Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ran learned that the United States had fired three nuclear missiles, one toward Danner's Son and two toward Japan, and decided to intercept them personally. With less than an hour before impact, El-Elf calculated that launching immediately could reduce the damage, while Tessa and the others remained concerned about the danger.

• Tessa told Xiao Ran that three United States nuclear missiles were approaching: one aimed at Danner's Son and two headed toward Japan.
• Xiao Ran suspected the missiles aimed at Japan were warning strikes connected to his relationship with Japan, and Tessa warned that their detonations could cause widespread harm.
• Tessa said the missile targeting Danner's Son might be tracking a transmitter carried aboard by one of the rescued people, and she had ordered a search for it.
• Xiao Ran ordered preparations for the Variable Fighter and the N-Jammer, explaining that he would intercept all three missiles himself.
• Tessa brought Hayashimizu Atsunobu, El-Elf, Luo, Kalinin, and Richard to persuade Xiao Ran not to go, but El-Elf calculated that they had forty-five minutes and said departing immediately was worth attempting.

Xiao Ran prepared to pilot a Variable Fighter and intercept three nuclear missiles after El-Elf argued that doing so would demonstrate strength and protect their position in future cooperation. With the fighter checked and ready, Xiao Ran headed toward the mission while Tessa worried about him and struggled with her feelings.

• El-Elf explained to Tessa that intercepting the missiles themselves would avoid dragging the country into war and demonstrate that nuclear weapons could not threaten them.
• Tessa accepted Xiao Ran's decision, and Luo and Kalinin went to prepare the Variable Fighter.
• Xiao Ran told Hayashimizu Atsunobu to uncover and deal with the traitors obstructing their cooperation, while El-Elf went to assist Luo.
• After Tessa left Xiao Ran's room, she privately fretted over her appearance and urged herself to do her best.
• Xiao Ran changed into his Combat Suit and went to the hangar, where Luo and El-Elf confirmed the Variable Fighter was ready and recommended that he wear a helmet.

Xiao Ran intercepted the first nuclear warhead, then pursued the remaining two as his Variable Fighter reached its limits. A brilliant flash swallowed him and the targets, leaving Tessa staring at the vanished signals in disbelief.

• Xiao Ran launched from Danner's Son and climbed toward the first descending warhead while Tessa relayed the targets' positions and interception constraints.
• Xiao Ran entered the Innovator state and destroyed the first warhead with the Variable Fighter's weapons, sending its fragments toward the sea.
• Xiao Ran turned toward the remaining warheads as the crew aboard Danner's Son celebrated the first interception and Tessa worried about his safety.
• After twenty minutes, Xiao Ran brought the remaining warheads into range, but his engines overheated and the Variable Fighter shook at its altitude limit.
• A brilliant flash engulfed Xiao Ran and the remaining targets, and Tessa saw all three signals vanish from the tactical display.

Xiao Ran escaped a nuclear blast in his damaged Variable Fighter and crash-landed on a deserted Pacific island. Tessa and the others searched for him, while Xiao Ran survived the crash and realized he had been set up.

• Xiao Ran jettisoned the Variable Fighter's heavy armor and escaped the nuclear blast, then fought the heat of atmospheric entry while searching for a landing site.
• Tessa ordered the crew to search for Xiao Ran after his signal disappeared, and Luo and El-Elf concluded he had likely survived and began estimating where he landed.
• After more than an hour of searching, the crew found a transmitter aboard Danner's Son and captured the person who had brought it aboard.
• Xiao Ran's damaged Variable Fighter crashed on a deserted Pacific island, leaving him with minor injuries and the aircraft unusable.
• Xiao Ran stood beside the wreckage and realized someone had set him up.

Xiao Ran returned after destroying the damaged Variable Fighter and helped consolidate the alliance while Luo’s team developed N-Jammer technology. As the global war escalated and Soviet and American forces threatened the country, Xiao Ran prepared defenses and ordered Danner’s Son’s energy system fitted with an N-Jammer Canceller.

