Recaps

Roland reassured Saten Ruiko after she arrived late to a Blue Dream Company briefing, but Shirai Kuroko mistook him for her kidnapper and tried to arrest him. After Roland effortlessly caught her teleporting attack and spanked her, Saten and Uiharu Kazari arrived to explain the misunderstanding, leaving Kuroko insisting nothing had happened.

• Roland told Saten Ruiko he would arrange a separate briefing and send her home to rest.
• Shirai Kuroko teleported Saten to safety and accused Roland of kidnapping her.
• Roland refused to go to the Judgment Branch and challenged Shirai Kuroko when she threatened to subdue him.
• Shirai Kuroko teleported to attack Roland, but he caught her and spanked her when she could not teleport away.
• Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari arrived and explained that Roland had rescued Saten, while Shirai Kuroko denied that anything had happened.

After Kuroko Shirai apologized for wrongly accusing Roland, he let her off in exchange for a favor and invited Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko to observe the Blue Dream Company's Dream Creator project. Kuroko grew suspicious of Roland's intentions and asked whether she could bring another friend along.

• Kuroko Shirai and Uiharu Kazari apologized to Roland for Shirai's unauthorized arrest and public accusation, and Roland explained how the mistake could damage Judgment and the Blue Dream Company.
• Kuroko accepted responsibility for the incident, and Roland agreed to forgive her in exchange for an undefined favor.
• Saten Ruiko revealed that she had received an invitation to the Blue Dream Company's Dream Creator project, prompting Uiharu to worry about its brain-installation risks.
• Roland offered Uiharu the chance to observe a project briefing and said Misaki Shokuhou, who helped lead the project, could conduct it.
• Uiharu eagerly accepted the invitation, and Saten pledged her support after Roland spoke about helping Level 0s.
• Kuroko, suspicious of Roland's motives, asked if she could invite another friend to observe the project.

Shirai Kuroko persuaded Misaka Mikoto to join Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari on a tour of Blue Dream Company, fearing Roland had ulterior motives. At the company, Misaka came face to face with Misaki Shokuhou and Roland, who greeted her as though they knew each other.

• Shirai Kuroko asked Misaka Mikoto to accompany her and her friends to Blue Dream Company, warning that Roland might be up to no good.
• Misaka met Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari, and the girls set out together for the company’s tour.
• Uiharu explained Blue Dream Company’s origins and Dream Creator’s development as the group approached the building.
• Roland greeted the girls at the entrance alongside Misaki Shokuhou, who introduced herself as the person in charge of the Dream Creator project.
• Roland recognized Misaka and asked, “Misaka, how have you been?”

Mikoto Misaka revealed that Roland had defeated her before, and the group learned that he created the Dream Creator to grant Level 0s his Magnetic Field Rotation ability without harmful effects. Misaki Shokuhou encouraged Mikoto to challenge Roland again, and he led them toward a combat area.

• Mikoto Misaka angrily stopped Kuroko Shirai from suggesting Roland had defiled her, then admitted she had lost to Roland before.
• Saten Ruiko connected Roland to Academy City's urban legend about an eighth Esper who had defeated a genuine Esper.
• Mikoto asked whether the Dream Creator harmed its users, and Roland explained that it safely gave them his Magnetic Field Rotation ability.
• Saten asked whether Dream Creator users could become as powerful as Espers, and Misaki Shokuhou pointed out that Roland's earlier victory showed the ability's potential.
• Misaki Shokuhou amplified Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari's excitement about seeing a fight, and Mikoto challenged Roland to battle again.
• Roland agreed to take Mikoto to a combat area and promised to show her that abilities of the same type could differ in strength.

Roland fought Mikoto Misaka as she tested a new way to use her electricity to enhance her body, then overwhelmed her and urged her to accept the Dream Creator. The battle left Mikoto tempted by the device but still asking Roland to put her down.

• Mikoto Misaka used bioelectricity to boost her physical abilities and charged Roland, who caught her punch without effort.
• Roland explained that her power remained constrained by her body and physics, then subdued her and taunted her about their different abilities.
• Roland caught Mikoto’s other hand and restrained her legs, but Kuroko Shirai appeared and clung to Mikoto’s legs herself.
• Roland revealed that he had lifted the magnetic-field lockdown, allowing Mikoto to realize Kuroko had been trapped by it and zap her.
• Roland invited Mikoto to install the Dream Creator and argued that she should not hesitate to seek power.
• Mikoto showed conflicted interest in the Dream Creator, then tearfully asked Roland to put her down.

