Chidori, and the Danner's Son's bridge crew watched in shock.

Xiao Ran annihilated the enemy AS units at both landing points, letting Mithril’s forces advance to the base without resistance. Finding the base eerily quiet, he ordered a withdrawal and stayed behind to investigate the apparent trap.

• Tessa and Richard questioned Xiao Ran’s abilities, while El-Elf told them he could overwhelm the island’s forces with a fully equipped machine.
• Xiao Ran pursued the retreating AS units and destroyed them in a rapid attack despite their attempt to encircle him.
• Mithril’s Landing Forces advanced to the military base without meeting resistance, and Xiao Ran joined the second squad outside it.
• Captain Malanka asked whether they should inspect the base, but Xiao Ran ordered everyone to withdraw and contact Danner's Son.
• Xiao Ran told Sousuke and Luo to cover the retreat, then entered the base alone and headed toward the warehouse on the operational map.