Recaps

Hoshino and Yae Sakura apologized to Mayer after Bronya’s age and abilities shattered Mayer’s confidence, then Bronya tested her newly acquired laser cannon over Lungmen. The test impressed Hoshino, but Ch’en called after seeing the shrine’s nighttime beam, and Hoshino ended the call after comparing its danger to the Falling Black Star.

• Hoshino told Mayer she was fourteen, crushing Mayer’s hope that she might be much older, and Yae Sakura apologized for the trouble she caused.
• Hoshino let Mayer pet her head to restore Mayer’s confidence, then caught Swire’s hand when she tried to pet her at the Guard Department banquet and charged her for further touching.
• Hoshino mounted the laser cannon on Heavy Bunny 19C and fired it into the sky, lighting up Lungmen without harming anyone.
• Hoshino tested the cannon’s cutting, welding, and precision capabilities and was satisfied with its power and accuracy.
• Ch’en called Hoshino after seeing the shrine’s beam and asked whether the high-energy particle fireworks were safe; Hoshino said they were safer than the Falling Black Star and hung up.

Ch'en worried that Bronya’s particle beam could destroy Lungmen, and Hoshino reassured her from the shrine before leaving her unable to sleep for a different reason. Meanwhile, Swire brought Nearl to her manor, where a Kazimierz tournament replay and news of a new worldwide knight league stirred Nearl’s memories.

• Ch'en feared the particle beam and stayed awake after Hoshino called to reassure her that the shrine was still in Lungmen.
• Swire invited Nearl to her manor, and Nearl carried the modified motorcycle inside with ease.
• Swire played a replay of a Kazimierz knight competition, prompting Nearl to react with grim intensity.
• Nearl told Swire that she had competed in the tournament and had been its champion.
• A breaking-news banner announced that a new knight league would recruit competitors from around the world.

Hoshino accepted an event mission to register as Durandal for the Kazimierz Knight Tournament and expose its hidden conspiracy. After making a dramatic entrance and insisting on the Infected selection despite her test results, she began planning how to attract attention to herself.

• Hoshino accepted the mission to register for the Knight Tournament and chose to travel to Kazimierz as Durandal.
• In Ursus, W told FrostNova that Mephisto had awakened, and the two watched footage of Hoshino descending toward Kazimierz as an azure comet.
• Hoshino landed at the registration site, introduced herself as Bianca Durandal Ataegina, and listed her weapons as two chess pieces, her bare hands, and a knight's lance.
• Hoshino presented a report showing unusually low blood concentration but insisted on taking the brutal selection alongside the Infected.
• Hoshino noticed a paid-subscription barcode at a newsstand, while Heavy Bunny completed a crack that could flood the news with coverage of Durandal's arrival.
• Hoshino decided to take attractive pictures of Durandal before using the cracked system to publicize her arrival.

Hoshino sought W to narrate a biography of Durandal, while news of Durandal’s arrival in Kazimierz reached FrostNova, Ch’en, and Nearl. Yae Sakura urged Nearl to follow the news, and Nearl returned to the shrine to continue disrupting the knight tournament, still needing a commentator.

• Hoshino decided she wanted W to read Durandal’s biography and wondered where to find her.
• FrostNova recognized Durandal on a broadcast and persuaded W to go to the Kazimierz Knight Arena.
• Ch’en told the shrine maiden that Swire had seen a blonde knight arrive with a comet, and the shrine maiden left to question Swire.
• Nearl stayed at Swire’s estate, where Yae Sakura arrived and confirmed that Durandal had gone to Kazimierz.
• Yae Sakura told Nearl to watch the papers for news of Durandal, and Nearl returned to the shrine to continue her plans for the knight tournament.

Hoshino publicized her account of the Rose Daily incident to draw Kazimierz's corporations into action, then encountered commentator W and asked her to narrate Durandal's story. W recognized Hoshino's offer as unpaid work and demanded to know her payment.

• Hoshino wrote three articles about the incident and had Heavy Bunny publish them across every newspaper before they were deleted.
• Hoshino learned that a new mission stage had unlocked, requiring her to meet commentator W.
• W criticized Kazimierz's knight system and its prosperity while a young Forte knight defended it.
• Hoshino arrived at the bar, joined W, and asked her to read Durandal's life story and commentate on her journey.
• W asked Hoshino what she would pay her and accused her of wanting the work for free.

