Whoosh—
The silver-white spaceship pierced through the clouds and descended onto the starship landing base outside the capital city.
"Whoa..."
The moment she stepped down the ramp, Asuka was utterly stunned by the capital's prosperity.
Just like every newcomer to the Starsea Empire, she stood there, wide-eyed and speechless, staring at the towering skyline and the countless Angeloids flying through the air.
It took her quite a while to collect herself.
"Ah, what a huge place—"
Mari stretched lazily, then asked the same question every newcomer asked:
"But why are there only girls in this city?!"
Everywhere she looked, countless figures were gathering to welcome Setsuna's group—aside from the shipgirls and Heroic Spirits dressed in all sorts of attire, there were also clusters of little lolis.
"That's a matter of history. Go read up on it later."
Formidable was too lazy to explain everything again.
"Commander, you've been gone for so long~"
As soon as Setsuna landed, a silver-haired figure leapt into his arms.
No matter the time or place, when he returned from an expedition, the first to rush into his embrace was always Mio, that hopelessly love-struck girl.
The Spirit of Origin nestled in his arms for a while before noticing Asuka, Mari, and Rei Ayanami behind him, all looking awkward and out of place.
"Cheater!"
Mio puffed her cheeks, pouting angrily.
"I'll keep you company tonight—bring the other Spirits too."
Setsuna ruffled her hair gently. It seemed she was sulking because he hadn't taken her along this time.
"Wait, I have a question."
Asuka suddenly realized that Setsuna's popularity here was outrageous.
Everyone was crowding around him, while she and the other newcomers were practically ignored—only the Angeloids guided them politely.
"How many girls are actually around the Commander?"
She quietly asked Formidable, wanting to figure out her place in the future ranking.
"Ah... let's see..."
Formidable started counting on her fingers but quickly gave up with a shrug.
"Too many to count. Theoretically, he can have as many as he wants. I don't think anyone would refuse the Commander, right?"
"Ah?..."
...
After they settled down a bit, the accompanying Research Division staff transported Lilith, Adam, and the other Angel samples to the lunar research base to continue their nonstop work.
Inside the Administrative Center, Setsuna briefly summarized their achievements from the EVA world.
"Conquering that world was part of the original plan. It's now fully incorporated into the Empire's territory and will be managed by Sophon as a vassal state."
"As for our new companions—you've met them. They'll be joining the Mecha Corps, fighting alongside 02, Zero Two, and the others."
Setsuna paused to think.
The lolis brought back from the DITF world were a bit younger than Asuka and Mari. Starting their Gundam training early wasn't a bad idea. Now the Starsea Empire had assembled its collection—FRANXX, Gundam, and EVA alike.
"Yat Sen, arrange housing for them, and have the Angeloids guide them through the capital and other vassal worlds."
"Understood."
The elegant shipgirl nodded, tapping a few commands on the holographic interface.
"Everyone, please follow me shortly. I'll explain the essentials of life in the capital."
"Don't be too nervous—we don't have strict rules here. Just live well and enjoy your life in the interstellar age."
"Okay..."
Asuka nodded absentmindedly, still a little dazed.
She'd always been confident in her own beauty and presence, but here, surrounded by so many dazzling girls radiating effortless confidence, she felt as if she were standing before a mountain she could never climb.
They weren't just beautiful—they carried a natural authority, moving gracefully as they handled tasks at Setsuna's side.
"By the way, your genetic ascension and super-evolution procedures can be scheduled at your convenience. It's a reserved benefit of the Starsea Empire."
"The timing and enhancement path are entirely up to you," Yat Sen reminded them.
"Oh!"
No girl could ever resist the temptation of eternal youth. Earlier, when Asuka saw that every ordinary citizen who joined the Starsea Empire could enjoy this benefit, she secretly rejoiced.
"After the super-evolution surgery, I'll still keep growing, right? Maybe I should wait another two years before doing it."
She examined her figure and realized that among all the shipgirls, she probably counted as flat-chested at best.
"Otherwise, if it locks my figure permanently and I can't grow anymore, that'd be terrible..."
As she muttered, she noticed a gray-haired, blue-eyed girl in a traditional Daoist robe frowning at her with a strange expression.
"Think carefully before you decide."
Fu Hua's tone was solemn.
"This is clearly your problem, you old fossil!!"
Senti had just popped her head out when the immortal smacked her on the head with a flick of her finger, making her crouch down to protect herself.
"Ahem, anyway, the valuable things from the EVA world are Lilith, Adam, the Angels, and the EVAs themselves."
Setsuna cleared his throat and briefly explained the Research Division's findings there.
He had no intention of following the original plot—bringing back anything useful for study and seeing if they could invent something new was far more important.
"Whoa..."
Everyone didn't quite understand, but they instinctively felt that creating life from nothing was an incredible feat of science.
