Devils & Artefacts (Patreon)

Chapter 57

Latia has freaked out with the whole war situation. First, the Fallen get invaded and crushed in moments, and then Marcus accelerates his projects with disregard for regular people!

The blonde devil has acquired over 70% of the land for the spaceport. But the remaining 30% was a village, and her family was subtly removing people from it at this moment.

And now, she needs to hurry as the construction work has already started!

The issue is that the space centre is underground, and now they need to build a building above the centre! That building is not some average thing! It's several kilometres tall! And 14 kilometres in diameter! It's the biggest thing in human history!

People from the city not far from it can see it without binoculars! It's a massive object!

Realitus would work briefly, but the particles don't work in rainy situations. The moment it starts raining, the building will be visible.

However, for a moment, she needed to forget about this, as when she was at the site, someone activated the nationwide barrier alert system!

'Great… what now?'

The blonde focused on the barrier and saw—Odin! At the edge of the barrier system, he was waiting at the beach!

'Latia, take Icarus; the airship just rolled out from the assembly line.'

Marcus directly spoke to her mind.

'Y-You want me at the helm!?'

'It doesn't matter anymore. My sister is with Golden Dawn. They already know I am Solomon's Heir.'

'...Right, let's just terrify my people more— not only do they have to worry about Evil and Dark Gods, but Solomon as well…'

'It is what it is. I can't change the hand Devils have. However, I can assist them. For a price.'

'As you wish, my Master.'

In the end, all she can do is follow her Master. A gunship arrived and picked her up from the village she was working In.

A few moments later, she saw Icarus, the second Daedalus-Class airship, rise from the Space Centre. It was an identical ship to Confiscator; only it had a name carved on the side of it with the serial number 02.

'Icarus, the son of Daedalus, a pair of father and son who wanted to fly. The son flew too high, too close to the sun; the wax from the wings melted away, and the son perished by falling into the sea.

I do hope the same fate doesn't follow this airship.'

The blonde girl was pondering on Greek myths; the gunship landed on the runway inside of the airship.

The devil girls looked around inside the ship. She was awed to see that the vessel was fully equipped!

It only was—what—a couple of days!?

That's right! The space centre constructed this in a matter of a few short days! Including the Starscream Jet fighter squads and an entire battalion of S.P.B.A!

Such production speed is unnatural! Even for Marcus! Did he beef up his Assembly Lines!?

'That's stupid. Of course, the Master did…'

It should be obvious! Energy for him is not an issue. The issue is how quickly he can assemble things and how fast he can grow his soldiers.

Power is not an issue and never was. So, inventing faster and more streamlined methods is all he needs to produce massive vessels in just a few short days!

A couple of beautiful females dressed in military uniform walked over to Latia.

"Mistress Latia, the airship Icarus is ready for its maiden voyage. Shall we set course to the Baltic Sea coastline?"

"Yes. Do so. We can't make Odin wait for long. Otherwise, we will look unprofessional."

"Of course. Master sent word that he will catch up with us soon. According to him, he can't waste this opportunity to speak with a Chief God."

"I see. That's a relief."

Latia was relieved at the same time; she realised that it was true; Marcus had never spoken with a head of a Pantheon before. The vampires don't count, as they are a lesser faction.

