Recaps

Zhao Bai met with Calvados Apocalypse, who introduced himself as Carl, while Bronya joined the negotiations with apple juice. The talks continued as Carl struggled to understand Zhao Bai’s unusual way of handling the meeting.

• Carl introduced himself to Zhao Bai and offered him tequila with butterfly larvae.
• Zhao Bai drank the tequila, asked for apple juice for Bronya, and ordered a children's meal when Carl mentioned one was available.
• Bronya refused the children's meal, but agreed not to drink alcohol that night.
• Carl wondered why Zhao Bai held Bronya during formal negotiations as she sipped apple juice.
• Carl reflected on how quickly Otto had retired and disappeared before Zhao Bai took over and went to patrol the North Africa Branch.

Carl tried to probe Zhao Bai about who should lead the Apocalypse family and whether he resented a biohuman holding power. Zhao Bai named Theresa and said he had received her care, while Bronya realized he was gripping her shoulder because he feared being hit.

• Carl asked Zhao Bai who had the best chance of leading the Apocalypse family, and Zhao Bai answered that it had to be Theresa.
• Carl poured champagne for himself and tequila for Zhao Bai, then questioned whether Zhao Bai would accept a biohuman standing above him.
• Zhao Bai joked that someone standing on his face would be fine if she took off her shoes, confusing Carl and making Bronya understand why Zhao Bai was holding her shoulder.
• Zhao Bai told Carl to investigate him properly and pointed out that he was a student at St. Freya Academy who had received much care from Principal Theresa.
• Carl replied that he already knew.

Carl tried to persuade Zhao Bai to accept the Apocalypse family's plan for sharing power in Schicksal, but Zhao Bai rejected her invitation. Outside the bar, Amber listened in and worried about the factions scrambling to claim influence while Otto was absent.

• Carl argued that Otto had held too much power and questioned whether Zhao Bai could continue ruling the empire he built.
• Zhao Bai corrected Carl's remarks about Shenzhou's acting presidents and told her to stop.
• Carl explained that the Apocalypse family had devised a plan after weighing its own interests, Zhao Bai's interests, and Schicksal's interests.
• Amber listened to the conversation through devices she had planted in the bar and resented the factions trying to divide Schicksal's benefits.
• Zhao Bai appeared moved by Carl's proposal, then rejected her invitation without hesitation.

At a negotiation over Zhao Bai joining their group, he became increasingly drunk and threatened Carl when asked what would happen if talks failed. The chapter left the room without surveillance cameras as Zhao Bai approached the gathered negotiators.

• Zhao Bai ignored most of the proposal and thought about Theresa after only three glasses of tequila.
• Bronya stopped Zhao Bai from cracking his knuckles and noticed that he was too distracted for negotiations.
• Zhao Bai asked Carl how he would respond if Zhao Bai dragged him to the cellar and drowned him in wine.
• Zhao Bai stood up, set Bronya down, and asked whether the room had surveillance cameras.
• Bronya said there were no cameras, and Zhao Bai rolled up his sleeves and strode toward the gathered young people.
• Amber's listening device failed.

Amber trapped the rising stars of the three great families inside the bar while Zhao Bai beat them, then watched with satisfaction as they panicked. Carl confronted Zhao Bai and warned him about the price he might pay, but he ignored her.

• Amber realized Zhao Bai no longer needed the bug as crashing bottles and screams came from inside the bar.
• Amber had people nail planks over the bar's doors and windows so the young family heirs could not escape.
• Amber announced through the door that a demolition team would come to rescue the trapped heirs, making them panic further.
• Amber laughed as the heirs whispered and cried out inside the bar.
• Carl, disheveled and dark-circled, warned Zhao Bai that he would pay a price, but Zhao Bai hummed and kept walking with uninjured fists.

Zhao Bai beat Carl while giving her a drunken lesson about negotiation, then turned on the young Schicksal nobles. The chapter ended with their screams as he began beating them too.

• Zhao Bai interrupted Carl’s argument and struck her for urging him to drink and proposing that he marry into her family.
• Zhao Bai explained that drunken conversation suited vague ideals, while discussing concrete interests required sobriety.
• Zhao Bai knocked Carl unconscious, poured tequila over her, and left a butterfly larva in her ear.
• Zhao Bai turned toward the young people of Schicksal and walked toward them as screams rose around the room.

