The devils were sighing in relief as news spread out that Marcus Goldman's faction defeated Evil Gods.
In the Capital city of Lilith, a bunch of city blocks were given for devils to live temporarily.
The rest of them will be demolished and allowed for nature to reclaim it. Some of the buildings will remain; however, how Technocracy works, city expansion won't be allowed easily.
The government building will become a citadel, close to where the spaceport and space centre are. These two are connected by anti-gravity trains, which go from one to another
Apart from that, there are barely any other buildings needed for Technocracy.
Everything is very compact and efficient.
Seeing how rapidly the city is shrinking terrified the devils for their lives.
When they heard that Marcus Goldman won the war against Evil Gods, they decided to meet to discuss a possible route the devil kind could take.
The remaining High-Class devils and Lords of Pillar met up in one of the buildings with a vast hall.
"The war is over; we must decide what to do." Zeoticus Gremory opened the conversation. His ancestor, Runeas, was with him. She had a serious look as well. One of the original Devils was devastated internally by how little of her species remained.
"I don't see any sort of route apart from becoming Marcus Goldman subjects with how little there is of us. None of the Pantheons will bother with us, and our Homeland is under Marcus Goldman's control as well." Lord Phenex spoke his mind.
"I agree with Lord Phenex. Even if he is Next Solomon, his faction saved my life, and his medical expertise awakened my mother from her sleeping disease." Sairaorg Bael said from the side with crossed arms.
"But what will happen to us? What will Marcus Goldman do?"
There was evident fear in other devils' voices. All of them are concerned about their well-being.
"You will have options." A female voice said as the double doors opened, and a girl dressed in a white and gold military uniform strolled in. A pair of golden white armoured men accompanied her.
That was not all, as behind them, there were two black-grey
night-like men with dragon-winged helmets. They were less bulky than the guards, and they only had swords on their hips.
"I am Quinella Aurora. I am from Technocracy. I hold the General Commander rank in the Grand Army of Technocracy."
The platinum-haired girl introduced herself. There was a slight smile on her face. She will deal with all those tiny thingies, earning herself all those brownie points!
"Well, then, General, what do you have to say?"
With hand motion, she brushed her long hair, and several holograms appeared next to her. She started to explain.
"Simple, you either join us, or we will deport you to the Human world." She flatly told them two options.
"...but the Underworld is our homeland!" One of the devils said to her.
"It was, yes, but then you lost it to some evil gods. Sad, I know, but then we invaded and removed those evil gods and rescued whatever Devils and Fallen Angels there were left." Quinella explained with a nearly bored tone. The key word is almost. She is still professional enough as she was doing her work.
"There are still Fallen Angels around!?"
"Yes, around 80 to 100 of them; they were hiding in the mountains like some cavemen."
"My point is that this is an opportunity. Being part of a Technocracy means an impartial system recognises your merits.
Research, development, innovation all of it will mean more credits, the same credits which you can use to buy land, foods, clothes and other things." Quinella started her salesman speech.
"Any sort of utility bill won't exist. Water and electricity will be free, and the only thing one will pay is land taxes. These taxes will go to the government, and they will be allocated to things for which elected representatives will decide where to use those credits.
But, if you think that there are politicians, then you are sadly mistaken. Laws, diplomacy, and other governmental things will be decided by the Supreme Commander's elected individuals."
The group looked at holograms. They saw one crucial thing. They have no say in anything except in some self-governance. They can improve the infrastructure of their community, nothing more.
Military, police, laws, policies— nothing! They can't decide any of that!
But at the same time, there are no taxes. The minimal taxes will go to the community management to improve their lives. People will be elected to say their part. It will not be paid. That means they are there to tell about their interests and select those funds to improve their things.
"...T-This is like we are part of an experiment!" one of the devils said as he realised what kind of system this is. It's a bubble! Those two hierarchies will never touch each other!
"Because you are," Quinella said with an eye roll. It's in their name!
"We are Technocracy. It means we are a faction which focuses on the development of science and magiktech.
The results of these experiments will be applied when we colonise the solar system and beyond." She explained with a casual tone.
"What does it mean for civilisation as a whole?" Zeoticus asked the girl.
