Heaven or Hell

by Scarabeye3000

An Overlord of Death, and a Fallen Angel leads Nazarick into the New World. OC.

3. The New World Part 2 (rewritten)

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned this if only I was rich, sadly I am not. So its not mine.

Title: Heaven or Hell?

Chapter 3 - The New World 2

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Stellarum Nex - Cathedral

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"This is incredibly well-detailed."

"I am impressed at the way the Stellarum Nex was preserved, I mean-" the Fallen Angel touched a piece of masonry and felt its texture. It felt like the real thing, stone and concrete bonded together, just like what most churches were made of back in the Old World. But it looked like the way it used to be since the day they left it in stasis, "-even the old settings that I have made are still here."

"Indeed? Well, after you left I find it prudent not to make any changes on the things you have made," Momonga sighed, "It would be irreverent of me to even touch anything that you have made yours."

"Nonsense Guild Master," Sammael smiled at that, "This battle barge belongs to our guild, thus it is under yours. It was never only mine, it is ours Momonga-kun. OURS."

The Lich smiled and pushed open the large cathedral doors, they arrived at the Battle Barge with the rousing welcome of the 1st Legion of the Skitarii Legionnaires. After acknowledging and accepting the vow of fealty by the waiting army, they moved upwards into the main deck and headed for the large cathedral. Indeed, its block building designs and rising architectural towering Gothic spires invoke a sense of grandeur and awe, its visual design came from the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Old Paris before it was leveled by the civil war that broke out on France 100 years before their time. Its loss signaled the decline of human arts as primary resources needed to live became the most prized commodity.

For the argument is that, 'What use is a piece of art in the place of an empty stomach?'

With such thoughts in mind, humanity devolved into mindless survival. Critical thinking, aesthetics and the pursuit of arts had been relegated to the fringes of human thinking as the masses deemed it unnecessary for survival. Yet, some strive to keep them preserved in the deepest hubs of learning, long forgotten data banks and in the minds of people stubborn enough to not let the last vestiges of human culture to die.

But the 'Cathedral' that is considered as the 'island' of this gigantic ship serves a different purpose other than worship. For past its manicured lawn and stone walls lie a curious piece of equipment, out of place from this place of worship are 2 sets of 40MM anti-aircraft guns manned by red robed Skitarii. As they passed every emplacement the operators stood up, saluted and sat back down again their eyes always facing outwards as silent sentries against an unperceived threat. Whether its pitch black or bright as the sun, these soldiers knew only to follow their orders to the letter. The Cathedral was on a raised floor so that the design made for more stone steps than what was previously used to enter the main nave. Additionally, the whole look of the ship is more like an aircraft carrier, its flat main deck, which is actually a sprawling garden looked majestic as it is. The garden simulated the fabled gardens of Marseilles Palace, a distant memory now due to being a smoking crater now back in the Old World because of the European Union Civil War.

Alas, such memories and settings are merely preserved now through the game such as Yggdrasil. And since their arrival at this New World, the ancient gardens has now been brought back to life. With mature trees that are unbelievably manicured, hedgerows neatly trimmed, and the greenest grass you could ever imagine. The whole walkway was white paved stones, neatly arranged and packed tightly. Statues lined the whole walkway as a few garden gazebos were placed here and there, in its center is a grand fountain with an angel statue in the middle. Standing on raised plinths and battered poles are numerous flags by the hundreds, lined neatly on the marble walkways, the flags are all damaged, some pockmarked with bullet holes, others slashed like flesh, while others sported one damage after another. Their liveries are all but faded and blacked by the battles they have endured, yet these symbols attest to the might of one of the top players from Yggdrasil.

The flags of the destroyed guilds back in Yggdrasil were all lined up neatly and in parade display, a strong show of complete power and supremacy.

From the top decks up to the lower levels, none can doubt its reason for existence, its sheer size and its capability for destruction has so far been unseen except those in the Old World that felt this monstrosity barreling down on their guild. Its size was larger than the largest ship in the 21st century, yet this ship was fully capable of autonomous movements even behind enemy lines. Even without hope for reinforcements, this ship could continue fighting from the air and to the ground by activating its Legions of Skitariis in its cavernous body. Its cavernous body housed numerous manufactoras for making automatons and machines used during the 'Reliquary Crusade'.

The whole prow of the ship was designed with an eagle's head, its curved and powerful beak acting as a ram and its feathers glimmered in gold in the sun. Under the prow was a large swiveling cannon, the only weapon visibly shown at the onset of its image. Its head or top deck held a dome shaped building that has a retracting telescope that can peer beyond the horizon. The side of the ship bristled with weapons that can fire outward and downward, its sides was peppered with numerous gun and automatic cannon barrels.

The top deck or viewing deck is the largest open air space on the ship, it had no weapons at all.

But it boasted the best renaissance garden that the Old World had, the Garden of Marseilles with numerous gazebos and viewing decks could be seen as white marble obelisk lined the whole length of the walkway in regular intervals. Its sides were bordered by hedgerows, but beyond that is just armored plating and weapons of war. Though the obelisk adds to the aesthetics of the place, yet they were made an integral part of the ship as shield generators, they are connected to one of the hearts powering this ship. A powerful nullifying shield is constantly projected and only the most powerful spells can and will be able to penetrate such protections. Its camouflage as decorations is one of the reasons it cannot be defeated so easily, it is completely undetectable and unknown even to other Players of the Old World.

Further up at the end of the walkway was the raised deck where the main cathedral was housed. Great stone steps lead up to the famed Notre Dame Cathedral with its stone and arched roofs, but since this ship showcased the power of the Supreme Beings a statue of an angel that held a sword in front of it positioned at the ready, it held vigil atop its perch. An iron halo could be seen behind it as its wings was folded neatly behind it. Standing 30 feet tall, slightly shorter than any respectable sized statue, this statue had one purpose as the last Golem Champion in the static defenses of the Stellarum Nex in case it gets attacked and compromised. Just like the Demons of the Lemegeton on the Throne Room in Nazarick, Sammael opted for 1 Angel that is slightly lower than his Angel Generals in level, skill and power.

A grand fountain sat in the center of the Cathedral as the grand staircase seemed to 'embrace' itself or encircle itself around the Fountain of Marseilles. Divided into 10 abreast and 20 to the line, the Custodes or the Golden Army commanded by Sammael himself formed smartly on the garden deck. Holding their magic glaives and sporting glittering plate armor, they were level 75 automatons that can only number in the 300. Superior from Death Knights and possibly more than a match against a horde of Death Cavaliers, they are limited by their small numbers, but though they are usually outnumbered they are never outgunned with a variety of their weapons and skill proficiency. They are considered level 90 difficulty as they are immune to magic up to Tier-8 and can cast Tier-3 to Tier-5 magic depending on their rank.

Sammael primarily used them to overwhelm his target and combined with his Heavenly Choir Summoning, no guild reactionary force could ever break through them.

Going to the side of the ship, one can easily see large openings on its side. Openings that are simply too large to be used as passageways, so massive were these openings that you could fit double-decker buses stacked on top of each other with plenty of room to wiggle on every opening. The large openings were actually to compensate for the large caliber guns that nestled silently inside the belly of the ship. Sammael took the design of the Schwerer Gustav, or the gigantic Nazi railway gun that used to pound Paris in the 2nd World War. Barrels larger than a house must be swung to the port or starboard side depending on the direction of their attack, such a weapon was only used before against the most sturdy of their enemies and it did not fail to deliver the decisive blow against such assaults.

Directly below the Cathedral was the most armored part of the ship, numerous armor plates and warded by both runes and magic, its sealed vaults housed the numerous still living hearts of the leviathans that they hunted to power their enormous Skybarge.

Stored within the vaults are the hearts of a Tarrasque a legendary monster of mythical fortitude, a Jormungand serpent's heart, the Heart of a Lava Leviathan, even the heart of a monster from the West named Jeeroy Lenkins.

The whole battle barge was kept afloat by magical stones they gathered on the Mines of Nicea, it took two weeks of intense mining and defending their claim to procure the amount needed to support such a large vehicle. The magical stones they gathered was the only thing that kept the large ship floating in the air, feeding it as much mana as they could muster from the stored hearts, propulsion and weapon usage is achieved in the same manner that they would on keeping it floating in midair. So, it was essential to keep the hearts inside the heaviest armored section of the ship.

"The design of this ship is really something huh?"

"It has served its purpose, to punish the enemies that have wronged Ainz Ooal Gown, and make war on anyone that dared raised its hands against us," a nostalgic smile graced the face of the Fallen, "... and made war it did."

They passed the glittering fountain as they headed for cathedral, "Although the hardest battle that I have had was with the Pirate Lords since it was my first battle and I didn't think I would succeed, then of course there was the self-righteous jerks of the Holy Spirit-"

"EHhh?! Y-you fought one of the Trinity Alliance?!" Momonga was so surprised his passive skill kicked in and his emotion was forcibly suppressed, "What were you thinking?"