Roland explained the Dream Creator project and invited Saten Ruiko to join, while Kuroko Shirai questioned whether the company was connected to the Level Upper crimes. He offered Shirai a way to investigate the matter herself by becoming a Blue Dream Company employee.

• Mikoto Misaka and Misaki Shokuhou traded insults until Roland intervened, and Mikoto checked on the revived Kuroko Shirai.
• Roland explained that the Dream Creator assisted with fine ability control and that Saten Ruiko's Level 0 ability could make her a suitable participant.
• Roland invited Saten to join the project, and Kuroko decided not to interfere with her choice.
• Kuroko asked Roland whether the Blue Dream Company was connected to Level Upper after learning that many suspects had installed its Dream Creators.
• Roland gave Kuroko access to related files and invited her to join the Blue Dream Company to investigate the crimes herself.

Kuroko Shirai used her new Blue Dream Company clearance to investigate suspected Level Upper incidents with Mikoto Misaka, while Roland explained why he hoped they would uncover the problem. The chapter ended with Mugino Shizuri finding Roland treating Rikō Takitsubō beneath his desk and angrily confronting him.

• Kuroko Shirai accepted a Blue Dream Company investigator ID, and she and Mikoto Misaka discussed their suspicions about the Dream Creator and Roland.
• Kuroko Shirai arranged a hospital investigation into Dream Creator implantation cases and invited Mikoto Misaka to join her.
• Harumi Kiyama introduced herself to Kuroko Shirai as the specialist assigned to help investigate suspected Level Upper incidents.
• Roland told Mugino Shizuri that Kuroko Shirai and Mikoto Misaka might expose Level Upper's spread, while discussing Junko Hokaze's potential with Magnetic Field Rotation.
• Mugino Shizuri discovered Rikō Takitsubō kneeling beneath Roland's desk, and Roland claimed he was using his Life Force to treat her and replace her dependence on drugs.

Roland explained that Mugino Shizuri and ITEM needed to bring an important silver-haired nun to the Blue Dream Organization, while teasing Mugino and keeping her with him until evening. As Mugino left for the mission, Roland noticed two unusual visitors approaching the Blue Dream Company and decided to meet them himself.

• Rikō Takitsubō thanked Mugino Shizuri and left after Roland praised her efforts and Mugino accepted her choice of treatment.
• Roland assigned Mugino Shizuri a mission to bring a silver-haired nun back to the Blue Dream Organization, explaining that they only needed to guide her there.
• Roland showed Mugino footage of the nun following a trail of food toward the Blue Dream Company, and Mugino questioned why the girl was important.
• Roland kept Mugino with him until evening, and she finally left to join ITEM for the mission.
• Roland displayed footage of a strangely dressed man and woman approaching the Blue Dream Company and chose to welcome them himself.

Stiyl and Kanzaki Kaori entered Blue Dream Company to rescue Index after Tsuchimikado Motoharu warned them about the company’s defenses and the fate of infiltrating spies. Tsuchimikado was intercepted by two Yafei and Roland, who told him he was lucky to meet him rather than be thrown into the Rebirth Pool.

• Stiyl and Kanzaki Kaori found Index’s traces difficult to detect inside Blue Dream Company and decided they had to reach her despite the risks.
• Tsuchimikado Motoharu warned Stiyl and Kanzaki Kaori that spies who infiltrated Blue Dream Company returned unable to commit wrongdoing or eat, but they entered after the gate opened.
• Tsuchimikado Motoharu left the area rather than join the rescue mission, then encountered two mechanical Yafei in the shadows.
• The Yafei immobilized and lifted Tsuchimikado Motoharu as Roland emerged between them.
• Roland told Tsuchimikado Motoharu that helping Stiyl and Kanzaki Kaori breach the gate meant he was already involved, and that meeting Roland was better than being sent to the Rebirth Pool.

Stiyl tried to draw the Blue Dream Company’s forces away while Kanzaki Kaori searched for Index, but the company’s mechanical Yafei resisted his strongest magic. Roland, the company’s leader, confronted Stiyl and swallowed the flames of Innocentius, leaving Stiyl stunned and outmatched.

