Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

Ten minutes later.

The flames of war in the city gradually subsided.

Under the overwhelming advantage of firepower, the Bloody Countess Camilla was the first to be reduced to ashes by torpedoes and naval gunfire.

Next.

In the sky, Fafnir, battered by the relentless bombardment of Richelieu's cannons, was riddled with holes to the point where it could no longer sustain its flight.

Boom—

Another cannon blast struck its spine, and the black dragon plummeted straight to the ground.

Setsuna piloted Strike Freedom and landed on its head, finishing it off with a high-energy rifle.

"Looks like I didn't need Siegfried's help after all, huh?"

He pulled out a syringe, drew a vial of dragon blood, and took some dragon scales for good measure.

"It's said that bathing in dragon's blood grants an almost immortal body, but since you've already been corrupted by the Holy Grail, I'll just take this back for research…"

"Too bad I don't know where Jeanne Alter went…"

"..."

Vlad the Impaler, rendered helpless under the relentless assault of a swarm of carrier-based aircraft, was dragged before Setsuna by Taihou.

"Commander-sama, I thought you might need a live one to interrogate for some intel~"

"So I held back, you see~"

Formidable couldn't understand at all why Taihou had been so cheerful ever since they started riding the Gundam together.

"..."

The Impaler climbed up from the ground, his expression turning strange as he saw the defeated dragon and the ashes of Camilla.

"Who the hell are you people?"

Having realized his defeat, Vlad appeared much more composed.

For Heroic Spirits, death was meaningless—they merely returned to the Throne of Heroes, waiting for someone to summon them again.

Who knows? Next time, maybe Setsuna would end up as his Master.

"We're outsiders here to fix the bugs in this Singularity. Do you know where Jeanne Alter and the other summoned Servants are?" Setsuna asked.

"The Dragon Witch is at the castle in Orléans, but she'll soon learn what's happened here. You'd best prepare yourselves."

"If we meet as opponents again, I'll impale all of you on stakes."

The Lancer let out two cold snorts.

"Huh? Still mouthing off?!"

Bang—

Taihou kicked out at him, but hit nothing but air. The Impaler's body dissolved like flowing sand, fading away.

"..."

"Running off when you can't win?!"

Taihou was furious.

"He's already disappeared from this world and returned to the Throne of Heroes," Setsuna explained.

"If you really want to fight him again, we could get some relics from Romania and try summoning him back."

"But next time, he'd be the normal version of the Impaler, not this berserk form."

Setsuna chuckled as he tried to calm Taihou down.

Heroic Spirits were, after all, historical figures who had already died.

Most of them simply responded to a summons to participate in the Holy Grail War and assist their Master. They didn't have a particularly strong sense of enmity.

"After getting beaten this badly, I doubt he'd ever respond to your summons again. Your compatibility with him must be terrible…"

Mash shook her head.

The idea of summoning a Heroic Spirit after thoroughly thrashing them, just to fight them again, was something only this man would think of.

...

After the battle.

Everyone took stock of their situation.

No one was injured. Gudako and Mash had remained as enthusiastic spectators the entire time.

The spoils of battle included one vial of dragon blood and several dragon scales.

Taking down a dragon and two Heroic Spirits would ease the pressure considerably when it came time to face Jeanne Alter's forces.

The outer armor of Strike Freedom had a few claw marks, requiring a new coat of paint, but it wasn't a big problem.

"Well then…"

"Shall we move on?"

Setsuna opened the cockpit door and climbed inside.

"..."

"It's so cramped inside, Commander. How about we take a carriage instead? It's not that far anyway…"

"I don't mind at all! Commander-sama, it's perfectly fine if you sit even closer to me!" Taihou chimed in enthusiastically.

"Master, could you explain its structure to me in detail?..."

Everyone reacted differently.

Only Ritsuka Fujimaru stared unblinkingly at the Strike Freedom.

From the moment the battle started, her gaze had been fixed on this mech.

Its heroic form wielding a beam saber in midair to battle the black dragon had deeply moved Gudako.

So cool. So powerful.

