Heaven or Hell

by Scarabeye3000

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

8. The Black Scripture (rewritten)

Disclaimer: Not mine, nor yours. Bugger then.

Title: Heaven or Hell

Chapter 8 - The Black Scripture (rewritten)

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Outskirts of E-Rantel - Bandit Hole

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Nights in the new world is pretty much like the same in the old world, where everything that bumps into the darkness is something to fear once more by the general populace. While it is mostly safe within the walled cities such as the city of E-Rantel and the nation's capital of Re-Estize, those that are on the far-flung villages live in fear of the 'things' that go bump in the night. Yet there is no shortage of bravery nor foolhardiness, that dared to go out in the night. Only those that were probably compelled either by duty or necessity, it matters for in the grand scheme of things it is but a butterflies wing beat in the winds of change. As such as what was stated, it is a simple matter to deduce why a large carriage would be stopping in the middle of the countryside road. With the forest nearby as an outposts for bandits and thieves to prowl the roads and liberate any passerby's who would unluckily cross their paths today.

Unfortunately, the bandit group 'Death Spreading Brigade' that accosted the said carriage managed to intercept a team of beings that was sent by the Supreme Ones themselves. They were sent out in a clandestine manner to gather more information in the New World, they would make their way to the center of the nearby Kingdom and would initiate reconnaissance to the best of their abilities. Shalltear stood in the middle of the slain enemies as body parts littered everywhere as the Vampire Brides that accompanied her made short work of these paltry humans.

"These dirty animals- how could our great leader waste his time in wanting to learn more about them," a blood orb hovered near her as the blood that was spilled was absorbed by it as the vampire brides held down the obvious sub-leader of this bandit group, "We should just exterminate them and be done with it."

"Since we are servants of the Supreme Beings, I have accepted not to rely on my own notion of both our masters plan," the old butler said stoically, "It is in our best interest to fully trust them and follow their instructions to the letter and not lose focus that our masters are planning something that is beyond our level of thinking Mistress Shalltear."

The true vampire frowned at Sebas and deflated, "You are right of course, we as servants can only listen, and as Demiurge and that 'Female Silverback' back home once said that we should just trust their judgement and let our masters scenarios unfold in front of our eyes."

"Of course."

"Now then, I shall carry on now on foot, this food-" she gestured to the stupefied sub-leader of the bandits, "-seemed to know someone who knows how to use 'Martial Art'. The same thing that the Supreme Beings wanted to know about and the reason why I am even here walking around in the middle of the night, though I would have enjoyed if Ainz-sama would be with me as we take a midnight stroll together. Damnation! I can't believe I'm prancing around in the middle of the night while Lord Ainz is in the Tomb right now with that 'overgrown simian' of a woman!"

"On that regard, take heart Lady Shalltear, I know for a fact that Lord Ainz has been called away by Lord Sammael on a matter that does not require the presence of the Guardian Overseer," Sebas took the position of the carriage driver as the former one, a treacherous accomplice of the bandits themselves, is currently indisposed as he is currently in the process of 'mastication' inside Solution Epsilon's curvaceous body, "I have heard that Lord Ainz is at the 'Stellarum Nex' as they have apparently acquired a new pawn for their grand scheme of things."

At his words, Shalltear gave an impish laugh, "You have given me such a joyous parting gift, I wish you luck on your own assignments Sebas."

"We shall take our leave Mistress Vampire," the butler gave a small bow as he also raised the horses reins and gave it a slight tap. The horses moved forward as the carriage carrying Solution and Sebas raced away into the night, leaving Shalltear and the vampire brides to pursue the bandit group. Shalltear looked at the sub-leader who visibly winced as her eyes glowed red as she suffused her being with power.

"Time to make you useful."

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The True Vampire walked confidently towards the bandit's hideout based on the information garnered from the blood of their victims a few minutes ago. They didn't travel far though, they were in front of a large hill that looked like it had a cave complex, which probably explained the reason why this band of thieves has made it their home. Regardless, Shalltear's orders were absolute, as one of Nazarick's most powerful servants, it has fallen to her to seek out and capture ANY and ALL individual that exhibited a skill known as a 'Martial Art'. The Supreme Beings believed that this new aspect of the grand game can be 'learned' by any servants if one would take time to learn it by actually studying and learning it.

That last part though mystified her, as a creation made by Lord Peroroncino, her concept of learning was different from what the others would perceive or understand a concept or thought of one subject.

Still, her orders are paramount compared to her thoughts and so she gripped the sub-leader of the bandit group who shall still remain unnamed despite using his body to create a mindless lesser vampire and lifted it from the ground. With a flick of her wrist she threw the vampire towards the small cave opening and it crashed mightily at the flimsy door easily destroying it from afar and possibly injuring as well the guards that were stationed there.

"Go! Clean the chaff from the grain," she waved her hand as she continued walking in a leisurely place.

The 2 Vampire brides vanished as they quickly appeared near the doorway, with their power and speed they quickly dispatched the grunts that dared approached them. As their Mistress yawned lazily as the slaughter continued around her, there was no need to feel excited in killing such small fry, they were nothing anyway and not even their existence could elicit any manner of stimulation from her. Making their way deeper into the hideout she and her brides obliterated everything until she finally met the man that the bandits sang praises of before they die.

Brain Unglaus.

Unfortunately, after knocking the named 'champion' of the bandits down a few pegs, he completely lost his mind and ran for his life. Using the rest of the bandits as a buffer against the pursuing 'beautiful monster', he made his way outside and escaped aimlessly as he abandoned his employer to their doom. On her part though, Shalltear almost lost her composure after having the human play with her as he escaped his grasp. That insolent act almost unhinged her from her control, but her anger was halted from exploding as she and the brides destroyed the other enemies that were left behind. Her blood pool grew to a considerable size as she carefully recited in her mind the words she remembered that was spoken by the Supreme Beings.

'A rationale mind is a more dangerous mind, someone who loses control of one's self so easily has already lost half of the battle.'

Coming upon a dead-end storeroom she sniffed the air and caught his scent and a quick solution came into her mind as she lifted her hand and casts.

"[Raise Kin]"

The blood orb hovering near her head a portion of it flowed down to the ground as 4 blood wolves and 4 blood ravens materialized from the pooling blood. Their birth was not a peaceful one as each wolf and raven cawed and snarled angrily as they were given form by their Mistress's magic. Their muscles were sinew and their form was fluid, their eyes were black and soulless, unfeeling and uncaring constructs of a little sweet monster from the Great Tomb.

"My children," Shalltear approached as the summoned creatures bowed deeply at her, "Your mother has been vexed and insulted, a blue haired man has eluded me. He is one of the humans that the Supreme Beings wanted found and I do not want to fail them, I want him found and brought before me."

The wolves and ravens charged through the escape tunnel with inhuman speed. Their senses were beyond what their animal counterparts could even conjure as the True Vampire followed them closely. Sensing that they have encountered another group of enemies as they exited the tunnels, the guardian turned to the brides and ordered, "The children encountered another human party, go forward and see if there is anyone noteworthy. Remember to discipline your strength, or I shall discipline them for you."

"Yes, Mistress," the 2 brides bowed before racing outside. There were a few human bandits remaining on the side room and the guardian made short work of them as they approached to engage her. Leaving the mutilated corpses of their enemy near the cave's entrance she walked outside and saw her familiars and brides engaging a fairly large party. The party looked to be close to being overwhelmed as she appeared from the darkened caverns, her simpering laugh broke their concentration as she closed the distance in single second and waved her hand gracefully in the air as blood rained around them. The men she killed were in a circle with her being in the middle, the last survivor was a woman that took something from her bag and threw at her with reckless abandon. If she had lost her mind then the object would have hit her no doubt, but her senses are hers and her enchanced mind is indubitably focused. Easily catching the Life Potion from Yggdrasil on her two fingers, she squinted her eyes to make sure as Shalltear's mouth opened in shock.

'Did she perhaps get in the way of her Master's scenario?'

The ginger haired woman fled with abandon as she was almost a few meters away from them, gathering her thoughts she signaled with her hand and the brides went after the woman. She was quickly caught and was brought in front of their Mistress, her eyes betrayed fear and shock as the True Vampire smiled and showed her fangs.

"Look into my eyes human," she did as she was told as Shalltear's own red eyes glowed a pale violet hue as she suffused her power and will to the weaker woman, "Who are you? Speak!"

"I am an Iron-ranked adventurer, I hail from E-Rantel, my name is Britta."

The woman replied coldly, there was no emotion in her voice, it was strangely flat and monotone, "Iron-rank? So you're a nobody, but why would- tsk! Who gave you this potion?"

Britta blinked before answering as she said, "A black armored man from E-Rantel gave it to me, as restitution for the blue potion he broke. I thought it was weird since its red, but the pharmacist Lizzie Bareare thought it was extraordinary and wanted to buy it. I said I would think about it and walked away, then they asked who I got it from and I told them a black armored man from the bar. He had a beautiful raven haired girl with him and a white robed monk with white hair that looks like he could rough it up with a couple of ruffians in the bar. I heard his name was Mo-"

"-Momon? Was it Momon who gave you this?"

The ginger haired freckled woman nods in agreement, "You are correct Mistress."

'So, I did stumble upon one of the people that the Supreme Beings are using to further their plans- shit!'

Fervently hoping that she did not impeded her master's plan further in anyway, she slipped the Life Potion back into Britta's pocket as she deemed it necessary that she remembered no part of their contact tonight. Having the thought of you jeopardizing a plan made by the Supreme Beings was simply shocking for Shalltear, but she needed more information as she then asked, "What were you doing here anyway?"

"A bandit problem has arisen and we were called in to deal with it-"

"How many parties were sent?"

"Just one. Ours."

"How many were you that was commissioned to come here?"

Britta looked stiffly at the bodies before her as if trying to remember who were her comrades, "Aside from me Mistress, you have killed all the members of our party, though there was one rogue who hung a bit far back to check if all is going well for our expedition. He was ordered to return to E-Rantel as soon as the fighting was not in favor of our party, he would summon help from E-Rantel since it was close by, it would be a short ride if one does possess a horse."

Shalltear's eyes widened at that, "Did this rogue have a horse?"

"Yes Mistress."

A vein popped on her forehead as the anger she tried to suppress threatened to erupt, so aside from the blue haired man named Brain Unglaus, there was another human that have evaded her. Oh shit, she's definitely going to get scolded now because she did not just let 1 skilled human go away, but another 1 managed to evade her grasps again. She bit her lip as she puts her hand in front of Britta and said, "You will forget my face and the slaughter that happened here, you will not speak, nor will even remember any detail about me or my summons. Clear so far?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"You will forget that I ever asked you any questions pertaining to the red potion you have, nor will you remember the things we have spoken about."

"Yes, Mistress."

"[SLEEP]" Britta's eyes closed at the same time her legs gave out as she dropped down like a sack of potatoes on the ground. Her technique was not as refined as Demiurge's, but it will have to do. Such guile was not part of who she is anyway, it was merely a part of her vampiric nature to be alluring to others and thus, her word carries power.

"You two," she pointed to the brides that accompanied her, "You will find this rogue, you will sniff him out. You will do whatever it takes, but do not get discovered or captured in anyway. Because if you do, I will tear you limb from limb, I have suffered enough setbacks and disappointing results for the Supreme Beings to not dismiss me. If you would add to my agony then I swear, I shall end you both my self. Is that clear?"

"Clear as crystal Mistress," the two brides bowed deeply, "We would not fail you."

As the 2 brides vanished into the night, she waved her hand and the blood orb hovering near her spun much faster as the True Vampire's eyes shone dark red in the darkness.

