Whoosh—
Leaving only a small detachment of Angeloids and ships to garrison behind, the Starsea Empire's expeditionary fleet soon broke through the atmosphere and entered outer space.
In Earth's orbit, hundreds of starships formed precise formations, fully armed and ready.
From aircraft carriers to cruisers and destroyers, they were arranged neatly by class—like a grand interstellar parade.
From the planet's surface, it looked as if countless blazing suns had ignited across the sky.
Those were the exhaust flames of the ships' thrusters.
"Whoa…"
The Klaxosaur Princess stood by the viewing window, momentarily awestruck by the sight of the massive fleet.
"So this is your fleet? It looks… formidable."
The design of the Starsea Empire's ships was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She couldn't even recognize the weapons they bore—but her instincts told her that any civilization capable of building so many ships couldn't possibly be weak.
"This is just a small portion of my fleet. More than enough to deal with the VIRM."
Setsuna thought for a moment.
"Actually… I could probably handle them myself. Maybe even one shipgirl would be enough. Everyone's equipped with Photoid emitters now, after all."
"But since they were eager to come out and stretch their legs, I figured I'd let them have some fun."
The restless shipgirls were already buzzing with excitement, preparing for the battle ahead.
"Commander, Commander! I'm all set! When do we launch?"
"Yukikaze-sama will protect everyone, nanoda!!!"
"We don't need your protection! We can handle this ourselves! Also—stop saying that! You're scaring me…"
"..."
The Klaxosaur Princess blinked, utterly bewildered.
"They don't seem to take the VIRM seriously at all?"
"This is a war between two civilizations—a fight for survival! How can they be so… casual? And why are there children in your fleet?"
To her, interstellar warfare was supposed to be solemn and brutal.
"Well, they don't have faster-than-light travel, can't blow up stars, and don't possess supernatural powers."
"So they're basically… natives."
"Oh, right—flying natives."
Setsuna's answer was matter-of-fact.
From those three criteria, he could roughly gauge an opponent's strength:
Meet one—worth some caution.
Meet two or more—a potential threat that warranted strategic planning.
Meet none? A weakling civilization—ripe for steamrolling.
"Nymph, have you located their homeworld yet?"
Setsuna patted the Angeloid beside him.
"Mm… Commander, I reverse-tracked the Seven Sages' signal and found a general location."
Nymph projected a star map before them, marking a region in glowing blue.
"The distance is vast, so I can't pinpoint a specific system—but I've narrowed it down to within a radius of 200 light-years."
"Oh?"
Setsuna glanced over the display.
It was several thousand light-years away from the Solar System, in an unknown stellar region.
In the original story, 02 had flown the Strelizia Apus across the cosmos for ten thousand years searching for the VIRM homeworld—but the FRANXX's speed couldn't compare to a starship's.
"Well done. Two hundred light-years is plenty. We'll find them soon enough."
He handed Nymph a lollipop in reward.
The multi-purpose electronic warfare angel was proving more and more indispensable in the age of interstellar expansion.
"Thousands of light-years? How long will that take you to travel?"
"Um, this ship looks sturdy enough—it could probably last a few thousand years if needed…"
The Klaxosaur Princess asked like a curious child, eyes full of wonder.
"..."
Setsuna chuckled, patting her head.
"Just watch and learn. Observe how an interstellar-era father handles primitive civilizations."
...
As the fleet reached the edge of the Solar System, traveling at sublight speed, Setsuna raised his hand toward the void ahead.
Whoosh—
The Eternal Snowfall's true form began to materialize before them.
During the landing on Earth, the Juggernaut's size made it difficult to maneuver. Normally, Setsuna either sat aboard a shipgirl's vessel or used a smaller auxiliary ship.
But for a full-scale expedition, he naturally had to use his main body.
"Wha—?!"
The native girls from the DITF world, newly brought aboard, gasped in shock.
The ships they'd seen on Earth were already massive—blotting out the sky.
Yet compared to the colossal Eternal Snowfall, those dozens-of-kilometers-long battleships and carriers now seemed like ants.
Clack—
Their shuttle docked, carrying everyone onto the Eternal Snowfall's bridge.
Setsuna had the Angeloids comfort the frightened girls while he stepped into the command chamber.
He activated the ship's main control systems.
Instantly, the entire superstructure came alive, its rear engines flaring with blinding light.
[Transwarp Engine Ready]
[Destination: GRJ1655-40 System]
[All Stations Standing By]
"All units, prepare for warp."
"Understood!"
At his command, the shipgirls responded in unison.
Humm—
A burst of brilliant white light engulfed the ship.
For an instant, everyone aboard felt time itself distort—stretching infinitely, yet nonexistent all the same.
Their vision blurred.
Then, in the next blink—they were in an entirely new star system.
"Eh?"
The Klaxosaur Princess stared in disbelief, her mouth slightly agape.
Before she could speak, Gudako shoved a tablet into her hands—it was filled with Starsea Empire educational material.
"When we get back to the capital, you'll join Formidable and Cheshire for lessons. Study well, improve every day."
