Recaps

Chen Kong was badly wounded while buying time for strangers to escape Molten Mountain, but he used Jing Liuli’s Daytime Dream to create blue Sweet Dream Candy and restore his ability to fight. With a renewed will to survive, he stood up and aimed his gun at Molten Mountain again.

• Chen Kong’s Mark of the Void bullet passed through an illusion of Molten Mountain, and the real Molten Mountain struck him down with a powerful blow.
• Molten Mountain identified Chen Kong’s Star Source as one that could nullify Star Source abilities and explained that its weakness left Chen Kong vulnerable to physical attacks.
• As Chen Kong lay badly injured, memories of Brother Tian Dao helped him reaffirm that he should act according to his own convictions.
• Chen Kong suppressed the Mark of the Void and used The Visionary to copy Jing Liuli’s Daytime Dream, creating blue Sweet Dream Candy from his determination to survive.
• Chen Kong ate the candy, temporarily recovering and strengthening his body, then rose and aimed his gun at Molten Mountain.

Chen Kong used the surge in Star Energy from the fake Sweet Dream Candy to nearly kill Molten Mountain, but Claude’s Mechanical Shrine blocked the shot. When Molten Mountain’s false choice forced Chen Kong to risk himself saving the trapped supermarket employees, Tiandao arrived and confronted Molten Mountain and Claude.

• Chen Kong poured all his Star Energy into the Black Gun and fired a Mark of the Void Bullet that pierced Molten Mountain’s magma defense, but Claude’s Mechanical Shrine stopped it.
• Molten Mountain trapped supermarket employees behind a wall of fire and challenged Chen Kong to choose between saving them and escaping alone.
• Chen Kong charged toward the flames despite the Mechanical Shrine falling toward him, using his remaining Star Energy to clear magma from the employees’ path.
• Tiandao kicked the Mechanical Shrine away and told Chen Kong to do what he thought was right while Tiandao handled the rest.
• Chen Kong rushed into the flames to rescue the employees as Tiandao faced Molten Mountain and Claude, then appeared before Molten Mountain and began forming Black Azure at his brow.

Tiandao’s flashback revealed why he possessed the confidence to join the dangerous Star Project and how the surgery gave him the Stellar Eclipse Heavenly Eye. In the present, he nearly killed Molten Mountain before Yun Meng stopped him, and the chapter ended with her recalling that she had simply found Tiandao on the road as a child.

• As a child, Tiandao chose to join the Star Project despite its high mortality rate and selected the eyes as his Star Core so he could see the world’s true appearance.
• One month after surgery, the Doctor removed Tiandao’s bandages, and Tiandao saw the world through the Stellar Eclipse Heavenly Eye.
• Tiandao cornered Molten Mountain with Black Azure, but Claude shoved Molten Mountain out of its path and was bisected before Tiandao crushed his mechanical head.
• Molten Mountain fled, but Yun Meng arrived with the unconscious Chen Kong and Coral Knight, told Tiandao to spare Molten Mountain, and he let him escape.
• Tiandao accused Yun Meng of keeping him and Chen Kong in the dark about the trap and left, while Yun Meng and Coral Knight praised his strength.
• Coral Knight asked how Yun Meng had met Tiandao, and she said she had picked him up while walking down the road.

After Tiandao overwhelmed Molten Mountain and Claude, Molten Mountain returned to Roen Technology Co., Ltd. terrified, while Claude explained the fight to Bordian and the others. Bordian believed he knew why Tiandao had spared them and revealed an under-the-table deal with members of the Star Envoy Association in Deep Blue Metropolis.

• Yun Meng proudly told the Coral Knight that she had picked up Tiandao, while Station 13 viewers mocked Molten Mountain and Claude for their defeat.
• Molten Mountain returned alone to Bordian's office, trembling and pleading with Lina not to kill him.
• Claude arrived in his true body and recounted how Tiandao had nearly killed him and Molten Mountain but ultimately let them go.
• Bordian said he understood why Tiandao had spared them and revealed his secret deal with members of the Star Envoy Association in Deep Blue Metropolis.

