Chapter Summaries

Jiang Cheng unlocked the system’s basic functions and learned that his rewards required him to travel to their locations himself. He planned to test his strength the next day before deciding whether to pursue the Key of Corruption or keep building his power at ME Corp.

• Jiang Cheng authorized the system to draw energy from his Path and learned that his personal panel and reward-claiming function could be restored.
• The system’s panel rated Jiang Cheng at the highest level of an S-rank Valkyrie and listed enhancements from the Paths of Destruction, the Hunt, and Remembrance.
• Jiang Cheng discovered that his Seven Thunders of Retribution reward was located at a World Serpent base and was recommended for Raiden Mei instead.
• The system explained that Jiang Cheng’s beginner package would take him to the Yae Village Ruins, install Stigmata, and unlock Sakura Samsara and Yae Sakura.
• Jiang Cheng considered testing his strength before deciding whether to obtain the Key of Corruption and attack Schicksal or stay at ME Corp and develop his abilities.

Jiang Cheng dreamed of a dead world being swallowed by an immense, Eroding Swarm and fought desperately against it. As the bugs overwhelmed him, he ignited his own body and unleashed a near-suicidal punch.

• Jiang Cheng saw a barren wasteland beneath a darkened sky as a vast black tide advanced across it.
• He realized the tide was an unimaginably large Swarm of bugs whose Erosion could corrupt him.
• As the Swarm engulfed him, Jiang Cheng awakened the power of his Path and punched the bugs inside his body.
• Jiang Cheng blasted a huge gap through the Swarm, but the bugs immediately filled it and continued attacking.
• He fought the Swarm until stronger bugs overwhelmed him and black fluid began taking root in his wounds.
• Jiang Cheng burned his own cells and hurled a devastating, near-suicidal punch at the Swarm.

Jiang Cheng woke from a nightmare about fighting the Swarm and reassured Raiden Mei that his prophecies could change now that he was powerful. The group gathered for breakfast at the Raiden residence, where Mei and Cyrene competed for his attention.

• Jiang Cheng woke from a nightmare about the Swarm, and Raiden Mei offered him a warm towel.
• Jiang Cheng explained that his prophecies described futures in which he remained powerless, and Raiden Mei told him she believed in him.
• Jiang Cheng, Raiden Mei, Kiana, and Cyrene left for breakfast, with Mei taking Jiang Cheng's hand before Cyrene could intervene.
• Jiang Cheng sat cross-legged at the dining table, while Kiana and Cyrene claimed the seats beside him.
• Raiden Mei ordered the servants to serve breakfast as Kiana and Cyrene urged her to hurry.

Jiang Cheng shared breakfast with Raiden Mei, Cyrene, and Kiana, then explained the World Serpent’s place in the world. Raiden Mei received word that her father was ready to meet them, and she described the Raiden family’s far-reaching power.

• Raiden Mei and Cyrene competed over serving Jiang Cheng, but Kiana innocently took food and shared it with him.
• Raiden Mei and Cyrene filled Jiang Cheng’s bowl with food until he gave in and ate it.
• Jiang Cheng told Raiden Mei and Cyrene that the World Serpent was an ancient organization and that he was currently the strongest person around.
• An elderly man told Raiden Mei that her father was ready, and she explained that he had quickly reclaimed control of Chang Kong City.
• Raiden Mei said her father wielded absolute power across the Far East, beyond what a normal modern society could explain.

Jiang Cheng explained Raiden Mei’s family power and Kiana’s Kaslana and Schariac heritage, leading Raiden Mei and Kiana to wrongly infer that Siegfried had hidden Kiana to protect her from an arranged marriage. Kiana concluded that Siegfried had not abandoned her, while Jiang Cheng and the others remained caught up in the misunderstanding.

• Raiden Mei told Jiang Cheng that her father controlled Nagazora and explained that her family had once been called Hokushin.
• Jiang Cheng explained Stigmata inheritance and described Kiana’s Kaslana and Schariac lineage, including her parents’ standing.
• Raiden Mei speculated that Siegfried had hidden Kiana to keep her from an arranged marriage, and Kiana believed the theory despite Jiang Cheng’s denials.
• Kiana recalled Siegfried’s secrecy and concluded that he had hidden her rather than abandoned her.
• Raiden Ryoma arrived and mistook the conversation for confirmation that Siegfried had protected Kiana from a political marriage.
• Raiden Mei, Kiana, Raiden Ryoma, and Cyrene reacted emotionally to the supposed story while Jiang Cheng remained unable to correct their misunderstanding.

