Chapter Summaries

Nocturne explained that the black box contained Hiyamaru, the Twelfth Herrscher, whose power awakened after she was killed in the previous era. Fifty thousand years of imprisonment and the fear and hatred of modern human test subjects weakened the box’s seal, while Yae Sakura’s resentment had only been the final trigger.

• Nocturne took the sealed black box and identified its prisoner as the Twelfth Herrscher, who had destroyed humanity’s last stronghold in the previous era.
• Flame Moth captured Hiyamaru, an ordinary girl whose intense Honkai reactions made them suspect she was a Herrscher, and lower-ranking personnel killed her out of fear.
• After Hiyamaru died, her Herrscher of Corruption powers awakened, and she corrupted the base and launched strategic weapons around the world.
• Dr. MEI sealed Hiyamaru in a box and tried to turn her core into a Divine Key, but the resisting consciousness left it incomplete.
• The Heavenly Mandate Organization later used the box in human experiments, whose subjects’ fear and hatred weakened its seal.
• Nocturne explained that Yae Sakura’s emptiness and resentment had only been the final straw in the seal’s collapse.

Nocturne explained that the black box contained the Twelfth Herrscher, whose core could become the Divine Key Jizo Mitama if she stopped resisting. Kallen was alarmed by the revelation, while Nocturne insisted she knew the Herrscher well and could handle her.

• Nocturne explained that Yae Sakura had only become the final straw for the Twelfth Herrscher, who had already been close to breaking free of the seal.
• Nocturne considered testing whether her pet Hiyamaru could defeat the Twelfth Herrscher if given the Jizo Mitama in her inventory.
• Kallen recognized the black box as the seal containing the Twelfth Herrscher and warned Nocturne that Herrschers meant the end of civilization.
• Nocturne put away the black box and assured Kallen that she knew the Twelfth Herrscher well and would handle her.

Nocturne stopped Kallen from returning to Schicksal and pulled her back into bed, insisting that she would protect her. Their intimate moment was interrupted when Yae Sakura opened the door and caught them together.

• Kallen said she needed to return to Schicksal and obtain Judas's Oath to face the Herrschers.
• Nocturne grabbed Kallen, pulled her onto the bed, and told her to recover while she handled matters.
• Nocturne and Kallen became intimate, but Yae Sakura walked in and saw them.
• Nocturne released Kallen and awkwardly asked Sakura why she had come over.

Yae Sakura walked in on Nocturne acting affectionately with the real Kallen and mistook Nocturne for Sister Kallen. After the two Kallens cleared up the confusion and introduced themselves, Yae Sakura and Kallen became acquainted.

• Yae Sakura entered Nocturne's room and questioned Nocturne about her intimate behavior with Kallen.
• Nocturne claimed that she and Kallen had only shown normal affection between sisters.
• The real Kallen, bewildered on the tatami, asked which Kallen Yae Sakura was addressing.
• Yae Sakura realized there were two Kallens and distinguished healthy Nocturne from frail Kallen.
• Yae Sakura and Kallen introduced themselves and became acquainted.

Nocturne considered the danger of keeping the Twelfth Herrscher sealed in Yae Village while Kallen recovered. She worried that the box’s Honkai energy was leaking and that Yae Sakura and Yae Rin could not withstand a Herrscher if it escaped.

• Yae Sakura agreed to call the real Kallen “Kallen” and Nocturne by her own name to distinguish the two.
• Yae Sakura asked Kallen about her recovery, and Kallen said she expected to recover fully in two or three days and thanked her for the care.
• Nocturne placed the black box sealing the Twelfth Herrscher on a table while Kallen, wearing Nocturne’s old clothes, sat nearby.
• Nocturne worried that Lord Otto might not recognize the real Kallen because she and Nocturne looked identical.
• Nocturne judged the box too dangerous to keep in Yae Village and suspected that the Honkai energy inside it had begun to leak.

Nocturne decided to release and defeat the Twelfth Herrscher once Kallen had recovered, then took Kallen for a walk around the shrine. Kallen enjoyed the peaceful setting and considered leaving Schicksal and the Valkyries behind, unaware that Yae Village was not as innocent as it appeared.

• Nocturne found no visible damage to the box and planned to release the Twelfth Herrscher after Kallen recovered, then defeat her.
• Nocturne told Kallen that she was well enough to get out of bed and offered to walk with her.
• Nocturne led Kallen through the shrine, where Kallen admired the trees, ancient well, and children’s toys.
• Kallen said the shrine felt like a peaceful paradise and thought she could spend the rest of her life there, away from Schicksal, Valkyries, and Honkai.
• Nocturne reflected that Yae Village was not as honest and simple as it seemed.

