Otto Apocalypse was now in a panic.
Inside the Schicksal Ground Control Center, chaos reigned.
Since Schicksal's first space vessel had ascended into orbit, a series of bizarre incidents had followed one after another.
Humanity, filled with boundless dreams of the stars, had done everything possible to send the ship into space.
But the first thing it saw upon arrival was an alien space station and a planet-cracking battleship—utterly catastrophic.
Judging by the images transmitted back, there was no doubt that an inconceivable super-civilization existed just beyond Earth's atmosphere.
A space station of sci-fi design, starships the size of planets, and on those starships—that familiar insignia.
He had seen it five hundred years ago, and again decades before. According to historical records, the Starsea Empire had already existed since the days when Shenzhou's ancestors still tilled the land with stone tools.
[Ground Control to Schicksal-1.]
[Repeat, Ground Control to Schicksal-1...]
The technicians in the control room sent transmission requests again and again to the spacecraft, then shook their heads.
"No response, Archbishop. The signal's completely dead."
"Our communications with Schicksal-1 have been cut off."
"..."
"Is there any other way to determine their status?" Otto asked.
"No, we tried using astronomical telescopes, but the other side seems to have camouflage and cloaking devices. Optical observation from Earth is impossible," one of the Schicksal scholars replied, still shaking his head.
"Gravitational readings are useless too—they use anti-gravity systems. We can only detect them at extremely close range."
"What's strange is, we launched many observation satellites more than a year ago, but none of them detected any trace of this. It's as if they suddenly appeared out of nowhere."
"...Tch." Otto frowned.
To ensure absolute safety, the first batch of Valkyries sent into space were the elite among elites—even Theresa and the teachers of St. Freya Academy had gone along.
Before departure, multiple unmanned satellites had been launched for reconnaissance, confirming the area around Earth was secure.
So how could something like that suddenly appear?!
He couldn't make sense of it.
"A few days ago, we detected some imaginary energy leaking from deep space. It may indicate a link to the Imaginary Space, though we're unsure if it's related," another technician added.
"Oh, but Archbishop, rest assured," he continued quickly. "According to our analysis, Schicksal-1 should be safe. We've detected no signs of combat in orbit."
"If they had used a Honkai fission bomb or if the ship had been destroyed, we would have immediately observed an energy fluctuation from Earth."
"..."
Otto didn't particularly care about the Valkyries' lives; what he wanted now was to understand what had happened.
"Strange... So that means they came to the solar system long ago and have been observing Earth all this time..."
"They occasionally intervene—stopping Schicksal's eastern expeditions, abducting scientists, even taking away the First Herrscher... Clearly, they have their own motives."
He rested his chin on his hand, feeling that he had grasped a faint thread of truth.
"Are they manipulating humanity and Earth's development?"
Otto hated that idea.
He was the kind of man who took pride in holding the fates of others in his hands—controlling them through every conceivable means.
Whether it was Theresa or the three great families of Schicksal—it was all the same.
Because of his overwhelming confidence in his own power, this man who believed himself in control of everything detested nothing more than forces beyond his grasp.
The Starsea Empire was a thorn in his heart.
"I don't think they're necessarily hostile," one of Schicksal's high-ranking officers commented casually.
"If their goal was to conquer Earth, then five hundred years ago—or even four thousand years ago—would've been the best time to do it."
"Back then, we didn't even have airplanes. We wouldn't have stood a chance. They could've taken over the whole world effortlessly."
"Now we have advanced weaponry and have even built spacecraft. It's not like the Honkai War era, when we could only close our eyes and await death."
"Given time, we could form our own space fleet..."
It was a logical deduction.
Otto found some logic in their words, yet he still couldn't understand.
Suddenly—
Beep—
A foreign signal connected.
"Whether it was four thousand years ago, five hundred years ago, or now—it makes no difference to us."
A cold, emotionless face appeared on the holographic screen—Sophon's.
"This is the Starsea Empire. I am here to announce the Commander's decree."
