There wasn't much that could be done, world items were unfortunately absolute, the only way to counter the mind control was to kill the one affected. Ainz was aware of it, as was everyone else, though that doesn't make it easier. After sending Entoma and her friend away, he spent his time trying to figure out what he did wrong. It's so abundantly clear now that with players showing up before there would be at least one world item.
He brought his hands to his face while leaning back in his chair. " I don't know what to do, I can't bring myself to kill Narberal, I just wish I could talk with one of those guys and figure out what's going on." He thought in dismay, until he heard a knock on his door. He got up and made himself look more presentable before speaking for them to come in. The door opens and Demiurge walks in, though he doesn't have his usual smile.
"I apologize for intruding in such a difficult time, but we have one of the humans who brainwashed Narberal." Demiurge spoke, Ainz just perked up at the convenience of the situation. "Though Entoma has said he was the only one who wasn't actively against them, not that it'll matter."
"What do you mean, if it's who I assume, there would be no need to punish him. He tried to keep the situation from escalating and his subordinates ignored him." Ainz asked, though the archdevil smiled in return before pulling out a book.
"The armor he wore seemed familiar, so I had gone through the book of allies," His smile grew wider, a small gleam of excitement in his crystal eyes. "Only to find he wears the same armor as one of our closest allies, more specifically that of Alah Alaf." After Demiurge finished speaking Ainz grabbed the book and looked through it. Their guild didn't have a lot of allies, especially outside the heteromorphic race, but the six were something special.
Back on Earth, Suzuki had been transferred to different houses in his younger years after the death of his mother. Most who took him in soon got rid of him after finding out he wasn't a toddler. Eventually one man had taken Suzuki in and raised him till he became an adult. The man wasn't outstanding, but considering the times he might as well have been. Those were a few years he could honestly say were happy.
A few years after moving out and beginning his journey through Yggdrasil, he had found out the one who helped raise him was playing the game as well. The meeting was a bit rough, the man was playing as a human and followed the trend of hating heteromorphs. Suzuki was relieved that he was already with Nine's Own Goal at the time, or else it could've ended quite tragically. After some talking down and a few vaguely specific hints to real life, they became fast friends.
The virtually named Alah Alaf couldn't join their group since he was human, but he was more than happy to play as a sort of double agent. Unfortunately that didn't last long as he soon joined a group of his own, joining a third party that didn't involve itself in the conflict. Alah still tried to help in any way he could, having a bit of excitement in seeing the once small group turn into the superpower known as Ainz Ooal Gown.
Ainz snapped out of his thoughts as they reached the invasion, not wanting to delve into those memories again. " Where would someone get Alah's armor from, how far back did he arrive? The info Mare got from Nigun spoke of gods from 600 years ago, but would he call himself a god?" He stood up from his chair, following Demiurge out of the room and towards the fifth floor. He hoped whoever was in those cells would give him an honest answer.
[Line Break]
After being taken through the dark portal, Cenna found himself in a frozen wasteland that seemed to have no end. He tried to figure out where he was taken before entering a large structure of ice. He quickly noticed what the place was supposed to be, every part of the prison seemed to be shaped rather than carved from the impenetrable ice. He was tossed into a cell and left to his own thoughts, watching frozen undead patrolling around the cells. " Such powerful undead, and the ice is practically bursting with enchantments. Just what is this prison meant to hold?"
Almost an hour had passed before the demon returned again, this time joined by a man in dark robes, or at least who he thought was a man. He was aware of his own lack of masculinity, but the robed individual could easily pass as a woman. They looked at his armor for a few moments before opening the door, the small bit of hope thinking he'll be set free shattered as he was slammed against the wall with a surprising amount of strength.
"Where did you get that armor?" The robed man seethed, Cenna knew speaking of the Theocracy's secrets was heresy of the highest order, but there was no way he would survive if he didn't speak some of the truth. With a slightly shuddering breath to calm his nerves, he spoke.
"It is armor passed down to the godkin within the Theocracy, everyone within the scripture wears armor like it." He figured his answer gave enough without saying too much, no doubt a man like this already knew of the godkin, just as everyone of importance seemed to. Though instead of loosening his hold, the man pushed harder, and an almost inhuman growl came from him.
"I am aware of your Scriptures, I am asking where you got the armor." He then seemed to calm suddenly, his once fiery eyes now looked at him with cold indifference. "The man who wore that armor wouldn't have worked with such a despised nation, so if you killed him," he continued, but was quickly interrupted.
"No, we would never kill one of the gods!" Cenna exclaimed, looking back up at the robed man he knew he had been played. Even so, he continued, it being the only thing he had left. "I-I understand the Slane Theocracy isn't the bastion of humanity it once was, but we would never do something so treacherous as to kill one of the six. They had saved humanity, and brought all of humanity into a golden age." He heard the man scoff at that, causing him to look up at them and speaking once again.
