Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Aine receives a powerful Upper-Tier magic set, most importantly the fifth-tier spell “Concealment,” which hides her Demon Race aura and allows her to pass as an ordinary person. Its claws and gauntlets also complement her chosen combat style.
• Although Aine openly jokes about using the set to slaughter humans, she hides her genuine hatred in front of Ronia. Ronia’s mind-reading reveals Aine’s guilt and self-reproach, improving Ronia’s opinion of her.
• The group restores Aine’s old slave collar, but only as a disguise. The slave contract has been destroyed, and the collar contains no magic.
• Over lunch, the group plans its next move. Aine chooses the path of a magic warrior, specializing in wind and earth magic, while Beth remains a multi-element mage. Aine’s combat ability will allow Ando Meiko to fight more freely without constantly protecting Beth and Ronia.
• The group divides to investigate the temple. Ando Meiko and Ronia gather information by pretending to be potential converts to the Heavenly God Cult, while Beth and Aine question merchants and locals.
• They discover an underground river running beneath the temple and connecting to the city’s moat, providing a possible escape route. They also learn that the temple’s defenses are weaker during the daily noon prayer, though the Angel Host remains a major threat.
• The next morning, Ando Meiko accompanies Melinda to the temple after being summoned by the cardinal. Guards verify Melinda’s authorization and allow them inside through a back entrance.
• Inside, Ando Meiko uses Fish Radar to map the temple complex. She is brought to a confessional, where the cardinal uses a magical array and questioning technique to compel truthful answers.
• Under the cardinal’s influence, Ando Meiko reveals that she wants to trade with the pope for the two stone-ball ornaments atop the temple. The cardinal then questions her about her past actions, likely comparing her answers with Melinda’s report.
• Afterward, Melinda explains the confessional’s truth-compelling magic and introduces Ando Meiko to the statue of Chaos, the Creator God worshiped by the cult.
• When the cardinal enters a restricted room, Ando Meiko’s detection magic is suddenly overwhelmed and destroyed by a powerful light. This suggests that the room contains something—or someone—far beyond her expectations.
• Despite claiming to be an atheist, Ando Meiko decides to test Melinda’s claim that Chaos may grant wishes even to nonbelievers.

Character Developments

• Aine gains greater independence and usefulness within the group. Her new magic set lets her conceal her identity and strengthens her role as an offensive fighter.
• Ronia becomes more accepting of Aine after hearing her sincere inner thoughts, recognizing that Aine’s apparent hostility is tempered by guilt and a natural, uncorrupted personality.
• Ando Meiko demonstrates careful planning, leadership, combat experience, and emotional control. However, the cardinal’s truth magic briefly penetrates her defenses, reminding her that the Holy Kingdom contains forces she cannot easily counter.
• Beth continues to act as a practical investigator and strategist, gathering valuable information about Holy City despite lacking Ronia’s mind-reading advantage.
• Melinda remains cooperative and observant. She knows much about the temple and its magic but does not interfere when Ando Meiko searches the area, suggesting respect for her abilities.
• The cardinal is presented as calm, disciplined, and formidable, using magical interrogation rather than overt hostility.
• The believers and temple guards appear unusually focused, obedient, and disciplined, reinforcing the unsettling strength of the Holy Kingdom’s religious system.

Significant Themes

• Concealed identity and hidden intentions: Aine hides her Demon Race nature, while Ando Meiko disguises her true purpose in the Holy City.
• Truth versus appearance: Aine appears hateful but possesses a guilty conscience; temple believers seem peaceful but display disturbing uniformity and devotion.
• Trust and loyalty: Ronia’s mind-reading allows her to distinguish Aine’s genuine feelings from her threatening words, strengthening the group’s internal trust.
• Faith and manipulation: The cult’s confessional uses magic to force honesty, raising questions about whether religious confession is voluntary when supernatural power is involved.
• Preparation versus danger: The group carefully gathers information and plans escape routes, yet the temple’s hidden powers—especially the force that destroys Fish Radar—show that preparation may not be enough.
• Power beyond human control: The unknown presence in the restricted room and the possible intervention of Chaos introduce a larger supernatural threat or opportunity.

Character Interactions

• Aine tries to reassure Ronia after making a violent remark, while Ronia silently reads the guilt behind her apology.
• The four companions cooperate during their strategic meeting, though Ando Meiko firmly rejects Beth and Aine’s desire to follow her into danger.
• Ando Meiko and Ronia exploit ordinary believers’ openness to collect intelligence, while Beth and Aine use casual shopping conversations to question locals.
• Melinda guides Ando Meiko through the temple and explains its religious practices, guards, confession magic, and the statue of Chaos.
• The cardinal interrogates Ando Meiko through the confessional, forcing her to reveal her actual objective.
• Ando Meiko’s skepticism toward religion contrasts with Melinda’s familiarity with the cult and her willingness to entertain the possibility that Chaos may answer her request.

Chapter 282 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko prays to Chaos, asking to return to her original world, but nothing happens. She dismisses the failure, reaffirming that she must rely on her own abilities rather than miracles.
• A White Bishop tells her that the Pope will grant her an audience if she remains in the temple overnight and undergoes a “purification ritual.” Melinda explains that this is simply a ceremonial bath conducted by attendants of the same gender.
• While waiting in the temple, Ando Meiko uses her Consciousness Space and the Fish Radar to study the temple’s layout. She discovers an escape route from a well in the main hall through an underground passage and river leading to the outer moat.
• She also finds one area within the temple that appears unnaturally dark and cannot be explored, suggesting a hidden or specially protected location.
• Beth and the others remain at an inn near the city gates rather than returning to Melinda’s lodging, allowing them to stay close to a possible escape route.
• That night, Ando Meiko and Melinda complete the purification ritual. Their mutual admiration turns into an awkward staring contest, leaving Ando Meiko embarrassed and flustered.
• Before sleeping, Ando Meiko plans how to negotiate for the two legendary Stone Balls. She concludes that her combat strength is the only valuable asset she can offer without compromising her principles or giving away items that would be impractical or deceptive.
• The next morning, she meets Melinda and is dressed in a purple robe reserved for honored guests. They enter the Pope’s audience chamber after a long wait.
• The Pope, surrounded by Red Cardinals and White Bishops, acknowledges Ando Meiko’s request. Through a Red Cardinal, he states that the Stone Balls are useless to the Holy Kingdom but still valuable as legendary objects.
• Ando Meiko offers to perform missions for the Holy Kingdom in exchange for them. The Pope counters with a seemingly impossible demand: she must capture a nearby Demon Race city.
• Although shocked, Ando Meiko accepts the challenge, refusing the offer of one thousand soldiers and insisting that she will accomplish it alone within one month. The Pope approves her resolve and sends her away with wishes for victory.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: Becomes more self-reliant and strategically minded. Although she still wishes to return home, she accepts that she must depend on her own strength. She demonstrates confidence and courage by accepting the Pope’s difficult mission, while also setting a clear one-month limit and refusing military assistance.
• Melinda: Shows increasing warmth and familiarity with Ando Meiko. She assists her with temple customs, accompanies her to the Pope’s audience, and openly admires her appearance. Her curiosity and uninhibited behavior make Ando Meiko uncomfortable but also strengthen their personal rapport.
• Beth and the others: Act cautiously and support Ando Meiko’s plan from outside the temple, positioning themselves near the city gates in case an escape becomes necessary.
• The Pope: Presents himself as authoritative and calculating. Rather than simply granting the Stone Balls, he tests Ando Meiko by giving her a dangerous mission that may also serve the Holy Kingdom’s interests.
• The Red Cardinal and temple followers: Function as intermediaries and representatives of the Holy Kingdom’s strict hierarchy, relaying the Pope’s words and enforcing its customs.

Significant Themes

• Self-reliance versus divine intervention: Ando Meiko’s failed prayer reinforces her belief that survival and progress must come from her own efforts.
• Negotiation and personal value: With no conventional treasure capable of impressing the Holy Kingdom, she offers her strength and services as a bargaining chip.
• Faith, authority, and hierarchy: The temple’s rituals, robes, formal greetings, and rigid ranks emphasize the power structure of the Heavenly God Cult.
• Freedom and escape: The hidden route beneath the temple reflects Ando Meiko’s continuing need to preserve an emergency escape plan, even while cooperating with the Holy Kingdom.
• Courage under pressure: Accepting the city-capture mission demonstrates Ando Meiko’s willingness to take enormous risks rather than surrender her objective.
• Awkward intimacy and cultural differences: The purification bath creates comedic tension and highlights the contrast between Ando Meiko’s modesty and Melinda’s more open attitude toward the body.

