Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Sinking”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno and Mono enter the enormous ball of light in Mono’s dream, witnessing a memory from the Past that cannot be changed.
• A rumbling reveals that the Crystal Pyramid—the World Center—is descending into the Ring World. The surrounding Natives kneel in worship, apparently expecting the event.
• Mono theorizes that the Star Crystal is a vessel for the Will of the Stars, while the World Centers are vessels for the Great Will. She suspects that she herself may be a small, self-aware fragment or “terminal” of the Great Will.
• Mono also connects the Great Will’s former radiance with the darkness now corrupting Earth, suggesting that the once-compassionate Great Will has fallen and is using Natives as materials to create Monsters.
• The Crystal Pyramid sinks almost entirely underground, its glow weakening, while new buildings instantly materialize around it, revealing the artificial, “printed” nature of the world.
• The dream ends, and Miluno returns to reality almost instantly. He discovers that the Monster’s three Simulacrum Factors and the Artificial Crystal have become saturated with dark energy.
• Mono absorbs the dangerous darkness from all four sources, then removes the Simulacrum Factors from the Monster before it can crush Miluno.
• Stratos begins repairing and adjusting the Monster, explaining that although it resembles a biological creature, it is actually a rubber Construct whose true body consists of its Simulacrum Factors.
• Miluno introduces Stratos to SpiCa and Flow. He reveals that Stratos is Flow’s creator and former head of Aldebaran’s Monster Development Department, having escaped after the Supreme Council attempted to make her take responsibility for Flow’s defection.

Character Developments

• Mono: Gains a deeper understanding of her possible identity and connection to the Great Will. She begins to suspect that she is a self-aware fragment or terminal of a larger cosmic entity, though she remains uncertain.
• Miluno: Acts decisively to protect Mono and survive the Monster’s transformation. He also begins connecting the history of the World Centers, the Great Will, and the corruption affecting Earth.
• Stratos: Is established as an exceptionally capable but intensely competitive scientist. Her eagerness to repair the Monster stems partly from a desire to surpass Aldebaran’s achievements.
• SpiCa: Immediately shows interest in Stratos as a valuable researcher, demonstrating her willingness to recruit skilled allies.
• Flow: Learns that Stratos is effectively his creator or biological mother, creating a surprising connection between them.

Significant Themes

• The corruption of benevolent power: The Great Will may once have protected and cherished the Natives but has apparently fallen, turning its former radiance into destructive darkness.
• Identity and origins: Mono questions whether she is an independent being or merely a fragment of a greater consciousness. Flow’s relationship with Stratos similarly raises questions about creation, parentage, and personhood.
• Artificiality and construction: The World’s instantly generated buildings and the Monster’s rubber body emphasize that both the environment and living creatures may be manufactured systems rather than natural beings.
• Science versus morality: Stratos’s research has produced powerful beings such as Flow, but the scientific process is detached and unsettling. The chapter hints at the ethical consequences of creating and modifying life.
• Memory and the past: The dream reveals history without allowing the characters to change it, showing how the past can be observed and interpreted but not rewritten.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and Mono explore the dream together, with Miluno protecting her and helping her reason through the meaning of the World Center and the Great Will.
• Mono assists Miluno during the crisis by absorbing the Monster’s excess dark energy and pulling him from danger.
• Miluno, Mono, and Stratos cooperate to stabilize the Monster, though Stratos immediately takes control of the technical work.
• Miluno introduces Stratos to SpiCa and Flow, causing Flow to react with shock upon learning that Stratos created him.
• SpiCa attempts to welcome or recruit Stratos, but Stratos rejects the interruption and erects a magical barrier, prioritizing her research over social interaction.

Chapter Summary: “Joining Up: Miluno”

Key Plot Points and Events

• SpiCa questions Miluno about her use of dark power. Miluno explains that the darkness in her Crystal is controlled by her Witch Persona, Mono, and cannot yet be wielded independently.
• A discussion follows about whether Miluno and Mono are separate individuals. Miluno insists they are, although Mono remains physically attached to her and angrily reacts to Miluno’s thoughts.
• SpiCa reveals that Anjie has been behaving abnormally since Xiaojie accompanied Miluno to City School. Xiaojie’s mental and physical condition has deteriorated, suggesting that magical girls and their Witch Personas may share a deeper connection than previously understood.
• Rather than returning Xiaojie to prison, SpiCa proposes sending Anjie to City School to handle administrative work. Miluno agrees that Anjie’s experience as secretary-general would be useful.
• SpiCa assigns Miluno to investigate the relationship between magical girls and Witch Personas. Though Miluno initially objects because of her many existing responsibilities, she accepts when Ceruno emphasizes that Xiaojie’s safety is involved.
• Stratos completes the reconstruction of the Rubber Magical Girl using three Simulacrum Factors, Artificial Crystals, and Dark Energy from Miluno’s Morning Star Crystal. The former male Rubber Pretty Boy is transformed into a female witch-like figure.
• The new Rubber Magical Girl still lacks a conventional brain, but Stratos explains that intelligence and thought may not require one. She has apparently achieved the step Aldebaran failed to complete: creating a potentially intelligent Monster with three Simulacrum Factors.
• Stratos negotiates directly with SpiCa, offering dangerous technology capable of “Witchifying” soldiers in exchange for full support, materials, and freedom to continue her research.

Character Developments

• Miluno is revealed to have significant dark power but limited personal control over it. She remains burdened by numerous duties yet accepts the investigation to protect Xiaojie.
• Mono continues to act as an independent, outspoken presence within Miluno, demonstrating both emotional reactions and the ability to read Miluno’s thoughts.
• SpiCa takes a more investigative and administrative role, recognizing the importance of the Witch Persona mystery and arranging practical solutions for City School and Anjie.
• Xiaojie appears increasingly unstable and possibly dependent on Anjie, implying that the relationship between a magical girl and her Persona may affect both parties’ survival or mental state.
• Anjie is repositioned from prisoner or former traitor to a potentially valuable administrator at City School.
• Stratos proves capable of completing advanced Monster research and becomes more assertive in negotiations, concealing a mysterious past while offering extremely dangerous technology.
• Ceruno acts protectively toward Xiaojie and helps persuade Miluno to accept the investigation.

