Rumble—
The spacecraft flew toward the central island of the floating continent cluster.
At the heart of the spiral-shaped floating island cluster lay the city of Corna di Luce, which was also home to the headquarters of the Winged Guard.
"Mm..."
"Simply put, there are three things we need to accomplish in this universe."
Setsuna brought up a detailed map on the holographic interface.
"First, take control of the entire world and incorporate it into the territory of the Starsea Empire. That's standard procedure when conquering a new world."
"Second, eliminate the threat posed by the Beasts and terraform the planet. Right now, the entire planetary surface has been occupied by Beasts. We need to take it back."
"Third, take the Leprechauns with us and perform biological and genetic surgery on them to resolve their lifespan and erosion problems."
"Oh!"
Jibril, Raven, Yae Sakura, Yae Rin, and the others listened attentively to his orders.
All exploration or conquest of other worlds could essentially be summarized into three tasks: eliminate the threats facing the world, unify the world, and recruit companions.
As for the subsequent administrative work, Sophon and the Angeloids would take care of it.
"Are we going to exterminate the Beasts first?"
Jibril looked eager to give it a try.
"According to our intelligence, the Sixth Beast will invade Floating Island No. 15 in a little over ten days. We can take the initiative and sweep the planet's surface first."
"Aside from the First Beast, Chanteur, I think the other Beasts should be pretty easy to deal with? Even Sirin might be able to beat them."
As she spoke, she patted Sirin and the Yae sisters on the head.
"Grgh..."
The little girls were displeased at being treated as units of combat power.
"Ah!"
Chtholly stared at the projected information in astonishment. She realized that these aliens knew many things even she had never heard of.
Even the Winged Guard knew less about the Beasts than they did. The map had even marked the activity zones of numerous "Beasts," with coordinates accurate down to the centimeter.
"No."
Setsuna shook his head.
"Solving the Beast problem is important, but before that, we need to unify this world and bring all the floating continents and islands under the administration of the Starsea Empire."
"Once the world is unified, we'll deal with the external threat. Otherwise, they'll cause trouble every few days. As the saying goes, to repel external threats, first secure the interior. Mm."
...
The city of Corna di Luce.
Inside the magnificent palace at the heart of the Winged Guard headquarters, an elderly man in robes was leafing through ancient texts.
"Mm... The salvage team found something in a frozen lake a few days ago? They even hauled up a stone statue?"
"Then there's the management of the fairy warehouse, the power and energy systems of Floating Islands No. 15 and No. 16..."
"We need to form two more salvage teams to investigate the ruins on the surface..."
He dealt with one issue after another, each concerning the survival and security of the floating continent cluster.
Souwong Kandel.
The creator and guardian of the floating continent cluster, known as the "Great Sage," was a five-hundred-year-old spellcaster who had already spent several centuries here.
Five hundred years ago, during the campaign against the Visitors, he had been killed by one of the Poteau protecting them. Before his consciousness disappeared, he inscribed a spell upon himself, interfering with his own life-form and transforming himself into an immortal.
When the surface was destroyed and humanity underwent wholesale bestialization, he led the survivors into the sky, established the floating continent cluster, guided the development of civilization, and sustained the operation of the floating islands.
Aside from handling the daily administration of the floating continents and islands, his most important responsibilities were resisting attacks from the "Beasts" and managing the fairy soldiers.
"An adult fairy soldier has gone missing from the fairy warehouse? What happened?!"
Souwong frowned as he listened to the soldier's report.
"A fairy soldier named Chtholly Nota Seniorious disappeared near the marketplace on Floating Island No. 28."
"Witnesses reported seeing a spacecraft take her away."
"A spacecraft?"
Souwong grew even more puzzled.
"Which island did it belong to? It wasn't from a trading company or the Winged Guard?"
"We don't know. We can only confirm that it belonged to other Disfeatured. It wasn't displaying any known insignia."
The soldier answered.
"Tch..."
Souwong fell into confusion.