"[Summon Household]"

Abandoning all pretense, she consumed the accumulated blood from her victims to summon her large number of familiars. She had lost his scent because he seemed to have used an item that masked all her senses from detecting him. The only way to track him down is by physical evidence on the ground. Wolves and ravens pulled themselves out of the bloody puddle on the ground as a cacophony of snarls and caws could be heard at the clearing. Clapping her hands twice she easily established order as the yipping and screeching familiars all stopped to stare at her.

"A man with blue hair has evaded your mother, I want them found. He carries a sword with a simple tunic and oh so ugly human features- quickly now before the Masters all demand for our hides!"

Her familiars swept through the forest with speed too quick and fast for normal humans to follow, whoever thought that such speed could be attained by beings with 4 legs. Yet, the wolves were not the only one's in a hurry, all the ravens shot upward into the sky determined to overtake the wolves and provide the necessary vision to those who are below them. Their minds linked to their summoner as she followed behind them, her speed was nothing to scoff at, but she hung back to ensure that nothing would get past her as she used her familiars and summons to suss him out. Suddenly, there was a flash of light in the distance and she felt the death of a couple of her familiars.

It was the last straw to her self-control that was already frayed at the beginning.

Her eyes immediately turned reptilian and her long barbed tongue rolled out of her open mouth, a dark red miasma suddenly enveloped her as her previous cute face was torn into a horrific mask of inhuman proportion. The blood lust oozing from her body was suffocating and her red robes suddenly turned torn and ancient, her cute voice turned shrill as Shalltear unleashed her fury.

"How daaarrreee youuuu!?" she screamed into the night sky as she charged through the trees and made a beeline where her familiars were slain, "I'LL SUCK YOU ALL DRY!"

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From afar, a black haired man with an androgynous face walked ahead of a small 13 man party. There were no official names to their being, only codes during mission, he was simply known as the Captain. But he was no simple military official, for he leads the most powerful clandestine organization fielded by the Slane Theocracy.

The famed Black Scripture.

12 humans that represented the pinnacle of power and magic within human hands. Descended from the blessed and holy bloodline of the Gods, most of the members were distant cousins as they traced their lineage to at least one of the 6 Gods of the Theocracy. They were humanities best weapon against the growing tide of demi-human encroachment. A blunt instrument used to stunt the driving spear of influence by the Beastmen Kingdom that ruled the lands beyond the great lake, and the violent demi-human tribes west of the Abelion Hills. They are the final solution to any problem that their nation has as their numerous specialty and unique skill set, coupled with wargear from the Gods themselves bless their every endeavor. Yet, it is not their tools or skills which they believe that make them deadly, it is their unwavering faith on the 6 Gods that allow them to perform feats beyond what can be called human. It is this faith that allows them to take heart and combat all manner of evil in this world, it is this hallowed belief that the members of the this Scripture rarely are called upon and gathered in one place. Yet, here they are gathered once more to combat evil in its rawest form, for it has been foreseen that the Catastrophe Dragon Lord would be reborn and they are gathered to bring down and possibly control this incoming calamity.

Their target now though was not a simple beastman or a rogue spellcaster, such an enemy does not warrant a force as deadly as the Black Scripture. It has been foreseen by one of the Black Scripture members that the Catastrophe Dragon Lord would be reborn somewhere on the Northern pass of the Azerlisia Mountain range.

There were preserved writings of the Gods that mentioned the Catastrophe Dragon Lord and its animosity against humans that intensified with his death against one of the 6 Gods. It was foreseen that this particular Dragon Lord would resurrect himself, although it was not clear what year it will be, until the Thousand League Astrologer awakened her seer powers. As such they are gathered here in their complete number because having a Dragon Lord as an opponent is certainly not a leisurely walk. They were the supreme ruler of the New World before the advent of the Gods and have actively fought with the 6 Gods during the fabled War in Heaven. With the 6 Great Gods fighting and slaying the ancient Dragon Lords one by one, there are those that have survived by hiding, or blending with the populace. The New World is vast and such shape-shifting abilities is not lost on these draconian beings. They willingly scattered and abandoned their great cities, as their superiority was curved, so too was their power curved. With the arrival of the 8 Greed Kings who killed the God of Death Surshana, the other Dragon Lords who fought against the tyranny of the Kings were also slain. Centuries passed and now that this realm is ruled by humanity, the spirit of the Catastrophe Dragon Lord felt it was time to return.

The Gods are long gone, the Kings have killed themselves in greed, the evil of the Deities are beaten by the Heroes, and the Heroes passed into the annals of history as legends.

Yes, the Dragon Lords felt it was time to return, but the Theocracy has other plans.

With the blessing of the Gods and their holy equipment in their hands, it was deemed necessary that the Dragon Lord would be used as a weapon of humanity. Such is the fate that would befell the foul creature once it has resurrected itself and it is with the power of the Thousand League Astrologer that they know and prepared for its resurrection.

For the sake of humanity, traveling through the night in such a clandestine way is very much acceptable. The Captain and the other fighters in the group kept their eyes open as they scanned the darkened trees as they marched past in single file a well-known spot that they scouted out before with an increase in bandit movement. The leader of the Black Scripture sighed, for your border city to be terrorized by bandits with impunity, especially a Fortress City shows that the Re-Estize Kingdom does not have full control of its territory. Unlike the Baharuth Empire who regularly patrols the countryside for any banditry or demi-human incursions, the Kingdom is entirely dependent on its adventurers to prune out the symptoms of inadequacy.

Regardless, it looks like Emperor Jircniv's effort are finally boring fruit, in a decade or half they could easily march into the Kingdom's territory and take it with his legion of Knights.

Marching with haste, they reached the top of a small hill as the Thousand League Astrologer grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Wait!" she hissed in alarm as the other members of the Black Scripture took an alert stance, their eyes scanning the gloomy darkness beyond them.

A large man in a barbarian's outfit jogged towards the Captain and Astrologer while sniffing the air, "What is it? What is happening?"

There was a momentary pause as the Astrologer's eyes glazed over and she turned her body on an adjacent hill. She raised her hand to point in the general direction as she said in her soft voice, "A very powerful being stands on that direction, approximately 200 to 400 meters away. Very powerful, very hungry, the mere thought of feeding cannot- I cannot describe such thirst and hunger. It is beyond what any human could ever hope to feel."

A small woman hidden behind a cloak pulled its hood back as Lady Kaire, the diminutive holder of God's Treasure asked, "What is this monstrosity you are talking about child?"

"A vampire, a vampire of such power that it has not been seen since the age of the Gods," the Astrologer was beginning to lose her cool, the aura she was feeling from afar was affecting her so, "Such power is beyond a calamity, this power exceeds that of a Dragon Lord! Such malevolence must not be unleashed upon this world, for the destruction it will leave in its wake will be beyond what the Catastrophe Dragon Lord could even make. Fear. I feel fear, against such strength! Like a flood that's washing over me!"

The Captain looked at the old woman's eyes as she nods her head and said, "Our course is clear, this unknown being cannot be left alone while we deal with the Dragon Lord. Our flank will remain unsecured and that could prove detrimental to our mission."

"Should we not let the Windflower Scripture know about this?" a voice from the back interjected, "A delay could also be detrimental to our main mission."

"Our failure to act on this new disaster that we took note of would be more disastrous than a paltry Dragon Lord. As soon as we subdue this entity, we can then use it as a vanguard against the Catastrophe Dragon Lord," Lady Kaire said with resolute conviction on her voice, "You may send help, but the Holy City of Kami Miyako is beyond our reach now."

The stoic Captain nods his head showing he understood her point, "As you wish Lady Kaire however, will you have enough power to subdue a Dragon Lord after this?"

The diminutive woman had an inner strength within her eyes as she said, "Of course, this is not my first time Captain, nor would I let it be my last so easily."

A man with numerous bottles and scrolls on his gear belt approached as he said, "Captain, something fast is coming towards us. The scent of blood lingers in the air."

They didn't wait too long as the words of the man that looked to be a monster tamer came forth, 2 red lupine figures made a bee-line towards them. Their eyes were solid black and no small amount of blood lust and rage spilled forth from them. As they neared the party of humans, another member of the Black Scripture stepped forward and brought his weapon to bear. A lance that had twice the length of a human and as broad as a tree trunk, its iron was blessed white and blue, while its size and girth was not built for human hands to carry, let alone wield as a personal weapon. But the young man easily wielded the lance as he positioned himself in front of the other Scripture members and spun the large lance around his hands.

His long blonde hair and narrow gray eyes focused on the charging creatures and pointed the business end of his weapon towards them. Time slowed to a crawl as the Scripture member took a step forward and activated his martial art.

"Martial Art activate: [Phantom Lance]!"

The wolves that were summoned by Shalltear were all physical manifestations of her will, the blood wolves belong to the upper tier of the basic monsters and is there mostly to distract and tie down enemies into the spot so that other servants could finish off the victim or the Mistress herself can take it down. The speed of such foul creatures would be overwhelming for a normal human and would be hard pressed to confront such an enemy with the guile and agility of a real life wolf. Blood Wolves are faster, stronger and bigger than regular New World wolves and this was noticed by members of the Scripture. Unfortunately, though the Scripture members are no ordinary humans, their abilities are beyond what can be normally called human at all. In a blink of an eye, the man with the large silver lance spun it around as he launched himself forward.

The air around him seemed to warp as numerous other lances appeared around him and as he thrusts his weapon with a snap of his wrist, a concussive wave smacked towards the rushing enemy as they were struck with a thrust of force that struck them like a lance embedding in its target.

Yelping in obvious pain and distress, the Blood Wolves lingered in the air for a moment as the lance was thrusts with such great force and speed that afterimages appeared and what only seemed like one stab per enemy was actually multiple hits on the target. With their life force and durability expended beyond what the power binding them in this world can hold, they disintegrated in a cloud of red mist. As soon as the enemy was no more, the Captain turned to the Thousand-League Astrologer who shook her head signaling that the spiritual presence of the enemy was gone.

"Well done Lancer, a clean kill."

"Couldn't ask for a much better one considering they're made of blood Captain."

"No, your methods are enough," he then turned to the rest of the Scripture members, "Get ready everyone, I doubt a creature as complex as that would not come alone. It means this enemy is not hiding, on the contrary, with the death of their scout in our hands then they might just come seeking for-"

Thousand League Astrologer drew a shuddering breathe as the projected feeling overwhelmed her senses as her foresight also allowed her to feel emphatic or emotions of the powerful being they were monitoring right now. Their Captain sidled up next to her as she knelt on one knee as her legs buckled at the force of feeling she was sensing right now.

"It's coming- bloodlust overwhelming, power- power is overflowing, rage and lust all taken to extremes. Not even a primal vampire would be this powerful, nor this imposing to my sight- it is terrifying to behold. We may not win!"

Kaire and the Captain looked at each other as the old woman knelt beside the Astrologer, "How far?"

"500 meters and closing-

"Everyone, make ready!" the Captain's order was met with haste, weapons were drawn, spells woven into the materium, teeths clench and asses tightens as the Scripture members prepared to fight a defensive battle against an approaching monster.

A large man with an equally large axe stepped in front of the group and grinned excitedly, a rough looking man that was named 'Strongest Human' in the continent. He was named Barbro 'the Axe' Balmond, he was the child of a God-kin that held the line on a fortress that was previously held by the Theocracy in the Abelion Hills. The grin was genuine as he half-hoped, half-expected that the incoming calamity would finally bring him a worthy battle.

