(L) Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou [WN]

[borisdrakoni]

Originally Posted by Huh...?

Yuuka is supposed to fill-up the "Mistress" aspect.
Just like Roze is supposed to represent "Local Wife".
Not sure about Enti, Mindy position though.

I don’t think there’s any real limit on the number of people who can occupy a position since it basically all boils down to being in the harem regardless of what they choose to call it. Yuuka aside, I’m not sure we’ll get a chance to see any further development for the others in the time remaining, but I do find it funny that nobody takes Hajime’s rejection seriously. It’s almost like a rite of passage that everyone has to experience.

[Kyureki]

Originally Posted by borisdrakoni

but I do find it funny that nobody takes Hajime’s rejection seriously. It’s almost like a rite of passage that everyone has to experience.

Not really surprising considering how long he kept rejecting the harem until he finally gave in to it.

[borisdrakoni]

At last, the day has come! I'm finally starting in on volume 14. Everyone looks so different in their Earth clothes, some of the illustrations had me doing a double take.

Seriously, Shirakome, give this girl a happy ending already.

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

[sierra117]

Is that Yuka?

[borisdrakoni]

Originally Posted by sierra117

Is that Yuka?

Yep. With the different hair style it took me a second before it clicked, though the tsundere made it more obvious.

***Edit***
Thoughts on chapter 1:

Spoiler:

The chapter is based on "Morning at the Nagumo House Part 1". There are several differences compared to the WN, so it was basically rewritten for the LN. The story picks up around half a month after their arrival at Japan. Hajime shows some signs of PTSD from his experiences at Tortus. For instance, he nearly goes into battle mode when he wakes up unable to move or see(caused by Myuu, Yue, Shea, Tio, and Remia clinging to him while they slept). He also looks at his room every day as if to confirm that he really made it home. He might be having more trouble than the Tortus girls adjusting to their new lives.

Happily, Remia gets a fair amount of attention in the chapter, making her feel more like a proper member of the family. Myuu is already pushing herself as a future bride, so I don't think that part is going to change in the LN. The girls' interactions with Sumire and Shuu are cute. Yue in particular is happy to have a proper mother figure in her life now.

Incidentally, the girls' favorite technological devices were revealed:
Yue - Cellphone GPS(Kaori taught her how it could be used to always know where Hajime is.)
Shea - Pressure Cooker and Microwave
Tio - Toilet (The bidet gets a lot of use.)
Myuu - Game console
Remia - TV(She quickly became addicted to smutty daytime dramas, but regrets the negative impact they have on Myuu's education.)

Thoughts on chapter 2:

Spoiler:

The chapter is based on "Morning at the Nagumo House Part 2". The first part is a flashback to the point cut off from volume 13's epilogue when Hajime introduced the girls to his parents. From what I recall, this part remains similar to the WN with some minor differences.

Returning to the present, it goes into a lot more detail about the measures Hajime took to manipulate the global perception of the returnees and establish identities for Yue and the others. The chapter also mentions that Hajime's group will be able to return to school in December, about a month and a half from the present time. For those paying attention to the timeline, that would mean that the classmate's summoning and subsequent return around a year later would have occurred sometime around the month of October.

The chapter ends with the family discussing Hajime's plans to expand their house by constructing a basement. The girls have some funny room requests. For example, Tio asks for a room big enough to hold a kingsize bed and bondage equipment(wooden horse, spreader bar, etc). Shea wants a fighting arena floored with tatami where she can practice Earth's martial arts that she's learning from YouTube. Remia asks for a soundproof room with a TV.(Seriously wondering how intense those daytime dramas of hers get.)

[dragon213]

Originally Posted by borisdrakoni

At last, the day has come! I'm finally starting in on volume 14. Everyone looks so different in their Earth clothes, some of the illustrations had me doing a double take.

Seriously, Shirakome, give this girl a happy ending already.

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Yeah, I mean in the current wn chapters they're trying to have Yuuka gain his attention so I too want her to get accepted by him, besides her feelings for him began to take root before from when he saved her before his fall. At least I think so, not to mention how cute she is

[cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by borisdrakoni

Yep. With the different hair style it took me a second before it clicked, though the tsundere made it more obvious.

