Chapter Summaries

Riko reunited with Fang Li after securing her release by helping bring down I-U, then tried to kiss him and sparked a chaotic rivalry among the girls. The chapter ended with Aria and Shirayuki temporarily joining forces against Riko and Leiji while Fang Li gave up trying to intervene.

• Riko charged through the crowd and embraced Fang Li, startling Aria and upsetting Shirayuki.
• Fang Li guessed that Riko had won a plea bargain, and Riko explained that she had helped bring down I-U and been released without charge.
• Riko moved to kiss Fang Li, but Shirayuki attacked; Riko stopped her katana with threads and declared that she was on her own route.
• Riko persuaded Leiji to join her against Aria and Shirayuki, offering Leiji the main-wife position.
• Shirayuki called a temporary truce with Aria, and the four girls split into opposing pairs as Fang Li gave up trying to manage them.

Fang Li watched Aria, Shirayuki, Riko, and Leiji recover in the infirmary after their brutal partner duel. Leiji remained determined to marry Fang Li and warned Aria away from him, saying she was dangerous.

• Aria and Shirayuki fought Riko and Leiji in a duel at the Assault Department training grounds before a huge crowd.
• The four Armed Detectives fought so fiercely that they ended up badly injured and bandaged in the school infirmary.
• Aria, Riko, and Shirayuki blamed one another for the grenade and Shirayuki's Explosive Flame during the fight, while Leiji stayed silent.
• Fang Li told the four girls to stop causing trouble and behave themselves.
• Leiji said she would not give up on marrying Fang Li and insisted he could not be with Aria because she was dangerous.

Leiji revealed that she planned to become Fang Li’s fiancée to keep him away from Aria, then left after warning that she would eventually take him away. Riko kissed Fang Li, escaped Shirayuki’s attack, and warned him to prepare for an approaching declaration-of-war meeting.

• Leiji told Aria that she considered her dangerous and explained that she wanted Fang Li to keep his distance from her.
• Fang Li realized Leiji’s proposal was meant to separate him and Aria, and Leiji confirmed she would act as his partner to achieve that.
• Leiji left the infirmary after telling Fang Li she would one day snatch him away from Aria.
• Riko suddenly kissed Fang Li, provoking Aria and Shirayuki, then escaped Shirayuki’s slash through the window.
• Riko warned Fang Li that a declaration-of-war meeting was near and that he should prepare to join the battle.

After the battle with Riko and Leiji, Aria left to work on clearing her mother’s charges, while Fang Li walked home with Shirayuki. Shirayuki revealed that Leiji was descended from Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

• Fang Li, Aria, and Shirayuki took leave after the chaos, and Aria left to prepare evidence for her mother’s Supreme Court hearing.
• Aria explained that I-U’s dismantling and information from Riko could help clear her mother’s charges.
• Fang Li and Shirayuki walked home together, and Fang Li reflected on Shirayuki’s hidden obsessive side.
• Fang Li asked Shirayuki what she knew about Leiji and why Leiji opposed him and Aria being together.
• Shirayuki told Fang Li that Leiji was a descendant of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

Fang Li learned that Leiji belonged to the Urus Tribe, a dwindling people descended from Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and that her plans involved bringing him back to continue their bloodline. Shirayuki revealed that the Urus Tribe guarded Jade Gold, one of three powerful kinds of Colored Gold.

• Fang Li was shocked when Shirayuki explained that Minamoto no Yoshitsune had escaped to Mongolia and become Genghis Khan, with St. Gala Shrine helping conceal the truth.
• Shirayuki told Fang Li that Leiji descended from Genghis Khan and belonged to the Urus Tribe, whose members were renowned for their skill with bows and rifles.
• Shirayuki said only forty-seven members of the Urus Tribe remained and suspected Leiji wanted to take Fang Li back to continue the tribe's bloodline.
• Fang Li questioned why Leiji had tried to separate him from Aria before discussing the tribe's future.
• Shirayuki explained that Scarlet Gold was one of three kinds of Colored Gold, alongside Azure Gold and Jade Gold, and revealed that the Urus Tribe guarded Jade Gold.

