Chapter Summaries

After Manison defeated Han Xiao in a virtual battle, Kant explained the Mechanic Faith rivalry and the Empire’s refusal to intervene. Han Xiao resolved to challenge Manison eventually, promised to help Resta free the enslaved AI civilization, and collected rewards from the missions tied to the confrontation.

• Kant explained that Mechanic Faith believers primarily followed the strongest mechanic, and told Han Xiao the Empire would not intervene in his rivalry with Manison.
• Han Xiao repaired Phillip, restored the Black Star Army’s network, and promised Resta he would seek a way to free the AI civilization from Manison.
• Phillip reported the extent of the stolen Army data, and Han Xiao ordered the backups restored while assessing Manison as a formidable competitor.
• Han Xiao returned to his body, reassured his subordinates, and settled the [Restart] part six mission, gaining [Intelligence Affinity].
• Han Xiao settled the Manison boss mission and received a Character Summon Card and a choice of five abilities.

Han Xiao chose Manison’s [Born Mechanical Spirit] talent and recovered from the Mechanic Emperor’s virtual attack by rallying the Army and strengthening his machinery. After the Dynasty discussed supporting him and the incident spread through the Galaxy, Han Xiao left for the Shattered World to inspect his territory.

• Han Xiao selected [Born Mechanical Spirit], reviewed his mission rewards and losses, and decided to keep a low profile while rebuilding his strength.
• Han Xiao sent an internal statement to the Black Star Army to steady its members, then returned to constructing and upgrading machinery.
• Sorokin questioned Manison about the intelligence from his infiltration, and Manison said he had only obtained part of what Sorokin wanted.
• Urranrell, Clottey, and Kant discussed placating Han Xiao and providing more resources, while Kant transformed himself into Clottey.
• News of the virtual battle spread, and many Mechanics concluded that Manison remained in a class of his own.
• After spending more than half a month at headquarters, Han Xiao assembled a fleet and departed for the Shattered World.

Han Xiao inspected the Black Star Army’s developing territory, strengthened Dark Emperor, and reviewed the progress of the Black Spirit Race as the universe entered a peaceful period of exploration and expansion. Five years later, Nero arrived at Black Gate Star and revealed that he was Han Xiao’s godson, intending to surprise him.

• Han Xiao inspected Black Gate Star and the Army’s seven star systems, planning to use a mobile star device to improve his territory.
• Han Xiao visited Planet Apostle, evolved Dark Emperor with [Apostle Evolution], and toured the developing Black Spirit Race settlement.
• Han Xiao and Manison remained quiet as the universe entered a stable period while the Shattered World was developed and the Universal Civilizations continued pressuring the Crimson Dynasty over the Evolutionary Totem.
• On January 17, 716, Nero arrived at Black Gate Star with graduates of the Black Star Super Academy and asked the garrison to tell Han Xiao he had come to surprise his godfather.

Nero and his classmates arrived at the Black Star Palace, where Han Xiao welcomed the academy’s first graduating class and privately assessed Nero’s progress. Han Xiao discovered Nero had developed Perfect Mechanical Sense and began plotting ways to trigger missions for him, but Nero asked to learn how to take a beating, prompting Han Xiao to send him away.

• Fording greeted Nero and the graduates at the Black Star Palace, and Nero introduced his close classmate Mia Moloto.
• The students followed a path formed inside the central black sphere and met Han Xiao, whose Mechanical Divine Throne amplified his intimidating aura until he withdrew it.
• Han Xiao welcomed the graduates, then kept Nero and Mia behind and sent Mia out so he could speak privately with Nero.
• Han Xiao checked Nero’s progress and found that he had reached C+ and developed Perfect Mechanical Sense.
• Han Xiao celebrated Nero’s progress and considered putting him through practical trials to obtain the ability, while Nero sensed his godfather’s suspicious intentions.
• Nero asked Han Xiao to teach him how to become tougher because Mia’s punches hurt, and Han Xiao told him to get lost.

