Chapter Summaries

Athrun reasoned that the Earth Alliance and PLANT both benefited from war, with the military-industrial complex and Blue Cosmos fueling hatred, while Inori left him to draw his own conclusions. On the Archangel, Frey resolved to leave with her father, but as the crew welcomed approaching escort ships, the radar feed suddenly distorted.

• Athrun concluded that the Earth Alliance's military-industrial complex profited from war and suspected that the conflict between Naturals and Coordinators was being used to conceal a deeper contradiction.
• Inori asked Athrun to consider the social difference between Naturals and Coordinators, leading him to identify wealth and the preservation of inherited industries as key factors.
• Inori gave Athrun five e-books while monitoring the Archangel, where Lacus comforted Kira and Miriallia bandaged Frey's arm.
• Frey decided she would leave with her father and never see Kira again, then went to the cafeteria with Miriallia without confronting him.
• The Archangel detected the escort ships Montgomery, Barnard, and Law, but the radar image began distorting as the crew celebrated their arrival.

Archangel detected enemy jamming and chose to protect the advance team despite a warning that it might be surrounded. Kira joined the battle, where Yzak’s upgraded Duel overwhelmed the Mobiuses, and Archangel arrived just in time to save the Montgomery from Miguel’s attack.

• Murrue recognized that the jamming meant the enemy had found the advance team and ordered Archangel to battle stations.
• Captain Kopman canceled the rendezvous and told Archangel to withdraw, but Murrue suspected a trap because Blitz was still missing and ordered Archangel to cover the advance team.
• Kira left Lacus’s quarters, reassured Frey that her father’s ship would be all right, and launched in Strike.
• Yzak used the upgraded Duel to destroy the Mobiuses while Dearg reported that the escort ship Barnard had gone silent.
• Miguel’s Ginn struck the Montgomery, but Archangel arrived and fired on a Ginn, forcing Miguel to retreat.

Athrun learned that the Blue Astray’s pilot planned to conserve energy at the cost of his former teammates’ survival, while Kira fought to protect the Archangel and Montgomery from a powerful ZAFT force. As the battle turned against the Earth Alliance, Kira suddenly experienced the world slowing down and perceived the battlefield as streams of data.

• Inori Yuzuriha told Athrun that the Aegis Gundam had been repaired and that she would drain its energy and propellant, leaving him just enough to rendezvous with his teammates.
• Inori explained that the Blue Astray was low on energy and that she was its copilot, while Athrun realized the Strike had another pilot.
• Kira battled five Ginns as Yzak’s Duel and Nicol’s Blitz attacked, while the Buster prepared to fire at him.
• The Archangel’s Positron Cannon struck a Nazca-class ship that was attacking the Montgomery, and Frey rushed to the bridge asking about her father’s ship.
• The Buster and Blitz turned toward the Montgomery, whose Mobius was destroyed, leaving Kira facing the Duel and remaining Ginns.
• As Dearg prepared another shot, Kira felt the world slow down and saw projectiles, exhaust, and debris as clear streams of data.

Frey saw her father on the bridge as Captain Kopman ordered the Archangel to withdraw, while Kira fought Dearg’s forces to defend Montgomery. Kira disabled Blitz and Buster, but Montgomery was destroyed; George escaped in a lifeboat, and Frey collapsed in fear for Kira.

• Captain Kopman ordered the Archangel to withdraw, and Sai pulled Frey off the bridge after she spotted George Allstar on the transmission.
• Kira dodged Dearg’s attack on Strike and broke through the GINNs surrounding him, then outmaneuvered Duel as his perception sharpened.
• Kira disabled Blitz by severing its right leg and destroyed Buster’s Railgun with the Beam Boomerang.
• Miguel used a Mobius to trigger a chain explosion that destroyed Montgomery, while George escaped aboard a lifeboat.
• Frey saw George’s escape pod and collapsed, then anxiously asked Sai where Kira was.

The Archangel tried to break through to Cruze’s Nazca-class flagship while Kira fought off three upgraded Gundams. Yzak destroyed the lifeboat carrying Frey’s father, and Frey collapsed after threatening Lacus.

• Sai slapped Frey after she blamed Kira, and Frey later burst into Lacus’s room while Lacus sang.
• Murrue and Mu identified Cruze’s Nazca-class ship as the Archangel’s target and ordered a charge after recovering the lifeboat.
• Kira gained the upper hand against three Gundams, but their upgrades and the enemy Ginns kept him from finishing them off.
• A reserve force of Ginns emerged as the Archangel turned toward the Nazca-class, while an orange Ginn attacked from above.
• Frey dragged Lacus onto the bridge and threatened to kill her if ZAFT attacked her father, but Yzak destroyed the lifeboat before anyone could stop him.
• Frey passed out, Lacus caught her, and Kira stared in shock at the lifeboat’s destruction.

