Half an hour later.
Setsuna handed the captured little Jibril over to the Angeloids for "education."
Though he was quite tempted to tease the loli-sized Jibril a bit, there were more pressing matters to attend to.
After dealing with that unexpected encounter, he gathered the rest of the expedition team.
"Hmm... the races here are indeed cautious—more so than those we've encountered in other worlds."
"Almost all of them have gone into hiding, pretending to play dead. It's starting to feel like a full-scale passive resistance movement."
Every race was secretly observing, gathering intelligence on the Starsea Empire, and waiting for the situation to unfold. No one dared to make the first move.
The direct result? The world of Disboard had achieved peace.
Setsuna almost thought he had accidentally sent out a universal ceasefire order instead of a declaration of war on all species.
"If it were me, I wouldn't want to be the first to stand out either. What if we pissed off Daddy?"
Gudako clicked her tongue.
"Probably only troublemakers like Jibril would dare show up."
"So... we're just stuck waiting?"
"No."
Setsuna brought up a holographic interface, displaying a detailed map marking every race's city and settlement.
"If they won't come to us, then we'll go to them."
"These past few days, the Sophons have completed a full-scale scan of Disboard. All of them are hoarding strength, hoping to let other races fight us first so they can profit from the aftermath."
"Some races are even accelerating their secret weapon projects—the Dwarves' E-Bomb, the Elves' Void Zero Protection... things originally designed to fight the Old Deus. They've kindly prepared a set for us too."
No information could escape the Sophons' surveillance. On higher-dimensional levels, they recorded every plot and every word, then summarized and reported everything back to Setsuna.
"They're hoping we'll fight the others to mutual ruin, and they'll swoop in to reap the benefits? Adorable."
Grey tilted her head.
"Exactly. So, we'll take the initiative—knock every race down together, and make them behave."
Setsuna cleared his throat.
"OOHHH!!—"
Everyone immediately cheered in excitement.
After settling the humans, this was the moment they had all been waiting for—the fun part.
Whoosh—
The holographic map displayed the data of each race in detail:
Locations, population, primary combat methods, power levels, and the divine creators responsible for them.
"Artosh and the Flügel will be mine. The rest, pick whoever you like."
Setsuna waved his hand casually.
He didn't mind letting each squad show off their strength.
As for the strongest being in the world of No Game No Life, it was only right that he handle it personally.
Defeating Artosh himself was also key to subduing the Flügel.
After all, Artosh's only wish was to find someone capable of defeating him.
"OOOOHHHH!!"
Shipgirls, dragons, Spirits, Heroic Spirits, and others all scrambled to make their picks.
"I'll take the Dragonia."
Tohru clenched her fists, flashing a sharp grin with her small fangs.
"Let's see how the dragons of this world compare to me."
Elma raised her trident.
"I'm coming with you! Uh... just to make sure you don't overdo it and ruin our reputation!"
"The Elves are strongest in magic? Then let me handle them, darling."
Mio smiled sweetly.
Beside her stood the Spirit team—from Origami Tobiichi to Tohka Yatogami—and somehow, even Mayuri had snuck in.
"The Elf Queen, Think Nirvalen, can use eightfold spell arrays? I wonder how that compares to Paradise of Samsara..."
"If it's not enough, I can always call upon the Angel of Void. Don't worry."
"You're bullying them..."
Kurumi sighed, black lines crossing her face. She always felt that fighting alongside Mio made things way too one-sided.
Mio was no longer the naive sweetheart she once appeared to be. After spending so much time with Setsuna, her battle experience was now on par with combat veterans like Tohru.
Kanae, Esdeath, and the others also led their own squads, each selecting their preferred targets.
Having just received new powers from Setsuna, they were eager to prove themselves.
"Hmm..."
Tripitaka thought for a moment before signing up alongside the Lion King and the King of Knights.
"Master, please allow me to join. Spreading the Buddha's teachings across other worlds is also my duty."
"Huh?"
Gudako blinked in surprise.
"You're going to preach Buddhism to the other races? Are you sure about that?"
"Heh..."
Tripitaka clasped his hands together in a chanting pose.
"If they fail to comprehend the Dharma, this humble monk also knows a few hand techniques."
"???"
...
"First strike team, target confirmed—launch."
"Second team, ready for departure."
"Third team, entering maneuver position. Clear the front..."
Vmmm—
BOOM!!!—
High above the sky.
Centered around the flagship, the expeditionary fleets spread out, each confirming its assigned target race before engaging engines and shooting toward the horizon.
On the ground, humans looked up, their eyes following the glowing trails that the warships carved through the heavens, the air still trembling with heat.
"Ah..."
Everyone stood in awe.
No one could have imagined the day when humanity would launch a campaign—not of survival, but of conquest—against other races.
At the same time, the Sophons transmitted a final ultimatum to all species:
"The Imperial Fleet is now conducting a full-scale conquest of this world."
"All races are ordered to immediately disarm and surrender to the Starsea Empire, submitting to Imperial governance."
"The Empire guarantees the safety of all who surrender. As long as you abide by Imperial law, your species will be allowed to live in peace."
