Don't own nothin'
When Alastair filled out the thing, this was not what he expected. Oh sure, tons of fanfictions started with similar premises, but still.
When he'd first found out about the 'Waifu Catalog', he thought it was one of those broken power/sexual fantasy CYOA's. But no, it was pretty well made and had interesting choices.
…Admittedly, most of the choices were pretty rape-y, but thankfully there were options that would allow one to go though the thing without anything too extreme. It was very in-depth too, everything had a description, and that should've been a red flag for 'This is real.' Oh, he wasn't bummed out by the Isekai-ing, but if he'd known it would happen…
Well, he'd probably choose the same things, to be honest.
He wouldn't regret not mind-raping his Companions. He was also glad he decided against the PVP starts because having to fight off over 100 people that were just as strong as him was not something he was prepared for.
Shaking off his astonishment, he looked himself over. When he'd filled out the catalog, he focused mainly on himself first. He'd thought that, with how the Catalog focused on multiverse travel and post-chargen purchases, getting companions- via the Catalog or otherwise- wasn't as much a priority. As such, most of his points were spent in Defenses, Talents, and speccing for [To The Victor Go The Spoils], so that his kills will give him points.
As far as powers went, he decided to use most of his points to Possess Dante from the Devil May Cry series- not the DmC one- and the first two Dragon Heritage traits. He also decided to get two [Template Stacking] purchases of Edward Elric and Solid Snake. Edward for the usefulness of FMA's alchemy and Ed's Truth-given ability of circle-less alchemy. Solid Snake for his stealth abilities, CQC skills, and, to a much lesser extent, his military equipment handling.
Of course, to get the most bang for his buck, he got [Does it come in black?] and [Appearance Change] too, so he wasn't just the wacky woohoo pizza man. He chose them both because with [Does it come in black?] he could make it so that he'd get all the equipment Dante ever had, while with [Appearance Change] he could customize his looks however he wanted.
And, sure enough, when he looked, he found that he was wearing a long red overcoat with a red vest over a black turtleneck- DMC1 Dante's outfit.
Though, there were slight differences from what the original had, with the vest being a button-up and no mysterious collar. He also didn't have gloves on, nor did he have those odd cuffs on his arms. Instead, it seemed his coat had rolled-up sleeves, similar to how it looked in DMC4.
He also saw that his pants didn't have the leg belts, and in the place of the rain boots, he had more normal-looking, black lace-up boots.
As for the face, he decided to keep his- Alastair's- facial structure, if a bit touched-up. And though he couldn't see it, he was sure his hair was more reminiscent of Raiden's or Ragna's gravity-defying hair.
Through going over his aesthetics, he checked his pockets and other equipment.
In his pockets, he found his cell phone, a wallet with psychic paper inside, some earbuds, and a high-tech-looking phone. On the small of his back and under his coat, he found Ebony and Ivory. Over his shoulder, he found Dante- the sword.
With help from his- Dante's- memories, he looked through his pocket dimension- which was much bigger than he 'remembered'- and held his hand out. Appearing with a dark blue, ethereal flash was the Yamato, which was quickly replaced by the Rebellion similarly. Looking deeper, metaphorically, he found a multitude of Devil Arms, from Gilgamesh to Dr. Faust.
Dismissing Rebellion, Dante decided that he'd spent enough time doing nothing, and quickly checked his surroundings.
Despite deciding to 'spawn' in a random level 9 world, he found himself standing in the middle of his office- a much cleaner version of his office.
Looking it over, he found that everything was in their proper place. He looked over his desk and found his rotary phone still connected, alongside his picture of Eva. Walking to the area right of his desk, he saw his jukebox and minifridge next to his mini-bar. His trusty couch was still in front of his window, which surprisingly enough showed the building next to the office.
…It was still kinda odd to see the place so clean, though.
Seeing nothing out of place he decided to go outside, to find out where he was. But as he walked over and opened the door, he found himself suddenly in the middle of a forest.
He'd have spent more time 'appreciating nature' if it weren't for the fact that an armored man was swinging a sword at him.
As Momonga stepped through his gate the first thing he saw, as opposed to his assumptions, was not two dead children along with a pair of soldiers. Indeed, the sight he was treated to was that of what appeared to be a white-haired young man wearing a long red coat who was equipped with a large, demonic-looking blade. He stood in front of the two young girls, who both seemed quite distressed by his appearance. Though, there was a good reason for that.
He was impaled.
And, once more against his assumptions, the young man did not die. Instead, he seemed to give an exasperated sigh before he began looking around, the sword still in his chest. Deciding to observe the situation before going any further, Momonga quickly cast [Silent Magic: Perfect Unknowable] and stepped back to the edge of the tree line.
The young man gave a passing glance to the two children on the ground before turning back to the unnerved knights that were gaping at him. The impaled man sighed once more while shaking his head, hand on his forehead, and rhetorically asking, "Why is it that, every time, it's a sword through the chest? Not the arm, not the shoulder, not even the gut. Always the chest… At least it's not my sword this time." Though the last sentence didn't seem to be heard by the humans, Momonga heard it well enough.
The two soldiers shook in place, one pointing his sword at the young man and the other hiding behind his shield. "W-What are you!? Some kind of monster!?" the armed knight bellowed.
The impaled man scoffed at that before casually pulling the sword out of his chest and throwing it behind himself, stuck point first in the ground a fair distance from the two girls. The wound looked like it was fully healed as it was taken out, and somehow his clothes regenerated with him. "Me, the monster? Ironic, coming from a pair of grown-ass men trying their hardest to kill a pair of civilians," he said disdainfully.
With that said, he unsheathed his sword. As he laid the blade on his shoulder casually, he called out to the soldiers, "Well, if you wanted a fight, let's rock!" and gave the universal 'come at me' gesture with his free hand.
With a roar of, "Die demon!" the knight still equipped with a sword charged at him.
The young man barked laughter at his words before spinning the sword in his hand.
Just as the knight was about to cut his opponent, the white-haired man's arm disappeared in a blur that only the denizen of Nazarick could track. In turn, the knight was quite literally disarmed. Before he could react to the loss of his arm, the unarmed knight was just as quickly decapitated.
As the lopped-off head landed near the feet of the first knight, the coward squealed as he threw down his shield and ran away.
The man scoffed at the show of cowardice, before reaching under his coat and pulling out- a gun!?
Momonga could only gape as the BANG! of the gun corresponded with the head of the coward transforming into a fine red mist, helmet and all.
'Is that a player?' Momonga mused as he felt himself calm. Even if this fantasy world did have guns, he very much doubted that there would be guns that looked just like the famous pre-fall USA relic- the M1911.
Growing wary, he cast [All Appraisal Item] on the gun, and what he found was relieving.
| Ebony & Ivory |
| Divine-Class Item |
| Description |
| Rapid-fire pistols designed by Nell Goldstein, the legendary gunsmith. Assembled by Dante himself, each gun has its own faculty- accuracy and speed, respectively. |
| Ebony & Ivory are Dante's trademark pair of personally customized, semi-automatic pistols, designed to rapidly fire bullets instilled with his demonic power. The left-handed black gun, Ebony, has been modified for long-distance targeting and comfort, while the right-handed white gun, Ivory, was custom built for rapid firing and fast draw times. |
| Ebony & Ivory are both M1911-style handguns chambered for the .45 ACP round, and boast a plethora of customized features. |
| Durability: EX |
Yes, this 'Dante' was certainly a heteromorphic Player, judging by how the weapon drew power specifically from his 'demonic power', and that his gun was a M1911 pistol. Ainz never thought he'd find a Divine-class gun, but it made sense. The description described a Legendary Gunsmith- what sounded like a high-level, gun-specific Blacksmith subclass- being the creator of the guns, the description implying that two guild members created the guns together. Still, him being a heteromorph- possibly a Devil or Archdevil of some kind- meant that this Dante could become a potential ally to Nazarick…
Meanwhile
'Man, what a couple of chumps…' Dante was disappointed by his first 'fight'- if it could even be called that.
