Chapter Summaries

Hoshino staged an account of Lightning Empress’s supposed collapse and transformation to draw Ifrit and Saria into an emotional situation. Saria examined the unconscious clone, and Hoshino ended by asking whether Saria understood her conflicted feelings about waiting for Lightning Empress to wake.

• Hoshino considered the assessment’s restrictions and the Fenghuang Down reward, then prepared to use her remaining feather to fool Saria.
• Saria and Ifrit arrived at Yae Shrine, where Yae Sakura greeted them and Saria insisted she was only there for work.
• Hoshino told them Lightning Empress was in poor condition, prompting Saria to seize her by the collar in anger.
• Ifrit hurried to the inner room and found the pale, unconscious Lightning Empress clone, while Saria checked her pulse and noticed it was unusually steady.
• Hoshino claimed Lightning Empress had transformed after losing control of her powers and that she had accidentally knocked her unconscious while retrieving her.
• Hoshino described waiting beside Lightning Empress with a blade in one hand and a warm towel in the other, then asked Saria if she understood her conflict.

Saria offered to help treat Lightning Empress, and Hoshino agreed after recognizing Saria’s determination to save someone she had failed before. Saria carried Lightning Empress to Rhodes Island, where Kal'tsit arranged for the Medical Department to receive them.

• Saria showed Hoshino the sedative projectiles she had prepared for Lightning Empress and explained her concerns about Ifrit.
• Saria offered Rhodes Island’s help with Ifrit’s treatment, and Hoshino agreed despite worrying that Saria’s obsession could make the situation dangerous.
• Saria lifted the unconscious Lightning Empress, who briefly opened her eyes before Hoshino signaled her to pretend to be unconscious again.
• Hoshino, Saria, and Ifrit set out for Rhodes Island, with Saria driving and calling Doctor Kal'tsit along the way.
• Kal'tsit arranged for the Medical Department to receive them, while Amiya said she was happy Saria understood Rhodes Island’s principles.

Hoshino brought Lightning Empress to Rhine Lab, where Silence, Ptilopsis, and Mayer assessed the chances of treating her. Hoshino’s contact with Ptilopsis triggered a strange system assessment, and Ptilopsis jokingly demanded payment before threatening to reset Rhodes Island’s database.

• Saria drove Hoshino and Lightning Empress to Rhine Lab while keeping Warfarin from biting anyone.
• Saria used her Calcium Loss ability to force Warfarin to her knees and then escorted Hoshino into the laboratory.
• Silence, Ptilopsis, and Mayer examined Lightning Empress and concluded that the odds of treating her were extremely low.
• Hoshino touched Ptilopsis, causing the Dimension Breaker card to flicker and the system to display assessment warnings.
• Ptilopsis announced that Hoshino’s contact had lasted thirteen seconds, demanded payment, and joked that Rhodes Island’s database would be reset if she refused.

Hoshino asked Rhine Lab to develop a lightning suppression device for Lightning Empress, since the lab had made no progress on reversing the effects of Project Diabolic. As the research began, Hoshino persuaded Ptilopsis to visit her shrine afterward for product maintenance and observation.

• Hemo admitted that Rhine Lab had no meaningful results from its research into the effects of Project Diabolic.
• Hoshino asked Hemo, Mayer, and Ptilopsis to develop a device that could suppress Lightning Empress's lightning.
• Hemo, Mayer, and Ptilopsis agreed to work together on research, simulations, and material analysis for the device.
• While Rhine Lab worked, Hoshino tried to persuade Ptilopsis to visit her shrine after the device was completed.
• Ptilopsis accepted Hoshino's request to visit the shrine for short-term maintenance and observation.

Hoshino prepared to stage Lightning Empress’s escape from the sealed laboratory and guide Saria into breaking through the barrier. The chapter ended as Lightning Empress opened her eyes.

• Saria stood guard outside the laboratory while Ifrit asked whether time felt slow; Saria admitted she was waiting for people she cared about inside.
• Silence showed Hoshino a charge-storage device, and Hoshino named it the Crown of Thunder before suggesting an overly grand project name that Silence rejected.
• Hoshino planned to use the Key of Corruption to open the laboratory doors and set up Lightning Empress’s escape and Saria’s intervention.
• Lightning Empress opened her eyes as Hoshino prepared to signal the next move.

