Chapter Summaries

Ronan understood that the Human-Faced Spider and Raven were using each other to grow stronger through a dangerous balance, with Ronan's Gestalt serving as the framework that had to contain them. As the arena’s spectators fed the ritual with their vitality, the Beast King Battle’s other protagonist arrived.

• Ronan observed the Human-Faced Spider and Raven through the Contemplation Graphic and saw Raven’s starry edge cut into the spider as it attacked her.
• Ronan realized the Human-Faced Spider was using Raven’s ability to remove unstable parts of itself and strengthen its foundation, while Raven was sharpening her own power in return.
• Ronan recognized that he himself served as the ritual’s supporting framework and that its collapse could kill Raven or the Human-Faced Spider and bring backlash upon him.
• A spotlight fell on the ring as the announcer declared the arrival of the Beast King Battle’s other protagonist, and the crowd’s roar fed the altar’s flames.

The Fighting Arena revealed Raven’s opponent as the Aberrant Species Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard, which devoured a wild boar and stunned the spectators. Jack declared the Beast King Battle begun as Ronan tried to keep the ritual stable and worried that the chaos might distract Raven.

• A huge metal container appeared beside the ring, revealing a wild boar in an Iron Cage and a hidden creature inside a black glass enclosure.
• The wild boar sensed the creature and violently battered its cage, disrupting the arena while Ronan maintained the Altar Framework and worried about Raven’s concentration.
• The Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard emerged from the enclosure and swallowed the boar along with half its cage.
• Jack descended on a floating platform and announced Raven and the Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard as opponents in the Beast King Battle.

As Raven remained trapped in a dangerous ritual on the ring, Ronan coordinated Rock Blast’s attempt to reach her while the Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard finished its meal and prepared to attack. The arena crowd roared for the fight, but a middle-aged spectator suddenly collapsed and lay still.

• Ronan sent Rock Blast a route through the VIP Box and warned him that Jack was a powerful Burner who had spotted him.
• Rock Blast rushed through the corridor toward the VIP Box as Ronan monitored the ritual, Jack, the lizard, and the Altar Framework.
• The Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard swallowed the rest of the wild boar and its iron cage, then fixed its attention on Raven.
• The spectators surged toward the protective wall and shouted for Judgment as the lizard growled.
• A middle-aged man in the crowd clutched his chest, collapsed into his seat, and lay still.

As death spread through the Altar Framework, Raven gained power faster than the Human-Faced Spider, threatening to turn it into the ritual’s sacrifice. Ronan drew the attacking Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard into the framework, where it rapidly withered and died as a sacrifice.

• Ronan sensed that each death added Death Pigment to the Altar Framework and opened a domain that eased the pressure on his mind.
• Raven drew strength from each extinguished life and began advancing twice as fast as the Human-Faced Spider, making it the likely sacrifice.
• Rock Blast warned Ronan that the Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard was moving, then hurried through a hidden passage toward Jack.
• Ronan used the Dark Heavy Chains to connect the Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard to his Altar Framework as it charged Raven.
• Raven evaded the charge, and the Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard crashed near the stands, rapidly shriveling until only its skeleton remained.

Raven’s victory over the Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard awakened a powerful ability that devastated the Fighting Arena and its spectators. As Rock Blast arrived and Jack attacked Raven, the arena floor collapsed and exploded, leaving Jack to identify the nature of Raven’s new power.

• The Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard became the target of the altar’s backlash, while Human-Faced Spider survived as a Demon Rune and Raven gained the most from the sacrifice.
• Raven’s Stars dominated the altar, and her awakened power became evident as Rock Blast broke into the Fighting Arena and recognized the ability as at least B-rank.
• Ronan warned the others to stop Jack, but Jack activated the Deep Sea Magnetic Field and dove toward Raven, collapsing the fighting ring.
• An explosion beneath the ring sent Raven falling, but she released a sharp current of air that cut through debris and struck Jack’s modified arm.
• Jack’s Electronic Eye recorded Raven as Type-C test subject Number 2834 and began retrieving information about her awakened ability.

