Bang bang bang!
Hum hum—!
In the blink of an eye, the SSS comrades who had once stood around Artemisia were completely wiped out. In their place stood the blue-armored giants who brought destruction and death.
"Surrender?"
"Correct, mortal. You should consider yourself fortunate. After the legion occupies the British Isles, we require local proxies to maintain governance. You are one of my chosen candidates. Your strength meets the standard. The weak have no qualification to rise to high rank within the Empire."
Artemisia did not answer immediately. Weakly, she lifted her head. Her gaze passed beyond the blue-armored giant attempting to recruit her and settled upon the burning horizon.
Hum hum hum!!
Orange-red beams pierced through the clouds. The sky shimmered with a blazing amber glow as the atmosphere boiled beneath their roar.
Across the heavens, orbital drop pods tore through the air, friction igniting the atmosphere around them like falling meteors.
Just before impact, reverse thrusters roared to life, blasting torrents of flame downward to offset most of the recoil force before the pods slammed into the earth, sending dust spiraling skyward.
Then the pods unfolded like blooming metal flowers.
From within, one blue-armored giant after another stepped out, radiating killing intent.
In an instant, power swords, power hammers, power axes, chainblades, chainaxes, bolt weapons, and Honkai plasma weaponry thundered to life.
The Anti-Spirit Team SSS and DEM's private security forces had already been on the verge of collapse while merely holding off the Astartes who arrived through trans-spatial assault.
Now, with even larger numbers of Thirteenth Legion Astartes landing via orbital drop, the Anti-Spirit forces of SSS and DEM began to be rapidly segmented and annihilated.
Not far away, SSS members struggled to escort civilians in a slow retreat. But when the crowd saw an endless rain of drop pods descending from the sky and the terrifying blue-armored giants multiplying by the second...
"Damn it! You SSS are useless! We taxpayers fund your training and give you the most advanced equipment in the world, and when disaster strikes you're worthless!"
"And DEM too! Calling yourselves the most technologically advanced company in the world... what a joke!"
As they ran, some civilians vented their anger on the young SSS female soldiers protecting them.
"Hey, don't say that. SSS has done everything they can. Their casualties are already enormous..."
"Ha?! Enormous casualties?! If they couldn't protect us, even if they all died, they'd still be useless!"
In any large population, all kinds of people exist. Under years of shallow "happiness" education and films constantly discrediting authority, this brand of anti-intellectual voice was especially common.
Even those who tried to speak reasonably in defense of SSS were drowned out by the furious tide of accusations.
"Run! These useless fools can't protect us!"
Someone shouted within the panicked crowd, and instantly the surge intensified. Order collapsed in a heartbeat. Police and military lines attempting to maintain discipline were overwhelmed.
Stampedes and gridlock became inevitable.
If they had maintained formation and retreated in order, there might have been a slim chance of escape.
But clearly, cooperation was not forthcoming. Everyone wanted to be at the front, pushing and shoving, ensuring that no one could move efficiently.
Ordinary civilians without specialized training often succumbed to hysteria under extreme fear. With death looming under the threat of the Astartes, even rational individuals were swept up in the chaotic tide of fleeing bodies.
"Heh. These are the civilians you swore to protect with your life?"
Watching the chaos in the distance, the Company Captain planted his power sword into the ground and magnetically secured his bolt pistol at his waist. Crossing his arms, he spoke with disdain.
"Do they deserve it? Undisciplined. Disorganized. Lawless. Anti-intellectual. Smearing the very soldiers protecting them. Laborers like this—within the Empire, under the Thirteenth Legion—they would not even qualify for citizenship."
Each legion, under its Legion Commander, developed its own distinct character.
If Alex's First Legion, the Dark Angels, embodied humanity; Budo's Second Legion, the Retributors, embodied iron-blooded resolve; Liver's Third Legion, the Black Marlin, embodied steadiness...
Then the Thirteenth Legion, the Ultramarines, under Legion Commander Roboute, placed supreme emphasis on order and discipline.
To the point of near dogmatism.
The Ultramarines were almost obsessive about ensuring everything under their command functioned with perfect structure.
In their eyes, there was no gray area between disciplined order and anarchy.