***Edit***
Thoughts on chapter 1:

Spoiler:

The chapter is based on "Morning at the Nagumo House Part 1". There are several differences compared to the WN, so it was basically rewritten for the LN. The story picks up around half a month after their arrival at Japan. Hajime shows some signs of PTSD from his experiences at Tortus. For instance, he nearly goes into battle mode when he wakes up unable to move or see(caused by Myuu, Yue, Shea, Tio, and Remia clinging to him while they slept). He also looks at his room every day as if to confirm that he really made it home. He might be having more trouble than the Tortus girls adjusting to their new lives.

Happily, Remia gets a fair amount of attention in the chapter, making her feel more like a proper member of the family. Myuu is already pushing herself as a future bride, so I don't think that part is going to change in the LN. The girls' interactions with Sumire and Shuu are cute. Yue in particular is happy to have a proper mother figure in her life now.

Incidentally, the girls' favorite technological devices were revealed:
Yue - Cellphone GPS(Kaori taught her how it could be used to always know where Hajime is.)
Shea - Pressure Cooker and Microwave
Tio - Toilet (The bidet gets a lot of use.)
Myuu - Game console
Remia - TV(She quickly became addicted to smutty daytime dramas, but regrets the negative impact they have on Myuu's education.)

Thoughts on chapter 2:

Spoiler:

The chapter is based on "Morning at the Nagumo House Part 2". The first part is a flashback to the point cut off from volume 13's epilogue when Hajime introduced the girls to his parents. From what I recall, this part remains similar to the WN with some minor differences.

Returning to the present, it goes into a lot more detail about the measures Hajime took to manipulate the global perception of the returnees and establish identities for Yue and the others. The chapter also mentions that Hajime's group will be able to return to school in December, about a month and a half from the present time. For those paying attention to the timeline, that would mean that the classmate's summoning and subsequent return around a year later would have occurred sometime around the month of October.

The chapter ends with the family discussing Hajime's plans to expand their house by constructing a basement. The girls have some funny room requests. For example, Tio asks for a room big enough to hold a kingsize bed and bondage equipment(wooden horse, spreader bar, etc). Shea wants a fighting arena floored with tatami where she can practice Earth's martial arts that she's learning from YouTube. Remia asks for a soundproof room with a TV.(Seriously wondering how intense those daytime dramas of hers get.)

She refuses to negotiate on her dramas lol

[borisdrakoni]

Originally Posted by cyberdemon

She refuses to negotiate on her dramas lol

Honestly, Remia kind of feels like the big winner of this adaptation. Her screen time was increased compared to the WN, and she’s developing more of a character than just, “Ara ara. Ufufu.” Shirakome wasn’t kidding when he said he basically rewrote the after story for the LN. There are a ton of changes, both in the form of new content and as a result of cleaning up the timeline.

***Edit***
Ok, I finally finished volume 14. It was very good, though obviously completely different in tone and pacing to the main story. Some of the chapters didn't diverge too far from the WN, but there were enough changes and new content added that the experience still felt fresh.(Honestly, it was a little rough playing spot the difference since I haven't read these WN chapters in years, so I probably missed some things.)
Thoughts on chapter 3:

Spoiler:

This chapter is basically all new content. Hajime wrapped up his basement renovations(he went overboard as expected) and is getting ready to go with the girls on their first outing to tour the city. Remia is getting a lot more love in this version of the after story. There's a humorous scene where she exposes the fact that she and the girls had Sumire show them Hajime's secret collection to learn about his (sexual) preferences. Typical shenanigans ensue, and the girls get to witness Hajime beaten in a verbal battle with his mother.

The group gets a lot of attention on their date. Hajime's recognition inhibition artifacts are still relatively unrefined, so the girls' charm leaks out and draws a crowd. There's a cute scene of Yue buying her first train ticket and an impromptu fashion show when they go shopping for clothes at the mall. The girls then drag Hajime off to buy (sexy) underwear for them.

On the way home, Tio, in a rare moment of seriousness, talked to Hajime about his financial situation since he had insisted on only using his own savings for their date. She expressed her desire to help him as family and forge her own place in society, thus setting up the establishment of Hajime's accessory business.(Honestly, I love the illustration here of Tio with her hair down. It's such a different vibe than normal.)

