"The war is over. We are victorious." Marcus said that while sitting on Hades' Throne. On his lap was Persephone. The newly crowned Queen was in a messy state.
Her lush hair was all over the place, her forehead was sweaty, and her hair was sticking to it. Not that the Goddess was paying attention. Instead, she was leaning into her Conqueror, enjoying that one-hand hug.
"Does this 'war' include the woman sitting on your lap? I thought you went to beat up Hades." Sirin said with crossed arms.
She was standing in the group of females. The ship girls, Maids and her, were in front of Marcus.
Artemis looked at her half-sibling with a jealous look. She can sense a massive spike in the energy radiating from Persephone! The Goddess of Seasons was rivalling Zeus and Poseidon!
"Persephone is the new Overseer of this realm; she belongs to me."
"That right, my Lord~ you can visit me anytime, and if you want those Demigods, just tell me~" The Goddess seductively said to him.
"Y-You! What are you talking about!?" Artemis couldn't take this anymore!
"Oh, that voice." Persephone moved her head and looked at the front. She saw Artemis walking to the front of the group.
"Artemis. I haven't seen you in a while—that armour. Oh, right, you become a maid to my Lord!" the Queen of Underworld spoke surprisedly. She swiftly started to smile in amusement.
"That's right! As his maid, it's my duty to take care of his needs!"
"I suppose, but it depends on our Lord~" Once again, she looked at him like a woman obsessed with her man.
"Relax, Artemis. Persephone is just doing her job."
The silver-haired maid grimaced as she took a step back. She swiftly hides her expression.
"So what now?" Jeanne asked. She proceeded to change the theme of the conversation. The Saint's Reincarnation noticed that the atmosphere was getting too spicy. She never expected that Hades' wife would act like that. She wonders which myth of Persephone was real.
"We will rebuild this place in my image. My G.A.T. will descend into lower layers to secure them. Once that is done, a prison will be built where we can keep the most dangerous elements.
Of course, I can research whatever Zeus decided to throw in." Marcus smiled when he said the last part. He will throw whatever he doesn't like there; on top of that, he has an Olympus faction that does it, too.
'I should contact other factions and ask if they want to throw their 'rubbish' into my new prison.' A stray thought for later.
"I see, and this place?" Artemis asked curiously.
"As mentioned before, I am leaving this to Persephone. I gave her Hades Divinity, and with my faction's technomancy, I will modernise this place to make it easier for you to run."
Marcus said that while stroking Persephone's cheek.
'Ugh… damn it, her!!!'
The favouritism towards the Underworld Queen was so blatant!
"Many thanks~"
As Persephone gracefully accepted, her eyes went to Artemis, who was nearly shaking from jealousy.
'She is so amusing. I had never seen her this jealous. To think that she likes a man! What has the world turned to?' The Underworld Goddess internally laughed as she saw the sight of jealous Artemis.
"Good. You girls can return to your duties. I still need to plan out a few things."
The ship girls nodded at his orders without questions. At the same time, the maids looked at each other for a second.
"Should we return to Confiscator?" Atalanta asked with a curious tone.
"Hmm, yes. You can join the development efforts if you want."
The Lion girl pondered on that. Should she do that?
While Artemis clenched her hand and decided to find a way to get her Master's attention back, this wasn't over! She was the first Goddess whom he got into his faction!
He will return to do things to Persephone!
"Hmm, I suppose I can help as well." Sirin sighed as she proceeded to walk alongside his other creations. The faster they integrate this place into his faction, the more contribution points they will get.
…
…
…
One of the last remaining sealed doors blasted open as Nyx, with a grin, strolled in!
"Ha! I am here! We can start with—" The Primordial's shoulders sagged as she saw Forward Knights with Aurora bots already working on something! There are Starscream jets in the air as well!
"A-Again!? W-W-Why no one told me, I was lateee!"
Once again, in her eagerness, Nyx overlooked the apparent shortcomings. Like for one, none of the Knights followed after her.
~~~~~~Later~~~~~~
With the support of the airships around the tunnel entrances, the integration of Hades' Realm and the lower layers was faster than the growth in the actual surface.
