I Am Honkai

Buzz—!

Emerging from a portal shimmering with violet light, Esdeath stepped onto a surface no longer water but high-concentration Honkai energy in a liquid state.

Some areas had even crystallized, forming an expansive crystalline plain resembling a massive magical array.

Gathered on this shimmering platform were numerous figures, including the Astartes Thirteenth Legion Commander Robert, along with a vast assembly of Astartes warriors and officers of the mortal auxiliary forces.

"Your Majesty, the First Spirit Mio Takamiya has been brought here..."

Esdeath immediately knelt on one knee, head lowered, not daring to raise her gaze. Without a word from Selene, she remained silently kneeling.

Esdeath harbored no resentment about Selene intervening in her battle with Mio Takamiya.

Though she felt bitter that she hadn't defeated Mio with her own hands, Esdeath's actions showed no hesitation.

She wasn't one to let favor make her arrogant; she executed Selene's orders without question, regardless of whether they conflicted with her own desires.

The thought of challenging Selene or showing displeasure toward her for meddling? Such notions didn't even cross Esdeath's mind.

While Esdeath relished battle, eager for the thrill of combat and yearning to push her limits against powerful opponents, she wasn't foolish.

In truth, having her sovereign rescue her during a loss only deepened her shame and amplified her frustration at her own weakness.

Even though Selene had warned Esdeath beforehand that her strength was insufficient to defeat Mio, the humiliation of her own inadequacy lingered in her heart.

Esdeath understood her role perfectly: she was merely a subordinate. Her power, status, wealth, and authority—everything she possessed—was a gift from Selene.

From what Esdeath knew of Selene, the Empress's usual poised demeanor, mild smile, and seemingly agreeable attitude were all a facade.

That affability depended on the subservience of others. Any display of defiance or disrespect would be met with unflinching severity.

Laughing while asking: "Beheading, execution by firing squad, hanging, flaying, quartering, dismemberment, drawn and quartered, slow slicing, boiling alive... Which method suits your fancy? Pick one."

For a ruler like Selene, soft resistance was never tolerated.

When in favor, Esdeath could joke, act playful, even seek indulgence if Selene was in a good mood.

But the kind of dynamics seen in clichéd master-servant relationships, where subordinates dared to throw tantrums or act superior despite their position? Those scenes could never exist under Selene's rule. Such signs would vanish before they fully emerged.

The battle between Esdeath and Mio was inherently unbalanced. This wasn't personal enmity but war.

From the outset, Selene had established the tone:

The battle was a means to refine Esdeath's mastery of the powers of the Herrscher of Ice. It was also to indulge Esdeath's thirst for combat against strong opponents.

The outcome was predetermined: either Esdeath would win, or Selene would intervene the moment Esdeath faced defeat. Losing her cherished warrior was out of the question.

Selene paused her ongoing adjustments to a grand ritual array, turning to face Esdeath. She raised her hand in a gesture of acknowledgment.

"The battle is over. To force Mio to reveal her Second and Third Angels… Your control isn't bad," Selene remarked with a light smile.

This was genuine praise. The gap between Esdeath and Mio lay in the latter's ability to overwrite the physical world into a realm fully under her dominion.

Mio's Second Angel, Ain Soph (The Angel of Laws), could rewrite reality itself, modifying all rules—a near-omnipotent ability.

Against beings weaker than herself, Mio's ability allowed her to crush her opponents completely.

"No, Your Majesty. A loss is a loss. Without the use of the temporary imaginary space you granted, I would've been defeated far sooner," Esdeath replied, rising with a deep sigh of self-reproach.

Her right hand firmly restrained Mio's unprecedentedly frail form.

"Then... keep working hard."

"...As you command!" Esdeath bowed deeply before stepping aside.

Selene's attention now turned to Mio Takamiya, the frail white-clad figure discarded at her feet.

"Mio Takamiya… So, it was because of you that Westcott and Elliot, once as close as brothers, ultimately became estranged?"

Naturally, the rift between Westcott and Elliot may have stemmed from deeper ideological conflicts, but Selene had no interest in delving into such complexities.

Hearing this, the nearby Elliot and Karen—restrained under the boots of mortal auxiliary soldiers—merely opened their mouths silently.

