It Started With Devils & Artefacts

"To think there is something that a Quantum Computer is struggling to fully calculate." Quinella conteplated the data before her.

The data concerning Techno Dragon has finally reached the Base outside the Time Flow. What she got were rough estimations of the beast's power.

However, one thing is certain, and that is the purpose of these monstrosities.

Marcus' faction's power has reached 'adequate'. She could see the shift in the data. Mass production of soldiers, ships, and gene-alteration of the dinosaurs for weaponisation has begun. In other words, her creator is starting to feel confident in shifting from passiveness to aggressiveness.

'Well, our technocracy has achieved means for rapid expansion…'

'...but…'

The girl pondered how this would happen. Marcus never clarified to her how the conquest would happen. It was always there, a subtle thing in his behaviour patterns. But he never told her or even Aurora… there was no major project, except for Project Eden, which has been altered a bunch of times with constant advances in their Technomancy.

'I can consider the Mesozoic era worlds as free for all territory grabs, but once we reach worlds with actual sapient lifeforms, will he attack all of them?' The girl was curious how he would act when he was aggressive with his expansion. She is a little bit… excited to see that.

"But this is impressive…" Her eyes ended up on the stats of the dragon.

[Iron Legion Techno Dragon]

[Species: Iron Legion]

[Type: Silicon-Based Lifeform]

[Projected Raw Strength: Solar System to Multiversal]

[Traits: Continuous Growth Perpetual Motion Engine]

[Fundamental Force Insights: Space, Time, Destruction, Gravity, Life (Evolution)]

[Extras: Kinetic Energy Absorption]

"Aurora, what does 'Iron Legion' stand for? Don't tell me Marcus was feeling like it's time for him to pay his respects to Marvel's Iron Man?" The Assistant sarcastically asked the AI with crossed arms.

[Incorrect. The term is selected because It will be used on all of the species created via Techno-Merge Evolution of the warships used by Ship girls.]

"...oh, I see, and other types of evolutions?"

[Unknown; I haven't received data yet. Once the device is triggered and evolution is initiated, I can begin naming.]

"...Can't you access and simulate such a thing?" 

[I can't bypass certain safety nets, Quinella. The suit devices and their Quantum Computers are stored in a different space. All I can do is download and upload data. Only the Supreme Commander has all the clearances and master control over those things. Same with Diamond Heart Engine and Time Engine.]

"...hoh…" the Assistant looked surprised for a second. It appears he has some precautions.

'Then again, those things could be dangerous to us if they are to fall to people with different intentions.' Quinella took the triangle devices from her chest and looked at it.

Even one of these could propel a civilisation into interstellar powerhouse status.

"So, when can I get an evolution?"

[Unknown, I am still compiling data.]

"...Hah… I thought you could easily calculate such a thing…" 

[I do have very little to work with. The Codex of Evolution is one thing, but predicting all the outcomes is another. My programming doesn't allow half-baked answers, and what is requested of me is almost the same as inventing everything from nothing, with a single direction being the codex.]

"No need to get offended. I can wait. It's not like I will be charging into battle anytime soon." The Assistant sighed as she looked at the other data she got.

It appears Marcus is slowly becoming a God-like figure, with the entire civilisation offering their daughters to him. 

Well, she could use them. If she is to train them, she could have them as actual assistants. Pilling all the 'paper work' to them while she ends up spending more time with her darling creator.

"Fufufu~~~ that could work~~" The platinum-haired girl stroked her lower lip as there was a wicked smile. This could work, and she could use them to satisfy her ego. Her creator is finally getting what he always should have gotten, in her opinion.

Lesser beings, like the so-called pantheons of bygone eras, used to get offerings of shrine maidens and virgin princesses for their weakling gods. Her creator, who mastered fundamental forces and learned the secrets of life, should have gotten even better!

At least, in her opinion, she will not tell that to the face of certain individuals.

'Though I should. Once Project Eden is on the way, I could take the initiative and slaughter a couple of pantheons on my own.'

"...Hmm…"

Quinella stroked her chin as she pondered on the actions she should take.

"Heh, I should visit this Cretaceous Earth and see this Klaxosaurian civilisation myself." Mentally, the assistant opened the DNA folder of the collected samples of the blue-skinned sapient dinosaurs and checked what they could offer her.

