Chapter Summaries

Claire resolved to win Mahiro back by learning to cook, while Mahiro woke to find the silver-haired sword spirit Est in his bed. Est identified herself as his sword and accepted him as her master, leaving Mahiro bewildered by the worlds’ apparent crossover.

• Claire reminisced over Mahiro’s coat, grew jealous of Rose, and decided to use a book’s advice about cooking to capture Mahiro’s heart.
• Mahiro woke to a naked silver-haired girl in his bed and recognized her as Est, the sword spirit Terminus Est.
• Est explained that she belonged to Mahiro and asked to be called by his name rather than Master or a familial title.
• Est silently resented Mahiro for using other weapons and making a contract with her without following the proper procedure.

Mahiro tried to keep Est’s unusual outfit hidden when Claire came to visit, but she arrived after he had left. On the train, Est called Mahiro her master in front of Sherry, leaving the brilliant student stunned.

• Mahiro asked Est to change into ordinary clothes before answering the door, and she put on her Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy uniform.
• Claire arrived at Mahiro’s dorm with a homemade lunch, but a maid told her that Mahiro had already left.
• Mahiro rode the train with Est and Sherry, who had brought him breakfast and asked what he thought of her cooking.
• Mahiro introduced Est as his distant cousin, but Est said he was her master and hugged him.
• Sherry blushed and became incoherent after hearing Est call Mahiro her master.

Mahiro explained Est’s origins to Sherry and arranged for her to audit classes, while Claire grew suspicious of Est and demanded Mahiro explain who she was. The chapter ended with Claire, Sherry, Rose, Mahiro, and Est gathering for lunch after Mahiro magically filled their picnic cloth with food.

• Mahiro told Sherry that Est was an ancient artifact and asked her to keep the secret; Sherry agreed and helped arrange Est’s place as an auditing student.
• Claire saw Est sticking close to Mahiro, imagined she might be the daughter of the Snow Woman, and dragged Mahiro to the rooftop for answers.
• Mahiro claimed Est was his distant cousin, and Claire insisted that he have lunch with her on the rooftop.
• At noon, Sherry and Rose joined Mahiro and Est for Claire’s lunch, and Mahiro used magic to make food appear on the picnic cloth.

Mahiro shared lunch with Claire, Rose, Sherry, and Est before teaching swordsmanship and continuing to expand Shadow Garden and Arcadia. The chapter ended with Victoria, a former elven saintess branded a demon, fleeing soldiers and hunting dogs through a forest.

• Rose and Sherry enjoyed Mahiro's cooking, and Mahiro reassured Claire by praising the sandwiches she had made.
• Est told Mahiro she wanted to stay by his side, then transformed into his sword after he teased her about using other weapons.
• Mahiro taught a smaller swordsmanship class, where Claire and Rose continued improving through sparring.
• Shadow Garden moved its base to the royal capital, while Gamma's trading company Arcadia gained popularity and Shadow Garden recruited more members.
• Victoria fled through the forest from soldiers and hunting dogs after the believers who had once called her a saintess began calling her a demon.

Victoria fled the order’s pursuit after being accused of demonic possession, until Yotsuba Mahiro saved her and revealed overwhelming power. As she asked his name, Alpha arrived and recognized her, while Victoria identified Alpha as a princess and the blonde elf as Lady Beatrice’s niece.

• Victoria escaped her cell but was chased into the forest, where hunting hounds attacked her.
• A mysterious voice offered Victoria power, and she accepted; her wounds healed and the hounds became ash.
• Yotsuba Mahiro summoned Est as the Demon-Slaying Holy Sword and obliterated the pursuers and forest around them.
• Victoria mistook Mahiro for a god and asked his name, then began introducing herself.
• Alpha and a blonde elf arrived, and Victoria recognized Alpha as a princess and asked if the blonde elf was Lady Beatrice’s niece.

Victoria learned the truth about the Cult and joined Shadow Garden as Number 559. Alpha then led her and nearly ten other demon-possessed elves through the Abyss Forest to Arcadia, Shadow Garden’s hidden gathering place.

