{The Royal Suite, the Ninth Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, during the battle of Kalinsha…}
Ainz Ooal Gown, the Sorcerer King of Nazarick, sat at his great desk in the office of his Royal Suite, skimming through governmental papers and absent-mindedly stamping them with a seal of approval. Having in his past life been just a salaryman, it was all Greek to him, the whole business of kingship and affairs of state. Albedo, his succubus second-in-command and chief administrator, stood by his side, looking at him as always with desire in her eyes, the desire he had planted in her as a joke, expecting all of Nazarick would shut down with YGGDRASIL rather than come to life as they did after the MMORPG's servers shut down. Several liches of his own creation stood in a single line before the desk, holding binders and files of yet more documents for him to examine. Ainz stopped perusing the papers suddenly. His insectoid champion Cocytus reached out to him with the spell [Message]. Something urgent must have come up to be contacted directly.
"[Lord. Ainz. A. Giant. Serpent. Has. Appeared. In. The. Great. Lake.]"
Ainz felt the emotional suppression, one of the boons and curses of his undead nature, dampen his shock. "[What? Is it doing anything? How did it appear?]"
"[One. Moment. It. Was. Not. There. And. The. Next. It. Was. But. It. Does. Not. Move. It. Is. Vast. Its. Body. Reaches. The Foot. Of. The. Mountains. I. Have. Not. Sent. Anyone. To. Investigate. Yet. As. Not. To. Awaken. It. I. Merely. Wish. To. Keep. You. Informed. And. To. Request. Your. Guidance.]"
"[A good move, Cocytus. I will observe it first from here, and then come look in person. Wait for me at the Lizardmen village and inform them of my impending visit, unless otherwise ordered. That is all.]"
"[As. You. Command. Lord. Ainz. We. Will. Maintain. Watch. End. Message]."
Ainz leaned back in his chair, still surprised at the news.
"Lord Ainz… What has happened?" asked Albedo. She looked upon him in sympathy, perturbed by his change in mood. "You seem troubled, my Lord."
"Cocytus tells me that a giant serpent of some kind has appeared in the Great Lake. It does nothing, but its body must be miles in length. We will look into this." Ainz conjured his Mirror of Remote Viewing, and directed his thoughts to the Great Lake. He saw it as if he was standing on the shores near the Lizardmen village. To the east, he saw a tall statue of a vast bearded man in armor, raising a hammer in triumph, waist-deep in the water. In the middle of the lake, he saw another statue, clad in armor and holding a spear and shield, similarly waist-deep. Light shined from beneath its mighty helm. At the opposite shore of the lake, Ainz saw what at first seemed like a vast, pale tendril. At a closer look, he saw the great scales on its surface, and how its body seemed to wind about the lake, first to the east, then back to the west, and then behind the mountain. The body expanded and contracted slightly at a slow, steady pace. It was breathing. The YGGDRASIL developers like making dragons and the like into World-class Enemies… I hope for the sake of everyone around me that I'm not looking at one right now… Even one of those things could destroy Nazarick and everything in and around it.
"What is this?" asked Albedo, just as perplexed as Ainz.
"I do not know. Fetch your armor, Albedo, and fetch some of our stronger guards from the library. We are going to the Lizardmen village."
As Albedo bowed and turned to depart, there came the urgent sound of knocking. Both Ainz and Albedo paused. The homunculus maid attending on Ainz for the day, Foire, answered the door.
"Presenting Lord Demiu-"
"Excuse me, Foire, terribly sorry," said the demon in red as he pushed into the room past the maid, stopping her from announcing his entrance. He held a blue smiling mask in one hand as he took a reverent knee before Ainz's desk. Although his crimson suit was sharp as always and his personal grooming impeccable, the flicking movements of his tail betrayed that he was on edge about something.
"Demiurge? What's happened? Something urgent?"
"Lord Ainz, forgive me for my sudden intrusion. Our operations in the Holy Kingdom have met with a serious complication. I believe a YGGDRASIL player or something equally powerful has appeared in the Holy Kingdom, acting on their behalf."
Ainz's emotional suppression worked up to still his surprise. Albedo's eyes widened at Demiurge's statement.
"A player? How can you be certain?" asked the Guardian Overseer.
"I had summoned Evil Lord Wrath to carry out our plans, and I retreated to a safe distance to supervise him in action. The player arrived suddenly through a beam of light, and removed a tenth of Lord Wrath's HP with a single attack."
"I see. I will look through the Mirror. Where is this happening?"
"May I control the Mirror, Lord Ainz?"
"Please."
"The player is some sort of warrior, with a magic item, a hammer infused with lightning magic." In a matter of seconds, Demiurge conjured up the central plaza of Kalinsha, where Lord Wrath battled hopelessly against the hammer-wielding stranger. The demon fought on, its body battered by thundering strikes from his foe. Blood like molten rock poured from its gaping wounds. In a final great blast of lightning from the stranger's hammer, Lord Wrath exploded into a ball of flame that consumed the whole city of Kalinsha. A rainbow beam of light fell upon the stranger as the flames from Lord Wrath's death washed around him. He was gone from sight before the fires could consume him.
