I Am Honkai

When Esdeath responded with her consent, honestly, everyone on board the Fraxinus airship was a bit taken aback.

Was it really that easy? Did they actually manage to succeed so effortlessly? All the extensive dating strategies they had painstakingly prepared ended up being useless?

Ironically, it was the gamble suggested by Deputy Commander Kyouhei Kannazuki—the guy who typically picked the worst possible options during simulated dates—that worked like a charm.

At that moment, everyone couldn't help but wonder: could this really be the difference between trying to win over a mature Spirit and their previous encounters with younger, tsundere, or yandere types?

But the next words out of Esdeath's mouth quickly reminded them that it was never going to be that simple.

Of course, they'd still have to fight her in the end.

They could see now that Snowstorm operated by a brutal philosophy: survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle.

"Victory belongs to those who seize it—that is my creed!" she declared. "If you can defeat me in battle, without threatening my Empress's interests, then I'll submit to whatever you ask of me…."

"No matter the means—fair or unfair—that you choose to use."

Having been raised under a strict regime, Esdeath's worldview had long been shaped by one core belief: the victor held absolute rights over the defeated.

If she were defeated in battle and captured, she'd accept whatever came after, whether it be a date or even being forced into something as extreme as bearing someone's offspring.

Such was the fate of the defeated, in her view.

Of course, this was Esdeath from the original timeline.

Here, as General of the Sacred Selene Empire, she had endured countless beatings from her sovereign, having lost to Selene in more battles than she could count.

Every time she fought with all her strength, she had failed to even ruffle Selene's clothing, let alone gain the upper hand.

In Esdeath's mind, she had already become Selene's private property to some extent, serving as the Empire's general by her master's decree—a kind of "private asset in public service."

After all, the Sacred Empire of Selene was an imperial regime, and esteemed figures like Sebas, Alyssa, Leiva, and Budo—all of whom held high-ranking positions in the Empire—proudly identified themselves as the Empress's loyal servants.

Indeed, Selene had never openly referred to them as such, but even if she did announce her desire to appoint new retainers, you could bet that there'd be an endless queue of candidates vying for the honor.

Such was the allure of an emperor's favor.

Some would even go to extreme lengths—like castration—if that was a requirement for securing power.

"Or, if you want to protect this world, then perhaps… hah, as if that's even possible." Esdeath paused, scoffing at her own idle musings.

If, hypothetically, Esdeath failed, what would actually change?

Outside Earth's orbit, the thirteenth Astartes Legion of the Ultramarines was waiting, ready to descend.

The idea of this world successfully mounting a defense was absurd; she knew it. Its strength was capped at that narrow point between destroying a planet's surface and shattering the entire planet itself.

Even if the Ultramarines failed—if all trump cards were exhausted and total failure loomed—failure still did not equate to defeat. She would simply call upon her Empress. Esdeath was no fool, and her loyalty was not something to be trampled upon easily. A mere setback by an enemy would never shake her resolve or devotion. She was no longer the simple-minded Esdeath of the past.

There was no need to mention the Empress, who could wipe out an entire star system with ease, or even the Astartes forces, who carried devastating weapons capable of annihilating planets.

Victory was a foregone conclusion, the only variables being the losses sustained and the resources expended.

Once Esdeath uploaded her data, the conquest would commence.

"Is fighting really the only way?" Shido asked, clearly reluctant.

Esdeath didn't reply, her patience exhausted. She had indulged them enough with questions; it was time to get to the real business.

With a wave of her hand, an ice-forged rapier materialized, its tip directed at Shido.

Her intentions were unmistakable.

"I understand… Tohka, let's give it our all!" Accepting that a battle was unavoidable, Shido raised his voice resolutely.

"Understood!" Finally given permission to strike, Tohka's eyes glowed with excitement as she raised her arms high.

Hum—

From her palm emerged a brilliant, circular orb of dark purple light. "Esdeath, let's see you handle this!"

"Bring it on."

Esdeath smiled, though her ice-blue eyes flared with a chilling crimson glow. Her hair billowed in a spectral aura as her body began to shimmer with frost.

Whoosh!

The dark orb shot directly toward her.

BOOM!

An explosion lit up the area as a blinding flash of light engulfed the northern residential district of Tengu City, followed by a thunderous shockwave that rippled outward, leveling everything in its path.

"Shido, please, get away fr—"

"Getting distracted during a fight is a rookie mistake."

BAM!

"Ack!"

A colossal force sent Tohka hurtling backward, her body slamming through the debris and rubble, finally crashing into a building behind her with such force that it collapsed on impact.

And it didn't end there. The momentum carried her further, causing two more buildings to shudder and crumble in her path.

"Tohka!"

Shido's pupils shrank with horror as he realized that Esdeath's strength was likely far beyond what Tohka could handle.

"Hmm… I can sense it. She isn't at full power, and a portion of her energy remains stored within you… strange."

With her rapier in hand, Esdeath stepped through the swirling dust and debris. "If you're a civilian, I suggest you stay out of this."

"Stay away from Shido, you… you monster!"

Rising to her feet, Tohka charged at Esdeath, her massive sword raised with renewed fury.

"Oh? For a supernatural being, your technique is awfully crude."

Esdeath sidestepped the incoming slash as the sword's wind-cutting edge nearly grazed her. She twisted gracefully, countering by locking the sword's guard with her rapier.

Then, with a swift turn, she drove her heel down toward Tohka, crushingly.

Unable to muster any strength, Tohka could only drop her massive sword, crossing her arms in front of her to brace for the incoming kick.

Crack!

