Our Last Crusade Enters Its Final Battle as Kei Sazane Signals the Endgame
Kei Sazane announced on X (formerly Twitter) on January 1 that his and Ao Nekonabe’s Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World (Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjō, Arui wa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen) light novel series is now entering its “final battle.” At the same time, Sazane confirmed that Ryū Usui’s manga adaptation of Sekai no Owari no Encore, based on Sazane’s work and featuring character designs by Haruaki Fuyuno, has also reached its final arc. To mark the occasion, Sazane shared a special illustration as a New Year’s greeting to fans.
Kadokawa began publishing Kei Sazane’s Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World light novel series in print in Japan in May 2017. The series has since grown to 16 volumes. Okama’s manga adaptation launched in Hakusensha’s Young Animal magazine in May 2018 and currently spans seven collected volumes. A spin-off light novel series, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World: Secret File, is also in circulation, with three volumes released so far.
Image via Kei Sazane’s X.com
© Kei Sazane
Both the light novels and the manga adaptation are published in English by Yen Press. The story is set against a long-running war between the scientifically advanced Empire and Nebulis, a kingdom powered by magic. When the Empire’s youngest-ever knight to earn the title of its strongest crosses paths with the princess of the rival nation, an unlikely bond begins to form. Though sworn enemies, the two are drawn to each other’s ideals, raising the question of whether their world’s endless conflict can ever truly come to an end.
The series received a television anime adaptation that premiered in October 2020. Funimation streamed the show as it aired in Japan and later released an English dub.
© Kei Sazane, Ao Nekonabe
The anime’s second season debuted in July 2024, airing on Tokyo MX, ABC TV, BS11, AT-X, and d-Anime Store. Originally planned for a 2023 release, the season was delayed before finally making its broadcast debut. Crunchyroll is currently streaming the season worldwide, including an English dub. However, episodes from the fifth onward were postponed in August 2024 in order to “maintain quality,” with the season restarting from episode one in April 2025.
Separately, Kei Sazane’s Sekai no Owari no Encore manga adaptation, illustrated by Usui, began serialization in Kadokawa’s Comic Alive magazine in October 2015. The original light novel series launched earlier, in July 2014.