• Alpha, Beta, and Epsilon explained the Cult’s history and invited Victoria to join Shadow Garden as Number 559.
• Mahiro encouraged Victoria, and she accepted the black sphere and syringe, gaining Shadow Garden’s combat attire and new power.
• Alpha told Mahiro that Shadow Garden could not save every demon-possessed elf, and he reassured her before returning to his dorm with Est.
• Alpha led Victoria and the other elves through the Abyss Forest, while Beta and Epsilon described how Mahiro had slain the magic dragon and created the forest’s mist from its bones.
• The group emerged from the fog and saw Arcadia, the ancient royal capital where Shadow Garden gathered.

Victoria and the new recruits arrived in Arcadia, where Lambda began their Shadow Garden training and encouraged Victoria’s ambition to meet Mahiro again. Later, as the Bushin Festival approached, Claire persuaded Mahiro to visit the Akadia Trading Company with her.

• Alpha, Beta, and Epsilon brought the new recruits into Arcadia and left them in Lambda’s care.
• Lambda introduced herself as the recruits’ instructor and gave each elf a black slime to learn to use.
• Victoria asked whether training could let her meet Mahiro again, and Lambda said the power Mahiro had given her meant she had a chance.
• During summer break, Mahiro relaxed while the royal capital prepared for the Bushin Festival, where Claire and Rose planned to compete.
• Claire visited Mahiro, persuaded him to accompany her, and led him to the nearby Akadia Trading Company.

Yotsuba Mahiro accompanied Claire to the Arcadia Trading Company, where she asked him to help choose underwear and they encountered Princess Alice and her younger sister, Alexia. Mahiro praised Alexia’s choice, winning her approval as Alice remained embarrassed.

• Claire held Yotsuba Mahiro’s hand as she led him into the Arcadia Trading Company with her Gold Card.
• Claire took Mahiro to the women’s lingerie section and insisted he help her choose underwear.
• Mahiro noticed Princess Alice trying to stop Alexia from buying a daring T-back.
• Mahiro introduced himself to Alice and Alexia as a swordsmanship instructor at Midgar Academy.
• Mahiro agreed with Alexia’s taste and praised her figure, making her excitedly accept his opinion.

Mahiro helped Alexia choose underwear, then reunited with Gamma in a private lounge at the Arcadia Trading Company. Gamma praised the company’s success and began to explain how Mahiro’s ideas had helped her recreate its products.

• Mahiro offered to pay for suitable underwear for Alexia, easing her resistance, then left with Claire.
• Claire selected several items and teased Mahiro about his past advice before going to the fitting room.
• A clerk led Mahiro to a private VIP lounge, where he met Gamma, the president of the Arcadia Trading Company.
• Gamma tripped while greeting Mahiro and got a nosebleed, then recovered with help from her attendants.
• Gamma credited Mahiro’s ideas for the trading company’s success, and Mahiro asked why she had summoned him.

Mahiro agreed to lend Ita Night Demon and learned that Snow Woman had prepared the White Tower for his arrival. When Gamma worried about his plan to face the Blood Queen, Mahiro reassured her with a kiss and told her he would not risk the Seven Shadows’ safety.

• Gamma told Mahiro that Ita wanted to study Night Demon, and he readily agreed to lend it to her.
• Mahiro summoned Est, who transformed into a CAD-like handgun and then into a longsword while retaining its capabilities.
• Mahiro asked Gamma to send Night Demon and its matching dagger to Ita, then heard Snow Woman’s message that the White Tower was ready for him.
• Gamma offered to gather the Seven Shadows to accompany Mahiro to Lawless City to face the Blood Queen, and Mahiro reminded her of his strength.
• Mahiro kissed Gamma, thanked her for worrying about him, and said he would not bring the Seven Shadows if they might be hurt.

Mahiro accepted Gamma’s insistence that a Shadow accompany him to Lawless City, though he planned to leave alone that night, and Gamma helped him give chocolates to Claire, Rose, and Sherry. Claire showed Mahiro the underwear she had picked out before he departed, while Rose kissed his cheek and Sherry remained puzzled by her chocolate.

• Gamma objected to Mahiro’s plan to travel to Lawless City alone, and Mahiro agreed that one of the Seven Shadows could accompany him.
• Claire returned to the VIP room, where Gamma introduced herself as Luna and presented the chocolates Mahiro had ordered for Claire, Rose, and Sherry.
• Gamma told Claire that the purchases had been charged to Mahiro’s Obsidian Card, then left the two alone in the VIP room.
• Claire invited Mahiro to watch her Bushin Festival match, and Mahiro told her he planned to travel to Lawless City.
• Claire showed Mahiro the underwear she had chosen, while Rose later kissed Mahiro’s cheek after receiving her chocolate.
• Sherry examined her chocolate in the laboratory and wondered what the unfamiliar sweet was.

