"The stars shift."
A faint smile lifted the corners of her exquisite lips. With a single movement of thought, centered on Selene, the entire Earth-Moon system, the solar system, and even the whole Oort Cloud seemed to tremble.
If there were a third observer capable of watching from a godlike perspective, they would see that in the pitch-black cosmos, along the outer boundary of the Oort Cloud, the barrier of reality suddenly began to fall away.
Crack—crack—!
A dull rumbling accompanied it.
Strangely enough, although sound cannot travel through the vacuum of outer space, under this authority that resembled the power of a creator, the noise manifested directly within the mind.
"Sever."
In the next instant, everywhere shook in rhythm with the repeated sounds of shattering glass.
As if space itself were being twisted, countless Honkai energy particles pierced through the barrier of reality and poured into physical space. Like tides surging from the Dirac Sea, they roiled freely among the stars.
The already dim starry sky grew even murkier. Even the once-clear rays of the sun were not spared.
Honkai energy was the internal energy of imaginary space—essentially energy from the imaginary side.
Imaginary space referred to every space beyond the four-dimensional space in which they resided—the real-number space. There could be infinitely many such spaces.
The fundamental authority shared by all Herrschers, aside from the power to generate and command Honkai Beasts and the undead, lay in one crucial point: Honkai energy had to concentrate within a Herrscher's body to form a Herrscher Core.
Without forming a Herrscher Core, no matter how many gems one possessed, no matter how many individual authorities were manifested, no matter how powerful one became, at best one could only be a pseudo-Herrscher.
Because the Herrscher Core—it—was the key. A key that connected a Herrscher to Imaginary Space. Through the Herrscher's conversion and release of imaginary internal energy, the real universe could efficiently give birth to more Honkai energy.
At the same time, it was also a relay station. Only by possessing it could a Herrscher obtain an endless supply of Honkai energy.
Although each Herrscher's mastery of authority varied depending on the quality of the host, in terms of pure Honkai energy output—excluding the Herrscher of Finality—the Herrscher of the Void held the greatest advantage.
The Herrscher of the Void's ability was space manipulation. She could create Imaginary Space layered atop real space for both attack and defense. She also possessed formidable control over Honkai energy.
This authority was like a bond connecting the imaginary and the real.
Beyond its shallow applications—projecting objects from Imaginary Space into real space—its deeper use lay in the Herrscher of the Void's increasingly intimate connection with Imaginary Space itself.
Compared to other Herrschers, her raw destructive power might not rival that of the Herrscher of Fire. Yet when it came to the threshold starting point for converting imaginary internal energy, the rate of increase, and conversion efficiency, the Herrscher of the Void left the others hopelessly behind.
Selene, who had risen through the authority of the Herrscher of the Void to become the Herrscher of Finality, played with Space Manipulation and Imaginary Space as effortlessly as breathing.
As though transformed into a cosmic deity, the entire Oort Cloud lay within her grasp. Selene's consciousness harmonized with the universe, slowly enveloping it—like holding a rubber ball in her hand.
To hold the sun and moon, to pluck the stars from the sky—nothing more than this.
At the same time, beneath Selene's feet flickered the phantom image of a boundless primordial continent. This projection encompassed the entire Oort Cloud.
Vast beyond measure—so immense that even the entire Oort Cloud seemed but a drop in the ocean within it. And yet, if one looked carefully, faint glimmers of light shimmered at the center of that indescribably enormous landmass.
That was Selene's crowned world—the Honkai Dimension—the projection of Pangaea.
Since constructing the Honkai Dimension, aside from dismantling planets from abandoned worlds to fill out the continent, Selene had continuously expanded both the Honkai Dimension and Pangaea at its dimensional core through her authority as a creator.
Today, even if one counted the entire utilized area of the Imperial Capital within the Holy Selene Empire's homeland, it occupied only a portion of the central region of Pangaea.
The reason was simple—too few people.
Even now, the permanent population of the Empire's homeland had not yet reached one hundred billion. It hardly resembled the scale one would expect from the core territory of a vast interstellar empire.
But there was no helping it. The elite policy Selene had ordered did not permit large-scale migration of populations from conquered worlds.