The constant flow of Aurora Bots with machinery rapidly improved the development of the infrastructure of the Realm of the Dead.
Marcus wanted the authenticity of the place to be kept so most things remained 'Greek-like'. The marble-like buildings with arches and columns remained. However, many of the technocracy's things were added.
The core is the Neo-Heaven system flow of dead souls. When a Greek or follower of the biblical faction dies, he goes to this place.
The inventor noticed a cheeky thing the Biblical faction did. Their 'true' believers go to Heaven, while the ones who don't come here.
It's something like a refuse bin. Not anymore. Marcus Neo-system runs on the same fundamentals. He quickly overpowered the outdated and cranky system in place.
No more half-baked nonsense.
Just like that, the Inventor made Heaven obsolete. On top of that, he improved the circulation of the original Sacred Gears. Marcus installed a workshop where the gear gets maintained. It's a custom Assembly Line.
Of course, with all these upgrades, Marcus improved the castle as it grew. It became a citadel with Diamond Cores for power, defences like graviton cannons, and gravity wells. For manpower, he added full-fledged G.A.T barracks and comms towers.
On top of all of this, Marcus installed synchronised satellite towers. These satellite towers temporarily negate space locks and allow for Ars Almadel Salomonis space-cutting beams to arrive.
That means even in the afterlife. No one is safe from the might of orbital bombardment.
To put the cherry on top, as the owner of 'Afterlife', Marcus customised the entire G.A.T force which will be stationed there. Their armours will be the same, only black; for the helmets, he went with a more skeletal look, similar to Iron Man's helmet, only more 'angry'.
Since he defeated Hades, his divinity was analysed. The conclusion of that analysis was another deadly type of bullet added to the arsenal thanks to this war, and that is 'Death'.
Now, G.A.T Knights can send people to HIS afterlife. Indeed, no one can escape from him this time around.
These G.A.T knights will be called 'Gravekeepers'. Of course, the leader of this group is Persephone. The Goddess is quite happy with the retrofits to her original house. As someone who wanted entertainment, the satellite TV was a good addition. Not that this was all. He added everything as if it was his house.
It was because the Goddess belonged to him, so her house was his house.
So he wasn't holding back.
It helped that with each and every single addition, the Queen of Underworld would pamper her new Lord.
This pampering was noticed by maids, who stayed over. At first, they thought that Persephone was obnoxious and annoying, but unlike Artemis and other maids, they were never married before.
They have no idea about the 'proper' pampering and how to give the 'proper' attention by a wife to her husband. That's where Persephone dominated, and with that domination, Marcus paid a lot of attention to the newest addition to his Harem.
However, Athena, being a proper scholar, started to study this 'phenomena'.
While Artemis and other maids started questioning their approaches, a different approach was required.
Others, like Sirin, simply: 'Duh, that's how couples should be doing'. Even she, a Harbinger of Death, knows a thing or two. After all, she reads manga.
Regardless, the time in Hades' Realm was getting close to ending, as surface dwellers needed Marcus—devils, particularly as arrangements required to be made.
"Before you go. What will we do with Hades?" Persephone asked him.
"...Right, I completely forgot about him." Marcus blinked a couple of times. He was having so much fun playing 'Sim City.' with Hades Realm that he forgot about Hades.
It didn't help that he would have a gorgeous beauty on his lap most of the time, rewarding him for all that hard work he did in retrofitting the castle.
"It's okay~ if you want, I can send him to Cocytus for a while until the prison gets completed," Persephone said with a delighted tone. Oh, this is a dream coming true! She wanted to do this for decades, sending Hades to Cocytus!
Seeing how excited she was with this prospect, Marcus simply nodded at her.
"Sure. Do that. Send him there."
"Yes!" The beauty jumped into his hand and then started another steamy make-out session.
The pair ignored the rest. Artemis bites her nails seeing this. She can't believe how easily Marcus gets persuaded by Persephone! This Queen knows a way to make him agree with her decisions.
That's because Artemis knows the Inventor was considering torturing the fallen God. But now he was easily persuaded to forget that and lock that God in eternal freeze.
"Don't forget, my base is linked to this place; you can visit anytime. With the system in place, you can now leave this place anytime you want."