"We will begin full conquest of Earth. From this moment onward, the Solar System is incorporated into the Empire's territory."
"All personnel are to lay down their arms and surrender. Schicksal is to be dissolved immediately. Based on your past actions, I will determine your future."
"Some of you will face judgment; others will be permitted to live under Imperial rule as ordinary civilians."
"This is an order. There is no room for negotiation."
"Ah—?!"
"!!!"
Sophon's transmission spread through every communication device and media channel.
After a brief silence, the Schicksal headquarters erupted into panic and noise.
A full-scale alien invasion—
It was a declaration of war against all humanity!
Within moments, shrill alarms blared throughout the entire facility.
As Sophon made her proclamation, countless Angeloid units descended from the skies, accompanying the fleet as it entered Earth's atmosphere.
All across the world, alarms began to sound one after another.
"Who are you? Where are you from? What do you want?"
Otto questioned Sophon.
For the first time in centuries, he had the opportunity to make direct contact with the Starsea Empire—and he seized it, throwing out a barrage of questions:
"Is Karen with you? Cecilia too? Why did you abduct Schicksal's scientists? What about the Schicksal-1 spacecraft?!"
"I am not obligated to answer your questions. You may choose to resist or to surrender and accept judgment," Sophon replied with a blank expression.
"...Is that so?" Otto's face darkened.
"Archbishop, what should we do?!"
"Our Valkyrie forces are still—"
His subordinates clamored in confusion, but Otto silenced them with a wave of his hand.
"Five hundred years ago, when I first realized there might exist extraterrestrial civilizations beyond Earth, I began contemplating how to resist them."
"Those 'angels' of yours were nothing but weapons of war, yet the ignorant masses worshiped them as divine messengers... Back then, we had no means of resistance."
"But now, things are different."
Clack—
At his command, hidden military bases across the planet stirred to life. The mechanical rumbling of heavy machinery echoed as enormous missile silos emerged from beneath the ground.
They were monstrous in design, their sheer scale enough to shame even the most powerful nations on Earth. Not even the peak of the White Eagle's military age could compare.
Click—
Countless launchers locked onto a fixed point in the starry sky.
"I know your space stations and warships use some kind of technology to evade radar and observation, making them invisible to us."
"But their orbital positions are relatively fixed. With data transmitted from Schicksal-1, it's easy to calculate their trajectories and approximate coordinates."
"Even if the strike isn't perfectly accurate... it'll still be enough."
Otto lifted his chin as he spoke.
Some of the Schicksal staff turned toward him with astonished gazes.
They hadn't realized that their Archbishop possessed such terrifying power.
"...A clever move," Sophon said, closing her eyes.
"After the First Herrscher incident, you secretly designated the Starsea Empire as a hypothetical enemy, expanding Schicksal's military forces and pushing for the development of weapons of mass destruction."
"They were officially described as anti-Herrscher measures, but in truth, they were meant to counter an extraterrestrial fleet on an interstellar scale."
"These fission bombs are capable of short-range strikes in space—enough to destroy more than half of the Moon's mass. Their destructive power exceeds the average level of pre-space civilizations."
"Among all pre-space civilizations we've encountered, your planned counterstrike possesses the highest degree of feasibility."
"Furthermore, you prepared numerous backup bodies and sought a method to resist the Starsea Empire through the Imaginary Tree. Unfortunately, you never found the second Divine Key—Cosmic Juggernaut—nor do you have the means to reach the Imaginary Tree itself."
Since the era of Saga of the Shattered Swords, Sophon had observed Earth from higher-dimensional space, recording every action and every thought.
Because the Cosmic Juggernaut had long been reclaimed by the Research Division, and since Einstein, Tesla, and others had disappeared, Schicksal's technological development had taken a subtle turn.
In this timeline, Schicksal's research into the Imaginary Space and Honkai phenomena was quite limited, yet through Void Archives and the disappearance of the Honkai, they had advanced much further in conventional technology.
