Chapter Summaries

Talia brought Annmarie, Setsuko, and Yaz to meet Duanmu Huai aboard the Inquisition warship and asked for assistance. Duanmu Huai offered supplies in exchange for sending some of his subordinates aboard the Minerva, and Talia agreed.

• The Minerva docked inside the Inquisition warship, and Talia chose Annmarie, Setsuko, and Yaz to accompany her to meet its commander.
• A maid led the four women through the richly decorated ship to the bridge, where Talia met Duanmu Huai and explained the Minerva's situation.
• Duanmu Huai agreed to provide supplies and proposed that some of his subordinates travel aboard the Minerva, while making clear the Inquisition would not intervene in human civil wars.
• Talia weighed the risks and benefits of the arrangement, then accepted Duanmu Huai's proposal.

Duanmu Huai explained the Inquisition’s beliefs and the history of the Human Empire to the Minerva’s crew, challenging their ideas about humanity, war, and justice. He left them stunned, though he reassured one nervous crew member that a missing tooth did not affect their humanity.

• Duanmu Huai brought Okegis, Ann, Rumiere, and Mary aboard the Minerva and introduced himself and the Inquisition to its crew.
• Captain Quattro Bajeena asked how the Inquisition defined humanity, and Duanmu Huai said an unmutated human skull was its standard.
• Duanmu Huai explained that humanity had once belonged to the Human Empire and that its scattered survivors had developed into civilizations across the universe.
• Duanmu Huai told the crew that the Inquisition would protect humanity but would not interfere in human wars or champion justice.
• A crew member worried that losing a front tooth might make them nonhuman, and Duanmu Huai told them to see a dentist.

Echote’s fleet encountered a battle between Exelion and the Universe Monsters in the A3 Galaxy, and she sent the Third Assault Force to intervene. After the Inquisition fleet destroyed the monsters and departed without speaking to the humans, Shizuka had Odel report the incident to his master.

• Exelion’s captain discovered that his ship was the only survivor of a Universe Monster attack, then faced hundreds more near Earth’s location.
• Echote, exhausted while mapping the unfamiliar galaxy, detected Exelion’s battle and ordered the Third Assault Force to launch.
• With ammunition nearly gone, Exelion’s captain began overloading the Contraction Furnace to destroy the monsters.
• The Inquisition fleet appeared and annihilated the Universe Monsters while its shields repelled their attacks.
• Exelion tried to contact the unidentified fleet, but it departed without responding.
• Shizuka sent Echote to rest and asked Odel to tell his master what had happened.

After a Spacequake stranded the Minerva in Siberia, the crew learned that the damaged Colony Satellite Julius 7 was falling toward Earth. Duanmu Huai offered an Inquisition bomb to destroy it, while a bitter clash between Shinn Asuka and Kagari exposed their painful history with Orb.

• Duanmu Huai appointed Odel as Echote's adjutant and told her to report concerns only when Echote asked.
• The Minerva learned Julius 7 was falling toward Earth, and Duanmu Huai proposed using an Earthquake Bomb to pulverize it after reconnaissance.
• Shinn Asuka and Kagari argued over the danger to Earth until Shinn revealed that his family had died during Orb's fall and blamed Kagari's ideals.
• Duanmu Huai asked Rumiere to investigate Shinn's grievance, and she explained Orb's neutrality, secret mobile-suit development, and defeat by the Earth Union.
• After hearing the explanation, Duanmu Huai and the others set aside the argument and prepared to deal with Julius 7.

Duanmu Huai demonstrated the Inquisition’s planet-shattering Earthquake Bombs and explained the conflicts between Earth, the Colony Satellites, Natural Humans, and Coordinators. After the Minerva’s advance team came under attack, he and his companions set out to enter Julius 7 and plant bombs while the Minerva drew the enemy’s attention.