"Technocracy's Quantum AI has calculated that societies under the Supreme Commander will develop Capitalism leaning towards Research and Development.
In a sense, everything is pretty much the same, but with less corruption, nepotism, and more concentrated development for you people." Quinella didn't mention those things for Technocracy as a whole, as Marcus does things arbitrarily and depending on his whims.
Oh, and he assigns tasks depending on his whims, too. So yeah, these things only apply to the test subjects' society they are building.
"I see and the pillars? As Solomon Successor, he has a pillar: how are they treated and related to this test?" As Lord Gremory asked, everyone waited for Quinella to explain.
"Agares, Astaroth, and Sitri get special treatment for they are helpful to the Supreme Commander. Everyone who assists him gets preferred treatment."
"...and Bael?" Zeoticus asked with a curious look.
"What about Bael? Marcus may have made her his Bael clan, but her usefulness expired years ago. She never cared to improve her position. There is no need to discuss more."
"...I see…"
Zeoticus and Runeas, who was next to him, didn't say more after.
"What do they get?" Lord Phenex asked.
"What does a devil get for becoming a Pillar?"
"For one elevation from this 'experiment'." She motioned around her.
"Second, high ranking in the Grand Army structure. Soldiers, resources, and since we have Underworld original lands they ruled, and lastly, the Supreme Commander will bring deceased clan members back to life."
"...He can do that?" Someone asked with sheer disbelief.
"He created me from scratch. Something like inserting a soul into a slab of meat he can do with closed eyes and half asleep."
"Then—"
"If you want your relatives brought back to life, get noticed first. There are 'roads' and 'highways' which you can take; be useful, and you might get noticed." Quinella scoffed, seeing that happy look.
"If you want to join Technocracy, we prepared several buildings close to the government building." After saying that, the Assistant turned around and left.
Once she was gone with her men, the devils erupted into discussion; many of them pondered for a few moments before going to sign up.
While devil survivors from the original pillars started to ponder how to get one of them as a pillar, It was just like how it was before. Becoming Marcus' pillar means one is part of the ruling class.
The most obvious choice is to offer their daughters. It was an automatic conclusion. They didn't even feel a thing coming to it.
Only one person didn't care, and that was Sairaorg. Who slightly scoffed and walked away. However, he will sign up to be a resident of Technocracy.
The reason? So that his mother and peerage member could be safe.
But then again. If it's about meritocracy and effort? Well, he has those in spades. If Marcus cares about efforts, Bael is confident that his work ethic will be noticed.
~~~
As Confiscator was flying towards the entrance to the depths of the Underworld, Enterprise was reassigned back to her Admiral.
The moment she walked onto the bridge. Her creator was in front of her.
"Enti, so good to see you~" Marcus hugged his favourite aircraft carrier. His hand wrapped around her waist as he rubbed his cheek into hers.
"A-Admiral. N-Not in front of everyone!~" Even if she complained, there was a smile on her face as she accepted the cuddling.
"Don't worry. Everyone here knows that I love my girls~" His casual admission made all of them blush.
Once he let her go, the girl swiftly tried to adjust.
"R-Right." The girl looked down as she fixed her captain's hat. She then noticed someone looking at her. The gaze was quite intense.
"...You are… Tirpitz." Enterprise realised who it was with a slight surprise.
"...Yes. It's a pleasure to meet the infamous Grey Ghost." The Battleship slightly nodded with respect at the silver-haired girl.
"...Likewise. I was there when the Admiral recovered you. Honestly, I am surprised how quickly everything happened." The silver-haired beauty commented with a slight surprise. The time gap between the recovery and now is just around two weeks.
"I see." Tirpitz has nothing to add to that comment.
"Good. Since you are all getting along, a new uniform is ready for you." Marcus got their attention, and the ship girls turned to face him.
"...Yes, Admiral, I have noticed the reformation of the command structure."
"Good. Then you know that as my creations, you all start at Lieutenant-Commander. That means that if I am to send you on a mission, you automatically assume command of the vessel or the outpost or base.
But this is not all. Since you are a Lieutenant-Commander, there are higher ranks above those. With high performance, you will be promoted."
Flames appeared in both girls' eyes. Sirin and Gu Yuena, standing at the site, could only look at each other for a bit.
