I Became God's Reaper in Another Universe

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Time had flown by and the date of the Mech Conference in Ciolla had arrived. The city of Ciolla buzzed with activity as it usually did. The hustle and bustle of people was no strange sight to anyone from a megacity, much less for a capital megacity. Ciolla was adorned with tons of megabuildings that housed a total population of just over 42 million, making it the most populated city of Cenolla.

The Mech Conference was an event that was held every year throughout multiple planets. A planet would be chosen empire to host their Mech Conference. 

The galaxy consisted of 7 empires, The Empire of Trent, The Alterian Empire, The Empire of Varkesh, the Empire of Nyxar, the Empire of Solt, the Empire of Solmara, and the Empire of Xel'Taroh. These empires were only such in name alone. 

The truth was that corporations held the power with even larger battle fleets than the empires themselves. The empires acted more like a sigil or a banner under which planets fell. The city of Ciolla, located on planet Cenolla which was orbiting star KY27, had been chosen to host this year's Mech Conference due to the fact that it was becoming an economic powerhouse with many corporations choosing to leave a branch of themselves there.

The Mech Conference was a place that wasn't only meant to display giant mechas or machines of war, but a place that allowed small and unknown inventors and companies to showcase their skills and items alike. Anyone who saw what they had and was interested in investing would. Anything from pens, small advances in technology, or more practical use of it was showcased there. 

It also served as a place to recruit brilliant minds who had the ability to think outside the box and make something with their limited access to knowledge past their schooling during their childhood. For normal people, accessing knowledge costs 20 credits for 5 minutes of access to the knowledge banks and no one could download the information.

A/N: Decided to lower it from the original 5000 because now that I think about it, everyone would be a dumbass. The new price feels like it would be a steep price to pay for normal people, but not a ludicrous amount. It's like paying $240 for a 1 hour lecture. Expensive and would surely burn a pocket in people's pockets, but enough to make it viable to those of higher ranks of society while those of lower income brackets are forced into the mercenary and gang life.

In addition to the knowledge banks, people could choose to buy actual lessons and own the lessons, though the price for such things was about 3000 credits per lesson. The plus is that someone would be teaching the information and it would remain accessible to the owner, but having the price tag of an apartment made it so that many would choose to dive into the information by themselves after purchasing a guide for the path of higher education they wanted to follow.

At the edge of the city of Ciolla was a massive structure that had been built over the past year in anticipation of the exhibition that would be taking place. The interior exhibition halls were filled with banners of many weapons manufacturers along with thousands of booths where a couple of people or a family would be stationed to demonstrate what they had made in hopes of getting recruited by one of the companies. 

In the inner parts of the structure, banners that displayed the logos of many mecha manufacturers lined the halls. Their booths were more the size of hangars to accommodate the mecha variants many had developed. 

Aspen walked through these halls as he noticed that unlike his previous beliefs that a mech's power and appearance were strictly following their classes was completely wrong. Many different variants of mechs could be seen with visible and invisible changes. 

An example of this was a company by the name of Titan Dynamics, a megacorporation known for producing heavily armored variants of the Rakshasa and Sentinel class with bolstered defensive capabilities. Their newest model, a tier 3 Rakshasa class variant named the Juggernaut Mk III, promised unmatched survivability in prolonged combat.

(Image Here)

Another example was a company by the name of Daimos Dynamics, which prided itself in its custom-made mechas following the specifications of its patrons. They only did exterior work, ensuring the mech's armor would remain while giving it a facelift. They had on display a custom-made version of a tier 2 Viper-Class mech named the Basilisk.

(Image Here)

As the industry giants presented their works, the crowd buzzed in anticipation around a booth that had still had its veil, hiding whatever it was going to present behind closed curtains. The sign atop it spelled "A.V.I" and it was illuminated in a warm golden color.

Voices filled the giant hallways as people talked amongst themselves, skepticism mixed with excitement was running rampant as they awaited for the new Vanguard Class mech to be unveiled. If A.V.I's claims were true, then the entire mech industry was about to be shaken at its core.

Aspen stood by the edge of the crowd. He was dressed in an elegant white suit with golden and purple accents while his face was covered by a half-face Venetian mask. He watched the unfolding spectacle and listened in to a few conversations in amusement. A good amount of the people here were major players who were already calculating and preparing offers. 

It did not matter to them that the price they were taking into consideration was way over what the actual mech was estimated to cost, as long as they were able to get their hands on it or get the rights to manufacture it. 

Aspen knew that the moment he unveiled the Vanguard Class mech, he would have both good and bad scrambling to gain the upper hand. Aspen turned away from the booth and started walking in the direction of the testing arena which was at the center of the building. As he did, 7 people joined him. They were Takara, Takeshi, Santos, Jess, Maximus, Raven, and Ghost.

