Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

Buzz—

While Setsuna was momentarily stunned, a vast starship broke through the night sky with a resonant hum, casting its shadow over Camelot.

It slowly descended from above the city.

”Hm? You cultivate to accumulate virtue? Perfect timing—I have an idea called the Infinite Virtue Releasing Machine. Interested in hearing about it?”

”I guarantee all-day, fully automatic virtue accumulation! You’ll get constant notifications—’Virtue +1, Virtue +1’—every moment of every day. By morning, you’ll have climbed straight to second place on the Awakener Rankings! Trust me!”

”All you have to do is tie a fish to the engine blade, start the engine, and each time the fish leaves the water, it counts as catching it; each time it dips back in, it counts as releasing it. At 7200 revolutions per minute, that’s 7200 units of virtue per minute...”

Gudako was enthusiastically pitching her ”Infinite Virtue Releasing Machine” to Xuanzang Sanzang, planning to give the Buddha a taste of industrialized virtue production.

But before she could finish her grand sales pitch—

Boom—

The ahoge King (Artoria) leapt down first upon seeing the atrocities unfolding in Camelot.

”Wait!”

Sanzang, dizzy from the bizarre conversation and still feeling that Human Evil’s ideas were a bit too blasphemous, spotted the scene below. Grabbing her staff, she dove out of the ship’s hatch and landed beside Artoria.

”Your weird invention can wait! I must teach them the Dharma!!!”

”???”

”You are...”

Gawain stared in confusion at Artoria.

It was unmistakably the King of Knights herself—the aura of her holy sword was undeniable.

But the Lion King, who had summoned him into this reality, was also the true King of Knights.

”Gawain, how could you become her accomplice? Slaughtering civilians, massacring innocents—how can a Knight of the Round Table commit such atrocities?”

Artoria’s cold voice rang through the air.

”Forgive me, my King. It is an order.”

Gawain’s voice was steady.

Just as he spoke, a hooded knight wearing a cloak over his armor stumbled toward Artoria from among the crowd.

He dropped to his knees before her, staring in disbelief at the girl before him.

”My King... is it truly you?”

”I’m sorry. I failed to complete your final command. I went to the lake three times, but could not return the Holy Sword. I made a grave mistake. I... beg your forgiveness.”

One of his arms was silver—a prosthetic imbued with immense power.

”Ah, Bedivere?”

The ahoge King recognized him at once—one of the Knights of the Round Table.

”The Holy Sword is with me. It’s alright.”

She unsheathed Excalibur with ease.

”???”

Bedivere froze, just like Gawain.

What the hell.

He had witnessed the King’s final moments—the one who, out of compassion, could not return the sword to the lake, thereby causing her soul to wander the world.

To atone, Bedivere had endured fifteen hundred years of immortal loneliness under the blessing of the Holy Sword, searching for his King to right his wrong.

And now, in Camelot, he’d found her again—only for her to casually pull out another Holy Sword before his eyes.

”...”

He couldn’t process it.

”Y-you... are truly the King of Knights... and that is indeed the Holy Sword...”

”Then... who is that?”

His mind spun in confusion.

”You can think of this as another timeline’s King Arthur.”

Setsuna landed beside the ahoge King and patted her shoulder.

As expected, when multiple versions of the same Heroic Spirit gathered, strange bugs were inevitable.

”The one in the Holy City who summoned the Round Table Knights and mercilessly purges the people—the Lion King—is your King. But the one standing before you is also your King.”

”We’ve come from the future—to correct history and restore humanity’s order. The Lion King should not exist in this era.”

”Ah...”

”Another timeline’s... King?”

Bedivere was stunned by the absurd explanation. Yet the sword in Artoria’s hand left no doubt.

”The King of the Past... has come to strike down the King of the Present?”

He quickly imagined the magnitude of what was unfolding.

The surrounding Knights of the Round Table instinctively lowered their weapons.

Had it been anyone else uttering such words, they would have struck them down without hesitation. But before them stood the true King of Knights herself—this was entirely different.

Even though the Round Table Knights of the Sixth Singularity had been summoned by the Lion King, they still felt a deep, instinctive reverence toward Artoria.

”Gawain, you should know that what the Lion King has done is unjust—it goes against the code of chivalry. You must not follow her orders.”

”She... is the goddess Rhongomyniad. She is not me.”

Artoria tried earnestly to reason with the Knights she once led.

”This... no, that cannot be right. You say she is someone else? Please, allow me to think...”

As the two sides stood in stunned silence—

”Who are you, to dare question my judgment?”

A clear, commanding voice echoed from above.

From the grand hall atop the Holy City’s castle, the Lion King rose from her throne.

Her footsteps rang solemnly as she advanced, one step at a time.

”I am the Lion King—the King of Storms, the Lord of the End.”

”Human history has been burned away. Only here remains salvation. This place is the end of the world.”

Her tone was devoid of emotion—calm, yet absolute.

”I have gathered the purest souls left in existence, preserving them as records. What sin is there in that?”

”To grant finite life the blessing of eternity—this is the ultimate conclusion of protecting humanity. This... is your salvation.”