Lightning Empress awakened and attacked the group, forcing Hoshino and Saria to protect the others while Yae Sakura prepared to strike. Hoshino ended the confrontation with the Crown of Thunder, and Lightning Empress regained her calm long enough to thank Saria.

• Lightning Empress awakened, escaped the bed, and began attacking as Hoshino controlled her through Fenghuang Down.
• Hoshino tried to track Lightning Empress while she taunted Yae Sakura, and Saria stepped in to shield Ifrit and the Rhine Lab team.
• Saria used a slowing field as the others took shelter behind her Dragon Shield.
• Hoshino approached with the Crown of Thunder, and Lightning Empress fell before Saria.
• Lightning Empress's expression softened, and she thanked Saria with a gentle smile.

Hoshino helped Lightning Empress seal away the authority of lightning, and Raiden Mei collapsed after returning to her normal form. At the cafeteria, Ifrit brought Silence and Saria together, where an awkward meal led them to speak about their strained relationship.

• Hoshino placed the [Crown of Thunder] on Lightning Empress, and Lightning Empress’s lightning power vanished as Shadow Dash appeared and fell unconscious.
• Hoshino told Ifrit that Lightning Empress would wake and asked everyone from Rhine Lab to leave Raiden Mei alone to recover.
• Saria went to the cafeteria alone, but Ifrit dragged Silence over and seated her across from Saria.
• Saria invited Silence to eat with her, and the two discussed their unresolved grievances while Ifrit watched from a distance.
• Saria admitted that the person she had protected had smiled and thanked her, and Silence challenged her to stop brooding over the experiment.

Hoshino received Fenghuang Down and used it to control a Shadow Clone, then helped Mei comfort Saria and Ifrit. Kal'tsit asked about the Yae Shrine and requested Hoshino serve as an intermediary for Rhodes Island's diplomatic relations with Lungmen.

• Hoshino transformed Fenghuang Down into a phoenix hair ornament and used one of its feathers to awaken Shadow Dash on the bed.
• Hoshino and Mei ate in the cafeteria, where Operator Ceobe cleaned up the leftovers.
• Mei hugged Saria and Ifrit, then told Hoshino that Kal'tsit had asked to see her.
• Kal'tsit questioned Hoshino about the Yae Shrine, and Hoshino kept its origins and purpose secret.
• Kal'tsit asked Hoshino to consider acting as Rhodes Island's intermediary in establishing diplomatic relations with Lungmen.

Hoshino privately assessed Amiya and agreed to act as a middleman between Rhodes Island and Lungmen. After a brief alliance with Ifrit and Ceobe to storm the cafeteria for barbecue, she left Kal'tsit with a warning to protect Amiya.

• Hoshino requested a private conversation with Amiya and began by discussing everyday matters, including her outfit and her supposed real name, Raiden Mei.
• Hoshino persuaded Ifrit to help her make barbecue, and Ceobe joined them despite her kitchen ban.
• Hoshino, Ifrit, and Ceobe marched toward the back kitchen, prompting the staff to try to stop them and starting a cafeteria battle.
• After shaking hands with Amiya, Hoshino saw a tiny increase in Delta's unlocking progress and reflected on Amiya's connection to sacrifice, inheritance, and love.
• Hoshino agreed to serve as the middleman and told Kal'tsit that Amiya was an idealist carrying on someone's last wishes, urging her to protect the young leader.

Hoshino brought Mei and Ptilopsis to Yae Shrine, where she tried to make contact with Ptilopsis and discovered the Liberi had a price for it. Meanwhile, Rhodes Island’s leaders debated whether Ptilopsis had been taken as a hostage, and Amiya believed Yae Sakura had a personal reason for taking her.

• Amiya praised the Thunder Demon and Fire Demon’s barbecue while Bagpipe took Ceobe away to repay her debt by plowing the fields, and Silence led Ifrit away.
• Hoshino and Mei said goodbye to Amiya, but Mei’s handshake with Hoshino’s Shadow Clone failed to trigger the system’s unlock.
• Hoshino brought Ptilopsis to Yae Shrine and tried to hug her while she was in lock screen mode, but Ptilopsis woke and demanded to know why Hoshino had tricked her into coming.
• Kal'tsit warned that Ptilopsis might be a hostage and that such sacrifices could undermine Rhodes Island’s independence, while Amiya argued that Yae Sakura had a concrete personal motive.
• Ptilopsis charged Hoshino one hundred and twenty thousand Lungmen Dollars for seventeen minutes of contact, and Hoshino called her idea dangerous.

