Dressed in the black-and-white uniform of the Imperial military, draped in a white cloak, the woman radiated an aura of piercing cold. A playful smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"I have sothing interesting to show you."
In front of her, the frail, golden-haired priestess instinctively pulled her clothes tighter around herself. Even though she was standing by the warmth of a fireplace, the presence of this woman—General Esdeath—still made her feel cold.
Bone-chillingly cold.
"Not long ago, I submitted an Extermination Order request to Her Majesty."
Under the wary and confused gazes of the others, Esdeath’s face remained as cold and expressionless as ever. With a flick of her wrist—
Swish!
The folder, embossed with the golden twin-headed eagle insignia of the Empire, flew like a dagger through the air. As the Priestess gasped in alarm, strands of her hair were sliced away, the folder embedding itself into the wooden table with a thud, trembling slightly from the force.
"Extermination Order?"
Frowning, Kiana pulled the folder from the table and flipped it open with a sharp snap.
"Hmm?"
Inside, there were only three pages, appearing to be made of so strange gold-infused paper. The parchnt had a faint yellow hue, trimd with gold. At the top, enclosed within a golden, diamond-shaped emblem that symbolized Selene’s Finality, were three simple yet chilling Imperial words—
"Extermination Order."
The text was brief, yet it carried a sense of unparalleled cruelty, absolute ruthlessness, and sheer madness.
As Kiana continued reading, her head jerked up abruptly, eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Esdeath.
"What do you an by this?"
"Exactly what you’re thinking—this world."
Esdeath stepped forward, leaning casually against the table as if she owned the place, her icy gaze eting Kiana’s. At the sa ti, she effortlessly lifted the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea.
"Such indiscriminate slaughter... I thought this was only supposed to be our trial? Why are you interfering?!"
Bang!
Kiana slamd her fist onto the wooden table, her frustration evident.
"Because I never expected this world to have such disgusting creatures as goblins. Their very existence repulses . So, I decided to erase them from the source."
Her words imdiately caught the attention of a certain man who usually ignored everything except goblins—
Goblin Slayer.
What surprised Esdeath even more was that he seed genuinely intrigued by the idea.
Interesting.
A man with a story, it seems. I’ll have soone investigate his background later. If he’s valuable, we’ll bring him into the Imperial military.
"Relax. It’s just a Level-One Extermination Order—it won’t damage the planet’s structural integrity. The request I submitted was for radiation bombs and viral agents. After the planetary bombing, we’d deploy a purification compound. Within three years, this world would be completely renewed."
Although Selene had withheld Esdeath’s Extermination Order request, that didn’t stop her from using it as leverage to pressure Kiana.
"How can you be so indifferent to the lives of an entire planet?"
At Kiana’s words, Esdeath withdrew her gaze from Goblin Slayer and raised an eyebrow.
"To be precise, this world’s human population is only around ten million. That’s not much."
Excluding goblins, magical beasts, dwarves, lizardn, elves, and other non-human species, the human population of this world was indeed small.
And according to the Imperial Military Affairs Departnt’s surveillance reports, human civilization in this world was confined to a single continental landmass.
The other continents and islands, separated by vast oceans, remained untouched and uninhabited.
Strange.
But considering that the so-called "gods" of this world had been playing dice with fate, using indirect manipulation to limit human expansion, it made sense.
Perhaps, in the gods’ grand narrative, the humans they controlled were still a few steps away from reaching their "Age of Exploration" or "Great Geographical Discoveries."
Unfortunately for them...
They might not live long enough to see that part of the script unfold.
It is worth ntioning that the other overseas islands and continents, untouched by human activity, might very well be the gods’ mischief. Their ecosystems are extrely hazardous and hostile, filled with miasmic waters, venomous insects, predatory beasts, and toxic, reactive flora in nearly every corner.
An unprepared ordinary person might not survive even a single day there.
To the veteran soldiers of the Imperial Army, however, it was just acceptable. But wasn’t that perfect for training recruits?
These harsh conditions were precisely why the Military Affairs Departnt had designated this world as Trial World No. 5, one of its directly controlled training grounds.
Aside from the Tenth Recruitnt Camp and a few other major bases, most of the training camps in Trial World No. 5 were established in these uninhabited, perilous wastelands.
...
"In your eyes... are ten million lives just a number?"
Of course not.
They are currency, ant to be spent wisely to extract value.
"Three months."
Esdeath did not answer directly. Instead, she raised her teacup, frowned slightly, and swallowed a mouthful of tea.
"I’ll give you only three months. If your plan fails—then too bad. I will activate the Extermination Order."
Crack!
"One last lesson before I go. Kindness is a virtue—I like it too. But—"
Shatter!
In the blink of an eye, before anyone could react, Esdeath vanished.
Then—
Boom!
With an inhuman level of sheer brute force, she lashed out with a thunderous roundhouse kick.