"What creature are we dealing with here anyway?" he nonchalantly said.

The man with the white lance gave a small laugh, "A Dragon Lord? Here?"

"It uses blood-"

"A vampire?"

Astrologer shook her head vigorously, "No, a vampire can never hope to be as powerful as this creature. It summons blood-based creatures, it exudes such power even from afar, and its aura is so palpable its slowly affecting us all."

"-then is it a Vampiric Dragon Lord then?"

"-how can it be a Dragon Lord if there are no records of it?"

"It could be an obscured one."

"-or it could be a variation of that, a Blood Dragon Lord!"

"It is NOT a Dragon Lord," the female seer said exasperatedly at Lancer and Barbro's antics, "Why is everyone so fixated on that at all? I did not say anything about this monster being a Dragon Lord."

"A vampire-"

"A vampire could not even hope to reach this immense level of power," slightly shivering at the terror she felt as the powerful monster approached them with speed, "We must delay it so that Lady Kaire can use the blessings of the Gods against it."

"Well, whatever hole this creature came crawling out of it most certainly is fast," a blonde haired man with a strong familial resemblance to one of their former members Clementine that was lost and defected to Gods know where said, "Fast and deadly with the stench of blood reaching so far from us, I have not fought anything like this before to be honest."

"Is that fear I hear Quintia?" Barbro jested at the man named 'One-Man Army', who is also the best Beast-Tamer in the continent who commands a hundred exotic creatures in the name of the Theocracy.

"Not at all my brash, crude and uncouth barbarian friend," the 5th Seat of the Scripture fixed his leather bracers and clutched one of his tools in his hand, "A feeling of uncertainty lingers in my mind that's all."

"You just need a swig of ale to have a stouter heart that's all."

The blonde man's face fell, "If your idea of ale was the fermented goat bladder milk liquid that you gave us-"

"-it was healthy!"

"It was rancid!" Lancer interjected as Barbro's face had a look of disbelief, "I was off-duty for a week because of that."

"You just can't take your draught."

"You mean poison right?"

"Will you all shut up!?" the Captain's eyes were wide as his teeth gnashed as he held back his irritation, "It looks like you guys forgot that were currently about to face a monster that is indubitably as powerful as a Dragon Lord and you lot can't even shut it."

A moment of silence as they all looked shock at their leader's crumbling demeanor until Barbro said in elation, "Ha! He said Dragon Lord right?" that made him the focus of their leader's ire.

"By the Gods, this is NOT a contest Barbro!"

The Thousand League Astrologer slapped the barbarian away who sidled up to her teasingly, "200 meters until the enemy is here and your not focusing!"

It was then that all the members of the Black Scripture felt it. The foreboding feeling of a great danger that was currently upon them, a feeling that was inherent in all of livings beings when faced with such monumental decisions such as life and death. They looked at the direction of the monster as they finally heard a great thrashing from the clump of trees as something large and powerful barreled towards them.

"100 meters!" she could practically taste the blood now, like a bowl of blood was dangled in front of her and the tangy metallic smell of it lingers in the air, "Its about to come out of the tree line! 50 meters its coming- itS- ITS!"

Thousand Leagues Astrologer gasped at the sudden realization, "It's stopped! The monster actually stopped!" a mixture of both relief and disbelief laced her voice as the palpable bloodlust that she felt awhile ago seemed to dial down in intensity to almost a dribble.

Frontliners for the Scripture looked to their farseer for guidance as he tried to scry what seems to be a change in the mannerism of the monster they just encountered as one question bewildered all the members.

"What happened?"

"I- I don't know, I don't know!" the female Seer exclaimed in frustration and surprise, "It just stopped, what else can I say?"

"Is it perhaps resting?" a man from the back called out, he was twirling a chain-like weapon skillfully, "Is it tired?"

"How the heck can it be tired after all that?"

The man called Divine Chain shrugged his shoulders as he spun his chain around without pause, "I don't know- 500 meters is kind of far. You could be tired by just running you know."

Captain of the Black Scripture sighed as he turned to his Seer and asked, "What's it doing now? Is it perhaps preparing for a grand attack?"

"No," the Astrologer shook her head, "It's powers are subsiding, almost docile if I'm being honest. Perhaps it felt the power of the weapon of the Gods?"

A spear banged to the ground as the Scripture Captain said, "Our enemy is hidden behind the tree line, we hoped to ambush it somewhat as it came charging at us. But that is not an option anymore considering it reigned its bloodlust and regained control of its faculties. We would go on defense, Triangle Formation!"

The Black Scripture members moved in unison as they put Lady Kaire in the middle of their formation, covered on all sides by the 3 magic casters. Their farseer, the Thousand Leagues Astrologer, their cleric, Divine Chant and their dark arts user codenamed 'Necro' and the 11th Seat named 'Demi-human Disaster'. While their front and middle line fighters flitted in a flexible maneuver to ensure that all sides of the triangle are covered with Cedran 'the Myriad Barrier' taking great care to shield Kaire from harm.

They were so focused on the presence of Shalltear that they failed to notice the catastrophe that is hurtling down from the heavens.

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Stellarum Nex

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"You know, I am certainly not in 'favor' of your course of action."

"Relax, I've done this hundreds of times you know."

"Yes! In the Old World and in Yggdrasil, not here."

"Mother? Is that worry I hear?"

"Yes! It is exactly that Sammael-kun, as your Guild Master I am grateful that you would take this risk to get the World Item, as your friend though I am very much worried that a World Item's effect can be too much to bear. We also do not know of the effect a World Item is on a person."

"You worry too much, I can resist the effects of a World Item because you and I both know that I do not relinquish my World Item, plus making an omelette as good as this needs a few eggs to break."

Ainz's put his bony hand into his waist signaling his irritation, "So, you dare compare yourself to an egg now?"

"Okay, okay," Sammael puts his hands in surrender to placate the Guild Master, "So that was a very bad metaphor, but surely you can see the benefits of this endeavor Ainz-kun. If we are able to secure this World Item, we can know more about this world and see if there are other's like us in here. The more information and World Items we have, the more we can fluidly respond to any enemy attacks."

"I suppose you are right," the Overlord consented.

"Of course I'm right!" the Fallen punctuated his answer by puffing his chest and pounding it once, "Now then, I must prepare thoroughly, this fight is making me so excited. Fighting a 13-man party is no easy feat you know."

The Overlord gave a chuckle, "Hah! Whatever preparations they made, whatever scrying magic they prepared, nothing on this world can break through our defenses so easily, but then again it was Punitto-Moe and HeroHero who once said to me. 'One can never be too careful, it's the one hit you don't see coming that brings you down' is what they said."

"That was Take-kun who said that-"

"Oh, will you shut up!"

"Hehe."

"Seriously, be careful Sammael-kun, I would very much test Resurrection Magic on an NPC or a denizen of this world instead of you," Ainz said with finality as he waved his hand and opened a [Gate] to head out of the room they were in.

"Yes! Yes, I'll keep that in mind dear mother."

"And here I thought you were my mother," the Overlord walked through the [Gate] and was gone in an instant. The Fallen was left alone to contemplate the actions that they would be doing now and the folly of carelessness. The hard lessons of the Old World and Yggdrasil was fresh in his mind, whereas the game is just a game and you can try again at a later time to accomplish your goals, real life is much more complex than that. This New World is like their old lives, it was real, with real consequences that would affect the future moving forward. He didn't really want to treat such an endeavor so flippantly and this situation certainly demanded a more straight and focused mind.

But just like his missions back in Africa, the more you wound yourself up and kept your self taut with tension, the more violent it is when you finally break. And unlike Ainz, who had the most convenient emotional suppresant in the world for being undead, the emotions of being an Angel is sometimes too strong for his own mind. Every pleasure is like a drug, every sensation a new experience, and every bit of anger is like a torrent of fire, so violent and unforgiving.

It is this aspect of his being that he kept hidden, thus his reason for acting so flippantly most of the time. Better to focus on the task at hand and learn to release emotions on command, emotions that could sway decision too monumental in the future to even predict and foresee.

Still, in keeping with his tradition to prepare before any battle he made sure that his divine armor is in top shape. Although weathered and ancient, it was the most deceptive armor that one could wear considering it only covered half his chest. The armor was made of the rare singularity ore that deals true damage and adds a crippling slow effect on the enemies that would strike any type of item that was made out of it. Inscribed with numerous rune words and imbued with unique and powerful gems and inlaid expertly by the best armorers of Yggdrasil. No other armor could be compared, except the armor that was used by the best fighters which is Touch-Me the World Champion, and his rival Takemikazuchi who are both heteromorph members of Ainz Ooal Gown. He wore a sturdy multilayered cloth pants made from fibers of the Asgardian Golden Ram, an event monster that can only be encountered on a specific date and time for four times per year. So, one could imagine the battles that erupted as soon as one of those dates came, with close to thousands of players all vying to hunt it, he was fortunate enough to get a hold of enough fabrics to make two pairs, one for regular use and the one for back-up, in case upgrading fails or any other catastrophic failure that might happen. Covering his lower parts was an armored skirt called a bases, which was made from the wing leather of a World Dragon that the guild had slain during their numerous raids against the epic monsters of Yggdrasil.

Its also somewhat comforting that the task that he applied himself back in the game was still his mandate right now and the tools that he used, which is the Battle Barge, is still being used for the purpose of that mandate. To hunt down the World Items, to keep it safe beneath the Great Tomb and prevent other players from abusing its power. Additionally, though there are evidence that there are 'Players' like them being transported to this world, it is prudent not to discount that they could encounter other people in the future.

People who are hostile, mentally deranged, or those too cruel and biased against all living and undead beings.

Securing his long sword, a single bladed nagamaki that is tied on his belt as he walked the semi-dark corridors of the battle barge towards the lower deck. His gauntlets were thick and encompassing his lower and portions of his upper arm that has built-in knuckle dusters and clawed hands that sharpens out magically at his will. He passed a wall and caressed the smooth metal of the wall, their battle barge that he commanded back in the game was an extension of his will, it was connected to him in a way that each and every thought and command would be done without question. That was how he commanded and won the battles during the Reliqua Crusade. And in this New World, where there are a lot of things he does not know about, they would need to prepare for any enemy that might come, for if their guild base was transported here with them, will another guild base also be transported soon?

What if a rival guild base is already here?"

Disturbing thoughts roiled around through his mind as he stepped out into the open spaces of the lower decks. 2 legions of soldiers in color coded sashes were formed up smartly and a large space in-between where he would make his way towards his waiting Generals. The legionnaires were designed upon an army about a book he read before named 'The Gods of Mars', after reading about it he then began researching and found out that these Mechanicus armies is part of a large galaxy spanning story that consumed so much of his time that it almost took out all his free time during his deployment. He gave an inward chuckle as he remembered his cabin back on the ship he commanded, inside a hardcover suitcase was his figures that were all works in progress. He would retreat in to his quarters after his shift and began the painstaking process of painting each and every figurine he had. Taking great care not to be discovered by his men as the precision and craftsmanship needed by each figurine was simply staggering. With their recent arrival at the New World, he was both shocked and elated to find that the army he made had all taken form. Many things passed to his mind, including the terrible weapons that he had in deep storage, that were simply just aesthetics in Yggdrasil, yet now it was all made true.

He fervently hoped that the sealed door he just passed would not be open for the next 100 years. For written in bold golden letters, the words that would bring this world to its knees if the New World should ever feel its wrath.

