I Am Honkai

"Judging by the time, the Board should have received the report by now."

Sitting in her student dormitory, Selene turned on the television, idly cross-legged on the sofa, watching the latest news from Academy City. She pondered her plan for meeting with Aleister and what conditions to propose.

Suddenly, Selene frowned.

Her spatial awareness detected hidden life signals.

She instantly activated spatial lock, covering the entire 500-square-meter dormitory range. Selene half-squinted her eyes and spoke calmly: "Will you come out on your own, or should I drag you out and crush you?"

"Wait, please wait!" a panicked voice called out from the balcony. It was a rather pleasant female voice.

A girl about fifteen years old with a lovely appearance walked out.

She had fiery red hair tied into two bunches behind her head, wearing a winter uniform with nothing on her upper body except a light pink band wrapped around her chest like a bandage and a very short miniskirt. This outfit seemed deliberately provocative.

Her expression was particularly tense, on the verge of tears.

"Is this the first-ranked? Such keen perception, the gap is too wide."

She had barely arrived and done nothing, yet was instantly detected and had her space sealed off. Her Coordinate Movement was rendered unusable.

Looking at the flustered and cold-sweating girl who appeared in her home, Selene, based on her distinctive revealing outfit, immediately recognized her.

Musujime Awaki, with the ability "Coordinate Movement," a Level 4 Esper, appointed by Aleister as a guide.

Her Level 4 ability, Coordinate Movement, allows her to move objects in space without touching them. The weight limit is 4,520 kilograms, and the maximum movement distance exceeds 800 meters.

However, due to a mishap in controlling her ability, she once got stuck in a wall, which left an indelible psychological shadow, causing her to lose control when moving objects weighing over a ton and requiring reference points for calculation, taking three seconds to activate.

She has great potential; without these flaws, she could have been assessed as Level 5.

"Someone wants to see you, first-ranked 'Will of Honkai,'" Musujime Awaki said sincerely, trying to calm herself. She had seen the report yesterday, and the first-ranked's overwhelming strength made her dare not slack off.

"Someone wants to see me?"

Selene muttered on the surface, her expression unchanged, but inside she was overjoyed, "Finally here."

She intended to draw the Board's attention by revealing Honkai energy, prompting Aleister to meet with her voluntarily.

"Let's go." Selene stood up, releasing the spatial lock, speaking indifferently.

Typically, Musujime Awaki could not move another Level 4 spatial ability user, nor could she move a Level 5 Esper, as a Level 5's AIM field was too strong; if they used their ability, Awaki couldn't move them.

However, Selene was special; when using her ability, her AIM field could emit or not, entirely depending on her will. Her spatial ability had no intrinsic conflict, allowing other spatial users to move her if she permitted it.

Thus, an ability developer once aptly described Selene's power: "Double standard!"

With Selene releasing her limits, Awaki calculated the location in three seconds, waved her hand, and Selene instantly disappeared, transported to the interior of the "Windowless Building."

Her vision instantly darkened. The room was enormous, yet it had no lighting equipment. It was filled with electronic displays like stars. Countless instruments extended from the room, with tens of thousands of cables and pipes running along the floor and walls like blood vessels, all converging in the center, the largest light source in the room.

There stood a massive cylindrical structure, four meters in diameter and ten meters long, a life-support device. Within, a silver-haired human in a green surgical gown floated upside down, observing her with eyes devoid of emotion.

A mechanically synthesized voice emanated from the room's surroundings. "First-time visitors here experience various emotions: fear, curiosity, awe... Yet, you seem devoid of these emotions, instead brimming with curiosity about my manner of existence."

Selene did not answer directly, leisurely approaching the life-support device, asking, "Director, what's the reason for meeting me? It's unlikely just for a chat, right?"

As described, "Like a man and a woman, an adult and a child, a saint and a sinner."

Though wary, Selene felt no fear looking at the upside-down figure before her. It wasn't clear if it was due to the powers of the Herrscher of the Void and the Honkai as her backing, or if her personality was influenced by Sirin, leaving her devoid of fear and trepidation.