Incidentally, going to school with them all had been an option too since Tio can also apparently use Metamorphosis magic to alter her apparent age. Remia similarly showed interest in working with clothing design after seeing all the different clothes being sold. On a side note, Remia and Tio have been shown to have grown a lot closer because they share a room and often stay up late chatting.(There weren't enough rooms for everyone, so a work room and storage room on the second floor with Hajime's room were cleaned out and repurposed for the girls. Yue and Shea share one room, and Tio, Remia, and Myuu the other, though Myuu likes bouncing between rooms.)

Thoughts on chapter 4:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "The Angel's Guardian" chapter and is largely the same as its WN counterpart. The timeline, however, has been adjusted. It occurs on the same day as Hajime's and the girls' date rather than when he was visiting his grandparents, so Tio's arc in Avenst has not happened yet. The ending was also changed accordingly, so Tomoichi lost his temper at the end during the phone call because he heard the girls come into Hajime's room and talk about their new (sexy) underwear.

Thoughts on chapter 5:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "The Secret of the Yaegashi Family". This one is mostly still the same as the WN with some additions. Chronologically, it takes place the day before Hajime did his basement renovations. There are some details given on the large role the Yaegashi family and their connections played both in the search for the missing classmates and in quieting down the chaos of their return. Hajime also seems to have had the most contact with their family. (Shizuku's kimono illustration is very cute.) Humorously, Shizuku went to a family reunion a couple of days later where she encountered Koga and Iga ninjas.

Thoughts on chapter 6:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "Aiko-sensei's Worries". Chronologically, it takes place in November about a month after their return. This one is also still mostly the same as the WN, with a little more fleshing out here and there. Aiko loves to overthink things, so I'm glad Hajime's there to pull her along at times.

Thoughts on chapter 7:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "Ordinary Student Life 1". The time frame is around mid December. There were some changes made to clarify that the classmates were in fact summoned during their second year of high school, but on their return they remained as second years instead of promoting to third year, mostly because none of them wanted to graduate and separate in just a few months. Officially, they aren't being treated as repeating a year, however, so it will not affect their futures.

More content has been added after the scene with the vice principal that shows Hajime and the others in class, taken in part from "School Festival Part 1". Kouki is still with them at this point in time. There are some interesting shifts in the classroom dynamic compared to what we saw way back in volume 1. Nana even ribs Shinji and Yoshiki about their former bullying, although the atmosphere turns a bit awkward as memories of their dead classmates resurface. This section also included the explanation for how Hajime handled the families of the deceased. During the lunch, the story diverges from the WN as they start talking about Christmas plans. Hajime mentions that he stored up enough power to call Lily over, who will stay on Earth until New Years.

Thoughts on chapter 8:

Spoiler:

This chapter occurs on the day before Christmas. The content is almost entirely new, but it seems to be drawing a bit from "The Gathering of the Returnees" in terms of interactions with Yuuka and her parents. Before the school's closing ceremony, the girls are spending time with their other school friends, and in a rare move Hajime abandoned Yue and Shea to their circle of female admirers. Instead, Yuuka strikes up a conversation with him. After the closing ceremony, the classmates are all planning to go to her family's restaurant to celebrate. Per usual, Yuuka gets teased and attracts Yue's and Kaori's attention. Lily also suddenly shows up at the school, causing a scene.(There's a cute illustration of her in a coat.)

The story flashes back to two days prior when Lily comes to Earth through the gate. Sumire, Shuu, and Lily were all nervous about their first time meeting, so things ended up going a bit awry when Hajime's parents set off party crackers at her arrival and she blocked it with a magical shield.(Incidentally, Lana also came to Earth and nailed her first impression with the Endou family by hiding her chuunibyou.) Back in the present, everyone gathered for a party at Westeria.(Yuuka's uniform honestly does look great.) Hajime chats with Yuuka's parents about his plans to take the girls to an amusement park for Christmas, though sadly Yuuka's tsundere prevents her from tagging along at this point.

Thoughts on chapter 9:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "Christmas Commemoration Santa-san's Present", but it has been heavily rewritten with additional content. The amusement park visit is quite entertaining since everyone is excited. Shea, Remia, and Myuu are able to show their true appearances since there are so many people in costumes or wearing fantasy themed accessories at the park.

Liliana starts going out of control almost immediately while thinking about the profit that sort of facility could bring to the kingdom, but Aiko is able to calm her with Spirit magic. They proceed to take her on a series of thrill rides to take her mind off things, though that results in her and Remia needing a break where they rest on Hajime's lap pillow while the others go on the Viking ride. On a side note, Myuu can go on all the rides because they used Metamorphosis magic to make her taller and avoid height limits. Remia and Hajime have a short chat about Myuu growing up(and Shirakome is not even trying to be subtle about implying that she'll join the harem eventually).

