Recaps

Hoshino explained to Ch'en how long-lived beings struggle with fate, loneliness, and attachment, then invited her to witness the Spirit-Commanding Blade’s power. They found Mostima battling a colossal beast amid a clash of temporal forces, and Hoshino prepared to intervene with a single slash.

• Hoshino told Ch'en that time and fate could be manipulated and described how long-lived beings sought anchors but could eventually turn against those they loved.
• Hoshino recalled asking Ch'en to witness her true power and invited her to watch the Spirit-Commanding Blade’s first battle.
• Ch'en packed her swords and traveling gear, and she and Hoshino left Lungmen quietly to investigate danger involving Mostima.
• Hoshino showed Ch'en a rock corroded by temporal turbulence and identified the damage as Mostima’s power.
• Ch'en and Hoshino saw Mostima confronting a colossal beast beneath a dark-gold clock face, and Hoshino said her extreme cold could stop time before she struck.

Hoshino revealed that her swordsmanship wielded stasis and used it to defeat Nihilism in one decisive strike. After welcoming Mostima among the long-lived, Hoshino checked whether Ch'en had understood the lesson, and Ch'en admitted she had not.

• Hoshino demonstrated how stasis overpowered the turbulent flow of time, prompting Ch'en to ponder the principle behind the power.
• Hoshino froze time and struck Nihilism, destroying its core and ending the battle for good.
• Hoshino welcomed Mostima to the world of the long-lived and offered her friendship and help without payment.
• Hoshino collected the subjugation reward and asked Ch'en whether she understood the lesson, but Ch'en shook her head.

Hoshino revealed the full power of her sword’s Stasis authority and made Chen praise it to replenish its faith, leaving Chen worried she would be forced to do so again. Back at the Shrine, Hoshino used her rewards to advance Azure Empyrea’s unlock progress and discovered a reusable Seed of Time before checking the next Memory Battlefield boss.

• Hoshino explained to Chen that her sword governed Stasis and demonstrated its power by stopping time completely.
• Hoshino told Chen that the sword needed faith replenished through praise, then made her repeatedly recite congratulations.
• Chen returned to Lungmen still wearing her motorcycle suit, changed into a duty jacket, and worried that Hoshino might demand more praise in the future.
• At the Shrine, Hoshino put the rewarded Valkyrie fragments into the pool, raising Azure Empyrea’s unlock progress to 60%.
• Hoshino found a Seed of Time with a 72-hour cooldown and considered using it to create powerful weapons or characters.

Hoshino learned that Higokumaru would join the next Memory Battlefield in a month, then received Jingzhe, who asked about Yan Kingdom’s search for Mount Taixuan. Hoshino warned that Mount Taixuan was not a mountain on the ground but something to seek in the sky, leaving Jingzhe frightened by the possibility of a hidden guardian above.

• Hoshino saw Higokumaru named as the next Memory Battlefield boss, arriving in one month, and set the matter aside.
• Hoshino revived Bagpipe, who returned to the Lungmen Guard Department and gave up trying to use electronic devices again.
• Ch'en wrote hymns so she could recite them if Yae Sakura asked her to celebrate again, while Bagpipe unsuccessfully tried to learn what she was writing.
• Jingzhe visited Hoshino on Yan Kingdom’s behalf and explained that the Emperor wanted to find Mount Taixuan and Fuyun Temple.
• Hoshino told Jingzhe that Yan Kingdom’s search was driven by its pursuit of orthodoxy and the Emperor’s desire to prove himself against someone.
• Hoshino advised Jingzhe to look to the sky because Mount Taixuan was not a mountain, and Jingzhe left fearing a guardian hidden above.

Hoshino explained that the immortal Jingzhe saw might have been an incarnation of a severed obsession, then began planning around the Seed of Time. In Ursus, Nikolai emerged from the burning Summer Palace to meet Regent Pavlovich, while Hoshino noticed the empire had begun sending supplies to Chernobog and suspected something was wrong.

• Hoshino told Jingzhe that the immortal she saw might have been an incarnation of an obsession its original self had severed.
• Hoshino planned to use the Seed of Time and considered bringing back the Herrscher of the Void, while deciding to let Ch'en defeat Higokumaru.
• Nikolai burned books in the Summer Palace as hunger consumed the palace and its supplies ran out.
• Fifteen days later, Nikolai arrived at the Winter Palace and introduced himself to Regent Pavlovich as the Imperial Grandson.
• Hoshino learned that Ursus had begun sending supplies to Chernobog and suspected the change in policy was not what it seemed.
• Hoshino continued trying to prepare Ch'en to accept the idea of slaying the Three Corpses before facing Higokumaru.