The Lion King looked down upon them from above.

”Your method’s way too outdated! Turning people into specimens? You’d be better off running a Digital Life program! Ever heard of consciousness upload technology?”

Gudako poked her head forward, blurting out the most inappropriate thing possible.

”Hmph.”

The Lion King ignored her antics, her gaze sweeping over the group.

”Beings from beyond the world...? So be it.”

”If you seek to disrupt the laws of the Holy City, then...”

Clack—

Light flared in her hand, condensing into a radiant golden lance.

”Sacred Lance—anchor removed.”

Her words were flat, emotionless.

Golden brilliance gathered from all directions, coiling around the weapon.

”It is the storm that tears the heavens and binds the earth—the light fired from the very ends of creation.”

Buzz—

The radiance surged skyward, forming a colossal spiral lance that illuminated the night. The heavens themselves were dyed a faint gold.

All the Knights of the Round Table, all the commoners below, gazed up in awe and terror at the miracle before them.

Its true form was said to be the Tower that bound the world’s surface. Even though its original might had been restrained by thirteen seals, it still shone with the brilliance that sang of the stars—the farthest-reaching spear of all—

”Rhongomyniad—the Lance That Shines to the End of the World.”

BOOM!!—

The holy lance descended with world-shattering power, aimed straight at the intruders.

Gudako’s eyes widened in horror.

”Hey?! You’re really going that hard on yourself?! First meeting and you’re already throwing out your Noble Phantasm?!”

”King of Knights, quick—pull out your invincible Curry Stick and fire back!!!”

”Master, this is my own mistake. I want to handle her myself.”

Facing the oncoming holy lance, Artoria stood before Setsuna. Though her current power was far inferior to her Master’s, the responsibility of being both Heroic Spirit and King of Knights still drove her forward.

”Ex... Calibur!!”

BOOM—

A golden beam of light erupted from her sword, marking the historic clash between the two ahoge Kings. The Sword of Promised Victory met the Lance That Shines to the End of the World, colliding high above the city.

Rumble—

The Holy City below quaked violently, streams of light scattering as even space itself trembled.

”That... that’s...”

”No... impossible...”

At the sight of the miracle in Artoria’s hand, the Lion King’s expression contorted. Memories long buried began to stir violently within her mind.

Her consciousness was torn in two.

”Who am I?”

”I am the Lion King, King of Storms, Lord of the End—created to protect humanity.”

”I am... the goddess Rhongomyniad? No... I am... Artoria Pendragon? ...”

She clutched her head, struggling to suppress the countless conflicting thoughts flooding her mind. Yet her body did not stop moving.

”Whoa, whoa, whoa—yep, confirmed! Going dark triples your power level!”

Gudako stared at the holy lance pressing down from the heavens. Even the ahoge King’s Noble Phantasm could not hold it back—it was slowly forcing its way toward the ground.

Around them, the Knights of the Round Table watched in grim silence and awe.

To them, this was the Lion King’s final judgment upon humanity—inescapable, inevitable.

”Should we, uh, maybe fire off a big hero or something?” Human Evil muttered.

”What?”

Artoria gritted her teeth, struggling against the impact of the clashing Noble Phantasms.

”Forgive me, Master... she seems to be slightly stronger than I am. Please, retreat while you still can...”

Bonk—

Setsuna lightly tapped the ahoge King on the head.

”Have you been eating too much in the capital or something?”

”But...”

Before she could argue further, Setsuna raised a hand toward the sky and pinched the air.

”Disperse.”

BOOM!!—

Space itself compressed. The holy lance descending from the heavens was forcibly twisted and restrained midair by a greater power.

Then, in an instant, it exploded—shattering into countless motes of golden light.

The overwhelming energy sealed within the Noble Phantasm rippled across the air, creating waves of distorted space.

The knights and civilians who had closed their eyes in despair slowly opened them again, disbelief written on their faces as they looked around.

The air shimmered faintly with lingering magical energy—and something else, a power none of them could recognize.

”This is...?! ...”

Sanzang and the Knights of the Round Table stood frozen in astonishment.

It was their first time witnessing someone casually erase a Noble Phantasm—especially one belonging to the Lion King.

From his appearance, Setsuna should have been Artoria’s Master.

But a Master this absurdly powerful?!

It was incomprehensible. Judging by his display, their powers weren’t even on the same level.

”Who are you people?!”

Gawain and several knights drew their swords, forming a wary circle around them.

”Leave them to you. Come on, we’re going to see the Lion King.”

Setsuna nodded toward Gudako and Da Vinci.

”Eh? I’m not exactly suited for close combat... and they’re Knights of the Round Table—”

Before Da Vinci could finish—

BOOM—

Gudako pulled out a red-and-white mecha from a scroll.

”Do you know how the knightly age ended?”

”Huh?”

It was Da Vinci’s first time seeing Ritsuka Fujimaru’s prized machine. For a moment, her brain short-circuited.

This thing made all her inventions look like toys.

”Of course it was gunpowder that shattered it! What era do you think this is?!”

