Landing butt-first on the ground.
"Ugh..."
Rubbing her sore backside and patting the dust off her skirt, Mobius stood up with an indignant expression. "Hey, Your Majesty, is this how you treat your future Chief Scientist?"
Bringing up the title Selene had once mentioned—the Chief Scientist of the Imperial Science Bureau—Mobius said with full confidence, "That guy called Dr. Stylish... what terrible taste in naming. Just watch, I'll defeat him effortlessly..."
"Dr. Mobius?"
"Hm?"
The extremely familiar voice made Mobius feel someone's gaze on her. She immediately turned to look.
Across the long table sat a beautiful gray-haired, green-eyed woman who had spoken.
"Hua... it really is you." Although the uniform and temperament were completely different—and she was even wearing red-framed glasses—Mobius still recognized her instantly.
"Hehe, isn't this my little lab rat? Long time no see. How have you been lately? Earlier I didn't even believe that unlucky person who surrendered was actually you."
"Well... it really is Dr. Mobius. You haven't changed at all." Stopping her writing, Fu Hua raised her head and spoke helplessly.
Aside from necessary interactions, Fu Hua had always avoided Mobius whenever possible. She simply had no way to deal with her.
"Ah, it's me. Why should I change? But you..."
Mobius paused briefly, clicking her tongue as she looked Fu Hua up and down. "You've changed a lot. I almost didn't recognize you."
"Eh? Master Hua, who is this little one? An old acquaintance of yours? Another immortal old monster like you—"
Li Sushang spoke bluntly and excitedly.
Anyone who knew her master was already interesting enough. And judging from their conversation, the two had known each other for a very long time. Li Sushang's curiosity instantly ignited, all kinds of strange ideas flooding her mind.
Cough cough.
Thinking about it, Li Sushang coughed lightly and looked at Mobius with a rather strange expression.
Sigh... another old woman pretending to be young... uh, an old loli?
Mobius instantly sensed the malicious thought. "Hey, little girl! What kind of look is that?"
Relying purely on instinct, Mobius locked onto the culprit. Her voice turned icy as snake-like pupils fixed on Li Sushang. She flicked her tongue like a venomous serpent waiting to strike.
Dark green electric arcs crackled around her. The shadow of a serpent began to rise behind her, and the cute little face twisted slightly into something ferocious.
But... if she had done this a few hours ago, it might have had some intimidation value.
Now though... ahem.
Just imagine it.
A truly vicious snake roaring... in the form of an adorable little girl.
There was absolutely no intimidation whatsoever.
Besides, no one was even paying attention to this mother snake.
"Alright, stop messing around." A hand suddenly reached out from a torn spatial rift and grabbed the miniature Mobius by the back of the collar.
"Your Majesty." Closing her notebook, Fu Hua immediately stood up.
Hearing Fu Hua's soft greeting, and under Bronya's curious gaze, a pair of gold-trimmed crystal high heels stepped out first from the spatial gate.
Since when did Kiana gain another sister? Did she go around picking up more women again?
The thought appeared in Bronya's mind.
It was a stunning woman with white hair and crimson eyes.
She possessed an exquisitely beautiful face extremely similar to Kiana's. Rather than resembling her, it felt as though Kiana's face had been modeled after this woman named Selene.
Bronya could not help but think so.
Unlike Kiana's waist-length hair, which she rarely maintained these days, Selene's silver-white hair—though equally long—was meticulously arranged and decorated with elegant hair ornaments. It was perfectly smooth, without any curls, frizz, or split ends. Clearly it was cared for regularly by someone extremely skilled.
Within those crimson pupils shimmered a diamond-shaped cross pattern—one of the divine marks symbolizing the Herrscher of Finality.
Her attire was impeccable.
She wore the familiar white-and-gold ceremonial dress symbolizing imperial authority, decorated with violet-gold patterns. White armor layered over it, extending into six trailing panels bearing the markings of the Herrscher of Finality.
Her slender fingers, uncovered by gauntlets, were wrapped in long silk gloves connected to the base of the middle finger. The inner skirt fell exactly to her thighs, seamlessly meeting the white-and-gold thigh-high stockings she wore.
Seeing this, Bronya had already roughly inferred part of Selene's personality.
She was completely different from Kiana.
