Chapter 36: Family Reunion
Augustus Connard, the widely known King of the Elves as well as the self-proclaimed Bane of the Slane Theocracy, Smartest Man in the World, and God of Elves. He was a tall and muscular elf clad in red and white robes and heavy armor. He had a thin face with a scar that ran horizontally across his nose and heterochromatic eyes that were black and white. Long pale blonde hair was messily strewn about down his back and over his shoulders. Right now, however, none of those titles mattered as he continued to sit on his throne impatiently awaiting one of his servants to return to him with a goddamn drink! This was the longest he had ever been kept waiting. With a sigh he leaned back in his throne and began to ponder recent events.
His weak nation had failed to push the Theocracy back out beyond their borders. Honestly, what were his servants good for anyway? Additionally, there were rumors of a strong young woman with heterochromatic eyes pushing further and further into his territory as well as rumors of a new empire that had spread into the Abellion Hills just north of them and the Holy Kingdom of Roble.
Oh well, I've grown bored of watching these idiots fail me anyway. Perhaps after I meet this girl who seems so eager to face me, I will visit this empire myself.
The idea of paying a visit to these newcomers and taking whatever or whoever he wanted from them brought a smirk to his face. Said smirk was wiped off his face when a busty elven servant girl entered the throne room to FINALLY bring him his wine.
"What took you so long?" he growled as he snatched the bottle out of her hand. Idly, he noticed that this servant girl didn't shiver or back away in fear as most did when he snapped at them. She still appeared submissive, but Augustus preferred it when they trembled. "Why are you still here? Get out of my face!"
"Yes, your majesty," the servant replied contemptuously with a bow and a glare. Augustus felt a shiver go down his spine as he felt killing intent unlike any he had ever felt. He looked back at the girl to see the glare was gone and that submissive appearance had returned. With that, she turned around and left. Augustus smirked as he recalled the disdain in her voice.
She must be the recent acquisition I took to replace….. what was her name? Doesn't matter, I'll enjoy fucking some respect into this bitch later.
The moment the elf girl was out of sight from the king, she scowled in a terrifying manner before heading down a hallway and into a secluded room where she had left her…. Trash? Remains? Evidence? Yes, evidence would be more accurate. She stared down at the shriveled up corpse sprawled on the stone floor that looked suspiciously like her. Then her appearance melted into a tall terrifying form that seemed to be made out of hell's essence. A moment later, Lucifer Dracul stood in her place.
"[Create: Vampire Bride]," he murmured. He could've simply incinerated the body, but every corpse could be made useful. The newly created Vampire Bride jolted up and looked around frantically before her eyes landed on Lucifer.
"My lord!" she exclaimed with a bow as she scrambled to her feet. Lucifer merely rolled his eyes at the display and opened a [Gate].
"Get in," he commanded bluntly as he gestured towards the [Gate]. The newly reborn Vampire Bride did as she was told and entered the [Gate]. Before going through the [Gate] himself he glanced back in the general direction of the throne room and allowed an evil grin to spread across his face. He had promised Vega that he would have his chance to take revenge on his father, however, he wasn't willing to risk losing such a useful pawn in the event that Vega's skills wouldn't be enough to defeat the king. Hence is why he poisoned Augustus's drink with Leech Blood, a poison from Yggdrasil that would slowly weaken the victim's Physical Attack, Physical Defense, and Agility, consistently weakening them until either an antidote is ingested or the effects ware off. Although the poison didn't affect stats too much and was therefore not used when facing level 100 players, it would sufficient enough to weaken the level 77 Elf King to the point where he might appear slightly ill.
It would be best if Vega defeats him in one on one combat. It will make the people of the Elf Country more accepting of him and possibly lead them to see him as a hero. That would result in a more seamless transition of power. If I do end up having to step in, I'll just let him take all the credit and from there it will just be a matter of distributing propaganda to ensure that our version of the truth will be regarded as THE truth.
Evileye's face was completely red. She had lived for 250 years, experienced many oddities and hardships, but never had she encountered a situation like the one she currently found herself in. She had just woken up in one of the treehouses that the elves had lent them to stay the night. Eveileye had awoken a few minutes ago when sunlight started to shine onto her face through one of the windows. She was about ready to get up when her bed shifted underneath her. That's when she realized that she had nuzzled herself into a rather large and ridiculously muscular torso. Her daring actions from the previous night had suddenly come flooding back to her, resulting in her current redder than a goddamn tomato face. Thank god he hadn't realized that she was only pretending to be asleep. And so, she had laid on the chiseled chest of Momon for nearly half an hour contemplating whether she should move or not. That is, until someone started banging on the door of their room.
"Evileye! Momon! You guys awake in there?" Gargan shouted through the door. Immediately, Evileye and the now awake Momon jolted up and, after staring at each other for a few seconds, jumped away from each other and each stood facing away from the other.
"G-good morning, Momon," Evileye said in a higher pitch than usual as she forced herself to stare at the wall.
"Guten-er, good morning," Momon murmured back.
"What's all that noise in there? Are you guys okay?" Gargan called out.
"We're fine! We'll be out in a minute!" Momon replied.
Vega was a tad nervous as he and his warriors stood assembled just outside Acrapool Village. The army of the assembled undead and other monstrosities had assembled on two sides of a narrow path as if awaiting their monarch to appear out of thin air and walk down that path through the procession, with Vega and his warriors standing at the end of the path. To be fair, his majesty probably WOULD appear out of thin air and strut towards him in his usual composed, powerful, and regal manner. It would certainly be a shock to see for the villagers of Acrapool as well as most of the adventurers, most of whom hadn't seen much of their emperor since he marched into E-Rantel.
He turned back to look up at the treehouses the villager lived in, most of whom were looking out their windows or leaning on railings to get a good look at what was going on. Most of them were still nervous about the undead but seeing as how there hadn't been a massacre in the middle of the night, they weren't as on edge as they had been the previous evening. He looked back just in time to see a [Gate] open at the end of the procession. Emerging from the swirling blackness came two Dark Paladins, Director Demiurge, and the Immortal Emperor himself.
