NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 101: Chapter 101 - Nuclear
After witnessing the death of Takashi Komuro with her own eyes, Takagi Saya returned to her family's mansion. Her steps were heavy, her soul seemingly pulled into a void. Once inside, she immediately embraced her mother, Takagi Yuriko.
The tears she had been holding back finally burst forth in her mother's warm embrace. She cried—for the first time since her father died.
"I've... avenged Father..." she whispered weakly, her voice nearly breaking. "But why... does it feel so empty?"
Takagi Yuriko didn't answer. She merely stroked her daughter's hair, letting her cry until the afternoon faded. Perhaps this was the one moment where Takagi Saya could simply be a daughter again—not a leader, not a symbol of strength, not an executor of vengeance.
---
Meanwhile, Reuel lived in a state that... couldn't exactly be called bad. Lately, whether with Takagi Yuriko or Kiriko Miyamoto, his life had been comfortable. Almost too comfortable for a world on the brink of death.
Shizuka Marikawa had completed all her medical duties. Only one final step remained—one last secret yet to be uncovered. Behind her ditzy demeanor, Shizuka knew far more than she let on, and Reuel knew it too. But he didn't push.
Rika Minami as well—though initially cold and professional—now maintained a relationship with him that was... ambiguous. Not that he minded. In a world like this, such relationships weren't strange.
---
Little Alice was no longer alone. She now had two friends: Airi and Marina—two girls who were always by her side, dancing and laughing without grasping the chaos of the adult world. One of them was the younger sister of Asami Nakaoka—a female police officer picked up off the streets and rescued by a patrol unit.
When Reuel saw Asami for the first time, he froze.
"I didn't expect her to be this beautiful. In the anime, she looked pretty plain. But here... she's got this resilient aura. No wonder she managed to survive this far," Reuel thought to himself.
Days passed, and Reuel began dividing his time among the women around him. He was often seen spending nights with Busujima Saeko, Takagi Saya, and Miyamoto Rei. The next day, it might be Takagi Yuriko and Kiriko Miyamoto—mother and daughter keeping him company. Sometimes, all the women gathered together and spent the whole day doing it.
A life like this—insane, unconventional, but strangely peaceful—went on for a full month.
---
But peace did not last long.
Today, Red Queen issued a top-priority alert through the main command network: a fleet of Gorgon-class battlecruisers had entered low Earth orbit. The fleet belonged to the Imperium of Man, led directly by Admiral Gerard DuGalle.
Their purpose was unmistakable: to conquer the world of Highschool of the Dead, eradicate the remaining zombie resistance, and establish a new centralized government aligned with the dogma of the Imperium.
Upon hearing the news, Reuel immediately made his way to the command center. Without needing to be asked, Takagi Yuriko, Kiriko Miyamoto, Rika Minami, and the other women joined him. Meanwhile, the three little girls—Alice, Airi, and Marina—were ordered to remain in the safe zone, far from any potential danger.
The current main command center was located at Haneda Airport, Tokyo. All survivors had been relocated to the city center, which was now completely purged of zombie infection. The remaining corpses had been converted into servitors by the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicus, repurposed to accelerate reconstruction efforts. The old city buildings had been leveled, replaced by a colossal project: the construction of a Hive City—the Imperium's signature megalopolis.
Each Hive City could house up to 100 billion souls, towering more than 10 kilometers into the sky, with a base diameter of 10 to 30 kilometers. That means each Hive covered a surface area of 300 to 1,200 km²—equal to or even larger than the city of Jakarta in Indonesia, or metropolitan Los Angeles in the United States.
With hundreds of square kilometers per Hive, global urbanization on this world was estimated to reach over 100,000 km² for Hive Cities alone.
The Hive City initiative was not limited to Japan. In no time, the project began expanding across the entire world of Highschool of the Dead, with the Imperium's trademark speed and efficiency.
By Reuel's rough estimate, from Earth's total surface area of around 510 million km², about 149 million km² was landmass. After excluding uninhabitable regions—such as high mountain ranges, barren deserts, and polar zones—roughly 100 million km² remained usable. With one standard Hive City occupying 1,000 km², theoretically, 100,000 Hive Cities could be built on this version of Earth.
Upon arriving at the command center, Reuel was greeted by a legendary and unmistakable figure: Ursarkar E. Creed, Supreme Strategic Commander of Cadia. Behind him stood the unwavering ranks of Shock Troopers and elite Kasrkin—veteran forces who only moved under direct orders.