Bordian explained that his feud with Dorian was a proxy battle over Skysea Group’s mining rights, and that Dorian had released Molten Mountain and Claude as both a warning and an offer of restraint. Tiandao understood the strategy behind it, while Bordian conceded the first round and agreed to submit if Dorian proved himself.

• Bordian told Lina and the others that two Frostsound Family figures were using him and Dorian to fight over Skysea Group’s rights to mine Tears of Deep Blue.
• Bordian explained that Dorian had let Molten Mountain and Claude go to warn him not to endanger Skysea Group, and admitted that Dorian was more magnanimous than he would have been.
• Bordian refused Lina’s suggestion to expose information about Tiandao and the others to the Star Envoy Association, conceding the first round while keeping his existing plans in motion.
• Caroline asked Yun Meng whether Tiandao would be angry that they had withheld the truth, and Yun Meng said he had already understood their reasoning.
• Tiandao recognized Dorian’s plan as a version of Zhuge Liang capturing Meng Huo repeatedly, aimed at winning Bordian over and keeping Skysea Group united.
• Tiandao focused instead on Caroline’s upcoming birthday, which he regarded as their last beautiful memory together.

Caroline grew increasingly upset as Tiandao and Chen Xing kept a secret birthday plan from her, while Tiandao’s private conversation with Jing Liuli revealed his fear that a dream might come true. The chapter left the audience suspecting Tiandao faced a grim future and was trying to make reality less painful.

• Caroline watched Tiandao and Chen Xing leave to visit Chen Kong again and wondered what they were hiding from her.
• Chen Kong urged Tiandao and Chen Xing to tell Caroline about her birthday surprise, but Tiandao insisted they keep it secret to make the celebration memorable.
• Tiandao explained that Caroline would reject a birthday celebration during a mission, so the group had to surprise her.
• A memory showed Tiandao asking Jing Liuli whether dreams could become reality, and she said his eye might reveal fragments of the future.
• After leaving Jing Liuli, Tiandao sat alone on the beach and resolved to make reality less awful if his dream was awful.
• The audience at Station 13 reacted to the birthday plans and Tiandao’s ominous memory as a sign of heartbreak to come.

Tiandao's hinted Plot Kill triggered outrage among Stellaris fans, who held a memorial for him before he was even dead. Watching the fan-made video, Tiandao enjoyed the spectacle and then turned his attention to planning Caroline's birthday under the guise of a mission.

• Tiandao's fans flooded the Stellaris Production Team's account with protests, and fans of other characters joined their online siege.
• Fans at a convention held a memorial for Tiandao, and the video spread the meme “Exclusive Underworld Scene.”
• Tiandao watched the memorial video, posted “May Tiandao Rest in Peace” himself, and checked the calendar as Caroline's birthday approached.
• Tiandao decided to use a mission as a pretext to get Caroline to follow their birthday plan without suspecting anything.

Tiandao told Caroline that they would scout Isabelle’s planned destinations for the guard mission the next day, then joked about missing her desserts while she underwent Quantum Calculation. He concealed his true concern: he planned to expose Caroline to intense emotions to protect her humanity, even though the pain might later be erased from her memories.

• Tiandao stopped Caroline at the villa gate and told her that they needed to scout Jellyfish Amusement Park and the Sunken Ship Grand Restaurant before Isabelle’s Friday outing.
• Tiandao asked Caroline about her planned Quantum Calculation, and she confirmed that she would enter the Supercomputation Space after the mission.
• Tiandao joked that he would miss Caroline bringing him extra desserts while she was away, and Caroline reassured him that she had arranged for her desserts to be counted under his name.
• After Caroline left, Tiandao reflected that he wanted to preserve her emotions and humanity, and he planned to give her emotional stimulation despite the pain it might cause.
• Tiandao hid his conflicted feelings behind his usual carefree demeanor while the Dimensional Audience recognized that his dessert talk had concealed a deeper motive.

