AN: Hey guys, the long-awaited chapter has been released.
It honestly took me a long time to plan out and create, since I had to choose where I wanted this story to go.
I decided to play the underlying theme of, "not all players, who appeared in the New World, showed up at the exact same time as Momonga."
I AM ONLY GOING TO MAKE THIS BASED ON THE ANIME.
As much as I would love to make it based on the light novel, I don't have the time and resources to scour the internet for the information I need.
Hopefully you enjoy, and PLEASE IF I SCREW SOMETHING UP, YOU HAVE TO TELL ME! In the prologue, I screwed so many things up. Particularly the time difference. Turns out that playing in the morning in the U.S is playing at night in Japan. And as far as I know, the servers of YGGDRASIL are set in Japan.
Other than that, please enjoy!
Chapter 1:
Uhh… what's going on? Why haven't I logged out?
As Connor sat there, he gazed into an endless black pit. Something was wrong, this shouldn't happen.
Connor began to freak out.
Oh shit, was I supposed to log out before the servers shut down?! Is this some sort of life-threatening glitch where I can't do anything?! Oh fuck, oh fuck…
His thoughts were quelled as a dim light surrounded him, allowing him to observe his surroundings.
Of course, he was still his character that he spent a whole year building, and he was still sitting on the stairs of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but something was off. First of all, the sky was obviously different -looking more real than before. The next thing was the dirt walls surrounding the Tomb. As if they weren't formed naturally.
Wasn't Nazarick surrounded by a swamp? What the fuck is going on?
It seemed as though Connor was faced with more questions as he continued to look around.
As Connor looked down, he could see a group of 5 men standing at the bottom of the steps -clearly, a party of people. As far as Connor knew, none of the things the men were wearing was from YGGDRASIL.
What really made Connor uncomfortable, was the fact that the men weren't staring at him, but BEHIND him.
A feeling of dread washed over Connor as he slowly turned around, his 6th sense telling him that danger was nearby. His eyes widened, as it became apparent as to what was behind him.
Standing just a couple feet away, were the Pleiades. All were lined up, except for one. Connor could remember their names as he glanced over each: Entoma, Lupusregina, Yuri, Solution, and CZ.
What didn't make sense, was the fact that they seemed like they were caught off-guard.
Yuri, the one in the middle, spoke up with a stern voice, "thank you for joining us, I think it would be best to join your friends down there, since we're not your opponent."
An unimaginable amount of thoughts were running through Connor's mind as his anxiety skyrocketed.
Did the NPC just start a conversation? I thought NPC's weren't supposed to do that. What's with the facial expressions? YGGDRASIL didn't have that! What is going on?! What the fuck is going on?! Why are these guys here? What does she mean by, "opponents?" Did these guys try and raid Nazarick? Are they defending Nazarick? But wait, aren't they supposed to defend the bottom floors or something? What the fuck is going on? Why does this all feel so real?!
Thankfully, Connor was a quick thinker. "Whoah, whoah, whoah, listen… Yuri, I know who you are, and I know who they are…" Connor said, pointing to the Battle Maids to her sides.
Connor, then pointed to the group of men below. "I… am NOT with them, alright? One moment I'm in YGGDRASIL, the next, I'm in this place!"
WTF! This is so weird, I'm talking to a fucking NPC like it's an actual person! Why do they seem so real?!
Yuri didn't seem phased by the answer, as opposed to her allies, "I will say this again… get down!"
Yuri threw her armored fist towards Connor. Connor quickly jumped up to his feet and was punched in the side. A loud CRACK signaling that multiple ribs were broken.
Connor was sent flying down the stairs and slammed against the ground. Rolling to a stop 20 feet away from Green Leaf, he screamed, "FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK?! IT SHOULDN'T HURT! WHY THE FUCK DOES IT HURT?! DAMMIT!"
Bewildered, the men of Green Leaf did nothing except stare at Connor.
Connor instinctively rolled onto his back, and seethed in a painful breath, his cloak spreading apart -exposing his massive bruise due to his lack of a shirt. Gritting his teeth, he rummaged through a brown sack on his left side and pulled out a bottle filled with a red liquid. He popped off the top and drank the substance, his bruise immediately disappearing.
The members of Green Leaf were absolutely shocked to see a red healing potion, let alone being used.
However, the Pleiades were a different story.
The first maid to notice the bottle was Lupusregina.
"The potion he had in his hands… it was red," she said, her voice having a hint of surprise.
She knew the importance of red healing potions, particularly in her watchful eye over Carne Village. She was scrutinized by Lord Ains when she thought very little of the village and its handful of occupants, and her failure to report basic information to him as well. At this point, she knew better.
"Well, that spices things up a bit, doesn't it?" Yuri stated, well aware of what that meant.
Yuri immediately put her left hand up to her left ear, "Lord Ains?"
"Hm? Oh, yes Yuri. What is it?"
"Lord Ains, there is a man in front of us with a red healing potion. He used the potion when he was injured. He also claims to know all of the Battle Maids, having said my name in front of everyone."
"Did he do anything else?"
"He also exclaimed that he was just in YGGDRASIL not too long ago."
Some time passed by, Connor's groans slowly turned into moans.
"Yuri, do not let any harm come to that man. I want to talk to him, personally."
"Understood, Lord Ains."
"What did Lord Ains say?" Solution asked.
"He said we must keep him alive. Lord Ains wants to talk to him."
At the bottom of the stairs, the mysterious man was walking towards the maids, yelling, "you know? I have no idea what's going on, and you just…" Suddenly, the ground around the man lit up. Beneath him, was a light-blue guild symbol of Ains Ooal Gown.
"Shit…" Connor mumbled.
And as soon as it appeared, it disappeared, taking the man with it.
Yuri clapped her hands together, looking at the members of Green Leaf, "now… Where were we?"
Everything was falling into place with Demiurge's plan, that was, until now. Momonga never could have factored in what just happened.
From everything that Yuri told him, there was a good chance that the man she was talking about, was a player from YGGDRASIL. Without hesitating, Momonga pulled up a screen of the surface of Nazarick. He looked closely at the screen, not seeing him anywhere.
It was as though he just appeared from thin air. One moment he was not there, and the next, he was sitting on the stairs in front of the Pleiades. Not too long after that, he got decked by Yuri and fell all the way down. Even though the screen provided little zooming capability, he could clearly see the shine of the red liquid in the decorated glass bottle.
All of this time I've been searching for players, and one has potentially appeared on my doorstep? If he is a player, why did he show up NOW? And why did he show up HERE? Wait. I can't get ahead of myself, I need to be sure before I can make any assumptions. But what do I tell Yuri?
Momonga decided to acquire as much information as he could. "Did he do anything else?"
"He also exclaimed that he was just in YGGDRASIL not too long ago."
"Yuri, do not let any harm come to that man. I want to talk to him, personally."
"Understood, Lord Ains."
Momonga removed his fingers from the side of his head, and glanced over his right shoulder saying, "Albedo, do you see the man in the green cloak on the surface?"
Albedo was looking at the same screen Momonga was, "yes, Lord Ains, I do."
