Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Isaac confirms that his plan is the result of thirty years of work. Before Ellen takes him away for treatment, he calls Shido “Takamiya,” hinting that he may know something about Shido’s family or past.
• Isaac leaves the Inverse Spirits in the hands of Lingmeng, Shido, Miku, and the others, then escapes with Ellen.
• The group tries to reach the transformed Spirits, but Tohka does not recognize them or remember her own name. She recalls Shido’s name and finds several others faintly familiar, though she does not recognize Miku.
• Tohka becomes suspicious of Shido’s Sandalphon and threatens to kill him. When Lingmeng steps in to protect him, Tohka attacks her with Nahema, blasting her through a wall.

Character developments and interactions

• Shido is alarmed by Tohka’s amnesia and struggles to reconnect with her. Isaac’s use of “Takamiya” also leaves him unsettled.
• Lingmeng tries to test whether the transformed girls are still the people she knows, then puts herself between Tohka and Shido.
• Tohka behaves coldly and aggressively, treating her friends as strangers and anyone who opposes her as an enemy.
• Miku attempts to jog Tohka’s memory but is hurt when Tohka does not recognize her.
• Yoshino and the Yamai sisters respond with unsettling silence or laughter, reinforcing that their personalities have changed.
• After wounding Lingmeng, Tohka dismisses the attack, insisting that anyone who stands in her way deserves to die.

Significant themes

• Identity and memory: Tohka’s lost memories raise the question of whether the transformed Spirits are still the same people.
• Corruption and estrangement: Familiar appearances conceal frightening changes in behavior.
• Loyalty and protection: Lingmeng risks herself to defend Shido, while he continues trying to reach Tohka despite her hostility.

Key plot points and events

• Tohka’s answer and cold demeanor suggest that her former, aloof personality has returned. She points Nahema at Shido, but Lingmeng interrupts, emerging unharmed from the wreckage.
• Lingmeng explains that inversion greatly increases a Spirit’s power while reducing restraint, and suggests Isaac wanted the Spirits to invert so they could reshape the world. Tohka rejects the explanation and attacks her.
• Yoshino and Yamai also transform into their inverted forms, summoning their Demon Kings. Miku shields Shido from Yoshino’s freezing attack.
• Tohka’s enormous sword waves and Yamai’s wind-driven, steerable spear force Lingmeng to defend herself. Lingmeng answers Yamai with a hurricane of her own, and the two storms collide, devastating the area.
• The DEM building collapses, and the battle’s winds sweep up nearby AST and DEM forces. Some survive by activating Territories; others are badly injured or blown away.
• Kurumi’s clones recognize the danger of multiple inverted Spirits and worry that the city will be destroyed. The original Kurumi returns, disappointed that the person she sought is not there.

Character developments and interactions

• Tohka appears colder and more aggressive, attacking Lingmeng without hesitation.
• Lingmeng remains confident despite facing several powerful opponents, but Yamai’s returning spear catches her by surprise.
• Miku protects Shido twice—first from Yoshino’s frost and then from the collapsing building—while insisting she only does so out of obligation and expressing disgust at having to touch him. Shido thanks her and gently teases her about the contradiction.
• Yoshino and Yamai embrace their inverted powers and join the fight, while Shido depends on Miku for safety.
• Kurumi’s clones assess the threat and await the original Kurumi, who returns without finding the person she was looking for.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Inversion offers immense strength but strips away self-control, making the Spirits a threat to everyone around them.
• Care hidden beneath hostility: Miku’s reluctant protection of Shido contrasts with her declarations that she wants nothing to do with him.
• Collateral damage and escalating danger: The Spirits’ conflict quickly overwhelms the battlefield, endangering allies, enemies, and the city alike.

Key plot points and events

• Kurumi and her clones abandon their search for the missing girl, deciding they have already helped Lingmeng and Shido enough. They retreat into their Shadow Space, beyond the Wizards’ reach.
• The AST and DEM Wizards realize the Spirits are fighting but can do little: they are struggling against the storm and cannot safely intervene.
• Lingmeng battles Inverse Yamai while her Spirit Power is sealed. Yamai’s merged form and powerful winds push Lingmeng to her limits, and their clash devastates much of the city.
• Inverse Tohka attacks Lingmeng from behind, but Mana arrives and blocks the strike. Mana takes Tohka on, allowing Lingmeng to concentrate on Yamai.
• Lingmeng cancels Yamai’s hurricane, but Yamai binds her with bladed Chains and wounds her. Yamai then fires wind blades from her bow; Lingmeng breaks free, raises a barrier, and counters with Light Bullets. Yamai effortlessly blocks them.
• Lingmeng teleports behind Yamai and attacks with Elemental Spirit, but Yamai’s metal wings transform into a shield and then launch feather-like projectiles. Lingmeng avoids them by becoming intangible and retreats.
• Yoshino appears in the sky piloting Astaroth and begins an attack called Frost Comet.

Character developments

• Lingmeng demonstrates tactical versatility and determination despite being badly weakened, but Yamai’s varied abilities expose how difficult it is for her to fight while sealed.
• Mana steps into the fight to protect Lingmeng and the city, showing courage and confidence even against a powerful Inverse Spirit.
• Kurumi prioritizes survival and withdraws rather than risking her group for a search that has failed, while still trusting Lingmeng to manage the crisis.
• Yoshino joins the battle in Astaroth, introducing a new potential turning point.

