Zack Lowe and his men are sent unknowingly on a suicide mission against Urdr, an Arbraun City to the East. He and his seven soldiers say goodbye to their family at home and leave, marking the beginning of the Urdr Hunt.
Armaud reminisces on her time living in the orphanage and her fear of spiders. She and Shino remember a story in which Armaud had a rivalry with a black widow as they prepare for their first encounter with Arbraun troops.
Marlowe brings the eight to Thorn's Gate to be executed, but he instead offers them a ritual of forgiveness. Upon taking the offer, Zack uses this as an opportunity to take over Thorn's Gate and after betraying Marlowe a fight begins.
The eight wake up and find Zack missing. Takaki receives a call from an Urdr commander, claiming that they're holding Zack hostage, and the soldiers are given a deal.
The squad's morale is lowered after the results of Morgana's brutal vengeance. To boost morale, Zack gives their squadron the nickname "Iron-Blooded Orphans".
As food supplies are running low, the Iron-Blooded Orphans find themselves under attack by another suicide squad, and both troops come to a troubling realization.