• Duanmu Huai showed the crew how an Earthquake Bomb destroyed a meteorite and said the Inquisition could make more by blowing up planets.
• Duanmu Huai argued that planetary weapons were necessary and said the Inquisition would destroy alien Xenomorph homeworlds to prevent future attacks.
• The Minerva received a report that unidentified forces had attacked its advance team at Julius 7.
• Duanmu Huai arranged for the Minerva and its mobile suits to draw the enemy outside while he and his companions infiltrated the satellite to plant Earthquake Bombs.
• Duanmu Huai explained to Mary how distance from Earth and genetic differences between Coordinators and Natural Humans had fueled political conflict and war.
• Rumiere brought the White Goddess to Julius 7, and Duanmu Huai’s team entered through a breach as fighting began outside.

Duanmu Hu and his companions explored the ruined Colony Satellite, where Rumiere explained the Bloody Valentine massacre, and headed for its core power section to plant an Earthquake Bomb. They encountered an unidentified MS Squad, and Duanmu Hu, Okegis, and Ann launched a surprise assault that left the squad overwhelmed.

• Rumiere explained that the Allied Forces had killed nearly 240,000 people in a nuclear attack on the Colony Satellite, an event known as Bloody Valentine.
• Duanmu Hu led Ann, Mary, and Okegis off the White Goddess toward the core power section, where they planned to install an Earthquake Bomb.
• Okegis used her threads to guide Mary through the zero-gravity corridors after Mary struggled to move on her own.
• Duanmu Hu spotted dozens of hostile mecha and charged into their patrol, smashing one apart with his Thunder Warhammer.
• Okegis dismembered a mecha with her threads, while Ann blasted the MS Squad with her White Destruction Ray.
• Duanmu Hu charged through the explosions and smashed the squad leader's cockpit with his warhammer.

Duanmu Huai destroyed the Colony Satellite with an Earthquake Bomb, foiling the terrorists’ apparent plan, and the Minerva headed toward Orb for negotiations with PLANT. Later, Duanmu Huai coached Ohara Setsuko in combat and noticed a strange power within her before Captain Kuwattro asked to speak with him.

• Duanmu Huai defeated another mobile suit squad, then detonated the Earthquake Bomb and disintegrated the Colony Satellite while protecting Ann, Mary, and Okegis.
• Captain Talia and Captain Kuwattro told Duanmu Huai that the attackers had piloted PLANT mobile suits, and the Minerva set course for Orb to seek an alliance.
• Duanmu Huai spent time in the training room with Ohara Setsuko and sensed an unfamiliar power within her.
• Duanmu Huai advised Setsuko to act decisively in battle, and she thanked him before leaving.
• Captain Kuwattro approached Duanmu Huai and asked to talk.

Duanmu Huai rejected Captain Kuwattro’s appeal for the Inquisition to side with PLANT, insisting that it would not take sides in the conflict between Natural Humans and New Humans. After Orb rejected PLANT’s request and forced the Minerva to leave, Duanmu Huai and Ann suspected Orb had joined the Earth Federation, and the chapter ended with Captain Talia ordering the Minerva to charge the Federation fleet.

• Duanmu Huai told Captain Kuwattro that the Inquisition would not support PLANT or choose sides in the war between Natural Humans and New Humans.
• Captain Talia reported that Orb had rejected PLANT’s request and accused it of staging the Colony Satellite’s fall.
• Ann warned Captain Talia that Orb might have allied with the Earth Federation, and Duanmu Huai agreed that the Minerva could face an attack after leaving Orb’s territory.
• Captain Talia reluctantly led the Minerva out of Orb while an Orb fleet followed and ordered it to leave immediately.
• The communications officer reported that Earth Federation warships and MS Squads had surrounded the Minerva beyond Orb’s border.
• Captain Talia ordered the Minerva to accelerate toward the Earth Federation fleet and told everyone to prepare to launch.

Duanmu Huai watched Minerva fight the Earth Federation and Orb until the Archangel and Freedom Gundam entered the battle and made the conflict even more chaotic. After Captain Kuwattro held off the Freedom Gundam and the Archangel retreated, Duanmu Huai learned that its pilot had claimed he wanted to end the war.