Oh sure, he didn't expect a couple of bandits to put up a good fight, but it was the principle of the matter…
Shaking his head in disappointment, he turned around to check on the girls.
What he wasn't expecting, however, was to see a giant skeleton with a glowing red orb in its gut wearing a fancy robe with an odd-looking golden staff floating next to him. He also had some weird shoulder guards- they looked like red orbs with horn poking out of them.
Next to him was someone wearing edgy-looking armor with a badass red cape. It looked like Gut's fully extended armor from Berserk, if the helmet looked more knightly, vaguely similar to the Elite Knight helmet from Dark Souls. If it looked edgy and had horns coming through it.
They also carried a Black Knight-esque shield in one hand, and a polearm in the other- which was glowing an acid green. The polearm also looked similar to a Black Knight Halberd, if it was a bardiche instead of a glaive.
…
An awkward moment passed as nothing was said…
"…Yo." Dante greeted with a wave.
The skeleton coughed(?) into his fist before greeting him, "Umu, yes, hello. You may call me…
Ainz Ooal Gown.
…I am here alongside my companion, Albedo." he finished with an arm sweeping over his… companion- not the Catalog kind, hopefully.
Sheathing the DSD, the white-haired man casually responded with a smirk, "'Sup, the name's Dante."
While Albedo clenched their fists at his response, Ainz merely nodded his head at that before responding, "Yes, well, as good as it is to meet you Dante-san, we must hurry, as the village that this two hail from," he gestured at the two girls, "is in grave danger, as it is under attack from a number of knights, similar to those that you have just slain."
Dante started, responding quickly, "Well shit, can ya' point me in the direction?"
Ainz shook his head, "Nay, I- we shall accompany you to the village as soon as these two are secured." with that said, he turned to the girls who quickly shrunk back at his attention.
He reached out, a tear in space appearing where his hand disappeared. Soon after, he pulled out a small red potion from within before handing it to the one who appeared wounded- the one covering the smaller of the two.
"Drink it." Ainz commanded.
The young women shook in fear, the older of the two sending a questioning and fearful glance at Dante. In response, he shot her a grin, one accompanied by a thumbs up as he encouraged her, "Hey, don't worry about it, that's just a healing potion, right?" he shot that last bit at Ainz, who nodded quickly at the remark.
Once both girls settled, the eldest took the small bottle hesitantly. She drank from it before starting and twisting around in astonishment to try and view her now-healed back.
"Is the pain gone?" the tall skeleton questioned.
"Y-yes." the healed woman replied, speaking for the first time since Dante got involved.
At that, the skeleton nodded before holding his hand towards the two.
"[Anti-Life Cocoon]"
"[Barrier of Warding From Magic]"
"[Wall of Protection From Arrows]"
From what it looked like, he'd casted some defensive magic as a barrier briefly appeared over the two girls.
"I have cast a defensive spell that keeps living creatures from coming near you, as well as a spell that weakens the effectiveness of shooting attacks, and one that weakens the effectiveness of magic attacks. As long as you stay here, you should be safe. Ah, just in case, I will give you these as well."
After calmly explaining the effects of the magic to the two dumbfounded sisters, Ainz withdrew a pair of unremarkable-looking horns. Apparently, the barrier didn't obstruct them, since they sailed straight through the forcefield as he tossed them to the girls' side.
"These are called the Horns of the Goblin General. If you blow them, Goblins- in other words, small monsters- will appear. Order them to protect you."
Though she was still trembling, the young woman replied to the both of them, "Th-thank you very much, Lord Ainz, Sir Dante!"
Before the three of them set off towards the village, Ainz decided to resurrect the soldiers that Dante killed as Undead to help them fight the bandit-knights.
Personally, Dante didn't have an issue with necromancy conceptually, only certain forms and uses of it.
From what he saw there was no soul-fuckery involved, so he saw Ainz's brand of necromancy as more of a subset of Golemancy. Truth be told, however, Dante could've done without the whole horror aesthetic that Ainz's magic gave off though, what with the whole grunginess the 'Death Knight' gave off.
As the Death Knight gained distance from them, Ainz decided to 'cover up' a bit. And by that, he means to put on a weird-looking mask, some gloves, and close up his robe. He also decided to put away his staff, which Dante only belatedly realized gave off an aura reminiscent of the Yamato. The changes wouldn't make him look any less odd, perhaps even odder than before. Less threatening though… which was probably the point.
However, it did bring him some satisfaction to see the undead stumble as he said the mask made him look like a goober.
Albedo threatening him with death soon after, though, was less satisfying… only slightly less, though.
Before Albedo could do anything, however, Ainz quickly calmed them down.
The closer they got to the village, the more knights they encountered. While to Dante they were less then chump change, Ainz seemed a bit too intrigued in them.
…He quickly lost interest, though, as Dante slaughtered them. Instead, as Dante messed with the knights, Ainz seemed to have a conversation with Albedo about something.
He was confused when in response to something Ainz said, Albedo gave him(?) a bow.
Wait, do skeletons even have genders/sexes? Not the remains of a body, but, like, 'spawned' skeletons…?
Dante shook his head from the odd thoughts, even as he bisected another knight.
A little after that, Albedo lowered their head again to Ainz. Was he giving them orders? Probably for something unrelated to the whole village issue, as neither of them joined in on his fight…
As they finally arrived- Ainz and Albedo via flight- they were treated to the sight of a freshly decapitated soldier. Behind the headless body was a retinue- no, different connotations now. Behind the body was a squad of similarly dressed soldiers who stood between the Death Knight and the villagers. The villagers seemed to be all kneeling on the ground, grouped as one.
Before the undead could go any further, Ainz quickly called it off, "Death Knight. That will be all for now."
Giving a brief eye roll at his dramatics, Dante casually strolled up to the Death Knight and leaned on him as though he was a wall, just as Albedo and Ainz landed in front of him.
"Greetings, gentlemen." Wait, he's just gonna casually greet them, as though this undead of his didn't just brutally massacre people in front of them? "My name is Ainz Ooal Gown."…he sure is. It seemed as though both the villagers and the bandit-knights were both equally dumbfounded by the nonchalance of Ainz, as both parties just murmured and gaped at him.
"If you throw down your arms, I can guarantee your lives. Of course, if you would rather fight-" before Ainz could finish with his threat, he was interrupted. One by one the knights were throwing down their weapons, all while saying nothing.
"…You seem quite tired. Although, don't you think your heads are held a bit too high before the master of the Death Knight?" Dante cringed a bit at that. That seemed a little too overdramatic.
The knights threw themselves before Ainz without a sound.
"…I will permit you to leave with your lives. In exchange, tell your master- your owner- this."
Ainz moved near one of the knights and removed his helmet and looked the man in the eye, bending down to be face-to-face. To Dante, the scene would be something he'd take serio- no, he'd probably never take it seriously. But it'd look way less stupid if Ainz wasn't wearing that goofy-ass mask.
"Do not make trouble around here. If you make a disturbance here, I will slay you with the rest of your country." 10/10 on line delivery. 1/10 on intimidation. Though, it probably was intimidating to these chucklefucks, given that the knight looked as though he'd shat himself.
The knight nodded as fast as he could.
"Get lost. And make sure to relay this to your master."
