...I Must Become A Greater Evil.
If you told me that I was going to be on a train going to hell to barter for military technology, a few days ago. I would wonder. A) who the hell are you and why are you talking to me and B) you're fucking crazy. And yet here I am, on a train to Hell with devils. But the train was probably the nicest train I've actually been on, it was packed full of amenities. Free wi-fi. And even game consoles, apparently per Issei's request. I took advantage of the free wifi to communicate with Rakshata, we we're figuring out a new design for my suit.
"Titanium-dipped tri-weave fiber mesh? With Magnetorheological fluid sandwiched between it? My, my you've been busy. Oh what's this? Knightmare designs too. Based upon the Gurren and the Gawain? T-T you've had too much time on your hands, it could be put to better use." Rakshata lulled over the designs and schematics, while also seemingly flirting.
"I've no interest in flirting Rakshata. Can they be made or not?" I disregarded her statement. She sighed.
"Yes, I suppose it can but it'll take some time to gather the resources seeing as the Black Knights have just started rebuilding, I'm also working on a float system for the Gurren and an updated Radiant Wave Surger." Rakshata pouted.
"That'll be all. Tell Sayako I said hi." I disconnected the transmission and removed my helmet.
"Did anybody understand what she just said 'magnetohelo-something, what is that?" Issei commented.
"In layman's terms... a jelly that turns into metal when hit."
"Oh I suppose that's... neat." Issei quietly said, realising that he didn't actually care. I groaned.
"Rias! How long have we got left till we get there, I hate travelling." I rested my head against the glass looking out at... I honestly didn't even know.
"We can make it more enjoyable, Y'know..." Akeno smirked suggestively.
"That's twice, twice in a single minute two woman have tried flirting with me? What is it that you all so love about me, I'm no where near as dense as Issei, so it's not like the gravitational pull of my Brian attracts others. I don't even like you back, I've shown no response to you being naked, so what is it? Tell me." I ranted.
"That's why, you don't react. So I'm going to get one." She placed her finger on my nose eliciting no reaction.
"Hmph, so it's a game then. Very well, though you should know I play to win." I extended my arm out wanting her to shake on it, but remember the game was on remember, she grabbed my hand thrusted it onto her breast.
"Hmph, you think that'll get me flustered and stumbling over my words. You'll have to try harder." I mocked.
"If you're quite finished." Rias had her hands on her hips.
"We're here."
Well hell certainly wasn't what I had anticipated, I thought it would be like how the bible described it, it gave a very vivid description, think of the most depressing, hottest place ever and multiple it by cancer. But this wasn't that, it was like a mirror of Earth, the place we got off at mirrored that of Honshu, of course there was Devil secret service agents. And hundreds of people with cameras, microphones and... oh my god fan art. It was all of Issei. What the hell? How did he become some massive celebrity here? 5k yen it had something to do with boobs. We were escorted into a limo and driven away, I took off my helmet.
"Was that really necessary?" Koneko asked flatly.
"I'm not having my identity compromised, in the land of the living or the dead." I told her simply. The car ride was fast, but i question why didn't we just teleport, might be a law against it or something. I opened the door to the limo and stretched my limbs. I looked around the massive estate we were at. Beautiful garden, massive luxurious house with about five hundred guards patrolling the area.
"Come on, our family's inside." Rias patted me on the back and winked. I scoffed.
"Relatives Rias, not family." I reminded her. Standing at the door to the massive mansion were chefs, butlers it seemed, gardeners and more soldiers. The group entered the mansion. It was... big, while that is a given it seemed unnaturally big on the inside. Who am I kidding? I'm in hell with a bunch of devils, with a mysterious power that allows me to make any gun I want. What part of this is natural? As far as the hallway went there was just more and more servants. My old home didn't even have this many. After walking for what seemed like hours, we were in front of a large dark oak door it looked menacing, however behind that door was the exact opposite, it was a lounge room, in that room was some kid getting chased by someone in a costume.
'That's a hat-trick What The hell?'
Then suddenly another door opened and out stepped a woman her hair had the exact same style that Rias' had, her hair was a slightly lesser shade of red however.
"Zeoticus! Our guests are here!" The woman reemed the person in the costume. The person in the costume attempted to take off the outfit to no avail.
