Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Heroic Spirits and Gudako, who had been idly observing from Setsuna's bridge, were utterly dumbfounded when over twenty shipgirls stormed aboard.

Gudako immediately raised her hand in a French military salute.

"I can't fight you. I surrender."

The Heroic Spirits made some token resistance.

"Are we seriously using boarding tactics from the Roman era?! Master?!"

Nero, utterly bewildered, was effortlessly subdued by a few destroyers.

In ship-to-ship combat, without access to Noble Phantasms, they couldn't hope to match the sheer tonnage and strength of the shipgirls, whose weight class ranged from tens to hundreds of thousands of tons.

The remaining Jeanne Alter, Jeanne d'Arc, and Artoria Pendragon fought valiantly but were swiftly disarmed by the overwhelming numbers.

"Is this supposed to be hand-to-hand combat?!"

"Who's stepping up first?"

Setsuna readied his stance, eyeing the approaching wave of shipgirls.

Neither side had weapons—it was a pure contest of physical strength.

A year ago, fighting shipgirls in close quarters would have been suicidal. But now, he figured he might stand a chance.

"…"

The shipgirls exchanged glances.

"Who's going first? …Everyone, all at once!"

Boom—

Only one thought echoed in Setsuna's mind:

"I'm doomed. I've been surrounded by shipgirls."

Formidable took the lead with a bear hug, barreling into him with the full force of her charge, leaving him unsteady on his feet.

The rest of the shipgirls quickly swarmed him, grabbing and holding him down from all sides.

It wasn't so much a beatdown as it was a group tackle, with shipgirls piling into his arms one after another.

Considering the average Azur Lane shipgirl's physique—a standout among many games—Setsuna suddenly found himself enveloped by an overwhelming softness.

"Don't let the Commander resist! He's incredibly strong!"

At Belfast's command, both his arms were firmly restrained. Any slight movement on his part was met with unexpected and peculiar sensations.

"Ah! Commander! Stop squirming!"

Formidable cried out in alarm.

Dressed in their casual uniforms, the scene looked less like a scuffle and more like a chaotic cuddle session.

Of course, opportunists like Taihou and Akagi seized the moment, sneakily groping wherever they could.

"Ah, Commander, you've finally fallen into Taihou's hands…"

In an instant, the entire bridge devolved into a crowded and boisterous scene.

Formidable wrapped her arms around Setsuna from behind in a rear naked chokehold, urging him to surrender.

With his head resting against the expansive flight deck of her chest, Setsuna figured he could enjoy the moment a bit longer.

Royal Ark, seeing the chaotic scene, tried to sneak a few pats on the heads of some destroyers but was promptly dragged out by Bismarck and sent back to the naval base to be put in solitary confinement.

Meanwhile, Jeanne Alter sat on the floor, utterly dumbfounded.

"Hey?! You weren't this gentle when you were beating me up earlier!"

"Is this just because my Strength is an A but my Endurance is only a C?!"

She rubbed her stomach, still sore from a rocket headbutt delivered by Glowworm that nearly sent her flying into outer space.

"Even a Berserker with Strength A+ wouldn't stand a chance against them…"

Jeanne d'Arc could only sigh in amazement at the shipgirls' boundless enthusiasm.

They seemed like stat monsters with maxed-out Strength, Endurance, and Agility—magic excluded.

Oh, and then there was the EX-Luck destroyer among them.

After a while, when Setsuna was starting to feel like he might suffocate in this sea of softness, and the shipgirls had finally quieted down from their incessant chatter, he slowly opened his mouth:

"I surrender."

Losing to a pile of wives wasn't shameful.

Could he have used brute force to reverse the situation? With the full power of his dual Wisdom Cubes, maybe. But that would've been idiotic.

Better to let them have their fun.

"Yay!!! We won!"

The shipgirls released him and celebrated their victory together.

"Commander, how was the shipborne shipgirl boarding strategy?"

"I just came up with it!"

Formidable puffed out her chest, seeking praise.

"We can't beat you in ranged combat, but we've still got close-quarters down!"

"It's good. Retro and innovative—a very creative tactic."

Setsuna patted Formidable's shoulder.

"But the risks of collision-based boarding are too high."

"In the future, once we develop short-range warp or teleportation technology, we can let the mass-produced Siren models handle this kind of operation."

"You all should stick to long-range strikes."

...

After a rather informal exercise wrapped up, Setsuna calculated the aftermath.

Excluding Royal Ark, who was locked up in the naval base for a disciplinary time-out, he owed nearly a dozen shipgirls each a fulfilled wish.

