After taking a few days off in the Akame ga Kill world and finishing the planning for post-war development, the conquest of that world officially came to a close.
Najenda remained in the capital as acting administrative governor, while Setsuna took the fleet and the remaining Night Raid members back to Earth.
Whoosh—
The fleet broke through the cloud layers, and the familiar landscape appeared once more.
"Feels good to be home."
The accompanying shipgirls sighed with heartfelt relief.
Adventuring in other worlds was fun, but nothing beat the comfort of your own home.
When traveling, they had to wear uniforms and maintain discipline to uphold the fleet's authority.
At home, they could dress and act however they pleased, teasing each other freely.
"This is... His Majesty's world?"
"That's insane."
Esdeath, Akame, Leone, and the other natives leaned against the windows, stunned by what they saw.
Even though the shipgirls and Heroic Spirits had described it before, they realized now how lacking their imaginations were.
The construction power and speed of the Bulins was directly proportional to their numbers.
A few thousand Bulins could build a capital in half a year. A naval base, a research center, or a university took about a week.
Once their numbers exceeded tens of millions, they no longer limited themselves to the capital.
They began to remodel the entire world.
Following Setsuna's blueprints, the Bulins launched global development projects at unimaginable speed.
After one inter-world campaign, even the shipgirls barely recognized the planet.
The fleet landed over South America.
Below, vast golden fields stretched endlessly.
Greenhouses produced vegetables and fruits, while orchards dotted the hills with vibrant colors.
Manjuus drove tractors through the fields.
Bulin convoys hauled tons of food to various parts of the world and even to the Starbase 150 million kilometers away.
"This is the South American agricultural base," Setsuna explained, visibly satisfied.
"Our assessments show South America has the best conditions for farming—rich natural resources and minimal technological intervention needed."
"It supplies food for the capital and the Starbase."
"Why is a chicken driving a tractor?" Akame asked, echoing exactly what Kanae once said.
"That's a Manjuu. They're our pets-slash-workers. If you want one, you can adopt it."
"Ohhh—"
Akame stared at the adorable puffball, like a jumbo-sized baby chick.
"So smart, so cute... I bet it's super soft..."
Then she saw a group of Manjuus hauling several tons of construction materials like it was nothing.
"???"
"Are you sure that's a chicken?!"
As they moved on—
North America had been transformed into a massive starship launch and docking site.
Experimental weapons and prototype gear were developed there.
Asia had been turned into an industrial zone.
But unlike traditional high-pollution, high-risk heavy industry, production here was mostly Bulins at work.
It resembled a vast Bulin dormitory more than anything.
General-purpose, prototype, and special-config Bulins lived in separate districts, using their whimsical tools to process raw materials into high-precision components.
"Building a planet by continental divisions? That's incredible..."
Esdeath offered genuine admiration.
"This is just a transitional phase. Eventually, we plan to develop by planet-scale sectors—agricultural planets, industrial planets, and so on."
Setsuna responded with a smile.
In the past, though he was technically a civilization leader, most activity was confined to the capital. Strictly speaking, they didn't even count as a nation—more like a city-state.
But now, with population exploding and global development in full swing, he felt a real sense of owning the entire Earth.
Each of the seven continents now had a designated role.
Even Antarctica had been turned into a protected zone for leisure, where he and the shipgirls could take vacations and play with penguins.
As the fleet passed over Eurasia, the prosperous capital finally came into view.
Seeing the lead ship Eternal Snowfall, the little girls on the streets cheered and waved.
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan is back!"
"Onii-chan won again!!!"
In their minds, every time Setsuna left, it was to defeat aliens.
Sometimes he'd even bring back strange new beings—like the universal angels.
"Whoa..."
The rows of buildings in the capital left Esdeath, Akame, and the other natives completely stunned.
Skyscrapers, anti-gravity architecture, naval bases...
The sheer scale dazzled the eyes.
Any prior doubts they had about this world vanished in an instant.
"Feels like being chosen by the Commander is a pretty good thing, huh?"
Leone whispered to Akame.
"This place is like... a thousand times more advanced than the Empire!"
"Tsk... does this mean we were kinda rude to Belfast earlier? Should we apologize or something?"
The head maid wasn't offended at all.
With elegance, she performed a curtsy.
"Ladies, since you've come all this way from another world, please enjoy your new life here."