Significant Themes

• The blurred boundary between magical girls and witches: The chapter questions whether Witch Personas are merely powers or independent beings with a deeper psychological and biological connection to their hosts.
• Identity and individuality: Miluno’s insistence that she and Mono are separate individuals contrasts with their physical and mental entanglement.
• Science and dangerous experimentation: Stratos’s research advances Monster creation but raises ethical and military concerns, especially with the possibility of Witchifying soldiers.
• Duty versus personal freedom: Miluno resents being assigned more work but accepts because of her concern for Xiaojie, highlighting the pressure placed on her by competing responsibilities.
• Prison versus cooperation: The chapter presents Nabu Island Prison as unusually comfortable and suggests that prisoners may be recruited for their skills rather than simply punished.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and SpiCa: SpiCa questions Miluno about her dark abilities and assigns her the investigation into Witch Personas.
• Miluno and Mono: Their exchanges are argumentative and comedic, with Mono protesting Miluno’s comments and secretly listening to her thoughts.
• SpiCa and Miluno regarding Anjie and Xiaojie: They discuss Anjie’s deterioration, Xiaojie’s possible dependence on her, and Anjie’s reassignment to City School.
• Miluno and Ceruno: Ceruno supports the investigation because Xiaojie’s safety may be at stake and takes Xiaojie into her care.
• Miluno and Stratos: Miluno questions Stratos about the Rubber Magical Girl and accidentally exposes clues about Stratos’s mysterious past.
• Stratos and SpiCa: Stratos bypasses Miluno to negotiate directly with SpiCa, offering Witchification technology in return for research support and resources.

Chapter Summary: “What Did Mi See? Mi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• SpiCa assigns Stratos, a brilliant witch researcher with visible horns, to Miluno rather than keeping her at the research institute. The institute’s researchers still resent the Other Side after Betelgeuse’s terrorist attack, making Stratos impossible to accommodate there.
• Miluno takes Stratos back to City School and arranges for her to room with Jaeger, hoping Jaeger can help her adapt. Doggy remains nearby as the room’s “mascot.”
• During lunch, Stratos directly asks how humans plan to defeat the witches. Miluno realizes she may be considering contacting someone from the Other Side, possibly an informant who could help her escape and clear her name.
• Miluno refuses to reveal strategic information, explaining that she is only a super soldier and that SpiCa may discuss such matters with Stratos after she proves her value. However, Miluno recognizes that SpiCa does not yet fully trust the researcher.
• Golden reveals her human form and introduces herself to Stratos. Miluno explains that Golden is one of Aldebaran’s experimental creations, modeled after Aldebaran and considered her “daughter.” Stratos reacts negatively to Golden because of her connection to Aldebaran.
• Miluno returns to her room, where Mono awakens in a physical Base Body. After playful resistance and teasing, Miluno asks whether Mono can see through the Demon Eyes planted in Aldebaran’s research institute.
• Mono confirms that she can observe events through them. One Demon Eye is discovered and picked up by a Magical Girl Soldier, whose appearance and body Mono finds fascinating. The chapter ends with Miluno frustrated and curious about what Mono is seeing, while Mono refuses to explain.

Character Developments

• Miluno: Shows practical authority and suspicion. She understands the political and emotional tensions surrounding Stratos, keeps information from her, and continues using surveillance to monitor Aldebaran’s side.
• Stratos: Is established as highly intelligent but socially transparent and politically inexperienced. Her blunt question about defeating the witches reveals her continuing concern for the Other Side and possible desire to contact an ally.
• SpiCa: Demonstrates strategic pragmatism by placing Stratos where she can work safely while keeping her away from sensitive researchers. She values Stratos’s expertise but remains cautious about trusting her.
• Mono: Gains a physical Base Body and becomes more active and mischievous. Her ability to see through the Demon Eyes gives Miluno a new surveillance advantage, though her playful behavior makes her difficult to control.
• Golden/Doggy: Reveals her human form and her origins as Aldebaran’s artificial daughter. Her cheerful friendliness contrasts with Stratos’s discomfort and distrust.
• Ceruno: Appears sympathetic toward Stratos’s difficult situation but is unable to resolve the conflict between human hostility and the need for cooperation.

Significant Themes

• Trust versus usefulness: Stratos is valuable because of her research skills, but her ties to the Other Side make her politically dangerous. The chapter emphasizes that usefulness does not automatically earn trust.
• Discrimination and belonging: Stratos cannot openly live among the researchers because her horns identify her as a witch, highlighting the prejudice and fear dividing the two sides.
• Surveillance and control: Miluno’s Demon Eyes and Mono’s remote vision reflect the expanding use of magical technology to gather information and maintain influence.
• Identity and experimentation: Golden’s existence as an artificial being modeled after Aldebaran, along with Stratos’s history as a witch scientist, raises questions about personhood, ownership, and the treatment of experimental subjects.
• Comic intimacy amid political tension: Miluno’s rough but familiar interactions with Mono provide humor and contrast with the serious issues of war, betrayal, and mistrust.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and SpiCa discuss Stratos’s reassignment, revealing the research institute’s hostility toward witches.
• Miluno interrogates Stratos about her intentions and warns her indirectly against contacting the Other Side.
• Stratos meets Golden, but Golden’s connection to Aldebaran immediately creates emotional distance.
• Mono and Miluno continue their physically comedic, affectionate, and antagonistic relationship, culminating in Mono secretly observing a Magical Girl Soldier through the Demon Eyes.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno and Mono discuss Aldebaran's plan and the Demon Eye's limitations.
• Miluno analyzes Aldebaran's strategy and predicts her lack of success in taking Nabu Island Prison.
• Mono uses the Demon Eye to watch Aldebaran taking a bath, causing her to exclaim in surprise.
• Ceruno returns with groceries, and everyone gathers for dinner.

Character Developments

• Miluno displays strategic thinking and ruthlessness in dealing with Aldebaran.
• Mono shows curiosity and mischief, using the Demon Eye to spy on Aldebaran.
• Ceruno is caring and affectionate, showing concern for Miluno and Mono's relationship.

