Chapter Summaries

After failing to recruit Zero, Jonas considered the Federation negotiations and accepted Chelsea’s dinner invitation, unaware that Shigure Ryoko planned to expose his faults. The chapter left the three seated together at a restaurant, with Ryoko determined to convince Chelsea that Jonas was not as wonderful as she thought.

• Jonas failed to persuade Zero to work for him because she insisted Dorothy had to agree first, and he chose not to use the Thought Seal to force her.
• Jonas waited for Eiffel to finish drafting the Federation treaties and rejected proposals from families hoping to take Dorothy’s place.
• Jonas accepted Chelsea’s invitation to dinner, then learned Shigure Ryoko would join them.
• At the restaurant, Ryoko explained that Chelsea had dressed her for the occasion and had dragged her along after she criticized Jonas.
• Ryoko secretly resolved to show Chelsea Jonas’s faults and stop her from praising him.

Shigure Ryoko joined Jonas and Chelsea for dinner, where Jonas explained how he had undermined the Federation and Chelsea revealed she had prepared to support his war effort. Chelsea and Jonas went to the same private room as before, and Ryoko overcame her hesitation to follow them inside.

• Jonas teased Shigure Ryoko for listening in, and Chelsea defended her invitation and asked Ryoko to praise her outfit.
• Over dinner, Jonas said he had a contact in the Federation's upper ranks who could influence its decisions.
• Chelsea revealed she had already mobilized her industrial operations to support Jonas, but shifted production after he won an early victory.
• Shigure Ryoko insisted she would stay with Chelsea and held her arm as they followed Jonas to the private room.
• Chelsea told Ryoko she could go home, but Ryoko knocked on the door and Chelsea pulled her inside.

Jonas left Shigure Ryoko and Chelsea to return to his business as unrest spread through the Federation after its defeat. Dorothy reflected on how she had secretly eliminated the other Forerunners and built her power, ending with her meeting Jonas.

• Jonas woke beside Shigure Ryoko, who clung to him in her sleep, while Chelsea finished showering.
• Jonas dressed and left to attend to company business, while Chelsea stayed behind to wait for Shigure Ryoko to wake.
• Dorothy watched unrest and political maneuvering grow in the Federation after its failed war against District 25.
• Dorothy recalled how the Predecessor Civilization's legacy first gave her hope, then demanded obedience and revealed that she was only one of several Forerunners.
• Dorothy secretly identified and eliminated the other Forerunners, took over their legacies, and rose to power behind the scenes.
• Dorothy's recollection ended with her meeting Jonas.

After District 25’s surprise attack left the Federation defeated, Dorothy decided to negotiate an agreement with Jonas and accept District 25’s rule to preserve her strength. Just as she tried to rest, the Predecessor Civilization took control of her body, and she asked Noel to ensure Jonas attended the signing in person.

• Noel told Dorothy that District 25 had contacted the Federation to ask whether it would maintain the stalemate or return to conventional warfare.
• Dorothy weighed the consequences of surrendering power and concluded that cooperating with District 25 offered the best chance to survive and regain influence later.
• Dorothy ordered Noel to arrange the agreement and instructed negotiators to secure concessions, including land from families unwilling to contribute.
• After Noel left, a voice in Dorothy’s mind announced that it would take charge of her body, and Dorothy’s eyes turned inhumanly indifferent.
• The entity using Dorothy’s body told Noel to have Jonas attend the agreement signing in person.

Jonas and Eiffel finalized the peace agreement after the Federation accepted District 25’s terms and agreed to sign near its military base. Jonas prepared security for the signing, while remaining wary of Dorothy’s intentions.

• District 25’s conglomerates publicized the coming peace agreement, while Jonas let Eiffel handle the negotiations and paperwork.
• Eiffel told Jonas that the treaty required the Federation to surrender and hand over the commander responsible for the surprise attack on District 25.
• After rejecting the Federation’s request for Jonas to travel there, Eiffel secured an agreement for Dorothy to sign at District 25’s defensive line.
• Jonas ordered Esnie to accompany him and commissioned Beigong Ling to provide additional security for the signing.
• Jonas rested while wondering whether he had overlooked the reason behind Dorothy’s proposal, and afternoon arrived.

