Recaps

Theresa tried to teach the Xuanyuan Sword what to call her, but it called Zhao Bai “Mommy” instead. Zhao Bai received his first official mission, a routine Honkai Beast cleanup, and set out to work.

• Theresa taught the Xuanyuan Sword to call her “Grandma” and “Big sister,” but Xuanyuan gave her little response.
• The Xuanyuan Sword leaped from Theresa’s arms and called Zhao Bai “Mommy” when he entered.
• Theresa became furious and tried to correct the Xuanyuan Sword’s choice of words.
• Theresa told Zhao Bai to stop slacking off now that he was A-rank.
• Zhao Bai received his first official mission from headquarters: clearing out Honkai Beasts.

Theresa discovered that Zhao Bai and Bronya stayed together in double rooms on their missions, while Theresa was left to look after Xuanyuan Sword. Zhao Bai apologized to Bronya for asking her to accompany him on missions during summer vacation, and Bronya said it was fine.

• Zhao Bai insisted that he and Bronya still needed to bring teammates on missions.
• Theresa checked the hotel records and found that Zhao Bai and Bronya stayed in double rooms, with Bronya keeping long-term rooms in landmark cities.
• Theresa complained that the couple left Xuanyuan Sword in her care and tried to teach her to call Theresa big sister instead of Grandma.
• Zhao Bai apologized to Bronya for making her accompany him on missions during summer vacation, and Bronya reassured him.

Zhao Bai invited Bronya to accompany him on a Schicksal mission to investigate a rumored giant Honkai Beast. Bronya accepted his apology for the harmless frame-up against Bishop Otto, but their departure stalled when Zhao Bai paused beside the motorcycle.

• Zhao Bai told Bronya that Schicksal had assigned him a mission to investigate a Honkai Beast rampage and invited her along.
• Bronya read the report about a traveler who had glimpsed a snow-white giant beast and judged the assignment to be below A-rank.
• Bronya said she understood why Zhao Bai had apologized for their harmless frame-up of Bishop Otto and accepted his apology.
• Bronya expected more petty retaliation from Otto and climbed into the motorcycle’s sidecar when Zhao Bai brought it out.
• Zhao Bai did not start the motorcycle, and Bronya looked up to meet his eyes.

Zhao Bai let Bronya take the motorcycle, and she raced them to the scene in forty minutes. The chapter ended with Zhao Bai regretting his decision as he clung to Bronya's waist through the blur of their high-speed ride.

• Zhao Bai transformed the three-wheeled hauler into a motorcycle and invited Bronya to ride behind him.
• Bronya insisted on racing and took the driver's seat while Zhao Bai sat behind her.
• Bronya twisted the throttle and sped toward the scene with Zhao Bai holding tightly to her waist.
• Bronya reached the scene in forty minutes, faster than the hour Zhao Bai had expected.

Zhao Bai and Bronya searched a small city for traces of a Honkai Beast, but had almost no clues to guide them. They decided to seek out people likely to notice unusual things, though summer vacation ruled out questioning students at school.

• Zhao Bai got out of the car after Bronya told him to leave.
• Bronya parked on the surrounding hills, and Zhao Bai used optical camouflage as they entered the city to investigate.
• They found that their only lead was a vague complaint, leaving them with no specific sighting location.
• Bronya rejected using a secret weapon because it could harm the town's residents.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya agreed that students might believe unusual sightings, but Bronya pointed out that summer vacation made school surveys impossible.

Bronya sent a survey to more than sixty thousand students online to investigate reports of a huge pale monster. When every respondent denied seeing it, she recognized that the results signaled a problem, though she had not yet explained why.

• Bronya connected to the citywide network and sent a survey to more than sixty thousand students online.
• Zhao Bai booked a double room at an inn and watched Bronya receive data from Heavy Cannon Rabbit.
• Bronya found that no one who answered the survey admitted to seeing a huge pale monster.
• Bronya warned that the unanimous denials were a serious problem and said the first step was to identify the kind of group answering the survey.

Bronya inferred from the missing questionnaire responses and other survey patterns that something was wrong with the city. She and Zhao Bai headed to the theater to investigate, though the existence of a Honkai Beast remained unconfirmed.

• Bronya deduced that the city’s adolescents were hiding something because no one admitted to having chuunibyou syndrome despite the survey results.
• Zhao Bai eagerly suggested finding and killing a huge pale monster, while Bronya said finding it was her job and killing it was his.
• Bronya explained that her conclusion also relied on differences in questionnaire answers and applied mathematics.
• Bronya and Zhao Bai headed toward the theater to continue investigating.