She found it interesting that they were nearly identical to humans, with only a small difference in DNA composition. With some gene splicing, they could be compatible with humans.

But that's for later. Quinella is certain that Marcus will play around with their kind to create a perfect composition for future Klaxosaurians.

'I should finish with the base and then visit that Earth.'

~~~~~~Back with Marcus~~~~~~

"What do you think?" Marcus motioned toward Sirin, and the hologram image of a white dragon rushed towards her.

The girl 'caught' it and looked at the design.

"...Amazing… are you certain you didn't check my memories?" For a moment, she was awed before looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"No need. I remember the dragon quite well." He shrugged at her before wondering how they should carry their pets around.

"...I see… so can you order its creation?" She asked him after inspecting the design.

"One second, I have something in mind." He opened another project and drew a sphere before adding a button in the middle. The upper part turned red, and the lower one was white. Then he hollowed out the inside of it and added graviton and space projectors and interactive magic circles. Then, he based another circle on Codex of Evolution.

"...Damn… compressing all that…wait! Nanites… sure…" He mumbled to himself as he reworked the insides of the sphere.

By that point, Sirin walked over and looked at what he was doing.

"...Is that a Pokeball?" She asked dumbly.

"Yeah, I already had prototype ones when I captured Typhon and Lilith. But this is the real deal, and it does what it is supposed to do." He made it spin around and open with a finger motion, showing the interior. 

"...Then I can keep Benares inside of it?"

"Precisely the reason why I designed this." He nodded at her question.

"Great, then make one in white and yellow." She asked without beating around the bush.

"Sure…" He shrugged before commenting on the pokeballs. "Though… I am shocked at how complex this was. I was only able to make this after grasping fundamental forces, adding magic and using nanites, but Professor Oak was able to make this with average tech…" Marcus commented while creating a blueprint for custom pokeballs.

"...You do realise that it's an anime meant for kids. I doubt the creators cared if it was possible in the first place." The girl replied with a deadpan look.

"...Yeah… whatever, Aurora, do run your tests. I don't want these balls to implode or become miniature black holes." Marcus finished with his design as he pressed on execute.

[One moment…] 

The AI sounded slightly tired…

"You should let her rest…" Sirin picked it up as the AI was working on several projects, one of which was literal evolution.

"I guess I can focus on something less complex." He dismissed the hologram and focused on the Herrscher next to him.

"Hehehe, sure~~~" 

The white-haired girl ended up on his lap as she knew what he meant.

~~~

The expansion and changes to Klaxosaurian society are happening at a rapid pace. The revelations of the divine have changed the whole mindset of the people.

For better or worse, people felt an injection of energy in their daily lives, something akin to children who desire acceptance of their parents.

However, such dependence diminishes their desire for independent thinking. 

Marcus realised that early on, which is why he went with the 'research tree' idea and created an entire system for interaction with his new minion race.

Such a thing doesn't require in-depth research and processing power; he already has the Assimilator in place and the network surrounding the planet.

So, he started to work on smoothing out. Since the nanites are spread from person to person, he can easily access what they are thinking and their prayers.

Marcus decided to work on that, as well as the whole idea of using the priestess as his middleman.

He waited for the inauguration of this whole thing. His girls waited eagerly, too!

They can't wait to place them under their heels…

However, Marcus was more interested in the project as a whole as he could imagine a much bigger picture!

Like designing their robes and clothes, how the temples will look, and their roles in his faction! All that stuff! He was, after all, a creator, and just making doesn't mean a thing! It has to be perfected!

"What are you doing now…" Sirin sighed as she saw him grinning like a small boy who was designing a makeshift bomb or something… 

The girl walked over to his side again and saw girl clothes… oddly enough, they were not perverted or revealing.

"What are those for?" She asked him. They looked like uniforms for the military…

"These are clothes of my assistants." 

"...for those dinosaur girls?" The Herrscher raised her eyebrow at him. She is feeling a little bit jealous that he is spending so much time on females that he won't even be learning their names.

Not to mention even speak with! Or at least that is what she is thinking.

