Chapter Summaries

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.

Harumi Kiyama realized that Gensei Kihara had activated the Level Upper network, unleashing catastrophic tremors and storms across Academy City. Roland descended to the underground cavern, found the awakened AIM Burst, and confronted Gensei Kihara as the disaster reached its final stage.

• Harumi Kiyama recognized that Gensei Kihara had activated the Level Upper while violent tremors and abnormal weather devastated Academy City.
• Roland held Harumi Kiyama close, then sent her to meet Mikoto Misaka and the others before heading underground.
• Roland hacked into the Central System and descended to the source of the tremors.
• Roland found the AIM Burst, an angel-like being formed from the Level Upper network that had gained intelligence and a will to survive.
• Gensei Kihara appeared and defended his research as a necessary sacrifice for scientific progress.
• Roland rejected Gensei Kihara's justification and told him he was not worth hearing an explanation.

Roland crushed Gensei Kihara but learned that the Level Upper Beast could use Body Crystals to evolve and empower him. The transformed monster faced Roland, who welcomed the challenge with delight.

• Roland hurled Gensei Kihara away with his magnetic field power and crushed most of his mechanical body.
• Roland demanded that Gensei Kihara hand over control of the Level Upper, but Gensei refused and claimed Roland could not stop him.
• The Level Upper Beast activated Body Crystals and absorbed the AIM Diffusion Field energy, evolving into a larger winged form.
• Gensei Kihara announced that he had merged with the Level Upper Beast and gained its power.
• Roland looked up at the transformed beast and said he absolutely loved it.

Gensei Kihara fused with the AIM Burst and unleashed 750,000 horsepower, convinced he had reached God’s domain and could defeat Roland. Roland remained calm and revealed that Gensei had installed the Dream Creator, exposing a hidden trap as the chapter ended.

• Gensei Kihara restored his body with the AIM Burst and explained how he had combined magnetic field power with a rampaging AIM Diffusion Field to create an artificial angel.
• Roland identified Therestina as the source of the Body Crystal used to accelerate the AIM Burst’s revival and explained the flaw in Gensei’s shortcut.
• Gensei Kihara merged with the AIM Burst, gained 750,000 horsepower, and declared his new atomic fission boundary.
• Gensei Kihara taunted Roland and claimed his power made him unrivaled, while Roland called him weak and said he had walked into a trap.
• Roland deduced that Gensei Kihara had installed the Dream Creator, and Gensei’s smile froze.

Roland revealed that Gensei Kihara’s Magnetic Field Power had depended on a Falna he could reclaim, stripping Gensei of his strength and causing his death. The uncontrolled AIM Burst then spread Level Upper through Academy City and charged at Roland, who let it attack.

• Gensei Kihara ordered the AIM Burst to fire at Roland, but the attack stopped before it could discharge.
• Roland explained that the Dream Creator had sealed a Contract and that he could take back the Falna and the power it granted.
• Roland reclaimed Gensei Kihara’s Falna, leaving him powerless to withstand the AIM Burst, which consumed him.
• The freed AIM Burst spread Level Upper’s melody through Academy City and took control of surviving electronic devices.
• The AIM Burst recognized Roland as something it wanted to consume, unleashed its reserve energy, and charged at him as he stood still.

Roland fought the AIM Burst, which used the Level Upper Network to boost its power to nine hundred and twenty thousand horsepower. Roland remained unharmed, tore off its arm, and announced that he would next attack its Primordial Spirit.

• Roland kicked the AIM Burst and sent it flying, disrupting its attack and injuring it with its own backlash.
• The AIM Burst activated the Level Upper Network, enlarged its body, and increased its power to nine hundred thousand horsepower by devouring consciousnesses.
• The AIM Burst unleashed repeated attacks, but Roland dodged each one and closed the distance between them.
• The AIM Burst concentrated nine hundred and twenty thousand horsepower into a giant claw and struck Roland, who blocked it with his bare hand.
• Roland tore off the AIM Burst's left arm and said he would play with its Primordial Spirit.

Roland defeated AIM Burst by using the Complete Boundary to overcome its 920,000 horsepower, then absorbed its soul to recover some of his strength. As a new era’s disaster began spreading, he hurled AIM Burst into space and unleashed a 990,000-horsepower Hai Hu Explosion Fist.

