I Am Honkai-Chapter 811: Selene’s All-Dragon Banquet!

"If you cannot defeat your enemies, then join them."

"Can’t beat them, so join them?"

The red-haired young man froze for a moment. He raised his arm and looked at the delicate cufflink at his sleeve, engraved with the Lugunica dragon crest and the dragon-sword-and-shield emblem of the ’Sword Saint’ Astrea family.

After a long silence, the red-haired youth slowly lifted his head and looked at the friend before him—dressed like a captured refugee, yet brimming with confidence as though he had found a way to break the deadlock.

"For four hundred years, the Kingdom of Lugunica has stood under the protection of the covenant once forged with the Divine Dragon Volcanica. For four centuries, the Astrea family has guarded the kingdom under the name of the Sword Saint. And I—crowned the strongest Sword Saint of this generation—would surrender without a fight..." Reinhard let out a self-mocking laugh, his voice bitter.

"No, this isn’t surrender without a fight!" Seeing the forced smile on the red-haired Sword Saint’s face, Natsuki Subaru knew the other party still could not let go.

The glory of his family’s long history was both honor and shackle.

Reinhard van Astrea would never care about his own reputation as ’Reinhard’ so long as he could help people in distress. But ’Astrea’ was different. The Sword Saint lineage represented more than just himself.

"This is saving the nation by a detour!"

An expression of consolation brewed on the black-haired boy’s somewhat villainous-looking face.

Subaru knew those words sounded strange, almost self-deceptive—but he had to say them. More importantly, they were the truth.

"The gap in hard power isn’t even on the same dimensional level! This isn’t a fault of battle. Reinhard, your ancestors—no disrespect intended—but the strongest enemies they ever faced were the three great nations of the same continent—Vollachia, Kararagi, and Gusteko—as well as the Witch Cult. That’s fundamentally different from the crisis you’re facing now!"

"If there were even the slightest shred of hope, I would never suggest such a desperate measure. But what stands before us is... no solution, no miracle, no hope. Even if every past head of the Astrea family—or even the first Sword Saint himself—were resurrected, it would make no difference."

"Reinhard, have you realized it? Lugunica is the Dragon Kingdom. The Divine Dragon Volcanica is supposed to protect it. But the royal line has died out. The Dragon Priestess. Border conflicts. Years of famine. The massive incursion of the Sacred Selene Empire. Where is the Divine Dragon?"

These earnest, heartfelt words had been fermenting in Subaru’s heart for a long time.

Yes. Throughout the long history of the Kingdom of Lugunica—wars, plagues, famines—shouldn’t every crisis have been averted under the Dragon’s protection?

But where was the Dragon?

"The Divine Dragon Volcanica is dead." Subaru stated it calmly—words that were utterly rebellious within the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica.

"Completely slain by the Sacred Selene Empire. Even stripped of sinew and bone..." If even the Divine Dragon was gone, did a mere mortal intend to follow it into the grave?

Reinhard’s blue pupils shrank slightly. But soon, he seemed to come to terms with it. Clenching his fists, he lowered his head in sorrow.

"Subaru... I have to admit, your method of persuasion is rather unique."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." The black-haired boy smiled in relief.

That settles it.

The moment Reinhard said that, Subaru knew the other party would no longer cling to the self-destructive idea of "once you’re safe, I’ll seek out the Empire for a final battle—even if I die, I won’t disgrace the Astrea name."

Sometimes, people simply need a push like this.

Otherwise, there are hurdles they cannot cross on their own because of obsession. Subaru, who had only endured his own ordeals thanks to repeated encouragement from Rem, Beatrice, and Emilia, understood that deeply.

"And Reinhard, remember what I said. Don’t speak so stiffly or with such hostility. Your talent and ability are things even the Empire cannot ignore. Remember this— the Empire can also grant prosperity to Lugunica."

"...Thank you, Subaru."

Bzzzz—

The sound of decreasing engine output and a descent from cruising altitude echoed softly.

...

"The Dragon?"

Within the central tower complex of Watergate City, renamed Pristella Palace by the Empire, in a semi-open terrace hall refurbished with touches of Imperial style, the same question regarding the whereabouts of Lugunica’s guardian, the Divine Dragon Volcanica, passed from the lips of a tall beauty with white hair and crimson eyes.

"Your Majesty, when our personnel arrived at the Palace World of ’Pristella Palace,’ a dragon beast attempted to drive off our forces. It was slain in the void by our commanders."

A Palace World.

The Black Templars were not planning to designate this world as one of their colonial worlds. In accordance with the name of its main hall—[Watergate City] Pristella Palace—the world had been officially designated as III—Pristella Palace World.

