"Ahem, please focus. We need to discuss serious matters."
Inside the Administrative Center.
Grey cleared her throat and looked helplessly at the group of girls who had followed Setsuna in.
Perhaps they had played a little too wildly in the Theater of Domination earlier. Quite a few of them still wore expressions of lingering satisfaction.
Shiro crouching in a corner playing video games was relatively harmless. But Taihou, Tohru, Nyaruko, and the others all had faint blushes on their faces.
As if they were still immersed in the time they had just experienced.
"Mm... Switching back from another world so suddenly feels a little strange."
Tohru shook her head and drew a magic circle across her forehead to refresh herself.
"Commander, since two months inside the Theater of Domination equals one day here, I propose we activate it every night."
Origami Tobiichi boldly suggested.
"It's far more convenient and discreet than the Eternal Snowfall... Oh, and if you don't want to bring that many people, it's fine if you only bring me."
"I'll do my best to accompany you for two full months."
"In your dreams!!!"
Taihou and Origami immediately tangled together.
"...Why does this feel like the end of summer vacation?"
Setsuna realized that combining the Theater of Domination with the Herrscher of Reason's authority to throw parties had a serious aftereffect. The sensation of switching worlds was completely different from using the Eternal Snowfall.
It took some time before everyone finally settled down.
Shff—
A massive hyperdimensional star map was projected before them.
After conquering the No Game No Life world, the territory of the Starsea Empire had expanded significantly across the myriad worlds.
As far as the eye could see on the star map, all was imperial domain.
"Mm... The skill for piercing space still has some cooldown time. We should handle a few other matters in the meantime."
After thinking for a moment, Setsuna spoke.
"The remaining worlds require careful planning before we attempt to conquer them. Each one is a full order of magnitude more difficult than the No Game No Life world."
"Additionally, the new technologies we brought back need to be researched as soon as possible. They're extremely important."
The Elves' magical formula systems, the Dwarves' technology, the Seiren's charm magic—there were many novel elements in that world.
However, most of them would merely enrich the Imperial Grand Library's collection or add a few elective courses at the Magic Academy.
Whether it was Void Zero Protection, E-Bomb, or anything else, they were ultimately designed for planetary-scale warfare. Compared to star-destroying weapons of the interstellar era, they still fell short.
What truly concerned Setsuna was the Flügel and the Ex-Machina's False Epigraphy.
The former could form a combat legion fully comparable to the Angeloid forces.
The latter could construct a shared imperial armory and magical framework.
For the Starsea Empire's overall strength, both represented a milestone.
"Mm... We plan to conduct comprehensive genetic modification on the Flügel, removing the negative effect that causes them to revert into childlike forms after exhaustion."
Kayo Senju pondered for a while.
"Additionally, the Heavenly Smite and other magic used by the Flügel are essentially spells released through the Spirit Corridors."
"They work well in Disboard, but when conquering other worlds, their destructive power is somewhat inferior to Angeloid weaponry. They'll need upgrading."
"The process shouldn't take too long... We can begin with experimental modifications on selected individuals."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Jibril standing behind Setsuna.
As the strongest irregular individual among the Flügel, she was an ideal research subject for the Life Sciences Division.
"Me?"
Little Jibril pointed at herself.
"Mm-hmm. We hope to use genetic enhancement technology to raise you to a level comparable to Ikaros."
"That includes mobility, defense, and destructive capability."
The Angeloids were pure technological constructs. With each major upgrade of the Starsea Empire, Ikaros' equipment had been enhanced accordingly—enough to casually destroy planets.
Naturally, the Flügel would use them as the benchmark.
"Mm..."
Jibril glanced at the pink-haired Angeloid beside her, then at Setsuna.
The Flügel had followed Setsuna to the Starsea Empire in search of "the strongest"—and the reason behind that strength.
Why was the Starsea Empire, and Setsuna himself, so overwhelmingly powerful—far surpassing even the former God of War once called the strongest?
Was it new technology? New magic? Or some other incomprehensible force?
The Flügel cared deeply about the answer.
"Fine, I'll do it—"
"But in the future, I'll take revenge on you!!"
Her gaze shifted to Grey.
Toward this nanorobot whose integrity and strength were equally bottomless, Jibril always wanted a rematch—to wash away the humiliation of their first encounter.
"Bring it on. As many times as you want, I'll accompany you. Just don't cry when you get spanked."
Grey crossed her arms, completely unconcerned.
The Flügel girls were successively escorted away by the Life Sciences Division.
At the lunar research center, they began undergoing medical examinations, drafting modification plans, Phase I and Phase II experiments, and so on.
Unlike others who underwent genetic modification, the Flügel possessed an almost fanatical thirst for knowledge.
Every single question had to be pursued to the very end.
"Meta-morph surgery? Can we undergo it as well? What's the fundamental principle behind this technology? ..."
