Chapter 29: Eliminate All Resistance — Except the Lolis

Takumi's operation in this world had been going smoothly. Groups of young girls—the cursed children—were being transported up to his ship. Among them, Takumi also noticed Kisara Tendou's arrival. At the time, Takumi was discussing matters related to the new world with Miori Shiba and her father. That's when Kisara walked in. Bloodstained, still exuding killing intent, she entered the room. Takumi nodded at her. Kisara gazed at the man before her, and respectfully offered a slight bow. Then, she introduced herself. "I am Kisara Tendou. If there's ever anything you need help with, Takumi-san... My blade is yours to command." Although the awakening potion had come from Miori, it ultimately originated from Takumi. So she was willing to follow Takumi. As for taking orders from Miori? Forget it. She could be civil with her, but that was her limit. Takumi was mildly surprised by her declaration. Miori, on the other hand, sighed and grumbled: "Wow, betrayal already?" "I was the one who gave you the potion!" Seriously, this girl... So annoying. Kisara winced, but said nothing. "Anyway, let's talk about this later." "If you're a friend of Miori's, take a seat." "We'll still need a bit more time to gather all the cursed children." "To be honest, your world's upper echelons are beyond rotten." "Worse than I imagined." A flicker of disgust passed through Takumi's eyes. Perhaps, before he left, he should release some Honkai Beasts. The way the higher-ups had treated the children made him sick. Beyond social ostracism, there were even horrific experiments conducted in secret. He couldn't stand it. When something disgusted him, he retaliated. That was Takumi's current philosophy. Miori and Kisara said nothing. They already knew too well what kind of people ran this world. Takumi's resentment was entirely justified. "Enough about that." "Anyway, over 99% of the children are willing to come with us." "As for those who refuse, there's not much to say." "Let's return to the matter we were discussing." Though sickened, Takumi decided to focus on the mission. Kisara grew curious. What had they been talking about? Miori's father made a proposal: "Takumi-san, perhaps we should abduct the Holy Empress." "She might make an excellent city administrator." Takumi had invited Miori and her father aboard specifically to discuss future governance. Although he had constructed entire cities already, someone still had to manage them. With so many people migrating over, chaos would ensue without leadership. Miori's father believed the Holy Empress would be a suitable choice. Miori herself withheld comment. Artificial intelligence had also been considered— but Takumi dismissed the idea. He wasn't bringing people over so they could slack off. If AI ran everything, what purpose would humans serve? That was why he decided against it. He estimated that he'd be bringing back several million people— mostly cursed children, and well-vetted individuals. The world was already in ruins, thanks to the Gastrea outbreaks. Humanity had lost huge numbers. At most, only a few hundred million remained globally. Takumi only wanted to bring those worth saving. After all his screening, he'd likely end up with only two to three million. Not even the Star-Destroyers could carry them all. So he opened the Imaginary Space— and began relocating people there. Those who boarded the ship were redirected into that space. Takumi's Imaginary Space was vast, large enough to rival a world. More than enough room. It even housed Honkai Beasts— but Takumi had locked them in a separate zone. The refugees saw nothing unusual. They simply rested on a massive platform, chatting about their surreal circumstances. Robots maintained order throughout. "The Holy Empress, huh?" "Alright, she'll do." "We can have AI assist her." "Later on, I'll ask Old Zhongli to lend me the Liyue Qixing." Takumi pondered for a moment, and agreed to the plan. For now, the Holy Empress was the best choice. She had lofty ideals and strong popularity among the people. She could be trusted to manage the refugees. Having decided, Takumi immediately sent orders to the robots. Retrieve the Holy Empress. Robots patrolling the city sky instantly received the command. Those near the Empress's location descended at once— by force if necessary. ... "Old Zhongli..." "If he finds out you call him that, he'll probably be depressed." Back in the meeting room, Miori could barely hold back her laughter. If Zhongli in the group chat heard what Takumi just said... He'd probably sulk for days. "Come on now," Takumi replied. "The Geo Lord doesn't sweat the small stuff." "Anyway, let's wrap this up." "You guys go into my Imaginary Space. I'll finish up and follow shortly." He opened a gate. Miori nodded. "Alright. I'll contact you in the group if anything comes up." With that, Miori, her father, and Kisara stepped inside. Once they were gone, Takumi closed his eyes to scan the situation. A flood of data surged into his mind. He sorted it rapidly. Everything was proceeding smoothly. Those who resisted had already been eliminated. Several characters Takumi admired in the original story had also agreed to join him. That felt great. His gaze shifted toward the location of the Holy Empress.