"Your Majesty?!"
Thud!
Esdeath snapped to attention, her heel stomping down heavily—eliciting a muffled groan from Itsuka Kotori beneath her foot.
"Ugh..."
Hearing the respectful form of address and seeing Esdeath's unusually obedient posture, Kotori clenched her teeth and forced herself to stay conscious.
Although she didn't fully understand what Snowstorm Esdeath had meant earlier—terms like "extraordinary lifeforms," "Super-class Danger Beasts," "Roboute," "the Empire"—one thing was clear.
The title "Your Majesty".
A being capable of making someone as powerful as Esdeath show such humility...
Most likely, the one Esdeath called "Your Majesty" was the very same entity who had caused the Eurasian Sky Disaster thirty years ago—the first and strongest Spirit.
No... I can't lose consciousness... Kotori, hold on! This information—the one who killed Origami Tobiichi's parents... the truth that will clear everything... the true culprit behind all of this.
Under Esdeath's trampling and the frostbite inflicted by her ice manipulation, Kotori would not die thanks to her phoenix-like regeneration.
But the excruciating pain—and the side effects of that regeneration—were steadily eroding her sanity.
Her Spirit Dress—Elohim Gibor—granted her the regenerative power of a phoenix. No matter how severe the injury, she could restore herself to perfect condition.
Yet it filled her body with unbearable heat, igniting an uncontrollable urge for destruction. She was prone to losing reason, transforming into a battle-crazed berserker.
Although that state increased her combat strength, at this critical moment—facing a lead about the Spirit of Origin—the information mattered more to Kotori than her own life.
"It is I."
"Your Majesty, you... why have you come personally? Do you not trust your subordinate?"
For a brief moment, Esdeath's thoughts raced. A rare trace of uncertainty flickered across her tone.
Meanwhile—
In the vacuum of outer space beyond the world.
"No, no. Just a precaution... Actually, forget it. I truly am terrible at lying or comforting others. I simply think you can't win. And perhaps my hands were itching for action as well."
Within the central courtyard of the Ultramarines' fortress-monastery—the flagship stronghold of the Thirteenth Astartes Legion.
Beneath towering domed architecture, white pillars rose majestically. Marble spiraled into pale vortex patterns. The camphorwood doors and windows were exquisitely carved. Fountains, relief sculptures, and manicured gardens complemented the space, lending it a solemn yet magnificent atmosphere.
The elegant façade, the humane inner courtyard structure, the harmonious interplay of garden and water—classical yet open in design. Spired rooftops, plastered timber frames, columnar decorations. Natural building materials entwined with creeping vines. Luxurious, yet not ostentatious.
It was difficult to imagine such refined scenery existing within a military fortress brimming with war machines.
Dressed in resplendent imperial regalia, Selene had unceremoniously occupied the garden Roboute normally used for leisure.
She reclined lazily in a broad-backed chair, her legs crossed, with a crystal-gold high heel hanging loosely from her toes as it swayed with idle motion. Were Sebas to witness such an improper posture, he would no doubt feel compelled to instruct her once again on the standards of elegance.
In this relaxed pose, Selene held Roboute's Honkai Cube and spoke with complete candor.
Before her stood Legion Commander Roboute and most of the senior officers of the Thirteenth Astartes Legion and the Imperial Auxilia, arranged in restrained formation.
"The Herrscher Core of Ice has indeed fully fused with you, but you still require time to mature... The first Spirit born from the convergence of the planet's leylines—you are not her match, at present."
Running her fingers lightly over the layered surface of the cube, Selene spoke bluntly.
The First Spirit—the Spirit of Origin born during the Eurasian Sky Disaster—was the so-called Mother of Spirits.
Strictly speaking, she was never meant to exist. She came into being due to the reckless pursuit—or perhaps greed—of three magicians exploring the unknown.
Through a Spirit ritual, they gathered the natural energies of the entire planet—power accumulated within the earth, sky, and ocean over centuries, even millennia—condensing it into a single magical lifeform.
Her strength was immense. At present, Esdeath—newly awakened as a Herrscher—was indeed unable to defeat her.
By Selene's estimation, Esdeath's current upper limit slightly surpassed that of a newly born Herrscher from the Previous Era of the Honkai world.
As for why she wasn't comparing her to Herrschers of the Current Era... well, there was no need. They were simply far too underwhelming.
For example, the Seventh Herrscher of the Previous Era—the Herrscher of Fire, Himeko—had reduced the entire Australian continent to a sea of flames within a single week of her birth.
