Vmmm—
After subduing Esdeath, the Eternal Snowfall continued its journey, crossing glaciers and oceans, flying past the North Pole, heading toward the other side of the planet.
In the Akame ga Kill world, the Empire was merely the largest nation on the planet.
Other continents were still divided into various countries like the Western Kingdoms and the Southern Archipelagos.
When it came time to conquer the world, naturally—they were targets too.
...
Night.
On the bridge.
Esdeath stood on a high platform, staring blankly out the porthole at the sea of clouds and the sprawling mountains and forests below.
The once-mighty Imperial Capital, from up here, looked no bigger than a fist.
This was a sight she had never seen before.
Standing above the clouds, gazing down at the earth—it was her first experience.
Other starships cruised through the night sky. Some hovered silently, others bombarded the natives with merciless super-graviton cannons.
Some countries refused to surrender, even trying to rally armies for futile resistance.
The shipgirls would teach them a few lessons about reality.
Zzzz—
In the distance, a battleship fired a golden torrent of energy, piercing the sky and striking the ground.
Tens of thousands of assembled soldiers were obliterated instantly.
The starship's side batteries launched a dozen corrosive missiles, their red contrails screaming through the sky before detonating in the cities below.
Dark red hemispheres exploded one after another, reducing everything inside to basic particles.
After one strike—only bare rock and raging fire remained. An entire small country vanished.
"..."
Esdeath watched, her heart trembling.
So efficient—far beyond anything she could ever achieve.
This was how her army had been annihilated too.
"What's wrong? Sneaking out late at night to stargaze?"
Setsuna's voice came from behind her.
He pointed to the battleship that had just fired.
"That's the Richelieu, flagship of Iris Libre. Also, my oath-bound ship."
"She told me just now—some small country refused to surrender. So, she wiped it out."
Setsuna spoke lightly, but Esdeath was even more shaken.
For a spacefaring civilization, wiping out nations on this planet was as simple as pressing a few buttons from a command center.
All her desperate ground battles were nothing but child's play to these beings floating above the clouds.
"She used the same kind of weapon that wiped out my army?"
Esdeath asked.
"Five thousand? You underestimate us."
Setsuna chuckled and shook his head.
"I wiped out your fifty thousand troops simply because there were only fifty thousand there."
"Fifty thousand, five hundred thousand, five million... it's all the same to me."
Setsuna gave her a basic explanation of space battleships and weapons.
The technical details went over Esdeath's head.
But she grasped the basics: starships were flying warships capable of striking ground targets from tens or hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.
Given the tech level of the Akame ga Kill world—where catapults were considered advanced—it was almost impossible to digest this absurdity quickly.
"!!!"
After listening, Esdeath's breath hitched.
The super-graviton cannon that had erased fifty thousand troops in a blink?
It was merely a secondary cannon on the ship—meant for intercepting small targets like carrier aircraft and missiles during space warfare.
The Eternal Snowfall had hundreds of those turrets.
As for the main super-graviton cannons and axial main guns...
Those weapons were built to destroy continents—even planets—but this world had yet to produce a target worthy of their use.
"Why do you create such powerful weapons of war?"
Esdeath finally asked her last question.
"Their destructive power is already excessive for a single country."
"..."
"Esdeath, your previous world was too narrow."
Setsuna gazed out at the night sky, pondering for a moment before speaking slowly.
"The Empire, the Kingdoms—this entire world is just a small stepping stone for the Starsea Alliance."
"Fighting weak natives on the ground and tormenting them is meaningless."
"Our goal is to conquer countless worlds—to have thousands upon thousands of civilizations kneeling at our feet."
"So, overwhelming military power is necessary."
Whoosh—
He projected a star map before Esdeath, giving her a simple recount of his previous campaigns.
The Demon Slayer World, the Arpeggio of Blue Steel World, the Black Bullet World... each crushed with absolute force.
If a world displeased him, he destroyed it. If it was valuable, he conquered it.
"!"
Esdeath listened, utterly entranced.
She realized that, in a way, Setsuna was the same kind of person as she was.
They both pursued greater power, showed no mercy to their enemies, and were kind to their allies.
But his vision was far greater.
He had no petty sadism, no interest in bullying the weak.
While Esdeath found joy in tormenting primitive tribal people, Setsuna was conquering entire worlds—enslaving billions to his will.
Her record of slaughtering hundreds of thousands of barbarians was brutal by the Akame ga Kill world standards—
But compared to Setsuna's casual destruction of entire civilizations, it was nothing.
This—this was the difference in vision and ambition!
"Ah..."
When Esdeath looked at Setsuna again, her gaze changed.
She had once listed several requirements for her ideal partner:
Someone with grand ambition—at least aiming to become a general.
Someone brave enough to hunt danger beasts barehanded.
Preferably younger than herself, easier to dominate.
And now—
Standing under the starry sky, on the bridge of the Eternal Snowfall, Watching the back of this fleet commander and conqueror—
Esdeath realized Setsuna perfectly fit every condition.
Grand ambition?
No one on this world had greater ambitions—conquering the multiverse was a dream only Setsuna dared to pursue.
Strength and courage?
Did anyone who set out to subjugate the multiverse lack those?
He could easily wipe out danger beasts with his bare hands.
Age?
That hardly mattered anymore.
Esdeath had once thought it best to dominate a younger man—
But after meeting Setsuna, she felt it wouldn't be bad to be dominated by someone this overwhelmingly powerful.
He radiated a sense of ultimate security.
Blushing slightly, Esdeath fidgeted like a shy girl.
Then she took a few steps forward, knelt in front of Setsuna,
Grasped his hand—and pressed it against the mark of her Teigu on her chest.
"From now on... please—conquer me, humiliate me, enjoy me!"
Setsuna looked down at her in silence.
He found Esdeath to be quite an interesting person.
She was a battle maniac and a sadist, yet also a highly capable general.
She would use any means to slaughter and torment enemies weaker than herself.
But when it came to those stronger than her, Esdeath showed deep reverence.
If she fell in love, that was another matter entirely.
This seemingly sadistic queen was, deep down, a pure-hearted woman, longing for a stronger person to conquer her.
Setsuna happened to fulfill that condition perfectly.
"Don't you only worship those stronger in strength? We haven't fought, have we?"
Setsuna smiled as he looked down at her.
"You should be strong, right?"
Esdeath raised her head seriously and asked.
"Hm... in terms of strength, I should be ranked top three in my nation."
Setsuna thought for a moment.
Within the capital, only Lucoa was someone he couldn't easily deal with. Mio and Tohru were incredibly powerful on the ground—
But once the battlefield expanded to a cosmic scale, the Eternal Snowfall starship had the overwhelming advantage.
"That's good enough."
Esdeath didn't mind that this was just his word.
"Someone like you shouldn't have to personally fight."
"You are a true ruler and conqueror. There's no need for you to fight and kill like a mere warrior."
She spoke with sincere admiration in her tone, her face tinged with a faint blush.
"Interesting. Yat Sen once told me something similar."
Setsuna recalled—during the Second Singularity, after he went crazy piloting a Gundam to fight a divine ancestor, Yat Sen had lectured him about it.
Since then, he became a firm believer in firepower supremacy—always solving problems with overwhelming bombardment.
That a battle maniac like Esdeath could express similar views revealed a subtle, softer side to her.
As Setsuna was lost in thought, Esdeath suddenly stood up.
Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Her entire body pressed against him, showing off her perfect figure.
"Now I am already yours to command, Commander—that's what they call you, right?"
"Is there anything you want me to do for you?"
She lifted her blushing face, her beautiful blue eyes reflecting Setsuna's tall figure.
Setsuna suddenly felt like teasing her.
"When we get back, you're going to attend classes with Chen Hai."
"You're a native. You need a proper education—astronomy, basic magic theory, space combat strategy—start from the beginning."
"..."
Esdeath was stunned for a moment.
Then—
She smiled even more happily and gave him another kiss.
"That means you're accepting me into your world, wanting me to truly integrate—right?"
"Commander, you're so wonderful—"
Setsuna fully realized—a lovestruck woman was not bound by logic.
She could spin the smallest comment into a whole story in her head.
Drawing even closer, Esdeath whispered hotly into his ear.
"But—I want you to teach me something else too...—like..."
She murmured two words.
Then looked up at him expectantly.
"...You're bold, huh."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow, then lifted her into a princess carry.
"Come, I'll teach you."
...
...
Knock knock knock—
"Commander, breakfast is ready!"
The next morning, Tohru cheerfully pushed open the bedroom door, carrying a breakfast tray—
Esdeath sat up tiredly, clutching the blanket to loosely cover her fair, faintly pink-tinted skin.
She gathered her icy blue hair and shook her head to clear her mind.
This was far more exhausting than any battlefield.
Yet—she was incredibly happy.
She had finally found her dream lover.
Setsuna lay beside her, already awake, leaning against the headboard and processing information on a holographic interface.
"What are you looking at?"
Esdeath rested her head on his shoulder and peeked at the screen.
She couldn't understand it—just dense rows of symbols.
"Just running a routine check on the Eternal Snowfall."
Setsuna patted her head and lightly pinched her cheek.
After fully conquering Esdeath, she was now the very image of a sweet, devoted housewife.
It was almost impossible to believe she had been a ruthless battle maniac just yesterday.
That strong contrast was part of her charm.
"Mmm... so, am I your girlfriend now?"
Esdeath asked shyly, tracing circles on his chest with her finger.
"Girlfriend, huh? That sounds a bit distant compared to others, but if you want to call yourself that, fine."
Setsuna answered with a smile.
"?"
"What do you mean, 'distant compared to others'?"
Esdeath immediately caught the odd phrasing.
"The shipgirls are my oath-bound ships. Mio and Tokisaki Kurumi call me husband. Tohru too is my partner."
"Calling yourself 'girlfriend' makes you seem a little... lower by comparison."
Setsuna took a sip of orange juice Tohru had just handed him.
The dragon maid kept a calm face, but her tail swished happily behind her at the word "partner."
"???"
"Wait—I'm not your first? Not even your only one?!"
Esdeath realized something shocking...
"Mm."
Setsuna admitted frankly.
"Including you, there are about ten now."
"???"
Esdeath's pupils quivered.
"I thought we were each other's firsts?!"
"Isn't that a bit too much?!"
She had been fully prepared to dedicate everything to this man—
To follow him through fire and storm, to live out a sweet love story.
Only to learn she was merely one of many.
And the number could still grow.
Esdeath was not okay.
"No one gets to monopolize me."
Setsuna flicked her forehead lightly.
"..."
Esdeath pouted like a wronged wife.
After brooding for a bit—
She thought it over. She could understand.
A man as powerful as Setsuna would naturally be surrounded by exceptional women.
She could hardly blame anyone.
If anything, they had simply met too late.
"Then—I want to be the main wife! Let the others be concubines!"
Esdeath half-pleaded, half-whined.
"No. I treat everyone equally."
Setsuna refused firmly.
"If I become stronger than the others—can I monopolize you?"
Esdeath clung to him, her survival-of-the-fittest philosophy surfacing.
"Then you'd probably still be dead last."
Setsuna started counting with his fingers.
"You can't beat Tohru. You definitely can't beat Mio. As for the others—Richelieu, Taihou, Yat Sen—the shipgirls could vaporize you from orbit."
"As for Kurumi Tokisaki... she can stop, accelerate, and rewind time. You'd never land a hit on her."
In a duel where both could time-stop and counter each other, whoever struck first would win.
And Kurumi's time mastery clearly surpassed Esdeath's ice abilities.
After hearing all that—
Esdeath deflated.
"Fine, fine. I'll be a little concubine."
"Maybe someday I'll challenge them again."
But then another thought crossed her mind.
"But—can you really make time for all of us?"
In her simple mind, even if Setsuna worked himself to death, with ten girls, each would only get about three days a month.
"..."
Setsuna smiled without answering, ruffling her hair.
"You'll find out later. Guess what the Eternal Snowfall's other main function is, aside from blowing things up?"
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