As he spoke, while Legion Commander Leiva was hosting a grand banquet beneath the central tower—entertaining the feudal lords and monarchs of various nations from the "Re:Zero" world—the Black Templars company commanders temporarily assigned to attend the Imperial Empress revealed expressions that seemed to say: Her Majesty will know soon enough.

This was the Black Templars’ carefully prepared, one-of-a-kind, utterly irreproducible—

An All-Dragon Banquet!

"Volcanica has been turned into dragon sashimi?"

Watching as a team of Black Templars warriors solemnly pushed forward the massive object beneath a lifted white cloth, Selene raised an eyebrow. She was currently holding Alyssa—who had just finished her ’homework’—in her arms, idly kneading her like a plush toy.

Before her lay the enormous corpse of a dragon, still coiled in faint blue-glowing scales despite its death.

It was roughly fifteen to sixteen meters in length. Even lying prone, it stood as tall as a two-story building. Its deep blue scales shimmered like gemstones, each one seeming harder and sharper than a forged blade.

Its thick forelimbs and hindlimbs bore claws like jagged black rock. Two robust horns curved backward from its head, with smaller inner horns white as freshly squeezed milk. Beneath symmetrical iron-cast whisker-like protrusions, its chin formed a severe draconic visage...

Its ferocious face—somewhat resembling a land dragon—still carried the battle fury and roar from its final moments. Its golden eyes, wide open in death, still reflected disbelief.

Scorch marks from melta and plasma weaponry blackened parts of its hide. Yet the truly fatal wounds were upon its comparatively slender neck and skull.

A massive tearing gash at the neck had nearly decapitated the beast. Several dense, narrow puncture holes pierced clean through its skull.

Feeling the corrosive traces of Honkai energy particles lingering in the wounds, Selene had already deduced the entire sequence of events.

A dragon that honored its vows and kept its promises. It had risen to uphold its pledge of protection—only for the Black Templars to show no mercy. Both sides erupted into battle. After inflicting some damage upon the Black Templars’ advance shuttle detachment, it suffered a crushing counterattack.

A Black Templars officer had seized it using a ship-mounted heavy gravitational traction device. Facing a coordinated assault in near-planetary space from Black Templars officers capable of unleashing surges of Honkai energy for flight, its maneuvering space had been compressed. Honkai-infused strikes adhered to its scales, weakening them repeatedly. Its magic eroded by Honkai, its spellcasting disrupted...

In the end, its entire body was bound by Chains of Imaginary Numbers. Several Spears of Imaginary Numbers pierced through its dragon head, and a flying slash nearly severed its throat at the neck.

Tsk tsk. How tragic, tragic, tragic...

How inhuman—being so cruel to a small animal... Oh, it was prepared as ’game meat’ and presented to me as an ingredient? In that case, never mind.

To be honest, Selene had no particular desire for the Divine Dragon Volcanica. She had not even considered how to deal with it. At most, she might have casually captured it and added it to her Shanglin Garden collection.

Who would have thought... ahem. A casual remark she had once made in Rimuru’s Monster Federation about never having tasted the finest-grade dragon species ingredient would be fulfilled here, by Leiva.

What a delightful little surprise—like finding light beyond the willows.

"Then, let the banquet begin."

Selene set down the slime mass that Alyssa had just finished programming and engraving with circuit patterns—its color having shifted from blue to a faintly glowing silver-blue. She extended a hand toward the Black Templars officers below the throne steps, who had suddenly donned aprons and were rolling up their sleeves eagerly.

Please, begin your performance.

"As the Holy Decree commands!" ×N

As they responded, the slime at Selene’s side began to writhe and stretch. A humanoid outline gradually emerged, sculpted and refined. Soon, a maid stood there—her skin silver-blue and softly luminous, her facial features carrying the gelatinous softness of slime.

Selene withdrew her gaze and looked toward Alyssa, who stood below the long table with her chin raised high, clearly waiting for praise. Selene gave a slow nod.

The completion rate was acceptable. Turning slime into something akin to a Moon Spirit Essence—truly a match made in heaven... Yes, another exemplary project could be added to the Imperial Capital Royal Handicraft curriculum.

She was certain Sebas would be more than willing to teach this lesson—one that emphasized ’dexterous hands and a clever mind’—to the likes of Jibril and the others.

Bang!

"Begin!"

As the Black Templars’ ’master chefs’ set to work with resounding force, Selene’s wandering thoughts were instantly drawn back.

She had seen countless royal chefs and famed culinary masters from across the Empire present tribute dishes. But Astartes warriors butchering and cooking a dragon on the spot—this was something Selene had never witnessed.