Fang Li and Shirayuki deduced that Leiji communicated with Jade Gold, which wanted to keep Fang Li and Aria apart because Aria was in danger. After returning to his restored room, Fang Li received an anonymous invitation to the southern end of Empty Land Island at midnight.

• Fang Li realized Jade Gold might be the wind Leiji spoke of, and Shirayuki confirmed that Leiji could communicate with it.
• Shirayuki suspected Jade Gold was acting because Aria was dangerous, but said they were still investigating why.
• Fang Li reassured Shirayuki that he would deal with Scarlet Gold if it threatened Aria.
• Fang Li returned to his room and received an anonymous email inviting him to the southern end of Empty Land Island at midnight.
• The email vanished after Fang Li opened it, and he accepted the invitation with interest.

Fang Li entered the mist-covered Empty Land Island, where Jeanne and a group of extraordinary superhumans awaited him. He recognized several people from I-U, including Hilda, and was surprised to find Kinji Touyama among them.

• Fang Li felt the True Ancestor Princess's power grow active under the full moon, heightening his senses and excitement.
• Fang Li sensed power concealed in the mist around Empty Land Island and entered it, suspecting Demon Beasts were hidden within.
• Fang Li found Jeanne waiting among the wind turbines, and she called him the Gun Magician.
• Hilda confronted Fang Li, recalling her humiliation in I-U and threatening to drain his blood.
• Fang Li recognized Kana Touyama and was surprised to see Kinji Touyama among the gathered superhumans.

Fang Li arrived at a gathering of powerful representatives, where Jeanne convened a declaration of war conference after I-U’s collapse. Jeanne explained the old balance between their factions and laid out the rules for a new conflict, then called on everyone to choose between the Legion and the Retainers.

• Fang Li recognized Kinji Touyama, Kana Touyama, and Leiji among the gathered superhumans and noticed the others watching him as the culprit behind I-U’s collapse.
• Jeanne introduced herself as a remnant of I-U’s Research Faction and formally opened the declaration of war conference.
• Jeanne explained that I-U’s rise had halted the secret struggles among the world’s powerful organizations, but its dismantling had ended that temporary peace.
• Jeanne read the three agreements governing hostilities, duels, and the two alliances, then asked everyone to choose a camp and declare their stance.

Jeanne began the declaration-of-war conference by calling on factions and individuals to choose between the Corps and the Retainers or remain neutral. When Jeanne asked Fang Li to choose a side, he rejected the idea that he owed anyone participation in the conflict, leaving the gathering on the verge of violence.

• Jeanne and Meia Romano declared for the Corps, while Kage Glass and Dracula Hilda chose the Retainers; Tamamo joined the Corps because of an alliance between St. Gala and the Vatican.
• Zhuge Jinghuan, Petra, and Bami joined the Retainers, while Leiji joined the Corps.
• The Freemasons and the Toyama family, represented by Kana Touyama and Kinji Touyama, chose temporary neutrality and agreed not to participate in the campaign.
• Jeanne asked Fang Li to pick a side, but he said he belonged to no faction and questioned why he had to join the war.
• Jeanne argued that Fang Li's dismantling of I-U had led to the campaign, but Fang Li rejected responsibility and said the factions were simply returning to their old conflict; the others grew hostile toward him.

Fang Li resisted the pressure of the faction representatives and was drawn into the coming war after Tamamo pointed out that Shirayuki and Aria would take part. He joined the division, and Jeanne declared the Far East Campaign underway.

• Fang Li sensed Bami's unusual aura as the faction representatives' hostility stirred the True Ancestor power within him.
• Fang Li released a pulse of power that frightened the gathered superhumans, then warned them to stop directing hostility at him.
• Tamamo told Fang Li that Shirayuki and Aria would participate in the campaign, leaving him unable to stay uninvolved.
• Fang Li agreed to join the division because Shirayuki was part of it.
• Jeanne declared the campaign underway and named it the Far East Campaign.