Jiang Cheng corrected the rumors about Kiana's past, but the truth deepened her anguish over her missing father. When Kiana ran into the path of a truck, Jiang Cheng saved her and urged her to share what was making her unhappy.

• Jiang Cheng told everyone that Kiana had never been engaged and that Siegfried fled after Otto subjected her to human experimentation.
• Kiana, mortified by the misunderstanding, ran away and insisted that nothing had happened and that she was going back to bed.
• Kiana froze in front of an oncoming truck and reflected on Siegfried's disappearance, her lonely search for him, and her fear of disappointing Jiang Cheng.
• Jiang Cheng reached Kiana, held her safely, and asked her to tell him what was making her unhappy, promising to stay by her side.

Jiang Cheng caught Kiana before a truck could hit her, then comforted her as she broke down over her lonely search for Siegfried. When he began to explain why he had withheld the truth about her origins and Siegfried, Kiana stopped him and asked him not to lie about whether she was ready to hear it.

• Jiang Cheng caught Kiana in his arms as a truck approached, and she realized how frightened he had been for her.
• Jiang Cheng acknowledged Kiana’s long, lonely search for Siegfried, and Kiana began sobbing in his arms.
• Jiang Cheng promised to believe in and help Kiana, while she clung to him and asked why he was so kind.
• Jiang Cheng admitted he had withheld the truth because he thought Kiana could not handle it, and questioned whether he had the right to decide for her.
• Kiana stopped Jiang Cheng and asked whether she was truly unready to hear the truth; he insisted that she was not ready and began explaining her origins and Siegfried.

After Kiana asked Jiang Cheng to tell her the truth when she could handle it, he carried her back to Mei and Cyrene. The girls clashed over Kiana’s nickname for him, while Raiden Ryoma tried to escape the dispute by proposing they test their strength and bringing up Otto’s experiments on Kiana.

• Kiana stopped Jiang Cheng from explaining everything and said that being watched over made her feel pressured; Jiang Cheng agreed to tell her more when she was ready.
• Jiang Cheng carried Kiana back, and Mei admitted she was jealous while Cyrene empathized with Kiana’s pain over losing faith in her father’s love.
• Mei pulled Kiana out of Jiang Cheng’s arms and objected when Kiana called him “Little Cheng.”
• Mei and Kiana asked Cyrene to judge whether Kiana deserved the nickname, but Cyrene looked to Raiden Ryoma instead.
• Raiden Ryoma avoided taking sides by suggesting they test their strength, then changed the subject to Otto’s experiments on Kiana and Siegfried’s defection from Schicksal.

Jiang Cheng warned the others about Otto’s cruelty and urged them to prepare to eliminate him before he could cause more disasters. Raiden Ryoma took them to a remote weapons testing base so Jiang Cheng could assess his abilities, and they reached its lowest level.

• Jiang Cheng described Otto’s experiments, schemes, and role in the deaths and ruin of several Valkyries.
• Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Cyrene set aside their conflicts and agreed that Otto was their common enemy.
• Raiden Ryoma promised to draw attention away from the group while Jiang Cheng prepared to test his strength.
• Jiang Cheng and the others boarded Raiden Ryoma’s helicopter and flew from Nagazora to a weapons testing base in the wasteland.
• Raiden Ryoma led them through the secured facility to its lowest level, explaining how his plasma research could divert attention from Mei’s Herrscher Core.

Raiden Ryoma tested Jiang Cheng’s abilities and discovered that his ordinary attacks could devastate the heavily reinforced testing facility. The tests turned to Raiden Mei, but Jiang Cheng stopped her and asked whether Ryoma could withstand Honkai Energy, leaving Ryoma to entrust the rest to them.

• Raiden Ryoma opened the testing facility and asked Jiang Cheng to complete its physical assessments.
• Jiang Cheng punched through the reinforced test wall, shocking Raiden Ryoma with his strength.
• Jiang Cheng fired a golden arrow that destroyed a distant target and carved a vast crater through the wall behind it.
• Jiang Cheng explained that his power and endurance rose with his anger, and that the attacks had been ordinary for him.
• Raiden Ryoma called Raiden Mei forward, but Jiang Cheng stopped her and asked whether Ryoma could withstand Honkai Energy.
• Raiden Ryoma admitted that he could not and left the rest to them.