"Lord Wrath died so easily…" said Albedo, her voice a mixture of concern and disappointment.
"Yes. That is worrisome," mused Ainz. "What do you think of him, Albedo?"
"I cannot form much of an opinion about him beyond the obvious without more substantial information. Here are my conjectures: his martial abilities may be augmented by elementalist classes and possibly heteromorphic racial classes, and that hammer may be a Legendary or Divine-class magic weapon. Was that column of light how he arrived, Demiurge? That is a YGGDRASIL effect or spell I do not know of."
"Yes, that is how he arrived. I held back on casting [Dimenisonal Lock] on him to prevent any escape. Any intervention on my part would have risked compromising Nazarick's position to the rest of the world."
"That is not a YGGDRASIL skill or ability I know of either," said Ainz. "Albedo. Once we're done here, ensure Nazarick's maximum alert protocols are strictly enforced, and that the emergency drills are mastered. Now, what level do you think this stranger is?"
"I estimate him to be approximately level 90 or higher," said Albedo without hesitation.
"I concur," said Demiurge. "To be on the cautious side, I believe his actual abilities may exceed that of an average level 100 player, thanks to his equipment."
Ainz sighed aloud. "I think so as well. What strange things are happening today…"
"What else has happened, my Lord?" asked Demiurge. "I fear I am not up to date with affairs here beyond our new agreement with the Dwarven Kingdom."
"Cocytus has just reported the appearance of a strange beast in the Great Lake near the Forest of Tob. With your news arriving at the same time, I fear the worst. A high-level Yggdrasil player like you described is a headache, but even the chance of having a World Enemy on our doorstep... If it awakens and starts attacking…"
"Lord Ainz, come what may, we Guardians would gladly fight to the last for you," assured Demiurge. "As would all of Nazarick."
"That is what I fear, Demiurge. Go to the Throne Room and wait there, Albedo will gather the rest of Nazarick there."
"Of course, Lord Ainz." With a bow, Demiurge teleported away using the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown he wore.
"Albedo, just a moment. I may need to repurpose your search unit until we have handled this player. Is your younger sister ready?"
"She awaits Your command, Lord Ainz, as does the rest of the unit."
"Good. She will be kept in the final reserve. Go and gather all of Nazarick's people into the Throne Room. I will be there within the hour."
{The Throne Room of Nazarick, an hour later…}
"Lord Ainz, as You commanded me, I have assembled our forces before You," said Albedo. She stood at Ainz's right hand as he sat upon his mighty throne. She had spoken truly. All of Nazarick was there, the Floor Guardians, Area Guardians, the elite vassals of both, as well as the Pleiades Battlemaids and the homunculus maids. Only a small team of defenders remained on the first floor to watch for intruders, and of course, Ainz's embarrassing creation remained hidden away in the Treasury.
"Excellent, Albedo. I appreciate your hard work. Denizens of Nazarick, I have gathered you all here to share troublesome news. Demiurge has just encountered what we believe to be a high-level YGGDRASIL player. It is capable of defeating Demiurge's level 84 summon, Lord Wrath, with ease. At the same time, Cocytus has discovered a vast serpent to the north. While I hope my suspicion proves to be wrong, I suspect it could be a World Enemy. The threat of a World Enemy is the only situation where I would ever consider ordering the general evacuation of Nazarick, as fighting one would be suicidal. I welcome your questions and opinions, but know that I do not want to hear your pledges of self-sacrifice. I know full well your willingness and dedication to give your lives for me and for Nazarick, but, I am served best by your lives, not by your deaths."
All those gathered there thought long and hard for a short while, their most immediate and unanimous suggestion having been preemptively shut down by Ainz.
"Lord Ainz, we could retreat to the Treasury if worst comes to worst," said the dark elf beast tamer Aura, looking downcast by Ainz's statements. "It might be safer there since it's not in the same physical space as the rest of Nazarick. We Floor Guardians should be strong enough to buy even a little time as everyone else retreats, and we can figure out a plan there."
"That could be a temporary retreat, but we would need to dispel the Blood of Jormungandr in the Treasury first as not to poison everyone. I should mention that World Enemies were always sought out by us Players, so they never actually moved and attacked guild bases in YGGDRASIL. I am unsure of how our defenses would work against it, if at all. That is the main reason I am prepared to have us leave Nazarick behind if the World Enemy attacks."
"Lord Ainz, I believe the best course of action we can take at this point is mere vigilance," said Demiurge, morosely. "I sincerely hope that You said does not come to pass in regards to this World Enemy. I must also ask, will these recent developments put a halt to our other plans? We will act as You command, but I can see several ways to turn our Holy Kingdom schemes towards intelligence gathering about the player."
