Night fell. After the banquet ended, Selene shifted her attention to the glowing interface that only she could see.
World: [The Walking Dead]
Main Objective: Connect to the World Core and trigger the Descent of Honkai.
Honkai Awakening Time: 1 day.
One day left. That meant it was almost time for her to leave.
She planned to hand the prison camp over to Merle and the others, but the military robots—those she would take with her.
Selene was never meant to belong to this world. She could travel between worlds, yes, but she wasn't going to stay behind as some kind of logistics worker or supply mule.
She was not a savior. A truly stable camp should function on its own. Her aid had come from empathy, not obligation—and empathy had its limits.
Compared to the original timeline, this camp was far stronger—better defenses, better supplies, more people. If, even after all that, they still couldn't survive, then they had only themselves to blame.
And if they ever grew ungrateful—if they dared to turn against her—Selene would not hesitate to erase them entirely.
...
The next morning, she gathered everyone in the meeting room.
"Boss, everyone's here," Daryl reported.
Selene nodded slightly and looked over the group, whose faces were filled with unease. She spoke plainly: "The camp is yours now."
A stunned silence followed.
Merle and Daryl exchanged looks, realizing what she meant. "Wait—did I hear that right? Boss, you're leaving?" Merle asked, disbelief in his voice.
The others looked equally confused. To them, Selene was the camp. It made no sense for the leader to leave while everyone else stayed.
"I'm not joking." Selene's expression was calm but firm.
Daryl stood abruptly. "If you're leaving, then I'm going with you!"
Selene shook her head. She refused. After giving them a few final instructions, she brushed off their protests with a simple excuse—she was returning home to Austria—and ended the meeting.
Before leaving, she made one final recommendation: to cautiously recruit new survivors, with Merle and Shane as the ones responsible for screening them. The two were pragmatic and ruthless—one hardened by life on the streets, the other a former cop with sharp instincts. Together, they could judge people far better than someone like Rick, who was still too soft, too indecisive.
Her advice was clear and simple: be careful above all else. In this apocalypse, the greatest threat wasn't the dead—it was the living.
Whether they listened or not was up to them. Selene had already done more than enough.
...
Outside Earth's atmosphere.
The countdown to the Descent of Honkai had entered its final stage. Selene could now feel the world's core pulsing vividly within her perception. Her transformation was nearing completion—half Herrscher.
As her inner Honkai energy surged, six Subspace Lances materialized beside her, hovering like silent guardians.
Her pupils had changed again—still diamond-shaped, but now crossed with faint X-patterns. She wore a body-fitting combat dress forged from condensed Honkai energy: a black sleeveless dress overlaid with a flowing white outer skirt, red patterns lining its edges. Her heels were black with orange trim, a purple polygonal anklet glimmered on her right leg, and feathered ornaments now crowned her head.
And then—the critical point arrived.
Crack... crack...!
The void surrounding Earth shattered like glass. A spreading wave of violet-red light pulsed outward, radiating a dreadful aura. Honkai particles, now fully gaseous, diffused into space like a deadly mist.
The thick Honkai clouds blocked the sunlight, casting the planet into darkness. As the world dimmed, the heavens glowed brighter—violet and crimson light swirling together until even the moon turned blood-red.
Those who could still see the sky from Earth witnessed the apocalyptic vision unfold.
Terror. Panic. Despair. Unease.
The emotions spread like wildfire across what remained of humanity.
Then, from the distant void, a faint ripple reached Selene—an echo of decay, of death.
She closed her eyes, following it. Her consciousness expanded, unfurling across the world like a vast tide. She could feel the planet, its suffering, its dying heartbeat.
And then she saw it—a light in the void, swirling with chaos.
The World Core.
Her awareness descended into it. Closing her eyes, she felt herself merge with the chaotic energy, sensing a fragile consciousness within—weak, dying, yet alive.
The embryo of this world—the World's Womb, the World Core itself.
The World Core had no consciousness—only instinct. It was the governing will of its own world.
In that moment, Selene understood everything.
The Honkai was bound to the worlds it touched. Its intensity always mirrored the strength of that world's civilization—the stronger the world, the stronger the Honkai. It was always just a little stronger than its host, ensuring its dominance.
