I Am Honkai

"You are... the Director?"

Waver's eyes narrowed as he studied the man, revealing his shock.

Though the elder's appearance didn't exactly match the portraits hanging in the Clock Tower's halls or the Mineralogy Department's archives, Waver was still a Lord—he had the discernment to recognize him.

Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

That name was legendary in the world of magecraft and across all of the mystical realms.

One of the oldest magi, active even before the Common Era. A founding member of the Mage's Association. The founder of the Mineralogy Department at the Clock Tower. Honorary Director of the Clock Tower. The progenitor of Jewel Magecraft. The pinnacle of ore-based sorcery. A master of energy stabilization and structural composition. A millennia-old monster.

Titles like "Second Magician," "Marshal of Thaumaturgy," "The Jewel Man," and "Kaleidoscope"—too many to count—all reflected his overwhelming prowess.

In this modern age, where true magic has dwindled to five remaining systems after the death of Solomon and the decline of mystery, Zelretch remains one of the five existing wielders of True Magic. He is the wielder of the Second Magic: Kaleidoscope, which allows him to walk freely across parallel worlds.

Among the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, most are elusive or constantly absent, off hunting Dead Apostles, observing celestial bodies, or simply enjoying life. By comparison, Waver, who teaches regardless of lineage and is committed to education, is practically a saint.

But the honorary director? He's often not even in this world.

Zelretch is one of the rare beings who has unified his "selves" across the multiverse, maintaining a consistent identity while freely traveling through countless parallel worlds.

This was why Waver was so surprised. But upon reflection, it made sense that the "Marshal of Thaumaturgy" would finally show himself.

After all, with the entire planet and universe on the brink of annihilation under an otherworldly invasion, continuing to sit on the sidelines would be indefensible.

"Director, do you have a way to resolve this situation?"

With that thought, Waver quickly stubbed out his cigar and stepped forward, asking with hope in his voice.

Tap tap~

"I would certainly hope so," the old man said, "but unfortunately, that level of divine clash is beyond what we mortals can interfere with. Without the protection of the primordial cosmic goddess Ashtart, this parallel world would've collapsed already."

His gemstone-carved cane tapped crisply against the polished floor of the royal chamber in the Hanging Gardens. The Marshal of Thaumaturgy stopped walking and turned to face the weary, disheveled Lord El-Melloi II, his tone calm.

"Ashtart? Who is—"

"Enough. No need for drawn-out introductions or unnecessary explanations. Long story short—Waver, Fujimaru Ritsuka—your task is simple: focus on your current ground and delay the incursion of the foreign god into this world."

His aged face, short white hair, and beard all marked his long years, while his blood-red eyes gleamed with shifting energy. Zelretch raised a hand and—Riiip—!

With the sharp sound of glass shattering, a dazzling, many-faceted short sword—appearing as if carved from a massive gem—tore open the space within the royal hall.

That sword—was the very blueprint the Tohsaka family had pursued for generations: the origin of the Jewel Sword—Zelretch.

"What is that...? An alien creature." All eyes turned toward the mirror-like cracks in space triggered by the Jewel Sword. Within those spatial rifts...

The desolate, murky Steel Earth was once again teeming with life—but not the revival of natural ecosystems. No, this was the spread of Honkai beasts.

Visible in the sky, the purple-red tendrils of Honkai corruption stretched endlessly, transcending time and space, crossing the infinite timelines, parallel worlds, and high-dimensional realms of the Type-Moon world. The authority of the Swirl of the Root was being forcibly seized, transformed into a tidal wave of visible collapse, contaminating everything it governed....

"As you can see," Zelretch continued, "with the Root being polluted, countless parallel worlds I've observed are now showing signs of erosion. The barrier between our world and the alien realm has been breached. This invasion was clearly long in the making."

Hordes of Honkai beasts overwhelmed the crystal canyon. The strongest UO from Mercury—ORT—was already locked in fierce combat. Despite its might, as it unleashed wave after wave of destructive energy to protect Earth, the beasts swarmed over it like a curse it could not escape.

As the strongest Ultimate One, ORT was formidable beyond doubt. Every sweep of its scythe-like limbs bathed the battlefield in blood, breaking the earth and tearing the sky. Its title was well earned....

(Note: UO, or Ultimate One, is the apex existence of each planet—a manifestation of the planet's will and soul. It represents the endpoint of planetary evolution: immortal, beyond reproduction, the final and only lifeform of its kind.)

But that's all it was—the strongest lifeform of Mercury. Even when answering Gaia's call and receiving amplification from two planetary sources, the Honkai beasts it faced were no less fearsome. Born of Selene's purest essence, the only thing that could restrain them... was Selene herself.

As the corruption deepened, more Honkai beasts emerged from the imaginary rifts. These new forms grew larger and stronger, with some now rivaling or surpassing the size of the Bull of Heaven. Supermassive Honkai beasts, thousands of meters long, began to appear.

Compared to them, ORT's forty-meter height made it look like an insect. Even though it had plowed through the steel Earth, slaughtering countless beasts, its attacks were nearing a limit. Its strength was visibly waning.

And the Honkai tide? It only continued to surge—stronger in both quantity and quality.

...

Beneath a starry sky now laced with Honkai corruption, within a vast frozen flower field, an ancient castle lay shattered. Upon the frost stood a war maiden with a bloodthirsty grin, saber in hand, pointing at the golden-haired figure below—radiant as moonlight.

The most striking part of this battlefield was its backdrop: in the void of space, beyond the frozen moon, loomed Earth—its near orbit darkened by countless alien warships.

"Orbital warships... this is the worst possible news!" Waver's eyes widened.

After their encounter with the Sangheli forces, Waver had suspected the alien civilization under Selene's rule possessed vastly superior technology. He'd mentally prepared for it—but seeing it firsthand still chilled him.

