"The perfect fusion of Honkai and humanity... This is exactly what I've always wanted!"
"So beautiful... This is what I pursue... the beauty of life! The direction of human evolution."
Held in Selene's hand, Mobius could not help but reach out, trying to stroke these Death Angels. The fanaticism in her gaze seemed ready to burn through the midnight-blue power armor worn by the Night Lords.
Their power armor bore a starkly different aesthetic from MOTH's military equipment—cold, heavy, and rugged. One glance was enough to tell it had been designed for high-intensity warfare.
Yet along the edges, chest plates, and pauldrons were intricate Gothic embellishments of precious metals and lightning motifs, declaring that they were not mere war machines.
They were human.
Two contradictory styles fused organically together, unexpectedly harmonious, as if a seamless whole—filled with the violent beauty of midnight wraiths.
The faint firelight flickering through the ruined city cast ghostly ripples across their armor.
"'Ⅷ.' The Eighth Legion."
Gazing at the blood-bat insignia emblazoned upon the shoulder plates of these heavily armored giants—a skull with crimson bat wings—Mobius spoke softly.
Before Gray Serpent had been... ahem... taken by Selene, the intelligence he submitted had mentioned that there were at least nineteen Astartes Legions.
"Oh? Just awakened and already not completely ignorant, it seems. Gray Serpent's intel, I presume." Selene released her grip on Mobius' collar, allowing the tiny figure to stumble and fall onto the ground.
Walking on her own toward a Night Lords officer kneeling on one knee with his head deeply bowed, Selene tapped his pauldron thoughtfully.
"Want to understand them?"
The Astartes Eighth Legion, the Night Lords. In this campaign, they were assigned to the Far East Theater under Budo's command, led by their Legion Commander, Konrad Curze, with full authority over all military and administrative affairs across the South Asian subcontinent of Eurasia.
There was an old saying—only villains can deal with villains.
And evidently, when facing the perpetually unruly fools of the subcontinent, the Night Lords—who possessed an almost bloodthirsty obsession with violence and destruction—had successfully seized control through terror and ghostly slaughter.
Just as the proverb went: I study literature so I can calmly sit down and reason with you. I study martial arts so you can calmly sit down and reason with me.
"Yes!"
Even though she was clearly being led by the nose, Mobius answered without hesitation.
As soon as she spoke, she tried to stand, intending to personally touch this Night Lords officer—touch his flesh and study him.
Like Dr. MEI, the all-rounded genius, Mobius had risen to prominence in the field of biological research. Within MOTH and beyond, evaluations of her were plentiful. She was a world-renowned scientist.
But unlike Dr. MEI, whose reputation was mostly praise, Mobius...
Without exception—infamy.
Her excellence was undeniable. Yet admiration and respect?
In the eyes of most people, impossible. After all, no one enjoyed being treated like a laboratory rat—except perhaps masochists.
And Mobius, naturally, did not care about the evaluations of the vulgar masses.
She had only ever pursued one goal—evolution.
Whether joining MOTH, recommending Dr. MEI into the organization (indeed, Mobius had been Dr. MEI's sponsor), or collaborating in the Meta-Morph surgery and MANTIS research—
Her motivations were never some grand salvation ideal.
They were the pursuit of evolution.
To most, Honkai was a nightmare—an enemy to be eradicated.
To Mobius, it was a path toward human evolution.
From birth, she had already displayed traits entirely unlike ordinary humans. She was a true "monster." Conventional human morality and social values simply did not apply to her.
Mobius did not cry when she was born. Instead, she spoke.
She murmured, "Mobius... is that... my name?"
Her family and the medical staff present were terrified.
At nine years old, her mother died. Her father contracted Honkai disease.
On her birthday, she watched her father suffer under illness and medication with mocking amusement, indifferent to his beatings and curses.
She left behind a single sentence—
"I... will grant humanity evolution."
And then she left home.
In some sense, Selene was more human than Mobius—more humane.
"You want to?"
