Chapter Summaries

Noah endured a sleepless night trapped between Julie and Lilith, who clung to him while they slept. After Lilith finally woke, she told him he had to accompany her somewhere special that day.

• Noah spent the night pinned between Julie and Lilith, unable to sleep as they held him close.
• Noah woke Lilith and asked her to release him, but she tightened her embrace before opening her eyes.
• Noah accidentally brushed against Lilith while freeing his hand, and Julie stirred beside him.
• Julie pulled Noah close in her sleep, nearly bringing their lips together when he turned toward her.
• Lilith left the bed and told the exhausted Noah he had to accompany her to a special place.

Lilith dragged Noah from Haoling Academy to Disneyland, using her special privileges to skip class and spend the day with her Bonded Pair Blade. Noah noticed Shadows watching them as they entered, while Lilith began their outing with a shooting game that she and Noah won by breaking the record.

• Lilith took Noah to Disneyland by helicopter and excitedly told him she had dreamed of visiting it.
• Lilith left Sarah behind and pulled Noah toward the park, insisting that he focus on their date.
• Noah spotted several suspicious tourists and watched a building corner where Shadows later disappeared into the crowd.
• Lilith chose a shooting attraction, where she and Noah used their Blaze weapons to smash the previous record.
• The staff member mistook Lilith's description of Noah as her most important partner for a romantic confession, making them laugh.

Noah slowed Lilith’s frantic tour of Disneyland and led her into a haunted house, where he revealed that he had noticed their hidden observers. A squad of armored infiltrators emerged and surrounded them, leaving Noah and Lilith facing the people who had previously attacked the academy dormitories.

• Noah told Lilith to slow down, and she reflected on how unusually direct he was compared with the people who usually surrounded her.
• Lilith said she was curious about Kokone Toru’s shield Blaze, but Noah suggested she could have chosen Kokone as her Bonded Pair Blade.
• Noah took Lilith to the haunted house, where she excitedly admired the frightening Turner dolls.
• Noah explained that he had brought Lilith there to draw out their hidden observers, and someone applauded as several figures appeared.
• A squad of about ten armored people surrounded Noah and Lilith, and a taller figure stepped forward and removed their helmet.

K and the Equipment Smiths confronted Lilith, intending to take her hostage to obtain Lucifer's Crest from the Dawn Institution. When Noah and Lilith refused to surrender, K ordered his squad to shoot them.

• K introduced himself to Lilith as a representative of the Equipment Smiths and demanded that she come with him.
• Noah realized that the Equipment Smiths had targeted Lilith and discovered that they had planted an infiltrator inside Haoling Academy to monitor her.
• Lilith explained that the Equipment Smiths wanted to use her as a hostage to obtain Lucifer's Crest from the Dawn Institution.
• K revealed that his squad wore equipment steel and ordered them to capture Noah and Lilith.
• Noah and Lilith discussed how many of the squad they could handle, and K ordered his people to open fire.

Noah and Lilith fought K and his combat-suited squad in the haunted house graveyard. Noah and Lilith took down most of the squad, while K proved to be a far more formidable opponent than the others.

• Noah used his sensory abilities to locate incoming bullets, ripped a gravestone from the ground, and used it to block the squad’s gunfire and knock them down.
• Noah and Lilith summoned their Blazes and shot seven members of K’s ten-person squad, while K and two others avoided the attacks.
• K rushed from behind a fake dead tree and attacked Lilith with two short blades.
• Lilith blocked K’s blades with her rifle, countered with a kick, and fired repeatedly, forcing him to retreat.
• Noah realized K was likely Rank III or close to Rank IV, and was surprised by how easily Lilith faced him.

Noah and Lilith faced K and his armed subordinates after K revealed that the God Slaying Squad gained superhuman power from armored steel. Noah chose to fight K while Lilith dealt with the other three, and the chapter ended as an unseen hand caught and snapped K’s dagger.

• K revealed that the God Slaying Squad used armored steel to gain power beyond humanity and demanded that Noah step aside so he could capture Lilith.
• Lilith told Noah she could handle K, but Noah pointed out that three of K’s subordinates were also aiming at them.
• Noah chose to confront K, calling Lilith his important partner, while Lilith prepared to face the three gunmen.
• K attacked Noah with daggers, and Noah knocked away the first pair before dodging K’s close-range strikes.
• K launched another dagger at Noah, but a hand caught its blade and snapped it in two.

