Shhrrk...
The purplish-red Honkai energy radiating from Aponia spread gradually around her as Selene injected, converted, extracted, and devoured it. The streaming particles that trailed her body resembled neon ribbons in a city of dazzling lights.
"Haa..."
Taking a deep breath, Selene closed her eyes. The speed at which the Honkai particles flowed back into her mouth abruptly doubled.
Among them was not only the DNA of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast "Mitra" fused into Aponia during the Meta-Morph surgery, but also fragments of Aponia's own genetic essence and every trace of her life source.
Crack... crack... crack!
As the extraction of her life source deepened, faint yet audible sounds of bone misalignment and brittleness echoed from Aponia's body. It was her flesh crying out in instinctive protest.
Unconscious, Aponia's eyes remained shut. Her lips were drained of color, pale to the point of bluish white. The rosy hue that had briefly returned to her skin from Selene's earlier infusion of vitality faded once more into ghastly pallor.
Her breathing was nearly nonexistent—like a tiny flame flickering in a storm, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
"Not bad."
After a short while, having obtained what she wanted, a trace of delight flashed across Selene's face. She lowered her hand, crimson eyes gleaming faintly.
Before her, Aponia—deprived of support yet held aloft by Selene's force field—continued to float in midair.
At this moment, Aponia had stopped breathing entirely. Though her body was right before her, no presence could be felt from it anymore.
Even a zombie could still register fluctuations of Honkai energy.
But Aponia—whether her life force or her Honkai energy—had vanished completely.
She was like a beautifully crafted porcelain shell.
And in truth, that was exactly what she had become.
She had established restraints through Discipline, yet fate always reversed in the most unpredictable moments. She had devoted her entire life to tugging at those weightless threads of destiny, only for them to tighten the more she struggled, to tangle the more she tried to unravel them.
Beneath the bones piled from countless defeats, she had finally understood—the end was predetermined, just as she had foreseen. The prison had long been formed, and she alone remained trapped within it.
She had never been able to illuminate anyone.
Now, as the threads of fate were nearly drawn away, the final judgment she had quietly awaited had arrived. Though it was not of her choosing, the ending had come all the same.
Under the influence of Selene—the sudden "little" butterfly that had intruded upon the world—history had already deviated from its original course from the very beginning. The entire world was now marching decisively toward an entirely new direction.
"Aponia. Farewell."
As she spoke, Selene gently removed the delicate butterfly-wing ornament from Aponia's chest.
In the next instant—
Crack—
Aponia's body disintegrated in response, scattering into ash and drifting away as blue-gold sand that slipped from Selene's fingertips.
There was no blood.
Only an empty shell remained.
And even in her dissolution, there was a peculiar kind of beauty.
Catching the garments that fell when Aponia's body lost its support, Selene's eyes shimmered blue. She transformed them into flowing particles through matter conversion. Between states of transformation, a small box engraved with butterflies and moth patterns appeared in her hand.
Whoosh—!
Though there was no wind, the sand flowed like a river of stars into the box.
"Issue an order to the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs: construct a sanatorium in the Imperial Capital. Name it the Aponia Sanatorium."
Having finished everything in her hand, Selene tossed the box into her storage space and gave her command.
"As you command." Budo, who had kept his attention fixed on Selene the entire time, responded immediately.
A clear transaction. I devoured you—and I paid the price.
Whether it was self-comfort or self-deception, Selene thought as much.
As for whether there was another purpose...
Well. Who could say?
Turning her head, Selene said, "Budo, the Far East region is yours. Maintain the pressure."
"With the serpent's head dead, the remaining cats and dogs of World Serpent are nothing to worry about. Whether to eradicate them or offer leniency—that is for you to decide."
As she spoke, Selene lifted her gaze toward the starry sky beyond. "As for Gray Serpent, we shall see whether he calls for reinforcements or hides in his shell."
"Once the war is over, there will be plenty of time to play with him."
"I have other matters to attend to. At Schicksal Headquarters, there is a living fossil. I intend to meet her."
...
Mediterranean Sea. Schicksal Headquarters, floating island complex.
At the very center of the nine main islands—Midgard—upon the deck of the central plaza.
Shing—!
Fu Hua exerted a bit more strength than usual, flipping backward to widen the distance between herself and Alex. Landing, she said with a serious expression, "We are not enemies. Though I know him, I am not a member of World Serpent."