Without military merit and a noble title earned through service, relocation into the homeland was forbidden.
Only the fortunate native residents of the Empire—those who had always been Imperial citizens—were automatically granted homeland registration upon Selene's ascension to the throne.
The recruitment of new Astartes warriors for each Legion, the promotion of officers within the Imperial Auxilia, the selection of officials for the Empire's various internal administrative departments—most of these positions were claimed by homeland residents.
Only a small portion was distributed among the other conquered worlds.
However, precisely because the land within the Honkai Dimension was constantly expanding, Selene did not fear a collapse like the later-stage breakdown of the ancient military merit system.
With the existence of the trans-spatial webway and the frequency of external wars, everyone had opportunities to earn military merit.
At the same time, strengthening the trunk while weakening the branches—continuously granting meritorious individuals from the Servitor Army and Imperial Auxilia the right to relocate into the homeland, harvesting talent from every conquered world, supporting one faction while suppressing another, dividing privileges across different classes...
In short, aside from the official authority of the Empire, she would not allow them to unite into a single rope.
These were the roots of the Holy Selene Empire's healthy development as a colossal war machine—not merely Selene's personal authority and strength.
Making people act both willingly and unwillingly. Giving both icing on the cake and timely aid in the snow. Selene wanted it all.
Such a massive relocation naturally could not remain hidden. Survivors across Earth lifted their heads to the sky.
The entire world seemed to fall silent in that moment...
"Is that... the power of God?"
Thud—
"O God, please forgive Your lambs!"
Though distant and indistinct, as the whole planet trembled, two crimson stars and a face seemingly woven from the patterns of galaxies carved themselves deeply into every heart.
The Imperial Army and administrative officials stationed on Earth naturally understood whose will this was. Reverence filled their expressions, yet they did not prostrate themselves like the common people.
They still had to maintain order, restore production, and establish effective direct Imperial rule. Fulfilling the tasks entrusted by the Empire was the greatest loyalty they could show.
"Transfer."
Selene lightly tapped the position of Earth within the solar system.
In the next second, everyone felt their vision darken. A shadow vast enough to blot out the sky descended, and the brilliance of the sun was completely swallowed.
When they opened their eyes again, boundless purple-red radiance spread across the heavens, replacing everything. The towering cosmic deity had vanished.
Some turned their telescopes toward the sky. The sun was still there. Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune—they were all still present.
But the starfield beyond the outer reaches of the system had disappeared...
It was as if the entire solar system had been moved.
And in truth, it had.
Gazing upon the lifeless void left behind—bereft of the sun and its eight planets—Selene exhaled deeply and nodded in satisfaction.
"A promise fulfilled."
Was it not exactly that?
Selene had not only cleansed the remnants of the Previous Era civilization—the ones the Will of the Honkai despised most—but had also carried out her role as "examiner" with diligence.
At most, it was merely a somewhat severe punishment.
She had judged the Current Era civilization's examination a failure—and erased it together with its entire planetary system.
The moment Selene completed all this, the Will of the Honkai instantly connected to her and expressed its approval.
"Yes, yes, I know. Relax. Do you think I wouldn't handle the aftermath?"
Sensing the "caretaker"-like entity's dissatisfaction—and its intention to sever this "leaf" entirely—Selene stopped it and assured it she would take care of everything.
Then Selene emptied her mind. Her consciousness broke through its restraints and followed the trans-spatial webway she had constructed, ascending along its branching paths.
At the far end of the ever-expanding network, she began selecting a suitable replacement.
"Hmm... the Thirteenth Legion, Ultramarines—webway expansion direction... a cyberpunk civilization? No. Next."
"Eighth Legion, Night Lords—webway expansion direction... vampires? Werewolves? A medieval fantasy civilization? Not suitable. Next."
"Third Legion, Black Marlin—webway expansion direction... an interstellar civilization? Humans, insects, aliens? No. Next."
...
Finally—
"Eighteenth Legion, Salamanders—webway expansion direction... prehistoric civilization. Saber-toothed tigers and mammoths still exist... hm? Suspected traces of faint supernatural power... Yes. That one."
