"Your Majesty, do you not intend to keep them for a meal?"
In the inner court of Schönbrunn Palace that afternoon, within a courtyard bursting with flowers, the tall, broad-shouldered Sebas stood by the balustrade. His crimson eyes were flecked with gold.
His thick silver sideburns merged seamlessly into a full beard, giving him the imposing presence of a lion at rest. Under the slanting rays of the setting sun, his features appeared half in shadow, half in light, making him seem all the more inscrutable and majestic.
Sebas had the kind of stern face that looked severe even when smiling, entirely devoid of warmth.
A powerful wind swept freely through the pavilion, causing the surrounding banners to flap loudly.
"You should have had that thought, shouldn't you?"
At the center of the expansive garden, Selene leaned back in her seat. She set aside the memorials awaiting review and quietly gazed at the vast, boundless sunset before her, as though watching Kiana and her group departing from Schönbrunn Palace.
"Better not force them." After a brief pause, she shook her head.
"In the palace, with me present, every nerve in their bodies is stretched tight. It's not that they're too nervous to function, but eating like that would be too restrained, too awkward, too uncomfortable. Why bother?"
"Let's wait until we're more familiar... then perhaps—" As she spoke, Selene's voice gradually softened and trailed off, leaving her momentarily speechless... Familiar. Truly open and sincere. How could that ever be possible?
With such vast differences in personality and values, how could they ever truly get along? At best, things were merely passable for now.
"I really look forward to seeing what decision you'll make once you witness the true law of the dark forest. Whether you'll resolve to exterminate all other races for humanity's sake. I'm quite curious about how your minds will change then... I can hardly wait."
Tilting her head back slightly, Selene murmured to herself.
At noon in the outer court's grand hall, Selene had spoken to Kiana and the others plainly and directly.
She would honor her previous promise.
Once the Valkyrie forces and their affiliated Servitor Army formations completed reorganization, they would assume command of their respective units as military leaders and formally begin external campaigns.
Though Kiana and the others were currently only recruits undergoing training under Esdeath, they were undoubtedly officer candidates. Full promotion? Only a matter of time.
And once promoted, despite the Valkyrie forces' astonishingly small scale—far inferior to the Astartes Legions, even smaller than Arisa's Sisters of Battle—for the Empire's colonial worlds and those ravaged by war, they would be predators.
That was entirely different from the work they had known within Schicksal.
Facing ferocious alien species. Facing enemy factions who were also human. Facing protracted, high-intensity battlefields...
"Power... power..."
"Will the sense of responsibility that comes with wielding power crush you?"
A person may make decisions through authority, but must also bear responsibility for those decisions. If something goes wrong, the one who gave the order is the one who takes the blame.
With a single command from her, either the enemy would be reduced to dust—turning her into a butcher of lives—or her own soldiers would die because of her orders. Parents would lose children. Children would lose parents. Spouses would lose their other half, separated by death—or even perish together...
And they would become imperial officials who had indirectly killed them.
Everything has two sides. Power is no exception. Either outcome would be more than enough to trouble Kiana and the others.
Clearly, by granting them authority, Selene was forcing them—forcing them to choose, to unleash their potential.
Power seemed mysterious. It could straighten a bowlegged man into an official's swagger. It could turn a peasant's son into someone who lorded over peasants. It could even decide the life and death of countless people.
Yet in daily life, almost everyone possesses some measure of authority.
A university counselor has the power to choose which students receive honors. An e-commerce platform administrator has the authority to decide the fate of online stores. Even a bank security guard, a factory gatekeeper, or a parking attendant can decide who may enter or leave.
Of course, those were merely small professional prerogatives—far from true power.
The authority Selene intended to grant Kiana and the others was the kind that could kill.
In her early years—perhaps out of curiosity, personal interest, yearning, or simply her nature—since the day she took power, Selene had amassed authority relentlessly. From military command to regional governance to imperial sovereignty, aside from a very few confidants, she had centralized power to the utmost, deciding all matters alone, wishing to hold every authority in her own hands and issue every command from her own will.