Using the Herrscher Core of Reason inside her body, Bronya also detected something Selene was concealing.
A ring of light floated silently behind Selene's back. Purple-red light ribbons drifted downward from the halo.
It was the manifestation of Herrscher authority—the symbol of Finality.
Within the strict hierarchy of the Honkai, this symbol represented the supreme ruler beyond even the Honkai itself.
"Selene-sister."
"Your Majesty."
Looking at Kiana and Raiden Mei across the dining table waving at her, Selene nodded slightly, signaling that they did not need to bother with such formalities.
Seeing Selene return, Fu Hua did not hesitate. She picked up the notebook on the table and stepped forward, bowing slightly as she offered it with both hands.
"Your Majesty, this is the notebook compiling the Edge of Taixuan according to your orders."
Before Selene could respond, the snake began acting mischievous again.
"Oh ho, Hua, I just realized—you really know how to flatter—ah!"
Even while hanging in Selene's hand, Mobius still continued her usual verbal teasing.
"..."
Raising an eyebrow, Selene calmly tightened her grip on the flesh at the back of Mobius's neck.
"Ow!"
Her legs swinging in midair, Mobius had already given up struggling.
"Your Majesty, at least give me some face, will you?"
"Enough. Behave and recover your strength. You're already in this state and still acting up."
Taking the notebook from Fu Hua, Selene then casually tossed Mobius aside amid her startled cry.
"I won't take advantage of Minister Hua's work. In exchange, I have retrieved two friends for you."
As she spoke, Selene waved the "Edge of Taixuan" notebook lightly in her hand.
A faint glow shimmered in Selene's pupils. Her voice was not loud, yet every word was perfectly clear. At first it sounded merely cold, but the longer one listened, the more overwhelming pressure it carried—along with a subtle power that quietly influenced the human mind.
"Friends?" Holding the still-unwilling Mobius in her arms, Fu Hua asked, "Aside from Mobius, who else?"
"A cat."
"A cat? Pardofelis?"
"If you're referring to the woman with cat ears and a cat tail, then yes, it's her."
"Pardofelis?" Hearing the conversation between Fu Hua and Selene, Mobius could not help but interject. "That little girl also survived into this era?"
"Didn't you survive into the current civilization as well? There's no reason Pardofelis couldn't." The fact that an old friend was still alive was itself a blessing, and Fu Hua smiled faintly as she said so.
That carefree girl who lived like a cat might not have been strong in combat, but in some ways she had always been the source of joy among the Flame-Chasers.
Ending her brief recollection, Fu Hua asked, "Your Majesty? How is Pardofelis now?"
"Not very well. She was discovered in North Africa of the current civilization, in Egypt's Giza Province. She was pursued and intercepted by the Seventeenth Astartes Legion. At the moment, the Legion Commander of the God-Empress Preachers, Lorgar, is personally escorting her here."
...
Raiden Mei, who had stood up alongside Kiana, trembled slightly when she heard the term "Astartes Legion Commander."
After spending so long at Schicksal Headquarters, through conversations with Alex and the other Astartes Legion Commanders, she had finally come to understand their status within the Empire.
They were rulers of entire frontiers.
What they represented was not only authority, but overwhelming power. The memory of being brutally beaten by Budo felt as though it were happening right in front of her again.
"Hm? Mei, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. I'm just praying that the girl named Pardofelis will be safe," Raiden Mei said quietly, unconsciously offering a moment of silence for the Pardofelis she had yet to meet.
However, Mei had misunderstood the situation.
Pardofelis had not even lasted long enough for Lorgar to personally take action. She had simply been beaten up by a small squad of Astartes.
"Mei really is kind," Kiana said with a grin as she hugged Raiden Mei and rubbed her face against the soft warmth of Mei's chest.
Ever since meeting Selene and receiving a clear answer from her, the weight in Kiana's heart had gradually lifted. The crushing responsibility of saving the world—the burden that had nearly suffocated her—was finally gone.
Combined with Raiden Mei's return from World Serpent and the genuine forgiveness from the real Kiana, the girl who had forced herself forward with constant tension ever since Himeko's death had finally regained a little of her former brightness.
"Ah... Kiana, don't do that. So many people are watching... Her Majesty Selene is still here," Raiden Mei said helplessly.
Regardless of what others might think, she was clearly enjoying it.