The violet guard cracked under Esdeath's blow, but Esdeath did not let up. Following through, she pressed forward, switching from a kick to a knee strike that landed squarely in Tohka's chest.

"Gah!"

But it wasn't over. In one fluid motion, Esdeath drove her other foot into the ground for leverage, pivoted, and spun her leg out straight—a sweeping kick connecting squarely with Tohka's abdomen.

To Shido, who was witnessing the scene from the sidelines, the action seemed to flash by in an instant. One moment, Tohka had charged forward, and the next, she was hurtling back even faster.

"Argh!"

As she flipped several times in midair, Tohka clutched her stomach with one hand, her other hand embedding itself in the concrete as she dragged a long trench across the ground to stop her momentum.

"There's no need to worry about him. I'm not a lowlife like Honest, who'd stoop to tormenting powerless civilians for sport... Hmm? An ice power?"

Esdeath's eyes narrowed as she detected something amiss. A fine layer of ice she hadn't created had begun forming around her.

"Wow, Tohka really is weak, isn't she? Looks like she needs little Yoshino's help after all—" The bunny puppet hadn't finished when a small, delicate hand gently silenced it.

"Please, Yoshinon… Sh-Shido, I… I want to help, too."

"Yoshino!" Shido called out in surprise.

"A child?" Esdeath's expression showed a hint of intrigue as she turned to the voice. There, she saw a timid, doll-like girl with delicate features and flowing blue hair, cloaked in an oversized hood with bunny ears and holding a rabbit-shaped puppet in her left hand.

"So, her attire is also woven from that mysterious energy. So she, too, is a supernatural entity…" With Yoshino's arrival, Shido's internal energy reserve visibly decreased further.

Could it be? Esdeath mused darkly, wondering if this boy was merely a storage vessel for others' powers—and all of them belonged to girls?

"No matter," she murmured, dismissing the thought.

At once, crimson streaks of Honkai Energy erupted around her, forming a towering storm of ice and snow. The intensity of her power overwhelmed Yoshino, who staggered under its weight.

Moisture from the atmosphere began freezing instantly, filling the air with floating shards of ice. In a fluid motion, Esdeath raised her hand, and the ice shards coalesced into thousands of dagger-like spears, forming a brilliant yet deadly silver vortex aimed directly at her opponents.

"Camael!"

A fiery blaze erupted as an enormous axe descended from above, its scorching heat cleaving through the icy storm in a flash of blinding light.

Fwoosh!

The spears shattered in a plume of steam as vapor filled the air, cloaking the entire district in thick fog.

Though Shido couldn't see who was behind the attack, he instinctively called out with growing relief, "Kotori! Is that you?"

"Of course it's me! Who else would be cleaning up the mess you made, you big dummy? Tohka, get Shido away from here!"

Kotori, clad in a blazing, spirit-like kimono that seemed to float like a bed of fiery feathers, descended gracefully, two flame-like horns flickering above her red hair.

Fixing her gaze on Esdeath, Kotori's eyes glinted with determination. "You said it yourself! If I defeat you, then you'll submit to our demands!"

"Camael Megiddo!"

The flaming, double-edged axe in Kotori's hands shifted, transforming into a massive cannon.

"If it's a mature Spirit, Commander," Kyouhei Kannazuki had said, "she's likely to honor her words. With a woman like her, you've got to show her your strength to earn her respect."

Those had been his exact words. And with Analyst Murasame nowhere to be found, Kotori could only hope that Kyouhei's gamble would pay off.

Taking a deep breath, Kotori leveled the cannon directly at Esdeath and fired.

Boom!

With an ear-splitting blast, a scorching wave of fire and smoke erupted from the cannon, racing toward Esdeath in a molten wave.

Esdeath's eyes narrowed as her careless demeanor faded, realizing that here, in hostile territory, caution was paramount. She held out her hand as she uttered her next command.

"Forest of Ice!"

With a low growl, she clenched her hand into a fist.

Gigantic spires of ice erupted from the ground, tearing through the surrounding buildings and intertwining into a sprawling fortress of frost.

An instant later, the world split into two realms—one half a fiery inferno, the other a frozen wasteland.

Chunks of frozen debris flew everywhere, crashing into what remained of the cityscape. Beneath their feet, fractured asphalt flowed with streams of molten lava that burned crimson like blooming roses.

"Is that all you've got?"

Esdeath's voice was laced with boredom as she pressed her palm downward. The once-balanced clash of ice and fire shattered, and her ice surged forth, swallowing the flames.

"Dance of the Ice Dragons!"

At her command, a deafening vortex of ice ripped through the battlefield, sending stone shards and ice chips whirling through the air. Centered on Esdeath, the blizzard raged in an enormous cyclone. Even from a kilometer away, Shido felt the bone-rattling tremor of her power.

The gale uprooted ancient trees, demolished nearby homes, and leveled entire blocks as Shido clung to the ground, feeling helpless as he watched the destruction.

"Tohka! Kotori! Yoshino!" he screamed, despair flooding his voice as he cursed his own weakness.

For the first time, Shido wished the AST would intervene, the very AST he usually despised for interfering.

Desperately, he tapped his earpiece, pleading, "Mr. Kyouhei! Where is the AST? Where are Yuzuru and Kaguya? Their wind powers could counter this!"

"I'm afraid not, Shido. The Commander assigned the Yamai sisters to investigate the AST base..."

Kyouhei's voice crackled back. "The AST base suffered a devastating attack from unknown forces. Many have fallen, and the Yamai sisters are preoccupied with the rescue effort."

"What? Of all times, why now?"