Adult fairy soldiers were important tools and weapons in the fight against the Beasts. Casualties during battle were inconsequential, but losing one outside combat was entirely unacceptable.
"Send two more squads and bring her back."
"Yes—"
He had only just finished giving the order.
Suddenly.
Rumble—
Another humming roar came from the sky, followed by the shrill wail of alarms.
"The Sixth Beast is invading?!"
Souwong and the guards were shocked.
This was the very heart of the entire floating city cluster, and only the Sixth Beast, which possessed the ability to fly, could reach it from the surface.
But they quickly realized that something was wrong.
Whoosh—
More than a hundred Angeloids descended from the sky on beating wings, surrounding the entire floating island from above.
The technological gap between the two sides was simply too great. It took almost no effort for them to disable every defensive force on the ground.
Even the starships originally docked at the air harbor were seized immediately.
Bzzzt—
A holographic interface snapped open in front of Souwong.
Sophon appeared in the projection.
"This is the Starsea Empire. We are currently taking control of this world."
"From this point onward, the floating continents and islands will be administered by the Starsea Empire. We will properly resettle their inhabitants, eliminate the threat posed by the Beasts, and lead humanity back to the surface."
"Until then, the trading companies, the Winged Guard, and every floating island must obey the directives of the Starsea Empire and accept unified command."
She announced their intentions in a cold voice, her gaze sweeping across everyone from the trading companies and Winged Guard, sending chills down their spines.
"!!!"
"Huh?! Aliens?!"
"Again?!"
Souwong was stunned.
As a former member of the hero's party who had lived for five hundred years, his capacity for understanding such things was somewhat greater than that of ordinary people.
It took him almost no effort to accept the fact that aliens were invading.
The Visitors came here from another world aboard a spacecraft too. So what if another group has shown up?
"Cease all resistance immediately, then come forward to meet the Commander."
Sophon signaled the Angeloids to break through the perimeter, and two of them landed on either side of him.
"We hope to take control of this world peacefully while minimizing casualties. If the trading companies and the Winged Guard have other ideas... you will bear the consequences."
"Hiss—"
Souwong looked up. The angels had crushed the floating city's defensive forces in an instant.
He had no doubt whatsoever that the spacecraft carried other weapons as well.
Since the other side was willing to communicate, recklessly starting a battle was not a wise choice. It would be better to first hear what they had to say.
"Are you... Visitors too?"
Souwong noticed that Sophon and the people visible in the background bore some resemblance to the Visitors as he remembered them. He couldn't shake the feeling that these people who had arrived aboard a spacecraft were somehow of the same kind.
"No. What you understand as Visitors and true gods are worlds apart."
"Have you ever witnessed the power of a god?"
...
"Commander, we've brought them."
A little later.
On the spacecraft's bridge, the Angeloids half-escorted and half-guided Souwong and a group of strange-looking creatures before Setsuna.
When conquering a world, Setsuna naturally had no reason to personally run around meeting every local leader one by one.
He simply had the Angeloids bring all of them aboard. Even if someone was unwilling, a beating would quickly make them willing.
"Tch, what a bunch of weirdos."
Raven sat off to the side with her sniper rifle in her arms and clicked her tongue.
Leading the group was the Great Sage, Souwong Kandel. At a glance, he looked no different from the sort of archmage commonly seen in fantasy worlds.
However, because of the effects of his spells, he had transformed into something resembling an undead being, making Herta frown repeatedly as she looked at him.
Beside him stood a humanoid creature covered in scales that closely resembled a lizardman.
"Graycrack, First-Class Officer of the Winged Guard."
He introduced himself in a deep voice.
"I'm primarily responsible for fighting the Beasts and commanding the Leprechauns in battle."
On the other side was a cat-eared maid pushing a specially made wheelchair. Resting on the seat was an enormous black skull nearly half as tall as a person.
The moment the skull saw Setsuna, golden light flared within its hollow eye sockets, and it suddenly bounced upright from the wheelchair cushion.
