A Heartfelt Mission
In a remote forest south of the Katze Plains
A tall, slim figure in black robes that befitted a magic caster with intricate blue and gold details, providing some contrast to the otherwise pitch black cloth. The robes of course were of divine class designed to compensate for some of his racial weaknesses. He had a relic class sword at his hip and hummed. Revealing his world item was too risky, especially in this unknown territory no matter how remote it seemed.
The young looking man happily inhaled the fresh forest air and looked around. His eyes observing the nature around him as if it were a perfect work of art. He snapped his heterochromatic eyes to a tree branch from which some birds chirped a happy tune.
His eyes were peculiar and, to the more knowledgeable Yggdrasil player, they could offer some assistance when it came to guessing his race. The crimson red eye of a demon, far darker than that of any vampire, gleamed in the forest shade. While the other was an emerald green of a kind angel, radiating warmth and even a hint of childish excitement.
This young man was a Nephalem. A heteromorphic race that was known to be quite hard to obtain and fully level, since it required careful balancing of demonic and angelic levels along with many rare items. Even though a lot of effort needed to be put into the grinding of levels, most of the community did not see the race to be worth the hardship.
It was discriminated against by the human supremacist part of the player base and it's half angelic, half demonic composition meant that the race lacked immunity to both divine and infernal attacks. The race offered many resistances, but none were so prominent that high class players couldn't deal with them.
One of the positive sides of the race was its versatility and the amount of the spells it could learn and cast, and for a magic lover such as this young man he took full advantage of that. This young player's name was Anzio, the youngest member of Ainz Ooal Gown that found himself in the New World.
The purpose of his visit to this remote location was to conduct some tests. Ever since he came to the New World, he has attempted to create new spells. He was successful with designing some lower tier spells after weeks of excruciating work.
Apparently basing your entire knowledge off of magic and some minuscule amounts of game lore on how magic worked was the right, but painfully slow and failure prone move.
But now he had a grand spell in mind. One that, if it failed, could backfire in more than one way. So Anzio deemed it best to test it as far away from any major cities he could find.
The Nephalem player was obviously nervous as he gathered his thoughts and attempted to imagine all the necessary sequences and calculations. He was so deep in thought he hadn't noticed his wings appeared. He probably activated them subconsciously by accident when he was thinking of the skills necessary to carry the spell out.
One of the wings was a beautiful, radiant white, a perfect depiction of an angel's wing. The other was pitch black, it radiated malice and it seemed as if the feathers were falling off and as if the wing itself was rotting and revealing a more bat-like structure underneath.
He decided not to bother with his wings and focused on the task in front of him. Runes and magic circles appeared around him in a dome-like shape. He noticed some were off and the positioning looked nothing like the average high tier or even super tier spell of Yggdrasil would.
He took another deep breath and channeled some of his mana into the magical construct as they activated and the ambient mana collection sequence began. He looked at it with hopeful eyes. He could feel the spell nearing completion and when it was close to gathering all the mana necessary the circles began showing cracks in them.
"Not good.." He braced for whatever would come next. He was about to cast a teleportation spell and attempt to get away, but right when he tried to do that, the circles, now not being controlled by him anymore, spun out of control. A bright flash of light blinded him for a split moment and then a loud explosion followed. He was flung away hitting and going through a few trees before stopping at a particularly big oak.
"Ouch…" He rubbed his head. "Even a failed high tier spell hurts like this?" He muttered and looked at the aftermath of the failed test.
"I hope no one noticed this." He muttered, but someone did notice it indeed and of course someone would be sent to investigate soon enough.
Zesshi Zetsumei, the extra seat of the Black scripture and the trump card of the Slane Theocracy, protector of humanity, was the one sent to check it out. Otherwise it would be the job of the Black or some other scriptures, but they were all preoccupied. The Black was supposed to prevent a dragon lord from resurrecting after their previous attempt was interrupted and the others all had extra work to do since the Sunlight scripture was obliterated. So, when the Thousand Leagues Astrologer noticed a massive mana signature and some grand magical activity near their border, Zesshi was the only one strong enough that could be sent out at the time.
And so the half elf battle maniac made her way to the source of the mana explosion. A small part of her hoped it would be some grand mage or warrior that could defeat her, but since some expert at the briefing said that the spell was a grand failure her hopes dropped down a few notches.
Anzio sighed. In his persistence and confidence that no one noticed his blunder, he decided to stick around and work on resolving the problem in the comfort of the forest. He hummed happily and oblivious to most things but the chirping of birds, he attempted to resolve his predicament, scribbling new forms of magic circles that would hopefully stabilize his spell.