Noah overwhelmed K in a brutal fight, destroying his weapons and Armor Steel before breaking his arm and knocking him into a tombstone. K lay buried beneath the rubble as Noah taunted him about losing to a student.

• K snapped a dagger against Noah’s grip and tried to shoot him with a submachine gun, but Noah charged in and damaged the weapon.
• K attacked with daggers and tried to keep Noah at a distance, but Noah dodged his strikes and closed in using explosive bursts of speed.
• Noah shattered the Armor Steel gauntlet on K’s arm with a barrage of punches, then broke the exposed arm.
• Noah punched K in the face and sent him crashing through a tombstone, burying him beneath its rubble.
• Noah stood over the injured K and mocked him for losing after boasting about true brutality.

Noah defeated K in the haunted house, but Lilith stopped him from executing K and urged him not to stain his soul with another killing. Noah spared K and left with Lilith, who reaffirmed her happiness at being his Bonded Pair Blade.

• Noah defeated K, whose armored steel and combat training could not match Noah's speed.
• K claimed Noah was like him because he could kill with his weapon, and Noah aimed his revolver at K.
• Lilith stopped Noah from firing and said she did not want his soul stained crimson again.
• Noah lowered his revolver, told K that his own victims had deserved death while K had killed innocents, and left with Lilith.
• Lilith embraced Noah's arm and said she was glad she had made him her Bonded Pair Blade.

After K and the God Slaying Squad were arrested, Kukonoe Sakuya revealed that she had released them and confronted Noah about his forged identity and knowledge of Blaze Diabolica. She then offered Noah the chance to undergo the Ascension Ritual and obtain Special Ascension, leaving him and Lilith staring at a new Lucifer's Crest injector.

• Lilith had the Grave Guardians arrest K and the God Slaying Squad after Noah defeated them.
• Kukonoe Sakuya told Noah and Lilith that she had released the entire God Slaying Squad.
• Noah deduced that Kukonoe Sakuya was Blaze Diabolica, and she warned him not to speak about the title or investigate matters beyond his life at the academy.
• Kukonoe Sakuya said Noah's unknown origins did not matter as long as he achieved Absolute Duo, and she urged him to forget what he had learned.
• Kukonoe Sakuya presented Noah with a new Lucifer's Crest injector and granted him the right to undergo the Ascension Ritual for Special Ascension.

Lilith explained that Kukonoe Sakuya kept Noah at the academy and gave him another Ascension Ritual opportunity because she was pursuing Absolute Duo by bringing their unusual souls to their limits. After an awkward confrontation with Imari, Julie, Tachibana Tomoe, and Miyabi, Noah injected himself with Lucifer's Crest that night.

• Noah left Kukonoe Sakuya's office with a new Ascension Ritual opportunity and wondered why she had granted it despite discovering his false identity.
• Lilith explained that Absolute Duo was the ultimate realm reached by raising the soul's power to its limit, and that Sakuya's pursuit of it explained the academy's outrageous decisions.
• Lilith pressed Noah's hand against her chest while explaining that she and Noah were exceptions because their souls were abnormal.
• Imari, Julie, Tachibana Tomoe, and Miyabi arrived and saw Noah's hand on Lilith's chest; Imari, Tachibana Tomoe, and Miyabi fled, while Julie attacked them with her Blazes.
• That night, after Lilith fell asleep from exhaustion, Noah injected Lucifer's Crest into his neck.

Noah told his classmates he had advanced to Rank III, though he was disappointed that Lucifer's Crest had barely strengthened his body, mind, or magic power. He and the others looked ahead to Rank IV, which would unlock the true power of their Blazes but required a difficult strengthening of the mind.

