Title: "The Nazarick Grand Prix."

Disclaimer: Overlord is owned, written and created by Kugane Maruyama.

I do not own Overlord and this literature is only and purely, a fan fiction take on Overlord.

Chapter 26: Trying times.

After receiving news of the Entire Yacardas tribes defeat, along with those of other races. The leader of the Bafolk clan; native to this region, thought it wise to try and get to know their new potential new opponents before making any moves. They found it hard to believe, about the news of the famous Grand King Buser's death by some magic caster.

However, with the confirmed news about the Yacardas' defeat and even more troubling; their disappearances. Has caused the Bafolk leader to be cautious with their new and suspected to be formidable foes. The Beastmen warriors, regardless of what race, were aware of the existence of Adventurers and even some famous human warriors. Among them, were the late Warrior Captain Gazef Stronoff and the late Pavel Baraja. Even with the difference in race, and status. There are some Beastmen that recognize these names for their proven strength and skills as well for their well earned respect among many warriors of different race and culture.

The fact that Chief Skodda of the Bafolk race within the Beastmen Nation, actually entertained the idea of actually asking for assistance from the nearest demihuman tribes; was already a reason to pause for concern regarding the results of the recent events. As proud as the Bafolks are, they are not stupid. Among the various tribes and races that comprise the Beastmen Nation, the Bafolk's united warrior tribe was known to be among the few to be truly recognized as tactically intelligent. Compared to more powerful species in their nation, they were among the few groups that are capable of capturing a large walled city without any help from other beastmen groups. Chief Skodda's second in command sweated profusely during the tribe's war council meeting. After hearing about the Yacardas' ace weapon defeated by a single opponent, he felt sick with fear. And for good reason, the Yacardas' Behemoth warrior; which was the result of their ancient ritual that fused two or more Yacardas warriors together to form a large hulking beast. Was truly something to be wary of. Not even the Bafolk or the more powerful races took its potentials lightly. Even worse for the Bafolk tribe, was the report of the survivors' description of that lone warrior that easily defeated that behemoth. The description seemed to be similar to that of a legendary undead called the Death Knights, but the survivors clearly stated that it was different.

"Surely it must be a Death Knight that has been given a different armor by its master. Otherwise, we're screwed. Think about it. The fact that there is someone that can actually summon, much worse; control a fucking Death Knight actually exists. Then we ARE on the losing side of this battle. You may hate me for saying this, but, I propose we send some messengers and try to negotiate with those humans. I'd rather be imprisoned in some human city, than be like those victims in the silent city hundreds of years ago." One of the elders said.

His opinion was obviously an unpopular one, especially for the younger warriors that were aiming to get their own warrior's glory in the battlefield. But Chief Skodda was their chief not just because of his warrior skills and strength, it was mostly because of his cunning intelligence that allowed him to lead his tribe to survive for as long they had ever since his rule started. His common sense tells him that they are not in a favourable situation, but his pride resists any notion of weakness, be it real or perceived.

"Thank you, councillor. Regardless, these new foes of ours might just be lucky for all we know. Keep in mind, these humans are generally weaker than us by all means. Though, from time to time, there would be some of them that possess such intellect that could greatly help gain them some advantage. We are in a sore spot as we are now. We cannot go back, lest we be consumed by that abomination. Yet, as good as our new opponents seem to be. We have no real choice but to move forward and invade the cities from here on out. And as for sending messengers, they might just decide to kill them anyway.

Have the warriors set out to go and tell those from other tribes and races, that I have called for a grand meeting with their leaders. Something tells me that there is something very, very wrong with all this. I will not risk our tribe to be just some ploy for whatever's going on. I believe we must form a united front once again and strike down these newcomers, once that city is claimed. It will be easier to invade that nation's capital, and after that; our freedom from that evil." Chief Skodda commanded, and his soldiers and messengers moved swiftly to do their tasks.

After a week, the leaders of other tribes from other races came to what the Beastmen leaders agreed to be a neutral location. The site was specifically chosen due to it sharing a border with most of the different tribes' territories. The first to arrive were the united Bafolk tribe, led by Chief Skodda. The second ones were the Hobgoblins led by their leader only referred to as "The trickster". Later on, the rest of the other tribe's leaders arrived. And with them were their most trusted warriors, advisers and servants.

As soon as they were all complete, they started their meeting immediately. They shared stories of each group was doing. It came to a point that everyone felt a noose around their necks slowly tightened, as each group shared their tales.

"You guys just fought against better human warriors. We had to survive against the fucking Fire Dragon Lord and that human archer with angry eyes. Not to mention, those black armored warriors they have with them. I'm just lucky we still got away, and that they didn't decide to pursue us further. Only a quarter from our entire numbers remains, and that includes the young and the pregnant ones. They easily retrieved the human that we've captured before, the living ones anyway. All we have left for food are the chopped up parts from the human reserves." The Hobgoblin Chief exclaimed.

"It seems to me, that all of us are suddenly having a string of bad luck lately. As for our problem recently, soldiers and other warriors have allied themselves together with the soldiers of our neighbouring nation. We are the only race left from the coastal regions, the others, including the last of the Yacardas tribes have disappeared. And when we looked around to investigate, we found not a single corpse in sight of where the battle supposedly took place. Something is amiss indeed." The Chief of the Snakemen tribe added.

