"Ah?!"
The ahoge King blushed furiously in response to the Lion King's pointed question.
It was true—she had been indulging in food across the Starsea Empire, with little time spent on campaigns or conquests.
What could be more embarrassing than being questioned by her Master?
Being interrogated by another version of herself.
"N-no, I—I did do some work for the Master in the Starsea Empire…"
The ahoge King tried to argue weakly.
Pfft—
"Enough."
The Lion King smiled faintly.
She lowered her gaze toward Bedivere, who raised the Holy Sword high above his head.
"My King, my liege, I hereby return the Holy Sword to you."
"Mm, well done."
The moment she took the Sword of Promised Victory in hand—
Whoosh—
A radiant ring of light spread from the top of the Holy City of Camelot, shaking the entire Singularity.
Space itself began to collapse. As the Singularity was resolved, everything began returning to its rightful course in history.
"The Holy Sword has indeed been returned to me. You have fulfilled the mission bestowed upon you by your King. Thank you."
Bedivere's body dissolved into light. His mortal form had long perished after countless years.
The entire Holy City began to crumble.
"Master of Chaldea, I will not apologize to you."
"Even now, I still believe my actions were just."
The Lion King stood before her throne, bidding them farewell.
"Farewell. I shall perish together with my ideals."
"I pray that in another world, you all may find what you seek."
The return of the Holy Sword had restored her humanity and corrected the twisted timeline.
The King of Knights had finally met her proper end. The Lion King and the Holy City of Camelot would soon cease to exist.
Her body began to fade, piece by piece, in the light.
"So this is it... perhaps this is where I was meant to end."
The Lion King accepted her fate peacefully, closing her eyes in resignation.
Zzz—
Suddenly, a foreign energy surged into her body, halting her disintegration amid the collapsing space.
"Don't you want to come see it for yourself?"
Setsuna asked calmly.
"Another civilization—one far more prosperous than the Britain you built, thousands of times greater."
"If your dream was merely to seal humanity inside the Holy Lance as specimens... that's far too narrow-minded. Come with me."
"?"
The Lion King's eyes widened. The magic flooding into her was thousands of times stronger than she expected.
She and Camelot—and even the Holy Lance—were one. By all rights, she should have vanished with the city's collapse. Yet Setsuna was forcibly sustaining her existence.
"Would you form a contract with me—join the Starsea Empire's Chaldea Expeditionary Force?"
"Meals provided in abundance. Though, uh... your strange ideals might need a bit of adjustment. We do have consciousness-upload and containment technology, but that's for enemies."
Setsuna handed her a contract scroll.
After dealing with so many Heroic Spirits, he'd learned to keep a stack of those on hand.
"???"
The Lion King looked genuinely taken aback.
She couldn't shake the feeling that this man had planned this all along.
"Ah?!"
She turned toward Artoria, who was looking at her expectantly.
The fragments of memory she'd read earlier truly had piqued her curiosity.
"The Master needs you. Rather than perish here with Camelot, why not join me—to protect another world?"
Artoria spoke sincerely to her other self.
"..."
After a moment's hesitation, the Lion King made her choice.
"So be it."
Flash—
The instant she signed the contract with Setsuna, a soft light enveloped her, stabilizing her form.
"Hmm... so this would make her the White Lance King, huh?"
Setsuna eyed her thoughtfully. It still didn't sound quite right.
Technically, both the Lion King and Lancer Artoria wielded the Holy Lance—they were essentially the same person.
But the Lion King had ascended to divinity, carrying even greater divine power than the Lancer version.
A Divine White Lance King, then. Yes.
"This Singularity is about to vanish, Master. Shouldn't we head back soon?"
The ahoge King asked.
"Hmm... not yet. There are still a few more people we haven't picked up."
Setsuna glanced down toward the base of Camelot—where Gudako, piloting Strelizia, was pummeling the knights into submission.
"Stop playing around. I've got a job for you—go bring Nitocris and the Hassan of Serenity back to me."
...
Far from Camelot, deep within a desert—
Inside a pyramid, a tanned-skinned, blue-haired Heroic Spirit dressed in the regalia of an Egyptian pharaoh stared in shock at the readings on her holographic interface.
"The Holy City... the world's endpoint is vanishing?!"
"That's the Lion King's domain! What happened?!"
On his throne, Ramses II looked equally dumbfounded.
They could feel the entire world beginning to collapse, yet had no idea why.
Their very existence was growing unstable.
Rumble—
A red-and-white mecha descended from the sky, slicing open part of the pyramid.
"Who goes there?!"
Ramses II nearly lost his crown in shock.
"No time to explain—get in the mech!!"
Gudako jumped out of the cockpit, shoved a contract at Nitocris, and promptly hauled her onto the machine.
"Eh?! What—wait, what is going on?!"
Nitocris cried out, completely panicked.
"See you around! Compliments of Chaldea! Maybe we'll meet again someday!"
