Overlord: Era of the 41

by Jebathaze

Momonga was transported to the New World alongside the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The tomb was suspended in time, yet Momonga was miraculously able to have his own little adventure. Awaiting the moment his home to be freed, he continued to refine himself, aiming to realise his one and only wish, to reunite the members of Ainz Ooal Gown!

3. Chapter 2 - Changer of Fate

It's been a while but it seems that I have gotten way busier than expected. But worry not, the update would continue, albeit with a slow pace.

Anyway, thank you for all the favourites, follows and reviews!

BTW, I leave my notes at the end of the chapter regarding my thoughts on the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Overlord or any of the characters outside of my own creations. Overlord is owned and created by Maruyama Kugane and illustrated by so-bin.

Last Edited - 1/11/2022

xXx

Chapter 2 - Changer of Fate

xXx

1—

Lower Wind Month, 1st Day

Great Tomb of Nazarick

6th Floor, Amphitheater, the Colosseum

After Momonga teleported to the 9th Floor, Albedo was the first one to get up, followed by the rest of the Guardians. The Guardian Oversee then turned to her comrades with a face full of determination and resolve.

"All of you have heard the orders from Momonga-sama. The Supreme One has put his trust upon us, I will not tolerate any of you who failed to accomplish their respective tasks, Understood?"

"Of course Albedo. It is about time for us, the Guardians, to be of use to Momonga-sama who has blessed us with his boundless mercy."

The rest of the Floor Guardians and Sebas nodded their heads, agreeing wholeheartedly with Demiurge. Their faces shared the same resolution and desire to not disappoint their lord.

"Then, let us offer all glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!"

""All glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!""

xXx

Grimoire of Serhu

Time Infinite Realm

Momonga and his guildmates were sitting on comfy and luxurious couches, their hands were full of all types of snacks like popcorn, potato chips, crepes, rice crackers and rice cakes. Some were even having pizzas and burritos with colas. It was as if they had been watching a movie together, which in a matter of fact, they did — a movie starring Suzuki Satoru as Momonga.

As the story of Momonga's journey came to an end, the huge screen in front of them vanished to nothingness, accompanied by tiny sparks of multicoloured light.

"Umu. So, that was what had truly happened. Your thoughts, everyone?"

Momonga shifted his gaze towards his comrades. He had shown them the last events that had occurred in their old world, the event which had triggered the doom of humanity, along with his past escapade in the new world of sword and magic.

I wonder, what do they think of me now?

The members of Ainz Ooal Gown gaped openly at Momonga. It was as if they could not imagine that the man in front of them, who had been through those adventures, was the same Guildmaster they had known in Yggdrasil.

"Ahem."

Awkwardly, Momonga coughed into his hand.

"—It seems that you have been through a lot, Momonga-san. To think that—."

"Waa!! Momonga-oniichan!!"

"Momonga-san!!"

"M-Momonga-san! Forgive me for not being there!"

Momonga got tackled. Bukubukuchagama had lunged into him in her slime form, followed by Peroroncino, Herohero and a few others.

"W-Wait, all of you! Calm d— Peroroncino-san! Move your feathers away from my face!"

As Momonga was buried in the emotional hugs, the rest of his friends were in an uproar.

"S-So, you are inviting us to be G-Gods, Momonga-san?!"

"W-We will be creating a new pantheon. The pantheon of Ainz Ooal Gown!!"

"T-To think that I have been a father, D-Demiurge…"

"A newborn world blessed by breathtaking beauty of nature, now we only need to purge those humans to safeguard…"

"Thinking back, we had failed to conquer one of the worlds in Yggdrasil, so how about we…"

"G-Good idea, Luci Fer-san. Then we could build our Nazarick Academy right at the centre…"

"—Momonga-san! These bunch have gone nuts, cast your glowing light of calmness!"

"— [Calm Light]!"

A soft glowing light gently enveloped the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, returning them to their senses.

"—E-Excuse me, everyone."

"S-Sorry for that, Momonga-san!"

Momonga was released from their tight hugs. He felt a little bit embarrassed, but he truly appreciated their comfort. His heart was now filled with warmth, a feeling that he had almost forgotten.

Trying to change the awkward atmosphere, Momonga adopted a more serious expression on his face as he regarded his comrades.

"Umu. So, what is your choice, everyone?"

Momonga closed his eyes as he waited for their answers. Whatever their answers might be, he was ready.

Would they follow me? Or would they not?

The members of Ainz Ooal Gown looked at each other. They could see the same resolve in each of them, their unbreakable trust and faith in their loyal Guildmaster, Momonga — the heart of Ainz Ooal Gown!

To them, Momonga was not only their leader, he was one of their closest friends, someone who they had entrusted with everything.

Cruel fate had once drifted them apart.

But now, their leader had called for them.

To be whole again!

To be Ainz Ooal Gown!

"—I am going with you. Surely, you need your best strategist at your side, Momonga-san."

Punitto Moe.

"I am not leaving you this time, Momonga-san!"

Herohero.

"Momonga-san, please let me follow you."

Tabula Smaragdina.

"I believe in you, Momonga-san. Count me in!"

Touch Me.

"You know I cannot refuse it, Momonga-san."

Ulbert Alain Odle.

"Momonga-san, I am going too!"

Peroroncino.

"I have got your back this time, Momonga-san!"

Bukubukuchagama.

"Let us accompany you, Momonga-san!"

"We are going too!!"

"Count me in!!"

""Let's follow our Guildmaster!!""

Warrior Takemikazuchi, Nishikienrai, Wish III, Ancient One, Flatfoot, Amanomahitotsu, Blue Planet, Garnet, Bellriver, Variable Talisman, Nearata, Nubo, Genjiro, Yamaiko, Whitebrim, Beast King Mekongawa, Tigris Euphrates, Temperance, Suratan, Ankoro Mocchi Mochi, Shizyuutensuzaku, Luci Fer, Coup De Grâce, ...

Everyone!

The moment Momonga heard all of their answers, their wish to accompany him, to be reunited with him again in Nazarick, he opened his eyes, revealing the dazzling dark red glow inside of it. The corners of his mouth then slid upwards, turning into a beaming smile.

His heart was filled with extreme happiness. He had been waiting for this day, a day where the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown became whole again for a long, long time.

Today, his greatest wish was granted.

His dear friends had returned.

From now on…

He was not alone anymore.

xXx

"—Momonga-san, since everyone had agreed, should I summarise everything to make sure that all of us are on the same page?"

"Good idea Punitto Moe-san. Then, I will be counting on you."

Giving Momonga a firm nod, Punitto Moe stood up from his seat. The guild members then focused their gaze upon their Chief Strategist.

"So firstly, Bellriver-san was actually the one who had triggered the end of our world—."

"Hey! I am innocent!"

"Wasn't it you, Garnet-san?"

"Forgive me, but my hypothesis stated that—"

"Ahem, please don't interrupt me, everyone."

"...Fine, sorry for that. Please continue, Punitto Moe-san."

"Alright. Then, as everyone of us had known, Bellriver-san was previously involved in a secret project known as S.H.I.R.U Project, where he ended up learning some ominous information about the megacorporations which ruled our world."

S.H.I.R.U Project.

A project that aimed to create the most advanced AI of their era, capable of digging all secret information throughout the globe. The project had been a success, but upon finding the information gathered as too dangerous, Bellriver had taken that information for himself and made his escape, destroying every piece of evidence as he did so.

"Coincidentally, among those secret information, one of them originated from one of our own members."

Punitto Moe directed his gaze to the calm and composed Blue Planet.

"—The Purge Project. To think that you have been planning to purge all of us is truly a troubling matter Blue Planet-san."

"It is for the good of our world, Punitto Moe-san. All of you have seen how humanity has ruined our planet. If nothing is done, then our world will meet its end!"

"—Even so, wasn't it too extreme, Blue Planet-san?"

"Indeed. In the first place, the ones truly at fault are those higher ups."

"Wait a minute, Blue Planet-san! Don't tell me you were also planning to purge those humans in the New World!?"

"If needed be. Why not?"

Hearing the dangerous words from Blue Planet forced Momonga to intervene. He once thought that he should be more worried of Ulbert, but how wrong he was. Clearly, the nature lover was a bigger trouble.

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to do that, Blue Planet-san!"

"But Momonga-san! If even the New World got ruined then—!"

"It will never happen. Tell me, Blue Planet-san. What is our goal?"

"—To create an utopia. A perfect place for all races…"

"Indeed. As I had shown all of you, I wish for our guild to create an utopia, a place for all races of humanoid, demi-human and heteromorphic to live in eternal prosperity! It would be an arduous journey, but I believe that, with all of you and the whole of Nazarick at my side, we could accomplish anything! We could create an utopia worthy of the name of Ainz Ooal Gown! Would all of you help me in achieving this goal for our proud guild!?"

Seeing the enthusiastic Momonga, the old members of Ainz Ooal Gown recalled the time they had chosen him as their new leader. Back then, Momonga had asked them to clear and conquer an unexplored dungeon, the Great Tomb of Nazarick in one go, something that was beyond impossible and unheard of, yet their guild had followed his lead and miraculously succeeded in doing so.

Now, their Guildmaster had once again asked for something impossible, to create a perfect place for all races.

An utopia.

Could they do it?

Doubts began to fill their hearts.

Yet again, the moment they gazed upon their chosen Guildmaster, their hearts were filled with absolute confidence, clearing up their doubts and uncertainty.

They could achieve it!

Everything was possible!

As they were Ainz Ooal Gown!

"—Very well. I will help you the best I can, Momonga-san!"

"Truly, you never change, Momonga-san. I will have your back, O Guildmaster!"

"Well, since this is a request from my comrade Momonga, I'm happy to help!"

"As expected of our Guildmaster! To wish for the whole world to be an utopia! How awe-inspiring!"

"As a guild member, I will have your back Momonga-san!"

"Let's do it, Momonga-san! We will turn the name of our guild into a living legend!"

"—Thank you, all of you."

Momonga released a sigh of relief after he received the assurance from Blue Planet and his friends. Truly, he had managed to avoid another disaster upon the New World. Now, with the whole support from everyone, Momonga believed that no goals were beyond their reach.

"Anyway Momonga-san, is it still possible to save our world?"

In order to summon his friends to the New World, Momonga had put their planet under his control. Thus, the planet itself could now be considered as one of his summons. That was also how he had been able to view the past events in their world, but to have the ability of saving it…

"It is still possible, Bellriver-san. Unfortunately, I only have a limited control over it due to the mist that has shrouded the whole planet. It was an abnormal phenomenon caused by its own self preservation, so we could only let it be for now, until we are strong enough to change it."

"—I see. Still, it is quite hard to believe that you have now become a Godlike being, Momonga-san. You had even resurrected me, someone who had died. To think that a being with such power exists in our universe..."

"Fufufu… At first, I was beyond surprised too. The universe we lived in is actually so vast and infinite, with countless other worlds and powerful entities. That is why I seek power. If we remain weak, the same helpless fate might fall upon us."

The words from Momonga brought back their memories of their old world. Momonga could see all of his friends, especially those from the lower level of society, had become more determined to change their fate.

"—Ahem, Momonga-san. Can I continue?"

"Sorry for that, Punitto Moe-san. Please, go on."

Punitto Moe then continued his summary on how all megacorporations had tried to forcefully take the secret information from Bellriver. As retaliation, Bellriver threatened to disclose all of that information if any of them killed him — which they gladly did.

When Bellriver was killed, the megacorporations had managed to obtain the locations of all secret projects and top secret weapons of their competitors, which caused all of them to foolishly strike at the same time, trying to be the first to eliminate their enemy. Each of them had unleashed their own weapon of mass destruction, ending the world in the process.

"Really, Bellriver-san-san? I thought you were trying to protect the world, but..."

"And amidst those chaos, Touch Me-san and Ulbert-san were playing hide and seek, really!?"

"Hey, how could I know Bellriver-san had make copies of those bombs!"

"Indeed. We truly thought that it was the only original. Alas, everything could have been solved peacefully if Ulbert-san handed it to me first."

"I didn't even know that it was you, Touch Me-san, and you thought I would surrender after you shoot bullets my way? I was almost killed!"

"W-Well, you looked like a bad guy who was up to something evil, so..."

"Y-You justice bastard! You want to see evil? Fine! I will…"

"Calm down! Both of you!"

"Wait! Someone has to stop them! Momonga-san!"

"Both of them surely are amateurs, right Momonga-san? Even kids know that you should make a copy of everything! That's why I—."

"Now is not the time to boast of your large H-games collection, Peroroncino, and shouldn't you stop them, Momonga-san?"

"—Sorry. Their quarrel just brought me back. — [Calm Light]."

Momonga cast another [Calm Light] spell. It was a spell he had created based on the trait of undead, a race that were unable to feel much emotion. The spell acted the same way by suppressing all distressed thoughts and strong emotions.

This spell sure is super useful. It was like magic! A simple flash bang and poof!

As the crowd calmed down, Momonga shifted his gaze to Punitto Moe.

"—Umu. Punitto Moe-san, do you mind if I am the one to continue next?"

"Of course not, Momonga-san. Now everyone, please focus on our Guildmaster."

Afterwards, Momonga retold the short version of his story. All of them had seen everything with their own eyes, so he only highlighted the most important matters that a few of them might have missed.

"That was all. Everyone got the gist of it, right?"

"Of course, Momonga-san. We got it."

"No problem, Guildmaster."

"Yup. Isekai is real. So, anime, manga and novels are real too. I got it."

"Leaving that last remark aside, was it wise to tell the truth about us to the NPCs, Momonga-san?"

Momonga rubbed his chin as he mused over the question from Punitto Moe. He then focused his gaze on his comrades after he settled on his answer.

"Honestly, I just thought that they deserved to know more about us."

Momonga paused. His comrades were silent as they listened intently to his words.

"The NPCs are not just data anymore. Since the day I arrived in the New World, I have familiarised myself with all of them, their backstories, their skills… I tried to envision what you wish to create, as to me, the NPCs are one of the precious legacies that all of you have left behind. Now, when they have turned into their own beings, having their own personalities and consciousness, I have seen how they have inherited a part of you… It was as if, all of you have always been there, with me…"

To Momonga, Nazarick and everyone in it were his everything, especially the NPCs who were created by his friends. He had even thought that, if he somehow failed to summon his friends, he would at least have the NPCs by his side, accompanying him in the New World.

Therefore, he was truly happy to see them becoming their own beings.

Yet, when he saw the NPCs for the first time, he had seen a small part of him in them.