It might be a military hierarchy, but their women's instincts tell a different tale.
Because of Marcus' tastes, the only people in this hierarchy are women. The higher their rank, the more 'love' they will get.
The Inventor doesn't need to tell that. Hell, he probably didn't even realise what he had created. But honestly, he doesn't care. He wants a functioning military structure.
If females treat it like a race, then let them do it.
"Yes, Admiral! We understand! Our thanks for allowing us to serve you!" Enterprise thanked him. Tirpitz nodded alongside her.
"Is it just me, or these ship girls are eating from his hand?" Sirin used her psionic power to speak directly into Gu Yuena's head.
"You are not wrong. You have to remember that they are warships. They serve their admiral. Suppose he gives more chances for them to serve. The happier they are.
Don't forget, they might look like humans, but they are not humans."
The Herrscher slowly nodded her head. It did make sense to her after all; they are created by some wave method from all those ships' wrecks.
"Good. Now, Enterprise, we will be arriving at the cavern's entrance. I want you to change your uniform by then."
"Yes! Admiral!"
The beauty nodded and then looked at Tirpitz. The battleship already had her uniform altered to the new 'standard'. She had that ten-ring shoulder patch. And some golden embroidery.
Since Tirpitz's colour was always white, gold was a natural addition to her.
After checking her, she left the bridge for a bit.
"So how are we going to do it?" Nyx, who was watching them leisurely, asked.
"Your airships are too big to enter those caverns." Primordial Night pointed out the obvious.
"By foot." He replied without beating around the bush.
"The airships will function as supply lines. Depending on circumstances and how much Hades will be resisting, unlike him, time for me is irrelevant.
The longer he resists, the more soldiers I have. If he thinks he can hide behind space locks, then he is naive. And I don't think he is naive to that level."
"No, he is not naive. Hades knows his butt is on fire. But he has his pride. He won't go down easily." Nyx, with a smirk, explained to him.
"Too bad for him. My forces don't discriminate. I am the one who does it for them." As Marcus said that, he crossed his arms, walked over to the edge of the bridge, and looked at the mountains in the distance. A vast cavern was carved in one of the mountainsides.
This cavern is not vast enough for Daedalus-class Airships.
Eventually, the airship stopped next to the cavern.
"Sir, we are detecting energy sources in the caverns."
"Oh?"
"Yes, the energy reading says— minotaurs, cerberuses, and the bat creatures."
"Oh my, he is using his original forces to guard the depths of hell!" Nyx grinned while saying that.
"You look excited; Nyx do you want fight for me?"
Her eyes gleamed as she stood up. She showed her shoulder patch; her rank was— private!
"I do. Since you want me to prove myself, I shall drown them in pitch darkness!"
"Good, then you will be in the vanguard; we will follow you after."
"...do so! There won't be anyone for you to fight; I will kill all of them!" After saying that, she waited for him to let her leave.
"Go, show me why I should keep a primordial next to me."
"Hehehe~" The Primordial walked not from the bridge with a grin.
"Admiral, is it wise to allow her to fight all the enemies?" Tirpitz asked him with some concern.
"Why not? Tirpitz, I have you, Enterprise, Gu Yuena and Sirin, and thousands upon thousands of Knights. If someone passes through Nyx, the rest of you will slaughter them.
"I understand. Sorry for doubting. I do not doubt your power; I doubt other being's strength." The Battleship clarified herself.
"It's okay, Tirpitz." Marcus smiled at his ship girl. All he got from the North Queen was a shy smile back.
'He didn't mention me!' Atalanta huffed with crossed arms. He, indeed, has relegated her to the status of a cat, forgetting that she has battle experience! A lot of it!
While Sirin slowly realises that she will be walking to the pits of hell! Real hell!
'I wonder what Kiana Kaslana would think? Knowing that dense girl, she slowly grinding herself to dust in that world for the sake of its 'Beauty'.
Just thinking about her reason for fighting makes me sick. Well— I can't brag about my reasons for fighting. I am fighting for a crazy man wanting to dominate the very cosmos.
Why does he even want all that? Curiosity? I don't believe it.'
Sirin tried to grasp this as her eyes followed him walking towards the doors; she slowly started to follow him just like his Dragon girl and the Ship girl, and of course, the maid. Will the maid will be even fighting?
