Chapter Summaries

Lancelot learned that his rapid growth had earned him a place in the Planet Golden Bridge Operation, where he hoped to gain military merit and resources. After discovering his large credit windfall, he watched Leike confront the gap between their abilities and regain his resolve.

• Steel Tiger explained the Planet Golden Bridge Operation, and Lancelot learned that the four academies would send elite students to help the Alliance sweep the Chosen Ones from the planet.
• The academy leaders approved Lancelot's participation after learning he had reached the 409th step of the Holy Sword Stairway and attained Lower Tier Seven combat strength.
• Lancelot planned to prepare additional combat equipment and discovered he had 28,052 credits, including a 20,000-credit Achievement Ranking reward; his clearance had also risen to level nine.
• Leike of Radiant Sun Academy emerged first after reaching the 317th step and realized he was 92 steps behind Lancelot, despite being two years older.
• Leike accepted the disparity, steadied himself, and resolved to become more composed and tenacious as Radiant Sun Academy's leaders looked on.

Roach reached the 326th step of the Holy Sword Stairway but was defeated by Lancelot’s energy projection. After learning that William and many other students had also lost to the projection, Roach’s mood improved and he began asking others about their attempts.

• Roach faced Lancelot’s energy projection on the 326th step and was overwhelmed by its close-combat strength and lightning attacks.
• Roach emerged from the Holy Sword Stairway and told a fellow Constellation Academy student that he had reached the 326th step.
• William told Roach that he had reached the 332nd step and had also been defeated by Lancelot’s projection.
• Roach felt better after discovering William had suffered the same defeat, then asked other students about their results.
• Roach noticed that many students had been defeated by Lancelot’s projection.

The leaders of the three academies suspected Vice Dean Louis had arranged for their students to face Lancelot’s projection, but he denied it and their challenge plans fell apart. Gosdo fought Lancelot on the 409th step, reached the 421st, and left convinced Lancelot was destined to be his greatest rival.

• Students from the three academies reported being defeated by Lancelot, prompting their leaders to accuse Vice Dean Louis of tampering with the Holy Sword Stairway, which he denied.
• The academy leaders abandoned their plan to challenge Holy Sword Academy after learning that many of their students had faced Lancelot’s projection.
• Gosdo reached the 409th step and fought Lancelot’s projection for more than ten minutes before destroying it.
• Gosdo continued to the 421st step, then emerged and told Jeffrey that he believed fate had brought him and Lancelot together.
• Jeffrey congratulated Gosdo and, after hearing that Gosdo considered Lancelot his greatest rival, told him, “Whatever makes you happy.”

Lancelot befriended Gosdo and the other Tier Seven students after an awkward misunderstanding, while news of his record-breaking climb spread through Holy Sword Academy. Peidasi was ordered by his father to stop provoking Lancelot, and he reluctantly agreed before taking out his anger on the maids.

• Lancelot mistook Gosdo's introduction for a romantic advance, then apologized and explained himself as the two became friends.
• Dexijin, Keaton, and Cage joined Lancelot and Gosdo, and the five Tier Seven students exchanged contact numbers.
• News spread that Lancelot had reached the 409th step, broken the 53-year record, completed an achievement task, and earned 20,000 credits.
• Peidasi raged over Lancelot's achievement until a black-clad figure delivered the Morgan Family head's order to stop provoking him or be summoned home.
• Peidasi agreed to avoid further direct conflict with Lancelot, then attacked the kneeling Rabbit-Eared Tribe maids.

Lancelot heard that the Student Council had backed down and instructed Raquel and Nancy to expand their credit exchange business cautiously while he was away on a mission. Fanxite visited to apologize on behalf of himself and the Morgan Family, and Lancelot accepted his gifts but only declared his personal grievances settled; he then discovered the family had given him a new Intermediate Gene Stabilizer.