Han Xiao prepared to use the Crimson Dynasty’s second exploration phase to give Nero dangerous combat training, while struggling to create Universal Treasure-grade machinery. At the allies’ meeting, Tarrokov announced the Russo and Light Dust Star Clusters as the new targets, and Han Xiao recognized the hostile advanced civilization in Light Dust as the likely focus of Nero’s trial.

• Han Xiao considered sending Nero into the second phase of exploration and examined the incomplete mechanical component he had made while trying to create Universal Treasure-grade machinery.
• Nero and the other graduates reached their accommodations, where Mia drove off students crowding around Nero to ask about Han Xiao.
• Hadavy took Nero to the army’s casino and asked him to win back the salary Hadavy had lost at cards.
• Han Xiao joined the allies’ meeting, where Tarrokov announced that exploration would expand into the Russo and Light Dust Star Clusters under stricter rules and direct task assignments.
• Han Xiao recalled that a hostile native advanced civilization in Light Dust would threaten the exploration army and identified it as the target of his plan for Nero.

Han Xiao agreed to support the Dynasty’s second phase of Shattered World exploration, concealed the significance of Sorokin’s spatial coordinates, and sent the Black Star Army to explore the Russo Star Cluster. Meanwhile, the Kunde Race discovered the Dynasty’s fleet and, fearing conquest, debated how to respond before their leader made a decision.

• Tarrokov asked Han Xiao to let exploration teams use his territory as a transit and supply route, warned him that a head-of-state candidate might oppose the Evolutionary Totem, and asked about the coordinates Sorokin had sought.
• Han Xiao concealed that Sorokin’s coordinates led to the World Tree and dismissed Tarrokov’s questions about them.
• The Dynasty launched the second exploration phase, and the Black Star Army began exploring the Russo Star Cluster as Han Xiao assigned Nero and Mia to separate squads.
• Han Xiao planned to send Nero toward trouble in the Light Dust Star Cluster, where the Kunde Race observed a Dynasty exploration team building a stargate.
• The Kunde Race argued over whether to contact the newcomers or strike first, and its leader stopped the debate and announced a decision.

An exploration fleet in the Light Dust Star Cluster was destroyed by a Primal Psionic Energy trap, prompting the Crimson Dynasty to declare war on the hostile Kunde Race. As the Empire mobilized, the Kunde Race evacuated most civilians and prepared its army to defend their home.

• Captain Kleber discovered a native attempting suicide and learned the species had been genetically altered to suppress its intelligence.
• A life-signal device triggered a Primal Psionic Energy eruption that consumed the planet, the exploration fleet, and Kleber; similar attacks destroyed other teams.
• Tarrokov reported more than six thousand warships and over seven million people lost, then ordered the Light Dust Star Cluster exploration suspended and declared the Empire at war.
• Han Xiao decided to send Nero and his subordinates into the conflict while keeping mechanical troops in reserve.
• The Kunde Race leader sent civilians and biological seeds away in wanderer fleets, leaving the assembled army behind to resist the Crimson Dynasty.

Han Xiao accepted the Crimson Dynasty’s summons to join the war against the Kunde Race and sent the dynasty intelligence about their territory. As the forces advanced through the Light Dust Star Cluster, they finally encountered the Kunde Race at Lighthouse Star.

• Han Xiao sent Tarrokov intelligence about the Kunde Race and issued a mobilization order to the Black Star Army.
• Nero learned he was going to war, received reassurance from his squadmates, and called Mia, who said she had also been summoned.
• Melos met Tenny Amenlos, the dynasty commander assigned to the Black Star fleet, and briefly spoke with Tenny’s acquaintance Gaud.
• Tarrokov led the assembled dynasty and allied forces toward the Kunde Race’s territory, using Han Xiao’s intelligence to guide their reconnaissance.
• After advancing for about half a month without contact, the dynasty forces exchanged fire with the Kunde Race at Lighthouse Star.

