The capital of the Slane Theocracy was slowly waking up. Although the Sun had already risen, not much activity could be seen on the streets. One reason was the strict schedule the citizens in the Theocracy, but in the capital especially, followed. Every morning praying was mandatory. Whoever could make the time went to a church to listen to the sermons of one of the countless clergy men and women held every day. The other reason was the dire situation they were in. A couple of days ago the common people were informed that the Theocracy was going to war against the Sorcerer Kingdom. Most citizens were filled with happiness after hearing that. For quite some time now, ever since the Sorcerer Kingdom had been founded, they had been very frustrated with the cardinals lackluster reaction to the nation ruled by an enemy of all living, an undead. They were more than eager to see this unholy monster being crushed by the righteous servants of the six gods. But not all of them were that eagerly looking forward. Some were getting incredibly nervous. Mostly those with connections to other countries like merchants or people who had to travel a lot in their profession had heard a lot more details about the incredible might the Sorcerer King commanded than the officials had told to the common people. Even if those stories were exaggerated and only a fraction of it was true, it was enough to warrant serious worries. There was no small chance they would suffer heavy losses, maybe even to the point of their nation being in danger of being taken out by a third party. Others, who were not blinded by zealous faith and doctrines, were thinking of war in general to be a bad idea and a thing to be avoided. In fact, there was even a small fraction in the theocracy who advocated a peaceful solution, even if they had to deal with an undead. Of course those people couldn´t openly defend that position. That could be seen as heresy and a serious crime, so those arguments were mostly discussed in secret with like-minded people. Because these people were getting more and more nervous as the day of the attack kept getting closer, many had left the capital as a precaution. The rest was staying in the church longer than normal to pray for the gods to protect their troops.

The cardinals, the pontifex and most of the other officials that hadn´t gone with the army were gathered in the main temple in the heart of the city. All of them had been here for the last couple of days, in order to prepare for the upcoming battle. They had dispatched all of the forces they could, even sending every member of every scripture, except the Stonewall scripture, whose biggest proficiency was defending and enduring drawn-out siege battles. Despite their name, none of them was what most people would expect such people to look like. None of them was a burly, tank-like man wearing heavy armor and carrying large shields. Almost all of them were thin, robe wearing mages. Men and women of all ages, equipped with many rings and pendants that were enchanted with many beneficial abilities. Reducing the mana-cost of certain spells, making them last longer, reducing the casting time were only a few of many. When building up and equipping the Stonewall Scripture, the Slane Theocracy was preparing the best they could get, spending amounts of money and resources even kings would pass out over. Equipping almost two dozen individuals with full sets of high-quality items was enough to bankrupt even small countries. After the no longer existing Sunlight Scripture, the Stonewall Scripture had the most members.

They were standing guard on all entrances to the main hall of the temple. Since there were doors leading to all four directions, two of them were stationed at each of them, as well as two in every corner of the room. The last eight of them, including the captain, stood at the center of the room, together with the cardinals. The captain of the Stonewall Scripture was a woman in her early fourties. Her hair had already turned completely grey, making her appear slightly older than she actually was, but that didn´t affect her aura of experience and dignity surrounding her. She was currently talking to Berenice, the cardinal of fire.

"Captain, how is the situation?"

"So far there is nothing out of the ordinary. We haven´t heard of any enemies crossing borders and nobody has reported any unusual events."

"Good, but remember to stay alert. We are dealing with a very cunning enemy. These monsters could already be approaching the city without us noticing."

The captain nodded in approval.

Yvon, who sat on a bench right next to them, asked.

"What is your plan in case the undead himself comes here?"

The captain answered.

"Unfortunately we weren´t able to gather that many information about him and his abilities, since Thousand Miles Astrologer still refuses to leave her room, but we have done everything we could. My whole team spent the last couple of months preparing the most powerful weapon. We have conducted the ritual for tier seven spells multiple times and sealed the magic in crystals. Five have been placed all over this room and can be triggered at will. We focused mainly on holy spells, but have also prepared a fire spell and a lightning one, just to make sure."

"That sounds promising. But we can´t assume that that will be enough. We are dealing with an enemy that might be as powerful as a god."

Ginedine said.

"Are you comparing that undead to our gods?"

"Don´t get me wrong, I mean no disrespect towards them, but we can´t take him lightly. We have to be prepared for the worst and pray for the best."

Dominic interrupted them harshly.

"There is absolutely no way that the scriptures could ever be defeated. We made sure to give them the best training and equipment possible. We even cleared all of the artifacts and relics from the treasury."

Berenice, calm and collected, responded.