"If you don't understand something, just ask me…"
Despite the Princess's ancient dignity—and the fact that she was millions of years older—Gudako couldn't help but feel proud as a member of the Starsea Empire teaching a "native."
"?"
The Klaxosaur Princess looked utterly lost.
"From the Solar System to the target system, we'll need to make several jumps. We'll rest between each, wait for the engines to cool, then continue."
Setsuna ignored their banter, scanning the star map calmly.
"Oh, and we might encounter VIRM scouts or their main fleet soon. Prepare for a space battle."
...
Six thousand light-years from the Solar System—
In an unknown stellar system, countless dark-purple, polygonal starships drifted silently through space.
As beings of pure consciousness, the VIRM designed their ships with no regard for organic needs.
Having abandoned physical forms, they had no need for life support or manual controls. All functions operated through thought and electromagnetic signals, their communication instantaneous.
"There has been an incident on Earth."
Within a larger ship, a VIRM consciousness relayed information to the homeworld.
"Our agents within APE were annihilated by unknown forces—organics, similar to humans."
"Six subordinate nodes were seized through signal intrusion; one was destroyed in combat."
The Seven Sages, mere VIRM-controlled puppets, had been captured by the Angeloids and hacked by Nymph—an anomaly the VIRM quickly detected.
"..."
The leading consciousness fell silent.
They had spent centuries orchestrating war between humans and Klaxosaurs to weaken the latter's strength.
Now, with the Starsea Empire's "mechanical descent" upon Earth, the Seven Sages and all of APE were wiped out—their long-laid plans destroyed.
"So… our operations there have failed?"
"...Proceed to Earth."
The homeworld issued new orders to the fleet.
"The Klaxosaur remnants are weak. Do not allow them to activate the planetary core…"
"Understood."
Their exchange was instantaneous.
The VIRM fleet immediately began to regroup for deployment.
But at that very moment—
Whoosh—
A blinding white light erupted on the far side of the system.
Space itself tore open.
From the rift emerged the titanic Eternal Snowfall, its size rivaling a small planet.
Behind its massive, kilometer-spanning wings, the Starsea Empire's fleet streamed out in perfect formation.
"Tch, these alien ships are so ugly."
"Lock on to all targets. Exterminate them."
The VIRM never expected an entire space fleet to suddenly warp into their star system without warning.
For a brief moment, they fell into confusion and shock, hastily attempting to establish communication.
Streams of data poured into the Eternal Snowfall—messages in the VIRM's own language, along with hundreds of others from Earth's archives.
[Unknown fleet, identify your origin and intent.]
"..."
The Eternal Snowfall ignored them.
The ship's AI immediately began a full-spectrum scan from top to bottom.
"Master, enemy fleet count is high—approximately thirty-two thousand vessels," reported Nymph as she analyzed the holographic display.
"However, most of their ships are quite small. They don't resemble conventional starships—more like oversized strike craft."
As expected of an information-based civilization, the VIRM's ship designs were bizarre: dark, geometric, and multifaceted.
Just like in the original story, their numbers were overwhelming, blanketing space like a swarm—but in sheer size, each was tiny.
Even the largest couldn't compare to the Strelizia Apus, let alone the Eternal Snowfall and its fleet.
Setsuna gave the formation a glance.
"The biggest ones are barely the size of our frigates."
"So their strategy's quantity over quality, huh?"
"What about their equipment?"
"Hmm…"
Nymph pulled up the scan results.
"Their weapons are mostly energy-based, with a few kinetic systems mixed in. Estimated power—insignificant. They couldn't even scratch Strelizia's full-power defenses."
"As for protection—they have no energy shielding. Hull composition: a low-density alloy, structurally weaker than ours… and they lack both lightspeed and FTL mobility."
Within seconds of first contact, the VIRM's entire tactical profile was stripped bare and displayed on-screen.
"So, Master, if we compare fleet strength…" Nymph paused dramatically.
"—They're like ants before gods!"
"??!"
The Klaxosaur Princess and the rescued girls trembled as they stared at the seemingly endless VIRM fleet.
Meanwhile, Setsuna raised a hand, his command echoing across all channels.
"Open fire."
BOOM—
Rumble!!!
The Eternal Snowfall and its escort fleet unleashed their first volley in unison.
Humm—BOOM!!!
The colossal weapon wings spanning thousands of kilometers lit up with pale-blue light.
Hundreds of lances of energy, brighter than the stars themselves, tore across the void—each one annihilating everything in its path.
The radiance was so intense that even Gudako and the others on the bridge instinctively squinted their eyes.
The barrage swept through the VIRM armada. Thousands of ships were instantly vaporized—erased without a trace.
"???"
Only after suffering catastrophic losses in the opening salvo did the VIRM realize the truth—the newcomers were hostile.
In a panic, they regrouped and charged toward the Eternal Snowfall, attempting to close the distance.
But the disparity in range and targeting precision was astronomical.
In interstellar warfare, the side with the longer reach and better sensors dominates the field.