Tiandao arranged a staged restaurant outing with Caroline, who agreed to play along while treating their visit as a genuine scouting mission. At the dolphin-themed restaurant, Caroline delighted in petting a dolphin until Tiandao startled it for a photograph, leaving the story in a sweet moment shadowed by the audience’s fears about future tragedy.

• Tiandao and Chen Xing coordinated a plan to lure Caroline into the Sunken Ship Grand Restaurant with a fake free-meal promotion.
• Caroline suspected Tiandao’s scheme but trusted him and followed the waiter into the restaurant, while continuing to treat the outing as a scouting mission.
• At the dolphin-themed dining area, Caroline became captivated by the dolphins and happily petted a white dolphin through the protective barrier.
• Tiandao startled the dolphin with a sudden prank and photographed its panic alongside Caroline’s stunned reaction.
• The Dimensional Audience laughed at the scene, then worried that the production team’s earlier hints of tragedy foreshadowed Tiandao’s future suffering.

Caroline's flashback revealed how Doctor destroyed her Dolphin Doll and tried to suppress her emotions, while Tiandao secretly repaired it and persuaded Doctor to let Caroline grow as a person. The memory ended with Caroline thanking Tiandao tearfully as he panicked over how to comfort her.

• Doctor ordered Caroline to stop playing with her Dolphin Doll, crushed it, and told her that emotions and personal thoughts were useless to a tool.
• Tiandao left class early, gathered the doll's scattered pieces, and clumsily sewed it back together.
• Tiandao told Doctor that human emotions could help mechanical beings create miracles, and Doctor agreed not to interfere with Caroline's growth.
• Tiandao returned the repaired doll to Caroline and told her she was more interesting as a person and could rely on him.
• Caroline thanked Tiandao tearfully, while Tiandao frantically tried to comfort her.

Tiandao gave Caroline a carefree afternoon with a baby dolphin as her birthday gift, hoping she would find freedom and a future of her own. The chapter framed his words as a silent farewell, as viewers understood that Tiandao intended to face the future alone.

• Caroline suspected Tiandao had frightened the dolphin on purpose, but Tiandao pretended not to understand and she let the matter drop.
• Caroline watched the baby dolphin chase jellyfish and asked Tiandao whether they could be as happy as it was when they grew up.
• Tiandao told Caroline she would someday be as free as the dolphin, while she failed to notice that he did not include himself.
• During a planning meeting, Tiandao explained to Chen Xing and Chen Kong that Caroline envied the dolphin's freedom and wanted an ordinary childhood, then named her birthday operation Freedom.
• The viewers recognized Tiandao's hopes for Caroline as a veiled farewell and understood that he planned to carry out his chosen future without relying on anyone.

Tiandao gave Caroline a carefree birthday at Jellyfish Amusement Park, where she realized he was the present she wanted most. After the group returned home, Bordian assigned Molten Mountain and the others to hold Tiandao back, claiming they had found a way to restrain him.

• Tiandao and Caroline visited Jellyfish Amusement Park, while Chen Xing secretly appeared in the photos they collected along the way.
• Tiandao gave Caroline a pink Dolphin Doll for her birthday, and she silently thanked him, calling him her best birthday present.
• The anime ended the amusement park montage with the photo album of Tiandao and Caroline’s memories, then showed Chen Kong waiting alone at home.
• Tiandao returned with Caroline and Chen Xing, gave Chen Kong octopus balls, and the villa grew lively again.
• Bordian told Molten Mountain and Claude that they and the others had to hold Tiandao back for one minute, claiming they had found a way to restrain him.

Bordian assembled a dangerous plan to capture Isabelle, relying on Dark Star Envoys and Association Star Envoys to hold Tiandao back. After learning that the powerful figure backing him intended to have all four Dark Star Envoys killed regardless of the outcome, Bordian questioned whether he was any different from them.