"Present arms!" a Skull Knight barked, prompting the assembled army of the undead to thrust their weapons into the air. Lucifer swept his soulless gaze over them all in a slow and almost lazy fashion for a few moments before the corners of his mouth turned upwards into his usual cold smile and he began to walk down the path created for him by his servants. Vega and his entourage, of course, bowed before their emperor as he approached.
"Welcome your majesty," Vega said from his position.
"Rise, Vega," Lucifer commanded with a simple yet kingly hand gesture. "It is a pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise, my lord." Vega replied as he rose. "All of our forces have been accounted for and we are ready to move to Crescent Lake." As he gave his report to the Father of All Vampires, he cast a glance back up at the treehouses in the village. The elves who had been watching with curiosity now looked on with fear and awe, a few even attempting to hide should the incarnation of death turn his gaze up towards them.
"Excellent. Ready our forces, I intend for us to be at Crescent Lake within the hour." Lucifer ordered as he and Vega began to walk away from the large gathering of undead. "Inform Ainzach that he and the adventurers should begin 'adventuring' through the forest." Just as he had finished giving his orders, a hulking armored figure dropped down from the village and landed in front of them before immediately kneeling before his sovereign. "Momon, so good of you to join us."
"I apologize for my tardiness, your majesty," Momon said. "I was….held up….by an unexpected delay."
"I see," Lucifer mused with an eyebrow raised. It seemed there was more to this than Pandora's Actor was letting on, but he got the sense that whatever it was didn't actually matter so he let it slide. "Your timing is impeccable Momon, I have orders for you."
"What is thy bidding my master?" Momon inquired as he slightly raised his head but did not move from his kneeling position.
"My bidding is regicide," Lucifer stated with a smirk. "Very soon we will be reaching the Elven capital. Your task will be to keep any of the locals from attempting to interfere in Vega's duel with the king."
"As you wish, my lord."
No one could tell, not even Lucifer or the level 100 NPCs, but they were being watched. Closely. Very closely. The was only so much one could learn about a person through a video game where the player models were only capable of expressing themselves through emoticons, so finally seeing Lucifer, or rather Momonga, in person for the first time instead of through surveillance magic he had used through scrolls and leftover items he happened to have from Yggdrasil allowed Ainz to learn quite a bit about his old friend.
He was many things: an indomitable leader, a kind ruler, a husband, a vampire, a god, a soon-to-be father.
It was all a lie.
No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Momonga's actions and responses always seemed so calculated and deliberate.
To anyone else who observed him, they would simply see an immortal who was beyond their comprehension or was simply intelligent enough to always be prepared for any possibility. But to Ainz, he was simply acting out the role he had been placed into like a skilled actor. He was just a normal man who been given abnormal power and Ainz's time as a police officer had taught him much in learning through observing.
Momonga seemed to wear a different mask for every interaction. The mask of an emperor, a caring leader, an affectionate husband, an adventurer, an evil mastermind, a hero, a dark lord. Through his interactions with the Guardians and the other NPCs, especially Albedo, it became clear that he was incapable of forming any real emotional connections or displaying genuine affections. He was able to pretend, and exceptionally well at that, but he was simply going through the motions of acting out how he believed people behaved. He had fooled everyone into believing that he cared, he even fooled himself into believing it. An almost textbook example of antisocial personality disorder if he'd ever seen one.
No real emotion. No real connection. No real concern for the world around him or the people in it.
It was the same back in Yggdrasil. Momonga had thrown himself into his role as a member of the guild back in the day and was quite passionate about the guild and its members to the extent that it had occasionally made a few of their guildmates uncomfortable. When Momonga was made the guild master of Ainz Ooal Gown, he had embraced that role as well. With himself and the other guildmates, Momonga acted as if they were all good friends, almost like a family. It wasn't a bad thing, it encouraged the others to do what they could for the guild and created a more open and friendly atmosphere in the guild. But as more and more players began to quit Yggdrasil, Momonga acted as if they had committed acts of betrayal, going on about cherished memories and precious comrades. More than once he had considered telling Momonga something like: "It's just a game, chill out." But somehow, he had a feeling that he should keep his mouth shut.
Momonga wasn't capable of making friends or loving them as people, to him they were possessions.
They had all started playing Yggdrasil as a form of escapism. But Ainz suspected that Momonga had started playing not just because of a desire to escape the unkind world of 2138. Momonga was lonely and was unable to connect with people. A life without people or care was more of just experience than actual living. In his desperation to live, he found the guild, latched onto them, and embraced whatever role the guild thrust upon him.
Now history had repeated itself. Momonga found himself alone again and when the NPCs took on lives of their own, he had latched onto them and embraced his new role. The role of Lucifer Dracul, the indomitable, the intelligent, the powerful, the perfect overlord of unrivaled cunning.
In a way, there was no real person behind all those roles. Whatever Momonga's real name had been IRL, that person as an individual didn't actually exist. There was no REAL Momonga in a way, no REAL personality or individuality beyond the roles. There was only a soulless body that would perform whatever tasks it had set for itself and probably had more in common with husk, not in appearance, but in qualities. There was no spark of life inside that person, just a desire for life, the desire to OWN life.
If ogres are like onions because of their layers, then it could be said that Momonga was a bottomless pit or a deep dark abyss.
And if you stare into the abyss for too long, the abyss stares back at you.
That abyss was Lucifer Dracul.
"Should we strike now?" the voice of an eager young woman inquired, snapping him out of his inner musings.
"No," Ainz replied with a quick glance back towards Angela. "Now is not the time. But soon." Angela gave a curt nod in response before turning her attention back to the Eternal Empire's forces assembled just beyond their hiding spot among the trees.
"We should head to the rendezvous point then. The adventurers are coming this way." Sure enough, Ainzach and the other adventurers were beginning to fan out and explore the Great Forest of Evasha.
"Agreed. Our allies should be arriving shortly." Ainz remarked as he turned around and began marching deeper into the forest with Angela close behind.
"Who exactly should we be expecting?"