The Trinity Alliance is the largest guild or rather an Alliance of guilds in Yggdrasil. Its core consisted of three large guilds, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The latter was the smallest and technically, one of the weakest of the three. But its individual power was still considerable and could potentially rival their own, thankfully, the Trinity did not join the assault on Nazarick. And to think the Fallen Angel would be crazy enough to assault that guild- wait a minute.

"How did you even manage to fight one of the Trinity?"

Sammael shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head, "Well, they were one of the last guilds that I attacked. I had reliable information that most of the Messiah's Artifacts World Item were in the hands of the Holy Spirit guild for a friendly war with a rival guild. I took the chance and while they were responding to another skirmish- I simply ambushed them."

"Messiah's Artifacts? They put up that update to hype up the Christmas Sale right?" Momonga rubbed his bony chin in contemplation as he remembered that event, "Pity that I only got a consolation prize item that day."

"You got a consolation prize?"

"Ah, yes. I was logged in on Christmas Day... I got the Mask of Jealousy."

"Any reason why called an item as such?"

"Maybe because it was Christmas and were like lonely or jealous cause others have someone on their arms, while we're doing nothing but gaming and such... well, you know."

"Right. Umm... any special effects?"

"It cost at least 30 gold in the shops."

"A real consolation prize huh?"

"Yep. Anyways, how did you come by the information that you used to raid guilds?"

"Remember I told you I was in the JSDF?"

Momonga nodded, "Yes, you did mention it. You were a platoon commander right?"

"I was. One of the youngest of the Ranger School- but I had some friends in the Security Department."

"W-what? From the Public Security Intelligence Agency?"

"Yep, most in-game information gets forwarded to them since its the law anyway, after I get the IP address I begin surveillance where they log-in and get most of the information from there- mostly its just their routine, and from that make an outline of the personality and how they would react when in a simulated battle like in Yggdrasil."

"I see..."

"Cheer up Momonga-kun, I was prancing around in the desert at night during that time too."

"Hmm, well, at least it felt good now winning that consolation prize."

Momonga tried not to think too much of it, but knowing that his friend did his best to actually preserve the guild and- shit! That would explain the panic that happened when word got out that one of the Holy Trinity was attacked by an independent player. It was rumored that it attacked with such ferocity that the normally powerful and untouchable guild members were forced back and tasted defeat. It was like fighting with a brilliant tactician as they threw everything at the attacker, the guild was reportedly not destroyed since the Guild Master was believed to have safely teleported away. But it could not be denied that the attacker somehow triumphed, but they were unable to prevent the intruder in ransacking the Treasury of their guild base taking all the World Items and then some of the treasures and valuable items in it.

A black plated armor Angel bowed in front of them as its weapon, a scythe that was larger and longer than a man was rested on his shoulder, "My Lords, what is our course of action? Do we march to battle?"

The Fallen Angel smiled at that, "I applaud your drive and diligence Leliel however, we are facing a crisis that we have not encountered thus far in our own world."

"Though first and foremost, I believe we should establish with visual confirmation where the heck are we?"

"Agreed," the Overlord interjected, "Maybe we can stretch our legs outside?"

"Though we did sent the 8-edged assassins, going outside is still prudent, so we can correctly assess the situation."

Momonga rubbed his chin and said, "Though I am concerned though, if we go out then the Nazarick guardians could be disrupted with their own work."

"You are right," Momonga agreed and looked appreciatively at the four Angels surrounding them, "These 4 seemed not too uptight, they are not too distracted by our presence, they show respect in their own way."

"Yes, I suppose it is in the way I made them. Warriors are much more appreciated by showing respect, but ever at the ready for any battle-" Sammael nods his head and walked towards the fountain, "-I suppose you are correct in a way. Let us disguise ourselves then- wait why don't we just have the sky barge outside for a spin?"

"Considering its size, I may need a few minutes to have it ready. Can you tell me when you reached the surface world? I'll just join you outside."

"Very well," the Elder Lich nodded and blinked out of existence to go back to Nazarick, as soon as they were alone Sammael then turned to his angels and smiled, "How are you my Generals?"

Azrael, Baraqiel, Leliel, Zadkiel all bowed in unison and looked up at him with such devotion and loyalty it did not fail to rival those of the Nazarick Guardians.

"We are all well My Lord and Master."

"-it is like but a moment when we last saw you."

"Indeed My Lord, our victories were numerous and shall be much more in this world."

"We shall serve you, forever."

Sammael felt an unknown emotion well up inside him, "Excellent, make the preparations to move the sky barge. Momonga and I would be moving out."

Majestically he flapped his large inverted wings as he headed to the large cathedral with his Angel Generals behind him.

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Tomb of Nazarick - a few hours later

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Momonga made his way to the 1st Floor with difficulty. He had alrady passed numerous guards and NPC soldiers, so far none have attacked him yet. Considering he was garbed in a full plate of black armor that he conjured with his magic not with his usual jet black mage robes, it is a surprise none have challenged him with his identity, or it could be that they automatically know its him. Regardless, he still had difficulties shaking off the first obstacle in the face of the maid Narberal Gamma, he managed to convince her that this is for the good of the tomb and she finally relented after much convincing.

Though he was having great success, on the threshold of the 1st Floor though he encountered a somewhat 'insurmountable barrier'.

That 'insurmountable barrier' smiled from ear to ear, it was Demiurge that trailed him as he consented not to bring any guards, though he will accompany him personally.

"Momon-sama, oh pardon me- Black Warrior-sama, I was on the impression that Lord Sammael would go with us with this excursion."

"Oh, he will," he stepped outside and basked in the night light, it was a semi-clear sky and the stars are as numerous as the sand in the beach. Their light shone like a beacon as they stretched from horizon to horizon, a feeling welled up in his heart as the New World seemed to unravel before him. They were still admiring the view when it suddenly darkened and a large [Gate] opened above them.

A shimmering portal spreads outward and a glimmering eagle shaped prow of a large ship came out. The battle barge the 'Stellarum Nex' glided smoothly out of the portal and hovered above them, its massive weapon under the bow of the craft was only dwarfed by the ship's immense size. It was so large that the skies seemed to rumble as it passed overhead, they were quite high and the clouds parted apart with the large behemoth pushing through its cover. Momonga then took out a necklace with a wing pendant dangling on it as his body was suffused with mana. The demon-like Demiurge gasped in surprise, of course as Guardians they are aware and have knowledge of the bloody story made by the Supreme Beings in the Old World. But he was not aware that such a vessel appeared right before his eyes are directly controlled by his Lords.

It was simply overwhelming to see the stories have physical form as his face of masked calm was broken by a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Literally.

A power that can rival the Great Tomb, a Flying Fortress, truly this can only be the handiwork of the Supreme Beings. It is simply unfathomable.

"Hmm, if I remember correctly," the disguised Lich said as he activated the necklace's power, "[Fly]"

Momonga took off and quickly made a beeline towards the floating ship, from afar he could see the numerous automatons working in the exposed decks of the ship. He could see that although there are no specific targets for their wrath, it does not mean that they would not prepare and keep their alert levels quite high. And he could honestly say that- he suddenly stopped and carefully read the slogan he saw stenciled on the side of the deck.

'NEMO MEO POENA EFFUGIT.'

Momonga landed softly on the armored deck as he dusted himself off lightly, his blood red cloak billowing behind him and the latin script carrying weight in his mind. But his mind was cleared of such thoughts when he beheld the whole main deck, now when they were in the 'special space' that hid the Battle Barge it was already beautifully detailed, but now that they could see the ship outside. It was just mind-boggling, a ship made in such a grand scale and in such wonderful detail. The garden actually had budding flowers on them, and the roman columns and obelisk had carvings on them, like hieroglyphs or such other lost language. The paved stone walkway in the middle of the garden was actually weathered stones and they looked old and period correct ones.

He couldn't believe it, they were actually simulating a museum back in Yggdrasil.

"Momonga-kun, are you done admiring the stones?" Sammael smiled and looked dumbfounded at his friend, "You look great, though what in the world is with that get-up?"

"Yes, I am done admiring the stones, and this-" he raised his hands and his armored clanked together, "-this is my disguise, Demiurge-" he turned to the Guardian then, "-will explain further."

Demiurge who turned into his demonic form eagerly bowed his head and said, "I am honored to think I have penetrated just a tad of your schemes Momonga-sama, but let me explain what I have barely garnered from my observation."

"Dark Warrior-sama wishes to surprise the Guardians and try to evaluate our work without us making obvious that he is watching," the Guardian declared proudly, "Truly, I can only see the most obvious reasons shown before me. I can only hope to understand your thoughts further, perhaps after a hundred years?"

"Your too hard on yourself Demiurge," Sammael looked on Momonga and screamed in his mind, "Dark Warrior-sama? What the hell was that!?"

"Give me a break, he accosted me while I was on the 1st Floor! Didn't we made him Defense Commander of Nazarick?"

"Yes."