The Beastmen leaders; the remaining ones at least, spoke with each other and discussed of coming up with a plan for taking on the new comers and to get to the capital of the Draconic Kingdom. After long hours of heated talks and debates, they finally agreed on a set of plans to enact against their new foes. And with that, they began making their respective preparations.

Thirty miles inside the Beastmen Nation's official borders.

The Adventurers from the Sorcerer Kingdom are now joined by the soldiers and Adventurers from the Draconic Kingdom. The tales of their heroic rescues of the human survivors, spread like wildfire throughout the Draconic Kingdom's populace. Such stories, inspired poets and bards to write songs and poems about such epic adventures. Some of the rescued survivors that were able to recover their health and sanity, have even volunteered their own time with assisting in needed labor works like building temporary houses, health facilities, volunteer guards for makeshift hospitals among others. On the flip side of that coin; the populace have grown an equal amount of hate towards certain members of the nobility, namely the ones entrusted with the duties of distributing the allied forces' donations for the people.

Queen Draudillon wasted no time ordering the remaining soldiers to capture every noble that was responsible directly or indirectly with the scandal. In less than a week after receiving Momon's report, she made sure that the responsible nobles would feel her wrath. Especially her distant relatives. After a fair but, thorough trial was held; nearly seventy percent of the nobles lost their heads and were placed on long pikes that were displayed in the capital square. The queen also ordered that the guilty nobles' assets, are to be sold and the proceeds would be used to aid the people in getting their lives back. As for the specifics; she consulted with her most trusted advisors, and they all agreed to seek council with the high officials from the Sorcerer Kingdom.

Queen Draudillon was shocked to find that the Sorcerer Kingdom sent a Vampire to assist them with the handling of such tasks, the undead which only referred to his self as Count Calkuluz. An Area Guardian just like Kyouhukou, he also resides within the Second Floor of Nazarick. His own lair is filled with puzzles, riddles and other traps meant to confuse and disorient his enemies unlucky enough to reach his lair.

He was wearing a blue business suit made of silk, matched with dark violet velvet pants and shiny leather shoes. He wore dark tinted eye glasses and a white silk necktie printed with logos of different banks from the real world, truly a representation of corporate evil. A creation of Flat Foot; one of the members of the Guild of Ainz Ooal Gown. He was a salesman like Suzuki Satoru, though his life had suffered many tragedies under the hands of several corporations; mostly with banks and the like. His hatred for the corporate world was only second to Ulbert Alain Odle, a comrade whom he considers to be like a brother, due to the many similarities in their lives.

"Good evening your majesty, please pardon my way of arrival. I'm honoured to meet you and I hope I could meet your objectives satisfactorily." Count Cal-Kuluz said as he bowed down to the Queen. His regal manners, matching his handsome looks and clothing; might make one mistake him for a rich nobleman. But, his blood-red eyes reveal his true personage. In another time, a vampire's appearance might make everyone fear for their lives. But, the mixed-race culture that is popular and is encouraged in the Sorcerer Kingdom. Who is now slowly being accepted by the majority of human society; makes these kinds of encounters seem normal.

It was then the Queen Draudillon got the actual meeting started, the entire room was pleasantly surprised at the ideas and suggestions brought on by the vampire agent. They never knew that numerous business opportunities could be had and made from such times. Among the ideas presented to them, was the appraisal of all of the culled nobles' assets and properties. Then, after learning of their value; such properties would be sold or auctioned to be purchased by other nobles or rich merchants and even by foreigners, as long as they could pay the full cost upfront. As for other assets, like houses or lands owned the now disgraced noble families. They are confiscated by the government and can be restructured or repurposed for various uses. For example: a seized mansion could be repurposed to be a medical facility or to serve as an embassy or as a fancy Inn or Hotel for various special guests. Either way, the changes would require the government to employ many people thus, creating jobs for the people. In the process, they would have created the needs and demands for a lot of things resulting in a positive economic flow.

"This is quite fascinating, really. Who ever thought of these proposals must have a lot of knowledge in trades among other things. You, good Sir are a man of great intellect. Indeed, we are truly grateful for the Sorcerer King for sending you here to help us." The Prime Minister exclaimed after reviewing the documents on the table.

"I would take that as a compliment. But, it was actually Ainz-sama that thought us about all these things. Even now, he tirelessly continues to bring fort the benefits from his unfathomable wisdom. As I speak, his majesty is already formulating a system that would help secure the Sorcerer Kingdom and all of its vassals and allies. Truth be told; after the problems with the Beastman Nation was solved, your nation will never have to live in fear ever again." Says the vampire accountant.

"Uhm… you said something about a system that would protect all of the Sorcerer Kingdom's vassals and allies. Can you tell us more about it?" Queen Draudillon asked with her child-like curiosity.

"Unfortunately, even I do not know the details about such plans. Other than the fact, that such would be a very complex thing that only those that could see as far as thousands of years could only come up with it." The vampire replied.

"Thousands of years into the future?!" Everyone in the room exclaimed.

"Why yes. His majesty himself, revealed this to Lord Demiurge during one of their talks. To witness his majesty's vision becoming reality in front of my very eyes, is truly nothing short of amazing." Count Cal-Kuluz stated as he allowed himself to feel the pride of being a creation of the Supreme Beings.