Afterwards, they eat lunch and visit some milder attractions. Shea tricked the others into doing a puzzle/obstacle course with the right to ride the Ferris Wheel alone with Hajime as the prize for winning. Despite the others' efforts, Shea won with ease by fully utilizing her physical and foresight abilities, earning her a romantic moment with Hajime.(Myuu actually came in second)

After the Ferris Wheel, Hajime rode the merry-go-round with the other girls to appease them. Following that, they visited some other attractions. Yue and Kaori got into a heated fight on the bumper carts. Aiko and Lily got lost in a giant maze. Remia got scared in the haunted house and accidentally slapped Tio, who responded as expected. Hajime won a giant stuffed animal for Shizuku.

For a final ride, they go on the adventure boat where Myuu troubles the onee-san working the attraction. After they, they watch the night parade while having fun looking for characters that resemble them. At the end, Hajime does his Santa act, gifting Myuu her beloved arsenal of weapons.(She has already started training in the new facility Hajime made in their basement.)

Thoughts on chapter 10:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "New Year Commemoration Happy New Year". It reads largely the same as the WN, although it adds a lot more details about Hajime's recognition inhibition glasses(dubbed Charm Killer), which had to be remade 23 times by this point.(In chapter 7, Hajime even questioned whether Yue's charm had become concept magic since it always surpassed his artifacts.) One of the bigger changes to this segment is the addition of Lily, who had some amusing moments where she finally relaxed due to the hot spring and got semi-brainwashed by Myuu who whispered NEET memes into her ears while she was out of it. Due to the timeline changes, this chapter also appears to be setting up for the "Tortus Travel" arc with Shuu’s request to visit another world and meet the people who took care of Hajime, whereas in the WN it had already happened by that point in time.

Thoughts on chapter 11:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "New Year's Special Feature 2 Ordinary New Year's Scenes (Limited to the Nagumo Family)" Aside from the timeline update, there were a few other changes. For instance, the grisly origin of Myuu's bunny ear accessory was removed. The ending was also changed to them taking a family photo together.(displayed in the color insert)

[dragon213]

Originally Posted by borisdrakoni

Honestly, Remia kind of feels like the big winner of this adaptation. Her screen time was increased compared to the WN, and she’s developing more of a character than just, “Ara ara. Ufufu.” Shirakome wasn’t kidding when he said he basically rewrote the after story for the LN. There are a ton of changes, both in the form of new content and as a result of cleaning up the timeline.

***Edit***
Ok, I finally finished volume 14. It was very good, though obviously completely different in tone and pacing to the main story. Some of the chapters didn't diverge too far from the WN, but there were enough changes and new content added that the experience still felt fresh.(Honestly, it was a little rough playing spot the difference since I haven't read these WN chapters in years, so I probably missed some things.)
Thoughts on chapter 3:

Spoiler:

This chapter is basically all new content. Hajime wrapped up his basement renovations(he went overboard as expected) and is getting ready to go with the girls on their first outing to tour the city. Remia is getting a lot more love in this version of the after story. There's a humorous scene where she exposes the fact that she and the girls had Sumire show them Hajime's secret collection to learn about his (sexual) preferences. Typical shenanigans ensue, and the girls get to witness Hajime beaten in a verbal battle with his mother.

The group gets a lot of attention on their date. Hajime's recognition inhibition artifacts are still relatively unrefined, so the girls' charm leaks out and draws a crowd. There's a cute scene of Yue buying her first train ticket and an impromptu fashion show when they go shopping for clothes at the mall. The girls then drag Hajime off to buy (sexy) underwear for them.

On the way home, Tio, in a rare moment of seriousness, talked to Hajime about his financial situation since he had insisted on only using his own savings for their date. She expressed her desire to help him as family and forge her own place in society, thus setting up the establishment of Hajime's accessory business.(Honestly, I love the illustration here of Tio with her hair down. It's such a different vibe than normal.)