"We are all well aware of the high standards of the scriptures, but we would have to be fools to underestimate our opponent. After all, he already managed to defeat one of our scriptures two years ago. And regarding our relics. You in particular shouldn´t be talking about them. After all, it is your fault we are one short. Hadn´t you been so adamant about your little plot regarding the elves, we wouldn´t have lost one of our most powerful weapons. Better pray they have no way of using it against us."

Dominic, obviously upset, said something incomprehensible and returned to his seat.

Then, all of a sudden the whole cathedral trembled and with a terrible noise a whole was ripped open in the roof. It was right in the middle, so the cardinals had to avoid the falling debris.

What startled them all was the sudden appearance of a pillar of light, shining through the hole in the ceiling. Everybody was focusing on the weird phenomenon. The members of the Stonewall Scripture were reorganizing their formation. The eight members at the center surrounded the pillar, while the members in the corners and at the doors were moving slightly closer to them. The cardinals were placed in the space between the two rows of magic casters. All of their eyes were glued to the ceiling. A small creature slowly descended through the light. It was so bizarre that it stunned the minds of all the people present. It looked like a pink, skinless lump of flesh, with arms and legs too short to support that misshapen body in any way. Although it seemed to fly, exactly how it did that was a mystery. The short wings on its back were not feathered like birds wings or coated with a skin-like membrane like bats´ wings. The looked like withered branches. Its head (if the people present were right in assuming this end of the weirdly shaped body to be the head) was adorned with a halo. Slowly descending to the ground, it didn´t emit a single sound. Before touching the ground, it stopped mid-air, hovering roughly 1 meter above the ground. It slowly took a look at all the people present. Since it wasn´t able to turn its head, it had to turn its whole body around while doing so. After a minute of the two parties staring at each other, the weird creature broke the silence.

"drol ym morf egassem tnatropmi na htiw emoc I dna mitciV si eman yM .slanidrac raed ,sgniteerG."

(Greetings, dear cardinals. My name is Victim and I come with an important message from my lord.)

At first everyone was stunned by the weird language the small creature was using, that, for some reason, everybody could understand perfectly fine. But after a couple of seconds one of the cardinals seemed to recognize it. The one who recognized it was Maximillian.

"No way, is that the celestial language?"

Raymond asked.

"Do you know these words?"

Maximillian nodded.

"Yes, I do. I have heard single words and sometimes a short sentence from a summoned angel. I think it is the language used by celestial beings."

"This thing is supposed to be an angel?"

"There is no doubt. Look. It even has a halo."

"I see, it is just... It looks nothing like the angels we know of."

Ginedine got really excited.

"From his lord? Does that mean the gods have answered our prayers?"

She fell down on her knees.

"We are eternally grateful. Praise to the six and the mercy they show us in this dark times."

Raymond, a little suspicious of this whole situation, stayed much more composed. First he approached the captain of the Stonewall Scripture and whispered something into her ear, then spoke to the angel hovering in the middle of the room.

"Excuse me for appearing impatient, but you said that you were sent by your lord with a message. May I ask, what it is he wishes to convey?"

"wohs eht yojne dna era uoy erew yats esaelP

:erew sdrow tcaxe siH .ytidiputs tub gnihton eb dluow gnieb tsehgih eht fo sdrow eht raeh ot gnitnaw toN .ecneserp ym rof nosaer eht si ti lla retfA .ksa yam uoy esruoc fO."

(Of course you may ask. After all it is the reason for my presence. Not wanting to hear the words of the highest being would be nothing but stupidity. His exact words were:

Please stay were you are and enjoy the show.)

He raised an eyebrow.

"He wants us to stay here and do nothing?"

The small angel nodded, or to be more precise, ascended and descended.

"wohs eht yojne dnA."

(And enjoy the show.)

"I am deeply sorry, Victim-sama. But what does that mean? What show?"

"eno sihT."

(This one.)

A small construct of light appeared before the cardinals. It looked like a window, floating in mid-air. It flickered for a couple of seconds before showing them a scenery from a bird´s point of view. The landscape they were seeing was a small thicket, with several people standing in a clearing.

"It is a miracle."

Somebody said, but Raymond paid it no mind. Instead he turned his attention back to the angel.

"What is that?"

"hctaw ot gniniatretne yrev ti ekam ot erus edam sah drol yM .won thgir elpoep ruoy ot gnineppah si tahw uoy gniwohs si sihT"

(This is showing you what is happening to your people right now. My lord has made sure to make it very entertaining to watch.)

Berenice now also dropped to his knees and said in excitement.

"Praise the gods that are coming down to smite the evil that is plaguing this land."

