In the sky city of Avant Heim, the tightly shut "door" of the Eighteen-Winged Council suddenly swung open.
As the homeland of the Flügel, Avant Heim technically had no doors or corridors in its architecture. Either there were single spaces built from masses of cubes and crimson tree-trunk vines, or simply broken platforms formed of chaotic, interlaced blue cubes.
Of course, the vast spatial transfer network woven from countless "Spirit Corridors" allowed the Flügel to teleport easily and smoothly throughout Avant Heim.
In some ways, this was far more convenient than walking.
Naturally, when a spatial transfer wavelength not belonging to the Flügel was detected—
"An intruder?"
From Azril, the elder sister of the Flügel who had been browsing records, to Jibril, the youngest carrying a silver tray, to the Flügel standing upon the throne's steps receiving Honkai energy maintenance and growing accustomed to the power of the Honkai webway—every gaze turned toward the source of the disturbance.
Who had the nerve to intrude at such a time?
Riiip—!
A broken tear in space disgorged a figure one-way. "Quuen—!"
The voice was clear, melodious, brimming with the innocence of a young girl's liveliness. Selene, who had just been teasing the Flügel girl beside her throne, softened her expression, allowing a gentle smile to emerge.
The scarlet glow in her eyes shifted away from the ancient, broken gemstone ring in her hand, its azure parsing light dimming.
Within the vast cubic space, a narrow rift tore through the wall of reality. A head of gray hair poked out first, sky-blue eyes shining brightly with irrepressible joy.
"Hehe, Alyssa has good news…"
But then…
Alyssa froze.
She stopped in her tracks, scanning her surroundings. The path up the steps to the throne, built of radiant cubes, was suddenly blocked.
Clang! Clang-clang!
A crowd of "angels," their hair reflecting light, amber eyes gleaming, luminous wings of woven light and geometric halos above their heads, raised weapons of dark radiance—swords, blades, scythes—ready to strike at any moment.
Most crucial of all, two figures standing close to Selene drew Alyssa's attention.
Honkai energy particles drifted around them, glowing under the fluorescence of the Spirit Corridors like starlight dust, highlighting the transcendent presence of the woman at their center.
Yes, as always, Her Majesty was regal beyond words.
But—!
One woman with emerald hair and a single horn, giving the impression of a secretary, had taken the role once held by Sebas, reporting from thick tomes in her arms.
And that scantily dressed little hussy was leaning over the throne's armrest, rubbing her head against Her Majesty!
Hey! You're drooling!
At this scene—at these relationships…
I was gone fighting a few battles, and when I return I've become an outsider?!
In Alyssa's mind flashed another image.
Damn it, has the Empress created more servants… no, wait! Has Her Majesty been fooling around again… no, that's not it!! Ahhh!
Uuuhh… I mustn't get angry, mustn't lose composure… I have to understand Her Majesty's difficulties. After working so hard, isn't she allowed a little entertainment? I must show the tolerance and maturity of the 'eldest child'…
It's fine, they all came later. I was the first!
I am the one born with the Honkai Beast!!!
Alyssa screamed inwardly.
She didn't care if Sebas's role had been replaced. But that pink-haired floozy—!
Hey! That's my spot! Get out of it!
"Who are you?" Alyssa muttered aloud.
"The Imperial Guard. Preliminary designation: Third Sequence."
Waving a hand to stop the Flügel's movements, Selene signaled Alyssa to step forward. She answered in Azril's place, not lowering her voice, while at the same time instructing the gathered Flügel on their future roles.
The Imperial Guard—naturally, they would be her personal guards, the most elite and loyal force at a sovereign's side.
Hearing this, all the Flügel present, including Azril and Jibril, bowed low to the ground.
"Ah… the Imperial Guard? Them? Really… isn't this a bit sudden?"
Though she knew her own status could never be compared to these newly appointed "concubines," Alyssa still pouted with a touch of arrogance, casting sidelong glances at the delicate, alluring Flügel who seemed to lack the stern majesty of the Imperial Guard or the Sisters of Silence.
The comparison didn't flatter them… Her expression made her thoughts plain.
Studying their revealing figures, Alyssa muttered, "This is basically a harem… Though, well, with the Queen's status, opening a harem is hardly an issue…"
"What are you muttering?"
Smack!
"Ow—!"
Withdrawing her hand from the chop she'd delivered, Selene set her teacup back onto the tray Jibril was holding.
"Enough. Alyssa, you'll have plenty of chances to interact with Azril and Jibril."
Selene could easily read Alyssa's slightly jealous posture. Her response was simply to ignore it.
Was she supposed to explain herself? Hmph. She was the Empress! And besides… she hadn't been unfaithful.
"After I move Avant Heim into the Honkai Dimension, as the 'eldest sister,' Alyssa, your responsibility will be heavy. Of course, the Flügel cannot be placed under your Sisters of Battle command system, but guide them well. Familiarizing them with the Empire's laws and codes will be your duty."
More effective than any explanation was to redirect her attention, binding her with a new task she desired.
Seeing Alyssa's fixation on being 'the first,' Selene smiled faintly.
Very well, something as trivial as teaching them the Empire's order hardly required her personal oversight. Sebas already had enough burdens. To heap on more would be excessive.
Originally, she had intended to entrust this to the Imperial Guard. But seeing Alyssa's reaction—fine, she'd let her handle it.
A little sulking was fine, a way to show closeness. Selene even enjoyed such fleeting warmth of 'familial affection.' But everything had its limits. Cross the line, and Selene would simply toss her back to Sebas for retraining.
Didn't you want to emphasize your dignity as eldest sister? Very well, here's your chance.
"I will see it done!"