Incidentally, going to school with them all had been an option too since Tio can also apparently use Metamorphosis magic to alter her apparent age. Remia similarly showed interest in working with clothing design after seeing all the different clothes being sold. On a side note, Remia and Tio have been shown to have grown a lot closer because they share a room and often stay up late chatting.(There weren't enough rooms for everyone, so a work room and storage room on the second floor with Hajime's room were cleaned out and repurposed for the girls. Yue and Shea share one room, and Tio, Remia, and Myuu the other, though Myuu likes bouncing between rooms.)

Thoughts on chapter 4:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "The Angel's Guardian" chapter and is largely the same as its WN counterpart. The timeline, however, has been adjusted. It occurs on the same day as Hajime's and the girls' date rather than when he was visiting his grandparents, so Tio's arc in Avenst has not happened yet. The ending was also changed accordingly, so Tomoichi lost his temper at the end during the phone call because he heard the girls come into Hajime's room and talk about their new (sexy) underwear.

Thoughts on chapter 5:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "The Secret of the Yaegashi Family". This one is mostly still the same as the WN with some additions. Chronologically, it takes place the day before Hajime did his basement renovations. There are some details given on the large role the Yaegashi family and their connections played both in the search for the missing classmates and in quieting down the chaos of their return. Hajime also seems to have had the most contact with their family. (Shizuku's kimono illustration is very cute.) Humorously, Shizuku went to a family reunion a couple of days later where she encountered Koga and Iga ninjas.

Thoughts on chapter 6:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "Aiko-sensei's Worries". Chronologically, it takes place in November about a month after their return. This one is also still mostly the same as the WN, with a little more fleshing out here and there. Aiko loves to overthink things, so I'm glad Hajime's there to pull her along at times.

Thoughts on chapter 7:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "Ordinary Student Life 1". The time frame is around mid December. There were some changes made to clarify that the classmates were in fact summoned during their second year of high school, but on their return they remained as second years instead of promoting to third year, mostly because none of them wanted to graduate and separate in just a few months. Officially, they aren't being treated as repeating a year, however, so it will not affect their futures.

More content has been added after the scene with the vice principal that shows Hajime and the others in class, taken in part from "School Festival Part 1". Kouki is still with them at this point in time. There are some interesting shifts in the classroom dynamic compared to what we saw way back in volume 1. Nana even ribs Shinji and Yoshiki about their former bullying, although the atmosphere turns a bit awkward as memories of their dead classmates resurface. This section also included the explanation for how Hajime handled the families of the deceased. During the lunch, the story diverges from the WN as they start talking about Christmas plans. Hajime mentions that he stored up enough power to call Lily over, who will stay on Earth until New Years.

Thoughts on chapter 8:

Spoiler:

This chapter occurs on the day before Christmas. The content is almost entirely new, but it seems to be drawing a bit from "The Gathering of the Returnees" in terms of interactions with Yuuka and her parents. Before the school's closing ceremony, the girls are spending time with their other school friends, and in a rare move Hajime abandoned Yue and Shea to their circle of female admirers. Instead, Yuuka strikes up a conversation with him. After the closing ceremony, the classmates are all planning to go to her family's restaurant to celebrate. Per usual, Yuuka gets teased and attracts Yue's and Kaori's attention. Lily also suddenly shows up at the school, causing a scene.(There's a cute illustration of her in a coat.)

The story flashes back to two days prior when Lily comes to Earth through the gate. Sumire, Shuu, and Lily were all nervous about their first time meeting, so things ended up going a bit awry when Hajime's parents set off party crackers at her arrival and she blocked it with a magical shield.(Incidentally, Lana also came to Earth and nailed her first impression with the Endou family by hiding her chuunibyou.) Back in the present, everyone gathered for a party at Westeria.(Yuuka's uniform honestly does look great.) Hajime chats with Yuuka's parents about his plans to take the girls to an amusement park for Christmas, though sadly Yuuka's tsundere prevents her from tagging along at this point.

Thoughts on chapter 9:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "Christmas Commemoration Santa-san's Present", but it has been heavily rewritten with additional content. The amusement park visit is quite entertaining since everyone is excited. Shea, Remia, and Myuu are able to show their true appearances since there are so many people in costumes or wearing fantasy themed accessories at the park.

