Clink... clink...
With every step, the sensation of gravel and metal shrapnel was transmitted into the soft, torn earth. As the Magus of Flowers tossed aside his staff and raised both hands, "..."
Across the battlefield of Avalon, the air seemed to fall silent. Only the sounds of steel boots striking the ground, firearms being loaded, chainsaw teeth revolving, and disintegration fields crackling remained.
Senti froze.
The Fairies who, like Merlin, belonged to the Phantasmal Species of Avalon also froze. Each saw the same bewilderment in the others' eyes.
This old bastard...
Even Vivian, the Fairy Lady of the Lake who had likewise appeared in Avalon to resist the Imperial Army's offensive, could not stop a vein from throbbing on her forehead.
As Fairies born from nature itself, or beings who possessed the bloodlines of Phantasmal Species, they naturally possessed a vague sensitivity to changes in the Swirl of the Root that pure-blooded humans lacked.
Their "mother" remained the absolute origin of all phenomena, the beginning and ultimate destination of this universe, and the repository containing "all records" of everything in existence. However, her concept had changed...
The unconscious, directionless concept known as the "Mother/Source of All Things" had transformed into an absolute, unquestionable will, a sovereign with a clearly defined purpose—the supreme Creator!
The Swirl of Honkai!
This was the indistinct information transmitted into their minds. Upon realizing this, even the undefeated King of Knights, who had never lost a battle except at Camlann and possessed an indomitable will, recognized the fact that they were about to welcome a new Creator.
There was no longer any need to continue fighting, because the world they inhabited no longer belonged to them. No matter how absurd it sounded, this was reality. Though they had grown and been born here, they had now become "outsiders."
As far as the world's environment, cosmic regions, soil, grass, trees, and every other living thing were concerned, once the Swirl of Honkai stabilized, the Imperial Army would become their own people. Fairies, Nightmares, and the Phantasmal creatures of the Reverse Side of the World would instead become "invaders" and "parasites"!
The once-tolerant, benevolent, and gentle radiance of the Reverse Side of the World had also vanished. In its place came unfamiliarity, estrangement, and even rejection.
In summary, they were already inclined to surrender, though they still felt somewhat conflicted. What none of them had expected was that Merlin, who had been passionately rallying morale and acting as though he intended to fight to the death only moments before, would kneel so decisively.
The reversal was so abrupt that it nearly threw out the backs of everyone present.
"Y-You... I..."
Senti was speechless. She stared at Merlin, who had raised both hands with an innocent expression. The chain-blade she held aloft remained suspended in the air. All the momentum she had accumulated became lodged inside her before she could release it. After struggling for a long moment, Senti raised a trembling hand and pointed directly at the cocky-headed Magus of Flowers.
"Hey! You effeminate minstrel! You're completely shameless!"
Faced with Merlin's willingness to yield when necessary and his brazen decision to practically offer up his own face, Senti genuinely did not know how to react. Her mind stalled.
Senti merely appeared somewhat insane and possessed an overwhelming desire to perform. Compared to Fu Hua, aside from acting more decisively and pragmatically, she still retained a newborn's curiosity about the world, along with yearning and hope for it. She was lively and active, but that did not necessarily mean she was particularly quick-witted.
After all, he had already surrendered. He was even the first to defect. Furthermore, Selene had just personally ordered them to begin accepting capitulations. According to Imperial Army tradition, did that not mean they should make an example of him and offer certain preferential treatment to this "outstanding individual" who understood the situation?
Whatever treatment he might receive, at the very least, she could not greet him with her fists.
She did not possess the courage to defy Selene's will. Had she not seen how even those Sisters of Battle who normally charged forward like rampaging boars had stopped their indiscriminate attacks?
If word spread that she had personally beaten the first enemy commander to surrender, someone would inevitably submit a memorial impeaching her. She truly feared Selene, who could beat and knead her like a pufferfish whenever she wished.
"Ahem... Beautiful lady, you must understand that sometimes, knowing how to preserve oneself is also a form of wisdom."
Keenly noticing the increasingly hostile gazes directed at him by the Fairies of Avalon on his own side, Merlin coughed lightly several times and subtly shuffled closer to the Sisters of Battle.
Vivian and the other native inhabitants of Avalon stared at him. You shameless old bastard. We'll just stand here and watch you perform.
"I am now one of your people. What was that convention called again...? Ah, yes. The Geneva Convention. Surely a nation as advanced and powerful as yours will provide preferential treatment to talented individuals, especially an exceptional talent like myself."
Merlin naturally assumed his new identity and even began praising himself.
"What an interesting man."