"Those who insist on resisting Imperial will—let it not be said that you were not warned..."
"..."
"Ah!!!"
The entire world of Disboard was thrown into shock.
All the races that had remained on standby, quietly observing events from the shadows, suddenly received explosive news:
The Starsea Empire was serious.
They had begun an all-out military campaign against every race in Disboard.
It was an unprecedented event in the history of war.
Weaker races had allied before to challenge stronger ones—like the current hints of collaboration between the Elves and Ex-Machina against the Flügel.
But not even the Old Deus, nor the War God seated upon his heavenly throne, had ever openly declared war upon everyone.
This was one force against the entire world.
The temporarily calm global situation instantly descended into chaos.
"..."
"That was fast..."
In the Elven capital, Think Nirvalen analyzed the latest scout reports.
"What? A Flügel challenged the Starsea Empire—and was defeated and captured?"
She listened in disbelief.
And when she learned that the one who had gone to fight was likely Jibril—the very Flügel who once destroyed the Elven capital—her expression turned complicated.
On one hand, she felt a sense of satisfaction at Jibril's downfall.
On the other, she realized something terrifying:
The Starsea Empire's power exceeded that of the Flügel.
The scouts, having kept their distance for safety, hadn't witnessed the battle itself.
They only reported that the fight had shaken the earth, that Heavenly Smite had been unleashed, and that in the end, the victor was an unknown girl from the Empire.
"Stronger than the Flügel... meaning they're above the sixth-ranked race? This is bad..."
"If only we had data on their battles with the Dragonia or the Gigants, I could estimate their overall level."
Think sighed softly.
The power gap between races was vast.
The strongest Flügel could easily destroy the Elven capital, but it took at least thirty Flügel to slay a single Gigant.
There wasn't yet enough data to determine the Starsea Empire's exact ranking.
Beep—
Then, a holographic transmission appeared.
"What? They're coming here?!"
She froze.
Vmmm—
A low hum filled the air above.
The Elven capital, hidden deep within the forest, stirred in alarm. Looking up, they saw it—
A dark-blue warship hovering low, covering most of the sky.
Clack—
The ship's side and lower weapon modules shifted, adjusting their aim.
Massive cannons stretching for kilometers and countless missile pods and secondary guns gleamed with a cold, metallic light.
Zzz—
A holographic interface flickered open before every race—the Elves in the forest, the Seiren in the sea, the Dwarves in the caverns.
From the speakers came the proud yet slightly smug voice of the nanobot and human troublemaker:
"Open up! The Empire Fleet is here to bring you warmth!!!"
...
"Ah..."
Faced with the sudden arrival of the Imperial Fleet, the Elves of the forest stood in stunned silence.
After a brief period of confusion, under Think Nirvalen's command, the situation finally stabilized.
"Good day, everyone."
A calm, elegant voice echoed—it was the Spirit of Origin.
"As you can see, I come on behalf of the Starsea Empire."
"My husband—oh no, I mean, my Commander—is about to conquer the entire world and bring peace to this planet. From now on, the Elves will come under Imperial administration, existing as our vassals."
Mio wasn't particularly skilled at formal declarations; it took her a moment of thought before she managed to put her words together.
"What?"
Think and the Elves were utterly dumbfounded.
To fly a fleet right over their heads and then announce that they would now be subjects of the Starsea Empire—this was the very definition of gunboat diplomacy.
"Wait! That's absurd!"
Think Nirvalen protested. She didn't order an attack, instead signaling her subordinates to stand down.
"Telling us we're suddenly to become subordinates of some empire... that's far too abrupt!"
"We don't even know who you are or where you come from!"
Her long years of experience had trained her to remain adaptable.
She couldn't oppose them outright—the Empire's fleet was countless times more terrifying than anything the Dwarves had ever built. The Elven capital would never survive such an assault.
But she couldn't agree either. None of them knew what this 'Starsea Empire' truly was—or even what species these people belonged to.
"Hmm..."
Mio thought for a moment.
Clack—
The ship's hatch opened, and she descended gracefully with her team of Spirits.
"Human? No... not quite..."
Behind Think, intricate magic circles flared to life as she layered protective enchantments upon herself and began her analysis.
The result was strange—their appearance was humanlike, yet their essence felt completely alien, as if they were a race outside the known fifteen.
From Mio and her group, Think sensed an unfamiliar, indescribable energy.
"In simple terms, the Commander hopes you'll swear allegiance to him and the Starsea Empire. From today, the Elves will continue their lives here as a subordinate species of the Empire."
The Sophon explained in detail.
"The wars of Disboard will end. Every race will live peacefully under Imperial rule."
"Oh?"
Faced with such a direct declaration, Think hesitated for a moment before replying carefully.
"This..."
"We don't even know who you are. We have no idea what kind of species you are—or what your capabilities are."
"You claim you'll bring peace to the world? That sounds nice, but surely you realize that would make you enemies of every other race?"
"Besides us, there are the beasts, the reptiles, the moles, and those stupid birds in the sky. They're not easy to deal with."
She was trying to probe for more information.
"You mean the Werebeasts, Dragonia, Dwarves, and Flügel? Other teams will handle them."
Mio shook her head.
"Well then... since you're humanoid, at least we share some common ground. That makes things simpler."
Kurumi idly twirled a lock of her hair as she spoke.
"I'll give you two choices. One—we settle this with a duel. If you lose, you'll obediently swear allegiance to the Commander, and the Sophon will explain the rest."
"Or two—you can choose to fight the fleet. All of you, at once. We can make it a clan-wide battle if you prefer."
"Hiss—"
Think exchanged glances with the other Elves.
Compared to a full-scale battle that would surely devastate their capital, a duel sounded much more reasonable.
If their strongest couldn't defeat the Empire's envoy, surrendering early would at least spare them needless suffering.
"I'll do it."
She stepped forward.
"I am Think Nirvalen, leader of the Elves. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"I am Mio."
The Spirit of Origin replied softly.
A few minutes later—
Both sides stood across from one another in an open clearing.
The surrounding area was packed with curious Elves who had come to watch. Meanwhile, the accompanying Spirit squad sat nearby, yawning in boredom.
Think observed her mysterious opponent cautiously.
By intuition, she could tell that the silver-haired girl before her was also a magic user—but even for the Elves, masters of magic, it was impossible to gauge her true power.
"Pardon my discourtesy."
Complex spell formations began to encircle Think.
As the first sorceress known as the Crown of Flowers, she was capable of using eightfold spellcraft—constructing and combining eight different magics at once to unleash exponentially greater power.
Whoosh—whoosh—
A pale cyan barrier enveloped her.
[Spiritbane Formula: Fourth Blessing of Eternity]
This was the highest level of sealing and defensive magic, capable of resisting even Heavenly Smite, E-Bombs, or stronger attacks.
"Ohh..."
The Spirit squad watched in awe—they'd discovered yet another fascinating magical technique.
"Guess that means the elective courses in the Magic Academy are going to multiply again."
Kotori Itsuka sighed lifelessly.
Vmm—shhh—
Mio patiently watched Think cast one ornate Spiritbane Formula after another—buffs, terrain alterations, reflection fields...
When the preparations finally ended, Mio tilted her head slightly.
"Ready?"
"Yes. Come."
Think's body shimmered within her web of magic circles. She had activated every Spiritbane Formula at her disposal, fully confident in her next attack.
"This spell was meant for those foolish birds... but it seems I'll have to use it now."
"Void Zero—"
Before the words could finish—
[Ain Soph (Paradise of Samsara)]
Behind Mio, the Angel of laws manifested.
The world turned monochrome—time and space froze.
"Ah!"
Think realized her entire reality had been sealed. Her consciousness floated exposed, but her body could no longer move.
Swish—
The Spirit of Origin waved her hand—every single spell Think had cast was erased in an instant.
Even without understanding the Elves' magical system, Mio's arbitrary domain—born of overwhelming hierarchy—rendered it meaningless.
She formed a branch-blade in her hand and casually threw it.
Thwack—
Think was pinned to a tree, unable to move.
Her connection to the Spirit Corridor was severed; not a trace of magic could flow through her.
"All done?"
Mio tilted her head.
"!!!"
The Elves were dumbstruck.
They couldn't comprehend how their most powerful eightfold caster had been defeated in a single effortless move by this strange silver-haired girl.
All those dazzling incantations, gone like a cheap magic trick.
...
"Fair's fair. You'll come with me to meet the Commander. Otherwise, the shipgirls up there might get upset."
"..."
Half an hour later—
Think Nirvalen, still looking as though she'd seen a ghost, boarded the ship alongside the Spirit squad.
"My darling Commander, the Elves have agreed to submit to the Starsea Empire. Mission accomplished~"
Mio pouted playfully on the holographic screen, reporting to Setsuna.
"That fast?"
"Well, they're supposed to be the best at magic... I just had a little duel with their leader, and they surrendered. Give me a sec, I'll bring her back with me."
"...Nicely done. You're getting smarter."
Then, Mio thought of something.
"Right, the god who created the Elves was named Kainath, wasn't it? Hmm, we should probably deal with that too."
"Huh?!"
Think jumped in alarm.
"You mean that airheaded creator god? It's only slightly more useful than dust—but it's still one of the Old Deus!"
Kainath might not have much presence, but it ranked among the more powerful of the divine beings.
Many of the Elves' Spiritbane Formulas were derived from Kainath's research.
"Hm... loose ends aren't good. Kainath will definitely object to its creations submitting to another civilization. I'll go have a little talk."
Mio had the Sophons locate Kainath's temple.
In the next moment, she appeared before the unfamiliar Old Deus.
"So, you're the God of Forest?"
"Outsider—you dare enslave the race I created and challenge the gods themselves? Insolent...!"
An overwhelming aura erupted across the land.
The primordial deity prepared to unleash its divine wrath upon the invader.
Whoosh—
Mio clasped her hands together—her domain expanded.
The Third Angel manifested before her.
[Ain (Angel of Void)]
"..."
Kainath: "...I have no objections."