"Elysian Realm... what a fine name. Situated between the Root of the world and Imaginary Space, a fusion of illusion and reality. Truly an impressive method."
The extended consciousness of Finality wound its way down along a shadowed corridor at the corner of World Serpent's headquarters ritual grounds. There, deep beneath the earth, lay a colossal facility slumbering underground.
"Memory constructs, consciousness space, fusion with Honkai Beast DNA, MANTIS warriors... the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. They certainly had many tricks."
Withdrawing her gaze, Selene looked toward the beautiful woman bound and immobilized at her side, who was staring at her with humiliation written across her face. A playful mood rose within Selene. She lifted the woman's smooth, enticing chin and teased lightly,
"Wouldn't you agree, Rita Rossweisse?"
Elegant and composed in appearance, with short ash-blonde hair covering her left eye, wine-red pupils, and a tear mole at the corner of her right eye. Her skin was fair and flawless, her figure graceful and exquisitely proportioned.
She was none other than the vice-captain of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie squad, the Immortal Blades—Durandal's trusted adjutant, a maid who combined strategy and combat prowess in equal measure—Rita Rossweisse.
Not long ago, Selene had swept clean Imaginary Space—like clearing out a public bus—and even the shallow layers of the Sea of Quanta surrounding the planet.
It had truly broadened her horizons. There were lingering consciousnesses, trials left behind, hidden contingencies... the place was a chaotic mess. It was as if anyone could come and go freely.
Everything—whether creations of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, or World Serpent, or abnormal remnants of consciousness—had been dragged out by Selene without exception.
She categorized and processed them. Those of use she kept to extract data. Those without value were reduced to ashes and crushed.
Among them, she happened to discover residual traces of Rita's consciousness communication—left behind from Durandal's contact with her in Imaginary Space.
Wasn't that simply delivering herself to the door?
While cleansing Imaginary Space, Selene had made her way toward World Serpent's headquarters. Along the way, she tore open the boundary between Imaginary Space and the material world—and seized Rita directly.
Though Rita was an S-rank Valkyrie, for Selene to restrain her was effortless.
...
"Mm—mm—mmph—!"
Her entire body was covered in violet-crimson Honkai energy particles. Her mouth was tightly bound. Under the pressure, Rita's already stunning figure appeared even more pronounced. Combined with her unique temperament... it was utterly captivating.
Like a blooming poppy, exuding a dangerously alluring fragrance that stirred instinctive impulses.
"What a delectable beauty."
Selene gripped Rita's chin and pulled her closer. Her crimson, diamond-shaped pupils locked onto those wine-red eyes shimmering faintly with emotion. She could clearly feel the warmth of the other woman's body.
Rita had teased Durandal in such ways countless times before.
But this time, the roles were reversed.
Selene was like a wicked young mistress, while Rita seemed like a virtuous lady being toyed with and harassed.
A faint flush colored her skin. Her cheeks radiated heat. Whether from embarrassment, humiliation, or the oxygen deprivation from being bound—it was hard to say.
The combination of noble, pitiable elegance and helpless restraint created an oddly compelling contrast.
Selene's lips curved boldly. "Mm-hm..." she chuckled teasingly.
If Sebas were to witness this scene—the laughter, the posture—he would undoubtedly lecture Selene for an entire night. Far too improper. Far too shameless.
The next moment, Selene shook her head with a wry smile and rubbed her brow.
What had just come over her?
She truly did not know why. Just now, almost instinctively—before her mind could even react—her body had already moved.
Is this my true nature? The nature my rationality has always suppressed?
She quickly shook her head again, pulling back her galloping thoughts.
No. Impossible.
It was simply that this woman's temperament was far too... sensual. And she was not even revealing anything.
Snap!
With a flick of her fingers, the violet-crimson energy binding Rita's mouth dissipated instantly.
"Hah—! Cough, cough..."
Freed from the restraint over her mouth and nose, Rita drew in a long breath of fresh air. Perhaps inhaling too sharply, she choked and began coughing.
Her torso and limbs were still bound by ropes of Honkai energy. Unable to adjust her appearance, she coughed a few times before lifting her head.