"Once we get into the arena, I want you to teleport him next to you. If he is a player, then he will abide by what I say and won't do anything. I will notify the other guardians about this. I want to meet with this person."
"Lord Ains, I understand you want to find any players from YGGDRASIL, but are you sure that…"
"Albedo," Momonga stated.
Albedo sounded hesitant at first but finally obliged, "Yes, Lord Ains…"
Momonga placed his hand on his head a second time, "Guardians of the Floors, there is a man I would like to talk to. He is being teleported to the Amphitheatrum, so make sure that he's not hurt in any way."
"Yes, Lord Ains," Shalltear giggled.
"Understood," Cocytus said.
"Yes sir!" Aura exclaimed."
With a situation like this, Momonga needed to act fast and accordingly. He couldn't screw up now. There's no telling what would happen if he screws up this addition to Demiurge's plan.
Connor was met with a brighter light than before, and a different ground surface -landing on his hands and knees. Adjusting his eyes, he could clearly see that he was in a giant coliseum. As if the giant building didn't give it away, the fabricated night sky above did. Connor realized he was on the 6th floor, specifically in the Amphitheatrum.
He looked up to see a group of people in front of him. The biggest one was definitely a Paladin, his arms covered in armor, and a religious icon displayed on his crusader-like garments. The one next to him seemed to be an elf with purple hair, she only had leather armor on, and a bow strung to her back. The one standing next to her, was a blonde man with a red highlight on the left side of his head. He wore clothing that would resemble a Rogue or something that was built for speed and dexterity as opposed to power. The final one, was the shortest of the bunch. She had short hair that was cut just above her shoulders, she wore a brown cloak and wore leather underneath it. She held a staff, meaning she was the main magic-user of the group.
Connor turned to his left, and saw Aura standing there with a microphone in her hand. He continued to turn left and saw Albedo. However, Aura and Albedo weren't looking at him, they were looking at the person in the middle.
Connor glanced towards the middle-man and saw a skeleton-head just above the massive dark, luxurious, robe. The skeleton-man glanced towards Connor, and he was met with a deep voice that echoed in his mind.
"Who are you, and where are you from?"
Without hesitation, Connor replied back to the voice in his head, "my name is Connor, and I'm not from here… you wouldn't happen to be Momonga, would you? You kinda look like him."
"Yes, I am Momonga. Where are you from?"
"Holy fucking shit! Umm… sorry I'm still trying to process everything that's happening… You mean the city I'm from? Or from the game, YGGDRASIL? To be honest, man, I have so many questions. Like, where the fuck are we?"
"In time, you shall receive the answers you seek. But for now, stand there and do not interfere."
"You're the boss."
Connor knew exactly who Momonga was, hard to forget that kind of name when he ran one of the biggest guilds in YGGDRASIL -and the constant reminders from his friend, Amber. Connor stood up and dusted himself off, following Momonga's orders.
The man with the red highlight stepped forward and bowed, "first, allow us to apologize, Master Ains Ooal…"
"Ains Ooal Gown," Momonga stated.
Is Momonga taking the name of his guild? What's going on?
The man stood back up, "excuse me, Master Ains Ooal Gown. We'd like to apologize for entering your tomb without permission. If you can forgive us, we will pay you an appropriate amount of gold worthy of such forgiveness."
Connor's eyes widened, as he used the Player Messenger option, "are they trying to raid you?"
"Yes."
"And they're trying to bribe you."
"Unfortunately."
"Oh, brother…"
Momonga looked at the man, "are you that type of person? When maggots appear in the food in your home, do you kindly let them go instead of killing them? Actually, in that case, you could blame the fly that laid the eggs… But you are all different. You attacked this tomb to satisfy your worthless greed for money."
The man spread his arms out, "no, there was actually a reason we had to…"
"STOP!" Momonga yelled, raising his hand to the group. "Do not lie and cause me displeasure."
The blonde man furrowed his brow, "what if we had permission?"
"Rubbish. What utter rubbish. A complete bluff," Momonga stated, denying any possibility.
"What if it were true?"
"No. A definite bluff. It would be impossible. But well… I… right. Let me ask you just in case, who gave you permission?"
Momonga was relieved that Connor didn't ask a bunch of questions, otherwise his first impression would be very sour. Momonga wanted to help any other player that ended up here, but the annoying ones are more difficult to get along with.
But what he would talk about afterwards, was something he needed to figure out.
"Don't you know him well?" the blonde man asked.
"Him?" Momonga questioned.
"He did not tell me his name. However, he was a giant of a monster."
Momonga placed his hand in front of his mouth, "giant? Then… what did he look like? Tell me."
"He was shiny."
"Shiny? Hmm…"
Connor turned away from the conversation to look at Albedo. A shiver went down Connor's spine when he saw her face was filled with fury.
Connor must have missed part of the conversation, because Momonga began to laugh, "well true. Thinking calmly, your story didn't hold up from the start." A dark blue and black aura began to envelope him as massive amounts of rage began to burst out, "you… You scum! The place that I… That my friends and I together…! The Nazarick we created! YOU TRAMPLE IN OUR HOME WITH YOUR DIRTY SHOES! ON TOP OF THAT! MY FRIENDS! YOU TRY AND LIE IN THE NAME OF MY MOST VALUABLE COMRADES! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
A blast of air shot out, blowing in all directions. Aura threw her arm in front of her face, and Albedo just stood there, unmoving. Connor was a bit thrown-off from the sudden outburst, but he felt like it was totally necessary. But what didn't make sense, was that if it was a game… why did it feel so real?
The massive aura vanished, and Momonga continued, "…is the wrath burning inside me, but I do not blame you. You probably lied desperately in order to survive. In truth, the anger that is raging within me even now… is selfishness."
Momonga glanced over his shoulder, "Albedo! Aura! As well as all the guardians that can hear me now. Cover your ears!"
Momonga began to speak with a softer tone, "to begin with, I did not like the plan of inviting thieves into Nazarick. Even so, I accepted it because, as Demiurge says, it is the best course of action for us."
They planned this? What's going on?! Jesus Christ, Momonga. You better have some fucking answers for me!
He continued, "well, it's fine. I am done complaining. It's time for me to dispose of you all, like the filthy thieves you are!" Momonga threw off his black robe and stood shirtless in front of everyone. Around his neck seemed to be a massive collar connected to a small chain.
From the audience, a girl's squeal was heard. Connor quickly turned towards the source of the noise and saw Shalltear Bloodfallen -one of the Guardians of Nazarick. Immediately, a light blue arm wrapped around Shalltear and brought her to the ground.
"Hey, Cocytus!" Shalltear complained as she was dragged back down to the floor.
Cocytus? Are all the Guardians here? Would that explain why I'm here?
"All of you, you can uncover your ears now," Momonga stated. In his left hand, he held a black shield, and in his right hand, he held a black sword. "Let us begin."
The random group of people seemed hesitant to attack.
"Not going to attack?" Momonga questioned. "Then I will make the first move!"
The fight seemed to go slow for Connor, considering the fact that he built his character specifically for speed. Like comparing the reaction time of a Navy SEAL vs a recruit. The fight continued until they were quite the ways away.
