"Exterminate their entire clans?"
Li Sushang froze at the words.
Though she looked youthful—barely of age, no more than eighteen or nineteen in appearance—she was in truth a woman of sixteenth-century Shenzhou.
The only daughter of Qin Suyi, the seventh disciple of the Immortal Phoenix known as the "Sword Maiden," and Li Shen, the master of Yijian Villa, called "Master Chuan."
That was precisely why she addressed Fu Hua as Master Hua.
During her sword-training journey, she had fortuitously met Otto Apocalypse. Later, after Fu Hua—who had been murdered by her seven disciples, revived, and lost her memories—killed Li Sushang's parents and burned Yijian Villa to the ground, Li Sushang followed Otto to Europe.
She joined Schicksal and became an S-rank Valkyrie. With Otto's assistance, she entered dormancy and survived into the modern era.
In May 2017, after sleeping for five hundred and twenty years, Li Sushang was awakened and brought before the upper echelons of Schicksal as its final S-rank Valkyrie.
So despite her young appearance, her mindset was still that of an ancient. She had witnessed firsthand the brutal punishments of feudal society.
"What crime did they commit to warrant punishment that implicates their families...?"
Her sword-like brows furrowed. After a brief pause, she asked, "And what is this Herrscher Host K—Experiment Project?"
Following Kiana's gesture, she looked into the distance.
At the edge of the landing platform, mangled corpses were piled together. Blood streamed across the metal deck. As personnel of the Imperial Inquisition stepped over them, a wet squelch sounded beneath their boots.
Amid startled cries, another row of researchers in white lab coats was dragged forward by black-robed figures like reapers of death.
Their arms hung limply, bruised a ghastly purplish hue—clearly dislocated by violence. An Inquisitor forced them roughly to their knees.
"Execute."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At the Inquisitor's cold, death-knell command, triggers were pulled. Inside the bolt pistols, standard solid rounds were struck and ignited with a thunderous report.
Bolt weapons could fire specialized bolt shells, naturally—but they could just as easily use the conventional ammunition issued to the Imperial Auxilia.
The only difference was the caliber.
Thud!
Before the horrified gasps of Valkyries and Schicksal staff, men, women, childrens, and elders alike were torn apart in sprays of blood. Flesh and fragments burst outward, staining the deck an even deeper crimson.
The supersonic pointed rounds punched into their backs, ripping through clothing and tearing open entry wounds over three centimeters wide.
As the bullets passed through their bodies, the immense kinetic force shattered organs outright.
The shockwave magnified the exit wounds severalfold, blasting through chest and abdomen alike. Viscera were pulverized into a slurry of blood and tissue, splattering outward in gruesome arcs.
Driven by the pressure of the rounds, blood sprayed more than ten meters across the landing field, staining the grass beyond.
Servitor Army soldiers moved in to drag the corpses aside. Another Inquisitor cross-checked identities against a dossier, confirming the individual and their relatives before marking approval.
Groups were processed one by one. Once confirmed dead, the bodies were pushed into a nearby incinerator.
Even the incinerator had been specially designed—equipped with filtration systems to prevent the foul stench of burning flesh from spreading.
Truly an essential tool for killing and arson alike.
"Next group!"
Compared to the Valkyries and Schicksal personnel—some trembling in fear, others breaking into tears—the surrounding Imperial forces were eerily calm.
Even the lowest-ranked Servitor soldiers regarded the executions as routine. Some Auxilia troopers even chatted casually, letting out light chuckles.
As if they were not killing people—but slaughtering chickens and fish for supper.
"Their mental fortitude is somewhat lacking," remarked an Astartes of the First Legion, the Dark Angels.
"Slowly. No rush. There's plenty of time to train them," replied an Astartes of the Ninth Legion, the Blood Angels, arms folded across his chest.
"I think they're doing fine," interjected a green-armored giant seated atop a massive tank destroyer on the landing pad, resting his chin in his palm.
His power armor was green with black trim, accented by faint crimson flame motifs. Upon his shoulder plate, a wingless drake roared skyward, and the dark numeral XVIII marked his legion.
An Astartes of the Eighteenth Legion—the Salamanders.