After Zhao Bai emerged into the rain, Bronya comforted him as Amber watched. Zhao Bai later awoke in a dark, featureless void and approached the golden gate of the Void Archive.

• Zhao Bai walked out into the torrential rain, and Bronya followed him.
• Bronya used Heavy Cannon Rabbit 19C to shelter herself and Zhao Bai, then hugged him from behind.
• Amber watched them and crouched down, moved to tears.
• Zhao Bai regained consciousness in a dark void and walked toward a golden gate.
• Zhao Bai recognized the gate as the entrance to the Void Archive Otto had described, then stopped.

Zhao Bai woke in a hotel room after collapsing from drinking, with Bronya watching over him. After learning he had caused no trouble, he put the sleeping Bronya to bed properly and quietly left the room.

• Zhao Bai faced an immense presence in the darkness until a whisper interrupted him and he lost consciousness.
• Zhao Bai woke in reality with his head on Bronya's thighs.
• Bronya explained that she had brought him to a Schicksal-arranged hotel after he got wet in the rain, and said he had fallen asleep without causing trouble.
• Bronya fell asleep, and Zhao Bai gently moved her into a more comfortable position.
• Zhao Bai tucked Bronya's feet beneath the blanket, loosened her twin-tails, turned off the light, and left the room.

Zhao Bai discussed the injuries caused by his attack with Amber, then ate at the hotel while recovering from a hangover. He said he wanted to avoid crowds and planned to go to the Arctic with Bronya to watch the aurora.

• Amber told Zhao Bai that his attack had injured thirty-two people, including two who were permanently disfigured.
• Zhao Bai joked about the injuries, and Amber kept her private thoughts about the previous night to herself.
• Zhao Bai suffered from a headache and weakness from his hangover and ordered a few dishes at the hotel restaurant.
• Amber asked Zhao Bai about his plans, and he said he wanted to avoid crowds after the bar conflict.
• Zhao Bai chose the Arctic as their next destination so he could lie in the snow with Bronya and watch the aurora.

Zhao Bai and Bronya set off on a private trip to the Arctic, while Amber stayed behind in Murmansk Oblast. They parachuted from a plane onto the ice field, where their journey began.

• Bronya woke up wrapped in blankets in Zhao Bai's arms and struggled to get free, waking him.
• Zhao Bai helped Bronya sit up and put on her antigravity exoskeleton.
• Amber arranged a flight that dropped Zhao Bai, Bronya, parachutes, and supplies over the Arctic, then planned to wait in Murmansk Oblast.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya parachuted onto the Arctic ice field, and Zhao Bai rolled after landing.

Bronya and Zhao Bai settled into the Arctic snow, where Bronya found the familiar landscape transformed by her new state of mind. Zhao Bai lit a fire and revealed a hotpot base, leaving their polar outing ready for a spicy meal.

• Bronya arrived in the Arctic Circle without feeling unsettled by the snow and cold.
• Zhao Bai dug a snow pit while Bronya watched from Heavy Cannon Rabbit's arm and admired the stars.
• Bronya reflected on how the same wilderness felt different now that she was not waiting there on an assassination mission.
• Zhao Bai built a fire with fuel-soaked pinewood and took out a red package of hotpot base.

Zhao Bai and Bronya shared a hotpot meal in the snow, with Bronya discovering that the spicy broth was far hotter than Zhao Bai claimed. After eating, they set off south toward Siberia on a sled pulled by Heavy Cannon Rabbit.

• Zhao Bai prepared a yin-yang hotpot over a fire while Bronya watched uneasily.
• Bronya used Heavy Cannon Rabbit's repulsion field to help the water boil quickly.
• Zhao Bai tasted the spicy broth and claimed it was not spicy, but Bronya's face turned red after trying it.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya ate from separate sides of the hotpot and packed away the remaining ingredients when they were half full.
• Zhao Bai held Bronya on the sled as Heavy Cannon Rabbit pulled them south toward Siberia.

As Zhao Bai traveled across the Arctic with Bronya, an aurora prompted a breakthrough in his Taixu Heart Sutra. The chapter left Bronya watching as he ran into the polar night and tested his newfound state of mind.

• Zhao Bai traveled across the snowy Arctic with Bronya, pulled by Heavy Cannon Rabbit, and stopped to prepare roasted seal.
• Zhao Bai watched the aurora sweep across the sky and reached the Bright Mirror realm of the Taixu Heart Sutra.
• Bronya woke and watched Zhao Bai run toward where the aurora had vanished.
• Zhao Bai stopped in the polar night, extended his hand like a blade, and appeared to cast off his sorrow and anger.