The blonde followed the officers towards the bridge. The devil girl had never been in one of these airships before. As silly as it sounds, she wanted to see the interior

~~~

"M-My Lord…" One of the Valkyries squeaked, seeing a massive airship arrive to greet them; its turrets pointed at them as the front opened, and jet fighters proceeded to leave the vessel and circle the area.

"Relax, they won't shoot us. The young man is very interested in us." Odin lifted his hand, motioning for his valkyries to calm down.

"...Right…" The warrior girls gulped down seeing all the mech and gunships leaving the airship and dropping soldiers off, which, in the process, the soldiers started to surround them

"...My, what a spectacle. So professional." The old Chief God slowly nodded to himself while seeing everything before him.

*SWOOSH*

The sound of energy-cutting air spread through the area as an armoured man descended from the sky.

The armoured being slowly floated down, the helmet retracted, revealing a teenage male.

"I wasn't expecting guests. It's already past midnight. May I ask what brings you to my little country?"

"...Ah, Marcus Goldman, we come in peace. My name is Odin, and I am the Chief God of the Norse. You might have heard about me." The old man introduced himself while stroking his beard in a relaxed fashion. There was no sign of alertness from the ancient God. It was as if he was on a holiday trip.

"...Odin, you say. Well, well, what a guest. Why don't we take this on my new airship? It just rolled out from the Assembly line."

"Fine by me."

A few moments later, a gunship landed in front of Odin. The Chief God walked inside of it with leisure in his steps. While his Valkyries were the opposite, they were all skittish.

As the gunship went up, another ship floated over next to Icarus. It was a carrier ship.

Enterprise, being the 'girl scout', went after her Admiral as she received no orders to stand down or mobilise, nothing! So, being a good girl, she went right after her creator.

When she arrived next to Icarus, she floated to the airship and landed in the hangar bay side entrance.

Her vessel shimmered into golden particles and ceased to exist. It has returned to the armoury.

"Admiral!"

"Enti?"

Marcus looked at his ship girl, who walked over to his side. He was at the armoury; robotic hands were taking off his armour.

As the robotic hands stored the armour, he walked over to her side.

"What are you doing here?"

"You are about to meet a strong God. I thought I should be by your side at such an event." She seriously explained to him.

His reply was a smile as he lifted his hand and stroked her chin.

"My Enti is so cute when she is this thoughtful."

Her cheeks turned red when she heard that!

"Admiral, not now! We are having important guests!" She exclaimed with mock anger.

"Right, right…"

He stopped teasing her and, instead, turned around and took his lab coat from a soldier who brought it over for him.

"Let's meet the Chief Norse God." Marcus put on his coat while motioning his ship girl to follow him.

"Yes!"

~~~

As the gunship landed, the side doors opened; Odin walked out and looked around.

The hangar bay was full of soldiers and advanced technology.

"...Just how…advanced is this Marcus Goldman…" Silver-haired Valkyrie looked terrified and awed. Her voice could barely hide the panic she was feeling.

"Advanced enough to assist us." The Chief God simply replied to her.

"Right."

"Now follow me; I want him to see what we can offer." The Ruler of Asgard said with a smile. His words have somewhat confused the Valkyries. What does he mean?

They didn't realise that Odin planned to sell his Valkyries to form an Alliance. And why not? He has too many of them as it is!

As the group from Asgard walked over, they saw Marcus Goldman dressed in flip-flops, casual slacks meant for running, a simple t-shirt and a Lab coat.

His clothes were a tail tale of laziness, something he pulled out randomly from his wardrobe.

"I apologise for my clothes. I was sleeping when you decided to drop in."

"No worries. I would have chosen a better time, but as we speak, something big is happening in the Underworld which requires me to come to see you." Odin went straight to the point. He even ignored the massive source of Mana next to Marcus, unlike his Valkyries, who were staring with disbelief and growing horror. That girl was as strong as God!

"...Oh? What do you have to do with the Underworld?"

"Normally nothing. Norse has its own Nine Realms. We have no connection to that place. However, Loki has joined the side of the Gods of Hell and is pulling my pantheon's reputation through the dirt.

I have already sent Thor and Baldur to assist the Devils; I would request you to join. And I am willing to pay you handsomely."

"...Interesting. Come, let's get some tea. I don't get visits from Chief Gods that often." Marcus motioned for them to follow.

They walked towards the main lift, which could take them to the bridge, but the bridge was not their destination.

"Tell the bridge to set course towards Scandinavia. I drop my guests there once we finish with our discussion." Marcus said to his silver-haired companion.

"As you wish."

"Now, back to your request. I assume there is something big going on that you need my assistance. Thor and Baldur are not weaklings." The teen inventor returned to the conversation with the Chief God.

"My sons are powerful, but they are at a disadvantage; Loki took his Ice Giants and Fenrir; if my sources are correct, then Hel has joined him as well."

"...Fenrir… that's a Godslayer."

"Precisely, I don't want my sons to die before my time. And worse of all, if Fenrir gets on the loose, he will destroy the Devil kind. I am not even mentioning what those Dark Gods have with them."

"And here you are offering me to go there. I assume you have something good to offer for me to join that battle?" Marcus asked him as they arrived on their floor; the lift doors opened as they walked towards a meeting room.