The Nephalem player immersed himself deep into his work and hadn't noticed that rain clouds were forming in the sky and the moment he did was because it was indeed raining, the big drops of a proper summer rain shower beginning to hit the leaves of the canopy and then his notebook and himself.
"Oh come on, really ?" He sighed and put up a barrier over his head. His robes were dry. But his black hair had seen better days. He shook some of the water off as a dog would, droplets spraying all around him, and went on to dry the notebook. Sadly he could not think of any spells he could use for drying and a repair or restore item probably wouldn't work, or if it did would be a waste of mana.
Unbeknownst to him a certain, half elf was caught in the downpour quite nearby. She muttered curses as her hair became soaked and plastered itself to her head and face. Her equipment was, luckily, high tiered enough to repel water so at least that was not a bother.
She finally neared the clearing where the supposed failed spell blew up a chunk of the forest and turned it into a crater like clearing. "Well this is impressive, even for a failure." She commented to no one in particular and then looked around. Her sharp elven eyes noticed movement and next to a tree the rain was bouncing off of something. She grabbed her scythe, preparing herself to activate every martial art she knew if it came down to it.
She slowly approached, careful not to make a sound. Zesshi could finally see the man she would fight. She noticed his robes, and the sword. All of his gear seemed far more valuable than most of the things in the treasury she guarded. After spending a few decades guarding those treasures, she learned how to differentiate between the levels of quality they possessed. She had been ordered to establish contact first and maybe win the unknown caster to join the Theocracy, but she couldn't contain herself. She wanted to fight him now.
She intentionally made a sound to test his reaction speed and then rushed at him. She activated her martial arts, [Limit Breaker] [Ability Boost] [Focus Battle Aura] [Full Throttle] [Greater Ability Boost] and then closed the distance between them in seconds and swung her scythe directly at his neck.
Anzio heard the crack of a branch. His passive skills were also telling him something was off and, as if by instinct, he turned and drew his sword just in time to see a scythe coming down on him. His eyes widened and his body reacted with superhuman speed as the strike was blocked, but it felt as if his arm was hit by a truck.
Anzio jumped backwards and his player instincts kicked in, he observed and assessed his opponents. His eyes widened as he noticed her equipment was of Yggdrasil. He looked at the girl standing in front of him. For a moment his gaze met her hetero chromatic eyes. Anzio suddenly found himself staring at the face of his would be killer, if he hadn't blocked the strike that is.
'Anzio what are you doing ? This girl just tried to slice your head off!' The Nephalem player reprimanded himself. She looked like someone with a lot of warrior type levels. Meanwhile Anzio had only 20 warrior levels he decided to include into his build for fun.
"Are… you perhaps a player?" He asked, but her reaction was that of confusion. She didn't reply, but Anzio could see she was activating another set of martial arts.
"Uhm… May I know why you attacked me?" He asked as the final of her martial arts was activated.
"I usually don't like to chat during fights, but since you did manage to block my strike, I guess we can have a little chat. I am Zesshi Zetsumei, I was sent to check out the explosion you caused." She spoke in an even tone, but a hint of excitement could be felt.
"My name is Anzio. I really hoped nobody would have noticed that." He scratched the back of his head.
"Well, we did notice. Anyway, enough talk, the only thing worth mentioning is that if you beat me, Anzio, I would be willing to bear children for you." She spoke with excitement and a hint of lust evident in her voice.
Anzio's face turned beet red and before he could stammer even a few words, she was right in front of him again, swinging his scythe to sever him in half.
[Teleportation]
Anzio reflexively intoned and appeared behind her. He was struggling to estimate her level. She seemed to be the strongest person he encountered but all the martial arts she had complicated the situation. He was unsure by how much those had increased her stats.
'I'll be generous and say she's near level 90, I can beat that. I just need to stay calm, she probably said that about her bearing my children to catch me off guard.'
Anzio thought about which spell he should use. He couldn't risk fighting her as a warrior so he had to outplay her as a magic caster. He smirked. This was probably the first time he had met an opponent strong enough to be worth using metamagic on.
[Maximize magic - Gravity Maelstrom]
Anzio cast the spell and instantly a miniature gravity storm propelled itself towards Zesshi. She tried to dodge, but the spherical attack curved and slammed into her side.
Anzio was thinking about the spells he could use against his opponent. He wasn't a person that could kill another simply for attacking him and spells like Reality Slash that would most likely slice her in half unless she had some secret abilities she hadn't revealed yet.
"That's the most pain I've ever felt !" Zesshi exclaimed with maniacal joy as she lunged at the Nephalem once again.