Just as she had transferred the Honkai world's solar system, Selene repeated the process, seizing that prehistoric world's entire solar system and drawing it over.
"Hah... I told you. I'll handle everything."
Looking at the restored star system—seemingly no different from before, except that Earth now appeared purer—Selene half-closed her eyes and breathed heavily.
Making two such transfers in succession truly had been exhausting. But this had been her plan from the very beginning. She had never intended to help the Current Era civilization cheat its way to passing.
When she sensed a brief one-second pause from the "caretaker"—as if it had momentarily frozen—Selene could not help but grin.
Never seen a move like that before, have you?
"I removed every trace of residual Honkai energy from the planet. I cleared away all remnants of the Previous Era civilization. Everything starts from scratch. The next era's civilization will be a clean, spotless 'candidate.' Isn't that exactly what you wanted?"
Replacing the old with the new—wasn't that simply her own version of a grand cleanup? If others wanted such treatment, she would not even grant it.
"Then I suppose it is time for me to 'slumber.'" She transmitted the thought. "You can leave the final examination of the next civilization to me as well."
And that was that.
After bundling up and tossing over the residual Herrscher Core energy belonging to both the Current Era civilization and the era before that, the Will of the Honkai promptly vanished.
Absorbing the energy of the same origin, Selene gazed toward the primitive Earth and let out a long breath.
"A high-end recruitment world."
The words referred both to the present Earth and to the one she had relocated into the Honkai Dimension.
To survive the Honkai that once permeated the entire world, humanity must have evolved in ways she did not yet fully understand. But one thing was certain—they were different from humans of other worlds.
Namely—resistance to Honkai energy.
After all, they had coexisted with the Honkai for two eras, resisting it for tens of thousands of years. Their endurance against Honkai energy should surpass that of humans who had never encountered it.
Greater endurance meant a higher tolerance for enhancement. Was that not simply the pro version of an ordinary recruitment world?
"What should I name it... Krieg? No, no. They lack the temperament..."
Stretching lazily despite her fatigue, Selene closed her eyes and yawned without the slightest concern for her image.
"Too lazy to think. So sleepy... I should go back and get some rest."
After many years, fatigue had once again appeared within Selene.
The side effect was merely exhaustion and drowsiness. It had no other impact on her.
Though Selene's scale now far surpassed that of a solar system, this had not been destruction—it had been preservation and intact transfer.
Protecting was always more tiring than destroying.
And while the relocation seemed simple, it involved control at the level of microscopic particles and precise command over the four fundamental forces of the universe.
These were the most primordial powers in existence—virtually the authority of a creator.
She had to stabilize the distances between the sun and its planets. Prevent gravitational tidal disruption among the planets. Ensure the star did not collapse. And so on...
All of it required meticulous control. There was no room for carelessness. It was profoundly taxing on the mind.
Riiip—
Tearing open space, Selene stepped through with languid movements and disappeared within.
...
Trans-Spatial Webway. Imperial Navy flagship.
Thud! Thud!
Within the interconnected corridors, one towering figure after another stepped forward. Each wore the golden crested helmet of the Royal Guard. Whenever they passed, the golden gleam reflected by the lights seemed to sweep away every shadow.
Watching the training arena finally fall silent, the leading Royal Guard smiled faintly.
"How long have those two been fighting since they boarded?"
Inside the Astartes-designated training chamber—
"Ha... ha..."
Li Sushang and Cornelia stood at opposite edges of the arena, hands braced against their knees, sweat streaming down their foreheads as they gasped for breath.
"I admit it. I underestimated you. For that, I apologize, Lady Li Sushang," Cornelia said.
"Ha... same here. No fight, no acquaintance," Li Sushang replied heartily as she straightened and adjusted her breathing.
This bout—Li Sushang had held the advantage.
Knock, knock, knock!
Someone rapped on the chamber door.
"Wave?" Cornelia snapped out of her post-battle reflection and looked toward the entrance, where a man with short dark-blue hair stood.
"Sister Cornelia, Miss Li Sushang, the boss is looking for you. We're almost at the Imperial Capital. Get ready."