Character Interactions

• Melinda explains the temple’s customs and hierarchy, helping Ando Meiko navigate the unfamiliar religious environment.
• Their bath encounter develops into mutual physical admiration, but Melinda’s prolonged gaze embarrasses Ando Meiko and causes her to question her own reactions.
• Ando Meiko and Melinda formally present themselves before the Pope, with Melinda identifying herself as president of the Heaven and Earth Chamber of Commerce and Ando Meiko as an Adamantite Rank adventurer.
• During the negotiation, Ando Meiko speaks directly and confidently through the Pope’s intermediaries, while the Pope responds by escalating the demands and testing her determination.
• The chapter ends with Ando Meiko leaving the audience chamber relieved but committed to an extremely dangerous mission: capturing a Demon Race city alone within one month.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko accepts the Pope’s condition: she must capture a nearby Demon Race city alone within one month to complete their deal.
• Melinda explains that the Holy Kingdom’s Angel Host has already failed three times because the city is protected by a powerful array that prevents flight and blocks siege magic.
• Meiko investigates the city from a nearby forest using Fish Radar. She discovers that it is largely an agricultural settlement where humans and demons coexist peacefully, rather than a conventional military city.
• She identifies a gigantic underground Magic Array connected to the earth veins. The array contains the Absorption Sigil, proving that it originated from outside this world. Meiko begins to suspect that the array may provide a way to capture the city without bloodshed.
• Back at the inn, Meiko explains the situation to Beth, Aine, and Ronia. Beth and Aine offer to help, but Meiko refuses for the moment, fearing that their Demon Race identities would be exposed and that the group would become enemies of the Holy Kingdom before the deal is complete.
• Meiko reassures Beth that she already has a plan and promises not to abandon her. Beth declares that she would oppose even the entire Holy Kingdom to protect Meiko.
• Meanwhile, Sakura Fuko and her companions clear the first two floors of the Six-Story Pagoda. On the third floor, they are separated and forced to experience visions of Meiko’s past battles.
• Fuko repeatedly relives Meiko’s deaths and failures, including battles against the giant spider, Iris’s familiar Gray Shadow, and overwhelming Void Beast hordes. In each scenario, she witnesses comrades sacrificing themselves for Meiko before Meiko ultimately survives or grows stronger.
• Through these experiences, Fuko realizes that she cannot imitate Meiko’s path or fight beside her in the same way. She accepts her own limitations and resolves to move forward according to her own choices.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: Demonstrates strategic intelligence and caution. Rather than relying purely on overwhelming power, she investigates the city’s defenses and searches for a peaceful solution. She also becomes more protective of Beth and the others, refusing their help to prevent them from being drawn into a larger conflict.
• Beth: Reveals her loyalty and emotional devotion to Meiko. Her history as part of the persecuted Silver Fox Clan explains her lack of sympathy for the Demon Race authorities and motivates her willingness to help Meiko.
• Aine and Ronia: Remain supportive of Meiko, with Aine affirming Beth’s feelings about the Demon Race.
• Sakura Fuko: Undergoes the chapter’s major emotional transformation. Experiencing Meiko’s past firsthand forces her to abandon jealousy, resentment, and the desire to copy Meiko’s life. She accepts that her healing abilities and personal path have their own value.
• Nakajima Rei: Her sacrifice in Fuko’s vision highlights her affection for Meiko and the depth of the bonds formed among Meiko’s companions.
• Meiko’s companions generally: Their repeated sacrifices reveal how Meiko’s strength was shaped not only by personal persistence but also by the people who fought and died alongside her.

Significant Themes

• Strength and individuality: Fuko learns that strength cannot be copied simply by following another person’s path.
• Sacrifice and emotional bonds: Meiko’s survival and growth are shown to be connected to the sacrifices and trust of her companions.
• Belonging and found family: Meiko realizes that, although she is a stranger in another world, Beth, Aine, and Ronia have given her a true sense of companionship.
• Peace versus violence: Meiko seeks a way to capture the Demon Race city without bloodshed, despite accepting a mission framed as a military conquest.
• Prejudice and political complexity: The city’s peaceful human-demon coexistence challenges the simple division between the Human and Demon Races, while Beth’s history shows that neither side is morally uncomplicated.
• Self-acceptance: Fuko’s final realization is that she can honor her love for Meiko without becoming Meiko.

Character Interactions

• Melinda provides Meiko with intelligence about the city and offers assistance, while Meiko insists on investigating independently.
• Meiko and Beth discuss the risks of involving Demon Race allies in the mission. Their exchange deepens their trust and reveals Beth’s willingness to sacrifice everything for Meiko.
• Meiko comforts Beth physically and emotionally, promising that she will not abandon her.
• Fuko’s visions place her directly in the role of Meiko, allowing her to experience the deaths and sacrifices of Meiko’s allies—including Nakajima Rei—and finally understand Meiko’s burdens from an intimate perspective.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• On the third floor of the tower, Sakura Fuko awakens after being unconscious for more than ten minutes. The others reveal that she has already cleared the floor’s trial, though Fuko realizes that the trial actually took place entirely within her mind.
• During the trial, Fuko experienced nearly three years of Ando Meiko’s memories and life. She repeatedly changed the outcomes of those experiences and ultimately achieved a perfect clear.
• The group proceeds to the fourth floor, where they are ordered to survive waves of attacking black tentacles for thirty minutes. Motis is struck immediately and disappears, suggesting that failure in the trial removes a participant rather than necessarily killing them.
• Youti, Nanako, and Vita fight the tentacles in their own ways, while Fuko takes up one of Vita’s Flame Demon Swords and joins the battle.
• Fuko demonstrates dramatically improved combat ability. Her swordsmanship combines techniques learned from Ando Meiko, Marugang, Sawamura Rin, and Kanjō Renka. Her performance shocks Vita and reveals how profoundly the third-floor trial changed her.
• In the parallel storyline, Ando Meiko spends weeks studying Daba City’s enormous underground Magic Array but realizes that fully deciphering it would take too long.
• Through intelligence from Beth and Melinda, Meiko learns that Sparta, the “number one Demon General of the south,” commands Daba City. Though reputed to be a savage Blood Beast, Sparta is actually a clever strategist who deliberately cultivates that reputation.
• Meiko decides not to infiltrate the city directly. Instead, she plans to provoke Sparta into accepting a decisive battle outside the city, wagering Daba City on the outcome. She believes his pride, love of war, and commitment to promises will make him accept.
• Meiko attacks Daba City from a distance with a powerful red-glowing arrow. The city’s Magic Array automatically activates and blocks it, causing a huge explosion and placing the entire city on alert.
• Sparta interprets the attack as a possible probe by the Holy Kingdom, perhaps connected to the return of the Legendary Archangel. He orders heightened security and bans entertainment, angering the soldiers.
• Meiko conceals herself nearby and continues developing new elemental arrow techniques. After meditating, she casually cooks instant noodles before returning to fire another Crimson Lotus Blast Arrow at the city.

2. Character Developments

• Sakura Fuko undergoes the chapter’s most significant transformation. Her mental trial gives her extensive knowledge of Ando Meiko’s life and allows her to refine combat skills that Meiko herself had learned only imperfectly. Fuko evolves from a gentle, quiet girl into a highly capable swordswoman while retaining her kindness and composure.
• Vita recognizes that Fuko’s new swordsmanship contains traces of several important fighters, including Ando Meiko. She also appears to understand that Fuko alone underwent the third-floor trial, but respectfully chooses not to question her.
• Ando Meiko proves herself both patient and strategic. Rather than waste time trying to overcome Daba City’s defenses directly, she identifies Sparta’s personality and reputation as weaknesses she can exploit. She also continues expanding her mastery of elemental magic.
• Sparta is characterized as a calculating commander rather than the mindless brute humans believe him to be. His immediate response to the attack is cautious analysis rather than reckless retaliation.
• Youti, Nanako, and Motis each react differently to the fourth-floor trial: Youti panics after Motis disappears, Nanako uses her transformed hair to fight directly, and Motis becomes the first apparent casualty.

3. Significant Themes

• Transformation through experience: Fuko’s trial shows that lived experience—even dreamlike or borrowed experience—can fundamentally reshape a person’s abilities and identity.
• Talent versus hard work: Fuko lacks Ando Meiko’s exceptional natural talent, but her diligence allows her to surpass Meiko in certain learned techniques. The chapter emphasizes disciplined effort over innate gifts.
• Identity and hidden truths: Vita’s secret identity as Lust, Fuko’s knowledge of Ando Meiko’s past, and Sparta’s deliberately false reputation all highlight the contrast between appearance and reality.
• Strategy over brute force: Meiko abandons a direct assault after studying Daba City’s defenses and instead targets Sparta’s psychology. Both she and Sparta rely on deception, reputation, and calculated risk.
• The cost of power and knowledge: Meiko’s Time Magic damages her soul if overused, while Fuko’s three-year mental trial leaves her disoriented and changed. Advancement comes with physical and psychological burdens.

4. Character Interactions

• Fuko and Vita: Vita helps Fuko after her collapse and silently acknowledges the secret behind the third-floor trial. Their interaction is marked by mutual awareness, caution, and growing respect.
• Fuko and the group: The others initially worry about Fuko, then witness her sudden transformation into a skilled fighter. Her new abilities alter how they perceive her.
• Vita and Fuko during the fourth-floor battle: Vita attempts to stop Fuko from rushing into combat, but Fuko proves capable of defending herself and surprises Vita with her swordsmanship.
• Meiko, Beth, and Melinda: Beth provides useful intelligence about Sparta, while Melinda contributes broader and more reliable information through her merchant-association connections. Their cooperation helps Meiko formulate her strategy.
• Sparta and his soldiers: The soldiers see the attacker as an irritating intruder, while Sparta treats the event as a potentially serious strategic maneuver. His decision to impose strict security reveals the difference between his subordinates’ emotional reactions and his own careful leadership.
• The werewolf guards: Their casual gambling and complaints establish their initial complacency, which turns into fear and vigilance once Meiko’s arrow demonstrates its power.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko launches a relentless five-day bombardment of Daba City using explosive arrows infused with Sound Magic. The attacks cannot penetrate the city’s defensive Magic Array, but their deafening noise prevents the Demon Race from sleeping or resting.
• Her harassment severely exhausts Daba City’s soldiers and civilians, while Meiko comfortably maintains a camping routine outside the city. The Holy City suppresses news of the attack, and her sound magic prevents the disturbance from spreading.
• On the fifth day, Blood Demon Sparta, the Southern First Demon General, finally leaves the city to confront her. Meiko reveals that provoking him into the open was the first stage of her plan to capture Daba City.
• Meiko challenges Sparta to a one-on-one battle: if she wins, he must surrender Daba City; if she loses, he may do whatever he wants with her. Sparta refuses to decide immediately, so Meiko continues her bombardment.
• After another five days of sleeplessness, Sparta attacks again. Meiko clarifies that she promised only to give him time to think—not to stop harassing him. Driven to desperation, Sparta accepts her challenge and launches a surprise attack.
• The battle begins with close-quarters combat. Meiko uses Body Enhancement Magic and fights with her fists, while Sparta relies on his superior speed, claws, and Blood Flow Manipulation. Their initial exchange ends in a temporary stalemate.
• Sparta activates Blood Frenzy Armor, while Meiko summons the Flame Demon Spear. His Pain Blood Spike pierces her shoulder and greatly magnifies her pain, but she counters with binding chains, a devastating elbow strike, and a powerful kick that sends him crashing into a deep crater.
• Though badly injured, Sparta’s fighting spirit intensifies. He invokes his Ultimate Tier secret art, Moon Frenzy, summoning a Blood Moon and transforming into a five-meter-tall blood-red giant wolf.
• The Demon Race soldiers regain confidence, believing Sparta’s ultimate form gives him strength comparable to the Four Heavenly Kings. A cardinal observes the transformation from a tower.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko demonstrates strategic intelligence and psychological insight. Rather than attacking Daba City directly, she exploits the Demon Race’s need for sleep and uses prolonged harassment to weaken the city and provoke Sparta.
• She also reveals her growing confidence and adaptability as a combatant. Despite appearing physically weak, she is highly experienced, reacts quickly to ambushes, and combines magic, martial arts, weapons, and battlefield tactics.
• Meiko embraces the identity of “Magical Girl Ruby,” jokingly describing herself as the “red power type” because of her preference for overwhelming physical strength.
• Blood Demon Sparta is introduced as a powerful but prideful general. His anger at the harassment clouds his judgment, eventually driving him to accept a dangerous challenge.
• Sparta’s combat ability and background are emphasized: he possesses a rare hybrid Vampire-werewolf bloodline, exceptional speed and strength, and the talent expected of one of the Demon Race’s top generals.
• Despite suffering a humiliating defeat, Sparta’s determination and battle spirit increase. His transformation shows that he has not yet revealed his full power.

