Chapter Summaries

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.

Hoshino unlocked Yamabuki Armor’s shield and tested its defenses against Blaze, destroying the training room in the process. She granted Blaze a shield afterward, while Kal'tsit began considering how to keep Hoshino away from Rhodes Island.

• Hoshino carried the sleeping Cuora to the lounge, touched her shell, and unlocked Yamabuki Armor before Cuora woke confused and forgot who Hoshino was.
• Hoshino tested the armor’s golden force-field and learned that it protected her while allowing ordinary objects to pass through.
• After learning Skadi was away on a mission, Hoshino chose Blaze to test the shield and asked her to attack at full strength.
• Kal'tsit launched the training room away from Rhodes Island after seeing Hoshino and Blaze enter, but the room exploded midair.
• Hoshino pulled the unharmed Blaze from the wreckage and granted her a shield, while Kal'tsit considered limiting Hoshino’s time on the ship.

Kal'tsit assigned Hoshino a protection mission to find and escort the wandering doctor Lumen back to Rhodes Island, and Hoshino eagerly accepted. As Hoshino set off by air, a system notification revealed the mission's reward and a strict limit on hits taken.

• Kal'tsit arranged for Hoshino's file to be evaluated, and Human Resources rated her capabilities outstanding except for Originium Arts adaptability.
• Kal'tsit offered Hoshino a mission to rescue a frail wandering doctor whose desert vehicle had broken down and persuade her to join Rhodes Island.
• Hoshino accepted the mission and departed, while Nian wondered why she had agreed and tried to recruit the God of Snowy Mountain to watch the show.
• Hoshino declined to use a parachute and asked the aircraft to leave after dropping her off so she could escort Lumen back herself.
• Hoshino received a system mission naming Lumen as the prospective operator and offering Gate of the Other Shore if she eliminated threats while taking no more than one hit.

Hoshino went to rescue Lumen in Leithanien, but found that he had already fled a trap aimed at capturing him. As Hoshino faced a crowd transformed by witchcraft, Lumen worried that the rescue team would be endangered because of him.

• Hoshino promised the pilot she would bring Lumen back safely and handle the negotiations, then leapt down toward the stranded vehicle.
• Kal'tsit and Amiya discussed Hoshino's extraordinary shielding ability and her possible history with Lumen, and Amiya let her act as she wished.
• Hoshino found the vehicle empty and began searching for Lumen by calling out from a high place.
• Lumen, fleeing a capture squad after discovering a trap, heard the call but feared that going to the rescuers would put them in danger.
• A crowd surrounded Hoshino, and she recognized that black crystals and witchcraft had turned them into a hostile force before drawing her sword.

Hoshino met the amnesiac Lumen after defeating the crystal creatures and invited her to join Rhodes Island. As they set off together, the Scholar of Original Sin encountered Chaos Shadow and became its apprentice, prompting a boss-subjugation alert for Hoshino.

• Hoshino killed the crystal creatures, and the last one exploded into shards as Lumen approached.
• Hoshino questioned Lumen about identity and memory before declaring that their meeting was their first, then introduced herself as Rhodes Island Defender Operator Yae Sakura.
• Hoshino invited Lumen to join Rhodes Island and demonstrated her protective shield, but said she would need to observe Lumen before granting it to her.
• Hoshino and Lumen agreed to travel to Rhodes Island together while Hoshino made other arrangements for the Scholar of Original Sin.
• Chaos Shadow descended before the Scholar of Original Sin, who touched it and became its apprentice.
• Hoshino received a notification that boss Chaos Shadow had descended and needed to be subjugated.

The Scholar of Original Sin surrendered himself to Chaos and became Tonatiuh, Shadow That Devours the Sun. Meanwhile, Hoshino and Lumen headed toward Rhodes Island, but Tonatiuh appeared on the horizon, and Hoshino prepared to protect Lumen.

• The Scholar of Original Sin offered everything to Chaos and transformed into Tonatiuh, Shadow That Devours the Sun.
• Hoshino and Lumen packed their belongings and set out for Rhodes Island, discussing Lumen’s fear of change and his love of movies.
• An army of more than a hundred quantum collapse beasts approached, and Hoshino killed them all with her twin blades.
• Hoshino and Lumen found a settlement, obtained a vehicle, and Lumen drove them toward Rhodes Island.
• Lumen stopped when the sky darkened and Tonatiuh appeared on the horizon, declaring his power over Chaos.
• Hoshino stroked Lumen’s hair and told him to hide behind her as his Defender Operator.