"Though I must ask a question myself, who are you?" Cenna asked, the robed man gaining a curious glint in his gaze as his hold lessened just a little. "The book of Alah Alaf speaks of the Archdevil Demiurge, a being far stronger than the six combined. Who are you to command such a monster?"
The man's hold tightened once again, his eyes gaining a crimson glow, Cenna couldn't even bring himself to notice the man's inhuman trait as fear nearly consumed him. "I am Ainz Ooal Gown, a name I have no doubts is within that book."
Suddenly the fear from the man's killing intent washed away, replaced with a dread unfathomable in scale. He tried to cower away as much as possible despite being held in place. Every part of his mind screamed to run away and hide for all eternity. He didn't even notice when the man and demon had left, consumed by his own fear. All he had been able to read from the book coming to the forefront of his mind. " Ainz Ooal Gown, the rightful rulers of the realm of gods."
[Line Break]
After the meeting with Ainz and the floor guardians about what happened to Narberal, Enri had gone down to the treasury with the help of Lupusregina. Having spent a couple months in the tomb, it was clear how close Ainz was with the denizens of Nazarick. Even as a skeleton it was obvious, now there was no way he'd be able to kill her, let alone send someone else to do so.
"You think you'll be able to beat Narberal? You may have been progressing well here, but she is the strongest of us." Lupusregina asked, her teasing having been absent since the meeting. Enri simply pondered on what exactly she'd do once there, until they reached the treasury. Though when they arrived they saw a beastman, his body and head were that of a Lion, with great eagle wings upon his back and reptilian claws. A tail with the head of a snake looms menacingly over its shoulder.
Lupusregina let out a gasp of shock, uttering a name Enri wasn't familiar with, she just ignored it and showed the towering beast her ring. "I have a ring of Ainz Ooal Gown given by Ainz himself, we are no threat here Pandora's Actress." Despite how clear her voice was, her heart was pounding rapidly in her ears. She was familiar with how the greater doppelganger worked, and even if she can only use 80% of the form's power, that still puts her fifteen levels above Enri.
The beast's form soon shifted and shrank, turning back into a doppelganger wearing what she learned was a military uniform, though she wasn't told what kind. Her head was completely smooth aside from the three black dots in place of the eyes and mouth. Though once again to Enri's non-surprise, they also had thick thighs. The doppelganger simply bowed down before speaking.
"Of course, I just needed to make sure, as I am the sole guardian of Nazarick's treasures. Now what is it you need?" She asked, leaning forwards with a hand to the side of her head, as if to hear better. Though immediately after she stood straight up with a gasp. "Do you perhaps require world items?" Her voice was more dramatic than it needed to be, her right hand had fallen to her chest to lightly grasp her undershirt.
"I-I can't use world items! Not even Ainz would use them!" Enri exclaimed in a bit of shock, shaking her head afterwards to clear her mind. "No I don't need world items, just some armor to counter a magic user." She gave a slight nod as if to confirm it herself. Pandora's Actress thought on the request for a bit, snapping her fingers soon after before heading off into the mountains of treasures.
Half an hour later she returned, carrying a set of crimson armor. She gave Enri the armor before letting her know what the armor does. The armor's primary purpose is resistance to magic, but it also offers a boost in agility at the cost of some strength. There's also a built in skill that freezes the area around the wearer, similar to a stasis, though it only lasts a second and can be used once every ten minutes. The sword has no special abilities and just increases agility, and the shield can expand to twice its size for better defense.
"I've noticed there's a focus on agility, is there any reason for that?" Enri asked, looking over the armor and noticing it's much lighter than her current paladin armor.
"Well Narberal is also the fastest of the maids, her creator Nishikienrai gave her a similar build to him, a focus on speed and hit and run tactics. If you aren't careful she can kill you before you even know what's going on." Pandora's Actress replied, gesturing to the changing room, which Enri went into. Changing didn't take too long since magical clothes are a godsend, and soon enough she came out.
The heavy plates were replaced with a crimson dragon leather, scales of a large black dragon used as armour plates to protect vital parts. The gauntlets were claws, and the helmet carries a dragon theme, the visor of the helmet with teeth decals. The sword is a flamberge made of star silver with crimson edges that seem to burn. The shield was primarily black, the pointed edge carrying a burning magic.
Enri looked at herself, "I feel like this is a bit overkill, like some kind of demon general."
"Well becoming a demon wouldn't be the worst, a paladin demon has a lot of immunities." Pandora's Actress said.
Enri just shook her head, sheathing the sword as the shield collapsed more so it was no wider than her gauntlet. "Probably won't go down that path, Ninya seems keen on it however." She gives Pandora's Actress a thank you before joining Lupusregina in leaving, now having to prepare mentally for the task.