"I believe you'll grow to love it."
...
By evening, news of the returning expedition spread through the capital like wildfire.
The stationed Siren fleet and other shipgirls lit up the city with celebratory decorations, welcoming their Commander home in triumph.
As usual, a lavish banquet was held at the administrative center.
Shipgirls, Spirits, and Heroic Spirits who had gone on the expedition were buzzing with excitement, eager to share their exploits with those who stayed behind.
This was the first interdimensional world war!
The first full-scale battle between the Starsea Empire and an external civilization. Even if the enemy was just a bunch of primitives, having a chance to fight got everyone excited.
Besides, the Teigu users weren't exactly weak.
An enemy you could definitively crush—but who still put up a fight—was the perfect kind of fun.
"Back then, I went 1v10, piloting Barbatos right at the Empire's gates. One swing of my mace and I turned a Teigu user into scrap…"
Gudako bragged as she sipped fruit juice.
"Then they sent two thousand royal guards at me. I made them flee in panic all by myself… stormed the palace, took down Honest and the nobles..."
"Woooow—"
"Ritsuka Fujimaru-onee-chan is amazing!"
Several young destroyers from the Sakura Empire were wide-eyed in awe.
Their imaginations conjured heroic images of Gudako piloting a Gundam, single-handedly conquering the Empire.
"Master only sent you because I wasn't allowed to act," Icarus added flatly.
"Also, you failed to meet Master's timeline, extending the mission by two days."
"Aaaah I was finally flexing a little, could you not ruin it, dumb angel?!"
Gudako banged on the table in protest.
"Ahem—"
After the shipgirls finished their noisy celebration, Setsuna cleared his throat and stepped onto the stage.
As the Commander, it was his duty to provide a debrief and update everyone on the outcome of the latest expedition.
He gave a brief explanation of the conquest of the Akame ga Kill world and the plans for redevelopment.
That world currently had extremely backward productivity. Even if they tried to squeeze it dry, there wouldn't be much to gain.
Following the successful experience from the Demon Slayer world, they would send Bulin units and universal angels to quickly raise the productivity to modern standards.
After that, the world would serve as a resource base.
The more worlds that could supply resources, the faster this side could develop. After all, there was no limit to the number of Bulins.
As long as there were enough resources, even building a capital city on the Moon wasn't a problem.
As for the war spoils, those had already been handed over to the engineering and biological departments for research.
"Also, let me introduce a few new companions. Everyone, please welcome them."
He gestured toward Esdeath, Akame, and the members of Night Raid.
They stood up nervously and bowed to greet the crowd.
"Pleased to meet you all. I am former Imperial General Esdeath, and from now on, I will fight for the Commander."
Before all the big shots, Esdeath showed none of her usual sadistic aura.
Instead, she was polite and well-mannered.
Whether it was because Setsuna had tamed her into a docile concubine, or simply because she feared the power of the shipgirls and Heroic Spirits, it was hard to say.
Night Raid also introduced themselves briefly before retreating to where Kanae was sitting.
"Kanae-senpai, everyone here looks so strong... Why are there multiple dragons too?"
Akame only felt relaxed around the Demon Slayer team, fellow humans.
Kanae was quietly overjoyed at being called "senpai."
It felt nice to finally be the senior one.
She patted Akame's head and pointed to Lucoa.
"It's fine. They're all good people."
"If you want to learn magic later, that big dragon lady over there is your go-to."
After wrapping up the report on the Akame ga Kill world conquest, the shipgirls had their own reflections.
"This was our first Interdimensional War, wasn't it? I'd say it's a great start."
"Of course. It was a complete victory."
Bismarck, dressed in uniform and cap, nodded.
"From here on, we'll conquer even more worlds and plant our flag in every corner of the multiverse."
As the flagship of Ironblood, such outward invasions were right up her alley.
Bismarck looked approvingly at Setsuna.
"Commander, this time you gave the Heroic Spirits and Spirits a chance to shine. Next time, let us take the lead."
"We'll show you what we're made of."
"Sure."
Setsuna smiled and patted her shoulder.
It was clear that some of the shipgirls were already eager for the next expedition.
"But before that, let's celebrate to the fullest."
"A great victory! I'm throwing a ten-day party on the Eternal Snowfall to mark the occasion!"
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