Anzio dodged again, readying another spell.
[Shockwave] He exclaimed and a powerful wave pushed her back forcing her to stumble and roll for several meters.
[Life Essence] 'She's at 85% of her health just from that? Her magic resistance probably isn't that great against high tiered spells. Well, she might die if I pick a few high damage spells by accident.'
He sighed and readied two spells to cast in sequence. [Maximize magic - Grasp of the Inferno] [Maximize magic - Divine Chains]
The ground turned crimson red as the temperature went up, tortured hands reached out from the ground and grabbed her legs. As Zesshi struggled to cut them off and free herself, new hands sprung up to restrain her. The divine chain appeared as if fashioned from light itself and wrapped around her, and no matter how she struggled she could not free herself.
"Do you surrender now ?" Anzio approached the restrained half elf drawing his sword and readying to cast another spell in case she freed herself.
Zesshi muttered martial arts and tried to break free but she could not. The two restrainment spells combined posed a challenge to any player below level 90 especially when paired with metamagic.
She exhaled and visibly relaxed. She looked downwards for a moment and then her face shot up, her eyes brimming with excitement. Her cheeks flushed a shade of red. She rubbed her thighs together in anticipation.
"You… you are the first man that managed to defeat me, I am so incredibly happy now, Anzio-sama, please, take me as the spoils of this battle and offer me the honor to give you powerful children !" She exclaimed in a passionate voice; it was quite obvious she had practiced this request a lot of times.
Anzio blushed intensely once more as he exhaled in shock. "Huh, that wasn't a trick to catch me off guard ?" He looked at her, his eyes wide.
"Why, why would you ask that of someone you just met ?!" Anzio asked, his tone of voice going a pitch higher than usual.
"Why would I not, that is my only life goal." She answered as if it were her only goal in life. But as she looked at the shocked face of the man that beat her so effortlessly, he wasn't replying. She felt a lump form in her throat; she attempted to gather courage to ask the question properly but it came out as a timid squeaky voice of a small girl.
"So… so you won't let me bear your children…" She squeaked out, tears began welling up and sliding down her cheeks. Her bottom lip shivered and she wailed out, her heart shattering.
"Why...? Why…? You beat me, you're a man that can overpower me so why would you not do that to me, am I that unattractive to you?" She sniffled, tears still flowing.
Anzio just stared at her in shock. He just made a girl cry. Probably the first girl that was ever interested in him as well, even though it was in a twisted way. The question she asked made him snap back to reality.
"Why would any man do that?" Anzio asked sternly. "Because that is what men do." Zesshi replied. "And I wouldn't care because the child we'd have would be powerful enough to live in this world without fear of ever being hurt…" She sniffled out.
Anzio slowly understood her logic. "Men that take advantage of women like that are lowly beasts. Besides we just met and…" Anzio remembered the second part of her question and looked at her crying face. It truly was beautiful, it was unique, her eyes especially drew him in, even though they were red from all the tears and a bit of snot hung from her nose. She truly was something he had never seen before.
"Uhm… no, you're not unattractive, you're actually… uhh really… pretty." He muttered out, his face beet red.
'How the hell do I compliment her? The only girls I ever talked to were some at school and the few in game and I have never complimented any of them.' Anzio cursed himself for his incompetence at communicating, but when he diverted his gaze back at the half elf he noticed her tears were subsiding and the more important fact, both of his spell were still active.
"Oh, sorry !" Anzio apologized as he deactivated the spells. The infernal hands and the divine chains both vanished. Zesshi fell as soon as the arms holding her in place vanished and Anzio by instinct caught her before she hit the ground.
Zesshi, much like Anzio, was beet red. "Uhmm it's alright… but you really think I'm pretty?" She asked in her squeaky but hopeful tone, her heterochromatic eyes were shimmering because of the tears she shed but they seemed more hopeful.
Anzio looked at her and nodded. "Uhmm yeah… I really do." He tried to avoid eye contact but ended up being drawn to her gaze. His wings fluttered and he noticed he had them out during the entire fight. He retracted them and straightened out.
She smiled, it was similar to a sour smile but with genuine happiness behind it. She wiped the snot and tears off her face and then noticed he was still holding her in his arms. She blushed but decided to ask a question.
"Uhmm… so I am guessing you still aren't close to accepting my offer?" She asked sorrowfully. She didn't cry, but her disappointment was evident by her expression.
"Yeah, sorry but we've just met… and I… I've never been with anyone before.'' He admitted.
She shot up from his arms and stood up straight. "Well you've been holding me for quite a while there." Zesshi pointed out.