Being so far away, and being stuck next to Albedo, it was a tad bit hard to get in on the conversation. At one point, Momonga applauded them for working together as a unit. Afterwards, he just threw away his shield and sword.
The next thing he knew, Momonga took off one of his rings, and the mage just vomited instantly.
Has she not seen how powerful Momonga is? And how is she able to throw up? Is it a new feature added?
After the group calmed her down, they began to fight again. However, they soon realized that they were never going to escape.
One, by one. Each of the party of four fell. Momonga reached for the girl in the purple, but the man with the red highlight took the hit for her. Shortly after, he was paralyzed on the ground; not too long after that, the mage flew away, after having a small talk -leaving her friends behind.
Connor could just barely make out what they were saying.
"I expected a more disgraceful response worthy of filthy thieves," Momonga said.
"She is our comrade," the Paladin stated.
The elf added, "that's right. Weren't your comrades the same?"
"Exactly so. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. A line from… the Gospel of Mark?"
"It's John, Chapter 15, Verse 13. Not Mark. Sorry for interrupting."
"Not the best time, Connor. I do thank you for correcting me, however."
The purple-haired elf stepped forward, "we don't mind dying. But in honor of your wonderful friends who would have done the same, please let that girl go!"
Momonga turned to her, "I have no mercy to give for thieves such as yourselves. However, I will make an exception for that girl…" He turned to the hidden audience, "Shalltear."
Suddenly, Shalltear landed on the ground, next to Connor. Connor felt nervous around her, why was he feeling nervous? It was a game, why was he scared?
Shalltear began to walk towards Momonga, her heels clicking against the ground as she stepped.
"Teach that girl fear," Momonga ordered. "Her despair when you crush her hope of returning home will be her punishment. After that, kill her mercifully without any pain."
Slightly lifting up her dress, Shalltear said, "understood, Lord Ains." She turned around and walked in the direction of the fleeing girl.
Hold up, it's obvious that the girl was going to die. I mean, that's what happened to those 1500+ people who tried raiding this place… But crush her hope of returning home? What does he mean?
"How? How is that mercy?!" the Paladin yelled, raising a weapon with a chain on the end.
"Let me tell you this," Momonga stated. "In Nazarick, death is a mercy that frees you from suffering."
The remaining two yelled as they charged Momonga head-on.
Connor instinctively followed Albedo and Aura as they made their way over to Momonga, who stood over a paralyzed elf, and a Paladin on his hands and knees. He didn't know what to feel. It seemed like he was still playing the game, but… it just felt so real.
"Aura, take these two to the Large Hole. Gashokuchuuo says he is running out of nesting room."
Aura seemed to choke on air for a bit, "L-Lord Ains! Mare! May I give that order to Mare?! The order to take them there!"
Momonga nodded, "yes, that is fine."
"Roger, I will have Mare do that!"
"… what will happen to us…?" the Paladin mumbled beneath Momonga. "What kind of fate is waiting for me?"
He looked down, "hm? You are a religious magic caster, so I want to perform experiments on you."
The look of horror on the man's face drained Connor of any energy he had, something wasn't right.
"Perhaps I will change a portion of your memory, to see what will happen if the god you believe in is replaced with another," Momonga suggested.
"…Why would you do something like that?"
"To confirm the existence of God… Nothing like that. My true aim is to discover new sources of power that may make me stronger. I fundamentally do not believe the idea that I am the only chosen one in this world."
"Lord Ains," Albedo spoke.
"Hm?"
"What do we do with this?" she asked, gesturing towards Connor.
It was an awkward 10 minutes, at least for Connor. He was teleported just outside the throne room of Nazarick, a place where most players had yet to receive the achievement of making down there. However, there was a catch. Aura, of all people, was ordered to watch over Connor, just in case. A respectable action, it might be, but very restricting on what Connor could do. Even more so since Connor was sitting on the floor, while Aura was standing in front of him.
Entoma had walked in before Connor, so that meant she had a better reason than himself, apparently. Connor wasn't complaining. While they were waiting, Connor tried to use basic icebreakers to start a conversation with the NPC.
"So… Umm… Aura?"
"If you have any questions, you should save them for Lord Ains."
"Well, I was going to ask how you were doing."
Aura said nothing.
"I feel like this friendship is going to be fantastic. I think we can learn a thing or two from each other," Connor said, doing his best to not sound sarcastic.
The massive door opened next to the both of them, Entoma standing in front of it.
"I guess it's my time?" Connor asked, getting up from the ground.
Connor made his way over to Entoma, who moved out of the way. As he passed by, he could hear her make noises as if she was about to eat him on the spot. Connor walked through the massive doors and heard them shut behind him. However, Connor wasn't concerned about the door, his attention was pulled to the throne room.
It was massive, to say the least, all the symbols of all the guild members posted on flags that lined the sides of the throne room. Massive pillars, a red carpet, and most of all, the Throne of Kings.
"Damn…" Connor was at a loss for words. Quickly remembering why he was here, he hastily made his way over to Momonga, who was in his most recognized garments. Albedo seemed to converse with Momonga, and then slowly nodded her head. She walked towards Connor, causing him to stop.
Albedo kept walking, however, even when she passed him. Realizing why she was sent away, Connor continued to walk down the long throne room. Once he was 10 feet away from Momonga, Connor stopped at a set of stairs.
"Before we begin, can I ask that you do something?" Connor asked.
"What might that be?"
"Can you guarantee that we are the only ones who are going to hear this? I am going to talk about personal stuff and I don't want the NPC's to hear, since they seem to be acting strange."
"Strange? Oh, I see…" Momonga placed a hand on his face. "You don't know."
"Know what."
Momonga seemed to tap or wave at something in the air, because as soon as he did that, a small ripple moved across the room. The room was now secure.
Momonga looked at Connor, "we are no longer in a videogame, this is all real. Everything around you is real: me, the NPC's and their personalities, the people, the Floors of Nazarick, the people who invaded my tomb, everything... And I mean everything."
Connor took a step forward, "wha-what do you mean?!"
"I'm telling you as it is, Connor. I arrived here months ago, but you arrived here now. We are in a New World."
It seemed as though the news hit pretty hard, "you're joking right? You have to be joking! There's no way that we can be transported to another world by playing a fucking videogame!"
Momonga just stared at Connor, not moving an inch.
Seconds went by as Connor's face went from confusion to shock, "oh… oh dear God, you're… you're not joking... Are you?"
"I lost all of my emotions when I turned into an Undead. I am telling you things how they are. We are in another world. And as far as I know, there is no way of getting back."
When Momonga finished the last sentence, Connor collapsed onto his knees. Putting his hands in his white hair, he found it difficult to cry -as if something was keeping him from doing so. As Connor was hardly crying and mostly grieving, Momonga looked up towards Albedo, who was standing next to the doors watching the two.
Albedo seemed to have received the message, because she turned towards the door and exited the room.
XXXXXX
5 minutes later…
"Are you alright, Connor?"
Connor was still on his knees, his face devoid of any emotion, "no."
"Look, as soon as I got here, I told myself that I would help any players that ended up here, like yourself. But I need you to talk a little if I'm going to succeed in that."