As the rattled- literally and metaphorically- knights scurried off and Ainz dismissed his Death Knight, Dante couldn't help but chime in, "Man, if that came from anyone else, that'd've been chunni as fuck."
While Albedo couldn't decide if the statement was a compliment or not, Ainz reeled back as if struck.
Before he could respond to the remark, one of the villagers spoke up to Ainz, "Y-you… Who are you, sir?"
Seeming to regain his equilibrium, Ainz responded to the villager with a non-sequitur, "I saw someone attacking this village, so I came here to help." As the villagers sighed with relief, Ainz followed with, "You have been saved. Be at ease."
What an odd way of telling people to relax. Why'd he word it as though it was a command? And so awkwardly too…
Deciding to break the awkward air that appeared, Dante strolled up to the villagers, "Hey, why don't y'all get up now? The name's Dante, I got caught up in all this.
Y'see, a couple 'a guys were up to no good, startin' trouble in the neighborhood. These two girls were out in the forest, thataway," he briefly pointed towards the direction they'd come from with his thumb, "and a pair of these guys were tryin' to do 'em in. I had a bit of a problem with that, and the issue just spiraled from there."
Through the dialogue, more and more of the villagers stood up haltingly, and the one that spoke up first towards Ainz was listening intently to him. At the end of his speech, the man requested, "Sir Dante, would you kindly describe these girls?"
At the man's worried look, Dante quickly relayed their appearances.
The man sighed and shook his head mournfully, "It is as I thought. It was worrying when none of us saw Enonaba and Mimo… Those two would be the Emmotts- Enri, and Nemu. It's a relief to know they lived through this frightful day, even if I cannot say the same for their parents."
As it seemed they finished, Ainz took the opportunity to interrupt, "Umu, not to be rude, but my companion and I require information." As the man quickly relayed Ainz's request, Dante quickly intervened to join them in the information gathering, as thus far, he hadn't recognized anything of note about the setting he was dropped into.
Dante listened with mild curiosity as Ainz explained his circumstances in the village chief's house. Ainz described how he was a reclusive magic caster who was only now coming out of his seclusion and thus needed information about the 'modern' world.
On the other hand, Dante decided that story-making was either below or beyond him. As such, his explanation of, "I don't know anything about this village, this country, not even the area." while not as quickly believed, they were just as comfortable accepting him due to his demeanor.
When Ainz inquired about the local currency, the Chief described coins with tiers of value. The local kingdoms seemed to have a Gold-Standard system, unlike the Fiat-based paper economy he was used to. There were four tiers of the local currency, starting with copper coins. From there, it was 13 copper coins to equal a silver coin, 100 silver coins for a gold coin, and ten gold coins for a platinum coin.
When Ainz pulled out a gold coin of his own, the Chief and his wife explained that they couldn't recognize the design, thus making it worthless in the local economy as a currency.
Dante on the other hand pulled out his wallet. He then took out a copper, silver, and gold coin. Most surprising to the village couple was that he also pulled out a platinum coin.
When Ainz questioned him about where he got the currency, Dante shrugged and explained how he didn't have the local currency. Instead, the wallet exchanged his currency for any analogous currency at a fixed exchange rate. In response Ainz merely nodded, not saying a word.
His conversion was a bit odd. A copper coin was worth about seven dollars, a silver coin was around 96 dollars, a gold coin was around 960 dollars, and a platinum coin was about 9646 dollars. With his 'Company Salary' of $10,000, he'd earn a platinum a month… which he didn't know what to use for. If only this world had pizza…
Dante quickly lost interest when they brought out the map and started talking about the neighboring countries. Like hell he'd ever get involved with politics of all things.
He only tuned back in when they started talking about nearby monsters. One of the local ones, the "Wise King of the Forest", was some sort of pseudo-protector of the village, as it deterred local monsters from the area, it's so-called territory. Alongside that, the world seemed to be populated with generic fantasy monsters like goblins, orcs, slimes, and other such mobs.
The Chief explained that, for those monsters that did get close to the village without being accosted by the Wise King, they called adventurers from the nearest major city, E-Rantel.
There also seemed to be other species of humanoids- though whether they were just a different race or a completely different evolutionary line was to be seen- also populated this world. There were Dwarves, Elves, what sounded like dragonoids, and apparently even a nation of 'demi-humans', who sounded more like beastmen than demi-humans.
After that, however, they started talking about the population of E-Rantel, and thus Dante zoned out again.
Soon after that, though, they were interrupted by a knocking on the door. The Chief briefly gave the two a questioning glance, earning a thumbs up from Dante, and from Ainz, "Please, by all means. I was intending to take a break myself. I won't mind if you step outside."
"I'm very sorry about this," the Chief said as he nodded in apology. He headed to the door, and when he opened it, a villager was waiting. He looked first to the Chief, then to Ainz and Dante, and said, "Chief, I'm sorry to interrupt you when you're talking to our guests, but they're ready for the burial…"
"Oh…" the Chief replied in a mournful understanding.
He looked to Ainz, eyes asking for approval.
"It's fine. There's no need to worry about me." Ainz waved off.
"Thank you. Then, tell the others that I will be there soon." said the Chief to the villager in the doorway.
The burial ceremony was held in a nearby communal graveyard. It was surrounded by a broken-down fence, and within were several circular stone slabs inscribed with people's names.
The village chief recited the verses to ease the spirits of the dead, and he appealed to a god that Dante wasn't even tangentially aware of.
It appeared that there weren't enough people left to bury all the bodies at once, so they chose to bury them in groups over a few days. Though Dante found it a bit odd that they immediately buried the bodies, he figured it was a necessity due to the lack of refrigeration and preservation technology for bodies.
Dante spotted the sisters he saved from those first two knights, Enri and Nemu Emmott.
Of the three- plus the Death Knight- only Dante walked up to the girls that were sobbing violently.
It was due to moments like this that he was glad he chose to keep all of the original Dante's memories emotional connections. He knew the feeling of mourning a loved one, especially a parent.
Dante could sympathize with these two girls, who saw a parent die in front of them not once, but twice. As much as he was Alastair, he was now just as much Dante. And just like Dante who embraced both of his sides, he too would embrace both of his memories as his own.
So as he walked up to the grieving girls, he wasn't just a well-wisher. He knew the feeling of watching a parent die. They were blaming themselves, agonizing over what-ifs, thinking of what could have been.
The pain would never truly leave, of course. But who would want to 'get over' the death of a loved one? What was the quote, "Grief is just love with no place to go."?
So as he kneeled and hugged the two, he knew they would be stronger for it. Be stronger for each other. To live the life that their parents died to give them.
Later
As Dante heard the rapid hoofbeats approaching the town while he assisted the rebuilding effort, he quickly [Trick]ed towards Ainz, Albedo, the Death Knight, and the Chief. Ainz gave him a curt nod before looking back towards the approaching horsemen.
A man came forward from the rest of the force, presumably the leader of these men. He looked briefly at the Village Chief before taking a long look towards the Death Knight and Albedo. However, once he was satisfied that they weren't going to move, he trained his gaze on Ainz and Dante.
He introduced himself with a grave tone, "I am the Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. By order of the King, I have been visiting each of the frontier villages to exterminate knights from enemy countries who have been making trouble here."
The Chief gave out a murmur at the introduction, "The Kingdom's Warrior-Captain… " gaining the attention of Ainz.
Ainz seemed to carry a quiet conversation with the Chief for a moment, even as Dante gave Gazef a wave with a wide grin on his face. Gazef gave a small, amused smile in response, giving a smaller wave back.
As the two finished their short conversation, Gazef inquired towards the Chief, "You must be the chief of this village, tell me, who are the ones standing beside you?"