• Raquel reported that the Student Council had backed down, and Lancelot told him and Nancy to expand the business carefully while he was away on a mission.
• Fanxite visited Lancelot with an apology from himself and the Morgan Family, along with two gifts.
• Lancelot accepted the gifts and settled his personal grievances with Fanxite, leaving the Morgan Family's status unclear to Fanxite.
• Lancelot opened Fanxite's gift and found twelve vials of three-star Dragon Marrow Secret Medicine.
• Lancelot opened the Morgan Family's larger gift and recognized it as a brand-new Intermediate Gene Stabilizer.

Lancelot took the Intermediate Gene Stabilizer the Morgan Family had given him to the Holy Sword Research Institute so Sugela could inspect it before he used it. After telling Sugela that he would leave Planet Oklo in five days, Lancelot handed over the stabilizer for testing.

• Lancelot considered the Morgan Family’s gift but decided he could not join them because of his loyalty to Mona and his ties to Zyra.
• Worried that a faulty Gene Stabilizer could disrupt his ability awakening, Lancelot went to the research institute to have Sugela check it.
• Lancelot passed the institute’s security checkpoints and was greeted by researchers who already knew him.
• Lancelot told Sugela that he would leave Planet Oklo in five days, and Sugela warned him to be careful on the military operation.
• Sugela asked Lancelot to give him the Intermediate Gene Stabilizer so he could inspect it.

Lancelot had Sugela verify that the Gene Stabilizer was safe, then visited White to inspect experimental equipment for his mission to another planet. He chose an Energy Storage Cube to help manage the energy cost of using his Steel Feather Cloak.

• Sugela analyzed the Gene Stabilizer and told Lancelot the Morgan Family had not tampered with it.
• Sugela directed Lancelot to White to look for experimental combat equipment, and White took him to the institute's underground warehouse.
• Lancelot decided he needed equipment for energy storage, ranged attacks, disguise, and escape.
• Lancelot found a rare Energy Storage Cube that could store energy equal to 80 energy-attribute points, but could only store one type of bodily energy.

Lancelot selected four pieces of equipment from the research institute’s warehouse, including the high-grade Molecular Aggregation Insect, and bought them from White for 12,330 credits. White revealed that the institute had other warehouses holding Legendary equipment and above, leaving Lancelot eager to deepen his involvement with the institute.

• Lancelot chose the energy storage cube, Darkness's Fallen Slaughter, and Gale Walker for endurance, ranged attacks, assassination, and mobility.
• Lancelot found the three-star Legend-quality Molecular Aggregation Insect, a shape-changing biological weapon with strict requirements for safe use.
• Lancelot told White he had chosen four pieces of equipment, and White revealed that the institute had other warehouses for Legendary equipment and above.
• Lancelot wondered whether Teacher Sugela had lured him toward the research institute with the promise of equipment.
• White priced the four pieces at 12,330 credits, and Lancelot bought them by transferring the credits to the institute.

Lancelot obtained a Molecular Aggregation Insect and faced its violent spiritual will to gain control of the three-star legendary equipment. He forced the insect king to submit, leaving him ready to implant it in his brain.

• White gave Lancelot four pieces of equipment and warned him that implanting the Molecular Aggregation Insect would be dangerous.
• Lancelot returned to Teacher Sugela's laboratory, where Sugela invited him to attend an academic seminar about the Divine Research Institute.
• Lancelot went home, cleared his room, and released the insect king from its capsule.
• The insect king attacked Lancelot's mind, but he entered Absolute Focus and steadily weakened its spiritual projection.
• Lancelot invoked a terrifying aura from his previous life, making the battered insect king submit.

Lancelot implanted the submissive insect king into his brain, gaining stronger mental power and control over the Molecular Aggregation Insects. After testing his new abilities and equipment, he exhausted himself charging the Energy Storage Cube and fell asleep.

• Lancelot tested the insect king's submission, then used Cellular-Level Control to open his scalp and guide it into his brain.
• Lancelot endured intense pain as the insect king's tendrils connected to his nerves, raising his spirit attribute to 52.
• Lancelot commanded the Molecular Aggregation Insects to mimic his face and tested their transformations, camouflage, and defensive abilities.
• Lancelot spent three hours charging the Energy Storage Cube, using more than twenty bottles of potions as his energy was drained seven times.
• Lancelot set the fully charged Energy Storage Cube beside his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Zyra gave Lancelot a Martial Arts Will to protect him during the Scavenger Operation on Planet Golden Bridge. Before he left, Director Steel Tiger added another safeguard by giving him a drop of essence blood that could summon his projection in danger.