The Kunde Race launched a desperate attack on Lighthouse Star, but the Crimson Dynasty intercepted its fleet and began crushing it. Commander Yelu activated a spacetime device that made the fleet repeatedly restore itself and jump forward, and Han Xiao recognized the technology as a weapon used against the World Tree.

• Yelu led a Kunde Race fleet toward Lighthouse Star to destroy the Crimson Dynasty’s command center with Primal Psionic Energy weapons.
• Tarrokov prepared Lighthouse Star’s defenses, authorized the use of Primal Psionic Energy, and ordered the forces to capture enemy ships when possible.
• The Crimson Dynasty intercepted the fleet, overwhelmed it in battle, and boarded several Kunde Race ships as Virtual Mechanics began hacking the fleet’s network.
• Yelu ordered his forces to activate the Spacetime Shearing Device after the fleet suffered heavy losses.
• The Kunde Race fleet began restoring destroyed ships and skipping forward through space, while the dynasty’s attacks failed to stop it.
• Han Xiao recognized the spacetime technology as a trump card used by the Explored Universe against the World Tree.

Han Xiao recognized the Kunde Race fleet’s frame-skipping as crude Space-Time Shearing Technology, and the Dynasty countered it until the attacking fleet collapsed and vanished. As the Kunde Race leadership prepared a scorched-earth defense, Tenny’s forces advanced into battle, where Nero finally joined a boarding action.

• Han Xiao identified Space-Time Shearing’s effects and risks, and decided he wanted to acquire the technology for the Black Star Army.
• Tarrokov sent a Dynasty fleet with space-time countermeasures and Mages to intercept the Kunde Race fleet, which vanished after its collapse accelerated.
• The Kunde Race leadership lost contact with Yelu’s fleet and ordered preparations for the Scorched Earth Plan while sending forces to delay the Dynasty.
• Fighting spread across the Light Dust Star Cluster, and Tenny’s fleet repeatedly defeated the Kunde Race at long range while protecting the Black Star Army members.
• Tenny’s forces finally took part in a boarding action, giving Nero his first chance to fight the Kunde Race up close.

Nero fought in his first real battle, discovering that he excelled at melee combat while helping his squad defeat a Kunde Race crew. Afterward, Han Xiao asked Tenny to give Nero more combat opportunities, while Gaud examined his youthful body in private.

• Tenny assigned the Black Star Army the main combat role, and Nero boarded an assault pod with his squad to attack a Kunde Race ship.
• Nero deployed turrets to cover his teammates as they fought through the ship and killed waves of Kunde Race soldiers.
• When a teammate was overwhelmed, Nero charged into melee, rescued him, and cut through the enemy with his wrist blades.
• After the squad captured the ship, Nero told the captain he had adjusted to combat and felt closer to his teammates.
• Han Xiao told Tenny not to shield the Black Star Army from the war and asked him to give Nero more chances to fight.
• After a separate battle, Gaud returned to his room, showered, and admired his youthful body in the mirror.

Han Xiao secretly infiltrated the Kunde Race’s home-planet network, stole its database, and discovered plans to use Primal Psionic Energy against the Dynasty. Meanwhile, Nero’s scouting force entered Kunde Race territory and found a planet with signs of cities.

• Tenny assigned Nero and the other academy graduates frequent, dangerous combat missions, strengthening their squad’s bonds despite their exhaustion.
• Han Xiao infiltrated the Kunde Race’s central database, copied its data, and traced the locations of its fleets.
• Han Xiao deduced that the Kunde Race planned to spread Primal Psionic Energy across its territory and decided to report the threat to the Dynasty.
• The Kunde Race leaders ordered their forces to capture enemy Supers as research subjects while preparing to abandon their home.
• Nero, Mia, and other Black Star Army soldiers reached a suspected Kunde Race colony, where they spotted traces of cities and prepared for action.