Significant themes

• Protecting others under pressure: Lingmeng and Mana fight not only for themselves but to prevent the city’s destruction.
• Strength and limitation: Lingmeng’s skill remains formidable, yet her sealed power leaves her vulnerable against stronger opponents.
• Trust and teamwork: Kurumi relies on Lingmeng, and Mana’s arrival gives Lingmeng the space she needs to continue fighting.
• Escalating destruction: The Spirits’ conflict overwhelms the authorities and threatens the surrounding city.

Character interactions

• Kurumi’s clones ask whether to help Lingmeng; Kurumi refuses, expressing confidence that Lingmeng and Shido can cope.
• Mana addresses Lingmeng as “Big Sis” and volunteers to face Tohka, who responds with hostility and attacks her.
• Lingmeng and Yamai trade increasingly varied attacks—storms, Chains, wind blades, projectiles, and defensive transformations—while Lingmeng seeks openings through teleportation and phasing.
• Yoshino’s arrival interrupts Lingmeng’s retreat and shifts attention to the attack she is preparing with Astaroth.

Plot points and events

• Yoshino unleashes a vast freezing attack from the sky, rapidly icing the city and threatening everyone below. Her torrents even freeze Lingmeng’s fire and penetrate Wizards’ Territories.
• When one torrent freezes Lingmeng’s arm, she cuts it off to stop the ice spreading, then regenerates it with her Angel.
• Lingmeng discovers the attack is reaching underground shelters. She knocks out every living creature in the city—including residents, animals, and nearby Wizards—and transports them to shelters in a neighboring city. She leaves the Inverse Spirits, Shido, Miku, and Mana behind.
• Lingmeng warns Shido and Miku not to block the torrents with Spirit Power barriers, which can freeze through them. They evade an incoming attack.
• Shido despairs at how powerful the Inverse Spirits are and blames himself for their transformation. Kotori reconnects by Earphones and explains that sealing them may not work unless they have feelings for him. Their best hope is to restore their senses and then try to seal their powers—but first Shido must survive.
• With the city evacuated, Lingmeng redirects the falling torrents through a spatial tunnel into the Arctic Ocean. She then attacks Yoshino’s giant rabbit, striking its chin and causing its freezing beam to explode inside its mouth.
• As the rabbit reels and Yoshino struggles to stay on its back, Lingmeng moves behind her and prepares to knock her unconscious. The chapter ends just before the blow lands.

Character developments

• Lingmeng acts decisively and selflessly, accepting severe pain and using much of her strength to protect the city’s inhabitants. She remains resourceful in combat, exploiting spatial powers and the rabbit’s attack.
• Shido feels guilty and powerless, believing his weakness helped cause the crisis. He is forced to rely on Lingmeng while searching for a way to reach the Spirits.
• Miku follows Lingmeng’s warning and dodges rather than trying to withstand Yoshino’s attack.
• Kotori provides tactical guidance, while acknowledging that the group has no proven method for dealing with Inverse Spirits.

Significant themes

• Protection at personal cost: Lingmeng’s injury and exhaustion underscore her willingness to sacrifice herself for civilians.
• Powerlessness and responsibility: Shido’s guilt contrasts with the overwhelming strength of the Inverse Spirits.
• Improvisation under pressure: Survival depends on adapting quickly—evacuating the city, avoiding barriers, and redirecting attacks.
• The limits of established solutions: Shido’s usual method of sealing Spirits may not work, leaving the team uncertain how to restore them.

Character interactions

• Lingmeng warns Miku and Shido about the freezing torrents and keeps Shido nearby as a possible means of sealing Spirit Power.
• Shido consults Kotori, who outlines the risks and the need to restore the Spirits’ senses before attempting to seal them.
• Lingmeng confronts Yoshino directly, first disrupting her attack and then preparing to incapacitate her.

Key plot points and events

• Yoshino transforms her giant black rabbit into Astaroth: Frost Armor, allowing her to survive Lingmeng’s neck strike.
• Yamai traps Lingmeng in a tornado, binds her with chains, and pelts her with metal feathers. Lingmeng counters by swallowing the attacks in dark matter and redirecting them.
• Yoshino then traps Lingmeng in an ice domain that drains her strength. She attacks through the walls using ice Dolls and ambushes from unexpected angles.
• Lingmeng identifies the Dolls as fakes and destroys the domain. The real Yoshino had been watching from outside it.
• Yoshino releases icy mist that gradually freezes and stiffens anyone who inhales it. Lingmeng fails to recognize the danger until Yamai attacks.
• Yamai’s spear strike sends Lingmeng crashing into the ground, leaving her badly injured and unable to rise.

Character developments

• Yoshino fights with unsettling confidence, combining armor, ice illusions, and a hidden freezing effect. Her Inverse state appears to have given her powerful new abilities.
• Yamai works effectively with Yoshino, using coordinated attacks and striking decisively when Lingmeng is weakened.
• Lingmeng remains resourceful, quickly adapting to unfamiliar abilities, but her confidence leads her to underestimate Yoshino’s mist and the danger it poses.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and escalation: Lingmeng repeatedly counters new tactics, but the Spirits’ Inverse abilities make the fight increasingly dangerous.
• Deception and perception: Yoshino’s ice Dolls, shifting attacks, and obscuring mist conceal the true source and nature of the danger.
• The cost of underestimating an opponent: Lingmeng’s mistaken assumptions about the mist leave her vulnerable at a crucial moment.