• Zyra visited Lancelot and asked whether he was going to Planet Golden Bridge for the Scavenger Operation.
• Zyra gave Lancelot a Martial Arts Will, which he placed in his brain domain as protection against dangerous enemies.
• Lancelot spent the next few days preparing for the operation by learning his equipment and buying supplies.
• Director Steel Tiger gave Lancelot a drop of essence blood that could summon his projection to save him.
• Lancelot realized that he now had two Epic-level protectors and felt terrifyingly strong.

Lancelot was appointed captain of the second-year students joining the Planet Golden Bridge Operation, with Vermila as his vice captain. He established his authority and began assigning squad leaders before the operation departed.

• Director Steel Tiger announced that Lancelot would captain the operation and Vermila would serve as vice captain.
• Lancelot recognized Vermila as the strongest second-year and sensed that she resented losing the captaincy to him.
• Lancelot ordered the students to follow his battlefield commands and demonstrated his intimidating aura to enforce the warning.
• Lancelot began assigning squad leaders, naming Labo Stanson captain of the first squad and Sakoye Jiko captain of the second.

Lancelot organized the students into squads and won Vermila’s help coordinating them by offering photos of Zyra. He led the newly united team aboard a ship for the operation, while Director Steel Tiger and Vice Dean Louis focused on rooting out spies within the Alliance.

• Lancelot divided the students into eight tactical squads and formed a unit for infiltration and reconnaissance.
• Lancelot offered Vermila photos of Zyra in exchange for her help coordinating the team, and convinced her they were relatives by recounting Zyra’s childhood mishaps.
• Vermila accepted the deal and helped bring the students together, leaving them impressed by Lancelot’s influence.
• Lancelot led the students aboard a ship that departed into the night as Director Steel Tiger wondered how he had won them over so quickly.
• Director Steel Tiger told Vice Dean Louis that finding spies within the Alliance mattered more than capturing a powerful enemy.

Lancelot traveled to Planet Golden Bridge, where the Crimson Alliance’s control had fueled native resistance and helped the Chosen Ones grow. He arrived at a space station under construction and set out with Vermila to meet the commander of the Scavenger Operation.

• Lancelot reflected on the Chosen Ones’ ideology and the class conflict between extraordinary beings and ordinary humans as his spaceship entered subspace.
• He reviewed Planet Golden Bridge’s history, from its seizure by space pirates to the Crimson Alliance’s takeover and the native rebellion against Alliance control.
• The Chosen Ones gained local recruits with covert support from the Ashes Organization, eventually prompting the Alliance’s Scavenger Operation.
• A day later, Lancelot’s spaceship arrived at Planet Golden Bridge and docked at its expanding space station.
• Vermila told Lancelot that the Alliance planned to make the planet a transportation hub, and Lancelot suggested they meet the operation’s commander.

Brigadier General Mountbatten briefed representatives from the six highest academies on a reconnaissance mission targeting a Chosen Ones branch base in Red Stone Canyon. Lancelot led his squad into the estate, where he and Damu captured a patrol leader and began interrogating him.

• Mountbatten assigned the students to scout the estate, identify its defenses, and serve as the vanguard against enemy extraordinaries during the coming battle.
• Keaton shared intelligence linking Mountbatten to the Locke Family of the Blood Clan, while Cage argued that the connection alone proved nothing.
• Lancelot demonstrated that the Molecular Aggregation Insect Swarm could disguise him, reassuring his reconnaissance squad before the mission.
• Lancelot and the other squads landed on Planet Golden Bridge and stealthily approached Red Stone Canyon after nightfall.
• Lancelot and Damu infiltrated the estate, captured a patrol leader, and used the man's wife and daughter to pressure him into answering questions.

