Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord

I own nothing but this story and my characters

This chapter, along with the last 2, are meant to be an arc for Set. The next few chapters will be an arc for Azazel.

Chapter 9: War With the Lizardmen

Ainz waves his hand and summons the Mirror of Remote Viewing, "The time has finally come."

It's been about a week since Ainz delivered his warning to the Lizardmen and now, he and the others are about to witness Cocytus' battle with them. With Ainz is Azazel, the Guardians, Anubis and Set's team.

Mare turns to Ainz with a nervous expression, "Is Lord Set not joining us?"

Azazel hums, "He never came back to Nazarick."

"He probably wants to see the battle firsthand."

Ainz nods, "That is most likely the case."

At the Great Lake.

Entoma bows her head, "We are ready to begin, Lord Set."

Set hums, "Very well."

"Let's begin."

Cocytus gives the order to his undead troops to begin the assault.

Set frowns as he looks over the battlefield from the cliffside, "Let's see how you manage this situation, Cocytus."

"Having second thoughts?"

Set growls as Sobek lies down next to him.

The undead arrive on the battlefield and begin clashing with the Lizardmen. The undead do manage to score some kills, but the Lizardmen use their greater intelligence and skill, along with their knowledge of the terrain, to overcome their smaller numbers.

Set hums, "They're proving to be better warriors than I thought."

"They clearly have the advantage, despite having smaller numbers.

Sobek turns to him, "What would say gives them the advantage."

Set frowns, "For starters, the Lizardmen are clearly smarter and better at strategizing."

"Their commanders are more experienced and have seen battle before." "On top of all that, they know the terrain far better than we do."

The Lizardmen manage to wipe out the main unit of their troops, forcing Cocytus to call in his reserve troops. Said troops are being led by a powerful lich, created by Ainz himself.

Sobek blinks, "That's that thing?"

Set grunts, "It's one of Ainz' liches."

The lich's magic proves to be a hassle for the Lizardmen, but their resourcefulness proves to be too strong. Set frowns has a young male Lizardman slays the lich with a strange looking blade made of ice.

Set stands up, "That's that."

Sobek hums, "Perhaps, but you suspected that this would be the outcome."

Set chuckles, "I haven't survived this long by underestimating my enemies."

"The citizens of Nazarick may believe us to be unstoppable but I know all too well to the contrary."

He turns and walks back to the cabin where Cocytus and the others are.

Set opens the door, making everyone bow their heads, "Lord Set."

Set hums, "So, your forces were defeated."

Cocytus exhales, "Yes, Lord Set."

"I apologize for my failure."

Set smirks, "Yes."

"But tell me, what do you think of the Lizardmen?"

Cocytus looks up at him, "My lord?"

Set folds his hands behind his back, "Give me your honest opinion."

Cocytus goes quiet for a moment, "Well…"

"I consider them to be warriors worthy of respect." "Furthermore, I believe they could be of use to Nazarick."

Set smiles, "Are you saying that because I told you to not exterminate them?"

"Or is that your own opinion?"

Cocytus exhales, "At first I only considered it because of your orders, Lord Set."

"But as I observed the Lizardmen in battle, I began to see them for what they truly are."

He looks back up at Set, "They are true warriors, and I would be honored to fight alongside them."

Set chuckles, "Very good, you're learning."

Cocytus blinks, "My lord?"

Set opens a portal, "You'll see."

"Come, we should report to the others."

Set, Cocytus and Entoma walk through the portal and arrive back at Nazarick. The three of them head straight for the throne room. Once they arrive, Ainz and the others are already waiting for them.

Cocytus and Entoma kneel down in front of the throne, while Set takes a seat next to it.

Ainz' eyes flare, "Cocytus, you failed your mission."

Cocytus bows his head, "Yes, my Lord."

"I apologize for my failure."

Albedo goes to chastise him, but Ainz lifts his hand to silence her.