Anzio felt his ears overheat as he stood up and bowed. "Forgive me, I didn't notice I was doing that." He apologized swiftly.
"Well.. I suppose you did stop me from falling." She muttered. "Well, I'd say I at least deserve a cup of tea, do you have a camp or do you wanna go to the nearest town ?" She spoke in a commanding voice as she turned her back to him.
"Uhmm, let's go to the nearest town. We can also grab something to eat." Anzio offered. 'Well Anzio, the least you can do is buy the girl some food after beating her up.' The Nephalem concluded to himself.
"I can use a spell to get us there unless you want to walk?" Anzio suggested awkwardly.
"Uhmm sure, but teleport us somewhere near the town, we don't want to be seen appearing out of nowhere." Zesshi spoke, trying to hide the fact that she was impressed that such a long range teleportation spell existed.
Anzio opened the gate and motioned for her to follow as he stepped through. He visited a few nearby towns recently so he had a clear image in his mind. They appeared a few kilometres away from a town near a dirt road.
Zesshi put on a cloak, it wasn't raining here, but her clothes would make her stand out far too much. Anzio did the same and so they set on their way along the dirt road.
"So… What species even are you ?" Zesshi asked, looking at the first man to ever defeat her.
"I am a Nephalem. A half angel, half demon." Anzio clarified.
Zesshi's eyes widened. She moved her hand subconsciously running it through her hair and touching the pointy ears she had concealed beneath it. 'Seems we aren't that different after all… Well, not like I care, he could be a full blown demon and I'd still try to get him to impregnate me.'
"And what about you? Your eye and hair color seem quite odd for a human." Anzio asked. He couldn't see her ears up until now.
"I'm a half elf. The elf king is my father, and a descendant of the Gods was my mother." Zesshi spoke, her voice quivered as she gently ran her fingers over her pointy ears.
"Oh…" Anzio understood it now. He had heard rumors about the elf king and Zesshi was a product of that. However he had another question to ask.
"You're a half elf but you side with the Theocracy? Why?" The Nephalem's curiosity got the better of him and he had to ask, even if it was insensitive.
"They rescued my mother and they raised me. You think that I'd be siding with the kind of rapist and monster that my father is ?" She spoke those words through gritted teeth.
"Would they raise you and care for you if you had no power ?" Anzio looked at her, his eyes grew colder, the awkwardness was gone. "From what I hear the treatment of half elves isn't any better than the treatment of the elves." He pointed out.
Zesshi clenched her fists. She never had any thoughts of this. She was strong, so she was free. They were weak, so they were enslaved. That was her reasoning.
"You serve a country that some of my comrades would wipe off the map the moment they'd see it, if they were here." Anzio spoke. There was a wistfulness in his voice.
"I'm not someone who enjoys murder though, and I lack the influence and knowledge to force the Theocracy to change." He sighed, his shoulders slumping.
Zesshi did not reply, she was lost in thought and they kept walking in silence to the small town at the far border of the Theocracy. Anzio gazed at the fields. They were being worked by elven slaves. He clenched his fists seeing their mutilated ears. His aura was getting harder and harder to keep under control.
He forced himself to look away and decided to look around, observing what this small town had to offer. There was a small marketplace and a tavern or two. The few guards only required them to take their hoods off and that they did. The guard was surprised to see a half elf but men travelling with slaves to keep boredom away at a trip were not that uncommon. This one looked exotic too. Different colored hair and eyes probably meant she was pricey.
He walked to a food vendor's stand. "Two skewered kabobs please." He handed the man the money and took the skewered pieces of meat, handing one to Zesshi. "Feeding a slave meat ? Ya sure she's worth the coin ?" The man chuckled. Meat was something that not many slaves ever had the privilege to taste during their captivity.
Anzio clenched his fists but elected to ignore him, Zesshi was surprised, but before she could correct him, she noticed Anzio was already walking away so she followed after him.
He then walked to a tavern that had tables and chairs set in front of the building alongside Zesshi. They sat there and ordered some drinks and there they went through another unpleasant experience. The tavern keeper walked up to them to take their order. "Ya sure ya want the slave to sit with you, you even lettin' her pick her drinks ? That's way too nice of a way to treat cattle, lad." The man tried to poke Anzio with his elbow, but in return for the friendly gesture he almost got knocked off his feet as Anzio used a fraction of his strength; a fraction that was enough to overpower the tavern keeper who quickly made some distance between them.
"Just do your job, bring us the things we order and do not voice your opinion." He snapped at the man and Zesshi noticed that this bothered the Nephalem a lot. His arms were on the table and his nails dug into his palms. He forced himself to relax after the man walked away to get the drinks.
