[Teleportation Target: Node 18, Honkai Universe]
[Teleportation Ready]
Bzzz—
The starship passed through the teleportation anchor and descended upon the Honkai world.
Everything was just as it had been more than a year ago.
Below, Earth rotated quietly, and in its orbit floated a massive station resembling a suspended city in the sky—
Honkai Station-1.
It was here that the Empire conducted synchronized research on both Honkai energy and the native inhabitants of the Honkai world.
Humanity on Earth remained oblivious. It was still the Saga of the Shattered Swords era—humanity had a long way to go before they could reach the stars.
Click—
The ship landed within the orbital station.
Alongside Setsuna were several companions who had originally come from this very world—they wished to see what the future held for their home.
"Whoa..."
Everyone looked around the station's interior, which hadn't changed much since their first visit.
Sleek and minimalistic, yet elegant. With artificial gravity active, it was a self-contained kingdom in the void.
Groups of young researchers and Angeloids bustled about the halls, calculating intricate data on shimmering holographic panels.
At the edges of the facility, a few Honkai Beasts were being used for experiments, and the Life Sciences Division maintained a small research team there.
Fu Hua, Cang Xuan, and Dan Zhu gazed down toward the Earth below, momentarily dazed.
They remembered vividly the day they first set foot aboard this station—as mere natives. Now, they found themselves thinking of the Starsea Empire as their true home.
Their hearts had changed; this place felt more like home than the world beneath them.
"Commander!"
A group of little researchers spotted Setsuna and immediately rushed toward him, chattering excitedly as they surrounded him.
"Commander, it's been forever~!"
"This time, you're here to explore the past and future of the Honkai world, right? To completely conquer it?"
The girls tilted their heads up, asking eagerly.
"That's right."
Beside him, Kayo Senju nodded with confidence.
"We've fully mastered time traversal. Our goal is to resolve all remaining issues in the Honkai world."
"This will also be the Starsea Empire's first official experiment in future traversal."
"Whoa..."
Upon hearing the Science Division Director herself, the young researchers immediately straightened up—eyes sparkling, awaiting their assignments.
...
Half an hour later—
Inside the main conference hall of Honkai Station-1.
Most of the stationed researchers were gathered there, listening intently as Setsuna and Kayo Senju presented the strategy briefing.
"Cough— The Honkai world's timeline spans a vast range, roughly divided into three eras: the Previous Era, the Current Era, and the Saga of the Shattered Swords."
"We've already fully conquered the Shenzhou era. To complete this world's conquest, we must also handle its past and its future."
Kayo paused to think for a moment.
"Among the worlds we've encountered so far, the Honkai world isn't the most difficult—but it is one of the most troublesome. It requires constant temporal jumps."
From the Previous Era to the Current Era was a gap of over fifty thousand years—and even within the Current Era, time leaps of years or even decades were often required.
"Considering that going to the Previous Era first might trigger a butterfly effect—and that correcting causality over fifty millennia would be too complex—we'll begin with the Current Era."
As she spoke, she signaled to the Angeloids, who began distributing information packets to the young researchers.
They contained historical records, chronological charts, and major event logs of the Current Era.
"In principle," she continued, "our objectives are the same as always—locate and retrieve the key individuals we need, then conquer the world and eliminate the End."
Setsuna cleared his throat.
"From here on, the Starsea Empire will also form our own Herrscher and Valkyrie divisions."
Senti perked up instantly. As the Empire's only existing Herrscher, she was eager to meet others of her kind—to see what the other Herrschers were like.
"However," Kayo added seriously, "because of the massive temporal span, there's another crucial task we must handle—ensuring that every destined individual appears at the right time."
The Empire had deliberately avoided fully conquering this version of Earth to prevent large-scale disturbances to the worldline—disruptions that could erase certain individuals from existence.
The young researchers had been continuously working to correct and stabilize the worldline here.
Traveling to the future operated under the same principle.
When retrieving someone from a span of decades—or even centuries—into the future, one had to carefully consider the ripple effects of their removal and prepare countermeasures in advance.
"Uhh..."
"My head hurts already..."
