Chapter Summaries

Hoshino returned to the Shrine with White Flower, a Divine Key that might be able to cure Oripathy, and found that Ch'en had been away. When Ch'en came home, Hoshino revealed the lance’s possible healing power and watched her reaction.

• Hoshino transformed, took up White Flower, and headed back to the Shrine to test whether it could heal Infected.
• Hoshino returned to the Shrine and realized that Durandal’s departure aboard the Hyperion had taken many of her worshippers with it.
• Hoshino waited at the Tenshukaku until Ch'en returned from watching the news with Swire.
• Ch'en told Hoshino that people in Lungmen had cheered when they saw her during the turmoil in Ursus.
• Hoshino claimed that the Immortal Blades had lent her Durandal’s lance and told Ch'en that White Flower might be able to cure Oripathy.

Hoshino tried to use Abyss Flower’s White Flower to cure Ch'en’s mild Oripathy, but it had no effect. She then tested Black Abyss on Talulah, and the weapon began breaking away Talulah’s Oripathy crystals.

• Hoshino told Ch'en that the user would pay Abyss Flower’s price and prepared to test the weapon on her.
• Ch'en showed Hoshino the black fragments on her upper arm, but White Flower’s healing light did not affect them.
• Hoshino went to the Reunion Movement and asked Talulah to volunteer for an experiment to cure Oripathy.
• White Flower also failed to change Talulah’s severe infection, so Hoshino tried Black Abyss instead.
• Black Abyss made Talulah’s Oripathy crystals crack and fall away, exposing the skin beneath.

Hoshino used the Abyss Flower to cure Talulah and Ch'en of Oripathy, but grew discouraged by how slowly she could treat people one at a time. Meanwhile, Fiammetta promoted Landon Monastery with a video of Dea Anchora until someone from the Tribunal confronted her about knowing the person on screen.

• Hoshino used the Black Abyss to break down Talulah's Oripathy, then healed the damage with the White Flower, curing her in thirty seconds.
• Hoshino returned to the Shrine and cured Ch'en, then rested in the hot spring as she worried that treating Infected one by one could not keep pace with the disease.
• At Landon Monastery, Fiammetta distributed application forms while promoting Dea Anchora's feats in a video.
• A black-winged angel addressed Fiammetta by her real and middle names, then asked whether she knew Durandal.

Fiammetta learned that Laterano’s founder wanted to meet Durandal, while Hoshino waited at the shrine for FrostNova after curing Talulah’s Oripathy. FrostNova learned of the cure and decided to bring Patriot to the shrine, despite Talulah’s warning that treatment was extremely painful.

• A Justice Office member told Fiammetta that Laterano’s founder wished to see Durandal, leaving Fiammetta wondering what Durandal had done.
• Fiammetta recruited a student to Landon Monastery while Sister Xidejia reflected on the historical significance of recent events.
• Hoshino bathed at the shrine and waited for FrostNova to arrive after Talulah passed along news of the cure.
• Talulah showed FrostNova that her crystalline growths had vanished and explained that the shrine maiden had cured her Oripathy.
• FrostNova decided to visit the shrine and ask Hoshino to treat Patriot, and Talulah warned her that the process was extremely painful.

FrostNova left Talulah and rode an ice cream truck toward Chernobog, hoping Hoshino could heal Patriot rather than cure her own Oripathy. Hoshino joined her, and the truck reached FrostNova’s base as FrostNova challenged her to witness the land’s true suffering.

• After warning FrostNova, Talulah sent her away so she could sort through what she knew in peace.
• FrostNova concealed herself in a refrigerated ice cream truck and reflected that she wanted to remain Infected, but hoped Patriot could recover.
• Hoshino used Heavy Bunny to locate FrostNova, landed on the truck, and fought her with ice until FrostNova recognized her.
• FrostNova explained that she wanted healing for Patriot, not for herself, and Hoshino agreed to accompany her.
• The ice-covered truck traveled into Chernobog, where FrostNova told Hoshino she should be able to see the land’s true suffering.

Hoshino treated Patriot’s throat and concluded that Originium was the root of the Infected’s suffering, resolving to find a way to detoxify it. Back at the Shrine, she learned that Fiammetta had come on behalf of the Pope to ask for Lady Durandal.

• Hoshino treated Patriot’s throat, temporarily restoring his ability to speak despite the Originium fragments still threatening his body.
• Hoshino reflected that the divide between the Infected and ordinary people could not be healed by political change alone and decided to focus on solving the problem of Originium.
• The system announced that an envoy from Laterano would visit the Shrine and rewarded Hoshino with the Chi You Cannon.
• Hoshino returned to the Shrine and found Fiammetta waiting there instead of a stranger.
• Fiammetta told Hoshino that the Pope wanted to invite Lady Durandal to Laterano, but she had been unable to find her.

Fiammetta delivered Laterano’s invitation to Durandal, who agreed to visit after Fiammetta returned. After a fifteen-day journey, Durandal arrived at Laterano in a dramatic landing.