"Tell me, Cocytus…" "Why do you think you lost?"

Cocytus hums, "I underestimated my enemies' skill and resourcefulness."

"Also, my troops' lack of commanders meant that they lacked strategy and intellect." "Finally, I didn't take into account the environment could be used against us."

Ainz cups his chin, "I see."

Azazel turns to him, "So what do we do now?"

Ainz hums, "I suppose we'll have to step in ourselves."

Cocytus lifts his head, "Lord Ainz…I do not wish to offend you…but I have a request."

Albedo gains an incensed look and starts chewing him out.

"Albedo, enough!"

Everyone turns to Set, "Continue, Cocytus."

Cocytus exhales, "Lord Ainz, Lord Set, I humbly ask that we do not exterminate the Lizardmen."

This causes the rest of the NPC's to begin murmuring.

Azazel raises an eyebrow, "What brought this on Cocytus?"

Cocytus exhales, "During the battle, I observed the Lizardmen's skill and tactics."

"I have come to see them as worthy warriors." "I truly believe that they can be of great use to the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

Ainz frowns, "What did you have in mind?"

"I'm willing to consider any request that may benefit our home."

Cocytus goes to answer, but is interrupted by Set, "Let me handle this, Cocytus."

Set smirks, "I support Cocytus in his request."

Azazel blinks, "You want to bring the Lizardmen into the fold?"

"You?"

Set chuckles, "Believe me, the irony isn't lost on me either."

His face turns serious, "But I've been thinking long and hard on this."

"And I've come to the conclusion that we've been going about this the wrong way."

Brita raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean, Lord Set?"

Set stands up and begins pacing around the room, "Let's consider this for a moment."

"If our friends are out there, then we need to go out and find them, right?"

Ainz nods, "Yes, we've already established that."

Set hums, "Well…"

"The world is a big place and even we can't be everywhere at once."

Azazel's eyes widen, "Of course."

"You're saying that we should recruit the Lizardmen so that we will have an extra set of eyes to help keep track of the comings and goings of this world."

Set nods, "I was planning on doing the same with the jackals in the desert."

Ainz cups his chin, "Our very own spy network."

"Why didn't I think of that?"

He turns to Demiurge, "Demiurge, what do you think of Set's proposal?"

Demiurge smirks, "I agree wholeheartedly with the idea."

"Perhaps we could use the Lizardmen as a social experiment." "They could be a trial run to help us practice for future conquests."

Ainz stands up from his throne, "So be it."

"Cocytus, you have a new mission." "You will bring the Lizardmen under the banner of Nazarick."

Azazel nods, "But, you will not use fear or force to govern them."

"We don't want them to hate us and eventually try to rebel."

Cocytus bows his head, "I will not fail you again, my lords."

Ainz throws his arms out, "Remember this my guardians."

"There is no shame in not understanding a situation or orders." "We do not expect you to understand everything at all times."

Azazel smiles and releases a calming aura, "He's right, we will always be here for you."

"If you have any questions or concerns, you can ask us for advice."

The guardians are all shocked. Then, at once, joy fills them at the compassion the Supreme Begins feel towards them.

"Yes, Supreme Ones."

Ainz turns to Albedo, "Albedo, I leave you to make the necessary preparations."

She smiles, "Yes, Lord Ainz."

"Demiurge, I want you to retrieve Victim, it is only fitting that he is present for this."

Demiurge nods, "I shall retrieve him at once."

Ainz nods, "Good."

"Finally, activate Gargantua, we're all going in together."

Everyone bows, "Yes, Supreme Ones."

Set turns to Anubis, "Anubis, come with me."

"I need your help with my own preparations."

Anubis nods, "Of course, father."

The three players and Anubis teleport out of the room, leaving the Guardians to let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding in.

Aura wipes some sweat off her brow, "That was intense."

Shalltear hums, "Yes, but did you feel the love our masters have for us?"

Albedo blushes, "I did, it was wonderful."