Hoshino transformed into the Sky Ranger and accepted a mission to demonstrate divine power to Columbia’s biotechnology companies. She arrived in Seattle and staged repeated appearances at a Rhine Lab facility, leaving the organization investigating her.

• Hoshino fused her character card with an item, regained clarity, and discovered she could switch the Herrscher of the Void’s eyes between gold and blue.
• Hoshino received a mission to crush Columbia’s biotechnology companies’ confidence, with Judgment of Shamash as the reward.
• Hoshino reviewed Columbia’s research and traveled from Lungmen to the mobile city-state of Seattle, intending to target Rhine Lab.
• Hoshino opened a spatial gate above a Rhine Lab cafeteria, fell through a window, and caused the surveillance cameras to fail before vanishing again.
• Rhine Lab personnel documented the first incident, then captured a complete image of Hoshino during her next appearance and moved to seal the information, clear the area, and contact her.

Joe took charge of Rhine Lab’s response to the presumed artificial god and chose communication over weapons. Hoshino explored a world bubble, then appeared in the cafeteria, where her blue-eyed form failed to intimidate anyone and she cut the cafeteria and much of headquarters out of the world.

• Columbia’s officials identified Hoshino as the deity seen riding a dragon across Ursus, and Joe’s superior assigned him to oversee the response.
• Joe moved the military’s weapons away from the discovery site and prioritized exchange and communication.
• Hoshino visited a nearby world bubble, imagined it as the Yan Kingdom’s legendary Taixu Immortal Mountain, and returned to prepare another appearance at Rhine Lab.
• Joe proposed that Hoshino might simply be hungry, so Rhine Lab arranged extra food in the cafeteria.
• Hoshino appeared in the late-night cafeteria and realized her blue-eyed form lacked the intimidating majesty of her golden-eyed state.
• Hoshino snapped her fingers, cutting the cafeteria and more than half of Rhine Lab headquarters out of the world and leaving a vast pit behind.

After Rhine Lab vanished, Yae Sakura demanded Hemo’s help to find Kiana and entered the incident site with her. Hoshino trapped the researchers in a bubble universe where Originium technology failed, and Yae Sakura and Hemo encountered a white-haired girl searching for her niece.

• News spread that Rhine Lab had vanished, and Yae Sakura stormed into Rhodes Island to demand Hemo’s files about the lab’s research.
• Yae Sakura said Rhine Lab had reached for Kiana and threatened to overcome every obstacle to bring her back, so Hemo agreed to explain what she knew and provide Ptilopsis’s authorization.
• Hoshino moved most of Rhine Lab into a bubble universe, where she disabled their equipment and left the Herrscher of the Void to frighten the researchers before departing.
• Joe discovered that he had crossed into another world, found its boundary, and organized the stranded Rhine Lab personnel to document the loss of their working Originium machinery.
• Hemo accompanied Yae Sakura to Columbia, where they met a white-haired girl carrying a cross who said she had come to find her niece.
• Yae Sakura questioned Hemo about what terrified researchers most and declared that Originium studies did not exist.

Originium stopped working at the ruined Rhine Lab base, driving researchers toward despair as Joe and security watched over them. Theresa, Yae Sakura, and Hemo entered a spatial gate to find Kiana, and Theresa confronted Hoshino, who appeared as the Herrscher of the Void.

• Researchers discovered that Originium and its related products had lost their effectiveness, and security detained those who became suicidal.
• Theresa and Yae Sakura argued over whether Kiana was still herself, until Hemo urged them to work together to bring her back.
• Theresa activated Judah’s Hunt Mode and led the group through a spatial gate, with Yae Sakura and Hemo following her.
• Theresa arrived at the ruins and spread Judah’s domain, while Yae Sakura directed Hemo to move the ordinary people into defensive fortifications.
• Hoshino emerged from the starry sky as the Herrscher of the Void, and Theresa prepared to face her.

Hemo and the Rhine Lab researchers sheltered in a fortification as the battle to reclaim Kiana unleashed devastating aftershocks. The fight’s outcome remained unknown until Theresa arrived through a portal with the bound Herrscher of the Void and reassured everyone.