"Like you would understand how I feel," Connor stated.
"I'm sorry?"
"You said it yourself, you haven't felt a damn thing ever since you got here."
"Well, that's not entirely true. I have tried to feel things, but my emotions would instantly be cut down, since I'm no longer human. Although I am no longer human, the thing in here…" Momonga tapped his head, "still is…"
Connor looked at Momonga, "I wonder for how long, though… How much time does it take for a man to become a monster? Are you able to balance your humanity and your position of power? From what I've seen, you are lacking the ability to balance the two. I mean… is that why I'm here? Is God so fucking mysterious that he sent me here just to make sure you don't turn fucking evil like you made your character to be? Am I here just because I wanted to say hi to you during YGGDRASIL's final moments?"
Momonga pondered his words. Was he really here for that purpose? He heard Christians say that God worked in mysterious ways, was there really a higher power pulling the strings?
"I mean, FUCK! I'm never going to see my family again, NEVER! Oh, what am I saying, you probably have family that was left behind, don't you?"
Momonga said nothing.
"Oh… oh, I see! So, you're fucking set! You had a shitty life and now it's better and you're happy here?! Is that it?! While the ones still clinging onto the long-lost hope of humanity suffer?! Albedo regarded me as an ANIMAL in the arena."
Connor stood up, "A FUCKING ANIMAL! THAT SHIT ISN'T RIGHT! I LIVE, I FEEL, I BREATHE, I WALK, I TALK, I EAT, I THINK, I ACT, I LOVE, I HATE, I LEARN, I FORGET, AND I FORGIVE! I'M JUST LIKE HER, BUT APPARENTLY, I'M NOT!"
Momonga let Connor's emotions flow out, allowing him to criticize him and Nazarick -hence why he prevented any sound to escape the area encompassing the two of them.
Connor calmed down as he breathed slower.
"You say you want to help me, but what about your fucking followers?! Since they're apparently real now, they're going to act like the evil monsters that your friends made them to be! Speaking of your friends, are any of them here? Or is it just you?"
"I'm the only one left. I was the only one online when the servers shut down."
"I see… Momonga, be real with me, here. Do you enjoy killing people?"
"I do not feel anything anymore, I feel nothing when I see people die."
"Okay… you mentioned earlier that Demiurge planned the whole thief thing… care to explain? Because I'm frustrated, angry, and quite confused."
"I pity you, Momonga. You can't make your own decisions based on what you want, because you have to be everyone's God. And by roleplaying that character, you're slowly losing your humanity. Most decisions aren't even yours, and you have no idea what your followers are thinking. And correct me if I'm wrong, but did you say that Demiurge acts on his own and EXPECTS you to know what he's thinking? And when you want him to bring up certain times, he doesn't since he assumes you know everything? So you're basically taking over the world without you knowing?"
"Mhmm."
Connor chuckled, "and you had me thinking you were a twisted fuck. Sorry about that."
Momonga raised a hand, "no, it's fine."
"So you're sitting on the throne, your followers surrounding you, and you're just fucking winging it? And everything is falling into place?!"
Momonga nodded.
"HAHAHAAHA holy fuck, dude! How? How the fuck have they not caught you slipping up?"
"It's probably because they were programmed to obey all of my commands and they pledged obedience to me. They force themselves to work like it's a sweatshop organization, and personally, I don't like seeing people overwork themselves."
"As much as I would agree with you, is there anything that happened that made you feel that way?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Sorry for intruding your personal life, man. Although, no offence, don't expect me to kneel for anybody, I'm not becoming anyone's willing servant."
"I see, where are you from?"
"The United States."
"Makes sense. How is it over there?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is it as polluted as Japan?"
"Oh, you're from Japan? Well, yikes… where I came from, people took pollution VERY seriously. Of course, the only place you would really need to watch out for was New York City. Other than that, you could breathe fine. Now, can I ask you a few more questions?"
Momonga nodded, "go ahead."
"So, do the NPC's know that you're looking for players?"
"Yes."
"Do they have any clue on where their "Supreme Beings" come from?"
Momonga shrugged, "it seems they assume that we came from another place, like a heaven of sorts."
"Heaven wouldn't be a word that I would use to describe humanity on Earth."
Momonga just nodded.
"Speaking of Heaven," Momonga said, leaning forward. "You corrected me on quoting a Bible phrase earlier, you wouldn't happen to be a follower of the Bible, would you?"
"I'm a Catholic, yeah. Don't expect me to force my religion onto everyone I see, however. I feel like it's not my place forcing ideals onto people who don't want to listen. I would rather influence people based on my actions."
"I see."
"So if they corner me and demand why I'm here, do I tell them I come from the same place you are from? Or do I tell them that I am a player, and you wanted to help people like me?"
"To be honest, I didn't think of the possibility of them doing that."
"You said they act on their own, meaning they would want their own answers. I want to be able to become friends with all of them, despite how hard it might be."
"I respect that. You may want to be careful with what you say, when that time comes. But as for building a friendship, you may be shooting for something a bit too far…"
"If you shoot for the moon, you'll land in the clouds. If you shoot for the stars, you land on the moon. You always gotta shoot higher, so you fall higher."
"Interesting… when you told me you were from the Runners guild, I had my doubts about you. However, it seems as though Touch Me's description of your guild stays true. Positive, always optimistic, respectable, and ready to help those who need it."
"Yeah, he apparently met my best friend, Amber. Did he say anything about her being a bit too clingy?"
"Not that I know of."
"That's a first… Oh, Momonga, just for the record, I'm into a lot of old stuff. Mainly 1960's-2100's stuff. So if you don't catch any reference I make, don't blame yourself."
Some time passed by.
"You know what I realize, Connor?"
"What might that be?"
"I actually enjoyed this talk. Felt like the first conversation where I could actually speak my mind."
"Listen, Momonga, if you need to talk about something, just come to me. No need to be proper or anything, just be yourself."
"Alright."
"On another note, we should do this regularly, I think it would be fun."
"I can see that becoming a possibility. However, there is something you must know."
"What might that be?"
"The inhabitants of Nazarick must NOT find out who I truly am. At all costs."
"I would understand how they would lose faith if they found out their leader was a human, who spent most of his time and money into a videogame. Not trying to be rude or anything, but that's what you told me."
"Yes, now you understand why. I can't have the work my friends and I had built just go to waste."
"Of course. Frankly, I didn't expect for you to reveal so much about yourself. You and I have much more in common than I thought."
"Like I have said before, it's been a while since I'm able to talk like this. I'm getting tired of constantly acting like Lord Ains Ooal Gown, and I just want to be… myself."
"Well, Mr. Momonga," Connor placed a hand on his heart. "I swear that I will never speak a word about what we have said to anyone. And I swear that I will be there for you when shit hits the fan."
Momonga laughed, "I feel the same way, Mr. Smith."
The air in the room seemed to chill, "but there is something that I must know, Connor."
Detecting the change in the mood, Connor stood firmer than before, "yes sir?"
"If you're going to stay here, you must promise… no… swear that you will protect Nazarick and its overall interests."