Significant Themes

• Psychological warfare: Meiko wins an advantage by targeting exhaustion, irritation, and emotional vulnerability rather than relying solely on destructive force.
• Strategy versus brute strength: Her plan demonstrates that a weaker-looking opponent can challenge a major military power through preparation and unconventional tactics.
• Adaptability in combat: Both fighters continuously adjust their techniques—Meiko changes from ranged attacks to hand-to-hand combat and then to spear fighting, while Sparta combines his hybrid abilities and secret arts.
• Pride and provocation: Sparta’s pride makes him vulnerable to Meiko’s taunts, while Meiko deliberately uses his anger to force him into unfavorable decisions.
• Escalation and hidden power: The fight progresses from harassment to a formal duel, then from ordinary combat to ultimate transformations, suggesting that neither fighter has yet reached their limit.

Character Interactions

• Meiko and Sparta’s exchanges are dominated by mutual mockery and provocation. Sparta calls her a “dog” for attacking from hiding, while Meiko calmly manipulates his anger.
• Their negotiation establishes the battle’s stakes, with Meiko confidently offering herself as the price of failure and Sparta questioning whether she is valuable enough to represent an entire city.
• During the fight, their mutual respect gradually replaces contempt. After seeing Meiko’s speed, strength, and combat instincts, Sparta asks for her name; she responds with the title “Magical Girl Ruby.”
• Their combat becomes an increasingly even and personal contest, culminating in both declaring simultaneously that the warm-up is over and they will now fight seriously.
• The Demon Race soldiers’ reactions mirror the battle’s momentum: they are initially shocked by Sparta’s defeat, then regain confidence when he unveils Moon Frenzy.

Chapter Summary:

Dragonification

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the Holy City, the pope, a cardinal, and a hidden observer discuss the battle between Ruby—Ando Meiko—and Sparta. The pope predicts that either combatant could win, while the hidden figure suggests Ruby has not revealed her full strength. The pope then confirms that preparations for an unknown plan are complete.
• Sparta activates Moon Frenzy, transforming into a gigantic six-meter Blood Wolf with power comparable to the Four Heavenly Kings. Ando Meiko deliberately allows the spell to finish so she can test her strength against such a powerful opponent.
• Meiko uses Dragonification, transforming parts of her body into dragon-like forms to greatly increase her speed and strength. She destroys Sparta’s Blood Blades, breaks several Flame Demon Swords against its armor, and manages to lift and slam the Blood Wolf into the ground.
• Sparta reveals a new ability by transforming its body into intangible blood-colored magic power. It repeatedly passes through Meiko, striking her from unpredictable angles and injuring her internally.
• Meiko counters with Sky Flame, which can burn magic power. This damages Sparta’s mist-like body, but Sparta replenishes itself and changes again into a devastating Blood-Red Whirlwind surrounded by countless cutting Blood Blades.
• Meiko struggles to evade the storm and protects herself with thirty layered Glazed Shields, but the storm rapidly cuts through them. Though wounded, she remains calm and analyzes Sparta’s transformations rather than being overwhelmed by pain.
• By comparing Sparta’s abilities to the Bloodkin princess Meli and studying the storm with her Fish Radar, Meiko discovers that Sparta is receiving a continuous flow of magic power from the blood moon overhead.
• Meiko summons an enormous Elder Flame Demon to obstruct and partially consume the Blood Blade Storm, creating enough distance to prepare a counterattack.
• Using the Rainbow Bow and compressed sub-Aether arrows, she fires Fusion Magic: Ironwood Cage, trapping the Blood Blade Storm in metal-and-wood vines.
• Rather than attack the trapped Sparta, Meiko fires a second arrow at the blood moon. The moon restores Sparta’s strength and allows it to break free, confirming her deduction.
• The chapter ends with the arrow striking and binding the blood moon itself, while Sparta leaps after it too late.

Character Development

• Ando Meiko/Ruby demonstrates major growth in combat ability after losing her original transformation powers. Her training, experience, and adaptability allow her to challenge a combatant on the level of the Four Heavenly Kings.
• She displays increasing tactical maturity: instead of relying solely on force, she studies Sparta’s abilities, identifies the source of its regeneration, and develops a strategy to attack the battlefield’s hidden mechanism.
• Meiko’s tolerance for pain and emotional control are emphasized. Even while suffering numerous wounds enhanced by Pain Thorn Magic, she continues thinking clearly.
• Sparta is established as an extraordinarily dangerous and versatile opponent. Its Moon Frenzy form grants overwhelming physical strength, while its ability to shift between wolf, mist, and whirlwind forms makes it difficult to attack conventionally.
• The pope and the hidden observer show unusual interest in Meiko’s potential. The hidden figure appears pleased that she has discovered the blood moon’s role, implying prior knowledge of the battle and possibly a larger plan.

Significant Themes

• Adaptation versus brute strength: Meiko cannot overpower Sparta directly, so she survives by observing, experimenting, and exploiting weaknesses.
• Hidden mechanisms and perception: Sparta’s apparent self-regeneration is revealed to depend on the blood moon, showing that understanding the true structure of a power is more important than merely resisting its visible form.
• Transformation and identity: Both fighters repeatedly alter their bodies and forms. Meiko’s Dragonification is a controlled enhancement, while Sparta’s transformations blur the boundary between living body and magic power.
• Resource management: The battle emphasizes magic consumption, replenishment, defensive costs, and tactical decisions about when to risk or conserve power.
• Observation by higher powers: The spectators’ reactions, especially those of the pope and the hidden watcher, suggest that Meiko’s battle is also a test connected to broader political or religious plans.

Character Interactions

• The pope and cardinal discuss Ruby and Sparta’s chances, with the pope acknowledging Meiko’s hidden strength.
• Meiko and Sparta engage in a rapidly escalating battle, each adapting to the other’s techniques.
• Meiko’s use of the Elder Flame Demon demonstrates her ability to coordinate with a magic-power construct as though it were an extension of her own will.
• The hidden observer silently recognizes Meiko’s discovery of the blood moon and appears to approve of her performance.
• The chapter concludes with Meiko directly challenging the unseen source supporting Sparta, shifting the battle from a contest against the Blood Wolf to an attack on the blood moon itself.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko defeats Sparta by exploiting the weakness in his ultimate technique, Moon Frenzy. She first uses magic vines to absorb the Blood Moon’s power, then destroys them with the Crimson Lotus Blast Arrow, triggering a chain of explosions that leaves Sparta gravely injured.
• Sparta awakens in his tent and learns that Meiko saved his life with repeated Bubble magic. Realizing he has been decisively outmaneuvered, he accepts defeat and orders the Demon Race to withdraw from Daba City.
• The next day, Sparta formally hands the city and its more than six hundred human residents over to Meiko. Despite the hostility of some soldiers, the demons obey his decision and evacuate.
• Meiko contacts Melinda and informs the Holy Kingdom that she has completed her mission. In exchange for Daba City, she demands the two Stone Balls promised by the Pope.
• A Holy Kingdom army arrives, initially led by an intimidating muscular commander who attempts to threaten Meiko and deny the agreement. Meiko counters by invoking the Pope’s authority, forcing the army to provide the Stone Balls.
• After verifying that the two artifacts are genuine and that they resonate with the three Stone Balls already in her possession, Meiko hands over Daba City and its inhabitants.
• Just as she tries to leave for Holy City to retrieve Beth and the others, a cardinal and then the Pope arrive. The Pope claims he wants to thank her and offer an additional reward, but Meiko suspects he may have ulterior motives and is compelled to remain.
• Melinda reveals that she has disguised herself as a green-robed cultist and accompanied the expedition to witness Meiko’s victory.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko/Ruby demonstrates exceptional tactical skill, adaptability, and composure. Her victory comes not merely from power but from carefully analyzing Sparta’s technique, baiting him into overextending himself, and changing weapons and magical attacks unexpectedly.
• She also shows strategic caution. Even after completing her agreement, she remains wary of the Holy Kingdom and refuses to stay longer than necessary, understanding that the Pope may be dangerous.
• Sparta changes from a determined defender of Daba City into a defeated but honorable leader. He acknowledges Meiko’s superiority, accepts responsibility for the loss, and keeps his promise despite his shame and reluctance.
• Melinda displays loyalty and curiosity by disguising herself to accompany the army. Her claim that she and Meiko are “close friends” contrasts humorously with Meiko’s more reserved view of their relationship.
• The Pope and Holy Kingdom officials appear increasingly ambiguous. Their willingness to honor the Stone Ball deal is balanced by attempts to control Meiko and possibly test or manipulate her.