• Stiyl split up from Kanzaki Kaori and attacked the Blue Dream Company’s territory to create a diversion.
• Two mechanical Yafei detected Stiyl and fought back, so he summoned Innocentius to restrain them and set the area ablaze.
• The Yafei activated their Voltage Sealer and began breaking down Innocentius’s power.
• Roland appeared, identified himself as the Blue Dream Company’s leader, and demanded compensation for the damage.
• Stiyl invoked his magic name and unleashed Innocentius against Roland, who swallowed the flames and left Stiyl terrified.

Roland defeated Stiyl by overwhelming him with the Primordial Rune, while Tsuchimikado Motoharu sided with the Blue Dream Company. Kanzaki Kaori arrived to save Stiyl, but her instincts drove her to face Roland instead of retreating.

• Roland swallowed Stiyl’s Innocentius and overpowered him, while Tsuchimikado Motoharu appeared and revealed that he had betrayed the Puritan Church to protect his faith and interests.
• Tsuchimikado suggested capturing Stiyl alive by having Yafei remove the Runes sustaining Innocentius, but Roland revealed that he had already defeated Stiyl by teaching him the Primordial Rune.
• The Yafei removed the Runes and approached Stiyl, but an unseen slash destroyed them as Kanzaki Kaori arrived and called out to him.
• Tsuchimikado warned Roland that Kanzaki might escape with Stiyl, but Roland said she would not run because she was a Saint.
• Kanzaki considered retreating but felt an overwhelming urge to fight Roland and stared at him with her sword ready.

Roland explained why Kanzaki Kaori’s Saintly instincts compelled her to fight him, then faced her attacks without showing fear. After her strongest sword strike failed to do more than chip his fingernail, Kanzaki was left shaken as Roland mocked her.

• Roland explained that Kanzaki’s Saintly constitution and the Holy Stigmata’s instincts made her see him as a natural enemy she had to fight.
• Kanzaki chose to confront Roland, unleashed her full power, and attacked him with Seven Flash.
• Roland turned Kanzaki’s steel wires against her, wounding her until the wires snapped under their opposing strength.
• Tsuchimikado carried the incapacitated Stiyl away while Kanzaki launched Single Flash at Roland.
• Roland emerged unharmed except for a chipped fingernail and compared Kanzaki’s strongest strike to a pair of nail clippers.

Roland defeated the badly wounded Kanzaki Kaori after blocking her Yuisen attacks and demonstrating how he could absorb and wield her Command Sword as part of his body. He ended the battle by impaling her with his Hell's Blade, leaving her fate unclear.

• Kanzaki Kaori struck Roland twice with Yuisen, but he stopped both attacks with a finger and sent her flying back.
• Roland praised Kaori's strength while she bled from the strain of repeatedly activating her Holy Stigma.
• Roland let Kaori's Command Sword pierce his palm and absorbed Seven Heavens Seven Swords into his body.
• Roland explained his unity of person and weapon, then formed Seven Heavens Seven Swords from his arms as Hell's Blade.
• Roland closed the distance and impaled Kaori with his blades, declaring the attack Hell-Piercing Sword.

Roland defeated Kanzaki Kaori and explained that his plans for Index would ultimately benefit her, while the injured Saint insisted on protecting the girl. At the same time, Mugino Shizuri and the other ITEM members found Index, whose sudden trance ended with her repeatedly calling out “Dragon.”

• Roland overwhelmed Kanzaki Kaori with Hell's Blade, leaving her gravely wounded, and Tsuchimikado Motoharu carried the unconscious Stiyl away.
• Roland arranged for Kanzaki Kaori's injuries to be treated, but she seized his ankle and vowed to protect Index from him.
• Roland argued that his interference would improve Index's life, healed Kanzaki Kaori, and prepared to show her what he meant.
• Mugino Shizuri, Frenda, Kinuhata Saiai, and Rikō Takitsubō kept Index safe after an attack shook the area, while Index warned them that magicians were pursuing her.
• Mugino Shizuri stopped Index from leaving, and Index abruptly fell into a trance and began repeating, “Dragon! Dragon! Dragon!”

Index recognized Roland as the Beast of Revelation and warned ITEM to flee, but Roland appeared before them and revealed his nature. Index then lost control and attacked him with Saint George’s Sanctuary, which Roland effortlessly destroyed.

• Index told Mugino Shizuri that she had seen the Antichrist, a dragon marked with the number 666, and warned ITEM to run.
• Mugino Shizuri ordered ITEM to retreat with Index, but Roland’s shadows engulfed their path before they could leave.
• Roland emerged from the shadows and confirmed to ITEM that he had been a Beast since before they met.
• Index’s eyes turned crimson as a protective barrier formed, and she identified Roland as the greatest threat and began calculating countermeasures.
• Index attacked Roland with Saint George’s Sanctuary, but Roland split the spell apart and reduced it to ashes.