Jack captured Raven and escaped through the Freight Tunnel while Rock Blast pursued him. Rock Blast followed Jack’s truck out of the city on a motorcycle, but a fiery projectile struck the road ahead and engulfed him.

• A pulse disabled Raven, and Jack seized her and jumped from the lift into the Freight Tunnel as Rock Blast pursued them.
• Jack stunned Rock Blast with a Sonic Boom Grenade and escaped through the tunnel carrying Raven.
• Jack took control of the garage trucks and rode one out of the tunnel with Raven, while a truck collision delayed Rock Blast.
• Ronan used Ink to identify Jack’s truck, and Rock Blast stole a motorcycle and raced after it.
• A dark-red flaming projectile struck the road ahead of Rock Blast and engulfed him in an explosion.

Rock Blast survived the Wingless Aircraft’s fire and reached De Shang Mansion, where Ronan helped him subdue the Black Gang members. As Yan Yongbo continued providing drone support to pursue Raven, Hu Yuli confronted him, but Yan said a highest-priority research mission left them no choice.

• Rock Blast destroyed one Wingless Aircraft, then followed Ronan’s warning to shelter from a second drone’s attack beneath the roadbed.
• Rock Blast fled to De Shang Mansion, where Ronan knocked out the gangsters and Rock Blast took clothing to cover himself.
• Rock Blast and Ronan realized Jack had abducted Raven, who had been implanted with a control device and had recently awakened her ability.
• A Wingless Aircraft circled De Shang Mansion to track Rock Blast and prevent him from pursuing Jack.
• Hu Yuli confronted Yan Yongbo over the armed drone attacks, but Yan insisted that the highest-priority research mission required their support.

Hu Yuli learned that Yan Yongbo’s high-priority mission concerned research into life, while Rock Blast sought the association’s help after Raven was abducted. Ronan returned to the abandoned Fighting Arena and sensed that the ritual’s claims over Raven and the spectators remained unresolved.

• Yan Yongbo told Hu Yuli that the temporary mission had taken priority over Quantum Corporation’s Gear plan and cited Li Wei’s belief that researching life belonged to Deity.
• Hu Yuli left after questioning why the research mission outranked Excavate Star Gate.
• Rock Blast concluded that Raven’s abductors were likely trafficking Ability Users and contacted the association to pursue them.
• Ronan returned to the Fighting Arena after the spectators had evacuated and the Human-Faced Spider’s altar had collapsed.
• Ronan sensed that Raven’s victory had not ended the ritual and that connections still bound her to the spectators and the Altar Framework.

Ronan used his mental perception to gather memories of Raven and recognized her as the sole victor of the altar’s trial. He bestowed his blessing on her, and a dazzling star appeared in the sky, linked to his Gestalt.

• Ronan unleashed his mental perception across the Fighting Arena, stirring fear among everyone nearby as he searched for Raven’s memories.
• Mr. Ma recalled how he had controlled Raven and reveled in her struggles, then collapsed after seeing Ink fly past and hearing Raven’s name.
• Ink flew through the evacuated passageways and returned to the empty Fighting Arena, where Ronan saw Raven’s memories within a cloud of Negative Emotions.
• Ronan recognized the child he had met in the lounge as the Raven who had sacrificed everything and emerged as the altar’s sole victor.
• Ink called Raven the unique victor across the Mental Layer, and a dazzling star rose beyond the heavens, linked to Ronan’s Gestalt.

Ronan used his unique connection to Raven to search for her, while the Ability User Association organized an operation to intervene against Quantum Corporation. After learning that Ronan's body was in a coma, the Association prepared to examine him, but Ronan sensed Raven's consciousness and began trying to reach her.

• Ronan finished drawing a Psychic Map through his connection to Raven, then spoke with Rock Blast and He Yueyin about the Association's intervention and his codename, Scout.
• He Yueyin told Ronan that Luo Shuqing had taken his unconscious body to Xia City Benevolence Hospital and arranged for Mister Bai to examine him.
• Ronan learned that the Association believed his soul was lodged in the crow and warned him not to move until he could be separated from it.
• Ronan asked He Yueyin to coordinate with Octopus Bro after sensing that he might have found Raven.
• Ronan's consciousness followed the pull of Gestalt and the star, reaching toward Raven through what felt like deep water.

