"Down with mortal tyranny! The world belongs to the Chosen!"
"Down with mortal tyranny! The world belongs to the Chosen!"
"Down with mortal tyranny! The world belongs to the Chosen!"
...
Through the widespread preaching of the Church of Revelation, uprisings erupted across the world against the old feudal dynasties. The common people finally understood—emperors were nothing more than ordinary men who could die from a single strike of a blade.
There was no essential difference between them and the people they ruled. All that talk about being Heaven's Mandate, Sons of Heaven, true dragons chosen by fate—it was all a lie crafted to deceive and control the masses.
An emperor had no power to summon heavenly soldiers or command divine might capable of conquering nations. They could not commune with gods or angels. They were, at best, mortals wearing crowns.
The illusion of divine right—the greatest weapon of the old world—was utterly shattered.
Of course, the rulers tried to fight back. They ordered their court scholars and officials to smear the Chosen, denouncing them as monsters and demons.
But Kiana Kaslana—the Heaven they invoked—wasn't a dead god.
The entire world lay within the reach of her reality-distortion field. The moment someone uttered slander against her or Sirin, a thunderbolt from the clear sky would strike them dead, and their soul would be dragged to Hell to have its tongue ripped out.
On the imperial court itself, ministers who dared to defame Kiana Kaslana or Sirin as witches of the Church of Revelation were instantly reduced to charred corpses by lightning descending from a cloudless sky, before the eyes of all.
Anyone who dared to speak ill of her or Sirin—once discovered—was struck by divine punishment without exception.
Government halls became her prime targets of observation.
From that moment onward, the civil and military officials of the empire became obedient and silent.
It truly seemed that Heaven itself had declared their destruction.
How could mere mortals fight against Heaven?
One by one, ministers feigned illness or found excuses to resign.
"Heaven wishes to destroy me..."
The emperor gazed at the empty court and understood.
Heaven had decreed his dynasty's end.
For generations, emperors had claimed to rule by Heaven's mandate, calling themselves divine sons of the sky.
But now, Heaven itself had spoken, declaring: You are not chosen by me. You are no Son of Heaven. You are mere mortals who have condemned your people to misery and suffering.
Through his envoys, the emperor had already learned what was happening abroad.
The coming era—the age of the Chosen—had no place for mortal kings.
The tide of fate had turned.
Resistance was meaningless.
And so, he issued a proclamation to the world, relinquishing all power to the Chosen within his own nation, claiming all past sins as his own responsibility.
Then, he ascended a mountain and hanged himself.
The court's final act of surrender became an enormous assist, catapulting Man Sui's prestige to its peak. Rebel leaders across the land were left dumbfounded.
The oppressive court they sought to overthrow was... gone.
How were they supposed to rebel now?
Man Sui's unification of the East had become an unstoppable tide.
Scholars, generals, and talented individuals seeking opportunity flocked to her banner.
Though some regional princes tried to establish their own short-lived courts, none could stir up real resistance.
One such rebel, a peasant king known as Li Zicheng, who had raised an army mid-rebellion, received word of the capital's collapse. Intrigued, he marched his army to meet Man Sui's forces.
He wanted to see with his own eyes whether this so-called Heaven's Chosen—this girl shrouded in legend—was truly as divine as the rumors claimed.
This... is Heaven's chosen?
A little girl?
Li Zicheng stared at the young girl before him. He had heard the rumors, but seeing it in person still shocked him.
"Did Heaven really pick its emperor with eyes closed?" he muttered.
Then, with a booming laugh, he said, "Haha! So you're Lord Man Sui! I've heard much about you, but meeting you in person is even more impressive! I came today to see what kind of power Heaven's Chosen truly has."
"Come, let's have a duel. Beat me, and I'll acknowledge you as my ruler!"
He drew the large saber from his waist.
Liang and the others crossed their arms, watching the scene unfold with amusement.
"What weapon may I use?" Man Sui asked calmly.
"Anything you wish," Li Zicheng replied, full of confidence in his own strength.
"Then be careful."
Man Sui looked at him indifferently as he flourished his saber with a tiger's vigor. Then she raised her hand—and in it appeared a blazing firearm.
Bang!
Li Zicheng's pupils shrank. He instantly recognized what that was—the firearms used by the imperial army.
You have no sense of martial honor!
Reacting quickly, he swung his saber across his body to block, deflecting the incoming bullet.
"Phew... that was close! You little brat, that's pretty underhanded."
He glanced at his blade, where the bullet had lodged itself. If he hadn't reacted in time, that shot would've ended him right there.
Then he looked back toward Man Sui—and his face froze.
Dozens of rifles had appeared out of thin air, floating in midair, all aimed directly at him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The barrage erupted.
When the gunfire finally ceased, Li Zicheng stood drenched in cold sweat. Turning his head, he saw the wall behind him riddled with countless bullet holes.
If those had hit him, he would have been torn apart in an instant.
"Go back and disband your peasant army. You may keep some men for self-defense, but you are forbidden from raiding towns and villages for food."
Man Sui had no interest in Li Zicheng's rabble of rebels. She despised such disorderly bands, no better than bandits.
"We don't steal from the people!" Li Zicheng protested.
Their slogan was simple: Follow Li Zicheng, pay no taxes!
"You can't control so many men," Man Sui replied calmly.
Li Zicheng had no response—she was right. His soldiers often looted food and money behind his back.
"I have tens of thousands of men. You're just going to cast us aside?"
"A mob like yours? I alone could wipe you all out."
"..."
Li Zicheng stared at her. The way she had conjured those weapons from nothing made it clear—if she created hundreds of guns and fired them simultaneously, his army would collapse in minutes.
Heavy casualties would mean panic—and panic would mean defeat.
He finally understood what those foreign missionaries meant when they said the Chosen could destroy armies and nations single-handedly. He had thought it was mere exaggeration.
Now he realized—it was all true.
"You may keep your elite troops—the disciplined ones who obey orders. They'll follow me. The rest may return home."
"If you continue causing trouble, I'll personally wipe you out."
When incorporating these rebel forces, Man Sui only accepted those who could follow commands. The heavenly soldiers and Honkai Beasts she led were powerful, but they knew only how to fight.
She needed humans for other matters.
The grain problem could be managed by the opportunistic nobles and officials who had joined her cause.
As long as the army didn't grow too bloated, their wealth and supplies would be enough.
"If you were emperor, what tax rate would you impose on the people?"
"One in ten," she replied.
"One in ten?!"
Li Zicheng blinked, confused.
"One-tenth of the harvest," Man Sui explained.
"Can taxes really be that low?" Li Zicheng was astonished.
"I don't need vast amounts of money or food to sustain my army. I can destroy any external threat myself. All I need to do is watch the officials below for corruption. If you became emperor, the result would be no different from the old court."
"..."
Li Zicheng lowered his head in thought. As the leader of tens of thousands of rebels, he knew all too well how much food and money it took to sustain an army.
He glanced at the deathless soldiers beside him—Heaven's troops, who needed no food, drink, or rest, and revived after death.
Against such overwhelming divine power and immortal soldiers, how could he, a mere mortal, compare?
The answer was obvious.
To follow her was to follow Heaven itself.
Perhaps, if fortune favored him, he could earn a place among those who helped found a new dynasty.
"Lord Man Sui," he said with a grin, "if I join now, will there be a position for me?"
"There will."
The structure of divine governance had already been set—Kiana Kaslana had provided Man Sui with the blueprint. All she needed to do was follow it.
With the Chosen's system, as long as one wasn't a fool, ruling the world was simply a matter of execution.