Given sufficient Honkai energy supply from Selene, Esdeath—also at the beginning stage of her Herrscher existence—would likely surpass even that. At full power, she could rapidly freeze the Australian continent.
Given enough time, in theory, she could freeze the entire planetary surface and drag the world back into an Ice Age.
"But... why has she not appeared?"
Having received confirmation from Selene, Esdeath lost interest in continuing to step on Kotori. With a casual motion, she drove an ice spike through Kotori's body, pinning her to the ground, then posed her question.
"Perhaps she is uncertain of your identity. Or perhaps she has a more important objective," Selene said thoughtfully.
Although the power of this world's Spirits was referred to as the ten Sephiroth of the Kabbalah, that was not truly the case.
This so-called Kabbalah was not the traditional mystical concept. It was merely a Spirit energy system named as such.
The source of Spirit power was the Sephira Crystals created by the Spirit of Origin through dividing her own spiritual power. Human women granted these crystals would become Spirits.
That was the origin of Spirits. There was nothing especially grand or mysterious about it.
"Then, Your Majesty... should this subordinate withdraw?"
"Hahaha..."
Hearing Esdeath speak words so uncharacteristic of her battle-hungry persona, Selene burst into laughter.
"No need. Fighting her at full strength will benefit your mastery of your abilities. You will undoubtedly lose—but she will not be able to defeat you quickly either."
"Act according to your own judgment. I am merely here to inspect the frontline—and to provide backup. As long as you are not reduced to ashes, I can restore you."
"Understood."
"Oh, and one more thing... Take the battle off the surface. Go into outer space. Otherwise Roboute might end up inheriting a dead world."
Rising from the wide chair, Selene tossed the cube back toward Roboute.
"Your Majesty, according to General Esdeath's assessment, was this servant overly cautious in this campaign?"
Securing the cube within the magnetic armor compartment at his waist, Roboute asked carefully.
"No. Caution, thorough preparation, and overestimating the enemy are virtues. You made the correct decision this time."
With her hands clasped behind her back, Selene slowly approached Roboute.
At once, Roboute dropped to one knee, the golden laurel-crowned helm bowing deeply.
Knock. Knock.
Wearing a composed smile, Selene lightly tapped the thick shoulder plate of his armor—her way of commending him as a grand commander of armies.
"Only you, Roboute. If it had been the Space Wolves or the World Eaters, they would have already charged in with boltguns and chainswords raised."
Shaking her head with a faint smile, Selene continued, clearly in high spirits.
"If a small, normally sized detachment were deployed, that individual—obsessed with reviving her lover—would likely turn a blind eye."
"But if heavily armored giants like the Astartes descended in large numbers, she would certainly intervene. Against attacks capable of annihilating continents, the casualties among drop pod forces would not be light."
"And after suffering such losses, I can guarantee that in your fury, you would issue Exterminatus upon the planet."
Raised to his feet by Selene's gravitational control, Roboute lowered his gaze with slight embarrassment.
"This servant is ashamed."
It was the truth. If the casualties during planetary assault were too severe, Roboute would indeed obliterate the entire world in rage.
For all his present composure and refinement, that was predicated on things proceeding smoothly. He was, at his core, an Imperial commander—utter ruthlessness was not something he lacked.
"That is precisely why I shall draw this variable away. The rest—I shall observe the performance of the so-called model of discipline—the Ultramarines."
As she spoke, Selene's gaze shifted toward the other officers standing stiffly like quails before her.
"For the glory of Selene—! Victory everlasting!!"
A unified battle cry erupted instantly.
"I look forward to your performance. Go and prepare."
With a wave of her hand, Selene signaled the tech-priest nearby to open the massive dome partition.
Beyond the opening stretched the dark void of space.
Along the extended orbital superstructure of the floating fortress, railguns of no less than 500mm caliber lined the hull.
As far as the eye could see—from near to distant—laser interception cannons, Honkai energy plasma batteries, space torpedo launchers, and lance emitters filled the expanse.
The fortress' permanent Honkai energy shield shimmered faint blue within the void.
Farther still—reflected in Selene's crimson diamond-shaped pupils, where a golden halo briefly flashed—the nine planets orbiting the star came into view.
Among them, the azure world stood out with breathtaking beauty.
"Once the data from Esdeath's Jaegers unit is received, the stage is yours, Roboute."
"By your command!"