Character interactions

• Yoshino and Yamai coordinate their attacks: Yamai restrains and pressures Lingmeng while Yoshino uses her ice abilities to create openings.
• Lingmeng taunts Yoshino playfully, threatening to spank her once she returns to normal, but still recognizes the seriousness of the battle.
• The chapter ends with Yamai’s attack overwhelming Lingmeng, leaving the conflict unresolved.

Plot points and events

• Lingmeng and Mana are badly injured and nearly out of Spirit Power after fighting the Inverse Spirits. Mana admits she cannot defeat Inverse Tohka.
• Tohka prepares a devastating attack, Sword of the End, while Inverse Yoshino and Yamai ready powerful cannon and bow attacks. Together, they aim to finish Lingmeng and Mana.
• Kotori offers to teleport the wounded pair to Fraxinus, but Lingmeng objects that abandoning the Inverse Spirits could leave them free to destroy a city. Despite being barely able to stand, she refuses to run.
• Miku suddenly attacks the three Inverse Spirits with a Spirit-powered scream, driven by anger at seeing Lingmeng hurt. They turn their attacks on Miku.
• Miku tries to defend herself with a Sound Wall, but she cannot produce a sound, apparently having exhausted her Spirit Power. As the attacks approach, she believes she is about to die and reflects on her longing to be protected and valued.

Character developments

• Lingmeng remains determined to protect others even when badly injured and outmatched.
• Mana acknowledges the overwhelming strength of Inverse Tohka and her own inability to win.
• Miku reveals unexpected courage and loyalty: she acts instinctively to defend Lingmeng, despite being terrified. Her desperation also exposes her deep insecurity that, without her voice, she is worthless and unloved.
• Kotori is torn between rescuing Lingmeng and preventing the Inverse Spirits from causing further destruction.

Character interactions

• Lingmeng and Mana endure the Inverse Spirits’ attacks together, while Shido and Miku watch anxiously.
• Kotori urges Lingmeng and Mana to retreat; Lingmeng challenges the idea that their enemy is unbeatable and refuses to abandon the crisis.
• Miku’s intervention briefly hurts Tohka, Yoshino, and Yamai, but it makes her their new target. Shido is surprised by her action, while Miku can only explain that she moved without thinking.

Significant themes

• Courage despite hopeless odds: Lingmeng refuses to flee, and Miku acts to help her even though she is weaker and afraid.
• Protection and belonging: Miku’s deepest wish is not praise for her singing, but to be trusted, valued, and saved by someone.
• The cost of power and conflict: The characters’ dwindling strength leaves them vulnerable, while the Inverse Spirits’ attacks threaten far more than their immediate opponents.

Key plot points and events

• Miku believes she is about to die, but Shido steps in front of her and stands against Tohka and two other Inverse Spirits, keeping his promise to protect her.
• The Spirits’ combined attack badly injures Shido and shatters Sandalphon. Miku urges him to flee, then embraces him and accepts the possibility of dying beside him.
• Shido insists he wants an ending in which everyone survives. He summons the golden trident of Elemental Spirit, which creates a shield that protects him and Miku from the attack.
• The shield saves them, but Shido is severely weakened. He asks Kotori to teleport Miku, Lingmeng, and Mana to Fraxinus, while he remains behind to try to bring Tohka and the others back to their senses.
• Kotori discovers that Shido and Lingmeng refused teleportation, apparently using their Angels’ spatial powers. Their fate remains uncertain.

Character developments and interactions

• Shido proves that his promise to protect Miku was sincere. Despite his injuries and the danger, he refuses to abandon her—or give up on saving the other Spirits.
• Miku moves from despair and distrust to accepting Shido’s care. His willingness to risk his life for her fulfils her long-held wish to be protected and believed in.
• Lingmeng encourages Shido, calling him their last hope. She and Shido remain behind even as the others are evacuated.
• Kotori is alarmed by Shido’s decision to stay, while the Fraxinus crew watches anxiously. Miku is confused after being suddenly teleported to safety.

Significant themes

• Trust proven through action: Shido’s promise matters because he keeps it at great personal cost.
• Self-sacrifice and hope: Both Shido and Miku face death, but Shido refuses to accept a tragic ending.
• Rescuing rather than defeating: Shido’s goal is not merely to survive the Spirits’ attack, but to save Tohka and the others too.

Key plot points and events

• Lingmeng and Shido are nearly out of Spirit Power and trapped against three Inverse Spirits. The Spirits are stunned when Shido blocks their full-strength attacks, and he identifies himself as the man who once made Tohka blush.
• Ellen returns after taking the injured Isaac away. She says the Inverse Spirits are not her concern: her target is Lingmeng, who, unlike the others, has not become Inverse.
• Ellen realizes Lingmeng’s confidence that Shido would survive an Inversion attempt came from knowing he carries Efreet’s power and can recover from serious injuries. She decides to test whether he can survive decapitation.
• Tohka permits Ellen to attack Shido, insisting she will kill him herself if Ellen does not. As Ellen moves in, she uses her Territory to knock Shido’s Angel away.
• Kotori orders Fraxinus to fire its Magic Cannon at Ellen. A DEM airship counters the blast, leaving Ellen free to strike.
• Ellen cuts off Shido’s head. Lingmeng watches in horror, unable to accept that he is dead.

