Magical fortresses possessed numerous aura buffs. Allied forces near a fortress would receive them, and the fortress itself had defensive barriers and offensive magic towers. The more allied troops gathered, the stronger the magical fortress became—because the magic sustaining its operation came from those allies.
Combined together, along with specialized offensive and defensive enhancements tailored against technology, they were extremely difficult to destroy.
But if the two were separated, everything fell apart.
A magical fortress without troops could be destroyed by a nuclear bomb. A fully garrisoned magical fortress, however, could endure nuclear bombardment without losing even a single brick.
Most importantly, every magical fortress would automatically generate monsters as its standing force.
After Satou Matsuzaka returned to the Magic World through the gate, Raiden Mei finally stopped pursuing her.
She reviewed the gains from this operation.
Only one-third of the magical fortresses had been destroyed. Although it fell slightly short of expectations, it was close enough.
Next, they simply needed to continue expanding their achievements.
After this wave of attacks, getting this world to deploy troops would become extremely easy.
Even if she said nothing, humanity in this world would take the initiative to strike.
After exterminating the monsters in Los Angeles, and after each nation paid a heavy price to deal with the puppet giants that had blossomed everywhere upon landing, public sentiment in every country boiled with fury.
Originally, they could have treated it as none of their concern—observe first, then intervene only if there were benefits to be gained.
But the evil goddesses of the other world had no sense of restraint. They launched a global attack directly. Everyone was within the strike zone.
How could that be tolerated?
They had to retaliate—retaliate fiercely.
Orders for weapons and equipment from the Massive Electric Agency instantly exploded.
Modern armies, newly outfitted with upgraded weapons and equipment, entered the other world through the Gate, advancing inward step by step alongside the Massive Electric Agency's main forces.
Who would ultimately win—the result was already clear.
Observation Space.
"Teacher Einstein, how do you view the Magic World's defeat?" Diana asked.
Einstein replied, "Principal, in terms of pure individual power, Natsuse Senju and the others are stronger. But they are too arrogant. They prefer to solve problems using their own strength."
"Mhm."
Diana nodded. Natsuse Senju and the others could stack all kinds of buffs on themselves. Even with only half their magic remaining, they could fight outnumbered and still overpower the technology world in individual combat strength.
"You're right. The humans of the Magic World could have served as cannon fodder, but they refused to use them. The humans of the technology world—they wouldn't exploit them either."
This probably had something to do with Academy City's education. Natsuse Senju and the others looked down on the power of ordinary humans. Even though the humans of the technology world were enemies, they were still resources that could be utilized.
The humans of the Magic World, if given proper weapons and equipment, would have made excellent cannon fodder as well—but they did nothing.
Raiden Mei and her side used the humans of the technology world as bait and expendable forces to draw fire, while giving weapons to the humans of the Magic World to create chaos and divert attention.
Natsuse Senju and the others could have secretly controlled several nations through magic and waged a proxy war, plunging the technology world into civil war first.
But Academy City's past had influenced them.
"However, if it were a true fight to the death, the Magic World would most likely win in the end."
"?"
Einstein looked at Diana in confusion.
"The explosive potential of idealistic power—when pushed into a corner, the strength it unleashes becomes even greater."
"A user of idealistic power might be an ordinary human girl one second, and the next second ascend to godhood, altering the laws of the universe and influencing the infinite multiverse."
Einstein fell silent at Diana's words. In the infinite multiverse, anything could happen.
Will, spirit, emotion, causality—any of these could suddenly elevate a person to unimaginable heights.
In humanity's cognition, the universe was knowable. Everything followed logic and could be understood.
But some universes were indescribable, unknowable, beyond human comprehension.
Having observed other worlds and other universes, Einstein understood that in the eyes of other worlds, their own universe was hardly normal.
Beautiful-girl Herrschers. Beautiful-girl mythological figures. Beautiful-girl Valkyries.
"May I ask—what happened to Tesla and Welt Yang in the end?"
"After he married Tesla, he ran off with Himeko."
"..."
Himeko?
Einstein was speechless. Did the Honkai world really hold such hostility toward heterosexual relationships?
When she thought of the one she loved—Welt Joyce—who had been killed by Otto using a Honkai fission bomb, she felt the deep malice of the world.
