Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

Setsuna spent about a month in outer space, accompanied by a small team of shipgirls.

He trained with battleship shipgirls to master artillery strikes, with aircraft carriers to hone air combat using carrier-based planes, and with cruisers and destroyers to perfect torpedo and missile warfare.

Although he was not a natural-born shipgirl, his extraordinary mental strength and learning ability allowed him to quickly grasp the complex weapon systems aboard his starship.

As a result of daily exercises, every asteroid in Earth's orbit had been shattered into fragments. Even the Moon bore several prominent craters and scorch marks from his practice shots.

The largest lunar crater had been bisected by the axial main cannon, leaving behind a trench dozens of kilometers in diameter and bottomless in depth.

In the face of the high-powered positron siege cannon, basalt crumbled like butter under a hot knife.

Such immense power confirmed that Akashi's earlier claim that Eternal Snowfall could cleave off a chunk of a continent was no exaggeration.

...

"Commander, we've got nothing left to teach you."

"You've already mastered the combat techniques for nearly every ship class."

After their final shooting practice, Taihou, Formidable, Richelieu, and the other shipgirls sat in the bridge, gesturing at Setsuna with open hands.

"Thank you for your hard work," Setsuna nodded politely to them.

"Speaking of which, the Commander's learning speed is downright absurd... When I was upgraded to a starship, it took me ages to adapt to the new combat style," Formidable remarked as she played with her hair.

"Now, I feel like even with the same tonnage and armament, I couldn't beat the Commander in a fight."

Given Setsuna's uncanny precision and unparalleled multitasking abilities, he could even control hundreds of fighter planes to simultaneously attack hundreds of targets. Such capabilities were unheard of among carrier shipgirls.

"Thank you for the compliment. Your teaching was excellent," Setsuna replied, patting Formidable on the head.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she quickly covered her face and looked down.

"Ah... Commander, don't do that…"

"But I am curious—on a galactic battlefield, how many carriers or battleships could the Commander match?"

A shipgirl wearing a black military uniform and a cap suddenly spoke up. It was Bismarck, the Iron Blood flagship, her demeanor that of a textbook soldier.

"Hmm..."

Her question sparked a lively discussion among the shipgirls.

In terms of tonnage and size, Eternal Snowfall was roughly three times the size of a standard battleship, with significantly more weapons and carrier planes.

However, the amplification provided by two Wisdom Cores was immeasurable.

"Six battleships? Maybe with three carriers added to the mix? If it's destroyers and cruisers, the attrition rate would probably be massive..." Enterprise pondered for a moment before responding uncertainly.

"No one can withstand the main cannon of Eternal Snowfall... Given the ship's armor, only large-caliber guns or torpedoes would have any chance of breaching it."

"That's too few," Tirpitz immediately interjected.

"Eternal Snowfall's range far exceeds that of standard warships," Tirpitz stated matter-of-factly. "In a space combat scenario, any fleet would be destroyed long before entering firing range."

"However, if surrounded, it's a different story," she added.

The debate among the battle-hardened shipgirls drew a smile from Setsuna. He couldn't help but feel a peculiar sense of humor, as if they were discussing how many wives it would take to overpower him.

"How about we organize a space combat exercise?" Richelieu, who had been quietly observing, suddenly suggested.

"Since we've all been upgraded to starships, none of us have had a proper battle. This would be a good opportunity to stretch our legs."

"And, it would also serve as a test of the Commander's and Eternal Snowfall's combat capabilities."

The shipgirls fell silent for a moment before nodding and clapping in agreement.

"That's a great idea!"

"Perfect!"

"I haven't had much chance to do anything since becoming a starship. Let's see who's stronger now!"

Even the destroyers excitedly clamored to join the exercise.

"Why not add a prize to make it more fun? A reward for the winner would make it more exciting," Yukikaze proposed, raising her hand.

"Hmm…"

"What should the prize be?"

The group pondered.

Gambling or money-based prizes were out of the question since currency didn't exist at the base. Anything they wanted could simply be manufactured by the Bulins—gold bars included, if desired. The economy here operated entirely on fulfilling needs and contributing as one could.

"How about… the winner gets to make a request of the Commander?" Prinz Eugen suggested, nibbling on her fingers.

"!"

"That's perfect!"

All eyes turned to Setsuna.

In the base, the most valuable prize anyone could imagine was the chance to make a wish of their Commander—the one they saw as omnipotent, capable of solving the Siren crisis and leading them into the stars.

"Commander, what do you think?" Richelieu asked, seeking his approval.

The event and its rewards obviously required Setsuna's consent.

"Sure, you can organize it," Setsuna replied with a smile.

