Boom—
After taking control of the Kingdom of Analeit, the Angeloid legion split into separate forces and immediately rushed toward the Renxandt Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Alleius, and the other nations.
With the Sophon's precise positioning, every reincarnator's information was identified with perfect clarity.
Conquer the nations, retrieve the reincarnators. The entire process was extraordinarily efficient.
Within the Renxandt Empire, a crown prince who had only just learned to walk was gazing at the scenery outside his window and envisioning his future.
[Name: Hugo Baint von Renxandt (LV1)]
[Race: Human]
[HP: 12/12 MP: 15/15 SP: 17/17]
[Average Offensive Ability: 6]
[Average Defensive Ability: 5]
[Average Speed Ability: 1]
[Unique Skill: Emperor (Effect: The highest-ranking intimidation skill. Enhances the effects of other skills and inflicts a terrifying Heresy-attribute effect upon opponents.)]
"Hmph."
Natsume Kengo felt that he possessed an enormous advantage.
In his previous life, he had already been one of the central figures in his class. After reincarnating, he had directly become the crown prince of the Renxandt Empire.
He also possessed an outrageously powerful skill like Emperor. Without question, he was destined to become the future ruler of the empire.
His father was even the current Sword Emperor. Compared to classmates who had reincarnated as all sorts of strange monsters, commoners, or even abandoned infants, beginning life as a prince was the pinnacle of privileged starting points.
Combined with the memories and knowledge of a reincarnator, he had already envisioned countless paths to reaching the summit of life.
"Hmm. Ideally, I should raise all my attributes above one hundred before LV5, then learn several standard skills such as Dash and Strength..."
Just as he was formulating his perfectly reasonable plan...
Rumble!!!—
An army of angels descended from the heavens. Smoke and flames instantly engulfed the land, and within half an hour, the Renxandt Empire's army and defensive forces had been completely annihilated.
Just as they had done in the Kingdom of Analeit, the Angeloids used interstellar-era weapons to crush every opposing force before announcing the Starsea Empire's proclamation to this world.
They then picked up the reincarnator who was still learning to walk, compared him against the list for a moment, and scanned him from head to toe.
"Confirmed. Hugo Baint von Renxandt, previously known as Natsume Kengo. Identity verified, comparison complete, target recovered."
Thump—
They tossed him directly into the spacecraft's hold.
"Next."
The Sophon's figure appeared as a projection, and the angels brought over several more children of similar ages.
She compared and analyzed their identities one by one.
"Kogure Naofumi, born in the Great Garam Forest. Unique Skill: Tears of the Passed. Identity verified. Recovering target."
"Issei Sakurazaki, grandson of Diba, a knight of the Renxandt Empire. Unique Skill: Labyrinth Creation. Identity verified. Recovering target."
"Ugio, previously known as Kenichi Ogiwara. Apparent Unique Skill: Martial Arts Prodigy. Actual Unique Skill: Unlimited Communication. Recovery confirmed."
"...All reincarnators in this region have been captured. Proceeding to the Holy Kingdom of Alleius."
Every reincarnator who had only recently been born was swept up by the angels after their identities were confirmed.
Not a single one was missed as they were stuffed into the spacecraft's hold.
Rumble!—
After finishing with one country, the spacecraft departed immediately without stopping for even a moment.
"???"
"A spaceship?!"
Hugo and the companions who had been captured with him were dumbfounded.
They had no idea where such advanced technology had come from in a world of swords and magic, nor could they understand what was going on with those angels.
Wasn't I supposed to inherit the imperial throne and begin an overwhelmingly powerful life in another world?!
Looking around, he saw many other children his age inside the hold.
The children, dressed in various native outfits, stared blankly at one another. The place resembled a kindergarten.
Although they were very young, they were remarkably quiet. None of them cried or threw tantrums, instead calmly observing their surroundings.
"...Natsume Kengo?"
Schlain and Katia overheard the angels verifying his identity and recognized the name.
"You're Natsume Kengo?! You were reincarnated here too?!"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Shunsuke Yamada, and he's Kanata Oshima."
The captured reincarnators began introducing themselves one after another.
"Kenichi Ogiwara!"
"I'm Shuto Maki!"
"Kengo? I'm Issei Sakurazaki! Did all of us end up in this world?!"