Cocytus turns to Demiurge, "Demiurge, I am grateful for your support."

Demiurge smirks, "There's no need."

"I suspected that this was a test set forth by Lord Ainz."

Mare looks up at him, "Does that mean Lord Ainz was expecting Cocytus to lose?"

Demiurge cups his chin, "Perhaps not so much lose."

"It's possible he wanted to see how Cocytus would adapt to unforeseen circumstances."

Brain smirks, "I think you might be right."

"I'd be willing to bet that's why the Boss went with him." "He wanted to see Cocytus' efforts in person."

Cocytus exhales, "I must prepare."

"Our lords are counting on me, and I mustn't betray their confidence."

With the players.

Ainz, Azazel and Set walk down one of the Tomb's many halls, with Anubis loyally following behind.

Azazel turns to Set, "So what did you think of Cocytus' performance?"

Set grunts, "I'm thinking that I can't decide whether our boy here is a complete idiot or a mad genius in the making."

Ainz chuckles, "The line between idiocy and genius is constantly blurred."

Azazel smirks, "So we were right after all."

"Now that they are actually alive, they can actually move beyond their programing."

Ainz nods, "This means that they can learn."

"They can potentially learn new things that their class wouldn't let them before."

Set hums, "Does that mean we can do the same?"

Ainz hums, "It is entirely possible."

"We will definitely need to experiment with this."

They arrive at Ainz' chamber, "Alright, here is my plan."

"I am going to challenge the strongest warriors to a battle with Cocytus."

Azazel folds his arms, "Trial by steel."

"When they lose, we bring them into our sphere of influence."

Ainz nods, "Exactly."

Set hums, "And then we'll have Cocytus act as our governor."

Ainz nods again, "Yes, that is what I have decided."

The three players separate and head to their own chambers to prepare.

Set and Anubis arrive at the fourth floor and make their way to where Gargantua is.

Anubis looks up at Set, "Father, may I ask you a question?"

Set hums, "What is it?"

Anubis gives him a questioning look, "Why did you choose to spare the Lizardmen?"

"Given your history with them, it's not like you."

Set hums, "I suppose you have your cousin to thank for that."

Anubis raises an eyebrow, "Cousin?"

Set grunts, "Sobek."

"Ever since I set foot in the Great Lake, I've been seeing his face, hearing his voice." "I can't tell if he's real or if my mind is more damaged than I originally thought."

Anubis frowns, "Could it be possible that members of our family came here?"

Set shakes his head, "I have no idea."

"If they did, then they could be anywhere."

He waves his hand, causing a magical circle to appear in the air. He places his hand on the circle and twists it, resulting in an unlocking sound. The ground beneath them begins to quake as Gargantua slowly rises from the lake.

With Gargantua now activated, the three players and the guardians leave the Tomb and head towards the Great Lake.

Zaryusu Shasha, a nomad of the Green Claw Clan, frowns at the sight of the newly arrived undead.

"I should have realized that this wasn't over."

With him is his brother Shasuryu, the chief of the Green Claw tribe, Crusch Lulu, the chief of the Red Eye tribe and his fiancée, Zenburu Gugu, the chief of the Dragon Tusk tribe, Sukyu Juju, the chief of the Small Fang tribe and Kyuku Zuzu, the chief of the Razor Tail tribe.

Shashuryu frowns, "This "Great One" of theirs is probably here now."

"They're here to finish us off themselves."

Zenburu smirks, "I'm not going to cower."

"If we are going to die, then I'm going to go down fighting."

Crusch doesn't share his bravado, "Maybe it would be better for us to surrender."

Zaryusu grabs her hand, "Don't lose hope."

"We aren't doomed just yet."

She looks up at him, "But what's the point of keeping our honor if it means dying."

He turns and pulls her into his chest, "I don't want to die either."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He gains a determined look, "But I can't let my people be slaughtered or enslaved."