Character developments and interactions

• Shido shows courage by standing between the Spirits and danger, but his confidence and ability to protect the others are overwhelmed by Ellen’s attack.
• Lingmeng remains defiant even while helpless, trading taunts with Ellen. Her composure collapses when Shido is killed, revealing how deeply she depends on him and on the belief that he is protected by the story’s rules.
• Ellen is calculating and ruthless. She deduces the basis of Lingmeng’s confidence and deliberately targets Shido to break it.
• Tohka remains hostile to Shido and Lingmeng, but allows Ellen to act while reserving the right to kill Shido herself.
• Kotori and the Fraxinus crew try to intervene, but the DEM ship prevents their attack from reaching Ellen.
• The chapter contrasts Lingmeng’s banter with Ellen against Ellen’s cold threats, while Lingmeng’s cries for Shido are met with further violence from Tohka.

Significant themes

• The collapse of assumed protection: Lingmeng’s belief that Shido cannot die is challenged by Ellen’s calculated attack.
• Helplessness and sacrifice: Both Lingmeng and the crew want to protect Shido, but their exhaustion and the DEM ship’s interference leave them unable to act.
• Misfortune and uncertainty: The chapter ends on an apparent death that overturns Lingmeng’s confidence in how the world is supposed to work.

Key plot points and events

• After Shido is killed, Lingmeng blames herself. She believes her arrival in this world changed events and indirectly caused his death. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt, she loses consciousness.
• On Fraxinus, Ellen confirms Shido’s death. Kotori, Mana, and Miku are devastated; Reine suggests that Lingmeng or Kurumi might be able to use time-related powers to undo it.
• The crew detects an enormous surge of Spirit Power from Lingmeng: she has gone Inverse.
• Lingmeng triggers a Spacequake that engulfs the entire planet. Fraxinus survives behind its defensive Territory, but the city below is reduced to barren, devastated terrain.
• The crew estimates that nearly all of Earth’s population—more than seven billion people—has been killed. Reine urges them to check on Lingmeng and the other Spirits. Tohka, Yoshino, and the Yamai sisters are seen protected by Spirit Power.

Character developments

• Lingmeng spirals from grief into self-condemnation, viewing herself as a cursed bringer of misfortune. Shido’s death pushes her into Inversion and unleashes catastrophic power.
• Kotori moves from mourning and a brief hope of reversing Shido’s death to horror at Lingmeng’s Inversion and the devastation.
• Mana and Miku are overcome by grief for Shido and then despair at the scale of the disaster.
• Reine remains comparatively composed, first proposing a possible way to save Shido and later focusing on assessing the Spirits.

Significant themes

• Guilt and responsibility: Lingmeng sees herself as the cause of Shido’s death and the ensuing catastrophe, though the extent of her responsibility is uncertain.
• Grief and despair: The loss of Shido overwhelms those closest to him and becomes the catalyst for a far greater disaster.
• Power and unintended consequences: Lingmeng’s immense power, magnified by emotional collapse, turns personal tragedy into a worldwide calamity.

Character interactions

• Lingmeng’s memories of her bond with Shido intensify her guilt; she had come to see him and the others as family rather than fictional characters.
• Kotori, Mana, and Miku grieve together aboard Fraxinus, while Reine tries to offer hope and then redirects the group toward practical action.
• The crew reports Lingmeng’s transformation and the Spacequake to Kotori, whose orders guide the vessel’s response and the search for survivors.

Plot points and events

• Kotori and Fraxinus locate Lingmeng after her Inversion and observe her changed appearance: a black-and-purple Astral Dress, six wings, and the Demon King Lance Entropy Apostle.
• Lingmeng’s presence and seemingly limitless Spirit Power unsettle Tohka, Yoshino, and the Yamai.
• Ellen attacks, but Lingmeng catches her strike effortlessly and uses Devour to erase Ellen and her equipment completely.
• DEM’s Wizards launch a counterattack, including a warship-grade cannon blast. Lingmeng nullifies the blast with Void.
• Lingmeng creates a field with Oppression that sharply weakens Spirit Power and Territories within its range.
• She uses Chaos to strike the Wizards with beams of antimatter. They survive but fall under her influence and turn their weapons on DEM’s airship.

Character developments

• Lingmeng has become an immensely powerful, cold, and seemingly emotionless Inverse Spirit. She demonstrates both overwhelming destructive force and the ability to control the battlefield and her opponents.
• Ellen’s confidence proves misplaced: despite being DEM’s strongest fighter, she is killed almost instantly.
• Tohka, Yoshino, the Yamai, Kotori, and Reine recognize that Lingmeng’s power is far beyond what they can handle; Kotori is especially alarmed by the scale of the threat.

Significant themes

• Power and helplessness: DEM’s weapons, Territories, and elite fighters are rendered ineffective against Lingmeng.
• The terror of Inversion: Lingmeng’s transformation changes not only her appearance and strength but also her demeanor, making her feel like a different person.
• Control and domination: Lingmeng can weaken enemies and turn their own forces against their commanders, transforming combat into a matter of control as well as destruction.

Character interactions

• Ellen challenges Lingmeng directly and is swiftly destroyed.
• Lingmeng’s power alarms the observing Spirits and prompts Kotori and Reine to assess its effects.
• DEM’s Wizards attack Lingmeng, but after being struck by Chaos, they obey her apparent command and target their own airship.

Key plot points and events

• Lingmeng’s antimatter beams appear to have turned the DEM Wizards into her puppets. Under her control, they attack the DEM Vessel, overwhelm its weakened defenses, and bring it crashing down, killing everyone aboard.
• Lingmeng releases the Wizards from her control, then summons a storm whose Spirit-Power-infused rain bypasses their Territories and dissolves them. She watches without mercy, declaring her power godlike and mocking the Wizards for calling her a monster.
• Though she laughs, Lingmeng appears to be crying beneath the rain.
• Tohka, Yoshino, and the Yamai Spirits emerge from a block of ice, having survived the rain behind Yoshino’s ice. Lingmeng confronts them, and both sides prepare to fight again.
• Lingmeng attacks first, appearing beside Tohka and slamming her into the ground. She pins Tohka down and repeatedly punches her until a barrage of sharp Metal feathers forces her to stop.

