Chapter Summaries

Azer broke into Claudia’s room at the Girls’ Dormitory and found her suffering in her sleep. He took the eye-like Activation Devices hidden beneath her blanket and identified them as Pandora, a Pure Star Radiant Armament that granted Future Sight.

• Azer used the Black Furnace Magic Sword to levitate to the top floor of the Girls’ Dormitory and disable its security by burning through the Omni-Response Element.
• Azer entered the luxurious room and decided to apply for a better dormitory after worrying that his roommate might exploit his newfound rank and fame.
• Azer found Claudia curled up and making pained sounds in her sleep, but chose not to wake her.
• Azer pulled a pair of eye-like Activation Devices from beneath Claudia’s blanket and identified them as Pandora, which allowed its user to see the future.

Azer used his authority over armaments to force Pandora to stop tormenting Claudia and make her dreams happy. After another week of training and absorbing Omni-Response Ore, he heard an explosion coming from the Girls' Dormitory and froze.

• Azer recognized that Pandora made Claudia experience different deaths in her dreams and ordered it to end her suffering and repay her with happy dreams.
• Azer returned Pandora's Activation Device to the sleeping Claudia and saw her pain disappear as she smiled.
• Azer moved into a Single Room and followed a routine of training, attending classes, and steadily adapting to his strengthened body.
• After another week, Azer absorbed Omni-Response Ore in the Underground Vault and emerged with a stronger aura.
• Azer heard an explosion and realized it came from the direction of the Girls' Dormitory.

Azer watched Yulis-Alexia von Riessfeld duel the newly arrived Amagiri Ayato, then saw Toudou Kirin intervene when mysterious arrows of light targeted Yulis. The chapter ended as an unidentified swordsman cut down a second arrow aimed at Kirin.

• Azer headed to the Girls' Dormitory after hearing explosions and was recognized by students as the Surging Star Magic Sword.
• Azer found Yulis-Alexia von Riessfeld attacking an unranked boy, whom he recognized as the newly transferred Amagiri Ayato.
• Azer realized that Yulis had attacked Amagiri Ayato after he mistakenly entered her room in the Girls' Dormitory.
• Azer spotted Toudou Kirin hiding among the spectators as a light arrow shot toward Yulis.
• Toudou Kirin rushed onto the field and deflected the arrow before it struck Yulis.
• A second light arrow flew toward Toudou Kirin, and an unidentified figure appeared to cut it down with a white-bladed Magic Sword.

Azer and Toudou Kirin saved Yulis from a surprise crossbow attack, interrupting her duel with Amagiri Ayato. Claudia arrived and halted the confrontation while arranging an investigation, and Toudou identified where the attacker had been hiding.

• Azer and Toudou Kirin stopped a surprise arrow from hitting Yulis, and Yulis thanked them for saving her.
• Yulis insisted on continuing her duel with Amagiri Ayato, while Toudou tried to calm them down.
• Claudia arrived, ended the gathering, and persuaded Yulis to postpone the duel.
• Claudia said she would have the Disciplinary Committee search for the attacker and asked Azer and Toudou what they had seen.
• Azer said he noticed the attack after seeing Toudou react, and Toudou described a black-robed person aiming a crossbow-type Huang-style Armament from a distant window.

After the attack on Yulis was left unresolved, Azer parted from Claudia and met Toudou Kirin, who had waited to thank him for helping her. Their conversation revealed Kirin’s kindness and left Azer charmed by her shy reaction to his compliment.

• The onlookers dispersed, and Claudia arranged for Amagiri Ayato’s roommate to guide him back while Yulis returned to the Girls' Dormitory.
• Azer sensed an intense gaze as he left, but Claudia appeared normal; after he was gone, she looked troubled and agreed to discuss Amagiri Ayato’s older sister at the Student Council.
• Toudou Kirin waited for Azer and thanked him for saving her, admitting she had wondered whether he might benefit from letting her get hurt.
• Azer told Kirin that her caution was understandable, then recognized that her choice to help Yulis showed her kindheartedness.
• Azer called Kirin cute when she smiled, and the embarrassed Kirin complimented him before bowing and running away.