Ainz thought for a moment. I need an early warning system in place in case that serpent turns out to be a World Enemy, and a plan to keep everyone safe in case it attacks. If I stop our momentum elsewhere, it might be suspicious to those outside or watching us from afar. I also don't want to bog my people down in fear over this. I should still give them things to do. Therefore-
"Our plans in the Holy Kingdom will continue, but must change with the death of Jaldabaoth."
"So that's how it is... In that case, I will tie up that loose ends there so the new contingency plan can proceed. My doppelganger operative is prepared for infiltration of the Holy Kingdom's leadership, so getting intelligence from the upper echelons of the Holy Kingdom after the invasion ends should be easy. I can also find out if they know anything about this player."
"What do you have in mind, Demiurge?"
"In secret, we struck the Holy Kingdom with the stick, now in public, we will offer the carrot."
"I see, as expected of you, Demiurge, your mind works quickly."
"Not half as quick as Your own, Lord Ainz. Even though You have already weighed the possibility of this contingency being successful, I would be honored if I could present it to the rest of Nazarick."
"Proceed."
"Thank You, my Lord. Like I said, we will offer the proverbial carrot to the Holy Kingdom. I will make my demihuman invasion dissolve after ruining the Holy Kingdom's farmland, and after a few months of allowing the Holy Kingdom to rebuild, regroup, and take stock of their precarious situation, the Sorcerer Kingdom can make a generous offer of foreign aid. The offer should include grain and other necessities, an undead workforce to speed repairs of the wartime damages, and anything else that the Holy Kingdom could ask from us, within reason. We can include or let them insert a clause of guaranteed independence in such a treaty since they will likely anticipate some attempt to vassalize them like we did the Baharuth Empire not long ago. As the treaty is being signed, we can ask the right questions and get the answers we need about the player without arousing suspicion. Additionally, the foreign aid treaty will repair our own reputation abroad. The world has glimpsed the power in Nazarick's muscles on the Katze Plains, and now they will see the size of its heart."
"A sound idea, Demiurge, but where will the undead workers be drawn from so quickly? 94% of our cadaver reserves from the Katze Plains are slated for labor throughout the Empire and in E-Rantel, and we cannot divert enough of them to send to the Holy Kingdom in acceptable quantities in any reasonable timeframe," said Albedo skeptically.
"That is true, but thankfully my 100,000-strong demi-human alliance can be repurposed to that end, while also adding to our stockpiles. I will leave some of my lieutenants in command of the alliance for a while and preserve the illusion of Jaldabaoth's command, but ties between the demihuman forces will break down once their various chieftains and kings fight each other over supplies that will oh-so-conveniently begin to dwindle."
Albedo smiled and nodded in admiration. "I see, Demiurge. An astute solution."
Ainz nodded as well. "Well done, Demiurge. You let nothing go to waste, and you take even the most unexpected developments in stride and turn them to our continued advantage. I am most proud of you."
"Lord Ainz, I do not deserve even the least of your gratitude!"
{A lonely house in the Forest of Tob…}
The gate in the wooden fence around the house opened in the light of the setting sun. A woman, tall and red-headed, wearing warm yellow garments and with an axe strapped to her belt walked through. There was a quiver of arrows at her side, and a sickly boy followed her, carrying the matching bow that was too large for him. The woman pulled a small sled in one hand, laden with the body of a deer, the catch of the day's hunt.
A grizzled, bearded man opened the door of the house, his skin ashen and marked with a red tattoo on his bald head. He spoke in a deep but stoic voice. "Take the deer and go inside, boy."
"Yes, father." The sickly boy took hold of the sled, bringing the deer with it as he went off.
The man and the woman embraced each other and shared a kiss. They pulled apart after a moment.
"You are well?" asked the man softly. The woman sighed.
"Tired. More and more every day."
"Again?"
"I do not know if I will come back from it this time."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"No…. I fear this is how things are meant to be. I can't change it, and neither can you. Everyone has their appointed time."
"There must be a way to… I cannot let you just-"
"It doesn't matter. It was bound to happen eventually."
"How… how long?"
"A few months, maybe."
"How do we tell the boy?"
"Leave that to me."
"But… what do we do after… after you…"
"I have hand-marked trees for a pyre. Take what's left of me to the highest peak in the Realms and scatter it. Bring our son with you."
"The fever may return, and even if it does not, he is not ready for the journey."
"He will be ready when the time comes. As will you." The woman unhooked the axe from her belt. "Take this. You'll need it. Just like you'll need our son." She proffered the ornate wooden pommel to the man. He took it, hesitantly. She smiled at him and turned around, reaching out one of her gloved hands. "Jöphie!" A small bird, a gyrfalcon, swooped down from one of the trees, alighting on her raised glove. "Let's go inside." The warm light from the house illuminated the ground for a brief moment as the door opened, before vanishing as the man closed the door behind himself the woman.
Author's Note: Poor Ainz. He's practically shitting bricks.