Roland defeated Index’s Saint George’s Sanctuary and revealed that the Puritan Church had lied about her magical abilities and memory loss, leaving Kanzaki Kaori devastated by her role in Index’s suffering. Kanzaki asked Roland to help save Index, and he offered her the power and experience to defeat her if she kissed him.

• Roland’s Dragon’s Legacy Shadow split Saint George’s Sanctuary and blasted Index through several buildings, while the Automatic Scripture System kept her alive.
• Roland explained to Kanzaki Kaori that Index’s body could produce magical energy and that the Church had used it to power her defenses.
• Roland revealed that Index’s memory-erasure routine was likely intended to keep her loyal to the Puritan Church, and Kanzaki realized she and Stiyl had helped make Index suffer.
• Kanzaki admitted she could not save Index alone and asked Roland for help.
• Roland offered to give Kanzaki the power and experience to defeat Index, then told her to kiss him.

Kanzaki Kaori struggled to accept Roland’s humiliating terms for gaining the knowledge to save Index. With Index’s magic growing more dangerous, Kaori chose to ask Roland for another kiss, but the chapter ended before she finished her plea.

• Roland told Kanzaki Kaori that a kiss could transfer knowledge and insisted he would not help save Index unless she agreed.
• Kaori realized Roland would keep Index alive but might allow her body to be destroyed, and he admitted that such an outcome was acceptable to him.
• As Index’s magic intensified, Kaori accepted Roland’s premise and kissed him, but he admitted afterward that he had forgotten to transfer anything.
• Kaori demanded that Roland try again, and he told her to ask properly for what she wanted.
• Kaori leaned toward Roland and began pleading, “Please... please accept my-”

Roland passed Kanzaki Kaori the wisdom she needed to defeat Automatic Secretary, and she used a new Single Flash to bring Index down. When the Collar activated remotely, Roland identified Laura Stuart as the mastermind and prepared to confront her.

• Kanzaki Kaori accepted Roland’s transfer of wisdom and experience, then distilled it into a move capable of defeating Automatic Secretary.
• Kanzaki Kaori used Single Flash: Peerless Demon Blade to cut through Index’s attack and destroy her angelic wings.
• Roland caught the falling Index and explained that defeating Automatic Secretary had not disabled the remotely activated Collar.
• Roland identified Laura Stuart as the one controlling the Collar and announced that he would take Index and confront her.

Laura Stuart examined the black mire that had invaded Lambeth Palace and realized it was linked to a powerful being in Academy City. She accepted that the Puritan Church would have to yield Index, Kanzaki, and possibly the Amakusa-style members, then revealed her connection to the force behind the mire by calling it her “big brother.”

• A nun found Laura Stuart's office wrecked and approached her, but Laura warned her away from the black mire spreading from her hair.
• The mire swallowed Laura and was destroyed, after which she reappeared unharmed and recognized the phenomenon as a thread connecting souls to a “Dragon.”
• Laura told the nun that Index would remain in Academy City, Kanzaki would likely stay there too, and the Amakusa-style members might be handed over.
• Laura argued that the Puritan Church could not afford to fight Academy City and its secret weapon, which she described as a man destined to bear destruction.
• After sending the nun away to prepare for a royal audience, Laura tasted the mire's residue and called its source her “dear 'big brother.'”

Aleister and Aiwass discussed Laura’s unexpected goodwill toward Roland and the upheaval gathering around the world. At Blue Dream Company, Kanzaki Kaori accompanied Index through a medical examination, then learned Roland had changed his mind about pursuing the girl.

• Aleister questioned why Laura had offered the Puritan Church’s endorsement to the Blue Dream Company, and Aiwass speculated she was drawn to Roland’s identity as the Beast of Revelation.
• Aiwass anticipated the coming turmoil involving the Demon Gods, Imagine Breaker, the Magic Gods, Laura, Roland, and the spread of Magnetic Field Power, while urging Aleister to preserve his human heart.
• Kanzaki Kaori learned from Heaven Canceller that Index was healthy, and Index agreed to her final examination after Roland and the doctor promised her strawberry cake.
• Kanzaki Kaori questioned why Index was so attached to Roland and criticized his behavior around the girl and the ITEM members.
• Roland told Kanzaki Kaori he had changed his mind about Index, leaving her alarmed by his renewed interest.