"Well, he elected to send his Demon Generals themselves and accompanied them," Momonga looked defeated, "I managed to keep them from overreacting, but then he popped out of nowhere.

"Hah. You're hopeless-" Sammael tried not to chuckle at that as they walked towards the fountain again, he then turned to the side and said aloud, "Engage vertical thrust to 50%, hold flight and hover at 15,000 ft. Begin scanning area of at least the immediate area for any hostiles."

"Affirmative my Lord," the angel Azrael bowed and then turned away to head to the main Cathedral where the bridge is located. Within a few moments, both of them felt the ship rise and the stars moving from their vision. Higher and higher the large craft ascended until it bursts out of the cloud cover and all can see only a sea of clouds illuminated by the stars and the full moon. The sky here had such a clarity to it that they seemed to formed a highway of light on the most concentrated part of it. No smog, pollution, artificial lights, and all the nasty things that humans made could have dampened their view.

"Sammael?"

"Yeah?"

Both felt a welling of emotion in their hearts as they looked up into the heavens, it was so much that the Overlord's passive buff of emotion suppression was triggered to activate. He felt regretful as the sudden wash of calming magic failed to remove the small pang of irritation he felt. What is wrong with a little surge of emotions? Why can't he just feel human, at the very least just this one time.

"All of them would certainly liked it here."

"Yes," thought broken, he replied numbly taking care to keep his emotion in check, "Peroroncino would love the sky, his wings would have so much freedom to use them."

"HeroHero and Punitto Moe would have loved the maids they made," Sammael smiled at the memory. If only a few more of their friends could have joined them. Unknown to him, Momonga was having the same thoughts as him. The former mentioned was logged-in that day, if he could have at least asked him to stay for a few minutes more until the server shut down, then maybe just maybe he would be standing with them right now. But he could not have forced him to come and stay with him, and would he allow himself the selfishness of trapping his friend with him in this New World. Sammael though is a different story, they both did not know what they were situation would be in if they kept logged-in until the server shutdown.

"This world is truly beautiful-"

"-agree," Momonga looked up to the heavens and sighed, "Like a box of jewels, of precious sparkling gems, or the purest of golds."

"Treasure?"

"Indeed."

A small croak as Demiurge cleared his throat to speak, the Angels of the Warmaster behind him, "My Lords, if you shall will it. The whole of the Great Tomb and the 'Stellarum Nex'-" he turned to the Angels who agreed with his statement with a nod, "-then we would all grind ourselves to dust, to move heaven and earth, and lay at your feet such a prize that you seek."

Sammael, the Warmaster of Nazarick gave a small laugh, "Demiurge, you speak of World Domination do you? Well Momonga? What do you think of it?"

"World Domination?" vague memories of a classic game they had played called 'Age of Empires' came to his mind, "It could be interesting if nothing else."

The servants of the Overlord and the Warmaster kept silent, but their minds churned the words spoken by the Supreme Beings. The Masters are interested with World Domination, neither of the 2 of them knew that such words spoken in a jovial setting would initiate machinations of a colossal undertaking that would engulf Kingdoms beyond the borders of the Great Tomb. Azrael looked at the demon Demiurge and kept silent, out of the 8 Heavenly Host, he was the wisest, like the servant of the Tomb, his mind also churned at the words of their creator.

World Domination? Interesting? Interest. Purpose. Righteous Master. Righteous Purpose.

Azrael nods his head as Demiurge also saw the clarity in his eyes. The 2 Supreme Beings did not know yet as they surveyed the ship, but the same objectives would have 2 different paths to attain it. From the sky, they could see great mounds of earth being moved below around the white stone walls of the Great Tomb. The Tomb itself is located in the middle, a short rectangular white marble roofed edifice that served as their base. The soil heaved and formed into a circle, it separated, split, joined, and split again. Over and over as if seeing what seemed to be the best form, like a potter kneading the clay on his hands, it looked like there was a giant hand kneading a small hill on its hand. Slowly, partitions solidified and took symmetrical shapes, steadily it turned out shapes and took the look of a gigantic maze, no doubt Mare taking the suggestions of Cocytus to heart.

"Azrael," Sammael turned to his Angel and spreads his inverted wings, "Def-Con 3."

The Helper of God banged on his breast plate and submissively bowed his head, "As you command Warmaster."

Sammael smiled and jumped off the side of the ship, Momonga sighed at that softly muttering about 'Special Forces huh?' and also jumped off after his friend. Demiurge turned to his counterparts, gave a small bow of farewell and jumped after the Overlord. The Angels took one last look at the figures that were steadily growing smaller as they shifted their weapons and headed back to the Cathedral.

Baraqiel shifted his weapon on his back and shook his head, "I know this is treasonous, and we are both working in the service of our Warmaster and the Overlord, but damn me, I really don't like the feeling of that guy."

"Calm yourself, our alignment tends to drive us against our brethren on the Great Tomb, but I assure you that we are all servants. They have pledge their lives, though cursed and misguided they may be, but they are our fellow creations. Our equals if no less then our peers then, slightly heavy on the karma side though."

"Tell me about it Brother Leliel, your karma is borderline heresy, but I feel no hostility against you."

The addressed Angel, Leliel chuckled at that, "You feel no hostility because I saved your butt against the skirmish at the Ettenmoors."

"Dear heavens that story again," Baraqiel turned to a side stairwell and began to head down, "Well, I do believe we need to keep our Companies in order since we are at Def Con 3?"

"Indeed," Leliel turned to a right doorway as he headed to the lower decks, "I'll prepare the gear of the Custodians, just in case the Warmaster needs them."

Azrael can only look on as his other brothers dispersed leaving him in command of the 'Stellarum Nex', he headed for the stairs up to the threshold of the Cathedral Door and turned back to view the outside of the New World once more. They were bred for war, and make war they will, in due time of course.

"World Domination huh?" the Helper of God opened the fortified Cathedral Doors and walked inside, "I'm pretty sure the other 4 would have liked that."

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Meanwhile

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Sammael flapped his inverted wings once and immediately slowed his free fall, with familiar ease he glided down to the ground on his own power. It seemed unnatural at first to be able to fly, but now that he was the one doing it, then he would just need to think about it and his body would do it. A bit sluggish maybe since he was still following the commands of his brain not yet familiar with the movement of flight, but in due time and with great practice comes excellent flight. As he and Momonga landed near the area were Mare was conducting his work, he could see that there were many doors and passages on the walls itself. Though made from earth and soil, it held extremely well. Probably since they were made with magical means and was compacted in such a way to rival that of a stone fortification, but at the moment this will be enough. He had instructed that the walls of the maze surrounding the Tomb of Nazarick will be riddled with a network of tunnels where the undead and the 1st level guarders can spawn about and defend the area. Since the swampy graveyard where the tomb once was located is now gone, they had to vacate the entrance and put the old guarders there. Spreading them out on the peripheral of the 'white wall' itself, Mare cleverly used his druid magic to make vegetation grow on the mounds, walls, even the ground to further the camouflage of the Tomb. It cannot be denied that he had poured himself to the task of constructing this earthen defenses for the Great Tomb.

Mare was still mumbling his spells and pouring mana towards the growing of the vegetation when he felt the approach of 2 powerful individuals. He stopped and turned at their direction and almost peed himself with nervousness when he saw the Supreme Beings approaching him.

Nervously, he pulled himself together and dusted himself off from the dirt and dust that marred his white sailor uniform. Sammael smiled warmly at his approach as Momonga looked at him with concern.

[Message]

"Kawaii-desu!"

"Hey now-"

"-and here he comes. Ah, so cuteee~"

"Would you control yourself please- your so obvious!"

"Hehe shows how well you know me Momonga-kun, though I cannot effectively suppress my emotions which I have been wondering for some time now."

"Could it be due to a racial trait?"

"Maybe, though I am not sure it does apply to us. I mean, look at you, I'm alive and you do not hate me."

"You do have a point-"

They both stopped as Mare reached where they stood and looked up at them expectantly, "Sssammael-sama and Mmomonga-sama too! Why are you both outside-"

"Is it not obvious Mare?" Demiurge finally caught up with the Supreme Beings as he reverted back to his humanoid face, "They wish to check if we are doing the exact things that we were ordered to do."

His cheeks blushed bashfully as he replied, "I-I see... I am glad to know that I was able to satisfy our Lords"

"Hmm..." the 2 Supreme Beings looked around some more and scrutinized every details of the grounds surrounding the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Earthen walls 100 square meters wide and honeycombed with numerous holes and trap doors filled with rooms with undead skeleton troops are lodged left and right. Just waiting to be triggered, cleverly hidden by the vegetation that Mare made. Some lead to dead ends or a spawning point for an undead soldier, or a whole army could come forth, even a small pile of bones could trigger a transformation into a Death Knight or something worse depending on the luck of the person who might sprung the trap. The static defenses of the Great Tomb looked exactly like the vision of the Fallen Angel had in mind, hills made of earth can only do so much to stop a charging cavalry company. But the fear of foot falls, wooden sticks sharpened to a point, and boar traps as large as 3 men tied together would be enough to deter even the most crazed General who would dare attack the Great Tomb.