After sweeping its gaze across everyone nearby, its jaw began opening and closing as it shouted:
"Aliens! You have a starship too?!"
"Disfeatured... No, wait. Are you of Elq's race?! Where did you come from?!"
It was extremely agitated, bouncing up and down in the wheelchair.
"???"
"What is that thing?!"
Sirin, Yae Sakura, and the other children jumped in fright.
The skull seemed as excited as someone meeting an old friend in a foreign land and nearly bounced right out of the wheelchair.
"Is it you?... Are you still here? Did you come from another world?"
"Ah... But this world is already on the verge of destruction, and this starship is even smaller than the original one..."
"Five hundred years ago, humanity... humanity actually dared to..."
Bang—
"Calm down. We're not the Visitors you're talking about."
Herta's puppet pulled out a hammer and knocked it back down.
Then she poked the strange skull a few times.
"Tch. It seems to be some kind of magical life-form, but this thing is barely alive..."
"I'd guess its complete form was originally much larger?"
"That's right. He's the Poteau Ebon Candle."
Setsuna smiled.
Ebon Candle was a guardian of the Visitors and one of the three Poteau.
Five hundred years ago, humanity formed a hero's party to attack the Visitors in order to obtain fragments of them. It was Ebon Candle, Jade Nail, and Carmine Lake, the three Poteau, who stood in the hero's party's way.
After a fierce battle, Ebon Candle's body was completely burned away by the hero's party, and after his defeat, he slept for more than a hundred years.
Together with Souwong Kandel, who had become an immortal, he later created the floating continent cluster and the race of Leprechauns.
The being before them now was merely a small remnant of the former Poteau that had luckily retained its consciousness.
"Oh..."
Herta stared at it in fascination, already calculating a whole series of experiments she could perform with the thing.
After all, it wasn't a citizen of the Starsea Empire. It had no human rights.
"Ahem—"
The Great Sage Souwong cleared his throat and stepped forward first.
Surrounded by angels, he felt as though he were having an audience with an emperor.
Setsuna sat at one end of the bridge, surrounded by accompanying Flügel and Angeloids such as Jibril and Ikaros, giving off an imposing air.
"I am Souwong Kandel, humanity's Great Sage and Grand Spellmaster of the Polar Star."
"May I ask where Your Excellency has come from, and for what purpose?..."
"Do the merchant nations and the Winged Guard answer to you?"
Setsuna swept his gaze over them and spoke unhurriedly.
"Simply put, from now on, the entire floating continent cluster will be taken over by the Starsea Empire, including all political, economic, military, and other affairs."
"This world will exist as a vassal world of the Starsea Empire and fall under Imperial jurisdiction."
"Of course, the Starsea Empire will also deal with the threat posed by the Beasts on this planet and lead humanity back to the surface."
"This is an order. There will be no objections and no bargaining. If you accept, the transfer of authority can begin immediately."
"Provided the handover is peaceful, I guarantee your personal safety. Otherwise, we'll simply have to resolve the problem another way."
As he spoke, Jibril, standing nearby as a guard, gave them a dangerously benevolent smile, while Ikaros held her great bow in hand, ready to fight at any moment.
Setsuna had no particular opinion of the Great Sage, the merchant associations, or the Winged Guard. Over the long years, they had protected civilization and ensured its continuation.
As for the tangled history between humanity, the Visitors, the Poteau, and the other races, it was impossible to judge right and wrong in a sentence or two. He hadn't come here to act as a judge.
All he needed to do was establish a new order in this world from now on.
"Ah!"
Souwong, Graycrack, and Ebon Candle were startled.
"That's... remarkably straightforward."
They exchanged glances.
Setsuna hadn't bothered with the slightest pretense. With astonishing frankness, he had directly told them that he had come to conquer their world.
It was absolute confidence in his own strength, almost as though he were issuing commands from far above them.
The implication behind his words was obvious. Surrendering early would be better for everyone. Otherwise, they could go back and prepare for a fight to the death.
"You have five minutes to consider it. The Commander's patience is limited."
