"Ugh... This is all your fault, Kuroko! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be chased by Security Robots!"
"Uh... isn't it because you destroyed that vending machine, Onee-sama?" Hearing her beloved senior shamelessly shift the blame, Shirai Kuroko pouted in protest. Being electrocuted was one thing—but being falsely accused on top of it? Unacceptable!
"Shut up! I'll deal with you when we get back!"
"Stop right there! You are under arrest for [property damage]. Cease your escape immediately!" The cold, synthetic male voice echoed from behind them as two Security Robots pursued the pair down the street.
According to the enforcement protocols built into their system, the robots refrained from using firearms since the offense was considered minor. They merely chased the two girls, maintaining a safe pursuit distance.
Honestly, it was just bad luck. Of all the places Misaka and Kuroko could have messed around with electricity, they had to do it right near a security post. Naturally, the patrolling Security Robots caught them red-handed.
As for why Selene wasn't being chased as well? Well, that's obvious—these were her own creations. Of course she left a backdoor in them. (Hands on hips, completely justified.)
After exchanging a subtle "look" with the robots, they immediately stopped paying attention to Selene and the other three onlookers, focusing solely on their assigned targets.
Watching the chase gradually fade into the distance, Selene couldn't help but imagine Misaka and Kuroko's faces when they realized their every move had been captured on the robots' real-time monitoring feed. There would be no escaping that written apology report. A sly grin curved across her lips as she offered them a silent crocodile tear in mock sympathy.
...
"Mhmhm~ hmm hmm~"
As the peaceful day came to an end, Selene walked down the corridor of her manor, humming to herself with a lighthearted tune. Remembering the scene from earlier, she couldn't help but feel a wave of satisfaction. Her entire demeanor radiated contentment.
Indeed, happy moments truly eased the soul.
It was like finishing a grueling driving lesson after being scolded endlessly by the instructor, then going home to watch a comedy anime—relaxing both mind and body.
"Miss, it seems you're in quite a good mood today." Even the household staff could sense the visible cheer in her aura as they passed by, each greeting her warmly.
"Mm." Selene nodded pleasantly in return.
Walking through the long corridor, she initially intended to go eat—but then a new idea struck her.
"Since I'm in such a good mood, might as well do something productive!" she declared. When one's mind was relaxed, wasn't that the best time to work? With that thought, she made her way to the art studio.
Yes—the art studio.
The massive silver knight that had captured the robber earlier had, in fact, originated from Selene's design experiments in this very room. It was one of her "soldier" creations.
The principle was simple—similar to how Herrschers created Honkai Beasts. One could either use a preset template for random generation or painstakingly craft each detail manually.
Naturally, the Silver Knight belonged to the latter category—a personally refined product of Selene's creativity. After all, how could those randomly generated, beast-like Honkai Beasts—crude and unsightly as they were—ever represent her noble elegance?
...Okay, maybe a bit of vanity was involved. But really, it was just a hobby born out of boredom.
Pushing open the door to her studio, she was greeted by a chaotic sight: countless sketches and concept drafts scattered everywhere. Among them were completed designs like the Silver Knight, as well as unfinished ones spanning both grand and grotesque themes.
Some were majestic and righteous in style, others dark, demonic, and terrifying. Simple concepts like dragons, angels, and demons were child's play compared to the real masterpieces—those unnameable horrors assembled from parts of various animals. Most of those, however, remained in the conceptual stage.
To hone her craft, Selene had even attended numerous art and sculpture workshops.
Sitting down, she picked up a nearby design draft—one of her latest creations: a soldier with a hellish abyssal theme. Selene fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Having created the noble and radiant Silver Knight, it only felt right to design its opposite—a counterpart of darkness.
The sketch depicted a classic infernal figure: curved goat horns, crimson skin, a towering muscular frame, fire wreathed around its body, and enormous bat-like wings. Every detail screamed the essence of a Western demon lord.
The design was nearly complete—only the fine details remained to be refined.
However, through today's combat test with the Silver Knight, Selene had discovered a major issue. Despite their impressive performance, they were still Honkai constructs. Their bodies and attacks inevitably leaked traces of Honkai energy.
Although Selene could completely prevent the leakage of Honkai energy through precise manual control, doing so made it impossible to scale up production. The moment she increased the number of units or their distance from her, fine control became unmanageable.
That directly contradicted her initial goal in designing soldiers.
If it were another world, things might've been simpler—but in the world of A Certain Magical Index, it was far more delicate. Selene had no intention of tampering with this world, so she couldn't allow Honkai energy to spread freely.
Unlike Honkai-based energy sources safely converted for industrial use, these Honkai constructs inherently carried a corrosive property.
That meant she needed to develop a type of soldier that wouldn't erode the world's fabric. Just thinking about it gave her a headache. This is going to be tough...
Should she continue accelerating the mechanized soldier upgrades and expand production? Or perhaps seek out an entirely new approach?
Maybe... she should look to another world altogether.
Tapping her finger lightly on the desk, a series of potential world coordinates flickered across her mind.
"Hm?... Got it!" Her eyes lit up as inspiration struck. In an instant, she remembered a certain adventure story—a world with loyal, tireless, ever-obedient soldiers.
"If it's them, there shouldn't be any problem." The more she thought about it, the more excited she became.
This could work perfectly.
Besides, her Herrscher Core was nearly done stabilizing. Carefully feeling her internal state, Selene estimated that she was close to full fusion. Once complete, there would no longer be a distinction between her and the core—she would be the Herrscher Core itself, inseparable even by death.
At the same time, since she had already achieved full Herrscher transformation, her existence had ascended beyond normal life. Entering new worlds would no longer restrict her abilities.
As long as she didn't recklessly provoke those far superior high-order worlds, she would be fine. Even if the difference in power was significant, the worst-case scenario would simply be partial suppression.
In that case... it was time to start looking for a new world.
With that thought, Selene traced her fingers through the air. In an instant, a two-meter-tall Spatial Transfer Gate materialized before her, glowing with swirling energy.
"Perfect. There's still time today. I might as well make good use of it."