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

Reuel stood on the balcony of Rika Minami's house, staring into the distance while slowly puffing on his cigarette. His eyes were fixed on the bridge faintly visible in the heart of the city now succumbing to chaos.

If his memory served him right, in the anime Highschool of the Dead, there was a famous scene at that bridge—when civilians and authorities clashed, and the resulting mayhem only drew in more zombies to the area. Tonight, it seemed that scene was happening for real.

A line of cars clogged the road leading to the bridge, which was now brightly lit by floodlights. Police and soldiers stood guard across the area, facing a sea of panicked and increasingly uncontrollable people. Spotlights cut through the night, then shouting and curses erupted, shaking the air. Car horns blared wildly, creating an ear-splitting symphony of noise.

Reuel knew the rhythm of chaos all too well. Horns were supposed to confuse officers, distract them so civilians could slip through. But in a situation like this, the noise would only spell disaster. Zombies would soon swarm in, drawn by the high-pitched cacophony now flooding the bridge.

The protesters shouted in rage, facing off against law enforcement already losing their patience. But Reuel just sighed quietly, not intending to get involved. To him, they were just a bunch of idiots—people too blind to see the world had changed.

Why should I care if they live or die? he thought. I don't even know them.

Besides, he felt he'd already done more than enough. Sending Creed and the Imperial Guard to save humanity across the globe was already generous. If these people couldn't protect themselves, then that was natural selection.

Molotov cocktails were thrown. Fires erupted. Screams echoed.

Reuel shook his head, unimpressed. Idiots, he thought. Making all that noise. Honking, shouting, throwing things… Don't they realize they're just drawing the zombies toward them?

It wouldn't be long now. The desperate cries for help would soon follow. He sighed and turned away from the view, already bored of watching such foolishness unfold.

Whatever, he thought. Let them destroy themselves. I have more important things to do—like saving as many beautiful women as I can. The genetics of this world… especially the busty, attractive ones… could prove very valuable to the future of the Imperium Of Man.

And about the women of this world… Reuel had noticed something that really stood out—literally. The genetics of the women in Highschool of the Dead were incredibly suited for the Imperium of Man. Most of them had absurdly attractive bodies: large breasts, ideal posture, beautiful faces. A perfect combo to boost troop morale.

Imagine one day, in every colony or capital city of the Imperial Palace on Terra Aeterna, women like that walking down the streets. That wouldn't just be a beautiful sight, it would be a powerful motivator for the soldiers.

Reuel knew, technically, he could just create women like that with technology. But no—it didn't feel right. Humanity should evolve naturally. Genetics like this—naturally occurring—were far more valuable.

Imagine the Imperial Guard, Sisters of Battle, medics, and every other unit fighting aliens. When the situation turns desperate, and they see gorgeous women like these standing behind the lines… no sane man would fail to protect them with his life. No one would hold back from shouting:

"FOR THE EMPEROR!!!"

Suddenly, the scent of wine hit Reuel's nose. He thought he'd only had red wine earlier, but the aroma now… smelled more like white wine. Subtle, but sharp.

When he turned around, Reuel saw Shizuka Marikawa staggering toward him, wrapped in a thin, damp bathrobe and shivering in the night air. Her hair was loose, dripping water onto the wooden floor. Her gaze was half-lidded, her cheeks flushed.

"Lord Reuel, so you're here…"

Without warning, Shizuka threw herself into Reuel's arms. The towel and sheer robe offered almost no protection. Her warm, wet body pressed tightly against Reuel's chest, and in that instant, his body went stiff.

His blood surged. Shizuka's softness was too real to ignore.

"Shizuka, you drank too much," Reuel said, trying to keep control.

"No… Lord Reuel… I only drank a little… I'm not drunk," she mumbled, her voice soft and her smile intoxicating.

Reuel exhaled sharply. He adjusted Shizuka's robe, which was slipping open, then lifted her into his arms. No way could he leave her standing out here like this.

Carefully, Reuel carried her toward the living room. Shizuka clung to him, murmuring incoherently and pressing herself tightly to his shoulder.

