Chapter 7
Fanservice. Oh joy. (The girl's nipples are not detailed. Was this censored for the American release? Or was this how it was originally illustrated? It doesn't matter, though. Boobs shot aren't worth obsessing over.)
Chapter 8
A thrilling sequence at Grand Central Station ensues here. A villain who can take control of the bodies of bystanders attacks our heroes. Also, there is mention of someone named Joshua. Oh, the intrigue!
Chapter 9
It turns out Joshua is Rosette's younger brother. Four years prior to the present, Rosette and Joshua were wandering around outside of the foster home where they lived. They stumbled upon an old catacomb, and found a tomb which housed a demon named Chrono. The two-page spread on pages 64 and 65 is one of the most striking images I've ever seen in a graphic novel. By the way, Joshua can heal people just by touching them. Isn't it always nice to have a healer in your party?
Chapter 10
Joshua can heal other people, but not himself. Not only that, he is quite sickly. A demon named Aion takes advantage of this: he offers Joshua a pair of demon horns, horns that would cure his illness. He accepts. And . . . now he's gone crazy. And that was four years ago. Rosette has been looking for him since. By the way, those horns that Joshua has? They used to belong to Chrono. DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!
Chapter 11
Right after Joshua became possessed by the demon horns, it was then that Rosette and Chrono formed their contract. Only catch? Rosette probably won't live past the age of 30. She's 16 in the present. Well, better make the most of it!
Chapter 12
There are two higher ups in the Magdalene Order, Sister Kate, and Father Remington. Rosette frequently butts head with Sister Kate (as was also seen in volume one), while she has a girly crush on Father Remington. Also, Azmaria wants to be more like Rosette. Heh, a moe girl trying to be a firebrand like Rosette; this should be fun.
Chapter 13
Azmaria gets possessed by a monster. Rosette can only save her by "diving" into Azmaria's subconscious and rescuing her from there. The chapter makes a point that only when you acknowledge fear can you move forward. Who says shonen series can't be insightful?
Chapter 14
Joshua is currently living in a nice house near the ocean. He even has his own maid, Fiore. A small army of demons appear before him and demand to see his master Aion. Joshua kills all of them effortlessly. Mommy, he scares me.
Omake #2
Daisuke Moriyama talks about Chrono Crusade again, like for example how the concept of time running out is pervasive. He also mentions the anime version of Chrono Crusade, which isn't exactly word-for-word like the manga.
Final Thoughts: The plot thickens. Oh god, does the plot thicken. After reading this volume back in 2007, I decided to own the series in its entirety. I knew I was taking a risk; what if the later volumes sucked? But it was a gamble that paid off beautifully. I'm proud to still have this work of art in my collection. See you in volume 3!