Significant Themes

• Strategy over brute force: Meiko defeats Sparta by identifying and exploiting a weakness rather than overpowering him directly.
• Honor and keeping promises: Sparta accepts the terms of defeat, while the Pope’s verbal agreement is treated as binding under the Heavenly God Cult’s rules.
• Political and racial conflict: The chapter explores the long-standing hostility between humans and demons, showing how propaganda and wars have sustained their division despite evidence that peaceful coexistence is possible.
• Power and mistrust: Meiko’s dealings with the Holy Kingdom emphasize that political allies can be as dangerous and unreliable as enemies.
• Changing perceptions: Sparta’s admiration for Meiko and the humans’ growing resentment toward aggressive human superpowers suggest that traditional beliefs about demons and humans are beginning to weaken.

Character Interactions

• Meiko and Sparta share a restrained but significant exchange after his defeat. Their mutual respect is evident despite the former conflict.
• Sparta’s soldiers question the surrender, but his authority prevents rebellion, highlighting his influence and their conflicted loyalty.
• Meiko reassures the human representative of Daba City that the Holy Kingdom will assist them, accepting responsibility for the city’s future.
• Meiko clashes verbally with the muscular Holy Kingdom commander, defeating his intimidation attempt through confidence and knowledge of the Pope’s promise.
• The cardinal tries to persuade Meiko to remain for the Pope’s arrival, while Meiko repeatedly attempts to leave.
• The Pope personally intervenes, making it clear that Meiko’s transaction with the Holy Kingdom may lead to further negotiations or danger.
• Melinda’s friendly greeting provides comic relief and reveals a warmer, though somewhat exaggerated, relationship with Meiko.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko arrives in Daba City to find it under attack by the Holy Kingdom's army.
• The humans living in Daba City are slaughtered by the Holy Kingdom for collaborating with the Demon Race.
• Ando Meiko tries to save the civilians but is stopped by the Pope's barrier and betrayed by Melinda, who reveals herself as an angel and uses a Legendary-Tier magic artifact to try and control Ando Meiko.
• Ando Meiko's soul resists the artifact's effects, and she transforms into a crimson dragon with angel-like wings.
• Ando Meiko attacks the Pope and his army, destroying the city in the process.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko's desire to save people leads her to act impulsively, resulting in her being betrayed by Melinda.
• Melinda's true identity as an angel is revealed, and she tries to control Ando Meiko using a powerful magic artifact.
• The Pope shows his ruthlessness and power, using his barrier to stop Ando Meiko and commanding his army to slaughter the civilians.
• The burly man, one of the Pope's subordinates, is defeated by Ando Meiko in her dragon form.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal: Melinda betrays Ando Meiko, revealing her true intentions and using a powerful artifact to try and control her.
• Power and its consequences: The Holy Kingdom's army shows the destructive power they wield, leading to the slaughter of innocent civilians and the destruction of Daba City.
• The struggle between good and evil: Ando Meiko's desire to save people puts her at odds with the Holy Kingdom, which sees the humans of Daba City as traitors and Ando Meiko as a threat.

Character Interactions

• Ando Meiko and Melinda: Their friendship is shattered as Melinda reveals her true intentions and tries to control Ando Meiko.
• Ando Meiko and the Pope: They become enemies as Ando Meiko tries to save the civilians and the Pope commands his army to slaughter them.
• Ando Meiko and the burly man: The burly man tries to stop Ando Meiko but is ultimately defeated by her in her dragon form.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko, in her crimson dragon form, breaks free from the Pope’s Holy Light Barrier by using her crimson flames, which burn through the supposedly impenetrable spell.
• The Pope attacks with the Polar-Day Light-Killing Cannon, but Ando survives with only minor injuries. She counters with Rainbowlight Breath, a seven-element fusion attack that overwhelms the Pope’s beam and destroys much of Daba City’s wall.
• The Angel Host enters the battle. Although they are greatly empowered by the Pope’s ninth-level domain, Radiance Over the Land, Ando defeats or incapacitates many of them without delivering lethal blows, likely due to Melinda’s influence.
• The Pope and the Angel Host combine their power into a Stacking Holy Sword, but Ando’s Sky Flame burns through the attack and destroys the domain. The backlash cracks one of the gemstones in Holy Divine Radiance, disabling the domain spell.
• Exhausted and increasingly injured, Ando destroys the underground Magic Array beneath Daba City by repeatedly smashing the ground and then diving into it. This collapses the city and removes the array’s flight restriction, defenses, and detection functions.
• Beth, Aine, and Ronia arrive just as the destruction occurs. A boulder nearly kills them, but Ando recognizes Beth’s voice and saves them using Split-Second Reversal and Air Wall. The unfamiliar magic injures her already unstable soul.
• Ando carries the three away, while Melinda abandons the Holy Kingdom and follows her. The Pope is left furious, surrounded by an incapacitated Angel Host, dead soldiers, a ruined city, and a damaged Holy Divine Radiance.
• After fleeing, Ando’s dragon form suddenly collapses and shrinks back to her normal body. Melinda catches Beth, Aine, and Ronia and then embraces the unconscious, naked Ando.
• Beth and Aine confront Melinda, realizing she was suspicious and has defected. Melinda explains that she will not harm them because Ando would be upset. Ronia, however, is fascinated by Melinda’s six wings and eagerly asks to touch them.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: Demonstrates overwhelming combat strength, tactical adaptability, and fierce protective instincts. Though nearly unconscious and driven mostly by instinct, she refuses to kill the Angel Host and immediately protects Beth and the others when she recognizes them. Her use of unfamiliar time magic worsens her soul injuries, and her transformation ultimately collapses from exhaustion.
• The Pope: Begins confident in the Holy Kingdom’s superior weapons and forces but becomes increasingly alarmed as Ando destroys his barriers, siege attack, domain, and Angel Host formation. His humiliation culminates in hysterical rage and a declaration of war against Ando.
• Melinda: Fully aligns herself with Ando after the backlash of Red Beauty makes her emotionally devoted to her. She refuses to aid the Holy Kingdom, admires Ando throughout the battle, follows her after the escape, and openly treats her as someone precious.
• Beth, Aine, and Ronia: Demonstrate loyalty by leaving the Holy City to find Ando. Beth and Aine remain distrustful of Melinda, while Ronia reacts with innocent admiration toward her wings.
• The Angel Host: Despite their elite status and the domain’s enhancement, they are unable to defeat Ando. Most survive but are severely injured and rendered temporarily ineffective.

Significant Themes

• The danger of betrayal and coercion: The Holy Kingdom breaks the spirit of its agreement by trying to control or exploit Ando rather than allowing her to leave, turning a potentially neutral relationship into open hostility.
• Power and overconfidence: The Pope assumes the Holy Kingdom’s artifacts and military forces can subdue Ando, but her strength repeatedly exceeds his expectations.
• Instinct versus reason: Ando’s near-unconscious state makes her fight irrationally, causing her to waste energy against the Angel Host, yet her emotional instincts still drive her to protect her companions.
• Loyalty and emotional bonds: Melinda’s allegiance shifts from the Holy Kingdom to Ando, while Ando’s recognition of Beth’s voice reveals the strength of her attachment to her friends.
• The cost of conflict: The battle devastates Daba City, kills the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers, cripples the Angel Host, damages a major artifact, and destroys the Magic Array the kingdom hoped to study.

Character Interactions

• The Pope and the cardinal repeatedly assess Ando’s strength, with the cardinal offering praise while the Pope recognizes the true danger she poses.
• Melinda watches Ando with open admiration and refuses to intervene, wanting to witness her power rather than help either side.
• Ando fights the Angel Host harshly but avoids killing them, reflecting Melinda’s influence and her own restraint.
• Beth’s cry of “Meizi” breaks through Ando’s rage, causing her to save Beth, Aine, and Ronia from the collapsing city.
• After the escape, Beth pushes Melinda away from Ando and confronts her, while Melinda calmly insists that she will not harm them.
• Ronia’s innocent fascination with Melinda’s wings contrasts with Beth and Aine’s suspicion, ending the chapter on a lighter, playful note.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Beth realizes that Melinda is wearing a collar identical to Aine’s slave collar, concluding that Ando Meiko has used the Red Beauty spell to enslave—or more accurately, spiritually bind—Melinda. Melinda now behaves with complete devotion toward Meiko.
• After losing consciousness, Meiko awakens in a magnificent oasis filled with flowers, streams, and a pink crystal pavilion. She follows the path to the pavilion, where a mysterious little girl awaits her.
• The girl asks for compensation for making her wait. Meiko offers a precious fragment of her Astral/Sky Flame, shaping it into a flower resembling the surrounding blooms.
• In return, the girl gives Meiko seeds of the Dancing Butterfly Orchid, strange white larvae-like objects that are actually flower seeds. Tea and pastries made from the orchids also strengthen and refine Meiko’s magic power.
• The girl reveals herself as Chaos, the creator goddess. Meiko recognizes that Chaos was responsible for saving her from spatial destruction earlier.
• Chaos explains that she summoned Meiko because she wants her to alter the world’s balance. She cannot interfere directly without risking catastrophic consequences, so she relies on Meiko and the powerful allies gathered around her.
• Chaos gives Meiko a detailed map of the world, including nations, factions, powerful monsters, resources, and the locations of the remaining three Mythic-Tier Stone Balls: wood, fire, and darkness.
• Chaos sends Meiko back just as she is waking in the real world. Meiko finds herself in a cave with Aine and Ronia, while Beth and Melinda are scouting.
• Meiko confirms that the seed bag survived, proving that her meeting with Chaos was real. She begins studying the map, assessing her condition, and planning her next moves.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko demonstrates caution and strategic judgment around Chaos but ultimately chooses sincerity over resistance, recognizing that opposition would be useless against such a powerful being. She gains a clearer purpose: collecting the remaining Stone Balls and potentially changing the world’s political balance.
• Meiko’s magic power begins moving toward the solid state after consuming Chaos’s tea and pastries, suggesting a significant improvement in her strength.
• Chaos is established as playful, hospitable, immensely powerful, and remarkably detached from direct intervention. Though she aids Meiko, she frames their relationship as a mutually beneficial exchange rather than simple charity.
• Melinda has undergone a dramatic emotional change due to Red Beauty. Her former pride and reserve have been replaced by total devotion to Meiko.
• Beth becomes more suspicious and observant, recognizing the supernatural nature of Melinda’s transformation.
• Ronia remains affectionate and protective toward Meiko, quietly staying with her while she recovers.
• Aine remains loyal and unconcerned, even sleeping beside Meiko while supposedly keeping watch.