'Arma de Exterminatus'

Ammunition of extermination in simple tongue, it was the final word in weapons that he envisioned back in the game. Since it was a game, then he was confident that it would remain a game, yet now that they are here in this New World with its endless possibilities and untouched landscaped. These tools of war would destroy this world in a blink of an eye. He kept his eyes on the sealed door and tried to recite the weapons he had positioned inside, their lore, their image and their destructive payload. He shook his head in disbelief, even for a person as callous and pragmatic as he, destruction of a whole world is not something one should have on one's hand alone. He would need to seal this door and it may only be opened on the direst of circumstances.

He lets the thought go as he stepped through the threshold and was welcomed by a grand sight. Two legions standing in formation abreast in front of each other with their middle being his path where he would walk. It seemed possible, but he stood up straighter as he walked towards the end of the line of warriors where his Generals waited for him. Curiously, the belly of the battle barge was a hub of activity yet the din of work and machine moving was silence as he walked and gazed at the gathered throng about him. The servitors and Magos all stopped their movement and respectfully stood in his presence, all mindful of the watchful gaze of their Warmaster.

As he passed the rank and file legionnaires, a menagerie of 'Warmaster' 'Hail my Lord' and 'Lord Sammael' rang through the ranks as he met their eyes one by one.

His two generals patiently waited as he reached them after a good solid minute of walking, nodding and acknowledging the formed soldiers. Sammael finally stood before them as they both banged their armor and said.

"Hail Warmaster, our personal legions are at your command, 10,000 soldiers each with our auxilia held in reserve and armor support as well."

"Very good, we can never be too careful," he adjusted his sword on his belt and he stepped on the ledge while spreading his wings, "How are we on your insertions?"

"Steel Rain my Lord."

Sammael affixed his mask on his face and said glibly, "Steel Rain? Its too overt- open a [Gate] on my command, then send a battalion in first, and then followed by the rest using 'Steel Rain' if situation becomes untenable."

"Understood my Lord, we will arrive as soon as you need aid."

"Very good, though I doubt that I would be overwhelmed with their power, it is not beyond me to enjoy a good fight," the Fallen said with a small laugh, "I will try to restrain myself of course, don't want to give them despair this early in the fight."

"Of course my Lord, we wish you good hunting."

The 2 Generals stepped back to give him space as he stepped on the ledge and opened his wings. Looking at the darkness that enveloped the New World, he turned towards one of the bright spots in the gloom. The Fortress City of E-Rantel was not too far, probably a few kilometers from where the hill they found the World Item at is holding position, on the horizon he can barely make out a lesser light source, which would definitely be the walled village of Carne. Gone was the eternal lights of the modern world, gone was the flashing neon signs, holographic advertisements and sound of industry and a city that have no intention of stopping whatsoever. The contrast was so striking that he failed to notice the hails of his 2nd Angel who is currently in command of the ship using the [Message] spell.

"My Lord? My Lord!?" Ramiel's voice rang through his head, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, sorry I was being melancholic and my mind was wandering for a bit. Any updated news about Shalltear?"

"We are above the target area and maintaining overwatch, be advised my Lord that Lady Shalltear has succumbed to her bloodlust with the death of her scouts. She is hurtling herself with reckless abandon towards the enemy with the World Item, current estimated distance is 400 meters and closing fast."

"Roger that, I'll try to reach her on my way down, keep me updated."

"As you command."

Taking one step forward with a little skip over the sides and he was hurtling to the ground at terminal velocity. Their battle barge is currently hovering above the contested hill as their height easily concealed them from all scrutiny, not to mention all the anti-scrying magic that is part of the 'Stellarum Nex' static defenses. Invisible to the naked eye and higher than the clouds, their HALO insertions are a standard for this height. Their high altitude is also an added security measure, oxygen asphyxiation is a common occurrence for those of lesser fortitude and unenhanced breathing, thus no normal person or being can easily infiltrate the battle barge without assistance.

"My Lord Sammael, Shalltear has reached the 200 meter mark- a surge of power is coming from the World Item and they are poising to use it against her. She does not seem to carry the 'Seimei Umbrella' with her."

The Fallen engaged his wings as holy flame enveloped his whole body, hurtling himself faster towards the ground to the mind of the Guardian. He felt his will and consciousness almost feeling her mind that was muddled by bloodlust.

"-100 meters, she is almost through the tree line and its a clear shot for the enemy my Lord!"

"STAY THIS MADNESS SHALLTEAR!" the message link exploded into his mind as her consciousness flooded him.

.

Shalltear's muscle grew taut and rigid as the shout inside her mind from the Supreme Being engulfed her like a roiling hot flame. The Warmaster's voice has such a clear and commanding ring that it easily cleaved through her insanity. As she somewhat regained her senses, she looked up and saw a light coming from the heavens, like a fiery meteor hurtling straight down. At once she composed herself and donned her Victorian dress ensemble.

"My Lord Sammael? I can see your approach."

"Stand down Shalltear, I will handle these humans on my own. You will be my immediate vanguard for this skirmish, the enemy possesses a World Item and you are not carrying yours," the voice of the Supreme Being was admonishing her, his voice was not harsh yet it was firm in its point, "Were you not given the tools to prepare for this contingency? You would do well to step back and take it out first."

Blushing a bit at her foolishness, she hastily drew the World Item from her pocket dimension and opened it with a flourish. Together with her Victorian dress, the umbrella completed the impression of a young lady ready to take an evening stroll. Composing herself again she replied, "-but a World Item? Then, to guarantee your safety, should I not be the one to draw their fire. You are our Lord, your safety is of the utmost importance."

"Haha, fear not little lady," there was a hint of teasing on his voice, "I am not as mushy as you think I am. You must not interfere unless I command you, we need the item intact and any careless intervention could damage it, hence, the reason for my arrival."

A twinge inside her undead heart wormed its way through the True Vampire, but the honeyed follow-up words of the Fallen gave her all the assurance she needs.

"Fear not Shalltear, it is not because I think you are weak or incompetent that I held you back. Remember that fighting other's with World Items is my specialty and my mandate as Warmaster of Nazarick, and so you will help me by being my rearguard. Is that understood?"

The true vampire understood and she finally smiled to herself and said with a curtsy to her arriving Lord, "As you command Warmaster."

.

"What's the status now Astrologer?"

"The creature has powered down Captain and its blood lust has subsided, perhaps it is planning to attack with stealth?"

The young leader of the Black Scripture rubbed his chin, "Perhaps it is aware and has detected the power of the God's Item? Is it possible Lady Kaire?"

"Yes, any creature with scrying ability or magic can feel the power building on the God's item," the diminutive old woman said, "This creature is powerful to be able to pull itself out of a frenzy."

"Great," Lancer said with a deadpan voice, "A smart monster huh?"

"Scared? I'll hold your hand if you want to," Barbro said with a smile and offered his free hand not carrying the large axe.

"Aww, that's so sweet~"

The Captain sighed at his subordinates, 'Getting mighty tired of their antics now-'

A strangled cry from the Thousand League Astrologer made him stop and look at his companion. He found her looking at the sky and her lips were trembling as intermittent spasms seemed to wrack through her body from head to toe. Turning to their cleric codenamed 'Divine Chantress', she jumped into action and quickly casts a recovery spell on their farseer who was now mumbling to herself in shock and possibly fear. A soft green healing light passed over her as their Astrologer finally gasped like taking a breathe out of water. Panic sets on her eyes as she started hyper-ventilating, their cleric directed a concerned look towards their Captain who also approached them after noticing the strange behavior their stricken comrade is exhibiting.

What could the Astrologer possibly have seen that might reduce her to such a nervous wreck?

Their cleric looked hopelessly at the Captain as he grabbed their farseer by the shoulders and shook her awake.

"Pull yourself together Chaldea! What are you seeing?! Tell me damn it!"

Her eyes suddenly cleared as the Captain finally saw the terror and fear in her eyes. Her voice was trembling and the words that came from her mouth was soft, yet it thundered through their ears as she spoke the next words in warning.

"A God is coming! A God is coming! It's aura is too bright and malevolent- the one who is coming is beyond ALL of US!?"

She gasped and writhed in his arms as he tried to shake her awake and he shouted on her face, "Where is it coming from? Where is the enemy coming from Chaldea? Focus! Focus please!"

The commotion attracted the attention of all the members of the Scripture, all their eyes locked unto her as she slowly raised her right hand and pointed to the sky. What they saw made their eyes bulge out of their sockets as fear gnawed at their hearts. A burning star is hurtling towards the ground in their direction, its path burned a bright glow on the gloom of the night as it passed through the sky coming down like a fiery lance hurled by the heavens.

The other members of the Scripture who have rudimentary detection magic finally felt the power that is hurtling towards them now. The presence of the incoming being electrified the area as the light of the falling star illuminated the surrounding area. The blanket of flame engulfing the Supreme Being hid him from immediate notice, but Shalltear saw him clearly from the cover of the dense forest of trees. He consciously picked a spot in-between Shalltear and the gathered members of the Black Scripture as the ground shook with his arrival unto the earth. Flame and molten stone erupted where he landed and a wave of power emanated from where he crashed.

Chaldea, codenamed 'Astrologer' screamed in horror as the burning object crashed right in front of them. Her fear was so palpable it almost reduced her to a bumbling wreck, their cleric was doing everything she can now to calm her somewhat turbulent emotions as the Captain released her to face the threat that heaven spewed against them.

"Look!" one of their front liners pointed to a figure standing in the middle of the burning crater. A man stood in the midst of the inferno as a powerful winds blew through the clearing they were currently located at.

The Astrologer though closed her eyes tightly as she wailed and cried at the impossibly strong being that stood not 200 meters away from them. Her black hair that was held up by a unique hair clip was now disheveled and its locks cascaded down to her puffy eyes as she continuosly cried at the disaster made manifest right in front of her. Even if she closed her eyes and removed the exceptional eyewear she had, it still could not hide the power of the Supreme Being that had descended. Unbeknownst to her companion and to Lady Kaire, the being before them easily eclipses their most powerful tools and she wasn't sure that even 'Humanity's Last Hope' would have any shade of winning against its monstrous strength.

10th Tier magic, that was the only information that seemed to register on her mind. Magic that only the Gods were able to wield, no human, demi-human, not even the 13 Heroes was able to cast such world shattering magic. On top of that, due to their proximity with each other, flashes of the future seemed to weedle its way into her mind. A side-effect of the many traits that she inherited from her God ancestor, with this ability of foresight, she could see the future in snippets and the events in the past or present that would bore fruit the said future. Yet the things she see could only be called horrific, the land was blazing with fire, plants and rocks burned like hell upon earth as the terrible noise of those burning alive in the millions cried out in pain. Molten rocks raining from the sky and lances of light gouging deep trenches on the ground and destroying everything it touches. In its middle, like a herald of the end of the world, an Angel with an inverted burning wings and a skull mask with long curved horns on its face. Its future threatened to consume her as she tried to grasp the strands of her sanity to no avail. She panicked even more as the figure that crashed near them finally stirred and looked at them where they stood.

It's glowing eyes, which was still noticeable considering it was standing in the middle of a ring of fire turned toward them and locked eyes with her. A wave of power emanated from him and she finally lost all manner of control.

.

The mysterious figure who crashed near them turned toward their direction and a wave of power emanated from it. At once, Chaldea the Thousand-League Astrologer grew limp and lost control of herself. The wave it sent out extinguished the flames around it as they finally see clearly what creature they are facing with.

"It's an Angel," Time-Turbulence said with a measure of doubt in his voice.

"Yes," the face of their Captain frowned, "But it has fallen. Prepare for battle."