"The Slane Theocracy's Black Scripture and Holocaust Scripture, the Platinum Dragon Lord Zydrayis as well as the other Dragon Lords of the Agrand Council Alliance, and Rigrit Bers Caurau," Ainz listed off. "Others might join us when the fighting starts such the adventurers of Blue Rose and some of the elven population."
"It's distasteful to have to work with such lowly creatures but is suppose I can put aside my distaste in order to bring down the Antichrist," Angela said with a sigh of resignation. Angela couldn't tell because of the armor that covered every inch of Ainz, but his brow furrowed slightly at her words before he forced himself to calm down.
Maybe I'm right in my assumptions about you Momonga, maybe I'm not. Either way, this isn't our world and we have no right to interfere with it. No matter how badly we may want to.
Servus Torquemada, the newly appointed Grand Inquisitor in service to Father Blood, was currently up to her neck in notes she'd taken. She had spent the last several days studying the core tenants of the God of Life and Death laid out by Priestess Arche, laws he had established upon the founding of the Eternal Empire, and records kept by various individuals describing his actions and their interactions with him. While the general doctrine of the Immortal Emperor could be discerned through the laws he passed and the methods he used to achieve his goals, there was no official holy text to contain his message.
That was what Servus was undertaking right now with the help of Neia Baraja, the writing and consolidation of sacred texts and scriptures into a single book. After all, it would be difficult to enforce their lord's teachings without his divine word to guide them. Of course, putting all of this together was a painstaking process, a process that may take years until completion. Still, if it meant being able to serve her god, Servus would've labored for a thousand years with a smile on her face.
A very creepy and deranged smile.
Vega was having trouble keeping his emotions in check as they approached Crescent Lake. The citizens had all retreated into their treehouses, which was more like a small city in the trees connected by bridges and primitive elevator-like contraptions, as the army approached with Lucifer, the team members of Darkness, the team members of Blue Rose, and Vega accompanied by his entourage at the head of it. At the edge of the lake itself was a long stone bridge that cut through the water and directly under a waterfall. Inside the mountain from which the waterfall fell from was the Elf King's palace. Directly where the waterfall would hit the bridge was an ornate slanted stone roof which parted the water and allowed people to pass into the Elf King's palace within the mountain without getting soaked.
Vega glanced back at the Immortal Emperor as he walked out onto the bridge. He could feel those cold red eyes on him, judging, waiting, and challenging. As if those eyes were asking him: "Are you going to go through with it? Can you go through with it? Will you make him pay for what he's done to your mother and countless others?" With the thought of his beloved mother fresh in his mind he took a deep breath and stared up at the waterfall.
"Augustus Connard!" he bellowed loud enough for the whole capital to hear him. "I am the Dark Elf King Vega Connard, son of the Dark Elf Queen Cleopatra Philopator. You are guilty of numerous crimes against elf kind across the known world! Come out and face justice!" Lucifer resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Vega finished his speech.
He probably didn't even hear you Vega. He's inside a mountain at the other side of this bridge.
A quiet tapping noised was heard from the mountain's entrance and a lone figure with a large broadsword sheathed on his back slowly made his way onto the bridge. Vega, upon seeing this figure, drew his twin war axes and began stomping across the bridge towards him with a snarl on his scarred face. Lucifer merely raised an eyebrow.
I stand corrected. It appears that the elves' ears are more than just a slight difference of appearance and have also granted them better hearing. Or perhaps the king simply noticed that there was an army of the undead coming his way?
"So that's him," Lakyus murmured.
"That's him alright," Evileye grunted.
"What are these names you shout at me, boy?" Augustus inquired with a smirk as he swaggered towards the dark elf who called him out. "The only one of them that means anything to me is Connard, my name."
"Too many victims to keep track of, father?" Vega sneered as he stopped near the middle of the bridge. Augustus narrowed his eyes as if he was studying the young man who stood before him before his smirk returned with a slightly please tinge to it.
"Ah, I can see that you share some of my features," he said as shot a glance at Vega's eyes. "Unlike your many brothers and sisters, it seems that you at least have some backbone. Besides your sister, you might be the most exceptional of my creations. So, why have you sought me out now after all these years?"
"You are a plague that has held our kind back for centuries. You ruin everything you touch. The sooner you are dead the better."
"And you believe you could make things better?"
"It wouldn't take much effort to be better than you."
"Then I suppose this army of your is here to do away with me then?" Augustus asked as if amused before turning his attention to Lucifer. "If you too stand against me, then you will perish as well you undead freak." Momon growled at the words 'undead freak' and made to take a step towards the Elf King.
"I have the utmost faith in this young man's ability to defeat you," Lucifer smirked as he subtly made a gesture towards Momon to stand down. "I'm simply here to ensure that you don't attempt to flee."
"Augustus Connard does not flee," Augustus growled before turning his attention back to Vega. "Well boy, if you wish to be a king then you must kill a king."
"There's one standing before me," Vega stated, his eyes not leaving his father's form as his knees bent slightly like a feline predator preparing to pounce. "It's time for you to get what you deserve."
"What I deserve? HA! No one deserves anything," Augustus snapped as a psychotic grin stretched across his face. "The only things people deserve are the things they're willing to fight for. Kill for! DIE FOR!" He reached into his robes and pulled out two massive war hammers, each looking like it was designed to be wielded with two hands, but the sheer strength of the Elf King allowed him to swing them in a manner similar to how Momon swung his own massive swords. "COME ON THEN BOY! SHOW ME WHAT YOU DESERVE!"
So, what? Is the broadsword for decoration or something?
And then the two lunged at each other.
Zesshi raced through the forest on the back of her totally-not-stolen stolen sleipnir, occasionally slicing through trees that stood in the beast's way with her cross-shaped scythe. It had taken her quite some time to get to this point, stopping to hunt for food or to rest, getting lost a few times, and occasionally running into a band of elven warriors who decided to attack her. But here she was finally arriving at Crescent Lake where she would finally confront her father. There was just one problem she noticed as she finally entered the clearing and saw the lake in all its splendor: there was a bigass army blocking her access to the bridge.
Whatever. They won't stand in my way for long.