"But let's set some limits. Don't ask for anything outrageous, like turning you all into star-fortress-class warships—that's not something I can do overnight."

"The wish has to be within my abilities."

"Me!"

Albacore immediately shot her hand into the air.

"What if I ask you to stand on your head, play the cello with your feet, do a lap around the capital, and finish with an aerial split?"

"...If you win, I'll do it," Setsuna replied, defeated by the troublemaker.

"Then, can I make the Commander stay with me and only me forever?"

A light-pink-haired shipgirl rested her chin on her hand as she asked. It was the Iron Blood heavy cruiser, Roon.

"That's going to be hard. The others wouldn't agree," Setsuna answered frankly.

Joking aside, if he could handle Taihou, what was a yandere compared to her?

"In that case, I'll divide everyone into two teams for the battle," Richelieu clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"When using weapons, remember to hold back. Don't damage anyone else's hull too severely."

"The winning team will receive a wish to ask anything of the Commander."

She quickly split the shipgirls into two teams.

Considering the overwhelming power of Eternal Snowfall, Richelieu deliberately allocated more carriers and battleships to the opposing side.

"Twenty-one against fifty-five, huh…"

Setsuna glanced at the numbers, wondering how much faith Richelieu had in him.

On his side, even Gudako and the Heroic Spirits were counted as combatants. What were they supposed to contribute beyond cheering and shouting "GG"?

But after a moment's thought, he realized this was a great opportunity to test and train his combat skills.

"Commander," Belfast called out, her gaze soft and alluring.

"If I win, may I have a private date with you?"

"Impossible. I won't lose," Setsuna confidently patted his chest.

"…"

Three seconds later, he froze.

Wait, what did I just say?! Belfast, listen! You don't need to win for a date!

...

With the teams formed, both sides activated their thrusters and spaced themselves just outside the range of their weapons.

They lined up neatly, and with a single command, the battle began.

Hummmm—Boom!

In an instant, multicolored positron-busting cannon beams streaked across the void of space.

Wave after wave of carrier-based aircraft flooded the battlefield, swarming toward their targets to drop torpedoes and missiles at close range.

Since this was a drill, the weapons weren't used at full power. Even a direct hit from a main cannon would only leave a faint mark on the hull.

At the front of his fleet, Setsuna piloted the Eternal Snowfall.

Locking onto multiple targets simultaneously, his main cannons roared to life.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

From a distance, seven or eight shipgirls were successively hit and had no choice but to regretfully withdraw from the battle.

"Oh, as expected, the Commander's range and accuracy are overwhelming advantages…"

Even Richelieu and Enterprise, his allies, couldn't help but marvel.

The weapon systems on Eternal Snowfall were incredibly comprehensive, delivering devastating firepower at medium, close, and long ranges alike.

It seamlessly combined kinetic, energy, and explosive weapons with carrier-based aircraft to execute a multidimensional assault.

Facing him in a firefight was a dead end.

"Hmm?"

After repelling a few more shipgirls, Setsuna suddenly realized something was amiss.

The opposing team seemed to have far fewer combatants than expected.

At this rate, he'd secure victory almost effortlessly.

"Where is everyone? I thought you had over fifty ships…"

While he was still pondering,

Swoosh—

A destroyer employing optical camouflage and radar invisibility suddenly darted out from his rear flank.

Its white hull, marked with distinctive cat paw prints, quickly gave away its identity.

The Kagerō-class destroyer, Yukikaze.

"Trying to ambush me? You can't break through my defenses…"

Just as he prepared to activate the secondary guns to teach the little destroyer a lesson,

Bang!!!

"Yukisama—Nanoda!!!"

Yukikaze showed no intention of dodging and rammed straight into the side of Eternal Snowfall's bridge.

Boom—

The entire starship shook violently.

"What are you doing? Did your engine fail?!"

Before he could ask further,

Bang—

The destroyer opened its hatches, and twenty-odd shipgirls leaped aboard, breaching the bridge.

At the forefront was Head Maid Belfast, followed closely by Formidable. She raised her hand and shouted:

"Charge! Capture the Commander alive!!!"

"???"

Setsuna was utterly stunned.

"What the hell?! Shipgirls are launching a boarding attack on me?!"

"Commander, this is the ship-mounted shipgirl tactic you just taught us!"

Formidable answered as she charged forward.

"Didn't you say we could pretend to be one ship and then transform into a fleet during combat?"

"This also works for assault landings!"

"…"

Setsuna fell silent for a moment, then gave a thumbs up.

"Impressive. You've learned quickly."

"Your reward is the privilege of piloting a Gundam with Gudako for boarding actions in the future."

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