Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

After recruiting Kurumi Tokisaki, the rest of the work became much simpler.

The Bulins quickly cordoned off a section of the surrounding area and continued constructing the Spiritron Receiver.

This location was already desolate, and Tohru casually added a few recognition-obstruction spells.

Anyone passing by would only think that some sort of signal tower was being built nearby.

During the one or two days of construction downtime, the shipgirls, Tohru, and Kurumi—three beings from three different worlds—finally had the chance to sit down and get to know one another.

The more Kurumi learned about these visitors from beyond the stars, the more curious she became.

"Look, this is the world we're currently in. As for the world we came from, it's over here, in the lower-right corner."

Setsuna opened the Hyperdimensional Star Map and began explaining the concept of the multiverse.

"Another world? Like the Neighboring Realm? How far away is it?"

Kurumi recalled her harrowing experience of being thrown into the Neighboring Realm by Mio Takamiya and rubbed her temples in discomfort.

"It's not the same. Each world is one or more grand universes. The distance between worlds cannot be precisely measured."

Setsuna swiped across the star map, revealing the locations of other worlds.

In the Date A Live world, the Neighboring World was separated from the real world by only a thin membrane, and powerful Spirits could travel between the two at will.

It was similar to how the Human Realm and the Dragon Realm coexisted in the Dragon Maid's world.

But traveling across the infinite multiverse was an entirely different concept.

"Oh?~~~"

Kurumi's playful demeanor gave way to genuine fascination. She stared at the Hyperdimensional Star Map and listened intently as Setsuna described the other worlds.

As a Spirit who had witnessed the duality of her own reality, she considered herself well-traveled and knowledgeable.

But compared to the man in front of her, her decades of experience felt less eventful than a single month of his life.

"Interesting."

Kurumi shifted her attention to the shipgirls.

"So you can transform between human and warship forms? Is this some kind of magic? But I don't sense any spiritual energy from you."

"While we do use something called Magic Paths, spaceships are entirely technology-based."

Setsuna pointed at Tohru.

"If you want a magic sparring partner, talk to her."

The dragon maid perked up, tilting her head as she appraised Kurumi.

"A Spirit, huh… I've eaten a few before. They weren't very tasty, but you look different from them."

"???"

"What did you just say???"

Kurumi was utterly dumbfounded by Tohru's outrageous statement.

"Well, in my world, humans or spirits sometimes come to fight me. It's annoying…"

"And during battles, swallowing a few of them is completely normal."

Tohru spread her hands nonchalantly, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

"??!!"

Kurumi's pupils trembled in shock.

She was used to being the one who consumed others. It was the first time she had met someone who claimed to eat Spirits.

"Uh, don't misunderstand me. I wasn't targeting you specifically," Tohru quickly tried to explain. "I don't just eat spirits—other monsters, goblins, orcs, and the like are all fair game. Dragons hunting prey when hungry is perfectly normal."

The more Tohru tried to clarify, the worse it sounded.

Finally, she decided to transform into her true form, towering above Kurumi.

"See? I wasn't lying. I'm a dragon, right? But don't worry—I never eat my companions."

Kurumi tilted her head up to look, her mouth twitching involuntarily.

She had killed countless monsters and humans and was confident in her combat abilities and the power of Zafkiel, the Angel of Time.

But a mythical creature like a dragon?!

She couldn't even fathom what skills she could use to fight a dragon. They weren't even in the same league.

Physical attacks would likely be ineffective. As for magic, Tohru clearly knew no less than she did.

Even if she used Second Bullet or Seventh Bullet, hitting her target would already be a challenge. And even if she succeeded, altering a dragon's timeline? She doubted she had enough remaining lifespan to pay the price.

Zafkiel's overpowered abilities came at the cost of her own time, after all.

"A spaceship and now a dragon… Your companions are really something else," Kurumi muttered, her voice tinged with disbelief.

For the first time, she felt relieved she hadn't tried to go head-to-head with Setsuna upon their first meeting.

This man truly surrounded himself with extraordinary beings—quite literally, hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

...

After spending two days aboard Belfast's ship, Kurumi had grown quite familiar with the shipgirls.

Illustrious, Belfast, and others were naturally kindhearted. Once they learned more about Kurumi's past, they couldn't help but feel a tinge of sympathy for her.