In one of the VIP lounges, corporate representatives, mercenary leaders, and even government envoys from other cities and planets whispered about potential partnerships—or sabotage. As the countdown to A.V.I.'s presentation neared, the tension in the air was palpable. 

About 3 more hours went by before a male voice rang out through the entire venue. "Hello everyone, I hope you have had a wonderful experience and have enjoyed yourselves at this year's conference. Now if you could all please head in the direction of the Testing Grounds, demonstrations for variant mechs along with weapons will commence in the next 5 to 10 minutes."

As soon as the voice finished its announcement, every visitor and other patrons who were here to display their products all filed toward the testing grounds. Once 10 minutes had passed, a platform was extended from one of the testing ground's press box with a man standing on top of it. He was dressed in a sleek black suit adorned in intricate white patterns.

"Welcome all to the Empire of Trent's mech conference. We hope you have had a blast seeing all the new gadgets made by your fellow citizens and corporations. I am Edward Salazar, your announcer for today's demonstrations."

Edward Salazar's voice carried effortlessly over the gathered crowd, his tone both charismatic and commanding. A large holo-screen flickered to life behind him, displaying a countdown timer set to five minutes. The anticipation thickened in the air as murmurs spread through the audience.

"For the first demonstration, we have Titan Dynamics showcasing their Juggernaut Mk III, a Tier 3 Rakshasa-class variant built for battlefield dominance. This behemoth boasts reinforced armor plating, next-generation kinetic absorption technology, and boasting an all-new telekinetic shielding system, yet it manages to retain its Tier 3 ranking. We'll see if this is all for show or if it truly is the next big step for the Rakshasa Class mechs."

The massive blast doors to the testing grounds slid open with a deep mechanical hum, revealing the towering frame of the Juggernaut Mk III as it stomped forward. Its armor gleamed under the artificial lights, gunmetal gray with streaks of orange marking its edges. The crowd let out a collective gasp as the mech's shielding flared to life, a faint blue shimmer surrounding its frame.

A series of remote-controlled turrets emerged from the ground, targeting the mech as Salazar's voice rang out again. "For this test, the Juggernaut Mk III will withstand live-fire rounds from high-caliber weaponry. Let's see just how durable Titan Dynamics' latest model truly is. But before that, we wouldn't want any of you getting injured."

As he said this, a blue shield enveloped the interior of the testing grounds as Salazar clasped his hands. "To protect you all, we have… commandeered a decommissioned battleship's shields. So you will all be A O K."

As soon as he finished speaking, the first volley of bullets streaked toward the mech, slamming into its shield with rapid-fire bursts. The energy barrier rippled but held firm, absorbing the impact. Then came the heavier rounds—railgun slugs and explosive shells—but even these only scorched the Juggernaut's surface. The mech barely budged, standing resolute against the relentless barrage.

Aspen watched with mild interest. Impressive? Yes. Groundbreaking? Hardly. Titan Dynamics had always been predictable in its pursuit of sheer durability. There was no elegance, no innovation—just an arms race of who could stack more armor on their frames. That being said, he hadn't expected anyone else to have somehow come up with telekinetic shielding technology.

The Mech survived the 5 minutes of constant gunfire, though by the end it was scorched and damaged, yet operational. The demonstration concluded with a thunderous applause as the Juggernaut Mk III powered down and stepped back, its presence undeniable but not unexpected. Salazar clapped his hands together.

"Well, well! That was quite the show of resilience. But we're just getting started. Up next, we have the Basilisk."

The next few demonstrations followed a similar pattern, but all within the realm of expectations. The Viper-class Basilisk by Daimos Dynamics showcased upgraded agility, weaving through high-speed target drones with an almost organic fluidity. 

Then came another company that unveiled an experimental plasma rifle mechs. It promised unparalleled armor penetration, but its energy consumption was also as extreme. It burned cleanly through the stack of armor plates that was laid before it, but with only one shot, the reactor that was used to fuel it, one from a Reaper class mech, was drained by 40% of its full capacity. Despite the spectacle, Aspen remained unimpressed.

Some more demonstrations of weapons, shielding technology, new developments in armor plating, and other things. It all concluded with a runway-style show that had many custom-made mechs displaying their looks. Many of these mechs, however, ended up trading battle and armor efficiency for looks.

Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.

The open roof of the testing grounds was slowly closed and the lights illuminating the testing grounds were all shut off. The only lighting was the faint blue light by the feet of everyone's seats that served to illuminate the walkways. 