"They haven't experienced large-scale warfare. Many of them have likely never even been splattered with blood before. They didn't vomit. They didn't flee. Combined with their strong physical constitutions, their potential is high."
That 'seeing blood' carried far more meaning than it seemed.
"Indeed."
"Her Majesty has chosen to grant them preferential treatment. Naturally, they must be worthy of it."
Though standing upon the same platform, separated by mere steps, it felt as though two entirely different worlds coexisted—each viewing the same event through utterly different lenses.
As the Astartes continued their open discussion—without lowering their voices or using private channels—the atmosphere across the platform grew increasingly strange.
The Valkyries exchanged glances, their expressions indescribably complex.
At Li Sushang's question, Kiana lowered her head and let out a deep sigh, about to speak.
"The Herrscher Host K—"
Fu Hua placed a hand gently on Kiana's shoulder, stopping her. She shook her head, a faint bitter smile touching her lips.
"An imperial state ruled by a feudal Empress... The Holy Selene Empire... 'Selene-sister'..."
After a moment's thought, Fu Hua looked at Kiana, her expression complicated.
"Perhaps the fact that Schicksal survived with almost no bloodshed is thanks to you."
Was it not essentially bloodless survival?
How many had truly been executed so far?
Compared to the entrenched interest groups Schicksal had accumulated over a thousand years, this number did not even reach one percent.
Fu Hua understood clearly the origins of the Herrscher Host K—Experiment Project.
After all, the reason she had infiltrated St. Freya as a student in the first place was at Otto's request.
Her mission had been to monitor K—423.
Now Kiana called Selene her sister. And the Empire was massacring every participant in the Herrscher Host K—Experiment Project.
The connection between the two was not difficult to infer.
Even Fu Hua was not immune to speculation. Based on the information currently available, she instinctively assumed Selene was venting anger on Kiana's behalf.
"Mm..." Kiana merely responded softly, her mood still subdued despite Fu Hua's attempt at reassurance.
"Huh? What are you two talking about?" Li Sushang looked utterly confused by the exchange between Fu Hua and Kiana. "Master Hua, don't leave me out of it."
"Let's leave it at that. Knowing more will do you no good."
With that, Fu Hua said no more. She stepped before the screen, watching Kevin dissolve within the radiance. A trace of reminiscence surfaced in her eyes as she let out a soft sigh.
"Ah..."
Especially at the sight of the beautiful figure dragged from Imaginary Space by Selene.
Aponia... it has been a long time.
"We were never heroes," Fu Hua murmured. "Just ordinary people who kept walking forward."
She had only followed in others' footsteps, walking her own path along the way.
Her voice trembled faintly—an emotion nearly worn away by the passage of ages.
"I never thought you would die."
"That is simply reality!" Alex declared, standing tall at the center of the deck.
"That Kevin Kaslana—and this woman as well—must have both been prepared for death."
"And—" He turned his head sharply, his brows cold and severe. "From your tone, it sounds as though you have ties to World Serpent?"
The giant lowered his gaze, looking down at her.
"Tell me."
"Perhaps..." Fu Hua replied. Yet beneath her voice lay hesitation—a flicker of self-denial. At last, she spoke plainly. "But my comrades were not serpents."
Her former comrades had either fallen in battle or vanished with time. The 'Kevin Kaslana' who had once been her companion existed only in memory.
What had returned to the present era was merely the sovereign of World Serpent—living for obsession alone.
Once, influenced by Kevin, Fu Hua had believed that sacrifices were inevitable in the war against the Honkai. Untimely mercy would only bring about even more dreadful consequences.
So long as it secured ultimate victory, any price could be paid.
That was the kind of person she had been—lacking firm conviction, suppressing her own emotions beneath the burden of protecting humanity. She had always defined herself as a soldier.
She left thinking to those wiser than herself, executing plans handed down to her in the name of 'future,' 'hope,' and 'victory,' without questioning their origins or outcomes.
Endless compromise had brought her endless pain.
Only after the birth of the Eighth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Sentience—and her subsequent salvation did Fu Hua find in Kiana a spiritual pillar, easing her loneliness and mending the flaws in her character.
Influenced by Kiana, Fu Hua no longer fully agreed with Kevin's ideology. Even her faith in the MOTH's methods of combating the Honkai had begun to waver.