The Fallen stood close to 256 cm in his full Angel form as he began walking towards them. His force undulating from him in waves that washed at their senses like sea water on a cliffside. It took a single step towards them and all of the frontliners of the Scripture took a couple of steps back. An deep primal urge to run away made all their knees to quiver as even Barbro felt hopeless as the power of the Angel threatened to overpower them by just walking in their direction. Artificer armor that is only half a breast plate covered its chest and its right pauldron was molded after a moaning demon's head, gauntlets with innumerable runes and built-in knuckle dusters, plated belt with the 8-pointed star in the middle as a codpiece. A maroon 'pteruges' or more commonly knowns as a warrior's skirt that extended to his legs that was draped over a long skirt that trailed behind him. Chains with numerous charms and amulets dangled on his waist as a long nagamaki sword rested on his belt. Sabatons covered his feet as his two inverted wings that was burning red awhile ago had finally extinguished their flame and a faint golden glow emanated from it as he easily folded it behind his back. Power oozed out of his body as numerous scars could be seen on his exposed upper arm and left chest. His horned skulled mask brought terror to those who look at it as it seemed that death himself was looking back at them.

Yes, the Angel of Death, an apt description.

Without taking his eyes off the Angel he called out his most powerful spellcasters to make ready, "Necro, Morgiana make ready your most powerful spells."

The man who carried a shimmering Death Orb and the woman with the overly large wide brimmed hat nods their head as they began to whisper words of power in preparation of casting their magic.

"I am ready as well, all his posturing are all for naught in front of the power of the God's Item," Lady Kaire said with finality as Cedran and Beaumarchais stood in front of her, "Do not despair, the Gods are with us."

Emboldened, the Captain wielded his spear and pointed it to their enemy, "Rogue angel, you have fallen from grace and will now fall before the servants of the 6 Gods! Prepare for your reckoning! God wills IT!"

"GOD WILLS IT!"

Suddenly the large barbarian man, the 'Strongest Man' and the 10th seat of the Black Scripture quickly closed the distance between him and the Fallen Angel. The weight of his weapon belied his speed as he launched himself up to the air and activated his numerous martial arts.

"Activate Martial Arts: [Cat Dexterity] [Bear Strength] [Fortress] [Flow Acceleration]"

While airborne he managed to twist himself into position and aimed the large axe towards his enemy, his eyes flashed as the world seemed to slow at his pace as Barbro shouted, "Activate Martial Arts: [Explosive Blade]"

The blade of the axe was suddenly coated in a red miasma as the weapon bit on his right pauldron. A great explosion tore through the clearing and the force of the blast propelled the wild man backwards as he landed a few paces away. The Scripture members all stared wide eyes as the smoke and debris from that attack slowly cleared and the Fallen Angel stood stock still and unmoving even if he got hit with such a powerful skill. The most shocked of them all was the one who actually used the skill, Barbro felt the feedback as his weapon made contact with the armor of their enemy.

It felt like hitting a solid rock face.

The force of his blow should have at least moved his enemy a bit, even by millimeter he should have moved. But not only was the Fallen unmoved from where he stood, not a single scratch on his right pauldron armor. Even the ground where he stood on was undisturbed while the surrounding area where the explosion landed was both singed and cracked. Sammael took two steps forward towards them and then Barbro's vision suddenly turned sideways. The 'Strongest Human' was flung away like a rag doll as an almighty hit struck his axe as the Fallen Angel flexed his wing towards him. In a blink of an eye, their enemy was upon them as the Captain helplessly witnessed their enemy swatting away one of their most powerful melee fighter like he was nothing, sending his weapon and all almost 100 meters away.

"You dare to raise your hand against me? Foolish humans-"

"Everybody step back!" a cry from Lady Kaire made them all move as one in giving her a large berth. The woman willed the magical item she wore as the effects of the World Item welled up from her, the cloth she was wearing was embroidered by a golden dragon that shone brightly. It moved and slithered magically away from her and flew towards the Fallen Angel engulfing their enemy with a beam of bright light. The dragon coiled around his unmoving body and have begun to take over his mind. Everyone looked on in triumph as a monster of this caliber would certainly be of use to the Slane Theocracy.

Unfortunately, Sammael also carried his own World Item.

"I see, so this is the effect of the Downfall of Castle and Country. It robs you of your mind and would even bypass mind-control defenses. No wonder the 'Holy Spirit' scattered their World Items- they have a powerful one all along."

Kaire visibly paled and shock registered on her face as their enemy accurately pointed out their trump card's name and its inherent skill. How in the world could their enemy know of this information? Even more shocking was the way that the Fallen shook off the shining dragon that was coiled around him like a parasite and it exploded into thousands of tiny golden lights.

"I will try to cast the spell again, Captain keep him busy-" Lady Kaire was interrupted as she dove for cover to evade the Angel's air pressure as he swung his fist towards them. Fissures erupted from the ground as this effectively separated the other members from each toher, such an action made the Captain and his fighters explode into action. They charged the Fallen Angel as they activated their buffs followed by their Martial Arts.

"Activate Martial Arts: [Piercing Thrust]"

"Activate Martial Arts: [Makaze King]"

Raizen their fighter/assassin codenamed 'Heaven and Earth' spun in mid-air as he used the chi in his body to launch a sonic wave in the ground as he did his spinning king. Likewise, a blue phantasmal spear tip with a circumference of at least 6 feet appeared at the Captain's spear tip and headed for their enemy. Both martial art blows crashed together and a mighty explosion erupted blasting grass, stone and earth to the air. Obscuring their view of the Fallen, the Captain turned to his back liners and ordered, "Protect Lady Kaire! Triangle formation!"

Sammael moved in a blink of an eye as his fist cocked back and slowly swung a punch towards the Captain. Unfortunately, slowly still means blindingly fast when talking about a Supreme Being as the leader of the Black Scripture found out as he used the shaft of his spear to block the incoming blow. Miraculously, the shaft of his spear did not splinter in two as it caught the punch, but the strength behind the punch was unbelievable as he was thrown as far as Barbro sailed away. Raizen codenamed 'Heaven and Earth' exploded into action as their Captain was thrown by the enemy, he spun and did a double roundhouse kick that he aimed at the Angel's face. But in the split second that it took him to swing his leg upwards, Sammael already met his eye gave a grin and raised his index finger. Cleanly intercepting the kick with only his left index finger as the assassin was decked and thrown away with a hit from one of the Angel's wings. The stricken member was flung far and did not immediately get up, from behind him though Barbro shouted a loud war cry as he finally recovered and casts a plethora of his martial skills turning his skin red.

"Activate Martial Arts: [Bloodlust], [Limit Break], [Brute Force]"

Having the strength to rival 100 men, Barbro raised his double-handed great axe above his head, he spun in mid-air and aimed at the Angel as he tried to bisect his enemy in two while bellowing with inhuman rage, "Activate Martial Arts: [Lethal Counter]"

During one of their campaigns against the Beastmen Kingdom, this skill was enough to break open the fortified door of a particularly notorious fort that was erected by the Beastmen on the Draconic Kingdom's territory. The force of it was enough to break the sturdy metal door off its hinges. Against their enemy though, as the blade reached the Fallen Angel, he saw their enemy delicately catch the large blade in-between his thumb and index finger as his whole body shook as the kinetic force of the blow was suddenly lost.

The Fallen gave a small sound of irritation and said, "You are beginning to irritate me- [Dis Caelesti]"

With an almighty force, Barbro was hurled towards a line of trees 300 meters away. Like being bundled up on a trebuchet's basket sling and fired at the enemy like a piece of artillery. With a manly scream, the Strongest Human flew away helplessly like a rag-doll. Lady Kaire looked in alarm as the Fallen Angel visibly toyed with their best fighters, like a knight fighting against a couple of toddlers. Unbeknownst to her, Sammael had her gaze upon her for some time now and he judged that she was waiting for the chance to use the World Item again.

Perhaps if they gave him a 'red herring' would they cry in despair as well?

Suddenly without warning, Shalltear lets her power flare for all the humans to feel. Aside from the Fallen Angel they were dealing with right now, the supposed Vampiric Dragon Lord decides to jump in now of all times. Walking out of the cover of the trees, her pale skin shone in the moonlight as she opened an umbrella to shield her from the delicate light.

The Thousand League Astrologer gave an involuntary whimper as she unconsciously sensed the power surge that Shalltear gave off.

Lady Kaire's eyes and ears did not miss that and saw that their other target was standing up in the open. This was their chance to turn this unfortunate event to their benefit. If the Fallen Angel is turning out to be immune to the power of the Gods, perhaps this other one might prove to be more pliant. Quickly initiating the sacred hand movements, the old woman casts the spell and aimed it for the newly exposed enemy. The golden dragon sailed through the air as it made a bee-line towards the servant of Nazarick. It struck her as the rest of the Black Scripture members kept the Fallen Angel busy. Shining and shimmering, Shalltear was wrapped in a golden light as the spell overtook her mind and senses. As the light of the golden dragon coiled around her, she kept her face hidden underneath the umbrella she was holding.

The Fallen gave a grin as another 4th tier spell bounced off his passive defense due to his immunity. The most powerful magic casters of the Black Scripture looked on in shock as Sammael simply shrugged off their commonly used destruction spells as if waving off an irksome fly. They noticed him enveloping his body in a charged cloud as they heard him said, "Cast magic buff [Fulgur Ferrum]" his gauntlets was suffused with lightning and he blinked out of their sight in a flash.

Much to the shock of the members of Lady Kaire's team, the supposed Vampiric Dragon Lord raised her head and shrugged off the mind-control spell the same way that the Fallen did it when it was casts upon him. Cedran, codenamed 'Myriad Barrier' was a large stoic man who usually kept his emotions in control, but after seeing their trump card failing twice in a row is too much to be a coincidence. He turned towards his charge and said frantically, "Lady Kaire! You will need to fall back, I will cover your retreat and delay the enemy as much as- urK!"

"[Fulgur Impetum]"

The other members looked in horror as the Angel, who stood almost 50 meters away and dealing with Necro and Morgiana. In a blink of an eye, he now stood in front of Cedran with his gauntleted hand clutching a bloody piece of the 'Myriad Barrier' left plate armor in his hand. His blood gushed out of the gaping hole on his chest as he crumpled down on the floor with his eyes wide and unseeing. Death came swiftly for Cedran as the other members looked on in disbelief at how easy it was to kill one of their numbers. As the man slumped to the ground, it was clear where the damage has been done. The Angel's gauntlet easily carved through the heavy ornate shield that Cedran carried as he plunged his gauntlet on his chest and pulled everything away. Like tearing paper into pieces, he felt no resistance at all as the man stared back into the sky lifeless.

His brethren all sprung into action, activating all their enhancement skills they charged the Fallen Angel as one. With the Captain recovered, he dug his feet into the ground and launched himself towards the Fallen. Aiming for the unarmored portion of the Fallen's right shoulder and plunged the pointed tip of his spear at their enemy. But the flesh did not yield, instead the weapon seemed to strain as he pushed with all his might as he felt like he was pushing against the world itself. The Fallen leered at him with its glowing eyes and he was flung once more a few feet away by a blow from the inverted wing of their enemy. Raizen appeared from out of nowhere and smacked the side of the Fallen's mask with his short runed sword. Sparks flew as the supposed cosmetic mask proved harder than the adamantium short sword as the assassin found himself experiencing an all-encompassing pain as Sammael gave a shove of his open palm. Feeling his ribs breaking as he was shoved almost as far as the Captain, Lancer aimed his weapon and charged their enemy.