Character developments

• Inverse Lingmeng is shown to be overwhelmingly powerful, ruthless, and emotionally volatile. Her contempt for the Wizards—and her tears beneath her laughter—suggest that her cruelty is tied to intense pain or resentment.
• The crew aboard Fraxinus, including Kotori, Mana, Miku, and Reine, are shocked by how drastically Lingmeng’s personality has changed. Reine suspects that becoming Inverse affects a Spirit’s memories or personality.
• Tohka, Yoshino, and the Yamai Spirits survive Lingmeng’s destructive rain and face her despite the imbalance in power.

Significant themes

• Power and corruption: Lingmeng’s immense strength is paired with cruelty and a sense of superiority.
• Trauma beneath violence: Her tears suggest that her monstrous behavior may conceal grief or suffering.
• Mercy and judgment: Lingmeng twists the idea of mercy to justify killing her enemies.
• The threat of inversion: The crew fears that an Inverse state can alter a Spirit’s identity and make her dangerously unpredictable.

Character interactions

• Lingmeng controls the Wizards, then releases them only to kill them with the rain.
• She confronts the surviving Spirits, who meet her in silence and prepare to resist.
• Lingmeng brutally attacks Tohka, but the incoming Metal feathers interrupt her assault.

Plot points and events

• Lingmeng easily overpowers Tohka with physical skill, ignoring her attacks and fury. Yamai and Yoshino join Tohka, combining their strongest attacks against her.
• Lingmeng activates Ain Soph, a purple space formed from her Spirit Power. Within it, she can impose her will: she erases the Spirits’ attacks, drains their Spirit Power, and makes them too heavy to move.
• Lingmeng then summons a copy of Yamai’s Demon King, Storm Queen, despite Yamai still holding the original. Reine concludes that Ain Soph lets Lingmeng manipulate events—and even use another Spirit’s Angel or Demon King—within its space.
• Rather than strike the grounded Spirits, Lingmeng fires Storm Queen at Fraxinus. Its attack breaks the Vessel’s Territory and sends the ship crashing down in flames.
• Kotori and the others survive by manifesting their Astral Dresses and using defensive abilities. Kotori emerges from the wreckage in her complete Astral Dress, while Mana and Miku protect much of the crew. Kannazuki alone suffers comic, severe-looking injuries as he writhes amid the flames.

Character developments and interactions

• Lingmeng remains calm and detached throughout, demonstrating that her strength and control extend beyond her previously shown abilities. She targets Fraxinus and waits afterward, suggesting the attack is deliberate rather than an attempt to kill the grounded Spirits immediately.
• Tohka grows furious at being ignored and attacks Lingmeng with Nahema, but her anger does not overcome the gap in power.
• Yamai and Yoshino cooperate with Tohka in a coordinated assault, only for Lingmeng to neutralize their attacks and powers.
• Kotori shifts quickly from confusion to command, ordering Fraxinus’s defense and later confronting Lingmeng directly.
• Reine analyzes Ain Soph, explaining its terrifying capabilities to the crew.
• Mana and Miku protect the crew during the crash; Kannazuki’s misfortune provides a grotesque comic contrast to the danger.

Significant themes

• Overwhelming power and helplessness: Lingmeng defeats multiple Spirits and their strongest attacks with little effort.
• Control over reality and identity: Ain Soph lets Lingmeng dictate the rules of its space and wield a copy of Yamai’s weapon, unsettling the distinction between a Spirit and her powers.
• Leadership and protection under crisis: Kotori, Mana, and Miku act to save the crew even as Fraxinus is destroyed.
• Menace mixed with dark comedy: The scene’s catastrophic violence is punctuated by Kannazuki’s absurdly exaggerated suffering.

Chapter Summary

• Kotori’s group prepares to fight Lingmeng. Miku uses Gabriel—Requiem to heal and strengthen everyone. Kannazuki, pleased with his crash landing, is disappointed when the music removes his pain.
• Kotori hopes to escape and find Kurumi, whose time-manipulating powers might let them undo events and prevent Shido’s death—and thus Lingmeng’s Inversion. She orders Mana to get the others away while she attacks.
• Lingmeng activates Entropy Apostle—Erase, a field that cancels effects on her opponents. Miku’s boost disappears despite her continuing to play.
• Kotori fires Camael—Cannon at Lingmeng, but Lingmeng summons another Demon King, Ain Soph Aur: a purple-lit shrine containing a cage and living chains. The chains capture the injured Spirits, Kotori, Mana, Miku, and the crew. Lingmeng’s power strips away their Spirit Power and Territories, leaving them unable to resist.
• Inside the cage, their life force is drained and their bodies begin turning translucent. Lingmeng can control the rate of the drain and deliberately makes them suffer. Though she remembers who she was, her Inverse state drives her toward cruelty and destruction, against her own control.
• Just as Lingmeng prepares to kill everyone, an ethereal voice interrupts her: “This farce has gone on long enough, hasn’t it?” The chapter ends on this arrival.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Kotori remains resolute despite recognizing that she and the others are badly outmatched. She prioritizes escape and the possibility of saving Shido, then stays behind to cover the others.
• Miku willingly helps Kotori’s group, but Lingmeng’s power renders her support ineffective.
• Mana is tasked with leading the others to safety, while Kannazuki is left unable to fight because he lacks a Realizer.
• Lingmeng is overwhelmingly powerful, yet her cruelty is also presented as a loss of agency: she remembers herself but cannot control her thoughts or actions.
• The trapped Spirits and crew are forced into helpless cooperation, while the mysterious speaker’s interruption offers the first sign of possible intervention.