As she got closer, she quickly recognized the soldiers as the undead soldiers of the Eternal Empire. On their own, they were no threat to her, but in if she faced an army like that, it might prove to be challenge for her. She smirked as she dismounted and approached with her scythe at the ready, wary of the Death Knights gazing at her.
Three of them stepped forward, blades and shields at the ready, as if in order to intimidate the intruder into dispersing or to engage if necessary. Zesshi wouldn't let them engage, she preferred to strike first. Before any of the Death Knights could react, she pounced, soared through the air, and with 3 quick slashes to across the torso one of the creatures was sent crumbling to the ground. The other 2 were on guard by this point, opting to circle their opponent cautiously and attempt to strike at opening.
Not allowing them take advantage of any holes in her defense, Zesshi swung her scythe to sweep a Death Knight's legs out from under him before turning to the other one that began charging at her with a shield bash. Quickly sidestepping and using the blunt end of her weapon to trip the hulking undead, she sent it tumbling into its companion who had been scrambling to get back up. Neither would have the chance to get back on their feet, however, as she lashed out with immediately with a vicious horizontal swish of her blade, decapitating the remaining 2 Death Knights with a single stroke. With them eliminated, she turned to the other undead creatures, now approaching en masse and radiating hostility. Zesshi just grinned, things were about to get interesting.
She had no idea how right she was.
"What is the meaning of this?" came the cold tone of someone hidden within the midst of the undead legions. A crowd of Death Knights and a few Skull Knights parted to make way for a few Dark Paladins who were moving through the crowd and escorting a tall figure dressed in black an red. It was at that point that Zesshi narrowed her eyes and started studying the death-like man who was striding towards her in a kingly manner. Dark hair, red eyes, pale as a corpse, tall, every detail she had heard of right down to the facial hair was accurate. She didn't really see what was so special about him, but she wasn't stupid enough to let her guard down.
"You're him, aren't you?" Zesshi inquired as she tightened her grip on her scythe. "You're the Immortal Emperor."
"Indeed," Lucifer confirmed as he studied the petite female who stood before him. "You must be Zesshi Zetsumei."
"Oh? Not many outside of the Theocracy have heard of me," Zesshi remarked as she began to march closer to the undead. "Regardless, I'm going to give you one chance to step aside and let me deal with my father. In return I'll let you go just this once." Lucifer's eyes widened in bewilderment and stared at the half-elf who was approaching him, ignoring Nabe growling about 'insolent worms' behind him. "Scared, huh? You should be you arrogant undead pri-" Zesshi stopped. The noise that was coming from the Father of All Vampires was not one she usually heard from those she threatened.
"Pffffttt, heh heh heh ha hahahahahaha."
Now Zesshi saw it. She had only seen the color of his eyes from a distance, but now that she only a few yards away, she got a very good look at those red, soulless, terrible, lifeless, abominable eyes.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Lucifer's face had twisted from bewilderment, to an amused smirk, to a full-blown psychotic grin that simply didn't look right on him. That terrible smile was like staring at the gaping jaws of the underworld, showing off all of his fangs and stretching inhumanly across his face in a terrifying manner. It was as if his face simply wasn't fit to host a smile so large. His eyes, usually half-lidded and leveling all who stood before them with his piercing gaze were now wide open and fixing her with pinprick pupils and a stare that radiated malice and madness.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
As his voice changed into something truly demonic and his eyes glowed red, Zesshi began to shake. She felt something she had never experienced before come over her as she stared into those eyes and listened to that chilling laugh. In those eyes she saw more than just the soulless gaze of something that was beyond holy and unholy, beyond good and evil. She saw the void. She saw oblivion.
The undead creatures that existed to serve the Immortal Emperor had all gained a soft red glow in their eyes and they all, as one, began to laugh as well. But not in the regular voices, it was as if they were hundreds of mouths all speaking, or in this case laughing, with the same voice. Lucifer's voice.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A shivering Zesshi took a step back and tightened her grip on her scythe. For the first time in her long life, she was terrified. She wasn't afraid of being defeated per se. In fact, she had longed to find someone who could beat her so that she may procreate with them. But she had always imagined that they would both give the fight their all and gain a sort of mutual respect for each other. Now, she was scared at prospect of facing this monster, this god, giving the battle all that she could and not only be found wanting but being weak in comparison. Zesshi was considered one of the strongest in the land on par with the Platinum Dragon Lord and the Elf King. But compared to the power of Lucifer Dracul, Zesshi knew that she was weak. She was a joke to him.
She was NOTHING. And that terrified her.
As the laughter died down and the undead hordes returned to normal, Lucifer began to saunter over towards with his usual cold smirk on his face. It was at that point that Zesshi started outright trembling and with shaking hands raised her scythe in a defensive stance.
"Ah, emotion suppression kicked in," Lucifer muttered as he approached her. "Thank you for that, I needed a good laugh. Now let's try this agai-"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Zesshi screamed as she lashed out with her scythe. Lucifer merely blocked the strike with a lazy wave of his hand in a manner similar to how Shalltear had once dealt with Brain Unglaus.
"As I was saying," he continued with a slightly annoyed look on his face. "I will extend to you the same offer I made to your foolish comrades in the Black Scripture."
"Y-you mean you're not gonna kill me?"
"You mortals," Lucifer chuckled. "You always think of death as the worst thing that can happen to you. The dead do not suffer, suffering is reserved for the living. No, what I will to do you should you refuse to surrender would be much worse. I will alter your mind, erase every memory, every independent thought, everything that makes you who you are. All that would be left is a hollow shell only capable of following basic commands." Zesshi was silent and although her face appeared frozen in terror, her mind was running a million miles a minute. She was terribly outmatched and her options were limited. At the moment the options she had been able to come up with were:
A. Surrender for the 1st time in her life
B. Fight like hell
C. Run like hell
At the moment, options A and C were looking pretty damn good. However, before she could act on either of these options, the undead army parted as a dark elf with heterochromatic eyes was sent flying through the gap they made. He managed to adjust himself in midair and get his feet back on the ground resulting in two long marks being made in the ground where his boots dug into the earth.