Damu interrogated and killed an underboss to learn about the manor’s outer defenses, while Lancelot and Gosdo separately infiltrated the guarded grounds to gather intelligence. Gosdo reached a command center, extracted information from Duoman, and turned the dead native into a puppet.

• Damu promised to protect the underboss’s wife and daughter in exchange for information, learned about the manor’s defenses, and killed him.
• Lancelot ordered Damu to disguise himself as the underboss and stayed behind to infiltrate the manor alone.
• Gosdo captured a hidden sentry, learned that the manor’s grounds had eight increasingly secure zones, and headed for a zone’s command center.
• Gosdo slipped into the command center, subdued Duoman, and questioned him about its secrets.
• Gosdo killed Duoman and used the Demonic Puppet Curse Seal to raise him as a controllable puppet.

Kanpasi and the Chosen Ones planned to use the estate as a trap for the four academies’ geniuses, but Lancelot secretly advanced toward its core using the Molecular Aggregation Insect. He reached the area above the underground space, suspecting the patrols were being redirected toward him.

• Kanpasi, Victor, and Black Fox discussed Gosdo and Lancelot, then agreed to wait for the academies’ main forces before attacking.
• Lancelot used the Molecular Aggregation Insect’s camouflage and shared vision to scout deeper into the estate toward the underground space.
• Kanpasi noticed Lancelot advancing and ordered patrols to change their routes to turn him back and avoid disrupting the ambush.
• Lancelot spotted the unexpected patrol routes but continued toward the core, while Kanpasi repeatedly redirected more patrols in frustration.
• Lancelot reached the core area and began to suspect that the patrols were coming for him.

Lancelot discovered an armed underground base beneath the estate, where personnel were preparing for an imminent battle. He warned the academy reconnaissance teams that the Chosen Ones might know about their operation, but the group left the decision to Brigadier General Mountbatten.

• Kanpasi sent Victor to drive Lancelot away without revealing that he had been spotted.
• Lancelot used Molecular Aggregation Insects to enter the underground base and overheard its personnel discussing an upcoming battle.
• Lancelot sensed a powerful aura approaching and escaped before Victor arrived.
• The four academies regrouped, and Gosdo presented intelligence that he believed was more precise than the others'.
• Lancelot warned the group that the Chosen Ones might have learned of their operation and laid a trap, but Keaton challenged his evidence while Cage supported caution.
• The reconnaissance team agreed to contact Brigadier General Mountbatten and let him decide what to do.

Lancelot suspected the manor was an ambush, but Mountbatten ordered the assault to proceed. After Lancelot delayed his team, Kanpasi began a blood sacrifice that trapped the other teams inside a blood-colored barrier, leaving Vermila and the others outside with Lancelot.

• Mountbatten rejected Lancelot's warning and ordered the four teams to attack the manor after a missile bombardment.
• Lancelot held his team back, arguing that they could wait for the enemy to flee toward their open flank, until Mountbatten ordered them forward under threat of military punishment.
• Lancelot advanced slowly and found almost no severed limbs, deepening his suspicion that something was wrong.
• Kanpasi noticed Lancelot's team was delaying and ordered Black Fox to begin the blood sacrifice using the other three teams.
• A blood-colored network and altar appeared, sealing the core area beneath a hemispherical barrier as Vermila and the others looked to Lancelot.

Lancelot and his companions watched as an ambush trapped students from the three academies, only for their Epic guardian Davis to face three enemy Epic beings. With Davis occupied and another Sea Clan attacker bearing down on Lancelot’s group, Lancelot stepped forward alone to confront him.

• Lancelot warned Vermila and the others that rushing to rescue the trapped students would be too dangerous, and Damu expected the academies’ guardian to intervene.
• Davis arrived and unleashed a storm of fireballs, but a Gold Dragon blocked his attack while two Sea Clan members revealed themselves as his enemies.
• A Sea Clan attacker moved to strike the students, and Davis intercepted him before the Gold Dragon forced Davis into combat.
• The other Sea Clan Epic flew toward Lancelot, Vermila, and their companions, while Vermila feared they would die.
• Lancelot reassured Vermila and stepped alone to the front of his group to face the approaching enemy.