As the Fox God festival approached, Nocturne and Kallen prepared to prevent Yae Village from repeating its brutal sacrifice ritual. At the shrine, Kallen sensed Honkai and saw a pink-haired girl carrying an unfamiliar Honkai Beast, but Nocturne stopped her from approaching.

• Nocturne reflected that Yae Village still kept its Fox God faith despite worshipping her as a deity.
• The chapter described the village’s recurring ritual of killing a young girl as a sacrifice to the Fox God.
• Nocturne and Kallen intended to stop the ritual from happening again.
• While touring the shrine, Kallen sensed Honkai near the entrance and reached for her weapon.
• A pink-haired girl entered carrying a Rush Class Honkai Beast, and Nocturne grabbed Kallen as she moved to protect the girl.

Nocturne stopped Kallen from confronting the Honkai Beast, and Yae Rin arrived carrying it, mistaking Nocturne and Kallen for two identical sisters. Nocturne explained that she was Nocturne and the other girl was the real Kallen, which Yae Rin quickly understood.

• Nocturne grabbed Kallen’s hand and warned that going toward the Honkai Beast in her current state would get her killed.
• Yae Rin entered carrying the Rush Class Honkai Beast and was bewildered by the two identical Kallens.
• Nocturne waved to Yae Rin, who recognized her by her familiar voice and ran to her side.
• Yae Rin quietly asked Nocturne who the other girl was, and Kallen overheard without commenting.
• Nocturne explained that the other girl was the real Kallen and that her own real name was Nocturne.
• Yae Rin understood Nocturne’s explanation immediately.

Nocturne convinced Kallen that the Honkai Beast Yae Rin carried had overcome its Honkai instincts, then took them to dinner. Over the next few days, Kallen recovered and grew close to Yae Sakura, whose rice balls grew even bigger to feed another big eater.

• Kallen questioned why the Honkai Beast in Yae Rin's arms behaved like a pet.
• Nocturne claimed the beast's dominant consciousness had overcome its Honkai instincts and cut off Kallen's questions.
• Yae Rin said Yae Sakura had finished dinner, and Nocturne led Kallen and Yae Rin to the living room.
• Kallen fully recovered over the next few days and became good friends with Yae Sakura.
• Yae Sakura made even bigger rice balls to feed another big eater.

After villagers reported monsters in the forest, Yae Sakura prepared to rescue those still trapped there. Nocturne suspected the creatures might be connected to the Knight-class Honkai Beast she had ordered to protect the village.

• A villager told Yae Sakura that monsters had appeared in the forest and that villagers were still inside.
• Yae Sakura returned to her room, checked her Void Blade, and armed herself with two pistols.
• Nocturne and Kallen met Yae Sakura as she left, and Nocturne asked what had happened.
• Yae Sakura explained that monsters were chasing villagers in the forest, though she did not know whether anyone had been hurt.
• Nocturne wondered whether the monsters were the Knight-class Honkai Beast she had tasked with protecting the village.

After hearing that a monster was hunting villagers, Yequ discovered that her Heavy Cavalry Commander had been killed and decided to accompany Yae Sakura to face the stronger enemy. Yae Sakura insisted she could go alone as the village shrine maiden, chafing at Yequ’s continued treatment of her as a child.

• Yequ realized the monster hunting villagers was not one of her Honkai Beasts.
• The system notified Yequ that her knight-class Honkai Beast, the Heavy Cavalry Commander, had died.
• Yequ told Yae Sakura and Kallen that a powerful enemy had arrived and said she would go with them.
• Yae Sakura hesitated to accept Yequ’s help, insisting that protecting the village was her responsibility.
• Yae Sakura resented Yequ treating her like a child and wanted them to be equals.

Nocturne and Yae Sakura rushed to the outskirts of Yae Village to confront a monster, with Kallen following to help. Meanwhile, the sealed Herrscher began to stir, and they found the Heavy Cavalry Commander dead after it had defended the villagers.

• Nocturne insisted that she remained Yae Sakura and Liliya’s guardian knight, and Yae Sakura agreed to go with her.
• Kallen suspected the monster might be a Honkai Beast and hurried after Nocturne and Yae Sakura.
• The black box containing the sealed Herrscher cracked open slightly while Nocturne was away.
• At the outskirts of the village, Nocturne and the others encountered a bloodied wood littered with bodies, claw marks, and fallen trees.
• The Heavy Cavalry Commander lay dead after charging out to protect villagers from the monster.

Yae Sakura rescued a middle-aged villager from a monster that had grown stronger by absorbing the Knight Honkai Beast’s energy. The monster retreated wounded, and the villager clung to Sakura for safety.

• The monster killed the Heavy Cavalry Commander Honkai Beast, then absorbed the energy from the Knight Honkai Beast’s corpse and grew stronger.
• The monster pursued fleeing villagers through the forest as they ran in terror.
• A middle-aged man began to falter as the monster caught up with him.
• Yae Sakura struck the monster with her blade, wounded it, and drove it back.
• The middle-aged villager recognized Yae Sakura as his savior and threw himself at her.