Inori Yuzuriha returned in the Blue Astray and took temporary control of the Archangel to protect it, activating annihilation mode after negotiations with ZAFT failed. The Blue Astray and Archangel destroyed several enemy units and ships, while Yzak watched the battle escalate.

• Inori broadcast a demand that ZAFT let the Archangel's neutral refugees leave, but the ZAFT forces refused and attacked.
• Inori told Murrue Ramius she needed authorization to take control of the Archangel and execute the annihilation order; Murrue agreed after Inori confirmed Cagalli had been rescued.
• The Archangel used three precise shots to destroy Miguel's Ginn, then shot down every missile launched by a Lohengrin Class ship.
• The Blue Astray pierced the Lohengrin Class ship's bridge with a beam saber and destroyed its ammunition magazine, causing the ship to explode.
• The Archangel fired its Positron Cannon at a damaged Nazca-class ship and destroyed it, enraging Yzak.

Inori Yuzuriha’s newly enhanced AI turned the Archangel and Blue Astray into nearly untouchable forces, destroying ZAFT’s ships and squad. Cruze ordered a retreat, and Blue Astray stopped attacking when the Ginns disengaged their weapons.

• Yzak charged the Archangel but was trapped in a concentrated barrage until Nicol pulled him out of danger.
• Blue Astray destroyed Ginns with precise attacks and pried open their cockpits to kill the pilots, while the Archangel intercepted attacks in its surrounding area.
• Cruze recognized the Archangel’s deadly zone as resembling the Grim Reaper’s domain, and the second Lohengrin Class vessel exploded as the ZAFT squad was wiped out.
• Inori Yuzuriha had raised Lacia’s card to Level 7, unlocking Super AI and enhancing Black_Monolith’s functions.
• Cruze ordered the Ginns to stop targeting and disengage their weapons, then retreat; Blue Astray ceased attacking them.

Inori used the Blue Astray’s remaining energy to destroy the Federation and ZAFT forces threatening Kira, leaving him guilt-ridden and forcing ZAFT to retreat. The Archangel survived and received Cagalli’s transmission, while Murrue prepared to bring aboard the survivors and face the consequences of letting an AI take control.

• Cruze explained that Orb had built the Blue Astray and the earlier red machine, and that refugees might be aboard the Long Leg.
• The Blue Astray reached the Strike and connected to its systems, and Kira learned from Inori that the Federation advance team and ZAFT forces had all been killed.
• Kira blamed himself for Inori’s actions, while Yzak and the others withdrew to their last Nazca-class ship after hearing that Athrun’s Aegis Gundam remained intact.
• Cruze ordered the ZAFT squad to leave the sector and bring Athrun home, and Yzak wondered whether an AI had controlled the battle.
• The Nazca-class ship retreated, the Archangel regained control from the AI, and Murrue received a transmission from Cagalli.
• Murrue decided to bring the survivors aboard and search for anyone still alive.

Athrun returned to the Nazca-class and explained that the blue unit’s pilot, Inori Yuzuriha, had rescued him and fought the ZAFT forces. The crew learned that she was Orb’s Diva and that ZAFT had destroyed property in which she held a major stake, while Cagalli returned to the Archangel.

• Athrun returned to the Nazca-class, where Yzak, Nicol, and Dearg questioned him about the battle and Miguel’s death.
• Athrun explained that Inori Yuzuriha had piloted the blue unit, rescued him, and was likely the Strike’s previous pilot.
• Cruze suggested the blue unit was connected to the legendary Black Coffin, and Athrun identified it as Black_Monolith, a device that could manufacture robots.
• Athrun revealed that Inori Yuzuriha was Orb’s Diva and owned a substantial portion of Heliopolis, leading the crew to realize ZAFT had destroyed her property.
• Cruze proposed that Inori’s personal stake and the Archangel’s sudden transformation explained her actions, then sent the crew to discuss the battle while Athrun showered.
• Cagalli returned to the Archangel and welcomed the feeling of standing on solid ground.

After the battle, Kira brought the exhausted Inori Yuzuriha to rest, where she explained that she had entered an energy-saving mode after using Lacia LV7’s Super AI. The chapter detailed Black_Monolith’s newly unlocked capabilities and left Inori recovering in the officers’ quarters while Kira stayed beside her.

• Murrue, Mu, and the others arrived at the docking bay and examined the damaged Gold Astray as Cagalli called its history a long story.
• Kira rushed to the Blue Astray, and Madoc’s crew opened the cockpit to find Inori Yuzuriha unconscious with blue hair and a white bodysuit.
• Kira carried Inori out, and Madoc sent her to a doctor while Mu suggested she rest in the officers’ quarters.
• Inori woke on the bed, told Kira she was fine and in energy-saving mode, and the narration explained her Lacia LV7 Super AI and Black_Monolith abilities.
• Kira stayed beside Inori while Cagalli went to shower.