[Line Break]
After arriving at an unknown place with the insectoid maid, Neia was left to wander the place after the robed man gave her permission. The halls were breathtaking, its perfection seemed as if it wasn't made, rather it simply was. Not even the home of the six held such beauty in its throne room, she held no doubts this is the home of a player. " Perhaps they were the one that held the ring, I could probably talk with the one who lives here to begin relations with the Roble Holy Kingdom." She thought with a smile before her walk slowed down.
" Wait, was the one in the robes the player?" The thought crossed her mind for a second before she decided they weren't, and continued to tour the place. It hadn't lasted long before she came across a demon and a human girl, the demon turned towards her with a confused expression before a smile came across his face.
"Hmm I see, truly lord Ainz knows no bounds." He mumbled, only picked up by Neia due to her training as an archer. The girl nearby looked up at him before turning to the new person. The girl was a bit shorter than Neia, but she noticed their greater width.
" Jeez, she's definitely got some junk in the trunk." Neia thought with a light blush before the girl spoke.
"Oh hello, my name's Ninya, what's yours?" Ninya asked, having stepped over and held out her hand with a smile on her face.
Neia grabbed her hand as the two shook, she noticed how Ninya's grip seemed a bit weaker than her own. " If she's an NPC, why would she be so low leveled?" She thought before replying. "My name's Neia, it's nice to meet you." They let go as Ninya stepped back to be near the demon, who had mentioned they needed to go, and left Neia to be alone once more.
"This place is weird, but seems very functional, I like it." Neia spoke to herself, continuing through the halls. Eventually being found by the insectoid maid, they had begun their walk back to the office when Neia asked for the maid's name.
"My name's Entoma, though you should keep names in mind because lord Ainz has found you interesting." Entoma replied, completely unaware of Neia stiffening up. Though when there was only one set of footsteps she turned around. "Not that way, just that he thinks you may be a good candidate to join the guild."
Neia just blushed in response, "How else am I supposed to take that?" She asked in a fluster before the rest clicked. "Wait what do you mean join the guild, I'm not a player." Apparently it was the wrong thing to say as Entoma got up close to her, killing intent trickling off of her.
"How do you know of players, were you of the group that attacked my sister and I?" Entoma asked with a slight hiss, Neia couldn't help but shudder a bit.
"N-no, I'm not with the Theocracy, I'm from the Roble Holy Kingdom. The knowledge of players is known within select groups." Neia said with a slight stutter, Entoma soon stepped back, silently nodding before they continued on their way.
[Line Break]
Ainz attempted to rest his mind, the short interrogation with the Scripture member had confirmed truths he suspected, but hoped weren't true. The Slane Theocracy had taken his closest allies and twisted them into deprived husks of their former selves, enforcing human supremacy that enslaves or kills all who aren't. Even other humans weren't safe from it if they didn't follow the faith, all these twisted ideologies in the name of his allies.
The Neia girl had been interesting, even more so after finding out who she served under. " So their NPCs had shown up, I wonder if they match their personalities. From what the girl said at least Remedios does." He thought with a small chuckle, the paladin was meant to be a tribute to Touch Me, though the world champion had logged off before her creation, and hadn't returned since. He had heard Kelart was a tribute as well, though to whom he never found out.
His thoughts were interrupted as a knock came to his office door, Yuri Alpha entering after he gave the okay. She had a slightly distressed look, at least as much as her undead emotions would allow. She gave a bow before speaking. "Lady Enri and Lupusregina had teleported to the site Narberal is at, and I cannot call for a gate to go after them." Despite her level tone, to Ainz she was practically sobbing, no doubt upset at the possible chance to lose another sister.
After calming Yuri down, Ainz sent a message to all the guardians to gather in the throne room. As he made his way there he attempted to message Enri multiple times, each one ignored before he could no longer send any. Afterwards he messaged Aureole Omega about the gate issue, and she simply replied that no one could call forth a gate, not even the other supreme beings.
With a slight growl of frustration, he entered the throne room, summoning the mirror of remote viewing to at least keep an eye on Enri. The other guardians looked nervous, no doubt wondering why they were called on such short notice. He sat upon the throne with a sigh before speaking. "Enri has decided to go after Narberal Gamma herself, with only Lupusregina to guard her. We have been locked within the tomb, and can only watch as events unfold."
The guardians were in an uproar about Enri's actions, attempting to converse with Aureole, only to be denied as Ainz was. They eventually crowded around to view the mirror, with only one thought going through the Overlord's mind. " Please be safe."
/Author Notes/
Lots of filler basically, but with plot so it's not a complete waste.
So I want to make clear what's gonna happen with my three current stories. Rise from the Ashes is the main story and will be updated the most.
The XXX side stories will be updated whenever I have an idea that can sorta fit in a part of the main story.
Enri the Overlord will receive less updates than RFTA, but I cannot be certain as it was an idea that just came up, and I'm unsure if there's more. That might be all I write, or it might become the new main story, idk.
Anyway, peace out people.