Several little scientists scratched their heads in confusion.
"Commander, are you going to be traveling back and forth between the present and the future? Should we wait for you here?" one asked, raising her hand.
"No."
Kayo Senju shook her head.
"This is the Empire's first time-travel experiment into the future—every member stationed at Honkai Station-1 will board the ship."
"First of all, this is a rare opportunity for research. I doubt anyone here would want to miss it."
"Second, we need all personnel on standby to assist the Commander in maintaining temporal stability."
"Yay!!!"
The young researchers cheered excitedly. To them, joining a massive temporal experiment was far more fun than any school trip.
"Well... there's also another reason."
Kayo hesitated for a moment.
"If you stay behind, there's a chance the Commander might encounter your future selves. That could be... awkward."
During the first transdimensional test, they had already discovered that meeting one's past or future self created temporal loops.
Even though Yukikaze had only waved at Yat Sen and hadn't made direct contact, it was still an instance of the future subtly affecting the past.
If they were to meet directly, who knew what kind of paradox—or bug—might occur.
So the safest course was for everyone to travel together.
"No problem!!!"
The researchers agreed instantly.
Preparations were soon underway.
With the help of the Angeloids, various research instruments and tools were loaded onto the transdimensional ship.
The starship's vast internal space easily accommodated a dedicated area for the young scientists to live and conduct experiments.
Experimental Honkai Beasts and nonportable materials were transferred back to the capital for safekeeping.
...
While everyone was busy packing, Setsuna wandered through the station during a brief lull.
Under Sophon surveillance, Honkai Station-1 monitored every single event happening on Earth in real time.
The world below spun peacefully—but he couldn't help wondering.
"So..." Fu Hua's voice trailed off. "What's happening down there now?"
Her casual question sparked Setsuna's curiosity.
He thought back to all the things he'd done during his last visit.
He had taken Fu Hua with him—which meant there would be no Fu Hua class monitor in the Honkai world's timeline.
Senti was bound to Fu Hua, so that wasn't too much of an issue.
But Kallen... she was a major variable. Her removal would heavily disrupt future events.
"Let's see what the locals are up to."
Shhh—
The holographic display activated, and Sophon projected the Earth's current state before him.
...
Year 1475 A.D.
The Schicksal Legion had launched its Eastern Expedition, clashing with the Ming Empire across the steppes of the Kipchak Plains.
Among their ranks marched their strongest Valkyrie—Kallen Kaslana.
The Valkyrie Corps fought fiercely against the combined forces of the Ming army and the martial sects. But the battle ended in an utterly bizarre way.
The Eternal Snowfall descended from the heavens.
Thousands of Angeloids deployed in an instant, annihilating the entire Schicksal Legion with overwhelming force.
At the same time, Kallen Kaslana and her Divine Key were taken aboard.
Surviving witnesses swore they saw a familiar figure aboard the descending starship—the Immortal Phoenix.
No one could understand why the immortal of Shenzhou would ride a planet-destroying warship to strike at the Crusaders.
Regardless, Schicksal's army was utterly defeated, plunging all of Europe into chaos.
...
At Schicksal Headquarters in Europe, within a vast library—
A blond man quietly turned the final page of an ancient tome.
Closing the book, he leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting toward the window.
"Starsea Empire... What are you?"
Otto Apocalypse stared blankly into the sky.
As one who had personally joined the Eastern Expedition, he had witnessed the total destruction of Schicksal's forces—and the impossible starship that had descended from beyond the heavens.
The defeat was catastrophic, and the resulting instability would ensure that Europe's nations would not recover for many years to come.
But Otto's mind was fixated on something else.
Where had that ship come from?
As a 15th-century native, the sight of a spacefaring dreadnought effortlessly annihilating medieval armies had shattered his understanding of the world.
He spent years poring over every record and archive, yet found nothing.
It was as if the ship had appeared out of thin air—then vanished without a trace.
"Eastern sorcery? Or perhaps... something tied to the Honkai itself? ...No—that was the Immortal Phoenix aboard..."
The more he thought, the less it made sense.
After the Battle of the Kipchak Plains, the Starsea Empire had disappeared completely, as if it had never existed.