Looking at Selene—who seemed to be suppressing laughter—and at that face so strikingly similar to the late Lady Cecilia, Rita suppressed her irritation and embarrassment. In as composed a tone as possible, she asked,
"This young lady, may I ask why you have brought Rita here? From you, I sense no hostility... (though I do sense strong ill intent). Are you perhaps a member of the Schariac family?"
"My, my~ You guessed my identity so quickly? As expected of Schicksal's famed maid. How capable."
The unrestrained smile vanished at once. Selene clasped her hands together, eyes narrowing into crescent moons, lips curving gently. Tilting her head, she praised her as though rewarding a child.
"..."
That tone. That posture. The layered meaning and veiled mockery.
Rita understood.
She had encountered an equal.
To think that I, Rita, who has always been the one teasing others—even Lady Durandal, the strongest Valkyrie—would today be teased by a woman somewhat resembling her...
Rita screamed inwardly.
"You jest. Those are merely rumors. Rita does not deserve such praise."
On the surface, though her entire body was restrained with only her head exposed, her refined upbringing allowed her to maintain the most elegant and proper expression possible under the circumstances.
"As for you, Rita remembers nearly every Valkyrie of the Schariac family. A powerhouse such as yourself should not be unknown. May I ask your name?"
Though she held the rank of S-class Valkyrie within Schicksal, Rita's demeanor was unexpectedly humble and earnest. She was unfailingly polite to everyone and could recall the name of every Valkyrie at headquarters.
"Incorrect answer."
Still smiling with her eyes closed, Selene floated closer to the immobile Rita, her mood growing ever lighter.
"While I do have considerable ties to the Schariac family, I am not a Valkyrie."
Her voice softened.
"On the contrary, I am a Herrscher. The Fourteenth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Finality."
The words were gentle. Ordinary phrases found in any dictionary.
Yet why did Rita feel cold sweat erupt across her body, her limbs turning icy?
"..."
As her words fell, a deathlike silence descended. Even space itself seemed to stagnate. Rita froze where she stood, her wine-red pupils contracting sharply. Her entire body trembled faintly as large beads of sweat streamed down her forehead.
"Y-You... you must be joking with Rita, aren't you? Rita is quite timid. Please do not say such things."
Her voice carried an unmistakable tremor. For once, Rita had lost her composure.
"Nope. It's the truth. The responsibility of my birth is to destroy the entire world, kill every human of the current era, and erase all civilization."
Since exaggerating cost nothing, Selene pressed a finger against her lips and opened her eyes again. This time, within her crimson gaze appeared a golden halo-like ring.
"Y-You..."
"What's wrong? Are you afraid now? Hahaha... You should thank me. I rather admire you—the Valkyries of Schicksal... fighting for all that is beautiful in the world."
"Though your ideals are naive, and I would never become such a person, I do not dislike them."
As she spoke, Selene lowered her hands naturally, her expression returning to calm indifference. The speed of her change left even Rita inwardly astonished.
Yes. Confirmed. An acting type. Someone like this would be nearly impossible to read through expressions or tone alone. Any of it might simply be performance.
"Save me? What do you mean, Herrscher?"
"The literal meaning. Saving you, of course, means you have value worth saving. I want you."
Rita Rossweisse's existence represented, in many ways, a true reflection of the Valkyrie forces of Schicksal.
They possessed no overpowered bloodlines. They were not individuals chosen by Honkai. They were simply ordinary warriors striving for their ideals.
They placed civilian lives before victory. Even when unable to fight, they continued to carry out missions rather than placing their hopes entirely on others who might arrive too late despite possessing overwhelming strength.
For Selene—and for the Empire—the Valkyrie forces would serve as an excellent buffer. They could greatly soften the terrifying image of the Empire as brutal conquerors drenched in slaughter.
After all, although the Empire included more moderate factions such as the First Astartes Legion Dark Angels, the Astartes Third Legion Black Marlin, the Ninth Astartes Legion Blood Angels, the Thirteenth Astartes Legion Ultramarines, and the Eighteenth Astartes Legion Salamanders, the majority still leaned heavily toward iron-blooded hawks.
A prime example was the Second Astartes Legion Retributors under Great General Budo, nominally second-in-command of the entire Imperial military.
