Frozen sun reflected across the bridge. Fu Hua stood with her hands behind her back before the golden arched observation window. Through the massive pane of glass, she gazed into the void.
Beneath her feet, the twin-headed aquila—the symbol of the Empire—gleamed brilliantly under the interior lights.
Beyond the dense formation of Imperial Navy warships stationed in near-Earth orbit, she looked with deep emotion at the azure planet suspended in the vastness of space.
The icy blue coastline was Earth's delicate veil. The brown-green mountains and plains formed its flawless makeup—refined yet rugged, wild yet brimming with life.
"Wow! What's that? That's amazing! Liliya, come look! It's so magnificent!"
Pressing her face against the thick observation glass and fogging it with her breath, Rozaliya's eyes sparkled.
"Rozaliya, you big idiot! There are outsiders here. That's so rude."
Though her own eyes were shining just as brightly and her excitement was no less intense, Liliya was far more restrained than her sister.
Judging purely from their behavior, Liliya seemed more like the older sister, while Rozaliya acted like the younger one.
"Sister Bronya... Seele is a little scared."
Sitting on the sofa near the window, Seele shrank slightly. The boundless silence of the dark universe reminded her of the endless loneliness she had endured in the Sea of Quanta. She instinctively leaned closer to her sister's shoulder.
"Don't be afraid, Seele. From now on, Bronya will always stay by your side."
Wrapping an arm around Seele's soft shoulders, Bronya spoke gently.
Having already witnessed this grand spectacle once before, Kiana and Raiden Mei were not nearly as exaggerated in their reactions as the Olenyeva sisters. Instead, they looked toward Theresa with concern.
Neither of them spoke. They understood clearly how delicate the matter was.
Ever since Selene had personally told Theresa at Schicksal headquarters, "Otto Apocalypse is dead," Theresa had remained in a daze. Even after the banquet ended, even after boarding the ship the next day, she was still the same.
Clutching the archbishop's robe Otto had personally mended for her, she sat motionless on the sofa with her head lowered. The usual liveliness had vanished from her sky-blue eyes. She resembled a finely crafted doll.
Perhaps Theresa had once considered the possibility of defeating—or even killing—her grandfather after he stood on the opposing side. Perhaps she had made certain mental preparations. But when the news of his death truly arrived, she still fell into stunned silence.
Kiana and Raiden Mei exchanged a glance. They were worried. But according to what Fu Hua, Senti, Li Sushang, and Mobius had said, there was nothing they could do.
This hurdle—Theresa would have to see through it herself. And she would have to step across it on her own.
After all, Otto's death had been both expected and inevitable. Whatever his purpose, Otto Apocalypse had long since become a villain infamous across the world.
As for whether Selene—who had conquered the world through force, causing immeasurable social and material losses and countless casualties—was also a villain...
Heh. How could a powerful victor ever be called a villain?
Cruel as it was, Theresa could hardly run off to fight Selene in revenge. That would be suicide.
Moreover, Theresa was no longer merely the principal of St. Freya Academy or the director of Schicksal's Far East Branch. She was now the current Archbishop of Schicksal after Otto. To a certain extent, her every action represented the entire organization.
She could no longer act recklessly.
Even if Selene did not mind—and might at most laugh and beat her up before sending her back—Selene was the Empress, the supreme ruler of the Empire. Those Imperial officials who worshiped her as a god would not see it so lightly.
The Empress might not hold grudges against the small, but they themselves were small.
If nothing else, Lorgar and his Seventeenth Astartes Legion, the God-Empress Preachers, would be the first to turn hostile.
"You shouldn't be visiting outer space for the first time, should you?"
Holding two wine glasses, Esdeath appeared behind Fu Hua at some point.
After transferring from the floating island cluster at Schicksal headquarters to the Imperial Navy's flagship, Selene had placed Kiana's group under Esdeath's supervision.
It was fitting. Esdeath was the public head of the Imperial Assassination Unit and also commanded the Special Jaegers Unit—an elite force comparable to Schicksal's Valkyries.
Having her guide—and discipline—Kiana's group, correcting their style and combat approach, would help them adapt more quickly to the Empire's system.
"Yes." Fu Hua nodded, a trace of reminiscence flickering in her eyes. "It has been a long time."
"Let the past be a warning. Set your sights on the future."
Esdeath handed over one of the glasses.