Jonas traveled to sign the peace agreement between District 25 and the Federation, and the signing appeared to end the war. Afterward, the Federation representatives exploded in an apparent attack, leaving Jonas, Beigong Ling, and Esnie fleeing amid renewed chaos.

• Jonas arrived with Esnie and Beigong Ling to sign the agreement, and Beigong Ling urged him to avoid lingering.
• Jonas reviewed the terms, accepted them, and signed the agreement with the Federation representatives.
• After Jonas asked where Dorothy was, the chief representative began swelling, and Esnie cut off his head before his body exploded.
• The other three representatives also exploded, and Jonas used Psionic Energy to shield himself from the blasts.
• Beigong Ling carried Jonas out toward the car while Esnie followed, as soldiers and Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha raised the alarm.

Jonas, Beigong Ling, and Esnie escaped an attack using controlled Psionics who detonated themselves against the Military Base’s Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha. Jonas suspected the attack did not fit Dorothy’s usual judgment, and their safe return to District 25 left the district in an uproar.

• Beigong Ling and Esnie helped Jonas flee toward District 25 as explosions and mecha engines sounded behind them.
• Jonas, Beigong Ling, and Esnie saw controlled Psionics swell and explode, destroying nearby Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha.
• Esnie drove through another group of controlled Psionics while the car’s weapons and District 25’s forces dealt with their attackers from a distance.
• Jonas questioned whether Dorothy had ordered the attack, since it seemed irrational and risked further weakening the Federation.
• Jonas, Beigong Ling, and Esnie reached District 25 safely, where the incident caused an uproar.

District 25 erupted in anger after the Federation representative sabotaged the televised agreement, and residents began boycotting Federation goods and demanding a break in ties. Jonas reviewed documents in the Alt Conglomerate Tower as new information about the Predecessor Civilization emerged.

• District 25 residents celebrated the Federation representative signing the agreement, then watched in shock as he expanded and explosions and alarms followed.
• Crowds across District 25 condemned the Federation, protested, and called for all ties with it to be severed.
• Residents boycotted Federation goods and voiced their anger in speeches, taverns, alleys, and street stalls.
• Jonas studied documents in the Alt Conglomerate Tower after a breakthrough in information about the Predecessor Civilization.

Jonas read newly decrypted records from the Predecessor Civilization and learned that its Ascension plan required sacrificing an entire civilization. He also discovered the Forerunner Project, a contingency for the Predecessors to revive by taking over successors, leaving him certain that their goals directly opposed humanity’s survival.

• Eiffel brought Jonas sorted records recovered by an Alt Conglomerate expedition from underground ruins.
• Jonas read that the Predecessor Civilization pursued spiritual Ascension through a ritual requiring the sacrifice of an entire civilization, which he suspected had been the Zerg.
• Jonas found an undecipherable passage and learned that R&D could not determine its meaning.
• Jonas read that the Forerunner Project would give suitable successors the Predecessor Civilization’s knowledge and technology, but could also let the Predecessors take over their bodies if their original plan failed.
• Jonas concluded that the Predecessor Civilization intended to sacrifice current humanity for Ascension, making survival a conflict between the two sides.

Jonas learned that the Predecessor Civilization had been destroyed in its war with the Zerg but had survived in fragments and still sought Ascension. He confirmed that Dorothy’s body had been taken over by a being calling itself Consciousness, leaving him to act on his own.

• After reading the documents, Jonas met Annis Erdoka in a dreamlike space, where she warned him that the Predecessor Civilization still had ambitions and that he should stop it before it recovered.
• Annis Erdoka told Jonas that the Predecessor Civilization and the Zerg had both been gravely wounded, with the civilization destroyed and the Zerg surviving through cracks.
• Jonas woke and called Dorothy to confirm whether the Predecessor Civilization had taken over her body.
• Dorothy said she had willingly offered her body to the Predecessor Civilization in exchange for power and had become its successor.
• When Jonas asked about its plans, Dorothy identified Ascension as its goal and introduced herself as Consciousness.