At this point, nothing they said would make a difference.

"Tsk tsk, the classic femme fatale scenario," Selene remarked mockingly, her tone dripping with amusement as though stoking a fire. "Wouldn't you agree, Lord Westcott?"

"Ah? Oh, indeed, Your Majesty," Westcott replied hastily, snapping out of his daze. He bent deeply in deference.

Having been subjected to Selene's crushing gravitational power and a subsequent soul search, Westcott had grown cautious. Even now, with the woman he had long adored lying before him, he dared not utter a word in her defense.

Selene chuckled lightly, her gaze shifting back to Mio. Without any preamble, she declared:

"The era of the Spirits is over."

Behind Mio, her once-luminous wheel of light had faded to a near-illusory gray-white. Her silver hair, now dull, hung lifelessly. Even the act of keeping her eyes open seemed to drain her strength.

"The final 'ingredients' are ready," Selene murmured. She turned to Robert at her side. "Bring them all forward."

"Understood," Robert replied.

Moments later, a group of fearsome Astartes warriors strode forth, each carrying a subdued figure in one hand.

Shido Itsuka was the first to be thrown unceremoniously onto the crystallized platform, his body landing with a heavy thud.

Behind him, the defeated Spirits—Tohka Yatogami, Kotori Itsuka, Yoshino Himekawa, Kaguya Yamai, and Yuzuru Yamai—were likewise discarded in turn.

"I... What happened to me?"

"Shido!"

"Kotori's voice?! Wait… What happened before I blacked out? Where… is this?"

Awakening suddenly, Shido sprang to his feet, glancing around at his surroundings. His eyes landed on the towering blue-armored figures surrounding him.

Before long, his gaze fell upon Kotori's prone form. Then Tohka, Yoshino, and the Yamai sisters—all unconscious, their energy nearly depleted.

Finally, he spotted Westcott and Ellen, recognition dawning as his expression twisted into rage.

"It's you again! DEM Industries!"

"Insolence—!"

Robert's thunderous roar boomed across the crystalline plain. His voice carried the force of an explosion, a near-tangible wave of pressure radiating outward.

The sonic assault knocked Shido back to the ground before he could react.

By the time he regained his senses, Shido realized he was already kneeling on the cold, violet-red crystalline surface.

Beads of cold sweat dripped relentlessly from his forehead.

Click-click-click!

Buzz—whirrr!

Instantly, the sound of bolter rifles loading and chainswords roaring filled the air. The leading Astartes warriors fixed their fierce gazes on Shido Itsuka, their expressions menacing, as if they were about to tear him apart in the next moment.

"Cough, cough... Young man, behind you. Look at your mother, your lover—don't they seem familiar?"

A cold, detached female voice echoed from a distance. In that instant, Shido Itsuka's entire being was flooded with an overwhelming mixture of fear and awe.

Before his mind could even comprehend the command, his body instinctively obeyed, turning as if compelled by an unassailable force.

The next moment, the silver-haired figure lying motionless beside Snowstorm Esdeath burned itself into Shido's mind.

"Shinji... Is that you? I'm sorry... cough, cough... to meet you again in such a wretched state..."

With her dim blue eyes half-open, Mio Takamiya offered a sorrowful smile, her voice trembling as she spoke.

"You... who are you? Why do you feel so familiar? This feeling... it's as though..."

Shido felt an inexplicable connection to Mio. A profound sense of yearning surged through him—so deep it resonated in his genes and soul.

"She is your mother. The mother of all Spirits," Selene remarked flatly.

Noticing Kurumi Tokisaki's gaze, filled with murderous vengeance at the sight of Mio, Selene shrugged.

"But it seems this 'mother' isn't much loved by her children... Shido Itsuka—or should I say, Shinji Takamiya—do you wish to learn the truth of your puppet-like life?"

Selene snapped her fingers. Fragments of memories extracted from Westcott and Kurumi Tokisaki were instantly projected into Shido's mind.

"Aaaaaahhhh!"

The torrent of information surged into his brain, overwhelming his nerves with searing pain. Shido collapsed to the ground, his muscles spasming uncontrollably.

He clenched his fists tightly, pounding the crystalline ground beneath him. Bloodied and mangled, his hands trembled, but the agony of his flesh paled in comparison to the anguish of his heart.

