Focusing on Both Technology and Magic

On the outskirts of the capital city stood the aerospace base.

After weeks of hard work by thousands of Bulins, the entire launch base was finally completed. It occupied an area comparable to a small county and could be considered a satellite town of the capital.

Of course, since there were no spaceships ready yet, the base felt somewhat empty.

At one side of the base, the black spaceship was still under construction, held in place by massive mechanical arms. Every morning at the break of dawn, a large number of colorful and golden Bulins would show up to work on it.

This high-tech, precision work was beyond the capabilities of standard Bulins. As a result, the naval base had produced a batch of specialized and prototype Bulins to assist Akashi with the construction.

Above the entrance to the construction site was a banner Akashi had hung up:

[Work Hard for 30 Days, and the Shipgirls Can Fly!]

"…"

"Why does this slogan sound so… off? Is it just me, or does it feel a little suggestive?"

Every day, shipgirls would visit the construction site out of curiosity, observing the progress bit by bit.

They watched as the spaceship grew from an exposed skeletal frame to an increasingly detailed interior, and finally, as its sealed, rectangular exterior hull began to take shape.

The spaceship was larger than any shipgirl's original form and rectangular in design, with various strange devices attached to its surface.

Everyone eagerly anticipated what it would look like when it was finally completed.

Meanwhile.

While Akashi focused on building the spaceship, Setsuna wasn't idle either.

Outside the naval base, he had gathered several Heroic Spirits.

"Can you teach me a few techniques? Maybe a Noble Phantasm or some grand magic?" he asked.

"Huh?"

The four Heroic Spirits each reacted differently.

"Aren't you already strong enough? Based on your ability to withstand attacks and summon Gundams… there are plenty of Heroic Spirits who wouldn't stand a chance against you," Jeanne Alter said, eyeing him up and down.

"Skills are never too many. That's all technology-based; sometimes, I feel like learning some magic," Setsuna replied.

"The research material Dr. Roman provided is good for academic purposes, but it's not very practical for me," he added.

Techniques like Jewel Magecraft and Bounded Field weren't nearly as convenient as simply using a Gundam's weapons to obliterate his enemies. While he had dabbled in Blood Demon Art before, he found it unimpressive and chose not to pursue it further.

Heroic Spirits' techniques, on the other hand, were far more intriguing—and much more powerful.

"…"

The Heroic Spirits exchanged glances.

"Master, what kind of magic are you looking to learn?"

"Hmm… something powerful or unique would be ideal," Setsuna said after a moment of thought.

The destructive capabilities of Noble Phantasms varied. Some Anti-Fortress or Anti-Army Noble Phantasms were on par with the full firepower of a carrier or battleship shipgirl, but they had the advantage of being instant-cast skills. Meanwhile, certain esoteric or defensive abilities could prove exceptionally useful in specific situations.

"Let me go first," Jeanne d'Arc (Ruler) volunteered.

Standing firmly in place, she twirled the flag Inscribed with fleur-de-lis in her hands before planting it into the ground with a resounding thunk.

"Master, this is my Noble Phantasm. Watch carefully."

"God is Here With Me!"

"Luminosité Eternelle!!!"

Swish—

A translucent, white hemispherical barrier materialized, covering an area dozens of meters wide and enveloping everyone inside.

"This Noble Phantasm, created from my holy flag, can block most physical attacks. Even Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasms can't breach it," she explained confidently.

"Wow!"

The group watched with fascination.

After a brief introduction, Jeanne turned to Setsuna.

"Did you learn it?"

"???"

"How am I supposed to learn this?!" Setsuna despaired at her teaching method.

"Tch, Master, if you kneel down and lick my feet, I might consider teaching you…" Jeanne Altersaid with a mischievous smirk.

Jeanne Alter sat on a rock, extending her booted foot wrapped in black stockings, her expression cocky as she glanced over.

"Get lost."

Between Jeanne Alter's smugness and Jeanne d'Arc's simple-mindedness, Setsuna turned to Artoria. The ever-serious and meticulous King of Knights was the only one he could count on.

"Directly learning a Noble Phantasm isn't very realistic… but based on your situation…" Artoria paused thoughtfully.

"Let's start with Mana Burst."

"When you used the Command Seals before, I could feel an enormous amount of power flowing from your body. It was a bit peculiar, but undeniably effective."

"If you learn to harness it properly, you can release it like I do—to enhance yourself, strengthen your weapons, or even use it against enemies."

With that, the Knight of the Round Table assumed a combat stance.

Swish—

Blue mana erupted from her body, enveloping her and her weapon in a soft, radiant glow.

"Oh?" Setsuna's interest was piqued.

What was his biggest issue before? He had power but nowhere to direct it.

After absorbing the Wisdom Cube, he possessed physical capabilities comparable to those of the shipgirls, but lacked their ability to summon rigging for ranged attacks. All he had was his endurance.