Otto spent over a year searching every archive, yet still found no answers.
"..."
He looked toward the heavens once more, a faint sense of paranoia creeping into his heart—as though unseen eyes were watching, unseen hands manipulating fate.
He swore he would uncover the truth... and learn where Kallen and her Divine Key had gone.
A ghost—
A ghost of the Starsea Empire—was now haunting the skies above Earth.
...
"Is that the Apocalypse family? He's still alive?"
Fu Hua stared at the holographic projection with mild surprise.
She had little connection to Otto; her only impression of him came from the historical records she'd read—he was a member of one of Schicksal's three great families.
"Yes. To maintain stability in the future worldline, the Angeloids were ordered not to pursue him during the Schicksal War."
Grey nodded.
"He's one of the key individuals influencing the future trajectory of this world."
"Hm?" Fu Hua tilted her head, puzzled.
The nanomachine assistant elaborated, "A world's development is often shaped by a handful of people acting at specific moments. Otto's influence on the Honkai world—well, I don't think it needs much explanation, does it?"
"If we were to eliminate him early, it would cause massive complications in correcting the later timelines. So, we simply let him go."
"Oh..."
Fu Hua nodded slowly, half-understanding.
"So, since he's already encountered the Starsea Empire, and Kallen's been taken away, will that affect the future?"
"There will be some variations, but everything remains within our calculations and projections."
Grey let out a whistle.
"You know that mathematical weapon we acquired from the Three-Body universe? The most direct application of it—'Everything can be solved.'"
"That's exactly what Honkai Station has been doing. From the smallest variable, we can simulate an entire world's evolution."
As she spoke, she brought up a complex holographic interface.
Displayed before them was a sprawling tree-like structure—a meticulous and precise model predicting the Honkai world's future development.
"From this point forward, every person in this world, for the next 500 years—every action they take, every choice they make—is already within our equations."
...
"Honkai Station-1, all systems ready!"
A few days later.
All of the station's equipment had been moved onto the ship, and the young researchers stood ready, buzzing with excitement.
Many of them couldn't resist pressing their faces to the portholes, gazing eagerly into space.
Bzzz—
Sophon scanned the entire station one last time.
"All personnel have evacuated. The station is now entering hibernation mode."
Click—
One by one, the lights, doors, and viewports of Honkai Station-1 powered down.
Except for the core antigravity system, nearly all energy-consuming systems were shut off.
The camouflage field and signal-jamming modules activated, cloaking the station within the starlit void.
"Commander, Honkai Research Group—fully prepared," Kayo Senju reported.
Setsuna glanced around the ship's interior, where rows of bright-eyed researchers waited in anticipation. He realized he was now commanding an entire think tank and research fleet.
Smiling, he tapped the holographic console.
"Buckle up."
Shhh—
[Temporal Navigation Module Ready]
[Current Universe: Honkai World]
[Entering Transdimensional State... 10, 9, 8...]
With the mechanical chime of the ship's AI—
Bzzz—
The starship unfolded into higher-dimensional form. Its size expanded exponentially, its true body incomprehensible in the three-dimensional projection.
Then—
BOOM!!!—
A thunderous tremor shook space itself.
The ship's engines roared to life—but it didn't move even a millimeter through the cosmos. Its relative position remained perfectly still.
It was not traveling through space—but through time.
From the high-dimensional continuum, it accelerated forward along another temporal axis.
To those aboard, it felt like entering a vacuum of time—an eternity lasting millions of years and yet no more than a blink.
When they opened their eyes again—
The scene outside was chaos, like witnessing the birth of heaven and earth.
Then, gradually, it cleared within minutes.
Below them was the same blue Earth, and nearby drifted the Honkai Station-1 in orbit.
"Huh? What happened? Did we not move?" Fu Hua frowned, immediately sensing something off.
They were not in the same universe anymore.
The starship now resided within higher-dimensional spacetime, gazing down upon the entire universe from beyond existence itself.
From here, it could view the entire Milky Way—every star cluster and galaxy stretched out like a glittering tapestry. In theory, it could observe the entire cosmos... though none aboard possessed vision sharp enough for that.
