I Am Honkai

"Attention, hyperspace gateway travel is about to end. Destination: Glory of Triumph."

"Astartes Third Legion, Black Templars Gate Traffic Authority, reminds you: countless paths lead to the destination, but safety is paramount. Please strictly adhere to port regulations..."

"Repeating once more…"

The quarters, spacious enough to accommodate over a hundred individuals, were arranged in concentric circles centered around a marble table in the middle.

"Yaaawn~ Finally arrived. Drifting endlessly in this void space is downright creepy," Kuzan muttered as he was jolted awake by the broadcast, lazily pulling off his sleeping mask. The harsh glare of the cabin lights caused him to rub his eyes.

"It hasn't even been that long. You've been sleeping the entire time, Kuzan. Where's the 'creepy' part in that? Some things never change—you're still as lazy as ever," Sakazuki said from the opposite side. He sat upright in an armchair, fully engrossed in the documents he was reading, not even bothering to look up.

"Oh my, still as tireless as always, huh?" Kuzan replied with a yawn, squinting at Sakazuki's meticulous demeanor. "You're quite the bookworm these days, aren't you?"

Sakazuki, indeed, resembled a diligent student. His section of the marble table was piled high with books, newspapers, and official files.

"Of course. For matters I care about, I devote my full energy. Besides, know thyself and thy enemy, and you'll never lose a hundred battles. We're about to reach the capital. If Marine Headquarters wants better terms in its integration with the Empire, we need to put in the work."

"According to the information, our world falls under the jurisdiction of the Astartes Ninth Legion, Blood Angels. Official designation: Conquered World No. 22."

"Ninth Legion?" Kuzan furrowed his brows and glanced around. "But the insignia here is 'III.' This should belong to the Third Legion."

The luxurious guest quarters had floors tiled with marble, and its furniture exuded a faint woody fragrance—clearly crafted from premium materials. Glass, brass, jade, and gold formed intricate patterns interwoven throughout the décor. The most prominent symbol was the massive golden double-headed eagle.

Beneath its talons, a coiled, deep-blue dragon roared skyward, encircling an emblem marked with a laurel-wreathed "III."

"Indeed, it was the Third Legion's Commander Leiva who negotiated our surrender. However, jurisdiction over our world belongs to the Ninth Legion, the Blood..."

Before Sakazuki could finish his explanation—pop!—the burst of a snot bubble echoed through the cabin, freezing the atmosphere in an instant.

There was no need to guess; everyone present already knew the culprit. Apart from the ex-Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had become shockingly carefree since retiring, no one else could act this relaxed in such an environment.

That damned geezer!

Sakazuki's eye twitched uncontrollably. He barely restrained himself from losing his temper. He couldn't unleash his magma powers here; damaging Imperial property would require compensation.

"Yaaawn~ This boring jump voyage is finally over," Sengoku exclaimed, rubbing his eyes as he leapt from his recliner to raid the snack-laden coffee table.

Deep breaths, Sakazuki told himself, shutting the book he'd been reading as he took a calming inhale. Only one clown tagging along is already a small blessing. If that slacker Garp had joined us, I might've blown up on the spot.

After all, Garp, the "Hero of the Marines," wouldn't have needed an excuse to come along. Thankfully, before the fleet departed, Garp had rushed off in search of his son Dragon and grandson Luffy, leaving the New World's Marine Headquarters in a hurry.

As for whether Garp would actually find them, Sakazuki didn't care. Even if Garp retired on the spot, it wouldn't matter. The man was well past seventy. As long as he didn't turn pirate, he could do whatever he wanted.

The ties between Sakazuki and Dragon, once colleagues, were long severed.

Crunch, crunch, crunch…

"Well, well, Sakazuki, look at you so studious. Finding the Fleet Admiral position engaging, are we?" Sengoku teased as he grabbed a bag of rice crackers, his mischievous eyes narrowing as he noticed Sakazuki's mountainous pile of reading material.

"Shut it! You're just a half-retired loafer now. Isn't this spread of snacks enough to keep your mouth busy?" Sakazuki snapped, unable to hold back any longer.

Just as the two were engaging in this "friendly discussion," a rhythmic, synchronized marching sound echoed from the corridor outside the cabin door.

