Soul Eater discusses with most of the members Spartoi about the received orders from Lord Death for him and Maka Albarn to execute Crona. Kim Diehl considers the order “cruel.” Maka responds that she would rather be the one to take down Crona than someone else.
Death the Kid, Liz Thompson, and Patty Thompson enter. Kim asks Kid to persuade his father to reconsider the order to execute Crona, especially as the target was being controlled by Medusa. When Kid responds that Crona’s actions cannot be pardoned, Maka and Soul stay silent. Kid elaborates: after Crona committed "what amounts to the murders of Death Weapon Tsar Pushka and his meister Feodor," unleashing the Black Sphere that swallowed that town whole, Crona is a threat that must be stopped.
Black☆Star reaches out to seize Kid by his shirt, angered to hear such “bullshit” to blindly follow Lord Death’s order to kill Crona. Kid silences the ninja by punching his chin, asking that he be allowed to finish his point. Remembering Eibon’s words, Kid explains that no order can ever be absolute: there is an opportunity to manipulate that order to their advantage.
Harvar D. Éclair interrupts to argue that it is order that allows people with dissimilar values to remain united. As Harvar remembers his willingness to kill a possessed Kim to protect Ox Ford, he admits he is a pragmatist, but it is order that allows him to also maintain his kindness. If Kid challenges such order, Harvar argues, then Kid challenges its very representative, Shinigami: to do so risks spreading chaos among people.
Kid responds that there are many persons who disagree with the order to execute Crona. Kid suggests that Lord Death’s order is not intended to be followed but a challenge to these students to consider other approaches to contending with Crona, and they must determine how to move forward. While Liz is impressed by her meister’s word, Kid reminds all that the first step is to find Crona.
Maka turns to Soul, asking for the help of his piano. By resonating their souls, they can increase his Soul Perception to locate Crona before anyone else. Death Scythe and meister’s connection is so strong that Maka can sense every soul on the planet. To find Crona, she must locate the madness of this meister. But the madness is so severe that it leads Maka to one location: the Moon. Maka trembles. Soul asks what is wrong. Maka has discovered the hidden site of the Kishin.
Kid, his father, and staff of the DWMA are shocked to see an animal—not a man in an animal suit, but an actual animal with claws, teeth, and an exposed spine—appear in Death's mirror. The soul of Tezca Tlipoca, having transferred his soul into a mirror around the time of his beheading by Justin Law, thinks it is probable that the Kishin is on the Moon. Tezca explains he could feel Asura’s lunar presence during his fight with Justin.
Maka rushes into the Death Room, interrupting to confirm that indeed Asura is on the Moon. She explains to Marie Mjolnir that she had noticed this fact earlier during their whale hunt, as the upper atmosphere had a higher concentration of madness. Spirit Albarn makes her remark all about his pride to make sure to take part in a mission to take down the Kishin.
Stein advises forming a team of all death weapons to destroy the Kishin, with Kid removed from Spartoi to join this new team. Lord Death agrees, as Kid’s aerial abilities will be necessary in a lunar battle. Lord Death concludes that “this is a battle to regain ‘order.’”
Later in the Death Room, Kid apologizes for his departure to Maka and Soul: as his father cannot leave Death City, it is up to him to be the shinigami in combat. He asks his friends to stop Crona. Soul warns Kid not to die in this mission, but the young reaper jokes that should he perish, Black☆Star would avenge him, as that ninja is now the DWMA’s strongest combatant. Annoyed at having to admit this fact, Kid strives to get stronger to surpass Black☆Star and demands Soul not reveal this conversation to the arrogant ninja. Soul agrees with a fist pump with right hands—then left hands to maintain symmetry for Kid.
Lord Death and Spirit observe their children interacting. Lord Death is ambivalent: while it is hard to watch his son depart, he also recognizes that Kid is maturing, and as Kid grows older, “my inability to leave will no longer be a problem.” Lord Death even tears up, recognizing how much colder Kid’s eyes look recently. Spirit says Kid will understand when he becomes a true shinigami. At that moment, Lord Death, anticipating that day—hence his demise—realizes he will never see Kid smile again.
The Index chants of its desire to teach, advise, and lead. As Brew sits in front of it, the Index also realizes that obtaining the Kishin’s madness will spread Eibon’s knowledge.
Outside of the Book
Index’s will emerges through Noah, who instructs Gopher to hurry.
Maka is sweating, breathing more deeply. Soul asks what is wrong. She explains her soul is “still a little rattled,” and she is disappointed at her inability to find Crona. Soul advises stopping for the day. Maka looks up to the Moon, and glares.
The Moon
Justin Law can tell that the DWMA has located their presence. Who “they” are is not yet shown.
Trivia
Kim’s concern for Crona’s well-being may be influenced by her past fears that her status as a witch would lead the DWMA to execute her as well. She will continue to debate Harvar on this point in the next story arc.
Black☆Star and Kid’s debate about an absolute order may be inspired by their previous debate with each other and the Black Mass in the Book of Eibon regarding whether justice can be taken too far. In this chapter, Kid considers whether the justice of his father’s order is immutable—and whether taking that justice too far is a sin, or at least too severe an approach to dealing with Crona.
Harvar claims the members of Spartoi, as well as the DWMA as a whole, come from different nationalities and ethnicities. Black☆Star and Tsubaki are confirmed to be Japanese; Maka is confirmed to be Japanese on her mother’s side; Kim is a witch; but the nationalities and ethnicities of the remaining members of Spartoi are up for debate.
Kid and Harvar’s remarks about a desire to determine how to follow orders while being flexible sounds similar to Kid’s comments about balance: the two students are trying to determine how to balance strict adherence against flexibility.
Sid's left arm now boasts stitched markings since it was ripped off during a battle against Noah. The arm below those stitches seems to be a different color as well. How Sid regained an arm, and whether that arm is his own or a substitute, is not apparent, although the noticeable stitches may indicate that Stein, as he did with Soul and as he did to himself, performed the surgery.