"For goodness sake!" The woman walked over and forcibly removed the outfit.
"That there is your nephew, your daughter and your future son-in-law! And their friends! As head of the Gremory clan you should present yourself better!" The woman slapped the man inside the costume and held him by his ear.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Okay, okay I'm sorry." The man squealed in pain. I swallowed a laugh.
"Are you?" She twisted his ear lobe a bit.
"Yes, mother I believe he has." Somebody walked in behind us, I must've been too engrossed in what was happening in front of us. The small kid ran up to the guy now standing in front of us and embraced his leg. The man patted him on his head before taking a step towards me.
"Sirzechs Lucifer. It's a pleasure to finally meet you cousin, rias has told me a lot about you." He extended his hand forward. 'Lucifer, as in Satan?'
"Lincoln, Lincoln Vi Britannia, but you knew that already." I shook his hand.
"Yes I did. This is my son Millicas Gremory." He placed his hand on the child's head once again.
"Hey kid...so I assume you're Satan? Lord of hell. Creator of all the trouble of mankind." I smirked. Sirzechs chuckled, bemused.
"Yes I suppose that's what people think of the one who holds the title of Satan. Anyway, I'm sorry for the informal introductions, that there is my father and my mother. Zeoticus Gremory, the current Head of the Gremory Clan and Venelana Gremory, the current lady of the Gremory Clan." He introduced his parents, which certainly seemed strange to me. His father was still alive and did not hold the title of Lucifer? Maybe it's a democracy? Then why would noble families exist? You know what? I'm thinking way too hard on this.
"Humbled to make your acquaintance," I bowed slightly.
"There really is no need for formalities. After all we are family." Zeoticus said. Ugh that word again, even thinking it makes me feel nauseous.
"There is an event happening tonight. Odin, Micheal, Azazel will all be there a good chance for you to better understand the wider universe correct?" Sirzechs explained.
"Very well, i need to freshen up a bit obviously, do you have a map of this place?" I asked.
"Oh there's no need I know my way around the house! I'll take you." Of course. Of course she was going to say something.
"Actually now that I think about it... I don't need any hel-!" Akeno grabbed me by my hand and ran. I hadn't anticipated this so as a result she was dragging me along the floor.
"H-hey! Rias! Issei! Get her off!" I pleaded to no avail. Zeoticus chuckled.
"Scared of your woman? He is definitely a Gremory."
Akeno pulled me into a room, a guest room, I'm assuming.
"Now that we're alone. Why were you acting... like that? I mean... you were kind and playful and Y'know nice." So she had caught on, perhaps she isn't as dumb as she seems.
"Hmph, at least you show basic brain functionality aside from sex. I was speaking to nobility back there, and as tempting as it may be I cannot act as myself. You understand don't you." I told Akeno.
"You're speaking to nobility right now." Akeno changed from her usual playful, flirty self to the one I saw at Babel Tower. Powerful, demanding, and... attractive? Okay that's new.
"Noted." I tapped the side of my head.
"You can't just lie to them... they're your family."
"My family? I never even knew of the name Gremory until two days ago. I still know nothing about them. AK." I leaned against the wall.
"AK? Like the gun?" She asked bemused.
"Yeah you know better than saying Akeno all the time. Better in combat too." I explained, she smirked. "They say that lovers give each other nicknames." She once again returned to the woman I knew.
"Hmph, don't flatter yourself, it's useful to me and that's the only reason for it." I folded my arms and scratched my cheek, playing out future plans against Britannia, how we could take back area 11 and even launch an attack on Pendragon...
"You think too much... Lincy." Akeno gave me a nickname, I snickered.
"Ah very well. Anyway I need to get ready for this big event tonight. I trust that you want to come along?"
I smirked as I left the room. She wagged her finger.
"You win for now." She folded her arms.
"Lelouch? How's things going? Good I hope." I spoke to Lelouch on my laptop. Interdimensional wifi is neat. "Well we have most of our crew back. All we need now is to set up a temporary base of operations. I also now have the Office of Secret Intelligence under my thumb... I have to go, someone's coming." Lelouch quickly disconnected.
Huh time must work differently here I can't imagine him being able to do everything he just did in one night. I shut off my laptop and left the onsen. You see for such a sophisticated family you'd think there would be showers but no. No there isn't. The door suddenly opened and in stepped issei.
