I Am Honkai

In outer space, watching Rick and the others and seeing them discover her "handiwork," Selene nodded in satisfaction. Though she claimed to pursue power at any cost, she couldn't entirely extinguish her humanity.

Before returning, she wiped out the zombie virus from the entire Earth.

"It's over. Time to go back."

After making her choice, Selene experienced a distortion of her vision, as if the surrounding scenery twisted into an abstract painting. Through her spatial awareness, she felt herself being transported elsewhere.

...

Academy City, District 2, Destiny Research Institute, underground warehouse.

Amid a strong purple-red glow, a circular portal appeared in mid-air within the underground warehouse. Amid the ripples, a black high-heeled shoe with orange trim was the first to step into this world.

Selene, dressed in her Herrscher attire, emerged.

After she stepped out, the portal vanished like a black hole.

"Ugh!" Selene clutched her head and collapsed to the floor, feeling weak and sensing the world's faint rejection.

As expected, after devouring the world core, the aura of a world invader she bore would make every world reject her. If she weren't considered a "native" of this world, the suppressive force would likely be stronger.

"This weakness, is it really because I'm out of the world core's domain?"

"Nevertheless, I've gained a lot. I need to familiarize myself with this new power." Closing her eyes, Selene could now clearly perceive the internal connections of the electromagnetic field, which she could manipulate and eliminate.

She nodded in satisfaction, pleased with her new ability. Mastering electromagnetic fields was far better than she had hoped; electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of the universe!

Through her electromagnetic perception, she confirmed that the institute was empty, likely because it was nighttime. She began to slowly ascend, silently melding into the walls.

Selene needed to visit the office to check the date and determine whether the flow of time differed between worlds.

She had left after taking a month's leave from Tokiwadai Middle School, and she had been in The Walking Dead world for about twenty days, so she should not be overdue.

The electronic clock hanging on the wall showed the current time. Everything around was spotless, and a stack of new documents was neatly placed in the center of the desk, indicating that the place was well-maintained.

"So it's three days after leaving the A Certain Magical Index world? And I spent over half a month in another world. It seems the time flow is indeed different."

Selene glanced at the electronic clock on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

She was still on leave and hadn't missed the start of the school term, so there was no need to fabricate an excuse.

Sitting on the sofa, reflecting on this experience, she felt as if she hadn't done much. The whole process was like a relaxed excursion, with no pressure.

Initially, when she entered The Walking Dead world, her plan was to hide in the city for ten to fifteen days, relying on her ample supplies until her abilities recovered, and then directly devour the world core to complete her Herrscher transformation.

But upon encountering the story's characters, she couldn't resist helping them, which led to unexpected developments. She never expected to be so kind-hearted.

"Oh well, plans can't keep up with changes; that's common."

Selene shook her head. She had already reaped all possible benefits from The Walking Dead world, and her power had increased. Helping them was a fair trade-off.

"Right now, the most important thing is to adapt to my current state."

Thinking this, Selene glanced at the newly appeared panel in her vision. It was too monotonous; it needed some embellishments.

"Got it!"

Inspired by a certain monthly template, Selene added many new details to the panel.

Name: Selene von Habsburg

Race: Herrscher

Gender: Female

Height/Weight: 174 cm / 54 kg

Attribute: Honkai

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Innate Abilities:

[Absolute Honkai Resistance]: Originating from the Kaslana bloodline, which also possesses traits like 'super strength,' 'robustness,' and 'resilience,' its essence was further elevated post-Herrscher transformation.

[Honkai Manipulation]: Originally from the Schariac bloodline, post-Herrscher transformation, it grants immense Honkai energy manipulation and absolute control over Honkai.

[Space Manipulation]: Capable of creating imaginary space overlaid on real space for attack and defense. Imaginary space refers to any space outside the four-dimensional space (real space) we inhabit, with potentially infinite variants. Selene's ability connects imaginary and real spaces, projecting imaginary objects into real space, turning them into tangible forms.

[Electromagnetic Field Mastery]: Absolute control over electromagnetic forces. Selene can expand it based on her understanding, with applications like "super electromagnetic fields insulating against physical and energy attacks" and "electromagnetic pulses breaking molecular bonds."