• Roland caught AIM Burst’s attacks, explained how his Complete Boundary dispersed its power, and tore off its remaining arm when it tried to flee.
• Roland pinned AIM Burst with its severed arm, declared that he would take its soul, and ripped out its core.
• Roland absorbed AIM Burst’s core and soul, regaining some power as crimson scales appeared across his skin.
• Roland sensed a disaster spreading through the people who had signed up for Falna, then threw AIM Burst’s crumbling body into space.
• Roland fired his 990,000-horsepower Hai Hu Explosion Fist at the meteor-like AIM Burst.

Mikoto Misaka struggled with guilt over Academy City's past and decided to investigate its plans through the Blue Dream Company's computers. When she ran into Roland, he offered to test a new device for protecting against mind-reading, leaving her stunned.

• Mikoto Misaka told Kuroko Shirai she feared it might be too late to atone for her past mistakes, and Kuroko promised to stand by her.
• Kuroko Shirai suspected Mikoto Misaka had grown close to Roland and vowed to rescue her from his influence, though Judgment's paperwork distracted her.
• Mikoto Misaka encountered Roland and Misaki Shokuhou on the road while secretly planning to investigate Academy City's plans using the Blue Dream Company's computers.
• Misaki Shokuhou teased Mikoto Misaka about hiding a secret, and Mikoto deflected by saying she did not want her thoughts read.
• Roland offered Mikoto Misaka as a test subject for the latest Dream Creator's mind-reading protection, and she was left speechless.

Misaki Shokuhou and Roland discussed Mikoto Misaka’s hesitation over the Dream Creator and the Level 6 Shift Project, which Roland saw as a chance to make Mikoto confront her powerlessness. The chapter ended with Roland and Misaki sharing an intimate moment in a stairwell while Mikoto used Blue Dream Company’s authority to investigate the project.

• Misaki Shokuhou questioned whether Roland should let Mikoto Misaka investigate on her own, and Roland said he wanted the project to expose Mikoto’s weakness without excuses.
• Misaki recalled her anger over the Mass Production Esper Project and Dolly, and explained that she wanted to save the Misaka Sisters without recklessly harming Blue Dream Company.
• Roland said he valued the Misaka Network’s potential more than Mikoto herself, prompting Misaki to accuse him of having plans for Mikoto and tease him about lending her company authority.
• Roland teased Misaki about being jealous, and she walked ahead of him in her office outfit while enjoying his attention.
• Roland pulled Misaki into a nearby stairwell and offered intimacy as compensation for their interrupted date; she eventually agreed.

Roland prepared to intervene in the struggle over the Misaka Network while Fuhuko Nunotaba tried to disrupt the Level 6 project. When a SCHOOL operative attacked her, Roland killed him with the Heavenly Martial Killing Art: Life-Ending Way.

• Roland told Misaki Shokuhou that others had recognized the Misaka Network's importance and that he had serious business to handle.
• Fuhuko Nunotaba reflected on how the Learning Device and the Sisters had been turned into tools, and resolved to obstruct the Level 6 project.
• Fuhuko scattered cash cards to delay the experiments and gathered her documents while considering how to give the Sisters emotions through the Misaka Network.
• A SCHOOL operative confronted Fuhuko and defeated her attempt to incapacitate him, revealing that he had acquired Electric Current Push.
• Roland appeared and destroyed the operative's weapon and electricity before using the Heavenly Martial Killing Art: Life-Ending Way to make him die of old age.

Roland rescued Fuhuko Nunotaba from a SCHOOL agent and offered to help her deal with the organization pursuing her. Umidori Kage revealed SCHOOL’s goodwill was backed by Teitoku Kakine, who demanded Roland’s help in overthrowing Aleister and then tried to use Roland’s capture as leverage.

• Roland explained that his Life-Cutting Path had taken most of the SCHOOL agent’s lifespan, and Fuhuko Nunotaba agreed to work with him.
• Roland exposed Umidori Kage, who identified herself as a SCHOOL member and said the organization was prepared to compromise with him.
• Umidori Kage revealed that SCHOOL had brought its forces and was seeking to express goodwill to Roland.
• Teitoku Kakine appeared from concealment and asked Roland to help him take control of Academy City by weakening Aleister’s position.
• Teitoku Kakine claimed Roland was in SCHOOL’s hands and threatened him into cooperating.