Among them, the most ruthless—led by the Twelfth Astartes Legion World Eaters—were battle-mad fanatics responsible for countless massacres, provoking endless impeachments from Imperial central departments.
Ruling solely through terror and overwhelming force was not impossible, but it would inevitably invite unnecessary resistance. Selene had always been aware of this, yet previously she had disdained addressing it. Anyone who dared resist should simply prepare for extermination.
That continued until Imperial Internal Affairs officials such as Run and Chow—along with several other central administrators—began influencing her indirectly through Sebas.
One could say that the loyalty of her subjects and nobles made them desire the Empire's eternity even more than Selene herself.
As beneficiaries of order, only the Empire's existence allowed them to maintain their lofty positions and wield authority.
Sebas also believed Selene's reliance on punishment and intimidation had gone too far. A society excessively rigid and solemn required not only systems of agriculture and warfare as its foundation, but also appropriate spiritual guidance and benevolent incentives to channel emotion.
Selene had listened to Sebas' advice. After all, if it benefited Imperial development, why not? Combined with the Will of the Honkai's urging that she return to her "home world," the Valkyrie forces of Schicksal had become one of her objectives.
Just imagine—amid countless murderous battle cries of "For Selene!" "My honor is loyalty!" "Blood for the God-Empress, skulls for the golden throne!" "My blade shall strike the enemies of the Queen!" and "In Selene's name, burn the stars!"—the Valkyrie slogan "Fight for all that is beautiful in the world," evolving into "Fight for all that is beautiful in the Empire," would undoubtedly be a refreshing stream among the chaos.
"Mm. We've arrived."
As she spoke, Selene suddenly raised her head. Her crimson diamond-shaped pupils seemed to pierce through the boundless expanse of Imaginary Space.
Seeing Rita's confused expression, Selene tore open a rift for her to see.
Riiip—!
"T-This... is this also the authority of the Herrscher of the Void?!"
At this moment, in outer space beyond Earth, visible ripples of spacetime spread across the Earth-Moon system's orbital region.
The dark and vast starry sky transformed into countless multicolored fragments of light. These lights stretched into elongated violet-crimson beams, even obscuring sunlight itself.
A grand and ominous tableau unfolded, expanding visibly at astonishing speed.
Multicolored energy surged like tidal waves. Strange, massive branches and tentacle-like structures tore through the physical universe, and space itself collapsed in an instant.
"That's right. One application of spacetime authority—the Honkai trans-spatial webway."
As if responding to Selene's call, innumerable points of light filled the entire cosmos in a single instant.
The disturbance was so immense that nearly everyone on Earth noticed it simultaneously.
Countless floating fortresses and Imperial warships advanced, their numbers so vast they nearly covered all of near-Earth space.
"Look at the sky! What is that?!"
"Oh my God!"
"A space fleet?! Are they aliens?"
"Lord, please forgive us!"
...
"You summoned them?" Rita asked stiffly, turning her head in shock.
"This is why I said I'm saving you... The curtain has risen."
Almost at the same moment, the Imperial fleet followed standard procedure, entering low planetary orbit. Massive orange-red thruster flames ignited the atmosphere. After a precise orbital bombardment, hatch doors opened.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Tens of thousands of drop pods descended toward the planetary surface like a meteor shower, targeting nearly every human city.
People screamed and scattered in panic. Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent branch forces across the globe could only watch helplessly as events unfolded.
In that moment, they realized something terrifying.
As the three greatest anti-Honkai organizations in the world... they were utterly powerless.
Meanwhile, at World Serpent headquarters.
Seated upon a throne, a handsome man with short white hair tied into a small ponytail, clad in a long black coat, suddenly stood up as he watched the projection of outer space.
"That is..."
He had already sensed the massive upheaval within Imaginary Space moments earlier. A hazy, intangible force was cleansing it while blocking his consciousness from probing further. He had intended to investigate personally, but a report from his subordinate Jackal had drawn his attention back.
Unlike the others, his focus was not on the massive fleet. Instead, his gaze locked onto the golden hollow diamond-shaped pattern within the brilliant cosmic backdrop.
It was the symbol of the destruction of the Previous Era civilization—the mark he would never forget.
"Finality!!!"