• Molten Mountain and Claude warned Bordian that holding Tiandao back and capturing Isabelle would be exceptionally dangerous, especially with her protectors and Coral Knight Wolf.
• Bordian said he had arranged for Association Star Envoys to help capture Isabelle and promised Molten Mountain a greater reward.
• Molten Mountain, Claude, and Lina each left to prepare for the mission, while acknowledging that they might not survive it.
• Visser agreed to join the mission, and Bordian explained that he was trying to stop Dorian from leading Skysea Group toward disaster.
• Bordian told a mysterious masked man that all necessary pieces and sacrifices were arranged, then learned the man wanted all four Dark Star Envoys killed whether the plan succeeded or failed.
• After the masked man ended the call, Bordian smashed an ashtray and wondered how he differed from the Dark Star Envoys.

Tiandao, Caroline, Chen Xing, Chen Kong, and Isabelle played an increasingly supernatural beach volleyball match until Tiandao spotted Ocean-type Star Beasts attacking the beach. He sent the others to safety and stayed behind to face the beasts.

• Molten Mountain reported that the targets had arrived and received orders to proceed according to plan.
• Tiandao and Caroline teased each other on the beach before Chen Kong invited them to play volleyball.
• Tiandao dominated Chen Kong, Chen Xing, Caroline, and Isabelle with his abilities, while Chen Xing and Caroline used their own powers to fight back.
• Tiandao’s spike struck and killed one Ocean-type Star Beast, then pierced two more as additional beasts emerged from the sea.
• Tiandao told Caroline, Chen Xing, and Chen Kong to take Isabelle away, then prepared to confront the dozen or so Ocean-type Star Beasts alone.

Tiandao effortlessly killed the Star Beasts sent to wear him down, then confronted Molten Mountain, Claude, Lina, and Visser. After surviving their attacks and destroying their iron coffin, Tiandao badly injured Molten Mountain and prepared to finish him with Black Azure.

• Isabelle and Caroline questioned why Star Beasts had appeared on Fluorescent Beach in the supposedly safe Nearshore District.
• Tiandao killed the Ocean-type Star Beasts with ease, and Claude, Molten Mountain, Lina, and Visser revealed themselves aboard the Mechanical Shrine.
• Visser triggered the Star Beast corpses to explode, but Tiandao blocked the blast with sand controlled by Vector Control.
• Molten Mountain identified Tiandao’s Star Source and its effect, and Tiandao fired Black Azure at the four, destroying the iron coffin as they escaped.
• Tiandao caught Molten Mountain in midair, kicked him into the beach, pinned him down, and fired Black Azure at his head.

Molten Mountain recalled rejecting his master's teachings before Tiandao killed him, and Claude activated Overlimit Armament to avenge his friend. Tiandao fought Claude's mech head-on, while the audience wondered how a Special Trait type could be so powerful in close combat; the anime then shifted to Tiandao training in Ember Base's Gravity Chamber.

• As a child, Molten Mountain was expelled from his dojo after his master warned him to protect and create instead of worshiping violence.
• Years later, Molten Mountain returned to the burning dojo, killed his dying master, and insisted that eliminating threats would keep him safe.
• Watching Tiandao's Black Azure destroy him, Molten Mountain realized his master had been right and died regretting his choices.
• Claude grieved Molten Mountain and activated Mechanical Shrine · Overlimit Armament, assembling his mechanical components into a five-meter mech.
• Claude charged Tiandao, but Tiandao met the mech's punch with his own and held his ground while Claude was forced back.
• The Dimensional Audience questioned Tiandao's close-combat strength, and the anime cut to his earlier training in Ember Base's Gravity Chamber.

Tiandao completed Flowing Robes of Azure, a defensive Star Energy Technique that let him redirect gravity and incoming attacks, then overwhelmed the Dark Star Envoys on Fluorescent Beach. He killed Claude and Lina and cornered the fleeing Plague Doctor Visser, leaving Visser at his mercy.