The maid commander, Belfast, even occasionally took care of Kurumi's daily needs.

However, whenever Kurumi encountered Tohru, her expression still stiffened unnaturally.

Meanwhile, discussions about how to assist the commander in resolving the issue of the Spirit of Origin were in full swing.

The ideas ranged from the shipgirls' appealing to her with reason and emotion to Kurumi's suggestion of offering her a matchmaker's touch.

Before long, the conversation spiraled wildly off-topic.

Setsuna gained a new understanding of Kurumi's provocative nature.

Although she often brought up suggestive topics, anyone who underestimated her and thought she was easy to deal with would likely end up like those delinquents a few days ago—devoured.

However, taming someone with such a mischievous and wicked personality was undeniably entertaining.

...

Finally, one afternoon, the repair team and the Bulins reported back.

The spiritron transfer system was ready.

Standing tall amidst the forested outskirts of Tengu City was a structure resembling a signal tower, towering over ten meters high.

Constructed from black and yellow metal, it bore the distinct design style of the Sirens.

"You're relying on this thing to go back in time?"

Kurumi curiously circled the receiver tower a few times, unable to understand a single button or inscription on its complex surface.

Setsuna activated his communicator and connected to Purifier at the base.

"We're ready for spiritron transfer."

"Understood… Transfer target count—excluding the Bulins, and with one Spirit included—eight people in total…"

On Earth, several Siren units began manipulating the controls on their consoles.

"Commander, we've locked onto your world. What's the precise time and location for the transfer?"

"…"

Setsuna considered it briefly.

"June 30, 1988. Southern Kanto."

This was the date and place where the Spirit of Origin, Mio Takamiya, first encountered Shinji in the original timeline. It was the perfect point for intercepting her.

"Copy that."

At the base, Purifier adjusted the massive spiritron transfer system before her.

"Spiritron transfer target: Date A Live world, transfer time: -8,765 days, transfer count: eight individuals."

"The energy cost will be approximately 900 Wisdom Cubes, Commander."

"Fine."

Setsuna sighed, marveling at how this machine burned through cubes like coal.

He led his team to the spiritron conversion platform beneath the receiver tower.

...

[Reverse Summoning System: Activated]

[Beginning Spiritron Conversion]

[Spiritron Transfer Initiating in...]

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

[Transfer Complete!]

With the mechanical voice's final announcement, their bodies transformed into semi-transparent forms, gradually dissolving into countless blue particles before dispersing into the air.

...

...

Swish—

When they opened their eyes again, time and space had shifted, and they found themselves in a corner of an unfamiliar city.

The bustling crowd and flowing traffic paid no attention to the group that had suddenly appeared. From the style of the street architecture and the clothing of the pedestrians, the atmosphere felt distinctly dated.

"So, this is... the beginning of it all? The era when the Spirit of Origin appeared?!"

For Kurumi, experiencing spiritron transfer for the first time left her somewhat dazed.

"Hmm... based on the timeline, you wouldn't be more than ten years old right now, would you?"

Setsuna patted Kurumi lightly.

"I wonder what little Kurumi looked like?"

"?!"

Kurumi was momentarily stunned by the question.

On this timeline, she would have just been an ordinary student.

"Can I meet my younger self? And Sawa Yamauchi?"

"Better not. You're already someone who messes with time. That could lead to all sorts of weird temporal bugs—let's not risk it."

Setsuna decided to prioritize their mission.

As the group surveyed their surroundings, a sudden ripple in space caught their attention.

Vrrr—

Both Setsuna and Tohru looked up simultaneously, sensing intense spatial distortion.

In the sky above the city, the space began warping around a central point. Even from a kilometer away, the grinding sound of spatial compression could be heard.

Suddenly, piercing alarms echoed throughout the city.

A spacequake warning.

The streets erupted into chaos as people and vehicles scrambled in panic.

For ordinary humans, being caught within the range of a spacequake was a guaranteed death sentence. The destructive force could flatten entire cities.

"It's happening!"

Setsuna waved his hand.

"Everyone, board the ship. illustrious, deploy reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the area."

"Prepare to capture the Spirit of Origin at the first opportunity."

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