"dlrow eht esnaelc ot dediced sah retsam yM .deednI."

(Indeed. My master has decided to cleanse the world.)

Everyone except Raymond was in high spirits and cheering with all their might.

Then the picture shown on the window suddenly enhanced and the cardinals could make out more details.

Maximillian said.

"Look. Those are the scriptures. They are leaving for the tomb, just as planned."

"And the Clearwater scripture stays behind. It seems like everyone is present and not a single life was lost."

Raymond then asked.

"Excuse me, Victim-sama, but please allow me another question."

Dominic tried to cut him off.

"Are you trying to annoy a messenger of the gods? How dare you questioning them."

"snoitseuq ruoy ot yllufhturt rewsna ot em dlot retsam yM .thgirla s´tI."

(It´s alright. My master told me to answer truthfully to your questions.)

"Thank you. I promise it to be the last question. Your master, what is his name?"

Without a care in the world Victim responded.

"kcirazaN fo relur elos dna sgnieb emerpus eht fo redael ,nwoG laoO zniA."

(Ainz Ooal Gown, leader of the supreme beings and sole ruler of Nazarick)

Every single soul in the room seemed to be too shocked to properly work out the true meanings behind these words. Only the scripture-members started to move, drawing their encirclement closer around the newfound enemy. Seeing their warriors move made the rest of them aware of what to do. All the cardinals prepared for battle as well. But it seemed even more bizarre that the small creature seemed totally unfazed by that development. It didn´t radiate the smallest bit of hostility or nervousness. It was as calm as the moment it appeared before them. The captain gave a signal, upon which every member of the scripture activated their spells.

"Holy chains."

"Wall of Light."

"Binding."

"Divine Prison."

"Holy Domain."

"Greater Slow."

A barrage of debuffs and negative status afflictions, as well as barrier spells hailed down on Victim. That was the true forte of the Stonewall Scripture. Either casting numerous wall and barrier spells to block off advancing troops, or restricting a targets movements and imprison it on the spot. Either way, the enemy would be forced into a battle of attrition, which the Stonewall Scripture was always well prepared for.

Raymond, now with the stern voice of a warden began interrogating the captive, who was still very calm.

"So you are serving our enemy?"

"tcerroc si tahT."

(That is correct.)

"But why?"

"dnatsrednu t´nod I diarfa m´I."

(I´m afraid I don´t understand.)

"Why is an angel serving an undead?"

"drol ym fo ekas eht rof eid yldalg lliw I .tnavres rieht eb ot sgnieb emerpus eht yb detaerc saw I."

(I was created by the supreme beings to be their servant. I will gladly die for the sake of my lord.)

"Your loyalty seems genuine, yet don´t you feel uneasy being forced to face death?"

"lla ta toN."

(Not at all.)

"What? All of the spells those men and women cast on you were effective. Sometimes exceptionally strong individuals can withstand some, but you were hit by every single one. There is now way for you to escape. Do you really think you can get out of here alive?"

"nalp eht reven saw that."

(That was never the plan.)

"So you came here fully aware you would die?"

"seY."

(Yes.)

"Then why did you deliberately reveal being a servant of that undead? You might have been able to catch us off-guard."

"yllufhturt rewsna ot em dlot eH .sredro s´drol ym tsniaga og reven dluow I."

(I would never go against my lord´s orders. He told me to answer truthfully.)

"So your lord sent you here, knowing full well you would die?"

"seY."

(Yes.)

This whole situation made less and less sense. Raymond had a hard time figuring out the intentions of Ainz Ooal Gown. He had the ability to send his minions into the heart of the enemy capital, yet he decided to send a creature that could be easily overpowered.

"Aren´t you afraid of dying?"

"egelivirp fo dnik taht syojne ohw eno ylno eht ma I ,snaidraug eht lla gnomA .niaga mih rof eid nac I os ,retfa yltrohs em eviver lliw eH .ecneinevnocni yraropmet a ylno si htaed ,nwoG laoO zniA taerg eht fo stnavres rof ,sediseB .evila ylurt neeb evah ot erus eb nac I htaed ni ylno os ,eid ot snaem evil oT ?I dluow yhW."

(Why would I? To live means to die, so only in death I can be sure to have been truly alive. Besides, for servants of the great Ainz Ooal Gown, death is only a temporary inconvenience. He will revive me shortly after, so I can die for him again. Among all the guardians, I am the only one who enjoys that kind of privilege.)

Now Dominic spoke.

"I don't quite get it, but it seems like your master has made a grave mistake."

"os hoW?"

(How so?)

