Arc 20The Phantom Thief Trial
Hoshino tested Father’s power and searched for a pilot while drawing Ch'en and Wendy into a staged phantom-thief trial. Ch'en exhausted herself protecting Wendy, and the system promised her the Fourth Herrscher Core after a verbal evaluation.
- Hoshino tested Father with the Herrscher of Thunder and drove it toward Lungmen, where she provoked the city’s cannons and Wei Yenwu billed her for the ammunition.
- Hoshino collected offerings at the shrine, while Ch'en tore up the collection bill and Exusiai began pursuing permission to pilot Father.
- Ch'en discovered Wendy in her dormitory, and Hoshino asked her to protect the girl, revealing that Wendy had been imprisoned inside Father.
- Hoshino appeared as Phantom Thief Sixth Serenade, and Ch'en learned from Kallen that Wendy was the Herrscher of Wind and faced another consciousness threatening to erode her body.
- Ch'en organized allies to protect Wendy, but Hoshino defeated Swire, Exusiai, Texas, Croissant, and Emperor in a series of staged encounters.
- Ch'en kept Wendy moving through Lungmen with Penguin Logistics, then faced Hoshino alone so Wendy could escape.
- Ch'en fought until she collapsed, and Wendy caught her before carrying her to safety.
- The system promised Ch'en the Fourth Herrscher Core after a verbal evaluation, and Wendy cared for her while she slept before Hoshino teased them at the shrine.