After recovering from their initial shock, Queen Draudillon looked at her Prime Minister and Marquise Alex. They both nodded to her in agreement. And then, after their formal discussions was over. Queen Draudillon pull up a sealed envelope from one of the boxes she had brought with her, and then handed them personally to the vampire guest and discreetly asked that he give it to the Sorcerer King himself.

The vampire obliged and put the envelope inside his coat's pocket.

Deep inside the Grand Cathedral, located within the Slane Theocracy's capital. Messengers were running in the middle of the night, panting to get some air into their lungs, then run again to their destinations.

Their destinations were the private residences of the Cardinals and the rest of the council. Being woken up in the dead of night after a stressful day of work, was something that greatly irritated the cardinals. Raymond in particular was the one who suffered the most of these stress inducing meetings, which were the results of the public's fanatic and unreasonable actions. The nation-wide killing of the sixty percent of the elves within the Theocracy would no doubt, bring forth the wrath of the Sorcerer King upon them. Dominic's supporters practically poured in hot oils to the flames, by spreading false information about the Cardinals losing faith in the six gods. At this point, Raymond's concern was to transfer innocent people as soon as possible. So that there may be some of his people that would survive, a sentiment shared by the council.

On his way to the Grand Cathedral, Raymond thought of ways to smuggle families out of the country. He was sure that the Sorcerer King would make a move soon enough, and he doesn't want to wait for that to happen. And so, he kept writing on the stack of blank papers on his lap.

"I got to admit, it would definitely be a lot better if I were riding in one of those cars right now. Better accommodations, less shakes and bumps on the ride. Hah… I'm too old for this. If things go on this way, I'd probably die of stress even before the Sorcerer King does anything." Raymond muttered to himself while inside his carriage.

Once on the steps of the Cathedral, Raymond was surprised to see the Captain of the Black Scripture running towards him, while the other members headed for the other Cardinals and Councillors. The Scripture members looked around them cautiously, and then proceeded to escort them inside the building.

Both Cardinals Berenice and Maximilian, quickly noticed the urgency and worry in the faces of the Scripture members. And since the entire Black Scripture was here, something must have really happened recently that they were all summoned so suddenly and at such an hour.

"We're very sorry for having to disturb you and summon you all to the Grand Cathedral, but I'm afraid we have an immediate emergency situation on our hands." Sylvan said to Raymond and the other council members.

"What the heck exactly happened here?" Maximilian asked.

"Please follow me, its best you see exactly what happened here. The others will brief the other council members, only the three of you and the Pontifex will be allowed to see the crime scene." Sylvan added.

As the cardinals walked on and followed Sylvan down a secret passage, they quickly realized; that they were heading for the nation's sacred treasury vault where the items left by the six were kept and guarded by Zesshi Zetsumei.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the treasury, they saw lots of corpses of both the treasury guards and those of whom they suspect were with the guilty party. Many Priests were still healing those that survived, while some were taken into custody as soon as they were no longer in critical conditions.

"Where's Zesshi? Isn't she supposed to be here?" Raymond asked, obviously very worried.

"That exactly is the problem. Earlier this evening, after we finished our duties for the day. We went here to return our sacred items, like we always do each day. But, right after we left the sacred vault. We were attacked by stealthy opponents, most likely the remaining Scripture reserves from our training facility. I recognized some of them to be relatives from retired Scripture members, even worse, some of those retired members were among those who attacked us. We managed to defeat most of them, then Cardinal Dominic and his men suddenly arrived to the scene and that's when start losing to them. Hearing the battle, Zesshi came out of the vault to help us. We thought we almost won, since Zesshi was there. To our surprise though, many of Dominic's men intentionally committed suicide just to by their comrades some time.

Then all of a sudden, a bright light came from the vault and a dragon of light hit Zesshi from her back. Everything happened too fast, and I'm sure the direction where the attack came from surprised even her. After that, Zesshi mopped the floor with us. I'm surprised Dominic didn't order her to kill us all, the only thing I could do was watch him and his men take some of the sacred treasures. My suspicion is that it was Zesshi they were really targeting all along, the sacred treasures were just a bonus to them." Sylvan gave his summary of the events.

"What?! Damn them! Dammit ALL! Did they get all of the treasures?" Raymond asked, clearly suppressing his anger at what had happened.

"No, we still have some of them. Though, the only ones suitable for combat are the ones we just turned in earlier. Lucky for us, the Scriptures' gears were on a different part of the room and that they were pressed for time. If not, they might have gotten our individual gears too. But that still doesn't solve the biggest problem, we just lost the nation's ultimate weapon. In behalf of my team, I'm really sorry sir. I take full responsibility and is willing to accept any punishment for my failure!" Sylvan replied with both shame and conviction.

"No, no, no, take it easy young man. If you were against Zesshi, then there's nothing else you can do but lose. That Damned Dominic! Now he's really done it, it seems were at the last of our rope here. How are the other members of your team?" Raymond asked.

"Everyone is alive, we've already been healed by the priests. But I'm afraid the second, fourth and eight seats are in critical condition. They've been sent to the healing quarters in the cathedral, hopefully they'll recover soon." Sylvan reported, holding back his anger and frustration at what happened to his team mates. He clenched his fists after seeing the bloody mess the second seat was in after trying to stop Dominic's men from taking the sacred treasures, only for Dominic to command the now controlled Zesshi into beating them senseless.