"I have some offers. Not that I need much to persuade. You have a relationship with the devil kind, being the next Solomon. One of the devils is in this airship as we speak." Odin smiled while saying that.

Enterprise, who was behind Marcus for a second, stiffed. She knew it was supposed to be a secret that her creator was the successor!

"Hmm, so the news came that far?" The teen ignored Enterprise's stiffness.

"Nope, I did my investigation. Being a ruler for so long has become boring. I needed some entertainment, and watching you was just that." The Ancient God said with a sagely voice.

"Ah, yes. People sometimes forget that Odin is the God of Wisdom as well. I am not surprised, and you are right. It doesn't take me much to interfere in this war.

You could say I am procrastinating and waiting for Devils to beg."

*Amused Snort*

"I see. Well, then, you don't need to worry, I will help you. You can enter that place with my permission; in a sense, you are doing a favour to the Norse Pantheon.

You are my representative there to deal with Loki and his forces. You can collect any trophies you want from this war; anything Loki works with is fair game, including Fenrir and Hel."

"...Even those two? Isn't Hel your Underworld Goddess?"

Odin waved his hand casually when he heard the question.

"It is evident that she will be a hassle. I plan to seal Loki away, and Fenrir and Hel will try to release him. It's better if they stay with you." The Chief God shrugged his shoulders.

"In other words, they are troublemakers, and you will leave those with me."

"Precisely, you have a reputation in dealing with Goddesses." There was a grin on the old man's face.

"You are not wrong there."

"Indeed. As I said, you can collect everything you want from that war. Greeks have washed themselves from this. Devils have no power, and Fallen Angels have ceased to exist as a faction."

"That leaves only your faction."

"Precisely, and I am inviting you to do your thing. To make it more interesting, I am even offering an alliance."

Marcus blinked a couple of times.

"You didn't misheard me. As you said, I am a God of Wisdom, and my eye sees more than others can see."

"...This… are you sure? I am someone who does as I please. Being in cohorts with me is a first-class ticket to trouble."

"I do know that you have a close relationship with Greeks; how close I don't know. But I am a betting man. I know you are becoming a superpower like no other. That is something I want to see."

"...I see you want a front-row seat."

"Indeed."

"...Honestly, you are the first leader of a Pantheon who approached me like this. Fine, I agree. What is this alliance you speak of?" Marcus is willing to agree just from the simple fact that Odin doesn't have a pole in his ass like other Pantheon leaders.

"Nothing major, simple non-aggression pact. I am even willing to offer you a gift, or more like gifts."

"...Gifts?"

"Yep. I have brought the best Valkyries my Asgard has produced. Pick any two you like. They will be yours."

"!!!"

All the armoured girls' eyes bulged out! This bribery was what their God was planning!? He is going to give them away!?

"...You came prepared…" Marcus was more amused than shocked. He should have known the old fox could pull something like that from his ass!

"Of course! Youngster! You should know that I take pride in my preparations! I know you are a collector! You collect Sacred Gears; you collect females!" He then looked at Enterprise." You even turn warships into females. You are just like me, a man of Culture. Men, like us, should stick together."

"Pffff—Hahahaha! You are right! I NEVER expected to hear this from a Chief God! But this is refreshing." The teen inventor laughed out loud when he heard that!

While the Successor of Solomon was enjoying this conversation, unlike the Valkyries, the Warrior Maidens were blushing and looking away in shame.

They can't believe their God would speak like this!

"It's a good thing we are on the same page." Odin snapped his fingers, and a scroll appeared on the table.

He then used magic to make the scroll reveal its content.

"This is the non-aggression treaty; read through it." The one-eyed God motioned for the scroll to fly to Marcus' side.

The inventor grabbed it and read through the content.

He read through the whole thing in a few short moments.

"Looks good enough. It has all the basics one would have for such a treaty." With hand motion, a pen appeared, and he started to write on it as Odin had already signed his part.

Once Marcus finished signing, the one-eyed God motioned with his hand, and a copy of the scroll appeared and floated over to his side.

"With this, the paperwork is done. Now, why don't you tell me which Valkyries you want to keep." The old God grinned while making the scroll disappear.

"...Lord O-Odin, it's not appropriate!" One of the Valkyries finally spoke up.

"Please. None of you have boyfriends. I am doing you a favour!" The Chief God waved his hand in dismissal before looking at Marcus.