Zhao Bai and Bronya prepared to use Rosaliya’s recorded singing to lure Honkai Beasts at an open-air theater. As they sheltered from the sound and possible shattering glass, the countdown reached one.

• Zhao Bai explained that Rosaliya’s singing had been recorded as a Honkai Beast lure.
• Zhao Bai used his Schicksal badge to take over the open-air theater and set up its speakers.
• Bronya warned that amplified Honkai Beast singing could cause severe harm and handed Zhao Bai soundproof earmuffs.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya hid beneath Heavy Cannon Rabbit’s shield as the countdown reached one.

Zhao Bai and Bronya used a recording of Rosaliya’s singing to draw out Honkai Beasts, but the flying swarm ignored Zhao Bai’s attacks and departed. Zhao Bai suspected they were organized under a powerful intelligence capable of resisting an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, while Bronya pointed out that the singing had only been a recording.

• Zhao Bai played Rosaliya’s singing from a USB drive, and its extreme frequencies caused pain and blew out a tweeter.
• Pale flying Honkai Beasts emerged from the clouds as Rosaliya’s singing subsided.
• Zhao Bai removed Bronya’s earmuffs and fired at the Honkai Beasts, killing six but failing to draw their attention before they left.
• Zhao Bai recorded that twenty-eight Honkai Beasts remained and observed that the swarm seemed organized and disciplined.
• Zhao Bai speculated that a powerful, intelligent being controlled the swarm, and Bronya replied that they had only played a recording.

Zhao Bai and Bronya discovered that the city's people had briefly knelt in worship of Honkai Beasts, then returned to normal as if nothing had happened. They went back to the hotel to investigate the strange behavior, where Bronya researched religious texts while Zhao Bai waited for trouble that never came.

• Zhao Bai and Bronya found the main road full of ordinary people kneeling in silence, with no Honkai energy among them.
• The people rose and resumed their daily activities, and Zhao Bai and Bronya returned to the hotel to investigate religious worship.
• Bronya used Heavy Cannon Rabbit's neural network to study books on religion, mysticism, and folklore.
• Zhao Bai worried that Honkai Beast worshippers might retaliate because he had killed six Honkai Beasts, but no one came looking for him.

Gray Serpent’s stone-faced girl form helped Lin Yiping transform into a powerful, obedient test subject. Lin Yiping reported that he had controlled three hundred thousand people and concealed evidence of a gray-white monster, while Gray Serpent kept him under supervision.

• Gray Serpent reflected that the little girl form had made Agent α’s injection bond with Lin Yiping and helped his original consciousness prevail.
• Lin Yiping transformed into a white, winged being and declared his devotion to Gray Serpent, whom he called “CC.”
• Gray Serpent checked how Lin Yiping’s mind-control power was progressing.
• Lin Yiping reported controlling three hundred thousand people and making sixty thousand minors deny seeing a huge gray-white monster.

Lin Yiping mistook Gray Serpent’s departure for a call to conquer the world and led his Honkai Beast army away to eliminate his perceived obstacles. Gray Serpent, who had secretly watched him, decided to stay nearby in disguise and observe the person who excited her.

• Lin Yiping realized the beautiful girl from his dreams had left and imagined he had inherited a responsibility to conquer the world.
• Lin Yiping identified two powerful people immune to mind control as threats and led his Honkai Beast army away.
• Gray Serpent revealed she had remained hidden and watched Lin Yiping.
• Gray Serpent decided to blend into the crowd, put on glasses, and admire the person who had stirred her human heart.

Zhao Bai and Bronya investigated the strange mass kneeling ritual and concluded that it was likely the fantasy of someone with adolescent delusions who had gained power, possibly through Honkai. They had no leads on the person behind it, so Zhao Bai decided to wait for him to reveal himself.

• Bronya found no evidence that the mass kneeling resembled any established religious ritual and judged it to be a crude imitation.
• Zhao Bai fed Bronya chicken nuggets while complaining that no fanatical citizens had attacked the tower.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya concluded that someone’s adolescent fantasy had become reality, likely in a story involving Honkai.
• Bronya admitted she had no leads on the hidden person behind the ritual, and Zhao Bai decided to wait for him to reveal himself.