He was worried for his team mates, they took such a beating that even healing magic might not be enough to save their lives. Even worse, he was worried that the Sorcerer King might make a move himself. And if the powers of 'Downfall of Castle and Country' worked on the Sorcerer King, then there would be a bigger war. Sylvan was sure that even if the Sorcerer King was controlled somehow, his subordinates will figure it out quickly and for all intents and reasons; all hell would break loose into the world. But then again, the Sorcerer King have existed for no one knows how long. It might be possible that he has some kind of contingency against such events should they happen.

Raymond dismissed Sylvan and attended to the other Scripture members, and those that are still unconscious on the ground. Every Cardinal was versed in healing magic, so he and the others tried their best to help heal those who needed healing. The other cardinals were already briefed on what happened, and knowing that Raymond sees Zesshi as a real member of his family; they could only try to imagine what was going on in Raymond's mid right now.

"Those fools! Not only did they caused so much trouble, but attacking their own allies? Their comrades? Oh, Dominic. I'm so glad I'm not in your shoes." Maximilian muttered after hearing the reports on what actually happened.

A few moments later, Sylvan's father arrived on the crime scene. Appalled at what he saw, he couldn't believe Dominic would do such a thing. But then again, knowing how Dominic was back in the days, he was somehow not surprised anymore.

"Sylvan! Sylvan, talk to me son. It's me, your father. By the gods. Are you alright? What exactly happened here?" Sylvan's father spoke out, concerned for his son. Both as a father and as a Black Scripture member.

"They got her, Dad. They've got Zesshi now. They used the treasure of the gods on her and had her attack us." Sylvan said as he cried while embracing his father. His father knew very well, the implications of what happened here.

The Theocracy's leading council did not get any sleep that night. Another reason they would add, as to why they should really kill Dominic and his conspirators. That, along with the dead and injured because of the attacks he's orchestrated. Based from the information gathered from the surviving Scriptures and soldiers, Cardinal Raymond was able to have a picture of the scene in his mind. With his innate talents of being a tracker, he was able to trace back how the events most likely happened in detail.

Then, he ordered dome of his trusted servants to retrieve every bit of information regarding the trainees at their training facilities. It was at that moment, that Cardinal Berenice approached Raymond and discreetly whispered to him.

"Things are getting way out of hand now. I'm afraid the best we can do is to ask the Sorcerer King for help, at the very least inform them of what had happened. And maybe, just maybe he might consider letting some of our people be spared from his wrath. The adults; like us being slaughtered for all our failures from stopping these tragedies from happening, is something I can live with. How about the innocents? Especially the children? No my friend, there's no way my heart could survive the knowledge that they'll be slaughtered. Especially, due to the foolishness of warmongers like those three. If it was just Dominic, I think I can understand it somehow. But, the other two? Yvon and Ginedine? In all my life, I never did see those two being capable of such things; at least not them turning on our side anyways."

"I was thinking of somewhere along those lines myself. Just between you and me, I think we might need to smuggle selected people out of here. And hopefully, the Sorcerer King doesn't decide to include them in his attack on us. Because I'm sure he's very upset about all that's happened since then, and all we've done is just buy our people a little more time to exist. (Then, he looked at the death and destruction around him. And then he snapped.) Haah!... this is too much for me already! I'm so tired! GOOODS! If you could truly hear our prayers? Answer us! Do you even still care? ANSWER ME! Dammit!" Raymond shouted out his frustration and desperation.

Raymond's screams stopped everyone in the area. Normally, the priests and soldiers would have arrested any citizen saying such things. Even worse for those shouting such things out loud. The Pontifex just mildly instructed everyone else to keep working, then he looked to Maximilian.

Maximilian understood the Pontifex's look. So Cardinal Maximilian walked towards Raymond and Berenice and talked softly to them.

"Berenice, I'll entrust Raymond to your care. I'll help around here, please bring Raymond to one of the resting quarters upstairs so that he may get some rest at least. (Then he looked at Raymond) Raymond my friend, I feel your pain, but do not despair. The six will not let us down, steel your heart my friend. We're still alive, there's still hope. Plus, this isn't the time for you to lose to despair. We need all the help we can get, and that includes you my boy. Rest for now." Cardinal Maximilian said as he tried to help calm cardinal Raymond down, like a foster father to his adopted son.

Having witness his mentor and the one he considered to be his second father; Sylvan, who was being served with a cup of tea by one of the temple servants, picked up a cup and took a sip of the warm drink. Having felt the tea's relaxing taste, he never thought he'd see the day the Cardinal would breakdown like he did just now. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Cardinal Raymond. Sylvan's father who was next to him, just looked down feeling sorry for his old friend.

After a while, one of the high priests of the Temple of the Earth God spoke with the Pontifex.

"Excuse me sir. But, are we just going to let Cardinal Raymond's actions just now go without punishing him? I mean, it's just that the rules said…" Says the High Priest.

"No need for that, my good man. Cardinal Raymond has devoted his life to the service of the six gods, more than you'll ever know. I don't blame him though, I mean… look around you. Does actions resulting in this tragedy not unnerve you at the very least? We are just human no-more, no-less; we have our weaknesses as well as strengths. He's just being tested by the six. I'm sure he'll power through this." The Pontifex replied. With that, the high priest bowed and then moved on to help with healing those that needed it.