In response, the Chief exclaimed, "These gentlemen are-" only to be interrupted by Ainz who gave another awkward greeting, "There is no need for that. Pleased to meet you, Warrior-Captain-dono of the Kingdom. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, and I am a magic caster. This village was attacked by knights, and so I stepped in to rescue them." Wow, no wonder the Chief so easily accepted that Ainz was a recluse, this was kind of getting embarrassing…
The man nodded his head once, before turning his gaze towards the relaxed Dante, Albedo waiting at attention behind Ainz, and the Death Knight. Gazef gestured towards them and asked, "And these three?"
Ainz nodded at that, before gesturing to Albedo, "This is my companion and bodyguard, Albedo-san," he then gestured to Dante, "and this is Dante-san, someone who I encountered on my way to save this village. He killed two of the knights that were attempting to kill two children in the nearby forest. After that, he joined in my efforts to aid the village, cutting down those who impeded our path to the village."
With the attention on him, Dante replied with a smirk, "Yo, the name's Dante. Nice ta' meetcha."
Ainz then pointed towards the Death Knight, "This is a servant that I have created."
Gazef once more gave a single nod, face stoic, before dismounting his horse. Walking up to them, Gazef gave them a deep bow, stating, "Thank you for saving this village. I have no words that can adequately praise your kindness"
"… Please, do not stand on ceremony. No thanks is needed." Ainz demurred. Dante agreed with that, saying, "Yeah, all's good man."
"Oh… I see. You must be extraordinary adventurers, then. Although, forgive my ignorance, but I have not heard your mighty names before, Lord Gown, Sir Dante." questioned
"I was travelling, you see, and I just happened to pass by. I am nobody famous." Ainz once more tried to downplay his actions. On the other hand, Dante was upfront about his circumstances, "Yeah, I wasn't expecting to be here. Y'see, I'm not from this country. First thing I see when I get here was some guy trying to kill some girls. Couldn't just stand around when I saw that."
"… Travelling, you say. And Sir Dante, I am deeply sorry that the first impression you have of the Re-Estize Kingdom was so poor. And though I regret having to waste the time of such great adventurers, could you please tell me about the blackguards who attacked this village?" politely inquired the Captain.
"It would be my pleasure, Warrior-Captain-dono. Most of the knights who have attacked this village are already dead, so they will not be able to make trouble for the time being. Shall I go on?" replied Ainz.
"… Already dead… Lord Gown, Sir Dante, did you strike them down?" Though Gazef's question was worded confrontationally, his tone indicated that he was just curious.
Taking the initiative for once in the conversation, Dante said, "Yeah, big boy over here," he pointed towards the Death Knight, "took care of the ones in the village itself, while I took out the knights guarding the village."
"I see, thank you, Sir Dante… " After Gazef thanked Dante, he turned and questioned Ainz as he looked him up and down with a keen gaze, "Lord Gown, I have a couple of questions… may I know why you wear that mask?"
"I wear it for reasons known only to a magic caster." …It seemed as though Ainz was using the legendary [Bullshitting] skill.
"May I remove that mask?" further questioned Gazef.
"Sadly, I must refuse," Ainz said as he gestured to the Death Knight. "It would not be good if I lost control of him."
Gasps came from the villagers hiding within the Chief's house. Perhaps he had sensed the change in the air, as Gazef nodded deeply and said, "I see. Then, we'd best not take it off."
Dante, though, gave Ainz a half-lidded stare. It was good that, with either luck or foresight, Ainz chose to modify the memories of Enri and Nemu so they 'remembered' that Ainz always had his mask and gloves on. Ainz wouldn't just bullshit that on the spot, with no thought about what would happen if he was caught lying, right?
"Thank you." Ainz replied, fidgeting slightly as Dante's gaze burned the side of his head.
"Then-" Gazef started, before he was interrupted by Ainz.
"Before that, I have a request you might not like to hear. This village was recently attacked by knights of the Empire, and if you gentlemen brought your weapons in, it might trigger unpleasant memories in the villagers. May I ask you to place your weapons in a corner of the village square, to put the people at ease?" Ainz requested of the Kingdom's knights.
Dante personally doubted that the weapons themselves would trigger bad memories, he'd think they'd be uncomfortable or wary. It would be far more likely that the sight of a Baharuth knight would trigger a response, not weapons. There was even a good chance that some of the villagers themselves were armed. Not to mention that these were knights of the kingdom they belonged to. Unless corruption was rampant in this kingdom, like the Empire from Akame Ga Kill, they had little to fear from these knights.
Though Gazef seemed to resonate with his reasoning, he still had an objection, "… It is as you say, Lord Gown. However, this sword was given to me by the King. I cannot set it down without his express permission."
"-Lord Ainz, we will be fine." the Chief intervened.
"Is that so, Chief-sama… then, please forgive my unreasonable request, Warrior-Captain-dono." acquiesced Ainz.
"No, I see the logic in your thinking, Lord Gown. If this sword had not been personally awarded to me by the King, I would gladly lay it aside. Then, could we sit down and discuss the details? Also, the sky is growing dark, and we would like to rest in this village for the night…" he trailed off.
"I understand. Then, let us return to my home together—"
In the middle of the Chief's reply, one of the horsemen ran into the square panting heavily. In a high-pitched voice, the horseman said, "Captain! Unknown figures have been spotted around this area; it seems they've surrounded this village and are approaching as we speak!" earning an alarmed look from all those present.
Dante and Albedo were waiting outside for Ainz and Gazef to finish their conversation. As soon as Dante realized they were strategizing in there, he quickly left to join Albedo in waiting. The white-haired man relaxed against the wall of the shack, resting his head on his hands. He glanced over the men in formation, who were all still on their horses.
Turning towards the armored warrior, he asked of them, "Hey, Al', ya' think they got a chance? Gazef's men." After a moment of silence, they responded with a huff, "The fate of a bug is inconsequential. But should they choose to gain the ire of Ainz-sama, they shall all be crushed beneath my heel." They spoke with a distorted tone, ambiguous in gender, making Dante finalize his decision on referring to Albedo as they/them. They, therefore, must have that gorilla-grip-
Before he could finish that thought, Albedo seemed to give him a glare, the slits in their mask glowing an ominous red. "You, too, should endeavor not to antagonize the Supreme Ainz-sama, lest you wish to face our wrath!" Dante merely rolled his eyes at this. Albedo seemed to be an angrier version of Vergil if he decided to wear armor.
Just as Dante was about to make a snarky reply, the door to the shack opened with Gazef coming out. As he walked toward his horse, the man gave Dante and Albedo a solemn nod.
Just as the Warrior-Captain mounted his horse and took off, Ainz came walking out of the shack. Dante looked at the hidden skeleton, asking, "Hey, big guy, ya' gonna join us in kicking these guys' asses?" Ignoring Albedo's rapidly heating glare at Dante, Ainz responded, "I am afraid not, Dante-san. These enemies, the Six Scriptures of the Slane Theocracy, have gathered here not for the goal of destroying the village, but for the purpose of killing the Warrior-Captain- Gazef-dono. As such, it is his enemy to defeat, not ours."
Dante's gaze sharpened in response, quickly replying, "So, ya' just gonna let 'em go off, presumedly to get killed? Not exactly filling me with confidence, big guy."
Ainz quickly waved his hands, seeking to reassure Dante, "No no, do not worry. No allies of mine shall die today. Umu, should Warrior-Captain-dono or his men fall in his goal of defeating his enemies, they shall instead be teleported to safety. Indeed, he should be given the chance to prove his worth, to fight his enemies. However, should he also fail in defeating his enemies, we- you, Albedo-san, and I- shall take up his mantle to defeat his foes."