Once they reached the couch, Reuel gently laid her down and covered her with a warm blanket. He stared at her beautiful face for a moment before finally standing and pouring himself a glass of cold water—trying to calm his mind, and the spike in blood pressure that came with it.

Without saying a word, he headed downstairs. He needed air… or at least some distance from the woman who was intoxicating in more ways than one.

However, when he reached the kitchen…

Reuel froze.

In the middle of the kitchen stood Busujima Saeko. Her long purple hair was neatly tied back. She was wearing nothing but her underwear and an apron—no bra. The sight was more shocking than a plasma grenade explosion on the frontlines.

It felt as though the Chaos God Slaanesh was testing Reuel's patience. Shizuka was upstairs, and now Saeko stood here like a temptation sent straight from below.

"Reuel? Why are you here? What's wrong?" Saeko asked calmly, as if she wasn't dressed like a walking seduction.

"I... was thirsty. Just looking for something to drink from the fridge," Reuel replied, struggling to suppress the instinctive urge to step too close.

His gaze followed Saeko's face—beautiful, calm, and deadly. But before his mind could wander further, he quickly spoke again, as if to redirect his own focus.

"I'll get it for you," Saeko said evenly, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of cold water. Her movements were elegant and graceful, as if her body had no idea how tempting she looked.

Reuel took it and drank slowly, keeping his eyes on the woman. His self-control was constantly being tested, but he knew this wasn't the time to lose focus.

"Sir Reuel..." Saeko's voice changed, her tone more serious now, though still gentle. "Do you think... those zombies can actually be eradicated?"

Reuel lowered the water bottle. "I don't know. There are too many of them now. Even the armies of the world probably won't be able to wipe them all out."

He knew the truth was even bleaker. But he couldn't say that he had already sent the Imperial Guard and Creed across the globe to save as many human lives as possible. The fact that only about three billion might be saved was something he wasn't ready to share.

"Yeah... too many zombies now," he repeated.

Saeko nodded slowly. "Alright. Don't think too much about it. At least we're still alive."

When Reuel looked at her, Saeko offered a faint smile—a strong smile in the middle of the world falling apart. But before the moment could settle, a commotion outside shattered the brief calm.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"What was that?" Saeko asked, her expression instantly shifting into alertness.

Reuel narrowed his eyes. "Riot. Something's probably happening at the bridge."

Without waiting any longer, Reuel walked toward the balcony. Saeko grabbed a wooden practice sword and silently followed, her steps light but full of caution.

Once they reached the balcony, Reuel looked up. The sight outside the house made his chest tighten. The streets were full of people running in panic. Some of them looked like the rioters who had caused chaos at the bridge earlier—and now they were the ones being hunted.

Zombies surged from all directions, biting anyone slow enough to be caught. Human screams mixed with the sound of gunfire from soldiers and police trying to hold back the tide of these monstrous creatures.

"Aaaaaargh!"

"Nooo! Help meee!"

"Stop, don't eat me, you Son on the Bitch !"

"Ruuuun!"

Gunfire continued, but the number of zombies was overwhelming. One by one, officers and civilians fell, only to rise again as part of the death horde.

Saeko stood beside Reuel in silence, raising her binoculars to get a clearer look. She glanced at Reuel briefly, wondering how the man could see so far without any equipment—but she said nothing.

In the middle of the chaos, many people fell and were immediately trampled by the rest. The crushing mass made things worse. Those who fell couldn't get back up—they became the first victims of the zombies.

Reuel observed it all with sharp eyes.

"Are they... the people from across the bridge?" Saeko asked quietly, her voice bitter at the brutality of humanity in survival mode. There was no solidarity. Only the instinct to save oneself.

"Yes," Reuel replied flatly.

"But... weren't there soldiers and police there?"

"Defeated. Or slaughtered entirely."

Reuel kept staring at the bridge, silent... and ready, if the situation spiraled faster than he'd anticipated.

Reuel still stood on the balcony, eyes fixed on the bridge that had now turned into a scene straight from hell.