The truth behind Mio Takamiya's actions—the horrifying sacrifices she made for her eternal love, Shinji Takamiya—pierced him to his core.

To resurrect Shinji and achieve eternal union, Mio had refined Spirit crystals at the cost of countless innocent lives. Using the bodies of unwitting young girls as tools for purification, she had left rivers of blood in her wake.

To hasten her progress, she lured Kurumi Tokisaki into her scheme with false promises of justice. In her ignorance, Kurumi unknowingly slaughtered numerous Spiritified victims—some of them her own friends.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh—!"

As the transmission ended, Shido sat dazed and broken, overwhelmed by the harrowing revelations.

Selene, indifferent to his suffering, calmly proceeded to the next step of her plan.

"Miku Izayoi, Natsumi Kyouno, Nia Honjou, Mukuro Hoshimiya."

Extending her hand, four pristine Spirit crystals materialized in her palm.

These Spirits had yet to be "sealed" by Shido. One pursued her singing career, another enjoyed playful pranks, one languished in an underground lab beneath DEM's London headquarters, and one lived in quiet isolation in outer space.

They were mere bystanders, unentangled in animosity. Selene, dispassionate as ever, extracted their Spirit crystals without inflicting further harm. The four were left to live as ordinary humans in this conquered world.

"Go."

With a wave of her hand, Selene sent the crystals soaring toward the central ritual array beneath her feet.

Glug—

As more "ingredients" were added, the vast inland sea that had filled the great chasm of the Eurasia Sky Disaster for over thirty years—formed from underground springs, rainfall, and glacial melt—was fully transmuted. Now, it churned with distorted violet-red Honkai energy.

"Your turn."

"No..."

Hearing Selene's command, Shido seemed to sense what was coming. He lifted his head, ready to plead, but his words faltered halfway through.

Mio had caused so many tragedies to bring his past self back to life. How could he, in good conscience, claim to be innocent?

"Your Majesty, may I... take their place? To atone?"

"Impossible."

Selene's unwavering tone crushed any room for negotiation.

"Do you think swapping yourself in would absolve everything? Don't delude yourself. Take her—and die together."

Her voice was calm yet unyielding as she delivered the cruel verdict.

"I can promise you this: no massacres will be wrought upon your world. On the contrary, they may even live better lives under our rule."

Whether or not she intended to honor such a promise, Selene spoke with effortless confidence.

After all, the Thirteenth Legion's methods of governance and resource cultivation ensured this world would remain productive and habitable. Stability was inevitable under Imperial control.

"...I understand."

Lowering his gaze, Shido nodded heavily. With a somber expression, he turned to glance one last time at Kotori and the others lying motionless on the ground.

"Kotori... If there's a next life, let's be siblings again... Everyone, goodbye."

"Goodbye... Shido... big brother..."

Leaving no harsh words behind, Shido could only be grateful Selene had spared them wholesale slaughter. What more could he ask for? To demand more would be ungrateful.

Scooping up the increasingly fragile Mio, Shido managed a faint smile to comfort her.

"Let's go."

Without hesitation, he carried her toward the focal point of the Kabbalah Tree of Life Ritual Array.

"Shinji... I... I'm sorry..."

Clinging tightly to Shido's neck, Mio choked on her words. Her trembling voice carried faint notes of relief and fulfillment.

Buzz—!

A torrent of violet-red energy erupted. Their bodies disintegrated inch by inch, dissolving into particles of pure Spirit energy that merged with the central array.

This process repeated, one Spirit after another, until they were all gone. Every Spirit dissolved into energy, returning their power to the Earth.

Deep underground, the Kabbalah Tree of Life Ritual Array, now fully modified by Selene, expanded further.

Boom-boom-boom—!

From orbit, the spectacle was visible to the naked eye: a massive, cross-shaped pattern of rhomboid lines pulsing across the Earth's surface, centered on the Eurasian continent.

The radiant crimson lattice shimmered like veins of a living planet, thrumming with immense energy.

The Earth resembled a womb preparing to birth something incomprehensible.

Glug—THUMP!

Each pulsation reverberated across the planet, ringing like thunder in the ears of all living beings.

"Simulate—Imaginary Tree—Grow!"

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