Imperium of Man Terra Aeterna Season 01: Rise of Humanity's War Machin

Reuel's final stop on his tour of the Azur world was their scientific research facility.

At his direct request, Belfast and Richelieu escorted him to the location where the Mind Cubes were stored.

They passed through the main building and followed the edges of the harbor area until they arrived in front of a small, conspicuous-looking shop. This was the place.

A shipgirl with animal ears and green fur greeted them enthusiastically.

"Commandaa? Only one left! Hurry before it's gone~!"

The naval uniform she wore looked far too big and loose, more like a mobile crane than standard-issue clothing. Her sleeves hid an array of tools: pliers, wrenches, tweezers, even a few screwdrivers dangling in disarray.

Her name was Akashi—one of the few maintenance ships stationed at Minato port. She wasn't known for combat strength, but for her vital behind-the-scenes role: repairing other ships, managing the scientific lab, and... running a side business.

Aside from research and engineering, Akashi was also known for selling "special paints" at what she claimed were "very reasonable prices."

"Paint the blue toolbox purple. Then paint the purple box gold," she once said.

Reuel remembered it well—back then, playing Azur Lane, he had been endlessly frustrated by the cryptic messages from Akashi's in-game contact. Now, that character was no longer just an avatar on a screen. She stood before him in real life, winking in full merchant mode.

Usually, opening ten cubes would only result in a disappointing notification:

"You're out of luck. Explosion rate doesn't matter."

"He's only a guest at Minato port, not yet a Commander," Belfast reminded her firmly, in her usual sharp tone.

"As long as he buys something, Akashi can call him her Commandaa, nya~!" Akashi shot back quickly, as if trying to lock in a spontaneous business deal.

Her habit of ending her sentences with –nya~ certainly made her sound unique… or suspicious, depending on who was listening.

"Hey, miss. What are you selling? Box paint?"

Reuel glanced toward the counter. As expected, a variety of items were displayed with no discernible pattern: colorful paints, spare parts, ship armor, and even some exotic ammunition.

"Battleship fuel~! Coolants, naval weapons, aircraft, torpedoes, and other gear, nya~!"

With enthusiasm, Akashi pulled out piece after piece of equipment. Many of them were labeled with Kanji characters—foreign and technical to anyone who wasn't part of the port.

Even though she sold fighter jets, without integration into the Kanji system, those things were nothing more than World War II collectibles.

Reuel got straight to the point.

"Do you have a Mind Cube?"

"Mind Cube, nya~? That's for research, not for sale~." Akashi glanced toward Richelieu and Belfast, scratching her fuzzy green ears before pondering for a moment.

"But~... if the Commander only wants to look at it, I can show it. But no touching or moving it, nya~! This cube is super precious!"

She then opened a secret door behind the shop.

They followed Akashi down a narrow corridor until they reached a laboratory room about 300 square meters wide.

The space was filled with experimental devices. Some looked like high-powered laser cutters, others resembled military-grade X-ray scanners. On the tables, piles of documents and printed data were scattered about.

Reuel flipped through the sheets briefly. They were experimental reports, almost entirely focused on military applications.

The tech tree of Azur Lane's world seemed warped: everything was geared toward warfare. There was no research in agriculture, light industry, or civilian use.

Makes sense, Reuel thought. This world only had around a thousand shipgirls. They didn't need farms. What they needed was ammunition, repairs, and firepower.

Akashi crouched in front of a large safe.

After precisely turning the dial, the safe opened to reveal a pitch-black box inside.

With extreme care, Akashi took out a special key, unlocked the box, and lifted something out with both hands: a translucent blue cube that emitted a soft inner glow.

She placed it on the table, as if presenting a sacred relic.

"This is… the Mind Cube, nya~."

"Making a Mind Cube is a huge hassle. It takes a lot of resources and time. Minato hasn't produced a new one in ages. This one… is the only one left."

"So… what did you guys do with the Rubik's Cube before?"

Reuel asked, curiosity written all over his face.

"Construct ships," Richelieu answered, speaking for Akashi who was busy rummaging through her tools.

"Normal shipgirls can't be summoned just with a Mind Cube. They need to correspond to real-world warships," she continued.

"But Bulin only needs a little bit of resources and a Mind Cube to create. We mass-produced Bulin for port construction."

"But now," Richelieu added with a heavy tone, "since our time and resources are so limited, Mind Cube production has been suspended. No more new ones."