Rhodes Island chose Nearl to represent it in Lungmen's Guard Department, where Ch'en struggled to find her a suitable assignment. Seeking advice at the shrine, Ch'en found Hoshino testing her new Valkyrie as Bronya and learned that Nearl could be used for hostage rescues.

• Hoshino sent Silence a grave warning to be careful of Ptilopsis, leaving Silence baffled and Kal'tsit unable to understand the shrine maiden's motives.
• Amiya chose Nearl for Rhodes Island's Lungmen assignment after Kal'tsit vetoed Grani on the grounds that she was a child.
• Nearl arrived in Lungmen, met Hoshiguma and Ch'en, and promised to serve as Ch'en's sword.
• Ch'en sent Nearl to try Lungmen's local food while she considered what role to give her.
• Ch'en went to the shrine for advice and found Hoshino testing the Heavy Bunny 19C as Bronya.
• Hoshino told Ch'en that Nearl's healing abilities made her suited to hostage rescues, suggesting she could knock out robbers and hostages before healing the hostages.

Hoshino persuaded Ch'en to create a kidnapping case so Nearl could be assigned to the Guard Department’s Kidnapping Division. Nearl returned to Ch'en, accepted the staged mission, and was told it would also serve as her assessment.

• Hoshino proposed having Bronya play the kidnapped victim and her Heavy Bunny play the kidnapper, giving Ch'en a case to assign Nearl to the Kidnapping Division.
• Hoshino named her price, and Ch'en agreed to the arrangement.
• Nearl explored Kowloon City, sampled local food, and drew attention from Lungmen residents as a conspicuous Kazimierz knight.
• Nearl returned to the Guard Department, where Ch'en presented her with a file about Bronya Zaychik’s kidnapping.
• Nearl accepted the private commission, and Ch'en told her the case would assess her before she joined the Kidnapping Division.

Ch'en and Nearl began a covert rescue mission for Bronya, bringing Hoshino along as a self-styled ninja to seek help from Lungmen’s intelligence broker. They reached Miss Rope’s door in the slums, where a young person cautiously opened it.

• Nearl explained her anger at the way Kazimierz knights’ language and image had been corrupted, and Ch'en recruited her for a private two-person commission.
• Ch'en took Nearl to the shrine to enlist Hoshino, who appeared in a ninja outfit and introduced herself as Yae Kasumi.
• Hoshino learned that Bronya had been kidnapped and vowed that the culprit would pay, while Nearl accepted her cold ninja persona without suspicion.
• Hoshino led Ch'en and Nearl through Lungmen’s slums to meet the intelligence broker Miss Rope.
• After Hoshino knocked a rhythmic code on the broker’s iron door, a young person opened it slightly.

Rope sent Ch'en, Nearl, and Hoshino to an abandoned factory while claiming a giant robot had taken Bronya. There they found Heavy Bunny holding Bronya, and Nearl began fighting the machine as Hoshino considered using the clash to unlock more of Bright Knight: Excelsis.

• Rope pretended to resist helping Ch'en until Hoshino pressured her, then gave them a map and a story about a giant robot at an abandoned factory.
• Nearl believed Rope's explanation and joined Ch'en and Hoshino in searching the factory.
• At the factory, Hoshino touched Nearl's shield and advanced Bright Knight: Excelsis's unlock progress by 0.3%.
• Hoshino illuminated the workshop with Raigokumaru, revealing Heavy Bunny carrying Bronya.
• Nearl confronted Heavy Bunny, blocking its spear with her shield and striking its shield with her hammer.
• Hoshino wondered whether Nearl would keep clashing with Heavy Bunny long enough to unlock Bright Knight: Excelsis.

Hoshino and her allies discovered that Bronya and Heavy Bunny were acting as partners, then used a staged confrontation to create an opening for Hoshino to make repeated contact with Nearl’s shield. The chapter ended with Hoshino and Nearl charging at each other in a street, beginning their shield-to-shield clash.

• Bronya ordered Heavy Bunny to carry her through the factory ceiling and escape, while Ch'en and Hoshino concluded that the robot was her companion rather than a kidnapper.
• Nearl volunteered to confront Bronya and wear down her defenses, and the team began searching for Heavy Bunny’s trail.
• Hoshino slipped away as a scout and arranged for Yae Kasumi and Bronya to swap appearances so she could approach Nearl unnoticed.
• Hoshino challenged Nearl on an eight-lane street, and the two armored women charged at each other as their shields collided.

