Chapter 214: Pay-to-Win Warriors! They're All Pay-to-Win Warriors!
A month passed quietly.
With the help of the Bulins, the modified Teigu from the research institute entered full-scale mass production.
In the Akame ga Kill world, each Teigu was once a unique masterpiece, forged by the empire using rare materials and the nation's best artisans.
Now, for the research institute, both the materials and craftsmanship required were far less complicated than building a spaceship.
Test-type and custom-type Bulins couldn't even be bothered—a single Purple Bulin could handle the entire process with one hand.
The only minor hiccup was the supply of raw materials from Danger Beasts during large-scale production.
To solve that, the Life Sciences Institute built a Danger Beast breeding base covering over 200,000 square kilometers in Southern Europe.
Like raising pigs, cows, or sheep, they now mass-farmed Danger Beasts.
Land-based species were managed by Bulins, flying ones patrolled by Angeloids, and aquatic species were kept in the Mediterranean under Siren management.
Every method available was used to clone and reproduce them, resulting in freshly harvested Danger Beasts being dragged off daily to supply Bulin materials.
An uncountable number of Teigu were produced and distributed as public welfare to citizens.
Morning.
In a corner of the capital, in front of a heavily guarded structure.
At dawn, a long line had already formed.
Spirits, Heroic Spirits, and girls from the Demon Slayer and Akame ga Kill worlds queued up with mixed expressions of curiosity.
The recently constructed building stood nearly as large as the administrative center.
Its exterior was made of dark gray high-density alloy, protected by a Klein Field capable of withstanding direct starship cannon fire.
Siren girls and Angeloids patrolled above and around the facility.
Imperial Armory.
Shipgirls stored their missiles and aircraft at naval bases. This armory was for special equipment:
Custom-built Gundams, Zakus, Positron Cannons, and of course—Teigu.
There was no real concern about theft. Patrols were mostly to prevent accidents or intrusions.
At the front of the line were the Kochou sisters, who had arrived before sunrise.
When it came to upgrading their gear, ordinary humans were far more enthusiastic than Heroic Spirits or Spirits.
In some ways, they envied the Heroic Spirits from Chaldea.
Those individuals possessed ridiculous supernatural powers. Their Noble Phantasms were part of them, needing neither upkeep nor training.
On the other hand, Heroic Spirits envied the shipgirls.
The speed at which they grew stronger was absurd, and their methods were simple:
Just advance technology, retrofit their shipforms, add modern weapons and shields—voila, power boost.
No need to go looking for their Master to recharge mana.
Jeanne d'Arc and Jeanne Alter constantly questioned whether Setsuna was really fulfilling a gameplay XP quota every time he had them swallow magic.
Clack—
The alloy doors opened.
Setsuna emerged with Richelieu, Yat Sen, and several shipgirls.
"Yo, you're here early? Didn't I say drop by when you had time~?"
Seeing the sea of girls waiting, Richelieu was a bit surprised.
The plan was to let people pick up gear when convenient, but clearly, everyone had the same idea of what 'convenient' meant.
"It's the weekend. School's out."
Akame, Yoshino, and the younger crowd replied bluntly.
Chaldea's Heroic Spirits also said they were pretty much idle whenever there weren't expeditions.
"Alright then, follow me."
Setsuna waved.
The Spirits, Heroic Spirits, and civilian girls trailed behind him into the armory.
The interior was massive. In addition to the surface floors, a vast underground complex mirrored the size above.
Much of the space inside remained unused, giving it a cavernous feel.
After passing through a corridor, they arrived in a wide, museum-like hall.
It was lined with dazzling displays of equipment—swords, knives, axes, scythes, as well as stranger items like masks, wings, flutes, and more.
All of them were mass-produced, upgraded versions of Teigu.
"Take your pick. Whatever you want is here."
Setsuna gestured with a grin.
"Just don't get greedy. Teigu still require practice to use. Bite off more than you can chew and you'll waste your time."
"Thank you, Commander!"
Kanae and the Demon Slayer girls bowed deeply.
They knew these Teigu far outclassed their old Nichirin blades.
Eyes sparkling, they eagerly browsed the selection.
Each Teigu had a holographic info panel attached, describing its usage and powers.
Shinobu, Kanao, Nezuko, and others looked at Murasame, then at Yatsufusa and Shamshir, unsure which to choose.
There was also Cross Tail, made from threads—another tempting pick. Their heads spun with indecision.
The Heroic Spirits all grabbed a copy of Thousand-Mile Flight: Mastema, while others browsed Teigu that controlled lightning, water, or fire.
Their existing weapons were already powerful, so most wanted functional tools instead.