That was why this Company Captain showed such overt displeasure. If he had wished them dead, they would already be dead.
"Jenny... Elilow... Sabrina..."
Hearing the cold accusations from the very civilians the SSS had sworn to protect, Artemisia struggled to stand, using her broken blade for support. She looked around, hoarsely whispering the names of her fallen comrades.
At that moment—truly—for an eighteen-year-old girl, her heart turned cold.
"Mortal. I will give you fifteen more seconds to answer. My patience is limited..."
The Company Captain turned his head slightly and made a subtle slicing gesture with his raised hand.
"Eliminate them."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Instantly, the group of civilians who had trampled others and run the farthest were engulfed by a chain of firework-like micro-missiles launched from distant Astartes positions.
Boom boom boom!
In less than a second, dozens of micro-missiles detonated, swallowing over a hundred fleeing civilians in roaring flames.
Columns of fire surged into the sky. Even those attempting to ram through the chaos with vehicles were completely eradicated.
Seeing this scene, even Artemisia—and the remaining SSS soldiers—were stunned.
Why were these blue-armored giants refraining from attacking them, the armed soldiers, yet turning their weapons upon the uncontrolled civilians below?
"The dead cannot return. But the living must look forward. Do you want them to live? Do you want your comrades to live? The choice is yours."
Thud. Thud.
The Company Captain approached Artemisia with heavy footsteps. From behind the golden-winged helm, a crimson glint flickered across his visor lenses.
"Five seconds remain."
"I can surrender. But you must guarantee the safety of my SSS comrades. No massacres."
The broken energy blade slipped from her hand. Artemisia knelt on the ground, looking up with unwavering resolve.
"Of course. A most wise decision. Those who surrender and accept Imperial rule—who stand together as subjects bathed in the glorious radiance of the great God-Empress Selene—how could we slaughter our own people without cause?"
Through his helmet, the Company Captain's deep voice rumbled with laughter. He stepped past Artemisia.
"Apothecary. Treat her. Then have her assist in persuading the others to surrender. Reduce unnecessary bloodshed."
Just as the Astartes Apothecary, marked with a red cross upon his pauldron, began treating Artemisia—
"Company Captain, per legion headquarters' directive, the Anti-Spirit Team SSS garrison base in Britain has been largely purged. Marked research departments are being secured by split detachments."
An Astartes officer clad in equally ornate artificer power armor approached and saluted.
"At present, all key strategic points in London have fallen under our legion's control. The only remaining organized resistance is the DEM headquarters tower. Per orders, it has not been subjected to light lance bombardment..."
The officer's visor shifted toward Artemisia.
"Company Captain, and she is?"
"One of the candidate proxies. Once emergency treatment is complete, she will accompany you to persuade the enemy to surrender. As a native ace combatant, she should be familiar with the list of key researchers and critical facilities."
...
Bang bang bang!
Above the Japanese archipelago, the colossal floating fortress maintained synchronized orbit with ground beacons. Launch bay doors opened, and orbital drop pods were fired one after another.
Thud thud thud!
The earth trembled. Even the sky seemed to darken.
"Persuade surrender. Install proxies. Restore order to a fallen governmental world at the fastest speed possible. As expected of the Ultramarines—masters of development and statecraft."
Aside from the first three founding legions, Roboute's Thirteenth Legion was among the largest in scale. Given its capacity for governance, it rivaled even Budo's legion—surpassing it was only a matter of time.
Leaving the floating fortress, Selene hovered alone in Earth's outer orbit. Her thoughts withdrew from London thousands of miles away. The Company Captain's recruitment efforts were well within expectation.
The Thirteenth Legion, the Ultramarines, were not like the Second Legion, the Retributors—nor like the Eleventh Legion, the Executioners—or the Twelfth Legion, the World Eaters. They were not so brutal.
In Rome, overseen by another Company Captain, and in every city captured by the Ultramarines, persuasion and surrender were offered without exception.
Orbital bombardment shattered all large-scale military installations. Astartes orbital assault crushed enemy morale. Then came simultaneous warfare and recruitment—intimidation and incentive in equal measure.
The Thirteenth Legion wielded these three measures with exceptional skill.
