"This is my elementary school classmate, Shub-Niggurath—you can call her Shub-chan."
"And this is Atko, daughter of the CEO of the Cosmic Apparel Corporation and my high school classmate. She's an Atlach-Nacha Starian..."
Nyaruko enthusiastically introduced the new arrivals to Setsuna.
"As for Teacher Yog, she just graduated a batch of students from the Cosmic Elementary School. She won't be free to come for another two hundred years."
"..."
Setsuna originally wanted to comment on how, despite all being one of the Three Pillars, Yog-Sothoth's seniority somehow made her seem older than Nyaruko and Shub-Niggurath.
But instead, he focused on something else more curious.
"Why do you look like that?"
Her appearance constantly gave him the illusion of seeing another manga heroine.
"Me?"
Shub-Niggurath pointed at herself.
"Well... Nyaruko said it's best to take on the form of a human girl, so I used some Earth anime for reference."
"If you don't like it, I can change to something else?"
She leaned forward toward Setsuna, pressing her ample softness against him, and even rubbed against him slightly.
"???"
"...This is fine."
Setsuna thought for a moment. After all, whether she was Shub-chan or Chiya, they were the same entity. It didn't really matter.
For an Outer God, taking on any shape was perfectly normal.
"Ooh—"
Before they could continue talking, a group of Cthulhu girls noticed the dazzling lights of the entertainment city in the distance.
They all chirped excitedly and surrounded Setsuna.
"Mr. Setsuna, is the Starsea Entertainment Complex really yours?!"
"Nyaruko said girls can play for free—is that true?!"
"Where is the Starsea Empire located? How come I've never heard of it?!..."
"Can you take us there to have a look?..."
"Ooooh—!"
Setsuna felt like a celebrity being mobbed by an army of excited fans.
Ignoring what their true forms might look like, this was nothing short of paradise.
From mature beauties to little lolis, every type imaginable was present—and that faint aura of danger and mystery unique to the Outer Gods only made them more alluring.
Everyone was talking at once, bombarding him with questions.
A few even clung to his legs with puppy eyes—just like the situation back in the capital.
"Hiss..."
Tohru and Lucoa exchanged wary looks.
As magic-side beings, they could sense that none of these girls were simple.
Even without Azathoth or Yog-Sothoth present, the power radiating from Nyaruko and Shub-chan alone was staggering.
Others, like Atko, Kuuko, and Ghatanothua, were no less terrifying.
Even while suppressing their divine auras in human form, the sheer number of Outer Gods gathered in one place was enough that, if they released their true presence, both the Moon and Earth's populations would probably go completely insane.
If Tohru hadn't already learned from her interactions with Nyaruko and Kuuko that the Old Gods of this universe were oddly reasonable—if a bit comedic—she would've already grabbed Setsuna and fled by now.
It was terrifying.
Far more terrifying than the gods from her own world.
The Commander was just too powerful.
...
"Then, as you can all see, I am the Commander of the Starsea Empire."
Half an hour later.
Aboard one of the smaller ships of the Eternal Snowfall, Setsuna hosted the group of Cthulhu girls.
They curiously examined every part of the vessel. To them, the Starsea Empire felt like a super-upgraded version of human civilization.
From the interior layout to the elegant design, everything radiated familiarity.
"The Starsea Entertainment Complex on the Moon is merely a small outpost of ours in this universe. The true territories of the Empire lie at the far end of the grand multiverse."
Shwoom—
Once again, he projected a hyperdimensional starmap, displaying the grand imperial capital before their eyes.
"Hiss—"
A wave of astonished murmurs spread among the Cthulhu girls.
They had originally come with the mindset of freeloading at the Starsea Entertainment Complex, but upon hearing that beyond this universe existed an even greater civilization, they were stunned.
While the Galactic Union frequently dealt with threats from other universes, those were usually incomprehensible entities—beings even more unknowable than the Old Gods themselves.
The idea that there could exist another thriving cosmic civilization in a different universe was astonishing.
"So you're saying this entertainment complex is yours, this Solar System is also yours, and you control several other universes even farther away?"
A loli-shaped Outer God asked hesitantly.
Compared to herself, she thought Setsuna looked more like a god—the God of Entertainment.
"That's right."
"To be precise, the Starsea Empire connects to over twenty universes. Some of the vassal universes are further divided into countless parallel universes."
"So the number of universes we manage or can reach is actually even greater."
Setsuna added this clarification.
"Ooooh—!"
The group of Outer Gods erupted in excited chatter.
Times had changed—Earth's entertainment industry had once been the best in the universe, but now, the Starsea Empire reigned supreme across worlds!
"Can we go visit?!"
"Commander, does the Dream Hotel have discount cards?"
"Mmm... I still want to try the haunted house and the Starsea Coaster, and the games on Akashi's platform are really fun too—it's just that I keep getting stomped by whales because I can't afford to spend..."
These Cthulhu girls didn't even need Setsuna to convince them.
After seeing the Starsea Entertainment Complex and hearing about the Starsea Empire, they were already convincing themselves.
Compared to working for the Galactic Union, the Starsea Empire was practically paradise.
An entertainment and culture industry at its peak, a utopian system, and everything was free.
All kinds of amazing technologies and wonders from countless worlds intertwined, forming a heaven on earth.
And on top of that—there were opportunities to explore other universes and see new worlds.
Beep—
Almost in unison, they pulled out their phones and began applying for leave from their superiors.
Far away, deep within the void of space.
An indescribable, unseen supreme god suddenly received a flood of messages from her subordinate Outer Gods.
"Report: I plan to conduct a field study in the Starsea Empire. Expected duration—22 million years. Requesting approval. —Atko."