"Activate Martial Art: [Phantom Lance]"

In a blink of an eye, Lancer was upon the Fallen who sidestepped his weapon in the last possible moment as he extended his gauntleted hand as the man widened his eyes. With his momentum carrying him forward with no possible means to cancel his skill, Lancer smacks himself into the extended arm of the Angel as he spun away like a train wreck with limbs flying away in all direction.

Sammael chuckled at their attempts to engage him as he casts his first magic, "Maximize 6th-tier magic [Fulgur Salto]"

A large lightning bolt shot upwards into the sky as the flashes of every bolt blinded the humans momentarily making them unable to see that instead of dissipating into the sky, it instead separated into innumerable bolts that rained down towards the ground. One of the lightning bolts made a beeline towards Necro as he spun his magical staff and a barrier of malevolent energy safely dissipated the spell. The other magic caster, Morgiana, spun magic circles around her as she deflected the incoming spells towards her. Making use of her large floating orb, she sat on top of it as it darted around the battlefield. Using her left hand for defense, she aimed her right towards Sammael and began taking potshots against him.

[Fireball], [Ice Arrow], [Lightning]

Three spells shot out of her hand and went into the direction of the Fallen Angel, but the spells harmlessly dissipated as it neared him effectively snuffing out the low-tiered spells puzzling one of the most powerful spellcasters of the Theocracy. Unbeknownst to them, the quasi-broken armor he wore has an effect that nullifies magic that are lower than the 8th Tier. Sammael channeled power into his left hand and casts [Astrum Trahere] towards Morgiana who was moving all over the place using her crystal ball artifact. A wave of power suddenly suffused the female magic caster and she was suddenly assaulted by all manner of loose debris all around her. Stone, grass, twigs even broken branches, it trailed after her as she now used both her hands to pulverize the incoming projectiles.

Making her extremely magnetic to all others in her vicinity, she was given her own artifical gravity that allowed the said debris to stick to her with such force and intensity that she is beginning to lose concentration in the fight with the Fallen. He then turned to the necromancer looking guy who then turned to the diminutive VIP that they were traveling with.

"Lady Kaire, the enemy has turned to us," opening magic circles and left and right, he fortified his anti-magic barrier as he felt the enemy would next come for him, "Is the spell ready again?"

From behind, the haggard looking old woman suddenly appeared and with absolute conviction on her eyes stated, "Yes, this has gone on for too long. If this Angel does not submit to the supreme will of the 6 Gods, then let his mind be destroyed."

Their trump card was poised and suddenly lashed out of Kaire, unlike the previous castings when the dragon stitching would glow and fly out towards the target, this time the target coiled around her outstretched arm as it shot out towards Sammael. Like a spring loaded rifle, it flew and was upon the enemy in a blink of an eye. But their hopes sank like stone upon water as the golden dragon that collided now with the Fallen simply shattered upon contact and their enemy is showered with thousands of tiny golden lights. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the Captain for once lost his cool and shouted, "Black Scriptures, retreat!"

"All frontliner tie him down, backliners, support us from the rear," their leader leapt up as he charged towards the Angel, his spear being suffused with light as he aimed for the unarmored spot of the Fallen's armor, "Activate Martial art: [Sundering Spear]"

Behind him, Barbro and Raizen gathered strength within them as they charged together with Lancer in between them. Adrenaline and power coursing through all three of them they poised their weapons to strike the Angel with a barrage of martial arts.

"[Makaze Kick], [Culling Blade], [Phantom Lance]"

4 combined physical attacks did little to even make him flinch as their power and strength proved insufficient for them. Their attacks could not hope to touch the impregnable defenses of one of the foremost PVP players and named hunter of enemy guilds. Feeling that he needed to exude more of his powers, he deplyed his magical protection in full. Encasing himself in a bluish cocoon of pure magic, not even the barrage of magic from Necro and the now revitalized Morgiana while empowered by Divine Chanter could break him. They could feel it, a line has been crossed and their panicked faces fueled his battle lust even more. Like breaking noobs on the starting towns, he thought with concealed glee, with one of the 20 World Items they sought appearing before him on its own. He could not hope to control his surging emotions, suffusing power to his gauntlets and willing one of his most flashiest spells in his mind, if they can survive this hell he was about to put them through then he would need to spare them then.

For now at least.

Grinning inside his mask as he saw the Black Scripture members realizing that a large spell would hit them began scrambling for protection, but it was too late. "[Fulgur Malum]"

The stars vanished as dark clouds filled the sky, a sudden gust of wind electrified the air as the heavens opened up and a great flash of light exploded in front of their eyes. Like a flashbang grenade blowing in front of them, it was followed by an ear-shattering boom as the heavens rained lightning bolts upon them. Plasma rained indiscriminately from the sky as the Captain saw Morgiana and Necro combining their powers and shielding Lady Kaire, Chanter and Astrologer underneath them, but the strain was beginning to show as their magical shield began showing hairline cracks that are beginning to expand. Barbro's axe was struck squarely by a plasma bolt that effectively burned his arm and electrocuted him severely. The bolt crossed from the axe towards his body as his upper chest was just blown away in a blink of an eye. He saw the large man shove Lancer away from him as he took the full brunt of the lightning bolt, his death came within seconds. The Captain tried to move but felt his body was numb, pain wracked through his body as the world exploded around him. He forced his eyes open as he saw the Fallen Angel calmly walking towards Lady Kaire.

With monumental effort he tried propping himself up with his spear, but his knees was so weak and numb it shook as weight was put on them. His eyes held hope as Beaumarchais stood in defiance as he spun his weapon around him like a protective barrier. Sammael simply raised his finger and the whirling chain spun and latched onto his gauntlets. Grabbing the chains in his grip, he pulled the iron chain hard and brought the fighter towards him. As he was flung forward, the human's eyes grew wide as a large fist connected with his hurtling face. Darkness as his skull caved in and blood poured out of his nose and mouth while his teeth trickled down to the ground. His weapon clanking useless beside him as Sammael stepped over his broken and lifeless body.

Morgiana moved next and gathered dark magic into the palm of her hand, she rode her crystal ball skillfully as she charged the Fallen that was approaching them.

"You are a very brave woman," the dark magic orb collided pointblank on his chest, but it also dissipated as Sammael grabbed her by the neck and said, "[Glacia Magica]"

Morgiana dropped down on the ground like a sack of potatoes as her magic was taken from her. It was a spell that was designed to debilitate even the most powerful magic casters by casting their connection to their magic and freezing that link. Weakening and shocking their senses into inaction, a spell that would not be effective if the enemy had no sense of magic whatsoever. For a person like Morgiana though, who was born with innate magical talent honed by years of training under the Theocracy. It was like a temporary death sentence that shocked her spirit to the core. Necro their other spellcaster casts a billowing cloud of smoke and vanished into the night, sensing the danger, he dared not attack without making sure that Morgiana's fate was not his own as well.

With a wave of his hand, a magical force flung Divine Chanter away from the sobbing Thousand League Astrologer and the weakened Lady Kaire. Their enemy was upon their support group and none of his front liners seemed to be able to stop or delay his hellish advance.

"[Time Stop]"

"Yes," hope is rekindled as he saw the Fallen Angel momentarily stop as the 2nd in Command of the Scripture codenamed 'Time Turbulence' casts his time magic and engulfed their enemy in his time field.

"[Chronos]"

In a blink of an eye, he saw the 2nd Seat's head vanish from the shoulders as the effect of his friend's magic also vanished from view. The lifeless body of Time Turbulence dropped to the ground as his head soon followed. The Fallen Angel now carried a very long blade that was strapped on his back waist a while ago, then it was suddenly in his hand and his proverbial 2nd in command dead at its feet. Their last line of defense has fallen while he still struggled to step towards the now cowering Lady Kaire. Firmly taking a grip on her upper arm, the diminutive woman's eye was full of hate as the exertion of using the God's Item was too much for her already advanced age. His lower body still trembling, he struggled and crawled his way towards them. His near deafness and inherent numbness in his body indicate that he was struck by one of the lightning bolts that miraculously did not kill him.

Through the haze of anger and frustration, the Captain clearly heard the voice of the Fallen Angel. A somewhat melodious voice quite unlike the timbre he had used to address or intimidate them before.

"You wield a power that is not yours Lady Kaire, do you even know who I am?"

"You know nothing about the compassion of the 6 Gods, Fallen One," the old woman actually sneered at him in defiance, "Did they perhaps threw you out of their sight that you now sought their presence?"

"You are blind Lady Kaire, blindly devoted to these so-called Gods that have sought refuge in your world- but do not fear, it is not their presence that I crave. It is the tools that have been taken from us that I will rightfully reclaim, starting with the 'Downfall of Castle and Country'."

Shocked, the clear defiance on her voice actually wavered, "You will not take the God's Item, I will not let you!"

Sammael gave a deep laugh, "As if your laughable attempts to damage me can actually do something to stop me. No, I will give you something before you join your Gods in oblivion. Having walked the same plane of existence as Surshana, I hope the knowledge that your revered God of Death was a weakling and only escaped my notice for he was simply too weak for me to waste my time on. I trust this knowledge brings comfort to your travels to the void."

The Captain and Kaire both stared at him with unmasked disbelief, "Are you a GOD!?"

"If your perception of Gods is the fabled 6, then you can consider me a God," the Fallen gave a mocking grin and said, "I am the Warmaster of Gods and you good puppet of the 6 will not see my ascension in this world."

"You lie!"

The Fallen gave a small laugh and held Kaire's head on his large hand, the old woman felt it, the power suffusing the hand that held her head in its deadly grip. Surely he would not draw it out-

"[Fulmine Incussus]"

A soundless scream as Kaire opened her mouth as she felt currents of electricity coursing through every fiber of her being. Blood gushed out of her eyes as he literally cooked her with live lightning in between his hands. Arcs of plasma erupted from her body as she died with 300,000 volt electricity coursing through her. He lets go of her dried up corpse as the Captain groaned in despair, what was he supposed to do now?

"Damn it!" he exclaimed, everything in this operation has fallen apart already.

Not giving up, he looked around and assessed their situation now. Lancer retreated to where Divine Chanter was flung to and was currently securing her. Cedran had bled out already from his wounds, Barbro was slain by a lightning bolt, Beaumarchais head was caved in, while Time Turbulence was decapitated. Shit, not only would great power be expended in reviving the Scripture Members the process of revival would indubitably weaken them as well. Retreat was the only option, but how can they do that when their enemy would not give them any leeway at all. Morgiana was gasping for breathe as Chanter made her way towards her. Their fighter/assassin codenamed 'Heaven and Earth' was nowhere to be found-

"Raizen! Raizen where are you?"

"O-over here... C-captain," turning towards the sound of his voice, he found a body not lying too far from him. He was unmoving but he saw him trying to lift his hand so he can be seen considering the low light and his choice of uniform being all black. Crawling towards his fallen subordinate, he winced as he saw the extent of damage on his body. His lower body was cauterized and his leather armor was both singed and was sticking to his already exposed skin. He noticed that Raizen was gritting his teeth, the pain was simply excruciating at this point.

"Can you move?"

The prone man shook his head, "I can barely hold off the pain Captain and I can't feel my legs and my right arm right now. I'm pretty much useless right now boss-"

"I can't see Necro," the Captain clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Damnation! He's heading for Chanter and Chaldea, I must move-"

"Captain, wait!" a blonde man crawled towards him, it was Quintia their beast tamer and Clementine's more sane sibling, his left elbow was sticking in an odd angle as he grunted in pain at his approach, "Captain, permission to release the Albino Dragon Lord- I would like to wait until we reach our objective, but with this enemy in front of us, I don't have any choice left."