Significant Themes

• Powerlessness and sacrifice: Kotori fights to buy others time even when victory seems impossible.
• Corruption and loss of self: Lingmeng’s Inversion pits her memories against violent impulses she cannot govern.
• Hope amid despair: The plan to find Kurumi suggests the past may still be changed, and the final voice interrupts what appears to be certain death.

Key plot points and events

• Mosaic—identified by Kotori as Phantom—forces her way into Lingmeng’s Ain Soph. Lingmeng’s domain cannot hold her: their equally powerful domains cancel each other out.
• Lingmeng captures Mosaic with the Chains of Ain Soph Aur, but Mosaic reveals that Kotori, Miku, and the Inverse Spirits are close to death because Lingmeng’s Demon King has drained their life force.
• Mosaic says she cannot defeat Lingmeng outright, but Lingmeng cannot defeat her either. Using Spirit Power comparable to Lingmeng’s, she breaks the group out of the temple and protects them.
• Mosaic confronts Lingmeng with the devastation around them, reminding her that her Inversion destroyed humanity and nearly killed her friends. She also tells Lingmeng that Shido’s death is not entirely her fault and urges her to use her power to change his fate.
• Though Lingmeng initially attacks and begs Mosaic to stay away, Mosaic embraces her. A faint light from Mosaic calms Lingmeng’s destructive urge, and Lingmeng breaks down in tears.

Character developments

• Lingmeng shifts from destructive, emotionally numb aggression to acknowledging her guilt and grief. Once Mosaic quiets the urge driving her, she can finally let herself mourn Shido.
• Mosaic/Phantom reveals power on a level comparable to Lingmeng’s. Rather than trying to overpower her, she acts as a calm rescuer and offers emotional support.
• Kotori and Miku recognize Mosaic as the person who gave them their Spirit Crystals. Their anger at her past actions gives way to the urgent need to escape and survive.
• The trapped Spirits are shown to be physically fading from the loss of their life force, raising the stakes of Lingmeng’s rampage.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Lingmeng’s immense strength has caused catastrophic harm, making her confront the consequences of losing control.
• Grief, guilt, and forgiveness: Mosaic challenges Lingmeng’s belief that she alone is to blame for Shido’s death and urges her to turn that grief toward saving him.
• Compassion as a form of intervention: Mosaic’s embrace and mysterious light accomplish what force cannot, interrupting Lingmeng’s destructive impulse.
• Hope and the possibility of changing fate: The chance to use Lingmeng’s power to alter Shido’s ending offers a path forward.

Character interactions

• Lingmeng and Mosaic begin as opponents, testing each other’s domains and powers. Mosaic withstands Lingmeng’s attacks without retaliating.
• Kotori angrily confronts Mosaic about the Spirit Crystal she gave her, but Mosaic redirects attention to their immediate danger.
• Mosaic speaks directly to Lingmeng about the ruined world, her friends’ near-deaths, and Shido. When Lingmeng resists, Mosaic approaches anyway and comforts her, prompting Lingmeng to surrender to her grief.

Chapter Summary: “Meeting an Old Friend Again”

Key plot points and events

• Lingmeng briefly regains control after entering Inverse Form and breaks down over the deaths caused by her loss of control. Phantom comforts her, insisting that the situation can still be fixed.
• Kotori and the others ask Lingmeng to use her time-manipulating power to prevent Shido’s death. Lingmeng explains that she cannot currently summon her Elemental Spirit or change back from Inverse Form, so she cannot use her usual time ability.
• After an awkward attempt to apologize by offering herself for punishment, Lingmeng is stopped by Kotori, who is more exasperated than angry.
• Phantom calls out someone hiding nearby: Kurumi, who survived Lingmeng’s Spacequake by retreating into the shadows.
• Kurumi says her Sixth Bullet can send Lingmeng’s consciousness into her past body. Though Lingmeng has little Spirit Power left from earlier events, she believes she can bring her present Inverse Form strength with her.
• Kurumi uses her Angel, Zafkiel, and draws some Spirit Power from Lingmeng as payment. She then fires the Sixth Bullet, preparing to send Lingmeng back in time to save Shido and undo the catastrophe.

Character developments

• Lingmeng is overwhelmed by guilt but shifts from despair toward determination. She accepts responsibility for the damage and resolves to repair it.
• Kurumi reappears as a potential solution, helping Lingmeng while remaining playful and transactional about the cost.
• Kotori stays focused on saving Shido, though her frustration and exhaustion show how dire the situation has become.
• Phantom continues to support Lingmeng and reveals that Kurumi is nearby.

Character interactions

• Phantom consoles Lingmeng, while Kotori and the others press her for a way to reverse events.
• Lingmeng’s over-the-top offer to accept punishment briefly excites Miku and the male crew, prompting Kotori to shut the situation down.
• Lingmeng and Kurumi negotiate the use of the Sixth Bullet, with Kurumi demanding Spirit Power in exchange.
• Before the time jump, Lingmeng tells Tohka and the others that she will save Shido first and then deal with them.