"Having trouble, Vega?" Lucifer inquired in a conversational tone.
"Nothing I can't handle your majesty," Vega replied as he spat out a bit of blood and a tooth before glancing over at Zesshi and immediately taking note of her eyes. "You're like me, aren't you?"
"No shit sherlock," Zesshi deadpanned as she too stared at her apparent half-brother's eyes. "What gave it away? Was it my ears? My charming demeanor? Oh! I know, it must've been my eyes because offspring of that bastard are the only-"
"I get it," Vega huffed. "You can drop the bitchiness." Zesshi opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by the sound of manic laughter.
"Wow, this is not how I was expecting today to go!" Augustus proclaimed with a laugh as he slowly approached, the undead army making room for him to pass. After all, their master had commanded them to not interfere in the battle no matter what happened. "It's a family reunion! Not only has the prodigal son returned, but also the prodigal daughter! If I knew I was going to have so much company I would've set up a royal welcome for the 2 of you before I beat you into submission. So, who wants the first spanking?" As the half siblings took up offensive stances and prepared to pounce on their father, Lucifer studied the approaching elf king.
The poison appears to be limiting his combat abilities just as I expected it would. His movements seem pained and sluggish, which accounts for the fact he's only walked rather than run. He knows something is wrong but would rather die fighting than admit weakness, or perhaps all these years he's wasted are the result of him just waiting for someone to kill him.
Zesshi and Vega had already rushed towards their father during the half-a-second it took for Lucifer to finish that thought. Zesshi, being the faster of the 2, reached their father first. Warhammers collided with a scythe several times before Zesshi backed off just in time for Vega to rush in from the side. Augustus swung with one of his hammers in a wide arc only for Vega to slide underneath and throw a series of quick strikes. It didn't do much, unfortunately, and Vega was forced to retreat to safe distance to avoid the follow-up attack from the other hammer.
"My lord," Momon spoke up. "Should I lend them some assistance?"
"Leave them be, Momon," Lucifer commanded. "This is a family matter."
"This is getting us nowhere," Vega growled after yet another failed attack that forced him to fallback. "His weapons force us to keep our distance. We won't be able to beat him unless we can slip past his guard."
"I've got an idea," Zesshi said, prompting Vega to raise an eyebrow at her in askance. "Just get me opening and I'll take care of the rest." With a single nod in her direction, Vega lunged at their laughing father once again each of his axes slamming against the mad king's hammers. Augustus attempted to jab his son with the hammer in his left hand only for Vega to sidestep, drop the axe in his right hand, and grab onto its handle while keeping the other hammer locked under blade of his remaining axe.
"Ooooooh, well played boy," Augustus remarked, a mad grin stretched across his face and a look of pure joy in his eyes. "But what are you going to do now? You can't move your arms without freeing me, so unless you want to start headbutting each other or start kicking each other in the crotch then we appear to be at a stalemate."
"Shut up old man!" Zesshi yelled as she swung her weapon in an upward cleave, attempting to kill the king then and there. Augustus simply grinned and finally released his hold on the hammer Vega had grabbed, removed the broadsword from his back, and slashed at Zesshi all within the span of a second. Zesshi was forced to roll in order to avoid being cut in 2 but managed to hook her scythe on the remaining hammer allowing her to snatch it from his fingers, which she failed to notice were trembling slightly, leaving her father with only his only remaining weapon being the broadsword on his back.
"Magnificent," Augustus breathed as he backed up and gripped the massive blade on his back with both hands. "Truly magnificent! Why is that all of my children who are actually worth a damn grow up outside my influence? Am I the one stunting their growth? Or perhaps it's because most of these brats still have their mothers? If I survive this, I think I'll start killing the mothers after they give birth, force the brats to grow up on their own and face hardship themselves, just like you!"
"Lunatic," Vega scoffed. "I think it's time we ended this madness, sister."
"What do you doing calling me "sister" all of a sudden?" Zesshi muttered with an uneasy look in her eyes. "Nonetheless I agree. The sooner he's gone the better."
"Come on kids!" Augustus exclaimed as he pointed his blade at them. "Don't keep your old man waiting!" Zesshi and Vega didn't exchange any more words. Instead the bastard children let out their battle cries and immediately rushed towards their father and engaged in a flurry of sharp metal, martial arts, and magic. It was a display that would impress even the most skilled fighters. The elven citizens looked on in awe, the undead remained passive, the girls of Blue Rose continued to watch in anticipation, and Lucifer Dracul looked on with a serious expression as he thought of the details that no one else had considered. Such as:
How long is this gonna take? Come on people, I got shit to do! Hurry up and die already!
Zesshi and Vega continued their assault, somewhat overwhelming the Elf King's defenses as he was now using a single broadsword to fend off the attacks of two attackers. He managed to deflect or block what would have been fatal blows, but many small strikes, nicks, and glancing blows were beginning to wear him down. Zesshi and Vega showed no signs of slowing down however. In fact, they were hoping to create an opening in his defense that they could exploit in order to finally finish this fight. Soon enough, Vega saw his opportunity and brought his axe down onto his father's unguarded shoulder, cleaving through half of it and forcing Augustus to drop his weapon. Zesshi wasted no time before capitalizing on her father's weakness and, with a powerful stroke of her scythe, thrust the blade of her favored weapon through his back.
For a few moments, Augustus only stared down at the scythe blade that was jutting out from his gut before he hacked up a glob of blood and sank to his knees.
"Well played brats," Augustus said in between coughs. "Now that I'm gone, I wonder if you two will kill each other to decide who will take my place?"
"We're not like you," Vega spat.
"I have no interest in ruling," Zesshi stated coldly. Augustus didn't respond to their retorts and simply stared ahead as if he could see something that no one else could.
"Strange," he whispered as his limbs became cold and numb. "They always said there would be light, but all I see is a dark and swirling mist as if trapped within a sphere." And with that, Zesshi and Vega pulled their weapons out of their father and he crumpled to the floor. Lucifer, while pleased that this was finally over, was puzzled by that last statement.