Cagalli explained how she and Athrun survived the Debris Field and obtained the Gold Astray, while the ZAFT crew reviewed the battle and considered the Blue Astray’s motives. Kira heard Frey grieving for her father, and she accused him of breaking his promise and failing to protect him.

• Cagalli told Murrue and Mu that she and Athrun had been stranded in the Debris Field, where Inori killed an Orb soldier who tried to silence them.
• Athrun and the ZAFT crew watched the battle recording, mourned Miguel, and discussed Diva’s rescue fee and the Blue Astray’s actions.
• Le Creuset reasoned that Inori might still be controlling the Strike and that she might not be an enemy of the ZAFT crew.
• Kira went to get water for Inori and heard Frey crying in the infirmary.
• Frey saw Kira and accused him of lying to her and failing to protect her father.

After Frey blamed Kira for her father’s death and accused her of taking revenge, Kira fled to the observation deck, overwhelmed by guilt. Lacus found her and reassured her that she did not hate Inori, leaving Kira with words to consider as she faced her doubts.

• Frey confronted Kira, blamed her for her father’s death, and collapsed as Sai tried to restrain her.
• Kira ran from the room, questioning whether she had failed everyone and whether she had secretly wanted revenge on Frey.
• Kira rushed to the observation deck and struck her head against the glass, convinced the deaths were her fault.
• Lacus appeared with her lock-picking Haropla, explained that she had seen Kira on the bridge, and told her the tragedy was not her fault.
• Lacus said she mourned those killed in battle but would not hate Inori or insult the fallen soldiers’ deaths.

After the battle, Kira confided her guilt and hatred of fighting to Lacus, who comforted her alongside Inori Yuzuriha. Inori reassured Kira that the deaths were caused by war, then invited her to play cat’s cradle as Kira began to change.

• Kira told Lacus she regretted fighting and felt guilty about Inori Yuzuriha killing someone.
• Lacus held Kira’s hand and praised her, bringing Kira a sense of peace.
• Inori Yuzuriha woke up and joined Lacus and Kira, while viewers’ Danmaku and Popularity Points rose.
• Kira admitted she hated fighting but did not want Inori Yuzuriha to fight in her place.
• Inori Yuzuriha and Lacus told Kira she was not at fault, and Inori offered to play cat’s cradle with her.

Kira began to clarify what she wanted to protect and change, while Lacus started her own Dragon Field Enlightenment. As the Earth Alliance fleet approached the Archangel, Murrue and Mu prepared for a hostile inspection and warned Kira, Cagalli, and Lacus that the situation could turn dangerous.

• Kira reflected on war, ideals, and Inori's songs before deciding she wanted to protect everyone and change the cycle of hatred and destruction.
• Inori explained that “Aimo” meant “you” and expressed love, prompting Lacus to begin her own Dragon Field Enlightenment.
• The Archangel crew discovered that the approaching fleet was led by Colonel William Zaarland aboard the Doolittle rather than Admiral Halberton's Eighth Fleet.
• Murrue and Mu rushed to hide the Archangel's records and prepare enlistment documents to protect Kira, while worrying about Lacus's status as a PLANT civilian.
• Mu warned Kira and Cagalli to conceal Cagalli's connection to Orb and lock up the Gundams as the Doolittle drew near.

Murrue and Mu realized that Colonel William Zaarland’s takeover of the Archangel put the crew and refugees in danger, while Athrun returned to PLANT and learned Lacus was missing. Inori Yuzuriha’s mind induction distracted Athrun with the news, but he remained more concerned about Kira’s fate.

• Mu warned Murrue that Cruze’s forces could potentially wipe out the Eighth Fleet, but Murrue refused to abandon the fleet because of the consequences.
• Inori Yuzuriha revealed that Colonel William Zaarland was a Blue Cosmos member and confidant of Azrael, and that Admiral Halberton had been sent away from the fleet.
• Murrue learned that the Archangel had been placed under Zaarland’s command for review, its crew and refugees could not leave, and Mu had deleted its navigation and combat logs.
• Athrun returned to PLANT after drifting in space, completed his examinations, and learned from the news that Lacus was missing.
• Athrun worked on a report to make ZAFT take Inori Yuzuriha’s demands seriously, while wondering whether Kira had survived and whether he had seen Kira at Heliopolis.
• Inori Yuzuriha reflected that her attempt to distract Athrun with news of Lacus’s disappearance had worked only because Lacus mattered little to him.