Though the ship girls were undoubtedly strong, Gudako had long since come to understand that they weren't even the same kind of being as herself.

Those riggings, missiles, and whatnot—fun to watch, but nothing more.

But Gundams? Gundams were something a person could pilot!

"What are you thinking about? Get on board; we're heading out," Setsuna said as he patted Gudako.

"Um…"

Ritsuka Fujimaru hesitated for a moment before awkwardly speaking up:

"Do you have another Gundam? Could I maybe… pilot one too?..."

"Huh?"

Setsuna hadn't expected her to take an interest in such things.

"There are indeed a few more. Unicorn, Barbatos—they're all back at the base though."

"Could I… buy one?"

"Gundams are really expensive…"

Gudako thought about it.

As a rookie at Chaldea, relying on her Master's salary to buy a Gundam wasn't exactly realistic. Then, inspiration struck her:

"You're the Commander of your world, essentially the leader, right?"

"How about this: you give me a Gundam, and I'll work for you in return. We can settle it based on the missions and difficulties of the worlds we visit!"

"After all, working for Chaldea is still just working. Working for you would be the same, wouldn't it?…"

"What?!"

Mash and Dr. Roman's jaws practically hit the floor.

Gudako's lack of scruples was beyond belief. She had just sold herself without hesitation… all for the sake of a Gundam.

"Deal!"

Setsuna immediately made the decision.

"When we get back, you'll sign a slave contract—ah no, I mean a cooperation agreement—with me, and then go pick out a Gundam with Akashi!"

Strike Freedom carried the group as they set off once again for Orléans.

Under the Dragon Witch's orders, all of France had been engulfed in the flames of war.

Unlike Jeanne d'Arc's wish to save the country, Jeanne Alter had only one goal: to completely destroy the nation that had once betrayed her.

Countless twisted monsters born from the Holy Grail roamed the cities, clashing violently with the French army.

In the skies, swarms of wyverns could occasionally be seen swooping down, roaring as they launched attacks on cities and civilians alike.

Driven by her strong sense of justice, Artoria had stepped in several times to neutralize these threats.

To the local citizens, her interventions were like a gift from the heavens. They regarded the King of Knights from Britain with overwhelming gratitude.

That said, every time they saw Strike Freedom descend from the skies, they couldn't help but feel as though their eyes were being blinded by its brilliance.

...

Several hundred kilometers away.

In the castle at the heart of Orléans.

The stench of blood and death permeated every corner.

A silver-haired, golden-eyed girl clad in black armor stood in the hall, listening to the reports from her Servant subordinates.

Her appearance was strikingly similar to Artoria's, but her aura was far closer to that of "Black Saber."

She was Jeanne Alter.

"Fafnir and two Servants were killed?… How strange."

Jeanne Alter frowned, noticing that two of the seven berserk Servants she had summoned had disappeared along with Fafnir in an instant.

Then came a flood of baffling information from the sentries:

"What? Someone spotted the King of Knights from Britain? England invaded France?!"

"What? She's coming to Orléans with a giant mech?!"

"The King of Knights is leading a mechanized army in a blitzkrieg against France?!"

...

"Alright then, let's rest here for today."

"We should be able to reach our destination by tomorrow."

As the sun set, the eight-member squad stopped to rest at the edge of the forest.

The journey from Dijon to Orléans was only about 200 kilometers, and at Strike Freedom's subsonic flight speed, it shouldn't have taken long.

Setsuna had planned to speedrun this Singularity.

But after running into the dragon, they got caught up in an unexpected skirmish.

Along the way, they also encountered numerous cities ravaged by war. Wyverns and monsters sent by the Dragon Witch were rampaging uncontrollably across the lands of France.

The Knight King couldn't turn a blind eye to such atrocities, even if they occurred on enemy soil.

One thing led to another, and their progress was delayed significantly.

"I'll help set up camp," said Gudako.

Perhaps realizing that she hadn't contributed much during the battles, Gudako and Mash took the initiative to handle the chores.

Thanks to the ample supplies carried by the ship girls, a simple makeshift camp was quickly established.