Significant Themes

• Power dynamics and manipulation (Miluno's analysis of Aldebaran's plan).
• Trust and boundaries (Miluno's protective stance towards Ceruno and Mono's desire to hug her).
• Camaraderie and shared meals (the group's dinner together).

Character Interactions

• Miluno and Mono have a playful yet tense exchange, with Miluno threatening Mono and Mono responding with sarcasm.
• Ceruno shows affection towards Miluno, and concern for their relationship.
• Doggy, Jaeger, and Stratos join the group for dinner, highlighting their camaraderie and shared meals.

Chapter Summary: “Contact Ceruno”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After eating, Miluno brings Miss Stratos to the Engine Department, where researchers from the Other Side secretly work beneath City School because of the branch’s prejudice against them.
• Xiaojie develops a dangerously high fever of 39.4°C and appears confused and weak. Doggy provides medicine, but Ceruno suspects the illness may be connected to Miss Anjie’s worsening mental state.
• Ceruno, Xiaoling, and Golden take Xiaojie through the Wormhole Device to Nabu Island Prison, hoping that reuniting Xiaojie with Anjie will stabilize them both.
• Miss Achernar meets them and brings them to the elevated interrogation room where Anjie is being held. She parts the sea to create a path, demonstrating her magical power.
• Anjie reveals her despair, claiming that life has no meaning and suggesting that Xiaojie should take all of her memories. Ceruno and Achernar reject this, explaining that Anjie’s memories would burden and potentially harm Xiaojie.
• Achernar confirms that Xiaojie and Anjie cannot remain separated by too great a distance. Anjie is therefore ordered to obtain a job at City School, where she can be monitored while beginning a new life.
• Anjie asks to speak privately with Xiaojie. Xiaojie agrees, and Achernar reluctantly permits the meeting while threatening Anjie with severe consequences if she harms the child.
• Achernar and the others leave the room, though Achernar remains ready to intervene. Her intense protectiveness reveals how strongly she views Xiaojie as her daughter.

Character Developments

• Ceruno becomes more attentive to the mysterious bond between Xiaojie and Anjie, recognizing that their physical and emotional states may be linked. He also firmly defends Xiaojie from Anjie’s self-destructive wishes.
• Xiaojie remains physically ill but improves after being brought near Anjie. Despite her weakness, she demonstrates maturity and compassion by agreeing to speak with Anjie.
• Miss Anjie is shown to be deeply depressed, isolated, and uncertain of her identity. She struggles with the possibility that she and her Witch Persona, Chuanlang Bojiang, may be fundamentally connected. Her despair stems from betrayal and abandonment, but her request to speak with Xiaojie suggests a desire for connection.
• Miss Achernar acts as both guardian and authority figure. She protects Xiaojie, controls Anjie’s freedom, and encourages Anjie to live for herself rather than remain a discarded tool of invasion.
• Xiaoling takes responsibility for Xiaojie by carrying her throughout the journey, while Golden eagerly accompanies the group to return to Nabu Island.
• Doggy displays her practical helpfulness by finding medicine and checking Xiaojie’s temperature.

Significant Themes

• The bond between mother and daughter: Xiaojie was conceived within Anjie and developed by absorbing her, making their relationship biological and metaphysical despite their conflict.
• Identity and divided selves: Achernar’s confusion over whether she is the same person as Chuanlang Bojiang raises questions about the relationship between a Witch Persona and an original identity.
• Trauma, abandonment, and recovery: Anjie has been betrayed by the person she served and now sees no purpose in living. Achernar offers her the possibility of rebuilding an independent life.
• Memory as both inheritance and burden: Xiaojie’s ability to absorb memories could connect her to Anjie, but Anjie’s painful memories are described as “pollution” that might damage Xiaojie’s purity and sense of self.
• Protection versus control: Achernar protects Xiaojie fiercely, but she also controls Anjie’s movements and threatens her. The chapter explores whether restricting someone can be justified when safeguarding a vulnerable person.
• Prejudice and cooperation: The hidden Other Side researchers demonstrate the continuing discrimination within the branch, contrasting with the tentative cooperation developing among former enemies.

Character Interactions

• Ceruno and Doggy care for Xiaojie and investigate the cause of her fever.
• Ceruno, Xiaoling, and Golden travel together to reunite Xiaojie with Anjie.
• Achernar confronts Anjie about her despair and explains why Xiaojie must be protected from her memories.
• Achernar offers Anjie conditional freedom and employment, emphasizing that she must begin living for herself.
• Xiaojie and Anjie are granted a private conversation, suggesting an important emotional or plot development in their mother-daughter relationship.

Chapter Summary: “Hello, Professor Mi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno brings two guests from the Other Side to Zodiacal Magic Academy’s Engine Department: Professor Stratos, a persecuted former director of the Monster Development Department, and Mono, whose Base Body Miluno wants examined.
• Metal, the chief engineer, welcomes Stratos and assigns her a temporary laboratory. Miluno promises to help her obtain rare materials, even if that means stealing them from Aldebaran, whom Stratos believes usurped her position.
• Stratos examines Mono’s Base Body and concludes that it cannot currently contain all of Mono’s enormous personality data. However, after Mono unintentionally insults her research abilities, Stratos angrily declares that she can create a Simulated Crystal if supplied with the necessary equipment and materials.
• Miluno leaves Stratos to begin preparing her laboratory and returns to the dormitory with Mono. With the others absent, he attempts to enjoy a quiet afternoon tea.
• A huge blue wormhole appears above the City School. The school’s defenses activate, and Zodiacal begins moving rapidly to escape the wormhole’s range.
• Principal Xiao Yi rallies the magical girls, presenting the invasion as proof that the Other Side recognizes the City School as a serious threat.
• Miluno suspects that a Sun Ji spy inside the City School has been leaking information about its movements.
• The invasion does not involve troops or a powerful fighter. Instead, a massive object emerges from the wormhole: an Annihilation Bomb, ending the chapter on a major cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Miluno continues to rely on manipulation, flattery, and opportunistic schemes rather than direct combat. He quickly identifies Stratos’s vanity and uses praise and resentment toward Aldebaran to secure her cooperation.
• Stratos becomes more confident after arriving at the City School. Although initially cautious and politically persecuted, she eagerly accepts the professor title and reacts strongly when her abilities are questioned. Her pride motivates her to undertake the Simulated Crystal project.
• Mono remains outspoken and socially insensitive, bluntly pointing out Stratos’s supposed inferiority to Aldebaran. Her behavior also reveals her insecurity about Miluno trying to replace or alter her.
• Metal is portrayed as energetic, reliable, and extremely hardworking. She immediately takes responsibility for accommodating Stratos and organizing the laboratory.
• Miluno’s allies are largely absent from the school during the invasion, leaving him and Mono to witness the crisis directly.