"But, I have also seen something else in the NPCs… It was their true feelings that they had buried deep in their hearts — their fear of being abandoned. During our exchange, they had desperately held onto me, trying their hardest to meet my expectations, trying not to disappoint me. It was as if I am their last beacon of hope, the only being that could prove their existence, that could give them meaning… They are like children, lost and heartbroken, yet still trying their best to not lose more..."

Momonga could see that his friends had flinched when they heard his words. They might have thought of him as weird for caring too much about the NPCs, but he decided to share his true thoughts.

"—I wish for them to know that they were never abandoned on a whim. So, I told them the whole truth, our cruel world had forced all of you to leave, and it was never because of them being inadequate or incompetence in any way!"

There was silence.

Momonga watched as his comrades thought deeply on his words. A mixed emotions plastered on their faces as they closed their eyes.

Feeling guilty, Momonga was about to cast another [Calm Light] to dispel their distress, but a plant-like hand patted his right shoulder, stopping him.

"It's fine, Momonga-san. Give us a moment to take it in."

"Punitto Moe-san..."

"—Momonga-san, you have even prepared yourself if things go south with them. Truly, you..."

Momonga stayed silent, neither admitting nor denying what Punitto Moe had said.

The silence continued.

After a moment, the members of Ainz Ooal Gown returned to their senses. The words from Momonga had struck right at their hearts, especially so after they had seen how the NPCs had acted in front of Momonga. Their creations have become reals, and even after everything, they still cared and adored them, the one that had abandoned them. It was truly soul-stirring.

Even more so, they could feel the pain in their friend's heart.

The NPCs were not the only one that was hurt by their departure.

They had hurt him too.

Someone they had considered a friend.

Yet he kept on waiting for them.

Even now…

Momonga…

He was always there…

Waiting for them at their home…

That fact had strengthened their desire to return to Nazarick.

A place, full of precious memories.

A haven, free from their harsh world.

A home.

xXx

"—So, does anyone still need any divine light of peace and harmony?"

"...Nah. I am good, Momonga-san."

"Yup. All is good, Momonga-san."

"Momonga-san. Thank you..."

Momonga put on a small smile upon seeing his composed comrades. He could tell that all of them were now more determined to return to Nazarick, something which he was happy about.

"Now that I think about it, I am an uncle now! Congrats on being a mom, sis! Still, is it alright to let Mare stay like that?"

"W-What! Mare is cute the way he is! You are the one that should worry about your daughter, Shalltear!"

"S-Shalltear looks just fine though, r-right Momonga-san!?"

"Well, at least my Cocytus is normal. He truly lived up to what I have envisioned of him, a true warrior!"

"...Albedo."

"It's a pity I cannot see any of my creations yet..."

"It seems that you have burdened Sebas with your justice, Touch Me-san."

"You are one to talk, Ulbert-san. You are the one who..."

As the members of Ainz Ooal Gown were talking about their NPCs, Punitto Moe stood up from his seat, gaining their full attention.

"Everyone! Since all of us have decided to once again stand together, under the banner of Ainz Ooal Gown, let us pledge our loyalty to our great Guildmaster, Momonga!"

"Pledge?"

"Ooh! You mean that ceremony, right Punitto Moe-san?"

"The Pledge Ceremony!!"

"Now, now. There is no need for…"

"How could we not, Momonga-san!?"

"Nonsense, Momonga-san. It is our ancient tradition!"

"Indeed. It is one of our important rituals, Momonga-san!"

"Let's do it, Guildmaster!"

At that moment, Momonga realised where the NPCs had learned the Pledge Ceremony. They had somehow imitated it from one of their roleplays.

"While we are at it, why don't we drop the honorifics between us!?"

"Oh! A great idea! After all, we have gotten closer now! More than ever!"

"Indeed, there is no need for such things between us, true friends and comrades!"

"I won't mind."

"Yup. I am okay with it too."

Relenting with their eager request, Momonga stood up and snapped his fingers. They were now once again in a white empty world.

"Then, we will decide with our old way, the majority vote. Everyone, those in favour of conducting the Pledge Ceremony and dropping the honorifics between us, please come to my right, and those not in favour of all two or any one of it, please proceed to my left."

After a moment, everyone moved toward their respective sides, which were on Momonga's right. None of the guild members had proceeded to the left side of Momonga.

"I see. In that case, let us proceed with our Pledge Ceremony! — [Summon - Ainz Ooal Gown]!"

Innumerable flashes of light materialised from the members of Ainz Ooal Gown. The light enveloped them, transforming their forms to their avatars'. They now stood majestically in their monstrous and supreme forms, fully equipped in their set of grandiose divine equipment.

The 40 Supreme Beings had solemn, respectful expressions on their faces as they gazed upon Momonga, who was standing in front of all of them.

Touch Me, who stood at the centre of his comrades, stepped forward.

"Touch Me, the Paladin of Pure Silver, pledges his loyalty to Momonga, the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown!"

A unique emblem representing Touch Me materialised above him. His shining platinum white armour then radiated a pure and divine light as the crimson-red cape around his left shoulder swayed grandly.

After that, Ulbert, who was at his left, stepped forward.

"Ulbert Alain Odle, the Demon of Great Disaster, pledges his loyalty to Momonga, the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown!"

A dark and devilish light was released from Ulbert, creating a clear contrast between him and Touch Me. The emblem representing the demon goat proudly floated above him.

Then, it was the turn of Punitto Moe who stood at the right side of Touch Me.

"Punitto Moe, the PK & PKK Chief Strategist, pledges his loyalty to Momonga, the Guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown!"

An emblem representing the strategist of Ainz Ooal Gown hovered augustly above the Death Vines. He then let out a dark green light which fully shrouded his form.

Next, Tabula, who stood beside Ulbert, stepped forward. Followed by Takemikazuchi, Nishikienrai, Peroroncino, Bukubukuchagama and the rest of the guild members.

Finally, it was the turn for the Guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown to take his stand.

"I, Momonga, the Supreme One, pledges his loyalty to Ainz Ooal Gown!"

Momonga was now in his Overlord form. He was akin to darkness incarnated as dark and dreadful aura spewed endlessly out of him, boosted by the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown in his hand and the dark red orb floating under his ribs. His own emblem that appeared above him was simply awe-inspiring.

As the last of the Supreme Beings declared his pledge, a large emblem of their proud guild, the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, materialised above them.

"All glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!"

""All glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!""

The 41 Supreme Beings stood imposingly under the splendour of their might.

No bows were needed between them.

They were friends.

They were comrades.

They were Ainz Ooal Gown!

xXx

2—

Lower Wind Month, 4th Day

Great Forest of Tob

Enri felt excruciating pain.

Her heart was filled with fear as she gazed upon the longsword that was raised high before her, with the tip of the sword stained with some of her blood, ready to end her with one last strike.

Why?! Why did this happen to us?!

She felt anger and hatred for the knight in front of her.

What is our sin?! What had we done to deserve this?!

The cruel knights had taken everything from her, her parents, her home, her future. She was helpless, no matter how much she had struggled, she could not escape her awful fate.

I… had failed…

She had even failed to save the only family she had left, her sister.

Her relentless struggle had amounted to nothing. It was almost laughable, as she, who was only a village girl, had tried to go against her fate.

After this day, the memories of her life, her family, her village would slowly be forgotten, till one day, no one would ever remember and mourn them.

The knight mercilessly swung his sword.

Enri felt as if time had slowed down. Her life memories, from the moment she was a young girl, to this dreadful day, flashed through her mind.

"Dear! Someone is attacking the village! Please lead our girls to the forest! Go now!"

Dad…

She recalled the panicked face of her father, full of desperation to save them. His last-ditch struggle against the knights eventually led to his death.

"Enri, please take care of Nemu. Go! Don't ever look back! Go now!"

Mom…

The face of her mother was in tears, full of fear and despair, yet she pushed them forward. Her mother had stayed behind them, sacrificing her own life to stall for time.

When she came to herself, Enri felt the warmth that was pressed against her chest — her younger sister.

Nemu…

Nemu was the only one she had left. Strength filled her as she readied herself.

Now, it was her time.

There might still be a chance for Nemu.

As Enri tried to take her last stand, she prayed in her heart.

O God above! Please grant us mercy… someone… anyone… Please at least save my sister from this hell! Please save us!

Enri hoped for a miracle, for a saviour that would at least save her sister. She hoped for a being that could change their fate, the fate of hopeless village girls.

And HE answered!

Without anyone's notice, the world had turned eerily silent.

It was as if a being that was outside of the world had descended, bringing his might upon the world.

It was suffocating.

Enri shifted her gaze to the knight in front of her. The knight that was previously full of bloodlust was now frozen in terror. Between the vision slits of his helmet, his eyes were looking intently behind her.

As though drawn by the knight's gaze, Enri could not help but to turn her eyes to the same direction.

At that moment, she saw it.

A man was slowly walking out from a pitch black darkness. The bizarre sight gave her a powerful sense of unease.

And when she landed her gaze upon that man, she trembled.

The man in front of her was fully clad in an ebony gown, with a decorated magic staff clenched tightly in his left hand. At first, Enri was relieved to see a familiar human-like appearance, believing that it might be an exalted magic caster who had stumbled upon the area, but when she noticed the two long and twisted horns protruding from his forehead and his eyes that were akin to darkness itself, she was struck with fear. It was as if the being in front of her was actually a monstrous creature, hiding behind human skin.

H-He was not a human!! A-A demon god?!!

Goosebumps exploded on her skin as the dark red glow from his empty eye sockets gave her a brief glance.

Enri felt as if he was judging her, whether her existence itself was worthy enough to be in his presence.

Then, he slowly raised his right hand, his fingers spreading as though reaching for something.

At that moment, a heart materialised in his hand.

I-Is that m-my heart?!

Enri wished to take her eyes away from that sight, but it was as if her body and soul were sucked into it. She watched as he clenched his fist, bursting the heart with red blood.

"[Grasp Heart]."

xXx

Great Tomb of Nazarick

9th Floor, Scrying Room

It was the 4th day after Momonga had awoken from his slumber. During the last few days, the Overlord had been diligently analysing and inspecting all of his skills, spells and abilities. Momonga had also allowed a few of the Guardians to embark on their tasks in the outside world.

As of right now, he was trying to take a peek of the surrounding area using the Mirror of Remote Viewing, with a hope to catch a few glimpses of how the NPCs had been doing.

"Is there anything else you wish from us, Momonga-sama?"

Sebas was standing right beside Momonga. Behind the Iron Butler, two of the Homunculus Maids were standing with their backs straight, their posture full of grace and elegance.

"No, there's nothing, Sebas. It was a splendid meal, please send my thanks to our Head Chef."

"Understood, Momonga-sama. Surely he will be pleased to hear your praise."

Sebas and the maids then proceeded to pick up the trays in front of Momonga, leaving behind a tray with a cup of coffee.

"Umu. Thank you, all of you."

"How kind of you, Momonga-sama. Please, there is no need for you to thank us. Truly, to be able to serve you is one of our greatest honour."

Seeing the contented expression on the face of Sebas and the maids, Momonga gave them an acknowledging nod. He then shifted his gaze to the images in the floating mirror.

At that moment, flashes of memories entered his mind. It was the memories of his success in summoning his friends to this new world.

"Kuhahahahaha! It… It worked! Sometimes, my geniuses… It's almost frightening!"

Supposedly, Momonga himself was not sure how long it would take for his friends to awaken if he summoned them using the normal way, and even if they did, they would only be a group of level 100 'Players'.

It wouldn't be enough to go against HIM …

That was why he had used a shortcut to give them a little boost. Momonga had summoned his friends into one of his realms, the Time Infinite Realm, a realm where he had control over the flow of time. No matter how long had passed in that realm, it would only be 3 days in the outside world. Of course, Momonga had to spend most of his mana to maintain it, but it was worth the cost.

Now, with each of them having their own legacy, it will be a different story.

Upon his success, countless floating screens appeared in front of him.

⟨Player 'Touch Me' has been added to the Grimoire.⟩

⟨Player 'Ulbert Alain Odle' has been added to the Grimoire.⟩

⟨Player 'Punitto Moe' has been added to the Grimoire.⟩

⟨Player 'Tabula Smaragdina' has been added to the Grimoire.⟩

⟨Player 'Herohero' has been added to the Grimoire.⟩

…

Momonga could feel his strength returning to him, the addition of his friends had further bolstered his strength.

"I-Is there something wrong, Momonga-sama?"

The concerned question from Sebas brought Momonga back.

"It worked, Sebas. I have summoned all of my friends here, all of them! From now on, Ainz Ooal Gown is whole again!"

"D-Does that means, T-Touch Me-sama has..."

When Momonga turned his gaze to Sebas, the face of the butler was full of shock. A glimpse of hope could be seen in his eyes as he looked at Momonga.

"Of course, Sebas. Touch Me has also returned. It will still take them a few hours to fully awaken, but it is only a matter of time."

Hearing the response from Momonga caused a trickle of happy tears to slide down the butler's cheek. Even the two maids behind him were now crying in joy after they heard of the return of the Supreme Beings.

Their reaction brought a small smile from Momonga. Giving them a moment to take in the delightful news, he shifted back his focus to work on the floating mirror, until an image of a small village appeared in it.

If I am right, this is the nearest village to the Great Forest of Tob…

When Momonga looked into the image, he felt that something was amiss.

The villagers were seen running in and out of their houses. It was as if something big was happening at the village.

Are they holding a festival? No… They looked panicked.

Momonga zoomed in the image to get a clearer view.

Then, he saw it.

A group of armoured knights were swinging their swords at the villagers. For every swing of their sword, man, woman, and even children helplessly fell to their death.

…It is a massacre.

Seeing the tragic fate of the villagers, Momonga pondered.

…Should I save them? Perhaps… Now is the right time to test it, right?

The image changed.

Now, the mirror showed an image of two girls who were running in a forest, with one of the armoured knights chasing them.

Behind them, right at the entrance of the forest, Momonga could see a form of a woman lying down on the ground. There was a large puddle of blood flowing out from under her, perhaps caused by the knight who was after the two girls.

At that moment, Momonga came upon a decision.

"—Sebas."

"Yes, Momonga-sama."

The butler was now back to his stoic self, but through the glint in his eyes, Momonga could clearly see his desire to save those innocent villagers.

"Would you like to accompany me in saving these people?"

"Of course, my lord! It would be my honour to accompany you!"

"I see. You are truly the same as your Creator, Touch Me. Still, I will be going first as there is something important I need to investigate. So Sebas, wait here for a moment until I call for you."

"—Understood, Momonga-sama."

"Then, Cixous."

"Y-Yes! Momonga-sama!"

Cixous, the young maid with long golden hair and golden eyes, eagerly answered Momonga.

"I want you to relay my message to Albedo. Tell her to put Nazarick on maximum alert and to follow me after she had fully equipped herself. Before that, I want her to inform all the Guardians that had gone outside to slowly make their return."