...
Inuyasha World.
The Final Empire established by Kiana Kaslana in this world had created expeditionary legions.
By deploying a temporal barrier that covered the entire solar system, they accelerated time across the whole system, allowing the Final Empire to develop at a faster pace.
Whenever major problems arose, they would reload and repair.
Kallen, Supreme Commander and Regent of the Final Empire, was responsible for managing imperial affairs. Although she wished to promote peace and harmony throughout the Empire, ambition, contempt, and the instinct for conflict could never be eradicated from human nature.
All she could do was direct the Empire outward—waging war and expanding—to divert internal contradictions.
The Astartes of the expeditionary legions, though merely mass-produced MANTIS clad in power armor, still possessed overwhelming combat power capable of sweeping across most low-level civilizations.
"Lady Kallen, an alien civilization in this universe wishes to negotiate a ceasefire with us."
"The Yautja?"
Kallen briefly reviewed the data on the Predator civilization. They reveled in hunting, took pride in defeating powerful prey, and considered bullying the weak disgraceful.
"Yes. Due to their traditional culture, this civilization began hunting members of our Storm Chapter, leading to conflict."
The Storm Chapter Master reported truthfully.
"You've recently logged three deployments of the Star-Eater—destroying three star systems." Kallen checked the Storm Chapter's records again. "You weren't indiscriminately bombing, were you?"
The Final Empire's legions were occasionally created by Kiana Kaslana. Each legion would then be divided into four or five chapters.
The Storm Chapter belonged to the Wind Legion. There were also the Gale Chapter, the Swiftwind Chapter, and the Breeze Chapter.
"We used it three times against colonized star systems of the Predator civilization," the Storm Chapter Master replied.
"Very well. Cease hostilities."
"Yes, ma'am."
Friction and conflict with other civilizations had occurred more than once.
Generally, when fighting alien civilizations of slightly higher technological levels, the legions and chapters would deploy weapons capable of destroying entire stellar systems—rapidly pushing the enemy's war exhaustion to the limit.
After handling the day's affairs, Kallen returned to Dream City.
After so many years, Dream City still retained its ancient architectural style, though it had been expanded on a far grander scale and integrated with a wide array of advanced technologies.
"Lady Kallen, you're back so early today?"
Kaguya walked toward her with a faint smile on her face.
"Is something the matter?"
Kallen looked at the noble and elegant woman before her, like a celestial maiden.
But.
The feeling this woman gave her was far from as beautiful as she appeared on the surface.
Kaguya stepped to Kallen's side and affectionately looped her arm through Kallen's. "Lady Kallen, it's still early. Would you like to visit my chambers?"
"Don't be like this. I'm not the same as her."
Kallen calmly withdrew her arm and walked away.
Kaguya watched her retreating figure, a hungry light flickering in her eyes.
What a fragrant scent.
If she could win her over, she could have her all to herself.
Kiana Kaslana smelled even better—but there was a line over there.
Having been transformed into a Honkai creature by Kiana Kaslana's Honkai energy, Kaguya was instinctively drawn to Kallen, who possessed powerful Honkai energy.
Kallen entered Kiana Kaslana's room—a space surrounded by cosmic galaxies.
She looked up at Kiana Kaslana, who floated in midair with her clothes in disarray, exposing large stretches of smooth, fair skin.
Sensing someone's arrival, Kiana Kaslana drowsily opened her eyes and glanced at the visitor.
"You're awake?" Kallen asked.
"Almost."
Kiana Kaslana closed her eyes again.
Kallen said nothing more.
All day long, Kiana Kaslana either slept or indulged in leisure, as though she were a useless slacker.
But Kallen knew her consciousness was constantly wandering across realms, observing different universes and civilizations.
After a while, Kiana Kaslana opened her eyes and stretched lazily. "Kallen, how many years have passed outside?"
"About five hundred."
By manipulating time through the temporal barrier, Kiana Kaslana could let one day pass for herself while an entire year passed outside.
"How has their technological development progressed?"
"They can only manage crude imitations of a small portion of your technology."
"Even crude imitation counts as significant progress."
Kiana Kaslana was not surprised at the slow pace of the Final Empire's technological advancement.