Significant Themes

• Power and responsibility: Chaos refuses to intervene because her direct actions could destroy the world, emphasizing that immense power carries dangerous consequences.
• Mutual exchange and destiny: Meiko and Chaos help one another, while Meiko wonders whether her successful journey has been subtly guided by fate or Chaos.
• Transformation and control: Melinda’s altered personality raises questions about love, enslavement, and the invasion of the soul. Red Beauty is technically not a killing or enslavement spell, but its effect is nearly absolute.
• Knowledge as power: The world map gives Meiko information that may be more valuable than a simple physical weapon, allowing her to locate resources, enemies, and the remaining Stone Balls.
• Beauty and luxury: The flower garden, exquisite food, and refined surroundings contrast with the harsh world outside, while also symbolizing Chaos’s otherworldly nature.

Character Interactions

• Beth silently analyzes Melinda’s unusual behavior and compares her collar to Aine’s, concluding that Meiko has spiritually bound her.
• Meiko and Chaos exchange gifts: Meiko offers a flame flower, while Chaos gives her orchid seeds, enhanced food, and the world map.
• Chaos explains her motives and limitations directly to Meiko, establishing a cooperative but transactional relationship.
• Upon returning, Meiko reunites warmly with Ronia, who embraces her and remains peacefully in her arms.
• Meiko reflects on her complicated feelings toward Melinda, acknowledging Melinda’s betrayal while recognizing that their previous shared experiences and Red Beauty’s soul-level effects have made the situation more complex.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Beauty Enchantment fails to invade Ando Meiko’s soul because several existing contracts resist it. The enchantment rebounds onto Melinda, making her completely devoted to Meiko.
• Meiko investigates Melinda’s reddish-gold collar and discovers that it does not control her. Instead, it marks Melinda as belonging to Ruby and allows Ruby to sense her approximate location.
• Using Chaos’s extraordinarily detailed map, Meiko locates three Stone Balls and identifies the nearest one in the Star Kingdom. Reaching it requires crossing Sunset Forest, a dangerous region inhabited by powerful magical beasts.
• Meiko realizes that her earlier Dragon Transformation was far more powerful than ordinary Dragonification. It greatly increased her strength, defenses, endurance, and allowed her Rainbowlight Breath to reach Ninth-Level power.
• Chaos’s food and tea appear to have healed the backlash from Dragon Transformation and improved the quality of Meiko’s magic power.
• Beth reports that the group is in Sunset Forest and helps identify the magical beasts in the area. Meiko uses the map to chart a safe route around the territories of five Ninth-Level beasts.
• Meiko transforms fully into a crimson dragon to carry the group through the forest. Her Dragon Clan aura frightens nearly every magical beast, while the Ninth-Level beasts avoid confronting her.
• The group crosses most of Sunset Forest in less than an hour and enters the Star Kingdom, causing widespread alarm as citizens witness a powerful crimson dragon flying toward their country.
• Meiko ultimately lands near, but not inside, the Imperial City and spends five days stabilizing the chaotic magic power caused by Dragon Transformation.
• The group prepares to enter Wyvern City. Melinda reveals that she has previously conducted trade there and possesses an entry permit through the Heaven Chamber of Commerce.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: Becomes more confident in her growing power and strategic abilities. She recognizes Dragon Transformation as a devastating but dangerous technique and begins learning how to regulate its side effects herself. She also accepts Melinda as a useful ally despite remaining suspicious of her altered devotion.
• Melinda: Changes from a hostile Legendary Archangel into an intensely affectionate and clingy companion. She openly confesses her love for Meiko and eagerly supports her. Despite her altered personality, she remains highly capable and provides valuable intelligence about the Star Kingdom.
• Beth: Continues acting as a composed and reliable scout. She identifies the dangers of Sunset Forest and remains calm around Meiko’s unusual relationships and growing group of followers.
• Ronia: Becomes embarrassed and flustered after reading the implications of Meiko and Melinda’s relationship through her mind-reading ability. Her innocent perspective contrasts sharply with Melinda’s bold behavior.
• Aine: Experiences fear and physical suppression when exposed to Meiko’s Dragon Clan aura, highlighting the overwhelming difference between dragon power and ordinary beastkin.
• Chaos: Though absent from the journey, Chaos’s assistance proves crucial through the magical map and restorative food and drinks, leaving Meiko feeling indebted.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: The chapter emphasizes how overwhelming strength determines social and political influence. The Ninth-Level beasts rule their territories, while the Dragon Clan’s aura places even those beings on the defensive.
• Trust and altered loyalty: Melinda’s sudden devotion raises questions about whether loyalty caused by magic can be considered genuine. Meiko remains cautious but chooses to benefit from Melinda’s strength.
• Strategic intelligence over brute force: Rather than fighting through Sunset Forest, Meiko uses detailed information and careful route planning to avoid unnecessary battles.
• The cost of power: Dragon Transformation grants extraordinary strength but destabilizes Meiko’s magic power. Her five-day recovery demonstrates that overwhelming abilities still carry serious risks.
• Political balance: The five Ninth-Level magical beasts deter the human superpowers from exploiting Sunset Forest, while the Star Kingdom’s strength rests on artificial drakes and its powerful Wyvern Legion.

Character Interactions

• Melinda repeatedly clings to Meiko, hugs her, and seeks reassurance after her recovery. Meiko initially resists but ultimately comforts her by stroking her head.
• Beth quietly observes Melinda’s behavior and remains outwardly composed, even though she is not entirely pleased by Meiko’s many close female companions.
• Melinda openly praises Meiko and calls her the one she loves, causing Meiko to blush and Ronia to become intensely embarrassed after mentally perceiving their past encounter.
• Aine is frightened by Meiko’s transformation, while Beth supports and reassures her. Melinda dismisses the reaction as a natural consequence of beastkin being suppressed by dragon blood.
• The entire group accepts Meiko’s leadership without question, trusting her map-based route and decision to use Dragon Transformation for travel.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko uses a light-attribute storage spell to carry her Epic Grade equipment and documents, though the spell requires an available light source.
• With Melinda’s pass, Ando Meiko, Melinda, Aine, and the other two women enter Wyvern City, the capital of the Star Kingdom.
• Melinda explains the historical and ideological divide between the Star Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom:
  • The Star Kingdom pursues strength through human innovation, especially Drake breeding and magical research.
  • The Holy Kingdom focuses on divine faith and the power granted by the gods.
• Their objective is to obtain the Stone Ball, which is located inside Wyvern City’s castle. Since they have no direct access to the Star Kingdom’s ruling class, Melinda suggests infiltrating through the Drake research system.
• Ando Meiko decides to apply for work at the recruitment fair. Melinda lends her an Epic Grade mask that copies Melinda’s face, conceals Ando Meiko’s aura, and imitates another person’s magical power.
• At the job fair, Ando Meiko considers several positions but chooses the highly paid “volunteer” position because it offers the best chance of entering the castle quickly.
• A veteran soldier warns her that the volunteer work is dangerous and has caused many deaths. Unknown to Ando Meiko, the contract includes a life-and-death waiver.
• The following morning, Ando Meiko joins two other recruits and is blindfolded by soldiers. She secretly uses Fish Radar to map their route.
• The group is taken through a hidden passage beneath an ordinary house near the castle. The passage descends into a vast underground facility, but a magical barrier blocks her detection ability.
• Upon reaching an underground room, the recruits are injected with a sedative. Ando Meiko’s Dragon Qi neutralizes the drug, but she pretends to collapse so she can investigate further.
• The other two recruits are incapacitated, and all three are bound and transported through the underground complex. The facility contains branching corridors, sealed rooms, strange badges, and a bloodlike odor, strongly suggesting a secret research or experimentation site.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko remains resourceful and cautious, using her magical abilities and acting skills to conceal her true condition. She chooses the dangerous volunteer job deliberately, prioritizing access to the castle over personal safety.
• She becomes more willing to exploit disguises and deception, accepting Melinda’s mask as a means of protecting her identity and creating an escape option.
• Her Dragon Qi proves highly effective, automatically neutralizing the sedative and reinforcing her confidence in surviving the dangerous mission.
• Melinda continues to act as Ando Meiko’s supporter and benefactor, paying for the group’s lodging and supplies and providing the valuable disguise mask.
• The veteran soldier is portrayed as morally concerned despite working for the Star Kingdom’s system. His warnings suggest he knows the volunteer program is a trap or a front for something sinister.
• The other recruits, revealed to be experienced adventurers, show that even capable outsiders are vulnerable to the dangers of the assignment.

Significant Themes

• Human progress versus divine power: The Star Kingdom and Holy Kingdom represent competing paths to strength—scientific and technological development versus religious faith.
• Deception and identity: The magical mask, false appearance, concealed aura, and Ando Meiko’s feigned unconsciousness all emphasize the importance of disguise and manipulation.
• Hidden dangers beneath apparent order: Wyvern City appears organized and prosperous, but beneath it lies a secret facility that recruits people under misleading terms.
• Exploitation and moral ambiguity: The volunteer position promises unusually high pay while concealing deadly conditions. The life-and-death waiver highlights how vulnerable ordinary people are to institutional exploitation.
• Curiosity and infiltration: Ando Meiko repeatedly chooses to investigate dangerous situations rather than retreat, pushing deeper into the Star Kingdom’s secrets.

