After Kevin and his Mecha Maiden Ember win by instant knockout to reach the quarterfinals, rival pilots jeer, calling Kevin lucky and urging Ember to defect. One rival boasts he still has Claire and A-rank talent that can beat Kevin. Members of the Mecha Ascension Cult then step forward and claim they can upgrade Mecha Maidens—promising to raise A-rank fighters to S-rank or higher. Their offer escalates tensions and undercuts rival confidence. The episode ends with Kevin and Ember confronted by the cult's tempting upgrade and facing an unresolved choice about trusting them.