"Oh! I didn't know...anyone was in here..." Issei scratched his neck embarrassed for some reason.
"It's fine I was just leaving." I pushed past him.
"I don't know why you all bother hiding, I know you're there." I swivelled my head back around, Issei's face had grown even more redder. Sure enough Rias popped her head around the corner.
"How did you know we were here?" Rias asked, slightly angry, slightly curious. And very annoyed.
"I didn't, i suspected but you just confirmed it." I smirked as I made my way to the lockers. In the locker I had stored the clothes I wore here and my helmet, but there was something on top of it, a tuxedo. Hmm.
"So, you want me to wear this, Sirzechs?" I examined the tuxedo, on it was the Britannian Royal Family crest. "It'll make an impression on the others, a Britannian who detests his family and everything they stand for. And there is no more need to keep up the nice kid routine. We could all see through it." Sirzechs told me calmly, there was nothing in his voice, no venom, no anger, just nothing.
"I see, so if the facade can be dropped I want what I came here for. I'm willing to barter for it too." I turned around, folding my arms and leaning against the locker.
"Do you know what powers Knightmares?" Sirzechs asked me a very easy question.
"A Yggdrasil drive." I answered scratching my ear.
"And what's the main component of the Yggdrasil Drive?" Sirzechs was rather amused, and I'll admit he was rather amusing.
"Sakuradite."
"Otherwise known as..."
"The Philosopher Stone. I assume Geass and my mother weren't the only factors in the deal with Britannia?" I figured out what he was playing.
"That's right there was more to it. You see, Hell also gave them knowledge of the philosopher Stone and Geass. 'But Geass had existed for millennia before' you may be wondering, and that's true.
Rias doesn't know the whole truth, sl as I a result neither do you. I do. God isn't dead. He's very much alive. But he chose to leave our universe." Sirzechs explained. I snickered.
"What? He just decided to one day up and leave? Forgive me if that seems a bit preposterous." I expressed my doubts.
"None of the other races know. God decided that he had seen enough and that his creation had gone to... well, shit. So he crated the sacred gear, bestowed Geass on humans. And allowed part of himself to be defeated. Then he moved onto another realm." Sirzechs explained once more.
"Okay but What does this history lesson have to do with weaponry?" I asked him, while I wanted to turn this conversation around and make him ask the questions I was in no place right now.
"Everything, you see I'm only giving you one weapon. Something akin to a Knightmare frame but much much more powerful, but in order to activate it one must have both a sacred gear and Geass."
"So it's practically worthless then?"
"Well what if you could get a Geass free of any contract?" Sirzechs asked rhetorically.
"I'd call you a damn liar, and wonder why I get it." I answered.
"You see I told you a lie humans aren't the only ones god blessed with Geass. Great Satan's go through a right of passage which allows us to obtain both a Code and a Geass." Sirzechs closed his eye and opened it, revealing the same bird symbol Lelouch's eye had, except his was on both his eyes.
"Originally my Geass allows me to see or hear anything within a one hundred meter. Now I can see or hear anything I want to at any range. No limits." Sirzechs smiled, not a wicked one, more like a man showing off his card tricks.
"Ok then how exactly do I obtain a Geass from you." I asked Sirzechs.
"Well, you can't be a virgin." Sirzechs cracked a half smile.
"We're cousins." I chuckled, he recoiled in disgust.
"No I meant, you know a woman." Sirzechs felt embarrassed which was pretty funny. The Dark lord of hell embarrassed by an incest joke.
"Ah very well then fine... hey hang on Lelouch was a virgin! You bastard you're trying to trick me into having sex with her aren't you!" I called his bluff. Sirzechs laughed.
"Okay, okay you caught me." Sirzechs composed himself.
"Heh, you know I was expecting someone more demanding, more intimidating as Satan." I admitted.
"Oh you don't think I'm intimidating?" Sirzechs asked.
"Appearances may suggest you look intimidating but your personality destroys any perception of intimidation. So about this Geass? How exactly do I gain it? Do I have to go on a quest to kill a dragon and save a village?" I asked referring to all those ridiculous anime that require those kind of things.
"No, just give me your hand, if you want it of course. You already have a sacred gear. A Geass and a sacred gear in conjunction would make you much, much more powerful, and you may actually be able to be on even grounds with Britannia." Sirzechs laid out his hand, palm facing up.