• Minerva fought the Earth Federation and Orb, while its mobile suit pilots cut through the enemy forces.
• The Archangel arrived with the Freedom Gundam and two other mobile suits, but Orb and the Earth Federation attacked it, and its blue-and-white mobile suit struck Minerva's main guns.
• The Archangel attacked Minerva as well as Orb and the Earth Federation, forcing Minerva to fight on all sides; Captain Kuwattro engaged the Freedom Gundam in close combat.
• After more than half a day of fighting, the Archangel retreated, the Earth Federation and Orb withdrew, and the damaged Minerva remained afloat.
• Minerva's pilots discussed the Freedom Gundam pilot's skill and his claim that he wanted to stop the war, while Shinn Asuka blamed the Archangel for the battle's deaths.
• Duanmu Huai asked the pilots about the Freedom Gundam's stated goal and listened thoughtfully to Shinn Asuka's account of how its arrival had worsened the fighting.

Duanmu Huai prepared to investigate the Archangel and learned that Setsuko had gone alone to meet a message supposedly from her dead companion Toby. In the snowy wasteland, Asakim Doven ambushed Setsuko and attacked her, but Duanmu Huai intervened, killed him with Destined Death, and carried the unconscious Setsuko back.

• Duanmu Huai told Odel to request a Moon-class warship and explained to Ann, Mary, and Rumiere why the Inquisition judged the Archangel by the deaths its intervention caused.
• Annmarie reported that Setsuko was missing, and Rumiere discovered that she had left after receiving a message from someone named Toby.
• Setsuko fought off black unmanned machines in the snowy wasteland, but the machine disguised as Toby betrayed and heavily damaged her.
• Asakim Doven revealed himself, admitted he had killed Setsuko’s Captain and Toby, and attacked her while demanding that she suffer.
• Duanmu Huai arrived, struck Asakim with his Chainsaw Sword, and used Destined Death to destroy him and his black machine.
• Duanmu Huai found Setsuko unconscious and took her back.

After Setsuko returned safely, the Minerva received orders to destroy the Archangel, and Shinn Asuka asked Duanmu Huai to train him for the coming fight. Duanmu Huai overwhelmed Shinn in a simulated duel and wagered that Shinn would have to sortie in a Maiden Pink Impulse Gundam if he failed to hit him before they encountered the Archangel.

• Duanmu Huai returned to the Minerva with Setsuko, and the female pilots were outraged by what Asakim had done to her.
• Captain Talia told the crew that PLANT had ordered them to intercept and destroy the Archangel on its way to Orb.
• Shinn Asuka asked Duanmu Huai to teach him how to fight the Freedom Gundam, and Duanmu Huai agreed to train him.
• Duanmu Huai defeated Shinn's Impulse Gundam in a simulated close-combat battle using a stripped-down Maiden Pink Zaku.
• Duanmu Huai bet that Shinn had to land a hit on him before they encountered the Archangel or have his Impulse painted Maiden Pink and sent into battle against the Freedom Gundam.

The Minerva’s pilots ambushed the Archangel and concentrated their attack on Kira’s Freedom Gundam, whose nonlethal fighting style left it vulnerable to their coordinated assault. As the Archangel prepared to escape and leave Kira behind to draw the enemy away, Shinn’s pink Impulse Gundam charged at him in a rage.

• The Minerva arrived at the intercept point, where the pilots prepared to launch, and the crew teased Shinn Asuka about the pink Impulse Gundam painted with Luna Maria’s portrait.
• The Minerva attacked the Archangel as it emerged from a valley, but Captain Maru evaded the barrage with a sharp maneuver.
• Captain Kuwattro and Amuro Ray intercepted Kira’s Freedom Gundam, while Yaz and Annmarie damaged it with coordinated attacks and Camille blocked its escape.
• Kira told Captain Maru to flee with the Archangel while he held off the Minerva’s pilots, and she agreed to prioritize bringing Kagari back to Orb.
• Shinn charged at the Freedom Gundam in his pink Impulse, intent on destroying Kira along with the humiliating memory of the paint job.