Nero's scouting force landed on an apparently abandoned colony planet after Han Xiao's mechanical army falsified both sides' scans, but the Kunde Race fleet eventually discovered them and launched an ambush. Nero was buried beneath the collapsed underground base while Kunde Race soldiers moved to capture the isolated squads, unaware that Han Xiao's mechanical army was watching their commander.

• Nero scanned the colony planet and saw few life signs after hidden data manipulation concealed the Kunde Race fleet and falsified the scouts' readings.
• The scouting force landed and split up; Nero and Mia were assigned to investigate an abandoned military base, then separated when their radars detected two abnormal energy sources.
• The Kunde Race floating base detected the landed ships and its commander ordered the fleet to attack and capture the espers alive.
• Nero's growing unease led the captain to leave him behind with several teammates, but an artillery strike collapsed the underground base and buried Nero beneath rubble.
• The Kunde Race fleet attacked the squads guarding the ships and bombarded the military base, then sent soldiers to capture the surviving scouts while Han Xiao's mechanical army watched unseen.

After Nero rescued his squad by seizing a Kunde Race warship, he learned that Mia’s squad had been captured and asked Han Xiao for help. Han Xiao agreed in exchange for Nero’s talent and abilities, triggering a mission to rescue Mia Moloto.

• Nero escaped the collapsed base, healed his injured squadmates, and volunteered to seize a spaceship while the others held off the Kunde Race soldiers.
• With Sky Guard’s protection, Nero boarded an enemy warship, took control of it, and rescued his squad as they broke through to the surface.
• Nero learned that Mia and her squad had been captured, and his teammates stopped him from attempting a reckless rescue alone.
• Nero contacted Han Xiao, who initially refused to help unless Nero offered something in return, then agreed after Nero accepted a deal involving his talent and abilities.
• Han Xiao received the special character mission Nero’s Request, which required him to rescue Mia Moloto in exchange for a chance to learn one of Nero’s skills or specialties.

Han Xiao used Nero’s request to secure a chance to learn one of Nero’s abilities, then secretly rescued Mia and defeated the Kunde forces. After completing the mission, he chose Perfect Mechanical Sense and replaced his Basic Mechanical Sense with it.

• Han Xiao accepted Nero’s request to rescue Mia and was surprised that the mission let him choose one of Nero’s abilities as a reward.
• Mia woke as a prisoner of the Kunde, but Han Xiao’s mechanical soldier freed her and her squad, then promised to introduce her to Calamity Grade Pugilists.
• Han Xiao’s hidden mechanical troops seized the Kunde base and destroyed the pursuing battleships, rescuing Nero and his companions.
• Nero reunited with Mia and thanked Han Xiao, while Han Xiao promised rewards and promotions to the soldiers who had taken part.
• Han Xiao completed Nero’s Request and selected Perfect Mechanical Sense, replacing his Basic Mechanical Sense.

Han Xiao made Perfect Mechanical Sense a permanent part of his abilities and tested the limits of his new Spacetime Shearing Device. He then gave Tarrokov intelligence that let the empire expose the Kunde Race’s plans and gain the upper hand in the war.

• Han Xiao obtained Perfect Mechanical Sense, raising his mechanical affinity and Mechanic Class skill levels, and decided to avoid provoking Manison while he continued to grow.
• Han Xiao tested the Spacetime Shearing Device on Space-Time Amber and found that it resisted shearing, though it could only temporarily shield an affected object from the technology’s side effects.
• Han Xiao realized that combining Space-Time Amber with a preset shearing plan might enable a delayed attack and resolved to explore the idea further.
• Han Xiao told Tarrokov that the Kunde Race planned to use Primal Psionic Energy for scorched-earth attacks and provided the locations of its weapons and fleets.
• Tarrokov dispatched imperial forces to sabotage the Kunde Race’s plan and target its fleets, leaving the empire with a decisive intelligence advantage.

With Han Xiao’s intelligence and quantum-network exploit giving the Crimson Dynasty the advantage, its forces crushed the Kunde Race’s plans and captured or destroyed its fleets. The Kunde leadership ordered a retreat and tried to preserve its Scorched Earth forces, but the dynasty had already taken control of their communications, while a civilian migration fleet was secretly redirected into a trap.