Persephone's eyes gleamed with happiness. Oh, she will abuse this invitation! By the time she is done, she will be Conqueror's wife!
"Of course. It gets dreary in this place~" She rubbed her cheek into his cheek. Goddess kept her hands wrapped around his neck.
The beauty was getting exceptionally touchy with him.
~~~
'Finally! We can leave!' Artemis sighed in relief. For a second, she thought that Marcus would stay there! However, this was not over by a long shot. The Base now has a direct linkage to Realm of Undead! It's a single teleportation away.
It was as if the Queen of the Underworld was living in a room next door.
That means Artemis and even Athena have to work harder!
"What is on your mind?" The silver-haired goddess asked Athena, who was aboard Confiscator alongside her.
Athena's time as airship commander for a moment is over. There was no reason to command an airship by this point. There are no enemies to engage.
"I think this was an ambush." The Warfare Goddess used military terms to reply.
"...I agree on that."
"Persephone is more suited to seduce my future husband. She is eager, like a hungry predator who wants that pure thing. That is why Marcus is so quick to end up in her lap."
"...Pure thing?"
"Indeed. After becoming Goddess of the Underworld, what did she do all the time?" Athena answered with a question.
"...Umm, got railed by your future husband?" Artemis' 'replied'.
"...Classy. But no. While she wanted to retain her status. She showed him what it means to have a 'Queen' who can assist in ruling.
She would suggest but never question his authority and reward in a way that women always do.
It's very simple— basic even."
'Not that I understood this before I saw it.' Athena realised that she lacked that experience—the experience of being Queen to a husband.
Their compatibility was what carried her all this way until now.
"...Hmm, I suppose I never considered that." Artemis agreed after thinking about it. Having a visual confirmation that it works helped. It helped too much. She needs to change her approach!
Thankfully, Persephone shouldn't be around the base all the time, right?
As those two were discussing in the background, the Herrscher observed them with interest.
It was as if she was watching a TV documentary about Greek Gods and their drama. Only in the flesh with real deities.
"Not going to assist or join the conversation?"
Gu Yuena spoke directly into her mind.
"What for?"
"Aren't you regulars always insecure?" The Dragoness curiously asked as she walked over to her side.
"Regulars? What does it even mean?" Sirin turned towards her and asked with confusion
"I mean beings who don't have memories. I noticed that most of the time, beings who are not the Emperor's true creations are always insecure and need to do something. Like those two."
The explanation made her white-haired girl somewhat offended.
"For your knowledge, I am one of his creations."
"Partially, yes. But I do feel jealousy and insecurity from you." Gu Yuena pointed out with a small smile.
"We do wield psionic powers; something called emphatic senses do exist. And if I can pick it up, the Emperor sure can."
For a second, there was a surprised look on her face before she hid it and looked at her with narrow eyes.
"So he knows and doesn't do anything?"
"What for? He is not a babysitter or a nurse. If you want something, do it yourself." Gu Yuena shrugged her response.
"..."
For a while, Sirin didn't say anything; instead, she looked away and got deep into her thoughts.
'So it's memories and souls which cause them to be like this. Thankfully, I don't have these kinds of drawbacks.'
It was the assurances and the memories which were given to her by Marcus which are keeping Dragoness content with her current situation. She finds it amusing and quite fascinating how Persephone got her Emperor that interested.
Eventually, the Confiscator arrived at Lilith. The airship docked on the first floor of the Space Port. There was no need to take a gunship or shuttle anymore.
The Inventor proceeded to walk out of the vessel and into the tower, then he got into an anti-gravity train, which took him down to the citadel.
It lasted less than ten minutes. The trains ran directly into the citadel, with platforms big enough for armies to stand.
By all means, the citadel was a megastructure.
It helps that devils and Greek gods decided to have their bases in castle-like structures. It was easy for Aurora bots to build around them and expand.
After a short walking trip, Marcus arrived in the throne room.
People were already waiting for him. The first thing Solomon's successor noticed was:
"Azazel, you are already awake. Vali, too. It appears you guys missed the whole party."
"Yes. Well, certain someone punched me out of the war." The Fallen Angel said to Marcus as his gaze was on Nyx standing behind the Inventor. The Primordial's clothes were that of Technocracy.