Fires blazed everywhere, smoke billowed high, and the sound of gunfire was fading. The explosions that once thundered in succession were now replaced by screams and sobs. The defense at the bridge… had completely collapsed.

"Did you already know there would be an incident at the bridge?" Busujima Saeko asked quietly, but with a sharp undertone.

She recalled how Reuel had suddenly insisted they get off the school bus earlier—right before everything blew up. It was too much of a coincidence to chalk up to simple intuition.

Reuel didn't answer right away. His gaze was still locked on the distance, at the flames and the monstrous silhouettes dancing behind the smoke.

"I don't know. Just felt like… there were too many idiots gathered there. All that noise would attract the zombies," he replied casually, as always. But beneath the flat tone, his mind was racing.

He did know. But not because of a hunch. He knew because he'd seen it before—in the fictional version. But the reality playing out before him was far more chaotic than anything he'd ever watched.

What Saeko didn't know was that the bridge incident had been worsened by the direct intervention of the Inquisitors. They had harshly punished anyone who dared blaspheme against the Emperor when Reuel boarded the bus earlier. And that wasn't all—the Imperial Guard and the Tempestus Scions had abducted women and children, then carried out a brutal "cleansing" of anyone deemed unworthy of survival.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Suddenly, the sound of a barking dog echoed in the distance.

Reuel immediately recognized it. That was Zeke—Alice Maresato's dog.

His eyes narrowed. Alice. She was about to appear now.

That little girl was one of his favorite characters when he'd watched the anime. Even as a child, Alice had always been sweet and calm, even when the world was crumbling around her. Reuel wasn't going to let her die here.

He quickly scanned for the source of the sound. But the smoke and distance blurred everything.

"Woof! Woof!"

The barking came again. He followed the direction of the sound and finally saw her.

Amid the chaos and fleeing crowd, a little girl was crying hysterically, clutching the lifeless body of her father. Just like in the anime—her father had been killed by the homeowner who had refused them shelter.

"I'm going to save that little girl. Stay here," Reuel said shortly, his voice flat but resolute.

"What?! Are you insane? Out there—"

Saeko's protest was cut off as Reuel suddenly pulled her close and kissed her.

A deep, French kiss.

Saeko froze. Her eyes widened, her body instinctively resisted. But for some reason, deep down… part of her didn't want to break the kiss.

When Reuel finally pulled away, Saeko stood there stunned. Her face flushed red, her breath uneven, heart pounding wildly. Not a single word came out of her mouth as the man leapt from the balcony.

Reuel landed lightly, like a ghost. He scaled the side of the house and began sprinting along the rooftops, darting toward Alice's location at a speed barely traceable to the human eye.

The zombies below didn't notice him. Reuel moved like a shadow.

At the end of the street, he saw the little girl—Alice Maresato—collapsed beside her father's body. She was shaking him and crying uncontrollably.

"Daddy… wake up… don't sleep, Daddy…"

Reuel approached slowly. Gently, he placed his hand on the child's head.

Alice flinched. She turned with tear-filled eyes, her body trembling with fear. After watching her father get stabbed to death by another human being, she no longer trusted anyone.

Reuel knelt to her level, his expression soft, his voice as gentle as he could manage.

"Don't be afraid," Reuel said gently, kneeling before the little girl. "I'm here to protect you."

Alice looked up, her face soaked in tears. Her body trembled, still clinging tightly to her father's lifeless body. But suddenly, the man stirred—his nearly dead eyes fluttered open, the pupils fading.

With a labored breath and a weak voice, he whispered, "A-Alice... go with him... don't fight him... you'll be... safe..."

One long exhale—and he moved no more. His final breath, along with all his strength, had left him.

"Daddy... Daaaddyyy!!" Alice screamed, hugging her father's body tighter, sobbing uncontrollably. Her voice cracked, filled with a grief far too heavy for someone her age.

Reuel looked at her with soft yet piercing eyes. He knew there was no time for mourning—zombies were starting to close in.

"Yeah... I know, Alice." His voice remained calm. "From now on, I'll protect you. Whatever you need, I'll do my best to give it to you."

