Chapter Summaries

Theresa evolved toward the Aeon of Binding, revealing her new six-winged form while reassuring the crew that she remained in control. After explaining the danger of the Binding Barrier, she gave everyone Immortality Shields and began summoning the barrier to test her power.

• Theresa's wings and crimson Herrscher pupils appeared, frightening Welt until she revealed she was still herself and teased him by photographing his reaction.
• Theresa told the crew that she had devoured the Herrscher of Binding consciousness on Jarilo-VI, easing their fear that she might lose control.
• Welt explained the Herrscher of Binding's ability to control energy and described how the Previous Civilization had sacrificed nearly all its Fusion Warriors to overcome the Binding Barrier.
• Theresa gave everyone colorful Immortality Shields, then channeled Binding into Judas and transformed it into a scepter.
• Theresa declared, "Binding, descend!" as she began testing her new Authority.

Theresa completed her transformation into the Herrscher of Binding and manifested a Binding Barrier spanning one light-day, bringing her close to Aeonhood. After she withdrew it, the Luofu Xianzhou’s Jing Yuan, Yanqing, and Fu Xuan watched the strange golden light and awaited Fu Xuan’s calculations.

• Theresa’s Binding Core transformed into a Cocoon of Light, drawing on the Imaginary Tree, the Sea of Quantum, Immortality, and Joy before merging with her.
• Theresa manifested a pale-golden Binding Barrier that expanded across a light-day and said she was a hundred million times stronger than the Previous Civilization’s Herrscher of Binding.
• Theresa warned the Express crew that activating the barrier at full scale would drain and destroy everything within it, and that she could not withstand the resulting energy without becoming an Aeon.
• Theresa withdrew the barrier, leaving the Express crew stunned as she explained that her power was still ascending toward Aeonhood.
• Jing Yuan, Yanqing, and Fu Xuan observed a pale-golden star beyond the Luofu’s sky curtain while Fu Xuan hurried to calculate what had happened.

Fu Xuan could not determine the origin of the vanished golden star, while Theresa’s awakened power reassured the Express Crew. After Kafka offered a deal involving the Luofu Xianzhou and Blade, the crew agreed to go there and address the Stellar Core issue.

• Fu Xuan reported to Jing Yuan that her calculations with the Dharma Eye and array disk could not reveal the golden star’s origin, and she planned to use the Great Deduction Array.
• Jing Yuan and Yanqing wondered whether a Lord had caused the star’s appearance before Fu Xuan left for the Eternal Night Tavern.
• Theresa put away the Binding Barrier, and the Express Crew reassured her that they still regarded her as one of their own despite her overwhelming strength.
• Kafka returned with a new script and proposed that the Express Crew resolve the Luofu Xianzhou’s Stellar Core issue while she rescued Blade.
• Himeko accepted Kafka’s proposal on behalf of the Express Crew, and Kafka said Silver Wolf would help them infiltrate the Xianzhou while she provided support.

The Astral Express crew arrived at the Luofu Xianzhou, with Welt leading the expedition while Dan Heng stayed behind because he was an exiled sinner. Himeko contacted the Luofu for docking permission, but the reply came through as a garbled, prerecorded-sounding message.

• Dan Heng said he would remain on the train, and Himeko asked Welt to lead the expedition with March 7th, Stelle, Theresa, and Rin.
• Rin revealed that she was an Abundance Path healer and survival expert, while March 7th assigned the group’s combat roles.
• Pam warped the Astral Express to the Luofu Xianzhou, and March 7th and Stelle fell over from the recoil.
• Dan Heng described the Luofu as a starship civilization’s home and said he had no right to return because he was an exiled sinner.
• Himeko requested permission to dock, but the Luofu’s intermittent broadcast gave a broken welcome and asked the crew to wait.

Welt and the others arrived at the Luofu Xianzhou after receiving a brief docking signal, but Pam's unfamiliarity with its layout sent them to a vast cargo area. While exploring in disguise, they found an unconscious Cloud Knight.

• Himeko received a repeating broadcast, then heard a brief message welcoming the crew and opening the Jade Gate.
• Welt reminded the group to stay together and help the Luofu, and Pam teleported them aboard using a random destination.
• Theresa, Himeko, Stelle, March 7th, and Rin ate snacks and put on Dr. Ratio collaboration masks, eventually persuading Welt to wear one too.
• Welt led the disguised group through the cargo area, where March 7th spotted an unconscious Cloud Knight.