And then, when the Pontifex was sure that no one could hear him. He spoke softly to himself and uttered. "He has to. Gods know we need him now."

Somewhere beneath the ruins located in the middle of a vast desert, roughly fifty miles from the nearest coastline of the Slane Theocracy. One of the places considered to be sacred within the nation; this was the location of Surshana's last battle.

Under the scorching desert, there was a comfortable temple built underground. This was created a long time ago, back when the Theocracy still had friendly relations with the Dwarven Nation. It was simply used as Dominic's base of operations. Here, he slowly and secretly gathered those that he could use as allies and pawns.

From the zealous commoners and soldiers of their nation, to the freed criminals and mercenaries and even former Paladins that defected from the Northern Roble Holy Kingdom. He gathered them all here and train them to be better warriors. At the same time he brainwash them into his cause and delusions of an epic war against the 'forces of evil'.

In a secured room, the former Cardinals were having some discussions with their fancy guests. Opposite Dominic's seat, a man wearing some fancy set of clothes was smiling wickedly. Especially, after hearing Dominic brag about the fact that he now has the Theocracy's secret weapon under his control.

"Just to make sure no one forgets the general layout of the plan. We'll first help you defeat your northern counterparts in the Holy Kingdom, and then after that, you'll invade the Slane Theocracy. And at the right time, we'll launch a surprise strategic attack to ensure victory. And once both nations' strengths have been solidified, we'll use the Re-Estize defectors to hide our advancements towards the Re-Estize Kingdom. Then, the Baharuth Empire and finally; That Damned undead and his cohorts! Keep in mind to ensure you have plenty enough men to ensure that no one knows of our movements. Bribe the small villages to keep quiet, kill them all if you have to. The will of the gods must be enacted." Dominic said to the ones on the opposite side of the table.

"Of course, Cardinal. With your help and our numbers, there's no way we could fail. It's about time we end the Bessarez blood line for good." Says the man sitting opposite to Dominic and the other former Cardinals. While behind him, his allies smiled wickedly like their master.

Unbeknownst to them, there were many little eyes watching and listening to all that they've doing. And sitting comfortably in his office, Ainz just chuckled evilly as he listened to Kyouhukou relay his family's reports in real time.

"That is the end of our report Lord Ainz. What would you like for us to do? Command it, and we will eat every single one of them and present their corpse to the world as a warning to the others." Kyouhukou said, as he knelt down in front of his master.

"Thank you for your hard work, the same goes for the rest of your family. For the meantime, just continue spying on the Slane Theocracy. Just take care not to be discovered, and if it becomes risky for them; have them retreat immediately.

Now, is there anything I can give you as a reward for your services?" Ainz asked.

"No, Lord Ainz. Serving you is already a great honor for all of us." Kyouhukou humbly replied while waving his arms in denial.

'Ugh… why does it always have to be so hard with these guys? Can't you just accept a gift like others do? Haah… Oh, well' Ainz mentally groaned.

"Your loyalty and humility pleases me. But, like I said. Good deeds must be rewarded, while evil deeds must be punished." Ainz spoke like a pro sage.

"If you must insist my lord. Then… could I ask that the bodies of the slavers from the Slane Theocracy be given to us for food? We are very thankful for the thieves you gave to us. But, my family grows so fast that they needed a lot of sustenance. Especially the young ones." Kyouhukou sheepishly asked.

"Very well, I shall grant it. Once the slavers are all properly identified, I will have them brought to your place. Nope… even better, I'll give them to you alive when the time comes. Will that be acceptable to you?" Ainz asked, feeling quite generous and finding a way to unleash his anger at the slavers that killed the elves he wished to be saved.

"Oh?... Yes! Yes, Lord Ainz. Thank you very much Lord Ainz. Truly, your generosity knows no bounds." Kyouhukou said with a certain joyful sparkle in his eyes. Afterwards, he left the room to continue gathering information from his little spies in the Theocracy.

Shortly after Kyouhukou left the office, Ainz ordered everyone to leave the office. And after that, he pulled out an item from his storage space. It was a single spray can that says "Anti-Bacterial Cleanser" and sprayed around the area where Kyouhukou stood earlier.

"I feel bad having to do this, but I just can't resist the urge to clean up after seeing him for too long. Hmm. It's probably due to my past life experiences, back in my shitty apartment that has messy neighbours. (Sigh)" Ainz said in guilt.

At the same time, within the Seventh Floor of Nazarick. Demiurge, along with Pulcinella and the three Evil Lords. They were conducting several tests and experiments on the rocks recently discovered by the Quagoas. And after some time of study and research; Demiurge was finally able to create a modified small scale version of what he was told, was called an 'Atomic Bomb'. The prototype only used a uranium sample, near the size of an adult human fist.

As part of the safety precaution, Demiurge and his servants casted protective spells at each other and to the surrounding areas; to avoid making unnecessary damage in Nazarick. About a hundred meters away from the test site, were a few buildings made of stones.

After all of the needed preparations were done, Demiurge pressed flipped a switch on a console that was placed on the table before him. The child-sized rocket launched up then, headed for its target; which were the fake buildings.

Once the small missile hit the buildings, it unleashed a blinding light followed by a strong shockwave with intense heat and flames. The power was surprisingly strong, considering they were testing it within a confined space. Demiurge and the others were unharmed, even when the flames still scattering all around them.

