Hello, everyone. We meet again for the final time.

This story started in December 2017, and now after over three years it is finally going to end. Allow me to express my deepest gratitude to all who have been following, especially those who have worked with me to improve on the story, one way or another. I must admit that a few characters and parts of the story would have been very different without the ideas some of my faithful followers proposed. Would my story have been worse without them? Or actually better? That, I don't know. What I do know is that I like the results I have now, and that was enough for me.

With that out of the way, let's begin our final ride. See you once again in the afterword.


Epilogue


Off in the distance in an unknown location, a human figure with long blond hair, clad in shining emerald-colored armor watched via the [Crystal Monitor] spell as the battle against Dark Falz Double seemed to come to a close, and the figure of Ainz Ooal Gown, his NPCs, and his allies found a moment's respite.

Waving the spell to close and nodding in satisfaction, he folded his arms as he spoke to a dark clad figure that stood dutifully behind him.

"Seems like delaying our departure was unnecessary after all"

The helm of the dark clad figure ejected streams of steam as he replied in a distorted voice.

"Indeed, master. It was quite the surprise that beings from the stars would descend to render aid and succor"

"Yes, that was a first for me too, but a welcomed one. Still, we've delayed our leave long enough. Time for us to depart"

The emerald-clad figure said his words in amusement before telling the dark figure that it was time to leave, to which he nodded as a sign of agreeing.

"Of course, master. But if I may pose a question, why did you introduce yourself with your alias of 'Ishmael' to Lord Momonga's allies?"

There was a moment of silence briefly before the emerald-clad figure, whose true name being Gabriel, sighed.

"Remember our goal, Charon. We are to minimize contact with the locals of other worlds whenever possible while we are on this Odyssey. That also means making sure our names remain anonymous. It would have needlessly complicated things if this world's version of Momonga could have recognized our names"

"Hmm, I understand, master. Although, if I may, if those reinforcements had not arrived when they did, would we have moved to assist Lord Momonga and his allies?"

"..."

There was no answer at first as a gentle breeze of the wind blew through the area. Then Gabriel turned around slightly, and a whimsical smile creased his lips as he walked past Charon, patting him on his right shoulder with his right hand as he continued walking. He then spoke in a relaxed fashion as he did.

"Let's go, Charon. We have our own journey to continue"

"Hmm. By your command, my master"

With that, the dark-clad figure followed behind his charge as they both disappeared from sight, leaving behind one world as they made for another.


[X][X][X]


Sigh...

Pluton Ainzach sighed as he looked at the paperwork stacked on his desk. A week had passed since Ainz Ooal Gown had taken over E-Rantel, and on that same day a grand battle had taken place in the Katze Plains with him alongside his ARKS allies fighting against the culprit of the world-wide Darker attack. The scale of that battle had been simply unimaginable, creating tremors and explosions which had resulted in damage across the city despite the distance. Ainzach shivered imagining what could have happened if the battle had been lost. It had felt as if the end of the world was truly upon him and all of mankind.

Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on the door of Ainzach's office before he could mull over the matter further.

"Come in"

The door opened right after Ainzach spoke, with the one entering being his long time friend and Guildmaster of the Magician's Guild, Theo Rakheshir.

"Pardon me for barging in"

"Well, if it isn't Theo. Take a seat! I could use the break"

Ainzach spoke to Rakheshir in delight. He was indeed tired of the paperworks and having someone to chat with would be a good moment of respite. Hearing Ainzach's words, Rakheshir then walked into the office and sat right across the desk.

"So what brings you here?"

"Nothing, actually. I just got tired of my work and decided that maybe chatting with you could alleviate that somehow"

"Ha! So we're all the same!"

Both Ainzach and Rakheshir laughed briefly, and then Rakheshir asked a question.

"Say, what happened to Ignite Maximus? I haven't heard about them after that hectic day"

Hearing Rakheshir's question, Ainzach let out a little sigh and spoke with a little bit of sadness written over his face.

"They disbanded two days ago"

"What? Why? Did something bad happen to them?"