Duanmu Huai rejected the Archangel’s refusal to surrender and ordered the Inquisition’s warship to destroy it, killing its crew. Kira was then killed after Impulse Gundam destroyed Freedom Gundam and Ann attacked his escape pod.

• Talia offered the Archangel a chance to surrender, but Maru refused and asked to be allowed to leave.
• Duanmu Huai declared the Archangel heretics and ordered the Inquisition’s warship to fire.
• The Inquisition’s beam destroyed the Archangel and the surrounding valley, while Kira mourned the people aboard.
• Shinn Asuka attacked Kira, and their mobile suits struck each other; Kira escaped as Freedom Gundam exploded.
• Ann used magical beams to kill Kira in his escape pod, and Duanmu Huai declared the heretics’ fate served.

After destroying the Archangel, Duanmu Huai told Captain Talia that the Inquisition would leave the Earth Sphere to fight the Universe Monsters massing near the Lyra Constellation. Setsuko, Annmarie, and Yaz joined the Inquisition, and Duanmu Huai returned to the Three Little Pigs, where he discovered that Ann had secretly asked Maria to build her a mobile suit.

• Duanmu Huai explained to Captain Talia that the Inquisition would head to the Solar System's edge to fight more than one hundred million Universe Monsters gathered near the Lyra Constellation.
• Setsuko and Annmarie volunteered to join the Inquisition, and Captain Talia ordered Yaz to represent the Minerva and go with them.
• Duanmu Huai brought the newcomers to the Three Little Pigs and learned from Echote that the fleet needed two reinforcements to defend against the Universe Monsters.
• Maria revealed that Ann had asked her to build a mobile suit, and Duanmu Huai confronted Ann about how she had obtained its specifications.

Duanmu Huai learned how Ann designed a magic-powered mecha and inspected it before deciding its usefulness would depend on a test. He then learned the Exelion had remained in the outer regions to keep Universe Monsters away from Earth, and decided to speak with its crew.

• Duanmu Huai questioned Ann and learned she had asked Rumiere to obtain mecha data, then sent her design to Maria to build.
• Maria explained that she saw Ann's mecha as a possible advanced replacement for Scout Titans, whose ground-bound role and size made them difficult for the Night Watch to operate.
• Duanmu Huai inspected Ann's white, winged mecha and learned its decorative patterns were Magic Circles designed to work together even if parts were damaged.
• Ann explained that she planned to pilot the mecha with Gureiya in a two-person cockpit, while Duanmu Huai declined Ann's offer to build him one after Okegis tugged at his hand.
• Duanmu Huai asked Echote about the Exelion and learned it had remained in the outer regions to keep Universe Monsters from following it to Earth.
• Duanmu Huai decided to go talk to the Exelion's crew because they were nearing their limit.

The Exelion’s captain worried about the powerful fleet that kept tracking and scanning his ship, while awaiting the parts needed to complete Gunbuster. When the supply fleet came under attack by strange inorganic creatures, Duanmu Huai prepared to intervene.

• The old captain learned that Exelion repairs were 78.5 percent complete and worried about the mysterious fleet that repeatedly found and scanned them after their Warp Space jumps.
• The old captain confirmed that the arriving fleet would bring Exelion’s final parts and supplies, allowing Gunbuster to be completed.
• Exelion received an urgent message that the supply fleet was under attack and jumped to its coordinates.
• Duanmu Huai and Echote identified the attackers as strange inorganic creatures and watched the fleet send fighters to engage them.
• Duanmu Huai ordered Echote to prepare the fleet for deployment against the attackers.

Duanmu Huai used a three-warhead attack to defeat the Vajra and then contacted Captain Tashiro to discuss the Universe Monsters. He agreed to visit the Immigrant Fleet’s Main Island with his companions, while Okegis offered him a helmet that he refused to wear.