Character Interactions

• Melinda explains the history of the Star Kingdom and Holy Kingdom to Ando Meiko and the others, helping frame their mission within the continent’s political tensions.
• Melinda persistently pays for the group’s expenses despite Ando Meiko’s initial reluctance, using affection and playful persistence to get her way.
• Melinda gives Ando Meiko the mask and explains its abilities, strengthening their practical partnership and trust.
• The veteran soldier repeatedly tries to dissuade Ando Meiko from accepting the volunteer position, implying genuine concern and knowledge of its deadly reality.
• Ando Meiko politely ignores his warnings, believing the job may provide the infiltration opportunity they need.
• During the underground transfer, one worker attempts to take advantage of the unconscious-looking Ando Meiko, but the veteran stops him by warning that the captives belong to a powerful lord.
• Ando Meiko silently observes the soldiers, facility, and transport process, preparing to uncover the purpose of the underground operation.

Chapter 293 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko and two other supposed “volunteers” are transported through an underground complex and restrained on stone slabs designed to suppress magic.
• She realizes the volunteers are actually unwilling test subjects for the Star Kingdom’s secret human experimentation program.
• A researcher named Doctor Anduin arrives and shocks the two men into submission before preparing syringes containing concentrated Draconic Bloodline extracted from Drake creatures.
• Ando Meiko is injected with the substance. Her Dragon Qi absorbs it harmlessly and becomes slightly stronger, while the other two men suffer severe pain and physical mutations.
• When Anduin increases the dosage, Meiko deliberately allows dragon scales to appear on her neck. Anduin believes she is a groundbreaking success—the first human subject to visibly and successfully undergo dragon evolution.
• Anduin begins treating her favorably, promising to fulfill her requests and providing her with attendants, blankets, and an elaborate meal of Earth Dragon meat.
• The dragon meat intensifies Meiko’s appetite and seems to nourish her body, further strengthening her Dragon Qi.
• Meanwhile, the other two subjects deteriorate horribly. Their bodies develop malformed black scales, spikes, open wounds, pus, and a corpse-like stench.
• Meiko realizes the Star Kingdom has likely been abducting and killing volunteers for these experiments. She concludes that the seemingly harsh old soldier who warned her may actually have been trying to protect people.
• After witnessing the men’s suffering, Meiko decides to stop hiding her capabilities and begins removing additional layers of concealment.
• The chapter ends with Anduin discovering that Meiko has developed beautiful dragon horns, increasing his excitement and confirming his belief that she is a miraculous experimental success.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: Remains calm, cautious, and deceptive throughout the experiment. She suppresses her fear, pretends to be a cooperative subject, and secretly uses the injections to strengthen her Dragon Qi. Her moral disgust toward the Star Kingdom’s experiments grows, pushing her closer to taking action.
• Doctor Anduin: Revealed as a ruthless but enthusiastic researcher. He views the test subjects as expendable materials, yet becomes unusually attentive and protective toward Meiko after recognizing her potential. His scientific excitement gradually approaches obsession.
• The two male volunteers: Their initial defiance disappears after Anduin’s electric torture. They become helpless victims of the experiment, suffering grotesque and painful transformations.
• The old soldier: Though absent from most of the chapter, he is reinterpreted by Meiko as someone who may have been genuinely warning recruits rather than acting cruelly.

Significant Themes

• Human experimentation and dehumanization: The “volunteers” are treated as disposable laboratory materials, exposing the cruelty hidden beneath the Star Kingdom’s recruitment system.
• Appearance versus reality: Meiko appears helpless and cooperative while secretly remaining fully capable of using magic. Likewise, the Star Kingdom presents the experiment as an opportunity but conceals its lethal nature.
• Power gained through danger: The Draconic Bloodline and Earth Dragon meat strengthen Meiko, turning a deadly experiment into an unexpected source of power.
• Scientific obsession and moral corruption: Anduin’s excitement over his apparent breakthrough blinds him to the suffering of the failed subjects.
• Control and deception: Meiko survives by carefully managing what others perceive, waiting for the right moment to reveal her true abilities.

Character Interactions

• Anduin intimidates and tortures the two male subjects, establishing his authority through violence.
• He treats Meiko much more gently because of her calm cooperation and apparent resistance to the experiment.
• Meiko deliberately encourages Anduin’s confidence by acting grateful, curious, and compliant.
• The maids care for Meiko under Anduin’s orders, feeding her and tending to her while the other volunteers receive only minimal treatment.
• The contrasting treatment of Meiko and the two men highlights how quickly the researchers shift from cruelty to favoritism when a subject appears scientifically valuable.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko awakens in a laboratory, having been subjected to experiments involving Dragon Clan genes.
• Anduin, the scientist in charge, reveals that the experiments aim to create a human fighting force capable of contending with true dragons.
• Ando Meiko undergoes physical transformations, growing dragon horns, scales, and a tail.
• On the seventh day, she breaks free from her restraints and transforms her arms into dragon claws.
• Anduin attempts to place Ando Meiko under a Slave Contract, but she subtly alters the magic to resist it.
• Ando Meiko is taken to an arena above ground to test her strength and stability against two monstrous creatures, former volunteers who have undergone failed experiments.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: She continues to pretend to cooperate with Anduin while secretly gathering information and planning her escape. Her body undergoes significant transformations due to the Dragon Clan genes, and she learns to control these changes.
• Anduin: He becomes increasingly excited and fanatical as Ando Meiko's transformations progress, revealing his deep-seated hatred for the Dragon Clan and his desire for revenge.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and Control: The scientists manipulate and control the volunteers for their experiments, while Ando Meiko subtly manipulates Anduin to further her own goals.
• Revenge: Anduin's desire for revenge against the Dragon Clan drives his research and experimentation.
• Power and Strength: The experiments aim to create a powerful fighting force, and Ando Meiko's transformations grant her immense strength.

Character Interactions

• Ando Meiko and Anduin: Their interactions are marked by Anduin's growing excitement and trust in Ando Meiko, while she subtly manipulates him and gathers information.
• Ando Meiko and the former volunteers: Though not directly interacting, Ando Meiko witnesses the horrifying results of the experiments on the other volunteers, fueling her desire to escape and expose the truth.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko completes a series of strength tests in the Star Kingdom’s underground research institute. She instantly kills two human adventurers mutated into monsters, then withstands attacks from twenty Earth Dragons.
• By using Dragonification Magic and the natural pressure of her Dragon Clan bloodline, she forces all the Earth Dragons to submit. The researchers declare her a divinely chosen “saintess,” a title Meiko accepts because it gives her greater freedom.
• After the experiment, Meiko is moved from the test chamber into a private room, though she remains subject to daily blood draws and injections. She is also forbidden from leaving the underground facility.
• Meiko secretly creates a duplicate using Domain Magic and disguises it in a researcher’s black robe. The clone explores a previously unexplored spiral passage beneath the institute.
• At the bottom, she discovers an enormous imprisoned Black Dragon. The creature is revealed to be Ista, a human girl fused with a Black Dragon corpse and Dragon Clan materials through horrific experiments.
• Ista explains that she was once the daughter of a high-ranking official. After being severely injured as a child, she was subjected to experiments by her father, who sought to use Draconic Bloodline to heal her. She eventually became a grotesque human-dragon hybrid and was abandoned as a failed experiment.
• Meiko sympathizes with Ista and offers to help her escape in exchange for a price. She returns to her room before morning and keeps the discovery secret.
• The next day, Meiko learns that Doctor Anduin is actually Ista’s father, Inbos. Her anger toward him grows, though she hides it during the routine blood-drawing and injection process.
• The chapter ends when Anduin orders Meiko to prepare for a formal appearance, suggesting that her public role as the “saintess” is about to become official.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: Demonstrates overwhelming physical power, improved durability, and control over Dragon Clan bloodline pressure. She becomes more willing to act decisively against the Star Kingdom after witnessing Ista’s suffering. Her moral restraint weakens, especially after meeting Chaos, and she resolves to pursue her goals without worrying about causing political upheaval.
• Ista: Revealed as a tragic former human whose identity and body were destroyed by prolonged experimentation. Despite her despair, she retains enough hope to consider Meiko’s offer of rescue.
• Anduin/Inbos: Exposed as Ista’s father and the person responsible for transforming her into a monster. His outward role as a researcher contrasts sharply with the guilt and history hidden behind his alias.
• The Researchers and Soldiers: Their attitude toward Meiko shifts from treating her as a test subject to revering her as a saintess after witnessing her power.

Significant Themes

• Dehumanization through experimentation: Ista’s story shows how scientific ambition can erase a person’s identity and reduce them to a disposable specimen.
• Power and exploitation: The Star Kingdom treats dragons, human subjects, and even its own citizens as resources for military and biological research.
• Freedom versus control: Meiko is praised and given privileges, but she remains controlled through Slave Magic, surveillance, and experimentation.
• Identity and transformation: Both Meiko and Ista possess human and draconic aspects, but Meiko retains agency while Ista has been forcibly reshaped against her will.
• Compassion leading to rebellion: Meiko’s sympathy for Ista transforms her opposition to the Star Kingdom from self-interest into a personal desire to rescue its victims.
• Public image as a weapon: Meiko embraces the “saintess” identity because it may allow her to operate more freely and eventually challenge the people controlling her.