Dante relaxed again at that, giving Ainz a sharp nod. Before he could relax fully, the village chief and his wife approached, calling out, "Lord Ainz, Sir Dante! Why did the Warrior-Captain leave us behind and not protect us?"
As they turned to regard him, Ainz replied, "… He is doing what he must do, Chief-dono… The foe has their eye on the Warrior-Captain-dono, and if he stayed here, the village would become a battlefield. The enemy will not let you flee either. He left this place for your sake. I have made a promise to the Warrior-Captain-dono… in any case, gather all the villagers into one of the larger houses. I will further protect it with magic."
The village pair gave great sighs of relief at his promise of defense.
As Dante looked over the plains, seeing the mages surrounding Gazef, he couldn't help but admire the man; facing off against a group of mages and their summons, even as he saw him struggling to defeat a single one of them earlier, just to let his men retreat? That took balls.
Moments later, seeing his men charge back in, he found admiration in his men, too. Gazef must be one helluva leader to instill such loyalty in his men.
Although the battle itself was underwhelming, the emotions instilled upon these men made it seem grander than it was. Though, in comparison to his men, Gazef was simply leagues above. Even as his men struggled to hold off the summons three to one, Gazef would go on to kill multiple in succession.
Still, all of his men fell, leaving Gazef alone to face the mages.
Seeing him struggle against his enemies, fighting to his last breath against a superior foe, got Dante feeling Motivated.
As Ainz, Albedo, and Dante teleported to Gazef's previous location, the enemy leader still stood stoic, looking somehow unsurprised at the disappearance of Gazef.
Ainz gave another one of his awkward greetings, "Pleased to meet you, gentlemen of the Slane Theocracy. I am Ainz Ooal Gown. I would be glad if you could call me Ainz. These two are Dante-san and Albedo-san."
An awkward moment of silence passed as no one said anything. Dante sighed and buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. Ainz seemed to take notice of his exasperation and quickly continued, "I would like to make a deal with you. Might I have a moment of your time?"
The man said nothing, merely giving a slight nod in response.
"Wonderful," said Ainz, "thank you for taking the time to listen to me. Then, I would like to start by making one thing clear to you gentlemen. That would be- there is no way you can defeat me."
"Ignorance is truly deplorable. You will pay the price for your foolishness." responded the enemy, speaking for the first time.
"… Really now. Do you really think that will happen? I observed your battle earlier, so my presence here would indicate that I am confident of victory. After all, if I was not sure that I could beat you, would it not be wiser for me to leave that man to die?"
A moment of silence passed as Ainz asked his rhetorical question.
"… I have a question for you, if you can understand it. The angels you have brought with you should have been summoned by third tier magic. Am I correct? The monsters you summoned are similar to those in YGGDRASIL, so I was curious as to whether the names were the same. Many of YGGDRASIL's monsters were derived from mythology… monsters like angels or demons should be no exception. Said angels and demons are most commonly associated with Christianity, but it seems quite unnatural that something called an archangel exists in a world without Christianity. That would mean someone like myself must exist in this world."
Dante squinted his eyes at Ainz' gibberish. Oh sure, he understood the meaning of what he said, but what was with this non-sequitur?
"That's enough of your self-absorbed prattle. Now tell me; where is Stronoff?" asked the leader aggressively.
"I teleported him to the village." Ainz said bluntly.
"… What?" the leader questioned in slight disbelief, "How foolish. Even if you tell a lie like that, a quick search of the village will-" the man was interrupted in his denial.
"-It is not a lie. I merely answered your question. Well, there is another reason for why I answered your question." Ainz explained.
"… Could it be that you want to beg for mercy? If you help us save some time, I can consider it." stated the man mockingly.
"Nonono… well… the truth is, I overheard your conversation with the Warrior-Captain. What a lot of balls you have."
Dante almost ruined the mood Ainz was going for as he covered his mouth, trying to hold back his laughter. It didn't seem he was as successful as he wished, as Albedo tried to kill him with their eyes, and Ainz gave a minute flinch.
Ainz seemed to compose himself, and threatened, "To think you would dare say that you would massacre the villagers that I, Ainz Ooal Gown, took the time to personally rescue… I cannot think of anything that is more offensive than that." … Dante thought that Ainz was hamming it up a little too much, but went along with it anyway.
"… What, what do you mean by "offensive", magic caster? What of it?" the enemy attempted to dismiss, despite how nervous he sounded.
"I mentioned a deal earlier. These are the terms. You will hand your lives over to me without resistance. In exchange you will not have to suffer. However, if you put up a fight, then the price you fools shall pay is to die in despair and agony." Ainz was really playing it up here, but all Dante could think of was that shitty 'Trade offer' meme, and expertly hid his gag of disgust.
Ainz took a step forward.
Several hoarse cries came from the mages. Once more, Ainz ignored the panic and spoke coldly, "That is why I did not lie to you and answered your question honestly. It is because there is no point in lying to those that are about to die."
Ainz spread his arms and took another step forward.
"Have the angels charge him! Don't let him get close!" the mage's voice broke slightly as he screamed his orders.
As two angels sped towards Ainz, Dante stepped forward before Ainz subtly raised a hand to stop him. Seeing Ainz being 'stabbed' by the angels made Dante roll his eyes. Was Ainz purposefully imitating him? It was sorta amusing seeing it from the outside.
As the leader spoke up, "How unsightly. To think he would try to scare us with a bluff…" Dante couldn't help but see parallels with what usually happened to him. First the fake out, then the enemy taunts, and finished with a beat-down.
"… What are you doing? Call back the angels. He can't fall down with those swords stuck in him." questioned the leading mage.
"But, but we've already given the order." the subordinate answered with rising panic.
Sure enough, he saw Ainz grab the two 'angels' by the head and say, "… I told you, didn't I? There is no way you gentlemen can defeat me. Shouldn't you heed the warnings of others?" Even as the enemy mages cried out in dismay, Ainz explained, "High-Tiered Physical Nullification. It is a passive skill that completely nullifies the physical attacks of low-leveled weapons and monsters."
All Dante could hear, though, was, "Nanomachines son. They harden in response to physical trauma."
Ainz then slammed the angels into the ground, killing them instantly. The beat-down.
Dante quickly strolled up to Ainz, rapping his knuckles against the skeleton's arm, "Hey, big man, can I have this next wave of angels? I'll be quick, promise!"
Even as he shook his head, Ainz still gave a short laugh, "Very well. Be sure to show them the foolishness of their decisions."
With a gleam in his eye, Dante quickly began his approach as he unsheathed the DSD.
The leader growled, even as he ordered, "Have all the angels attack at once, hurry!"
Even as they rushed towards him, all he could give in reply was an excited grin.
"Let's rock!"
Ainz closely scrutinized Dante's moves. The first swing of his sword obliterated an approaching angel, even as Dante seemed to teleport from one enemy to another. As he cut down the ones in front of him, the ones further away were still being eliminated, either from what looked like a slightly weaker [Reality Slash] or from Dante's guns.
He fought like a whirlwind, moving from enemy to enemy, avoiding attack after attack. After a few moments of watching the spectacle, Ainz could have sworn that he heard a voice say |Badass!|, but dismissed the thought.
At the last angel, Dante backflipped off its face before drawing one of his guns and killing the angel mid-flip.
As he landed, he gave a scoff and looked towards Ainz with a cocky grin, "Too easy." he joked, just as it seems he triggered some form of [Despair Aura]. Perhaps a class skill that auto-proc's after a successful combo?