It is exactly what Sammael had in mind, the Central area is where the Nazarick old guarders would be stationed, its gates defended by high-level undead. Beyond the white walls that make up the perimeter of the Great Tomb are walls of compacted earth and soil, magically bound and set, it was further fortified by numerous low-level undead patrolling the numerous turns and dead ends. Ideally though, if he would get his way, then he would make a star fort instead and then fortify it further with machine gun nest and sniper positions, while crisscrossed with tunnels so sappers and flamethrower soldiers can wreak havoc on the attacking force. But they had to work with the undead so, well pretty close at least.

"This is excellent work Mare-"

The dark elf child bowed respectfully, his cheek coloring, "T-Thank you for the praise Momonga-sama."

"-as such I find it fitting to give you a reward," the Overlord took something from his 'pocket inventory' and held the said item in front of the young boy, "Take it Mare."

It was a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, its golden band sparkled with the purest gold, and its large red stone was set perfectly as it sparkled with magic. A powerful ring indeed for it allowed passage through the whole 10 floors within the Great Tomb of Nazarick instantly without needed to go to a dimensional gate.

"EeehhHH!?" recognizing the item thrusts in front of him immediately, he could only stutter and mutter out broken words, shocked at the gift waiting for him, "Mmomonga-sama, Sssammael-sama! I-I could not possibly take this... I am unworthy to wear something only given to the Supreme Beings."

Momonga shook his head and looked into the young boy's eyes, "You have worked so hard and poured much of not just your magic but in dedication to what was instructed of you. Am I not a venerable master to grant you a gift when you at least deserve it?" , 'It might also screen us from you all knowing the truth about us being just regular guys, trying to fake it till you make it. Hope Sammael takes the cue...'

"Indeed, what kind of Masters would we be if we cannot even appreciate those that strive in our name," Sammael nods his head in agreement as he continued to talk Mare into accepting the gift, "Plus, it would be bad manners to not accept a gift that is given as a reward for merits that one deserves."

Both Sammael and Momonga's eyes met knowingly, a thumbs-up forming in their minds.

'Nice follow-up Sammael-kun!'

'...ehehehe... (^-^)'

Mare gathered his courage and slowly took the ring from Momonga's outstretched hand, "...t-then please excuse me My Lord," he puts the over sized ring on his dainty finger and the jewel automatically adjusted by magic so it became a snug fit on his ring finger, "I-it's beautiful Momonga-sama, Sammael-sama. I-I pledge that I will work hard to be worthy for such a gift from you."

"That is wonderful to hear from you Mare."

He admired his ring a few moments more until his inquisitive eyes looked up to Momonga and his majestic magical armor, "F-forgive me for asking Momonga-sama, b-but why are you dressed like that?"

A please voice replied, "Is it not obvious Mare...~" it was Albedo and she made her way gracefully to their location. Her platinum webbed dress was somewhat dirty and her pristine gloves had the odd patches of dirt on it. But other than that she looked perfect in every way and still stunningly beautiful. The dress accentuated her curves, and her golden eyes seemed like molten pools of gold that would have sucked in any lesser men. If he would be in the Old World, then 'something' would have saluted already.

"Albedo, you have found us."

"Of course Momonga-sama," she said it as if it was a universal fact, "My being would always, always gravitate wherever your presence would be and I will-" the sudden expression on her face made the Overlord and the Fallen Angel both take a step back.

"What the hell was that?"

"Did her face just bend the light? Impossible!"

"I feel an ominous aura. Momonga-kun, you can certainly save this situation if you act now."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Do you still have another Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown?"

Momonga cleared his non-existent throat with a cough as Albedo's eyes fixed him with her lovely smile, "Umu... Albedo as Guardian Overseer, it is only fitting that you utilize tools to effectively run your office right? With that in mind-" he withdrew a ring from his pocket dimension and presented it to Albedo, "-I give you this ring, please, do take care of it."

As if accepting gift from a God herself, Albedo silently and reverently bowed and took the offered ring with her two hands. She held the ring close to her chest and did not raise her head to look at the Supreme Beings. Sammael then nods knowingly to Momonga as they hear him say, "Demiurge, I shall personally hand you, your own ring some other time."

The Guardian bowed low and respectfully said, "I am honored to be considered worthy of such a gift, I will strive ever forward to be truly worth of such a gift from My Lords."

"Umu! Excellent work all of you, serve Nazarick well, and you shall be rewarded as we see fit!"

With those final words both Momonga and Sammael blinked out of existence as they teleport back inside the bowels of the Great Tomb. They failed to notice though that Albedo remained bowed even after accepting her gift of Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown. She did not dare raise her head as a maniacal smile seemed chiseled on her normally beautiful face.

Absolute happiness and bliss, bordering insanity and deranged affection.

Her shoulder shook uncontrollably as the other 2 Guardians took a step back as she raised the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown on both hands above her head screaming in elation, her powerful aura washing like a tide as her wings flapped in triumph while shouting.

"MARRIAGEEEE!"

.

.

Great Tomb of Nazarick - 10th floor

.

The ceiling seemed to shake as Momonga looked up sheepishly, vaguely hearing a woman's faint voice shouting something about a 'carriage' or some other word he could not understand. He then turned to the other occupant of the room with him, Sammael had a grin on his face and was giving him an odd stare.

"What?"

"Nothing," the Angel said sheepishly.

"What do you mean nothing? There is nothing about you saying 'nothing'."

"AH! Like I said you do know me too well," the Fallen knew a conversation was coming so he shouted above them, "Leave us."

"As you wish My Lords."

From the ceiling 8 edged assassins dropped down and hurriedly made their escape, from the darkened corners of the room a steady stream of darkness, a whole legion to be exact of shadow demons seemed to pour out as other NPC's that were guarding the Throne Room also moved from their places and left the 2 rulers of Nazarick to their own devices. As soon as the doors banged shut, Momonga released the spell for the magical armor he conjured. With his black robes billowing behind him, he sat down on the gilded throne and looked up to the ceiling, he could see the flags of his own former members as they fluttered in the artificial wind inside the room.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

The Fallen sat down on one of the steps up to the Throne and said, "I am convinced that we are not in any immediate danger however, we are in desperate need of information."

"That is true, so then let us consolidate what we know first then- this world is definitely not Yggdrasil 2 nor do I believe this is a game."

"Well, so far I do agree that this is a real world. With real life consequences in case we decided to muck up everything for everyone," Sammael pointed out, "Considering there is an 'everyone' to even talk about."

"How do you say so?" Momonga's glowing red orbs dimmed a bit as he looked down at Sammael's head, "Is it because the NPC's are more emotional and more willful than the game? And though they follow the basic settings and mind set that their maker's have made for them, I find that they are non-linear in their responses."

Sammael nods his head, "Indeed, their answers are flexible and as you said, non-linear. They respond to whatever we do, or order, or sometimes imply, giving credence to the thought that they are thinking for themselves and have the capacity to be engaging."

"Plus their lips are moving."

"That too! I mean we were reliant on real world mics to transmit what we had to say for short distances and message boxes for long distances," the Fallen looks up at Momonga and pointed out, "Another good example about this being a New World is that when you molested-"

"MOLESTED!?" Momonga's powerful voice exclaimed indignantly.

"-very well then, touched Albedo on her most squishy-"

"Ohh, don't say it like that," the Overlord's voice seemed to squeak at that, "-that sounds even weirder than it is!"

"Bite me, anyways, we both saw her reaction to your stimulant- her demeanor when she saw Mare's ring, even Demiurge's display of loyalty-"

"Yes let me talk to you about that," Momonga shook his head, "Why did you even make him rip his arm off?"

The Fallen grabbed his head and tried to shake away the bad memory, "Ugh! I was actually asking him like a dog, you know, when you ask your dog for a handshake? And which you eagerly wait for him to give his paw to you, that was the result I was looking for! Not something that Jack the Ripper would do or some other horror stuff, that's just terrible and quite morbid if you ask me. But his loyalty is such that I cannot overlook such a sacrifice."

"If I was human then I would have ran out of that room screaming and howling, my psyche scarred forever, but in this body I just felt nothing," Momonga sighed heavily, "It felt normal and that gave me pause on what I have become."

Both knew the mental fatigue of seeing such horrific injuries on a human, tearing a limb is not simply done in a blink of an eye. But the Guardians are faithful, so faithful they would endure the most painful hurt to ensure the happiness of their Masters. A human's mind would have definitely been crushed by the sheer weight of seeing such brutality, a human's mind would have been scarred, forever tainted with the memory of that scene. But his undead body felt nothing, no fear, no pain, no emotions whatsoever with the macabre sight they endured awhile ago.

"So, what do we do now?"

The Fallen stroked his chin in thought, "Is there no spell we can use for scouting the surrounding area, no tool to utilize to get the same results as you intended it to be?"

"Well, how about the 8th floor Area Guar-"

"-Nigredo? No. Not yet."

