CHAPTER 3:

ASSEMBLY

Lelouch found, with a bit of experimentation, that he could use Gate and, more to the point, use it to get anywhere he needed to (he also dismissed the Death Knight, feeling it fade away once he was done with it). So, after bidding Lupusregina farewell, he brought CC home, wondering how he'd explain the green-haired girl to Nunnally and Sayoko. He wasn't sure whether either of them were reincarnations of the NPCs as well.

He needn't have worried. Soon after coming back, the door burst open, Nunnally being wheeled in by Sayoko. "Big brother Lord Momonga!" Nunnally chirped…her eyes open.

"Nunnally?" Lelouch asked, before his new instincts he had gained gave him the original names of them. "Entoma…Narberal…I had one of the Pleiades as a sister?"

"Yep, and you were a great big brother, Lord Momonga!" Nunnally said, smiling. She looked at her hands and legs. "I miss my old body, and I hate not being able to walk and serve you to my full potential…but I had you watching out for me!"

Lelouch had to admit, he was touched. Entoma was the most grotesque of the Pleiades, an insect girl who hid her true insectoid face behind a mask-like bug, but she was, when not showing her true form, debatably the cutest, in a creepy way. Nunnally's face was a vast improvement, though, and the fact that she enjoyed how he treated her was touching.

"Welcome home, Lord Momonga," Sayoko…no, Narberal said, her appearance relatively impassive, before she turned a glare to CC. "And who is this?"

"Narberal, don't start. CC saved my life and unlocked our memories and, presumably, our abilities with them. She is to be considered an ally of the Tomb of Nazarick until she proves otherwise," Lelouch said sharply.

"…My apologies, my lord."

Lelouch nodded. So far, so good. It seemed that the Pleiades, so far, were loyal to him, no matter who they were in this life. But what of the Floor Guardians?

As if to answer his questions, there was a distant knock on the door to the Lamperouge quarters, and Narberal, after a moment, said, "I shall get it. Please wait here."

After she left, CC remarked, "You have loyal followers. Though I'm surprised. They were NPCs in an online game, not truly sapient, and yet, they are now alive."

Entoma…no, Lelouch couldn't think of her as anything other than Nunnally, fixed CC with a flat look. "We are the creations of the Supreme Beings of Ainz Ooal Gown. They gave us life, and thus, it behoves us to serve them to the best of our ability. We bow to no other. And Lord Momonga was with us to the very end. We owe him our loyalty until the rest of our lives. And I owe him my love as a sister, a love he reciprocated when our father in this life discarded us like trash. I have been privileged to know sibling love from my lord."

"And I too was privileged, Nunnally," Lelouch said, walking over, and gently stroking her hair. "Privileged to have such a sweet, loving sister. I never had siblings in my past life, and my parents died years ago. The nearest thing I had to sisters were BubblingTeapot(1) and Yamaiko. You are not my servant, but my sister first."

Nunnally sniffled, and began to weep. "Your kindness knows no bounds, big brother Lord Momonga…"

At that point, Narberal brought in what seemed to be the entirety of the Student Council. Milly Ashford, Shirley Fenette, Rivalz Cardemonde, and Nina Einstein…except his senses showed them to be Shalltear Bloodfallen, Solution Epsilon, Aura Bella Fiora and Mare Bello Fiore. He had to blink a little at those last two: it seemed that they had swapped genders, as Aura was a girl, albeit with masculine clothing and a tomboyish attitude, and Mare was a boy, with feminine clothing and a skittish demeanour. Still, they both had the same mismatched eyes, one green, one blue, and they had had similar demeanours, even before they regained themselves.

"It's him!" Milly said with a wide grin. "Lord Momonga! Oh, but we're not the first to meet him." She looked at CC curiously, and with not a little disdain. "And who is this?"

"CC, who saved my life by unlocking my powers and our memories. She is to be considered an ally of Nazarick until proven otherwise," Lelouch said.

"Yeah, about that," Rivalz said. "What happened to you after you fell into that truck?"

"It's a long story, and I would rather relay that once we have gathered the others, so I don't have to repeat myself," Lelouch said. "Sebas and Lupusregina Beta, along with Demiurge, Yuri Alpha, Shizu Delta and Cocytus are within the Britannian military, so their absence may be noted, especially as Shizu, according to what Lupusregina told me, is within a Knightmare Frame. Albedo appeared to be fighting Sebas on the side of the rebels. And Eclair was in Shinjuku too. We need to find a place to meet covertly for all of them. Can you all use Gate?" Those gathered nodded. "Hmm. While this place would make a good meeting place otherwise, I feel it is too exposed. If only the Great Tomb of Nazarick was here, but a vast mausoleum would look conspicuous. Still, I had better start contacting other NPCs unaccounted for. Pandora's Actor, Neuronist Painkill, Aureole Omega, Perfect Victim, Rubedo and Nigredo…"

Lelouch sent a Message to Pandora's Actor first. He wasn't looking forward to it, given how he shaped his creation during a time when he was going through an edgelord phase, but the NPC he created was perhaps the highest ranked NPC in Nazarick, authority-wise. Pandora's Actor, are you there?