"It's the opposite, actually. I told you once that Ryu became an Adventurer to earn a living while trying to find a way home, right? Now that he has found his way home, there's no more need to be an Adventurer here. I convinced him and everyone else in the team to keep their Adamantite plates, though. It's only the team that is no more"

"I see. I'm happy for him, although it's a pity to lose such a magnificent team"

"It's not that he's totally gone. His home is one of those flying cities after all, and he still comes back whenever there are Darkers appearing. It's just that when he's around he's less an Adamantite Rank Adventurer, and more an ARKS soldier"

"What about the rest of the members, though?"

"Well, his sister is no question. The twins are basically the same as him, just from a different flying city. Lily now lives with him last I heard. As for Alice, she said that she would continue living in E-Rantel and for that purpose she plans to buy a house"

"A house, eh? With the money the team's earned, she should have no trouble buying a small mansion with her share if she wishes it. Assuming they share it evenly that is"

"Heh, yeah. Anyway, how do you feel living under the rule of Ainz Ooal Gown so far?"

Rakheshir briefly went into thinking after hearing Ainzach's question, and then he gave his answer.

"Surprisingly... normal. No terror, curse, blight, or such. In fact, everything felt more peaceful lately"

"Those knights must have scared criminals off. As for me, the Adventurers got busier because the big battle agitated animals and monsters alike so extermination requests shot up in numbers. There are also requests for more mundane tasks such as debris clean up. In short, I'm overwhelmed"

"Hahaha! Poor you. Need help?"

"Nah, I'll manage. Anyway Theo, what do you think about E-Rantel's future with what you've seen so far?"

Rakheshir once again went into thinking for a brief moment before answering in a somewhat visibly worried face.

"It's hard to tell. I heard that he plans to integrate demihumans into society, and I'm not sure how it will play out. I just hope that I won't get eaten in the near future"

"Yeah, I feel the same. But ARKS should keep us safe. I mean, at least Ryu and his partners don't seem to be the type of people who will let that happen, right? And we still have Momon-kun"

"Momon... I heard that he's willingly working under Ainz now. Are you sure about that?"

"Oh, Theo. If it weren't coming from you I would've been upset. Momon-kun has proven himself more than enough that he's a very good guy who loves this city and the people. I'm willing to believe that he did that for a purpose he wants to keep secret for now. After all, nothing bad has happened like you said, right?"

"You have a point, indeed. Guess we just continue living and see what happens"

"Right"

Ainzach and Rakheshir leaned to their seats and let out a sigh of relief. A new regime had just begun, and they were hopeful that the change would prove to be a good one.


[X][X][X]


The guest rooms within Shining Golden Pavilion where the Adamantite Rank adventurer teams Ignite Maximus and Darkness had used to stay were now empty. The former team had disbanded, and the latter one now stayed somewhere else near the residence Ainz Ooal Gown at the center of the city.

Except that one of the two rooms rented by Ignite Maximus still had two people there. One of them was Alice Vegelshaft, while the other was Janus.

Right now, Alice was packing her things and making sure nothing would be left behind. Janus just watched her while sitting on one of the chairs within the room.

"So, bringing me here, what do you actually want from me?"

Janus asked, to which Alice responded by asking a question without looking at him.

"I want to ask you something. What are you going to do from now on?"

"Huh? Well..."

"Ignite Maximus disbanded because everyone else has achieved each their own goal and there was no more use taking Adventurer jobs for them, and I fully understand that. As for me, I'm still a citizen of E-Rantel at heart even though I'm now an ARKS member too. I've bought a house for myself and I'm going to live in this city for the foreseeable future. What about you?"

Janus couldn't immediately answer. His mission was essentially done with Ainz having been confirmed a Player, and now that Ainz had proven himself to be benevolent to the people there was not much to worry about. He could go back into being an aimless lone wanderer like he has always been if he wanted it.

"I suppose... I'll be wandering alone again like before"

Alice's immediate response was to halt her packing, stand up, and look at Janus in the eyes with a sharp facial expression before speaking.