[Successfully aligned with temporal axis. Current timeline: October, 1477]
The ship's AI announced calmly.
Traveling through time was, in essence, the same as shifting from the spatial axes of length, width, and height—onto the axes of past and future.
"Whoa—"
The crew crowded around Setsuna, brimming with excitement at their first real time jump.
"Let's give it a try, shall we?"
He casually adjusted the time coordinates forward by ten years.
[Target timeline: Year 1487]
Shhh—
The starship remained perfectly still within high-dimensional space.
Below, the universe moved.
In the span of a few breaths, Earth completed ten full revolutions around the Sun, and the distant stars shifted slightly in their cosmic dance.
After a faint tremor, the AI's voice echoed again:
[Temporal destination reached: Year 1487]
"Whoa?!"
Ten years—passed in an instant.
The crew used their sensors to scan the planet below.
For a feudal civilization, ten years was neither long nor short.
Fu Hua looked down upon her homeland—the Shenzhou she once protected. Emperor Chenghua had recently passed, and the young Emperor Hongzhi now sat upon the throne. After brief turmoil, the imperial court had regained its stability.
On Mount Taixuan, weeds now grew wild across the once-sacred grounds.
With Fu Hua and her six disciples taken away, Ma Feima had long since left the mountain to wander the world, and School of Taixuan had fallen into obscurity.
Despite the Ming Empire's attempts to find the missing immortal, they eventually gave up. The sect faded into legend, surviving only as tavern gossip and bedtime stories.
"..."
Fu Hua exhaled softly and leaned against Setsuna's shoulder, her expression wistful.
Ten short years—and already the world was unrecognizable.
Yet she felt no lingering attachment. In the Empire's capital, Setsuna had rebuilt a new School of Taixuan, and her new disciples—from countless worlds—were far livelier than she had ever imagined.
In the Starsea Empire, she had witnessed sights unseen in fifty millennia.
"This is far better than before."
Setsuna gently pinched her cheek.
If he hadn't intervened in time, Fu Hua would probably still be waiting for her resurrection bar to finish loading.
Meanwhile, across Europe, the nations had slowly begun to recover from their disastrous defeat.
With Kallen, Yae Sakura, and Yae Rin all taken away—and the pseudo-Herrscher black box recovered by the Angeloids to become part of the Eternal Snowfall's Herrscher Core of Corruption —the original storyline had already unraveled completely.
Kallen's journey to Yae Village never happened. The so-called "Eastern Love Story" was erased from history.
"..."
Setsuna couldn't help but grimace slightly. The thought of a Valkyrie and a village shrine maiden getting cozy in some remote backwater had always been... peculiar.
Well, no matter—he had simply gotten there first.
Now he turned his attention toward Schicksal Headquarters, curious to see how the altered narrative had reshaped the worldline.
From high-dimensional space, observing a three-dimensional world was like watching a film—every moment of past, present, and future laid bare.
Schicksal's defeat had been even more catastrophic than in the original timeline. Not only had their legions been destroyed, but both Kallen and the Eleventh Divine Key, Oath of Judah, were gone.
The loss was something the Church and its upper echelons could never accept.
Desperate to recover, Schicksal exhausted every resource, sending agents across the world in search of any clue related to the Starsea Empire.
Of course, just like the Ming Empire's futile search for Fu Hua, they found nothing.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Setsuna noticed a familiar figure in the East.
A blond man clad in Eastern-style robes walked through the streets of Shenzhou—Otto Apocalypse.
His foreign features made him stand out starkly among the locals, drawing stares wherever he went.
"Otto's Eastern Journey? The Russian wanderer himself?"
Setsuna blinked in surprise. This event belonged to the Saga of the Shattered Swords arc—but it was happening much earlier than expected.
It didn't take him long to understand why.
Originally, Otto's journey east had been to resurrect Kallen—but now, both the missing Kallen and the lost Divine Key pointed toward the same target: the Starsea Empire.
During the Schicksal War, the Immortal Phoenix had appeared aboard the Eternal Snowfall.