That was the truth. She was now a warrior of Schicksal. Before that, she had been a guardian of Shenzhou. Further back, she had been a warrior of MOTH. She had never joined World Serpent.
It could even be said that Kevin had once beaten her severely. If not for Kiana, she might not have survived.
"Enemy—or friend. I will judge that myself. Now, surrender." Alex's voice was cold. The aura carried in each word made Fu Hua feel a trace of pressure.
Purplish-red sparks burst from his armor. The air slowly grew murky. The icy killing intent chilled to the bone, as though the atmosphere itself were freezing.
"You may, but I need—" Fu Hua assumed her stance, her expression grave as she faced the black-armored giant.
"You are not qualified to make demands."
After developing suspicion, the brown-haired man in black armor had become exceedingly forceful, advancing step by step.
Whether she could win or not was beside the point. This brown-haired black-armored giant was clearly a high-ranking officer of the Holy Selene Empire's military. If he chose to make things difficult for them, the consequences would be dire.
When it came to bureaucrats—especially those of a feudal empire—Fu Hua did not hesitate to assume the worst.
In the Previous Era, humanity had been united under a single regime. Externally, they faced the catastrophic threat of the Honkai. And yet those bureaucrats still engaged in infighting without restraint.
As a former member of MOTH's Fifth Squad, Fu Hua had seen it often enough.
Now they were outsiders—defeated parties who had surrendered, inherently at a lower standing. Based on her own experiences and observations, internal suppression seemed entirely possible.
Vooom—!
Wrapped in explosive purplish-red energy, clad in heavy armor and wielding a finely crafted polearm power weapon, Alex had been prepared to conduct a "physical discussion" with Fu Hua.
But the instant Selene's communication reached him, his imposing aura collapsed abruptly.
After a brief moment of confusion, clarity returned to his eyes.
His killing intent and battle spirit sank involuntarily to rock bottom. Facing Fu Hua, who remained in a guarded stance, whatever harsh words had risen to his lips were forcibly swallowed back down.
After reading through the contents of the message Selene had transmitted, he slowly lowered the finely crafted polearm power weapon in his hand and said solemnly, "As you command, Your Majesty."
Seeing this, Fu Hua also let out a quiet sigh of relief. She did not want the bloodless transition that Kiana and Theresa had worked so hard to secure to be jeopardized because of her.
But in the next moment, Alex's words startled her.
"Fu Hua, correct? According to Her Majesty, you are not a mole and have no connection to World Serpent. My apologies. I was simply carrying out my duty."
Hearing that, Fu Hua returned the courtesy with a polite gesture.
Nodding, Alex turned around and raised his voice. "Suspicion cleared. Stand down."
"Yes, sir!" ×N
Clank! Clank!
At Alex's command, the Imperial soldiers who had been aiming their weapons in unison lowered their instruments of violence and dispersed.
Their efficient discipline and the authority forged by strict hierarchy left no room for dissent.
"Haa..."
Letting out a long breath, Li Sushang—her brown twin ponytails swaying—walked over to Fu Hua with a relieved expression. Under Fu Hua's somewhat strange gaze, she patted her ample chest.
"Master Hua, that was close. If we'd actually started fighting, it would've been impossible to clean up."
It wasn't that Li Sushang had been unwilling to help. Stepping in would only have made the situation worse. Even Kiana had held Theresa back from intervening—it was obvious they had another channel to resolve things.
"Class Monitor, it's fine. Selene-sister is a very kind person," Kiana said reassuringly. As she spoke, she glanced toward Raiden Mei.
"Ah, Her Majesty Selene... yes. That's right."
Kiana's heavy filter made Raiden Mei feel a little uncomfortable, but she could hardly point it out.
After all, surrounding them were fanatical Astartes warriors who regarded Selene as a god and the object of their absolute loyalty.
They could not help but feel tense. Being watched by these Astartes—who, aside from eating, sleeping, training, and the occasional leave to visit family, spent their time either killing or on their way to kill—was hardly reassuring.
And this wasn't just one or two companies. There were tens of thousands of Astartes present, including the Legion Commander's Honor Guard, the Legion's First Great Company, and heavy firepower units filled with ruthless veterans.