A sudden hush fell over the crowd as the mechanical hiss of hydraulics filled the testing grounds. During all this time, Aspen had made his way toward to the Press Box as stood at the entrance of the platform. He then started walking toward Edward Salazar and lights lit up his path with every step he took.

This caught the attention of the audience who had been looking at the testing grounds, unable to make out the dark silhouettes of the 3 mechs that had just stepped into the arena. They all looked up at the platform and at Aspen. Before them all stood the Owner of A.V.I and the air felt heavy.

Salazar broke the silence as he clapped his hands, the sound reverberated across the entire testing grounds thanks to the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what you have all been waiting for. I know you are all as excited as I am and can't wait to see this new mech that threatens to overturn the entire industry. But before any of that, lets let the owner of A.V.I himself say a word."

Aspen nodded at Salazar as he looked at everyone and spread his arms. "Hello everyone, I hope you have all enjoyed the spectacle that has been the past 2 hours. Now, let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Azrael Fallcrest."

Aspen let his voice carry across the vast testing grounds, calm yet commanding.

"My name is Azrael Fallcrest," he repeated, letting the name settle in the minds of those watching. "Some of you may have heard of me, most of you probably haven't, and the rest are already trying to figure out how to buy me out." A few chuckles rippled through the testing grounds as hundreds of thousands of people chuckled. "I hate to disappoint, but I'm not for sale. At least, not for anything short of a solar system."

That earned more laughter, and Aspen smirked before continuing.

"My story isn't anything out of the ordinary. My brother, Riley Fallcrest, and I grew up as orphans—no silver spoon, no family fortune, just the two of us trying to figure out how to survive in a world that doesn't care whether you sink or swim. Life wasn't easy and we did anything that would ensure our survival. Now, Riley, he's not the type to stand in the spotlight, though he's got an eye for business. He'd rather be stuck in his office than standing up here talking to all of you. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's sharp enough. He's currently piloting the Tier 3 version of the Vanguard, so, uh, Riley, keep your weapons aimed towards the ground."

More laughter erupted and Aspen let it linger for a moment before he pressed on.

"Now, I know why you're all here. It's not for my life story, no matter how tragic or inspiring it might be. You're here because of one thing—the future of mecha warfare." His voice dropped slightly, letting the words before he continued.

"For too long, this industry has been stagnant. Mech design has followed the same old formula—more armor, bigger guns, and higher energy consumption. We've seen the same cycle repeat, over and over, no matter the variant, and the only real innovation has been 'how much more expensive can we make it?'" He let that jab sink in, knowing full well that many corporate representatives in the audience were guilty of this exact practice.

"But we at A.V.I. don't believe in following the same tired path." He gestured toward the dark silhouettes on the testing grounds. "We believe in evolution. In reimagining what a mech can do, how it can move, how it can fight. What you are about to witness is not just another model—it is the next step forward."

The air was thick with anticipation.

"Now, I won't pretend we've perfected everything just yet. As of today, we are officially unveiling the Vanguard Class Mech, available in Tiers 1 through 4." A murmur spread through the crowd at that revelation. "Why not higher? Because we don't have the pilots capable of testing Tiers 5 through 7. We're not in the business of selling empty promises—we build reality. And right now, the reality is that the capabilities of these mechs exceed the pilot level which we are privy to."

Aspen's white and gold mask gleamed under the lights as he swept his gaze across the gathered elite. "But that will change. The pilots will come. The technology will advance. And when that happens…" He gestured toward the veiled mechs below him one last time.

"…A.V.I. will be waiting."

He raised one hand up in the air as he spoke, "Now, let's stop wasting time—let me show you what the future looks like." He brought his hand down the moment he finished speaking and with that, the entire testing grounds were re-lit. As the lights brightened, 3 mechs of varying heights could be seen at the center. 

A collective gasp rippled through the audience. Before them stood the tiers 1 to 3 of the Vanguard, a mech that was supposed to be unlike anything else on the market. Its form was refined like a noble knight, yet menacing, with a streamlined design that spoke of precision engineering. The perfect blend between a beauty and a beast.

(Image Here)

 A strange, faint energy shimmer danced across its surface, an indicator of something far beyond standard shielding. Then, without warning, the 3 Vanguards moved, but not with the rigid, heavy gait of other mechs, but with a smooth, almost human-like fluidity. The crowd erupted into stunned whispers.

Salazar, for the first time that day, seemed momentarily lost for words. Then he found his voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen… the Vanguard Class Mech by A.V.I The… The future is now… and we… we are bearing witness to it."

Aspen smirked as he walked back to the press box. The Show had just begun.

Word Count: 2902 Words 👏

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