Ah! Mein creator has contacted me! My apologies, Lord Momonga, for not managing to speak to you during that fracas in Shinjuku, a hammy, camp voice with a Germanic accent proclaimed. I felt that you had other trials and travails to deal with, and so resolved to wait until nightfall at least to call you back as it were. Are you well, my lord?

Yes, and more than well. Pandora's Actor, I would like to get to the point. Where are you at present? Have you been reincarnated as a human?

Nein, mein creator. I have gathered from the earlier conference call that many of the Floor Guardians and Pleiades have been reborn as humans, save for Gargantua and Victim. By luck good or bad, I have remained within the Tomb of Nazarick, along with others. It currently resides deep under the surface of Shinjuku. The entrance itself, sadly, is blocked due to it being underground. However, I am sure Gate magic can bring you to the entrance with ease.

And its condition?

The remaining NPCs have made a valiant effort, even without Sebas and the Pleiades, to say nothing of Eclair. Its splendour is more than worthy for the Supreme Beings and the Floor Guardians, even in their absence. Your most humble servant has been administering things in your absence…and if I may confess, my lord, it is rather tiring work. However, the Remote Viewing Mirror allowed us to view the outside world, and I decided that, until I heard from you or the Floor Guardians once more, to refrain from interfering.

And how long have you been there for?

A few years, my lord. Admittedly, they were tough years, but our resources, thankfully, are not in danger of running out for some time.

Lelouch considered this information. For all Pandora's Actor's hamminess, he had been a competent administrator in his absence. Eventually, he said, Pandora's Actor, order Aureole Omega to allow teleportation magic between the floors of the Tomb of Nazarick, as well as the outside world, to anyone able to use Gate. I'll need to confirm whether the others can use Gate. Once I have confirmed that, I want you to assemble the NPCs within the Tomb for a time I will specify, within the Throne Room.

He then heard the hammy NPC shout, Wenn es meines Gottes Wille! That is, If that is my God's will! He sighed. He guessed he made a mistake basing him on one of the Neo-Nazis, albeit without the xenophobia or brutality, who had taken over one of the European arcologies back in his first birth world. He was like a cartoon character, hammy and flamboyant, what Satoru Suzuki had thought cool and edgy at the time.

Please, cut down on the ham and the German interjections, Pandora's Actor. Consider that an order from your creator, Lelouch said.

…Very well, Pandora's Actor said, sounding dejected, a little.

I am sure that you have done a good job of managing Nazarick in my absence, Pandora's Actor, Lelouch added, to soften the blow. I am grateful.

Ah! Then that is all I need to know, my creator, the doppelganger said.

It had taken some time to establish communications with the other denizens of Nazarick, and establish that they all had the Gate ability. Albedo was particularly enthusiastic about finally meeting him, and Lelouch cringed. He remembered that amendment he had made to her backstory shortly before the server shutdown, that, instead of being a bitch, that she was in love with Momonga.

Still, the inventory worked as with Yggdrasil, with all Lelouch needing to do was reaching into a rip in space. It meant he could retrieve most of his items. Then, at midnight, when all of them weren't otherwise occupied, the reincarnated denizens of Nazarick opened Gates into Nazarick.

They were greeted in the Throne Room by Pandora's Actor. He had to admit, the modified uniform was pretty cool, and the Throne Room looked like it was just freshly plucked from Yggdrasil. The throne was up the top of the stairs, but for now, he stood at its foot, looking at the gathered NPCs, including the ones he hadn't met yet.

Suzaku hadn't changed that much since he last met. Rather, he seemed to have more of a warrior's bearing, a sense of actual honour to him. This wasn't the boy who had joined the Britannians. No, this was Cocytus reborn.

Lloyd Asplund, with his pale blue hair and unctuous smile, Demiurge reborn. Cecile Croomy, now Yuri Alpha, the leader of the Pleiades, second only to Sebas. She didn't have the same mixture of maid outfit and the glasses, but she had the same mixture of sternness and compassion she seemed to have, even as a mindless NPC. Lloyd had brought along a screen that showed the stoic features of Shizu Delta.

Jeremiah Gottwald stood ramrod stiff, his face grim and stoic, but kindly, like he had been as Sebas. Even though he no longer looked like the older man he was, modelled on his creator, Touch Me, that character shone forth. Lelouch would be having words with him about joining the Purists. Tamaki was a belligerent-looking Japanese with a scruffy beard on his chin, though he held nothing in his expression but deference to his lord and master.

And there was Albedo's reincarnation. He recognised the girl as Kallen Stadtfeld, a student at Ashford Academy who had had frequent absences. Normally, she seemed demure, her red hair rather lank despite its groomed beauty and her blue eyes dull and lifeless…but here she was, her red hair spread out, and she assumed the more confident beauty of Albedo, even if she didn't have the wings or horns or the golden eyes. Though that smile, while serene, was vaguely unnerving.

