I Am Honkai

During their time spent in Conquered World No. 37 (Lelouch's world), the Second Legion has been doing more than just training. They've also been fine-tuning the Britannian and EU Knightmare Frames they captured, equipping the Auxiliary Mortal Army to operate them.

So far, the results have been promising, with the Knightmare Corps taking shape nicely.

If that's the case, it's time to send them into higher-intensity battlefields for testing. After all, Budo's Second Legion controls the original Knightmare production world and can resupply quickly.

"Order Budo to transfer two-thirds of the Knightmare Frames, now equipped with Honkai Energy power sources, to the Astartes Third Legion…."

Let Leiva take them to support the Ninth Astartes Legion, the Blood Angels, and the Sisters of Battle.

"Leiva…" At the mention of Leiva's Third Legion, the Black Templars, Selene felt a bit annoyed.

"What's with Leiva? Is he just coasting along? How has he, as one of the original Three Founding Legions, only managed to conquer around twenty worlds?"

Under the leadership of Alex, the First Legion, the Dark Angels, have already conquered over fifty worlds.

The Second Legion, the Punishers, led by Budo, slowed down slightly due to the special focus on World No. 37 for military training, but they've still conquered more than forty worlds.

Only Leiva's Third Legion, the Black Templars, lagged behind. As the third largest of the Astartes Legions, their rate of conquest had already been overtaken by some of the newer legions.

To be fair, the worlds conquered by Leiva's Black Templars were highly stable.

Whether it was worlds designated for recruitment or those for manufacturing, each one was swiftly restored to function, adding solid support for the Empire's ever-expanding Great Crusade.

One could say that the Black Templars may have conquered fewer worlds overall, but the average quality of their conquests was the highest among all the legions.

But still, Leiva seemed far too relaxed. While other legions fought fiercely, his efforts appeared almost leisurely, as though he were just coasting.

In that moment, the images of Kizaru and Lorgar Aurelian flashed through Selene's mind.

"Ugh… what an annoying thought. No, I need to give him a bit more to handle."

Selene wasn't the Emperor—she couldn't simply raze all of Leiva's conquered worlds and make the entire Third Legion of Astartes kneel in repentance.

If she did that, wouldn't people think she'd lost her mind?

"So, you're slacking off? Well then, I'll just take direct control and give you precise orders."

...

"A planetary governor?"

Standing up, Lelouch walked to the palace's glass wall, gazing out at the sprawling palace complex beyond the clouds.

"I heard that the officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that beyond the palace citadel lies the area for the common people. But… the palace grounds are just too vast, stretching endlessly out of sight."

Lelouch and his group currently occupied a reception room on the very edge of a massive single-building palace complex.

He couldn't imagine what kind of materials had been used to construct something with such incredible structural integrity, capable of supporting a palace that could essentially serve as an entire city district.

Although they were supposedly at the simplest, outermost edge of the building, one glance around showed that it was anything but plain.

Frescoes, oil paintings, and murals adorned nearly every corner, alongside lavish silver and gold sculptures. The corridors and halls gleamed with all sorts of dazzling gemstones, their opulent designs a testament to the grandeur of this place.

Whatever materials had been used for the palace's decor sparkled under the lights, emitting a gentle glow that wasn't harsh on the eyes.

Lowering his gaze, Lelouch looked through the glass down into a vast courtyard bathed in bright sunlight, filled with lush greenery. The rear garden, barely visible in the distance, connected to corridors and an expansive main hall.

Over there, Lelouch could see those golden-armored giants standing guard, encased in full armor that made them resemble immense iron-clad sentinels with an ominous, unspoken hum of power.

Now that he had been formally appointed and officially welcomed as a member of the Sacred Selene Empire, both he and his sister were assured safety, at least enough that they wouldn't be casually mistreated. With this peace of mind, Lelouch could finally take in everything around him.

Even from this distance, he could feel the chilling and intimidating presence of those silent, golden-armored Imperial Guards—a feeling that sent a shiver through him.

Their radiant armor was incomparably beautiful, an extreme level of splendor that could only befit the Imperial Guard.

"A tithe, a head tax, recruitment worlds, manufacturing worlds…"

Reaching out to touch the smooth surface of the glass window, Lelouch thought of the duties he had been assigned as governor.