Several moments of silence passed until the man came back with the drinks. Anzio paid for them and the man walked away without a word after greedily grabbing the few silver coins.
Anzio ate his kabob and tried to contain his enjoyment. The taste of real meat was something that still blew him away, even though he didn't need any sustenance, he enjoyed eating almost every day.
"Ahh I love the summer." Anzio exclaimed, trying to redirect their thoughts to a nicer topic as a gentle breeze swept over them.
"I hate it. the heat is too much and the smell of sweat in Kami Miyako is not something I enjoy." Zesshi remarked. "Luckily I can spend most of the time in the treasury, it's always nice and cool there."
"Hmm, so you prefer the colder seasons huh. Well I haven't experienced a winter yet, since arriving here that is." Anzio sipped on the drink the tavern keeper brought him.
"Where are you from if you haven't experienced a proper winter?" Zesshi was surprised.
"A place that was ruined beyond repair. The snow that fell was gray and it was more ash and smog than actual ice." He replied and decided to switch the subject. "You said you were a treasury guardian huh, what sort of treasures do you guard?" Anzio asked.
Zesshi looked at him. She had no problem spilling state secrets if it made him trust her. "There are a few weapons, some sealing crystals and when not in use some white robes with a golden dragon that can mind control anyone when used." She listed out the items and Anzio spat out his drink, spraying it all over her face when he heard the last few words.
"Oi !? What the hell ?!" She looked at him angrily. Anzio cleared his throat with a cough and handed her a handkerchief to wipe her face clean.
"Sorry… that last item, is it maybe called the Downfall of Castle and Country?" Anzio asked with a serious tone.
"Yeah, how come you know it's name ?" She looked at him with a raised brow.
"That item comes from the place I come from, it is classified as a world item." He explained.
"Huh, a world item, what's that?" She raised an eyebrow looking into his heterochromatic eyes, her own reflecting her curiosity.
"World items are items that have the power to change or defy even the laws of the world itself. For example, the world item you guard can mind control even the undead, which should not usually be possible." Anzio explained. "The only way to counter it is with another world item."
"You mean there's more of these things ?" She almost shouted but controlled herself.
Anzio sighed, weighing the scale in his head. Some of his friends would probably reprimand him for revealing this, but they weren't here.
"I possess a world item and I know of many that exist, whether they made it here I do not know." He admitted.
"Wait so you're telling me you could resist the Downfall of Castle and Country ?" Zesshi's eyes bulged.
"Yes. I can, but it means the wielder would also be resistant to the effects of my world item." He pointed out.
"The wielder of it is a frail old woman, I am the strongest scripture member of the theocracy and the sealing crystals possess 8th tier spells max." She spilled out the information.
"You could crush the nation if you wanted to." She added.
"What would you do if I did?" Anzio asked. Before she could answer, screaming could be heard from the square. Anzio shot up and began running there to see what was happening. Zesshi stood up to follow.
There at the square two elven girls were on the ground. One was kneeling, begging and the other was being beaten by a fat old man. He was whipping the elven girl. Anzio gritted his teeth. The smaller of the two, the one begging looked to be around eight in human years, the other fourteen.
Zesshi caught up to him and observed the scene. "What do you feel when you look at this Zesshi?" Anzio asked coldly.
Zesshi waited before replying. "They are weak. If they were stronger they could kill the ones hurting them." She spoke but to Anzio it sounded as if she didn't truly believe the words that left her mouth.
"What sort of strength is a child supposed to have? Tell me Zesshi, would you have a different fate if you had no power to defy the whip ? You experienced how they treat your kind first hand." Anzio's words were like venom.
"That girl over there might be your half sister, I heard the elf king rapes a lot of his kind as well." He added as the old man, annoyed by the younger girl's begging, aimed his whip at her and was ready to swing.
"Zesshi, I do like you, but I cannot love a person that lies to themselves that the weak deserve this." He spoke in an even colder tone.
Zesshi was gritting her teeth hard. She tried to look away but could not. The man that defeated her was right. Any of those slaves could have been one of her siblings. Why hadn't she ever thought about that? She growled. Every word Anzio said cut deep. She noticed the man was about to swing the whip. If it landed where he aimed it it would hit the young girl straight across the face.
"God dammit !" She pulled her scythe out of her pouch of holding and in an instant she cut off the man's hand moving faster than any normal human could even perceive. The man looked at the stump that was left of his hand in shock as blood came pouring out. Before he could let out a scream he was silenced as Zesshi decapitated him.