"Why? She has the most extensive divining skill and one of the most powerful of our detectors, why not?"

Momonga once more shook his head, "The information we need is extensive, her vision is somewhat twisted in the sense that it runs parallel to her own insanity. Ugh! Trust in Tabula to make such a horrifying woman, and such contradiction in one person. Plus, I am not sure if the way to deal with her is still the same."

"You mean the dolls?" Sammael looked confused, "Did you made any changes on her settings?"

"Of course not, I wouldn't make changes on anything our friends made."

"But you changed Albedo's settings?"

"ARGH! Your the one who did it!" Momonga pointed at him accusingly.

"Oh, I did?"

"Don't pull the amnesia play on me again, anyways, I am not sure it works that way like before."

"Hmm, didn't we have an item of the same abilities?" the Fallen fell deep into thought as he remembered the good old days in Ygdrassil, he was remembering the time they were still engaged with the other guilds on the day-long siege that resulted in the win for the Ainz Ooal Gown kids, "Didn't we have Mirror of Remote Viewing?"

"Ah! Of course!"

"Where did you last put it?"

"At the lounge."

"Let's go then."

They made their way towards the sitting room or the lounge of the Supreme Beings, they opened the door and began to search for the mentioned item. They found the mirror hanging on a wall hidden behind two curtains. Momonga pulled it over to him as the mirror hovered steadily in front of him. It shimmered and blurred until finally the reflected image cleared with a bird's eye view of the forest and its nearby area.

"Hmm, that is an excellent view of prime real estate- is that a national park?"

"Would you just shut up-" Momonga's bony hands moved left and right, up then down, trying to see how to focus the view on a specific sight, "-this is already hard as it is."

"What do you mean it's hard? Let me try," Sammael approached and took over, "Well, shit! It is hard to move around... but I think this works just like an android tablet."

Gesturing to the mirror like one would do on an android tablet, he began to learn how to zoom in and move the view left and right. He found out that the view itself can be manipulated, like a 3D hologram, only in 2D, oh well he was doing pleasantly well so it seemed they were on the right track. He twisted his hand again and it zoomed out and covered a large area of the forested area nearby.

"Great job Sammael-kun."

"Thank you," the Fallen Angel smiled, "I am glad to be of service to you Momonga-sama."

The Elder Lich rolled his glowing eyes, "Ugh, please don't emulate the NPC's. You don't know how they make me feel so tired."

Sammael chuckled evily, "Kidding aside, this is pretty useful and I think- wait, is that smoke?"

"Hmm, you're right-" Momonga slid beside him and looked down on the mirror, "Could you try to zoom into it?"

He gestured to the mirror as it slowly zoomed into the smoke they saw from a distance. The view finally changed and they saw a small village or a hamlet where a great excitement seems to be happening. It looked liked a festival at first, but they saw armored and fully armed soldiers breaking down doors and dragging unarmed villagers outside. Some smacking other villagers with their armored gauntlets, or bashing and pushing them down with shields. Momonga looked indifferently while Sammael's face was livid.

"Why are they killing these people?"

"Leave them be, we must not interfere with the affairs of this world, especially since we have no intelligence or information on what is happening-" Momonga shook his head, knowing in his mind that the Angel wished to intervene, "We could inadvertently be caught in-between a war among nations. It could bring unnecessary risk to our guild."

It was Sammael's turn to shook his head and said, "Momonga-kun, remember, our friend Touch Me. We have power, we have the tools we can use, why should we let the innocents such as these to suffer? I cannot turn a blind eye."

"I understand, but the guild-"

"-the guild was built by decent persons, and common decency should not be sacrificed for an unforeseen threat against the guild," Sammael stood up and grabbed something from his inventory, "I am a soldier, I have committed acts unbecoming of a human for my country. But I will not allow the suffering of the innocent, especially if I have the resources and the power to help."

The Elder Lich grinned under his hood, "So, Nazarick would be sorting out. As Warmaster, what is our course of action then?"

"Well, how do you confront these kinds of people? We do this the same way as before, a blitz on the front-"

"-and sweep all enemies under," Momonga banged the end of his staff on the floor as he called out, "Sebas!"

The white haired butler that was made by Touch Me bowed beside him, a stoic face looked seriously back at the Overlord as he awaited orders.

"Sebas, alert Demiurge at once to increase the defense alert level of the whole Tomb to the highest, me and Sammael-kun have found a disturbance and we shall head out together-" the Fallen Angel opened a [Gate] as Momonga began making final preparations for their sortie, "Additionally, send Albedo to me fully armored and armed. She will be my companion for this sortie."

Nodding his head respectfully, Sebas's heart swelled at the compassion his Lords showed the humans. Truly the teachings of his creator still rang from their hearts and minds, "Although it pains me to see you go out again My Lords, alone and without me beside you. I must convey your orders to the Guardians and make haste the preparations for your support. I wish you good hunting and for a triumphant return."

"Umu, we shall head out now Sebas-"

"Sebas," the butler turned to the Fallen, "Please tell Zadkiel that he shall be my companion and tell him to make haste."

"Understood my Lord, " he bowed again, "Once more, good hunting to you all."

.

.

Carne Village

.

Enri Emmot could not understand what was happening, they are a peaceful rural village. They have nothing of noteworthy, aside from the occasional livestock being stuck in the swampy parts of the forest, there was nothing happening in her village worth mentioning. Her village enjoyed a peaceful existence as no monsters dared attack their dwelling since the inception of the village. This was probably due to the Wise King of the Forest being this part of his territory, the only product though worth mentioning and selling to the city were the numerous rare herbs that grew plentiful inside the Great Forest of Tob.

But this event rend apart their idyllic village life.

These armored knights from the Baharuth Empire, with their swords, spears, shields and bows slaughtered and visited them a great amount of violence. The brutality that they have descended upon them was unreal, she saw her mother being cut down trying to hold off their attackers as she and her sister escaped. Their father, bless him, also died protecting them by holding off 3 or maybe it was more soldiers as they ran for the forest. She half-carried, half-dragged her crying sister in her arms as she ran towards the forest. She must continue, her survival is the survival of her sister, she must live. Her tired feet propelled her forward as she heard the sounds of armored feet chasing after her. A strong grip grazed her shoulder and an overwhelming pain streaked across her back. Enri momentarily blacked out as she fell down and Nemu rolled out of her arms.

A dull shaking woke her up as she gazed up at the crying face of her sister. Her vision cleared as she saw two knights circling about her, their intentions clear, smiling sadistically at her pain. Given, she was incomparable to the ladies in the capital, but she was a fine lass. Barely out of her teen years, she sat up and instantly felt the throbbing pain shot up behind her.

"Enri-nee! Enri-nee!" her sister Nemu wailed, "Are you okay?"

"D-don't worry... I can manage-" she turned to the soldiers who were twirling their swords playfully, "P-please sirs... we are merely farmers and herbalist... spare us."

"Spare you? Sure, we'll spare you the trouble of knowing how much we would enjoy your body."

"But don't worry about your sister, she can keep us company for the night."

The sadistic grin of the soldiers showed behind their helms as a fresh wave of terror swept through her body. One of the armored soldiers raised his swords aiming for Enri's head, swinging down she reflexively puts her arm up to defend herself and covered Nemu with her body. But the strike did not come, instead she heard a clatter and a scream coming from the soldiers. Forcing open her eyes she saw the soldier kneeling in front of her, his sword arm lay before her feet severed and still twitching.

It was quite surreal what she was seeing, 'What's going on?'

A curved sword gleamed in front of her as the Knights looked at the stranger standing on the side, his weapon blocking their progress towards Enri.

"You DARE raise your swords against defenseless young girls?"

Both the Emmot siblings turned their heads as their savior, was it a human or a beastman, came out of nowhere. They didn't even hear their approach as he had already drawn his sword. His armor was rust colored and his face was covered in a war mask that hid his face, but his eyes were a golden that seemed to glow in the low light penetrating the trees. The stranger stood strong and powerful, he carried himself with the aura of a great commander, his fury against their plight undulating from him like a wave. His gauntlets were unlike anything that Enri had ever seen before, the most notable were the runes carved deeply into the heavy armaments he bears is a testament to the strength that he possess. A pair of inverted wings with glowing runes of energy adorned his back as his eyes smiled serenely at the two of them. He came to their rescue in such righteous fury that she just dismissed the severed hand of their former assailant right in front of them. The sisters looked at him with much adoration and hope, like a guardian angel came down from the heavens and deliver divine justice for them.

"Oh? You have gone ahead haven't you?"

"I can't help it, I'm working in a tight schedule."

"Indeed," they turned to the deep voice and both girls almost gasped in shock, "Well then, thank you for your consideration then [Grasp Heart]."

Two other soldiers dropped dead on Enri Emmot's feet as she gathered Nemu in her arms and shielded her from seeing the way this aberration killed humans. Her stomach churned and a cold dread swept through their bodies as a bone-chilling fear gripped their hearts at once. It was a skeletal face, adorned in the darkest robe that you could imagine, his panoply seemed to suck the surrounding light near it as the Angel smiled and shrugged its shoulders, "What can I say? When it comes to children... I can't help it."