"Understood, Momonga-sama!"

"As for you, Fith. I want you to spread the news of my friends' return. You can start by informing everyone within the 9th Floor. By the time my friends awaken, we will hold a large celebration!"

"U-Understood, Momonga-sama!"

The other maid, Fith, was a young woman with neck-length, beige colored hair with two bangs at the sides of her head. Her dull ruby coloured eyes shined brightly upon receiving the task from Momonga.

"Good. I will leave it to all of you. — [Gate]."

xXx

When Momonga emerged from the dark portal, the scene in front of him changed. He gave the two terrified girls a brief glance, before he shifted his gaze to the terror-stricken knight who had been glued to the spot, with his sword still hanging in the air.

Let's start with the favourite...

Momonga slowly raised his right hand.

"[Grasp Heart]."

A heart materialised in his hand.

Without further ado, Momonga crushed it.

At that moment, the knight silently collapsed to the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

As Momonga looked down upon the fallen knight, the light in his eyes shined in greedy light.

Fufufu. It is about time I added more to my collection. There are still more of these knights right? Let's get all of them. The more the better…

Momonga took a step forward.

He put the confused sisters behind him as he eyed the new arrival, another armoured knight who had come out from a nearby tree.

The knight had also noticed Momonga and out of fear, he took a step back. Seeing the retreating knight, Momonga activated one of the skills that he had learned from his very own legacy.

"[Immortal Chain]."

Chains made out of bones emerged from Momonga's torso. The chains appeared to be brittle but in reality, it was extremely durable. In fact, Momonga had once used it to pinned down a few Dragon Lords with ease.

The chains moved as if it was actually a living being as it lashed towards the retreating knight. In a moment, the chains had already wrapped itself around him.

The knight tried to struggle free from the restraint yet he was helpless as the chains brought him to Momonga.

"Umu. Let's hear your last words, young knight."

"P-Please! D-Don't kill — Arghhhh!!"

The knight screamed.

Behind his back, a chain had materialised a bone blade at its end, piercing it right through his heart.

"It's too generic. How many times have I heard that line?"

Losing interest with the now dead knight, Momonga tossed him aside as the chains around him dispersed to thin air, leaving behind two translucent small orbs in his hand.

"You should think of a better line next time."

Momonga clenched his hand, breaking the small orbs to nothingness as it scattered into colourless lights.

It seems that the people in this world did not have any level up during these years. Well, no matter. Let's get to the fun part.

The Overlord activated one of his skills.

"[Create Middle Tier Undead - Death Knight]."

The moment Momonga activated the skill, the bodies of the two knights in front of him were engulfed in black fog, hiding their forms from view.

When the fog dissipated, the beings that remained behind were no longer humans but monstrosities in flesh.

They were Death Knights, huge undead creatures that stood 2 metres tall with a crooked body. Each of them was equipped with armour made of black metal with red bloodlines engraved on it, a rippled sword and a huge shield. Their armour that was full of sharp thorns made them akin to an incarnation of violence.

The two demonic horns that protruded from their helmets and their disgusting, rotted face whose empty eye sockets glowed with a flashing red light, filled with hate and killing intent further showcased their brutality.

Upon seeing the two Death Knights, Momonga grinned.

"Alright, from now on you will be Varrarr and Veggard."

As Momonga named them, floating screens appeared in front of him.

⟨Death Knight 'Varrarr' has been added to the Grimoire.⟩

⟨Death Knight 'Veggard' has been added to the Grimoire.⟩

There was a good reason why Momonga had named his summons.

Actually, it was because he was bored out of his mind.

During the past centuries, there was a time when Momonga had nothing better to do yet he could not force himself to go to slumber.

Since he had too much time to spare, he decided to spend some time organising his Grimoire.

Back then, he could not differentiate between his summons of the same race since there were thousands of them. It was hard for him to keep track of any of them since they had been recorded with the same entry in his Grimoire.

Thus, he named them.

But of course, it was not only for that.

After all, he was Momonga.

Every single action he had made was surely planned in an articulate detail, all done to gain the best advantage for himself!

As a matter of fact, his act of naming his summons had made it possible for them to grow their own egos.

By the time Momonga noticed it, his summons had become more capable of independent thoughts. They had grown to be their very own self, each with their own quirks and personalities as they remained loyal to Momonga.

Though, they have also been a lot of trouble for me... That aside, why didn't HE make a move yet?!

Momonga looked up to the calm blue sky.

I had been baiting HIM for a while now, yet nothing happened! HE should be capable enough to break those seals… Unless… HE is too weak to do so… Umu… Then, if that is so, let's just be prepared for any trouble and proceed with our first move... It should be fine, right?

As he organised his thoughts, Momonga proceeded to message Sebas.

"「Sebas, you can come here now.」"

"「Understood, Momonga-sama.」"

Momonga then activated another skill from his legacy.

"[Summon]."

It was the ultimate summon skill of Momonga. The skill allowed him to force other beings to be his summons by adding them to his Grimoire. By then, they would be at Momonga's beck and call.

Let's summon a few angels to heal the injured.

⟨Principality Peace 'Adimus' has been summoned.⟩

⟨Principality Peace 'Cerviel' has been summoned.⟩

⟨Principality Peace 'Elemiah' has been summoned.⟩

After Momonga activated his skill, three angelic beings appeared in front of him. They were Principality Peace, a 4th-tier angel summon capable of using low-tier divine spells. The two male and one female angels in front of him resembled brilliant and winged humanoids and were decorated in shining armour as well as religious robes.

The moment they gazed upon Momonga, the three angels kneeled.

"O lord, the gracious, the Supreme! Please allow this humble one to offer you countless praise for all beings shall be grateful to…"

"O my master, the merciful of all creation, Momonga-sama! This small one, Cerviel bow before you…"

"O my Creator, Momonga-sama! Allow this servant of yours to remove these filthy mortals before you! How dare they present…"

Momonga was annoyed. The irritation he felt in the past flashed through his mind.

Can't they be a little normal! At least, stop with the endless praises! And why are you nodding along with them, Sebas?!

Sebas who now stood beside Momonga was nodding along as he heard the praises for Momonga. With a small smile plastered on his face, he appeared to be fully content to meet other beings that recognised the magnificent of his master.

"—Skip."

With that magic word from Momonga, the angels turned silent.

And because of that Elemiah, the girls were frightened… You are an angel! At least try to act like one!

Sighing, Momonga decided to give them the order to go ahead as he waited for Albedo.

"Sebas, I want you to lead the five of them to save the villagers. You can order them as you see fit. Angels, I want the three of you to focus on healing any villagers that are injured. Treat them with care as I wish to save them. You can join the Death Knights to slaughter the enemies if you wish. Now, go!"

"Understood, Momonga-sama!"

""We will carry out your order, Momonga-sama!!""

As they headed towards the village, Momonga turned his gaze to the two trembling sisters.

"It's fine you two. I wish no harm upon you. In fact, I am trying to save your home."

"R-Really?"

Momonga could see the elder sister was doubting his words. Unbothered by it, he continued his attempt to express his good intentions.

"Here, drink it. The potion will heal your wound."

"I-I will take it. T-Thank you!"

The elder sister took the red potion with trembling hands. She then drank the potion in one go as her little sister held her hands tightly.

The effect was simply miraculous.

A shock expression filled the elder sister's face as she tried to touch her back.

"T-The pain is gone..."

"Of course. It is a healing potion after all."

Seeing the effect of the healing potion, the faces of the two girls changed. Momonga gave them a small smile as he felt their budding trust in him.

"F-Forgive me for doubting you, Magic Caster-sama! A-And thank you for saving us!"

"T-Thank you!"

Their eyes were brimming with tears as they thanked Momonga.

"...Think nothing of it. I just happened to pass by this area. That aside, what is your name, you two? I am Momonga."

"T-Thank you again Momonga-sama! M-My name is E-Enri… Enri Emmot!"

The elder girl, Enri introduced herself. She was a fairly beautiful young girl in her mid-teens, with lightly fair skin, brown eyes and blonde hair which she had tied into a braid.

"T-This is my little sister, Nemu!"

"I-I am Nemu!"

Her little sister, Nemu was a young little girl with brown eyes and reddish-brown hair tied into pigtails. Similar to her sister, she wore simple woollen clothes.

"I see. I will remember both of your names."

Right at that moment, a new figure emerged from the [Gate] beside them before it slowly disappeared.

"I apologise for my late arrival, Momonga-sama."

The new arrival was Albedo, fully equipped in an impressive black full plate armour with a peculiar helmet. Her clawed gauntlets grasped a black kite shield and a battle-axe in each of her hands.

"No, it's fine. You came just in time, Albedo."

"Thank you. Then… Shall I dispose of these inferior lifeforms in front of you, Momonga-sama?"

"Eeeeek!!"

"Not you too... Ahem. I mean, of course not! Albedo, we are saving them. For now, our enemies are a group of knights in armour."

"Understood."

Hearing the words of Momonga, Albedo nodded in understanding.

Now that I remember it, I feel a little guilty for changing her settings. Still, Tabula seemed to be pretty okay with it. No… He had even praised me for completing the greatest Gap Moe in history or something. That sure came out of nowhere…

Momonga shifted his gaze to the two sisters.

"Anyway, we are going to your village. Do you two wish to stay here? I will cast a few protection spells if you wish to stay. Or do you wish to come along?"

"T-This might be outrageous for us… B-But, please bring us along, Momonga-sama! Please save our parents!"

"P-Please, Momonga-sama!"

The two girls lowered their heads to Momonga.

"—All right. If they are still alive, I will rescue them. Come along. — [Mass Fly]."

Unable to bear their heartfelt request, Momonga turned around and cast his spell.

xXx

In the outskirts of Great Forest of Tob, an elderly butler was fighting, no, calling it a fight was simply an overstatement.

It was a slaughter.

Whenever Sebas threw his punch, a single life was lost. Not a single one of his enemies had managed to withstand his might.

Momonga-sama are truly full of mercy. He had even allowed me to carry out justice by punishing these disgusting humans. Surely, Touch Me-sama would be happy to hear about this.

Sebas was simply delighted.

The butler felt as if he had been tasked with a truly important task from Momonga, to cleanse these scourges in honour of the advent of the Supreme Beings.

A task which he vowed to accomplish with perfection.

"OOOOOOOAAAAHHHHHHH!"

In front of him, the two Death Knights were killing a group of armour knights who foolishly stood in their way. The three angels of Principality Peace hovered right above them.

"W-Why are the angels attacking us?! We are the followers of the Six Great Gods!!"

"Oh god, please save us…"

"Angels! Stop your attacks and help us! We are the servant of your master, Alah Alaf-sama!!"

At first, the knights did not pay any special attention to the three angels, believing them to be on their side. Yet, their beliefs were clearly misplaced.

The angels held no goodwill towards them.

When the knights gazed upon their eyes, they could only feel coldness and scorn. It was as if the angels only thought of them as mere bugs that could be eliminated at any time.

"Enough with your nonsense. Cerviel, let's end these fools!"

"To think that I would meet such ungrateful humans..."

Two of the angels joined the fray against the armoured knights. It was truly a bizarre sight where holy and unholy creatures worked together against those of another race.

Left alone, Elemiah slowly made her descend towards Sebas.

"Sebas-sama, it seems that these heathens were simply a detached force who were targeting the escapees."

"...Are there any survivors around?"

"None."

"I see. How unfortunate..."

Truthfully, Sebas felt that there was something odd with the angels.

I thought that they would be more compassionate with the weaker race, especially towards the human race. Granted, these knights were our enemies but aren't they a little cold for an angel? Or perhaps, it is just these three being an oddball…

In no time, the human knights in their vicinity were exterminated. Their corpses littered the ground as the earth turned red. Among them, there were even a few corpses of the villagers who had died before their arrival.

I hope we can save most of them.

Clenching his fist, Sebas silently shifted his gaze towards the village.

"Let's move on."

""Yes, Sebas-sama.""

xXx

Enri bit her lip. She tried to force back her tears, but this time, she could not stop it.

As the tears raced down her cheeks, the only feeling she had left was emptiness.

She felt hollowed.

In front of her lay her mother. Her mother who had greet her with a small smile just this morning.

Somehow, she felt that those memories were of so long ago.

"Mom..."

Besides her, Nemu was soaked in red blood. Her little sister kept on clinging to their mother, crying for her name, crying for her to wake up.

Yet, nothing changed.

No matter what she did, her mother remained still. Motionless. Lifeless.

And that wretched scene would forever be etched in her worst nightmare.

W-Why?! Why did this happen to us…

Her mother had truly died. A horrified expression was fixed on her face as her once bright eyes turned dull.

"—You were asking why this had happened to you."

The voice startled her.

Nervously, Enri shifted her gaze towards the man who had spoken, the powerful magic caster who had saved them, Momonga.

Deep in her heart, she wished to ask him to do something, anything to bring back her mother. Yet, the event in the forest was still fresh in her mind.

Her saviour had turned the knights into monstrous undead creatures. It was the scene that had truly terrified her and she did not wish for the same awful fate to befall her mother.

Unconsciously, Enri asked the question that had been stuck in her heart.

"W-Why?"

Her voice was barely a whisper but Momonga had heard it right and clear.

"It's because the knight was stronger than you."

His answer was brief.

Enri could feel his firm belief behind those words. It was as if the answer had more depth in it, something which she could not comprehend.

The knights were stronger than them.

She knew it. But why?

She had done nothing wrong, her family was innocent and her village was harmless. They were nothing but mere villagers living their normal and ordinary life.

Yet why were they being dragged into this conflict?

"B-But why? We had done nothing wrong!"

"Because such is the way of the world. The strong do what they will, and the weak suffer what they must. No one could escape this rule, not you, not the knight who harmed you and not even me who had saved you."

Enri felt the gaze of Momonga landing on her, but at the same time, she felt as if he was actually looking right through her.

She understood him now. But is that it?

The knights were able to do this because they were stronger.

Then, what if there was someone stronger in her village? What if she was the one who was stronger? Could she protect everyone? Could she protect her family?

But would it even matter now? When she had lost everything?

As if he was reading her mind, a bitter smile was plastered on Momonga's face. Then, she heard him spoke:

"I am sorry for your loss. Still, it is also another way of the world. Those who possess life would eventually face death. It's fine to mourn them, to remember them, but never forget those who are still with you. Cherish them as they are still within your grasp."

After hearing those words, Enri finally came back to herself.

Due to her shock, she had not been able to think clearly, but now, she remembered it, the will that she had inherited from her parents.

I-I still have someone to protect… Nemu.