Zhao Bai and Bronya discovered a winged monster hovering outside as the sky turned unnaturally purple. Zhao Bai kept Bronya from seeing it and prepared to deal with it, while Bronya reconsidered her habit of acting like a married woman.

• Zhao Bai finished the fried chicken after Bronya explained that her limited ability to exercise meant she had to diet to avoid gaining weight.
• Chaotic winds and electrical surges struck outside as a monster challenged Zhao Bai and Bronya to come out and die for its cause.
• Zhao Bai saw a horrifying, tentacled creature resembling a Pilgrim Butterfly hovering beneath a purple moon and shut the window before Bronya could see it.
• Bronya stopped Heavy Cannon Rabbit from smashing the window, then agreed with its complaint that she acted like a married woman.

Zhao Bai fought Lin Yiping, who claimed to be the emperor of the evacuated residents and prepared to kill him. Lin Yiping’s thoughts revealed that he had become obsessed with protecting a girl who had once helped him, even though she had left.

• Bronya explained that she had listened to Zhao Bai and had not smashed the window to escape.
• Zhao Bai drew his katana and froze the Honkai Beasts that Lin Yiping sent diving toward him.
• Zhao Bai asked why Lin Yiping had evacuated the residents, and Lin Yiping said he had done it to protect his subjects.
• Zhao Bai mocked Lin Yiping’s self-appointed emperorship, prompting Lin Yiping to prepare to kill him.
• Lin Yiping recalled the aloof girl who had once reached out to help him and said he wanted to protect her, though she had left.

Zhao Bai caught up with Lin Yiping after the butterfly-like creature fled, while Gray Serpent watched and tried to push Lin Yiping to his breaking point. Gray Serpent prepared to encourage him through the voice system implanted in his ear.

• Zhao Bai survived the creature’s white-light attack, which shattered the hotel’s glass, and saw the creature flee.
• Zhao Bai told Bronya to pursue Lin Yiping on Heavy Cannon Rabbit, and they caught up with him.
• Lin Yiping turned to face Zhao Bai, who mocked him for piloting a Gundam at his age and asked whether he had one from his wife.
• Gray Serpent watched Zhao Bai freeze Honkai Beasts and judged that Lin Yiping’s self-esteem had been badly shaken.
• Gray Serpent decided Lin Yiping needed encouragement and prepared to speak to him through the sound system implanted in his ear.

Zhao Bai froze Lin Yiping and his two floating cannons, then was dropped by Heavy Cannon Rabbit and rescued after a few seconds. He returned to Bronya as they prepared to arrange cleanup of the enormous ice sculpture.

• Lin Yiping gathered two floating cannons while Zhao Bai calmly charged Ice Lotus Sky.
• Zhao Bai struck Lin Yiping, freezing the monster and both cannons into an enormous ice sculpture.
• Heavy Cannon Rabbit dropped Zhao Bai from the sky and waited several seconds before catching him with its tail flames.
• Zhao Bai returned to Bronya, who called the sculpture ugly and ordered the cleanup crew notified, possibly with the Aerial Operations Team.

Gray Serpent revived Lin Yiping after his defeat and watched him begin to adapt to the cold through a new evolution. Lin Yiping crawled through the deserted street as Gray Serpent approached to study him up close.

• Gray Serpent decided Lin Yiping could still be saved because the citywide hypnosis had not faded.
• Zhao Bai watched the Pilgrim Butterfly and the falling ice crash down through mist.
• Lin Yiping admitted his attacks had failed, and Gray Serpent urged him to give his life as well.
• Lin Yiping awakened in his shattered body and began evolving, wrapping himself in black armor that resisted the cold.
• Gray Serpent dismissed Lin Yiping's conviction and walked along the deserted street to observe him more closely.

Zhao Bai and Bronya were interrupted by an armored attacker whose overwhelming strength shattered Zhao Bai’s rib. Zhao Bai switched to the Jie Mie Greatsword and severed the attacker’s hand, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Zhao Bai and Bronya joked together while Theresa’s cleanup team prepared to remove the evidence.
• Bronya sensed something approaching, and Zhao Bai raised his blade as an armored living corpse charged him.
• The attacker struck Zhao Bai in the chest, shattering his fourth rib, then vanished at high speed and left a crater in the ground.
• Zhao Bai evaded the next attack, put away Ice Lotus Sky, and took up the Jie Mie Greatsword.
• Zhao Bai swung the blazing greatsword and severed one of the attacker’s hands.