"Would you live with me... father?"

"Huh? W-Why? I mean, you don't need me anymore. Keeping me around will do nothing but harm to you, especially if they find out-"

"Tsk. Nonsense. This city is now ruled by an undead. What bad things could happen even if everyone knew you're a vampire now?"

"Eh... Well... Dammit. Alright, you have a point. But still, why?"

"You have hurt my feelings by abandoning me. If you have any sliver of regret for that within you, why don't you make up for it by being a proper father for me until I decide to forgive you?"

Alice spoke her words with her arms folded and her facial expression showing nothing but total seriousness. Janus froze up for a second seeing that, and then he let out a sigh.

"It's funny. Not only your face, but your smarts and unwavering determination are also exactly like Alisha's. The only thing that's missing is the hair length"

"I'll grow it out if it can help convincing you"

"Ehh, no need. So... where's this house that you've bought?"

"We'll walk there together after I'm done packing. In the meantime, how about telling me more about this... Alisha?"

Janus couldn't help smiling inside his helmet as Alice went back into packing her things. He also couldn't help feeling delighted seeing how the little baby had grown. After being separated for so many years, Janus was now looking forward to living with her again just like in the distant past, and nothing would disturb them again.


[X][X][X]


The front gate of Carne Village opened, letting a horse-drawn carriage through. The ones on the carriage were all three Foresight team members along with Enri, having returned from selling the village's goods at E-Rantel and also some other purposes. Normally Enri would have some of her goblin warriors accompany her for this trip, but the recent massive disturbance definitely has alerted all the people, making it a bad idea to bring the goblins within the vicinity of the city.

"Thank you for the help, Hekkeran. I don't know what I would've done without your help"

Enri spoke her gratitude to Hekkeran as the carriage was parked.

"No problem, chief. This is the least we could do after you let us reside in your village pretty much for free"

Hekkeran smiled as he spoke his reply, while Imina and Roberdyck nodded in agreement to his words.

"I see no reason not to. After all, this village could always use more capable hands, and you seem to get along with Peter!"

Before Hekkeran replied, his eyes glanced away from Enri and he grinned a little.

"Speak of the devil"

Enri looked in the same direction as Hekkeran, and indeed there was Peter walking to them while waving his right hand. Right beside him was Nfirea who was clearly delighted seeing their return.

"Welcome back, Chief Enri. How did it go?"

Peter spoke right as they got close enough. Enri hopped off from the carriage before replying in a rather cheerful face.

"Everything thankfully went well! We sold out all the stuff we brought!"

"Oh, I'm glad for you, Ch-Enri. Also, welcome back"

Nfirea stuttered his greetings, and he looked visibly embarrassed for it. Seeing it, Enri just smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, which startled him very much.

"I'm home, dear. And thank you"

"Ehh... I..."

Nfirea seemed to freeze up. His face was as red as a beet and one could imagine smokes coming out from his ears. Hekkeran chuckled and then spoke while grinning.

"Rober, we need some healing spells here. Our vice-chief is burning!"

What followed soon after was a hearty laugh by almost everyone present there. Afterwards, they all dispersed to go on with each their own business.

Peter and Hekkeran were walking together near the outskirts of the village. The former was doing his sentry job as assigned by Ainz Ooal Gown even though the village had been perfectly safe ever since their arrival there, while the latter just followed around because they would do their routine sparring workout quite soon.

"Oh yeah. Forgot to ask. Did you get any news from the city? I know Chief Enri will announce it to everyone soon anyway, but I guess I'm too eager to know now"

Peter asked the question while walking, and Hekkeran gave his answer.

"Well, many huge things happened. To start with, E-Rantel no longer belongs to Re-Estize Kingdom. It's been ceded to a newly established kingdom called Guardian Kingdom, and it is now officially the kingdom's capital city"

"Wait, what? Did the King really cede the city that easily?"

"I guess you'd be less surprised if I say that the king of Guardian Kingdom is Ainz Ooal Gown"

"Oh, wow..."