Kaboom—!
The entire ranch warehouse erupted into a colossal explosion, unfurling like a gigantic blossoming flower, swaying elegantly amidst the plains.
Icy blue shockwaves surged outward, carrying clouds of white smoke and dust, mixing into a dazzling swirl of blue and white.
Shattered debris—splintered wood, fractured stone—blasted outward.
Durandal, Rita, and the others, who had rely been bystanders a mont ago, imdiately took action, shielding the adventurers and survivors behind them.
"Kiana!"
"Don’t move! This is for Kiana’s own good. We are soldiers—Esdeath is a general. Disobeying superior officers is a capital offense, punishable by death."
As Raiden i deflected the shockwave heading for Goblin Slayer and his party, she drew her blade, preparing to clash with Esdeath—
Only for Fu Hua to suddenly appear behind her, seizing her wrist before she could act.
Whoosh!
Kiana, like a peanut tossed into a scorching pan, was sent flying—no, launched—through the air like a cannonball.
She soared far beyond the ranch, slamd into the ground, and tumbled again and again, skipping like a stone across water before finally colliding violently with a distant hillside.
"Cough... cough...!"
Completely caught off guard and unable to activate Flascion Form in ti, Kiana was left dizzy and disoriented. Her entire body ached, as if her organs had been knocked out of place.
For a mont, she felt horribly unwell.
"When you speak to your superior—show so respect."
Esdeath slowly retracted her long leg, spreading her arms wide as an overwhelming surge of Honkai energy roared within her.
"No rank. No title. No matter how much Her Majesty favors you, no matter what expectations he has for you—right now, you are nothing but an unranked, unsworn rookie!"
"Who do you think you are, daring to speak to like that?!"
Perhaps other Imperial officials, fearing Selene’s authority, would flatter or accommodate Kiana, granting her privileges beyond her position.
But Esdeath would do no such thing.
In the military, how should subordinates be dealt with when they disrespect their superiors?
Not execution.
One word—discipline.
"I serve Her Majesty—not you!"
In an instant, the plains were thrown into chaos!
Centered around Esdeath, under the control of an imnse surge of Honkai energy, the air currents in the sky began to churn violently.
At that very mont, the night sky lit up without warning, transforming into an icy blue expanse.
Then—
BOOM!
A thunderous roar exploded across the entire plains!
On the small hillside, all vegetation—including towering trees so large that they required multiple people to embrace—were instantly shattered by the shockwave.
Even though the main buildings of the ranch were located thousands of ters away from the explosion, they could still feel the terrifying, tsunami-like shockwave rushing straight toward them.
Even after Esdeath, the very source of this catastrophe, had absorbed much of its power, the sheer force of the shockwave was still painfully cutting against the faces of the adventurers.
The terrifying wind carried ice particles, and the cold felt like blades slicing against their backs, sending chills deep into their bones.
Even in the town dozens of kiloters away, the deafening blast could still be faintly heard.
As the ice and dust finally settled, what lay before them was an awe-inspiring sight.
At the center of where the Goblin King’s "army" had once been hiding, a gigantic crater—over a kiloter in diater—now scarred the land.
Everything within that range—all plant life—was gone, utterly reduced to dust by the overwhelming explosion.
At the very edge of the blast radius, a single, bright fla flickered in defiance of the devastation.
"The sa power as mine? They’re already placing such importance on soone who hasn’t even been formally enlisted? How... unpleasant."
"Esdeath... General."
Just as Esdeath’s thoughts were wandering, Kiana—like a falling teor—ca crashing down in front of her.
Her expression was grim, but after so internal struggle, she chose to deactivate her Herrscher Armant and apologize.
No matter how many excuses she could co up with, the undeniable truth remained—
Selene had placed her into the Imperial military.
She was under General Esdeath’s command, training in her army—that was an irrefutable fact.
And in the military—disrespecting a superior officer ant punishnt.
Seeing Kiana lower her head and accept her punishnt without resistance, Esdeath suddenly burst into laughter.
"Alright, return. Do not make the sa mistake again."
"Rember this lesson. I’m still one of the more... reasonable ones. In the future, when you interact with other high-ranking Imperial officers, if you make this mistake again, you won’t be so lucky. Especially with Budo, that old hardliner. Aside from Her Majesty, he obeys no one."
"Any other questions?"
"Report."
This ti, Kiana had learned her lesson.
"Speak."
"That Extermination Order... is it really only three months? Can the deadline be extended...?"
"Tch. Still clinging to that naive plan of yours, huh?"
Holding her forehead, Esdeath sighed and shook her head in exasperation.
"You really are... one of the rare idealistic and kind-hearted people in the Imperial Army. You’re nothing like Her Majesty at all. I have no idea what she sees in you."
Could it be...
That she wants to place her own "ideal self" in soone else?
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