Athrun investigated the N-Jammers’ effects before returning to duty, while Inori quietly arranged for someone to monitor his mental state. Aboard the Doolittle, Earth Alliance officers interrogated the Archangel crew and blamed them for Heliopolis’s destruction, leaving Murrue and the others facing hostile questioning.

• Athrun remembered Cagalli, then searched grain-production and import data to investigate deaths caused by the N-Jammers.
• A ZAFT officer read Athrun’s report and considered asking Le Creuset to monitor his mental state, while Inori revealed she had arranged the oversight.
• William Zaarland questioned Murrue and the Archangel officers aboard the Doolittle, demanded reports, and warned them that their statements would go on the record.
• Earth Alliance soldiers confined the refugees, while Kira and Inori left the Archangel to meet the officers and were separated upon arrival.
• Sazaland accused Murrue of giving the Strike to Kira and suggested that the Archangel crew’s resistance had caused Heliopolis to break apart.
• Mu and Ramius reacted to the accusations as Sazaland pressed Murrue to accept responsibility for placing Kira aboard the Strike.

Murrue and her crew were placed under investigation as Blue Cosmos maneuvered to take control of the Archangel, while Inori rejected Sazaland’s attempt to use her as propaganda. The chapter left Sazaland turning his attention to Frey Allstar, daughter of a Blue Cosmos supporter.

• Murrue, Mu, and B discussed their reassignments and learned that a leaked ZAFT battle report had made headquarters suspect the Archangel carried a secret weapon.
• Murrue resolved to protect the Archangel for the Eighth Fleet while its crew waited for Blue Cosmos to make a mistake.
• Sazaland met Inori and questioned her about being a Natural, then tried to recruit her for Earth Alliance publicity.
• Inori directed Sazaland to her manager and lawyer, refusing to take part in publicity herself.
• An officer told Sazaland that Frey Allstar was George Allstar’s daughter, and Sazaland became interested in the news.

Sazaland boarded the Archangel and sought to recruit Frey as a political pawn while Kira was imprisoned aboard the Doolittle. On ZAFT’s side, Athrun analyzed the Blue Astray’s uncanny combat footage before Cruze assigned his team to search for Lacus Clyne and received a sudden message.

• Sazaland entered the Archangel, inspected its bridge, and visited Frey in the infirmary to win her support by invoking her father.
• Kira was shackled and imprisoned aboard the Doolittle, where its crew treated him with open hostility for being a Coordinator.
• Athrun returned to Cruze’s team and studied footage of the Blue Astray with Yzak and Dearg, offering an explanation for how its shots defeated Miguel.
• Cruze told Athrun that the team would search for his missing fiancée, Lacus Clyne, rather than pursue the Archangel.
• Cruze revealed that he had leaked the battle report to Blue Cosmos to weaken the Archangel, then received a message.

ZAFT received a message claiming Lacus Clyne was safe in Orb and warning that Blue Cosmos threatened her, forcing Cruze's team to investigate. Meanwhile, Kira remained confined aboard the Archangel as Sazaland tore up her discharge certificate and questioned her role in its victories.

• Cruze's team received a video of Lacus and Kira in an Orb refugee camp, along with detailed information about the Blue Cosmos fleet near Junius 7.
• Cruze concluded that his team had to verify Lacus's location because their mission was to find her, and Athrun urged them to go.
• Kira was held in the brig while viewers debated whether the Archangel should fight Blue Cosmos or seek ZAFT's help.
• Sazaland visited Kira, called her a Coordinator soldier, and tore up her discharge certificate.
• Sazaland challenged Kira's claim that the Archangel's victories were possible, citing the forces it had supposedly defeated.

Blue Cosmos captured Kira and the Archangel’s crew, and Sazaland believed Frey’s testimony meant the Archangel had used Lacus Clyne as leverage against ZAFT. The Archangel and Strike’s security locks thwarted Blue Cosmos, while Mu realized ZAFT’s intelligence had helped turn Blue Cosmos against the Archangel and began to suspect a link between Inori Yuzuriha’s requests for authorization and the “Black Coffin.”

• Frey told Sazaland that Lacus Clyne had been aboard the Archangel, prompting him to order his men to find her and interrogate Kira before disposing of her.
• Kira reflected that she had deliberately lured ZAFT to expose Blue Cosmos’s intentions and concluded that the Archangel’s crew was also in danger.
• Blue Cosmos’s personnel failed to take control of the Archangel and Strike because their systems had been locked against unauthorized users.
• Murrue told Sazaland that she did not know how to deactivate the locks, and he accused her of using Lacus to force ZAFT to surrender.
• Mu suspected that ZAFT had leaked an exaggerated battle report and realized Cruze was manipulating events; he also connected Inori Yuzuriha’s requests for authorization to a computer and the “Black Coffin.”