"Also, the disturbance we all felt back then turns out to be a huge battle between Ainz Ooal Gown and a very powerful monster"

"What? Did Ainz-sama win?"

"Hey, if he didn't we wouldn't even be alive now. The monster was just that bad news"

Peter's face didn't hide the feeling of astonishment he had, but before he could give any response to Hekkeran...

"That's right, su~~"

"A-Ah! Lupusregina-san!"

Both Peter and Hekkeran were startled by Lupusregina's sudden appearance from behind. They have experienced this several times and no matter how hard they tried they have never managed to sense her by the slightest.

"Ainz-sama has risked his own well-being for the sake of you humans, su~~. Worship him with all you have, su~~"

Neither Peter nor Hekkeran had any idea how seriously they should take Lupusregina's words, which were spoken in a playful tone and facial expression. But at the very least they knew for a fact that the first half of that speech was right.

"Ah, I guess that goes without saying. That's why I and all my partners are still staying here to this day as instructed"

Peter spoke out, although signs of him being nervous was quite apparent. Hekkeran didn't say anything since his presence in Carne Village was on his own whim to begin with, and the same applied to Imina and Roberdyck. Lupusregina's facial expression showed no change, remaining with the indecipherable playful smile.

"Thaaat's right! Keep that up, su~~"

Poof...

And just like that, Lupusregina disappeared from sight without a trace. Peter and Hekkeran just glanced at each other briefly before the latter broke the silence.

"Well, I guess that's Ainz Ooal Gown for you. Powers simply beyond us mortals could imagine"

"I'm simply thankful that he is benevolent"

Not saying any more words for now, the duo continued their walk around the village outskirts. Not long later, they arrived at the spot where they usually did their workout spars.

"Shall we, Hekkeran-san?"

"Sure. Bring it on"

Peter and Hekkeran then began their usual hand-to-hand spar. Both of them were glad in their own way for having Ainz Ooal Gown in humanity's side, and they were hopeful it would stay that way, at least in their lifetime.


[X][X][X]


Outside the mansion of Rossaur Ratenoir, a number of laborers were in the process of rebuilding the front gate which had been demolished by monsters during the recent attack which had resulted in massive casualties. The attack had happened again about a week later, but thankfully it hadn't taken as many lives, as reinforcements from ARKS had arrived more quickly than the previous.

However, the fact still remained that the Imperial Magic Academy was temporarily closed after suffering two monster attacks, and so Arche had nothing to do for the time being. The weather was currently fair, so she decided to use the mansion's spacious garden to do some magic practice. After all, those monsters could attack again anytime and she wanted to be more prepared, unlike before.

Fully equipped in an improved version of her old Worker attire, Arche briefly closed her eyes, focusing her mind and gathering a portion of her mana into the tip of her staff. After that, she opened her eyes with determination towards the target dummies placed at a distance ahead.

[Fly]

[Twin Boost Magic - Magic Arrow]

[Twin Boost Magic - Magic Arrow]

Right after leaving the ground, Arche did some evasive maneuvers pretending to be under attack while quickly attacking the target dummies. Not all of her attacks hit their mark, due to being mildly disoriented from the evasive movements, throwing off her aim. In the past, she could calmly aim and fire from the backline because Hekkeran and Roberdyck would act as vanguards to keep her safe, but now she was alone and therefore she had to practice fighting alone.

"Tch..!"

Arche clicked her tongue as she landed, feeling a little upset for her performance. She soon closed her eyes again to prepare for another attempt. However...

"Working hard, Arche?"

A familiar masculine voice spoke from behind, which startled Arche a little. She then relaxed her stance and turned around, immediately seeing the man who had adopted her sisters and saved them from their awful biological parents.

"Ah, good afternoon, Sir Rossaur"

Arche slightly bowed as she greeted Rossaur. Despite having been taken in as part of his family like her sisters, Arche still couldn't help treating Rossaur like a very respected client.