"Still hiding in Tengu City. Remarkably patient."
At this moment, Selene truly felt herself to be an exemplary ruler, ever considerate of her subordinates—laboring tirelessly for Esdeath's sake.
Look at that. To fulfill a subordinate's desire for an evenly matched battle, she—the Empress—personally descended to lurk in ambush.
She would exile the Spirit of Origin into outer space the moment she appeared—thus allowing Esdeath to fight with full strength and no reservations, while also preventing destruction of Earth and satisfying Roboute's ambition of total world conquest.
Such a benevolent Empress—where else could one find her?
"Ah. Found you. The Spirit of Time—Kurumi Tokisaki."
Bzzz—!
Meanwhile, in western Tengu City.
Due to its recreational nature, it had not been designated for light lance bombardment.
Nor had it suffered the Spacequake caused by Esdeath's descent, and even the aftershocks of the northern Spirit clash had barely reached it.
For once, western Tengu City had become the only sanctuary within this disaster-stricken metropolis.
At this moment, atop a department store building—
"A science fiction film? Aliens?"
Dressed in a red-and-black Gothic Lolita outfit, slender in frame, her long black hair tied into twin braids, waterfall-like bangs covering the left half of her delicate face, revealing only her wine-red right eye—
In the span of a single day, the world's upheaval left Kurumi utterly bewildered.
First, a new Spirit of SS-class danger appeared.
Then, the entire world fell under alien invasion.
What in the world was happening?
With the globe engulfed in warfare, Kurumi Tokisaki's carefully laid plans had become hopelessly tangled.
"Must I absorb time from the dead now? Does the Twelfth Bullet still hold meaning? Even if I alter the history of the Spirits' appearance... how would I alter the history of invaders descending from beyond the stars?"
Just as Kurumi attempted to sort through her chaotic thoughts, a fluctuation in the sky sent a chill down her spine.
"Who's there?!"
An antique flintlock rifle materialized in her hand. She aimed toward the source of the disturbance, her voice sharp.
"Kurumi Tokisaki..."
An arrogant and icy voice descended from the heavens.
Selene appeared like a descending deity, slowly lowering herself into view. Within her crimson diamond-shaped pupils shimmered a piercing brilliance.
Clad in resplendent imperial regalia, her figure radiated nobility and magnificence—as though she stood in a realm unreachable by mortal humanity. Anyone who beheld her would feel awe and reverence.
Yet against the ruined backdrop of Tengu City, she resembled a god-king of annihilation descending upon the mortal world. The suffocating sense of apocalypse carved itself into the eyes and hearts of all who saw her.
"You—it's you?! So this is your true face? How utterly ironic! What? After using me and deceiving me, have you finally come to reclaim my power?"
Bang!
On the rooftop, Kurumi cried out in hatred. A bullet formed of spiritual power shot toward Selene.
"Do I know you? How absurd."
"Although I do intend to reclaim your power, this baseless hatred—I do not comprehend it. Surely you are not grieving for the deaths of ordinary mortals, Spirit of Time."
Selene spoke calmly and extended a single finger.
In the next instant, before Kurumi could fire again, an invisible gravitational force crashed down from above.
Crack!
Glass fragments scattered. Kurumi, whose physical strength was never her forte, was instantly slammed to the ground by the unseen gravity.
"You scum of this world—damned deceiver! What—have you already forgotten everything you've done?! You tricked me into killing my own friend! I have wanted to kill you for the rest of my life!"
Kurumi screamed, struggling to rise, but she could not. The ground beneath her fractured as her body was forced downward, half of her frame pressed into shattered concrete.
"Deceived you? Killed your friend?"
Mio Takamiya had worn many masks. Kurumi had never known her true appearance. And Selene happened to appear at a time convenient for the world's collapse.
Moreover, Selene's dazzling, alluring presence contrasted sharply with the brutish aesthetic of the Astartes giants, instead resembling the splendor of Mio's Astral Dress.
Combined with her unfathomable Honkai energy signature—and Honkai's versatile simulation and conversion properties—it was not unreasonable that Kurumi mistook her for the true form of the Spirit of Origin.
At that realization, Selene understood.
She had just taken the blame for Mio Takamiya.