Anzio smiled. She finally broke free. The girl that was valued only as a tool, a weapon, now finally realised what she was used to enforce. Anzio kept an eye on every human that cheered when the elven girl screamed in pain. He felt nothing but pleasure as he knew they would suffer by his hand.
[Aspect of the Demon - Abandon All Hope]
Anzio spoke the name of the skill and as soon as the last word left his mouth a large grotesque door appeared and opened. A powerful gust of wind pulled every human that deserved it inside. None were strong enough to resist and now, the only thing they could do was scream because soon enough they'd find themselves in the deepest circles of hell where deserving punishment would be delivered unto them.
The elven girls clung to one another as Zesshi stood still, processing what he had just done. The half elf felt things she could not recognize, over a century of indifference had left her emotionally limited and now somehow that indifference was gone. The emotions were as if a river burst through a dam, shattering it. She felt more in those moments than in any battle she ever fought apart from the most recent one.
Anzio noticed she zoned out and he went on to heal the two frightened girls first and only then went on to gently tap Zesshi's shoulder. "Hey, you alright?" He smiled with a hint of pride.
She looked at him and tears swelled in her eyes. She began hitting his chest with balled up fists. It seemed as if a child was throwing a tantrum. Anzio smiled and patted her head as she sobbed and clung onto his robes.
"You did well Zesshi, you have proven you can do much more than just fight and look for a man to defeat you and give you a child. I'm proud of you." He smiled and Zesshi tensed when she heard the last sentence. 'When was the last time someone told me they were proud of me ?' She wondered but shrugged the thought off, finding comfort in Anzio's embrace.
Anzio smiled warmly and allowed his wings to spring out as he gently wrapped them around her. It was an odd gesture for the young man that was a human just a few months ago, but it felt right.
A few guards rushed to see what all the screaming was about and the moment Anzio noticed them he extended one of his arms towards them, still embracing Zesshi with the other.
[Twin magic - Lightning]
The low tier spell was enough to kill them, even maximizing it would be a waste. Zesshi cried for a while and when she stopped and slowly pulled back from the embrace Anzio smiled at her warmly. He used a cash shop item to summon a few mid tier dryads and ordered them to free every slave and take them to the square.
Anzio and Zesshi killed every human that showed as much as a bit of hostility towards the elves. The few "good" humans remaining together with the children cowered in fear and sent prayers to the Gods. Some hid while the others were out on the streets trying to see if they could run away.
Anzio cast a spell that would make his voice heard through the city. "This is a message addressed to every citizen of this town. All the elven slaves are being freed. Do not worry, no human child will be harmed. Any man and woman that did not abuse the slaves will be spared. You may stay or leave the town. No harm will come to you either way." Anzio assured them.
[Summon Mid Tier Angel - Throne]
Anzio cast the spell and a human looking figure in golden robes found itself kneeling before him. "I answer your summons, my Lord. What is thy will ?" The angel was a woman with flowing golden hair and piercing blue eyes. Two white wings stuck out behind her, proving this being was an angel through and through.
"I leave you here to manage this town, you should be strong enough to fend off any regular soldier and even some of the scriptures, make sure the humans and elves are taken care of. Notify me if any trouble arises." He ordered and opened a gate looking at Zesshi and motioning for her to follow.
They found themselves at a clearing. "So what do you want to do next ?" Anzio asked, crossing his arms and watching the grass bend to and fro due to the changing winds.
"I… I want to give them a chance. I'll report you were gone and ask them if they would be willing to prohibit mistreatment of slaves and slowly try to bring an end to the practice of slavery." Zesshi spoke, her voice was hopeful but a part of her already knew what the answer would be.
"What will you do if they say no?" Anzio looked at her, their gazes locked. Her eyes still gleaming due to all the tears she shed. "Then, I will consider them traitors. And I will do what my heart tells me to do. I won't be a tool any longer." Zesshi made a promise to Anzio and himself that day, and she knew she would never break it.
Anzio gated them to Kami Miyako and, after casting Perfect Unknowable, Zesshi led him to the treasury. She was lucky no one else went down there apart from her and maybe the Black Scripture captain, but he was away, so that was not a thing they needed to worry about.
"Hmmm, you've got some decent defensive barriers here." Anzio observed the entrance to where the actual high grade treasures were kept, not every room of the massive underground complex was warded so well though, so Anzio had no issues snooping around some places.
"Hey, is that a Rubik's cube ?" Anzio smiled and looked at it. Only one side of it was solved while the other five were not.
"Yeah, it's hard to solve more than one side, the captain of the Black can solve it but he won't let me in on the secret." Zesshi commented, she accepted the fact Anzio knew how the item was called. It was clear this mysterious, impossibly powerful young man was from the same realm as the six Great Gods.