• The dynasty officer Gaud boarded a defeated Kunde flagship, survived its commander’s Primal Psionic Energy detonation, and compressed the energy into a seed.
• The Kunde leader and senior officers recognized that their hidden fleets had been precisely targeted, ordered their Scorched Earth forces to change targets and cut communications, and began evacuating with captured Super prisoners.
• A dynasty fleet attacked a Scorched Earth force, and its officers discovered that the force could not contact headquarters before killing its captain.
• Han Xiao’s exploit let the dynasty control the Kunde quantum network, making headquarters believe its orders had reached the Scorched Earth forces when they had not.
• The dynasty secretly redirected the Kunde civilian migration fleet back toward its territory, where the dynasty had prepared a trap.

After defeat, Olilt suspected the enemy had infiltrated the Kunde Race command network and led the Sea Flag Fleet remnants to sever communications and flee. Civilians aboard a migration fleet also escaped after realizing they were being sent back the way they came, while Kunde Race headquarters discovered that the colony fleet had returned unexpectedly.

• Olilt rejected headquarters' order to regroup and attack the enemy stargate, suspected the marshal's message was a forgery, and had the Sea Flag Fleet shut down its intelligent cores to escape detection.
• The eldest brother noticed that the migration fleet was retracing its route, and after the crew dismissed his concerns, he persuaded his brothers to prepare an escape.
• The brothers stole supplies and a medium-sized escape pod, then launched it and saw escape pods fleeing from other ships across the migration fleet.
• More than half a month later, Kunde Race headquarters reached its rendezvous area and detected a fleet approaching.
• The leaders learned that the approaching ships were not an armed fleet but the colony fleet they had sent out, which had returned unexpectedly.

The Crimson Dynasty forced the Kunde Race to surrender by threatening its returning migration fleet, and Han Xiao received a perfect mission rating for his role in the swift victory. The Dynasty debated how to treat the captured Kunde Race, and Han Xiao joined Tarrokov to interrogate its leaders.

• Tarrokov revealed that the Dynasty had cut off the Kunde Race’s communications, defeated its forces, and locked its migration fleet with weapons, then gave the officials five minutes to surrender.
• The Kunde Race leader chose surrender, and the Dynasty ended the war and captured the remaining fleets and population.
• Han Xiao received a perfect mission rating, experience, Dynasty Contribution, favorability increases, a new milestone, and the Kunde Race War dungeon.
• Tarrokov proposed settling the Kunde Race under strict supervision and gradually transforming its culture, while Urranrell weighed that option against extermination.
• Tarrokov reported that a Psionic Undercurrent had amplified anger and impulsiveness among the Kunde Race officials, though their leader had been affected least.
• Han Xiao arrived by remote projection and agreed to accompany Tarrokov to interrogate the Kunde Race officials.

Han Xiao and Tarrokov inspected the captured Kunde fleet and interrogated its leader about the war and the Kunde Race’s motives. After Tarrokov revealed that the leader would likely be executed, Han Xiao accepted his last wishes and promised to protect the Kunde people and punish those who had manipulated them.

• Han Xiao joined Tarrokov and the Dynasty officers inspecting the prison ships, where he noticed Gaud, an unfamiliar Esper being groomed by the Dynasty.
• Han Xiao and Tarrokov saw the frightened Kunde civilians and questioned their leader, who explained why his people had chosen war over surrendering their chance to develop.
• Tarrokov told the Kunde leader that outside forces had tricked his people with a crashed ship and false intelligence, and admitted the Dynasty would never have allowed them to rise.
• The Kunde leader realized he would be made a scapegoat and executed, then asked that his people be spared and that the masterminds behind the manipulation pay.
• Han Xiao accepted both requests, saying he would seek refuge for the Kunde people in his territory and take down those responsible.