Significant Themes

• Pride and manipulation: Miluno exploits Stratos’s desire for recognition, while Stratos’s pride pushes her to prove herself scientifically.
• Identity and preservation: Mono’s massive personality data raises questions about whether her many personalities can be housed in a single body or crystal.
• Science versus power: Stratos’s research and Metal’s engineering are presented as crucial assets, potentially as important as magical combat.
• Infiltration and vulnerability: Despite being a mobile fortress, the City School may be compromised by an internal informant.
• Escalating conflict: The Other Side shifts from conventional invasion to mass-destruction weaponry, demonstrating that the conflict is becoming more dangerous.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and Metal: Their familiar exchange highlights Metal’s practicality and Miluno’s shameless criminal methods.
• Miluno and Stratos: Miluno flatters and provokes her to gain her loyalty, framing the theft of Aldebaran’s resources as justified revenge.
• Stratos and Mono: Mono’s blunt criticism wounds Stratos’s pride, prompting Stratos to insist that she can accomplish the Simulated Crystal project.
• Miluno and Mono: Their banter reveals Mono’s fear of being discarded and Miluno’s tendency to criticize her poor social judgment while displaying the same flaw himself.
• Miluno and the City School: The invasion forces him to shift abruptly from leisure to crisis awareness as the Annihilation Bomb approaches.

Summary: “Farewell, Annihilation Bomb” (Miluno)

1. Key Plot Points / Events

• The Other Side launches an “Annihilation Bomb” that erases everything within ~2 km radius—no radiation, shockwave, or debris.
• The missile is aimed at the Zodiacal airborne base, home to nearly a thousand Magical Girl Soldiers. There’s no time to evacuate.
• Miluno accelerates her own time to think of a solution; Mono suggests having Falcon divert the missile into space, which Miluno rejects because it would mean Falcon’s death.
• Mono then proposes possessing Miluno’s body and using Witch powers to send the missile back or stall it. Miluno reluctantly agrees as a gamble.
• When Miluno transforms into a Witch, she does not lose control—Mono expected to take over, but the Witch form simply grants Miluno power, similar to SpiCa’s case.
• Miluno realizes she can use teleportation magic instead. She opens a large teleportation passage in the missile’s path and sends the Annihilation Bomb back to the Other Side.

2. Character Developments

• Miluno: Shows decisive leadership and willingness to risk herself. She refuses to sacrifice others (Falcon) and seeks a clever, non-lethal solution. She also demonstrates growing (but guarded) trust in Mono.
• Mono: Remains cunning and pragmatic, casually suggesting sacrifices—but genuinely wants to help. She is humbled and frustrated when her possession plan backfires, realizing she is more of a power source than a controller.
• The event reinforces that Witch transformation is not automatically a loss of self.

3. Significant Themes

• Sacrifice vs. creativity: Miluno rejects the idea that someone must die for the greater good and finds another way.
• Trust and risk: Miluno gambles by letting Mono access her body, knowing Mono is tied to Dark Energy and the Great Will.
• Identity and control: Witch form does not erase Miluno’s consciousness, challenging Mono’s assumptions and reaffirming Miluno’s agency.
• Irony of “clean” weapons: The Annihilation Bomb is described as “environmentally friendly” because it leaves no radiation—yet is utterly destructive.

4. Character Interactions

• Miluno and Mono exchange rapid-fire banter as the crisis unfolds.
• Mono repeatedly offers “simple” but morally costly solutions; Miluno shuts them down.
• Mono becomes overly excited at the prospect of taking over and is visibly confused/annoyed when it fails.
• Miluno reassures Mono that she can lend her body later, but priorities come first—establishing an odd, cooperative partnership.

Chapter Summary: “Aftermath: Miluno”

Plot Points and Events

• The Annihilation Bomb missile strikes the transit passage leading toward City School. Because it uses an impact trigger rather than a delayed fuse, it detonates inside the wormhole after City School’s defense system fires a crimson laser and destroys the passage.
• Miluno reveals that she survived by using Time Acceleration and Witchification. Although the bomb’s explosion is contained enough to spare City School, she realizes its destructive power is greater than a nuclear weapon and could have caused massive casualties.
• Miluno concludes that the Supreme Council must be stopped from using the remaining Annihilation Bombs. She plans to travel to the Other Side and destroy their entire stockpile.
• Mono points out that they do not know where the Supreme Council or its weapons are located. Miluno considers asking Stratos but rejects the idea because Stratos remains ideologically loyal to the Other Side and might resent being forced to reveal its secrets.
• After returning to City School, Miluno is summoned to the principal’s office by Xiao Yi. Her Witchification remains active because Mono has demanded to use her body for one night as payment before reversing it.
• Miluno explains the bomb’s lethal radius—approximately 2.5 kilometers—and tells Xiao Yi that she intends to conduct reconnaissance on the Other Side alone.
• Sirius proposes sending Betelgeuse’s Crow Swarm, the machine clones created by Betelgeuse, as support. Since Betelgeuse can no longer create them as a magical girl, Sirius suggests temporarily restoring her witch form using stored Dark Energy.
• Miluno accepts the plan, and Sirius says preparations may be completed by the following day. Sirius also asks to accompany Miluno, but Mono clearly objects.