"Oh, dear. I believe I have told you not to treat me as some big client like in the past, did I not? In fact, I actually won't even mind you calling me 'Daddy' like the other girls"

Arche was briefly startled again after hearing Rossaur's words. In response to that, she lowered her head and spoke a little weakly.

"I... can't. It isn't right"

"Hey, who decides that? Anyway, come with me for a minute"

Rossaur began walking away without giving Arche a chance to give any response, leaving her no choice but to comply and follow him. He brought Arche to a different part of the garden which had a number of flower plantations spread around, and she noticed that her sisters along with Emerile were there, cheerfully making flower crowns together.

"Well, there goes my rare, exotic flowers. Those kids are like tornados. Hahaha!"

Arche felt embarrassed for what her sisters had done, damaging Rossaur's property just like that. She wanted to call out to them and make them stop, but Rossaur tapped his hand on Arche's shoulder and spoke again.

"But all the money I have spent on those flowers means nothing compared to the smile of my precious daughter. Don't you agree with that in regards to your little sisters, Arche?"

Arche glanced at Rossaur upon hearing his speech. She immediately noticed his warm smile which clearly implied that he was genuine with his words.

"Ah... Yes, sir. Indeed"

"In any case, you've been too tense. Play with them and relax yourself for a bit"

Right as Rossaur spoke the last part of his speech, he gave Arche a pat on the back which felt a little hard.

"H-Huh? But the monsters may..."

"Being cautious is fine, but too much caution won't be good for your mental health. I have experienced that myself so don't question me on that. Also, the perpetrator of the monster attacks is already slain"

"Wait, what?"

"I have reliable information sources, and that's what I learned earlier today. So get yourself some well-deserved joy!"

Rossaur gave Arche another hard pat on the back while grinning, and she couldn't help feeling a bit of joy hearing the information he had just told her. But before joining her sisters she looked at Rossaur once more and asked a question.

"By the way, sir. You look very presentable. Are you going somewhere today?"

"Why, yes. The Emperor is holding a fundraising campaign for the city's recovery. While he is still my worst enemy, as a businessman I won't pass the opportunity. After all, Emerile is safe and sound because he has allowed Fluder's research. So I'm indebted to him in a way, even though I hate it..."

Rossaur's face turned a bit sour as he spoke the last part of his speech. Noticing this, Arche immediately spoke.

"I'll be going over there then, sir. Thank you for your kindness and have a safe trip!"

"Hmm"

Arche then walked away from Rossaur to join her sisters and Emerile. Deep within, she was overjoyed for the new life she had with her new family and her determination to protect this new life couldn't be paralleled by any other feelings. She would live happily and she would keep it that way as long as she lived.


[X][X][X]


"And that concludes the report"

The man in imperial uniform spoke as he rolled up the scroll on his hands. He had just finished reading out a report about progress made in regards to the recovery of the cities within the Baharuth Empire, especially Arwintar where the Emperor resided and could see the damage with his own eyes.

Emperor Jircniv sat behind his desk with his head elegantly resting on his right fist. A clear seriousness was written over his face as his eyes gazed at the messenger that read the report.

"Very well, you are dismissed"

In response to Jircniv's words, the messenger bowed once and left the office in the formal way he had been trained to. After the messenger was gone, Jircniv glanced at the scribe sitting behind a separate desk nearby, then to his secretary Loune who was standing upright beside him.

"It is fortunate that the recovery programs seem to be running fairly well"

"Yes, Your Majesty"

"I believe there is still a full hour before the next thing on my schedule, isn't it? I shall retire to my room until then. Knock on my door only if there is something urgent"

"As you wish, Your Majesty"

Without saying any more words, Jircniv stood up and left the office. He walked through the hallway of the Imperial Palace with a number of escorts following him, and any staff or maid he passed by would immediately give way and bow upon seeing him.

Soon later, Jircniv entered his bedroom which was guarded by specially trained knights at all times. None of the escorts followed him inside, and after closing the door he went to his bed and sat down on it with a sigh.

"Feeling tired, Your Highness?"