~~~~~~The Base~~~~~~
A pair of eyes slowly opened. For a second, there was confusion in his eyes.
But then it changed into understanding.
'Right, Nyx broke me in half. Damn, I never expected Primordials to enter into the fray.'
Azazel finally woke up.
[Governor-General, you are finally awake. Your body is stable. Broken spine has fully recovered]
After saying that, the water began to drain out from the medical chamber he was inside.
The Cadre stood up on his feet and looked at his hands. He was inspecting them.
'This isn't regular surgery. One can't do it in a tank full of liquid. At least to my knowledge, no, the healing process was done differently.
Not only do I feel recovered, I feel better than before. What did he do?'
"How is the war going on? How long I was out?" Azazel asked the AI.
[Currently, the Supreme Commander rules 100% of the Underworld's surface. Leaders of Hell Alliance are either dead or captured or joined Technocracy.]
'Technocracy…huh… to think that Gods of Hell will accelerate Marcus' faction growth to the point that he reformed into a proper faction. Now we really are fucked.'
"Do we know the perpetrators of this conflict?"
[Hades was the original founder of that faction. Our calculation predicts his reasons that he looked for excuses to act. That excuse was the Supreme Commander's engagement to Athena.]
'...damn, for a human from another faction to marry an Olympian. Marcus truly terrified Olympus.' Azazel is not even commenting on Marcus' spoil of war being Artemis.
"So surface dwellers of the Underworld were just stepping stones for a higher conflict." The Governor General said with a twitchy smile. The moment they realised that their old man was gone. Other Pantheons branded them a third-rate faction.
[Correct, according to Nyx, the Alliance of Hell planned to use the Underworld as mustering grounds for Earth invasion.]
"And now? What is the situation?"
[The Conquest of Underworld layers has begun.]
'So Hades dug his own bony grave.'
"And what of my people? And the devils? Did angels do anything?"
[We have discovered 88 fallen angels in a cavern in the Underworld. The current amount of living devils is 147. Angels didn't do anything. However, the Norse responded and sent Baldur and Thor. Their fates are unknown. But according to our recovered data, they could have been absorbed by Angra Mainyu.]
Azazel pondered for a bit. He tried to look nonchalant, but part of him cried at the loss.
"...What are the plans for recovery?"
[The Supreme Commander is planning to recover the devil-kind population. As well as adjust their fertility for faster recovery.
His priorities are Astaroth, Agares and Sitri clans.]
'So his pillars will get premium treatment. I expect nothing less from Solomon's Successor.
But this is fine. My Fallen Angels are sinful just as much as Devils.'
"I see. My thanks."
[I was told to brief you once you recover.]
"Regardless, my thanks."
[A set of clothes is provided for you. A shuttle will take you to the Underworld. The Underworld is still sealed. Technocracy will adjust the seal for their purposes.]
'Of course he will.'
[Lastly, some information which you will find helpful.]
"Oh?"
[From my observation, I noticed that you are close to Vali Lucifer. Currently, he is in medical chambers in Lilith. Recovering from an erupted heart.]
"E-Erupted heart!?" Even if devils are considered supernatural, they can't survive without a heart!
[Yes. His teammate reported that they engaged Angra Mainyu in combat, and the Primordial Evil nearly took his body over.]
Azazel's eyes widened for a second. They engaged Angra Mainyu!?
[To stop it, he blew his own heart. Thankfully, his Yokai teammate maintained his body until he was brought into a healing chamber.]
"I see…I will take that offer to take a shuttle to Underworld."
[Maids will show you the way.]
After saying that, the AI went silent on him.
Seeing that the conversation was over, the Fallen Angel proceeded to dress up.
Once that was out of the way, the moment he left the room, he was greeted by a surprise!
"...Grayfia Lucifuge…"
The Cadre was surprised for a few seconds before he recovered.
"...I assume you are serving Solomon because Crimson Satan is dead?"
The silver-haired maid didn't respond for a while.
"...In a way. Now, follow me; I will show you where you can take your shuttle."
Her response told him a different tale.