To think that a Primordial capable of placing Earth in eternal darkness became such a submissive puppy.
"Not my problem that you are that fragile, little crow." The Primordial Night said with a careless shrug.
"True. I am nowhere near your capacities." As the Leader of Crows said that, he saw Marcus walking over and sitting down on his newly created throne.
"Not bad. I like the new design." Marcus said that as his gaze went to the side where Quinella was standing. The moment their eyes met the moment the Assistant started to fiddle with her clothes.
Her behaviour made him chuckle. It appears she still thinks that he cares about that little incident.
Regardless, his gaze went back to the leading crow. Behind this crow, there were a bunch of other crows. These were the survivors of the war.
Next to them, there were devils and their survivors. How cute. The 'mortal' enemies were in the same room.
"Tell me, what can I do for you?"
"..."
"..."
"We were briefed about the current circumstances." Azazel started.
"Oh? Which are?"
"Fallen Angels would like to join your cause." The Head crow directly went for the kill. He was trying to address this issue with the head of Technocracy. Azazel is well aware of what is waiting for his people. They will be part of an experiment. Instead, he aims to be the one who does experiments for him.
After all, his people are of Gregori—the same angels who originally were researchers of the heavens.
"My cause? You wish to be part of Technocracy?" Marcus pondered on that.
"Yes. We are of Gregori, the original researchers created by the old man. We became fallen because we were curious about nature." Azazel pointed out the origins of his race.
"True. That's an excellent point."
A small smile appeared on the Governor General's face.
"But."
The small smile disappeared from his face. When Marcus said 'but'.
"Your bunch can be very unruly. If I am to accept your kin into the actual ranks of Technocracy, It could damage MY image. And that is unforgivable." The Inventor pointed that out. He then explained more.
"We could deal with that with some draconian rules. That is if you agree."
"I am sure we can deal with fallen who have unsavoury traits."
"Yes. We can always get more test subjects. Once we get into space, an airlock is a good alternative. But then again, we will have research stations. We can use them there." Marcus pondered out loud.
People who listened could only grimace.
"That could work, too."
"Good. Then, we will have a test run. Impress me, Azazel, and we might have something here."
Regardless, Marcus agreed the inventor's first impression of the Fallen was good. He can overlook some of the stories he heard about the Fallen Angels.
If they plan something, he can quickly turn them into research materials for medical science. There is never enough of those.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Mundane tech. I want you to dominate the regular world. I have a company. You shall take over as head of research and development."
"...Master, are you sure? We already have Goldman Industries." Latia, who was listening, spoke.
"Indeed, we have a monopoly on phones; you planned to monopolise the health sector, no? I will use Azazel's technical expertise to see if he is serious.
I want to see how much dominance you can establish in my country."
Azazel slowly nodded. He read perfectly between the lines.
Marcus will watch how Azazel does it. Will it be surgical precision or brute force? Depending on that, the inventor will decide.
'No doubt he will give me ALL the tools of his faction. If I abuse all of that, he will decline my achievements. In other words, I can only use the bare minimum. And then dominate a country with a small economy.
Does he want me to do surgery on a mouse?' The Fallen angel grimaced internally.
"I assume that I can use my faction?"
"Of course. They are your people; you can do whatever you want."
"Very well, I accept your challenge."
"Good."
Marcus then looked at Latia, who wanted to speak with him—that look she was giving.
"Your position didn't change. The only difference is that you have a Research and development division. You can use however you want the things they develop for sale."
"...But… how will we know what is what?" The blonde devil asked with confusion.
"Well, that's the beauty of this challenge. Isn't it right, Azazel?"
Marcus' question made the Leader of Fallen grimace.
"You are just looking for me to slip. I have an infinite money glitch, but I can't abuse it." Azazel started to use gamer slang.
"Indeed, but you are starting the game with five-star products and fully developed medic building. I am confident you can build things in between." Marcus answered with his game slang.
"At least something." Even though the Head Crow said that, he could still feel the gaze of the blonde devil. It appears he is encroaching on her territory.
"Good, then you may go. Jeanne, take them to Earth and show them around."
"...Understood I am to use our properties in your town?"