"Very well." I placed my hand on his. Suddenly a wave of light swept me off my feet.
"The future lies in the Ragnorok connection."
"You will no longer live your life as Suzaku Kurarugi."
"I never did this for anybody, I did it for myself... I liked it. And I was good at it. Very good."
"Now all you can do is decide the man you want to be with the time you get left."
"Out of all the pain and suffering you two have caused so you really think an agology will do!"
Words and thoughts shot passed me it felt. The stars and planets all seemingly colliding. Reality falling apart.
"I reject your desire!"
"No more shall the people the suffer, no more shall they be discriminated. The Zero requi-."
"The demon... has returned."
As fast as it had began I was suddenly back with Sirzechs. I recoiled in shock gasping for air. Sirzechs rubbed his forehead.
"You now have a Geass. Does anything feel different?" Sirzechs asked holding me steady.
"I... feel like I'm about being my breakfast up. But apart from that there's nothing." I wiped the sweat from my brow.
"Now then. About this frame. Let's go see it."
Adjacent to the main building was something similar to a garage, and a warehouse. On the outside anyway. Inside was a high tech laboratory. There was so many things in here that didn't make sense. From Anti-gravity boxes. Miniature stars, neutron stars, and black holes. All different kinds of firearms. To seemingly random statues and artificers and a... vending machine? Okay then.
"So is this some kind of workshop?" I asked touching all the random stuff, Sirzechs didn't reply and instead made his way to the console situated in the middle of the room. "Holfrom." He said to no one in particular.
"Voice pattern recognised, good evening Great Lucifer." The computer spoke.
"Good evening Lincoln Vi Britannia, bearer of the Lonesome Rangers Arsenal and Geass." The computer said to me. "It's an AI?" It definitely was arousing my curiosity.
"Shem. Activate protocol Sk-14-12. Activation code... Rias." He must have activated something, obviously. The entire building shook. Any and all entrenacrs were sealed with a magical cast.
"You see Lincoln, science and magic are one in the same." What Sirzechs just said hadn't surprised me so much, the glowing symbols and all that reminded me of an in concept material known as hard-light. Solid light.
The floor panel I was stood on began to violently shake side to side and started splitting in the middle, I moved over to the left side and watched as something came up. It must've been the Frame Sirzechs was gifting me. Once it had fully appeared before me it was... Well for a lack of better words.
Fucking biblical mate.
The arms were gold and black, the head looked like that of a knights armour from medieval times. The chest piece had the symbol of the black knights on it. Sirzechs must've prepared it beforehand. It stood about seven metres tall. "There's some thing that I should explain to you before you get into it. The name is The Doom Slayer." Sirzechs monologued.
"What like the game character?" I asked.
"No, no the character is inspired from this. It was used to almost cripple hell, that is how powerful it is so..." Sirzechs rubbed his hands together.
"The power of this frame directly corresponds to its pilot. So in order to get the most use out of it you have to enhance both your Geass and sacred gear. It will only push as hard as you push meaning that if your willpower is weak, then it too will be weak. The armour is dragonscale composite plating, it will regenerate any hull damage but it will also hurt you wherever it is healing.
So let's say the arm gets ripped off. If you attempt to regenerate it, you will feel as though your arm has been ripped off and is being rebuilt." Sirzechs ran his hand along this Goliath.
"I see, so how is it I upgrade my sacred gear? I have to use my Geass a lot to upgrade it, that I know and I have to be stronger than the Geass itself, if I don't want to lose control." I asked the red haired leader of hell. "
The most effective way is undergoing great emotional stress to upgrade your sacred gear. That is the most sure fire method. Anyway Give it a spin." Sirzechs took my hand and placed it on the Black Knights Symbol.
"Identity confirmed. Good Evening Commander." The same voice that was on my cousins computer was also on my Doom Slayer frame.
A hatch opened on the back and a ladder extended out, I climbed up the ladder. The interior was white and blue. A stark contrast to the exterior. There was one seat. It was padded Minotour leather according to Sirzechs. The controls were the exact same of that of a standard Sutherland, but the whole thing was fairly luxurious.
"Nice, I'll be back for this baby later. So anyway, don't we have a party to go to?"