Ainz shook his head with a laugh- Dante's attitude was reminiscent of Nishikienrai's- before looking at the mages who seemed to have fallen to the ground for the most part- was [Despair Aura] truly so damaging, or were they merely too weak? However, he grew a tad worried as they started up spells towards Dante, no matter if he was at the same level as Ainz.
His worries seemed unfounded, however, as Dante kept his smirk up even as he turned around. Seeing Dante turn around and raise his arms in a guard that Nishikienrai would do as a joke relieved him more. It seemed even now Dante was mocking them.
Seeing what came after, though, was truly impressive. Dante would perform a frame-perfect parry for every attack, not even giving the spells a chance to wash over him. Even though the spells were low-level YGGDRASIL spells, Ainz was still slightly worried. He was unable to tell if Dante had any defensive passives- he seemed a bit too much like Nishikienrai.
As the mages stopped firing, one of the mages panicked and shot a rock from what looked like a sling.
Dante scoffed before he did something different. He called out, "[Royal Release]!"
Even Ainz could barely track Dante then, as the moment he blocked the stone, Dante was already in front of the one who threw it, and in a flash of red light, the man practically evaporated.
In a flash of movement, Dante reappeared near Ainz and Albedo, walking unguarded towards the two, his [Despair Aura] auto-procing again.
Dante rolled his shoulders, "Not much of a fight, but hey, can't get everything you want."
Ainz was silently impressed by the class skill. It was an incredible ability for a frontline fighter. Though he didn't know the requirements nor the limits of the skill shown, the parry and the counter for Dante's class were impressive. Even if Albedo didn't seem to agree, judging by her huff of dismissal. Though, she seemed to be fidgeting now. Did she wish to fight them, too?
As Dante walked back towards A&A, he thought over the fight he was just in. Even holding back, he still decimated those 'angels'. If he combined a handful of those angels, they'd probably still be weaker than a Scarecrow. And wasn't that was saying something…
And those mages, all those spells sent at him and his Royal Guard meter almost didn't top off. Was this even a level 9 world?
He glanced over his shoulder, hearing the fallen mages despairing over how he trounced them and sighed in disappointment- and wasn't that becoming a trend?
His attention was caught when the mage leader yelled, "Ngk! Puh! Principality of Observation! Get him!"
He turned back to the field, seeing that the angel that had held back was now flying towards him. He rolled his eyes before deciding to finish this quickly. He held out his hand, summoning the Yamato.
As the angel neared him, Dante took Vergil's iconic stance- one hand on the sheath, the other resting on the hilt. The moment that the angel was about to strike him, Dante performed a single [Judgement Cut].
Dante stood calmly, even as the angel froze less than a meter away, and slowly sheathed the Yamato.
The angel seemed frozen in time, but when Dante finished sheathing, the angel drifted apart, bisected vertically.
As the angel dissolved into glowing motes of light, the mages devolved into anarchy.
"How, how could this be!?"
"In just one hit…"
"Hiiiiiiii!"
"Im-Im-Impossible!" the leader shouted amidst the confusion, "It can't be! It's impossible! Nobody can defeat such a high tier angel with just one cut! What kind of man are you, Dante!? It's impossible that nobody's heard of you before! What is your real name!?"
Dante threw his head back with a scoff, tsking as he shook his head, "That's not impossible. If ya' think that's impossible, you should see what else I've done. And if I didn't say it before, I'll say it now; the name's Dante."
As Dante walked towards Ainz and Albedo, he noticed that they were both staring at him. Ainz just nodded his head before looking back towards the mages, while Albedo seemed to be trying to glare a hole into his head. Dante just gave them a smirk, and Albedo seemed to need to make a conscious effort not to attack.
As he stood next to Ainz, he could see how the mages were in a panic, even as the leader pulled out a Meridia-lookin'-ass crystal.
"I am going to summon an angel of the highest order, hurry up and buy me some time!" he cried.
While Ainz took the threat at least somewhat seriously by ordering Albedo to defend him, after going on a monologue, Dante just rolled his eyes before summoning up his Ultimate Weapon…
…Vergil's Plastic Lawn Chair.
He did, indeed, want it. And he took it.
Ignoring the incredulous looks given to him- by both allies and enemies- Dante took a seat on his throne.
The mage leader growled in an almost feral manner, screeching out, "BEHOLD! THE GLORIOUS VISAGE OF THE HIGHEST ANGEL!"
With that said, the crystal in his hand shattered. In a bright flash of light, a huge angel appeared in front of the mages, a bright light emanating from it.
"Dominion of Authority!"
Even if it looked cool, Dante could tell the power from it was underwhelming. Not even slightly comparing to a Devil Arm like Behemoth or Cerberus, the angel just seemed like a lesser demon, in terms of strength. The angel seemed more comparable to, at the most, a Empusa Queen or Mega Scarecrow- and even that was a stretch.
Even Ainz seemed to notice this, as he asked incredulously, "This… this is it…? This is what you call getting serious…? This is your ace in the hole that you were planning to use on us?"
The enemy leader seemed not to pick up on his tone, as he proclaimed, "Indeed! Your fear is only natural. After all, this is what an angel of the highest order looks like. While using it here seems like a bit of a waste, I have determined that you, Dante, are worthy of it!"
"I'm speechless. How could this be… " Ainz despaired.
Even now the mage couldn't pick up on it, "Dante. The truth is, you deserve respect for forcing me to summon this most exalted of angels. Be proud of your fearsome strength, swordsman! Personally speaking, I would like to bring you two into our fold. If you are truly that powerful… however, I am not allowed to do so on this mission. At the very least, I shall remember you — the swordsman who made me decide to summon this mighty angel."
Before he could finish, Ainz interrupted with a sigh of, "This stupid." as he facepalmed.
Dante scoffed with a, "I coulda' told ya' that."
Ainz shook his head before looking toward Dante, "I can't believe I was on guard against such child's play… my apologies. Your nonchalant taunting did not come from a lack of awareness. Umu, it came from pattern recognition and strategy. Sasuga, Dante-san."
In response to the words, Dante gave a full-body shiver from the sheer wrongness that phrase invoked. The mage, on the other hand, gave an aggressive growl as he exclaimed, "How can you act like that in front of the angel of the highest order!? No! Impossible! It cannot be! Nobody can be stronger than the highest-placed of the angels! This is a being which can defeat a Demon God! In the face of a foe that humanity cannot beat — it's a bluff! It must be a bluff! Use it! Use [Holy Smite]!"
As the angel went through some dramatic attack sequence, the mage guy went off, "This is Seventh Tier magic that no man can go against! Taste the power that annihilates demons, the Judgement of God!"
And with that, a pillar of light smashed down on them.
…Truth be told, the damage was underwhelming. It seemed just strong enough to do some damage to something like an Empusa Queen, maybe even one-shot a Pride, but to him? Meh. At this point in his life, especially with Company-backed boosts, it didn't even start to damage him. The blast itself, the theatrics of it, seemed to be what the mana focused most on; looking cool. Even his throne was undamaged- though he doubted anything could damage it. Though, he couldn't help but find it ironic that the 'Judgement of God' that 'can defeat a Demon God' failed to hurt him, a half(?)-devil.
Ainz seemed to find it amusing though with how he started laughing. "Hahahahaha, as expected of magic that has extra effect on those of evil alignment… so this is what taking damage feels like… pain, is it? I see, I see! Still, even though I feel pain, my mind is clear, and my ability to act is not affected at all." he exclaimed.
Hmm? Ainz seemed like a pretty strong guy, Dante didn't imagine this doing any damage to him. Maybe 'cuz of a type advantage? Ainz was a skeleton, some kinda undead at least, and the Hyperbeam was Holy, so… ? He said that it had an extra effect, so maybe it did some damage around defenses for some foes? Or maybe it was like fighting a lower-level mob in a game, them dealing DPS far below the regen rate of the player.