The group of children stared at one another as though they were holding a reunion in kindergarten.
Since they had all been classmates in their previous lives, it did not take long for them to become familiar with one another and understand the situation.
"We... were all reincarnated into this world?"
Schlain stared at the classmates around him in astonishment. They had all known one another in their previous lives, and now they had gathered together again in this one.
"Isn't this another world?! I thought we were supposed to begin new lives here, defeat the Demon Lord, and save the world!"
"What is the Starsea Empire? Does anyone know someone from there?"
Everyone began talking at once, raising a barrage of questions, but no one could think of any answers.
"Uh, they seem to be people who transmigrated into this world?..."
"The reincarnators were rounded up by transmigrators?! What kind of plot is this?!"
"Weren't we supposed to defeat the Demon Lord?!"
The group of young reincarnators became increasingly noisy.
They simply could not comprehend why transmigrators piloting spaceships had appeared in a world of swords and magic.
"Could the plot of this world be different from what we imagined?"
Someone raised a hand and offered a suggestion.
"Maybe it isn't a conventional adventure story where the Hero trains diligently, gathers companions, and defeats the Demon Lord."
"Perhaps it's a story that begins with suffering before the eventual triumph. A fallen prince witnesses the destruction of his nation, loses his home and family, and is taken captive. After enduring humiliation and secretly preparing himself, he eventually restores his kingdom and takes revenge?"
"Hmm—"
The young reincarnators fell into deep thought.
Japanese high school students possessed extraordinarily vivid imaginations. Beginning with a catastrophic disaster, surviving in desperate circumstances, and gradually growing stronger was a classic premise in countless manga and games.
"Oh, is it the kind of beginning where your sect or nation is destroyed, leaving you alone to journey across the world, grow stronger with the system's help, and investigate the truth behind everything?"
They recalled the countless manga and novels they had read and games they had played in their previous lives, and the idea seemed perfectly reasonable.
Logically speaking, they retained knowledge from their previous lives, possessed the identities of reincarnators, and had exclusive cheat systems. They were unquestionably the protagonists of this world, so they should not have been beaten so miserably by a group of inexplicable strangers.
They had been surrounded and captured before they had even learned to walk.
The only possible explanation was that this was part of the trial arranged for them by the "system" and the "world."
Everyone abruptly came to an understanding.
The reincarnators born into royal families found this explanation especially convincing.
"So that's what it is? I understand now!"
"Still, isn't this plot a little too grim? Are we facing aliens trying to conquer the world?"
An alien invasion, the destruction of nations, and the abduction of young princes—it was such a classic premise that the sense of familiarity was overwhelming.
Schlain looked around. The Starsea Empire's technological level was so advanced that none of them could comprehend it.
The only ones who had appeared so far were the angels responsible for carrying out missions. The empire's ruler remained hidden behind the scenes, which made them seem like the final boss no matter how he considered it.
However, there was nothing he could do at present. He could only follow their arrangements and pray that the Starsea Empire would not immediately slaughter them all.
"Everyone, listen to me. We shouldn't come into conflict with them right now. We should simply follow their arrangements."
Hugo used the properties of his Emperor skill to calm everyone down.
He gathered the young reincarnators together, and they began discussing matters in hushed voices.
"We need to conceal our strength and bide our time. First, we must determine their origins and understand this world's situation before making any long-term plans."
"We need to unite, work hard to become stronger, and search for an opportunity to break free."
"Mm—"
Schlain and the others temporarily set aside the grudges from their previous lives.
Their experience with countless anime, novels, and games had taught them that a wise person did not fight when the odds were against them.
When facing a powerful enemy, it was best to obey their orders for the time being, gather intelligence, and wait for an opportunity to act.
"..."
...
"Those reincarnators seem to have imagined some rather strange things?"
On the spacecraft's bridge, Silver Wolf listened with astonishment.
Their assumptions were absurd and bizarre. They had apparently mistaken the Starsea Empire for part of this world's original setting.
"Do we need to do something?"
"Whatever."
Jibril did not care in the slightest.
"Their greatest reliance is nothing more than their cheat system. But do any of you know who created that thing or where it came from?"
"Isn't it possible that the Starsea Empire possesses the system's highest authority and reserves the final right to interpret it?"