After the declaration-of-war conference ended peacefully, Tamamo, Meia, Jeanne, and Leiji gathered around Fang Li and introduced their backgrounds as allies in the brigade. As the group began planning defenses and countermeasures against the Retainers, Fang Li decided to talk with Aria and Shirayuki.

• The fog cleared after the conference, and the extraordinary attendees disappeared, leaving Fang Li, Leiji, Jeanne, Tamamo, and Meia behind.
• Jeanne and Tamamo remarked that the conference had ended without the violence that usually followed, and Tamamo credited Fang Li with discouraging the Retainers from acting.
• Tamamo explained her clan’s ties to Tamamo-no-Mae, the Inari Gods, and St. Gala Shrine, while Meia identified herself as a Vatican exorcist and student at Rome Armed Detective High School.
• Jeanne warned that the Retainers had many powerful members, and Tamamo and Meia offered to establish protective barriers and handle exorcism.
• Fang Li looked at the moon and decided to return and speak with Aria and Shirayuki.

Fang Li returned to Gakuen Island and joined the Order's Far East Campaign, then reunited Shirayuki with Tamamo. He asked Shirayuki whether the campaign was connected to Scarlet Gold.

• Meia, Jeanne, and Leiji left Fang Li to pursue their preparations for the Far East Campaign, while Tamamo stayed with him.
• Tamamo said she would send shikigami to guard Gakuen Island overnight and establish a barrier there in the morning.
• Fang Li returned to his room and found Shirayuki waiting for him, where she greeted Tamamo with great reverence.
• Tamamo told Shirayuki that Fang Li had joined the Order's campaign and said he had done so partly because of her.
• Fang Li explained that he had joined the campaign because he expected to be drawn into it anyway and had his own reasons, then asked Shirayuki whether it involved Scarlet Gold.

Fang Li learned that the Far East Campaign was a war over Gold and exceptional talent, and that Aria and Leiji could not avoid being drawn into it. He faced the coming conflict without fear and wondered which enemies would approach first.

• Fang Li connected Leiji’s presence and Aria’s absence from the declaration-of-war conference to their ties to Jade Gold and Scarlet Gold.
• Fang Li joined the campaign and asked Shirayuki and Tamamo to explain its connection to Gold.
• Tamamo explained that campaigns were fought to seize valuable treasures and talent, with Gold now among the greatest prizes.
• Tamamo told Fang Li that campaigns ended when one side was wiped out or surrendered, and that surrendering forces could join the victors.
• Fang Li told Aria they had entered a serious situation and looked forward to facing their first enemies.

After Shirayuki and Tamamo left, Fang Li maintained his Glock and considered how to use firearms without the Black Ring. He recreated the Invisible Bullet technique with his Seven Nights Assassination Technique, then sensed someone hiding nearby.

• Shirayuki and Tamamo left Fang Li’s room to plan St. Gala Shrine’s actions in the battle.
• Fang Li maintained his Glock and arranged his ordinary bullets and Buzhen Bullets.
• Fang Li reviewed his attributes and decided he could recreate the Invisible Bullet technique using his Flash Sheath skills.
• Fang Li fired at a potted plant on the balcony and successfully pierced it with a quick-drawn shot.
• Fang Li stopped putting away his ammunition, sensed someone hiding, and told them to come out.

Fang Li confronted Riko after discovering her hidden passage into his house, and she teased him about wanting to steal his heart. Riko then asked whether Fang Li would protect her again if the monster that once bound her returned.

• Fang Li sensed Riko hiding in the ceiling and threatened to shoot unless she came out.
• Riko revealed she had secretly made a hidden passage in Fang Li's house so she could visit him.
• Riko flirted with Fang Li, who flicked her on the head and asked why she had come.
• Riko found Fang Li's expensive Buzhen Bullets, then sat close to him and claimed she was his true love.
• Riko reminded Fang Li that he had defeated the monster that bound her and asked if he would do so again if it returned.