"Not just that, I am thinking of spreading and merging with my maids, make it more official and make it into an organisation of sorts."

"...Why? I mean…"

"Sirin, how many homes do I have now?" He questioned her all of a sudden.

"...your parents' home, your underground home under the river… do these Assimilators even count?" She stopped midway before asking him.

"My parents' place, my base, the current Assimilator, the base outside the Time Flow, and the upcoming base on Titan—in other words, their sizes will be huge, and instead of having a few maids, I will have an entire branch of pseudo military to maintain them for me.

On top of that, I will be able to develop them, like cooking, dancing, and all that stuff." As he explained that, Sirin realised what he was doing!

"You just want to have an 'Official Harem'!" The girl huffed as she grabbed his ear. The girl is copying what Raiden Mei used to do to Kiana.

"And?"

He replied with an eye roll, ignoring the pull completely…

"..." 

*Hmph!*

"Are you saying you are not satisfied with me?" She asked with crossed arms.

"Not at all. I mean, I can leave all the houses and places and leave the maintenance to you; with your superpowers, you could maintain them." 

"...Hmph!"

"You could easily automate them, but you are leaving it for females to maintain them." 

"Yep, I do need to make sure you and my other girls don't die from overexhaustion." He showed her a guilty smile; after all, sometimes, he bedridden them too much.

His reply was like a hammer to her gut. As she grimaced, the guy had an absurd libido as his body altered and adjusted to whatever he wanted.

"...Ugh… fine whatever… it's pointless to argue with you!" She huffed one more time as she looked away.

"Well, if you don't want any of this, I can always strip all your military ranks and confine you to my living quarters where you could live like a simple fiance."

For a second, her eyes bulged out, and her mouth opened wide.

"H-Hold it! I didn't mean that! Ugh!" She almost stomped her foot from frustration.

"I thought you meant that. With all this complaining, I thought I had given you too much power, and you can't handle it."

She slightly narrowed her orange-golden eyes at him. She knew well enough that he was messing with her! 

"Fine, fine, I will zip it…" Her shoulders sunk as she gave up. It appeared she was stupid enough to try to challenge him to keep his harem in check. It was a silly idea to think she had enough confidence to do something that even Athena couldn't do.

"Sure, we can always discuss this if you have something to offer."

'Offer? This guy…'

He doesn't need to point that out… what could she offer? A reality?

At that moment, her eyes bulged out.

'Yeah! I Could do that!'

"I could, but I would need an Assimilator and a fleet." She smiled slightly while saying that.

"Hmm? You have something in mind?" He asked her, his curiosity piqued.

"To prove my status as your fiance." She said that while brushing her hair. For some reason, her competitive spirit is ignited.

"...What?"

"Precisely! Erina is your homely future Empress, Athena is the intellectual, it leaves me, I shall be the conquering Empress you always needed." The girl puffed her chest while saying that.

"...You want to conquest for me? Where would you even go?" He asked curiously.

"Honkai, my homeworld, I shall add it to your sphere of influence. It has everything you like." She said with a smirk.

"...Huh… you want to get back at Honkai, don't you?" He said that with a pondering gaze, he is starting to think how to get several birds with one stone… like testing her out and all that stuff, and let her use his dinosaur army, too… this looks like a good idea…

"That too! But, what I need is to even out the playing field." Sirin said with narrowed eyes.

"...You females are too complex for no apparent reason." He sighed while saying that. He stood up and stretched out.

"But if you want to conquer, you can do that. However, the Honkai-verse is something I want to explore as well. So it's quite a moot point.

"...You want to meet those girls on the battlefield and chain them up?" She commented with an eye roll.

"...That too. It's far too fun to let you do it alone."

"I see. So you decline it, then?" she asked in a nearly pouting tone. She looked like a neglected hamster that had been hurt in some way.

"..."

She continued to gaze at him with a growing pout.

"UGH… fine. You can invade the Honkaiverse, but you will invade the previous era. The one Kevin came from has some interesting tech I could integrate into my Technocracy."

He said, with a faked resigned tone, that he could give away the previous era but not the modern times.

"Fine, I suppose you want to add Kiana yourself." She sighed as well.

"I don't trust you when it comes to her." He slightly smiled at her.

