Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

Boom—

A spacequake always has a brief buffer period between its initial signs and full-scale eruption.

Since the devastating Eurasian Sky Disaster six months ago, which left an indelible mark, and the numerous smaller spacequakes that followed, the residents of cities had developed an instinct: when in doubt, run first.

Within minutes, the bustling city center quieted down. Those who could reach shelters did so, while others fled the area entirely.

Few noticed the silver-white starship hovering silently in the sky above the city’s commercial district. The ship floated just a few hundred meters away from the spacequake’s epicenter.

”Hey! Are you sure staying this close is a good idea?!”

Kurumi Tokisaki remained inside Belfast’s ship body, her expression a mix of concern and disbelief.

”No problem, I can protect you all.”

Tohru extended her hand, tracing intricate patterns in the air to form several magical circles.

Belfast felt her ship’s structure shift slightly as shimmering, multicolored auras enveloped it, reinforcing its defenses.

”I also want to see firsthand how the Spirit of Origin manifests—and exactly how a spacequake works,” Tohru said, a gleam of curiosity in her eyes.

”Maybe I’ll learn something useful? This seems like a handy trick to have. Wiping out enemies quickly—this beats all those overly complex Type-Moon style spells I read about in the library.”

The dragon maid scratched her head as she spoke.

”Learn?! You can learn this?!”

Kurumi felt her understanding of this dragon maid unraveling further.

Dragons possessed exceptional intelligence and unparalleled learning ability.

For Tohru, a spacequake was just another form of magic—using compressed and twisted spatial energy to cause massive destruction.

Its large-scale destructive capability made it a convenient tool for annihilating worlds, a trait particularly appealing to beings like her who thrived on chaos.

While they spoke—

Crack—Snap—

The air groaned under pressure as the space distortion reached its limit.

A massive shockwave burst from the center, akin to a miniature nuclear explosion. The detonation flattened the buildings in the city center, leaving a crater tens of meters wide.

High above, the starship remained steadfast in its position, protected by layers of magical barriers.

”Oh, judging by the energy readings, a spacequake is somewhat similar to a hydrogen bomb…”

”Though the explosion caused by spatial compression differs in essence from conventional weapons,” Belfast murmured as she analyzed the data on her control console.

Boom—Boom—

Aftershocks rippled through the area in quick succession.

Compared to the previous South Kanto Sky Disaster, this one caused significantly less destruction. After leveling several city blocks in the central district, the energy began to dissipate.

”Life signs detected at the explosion center!”

Belfast’s radar and Illustrious’s aircraft quickly pinpointed the location.

Through the smoke and dust, they spotted a stunningly beautiful girl lying amidst the ruins of the collapsed buildings. She was dressed in a pure white gown, her long silver hair cascading around her. Surrounding her were countless radiant halos. Despite the devastation around her, not a speck of dust marred her pristine appearance.

She radiated a sanctity akin to a celestial maiden descending to earth.

The reconnaissance aircraft barely skimmed over her position before issuing urgent warnings:

[Alert! Abnormal energy readings detected!]

[Alert! Unable to process energy data from the target!]

All indicators from the life-detection system scrambled into incomprehensible symbols. No readable information could be obtained from her.

”Wow…”

Even the shipgirls in the cockpit were momentarily stunned by the sight.

”She’s so beautiful,” one of them murmured.

Kurumi’s expression, however, was more complex.

From her past experiences, the Spirit of Origin was undoubtedly her sworn enemy.

If this had been earlier, she would have seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight to the death without hesitation.

But after hearing Setsuna’s plan, and for the sake of her friend Sawa Yamauchi, she had to hold herself back.

Besides, the newly-born Spirit of Origin before her seemed entirely different from the figure she harbored such deep hatred for. She couldn’t summon any vengeful feelings.

Buzz—

The starship slowly descended from the sky.

The explosion had cleared a large enough area in the city center for Belfast to land.

Upon disembarking, Setsuna noticed a young boy with blue hair peeking nervously out from the rubble nearby. He was staring intently at the starship.

Shinji Takamiya.

”Whoa—”

”A real spaceship?!”

The boy was dumbfounded, his wide eyes fixed on Belfast’s majestic hull.

It was the 20th century, an era when not even science fiction dared to imagine such an elegant and grand starship.

”So, it’s you,” Setsuna muttered, walking over and patting Shinji’s shoulder.

”This area is under control. You need to leave—it’s still dangerous, and aftershocks might follow soon.”

”?...”

Young Shinji tilted his head, looking up at Setsuna.

The man standing before him was far more imposing, with a strong build and clad in a black and red military uniform. He seemed like a member of some secret organization, and the ship he had arrived in only cemented his extraordinary nature.

”Big brother, are you with the Self-Defense Forces?”