After greetings (and a few insults) were exchanged, Lelouch decided to take control. "Floor Guardians, Pleiades, denizens of Nazarick…today is a fortuitous day. We could have been consigned to oblivion when Yggdrasil went the way of all flesh. Instead, many of us were reborn in this world. Some of us were born into privilege. Others born into penury. But this, my friends, is an opportunity we will not waste. We have been reunited by chance. You see the girl alongside me. The name she gives is CC. She granted me a power, the power of Geass. In doing so, she unlocked not only my memories and powers, but all of yours. She is an ally to Nazarick, to Ainz Ooal Gown, until she proves otherwise."

This was met with a mixed reaction. He'd already got the impression from the others who had met CC that a human, even an immortal one, would not be well-liked. However, he had spoken with authority, gambling that the NPCs' loyalty to him would be strong, if not absolute.

"Now that we have been reunited, we require a purpose," Lelouch continued. He was so glad his life as Lelouch vi Britannia had prepared him for public oration. "I believe, despite your former loyalties in your new lives, that you will agree with me when I tell you what our new purpose will be. The so-called Holy Britannian Empire proclaims itself to be the strongest in the world, but does so deliberately at the expense of others. It proclaims a philosophy of survival of the fittest, of Social Darwinism that tramples people underfoot. It is a system that murdered my mother, and exiled my sister and I as pawns to be discarded on a whim. Because to Charles zi Britannia, nobody is indispensable, save for himself." He paused for effect, before adding, "He will learn the folly of his hubris."

They were all on tenterhooks, paying him the utmost attention. "To me, you are not pawns. Not pieces. You are all valuable to me, the beloved creations of myself and the other members of Ainz Ooal Gown. If they saw you today, they would be amazed and delighted. You are their children, after a fashion, and I feel that it is my duty to protect you."

"Nonsense," Kallen/Albedo said. "We are your servants. We do not need your protection, merely your direction. Just say the word, and we will lay waste to your enemies. The Britannians will pay for their folly, and we will place you on your father's throne."

There was a chorus of agreement, and Lelouch was heartened, but he was also annoyed. "Do not mistake me, Albedo. We are going to tear down the corrupt system of Britannia, and we will rule in its place. But to merely replace my father with myself is folly. Many of you, in your new lives, have suffered in one way or another before you woke to yourselves again. Do you want to see that suffering happen to those who are weak, whom my father would step on if it suited his purposes? You were weak once. Do you remember how that felt?"

He had them, especially Kallen. She was half-Britannian, half-Japanese, and worked for a Japanese rebel cell. He continued, softly, "Do you know how Ainz Ooal Gown was established? It was because the Supreme Beings who played inhuman beings were hunted down and attacked. But we protected each other. The strong protected the weak, allowing the weak to become strong in their turn. I would have quit Yggdrasil long ago had it not been for Touch Me saving me and bringing me in. Look at Nunnally! Before she regained her power as Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, what would you have considered her? Weak? Worthless? That is exactly what the likes of Charles zi Britannia believe. As Momonga, I was weak and worthless long before I became a Supreme Being! I had to earn my way to becoming your lord and master!"

They were rapt, listening to him like he was reciting a gospel from God Himself. Well, to them, he was a god. So, he said, "Perhaps, in the end, we will end up conquering the world. We will end up killing a lot of people in the end. But, I ask you…will we do so only for those we rule to fear or hate us? Or do we want them to cheer the name of Ainz Ooal Gown? To love our rule? We will not only win over these people's dominions, but we will win their hearts! Those without power will flock to our banner, and those who abuse power will fear us. We are Ainz Ooal Gown! And we will change this world for the better! Are you with me?!"

It was a gamble. But it paid off. The former NPCs all fell to one knee (save for Nunnally, given her paralysis). So too did CC, although he got the impression she was doing it to avoid irritating the NPCs. "All hail Lord Momonga!" they all chorused. "We pledge our undying loyalty to you!"

Yes, Lelouch thought. I'll make Ainz Ooal Gown known throughout the world. Feared by those who deserve it, loved by those who need it. And if any of my friends made it here, then they'll know where to come. I may not be able to create a perfect world or a peaceful one, but I'm definitely going to leave it a better place…

CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:

Oh dear. Famous last words…

Still, I think I made a better point here. While Momonga had considerably better skills as an orator, he was more or less at sea in the New World, and thus had to play the role of an overlord to a tee. However, as Lelouch, he has more options, and given that the NPCs have actually lived lives as humans, he is better able to sway them to his way of thinking. Oh, this time around, he's definitely going for world conquest from the outset, but not for fun. Using the foundation of Ainz Ooal Gown as a reason probably helps his case.

1. I used the name from the light novels' official translation. In the manga and anime, she's called Bukubukuchagama.