"As long as you provide a roof over my head and food in my stomach, I will protect Nazarick from any force wanting to destroy or bring harm in any way to it."
"There will be times, Connor, where the interests of Nazarick will oppose your own morals. I can guarantee that. So if there is anything you find problematic, I want you to contact me, and only me."
"Understood, sir."
"Good."
"Besides, there's still some things I want to talk about, and things I want to show you."
"Like what's on your chest?" Momonga asked, pointing to Connor's torso.
"Exactly."
As if on cue, the sound of Connor's stomach was heard grumbling.
"That's embarrassing."
"I haven't eaten at all since I arrived here, and it's been a while since I've heard that sound. Don't blame yourself, Connor, you must be starving."
"Just a bit."
"I enjoyed our little talk, but this is where it comes to an end," Momonga stated, poking the air again -thus removing the sound barrier.
Standing up, Momonga turned to Connor, "follow."
"Yes sir."
In reality, Momonga needed Connor to trust him. In Momonga's mind, if he revealed more information than he should've, then Connor would be forced to keep it all a secret because of his own ethical morals. It was a dangerous plan, something that Demiurge would find too risky and not worth the time and effort. However, he had to see if this course of action would pay off in the end. Besides, he never did this before, so everything was a first.
If he wanted to help someone from his world, he needed to act human again.
"Hold on, you want me to do what now?"
"You heard what I said."
Connor was sitting in a booth in one of the taverns that dotted the city where players would respawn. It's specific name and location were kept secret due to the confidentiality of the information being passed on.
Across from Connor, sat a member of Seraphim. For those who are blissfully unaware of the name, Seraphim was regarded as the top guild in all of YGGDRASIL. When information was sent out from the guild regarding YGGDRASIL, its words were stated as fact. The fact that the top guild was interested in making a deal with the Runners, specifically Connor, was beyond anyone's comprehension -as this was a first. As to stress the secretive nature of the situation, the member of Seraphim was covered in a white hood, while Connor was covered by his signature green hood.
"Well, yeah, I know what you said. I'm just confused as to why you want me, a level 46, to run into a level 100 dungeon just to grab an item that may or may not be there."
"You act like we haven't taken your level into account. Hence why your pay will be 600 million gold."
"Holy shit dude. Why the fuck don't you do it yourself? That's a lot of fucking money!"
"Let's just say that your specific type of skills are needed for this assignment…"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Although it's been difficult for you to do work recently, since both of your mates stopped playing for some reason, we feel like you can hold your own. However, your weapons might not suit this task…"
The man pulled out a 1-meter long katana, its blade black as night, and its hilt wrapped in some sort of red fabric. The sword looked beautiful, to say the least.
Sliding the sword back in its scabbard, and placing it on the table, the man continued. "You will use this weapon, and if you succeed in acquiring the item we seek, this sword shall be yours too."
Connor looked at the sword, and looked back up at the man, "what does it do?"
"It? This sword is much more than "It!" Unimaginable amounts of gold wouldn't be able to afford such a masterpiece…"
Connor raised a hand, "dude, cut the roleplay shit. I know you're trying to sound cool, but I just want to know what it does."
The emoticon of an embarrassed face popped up in front of the man, "sorry. Right. This sword is called Merlock's Bane. As the name implies, the sword does massive damage onto magic users and casters."
"How so?"
"Basically… it passes through any magic barrier unhindered. Allowing you to dominate your foe."
"That can't be all. My hidden blades already do that."
"Well, I could give you the list of things it could do…"
"For fuck's sake, man. Just tell me."
"Okay. If a magic user does or uses any of these things on himself or herself, the sword's destructive power will increase drastically: spells that increase resistance to magic and physical attacks, spells that increase awareness, spells that increase magical capabilities, spells that increase magic damage, spells that increase mana/stamina/HP…"
"So basically, if the magic user uses any sort of spell, the sword will tear the person apart, right?"
The man put his hands together, "indeed."
"I see why it's called a bane, now. As more magical power is used, the greater the sword's power becomes."
It was known, that any deal made with Seraphim that involved Legendary or even World Items was one that was a trap, typically.
"Now, are you up for the task?"
"Fuck it, I'll do it."
"Good," the man stated, sliding the sword over to Connor. "Here is where you need to go."
XXXXXX
Oh Lord Baby Jesus, please watch over me…
Connor was standing in front of a massive cave. Partially-destroyed Roman pillars were lined up parallel to the sides of the cave's mouth. Despite what it looked like, only one word was in his mind.
Dragon.
Why else would the top guild send me in like this? They probably sent me in knowing I would die. Laughing at the little guy while he does all of your work. Whatever, I'm wasting time. It's the weekend, my parents are out of town, and I need to use all the time I have right now. Okay, since I don't know what's inside. I have to be extra-careful.
"Here we go," Connor stated, clapping his hands together.
"Increased Awareness!"
"Foresight!"
"Increased Speed Boost!"
"Increased Dexterity!"
"Speed Boost II!"
"Speed Boost III!"
"Dexterity Mark II!"
"Dexterity Mark III!"
"Perfect Vision!"
"Peripheral Sight!"
"Peripheral Sight Mark II!"
"Natural Instinct!"
"Animal Instinct!"
"Adrenaline Boost!"
"Lady Luck's Blessing!"
Connor had made his character based on survival, more than anything else. He felt like he couldn't run anywhere or attack anything if he couldn't see what was happening around him at all times. So, Connor leveled his ability to sense the things around him. Predicting movements lead to him seeing where his opponents were at all times. Perfect for fighting people with considerable amounts of speed, and unlucky for those who couldn't move at all. Connor shot off into the cave in an instant, his spells and abilities working wonders.
Jumping from fallen pillar to fallen pillar, Connor assumed that the floor was layered in traps. He could sense that the traps would wake up the level 60 golems that slept next to the walls. Connor continued his momentum, even when the amount of fallen pillars had reached zero. Carefully jumping from one spot on the floor to the other, Connor could clearly see that the traps he was avoiding would explode, sealing the exit in behind him -that is, if he lived from the trap's detonation. Also, how he wasn't waking up any of the sentries that were sleeping, was beyond him. Any sort of movement would wake them up, or so he was told.
Maybe that's why they wanted me to do this… I'm just lucky… Thanks, John… for giving me this gay-ass, broken-ass, choker. Haha. You had no idea that I would turn this bullshit into fucking diamond.
Jumping into the air, and doing a backflip, Connor slid to a stop. In front of him, sat massive doors with a series of incomprehensible writing scribbled on them. After pulling up his metaphorical Big Boy Pants, he pushed open the doors. The cave had turned into a massive cavern, where the sound of the doors echoed across the chamber. He could accurately determine that the height of the cavern was 80 meters, and the width and length were around 100 to 150 meters.
The ground in front of him was flat, and his 6th sense wasn't telling him that there were any traps. However, he wasn't worried about the traps; he was worried about the two 50-meter-tall stone-golems that were stationed on each side of the cavern. These things were massive, each having a massive sword in their hands. His menu said that they were both level 87.
Past the giant golems, sat a staircase that lead to a displayed item inside of a temple. The Legendary item, Protection of Thunder, was a silver shield that would never break. Perfect for any warrior-type class, the 95-level shield would work as a defensive tool, and an offensive tool.