"It's because you are trying to solve one side at a time, you have to take in account every side at the same time." Anzio explained and fiddled with the cube for less than a minute and Zesshi's jaw gaped. It was solved. All six sides of it !
"Hmm a bit rusty, I could do it faster than that." Anzio mumbled mixing the sides up again so he could solve it once more.
Zesshi shrugged off her amazement. He really did outclass her in every way. "You have fun, I'll go and report to the cardinals." The half elf turned around and began walking to the cardinal meeting room. Anzio waved her goodbye and decided to pass the time by trying to set a new world record.
Some time later Zesshi came back. By the stomping of her feet Anzio was ninety percent sure how the Cardinals responded to her request.
The moment she saw him she jumped and embraced him. Balling her fists and hitting them against his chest venting her frustrations.
"They… They laughed at me !" She sobbed. "Only Raymond and Berenice even considered it but the rest voted it down. Yvon thought I was joking at first !" She gripped his robe as tears dripped down her cheeks and fell onto it.
Anzio sighed and patted her head. It was odd, one of the most powerful known beings of this world had such a vulnerable side and he got to see all of it in only a few days.
She sniffled and looked up at him. "What do I do ? I only know how to rush in and fight. I can't do anything regarding politics and if I try to fight them… I'll be facing my former comrades." Zesshi felt like a lost child. Somehow with that dam of emotions breaking she didn't know what to think. Her past self would probably go on a killing spree and wipe out anyone that stood in her way. But her current self could not bring herself to do such a thing without examining alternatives.
"Do you want to free the elves ?" Anzio asked and Zesshi nodded. "Do you still want to kill your father ?" Anzio wiped away a tear as it streamed down her cheek. "Yes. I still want him dead." She confirmed and Anzio nodded.
"Then I'll help you. Zesshi as you are now, I know you are not perfect, frankly, you have a lot of things you need to overcome. But as you are now, you are someone I'd gladly stand beside." Anzio blushed slightly, his wings shivered as if he were attempting to shake away any form of embarrassment and awkwardness.
"I'll help you, and I'll stay by your side, so I just hope you do the same for me." Anzio smiled and gracefully took her hand and kissed it as he saw in some old movie. It was an embarrassing moment as both of the two young beings of unimaginable power blushed and felt their ears getting hot, but after a few moments embarrassment faded away and both cracked a smile at one another.
"How about I take you to my home? We can't do anything right now, but given enough time I am certain we'll find a solution and frankly... I think my servants are beginning to miss me." Anzio smiled as he took a ring out of his inventory and put it on his finger. Zesshi looked at him in surprise. He never talked about his home before, he only mentioned some friends. What does the home of someone that powerful even look like ? The questions forming in her mind would be answered soon enough. He opened a gate and took a hold of her hand.
Zesshi hesitated for only a moment but as she noticed he held her hand she smiled and intertwined her fingers with his as they passed through.
The sight she was greeted with was incredible. A beautiful starry sky, a calm lake, a perfect forest. The landscape before her was the definition of perfection. "Welcome to the sixth floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick." Anzio whispered as he led her to the lake's shoreline.
She didn't reply for a moment, taking it all in, but then the sentence he spoke reached her brain. "Wait did you say SIXTH FLOOR?" She asked in shock, her eyebrow twitching.
"Yes, it is underground, one of my dearest friends created that sky." He pointed up to the ceiling. "I loved listening to his stories. I hope I'll see him again some day." He admitted as they strolled side by side. Well, for a moment Zesshi was too shocked to move so Anzio accidentally pulled her with him for a moment.
Zesshi decided to give up trying to process the fact that she was underground when she could obviously feel the cool spring breeze and see a starry sky right above her head. She tightened the hold on Anzio's hand slightly and he returned the small gesture of affection.
"Ya know we could have had a stroll anywhere, don't tell me your home is just one big underground oasis." She complained teasingly as she leaned against his side ever so slightly.
"Don't worry, only the sixth floor looks like this. I just wanted another moment of peace. When my servants find out I'm back… Things will get a bit intense." He laughed but suppressed a shiver.
"How about we have some nice dinner?" Anzio smiled. "Don't worry, this time you will be respected by the ones serving you the food and drinks." The Nephalem player promised and teleported them to what Zesshi would describe as a dining hall fit for only the Gods.
As a matter of fact, Anzio picked out one of the smaller dining halls since it would offer a bigger sense of intimacy and the Guardians would probably check the bigger dining rooms first.
'Hmmm who to message. Well Pestonya is the better option, and it might take some time for the information to reach the Guardians if the maids are the first to know about it.'