"Report: Requesting 3,000 years of paid leave. —Yith-chan."
"Vacation request: 6 million years. Thank you. —Shub-Niggurath."
"???"
Staring at the pile of leave requests—ranging from thousands to tens of millions of years—Azathoth was utterly dumbfounded.
"No!!!"
"If you all go to another universe, who will maintain the order of the Cosmic Union?!"
"—The Commander says the Starsea Entertainment Complex is permanently free for you, and the Starsea Empire has visa-free access anytime."
"..."
"Oh, thank you. Just don't cause trouble for him. I'll come over once I finish my work."
...
"Yay—!"
After receiving their superior's approval, the Cthulhu girls cheered in unison.
Formidable and Belfast couldn't help but sigh again—compared to the Outer Gods of Nyaruko's universe, even the most disciplined citizens of the Starsea Empire seemed less law-abiding.
—Though admittedly, that average was heavily dragged down by a few chaotic individuals.
"The Starsea Empire sincerely welcomes your arrival."
Setsuna stood up with a smile, greeting them warmly.
"Of course, since there are many civilians and children in the capital, I hope you'll refrain from frightening them."
"No problem."
Shub-chan took the lead, agreeing immediately.
"We only take on our true forms when we're fighting or traveling through space. It's better to stay like this for everyday life."
As she spoke, she stood and spun lightly before Setsuna, showing off her elegant figure.
"..."
If she looked like a beautiful girl, felt like a beautiful girl, and fit perfectly in his arms like a beautiful girl—then she was a beautiful girl.
Once again, Setsuna reaffirmed his life's creed.
As for future battles?
Any enemy of the Starsea Empire that got smitten by an Old God had it coming.
"Phew—much better."
After winning over an entire group of Cthulhu girls, he realized this trip had been well worth it.
Originally, only Nyaruko, Kuuko, and a few others had been on the recruitment list—yet he was returning with a whole legion of Outer Gods...
The Starsea Entertainment Complex continued to serve as a source of foreign exchange, endlessly supplying the capital with rare resources and exotic alien artifacts.
"Hmm..."
Setsuna looked at Shub-chan and suddenly remembered something.
"Right, Shub-chan, the Black Goats are your familiars, aren't they?"
"Hm? You know about them? You're quite knowledgeable..."
The big-sisterly goddess nodded approvingly.
"I happen to have a summoning spell for Black Goats—could you take a look and tell me what level it is? Do the ones summoned with it have anything to do with you?"
As he spoke, Setsuna pulled out a magic scroll.
[Super-Tier Magic: Iä Shub-Niggurath]
It was a spell used by Albedo during the Great Tomb Army's conquest of the Re:Zero world.
After sacrificing tens of thousands of lives, the Dark Mother—Shub-Niggurath—would grant a number of Black Goat offspring.
According to Overlord standards, these creatures were around level 90—extremely powerful when used to crush native enemies.
Setsuna was curious to see what the true Dark Mother would think of it.
"Hmm?"
Shub-chan unfolded the scroll and activated it with a pulse of her magic.
With her strength, there was no need for any sacrifices—dark energy gathered in the air and condensed into a black sphere, which then dropped two twisted, tentacled, black mist–shrouded Black Goat offspring onto the ground.
"These..."
The true Dark Mother rested her chin in her hand as she examined them.
"These are necromantic constructs made to imitate my Black Goat children—they aren't truly my familiars."
"I thought so."
Tohru shrugged.
The Starsea Empire had thousands of such magic scrolls in circulation; there was no way they were all summoning real divine familiars.
Still, the spell was undeniably powerful against regular foes.
"How about I give you a real one? Consider it a gift for joining the Starsea Empire."
Shub-chan thought for a moment.
"In exchange, let me stay and play at the Starsea Entertainment Complex for a few more days."
As she spoke, she extended her hand.
Vwoom—
The Moon was suddenly shrouded in darkness once again, the air dropping several degrees in temperature.
From the churning black clouds, a dense mist began to form.
"Wha—?!"
The tourists, already traumatized from their earlier encounter with the Outer Gods, panicked as the sky darkened once more.
Countless Angeloids and AI assistants rushed to maintain order.
The storm clouds sank lower and lower, almost brushing against the tops of the buildings.
Crack—
A gaping rift split open through the clouds.
Baaa—!
With a chilling bleat, a massive creature—over five meters tall—descended from the sky.
Its body was a writhing mass of black, whip-like tentacles, studded with gaping mouths. Four enormous hooves supported its grotesque form.
It was both terrifying and bizarre to behold.
"???"
Skreee—hrrrgh—
Even a single accidental glance from an ordinary person would be enough to send their sanity plummeting to zero.
"Ah, sorry—not that one. That's for combat use."
"It's quite rude to appear like that indoors."
Shub-chan scratched her head sheepishly, then pointed a finger at the Black Goat spawn.
Dark mist enveloped the creature once more, wrapping it in swirling black vapor.
"You can even change familiars if you're not satisfied?" Tohru blinked in surprise.
Poof—
The mist condensed again, this time forming into the shape of a small loli.
She had black hair and blue eyes, her smooth gray-brown skin faintly luminous under the light. Her floppy lamb-like ears hung on either side of her head, and a pair of small goat horns peeked from her hair.
She stood just tall enough to reach Setsuna's thigh—about the same height as the little shipgirls—and her expression carried an adorable innocence.
"Paa?"
The little loli tugged gently on Setsuna's sleeve, looking up at him with wide, curious eyes.
"How about this one?" Shub-chan asked.
"You really know what you're doing."
Setsuna patted the little goat girl's head.
"Alright, I can work with this one."
—
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