Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

At the edge of the floating island.

Whoosh—

”Daedalus, Lord Minos wants to see you.”

A mechanized angel passed through the barrier that had confined Daedalus, landing lightly in front of her.

”So soon?”

Daedalus checked the time. Only two or three hours had passed since Setsuna left.

She hadn’t heard any commotion from the temple, no alarms, no signs of intense battle.

Setsuna had said he could handle the Master of Synapse, but what method he would use, she had no idea.

”Could they have been captured by the battle angels...? Without her limiters removed, Ikaros might not be able to defeat Nymph and Astraea...”

”If they rely too much on AI, they’ll be at a disadvantage against Nymph...”

”No, since Minos wants to see me instead of sending someone to kill me, there must still be room for negotiation...”

With a trace of unease, she followed the mechanized angel toward the main island.

There was no martial law or lockdown like during a rebellion.

The angels continued about their business. The ordinary Synapse citizens slept peacefully in their dreams, and the island was practically deserted.

Everything seemed normal.

Then—

When Daedalus pushed open the doors to the temple, she saw a scene that defied all logic.

Setsuna sat on the throne of the Master of Synapse.

He looked around the grand hall with curiosity. Mio, Tohru, Ikaros, and the others stood to the sides like royal guards.

Minos stood below, like a subservient retainer.

”So this is what it feels like to be King of Synapse?”

Setsuna leaned back slightly; the throne wasn’t very comfortable.

”Not very fun. Anyone stuck here too long would go insane.”

The hall was indeed magnificent but lonely and hollow. Aside from the mechanized angels, there were barely any living souls.

You couldn’t even find someone to talk to.

In contrast, his capital was bustling with shipgirls, Spirits, and Heroic Spirits. He could go downstairs and run into a swarm of little girls calling him ”Onii-chan.”

Even if their tech was inferior, it was far more enjoyable than being the King of Synapse.

”Yes...”

Minos nodded obsequiously.

”You’re free now, Daedalus.”

Setsuna spoke.

”I’ve already ordered Minos to lift your imprisonment and reinstate all your positions.”

”Ah, um, alright... thank you...”

Daedalus agreed out of habit, then quickly realized something was off.

”Wait a minute, why are you giving orders to Minos?!”

Setsuna sat on the throne, and Minos stood below, meek and silent.

Had this guy usurped the throne? No—if that were the case, Minos wouldn’t be standing there so calmly.

”I just wanted to try out what it feels like to be King of Synapse.”

”Minos can sit here, but I can’t?”

Setsuna smiled.

”???”

Daedalus was stunned and couldn’t find words.

An alien ruling Synapse?! That would spark an enormous upheaval.

”Just kidding. I don’t want to be King of Synapse. Who wants to manage a bunch of lazy daydreamers?”

”Aren’t shipgirls way better than them?!”

Setsuna laughed and stood up.

”...”

”How did you do it?”

Daedalus couldn’t imagine how the once-arrogant Master of Synapse had been subdued so completely.

”...”

”We signed a treaty.”

Setsuna succinctly explained what had happened.

”Trading some angels and your pardon in exchange for his life and a chance to dream—quite the bargain, right?”

Minos had no objections.

In fact, he genuinely felt he’d come out ahead. Endless years of monotony made him long desperately for a new life within a dream. Compared to that, angels or Daedalus just didn’t matter anymore. If given the choice, he’d probably hand over the entirety of Synapse.

”Synapse’s day-to-day operations will continue as usual. Once the Master of Synapse enters his dream, you and the council will manage things,” Setsuna said, assuming the role of a Grand Chancellor.

”...Understood.”

Daedalus blinked, then nodded, a touch of gratitude in her eyes.

Although she planned to follow Setsuna to another world for research, maintaining her position here would certainly make things smoother—for accessing data or handling other business.

Synapse, after all, was her homeland. Despite its decline, she still held a certain affection for it.

”But how exactly do we put the Master of Synapse into a dream? We know the current dream projection tech doesn’t work on him.”

Daedalus raised a key concern.

”That’s easy. I’ll be calling in a few people to speak with you later,” Setsuna replied with a snap of his fingers.

”But first, let’s get the main job done—receiving the angels.”

”Daedalus, help me pick out some of the best.”

...

The number of artificial angels in Synapse was far greater than Setsuna had expected.

Two days later—after careful selection—a few thousand universal angels stood in formation outside the temple, lined up like trainees during military drills.

They varied in hairstyles and appearances, but wore different styles of battle armor or bodysuits according to their roles.

Their wings gave them a divine air, creating quite the impressive spectacle.

”They’re all yours.”

”Once you complete the imprinting process, they’ll recognize you as their master.”

Minos’ expression twitched slightly. Setsuna had made selective demands, asking only for the first-generation angels.

As a fellow Synapse scientist, Minos knew these first-generation angels, made by Daedalus, were stronger than his own second-generation versions.

These were top-tier strategic resources, kept in deep storage and rarely used. Outsiders shouldn’t even know they existed.

He’d originally intended to save them for emergencies.

Now it felt like he’d been completely cleaned out.

Daedalus definitely gave Setsuna that idea.

Still, on second thought, trading them for his life and a dream? Worth it.

If Setsuna got annoyed and changed his mind, the consequences would be far worse.

...

The angels stood silently with heads bowed, eyes closed, showing no expression.

Setsuna approached the front and examined them.

They were clearly different from the angels he’d seen before—more like an elite unit.

He stopped in front of a petite, blue-haired, twin-tailed angel—the same little girl he’d seen in the temple earlier.

”Imprint, begin.”

Swish—

A chain extended from the collar around the angel’s neck and coiled around Setsuna’s hand.

The blue-haired angel slowly opened her eyes and knelt down in greeting.

”I am the multi-purpose electronic warfare artificial angel, model: Nymph. At your service, Master.”

”Hello, Nymph.”

Setsuna patted her head and gently helped the little girl to her feet.

”Master? Is there... anything you need me to do?”

Nymph asked timidly, looking up at him.

To her, it felt like she’d been discarded like trash by the Master of Synapse.

As part of her embedded programming, the multi-purpose angel did her best to please her new master.

”Hmm... there’s nothing for you to do at the moment.”

”I’ll take you home later. If there’s anything you’d like to eat, feel free to tell the other sisters.”

Setsuna pulled out a lollipop and handed it to Nymph, smiling as he spoke.

”Thank you, Master...”

Nymph lifted her head timidly. She felt that Setsuna was completely different from her previous master.

He seemed to treat her more like a child than a tool.

In the past, she had only been ordered around and had never experienced being cared for.

Next up was a golden-haired angel with a figure as exaggerated as Ikaros’.

The multi-purpose close-combat angel: Astraea.

After engraving with her, the trio of angels was complete.

All three quietly followed behind Setsuna.

Nymph and Astraea kept sneaking glances at Ikaros.

”These three children... I’m glad you’re taking them.”

Daedalus spoke with a hint of emotion.

They were her proudest creations and the three strongest of all battle angels.

Each represented a different field:

Strategic multi-purpose angel Ikaros excelled at wide-range, long-distance enemy annihilation.

Electronic warfare multi-purpose angel Nymph was extremely versatile.

Not only could she hack any electronic device, but she could also interfere with biological thought and even manipulate chemical reactions within a living body.

—She could control the electrical signals of the nervous system itself.

Close-combat multi-purpose angel Astraea was unbeatable in close quarters, even able to defeat Ikaros.

”Hiss...”

Tohru eyed the vast formation of angels.

”Commander, if I remember correctly, weren’t we only aiming for three angels at the start?...”

”Did we just complete our original objective one thousand times over?!”

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