"I have to do whatever it takes to protect you and everyone else."

Shasuryu narrows his eyes, "What's that?"

The rest of the group all narrow their eyes to try and identify the object. At once the group is filled with shock and fear as Gargantua comes into open view.

Crusch leans into Zaryusu's side, "What is that thing?"

Zenburu starts to sweat, "There's no way we can take down something like that."

Gargantua stops moving and stands perfectly still as he awaits further direction. Following this the undead soldiers begin moving aside to allow Ainz and the others to come into sight.

Ainz lifts his hand and activates a freezing spell that completely ices over the lake.

Crusch has an awed look, "He must be incredibly skilled in magic to do something like that."

Ainz gives the signal to Gargantua, who tosses a giant black cube into the frozen lake. It breaks a whole in the center of the lake and stands tall.

Azazel snaps his fingers, "Iacob Scala." (Jacob's Ladder)

Stairs made of solid light materialize next to the cube.

Zaryusu's eyes widen, "Is this…a royal procession!?"

Ainz, Azazel, Set and the guardians, minus Cocytus, walk up the stairs and stand on top of the cube. Ainz holds up his staff and summons three thrones: one for himself, one Azazel and one for Set.

"Greetings, Lizardmen." "I am Ainz Ooal Gown, and these are my comrades, Azazel and Set." "We are the supreme rulers of the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

His eyes flash, "I would speak with the leader."

Zaryusu and his brother both turn to each other and nod. They both walk start walking across ice and stand before the cube.

Demiurge takes a step forward and activates his "Command Mantra."

"Prostrate yourselves!"

The two brothers grunt as their bodies slam into the ground, as if they were just hit with a massive amount of gravity.

Demiurge bows his head, "You may continue, Lord Ainz."

Ainz hums, "Thank you, Demiurge."

Ainz glares down at the brothers, "I originally intended to simply wipe you all out."

He turns to Set, "But my friend here has convinced me to spare you."

"So, I am presenting you with an alternative."

Azazel smirks, "In four hours, out champion Cocytus will face off with your mightiest warriors."

"If you win, we will leave." "But if Cocytus wins, then your people will be brought under our flag."

Shasuryu tries to surrender but is quickly silenced by Ainz.

Ainz stands up and opens a portal, "You these four hours to make whatever preparations you'll need."

He walks through the portal, quickly followed by the Guardians, who each give their own farewell.

Azazel gives the two brothers a warm smile, "I'm looking forward to having you with us."

He snaps his fingers again, this time causing a beam of sunlight to rain down on the ice which quickly causes it to melt. Azazel gives them a final wave goodbye and walks through the portal.

Set doesn't say anything and just walks towards the portal.

Zaryusu calls after him, "Wait!"

Set stops and looks over his shoulder at them.

Zaryusu swallows some saliva, "Why did you want us spared?"

"I don't understand."

Set merely narrows his eyes, "Sentimental reasons, mostly."

With his peace said, Set turns and walks through the portal.

Once on the other side of the portal, Set and other others arrive at the house. Waiting in for them in front of the house, is Entoma, Anubis, Brita, Brain and Alexandra.

Entoma bows her head, "Welcome, everyone."

Ainz hums, "Entoma."

"Is Cocytus inside?"

Entoma shakes her head, "Cocytus is currently preparing for the battle ahead."

Ainz nods in understanding, "I see, very good."

"Let's head inside."

The group heads into the house.

Aura scratches the back of her head, "Sorry if it's not up to your standards, my lords."

"I kinda had to do a rush job."

Azazel smiles, "Don't worry about it, Aura."

"You put your hard work into this place." "That makes it special."

Aura blushes, "Thank you, Lord Azazel."

Ainz takes notice of three thrones, made of bone.

"Aura, what are those?"

Demiurge smirks, "While they could never compare to the thrones of Nazarick."

"I believe they will suffice for our purposes."

Ainz internally groans, 'Aw man, this sucks.'

