Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

A few days later.

Humm—

The Yat Sen ship cruised gracefully at low altitude, gliding through the sky several thousand meters above the ground.

With the optical camouflage engaged, the inhabitants below noticed nothing unusual, though they occasionally felt a sudden breeze pass by and wondered about it.

Inside the bridge, Setsuna, a few ship girls, and Jeanne sat together.

While looking at the summoning tokens in his hand, Setsuna contemplated the next steps.

After completing the task of restoring the Singularity, there was one more thing to do before returning: recruiting Heroic Spirits.

Not only through summoning tokens, but also by seeking out the wild Heroic Spirits that had appeared in this era for various reasons. These could be recruited as well.

Jeanne d'Arc, a Ruler-class servant, present, and Setsuna's knowledge of the storyline, finding them was a straightforward task.

In the bridge, Ritsuka Fujimaru chatted idly with the ship girls.

"You know, that nickname 'Chubby Dinosaur' really fits you… How did you manage to blow up Lev with just one kick?"

She sidled up to Formidable, compared their physiques, and made a regretful gesture.

Recalling how Formidable had kicked Lev to the ground that day, it wasn't long before strange, grotesque things began to emerge from his body before he self-destructed.

There was no grand move or final boss fight as everyone had expected.

"How was I supposed to know he was that fragile?! Looked strong as hell, but one kick and he was down," Formidable said, scratching her head.

"He was trying to transform into the Demon Pillar Flauros," Setsuna explained, "but perhaps he was too weakened at the time, and with Formidable ambushing him, he couldn't handle it and ended up like that."

The events had diverged slightly from the original storyline. Lev's transformation attempt had failed; he hadn't turned into a Demon Pillar or summoned Altera.

"Is he dead, then?" Gudako asked.

"No, he's already been possessed by a Demon God. You might as well consider him a Demon God now—he won't die that easily," Setsuna replied.

"To completely eliminate it, you'd probably need to finish all the Singularities and head to the Temple of Time."

After some thought, he added, "Of course, since we've already broken the original storyline entirely, there's no guarantee he won't pop up in another Singularity later."

Since their group hadn't followed the usual sequence of events, Setsuna figured the future plot developments could become completely unpredictable.

For now, though, this Singularity's issues were resolved.

"I see…" Gudako slumped over the table, looking a bit disappointed.

"Ugh, I really wanted to avenge Director and everyone at Chaldea…"

"There'll be plenty of opportunities in the future, don't worry," Setsuna said, ruffling Gudako's hair to cheer her up.

…

The starship departed from Southern Europe and traveled northward.

Before long, it reached a leyline rich in magical energy.

Setsuna pulled out two summoning tokens and leapt off the starship.

"Master, are you only summoning those two?" Nero asked, noticing the figures represented on the tokens: Astraea, the goddess of justice from Greek mythology, and Popess Johanna, a legendary figure whose existence remains debated.

As a Roman emperor, Nero didn't recognize either of them.

"Yeah… Summoned Servants still require me to provide magical energy, so it's not practical to summon too many at once," Setsuna replied casually.

"..."

"And the real reason?" Gudako whispered slyly, nudging him with her elbow and giving him a knowing wink.

"I don't want a bunch of bizarre, muscle-bound men hanging around me," Setsuna answered honestly.

He then laid out the remaining summoning tokens in front of Ritsuka Fujimaru.

"Look at the Roman Servants available. What kind of 'heroes' do we have here?"

"Julius Caesar—an overweight glutton."

"Romulus—the Roman fanatic we just fought, a half-naked lunatic."

"Spartacus—this one's even more extreme, a muscular, naked Berserker who'll just keep smiling at you."

"..."

Heaven only knows why, among all the Roman emperors, Nero was the only one who turned out to be a cute girl.

After a few days of contemplation, he'd decided the best use for the Roman legions of musclemen was as combat summons.

Summon them for battle, and dismiss them afterward.

The summoning tokens were reusable, after all.

As for keeping them around? No thanks.

"Being true to your desires is admirable," Gudako said, patting Setsuna with an understanding expression.

"Hmm… If there were too many unfamiliar faces, I'd feel a little uncomfortable too," Yat Sen said with a relieved smile.

"If I had to stay with the past emperors, the pressure would be enormous. Ugh, my chronic headaches are acting up again…" Nero clutched her head, expressing her sympathy.

As the youngest of the emperors, she'd almost certainly get lectured by her predecessors.

"Alright then, let's begin the summoning," Setsuna said.

He started with the token for the goddess of justice, Astraea.

According to the instructions, using the summoning token didn't require a catalyst. There wasn't even a need for a summoning circle or incantation.

It didn't matter whether Setsuna had met the Servant before or had any connection to them.

The tokens were essentially bugged items that bypassed the rules of time and space.

As he channeled magical energy into the token, it floated midair, surrounded by a radiant blue light.

Suddenly, a burst of dazzling, radiant light erupted.

Standing before them was a goddess with golden hair and golden eyes, dressed in somewhat revealing attire. She held a sword in one hand and scales in the other. Her entire body was enveloped in a faint glow, and her expression was stern, tinged with a touch of pride.

Astraea, the Goddess of Justice.

Her statues were often seen in courtrooms or law offices.

From a racial standpoint, she belonged to the divine hierarchy, possessing unique authorities and Noble Phantasms.

"In response to your summons, I have arrived. The Scales of Judgment, the Justice of the Stars, are here."

"I am part of all that is good in the world. I am Astraea. Master, are you prepared to be judged?"

The Goddess of Justice was a head shorter than Setsuna, but her aura was not diminished in the slightest.

"Whoa, she seems impressive."

"Feels like she'd be perfect for handling our legal system," Gudako commented, peeking curiously.

In her world, the ideals of fairness and justice could only be symbolized by statues of the Goddess of Justice.

But Setsuna could directly appoint the Goddess herself to serve as an arbiter, upholding the fairness and authority of the law.

"Hmm…?" Astraea quickly noticed a minor issue.

"Master, the magical energy you're supplying me doesn't seem quite right!"

"Every Servant says that. You'll get used to it. At least the King of Knights has no issues using it for her Caliburn blasts," Setsuna replied, patting the Goddess of Justice on the shoulder and pointing to Artoria.

"She'll explain the situation to you. I need to summon the next one."

The gathered Heroic Spirits surrounded Astraea, escorting her aside to explain the current circumstances.

"We're in first-century Rome, but in a few days, we'll be heading to another world…"

"This is a spaceship. These are ship girls. That's the French Saint. And the one who summoned you is our Commander…"

"What, what, what???"

The combination of so many different domains left Astraea utterly bewildered.

In all her years as a goddess, she had never encountered anything like this.

Meanwhile, Setsuna proceeded to summon the next Servant.

Popess Johanna, rumored to be the first female pope in history—though later proven to be a fictional figure—had nevertheless become a Servant in the Nasuverse.

As the summoning token glowed, a girl appeared before them.

She wore an ornate papal tiara, held a staff in one hand, and was clad in luxurious ecclesiastical robes.

"In accordance with the laws of summoning, I have arrived. I am Popess Johanna, class Ruler."

"While combat is not my strong suit… I cannot simply stand by and do nothing for those seeking salvation. I entrust myself to your guidance."

Setsuna gave the female pope a once-over.

Not bad. With a cardinal like Richelieu, a demonic nun like Avenger Jeanne Alter, and now a pope, he practically had the foundation for a new church.

As for the religion…

Why not just call it the Church of Shipgirls?

—I believe Lexington is the ruler of the world, and everyone is her loyal servant.jpg.

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