Welt and the others treated injured Cloud Knights soldiers and made their way through the Luofu, where Theresa used Wisdom Assimilation on a suspicious soldier. They discovered the Cloud Knights were turning into Mara-struck Soldiers and continued toward the battle ahead.

• March 7th and Rin treated a badly wounded Cloud Knights soldier, who passed out before he could finish warning them.
• Welt introduced the group to another injured Cloud Knights soldier, who mistook their masks for a Masked Fools disguise and attacked them verbally.
• Theresa used Wisdom Assimilation to make the soldier guide them, then explained that the effect would wear off when he woke up.
• Welt restrained a Cloud Knights soldier as he transformed into a Mara-struck Soldier and lunged at the group.
• The injured Cloud Knights urged the group to help their comrades fighting the Abominations Legion, and the group continued onward, recognizing that Mara-struck Soldiers resembled Cloud Knights.

The Stellaron Hunters rescued Tingyun and the Cloud Knights from the Abominations Legion. After introductions, Tingyun asked why the outsiders had appeared on the sealed Starcruiser Sea.

• March 7th shielded Tingyun, but her taunting shield drew the monsters’ attacks toward her.
• Stelle switched to the Path of Preservation and charged into the horde, then March 7th and Welt helped destroy the Abominations Legion.
• The Cloud Knights and Tingyun thanked the Stellaron Hunters, but were distracted by Theresa’s appearance and the group’s wisdom masks.
• Tingyun introduced herself and asked the Stellaron Hunters for their names, and they introduced themselves in turn.
• Tingyun asked why the outsiders had come to the sealed Starcruiser Sea.

Phantylia, disguised as Tingyun, questioned the newly arrived Stellaron Hunters, then agreed to escort them to meet Lady Yukong after they offered to help seal the Stellar Core. As she led them toward the Supreme Court, she secretly drew the Abominations Legion toward them to test their strength.

• Tingyun questioned the Stellaron Hunters about how they entered the Xianzhou and whether their masks linked them to the Masked Fools.
• Welt explained their arrival, and Theresa handed the Cloud Knights piles of Dr. Ratio masks, distracting everyone with her prank.
• Tingyun accepted their explanation after learning they came from the Astral Express and agreed to take them to Lady Yukong.
• Welt told Tingyun that the group had come to help seal the Stellar Core, and Tingyun said they needed Lady Yukong's permission first.
• Tingyun secretly used the Great Void Lord's power to draw the Abominations Legion toward the group as a test.

Welt and Theresa faced the Abominations Legion after Tingyun asked the Stellaron Hunters for help. Welt trapped the monsters in a Quasi-Black Hole, and Theresa slaughtered them with the Chainsaw Greatsword before Tingyun reconsidered her plans.

• The Cloud Knights prepared to charge the vastly larger Abominations Legion, but Theresa told them to stand by while Welt gathered the monsters.
• Welt used Star of Eden’s Quasi-Black Hole to trap the advancing Abominations Legion.
• Theresa transformed the Oath of Judah into a Chainsaw Greatsword and attacked the trapped monsters.
• Theresa’s fighting spirit resonated with Qian Jie’s phantom, and the monsters’ blood formed a crimson moon in the darkened sky.
• Theresa leaped up and cut apart the crimson moon and the monsters, then returned her weapon to necklace form.
• Tingyun was intimidated by Theresa’s display and adjusted her plan.

Theresa and the others moved through the cargo area with Tingyun toward the star skiffs, while Theresa explained her connection to the Flame-Chasers. The group reached the dock and spotted a powerful monster near a star skiff.

• Tingyun led the group to the cargo containers, and Stelle operated the controls to clear a path toward the star skiff docks.
• Welt warned Tingyun about the danger of a Stellar Core and the devastation its explosion could cause on the Xianzhou.
• Tingyun asked Theresa about the blazing red phantom, and Theresa said she had undergone trials in the Garden of Eternity and earned the Flame-Chasers' recognition.
• Theresa identified the phantom as Kalpas, described his hot temper, and said the Flame-Chasers' wills and aspirations would always live in her heart.
• March 7th spotted a star skiff and a powerful-looking monster nearby.

Theresa helped a dying Cloud Knight captain regain his senses long enough to speak with his grieving comrades before she burned his Mara-struck body and preserved his ashes. The Stellaron Hunters then boarded Tingyun’s star skiffs and headed for the Starcruiser Sea Central Hub to meet Lady Yukong.