Especially beneath the mountainous steel behemoths in the sky—their massive gun ports were aimed here. On the landing decks, Titans of various classes stood ready with their weapon systems activated.
The constant targeting kept their nerves and muscles locked in tension.
"Whew... As long as it's over, that's good."
Relaxing quickly, Li Sushang leaned against the railing of the deck, looking toward the golden-armored angel conversing with Alex at the center of the plaza. Cupping her cheeks in her hands, her eyes sparkled.
"Master Hua, look at that blond, warm-hearted guy over there. He's so handsome."
There, towering noticeably taller than the other Astartes, three demigods were discussing something.
The black-armored giant with silver trim was the fierce one from earlier. The green-armored giant with gold trim looked equally formidable. But the one clad in ornate golden power armor, with angelic white wings and a strikingly handsome face—that one was the best-looking.
After observing him for quite some time, Li Sushang noticed that his face always carried a sunny, open smile. He looked like a good person at first glance.
Being somewhat of a face-con, Li Sushang thought so.
"Hm?"
Leaning over the holographic command table while discussing matters with Vulkan and Alex, Sanguinius sensed a burning gaze fixed upon him. His hearing, of course, was extraordinarily sharp.
He immediately lifted his head and looked in Li Sushang's direction. Sanguinius offered a gentle smile that felt like spring sunshine and gave a slight nod.
"What is it?" Vulkan's face, carved like marble, displayed a faint, knowing smile. He asked despite clearly understanding.
"Nothing. Just a cute girl," Sanguinius replied.
He did not concern himself with what those Valkyries were thinking. Whether it was admiration or ulterior motives, in the face of absolute power, schemes only highlighted their frailty. If they dared to step out of line—kill them.
"Indeed, Sanguinius. That face of yours truly is the banner of the entire Astartes Legion," Alex said with a laugh, leaning over the holographic table. Then he returned to the main topic.
"Lorgar reports that in North Africa and the Middle East, areas under the responsibility of the Seventeenth Legion, the God-Empress Preachers, there has been an unexpected discovery. In Giza, Egypt—at the headquarters of Arc City Pharmaceuticals—they uncovered a large contingent of World Serpent's armed forces. Significant gains were made. One of World Serpent's top-ranking cadres was killed."
"Luck comes when it comes," Sanguinius said calmly. "Roboute received special favor from Her Majesty. Lorgar has been envious for quite some time. He should be satisfied now."
"Mhm. Jaghatai and his Fifth Legion, the White Scars, have also completed their sweep of Northern and Eastern Europe... They really do move fast when they're racing."
...
"Master Hua, he smiled at me!" Li Sushang said happily.
It was a small quirk born of being a face-con. When a handsome man looked at her, Li Sushang could not help feeling a little pleased.
She found it easy to trust people with handsome faces who did not look sinister.
Of course, if that handsome person tried to teach her to do something underhanded or dishonorable, she would immediately classify him as a bad guy.
"You, honestly..." Fu Hua covered her face helplessly. That straightforward, innocent temperament of Li Sushang's—she truly did not know what to say.
"Still, coexistence with the Honkai is indeed a path—a road we never once imagined."
Leaning back against the railing, Fu Hua looked up at the sky with a faint smile.
"Kiana... Mm. Your Selene-sister's sense of aesthetics..."
She had to admit, the Gothic palace-like spired bridges of the Imperial Navy's warships possessed a certain grandeur. Even if they gave off the distinct impression of mounting engines onto a cathedral.
But for spacecraft, appearance was irrelevant. There was no air resistance in space. Aerodynamics did not apply. No matter the shape, as long as the propulsion was sufficient, it would fly.
With enough thrust, even a tomb could soar through the void.
And just then—
"Heh. My aesthetic sense is rather good, wouldn't you agree?"
A voice as gentle as butterfly wings drifted down from the air. It carried an inexplicable magic that calmed the listener without reason.
"The power of Discipline... Aponia? No! It's not her."
The tone resembled that of an old friend reunited, yet to Fu Hua's ears it was like plunging into an icy abyss.
Though the imitation was flawless, the underlying coldness and arrogance within that voice was something Aponia could never possess.
Of that, Fu Hua was certain.
Then the identity of the newcomer was obvious.
"Your Majesty Selene."
"Tch... Not proficient enough, hm? It seems I still need more practice."