Chapter Summaries

Cornelia learned that Great Han had destroyed a Heavy Laser-Class with an orbital strike and reluctantly admired Lin Cuo’s military decisiveness. Lin Cuo received notice that Cornelia’s respect for him had increased as Suzaku entered the battlefield in the cable-dependent Dauntless Type.

• Cornelia watched footage confirming that Great Han’s Celestial Balance Seven had sacrificed its platform to destroy the Heavy Laser-Class with a Kinetic Projectile.
• Cornelia lamented that Great Han had validated an orbital strike before the Empire and privately admired Lin Cuo’s willingness to commit resources to war.
• Cornelia ordered the Imperial Academy of Sciences to review Great Han’s orbital strike data and quietly praised its work.
• Lin Cuo saw the System Interface raise Cornelia’s relationship score to +24, while Kallen told him to stop touching her control interface.
• Suzaku drove the Dauntless Type onto the battlefield and was warned to stay inside its power supply range.

Suzaku used the Dauntless Type to destroy waves of BETA, but its sustained radiation attacks overheated the cockpit and the supervision crew shocked him when he tried to bypass its restrictions. In Luoyang, Kaguya Sumeragi and Jiang Lihua reviewed the growing workload of the functioning Area 11 Government-in-Exile.

• Suzaku received permission to fire radiation fluctuations at a cluster of Tank-class BETA and destroyed hundreds with the Dauntless Type.
• The Dauntless Type's sustained output raised the cockpit temperature to sixty degrees, and the remote technical terminal rejected Suzaku's request for more cooling.
• Suzaku was shocked when he tried to bypass the machine's restrictions, then used rapid inputs to block charging BETA and attack in several directions.
• The military police noticed Suzaku's reaction speed rising under controlled stimulation and recorded the change, while Suzaku protested their method.
• Kaguya Sumeragi helped Jiang Lihua review Area 11 contracts and personnel applications as the exiled government took on routine administrative work.

Jiang Lihua and Kaguya Sumeragi complained about Lin Cuo’s constant demands and his long absence, then discovered a report saying his government had used them and Lelouch to pressure Suzaku Kururugi during Dauntless Type testing. Jiang Lihua ordered an investigation and planned to confront Lin Cuo, while both women hoped he would return safely.

• Jiang Lihua told Kaguya Sumeragi that Lin Cuo kept burdening her with paperwork and had not spent proper time with her.
• Kaguya Sumeragi recalled Lin Cuo turning their private meetings into political and military discussions, and agreed to join Jiang Lihua in scolding him.
• An Imperial Secretary delivered a Special Inspection Summary about Suzaku Kururugi’s Dauntless Type tests, which said the Regent Government had used the safety of Lelouch, Kaguya Sumeragi, and Imperial Technical Personnel to pressure Suzaku.
• Kaguya Sumeragi and Jiang Lihua objected to being used as threats, and Jiang Lihua ordered the Secretariat and Imperial Audit to investigate and review the test supervision measures.
• Jiang Lihua vowed to scold Lin Cuo when he returned, while Kaguya Sumeragi said she first hoped he would come back alive.

Cornelia struggled to restore order as BETA erupted beneath the Third Transport Corridor, while Lin Cuo and Kallen joined the rescue effort to protect the withdrawing Imperial forces. The rescue route was partly cleared, but the enemy intelligence confirmed the Persia-Khorasan Hive had entered its First Phase.

• Cornelia ordered the Imperial units to follow the withdrawal sequence and sent Gilford to open the eastern road while Dalton evacuated the wounded and logistics units.
• BETA emerged from a collapsed highway, and Cornelia personally led a blocking action to protect the casualty convoy.
• Lin Cuo and Kallen arrived with the Great Han joint rescue formation, while Houki Shinonono and Lingyin Huang covered the withdrawal route.
• Kallen used the Guren's Radiation Fluctuation Generator to suppress BETA attacking the convoy as Lin Cuo assisted with targeting and shielding.
• A beam from the valley struck the Guren's Radiation Barrier, and Kallen warned Lin Cuo not to distract her while she piloted.
• Western Common Defense headquarters reported that the Persia-Khorasan Hive had completed its Zero Phase and entered its First Phase.