Character Developments

• Miluno demonstrates extraordinary capability and self-sacrifice by undergoing Witchification and using Time Acceleration to protect City School. She takes personal responsibility for eliminating the Annihilation Bomb threat and becomes determined to launch a dangerous mission into enemy territory.
• Mono remains playful and possessive, demanding control of Miluno’s body for a night as payment. At the same time, she provides practical insight about Stratos’s loyalties and firmly opposes Sirius accompanying them.
• Xiao Yi is shocked and worried by Miluno’s Witchification, showing concern for the personal cost of Miluno’s actions. She also shifts quickly into a strategic role, considering upgrades to City School’s radar and defense systems.
• Sirius expresses gratitude to Miluno for saving the Zodiacal and offers a concrete solution to the problem of finding support for the mission. Her willingness to restore Betelgeuse’s witch form shows her pragmatic approach, though she is not yet trusted enough by Mono to join the expedition.
• Betelgeuse does not appear directly, but her Crow Swarm becomes important as a disposable reconnaissance and combat resource. Her status as a prisoner and bargaining chip remains relevant.
• Stratos is characterized as knowledgeable but politically constrained, loyal to the Great Will despite opposing the Supreme Council internally.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and responsibility: Miluno willingly endangers herself and accepts Witchification to protect nearly a thousand magical girls.
• Escalation of warfare: The Annihilation Bomb is framed as a weapon beyond nuclear power, emphasizing the growing danger posed by the Other Side.
• Trust and political allegiance: Stratos’s divided loyalties illustrate how ideological unity can override personal or factional conflict.
• Pragmatism versus morality: Using Betelgeuse’s machine clones as expendable tools—and potentially restoring her witch form—raises questions about acceptable methods in wartime.
• Protection and leadership: Miluno increasingly acts as a protector and strategic leader, while Xiao Yi and the City School administration begin considering broader defensive preparations.

Character Interactions

• Miluno reassures Mono after the missile attack and discusses the need to locate the Supreme Council’s bomb stockpile with her.
• Mono challenges Miluno’s assumption that Stratos will cooperate and later silently rejects Sirius’s request to accompany the mission.
• Xiao Yi reacts emotionally to Miluno’s Witchification, then discusses the weapon’s destructive range and the risks of Miluno’s proposed reconnaissance mission.
• Sirius communicates through Xiao Yi’s computer, thanks Miluno for saving City School, proposes using Betelgeuse’s Crow Swarm, and offers to join the expedition.
• Miluno rejects bringing Jaeger or Achernar because they might not survive enemy encounters, insisting that her abilities make her the most suitable operative.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Anjie, now a prisoner at City School, is given menial tasks to reduce her sentence.
• City School was attacked by a missile with a superweapon warhead, which Miluno deflected using teleportation magic.
• Miluno agrees to let Mono use her body for a night as payment for Witchification.

Character Developments

• Anjie shows no suicidal tendencies but still performs tasks mechanically.
• Miluno becomes stronger, gaining the ability to open long-distance teleportation passages.
• Mono, now a Witch, tries to seduce Ceruno but is ultimately defeated.

Significant Themes

• Power and its consequences (Miluno's strength, Mono's Witchification).
• Betrayal and trust (Ceruno's promise to Miluno, Mono's attempts to seduce Ceruno).
• Identity and self-control (Mono's control over Miluno's body, Ceruno's struggle against Mono's advances).

Character Interactions

• Ceruno visits Anjie at City School.
• Miluno and Mono explain the missile attack to Ceruno.
• Mono tries to seduce Ceruno using Miluno's body but fails.
• Ceruno uses an electric collar to knock Mono unconscious.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno wakes up to find Ceruno upset that she was knocked out by Ceruno the previous night.
• Miluno receives a call from SpiCa, asking him to go to the Other Side to disarm the Annihilation Warhead.
• Miluno and Betelgeuse's avatar travel to Aldebaran's laboratory on the Other Side.
• Aldebaran asks Miluno to bring "the goods" (presumably Black Crystals) for their negotiation.

Character Developments

• Ceruno expresses her worry and affection for Miluno, hinting at her feelings for him.
• Betelgeuse, despite her initial reluctance, agrees to assist Miluno in the operation to rescue Aldebaran and disarm the warhead.
• Aldebaran maintains her calm and composed demeanor, even when surprised by Betelgeuse's presence.

Significant Themes

• Trust and betrayal: Miluno is cautious about Betelgeuse's loyalty, and Aldebaran is wary of SpiCa's intentions.
• Relationship dynamics: Ceruno's affection for Miluno is further emphasized, while Aldebaran's manipulative nature is evident in her dealings with Miluno.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and Ceruno: Ceruno expresses her feelings for Miluno, and Miluno reassures her that he will return.
• Miluno and Betelgeuse: Miluno treats Betelgeuse coldly, still holding a grudge against her for her past actions.
• Miluno and Aldebaran: They maintain a tense but cooperative relationship, with Aldebaran trying to manipulate Miluno into bringing her Black Crystals.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno and Aldebaran discuss a plan to rescue Betelgeuse on October 3rd.
• Miluno learns that the Supreme Council holds him in high regard.
• Miluno and Betelgeuse leave the research institute, aiming for the Armory storing the Annihilation Bomb.
• Miluno tries to engage Betelgeuse in conversation, but she communicates only through her visor.

Character Developments

• Aldebaran reveals her plan to use Miluno's reputation to her advantage.
• Betelgeuse shows resentment towards the Supreme Council but remains reluctant to communicate verbally.

Significant Themes

• Trust and deception, as seen in Aldebaran's true intentions and Betelgeuse's reluctance to communicate.
• The power dynamics between Miluno, Aldebaran, and the Supreme Council.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and Aldebaran discuss their plans, with Aldebaran manipulating Miluno's reputation.
• Miluno tries to engage Betelgeuse in conversation, but she only communicates through her visor.
• Miluno and Betelgeuse work together towards their shared goal of overthrowing the Supreme Council.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno, Mono, and Betelgeuse travel towards the Armory, with Betelgeuse creating a military jeep to speed up their journey.
• They reach the Armory, a pyramid-shaped building, and decide to infiltrate it.
• Inside, they find a bustling environment with various creatures, including modified Witches, working for the Supreme Council.
• Betelgeuse uses a self-service information terminal to locate the "Annihilation Bomb Storage Room" and also finds the location of Fomalhaut.