• The Cloud Knights recognized the Mara-struck Soldier as their captain and asked the Stellaron Hunters to let him rest in peace.
• Theresa subdued the captain with Judas and used the Authority of Binding to restore his clarity temporarily.
• The captain comforted his comrades, shared his regrets, and recited the Cloud Knights’ slogan before the Mara took control again.
• Welt pulled the Cloud Knights away, and Theresa burned the captain with colorful Immortal Flame as he saluted them; she then placed his ashes in a jade-white box.
• Tingyun gathered everyone aboard several star skiffs and guided them toward the Starcruiser Sea Central Hub to meet Lady Yukong.

Tingyun brought the Stellaron Hunters to the Starcruiser Sea and escorted them toward the Supreme Court headquarters to report their arrival to Lady Yukong. March 7th and Rin recalled Theresa’s fan club in Belobog as Welt continued to watch Tingyun closely.

• The Cloud Knights thanked the Stellaron Hunters for saving their captain, then departed to visit his family and deliver his belongings to the Ten Lords Bureau.
• Tingyun welcomed the group to the Starcruiser Sea and explained that they needed to report their identities to Lady Yukong at the Morning Palace.
• Xianzhou citizens stared at Theresa and tried to photograph her, so Tingyun hurried the group toward the Supreme Court headquarters.
• March 7th and Rin remembered how Hua Laus had founded the Teruriri Fan Club in Belobog, with help from Serval, Bronya, and Seele.
• Tingyun pretended she was rushing because she feared Lady Yukong’s blame, while Welt silently studied her expression.

The Stellaron Hunters prepared to meet Yukong at Morning Palace, with Welt warning the others to be cautious about Tingyun and their answers. They entered the palace, where staff mistook Theresa for a cat person because of her cat ears.

• Welt asked Theresa what she thought of Tingyun, and Theresa said Tingyun seemed suspicious and unlike herself.
• Welt warned the group to be cautious with Tingyun and planned to handle their meeting with Yukong, while the others discussed how to answer questions about their arrival.
• Stelle exchanged pointed messages with Tingyun, and Welt judged Stelle’s replies appropriate.
• Tingyun met the group outside Morning Palace and told them Yukong was waiting inside.
• The Stellaron Hunters entered Morning Palace, where staff admired Theresa’s appearance and wondered if she was a cat person.

Yukong rejected the Astral Express’s offer to help with the Stellar Core crisis and tried to keep them from leaving, prompting Theresa to overwhelm her with Herrscher pressure. Yukong explained that the Luofu suspected them because they had arrived after the Starcruiser Sea was sealed and Silver Wolf had hacked the Jade Gate; Welt hesitated to answer, leaving the suspicions unresolved.

• Yukong told Welt and the others that the Xianzhou Alliance would handle the Stellar Core crisis without outside help and refused to reconsider.
• March 7th angrily suggested leaving, but Yukong ordered the group to stay and the Cloud Knights guarded the exits.
• Theresa confronted Yukong and suppressed her and the Cloud Knights with her intimidating aura, while March 7th and Stelle prepared to fight.
• Yukong struggled to explain that the Luofu suspected the group because they had arrived after the Starcruiser Sea was sealed and already knew the crisis involved a Stellar Core.
• Yukong revealed that Silver Wolf had hacked the Jade Gate system and guided the group’s ship into port, while Welt hesitated to explain himself and Theresa left the discussion to him.

General Jing Yuan eased tensions with the Express crew, then explained that the Xianzhou suspected them of receiving a message from Kafka and asked for their help with another matter. He believed the message was a scheme to make the Xianzhou distrust them, but had not yet revealed what task he wanted them to undertake.

• Yukong told the crew they could not leave the Luofu until the Stellar Core threat was resolved or their connection to the Stellaron Hunters was ruled out.
• Jing Yuan arrived, joked with the crew, and introduced himself as the Luofu's highest-ranking official.
• Jing Yuan declined the crew's offer to help with the Stellar Core, calling it an internal Xianzhou matter, but said he needed their help with something else.
• Jing Yuan revealed that the Xianzhou had captured Blade and intercepted a message from Kafka, whose intended recipients appeared to be the crew.
• Jing Yuan said he believed the message was a plot to shift blame and make the Xianzhou suspect the crew, while Welt and Theresa waited for him to explain what he wanted them to do.

Jing Yuan proposed that the Express Crew help capture Kafka in exchange for freedom to act on the Xianzhou, but Welt and Theresa disagreed over whether to reveal Theresa’s power. The crew chose to tell Jing Yuan the truth about Kafka’s plan, and he responded by revealing that Blade had already escaped from the Prison of Imprisonment.

