How Overlord Might Actually End
So when reading fanfiction, it can sometimes become hard to remember what is canon and what lore is just theorized by the fans. Especially when you, like I have, haven't read the original source material(the light novels in this case) in a long time. And today I woke up and realized that in canon, we haven't even gone to the elf kingdom yet! The canon story is nowhere near finished, despite the many imaginative endings this community has created. This fic is a transcription of the most reasonable endings that I think might actually happen(looking at you god rising AU)
Because of the nature of what I am writing, I have no direct inspiration, but the community in general was my inspiration.
In the ruins of a destroyed capital, where billowing smoke rose in waves and destruction reigned for as far as the eye could see. In a nation so powerful as to be incomprehensible to the general population, only known to exist by a selected few and yet, incongruble, completely demolished in but a few hours. Amidst the death, the mystery, and the despair in the air, overlooking the once lustrous city, stood a specter of death or perhaps The specter of death. If any witnesses still lived, they would have seen the avatar stop and ponder something, as if the terrible destruction bothered it not, excited it not. But alas, not a beast stirred in the beaten carcase of the metropolis.
Ainz stood over the last country on the continent, stopping for a moment to reflect on what had happened. Of course he was not alone, he was never alone, especially after the incident with the dragon lords. But they were dealt with, as all were. He never had truly stopped to think, he had taken breaks before but he preferred to not think during those, and when he was on the job it was best to let his intuition guide him and focus on small manageable problems. Standing over the ruins however, forced him to stop for a moment though, not because of the destruction - such things had ceased to faze him and he had seen worse during his conquests - but because of the achievement it represented. With this, the final bastion of the new world had fallen; the world, as the guardians insisted was right, was finally his.
Ending 1( the most unreasonable, but also the coolest)
Secretly however Ainz had his doubts. When he first arrived, he had compared the power of the new worlders comparable to that of a beginning area or level(I have no clue if this is canon or from some random fic). As Nazarick had started to expand outwards, they relative power level of the natives slowly increased. Of course, they were still weak and had poor equipment - but everything was in the face of Nazaricks inevitable supremacy - the difference came mostly down to species. Nations of civilized demi-humans, giants, dark elves, and fairies became common, and given their species they were naturally stronger despite being around the same level. Naturally the average level also rose, but none even approached the power of a level 70 player.
As he pondered this, he felt compelled to explore the world beyond the sea. Using his own world as an example, he knew it wasn't unlikely for there to be another continent or maybe this continent was the smaller one or any other of many scenarios. Unbeknownst to him, truthfully he wouldn have no way of knowing, but the same scenario was happening all over the world. The world, or more accurately map, for it did not exist naturally, looked to be a mix of battle royal and strategy. In the center there was a continent, more akin to a supercontinent, but it surpassed even the largest of those. Surrounding the supercontinent stood multiple smaller islands/continents, spread far enough to ensure they would not contact each other first. Across all of these smaller islands, a similar scene was happening, where various players had finished their conquests and had started exploring the sea.
Each player was different but also the same, and while their individual circumstances differed, broadly they started with the same continent. Each continent had been battered by previous players to create an ideal environment for each to learn to control their mantal. Each player was the last of their guild, each fiercely devoted and with no human connections. But each was their own person with their own traits and values, it was truly an experiment of gods.
Ending kinda sucke, but it is dope to think about. Def not gonna happen but a guy can dream.
Ending 2 (kinda a cop out)
As he pondered this, he came to the conclusion that he was not Suzuki but well and truly Ainz. As if everything had been in a fog before, it all snapped into focus with a finality that suggested this was how it was meant to be. He was created the moment yggdrasil ended, he had not existed before but was born of the deepest desires of a dying man. From that desire this world had sprung forth and so too had he. He knows not if he had died, but his soul would no doubt have. He was created to be Suzuki, but not the one who existed on Earth. He was Suzuki from the game, He was Momonga and all that entailed. From his seemingly effortless management of the guild(from the perspective of his guildmates) to his constant imposter syndrome, he was everything Momonga was.
In another universe, where wishes don't come true, and the greed of corporations have turned the once haven of life into a crusher of souls, was a man. He was an ordinary man, but he, like any other human, still had his passions. But in this world passions didn't last long. As the final credits of yggdrasil played and he was logged out, he couldn't help but relive the images that had flashed through his head. They were nonsensical, things that clearly hadn't happened but he knew had, such as his avatar reigning over a city and then a nation which soon became an empire. Him walking through the halls of Nazarick with the company of the NPCs, then exploring unknown lands with those same NPCs. He knew not what to make of it, perhaps it was his brains last ditch effort to combat his grief, perhaps his way of expressing his deepest desires, to be surrounded by the only things that mattered to him. Whatever the case, when he inevitably passed a few years later - living a surprisingly long life for a salary man - he left with little fanfare. He was the last living member of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Crap that made me sad. I also accept this as a dream sequence, mostly cause I don't want to write one specifically for "it was just a dream". That wouldn't be much different than this anyway.