In any case, Albedo didn't seem to take kindly to the fact that Ainz was damaged, to begin with, with how cuh-razy they went, "Y-YOU INFERIOR LIFEFORMS! T-T-TO INFLICT PAIN ON OUR BELOVED AINZ-SAMA! ON THE ONE WE SO DEARLY LOVE! Know your place, you piece of FILTH! I will make sure that your death is slow and painful! Do not think that I will allow you to die so easily! I will have you taste the greatest suffering this world has to offer until you go mad from agony! I will melt off your limbs with acid, cut off your genitals, and FEED THEM TO YOU AS MINCEMEAT! Then I will heal you and do it again! AAAAAAAAAAGH! HOW I DESPISE YOU! It feels like my heart will EXPLODE from the sheer HATE I feel!"
… Wow.
"That's enough, Albedo-san." attempted to reassure Ainz.
"B-But Ainz-sama! These inferior lifeforms… " pleaded Albedo.
"-It's fine, Albedo… everything has gone according to my predictions, aside from the weakness of the angels. What else is there to be angry about?" It seems as though Ainz succeeded at calming the raging beast that was Albedo.
As Albedo heard this, they raised a hand to their chest and bowed in acknowledgement.
"… As expected of Ainz-sama, your insight is truly fitting of the title "fathomless." I am in awe." demurred Albedo.
"Nonono, the truth is, I'm quite glad that you would be worried and angry for me. However… your charming smile is far more preferable."
"-Cough, thank you, Ainz-sama." Albedo seemed to straighten and turn their head to the side in embarrassment.
"I know it… I know your true identities! — Demon Gods! You must be Demon Gods." cried the enemy leader. Dante just tilted his head to the side. While it was close to the truth, all things considered, he believed that the mage was talking about something else.
"Now then, I'm sorry you had to wait for so long," Ainz then turned towards the angel, declaring, "It's my turn now. Know despair! [Black Hole!]" and with that- just as its name suggested- a black hole appeared in front of the angel quickly taking the angel into itself, the space around the spell distorting. And just like that, the angel was gone.
…
The spell was certainly impressive though he very much doubted that it was an actual black hole, as if it was, the entire planet would be destroyed in an instant. More likely just a spell that emulated it.
A moment passed as no one said anything, before Dante just gave Ainz an enthusiastic double thumbs up, giving him a, "10 of out 10!" with a smirk.
"Who… are you people…?" the mage asked again, "I have never heard the name of a magic caster called Ainz Ooal Gown before, nor of a swordsman named Dante… no, there can't be people who could destroy the highest of angels in one blow! Someone like that should not exist… All I know is that you are far beyond a Demon God… this is unbelievable… who exactly are you…?"
Dante scoffed at that, "I've said it before and I'll say it again, the name is Dante, Sole Proprietor of Devil May Cry. And hell yeah I am, fuck you, Mundus…"
Ainz gave his own answer, "… Like I said, I am Ainz Ooal Gown. In the past, there was nobody who did not tremble at this name… " Ainz sighed and shook his head, "Well, I guess we've spent enough time on idle chatter. Going on would only be pointless. Also, just so we don't waste each other's time, there is an anti-teleport effect surrounding me, and my subordinates are waiting in ambush. You have nowhere to run."
Just as he finished that, a crack appeared in the middle of the sky, vaguely reminding Dante of a Judgement Cut End.
"Wh-what was that?" questioned the mage.
"Good grief… you know, you should thank me. It would seem someone was using divination magic to keep an eye on you, but because I was in the spell's effective range, my anti-scrying offensive barrier activated, and you were not observed. Really, if I had known, I would have linked a higher tier attack spell to it." answered Ainz.
That seemed to do some collateral damage, as the mage shakily responded, "My country was watching me… ?"
"A widened [Explosion] might not be enough to teach them how to behave… oh well, things being as they are, playtime is over. Enough playing around." Ainz declared.
The mage started to panic more, "Wait, wait a bit! Sir Ainz Ooal Gown, no, Lord! Please wait, we, no, I wish to make a deal with you! I guarantee you will not be disappointed! As long as you spare me, I will give you any amount of money you want!" he pleaded over the sounds of his men pleading alongside him, "It must be difficult to satisfy the tastes of such a great magic caster as yourself, but I will definitely prepare enough money to please you! I have a position of some power in my country, so they will definitely pay any price to ransom me! Of course, if you desire anything else, I will do my best to meet your wishes! So I beg you! Please spare my life!"… Dante found it supremely pathetic.
"Did you not reject the compassionate offer of the Supreme One, Ainz-sama…? I know what you want to say. You wanted to beg for your life because accepting his proposition would also mean your death. Am I correct? You seem to have gotten the wrong idea. Since Ainz-sama, who holds the power of life and death in Nazarick, has already stated his will- inferior lifeforms like you humans should lower your heads, and gratefully await the taking of your lives." 'explained' Albedo.
Though Dante took exception to this, he wasn't going to ruin the atmosphere that Ainz endeavored to build up.
While the mage seemed to be whispering to himself in a mix of disbelief and despair, Ainz continued as he took off his mask, "If I remember correctly… 'Cease your pointless struggles and lie down quietly. As a final act of mercy, I will kill you without drawing out your suffering.'" With that, the mage seemed to suffer a psychotic break.
…What was he quoting, though?
Before Ainz decided to return home- sending Albedo ahead through a '[Gate]' with their freshly-unconscious prisoners- he told Dante that he wished to speak with him- alone.
Dante stood across from Ainz in the now empty field, arms crossed over his chest, "So big guy, whatcha gotta' get off your chest?" he inquired.
As the skeleton pantomimed taking a deep breath he solemnly asked, "Dante-san, I must ask… are you, perchance, a Player?"
Dante cocked his head, "Like, the kind that sleeps around, or someone who plays video games?"
Ainz nodded, "Yes, the fact that you know what a video game is, is enough to certify that you are, indeed, a Player. However, there is still one more thing I must ask of you… "
Dante lightly shrugged his shoulders, more confused than worried, "Sure, go ahead."
"Dante-san… How did you arrive in this world… ?" quietly asked the skeleton.
Dante brought one of his hands to his chin, closing his eyes in thought.
He knew that Ainz wasn't asking how he arrived in the world- teleporting from his pocket dimension- but instead how the Company picked him up in the first place.
"Well, I wasn't doing anything special, just looking through forums while I was writing something… " thought Dante aloud.
Ainz seemed to perk up at this, and before Dante could continue, Ainz seemed to conclude something. "I see… You were not even playing YGGDRASIL when it shut down, and yet you still arrived here. Then- there is a chance too that some of the others have also arrived. Tell me, when exactly did you arrive here?" Ainz questions intensely, seeming on the verge of interrogating him.
Dante shrugged a bit, putting his hands in his pockets, "Eh, just a few moments before that knight stabbed me. A few minutes, maybe?"
Ainz seemed to sigh at that, nodding a bit as he seemed to have an inner monologue.
Dante rocked on his feet as he waited for Ainz to finish.
After a moment or two of waiting, Ainz seemed to come to conclude as he nodded to himself, "Dante-san, thank you for this information: it has been invaluable. Right now, there is much that I need to do. However, should you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to [Message] me." and with that, he gave a short bow.
Dante waved his hand, "Yeah, it's all good man. If ya' need me, just give me a call. But, if you're gonna go back home now, y'know I'll have to deal with explaining this to Gazef and the rest, right? Anything ya' want me to tell 'em? Also, all those soldiers are hurt; could ya' spare me some potions?"