Skills: Space Teleportation, Imaginary Space, Hand of the Void, Subspace Spear, Subspace Band, Imaginary Transformation, Imaginary Barrier, Space Transfer, Imaginary Claw, Dimensional Descent, Space-Time Shock, Space-Time Imprisonment, Phase Traversal, Imaginary Cube, Honkai Arrow, Imaginary Lance... (too many to list).

The new panel gave Selene a more intuitive understanding of her transformation.

Due to her Herrscher transformation, her race had fundamentally changed. She could now survive solely by absorbing imaginary energy, without the need to eat.

At the same time, her physical capabilities had improved tremendously. Her raw arm strength was now measured in tons, enabling her to dismantle city blocks barehanded without using any powers.

Among the updates, the most crucial was undoubtedly the [Space Manipulation] ability.

This was Selene's most familiar and highly developed ability. Manipulating space essentially means controlling imaginary space, linking imaginary and real spaces to project imaginary objects into reality for manipulation.

The [Honkai Manipulation] marked a significant shift in her panel.

Honkai is the source of all Honkai energy, and mastering it meant Selene had transitioned from a transporter to a producer.

Previously, Selene's [Honkai Energy Manipulation] involved extracting Honkai energy from imaginary space, with no ability to produce it herself. Post-Herrscher transformation, [Honkai Energy Manipulation] evolved into [Honkai Manipulation], elevating its essence. She now serves as a Honkai source point, capable of generating Honkai energy with a mere thought.

The newly acquired [Electromagnetic Field Mastery] enables control over electromagnetic forces, offering immense potential for development.

Her strength had increased several times compared to before crossing worlds. While she hadn't reached Lv6 as an absolute ability user, she had far exceeded the Lv5 superpower category.

This gain was significant. Though she had a strong desire for power, she wasn't insatiable.

"What I need to do now is quickly adapt to the rapid increase in my strength, ensuring my power isn't unstable."

Moreover, she needed to explore her [Electromagnetic Field Mastery] to enhance her abilities.

With her future plans set, Selene began reviewing the files left on the desk.

As she opened the folder, Selene sensed Shuji Matsuzaki's presence approaching the office.

Wearing a white lab coat, Shuji Matsuzaki opened the office door and, upon seeing Selene, revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

"Boss, when did you return?"

Selene paused, continuing to review the documents, as she replied to Shuji Matsuzaki.

"I've just returned."

"Everything is well-managed, very orderly."

Hearing Selene's praise, a subtle expression of relief appeared on Shuji Matsuzaki's face.

"Thank you for acknowledging my work, Boss."

Selene waved her hand dismissively, a slight smile on her lips. "You're still so modest."

Then she shifted the topic, "You came at the right time; I have a new task for you. The machine guard project needs to expand production."

"After testing, its performance is sufficient to handle standard combat environments. It's ready for export."

Shuji Matsuzaki understood the principle of "don't ask unnecessary questions" and wouldn't dwell on where Selene tested it. He pondered for a moment upon hearing her plan, "Are you considering exporting within or outside the city? If outside Academy City, you'll need to inform the Board of Directors. If within, you can simply sell it to the security forces."

"Both, but prioritize Academy City for now. Once we scale up and mature the technology, we'll expand internationally."

"Understood!"

...

Three days later.

Selene could clearly feel that as time passed, this world's hostility toward her rapidly diminished.

This was expected for Selene, who had some "native" status in this world. The A Certain Magical Index world was still quite accommodating to her.

During this time, Selene had sorted through the institute's recent developments and adjusted to the weakness caused by leaving the world core.

It was akin to having a domain; in The Walking Dead world, her combat strength could increase exponentially, making it her home ground.

For instance, if Selene's normal combat strength was 1, in The Walking Dead world, it would be 7 or even more than 10, but leaving that world would bring it back to 1.

Entering a completely unfamiliar world would have the opposite effect, and varying degrees of rejection might suppress her differently, requiring time to adapt and restore her combat power.

After organizing her gains and the matters of Destiny Research Institute, Selene remembered her other identity—a board member.

Since acquiring her position on the Board of Directors, she hadn't paid attention to it. That wouldn't do, as the position could be a great asset if used well.

It wasn't realistic for Selene to manage it herself. She lacked the necessary knowledge and had no interest in the scheming within the board. It would be better to find someone to handle it for her while she served as a deterrent.

Selene rubbed her temples in frustration, "But who should I choose?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration brought to mind the image of a certain butler, and she had an idea.

"I've got it!"