Celine went to train with Amau Mako despite wanting to spend the day with Jonas, and their conversation brought Mako’s lingering feelings for him to the surface. Celine challenged Mako to prove she had moved on, and the chapter ended with them alone with Jonas in the locked lounge.

• Celine complained to Amau Mako that she wanted to skip training to see Jonas, but Mako reminded her she had already used her monthly day off and made her come to the training grounds.
• Celine and Amau Mako trained their psionic control, then Mako asked Celine why she liked Jonas so much.
• Jonas arrived at the training grounds, and Amau Mako wondered aloud what her relationship with him was before blushing and admitting she had once developed feelings for him.
• Amau Mako insisted her feelings had disappeared, so Celine proposed testing her composure in the lounge with Jonas.
• Amau Mako went into the locked lounge with Jonas, and the encounter ended with her calling him a scumbag.

Dorothy announced that the Federation would deploy the Space-Based Weapon against District 25, dismissing objections and civilian casualties. She left the meeting without acknowledging Noel, who fell from her wheelchair trying to stop her.

• Officials at Dorothy’s meeting sensed that she had become colder and more autocratic, while Noel had grown distant from her.
• Dorothy announced that the Space-Based Weapon would be used to clear obstacles in District 25, despite the civilians who would die.
• Tom and another young official objected, and Sarah urged Dorothy to consider humanitarian concerns, but Dorothy threatened dissenters and insisted on absolute control.
• A longtime follower defended Dorothy, while the rest of the officials remained silent under her warning that betrayal would threaten their future.
• Dorothy ordered the Space-Based Weapon prepared as soon as possible and left the conference room without waiting for approval.
• Noel tried to stop Dorothy in the corridor, fell from her wheelchair, and watched Dorothy walk away without acknowledging her.

Reynard, Lia, Evan, and Malcolm tried to stop Dorothy from using the Space-Based Weapon by sabotaging its control systems, but Dorothy discovered their plot and had them killed. She ordered another purge and resolved to replace Federation loyalists with people loyal to her.

• Reynard, Lia, Evan, and Malcolm agreed to destroy the Space-Based Weapon's control systems and contact Jonas to prevent a massacre in District 25.
• Malcolm led the group through the Federation's security to the Underground Server Room and opened its Electronic Lock.
• Dorothy appeared at the entrance with armed subordinates and accused the group of plotting a rebellion.
• Malcolm tried to explain that they wanted to protect civilians, but Dorothy dismissed their concerns and said she wanted absolute control and order.
• Reynard shot at Dorothy, but the bullet passed through her projection, and Dorothy's subordinates killed the rebels.
• Dorothy ordered another purge of Federation loyalists, then returned to her office and stared silently at the city.

Jonas learned that Dorothy had begun a sweeping purge of the Federation’s leadership and ordered Eiffel to protect their intelligence network while investigating Dorothy’s intentions. The chapter ended when Noel called Jonas.

• Jonas reflected on District 25’s residents directing their resentment toward the Federation while he monitored Dorothy and waited for the Research Department’s findings.
• Eiffel informed Jonas that Dorothy had almost completely replaced the Federation’s upper ranks in a sudden, large-scale purge.
• Jonas and Eiffel discussed how Dorothy had killed officials and conglomerate executives without regard for evidence or public opinion.
• Jonas ordered Eiffel to tell their moles to reduce risky communications, follow protocol, and investigate what Dorothy intended to do.
• Noel called Jonas.

Jonas learned from Noel that Dorothy, now controlled by Consciousness, was preparing to use a Space-Based Weapon against District 25. He resolved to stop the attack and believed he had a way to counter the weapon.