"It's a pity we're inland. Otherwise, we could've stayed aboard one of the ships," Richelieu remarked, glancing around.

The surroundings were devoid of any lakes—only the Loire River stretched toward Orléans, its surface no more than five or six meters wide and shallow enough to see the bottom at a glance.

Forget battleships or carriers; even materializing Jeanne d'Arc's cruiser would lead to it running aground.

"..."

"Fascinating abilities," Artoria said.

Sitting cross-legged outside the camp with her hands resting on the hilt of her holy sword, she turned her back to the group and closed her eyes, sensing the environment around her.

"I don't need rest. I'll keep watch for all of you."

"..."

Unlike the ship girls or Gudako, Artoria didn't have a close relationship with Setsuna. From the moment she was summoned, the Knight King had always regarded herself as merely fulfilling her duty as a Heroic Spirit.

"Uh, just so you know," Setsuna began hesitantly, "this isn't a proper Holy Grail War…"

"Our goal isn't to obtain the Holy Grail. In fact, we might need to destroy it."

"?!"

That statement seemed to trigger something unpleasant in Artoria's memories. She stiffly turned to face Setsuna, her gaze intense and unyielding.

"Master…"

"What did you just say?"

"First of all, this is a Singularity. The Holy Grail in the Hundred Years' War of the Evil Dragon is corrupt enough to summon Jeanne Alter. I'm guessing it's so black it could spit out literal mud."

"Second, Heroic Spirits can't actually use the Holy Grail to make wishes. The Holy Grail War you participated in at Fuyuki City was a conspiracy designed by magi to master the Third Magic from the very beginning."

Setsuna sighed.

He knew Artoria had always harbored a deep desire for the Holy Grail.

As the King of Knights of Britain, she had led her nation through countless campaigns, only for the kingdom to fall to the fires of war in the end.

Unable to accept such a fate, she had made a contract with Alaya on her deathbed, hoping to join the Holy Grail War, obtain the Holy Grail, and wish to return to the moment of her selection as king.

Unfortunately, that wish had been doomed from the start.

"..."

"I don't believe you," Artoria replied stubbornly, more so than Setsuna had expected.

"In that case, I might have to use a Command Spell to force you to destroy the Holy Grail," Setsuna said, raising his hand to show the glowing marks on it.

"???"

Artoria's PTSD flared up instantly.

What the hell?

During the Fourth Holy Grail War, she'd already dealt with Kiritsugu Emiya, who'd made her destroy the Grail.

And now this again?!

"Don't you think this summoning is different from the usual Holy Grail Wars?" Setsuna asked.

"The mana powering you isn't coming from the Grail but from another world's energy. There are no rival Masters here, either. Our sole objective is to repair the Singularity."

Setsuna took the time to explain the situation of Chaldea and his own world to Artoria.

Since the Grail hadn't granted her the relevant knowledge, Artoria had assumed this was another traditional Holy Grail War, where the goal was simply to defeat the six other Masters and claim the Greater Grail.

"..."

"..."

After a long silence, Artoria finally spoke.

"No wonder I felt something strange when I answered the summons."

"Master, did you use unconventional means to summon me?"

The Dumbahoge King furrowed her brows, resting her chin on her hand in thought.

"Uh-huh. I summoned you using a relic tied to you," Setsuna admitted.

"Though it's from another world," he added, handing her the broken sword he'd used to perform the summoning ritual.

"Fake," Artoria declared after just a glance.

"..."

"And yet you still responded to the summoning?" Gudako and Mash asked, clearly puzzled.

They'd had their doubts about the authenticity of Setsuna's relic from the beginning.

"I did feel the call, but it had nothing to do with the relic," Artoria explained.

"I sensed a different kind of power and chose to respond to it."

The Knight King's answer left everyone with more questions than answers.

"So, I was using the power of a Wisdom Cube to summon you…"

Setsuna thought for a moment.

The Nasuverse was inherently a world driven by belief, and Wisdom Cubes were similarly based on the concept of willpower. It wasn't surprising that some sort of reaction could occur between the two.

"In any case, it's unfortunate, but your wish cannot be fulfilled through the Holy Grail."