'Now that is curious. Did Marcus infiltrate Devils far more than I initially thought!? Did he have Lucifer's Queen as his pillar!? But she is not a pillar but an extra devil!'
Azazel ignored the other maid, who was with Grayfia. The Goddess of the Norse Underworld could only swallow the bitter pill that people don't care about her Goddess status.
Even though Hel is pretty powerful compared to Azazel!
Regardless, the governor-general followed the pair of maids through the main corridor and then took a lift to the living floor and walked to the train platform.
The fallen Angel noticed the changes.
He immediately wondered how long he was out!? That AI never answered his question!
"...How long was I out?"
"8 days."
"...I see…"
'Yet, the technology in this place leapt forward. Holy! I don't even understand what I am seeing.'
He stroked his chin, seeing that the train arrived. A loud hiss followed as the doors opened.
'So there is no air resistance, that much I understand. But why is the train shaped like that? Those look like some sort of projectors.'
As they got into the train, the doors closed, and the train started moving.
"What are devil kin plans going forward?"
"You should worry about your species, Governor General," Grayfia replied indifferently.
"I am; this is why I am asking."
*Snort*
"Following Technocracy's policies, Devils and Fallen Angels will be offered test subject status. That means all of the population will be offered to participate in our ongoing social experiments for future colonisation of the Solar system and beyond."
"...That doesn't sound nice, now does it?" Azazel frowned when he heard the words 'experiment' and 'subjects'.
"It is what it is. This faction is a Technocracy. I follow someone who is constantly inventing and researching to satisfy his curiosity.
Even if it sounds 'bad', people won't need to bother with things like utility, health, and job security. However, on the other hand, we demand more as we offer more. The basic principle didn't change its give-and-take relationship."
"And if the remaining people of my species don't want to accept this?"
"Then I hope your kin have a place to go because we have conquered the Underworld from the evil gods, not Devils or Fallen who used to control it."
Azazel's smile twitched for a second.
'Right. Of course, Marcus finished what his predecessor started.'
"I will discuss with the remaining Fallen about the arrangements."
[Arriving at Technocracy's Space Port, Mind the gap between the train and the platform. Thank you for travelling with Garage Rapid Transit]
"..."
"..."
"..."
The trio left the train, which was parked— vertically! Once they left the train, they didn't realise that they had been standing vertically before!
Azazel needed to double-take at this!
"Wait! But!" The Governor General massaged his forehead. The centre of gravity didn't change. His senses were locked on the train the whole time. He tried to figure out what is the perk of this machine.
Turns out it's gravity! Waves! The whole resonance thing Marcus was gushing about when he first arrived here.
'To think that Vali would affect him to this degree. Bloody hell.'
The Cadre Fallen could only grimace. This development was his fault, but oh well, curiosity made him fall from grace; it was his sin. Something he can't change about himself.
As he walked forward, he soon realised where he was. He was on an enormous tower overlooking a green expanse. On the horizon, he can see a city or a town.
The place he was was a hangar with parked shuttles, mechs, and armoured men. These men were most likely the Spaceport security.
"Governor General, your shuttle is ready." One of the knight-like people walked over. He was dressed in grey armour and had a shoulder pat; behind him were more men with beam energy pikes.
The ever-curious Governor inspected the shoulder pad. He could see the emblem of a tower surrounded by ten rings. The symbol was in the form of a medieval shield. Below this shield were carved words 'SECURITY'.
'Yep, thought so.'
"Thank you."
Before Azazel could even say anything, the maids had already retreated!
'Damn, ladies here are so cruel!'
The governor got into the shuttle, which started to fly when he entered it.
He quickly realised that they were going to space! But then his eyes narrowed as he saw them pass through some sort of barrier, and on the other side of the barrier was a portal!
This portal took him to the Underworld!
"I see… so that's how it is—monopolising the Underworld and the only entrance into it.
How human of him."
He didn't know if he should be sad or angry about this. The Biblical faction, ever since the Great War, tried to copy humans as much as they could.
After all, their old man praised humans and all that. But now, the human is holding them in his palm.
Sure enough, he saw another tower being built at the side of Lilith.
Azazel never expected the Devil Capital to be turned into this.
The shuttle dropped him at the entrance of the massive castle-like building. This building was the Government Palace. People were waiting for him just outside of it.