A familiar feminine voice was heard, asking a question. Without looking at the woman, Jircniv gave his answer.

"A little, but this is nothing compared to everything related to that Ainz Ooal Gown"

"That goes without saying, Your Highness"

Hilma Cygnaeus, the woman who has been his concubine and secret advisor ever since that fateful night when she had been teleported all the way from her manor into this very bedroom, elegantly sat down next to Jircniv on the bed. After everything that had happened, deep down Jircniv couldn't fully deny that Hilma's presence was possibly one of the few things that helped keep his mind calm during these exceedingly trying times. Although Jircniv had no intention of telling her that. For now at least.

"I'm thankful that ARKS and Dark Falz exist. One can't simply imagine what Ainz Ooal Gown would have done without them keeping him occupied, each in their own way"

"Fufu..! Imagine being thankful that such a world-destroying entity exists"

Hilma let out a little laugh as she spoke in response to Jircniv's remarks. The latter just grunted with a slight smile hearing that.

"World ending isn't a really bad thing. It just means no more worries and concerns. All is done. But in reality it still goes on, so I still have to suffer all the headaches I'm obliged to have as the head of this nation. Not that I really mind, since life is interesting"

"Well said, Your Highness"

"In any case, I could use a quick nap. Care to accompany me at my side, dear Hilma?"

"Surely you jest, calling me with 'dear'. Fufu-!"

Hilma laughed in her own classy way, while Jircniv just smirked without saying a word. Very soon after, Hilma spoke again to Jircniv with a smile on her face.

"Very well, Your Highness"

Jircniv and Hilma then lied down on the bed side by side. While staring at the ceiling, Jircniv thought about the things to come and considered the possibility of eventually being forced to make Baharuth Empire a vassal state of Guardian Kingdom some time in the near future. No ruler would be willing to basically hand over their land just like that, but Ainz Ooal Gown's power was just that unfathomable, and Jircniv didn't want to imagine what kind of destruction would befall his empire if he decided otherwise.

As long as I and the people survive, there is still a chance.

With that in mind, Jircniv fell into slumber. His schedule as the Emperor was packed, and a moment of rest like this was always a blissful one.


[X][X][X]


Gazef walked through the training grounds of Ro-Lente Castle, fully equipped with the Kingdom's Treasures. The capital city suffered sudden monster attacks twice within the span of a week, and thus he had been tasked with being on call at all times. As much of a pain as it was, having immediate access to his full panoply without interference from the nobles felt good.

Gazef recalled the second monster attack as he watched several platoons performing their daily training. Back then, he had expected the worst upon hearing the news of the sinister monsters teleporting in again within the city. However, on that occasion reinforcements from the sky people called ARKS had arrived much sooner, thus minimizing casualties.

"Looking good there, Warrior Captain"

Gazef didn't get to reminisce for long because a familiar voice called out to him. He casually turned his head and saw that it was indeed Brain Unglaus.

"Well, what can I say? Duty calls"

Gazef replied to Brain with a small grin, but knew that his duty was not a joke. Those monsters could attack again at any time and there was no guarantee that reinforcements would come as swiftly as last time. Truth to be told, Gazef himself was not sure if he would last long enough against those fearsome monsters to make any difference, beyond buying time.

The only thing that gave him any peace of mind was the fact that both Blue Rose and Red Drop had been contracted by the King to remain in the capital to likewise stay on alert. Even if he was not particularly fond of Azuth, the leader of Red Drop, having both those Adventurer teams to back him and his troops up made them a formidable force.

"Heh, I'm guessing that the people upstairs are desperate enough for protection now that they just made me your direct Vice Captain out of the blue"

With a slight smile which didn't neglect the seriousness of the topic, Gazef replied to Brain.

"Someone has to take over in wielding the Kingdom's Treasures in case I fall in battle. Someone with enough capability. You're the only one around with comparable battle skills to mine, and unlike the others from Blue Rose and Red Drop, you weren't already tied to an important position"

"Hah! I'm flattered. Though my strength means nothing compared to that... thing"

Brain averted his eyes as he spoke the last part of his speech. Gazef could easily notice the uneasiness drawn over Brain's face.