"Young Man. I have issues with the current generation of Valkyries. They don't have boyfriends and are constantly nagging me as if it's my fault!"

"We don't nag you for that! Don't make it up!" The blue-haired Valkyrie huffed with some anger.

"See? They are getting angry at me for their shortcomings! That's the reason why I am thinking of shrinking their ranks. Which one do you want? That blue-haired one is currently Brynhildr; the one with red eyes and blonde hair is Thrud; maybe you want that with silver hair? She is Rossweisse, exceptionally talented in overall magic."

Odin smoothly suggested, making the three girls blush even harder!

"I thought Brynhildr is your daughter?"

"Hmm, she was the original one, I mean, but that was a long time ago. I have made her name into a title. The Leader Valkyrie gets the title of Brynhildr."

"I see… in that case, you can keep your Brynhildr since she is the leader. I can take the other two you offered."

Marcus looked at the blonde Valkyrie. She looked just like Thrud from Fate Grand Order; the only difference was she didn't have those two tiny wings which operated like antennas on her head.

"...Fantastic!" The Chief God looked ecstatic before looking at the Valkyries.

"You two will be serving Marcus. He will offer better working deals than your current job, that much I am certain."

"Hmm? You have quite the confidence in my employment options." The inventor was somewhat shocked by what he heard from Odin.

"Please, no need to sugarcoat it. You have means of infinite energy generation. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been stuck in such a small area. Your war machine is rapidly growing, but your territory is not.

And no, your vampire conquest doesn't count towards your governed territory. You haven't touched those areas."

Marcus slightly frowned from hearing that. Odin was like that old CEO who knew what the new CEO was doing like the back of his hand.

It was impressive and a little bit concerning; these Gods of Wisdom can be a pain in the butt.

"...Heh, you are right…" The teen simply agreed. There is no need to hide something that is obvious. He then used his link with Latia. He decided to leave the Valkyries for the blond devil. He knows his Astaroth Pillar will explain the perks of working for him.

"Precisely, serving you will be far more interesting than this old man." The Chief God nodded before looking back at the duo of Valkyries.

"Now, off you two go."

"...B-But Lord Odin…" Rossweise complained as she didn't know what to say.

"Don't embarrass me further; I am trying to solidify the relationship between our two factions. Your job is to follow my orders. So do that, or should I dismiss you?"

"U-Understood!"

It's funny how Rossweisse was the only one who complained, as Thrud was already standing behind Marcus and waiting for orders.

The girl was exactly how she was in Fate Grand Order. She follows EVERY command.

A few moments later, a blonde girl with blue tips opened the meeting room doors and entered.

"Excuse me, Master, you called me?" Latia respectfully bowed.

"Is this the devil you turned into your Pillar, Marcus?" Odin asked curiously.

"Latia Astaroth, My Astaroth pillar."

"...what a surprise, You turned Ajuka Beelzebub's niece into your pillar."

"... It's not that surprising, considering my other pillars."

"Let me guess, you could cripple their whole race with a single move?" Odin grinned; he finds it amusing, as God of War, such crippling moves certainly make his day.

"Something like that."

The blonde Devil slightly frowned upon hearing that. But she didn't comment. It's not her place to do that.

"Latia, these two have been gifted to me. Tell them the overall picture, and of course, this girl here, Rossweisse, cares a lot about her employment situation."

The silver-haired Valkyrie looked somewhat ashamed for a bit. The tone of his voice tells her that he found it amusing.

But it's not amusing to her! Her salary as Valkyrie and Odin's assistant is abysmal! She wants to know if she will get better!