A group of gray-uniformed Imperial auxiliary officers briskly entered, clutching military-grade electronic tablets. One officer stepped forward, scrutinizing the information on their device.

"Mr. Sakazuki and the rest of Marine Headquarters. As instructed by Commander Leiva, here are your temporary identification passes. The Triumph's Glory Stargate is approaching."

After confirming the details, the officer motioned for his subordinates to place several compact metal cases on the marble table.

"Please sign here."

Nodding slightly, Sakazuki accepted the electronic tablet and used the attached stylus to sign his name. "Thank you."

"The Third Legion looks forward to collaborating with you. Please prepare yourselves. A specialist will guide you shortly." With a formal salute, the auxiliary officer exited.

Sakazuki, showing due respect to these towering two-meter-tall "mortals," waited for them to leave before instructing his confidant, Rear Admiral Onigumo, to distribute the identification passes.

Each pass was a three-inch-long, one-inch-wide card. Their photos were etched onto the sleek surfaces, accompanied by the Empire's golden double-headed eagle insignia and little else.

Before the Marines could examine the cards further, a voice echoed, "Marine Headquarters personnel, please follow me."

Exiting the cabin, they moved through a corridor leading to a viewing deck. Suddenly, a soft hum resonated—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Outside the window, the scenery shifted. The void churned like boiling water, its violet-red hues replaced by vibrant prismatic lights. In the distance, a colossal floating fortress loomed into view.

As the return fleet emerged from the Triumph's Glory Stargate into the Empire's home dimension, everyone looked out the windows, marveling in awe.

"How massive…" someone muttered.

Before them lay an immense spaceport, illuminated by countless lights, bright as daylight. Its sheer size was staggering; no matter how far they craned their necks, the gigantic dome above obscured their view.

Even Sengoku, who had been feasting moments earlier, paused in amazement. The fleet gazed out at the port, where tens of thousands of battleships and fortresses, varying in length and size, stretched endlessly. Each warship, as vast as a mountain, sported the Empire's characteristic palace-like command bridges, resembling floating sanctuaries in the heavens.

At the center of the spaceport stood a monolithic fortress. Its crystalline display screen showed flashing numerical data:

(Imperial Standard Calendar): 1035 / 02 / 17 / 8:37 /

"So extravagant. Is this a fortress or a palace?" Kuzan murmured thoughtfully as he stood beside the reserved Robin.

The Triumph's Glory Stargate, one of the twenty-three massive spaceports in the Sacred Selene Empire's home territory within the Collapse Dimension, floated tens of thousands of kilometers above the Honkai Supercontinent.

Comparable in size to the empire's vast metropolitan clusters, this spaceport served as the Third Astartes Legion's home base for grand expeditions.

The Triumph's Glory Stargate was a marvel of grandeur. While its armor was primarily iron-gray, vast sections gleamed with radiant purple and red hues, accented by intricate gilded patterns.

Towering pillars surrounded the vast docking platforms, each crowned with the imposing symbol of the twin-headed eagle, its wings spread in majesty. Purple and gold banners hung from these pillars, embroidered with intricate patterns of mythical beasts in golden thread.

Yet the scene was dominated by the sheer volume of military personnel and vessels, all fully armed. The platform bustled with activity as lines of soldiers changed equipment and towering stacks of supplies awaited deployment. Rows upon rows of Titan mechs and Knightmare tactical frames gleamed as if fresh from the factory.

It was as if the entire port was a theater of war preparation, readying for a massive campaign. Beyond the port, purple-and-gold-hued warships continued to gather.

They were preparing for war. A grand one.

This might just be the perfect opportunity for us to prove the value of the Marine Headquarters.

"Soldier, is the land below the empire's homeland?"

Setting aside his thoughts, Sakazuki turned his gaze to the nearly limitless expanse of land and mountains below the spaceport. The sheer scale of the supercontinent beneath stunned him—an endless stretch of forests, plains, mountains, and sprawling urban clusters. Astonishingly, the blue oceans appeared to be surrounded by land.

Land larger than the sea? Oceans enclosed by continents?

For those from a water-covered world where even the largest landmasses were fragmented islands, this was an unimaginable sight.