The Gundam was external—relying entirely on the machine's power. This meant a significant portion of the Wisdom Cube's potential was wasted.

Mana Burst could fill this gap, allowing him to channel his excess energy directly into combat.

Artoria's ability to face monsters like Berserker head-on with her relatively small frame was a clear testament to the skill's effectiveness. It could even serve as a makeshift ranged energy attack.

"Feel the energy within you, then try to manifest it and channel it into your body and weapon…" Artoria instructed, guiding Setsuna step by step with patience.

Jeanne Alter and Jeanne d'Arc watched from the side, entertained by the scene.

"…"

Setsuna closed his eyes.

He could feel the Wisdom Cube within him constantly supplying energy. According to the shipgirls, the Wisdom Cube was akin to a compact reactor—running out of mana was unlikely.

BOOM—

Suddenly, a massive surge of mana exploded from him, forming a shockwave that swept through hundreds of meters. Gale-force winds whipped up massive waves on the sea nearby.

Jeanne Alter and Jeanne d'Arc struggled to keep their footing, almost getting blown away.

"Eh?!" Jeanne Alter exclaimed as she adjusted her disheveled hair and clothes, climbing back to her feet.

"How do you have that much mana? That's insane! Are you just throwing it around carelessly?!"

"Eat a reactor, and you'll have plenty too." Setsuna brushed off her comment, focusing on his practice.

"Your control precision isn't refined enough yet. Try concentrating the energy at a single point before releasing it," Artoria advised, her tone like that of a knight training a squire.

"Don't channel too much at once, or you'll lose control."

"Directly releasing the power of the Wisdom Cube, huh…" Setsuna felt like he was mastering a rather peculiar skill.

Most shipgirls used the Wisdom Cube for energy supply and weapon enhancement.

Setsuna's goal was clear, to directly channel and unleash the raw power of the Wisdom Cube.

···

Day after day, Setsuna continued practicing with Artoria.

Every morning, after arranging his work, he would appear punctually on the beach, only returning to the naval base at dusk to rest.

Artoria noted that Setsuna's progress was astonishingly fast.

At first, he had no control over the energy he released, leading to frequent outbursts. But before long, he was able to channel the energy freely, much like Artoria herself, attaching it to his body or unleashing it through weapons.

While his precision was still occasionally lacking, his skill had reached a level sufficient for practical combat.

—More accurately, it was the power of the Wisdom Cube.

As his Servant, Artoria gradually adapted to this strange yet immense form of energy.

Setsuna also noticed subtle changes in himself.

First was his enhanced physique.

Initially, based on Enterprise's evaluation, his physical capabilities after absorbing the Wisdom Cube were roughly equivalent to that of a cruiser. But as he extracted more power from the Cube and pushed his potential further, his strength now surpassed that of battleships and carriers.

Additionally, he had gained a means of ranged combat.

Two weeks later, at the beach.

Setsuna manifested part of a Gundam's body. Holding a beam saber, he raised it high above his head and took a deep breath.

Focusing the power of the Wisdom Cube, he silently repeated the techniques Artoria had taught him, channeling energy into his weapon.

Swish—

The beam saber, originally only five or six meters long, extended several dozen meters further as its blade was enveloped in a blue, glowing aura of mana.

In the sunlight, the weapon looked imposing and majestic.

He swung it toward the sea.

Boom—

The high-energy ray instantly evaporated the seawater it touched, creating an effect akin to Moses Crossing the Red Sea.

Waves surged to either side, and the ground near the shore trembled slightly.

The ocean, seemingly bottomless, was cleaved in half in an instant. Waves roiled, and for a brief moment, the seabed's depths were visible.

Swish—

As the seawater came rushing back together, it triggered a series of tsunamis.

Even the King of Knights was awestruck by the display of power.

"Incredible… I never imagined Mana Burst could be used like this…" Artoria murmured, stunned. "This is comparable to an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm—or no, even stronger."

Jeanne Alter and Jeanne d'Arc were equally dumbfounded.

"Gundam is a part of me, just as the Wisdom Cube is," Setsuna said with a smile.

"The combination of the two feels like a mecha version of Susanoo."

Summonable at will, able to be enhanced by mana, and capable of both flight and ground combat—Setsuna felt this was essentially a mechanized version of the mythical Susanoo.

Once he upgraded to the Turn A Gundam with the Moonlight Butterfly system and added wings, the resemblance would be even closer.

Furthermore, Setsuna believed that the potential of the Wisdom Cube was far from fully tapped.

With an inexhaustible reactor at his disposal, all he needed to do was learn more offensive skills to take full advantage of it.

"You're insane…" Jeanne Alter muttered, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.

"If this is what you achieve just by learning Mana Burst… what's next? Are you going to ascend to the heavens?!"

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