• Hoshino questioned Fiammetta about Laterano’s invitation and asked what kind of person its Pope was, but Fiammetta had no useful information.
• Hoshino told Fiammetta that Durandal had received the message, then delayed her arrival to tease the nervous envoy.
• Durandal accepted Laterano’s invitation and said she would arrive when Fiammetta did, after the envoy’s fifteen-day journey.
• Fiammetta returned to Laterano without stopping, and Durandal descended before the city’s high walls as a blue comet.

Hoshino entered Laterano with Fiammetta and agreed to visit Landon Monastery as an instructor before meeting the Pope. After finding the city dull, she looked forward to seeing the monastery’s younger residents.

• Hoshino told Fiammetta she was sixteen, then continued into Laterano with the convoy.
• Fiammetta relayed the Pope’s request for Hoshino to experience Laterano’s customs before meeting him, and Hoshino agreed to visit Landon Monastery first.
• Hoshino warned Fiammetta not to reveal anything about her, then explored Laterano and found its quiet, orderly streets boring.
• Fiammetta returned to say the arrangements were complete, and Hoshino eagerly anticipated meeting the young residents of Landon Monastery.

Hoshino, posing as Durandal, sent Rita Rossweisse to help Landon Monastery with its mounting problems. Rita proposed harsh, unconventional fixes, including making wheat harvesting part of the freshman assessment.

• Hoshino listened as Landon Monastery's staff described shortages of bedding, food, harvesters, and funds.
• Hoshino claimed her adjutant Rita Rossweisse could handle the monastery's problems, and Fiammetta obtained permission for Rita to come.
• Six minutes later, Rita arrived at Landon Monastery carrying a scythe alongside her stand, Pale Moon.
• Rita entered the meeting and criticized the staff for discussing the monastery's troubles too calmly.
• Rita proposed telling new students that the old bedding was infested with pests and making wheat harvesting part of the entrance assessment.

Fiammetta introduced Durandal and Rita as instructors at Landon Monastery, where Rita observed the rigid entrance examination and students’ disciplined routines. At night, Hoshino listened to the new students whisper and heard one girl declare that she wanted to sleep with Durandal.

• Fiammetta presented Durandal and Rita to the monastery as assistance from the Pope, and Durandal claimed she would teach hand-to-hand combat and special operations.
• The monastery began its entrance examination by making probationary monks compete at cutting grass and harvesting wheat.
• Rita watched the students work and noticed how seriously and obediently they followed their assigned roles.
• After the students went to bed, Hoshino listened from the roof as the girls began whispering in their dormitory.
• One girl loudly confessed that she had come for Durandal and wanted to sleep with her.

Hoshino overheard trainee monks confessing their attraction to Durandal and gossiping about Rita, then learned that Rita had described herself as devoted to serving Durandal. The system offered Stan as a mission reward, and Hoshino decided to keep the girls away from Durandal to claim the cat.

• Hoshino listened from the roof as trainee monks eagerly declared their attraction to Durandal.
• The girls shifted from praising Durandal to criticizing Rita for seeming cold and making them work while she watched.
• A gossiping trainee repeated Rita's statement that she was only a maid serving Durandal, and the girls reacted with shock and excitement.
• The system announced a new mission phase and offered Stan as a reward, prompting Hoshino to decide she would protect Durandal from the girls' advances.
• After the dormitory fell silent past midnight, Hoshino vanished from the roof.

After the new students’ late-night excitement left them exhausted, Hoshino turned their morning lesson into physical training as Durandal. When one student pretended to be injured and clung to her, Rita appeared to intervene, leaving the encounter unresolved.

• Fiammetta noticed that many students were sleepy and listless during morning class, while Hoshino knew the late-night discussion had caused their exhaustion.
• Hoshino persuaded Fiammetta to replace the usual archery lesson with a ten-kilometer run and hand-to-hand training.
• Hoshino appeared as Durandal on the athletic field, and the students eagerly began running under her watch.
• At the five-kilometer mark, Hoshino caught a student who appeared to collapse, but realized the girl was pretending and clinging to her.
• Rita arrived with her scythe and a chilling smile, separated the student from Durandal, and asked where she was hurt.

Rita dragged a trainee monk to the infirmary and convinced him he was seriously ill, while Hoshino watched the students’ growing fascination with Durandal and Rita. After hearing that attempts to change Laterano’s doctrines had ended with their advocates leaving for good, Hoshino learned how deeply those doctrines were rooted in the city-state.

• Rita took a trainee monk to the infirmary, gave him a deceptive examination, and sent him back with a crutch.
• Durandal reassured the students that Rita was trustworthy, but they worried about the trainee monk and ran from the training field.
• Hoshino eavesdropped on the girls discussing Durandal and Rita, then realized their affection came from their lack of love and care.
• Hoshino questioned Fiammetta about why no one tried to change Laterano’s rigid rules.
• Fiammetta told Hoshino that past reformers had left Laterano permanently after mediation and said the doctrine could not be changed.