"So it's still haunting you? After all this time?"

"Always, Gazef. I merely learned a few things which helped me to overcome the overwhelming feeling, the dread which drove me to ruin as you remember. But it's still there"

"Ah, yes. Speaking of whom, how's that boy doing?"

"Climb, you mean? He's improving steadily, but slowly. Too slow if you ask me"

"Yeah, he's already at the peak of his growth so improving further would be difficult. His loyalty and determination are the only things no one can beat"

"Took the words right out of my mouth"

Both Gazef and Brain laughed a little before the latter spoke again to ask a question.

"Say, you know one of those ARKS people, don't you?"

"If you mean Ryu Seika, I don't think it counts as knowing if I have talked to him only once. Back then I still had no idea that he came from such a civilization, and that Ainz Ooal Gown was actually an undead. At least I'm glad that Ainz is still as benevolent as he was back then"

"Speaking of which, do you think that vampire, Shalltear Bloodfallen, is connected to Ainz Ooal Gown? Both of them are undead beings possessing powers beyond humans can imagine, so I can't help thinking of that possibility. Especially when I heard that Momon of Darkness was in the hunt for two vampires. Shalltear Bloodfallen could be one of the two, don't you think?"

"While I see where you're coming from, without evidence you're just making a wild guess. But if you ask me, I can't imagine the bloodthirsty vampire you spoke of to have a positive connection to Ainz, who against all logic was benevolent. In the chance they are indeed connected, I'd like to say that they're more likely to be enemies"

Brain leaned on a nearby wall with his arms folded as he listened to Gazef's answer. He made a slight nodding gesture before replying.

"I guess that makes sense"

"Well, whatever the truth is, we should remain prepared. I truly hope that Ainz will remain benevolent for as long as he exists, but in this world nothing is set in stone. In any case, how about a mock fight?"

"I'm at a huge disadvantage fighting you as is, but it sounds interesting so let's do it"

"Ha! You can't ever hope to compare with that vampire you speak of if you can't defeat me like this!"

Gazef and Brain did a fist bump before walking to one part of the training grounds which they would use as an arena. All sorts of things had happened and would happen in the world, and as one of the many people living in it, they simply just have to do their best.


[X][X][X]


"And that's all there is to it, Your Excellencies"

The Captain of Black Scripture spoke with a straight tone of speech towards the pair in front of him. He stood upright in an 'at ease' posture, having finished delivering a verbal report on what happened during the battle upon the Katze Plains. Those listening to him, namely the Pontifex Maximus and the Cardinal of Earth, sat behind a conference table with their arms folded resting on its surface.

"Do you have any personal insight on this matter, Captain?"

"..."

The Captain didn't immediately give an answer to the Pontifex's question. He lowered his head slightly, thinking for a very brief moment before he raised his head and stoically looked into the Pontifex's eyes.

"It pains me to say this, but Ainz Ooal Gown's power is far beyond what even my entire squad... no, even the entire forces of Slane Theocracy could even dream to achieve. Enticing any form of hostility from him may spell doom to the whole nation. Therefore, I highly recommend not taking any actions which can potentially make him view us in an unfavorable way, at least for the time being"

The Pontifex glanced at the Cardinal of Earth, Raymond Zarg Lauransan, who was also the effective leader of all Six Scriptures squads, after hearing the Captain's words. Raymond noticed the glance and the meaning behind it, and therefore he asked a question to the Captain.

"What made you certain about Ainz Ooal Gown's power, Captain? Not that I disagree with you. The 7th-Seat Thousand Leagues Astrologer is still... sequestering herself after viewing the battle, refusing to come out or even answer questions. So I cannot help but feel that there is something else that you haven't told us"

"..."

The captain closed his eyes and lowered his head again. It was indeed true that there was something he had not told anyone yet. However, he was uncertain whether it would be a good idea to even address it. That was because one of Ainz Ooal Gown's subordinates who had participated in that grand battle was a vampire that looked nearly identical to the one Black Scripture had taken casualties from months before.