• Xiao Ran met Luo and Tessa on the isolated island, then joined Luo in destroying the Variable Fighter so no faction could recover its technology.
• Xiao Ran returned to Japan, where Doctor Peroz and other rescued Mithril Technicians joined Luo’s organization and Danner’s Son departed to recover scattered mercenaries without Xiao Ran.
• Xiao Ran became the leader of the alliance backed by the Lin Quan Family, while Luo accelerated production of N-Jammers and replicated N-Jammer Cancellers.
• The global war spread, and Soviet troops and an American fleet threatened the country from opposite directions.
• Hayashimizu Atsunobu informed Xiao Ran of the danger, and Xiao Ran ordered N-Jammer-equipped missiles and submarines prepared while Luo began installing an N-Jammer Canceller aboard Danner’s Son.

After activating the N-Jammers to cripple nuclear-powered forces and deter an expanding war, Xiao Ran learned that Luo had completed a more advanced Variable Fighter for him. The chapter ended with Xiao Ran and Tessa heading to the research facility to see the new mecha, while Xiao Ran began arranging for pilots to operate mass-produced Variable Fighters.

• Xiao Ran arrived at Danner's Son, where Luo was repairing its power system and Tessa explained how quickly he had understood the warship's energy problems.
• Xiao Ran told Tessa that the N-Jammers were active and that their effects would restrict nuclear-powered weapons, communications, and radar, limiting the threat of war.
• N-Jammers disabled AS units across the sea and caused two aircraft carriers in an approaching fleet to lose power.
• Luo told Xiao Ran that he had built a 171EX Variable Fighter with Little Eight installed to assist, and Xiao Ran promised to bring Little Eight back safely.
• Luo said Mithril could now produce one or two mass-produced Variable Fighters each week, so Xiao Ran asked Hayashimizu Atsunobu to begin selecting fighter and AS pilots.
• Xiao Ran and Tessa left Danner's Son for the research facility to inspect the new mecha.

Xiao Ran inspected the newly completed VF-171EX, a heavily armed Variable Fighter that Luo had built with the help of Chidori, Yani, and the country's technicians. He ordered preparations to activate the N-Jammers, welcome an expected attack, and declare war on Amalgam, then headed to pilot the machine.

• Luo and the technicians completed a true Variable Fighter within a month, using Yani's expertise in material technology to overcome a major obstacle.
• Xiao Ran examined the black VF-171EX and its upgraded weapons, armor, and Point Defense System.
• Tessa asked why Xiao Ran had not equipped the machine with a λ-DRIVER, and Xiao Ran said he could draw out very little of its power.
• Xiao Ran ordered Hayashimizu Atsunobu to launch N-Jammers, prepare to welcome their enemies, and announce the nuclear energy seal and war on Amalgam.
• Xiao Ran told Tessa and Hayashimizu Atsunobu to have El-Elf guard the research institute, then walked toward the VF-171EX.

Xiao Ran used the VF-171 to force an American fleet to surrender, then activated N-Jammers that sealed nuclear energy and disabled AS units worldwide. He swept through American and Soviet bases in the Bering Strait to halt their fighting, then returned to Japan, where a crowded meeting awaited him.

• Xiao Ran piloted the VF-171 to the American fleet and warned it to leave Japanese territorial waters, prompting its commander to surrender.
• Delivery missiles launched from Japan deployed N-Jammers around the world, shutting down nuclear facilities and disabling AS units.
• Xiao Ran flew to the Bering Strait, where the United States and Soviet Union were withdrawing after their forces lost power.
• Xiao Ran warned soldiers to evacuate each American and Soviet base before destroying any position whose troops refused to leave.
• After turning many Bering Strait positions into seas of fire, Xiao Ran returned to Japan to find a meeting full of reporters and important figures awaiting him.

Xiao Ran returned to Japan and used a press conference to announce that he had sealed Nuclear Energy worldwide and would wage war against Amalgam, while warning America and the Soviet Union to break free of its control. The country’s nominal leader unexpectedly appointed him general and wartime supreme commander, giving him full authority over military and political affairs.