Hoshino invited W to witness her plans, then entered the Infected trial and used her Bright Knight: Excelsis armor to clear the course in seconds. She rescued her teammates and destroyed the arena, earning the name “Catastrophe Knight.”

• Hoshino invited W to witness the glory of Dawn, and W agreed to take a look after reading Durandal’s life story.
• Hoshino signed up for the Infected trial and learned that spectators paid to watch contestants risk being torn apart by pincers beasts.
• The audience recognized Hoshino as the Blue Comet and watched as she summoned her armor and took flight.
• Hoshino raced through the swamp, carried her frozen teammates to the finish line, and overturned the caged pincers beasts in barely six seconds.
• The shockwaves from Hoshino’s run collapsed the arena, and the contestants called her the Catastrophe Knight.

After Hoshino’s arena stunt made the news, W warned that Kazimierz’s investors might sideline her, but Hoshino trusted Yae Sakura to help. Nearl arranged for Hoshino and W to stay at Zofia’s estate, where Hoshino began preparing for her next match.

• Hoshino corrected W about Yae Sakura’s fox ears, and they left the ruined arena together.
• W predicted Kazimierz’s officials would keep Hoshino out of the competition and suggested she challenge and defeat every contestant.
• Hoshino decided to wait for Yae Sakura’s support and visited Nearl and Swire with footage of the arena collapse.
• Nearl agreed to let Hoshino stay with her, and Zofia took Hoshino and W to her estate.
• The next morning, Zofia recorded Hoshino training as she shouted, “Awaken, Defender of Glory!”

Hoshino practiced with a summoned phantom while Zofia, W, and Maria watched, and Nearl later viewed footage of her sparring. Meanwhile, Yae Sakura traveled to Kjerag to advise its supreme god about Karlan Trade’s image.

• Hoshino sparred with a holy phantom, shaking the mountains as Zofia and W watched and Maria asked to practice with her.
• Hoshino introduced herself to Maria as Bianca Durandal Ataegina and explained her connection to Margaret Nearl and Rhodes Island.
• Nearl watched footage of Hoshino defeating Maria and fighting amid earthquakes, then planned to show the recording to a dragon while keeping Maria out of sight.
• Yae Sakura traveled toward Kjerag’s snowy mountains with a logistics driver after Emperor rejected her offer to represent Penguin Logistics.
• Yae Sakura said she intended to advise Kjerag’s supreme god that Karlan Trade might need an image spokesperson.

Yae Sakura traveled to Kjerag to ask for help while Hoshino prepared for her first Kazimierz tournament match. Hoshino defeated the Paper-Folding Knight in a single blow, leaving the arena badly damaged.

• Yae Sakura and Texas drove through Kjerag as Yae Sakura explained that she was seeking help and planned to contact several groups.
• Hoshino trained at Zofia’s manor while W watched and plotted ways to make Hoshino and Talulah fight.
• Hoshino went to her opening match and announced that she would defeat her opponent in half a second.
• W hijacked the match broadcast and commentated as Hoshino charged the Paper-Folding Knight without a weapon.
• Hoshino struck the Paper-Folding Knight down, cracking the arena floor and collapsing the first three rows of spectator seats.

Hoshino, wearing Durandal armor, defeated Origami Knight in less than half a second and advanced toward the championship, leaving the arena and its organizers scrambling to limit the damage. Afterward, Maria invited Hoshino to a tavern, where the sixteen-year-old ordered lemonade and explained that her victory had relied mostly on her own strength.

• Hoshino charged at Origami Knight and defeated him with a single strike, collapsing part of the arena.
• W mocked Origami Knight over the speakers while Hoshino told him to leave and introduced herself as Durandal.
• The chamber of commerce discussed disqualifying Hoshino and counted the financial losses caused by her brief, destructive match.
• Maria watched the match from the stands and regretted being unable to donate before the payment channel closed.
• Maria invited Hoshino to Old Martin's tavern, where Hoshino ordered lemonade and described the armor's Bright Knight: Excelsis feature.

Hoshino won her second arena match in seconds after agreeing to make fights more entertaining, while W’s commentary and the crowd’s betting frenzy drew attention to her growing success. The chapter ended with SilverAsh meeting Yae Sakura and agreeing to go to Kazimierz to repay her help, asking about Bianca Durandal Ataegina.