"Oh? I am that dangerous? Here, I thought you could handle your angel of death." Her sigh morphed into a cold smirk, showing him that she might have gotten soft recently but was still a Herrscher. She is still capable of blowing up continents and dropping meteorites.

"In a way, I still consider that you have a bone to pick with your other self."

"In a way, I do. I might have lost the fight for that body supremacy, but the current game is different." She placed her hand on her waist.

The game has changed, and the situation is way, way different this time around. She is not some baggage but a person of her own! She has an army now, a fleet, and a mothership capable of altering continents and terraforming worlds! Simple 'friendship' won't save Kiana Kaslana!

"...That's why I am telling you to visit the previous era world and not the one you came from." 

"...Fine, I will do. I will bring you gifts." She smirked as she walked over next to him. 

Marcus was gazing at the world in front of him. This Earth is quite unique. It's still interesting to gaze at the moon when it's that close to the planet.

"You better, after all, you are using my 'credit card' for this trip." He joked with a chuckle.

"Aurora, send a word to the base outside time flow. I want a fleet and an Assimilator ready for her."

[Understood, sir]

Sirin smiled while hearing that she would finally get her revenge on Honkai!

But then her eyes sparkled. Sure… she might not be able to visit her modern times, but what about the modern times of the timeline she is going through now?

Yes!

Her smirk went up several levels. She will have her revenge!

"For now, you will stay with me for today. I will make sure you begin your adventure with extra spring in your steps~." Marcus spoke in a bright tone, making her smirk drop. She could feel a cold shiver pass through her spine. The girl is feeling a threat!

"H-Hold it; I have been your constant companion since I returned from Jurassic! There is no need to exaggerate things!" Sirin said with a nervous tone.

"Exegerate? How did you come to that conclusion? I just gave you a fleet, army, and a mothership capable of achieving solar system domination.

Are you saying that Sirin is incapable of doing her fiance's duties?" 

She grimaced when she heard that.

"No, I am saying that I have been doing my duties already!" The white-haired girl puffed at him.

"Yes, and now I gave you more than any other girl to date, so you should pick up the pace and answer back with more passion~" He wrapped his hands around her waist.

'I-It maybe was a mistake to take that ring! Forget my revenge! I won't be able to leave the bed! What's the point of all this godly power and influence if I can't even leave the bed!'

The girl realises that if she wants to use his toys and resources, she needs to be as hardcore as her future husband.

'I need to drop him on Erina and get the hell out of here!'