"Next target—"
Boom—
Strelizia's engines roared to life, and the mech vanished into the sky.
Ramses II:
"WTF???"
...
A few hours later—
Whoosh—
As the dimensional gate opened, everyone returned safely to Chaldea.
Efficient.
That was the only word Dr. Romani could think of.
Setsuna had completed the Singularity faster than anyone in history—solving the problem in the most straightforward way possible, and even bringing several Heroic Spirits back as souvenirs.
Da Vinci still looked dazed.
She had expected a perilous, thrilling journey alongside Setsuna and Gudako—using every bit of wit and courage to defeat the Lion King and restore humanity.
Instead, they'd just flown to Camelot, resolved the issue, recruited a few Heroic Spirits, and wrapped up in less than half a day.
Unbelievable.
The Heroic Spirits Gudako had dragged back were all still in a daze.
Who am I? Where am I? How did I end up here?!
"Ahem. Once you locate the Seventh Singularity, call me again. I'd like to have a chat with Ishtar and the Three Goddess Alliance."
Setsuna said casually.
"Oh, and if you can find more Lostbelts, even better—I'd like to visit Lostbelt No.3."
"Human Order hasn't even been restored yet! What are you talking about?!"
Romani was utterly speechless.
After confirming that the Sixth Singularity had stabilized, the group made a brief stop before returning to the capital.
"Whoa..."
Just like every new arrival, the Heroic Spirits were left in awe at the splendor of the interstellar metropolis.
"This city... it's even more magnificent than Camelot..."
The Lion King stared blankly at the bustling lights and endless streams of traffic.
"Ritsuka Fujimaru, take them to the Chaldea Embassy. Run them through the orientation process."
"Artoria, why don't you take the Lion King out for a meal? Actually... does the Lion King share your appetite?"
Setsuna couldn't help but wonder.
...
After settling the new arrivals, he opened a holographic interface once again, projecting the Hyperdimensional Star Map.
"Now that Chaldea's incident is resolved... maybe it's time to move on to something else?"
Whoosh—
Setsuna projected a radiant Hyperdimensional Star Map before him.
Among the many worlds orbiting the Starsea Empire, most had already been brought under imperial control.
Only a few worlds remained unconquered—the ones left behind from the last campaign.
"Picking up from where we were interrupted last time," Setsuna began, "my plan is to tackle them one by one—from easiest to hardest."
"The exact order might change depending on operational progress."
The remaining worlds:
A Certain Magical Index, No Game No Life, Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
Each one was a heavyweight.
"Hmm... these worlds are way stronger than most of the others we've conquered..."
Gudako scratched her head.
At first, just hearing the names, she'd assumed Puella Magi Madoka Magica was a cute, child-friendly story. She thought sending a few warships would do the job.
After reading the data, she could only yell, "What the hell?!"
Demon Homura? Law of Cycles?! The magical girls were literally rewriting the multiverse—how was that even allowed?!
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann was even crazier. Even among mecha series, Gundam, Evangelion, and DARLING in the FRANXX weren't even in the same league.
By comparison, A Certain Magical Index and No Game No Life actually looked... civilized.
"So, we'll start with the weakest one."
"Rally up."
Setsuna's command was simple and clear.
Half an hour later—
The administrative plaza in the capital was packed shoulder to shoulder with shipgirls, dragon girls, spirits, and task force members from Chaldea, Konosuba, and beyond.
Every time a new world conquest was about to begin, it was the most exciting moment in the Empire.
Everyone watched with eager anticipation, waiting for Setsuna to announce the next expedition—each secretly hoping to be selected for the away team.
"This time, our target world is No Game No Life!"
Yat Sen stepped up to the platform, assisted by the Angeloids as they distributed briefing documents to the crowd.
A detailed holographic display of the target world appeared above the stage.
"Hmm..."
"In short, the world of No Game No Life is home to many powerful races—and even true gods."
"The world's structure is rather peculiar, and its timeline spans eons."
"Whoa..."
As Yat Sen spoke, the assembled girls flipped through the documents, murmuring among themselves.
The Starsea Empire had discovered this world long ago, and extensive research had already been compiled. Many potential recruits—Gudako, Esdeath, Kanae, and others—had studied it thoroughly in hopes of joining the expedition.
Now that the mission was officially underway, this was just a review session and a chance to discuss strategy.
"The story of No Game No Life originally follows a brother-sister pair who receive a challenge from a godlike being and are summoned to another world."
"In that world, war and violence are forbidden. All conflicts are resolved through games."
The younger shipgirls stared in wonder.
"So... whether it's war between nations, personal duels, or even robbery... it's all decided by games?!"
In this world, every intelligent species followed the Ten Covenants—laws set forth by the One True God.
They prohibited killing, war, and theft; all disputes had to be settled through games, with both sides betting something of equal value.
These divine rules bound every race.
"Uh, so... are we going there to play games?"
A few destroyers peeked curiously from the crowd.
Yukikaze, brimming with confidence, raised a fist.
