It felt as though centuries had passed—an eternity of waiting condensed into a single instant. The violet-red light point seemed to traverse endless ages before finally bursting forth with boundless radiance!
BOOOOM—!!!!
A sudden, deafening explosion erupted. Centered on Shu Youriang, a storm of dust surged across dozens of miles, blotting out everything. Then, the world grew blindingly bright.
It was like a newborn sun rising slowly from the edge of the earth!
Endless heat! Endless flames! An unparalleled shockwave!
Temperatures soaring past one hundred thousand degrees instantly melted everything nearby into nothingness!
The Revolutionary Army soldiers nearby hadn't even realized what had happened when the earth beneath their feet quaked violently. In the next heartbeat, an overwhelming torrent of light and heat swept across them.
At that moment, Celica could hear nothing—her ears drowned in silence, her eyes blinded by blinding white light. Before the pain could even register, her entire existence was annihilated in an instant!
In that same instant, the searing heat vaporized everything around her. There was no trace of life left to be seen.
RUMBLE!!!
RUMBLE——!!!
The thunderous roar didn't cease—it came in waves, each stronger than the last, like an ascending staircase of destruction. Tremendous shockwaves spread outward in concentric rings, crushing everything in their path, pulverizing forests and hills alike!
A vast column of smoke and ash rose from the center of the blast, climbing into the sky, forming a massive mushroom-shaped cloud!
...
Dozens of kilometers away, Imperial Guards stationed atop the outer walls of the Capital suddenly jolted in shock. "Wasn't it the dead of night just now? Why... is the sky so bright?!"
One soldier rushed to the battlements, but before he could even steady himself, the sound of thunder rolled across the heavens.
A moment later, calamity arrived.
From the southern direction of the Capital came a succession of cataclysmic explosions, each one shaking the heavens and the earth. The roaring sound drew nearer, and an intense blast of wind swept past, howling like a hurricane.
The mighty gusts carried with them gravel and debris, knocking the soldiers off their feet in an instant.
Although the explosion site was far away—too distant for the full brunt of the light and heat to reach them—the sheer unnaturalness of the event froze every heart in terror. From the southern horizon, an overwhelming pressure radiated toward the Capital.
Moments later, under the horrified gazes of the Imperial Guards, a colossal mushroom cloud rose into the heavens, towering like divine wrath.
Soon after, the swirling smoke condensed, spiraling into a massive vortex. Dust and ash rolled and twisted violently before being drawn toward a lone figure at its center.
"Go! Inform the General, now!!!" someone shouted.
Within the Imperial Capital itself, the majority of its citizens were abruptly awakened from their sleep. As panic set in, another earth-shattering roar echoed from outside the southern walls, the sound alone enough to make every ear in the Capital ring painfully.
People stumbled out of their homes, flinging open windows and doors. The city was bathed in violet-red light brighter than day, illuminating the streets and alleys in ghostly brilliance. From every direction came screams, neighing horses, and the chaos of a city plunged into pandemonium.
The southern outskirts of the Capital had become an apocalyptic wasteland. Humanity could do nothing before this disaster—it was nature's fury incarnate.
In mere moments, the luxurious royal villas near the city's southern edge had been reduced to rubble. Deep within the surrounding mountains, terrified beasts fled wildly in all directions, crashing through the forests in panic.
"What's happening?! What was that just now?"
"Cough... cough... it's fine, it's fine."
Inside a grand, platinum-gilded chamber beneath a vast domed ceiling, the Emperor of the Empire awoke abruptly. Holding the trembling Empress in his arms, he gently reassured her.
"I'll go see what's happening."
He left the chamber hastily, not even bothering to dress properly. Through the crystal windows of the palace, he could see the violet-red sky stretching endlessly above. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Cough... cough... General Budo—what is going on?!"
The palace gates burst open a moment later, and a tall, broad-shouldered man rushed in, his steps heavy and urgent. His face was tense, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, eyes flickering with alarm and confusion. The overwhelming surge of energy just now—he had felt it. It was terrifying.
"Your Majesty! A massive explosion has occurred to the south of the Capital! The Capital itself remains unharmed for now, but... the southern villas have likely suffered severe damage."
It was none other than the Commander of the Imperial Guard—Great General Budo. Standing on the palace's high terrace, he pointed southward.
Even from this distance, the mushroom cloud rising high above the southern horizon still had not dissipated.
"Directly south?" The Emperor frowned deeply. "I heard that Captain Selene was leading troops in that direction for a bandit suppression mission."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Captain Selene departed two days ago—precisely toward the area where that mushroom cloud just appeared."
"Then... cough, cough... is Captain Selene still alive?" The Emperor hesitated as he asked, uncertainty lacing his tone.
Great General Budo, however, spoke with complete conviction. "Alive! From the energy signature of that explosion, I could clearly sense it—it's unmistakably the same as Captain Selene's aura!"
He paused briefly, his expression uncertain. "...In fact... if my guess is correct, that explosion might actually have been Selene's attack."
"What?!"
The Emperor inhaled sharply, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. His face was pale but quickly regained composure. "I lost my calm."
"Transmit my orders: mobilize the army and seal off the entire Capital! The Imperial City is now under full wartime alert! Once the explosion has completely ceased, dispatch reconnaissance teams immediately to investigate!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
...
"Ah—!!"
"What is that?!"
"Are we... going to die...?"
...
At the moment the shockwave struck, Selene instantly deployed a barrier that enveloped the entire camp. To everyone else, it was an apocalyptic catastrophe—but to Selene, it was merely an inconvenience. After all, it was her own attack; shielding against it wasn't difficult.
Reflect, absorb, neutralize...
Crossing one leg over the other, Selene sat leisurely on a folding chair, sipping black tea as she watched the sea of violet-red flames beyond the transparent barrier with amused interest.
"Tsk, tsk... seems I overdid the yield a bit this time. Still, it shouldn't affect the Capital. Whatever, the experiment's finished anyway. Better absorb those harmful particles before they spread."
Setting her teacup aside, Selene vanished in an instant, reappearing high above within the blazing inferno.
Moments later, the massive mushroom-shaped cloud lingering in the sky began to churn violently—as though drawn by an unseen force. It descended rapidly, folding in upon itself, and then gradually dissipated into nothingness.
Through her mastery of strong-force manipulation, Selene gathered every trace of radioactive material back into control, leaving behind only freely scattered Honkai energy particles.
The explosion was over.
What remained was a colossal, circular impact crater—its depth and radius stretching beyond sight. Other than that, the world was silent. Beneath the endless gray sky, streaked faintly with violet-red hues, the crystallized, glass-like ground shimmered with haunting beauty.
As the protective barrier faded, Selene's Imperial Guards froze in place, exchanging uncertain glances. Their eyes silently asked the same question, but none had an answer.
"C-Captain... milady... that explosion just now... was that really you?"