As the Gloriana-class Battleship emerged from the shimmering edge of the portal, Kenthelion looked out from the command deck to see a vast desert planet unfurl before him-windswept, silent, and hauntingly familiar.
"This reminds me of Taran..." muttered Osker, a hardened Iron Wall Space Marine who accompanied the expedition. His tone was grim-echoes of a battle-scarred memory.
Alarms chimed softly across the bridge as the ship's systems kicked into full scan mode. The mighty battleship descended through the atmosphere like a leviathan of steel, and a squadron of TIE Fighters was launched, fanning out to patrol within a 100-kilometer radius, with the Gloriana as the centerpoint.
"Emperor, we've detected a floating city in the sky!" reported a crew officer from the radar station.
Kenthelion narrowed his eyes as he observed the grand floating structure in the sky, his expression turning serious.
"Wait a second... isn't this the world of the anime Ling Long: Incarnation?" he muttered to himself.
He recalled the premise of that world-a future ravaged by a catastrophic event that had wiped out almost all of humanity. The shattered world had been divided into two main zones:
The Lighthouse-a last bastion of human sanity and survival, where only 1% of the population retained the will to live. They clung to life within the towering structure, a symbol of civilization amid chaos. The remaining 99%? They lost their minds, descended into madness and violence, and were eventually devoured by grotesque, evolved mutant creatures that roamed the ruins.
Kenthelion's thoughts grew uneasy.
"I don't even know what time it is here... Has the plot already begun?" he asked himself, eyes locked on the desolate planet stretching out before him.
"ManaEcology, the Devouring Beast, the Lighthouse, the Mar clones, the Lord of Light and Shadow, and the woman named Bai Yuemei?" Kenthelion frowned as the Gloriana-class Battleship drifted over the desolate desert. Regret welled up in him.
"I should've listened to those forum recommendations..." he muttered bitterly. Before crossing over to this world, anime hadn't been all that popular in his own. He had only read Dou Po Cang Qiong and Soul Land—and even that, half-heartedly, without any real interest.
The designs were impressive, sure. The worlds, rich with detail. But now? If he ever set foot in those universes, Kenthelion swore to rewrite the plot by force.
Especially Soul Land-to him, that world was nothing more than a fantasy sewer line.
"If I meet those so-called 'gods'-the ones who were originally just humans... Then I'll give them a gift: a nuke." He paused. "If they survive, fine. I'll send in the Death Star and the Starkiller Base. Or maybe I'll just throw an artificial sun at them."
Kenthelion muttered under his breath, glaring at the holo-display.
Tang San.
That name alone made Kenthelion clench his jaw. In season one, he seemed like a decent guy. Loyal. Kind. Honest.
But as the story dragged on, his true nature revealed itself: hypocritical, shameless, ungrateful. And the Hammer Clan? They all deserved an Exterminatus. No exceptions.
"Just think about it," Kenthelion sneered. "In his past life, Tang San was an assassin. What kind of logic lets a killer suddenly become the epitome of goodness? What kind of world allows that illusion to persist?"
Then there was Xiao Yan. A supposedly "positive" character. Kenthelion scoffed.
"He's a bastard who flirts with every woman but never gives them a proper home." Then he paused, a strange look in his eyes.
"...But now that I think about it, maybe I'm even worse than Xiao Yan." He smirked. "Ah, forget it. If we enter their world, we just need to launch the nukes. That's the point."
"Emperor, the vanguard forces have been deployed. We have ten minutes until atmospheric entry," the voice of the Gloriana battleship's captain came through the comms device in Kenthelion's ear.
"Ensure the frontline troops prioritize safety," Kenthelion responded calmly. "We may be facing creatures that cannot be killed."
He wasn't afraid-just cautious. After all, he had seen endless debates in the forums. No one ever confirmed if those beings could truly be killed. Still, Kenthelion had his doubts... but war demanded preparedness.
"Don't worry, my Emperor. There is no such thing as an unkillable creature," the Gloriana captain replied with steady confidence.
Three T-3A shuttles descended from the massive warship, each loaded with Stormtroopers heading toward the planet's surface.
Captain John activated the synced visual feed, and the Emperor requested a live transmission. The Gloriana captain relayed the command.
"Acknowledged. Opening feed now."
A large display appeared in front of the bridge crew. Everyone watched as the shuttle's interior came into view-twenty Stormtroopers stood in perfect formation inside the cabin, gripping their blasters tightly.
Captain John's voice came over the comms:
"All units, take note-30 meters... 20 meters... 10 meters above ground."
"Begin air quality analysis."
A moment later, results appeared on screen: severe environmental pollution.
"Landing confirmed. Proceed with the operation!"
"All personnel, begin a 5-kilometer sweep from the landing zone!"
With a mechanical thud, the shuttle touched down on the dusty terrain. The boarding ramp dropped, and the Stormtroopers poured out with trained precision, spreading out and beginning their tactical sweep of the surrounding area.
The first steps into an unfamiliar world had just begun.