The Honkai's instinct was expansion, and she—Selene—was its will incarnate, the vanguard of invasion.
Gazing at the chaotic sphere of light before her, an irresistible urge welled up inside—to consume it, absorb it, make it hers.
"So that's what I am... the enemy of worlds, the foe of creation itself. The villain."
Her consciousness drifted closer to the glowing chaos, whispering to herself, "Since arriving in this world, I've wondered... what should I become? Should I drift with the current? Stay kind? Or follow instinct?"
"I don't ever want to feel powerless again. I want strength—endless strength."
"Maybe, after this step, I'll be rejected by every world... maybe I'll have no friends, only countless enemies."
The past was gone. Only the present mattered now.
From this moment onward, there would be only Selene. Xilin, her former self, was gone forever.
Her eyes hardened, hands spreading slowly. "So what? To live again—what greater fortune could there be? Good, evil, it doesn't matter. I will live."
"Devour."
The cold word echoed through the chaos, reverberating like thunder.
Above her, the chaotic light began to condense, forming into a crown-shaped construct no larger than her palm. It floated downward until it finally settled upon her head.
The moment Selene seized the World Core, a wave of divine sensation surged through her—it was as though she had become the master of the cosmos itself.
Power absolute. Authority unchallenged.
An indescribable feeling flooded her soul. For a fleeting instant, she was the world—its will, its body, its god. Through the lens of eternity, she glimpsed the endless joy and suffering that had played out across this planet since time immemorial—an infinite tapestry of life performing before her.
A serene smile formed on her lips, joy blooming from deep within her soul.
As if rewarding her, a column of chaotic light burst from the heart of the world, striking her before the Honkai fully descended.
The Honkai's gift.
Full Herrscher Transformation.
Selene's pupils gained a golden ring within their diamond-crossed irises. The feathers on her headpiece split into two radiant plumes of color. The six Subspace Lances behind her grew thinner, more numerous, their white edges traced with crimson threads. Her short black skirt wove itself with red filaments, dark gloves merged into white armor, and from her waist, six tattered, rune-marked banners unfurled.
With each breath she took, her aura intensified exponentially. The air around her warped as pure energy rippled outward in geometric waves. Space itself twisted beneath her presence.
Selene stood calmly, feeling the boundless power coursing through her veins.
If she didn't restrain herself, the energy waves alone would annihilate everything nearby.
Though this strength came from the world itself, the sensation of absolute control was intoxicating.
For Selene, this was not just ascension—it was the experience of godhood.
She flexed her fingers slightly, and the fabric of space quivered. "What terrifying power... Shame it isn't truly mine. Once I return to Academy City, it'll probably weaken to a fraction of this."
Even so, her strength had leapt to new heights. Full Herrscher form elevated her existence beyond humanity—her lifespan now rivaled the age of civilization itself. She could cross the cosmos with her physical body alone, defy gravity by nature, and withstand nearly any attack without injury.
"Well then... let's get to work."
She didn't need to tear through space with brute force anymore. As the master of this world, a mere thought was enough.
The cracks spread across the entire solar system.
In an instant, as fissures covered the heavens, they came alive—dancing wildly under the crimson light, weaving together into a massive sigil.
Crack!
A shattering sound, like glass breaking, echoed in the minds of every living being still alive on Earth.
"The Honkai... has descended."
Boom!
Under the surge of energy—ten thousand times stronger than before—the physical world was engulfed. Like fruit crushed beneath claws, reality itself began to dissolve, feeding the Honkai's endless growth.
Selene looked toward Earth, her expression unreadable. "As a farewell gift... I'll help you one last time."
...
Prison Camp.
Rick's group never knew what exactly happened that day. One moment, the sky went dark. Then came the blood moon. Then the sky shattered like glass.
When the chaos finally subsided, they stayed hidden for days, afraid to step outside. But when they finally did, they discovered something impossible.
Every zombie beyond the fences was dead—motionless, lifeless.
As they searched further, they found the same everywhere—corpses upon corpses, all still.
Slowly, a realization dawned upon them.
The apocalypse... was over.