• Hemo asked Joe whether Rhine Lab’s underground fortifications still existed, and he confirmed that they could shelter the researchers despite their failed systems.
• A Rhine Lab scholar invited Hemo to join a society researching alternatives to Originium energy, but Hemo declined.
• Judah’s weakening field struck the fortification, making Hemo and others collapse or grow faint as a scholar recognized the scale of a god’s battle.
• The weakening field passed, but a wave of cold followed, and Hemo worried about the researchers’ survival while the battle continued.
• Theresa opened a portal into the room with the bound Herrscher of the Void, then told everyone they no longer needed to be afraid because their godmother had arrived.

Theresa subdued the Herrscher of the Void, and Kiana awoke in her arms as the fortification’s survivors reunited. Yae Sakura then offered guidance to the scientists, warning them that the era of Originium-powered civilization was nearing a major upheaval.

• Theresa gently calmed the Herrscher of the Void until Kiana fell asleep in her lap, while Hemo asked if it was over.
• Theresa told Hemo that Yae Sakura was outside controlling her power, and Hemo noticed the researchers developing new ideas about energy beyond Originium.
• Hoshino awoke as Kiana, called Theresa her aunt, and embraced her family as the storm outside gave way to warmth.
• Hemo caught a cold as Yae Sakura entered and offered to answer the researchers’ questions.
• Joe asked Yae Sakura why Originium had stopped working in this world, and she relayed Kal'tsit’s warning that a major upheaval was approaching.

Yae Sakura encouraged Columbia’s scientists to pursue a world without Originium, and their firsthand exposure to Originium-free air inspired a movement to develop an academic association. Hoshino returned with Hemo to the shrine and Rhodes Island, where she used a spatial gate to surprise Ch’en at work.

• Yae Sakura told Joe and the other scientists that a world without Originium existed and urged them to conduct their research in secret.
• The Herrscher of the Void teleported the group back to Columbia, where they developed allergic reactions to Originium in the air.
• The scientists resolved to develop an academic association, and the slogan “For a pure world without Originium!” spread through the academic world.
• Hoshino returned to the shrine with Hemo, who then used a portal to reach Rhodes Island and reflected on her allergy to Originium.
• Hoshino opened a spatial gate into Ch’en’s office, patted her head, and left her a cup of decorated hot coffee.

Ch'en received Sakura Fubuki from Hoshino and learned that Kiana had returned with new abilities. As ominous red clouds approached, Hoshino sent Ch'en home and prepared for the calamity.

• Ch'en investigated a cup of coffee delivered through a spatial gate and learned from Hoshino that Kiana had returned.
• Hoshino lent Sakura Fubuki to Ch'en, saying she would reclaim the sword after a certain moment had passed.
• Ch'en tested Sakura Fubuki at home, then found Kiana on her bed and watched her demonstrate her Herrscher of the Void abilities.
• Kiana told Ch'en that Hoshino had chosen her as a student worthy of being entrusted with Sakura Fubuki.
• A streak of crimson cloud appeared over Higashi, and Hoshino sent Ch'en home, saying it would arrive soon.
• Six hours later, calamitous red clouds shrouded Yae Shrine and cast an unsettling glow over the night.

Ch'en broke through the shrine's barrier with Shadowless Strike and found Yae Sakura and Higokumaru together inside. She drew her swords and stepped toward them, promising the shrine maiden that she was there now.

• Ch'en found a crimson barrier surrounding the shrine and heard a shrine maiden's voice calling for help from within.
• Ch'en's attacks with Chi Xiao and Sakura Fubuki failed to affect the barrier, so she calmed herself and attempted Shadowless Strike.
• Ch'en entered the shrine as Hoshino released Higokumaru, who roared inside the shrine.
• Ch'en saw Yae Sakura seated beside the fox demon and realized the two were connected.
• Ch'en drew both swords and advanced toward Yae Sakura, telling her not to worry because she was there.

Hoshino drove Ch'en away after overpowering her, and Ch'en resolved to find a way to save her. Kiana pointed her toward Mount Taixuan and Fu Hua, and the two set off across Yan Kingdom to search for the immortal mountain.