Lin Cuo learned that the BETA Hive had entered its First Phase and was adapting its production to human military technology. He also received a recorded message from Rory Swann about the Koprulu fleet’s situation and a promised return gift, whose contents remained unrevealed.

• Lin Cuo saw the BETA Hive’s First Phase report, which showed that its reactor, resource network, and regular production of Laser-Class units were active.
• Lin Cuo realized that the BETA could keep replenishing forces underground and adapt its units and production priorities in response to human technology.
• Lin Cuo received a one-time reverse delivery message from the Koprulu Joint Evacuation Fleet through the aid contract.
• Rory Swann explained that Lin Cuo’s Sakuradite had stabilized medical power supplies and navigation beacons, and that the fleet had arranged material and manufacturing cooperation with the Kel-Morian Combine.
• Swann reported that Amon’s forces included a dangerous Necron-Guk Hybrid combining self-repairing living metal, rapidly reproducing biological tissue, and void energy effects.
• Swann said Raynor’s fleet was still rescuing evacuation ships and promised to send Lin Cuo something useful, but did not reveal the gift.

Swann presented the Great Han with Raynor’s gift: adaptable engineering and ground-force technical frameworks, while warning that the war against Amon limited what they could send. The transmission ended with Swann urging the Great Han’s engineers to study the files themselves, leaving further aid dependent on surviving the war.

• Swann explained that Koprulu’s interface rated the Great Han’s industrial capacity as low despite its refined Sakuradite.
• Swann sent a modular SCV design framework that the Great Han would need to adapt to its own materials, power systems, and manufacturing capabilities.
• Swann provided technical documents for CMC powered armor, C-14 Gauss Rifles, Medics, Firebats, and Marauders.
• Swann complained that the technical files consumed most of the return delivery allowance while his crew struggled to repair their own ships.
• Swann warned that more advanced technology could cost too much to transmit and that rapid growth might bring responsibilities beyond the Great Han’s control.
• Raynor called the transmission a gift, and Swann ended the communication by telling the Great Han to study the files and survive the war.

Lin Cuo received advanced ground-combat technology and sent the powered armor materials to Li Xingke, who was already managing the Persia Hive’s transition into its First Phase. Overwhelmed by the added work, Li Xingke redirected research administration to the government and decided to stop personally handling every problem Lin Cuo caused.

• The System Interface delivered a blank SCV engineering template and technical archives for Koprulu ground combat equipment, and Lin Cuo sent the CMC-300 Powered Armor materials to Li Xingke.
• The Persia-Khorasan Hive established its First Phase nest, prompting Li Xingke to revise combat planning and warn against estimating enemy strength from kill counts.
• Li Xingke opened Lin Cuo’s powered armor proposal, objected to its timing, and learned that Lin Cuo had disabled non-emergency private communications.
• Li Xingke asked Cao Yuanming to have the Secretariat and relevant commissions review powered armor and other projects, leaving the frontline responsible only for military requirements.
• Li Xingke told Cao Yuanming he would hide his abilities by admitting when matters exceeded his role, while Cao Yuanming complained that Li had sent him forty-seven files.

Lin Cuo and Kallen rescued Cornelia after her Gloucester was trapped by BETA, then brought her aboard the Guren under Great Han’s temporary protection. Cornelia objected to Lin Cuo restricting her communications, and he claimed Euphemia had proposed a postwar date with him.

• Lin Cuo learned that Li Xingke had acquired the Crouching Dragon Concealing Talent trait and could no longer be relied on to take every task onto himself.
• Cornelia’s Gloucester was disabled and surrounded by BETA, while Gilford was cut off by Tank-class emerging from the road.
• Lin Cuo’s rescue team arrived, and Kallen and the others fought back the BETA as Lin Cuo pulled Cornelia from her cockpit.
• The Gloucester fell into a fissure after Cornelia was rescued, and Lin Cuo restricted her communications while describing her as under Great Han’s temporary protection.
• Cornelia confronted Lin Cuo about her sister, and he claimed Euphemia had suggested that they go on a date after the war.