Significant themes

• Guilt and responsibility: Lingmeng feels accountable for the deaths and destruction caused by her Inverse Form.
• Hope through cooperation: Phantom’s reassurance and Kurumi’s time-travel ability give the group a chance to change the outcome.
• Power and its consequences: Lingmeng’s overwhelming strength has caused disaster, but may now be used to prevent it.

Key plot points and events

• Kurumi shoots Lingmeng with a black bullet, separating her consciousness from her body and sending her to a vast, white space.
• There she meets Xier Ya, the god who previously sent her to the Date A Live world. They trade insults and argue about their past, including Xier Ya’s grudge over a video game.
• Xier Ya admits she sent Lingmeng to another world partly out of spite: after destroying Lingmeng’s original body, she created a new one and made her live as a girl.
• Xier Ya offers to return Lingmeng to her original world with her current body and most of her powers. She also promises to restore Shido’s world to its original timeline, undoing the deaths Lingmeng feels responsible for.
• Lingmeng refuses to leave. Though she claims she prefers the company of the beautiful girls around Shido, Xier Ya teases her for being in love with him. Lingmeng’s distressed reaction to the possibility of Shido’s death gives away her feelings.
• Xier Ya agrees to let Lingmeng stay, but says she must first learn to control her powers after going Inverse.

Character developments

• Lingmeng chooses her new life and relationships over the apparent advantages of returning to her original world. She also begins to acknowledge, however indirectly, how much Shido matters to her.
• Xier Ya reveals that her earlier explanation was incomplete and that her actions were partly motivated by petty revenge. Despite her teasing and irritation, she shows affection for Lingmeng and ultimately respects her choice.

Significant themes

• Belonging and chosen home: Lingmeng’s unfamiliar original world matters less to her than the bonds she has formed with Shido and the others.
• Responsibility and redemption: Even when Xier Ya offers to erase the consequences, Lingmeng initially feels compelled to face the harm she believes she caused.
• Affection beneath banter: The characters’ insults and teasing mask a genuine bond, while Lingmeng’s denial hints at unspoken romantic feelings.
• Power and accountability: Lingmeng’s Inverse transformation makes control of her abilities an urgent concern.

Character interactions

• Lingmeng and Xier Ya clash in a familiar, playful argument, mixing accusations and jokes with a sense of old intimacy.
• Xier Ya embarrasses Lingmeng by teasing her about Shido and threatening to replay her emotional reaction to his apparent death.
• Their exchange ends with Xier Ya taking a quasi-parental role and agreeing to let Lingmeng stay—on the condition that she learn to control her Inverse powers.

Key plot points

• Xier Ya explains that Lingmeng’s Inverse state left her conscious but overwhelmed by destructive urges. She gives Lingmeng a “Superpower Necklace,” whose ten gems represent the Kabbalistic Sephirot and whose power can suppress that urge.
• Lingmeng puts it on and immediately feels calmer. Before leaving through Xier Ya’s portal, she thanks her, hugs her, and playfully slaps her backside.
• The scene then rewinds several hours. During the battle against Inverse Tohka and the others, Fraxinus detects that Lingmeng has gone Inverse too. She appears in a black Astral Dress with three pairs of wings, alarming Shido and the others.
• Lingmeng realizes she has returned to an earlier point in time. This time, no Spacequake occurred, so the people who died in the previous version of events are safe. She believes the necklace prevented the destruction.
• Seeing Shido alive, Lingmeng rushes to embrace him. She is relieved and still remembers him, unlike the other Inverse Spirits. Shido is embarrassed by the close hug, and she lets go when she notices.

Character developments and interactions

• Lingmeng remains herself despite being Inverse: she can recognize loved ones, understand what has happened, and restrain her destructive impulse. Her relief at seeing Shido shows how deeply she cares for him.
• Xier Ya acts as a protective, if teasing and exasperated, mother figure. Lingmeng’s gratitude softens their banter, and Xier Ya is pleased to see her happy.
• Shido is worried by Lingmeng’s transformation, but quickly realizes her behavior differs from the other Inverse Spirits. Their reunion is affectionate, though his embarrassment provides comic relief.
• Miku reacts admiringly to Lingmeng’s appearance, even as the others worry about the danger she may pose.

Significant themes

• Identity and self-control: Inversion need not erase Lingmeng’s consciousness or personality; the necklace helps her resist its destructive drive.
• Second chances and consequences: Returning to an earlier moment gives Lingmeng a chance to prevent the deaths caused in the previous timeline.
• Affection beneath teasing: Lingmeng and Xier Ya’s joking insults conceal genuine gratitude and care.

Plot points and events

• Lingmeng reunites with Shido and the others after surviving her Inverse transformation. She spots Ellen—and the concealed DEM airship—before either can surprise her.
• Ellen reveals she returned intending to make Lingmeng go Inverse, but is startled that Lingmeng has already transformed and retained her sense of self. Lingmeng refuses to explain and summons her Demon King, Entropy Apostle, then begins invoking a second, Ain Soph, astonishing everyone.
• Lingmeng uses Ain Soph’s domain to strip Tohka, Yoshino, and Yamai of their Spirit Power and immobilize them, preventing them from interfering while she fights Ellen.
• Claiming she can defeat Ellen in three seconds, Lingmeng attacks first. Entropy Apostle’s “Terror” forces Ellen to relive painful memories, leaving her overwhelmed. Lingmeng follows with a powerful kick that injures Ellen and drives her into the ground.
• A large group of DEM Wizards charges Lingmeng. Rather than kill them, she uses “Negativity” to create sludge duplicates with matching appearances and strength. The duplicates fight the Wizards, gradually win, and defeat the entire force of more than a hundred.
• Miku, Shido, and the others watch in awe as Lingmeng demonstrates the scale of her new power.