Enri went closer to her little sister and hugged her. At that moment, Nemu stopped moving. Slowly, her little sister turned to look at her, giving her a full view of her face, full of grief and sorrow.

Unable to hold herself, Enri tightened her hug. It was as if she was afraid that the moment she loosened it, she would lose her only family she had left.

"I-It's fine, Nemu. I am here. I will protect you."

"—N-Nee-chan..."

Her little sister eventually returned her hug and Enri was finally able to feel it again, the warmth that she thought she had lost for eternity.

"Remember this day, Enri. Only those with power could protect their everything. If you are weak, there might be a moment where you will feel regret."

When Enri returned her gaze to Momonga, he was putting out his hand from a small purplish dark portal in front of him. In his hand was a pair of exquisite dark glasses, constructed with a thin black frame which he later put on his face.

The moment Momonga put it on, the glasses completely concealed his eyes, something which eased Enri up even a little bit.

"[Detect Talent]."

The name of the spell was foreign to Enri. To her, magic had always been something out of her reach and the least she had known about it was only through her friend, Nfirea. More than that, she was deeply curious as to why Momonga had cast that spell.

"I see. It seems that you have been blessed with a good talent."

"T-Talent?"

"It's sort of an innate ability that you were born with. Yours are called Generalissimo, a talent that could turn you into a great general."

Enri was at a loss.

T-Talent? I have one that could turn me to a great general? B-But I don't know how to lead?! Would the army even listen to someone like me?!

Lost in her thoughts, Enri did not notice that Momonga was now standing right in front of her.

"Here, take this. These are called the Horns of the Goblin General. With your talent, perhaps you can unleash their true power!"

In his hand were two horns with a leather strap attached to it. The horns were also wrapped in a slim ring of ornate design, clearly showing its status as no ordinary magic items.

Seeing the gifts from her saviour, Enri politely took it. She could not refuse the goodwill from Momonga. He had already saved their life, but now, he had even paved a path for her, a path where she could be strong enough to protect everything.

"T-Thank you, Momonga-sama!"

"—Think nothing of it."

At that moment, Nemu suddenly separated herself from her sister. With her hand still stained with blood, she clung tightly to the end of Momonga's robe.

"M-Momonga-sama! I-I wish to be stronger too! I want to protect Nee-chan! C-Can I do it? D-Do I have it too? That talent?!"

"How dare you dirty the clothes of the Supreme One!"

"N-Nemu!"

It was deja vu.

The woman in armour, Albedo, who Enri had assumed to be Momonga's subordinate raised her battle-axe high, clearly showing her intent to behead her sister.

"Albedo! It's fine. Please, lower your weapon."

"—Understood, Momonga-sama."

Enri had almost lost her bowel. She could never have imagined that someone who served her saviour had almost taken her last family from her. As she released a sigh of relief, she saw Momonga reaching out one of his hands towards Nemu, who was still in shock. He then quietly patted her sister on the head.

"I am sorry, Nemu. But, I could not detect any talent in you."

Hearing his response, her sister's face crumpled.

"Be that as it may, it was not an impossible task. If you truly wish to be strong, there are countless paths which you could choose from, and among them is the path of magic!"

Goosebumps sprang up all over her when Momonga pointed his hand downwards, right at the body of her mother. For a moment, Enri had thought of stopping him but then, she decided to put her whole trust on him.

She hoped for a miracle.

"Truthfully, I had planned to use this the moment I saved your whole village, but consider this my early gift to the both of you. — [True Resurrection]."

A magic circle materialised in front of him. It was pure white in colour, full of intricate and detailed magic runes.

When the spell was completed, the form of her mother was shrouded in white light. Colours returned to her face as she started to emit an aura of life.

"Ehnri… Nhemu…"

Her voice was unclear but Enri would have never mistaken it for someone else's.

Her mother had truly come back to life.

"Mom!"

"Mom!!"

Sobbing, Enri followed her sister and hugged the woman who had shown her the world.

She had hoped, dreamed even, for everything that had happened on this day was nothing but dreams. She hoped to be awakened to a world where her family was whole again.

But reality was often disappointing.

The events on this day were real, her loss was nothing but a new permanent status she had to live on.

Yet again, with his tremendous might, her saviour had changed her fate, her destiny.

"Let her drink this."

As Momonga put the red potion in her hand, countless words of gratitude flashed in her mind, but not a single one managed to escape her lips.

"Stay here and this time, protect your family with your own strength. I will restore your village to the way it was."

After giving her a soft smile, her saviour turned his back and slowly walked away. His firm voice echoed in her mind, full of promise for salvation.

Looking at his broad back, Enri felt at peace.

In her eyes, it was the back of someone she could put her whole trust in, someone she could depend on no matter how harsh the world had treated her.

Truly, he was a supreme being who could make the world submit to his will!

"Who… who are you really, Momonga-sama?"

A small whisper escaped her lips. She had not even expected him to hear it, even more so to respond to it, yet he did.

"—I am Momonga, the Guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown."

In his voice, Enri could feel his pride in that name, an unrivalled, supreme pride.

xXx

There was a day he feared most.

It was the day his normal ordinary life was turned upside down. The day the world unveiled its illusion, showing him the cold, harsh reality of life.

He never wished to experience that day.

Yet, today… was that day.

"Tch. I missed that girl early. You are not exactly my type but it will do, serve me well and I will let you go."

In front of him, a knight who he presumed to be the captain, was trying to force himself onto someone, a woman named Lisa Brawn. She was the wife of Morgan, known for his loud attitude, but a pleasant man nonetheless. The couple were among the youngest among his people as both of them were still in their 30s.

He looked around, trying to find her husband among the survivors, yet no matter how much he tried to find him, that man was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps, he had…

He had known Morgan since before he took charge as the village chief. Surely, that man would do his damnedest to save his wife if he was around. The fact that there was not even a shadow of him would only mean one thing…

His gaze landed on the scarf that was clenched tightly in his wife's hand.

Seeing the bloodied scarf, immense pain penetrated his very being.

Another face in his memory vanished.

Another friend.

Another family.

Gone…

As though he could feel the wrath from him and his people behind him, the knight turned his gaze. A mocking laugh escaped him as he chided them.

"What, you lot are angry? So what? Make a move and we will kill those brats! Hahaha! You should be grateful to be of use to me. Even if I killed you, you can rest assured as your death would please the Six Great Gods!"

"C-Captain! We are going undercover right now!"

The attendant knight at his side nervously whispered those words, clearly intending to cover up the already exposed secret.

"Oh right, those two backwater countries did not worship the other two Gods. I forgot about that fact. So what? It's not like we would let anyone go, right?"

"C-Captain!"

"Tch. Just shut up. Where was I again? Right… I was at the fun part. Gehehehe! Let's get started shall we?"

Right at that moment, a mighty roar shattered the air.

"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A knight was sent flying through the air.

When the knight met the ground, the earth cracked on impact and his body was turned into nothing but a bloody mess.

"W-What happened?!"

"I-Isn't that Elion?!"

"W-Who?!"

Seeing the bizarre scene, the knights were panicked. With an anxious expression plastered on their face, they cautiously scanned for the origin of that frightening roar.

Even his people were now waiting in bated breath, but at least, he had managed to unite those among them who were separated while the knights had been focusing their attention elsewhere.

It was strange, but he could somehow feel it.

The air around them had turned heavier.

"GUWOOOOOOOOOOHHH!"

Another terrifying roar was heard.

"Aiiiiieee!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Followed with the cries of the nearby knights, full of fright and horror.

At that moment, he saw it.

Right in front of the frozen knights stood two undeads in black armour. With each of them holding a bloodied rippled sword in one hand and a huge shield in another, the two undead beings simply radiated power, a power so overwhelming that even the knights were now shaking in their place.

"Hear me, and rejoice!"

Amidst those silence, a bell-like voice was heard.

Nervously, he shifted his gaze upwards, towards where the voice had come from. To his and everyone's surprise, there were three angels hovering above them.

"The Supreme One has promised you salvation! Be grateful that your meaningless lives are now spared from suffering!"

"Under his boundless grace, he had given you mercy! Remember it well o humans, the name of your saviour, Momonga-sama!"

"Yet even his mercy did not extend to those who went against his will! O foolish knights who had incurred his wrath, your fate is death!"

Their words caused a ripple among them.

"A-Are we really safe?!"

"D-Did those angels and the undead come to save us?!"

"W-We are saved now! All thanks to that great being, Momonga-sama!"

An unknown great being named Momonga had saved them. That single news caused his people to rejoice over the ending of their nightmare.

"W-Why are the angels going against us?!"

"A-Are they under someone else's control?! Who?!"

"N-No way?! How could an angel work together with the undead?!"

As for the knights, their faces had turned deathly pale. It was as if they could never have imagined that they would be abandoned by an angel, a being they considered as the envoys of the divine.

"O-Oi! What are you saying angels? D-Don't you know who I am? I am Belius, the captain—!"

Before the captain managed to offer his nonsense, a calm voice interrupted him.

"Please proceed with your task, everyone. We should not delay our lord's orders."

""Understood, Sebas-sama!""

Their next actions were swift.

The angels gracefully flew down and proceeded to heal the injured.

"[Heavy Recover]."

"M-My hand! T-They are back!"

"[Mass Cure Light Wounds]."

"[Mass Middle Cure Wounds]."

"T-The pain is gone!"

"T-The bleeding had stopped!"

"T-Thank you, angel-sama!"

"W-We are saved!"

As for the undead knights, they unceremoniously began their onslaught.

The first to fall was a knight who tried to flee the scene in terror. The fleeing man could only take a few steps before he got brutally bisected on the ground. Following him was another knight who got impaled in the torso while he was still standing.

Seeing the end of their comrades, a knight had attempted to take his last stand in defiance but ultimately, he simply ended up being stomped to death.

"G-Guwaaaaaaargh!"

In the end, it was the turn of the previously haughty knight captain. Fearing for his death, the captain kept on pleading for mercy but his plea simply fell on deaf ears. Again and again, the sword skewered his stomach, and he eventually screamed till his last breath.

It was a gruesome end.

Upon seeing such a cruel scene, he was supposed to feel at least a little bit of discomfort, but strangely enough, his heart was somehow at peace. Even worse, there was also a small part of him that wished for their suffering to continue.

He knew the reason for that.

It was because he… had changed, and he could tell that he was not the only one.

"Excuse me, but are you perhaps the leader of this village?"

"A-Ah yes! I am the village chief!"

He was startled by the newest arrival, a gentlemanly looking butler who had approached him.

"Then, Village Chief-dono, my name is Sebas. As you had heard, our master had ordered us to save this village. You can be at ease now."

"T-Thank you very much for saving us, Sebas-sama! Please send our deepest gratitude to your master!"

"It's alright, Village Chief-dono. Also, our master is on his way. I believe that he would be more pleased to hear it directly from you."

At that moment, a babel of voices was heard around them.

"T-The angels are kneeling, should we not follow them?!"

"W-We should kneel too right? After all he is the one who has truly saved us!"

"Y-Yeah! The angels had even called him their Creator just now! How could we not kneel!?"

When he shifted his gaze towards them, he saw his villagers kneeling on the ground. In front of them was a man cladded in a magnificent black robe. With a majestic looking staff in his hand and a pair of exquisite dark glasses on his face, the village chief could figure out who he was in one glance.

He is the Momonga-sama…

As he gazed at that great being, a feeling of deep gratitude filled him. Without hesitation, he followed along and kneeled before their saviour.

"Umu. There is no need to kneel before me. Please rise up and continue with your tasks."

""Understood, Momonga-sama!""

"Then, who is the leader of this village? I would like to have a few words with him."

"I-It's me, Momonga-sama!"

With Sebas at his side, the village chief hurriedly walked towards Momonga.

When he reached him, he immediately bowed his head. Seeing the action of their chief, the villagers bowed along.

"Thank you very much for saving us! Without your help, all of us might be dead already. You have our deepest thanks!"

"Please, raise your head everyone. I am only able to help because I was around the area. But, if you are truly thankful for that, it's fine to offer me a few gifts of gratitude."

"You are too kind, Momonga-sama. We promise to do our best to repay this favour!"

"Then, let us discuss more at another location. Umu. Before that, please wait for a moment. — [Create Middle Tier Undead - Death Knight]."

xXx

The village chief then brought Momonga to his humble home. At the side of his saviour were the butler and a woman in black armour who had arrived together with him.

"Forgive me for my poor reception, Momonga-sama!"

"It's alright, Village Chief-dono. There is no need for you to take what my followers have said at face value. They are simply being too considerate of me."

"T-Thank you, Momonga-sama!"

"Then, let us continue with our discussion. First of all, I will only accept your gift when your village has finished restoring itself. Please use all of your resources to accomplish that before you decide on anything to give me."

The kind words from their saviour had shocked him, but perhaps it was as expected of a powerful being who could order the angels and undeads as he pleased.

"H-How kind of you, Momonga-sama! Truly, Thank you!"

"Umu. You are welcome. That aside, I do have a few favours to ask of you if you don't mind."

"Please ask me anything!"

The magic caster then paused for a moment, as though he was trying to find the perfect words to begin his story.

"—To tell you the truth, I am actually a magic caster who had just gotten out of my home. Since I have been too busy with my magic research, I lack the knowledge about the change in the outside world. Could you brief me on what you know for the past few centuries? It would also be more helpful if you have the latest map of the area."

"—I understand. Please wait for a moment, Momonga-sama!"

Without wasting any time, the village chief hastily went to look for his map.

xXx

As the village chief spent his time with their saviour, there was one thing that always lingered in his mind. It was the fact that the one before him, Momonga, was actually a being who had lived for more than a few centuries.

When he was saving their village, his saviour did nothing to hide his inhuman appearance. His horns and pointy ears were a dead giveaway that he was not a human.

Perhaps, the only reason they were not so fearful of him was because of the angels.

But even the village chief had not expected him to be alive for more than 100 years. More than that, the words he had heard from the magic caster had left him shaken to his core.

"To think that nothing major had happened 100 years ago. Is that the truth? Or perhaps they were just in hiding? If only I was not that busy at that time…"

Actually, our village was founded around that time, but of course it was no major event for Momonga-sama.

"I see, I see. So most of these nations were actually founded after the fall of those pesky Evil Deities. No wonder I had never heard of them…"

P-Pesky Evil Deities?! We are talking about those beings that had terrorized the world right?!

"Yeah, I remembered those times. Back then, I could not even find a single trace of any Dragon Lord! Those damn lizards kept on…"

M-Momonga-sama, i-is it fine to call a being as mighty as the Dragon Lords as that?!