• A professional manager asked Hoshino to avoid damaging the public arena, prolong her fights, and accept sponsorship offers, and Hoshino agreed to the first two requests.
• Zofia rejected Maria’s suggestion to tell Młynar Nearl about sponsorships, and W reminded Hoshino that her second match was approaching.
• Hoshino faced the Iron Sheet Knight, who mocked her and boasted about his powered armor before she defeated him with a single blow.
• W commentated on Hoshino’s victory as the crowd celebrated their successful bets and the bookmakers faced losses.
• SilverAsh met Yae Sakura, offered to attend in person as a return gift, and asked whether the Kazimierz knight was Bianca Durandal Ataegina.

After three easy victories, Hoshino learned that the Chamber still saw her as a threat but believed her show of strength had not lasted long enough to inspire fear. She faced an Originium-burning war machine in her fourth match and unleashed a volcanic display of power, ending poised above the arena as she addressed the camera.

• Hoshino won her third match quickly and noticed how her opponents acted like gentlemen until their interests were threatened.
• Uncle Młynar warned Hoshino that the Chamber had asked him to challenge her and advised her to display power for long enough to make them afraid.
• Hoshino saw news that Blacksteel, Beatrix Swire, and Kjerag's young king had arrived in Kazimierz.
• Hoshino entered her fourth match in military-green armor with a lance and warned spectators to move back from the arena.
• Hoshino unleashed heat that liquefied the earth and spread lava, then balanced atop her lance and asked the crowd if they were having fun.

After defeating her opponent, Hoshino waited alone at the manor while the merchant association gathered troops to attack her. Jessica, Swire, and SilverAsh arrived in turn, forcing the association to withdraw, and the four spent the night talking.

• Dawn's Glory defeated the machine opponent and left the arena with W, revealing her cold, proud knightly nature.
• The merchant association panicked over the Radiant Knight's victory and ordered troops to surround Hoshino's manor.
• Hoshino sent Zofia, Maria, and W away, then sat alone at a mahjong table while the armored knights gathered outside.
• Jessica arrived at the manor, and the merchant association reconsidered its planned charge.
• Swire entered the manor, and the merchant association ordered its troops to withdraw after learning that SilverAsh and Kjerag Trade's president had left the embassy.
• SilverAsh arrived and joined Hoshino, Swire, and Jessica at the table, where they talked until sunrise.

Hoshino advanced to the semifinals as Yae Kasumi stole Ursus’s plan to transform Kazimierz and occupy its highlands, bringing the annexation plot to an end. As Rita Rossweisse’s character card finished unlocking, she was poised to arrive in this world.

• Hoshino’s opponent surrendered, and she advanced to the round of sixteen as the mission shifted to stealing Ursus’s execution documents and proposal.
• Yae Sakura transformed into Yae Kasumi and infiltrated a guarded Ursus archive to search for the documents.
• Yae Kasumi found a twenty-year plan to weaken Kazimierz’s knights and occupy its highlands, then escaped with the plot exposed.
• Hoshino’s next opponent also surrendered, advancing her to the semifinals while W announced that nearly every bettor had backed her.
• Jessica told Swire she admired Hoshino for protecting the knights who had prepared to attack her, then showered Hoshino with flowers.
• Rita Rossweisse’s character card reached full unlock progress as Hoshino continued stroking W’s horns.

Yae Kasumi delivered a document about Ursus's strategic history to Kazimierz, where Rita arrived at Zofia's estate while Hoshino prepared to challenge the country's complacent beliefs. The chapter ended with Rita and W meeting and trading sarcastic remarks about Hoshino's replacement adjutant.

• Yae Kasumi transformed into Sky Ranger, teleported to Zofia's estate, and left the document pouch before transforming into Rita.
• Hoshino won her semifinal match and asked the audience to send flowers to the defeated knight.
• Maria and Zofia explained that contestants were leaving early because of Chasing Dark Starlight, while W wondered what Hoshino planned to overturn.
• Hoshino said she intended to puncture Kazimierz's expanding illusion and show the weak a way forward.
• W and Hoshino reached the estate's ruined fence, where Rita greeted them with a scythe and the document pouch.
• W teased Rita about Hoshino finding herself an excellent replacement.

Hoshino used the championship to announce that Kazimierz must wake from its illusions and face the coming upheaval. After Rita rallied Młynar Nearl to join her, Hoshino claimed the title unopposed and began a speech broadcast across Kazimierz.