"You always rush in," the Lich shook his head disapprovingly and looked down at the terrified girls, he rummaged through his pockets and fished out a blood red potion in a glass vial.

"Drink this."

"O-of course, I will drink it! But please don't hurt my sister!" Enri grabbed the vial of red liquid and prostrated in front of Momonga.

"-but elder sister!"

"No! Nemu!"

Momonga saw his reflection from the glass case containing the reddish liquid as he turned to Sammael knowingly, taking the cue, he knelt beside the sobbing sisters and soothed them with his voice, "Do not fear us, for we would not hurt you. Are we not the ones who saved you from these soldiers~ Please, be healed and drink this potion~. You will come to no harm~."

Sammael's voice took a sudden magical turn as the two sisters suddenly stopped sobbing and looked at him. Unlike the passive skill [Command Mantra], the angelic voice of the Fallen pulled at the heartstrings of anyone who heard it and positively urges them to do the will of the speaker. Enri and Nemu calmed down somewhat and accepted the blood red potion. Opening the stopper she gulped the concoction quickly and relief flooded her immediately. The pain from her back was washed away as her flesh mended itself, not even a trace of a scar could be seen on her as her wounds closed with magic. Nemu's eyes widened as her sister managed to recover in a blink of an eye, she touched her back and aside from the stain of blood on her back, there were no indications of any kind of wound on her back.

"See what I mean~."

"Forgive us for doubting you," Enri turned to the Angel and the Lich and bowed respectfully with Nemu, "Thank you for saving us my Lords."

"Think nothing of it children, there is still much we have to do though."

"Indeed," Sammael sheaths his swords at this, "We must wait for our companions before proceeding."

"But before that I must try something first," he aimed the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown at the corpses of their dead knights. As he casts the spell, the cadavers were covered by a black substance similar to crude oil or tar to be exact. It consumed the bodies of the knights and quickly bubbled up to form a figure. Finally, within a few seconds the figure solidified and outcomes a Death Knight.

Standing almost 9 ft tall, the Death Knight was a level 35 summoned monster with the defense rate of a level 45 monster.

"It looks..." Sammael shrugged his shoulders and his wings also moved up and down. "...looks scary. As hell."

"I don't think it looks so bad."

"Imagine a human, walking through a dark alley, with this guy-" the Angel pointed to the Death Knight, "-standing in the middle. What normal human wouldn't be scared?"

"You do have a point."

"Please forgive our lateness My Lords," Albedo stepped out of the portal garbed in her full plate armor, covering her full body with enough space on her back to allow movement of her wings. She carried a pulsing green bardiche with ease on her right hand, she made a beeline towards the Elder Lich and bowed.

From behind the Guardian Overseer another entity stepped out clad in blood red armor with white streaks of trimmings on the sides, a winged helm hid his face and he carried a Staff of obvious power it crackled with power. His back carried a golden halo and his wings were folded behind his cape, he approached the other angel and bowed. Appearances were toned down as previously instructed by the Supreme Beings.

"Zadkiel," the angel General banged his gauntlet on his bracelet and bowed respectfully, "A pleasure to be at your service my Lord."

Sammael turned to Momonga and nodded knowingly, "Our companions are here, plus 1 summon. We cannot delay anymore, let us go."

"Wait," the Elder Lich turned to the two sisters and raised his bony hand, he felt power suffuse his arms and unleashed the spells he had on his mind.

[Anti-Life Cocoon]

[Wall of Protection from Arrows]

[Anti-Magic Shield]

He then threw two small horns at them and it landed softly on their feet, Enri stretched her hands and took hold of one and saw a horn made of a rough material with undecipherable writings on it.

"If ever you are in danger, blow the horns to summon a Goblin Troupe to your side. They will protect you with their life."

"Wait! Please, m-may we know the names of our saviors?"

The Fallen Angel turned and gestured to himself, "I am Lord Sammael, and this fine specimen of the undead is Ainz Ooal Gown!"

'What the flying frack are you saying now!?' Momonga screamed from within but kept himself together, "It is as he says, remember our names as the ones who saved your village!"

With that final word the party of four turned as one and headed to Carne Village. They were on the edge of the tree cover when Momonga stopped and sighed loudly. Sammael stopped moving and turned back to the newly rechristened Ainz Ooal Gown, "What now?"

"We need disguises."

"W-What do you mean disguises?"

"I mean look at me," the Overlord took out another red HP potion and shook his head, "They are afraid of me."

"Well, you are undead, of course, they would be afraid. But how will their perception change if we do not help them understand."

"Still, a disguise would make me feel better," Momonga opened his pocket dimension and retrieved a pair of heavy gloves and an unassuming mask.

Sammael's brow raised a bit, "What the hell is that?"

"This-" Momonga donned the gloves with Albedo's help as she pulled it tight against his bony frame, "-is the bloody Christmas consolation prize."

"Ah."

.

"Bring them all to the center of the village!"

The leader of the soldiers attacking the village shouted as his men half-carried, half-thrown the survivors into the middle of the village. The surviving children were herded under an open windmill as they looked back helplessly at their parents about to be murdered. With their swords gleaming in the sunlight, they marched off the villagers and began lining them up. Time is of the essence and they must be quick, their scouts report of light cavalry charging from the Re-Estize Kingdom's capital reached them as their attacks warranted the attention of an individual that is extremely troublesome in their eyes. They were all riled up and getting ready to execute everyone, but from the edge of the forest a curious vision appeared, an armored knight with the bearings of a commander strode forth followed by three other curiosities.

Directly following him was another armored warrior, or was it a mage, for it carried a magical rod that crackled with energy. Then another full plated warrior carrying a pulsing green bardiche, and then-

As one they looked at the last entity that stepped out, it was a magic caster that was covered in dark vestments. It carried a staff of power that seemed too powerful in their eyes it rendered them speechless. They didn't even notice the hulking giant behind the Lich as it towered all of them.

"Who are they?" he heard their leader whisper to him, he was a pompous man that was the son of a wealthy family and only reached his rank through his familial influence. "I do not recognize their dress or armor style-"

'You can't even recognize someone obviously more powerful than you.'

"This is bad, they walked out from the cover of the trees with their head held up high," the team leader gripped his sword tighter, "My Lord, I think we should establish first who they are and their business here before taking-"

"Tch! What nonsense are you spouting? They are clearly outnumbered!"

'Can this idiot not feel it? Their armaments are top quality- and look at the size of them.'

From afar, he could see the first armored individual was actually pointing at them. They focused on him and saw that his armor only covered half of his body. His right chest was brazenly open to the world and a way ward arrow could wound him carelessly. The gauntlets in his hand looked thick and heavily armored, an iron mask with two curved horns protruding on the head hid his face as an iron halo can be seen behind him resting on top his shoulders. From the sides, one of his soldiers raised his sword to begin the execution of the villagers when a bright light emanated from the warrior he was eyeing.

"What-"

His vision tilted as he saw his headless body kneeling down and spurting blood, the warrior that was easily 200 meters away from them closed the distance in a blink of an eye and then his head being easily decapitated. But there was no time to think about it, his eyes were darkening as he heard the screams and shouts of his comrades.

Sammael moved in a blink of an eye, in an instant his sword was drawn and his wings exploded in light. A sonic boom could be heard as he closed the 200 meters in less than a blink of an eye. He carried a heavily runed 'nodachi' called Muramasa, and with practiced ease he swung it towards the standing enemy and took out half of them. A single slash compressed the air molecules so much it sliced everything where he swung his sword. Heads, limbs and torsos flew and rolled as a single slash blew up so much wind pressure the villagers were driven to the ground and the surviving soldiers tumbling down to their butts. Even a house who was unfortunately in the way was cleaved diagonally as the force of his sword swing penetrated flesh and stone alike. The force of the slash was so great it cleaved a hill in the distance throwing rocks and debris everywhere.

Momonga's passive reactivated as he gazed at the carnage, he casted a [Mass Fly] spell on them as they floated towards the villagers. The other angel with them opened his wings and flew towards his master, the other soldier stood on wobbly feet as their leader, the son of the noble family, kneeled in front of Sammael. The physical presence of the Angel was astounding, he stood 9ft tall and his shoulders were so broad it looked two men together could stand side by side to his size. The long blade of his weapon crackled with energy as he aimed the weapon at the noble's neck, his burning orange-yellow eyes gazed down at him with such fury and contained anger it almost threatened to consume him.

"P-please my Lord, mercy- mercy, I beg for mercy."

Sammael took a deep breath and looked at the shivering human. His voice held a great anger in check as he asked, "The villagers?"

"M-my lord?" the noble's son saw a ray of hope. The devilish mask spoke in a terrifying voice, but it spoke so it goes to say it understood reason. And reasonable people can be bargained with most of the time.

