The central hall of Schönbrunn Palace was a vast rectangular chamber—five hundred meters long and a hundred meters wide.
The marble floors gleamed like mirrors, reflecting the splendor of the enormous hall. Everywhere one looked, there were ornate enamel-painted windows and lifelike grand relief sculptures.
Three massive crystal chandeliers hung from the elaborately painted ceiling, their brilliant glow casting everything below in a soft golden hue.
Before Selene stood a towering figure—over three meters tall—encased in jet-black armor. She nodded in satisfaction and gestured lightly for him to rise.
"Alex, the Project Astartes has reached maturity. You and your unit will be the first batch of super soldiers to be deployed in live combat. Your targets include multiple Teigu users. I expect great results from you."
Before her, the Honkai-enhanced warrior Alex stood proudly in his command armor—an ornate, black-powered exosuit symbolizing authority. He held a golden-winged sword, his helmet adorned with twin crimson wings, and across his chest was engraved a golden double-headed eagle. A short red-and-white cloak draped over his shoulders.
Thud!
"By my life, I shall complete the mission and fulfill my duty!" His metallic, resonant voice echoed through the chamber as he raised a clenched fist to his chest.
"Good. Prepare for deployment. Sebas will handle your teleportation to the Imperial Capital... Go."
"For Selene!"
The synchronized chant of the Astartes soldiers filled the hall as they concluded their assembly. Under Alex's command, they turned in unison and marched out of the chamber with precision and reverence.
Creaaak...
As the last of the Honkai-enhanced Astartes exited, the golden doors closed behind them. Selene leaned back into her throne, her gaze drifting toward a massive golden figure standing silently beside the dais.
"Kinshasa," she said softly, "what do you think? A new power and a new legion. The numbers may still be small for now, but their strength is impressive, isn't it?"
The golden giant beside her—Kinshasa—had grown even larger and more imposing than before. His burly form radiated a fierce and commanding aura, his face marked by rugged lines of raw ferocity. His armor gleamed in a resplendent gold finish, its intricate engravings so elaborate one might mistake it for a work of art rather than a suit of battle armor.
Kinshasa's Honkai enhancement had been personally fine-tuned by Selene herself—normally that would prevent excessive size growth. But...
Upon seeing the newly created Astartes soldiers, Kinshasa had insisted on matching them in stature—grumbling something about how "bigger, bulkier, and stronger is better!"
To be fair, the Empire had no obsession with slim aesthetics. Among soldiers, strength and mass were the true standards of beauty. Handsomeness didn't win wars—power did.
And so, now promoted to commander of Selene's Royal Guard Legion, Kinshasa stood over four meters tall—quite literally a giant among men.
To make matters more fitting, his love for flamboyant gold had rubbed off on his entire legion. What was once a unit of elite guards had now become... well, not small golden men—massive golden men.
"Er, I understand the reasoning, Great General," Kinshasa said, scratching the back of his head nervously, his golden plumed helmet tucked under one arm. "But I still don't get it—why not send our Royal Guard Legion instead? We'd guarantee victory. Or at least... should I dispatch a small escort team to accompany them?"
Selene sighed and shot him a sharp look. "Nonsense! You itching for a beating? Your legion doesn't need stability testing—you're not Astartes creations. Every one of you was personally enhanced by me."
She waved dismissively. "Now get lost!"
"Yes, yes! Understood, Great General! I'll get going right away. Oh, and I'll stop by Dr. Stylish's lab to check on the latest power armor production numbers—then report back!"
Clutching his golden helmet, the giant hurried off in a half-run, his heavy steps oddly comical for someone of his size.
Selene shook her head helplessly, but a faint smile tugged at her velvet lips. She didn't mind Kinshasa's antics—in fact, she found them refreshing. Having a loyal subordinate who could balance strength with good humor was a blessing.
As long as her people did their jobs well and followed orders, Selene allowed some levity. Discipline and morale were best maintained with balance, not fear.
"Still," she mused, glancing at the report in her hand, "for him to actually pull it off... Dr. Stylish truly outdid himself this time."
Recruiting Dr. Stylish early had truly been one of Selene's most brilliant decisions.
While she had provided the overarching research direction—saving him from countless detours—most of the scientific breakthroughs were achieved by Dr. Stylish alone. In just two years, he had nearly completed the entire supporting framework of the Project Astartes.
Even with the assistance of the Teigu Glorious Hands of God · Perfector, nothing could overshadow Dr. Stylish's extraordinary scientific genius.
The so-called supporting framework wasn't limited to the Honkai Energy Soldier Enhancement Program. Dr. Stylish had also designed and manufactured a wide array of complementary weapons and equipment.
Under Selene's guidance, Dr. Stylish developed the Type-1 Honkai Energy Power Armor—the first standardized combat exosuit for Astartes soldiers.
The armor was composed of two layers: the inner layer was a black nanoweave bodysuit made from a hybrid of Tyrant cells; the outer layer was a reinforced orichalcum shell.
The inner nanoweave suit was inspired by the Teigu Demon Armor · Incursio, replicating its highly responsive, skin-tight interface with the user.
By harnessing the resonance between Tyrant cells and orichalcum—similar to that found in Teigu—the armor allowed its wearer to control the exosuit with exceptional ease and precision.
While its design lacked the ornate craftsmanship of traditional Teigu, its performance was revolutionary. This was, after all, a mass-produced model—the first of its kind.
And this was only the beginning. Once Dr. Stylish fully assimilated the advanced technologies Selene had provided from Academy City, combining them with his own expertise, the results were astonishing.
Integrated helmet communications, thermal imaging, targeting assistance, and propulsion systems became standard features. But the true highlights were the Honkai-energy-based weapons:
Honkai Particle Shoulder Cannons, Honkai Particle Arm Blades, Honkai Particle Shields—these were the real triumphs of Dr. Stylish's ingenuity.
The armor's waist magnet-belt supported interchangeable conventional weaponry. Drawing inspiration from his earlier masterpiece Judgement of the Ten Heavenly Kings, Dr. Stylish designed a series of transitional high-power firearms and melee weapons.
Why "transitional"? Because Selene's conceptual design for the boltgun was still under development.
Rubbing her temples, Selene closed the report and leaned back on her lavish golden throne. "Tch... this all feels a bit too familiar somehow..." she murmured with a faint smirk.
...
Meanwhile, in the adjoining corridor of Schönbrunn Palace's central hall, countless maids and attendants bustled about.
Among them walked two young women clad in the uniforms of the Imperial Assassination Unit, following quietly behind a servant.
"Cornelia," said the black-haired girl coldly, her crimson blade at her side, "according to the Great General's intelligence, Najenda has resurfaced in the Imperial Capital."
"I see... finally, we can avenge our father." The blonde girl beside her clenched her fists so tightly that her gloves creaked.
The memory of that day—their failed assault on Najenda—was something they would never forget.