Hoshino protected Lumen from Tonatiuh, Shadow That Devours the Sun, and a Chaos Shadow that appeared during the fight. After both entities vanished, Hoshino and Lumen drove back toward Rhodes Island, whose aircraft watched overhead.

• Hoshino shielded Lumen as Tonatiuh used Chaos to strike at them, then warned her about hiding information from the rescuers.
• Hoshino switched to Goushinnso Memento and used Frozen Naraka to put Tonatiuh into a collapse state.
• A Chaos Shadow appeared, and Hoshino warned Lumen not to look into it or risk having her existence erased.
• The Chaos Shadow dragged Tonatiuh into the void, and Hoshino realized she might claim rewards for two bosses.
• Lumen drove Hoshino back toward Rhodes Island while Kal'tsit watched from the aircraft overhead.

Lumen drove Hoshino while struggling with his fear of relationships and danger, as Rhodes Island learned that Yae Sakura had driven back the cosmic monster without injury. When Tonatiuh returned, Hoshino prepared to summon Seele Vollerei to fight it.

• Lumen admitted that he traveled to avoid forming bonds with people, and Hoshino recognized his fear of losing them.
• A Rhodes Island pilot reported to Doctor Kal'tsit that a Catastrophe had briefly exposed him to an ocean of knowledge and that Yae Sakura had driven the monster back.
• Doctor Kal'tsit learned that Yae Sakura, Lumen, and the transport target were unharmed, with only the car's paint scratched.
• Hoshino stopped the car when Tonatiuh returned and told Lumen that his attacks could not hurt it.
• Hoshino used a special summon to call Seele Vollerei.

Seele killed Tonatiuh and brought the subjugation progress to 50%, while Hoshino told Lumen that she had died of old age after a long life. Bronya headed to the shrine to summon Seele as the shadow of chaos appeared in the sky.

• Seele fought Tonatiuh, severed its connection to the Chaos Shadow, and killed it as it entered its collapse state.
• Seele vanished after the battle, and Hoshino told Lumen that the subjugation progress had reached 50%.
• Hoshino told the aircraft pilot to ask Kal'tsit to visit the shrine and find Bronya, then continued with Lumen toward Rhodes Island.
• Lumen asked how she had died, and Hoshino said she had died of old age, smiling, after her memories faded.
• Bronya confirmed that she needed to summon Seele and charged Yae Sakura for the shrine-related debt.
• The shadow of chaos appeared in the sky, described as the all-knowing, all-powerful Lord of Before and Now.

As the Chaos Shadow descended upon Rhodes Island, Hoshino protected Lumen while Bronya prepared to confront the cosmic threat. Bronya summoned Stygian Nymph—Inner, which dragged the Chaos Shadow down in seconds, leaving Rhodes Island stunned.

• The Chaos Shadow opened its eyes above Rhodes Island, triggering the ship's alarms and terrifying everyone nearby.
• Kal'tsit told Bronya that a Leithanien mage had summoned the Chaos Shadow, though its response remained unpredictable and incomprehensible.
• Hoshino surrounded Lumen with a Honkai Energy barrier and sent him safely toward Rhodes Island.
• Bronya said she would leave if the Chaos Shadow threatened Seele, and Kal'tsit later explained that Bronya planned to endanger herself to draw out her protector.
• Bronya summoned Swallowtail Phantasm and fused it with the Seed of Time to become Stygian Nymph—Inner.
• Stygian Nymph—Inner's Deep tentacles dragged down the Chaos Shadow in seconds, leaving Rhodes Island operators stunned.

Hoshino defeated the Chaos Shadow and received Valkyrie Fragments, while Seele remained beside Bronya after the battle. Seele attacked Specter for interrupting her time with Bronya, and Bronya tried to calm her with a whispered suggestion.

• Hoshino completed the subjugation and received two Valkyrie Fragments, but the bonus objective was not completed.
• Hoshino learned that Lumen had become a normal character and that her unlock progress was available.
• Seele stayed beside Bronya, then defeated and restrained Specter when she appeared.
• Seele resisted Bronya's request to disappear, insisting she was not a war machine to summon and dismiss.
• A shrine maiden whispered a suggestion to Bronya, who blushed and gently kissed Seele's forehead.