"Fusion with Honkai energy? Please explain in detail the theoretical origin and structural composition of Honkai energy. Thank you."
"..."
The barrage of peculiar questions left the research lolis overwhelmed. In the end, they could only hand over their textbooks and reference materials to the Flügel.
Fortunately, the angels' intelligence and comprehension were equally astonishing. It didn't take long before they could understand most of the technologies from a popular science perspective.
"Come to think of it, the Flügel are biological lifeforms. Installing a reactor like the Angeloids to achieve near-infinite energy output isn't very realistic..."
The little researchers suddenly recalled a peculiar item previously obtained from the EVA world.
"Should we try installing an S2 Engine? The Flügel Completion Plan?!"
...
Aside from the Flügel, research on the False Epigraphy project was quickly assigned to the Research Division as well.
Together with the Magic Academy and the Physics Institute, several departments joined forces to initiate this enormous undertaking.
"Mm... The first issue we need to solve is the technology that materializes weapons and magic through computational power."
The Siren girls, Akashi, Daedalus, and the research lolis gathered together.
Using the equipment on Schwi as a reference model, they projected complex structures onto a holographic interface.
"This is similar to a form of conceptual materialization. Each Ex-Machina individual can access computational resources to project anything stored in their armory."
"Manifestation devices can achieve similar effects. Once miniaturized, even ordinary citizens of the Starsea Empire could carry them."
Observer waved her tentacles excitedly. New toys like this thrilled her.
"The troublesome part is the next step: constructing the Starsea Empire's digital armory."
"We have too many assets. Not just technological weapons, but magical systems—and certain indescribable things as well."
"Scanning everything and incorporating it into the shared imperial database will be an enormous project."
The Ex-Machina had 27,451 types of usable weapons. The Starsea Empire's technological arsenal numbered far beyond mere thousands.
In theory, the False Epigraphy could project the vast majority of them.
Including—but not limited to—various starship weapons and rigging, portable Angeloid armaments, strange spells from the Magic Academy, and even authorities such as Noble Phantasms or powers akin to a reincarnation paradise.
Even if the projected versions were weaker than the originals, they would be more than sufficient for emergencies.
But the first task was to record those abilities and weapons in fully digitized form.
"Uh... Then let's just go scan everyone one by one."
Midori Fuse scratched her ear.
"Start with the simple stuff. First try projecting small Angeloid weapons, then basic magic, then full rigging and starships."
"Digitize their equipment and spells, store them in the database, and when needed, just project and deploy them."
"In the end, our ultimate technology might be a False Epigraphy Eternal Snowfall—or even a False Epigraphy Evangelion of the Ancient Gods?!..."
"Alright, please line up in an orderly fashion. We'll scan your equipment and magic, reconstruct the data, and then upload everything into the Starsea Empire's database."
The research lolis and the Siren girls were fully mobilized for this massive digital armory construction project.
At the testing grounds outside the capital, members from various squads had gathered in large numbers.
"Eh? Do we have to demonstrate everything?"
Kanae and Shinobu looked bewildered as they listened to the instructions.
"Yes. Starting from the breathing techniques and swordsmanship you learned in your early years. All data must be entered into the digital armory."
Compiler nodded.
"The Starsea Empire's database is large enough. The more we store now, the more options everyone will have in the future."
The information-based armory was like a vast shared ability library. Through the medium of False Epigraphy, one could call upon any needed skill from within it.
"Mm... Understood."
The Butterfly sisters stepped into the testing area, fitted with various monitoring devices, recalling the sword techniques they had once mastered.
Breath of Flower, Second Form: Plum Shadow
Slash—slash—slash—
Arcing slashes cut in every direction, halos refracting faint plum blossom petals in the air.
"This skill is relatively simple. Parsing accuracy 100%. Reproducible power 100%. Archived."
On the holographic interface before Compiler, dozens of pages of complex code appeared. This was the result of digitizing and informatizing the Breathing technique.
It was now stored in the database. Through False Epigraphy technology, its power could be perfectly invoked and reproduced.
"Schwi, give it a try."
Observer poked Schwi beside her.
"Loading data..."
Schwi unfolded her equipment, downloaded the newly uploaded data, and projected a Nichirin Blade.
She assumed a ready stance.
"Parsed."
False Epigraphy—Breath of Flower.
Slash—
With identical movements, she unleashed the exact same blade of light as before.
Not the slightest deviation. Had this occurred years ago, the Demon Slayer Corps would have believed they had encountered a once-in-a-century prodigy—someone capable of perfectly replicating swordsmanship at a glance.
"Wow—"
The surrounding girls gasped in admiration. As expected of the Ex-Machina, renowned for computational prowess.
In Disboard, they were said to possess infinite learning and enhancement capabilities. Any weapon from another race could be analyzed and reconstructed.