"Hehe, it's fine. Selene-sister definitely likes Mei too."
This scene was also seen by Bronya and Seele. The two exchanged a glance and smiled.
"Oh right, Minister Hua. Let me tell you some good news," Selene said.
Ignoring the changes in those around her, Selene rested her chin lightly on one finger and spoke calmly, as if stating an obvious fact.
"Your unfilial disciples, the Seven Swords of Taixuan—aside from the lineage of this little glutton here..."
Her gaze shifted to Li Sushang. Meeting those innocent wine-red eyes, Selene revealed a faint smile.
"The other six swords have all been eradicated."
Back then, when the Phoenix was resurrected, her first destination had been Issen Mansion. Although she had killed Li Shen and Qin Suyi and burned the mansion, she had not wiped out the entire clan.
Now that the grievances between Li Sushang and Fu Hua had been settled, Selene naturally spared Li Sushang's paternal family.
As for the descendants of the other six swords, they were not so fortunate.
"What?" Fu Hua suddenly raised her head. She had lost her composure.
Li Sushang blinked repeatedly, standing there in a daze.
"Your Majesty... they should have died long ago..." Fu Hua's hand unconsciously tightened, making Mobius in her arms frown slightly. Her voice trembled faintly.
"The individuals may have died, but their descendants remained. Even if they had no descendants, the disciples of the sects they founded were still flourishing," Selene said in an even tone.
Her gaze seemed to rest on Fu Hua, yet at the same time seemed to pass through her entirely, as though observing something far beyond.
"How could traitors who repay kindness with betrayal be left unattended?"
"Lin Zhaoyu. Ma Yanqing—Ma Feima. The New Taixuan Sword Sect of Tianqiong Peak. Su Mei of the Unparalleled Gate in the southern frontier. The Jiang sisters, Jiang Wanxi and Jiang Wanru, of the Demonic Cult. Cheng Lingshuang of the Supreme Freedom Sect of the northern deserts."
Selene softly recited the names of Fu Hua's disciples.
At that moment, cold sweat began pouring down Fu Hua's forehead uncontrollably.
One could easily imagine how many heads had rolled, how many entire clans had been slaughtered, behind Selene's light and casual words.
"As my subject, how could I ignore my minister's grievances? What use is an empress who cannot protect her own people?"
I, Selene, am a philanthropist.
Noticing the sudden silence around her, Selene spread her hands.
"Relax. The task was handled by the Nineteenth Astartes Legion—the Raven Guard. Corax handles matters thoroughly. Not a single person escaped."
"Your Majesty, I..." Fu Hua opened her mouth silently.
Patting Fu Hua's slightly slender shoulder, Selene shifted her gaze to the smaller gray-haired girl nearby.
"So you're awake."
At that moment, Bronya could not even describe what she felt.
A completely different kind of pressure descended upon her.
Under that crimson gaze, she felt as though a massive shadow had instantly swallowed her whole. Trembling fear and awe flooded her heart.
Her body felt like it had sunk into mud. Even her thoughts slowed.
The Herrscher Core of Reason inside her trembled violently.
Only when Bronya came back to her senses did she realize something horrifying—she could no longer sense the consciousness of the three hundred thousand people who had died in the "Berlin" incident that had been imprinted on the core.
"Welt Joyce. Joachim Nokianvirtanen—later known as Welt Yang. Quite the stunt you two pulled. Imprisoning three hundred thousand ghosts within it and using the Herrscher Core as your experimental ground."
Selene's voice carried the authority of the world's highest law.
"Trials. Selection. Screening. Bonds. Transmission... I must admit, it was an extraordinary method. But it ends here, traitor."
From Selene's standpoint, there was only one word for the First Herrscher—the Herrscher of Reason.
Traitor.
Whether it was the safeguards left behind by the two generations of Herrscher of Reason or the three hundred thousand lingering souls attached to the core, everything was instantly dismantled and melted away by Selene.
"Ah—!"
Clutching her head, Bronya cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground as Seele shouted in alarm.
"Bronya-nee! What's wrong?!"
"She's fine. I merely removed the parasites inside her. From now on, her control over the Herrscher Core of Reason will deepen."
Once again, Selene thought calmly:
I, Selene, am a philanthropist.
"As for you, Seele—aren't you planning to come out? The other you."