If one were to strike the shield, a massive cloud would form overhead. Within several seconds, a massive bolt of lightning would strike the aggressor. This bolt of lightning would've been the color blue, as it would pass through any barrier to its target: magical and physical. Safe to say, this object was very broken.
"Okay, calm down, Connor. Get in, grab the shield, stuff it, get out… get in… get out… get in… get out…" Connor sighed, "alright! Let's do this!"
Connor stretched his arms out and faced his palms behind him, "Ultra Boost!"
Connor accelerated faster than the speed of sound and landed next to the item. After grabbing the shield and stuffing it inside his bag, he could hear a rumbling noise.
The whole cavern started to shake, as pieces of the ceiling started to fall down. Connor was about to make a run for it, until a massive stalactite crashed in front of the entrance, sealing him inside.
"Shit…"
If that wasn't enough, the golems woke up, and began to charge Connor; one already started to swing at him.
Connor jumped up into the air and boosted towards the golem that swung. The massive stone sword obliterating the temple he was just at. Landing on its arm, he ran up the steep slope, attempting to reach its head.
Either Connor was smart, or just lucky, but the other golem started to swing at him. Just like a train trying to stop, once it started to swing, it couldn't stop. Being able to see EVERYTHING around him, including his peripherals and behind him, saved his life. Connor placed his hands on the golem and shot away from it.
Things went by in slow motion as the massive sword flew from underneath him, just mere inches away from his face, and struck the head of the other golem. The victim of this attack had his head explode into thousands of fragments. The golem collapsed to the ground, causing it to shake. Connor landed gracefully on the ground, in front of the deceased golem.
Just behind Connor, a crack started to form on the floor.
The other golem didn't seem to care that much about what he did, shifting his grip on his sword to underhand. He clasped both hands together on his massive sword as he tried to stab Connor directly underneath him. This failed, as anyone would expect.
Connor boosted away from the point of impact, watching as the sword penetrated the stone floor. Suddenly, the whole room started to shake again. Cracks started to form across the entire floor, originating from the sword. Without warning, the ground gave way to air as the golem and Connor were sent into a deep abyss.
XXXXXX
Hardly feeling any pain, since it was a videogame, Connor jumped back onto his feet. He checked his stats, noticing that his HP was not affected from the fall. All of the sudden, the room around him was lit up like he was outside. The room was easily half the size of the first cavern, but it looked nicer. Scattered across the ground, were stones and pillars -dotting the walls were vines and various types of plants. It seems whoever made this cavern, was a fan of the Dwemer from the game series, Elder Scrolls; since the architecture of his surroundings reminded him of that.
However, sitting underneath a massive rock was a black dragon; behind the black dragon were mountains of gold and jewels. The dragon was massive, to say the least, and Connor's menu told him that he was level 100. With the superb lighting, the dragon's scales were easily visible.
Yeah, this dude looks like Alduin, no doubt.
Looking at his feet, Connor noticed he was standing on top of the second golem. It had shattered on impact, turning it into millions of little pieces. Boosting towards the middle of the cavern, Connor sat there, expecting to die.
The dragon woke up, realizing someone had come to fight it.
"Who dares disturb my slumber?"
"Me, apparently."
"Do you know who I am?"
"No."
"I am Goner'shilium, World-Bender and Reality-Breaker!"
"Oh… fuck… this dude changes reality…"
"If you do not fight me, I will rip you apart, atom by atom. Until there is nothing left of you."
The dragon's eyes started to glow yellow.
Thinking quickly, Connor pulled a couple of vials out of his bag. Each was marked down specifically as to what was contained inside.
One vial was labelled, "Elemental Dragon Riusshke blood. (Resist everything that's of the elements and potentially the power of dragons! LOL! You're welcome, faggot! -Love Amber.)"
The second vial was labelled, "John's blood. ONLY USE WHEN YOU NEED ABILITIES OF A WARRIOR!"
Connor set down one of the vials and twisted the top off of the other one that was labelled, "John." Connor folded in his thumb as a glass tube shot into his arm and out in front of his hand. Connor inserted the other end of the tube into the vial, drawing out all of the blood inside of it. His chest started to glow red, as the red crystal was turned an even darker color.
Interesting… so the crystal's power stacks if you draw the blood of the same species? Talk about efficiency…
Before any of the negative effects would hit Connor, he quickly grabbed the other vial and did the same thing. A wave of fatigue hit Connor, his stamina decreasing rapidly, and his vision fading away. After several seconds, all of those negative effects went away, as he was able to successfully acquire new abilities.
Not only did his HP and other abilities increase, but despite being level 46, his resistance was well over 100 now. His physical attack points went up by 25, his physical defense and magic defense went up by 20, his special jumped up 45, and his agility went up 54.
"It seems as though you are done preparing… let us begin."
Connor got into a defensive stance as the world around him started to break apart.
Water…
Water…
Water!
WATER!
Connor was stumbling down the stairs of his own house, thanking god that his parents didn't remove the carpet from them as he fell. Scrambling to his feet, he made his way over to the sink in the kitchen and turned on the faucet. Drinking in all of the water that came out, Connor gasped. He fell to his knees as he raised his arms in triumph.
"Holy fuck, I did it! YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHH ALRIGHT!"
"Connor! No yelling!" a female voice came from behind. His parents were home.
"Sorry, mom. How was your trip?"
"It was fantastic," Connor's dad stated, walking past the two of them carrying the luggage.
"Connor, what happened to you?" his mother asked.
"Oh, um…"
Before he could answer, his mom was already on her knees giving him an evaluation.
"Honey, you look terrible. Have you been doing drugs?"
"What? No!"
"It looks like you haven't slept!"
"I probably didn't."
"You weren't playing that game all night, were you?"
"Might've been. What time is it?"
Connor looked at the clock they had in their kitchen, and saw that the day was Sunday, 10:32 a.m. Connor had been playing for 22 hours nonstop.
Connor mumbled, "umm…"
His mom placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know that John and Amber means so much to you, and that you really care about that game they showed you. But, please, try to find some time for yourself instead of building up something that someone else created."
"Yes ma'am."
"Thank you."
22 hours of bashing a damn dragon with a shield. 22… Fucking... Hours...
Bash…
Stab…
Bash…
Stab…
Bash…
Stab…
Bash…
Stab…
Bash…
Stab…
By the time the dragon ran out of mana and stamina, it was so easy for me to kill him after that. If the game hadn't given me that World Item, Eyes of Sargonne, then I would've fucking quit. Interesting how a World Item is integrated with the brain of the user. Whatever, I gotta use the restroom and fucking sleep. Maybe I should teach that Seraphim guy a thing or two for blowing several million worth of fucking potions.
"Connor?"
"… Connor…?"
"Connor."
"Hm? Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought."
"That's fine. Just remember, if you don't show your face, and keep quiet. Things should go as planned."
"Yeah, I know. But the guardians seem to hate me, since you placed me… you know…"
"Right next to me?"
"Yep…"
"I've already given them the rundown about you. Basically, I've asked that they treat you like they would treat each-other."