Zhao Bai created a snowfall over the Arctic for Bronya before preparing seal meat, while Amber enjoyed a sauna and plunged into an icy lake. The chapter ended with a warning about the health risks of moving suddenly from sauna heat to freezing water.

• Zhao Bai shattered an iceberg with his sword energy, creating snow beneath the aurora for Bronya to watch.
• Bronya watched Zhao Bai prepare seal meat and struggled to focus on anything but him and the food.
• Amber relaxed in a sauna at a lakeside cabin while someone roasted potatoes outside.
• Amber jumped from the sauna into the icy lake and exclaimed that it was refreshing.

Amber tried to calm Theresa, who demanded to speak with Zhao Bai or Otto over Zhao Bai’s sudden rise to power in Schicksal. Theresa remained unconvinced and threatened Amber with Judah.

• Amber recovered after repeated sauna and ice-lake sessions, then woke refreshed and began her secretarial duties.
• Theresa called Amber and demanded that Zhao Bai come speak with her, questioning his title as Emperor of Schicksal and the headquarters announcement.
• Amber told Theresa that Otto was in seclusion and explained that he was carefully making plans around Zhao Bai.
• Theresa dismissed Amber’s explanation and insisted on seeing Zhao Bai or Otto, threatening to flatten Amber with Judah.

Amber headed to the harbor to contact a nuclear-powered icebreaker while convincing Theresa that Boss Zhao was safe on a honeymoon at the North Pole. She prepared to negotiate with Russian authorities, whose icebreakers Schicksal had to borrow because it lacked a presence and Honkai-powered vessels in the region.

• Amber told Theresa that Boss Zhao was hiking at the North Pole with his newlywed wife and offered to provide a report of his expenditures as Schicksal President.
• Amber recounted how Boss Zhao had beaten young members of the three great families after they proposed tying their interests to him and having him marry an Apocalypse bride.
• Amber said Boss Zhao had cried in Bronya's arms after the incident, then redirected Theresa's attention by chatting about women's topics.
• Amber put on a golden eye-covering mask as her convoy neared the harbor and prepared to negotiate with the Russian authorities.
• Amber noted that Schicksal had no major organization or Honkai-powered icebreakers in the Arctic Ocean and had to borrow old Soviet-era vessels.

Amber piloted a weathered nuclear-powered icebreaker through Arctic ice to open a shipping route while Zhao Bai was away, and Rita worked in Antarctica under punishing sunlight. Amber faced a month of difficult work, while Rita began suffering signs of snow blindness and blamed her new boss.

• Amber entered the old icebreaker and prepared to pilot it through the Arctic.
• Amber watched the aurora while operating the ship and counted the rent she needed to fund.
• Amber took on the job of carving a shipping route through drifting ice for the month Zhao Bai was away.
• Rita worked in Antarctica wearing the Moon Soul Armor and began showing signs of snow blindness.
• Rita blamed her new boss for making her work under the bright Antarctic sun.

Rita worked on Zhao Bai’s extravagant crescent-shaped spacecraft project in Antarctica, where Durandal arrived to deliver her tea and inspect the aircraft. Durandal questioned the project’s cost but was left to assess whether its value justified the expense.

• Rita resented being sent to Antarctica to work on Zhao Bai’s launch device, which was only 10% complete and had no cockpit.
• Durandal crashed onto the Antarctic ice and brought Rita tea and red velvet cake.
• Durandal explained that Zhao Bai had given her authority to deploy Moonlit Armor and that she had come to inspect his project.
• Rita showed Durandal the nearly completed crescent-shaped aircraft and explained that it stayed airborne through brute force at enormous cost.
• Durandal frowned at the aircraft’s design and considered whether its value could outweigh its expense.

Durandal inspected Zhao Bai’s enormous, luminescent artificial moon and realized its construction and future test flights would cost far more than she had expected. Rita later explained that the weapons designer Chopstick Changguang had complained about the request but was secretly happy to design a proposal prop.

• Durandal left the construction site with Rita and served her tea in the warm living room.
• After Rita resumed her Moon Soul Armor, Durandal returned to examine the artificial moon and considered how its altitude would need to be tested.
• Durandal anticipated Lord Bishop’s reaction to the project’s rising costs.
• Rita told Durandal that Chopstick Changguang had called Zhao Bai’s request outrageous and selfish, but was pleased to design a proposal prop.