Character Developments

• Miluno remains cautious and strategic, refusing to take unnecessary risks.
• Mono shows impatience and demands special treatment, but Miluno rejects her requests.
• Betelgeuse proves to be resourceful, creating a vehicle and finding crucial information, but also displays a lack of knowledge about the enemy's base.

Significant Themes

• The power of darkness and the assumption that Witches are evil.
• The necessity of understanding one's own power and its potential consequences.
• The importance of gathering intelligence before acting.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and Mono have a playful yet firm dynamic, with Miluno setting boundaries and Mono pushing them.
• Betelgeuse is helpful but also naive, relying on her abilities but lacking practical experience.
• The group works together, with each member contributing their unique skills to their mission.

Chapter Summary: “Return to the World Center” (Miluno)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno arrives at the Supreme Council’s pyramid headquarters, where numerous Monsters and Artificial Witches are gathered.
• He rejects Sun Ji’s supposed plan to transform Monsters into witches, create a witch-centered ruling class, and negotiate peace with Earth. Instead, Miluno intends to eliminate everyone inside and detonate the Annihilation Bomb hidden beneath the headquarters.
• The pyramid may be an artifact connected to the Great Will and the world’s impending destruction, creating a conflict between destroying the site and preserving its secrets.
• Betelgeuse’s information reveals:
  • The armory is on the sixth underground floor.
  • The confinement cells are on the second floor.
  • The locations of the Annihilation Bomb and Fomalhaut remain unknown.
• Miluno becomes cautious because Sword Fiend/Fomalhaut may be imprisoned there. Although she dislikes him, he respects her honesty and considers rescuing her.
• Miluno, Mono, and Betelgeuse descend through the pyramid. The headquarters appears poorly guarded, but Miluno realizes security is concentrated around important areas rather than absent altogether.
• At the second-floor confinement area, they encounter a dog-headed Monster guard. Miluno sends Betelgeuse and Mono to wait while he attempts to manipulate the guard into allowing them inside.
• The guard explains that Fomalhaut is the only prisoner currently held there and that higher authorities have forbidden anyone from visiting her. He also reveals that even influential figures have been denied access.
• The guard praises Fomalhaut’s kindness and strict but honorable leadership, then says a former comrade who served under her disappeared after being transferred to the Second Development Institute—likely another victim of the institution’s experiments or abuses.
• Miluno tries to persuade the guard to let him enter, but the conversation becomes increasingly awkward and humorous. Before he can finish, an explosion suddenly comes from inside the confinement zone.
• The guard opens the sealed door to investigate, but the area beyond appears completely empty, ending the chapter on a mystery.

Character Developments

• Miluno: Shows ruthless determination to destroy the Supreme Council and the Annihilation Bomb, but his willingness to consider rescuing Fomalhaut reveals lingering respect and personal attachment. He also demonstrates cunning by attempting to build rapport with the guard rather than immediately attacking.
• Betelgeuse: Acts as the group’s guide and information source. She remains silent about key matters but warns Miluno against allowing personal feelings to interfere with his objective.
• Mono: Functions as Miluno’s practical and mocking inner commentator, repeatedly reminding him of their mission and criticizing his awkward attempts at deception.
• Fomalhaut/Sword Fiend: Does not appear directly, but her reputation is developed through the guard’s testimony. She is portrayed as a respected and compassionate commander despite her imprisonment.
• Dog-headed guard: Though initially suspicious and dismissive, he becomes conversational and provides valuable information about Fomalhaut, the confinement zone, and the Supreme Council’s internal politics.

Significant Themes

• Revenge versus larger consequences: Miluno wants to destroy the headquarters and its inhabitants, but the pyramid’s connection to the Great Will suggests that doing so could damage the entire world.
• Personal feelings versus strategic goals: Miluno’s concern for Fomalhaut complicates his plan to destroy everything, while Mono insists that sentiment could jeopardize the mission.
• Institutional corruption and abuse: The disappearance of soldiers and researchers connected to the Development Institute hints at systematic experimentation and the Council’s willingness to sacrifice its own people.
• Complacency and overconfidence: The Other Side’s long period without meaningful resistance has made its leaders careless, giving Miluno an opportunity to infiltrate the facility.
• Hidden history and mystery: The ancient pyramid, the unknown location of the Annihilation Bomb, and the unexplained blast suggest that the headquarters contains secrets about the world’s destruction.

Character Interactions

• Miluno, Betelgeuse, and Mono debate whether Fomalhaut should be rescued and whether the pyramid should be destroyed.
• Miluno uses conversation and deception to question the dog-headed guard, while Mono mocks his failed attempts at manipulation.
• The guard’s admiration for Fomalhaut contrasts with Miluno’s hostility toward the Supreme Council, giving Miluno a more sympathetic view of her.
• The sudden explosion interrupts the interrogation and raises the possibility that Fomalhaut—or another hidden force—may have escaped or initiated an attack.

Chapter Summary: “Sun Ji, the Little Secretary”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mono helps Miluno escape detection at the Confinement Zone by manipulating the darkness around the door and surveillance system. The dog-headed guard finds no evidence that Miluno left, allowing him to move freely.
• Miluno plans to locate the Annihilation Bomb on the sixth underground level before returning to persuade Fomalhaut to escape. He intends to deceive Fomalhaut into believing that Sun Ji wants her to leave.
• Access to the lower levels is blocked. Only Supreme Council members can enter below the fourth level, and the Deep Well is sealed off, eliminating the possibility of using it as a shortcut.
• Miluno hides Betelgeuse inside the Star Crystal and has Mono remain concealed on the fourth level. He then dons the Ghost Combat Suit and infiltrates the fifth level while invisible.
• Sun Ji arrives at the restricted area in her Artificial Magical Girl form, dressed as a businesswoman. Miluno follows her through the guarded entrance and decides to listen to the Supreme Council’s meeting before searching for the bomb.
• Just as Sun Ji enters the council chamber, she suddenly turns around and attacks Miluno with a Dragonscale Lance, apparently sensing his presence despite his invisibility.