Human Evil climbed into the cockpit of Strelizia, spear in hand, and charged forward—the ground quaking with each impact.

”The times have changed, Knights of the Round Table!!!”

”Come on, all of you! I’m in a hurry!”

...

At the highest point of Camelot—

Upon the throne.

After her Noble Phantasm was shattered, the Lion King’s expression subtly shifted.

Among her innate skills was the EX-ranked Clairvoyance, capable of both foresight and vision across vast distances.

Having become the King of Storms, Artoria possessed a sight comparable to the King of Mages—she understood his intentions, his final purpose.

Thus, she saw that humanity had lost its future.

But the Clairvoyance could not pierce the existence before her—they did not belong to this world.

From Artoria’s presence, the Lion King sensed something deeply familiar.

”You... who exactly are you...?”

”Answer me—why have you come here?”

Her tone was still devoid of emotion, cold and ethereal, like that of a distant deity.

”To stop you.”

Artoria gripped her Holy Sword, meeting the Lion King’s gaze with unwavering resolve.

”You are another version of me—another possibility born within this Singularity.”

”You’ve become something twisted. To restore human history, I must defeat you.”

”...”

”No... you are... my...”

The Lion King clutched her head in pain, the Holy Lance trembling in her grasp.

Countless fragmented memories flashed through her mind. The sight of the Sword of Promised Victory reawakened the humanity that had been suppressed beneath Rhongomyniad’s divinity.

”You must be destroyed.”

The two ahoge Kings clashed, their blows echoing like thunder.

Each strike of sword against lance chipped away at the Lion King’s sealed memories.

She began to question, to recall who she truly was—and why she had done all this.

From the girl before her, the Lion King saw a reflection of her past self.

Boom! Clash! Rumble!

The Holy City of Camelot trembled under the duel of the two ahoges.

After several exchanges, the Lion King’s headache grew unbearable. Barely standing, she looked up at Artoria.

”You are wrong.”

The ahoge King spoke solemnly.

”Turning humans into specimens and sealing them within the Holy Lance—it’s no different from destroying civilization entirely.”

”Hmm... I remember seeing a movie in the capital once. What was that line again? ’A civilization without people is meaningless,’ wasn’t it?”

”...”

The Lion King’s expression grew even more conflicted.

”No, that’s not it.”

”Humanity has been incinerated. Only by granting finite life eternity can mankind endure...”

”There’s no need to make it that complicated. Just beat up the King of Mages and rebuild human order.”

Seeing that things were nearly resolved, Setsuna yawned, walked up, and patted the Lion King’s shoulder.

”You’ve been sitting here alone too long—your brain’s gone numb from the Holy Lance’s influence, huh?”

”The real King of Knights wouldn’t do something so anti-human. Oh, she only wants to eat.”

”Now hurry up and remember who you are. Stop losing it.”

”!!”

The Lion King instinctively tried to resist, but soon realized Setsuna’s power was on an entirely different scale—utterly beyond her reach.

”Bedivere, bring out the Holy Sword.”

Setsuna turned, and Bedivere knelt on one knee, raising his silver, metallic right arm.

”Hold the sword with the arm of silver.”

Shing—

The silver arm gleamed, transforming into a familiar Holy Sword.

With Merlin’s magic, he had hidden and disguised himself all this time.

”You are not the Lion King—you are me. You should have died properly fifteen hundred years ago.”

Artoria spun the sword once in her hand, then held it out toward the Lion King.

Bedivere’s expression was dazed. He was supposed to be the one returning the sword, yet now it was the past ahoge and the present ahoge standing face to face—a tangle of time and fate.

Crack—

The moment the Lion King touched the Holy Sword, the world before her shattered like glass.

Her memories surged back like a roaring tide, freeing her suppressed humanity.

She saw herself—the King of Knights—leading Britain’s armies through countless battles to forge a great kingdom.

Years later, the realm fractured and collapsed, ending upon the Hill of Camlann.

But then... her memory twisted.

Because the Holy Sword had not been returned, she had become this—an existence born of error.

”Ah... I remember now.”

Clarity returned to the Lion King’s mind.

”That is the Sword of Promised Victory. I am Artoria Pendragon.”

”You are the true me—the King of Knights who met a rightful end.”

”...”

Relief softened her expression.

The divinity of Rhongomyniad was finally subdued by her restored humanity.

Her memories synchronized fully with Artoria’s. She saw all that her counterpart had experienced.

”So... you were summoned into the First Singularity? Fascinating...”

”Wait—you’re telling me your Master... is the ruler of an empire? A kingdom greater than Britain?!”

Though from different timelines, the two were one and the same—and through the Holy Sword, their memories intertwined.

”Yes! My Master is an amazing person!”

The ahoge King declared proudly.

”But you didn’t fight in the Holy Grail War, nor did you rule a nation for him or lead armies to expand his dominion.”

The Lion King frowned as she read deeper into her counterpart’s memories.

”You call yourself the true me, yet all you’ve done in the Starsea Empire is... eat endlessly?”

”And you dare say I’m the one who betrayed chivalry? Hm??!”

—

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