"He sent us a truly marvelous present. With this window we can observe our scriptures actions from afar and react accordingly. Once we got rid of you, we can give out new orders to them and change the plan. Your master won´t even see what hit him."

"toidi na era uoY .dnatsrednu I woN .haA."

(Aah. Now I understand. You are an idiot.)

"What? How dare you, you little piece of garbage."

"ereh thgir yats lliw uoY .ot uoy dlot retsam ym sa yltcaxe od lliw uoy ,tcaf nI .sredro erom yna evig ot elba eb t´now uoy diarfa ma I."

(I am afraid you won´t be able to give any more orders. In fact, you will do exactly as my master told you to. You will stay right here.)

Dominic had a smug grin on his face.

"Oh, will we? And who will force us to?"

Raymond had a worried expression.

"Dominic, calm down. It is not a good idea to provoke that thing."

"What is it supposed to do? Ever since it came here, it could do little more than floating around. Now, that the Stonewall Scripture has restrained it, it can´t even do that. It is totally helpless."

"laitnetop tabmoc ot sdrager ni snaidraug eht gnoma tsekaew eht ma I ,tcaf nI .tabmoc ni uoy taeb t´nac I taht eurt si tI."

(It is true that I can´t beat you in combat. In fact, I am the weakest among the guardians in regards to combat potential.)

"See, it even admits its shortcomings."

"dehctamnu era seitiliba ym ,seimene gnippots fo smret ni ,teY."

(Yet, in terms of stopping enemies, my abilities are unmatched.)

"Huh?"

"niaga teem reven lliw ew diarfa ma I tub ,slanidrac ,lleweraf uoy dib I .eid ot em rof emit si ti ,neht lleW."

(Well then, it is time for me to die. I bid you farewell, cardinals, but I am afraid we will never meet again.)

The small floating blob began to glow in a warm light.

"ecifircas-fleS llikS laicepS."

(Special Skill Self-sacrifice.)

The special skill of Victim´s Martyr job allowed him to cast spells of the highest tier, even if those spells were restricted to classes the caster didn´t possess. However, the choice was limited to healing spells. The higher the tier, the greater the cost in the form of HP. By activating the skill two times to use spells of the tenth tier, Victim would reduce his HP to exactly zero.

"ecneconnI fo lieV."

(Veil of Innocence)

The first spell he chose was a large scale magic that belonged to the specialized illusionist job Shadow Trickster. It removed any and all status afflictions, positive and negative alike, but obscured the status of all affected, making the distinction between friend and foe impossible for ten seconds. Its use additionally prevented the renewal of buffs for allies for at least 120 seconds. For a PVE situation this might be somewhat manageable, but in a PVP, 120 seconds without buffs was a death sentence.

"yrautcnaS."

(Sanctuary)

The second spell was a gimmick of the exclusive job class Miracle Worker. It created an enclosed space, healing every ally and non-hostile being inside, but preventing them from moving outside for the duration of the spell. It could only be used when no enemy was inside the designated area. This spell would run out, as soon as the cooldown of the magic caster using the spell was over, making that spell rather useless for high-level players, as they tended to shorten their cooldown time as much as possible, thereby reducing its healing effect.

Both of these spells were very unpopular for their respective classes, as they had many downsides, so they were barely used and not widely known to other players not familiar with them. But when creating Victim, the members of Ainz Ooal gown were choosing those spells especially for their downsides. With the identification of friend or foe blurred, Sanctuary could be used without restriction and would capture everyone inside. And since Victim died while using the spell, his cooldown would technically never end. This combination of circumstances forced the large-scale invasion that managed to advance to the eight floor to an abrupt end. The Players caught inside couldn´t leave the floor and since the spell was technically cast by an ally and with friendly fire prevented by the game mechanics, they couldn´t target it with skills or items, making an escape impossible. In the end, those players had only one choice: Abandoning the raid and log out. Making their re-entry at a neutral area outside of the enemy base. Those players protested heavily, accusing the guild members of Ainz Ooal Gown of cheating, but in the end there was nothing to be achieved. Those hardcore players had simply found a loophole in the rules they could exploit, making everything that happened fair game. With a bit of evil humor the people responsible for creating this trap gave it a special name. Purgatory.

After casting his second spell, Victim began to tremble before slowly turning to dust, leaving the cardinals and the Stonewall Scripture behind. Being forced to watch as their scriptures they were so proud of got taken apart, one by one their desperation grew. With the constant healing of the Tier Ten healing spell Sanctuary, they weren´t even allowed to kill themselves. Their fate was inevitably. Trapped in purgatory until the end of time.