"The villagers have cried for mercy-" the burning eyes focused on him as he gasped for breathe, "Did you grant them mercy?"

"N-no... B-but-"

"Zadkiel, justice must be served," the other angel bowed and waited orders, "Purge this creature in front of me."

"I am of noble birth! You cannot do this to-" the cowardly leader of the soldiers lower jaw disintegrated as Zadkiel swung his staff with blinding speed. The appendage exploded without resistance, it happened so fast no human could have reacted to it. He was struck by the edge of the staff, but it was enough to obliterate half his face. The surviving soldiers were horrified as their leader was struck down without mercy as the still moving body tried to beseech them in its death throes.

"Die! Scum!"

But without his lips, tongue and jaw to control the sounds of speech, it came out as a nasal sound that was horrifying to hear. The human was on his death throes as he stepped towards Sammael in an obvious attempt to grovel at his feet. Zadkiel would have none of it, he stepped back and gripped the Rod of Arafel tighter.

"Do not approach Lord Sammael! You spineless-" the tip of his weapon glowed as he casts his spell, "-coward! [Banish]"

A beam of light erupted from the Rod of Arafel and quickly turned the noble into cinder, a humanoid ash that withered and crumbled as soon as the spell struck. The roiling winds swept it away as Sammael turned his attention to the surviving soldiers.

"Do you wish mercy?" all the soldiers threw their weapons down as Sammael nods, "Very well, you will all live. Zadkiel, we need more information, let them live."

"As you wish my Lord," the Angel Commander activated his passive and said, "All soldiers you are commanded to sleep. Now~"

There was a clattering of armor and surprised gasps as the surviving soldiers toppled over, some even fell over some villagers. All surviving enemy soldiers slept soundly as Sammael turned to Zadkiel, "Move them to Nazarick, Neuronist Painkill could use some playthings for him- umm... her- ergh... itself right now."

"Yes, my Lord," Zadkiel bowed and opened numerous gates. The villagers stepped back and looked in fright as automatons began pouring out, humanoid in shape and form, yet all their appendages were augmented. Their face hidden under red and white cloaks, numerous automatons who moved with methodical precision. Skilled in ship repair, maintenance of basically magical items, and everything else that is needed to run a ship. An automaton that had his hood pulled back stepped in front of the Fallen Angel and bowed, his pasty white skin and glowing eyes due to augmentation kept everyone in silence as the hissing sounds from the breathing apparatus he wore cuts through the silence and his deep cybernetically enhanced voice chilled all humans who could hear its emotionless tone.

"My Lord Sammael, I am Magos Biologis number 4132- we have activated the 4th deck of the ship to accommodate the influx of prisoners we predicted you will brought forth. We were ordered to move them there and allow a special interrogator to take over later."

"Excellent Magos, do make sure that they are under and not awoken at all."

The Magos bowed low and covered his face with his hood, "We hear and obey, my Lord."

The villagers can only look on as the automatons or servitors hauled the sleeping soldiers away to a different dimension, their robes and cloaks covering their faces, yet their arms were covered in metal that doesn't look like gauntlets or rather their arms and hands are shaped or made with iron. Still awed at the power of their saviors and their soldiers they stood transfixed as the Angel turned to them and said.

"Be at ease~ All of you are saved~"

Once again the villagers felt at ease and began to gather and look around for their surviving family, it was still tense, but unlike the atmosphere from before, life returned to the eyes of everyone. An elderly man in a dirtied simple tunic approached and removed his hat, "I am this village's Chief, may we know the name of our saviors?"

The shout of relief from parents having their children back in their arms sounded as the disguised Lich approached and declared, "I am Ainz Ooal Gown, and we have saved your village that is true. But we have not done it for free."

"I see," the Chief felt a lurch in his stomach, out of the fire in to the frying pan it seems.

"Be at ease though," the black magic caster waved his hands reassuringly, "We are not after monetary compensation."

'That's good- I am not sure if we even have enough money in the village-' the Chief sighed inwardly, "How can we repay you then?"

"Information dear elder," The Angel approached and bowed, "Information is all we need."

With his heart appeased and thoughts reassured, he gestured towards his house as they marched off leaving their escorts to follow behind them.

An hour later they emerged out of the house as they were alerted by a villager that they saw dust clouds in the distance, indicating that a cavalry group was approaching. Moving quickly the surviving villagers were gathered and told to stay into the storehouses and barricade themselves, although both Sammael and Ainz knew there was no need to do so. It would not do well that the village relied on them too much. He instructed Zadkiel to greet the new comers or annihilate them if they would be hostile, either way someone could be observing them and he could not display the power of Nazarick in quick succession. Ainz, Sammael, Albedo and the Village Chief stood near the house of the Chief as they waited for the horsemen to arrive.

The thundering hooves of horses as they ran full gallop through the dirt road could be heard from afar as the head rider urged his mount to hurry. They have already reached other villages that were razed, none were spared, save for a few that were likely kept alive to spread the memory of the slaughter.

Not just the memory of it, but their despair, the harrowing experience of hopelessness and the profound inability of the Kingdom to protect them.

Damn those nobles to hell, he have heard rumors, reports even that were way beyond the time for reaction. Yet they have not taken any steps to prevent it, what the nobles did though is take steps on how to further weaken him in his duties. Not to mention since the King was pressured to take action, yet he was not able to be equipped with the treasures of the Kingdom spoke of volumes on how the Nobles loathed him and wishes his harm.

'Gazef-dono, I believe does not need the Treasures of the Kingdom in order to fulfill a reconnaissance in force-'

'-agreed, furthermore the Treasures are the Kingdom's trump card. It should only be used if the Royal Family would be heading out or would be in immediate danger... after all, it is the King who is the true representative of the realm.'

'Can you guarantee that you will not fall in battle without the King in sight? Can you assure us of the Noble Faction that you would not let the Treasures fall into enemy hands? Of course you could not, for you do not even have a shred of gold that can compensate the loss of your armor and sword.'

Gazef Stronoff can only sigh tiredly as his horse galloped and made him lurch up and down, those Nobles sure are vicious when you get them riled up. And crafty too for having him set forth lightly armored and lightly escorted.

They rode hard, barely stopping to rest as their ranger deduced that the knights who attacked the villages and razed them to the ground were headed towards the last village on the frontier.

Carne Village.

And so with utmost haste, they raced through the countryside and came upon Carne Village. He looked at the hill near them and noticed like a deep ditch on the top of the hill that made its way downward. Were they excavating something here? They passed the hill that was upended and reached the outskirts of the village.

An armored individual floated in the middle of the village as they all approached cautiously, floated because his wings flapped occasionally. His weapon, a staff that glowed with an inner light is obviously a magic weapon, but not as clearly seen even from such range and intensity.

They reached the center of the village and stopped in front of the mysterious angel.

The Head Warrior banged his breastplate and said, "I am the Head Warrior of the Re-Estize Kingdom, my name is Gazef Stronoff."

"Greetings Gazef-dono, my creator bestowed the name Zadkiel on me, the Angel of Mercy," the entity bowed its head and removed its winged helm. It had a human face yet its eyes glowed in ethereal light, it had a bald head and glowing skin, but its face was kind and it smiled at him.

It had wings, it floated like an Angel and it exuded so much power he could feel the electricity in the air. He had never felt so much awe and inspiration for anyone else, it felt so holy to look into the angel's eyes. So awe-inspiring and quite disturbing at the same time.

He bowed, but gripped the hilt of his sword, "Are you perhaps an Angel from the Slane Theocracy?"

"Theocracy? Heavens no, such thing is not part of my being," the angel turned and gestured to the other three standing nearby, "I was made into being by Lord Sammael, the person in the devil's mask. I can introduce you, but may I have your word that you will show him the proper decorum and respect?"

"If I am correct to assume he was the one who saved this village, then by all means take my word for it," Gazef was surprised, if he was reading the lines correctly, the angel implied that this Sammael had summoned him through sheer will. But the Theocracy, who primarily uses angels to supplement their armies do not summon sentient beings. Instead, they seemed like automatons that heed the instructions of their summoner, unlike this fellow he is speaking to.

The angel bowed humbly, "Indeed, your assumptions are correct. Very well, I shall accompany you. You may dismount when you arrive in his presence."

The glowing wings flapped lightly and the Angel turned and headed towards the waiting persons near a shade under a single tree in the village. As they reached them he analyzed the group one by one, an elderly man with the dress of a commoner and the air of an old soul, then this must be the Chief of this small village. Right beside him is another full plated warrior in black, it had a Hussar's wing on the waist, which seemed strange since he knew they were attached to the upper back by straps, but no matter.

He turned to the last two who the Angel Zadkiel approached and bowed, he introduced him to the two masked individuals as he dismounted and approached them. The black armored warrior suddenly twirled the pulsing green bladed bardiche in its left hand and blocked his approach. The move happened in a blink of an eye as he felt the rush of wind from the blocking weapon. His left hand did not leave his sword, but that move was so fast he couldn't even see it-

"You do not have permission to approach-"

'Its a WOMAN!? A lady? IN that!?' Gazef heard the voice of the person in the plate armor and couldn't believe his ears. How can a woman carry that much weight in plate armor and spin a bardiche- A BARDICHE! like a baton, and block his approach without any kind of discomfort. Just how powerful was she?