"...?" Otto didn't quite understand how Sophon knew all this—as though she had personally witnessed every one of his plans and actions.
He steadied his emotions, realizing she had, in a sense, acknowledged him.
"So, you know all that? Then can we talk?"
"I'll warn you—killing me won't stop the launch. I've set up backups and negative trigger systems..."
"No." Sophon coldly rejected.
"The Lord does not care."
...
Boom!
Rumble—
The last remnants of Schicksal's armed forces engaged the Starsea Empire's fleet. The battle began in an instant—and ended just as quickly.
Clack—
Countless ground-based missile launch systems locked onto the starships above, attempting a desperate close-range assault.
"Ah~ so many fission warheads detonating this close together... that's kinda dangerous, huh?"
On the bridge of the Harbin, Nymph munched on her lollipop while tapping several times on the holographic interface, her pupils flickering with streams of complex data.
"Not that it really matters to us—those toys can't even scratch our shields. But the poor people down there? They're in for a bad time."
"This world's still useful to Master. It'd be a shame if you guys wrecked it too badly."
Zzzzz—
A surge of electromagnetic interference instantly enveloped the entire planet.
All electronic devices failed in an instant. Control systems and ballistic computers were reduced to lines of garbled text.
Against a universal electronic-warfare Angeloid, all of humanity's modern technology might as well have been garbage.
"!!!"
"Target lock lost?!"
"Switch to manual launch mode! Aim by hand!"
Clack—
Without time for precise calibration, countless Honkai fission missiles were fired from launch bases across the world, aimed roughly toward the coordinates of the orbital station.
"Waaah—what the hell is that—?!"
Having just arrived at the orbital station under the escort of the Angeloids, Seele, Wendy, and the others were touring the interior.
When they turned back to look—
Hundreds of missiles had already pierced through the atmosphere, streaking directly toward them.
"We're doomed!!!"
"Archbishop! They're aiming at us!!!"
The young Valkyries, having never seen anything like this, crouched down and covered their heads instinctively.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!—
The orbital station's point-defense systems activated, turrets spewing tongues of plasma as kinetic rounds fired at near-light speed intercepted the incoming fission missiles with pinpoint precision.
Bang!
Rumble!
Hundreds of miniature suns blossomed in the void, their fiery waves surging toward the station—only to be stopped hundreds of kilometers away by a faint blue shield.
Ripples shimmered across its surface, not a trace of Honkai energy leaking through.
"Eh..."
It took Seele nearly ten minutes to steady herself and stand back up.
"I... I'm still alive...?"
"The station's energy shield can withstand a direct hit from a Titan-class battleship's main gun. You're fine~" said Kayo Senju with a shrug, completely unconcerned.
"Besides, the Commander's here—what's there to be afraid of?"
"Eh, it's a pity Schicksal's technology is so outdated. If they'd brought, say, two thousand ships to fight back, it might've been more interesting. I even kept a few Droplets around."
"Droplets? What's that?" Seele asked, clueless yet intrigued.
Meanwhile, on the ground—
Soldiers stared wide-eyed at the transmitted footage.
The saturation bombardment of Honkai fission warheads had achieved nothing.
The Angeloids gave them no time to act again.
Sophon precisely marked every military base and all locations containing weapons of mass destruction, providing targeting coordinates for the fleet.
Beams of high-energy radiation lanced down from the heavens, slicing through mountains and tearing open the earth, obliterating every underground fortress and hardened facility.
Like every pre-space civilization before them, humanity had no means of resistance once the landing began.
Schicksal's brief resistance was nothing more than a ripple in the vast tide.
Boom—
Rumble—
Soon enough, realizing the futility of fighting, governments and militaries across the world began surrendering en masse.
The Angeloid armies flew across the skies of the cities, maintaining order.
The people's expressions were a mixture of fear and curiosity.
After all the struggle to reach space, humanity was instantly taken over by an alien overlord. The situation was beyond absurd.
Yet, seeing those angelic figures descending from the heavens... it didn't feel all that bad.