Demiurge just fixed his glasses' position, and raise both his arms to the air as he laughed out loud like the Demon in victory.

"HAAAA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! Wonderful! Truly wonderful! This is just a speck of wisdom that Ainz-sama has bestowed upon us, and look at the power of such knowledge! Even after some minutes have passed, the heat and flames never waned, even for a bit. This must be the terrifying side of the nuclear radiation that Ainz-sama mentioned before. Oh, I can't wait for Ainz-sama to unleash it upon those fools. HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!..." Demiurge exclaimed with such joy and rapture. Ending his praises by laughing maniacally, followed by the evil laughters of the residents of the Seventh Floor.

After a few hours of cleansing the traces of nuclear radiation on his person, Demiurge was now walking on the halls of the Ninth Floor. He was carrying his written report about the experiments on the plutonium. As he walked, the people he passed by and greeted couldn't help but to notice his positive joyful glow. Normally, Demiurge would be stern, collected and calm as is with his strategic and cunning nature. But right now, he just couldn't keep all the happiness sealed inside. So much so, that he was actually humming and partially singing the song "Back in black" by AC-DC.

Compared to his usual walk that resembles that of a calm manager, right now he was walking like a salesman that landed a big business deal. He was somehow strutting, and humming to a rhythm in his head. At times, he would even pretend to rock a guitar when the song hits a guitar riff. He was lost in a zone of joy and confidence, quite so; that he didn't immediately notice that he was being called by Albedo.

"Demiurge! Demiurge, are you alright?" Albedo called out to her colleague. At first, Demiurge didn't respond. But after calling him three times, he snapped out of it and properly apologised to the Guardian Overseer.

"Ah… I'm sorry, Albedo-sama. I was just lost in my thoughts that I almost bumped at you." Demiurge humbly apologized.

"Please, no need to refer to me with an honorific. We are both guardians and we both know that you are the one that works the hardest for Ainz-sama, as much as it shames me to say it. Anyway, why are you in such a good mood? I've never seen you like this before. Mind letting me in, on why?" Albedo coyly spoke.

"You'll know soon enough. Judging by the direction you seem to be heading for, I'd say we're heading towards the same destination; Ainz-sama's office." Demiurge replied kindly.

Albedo, who was dumbfounded at seeing Demiurge behave a bit odd. Is now feeling a bit annoyed that her colleague didn't immediately tell her his reason or reasons for being so happy. But, the inner reason was a bit darker. She had the sense that her colleague might have all of Ainz's attention and none left for her. Though she knew that her fellow Guardian would not do such a thing to his colleagues, she couldn't help but be jealous of his achievements.

The two demons walked forth towards their master's office. And there, they both gave their respective reports and updates on their master's territories. Fortunately for Ainz, Albedo was calm. Calmer than usual, and this mad him cringe inside as he worried that there might be a reason for such strangeness.

The next day, inside one of the guest rooms within the Outposts sleeping quarters. A weary looking woman just finished her lunch and once again, looked out to her window and watched as the Ocean's waves hit the shore in the distance. She took a deep breath as the winds blew to her direction, carrying with them the scent of the ocean.

She closed her eyes as she took in another lungful of the ocean's smell. To her, it was very relaxing. There was something about the ocean breeze that takes her back to a place and time when all of her family were still alive and there, they would sit on a spread out blanket near the beach and enjoy foods, fruits, drinks and look at the vastness of the ocean in front of them.

She was lost in nostalgia, that if it wasn't for the voice calling out to her from outside her door.

"Yes, what is it?" Saleenas replied.

"Lieutenant Saleenas Amorosa! Ma'am! I bring a message for you, from Lady Leinas Rockbruise. She wants to know if you would join them in the Dining Hall Lieutenant… Ma'am!" Shouted, one of her Paladin subordinates.

"Calm down, Paladin. Yes, please tell her I will be there shortly. You are now dismissed." Saleenas answered.

After a few short minutes, Saleenas of the Paladin group went down to the dining area. The large hall was already filled with soldiers lining up while holding metal trays with empty plates and cups. The hall was not large enough to hold the large combined numbers of the Empire's Legions and those of the Paladins, and there were also the lower ranked Adventurers from the Sorcerer Kingdom and those from the Northern Holy Kingdom. And of course, the local soldiers assigned to the area.

Saleenas' beauty was more evident now that she wasn't wearing her enchanted armour. Many of the male soldiers had their eyes locked on her and one other beauty, their very own appointed general for this campaign; Leinas Rockbruise. She wore her hair into a high ponytail, revealing her face and the beauty she was once scared of being seen. With her curse removed and her face fully healed by Ainz or to be more precisely; by Pestonya, she had regained her confidence and is now moving on with a positive outlook in life.

Leinas called out to her fellow leader, Lieutenant Saleenas. The two beauties then proceeded to fall in line as they waited for their turn to choose their meals.

The current atmosphere in the large military building, was very different now compared to how things were before the alliance's arrival. Back then, most of the soldiers were on edge all the time. Since they were suffering losses, attack after attack. But now, to the local and veteran soldiers. They can hardly believe the fact, that they can now have some time to breathe normally and not see their comrades be carried on a stretcher and covered in some bloody large piece of cloth.