Roland pressed Kanzaki Kaori to trade her own submission for Index’s safety, and Kanzaki accepted the bargain. The chapter ended with Roland beginning to take advantage of her in the hospital examination room next to Index.

• Roland told Kanzaki Kaori that she could protect Index by offering herself in exchange.
• Kanzaki Kaori weighed Roland’s past bargains and her desire to secure Index’s happiness, then agreed to the deal.
• Kanzaki Kaori asked Roland to leave Index alone if she let him do as he pleased, and he embraced her.
• Roland carried Kanzaki Kaori to the wall and began touching her despite her concern that Index might hear them.

Roland learned that the Level Upper investigation had exposed Harumi Kiyama as its culprit and that the Dream Creator Beast Group’s first wave had ensnared much of Academy City. As Roland began drawing in the net, Kiyama confronted Mikoto Misaka and Kuroko Shirai with a transformed power, declaring the age of Espers over.

• Roland delayed Mugino Shizuri’s business report with Kanzaki Kaori and Mugino, then learned that Mikoto Misaka’s investigation was being steered into Academy City’s darkness.
• Mugino told Roland that the first wave of the Dream Creator Beast Group had likely been caught up in the unfolding events, and Roland ordered the net drawn in.
• Kuroko Shirai, Saten Ruiko, and Mikoto confronted Harumi Kiyama after Blue Dream Company’s data analysis identified her as the Level Upper culprit.
• Kiyama admitted responsibility, said her actions were a necessary sacrifice, and announced that the final stage of her plan was beginning.
• Kiyama revealed a powerful AIM Diffusion Field transformed into a force familiar to Mikoto and declared that the age of Espers was over.

Mikoto Misaka and Kuroko Shirai fought Harumi Kiyama, who used the Level Upper network and Dream Creator to wield borrowed abilities and magnetic field power. After Harumi defeated them and threatened Saten Ruiko, Saten’s phone call connected her to Roland, who offered Harumi two choices: surrender to the Blue Dream Company or face him.

• Harumi Kiyama resisted Mikoto Misaka’s attacks by combining electro-induction and atmospheric manipulation through the Level Upper network.
• Mikoto Misaka countered Harumi’s abilities with iron sand and a Railgun, but Harumi escaped Kuroko Shirai’s teleportation attack and struck Mikoto down.
• Harumi revealed that Dream Creator let her channel magnetic field power borrowed from other users, despite the danger it posed to her body.
• Harumi prepared to attack Saten Ruiko, but discovered Saten had called Roland, who demanded that Harumi surrender or face him.

Roland shattered Harumi Kiyama’s restraints with the power he had left on the girls, forcing her to flee. At the Advanced Education Bureau, Harumi discovered that Therestina had taken control of Level Upper and planned to use it to usher in a new era of Magnetic Field Power.

• Harumi Kiyama used Magnetic Field Power to bind Mikoto Misaka, Saten Ruiko, and Kuroko Shirai, but Roland’s phantom power destroyed her restraints and drove her away.
• Harumi Kiyama fled through the facility, exhausted by the limits of her borrowed power, and made for the Advanced Education Bureau where the children she wanted to save were housed.
• Therestina struck Harumi Kiyama as she entered the bureau and revealed that she was connected to Level Upper.
• Harumi Kiyama tried to expel Therestina from the network, but Level Upper rejected her command.
• Therestina explained that she had exploited Level Upper’s instincts and Harumi Kiyama’s obsession, and declared a plan to surpass five hundred thousand horsepower and create a new era for Magnetic Field The Strong.

Harumi Kiyama refused Therestina’s offer to join the Kihara Clan, but discovered they had not accounted for the Blue Dream Company before Roland intervened. Roland defeated Therestina and seized Harumi Kiyama, just as the ground began to shake.

• Therestina beat Harumi Kiyama and threatened to kill her unconscious former students unless she became a research subject.
• Harumi Kiyama realized Therestina had not told the Blue Dream Company about the Kihara Clan’s plan, and took hope from that oversight.
• Roland burst in, knocked Therestina aside, and captured her after reading her thoughts and sealing her magnetic field power.
• Roland carried off Harumi Kiyama and began collecting what he called a deposit, while she questioned his intentions.
• The ground shook violently beneath Roland and Harumi Kiyama.