With the current world's science and military power, and even the strength of most magi and Servants, what hope could there be against such overwhelming machines of war?

As he watched the dark dots descending from the bellies of the warships, and the dazzling barrage of color and destruction, Waver exchanged glances with Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash.

Silently, he thought:

"I've seen enough. Let's go."

Before Waver and the others could fully process everything, the Marshal of Thaumaturgy continued on his own. With a flick of the Jeweled Sword, an enormous rift in space-time tore open, swallowing the entire Hanging Gardens in a single breath. Zelretch himself remained unaffected by the dimensional transfer, calmly watching as Waver, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and the palace vanished into the void.

"Wait! Old man, what should we do? How do we delay the foreign god's invasion? What about this place?"

Struggling to sit up, Fujimaru Ritsuka gasped through clenched teeth. His magic had been depleted, the aftereffects of the elixirs still ravaging his body.

"Exactly as you've done before—repair the singularities, slow down the invaders' occupation of parallel worlds. These glimpses are just the tip of the iceberg. Our world is teetering on the edge. Even if you can delay them an hour—or ten minutes—it's worth it. Do what you can."

Zelretch raised his jeweled staff, giving a formal farewell gesture. A faint smile touched his otherwise stern face.

"As for this world—your presence here would be in vain. Better to deploy your forces where they're truly needed."

Buzz—!

A flash of pure white light followed his words. The space-time rift sealed shut, and the smile faded from Zelretch's face.

Yes. Delaying was all they could do. That was the best they could offer at this point. Even if they were annihilated, they had to use every ounce of value they had.

Brutally put—Chaldea was little more than expendable to the Swirl of the Root. As one of the rare organizations capable of independent cross-world transfer, they were a vital yet disposable asset.

Selene's invading army was effectively an external mechanism supplementing the Root's corruption. Not only was the metaphysical Root being contaminated, the arrival of the imperial military in the material universe brought its own invasive force. Dual contamination.

The Empire's offensive strategy was also no accident. They specifically targeted parallel worlds connected to the primary tributaries of the Swirl of the Root. Even capturing a physical universe could weaken or usurp the Root's authority.

Under such circumstances, the Root—despite lacking direct will—had begun to struggle instinctively through its own failsafes.

Most of its strength was now dedicated to wrestling with Selene—purging her corruption from its core and attempting to redirect resources to delay her advance.

This included forcibly bypassing Gaia and Alaya to command every Heroic Spirit in the Throne—not bound by class—to descend into battle across the multiverse.

Dragons, fae, nightmares, and other supernaturals from the Sea of Stars were released. Sealed deities from higher dimensions were recalled....

Whether this would disrupt the "Age of Man" was irrelevant now. The Root had only one priority: survival.

"The world's boundaries are so fragile now... the way it amplifies my Second Magic... If even the Root is willing to pay such a price, then this truly is an extinction-level crisis."

Zelretch lowered the Jeweled Sword. The Hanging Gardens were gone. Suspended in the air, he murmured to himself.

Normally, his method of traversing parallel worlds involved transferring his consciousness into a gem—his essence forming around it in the new timeline, while the gem in the previous world reverted to its original form.

But now, under the amplification of the Jeweled Sword, he could move his physical body directly across parallel worlds—and even take others with him.

The Swirl of the Root—or rather, the world's restrictions on him—had grown far weaker. The barriers between worlds were now brittle. More importantly, his actions seemed... encouraged.

"The changes in the world are dizzying. Sometimes, perhaps living too long isn't a blessing after all. My King..."

Zelretch turned his gaze toward the massive rift in the shattered planet.

As one of Solomon's disciples during his lifetime, there was no mistaking the magic king's aura.

Even if the primordial goddess had forcibly stabilized the anomaly, the planet split in two was horrifying enough. The void created by the concept of "Solomon" still poured out a dense tide of Honkai energy.

This was clearly one of Selene's primary anchors for corrupting the Swirl of the Root.

"My King, it seems you finally fulfilled your wish."

A glimmer of wistful remembrance shone in Zelretch's crimson eyes.

To cast aside divine blessings, become human, and die... yes, he had succeeded. But in the end, did Solomon regret it?

"Seal it... close it. What a troublesome mission."

This was the true reason Zelretch had come—and the guidance whispered to him by the Swirl of the Root: find a way to seal this anchor, even at the cost of his life.

Buzz... buzz... buzz!

The tide of Honkai solidified, and in a blink, countless monsters flooded his vision. Their roars filled the air. Then, streaks of golden light flashed—one after another, in a growing chain reaction.

The Honkai tide parted. Emblazoned with golden twin-eagle crests, armored female warriors emerged. They stood tall, powerful, clad in radiant golden armor, high ponytails whipping behind them, holding massive matte-gleaming cross-shaped greatswords. Bright, unblinking eyes stared straight at Zelretch.

"Kneel and surrender, or die."

From the moment they arrived, Zelretch could feel it—even from afar. These beings carried a presence like black holes, suppressing all magical activity and perception.

His mind instantly throbbed with pain. His thoughts turned sluggish, spirit disrupted. Even drawing mana became difficult. The Jewel Sword's power—typically fed by countless parallel world sources—was suddenly unstable, cut off, suppressed.

Each of them projected a force akin to an anti-magic field... They were the bane of magi.

In that instant, Zelretch understood—he would have to fight for his life.

"Very well. The world bore me, nurtured me... Now it is my turn to protect it in its darkest hour!"

BOOM—!

...

Across countless parallel worlds, Zelretch's resolve was not unique.

Endless extraordinary beings born of the land awoke. Answering the call of their world, their mother, they hurled themselves at the fully-armed invaders from beyond.

Even if it meant flying straight into the flames.

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