Whether or not they could eventually create tireless, self-repairing, sleepless, hyper-efficient working Apostle units would depend on the Life Sciences Division's skill.
"As for the EVA unit... thanks to Nyarlathotep, we managed to build an Outer God-type EVA. I'm still exploring its capabilities."
When everyone saw the Ancient God Evangelion—Nyarlathotep Type I—and that strange, blasphemous holy sword in its hand, both shipgirls and Spirits, as well as Heroic Spirits, all wore peculiar expressions.
One glance—it looked odd.
A second glance—and their sanity started to drop.
The Outer God Unit-01 did indeed look impressive—far more majestic than anyone's mental image of an indescribable eldritch machine, even more imposing than Strelizia.
However, it seemed the Outer God avatar exuded a mental interference field by nature. The longer one looked at it, the more one's thoughts blurred, like slipping into madness.
"Ooohhhh—"
A group of Cthulhu girls from the Nyarlathotep world surrounded Unit-01, circling it curiously.
They found it strangely familiar and comforting.
Sniff—sniff—
Kuuko and Atko leaned closer, sniffing the air.
"This is Crawling Chaos Mist, right? Nyarlathotep really loves this avatar."
They could sense the Unit's true essence purely by instinct.
Several Cthulhu girls looked on enviously.
Turning your own avatar into an EVA piloted by the Commander—it was practically becoming one with him.
Especially since Nyarlathotep, as the Thousand-Faced God, regarded each of her avatars as part of herself.
"Commander, are you planning to build more EVAs?"
Shabuko pressed close, her ample chest squeezing against Setsuna's arm.
"My avatar isn't as strong as Nyarlathotep's, but I could still grant you some unique abilities~"
"For example, summoning familiars? You like the Black Goat, don't you?..."
Luhy, Atko, and the others all volunteered enthusiastically, offering to contribute one of their avatars for Setsuna to "test drive."
"Wait, wait!"
Setsuna was overwhelmed by the fervent Outer God girls.
"Let me figure out how to handle the first Unit before we talk about the rest. One step at a time, no rush."
To raise synchronization, he still needed deeper communion with the Outer Gods.
Question the Old Gods, understand the Old Gods, become the Old Gods?
I am Cthulhu.
"Ahem... anyway, now that I can merge with Nyarlathotep, I can go deal with other gods freely. Cause for celebration, I'd say."
...
Crack—
Outside the Solar System's Starbase, Setsuna piloted the black Evangelion Unit-01, strolling leisurely through the void of space.
The power of an Outer God's avatar was simply too vast and mysterious—even he couldn't fully master it in a short time.
Whenever he had free moments, he devoted them to studying this EVA.
Chaos.
From within the machine, he could sense it—the purest power of disorder, the very essence of chaos itself—representing one of the three Pillars of Cthulhu.
The power of the Outer Gods carried an indescribable alien quality, entirely different from any kind of magic or ability he had ever wielded before.
"Hmm..."
Setsuna closed his eyes, trying to grasp this energy.
Before him unfolded what felt like an endless cosmic ocean—the Thousand-Faced God existing in countless forms across past, present, and future.
Unit-01 was one of her avatars—and yet, also could be her entirety.
That was the wonder of Nyarlathotep.
The power he sensed within was immense. For now, he could only draw upon the tiniest fraction of it.
He sank his consciousness into the machine—man and mecha becoming one.
"Commander, come at me."
In the distance, within the starlit expanse, stood a twin-tailed red-haired, red-eyed girl.
Kuuko.
One of the Cthulhu legion—an Old One.
Naturally, to learn how to control the Outer God's power, Setsuna had to spar with the ancient gods themselves.
Whoosh—
Black mist gathered in his hands, taking form—an indescribably shaped Blasphemous Holy Sword—and he lunged toward Kuuko.
"Hey! Why are you using the same weapon as Nyarlathotep?!"
Kuuko pulled out from under her skirt a flaming crowbar, while several floating turrets materialized around her.
"Behold! The Original Flame God's Indescribable Rod-shaped Weapon!"
"Cosmic CCC-Type!"
Boom—Clang!!!—
The two clashed, their blows resounding through the silent vacuum of space.
"Whoa."
Setsuna quickly realized the terrifying strength unleashed by Unit-01 in combat.
Even the stray shockwaves stirred massive energy storms as far away as Mercury and the Starbase itself, forcing them to move the battle to a more open region of space.
Just like its original design, Unit-01's armor wasn't meant for defense—it was meant to restrain the divine body sealed within.
If Nyarlathotep's avatar were fully released, she could easily cause a cosmic-scale disaster.
"Woooh, as expected of the Commander and Nyarlathotep combo."
Kuuko was quickly overwhelmed after only a few exchanges.
She couldn't shake the feeling that fighting a mecha barehanded was somewhat unfair.
Hovering back, she ignited her body in flames.
"Commander, I'm getting serious now."
BOOM!
