When Esdeath said yes, to be honest, everyone aboard the Fraxinus airship found it hard to believe.
Was it really that simple? All the elaborate date strategies they had prepared went completely unused?
Instead, it was Kannazuki Kyouhei—the vice commander who always managed to pick the worst possible options during dating simulations—whose choice to go all in had produced miraculous results.
For a moment, everyone couldn't help but wonder: was this the difference between a mature, onee-sama-type Spirit and the previous girl-type, loli-type, tsundere-type, and yandere-type Spirits?
But in the very next instant, Esdeath's words snapped them back to reality.
Of course it wouldn't be that simple.
In the end, it still came down to fighting.
They had figured it out. Snowstorm believed in the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest.
"The victor claims everything. That is my creed. Defeat me, and as long as it does not harm Her Majesty's interests, I will allow you to do as you please..."
"No matter what methods you use. Fair or unfair—it's all up to you."
Given the education Esdeath had received since childhood, her personality and values had long since solidified: the victor possessed absolute rights over the defeated.
If Esdeath herself were defeated and captured, let alone a date—if someone wanted her body, or even demanded she bear their offspring, she would accept it without hesitation.
The loser was simply the spoils of the winner.
Of course, that was Esdeath from the original timeline.
Here, General Esdeath of the Holy Selene Empire had been beaten down by someone since childhood. There had always been a master above her head.
One could say that if Selene wished, even sending Esdeath on maternity leave wouldn't be impossible... ahem. Wasn't it merely deoxyribonucleic acid containing genetic information? It wasn't as though she couldn't manufacture it herself.
After all, Honkai was omnipotent.
Ever since that Imperial Fist martial tournament, Esdeath had lost to Selene countless times.
No matter how fiercely she fought, she couldn't even wrinkle Selene's clothes or leave a speck of dust upon them.
In Esdeath's view, to some extent she already counted as Selene's private property. Selene appointing her as a general of the Empire... well, that was merely "private property put to public use."
The Holy Selene Empire was an imperial monarchy, after all. Sebas, Arisa, Liver, Hak Foo... weren't they all household servants of the Empress who held high-ranking positions within the Empire?
It should be noted that Selene had never publicly declared them to be her personal servants—it was they who called themselves that.
And even so, if Selene were to announce that she sought household servants or attendants, there would be no shortage of volunteers.
Never underestimate the "charm" of a feudal empire's reigning monarch—especially when that monarch is also an attractive woman.
What was that saying? You might want to be the Empress' dog, but the Empress might not even look your way.
Historically, there were even regimes that required officials to be eunuchs, yet people still castrated themselves in droves for the chance at office.
That was the magic of power.
"And if you wish to protect this world, then you would also need... heh. What nonsense am I even saying?"
Esdeath shook her head, amused at her own stray thoughts.
Suppose—just suppose—she failed to win. What then?
In orbit beyond Earth, the Thirteenth Astartes Legion, the Ultramarines, were still watching like tigers eyeing their prey.
As for why she did not even consider the possibility of this world successfully repelling the invasion—it was simple. She knew it was impossible.
The upper limit of this world lay here. At most, it could devastate the planet's surface—but never destroy it outright.
Setting aside Selene, who could effortlessly erase the entire planet, even the various annihilation-grade weapons equipped by the Astartes Legions made planetary destruction far from difficult.
The outcome was already decided. The only variables were the scale of casualties and the cost of conquest.
The moment Esdeath finished uploading the collected data would be the day the war began.
"Do we really have to fight?" Shido asked, still unwilling to give up.
"..."
Esdeath offered no further reply. Her patience had run out. Questions and answers were over. It was time to get to work.
Clang!
With a flick of her hand, an ice-forged rapier materialized, its tip pointing straight at Shido.
The meaning needed no explanation.
"I understand... Tohka, go all out!" Shido shouted decisively, realizing battle was unavoidable.
"Understood!"
Finally given permission to attack, Tohka Yatogami's expression turned fierce with excitement as she raised her arm high once more.
Buzz—!