Fang Li noticed Riko was hiding something, but she avoided explaining and distracted him by playing games together. The next morning, Riko had left and sent him a message saying she loved him, leaving Fang Li wondering whether she would disappear from school again.

• Fang Li noticed a trace of bitterness on Riko's face and asked whether something had happened.
• Riko stopped Fang Li from analyzing her secret and insisted that he talk and play with her instead.
• Fang Li told Riko he did not dislike her kisses, but Riko changed the subject and brought out two handheld game consoles.
• Fang Li and Riko played games and drank beer together until they fell asleep on the floor.
• Fang Li woke the next morning to find Riko gone and a message saying, "Heading back first. Love you, Riko."

Fang Li learned that the Corps planned to recruit the Freemasons and that one of their members held a grudge against him. A Freemason envoy picked him up on his way to school and revealed that his name was Al Watson and Kanzaki Holmes Aria was his fiancée.

• Shirayuki called Fang Li to say she and Lady Tamamo would set up barriers around Gakuen Island, so she could not go to school with him.
• Jeanne told Fang Li that all but one of the Retainers had left Gakuen Island and agreed to watch Riko for signs of trouble.
• Jeanne said the Corps planned to recruit the neutral Freemasons, but one member disliked Fang Li and was on Gakuen Island.
• A handsome young man in a convertible approached Fang Li, displayed hostility, and invited him to ride with him before classes.
• The young man introduced himself as Al Watson, an envoy of the Freemasons, and said Kanzaki Holmes Aria was his fiancée.

Fang Li learned that Al Watson was Aria’s fiancé and a Freemason envoy assessing whether the organization should join the Coalition. Watson’s hostility toward Fang Li deepened, and he announced that he would transfer to Armed Detective High School to team up with Aria.

• Fang Li recognized Watson as a descendant of Sherlock Holmes’s partner and inferred that he had come as a Freemason envoy.
• Watson revealed that he was engaged to Aria and claimed he was the partner best suited to bring out her abilities.
• Watson explained that the Freemasons were waiting to see which side had the advantage and that Fang Li’s conduct would influence whether they joined the Coalition.
• Fang Li dismissed Watson’s attempt to pressure him, saying he was not afraid of offending the Freemasons.
• Watson announced that he would transfer to Armed Detective High School and form a team with Aria as the sports car headed there.

Earl Watson transferred to Class 2-A and revealed that he was Aria’s fiancé, declaring that he intended to prove he was her ideal partner. The news spread across campus, and Aria followed Fang Li to insist that the engagement had been arranged by their families and that she wanted no romance.

• Earl Watson introduced himself to Class 2-A as a transfer student and approached Aria while she struggled to explain his identity to Fang Li.
• Watson asked to sit beside Aria, declared that he had come for her, and announced that she was his fiancée.
• The class reacted with shock as Riko woke up, and Watson said he hoped to place a ring on Aria’s finger someday.
• News of Aria’s fiancé spread through Armed Detective High School, and students whispered about Watson and Fang Li.
• Aria followed Fang Li across campus and insisted that her engagement had been arranged by their families and that she had no interest in dating.

Fang Li noticed Aria’s exhaustion and decided to intervene in Watson’s business, but Watson challenged him to a shooting match at the Assault Department class. Fang Li accepted her challenge in front of the watching students.

• Aria denied having romantic feelings and explained that she had forgotten her grandmother’s mention of her engagement, then briefly became dizzy.
• Fang Li urged Aria to rest, but she insisted on accompanying him to shooting practice.
• Fang Li decided to get serious about Watson’s engagement-related business because it might affect Aria.
• At the Assault Department shooting range, Watson challenged Fang Li to a shooting match and drew her SIG SAUER P226R.
• Fang Li stopped Aria from intervening and accepted Watson’s challenge.