Inside the bridge of the Eternal Snowfall, the lights shimmered brightly.
Under the influence of temporal distortion, the stars outside seemed frozen in stillness—even the rotation of planets became almost imperceptible.
Shipgirls, Spirits, and Heroic Spirits gathered together, celebrating the triumphant return of their latest expedition.
Of course, another reason was simple—being aboard the Eternal Snowfall was practically a vacation.
A starship larger than the Moon—one could live aboard it for months without ever feeling bored.
After a lively banquet and plenty of good food, everyone eventually dispersed, tactfully leaving the Commander some private time.
Asuka, Mari, and the other newcomers from the EVA world were in awe of the magnificent ship.
"So that small one he piloted back there was considered a 'starship'? This... this is on another level!"
Guided by the shipgirls and Angeloids, they toured the massive interior, utterly speechless at the scale and sophistication of it all.
Rei Ayanami followed quietly behind, calm on the surface but full of wonder inside.
It was hard to imagine what it would be like to one day set out aboard the Eternal Snowfall for a real interstellar expedition.
"Um... excuse me, will I have the chance to go into battle again in the future?"
Asuka asked hesitantly.
As a native who had once been frightened by the sheer scale of power, she secretly longed to pilot an EVA again—to shock other worlds' natives this time.
"Train diligently and you'll have your chance. Even if your current strength isn't enough, the Commander will surely find other worlds for you to gain experience in," Yat Sen replied with a gentle smile.
Meanwhile—
At the topmost deck, within the Command Quarters.
"Wow—"
Nyarlathotep followed Setsuna into his bedroom.
"So big! Commander, you sleep in a room this huge all by yourself?!"
She rolled around on the bed, glancing about curiously.
The master suite was enormous, spanning multiple levels—practically a villa—with every luxury imaginable.
"Usually there are a lot of people here. Tonight's special—just you."
Setsuna thought for a moment and said.
"Oh..."
Nyarlathotep tilted her head, pondering for a moment—then suddenly leapt into his arms, pressing her lips to his in a deep kiss.
"Commander, I love you!"
The little ahoge atop her head curled into a heart shape.
"Let's make it official already! Or should I call it... magical bonding? That's the right term, right?!"
"You wouldn't possibly reject me, would you?..."
"..."
Her initiative was truly beyond comprehension.
No one could resist such a confession from a cute girl—even if her true form was an indescribable Outer God.
After all, if an Outer God looked like a cute girl and felt like a cute girl—then she was a cute girl.
And Setsuna was, at the very least, a man of science—and curiosity.
"You're adorable."
He lifted Nyarlathotep into his arms.
"Is this form fine? Or would you prefer me to change into something else?"
"I can become anything you can imagine~" she said with a blush.
"This is perfect."
He pinched her cheek lightly.
Thankfully, she hadn't suggested transforming into her true form—his psyche wasn't quite ready for that kind of cosmic horror.
"Ah—"
Nyarlathotep let out a soft gasp as she was gently placed on the bed, her arms wrapping around Setsuna's neck, eyes filled with affection.
"Too bad I wasn't your first girlfriend~"
"If only you'd come to find me sooner."
Pfft—
Setsuna almost burst out laughing.
Having an Outer God as your first girlfriend? That would be absurdly wild.
Still, considering the moral standards of Nyarlathotep's universe—where nearly everyone counted as a paragon of decency—he probably wouldn't be in danger even if he showed up naked.
"It's fine. Now's good enough."
"Right~ I took an 18-million-year leave, and when I go back, I'll apply to the Cosmic Union for an interdimensional marriage license! That way I can stay here forever, ehehe~"
Setsuna couldn't help but feel warmth rise in his chest.
Nyarlathotep's way of expressing affection was remarkably direct—she liked what she liked, and never pretended otherwise.
Her face was charmingly cute, her figure slender yet well-proportioned, and her skin smooth and delicate—altogether exuding effortless beauty.
Though not as voluptuous as the shipgirls, her physique complemented her personality perfectly.
"Commander, please give the order," Nyarlathotep whispered softly beside Setsuna's ear.
"Mhm."
And so, beyond shipgirls, Spirits, Heroic Spirits, and humanity itself, Setsuna experienced, for the first time, the touch of an Outer God.
...
Within the starship, day and night cycled seamlessly—controlled entirely by the holographic dome ceiling.
Unknowingly, several days had already passed.
"Hey, where's the Commander?"
"Why haven't we seen him at all these past few days? Has he seriously been holed up with Nyarlathotep this whole time?"
Formidable, Tohru, and Nero voiced their soul-deep suspicions.
According to custom, the first time was supposed to be exclusive—but Nyarlathotep had gone too far.
They hadn't seen either of them leave the room for days.
If not for the Royal Maids occasionally delivering meals, they might've thought something had gone wrong.
"Hmm, that reminds me of a poem I just learned." Nero nodded solemnly.
"'Our master favors beauty more than rule, eternal snow and fleeting spring entwine, the spring night short, the sun climbs high, henceforth the master won't attend the court.'"
"???"
"Go rewrite that poem twenty times when we get back," Chen Hai said, mildly exasperated.
The group made their way together toward Setsuna's quarters.
From inside came a series of strange sounds.
"Commander, not enough yet! If you want to raise the synchronization rate, you have to try harder..."
"At a rate of 1% per session, if we push a little more, we can reach 400% in half a month!"
"Stop!! Let's take a break!!! At least let me eat something, okay?!"
Bang—
The door slid open.
The shipgirls could tell at a glance—they'd caught them during an intermission.
Nyarlathotep greeted them energetically, while Setsuna looked... a bit drained.
He sat by the bedside, clearly deep in "philosophical reflection."
"Commander, are you alright?" Formidable asked, concerned.
"..."
Setsuna's expression was complicated.
As the Commander of the Starsea Empire and as a man, he could accept being called lacking in intellect—or even in power.
But one thing he could never be called—was incapable.
With dozens of shipgirls, Spirits, and Heroic Spirits in his harem, how could he be said to be lacking?
Yet before an Outer God, he was simply... outmatched.
Even when he had once managed to "subdue" Origami and Tohka's Spirits in a single night, then taken Illustrious as an encore—it still didn't compare.
The sheer stamina consumption couldn't hold a candle to just one Nyarlathotep.
The Eldritch Juicer Girl—truly terrifying.
He felt as if his soul had been squeezed dry.
...
After some rest, Setsuna checked the control panel.
"Hmm..."
"The synchronization rate really did increase?"
[Current Synchronization Rate: 105.6%]
Compared to painstakingly studying Outer God energy alone, direct and intimate "communication" with an Outer God proved far more efficient.
"Of course~ This is full-spectrum communication—body and soul~" Nyarlathotep purred, rubbing her cheek against his back.
"Eh? Only up by 5%? I thought it'd go up by 1% per round! Shouldn't it have increased by, like, forty or fifty by now?"
"At this pace, Commander, you'll be able to merge completely with my avatar in no time~"
"Five percent in just a few days is already impressive, don't forget—time aboard the Eternal Snowfall flows differently."
Setsuna tapped her head lightly.
He could feel his control over Unit-01 improving bit by bit. He could only imagine what it would be like once he achieved full synchronization.
"Hmm, that's true," Nyarlathotep mused with a mischievous smile.
"Slow and steady, after all~ That just means I get to spend more time... hehehe..."
"..."
Setsuna sighed inwardly. It was probably time to start physical training again—if only to survive Nyarlathotep's enthusiasm.
Otherwise, she'd drain him dry sooner or later.
"Hmm..."
During a break for meals—
Whoosh—
Setsuna projected a Hyperdimensional Star Map before him, pondering the remaining neighboring worlds.
He marked the EVA world as conquered.
At first, he'd thought some of these worlds would be far too troublesome to handle.
But now—with the Outer Gods and the Cthulhu legion by his side—he felt far more confident.
"Hmm?"
While studying the star map, Setsuna remembered that there were still a few unresolved matters in some of the previously explored worlds.
His gaze fell first upon the Goblin Slayer world.
Back then, due to his limited strength, he hadn't dared to challenge the background gods directly.
Instead, he'd used stealth and concealment to sneak in, rescue a few people, and treat the entire world like a farming dungeon.
But now, with the help of the Outer Gods—and piloting an EVA capable of wrestling with divinities—it was time to deliver a little Cthulhu-style shock and awe.
"Nyarlathotep, Shubuko, Kuuko."
He pointed at the three Outer God girls.
"We're going to take down another world's gods. Any objections?"
"Oh?"
The three leaned in, peering at the Goblin Slayer world's data.
"Gods of Fantasy and Reality? Never heard of them..."
"They treat the world like a dice board for entertainment? Ugh, that's disgusting. In our realm, Azathoth would've smacked them for that."
The Outer God girls clicked their tongues in disdain—deeply unimpressed by the psychotic deities ruling the Goblin Slayer world.
After reading through the reports, Nyarlathotep tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Doesn't sound strong. Easy work."
"Wait, Commander, I have a question," Kanae suddenly raised her hand.
"The Goblin Slayer world has always been our training and gear-grinding zone, right? We go there all the time to practice swordsmanship and skills..."
"If those gods get taken down, can we still go there to farm?"
The Goblin Slayer world's gods regularly spawned waves of monsters—it was one of the best dungeons for experience grinding.
Teams like the Demon Slayer Corps and Night Raid squads often ventured there to hone their combat abilities and test new techniques.
Losing such an auto-refreshing premium dungeon felt... a little unfortunate.
"Hm..."
Setsuna thought for a moment.
"That's easy—just summon Eris, Lalatina, and Aqua. The goddesses of the Konosuba world are professionals in interdimensional management."
"They can take over governance of the Goblin Slayer world—it'd be much better under them."
Even though the Konosuba goddesses weren't exactly powerhouses, they were still genuine deities.
Letting them manage an alternate world made perfect sense.
"Oh, wait—scratch that. Keep Aqua here. Have the Research Division keep her busy—just don't let her go over there and mess things up."
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