"Oh…" Reuel nodded in understanding.

"According to my research," Akashi suddenly cut in while placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her tiny chest proudly, "a Mind Cube can be considered a perpetual motion engine with unlimited energy, nya~! It powers ship equipment and also manifests human cognition into physical form!"

"And it greatly boosts the shipgirls' physical fitness, nya~! Isn't that amazing?!"

Reuel could only offer a wry smile.

"If Commander wants to own it, I can give you a special friendly price of thirty million yen, or an equal trade in crude oil, nya~!"

Belfast and Richelieu's expressions immediately froze, as if they'd just watched gold bars fall from the sky.

"…Is this thing… really that expensive?" Richelieu and Belfast muttered under their breath.

"..." Belfast fell silent.

"..." Richelieu said nothing.

Reuel also chose to stay silent. He stared at the Mind Cube on the table with a mix of awe and caution. He knew—if even Akashi, who was notorious for being opportunistic, valued it that highly, then this thing must hold something truly extraordinary.

At some point, the Mind Cube was already in his hand.

The translucent blue light from its surface pulsed gently. The cube felt cold, but there was a living energy inside it. As if the object… was aware of its own existence.

"DON'T BREAK IT, NYA~!!" Akashi shouted in panic, leaping forward.

Too late.

"Ding! Host has obtained a rare item from the world of Azur Lane: Mind Cube. The system will now integrate it into Host's body. Compatibility with the power of the Emperor of Mankind increased by 20%. Please endure the pain… and try not to die."

Reuel stood frozen.

"…What do you mean by 'endure the pain'?"

Without warning, a blinding light burst from the Mind Cube. It instantly melted, turning into a glowing liquid and seeping into the palm of his hand.

An explosion of energy followed. A silent yet palpable shockwave rippled through the air. Reuel's body felt like it was being hit by a storm from the inside. Waves of heat and cold slammed into his bones, flesh, and mind all at once.

"Goddamn it... this system's trying to kill me again..." he muttered in his thoughts, just before his consciousness crumbled.

---

Darkness.

---

The pain wasn't just physical—it tore through nerves, scraped bone, stabbed into the soul. He didn't even have time to scream. The world vanished in an instant.

But before everything truly went black, Reuel remembered something.

Back when he was first thrown into the world of Resident Evil, the system had granted him the seed of the Emperor of Mankind's power from Warhammer. That integration had been painful… but this?

This was ten times worse.

After conquering that world, the system had rewarded him: access to a portion of the Emperor's power—about 20%. And even that was already incredible.

That power enhanced psionic abilities, increased his body's compatibility with power systems from multiple universes, and—most importantly—enabled full adaptation to all forms of exotic energy.

The Mind Cube from Azur Lane.

Honkai Energy.

Command Seals from the Fate universe.

Originium Arts from Arknights.

Spiral Energy from Gurren Lagann.

Electromagnetic fields from Toaru, if necessary.

And many more unique items from countless other worlds.

Back then, he didn't realize these were massive compensations quietly granted by the system. But now, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place.

"…Am I going to become… a shipgirl?"

Reuel chuckled bitterly to himself.

"No. Maybe I'll become… the shipdad."

---

When Akashi saw the Mind Cube suddenly vanish from sight, she shrieked and dove toward Reuel's limp, unconscious body.

"NYAAAHH! If I knew this would happen, I never would've shown it to you, nya~!! Give me back my Rubik's Cubeee!!"

---

"He ate the Mind Cube?"

In the main building of the harbor area, silence fell. The carrier ships and other fleet members stared in shock after hearing Akashi's shrill complaint.

Richelieu nodded slightly, then added a more detailed explanation.

"When Mr. Reuel came into contact with the Mind Cube… it dissolved instantly like water. Then he passed out."

"..."

The shipgirls exchanged glances, confused.

Based on their long-term research, such a thing should've been impossible.

The Mind Cube was a catalyst. Advanced technology used to grant sentience to warships, transforming them into shipgirls.

It could also be used to produce mass units like Bulin, as long as sufficient resources were available.

But—reacting directly with a human body? Unthinkable.

Humans and warships weren't even the same species.

"What about… Mr. Reuel?" Yixian asked, calm but cautious.

"Still unconscious. Belfast and a support team from the Royal faction are tending to him," Richelieu answered. "Physically he's fine, but… he seems to be suffering from severe mental trauma."

She shook her head.

"At least he's still alive," Yixian murmured.

The other shipgirls let out a breath of relief.

Akashi, meanwhile, hung her head in acute frustration.

"That was… the last Mind Cube in Minato…" she muttered bitterly. "Why the hell did I show it to him…"

Bugh!

She slammed her forehead into the table.

Whether she mourned the loss of priceless technology or the thirty million yen in lost sales—no one could say for sure.

Richelieu narrowed her eyes.

"Mr. Reuel is a guest of Minato City. Why do you only care about your own profit?"

She sighed.

"I'll allocate more resources for you to manufacture a new Mind Cube later."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, NYA~!" Akashi wailed, still face-down on the floor.

"I already examined his body—there's no injury. None at all. In fact…" She looked up, locking eyes with everyone in the room.

"His body is better than any shipgirl I've ever seen!"

A stunned silence. Then a wave of murmuring disbelief filled the room.

"…Better? Than a shipgirl?" whispered one of the carriers.

All of them were semi-mechanical entities with reactors for hearts and Mind Cubes for souls.

They could manipulate thousands of tons of combat gear effortlessly. Their strength far exceeded that of any normal human.

"He just touched the Mind Cube… and absorbed it. And I didn't get paid a single damn coin, nya…"

---

Meanwhile, in the infirmary…

"Ugh…"

Reuel's consciousness floated in the fog of pain and waves of alien information. Ever since the Mind Cube had dissolved into his body, it was as if his mind had been thrown into another dimension.

He saw flickers of faint images.

Sirens…

Shipgirls…

Mountains of data, technologies, and symbols from the world of Azur Lane…

All of it flashing too fast, too dense to comprehend. The information stored within the Mind Cube was trying to force itself into him.

"Mr. Reuel… Mr. Reuel…"

Someone was calling him.

With great effort, he opened his eyes. Blinding white light filled his vision. His sight was blurry, but slowly, the figure became clearer.

Someone stood at his bedside.

A radiant white silhouette, long snow-white hair, and elegant movements he knew all too well.

The head maid of the Royal Navy: Belfast.

She was leaning over, adjusting an extra pillow on his bed.

But from his current angle, Reuel noticed that Belfast's position… was dangerous to the sanity of any ordinary man.

Her face was… buried between two "major crimes" that blocked out a portion of the lamp's glow.

...I hope this isn't a Mind Cube-induced hallucination.

"Belfast, you're on top of me. I... can't breathe."

Reuel's voice was weak, barely a whisper.

"Ah, forgive me!"

Belfast immediately stepped back, flustered, a blush creeping up her cheeks. She quickly adjusted her low-cut maid uniform.

In a port filled with shipgirls, revealing outfits weren't unusual—but this time, for some reason, she felt just a little improper.

"Are you awake? Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Belfast's voice returned to its usual calm and elegant tone, restoring her dignity as the Royal Navy's head maid.

"No... just a bit dizzy."

Reuel slowly sat up in bed and examined his body. Everything looked normal. No missing limbs. Most importantly: he hadn't turned into a shipgirl. Little Reuel was still intact.

"How long was I out?"

"Ten days and twelve hours."

Belfast pulled back the curtains, letting the orange glow of the setting sun flood the room with warmth.

"Akashi and I have run every possible physical test. Don't worry, no internal or external injuries. But… that Rubik's Cube—it melted into your body. That's very unusual. A Mind Cube isn't supposed to react to humans."

The head maid stroked her chin, looking deep in thought.

"Do you... feel any different?"

Reuel was silent for a moment, then clenched his fists.

"It feels... like I've become a lot stronger."

The psionic energy that used to flow gently now surged violently inside him. His whole body felt reawakened. Fatigue was gone, replaced by physical and mental strength that was almost impossible to measure.

"Can I... withstand a nuclear explosion now?"

The thought appeared in his mind unbidden.

His body now seemed beyond the biological limits of humans—even surpassing that of the Primarchs. He was certain that, with a single punch, he could bring down an orbital fortress. Maybe even crush someone's soul with pure psionic will.

Based on the genetic legacy and knowledge left behind by the Emperor of Mankind, his psionic level had now reached the mid-tier—enough to rival warp entities and high-level magic users across various universes.

And this... was only 40% of the Emperor's power that he had mastered.

The road to absolute power was still long, but for the first time, Reuel felt—tangibly—like an Emperor.

"No wonder Games Workshop depicted him sitting on a golden toilet," he thought bitterly.

"I used to think it was just a dumb meme. But now? Sitting still might really be the only way to avoid killing people just by being seen."

The power was truly existential. No wonder ordinary humans could die just from seeing his full form.

Reuel would have to learn to control this strength. He didn't want a single sneeze to cause a psionic tsunami that killed the girls he was trying to protect. They weren't Erda, not the genetic mother of the Primarchs. They were ordinary girls… with beautiful bodies and gentle hearts.

"Mind Cubes are, by nature, energy sources. If you absorbed it, then such a power boost would be a natural result."

Belfast answered calmly, though a note of confusion laced her voice.

"So I... swallowed a reactor?"

"An accurate analogy. But more than that—a Mind Cube enhances the body structure of its host. Theoretically, your physical endurance should now equal… or even surpass ours."

Belfast's expression turned hesitant, even a little awkward.

"..."

Reuel was stunned.

Shipgirl-level durability...?

In his mind, he pictured an ordinary human face—soft, fragile, expressive—sitting atop a superhuman body that could withstand torpedoes or naval artillery blasts. Absurd? Absolutely.

But apparently, that's how this universe worked.

Physical strength on par with Azur Lane's Shipgirls, combined with psionic heritage from the Emperor of Mankind?

This was... insane.

"A human face tanking torpedoes, a body shrugging off heavy weapons fire...? I guess that's exactly how they act in the Azur Lane game and anime I played," Reuel thought with a short sigh.

---

Several hours later – Testing Beach, Minato Port Region

Reuel stood tall at the center of the testing field, surrounded by shipgirls from various factions. Behind him, aircraft carriers and heavy cruisers were docked facing the beach. Akashi was busy taking notes with a clipboard and camera trained on him.

Today, he intended to test the capabilities gained from absorbing the Mind Cube.

Without using the Emperor's 40%—just the raw physical strength of a Shipgirl.

"Well… I guess that makes me some kind of 'ship dad' now? Hahaha…"

"Hit me."

Reuel said it casually, pointing at a small girl across from him. Silver hair, animal ears, sailor uniform—yep, classic Sakura Empire style.

Normally, he'd never say something like that.

Not just because his opponent looked like a child, but because...

The bodies of destroyer-class shipgirls could weigh thousands of kilograms.

Their physical strength could lift an adult elephant—hell, they could probably toss a blue whale into orbit if they felt like it. So even if they looked cute, their punches were no joke.

"Hoh! You dare challenge the great Yukikaze-sama? Don't come crying when you go flying to the moon! Hohoho~"

The little girl—Yukikaze, with her signature laugh, crouched into an attacking stance. In a blink, she shot forward like a guided missile and—

BOOOOOOOM!!!

A brutal punch slammed into Reuel's chest.

The force of the strike... at least hundreds of tons of sudden pressure.

Reuel didn't budge. Just a slight skid of the feet—nothing more.

"Oh?"

Gasps echoed around him.

Ship captains, combat system operators, even veteran shipgirls all widened their eyes.

"A human...? Took a punch from Yukikaze?"

"I'm gonna get serious now!"

Frustrated by her failed strike, Yukikaze stepped back and activated her ship equipment.

Three main 127mm cannons emerged from her sides, along with two anti-aircraft machine guns.

A hail of bullets rained down relentlessly, hammering Reuel from every direction.

Drrrrt—BOOM—BOOM—Drrrrt—

At the same time, launchers on her sides opened, releasing two mini torpedoes.

The torpedoes spun midair—and, true to Azur Lane tech—instantly transformed into massive nine-meter-long torpedoes, complete with signature roars and homing heads.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

Explosions shook the beach. Shockwaves kicked up sand and seawater into the air.

But when the smoke cleared—

Reuel was still standing.

Calm. Upright. Not burned. Not fazed. Just brushing off his pants like he'd bumped into an old shelf.

"Well... that was a nice warm-up."

"UOOOOOOOOOH!!"

Cheers erupted like thunder.

"He really absorbed the Mind Cube!"

"Even 127mm artillery didn't work! What kind of human is this guy?!"

"Try the 203mm! Or 380mm?!—Wait, that's too extreme?!—Then how about torpedo bombers from a carrier?!"

"Musashi! No, stop! Put down that naval gun! That is NOT a toy!!"

The girls scrambled to hold back two massive warships from the Sakura Empire who were already prepping their big guns.