Even ultimate techniques from higher-ranked species—though not perfectly replicated—could still produce astonishing effects.
"This is only a basic project. Parsing and reproducing stronger skills requires significantly more computational power."
"If we're projecting abilities from other worlds, the complexity increases even further."
Compiler answered calmly, gesturing for Artoria to step forward and fitting her with various observation devices.
"King of Knights, please use your Noble Phantasm."
"Ex...calibur!!"
BOOM!!
The crowned king raised her holy sword and brought it down in a single strike. A golden spiral beam shot skyward.
The holographic interface was instantly flooded with incomprehensible streams of code.
As armaments manifested from the fantasy and legend of a Heroic Spirit, the complexity far exceeded ordinary magic or sword techniques.
Within seconds, thousands of pages of garbled symbols were recorded.
"Parsing accuracy 13.6%. Reproducible power 16.7%. We'll need to analyze and process the recorded data to improve reconstruction quality."
Compiler reported, unsurprised.
"Sword of Promised Victory..."
Schwi discovered she couldn't reproduce the King of Knights' ability through False Epigraphy.
She couldn't even comprehend the nature of Artoria's existence. Heroic Spirits were fundamentally different from the species of Disboard, let alone their Noble Phantasms.
"To reach usable standards—meaning the ability to deploy a False Epigraphy Sword of Promised Victory—the parsing accuracy must exceed 70%. As for actual output... uncertain for now."
Compiler yawned.
"But that's our job. Translating all that garbled data is a headache..."
For complex skills, the Research Division needed to organize and analyze the data, improving parsing precision much like translating ancient manuscripts.
With repeated data collection, reproduction would eventually become possible.
"Next. Esdeath, your turn. Let's try analyzing your ice magic... You also possess the authority of the Herrscher of Ice, correct?"
"Oh..."
The girls participating in the experiment were brimming with enthusiasm.
They could already envision themselves accessing all sorts of novel abilities from the imperial database in the future.
"Nyaruko, Kuuko, you two go back!!"
"Your abilities can't be parsed at all—they're beyond the syllabus!!!"
...
"Mm..."
After assigning the two primary projects, Setsuna began contemplating the next course of action.
"If I recall correctly, there are still some unresolved matters in a few earlier worlds?"
Shff—
Several locations were marked on the map. Everyone leaned in.
"The Dragon Maid's otherworld is still in a state of chaotic war? We haven't been there in quite a while."
Tohru's homeland—the otherworld of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid—remained locked in conflict between the Order faction and the Chaos faction, with a Harmony faction mediating in between.
"Commander, shall we go back together?"
Tohru immediately wagged her tail and leaned close.
"Let's eliminate those Order gods and rule the world—hehehe..."
"Absolutely not!!!"
Elma was horrified.
"If the Chaos faction dominates, it will bring disaster to that world! Commander, don't listen to Tohru's nonsense!!"
The two dragon girls belonged to opposing factions and held entirely different ideologies.
Both tried to persuade Setsuna to join their respective sides.
"The Commander is my mate! We've even met the parents! Where did you come from, huh?!"
Tohru clung to Setsuna's arm, rubbing her head against his shoulder.
"I—I—"
Elma was both angry and flustered, wondering if she needed to sacrifice her own charm.
"I can too!! ...No, wait, this is wrong from the very beginning!!!"
"Order side, Chaos side—why not just have everyone listen to the Commander in the future? Why force him to support either of you?"
Nyaruko stated matter-of-factly.
"With the Starsea Empire's management, wouldn't everyone get along more harmoniously? No more fighting?"
"???"
The two dragon girls were stunned.
"Seriously? Commander, you'd actually do that?!"
"...It would be somewhat difficult, but not impossible."
Setsuna thought it over.
"But compared to that, there's something else."
Shff—
He turned his gaze toward the Transformers world.
"There's a historical issue left unresolved there."
When they had previously visited the Transformers world, they had gone purely for the Allspark and the Transwarp Key. They hadn't been able to do much about the great villain, Unicron.
Now it was time to handle that leftover problem.
"If I remember correctly, when we last met the Autobots, we hadn't even unlocked faster-than-light technology yet..."
Richelieu pressed a hand to her temple as she recalled.
"I wonder how they've been doing?"
"Heh. Alien Autobots? Just another form of silicon-based mechanical life."
Grey shrugged casually as she opened a communication interface.
She wasn't familiar with the Transformers. Setsuna had only retrieved the nanorobot from the L-Cluster after mastering superluminal technology.
Beep—
After a burst of static, the mechanical heads of Optimus Prime and Megatron were projected onto the screen, staring in confusion at the gray-haired girl before them.
"Hey there~ This is the Starsea Empire. Nice to meet you, tin cans."
"We're coming over to farm Unicron. Mind showing us the way?"