'Those are human skulls on there.' 'I can't sit on that thing.'

Set ignores his friend's trepidation and simply walks over to the thrones. He un-equips his armor and slowly lowers himself into the throne.

He sighs, "It's actually quite comfortable."

Azazel raises an eyebrow, "Really?"

He shifts into his silk robes and sits down, "Oh wow, it is."

Set turns to Ainz, "Sit down, you hunk of calcium."

Ainz' jaw drops, "What did you call me!?"

Azazel rolls, "Just sit down Ainz."

"Take a load off and relax a little."

Ainz sighs and shifts into his flesh and blood form, before taking a seat.

"Let's just get on with this."

He turns to Victim, "Victim, introduce yourself to the others."

Victim nods, "Yes, Lord Ainz."

He turns to the others, "Hello, everyone."

"I am Victim; Guardian of the eighth floor."

Brita blinks, "You're Victim?"

Victim nods, "That's me."

She raises an eyebrow, "You're…not what I was expecting."

Azazel laughs, "We designed him that way on purpose."

Entoma approaches them with some goblets, "Would you care for some drinks, my lords?"

The three players accept the goblets, "Thank you."

Set hums, "So, I think that went well."

"All things considered."

Azazel nods, "I agree."

"Things are going just we expected it to."

Ainz cups his chin, "Yes, I do feel some sense of satisfaction form all of this."

He waves his hand and summons the Mirror of Remote Viewing, "Let's see how the Lizardmen are doing."

The mirror lights up, showing the Lizardmen doing different tasks. Some of them are sharpening their weapons, and some are praying. For the most part, they are going about their normal routine.

Ainz hums, "They don't appear to be too concerned."

Azazel smirks, "I wouldn't be too sure."

"I think they're afraid, but they're trying to keep up a brave face."

Set nods in agreement, "The samurai were like that."

"They didn't allow upcoming battles to destroy their normal ways of life."

Ainz frowns, "Wait, two of them are missing."

"The one male and the albino female."

He scans for their magic and detects them in one of the huts.

Set's eyes widen, "No wait…"

Ainz zooms in on the hut and comes upon the two Lizardmen engaged in coitus.

Set facepalms, "Damnit Ainz."

Ainz cringes, "That's a sight I didn't need to see."

Azazel sighs, "Let's just pretend we never saw this and move on."

The four hours pass by slowly.

The five chief Lizardmen all gather in the front of the village, overlooking the lake.

Shasuryu, "It's just about time."

"Cocytus should be here soon."

Crusch looks up at her fiancée, "Be honest with me Zaryusu."

"Do you believe you can win?"

He frowns, "Honestly…I don't think so."

"But I have to try." "Whatever it takes to protect my people."

Zenberu's eyes widen, "Look!"

The undead soldiers step to the side as Cocytus walks into view.

Shasuryu swallows, "That monstrosity is Cocytus!?"

Cocytus plunges the end of his halberd into the ground and lifts one of his arms.

"Ice Pillar."

Two large pillars of ice raise out of the water, forming a sort of gate between Cocytus and the Lizardmen.

"Should anyone be courageous enough to pass this gate, I will face them in battle." "If you don't have the will to fight, I will not begrudge you."

Zenberu blinks, "Would you look at that?"

"A monster with manners."

Zenberu, Sukyu, Kyuku and Shasuryu start walking towards Cocytus.

Zaryusu turns to Crusch, "Stay here."

She shakes her head, "I can fight too."

Zaryusu wraps his arms around her, "I need you to carry on if I am slain."

"It will be up to you to lead our people."

He kisses her head and then turns to follow the others.

Tears begin to drip down Crusch's face as she watches him leave.

The five warriors all draw their weapons and stand across from Cocytus.

Shasuryu grips his blade, "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Cocytus."

Cocytus exhales some cold air, "I have longed to face warriors such as yourselves."

"It's been so long since I've had a proper battle."