"That's a bit comforting."
"I'm glad you see it that way."
The door at the front of the throne room started to open.
"They're here, Momonga. Show time!"
"Yes."
On the opposite side of the room, Yuri and Lupusregina led a group of people down the carpet. In front was a blonde man covered in black and gold robes, possessing jewelry that screamed the title of, "Emperor." Next to him, was an elderly man in white robes. His beard stretched all the way to his pelvis. Behind the both of them, were 2 knights wearing black armor. Both had blonde hair, while one of them was female and the other was a bulkier male. The last couple of guys, who walked behind the group, looked like friars from a monastery. Out of all the people in the group, the one in front was looking around the room, studying it.
Once the group stopped, Albedo turned to Momonga, "Lord Ains, the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire, Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, would like to meet you."
"Thank you for coming, Emperor of the Baharuth Empire." Momonga continued, "I am the master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ains Ooal Gown."
The Emperor didn't even sound that old, "I sincerely thank you for welcoming us, Master Ains Ooal Gown."
"Lord Ains," Demiurge stated. "I believe it is blasphemous that an inferior species like humans dares to speak to you as an equal."
If only he knew… haha…
"Prostrate yourselves!" Demiurge announced.
Everyone but the Emperor immediately fell to their knees.
"Stop, Demiurge," Momonga ordered.
"Yes. You are free to move!"
The group stood back up. Connor questioning whether that was planned, or Demiurge really did act on his own.
"We have done something very rude. My inability to control my subordinates is to blame. Will you forgive me?" Momonga asked. "If you wish, I will bow my head."
It seemed as though that sentence struck a nerve with all of the guardians. Because Connor could clearly see them all turn to Momonga with shock in their faces.
"There is no need for apology, Master Gown. A subordinate misinterpreting the will of their master and acting out of control is a common occurrence." The Emperor turned to one of the men dressed like friars, "it seems someone from my Empire has done the same. I am embarrassed. This is the head of the foolish noble that sent intruders into your land. Please accept it."
The man held out a clay pot, an object bumping one of its walls inside.
"Take it."
"Oh, yes sir."
Connor was just told to transport a human head. If you would've asked him to do that a week ago, he would've called you crazy. But he was doing it, for an undead overlord… and for some odd reason, none of it was sickening to Connor…
Taking the pot from the man, Connor walked back to Momonga.
"Reach your arms out so I can grab it."
"Alright."
Connor did as he was told, and Momonga pulled out the disembodied head of a man. Whose eyes were as white as snow.
"What shall I do with it? It would be a waste to dispose of it…" Momonga stated.
Suddenly, the head melted into a purple liquid, which fell to the floor. The purple liquid began to shoot out from the ground and took the shape of a Death Knight. The purple liquid vanished and a Death Knight was left in its place.
"Impossible…" the Emperor mumbled.
"Go. Join the line," Momonga ordered. Once the Death Knight had joined the line of gold-armored skeletons, he continued. "Now, Master Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix…"
"Just Jircniv is enough."
"Is that so? Then, Master Jircniv. I will, in turn, disregard the trouble your noble has caused to Nazarick. There is no longer any need for an apology. You may go home. We are going to become a bit busy now."
The Emperor and his group were a bit shocked.
"Because of all of you, we now know trouble will come to us, even if we keep to ourselves. If that is the case, we shall rise up and crush all such trouble."
"What do you mean?" the Emperor asked.
"First, I will have any who dare cause harm to us pay for their foolish actions. I will continue to eliminate everything until the quiet I love returns."
The Emperor was nervous, "then, how about it? Why not form an alliance?"
Shalltear spoke out of place, "ha, you mean subservient to us…?"
Aura responded with a kick up Shalltear's ass. "Hey, you!"
Momonga raised his hand, "so noisy! I demand silence!"
When the misfit guardians straightened themselves out, the Emperor continued. "Create a country in this land and rule over it as king. I believe it to be a wonderful thing and a position worthy of Master Gown. My Empire will do everything in its power to assist you in such endeavors."
"I do not believe there is any merit for you, Master Jircniv?"
"I wish to create friendly ties with you and the country that you will create, for the future."
"I see. Then I will look forward to it."
"I see. Wonderful. Then, if there is something you wish of us now, please tell me."
Momonga said, "I cannot think of anything on the spot. Though, I would like to have a way to contact you quickly."
"Then, I will leave my secretary with you. Loune Vermillion!"
The guy who looked like a friar stepped forward.
"Then, I shall leave Demiurge with you… As you have forgiven his rudeness moments ago, I would like to leave things to him. Demiurge is a trusted aide of mine. If you speak with him, I am sure any issues will be resolved with ease…"
A silent pause flew by.
Momonga stated, "today is the birth of a new alliance. A day worthy of becoming a public holiday."
The Emperor smiled, "Right. Really, so right…"
XXXXXX
"Well, the Emperor moved just as expected," said Momonga.
Shalltear spoke up from her position on the floor, "Lord Ains, please allow me to ask a humble question."
"I will allow it."
"For what reason did you make that human Emperor a collaborator?"
Albedo responded, "we needed justification."
"Justification…?"
Connor took a step forward, nervous as to how the guardians would react to him speaking. "If I may, could I answer her question?"
"You may not!" Albedo ordered. "I'm not even sure as to why Lord Ains even allows you near him!"
"That's enough, Albedo… Go ahead," Momonga said.
Connor nodded, "Shalltear, although it's hard for me to catch up as to what is happening, I can say for certain as to why it was important to ally with the Emperor." He cleared his throat, "in reality, it doesn't matter how powerful your Empire is. If there is something that can always throw dirt on your name, that would only create more enemies than allies. If you get what I'm saying. The Empire, and other countries, will only spread bad information about Ains Ooal Gown if we just rule over them with sheer power. What good is an Empire if the people hate it? Did I hit the nail on this one, Lord Ains?"
"Yes, yes you did." Momonga nodded, "it is easy to rule over others with sheer power, but such a method creates too many enemies, like Connor said. A ruined country would throw dirt upon the name of Ains Ooal Gown."
"I see," Cocytus mumbled.
"-S-So that was what you were thinking!" Mare exclaimed.
Demiurge began to laugh, "do you all truly believe that is all there is to the plans of Lord Ains?"
"Huh?" Momonga said, along with the guardians kneeling on the ground.
"Um… dude? Is this one of those times…?"
"Yes, I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about."
"I'll be here if you're gonna wing it. Call on me if you need a spot. I gotchu!"
"Let's just see how it goes."
"What else is there?" Shalltear asked.
Albedo laughed, and Demiurge said, "goodness."
Demiurge turned to Momonga, "Lord Ains, it would be good to tell Shalltear and the others your true intentions. As it will affect our plans henceforth."
"A-As expected of you, Demiurge. As well as the overseer of the floor guardians, Albedo. You realized my intentions completely!"
"Uh, what true intentions?!"
"BRUH DEFLECT THAT SHIT BACK TO HIM! HIT HIM WITH THE REVERSAL. GET HIM TO SAY IT IF YOU HAVE TO! If you need help, just send that shit to me, I'll try and get Demiurge to talk."