"Umu. As I expected, they had removed him from history. How irresponsible of them to do so after what they had done…"

If I am right, there was only one country established during that time…

"Ah! Those eight sure are a hassle. I thought that it was fine to leave them to the Dragon Lords, but to think that those fools ended up…"

D-Did you just belittle them, Momonga-sama?! Is it really alright to do so?!

"Those six owe me a treasure! That damn Surshana, if only he handed over all of his treasures to me…"

W-What had really happened, Momonga-sama?!

The more the village chief heard from Momonga, the less he understood. But now that he had learnt of the story from the side of his saviour, he could only regard him as nothing but a mythical Godlike being who had once again descended from the heaven high above.

We are truly fortunate. At least, Momonga-sama is a being full of mercy! But to think that our saviour is actually someone that stood shoulder to shoulder with the legendary figure in history, it is simply awe-inspiring!

After their short talks, the way the village chief looked at Momonga had changed. There was now a certain fervour in his eyes when he gazed upon the Overlord.

"Forgive me, Momonga-sama, but that was everything that I had known of our history."

"Umu. It's good enough. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"I-I am the one that should be grateful. To be able to be of use to a great being like you is my honour, Momonga-sama!"

"There is no need to be so stiff with me. Anyway, since we are going to be neighbours from now on, let's get along."

"N-Neighbors?"

The word coming from the village saviour confused him.

"Yes. From now on, I will be taking the Great Forest of Tob under my domain. We have not decided on a name yet, but we will be creating an utopia, a new kingdom for all races!"

"A-An utopia?"

"Indeed, an utopia. Have you heard that word before?"

"—No, Momonga-sama. It is my first time hearing it, but it does sound nice."

"Hahaha. It does, it does. Feel free to pay a visit when we finish it, Village Chief-dono."

The idea of living in a kingdom ruled by Momonga flashed across his mind. As far as the village chief was concerned, even the human race could live in harmony under the rule of such a merciful being.

"Excuse me for a moment. — [Message]."

After casting that spell, his saviour appeared to be talking with someone. The village chief looked at him with worry when Momonga gave him a troubled face.

"Village Chief-dono, it seems that we have a couple of new visitors."

xXx

The village chief was a man with dark muscular skin and a face full of wrinkles, making him appear to be more than forty years old. It had been almost 10 years since he was appointed as the village chief of Carne Village.

As of right now, the old village chief was silently making his steps towards the village square.

The thought of the new visitors filled his mind.

At first, he had thought that they were another group of knights who wished to harm them, but his assumption was only half-right, as even the Warrior Troop, led by Gazef Stronoff himself was also on their way.

To think that every death on this day was only to lure out a single man. What had happened to our kingdom?

The village chief was no fool.

Even though he was only a chief of a small frontier village, he still knew enough about the political mess of his own kingdom.

"Chief, is something the matter?"

When he arrived at the village square, the villagers who were there slowly approached him.

"No, it is nothing. Momonga-sama said that he will handle it, so we can be at ease."

"Thank goodness! I thought that we were done for!"

"Momonga-sama is really kind!"

"I thought that he was scary at first, how could I have misjudged him!"

"Shhh! Don't say it out loud! The angels might hear you!"

"S-Sorry!"

"I-It's weird but I thought that the undead were kinder."

"Y-Yeah. I thought so too."

As he listened to their small talk, he was nudged by his wife who had arrived at his side. Just now, she had finished tending to the children who had lost their parents during the attack.

"Dear, do you know why Momonga-sama had asked us to gather the dead here?"

"No, I don't know."

"…He wouldn't think of doing that right?"

That certain memory emerged in his mind. It was the scene of Momonga turning the dead knights into a group of undead. He might be naive, but he believed that the great being who had spoken with him would not commit such a cruel act on them.

"—No. I believe that he won't do so."

Seeing the worry in her face, he tightly grasped her hand.

It is cold…

He knew that she was at her limit.

No, everyone in his village was at their limits.

Today had taken its toll on them. That was why he had to remain strong, as his wife and his people needed him now, more than ever.

"Chief! Someone is coming!"

He turned his gaze to their left, following the direction pointed by Latimon, who was the only ranger in their village.

It was then that he noticed the silhouette of the three humans who were walking towards the village square, along with the Goblin Troop who were closely following them from behind.

Perhaps in normal ordinary days, the villagers would be screaming and running for their lives by now, but since it happened on this particular day, the goblins were only given sidelong glances at best.

"Hey, isn't that Rina? Along with her two daughters?"

"Y-Yeah, that's her… but…"

"I-Isn't she bleeding? Let's help her!"

"Lisa! Wait for us!"

In no time, the woman with her two daughters were brought along to the centre of the village square. At first, the Goblin Troop were wary of them but then, they obediently let them be when the eldest daughter of the Emmot family commanded them to do so.

"What has happened to you, Rina? I-I thought that I had lost you too!"

"You did though… I-I don't know how, but I somehow came back."

Her words shocked the whole crowd.

If she didn't know, then…

The village chief shifted his gaze towards Enri, but before he could ask her anything, the sudden arrival of Momonga made him stop.

"Village Chief-dono, everyone is already here, right?"

"Yes, Momonga-sama. Is there anything we could help?"

"It's fine. The Warrior Captain-dono had already gone to stop the other enemy group, but if worse comes to worse, I will intervene myself. So, please gather around as I will cast a few protection spells."

"T-Thank you, Momonga-sama! Throughout all this time, we had always been…"

"Worry not, Village Chief-dono. After all, you have also been a lot of help to me. Then, Sebas. I will leave my summons under your supervision. Protect this village under the name of Ainz Ooal Gown!"

"Understood, Momonga-sama!"

As Momonga walked away, followed by Albedo, the village chief looked at his back with a face filled with a new determination. It was as if he had finally found the answer to his lifelong dilemma.

xXx

It might be hypocritical of him to think of this, but he, Nigun Grid Luin, was a man who considered life itself as something precious.

He had been destined to be born as a son of man, as a human, a truly vulnerable race compared to many others who shared their world.

Hence, the man named Nigun had always put the life of the human race far above all.

Be that as it may, even he knew that sometimes, you need to sacrifice something for your very own survival.

It was his sole reason to be there.

For the survival of the human race, for his race to be able to continue their life in prosperity, a foolish and incompetence country such as Re-Estize Kingdom must be rebuild, even at the cost of countless innocent.

But those sacrifices would be for naught if I failed to kill this man…

In front of him, there was a muscular man of around thirty years old with short, trimmed, black hair. With his black eyes that were as sharp as a sword, he glared in defiance towards Nigun and his men.

He was the man hailed as the Strongest Warrior of the Kingdom, the Warrior Captain, Gazef Stronoff!

Honestly, Nigun did not like that guy.

You are truly a strong warrior, Gazef Stronoff, but in the end, you are nothing but a foolish warrior who served a foolish king!

The battle was about to come to an end.

"—Angels, kill Gazef Stronoff!"

The angels moved in unison, ready to end the Warrior Captain with one last strike.

At that moment, something out of the ordinary happened right in front of his very eyes.

"Who… are you?"

Nigun focused his gaze on the beings who now stood in front of him, the one who had replaced the injured Warrior Captain.

One of them was a man dressed like an arcane magic caster, dressed in a magnificent black robe and the other was a woman cladded in a suit of jet-black full plate armour.

"Pleased to meet you, people of Slain Theocracy. I am Momonga, and behind me is my trustful subordinate, Albedo. Before we begin…"

As he said those words, cracks started to appear in the sky. The cracks then vanished an instant later, restoring the scenery to normal.

The scene was so bizarre that Nigun had lost his calm.

"W-What have you done, magic caster?"

"Good grief, you didn't even know that someone was watching you? Or perhaps you are into that? Not that I really mind, but I prefer to not be watched without my consent."

Hearing the answer from Momonga, Nigun came upon a realisation.

The country is spying on me?!

Doubts and questions on why they had done so crept into his mind, yet he immediately squished it.

As of now, Nigun knew that he needed to focus his whole attention to the being in front of him, the one who had given him a sense of deep unease.

Even then, Nigun himself was a prideful man to a fault.

"My name is Nigun Grid Luin, the Captain of the Sunlight Scripture! Tell me magic caster, why are you interfering with our noble mission?"

"You called that mission of yours as noble? How laughable, but it is expected of the people from the Theocracy. Anyway, since you did not have your World Item with you, let's get this over with."

"W-World Item?"

"I am talking about your cursed sacred treasure, the Downfall of Castle and Country."

"W-What?! H-How did you even know that name?! Who are you, magic caster?!"

Extreme shock and confusion filled Nigun as those words were uttered by Momonga. Even in his wildest dreams, he could never have imagined that an outsider would know one of the top secrets of his country.

Yet, he had no time to indulge in his thoughts.

"Fufufu. It seems that you thought it was some sort of deeply hidden secret or something. No matter, since you did not wish to make the first move, allow me. — [Angel Domination]."

That was the moment Nigun felt it, the feeling that everything would go wrong for him.

The angels that were hovering silently above them suddenly took their own action. Without any order from their summoners, the angels flew past the magic caster and immediately made their descent.

The scene in front of them came as a bombshell for Nigun and his men.

When they saw the row upon row of angels that were now kneeling behind Momonga, they lost it.

"T-The angels?! I lost control over mine!!"

"M-My mental link was severed!!"

"C-Captain!! What should we do?!"

"E-Even the Principality Observation had betrayed us?!"

"H-How could this happen?!"

"I-Impossible…"

Upon seeing the betrayal of the angels, Nigun was overwhelmed.

That being is no ordinary being! To be able to take control over all those angels means that he must be an upper echelon among the angels, yet those horns…

Although he was obviously frightened, Nigun immediately issued another order to his subordinates.

"S-Summon the next wave of angels! Strike him down!"

The trepidation was clear in his voice.

Without wasting any time, he and his men quickly summoned another group of angels, only for them to fall for the same fate.

"— [Angel Domination]."

Their newly summoned angels were now neatly arranging themselves behind Momonga.

"Thank you for your patronage everyone, but could you please summon one with a higher level? Or is this already your limit?"

That sincere request from Momonga brought them dismay.

"H-How could one man…"

"W-What in bloody hell?!"

"T-This is impossible…"

"S-Strike him down!!"

"T-The angels will be gone when he dies!!"

Nigun watched blankly as his men lost to their fear.

With a desperate expression on their pale face, they started their spells bombardment towards Momonga, yet amidst those countless strikes, Nigun could clearly see it, none of them had even affected their monstrous opponent.

Slowly, his hand reached into his breast pocket, towards the rare treasure that was his only hope, but a sound of explosion stopped him in his tracks.

Nigun immediately turned his gaze towards one of his subordinates who had fallen.

"Now, now, Albedo. How could you just kill him?"

"—Forgive me, Momonga-sama! But to attack you with a sling bullet like that was nothing more than an insult to your noble self!"

"Umu. I truly appreciate your concern for me. Still, you cannot just kill anyone willy-nilly, you know. We could have at least used that man to summon low level angels for us till his last breath, but since you have killed him, let's make use of his corpse instead. — [Create Middle Tier Undead - Death Knight]."

"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

From the corpse of their comrade, a terrifying undead creature came into being. His thunderous roar was filled with killing intent as he glared towards the living members of the Sunlight Scripture.

"Eeeeek!"

"U-Uwaaaah!"

"I-It's an undead!"

"C-Captain!"

His subordinates hurriedly scuttered away from the undead, clearly afraid to be the first victim of the rippled sword.

"Death Knight, come here and get in line."

A deep grown escaped the being that were now known as Death Knight as he obediently walked towards his master.

He felt that his mind might be playing with him, but for a moment, Nigun had thought that the Death Knight had appeared to sulk after he received the order. It was as if the undead was unsatisfied for not being allowed to 'play' with them.

"F-Forgive me for not being able to understand your great insight, Momonga-sama! Please punish me—!"

"There is no need for that, Albedo. The fact that you could learn from our little adventure here is more than enough for me. Now then, I wonder. Should I kill all of you for more Death Knights or should I let you summon your little angels first before I kill you?"

Nigun, who was previously stunned by their easygoing attitude, finally managed to release his outburst.

"I-I know it! I know who you really are! You are one of those Evil Deities! B-But how could there be a being who could control both angel and undead at the same time! Who are you, magic caster!"

"Well, seeing is believing. In the first place, nothing is really impossible in this world. But please, don't group me together with those small fries."

"S-Small fries?!"

"As for who I am, I have already told you my name, am I? It's Momonga. How could you forget my name when I clearly remembered yours, Nigun Greed Lupin!"

Y-You forgot my name TOO!!

Before Nigun was able to offer his rebuke, the next word from Momonga prompted him to quickly take out the Sealing Crystal.

"Anyway, since you have nothing else to offer, then—."

"P-Protect me! If you want to live, protect me!"

"C-Captain!"

"T-That item!"

"I-I am going to summon the angel of the highest order! No matter how powerful you are, there is no way you could take control over a being who could easily destroy a city!"

When his subordinates heard his word, they swiftly took guard around him, yet strangely enough, Momonga did nothing to hinder them.

"Oho. Finally, a worthy opponent. Albedo, please stand behind me. It might be a challenge for you if the strong one was truly summoned."

"B-But Momonga-sama! It's my duty to protect your very being! How could I—!"

"It will be fine Albedo, I will be the one to protect you this time. It would hurt my heart to see someone precious to me being harmed."

"Gufu! P-Precious! M-Momonga-sama!!"

"A-Albedo!"

"Ah! Forgive me, Momonga-sama!"

"J-Just stand at my back, alright? Don't move!"

"U-Understood, Momonga-sama!"

When Nigun saw the nonchalant scene in front of him, it irked him. In frustration, he immediately raised his voice the moment the angel was summoned.

"Behold! The glorious visage of the highest angel! Dominion Authority! — Now use [Holy Smite]!"

Without waiting for the response from his opponent, Nigun hurriedly ordered the new summon to strike Momonga with the 7th tier spell.

In response, the sceptre held by the Dominion Authority shattered. The fragments then rose up into the air and slowly orbited its body. As Momonga did nothing to stop its attack, a column of pure light broke through the darkening sky up above and enveloped him.

The world was turned to deadly silence.

Nigun and his men awaited the moment for the light to vanish with bated breath. As for the female knight, Albedo, the newborn Death Knight and the still kneeling angels, they composedly stayed in their position without making any sound.

After a few seconds had passed, the silence remained.

"W-What happened? Shouldn't he be screaming right now?!"

Right at that time, the light vanished, unveiling the harmless form of Momonga.

"I-Impossible!"

"Hiek!"

"H-He is unharmed!"

When Momonga turned his gaze towards him, Nigun flinched. He could not see the eyes of the magic caster through the black glasses on his face, but somehow, Nigun could feel it, the gaze of death that was staring right at him.

