Days of Nine's Own Goal
Pillars of fire rose to the heavens all around them.
The roaring flames lustfully licked the warrior from all sides, though what they promised was not a warm embrace but extreme torment ending only with the sweet release of death. However, the warrior stood his ground, only accompanied by the myriad of scorching pillars of death surrounding him. His will which had transformed into pure light shone like a beacon off of his shield.
In the distance stood an inverted pyramid without a base, reaching out to the cosmos above; a cynical joke to the laws of gravity, a defiance to the very God that have bequeathed its throne to him. From thousands of chains nailed onto the four walls of the gigantic structure hung a being showered in constant hell flame upon the decree of God since quondam times. The fires consumed the entirety of the being before getting swallowed by the gaping hole at the nethermost, only to be used to fuel the oven of torment called the "Hell World".
The warrior yelled at the top of his lungs "Momonga-san, are you ready yet?! I don't think I can tank this anymore!"
Right on cue, a being that can terrify mere humans to death just by his presence rose. The space bent around him as countless tormented souls poured out of the body of Death Incarnate into the depths of the scorched earth. His arms trembled as he rose them; in between a sun as dark as the starless night grew bigger and bigger. The tongue-less mouth and the non-existent lips chanted incessantly.
"Let the Death Knights do the tanking for a while Touch Me-san! I will dispel the pillars"
Pillars ceased to erupt around the warrior and for an instant the roaring Hellfire was the only sound that accompanied the grotesque imagery of this battle of the gods. The ground rattled and shook, the souls that once was released into the Earth came back as terror personified. Sinew and skin wrapped tightly around the bones, hulking masses of black, spiked armor; wielding massive tower shields and serrated swords stood around the Shinigami.
Seeing the waves of flame he had unleashed was quenched by the Overlord's magic, the being within the distant pillar of hell flame summoned small comets that skewered the earth all around the duo. From the massive craters rose burning golems and horned devils thirty feet tall. However, just as they rose tags slammed onto their bodies from thin air. The demons exploded into tiny bits before even setting foot outside of their burning hatches.
"Good timing Nishikienrai-san!" The incarnation of death spoke with gratitude in his voice.
The ninja nodded, "Mhmm, we'll let you charge up without interference Momonga-san! Others are pulling through one by one. I think we can do this in our first try!" The hell flame spew forth hundreds more of the blazing comets onto the tormented earth, seemingly voicing its disagreement with the master ninja's statement.
As they spoke a blur passed through the sky over multiple pockets of chaotic fighting, releasing thousands of golden orbs from a magnificent bow. Some of the orbs flew into the distance, all the way to the pyramid. Every orb, the size of a boulder and the brightness of the sun grew smaller and smaller into tiny dots before reaching to the nailed chains that held the being within the hell flame pillar. The small dots expanded into gigantic explosions that released numerous chains from the pyramid.
"[Black Sun]"
On the ground, the Overlord finally released the now gigantic sphere of complete darkness into the air. The abyssal sun rose up to the space visible behind the pyramid and hung ominously over the world. As the spell took effect all color and sound drained from the world into the soulless black. Every being within the entire dungeon felt a cold gasp around their hearts, shortness of breath and a pressure upon their very soul.
Then the sun pulsed.
The demons fell to the ground as the shockwave pushed their souls out of their bodies. As the sun pushed everything living, it pulled the dead. All the souls that were expelled out of their very own bodies could do was to utter mute screams as they yield to the vacuum. With every pulse more demons fell, dead long before their bodies hit the ground. The Overlord silently thanked to the no friendly fire mechanic of the game.
In the distance, the pyramid along with the nails and chains began to crumble beginning from the closest point to the black sun. Soon after the entirety of the structure collapsed outwards to the cosmos. The last thing that the column of hell fire spew forth was a teardrop-shaped cage. The construct grew larger and larger as it fell from the thinning column of hell fire down onto the ground. Nishikienrai was the first the react.
"Oh shit, we need to retreat!"
The ninja and the Overlord immediately casted [Greater Teleportation] while the warrior used [God Speed]. The warrior got away while the ninja and the Overlord stood dangerously close as the colossal cage fell onto the earth. They violently flung back at the speed of a bullet as the shockwave caused by the impact slammed into them.
The warrior gazed furiously at his teammates whose health became dangerously low before the real fight had begun.
"Of course there is anti-teleportation magic when this happens! Those shitty Devs know they can never win without being cheesy!"
A giant broke through the metal cage and stood full height before the group. Nearly three hundred meters tall (Around the height of the Eiffel Tower.), the ebony colossus was once the mightiest Seraph Empyrean in the heavenly domain called Aesir. But since had fallen into a hole in Helheim for his numerous treacheries.
His body and face were perfectly proportioned. There was no doubt that Nazarick once was a beautiful and magnificent being. But no more. Two hill sized stubs were the only remnant of its wings while his skin was as black as obsidian with numerous cracks travelling the entirety of its body. His eyes had melted by hellfire millennia ago and now only an inextinguishable blazing inferno remained within its eye sockets. The Seraph Empryrean had died a long time ago, leaving itself to the king of its Tomb, Fallen Angel Nazarick. Two gargantuan horns sprouted from his forehead while smaller horns adorned its scalp in the shape of a crown.