Ending 3 (All 41 Supreme Beings come for the rave)
Ponder was something Ainz did a lot of. It would not do for an immortal being who couldn't forget anything to leave any regrets, especially with the mortals who died so fast. After they had finished the conquering of the main continent, the speed of their expansion slowed. As Demiurge explained later, he only had moved so fast to get an upper-hand if their opponents had recently arrived. Even if their opponents were already established, their most dangerous enemies would likely be immortal and accustomed to slow and well thought out strategies that took years to implement. But now that they had eliminated any current threats, they had no reason to go fast and risk making mistakes. Of course, he hadn't found this out till much later when Demiurge was recounting the events to some newer and younger members of the government.
After much pondering, Ainz had accepted his role as the God of the new world. Perhaps it was due to his human psyche warping due to the effects of time or maybe it was inevitable that he would soon be worn down by his subordinates. Even that too in time became natural to him. After establishing a control over the whole nation, Ainz had pondered enough to come up with an end goal. All that remained was to pitch it to the NPCs, a task that would have daunted him earlier but no more. As they say, practice makes perfect. Ainz simply gathered his guardians and apologised for not realising that they didn't know his plan. He knew that despite his best efforts, the NPCs were at their happiest when serving and that they believed he shouldn't have to do anything. They would carry out his will while he stood atop and watched at his pleasure. Ainz simply outlined a final goal and made it a challenge to Nazarick to complete the goal while entertaining him. "Think of it as a Final Exam" were his exact words.
The goal he outlined was a unified continent under one banner, a powerful but fair government. The challenge was that Nazarick would remove itself from the world, after of course implementing worship of the Supreme Ones. Of course, the government would be akin to a puppet state, but no one short of a genius among geniuses would be able to detect Nazarick. Nazarick had simply become a holy force and any intervention seen to be an act of god. Interentino was rare though, Nazarick was adept at making people do what they wanted, although religious fanatics needed not much prodding.
After disappearing, Ainz was content to watch the world and enjoy his new life. The ever more delicate and intricate ploys of Demiurge and Albedo, watching the twins and Shalltear grow(in Shalltear's case only as a person, much to her dismay). Cocytus however had not much to do, even if he would never complain, and Ainz remaining human side required something to busy his mind. Electing to take Cocytus as his guard, he started traveling his realm, a literally god among men, studying new world magic and intricacies of tier magic.
Some time later, whether it was a few years or a century he knew not, Ainz stumbled upon something he himself didn't know he was searching for. Ainz, who at this point was literally a god of magic and intellect, found a way to summon specific player souls and create portals to new realms. Soon thereafter, Nazarick welcomed back its second Supreme Being, followed by 39 more. Now all gods in their own rite, they lorded over reality for eternity.
Once again, I showcase a pension for fizzling out at the end. This became a bit too much for me at the end. It was kinda "OP self insert"/"Male Power Fantasy". It didn't go where I wanted but it kinda ok. I was going for Ainz finds a way to bring back his guildmates. I also accidentally made him into a god so whatevs.
Ending 4 (Super-Omega Timeskip-a-roni)
Millennium later and a utopia had been made. Ainz still sits upon the lonely throne, but having lived through the hell of Earth he knew what was at stake. Without continually improving and working towards perfection, any society would eventually fall backwards. A tyrant, as Demiurges creator(too lazy to look up his name) said, with absolute power is the only way to create a Utopia. How unfortunate it was then that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Except that wasn't the case, there was no such thing in the universes as absolute power. The limits are why it corrupts, weak leaders believing that they needed more to do more. In the end there was no such thing as absolute power and thus no such thing as a Utopia. Then Ainz came into existence. An anomaly in a world of striving, a world where power reached impossible levels. Where players came and decimated, not a doubt of their power, so much so they were worshiped as gods. But they too were defeated or fell to the pains of time. Ainz had no limits, he was the key. Now, many years in the future, the first and only Utopia was created.
Meh, not very time skip, kinda political, but not really. Shut Up.
IM DEAD INSIDE. POST
BTW i have two other stories lined up, and one is the sequel to Time!Ainz