A sphere of concentrated light gathered in her palm, radiating a deep violet-black glow.
"You—Esdeath! Take this!"
"Come."
Esdeath still wore a faint smile, but crimson light flared within her ice-blue eyes. Her hair danced wildly behind her, frost coating her entire body.
Whoosh!
The violet-black sphere shot directly toward Esdeath.
Boom—!
A thunderous explosion erupted. From above, Tengu City's northern residential district was suddenly engulfed in blinding light. A deafening blast and violent shockwave tore outward in all directions.
"Shido, hurry and get out of—"
"Losing focus in battle is fatal."
Bang!
"Puah—!"
A tremendous force sent Tohka's body flying backward. Along with countless fragments of stone and debris from the previous blast, she slammed hard into the building behind her.
It wasn't over.
The nearest villa wall collapsed instantly. The four-story house began to disintegrate.
And not just that one. Through the crumbling structure, two or three buildings behind it could also be seen collapsing in succession.
"Tohka!"
Shido's pupils shrank.
At that moment, he understood—Esdeath's strength was likely beyond what Tohka, in her current state, could handle.
"I can sense it. She isn't in her complete form. Part of her power is still stored within your body... Heh. Strange. Judging by your movements, you're full of openings. Not even fit to be called a recruit."
Holding the ice blade, Esdeath stepped through the dispersing dust, her expression indifferent.
"A word of advice. If you're a civilian, leave this place."
"Ah! You bastard—stay away from Shido!"
Tohka charged at Esdeath again, brandishing her massive blade in fury.
"And you—transcendent? Your technique is astonishingly crude."
Esdeath sidestepped the downward slash. The gale stirred by the greatsword brushed past the tip of her nose.
In one fluid motion, she swung her ice rapier, knocking against the guard of the greatsword.
Then she pivoted and brought her leg down in a crushing overhead kick!
"I can't put any strength into it." Facing the kick coming straight at her, Tohka had no choice but to release her greatsword and cross her arms in front of her chest.
Crack!
The violet gauntlets split under the impact. Esdeath did not withdraw her leg. Instead, she pressed forward, shifting from a kick into a knee strike that slammed directly into Tohka's chest.
"Ugh!"
It wasn't over.
At the same moment she drove that knee forward, Esdeath stomped down with her other foot, using it as a pivot. Her body spun with the momentum, and her exquisite leg—wrapped in a blue-to-white gradient stocking—lashed out again, striking Tohka brutally in the abdomen.
To the only on-site observer, Shido, the movements were impossible to follow. In the blink of an eye, Tohka—who had just charged forward—was sent flying backward at even greater speed.
"Wah!"
Her body flipped several times midair before she landed, one hand clutching her stomach while the other drove deep into the concrete ground, carving a long trench across it.
"Worried about him? There's no need. I'm not trash like Honest. I'm not so low as to entertain myself by attacking defenseless civilians... hm? Ice abilities?"
Mid-sentence, Esdeath suddenly noticed frost forming around her—ice not under her control.
"Wahh, Tohka's so useless. In the end, she still needs Yoshino to help—"
The rabbit puppet didn't get to finish before a small hand clamped over its mouth.
"Yoshinon, don't say that... Shi-Shido... Yo-Yoshino wants to help too."
"Yoshino!"
"A child?"
Frowning slightly, Esdeath followed the voice.
A blue-haired girl stood there, timid and fragile-looking, with doll-like beauty and a delicate, dreamlike appearance. She wore an oversized cloak decorated with rabbit ears and held a rabbit-shaped hand puppet in her left hand.
"Her clothing is also formed from that same energy... another transcendent lifeform..."
And with her arrival, the energy within the boy called Shido seemed to decrease again.
This brat... is he some kind of reserve power bank? And every reinforcement that shows up is a girl...
Thinking of the scantily clad female warriors she had slain before, Esdeath suddenly realized something.
Don't tell me the power inside you belongs to others—and all of them are women.
"Whatever. It makes no difference."