Hiss!

A Black Templars warrior wearing an oversized apron wielded an equally oversized master-crafted power cleaver, following the massive gash in the dragon’s neck and chopping off the dragon head.

The division of labor was clear. Four other Black Templars lifted an enormous iron basin—large enough to serve as a house if overturned—to catch the severed head. They carried it aside, where the Dragon Head Processing Team waited with power axes, gravity hammers, chainswords, plasma cutters, power fists, adjustable promethium flamers, and other ’culinary tools.’

As the massive basin struck the ground with a resounding clang, a deep rumbling echoed like the toll of a grand bell.

First, the head was descaled and the horns removed. Watching several three-meter-tall, apron-clad armored giants swing long-handled gravity hammers in full arcs—smashing relentlessly at the joints between horn and skull—the speed was so fast it nearly left afterimages.

Selene almost felt the rhythm of "Thud! Eighty. Thud! Eighty." echoing in her ears.

Next came the halving. A Black Templars warrior dragged a single-edged heavy power axe larger than a human. With a stance like splitting Mount Hua, he raised it high and brought it crashing down upon the center of the dragon’s skull. After most of the bone split, two others adjusted the angle and hammered at the back of the axe blade until the head was completely cleaved apart.

Dragon teeth were pulled free—sparks flying. A chainsword churned between upper and lower jaws. The tongue was yanked out and washed clean with a high-pressure water blade...

Meanwhile, the dragon’s body fared no better. The disassembly field of power blades hummed—whoosh! whoosh!

Scales were removed, flash-seared to dry residual moisture, then the hide peeled away. From spine to abdomen it was split open. Wings, tail, claws, forelimbs, thighs, joints—each cut of flesh and bone rang out without pause.

Every piece of meat had already been assigned its destination. Over here, massive cauldrons stewed. Over there, raging flames stir-fried in oversized woks. Giant barbecue racks, ovens, steamers, frying pans, containers for raw marinades, dedicated sashimi platforms. A full array of seasonings. Pots for simmering rich broth had long been prepared...

It was clear they were experienced—and well prepared. Leiva had likely begun preparations the moment he learned Selene would be slipping over incognito.

After all, Selene’s love of cuisine—her fondness for indulgence, especially for powerful native beasts, savage monsters, and magical creatures—was no secret.

No wonder the Black Templars had preserved Volcanica’s body so carefully after defeating him.

As the so-called ’aristocratic legion’ and ’tea ceremony legion,’ the Third Legion was known for its versatility and wide-ranging hobbies. Influenced by Selene, the status of chefs within the Empire was far from low. Naturally, many Astartes had taken up cooking as a pastime in their spare hours.

Thud-thud. Hiss-hiss. Crack. Whoosh. Gurgle-gurgle—

The scene was ablaze with activity. As the dragon’s flesh was gradually dismantled, each cooking station burst into motion. The atmosphere brimmed with smoke and fire, aromas drifting thickly through the air. If not for the Empire’s habit of constructing buildings on a grand scale, this hall might not have been able to accommodate such an operation.

Aside from the absence of gunfire, the commotion rivaled that of certain low-intensity battlefields.

With such brutal treatment, only the flesh of a creature this powerful could endure it. Even stripped of magic and spellcraft in death, the sheer toughness of its scales and body would leave most people helpless.

The ’kitchen’ and its ’chefs’ carried a certain rugged roughness—yet there was also a strange beauty and unique charm to it.

That was Selene’s first impression.

Yes, cooking—especially dishes like this—was truly labor-intensive.

"...It feels like more effort than killing the Divine Dragon Volcanica required."

With a soft gulp, Selene exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Alyssa, who had clearly never seen such a spectacle either. Anticipation bloomed between Selene’s brows.

"Leiva, you always manage to surprise me."

Resting her chin on her hand, idly tapping her fingers against the table, she picked up an exquisite pastry and chewed thoughtfully. She genuinely felt impatient now.

"Your Majesty, please sample the first course. The All-Dragon Banquet—first of the ten dragon flavors: Appetizer Dragon Head."

"Excellent!"

...

Meanwhile, as Selene hosted the All-Dragon Banquet atop the central tower of Pristella Palace, Legion Commander Leiva was gathering the feudal lords and monarchs of various kingdoms within the waterbound palace complex below.

"The Kingdom of Lugunica—Royal Selection candidates have arrived!"

Almost the instant she stepped into the heavily guarded hall, the silver-haired girl trembled. A sudden chill swept through her entire body.

"...This is..."

Lowering her head, she looked toward the source of that cold sensation—the Dragon Insignia, now dim and seemingly wailing in grief.

—

—

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven