Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

"???"

Setsuna's first instinct was to confirm that all his vital components were intact.

Size? Check.

Shape? Check.

Strength? Check.

He had not been subjected to any indecent tampering by the shameless Purifier.

"How long was I out?"

"Uh, Commander, something unexpected happened," Purifier said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. Her expression turned serious, her voice low and grave.

"You were unconscious for 35 years."

"Constantinople has become a wasteland. The naval base is gone. The Heroic Spirits have returned to Chaldea, and the shipgirls have lost faith in you. They've each gone back to their respective ports."

"Only I stayed here, loyally by your side, never abandoning you."

"???"

Setsuna took three seconds to process this.

Whack!

A hand chop landed firmly on Purifier's head.

"Tell the truth."

"Ouch!"

Purifier crouched down, clutching her head.

"It's only been six days! How did you know I was lying?!"

"First, you're too dumb and adorable to pull off a convincing lie."

"Second, if I'd really been out for 35 years, you'd have been dismantled by Richelieu and Taihou by now."

Setsuna answered expressionlessly.

"…"

"The bond between oath-bound ships is truly touching," Purifier muttered under her breath as she opened the sealed door. Outside, the waiting shipgirls swarmed in, surrounding Setsuna.

A flurry of voices erupted:

"Commander, how are you?"

"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?!"

"Uh..."

"I feel... a bit more energized?"

Setsuna closed his eyes and focused on sensing the changes within his body.

The two Wisdom Cubes inside him radiated with light, endlessly supplying him with energy. He felt incredibly vigorous, as though he'd gained an additional reactor.

There was also something else—a faint trace of residual Siren energy, likely leftover from the modification process.

"Where's the Compiler?"

Setsuna glanced around, but the petite figure of the girl was nowhere to be seen.

"She's a bit tired and went to rest," Purifier scratched her head.

"You're now in a dual-core state. This is something no shipgirl or even high-level Siren has ever achieved."

"In terms of sheer power, you're already comparable to an Arbiter."

"Hmm…"

Setsuna noticed that one of the Wisdom Cubes in his body contained the power of the Strike Freedom, while the other remained empty, serving as a pure source of magical energy.

"Where's my ship frame?!"

…

An hour later.

At the aerospace base.

Setsuna stood before the Eternal Snowfall, gazing up at the flagship of the Starsea Alliance.

It was the first starship constructed at the base and currently the only unassigned vessel, as shipgirls didn't require additional ship frames.

The interstellar cruiser, over 600 meters long, was equipped with positron breaker cannons and an array of space-combat weapons.

Although its firepower was slightly inferior to a battleship, the frame was fully built and could be upgraded over time.

"Is everything inside cleared out?"

"Cleared. All the Bulin and Manjuu have been evacuated," Richelieu nodded.

Setsuna extended his hand, releasing the energy from his Wisdom Cube.

His mastery of mana projection had reached a point where he could precisely control the magnitude and scope of the energy release.

A faint blue energy field enveloped the Eternal Snowfall.

The entire starship began to distort and transform, finally condensing into a glowing white sphere that vanished from its original location.

Swish!

The second Wisdom Cube within Setsuna's body was etched with the starship's form.

Simultaneously, a massive starship projection appeared behind him—a spectral image of the interstellar cruiser.

"Whoa…"

The shipgirls watching from behind collectively looked up in awe.

The shipgirls quickly noticed that Setsuna's ship rigging seemed unusually large—almost absurdly so—compared to the standard size of battleship rigging.

If he fully projected the bridge and weapon modules, the structure would tower several stories tall, imposing and majestic.

"Uh, maybe it's because the two Wisdom Cubes are interacting with each other? The energy in his body might be overloading and expanding the rigging?" Purifier speculated.

"Did it really work?"

Setsuna extended his hand, clenching his fist experimentally.

He felt himself in an incredibly peculiar state.

After integrating the Eternal Snowfall as part of himself, he could sense every inch of the starship in vivid detail.

This included the condition of the hull, the inventory in the storage bays, every piece of ammunition, and every main or secondary cannon mounted on the ship.

It was a complete synchronization with the construct, as if he had become the starship itself.

He could directly control the vessel with sheer willpower, bypassing the need for joysticks or physical controls.

If he focused intensely, he could even micro-manage the angle and firing rate of a single secondary cannon.

"Commander! Commander! Can you transform into other forms too?"

Several curious shipgirls crowded around him, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Yes."

With a single thought, Setsuna withdrew the Eternal Snowfall.

In a flash of white light, the Strike Freedom, standing over 20 meters tall, materialized in the landing area.

Setsuna was comfortably seated inside the cockpit.

Another thought, and he returned to his normal human form, standing back among the group.

"Whoa!"

Watching their commander seamlessly switch between Gundam form and starship form was like witnessing magic, and the shipgirls erupted in excitement.

It was unbelievably cool.

He could pilot a mech, traverse space in a starship, or simply stand among them as an ordinary person.

"Commander, can you project both forms at the same time?"

Yukikaze raised her hand with a question.

"I can, but it doesn't seem particularly useful…"

"I can't think of a situation where I'd need to do that," Setsuna replied, projecting the Eternal Snowfall once more alongside the Strike Freedom.

He sat in the Strike Freedom's cockpit while the Strike Freedom sat in the Eternal Snowfall's cockpit.

The two forms nested within each other created a somewhat bizarre sight.

"Uh, can they fight separately?"

Richelieu suggested an idea.

"The Gundam can't operate without a pilot… which means I'd have to split my focus to control the starship as well. At that point, why not just use the ship to blow up the enemy outright?"

Setsuna felt that switching between forms during combat was more practical for now.

"Incredible! I thought it was already amazing to switch between battleship and humanoid forms, but Master, you've surpassed even that."

Nero and a few other Heroic Spirits looked back and forth between the shipgirls and Setsuna.

Previously, they thought the semi-mechanical, semi-humanoid beings like the shipgirls were astonishing enough. Now, they were witnessing the ultimate hybrid lifeform.

"So now I have three combat forms?"

Setsuna unsheathed the Caliburn and twirled it deftly, standing atop the aerospace base's launch pad.

"First form: humanoid combat, utilizing swordsmanship, energy-based ranged attacks via magical energy projection, and some basic spells."

"Second form: Gundam form, with aerial and space maneuverability, equipped with a beam saber, beam shield, and the Gundam's weapon systems."

"Third form: starship form, projecting the Eternal Snowfall for combat. This grants interplanetary mobility, with firepower dependent on the ship's equipped weapon systems."

"Wow!"

The shipgirls and Heroic Spirits erupted into chatter.

Three forms, each tailored to distinct combat scenarios.

For small fry enemies, the Caliburn would suffice to cut them down in one strike.

For slightly stronger foes, the energy cannon would come into play.

If the enemy was even more formidable or had aerial capabilities, he would shift into Gundam form for battle.

As for even stronger adversaries or full-scale interstellar warfare, he would summon the Eternal Snowfall to engage.

The starship's upgrade potential was fully synchronized with the shipgirls, allowing the latest advancements in weaponry and technology from the base to be integrated.

With the dual-core Wisdom Cube enhancement, the ship's firepower was bound to be ridiculously powerful.

"Why do I feel like the Commander is basically a boss now?"

A Eagle Union aircraft carrier who loved gaming muttered under her breath.

"Transforming at every phase? And going from humanoid to a starship?! Even game bosses aren't this overpowered!"

"When you fight in the future, should we play some boss battle BGM? How about Radagon or Sister Friede?"

"…"

Setsuna felt that these three forms were exceptionally well-rounded, offering broad potential for future development and versatility.

"Boss, I've even thought of your signature line!"

Gudako leaned over with an excited expression.

"After you install the planet-destroying weapon, you can say, 'Anyone who has seen the fully operational Eternal Snowfall has no chance of surviving.' Doesn't that sound incredibly domineering?!"

"…"

Setsuna froze for a moment.

"Where are you stealing these lines from this time?!"

"Do you also want to dance?!"

…

When they returned to the administrative center, the group was buzzing with chatter, still discussing the Commander's awe-inspiring dual transformation modes.

Proudly crossing her arms, Purifier stood in front of Setsuna with a smug expression.

"So, Commander, did I lie to you?"

"Sure, you have all kinds of technologies from other worlds, but we're not too shabby ourselves, are we?"

"Not bad at all. I'll make arrangements for your starship conversion projects as soon as possible."

Setsuna nodded in satisfaction.

With two cores and two Wisdom Cubes, his combat power issue had been perfectly resolved.

From now on, human form, Gundam, and starship forms could seamlessly merge into one combat system, allowing him to switch between modes at will.

The dual Wisdom Cubes also doubled his energy supply, making him feel like he could slap his past self into oblivion.

"If this is how it works, won't you be able to absorb even more Wisdom Cubes in the future, gaining tons of transformation forms at the same time?"

The dragon maid's imagination ran wild.

"Uh, Compiler said I can only handle two cubes for now; any more, and I might choke. But maybe things from other worlds could work…"

"Technically, I can adapt to most power systems across worlds…"

Setsuna opened the Hyperdimensional Star Map to take a look.

"I think the Unicron's mech looks pretty good. Once we're powerful enough, we can go pay him a visit."

"Huh?"

The other shipgirls didn't quite understand but were intrigued nonetheless.

"Also, one more thing."

Setsuna cleared his throat.

"We need to start upgrading the Eternal Snowfall immediately."

The Eternal Snowfall was originally just a cruiser, but now, with two Wisdom Cubes, he figured handling a larger ship wouldn't be an issue.

"Meow? Commander, what do you want it to be upgraded into? I'll have Bulins arrange it," Akashi asked, tilting her head.

"Make the main guns as big as possible. Make the armor as thick as possible. And make the hangars capable of holding as many planes as physically possible…"

"Big is beautiful, and more is better. Only massive ships with enormous guns can cure my firepower inadequacy anxiety."

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