After absorbing more Omni-Response Ore, Azer felt strong enough to challenge Seidoukan Academy’s top students without relying on Black Furnace. Yulis invited him and Toudou Kirin to a meal as thanks, but when Azer arrived, he found Amagiri Ayato accompanying her.

• Azer absorbed Omni-Response Element from Omni-Response Ore with the Black Furnace Magic Sword and judged that he could defeat Yakutdi Van Ken without its help.
• Azer wondered how Toudou Kirin was doing after she saved Yulis and was reportedly treated poorly afterward.
• Yulis messaged Azer to invite him and Toudou Kirin to a weekend meal as thanks for saving her from a sneak attack, and Azer accepted.
• Azer went to the meeting place outside Seidoukan Academy and found Yulis waiting with Amagiri Ayato.
• Azer teased Yulis and Amagiri Ayato by suggesting they could have gone on a date alone, leaving both flustered.

Yulis invited Azer, Amagiri Ayato, and Toudou Kirin to lunch, ostensibly to repay a favor but mainly to encourage Toudou after her trouble. The group set off for the Commercial District, but Yulis chose the wrong direction, so Azer took charge of navigation.

• Amagiri Ayato explained that he had helped Yulis after she suffered another attack, and Yulis invited him out to repay him by showing him around Asterisk.
• Yulis said she had also invited Toudou Kirin because she had heard Toudou was struggling after saving her, and Azer realized Toudou was the main reason for the outing.
• Toudou Kirin arrived in casual clothes and repeatedly apologized, while the others awkwardly reacted to her outfit.
• Yulis confidently led everyone toward the Commercial District, but Azer pointed out that she was heading the wrong way.
• Azer summoned his window and offered to lead the group instead.

Azer, Amagiri Ayato, Yulis, and Toudou Kirin explored Asterisk’s Commercial District and stopped at a restaurant popular with Queenveil students. As Yulis and Toudou Kirin ordered, Ayato stared intently at Azer, leaving him unsettled.

• Azer’s group arrived in the crowded Commercial District, where Toudou Kirin and Amagiri Ayato marveled at the shops and crowds.
• Yulis explained that the restaurant they sought had good reviews and was popular with Queenveil students, prompting Yulis and Toudou Kirin to exchange knowing reactions.
• Azer dismissed Ayato’s question about Queenveil, leaving Ayato confused.
• Yulis led the group into a small restaurant filled mostly with Queenveil girls, where Yulis and Toudou Kirin began ordering.
• When Azer asked whether Ayato wanted anything, Ayato said he could eat pretty much anything and then stared intently at Azer.

Azer showed Amagiri Ayato the Black Furnace Magic Sword, which rejected Ayato when he tried to touch it. Ayato revealed that he planned to seek another Pure Star Radiant Armament at Seidoukan Academy, where a magic sword connected to Black Furnace was expected to arrive.

• Amagiri Ayato asked Azer to show him the Black Furnace Magic Sword, but its Activation Device heated up and forced Ayato to pull his hand away.
• Azer explained that Black Furnace seemed to reject anyone but him and disclosed that their displayed Suitability Rate was 100%.
• Azer learned that Ayato had transferred to Seidoukan Academy to search for his missing older sister, who had once wielded Black Furnace.
• Azer suggested Ayato choose another Pure Star Radiant Armament through the Equipment Bureau.
• Ayato said he would take part in the Suitability Rate assessment for another magic sword arriving at Seidoukan Academy after the weekend.

Amagiri Ayato learned that another of the Four-Colored Magic Swords might be transferred to Seidoukan Academy, possibly in response to Azer exceeding the Black Furnace Magic Sword’s Suitability Rate limit. After a graceful girl narrowly avoided Ayato and spoke with Azer about his sword, Azer was left wondering where he had met her.

• Amagiri Ayato told Azer, Yulis, and Toudou Kirin that the Student Council President had mentioned another magic sword might be coming to Seidoukan Academy.
• Azer suspected the transfer was connected to his unprecedented Suitability Rate with the Black Furnace Magic Sword, while Yulis and Toudou Kirin considered Ayato’s potential as a sword user.
• Yulis said she wanted to fight Ayato again if he became the user of another Four-Colored Magic Sword, and Toudou Kirin said he seemed unfathomable.
• Ayato stood abruptly and nearly collided with a girl passing behind him, but she gracefully dodged and dropped her beret.
• Azer caught the beret and returned it to the girl, then asked if they had met before.
• The girl asked Azer to tell her about the Black Furnace Magic Sword if they got the chance, then left; Azer watched her go, increasingly certain he recognized her.

