I Am Honkai

"Ah? This… that… she doesn't refuse to come out, but, Your Majesty, you scared the other me…"

"Oh? Do I seem frightening, like a villain?"

"No! Not at all, Your Majesty is a good…" The voice trailed off, becoming softer and softer, delicate and gentle. Clearly, Seele was flustered by Selene's seemingly casual inquiry.

"No need to force yourself. I have never been a good person."

"No, no… Your Majesty, you are good. You healed Bronya." Seele hurriedly replied.

So that's your standard for determining who's good, huh? Selene mused, finding the girl's innocence and protectiveness rather endearing.

Selene might be ruthless in her methods—tyrannical, cruel, and indifferent to suffering, exploiting labor, waging endless wars, indulgent in extravagance—but ignoring all that, yes, she could be considered "good."

"In that case, I will graciously accept your flattery." Selene chuckled lightly. Her fingernail tapped against the smooth surface of the table, the crisp sound echoing pleasantly in the surrounding space.

"So, would you like my help? A split personality isn't exactly a good thing." Tilting her head slightly, Selene moved to stand before Seele.

From her perspective, behind the gentle and pure girl was a starkly different version of her.

The surface personality was kind, innocent, averse to violence, and emotionally sensitive, able to perceive what others often overlooked. The inner personality, however, was a stark contrast—manic, violent, and aggressive.

But at the moment, even the "Dark Seele" had lost her usual mania, retreating into a timid and vulnerable state.

Within the mindscape, 'Dark Seele' cowered behind 'White Seele,' holding her head in fear. Noticing Selene's gaze, she peeked out nervously before quickly lowering her head again, emitting a faint whimper like a frightened animal, trembling all over.

"Unity brings out greater potential." Though Selene hadn't explicitly stated her intention to erase Seele's inner personality, the implication was clear.

"No, don't!" Without hesitation, Seele blurted out.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head, her gaze unwavering. With a voice imbued with gentle resolve, she declared, "The other me is Seele too. She is family."

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely!"

Soft yet stubborn—willing to hurt herself but unwilling to harm others. "What a kind-hearted girl," Selene thought silently, her crimson gaze locking with Seele's resolute eyes.

Soon, however, Seele's gentle blue eyes were replaced by pale gray ones. The gray-haired girl stepped forward, shielding Seele from Selene's gaze.

"Impressive willpower, recovering your strength so quickly…"

"Don't bully Seele." Clutching her head and wincing in pain, Bronya staggered to her feet, spreading her arms protectively despite her evident weakness.

Selene frowned slightly as she looked at the frail, gray-haired girl in front of her, whose figure was even less imposing than that of an immortal. "Very well. Since you can move, let's settle everything at once."

"Compared to other Herrschers, the Herrscher of Reason in this era has always stood in opposition to Honkai from the moment of their inception. Welt Joyce was this way, as was Joachim (Welt Yang)..."

Selene's tone grew colder, causing Fu Hua and the others nearby to flinch and instinctively glance at Bronya.

"Now, Bronya Zaychik, the third Herrscher of Reason in this era—tell me, what about you?"

An invisible force of intimidation suddenly enveloped the space. Bronya froze as her connection to the Herrscher of Reason's core was abruptly severed, leaving her stumbling.

It felt as if her blood had stopped circulating. In that instant, Bronya's mind raced frantically.

"Home is wherever I'm with everyone," Bronya answered in her typically flat and slightly weak voice, her response shrewd and calculated.

She did not shout the slogan of Welt Joyce and Welt Yang about humanity fighting Honkai. Bronya knew doing so would be nothing short of a death wish, completely cutting off any chance of retreat.

Indeed, Bronya had passed their tests to inherit the Herrscher of Reason's legacy, but that didn't stop her from adjusting her stance flexibly when needed.

Even the mantra "humanity will resist Honkai" needed to consider context. Now, the Sacred Selene Empire's human army had conquered the world; it was no longer the simple dichotomy of humans versus Honkai.

It had turned into an "internal war" among humans themselves. Anti-Entropy, a North American organization, had no business claiming to represent all of humanity. Besides, Theresa had already surrendered, and Schicksal had aligned itself with the Empire. Even the idea of native humans resisting extraterrestrial humans no longer held water.