"Indeed." Fu Hua accepted it with a faint smile. "Then, General Esdeath, as officials serving under the same court from now on, I look forward to your guidance."
Clink!
The two glasses met with a crisp chime.
"Are you serious?"
Esdeath's ice-blue eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke ambiguously.
Fu Hua had said "serving under the same court" rather than merely "colleagues." The word "court" was worth pondering. It implied that Fu Hua had confidence she would climb to a position equal to Esdeath's.
"Let's wait and see."
Swirling the red wine in her glass, Fu Hua's emerald eyes remained calm.
This was Fu Hua's pride. She did not believe herself inferior to Esdeath.
Moreover, for the sake of this world—for the sake of securing more favorable conditions for her homeland—she had to climb higher.
In recent days, she had studied the Empire's foundational laws carefully. Every line revealed the stark privilege gap between ranks.
The stronger you were, the greater your merits. The greater your merits, the higher your status within the Empire. The higher your status, the more privileges you enjoyed. Stories of one person rising and bringing prosperity to their entire household were commonplace.
And precisely because this was common, the Empire's penal code also widely enforced collective punishment—confiscation of property, extermination of clans, guilt by association. If you enjoyed the benefits brought by a family member, then when that family member committed a crime, you had no right to cry injustice when implicated.
Of course, Fu Hua dared to say such words to Esdeath because they had already spoken at length. She had come to understand Esdeath's character—indifferent to empty formalities, valuing only talent and strength, believing firmly in survival of the fittest.
Among the Imperial generals Fu Hua had met, Esdeath was the one she had the best relationship with.
If you asked Fu Hua to say something like this to Budo, she absolutely would not.
Esdeath swirled her glass and looked out at the starry sky beyond the window.
"I believe you. And I look forward to it."
"Oh?" Fu Hua was slightly surprised at such a direct answer. "Why?"
"My intuition."
From her pocket, Esdeath drew out a small booklet and waved it lightly.
"I don't think the person who created the Edge of Taixuan is incompetent."
"As for this," Esdeath continued, lightly tapping the booklet, "I'm not sure what Her Majesty and the Legion Commanders intend to do with it. But I plan to promote it within the Jaegers and the Imperial Assassination Unit."
Fu Hua merely smiled.
"Do you need my help?"
"Of course. With the original creator assisting, we can avoid many detours."
In the Previous Era, Fu Hua had participated in Dr. Mei's SWARA experiment.
The so-called SWARA was a form of subconscious hypnotic therapy. It stimulated the cerebral cortex of developing bodies, guiding them to evolve in a direction more compatible with Honkai energy. It made it possible for ordinary people to gain the strength to fight the Honkai.
The origin of SWARA was obvious—Aponia's Discipline.
In essence, it was not a martial art. But with the help of her old friends Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan, Fu Hua reorganized and rewrote it into a cultivation method suited to the cultural background of Shenzhou. The result of that research eventually became the foundational mantra of the School of Taixuan she established.
Thinking of this, Fu Hua gave a faint, soundless laugh and glanced toward the rear of the luxurious compartment—at Esdeath's subordinates, the Special Jaegers Unit.
Their physiques were within the range of normal humans, unlike the Astartes warriors, each larger than the last. But that made sense. An assassination unit could hardly resemble Titans.
At that moment, in the rear section of the compartment—
Senti was locked in a battle of wits with Wave, who was responsible for recording their personal information.
"Date of birth."
"Same as hers."
"Height."
"Same as hers."
"Gender."
"Are you blind? Can't you tell?" The girl planted her hands on her hips.
"Haaah... Do you even want identification documents or not?" The man took a deep breath. Then another. "Approximate weight range."
"Definitely lighter than her!"
Bang!
Slamming the table, Wave had clearly reached his limit. He turned his head. "Boss! This one's here to cause trouble, right?!"
"Hahaha! Wave, you're so lame," Kurome laughed from the side.
"It's fine. This one's mental age hasn't fully matured yet," Esdeath said cheerfully. "And she's not wrong. Just use the same data as Fu Hua's."
Senti was the one Esdeath had personally captured, so she naturally knew that Senti was another consciousness accidentally born from within Fu Hua.
"Your other half is nothing like you," Esdeath remarked, stroking her chin.
"But don't worry. During the time it takes to reorganize and form you into an effective fighting force in this world, I will thoroughly discipline you so-called Schicksal elites."