Liliana starts going out of control almost immediately while thinking about the profit that sort of facility could bring to the kingdom, but Aiko is able to calm her with Spirit magic. They proceed to take her on a series of thrill rides to take her mind off things, though that results in her and Remia needing a break where they rest on Hajime's lap pillow while the others go on the Viking ride. On a side note, Myuu can go on all the rides because they used Metamorphosis magic to make her taller and avoid height limits. Remia and Hajime have a short chat about Myuu growing up(and Shirakome is not even trying to be subtle about implying that she'll join the harem eventually).

Afterwards, they eat lunch and visit some milder attractions. Shea tricked the others into doing a puzzle/obstacle course with the right to ride the Ferris Wheel alone with Hajime as the prize for winning. Despite the others' efforts, Shea won with ease by fully utilizing her physical and foresight abilities, earning her a romantic moment with Hajime.(Myuu actually came in second)

After the Ferris Wheel, Hajime rode the merry-go-round with the other girls to appease them. Following that, they visited some other attractions. Yue and Kaori got into a heated fight on the bumper carts. Aiko and Lily got lost in a giant maze. Remia got scared in the haunted house and accidentally slapped Tio, who responded as expected. Hajime won a giant stuffed animal for Shizuku.

For a final ride, they go on the adventure boat where Myuu troubles the onee-san working the attraction. After they, they watch the night parade while having fun looking for characters that resemble them. At the end, Hajime does his Santa act, gifting Myuu her beloved arsenal of weapons.(She has already started training in the new facility Hajime made in their basement.)

Thoughts on chapter 10:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "New Year Commemoration Happy New Year". It reads largely the same as the WN, although it adds a lot more details about Hajime's recognition inhibition glasses(dubbed Charm Killer), which had to be remade 23 times by this point.(In chapter 7, Hajime even questioned whether Yue's charm had become concept magic since it always surpassed his artifacts.) One of the bigger changes to this segment is the addition of Lily, who had some amusing moments where she finally relaxed due to the hot spring and got semi-brainwashed by Myuu who whispered NEET memes into her ears while she was out of it. Due to the timeline changes, this chapter also appears to be setting up for the "Tortus Travel" arc with Shuu’s request to visit another world and meet the people who took care of Hajime, whereas in the WN it had already happened by that point in time.

Thoughts on chapter 11:

Spoiler:

This chapter is based on "New Year's Special Feature 2 Ordinary New Year's Scenes (Limited to the Nagumo Family)" Aside from the timeline update, there were a few other changes. For instance, the grisly origin of Myuu's bunny ear accessory was removed. The ending was also changed to them taking a family photo together.(displayed in the color insert)

Well that's pretty normal for WNs to be rewritten, where a lot gets taken out or changed and what got changed might become side stories or so, many people usually calls WNs for drafts which they could be seen as if a light novel following the same story is made later. At least from what I have seen.

[cyberdemon]

In this case changes were necessary to them in chronological order. Otherwise plot holes pop up

[borisdrakoni]

I finally got my copy of season 3's first BD collection. This time around Shirakome isn't releasing a novella at the end as a purchase bonus, but is instead including a special booklet with each collection. The story was pretty good. The title is "The Four Sages", and chronologically it takes place between volumes 8 and 9. There are only two chapters in the booklet, and it ends off on a pretty big cliffhanger.

Spoiler:

It looks like another crossover with Zero where the Liberators all make an appearance this time, although this installment didn't make it clear whether this is another timeslip incident with the actual people or something else entirely is happening. It was a very amusing read overall, though.

[dragon213]

I know many would like hajime to accept yuuka, myself included since her interest in him started from old hajime before he fell. And it seems like she might start getting his attention in the wn

[borisdrakoni]

The second installment of "The Four Sages" was pretty interesting, but I'm left with a whole lot of questions that the next part will hopefully answer in a couple of weeks.

Spoiler:

Seeing fights between the Liberators and the main story characters really puts into perspective just how broken the Liberators were. Even powerhouses like Shea and Tio struggled despite their opponents(Laus and Lyutillis) seeming to be under some kind of restriction. Tio's conversation with Lyutillis was funny as expected, though. If ever there were two people who should never meet... Kouki, Ryuutarou, Shizuku, and Suzu actually got killed outright. There are plenty of cryptic hints about there being a lot more going on beneath the surface, though, and the encounter with the Liberators is looking more like a dream or illusion of some kind. This section ended on another cliffhanger with the introduction of a girl calling herself Irene S.B. Heiligh(エイレーネ・S・B・ハイリヒ), apparently another ancestor of Lily.