"Of course. Leave this to me." Latia understood his assignment; she then motioned for two of them to follow her.

~~~~~~At the Base~~~~~~

"...Phew… finally done! Who would have thought there are that many things to learn about when it comes to maids!" Valerie Tepes sighed as she finished with her last simulation.

She scored 100 out of 100 points in the maid's exam!

However, the moment she is out of the Entertainment Dome, she is greeted by the head maid and the goddess of the Moon.

The pair of Silver heads looked intimidating when they were together like this.

"...Umm, how can I help?"

"Valerie Tepes. Master has an assignment for you."

"Oh?"

"He wants you to be his representative in Kuoh, where Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri currently reside." Head Maid explained with a professional voice.

It sounded far too great. Valerie nearly squealed from happiness, but she controlled herself.

"But?"

"Knowing him, he wants to test you out," Artemis said smoothly.

"...I see, it makes sense."

'Of course… he wants to see my allegiance…'

Valerie had no doubt he was expecting her almost to give herself to the devil just to be close to her childhood friend.

But the blonde Drampir didn't spend excessive time studying the art of being a maid just for nothing!

"Then, I shall do what he wishes of me."

"Good, then follow me; I shall teleport you to Kuoh." Artemis motioned for her to follow. Leaving Grayfia alone, she looked at the Dhampir girl for a moment.

The Head Maid wants to see how good this 'trophy' is.

~~~

In the middle of the student council room, a silver circle manifested. Sona Sitri's eyes looked confused as she wondered who was teleporting here.

The Barrier placed in the town of Kuoh blocks anyone with hostile intentions from passing in. The technique used to differentiate is something still alluding to the Heiress.

Thankfully, this means the current person arriving here is not a hostile one.

Once the glow settled down, a pair of maids stood before her.

"Sona Sitri, I am Artemis; this is Valerie Tepes."

'A-Artemis!'

The Devil Heiress stood up and straightened her back. Her Peerage did the same.

"It is an honour to meet the famous Goddess of the Hunt!" The rest of her Peerage followed after her and greeted her as well.

The Goddess got used to being just a maid, so it is refreshing to see that people still remember her as an Olympian.

"Yes, well, My Master has sent me here to tell you that from now on, Valerie is stationed here. From my understanding, she knows Rias Gremory's Bishop."

"...The Dhampir… I have heard about him." Sona nodded in understanding.

"Yes. In an emergency, Valerie will fully command forces deployed in Kuoh."

As Artemis explained, the Dhampir girl was pondering what this all means. She barely worked for her Master. She barely did anything to get this much responsibility.

'Is he interested in Gasper? His Sacred Gear is very dangerous.'

She pondered on this some more. Eventually, she realises that Marcus has left this to her.

'Fine… I will do that. I will pass this test!'

"Any questions?"

"...When can I meet Rias Gremory?"

"...This… Well, Rias is not herself after what happened to her brother." Sona reluctantly replied to the Dhampir maid.

"The war… how is it going?" Artemis asked curiously.

"It's terrible. Very—terrible. It's nothing like we have ever seen. There are millions of those creatures; they all wield the bloodline powers of devilkind. In front of them, OUR Bloodlines cease to work. And these things are just the grunts. Several GREEK gods work with them, like Hypno."

The Sitri Heiress purposely mentioned 'GREEK' to Artemis, who understood well enough.

"Nyx and Erebus are beyond the control of Olympus. There is a reason why she used to be left alone to her own devices in the Underworld.

It's not Olympus' fault that you all decided to live on that world's surface." Artemis smoothly said in a single breath.

"If you have complaints, you should speak with My father. I have no hand in current dealings of Olympus, as you can see—I am just a maid." The silver-haired Goddess almost smiled, saying that. There is a certain amount of satisfaction in dropping all the shit on her father's faction and washing her hands from this business.

"Well, I did my part; we shall watch your work with interest, Valerie." With a burst of Silver, the Goddess was gone.

Even if Artemis was not around, Sona didn't complain in the open. Nope, she knows the barrier system has ears. If she says something, the Goddess might return.

And that's something she doesn't want.

"Can I see, Rias Gremory?" Valerie asked once again.

"Sure, I want to remind you that she is not herself. Her brother is missing."