”Or maybe the U.S military?” Shinji asked curiously.

”Neither,” Setsuna replied with a smile, shaking his head.

It was clear that Shinji’s understanding of the world was still limited.

Setsuna pointed toward a nearby path.

”Head home, kid. This place is too dangerous to stick around.”

”We’re here to handle the cleanup.”

”…Oh,”

Shinji Takamiya didn’t dare ask more questions. He turned and dashed away as fast as he could.

After sending him off, Setsuna led his group to the center of the ruins.

There, the silver-haired, stunningly beautiful girl had just woken up. She was half-sitting on the ground, her bright blue eyes curiously taking in her surroundings.

Her features were angelic, so exquisitely crafted that any words describing beauty felt inadequate.

Her figure was slender and elegant, the white gown she wore perfectly accentuating her radiant complexion and flawless body. Beneath the hem of her long dress, her bare feet added a touch of innocence and purity.

Her breathtaking beauty left not only Setsuna but also Kurumi, Tohru, and the shipgirls awestruck.

It was no wonder that the Takamiya siblings would take her home and care for her without hesitation after finding her, or that Westcott, that vile man, would remain obsessed with her for decades.

The girl soon noticed Setsuna and the others approaching.

She turned her head toward him, her gaze filled with curiosity.

Under the pure and untainted eyes of the Spirit of Origin, Setsuna crouched down and extended his hand to her.

”Hello,” he said gently. ”If you don’t have anywhere to go in this world, how about coming home with me?”

”…”

The Spirit of Origin did not yet understand human language, but through his gestures and tone, she grasped the general meaning of his words.

After staring into his eyes for a few moments, she reached out her delicate hand and placed it in his.

”Can you walk? Or should I carry you?”

Seeing that she was still weak from her recent emergence, Setsuna smiled and asked softly.

”…”

The Spirit of Origin looked at him with a mix of confusion and trust. First, she shook her head, then nodded slightly.

Without hesitation, Setsuna scooped her up into a princess carry. Her cool, soft form nestled against him.

”Eh?”

The girl gazed up at him, puzzled by his actions. She didn’t fully understand why he was carrying her, but she felt an inexplicable warmth emanating from him—a reassuring presence.

She instinctively leaned closer, resting her head against his chest.

”…”

”Why are you so practiced at this?! Just how many girls have you lured like this?!”

Kurumi couldn’t hold back her complaining remark.

Setsuna remained unfazed, striding confidently toward the starship.

”Let’s go. Onboard, everyone! We’ve captured the Spirit of Origin.”

…

As the starship embarked once more, the Spirit of Origin sat inside Belfast’s hull, her gaze wandering as she curiously observed her surroundings.

Hailing from the Neighboring World, she had not existed in this world before. Her arrival was the result of a group of human wizards channeling the magic of the entire world to bring her into existence.

As such, she was entirely unfamiliar with this world—its language, culture, or daily life. Yet, by instinct, she sensed no malice from Setsuna, allowing him to carry her aboard the ship.

”Belfast, do you have any materials on hand?” Setsuna asked. ”We need to start teaching her how to speak.”

”…”

The maid rummaged through the storage area.

”Commander, one moment. Let me check…”

”Introduction to Space Warfare, Guide to Torpedo Deployment Operations, Self-Maintenance and Care for Ship Hulls, Joint Operations for Carrier Fleets…”

”She’s a Spirit, not a shipgirl! These are for our destroyers, aren’t they?!” Setsuna slapped his forehead.

”Oh, I might have something!”

Tohru pulled out a stack of books that looked like children’s educational materials from her space pocket.

”These were for teaching Kanna back in my world. Will they work?”

Setsuna flipped through the books, finding a range of materials from kindergarten to high school, as well as dictionaries and other reference books.

”These will do!”

The freshly emerged Spirit of Origin was as pure as a blank slate, perfectly suited for learning everything from scratch.

Setsuna sat beside her, opening a basic textbook to begin teaching fundamental concepts.

”Alright, repeat after me…”

”A, B, C, D, E, F, G…”

”Setsuna, that’s my name…”

The Spirit of Origin turned out to be exceptionally intelligent, with a near photographic memory and a talent for applying what she learned. After going over the rules from the textbook just once, she was already proficient in calling out Setsuna’s name, as well as those of the others, and could form short sentences with ease.

”Set…suna, Setsuna…”

”Bel…fast… Illustrious…”

She repeated everyone’s names over and over, her gaze tinged with curiosity as she looked at Setsuna.

”What about my name? I don’t have one…”

”…”

Setsuna pondered for a moment.

Since she hadn’t been found by the Takamiya family, there was no need for her to bear the Takamiya surname.

”As the Spirit of Origin, you symbolize beginnings and the root of all things.”

”From now on, your name will be Mio.”

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