Gray Serpent approached Zhao Bai while entranced by his sword, but Bronya stopped him as Zhao Bai destroyed the one-armed monster with a fiery slash. Nearly burned by the flames, Gray Serpent discovered that the brush with death thrilled him and awakened his talent for courting death.

• Gray Serpent walked toward Zhao Bai and Jie Mie, ignoring Bronya's warning to stop.
• Bronya suspected Gray Serpent was an obsessed admirer and moved to keep him away from Zhao Bai.
• The one-armed monster charged toward Bronya and Gray Serpent, and Heavy Cannon Rabbit raised its shield.
• Zhao Bai struck the monster with a scorching slash and burned it to pieces.
• Gray Serpent narrowly escaped the flames and found himself exhilarated by the near-death experience.

Gray Serpent collapsed after being overwhelmed by the sensations of her human body, and Zhao Bai and Bronya discussed her strange reaction. Three armed transport helicopters arrived with a sixty-person team, whose leader treated Zhao Bai as their superior.

• Gray Serpent lost consciousness as Zhao Bai approached, and her expression returned to normal.
• Zhao Bai wondered whether his first mission had caused a casualty, while Bronya said Gray Serpent’s emotions were complicated.
• Three armed transport helicopters landed, carrying a sixty-person team.
• The team leader saluted Zhao Bai, who ordered the medical team to take Gray Serpent to St. Freya.

Zhao Bai returned to St. Freya Academy alone while Bronya accompanied the unconscious Gray Serpent there by helicopter. Gray Serpent awoke at the academy to find Theresa watching over her and explaining the treatment she had received.

• The Cleanup Crew packed the corpse and collected the butterfly fragments and debris for transport.
• Medical staff reported that Gray Serpent’s endocrine system was severely disrupted and recommended transferring her to St. Freya.
• Bronya chose to ride back with the Cleanup Crew, leaving Zhao Bai confused about her sudden change in plans.
• Zhao Bai returned alone to St. Freya Academy on his motorcycle.
• Gray Serpent woke from a dream of the Venerable Lord and found herself in Theresa’s care.
• Theresa told Gray Serpent that the staff had given her inhibitors and taken surface cells for Honkai energy resistance testing.

Gray Serpent posed as a thirteen-year-old writer named Cup Snake while Theresa introduced St. Freya and checked her fabricated records. Theresa was impressed by the eerie stories and accepted Gray Serpent’s apparent genius.

• Gray Serpent asked Theresa to introduce St. Freya while she prepared a false identity in cyberspace.
• Gray Serpent gave her assumed name as Cup Snake, a girl who wrote mysticism and horror stories on Rongshu Xia.
• Theresa found Cup Snake’s serialized posts, which Gray Serpent had based on her own research notes and events from centuries earlier.
• Theresa questioned how Cup Snake could have written such stories at eight, despite records showing she was born in 2001.
• Gray Serpent acted disdainful and claimed she had learned to get along with ordinary people, leading Theresa to regard her as a genius.

Theresa told Zhao Bai that Bronya was mentally sound, had passed her background check, and would join St. Freya Academy after summer break. Meanwhile, Gray Serpent returned to Sky City and arranged to distribute body-altering drugs through Hexie Medicine while leaving World Serpent in Jackal’s care.

• Theresa told Zhao Bai that Bronya had no need for a psychiatric evaluation and would become his junior at St. Freya Academy.
• Theresa relayed Bronya’s account of how Zhao Bai’s actions had shaken her out of her peaceful routine, and said Bronya wanted to thank him.
• Gray Serpent returned to Sky City to prepare disguises that could fool Zhao Bai and his wife.
• Gray Serpent decided to release dozens of doses of body-altering drugs at once and circulate them through the market under the name Hexie Medicine.
• Gray Serpent told Jackal that she would be away and that Jackal would manage World Serpent while Raven was in prison.

Gray Serpent erased her memories to awaken Cup Snake, a genius young writer, as part of a plan Jackal knew was only partly revealed. Cup Snake arrived at St. Freya during summer vacation, sensing that the academy's peaceful appearance concealed an extraordinary life.

• Gray Serpent put on the memory-erasing helmet and lost consciousness as Jackal watched.
• Jackal took temporary control of World Serpent and realized Gray Serpent had concealed hundreds of experimental doses as part of her plan.
• Cup Snake arrived at St. Freya and surveyed the academy, sensing something abnormal beneath its tranquil atmosphere.
• Cup Snake read the school rules and wrote that her long-delayed extraordinary life had finally begun.