Sherry and Claire received chocolates from Mahiro and struggled with their feelings for him, while Mahiro traveled to Lawless City to meet Snow Woman. He arrived at the White Tower’s red-light district and learned that Snow Woman’s women could choose how they earned their living.

• Lutheran told Sherry that Mahiro’s chocolates were a costly token of affection, and Sherry tasted one with delight.
• Claire’s classmates speculated about her relationship with Mahiro, while Claire won her sword match and worried about his journey to Lawless City.
• Mahiro took a train toward Lawless City, where Marin met him on Snow Woman’s behalf and escorted him by carriage.
• Mahiro saw the city’s poverty and violence, then arrived at the White Tower’s orderly red-light district.
• Marin explained that women there could choose whether to sell their bodies or their skills, and Mahiro listened with surprise.

Mahiro reunited with Snow Woman at the White Tower, where Alpha, Est, and Epsilon arrived after learning he had gone ahead. As they rested in Snow Woman’s private chamber, Mahiro recognized Victoria and met Nu, the clerk from the Arcadia Trading Company.

• Marin welcomed Mahiro to the White Tower with an elaborate reception.
• Snow Woman greeted Mahiro flirtatiously, but Est intervened and stopped her from seducing him.
• Alpha arrived with Est, Epsilon, and fourteen others, explaining that Gamma had told her Mahiro would act ahead of time.
• Mahiro asked Snow Woman to provide a place to rest and share the intelligence she and Alpha had gathered.
• Snow Woman and the others tended to Mahiro in her private chamber, where he recognized Victoria and learned the name of the girl serving him as Nu.

Mahiro told Shadow Garden that Elizabeth, the Blood Queen, was a Possessed descended from Diabolos and revealed his doubts about the history of the Three Heroes and Diabolos. As the red moon rose and ghouls rampaged through Lawless City, Mahiro’s allies began moving to intervene while Crimson prepared Elizabeth’s resurrection, and Mary fought through the city’s vampires.

• Alpha, Epsilon, and the others discussed intelligence about Elizabeth, and Mahiro confirmed she was a Possessed carrying Diabolos’s bloodline.
• Mahiro suggested that the Three Heroes might not have been righteous and Diabolos might not have been evil, and said the Order held the hidden history.
• Snow Woman explained that Crimson was preparing a sacrifice to awaken Elizabeth, while Mahiro declared that he intended to rescue her.
• Mahiro and the others prepared to act as ghouls attacked Lawless City under the red moon, and a black-clad swordswoman fought vampires below.
• Crimson dismissed reports that Snow Woman, Juggernaut, and Mahiro were approaching, then waited beside Elizabeth’s coffin for her resurrection.
• Mary gasped for breath in an alley as vampire corpses piled up around her.

Mary struggled through Lawless City’s ghoul-infested streets toward the Crimson Tower, where Elizabeth was waiting, until Yotsuba Mahiro revealed her vampire identity and led her onward. Mahiro and Snow Woman entered the tower to confront Elizabeth, leaving Mary to follow and learn what he intended.

• Mary fought off ghouls while trying to reach the Crimson Tower before the red moon became complete.
• Yotsuba Mahiro rescued Mary from a ghoul, identified her as a vampire, and urged her to follow him if she wanted to see Queen Elizabeth.
• Mahiro and Snow Woman reached the Crimson Tower and found its gates smashed open and its watchdog cut in half.
• Juggernaut attacked Snow Woman, but Mahiro stopped his weapon, and Nu and Victoria subdued him on Mahiro’s orders.
• Mahiro and Snow Woman entered the tower, where Snow Woman cut down fleeing vampires as Mary followed and asked what Mahiro wanted with Elizabeth.
• Mahiro told Mary that Elizabeth was his target and promised he would not harm her, then continued toward the top of the tower.

Mahiro and Shadow Garden stopped Crimson from reviving Queen Elizabeth, then Mahiro fed his blood to her heart. The heart began beating and transformed into a crimson bud, signaling that Elizabeth’s resurrection had begun.

