This year's first issue of Square Enix 's Young Gangan magazine revealed last month that Motoki Yoshihara will launch a manga adaptation of Asato Asato 's 86 -Eighty-Six- light novel seres in the magazine this winter. The magazine also notes that the light novel series has 250,000 copies in print.

The novels' story centers on a conflict between two states: the Republic of San Magnolia, and the neighboring Empire. The official story goes: When the Empire developed an unmanned weapon called Legion to invade the Republic, the Republic barely managed to avoid collapse by completing a similar unmanned weapon to thwart the invasion without casualties. But behind the scenes, away from the Republic's 85 districts, there exists a hidden, unnamed "86th district." Here, battles continue between the actual combatants. The story centers around Shin, a field commander of a group of suicidal children. It also focuses on Rena, a rear-echelon handler who commands forces far behind the front lines.

Asato launched the novel series with the first novel in April last year. Shirabi ( The Ryuo's Work is Never Done! , Myriad Colors Phantom World ) is drawing the illustrations, and the artist I-IV is in charge of mechanical design . The second novel shipped in July last year, with the third novel slated for February 9. The novel series ranked #2 in the bunkobon rankings for the 2018 edition of Takarajimasha 's Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! (This Light Novel Is Amazing!) guidebook last year.