"Yes, we should have a couple of apartment buildings available," Marcus nodded.
"I would like to come with Jeanne; I can explain better." Latia offered herself to assist.
"You can do that later. We still have devil business. Once that is done, then you can return to your duties on Earth." The inventor knew well enough that Latia was feeling threatened. But Marcus doesn't see any sort of issue. Mundane assets are meaningless to him.
And it's not that Azazel will destroy something.
"...I understand." Latia relented after hearing that.
"Good girl, now then, devils~"
As the Crows are leaving with Jeanne, Marcus gazes at the group of devils. There are fewer of them. Only the elite have gathered. Ordinary devils already returned to their 'normal' lives.
Well, they went to their flats and are waiting for the results of this meeting.
"I will start this." Seekvaira took a step forward.
"As per your request, I have created a list of people. That is not the full list, as I need my relatives to be alive to make a proper one."
"I see. However, this can go on for eternity. As one person leads to another, I would resurrect all the devil kin.
The only ones I am resurrecting are devils with Agares surname and devils who served Agares. That goes to you, Latia, as well."
"I understand."
"Good, then here." He motioned with his hand as if he was throwing something.
"Check your personal console. I have added the Realm of Dead interface.
You can check souls which are in the realm of the Dead. Use names and pictures to find your deceased relatives. Once you locate them, you can download them."
"...Download? Souls?" Seekvaira looked dumbfounded when she heard that.
"Yes. You didn't know it yet? I have an automated afterlife."
"...Satans."
"Oh, and a small detail."
"Yes?"
"Devils and Fallen don't have an afterlife. Those dead souls would end up in the abyss of nothingness. Angra Mainyu abused that little fact with Tartarus.
They knew Devils and Fallen were truly alone. There is no God behind them. That is why they attacked without fear. The only thing you people had was Ajuka and Sirzechs, which were taken care of from the beginning." Marcus explained with a plain voice before getting a little bit more interested as he was about to tell something interesting for the devils, that is.
"But this is where you all can relax. As long as you are part of Technocracy, the afterlife for Devilkind and Fallen is guaranteed."
"You mean you will allow devils to rest in the afterlife?" Seekvaira asked with a curious tone. That was a big bonus for some people. Just knowing that you will go somewhere after death gives some sense of ease.
"Precisely, Seekvaira. Since you are part of my faction, I will care for you even after death."
"You mean that we will be your subjects and experimented even after death." Runeas intercepted.
"Your choice, Gremory. It's not that I will be drugging you throughout your life. Most of the social experiments will be recorded and analysed from a distance.
Most of the regular people have no use for me either way. It is more interesting to see how they behave in different environments." He waved with a hand.
"Have you ever had a pet in a cage? Like a hamster? You give them food and then let them do their thing in that small area you gave them as home." Marcus started to explain in detail.
"The only difference is that it will be the entirety of the Underworld. So you people won't be able to see those imaginary cage walls."
"...You…are a monster!"
"That rich coming from a devil. All I did was increase the perception of size. You already were a pet to something. Only this time around, you precisely know to whom you are a pet.
Does that make me a monster? Sometimes, you must swallow those hard facts and get over it." He explained to her in simple terms.
"..."
"For a devil, you sure behave like a human." Marcus chuckled while saying that.
"I would even say naive."
Runeas narrowed her eyes for a bit.
"Just because I spend a lot of time sleeping doesn't mean I haven't seen things. I was there when devils waged war on Heaven."
"Oh, did you? Does a couple of years of fighting make you experienced? If this is the case, Original Gremory, tell me what you can offer me. If it is useful even a little bit, I will make you my Gremory Pillar. This privilege will allow your clan to use my faction's resources to rebuild or build whatever you want."
His abrupt offer surprised Runeas. She needed a couple of seconds to gather her thoughts.
"...I can tell you the history and origins of devilkind and how it used to be at the very beginning when Heaven split into three factions," Gremory said with an assured tone.
"Not a bad suggestion. If you offered that initially, it could have worked. But, I now control the afterlife and every single soul deceased. If I want to know this, I can summon Lucifer himself, and he will tell me everything." Marcus said with a bright smile.