Thus, after finding nothing in Europe despite combing through every record, Otto set out eastward—hoping to track down Fu Hua and, through her, uncover the mystery of the Empire.
After a long and difficult trek, he finally reached Mount Taixuan.
But when he arrived, all he found was a desolate wasteland.
The School of Taixuan was gone.
He asked the locals again and again, only to hear the same story: the sect had disbanded a decade prior, and both Fu Hua and her six disciples had vanished.
The people said the immortal had been summoned by the heavens and ascended to the celestial realm.
"..."
Otto frowned at such a ridiculous tale. He knew a little of Eastern legends—their gods were said to ride clouds, not pilot spaceships.
And those winged automatons that had descended from the sky? They looked far more like figures from Western myths than Eastern ones.
How strange.
He wandered the streets aimlessly.
With Mount Taixuan abandoned, his only lead in Shenzhou was gone.
Should he appeal to the Ming court? Unlikely. The war between Schicksal and the Empire had ended not long ago—if they discovered who he was or what he sought, they'd surely have him executed and his nonexistent family along with him.
Though, to be fair, he didn't have much of a family left.
"..."
As he walked through the bustling streets, Otto couldn't help but marvel.
Compared to the Church-dominated Europe he'd left behind, Shenzhou was a paradise—vibrant and prosperous, its markets overflowing with life.
Vendors lined the streets, hawking their wares amid the constant chatter and hum of the crowd.
Eventually, his wandering led him to an antique and art shop.
The store was well-lit, its shelves adorned with paintings, scrolls, and curiosities. Wealthy nobles and merchants browsed the wares, chatting amiably.
Otto cast a casual glance around, but as a foreigner unfamiliar with Eastern art, he couldn't make much sense of anything he saw.
He was about to turn and leave—when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
A dark green stone tablet.
Crude in craftsmanship, etched with strange markings and images.
Despite its primitive design, it was clearly ancient—and whoever had carved it had done so with determination, intent on preserving the message for eternity.
Even after centuries, the engravings remained sharp and clear.
"Hmm?"
Otto leaned closer.
The patterns looked oddly familiar.
It was a starship.
Even rendered with the limited skill of early artisans, its shape was unmistakable—the same vessel that had descended during the Schicksal War.
He could see the outline of the axial weapons on the bow, the immense hull, and the array of turrets lining its frame.
Beneath the ship were carved several monstrous figures—perhaps a record of the ship aiding ancient people in slaying beasts.
"!!!"
Otto's pupils contracted sharply. He felt as though he'd just unearthed a world-shattering secret.
He immediately lifted the stone tablet and approached the shopkeeper.
"Excuse me—where did this come from? And what do these inscriptions mean?"
"Oh?"
The shopkeeper, surprised by the blond foreigner's interest, replied politely.
"That piece was unearthed years ago outside Kaifeng. Funny story—some folks there claimed to have seen winged goddesses descending from the sky."
"As for the writing..." He pointed at the tablet.
"I don't recognize most of it, but if I had to guess, this one means 'star,' and that one maybe 'sea.' Together, perhaps it means—"
"Ah?!"
Otto froze.
He didn't hear a word of the man's rambling about auspicious omens. Only two words echoed in his mind.
Star. Sea.
He stared at the etched image of the ship, realization dawning.
"???"
Aboard the ship, Setsuna was equally stunned.
He racked his brain for the origin of that stone—then smacked his desk.
"Wait—wasn't that from when we rescued Cang Xuan and Dan Zhu?!"
"They asked how to make their records last longer, and I said—what was it again...?"
"'Carve it into stone'—?!?!"
"Ah?!"
Fu Hua nearly jumped. She remembered that incident vividly—when Setsuna had burned through sixteen thousand Wisdom Cubes to travel back to 2100 B.C., aiding the ancient Shenzhou tribes in their war against Chiyou.
"This is part of the plan!"
Grey thumped her chest confidently.
"Don't worry—this is a byproduct of Otto's eastward journey. There will be several branching outcomes from here, all of which we've already simulated and accounted for."
"..."
Setsuna sighed, feeling that the Honkai world's plot was officially spiraling into pure chaos.