At least they weren't xenomorphs, right?
Although every battle-type Angeloid shared the same model and appearance, by human standards of beauty, they were nothing short of perfection.
Being ruled by them—well, it was certainly better than being conquered by grotesque, insectoid aliens.
Many people couldn't help but think so silently to themselves.
...
At Schicksal Headquarters, reports of front-line collapses poured in one after another.
Boom—
The building shook violently. Whether it was the remaining staff or combat units, everyone either fled or surrendered.
Otto realized, in the face of absolute power, his intelligence and intricate schemes were utterly meaningless.
The grand plan he had prepared for centuries was crushed completely within five minutes.
Suddenly, he understood something.
He looked up toward the sky and muttered as if speaking to someone unseen.
"This was all within your plans, wasn't it?"
There was no specific addressee, but Otto felt certain they could hear him.
Bzzt—
Grey's holographic projection appeared before him.
"Yes."
"Why? You could've killed me five hundred years ago—there were plenty of chances afterward. Why now?"
"Tell me—who exactly are you?"
Otto's voice trembled slightly. All he wanted now was to know what kind of existence this elusive Starsea Empire truly was.
Their origins, their motives, their actions—all were incomprehensible.
"There are many things in the universe you'll never understand," Grey said, shrugging.
She had considered explaining—that everything Otto had done for centuries had been foreseen, that he had been kept alive merely to avoid excessive disturbance to the timeline.
But after a moment of thought, she decided there was no point in explaining to a native.
She spoke succinctly:
"Simply put—destroying you has nothing to do with you."
"...Hah."
Otto fell silent, letting out a short, self-deprecating laugh. He took two steps back and sat down on his chair.
As the Archbishop of Schicksal, he had always been proud and arrogant.
He wanted to control everything, to command all destinies.
But before a super-civilization, he realized he was nothing more than an insignificant being—so trivial they couldn't even be bothered to exchange more than a few words.
He shook his head lightly, saying nothing more.
High above the Earth—
Icarus unfurled her wings, drawing a great violet bow.
She pulled the string, energy rapidly condensing into an arrow of light.
Shhh—
Rumble!
The arrow shot through the atmosphere, exploding upon impact and unleashing a massive energy storm.
Shockwaves rippled across the ground, golden spirals of energy reaching all the way to the sky.
Schicksal Headquarters—and everything within—was reduced to dust.
...
Hours later—
Inside the orbital station, Icarus returned before Setsuna with the Angeloid forces.
"Report, Master. Earth has been completely secured. Sophon is overseeing the reconstruction of the administrative system. Post-war recovery is already underway."
"Good," Setsuna nodded.
Such matters were second nature to the Angeloids and Sophon; before long, this planet would stabilize and become just another province of the Empire.
Meanwhile, on another side of the station—
Raiden Mei, Bronya, Durandal, and a few others were still touring with Kiana.
Ever since they had been brought aboard, they'd realized this place was like a science fiction paradise—every day brought a new discovery.
They wandered endlessly through every corner, sometimes even taking small starships out for joyrides.
"Hey, hey, everyone, hold up a sec."
As the white-haired bun-head led them out of a movie theater, they ran into Grey.
"Ladies, please take these identification cards. From today onward, you are citizens of the Starsea Empire."
"Within Imperial territory, you'll enjoy all rights and benefits of citizenship. These are the general regulations for living in the capital—please review them."
The nanobot handed them several chips, designed to identify them as official residents of the capital.
"Eh? Ah... thank you," Mei said hastily, taking hers.
"Starsea Empire citizenship? Is this like a green card? Does Bronya need to register with the immigration bureau?"
"Ah... I think I should contact the ground..." Bronya tilted her head.
"No need. Schicksal and the World Government have both been dissolved. From now on, this planet is part of the Starsea Empire's administrative zones."
Plop—
The ice cream in Mei's hand dropped to the floor.
"Eh?"
So that's how they were changing nationalities now? That was... quite a power move.