After offering a solemn salute, Roboute turned and departed.
"Oh, and one more thing—" Selene coughed lightly. "Pay special attention to the British Isles and the Italian Peninsula. The headquarters of DEM's technology... hm. Tengu City is also a target."
She could not resist. The soul of a committee chair awakened within her, and she made a small micro-adjustment to the plan.
"Understood!" Roboute responded immediately.
Soon, aside from necessary guards and attendants, the central courtyard emptied.
"DEM's headquarters... Britain or Italy? Never mind. Search both thoroughly."
"Hm... This planet's timeline appears unusually susceptible to alteration. Temporal abilities... Zafkiel... Tch. Time truly is troublesome. I should go take a look..."
...
At this moment, the AST garrison base in Tengu City was already shrouded in thick smoke. Severed human limbs lay scattered throughout the compound.
Bzzz—Boom!
"Hah!"
Cornelia burst through a reinforced military wall. The violent impact sent Yuzuru Yamai—who had been swinging her chain—flying.
"Damn it! You're human too, aren't you? Why attack other humans?!"
After rolling seven or eight times across the cratered runway, Yuzuru Yamai rose to her feet. Her golden-orange hair flowed behind her. She wore a blue-purple restraint outfit, broken chain cuffs hanging from her left wrist and ankle. Her voice was low and steady.
"Why can't humans kill humans? Orders from above. Killing requires no justification. Crushing King—!"
In an instant, Cornelia planted her feet into a horse stance. The Teigu on her arm activated in secondary amplification. A tremendous shockwave erupted outward.
Bzzz—!
Crash!
The surviving AST soldiers—who had narrowly escaped the initial assault—barely had time to feel relief before a violent gale swept in from the runway.
The control tower was ripped from its foundation. Nearby tanks and wrecked fighter jets were flung about like toy blocks. The remaining soldiers felt the compressed air blast strike them head-on.
As though hit by a colossal hammer, their bodies slammed into debris and structures, flattened and mangled, reduced after repeated impacts to indistinguishable masses of flesh still clad in uniforms.
This attack could not be taken head-on.
Summoning the diamond-shaped blade from her chain, Yuzuru fixed her gaze upon the blonde woman before her, eyes heavy with vigilance.
"I am waiting for someone. What are you waiting for?"
"What?"
Yuzuru clearly did not understand Cornelia's meaning.
"Yuzuru, watch out!"
Clang!
"Execution!"
With the crisp ring of steel, the crimson blade of Murasame sliced through the air. Akame's ghostlike figure appeared behind Yuzuru without warning.
Dense waves of sword light cleaved the air and shot straight toward her. But as a Spirit, Yuzuru did not falter. She lifted from the ground and spun her bladed chains, forming a silver wheel that enclosed her body.
Clink. Clink. Clink...
Sparks flew. The blade arcs grew denser, denying her any chance to widen the distance.
With a sharp hiss, Murasame slipped through a gap in the chain defense at Yuzuru's lower leg, drawing a thin line of blood.
Seeing her sister injured, Kaguya Yamai—dressed in the same blue-purple restraint outfit, broken chains hanging from her right wrist and ankle—shouted in fury.
"Yuzuru! Cowardly—attacking from behind! Raphael—Piercer, El Re'em!"
"An assassination unit fights you head-on?"
Wave, fully clad in Grand Chariot, muttered calmly. Integrating seamlessly with his armor, he raised the modified Honkai energy plasma cannon mounted on his arm.
Stable as a mountain, he took aim at Kaguya—who had summoned a massive assault spear—and fired.
Zzt!
A sound like something scorching echoed from the barrel. A beam of deep blue light pierced clean through Kaguya's body.
The intense heat of the plasma instantly burned a charred cavity through her abdomen. Only because she was a Spirit—an extraordinary lifeform—did she survive such a wound.
Then—
Boom!
The plasma detonated the instant it passed through her, blue flames erupting as the explosion blasted Kaguya away.
"Boss!"
"Got it!"
Having completed her charge, Cornelia lunged forward in a bow step punch, striking Kaguya midair and sending her hurtling toward Akame.
"Execution!"
Thud!
With flawless coordination, Murasame's blade extended. Kaguya's flying body swept past it, several crystalline droplets of blood scattering through the air.
"All done. Upload the data."
...
Bzzz...
Just as the Jaegers believed the sweep complete—
A blurred mass of mosaic distortion suddenly appeared within a hospital room deep inside the AST base.