"Maybe a suggestion on how to sleep properly?" The Inventor joked on her passion for sleeping.
Runeas frowned in annoyance when she heard that! Why is he constantly targeting that!?
"I don't understand. Is it wrong to hibernate? I raised my son to take my place all those years ago. There was no need for me afterwards." The original Gremory complained to him.
The rest of the devils, maids, ship girls and the rest looked at this like a bunch of observers. They are becoming an 'audience' to some sort of debate show.
Though the ship girls, his assistant and Gu Yuena knew the answer.
"Depends how you raised your descendant. From what I saw, your family did achieve quite a bit. Marrying a Bael in your society is impressive."
Runeas puffed her chest for a second.
"But, I would say you could achieve more if you actively controlled your family and had long-term generational plans."
"...I am not you. I don't have those kinds of ambitions."
"And that is why I am sitting here, and you are standing there." He pointed at himself and then at her.
"...I see your point." Runeas begrudgingly agreed while looking away.
Seeing that the pair stopped their debate, Venelana stepped forward.
"Master. Since your conquest is over, what happened to Sirzechs and Ajuka?" The brown-haired devil asked him respectfully.
Marcus looked at her for a bit before starting to explain.
"Ajuka doesn't exist anymore; by all accounts, he has been consumed at a spiritual level by Angra Mainyu. While Sirzechs still has a soul. They drained his soul to the point that he could only exist as a low-class devil. Even less than that."
Devils whispered among themselves when they heard the grim truth. To think Evil Gods could beat their Crimson Lucifer like that!
"Can his soul be recovered?" Lady Gremory asked him.
"Theoretically, it is possible." Marcus pondered on that, stroking his chin. The Inventor does have all the tools to do just that. But why would he do that?
Honestly, he is still bitter about Venelana's absence. That is why he tolerates Serafall's blunders and her desire to save her people. Unlike Venelana, his Leviathan was with him all the time she could.
"Then?"
"Then what?" He looked at her with sharp eyes. He was almost begging her to reveal her intentions.
"...Nothing."
"Thought so. Now then, to the main point of this conversation." Marcus snapped his fingers, and Underworld in the shape of a globe appeared in the middle of the room.
It was a massive hologram, spinning and eventually stopping in the area around Lilith.
"This is a preliminary forecast of how the Underworld will look once terraforming is complete."
"That small continent will be given to devils to live there in any way they see fit within set rules. Materials, food, water, all the things will be given to you by my Technocracy."
The devils blinked a couple of times. It was, in truth, a lot of land!
Even Runeas looked surprised. Now she is wondering how he can call it a 'cage'; it could take weeks of walking to reach the other side.
"Didn't I tell you 'perception'?" Marcus commented as he saw Runeas' expression.
"My Assistant already told your kin how you can get things from Technocracy?" He asked the rest, ignoring Runeas' frown.
"Yes."
" Anything else?" The Inventor enquired; all he got was head shakes.
"Lord Marcus. May I ask what is the process for devils to become your pillars?" The blonde man asked Marcus as he slowly walked to the front.
"Hmm, your energy reading— you a Phenex?" Marcus asked as he looked interested.
"...Correct, the Phenex clan is one of the pillars; our abilities are unique. I have no idea if you have studied, but we have regenerative abilities and Phenex tears, which work like healing potions."
"Hmm, what you are saying is indeed impressive abilities."
"And my daughter is talented in management." Lord Phenex chipped in this small detail.
"Very well. I am going to test that." Marcus nodded before looking at Quinella.
"Darling. I require your services."
The platinum-haired beauty walked over to the front and slightly bowed to him. She looked very subdued. It's very amusing for him to watch that.
"Test Lord Phenex's daughter; I want to see those managing abilities."
"As you wish."
As Quinella received her orders, Marcus' gaze returned to the crowd.
"Anything else?"
~~~~~~A While Ago, in Heaven~~~~~~
Out of nowhere, the heaven system started to flicker. The orb of light began to blink. The glow lessened and lessened until it ceased to exist.
The light flickered out of existence.
Michael looked at the system and could not believe what he saw!
"I-It's gone! Heaven's system is down!"
This can't be happening!!!
~~~
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