Zenberu grunts, "You want a fight?"

"Then I'll give you one!"

Cocytus lifts one of his arms and summons a large katana, "God Slaying Emperor Blade!"

"To honor you as warriors, I will slay you with my mightiest weapon."

He exhales again, "And I also give you my word as a warrior that I will not harm any of your people."

Zaryusu nods, "I thank you for that."

The five warriors immediately jump into action.

Sukyu unfurls his sling, sending out a sharped rock that flies towards Cocytus like a bullet. Using this as cover, Kyuku charges towards Cocytus while spinning his bladed spear. The rock hits Cocytus, but just bounces off his hide without inflicting any damage.

"All those who hold the title of Guardian have been given items that grant us resistance to projectiles."

He quickly follows up by swinging his blade down, slicing Kyuku in half vertically.

Zenberu growls, "Damn you!"

He reinforces his fist with Martial Arts and tries to ram it straight into Cocytus. Said guardian merely blocks it with his blade, then immediately followed up by knocking his fist to the side and then finished by slicing off his arm with one clean swing.

While Zenberu clutches his stump, Zaryusu charges and stabs at Cocytus with Frost Pain. Cocytus lifts one of his arms and catches the blade in his fingers.

"Hmm, that is an interesting blade you have there."

Zaryusu grits his teeth as he tries to pull his blade out of Cocytus' grip. He tries to knee Cocytus in the groin, only to wince in pain.

Cocytus grunts, "You'll have to do better than that!"

He swings his tail like a whip and smacks Zaryusu in the chest. The impact sends him flying back a few feet, as well has cutting him up. Shasuryu grits his teeth, before stabbing his blade into the ground and performing a healing spell.

Zenberu's arm grows back, but unfortunately, Zaryusu is out of range.

Zenberu and Sukyu attack Cocytus, in an attempt to give the two brothers time to recover their strength but are quickly taken out.

Cocytus lifts his arm, "Piercing Icicle!"

He fires off a swarm of sharpened icicles that pierce Sukyu and turn him into a living pin cushion. Zenberu goes for another punch, but Cocytus proves that his large size doesn't mean that he's slow. He shifts to the side, dodging the punch and leaving Zenberu open for a counterattack.

Coctyus goes for a backhand slash that takes his head clean off.

Cocytus turns to the two brothers and hums, "Interesting."

"Things are playing out just as Lord Ainz predicted."

This draws attention of the two brothers.

"My lord predicted that the two of you would be the last ones standing and here you are."

Shasuryu turns gaze to his brother, "Brother, how is your injuries?"

Zaryusu groans, "It's serious, but not immediately life threatening."

He slowly staggers to his feet, "But I can still fight."

Cocytus hums, "Oh, still have strength to move?"

He tosses Frost Pain to him, "Then I shall return this to you."

Zaryusu picks up his blade, "I'm not done yet brother."

"I still have the strength to fight for our people."

Shasuryu smirks, "Well said."

"I'm right there with you."

He grips his blade, "Sorry for the wait, Cocytus."

Cocytus hums, "I'm in no rush."

"Far be it from me to get in between brothers saying their farewells."

Zaryusu slams the pointed end of Frost Pain into the water, causing a mist to form and conceal the two brothers from sight. Cocytus grips his blade as he maintains his composure and prepares for their attack.

Shasuryu leaps through the mist with a mighty battle cry.

Cocytus frowns, "Want to surprise me?"

He swings is blade and bisects him horizontally, "Then don't scream like a banshee!"

Zaryusu takes advantage of Cocytus' distraction and rams Frost Pain into his gut. His face adopts a defeated look as the blade completely stops at his hide.

Cocytus lifts the blade over his head, "It's over."

He brings it down towards Zaryusu, who merely has a calm look of resignation on his face.

Ainz deactivates the mirror, "And that's that."

He stands up, "We'll meet up with the albino female and give her our terms."