Yae Sakura protected the villagers from a wolf-like Honkai Beast after driving off a man who tried to touch her. As the beast charged, she counterattacked with her Falling Sakura Slash.

• Yae Sakura kicked away a villager who tried to embrace her and left him alone.
• Yae Sakura regarded the villagers as people she needed to protect, but vowed not to forgive anyone who touched her.
• Yae Sakura faced a gigantic wolf-like Honkai Beast while the middle-aged villager hid behind a tree.
• The Honkai Beast grew agitated and charged at Yae Sakura.
• Yae Sakura drew her katana and struck the Honkai Beast with five crimson sword energies using Falling Sakura Slash.

Yae Sakura fought a powerful wolf-shaped Honkai Beast while Kallen and Nocturne watched from behind, ready to intervene. As the beast attacked with its tentacles, Yae Sakura unleashed Moonfang Skyward, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Yae Sakura dodged most of the Honkai Beast’s sword-energy slashes, but the hits that landed only made it more frenzied.
• The Honkai Beast launched its tentacles at Yae Sakura, while Kallen worried about her and Nocturne said they should let her fight unless she was in danger.
• Kallen kept her twin guns ready and stood prepared to protect Yae Sakura.
• Yae Sakura channeled her Stigmata and spiritual energy into the Void Blade and swung Moonfang Skyward at the incoming tentacles.

Yae Sakura fought a Honkai Beast, cutting off its tentacles and resisting its suction. When it unleashed a powerful shockwave, she used the Void Blade’s Body Devouring Serpent skill to slow time and absorb the attack’s Honkai energy.

• Yae Sakura sliced through the Honkai Beast’s tentacles with the Void Blade.
• The wounded Honkai Beast inhaled fiercely, but Yae Sakura planted her sword in the ground and resisted its suction.
• The Honkai Beast fired a devastating Honkai energy shockwave at Yae Sakura.
• Kallen moved to intervene, but Nocturne told her to trust Yae Sakura.
• Yae Sakura activated Body Devouring Serpent, slowed the shockwave, and absorbed its energy with the Void Blade.

Yae Sakura used Void Blade to wound a wolf-shaped Honkai Beast, but it captured her with its tentacles as it recovered. She broke free with Blade Storm and counterattacked, leaving the fight ongoing.

• Yae Sakura used Void Blade's Energy Devour to strengthen her attack and stabbed the Honkai Beast, which kicked her away before collapsing from its wounds.
• Yae Sakura approached the wounded Honkai Beast to finish it, but its tentacles seized and bound her.
• Yae Sakura unleashed Blade Storm, destroying the tentacles and forcing the Honkai Beast to retreat.
• Yae Sakura fired the Fire Fairies at the Honkai Beast's eyes, then drew Void Blade and charged at it again.

Yae Sakura defeated the wolf-shaped Honkai Beast and recovered from her injuries with Nocturne’s healing potion. After a villager thanked her and left, Nocturne tried to extract the Honkai source from the beast, but it did not emerge.

• Yae Sakura severed the wolf-shaped Honkai Beast’s head and struck it several more times until it stopped moving.
• Nocturne and Kallen checked on Yae Sakura, and Nocturne gave her a healing potion that quickly restored her.
• A middle-aged villager emerged from hiding, thanked Yae Sakura for saving him, and left when she told him to go home.
• Nocturne tried to extract the Honkai source from the dead Honkai Beast, but nothing emerged.

Nocturne could not explain why the Honkai Beast lacked a Honkai source, and she and the others buried it. That night, a masked shadow retrieved the Honkai energy and declared that events would soon begin; the next day, villagers went into the forest to search for the missing people.

• Nocturne found no Honkai source inside the Honkai Beast, so she, Yae Sakura, and the others buried it.
• A masked shadow appeared in the mountains at night and drew the buried Honkai energy from the ground.
• The shadow held the corrupted Honkai Crystal and said that everything would begin soon before vanishing.
• The next day, Yae Village's villagers entered the forest to bring back the missing people.

After villagers found and mourned the victims of the monster attack, an old woman blamed the Fox God's anger and called for another ritual to drive the outsider away. Her devotion to the Fox God stemmed from lifelong worship and the loss of her younger sister, who had once been chosen as a sacrifice.

• The villagers searched the forest for their missing relatives and found only corpses and severed limbs.
• The villagers of Yae Village brought back the bodies and mourned their dead.
• The old woman claimed the Fox God was angry and said they needed to drive the outsider away with another ritual.
• The old woman's past revealed that she had worshipped the Fox God her entire life and that her younger sister had been a sacrifice.