"'People first, technological development, and promotion of civilizational progress.' Tch, who would've thought that such an extraordinary empire would be so focused on advancing technology and civilization?"

Typically, in worlds where power is concentrated in individuals, there's little emphasis on scientific development. Yet, the Sacred Selene Empire uniquely combines both.

They have warriors capable of leveling cities with a single blow, generals who can bring devastation across continents, and an Empress who can obliterate planets and annihilate stars.

With such a vast disparity in individual abilities, the Empire was still pushing its limits to develop technology and advance civilization. It was hard to understand—could the Empire's power really depend on its level of civilization?

"Well, that's unlikely. Maybe the Empire is only expanding, and science is just an added bonus."

Lelouch laughed at himself, little realizing that the idea he dismissed had already brought him closer to the truth.

"Forget it. The immediate priority is to restore the former Britannian Em—sigh, I mean to restore Conquered World No. 37, under the Second Astartes Legion, so that it can continue to supply and fuel the Great Crusade."

While Lelouch was mulling over his future, he heard a voice, "Governor Lelouch, Her Majesty summons you."

...

In the Third Legion Black Templars' campaign direction.

Boom, boom, boom!

A seemingly abandoned city lay before them—chaotic, filthy, revolting. Everywhere there were the remains of collapsed buildings from past battles, the ground covered in heaps of rotting blackened flesh, adding a feeling of solitude and dread.

"Ugh, is this world just full of the living dead? A total waste of time… Men! Prepare the Honkai Energy Fission Bombs for bombardment!"

"Wait, wait, Legion Commander! Hold off on that. There was once human civilization here. Even if order has been destroyed, there's still some use in it."

"Commander Leiva, we've received a document from the Ministry of War…"

—

Boom!

An Astartes warrior plummeted from the sky, landing right in the midst of a group of zombies. With a splat, they were instantly crushed to pulp, deeply embedded into the ground below.

The few zombies lucky enough to retain their spines and skulls tumbled to the ground and crawled toward the warrior, clawing and gnashing with their blackened nails and teeth.

But their attacks were utterly ineffective against the thick power armor. Breaking through the Orichalcum alloy mixed plating? Not a chance—they couldn't even scratch the paint.

"Disgusting, repulsive creatures. Compared to them, even Dr. Fashion's Dangerous Beast hybrids start to seem charming," the Astartes said through his helmet's speaker as he looked down in disgust at the zombie gnawing on his armored boot, its body barely half-intact.

Smash!

Without hesitation, he stomped down, crushing the zombie's upper body entirely. The zombie had long been dead; its blood had long since dried to a blackened crust, so there was no spray of blood or brain matter. If anything, it felt like stepping on a stale, brittle cracker.

Roar!

In this silent night, even the faintest sound of the breeze seemed unnervingly clear. How much more so, then, was the noise of an Astartes warrior, each soldier weighing several tons?

Within moments, tens of thousands of zombies emerged from every dark corner of the dead city. Covered in filth, with tattered clothing and missing limbs, they stumbled forward, their decayed throats letting out hoarse, guttural groans, all rushing toward the giant warriors in purple and gold armor.

"A world that once had a thriving civilization, only to destroy itself for some unknown reason, with all its humans turned into the living dead."

One of the Third Legion Astartes warriors in purple armor looked up at the surrounding skyscrapers. Though dilapidated and decayed, they were a testament to a world that once held productivity and order.

"Seems like a dead end. We've searched for hours, and there's not a single live body, not even on infrared scanners. A recruitment world? Unlikely… I doubt it'll even work as a manufacturing world."

"If there are no living people, then that means there could be around five or six billion zombies left… That's way too inefficient to clear out. Let's just go with orbital bombardment."

"Hey! And how can you be sure there are no survivors left? Using Honkai fission bombs from orbit would wipe out any possible survivors, and we'd lose any chance of figuring out what caused the destruction here."

The Astartes warriors of the Third Legion continued to discuss their views on this world of the undead through their helmet coms.

Each Astartes legion has its own character, heavily influenced by its commander.

For instance, the Astartes First Legion, the Dark Angels, led by Alex, fight with both high efficiency and a certain degree of humanity. During the Great Crusade, they rarely engaged in unnecessary slaughter. Those who surrendered were generally treated accordingly, and when they encountered injured humans, they'd often even offer aid.