Character Developments

• Miluno: Becomes more strategic and deceptive, using disguises, invisibility, and carefully planned lies to advance his mission. Although he still resents Sun Ji, he considers saving her and taking her back to Earth for a proper trial rather than allowing her to die uninformed.
• Mono: Continues serving as Miluno’s guide and technical support, manipulating darkness, scouting the facility, and offering sarcastic commentary. She also pushes Miluno to acknowledge his reliance on her.
• Fomalhaut: Remains obediently imprisoned because she does not want to cause trouble for Sun Ji, revealing her loyalty and concern for her.
• Sun Ji: Appears composed and professional, but her unexplained sensitivity and immediate attack suggest heightened suspicion, awareness, or hidden abilities. Her continued Artificial Magical Girl form also raises questions about her relationship with the Supreme Council and Aldebaran.
• Betelgeuse: Is temporarily concealed inside Miluno’s Star Crystal so that her presence will not expose the infiltration.

Significant Themes

• Deception as protection: Miluno justifies lying to Fomalhaut as a necessary means of saving her, blurring the line between manipulation and genuine concern.
• Loyalty and betrayal: Fomalhaut remains loyal to Sun Ji, while Miluno struggles with Sun Ji’s betrayal and debates whether she deserves rescue.
• Infiltration and surveillance: Mono’s ability to interfere with darkness gives Miluno an advantage in a heavily monitored facility, emphasizing the conflict between hidden intentions and institutional control.
• Uncertainty and distrust: The altered underground structure, the sealed lower levels, and Sun Ji’s suspicious behavior suggest that the present reality differs significantly from the dream and that the Supreme Council is hiding important information.
• Identity and appearances: Sun Ji’s secretary-like appearance contrasts with her past identity, highlighting how characters adopt roles and disguises to survive or gain influence.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and Mono maintain their familiar teasing relationship, with Mono demanding praise and criticizing his plans while still helping him.
• Miluno discusses Fomalhaut’s loyalty to Sun Ji with Mono and plans to exploit that loyalty to persuade Fomalhaut to escape.
• Miluno encounters Sun Ji while infiltrating the restricted levels. He follows her into the council area, intending to spy on the meeting, but she appears to detect him and attacks without warning.
• The chapter ends on a cliffhanger as Sun Ji’s lance swings directly toward Miluno.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno infiltrates the sixth underground floor of the Supreme Council's building, seeking the Annihilation Bomb.
• He encounters Sun Ji, who senses his presence but can't see him.
• The sixth floor is an armory with no one present, but there are patrolling guards.
• Miluno decides to release Betelgeuse to help operate the alien computers and find the bomb's location.

Character Developments

• Miluno demonstrates quick reflexes and strategic thinking in avoiding Sun Ji's attack.
• Betelgeuse shows expertise in hacking alien computers, revealing her capabilities beyond combat.

Significant Themes

• Invisibility and stealth are key to Miluno's survival and infiltration.
• Technology and hacking skills are crucial for overcoming obstacles.

Character Interactions

• Miluno and the little thing (Mono) communicate mentally, planning their actions.
• Miluno and Betelgeuse work together, with Miluno supporting her and explaining the situation, and Betelgeuse hacking the computer.
• Miluno and Sun Ji have a tense standoff, with Sun Ji aware of Miluno's presence but unable to see him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miluno (Betelgeuse) quickly inventories the entire underground Armory.
• Mono leads them to the warehouse storing Annihilation Bombs, which is indistinguishable from other warehouses.
• They enter the warehouse, which is a safe house for now.
• Mono's physical body joins them in the warehouse.
• Miluno inspects the Annihilation Bombs, finding four left.
• Miluno plans to detonate the bombs to end the war.

Character Developments

• Miluno shows fairness and recognition for Betelgeuse's help.
• Mono struggles with her desire to know her origins and her loyalty to Miluno.
• Betelgeuse remains neutral and mysterious about her stance.

Significant Themes

• The importance of ending the war versus uncovering the truth about the world's past.
• The consequences of destroying the World Center and its ties to Mono and the Great Will.
• The tension between selflessness (ending the war) and selfishness (sparing Fomalhaut's life).

Character Interactions

• Miluno praises Betelgeuse for her efficiency.
• Miluno and Mono have a heated discussion about detonating the Annihilation Bombs.
• Betelgeuse leaves the conversation without expressing her opinion.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ceruno worries about Miluno, who has been on the Other Side for over a day.
• Ceruno receives a message from Principal Xiao Yi to come to the entrance hall.
• Xiao Yi asks Ceruno to help transport research equipment from headquarters to City School using a Wormhole Device.
• Ceruno protects and reduces the weight of the equipment using her magic.

Character Developments

• Xiaojie (Xiaojie Coal Witch) shows kindness and understanding, comforting Ceruno when she's worried.
• Ceruno demonstrates her responsibility and capability by handling the task from headquarters efficiently.
• Principal Xiao Yi shows concern for Xiaojie's well-being and advises against her meeting with Miss Anjie.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility: Ceruno takes on the task given by Xiao Yi, showing her reliability and importance to the team.
• Distance and Connection: The theme of maintaining a safe distance between Xiaojie and Miss Anjie to prevent negative effects on Xiaojie's mental health is explored.
• Growth and Understanding: Xiaojie's desire to get along with Miss Anjie shows her maturity and understanding of her own origins.

Character Interactions

• Ceruno and Xiaojie share a warm, caring moment as Ceruno worries about Miluno.
• Ceruno and Xiao Yi interact professionally, with Xiao Yi entrusting Ceruno with the task.
• Xiaojie and Xiao Yi have a heartwarming moment as Xiao Yi supports Xiaojie's decision to meet with Miss Anjie.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Anjie, now a quasi-magical girl, and Xiaojie, her Witch Persona, are safe but dependent on each other due to their shared soul.
• Anjie is working as Xiao Yi's secretary at City School, facing hostility from other magical girls due to her past actions.
• Applications for magical girls to join City School are pouring in, and Anjie is helping Xiao Yi manage them.
• Xiao Yi arranges a meeting between Anjie and Xiaojie, hoping they can resolve their issues.