Except for the Red Line, most landforms in Sakazuki's world were small islands. Even the Red Line was merely a long, narrow ring-shaped continent. The vast mountains, sprawling plains, and the natural beauty of a true continent left the Marines awestruck.

"Yes, this is the empire's heartland, the location of the Imperial Capital and the home of the gods," the escorting Auxiliary Corps soldier said, his eyes filled with reverence.

"But unfortunately, I'm from Subjugated World—16, part of the Auxiliary Corps. Without enough battle merit, I'm not qualified to reside in the homeland yet."

"Subjugated World—16? What is that? Could you explain it to me?" Fujitora, who had been silently playing with dice and blending into the background, suddenly asked.

"The worlds conquered by the Astartes Legions each have their own sequence number. For instance, I come from a world under the Third Legion, sequence number 16."

As they walked, the Auxiliary Corps soldier continued to explain: "Currently, there are twenty Astartes Legions in total. This recent conquest campaign was led by the Ninth Legion, the Blood Angels, while we, the Black Templars Legion, provided strategic support."

Before long, the floating fortress docked at the spaceport, a shimmering connection field extending to link the two. Sakazuki and the others followed the endless streams of Imperial soldiers disembarking. The port's military administration officials awaited their arrival.

"Sub-Lieutenant, Commander Wardell and your Captain have already stationed themselves at the Legion base. Please follow me."

"Lieutenant, the Auxiliary Corps' 32nd Group Army Commander has ordered all officers ranked captain and above to attend a meeting in Hall 1A598 of the spaceport. Please follow me."

"Commanders of Subjugated World—12's Auxiliary Corps, those commanding over a thousand soldiers, gather here to receive the Empire's rewards for your units."

...

The rigid hierarchy, layers of rank, and their corresponding privileges were displayed so vividly in the bustling scene.

Whenever an Astartes warrior passed by, not only did the military administrators treat them with utmost respect, but even the heavily armed Auxiliary Corps soldiers bowed their heads, silencing themselves entirely.

Despite the chaos, everything was orderly. Most Imperial soldiers marched in neat formations under their commanders' orders, while technicians assigned to the spaceport entered the docked warships with their servitors and auxiliary robots, beginning the intricate maintenance work.

Guided to a handover point, the Marine Headquarters officers entered a hyperspace transport hall led by the military administration officials.

Each stargate spaceport was equipped not only with orbital descent channels but also numerous hyperspace transport devices. Within the Honkai Dimension, where transmission coordinates could be fixed, these devices enabled mass and stable transportation of personnel and materials.

"According to Commander Leiva's orders, the Marine Headquarters personnel will be transported directly to the Imperial Capital via the fixed-point transfer device."

...

Upper Forest Garden, Glass Palace.

The lakeshore was encircled by carved pillars linked by vaulted arches, their tops bearing brass statues. Marble walls encased the gates, all of which rested on pale blue terrazzo steps.

Currently, the lake's edge was a peculiar scene: the commanders of various Astartes Legions had gathered here...to fish.

Judging by their hauls, the leaders of the First Legion—Alex, the Thirteenth Legion—Robert, and the Eighteenth Legion—Vulkan were leading with the most catches.

"A crybaby?"

In an instant, the image of a pink-haired, tearful mermaid princess appeared in Selene's mind.

"She's certainly a beauty. But why did you think of capturing her?"

As Selene toyed with Alyssa's cheeks, a chamberlain quietly reported from her side.

"Your Majesty, Commander Leiva and Commander Sanguinius have returned victorious...and it seems they've brought some xenos with them."

"Bring them here together," Selene instructed.

Not long after, the sound of synchronized footsteps filled the air. Among the returning figures, one presence drew Selene's attention immediately—the mermaid.

She was simply enormous.

The mermaid's long, flowing pink hair cascaded like waves, crowned by a taiyaki-shaped accessory. Her shell-shaped earrings framed her delicate, beautiful features and a generously endowed figure.

Her lower half was a magnificent tail of alternating pink hues, encircled by a series of floating bubbles. Clutching her hands nervously at her waist, her water-blue eyes darted anxiously at the unfamiliar surroundings.

What a pitiable yet breathtakingly beautiful mermaid.

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