Stepping forward, Alyssa smoothly nudged Jibril aside. Her mood quickly settled as curiosity deepened while she studied the haloed, winged Flügel girls.
Truly, jealousy wasn't her style. Besides, she knew—was Her Majesty someone to be easily seduced?
"Remember, if they cause trouble, the responsibility is yours."
Selene gestured for the Flügel still frozen in place to resume their duties—those practicing with their bodies, continue; those categorizing books, continue. She then approached Alyssa and lightly patted her proudly lifted head.
"Now then, tell me—what's your good news?"
Under Selene's stern gaze, Alyssa coughed lightly. "Ahem… concerning the Dark Angels Legion's 2125th Expeditionary Fleet—the campaign against the as-yet-unnamed planet of the cosmic Godzilla monster has concluded."
"The colossal creature capable of restructuring a planetary ecosystem with itself at the apex has been captured and delivered to Your Majesty's Imperial Hunting Grounds."
"And as for the one called Ghidorah the Star-Eater, worshiped by natives as a 'higher-dimensional monster' or 'King of the Void'—a higher-dimensional lifeform dwelling in the rift between dimensions… um, Quuen, because Alyssa was a little too hasty at the time, perhaps… perhaps…"
"Did you at least leave a complete corpse?"
It had been no more than a whim anyway. Now that she had the Flügel as her new 'toys' requiring careful attention, the 'three-headed golden dragon' was no longer a priority for Selene.
Yes, Selene was indeed one who quickly grew bored of the old and enamored of the new.
"I did, I did. Though I melted one of its three heads and tore the other two apart, its torso I preserved mostly intact. Its regenerative ability is strong. When I had that weirdo Dr. Stylish install it on his ship, I pieced it back together."
"And, Quuen, while crossing the Honkai Hyper-Spatial Webway en route to the expedition front of the Luna Wolves, I discovered an unknown world."
Before Selene could question her, Alyssa quickly deflected, offering her excuse for being late:
"I couldn't help it, I just had to scout that unknown world a little… I thought I could earn some merit. I landed on some nameless planet that looked like it had seen war… ugh, disgusting, it was crawling with bugs. After filing a report to Sebas, I came here, which is why I was delayed."
Recalling the revolting sight, she made a face of disgust.
"'Disgusting,' 'bugs'?" Selene immediately seized on the words. "Details."
"O-oh, one moment, Quuen."
Alyssa raised her hand and gestured through the air.
Immediately, the geometric symbols on the floor lit up, contracting toward the center.
Countless violet-red lines emerged, sketched and etched into shape.
A simple application of Honkai energy.
Soon, the projection appeared. From Alyssa's dragon-form perspective, the planet she descended upon caved in instantly under her kilometer-sized weight, revealing vast hollow caverns beneath, carpeted with damp, reeking fungal mats. The disturbance was like kicking a hornet's nest—within moments, the wasteland erupted in shrill, piercing cries.
Tiny insectoid creatures with scythe-like forelimbs flooded her view. Startled, Alyssa reacted instinctively—unleashing a plasma breath. Boom! The projection flared white, the planet exploded.
Uh…
This footage yielded no useful data.
With so many bugs, which swarm was it supposed to be?
Selene covered her face, glancing at the gray-haired dragon scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. You… Forget it.
There was nothing wrong with preferring cleanliness.
In truth, if Selene herself were suddenly swarmed by countless meter-high insects dripping foul mucus and stench as they leapt at her face, she would have reduced the planet to ashes as well.
"Disgusting. Those bugs were even uglier than the Demonia."
"Even if someone offered me their heads as trophies, I wouldn't take them."
...
While the Flügel were still engrossed in Alyssa's projection, Selene abruptly shifted the topic. "Ex-Machina. How many have been found so far?"
"Huh?"
Azril, temporarily serving as secretary, quickly responded: "At present, the auxiliaries have discovered one unit, the auxilia another, and the Luna Wolves have found three units…"
But Selene cut her off, answering herself: "In other words, nearly half. Very well, no need to wait. Retrieve all surviving Ex-Machina immediately."
"Yes!"
Selene turned her gaze to the Disboard world map etched in Flügel script. On it, she marked thirteen points—the locations of all remaining Ex-Machina.
The cost of slaying gods from below had been heavy.
Six thousand years ago, at the end of the Great War, the Ex-Machina had possessed around fifteen thousand units.
For Riku Dola's plan, they committed eleven link-bodies, sacrificing 4,802 machines to replicate the combined energies of Artosh's "Godly Smite," the elves' "Áka Si Anse," the dwarves' "E-Bomb," and the Dragonia's "Far Cry." This weapon, the "Stalemartyr," output at 72.8%, was entrusted to Riku.
Meanwhile, with twenty-one remaining link-bodies—9,177 units—they launched a fierce barrage against Artosh's Avant Heim faction, slaughtering over half the weakened Flügel.
Finally, 701 units challenged Artosh directly, stripping away his divinity. In the end, Riku Dola pulled the trigger of the "Stalemartyr," piercing the planet, revealing the Suniaster, and ending the war. Only twenty-eight Ex-Machina survived the battle.
Over six millennia, even those machines exceeded their operational limits. Only with time-stasis technology were thirteen preserved.
Now, these thirteen would serve one last purpose for Selene. Framed as a 'lucky treasure hunt,' the mission was issued to the troops—any soldier and their unit that recovered one would be handsomely rewarded.
It was a welfare gift from Selene to her soldiers, with a two-day deadline.
"Tell Horus to set aside diplomatic appeasement for now. I know he dislikes meaningless slaughter, but blood and fire are the prerequisites for forcing those aliens to sit quietly and listen."
"As for those resisting stubbornly, those who dare raise their heads—kill them in batches."
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