Jibril reminded them.
"I hope you'll give us a satisfactory answer. Oh, but it doesn't matter if you don't. I certainly wouldn't mind getting a little exercise~"
Compared with Elysia, Jibril was far more belligerent. She was practically hoping the natives would start a fight.
"Uh..."
Time passed second by second.
Souwong fell into deep thought. The man, the lizardman, and the skull exchanged another round of glances.
Even without an external invasion, the floating continents were already struggling to survive beneath the threat of the Beasts and an ongoing energy crisis.
He had no doubt whatsoever that if they fought another war against the Starsea Empire, the entire floating island cluster would simply be finished. With their very survival already in jeopardy, war was the worst possible choice.
Another part of Setsuna's proposal caught his attention.
"Your Excellency said... you can eliminate the threat of the Beasts and allow us to return to the surface?!"
He had persevered for so long, going so far as to create the Leprechauns, train them into weapons of war, and pay terrible prices to salvage Dug Weapons, all for the sake of one day launching a counteroffensive.
He wanted to lead humanity and all the races of the floating continents back to life on the surface.
"Mm. Provided you accept my command."
Setsuna yawned.
"Once this place falls under the Starsea Empire's administration, dealing with threats on the planet is naturally our responsibility."
"We'll completely terraform the planet, restore the land destroyed by the Beasts, and rebuild civilization on the surface."
"Uh..."
Souwong thought for a moment.
"But retaking the surface is by no means easy. The Sixth Beast requires only six to eight hours to completely occupy and destroy an entire floating island. Then there are the First Beast, Second Beast, and Fourth Beast hidden below..."
"Unless they're completely exterminated, I'm afraid..."
He expressed his concerns as tactfully as possible.
"Oh, so you're worried we can't do it?"
Setsuna understood the implication and smiled.
Whoosh—
A wave of Imaginary energy spread outward.
Souwong and Ebon Candle instinctively attempted to resist with magic, but before Setsuna, they were like leaves caught in a raging storm, instantly swallowed by the torrent of energy.
Rumble!—
The spacecraft trembled.
Looking down, they saw Imaginary energy engulf the entire floating city cluster in an instant.
Crack.
Setsuna cast his gaze downward as the sound of space itself twisting echoed around them.
Every floating continent trembled.
"An earthquake?!"
Cries of shock and alarm erupted one after another from the islands below.
"!!!"
"You're stronger than the heroes... No, stronger than the Visitors!!!"
Ebon Candle's skull let out a hoarse shout.
Under the overwhelming pressure, Souwong and Graycrack felt as though an immense mountain had suddenly descended onto their shoulders. With a thud, they involuntarily dropped to their knees and found themselves completely unable to rise again.
As fellow wielders of magic, neither of them doubted for even an instant that Setsuna could reduce every floating continent to dust with a single thought.
The entire floating island cluster, the entire planet, even the sun in the sky were nothing more than objects he could toy with at will with a mere thought.
From body to soul, Souwong felt as though an unimaginably powerful existence had merely glanced at him. The disparity between their strength was so vast that he couldn't muster even the slightest thought of resistance.
Though the two of them were physically close, it felt as though an uncrossable chasm separated them.
Even speaking to Setsuna required tremendous courage. If Setsuna stopped restraining his presence, the pressure alone could tear them to pieces.
"Haah... haah..."
Souwong and Graycrack pressed their foreheads against the floor, drenched in cold sweat and not daring to raise their heads.
The Visitors had once been the strongest beings in this world, but compared with the true "Aeon" who had come from another world, their power was utterly insignificant.
Only after some time had passed.
When the energy Setsuna had casually released gradually dissipated, the two finally sat back up, panting heavily like survivors who had narrowly escaped death.
When they looked at Setsuna again, their gazes were filled not only with curiosity, but also fear and shock.
"Understand now?"
Setsuna smiled at them.
"Any other questions? So, what have you decided?"
"...No. We are willing to obey Your Excellency's commands."