Ronan discovered that interference from a device in Raven’s head was keeping her unconscious, and used her as a relay to perceive Jack’s surroundings. He saw Jack in an apartment with Raven and listened as Yan Yongbo contacted him, leaving their escape plans unresolved.

• Ronan realized Raven’s body and soul had nearly fused through breathing, but a cranial device implanted by Jack disrupted the process and kept her unconscious.
• Ronan failed to wake Raven and used his projected consciousness as a signal relay to extend his perception to Jack’s location.
• Ronan saw Jack inside an apartment, with Raven lying on a sofa nearby, and tried to estimate where they were in Xia City.
• Yan Yongbo contacted Jack and asked how it felt to become the center of the world.
• Jack asked Yan Yongbo for an escape route, and Yan Yongbo praised Jack’s concealment and professionalism.

Jack explained that he had treated the Fighting Arena’s Test Subjects as disposable lab rejects and was furious that Raven’s awakening had triggered his mission to return to the Deep Blue World. He offered Yan Yongbo a deal, proposing to sell years of Test Subject data to keep himself away from the Deep Blue World.

• Jack told Yan Yongbo that he had chosen life in Xia City out of personal desire, and resented being forced back toward the Deep Blue World.
• Jack revealed that the laboratory had ignored the Fighting Arena and that he had disposed of Test Subjects at will, treating them as worthless rejects.
• Jack blamed Raven’s awakening for triggering his processor chip’s mission priority and said Yan Yongbo shared responsibility for bringing the people whose arrival led to it.
• Yan Yongbo challenged Jack over failing to eliminate the people in the off-road vehicle, and Jack admitted that he had made a foolish mistake.
• Jack proposed selling the past three years of Test Subject data to Yan Yongbo’s superior in charge of the Deep Blue Project in exchange for avoiding a return to the Deep Blue World.

Jack revealed his Format Fire to Yan Yongbo and claimed his Core Technology could let anyone become a Burner. As Jack and Yan Yongbo confronted each other, Ronan realized the flames were disrupting the interference suppressing Raven and saw a chance to help her.

• Yan Yongbo questioned whether Jack's Brain Core was functioning properly and said he could not cooperate with him unless its surveillance and control were addressed.
• Jack ignited dark red Format Fire without being harmed and told Yan Yongbo that his Core Technology offered the correct way for anyone to become a Burner.
• Yan Yongbo recognized the fire as Format Fire and challenged Jack's claim, citing the generations of Burner technology he had studied at Apocalypse Laboratory.
• Ronan watched their exchange and realized Jack's Format Fire was disturbing Raven's breathing rhythm and causing the interference in her brain to fall behind.
• Ronan decided to use the opportunity, thinking that he had plenty of formats of his own.

Jack negotiated with Yan Yongbo over Core Technology and the Soul Order, arranging to disappear from the Deep Blue World in exchange for Origin Mother. The deal was interrupted when Raven began displaying a Prototype Format.

• Jack explained that his Format Fire proved he had achieved autonomous consciousness and said his information came from handling waste from the 13th District.
• Yan Yongbo agreed to cooperate after Jack revealed the Soul Order’s organization among Modified Human miners.
• Jack arranged an apparent accident and requested ten grams of Origin Mother so he could sever a loose connection in his head.
• As Jack and Yan Yongbo discussed transporting Raven, Raven began glowing and orderly patterns appeared across her body.
• Yan Yongbo saw the patterns reflected on his screen and identified them as a Prototype Format.

Ronan developed Soul Breathing while trying to disrupt the Brain Pulse affecting Raven, and his Soul Power began to interfere with the Material Layer. Raven woke and attacked Jack, who escaped the apartment as Ronan and the others closed in; two objects were thrown inside after him.

• Ronan formed a stable soul rhythm through Raven's influence and discovered that his Soul Power could now appear to others.
• Ronan's interference disrupted the pulse switch, and Raven woke as Yan Yongbo warned Jack to hold on for five minutes.
• Raven struck Jack with a hidden, deadly edge, badly damaging half his face despite his defenses.
• Jack fled through the apartment door, and Raven pursued him until the alloy security door shut between them.
• Two cylindrical objects flew through the broken balcony window toward the entryway.