"I cannot believe you had been planning all of this since creating the adventurer Momon. Truly a strategic move to prevent the ruin of a country."
"Momon? What is Demiurge talking about?"
"You stole the words out of my mouth, Connor. Please let me think."
"My bad. I forgot. I'll wait until you need me."
"What do you mean?" Shalltear asked again.
"Demiurge, I allow you to explain to the others what you have realized."
"Understood."
Demiurge began to go in depth about the future actions of the Emperor. Things like the eventuality of him finding out that his most trusted wizard, Fluder, was actually a traitor that was now working for Nazarick. On top of that, the Emperor would try and get all of the nations together and fight Nazarick, of course not wanting to be the ones to start said alliance… Lastly, they would try and get the inhabitants of Nazarick to fight one another.
"I am sure that Emperor will think in such a manner and act upon it," Demiurge stated, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "A somewhat intelligent man is often easier to read than a fool."
"In other words, the Empire will try to make us betray one another, as well as create an alliance to defeat Lord Ains?" Shalltear asked.
Aura exclaimed, "there's no way we would betray Lord Ains!"
"U-Um, should we just go ahead and destroy them?" Mare mumbled.
"Don't worry," Albedo replied. "Everything has been going according to the plans of Lord Ains. Isn't that right, Lord Ains?"
"E-Exactly as you say!"
"Dude, if I was sitting in your shoes, I would be shitting bricks… all I'm saying."
"What did I tell you?"
"I know. I'm sorry. I should really stop doing that, but you're gonna have to tell me who Momon is, though."
"I know… I know… just please… listen. I'm in the same boat as you, in regards to this."
"Lord Ains is always looking a few steps ahead. Without the hero, Momon, we would have to rule E-Rantel with fear and violence. The Golden Princess may have worked as a substitute, but we would have lost one of our trump cards. She was exactly as I had analyzed from the information obtained by Sebas… No, she was a much more interesting human than expected."
Albedo turned to Demiurge, "yes, I want to meet her sometime as well."
"Permission to speak?"
"Go ahead."
"If Demiurge and Albedo take interest in this, "Golden Princess…" wouldn't that mean there is something wrong with her, like mentally? Like she's fucked up to the core?"
"That's a possibility."
"I'm sure you will have a chance to meet her soon," Demiurge smiled, turning to Momonga. "Now, Lord Ains. As you have planned from the beginning, the preparations for establishing a country for world domination are complete."
"T-True."
"There is one thing we must now decide." Demiurge turned to the other guardians, "a mere king would be the same as any of those other worms. We must think of a more befitting title."
Momonga seemed a bit more relaxed than he was before, "I have no objections. Do as you wish."
"Then, does anyone have any suggestions?" Albedo announced.
Each of the guardians gave their input as to what Ains would be referred to. Shalltear thought of Beauty King, Aura thought of Strong King, Mare suggested Love King, Demiurge proposed Wise King, Sebas (being the simple man he was) suggested just King, and Albedo said that Supreme King would be the best fit.
Everyone seemed to like that idea, but it was Cocytus' turn.
Cocytus grumbled, "hm, Lord Ains will soon be ruling over many people. So, the one who leads by magic, the Sorcerer King seems fitting."
As a bold move, Momonga turned to Connor, "which one do you like the most?"
Connor's eyes widened as a huge burden was placed onto him.
"Lord Ains! Why should a human decide the name you will take?!" Albedo blurted out.
"I would be in agreement of this one, Lord Ains. I am curious as to why you allow a human to treat you so informally as well," Demiurge stated.
Momonga was about to say something, until Connor put his hand up.
"I swore to Lord Ains that I would protect Nazarick. Although the specifics are known to Lord Ains and myself, I made a personal promise that I would treat all of the inhabitants of Nazarick with utmost respect. I would not treat you any different from one of the maids. Although this might be controversial, I come from a place where everyone is expected to be treated the same, no matter who you are. Although I do respect Lord Ains more than I respect anyone else here, I would treat everyone here the same… Including Lord Ains…"
The guardians were speechless, Connor could feel the rage swelling up inside of them.
"What are you doing?!"
"I'm putting a pin in this shit. I can't be mistreated. If I want to be respected, I have to earn that respect. Just, please. Let me do this."
"DON'T screw this up… I'm going out on a limb for you on this one!"
"How dare you speak so lowly of…" Albedo cursed.
Interrupting Albedo, Connor continued, "if you would let me finish, you would realize that sort of behavior is common from where Lord Ains is from… So I'm not speaking lowly as you might think."
It seemed as though the guardians' rage was slowly turning to confusion.
"What?" Albedo asked.
"I'm very familiar with the world that your Supreme beings come from. That being said, the reason why Momonga… I mean… Lord Ains treats me with so much respect, is because I, too, come from the same place as he does. Now, I'm not asking for servitude, all I ask for is respect."
"I don't think that was a good idea."
"It was a better idea rather than them hating you for taking care of me with no other reason besides, "oh, he's a player. Even though he is human and you're programmed to hate humans. So basically against your core-fundamentals and shit."
"Oh, I see why you did that, now."
Demiurge turned to Momonga, "is this true?"
Momonga faced Demiurge and slowly nodded, "if you paid close attention to the conversations I would have with the other Supreme Beings, you would know that we treated each-other the same. We all cared for one another. Now, how the guardians and the servants of Nazarick treat me, should and must remain unchanged. However, Connor is the select few that treats me a different way, one that he knows best. Although I expect you to show respect by prostrating yourselves on your knees, he stressed that throwing himself on his knees was more of an insult to him -and to myself- as opposed to what he called, "standing at attention." His ways of signifying loyalty might be far different from what you're used to, but I have said it before, and I will say it again. Connor is here because he respects my authority, and my words. Whether it be orders or how I feel in certain situations. I asked you to treat him with the same treatment you give each-other, and you have all failed to do that! I promised Connor, by my name, that I would help him! So I ask you all to follow my orders like Connor does for me."
"Thank… You…"
"Try not to put me on the spot like that, ever again. If you can, try to not talk about our world, too."
"Yes sir…"
Demiurge's eyes were widened as he turned to Connor, placing his hand over his chest and bowing, "I… apologize for my previous behavior, I was not aware of what your true intentions were, and Lord Ains' too. Clearly Lord Ains is much more than several steps ahead of anyone, including ourselves."
"As would I," Albedo stated, bowing her head.
"It's totally fine. You are forgiven. Sorry that what I was doing was super-complicated. All I want to do is to respect Lord Ains the way I know best… formalities aside, of course. Going back to what Lord Ains asked of me, I feel like Cocytus' suggestion is the best fit."
Cocytus seemed surprised.
"Yes. I shall take Cocytus' suggestion. Once our country is established, I will call myself Sorcerer King Ains Ooal Gown!" Momonga declared.
AN: HOLY SHIT IS IT DIFFICULT TO CHANGE THE STORY WITHOUT CHANGING THE CHARACTERS!
It took me a week, a week, to keep asking, "how would X-character react to this?"
Hopefully it all worked out in the end…
See you in the next chapter!
-DMS