Such was the effectiveness of the allied forces in turning the tide to the Draconic Kingdom's favor. And with proper rest and nutrition, the local soldiers slowly recover their will and focus. Making them more effective in battle than they previously were. The tactics and techniques taught by the Adventurers helped to save lives in actual battle. All of these benefits in turn, resulted in raising the soldier's morale and focus. Their renewed passion and vigour showed in their last few battles within the month.

Captain Costello still somehow couldn't believe the atmosphere in their old rickety building. He and his men are now given real food to eat, and they can somehow manage to be optimistic. The opposite of they were before.

After an hour, the soldiers and adventurers set out once again to continue their sweeping operations before they can truly declare that the regions have been retaken and cleared for citizen occupation. Just as Leinas and the knights were about to move out, a messenger was heard shouting from a distance.

At first Leinas was worried that the message might be bad news, and everyone certainly hoped that it wasn't so. But as the messenger got closer to them, she noticed that the messenger seemed to look somewhat happy.

Leinas ordered two of her subordinate knights to intercept the messenger, and to escort him inside the recently repaired fort. The messenger's excitement was taken as a sign of good news. And so, the top brass within the fort got serious as the young soldier handed them the official letter.

The letter was encased in a small wooden box, to protect the message it contained. The letter itself, bears the seal of their Queen. It was addressed to Leinas, since she is the highest ranking officer for this campaign. She opened the letter and read its contents out loud, as she read the reports and instructions from Momon of team Darkness. Her fellow officers inside the room, sensed a growing warm feeling in their chests as the letter basically tells them that the other groups led by Team Darkness, and those who are jointly lead by the Fire Dragon Lord and Neia Baraja have both successfully defeated their enemies and are now pushing the beastmen forces back into the heart of the Beastmen Nation.

The letter also informs them, that the defeated forces might combine their forces and is most likely to head for their region. And that Team Darkness suggested that they do not advance their forces, instead; they are to hold their ground and wait for their allied forces' counter parts to get to them. Though, they would take some time, since they'll be doing much thorough clearing operations along the way.

It also mentions that, Queen Draudillon will be sending them additional resources in the form of construction materials and labor force. This was made possible after the crown seized all of the corrupt nobles' assets and used them to increase funds for the war.

"This is the best news I've heard in years." Captain Costello said as he stood up with vigour at their Nation's good fortune.

After reading the letter's contents, Leinas discussed on how to best deal with their current targets; the remainders of the defeated tribes that have scattered in the region. After the meeting, the good news was spread to every soul and that brought hope back into the souls of the local soldiers and the citizens within the fort.

Inside his private office within the Imperial Palace, in Arwintar; the Capital of the Baharuth Empire.

The young man, popularly known by his moniker 'The Bloody Emperor' was sitting comfortably in his massager chair while he listens to the song from his music player. At the moment, he was listening to the song ["The Moment" by Kenny G.] he found this kind of music very refined, soothing, sexy and relaxing. Beside him, is his favorite among his harem. The smartest among his concubines, the daughter of a lower ranked noble family. Roxanne Orinctiel Veritalie, though her face looks plain when compared to her fellow members of the Emperor's lovers. She is the only one that Jircniv allows to talk with him as an equal, even about the subject of politics. It was her keen intellect that drew in Jircniv's attention. But, it was her motherly loving nature that drew in Jircniv's heart.

The young Emperor was born from a mother that raised him as a tool to advance her and her family's interests. He was never given a chance to feel or experience what a real mother's love is or could have been, instead, this void in the young Jircniv's soul was filled by the love from his father; the previous Emperor.

It was the late emperor that saw Jircniv's potentials but still treated all of his children equally as much as possible. Luckily for Jircniv, that he was already declared as heir to the throne before his mother's family enacted a conspiracy against the emperor. This was turning moment in Jircniv's life. His father's horrible death caused him so much anger and grief, that he himself ordered the death of his own mother and his brothers and sisters. Followed shortly by the noble houses that were involved with his father's death. Recalling his thoughts back to the present moment, Jircniv knew that he's been a bad father. He was so focused on his dreams of developing the Empire, that he had neglected his children.

And as he looked to his side and stare at the woman who was now sleeping on her massager chair, he remembered the times he and his kids had fun in the Kindertraum Park. Those memories gave him hope that it's not too late for him to let his children know what a loving family actually is. Roxy's natural motherly nature is his biggest help he can ever ask for. And with her helping him raise his children, his burdens are somewhat lessened from his shoulders.

"Hey? You still there, Roxy?" Jircniv asked the woman next to him.

"Haa? What? Oh! Sorry dear. Have I fallen asleep?" Roxy replied after being awakened from her stupor.

"You didn't notice that you've actually fallen to sleep, didn't you?" Jircniv teased.

"I guess I didn't, it's just so relaxing… this is a good investment. I'm so glad you decided to buy these chairs from the Sorcerer King, and to think that there will soon be establishments that will allow the public to experience these massagers. I'd say, you just started a new trend in the Empire." Roxy replied with a positive outlook after trying the chairs for the first time.

"It's all thanks to his Majesty for making these inventions. His innovations might just allow me to retire much earlier than I expected, that means I get to enjoy more time with my family and still enjoy all the fruits of my investments without the pressures of being an Emperor. It's happening Roxy. Our dreams of a brighter future is actually within our reach, it's even better than what we originally planned all those years ago." Jircniv said to Roxy as he stood up and hold her face, caressing her face down to her neck and shoulders.