"Can Taihou make a wish to Commander too? Hmm, I need to think about it carefully… Hmm…"

"I'll hold onto mine and save it for something big later."

"I want Commander to fold 1,000 origami cranes, and every single one must say 'I love you' on it!"

The shipgirls excitedly brainstormed what they might ask for in the future.

"Ah, it's a shame we weren't on the opposing side," Richelieu and Yat Sen said, shaking their heads with slight regret.

"If you want something, just tell me directly—why make it so complicated?" Setsuna smiled and tapped their foreheads.

"It's different. Something earned by hand is much more meaningful," Yat Sen said as she watched the shipgirls excitedly exchanging ideas, a trace of envy in her expression.

"Tch, next time, put me on the opposing side. I want a wish too," Jeanne Alter grumbled, arms crossed, looking as prideful as ever.

"And what would you wish for? Don't tell me it's something like starting a Holy Grail War or destroying France?" Setsuna asked curiously.

"Of course, I'd make you kneel and then lick my—"

Wham!

Jeanne Alter didn't even finish before Jeanne d'Arc smacked her on the head with a fist, leaving her sprawled on the ground.

...

Buzz—

After spending a few more days in outer space, wrapping things up, Setsuna piloted the fleet back to the capital.

By this time, he had completely mastered piloting the massive starship. When it came to combat techniques, he was now no less skilled than any original shipgirl.

Shortly after landing, he received good news from Akashi.

"Commander, the Spiritron Calculation Engine is complete, meow~!"

Hardly taking any time to rest, Setsuna brought along a few accompanying shipgirls to Akashi's workshop.

This device was something he'd obtained partial blueprints for from Dr. Roman during their first visit to Chaldea.

The Spiritron Calculation Engine could spiritronize its user and project them into any point in the past to alter history.

It was effectively a time machine—an incredibly powerful weapon.

Especially when combined with his Authority to open temporal tunnels, the possibilities for its use were limitless.

Pushing open the doors of Akashi's workshop, Setsuna was greeted by a massive globe-like structure that bore some resemblance to Chaldeas.

Its size was overwhelming, towering over ten stories high. The entire structure was black and yellow, exuding a more futuristic appearance than Chaldea's device.

In the sunlight, the metallic surface of the computational device reflected a blinding brilliance. Its spherical surface was etched with intricate mechanical patterns, and staring at it too long gave one a dizzying sensation.

Near the control console at the forefront, Purifier, Compiler, and a few other Siren girls were busy fine-tuning the equipment.

"Commander! Long time no see!"

Spotting Setsuna, the Repair Ship eagerly came up to give him a hug.

Patting her on the head and stroking her ears, Akashi purred like a contented cat.

After a brief moment of snuggling, she tilted her head up, tugging Setsuna along as she introduced the structure.

"Commander, the schematics you gave me were a complete mess, meow. I spent months trying to figure it out, and I couldn't even build the framework of the Spiritron Calculation Engine."

That artifact was originally created by the Atlas Institute. After the incineration of human history in the Type-Moon world, both the Mage's Association and humanity were wiped out.

For Dr. Roman to have scavenged even fragments of its design was already a monumental achievement.

"Then how did you manage…"

Richelieu's gaze shifted toward Purifier and Compiler. Upon closer inspection, the device indeed bore a distinct Siren design aesthetic.

"This little one came to us for help."

Purifier stretched lazily, lightly rapping Akashi on the head, her less-than-impressive figure plainly evident.

"I thought the blueprints were pretty interesting, nya. Turning a person into Spiritrons to send them into the past to alter history—who wouldn't be intrigued?"

"So I figured we might have a use for it someday and decided to help out a bit."

"The concept of Spiritron transfer was something I considered when researching the Mirror Sea. After multiple simulations, I helped reconstruct the design," said Compiler in her usual monotone, nestled in her jellyfish-like rigging.

When on land, she rarely walked; instead, her rigging kept her hovering just above the ground.

"Oh, very much appreciated."

Setsuna thought the Sirens might be a bit cold and detached, but they were undeniably reliable when it came to getting things done.

"So, this is a Spiritron Calculation Engine built using a combination of Siren technology, Azur Lane technology, and Type-Moon techniques?"

Standing before the massive metallic globe, Setsuna couldn't help but feel it looked quite different from Chaldea's device.

Not just the color but also the design—it was completely unique.

It had taken over a thousand specialized Bulins and more than a year to complete. The scale of the project was comparable to constructing a grand wonder.

"Yes, if we had followed the original schematics, the device would only work in a specific world," Compiler said in her usual flat tone, pausing for a moment.

"But now, as long as there's no interference, it can project you into the past of any timeline in any world."

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