First thing that attracted Nazarick's attention was the black sun that pulsed in the sky. The Undead Empyrean reached slowly and extended his palm towards the sphere. Red streams of heat energy began to destabilize the spherical culmination of might and malice. In a magnificent struggle of red strings of flame and abyssal darkness, as Nazarick closed his extended hand into a fist; the Black Sun also receded in size and eventually popped out of existence. And just like that the obsidian giant cancelled out one of the most powerful spells in Yggdrasil.
Soon after color and sound came back to the world and Nazarick's voice could be heard. "After millennia my body and consciousness are finally free. The heavens shall now the vengeance of Nazarick!" Empyrean's deep and dark voice shook the very ground.
"Oh fuck me, Devs even gave it special animations against over tier abilities!" The Warrior prepared to protect his team mates.
"Heh, they truly enjoy mocking the players." The ninja was back on his feet and was now helping the Overlord get back up.
The warrior immediately positioned himself in front of his weakened guild mates. Touch Me never liked generic extreme evil NPCs, it reminded him of bullies in real life who were equally full of themselves. "Whoa buddy, try to sit on this before conquering the heavens, [God-spear of Nilfheim]!"
The ground shook once more as a spear the size of a skyscraper tore itself from the earth and launched towards the fallen Empyrean. Truly, it was a scene magnificent and noble enough to make a certain butler cry an entire day.
However, Nazarick as an undead reincarnation of the once mighty angel, was devoid of understanding such notions. Instead, the empyrean used its thumb and index finger on his right hand to pinch the magnificent spear, halting its advance mid strike. The obsidian lips curled upwards for the first time in perhaps millennia. Giant chunks of petrified skin and flesh fell from the Empyrean face as the giant made a condescending smirk.
In his left hand materialized an equally titanic black rod. The rod was thrusted towards the speck of dust which was the warrior with zero empathy. However, another speck of dust flew to meet the spear of the fallen Empyrean. To the obsidian colossus's surprise, his thrust was completely stopped. At the very tip of the demonic spear, one could see a samurai blocking the demonic rod that was of similar size to two sorcerer towers where Fluder resided in the Empire put on top of each other.
"[Full Counter]!" To Nazarick's surprise, the demonic rod he had summoned shattered to pieces up to his grip.
"Takemikazuchi-san! Your timing is impeccable!"
The samurai retreated and stood next to the warrior. "Aye, Touch Me-san, I just couldn't let you guys have all the fun. Although it was quite scary to see one of your ultis getting stopped like that."
"Indeed." The warrior nodded. "Seems like we will need to slowly chip away its health."
Around them many other powerful heteromorphic beings emerged. The Overlord's spell had cleared the entire dungeon and now all the bogged down comrades were coming to the aid of their four friends. Inside a thick forest of twisted trees came a Vanir jumping from branch to branch as they grew under his feet. The birdman came from the sky, holding a pink slime in its talons. A black slime accompanied by a dozen other heteromorphic beings came from a devastated land scape. And behind them emerged a skinny goat demon accompanied by a red giant from an infernal portal.
"Chip? You really hurt me with your words Touch Me-san. I haven't chipped anything since level 80. I only chunk." The Goat demon smiled menacingly to his friend.
"Pfft, hold your horses Ulbert. This one seems resistant to your kind's spells, despite you being a filthy min-maxer."
"I have spells besides [hellfire] Tigris." The goat-demon answered with a deadpan voice.
The Overlord's heart filled with pride as he looked behind, still being supported by the Ninja's shoulder.
'Ainz Ooal Gown, this is the family we have created through years of comradery.'
….
"Ainz-sama?!"
'I don't remember Albedo in this raid… She was not created yet. But I swear I just heard her voice.'
"Ainz-sama are you ok!?"
The dim lights in the Overlord's eye sockets reignited. The sight of mountains of paper work and a beautiful face in the middle covered his vision. He was sitting behind his desk in E-Rantel. Albedo's concerned face stood a foot away from the Overlord. She was leaning over the table to get a better look at her love's face. Multiple waves of green aura shone around the Overlord as he went through multiple emotional turmoils.
"Umu, I am fine Albedo." He was disappointed that she had cut his day dreaming short, but he could not be angry to one of his guildmate's creation. Especially after he had tinkered with their stats.
The horned beauty beamed him a warm smile as his lover washed her concerns away. "Yes, Ainz-sama."
'They say one can be bored to death, if this said death includes such visions, I might just welcome it.'
Ainz moved slightly in his chair. 'Maybe journeying with Shaltear and Zenberu can substitute for a much needed adventure.'
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I was bored from work so wrote this. This is a one shot but I might add it in to Pilgrimage as an intermission chapter in the future.
If you liked this and want it to be a standalone story of Ainz's recollections of their Yggdrasil days relived as they were real life adventures, let me know in the comments.
This is before the guild changed its name to Ainz Ooal Gown but after the foundation of the guild by the initial nine.
Hope you enjoy the short story and summer, cheers.