Imperium of Man Terra Aeterna Season 01: Rise of Humanity's War Machin

Reuel Feels It's Time to Return to Terra Aeterna

Reuel knew the time had come to return to Terra Aeterna. All affairs on Earth had been delegated to his most trusted commanders-General Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed and Admiral Gerard DuGalle. The two of them now held full responsibility over the Imperium's military dominance on Earth, within the universe of Highschool of the Dead.

On the other side, the Tech Priests had completed construction of the dimensional portal. The path back to Terra Aeterna was now open, stable, and ready to be used at any time.

But before leaving, Reuel brought the women who had accompanied him all this time to a temporary resting place at Haneda Airport, Tokyo. They gathered in silence at the dining table, sharing one last lunch together in a world torn apart by global crisis.

"Reuel-kun, what's really going on?" asked Takagi Yuriko softly, watching the gloomy, almost despairing look on Reuel's face.

"Nuclear bombs," Reuel replied curtly, but with heavy weight in his voice.

"The whole world has started launching nuclear bombs. America targeted Moscow with its missiles. Russia retaliated by striking New York. And there are many more launches from other countries..."

"What? Nuclear bombs have been launched?" All the women turned sharply. Their faces froze in shock.

The world had plunged into global nuclear war. And it had only taken a matter of days. Human civilization was on a direct path to total annihilation.

A sorrowful stillness filled the room. There were no more words left to say.

That was when Reuel's wristwatch chimed-projecting a holographic display. Red Queen appeared in the air, early warning systems active once again. No explanation was needed. All the women in the room immediately understood: the threat wasn't over.

But Reuel only glanced at it briefly. He knew that, for now, those nuclear missiles were still being intercepted by the Gorgon-class battlecruisers deployed by Admiral DuGalle. They hadn't failed-yet.

---

Nuclear Explosions in the Night Sky

Nightfall came, bringing nightmares in physical form. The Tokyo sky-which should've been dark-was lit up by the blinding flashes of nuclear detonations visible in the distance. Thunderous booms echoed, and the night sky transformed into a sea of orange, red, and white light, mixed with dust and mushroom clouds on the horizon.

The survivors-whether they had already been secured by Creed's forces in safe zones like Japan, China, the United States, Europe, or elsewhere-could only stare at the sky in terror. They prayed in silence-each according to their faith-hoping this catastrophe would soon end.

On the battlefield, Creed continued executing a full-scale global military operation. His forces stormed and neutralized every remaining nuclear facility. He also dispatched Cadian Shock Troopers and Kasrkin to various military bases known to house nuclear weapons, ensuring no further launches could take place.

Meanwhile, Admiral Gerard DuGalle commanded a space fleet composed of units from both the Imperium of Man and the Terran Dominion. Warships from Warhammer 40K and StarCraft dominated Earth's lower orbit, forming a massive aerial defense shield. They intercepted missiles launched sporadically by the few nations still left, fighting with nothing but their remaining strength and desperation.

To most of the world's remaining governments, those space warships seemed like an alien force-outsiders who had come to seize a planet already ravaged by a zombie apocalypse and global chaos. There was no more international coordination, no more UN, no more NATO, and no peace treaties.

Only chaos remained. And the decision to throw nukes... had become the final language of mankind.

---

The Next Morning, Reuel Awoke with a Heavy Head

Outside, the sound of nuclear explosions still echoed-filling the air with an unrelenting roar, like the tolling of an apocalyptic bell that refused to fade. The reddish-orange glow from the torn sky signaled that this world had passed the point of no return.

With a grim expression, Reuel stood by the window, watching the nuclear infernos raging in the distance. His mind was made up. He would not build a Hive City on this Earth. All plans-megastructure architecture, logistics, even the administrative systems-were canceled without regret. This planet was too far gone. Too much would have to be paid to redeem it.

He immediately headed to the command center and spoke directly with General Creed.

"Total evacuation," Reuel said firmly. "All remaining human beings on this Earth... along with the full strength of the Astra Militarum. We'll relocate them to Terra Aeterna and the other colonies."

Without delay, the evacuation operation began.

Across the various safe zones scattered around the globe-Japan, China, the United States, Europe-Hercules-class transport ships from the StarCraft universe began landing one by one. Under the heavy protection of Gorgon-class battlecruisers, Medics and Terran Marines guided the rescued survivors quickly into the ships.

There were only twenty Hercules-class ships. But with efficient management and constant rotation back and forth between the Highschool of the Dead world and Terra Aeterna, the global evacuation proceeded without pause.

According to rough data compiled by Reuel, in the StarCraft game, a Hercules could carry about 30 Marines. But now they were in the real world. The actual size of a Hercules-class dropship-estimated to rival that of the Behemoth-class Battlecruiser-measured around 600m x 250m x 120m, equivalent to an effective volume of 14 million cubic meters. If each human required just 2 cubic meters of movement space, a single ship could theoretically hold up to seven million people in extremely cramped conditions.