Had Selene ordered Budo's Second Legion, the Punishers, to invade the Black Bullet world, the "Sisters of Battle" might not even have existed.

The Second Legion is cold and merciless.

The Third Legion Black Templars, led by Leiva, had a unique, somewhat contradictory style. Their fighting approach retained the aggression, discipline, and determination from Leiva's days as a general.

At the same time, having survived betrayal by Minister Honest and been saved by Selene, Leiva and his men had adopted a restrained elegance and high-level professionalism.

Their style can best be described as "steady as an old hound."

You could call them slow, but they were steady. Their internal culture was relatively relaxed, their tactics were solid and unyielding, and they preferred advancing with meticulous precision.

Selene figured this contradictory style was probably a reflection of Leiva's life experiences.

In the first half of his career, he was a bold, dashing general, full of promise and energy. After his wrongful imprisonment, he learned restraint, quietly doing his work, aiming not for greatness, but to avoid error—a bit like Kizaru clocking in and out of work.

"Enough chatter. Just follow orders and do your jobs," commanded an Astartes officer with a plume on his helmet, his voice stern. "Now, open fire and eliminate these wretched things!"

"I'd rather not let such filthy creatures stain my armor." With that, he raised his bolter and fired the first shot.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Splat! Splat! Splat!

The large-caliber bolts easily tore through the horde of zombies.

Fueled by compressed Honkai Energy, each bolt traveled at supersonic speeds, ripping through the undead like a whirlwind. Even if only brushed by the shockwave, the impact was enough to tear apart their decayed bodies, causing them to burst like dry twigs, their rotting flesh scattering onto their companions.

"Yes, sir!" the squad responded in unison.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of twisting metal as power-armored boots crushed rusted-out cars, the roaring of bolter fire, and the hum of plasma weapons—all merged into a deafening din. From an aerial view, the bolter rounds tore through the zombie horde along a stretch of road, hundreds of meters long.

It was faster than reaping wheat. In seconds, tens of thousands of zombies were cleared out.

The shattered remnants of their bodies hadn't even hit the ground when the bolter rounds embedded themselves into the skyscrapers at the end of the street.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The high-explosive payloads in each round detonated upon impact with the structures, setting off flashes of fire on the long-abandoned, moss-covered buildings.

Clink, clink, clink!

Fragments of broken glass rained down with a crisp sound. At the top of one of the buildings, the vibrations from the blast caused layers of dust to fall, revealing a giant logo.

It was a red-and-white umbrella.

"Umbrella Corporation…"

...

"With that much noise, if there are any survivors, they should have heard it…."

Standing atop one of the buildings, Leiva frowned. If they found no survivors in this city, then there would be no reason to continue the search.

At this point, he was even tempted to use a Honkai Energy fission bombs to finish it all in one go.

After all, every part of this world they'd observed so far looked the same—everywhere was filled with these rotting things, with no observable traces of human order.

"Commander Leiva, we've received a directive from the Ministry of War…"

"A directive from the Ministry of War?"

Leiva turned his attention from watching his soldiers clean up the undead and looked to his legion's champion. "What's going on, Hak Foo?"

Draped in an intricately designed power armor with a regal purple and gold trim, his right pauldron bore the engraving of a coiling deep blue dragon, its head raised to the sky in a fierce roar. The dragon's winding body intertwined with the bold, gilt-inscribed numeral "Ⅲ," and a gray cloak hung over his shoulder.

Removing his helmet, which he held against his forearm, Hak Foo's deep red hair, shaped oddly like a starfish, was exposed. Glancing around nervously, he murmured softly, "Commander Leiva, it seems Her Majesty isn't entirely pleased with our progress. Compared to General Alex and Grand Marshal Budo's pace, our legion's worlds may be high in post-conquest quality, but the efficiency… well, it's less impressive."

After a pause, Hak Foo cleared his throat and solemnly continued, "By order of the Ministry of War, carrying out Her Majesty's decree:

'Effective immediately, Commander Leiva's Astartes Third Legion, Black Templars, is to be reorganized. In addition to its duties under the Great Crusade, it is assigned the added designation of the Astartes Strategic Support Unit.'"

"The first batch of Honkai Energy-powered Knightmare Frames has already been transferred to the Logistics Department; please prepare to receive them."