After Yulis and Amagiri Ayato left together, Azer escorted Toudou Kirin back toward Seidoukan Academy and encouraged her to recognize her talent and achievements. Toudou Kirin took heart from his words and asked why he had specifically challenged her.

• Yulis and Toudou Kirin bonded over a meal, and Yulis invited Azer and Toudou Kirin to join her and Amagiri Ayato afterward.
• Azer and Toudou Kirin declined, and Yulis told Azer to make sure Kirin returned safely to Seidoukan Academy.
• After Yulis and Amagiri Ayato left, Toudou Kirin worried that Azer was angry with her for being timid.
• Azer praised Kirin's accomplishments as Seidoukan Academy's Ranked First and urged her to be more confident.
• Kirin looked directly at Azer and asked why he had specifically chosen to challenge her.

Azer explained that Toudou Kouichirou had engineered Toudou Kirin’s rise to Ranked First to advance his own career, while Kirin obeyed him in hopes of freeing her imprisoned father. Azer left Kirin with a promise to bring down her ranking and destroy her uncle’s ambitions.

• Azer told Toudou Kirin that students challenged her for the privileges and prestige of Ranked First, but she believed he had challenged her for her sake.
• Azer revealed how Toudou Kouichirou had controlled Kirin’s opponents and schedule to keep her at the top and improve his own standing.
• Kirin explained that her father had gone to prison after killing robbers who had taken her hostage when she was eight.
• Kirin said she obeyed her uncle because his growing influence might help free her father from prison.
• Azer said challenging Kirin had been the right choice and promised to make her fall from grace and shatter Kouichirou’s ambitions.

Toudou Kirin returned to her dormitory troubled by Azer’s words, while Azer nominated a challenge against her for the next Official Ranking Battle. When the battle day arrived, the Comprehensive Arena was packed with spectators eager to see their match.

• Toudou Kirin returned to her empty dormitory and wondered what Azer meant when he said he wanted her wish to be shattered.
• Toudou Kirin received a Spatial Window call from her uncle and reluctantly accepted it.
• Azer nominated a challenge against Toudou Kirin for the next Official Ranking Battle, then headed toward the Underground Vault.
• Claudia asked Azer whether he planned to challenge Toudou and warned that his demonstrated strength would not be enough to defeat her.
• Azer told Claudia that everything would be different by the time the battle arrived.
• The Official Ranking Battle day arrived, and the Comprehensive Arena filled with spectators anticipating Azer’s match against Toudou Kirin.

Azer prepared for his final Official Ranking Battle duel against Toudou Kirin, even as he realized absorbing a mountain of Omni-Response Ore had barely increased his strength. He remained determined to claim the top rank as the tournament began.

• Spectators gathered for the Official Ranking Battle and discussed Azer's named challenge against first-ranked Toudou Kirin.
• Claudia, Amagiri Ayato, and Yulis watched from the VIP seats, where they discussed Ayato and Yulis teaming up for the Phoenix Star Martial Festival and weighed the duelists' chances.
• The Official Ranking Battle began, and contestants gradually left the waiting area to compete.
• Azer reflected that absorbing all the Omni-Response Ore in the underground storage room had produced little improvement, perhaps because his strength had grown or ordinary ore was no longer sufficient.
• Azer opened his eyes, declared his ambition to reach first place, and released a brief surge of Star Power.

Toudou Kirin studied Azer’s rapid growth and realized she looked forward to facing him as a swordswoman. She and Azer began their final Official Ranking Battle, with Kirin charging at him at terrifying speed.

• Toudou Kirin reviewed the intelligence files her uncle had compiled about Azer and reflected on how much he had changed since acquiring the Black Furnace Magic Sword.
• Toudou Kirin recognized that she wanted a fair fight with Azer and entered the arena for her duel.
• Azer and Toudou Kirin met at center stage, where Kirin said she would seek answers about his intentions through their duel.
• Toudou Kirin drew her famous sword Thousand Feather Cut, and Azer summoned the Black Furnace Magic Sword.
• The Official Ranking Battle began, and Toudou Kirin surged toward Azer at terrifying speed.