Seele, Kiana, Mei, and even Fu Hua had already made their choices. Bronya had no intention of standing out as an exception. She was pragmatic.

"Oh?" Selene fell silent after Bronya's response, not immediately expressing her stance.

The reply was clever, giving Selene a way to step back gracefully while also leaving Bronya room to maneuver and subtly expressing her simple aspirations.

Had Bronya dared to parrot the mantra of the two Welt, Selene would likely have "cleansed" her several times over. From that point forward, the Empire's Inquisition would place her under constant, top-tier surveillance.

After a brief contemplation, Selene let out a soft laugh. "Slippery," she remarked lightly, her tone hinting at magnanimity as if to showcase her tolerance.

With that, the issue of the Herrscher of Reason was put to rest. Selene moved past Bronya without further comment.

Seeing this, Seele let out a long breath of relief. When Bronya had stepped in front of her earlier, Seele had been terrified, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.

Seele knew very well that Selene was not someone easy to deal with. Her other self (the inner persona) had been subdued since meeting Selene, no longer prideful but instead constantly urging Seele to be cautious.

"Come here," Selene said, beckoning to Kiana, who was snuggled up against Mei.

"Selene-sister! Hehe…" Kiana scampered over to Selene, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish grin.

"Ouch!"

Grabbing Kiana's cheeks, Selene first tilted her head upward, then glanced back at Bronya. "She's one of yours—keep her in check."

"Huh? One of mine?! Then doesn't that mean—hehe…"

"Don't get any funny ideas," Selene interrupted, tightening her grip. "Get some proper rest. The battles in the World Serpent and Anti-Entropy theaters will soon conclude. After that, new challenges await you."

With that, Selene ruffled Kiana's white hair, waved her hand at Fu Hua, and walked away without further interrupting the St. Freya trio's reunion. "Fu Hua."

"Yes," Fu Hua replied immediately.

As the trio of Selene, Fu Hua, and the still-cradled Mobius walked away, Seele quickly nudged the dazed Bronya, her voice filled with concern. "Bronya-sister…"

It wasn't until Seele's gentle push and a gust of wind swept by that Bronya snapped out of her trance. She shivered violently, suddenly aware of the sweat soaking her body.

The cold wind bit into her skin, chilling her to the bone.

"Ha~ Huff~" Staggering a few steps, Bronya slipped and fell into Seele's arms, panting heavily.

"Bronya, how could you act so recklessly just now? With Kiana here, as long as we don't overstep, Her Majesty Selene would never make things difficult for us..." Raiden Mei walked to Seele's side, helping to support Bronya.

"...." After a long pause, Bronya finally raised her head to look at Mei, stammering as she said, "I'm sorry, Bronya acted impulsively."

"Honestly, you used to be the calmest among us." Mei didn't know whether to laugh or scold her. "This is what happens when you care too much."

Bronya fell silent. It was true that she was usually the most level-headed, but when it came to Seele or the others from Cocolia's orphanage, she often acted more recklessly than Kiana.

But, Mei, are you really in a position to lecture me? Aren't you just the same? Whenever Kiana is in danger, you charge ahead like a berserker, impossible to stop.

Bronya's eye twitched. Seeing that Mei was about to continue lecturing her, she quickly interjected, "Alright, Mei, Bronya understands her mistake."

"By the way, Mei, what about Durandal, Dr. Einstein, and Dr. Tesla?" Bronya deftly changed the subject.

"They're in the sky."

"The sky?"

"Yes, Durandal should still be aboard Her Majesty Selene's flagship stationed in lunar orbit." Mei pointed upward, speaking seriously.

"While you were still unconscious, Rita was here too, but she later went up as well. She said, as an adjutant, she must stay by Lady Durandal's side."

Spreading her hands, Mei continued, "As for Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla, they were reassigned. From what I know, General Leiva of the 3rd Legion—Black Templars—took them. His assigned area includes Anti-Entropy's headquarters in the Americas, likely for negotiation purposes."

"... So, it's global capitulation, then. From now on, we're all citizens under Kiana Sister' rule?" Bronya said faintly.

"That's quite fitting," Bronya added jokingly, "What should I call Kiana now? Princess?"

"Ah, well, that's correct. But no matter, as long as everyone is safe (as long as Kiana is safe)," Mei said, stealing a glance at Kiana.