Character Interactions

• Meiko intimidates the Earth Dragons into submission, establishing her dominance through Dragon Clan authority rather than brute force alone.
• She speaks with Ista as an equal, asking her name and offering a possible escape instead of treating her as another experiment.
• Meiko’s relationship with Anduin becomes secretly hostile once she realizes he is Ista’s father, though she continues cooperating outwardly during the daily experiments.
• The researchers’ admiration of Meiko contrasts with their treatment of Ista, highlighting the institute’s arbitrary distinction between a “successful” and “failed” experiment.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ando Meiko is informed that the king of the Star Kingdom wishes to meet her personally after hearing of the success of Anduin’s experiments.
• She prepares for the audience while secretly studying maps and building layouts, trying to find an escape route into Wyvern City’s castle and a way to locate the Stone Ball.
• For the first time, she dresses properly for the occasion, shocking the female soldiers and Anduin, who had only ever seen her in rough test-subject clothing.
• Anduin escorts her through a hidden magical passage from the underground laboratory to the royal palace. Four elite guards in Special Grade equipment accompany them, revealing the king’s interest and distrust.
• During the audience, King of the Star Kingdom officially recognizes Ando Meiko’s title of “saint” and asks her to demonstrate her abilities.
• Meiko transforms into a humanoid True Dragon, revealing golden slit pupils, dragon horns, scales, claws, and a tail. The guards and grand general initially react with hostility, but the king orders them to stand down.
• The king and nobles become ecstatic, believing the experiment could restore the Star Kingdom to its former greatness and allow humanity to gain the Dragon Clan’s strength and longevity.
• An earthquake interrupts the celebration. A messenger reports that a large force of dragons has arrived outside Wyvern City.
• The chapter reveals that Meiko deliberately summoned this crisis. The previous night, she used a reverse scale given to her by a Black Dragon to contact the Dragon Clan and told them that one of their young dragons had been killed and used as experimental material.
• Twenty-seven true dragons from all eight major Dragon Clan factions surround the city. The king arms himself with Epic Grade equipment and a Legendary weapon before confronting them.
• The Black Dragon demands the return of its missing clan member and accuses the Star Kingdom of conducting experiments using Dragon Clan blood.
• Under the Black Dragon’s pressure, Meiko is forced to reveal her dragon traits. The king attempts to lie, claiming she was born from human and dragon blood and denying that the kingdom possesses any dragon prisoners.
• The Black Dragon rejects the explanation and demands that the captured dragon be handed over, while the king continues denying responsibility.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: Demonstrates patience, strategic thinking, and emotional control. She carefully plans both her escape route and the use of the Dragon Clan as a diversion. Rather than confronting the Star Kingdom directly, she manipulates events to create chaos and potentially gain leverage with the dragons. Her transformation publicly establishes her as a powerful and unusual figure.
• The King: Initially pleased and ambitious, he sees Meiko as proof that the Star Kingdom’s decades-long research may succeed. His excitement turns into caution and fear when the Dragon Clan arrives, but he remains politically calculating and continues lying to avoid war.
• Anduin: Remains proud of his experiment and eager to present Meiko as the Star Kingdom’s saint. He shows little concern for her resentment because he believes her cooperation is secured by Slave Magic.
• The Grand General and Royal Guards: Their immediate hostility toward Meiko’s transformation reflects their distrust of her and their readiness to protect the king. The grand general remains especially wary even after the king orders him to lower his weapon.
• The Dragon Clan: Their response shows strong loyalty toward their kin. The rapid mobilization of twenty-seven dragons demonstrates both their power and their willingness to retaliate against those who harm their members.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and strategy: Meiko uses information and carefully timed actions to set powerful factions against one another.
• Power and ambition: The Star Kingdom’s leaders seek Dragon Clan abilities to restore their former supremacy and gain longer lives.
• Dehumanization through experimentation: The laboratory treats living beings—including dragons and Meiko—as materials for research.
• Political deception: The king immediately denies the accusations despite clear evidence, showing how rulers use lies to preserve power and avoid conflict.
• Identity and appearance: Meiko’s transformation changes how others perceive her. The same woman dismissed as a mad test subject is suddenly treated as a valuable “saint” once her beauty and power become visible.
• Loyalty and kinship: The Dragon Clan’s swift response emphasizes the importance of family and collective retaliation.

Important Character Interactions

• Meiko and Anduin: Their relationship remains outwardly cooperative but fundamentally coercive, since Anduin relies on Slave Magic to control her. Meiko responds to him politely while secretly planning against the Star Kingdom.
• Meiko and the King: The king recognizes her value as an experimental success, while Meiko uses humility and controlled displays of power to win approval and conceal her true intentions.
• Meiko and the Black Dragon: Their earlier communication allows Meiko to exploit the dragon’s anger over its dead kin. The Black Dragon’s pressure later forces her to reveal her true dragon-derived form.
• The King and the Grand General: The king restrains the general’s instinctive hostility and personally reassures him, showing their close hierarchy and the general’s importance.
• The King and the Dragon Clan: Their confrontation is tense and unequal. The king attempts diplomacy and denial, but the dragons possess overwhelming military superiority and openly challenge the Star Kingdom’s conduct.

Chapter 297 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Black Dragon forces the Star Kingdom’s king to allow a search of Wyvern City for the missing Dragon Clan member.
• The dragons locate a hidden underground facility beneath a house and destroy it, exposing a grotesque experimental creature: a Black Dragon fused with human parts. The creature is revealed to be the Dragon Clan member who was captured and experimented on.
• The king attempts to shift blame onto a noble scientist, but the Black Dragon rejects the deception and declares that the Star Kingdom’s crimes deserve death.
• The king activates Wyvern City’s Ancient Magic Array, creating a powerful barrier that separates the dragons from the city. The city’s magic cannons and the Wyvern Legion combine their attacks with the barrier’s amplification.
• The Dragon Clan, consisting of twenty-seven Ninth-Level dragons, withstands the kingdom’s strongest coordinated assault. Their injuries are quickly healed by the Green and Blue Dragons.
• While the battle occupies the city, Ando Meiko infiltrates the castle to retrieve the Stone Ball. Her copied treasury key fails because the original is made from special metal, so she uses Dragonification to smash through the treasury door.
• Meiko retrieves the Stone Ball and reunites with Beth, Melinda, Ronia, and the others. She learns from the Black Dragon that the Dragon Clan intends to destroy Wyvern City.
• Eight dragons combine their powers to cast a devastating eight-attribute attack. Before it lands, a silver mass-teleportation spell evacuates most of the city’s inhabitants, including Meiko’s group.
• Wyvern City and the underground research facility are completely obliterated. The Black Dragon realizes that Meiko and her companions escaped and leaves the remaining matters to her.
• The survivors reappear on a grassland near another city. Meanwhile, the Star Kingdom’s king discovers that servants and soldiers looted the treasury during the chaos and kills several of them in a rage.
• The king recognizes Melinda as the Holy Kingdom’s Legendary Archangel and accuses Meiko of manipulating the Dragon Clan. Meiko admits that she simply told the dragons what she witnessed.
• Meiko summons Ista, the experimental Black Dragon, as her familiar. Ista confronts her “father,” Anduin, the scientist responsible for her transformation.
• The Wyvern Legion attacks Meiko’s group, while Melinda charges into battle against them.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko acts decisively against the Star Kingdom’s cruelty, choosing to help expose the experiments rather than remain uninvolved. She demonstrates greater mastery of Dragonification and uses it efficiently to break into the treasury.
• The Black Dragon becomes openly vengeful and uncompromising after seeing his clansman’s condition. His anger escalates from investigation to a declaration of war and the destruction of Wyvern City.
• The Star Kingdom’s king is revealed as cowardly and self-serving. He first attempts to sacrifice a subordinate, then descends into madness after losing his city, wealth, and research.
• Ista gains mobility and strength through her Familiar Contract with Meiko. Her confrontation with Anduin reveals intense resentment and emotional trauma beneath her monstrous appearance.
• Melinda reclaims her identity as the Holy Kingdom’s Legendary Archangel and immediately demonstrates her overwhelming combat ability by attacking the Wyvern Legion.
• Anduin, the black-robed doctor, is exposed as Ista’s “father” and likely one of the central figures responsible for the experiments.

Significant Themes

• Consequences of cruelty: The Star Kingdom’s inhumane experimentation directly brings about its destruction.
• Justice versus political manipulation: The king tries to redirect blame, but the Dragon Clan refuses to accept a scapegoat for crimes enabled by the kingdom.
• Power and accountability: The kingdom’s ancient defenses and military strength prove insufficient against the united Dragon Clan.
• Freedom and identity: Ista’s transformation and forced experimentation contrast with her new status as Meiko’s familiar, which gives her mobility, power, and the opportunity to confront her creator.
• Greed and moral collapse: Even during the city’s destruction, officials loot the treasury, while the king responds with brutal, irrational violence.
• Strategic cooperation: Meiko, the Dragon Clan, and her companions pursue different goals but work together indirectly to expose the Star Kingdom and escape its destruction.