• Tiandao trained his Vector Control in Ember Base's Gravity Chamber until he could move freely under five times gravity and developed Flowing Robes of Azure.
• Tiandao used his speed and defensive abilities to dismantle Claude's mech, tearing off its arms and severely injuring Claude through the neural pain feedback.
• Tiandao anticipated Lina's shadow ambush and fired two Black Azures at once, destroying Claude's mech and piercing Lina's chest.
• Tiandao's Stellar Eclipse Heavenly Eye exposed Lina's shadow technique before she collapsed on Fluorescent Beach.
• After witnessing his teammates fall, Plague Doctor Visser fled, but Tiandao appeared beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

After defeating the Dark Star Quartet, Tiandao left Visser as their weakest and luckiest survivor while the story shifted to Chen Kong and his companions at the resort hotel. There, corrupt Rank 2 Association Star Envoy Referee Gorn trapped them in his arena, and the chapter ended with Tiandao expected to arrive before Chen Kong faced further trouble.

• Tiandao mocked Visser for surviving through luck despite being the weakest member of the Dark Star Quartet.
• The story rewound to the resort hotel, where Chen Xing noticed the lobby had emptied and told Chen Kong to take Isabelle away.
• Gorn appeared in a Husky Mask, dispersed Chen Xing's attack, and penalized her with a yellow card that weakened her.
• Isabelle identified Gorn as a Rank 2 Association Star Envoy, and Caroline explained the known effects of his Arena Referee Star Source.
• Gorn admitted he had taken bribes and explained that his arena rules let him dominate weaker Star Envoys.
• The Dimensional Audience expected Tiandao to reach the hotel soon and rescue Chen Kong and the others.

Gorn trapped Chen Kong, Chen Xing, Caroline, and Isabelle in a hotel lobby and began a dodgeball match under rules he hoped to exploit. Caroline uncovered that the lobby was in a suspended subspace, and she remained certain Chen Kong would find them, leaving Gorn unsettled by her devotion to him.

• Gorn explained that Chen Xing’s yellow card had reduced her attributes and introduced the red team before announcing the dodgeball match rules.
• Caroline asked whether contestants could play multiple rounds, and Gorn admitted that they could, while yellow cards persisted through the match.
• Caroline questioned whether the lobby’s time was real and concluded that they were in a subspace, reasoning that Chen Kong would otherwise already have found them.
• Caroline told Gorn that Chen Kong had made her feel alive and that, even if he deceived her, she would let him do so for the rest of her life.

Caroline uncovered Gorn’s hidden dodgeball rules and figured out that Chen Kong could aim for a draw by surviving until time ran out. Chen Kong took the first game, but after Gorn’s trap was exposed and he finally became a player, Chen Kong’s first throw fell far short.

• Gorn warned Caroline to stop talking and revealed that Chen Kong might be stranded in a space-time rift if he used his ability without real-world coordinates.
• Caroline identified Gorn’s Rift Prism as the source of the subspace and deduced that the match had a time limit and an undisclosed draw condition.
• Caroline concluded that Chen Kong should play first and focus on dodging until time ran out, since he could later erase Chen Xing’s yellow card.
• Gorn’s coin toss gave Chen Kong the opening attack, but Caroline stopped him from throwing while Gorn was still wearing his referee uniform.
• Gorn put on the blue team vest and challenged Chen Kong, whose shot put fell five meters short of him.

Gorn forced Chen Kong toward defeat in the Dodgeball match by exploiting his dual role as athlete and referee, but Tiandao arrived and overturned the situation. Rather than risk losing his five-year undefeated record, Gorn paid Tiandao to agree to a draw, then invited him to join the Association before leaving.

• Gorn bombarded the field until Chen Kong attacked him with the Black Gun, but Gorn stopped the bullet and gave Chen Kong a Yellow Card that left him unable to fight back.
• Caroline told Chen Kong to surrender, and Chen Kong conceded the match as she concluded they could no longer win.
• Tiandao entered the hotel lobby, saw through Gorn's match rules, and joined the Red Team after identifying that the technique did not forbid a new player from joining.
• Tiandao used Vector Control to smash through the arena barrier with a shot put, prompting Gorn to offer a draw to protect his five-year 100% win rate.
• Tiandao accepted Gorn's offer in exchange for one million Star Source Coins, and Gorn invited him to join the Association before departing.