As if on cue, the next song played was ["Silhouette" by Kenny G.] and with that, Jircniv kissed his woman and they did right on the massage chair.

"Oh you naughty, Naughty you… Whoa!? Right now? I'm still on the chair Jir." Roxy reacted to Jircniv's moves.

"Oh, come on. With that song playing, were both relaxed and rejuvenate. Plus, we've never tried doing it on top of a chair that massages us. Or, we can just do it on top of my desk? It's your choice Roxy." Jircniv said in his most seductive voice, and Roxy was surprised at the young Emperor's sudden horny curiosity.

"Let's try on this one first, then the desk." Roxy replied. They were doing it like animals with the music playing out loud. Nimble, who was supposed to bring Jircniv the reports on the Legions' stationed in the Draconic Kingdom. But, hearing the same song that was playing in his hotel room when he and Leinas were did it after they returned from the concert. He just decided to turn around and left, with a silly grin on his face.

It was two now, since their meeting with the three former cardinals of the Slane Theocracy. The person who was the leader of their political faction looked around him, being very careful about his surroundings. He asked one of his subordinates.

"Has there any reports from our scouts, yet?"

"No sir, it seems they haven't returned yet. But since we haven't seen anyone use the warning signal, we can assume that they are still able to do their jobs of looking out for us in advance. Have no worries, sir. Should there be any sign of danger, we should be more than enough to handle it." The subordinate replied.

"I hope so, Ser Knight. I sure hope so." Says the worried rich man.

After a few more miles of travelling under tunnels and unknown roads, the group finally reached the coast. There, a large ship, all pristine and white was anchored on the shore simply waiting for them. The man who led the negotiations for their side of the table, now have finally removed the plain looking hooded cloak and dismounted his horse.

He then, was welcomed by the ship's captain and was offered a cold drink by a servant. The man returned the Captain's greetings, after having a sip of the cold drink to quench his thirst from his short journey through a small desert. Shortly afterwards, he and his companions walked on to enter the ship and head back home.

While sailing across the sea, the man was now wearing a cocky grin as he conversed with his fellows on the ship. By early morning of the next day, the ship arrived at its destination; the private port reserved f or the high nobles and the royal family's use. The rich noble disembarked from the ship, while comfortably sitting inside his carriage. As the carriage rode to its new destination, the nobleman's servants started distributing letters to several private messenger that have been waiting for his return. By the time the sun was right on top, he reached his home at last. Disembarking from the carriage, the nobleman took a big deep breathe.

"Ahh… Home sweet home. Has was everything during my absence Niles?" the noble asked his butler.

"All is fine, my lord. While you were gone, a Royal messenger came here to deliver this letter that addressed to you. And since it bears the Royal Seal, I think it's safe to assume, that this is a letter from his highness; King Caspond." The butler, Niles said in a neutral tone as he hand over the letter to his employer.

"Hmm… A letter from him eh?" Says the nobleman, as he looked at the letter to check if it was really addressed to him. After reading the name Duke Derwenze Coultrenas Fiat. He opened the letter and then handed it back to the butler.

"Burn this letter, then put the ashes in the envelope and send it back to the king." Duke Derwenze instructed the butler, who was surprised at the instructions given to him. The man however, still did as he was ordered to do by his employer.

The two days following his return. Duke Derwenze held multiple meetings with his secret faction, and discussed the plans regarding their invasion of the Northern Holy Kingdom. The meetings were held inside the Duke's private winter mansion, in order to maintain their privacy and to make security concerns much manageable due to the war preparations. Unlike their northern counterparts, they have not experienced much hardship like monster attacks and so on. Their lack of such experience had made them arrogant with the knowledge that they are much superior over other human nations, thus the southerners' closer relationship with the Slane Theocracy.

This is mostly due to their geographical location. Although they are still part of the Roble Holy Kingdom, they are quite fortunate for not sharing any borders with dangerous demihumans and other beasts. In this regard, they are pretty much the same as the majority of the nobles from the Re-Estize Kingdom. Mostly, they are very similar with their ignorance regarding the concerns of the general public, and more importantly, foolish disregard about the existence of powerful beings.

A good example of this; is the can-like similarity of foolish arrogance the nobles exuded, when the Re-Estize nobles thought that Ainz Ooal Gown was just a common trickster and was not a real threat. The same way the Southern Roble Holy Kingdom's nobles just dismissed the stories they've heard about the demon Jaldabaoth, thinking the whole thing was just some propaganda or some kind of excuse to save face from the Northerners' failures.

"Gentlemen, make sure your troops are sufficiently trained and armed. We will make our move after one this month." Duke Derwenze said to his conspirators as he grew more confident with his delusions which he so-calls it, a crusade.

Author's note: sorry about the short chapter. And yes, this is still not completed. Just a few more details but I'm sleepy now and I really need to rest. I've been working on two chapters for this story, and the next chapter for "Death comes for us all." but unfortunate events do happen and this time in the form of a death of a relative. Namely, one of my uncles. (not COVID19 related) he died after being comatosed for nearly two months from a heart attack and a head injury resulting from that heart attack (He fell, and hit his head on a large rock) with this, things will be slower even more so due to the Communist virus' lockdown.

I hope everyone is alright and safe. Stay healthy everyone.