"Release your servants," the man pounded the ground in irritation, "Do it!"

The blonde man took a seat on the ground as Lancer began engaging the now laughing Fallen Angel. It looked like it was amused at the human's attempt to protect the 2 women. While he was busy, Quintia took out an extra large canister that acts like a pocket dimension and began unlatching the seals on it. As soon as he opened the top cover, a bright light erupted from inside it and a large dragon broke loose out of its containment. White scaled and powerful, the dragon stretched its wings and set forth a roar towards the heavens. The dragon stood as tall as the Skeletal Dragon that Momonga fought in E-Rantel, its red albino eyes radiated power and intelligence, rows of teeth as long as short swords lined its maw and its scales was as thick as three armored plates binded together.

The roar of the dragon caught the Fallen one's attention as Lancer leapt up and aimed for the exposed head of their enemy.

Unfortunately, battle awareness was one of the best traits of Sammael as he smacked the human away with one of his outstretched wings. The human warrior was flung away towards another hill as the Angel opened its arms and declared.

"Come mindless beast! Come and embrace oblivion!"

The dragon roared in assertion and inhaled a large amount of breath and mana, the Captain grabbed Quintia on the shoulder and almost screamed.

"Stop it Quintia! It's breathe would hit Chaldea and Chanter!"

"I'm trying Captain, the damage on me has weakened my hold on it," the man winced in concentration as he tried to exert his will, but it was all for naught. The Dragon Lord that was enslaved embraced its insanity as it tasted freedom once more, a proud and noble race, a dragon cannot be easily cowed in submission, either by force or willingly, it rankled on their very being to be shackled. As such, on the first instance of its freedom, the euphoria of being free fueled its rage as it rampaged against anything and everything.

Its breathe reached its zenith as white energy condensed in full inside its body, it aimed towards the Fallen and opened its gaping maw.

"Holy Dragons Roar!"

A beam of bright light engulfed a cone shaped area of 1 kilometer as the Albino Dragon Lord poured out all its inherent mana, strength and rage at the attack. The force of wind swept through the clearing where they were as the members of the Black Scripture dove for cover. The spell engulfed everything inside the casted area as the Captain stood up and despaired as Divine Chanter and Chaldea was engulfed in blinding light as well. But something made them all stop breathing, they could all hear laughter. A loud boisterous laughter of pure elation coming from the Angel that is currently engulfed by the cleansing light of the Holy Dragon's Roar.

"Ahahahaha! This is great! A real live dragon, not an undead one, but a real live one!" the Fallen exclaimed, "I shall show you the courtesy of entertainment as well!"

A moment of silence suddenly descended on them as Sammael spreads his wings in full and a bright flash erupted from his eyes, "Castigo tuum corpus [CRUCEM MAGNAM]"

In a blink of an eye, a large pillar of light exploded in front of him and engulfing the Albino Dragon Lord and anything within a large radius. The force of the blast threw the remaining members of the Black Scriptures further away, but the heat wave singed their hairs and gave them sunburns on their exposed skin. The Captain, Raizen and Quintia were flung away while Lancer managed to grab the lethargic Morgiana and secure her behind a large boulder. Necro who was forced out of the shadows also took refuge behind some boulders as he looked up at the towering pillar in front of them. The spell invoked a pillar of light so large it could be seen miles away, as far as E-Rantel where all could see was a large white cross of pure energy. The roar of the blast was deafening and the earth shook as if it was the end of days.

Necro shivered from the thought that perhaps, just perhaps, they were dealing with a servant of the Gods. For no human or product summoned by humanity could ever hope accomplish such a spell in a single thought.

Divine Chanter looked in front of her and saw that the Angel had acted as a shield that blocked the dragon's attack and protected Chaldea from the dragon's and his own spell. From behind, she could see the halo which is a symbol of him being an Angel, yet the bright light of the energy cross seemed to give the halo a burning aura. Shivering in fright as the Fallen turned towards them and met his gaze. Finally, she could discern the aura that enveloped this monstrous being. And in that vision the question began, there was darkness and light mixed together. A perfect combination where the darkness swirled in his soul, but the light kept its flame of goodness alight. Chaldea, the Thousand League Astrologer looked up at Sammael blankly as he approached her and picked her up bridal style and said.

"You remind me of the Old World where we come from," her eyes were focused on his as he held her close to him, "Hence forth you shall be mine, Thousand Leagues Astrologer~."

Bloodied and broken, a mass of limbs involving the Captain, Quintia, and Raizen groaned and shakily propped themselves on their elbows. The leader of the Scripture looked up as a large energy cross where the dragon once stood stretched high into the sky. A circle of clouds was illuminated by the cross as it shoved the dark condesations in the night sky. The man gritted his teeth in frustration, they were the pinnacle of the might of humanity today, they stood unrivaled on the cusp of power. The 13 Heroes were the only sky that they could fathom, but then this Fallen Angel appears and easily puts them in their place.

Was this punishment from the 6 Gods?

As the pillar of light finally dissipated, there were two smaller pillars of light that suddenly appeared and two additional Angels came forth. A full black plate armored Angel and silver armor with red trimmings on them approached the Fallen and bowed low towards him. The former carried a large scythe, while the latter carried a staff that glowed with starlight. The Fallen then gestured towards Kaire's corpse with the God's Item, then towards Divine Chanter, then to Barbro, Beaumarchais and finally Time-Turbulence. A coldness gripped his stomach as he realized why he was gesturing towards his fallen comrades. Without a body to resurrect, the members of the Scripture would remain dead and they would be crippled even more. Not to mention the loss of Chaldea and Chanter would be too much for their Theocracy since their intelligence gathering would suffer greatly from it.

He was capturing them.

"This cannot stand!" the Captain grits his teeth, pushing through the pain and numbness he staggered on his feet. There were numerous [Gate] spells being opened left and right and red robed personnel began filing out. Approaching and taking the discarded weapons by his colleagues. Even Chanter screamed as she crawled away from the approaching red hooded men, Chaldea was handed off to one of the hooded men who bowed respectfully towards the Fallen and raced through the portal as one by one they picked up everyone's corpse systematically.

With anger and hate coursing through his mind, he took out a small vial of red potion and gulped the contents in one go. His body immediately felt re-invigorated while the various pain and numbness all over his body vanished. With his vitality and strength restored, he activated the martial art that he inherited from his ancestors. Feeling his body constricting with the pressure, he willed his innate power forth to slay their enemy. A dark energy began suffusing his body as he activated a battle state that only of the Six Gods was able to use properly, it was declared too dangerous to use in an extended period of time as it releases the limits on a human body. Regardless, their situation is more than dire and their defeat now could only spell a weakening on the forces of the Theocracy and eternal shame on their family name. Feeling his muscles grew taut and his perception heightened, he began to invoke the words that would bring him beyond humanity.

"Let this be the hour, that our souls soar in fire [Heavenly Blessings]

A powerful and malevolent aura poured out of his being as he gripped his legendary weapon. Every step he took seemed to shake the earth and his perception was heightened by the spell. He also activated his most powerful Martial Arts that was designed to transcend beyond what a human is capable of.

"Activate Martial Arts: [Art of Fierceness], [Intense Spear], [Transcendent]"

The Captain then turned to the Fallen Angel as his eyes was filled with the sight of his target. He broke into a run as he charged his enemy with fury and unbridled hate. Sammael turned towards him as he jumped into the air and said, "You should know when to accept defeat-"

"[Prima Enervis]"

Shocked and stunned as the Captain suddenly lost his momentum and flopped down on the ground in front of the Fallen Angel. Propping himself on his shaking arms, his spear lay discarded on the side, his body shook from the effort of making him sit as if he was a newborn baby again, unable to lie on its back, helpless and feeble.

"What did you do to me?!" his eyes was full of anger and loathing as Sammael approached him and bent down as he was looked upon like a piece of curiosity.

The two other Angels approached on each side as he could hear small laughter inside their helms.

"You will pay for this foolish angel, the Theocracy will not yield!"

"He is feisty My Lord-" the black armored one with the large scythe suddenly unhooked his weapon and raised it easily above his head, "-and disrespectful. May I kill him?"

Sammael gave a small amused laugh and said to the human, "You should know that you are defeated. I do not wish upon death on you so lightly."

Leliel took the cue and secured his large weapon once more, the other Angel that carried the glowing staff said, "He seemed competent my Lord... although comparatively weak to us, they are fairly powerful for the denizens of this New World."

Their exchange did not fell on deaf ears, the Captain was trying mightily to stand up, but his body would not obey him. His strength, fortitude and power were all beyond humanity now yet he could not even lift his head to look at these bastards. Not even his legs wanted to move, it was like a great weight was upon his body, but he know there was nothing pressing down on him right now.

"What do you WANT!?"

Sammael smiled at that, "Will you willingly give it?"

"An enemy of humanity does not deserve such respite, just kill me now and be done with it."

"And spare you the emotions of having your precious Theocracy implode and remade anew?" the Fallen grinned behind the mask, "No, you will live Captain Titus of the Black Scripture, you will live and despair in the thought that none of your False Gods can save you. Their flags would make a fine addition to my spoils of war and you good puppet, if you be worthy, will definitely see them in the future."

"YOU LIE!" shocked and shaking in denial, Captain Titus gritted his teeth and spat the words at the Fallen who gave another small laugh as it stood up and began to walk away from him.

"I shall leave you now Captain Titus," the shaking of his limbs relaxed somewhat as he felt his strength coming back to him, he looked up at the retreating Angels and found their backs turned from him. He gathered his weapon and was about to launch himself towards them when Sammael turned back to him, "But I will leave you a reminder, that you have been at my mercy ever since the beginning of the battle."

Captain Titus knelt once more as he propped himself on his spear, Lord Sammael has unleashed all his passive auras and it was enough to kill a normal human being. But the items and protection imbued with the Theocracy Captain delayed his end, to be in the presence of such overwhelming power and force, his lungs felt like the very air was burning, and his muscles felt the surrounding area electrify. A nagging pain on his head threatened to explode as he saw the Fallen take off its mask and began walking towards him. Every step it took brought a fresh wave of oppression as the strength of this monster could not be denied. Not even a Dragon Lord could have exuded such an aura of fierceness and violence. It felt like the heat from his aura was starting to burn his skin and razor winds cutting through him, peppering his body with cuts as thin as paper. The clawed gauntlet was reaching out for him this time to probably finish him off when-

Necro appeared with his most powerful nullification defense shimmering as it cracked with the pressure of a Supreme Being's power barreling down on them. He raised his staff as he grabbed Captain Titus in the shoulders, "Forth to the bosom of the abyss! 5th tier magic [Darkness]"

Dark billowing clouds exploded from the dark sorcerer as Sammael and the 2 Angels with him were suddenly engulfed in a billowing cloud of blackness that the naked eye could not hope to penetrate. The momentary distraction gave them all the leeway they needed, Morgiana [Blink] near Quintia and Raizen, while Necro grabbed the Captain and they teleported away from them, Lancer also took note of the distraction and carried off Divine Chanter away to safety. Unfortunately, the Angels are unaffected by such distractions and it only drew the ire of both Leliel and Zadkiel. Opening both of their wings wide, the black armored Angel vanished in motion as he unslung his scythe, "INSOLENT-"

"-CURS!" in a split second, Necro and Titus both saw a large scythe coming down at them as they tried to escape. They have gone quite the distance, but the Angel managed to get ahead of them to end both of their lives.

Suddenly, the scythe harmlessly passed over their heads as the Angel stopped moving to let them pass.