"—You lied."

His voice was low, but Nigun had heard him as clear as day. It was as if the voice was talking straight to his soul.

I-I have to run! There is no way we could defeat this monster!

He could no longer fight his instinct to flee, to survive, to never again meet such a dreadful being.

"You said that it was the angel of the highest order... Granted, I know you could not summon a Seraph Aerosphere, but I thought that at least a Seraph Empyrean would come out. I was happy, you know… I have even thought of a name for it… But to think that it was nothing but lies. Truly, I applaud your bravery to spout such nonsense."

Pure white light started pouring out of Momonga. The light then interweaved together, forming up a huge light pillar which soared up beyond the clouds.

Behind him, the angels who were being basked by the white light slowly rose to their feet and strangely enough, the light did no harm to the other two beings behind the magic caster.

"— [Angel Domination]."

Before Nigun managed to do anything, Momonga activated the cursed domination ability for the third time.

"H-How could this be possible?!"

"E-Even the Dominion Authority?!"

"M-Monster!!"

The Dominion Authority flew towards Momonga. The being regarded as the angel of the highest order by Nigun and his man then hover protectively behind his new master, as if he was trying to protect him from any wicked deed of the lesser beings.

As Nigun saw the cold wrath that he had brought upon himself, he realised it.

There was only one way for him to keep his poor little life, a life which he considered more important to him than any other, even far above the fate of humanity.

Thus, for the first moment in his life, the once proud man begged.

"F-Forgive me for my atrocious sin against you, Momonga-dono, no, -sama! We, no, I will do anything! I will serve! Please give me the chance to prove my worth! O lord of all angels!"

"C-Captain!"

When they saw their kneeling captain, the rest of the Sunlight Scripture quickly followed suit, their eagerness to survive was plain to be seen, even at the cost of betraying their own nation.

""W-We will serve too! Please spare us! O great being!""

The moment all of them kneeled to Momonga, the heavy pressure that had been pressing over them lessened, causing them to hyperventilate.

"Your worth? What could you do besides summoning low level angels?"

A ray of hope flashed in his eyes when Nigun heard the response for his plea. Swiftly, he tried to add more worth to himself.

"I-I have a talent. It's—."

"Umu. Let me. — [Detect Talent]."

The next few seconds, void of any sound of the living, were akin to eternity for Nigun. His whole body was drenched in sweat as he waited for the following word from Momonga.

"—I see, no wonder you were given the captain position."

It was brief, but Nigun had an impression as though Momonga was now looking at him as some sort of rare collectable item. Still, since it was of no importance to him, he immediately put it aside.

"—Alright, I have decided. For now, I will allow all of you to serve me, but remember this, the moment any of you make a mistake, I will turn you into this Death Knight's little underling."

The threat from Momonga caused Nigun to shudder, but the fact that he was able to keep his life was more important to him.

Ah! I-I am alive! My precious life!

At the back of his mind, the thought of serving such a powerful master gave him a feeling of intense exhilaration.

The fate of humanity can go to hell for all I care! I-If I could prove my loyalty to this great being, surely I would be rewarded, right? Could I even gain an eternal life?!

With a new goal set in his mind, Nigun replied straight away.

"Thank you for your mercy, Momonga-sama! I, no, we will not fail you, our new glorious master!"

""Thank you, master!""

Nigun was a quick-witted man. Since his man had been spared due to his talent, he shrewdly put them back under his charge.

"Hence, from this day onwards, all of you will be under the care of this Death Knight. You can call him Brarxekald. Since we are done here, let's return to the village, Albedo."

xXx

"Momonga-dono, you have returned!"

Gazef eyed the man in front of him with full interest.

To think that he had returned so fast. How strong is he?

The Warrior Captain had tried to gauge the strength of the saviour of this village since their first meeting, but all he could get was a blank. To him, Momonga was a being that was completely unreadable, full of mysteries and secrets.

"Umu. It's a bountiful harv-, ahem, I mean, I am glad to see that you are safe, Warrior Captain-dono."

"—It's all thanks to your kindness, Momonga-dono. If it was not for you, more of my men, no, even I myself might have already kicked the bucket by now!"

His heart was filled with endless gratitude as he remembered all the good deeds that had been done by Momonga.

"Thank you for everything you have done, Momonga-dono!"

Without caring about the difference in status between them, Gazef immediately bowed his head.

"Please, raise your head, Warrior Captain-dono. It's simply a coincidence that I was around the area. Anyway, you would not mind about the fate of those Sunlight Scripture, right?"

The face of the man named Nigun, a man with blonde hair and black eyes, flashed in his mind. The moment he met him, Gazef had also seen the scar that was engraved on his face.

Perhaps the rumour of Blue Roses having a conflict with a scripture from the Theocracy was right…

After his first confrontation with Nigun, the captain of the Sunlight Scripture, there was only one thought in his mind.

You are no ordinary man, Nigun, but in the end, you are nothing but a man blinded by your own faith.

Honestly, Gazef did not like that guy.

"No, I would not mind. I will leave them to your judgement, Momonga-dono."

"I see. Then, you can be at ease, Warrior Captain-dono."

"—Thank you once again, Momonga-dono."

"Think nothing of it."

At that moment, the village chief who had been watching them from a distance slowly made his steps towards Momonga. Through the gleam in his eyes, Gazef could see that the village chief was worried about something.

"Is something the matter, Village Chief-dono?"

In his deep and regal voice, Gazef could clearly sense the concern of Momonga towards the old chief.

Momonga-dono are truly kind. To think that I had even once thought of confronting him due to his looks, how prejudiced of me…

Absent-mindedly, Gazed shifted his gaze to the village chief who had an imploring look on his wrinkled face.

"M-Momonga-sama! Please! I begged you to take our village as part of your domain! This is a truest request from all of us from this village! Please!"

The words from the kneeling village chief jolted him fully awake.

Huh! What did he say just now…

Before their confrontation with Nigun, the magic caster had indeed told him that from this onward, the Great Forest of Tob would be his domain.

Frankly, Gazef himself was fine with it.

As far as he knew, that great forest was ownerless, so it would be advantageous for the Kingdom to have a reliable ally as their neighbour.

But he could not accept the fact that the village chief was now offering this frontier village, or to be more precise, the land that was owned and governed by his humble king.

"Forgive me, Momonga-dono, Village Chief-dono, but I could not let this matter slide. This land is owned and ruled by my noble king, King Ramposa III of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Thus, I cannot allow you, Village Chief-dono, to surrender this land to Momonga-dono without the king's consent!"

Gazef noticed that Momonga was about to say something, but the magic caster stopped himself when the village chief offered a reply.

"W-Warrior Captain-dono, please allow me to represent the will of my people. As you had known, our village had been part of the Re-Estize Kingdom since the day of our founder, Thomas Carne. Throughout those times, no matter how bad our harvest was, no matter how much we had to struggle, we had always paid our due yearly tax. It's all for the hope of receiving the Kingdom's protection, yet where was the help when we needed them the most? Where were our protectors when we were about to be slaughtered like livestock!?"

As the village chief released the dam in his heart, Gazef could not bring himself to refute those words.

The truth was truly devastating for him.

"W-We couldn't do it anymore, Warrior Captain-dono. We couldn't remain loyal to a kingdom that only regards us as nothing but tools. That is why, we wish to be put under the merciful rule of our saviour, Momonga-sama! As long as Momonga-sama accepts us, all of us would even be willing to migrate to his kingdom if need be!"

When the village chief finished making his firm stand, the villagers around them nodded enthusiastically, clearly showing their full agreement in those words.

At that moment, the angels exploded in motion.

"Finally! How long had it been since this one had met a human capable enough to see the greatness of Momonga-sama! Forgive me for viewing you as some incompetence ant, o old human!"

"It's all thanks to the mercy given by Momonga-sama! If not for our benevolent master, these humans would always be ignorant of such truth!"

"Indeed. Then, Momonga-sama, please give us the order to eliminate these heathens that dare to take what is truly yours! How dare they spout their nonsensical mortal rules in front of the Supreme One!"

A deep and intense amount of mana, filled with holy elements, shrouded the form of the three angels as they waited for the permission from Momonga.

The situation turned direr for them when a few among the Death Knights took a step forward as they then stood protectively in front of the villagers.

Upon seeing the hostility directed towards their group, Gazef and his men stiffly prepared themselves.

"—All of you, stand back."

That single order from Momonga stopped all of them in their tracks.

"—Forgive me, Momonga-sama."

"What is it, Albedo?"

The short silence was then broken by the female knight in armour who was standing beside Momonga.

"Please allow us to handle these inferior lifeforms, Momonga-sama. It's only expected of us to deliver everything our beloved master had wished for, be it this small piece of land or even the whole world itself. Please give us your order, Momonga-sama!"

"—Umu. Albedo, please stand back for now. Don't let yourself get carried away along with these kids."

"U-Understood!"

As Gazef listened to their conservation, a new thought entered his mind.

Perhaps, it's not really a good thing for us to have such a dangerous neighbour…

He then shifted his gaze to Momonga who had a troubled expression on his face.

"—There is nothing to be worried about, Warrior Captain-dono. You and your men would not be harmed."

"I-I see. Thank you Momonga-dono."

Those words from the magic caster could not lessen his worries even a little bit. Nevertheless, Gazef beckoned to his men to stay calm and put away their weapons.

"—Then, Village Chief-dono, do you even realise what you have requested of me? Do you and your people truly wish to live in a nation filled with monsters?"

"Y-Yes, Momonga-sama! We are willing as long as you are the ruler of that nation!"

At that moment, Gazef was conflicted with himself.

It seems that the village chief would not go back on his words… What should I do in this situation?!

He really wished he could just let this matter slide, but his loyalty to his king could not allow him to turn a blind eye when the honour of his ruler was about to be challenged.

"—Village Chief-dono, do you see these terrifying Death Knights? They would be the city guards of our nation…"

"Oh! I-It would make us feel safer, Momonga-sama!"

"—These brash and cheeky angels would be the ones in charge of providing healing spells to our people…"

"I-It would truly be a blessing for us!"

"—Some of my closest associates are those from the demon race…"

"S-Surely they are upright and noble-minded demons!"

"—Huh? B-But a few among them might enjoy bathing in human's blood…"

"T-Then, it must be the blood of the wicked humans who dared to incur your wrath!"

"—Umu. It seems that you are serious about this, Village Chief-dono."

"Of course, Momonga-sama! Please extend your merciful rule upon us!"

As the magic caster had turned silent for a moment, Gazef immediately focused his gaze towards him.

"—Then, Warrior Captain-dono. I have decided."

His stomach was in knots as he awaited for the next words from the magic caster.

"In the name of Momonga of Ainz Ooal Gown, I will accept this village as part of my domain!"

"T-Thank you, Momonga-sama!"

""Praise to our new merciful ruler!""

As the villagers cheered for their new ruler, Gazef hurriedly interrupted them.

"P-Please wait, Momonga-dono. This land…"

"Rest assured, Warrior Captain-dono. I know that you would not be able to accept my decision. That is why, I would turn this into a fair and beneficial exchange for both of our kingdoms."

Momonga brought his right hand forward. By the next moment, a clear and transparent crystal materialised in his hand.

"Seal. — [True Resurrection]."

A complex magic circle then appeared right above it. When the magic circle was fully completed, the crystal immediately absorbed it, turning itself into a pure white crystal that shined in brilliance.

"Warrior Captain-dono, in exchange for this village, I would give this sealing crystal to your king. With this magic item, he would be able to resurrect anyone he wished, no matter how long that individual had been dead."

"R-Resurrect?!"

"Indeed. I believe that it would be a fair exchange between us, am I right, Warrior Captain-dono?"

"O-Of course, Momonga-dono. I will be sure to deliver it to my king!"

Gazef promptly took the crystal from Momonga. His face was flushed red as he imagined how happy his king would be when he received such an item.

W-With this magic item, perhaps His Majesty would be able to resurrect her…

At first, he was doubtful of what Momonga had said, but as he recalled how otherworldly the magic caster had been, his misplaced doubt disappeared.

"Umu. Since you might not believe my words…"

After he said that, the form of Momonga was then shrouded in white radiance.

It was at that particular moment that Gazef wished to never ever stand against the being known as Momonga.

"Aah! I-It's the true form of Momonga-sama!"

"H-How blessed of us to be able to witness it!"

"A-As expected of our master!"

"H-How beautiful!"

"I-Is that Momonga-sama?!"

When the lights subsided, three pairs of white angelic wings had sprouted from his back, and a massive white halo full of mystical ancient runes hovered right above his head. As his now lustrous silver coloured hair was slowly blown by the wind, the figure of Momonga could only be described as something divine, a being who stood at the highest level of the angel race.

Slowly, the exalted magic caster soared to the air.

"—Remember this, Gazef Stronoff. Those who live in the utopia of Ainz Ooal Gown would receive our mercy."

A large magic circle, full of translucent and complex magic runes, appeared behind Momonga. The white radiance emitted from it brightened up the vast dark sky above Carne Village.

It was as though the blanket of night had been removed, replaced with a new light of dawn.

Seeing the scene in front of them, Gazef and the others could only stare in amazement.

"— [Mass True Resurrection]."

A crack then appeared in the sky, showing them a world of darkness on the other side of it. Within the dark void, countless small orbs could be seen scattered around, with a few among them eventually finding their way to the outside world.

The orbs were shrouded in an unknown white substance, which kept on changing its form, sometimes even changing itself into a humanlike appearance.

In time, the orbs reached the bodies of the dead and merged into them.

It was as if the souls of those who had left the living world had finally returned to their bodies.

At that moment, the magic circle dispersed into glittering lights and the crack vanished, returning the sky above into a beautiful night panorama, adorned with shimmering stars.

Yet, the most shocking scene was only about to happen.

It was when the bodies of the dead started to restore themselves.

The wounds on their bodies were healed, leaving behind no trace of it. Miraculously, their missing limbs were reattached, and for those that were too damaged, a new one was simply created in their place.

"H-Hhuh?"

"W-Whhat hahppened?"

"Ahm I dhead?"

"I-Ish thhis heahven?"

The quavering voices coming from those who they had considered lost brought the crowd back to their senses. A commotion was raised as they dashed towards their once fallen family, with their eyes full of happy tears and endless gratitudes.

Even Gazef had his breath taken away after witnessing such a sight.

To think that he had resurrected all of the fallen villagers, even my men…

Before he could manage to thank Momonga for also resurrecting his fallen men, the next words from the magic caster sent a sudden chill to his bones.

"—But for those who dare to lay their hands upon what is ours, their imminent downfall would be inevitable!"

Gazef could feel the air around him had turned heavier. The open threat from Momonga had truly shaken the will of the Warrior Captain.