Also present were fully armed Sisters of Battle, half-mechanical Tech-Priests, and a robed Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, exuding an aura of menace that could shake anyone to their core—except those long accustomed to facing death.
"The conquest and stabilization operation will begin within the next 48 hours," Creed said flatly.
His voice was deep and commanding, the tone of a man who had seen too many worlds burn in war.
"We will exterminate all remaining zombies, eliminate every form of resistance on Terra of the Highschool of the Dead universe, build towering cities for the survivors, and reestablish the laws of the Imperium upon the ruins of this world."
At the center of the room, a holographic map of the world slowly came to life. Red dots marked active infection zones. Blue dots indicated areas secured by the Astra Militarum.
Reuel stared at the map in silence.
The world he once knew as fiction—a horror survival setting—was now under his responsibility. It was now part of the Imperium of Man.
His.
And he knew—their mission was far from over.
In fact... it might have only just begun.
The global purge had begun.
Under Reuel's orders, Ursarkar E. Creed and the Astra Militarum immediately launched a total cleansing operation against the remaining zombie infestations across the globe. Without pause, elite troops and heavy war machines were deployed to every red zone, scorching the remnants of the undead from existence.
Meanwhile, the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicus worked side by side with the Universal Bulins—construction specialist entities from the Azur Lane reality—to initiate a colossal project: the construction of 100,000 Hive Cities, each spanning 1,000 km². This operation unfolded simultaneously across continents, from former megacities to barren no-man's lands.
Law enforcement, moral guidance, and social oversight were delegated to the combined authority of the Imperium: the Inquisitors, Sisters of Battle, and Adeptus Arbites. Their duties extended beyond hunting heretics and rebels—they ensured the doctrines and discipline of the Imperium were upheld without compromise.
Elsewhere, the Adeptus Administratum began forming permanent administrative branches. They handled population registries, civilian logistics, production reports, and the tight tax systems—the very foundations of the Imperium slowly rising from the ruins of the old world.
Yet one thing was still missing: an Imperial Governor.
Lacking noble bloodlines as was customary in the Imperium, Reuel took the initiative to build a Schola Progenium from scratch on this world—now known as Terra Aeterna. He recruited children from all backgrounds: orphans, military families, civil bureaucrats, even children of high officials. They were raised under strict, unforgiving discipline to one day become Imperial Governors—not just of Earth, but of other future-settled planets.
At the same time, many people from Cadia—previously summoned by Reuel through his personal system—had since settled. Some married fellow Cadians; others built families with residents of Demon Slayer, Resident Evil, and other universes. But one tradition remained unchanged: every child, from the earliest age, must be forged into a hardened warrior of the Imperium of Man.
As for all forms of resistance still lingering—be it from scattered zombies, local militias, or nations that refused to submit—Reuel and Admiral Gerard DuGalle would personally deal with them.
---
Three days and three nights.
Throughout that stretch of time, Reuel held nonstop war council meetings in the command center. He devised strategies, set power hierarchies, and assigned duties to every faction and military division. No one objected. No one dared disobey.
All bowed to one will:
The Master of Mankind — Reuel.
The women—Yuriko, Kiriko, Rika, and the others—could only stare in awe. Never had they seen a man survive without sleep, food, or rest… for three days and nights straight, just to ensure the new system ran flawlessly.
None dared disturb him. Every night they returned to their quarters, and every morning, they found Reuel still there—standing tall before the holographic map, directing the course of global coordination.
When the final meeting concluded at noon on the fourth day, Reuel sank wearily into his command chair. His gaze locked onto the massive holographic display in front of him, showing the enemy fleet he would now face directly.
More than a thousand naval warships—belonging to the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and others—were detected, armed and active. But Reuel didn't flinch.
He had only twenty Gorgon-class Battlecruisers in orbit, but these ships came from the StarCraft universe—spacefaring behemoths armed with futuristic weaponry and firepower leagues beyond modern Earth technology.
In addition, Reuel still commanded orbital ballistic missiles, plasma torpedoes, and other advanced armaments beyond the comprehension of local scientists.
He touched the intercom on his chair.
"Admiral Gerard DuGalle. Let's begin... when you're ready," Reuel commanded, his voice low but resolute.
A response came through the holographic display, revealing the admiral's face from aboard his Gorgon flagship:
"Yes, Lord Emperor," DuGalle replied.