Azer fought Toudou Kirin and escaped her relentless United Cranes technique by using immense Star Power to block her blade with his arm. Toudou Kirin acknowledged that he had broken the technique, while Azer revealed how much he had grown after absorbing the Omni-Response Ore.

• Toudou Kirin attacked Azer with a continuous chain of precise sword strikes, forcing him to retreat and dodge.
• Azer unleashed his Star Power and blocked Toudou Kirin's slash with his arm, startling her and breaking United Cranes.
• Toudou Kirin explained the Toudou Style's forty-nine chained forms and praised Azer as the first person she had seen break free of United Cranes.
• Azer said he could do so because absorbing the Omni-Response Ore had greatly improved his physical abilities and Star Power.

Azer revealed the Black Furnace Magic Sword’s overwhelming heat and speed, using it to outmaneuver Toudou Kirin. He split Kirin’s school badge and won the duel.

• Azer’s rapid improvement stunned the audience, and Claudia connected his growth to the Omni-Response Ore.
• Azer told Toudou Kirin that he would show what he was truly good at, then poured Star Power into the Black Furnace Magic Sword.
• Azer unleashed intense heat and launched a series of lightning-fast attacks, while Toudou Kirin narrowly dodged by sensing his approach.
• Azer concealed the heat that had been giving away his movements and struck Toudou Kirin’s school badge with a decisive slash.
• Toudou Kirin’s badge split apart, and the arena declared Azer the victor.

Azer defeated Toudou Kirin and invited her to become his partner in the Phoenix Star Martial Festival, offering to help her win the chance to free her father. Kirin accepted, and the two formed a team before the cheering crowd.

• Azer won the duel against Toudou Kirin after identifying a flaw in his Hot Wind acceleration.
• Toudou Kirin congratulated Azer on becoming Seidoukan Academy's Ranked First, and Azer told her she looked happier than when they first met.
• Azer invited Toudou Kirin to partner with him in the Phoenix Star Martial Festival and proposed winning it to help free her father.
• Toudou Kirin accepted Azer's extended hand, and the arena erupted in cheers.

After defeating Toudou Kirin, Azer agreed to form a Phoenix Star Martial Festival pair with her, and their partnership became major news. As the group discussed their championship prospects, Amagiri Ayato’s newly acquired magic sword reacted to Azer’s Black Furnace, leaving Azer curious about the weapon and eager to compare their strength.

• Claudia showed Azer, Yulis, and Amagiri Ayato reports announcing that Azer and Toudou Kirin would team up for the Phoenix Star Martial Festival.
• Claudia, Yulis, and Amagiri Ayato acknowledged that the former and current Seidoukan Ranked First would be a formidable championship-contending pair.
• Yulis insisted that she and Amagiri Ayato would not surrender the championship easily, and Ayato said he had decided to help her win.
• Amagiri Ayato said his magic sword wanted to fight Azer and the Black Furnace, causing both swords and the surrounding Omni-Response Element to react.
• Azer calmed the Black Furnace and deduced that Amagiri Ayato had obtained the last of the Four-Colored Magic Swords, then wondered which of them was stronger.

Azer found Toudou Kouichirou berating and threatening Toudou Kirin over her plan to enter the Phoenix Star Martial Festival with him. He stopped Kouichirou from grabbing her and used Galaxy’s interest in Kirin’s future to force him to leave, clearing the way for Azer and Kirin to talk about the tournament.

• Azer entered Toudou Kirin’s lounge by cutting through its lock and found Toudou Kouichirou furiously blaming her for losing and agreeing to partner with Azer.
• Toudou Kouichirou reached for Kirin’s hair, but Azer seized his wrist and stopped him.
• Azer released Kouichirou, who fell, then challenged his claim that outsiders could not interfere in a family matter.
• Kouichirou threatened Azer with the rules against Star Vein Generation members attacking ordinary people, but Azer warned that Galaxy would hold him responsible if he harmed a promising contestant.
• Azer told Kouichirou to leave so he and Kirin could discuss their participation in the Phoenix Star Martial Festival.