An exceedingly malicious smile curved Selene's lips.
"Then kneel. Kowtow. Establish the master-servant bond."
"You—!" Collapsing once more onto the gravel-strewn dirt road, Mobius panted heavily, glaring viciously.
She had only just revived. The Honkai energy Selene had supplied was measured precisely—just enough to reconstruct her body. There was no surplus for activity.
Recovery would take time.
"What about me?" Without even turning her head, Selene interrupted rudely.
Beneath the trembling form of the Night Lords officer, whose body quivered with excitement, Selene removed his power armor helmet.
"Only then, little maid, can I recruit you into the Imperial Science Bureau and grant you access to the forefront of human evolution."
Whether it truly was the forefront, Selene did not know. But that did not stop her from boasting.
She lowered her gaze.
The helmet was standard-issue for Astartes officers, adorned in the distinct style of the Eighth Legion.
Overall midnight-blue, the faceplate shaped like a skull mask, thin crimson bat wings on either side like blades pointing skyward.
Beneath the helmet, ignoring the scar across the bridge of his nose, the Night Lords officer's features were rather handsome. His black hair was not short, his skin fair, and within his pitch-black eyes lingered the color of midnight itself.
"Your Majesty?"
Disbelief flashed across his face as he lifted his head in confusion—only to lower it again immediately after realizing himself.
"Mm." Maintaining a gentle, refined smile, Selene nodded. Then she raised a hand slightly, helping them rise. Holding the helmet in her arms, her fingers lightly brushed over the orichalcum armor shell before she turned around.
"Hurry up, little maid. I don't have time to keep dawdling with you."
"Kneel or not?"
"Do you want to live and research the true essence of life's evolution... or be completely erased by me?"
"I'd rather—mmph!"
"Shh—" Selene raised a single finger, sealing Mobius' mouth. Her smile grew even brighter. "That word shouldn't be spoken so casually. Once you say it, there will be no room for turning back."
"Don't rush to answer. Think carefully... When the thing you've dreamed of lies right before your eyes, if you never personally experiment with it..." She paused for a moment, locking eyes with Mobius before speaking in a seductive tone. "Can you accept that?"
"If it were you, you probably wouldn't rest in peace. The tragedy of a hero with no stage to perform upon."
Mobius, sitting cross-legged, stiffened violently. After a moment, she slowly turned her head. Her pretty face was completely calm, like still water in an ancient well. Her voice carried no emotion.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Nothing complicated. I want you to join the Empire. Join the Imperial Science Bureau. That is where you belong. Dr. Stylish will welcome you."
With that, Selene narrowed her eyes and extended a hand.
"Dr. Mobius... tell me your choice."
Selene's tone gradually rose like an aria. Her wording shifted from condescension to a respectful title carrying faint praise. Around them, more and more Night Lords warriors continued to arrive.
They formed ranks behind Selene. Their crimson lenses stared at the tiny green-haired girl. Some rested hands on guns, others on blades, as if the moment Mobius dared utter half a word of refusal, they would tear her apart and mince her into paste.
"Why hesitate? I know your nature clearly. It is nothing more than the pursuit of evolution and the exploration of life's secrets."
Bending down, Selene sighed as if helpless, her voice carrying a strange, almost magical persuasion that continually eroded Mobius' psychological defenses.
Agree with her. Agree with her. Agree with her.
A single voice echoed repeatedly inside her mind, influencing and catalyzing both her consciousness and her body.
Suddenly Selene shouted.
"Speak!"
Mobius' entire body trembled. In the instant she hesitated, her body responded before her will could catch up.
She straightened herself and pressed her forehead to the ground.
"Your Majesty," Mobius said blankly.
The moment the words left her mouth, she snapped back to awareness. A certain person flashed through her mind, and her pupils contracted sharply.
"Discipline?!"
"Aponia!"
Although Mobius' relationship with Aponia had never been good, even rather cold, and she considered Aponia far too indecisive, that did not stop her from fearing Aponia's Discipline.