Gorn arrived at a Deep Blue Branch meeting while Tiandao investigated Perfect Awakening and discovered a possible condition for Vector Control. After testing his theory overnight, Tiandao injured his hand, and Caroline took him inside to treat it.

• Gorn reflected on his ideals of fairness and his frustration that his pursuit of Perfect Awakening had stalled, then learned a General Association envoy wanted to transfer a full Special Operations Squad.
• Tiandao deduced that Perfect Awakening required a Star Source-specific condition and wondered whether Gorn’s Referee depended on maintaining an unbroken winning record.
• Tiandao spent the night testing Vector Control and concluded that its Perfect Awakening required both an extreme control distance and a minimum control unit to reach their respective thresholds.
• Tiandao focused his Black Azure into a punch that carved a large gouge in the lawn but badly bruised his right hand.
• Caroline scolded Tiandao for experimenting without telling her, then brought him to her room to examine and bandage his hand.

Tiandao explained that his new physical technique had caused the earthquake and injured his hand, while Chen Xing privately resolved to keep chasing after him for his acknowledgment. Caroline then coaxed Tiandao into promising to protect her toys from anyone who tried to take them, leaving the Dimensional Audience to mock his obliviousness.

• Chen Kong found Tiandao injured and learned that Tiandao's new move had caused both the earthquake and his hand injury.
• Chen Xing examined the crater in the yard and concluded that Tiandao had grown stronger again.
• Chen Xing admitted to herself that she wanted Tiandao to notice her, but kept that desire secret from Chen Kong.
• Caroline asked Tiandao what should happen to someone who coveted his favorite toy, and he said that person deserved a beating.
• Caroline got Tiandao to promise he would stand against anyone who tried to take her toys, and Tiandao agreed without realizing her hidden meaning.
• The Dimensional Audience joked about Tiandao falling into Caroline's verbal trap and argued over whether Chen Xing could still win his attention.

Headquarters Envoy Byron persuaded Branch President Dotre to provide a Special Operations Squad for a secret mission and insisted that Gorn join him, while keeping the mission’s target hidden. The anime ended on the arrival of an ominous storm, suggesting that a major confrontation was approaching.

• Dotre initially refused to spare a full Special Operations Squad, but Byron privately revealed mission details that changed his mind.
• Byron explained that involving Dotre or headquarters could alert their target, then asked to borrow Gorn; Dotre agreed to ask him.
• William Howard waited outside the conference hall and told Benjamin Iron Dome that he kept his broken watch because it was a gift from his daughter.
• The Dimensional Audience speculated about the mission, the characters’ roles, and the threat to Tiandao and Ember Base.
• Byron announced that Dotre was finished speaking with him and called for someone to enter as the conference hall filled with ominous stormlike imagery.

Tiandao Siming considered how to invest his growing Popularity Points in the coming finale and reflected on Doctor’s plans to sacrifice Ember Base and scatter the Starborn among the New Federation’s factions. He anticipated becoming the leader of Doctor’s future Glimmer organization and facing Chen Kong and the other Starborn as a villain in Season 2.

• Tiandao Siming noted that he had amassed 850,000 Popularity Points and decided to reinvest them in the Year-end Fireworks arc rather than repay his debt.
• Tiandao recalled that Doctor had deliberately arranged Byron’s attack to obtain the Eternal Heart and complete his Third Perfect Awakening, though the Quantum Guardian limited Doctor’s power and kept him from the New Federation’s core region.
• Tiandao understood that Doctor’s Ember plan meant sacrificing Ember Base so the New Federation’s factions would raise the 36 Starborn, followed by a second plan called Glimmer.
• Tiandao reasoned that Doctor would likely make him the leader of a new base and imagined subduing the Starborn after they grew powerful in other factions.
• Tiandao anticipated that he and the Starborn would oppose Chen Kong in Season 2, where they would become villains working with Doctor.