The screen shifted to the bridge of a Gorgon-class Battlecruiser. Inside, the communications officer stood by for command.
"Prepare for ballistic missile launch," DuGalle ordered.
"Orders received, Admiral," the comms officer replied.
The launch systems activated. A low, piercing alarm echoed. Everyone in the Haneda Airport command center turned toward the main screen, where the missile launch countdown had begun.
"Three... Two... One..."
"Launch."
DuGalle's voice was cold—as if signaling the end of an era.
A burst of light erupted on the screen. Ballistic missiles launched from orbit, targeting key strategic sites across Earth's surface—marking the beginning of the absolute domination of the Imperium of Man over the world of Highschool of the Dead.
Suddenly, dozens of ballistic missiles launched from the Gorgon-class battlecruisers.
Trails of white smoke carved the sky as the missiles streaked toward their targets at blistering speed.
Thanks to Earth's satellites now being fully controlled by Red Queen, no enemy detection system managed to catch the missile signals. They were completely blind.
Only when the missiles were moments away from impact did conventional warship radars from various nations begin picking up movement. But by then, it was too late.
Alarms blared. Crews scrambled. Panic spread among the primitive naval fleets of the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and other major powers. Yet all they could do was watch their end approach.
BOOOOOMMMMM!!!
Massive explosions erupted almost simultaneously. The Imperium's missiles struck those aging vessels one by one.
BOOOOOMMMMM!!!
Some ships immediately sank in a blaze of fire; others burned and drifted—left to fate and luck alone.
From afar, Reuel's battlecruiser fleet also locked onto targets and unleashed Yamato Cannons—high-powered energy weapons that obliterated surviving ships without mercy. No compassion. No quarter.
In mere minutes, the world's naval powers were completely annihilated.
This victory wasn't due to superior firepower alone. Red Queen and Adjutant played a pivotal role. With their control of orbital satellites, every enemy position could be tracked in real time—while the movements of Reuel's forces remained perfectly hidden.
Had those missiles been detected earlier, perhaps the outcome would have been different. But now? They hadn't even raised their weapons.
Reuel sat silently in the command center, watching the holographic screens. He knew—for modern soldiers, the appearance of spacefaring battlecruisers was a terror beyond comprehension. There was no point in granting them a chance. Sink them all.
"Red Queen," he spoke calmly. "Have you found their underground headquarters yet? According to reports, there are still manually shielded nuclear facilities out there."
"I'm still searching, Brother," replied the childlike Red Queen. "They might be hiding them deep underwater. Most likely accessible by submarine."
Suddenly, Adjutant's voice from StarCraft echoed across the entire command center:
"WARNING! Nuclear launch detected!"
"WARNING! Nuclear launch detected!"
"WARNING! Allied base under attack!"
"WARNING! Base Castellan under siege!"
The command center at Haneda Airport erupted into layers of warning alarms.
"What's happening?!" Reuel demanded firmly.
"Nuclear bombs, Brother!" Red Queen replied urgently. "Dozens... hundreds! Launched from all over the world!"
"Where the hell are they launching from?! I thought we seized every nuclear warhead on Earth!"
"Most likely from ultra-classified facilities we never detected," said Red Queen. "The United States launched hundreds of missiles at Russia. Russia retaliated against New York."
"Pakistan and India are striking each other. North Korea launched at the South—and vice versa. Israel is firing at the entire Middle East. China is retaliating against nukes from the US, UK, and France. The entire geopolitical structure is collapsing!"
Reuel clenched his fists. He had not expected any active nuclear arsenals to remain on this Earth. He had sworn never to use his own, and had taken every preventive measure. But now the entire world was at risk.
He immediately activated direct communication to the orbital fleet.
"Admiral Gerard DuGalle—intercept all nuclear missiles in flight! Use every available defense system on the battlecruisers—whatever it takes!"
"Orders received, Lord Emperor!"
The Gorgon-class battlecruisers scattered across the globe. They began hunting and shooting down hundreds of nuclear warheads with advanced missile interception systems, anti-ballistic shells, and high-powered EMP weapons. The sky lit up with streaks of energy—one by one, enemy missiles were destroyed midair before they could reach their targets.
The battle was far from over.
But one truth had become undeniable:
No weapon on this Earth could ever defeat the Imperium of Man—so long as Reuel remained its leader.