Fu Hua watched Senti fall behind in their verbal exchange. After instructing the Imperial Army officer beside her to begin accepting surrenders while remaining vigilant, she stepped forward and continued, "Lord Merlin, I believe that with your talents, both the Empire's military institutions and its diplomatic and administrative agencies would gladly open their doors to you."
"After all, I have personally experienced the depth of your illusion techniques and your ability to preserve your life." In the next instant, Fu Hua changed the subject, wearing an expression that was not quite a smile. "It has been a long time since I was this angry. We cannot simply pretend nothing happened."
That was the truth. As a candidate for Grand Caster, Merlin's magecraft, particularly his proficiency in Nightmare illusions, was unquestionably exceptional. Furthermore, his ability to preserve his own life was truly formidable.
Unless they destroyed all of Avalon or even annihilated this parallel world, there was always the risk that he would emerge from some forgotten corner and return from the dead once again. However, that was no longer necessary, because every blade of grass and every tree in the Type-Moon world was now Selene's property. Fu Hua was not insane enough to destroy Selene's assets.
They could no longer kill him. Even if this was not his true body and merely another Nightmare clone, it no longer mattered. They were all the same. Either way, she needed to vent her anger.
Crunch...
With that thought in mind, Fu Hua approached Merlin one step at a time as his expression grew increasingly awkward.
"Uh... Once an illusion is cast, it is no longer under my direct control. The spell changes according to the actual circumstances..."
His eyes darted rapidly. From the corner of his vision, Merlin saw the victims of his illusions surrounding him with malicious smiles. Realizing that the situation was taking a dangerous turn, he attempted to explain.
Crack!
Fu Hua put on her gauntlets and flexed her joints. With a solemn and serious expression, she said, "A prisoner of war should possess the self-awareness of a prisoner of war. As one of the commanders of this theater, I believe I possess the authority to discipline a mere prisoner."
"Rest assured, our forces possess more than enough restorative medicine. We offer preferential treatment to those who understand the situation and will never leave any scars on your body or cause any lasting complications. It will only hurt for a little while. It will be over very soon."
...
In the space between Earth and the Moon of a certain higher-dimensional universe.
"So it's over... Tsk."
Esdeath withdrew her gaze and raised her straight-bladed military saber. Cold light reflected in her ice-blue eyes. For a moment, she breathed heavily, experiencing the sensation of her body filling and expanding. The Herrscher of Ice murmured softly, "A return of power?"
"You've grown even stronger... Your Majesty. You truly are becoming increasingly unfathomable."
As one of Selene's subordinate Herrschers, Esdeath could not compare to companion Honkai Beasts such as Sebas and Arisa, who would grow proportionally stronger alongside Selene even if they did nothing. However, she could still receive a certain degree of returned power.
"The extermination strikes have ended. It appears we are transitioning to reconstruction... However, there may no longer be any reason to rebuild the Moon."
Esdeath was familiar with reconstruction after wars of conquest. She had carried it out countless times, and the Imperial Army had long since developed a comprehensive procedure for it.
She sheathed her saber and looked back at the silvery lunar landmass stretching thousands of miles in every direction. Viewed from afar, it resembled a gigantic, crystalline ice flower blooming across an irregular frozen structure, connecting the fragments of the shattered planet. It was incomparably beautiful, yet equally cruel.
Within that beauty lurked a terror that made one feel as though they had plunged into an icy abyss!
Beneath the ice, the Moon's fragmentation had not stopped. The mantle within the disintegrating lunar fragments churned violently. With nothing left to obstruct it, scorching magma erupted through the frozen surface and spread in every direction.
As the magma rolled through the celestial structure barely held together by layers of thick ice, deafening explosions rang out. A powerful shock wave rapidly tore through one ice sheet after another. A gigantic orange-red mushroom cloud soared upward and exploded before Esdeath's eyes. Ice layers hundreds or even thousands of kilometers thick shattered as flames and ice crystals surged upward together.
The former sea of lunar flowers, the ancient lunar castle, and the beauties of the Moon had all been reduced to ashes.
"Oh? It seems to possess a certain artistic beauty."
Just as Esdeath prepared to order the surrounding Imperial Navy fleets to take control of all secular order within the theater, a woman's slightly husky voice, carrying an almost intoxicating allure, sounded from behind her. Esdeath's blue eyes widened.
"Your Majesty."
A trusted founding retainer was still a trusted founding retainer, and a close personal relationship was still a close personal relationship, but Esdeath nevertheless saluted respectfully.
A crisp chime rang across the fractured lunar ground.