Character Developments

• Anjie: Struggles with guilt and despair, trying to push Xiaojie away to protect her from her negative emotions.
• Xiaojie: Wants to help Anjie bear her burden, showing empathy and understanding beyond her years.
• Xiao Yi: Acts as a mediator and protector for both Anjie and Xiaojie, showing concern for their well-being.

Significant Themes

• The consequences of Anjie's past actions and her struggle to cope with the aftermath.
• The complex relationship between Anjie and Xiaojie, two aspects of the same soul.
• The burden of guilt and the desire to protect others from it.

Character Interactions

• Anjie and Xiaojie: Their interaction is tense and emotional, with Anjie trying to push Xiaojie away and Xiaojie wanting to help her.
• Anjie and Xiao Yi: Xiao Yi shows understanding and support towards Anjie, trying to help her find a way to cope with her situation.
• Ceruno (the narrator) and the others: The narrator observes the interactions between Anjie and Xiaojie, trying to understand their dynamic and how she can help.

Chapter Summary: “An Angel’s Nature”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ceruno questions whether Xiaojie’s ability to consume memories truly helps Anjie. Xiaojie has removed Anjie’s memories of her father to lessen her pain, but Ceruno argues that memories are essential to identity and that erasing them only conceals, rather than heals, emotional wounds.
• Ceruno compares Anjie’s condition to Xiao Yi’s lost six years of memory. Xiao Yi admits that although losing those memories was painful, being rescued and retaining written records helped her cope.
• Ceruno explains that Anjie must ultimately recover on her own. Magic can provide temporary comfort, but it cannot replace genuine emotional healing.
• Anjie, who has been traumatized by abandonment, experimentation, and despair, asks Xiaojie to become her little sister. Xiaojie reveals that she has always viewed Anjie as her older sister but feared being rejected because she was created to steal Anjie’s soul.
• Anjie rejects the idea that Xiaojie is a monster. She embraces Xiaojie and describes her as an angel who appeared during the darkest period of her life. The two personalities, born from the same soul and expected to oppose one another, instead form a loving sisterly bond.
• Outside the office, Xiao Yi reveals that she deliberately arranged the meeting after observing Anjie working constantly to avoid confronting her trauma. She believed Xiaojie—essentially another part of Anjie herself—was the only person capable of helping her begin to heal.
• Xiao Yi proposes opening a psychological treatment shop where Xiaojie could use magic and hugs to comfort distressed people. Ceruno rejects the idea, while Xiao Yi teases her by hugging her.
• Ceruno reflects on her transformation from Sun Yao into Ceruno, wondering whether she could accept her former male self if she ever reverted. She concludes that Yezi, who became Miluno and remained by her side, would accept her unconditionally.

Character Developments

• Anjie: Moves from helpless despair toward emotional recovery. She begins to acknowledge her need for connection and accepts Xiaojie as family.
• Xiaojie: Gains a clearer identity and purpose. Rather than seeing herself as a monster or parasite, she is recognized as Anjie’s sister and emotional counterpart.
• Ceruno: Demonstrates a mature understanding of healing and personal identity. She rejects easy magical solutions and reflects on her own changing sense of self.
• Xiao Yi: Shows insight, strategic thoughtfulness, and a playful personality. She correctly identifies Anjie’s psychological avoidance and arranges the reunion with Xiaojie.
• Yezi/Miluno: Though absent from the immediate scene, Yezi’s loyalty remains central to Ceruno’s thoughts and sense of security.

Significant Themes

• Healing versus avoidance: Removing painful memories may provide relief, but true recovery requires confronting and processing trauma.
• Memory and identity: Memories are portrayed as proof of existence, even when they are painful. Their loss can ease suffering but also threaten a person’s sense of self.
• Self-acceptance and inner division: Xiaojie and Anjie represent fractured aspects of one soul, yet they transform potential conflict into mutual love and acceptance.
• Family beyond biology: Their sisterhood is created through shared origin, emotional recognition, and choice rather than conventional family structures.
• Unconditional loyalty: Ceruno’s confidence that Yezi would accept her in any form emphasizes the importance of steadfast companionship.

Character Interactions

• Ceruno challenges Xiaojie’s method of helping Anjie, leading to a discussion about memory and emotional healing.
• Ceruno uses Xiao Yi’s experience as evidence, while Xiao Yi adds that rescue, companionship, and preserved records helped her recover.
• Anjie and Xiaojie share an emotional confession and embrace, officially accepting one another as sisters.
• Xiao Yi and Ceruno discuss the plan afterward, with Xiao Yi explaining her reasoning and teasing Ceruno about the proposed treatment shop and physical affection.
• Ceruno’s reflections on Yezi highlight the deep trust and enduring bond between them.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group waits for the meeting upstairs to end, with Mono using a Demon Eye to monitor the exit.
• They discuss the Annihilation Bombs' instability, making it impossible to move them.
• Betelgeuse searches for information about "Natives" and the "Great Will" but finds nothing.
• They decide to explore further down, but the path is blocked, and they must return to the fourth floor.
• A group of Witches enters the storage room, intending to retrieve the Annihilation Bombs. They use Magic Suppressant, but the bombs remain stable and can't be touched or detonated manually.
• The group escapes through a teleportation passage to a lower level, where they discover something significant.

Character Developments

• Mono shows initiative and resourcefulness, using Dark Energy to sustain magic and maintain their invisibility.
• Betelgeuse demonstrates her ability to access and search databases, but also shows limitations in her physical interactions.
• The main character's caution and quick thinking help them avoid detection and escape danger.

Significant Themes

• The instability of the Annihilation Bombs and the need for caution in handling them.
• The discovery of a new path and potential treasure, symbolizing the exploration of unknown territories.
• The use of technology and magic, and the limitations of each.

Character Interactions

• The main character and Mono work together, with Mono providing ideas and the main character making strategic decisions.
• Betelgeuse assists with information gathering but is less involved in immediate decision-making.
• The Witches interact, showing differing levels of caution and understanding of the Annihilation Bombs' properties.