The VIRM couldn't even get close before being whittled down.
For every kilometer they advanced, thousands of ships were obliterated.
Thankfully for them, being bodiless consciousnesses meant they didn't suffer morale collapse.
The VIRM swarmed forward regardless, determined to bring the fight into their weapon range.
Yet the closer they came, the deadlier the counterfire became.
Boom boom boom boom—
Tens of thousands of the Juggernaut's main and secondary cannons unleashed overlapping beams and kinetic projectiles, tearing through the VIRM ships like paper.
Meanwhile, carrier shipgirls launched their fighter wings, which dove into the chaos. With superior speed and firepower, the Angeloid-powered craft shredded the enemy formations within moments.
"..."
During World War II, near the Mariana Islands, humanity witnessed the largest carrier battle in its history—the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
There, American carrier-based aircraft, leveraging superior performance and pilot experience, slaughtered the enemy fighters with ease. Pilots later jokingly called it the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot."
Now, Setsuna felt much the same.
With an overwhelming technological edge, the VIRM fleet before him looked like a flock of slow, harmless turkeys.
They crawled forward, firing colorful but ineffective energy beams that couldn't even dent the Starsea Empire's shields—only to be vaporized seconds later by precision artillery.
"Commander! Leave some targets for us!!!"
Yukikaze's holographic projection popped up beside Setsuna, puffing out her cheeks.
"The Eternal Snowfall's going to finish them all off! Give us a chance too!"
Dozens of destroyer-class shipgirls were practically hopping with impatience. They'd finally gotten to fight aliens, only for the carriers and battleships to steal all the glory.
"Oh, fine. Go ahead—just be careful."
"Roger~!"
Whoosh—
The destroyer formation shot forward eagerly, diving into the VIRM fleet.
Boom boom boom—
Their cannons flashed like a storm of fireworks, turning the void into a dazzling battlefield.
At first, the small shipgirls kept their distance, pelting enemies from afar with disciplined bursts. But soon, realizing the VIRM couldn't even scratch their shields, they threw caution to the stars.
Charging straight into the swarms, they began blasting at point-blank range, laughing like children playing tag.
BOOM BOOM—
One green-hulled shipgirl suddenly accelerated, ramming headlong into the enemy formation.
"Comet Headbutt!!!"
BOOM!!!
Like a streaking emerald meteor, she plowed through the VIRM ships, scattering twisted wreckage in her wake. Her hull shimmered, reinforced by shields—and a massive steel ram fixed to her bow.
"Firefly! Return immediately! Space combat protocol forbids using close-contact combat!!!"
Illustrious' voice trembled with barely restrained exasperation.
"..."
After watching the shipgirls gleefully turn the battle into a "Turkey Shoot Tournament," Ikaros' calm voice came from the bridge.
"Master, may I… try as well?" she asked, tugging lightly on Setsuna's sleeve.
"Oh? The target practice wasn't fun enough for you earlier? Go ahead."
Setsuna nodded.
The Angeloid's white wings unfurled as she stepped out onto the Eternal Snowfall's main deck.
"Master, enemy forces… will be eliminated."
Her eyes shifted to a glowing crimson hue.
Ikaros drew a massive violet bow, pure energy gathering at its string.
"—Apollon!"
"???"
"Ikaros, wait—?! That's cheating! We're still playing around!!!"
Before anyone could stop her—
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The strategic-class angel's ultimate weapon, the upgraded "Apollon," unleashed its fury.
The original version could already level nations. The Starsea Empire's enhanced iteration packed the destructive output of five hundred planet-busters.
Whoosh—
Across the system, the shipgirls felt the surge of apocalyptic energy.
A blinding flash ripped through the stars, carving a violet void tens of thousands of kilometers wide. Everything inside was erased—matter, energy, all gone.
The expanding radiation scorched even distant VIRM ships into molten dust.
The blast's residual force rippled through the star system, briefly distorting local space.
"..."
Half an hour later, silence returned.
The system lay in ruins.
The shipboard AI reported faithfully:
"Combat report: friendly losses—zero ships, zero aircraft, zero casualties."
"Enemy fleet count: thirty-two thousand six hundred vessels. All destroyed."
"...As expected."
Setsuna yawned casually.
"Ababa…"
Beside him, the Klaxosaur Princess could only stare in stunned disbelief.
The enemy that her people had fought for millions of years—the dreaded VIRM—had just been annihilated as if it were nothing.
He'd even left most of the fighting to the shipgirls, occasionally firing a few shots himself as if supervising a training exercise.
"..."
Her perception of the Starsea Empire—and of Setsuna—had changed completely.
Tentatively, she spoke up:
"If you need my help, I can pilot Strelizia and engage their remnants. I'm not skilled in space combat, but—"
"No need."
Setsuna shook his head, tapping his holo-interface.
"From the data we captured earlier, we've already pinpointed the VIRM homeworld."
"Oh? A rocky planet, huh? I wonder how much ore we'll get when we blow it up."
"???"
—
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