"Make sure to train him well!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Yes, ma’am!"

...

As Gensa led Hak Foo away, Selene turned to Leiva and asked, "By the way, how did you deal with those three useless fools?"

"Useless fools?" Leiva was briefly taken aback by the sudden question, but it quickly clicked. The images of Finn, Ratso and Chow surfaced in his mind.

Recalling the misadventures of this unlucky trio, Leiva immediately understood. "They’ve been taken care of. As per our agreement, I placed them in a region with minimal damage."

That’s right—an agreement. After the battle with Jackie Chan, Leiva had been ordered by Selene to watch over the Honkai Beast embryos. It was then that Leiva encountered the four members of the Black Hand, who had temporarily joined forces with Tarakudo.

Since Selene had already descended into Jackie Chan Adventures World, Leiva had eased up, no longer dealing fatal blows in battle. After some skirmishes, Leiva found that among all the fighters he had faced, Hak Foo stood out as the most battle-hardened, the one who resembled a true warrior.

Since Jackie Chan wasn’t "recruited," Leiva settled for the next best thing. Although Hak Foo’s physical abilities were not on par with Jackie’s (especially with his divine armor), Hak Foo’s combat techniques were just as good, if not better, in some areas.

Thus, through a combination of threats and enticements, Leiva recruited Hak Foo by appealing to his desire for combat and power. As for the other three? They were "released."

Mistakenly assuming that Hak Foo was close to those three fools, Leiva signaled the Honkai Beasts not to attack them and even gave them preferential treatment.

Hak Foo, of course, did not correct this assumption. And so, he followed Leiva to meet Selene, where Hak Foo—having served four different masters (1. Valmont; 2. Shendu; 3. Drago; 4. Tarakudo)—welcomed his new one.

"Got it... no need to bother with those three anymore. Let them fend for themselves." Selene sat back in her luxurious chair and sipped the tea that Sebas had carefully prepared for her.

"Understood," Leiva replied. Seeing that Selene had no further questions, he prepared to take his leave.

"Leiva, you’ve worked hard on this mission. Tell me, what reward would you like?" Selene asked after taking another sip of tea.

"Miss, you’re too kind. It was my duty..." Leiva instinctively started to refuse.

"Come on, don’t be in such a rush to refuse. You know how I operate—rewards for achievements."

Thud!

As she finished speaking, Selene’s silver-armored finger tapped the desk.

In an instant, eight shadowy figures appeared in front of her desk: a group of sharp-bladed Shadow Warriors, a winged Bat Warriors, the hulking Sumo Warriors, and armored Samurai Warriors.

"After experiencing the power of the Shadowkhan Corps firsthand, I’m sure you won’t forget the sensation. Pick one. This is your reward for your loyalty," Selene continued.

At this point, Leiva couldn’t refuse anymore without appearing ungrateful. After a brief moment of consideration, his gaze landed on one of the eight troops—a burly, all-black warriors with a conical left hand and a pincer-like right hand.

"Miss, I choose the Crab Corps Warriors," Leiva replied.

"Good choice. The Crab Corps Warriors are exceptional fighters, possessing both strength and agility..."

With a wave of her hand, Selene sent the dark orb representing the command authority of the Crab Corps into Leiva’s body.

"That’s all. Leiva, you may go and familiarize yourself with your new power. I’m feeling a bit tired." After completing her task, Selene stood up and began walking toward her bedroom in the palace.

Trembling slightly with emotion, Leiva knelt on the ground, watching Selene and Sebas leave. He spoke with great reverence, "As you command!"

In the palace corridor, Selene spoke while walking, "Sebas, remember to focus on ramping up industrial construction and strengthening the security around Dr. Stylish’s research workshop... In one week, Leiva and I will return to the capital. Dr. Stylish is a talent—he’s in your care now."

With that, Selene rubbed her temples, showing signs of fatigue, and waved Sebas off. "Alright, Sebas, go take care of your tasks. I need to rest."

"Yes, ma’am."

...

Time flew by. Three years passed. It was now the 1022nd year of the Empire.

Imperial Capital, the Royal Palace.

"Report!"

In a lavish golden hall, a plump, white-haired middle-aged man was seated, gnawing on a greasy chunk of meat with one hand while supporting his chin with the other, watching the graceful movements of the dancers before him.

At that moment, an official who had gained high rank by siding with Honest pushed open the doors of the banquet hall and quickly stepped inside, carrying a file.

The sudden intrusion caused the man who controlled all affairs of the Empire, Minister Honest, to frown. "What is it?"

"Report, Minister Honest! The Western Defense Army is requesting reinforcements. The Western Kingdom has marched its army to our gates." The official bowed carefully as he handed over the plea for aid to Honest’s table.

As Honest glanced at the document in his hands, his mood grew increasingly dark. Despite the continuous music and dancing, a chilling, violent aura radiated from his cold black eyes, terrifying the attendants nearby.

"What about General Budo and General Selene? How did they respond?" Honest asked in a low voice.

"General Budo stated that the Imperial Guard is solely responsible for the Emperor’s protection. As for General Selene, she declined under the pretext of being on vacation..." The official nervously swallowed before continuing, carefully choosing his words. "She said it’s up to Minister Honest to decide..."

Crack!

At those words, Honest’s grip crushed the wine glass in his hand.

The next moment, his enraged scream drowned out the music in the hall. "Damn it! Those two always look down their noses at me! How dare they give orders from above!"

Decide for himself? Honest would love to, but the Empire’s elite forces—the Imperial Guard—were firmly under the control of Budo and Selene. He had no authority over them!

In Honest’s eyes, it was clear that Budo and Selene intended for him to expend the forces painstakingly built under his own faction.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Honest asked, "How are Esdeath and Najenda handling the rebellions?"

"Although the southwestern tribes rebelled, due to General Selene’s previous bloody massacres, their numbers were greatly reduced, making them no longer a serious threat. General Esdeath and General Najenda have already subdued them. Currently, they are advancing toward the southern provinces to suppress the local insurrections."

"Good. Order Esdeath to redirect her efforts to deal with the Western Kingdom’s invasion. As for Najenda, keep her mission unchanged. She’ll continue the suppression of the southern rebels."

"Understood!" the official responded promptly.

"Why are you all standing around? Keep playing the music! Keep dancing!" Honest shouted, noticing the now-silent banquet hall.

Suddenly, ping~

One of the musicians, clearly overwhelmed by the oppressive atmosphere, tightened his fingers too much. A string on his instrument snapped with a sharp twang, disrupting the beginning of the song.

"Guards!" Honest, who had been maintaining a facade of calm, immediately twisted into a furious expression. "Take this peasant and throw him in the dungeon!"

"N-no! Please!" The musician panicked, struggling to break free from the guards’ grip. "Minister... Minister Honest! Please spare me!"

Watching the guards’ slow response, Honest cast a dark glare at them. His tone was deceptively light. "What’s the matter? You can’t even handle a simple peasant? What use are you, then?"

"No, sir! We’ll remove him right away!"

As the three men swiftly departed, Honest resumed eating from the platter of greasy meat beside him.

How dare anyone ruin his enjoyment!

As he chewed the meat, Honest thought to himself, Budo, Selene... we’ll see who has the last laugh!