Of course, in practice, that number was significantly reduced for safety, ventilation, and logistics. But with 20 active Hercules-class ships, daily evacuation capacity remained impressive. Reuel estimated the entire operation would take roughly a month.

Priority was given to women and children. Those who tried to cut the line-especially adult men acting selfishly-were immediately dealt with by the riot-police forces of the Adeptus Arbites. And the Arbites never compromised.

With the Hive City project canceled, Reuel took a more extreme alternative: to create underground cities on this planet, directly inspired by Krieg. He ordered the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to build massive bunker complexes beneath the Earth's surface, emulating the harsh, defensive style of life on Krieg.

As part of the plan, all clones from the Resident Evil universe that had been developed would be relocated to this world. However, before activation, their memories would be completely reprogrammed-instilled with a single holy mission: to atone for this world's sins with blood and absolute devotion to the Imperium of Man.

This planet would become an altar of redemption. No more mercy. No more individuality.

Over time, these clones would reproduce and form a new generation raised under the same doctrine as the Death Korps of Krieg. From infancy to adulthood, they would never know childhood, nor affection. Their lives would belong to the Imperium, and their deaths would be offerings for the world's atonement.

As part of the long-term project, Reuel ordered the construction of semi-cloning facilities based on mass-breeding technologies. By combining artificial insemination, genetic selection, and controlled incubation, the system would function like a superior human farm-engineered for genetic efficiency and perfect loyalty.

The goal was to produce uniform troops: emotionless, will-less, and fearless in the face of death. They would be biological war machines, perfect reflections of the original Death Korps of Krieg-with only one flaw: shorter lifespans. But that didn't matter. They weren't created to live. They were created to die.

With all plans in motion, Reuel looked up at Earth's grey sky, filled with radioactive clouds. He knew: the creation of the Earth-Krieg forces would not happen overnight. But he didn't care.

Because to Reuel, as long as the Imperium stood, no sacrifice was too great.

---

The Last Fifteen Days Had Been Hell

Reuel had barely slept. Every thirty minutes, the sound of nuclear explosions shook the sky again—echoing like a giant hammer pounding the Earth relentlessly. From the command center at Haneda Airport, he monitored everything—every launch, every detonation, every final heartbeat of a world that had lost its sanity.

Reuel never left his post. He remained there, working day and night to ensure two operations ran concurrently without failure: the global evacuation and the reconstruction of the planet into a mirror of Krieg. The first was led directly by General Ursarkar E. Creed. The second—underground war-world reconstruction—was entrusted to the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, assisted by Universal Bulin, a technical specialist from another world.

Meanwhile, Admiral Gerard DuGalle bore two heavy responsibilities:

First, coordinating the entire fleet of Hercules-class dropships that tirelessly flew back and forth between the Highschool of the Dead world and Terra Aeterna.

Second, intercepting the nuclear missiles still being launched by nations that had lost all reason. Every thirty minutes, explosions in the atmosphere lit up the sky like a spectacular fireworks show from an unending apocalypse. A festival of destruction no one had invited.

Nuclear-armed nations did not see the battlecruisers in orbit as allies. On the contrary, they saw them as aliens disguised as men. In a world ravaged by zombies, paranoia was all that remained. And from that paranoia, a single aim was born: destroy everything—before everything is destroyed.

Some countries even attempted to launch ICBMs directly at the Gorgon-class battlecruisers. But all attempts failed. The missiles were destroyed long before touching the ships' shielding—swallowed by the will of an unseen god of war.

---

On the Fifteenth Day, There Was Still No Sign the Chaos Would Subside

Amid the unending deluge of reports, a transmission came through the central network. Red Queen appeared in holographic form—her expression cold and calm, though her words were anything but.

"Brother... the United States just launched two nuclear bombs from Los Angeles. Random targets. They don't care anymore."

"Russia has launched one from Moscow as well. They targeted Fort Liberty, formerly the U.S. headquarters. They're calling it 'Peter the Great's Fortress'—a final tribute to the Russian Tsar, they said… for the glory of the Soviet Union, even if only in one last blast."

These reports came in daily. In the last twenty days, at least twenty nuclear bombs were launched each day. The world had become a death casino—and its leaders like drunken gamblers repeatedly pressing the launch button, uncaring of the outcome.

---

Reuel Knew His Time Was Almost Up

He could survive. His body was no longer that of a normal human. Even if a nuclear bomb detonated directly above him, he wouldn't die.

But the women with him were still human. They could die. And Reuel would never allow that.

So he made his final decision: accelerate the evacuation.