As the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Selene cut straight to the chase.

Aleister paid no heed to Selene's demeanor, his voice flat, "I invited you here to seek answers, Selene, regarding what you injected into the third one's body. I assume I don't need to elaborate."

Selene's thoughts immediately became active. After a brief pause, she replied, "Director, you must mean the imaginary energy I extracted from endless space (imaginary space), which I've named Honkai energy."

"Oh? Honkai energy. No wonder your codename is 'Will of Honkai.'"

"It seems the Director has begun studying the characteristics of Honkai energy."

"Indeed, Selene, the potential of Honkai energy in the future cannot be overlooked."

"Then, Director, what do you need me to do?" Selene asked, appearing utterly clueless, with a naive look.

Observing Selene's poor acting, Aleister saw through her intent to negotiate terms. "Name your terms. I hope you can provide Honkai energy for Academy City's research."

Thus, Selene laid her cards on the table, no longer feigning ignorance, revealing her intentions. "I can agree, but I have three conditions. First, I hope to enter the Board. Second, I want a dedicated research institute. Third, I hope the Academy won't involve me in unnecessary incidents."

Selene's conditions were well-considered.

First, Academy City lacks politicians; it is governed by capitalist directors overseeing various aspects such as economics, weapons, infrastructure, school operations, research investment, etc. Directors enjoy aristocratic privileges and substantial benefits. Selene proposed this to give back to the Brauchitsch couple and because her future research would require vast resources.

Second, establishing or acquiring a research institute would support her ability development, identify weaknesses, and enhance her power, laying the foundation for forming her influence.

Third, this hinted at her stance to Aleister: non-interference, non-support, non-opposition.

Aleister pondered for a moment, then said meaningfully, "The second and third conditions are acceptable. Regarding the first, I can grant you eligibility, but with only 12 seats on the Board, joining will depend on your own efforts."

Although he didn't directly agree to the first condition, Selene was satisfied. She initially estimated achieving two out of three objectives would be good. "Agreed, then what amount of Honkai energy should I provide?"

"What is your current capacity for extracting Honkai energy?"

Naturally, she planned to downplay it, Selene thought, stretching out her hands. A red particle began to coalesce, forming a 10 cm red "cube" floating in her hand. "This is roughly my monthly extraction."

"We'll set this as the monthly quota."

"I have no objections."

"Then this concludes our conversation. You may leave." Aleister closed his eyes, seemingly entering a trance.

"Thank you, Director Aleister, a gentle reminder: Honkai energy bio-enhancement has severe side effects..." As her voice trailed off, Selene vanished.

Silence...

In the darkness, Aleister reopened his eyes, "It seems we are of the same ilk, Selene."

Aleister's ultimate goal is to use the "Imaginary Number District" to create a new [layer] not found in Kabbalah, Buddhism, Christianity, Shinto, or Hinduism—an [artificial heaven]. Once the [artificial heaven] is completed, it would signify the destruction of all magic.

Whenever a magician attempts to use magic, their body will explode. Temples or sanctuaries upheld by magical power will collapse, with similar phenomena occurring across any religion, halting magical activities worldwide in one fell swoop.

Selene's abilities do not fall under the magic category; she has no magical fluctuations or affiliations with any magical organizations. They have no conflicting interests; instead, there are many commonalities, making it possible to draw her to their side.

If adversarial, Selene's abilities would be formidable even for Aleister to handle. Thus, Aleister readily agreed to Selene's terms.

Aleister's gaze shifted to the small "cube" left by Selene, emitting an eerie red glow. "Inform them, under the pretext of promoting the first-ranked's ability breakthrough, prepare a dedicated research institute for her..."

...

In truth, Selene harbors little hostility toward Aleister.

Aleister may seem emotionless, but his emotions are more intense than anyone else's. Otherwise, he wouldn't have turned against the Magic Gods because of his daughter's death, abandoning his position as the leader of the magic side. Such actions require intense emotions.

Returning to her dormitory, Selene couldn't help but sigh.

But what's happening to me? Wasn't I supposed to act cautiously? Why do I feel a bit inflated?