Character Interactions

• The Black Dragon confronts the king and rejects his attempt to blame a single noble.
• Meiko silently supports the Dragon Clan’s cause while using the battle as cover to infiltrate the castle.
• Meiko communicates with Beth and coordinates the group’s escape.
• The king reacts violently when looters accuse Meiko and recognizes Melinda.
• Meiko directly challenges the king’s accusation, insisting that she revealed the truth rather than spread rumors.
• Ista addresses Anduin as “Father,” but their exchange is filled with hatred and a desire for revenge.
• Melinda engages the Wyvern Legion alone, beginning the next battle while Meiko and the others remain surrounded.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Star Kingdom’s grand general, Doron, challenges Ando Meiko, revealing himself as the commander of the Wyvern Legion and a powerful combatant. He transforms into a grotesque hybrid using black and white dragon traits.
• The king rallies the citizens and soldiers by blaming Meiko’s group for the destruction of Wyvern City, turning the battle into a mass struggle for revenge.
• The major battles divide across several fronts:
  • Meiko vs. Doron: Meiko initially struggles against Doron’s Legendary-Tier weapon and greater physical strength.
  • Melinda vs. the Wyvern Legion: Melinda is gradually overwhelmed by the legion’s coordinated attacks and encirclement.
  • Aine and Beth vs. the Star Kingdom’s forces: Aine unleashes her hatred toward humans, while Beth supports her with lightning magic and protects Ronia.
  • Ista vs. Anduin: Ista confronts her former father, who has continued to view her as an experimental subject.
• Anduin injects himself with experimental substances made partly from Meiko’s blood. He successfully stabilizes his Draconic Bloodline and becomes a powerful Dragonkin.
• Meiko temporarily turns the tide against Doron by using Dragonification, expanding her domain, and combining the Flame Demon Sword with Diamond Sword and Sky Flame to create a downgraded version of the Flame God Sword.
• Doron reveals his own ultimate form, wielding multiple dragon limbs, two additional swords, and a magic wand. His strength overwhelms even transformed Meiko.
• Meiko deliberately retreats toward Ista’s battlefield and gives Ista some of her blood, hoping it will stabilize or transform her.
• Ista seemingly explodes, causing massive destruction and killing nearby soldiers. However, she emerges in a new Dragonkin form, having fused her human body with the Black Dragon remains.
• The newly transformed Ista proves vastly stronger than expected, knocking both Doron and Anduin away with a single attack.
• Ista kneels before Meiko and declares her absolute loyalty, naming Meiko her one and only master.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko: Demonstrates increasing power and tactical creativity but is forced to recognize the difference between her strength and that of true Ninth-Level opponents. She risks her own blood to save Ista, showing deep concern for her familiars. Her confidence returns when Ista successfully transforms.
• Doron: Revealed to be a hidden trump-card fighter with a grotesque multi-dragon transformation. His confidence and contempt toward Meiko grow as he gains the upper hand, but he is shocked when Ista surpasses him.
• Ista: Fully severs her emotional connection to Anduin, rejecting him as a father after years of experimentation and abuse. Her transformation frees her from her damaged body and turns her into an exceptionally powerful Dragonkin, comparable to a Peak Ninth-Level Magical Beast.
• Anduin/Inbos: Becomes completely consumed by obsession with experimentation and power. Even after transforming, he feels no remorse toward Ista and immediately attempts to kill or exploit her. His madness and arrogance prevent him from recognizing the danger she represents.
• Aine: Finally releases her long-suppressed hatred of humans and begins slaughtering the attacking soldiers without restraint.
• Beth: Also channels her hatred toward the humans but remains more controlled, prioritizing support and protecting Ronia.
• Melinda: Despite her immense individual strength, she is gradually worn down by the Wyvern Legion’s teamwork and ranged attacks.

Significant Themes

• Freedom from oppression: Ista’s transformation symbolizes her escape from the body, experiments, and identity imposed on her by the Star Kingdom.
• Chosen family versus abusive blood ties: Ista rejects Anduin as her father and instead chooses Meiko as the person who rescued and accepted her.
• The dangers of obsession and unethical experimentation: Anduin’s scientific ambition has erased his morality, turning both himself and Ista into products of his experiments.
• Power and transformation: Nearly every major fighter reveals a stronger form, emphasizing the escalating scale of the conflict and the cost of pursuing greater strength.
• Loyalty and protection: Meiko risks herself for Ista, while Beth protects Ronia and supports Aine despite the chaos of battle.
• Hatred and vengeance: The king, Aine, Beth, and the soldiers are driven by resentment, showing how manipulation can turn grief into mass violence.

Important Character Interactions

• Meiko and Doron exchange sarcastic insults before engaging in a battle of escalating transformations and weapons.
• The king manipulates the people into viewing Meiko’s group as the cause of their suffering, uniting them through hatred.
• Ista confronts Anduin emotionally, formally rejecting him and severing their father-daughter relationship.
• Anduin responds to Ista’s rejection with rage, transforming himself and attacking her without hesitation.
• Meiko and Ista strengthen their bond when Meiko gives her blood in an improvised attempt to save her.
• After awakening as a Dragonkin, Ista protects Meiko from Doron and Anduin, overwhelms both, and renews her pledge of loyalty.
• The chapter ends with Ista asking Meiko to accept her not only as a familiar, but as her devoted master-servant companion.

Chapter 299 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ista transforms into a powerful Dragonkin and battles her father, Anduin, and Doron simultaneously. Her superior strength, speed, reactions, and dragon scales allow her to dominate them despite their combined attacks.
• Ando Meiko uses Dragon Transformation, becoming a smaller but more controlled ten-meter crimson dragon. Her enhanced dragon aura paralyzes the Wyvern Legion and causes the wyverns and riders to fall from the sky.
• Melinda takes advantage of the opening and casts the eighth-level light magic Holy Baptism, which destroys the souls of the entire Wyvern Legion while leaving their bodies physically unharmed.
• The ordinary soldiers flee. Ando Meiko heals Aine and Beth with Bubble’s Domain Duplication Magic and comforts Ronia, who feels useless for needing protection.
• Melinda separates Doron from Anduin. Ista then defeats Anduin, first destroying his heart and limbs before finally killing him at Ando Meiko’s request. Her prolonged revenge represents the suffering she endured after being abandoned and tortured.
• Doron consumes Anduin’s remains in an attempt to evolve, but Ando Meiko immediately destroys him with a powerful rainbow beam.
• Melinda captures the fleeing king of the Star Kingdom. When he shows no remorse for using people as test subjects in pursuit of power and longevity, Ando Meiko turns away, allowing Aine to execute him.
• The destruction of Wyvern City and the deaths of the Star Kingdom’s strongest forces effectively leave the kingdom defenseless against enemies such as the Demon Race.
• Twenty-seven True Dragons arrive, led by the Black Dragon. They recognize Ando Meiko’s dragon form and submit to her, treating her as an exceptionally powerful member of the Dragon Clan.
• Ando Meiko names the Black Dragon “Big Black” and adopts the alias “Ruby” when dealing with the dragons.
• She decides to travel to the Dragon Clan’s territory before continuing to the Dwarf Kingdom, where another Stone Ball is located. The group departs by riding Big Black.

Character Developments

• Ando Meiko gains greater control over Dragon Transformation. Her reduced dragon size is not a weakness but a sign of improved mastery, allowing her to fight longer and recover more quickly.
• Ista finally confronts and kills Anduin, freeing herself from the trauma of his abandonment and cruelty. Her cheerful obedience toward Ando Meiko contrasts sharply with her merciless revenge, showing that she now views Meiko as a trusted elder-sister figure.
• Melinda proves her strength and reliability by annihilating the Wyvern Legion, assisting in the battle against Doron, and capturing the Star Kingdom’s king. Despite her exhaustion, she remains affectionate and playful toward Meiko.
• Aine takes a major step toward her own revenge by personally executing the king of the Star Kingdom, the ruler of a nation responsible for destroying her homeland.
• Ronia feels inadequate because she cannot fight independently, but the others reassure her and continue to treat her as part of the group. Her playful mind-reading and enjoyment of Meiko’s tail lighten the aftermath of the battle.
• Big Black is revealed to be deeply respectful of Ando Meiko, and his willingness to accept a personal name suggests the unusual influence she has over the Dragon Clan.

Significant Themes

• Revenge versus release: Ista’s revenge gives her emotional closure, but Ando Meiko intervenes before vengeance becomes endless cruelty, encouraging her to finish the past rather than remain trapped in it.
• Guilt and moral responsibility: The king believes that ambition excuses his crimes, while Meiko rejects his lack of remorse. His execution reinforces the idea that power pursued without empathy makes a person morally hollow.
• Found family and emotional healing: Ista’s relationship with Meiko provides the care and guidance she was denied by her father. The group’s support also helps Ronia overcome her feelings of uselessness.
• Power and identity: Meiko’s growing dragon abilities alter how others perceive her. Her transformation and bloodline earn the reverence of the True Dragons, while her alias “Ruby” allows her to maintain control over her identity.
• Consequences of ambition: The Star Kingdom’s obsession with power and longevity leads to the deaths of its army, rulers, and elite forces, leaving the entire nation vulnerable to collapse.
• Intimacy and camaraderie: After the violence ends, the girls compete to hug Meiko’s unusually warm and comfortable dragon tail, providing a humorous and affectionate contrast to the battle.

Character Interactions

• Meiko commands Ista during the battle, and Ista immediately obeys her.
• Meiko stops Ista from attacking the fleeing soldiers and later prevents her from prolonging Anduin’s suffering, demonstrating their trust and Meiko’s influence over her.
• Melinda openly seeks Meiko’s praise after exhausting herself in battle, while Ista also asks for recognition. Meiko affectionately praises both of them.
• Meiko and Aine silently agree that the king deserves execution; Aine carries it out.
• Big Black and the other dragons bow before Meiko, treating her almost as a superior or divine figure.
• Ronia begins a playful chain of physical affection by hugging Meiko’s tail, after which the other girls take turns doing the same, revealing their closeness to Meiko and the lighthearted bond within the group.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group has passed the fourth floor's trial and lost only one member, Youti's father Motis, who was automatically teleported outside the Tower.
• On the fifth floor, Nanako faces a trial involving the Trolley Problem. She chooses to save everyone, including the illusory train passengers and her sisters, by pushing the train to a halt with her strength.
• Nanako is disqualified and sent out of the Tower, but she does so with pride and satisfaction for her choice.
• Sakura Fuko, Vita, and Youti proceed to the sixth and final floor, where they encounter an extremely dangerous and terrifying existence they must eliminate.

Character Developments

• Nanako: Proves her strength and ambition by saving everyone in the Trolley Problem scenario, showcasing her selflessness and determination.
• Sakura Fuko: Demonstrates leadership and concern for her team members by deciding to send Nanako out of the Tower and encouraging Youti.
• Youti: Shows resilience and determination to face the final trial despite the loss of Nanako and the terrifying nature of their opponent.
• Vita: Maintains her calm and composure, understanding the nature of their final opponent and encouraging her teammates.

Significant Themes

• Sacrifice and selflessness: Nanako's decision to save everyone, even at the cost of her own qualification, highlights the theme of selfless sacrifice.
• Friendship and teamwork: The bond between the team members is emphasized as they support each other and work together to face the final trial.
• Facing fears and challenges: The group must confront their fears and the terrifying nature of their final opponent, testing their resolve and determination.

Character Interactions

• Sakura Fuko and Youti: Sakura Fuko encourages Youti and shows concern for her well-being, while Youti remains determined to face the final trial alongside her teammates.
• Vita and the others: Vita maintains her composure and understanding of their final opponent, providing encouragement and support to her teammates.
• Nanako and her team: Nanako's selfless act of saving everyone, including her teammates, demonstrates her strong bond with them and her desire to protect them.