• Mary followed Mahiro and the Snow Woman to the tower, where Crimson prepared to revive Queen Elizabeth with her heart.
• Mahiro beheaded Crimson, took the heart from his hand, and Alpha killed him with a poisoned blade.
• Epsilon rescued Mary while Mahiro placed Queen Elizabeth’s heart on the coffin and summoned Est as a spear.
• Snow Woman and Epsilon restrained Mary as Mahiro pricked his finger and let his blood drip onto the heart.
• Queen Elizabeth’s heart absorbed Mahiro’s blood, began beating, and transformed into a crimson flower bud.

Mahiro fought the resurrected Blood-Devouring Queen, Elizabeth, after she drained a sacrifice and awakened with immense magical power. He overpowered her blood manipulation, but Elizabeth recovered and escalated the battle as Mahiro summoned a holy sword and cast a vast night barrier.

• Elizabeth emerged from the flower bud, drained the bound sacrifice of blood, and awakened as the Blood-Devouring Queen.
• Mahiro told Snow Woman, Alpha, and Epsilon not to interfere, then challenged Elizabeth to fight him.
• Elizabeth attacked Mahiro with blood arrows, but he redirected them with Shambhala and used the Alpha Stigma to seize control of her blood and wound her.
• Elizabeth rose, healed her injuries, and formed a crimson scythe as her magic power surged.
• Mahiro transformed his weapon into the Demon-Slaying Holy Sword and cast Meteor Shower, covering the Red Tower and eclipsing the blood moon.
• Elizabeth turned the rose petals in the sky into sharp blood arrows and sent them raining down.

Mahiro fought Elizabeth, then froze time and drained her blood to weaken her before unleashing a devastating technique. The chapter ended as his “Recoery Atomic” engulfed Lawless City in white light, leaving Mary unconscious.

• Mahiro countered Elizabeth’s attacks and battled her across the sky as she unleashed her full magic power.
• Alpha and Epsilon recognized the effects of Demon Possession among the Shadow Garden newcomers, and Epsilon went down to help them.
• Mahiro froze time with Mahapadma and drained Elizabeth’s blood with Blood Collection: Absorber, restoring her awareness but leaving her weakened.
• Mahiro released Elizabeth onto the tower, raised the Demon-Slaying Holy Sword, and unleashed “Recoery Atomic,” flooding Lawless City with blinding light.
• Mary passed out as the technique illuminated the city.

After defeating Elizabeth, Mahiro invited her and Mary to join Shadow Garden, learning that Elizabeth considered herself his blood companion because he had drunk her blood. Back in Lawless City, he freed Marin, then returned to the academy, where he celebrated Claire’s Bushin Festival victory before Elizabeth departed by carriage.

• Mahiro explained that he had not intended to kill Elizabeth and that her bloodlust had disappeared.
• Mahiro invited Elizabeth to join Shadow Garden, and she accepted, saying she already belonged to him because he had drunk her blood.
• Mary explained that drinking blood symbolized lovers among their kind, leaving Mahiro and Alpha surprised.
• Mahiro ordered Snow Woman to free Marin and give her money to settle elsewhere, and Snow Woman agreed.
• Claire defeated Rose to win the Bushin Festival and became an apprentice knight under Alice; Mahiro celebrated with Claire, Rose, and Sherry, then spent the night with Claire.
• Elizabeth and Mary visited Mahiro, and Elizabeth bowed goodbye before leaving Lawless City by carriage.

After the Merchants' Alliance attacked an Arcadia Trading Company transport, Mahiro backed Gamma's plan to counterfeit Alliance Coins and offered unlimited gold to protect Arcadia from the fallout. He urged Shadow Garden to exploit the resulting panic and draw businesses and customers toward Arcadia's currency.

• Mahiro returned after summer vacation as Claire and Rose's fame brought Group Nine's swordsmanship classroom a flood of new students.
• Alpha gathered Shadow Garden and told Mahiro that the Merchants' Alliance had begun targeting Arcadia and the allied Snow Fox Trading Company.
• Nu reported that members of the Kada Trading Company had attacked an Arcadia transport train and been captured.
• Gamma showed Mahiro Arcadia Coins and the Alliance's imitation currency, then proposed counterfeiting Alliance Coins to destroy trust in them.
• Mahiro offered up to one hundred million gold coins to support Arcadia and urged Gamma to use discounts, exchange-rate changes, and price manipulation to absorb Alliance businesses.