Perhaps Kiana's way was the correct one.
"Oh? Go on. I'm curious," Alex replied.
...
Elsewhere, in the Far Eastern region.
A brisk wind swept across the empty sky. Upon the land, the scorching sea of magma had already vanished.
Though it had not yet returned to a world of rolling blue waters, compared to the abyssal hellscape of before, it was unquestionably improved.
High in the sky, atop a pale violet crystal platform, Selene finished her restoration work and nodded in satisfaction at the results.
Though the surface still appeared riddled with scars and uneven ravines—desolate and sorrowful in appearance—
In truth, the crust within this region had been compacted to extraordinary stability. Unless someone buried a high-yield Honkai fission bomb deep within the mantle, no earthquakes or volcanic eruptions would occur here for thousands of years.
The foundation was firm. The soil, fertile.
Once natural precipitation cycles recovered, and with proper irrigation, canal construction, roadways, and reservoirs, the massive folded mountain basins formed by the explosion could be developed into the foundation of a magnificent metropolis.
Behind Selene, a group of Imperial commanders exchanged subtle glances, the atmosphere slightly delicate.
"Your Majesty, we have once again detected traces of the World Serpent executive Gray Serpent," Roboute reported.
"He is not dead. The previous kill confirmation was erroneous. It was merely one of his bodies." His voice lowered. "Two minutes ago, Leman Russ breached the World Serpent labyrinth buried beneath the metropolis."
"Its scale rivals that of an underground city."
"Inside, in addition to numerous cultivation tanks containing mechanical-human chimeras, we discovered large-scale production lines for pharmaceuticals, armaments, and mechanized units. Accompanying research facilities were present as well. Warriors of the Sixth Legion have apprehended a large number of researchers."
With a motion of his hand, the helmet-feed of a Space Wolves Astartes from the Sixth Legion was projected onto the crystal.
The violet crystal rippled, splitting into multiple screens.
On one screen, walls riddled with bullet holes framed rows of lab-coated researchers emerging from underground, hands clasped over their heads under the escort of white-armored giants.
On another, within an enormous factory, halted production lines stood silent. Mechs at varying stages of completion lined the floor—some nearly finished and already coated in blue paint.
Judging by their model and insignia, they were patrol mechs destined for export to Sky City.
The third screen drew Selene's attention most of all.
Expensive laboratory equipment lay shattered across the floor. In a pool of blood, a hooded figure clad in black lay quietly—Gray Serpent. His eerie mask remained in place, his single metallic eye dim and lifeless.
"Against an enemy so extensively augmented with cybernetic modifications, Your Majesty, whether capture or elimination will require time," Roboute continued carefully, gauging Selene's reaction. "We do not know how many secret underground bases World Serpent has constructed across the globe."
"In the worst case, if he has hidden his primary consciousness in an unknown location and operates worldwide solely through distributed bodies... without deploying ship-mounted weaponry, this will take time."
The simplest method, of course, was straightforward.
So long as he remained within planetary bounds—whether main body or clone, whether hidden in the mantle or beneath the seas—activate fleet weaponry and issue the highest level Exterminatus, shattering the planet outright.
Exterminatus itself had classifications. It did not refer to a specific weapon, but to an act. Any method that achieved total annihilation qualified.
The highest tier involved planetary disintegration—rarely used.
The next tier—"cracking"—would destabilize the planet irreparably. It would not break apart, but life could no longer persist.
The lowest tier targeted only the biosphere—essentially scouring the surface. Those hidden deep beneath oceans or mountains might survive. It would not erase all life.
"Maintain current capture and search intensity. Neither haste nor slackness. Apply steady pressure. I have my own considerations," Selene said with a dismissive wave.
Gray Serpent was far more than a mere executive of World Serpent.
He was its true founder.
Not even human at his core—merely a byproduct born during Dr. Mobius' testing of new technologies in the Previous Era.
Who knew where his true consciousness lay? Perhaps each body was equally primary, each sharing information autonomously.
Better to wait—and see whom he might awaken, or whom he might recall.
"For now, I require everything you possess." Turning her head, Selene shifted her attention to the exquisite woman bound in chains.
It was only her memories.
Nothing more.
"Now then—let me see just how many absurd methods your MOTH devised."