A great man... well, all the same. For Selene, a day without power was unthinkable.
Even now, though she had begun to feel a trace of weariness, years of speaking with the weight of law had become a habit—etched into her spine, ingrained as instinct.
Indeed, the existence of the Astartes Legions suggested she had begun to delegate some authority. But one must remember—the structure of the Legions and of the Empire itself was inseparable from Honkai energy...
A ruler losing power through negligence would never happen to Selene.
Unlike anyone else, for the Empire and for the Honkai Dimension, Selene's very existence was her greatest responsibility.
She tossed the memorial onto the tea table and lifted a crystal cup, gently tracing the patterns etched along its surface.
"And you—when do you intend to train them personally?"
"After Esdeath's trial concludes."
Stepping before Selene, Sebas bent slightly and raised a white porcelain teapot, tilting it gently. Steam curled from the spout.
A faint yet peculiar fragrance instantly filled the surrounding air along with the rising heat.
Selene sniffed lightly and let out a clear laugh. She blew gently across the surface and took a small sip, her other hand tapping the documents on the table.
"That makes sense."
At that moment, Susanoo—dressed in a chef's uniform—walked in through the corridor.
"Your Majesty, the meal is ready."
"Very well. Have it served. Arisa is probably already starving."
Selene stood and lightly patted Arisa, who was sitting in a corner of the carpet sulking.
Because of Esdeath's skillful passing of responsibility, Arisa had indeed come to Selene for help. Selene, in turn, redirected her to seek Sebas' approval.
And naturally, Sebas not only rejected Arisa's request to accompany Kiana and the others, but also reprimanded her harshly, telling her to show her face more often among the newly formed Valkyrie units.
Sneaking a glance at Sebas—who was deliberately not looking her way—Arisa covered her face and lowered her head, letting out soft, aggrieved whimpers.
"..."
Sebas' face darkened.
Suppressing her laughter, Selene clapped her hands lightly. "If you perform well, I might grant you half a day off."
"Really?!" Little Arisa instantly revived at full health.
"Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"
"Yay!" She threw herself into Selene's arms, wrapping both arms around her waist, then turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Sebas.
"..."
Sebas' expression grew even darker.
"Your Majesty, this is today's menu." At that moment, Susanoo handed over the afternoon tea menu.
"What's this picture... glowing cuisine?" Spreading open the menu, Selene frowned slightly. What was with these shining dishes? "Is that a filter, or does the food actually glow?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty—it is the food itself."
"Bring him up. And give me his file as well," Selene said.
Soon, a man dressed in an exquisitely tailored chef's uniform pushed a dining cart forward.
All eyes in the courtyard turned toward him at once. Unusually, his chef's uniform was black.
"Your Majesty."
The man bent one knee respectfully, a humble smile on his face. Yet for some reason, that smile carried an unmistakably gloomy undertone.
His black hair was slicked back with gel. Aside from his naturally brooding aura, the most striking feature was a conspicuous streak of white hair at the crown of his head.
"Nakamura..."
...
Elsewhere.
This was a small trans-spatial teleportation outpost fortress—crowded with activity, yet impeccably orderly.
For worlds already brought under occupation, once they were incorporated into the Empire's taxation system, the construction of small-scale trans-spatial portal gates would follow.
Connected to the Honkai trans-spatial webway and anchored to stabilized worlds, with proper authorization, small squad operations were possible—morning in the Imperial Capital, noon in the world of One Piece, evening back in the Imperial Capital. Such maneuvering was entirely feasible.
As for deploying fleet-scale forces... regrettably, only the capital worlds of the various Astartes Legions—those equipped with large star gates—could currently achieve that level of response speed.
Moreover, authorization differed between the worlds under each Legion's command. Without higher-tier clearance, cross-domain transit was impossible. Otherwise, one would have to make do with fixed-point transfers between two designated worlds.