Lin Cuo argued with Cornelia about a possible marriage alliance between Great Han and Britannia while Kallen piloted the Guren through an attack. As they escaped, Lin Cuo considered using the alliance to gain access to Britannia’s royal family and ancient ruins, leaving Cornelia furious at his remarks about her father.

• Cornelia demanded to know what Euphemia had agreed to, and Lin Cuo explained that he had discussed a marriage alliance with the Son of Heaven of Great Han.
• The Guren swerved to evade Assault-class units, and Lin Cuo tried to steady Cornelia as she slid across the cramped rescue compartment.
• Kallen told Lin Cuo to use the rescue seat’s controls, and Cornelia fastened her harness before threatening to complain to the Son of Heaven and question her father about the alliance.
• Lin Cuo considered trading research access to ancient ruins for a marriage alliance and gaining entry to Britannia’s royal political network.
• Lin Cuo praised Charles and suggested he might call him father-in-law, prompting Cornelia to angrily demand that he take back his insult.

Lin Cuo, Kallen, and Cornelia argued over Lin Cuo’s conduct and their relationship while piloting the Guren through the battlefield. A new fissure forced them to return to the Third Transportation Corridor, where Cornelia used Great Han’s command terminal to redirect imperial troops.

• Cornelia challenged Kallen about defending Lin Cuo, and Kallen acknowledged his flaws while citing his actions to rescue imperial soldiers.
• Lin Cuo teased Kallen about their partnership, while Cornelia realized that Kallen trusted him despite openly opposing him.
• A red alert reported that an underground fissure had widened northwest of the Third Transportation Corridor, and Kallen turned back to assist the withdrawing imperial troops.
• Lin Cuo showed Cornelia the Guren’s joint command interface and offered her access to the theater map and friendly unit markers.
• Cornelia contacted Gilford and Dalton, confirmed she was safe, and ordered troops from the Fourth and Sixth Garrison Sectors to transfer east.

After Gilford and Dalton warned Cornelia about Lin Cuo, she resumed command and studied his military research on combining blitzkrieg with deep operations. Lin Cuo assigned her temporary joint fire coordination, and she accepted on the condition that imperial forces remained under imperial authority; she then helped locate wounded soldiers for evacuation.

• Gilford and Dalton urged Cornelia not to sign documents or accept demands from Lin Cuo, and she ordered Dalton to send her the positions of the remaining imperial armored forces.
• Cornelia read Lin Cuo's study of deep operations and blitzkrieg, and the System Interface reported that it was improving her understanding of multinational theater coordination.
• Lin Cuo asked Cornelia to take charge of temporary joint fire coordination, and she agreed while reserving imperial command authority and limiting her responsibility to the current operation.
• Cornelia questioned whether Lin Cuo might favor the Empire when deploying Great Han support units, and he said cooperation was necessary to improve their chances of victory.
• Lin Cuo noticed thirty-seven wounded soldiers at an Imperial field medical station whose communications had failed, and Kallen went to evacuate them.

Lin Cuo blocked Suzaku Kururugi from contacting Cornelia and used Kaguya Sumeragi’s apparent danger to force him to keep fighting. Kaguya learned that Lin Cuo had used a harmless demonstration terminal to deceive Suzaku, and she was left unsettled by how strongly he had reacted.

• Lin Cuo concealed Suzaku’s interrupted call to Cornelia by claiming Dauntless One was a Great Han experimental unit with communications issues.
• Military police stopped Suzaku from contacting Cornelia and shocked him when he resisted their orders during Dauntless One’s combat test.
• Lin Cuo showed Suzaku a message and a live feed of Kaguya, making Suzaku believe her safety depended on his cooperation.
• After another prolonged shock, Suzaku resumed fighting and used Dauntless One’s radiation weapon to immobilize approaching BETA.
• Kaguya told her secretary to remove the demonstration terminal and objected that Lin Cuo had used it to frighten Suzaku, then wondered why Suzaku had believed the threat.