Unlike most Valkyries who joined for noble ideals, Mei had joined St. Freya to be with Kiana, and later, the World Serpent for the same reason.

"I will fall into darkness so you can return to the light." What a profound confession.

In her eyes, Kiana was more important than her own life (PS: Oh, Kiana, the burden of your sins is heavy...).

"Hmm." Nodding, Bronya also glanced at Seele, Rosalia, and Liliya, a faint smile forming on her lips.

If the Honkai could be controlled and would not harm her loved ones, why not submit to it?

"How dull, how dull. Let's continue eating."

Having come to Europe with Otto Apocalypse after her father Li Shen was killed by the resurrected Immortal Phoenix—Fu Hua, Li Sushang had long severed ties with her family.

Now, it had been 500 years since any contact with her paternal clan, who had all but faded into history. Knowing that Selene had spared her family line out of respect for her, Li Sushang calmly returned to the dining table.

"Sigh, so Master Lingshuang (the fifth disciple of Fu Hua, Cheng Lingshuang) and the small sect we formed have indeed been passed down. Now that it's been destroyed, I wonder if Master Lingshuang would rise from her grave in fury to confront Her Majesty Selene."

Shaking her head and muttering, Li Sushang casually joked, her tone laced with her usual cheeky irreverence.

Despite the seemingly brutal and heavy-handed methods Selene employed, Li Sushang couldn't find much fault with them. The actions were targeted, aimed specifically at avenging Fu Hua without unnecessary slaughter.

After all, Li Sushang had grown up listening to tales of heroic chivalry, and the essence of the jianghu spirit was clear: repay kindness with kindness, vengeance with vengeance—swiftly and decisively, without hesitation or second-guessing. That was the true ethos of a person of the jianghu.

"Ugh, what's my position now? An S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal? But Schicksal has already surrendered. A successor of the Edge of Taixuan? The founder of the Taixuan Sword Art and the School of Taixuan, Fu Hua, now belongs to the Empire. If anything, wasn't it my mother and master who were the ungrateful ones, betraying their teacher?"

Truly, the betrayal of their master by the Taixu Seven Swords was an act that went against every ethical and moral principle.

But on reflection, the Taixu Seven Swords were all orphans adopted by Fu Hua. It was likely they were survivors Fu Hua had saved after eliminating Honkai disasters. Their parents, more than likely, had been turned into Honkai beasts and slain by Fu Hua herself.

It was a tangled web of blurred responsibilities.

Of course, such situations depend on the person. At the time, Fu Hua didn't understand the intricacies of human emotions. If it had been Selene in her place, none of this mess would have happened.

Pulling off a massive chunk of unknown Danger Beast's leg meat, Li Sushang lay on the table, staring at the trio (the St. Freya "Big Three") exchanging loving glances. With her mouth half-full, she mumbled in frustration, "Everyone's paired up…."

"Too bad they can't reproduce."

...

"Your Majesty!"

"Shh, silence. Don't alert Alex and the others. Just take me there directly."

"Yes!"

"What's your view on your grand-disciple, Li Sushang?" Selene suddenly asked as she and Fu Hua followed behind the Astartes Honor Guard member through the corridors.

Choosing her words carefully, Fu Hua replied in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Li Sushang is an upright and almost overly rigid fool. She's… not suited for high-intensity warfare."

"Oh, really…? What I see is a warrior with exceptional talent," Selene said, shaking her head before revealing her plans. "When we return to the Imperial Capital, I'll have her and Kiana trained together under Sebas."

"Sebas? Who is that?"

"My personal butler and teacher. The Grand Steward of the Empire."

"I see." At this, Fu Hua said no more. With the Emperor's personal tutor taking charge, there was little room for concern; the training would undoubtedly be exceptional and free of major risks.

"Let's set that aside for now. We'll discuss it further back in the capital. As for the Herrscher of Sentience, you know her, don't you?"

"She? Your Majesty, do you have news of her?"

Just as Fu Hua asked, Selene, guided by the Astartes Honor Guard, led her to an empty seat at the central dining table and sat down.

In an instant, the lively clinking of glasses and cheerful banter around the table fell into an awkward silence.

An invisible tension spread through the air.

The Astartes Legion Commanders froze mid-action, their towering forms going utterly still. The room was so quiet that one could hear the faint crackling of foam in the oversized glasses of mead.

"...."

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