• Rita and W argued to help Hoshino shake off her pressure, and Hoshino confirmed she intended to sound the alarm before Ursus overwhelmed Kazimierz.
• Hoshino asked Rita to summon Młynar Nearl and entrusted her with the wording; Zofia learned the stolen document contained the spark of Kazimierz.
• Rita found Młynar at work and told him that a tremendous change was beginning and that he should come to the finals venue to reclaim his glory.
• Three days later, Hoshino's opponent forfeited, and she received the championship sash before a silent audience.
• Heavy Bunny hijacked broadcast drones in Lungmen to ensure Hoshino's speech reached every television and radio in Kazimierz.
• Hoshino told the people of Kazimierz to wake from their dreams and welcomed them to the real world.

Hoshino publicly exposed Ursus’s “Kazimierz Spring” plan and warned the nation that it would undermine its knights and military. As Ursus angrily dismissed her speech as fake news, W admitted that she admired Hoshino’s willingness to risk everything to protect the people.

• Hoshino revealed a classified Ursus document describing a twenty-year plan to weaken Kazimierz by turning its knights into entertainment.
• Hoshino warned Kazimierz that the plan was already changing how people viewed knights and could destroy their military strengths.
• SilverAsh studied the document, while Młynar and the audience listened to Hoshino’s speech.
• The Ursus Foreign Minister called the allegations “[Fake News],” but knights and viewers across Kazimierz continued listening.
• The Forest Watcher and Meteor discussed Ursus’s methods and watched Hoshino’s influence grow.
• W told Rita that Hoshino was foolish to expose herself for the people, then admitted she treasured such selfless fools.

After Hoshino’s speech stirred the people of Kazimierz, she left the arena and created a blazing buffer zone along the Ursus border as a deterrent. Meanwhile, W failed to get Rita’s contact information, and Wei Yenwu studied Hoshino’s document in Lungmen.

• Hoshino departed the arena after meeting Młynar’s gaze, leaving the crowd to respond to her speech and the changes it might bring to Kazimierz.
• Rita tried to leave, but W demanded her pay or Immortal Blades’ contact information; Rita overpowered W, warned her to prepare to leave Kazimierz, and vanished.
• Hoshino landed outside Kazimierz, traveled to the Ursus border, and carved a thirty-kilometer corridor of unquenchable flames into the terrain as a deterrent.
• Hoshino restrained her power, worried about becoming an enemy of the world, and decided to return to the shrine to rest.
• Wei Yenwu studied a copy of Hoshino’s lengthy document and discussed turning culture into war with Fumizuki.

Wei Yenwu and Fumizuki discussed how Lungmen should respond to Durandal and Yae Shrine, while Ch'en visited the shrine and was caught spying on a sleeping Hoshino. Hoshino left Ch'en behind to attend a dinner with Wei Yenwu, where they were expected to discuss the shrine’s relationship with the Immortal Blades.

• Wei Yenwu and Fumizuki discussed Durandal’s power and planned to assess the ties between Yae Shrine and Durandal before deciding how Lungmen would respond to Ursus.
• Ch'en came to the shrine to practice swordsmanship, heard someone breathing in Tenshukaku, and found Hoshino asleep.
• Hoshino wrapped Ch'en in a blanket after catching her sneaking closer, then revealed that she had helped steal a document and offered to teach Ch'en swordsmanship in exchange for keeping quiet.
• An envoy from Governor Wei invited Hoshino to a gathering, and she left Ch'en at the shrine with instructions not to train before her return.
• Hoshino traveled to Wei Yenwu’s family dinner, intending to trade information about the shrine and the Immortal Blades for greater convenience in Lungmen.

Hoshino told Wei Yenwu how closely she was tied to Durandal, then returned to the shrine to teach Ch'en Blade Reversal. Meanwhile, W sought Durandal through FrostNova, who had no idea where she was.

• Hoshino told Wei Yenwu that she had stolen documents from the Ursus archives and listened to Durandal perform The Death of the Swan, and Wei Yenwu dismissed her once they had spoken frankly.
• Hoshino returned to the shrine and demonstrated Blade Reversal, knocking Ch'en unconscious before asking whether she had learned the technique.
• Ch'en woke wrapped in a blanket, admitted she had not learned the move, and agreed to practice again.
• W crossed the sealed border to FrostNova's camp and asked where she could find Durandal and the Immortal Blades.
• FrostNova said she had met Durandal only once and did not know where she was, while W noticed a statue of Durandal on television.