Only now did Reuel take a clearer look at the little girl's face—short wine-red hair, big shimmering eyes, full of innocence and sincerity. A white hairclip adorned the right side of her hair, like a flower still blooming in the middle of a battlefield.

"Really?" Alice asked quietly, as if not quite believing the fragile hope that had just appeared in the midst of hell.

"Yes," Reuel nodded firmly. "Promise me you'll be a good girl with me."

"Y-You'll really take care of Alice?"

"I promise, Alice," he said, looking into her small eyes with complete sincerity. "You'll be my little princess, and I'll protect you."

Alice broke into tears again. But this time, not just because of loss—but because of the growing sense of safety in his arms.

"Waaah! Waaah!"

She clung tightly to Reuel's leg, like she'd found an anchor in the middle of a storm. At that moment, a familiar sound reached their ears:

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

A little puppy came running toward them, fur dirty and body shaking. Reuel crouched down, caught it with one hand, and handed it to Alice.

"Look," he said with a smile, "you've got a new friend now."

Alice hugged the puppy tightly, her voice still choked. But a small smile began to bloom on her face.

Even though zombies were now closing in around them, Reuel showed no fear.

"Alice," he said softly. "Close your eyes. Don't open them until I say so, okay?"

"Okay, big brother..." she replied faintly.

Reuel stood up. In an instant, a pistol was drawn from his waist.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A few zombies dropped immediately.

He pulled a grenade from his tactical belt, yanked the pin, and tossed it toward the front of the house.

BOOM!!

Part of the wall collapsed, creating a quick exit.

But the undead kept pouring in. Reuel raised his chainsword, and with a savage roar, began tearing through the horde one by one. Foul blood splattered, limbs flew through the air. Each swing of the sword was a deadly dance.

He didn't forget to decapitate Alice's father, either. It wasn't cruelty—it was prevention. He knew too well how many stories ended with the "dead" rising again in monstrous form.

With one arm holding Alice tightly to his side, and the other gripping the sizzling chainsword, Reuel continued slashing his way through the festering swarm.

Finally, after a short but brutal fight, they broke free from the besieged house zone and sprinted toward Rika Minami's home—the last refuge still holding.

As for the fate of the family who had murdered Alice's father? Reuel didn't care. They could live. They could die. It was up to fate now.

What mattered was this—he had saved a precious soul.

And now, in this world swallowed by darkness, he had a little girl to protect.

When Reuel arrived at Rika Minami's house, he leapt from the ground floor straight up to the second—with Alice still cradled in his arms. His body landed lightly on the balcony where Busujima Saeko was standing, gazing out into the distance.

Saeko turned around, startled to see Reuel suddenly beside her—without a sound, without any equipment, just straight up from below.

Her eyes widened. "He jumped from the first floor to the second… just like that?" she thought, barely able to believe what she'd just seen.

"Wow! Big Brother, you can do magic, huh?" Alice exclaimed from his arms, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "How did you get here so fast?"

Reuel smiled softly. "Yes, Big Brother can do magic."

"Can you teach me?"

"When you're older, I promise I'll teach you," Reuel said as he gently patted the little girl's head.

Saeko remained silent, staring at the man in front of her as if trying to pierce through the veil of mystery surrounding him. Countless questions swirled in her mind, but she knew this wasn't the time. She finally gave a small nod, keeping her curiosity for later.

Reuel crouched down and gently set Alice on her feet.

"Ask this beautiful lady to help you take a bath, okay? Big Brother will prepare food for you," he said softly.

"Okay, Big Brother," Alice replied innocently, without hesitation.

Reuel handed her into Saeko's arms, who received the little girl with one arm, still eyeing Reuel with an expression full of unspoken questions but saying nothing.

Once they were gone, Reuel accessed his system and began pulling out various foods. Within seconds, the dining table was covered in snacks, instant meals, steaming rice, chicken broth soup, soft bread, and several warm drinks along with fruit juice.

It wasn't just about filling Alice's stomach—it was about offering her a small sense of comfort and safety in a world slowly descending into hell.