• Jonas answered Noel's call and learned that Dorothy was planning to use a Space-Based Weapon on District 25.
• Noel told Jonas she had contacted him because she could no longer stand by while Dorothy threatened innocent civilians.
• Jonas urged Noel to stay in the Federation, keep gathering information, and contact him when she learned when the weapon would fire.
• After ending the call, Jonas concluded that Consciousness had discarded Dorothy's humanity and was willing to destroy District 25.
• Jonas decided to confront Consciousness and use the countermeasure he had thought of when Noel mentioned the weapon.

Jonas prepared to use the Black Ring to redirect Dorothy’s Space-Based Weapon strike from District 25 into the Wasteland. He recruited Celine and Afanisi to supply the psionic energy needed to activate it and awaited news of the weapon’s firing time.

• Jonas decided to transfer the Space-Based Weapon’s destructive energy into the uninhabited Wasteland using the Black Ring.
• Jonas called Celine and Afanisi to his office, and both arrived expecting to hear about their future.
• Jonas told Celine and Afanisi that Dorothy planned to attack District 25 with the Space-Based Weapon.
• Jonas asked Celine and Afanisi to use their psionic energy to help the Black Ring cover District 25 and transfer the strike into the Wasteland.
• Jonas said Noel would warn him if she learned when the weapon would fire.

Dorothy launched the Space-Based Weapon at District 25, but Jonas, Celine, and Afanisi used the Black Ring to shield the district and redirect the blast into the Wasteland. District 25 survived the attack.

• Dorothy ordered the Space-Based Weapon prepared to fire at District 25 at midnight, and Noel secretly warned Jonas.
• Jonas gathered Celine and Afanisi at the Alt Conglomerate Office and prepared the Black Ring for the attack.
• As the Space-Based Weapon descended, Jonas, Celine, and Afanisi joined their psionic energy through the Black Ring.
• The weapon fired a devastating laser at District 25, but the Black Ring formed a vast shield of interlocking light panes.
• The shield absorbed and redirected the weapon's energy into the Wasteland, leaving District 25 standing.

Afanisi used the Black Ring psionic energy shield at Alt Tower to protect District 25 from two attacks by the Space-Based Weapon. The residents survived and credited the Alt Conglomerate, while Afanisi was satisfied that they would revere Mr. Jonas as a god.

• The Space-Based Weapon fired at District 25, but a barrier from Alt Tower caught the beam and redirected it into the Wasteland.
• The residents of District 25 celebrated their survival and realized that the Alt Conglomerate had shielded them.
• The Space-Based Weapon fired again, and a stronger Black Ring psionic energy shield formed over District 25.
• The shield redirected the second laser into the sky, where it vanished as a fiery object fell toward the city.
• Afanisi listened to the residents praise the Alt Conglomerate and felt satisfied that they would revere Mr. Jonas as a god.

After District 25 survived the Federation’s space-based weapon attack, its administration blamed Dorothy and the Federation and promised an investigation and protection under Jonas. District 25 residents flooded Federation social media with insults, while Federation users struggled to respond; the chapter ended with the online feud raging and Dorothy in her office.

• District 25 residents discussed the attack and blamed Dorothy and the Federation for targeting civilians.
• District 25’s administration issued a notice calling the attack planned, promising an investigation, and saying Jonas had activated emergency protection protocols.
• Residents of District 25 directed their anger at the Federation, flooding its social media with abuse and mockery.
• Federation users tried to reply but were overwhelmed by the attacks as the online conflict escalated.
• Dorothy remained in her office as the chapter shifted toward a different scene.

Dorothy faced condemnation from Federation officials over her failed operation and killed three who challenged her authority. Back in her office, she concluded that the Black Ring and the Zerg were connected.

• Dorothy read District 25's hostile comments and composed herself before meeting with senior Federation officials.
• Federation officials confronted Dorothy over the failed operation and demanded that she stop all operations.
• Dorothy defended her decisions and claimed responsibility, then caused three officials' heads to explode when they challenged her authority.
• Dorothy returned to her office and said she was certain about the Black Ring and the Zerg.