"S-Sure…" Sirin showed him a forced smile, but her body was already heating up!

~~~

"Quinella."

Marcus' hologram manifested next to his Assistant as he looked through the massive windows at the mega construct being assembled at a rapid pace.

"Master, it's good to see you; it's a pity that you're only a hologram." The girl gave him a beautiful smile before looking dejected.

"Yes, well, I thought it would be a good time to test the communication lines and check out the progress." He smiled back at her before looking at the project before him.

"Is the Mega Shipyards online yet?" He asked her.

"Almost the core features are online, but we are still figuring out the kinks of the mass production of the size of dwarf planets," Quinella smirked while saying that once Marcus gets into high gear and wants to dominate the multiverse, the base will start printing those Assimilators at factory speed!

'Speaking of cheat code called Nanites.' Internally, she licked her lips. Even she didn't see the true might of those little buggers but now? After building all of this in a matter of a few weeks… well, time here is a bit weird as they need to make their own time flow, other their base would be finished long ago or not…or whatever… 'It's still confusing.. ' 

Quinella thought to herself, Thankfully, they make their own time flow and synchronise with their Assimilators; otherwise, they would go nuts.

"Good enough. I want Sirin's Assimilator been done in a day."

"Don't worry, we already figured out how to streamline and build those efficiently." The Assistant assured him with a confident look.

But then she had a curious look.

"But why are you giving her Assimilator and fleet? Is she doing something?" The Platinum-haired beauty asked him.

"Well, I am fulfilling her dream. She is to invade her world of origin, or more specifically, a timeline of it." 

The assistant frowned for a second. She was feeling slightly jealous. Sirin is getting the entire Fleet to her name! Even she only had a Flagship! Sure, she could make something right now, but there is Aurora, who is categorising and assigning everything. The AI could overwrite, but Marcus would know, and he would strip whatever she ordered.

"That is why I want you to start mapping out the flow of time." 

"...Excuse me? You want to map out… Multiverse!?"

Quinella asked with a gobsmacked tone.

"Please, you know better than to believe that the dish we build is not just for communication between Assimilators."

"...I had this feeling, but if we send a specific ping through the very fabric of time, we could get the attention of Cosmic beings we don't want to interact with." She said with a slightly concerned tone.

"I understand the issue, but I have a specific frequency in mind to map it out."

He said with crossed arms as he turned towards her.

"The frequency will be embedded in the time flow itself. The concept is similar to how humans use oxygen, but they don't see it.

Some beings may or may not pick up on that, but that is why our base is outside the time itself. If they had understood how time flows, they would have already left the time flow and ventured somewhere else."

The platinum-haired beauty was slightly relaxed when I heard that.

"I suppose you are right, but just in case, I will boost up our defences." She said with a serious tone.

"Indeed, just follow the protocol."

"...Hilarious, coming from you." Quinella joked when she heard him talking about protocol! The guy breaks it several times per week with some crazy ideas!

Like evolution and the disregard for the safety mechanisms!

"Yeah, yeah. I leave that stuff to you. I am sending you the extension plans for the communication relay. We will boost it into an Observation, Location, and Sensor Array."

Two pop-ups appeared on Quinella's HUD. When she opened them, she saw the extra pieces that would be added to the already huge communication array.

"That's a big construct…"

"I designed the way that the two could combine." 

With a hand motion, a hologram appeared, showing how the Array would dock with the Headquarters, creating something akin to a dagger-shaped station.

The array will be more than 60% of the entire base.

But… with such a size, even the Assimilators would look small!

"... You are not messing around now that you are not confined to Planet's surface…" 

Quinella didn't know if she should be amazed or slightly concerned about regular lifeforms. If such a monstrosity were to leave the area and enter a solar system, it could change the rotation of planets.

"Well, tech advancement doesn't wait, and I want this done as soon as possible. I want to test it out and see if I can find Sirin's world of origin." 

"...It shouldn't be hard since we do have 'location' where you 'magnet fish' her soul." 

"Yes, but she comes from a place where fundamental laws work slightly differently." 

"...That's…" the Platinum-haired beauty looked slightly baffled, now that is interesting and somewhat concerning!

How would their fleet behave in such a place? 

But then she calmed down, realising that their newest ships have Diamond Heart Engines and Bifrost's. As long as they are in their influence, it should be okay…

"Yes, that is why I want the OLSA to be booted up as soon as possible."

"...OLSA?"

"Observation, Location and Sentry Array."

"...Better than SPBA…" Quinella 'poked' her at her creator.

"Yeah, Yeah, very funny. I still remember your naughty behaviour in Underworld~" He reminded her.

"..."

Quinella turned stiff for a second.

"...T-That was long ago!"

"Not long enough for me to forget~"

After that, his hologram disappeared.

"Damn it! Aurora, did you remind him!?" 

[I did no such thing.]

The Artificial Intelligence turned human bit her thumbnail as she thought they were past that point already!

"Oh, before I forget, send me an Assimilator, too. Since Sirin has one as a moveable base, I want one too!" Marcus reappeared for a second before he was gone… again, terrifying the assistant for a second!

~~~

"Hisako! You are coming with me!" Sirin blasted into Erina's kitchen as she looked quite energetic… or more like pretended to be as her legs would tremble for a bit.

"W-Where?" The chef girl looked pale when she heard that. The last time she went somewhere, the whole North American continent ceased to exist!

"We will be invading my world of origin." She replied while brushing her hair with a confident tone.

"... and why do you need me?" The assistant to the chef asked in a nervous tone.

"Because you can cook food for me." The Herrscher said with an obvious tone.

'I wish I could not at this moment.'

"You should go, Hisako. More sightseeing is always better," Erina chipped in, slightly smiling.

"B-But…" Hisako doesn't want to leave Erina with Marcus alone again!

"Go. I will be fine." 

Sirin grinned when she saw that, it appears the cherry blonde girl is picking Marcus over her friend. How… predictable.