Nearl fought Hoshino and Heavy Bunny through the night to protect the unconscious Bronya, refusing to abandon her knightly convictions. At dawn, Nearl emerged victorious and fell asleep standing while holding Bronya.

• Ch'en and Yae Kasumi directed traffic away from the arena as Nearl battled Hoshino and Heavy Bunny.
• Hoshino questioned Nearl's devotion to the old ideals of knighthood, but Nearl remained resolute and continued fighting.
• Yae Kasumi and Ch'en turned away drivers who tried to approach the dangerous fight.
• Nearl endured the battle from nightfall until dawn, then emerged carrying the unconscious Bronya and holding her shield.
• Nearl reached Yae Kasumi, closed her eyes, and fell asleep standing.

Nearl woke after her battle with Bronya and learned that Ch'en had appointed her head of the Kidnapping Division; Nearl also asked about Durandal and became inspired by her knightly reputation. Beyond the wilderness, Hoshino tested Durandal's forms and discovered that Excelsis could summon KING and QUEEN to fight alongside her.

• Ch'en and Hoshino carried the sleeping Nearl back to the Lungmen Guard Department, and Ch'en praised Nearl's performance.
• Nearl woke at noon, recalled a possible exchange with Bronya about restoring Kazimierz's knightly traditions, and learned that Bronya had been taken in by the shrine.
• Ch'en appointed Nearl head of the Kidnapping Division and told her about her encounter with Durandal, prompting Nearl to admire the knight.
• Hoshino transformed into Bright Knight: Excelsis in an abandoned city, then compared its power with Dawn's Glory and found the two forms seemed equally strong.
• Hoshino summoned KING and QUEEN in Excelsis and decided the form's purpose was to let them fight for her.

Hoshino ended her training and rested, while Nearl settled into her new role in Lungmen’s Guard Department. Meanwhile, Emperor met Bison, the young master of Fengchi Logistics, who wanted to learn corporate management at Penguin Logistics.

• Hoshino found no new system missions, grew exhausted from her all-night battle, and changed back to Gyakushinn Miko Yae Sakura to rest.
• Nearl accepted her position as the sole member of the Kidnapping Division and collected her gauntlets and warhammer from Ch'en.
• Ch'en told Nearl not to walk around the Guard Department armed and advised her to consult Swire about her clothing.
• Exusiai brought Bison to Penguin Logistics with a letter of recommendation, and he said he wanted to learn corporate management.
• Emperor recognized Bison as the young master of Fengchi Logistics and remarked that his father had set him up by sending him to learn from a penguin.

Emperor sent Bison to learn from Penguin Logistics and Hoshino, then Exusiai took them to collect a confidential shipment for the Yae Shrine. The oversized package left Hoshino wondering whether someone had mailed a person to her.

• Emperor read Bison's father's letter and decided Hoshino should help mentor Bison as compensation for damage to his wine collection.
• Hoshino met Exusiai and Bison at the shrine, and Bison began sizing up Hoshino as a potential teacher.
• Exusiai told Hoshino and Bison they were collecting a confidential shipment that the company and authorities were not allowed to inspect.
• Exusiai picked up Croissant and her enormous black box, then tied Bison to the car roof because there was no room inside.
• Exusiai read the delivery form and revealed that the package was addressed to the Yae Shrine, leaving Hoshino to wonder what it contained.

Hoshino opened a courier case to find Skadi, who had come to thank Yae Sakura and take a vacation. In Lungmen, Jaye watched a wounded pilgrim emerge from an iron shell and head toward a destination, while the narration revealed that the pilgrim came from the Deep.

• Hoshino signed for the delivery and opened the case, revealing Skadi with her greatsword and an orca plushie.
• Skadi entered Tenshukaku, thanked Yae Sakura, and said she had come to fulfill the contract and offer personal thanks.
• Hoshino asked Skadi why she had mailed herself to the shrine, and Skadi explained that she had isolated herself to avoid bringing disasters to others.
• Skadi said she also wanted a vacation, while Exusiai blamed Penguin Logistics for the commotion outside.
• Jaye watched a wounded, shrouded pilgrim crawl out of an iron shell that had been hauled up in Lungmen.