• Xiao Ran arrived at the parliament plaza in the Variable Fighter, where reporters and onlookers crowded around to see the machine and him.
• Hayashimizu Nobuyoshi and the country’s nominal leader welcomed Xiao Ran and escorted him into parliament, where he was introduced to the ruling class and reporters.
• The nominal leader handed the floor to Xiao Ran, who announced that he had led the global sealing of Nuclear Energy to stop the war and prevent further nuclear attacks.
• Xiao Ran accused Amalgam of orchestrating the conflict and controlling America and the Soviet Union, then declared war on Amalgam and on those countries if they remained under its control.
• The nominal leader praised Xiao Ran and unexpectedly appointed him general and wartime supreme commander, granting him full authority over military and political affairs.

After the nominal leader publicly handed Xiao Ran control of the country, Xiao Ran and his allies managed the political fallout while exposing Amalgam and preparing for war. With Amalgam’s strongholds destroyed and Main Mission Two complete, Xiao Ran accepted an invitation to a ceasefire meeting that he knew was a trap and equipped his forces for the coming battle.

• The nominal leader declared that Xiao Ran would take charge of civil and military affairs, prompting Xiao Ran and his allies to meet at the Lin Quan Family residence and plan how to calm the public and manage the consequences.
• Xiao Ran released information exposing Amalgam’s members and crimes, triggering protests, purges, and unrest in the United States and Soviet Union while Amalgam’s λ-DRIVER units became unusable.
• Luo completed modifications to the Danner’s Son’s Energy System, and two Variable Fighters entered service as the institute began producing more units.
• Mithril informants told Xiao Ran that the United States, Soviet Union, and Amalgam had secretly agreed to cooperate against him, and Xiao Ran understood that they were seeking a chance to lure him into a trap.
• Xiao Ran and El-Elf led attacks on Amalgam strongholds, completing Main Mission Two, and Xiao Ran accepted an invitation to a ceasefire meeting scheduled after the mission ended.
• As the meeting approached, Xiao Ran ordered Luo to prepare more Variable Fighters, and Xiao Ran, Luo, El-Elf, Sousuke Sagara, Cruze, Melissa Mao, and other pilots prepared their units for the coming battle.

As Danner's Son headed for the Sydney armistice conference, Xiao Ran learned that Amalgam's Renard had received technical support from Taitarot, a highly capable participant who had enabled the mass production of third-generation AS. The discovery left Xiao Ran facing an unknown opponent, while Tessa remained unaware of why Taitarot's presence concerned him.

• Nearly every nation sent a delegation to Sydney to sign an armistice agreement and seek an answer from Xiao Ran about whether Nuclear Energy would remain sealed.
• Luo adjusted Variable Fighters for Sousuke Sagara, Cruze, Melissa Mao, and other Mithril pilots, and Xiao Ran chose to have El-Elf train them instead of testing them himself.
• Luo told Xiao Ran that Tessa and El-Elf had uncovered intelligence related to Amalgam, prompting Xiao Ran to go to the bridge.
• Xiao Ran recognized Renard in photographs of Soviet AS factories and learned from Tessa that the man beside him was her brother and an Amalgam executive.
• El-Elf identified the man in the lab coat as Taitarot, who headed Renard's Research Institution and had helped provide the technology for mass-producing third-generation AS.
• Xiao Ran realized Taitarot was a technologically skilled participant on the opposing side and asked Tessa why she had not told him sooner; she explained that Mithril had lost track of the investigation amid later events.

Xiao Ran suspected Renard and a technologically skilled participant were using Amalgam and the world’s growing chaos to prepare a plan to destroy and reset the world. After learning Renard’s base was in Cuba, Xiao Ran led an armed reconnaissance team and tested Luo’s improvised system for controlling multiple Variable Fighters.

• Xiao Ran reasoned that Renard and the participant might be engineering a world war to destroy and reset the world, and asked Tessa whether they had found Renard’s location.
• Tessa identified Cuba as the target, and Xiao Ran decided to investigate with El-Elf, Luo, and Mao while Tessa continued toward the Accord Conference.
• Luo installed improvised quasi-Psycho-frame chips in four Variable Fighters so Xiao Ran could try controlling the other pilots’ mecha through a neural link.
• Xiao Ran, El-Elf, Luo, and Mao launched from Danner's Son and headed toward Cuba, with Mao struggling to stabilize her first Variable Fighter.
• Xiao Ran connected to the other three mecha and took control, but they initially spun out of formation before he stabilized them.
• Xiao Ran discovered that the system provided only one-way control because he could not receive status information from the other mecha.