"Hohoho~ Then leave it to the great Yukikaze! Whether it's poker, blackjack, or anything involving luck—Yukikaze's got this, nanoda!"
Azure Yukikaze twitched her ears, standing proudly with her hands on her hips. Beside her, Arpeggio Yukikaze and Kancolle Yukikaze leaned in simultaneously.
"Eh? Eh?! Wait—"
"You three are all coming?!"
The shipgirls froze in horror.
"Um, I think my reactor's feeling a bit... unstable. I'll just head back to port..."
"Ah—right, I suddenly remembered! The deck still needs cleaning! Commander, I'll be right back home—"
"Uh, I forgot to bring my carrier aircraft—sorry, I'll be going now!!!—"
Yukikaze's luck was unquestionable. If any poor soul dared to play mahjong against three Yukikazes, they'd be doomed within a few rounds—losing so badly they'd forget what winning even felt like.
While the trio drew heavenly hands one after another, their opponents would be lucky to collect a single seasonal tile.
But having three Yukikazes escort you? For most shipgirls—especially those from the Sakura Empire—it felt... ominous.
"Ahem, I understand how you all feel," Yat Sen said, clearing her throat to calm the overexcited Yukikaze trio. "However, the time period we'll be traveling to is much earlier."
"Based on strategic difficulty, we'll start around six thousand years before the main story of No Game No Life—during the age of interspecies war."
This era, known as No Game No Life: Zero, took place long before the events of the main series.
At that time, all the races of the world were locked in endless war, vying for the throne of the One True God.
In that primordial age of chaos ruled by mana, there existed fifteen distinct races. The higher races wielded overwhelming power over the lower ones.
Humans, weak and frail, had zero affinity for magic. They couldn't cast spells—nor even sense when magic was used against them. Their survival was a tragedy, hanging by a thread.
Even the aftershock of a battle between two other races could easily wipe humanity from existence.
"By starting from the great war six thousand years ago, we can swiftly pacify the world—end the chaos, and rebuild a new order."
"All races will become part of the Starsea Empire, coexisting peacefully under imperial rule," Setsuna declared.
His treatment of humanity differed from world to world, depending on their nature.
In universes like Three-Body Problem and Black Bullet, humans had largely fallen into the category of 'unrecoverable waste.' But in the world of No Game No Life, humanity's desperate struggle amidst higher magical species—and their willingness to sacrifice themselves for their comrades and for victory—had earned his respect.
They were courageous and wise. They deserved a better life under his Empire.
"Of course, there's another reason," Richelieu added. "During that great war, we can also retrieve Schwi... and claim the Suniaster."
The object of every race's struggle—the Suniaster, the symbol of absolute dominion. Whoever possessed it would become the god of that world.
"Ohh..."
Everyone nodded.
Starting from the war-torn era would indeed be easier than playing by the strange, restrictive rules of the later age.
"Having a hyperdimensional starship sure makes things easy... does that mean we could do the same for the other worlds too?"
Kanao raised her hand, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"If we just time-travel to before everything starts, most problems would be solved, right? That makes the rest of the worlds sound much easier!"
Having witnessed the starship's performance during the Honkai campaigns, many of the ordinary girls had developed a deep awe for its time-warping power.
"No."
From her seat at the side, Eris—who had been quietly listening—shook her head.
"I'm not familiar with all the details of those worlds, but gods have extremely stable existences across spacetime. The stronger the god, the more so."
"Even crossing thousands or millions of years doesn't mean much to them."
"Exactly."
Setsuna nodded in agreement, absentmindedly patting Nyarlathotep's head and flicking her ahoge.
"It's kind of like the concept of eternal proof."
"For example, let's say someone wanted to kill Nyarlathotep but couldn't defeat her in the present—so they tried time travel to destroy her before she was born. What would they find?"
"Uh..."
Kanao tilted her head, struggling to grasp the logic behind divine existence.
"They'd find... Azathoth?"
"Earlier than that."
"...Nothing at all?"
"No—they'd still find Nyarlathotep! Lots of Nyarlathoteps!"
Nyarko puffed out her chest proudly.
"I exist in the past, the present, and the future—across every timeline and every universe. Trying to erase me through time or causality is pointless."
"Of course, the same goes for my Commander, who's fused with a part of me! Ehehe~"
She rubbed her cheek affectionately against Setsuna.
"Exactly."
Setsuna shrugged.
"The same principle applies to the Law of Cycles, the Magi, and every other so-called higher deity. Unless you're of equal or higher rank, you can't alter them on a temporal level."
"Ohh..."
Kanao nodded, realizing that conquering the other high-tier worlds would require more than clever tricks—it would take raw, overwhelming power.
When the power gap reached a certain point, all shortcuts lost meaning.
"The road ahead's still long..."
Everyone sighed.
"Wait—since the Commander's already fused with part of Nyarlathotep, and might fuse with other gods later—plus Shab-chan and the rest—does that make him... an Outer God?"
—
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