[Message]
{Evening, Pestonya sorry to bother you, but could you deliver some food to the third small sized dining room for me and my date?}
{Huh, Anzio-sama you have returned er...woof ?} Pestonya exclaimed in surprise but remembered her lord had just requested her services.
{Of course my Lord, I shall arrange to have the best foods brought to you and the one you have elected to be worthy enough to have a date with. Er… Woof.} Pestonya promised and soon enough, Pestonya opened the door and behind her a group of maids carrying all sorts of luxurious meals followed.
All of the maids of unparalleled beauty bowed. "It brings us great joy to see you have returned from your trip, Anzio-sama." They all spoke at the same time. Zesshi gulped she knew she was not the prettiest but not the most unattractive female either but to learn the one she was learning to love was surrounded by such beauties was a blow to her confidence and self esteem.
The maids smiled and then their eyes shot to the person their Lord had elected to be his date. Their eyes widened in shock. They all thought it would be someone of Nazarick, but the woman sharing the table with the Supreme One was clearly an outsider. Before they could question it Anzio took initiative.
"Everyone, this is Zesshi Zetsumei, please treat her with respect. It would displease me if she were to be insulted in any way." Anzio smiled politely but his words were strict and serious.
"Welcome to the Great Tomb of Nazarick Lady Zesshi." The maids greeted her and Zesshi blushed, surprised at the respect she was given.
"Now if you wouldn't mind, please leave us so we can enjoy our dinner in private, I shall call upon you if we need something." He flashed a boyish smile and the maids bowed once again before exiting the room.
The pair cracked a smile at one another and began eating while discussing many topics, from magic, fighting styles, to the battles they fought themselves. "I didn't expect you'd be surrounded by such beauties though." Zesshi mumbled, expressing her displeasure as she dug into a piece of steak that truly tasted divine.
Anzio's cheeks flushed red once more. "They are beautiful but I would never do anything to any of them !" The Nephalem player argued. "They are… Like the children of my friends, they created them and… I can't see them as anything else but that." He reassured her as Zesshi was hit in the face with another hard to process fact.
The dinner passed peacefully and somewhere near the end of it Anzio's and Zesshi's ears picked up some tumbling and arguing near the door.
"Well this was inevitable, here they come." Anzio stood up and took Zesshi's hand intertwining his fingers with hers. She stood up and faced the door. "You are about to meet my Guardians." He whispered in her ear and Zesshi prepared herself for another and hopefully last shock of the day.
The voices grew louder, one was a professional sounding, some sounded like children, another like a grown woman, another like a pipsqueak.
"Let me go you old hag ! I wish to greet our Lord first !"
"As if I'd let you do that, you lamprey ! I am the Guardian Overseer. It's only right if I greet him first !"
"Why don't we all greet our Lord at the same time ?" Anzio recognized Demiurge's voice as that of reason.
"Ladies compose yourselves, you have heard what the maids said, the Supreme One has found someone he values as a date. We should not disgrace ourselves in front of the person that may bear our Lord's children." Demiurge spoke.
Anzio and Zesshi blushed as they held their hands tighter together. The Guardians clearly didn't know the doors of the smaller dining rooms were not soundproof.
"Why didn't our Lord pick one of us though !?" Shalltear and Albedo argued.
"You should not doubt the choices of the Supreme One." Cocytus reprimanded the two.
"Ugh whatever, let's see the one that has managed to catch the attention of our Lord." Albedo composed herself and Shalltear appeared to have done the same but just as it seemed that the tensions had eased up a bit the Succubus and the True Vampire both reached for the door knob at the same time and neither would let go.
"Let go, you old hag !"
"No, you let go, you Lamprey !" They struggled and the other Guardians attempted to separate them but as they were doing that the two feisty women turned the doorknob and the group fell face first into the room.
Zesshi chuckled nervously. "Uhmm they seem like a nice bunch." She edged closer to Anzio as the Nephalem smiled. "Well then Zesshi, I'd like to introduce you, to the closest thing I have to a family, the children of my dearest friends. The Floor Guardians of the Great Tomb." He smiled as the Guardians looked at him in surprise. They slowly got up and Mare and Aura rushed to hug him. "Anzio-sama called us his family !" They exclaimed as tears welled up in their eyes. Unlike the many tears being shed Anzio had witnessed, these were tears of joy, signalling a joyful beginning of something truly wonderful.
AN: I hope you enjoyed the story. It is a submission for the february writing contest on ABDs discord server. I had fun writing it and it was good practice since I plan to write some simmilar romance in my main fic the Nephalem emperor.