"Your first Strategic Support mission: deploy part of the force to support the Astartes Ninth Legion, the Blood Angels, and the Sisters of Battle. No errors will be tolerated!"

Listening attentively to Selene's decree, Leiva noted the lack of any direct criticism or reprimands. It was a polished message, yet written between the lines was a distinct sense of urgency—a hint to "speed things up."

"Uh…"

Her Majesty's intentions were indeed considerate, using the restructuring of his legion as "strategic support" to nudge him without openly rebuking him. The Ministry of War preserved his dignity before the empire, and within the legion, his authority remained intact.

But if Her Majesty had wanted to, she could have simply reprimanded him harshly and aired his shortcomings. Becoming the "first Astartes Legion to be chastised"—even Leiva wouldn't try to spin that as "Her Majesty's affection." He didn't want this dubious honor.

Finally catching the deeper meaning of the decree, Leiva—who was usually calm and composed—found himself a bit embarrassed. His gaze turned blank, and a slight twitch formed at the corner of his mouth.

This… Her Majesty was treating him like a toad that only hopped when poked. This was shameful as a loyal servant.

But… perhaps he had been slacking off recently. No, he couldn't let himself be this idle. Just efficiency, right? Well, time to turn it around!

Suddenly, beep-beep-beep!

The power armor's embedded communicator buzzed from the magnetic holster on his waist. Leiva froze, realizing this device, the legion commander's seal, allowed only those directly authorized by Her Majesty to initiate communication.

And now, right after receiving the official directive, there could be only one explanation—this had to be Her Majesty's personal reprimand.

"LEIVA!!!"

For a moment, it felt as if a sandstorm had ravaged Leiva's mind.

"What's going on with you lately?! Are you taking it easy on the job or simply loafing around? I don't even have as much free time as you…"

"…Now, immediately, send your forces to support the Blood Angels and Sisters of Battle. Don't mess this up!"

...

Meanwhile, in the outer palace of the Honkai Dimension, at the barracks of the Special Hunter Unit (The Jaegers).

Alongside the grand pillars, which shone brilliantly in the light from the vaulted ceiling, ornate murals and masterfully crafted carvings in gold and silver adorned the palace's halls.

"Cornelia, Akame, Kurome, Natala, Bols, Seryu, Wave, Tatsumi… it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Crisp footsteps echoed through the hall as Esdeath's confident face was reflected in the polished, gilded tiles.

"Cap…Captain?!"

The members of the Jaegers, stunned, recognized the figure before them. It had been years, and her entire demeanor had changed.

With a look of pleasant surprise, Cornelia stepped forward, closely inspecting Esdeath's new appearance. "Captain, this new outfit is amazing!" she said with delight.

Compared to her past imperial uniform, Esdeath now wore a much more elaborate ensemble: a deep blue-and-black outfit adorned with hexagonal white patterns, a navy-blue cape with white accents, and an ensemble of white stockings and high heels decorated with blue motifs.

It was perfectly in line with the increasingly lavish aesthetic of the Sacred Selene Empire, where grandeur conveyed rank and prestige. Since conquering so many worlds, the empire was no longer lacking for precious metals like gold and silver.

Selene could likely afford to build every citizen a house made of pure gold and still have plenty to spare.

"Lavish, yes, but the power it grants came at a cost."

Raising her hand, Esdeath summoned a frigid blue aura that caused her forearms to darken to a deep shade of blue. Icicles began to coil around her hands.

"So… cold…"

Even though the ceramic, glassware, and aquariums around them remained unaffected, the members of the Jaegers felt the rapid chill seize them, turning their skin pallid.

Whoosh…

Seeing their reaction, Esdeath quickly withdrew the Honkai ice power and gently exhaled, letting them warm up again.

The precision with which she controlled the drop in temperature now far surpassed her Teigu, Demon's Extract.

Clap, clap.

Esdeath looked up, clapping her hands with a faint smile. "Prepare yourselves. We'll have a reunion banquet later. For now, let's see how much you've slacked off these past few years."

Akame, holding a plate heaped with danger beast meat, paused mid-bite and asked indistinctly, "Captain… are we headed to the training grounds?"

"No, straight to battle."

"Orders from Her Majesty—to lead the Jaegers to support the Astartes Thirteenth Legion, the Ultramarines. Their sheer size and scale make them ill-suited for stealth missions…"