Xiao Ran tested the quasi-Psycho-frame chips and learned that his onboard computer could not handle feedback from three linked units at once, though Innovator mode let him precisely control two. The team reached Renard's research base, found it abandoned, and discovered an underground factory with damaged surveillance equipment.

• Little Eight's analysis showed that Xiao Ran's onboard computer could not process feedback from three units simultaneously, so he disconnected from El-Elf's and Lang Ba's units.
• Xiao Ran entered Innovator mode and used the quasi-Psycho-frame system to control multiple units, then concluded he could precisely control at most two without better computer processing power.
• Xiao Ran, Luo, El-Elf, and Lang Ba flew to Renard's research base and found no people or signs of activity in its surface warehouses.
• Xiao Ran sent El-Elf and Luo to look for underground facilities while Lang Ba continued searching the surface, and he guarded the area with the units.
• Luo reported that the warehouses connected to an abandoned underground factory, where El-Elf was examining damaged surveillance equipment for recoverable information.

Xiao Ran’s team discovered evidence of a flying mecha over forty-five meters tall at the abandoned research factory and prepared for a difficult fight against the participant linked to Renard. Luo rushed to build a Flight Pack for the Melee Type Astray, completing a makeshift design as Main Mission Two ended.

• Xiao Ran found four enormous footprints and scorch marks at the collapsed warehouse, indicating that a flying mecha at least forty-five meters tall had been there.
• Luo reported that the factory had produced mechas no taller than thirty-five meters, while Xiao Ran and El-Elf suspected another participant brought the larger machine.
• Xiao Ran ordered El-Elf to investigate Amalgam, the Accord Conference, and both enemy mechas, then told Luo to improve the Melee Type Astray for the coming fight.
• Luo returned to Japan and organized Chidori, Yani, and the Research Institution’s department heads to build a Flight Pack using Justice Gundam’s blueprint and salvaged Variable Fighter components.
• As Danner’s Son reached Sydney and Main Mission Two ended, Luo’s team completed a hybrid Flight Pack equipped with four Thermonuclear Energy Engines, two Beam Sabers, and four Beam Guns.

Xiao Ran waited in Sydney for Renard to make his move while the peace conference continued, then Danner's Son sounded an alarm as coordinated attacks began. The chapter ended with machines attacking the city and Xiao Ran's country, while the N-Jammer Cancellers were destroyed.

• Xiao Ran received Main Mission Three: ensure the Peace Accord Conference proceeded, sign the Peace Treaty, and kill or capture Renard Testarossa.
• Xiao Ran kept Danner's Son concealed near Sydney and waited for Renard and the other hostile Participants to appear as the conference continued.
• After half a month of calm, an alarm sounded aboard Danner's Son, and Kalinin reported that more than fifteen types of machines were destroying the city while Xiao Ran's country was also under attack.
• Luo reported that every N-Jammer Canceller device in Xiao Ran's country had self-destructed.
• El-Elf reported that Chidori and Yani were under the Lin Quan Family's protection, the Research Institution was sealed and destroying its data, and no machines over fifty meters tall had appeared in Sydney.

Yufang and Yulan took Tessa and Richard hostage aboard Danner's Son, but Luo and El-Elf rescued them before the twins could escape. With the ship exposed and Sydney under attack, Xiao Ran ordered a sortie and headed toward the fighting.

• Kalinin reported that Yufang and Yulan had taken the captain and first officer hostage and demanded that Danner's Son surface and prepare a helicopter.
• Xiao Ran ordered Luo and El-Elf to rescue the hostages, then learned that the twins had rigged explosives around themselves, Tessa, and Richard.
• Luo and El-Elf stormed the helicopter, severed the twins' arms, and carried Tessa and Richard to safety before the helicopter exploded.
• The blast jammed Danner's Son's hatch, so Xiao Ran ordered the ship to deploy its forces while Cruz cleared the launch platform.
• After reassuring Tessa and Richard, Xiao Ran launched in his Variable Fighter and flew toward the attack in Sydney, leaving El-Elf and Luo to defend the ship and deal with hostile participants.