Magnificent fortress macro-weapons towered overhead. Beneath immense Gothic structures, stained-glass windows depicted the Empress of the Empire—the God-Empress—and her Angels of Death in radiant color.
Deep within the fortress stood several glaringly bright "gates."
Among them, the central gate suddenly trembled. The opaque, black-cloth-like vortex swirled irregularly, then flashed faintly. Threads of purple-red Honkai particles drifted outward.
Kiana and her group followed behind Esdeath and the members of the Special Jaegers Unit, formally stepping into this unfamiliar environment.
"General!" The guards on duty snapped to attention and saluted instantly.
"Mm." Esdeath nodded. "Take me to the fortress' highest commanding officer."
"Yes!"
"Um, General Esdeath... where is this?" Kiana asked, glancing around.
"The trial site," Esdeath replied. "Here, you may live for one to three months."
"A trial... what kind of trial?"
"You'll find out."
Seeing the strange expression on Esdeath's face, Kiana suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
"Keep up."
They passed through one heavy metal gate after another.
As she walked, Kiana observed the various combat docks inside the Imperial floating fortress.
"What is that?"
Passing beneath a steel-reinforced gray dome, under the night sky, Fu Hua narrowed her eyes slightly and pointed upward.
Above them hung two planets—one red, one green. They were undeniably beautiful, yet Fu Hua felt their radiance was somewhat sinister, carrying an ominous undertone.
"We are not entirely certain how they formed. We treat them as this world's unique spectacle," the escorting guard explained.
"They are barren—no life, no biological resources. However, mineral deposits are exceedingly abundant. The Empire selected them as the twin forge worlds. Large-scale construction is currently underway."
"Oh." Durandal nodded seriously. "Thank you for the explanation, my good sir..."
As they passed by a structure resembling a Roman colosseum, thunderous shouts, roars, and the crashing of impacts erupted from within. Dust billowed into the air. It was extraordinarily lively.
Walking along a corridor dozens of meters above ground level and looking down from above, Durandal and the others saw two massive figures locked in fierce combat, while hundreds—if not thousands—of onlookers shouted and cheered, as excited as if injected with adrenaline.
Judging by their size, the two fighters were Astartes warriors. Likely still recruits—no power armor yet, their secondary growth not yet complete.
Both wore crude iron-plated armor covering only their torsos. No helmets—exposing heavily muscled arms.
Their fighting style was brutally savage. Like two tanks colliding head-on, neither gave ground.
They swung their fists—
Clang!Bang—!
Trading wild haymakers with little technique, relying almost entirely on raw physical strength, they battered each other relentlessly. Iron fists smashed into plated armor, sparks flying in all directions.
"Fu Hua, care for a round?" Esdeath asked enthusiastically.
"Me?" Fu Hua waved her hand. "Better not. The mission comes first. Perhaps another time."
"And you?" Esdeath turned to Senti.
"Sure! This Immortal has been itching for a fight—"
"General Esdeath."
At that moment, the fortress' commanding officer strode over swiftly, pounding his fist against his chest in salute.
"Captain." Returning the military salute, Esdeath sized up the Astartes warrior with the unruly braid. "Russ' lineage?"
"Indeed. Sixth Astartes Legion, Space Wolves. Seventeenth Company. Captain. Currently on rotational duty as commander of the 10th Recruit Camp, Fifth Trial World, under direct jurisdiction of the Imperial Ministry of War."
Esdeath nodded, then glanced at the unruly crowd below in the plaza.
"No wonder it's so unrestrained. If it's you lot, that makes perfect sense."
"Well then, General—how do you plan to drill these young la... ahem, ladies?"
As he spoke, he handed over a dossier from his arms.
"Given how delicate they look, sending them against those little creatures should be fine. Confirmed?"
"Yes. Confirmed."
Opening the file, the first thing that came into view were images of a group of ugly green-skinned creatures.
Rising onto her toes and peeking from not far behind Esdeath, Bronya muttered in surprise, like a seasoned gamer identifying a familiar enemy.
"These are... goblins?"