Ainz seemed to think for a moment before responding, "I see. I do not believe there is a story that needs to be fabricated. Feel free to tell them of what happened here, though not of my nature. And, of course, do you know any way to trade multiple items at a time in this new world?"
Though confused at his question on trading, Dante merely shrugged, held out his hand, and said, "Why not just transfer it the old-fashioned way? I'll bring out my inventory, then you open yours above it and drop the potions into mine." Two cuts in space appeared from under his hand, similar to a portal made by the Yamato. As it opened, Ainz looked it over curiously before holding his hand over the portal, a void appearing over Dante's portal as a multitude of small red potions fell from the void and into the portal.
Seeing the transaction finished, Dante went on his way, waving his hand over his shoulder, "See ya later, Ainz."
"Yes, we shall meet again, Dante-san."
As he walked back to the village, he thought over his interactions with Ainz that day. Dante wasn't as proactive as he'd usually be, but he could be excused for that, what with being thrown into the deep end of the situation. Plus, Ainz seemed to know what was going on before he did, with him leading them to the village. He also had a clearly defined goal going into this, not that Dante minded it.
Another thing; Ainz seemed to be new to this too, which was paradoxical considering Ainz led him to the village. That meant that while Ainz seemed powerful and probably had some kind of divination magic, he wasn't native to the setting. A fact that was only compounded by his referring to this world as a 'new world.'
Not even considering the possibility of Ainz being connected to the Company, Dante deduced that Ainz was likely the protagonist of this story: some sort of Isekai story, too. His reference to 'playing YGGDRASIL as it shut down' likely referred to how he was Isekai'd into this world to begin with: him being a player of a game. He probably wasn't some Gamer like Kuro or Shiro, much less Han Jihan. It seemed more akin to SAO- if SAO was an Isekai anime instead of whatever it was.
He believed the premise of this world was a parody. Likely of stories such as 'In Another World With My Smartphone' considering that Ainz was some kind of skeleton- what he probably played as.
From there, Albedo was probably one of his companions that followed him. Not to mention the subservience and worship he saw in Albedo towards Ainz.
He confirmed his thoughts on Ainz being the protagonist by checking the high-tech phone. Overlord was the name of the world he was in. Likely a reference to Ainz's edgy motifs and his necromancy. He also saw that he'd Captured those angels, quickly deciding to sell them. Why'd he need a couple of useless drones? And with that, he received 16 points, totaling 50 points, with an additional $2,000 salary bonus.
Putting his phone away, he put more thought into his last conversation. Ainz spoke of 'the others' appearing after he falsely confirmed Dante to be a Player, so perhaps Ainz was under the belief that some of his game friends would join him here, which was certainly not going to happen. Though, with the Yamato, he could cut his way to Ainz's home world- if it was in the local multiverse. Or he could get one of the many different ways of multiverse travel available in the Catalog. They'd come as-is though, so no being reborn as pseudo-gods- unless he captured 'em the Company way.
'Either way, that's something for later,' Dante thought as he approached the building that Ainz said that he teleported the soldiers to.
Quickly rapping his knuckles against the door, he was greeted by the sight of an anxious-looking Village Chief.
Dante gave him a smirk as he said, "We got 'em."
Sitting with the Chief and Gazef, Dante went on to explain what happened.
While he was a little bit too enthusiastic about his fight- and his resulting disappointment- Dante still gave his play-by-play as accurately as possible. Of course, he decided to leave out the fact that Ainz was a skeleton and other relevant information about that fact. Still, he described as best as possible the utter curb stomping that he and Ainz gave them, from ignoring their strikes to eviscerating their best angels in one shot.
Sure, one might say that he was underselling his abilities in his storytelling, but Dante would refute that thought with the fact that he wasn't fighting all-out. While Ainz seemed to keep his spells to stuff that's mid-tier, Dante had to limit himself physically a great deal. If his first sword swing was full power, Dante wasn't certain that any of the angels would be alive. Even using Royal Guard was extreme: their spells were so weak that he doubted they'd even scuff his shirt.
When he was questioned where Ainz went, Dante responded that, while he didn't know- as Ainz had teleported home- he could call him anytime he needed. Gazef went on to ask what happened to those of the Six Scriptures, to which Dante replied that Ainz took them when he left.
Gazef seemed a little disheartened at that, but shook it off, asking for Dante to convey his thanks to Ainz. As they finished, the Chief offered the two of them, along with Gazef's men, to stay the night. Gazef agreed reluctantly, while Dante went on to make a deal for housing.
Before they parted ways, though, Dante gave Gazef all but one health potion for his men. He kept the last one, in order to find out how to reproduce it via alchemy, so that he could always have an indefinite amount of it, and perhaps even improve on the structure. He felt a little bad about leaving Gazef himself unhealed, but figured that he was the least injured of his men, being left with only bruises, if large, and small cuts.
As Dante was lead to the house that he was given, on the promise to become at least a semi-permanent residence of Carne Village and to patronize/defend it, he decided to use the front door as a one-sided portal to his pocket dimension.
As he bid the Chief goodnight, he opened the door to the house, being greeted by his office. He closed the door behind him- though not 'disconnecting' it from his office- and walked up his stairs to the master bedroom. On his way there, he took out his phone once again and began changing the settings for his home. He changed those permitted to enter his home to only be restricted to those who had bad intentions towards those inside.
He also looked over the miscellaneous settings, stuff like day/night cycle, weather, temperature, humidity, the whole nine yards. He fiddled with them, even as he disrobed for bed.
As Dante laid down on his bed, he reflected that throughout the day he was getting stronger.
Not quite in the literal sense, at least not quite enough to matter, but his body seemed to get more durable as time went on. If that knight stabbed him now, he knew that it wouldn't even scuff his shirt. He just knew this had something to do with his Dragon Heritage. He'd only bought two perks- Dragon Heart and Dragon Scale- but he believed he knew what they did now, ignoring his chosen Element.
His Dragon Heart, while not actually replacing his heart (probably), instead boosted the power of his skills. But it didn't just give him a flat boost, no, it gave him an ever-increasing boost… A very small boost, though. He could already feel the boost affect his skills- that seemed to be how he [Trick]ed such a far distance in the village before. But that was small fries in comparison to what was to come. [Trick]ing wasn't all that difficult or powerful, so the fact that it was improved so drastically, in range at least, wasn't that noteworthy. But he could feel all of his attacks improving, not just his skills.
Dragon Scale, on the other hand, did give a flat boost to his abilities. Though, it was more of a cap to the boost it could give. A soft cap, to be specific. He felt his durability rise- likely the feeling of his Defense perks coming in- and could tell the effects of his defenses were increasing as literal dragon scales grew over his body.
He could almost feel the scales growing over his body. They seemed similar to the scales that formed on his Sin Devil Trigger form. Checking himself over, he could see some growing on his shoulders and hips, and he could feel some forming on his jaw and cheeks. He could tell that he could hide them if he wanted to, but dismissed the thought.
The biggest thing that stood out to him, however, was how he felt his element activating passively. He knew that his element, Adaptation, would eventually ramp up, but he didn't realize that it'd work on things unrelated to combat, however airheaded that thought made him feel. He could tell that some of the things that he needed to do were lessening, his hunger, his need to sleep, his thirst, and many other small stuff.
He shook his head, deciding to sleep, for however long he'd need to do that.
Profits
Companions captured +12; sold +4 [50]
Archangel Flame(T4) from Overlord (LN) -SOLD
Principality of Observation(T4) from Overlord (LN) -SOLD
Also, sorry if this first chapter isn't much different from the original, there'll be more divergences in the future- for this and other worlds.
If ya' find any errors, or see any problems, please post a review.