Character developments

• Lingmeng remains herself despite going Inverse and displays extraordinary confidence and control. Though capable of lethal force, she deliberately chooses attacks that spare her opponents where possible, shaped by her memories of killing humanity.
• Ellen is caught off guard and badly hurt. Her confidence is shaken when Lingmeng overwhelms her with a mental attack and physical strength.
• Shido and Miku are stunned by Lingmeng’s survival and abilities; Miku openly admires her.
• Tohka, Yoshino, and Yamai are temporarily helpless, restrained by Lingmeng’s domain.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Lingmeng’s strength is immense, but she tries to avoid killing, even when facing enemies.
• Identity after transformation: Lingmeng’s ability to retain her selfhood after going Inverse challenges expectations about Spirits.
• The weight of painful memories: Entropy Apostle weaponizes trauma, while Lingmeng’s own terrible memories influence her choices.
• Overwhelming strength and spectacle: Lingmeng’s new abilities dramatically shift the balance against DEM.

Character interactions

• Lingmeng teases Shido about having seen him die, leaving him uneasy, then avoids explaining what she means.
• She confronts Ellen with taunts and refuses to answer questions about her transformation.
• Lingmeng reassures the immobilized Spirits that she will deal with them later, then turns to face Ellen.
• Miku expresses admiration for Lingmeng, while Lingmeng responds to the victory with conspicuous pride before remembering to address Shido.

Key events

• Lingmeng restores Shido’s strength with Ain Soph and tells him to bring the Inverse Spirits back rather than fight them.
• Shido dismisses his weapon and kisses Tohka, prompting her buried memories of him to return. She comes back to herself and her Inverse outfit and weapon disappear.
• He repeats the process with Yoshino, whose memories are less clear, then uses the Elemental Spirit’s power over time to undo Yamai’s merger. Kaguya and Yuzuru reappear separately, and Shido seals them back to normal.
• With the others restored, Lingmeng says Shido still has one task left: sealing her. She willingly prepares herself, but the scene ends before he does so.

Character developments and interactions

• Shido moves past his uncertainty and acts on Lingmeng’s advice, relying on trust and affection rather than force. His kisses restore the Spirits’ memories and awareness.
• Tohka recognizes Shido as the person who gave her a name and greets him with renewed trust.
• Yoshino and the Yamai sisters awaken confused about what happened; Shido tries to reassure them, though his claim that nothing serious occurred rings hollow amid the city’s destruction.
• Lingmeng shifts from guiding Shido to placing herself in his hands. The others admire her Inverse appearance, teasing her about its revealing design.

Themes

• Love and memory: Shido’s affection reconnects the Spirits with their identities and shared past.
• Restoration over destruction: The goal is not to defeat the Inverse Spirits, but to bring them home.
• Trust and vulnerability: Shido gives up his weapon, while Lingmeng openly entrusts herself to him.
• Responsibility amid consequences: The Spirits are restored, but the ruined city hints at the cost of the battle.

Plot points and events

• Shido and Lingmeng share a final kiss, successfully sealing Lingmeng’s Spirit Power. Shido immediately collapses from exhaustion, but Reine confirms that he only needs to sleep while his body adjusts.
• Lingmeng, Shido, Tohka, and the others are transported to Fraxinus. Miku learns that Shido has been supported by an organization all along—and admits she had noticed his odd conversations during their dates, though she thought they were part of his “Shiori” persona.
• Kotori sends the Spirits for examinations and Mana for treatment. Miku initially hesitates, then rushes to join them after hearing Lingmeng and the others will be there; her enthusiasm soon earns her a beating from Lingmeng.
• The crisis is over: the Spirits had gone Inverse and the city was devastated, but no one died. Kotori postpones questions about Lingmeng’s actions until everyone has recovered.
• Kurumi confirms that Lingmeng’s intervention changed the timeline and prevented Shido’s death. However, Kurumi still has not found the second Spirit rumored to be held by DEM, so she returns to searching.
• The next morning, Shido wakes after a few hours. He finds Lingmeng and Miku together watching Lingmeng’s singing video, and Miku urges her to become a school idol with her.

Character developments and interactions

• Shido succeeds in sealing Lingmeng’s power, then rests as his body adjusts. His casual remark that he and Lingmeng have kissed several times draws the other Spirits’ attention.
• Lingmeng is relieved when Shido is confirmed safe and helps guide the others through the familiar Fraxinus routines. She also shares her singing with Miku.
• Miku discovers the organization behind Shido’s efforts and responds with curiosity rather than alarm. Her admiration for Lingmeng’s voice quickly turns into an eager proposal to sing together.
• Kotori takes charge of the group’s recovery, while Mana accepts treatment for her injuries.
• Kurumi is satisfied that the timeline has been repaired, though her search for the second Spirit remains unresolved.

Significant themes

• Protection and sacrifice: Lingmeng’s intervention prevents Shido’s death, while the group focuses on recovering safely after the disaster.
• Recovery after crisis: Despite the city’s destruction and the Spirits’ Inversion, the absence of casualties offers hope and allows life to resume.
• Unresolved mysteries: Lingmeng’s motives and the missing second Spirit remain unanswered.
• New bonds and shared interests: Miku’s admiration for Lingmeng’s singing creates a lighthearted opening for a new connection.