FrostNova withdrew the Yeti Squad from Ursus while Ch'en struggled to learn Hoshino's sword technique and adjusted to her changing behavior. Hoshino then tested Hler's Serenity beyond Lungmen and sensed a distant pulse from the Deep.

• FrostNova dismissed W and ordered the Yeti Squad to retreat south and resume their guerrilla campaign later.
• Ch'en failed to learn Hoshino's Frenzied Sword Dance, continued practicing quick-draw slashes, and rushed to work after losing four hours to training.
• Ch'en reflected on how mastering the sword technique could make her strong enough to face a woman she opposed.
• Hoshiguma pointed out that Ch'en had stopped scolding Swire, so Ch'en promptly reprimanded Swire for bragging and chatting during work.
• Hoshino went beyond Lungmen to test Hler's Serenity, felt it resonate with a distant pulse from the Deep, and used its tidal-wave attack.

Hoshino put away Hler's Serenity after sensing a dark call from the sea, while Ch'en struggled to master a sword technique and Rhodes Island selected Bagpipe to replace Nearl as its Lungmen ambassador. The chapter ended with an emergency mission announcing that W had reached Lungmen and requiring Hoshino to persuade her to leave with Rita Rossweisse in the party.

• Hoshino sensed a suffocating call from the sea, withdrew her attack, and put away Hler's Serenity.
• Hoshiguma and Swire found Ch'en practicing her sword technique instead of working, then wondered whether she had hit a bottleneck.
• Kal'tsit assigned Bagpipe to serve as Rhodes Island's new ambassador to Lungmen and assured her that Ceobe and Cuora would look after the farm.
• Hoshino read about Durandal's statue in Kazimierz and objected to the possibility of her being elevated into a divine figure.
• An emergency mission informed Hoshino that W had followed the clues to Lungmen and required her to persuade W to leave with Rita Rossweisse in the party.

W sneaked into Lungmen but was captured by Black Raincoats and escaped before Hoshino rescued her from the river. Hoshino arranged for W to wake at an inn and pretended to dismiss her, hoping to draw her into a plan.

• W stowed away in a truck bound for Lungmen and listened as the other passengers discussed the city.
• Four Black Raincoats attacked the truck and confirmed W's identity, forcing her to flee through Lungmen.
• Hoshino transformed into Umbral Rose, left a Shadow Clone at the shrine, and went to the riverbank in the rain.
• Hoshino pulled an injured W from the river, knocked her unconscious while ruffling her hair, and took her to an inn to treat her wounds.
• Sixteen hours later, Hoshino told W to leave because she needed to search for Lady Durandal, and W frowned as Hoshino's bait took effect.

Hoshino brought W to Yae Shrine to find out where Durandal had gone, but Yae Sakura defeated them both and refused to reveal the answer. Rita and W were left serving a long punishment at the shrine with Durandal's whereabouts still unknown.

• W pressed Hoshino about Durandal, then collapsed after forcing herself to follow Hoshino despite her injuries.
• Hoshino explained that Ursus spies were infiltrating Lungmen and that the Black Raincoats were secretly hunting them.
• Hoshino took W to Yae Shrine, where they confronted Yae Sakura about Durandal.
• Yae Sakura defeated Hoshino and W, then ordered them to serve five hundred afternoon teas as punishment.
• Yae Sakura refused to tell Hoshino where Durandal had gone, leaving W discouraged.

W watched Yae Sakura and Rita argue over Durandal, until a Xuanyuan Sword fell from the sky and prompted Yae Sakura to offer a test. Meanwhile, Bagpipe’s visit to the Lungmen Guard Department revealed how Ch’en had changed, and the chapter left Rita preparing to search for Durandal by dealing with Ursus spies.

• W sorted out the relationships among Rita, Durandal, and Yae Sakura, then asked to be paid for her work.
• As Rita and Yae Sakura argued, Bronya and Heavy Bunny launched the Xuanyuan Sword into their midst.
• Bagpipe visited the Lungmen Guard Department, where Swire and Hoshiguma asked about Ch’en’s student days and discussed how she had changed.
• Yae Sakura finished communing with the sword’s owner and offered to reveal Durandal’s whereabouts if Rita passed her test.
• Yae Sakura asked Rita to clear out Ursus spies in Lungmen without being seen by the Black Raincoats.