After what happened to Clementine, I thought he would've caught a glimpse of Oblivion. Instead he saw something completely different. Has something changed? Have I overlooked something?
Deep within Nazarick, the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown hovered safe within the confines of a secret vault in the throne room. The Jewel of Death perched upon the staff had never been so well fed. When Jewel had been attached to the staff, the range from which she could absorb the souls of the dead had increased. Since then, its range had steadily expanded as her master continued to kill more and more, their deaths granting her a coinciding amount of power. And the Massacre of Katze Plains occurred, and her power expanded exponentially. Her range now covered the entire continent (and still growing) and she was capable of not only creating undead monstrosities that the likes of which would drive most men mad, but so much more.
Within her spherical form an afterlife had been born, a new option apart from Hell, Heaven, Oblivion, Sovngarde, Dreamsleeve, or any other afterlife there was. Or, at least, what their souls would perceive as an afterlife. She was, in fact, a glorified soul trap that those who were caught within her influence could not escape. While she was still just an item that could not act on its own, she was able to manage the souls within her alter the afterlife. For now, she would simply keep the souls trapped within her organized and would give them let them believe that they were having a pleasant postmortem experience.
At least, until her master told her what he wanted with them. After all, she had no doubt that he had anticipated this, intelligent god that he was, and would give her instructions on how to handle these souls. But for now, she would do as had always done this past year serving Lucifer Dracul.
She would grow stronger. She would become useful. She would prove herself to her master.
She would obey.
Ainz and Angela leapt through the trees, taking care not to gain the attention of the countless teams of adventurers that were now exploring the Great Forest of Evasha below. They were everywhere, looking through every nook and cranny of the forest. Ainz was not entirely sure what they were doing, but if he had to guess, he would guess they were on some sort of expedition with the goal of exploring the entire forest. The reason didn't matter, what DID matter was that the adventurers scouring the forest might stumble upon their allies and alert Momonga to their presence.
If he finds out that we're here, he might flee back to Nazarick or call in reinforcements. Worse, he'll we're after him. Up until this point, the only reason we haven't had a direct confrontation with the Eternal Empire is because they're unaware that we're planning to attack. If we fail today, he'll hunt us down and burn the countries that are involved.
"There they are," Angela noted, snapping Ainz out of his thoughts, as they came upon a particularly large tree that would provide a great vantage point. Gathered on the branches of the tree were the members of the Black Scripture and the Holocaust Scripture along with and the Cardinals of Light and Earth. Ainz and Angela landed expertly on separate branches within the massive tree to join their allies.
"Greetings, members of the Black and Holocaust Scriptures," Ainz began. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you all."
"Not all of us. Two of our group are out preforming reconnaissance," Ruvik interjected before glancing over at the Cardinals. "That said, we were never explicitly told what our assignment here was. Would you care to explain?"
"Very well. Our objective is to ambush the forces of the Eternal Empire and eliminate the Immortal Emperor," Ainz said, immediately catching everyone's attention and causing Ruvik and Zur to stiffen. "Our attack will begin once Rigrit and the Dragon Lords arrive. They will provide air support and we will strike in the confusion. You will all target Lucifer's allies and the undead soldiers at his command while I face Lucifer himself."
"We're working with the Agrand Council Alliance?" Oskar, the captain of the Holocaust Scripture, asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"We are," the Cardinal of Earth responded sternly. "I understand that you might not like it, but we need to put our animosities aside until the Antichrist is defeated."
"After that, feel free to kill them all," the Cardinal of Light smirked. Just after he said that, a rustling came from a nearby tree and two figures jumped out and joined the group. The first one was a young man, very young in fact. He was probably 16 or 17.
"We're back boss!" the first exclaimed.
"I can see that, Oras," Ruvik replied with an unamused look on his face. "Report. Were either of you seen?"
"No," the second one started. "We have confirmed that the Immortal Emperor is-" He stopped, and his eyes widened when he noticed Ainz. Ainz, likewise was staring at this man.
It can't be. No. Nonononononono.
But it was. Ainz recognized almost instantly. The dark blue trench coat, the messy hair, the stubble beard, and, of course, the fact that Ainz immediately knew that he was an undead. A Vengeful Spirit to be precise.
"Corvo?"
"Impossible," Corvo gasped. "You can't be….." He never finished that statement as Ainz had made to grab one of the two swords at his sides and, the moment he saw that movement, Corvo began using [Blink] in rapid succession in order to teleport away as quickly as possible.
"DAMMIT!" Ainz shouted, rousing the men and women of the Slane Theocracy from their stunned stupor. He began pulling items out from his inventory as quickly as possible and using them as fast as possible, as if every second counted.
"I don't understand," Quaiesse spoke up. "How do you and Corvo know each other? Why did he flee?"
"Corvo is an agent of the Immortal Emperor!" Ainz shouted.
"WHAT!?" Memento Mori yelled.
"Son of a bitch!" Oras screamed hoping Corvo heard him.
"So, this is how that vampiric bastard has always been one step ahead of us!" the Cardinal of Earth exclaimed.
"I can't believe this," Quaiesse said, shocked.
"Dammit," Ruvik muttered, although his reasons were different than others.
"Always had a funny feeling about him," Cedran spat.
"Does this mean that Nigun has betrayed us as well?" Kaire mused while Zur simply growled quietly.
"Awww, I was gonna ask him out too," Garuna sighed sadly.
"It seems he was never Maximilian's dog to begin with," the Cardinal of Light seethed.
"ENOUCH!" Ainz roared, silencing all of them. "We do not have time to discuss this! Corvo is on his way to warn the Immortal Emperor as we speak! This is our only chance, we must strike! NOW!"
Albedo and Demiurge were hard at work in their master's office going over domestic policies and laws designed for specific species, mostly those who saw other sentient creatures as food. Or rather, Demiurge was hard at work while Albedo was grumpily confined to a chair.
"I still don't see why this is necessary," Albedo frowned.
"You are carrying the master' heirs," Demiurge stated matter-of-factly. "Now that you are so close to term, we can't afford to have you running around endangering the children."