He was sure of it, the moment his kingdom made any move to antagonise their new neighbour, the whole Re-Estize Kingdom would be brought to ruin.

I-I have to avoid that fate no matter what! I have to warn His Majesty!

That single thought lingered in his mind, for all his days to come.

xXx

Momonga leisurely walked through the night-veiled plains. Following right behind him was Albedo, still fully cladded in her black armour.

Surely that was a good show to attract everyone's attention, right? I wonder how the neighbouring countries would react to it, though their responses itself are not actually that important, it would allow us to be more diverse in deciding our future actions.

He mused over the master plan designed by Punitto Moe.

Based on what the Chief Strategist had said, the faster they found their nation and took their own stand on the global scale, the bolder the action they could take. In return, it would make it easier for them to achieve their objectives.

Although a few among their members were pretty dissatisfied with that plan, the plan was immediately put into effect after it was approved by the majority.

"—M-Momonga-sama?"

"Is something the matter, Albedo?"

Momonga turned to Albedo who was now walking beside him.

Just now, he had teleported himself out of Carne Village after resurrecting everyone.

Before he left, he had also given Sebas the order to put the villagers at ease and to settle down his summons as the momentary guardian for the village.

"Should I open the [Gate] to Nazarick for you, Momonga-sama?"

"Umu. You can return first, Albedo. I would like to enjoy a short night walk while I wait for Sebas."

"Then, please let me accompany you!"

He could not see her face through her helmet, but Momonga could clearly sense her eagerness to stay with him.

"Do as you please, but will it be alright? I thought that you might have some other tasks at hand."

"Accompanying you is far more important than any other tasks, Momonga-sama!"

"I-I see. Then, you can follow me, Albedo."

"Yes, Momonga-sama!"

The succubus swiftly shortened the distance between them.

S-She is too close! I-Is it because of the changes I made in her settings?!

The shameful memory from back then flashed in his mind. Luckily, he only got a few snickers from his friends when they saw that scene, though Peroroncino and a few others did end up laughing out loud at him.

The one written by Tabula was too excessive. Still, I shouldn't be messing around at that time…

Uncomfortable with his current thoughts, Momonga quickly decided to think of other matters at hand.

"Anyway, Albedo. What do you think of our actions so far?"

"—I couldn't imagine the deepness of your plan, Momonga-sama."

"Umu. It's fine, just tell me your honest opinion."

"—I believe that you had saved and spared those inferior lifeforms since they could be of use in your greater plan, but forgive me Momonga-sama, I couldn't discern the benefit of you resurrecting the worthless one who had died, especially those from the group of Gazef Stronoff."

"I see. Truthfully, I had done so to test something important. That aside, Albedo, did you view the human in this world and from my original world as something different? Why?"

Momonga was curious.

Back then, when he told them the story of his original world, he had thought that the NPCs would now have a different opinion regarding the human race, but perhaps it might have been wrong of him to think so.

"Of course, Momonga-sama. How could I put the human in your world, a race capable enough to create and destroy worlds with only their fingertips to the same level as other inferior lifeforms. In fact, your race should be regarded as Supreme Human, and for everyone in Nazarick, Momonga-sama along with the other Supreme Beings will always be the greatest among them all."

"—So, that is how it is, but Albedo, calling us as Supreme Human is a bit of a stretch. At the end of the day, even we have failed to surpass our own mortality… but if you truly wish to differentiate us from others… Perhaps the term Fallen Human is more appropriate for our kind."

"—Understood, Momonga-sama."

The talk of his old world brought back his old memories, the memories of when he had started to despise the mortality of his race.

Wordlessly, the Overlord turned to look at the countless twinkling stars in the vast sky above him.

How long had it been…

As he gazed upon the beauty of the universe, an image long forgotten appeared in his mind. It was an image of a woman, a woman that was once his everything.

"—Momonga-sama?"

The voice of the Guardian Overseer was softer, clearly full of worry for her silent master.

"—I am fine, Albedo."

Without turning his gaze, Momonga steadily replied.

"—H-Have you lost someone precious to you, Momonga-sama?"

The sudden question from Albedo managed to surprise Momonga, but he then managed to compose himself.

As expected of Albedo, someone programmed to be among the most intelligent beings in Nazarick.

Momonga did not know why, but at that particular moment, he felt as if he could open up more of himself to her.

It might be because I have been too comfortable with her presence…

The words flowed smoothly out of his mouth.

"—I did. She was someone I once considered as my world… my everything…"

"S-She?! I-Is she someone you l-lov-ve?!"

Hearing the broken voice of Albedo startled Momonga. His instinct kept on warning him to never look back.

Wisely, he continued to look upwards.

"—Umu. Yes, she was…"

"W-Who is she, Momonga-sama?!"

Unsure of what had happened to Albedo, Momonga continued.

"—She was my mother. The one who had raised me to be who I am today…"

After he said that, Momonga could feel the sudden chill around him disappear.

"I-I see… Could you share the story about her, Momonga-sama?"

"—Umu. Are you truly interested to hear it?"

"Of course, Momonga-sama! How could I not when it's about my mother-in-law!"

"Huh?!"

Baffled by her choice of words, Momonga immediately turned his head to Albedo.

Then, he saw it.

A scene that was far more beautiful than the night sky above him.

As her lustrous jet-black hair being softly blown by the night wind, the moon took its chance to illuminate her, revealing her immaculate, beautiful face and her dazzling golden eyes.

The mesmerising scene had fully captivated Momonga.

"M-Momonga-sama? D-Did I say something wrong?"

"Ahem. I mean, sure, if you wish to hear it."

Awkwardly, Momonga looked away.

Since when did she take off her helmet…

Momonga then quickly took a few steps forward to gather back his thoughts.

"Well, where do I start…"

It was only a few moments later that he could finally begin his tale.

xXx

Bonus - Herohero's Sloth

xXx

All worlds had their own World Profound Principle. Each of them were composed of infinite numbers of concepts such as the Concept of Beginning, Ending, Real, Unreal, Past, Present, Future, Life, Death, Karma, Soul, Fate, Destiny and many others.

With all of these concepts as its base, the principle acted as the fundamental foundation for the world systems.

Normally, the rules set by the principle itself were absolute but even they could be bent by a being with superior power.

"That is where the other profound principle comes into play… the Supremacy Profound Principle."

Different from the previous principle, the Supremacy Profound Principle was only composed of three tiers. The principle acted as the fundamental foundation in determining the strength of the inhabitants of all worlds.

"Our old world was only of the third tier, the Ourha Tier. The beings in this tier possessed no power or any ability and they were called Ourhan, or in simple terms, mortals…"

Herohero shifted his gaze to the image that was depicting his old world.

There were countless other images floating around the Elder Black Ooze, with all of them depicting a scene from myriad different worlds.

A world home to an aggressive warrior race.

A world in a Great Age of Piracy.

A world of shinobi.

A world with shinigami.

And even a magical world with the power of friendship.

To him, everything he had seen was truly a wonder.

As Herohero watched the image of his old world, the old question came into his mind.

I wonder… Why did he create such a dystopian world for us…

Regretfully, he could never find the answer for that.

With a bitter smile on his face, Herohero walked forward, right through the countless floating images, till he reached an open area, a small circle with a campfire right at the centre of it.

Seeing the man sitting on the log nearby the campfire, Herohero hurried his steps. He then sat upon the empty log opposite of him.

"…So, you are the avatar?"

The man in front of him was cladded entirely in black. His form was completely hidden under the black robe while his face was covered with a blank mask.

A floating screen appeared in front of him.

⟨Supreme of Melancholy Legacy: Avatar [???].⟩

Before coming here, Herohero had heard everything from Momonga.

The black-robed man was actually an avatar of a legacy, and he was the key for him and the others to awaken one of their own.

Without answering his question, the avatar vanished, leaving behind his blank mask.

"—At least, say something…"

Even though he was annoyed for being left alone, Herohero put his hand forward, catching the mask that was flying towards him.

"Still, thank you for being there with Momonga…"

The moment the mask reached his hand, Herohero slipped it on without hesitation. As it melded with his face, a powerful surge of aura emanated out of him.

⟨Supreme of Melancholy Legacy: Avatar [Herohero].⟩

The knowledge about the legacy flowed into him but since he had not yet received its full acknowledgment, Herohero could only remember a small portion of it.

No matter, I only need to use it as a reference to awaken my own…

Following the way Momonga had taught them, Herohero delved into himself.

At that moment, the world around him crumbled.

When he opened his eyes, he was now in his room, the room he had left unattended for who knows how long.

"It's still dusty as ever…"

It had been a while since he had been there.

In fact, he had only returned home after receiving the email from Momonga. That was the first time he left his workplace after he started living there, and it was also the reason why he had to quit Yggdrasil.

"—What should I do here? I thought I needed to defeat my avatar or something…"

Herohero scanned around his room, trying his best to find any anomaly, yet he found nothing.

He then slowly walked towards the display case which was located in one corner of the room. It was the place he had stored his large collection of action figures, with his most cherished ones, modelled after the members of Ainz Ooal Gown and his few customised NPCs being put safely at the top section.

There was an air of melancholy around him as he gazed at his prized collection.

A complicated thought entered his mind when his eyes landed on the action figure of one of his dear creations, Solution Epsilon.

Back in Yggdrasil, Herohero had modelled her after his ideal waifu, but the current situation had made him feel completely lost.

"If she is the same as the Floor Guardians, then… she might have considered me as her father…"

Uncomfortable with his current thoughts, he immediately shifted his gaze to the action figure of Momonga.

"W-Wait! That's it! Momonga had changed the settings in Albedo for himself! I could do that too… but… changing the already living NPCs sounds wrong… then… I can just create a new one right? One who is deeply in love with me!"

In awe with the magnificent move of Momonga, Herohero had decided to follow in his footsteps.

"Ahem, now is not the time for that Herohero! I have something important to do here!"

Realising that he had been getting off the track, Herohero quickly looked around, yet he still found nothing.

That was until he caught sight of something familiar, right at the centre of his room.

—Perhaps, taking a short nap might help…

A feeling of drowsiness filled him when his eyes landed on the unfolded sleeping bag.

"Momonga had said that we could take our time awakening our legacy… so, it will be fine, right?"

As though he had just returned home after a long day of work, Herohero lost himself to the sense of fatigue and sleepiness. He swiftly fixed up his sleeping space and lay down.

Time passed as the Elder Black Ooze took a short nap.

"—Urgh! I am still tired… How long has it been since I slept this long?"

When he awoke, he lazily returned back to his sleep.

"—I am still lost. Perhaps, another short nap might help…"

The time continued to pass as Herohero was lost in his own world.

"—Five more minutes… W-Wait a minute!"

He was only able to get himself together after he spotted another individual in his room.

⟨Supreme of Sloth Legacy: Avatar [Herohero].⟩

The avatar was a man with damp black hair, which sometimes roiled and writhed around on its own. The most noticeable thing about him was his eyes that were made of black, sticky substance.

The appearance of his avatar bore a close resemblance to the new form of Herohero, after his real self had merged with his game avatar.

"I-I see! I had succeeded! Then, should I get out of here now? Or should I try to achieve the next step?!"

As the knowledge about his legacy flowed into him, Herohero was brimming with complete confidence. He stared straight at his avatar, trying to find a way to gain his acknowledgment and achieved the True Awakening.

Alas, the avatar of his legacy did not share the same excitement. With a sleepy expression on his face, the avatar fell down.

"Huh?"

Herohero could only look in confusion as the avatar continued his sleep on the unswept floor.

"—Let's just do this tomorrow…"

Unceremoniously, the once overworked salaryman turned Supreme Being covered himself with his warm blanket and followed along.

xXx

Bonus 2 - Touch Me's Justice

xXx

The second tier of the Supremacy Profound Principle was known as the Eurha Tier, a tier that was further categorised into multiple commandments, with 7 among them being regarded as the main commandments.

Although the beings in this tier were universally known as Eurhan, they were also known based on which commandments they had followed.

"Based on what we had seen, there are at least five of the seven main commandments in the New World, which are Magic, Martial, Skill, Level and Talent Commandment. Only a very few beings among them could truly be a threat to a level 100 Player, but in order to go against HIM, we need a legacy."

A legacy, the source of ultimate power for the beings of the first tier, which could only be achieved through Awakening.

No… If we truly wish to go higher, we need to achieve the True Awakening, and for that…

Touch Me shifted his gaze to the black-robed man who was sitting under the big shady tree.

⟨Supreme of Salvation Legacy: Avatar [???].⟩

As the paladin silently walked towards the avatar, he saw the scene that the avatar was looking at.

Right below the mountain, there was a harmonious white city and a large cemetery. The whole city was enveloped in a joyous atmosphere as the city folks were bustling about while the cemetery was filled with peaceful silence.

"What a nice view you have here…"

When Touch Me turned his gaze, the avatar was already gone, leaving behind his blank mask.

"No wonder Momonga said that achieving True Awakening through the given legacy is simply a miracle."

Touch Me then picked up the mask and slipped it on. The moment he delved into himself, the world around him fell apart.

After a while, he finally opened his eyes.

Seeing the new world around him, Touch Me was filled with tension.

"Is this… from my memory?!"

He was now in an abandoned old building, the particular one that he wished to never ever see again.

The odour of rusty old equipment, the stench of stagnant water mixed with spoiled oil and the musty smell of dust struck his nose, yet none of those could interrupt his focus on the two figures in front of him.

I see… so, this is what Momonga had meant…

To Touch Me, the scene in front of him was nothing but a reminder of his past failure.

"Father! Please!!"

"—S-Stop it… J-Just promise me…"

Touch Me could do nothing but watch in silence as his past self, the man in a complete futuristic police uniform cried in regret.

No matter how long it had been, he remembered this scene as clear as day.

It was the day he unknowingly shot his own father, who was disguising himself as the vigilante cladded in pure white.

"W-Why? Why did you do this?!"

"B-Because I… don't want the same fate… to fall upon you… my son…"

Those were the last words of his father, and it was the last time Touch Me had heard the old man calling him as his son since that fateful day.

At that moment, Touch Me finally knew why his previously kind and compassionate father, a chief police officer who had once fascinated him with his sense of justice, had abruptly turned into a cruel and merciless man after the death of his mother.

Yet, knowing the truth would not change the outcome between them.

"—I-If only I did not try to act as a hero…"

He was the one who had been acting as the vigilante of justice, a wandering hero who punished all evil equally, without any regards to their social standing.

Yet, his past action was nothing but a huge blunder.

The figure of his father then scattered into brilliant lights, leaving behind his past self all alone in his misery.

"—This is not fair…"

Touch Me clenched his fist tightly as he thought of everything that had happened in his old world.