• Jing Yuan offered the Express Crew authority to act freely on the Xianzhou if they captured Kafka, while the crew discussed how to handle the Stellar Core crisis.
• Welt warned that revealing Theresa could resolve the Stellar Core might make Jing Yuan suspect the crew, but Theresa, Stelle, Himeko, and March 7th backed telling the truth.
• Yukong told Jing Yuan about Theresa’s overwhelming pressure, making him wary that she might be an Emanator and reconsider his plan to use the Express Crew.
• Welt brought the crew to Jing Yuan and frankly explained Kafka’s plan, including her target of Blade in the Prison of Imprisonment.
• Jing Yuan revealed that Blade had escaped, then admitted the Xianzhou’s crisis had strained its forces and offered to share intelligence with the crew.

The Express Crew’s arrival in the Xianzhou was met with suspicion after March 7th revealed that Theresa had eaten a Stellar Core. Theresa proved she was an Immortality Envoy by displaying the Colored Flame, easing tensions with Jing Yuan and Yukong, before she amused everyone by mimicking Fu Xuan.

• March 7th told Jing Yuan that Theresa had eaten a Stellar Core, prompting him and Yukong to confront Theresa and demand she reveal her origins.
• Theresa declared herself an Immortality Envoy and displayed the Colored Flame, whose immortal aura convinced Jing Yuan and Yukong of her identity.
• Jing Yuan apologized for misunderstanding Theresa and allowed the Express Crew to move freely, while Welt complained that Theresa’s display had made negotiation unnecessary.
• Jing Yuan called for Fu Xuan, whose projection introduced herself and acknowledged Theresa as an Envoy of the Ancestor of Myriad Dragons of the Heavenly Abyss.
• After March 7th noted Fu Xuan’s resemblance to Theresa’s former appearance, Theresa transformed into a wise-looking copy of Fu Xuan, making Jing Yuan, Yanqing, Qingque, and others laugh.

Jing Yuan invited the Stellaron Hunters to the General’s Office to discuss matters in person after Theresa’s transformation into Fu Xuan turned their meeting into a farce. Yukong flew them there, recalling the battle that had cost her comrades their lives.

• Jing Yuan noticed that Theresa’s transformation might resemble the Masked Fools’ technique and arranged to meet the Stellaron Hunters at the General’s Office with Fu Xuan.
• Theresa joked about giving her Fu Xuan form a larger chest, but agreed to keep her current appearance when meeting the real Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan.
• Welt warned Theresa never to transform into his wife, Tesla, while Rin complained that Theresa had become more mischievous.
• Yukong led the Stellaron Hunters onto a starskiff and piloted it expertly toward the General’s Office.
• During the flight, Yukong remembered how she had returned alone from a battle in which her comrades, including her closest friend, had died.
• Yukong dropped the group off at the General’s Office and departed to handle her official duties.

Theresa disguised herself as Fu Xuan and brought the Stellaron Hunters into Jing Yuan’s office, where her disguise caused confusion. After Jing Yuan exposed one mismatch between the two Fu Xuans, Theresa transformed into Kiana, leaving Welt and the others staring in amazement.

• Theresa posed as Fu Xuan and led the Stellaron Hunters past the Cloud Knights and into the General’s Office.
• Jing Yuan ordered the Cloud Knights to leave after they discovered both the real Fu Xuan and Theresa’s disguise in the hall.
• Welt told Jing Yuan that Yukong had flown them to the General’s Office and seemed unusually skilled at piloting a skiff.
• Jing Yuan pointed out that Theresa’s Fu Xuan disguise was larger than the real Fu Xuan, prompting Fu Xuan to angrily confront them.
• Theresa transformed into Kiana, the Herrscher of Flames, and asked Welt whether Kiana was pretty.

Theresa transformed into Kiana’s Herrscher of Flames form and proposed using it to attract Kafka while the Stellaron Hunters investigated the Stellar Core. Jing Yuan gave them permission and funding, then stayed behind with Fu Xuan on the Luofu.

• Theresa showed the group her Kiana transformation, and Jing Yuan judged her ability to be connected to the Path of Joy.
• Theresa explained that she could transform only into women, ruling out Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan’s plan to disguise her as Blade.
• Theresa proposed appearing as Kiana to draw Kafka’s attention as an unpredictable variable while the group searched for the Stellar Core.
• Jing Yuan issued Theresa a passage Jade Seal and arranged for Fu Xuan to continue tracking Kafka with the Great Deduction Array.
• Jing Yuan gave the Stellaron Hunters Xianzhou currency for their operation and stayed behind to stabilize the Cloud Knights.
• Welt took the funding bracelet, and Theresa led the Stellaron Hunters away after saying goodbye to Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan.