The Golden Deer cruised toward the open sea.
According to the strategy plan, Setsuna decided to start by fixing the world.
And to grab a few Heroic Spirits along the way.
He was very familiar with the storyline, and knew exactly where each Heroic Spirit was hiding in this world.
Clack—
The starship landed in front of a cave on a deserted island.
From the outside, a barrier was set up inside the cave, isolating it from the outside environment.
Crack—
The Spirit of Origin reached out and lightly touched it, and the barrier shattered with a loud boom.
Heading deeper inside revealed a massive underground labyrinth, almost like a palace.
"Ooh ooh ooh—A labyrinth means treasure!!"
Gudako was excited and ready to take the lead.
"This is Asterios' Noble Phantasm—what treasure are you talking about? You want to go fight the Minotaur?"
Setsuna laughed and called her back.
He patted the dragon girl beside him.
"Tohru, this is a type of Reality Marble. Can you break it?"
"Uh..."
"Let me try?"
The dragon girl scratched her head.
She reached out, and a complex red magic circle appeared on her fingertips.
Boom!!!
Crash—
A wave of magical energy swept across the entire island.
The labyrinth in front of them shattered like a mirror.
"?"
Deep within the original labyrinth, a loli with purple twin-tails, petite stature, and dressed in a white dress hadn't yet realized what happened.
She was suddenly exposed to the open sky.
She and Setsuna's group stared at each other.
Roar!!!
Not far away, a burly humanoid monster wearing a bull mask and bound in chains lunged over.
Massive in size and radiating raw power, it was clearly a Berserker.
Smack—
The dragon girl slapped him into the ground.
"Blackbeard?! No... Who are you?!"
The purple-haired loli was shocked when she saw Setsuna.
It was her first time encountering someone who could brute-force destroy a Reality Marble.
"Isn't this Euryale?"
Setsuna chuckled.
The little loli in front of him looked a lot like Stheno back at the base—she was the second sister of the Gorgon trio.
Though small, she was stunningly cute and pretty.
She was a manifestation of male desire from mythology—a fallen goddess born as an "idol," an "ideal woman."
As for the third sister, Medusa, they'd have to fetch her from another world.
"You know me??"
The little loli was even more surprised.
"Of course. Your sister's with me."
Setsuna cleared his throat.
"Euryale, you don't want to keep hiding here and get found by Blackbeard, do you?"
...
A few minutes later.
Crew +1 aboard the Golden Deer.
Euryale looked around curiously at the coalition force from various worlds aboard the ship.
She had hidden in Asterios' labyrinth to escape Blackbeard's pursuit.
After the Reality Marble was broken, she ended up on this "pirate ship" without even knowing how.
Since she couldn't beat anyone here, she had no choice but to comply.
"You said big sis is here too? Where is she?"
The little loli looked around but didn't see any sign of Stheno.
"She's playing in the capital. If you want a sister reunion, wait until I finish clearing this world."
Setsuna briefly explained his background and the current situation to Euryale.
Then, the starship continued its relentless journey.
"Hmm, let's see which Heroic Spirits are left in this Singularity..."
Setsuna took out his memo and crossed off Euryale's name.
Before departure, he had listed all the valuable Heroic Spirits in the third Singularity.
Then, based on his memory and the starship's onboard sensors, he would recruit them one by one.
"Anne, Mary, Medea Lily, Atalanta..."
As he looked around, Setsuna suddenly realized that more than half the Heroic Spirits were on the other two ships.
"Come on, let's go beat up Blackbeard and Jason."
"Once we deal with them, this Singularity should be fully resolved."
...
On the vast, open sea—
A large sailing ship flew a black pirate flag as it cut through the waves.
At the helm stood a wild-looking man, shirtless, with a thick, bushy beard—
Edward Thatch.
One of the most infamous pirates in history, he ruled over the entire Caribbean, reveling in wine, women, and violence.
His Blackbeard Pirate Crew once dominated multiple seas, at its peak boasting an entire fleet.
"Tch, my little darling... where are you..."
Blackbeard piloted his flagship—the Queen Anne's Revenge—scouring one deserted island after another.
He'd meticulously searched every isle on the nautical charts.
"Tch. Pervert."
At the edge of the deck, a blonde female Heroic Spirit in a red cape spat disdainfully.
Standing next to her was a slightly shorter Heroic Spirit.
Anne Bonny and Mary Read—both pirates who had joined Blackbeard's crew.
Driven by pirates' insatiable desire for treasure and riches, they had teamed up to hunt the Holy Grail.
However, both women were openly critical of their captain.
Though powerful, he was a stereotypical pirate in every sense—
Greedy, violent, and lecherous…
He was chasing down Euryale simply because he was a lolicon,
Having fallen for the goddess's stunning beauty, he was willing to mobilize the entire pirate crew to force her submission.
"Hey, maybe we should focus on finding clues to the Holy Grail first?" Anne suggested.
"Oh?"
Blackbeard didn't even lift his eyes from the helm.
"You know where the Grail is?"
"No."
"Then what's the point? You want me to fish the Grail out of the sea?"
He clicked his tongue and resumed his loli-hunting quest.
"..."
"But... I can sense a faint magical presence in these waters... The Holy Grail shouldn't be far..."
Anne closed her eyes and focused, trying to sense her surroundings.
Beyond the salty tang of the sea breeze, there was indeed a trace of magic in the air.
"..."
The other Heroic Spirits aboard the ship followed her lead.
Sure enough, they too sensed something unusual.
Then—
That faint magical aura grew stronger and stronger.
Until it became so massive it could no longer be hidden.
With startled cries from the crew—
They looked up—
A tentacled, sail-bearing starship tore through the clouds, diving straight toward the Queen Anne's Revenge.
"Commander~ it looks like there are several Heroic Spirits you want on that ship~"
"If we use plasma cannons or corrosive missiles, we might not be able to recruit them. Want me to use something more... special?"
Golden Hind asked in a voice so sweet it practically dripped with honey.
"Do as you please."
Setsuna was curious to see what a Cthulhu shipgirl could do.
"Then watch closely, Commander. This is the 'Blessing of the Deep Sea'~"
...
Boom!!!
Under the horrified gazes of the Blackbeard Pirate Crew, the Golden Hind landed beside the Queen Anne's Revenge.
The waves it stirred nearly capsized the sailing ship.
In terms of size, Blackbeard's warship was tiny compared to the sail-equipped starship.
It wasn't much bigger than one of the gun turrets on the side of the Golden Hind.
The crew looked up—
The starship loomed like a towering wall of black metal, stretching beyond sight.
"Fire!!!"
Blackbeard, momentarily stunned, quickly regained his wits.
With a swing of his cutlass, the sailing ship loaded and fired.
Boom—Boom—Boom.
His Noble Phantasm was the ship itself. The more Servants aboard, the stronger it became—the ship's firepower and durability increasing with each one.
In the original story, the Queen Anne's Revenge could send Drake's Golden Hind, along with Gudako, Euryale, and the others, fleeing in panic.
But in front of the upgraded Golden Hind, its attacks were little more than a tickle.
The other Heroic Spirits also made their moves.
[Bloodbath Crown · Bloody Coronation]
Eric Bloodaxe drew his massive axe and charged toward the starship.
"Ah, this is my first time fighting Heroic Spirits..."
"But it seems you're not as strong as Artoria, Jeanne Alter, or Jeanne d'Arc..."
Inside the bridge, the Golden Hind watched the native Heroic Spirits perform with great interest.
This Singularity was a perfect match for the Azure shipgirls.
The final sea blockade.
Naval warfare?
Against shipgirls?!
Even if you were the most legendary pirate in history, it wouldn't matter—there were plenty of named pirate ships among the shipgirls.
In terms of class and tech, they were utterly overwhelming.
"Commander, watch closely. This is the power of the Tempesta Faction shipgirls."
"Though we may have slightly less firepower than carriers and battleships, on the open sea..."
The Golden Hind gestured.
Whoosh—
From beneath the waves and the sides of the starship, countless tentacles extended upward, blotting out the sky.
They were much larger than those seen before, resembling mythological Old Ones manifesting in the modern world.
Blackbeard's sailing ship wasn't even as large as a single suction cup.
"???"
"Sea monster!!!"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
Blackbeard frantically turned the helm, trying to escape.
"Too late~"
Came the seductive voice of the Golden Hind.
The tentacles slammed down on the tiny pirate ship.
Despite multiple Noble Phantasm buffs and possessing defense capable of tanking anti-army or anti-fortress attacks at sea, it couldn't withstand this kind of simple, brutal force.
Smack!!!
Waves exploded upward in a massive spray.
With the first strike, the sailing ship shattered into pieces.
The sea surface was covered in wooden debris and broken components.
Several Heroic Spirits and crew members who couldn't swim clung to planks, struggling in the turbulent waves.
Forget fighting—just staying afloat was all they could manage.
"Let's see… the Commander wants… you two!"
The shipgirl pointed forward.
Two tentacles wrapped around Anne and Mary, tossing them into the starship's hold.
As for Blackbeard, Bloodaxe, and the other pirates—they were suspended midair and crushed.
"???"
"What the hell are you?!..."
For the first time in his years at sea, Blackbeard felt true fear.
Not even the legendary sea monsters were this absurd.
"..."
The Golden Hind gave no reply.
Clack—
A tentacle clenched tightly, and his body burst into golden stardust, dissolving into the waves.
All within just a few minutes.
The entire Blackbeard fleet was wiped out in a way no one had ever seen before.
"..."
"..."
"Wait, your sail-type shipgirls fight like this?!"
Both Setsuna and Azure Drake stared at the Golden Hind, voices full of soul-shaking doubt.
Most shipgirls fought with onboard weaponry. This was the first time they'd seen a starship slap people around with tentacles.
The combat style had a distinct Siren flavor.
"Mmm~"
"Commander, not even knowing how your shipgirls fight... that's a bit negligent of you~~"
The Golden Hind licked her lips, wrapped an arm around Setsuna's neck from behind, and gently whispered into his ear.
A wave of hot breath brushed past his cheek.
"How are you going to make it up to me?"
"How about tonight?..."
This wasn't subtle at all. The shipgirl was going full offense.
Setsuna coughed, regaining composure.
"Let's finish the main mission first. Once we clean up this Singularity, I'll give you all a few days off."
"You can play however you want."
"Ooh~~"
The Golden Hind beamed with joy.
Vmmm—
The starship set off again, cruising across the ocean with its tentacles waving.
"Next target... Jason and Medea Lily, right?"
She glanced at the location marked by Setsuna.
"That's right."
Setsuna looked at the map.
The main bosses of this third Singularity were those two.
Flying in with a starship for a sea battle—it looked like this run would be wrapped up in one go.
And this version of Medea was her younger form—Caster's loli version. Cute and magical-girl-like.
If you compared her to shipgirls, she'd be like the difference between a full shipgirl and a little shipgirl.
Once they recruited Caster later on...
Strange thoughts inevitably popped into his mind.
...
Vmmm—
The starship moved fast.
Once the target was locked, it plotted a course and shot forward through the sky.
Before long—
A grand sailing ship adorned with golden embellishments appeared on the horizon.
It was cruising slowly over the sea.
Structurally, it resembled Blackbeard's flagship, but had more ornamental, unnecessary flair on its hull and masts.
It lacked the sharp aggression of a true warship.
Clearly, its owner was a proud and particular individual.
At the front of the deck—
Stood a purple-haired, purple-eyed girl with pointed ears, wearing a light blue silk robe.
She had her hair in a ponytail, wore tall boots in shades of purple and green, and held a wheel-shaped staff.
Charming, adorable, and pure, she radiated a youthful innocence and fragile beauty that tugged at the heart.
This version of Medea Lily was the princess of Colchis—the image of her before being called a "witch."
There was no sign yet of the infamous "betrayer witch" in her.
"Nice weather..."
Medea Lily breathed in the sea breeze and brushed her hair back.
She gazed out over the distant waters.
Then, she sensed something.
"Blackbeard's fleet... has disappeared?"
"Someone from outside... defeated them here?! How is that possible?!"
She paused in shock, then repeatedly confirmed Blackbeard was gone. Finally, she shook her head.
"Ah... looks like I'll have to summon it a bit earlier."
—
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