"I'm perfectly fine."
"I'd rather ensure that every precaution is taken."
"Demiurge….."
"After all, those two will become princes of the Eternal Empire. Their importance can not be overstated."
"Demiurge."
"Additionally, it is remarkable that you and the master were able to conceive a child on the first try. Jigsaw's research indicates that our lord's undead traits severely lower the fertility of his sperm drastically."
"Demiurge!"
"In fact, the research suggests that there is only a 2% chance of impregnation during intercourse with a vampire. Those odds are further lowered when both partners are undea-"
"DEMIURGE!" Albedo screamed, finally getting his attention.
"Wha-" Demiurge didn't finish that statement. Demiurge's eyes widened as he realized why Albedo was so keen to get his attention. He eyed the puddle of liquid that forming under the chair she was seated in and raised his eyes to stare at the nervous succubus.
Her water broke.
Lucifer watched from the sidelines as Vega gave a speech to the elven citizens of Crescent Lake. He had tuned most of it out and was instead keeping an eye on Zesshi, who was standing next to Vega looking rather uncomfortable. He was bored and waiting for this to be over with so he could move on to his next conquests.
He was still waiting for Sebas to signal that his task in Re-Estize was complete, so he would likely enact his plan for the Agrand Council Alliance, which mostly involved summoning a level 100 Cthulhu and having it attack from the sea, which would prompt the dragon lords to counterattack. They would then fail to overcome the Great Old One and he would've succeeded in wiping out both: the country's strongest combatants and their leadership in a single stroke. With no one able to defend them from the Great Dreamer, he would offer the provisionary government the chance to join his empire. Then he would, provided that they joined his empire, have his forces deal with Cthulhu.
That was the gist of it anyway.
So, he stood off to the side as Vega told the elven citizens of the coming changes, the elves staring at him with rapt attention and some occasionally shooting fearful glances over towards Lucifer. The most notable of these changes was that they were becoming a part of the Eternal Empire. The elves really didn't know what to make of this. On one hand, they were finally free from the tyranny of Augustus Connard. On the other hand, they were now subject to another power, a power they knew very little about and may very well be worse than the Elf King.
Perhaps they think that their way of life will be destroyed? It doesn't really matter to me. As long as they obey my laws and pay their taxes they'll mostly be allowed to carry on as they please.
"My lord!" a familiar voice cried from the trees. Lucifer turned in that direction to see Corvo leaping towards him from the trees. The Dark Paladins prepared to intercept him, but Lucifer had them back off with a simple wave of his hand.
"Corvo? What is the meaning of this?" Lucifer inquired, well and truly perplexed. After all, Corvo was supposed to be spying on the Theocracy. While he had been informed that the Theocracy was had sent the Black Scripture into the forest, he had assumed that it was in an effort to finish off the elves.
"No time my lord!" Corvo interrupted in an uncharacteristically urgent tone. "You must flee! The enemy is-"
Corvo didn't get to finish that statement as he was suddenly tackled by Memento Mori closely followed by Cedran and Garuna. Lucifer froze for a moment, only a moment.
This wasn't part of the plan.
He was snapped from his stupor when he heard a loud several war cries. Angela Pious was leading Zur, Oras, and the members of the Holocaust Scripture against several Death Knights. Ruvik, Kaire, and the Cardinal of Earth were going after Momon and Nabe. The members of Blue Rose grouped up into a defensive position as Lakyus tried to figure out what the fuck was going on. The Cardinal of Light was moving rather slowly and wheezing from his (failing) efforts to keep up with the rest of them. With a snarl, Lucifer reached into his inventory and withdrew Guilty Ordinance.
"Who dares challenge the Immortal Emperor?" Lucifer growled.
"Me."
Lucifer reacted instantaneously. He spun around and raised his blade just in time to meet the opposing blade that had descended in an attempt to cleave him in half. As he stared at his assailant, he realized several things: there was something familiar about this man, and his strength was that of a level 100 player from Yggdrasil.
That strength. That speed. That fighting style. That voice. NO. IT CAN'T BE….
"Touch Me?"
Bonus Story: Contact
Orbiting the planet of Ainz Ooal Gown was the moon of Harghost, When Eternal Empire began expanding to other planets, this was one of the first locations colonized. It was originally a mere mining colony, but the military buildup on the planet overtime turned the entire moon into a massive self-sufficient fortress. Normally, life on Harghost was boring and monotonous apart from the occasional weapons test or the recent addition of the Deathwave Cannon. But not today. A few hours ago, an alien ship crash landed near mining facility and a military quarantine had been set up to keep civilians out.
And the aliens in.
The civilians who had gathered to take a look at the alien vessel were being kept at bay by several Regulators, clad in their black trench coats and black masks, as well as dozens of Kiegsmaschines, which looked like black skeleton-like robots. After the Death Knights had been fully militarized, they were pulled from the city streets to fulfill their role as the main infantry units of the Eternal Empire, so the Regulators and their mechanical servants were given the role of law enforcement. The Kiegsmaschines made up the bulk of their forces, acting as city guards and patrolling the streets, while the Regulators acted as similar to a SWAT team and were usually tasked with hunting down terrorists and rebels. While it was easier to communicate with the Regulators than it was with a Death Knight or a Kiegsmaschine, there was something about those faceless masks that made people deeply uncomfortable.
This wasn't the first time the Eternal Empire had encountered extraterrestrials, but it was the first time they'd encountered any who were capable of space travel. So of course, the person who was in command at Harghost, an albino lizardman known as Colonel Zarrel Shasha, was doing his best to keep the situation contained as he awaited someone with higher authority than himself to arrive.