Beneath the hem of Selene's imperial dress, crystal-gold high heels stepped through the drifting moon dust. Their crystalline facets burned with golden radiance, and every footfall sent a fine ring of light rippling over the cracks beneath her feet.
Her silver hair whipped wildly in the explosion-driven currents from the Moon. She bent one arm and raised it to indicate that Esdeath should rise, while pinching her smooth chin with the other hand and murmuring, "The palace of Earth's Ultimate One, Crimson Moon... The True Ancestors."
At that thought, Selene paused. "Esdeath, issue an order. Instruct the vanguard forces to eliminate every vampire, ghoul, True Ancestor, and similar creature on Earth."
The True Ancestors of the Type-Moon world were not products of the Swirl of the Root. They were a species created by Gaia, which was incapable of directly defending itself against humanity.
Because Gaia needed to restrain humanity, it used humans as a template and replicated their mental and physical structures to create the True Ancestors. However, their creation was flawed. The True Ancestors suffered from vampiric impulses.
Selene could erase such defective products completely with a single thought, but the military merit and peerage system was one of the foundations upon which she had built the Empire. She had to give the soldiers campaigning on her behalf opportunities to claim enemy heads.
This positive cycle maintained the vitality of Imperial society. Aside from straightforward external expansion through war, it was another important reason Selene's strength had advanced so dramatically. Such was civilization.
Sigh. There truly aren't many superiors left who care for their subordinates as much as I do.
"Yes!"
Esdeath struck her fist against her chest and answered with a curved smile.
After observing the scene for a while, Selene felt that the Earth-Moon system looked somewhat unbalanced with Earth floating there alone and barren.
Snap!
Selene rubbed her fingertips together and snapped them. In an instant, the frozen lunar ruins lit up, overflowing with the radiance of released energy. Vast energy tides erupted around the Moon, causing even the Imperial Navy fleets in low Earth orbit to tremble.
The ice melted. Like time flowing backward, volcanic dust that had been blasted into space returned to the surface. The Moon, which had shattered into tens of thousands of landmasses, regained its original form in an instant. However, the seas of flowers and ancient castles upon it were not restored, allowing Esdeath to understand that this was not a reversal of time.
"Mm. This is much easier on the eyes."
"The large-scale warfare has ended. What remains is either reconstruction and accepting capitulations or suppressing scattered rebellions. By my estimation, Esdeath, you're already thinking of transferring to another battlefield again, aren't you?"
Selene turned around and smiled.
Esdeath stood three paces behind Selene with her arms folded across her chest, making no attempt to conceal her intentions. "Your Majesty knows me well. I, Esdeath, am merely a hunter from the Empire's northernmost province. I have no other interests in life besides war, killing, and hunting."
"Whether you like it or not, you will not be able to escape this assignment. Koz is still occupied with the war on Budo's front and cannot remain stationed here. Although Azem's Iron Warriors Legion and Liver's Black Marlin Legion can each spare part of their forces, both of them are currently overseeing the construction of their respective capital worlds. I cannot favor one over another."
"Redeploying someone from the Imperial Capital would also be far too cumbersome."
This was not something Selene could accomplish merely by opening her mouth. It required time. Even if she opened a spatial rift and directly pulled the appointed Imperial general before her, the Empire's territory had now expanded so extensively that every part was interconnected. What about the transfer of their duties?
Selene had other arrangements for the Type-Moon composite world. She would not grant it to any single Astartes Legion as a recruitment world under its command. At most, the participating Third Legion, the Black Marlin, Fourth Legion, the Iron Warriors, and Eighth Legion, the Night Lords, would be allocated more personnel, supplies, and military equipment from the Type-Moon world.
This was also standard practice within the Imperial military. A war of conquest against a particular world could be conducted by a single legion or multiple legions. In the latter case, once the conquered world formally began paying taxes, those "taxes" would be divided according to the agreement reached between the Legion Commanders before the war.
"I will appoint you as the direct military commander responsible for security throughout the Type-Moon world," Selene declared in a tone that allowed no doubt.
"Understood!"
Seeing this, Esdeath stopped hesitating and responded solemnly.
Selene nodded and continued, "Oh, there is one more matter. Once the arrangements for this theater are complete, proceed to Arisa's theater. The future capital and Governor's Office of the Type-Moon world... I intend to establish them in the primordial universe."
"Although the primordial universe has already been destroyed, its original framework remains intact. I have reached the critical stage of completely controlling the Type-Moon composite world. I will soon restore the primordial universe."
"When that time comes... Esdeath, notify the Imperial Forge and instruct them to draft a proposal for constructing the capital of a grand stellar region, then submit it to me."
"As you command."