• Hoshino caught Ch'en's swords barehanded and overwhelmed her, then ordered Kiana to teleport Ch'en away.
• Hoshino asked Ch'en why she had entered the sealed place and warned her to look up before Ch'en lost consciousness.
• Kiana explained that Ch'en's swordsmanship could not defeat Hoshino, but Ch'en declared that she still wanted to save her.
• After watching the sunrise, Ch'en remembered the immortal mountain Taixu and asked Kiana about Mount Taixuan and Fu Hua.
• Kiana said they could search Yan Kingdom's famous mountains by portal, and Ch'en changed into tourist clothes before they headed for Mount Tai'e.

Kiana and Ch'en searched Mount Tai'e for immortal masters but found none, while Hoshino kept Higokumaru alive and frozen in the shrine. After Kiana’s intimidating display drove away the climbers, she and Ch'en left through a portal to search another mountain.

• Kiana carried Ch'en through the air as they searched Mount Tai'e for immortals and found only people seeking them.
• Hoshino froze Higokumaru in place and insisted that she must stay alive until Ch'en returned with Judgment of Shamash: Draw.
• Kiana’s eyes turned gold, and she announced herself as the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, causing the climbers to prostrate themselves and flee.
• Kiana returned to normal and opened a portal so she and Ch'en could continue their search at another mountain.

Talulah tried to draw information and cooperation from Rozaliya, while Ch'en and the Herrscher of the Void searched Yan Kingdom’s immortal mountains for Yae Sakura. After finding Penglai lifeless, Ch'en realized the immortal was likely inside a world bubble and asked the Herrscher of the Void to take her there.

• Talulah recited Yan Kingdom’s policy toward Ursus to Rozaliya and concluded that her attempts to probe the pink-haired girl had failed.
• Ch'en asked whether they could reach Penglai, and the Herrscher of the Void snapped her fingers and took her there.
• The Herrscher of the Void and Ch'en found Penglai to be a barren, blackened mountain with no sign of life.
• Ch'en recalled Yae Sakura’s words about immortals and asked the Herrscher of the Void what a world bubble was.
• Ch'en concluded that the immortal was inside a world bubble and asked the Herrscher of the Void to take her there.

Ch'en found the Red Kite Immortal, Fu Hua, and asked her to help save Yae Sakura. Fu Hua lent Ch'en the Judgment of Shamash, and the Herrscher of the Void pulled Ch'en back through a portal, wary of the sword’s power.

• Ch'en deduced that the immortals traveled between bubble worlds, and the Herrscher of the Void opened a portal to another world.
• Ch'en met Fu Hua, who confirmed she intended to exorcise Yae Sakura’s inner demon, a process that could kill her if she failed to overcome it.
• Ch'en said she wanted to help Yae Sakura, and Fu Hua approved before inviting her to draw the Judgment of Shamash.
• Ch'en drew the sword without suffering backlash, and Fu Hua lent it to her, telling her to imagine herself as a fire that burned all things to ash.
• The Herrscher of the Void pulled Ch'en through a portal and remarked that the sword was powerful.

Ch'en endured rejection symptoms from being in a world without Originium, then reached the shrine with the Herrscher of the Void and used Skyfire to cut through its barrier. The barrier fell at dawn, leaving Ch'en poised to rescue her master.

• The Herrscher of the Void explained that Ch'en's body was reacting to the absence of Originium, and claimed Ch'en as her pet after Ch'en collapsed.
• Ch'en woke after an hour and urged the Herrscher of the Void to take her to the shrine; the Herrscher demanded that Ch'en please her before agreeing.
• Ch'en drew Skyfire, and the Herrscher of the Void promptly transported them to the shrine.
• Ch'en declared that she would rescue her master and prepared to strike the shrine's fiery barrier.
• At dawn, Ch'en cleaved the barrier in two with Skyfire, and the Herrscher of the Void praised her swordsmanship.

Ch'en defeated Higokumaru with Skyfire, but the battle destroyed Hoshino's shrine and the entire mountain. Hoshino praised her unconscious disciple, discovered the rewards, and offered Ch'en the right to use the Demon Blade: Crimson Sakura.

• Ch'en advanced up the mountain and trapped Higokumaru in a ring of Skyfire.
• Ch'en unleashed another strike, destroying Higokumaru and burning away Yae Shrine and the mountain.
• Hoshino praised Ch'en, caught her as she collapsed, and told her that her madness made her a disciple to be proud of.
• After Ch'en fell unconscious, Hoshino grieved over the ruined shrine and transformed back into Bronya with Heavy Bunny 19C.
• Hoshino found the rewards were one Hiyumaru and the Demon Blade: Crimson Sakura, then offered Ch'en the right to use the sword.