"We have what we need, let them go," the voice of the Fallen compelled the Angel to obey. Though they were grateful for the respite, both Titus and Necro knew that they would not have survived that swing if their enemy had desired to kill them outright.

As the members of the Black Scripture flee with their broken bodies, Leliel reappeared near Sammael as their only live prisoner Chaldea, was being handed off to Zadkiel who immediately teleported back to the Battle Barge as per the Warmaster's orders. Shalltear who was standing a hundred meters away appeared beside him at once and pirouetted gracefully near him while Sammael casts [Gate] in front of them. He then turned towards the 2 NPCs with him and enthusiastically asked, "What did you guys think of the humans who fought me?"

"To think you would give them a handicap," the World Item 'Seimei Umbrella' was folded as her eyes glittered in the moonlight, "You are so benevolent Warmaster even to such insignificant beings such as humans."

"It is as Lady Shalltear says," Leliel affirmed, "And let us not forget, merciful as well. I was so close in harvesting them, but you chose to spare them my Lord."

"Of course, we need to make them understand that their superiority and faith are both misplaced. They will know that peace is a delusion and merely a prelude to the next battle," Sammael then turned to the sky and reached out to the Stellarum Nex.

[Message}

"Ramiel, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear my Lord."

"I require fire mission, Vengeance and Retribution batteries, fire for effect on my mark."

"Copy that, awaiting coordinates my Lord."

"Two salvos, high explosive and incendiary on coordinates Dog One and Two, height 600, elevation 0-5-0, tilt angle at 25 degrees my reckoning."

A few moments of silence and then, "Target reference confirmed: Dog One and Two, height 600, elevation 0-5-0, tilt angle at 25 degrees your reckoning confirmed. Warmaster be advised, that is danger close. I repeat, danger close."

"That is noted, prepare to fire on my MARK."

On the deck of the Stellarum Nex, 30,000 feet and above the cloud cover, the 3 barrels of 9x48cm guns raised to their intended target as the 3 batteries all responded in unison. The servitors and Skitarii that is handling the guns attuned and directed their cannons to the correct coordinates. Shells that weighed 2,700 - 3,000 pounds infused with 8th-Tier explosive magic were poised at the ready as they chambered the rounds with precision while the Magos acting as battery commander waited for the signal to fire.

Back on the ground, the Warmaster urged the 2 NPCs to step through the [Gate] he had conjured and looked at the fleeing Scripture members from afar.

"Stellarum Nex- fire at will."

He stepped through the opened [Gate] as numerous whistling sounds could be heard descending on their general area. As soon as the teleportation spell is dispelled, the first salvo of shells arrived and exploded with such violent force. Not too far from them, Captain Titus who had Raizen's arm over his shoulder looked back in horror as the salvo of explosions seemed to come nearer and nearer. It was impossible not to feel everything as each and every explosion seemed to shake the earth itself and the sounds vibrated through his bones and ears. Raizen was still delirious with the pain as Necro and Quintia, who was nursing his broken arm ran beside him, while Lancer carried Chanter who had twisted her ankle were already far ahead. A whistling sound whooshed past their heads and they saw an object hit the ground and stand upright 10 meters away. It was a semi-cylindrical object that is dark green and grey in color. There was no warning when a bright flash of light and a concussive wave struck them all, fortunately, Morgiana was nestled in between the four of them so she had the presence of mind to cast at least a protection spell. The explosion tore through them as the blast wave threw them in all directions, the defensive spell easily ruptured after absorbing most of the explosion but the concussive wave knocked them all out of commission.

And then there was darkness.

.

.

To be continued...

.

.

Chaldea opened her eyes as she swatted away her brown locks that managed to obscure her vision. The rays of the sun bathed her in a gentle shine as she woke up from her deep slumber. She looked up and found an unfamiliar ceiling above her as confusion flooded her. This wasn't her room at the main cathedral of Kami Miyako and the last thoughts she had was-

Sitting up right in the large and comfy bed, she looked around and found her panoply on a side table beside her. Sighing in relief that she was still on her uniform, she then stepped out of the bed and grabbed her glasses and her scrying ribbon. The head accessory was actually a powerful amplifier of her psychic gifts and would no doubt allow her to know where she is-

Another surprise gripped her as she realized that her 'ethereal sight' was blind.

She could not pinpoint where she was exactly on their continent. Fear and dread gnawed at her even more as she recalled the power of the Fallen Angel that subjugated the most prominent fighting force of the Theocracy barring Zesshi of course. Perhaps, she had better ascertain where she was right now as she looked around and found a door. Heading towards the door, a soft wind made her turn towards the veranda that was curiously open without any guards at all. Curiosity got the best of her as she abandoned the door and stepped out of the open terrace.

The Thousand League Astrologer gasped at the unfathomable sight in front of her, she shook her head as her orange tinted eyes saw a sea of clouds around her. Stepping out to the balcony, she saw that she was on top of a large building overlooking a sprawling garden that looked higher than the Azerlisia Mountains.

"H-how is this possible?"

"You are in my home, of course, it is possible."

She turned so fast Chaldea momentarily forgot the danger as she tried to draw something from her bag, but it was nowhere to be found.

"I do apologize, your war gear was not weak in any sense, just annoying to deal with and would make life difficult for both you and me," the Angel they fought approached her confidently without any weapon with him, "Especially since I just want to talk. I did let you keep your 'Schoolgirl Set' and of course the 'Oracle's Bandana' although it would be useless since as I have said, you are inside my domain."

She looked down at her uniform and belatedly realized she was talking about the sacred garments that came from the Gods, "T-this is not a mere School girl set! This is an armor set that came from the 6 Gods, how dare you mock them? Considering your fall from grace, I would not be so surprised."

The Fallen gave a small laugh and said, "I do not mock you my Lady, that is a 'cosmetic set' that you magically put on top of your armor. I believe it has some defensive attributes and bonus to stats, but compared to an Ancient-class item, what your wearing is merely paper."

"Forgive me though, where are my manners," the Angel removed his skull mask as his black hair cascaded down to frame his face, "I am called Sammael, Warmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown and as you can see-" he spreads his white inverted wings, "-I am a Fallen Angel, by choice and by fate. Care to tell me your name my Lady?"

The brown haired girl looked at him suspiciously first as she said, "My name is Chaldea, the Thousand Leagues Astrologer, I am the 7th Seat of the Black Scripture and if you know what is good for you, you will let me go."

Sammael looked amused at her bluster as he asked, "Why? Why would it not do me good to not release you?"

"Because my brethren will be looking for me and the full might of the Theocracy would indubitably find me here-"

"-if you don't even know where you are, then I doubt the Theocracy would be able to find you," the Fallen approached her and gestured towards the sea of clouds, "As you can see, we are beyond their reach-"

She felt him suffuse power on his armored hand as the sea of cloud parted away miraculously. Her eyes bulged out and her jaw threatened to drop as she saw where they were currently located at.

'WE'RE IN THE SKY!?'

Grabbing the railings for support, Chaldea didn't hear him snap his fingers and suddenly her 'ethereal eyes' could see where she was.

'I'm above the Northern Walled city of the Theocracy!'

"As you no doubt already now know, I have lifted my powers from covering your eyes. You can see where you are, but your Masters cannot see you."

Disbelief and frustration flooded her as she asked with unconcealed frustration, "Why!? Why are you keeping me here? What do you need from me?"

Sammael gave another smile and said with finality, "You remind me of the Old World, a world that we initially came from. A world far removed and definitely more hellish than this place."

He stepped away from her headed for the door, "Plus, didn't I say you were already mine? Come Chaldea, I will venture a guess that you are hungry."

"I-I am not!" her traitorous body then growled as she remembered the last time they ate was before they crossed the borders of the Re-Estize Kingdom, 'Damn it!'

Gritting her teeth in irritation and embarrassment she followed him obediently as she focused her mind sight on Sammael. Almost choking at the amount he was exuding, which was considerably lesser than what he unleashed against them, she stayed silent as they got inside a small cupboard room as the door closed automatically. The sound of grinding gears could be heard as she felt herself get lighter as the room moved towards the lower floors. As they neared the lower floors, she could faintly hear the sound of angelic voices and an unfamiliar sound from an instrument that she never head before.

The two doors opened wide as the Fallen strode confidently forwards and into the main hall, her eyes widened as they came upon the center nave of the church. The great arched domes and porticoes showcased artwork that greatly overshadowed the ones painted on the city of Kami Miyako. They depicted great images of saints, angels of the Old World, scenes of war and destruction, including the 'Last Supper'. Chaldea looked in awe as each and every piece of object she saw was a thing of beauty. But what caught her surprise was the red-robed choir singing a haunting tune that was accompanied by numerous instruments.

"It's a pipe organ," Sammael quipped, "The one in the middle hunched over that large table, he presses those white and black things called 'keys' and that will release air that blows through the pipes."

"L-like a big flute?" she asked mystified.

"Y-yes, same principle actually. They are practicing their faith, they are offering their voices as a sign of devotion, to let them focus, to help them work as a team or a unit."

"Faith?" the voices from the red hooded people were simply angelic, men and women's voices mix into an ethereal tune that seemed to infuse her with faith that she find it hard to suppress the surging of emotions through her, "They show their devotion and faith to the 6 Gods by singing such a melody?"

"Not the 6 Gods, the song is called 'Requiem of the Gods' and they sing it whenever I go back victoriously from battle."

Chaldea then felt it, each and everyone of these hooded persons are combatants and their strength is above and beyond the normal night. It was not evident before due to their hoods, but they were all armed with a menagerie of weapons they kept with them. If these men can show such devotion to one person, then is it truly possible?

"Are you a God?"

Sammael chuckled as she beckoned for her to leave, "Come, the food will get cold I shall answer your questions later."

Making their way outside, both the Fallen Angel and the Thousand League Astrologer headed to the gazebo as she looked at the sprawling garden in front of her.

"Let me tell you something about your Gods and the world we came from called Yggdrasil.~"

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Author's note:

More than 10,000 words? God, I need to stop doing this! The chapters are TOO LONG! Anyway, some translations for you.

Heavenly Push - [Dis Caelesti] (5th Tier spell, throw all surrounding enemies away, ignores immovable skill)

Lightning Assault - [Fulgur Impetum] (5th Tier Spell that attacks all enemies in a straight line, immune while assaulting and fires off a lightning nova or critical enemy hit upon landing)

Heaven's Pull [Astrum Trahere] infuse target with gravity, reducing movement speed and attracts movable objects. Slight chance to encase enemy in a gravity well.

Lightning Calamity - [Fulgur Malum] (6th Tier spell, charges the area with electricity, random bolts of plasma cuts through everything.)

Lightning Dance - [Fulgur Salto] 6th Tier spell, launches lightning bolt in the sky and splits it into innumerable smaller bolts.

Mana Freeze [Glacia Magica] 7th Tier spell, freezes all mana agitation. Debilitates and stuns spell-casters.

Lightning Prison [Fulmine Incussus] 5th tier spell, encases enemy in a lightning arc. Continuous damage and debuff.

Grand Cross - [Crucem Magnam] (an 8th Tier spell that obliterates everything in a 500 meter radius. A white cross of pure white energy erupts from the sky)

Curse of Execration - [Prima Enervis] (6th Tier spell, restricts movement for single target)

Additionally, Chaldea is Astrologer in Latin. Just thought you boys might want to know.

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ADDITIONAL AUTHOR NOTES: I needed to rewrite the last scene with the Thousand League Astrologer, it was not made clear before who her identity was, but recent light novels and material made it somewhat clear and identified her as such.