• Tsukimi Rito announced that Noah had advanced to Rank III after receiving the Chairman's Ascension Ritual, drawing envy and amazement from his classmates.
• Noah reflected that Lucifer's Crest had provided only a substantial improvement to his Blaze, while its other enhancements were nearing their limit.
• Noah told Imari, Julie, Tachibana Tomoe, and Miyabi that Rank III was not especially worth celebrating and discussed the upcoming Rank IV ascension.
• Tachibana Tomoe and Miyabi recognized that Rank IV demanded far greater mental strength, and the students worried about how to train their minds.
• Imari and the others wondered what true power their Blazes would reveal, while Noah eagerly anticipated discovering his own.

On the last day of the semester, Noah and his classmates prepared for their first Ascension Ritual after months of training. The students gathered with hopes of advancing in rank, and Noah looked forward to discovering how his Blaze would change at Rank IV.

• Noah woke up sandwiched between Julie and Lilith, who had once again fallen asleep clinging to him.
• Noah reflected on how the girls, including Imari and Ya, had grown accustomed to his sleeping arrangements with Julie and Lilith, while Tachibana Tomoe still reacted with embarrassment.
• Noah realized the semester had ended and woke Julie and Lilith with anticipation.
• The first-year students gathered in class, eager to attempt their first Ascension Ritual, while the Rank II students hoped to advance to Rank III.
• Tachibana Tomoe reassured the nervous Ya, whose stamina training had made her the second-best among the first- and second-years.
• Noah encouraged the group to focus on ascending successfully, and Lilith confidently agreed while Tachibana Tomoe urged her to take the ritual more seriously.

As the academy began its Ascension Ritual, Noah received a private ceremony overseen by Chairman Kukonoe Sakuya, who was eager to see what power his soul would reveal. Sakuya injected Lucifer's Crest into Noah, beginning his attempt to ascend to Rank IV.

• Tsukimi Rito organized the Rank I students for the Ascension Ritual while Imari, Julie, Tachibana Tomoe, and Miyabi discussed whether they could challenge her after ascending.
• Noah and Lilith skipped the line and were escorted to a private Ascension Ritual because Noah's possible Rank IV power interested the academy's leadership.
• Noah and Lilith found Mikuni and Kukonoe Sakuya waiting in the ritual room.
• Kukonoe Sakuya said she would personally conduct Noah's ritual, and Noah proceeded after Lilith gave her approval.
• Kukonoe Sakuya blessed Noah and injected the Lucifer's Crest into his body.

Noah underwent a dangerous transformation after Kukonoe Sakuya injected him with Lucifer's Crest, awakening the true powers of his two Blazes and advancing him to Rank IV. He summoned his revolver Blaze as Magician and watched it transform into seven separate objects.

• Kukonoe Sakuya injected Lucifer's Crest into Noah, causing crimson flames to engulf him as the Crest's nanomachines spread through his body.
• Noah sensed his soul and the two Blazes sleeping within it: a black revolver and a black Knight Sword.
• The Crest's nanomachines and Noah's Blazes released intersecting signals, and two names emerged in Noah's mind.
• Noah's flames changed from crimson to azure blue, revealing that he had reached Rank IV and awakened his soul's true power.
• Noah summoned his revolver Blaze, named it Magician, and threw it into the air.
• Magician broke apart and reassembled into seven separate black objects before Noah, Lilith, Kukonoe Sakuya, and Mikuni.

After advancing to Rank IV, Noah awakened the Magician, his revolver Blaze’s true power, and demonstrated its ability to transform into a variety of powerful weapons. Kukonoe Sakuya praised his strength and told Noah and Lilith to prepare for a long journey.

• Noah’s Blaze transformed into seven black rings, and he understood that its true ability was the Magician.
• Noah reshaped the rings into steel wings that fired lasers and then into heavy cannons capable of using many different weapons and effects.
• Noah returned the Magician’s fragments to the form of his revolver and realized Lucifer’s Crest no longer strengthened him, though his other Blaze had also awakened its true power.
• Kukonoe Sakuya praised Noah’s exceptional Blaze and told him and Lilith to prepare for a long journey.

After nearly all the first-year students advanced in the final Ascension Ritual, Noah and seven others were summoned to the Chairman’s office and assigned field training for the next day. The group was allowed to withdraw if they had inconvenient circumstances.