A dangerous glint flickered in her eyes.
"Don't worry about me. As long as they don't die, train them to death," Fu Hua said in agreement.
"Just training them is boring. If you're interested, how about a visit to the Upper City arena in the Imperial Capital?"
Esdeath finally revealed her true aim.
"Don't worry. The intensity and scale of the Upper City arena are more than sufficient. There are multiple fortress-class defensive arrays. We can go all out and have some fun."
How many times has she invited me already? Truly a battle maniac, just as Her Majesty described.
At that moment, behind the two of them, a charming and elegant maid approached with a warm smile. She brought her legs together and gave a slight bow.
"Good day, Lady Fu Hua. Good day, General Esdeath."
"I'm not some important figure..." Fu Hua's tone carried helplessness. "Rita, you're still the same. Always so formal."
"Lady Fu Hua is too modest. It is Rita's duty," she replied gently. After a slight pause, she added, "You, however, are quite different from before. You have become more... human." She chose her words carefully.
"Tch. That posture of yours reminds me of Senior Sebas." Esdeath bit at her finger, clearly recalling an unpleasant memory.
"General, may I ask who this Senior Sebas is?" Rita inquired curiously.
"You'll find out eventually. In any case..." Dropping into a relaxed position against the sofa back, Esdeath glanced at Rita. "You'll probably get along very well with him. Back then, the old senior tried to train me into an elegant, refined lady like you."
Rita covered her lips with a lace-gloved hand, revealing a faint smile. Without a trace of mockery, in a tone perfectly suited to the atmosphere, she teased gently,
"And it seems the senior's training results were less than ideal. Wouldn't you agree, General?"
"Ah, yes. Exactly that feeling. Sebas would definitely adore you."
"By the way, where is Durandal?" Fu Hua asked.
"Lady Durandal originally came with Rita, but when passing by the training grounds, she was drawn in by Lady Li Sushang sparring with members of the Jaegers Unit..." Rita's gaze shifted toward Esdeath.
Wearing the uniform of the 'Jaegers' unit, clearly under Esdeath's command.
"That would be Cornelia and Akame," Esdeath confirmed.
Just as she spoke, the space around the flagship trembled faintly. As energy from the Honkai high-pressure reactor was activated and guided, the hyperspace engines roared to life.
"Well then. Time to return in triumph," Esdeath said, watching the crowd glance around in confusion.
Soon, lights flashed. The voices of communications officers rang out in rapid succession. Outside the observation window, the black physical universe began to distort—torn open. Dense Honkai energy leaked outward, fragmenting into multicolored specks of light.
Vmmmm—!
Almost at the very instant the vast fleet surged into the trans-spatial webway, the endless purple-red tidal clouds of energy replaced the black physical cosmos.
Elongated streaks of purple-red light stretched everywhere.
"Welcome to the Honkai trans-spatial webway," Esdeath said calmly.
...
"It is time."
Standing silently within the boundless dark void, Selene slowly raised her hand.
"The promise to the Will of the Honkai must be fulfilled. For now, operating within the Imaginary Tree system still benefits me."
With that thought, Selene connected her authority to this universe. Her power unfurled without restraint. The authority of the Herrscher of Finality began to manifest in truth.
The four fundamental forces of the universe surfaced rapidly within her perception, expanding continuously—like visible, tangible strings awaiting her touch.
At this moment, there was no need for doubt. Without detonating a single star, with only the slightest movement of her fingers, Selene could reduce the entire solar system to ruin at the level of physical law.
This was Selene's own accumulation.
She had conquered world after world—from single planets to entire Earth-Moon systems, solar systems, even vast domains extending to the Oort Cloud.
She guided civilizations, filled civilizations, created civilizations, brought them beneath her banner. Civilizations advanced. Populations multiplied. Her dominion expanded. All of it continuously fed back into her strength.
From leveling planetary surfaces to annihilating entire planets. From single planetary systems to multiple systems, to full stellar systems.
Now, Selene had long since stepped beyond the scope of a single stellar system. She was advancing toward multi-stellar complexes—toward a scale comparable to the Milky Way.
And as time passed, as the Empire's foundational mass increased, her growth accelerated like a snowball rolling downhill.
Her crimson pupils turned toward the azure planet below—its surface now exposed after most Imperial Navy vessels had withdrawn.
"The stars shift."