Ronan used his Soul Power and a Regular Tetrahedron to still Raven’s disrupted body and spirit, giving her the opening to recover and strike Deep Blue Walker. Raven crippled the armored attacker’s arm and Prototype Format structure, then attacked his exposed armpit.

• Raven tried to escape across the apartment, but two tactical grenades exploded and left her dizzy and off-balance.
• Deep Blue Walker appeared on the balcony as Jack charged from behind, trapping Raven between them.
• Ronan formed a Regular Tetrahedron and used the command "Still" to briefly suppress the fluctuations around Raven.
• Raven regained control of her body and spirit and struck Deep Blue Walker, draining strength from his arm and disrupting his Prototype Format structure.
• Raven freed herself from his grasp and drove an upward strike into his exposed armpit.

Raven fought through a squad of Deep Blue Walkers that had surrounded her in the apartment, using a Mental Storm to defeat the shield-bearing Wall Five. The remaining Walkers still threatened her, and the fight continued with her trapped among them.

• Raven knocked the Deep Blue Walker on the balcony away and evaded Jack by using the balcony shadows to strike his leg, leaving him with a broken bone.
• Jack fled toward the front door, where the shield-bearing Wall Five blocked his escape as other Deep Blue Walkers closed off the balcony and bedroom exits.
• Ronan realized Raven was surrounded by at least three Walkers and that their coordinated weapons could overwhelm her.
• Raven charged Wall Five, then unleashed a Mental Storm that bypassed his shield and struck his internal organs.
• Wall Five's Hundredfold Fire went out, and he fell onto his back beneath his shield.

Raven escaped the Deep Blue Walkers after incapacitating two of them, while Yan Yongbo authorized the squad to use lethal weapons against her. Ronan’s viewpoint reached the area and suddenly expanded to reveal a full map of the surroundings.

• Raven leaped from the shattered apartment window and left the wounded Deep Blue Walkers behind as they assessed their casualties.
• Brain One learned that Raven had killed a Long-Mouthed Demon Lizard and questioned why their transport mission had become an assault.
• Yan Yongbo told the squad that a Human-Faced Spider had appeared at Park 23 and authorized temporary use of lethal weapons.
• Brain One ordered the squad to set up a Charged Particle Cannon on the apartment roof and aim it at Park 23.
• Ronan’s viewpoint reached the area, and his sensing range expanded into a full-area map with a one-kilometer diameter.

Ronan watched Raven pursue the wounded Jack across an apartment building and through a park as Jack tried to reach a trap set by Yan Yongbo’s men. Raven cornered Jack at an artificial lake, where a sudden impact interrupted her attempt to finish him.

• Ronan used the recuperating Human-Faced Spider’s power to strike the off-road vehicle’s driver, giving Raven a chance to leap from the apartment building and land ahead of Jack.
• Jack took control of the vehicle, rammed toward Raven, and then crashed into a park before fleeing through the woods as Raven pursued him.
• Jack headed for an artificial lake, hoping to lure Raven to five to seven Deep Blue Walkers waiting nearby, but no contact signal arrived.
• Jack plunged into the lake, and Raven’s Deathly Stillness passed over the water, making him scream as dark-red flames flared.
• Raven prepared to enter the lake and finish Jack, but a tiny point of light appeared beside her and a terrifying impact descended.

Brain One’s squad recovered Raven after striking her with a Particle Cannon and found her unconscious but surrounded by a fading Prototype Format. As they prepared to withdraw with Raven and Jack’s corpse, Jack’s cracked skull began to glow red.

• Cannon Six fired the Particle Cannon at Raven, while Brain One ordered Snake Seven to inspect the lake after the radiation subsided.
• Snake Seven recovered Jack’s corpse, then found Raven unconscious at the bottom of the lake and subdued her with Electromagnetic Shackles.
• Brain One ordered the squad to dismantle the weapon and withdraw with Raven and Jack’s body.
• Logistics personnel loaded Jack’s body into a personnel carrier, where his shriveled head split open and revealed a faint red glow.