All military bases were ordered to reorganize global logistics and supply chains. The primary directive: full support for Ursarkar E. Creed's operation. All necessities—food, medicine, fuel, spare parts, ammunition—were to be shipped across the globe to speed up the ongoing rescues.

The military base at Haneda Airport became the central distribution hub. There, military vehicles and labor crews worked tirelessly day and night, moving crates of logistics, provisions, and equipment to the safe zones. There was no time for rest. Every second meant one more life saved... or lost.

In the skies, Hercules-class aircraft continued to arrive. The roar of their engines became a symphony of hope in a dying world. Earth was being emptied. Humanity, one by one, was leaving the planet—not with hope, but with an unspoken exhaustion.

And behind the scenes, Reuel stood in silence.

Waiting for the time.

Guarding the world.

Until the last second remained.

---

"Reuel-kun, what's wrong? Are your troops ready to depart?" asked Busujima Saeko, watching Reuel as he gave out orders.

"Yes," Reuel answered calmly. "I'll be going back. We've already taken control of this world. Now, the nuclear-armed nations are launching missiles at each other. Sooner or later, this planet will fall completely under my rule."

Reuel looked deeply into Saeko's eyes. "My love... I'm sorry. I couldn't find your father."

He had sent out a reconnaissance aircraft to the last known location of Saeko's father, but the search yielded nothing.

"It's alright," Saeko replied gently. "Maybe he passed away long ago."

One of them asked, "So... where are we going now? Zombies are everywhere, and nuclear missiles are raining down from all directions. There's no safe place left."

"I'm returning to my domain," Reuel said firmly.

"What domain?" asked Takagi Yuriko curiously. The other women—Shizuka Marikawa, Rika Minami, Miyamoto Kiriko, and Asami Nakaoka—were also listening intently.

Reuel looked at them one by one. He knew it was time to reveal the truth.

"We're going to my world. All government affairs here will be handed over to my troops. I can't stay in this world any longer. Countries are attacking each other with nuclear bombs, and even though we've brought this world under control... nuclear radiation could cause the zombies to evolve into something far stronger. Staying here means nothing anymore."

He let out a sigh. "I can still handle it... but I've been away from my homeworld for far too long. It's time to return."

Reuel gazed at them with honesty. They were all his women, and sooner or later, the truth would come out.

However, some of them—like Saya and Rei—weren't fully aware of that reality yet. They had simply joined the evacuation with the other survivors, still shaken by a world that kept falling apart.

"Your world?" one of them asked, confused.

"Yes. My world is very similar to this one, but there are almost no civilians left on the planet I come from. They've all been relocated to off-world colonies. We, too, had a zombie outbreak like the one here. But they've all been wiped out. Now, my military forces outnumber the civilian population of the planet."

"What? You're not from this world? How did you even come here? Are you saying... you want us to come with you?" Yuriko asked in disbelief.

The others turned to Reuel, waiting for an explanation.

Only Busujima Saeko had long suspected something, but she had never imagined that Reuel truly wasn't from this world.

"That's right. I'm not from this world. I have the ability to travel through space and time."

Reuel looked at them. "My loves... have you ever heard of parallel worlds? Can you imagine such a thing?"

He didn't know how to explain everything in scientific terms, so he simply used the phrase "parallel world" and left them to draw their own conclusions.

"You said there were zombies in your world too?" asked Rika Minami. Deep down, she wanted to ask whether it was Reuel who brought the virus into their world, but she held back. For now, she just wanted to understand.

"Yes. But the zombies in my world are far more dangerous than the ones here. There are Lickers, zombie dogs, Tyrants... all kinds of terrifying mutations," Reuel explained.

Rika let out a small breath of relief upon hearing that. As long as the virus hadn't been brought by Su Chen or Reuel, she didn't really care.

"Then... can you go to other worlds too?" Shizuka asked curiously. Her large breasts bounced slightly as she leaned forward, and now all the women were staring at Reuel with keen interest.

"I can," Reuel answered. "But I don't know whether those other worlds are safe or not. Just like yours, each world has its own dangers. I can't guarantee your safety in places I haven't explored."

He smiled slightly, as if holding back something amusing.

"So... do you have other women in your world?" Saeko suddenly asked with a flat tone. The room fell silent. Every woman now looked at Reuel sharply.

"You do," Rika Minami added coldly.

"How many?" she pressed.

Reuel took a deep breath. "Four official ones... and many more who haven't yet fallen for my charm."

"Bastard," Shizuka muttered under her breath, pouting.

The women stared at Reuel with various expressions—disgust, annoyance, disbelief. But Reuel merely shrugged.

What could he do? His body was the embodiment of the Emperor of Mankind—too powerful, too perfect, and too... captivating. The curse was, he could love more than one woman. And he had no intention of giving any of them up.