Durandal and Rita admired Changguang’s expensive, beautiful satellite, while Zhao Bai and Bronya grew closer during their Arctic journey. The group reached their destination, where Bronya shaved Zhao Bai’s beard aboard the icebreaker.

• Durandal decided to appreciate Changguang’s satellite for its beauty rather than worry about its cost.
• Durandal remarked that the moon was beautiful, and Rita briefly mistook her words before they cleared up the misunderstanding.
• Zhao Bai and his companion traveled through the Arctic and grew comfortable together by the time they reached their destination.
• Amber waited aboard the icebreaker as Bronya used Heavy Cannon Rabbit to shave Zhao Bai’s month-old beard.

Zhao Bai and Bronya left the Arctic aboard Amber’s icebreaker and discussed their next destinations. Zhao Bai planned to take Bronya to Antarctica and then make one final trip to St. Freya, promising that Antarctica would be different from another ice field.

• Zhao Bai and Bronya arrived at the dock and boarded Amber’s icebreaker without verification.
• Amber started the icebreaker south along the route she had carved through the Arctic Ocean.
• Bronya bathed using hot water produced by the icebreaker’s nuclear power system.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya sat together in the lounge, and he tried to style her hair before she stopped him with a look.
• Bronya asked where they would go next, and Zhao Bai said they would visit Antarctica and then St. Freya.
• Zhao Bai assured Bronya that he had prepared a special experience for her in Antarctica, and she accepted his reassurance.

Zhao Bai brought Bronya to Antarctica and revealed a giant artificial crescent moon he had spent a month creating for her. As it rose from the continent, its light illuminated the land, leaving Bronya awed by the romantic gesture and stunned by its cost.

• Bronya worried that their journey’s final stop meant she and Zhao Bai would have to part ways, and privately hoped he would not propose.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya crossed the oceans and reached Antarctic waters after a week-long voyage.
• Zhao Bai had Bronya open her eyes, then called someone as tremors shook the ice and a huge crescent moon appeared.
• Bronya realized Zhao Bai had built the three-kilometer artificial moon with countless searchlights and felt both touched and concerned about the expense.
• Furnaces converted Honkai energy into lifting force, and the artificial moon rose from the Antarctic continent, lighting the land.

Zhao Bai made a gigantic celestial display to confess to Bronya, then asked her to get engaged. Bronya rejected the proposal but smiled and kissed his cheek, leaving their relationship affectionate and unresolved.

• Bronya admired the enormous glowing celestial body and asked Zhao Bai if it was the moon.
• Zhao Bai confessed that he had made a star for Bronya, and she noted that he had confessed before.
• Bronya realized this was the first time Zhao Bai had taken the initiative to make such a grand confession.
• Zhao Bai asked Bronya to get engaged, but she told him to get lost.
• Bronya cupped Zhao Bai's cheeks, smiled, kissed his cheek, and warned him not to raise strange flags.

After Zhao Bai’s confession failed, he spoke with Chopstick Changguang and the others, who questioned him and offered advice. He reassured them that his relationship was still good and said he might try again in a few days.

• Zhao Bai ended the moon display after his confession had failed.
• Chopstick Changguang called Zhao Bai and asked how the confession went, explaining that she had prepared proposal items for him.
• Zhao Bai told Chopstick Changguang that he had been rejected.
• Durandal and Rita took turns questioning Zhao Bai and speculating about why he had been rejected.
• Zhao Bai said his relationship was still good and that he might try confessing again in a few days.
• Rita advised Zhao Bai that a second confession was unlikely to succeed, and he teased her for knowing so much about confessions.

Zhao Bai and Bronya returned to St. Freya Academy after Bronya said she did not object to forming a family with him and asked him to bring it up again later. They arrived hand in hand, where Theresa waited but struggled to confront Zhao Bai while Bronya was present.

• Zhao Bai ended the call and brooded over his failed confession to Bronya.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya left the icebreaker, said goodbye to Amber, and flew to St. Freya Academy.
• During the flight, Bronya held Zhao Bai's hand and said she did not object to the idea of them forming a family.
• Bronya told Zhao Bai to ask her again after he returned so she could consider it seriously.
• Zhao Bai and Bronya arrived at the academy lakeside hand in hand, and Theresa hesitated to speak to him.