The helpless folks who suffered endless hardships.

The powerless individuals who could not set the world right.

And the huge conglomerates who ruled the world with their unconstrained tyranny.

""—This is no justice!""

The voice of Touch Me overlapped with his past self.

Slowly but certainly, his past self turned his gaze towards him, exposing his eyes that had changed into a pair of compound eyes and the three hidden small eyes, along with a pair of thread-like antennae on his forehead. His form was then enveloped in white light, and when the light subsided, he was now wearing the same armour as Touch Me.

⟨Supreme of Justice Legacy: Avatar [Touch Me].⟩

The next words spoken by his avatar were full of righteous disappointment.

"—Someone who had blinded himself over injustice could never be true justice!"

Touch Me could feel the heavy pressure that was emitted from his avatar, a pressure strong enough to obliterate him the moment he gave a wrong answer. Yet, his newfound determination remained unchallenged.

"—Indeed, you are right. But now… I will follow back my path, the path that I had inherited from my late father! I… will bring justice!"

As Touch Me stood his ground, his shining platinum white armour radiated the same pure and divine light, giving the paladin a chance to armed himself with his chosen sword and shield.

"How preposterous of you to think so. — [World Break]."

With the same sword in his hand, the avatar mercilessly unleashed the ultimate skill that tore the very fabric of space and time.

"I… will not run away anymore. — [World Break]!"

The moment Touch Me unleashed the same ultimate skill, the world around them broke apart.

xXx

Bonus 3 - Ulbert's Evil

xXx

Ulbert was now standing atop the tallest building, the only building that was untouched in a barren, desolate world. As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but a wasteland, though the few remnants of the buildings around him gave an impression of the glorious past of this world.

As he silently looked over the ruined world, the thought of the future filled his mind.

—Momonga was right… If we did not wish to remain helpless ever again, we need to seek power… we need to become an Aurhan!

Aurhan was the term given to the beings in the first tier, the Aurha Tier of the Supremacy Profound Principle. They were beings possessing the power of legacy which were infinite and boundless.

Be that as it may, the way to become one was no easy feat.

He and his friends had managed to achieve the Awakening by using a given legacy as a reference to awaken their own, yet the next arduous stage, the True Awakening, would be totally up to their strength of willpower.

"A legacy… I wonder, what would my own legacy be like…"

The demon goat slipped on the blank mask that was clenched tightly in his hand.

⟨Supreme of Catastrophe Legacy: Avatar [Ulbert Alain Odle].⟩

As Ulbert delved into himself, the world around him disintegrated into countless small fragments.

In the next moment, his eyes that were previously full of anticipation were opened, only for them to turn icy cold when he saw the new world in front of him.

"—Dammit."

There was now a new figure in front of Ulbert, a young boy who he knew like the back of his hand. As the boy stood at the front door of his small but well kept house, he innocently waved his hands towards the two blurry figures who were slowly walking away. The two figures eagerly returned the same gesture before they disappeared into nothingness.

With a look full of yearning on his face, the boy then awaited their return.

The time continued to pass.

The daily acidic and foul-smelling rain due to the bad weather had already stopped, and the sun had already made its brief appearance far beyond the horizon, yet the boy did not move even an inch from the front door.

Ulbert could only watch as the boy kept on waiting, waiting for someone he knew would never return again.

Then, a man in an office uniform came upon the boy, and the homely home behind him was changed into an old and dilapidated orphanage. The boy was left alone, crying in agony as though he had lost his world.

—They only gave me a little compensation, even after they had taken my everything. Truly, they are nothing but an evil guardian, full of insatiable greed.

A man in a police uniform then approached the boy, lending his shoulder for a brief moment of comfort. This time, the boy was left with a solemn promise, a promise that everything would be set right.

—Yet, it was nothing but an empty promise. No matter how long I had waited, the unfairness remained as it is. There is no such equality or justice.

Once again, time continued to pass.

The boy had now turned into a young man, living his life tirelessly working under the company that killed his parents. He had no choice in that matter, as a huge debt was already put on his head after his departure from the orphanage.

"In the end…"

Slowly, Ulbert closed his eyes. The fact that he had seen his past life flashed right in front of his eyes had further cemented his belief.

"—Evil would always triumph over all and only a greater evil could triumph over all evil!"

He then solemnly opened his eyes to meet the gaze of his past self, no, of his avatar.

⟨Supreme of Evil Legacy: Avatar [Ulbert Alain Odle].⟩

The eyes of his avatar had changed into a pair of red eyes with black sclera. He was now crowned with a pair of wickedly curved golden horns with streaks of red visible among his black hair. As the avatar was dressed in a similar black suit and velvet cape, along with the same beau on his head and the golden mask that covered the right side of his face, it was simply impossible to differentiate between the two based on their appearance alone.

"Kukuku. Do you think that you, someone who had once submitted to those lesser evil could rise to become the ultimate evil? How arrogant could you be?!"

Ulbert did not even twitch when he heard the blatant mockery from his avatar.

"And why would I answer those questions of yours, when I could just make you submit?"

Hearing the calm and confident response from Ulbert, the avatar began to cackle madly.

"Mwahaha! Mwahahahahahaha! Then, prepare yourself to meet your doom, o foolish one! Be grateful that I would make a good use out of your body! — [Will of Supreme]!"

The avatar then grandly took off his golden mask, revealing his right eyes that glowed in crimson light. As the will of the avatar started to permeate the world around them, Ulbert could feel the wicked and evil aura that was now suppressing his whole being.

"Stop saying those misleading words, bastard! And how dare you use a legacy skill on the get go! This is beyond cheating!"

With great effort, Ulbert finally managed to unleash his own newly learned [Will of Supreme, giving him a moment to fight back against the invisible pressure.

"All is fair in love and war! Now, say your damn prayer and perish! Fall before my absolute evil! — [Grand Catastrophe]!"

A pure destructive power, borne of the physical manifestation of evil and malice started to gather in the hand of the avatar.

"You expected me to pray? How laughable!"

At that moment, Ulbert slowly removed his mask in a truly dramatic fashion, as though it was truly necessary for him to do so before making his move. An evil chuckle escaped him as he too raised his hand upwards.

"Kukuku. My evil is far greater than yours! — [Grand Catastrophe]!"

As the world around them was on the verge of destruction, the battle between the two demon goats (Chuunibyou) began.

xXx

Bonus 4 - Fluder's Master

xXx

Long ago, he was only one among the many orphan boys who lived in Belmous Village, a peaceful place devoid of any conflict. With no personal ambition in sight, he lived a carefree yet arduous life, but everything changed when he met a certain magic caster.

"C-Can you teach me magic, magic caster-sama?"

Since their first meeting, the young boy named Fluder was captivated by the beauty of magic. He had not known yet at that time, but it was due to his talent, the All-Seeing Eye, that allowed him to view magic in a different way compared to others.

"Fufufu, it seemed that you had taken a liking to magic. Do you truly wish to learn it, young one?"

Fluder could not see the appearance of the magic caster since he was fully shrouded in a luxurious black robe, but from his light-hearted tone, the young boy could tell that the magic caster would not outright reject him, something which gave him hope.

"Y-Yes! Please teach me magic, magic caster-sama! I-I want to learn magic!"

His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he gazed towards the first man he had admired in his short life.

"Umu. Since you are that excited, I will teach you the basics starting tomorrow. Is it alright with you, young Fluder?"

"Yes! Yes! Thank you very much, magic caster-sama!"

Hearing the acceptance from the magic caster, Fluder jumped in joy,

"It's fine. But, I will only be able to teach you while I am here."

Those words stop Fluder in his tracks.

It was as though he had been poured with the icy cold snow right from the top of the Azerlisia Mountains.

"You… you will be leaving?"

"Of course. After all, I wish to continue my adventure."

As the magic caster said that, he turned his head towards the distant yet beautiful blue sky above them.

"There are still countless other places that I have yet to visit…"

The anticipation and passion in his words was clear to Fluder.

B-But… I want to learn magic…

At that moment, the young boy came upon a decision, one that would change his fate for eternity.

"T-Then, can I accompany you, magic caster-sama? I-I promised you that I would not cause you any trouble!"

Fluder could feel the gaze of the magic caster that was now directed towards him.

"Young Fluder, is it really alright for you to leave your village? If you wish to follow me, you might not be able to return for a few years…"

"Y-Yes! I wish to follow you! I-I want to learn magic from you, magic caster-sama!"

After a while, the magic caster replied.

"I see… Then, from this day onwards, you will be my first disciple!"

The moment Fluder heard those words, he was filled with an intense feeling of exhilaration.

I-I could finally learn magic!!

Since then, that particular day had become the happiest day in the life of Fluder Paradyne.

"T-Thank you, master!"

"You can call me, Momonga. That is the name of your master."

"Y-Yes, Momonga-sama!"

Thus began the adventure of Fluder and his master.

During their long journey together, the young boy had turned into a formidable man, worthy enough to be among the top magicians of the world. Yet, the now mature Fluder knew that, in the eyes of his respected master, he would always be the young boy who was mesmerised by magic.

"Fluder-sama! Are you in there?"

The sudden voice from one of his disciples had awoken Fluder from his long yet wonderful dream.

"—What is it?"

Fluder tiredly turned to the door in his study room. As he sensed the familiar mana of his disciple, he slowly relaxed himself.

"Forgive me Fluder-sama, but I have a message from the Emperor. His Majesty had requested your presence during this afternoon meeting."

"—Very well."

"Then, I will take my leave, Fluder-sama."

The presence of his disciple slowly walked away.

"I wonder, what did you wish for from this old man, my darling Jir…"

After 200 years, the young boy had turned into an elderly man of short stature with a magnificent white beard and a head full of snow-white hair. His age was clearly shown in the wrinkles on his face, alongside the light of wisdom that could be seen in his eyes.

The old magic caster who was garbed in a soft loose white robe then slowly stood up from his chair.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he gazed intently towards one of the rings on his finger.

My one and only master, Momonga-sama… would this foolish disciple of yours be able to meet your august self again?

As if responding to his thoughts, the black ornate ring on his left index finger glowed in darkish light.

"This?! This?!"

xXx

Bonus 5 - Platinum's Dread

xXx

Back when he was still a young Dragonling, there was a time that he considered as his most nightmarish nightmare. It had been a few centuries since then, yet the event of that day was as clear as ever in his mind.

"Kuhahahahaha! Show me your loot, Dragon Lords!"

With a wave of his finger, that being had slain countless of his kin. The prideful and mighty Dragon Lords were helpless in front of his unbreakable chain and his terrifying might of magic had rendered any of their resistance as useless.

"Kuhahahahaha! Hand over your treasures, you damn 'Players'!"

Even the otherworldly 'Players' could not escape from his mindless onslaught.

Those who were unlucky enough to meet him were stripped bare out of their treasures and as though that was not yet enough for him, that being had even raised all of his fallen foes as an undead, suffering in eternity to serve the being who had killed them.

"Truly, absolute power corrupts absolutely…"

Since his miraculous escape from that being, Tsaindorcus Vaision who was also known as the Platinum Dragon Lord had made a solemn pledge with himself.

"—Still, where had he been?"

During the past 700 years after his first appearance, the trace of that frightful being had been missing. A few players did arrive during that period, yet the whereabouts of that being remained a mystery.

It was as though he never existed…

Even Tsaindorcus himself had failed to find him during his past adventure.

Had he been slain by another being? No way… Such a powerful being could not just be eliminated in the background… then…

And once again, no matter how long he had pondered that question, Tsaindorcus came upon a dead end.

"Who is there?!"

The Dragon Lord suddenly turned his head towards one of the sections of his home. He slowly raised his colossal body, revealing a very majestic form of a large dragon with white sparkling scales as though he was wearing a white faint light that flowed glittery.

It had been a while, but Tsaindorcus had finally felt it again, the feeling that he could only feel after every century.

It was as if I was being watched by someone…

Yet, every time he felt it, he could not find any other presence besides himself.

Perhaps, it is only because of my intense paranoia…

At that moment, a sudden dread filled his entire being, bringing back his awful memories from the past.

Tsaindorcus immediately shifted his gaze to the far-off horizon.

Another wave of 'Players' is incoming…

His instinct kept on sending him a warning, far more intense than any other he had received in his long life. He could feel it, somewhere out there — something wicked, a force of pure and absolute evil had emerged.

The Dragon Lord then slowly closed his eyes, trying to ease up the agitation in his heart. After a while, the solemn pledge was once again heard from him.

"—I will end you, Agn-, no, the Immortal Supreme."

Tsaindorcus could not say his name without trembling all over, but he had at least managed to at least utter the title given to that being.

"—One day, I will eradicate all beings who might bring doom to this world…"

His next words were full of his mighty and righteous conviction.

"—For I am… the World Protector (self-proclaimed)!!"

Thus, he pledged.

xEndx

[sebasthebutler] [Van-the-Rogue-Soul-Drinker] [mrgoldman] [Dnmele] [Chrysanthemum9484] [Insane Wombat] [Guest].

Thanks for the reviews! Truly, I appreciate it!

[kukuhimanpr] Thank you! I do plan to move the story towards that direction.

[Solidorex] I hope this chapter could clear it up but if not, perhaps I had been too rushed in deciding that action for Momonga.

[A. J Savage] Unfortunately, I have decided to use that form as the usual form for Momonga. The same goes for the other SBs since in this story, their human form in their original world had merged with their game avatar, though the many forms of Momonga was due to his skill.

So, you can say that the 41 of them are usually in their hybrid form while their monstrous avatar form will be kept as their true final form, where they will only reveal when the situation called for it or when they feel like it, as in final boss transformation. In other words, the SBs could simply be regarded as a human cosplayer of their avatar.

Everything aside, I had thought of including ALL pledges from the SBs but since it will be too long, I settled with three of them. I hope I did a good one for that scene or perhaps I should use this version for Momonga—

"I, Momonga, the King of Darkness, pledges his loyalty to Ainz Ooal Gown!"

Anyway, for all those principles, legacies and whatnot, it is actually a path I had set up for my future self, perhaps for a future fanfic or something, though whether that guy could make use of it or not is still in the air.

For the story progression, it seemed that I could not bring myself to skip around, so I will be moving at my own pace. As for the rest of the SBs, especially the ones where Maruyama-sama had not even given a name yet, I will be creating my own OCs for them. I hope I could make them into a believable and acceptable character even though they would mostly be playing as a background character. On that note, a few readers did send me their own OC suggestions for my story, but I have to regretfully decline that offer. Please forgive me for that.

Umu. I guess that's all from me. The next update might be in January of 2023. Sorry in advance for the long incoming update. I will try to update the progress on my profile later on.

Have a nice day, everyone!

xEndx