Zarrel sighed and ran a hand over his scaly scalp. He was a colonel, he was in command of ground forces. He wasn't an admiral or captain with his own ship. First contact scenarios were navy business. He didn't know how to handle this situation. Thankfully, command was sending someone who DID know how to deal with this sort of thing. No sooner after he finished that thought, the doors to his office opened and a man walked in accompanied by two Death Knights. Over the ages, Death Knights had undergone constant upgrades and alterations due to the rapid scientific and magical progress of the empire. Nowadays, the Death Knights were covered from head to toe in bulky, heavy armor. Not a single inch of bone or rotted flesh was visible unless you counted the red glow of their undead eyes which could be seen through their visors. Each of the armored behemoths carried a large rifle that was a bit larger than the average human male yet fit perfectly in the hands of a Death Knight. Between the monstrosities was a seemingly normal human being, although anyone who knew who this was would know perfectly well that this was no ordinary human. The moment Zarrel laid his eyes on the man's signature eyepatch he knew who he was dealing with.
"High General Kingsley!" Zarrel saluted. High General Julius Kingsley and his Zero Squadron were the stuff of legends in the military. The first graduates of the Angels of Death Program, the first humans to be inducted into the Imperial Special Forces Division, rewarded with immortality by the Immortal Emperor himself upon their success during the Invasion of Akavir, and the veterans of countless battles.
"At ease, colonel," Julius responded with a salute of his own. "Would you be so kind as to lead me to this alien vessel I've heard so much about?"
"Of course, sir. Right this way," Zarrel replied as he led the way out of his office and to the [Gate] which was under heavy guard. "This will lead us the other side of quarantine."
"Have the aliens made any moves yet?"
"No sir, in fact, we haven't actually seen any of them," Zarrel answered as the two of them walked through to the other side of the [Gate]. As they exited, a group of 20 Death Knights began to follow them, acting as the guards for the two highly ranked officers.
"Curious," Julius murmured as he brought his thumb and forefinger to his chin with a thoughtful expression. "You'd think they would've at least attempted to contact us by now."
"Sir, if I may, why were you the one they sent here? Zarrel inquired. "I mean no disrespect, but I didn't expect the Supreme One to send a diplomat, not a military officer."
"No offense taken," Julius chuckled. "I'm not actually going to be the one speaking with them. I'm just here to accompany him."
"Shouldn't we have waited for him then?"
"No, he insisted we go on without him. He said he would catch up to us once he was done with his public appearance," Julius explained just before another [Gate] opened up before them. "Ah, it appears he's arrived."
As Julius finished these words a pristinely dressed figure stepped out from the [Gate]. He was wearing a black suit and tie styled off of Demiurge's iconic outfit. Additionally, he wore black overcoat with a high collar and carried a briefcase. His tidy dark hair was slicked back, and he had yellow eyes which he had inherited from his mother. Of course, you'd have to be fucking blind to miss the devil horns he had sprouting upwards from the sides of his head. Zarrel and Julius, not to mention the Death Knights accompanying them, kneeled before him when the man's stern expression turned towards them.
"Prince Hades! I wasn't expecting his majesty to send his own son," Zarrel exclaimed. There was no one in the entire empire who didn't know of the prince. Out of all of the royal siblings, he was the one who was seen in public the most. The prince was usually involved in military matters or significant political developments. His stern demeanor and steely gaze had earned him the nickname of the "Ice King" among his "fans" and the title of "Sir Douche-alot" as well as countless other insults from his brother.
"Report," Hades demanded, skipping any greetings or niceties.
"Yes, your highness," Zarrel began as they all rose to their feet. "Approximately 7 hours ago, an alien vessel of unidentified design or origin. We have attempted to communicate with them, but we have received no response."
"Any movement from within the ship?"
"None, although we have been able to pick up some faint life signatures, most of the ship seems to run off automated systems and mechanical servants."
"I see," Hades murmured before turning on heel and heading off towards the ship. "Come. Now."
"Yes, your highness," Zarrel and Julius replied as they followed the First Prince. The ship was not something that could be easily described. It looked like several massive ships and hundreds of smaller ships had been combined to create a makeshift superdreadnought, although it had more in common with a mobile space station. The hull was a light gray and its lining was a glowing light green. Hades barely had to glance at the marking on the hull for his Amulet of All Speech to translate it as "The Ark." They approached the side of the ship and stopped at the outline of some sort of door.
"Any ideas and how we can enter, your highness?" Zarrel inquired. "I've had technicians looking at it ever since it landed here and so far, all we've managed to figure out is that it works through some strange kind of neural interface that allows for…." Hades didn't wait for that statement to be completed and instead raised his hand as if to grasp something before pulling that invisible something down, telepathically tearing the door off its hinges and laying it down so that it could act as a ramp.
"Or he could do that," Julius chuckled as he and the others followed the prince up the makeshift ramp. The interior of the ship was a mess of loose wires, scrap metal, mechs in various states of disrepair, and lots and lots of dust.
Still no aliens though.
"By the emperor, what a mess," Zarrel muttered as Julius stepped over to a monitor of some sort, shoving a shambling mech over as he did so.
"It appears that most of the auxiliary functions were shut down in order to save power for the primary functions." Julius informed the others as he read off the monitor. Hades however had his attention on a terminal and snapped his fingers which emitted electrical sparks, powering it up. It only took him a few moments to look over all of the relevant information available on it.
"Apparently, this entire vessel was built and used with the intention of escaping a cataclysmic event that wiped out their empire. Large synthetics entities they refer to as 'Reapers'" Hades informed the others with scoff at the word 'Reaper.' "Tens of thousands of these aliens cryogenically froze themselves and set the ship to flee their home system."
"Do you think they can be negotiated with, your highness?" Zarrel inquired.
"Most likely," Julius interjected before Hades could respond. "Forced out of their home system and facing extinction? I wager they'd take whatever we can offer them."
"It doesn't matter," Hades snapped, shooting Julius an annoyed glare. "Whether we negotiate or not will be for the emperor to decide."
"Of course, sir," Julius smirked. He and Hades both knew perfectly well that the Immortal Emperor would likely offer these refugees a place in his empire, provided they became loyal and obedient imperial citizens.
It was just easy to annoy Hades.
"What are these creatures called anyways?" Zarrel inquired. Hades glanced back at the terminal lazily before turning his attention back to Zarrel.
"Protheans."
These past few months I've been to 4 funerals and 2 weddings. That combined with other stuff significantly delayed this chapter. This thing should've been out months ago.