To this day, the entire Empire still relied on weapons and equipment produced by the automated factories she had created.
In her mind, the legions and chapters were expendable forces to be deployed into other worlds—used to probe and conquer.
Unlike Academy City, which focused on cultivating elite individuals.
"You should go out for a walk."
"Then let's go play in another world."
Kiana Kaslana stopped manipulating time. She slept often because the body she used to stay with Kallen was out of sync with her other avatars.
The two vanished together.
Several days later.
"What do you think of this world?"
Kiana Kaslana and Kallen appeared in a hive city on Terra.
"Do you enjoy waking up and going to stare into a cesspit?"
Kallen had already examined this world. Kiana Kaslana's legions, chapters, and Astartes were, without surprise, modeled after it.
The human empire of this universe was vast. Humanity's presence spanned the entire galaxy.
"I don't."
"If you don't, then why bring me here? Just to disgust me?"
After gaining a deeper understanding of the entire human empire and the civilizations across the galaxy, she felt as though she had stepped into a massive sewer.
The humans here hardly seemed human.
Mutated humans were everywhere.
Unmodified baseline humans untouched by warp corruption or genetic engineering were nearly nonexistent.
To avoid warp contamination, neither Kiana Kaslana nor Kallen had physically entered this world.
"Have you tasted this world's food?"
A can of hive-city specialty rations floated in Kiana Kaslana's hand.
"You can enjoy that delicacy yourself."
Kallen naturally knew what the can contained—corpse starch. Its raw materials required no explanation.
"You've changed. So many poor humans in this galaxy are waiting for you to save and protect them."
Kiana Kaslana tossed the can aside.
"If your goal was to disgust me, you've succeeded."
"Let's go."
Kallen left this world.
She no longer regarded the humans of this world as human.
She saw them all as alien creatures that merely resembled humans.
Perhaps in the future, if she had the power, she would return and see whether those monstrosities in the warp could be eradicated entirely.
...
Pacific Rim World.
San Francisco.
Kiana Kaslana and Kallen stood atop a skyscraper, watching a colossal monster crawl ashore from the sea.
After making landfall, the giant creature immediately began rampaging through the city.
"It doesn't look like a genetic mutation caused by human environmental pollution. More like a biological weapon," Kallen said.
She raised her hand. Several golden chains materialized out of thin air, swiftly binding the monster's limbs and rendering it immobile.
"This world has nothing to do with us, does it?"
"True. But since we've seen it, we might as well handle it."
Kallen spoke casually. With a light squeeze of her hand, the monster was instantly torn apart.
"As long as you don't do anything foolish."
"This monster's appearance is indeed somewhat related to human environmental pollution. A civilization called the Precursors wants to colonize this planet, whose polluted environment resembles their own."
"Their biotechnology and energy technology are fairly decent."
Kiana Kaslana did not mind Kallen helping this planet's humanity once.
"The monster was a bit light."
For a modern human world with a relatively normal order like this, Kallen had no desire to interfere excessively. She already had enough to deal with.
The hidden Precursors civilization observed as their first kaiju, transported across dimensions, was instantly slain by golden chains. They fell into deep contemplation.
Did this planet's humanity secretly possess a weapon capable of instantly killing their monsters?
"Kallen, I've discovered you have a talent for destroying human civilizations."
"?"
"Under normal circumstances, if you hadn't interfered, humanity in this world would gradually grow through repeated battles against the Precursors and eventually win by a narrow margin. But with your intervention and the butterfly effect it causes, who wins or loses in the future is no longer certain."
"You're saying I've done a good deed that leads to bad consequences again?"
"You tell me."
"..."
Kallen looked at the human military arriving to clean up the monster's corpse. She knew Kiana Kaslana had various means of observing a world's future or past. If she said this, then this human world's future was most likely doomed.
Because of her interference—because she killed the monster.
Kallen thought for a moment, placing herself in the Precursors' position. If her monster had been instantly destroyed by an unknown weapon, she would certainly become more cautious, more careful, and more deadly.
Many operational plans would inevitably change as a result.
So that was it.
I've acted foolishly again.
"So what will you do next?" Kiana Kaslana's lips curved slightly upward. "Continue helping them—or stand by and watch?"