After Ch'en destroyed the shrine with Skyfire, Hoshino gave her the demonic blade Crimson Sakura and the sleeping Hiyumaru. Ch'en brought Hiyumaru home, where the little fox woke and called her “Big Sis!”

• Hoshino moved Ch'en away from the sleeping Hiyumaru and planted Crimson Sakura beside her.
• Wei Yenwu arrived at the shrine, and Bronya told him that Ch'en had melted it with one slash.
• Ch'en woke after six hours, apologized for destroying the shrine, and Hoshino praised her power.
• Hoshino gave Ch'en Crimson Sakura and the sleeping Hiyumaru, then said she might stay at Swire's estate or find work at Rhodes Island while Heavy Bunny repaired the shrine.
• Ch'en took Hiyumaru home and tucked her into bed, and Hiyumaru woke up and called her “Big Sis!”

Hiyumaru followed Ch'en to the Lungmen Guard Department, where her constant chatter confused Ch'en’s coworkers. Meanwhile, Hoshino searched the burned shrine and recovered the damaged Chi Xiao blade.

• Hiyumaru asked Ch'en to buy her fried tofu and chatted while eating it, then followed her to work.
• Bagpipe, Swire, and Hoshiguma speculated about Hiyumaru and expected her to quarrel with Ch'en, but Ch'en gently stroked her tails after work.
• Hoshino found Chi Xiao among the shrine’s ashes, its hilt melted but its blade still usable after reforging.

Hoshino returned Chi Xiao to Wei Yenwu and discussed her test of Ch'en, urging him to let his niece take responsibility rather than wait until she felt ready. After visiting Ch'en at the Lungmen Guard Department, Hoshino left the shrine repairs to Heavy Bunny and set off for Rhodes Island to see her other student.

• Hoshino ordered Heavy Bunny to rebuild the shrine from the collected glass and obsidian, keeping its original appearance and making it sturdy enough to withstand Skyfire-level attacks.
• Hoshino returned Chi Xiao to Wei Yenwu and explained that she had deliberately made Ch'en handle the disaster’s final blow as a trial.
• Wei Yenwu admitted that Ch'en was not ready to take over his work, and Hoshino argued that waiting would only make her older without preparing her.
• Hoshino challenged Wei Yenwu to consider whether he wanted Ch'en to remain an idealist, and he silently realized that he did.
• Hoshino visited Ch'en at the Lungmen Guard Department, left the shrine repairs to Heavy Bunny, and announced that she was going to Rhodes Island to see her other student.

Yae Sakura joined Rhodes Island, set strict limits on her work, and settled into a customized dormitory. After Cuora wandered in looking for her room, Sakura drew her into a handshake that began awakening a character.

• Kal'tsit and Amiya questioned Yae Sakura, who explained that she had sent the shrine’s people to Theresa and joined Rhodes Island to see her disciple, Amiya.
• Sakura refused to work overtime, shook hands with Amiya, and recognized her as the Empress and Demon King.
• Sakura transformed her standard dormitory room into a cozy Sami-style space and checked the next week's boss, Trepoka.
• Cuora wandered the dormitory halls searching for her room, and Sakura invited her inside to get acquainted.
• Sakura shook Cuora’s hand and sensed that a character was beginning to awaken, then asked Cuora to stay for tea.

Yae Sakura claimed a public lounge as her dormitory and searched Rhodes Island for Cuora, while Amiya and Kal'tsit discussed the wider effects of her arrival. The chapter ended with Yae Sakura finding a sleeping Cuora and carrying her back, after the PRTS system helped locate her.

• Cuora told Yae Sakura that the room was a public lounge, but accepted her claim that it would be her dormitory.
• Cuora forgot why she was waiting, wandered off to find a place to nap, and made Kal'tsit question Yae Sakura's behavior.
• Amiya and Kal'tsit discussed how Yae Sakura's presence on Rhodes Island could affect Infected migration and immigration.
• Yae Sakura reassured Nian that she would not take over the cafeteria, then caught Ceobe racing toward food.
• The PRTS system guided Yae Sakura to Cuora, who was asleep beside the power station, and Yae Sakura carried her back to her dormitory.