• Every first-year student successfully advanced to Rank II, while Imari and Julie, Tomoe and Miyabi, Kokone Toru and Torazaki Aoi reached Rank III, and Noah reached Rank IV as Lilith reached Rank III.
• Imari asked Noah to reveal the true power of his Blaze, prompting Julie and Lilith to argue over who understood him best.
• Tsukimi Rito summoned Noah, Lilith, Julie Sigtuna, Nagakura Imari, Tachibana Tomoe, Hotaka Miyabi, Kokone Toru, and Torazaki Aoi to the Chairman’s office.
• Kukonoe Sakuya announced that the eight students would take part in field training the next day.
• Mikuni said the students could apply to withdraw if they had inconvenient circumstances.

Noah learned that the academy’s field training involved protecting the Feather Shard, an unexplainable object the Dawn Institution had discovered. Realizing it was the world shard he had been seeking, he chose to hear the mission details as the students prepared to attend an appreciation gathering undercover.

• Noah considered withdrawing from the training but asked Kukonoe Sakuya what the mission involved after a strange sensation stopped him.
• Kukonoe Sakuya explained that the students would protect a mysterious item called the Feather Shard, which the Dawn Institution could not analyze.
• Noah recognized the Feather Shard as the world shard he had been searching for.
• Kukonoe Sakuya said famous figures from around the world would view the shard at an appreciation gathering, where powerful enemies might try to take it.
• Kukonoe Sakuya told the students they would disguise themselves as guests, and Mikuni stepped forward to announce their assigned identities.

Kukonoe Sakuya revealed that she had arranged the Feather Shard appraisal event as a trial to test Noah and the potential of his soul. Noah’s group reviewed the disguises prepared for their field study, where they would attend the event as guests.

• Mikuni questioned Kukonoe Sakuya about the danger of holding the appraisal event, and Kukonoe explained that she wanted to temper Noah’s soul through the Witch’s trial.
• Kukonoe said Noah’s Blaze had impressed her and that she hoped his growing power would bring him closer to the ultimate realm she sought for Absolute Duo.
• Noah and his group gathered at a pavilion and read the field study document Mikuni had sent them.
• The document assigned Noah the identity of a young executive director, with Imari, Julie, and Miyabi as his maids, Tachibana Tomoe as his head maid, and Kokone Toru and Torazaki Aoi as his bodyguards.
• Torazaki Aoi complained about being a bodyguard, while Imari and Miyabi reacted to their maid roles and Tachibana Tomoe blushed and called Noah shameless.

Noah and his companions prepared to infiltrate an exhibition to recover the Feather Shard, with Noah posing as a high-society guest and Lilith appearing openly as a Bristol heiress. The next day, Noah waited at the academy gates in disguise with Kokone Toru and Torazaki Aoi, then spotted the girls arriving.

• Torazaki Aoi complained about being assigned as Noah's bodyguard, while the group explained that Noah would pose as a celebrity at the exhibition.
• Lilith said her connection to Bristol Corporation made her too recognizable to infiltrate, so she would attend openly and draw attention away from Noah's team.
• Noah decided to recover the Feather Shard quietly and warned Lilith that she might be targeted; Lilith teased him, prompting jealous and embarrassed reactions from the others.
• The following day, Noah dressed as a wealthy young master while Kokone Toru and Torazaki Aoi wore suits and sunglasses as his bodyguards.
• As they waited at the academy gates for Imari, Julie, Tachibana Tomoe, and Miyabi, Noah saw the four girls approaching.

Noah and his companions traveled to a hotel for an appraisal event, with the girls wearing revealing maid outfits as part of their mission. After showing their invitation, the group entered the hotel, where guests in the reception hall began sizing Noah up.

• Imari, Julie, Tachibana Tomoe, and Miyabi arrived at the academy gates in maid outfits, and Noah and the others reacted to their revealing clothes.
• Imari urged the group to hurry, and Noah led everyone to their limousine for the trip.
• Kokone Toru and Torazaki Aoi escorted the maids out of the limousine at the hotel while Noah calmly approached the entrance.
• A hotel guard asked Noah for an invitation, and Tachibana Tomoe presented one from the Dawn Institution.
• A server guided Noah and his companions to the fifth-floor reception hall, where formally dressed guests turned to size Noah up.