Azazel nods, "Alright, then I've got to get back to the Empire."

"I have a business to run."

Set grunts, "I should probably get back to Sebas and Solution."

"Who knows what kind of mischief Solution could be getting into."

This makes the Guardians smirk.

The group travels to the Lizardmen village and meet with Crusch Lulu.

Crusch keeps her gaze pointed at the ground, refusing to meet their gaze.

Set steps forward and lifts up her face with his finger, "You don't need to be afraid."

"If we wanted to hurt you, we would have done so already."

He smiles, "Instead, we have an offer for you."

Crusch frowns, "An offer?"

Azazel smiles, "Ainz can bring your beloved back to life."

Her eyes widen, "You can do that!?"

Ainz hums, "Life and Death are merely states of being."

"Moving one to the other is a simple task."

Crusch frowns, "What would you want in exchange?"

Ainz' eyes flash, "What I want is for you to be my eyes and ears."

"Report to me about anything of note." "Of any possible attempts towards rebellion."

Crusch scowls, "No one would try to do that, my lord."

Ainz frowns, "I'm not foolish enough to believe that."

Azazel smiles, "Think it over."

"We don't want to force you if we don't have too."

Crusch goes silent as her thoughts run through her head like a tornado. Eventually, tears begin to drip down her face as her emotions finally win out.

She bows her head, "Please my lord."

"I'll do whatever you say, just please bring him back."

Ainz hums, "Of course."

"I gave you my word after all."

Zaryusu slowly opens his eyes as he hears the voice of Crusch, "Zaryusu, wake up."

He groans, "Crusch?"

She wraps her arms around him, "You're alright!"

Zaryusu looks around with a confused look and spots his brother and the other chiefs lying on the ground near them.

"What's going on?" "The last thing I remember was being cut down by Cocytus."

Crusch gives him a said smile, "Yes, but you've been brought back."

His eyes widen, "But how?"

"We brought you back."

He whirls around and finally takes notice of the three players gazing down at them.

"It's you…"

Ainz hums, "The resurrection can be a bit disorienting."

"But you should be fine in a few days."

Zaryusu frowns, "So I guess you are our lords now."

Azazel smiles, "Yes, but you're not our slaves."

"We want this to be a mutually beneficial relationship."

Set chuckles, "I know what it is you're thinking."

"Your thoughts are not on yourself, they're on your people."

Set looks around the village, "I was just like you once."

"I had my own home and the responsibility to protect it."

He smiles, "My home may have changed, but my responsibilities haven't."

Zaryusu swallows, "Will my people prosper?"

Ainz nods, "I can guarantee that your people will not suffer while under our banner."

Zaryusu bows his head, "Then I will follow you."

"I shall serve you faithfully, my lords."

Ainz hums, "We shall leave you to recover."

"Cocytus will remain in the village and help your transition."

He turns and walks through a portal he summons.

Azazel smiles, "Good luck."

"I'll be back later to help you set up trade."

He turns and walks through the portal.

Set smiles, "The two of you are lucky."

"It's rare to find a love like yours."

Crusch bites her lips, "You lost someone you loved."

This causes Zaryusu's eyes widen, "Is that true?"

Set frowns, "I found love twice."

"I lost them both times."

He looks up towards the sky, "All I have left of them is the children they gave me."

He turns back to them, "The love you two share…"

"Cherish it."

He turns and walks through the portal.

Crusch snuggles into her lover's side, "Our lives have changed forever."

"But at least we will be facing it together."

Zaryusu wraps an arm around her, "Yes."

"And that's just fine."

Set arrives back at the area outside Nazarick's entrance.

Set takes a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"How do you feel?"

Set turns to see Sobek lying on the ground near him.

He hums, "I doubt I will ever really feel whole until I find my friends."

Set smiles, "But I suppose I feel a bit better."

He turns to see Sobek no longer there.

He scoffs and walks into the Tomb.

End of chapter 9.