• Duanmu Huai identified the attackers as Vajra and ordered Echote to fire Doppler, Electromagnetic Pulse, and High Explosive warheads at them.
• The warheads disrupted the Vajra’s spatial movement and hive network, allowing the final explosion to destroy them.
• Captain Tashiro received Duanmu Huai’s call, fainted when he saw him, then recovered and invited him to the Immigrant Fleet’s Main Island.
• Duanmu Huai accepted the invitation to discuss the Universe Monsters and decided to bring everyone aboard Rumiere’s White Goddess.
• Okegis offered Duanmu Huai a helmet, but he refused to wear it.

Duanmu Huai and his companions attended Lin Mingmei’s concert before meeting the fleet’s leaders to discuss the dangers beyond the Solar System. He warned them that space was unsafe and revealed the Inquisition planned to eradicate the Universe Monsters in the Bird Head Galaxy, leaving Captain Tashiro stunned.

• Hayase Misa welcomed Duanmu Huai and his companions, then suggested they attend Lin Mingmei’s concert while they waited for dinner.
• Yaz excitedly explained Lin Mingmei’s rise to fame, and Duanmu Huai stopped her from planning to sell an autograph and photo.
• Lin Mingmei performed at her concert, and Duanmu Huai warned the others that anyone who sang “Do You Remember Love” was doomed to lose in a love triangle.
• Hayase Misa escorted the group to the central institution, where President Glass and Captain Tashiro thanked Duanmu Huai for preventing an attack.
• President Glass asked about the dangers beyond the Solar System, and Captain Tashiro warned that the Universe Monsters threatened the Bird Head Galaxy.
• Duanmu Huai advised the fleet to proceed cautiously and told Captain Tashiro that the Inquisition planned to eradicate the Universe Monsters, shocking him.

Duanmu Huai arranged a joint operation with Captain Tashiro and the Grand President to destroy the Universe Monsters in the Bird Head Galaxy by detonating its star. With the Exelion, Fleet forces, and mecha pilots joining the assault, he briefed his team to protect the Myriad Eagle Battleship until it could trigger the detonation and then retreat.

• Duanmu Huai proposed detonating the Bird Head Galaxy's star to destroy the Universe Monsters, and Captain Tashiro agreed to bring the Exelion into the operation.
• The Grand President committed Fleet support, triggering Duanmu Huai's main quest to destroy the Universe Monsters in the Bird Head Galaxy.
• Duanmu Huai returned to the Inquisition's flagship and explained the plan to Okegis, Rumiere, Setsuko, Yaz, Ann, and the other pilots.
• Duanmu Huai said Fleet VF Fighter squadrons and the Exelion's Gunbuster would support the mecha team as they defended the Myriad Eagle Battleship.
• Duanmu Huai ordered the team to protect the Myriad Eagle Battleship for twenty to thirty minutes, then retreat as soon as the star's detonation was complete.

The Inquisition Fleet and its allies attacked the Bird Head Galaxy to protect the Myriad Eagle Battleship while it began detonating a star. As the battle raged against a vast swarm of Universe Monsters, Gunbuster proved devastatingly effective.

• The Exelion joined the Inquisition Fleet, and Captain Tashiro introduced Loi Focker, Noriko Takaya, and Kazumi Amano to Duanmu Huai.
• Duanmu Huai briefed the allies on their mission to defend the Myriad Eagle Battleship and evacuate before the star detonated.
• The fleet jumped to the Bird Head Galaxy, where Duanmu Huai ordered an attack on the surrounding Universe Monsters.
• The Inquisition Fleet opened fire as the Myriad Eagle Battleship lowered its Void Shield and fired a beam into the star, provoking the monsters to charge.
• Loi Focker's VF Fighter squadron and Setsuko's group fought the smaller monsters while Noriko Takaya and Kazumi Amano's Gunbuster tore through the swarm.
• Duanmu Huai watched Gunbuster's overwhelming attack and said he looked forward to building a mech with a Fold Reactor.