Realizing this, Mobius suddenly laughed.
"Ha... haha... I'm such an idiot. I should have realized sooner. Elysian Realm must have already been destroyed by you."
"You devoured Aponia. And the others... MOTH... all of Dr. MEI's backup plans have failed."
Mobius raised her head and looked at Selene.
Staring at the golden cross reflected within Selene's crimson pupils, Mobius saw her own fearful gaze mirrored there.
At that moment, Mobius understood.
Selene had run out of patience.
Whether she lived or died would depend on the next few sentences.
"..."
Her mind spun like a storm.
On one side was the dream she was willing to devote everything to.
On the other side was her pride, the enemy of her comrades, the destroyer of civilization.
Of course, those were secondary.
What Mobius was truly calculating was how to sell herself at the best possible price.
If she surrendered too quickly, would she be looked down upon?
Should she resist a little longer to obtain better conditions?
On the road of evolution, in pursuit of the ultimate truth of the world, Mobius had never cared about the cost.
Ever since her golden-cicada escape plan had collapsed and she had been captured by Selene and toyed with like a rag doll, the idea of surrender had already begun to form.
Mobius was not some unyielding martyr. As long as one grasped her weakness, there were many ways to control her.
Honkai had indeed brought countless disasters upon human civilization and caused innumerable deaths.
Yet the Herrschers born from Honkai Eruptions were different from Honkai Beasts. They possessed human appearances, commanded world-destroying power, and possessed nearly endless lifespans.
Powerful strength. Control over the laws that shaped the world. Near immortality.
Herrschers... especially the Herrscher of Finality at the very top, were undoubtedly the most perfect direction of evolution in Mobius' eyes.
Mobius had a premonition.
If she obtained the assistance of the Herrscher of Finality, she could reveal the path of human evolution and create works of art even more exquisite than Astartes warriors.
At that instant, it felt as if the result was already waving to her. The beauty of evolution was like opium poppies, making her unable to resist.
"Sigh... that's enough. If fate isn't there, forcing it is meaningless."
It seems the dramatic moment of overwhelming charisma was not going to happen for me.
Appealing to emotion and logic had failed. In the end, only the stick remained.
Seeing that Mobius had not responded for a long time, a trace of regret flashed through Selene's eyes. She smiled without warmth.
"Void Unleashe—"
"I surrender, Your Majesty."
Mobius threw herself to the ground immediately.
Life was more important.
It wasn't that Mobius cherished her life too much.
It was simply that the promise of evolution was far too irresistible.
"..."
Selene's eyebrow twitched slightly.
Her extended index finger bent smoothly as her thumb pressed lightly against it. The next second, the silent space was broken by a crisp snap.
Snap!
Not a single trace of Honkai energy leaked outward. The power of a world-destroying attack had been adjusted by Selene's method of release.
With a tearing sound, a pitch-black cavity filled with shifting colors opened behind her.
"Let's go." Selene showed no embarrassment at all. Her smile shifted naturally into a warm expression, as if nothing awkward had happened.
Her expression changed so quickly it seemed she had never harbored any killing intent toward Mobius.
"Hm?"
Sensing Selene's killing intent fade, Mobius finally let out a breath of relief. Immediately afterward, excitement flashed through her eyes. She pointed at the Night Lords warriors, her gradient serpent pupils gleaming.
"Then can I study him now—"
"No."
"Sigh..."
Rejecting her without hesitation, Selene ignored Mobius' sighs. She returned the blessed power armor helmet to the Night Lords officer standing respectfully behind her.
Then she asked casually,
"Where is Curze?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Legion Commander is currently in New Delhi," the officer replied, holding the helmet against his armored arm.
Selene nodded.
With one hand she casually picked up the miniature Mobius who was squatting in the dirt playing with mud.
"Notify Curze. Everything proceeds as normal."
Then Selene stepped into the spatial portal while holding Mobius.
"Where are we going?" Mobius asked.
"Schicksal Headquarters."