Sona comments as she remembers how her rival looked since her last visit to see her.

~~~~~~Atlantic Ocean, Norway's Coastline~~~~~~

The massive Airship Icarus was floating above the cold waters of the Northern Atlantic. Right below them is the wreckage of the World War Two warship Tirpitz, a German battleship of the same class as Bismarck—one of the most dangerous vessels in World War 2.

After signing the non-aggression treaty with the Norse, Marcus dropped the Chief God and his remaining Valkyries in Scandinavia and floated towards the Atlantic Ocean.

But then, he remembered the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had sunk one of the most dangerous ships just off the coast of Norway. Well, it's more like washed ashore upside down.

As far as he remembers, in his previous timeline, Tirpitz ended up being scrapped; this time, it was left alone like this.

Well, whatever, he won't ask why. Better for him.

The Inventor floated down from his airship and used his psionic powers to walk on the water.

His ship girl followed after him. But this was where Marcus looked at her with curiosity.

"...You can stand on water without using any power?" He asked with a curious gaze as he was looking at her feet.

"...I don't know? It feels—normal. I suppose it's the resonance method used to create me." The aircraft carrier girl said with a knowing look; she was speculating.

"... It's probably your soul and type of mana generated in your body."

He pondered out loud.

"Well, let's go and see Tirpitz…"

Enterprise nodded as the pair walked on top of the water. The duo walked closer to the partially submerged massive warship.

It was no understatement to say that the Bismarck class is an enormous vessel. Around 250 metres long, it was one of the greatest and biggest warships in the world. Only the Yamato class was a little bit bigger.

Even then, they had their distinctive perks.

Enterprise looked at the enormous ship. There was a particular look in her eyes.

"...I feel…loneliness."

"Hmm?"

"It's strange, maybe because of the creation process. But I can sense certain things. Your Icarus has a certain arrogance, being one of your Airships.

But this—Tirpitz— she is lonely…"

The silver-haired ship girl said with a strange look. All of this was new to her.

"Fascinating. It appears I have opened a Pandora's box of some sort." Instead of being freaked out, Marcus is very interested in this development. He wonders what other little tricks his ship girls have.

That's why having Tirpitz refurbished and a biological model built will increase the chances of discovering something fascinating.

Marcus walked over and touched the cold steel of the ship. He then activated the storage ring and sucked the ship in.

"Admiral, there is some remaining steel around this area."

"Hmm, very well, let's collect them as well; after that, we will go to the Titanic."

"As you wish."

~~~~~~Back to Kuoh~~~~~~

Rias looked spacey as she sat in a dark room, looking at a wall on the other side. She has been like this for several hours now.

"Rias, are you in? *Sigh* Why am I even asking? I can sense you." Sona exclaimed loudly.

"...What is it, Sona? I am busy." The crimson-haired girl proclaimed with annoyance.

"Does your 'busy' involve inspecting walls for hours?"

"Don't be a smart ass." Rias snapped back.

"Right. Well, I have someone who represents Marcus Goldman's faction."

A maid walked into the occult research room.

The Gremory Heiress looked at this blonde maid. There was a slightly expecting look. Rias was expecting something.

"I am Valerie Tepes. You might know me from that time in Romania."

"...You are the one who suggested to take Gasper as my Bishop!"

"Yes, that. I am here on behalf of my Master, Marcus Goldman. I command his troops stationed here."

Rias' eyes widened. Did she just say, 'Command his troops'!?

"You command over two thousand troopers dispatched here!?"

"Two thousand? Umm, I think you don't realise, but the bulk hasn't left the Confiscator; the total amount of S.P.B.A is 5,000 and 1,000 Rangers."

"...Wow…that spaceship holds that much!?" Rias and Sona were both shocked by the number of soldiers.

"The classification is 'Airship', but yes."

"...say…can we borrow them?" Rias asked with a strange look.

"...Nope, I am here to make sure nothing spills out from Underworld to this devil-controlled area." Valerie smoothly declined.

"Ugh…"

"Rias, you do realise they are men from a different faction. We should already be lucky that Marcus is serious about his investments."

'Investments? Don't be silly; he hopes that someone attacks this place. It's for the greater good of science.' The Dhampir girl who studied Protocol knows VERY well that everything is for Marcus' advancements in science, for HIS science.

He has sent the Confiscator to Confiscate anything of value dropping into this area.

"Yeah, Yeah… but my brother is missing, and no one is doing anything!"

"You do know that the Master would do something if there is anything for him, according to recent data. Icarus, the second Airship, is to move into the Underworld soon. My Master is considering providing support on behalf of the Norse."

"Norse!? I thought they only sent Thor and Baldur!" Sona was very shocked by this development!

"Correct, Master, a few short hours ago, signed a treaty with Odin." Valerie's words were like thunder clapping in broad daylight.

If someone like Odin acknowledges Marcus and his self-made faction, it's an 'official' player. One would say they finally acknowledged the elephant in the room.

The first thing Marcus does is enter the fray with his advanced weaponry!