Jeanne Alter examined a flamethrower-looking device and poked Setsuna.
"Purgatory's Invitation: Rubicante? Hey, Master, does this thing spit fire better than I do?"
"Your Noble Phantasm is an anti-army attack. If I power it up, it can become anti-fortress. How can this toy compare?"
Setsuna laughed.
"Tch, fine then. I'll grab something else. Where's Esdeath's Teigu?"
Jeanne Alter still held a grudge against Esdeath.
"Planning to beat her with her own weapon?"
"Demon's Extract is made from the blood of a super-class Danger Beast. The new one is still growing. You'll have to wait."
"Tch."
Jeanne Alter wandered around and ultimately picked up Thousand-Mile Flight: Mastema, a water-control ring, and Murasame.
Liquid manipulation seemed interesting to her.
Artoria stared at a belt for quite a while.
The King Of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle.
It allowed the user to take on beastly traits and dramatically increase physical strength.
The name struck a chord with her knightly aesthetic. She thought of the lion cub she'd once raised and tried on the Teigu.
Poof—
Two beast ears popped out atop her head, just like Leone's.
"???"
Artoria blinked in confusion.
"We adapted certain transformation Teigu for Heroic Spirits," Richelieu said with a smile.
"Though for you, its strength buff probably won't do much. You're already insanely strong."
"Eh? It just transforms me and boosts strength?"
Artoria looked disappointed.
Heroic Spirits had no shortage of power. External boosts weren't really needed.
"Next time, I'll take you to Camelot to meet the real Lion King. Tch."
Setsuna gestured for her to find something else.
Everyone kept browsing.
According to their combat style and preferences, each girl picked something out.
The Demon Slayer squad mostly favored swords, complemented by support-type Teigu like Glorious Hands of God: Perfector and Power Surging: Balzac.
The Night Raid girls, already familiar with Teigu, selected based on personal preference.
Spirits and Heroic Spirits, whose base strength was already high, gravitated toward magic-based Teigu.
Of course, everyone got a copy of Mastema and the upgraded version of Spectator.
The science team had adjusted Spectator's X-ray functionality so it no longer turned into a lewd-viewing device when looking at people.
Which meant the one Setsuna used earlier had become a one-of-a-kind collector's item.
"Hmm..."
"So this is the power of gear... I feel way stronger now..."
Kanae examined herself.
She wore the Perfector gloves, had Murasame at her waist, carried Spectator and Thousand-Mile Flight: Mastema in her chest pocket, and had the L'Arc Qui Ne Faut slung on her back.
She could fight close or long-range, predict enemy moves with future vision, and even fly to attack from above.
She was a full-on pay-to-win warrior.
Not to mention, thanks to gene enhancement and Lucoa's training, her physical abilities were already top-tier, and she'd learned a bit of dragon magic too.
Compared to three years ago in the Demon Slayer world, soloing Muzan wouldn't even be a challenge.
The other members of the Demon Slayer and Night Raid squads were in a similar state.
Teigu from head to toe, their combat capabilities had taken a massive leap.
"Honestly, if you want to get even stronger, I recommend enrolling in the Starship Academy. Or maybe try piloting a Gundam."
Gudako joked.
"No thanks."
Kanae declined firmly.
"Starships and Gundams are impressive, but they're not our style. Other people can handle that stuff. I believe we'll be useful elsewhere."
With that, she and the Demon Slayer team bowed to Setsuna once again.
"Commander, thank you so much for your generosity... I'll work hard from now on."
"Just a little perk."
Setsuna patted her on the shoulder.
"Go back and train. Even if you can equip a bunch of Teigu, mastering them takes effort."
"Understood!"
Blushing slightly, Kanae responded.
The Demon Slayer and Night Raid teams left with arms full of gear.
"..."
"Too bad there's nothing suitable for us..."
Watching the excited Spirits, Heroic Spirits, and other girls, Formidable sighed.
"You're already strong enough. What do you need swords and daggers for?"
Setsuna ruffled her hair.
"Besides, Dimensional Formation is still being researched. That one's perfect for you girls."
"Commander, you mean the teleportation Teigu?"
Richelieu recalled that Midori Fuse had mentioned it was still in testing and not very stable.
"Yes. Dimensional Formation: Shambhala lets the user teleport to a preset location. The research team is taking a unique approach to upgrading it."
Setsuna paused.
"They want to eliminate the need for preset markers and instead use spatial coordinate calculations to achieve long-distance teleportation. That's why it's taking longer."
"Hiss—that's..."
The shipgirls perked up.
"Isn't that basically hyperspace transport? Got any iron curtains for it too?!"
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