From the distant Starbase, the watching lolis saw a blazing sun ignite in the dark void of space.
It was a massive sphere of fire, like a living plasma sun, its shape constantly shifting. Dark orange in hue, its surface was marked by sunspot-like patches, flaring and ejecting twisting arcs of fire.
The amber light illuminated everything around, turning night into day.
This was Kuuko's true form—Cthugha, the Living Flame, the incarnation of fire itself.
The Cthulhu Mythos wasn't only made up of indescribable, tentacled abominations—some were elemental beings like her.
"Ah..."
Visually speaking, everyone agreed Kuuko's true form was even more outrageous than Nyarlathotep's chaotic monstrosity.
She had transformed into a blazing fireball larger than a star.
Even from afar, they could feel the heat radiating across the void.
If she appeared in her true form within the Solar System, she could probably incinerate Earth into a molten planet in an instant.
"So this is an Outer God..."
A few of the little lolis trembled, clutching each other nervously.
Fortunately, their moral compass was high—technically, they leaned toward the lawful side.
BOOM!!!—
The star-sized inferno hurled torrents of blazing flame toward Setsuna.
Each burst carried enough energy to ignite entire planets, yet when they struck Unit-01, the black mist surrounding it silently devoured the heat.
"You really all have your own unique tricks."
Setsuna realized that when dealing with godlike entities, Nyarlathotep's weapons were far more effective than any technological arsenal.
Unit-01 didn't dodge or evade—it charged head-on toward the blazing star.
Boom—
The indescribable blade pierced straight into the sun.
Even its surface temperature, beyond all measurement, didn't affect it in the slightest.
A moment later—
Gulp—
The entire mass of fire rapidly contracted and extinguished.
In the end, Kuuko reverted to her human form and fell right into Setsuna's arms.
"Stop!"
"I surrender!!!"
Kuuko waved both hands in defeat.
"Turning one's own avatar into a mecha... only Nyarlathotep could think of that."
"Her avatar's power is way too strong—totally unfair!!!"
"Hmm..."
"Wait, isn't it a bit strange that the Commander's Unit-01 can only attack in melee form right now?"
Several shipgirls watching from afar voiced their curiosity.
"That's because the Commander hasn't fully mastered the Crawling Chaos Mist yet."
Nyarlathotep raised her hand in protest.
"Combat isn't my only forte, you know! Even in deep space battles, I can handle enemies across multiple galaxies—no, even in another universe!"
"..."
Everyone couldn't quite imagine what it would look like if Nyarlathotep fought using her true body—her techniques never looked remotely proper.
Most beings would have their minds utterly annihilated just by perceiving an Old God's presence.
Clack—
After landing, Setsuna glanced at the control panel.
[Current Synchronization Rate: 100.2%]
[Containment Stable. Unit Normal.]
After several days of training, his synchronization had only increased by 0.2%. The power of the Outer Gods wasn't so easily tamed.
There was still a long way to go before reaching his goal.
"Looks like I'll need a lot more practice."
He opened the cockpit, jumped down, and rubbed his temples.
Even with his extreme adaptability, he still felt a faint mental strain.
Learning to control new powers felt good—it was a step forward into the realm of gods.
—Outer Gods were gods too.
"At least I've got something to keep me busy lately."
Setsuna smirked faintly.
"Uuu..."
Nearby, he suddenly noticed Tohru and Mio pouting, both looking like they wanted to say something but hesitated.
"What's wrong?"
"Who made you upset? Or did someone bully you?"
He reached out and rubbed the dragon girl's head.
"Commander, you forgot something!"
Tohru blushed and looked down shyly.
"What?"
"When you went to the EVA world, you didn't take me—and even after coming back, you've been obsessed with that mecha..."
"You've been out in space for days and haven't come home at night... uuu..."
"You haven't spent time with me in so long!!!"
"Ah?"
Setsuna finally realized he'd been so absorbed in studying his new power that he'd forgotten his usual post-expedition routine.
"You want a party? You should've just said so."
He pinched Tohru's cheek.
Thinking about it, it was true—he could only bring a few people on expeditions. Now that he was back, it was time to share the love and maintain harmony in the harem.
"Commander, you don't have to say it that bluntly!"
The dragon girl bit him in embarrassment.
Whoosh—
With a wave of his hand, the colossal form of the Eternal Snowfall appeared in projection. At the same time, news of a grand celebration aboard the starship spread throughout the capital.
"Ahhh~"
Kanae, Erina, and the others were already used to it, swiftly getting themselves ready.
A quick shower, fresh clothes, a touch of makeup—and the Totsuki chefs rushed to the storerooms to check ingredients, eager to create new dishes for the Commander to taste.
"And me too, Commander~"
Nyarlathotep pressed herself against him.
"Don't forget, to raise Unit-01's synchronization rate, what was it we had to do again?"
"Deep communication, right?—"
"Come on, let's see what the Outer God can really do."
—
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