"Or to put it another way, even if it were fulfilled, such a large-scale alteration of history would likely create a new Singularity, which we'd have to go and fix."

"That said, your current existence doesn't depend on the Holy Grail. Instead, it's powered by the energy I'm supplying through the Wisdom Cube. So why not take this chance to see the scenery of other worlds?"

Setsuna patted Artoria on the shoulder.

He further explained the secrets of the Fuyuki Grail and the Fourth Holy Grail War to her.

Resolving the Knight King's inner turmoil was no easy task. Artoria's fixation on the Holy Grail bordered on obsession.

It might take time—and the companionship of others—to help her finally let go of her burden.

"..."

Artoria remained silent.

Though she instinctively didn't want to believe Setsuna's words, given his evident understanding of this world, it was hard to deny the truth behind what he said.

The Holy Grail War had always been a ploy by magi, and she had been nothing more than a tool in their hands…

The Dumbahoge King sat on the ground, her ahoge swaying as she tugged at it and bowed her head in deep thought.

As she wrestled with her doubts, a rustling sound suddenly came from the nearby forest.

"Who's there?!"

The ship girls, ever alert, immediately stood up in unison.

"Cough, cough—"

A girl emerged from the trees, wearing dark, tight-fitting armor. She had long blonde hair tied in a braid and piercing blue eyes.

A longsword hung at her waist, and she carried a military-style flagpole in her hands.

She looked utterly exhausted, clearly worn out from a long journey.

"Ha—ha—"

"I… finally caught up to you all—"

The girl leaned on her flagpole and took several deep breaths.

"Huh?"

"White Jeanne?!"

Setsuna turned his head, staring at her in surprise.

According to the original plot, White Jeanne d'Arc should have been the protagonist of the Hundred Years' War of the Evil Dragon, accompanying the main team to defeat Jeanne Alter.

But since Setsuna had summoned Artoria first, then rushed ahead using Strike Freedom to fast-track the campaign, they hadn't crossed paths with Jeanne so far.

And now, she had sought them out on her own. What were the odds?

"Who are you? What do you want? Why are you looking for us?"

Taihou asked the three most pressing questions with her usual bluntness.

"I am Jeanne d'Arc, of the Ruler class, an arbiter of the Holy Grail War," the girl introduced herself.

"From what I can tell, there's another Jeanne d'Arc in this world, one who has become the Dragon Witch and seeks to destroy France."

"I originally set out to defeat her, but along the way, I heard about your exploits—how you defeated the Evil Dragon and vanquished many of the servants under the Witch's command."

Jeanne spoke breathlessly, still struggling to catch her breath.

"So, I decided to join forces with you… but that giant robot of yours is so fast!!! I couldn't keep up no matter how hard I tried!!!"

"..."

"So that's why I kept seeing a villager chasing us from below whenever Strike Freedom took off. That was you?"

"I thought it was just some farmer watching the show…"

Gudako scratched her head thoughtfully.

"You're the villager!!!" Jeanne almost choked on her own breath in indignation.

"Oh, well, you're welcome to join us," Setsuna said, clapping his hands.

There was no such thing as too many allies.

If he managed to recruit White Jeanne into his group, he'd even save the trouble of summoning her later.

The group quickly began exchanging introductions.

"Hello, I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru, Master of Chaldea…"

"Oh, you're a Master too?" Jeanne greeted Gudako warmly.

"I'm Richelieu, the lead ship of the Richelieu-class battleships…"

"Cardinal Richelieu?!"

Jeanne regarded Richelieu with reverent respect.

"I'm Jeanne d'Arc too. My Noble Phantasm is a quintuple-mounted 533mm magnetic torpedo launcher. Nice to meet you!"

The ship girl Jeanne extended her hand toward the Heroic Spirit Jeanne.

"What? There's another Jeanne?"

The White Jeanne froze, staring at her counterpart.

This ship girl, with her golden hair and striking blue eyes, dressed in a dashing military uniform, looked even more like the legendary saint than she did.

"Wait, does this make me the knockoff?!"