"Enough Albedo, let him approach-" the magic caster gestured for the Warrior-Captain to approach as he continued forward as the warrior called Albedo bowed slightly and said, "As you wish my Lord."

Gazef finally reached them and couldn't help remarking that both of them were quite tall, he was actually looking up at them and they were massive for a human. He bowed as he reached them and tried to look into their eyes, "My name is Gazef Stronoff, Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Please accept my and the Kingdom's gratitude for your assistance in time of the subject of His Majesty is at most dire."

He bowed sincerely in gratitude as the Supreme Being said, "It was nothing, and it is common courtesy to help the innocent at least- ah, where are my manners? My name is Sammael and my partner is Ainz Ooal Gown-"

"Greeting Gown-dono, Sammael-dono," the Warrior-Captain bowed his head and asked, "I truly am glad you extended help to these innocent people, permit me to ask though, where have you come from?"

"I am a reclusive magic caster who studied magic lore for as long as I can remember," Ainz said as he gestured with his hand, "I have remained underground to further my own research and found much time has passed. My friend accompanied me and we have remained in seclusion since."

'Since when?' Gazef wanted to ask, but feared sounding too inquisitive, "And what have you garnered thus far?"

"I could not recall the memory of this place, much time has passed and- I, rather WE could not recall this place."

'So, they have secluded themselves for a long time- but what manner of being can summon or make a sentient Angel?'

They were still contemplating each other when one of Gazef's men came riding forward on his horse. He rode from the edge of the village and came thundering forward with all haste, as he reached them he quickly dismounted and bowed at the gathered leaders. Looking at them all anxiously he almost shouted, "Captain, we have been surrounded."

The Warrior-Captain gripped his sword hilt tighter, "Any markings that we know?"

"I can't recognize them my Lord, but they have summoned Angels on their midst."

'More Angels?' Gazef resisted the urge to turn to Zadkiel and rubbed his chin, "How many?"

"A whole company. At least."

Sammael nods knowingly to Ainz and both turned to the Captain, "Stronoff-dono, maybe we can scout them out first before deciding on a course of action?"

"It is as you say, we must know of our enemy's strength before developing a strategy to take them down."

Gazef mounted on his horse as Ainz assured him that both of them would follow, as the Warrior Captain and his men left to scout out the enemy the Supreme Beings turned to the Village Chief and said, "Chief-san, your village suddenly has a lot of tourist I see."

"I fear they are not tourist to see the village, rather it is something else they need entirely."

"How sure are you Chief?" the Fallen rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"We are on the edge of the Re-Estize Kingdom's domain," the Village Chief smiled and scratched his head, "They would be hard pressed to find gold here, our primary products are the herbs we occasionally pick, lumber if a request is needed and fur before the winter season hits. But to visit us and kill us just for the sake of killing- no, Ainz-sama, Sammael-sama, we are merely a wheel in the hands of fate."

Dismissing the words of the Village Chief, the Elder Lich gestured with his hand and said, "Barricade yourselves into the storehouse, I shall not be long gone."

"I thank you once more Ainz-sama," the Chief saluted with his hat and headed for the village's storehouse. The Lich turned to the Fallen and opened a [Gate].

They found Gazef on the edge of a thicket of trees, the shadow of the forested area and the low light of the afternoon hid them from prying eyes, with silence they approached him quickly. The Warrior-Captain turned and saw the armored form of the village's savior just 10 paces away from him, the magic caster followed behind him. He was fully armored, how could he move so silently?

"Ah, Sammael-dono, Gown-dono... excellent you have arrived, see the enemy that waits for us?" the Captain pointed to a clearing not far where they were hiding on as the Fallen Angel's eyes widened as they looked at their enemy.

They were all Archangel Flame.

[Message]

'Sammael-kun, are those Archangels of Flame?'

'Yes, they look exactly like the low level summons that I used to do- well, I can still do though,' Sammael rubbed his chin and then linked with his General, 'Zadkiel, go back to the Stellarum Nex- and wake up Ramiel.'

'Understood-' and the link was cut off.

Ainz rubbed his bony chin and seemed to give a grim smile, "You seemed popular Stronoff-dono."

"Ah, you have seen their objective too it seems," the Warrior-Captain smiled bitterly, "It seems I was the assassination target of the Slane Theocracy to begin with. It was a given considering they kept attacking only the outlying villages, it is obvious now that they only wanted to draw me out. Plus, it looks to me like they even sent the whole Sunlight Scripture to deal with me."

"Sunlight Scripture?"

"Highly trained individuals, let us say a military arm of the Slane Theocracy."

Ainz sighed, "I'm starting to dislike this Theocracy."

"What will you do now Warrior-Captain?"

Silence descended as Gazef turned to Sammael and Ainz, "Would you consider being hired and employed by the Re-Estize Kingdom."

"We must decline," the Fallen Angel waved his hand in the negative, "We have no intention of fighting when we can always talk it out."

"Then, will you submit to mandatory conscription."

The air seemed to still as Ainz and Sammael stopped moving, the Warrior-Captain felt something like an impending danger as the two persons with him suddenly stopped. They felt like statues and felt that way as soon as he said they will submit. Eerie thing is that everything stopped around them, the sound of the forest stopped, no wind, no woodland creature moved, nor blade of grass or leaves rustle. Gazef had the deep feeling that he might have crossed or put his one foot on a very dangerous line.

"You may try Warrior-Captain, but you will find you and your soldiers head in a pike... while your Kingdom burns. I suggest you thread lightly~"

A chilling voice came from the devil's mask as he took a reluctant step back. With sheer will, he forced the fear that welled up from the depths of his heart and tried to stamp it down. The voice of Sammael could not have been much lower, but it carried through with an unfathomable force behind it, with great effort Gazef grinned and shook his head, "Fear not Sammael-dono, Gown-dono, I could never impose on the goodwill you have shown the villagers. Alas, I must ask that you show them your magnanimous side when we all fall as we charge them."

"Will you not flee Stronoff-dono? You are lightly armored, the strength of your men are all but spent, and you are surrounded."

Gazef smiled serenely and said, "That may be so, but if I leave with my tail between my legs the enemy may turn to the villagers next and try to slaughter them. Although your continued presence here has allayed that worry from my mind. Still, I cannot in good conscience sacrifice the life of an innocent."

Ainz and Sammael looked at each other talked with their eyes, the Angel turned to the Warrior-Captain and smiled, "Your heart is commendable Stronoff-dono, fear not, I shall accompany you against this- this rabble."

[Message]

'A player could be hiding in their midst.'

'I have already considered that Momonga-kun, quite personally, my abilities are quite substantial and we both know how weak the denizens of this world are judging from the knights that we fought earlier.'

'But a player-'

'-yes a player would be a substantial threat however, since when have I- or rather we lost to PVP? Only Touch Me and Takemikazuchi was able to defeat me in battle. However, let me show you my expertise in dealing with armies.'

Momonga or rather Ainz shook his head and sighed, 'Very well- but I will keep the Stellarum Nex on standby'

'I would not have it any other way, besides I have ordered my most powerful defender to be awoken.'

'I still think this is too reckless-'

'Fear not Momonga-kun, in case I perish, you can experiment if resurrection does work on this world.'

The Elder Lich stopped as his jaw dropped, 'I don't know how you see your death as funny?'

'You are so uptight.'

A prickling sensation reached his senses as he felt someone reached his mind.

'My Lord Sammael, your servant has awoken.'

'How are you Ramiel?'

'I am in good spirits my Lord, what shall we destroy now?'

'Patience, I merely need you to defend me since I will be heading out.'

'It is an honor my Lord, shall I go now?'

'No, no, no, don't be hasty, just wait for me to call you- uhh, let's see, prepare for dynamic entry Ramiel.'

There was no reply for almost a minute, but then the voice of his 2nd Creation reached his mind again, 'Understood.'

Sammael faced Gazef and gestured with his open arms, "Shall we go now Warrior-Captain?"

"W-what about the villagers?"

"Worry not," the Fallen chuckled, "They are safer than you would be in the next few minutes."

Ainz and Sammael walked towards the clearing with Gazef in tow, the Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom could not believe his eyes. They were walking casually out into the open as if merely going in a stroll, but he could see that Sammael stood and walked slightly in front of Ainz Ooal Gown as the magic caster. Meaning that this large man would fight the Sunlight Scriptures.

"So, Gazef-san..." the Fallen Angel began conversation before they reached the clearing, "What can you tell us about this Slane Theocracy~?"

To be continued

A/N:

Thanks for the continued support.

'NEMO MEO POENA EFFUGIT.' means 'None may escape my vengeance' in Latin.

Please enjoy the show and review. It motivates me.