Xiao Ran confronted Destroyer, a heavily armored unit whose Energy Shield and λ-DRIVER defenses made it difficult to damage. In Sydney, Luo and the others began clearing the city of hostile participants while Xiao Ran and Destroyer remained locked in a stalemate.

• Xiao Ran flew into Japan and found the fleet and city devastated by Destroyer, a unit built with Renard technology and a participant’s technical expertise.
• Destroyer fired four guided Energy Rounds at Xiao Ran, but he dodged them with the Variable Fighter.
• Xiao Ran attacked Destroyer, but its Energy Shield and λ-DRIVER defenses absorbed almost all the damage.
• Xiao Ran and Destroyer exchanged attacks without either side inflicting serious harm, leaving Xiao Ran concerned about the other groups.
• Luo and his allies entered Sydney and split into groups to clear the city, while Cruz provided aerial sniper support.
• Luo charged into Sydney’s central battle and sliced a participant’s unit in two with his Gundam Astray’s longsword.

Luo and the Mithril forces stopped the attack on the city, but El-Elf discovered that most of the destroyed machines had produced no participant kill notifications and suspected a larger plot. He realized the attackers might be targeting Xiao Ran in Japan and rushed there with Luo and the others, where a huge shadow descended on Xiao Ran’s Variable Fighter.

• Luo and the Mithril forces defeated the attacking machines, but the battle left the city in ruins.
• El-Elf delayed the Danaan’s return and moved it farther out to sea because the attack seemed suspicious.
• El-Elf found that only one-third of the destroyed targets produced participant kill notifications and questioned where the real participants had gone.
• El-Elf suspected the attack was part of a conspiracy and realized the attackers might have targeted Xiao Ran, so he flew toward Japan with Luo and the others.
• A massive black shadow swooped toward Xiao Ran’s Variable Fighter as he fought the machine codenamed Destroyer.

Xiao Ran faced a pincer attack from Guren Gishin Type-2 and Annihilation Angel, identifying both powerful Super Robots as he tested their abilities. He evaded their attacks, but his expression changed as another danger emerged while he dived toward the ground.

• A massive black aircraft transformed into a fifty-meter Mecha and joined Annihilation Angel in surrounding Xiao Ran’s Variable Fighter.
• Xiao Ran used his Scout Skill to identify the new Mecha as Guren Gishin Type-2 and confirmed that Annihilation Angel possessed the λ-DRIVER trait.
• Xiao Ran escaped the encirclement and evaded four guided iron fists before charging at Guren Gishin.
• Annihilation Angel gathered energy for a powerful attack while Guren Gishin rushed Xiao Ran; Xiao Ran slashed Guren Gishin’s abdomen and launched missiles and beams at Annihilation Angel.
• Annihilation Angel released an enormous energy phoenix that destroyed Xiao Ran’s missiles, forcing him to evade it as Guren Gishin attacked again.
• Xiao Ran dived toward the ground to escape both enemies, then noticed a new danger and broke into a cold sweat.

Xiao Ran survived Annihilation Angel’s Energy Bird detonating at close range, but the Variable Fighter suffered severe damage and energy loss. He escaped the blast only to face Guren Gishin’s heat ray and Annihilation Angel’s Plasma Cannons with most of his systems failing.

• The Energy Bird repeatedly pursued Xiao Ran while Annihilation Angel remained frozen, and Xiao Ran realized its control came at the cost of the mech’s mobility.
• Guren Gishin stopped its charge and exposed its chest as the Energy Bird suddenly detonated around the Variable Fighter.
• Xiao Ran routed the Variable Fighter’s energy into its defenses and thrusters, enduring the blast long enough to escape the burning cloud.
• Guren Gishin fired its chest heat ray while Annihilation Angel resumed control and attacked with four Plasma Cannons.
• The Variable Fighter’s defenses, armor, and engine began failing, its remaining energy fell to nine percent, and its weapon systems went offline except for Micro Missiles.