Hoshino learned that the Pope had granted her the highest authorization in Laterano, equal to his own, and used it to arrange a lavish lunch for the students. Rita won the students over with food and champagne, while Hoshino continued observing their private conversations and probing the state of Laterano.

• Hoshino asked Fiammetta how much authority she had in Laterano, and Fiammetta returned with permission to reveal that Hoshino held the highest authorization, equal to the Pope's.
• Hoshino used her authority to order Rita to prepare lunch for the students, who were delighted by the rich meal after their austere monastery diet.
• Rita watched the students discuss her at night, hearing both praise and condemnation as Hoshino observed from a distance.
• Rita entered the girls' room with wine glasses and champagne, then offered to teach them how to brew illicit liquor with boots.
• The students embraced Rita, and she used her growing rapport with them to learn more about the people and state of Laterano.

Hoshino used her authority to arrange practical training and sent Rita to lead Landon Monastery’s students beyond Laterano’s walls. Rita discovered how rarely they had left the city and took them on an outing with no set destination.

• Hoshino arranged early planting of wine grapes while Rita Rossweisse won students’ favor with her cooking and liquor.
• At a faculty meeting, Hoshino called for practical classes so students could face real enemies and grow into warriors.
• Rita led the students through their regular exercise and armed combat training in Hoshino’s absence.
• Rita asked whether the students had seen the world beyond Laterano and learned that most had left only a handful of times.
• With Durandal’s authority securing permission, Rita led the bewildered students through a city gate into the desert beyond Laterano.

Rita brought the novice monks into the wasteland for a barbecue and secretly prepared a staged encounter between Hero Seele and Demon King Delta. Seele arrived pretending to be exhausted and collapsed before the monks, leaving them to decide what to do.

• Rita took the novice monks beyond Laterano’s walls so its guardian angels would not see the staged play.
• Rita provided the students with barbecue supplies and chilled wine, then withdrew to watch unnoticed.
• Seele ran across the wasteland, complained privately about her poor stamina, and practiced looking like an exhausted fugitive.
• Seele reached the barbecue, begged the monks for help, and collapsed unconscious in front of them.
• Rita told the monks that she would neither interfere nor judge, leaving the choice to them.

Rita tested the apprentice monks by staging Seele’s collapse and warning them about the Demon King. After Seele identified herself as Seele Vollerei and claimed the Demon King was coming, Delta appeared as the Demon King and charged the monks.

• The apprentice monks hesitated over the fallen Seele while Rita judged their responses and eventually told them that Seele was still alive.
• The monks lifted Seele and offered her grilled meat, then brought her warm water after she murmured about the Demon King.
• Seele woke, introduced herself as Seele Vollerei, and warned that the Demon King was coming.
• The monks discussed the Sarkaz legend of the Demon King and watched for an approaching threat across the wasteland.
• Delta appeared with two massive swords, charged toward the monks, and declared that she wanted only one person’s life.

Delta fought the apprentice monks of Landon Monastery while Rita watched, and the students showed disciplined teamwork and tactical awareness despite being unable to break Delta’s defense. Delta escalated the fight with a spinning greatsword attack, but Seele woke and blocked her at the last moment.

• Delta charged the Landon Monastery students, who formed a battle unit and began retreating while protecting the unconscious Seele.
• The archers fired arrows to slow Delta, but she joined her greatswords into a shield and charged through their attacks.
• The students noticed that Delta’s shield impaired her vision and changed directions to attack from wide angles while keeping Seele protected.
• Delta dropped her shield and leaped into the air, then spun her greatswords to slice apart the arrows fired at her.
• Delta confronted the students and raised her greatsword, but Seele woke and blocked her attack with her scythe.

Delta and Seele staged a battle that led the novice clerics from Landon Monastery to join Seele’s hero party. As the party prepared to face the Demon King, Delta set up the Hyperion as her castle and waited for them in the Captain’s office.

• Seele fought Delta, who taunted her as a hero before leaving her to collapse in front of the novice clerics.
• Rita encouraged the clerics to make their own choices, and they agreed to ask Seele about joining her party once she woke.
• Seele woke, introduced herself as Seele Vollerei and the hero, and recruited every novice cleric from Landon Monastery.
• Delta prepared the Hyperion as her castle, lowered it silently to the ground, and planned to defend her Captain’s office.

Hoshino arranged an exhibition trial in which Seele led the students through Hyperion to face Demon Lord Delta. The group fought through Schicksal mechs and reached a boss battle with Blood Rose.

• Hoshino explained to Fiammetta that she stayed behind so the students would feel less protected during the trial, then joked that it was a lesson about avoiding pretty-girl scams.
• Seele led the students to Hyperion, where she warned them that Demon Lord Delta had powerful subordinates and mech units.
• The students advanced through the staff lounge, defeating Schicksal mechs with a barrage of arrows.
• Seele stepped forward to face Blood Rose, and the two charged at each other with their weapons ablaze.