In the next instant, purplish-red Honkai energy surged skyward, whipping up a monstrous blizzard. The sheer force of it instantly overwhelmed the petite Spirit girl.
Water vapor in the atmosphere froze. Massive chunks of ice floated into the air, condensing and sharpening into countless slender icicles.
With a wave of her hand, the icicles swept forward like a glittering silver storm toward everyone standing opposite her.
"Camael!"
Flames ignited.
A massive axe blade descended from the sky, roaring fire cleaving head-on into the silver storm of icicles.
Ssssshhhhh!
Steam exploded upward as the icicles melted, thick white mist spreading rapidly and filling every corner of the surrounding streets.
Even though he couldn't see clearly, Shido knew who it was. His expression lit up with relief.
"Kotori! Why are you here?!"
"Of course I'm here to clean up the mess my stupid brother made! Tohka, get Shido away from here!"
A red-haired girl descended slowly from the sky. Her sleeves burned with flame, forming a fantastical kimono-like attire. Flowing ribbons fluttered like white feathers, flames circling her body. On her head, inorganic, oni-like horns protruded.
As she spoke, Kotori turned her gaze toward Esdeath, whose expression remained indifferent.
"You said it yourself! As long as we defeat you, you'll accept any demand obediently!"
"Camael—Megiddo!"
The massive double-bladed battle axe transformed, disassembling and restructuring into an enormous hand cannon engulfed in flame.
'If she's the mature type, Commander, she'll keep her word. Unlike younger girls, with a woman like this, you must demonstrate your strength to win her over.'
Those had been Kannazuki Kyouhei's exact words. With the analyst Reine Murasame nowhere to be found again, Kotori had no choice but to trust him.
Please let that idiot be right for once.
Kotori silently prayed before aiming the cannon at Esdeath and pulling the trigger without hesitation.
Boom!
A thunderous blast erupted. From the muzzle burst a scorching wave accompanied by an earth-shaking roar. Rolling smoke surged forward like a tidal wave of molten lava toward Esdeath.
Esdeath's casual expression vanished.
Fighting on someone else's home turf required caution. Reading the situation was essential. Being surrounded was unacceptable. If she ended up covered in dust and defeated, that would be embarrassing.
"Ice Thorn Forest."
She extended her hand and spoke softly.
Boom boom boom—!
Countless gigantic ice spikes erupted from the ground, shattering nearby man-made structures and fusing together as if alive.
Rumble—!
In an instant, the world seemed split into two colors—one side blazing like molten lava, the other frozen solid.
Frozen debris scattered everywhere, slamming into already shattered buildings. On the cracked asphalt beneath their feet, lava-like flames flowed like blooming red roses—dazzling and deadly.
"Is that all?"
Esdeath spoke with clear boredom.
She pressed her hand downward.
The fragile balance between fire and ice shattered instantly. Frost overwhelmed the flames.
"Ice Dragon Spiral Dance!"
As her words fell, a deafening roar of slicing wind filled the air. Even more massive ice pillars surged skyward, spinning rapidly around Esdeath.
Broken ice shards—and even stone fragments—were swept up, forming a colossal ice tornado.
It spun faster and faster.
Even though Shido had already been forcibly dragged over a thousand meters away, he could still feel a terrifying shockwave crashing toward him like a tidal wave.
Vegetation ahead—trees that would normally require several people to encircle—and nearby residential houses all collapsed instantly under the force of the impact.
"Kotori! Tohka! Yoshino!"
At that moment, Shido truly hated his own weakness.
For the first time, he even found himself missing the AST anti-Spirit units he usually resented.
Pressing his earpiece, Shido shouted urgently, "Mr. Kannazuki! Why hasn't AST deployed? What about the Yamai sisters? Their storm abilities could counter this!"
"I'm very sorry, Shido-san. The Commander ordered the Yamai sisters to investigate the situation at the AST Tengu City Garrison Base..."
Through the earpiece, Kannazuki continued, "The garrison base was attacked by unknown assailants and has suffered heavy casualties. As for the Yamai sisters... it's clear they're unable to disengage for now."
"What? Why now, of all times?!"