"...Fine…"

"Good. Now that food is secured, I have peace of mind." The white-haired girl sighed in relief. 

"How did this come to be? I thought we were waiting for those vampires to arrive." The chef girl asked Sirin; she didn't recall any military split-up.

"I was given in expeditionary force. That's all I can say." Sirin crossed her arms while saying that to Erina. It's not like she would tell everything to a rival!

Not that Erina sees herself as a rival to the literal Death Angel…

"I see."

~~~

After getting… more like forcing Hisako to be on the board, the pair walked to the docks where Sirin's flagship was waiting. 

As they arrived there, the Herrscher stopped and waited for someone.

"...Umm…"

"Relax, Marcus has something for me before we leave. He said to wait here." Sirin calmed the nervous girl.

"Oh, okay."

As the pair waited, the dock's huge doors opened, and Marcus, accompanied by an entire legion of white gold Royal Guards, entered the docking area.

The Herrscher's eyes perked up as she saw the custom Royal Guards painted in her colours!

"...These…"

Marcus walked over while the majority of the Royal Guards started to embark on the flagship.

"These are your person guards, I have customised them for you. Since you are my fiance and all that, you get your guard." He said with a smirk, making her blush quite hard.

"Oh, before I forget, I got something which could interest you." He pulled out another ring box.

"...you…" Her eyes widened in horror. 

"Hah, that expression is just priceless." Marcus joked, seeing her reel away when she saw the box.

"Not funny…" the girl calmed down as she recalled that she already sold herself. There is no way to do that again!

"It is, but let's forget about that and let me show you this." He opened the case, and Sirin sensed a peculiar feeling in it.

"...Space?" She asked with uncertainty.

"Indeed, this ring is what I call a ring of space. With the ring of focus, you will be able to access space magic or, if you are lucky, grasp space at the fundamental force level. Considering where you are going."

As he explained that, he took her left hand and placed the ring on her middle finger, next to her 'engagement' ring.

"...I won't allow Honkai to touch me again. There is no way in hell!" 

She huffed angrily, but Marcus ignored that and pulled her into a hug.

"Okay, okay, but it's time for a hug and a kiss."

The white-haired girl sighed as she quickly caved in.

The pair hugged and kissed. The kiss was quite a 'lewd' one in Hisako's eyes as she saw their tongues swirling, and there was a little bit of moaning from the white-haired girl. Her eyes looked mystified.

However, the Herrscher snapped out and pulled back after a couple of moments. She was breathing heavily and looking all flustered, and her legs were slightly trembling.

She nearly gave in and let herself swept aside!

"Regardless, dear, I have loaded some extras into your ship. Test them for me, okay?"

"S-Sure, come Hisako, we are going!" The pair swiftly turned around and went to the escalators to take them to the ship.

Marcus smirked, seeing her darling flustered like that.

Not long after Sirin's ship left, Enterprise appeared next to him as if sensing that the coast was clear for her.

~~~

"Let's see what he gave me." Sirin curiously used her interface to see what was loaded into her Dreadnought.

"...Seek and Destroy units, Extermination units, fortification busters…" 

The girl looked confused. These didn't look like the knight units she was used to seeing.

A quick in-depth inspection revealed that these are dinosaurs! 

"Of course he did…" The Herrscher sighed as she realised what it was. Well, it's fine enough; there is a certain amount of amusement in seeing her enemies being eaten by prehistoric monsters.

"So where are we going?" Hisako got her out of her giddiness. The white-haired girl dismissed her interface and looked at her.

"To the base outside the flow of time. Over there, I will pick up my fleet, and then we will embark on the journey like no other." Sirin explained to her.

"All you need to worry about is cooking for me. You can leave the rest to me~" Her orange-golden eyes slightly gleamed with giddiness as she was itching to return and cause chaos!

Knowing what was going to happen, Hisako could only show a strained smile. She knows she is walking with the devil, but what could she do? She is not a fighter. Hell, she was shocked to see all the stuff that happened in the Jurassic. It's one thing to hunt a big animal and another to fight other humans.

But where she is going might as well be a slaughterhouse with how advanced Marcus' technology…

~~~

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