Chapter Summaries

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.

Xiao Ran overwhelmed Sakura's Lavisa Xiu and destroyed the machines supporting her. As the Shadow-Mirror machines Earth God and Usurper joined the fight, Xiao Ran unleashed his wings and evaded their attacks.

• Lavisa Xiu and several allied machines attacked Xiao Ran, but their fire barely affected his machine.
• Xiao Ran charged Sakura, overpowered Lavisa Xiu in close combat, and sent it crashing into the ground.
• Xiao Ran fired successive volleys of homing green beams that pierced and destroyed the supporting machines.
• Earth God and Usurper attacked Xiao Ran after the other machines exploded.
• Xiao Ran spread his wings, accelerated through the air, and evaded Earth God's drills and Usurper's sword with a trail of afterimages.

Xiao Ran used his machine’s superior speed and firepower to evade the Usurper and Earth God while decimating the Rebel Army and Shadow Mirror forces. He watched Wendrou Moussa for signs of Zovok’s involvement, ready to order the Steel Dragon Squad to withdraw if Wendrou mentioned them.

• Xiao Ran evaded Wendrou Moussa’s Usurper and the Earth God, which could not match his machine’s speed or keep him from attacking.
• Xiao Ran swept the battlefield with beam attacks and Floating Weapons, destroying enemy machines while avoiding the opposing forces’ fire.
• The Rebel Army and Shadow Mirror forces struggled to counter Xiao Ran because grouping together would leave them vulnerable to his attacks, while their headquarters kept them from retreating.
• Wendrou Moussa grew furious as Xiao Ran ignored the ace pilots and continued attacking ordinary troops.
• Xiao Ran monitored Wendrou for signs of a Zovok alliance and planned to order the Steel Dragon Squad to withdraw if Wendrou said Zovok’s name.

Xiao Ran provoked Wendrou into revealing the Usurper’s speed and defensive abilities, then realized the Sacred Spirit XN System made the machine too dangerous to leave intact. After Wendrou’s furious threat, Xiao Ran sent a message to the Iron Fortress.

• Xiao Ran sent his GN Dragoons after the Usurper and hit it with a powerful beam attack.
• Wendrou used duplicate phantoms and his greatsword to absorb and deflect the beam, then burst toward Xiao Ran at tremendous speed.
• Xiao Ran quantumized his mech to evade the Usurper’s slashes and reappeared at a distance.
• Wendrou vowed to destroy Xiao Ran, Satellite Integration, and the Earth Defense Force, and Xiao Ran relayed a message to the Iron Fortress.

Xiao Ran confronted Wendrou on Hades Island and pieced together the Rebel Army and Shadow Mirror’s plan to seize Genesis on the Moon while the Earth Defense Force was occupied. The chapter left Wendrou waiting for Zovok reinforcements and the Moon unit, unaware that Xiao Ran’s allies could counter the artificial humans without machines.

• Xiao Ran ordered White Star and Satellite Integration to strengthen their defenses and sent the Flying Dragon and Platinum to join the battle.
• Xiao Ran sensed Wendrou’s intense killing intent and prepared to fight as Sanger, Elsam, and additional warships arrived nearby.
• Xiao Ran realized the Hades Island battle was a diversion intended to pin down the Steel Dragon Squad while an artificial-human unit infiltrated Moon Base to seize Genesis.
• Wendrou hoped the Moon unit would capture Genesis and that Zovok reinforcements would help defeat the Steel Dragon Squad and Xiao Ran.
• Wendrou remained unaware that Xiao Ran’s Burning Legion and the Geradi could handle the artificial humans even without piloting machines.

Xiao Ran sent Zengar and Elsam to hold off the other machines while he confronted Wendrou and the Usurper. Fearing Wendrou would threaten innocent people and those he loved, Xiao Ran activated Quantum Assimilation and launched a decisive attack, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Xiao Ran told Zengar that the Earth God’s pilot might be his clone or another-world counterpart, then sent him and Elsam to engage the other machines.
• The other pilots concentrated their attacks on Zengar and Elsam, drawing them into a chaotic battle while Xiao Ran faced the Usurper.
• Xiao Ran unleashed a vast storm of GN Particles across Hades Island and warned Wendrou that he would die that day.
• Xiao Ran activated Quantum Assimilation, spreading his senses across Hades Island and driving his abilities and machine into a complete burst mode.
• Xiao Ran used his psychokinesis and particle control to rush the Usurper and strike it with crystal-coated weapons.