"Governor-General. You have awakened at just at the right time I needed you." A girl with long hair and a smile more like a smirk greeted him.
"I feel that I woke up when you wanted me to wake up." The Fallen Angel felt that the AI could manipulate when he woke up.
"You must be dreaming~. I am Quinella Aurora, Marcus' assistant and General-Commander of the Grand Army." She introduced herself.
"...A big shot. What can I do for you?" The Cadre asked smoothly.
"We will see what you can do. I am here to take you to your Fallen comrades, and then you will decide what you will do next. Either induce them into the Technocracy, or I will help them leave the Underworld."
'So that's how it is.'
"...Is it necessary? The Underworld is a big place. There is enough space for everyone." The Fallen Angel tried to 'negotiate' with a smile.
"It's sad to say it's not how this works. Over 80% of the underworld is already allocated for future tests and experiments.
From social experiments to terraforming, we plan to introduce natural circulation, which your father destroyed, by the way." Quinella needed to remind him about that.
"This place will be fixed and return to how it was before. With more than half of the surface being water once more."
Azazel grimaced upon hearing that. These people are hardcore.
"To think that you people have the infrastructure to terraform planets."
"We are almost there, Governor-General. Whatever ambition my Master has, we are created to make it a reality. Just like how you Angels, Fallen Angels, were created to make your creator's desires into reality, so I am created for that purpose."
"...are you saying that you have no free will?"
"That's where you and I differ. I don't have defects like that. When I was first programmed as an AI and then given a body, I knew what was expected of me."
"And you never consider not following those directions?" He enquired curiously. It has been a while since Azazel spoke to a creation like this.
However, his question made her slightly angry.
"As I mentioned, don't lump me with your Biblical kin. Your creator recklessly created beings who don't have similar or identical perspectives as the creator.
I am proud of who I am. I know my goals, my Master goals, all of them are interwoven into one faction, which we call Technocracy."
Azazel, who had his arms crossed, could only nod a couple of times. He was— impressed AND jealous. Why did he never consider creating hot girls himself?
"Say, does Marcus take apprentices?"
His response made her aura get out of control for a second. Her hand twitched. She nearly turned this guy into a vegetable.
"First, you must be part of Technocracy to consider such an arrangement! Now come! We need to recover your kin." She motioned for him to follow her.
With a nod, the Fallen Angel followed her.
The Cadre is already plotting his future lab life. What Quinella said to him inspired him to work even harder!
~~~~~~Around Same Time, Aboard Confiscator~~~~~~
The main lift took the group from the bridge to the hangar bay.
As they were walking, Marcus was pondering on the integration of all of the Underworld into his Technocracy's ecosystem.
The whole thing is like an ant nest. Tunnels all over the place, stretching through several layers of existence.
To properly take it over, he needs space locks throughout the whole thing. To do that, they must explore it and strategically place those space locks.
As Marcus thought about that, his eyes went to the side and locked on how Aurora retrofitted the bay.
The Yeagers were stored next to the walls; the Spider walkers got similar treatment, while XC-M1 got specially prepared bays for storage.
"So those are the Dragoons!" His eyes went to the humanoid mobile suits locked to the hangar's inner walls.
"The mounts of Integrity Knights." The Inventor hummed while seeing these.
"I will be piloting one. I do believe the tunnels of the Underworld will be an optimal challenge for test runs." As he said that, he got an even greater idea.
"That's a great idea. We can use these tunnels between layers as testing grounds for future mech models."
"Of course, space models will be tested in the asteroid belt."
"...Sounds interesting. Can I pilot one?" Gu Yuena asked him. She got the idea to try it out. As if this is not the first time she piloted a suit of some sort.
"Of course. We can take time to see who collects laps first." Marcus suggested with a smile.
"That sounds interesting!"
"Yes, but first, we have to map the area out. After that, we can do a race or two." The inventor proceeded to walk towards the closest Dragoon.
"Yes! Let's go!"
The Dragoness rushed after him.
"...Why do they act like a bunch of kids?" Sirin asked with a sigh.
"Because Marcus matured in a strange way while Gu Yuena is trying to get his attention.
It's a war for his attention." Atalanta explained with crossed arms.
~~~
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