Of course, he knew about the statements made by Momon himself. That he had been hunting a pair of vampires. If that was the case, could that mean the red-armored female vampire was connected to the one his team had encountered? A twin sister perhaps? But if that were true, did that mean that both of them were connected to that powerful Undead King of the newly formed Guardian Kingdom?

Voicing his concerns about it would definitely make Ainz Ooal Gown less favorable in the eyes of the Pontifex and the Slane Theocracy's whole upper echelons, making them more likely to draw hostility from Ainz in the future, one way or another. With how powerful he was, along with his many subordinates and tricks up his sleeves, the Captain couldn't foresee anything but destruction in the event Ainz became an enemy, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to happen.

The Captain was also afraid of the possibility that Ainz was somehow spying on them as they spoke. With as powerful as the undead was, getting past their city's anti-scrying wards would likely be as child's play to him, or any subordinate he may have with those skills.

Telling his leaders about this could also mean telling Ainz that his squad had inadvertently committed hostile actions against one of Ainz's subordinates. Even if it was in self-defense, he held doubts that the Undead King would even care that it was his subordinate's fault that such an event took place.

Seeing that Ainz had never taken any known hostile actions against Slane Theocracy after all this time, it was possible that Ainz still didn't know yet about this, and the Captain didn't want to risk Ainz finding out. After all, such a miracle should not be squandered.

Therefore, the Captain decided to not tell anyone else, for the sake of Slane Theocracy's safety.

"I have seen his powers with my own eyes, and I have spoken about everything I know"

Both the Pontifex and Raymond narrowed their vision on him a moment, but they quickly reverted their facial expression to normal and the former spoke to the Captain.

"If you say so, does that mean even the Guardian Angels of ARKS can't stand against him?"

"No, I believe they can. But with the ongoing circumstances they have decided to just put him under watch and not interfere with his actions"

"Ah, yes... Sealing world-destroying abominations, the Dark Falz, within his own body worked in his favor..."

The Pontifex lowered his head as he spoke, and then he raised it again after a couple seconds.

"Very well. You are dismissed. Take your well-earned rest"

"Good work, Captain"

The Pontifex and Raymond spoke to the Captain, who immediately bowed.

"I'm honored to hear your kind words"

The Captain then left the Pontifex's office and walked through the quiet hallway of the palace. While walking, his mind mused about a lot of things, from recalling what he had learned so far, to thinking about the possible future course of actions he could take. One thing for sure, he was determined to keep Slane Theocracy safe and he was willing to disobey his superiors to make that happen if necessary.


[X][X][X]


Tsaindorcus Vaision, the Platinum Dragon Lord, once again visited the Heavenly Dragon Lord on his island-sized body which roamed the world's skies. Unlike before, this time Tsaindorcus sat upon a runed pedestal located in the middle of a vast flower field that could mesmerize those with even the slightest appreciation to panoramic views and aesthetic beauty.

"So you've come again, Tsaindorcus. Are you bringing good news?"

Similar to before, the Heavenly Dragon Lord spoke to Tsaindorcus telepathically while Tsaindorcus replied by speaking out normally.

"Mixed news. On one hand, the Dark Falz have been defeated and the world is safe for now. But on the other hand, the Player of this century, Ainz Ooal Gown, has become even stronger from absorbing the powers of the Dark Falz"

"I see. How strong has he become in your eyes?"

"Hmm... I estimate that he now can slay me and even Cure Elim Los Malvar by himself without difficulty if he wishes so"

"That indeed sounds grim. What do you plan to do, knowing this?"

"Unless I can find a weakness or he loses his additional powers, the only course of action I find feasible is to stay on his good side and bide my time. However, I can't speak for what the next wave of Players will do once they emerge"

"That goes without saying. Players come with varying degrees of morality. What matters is what you have done so far, and what you plan to do"

"I have told the other Councilors what they need to know, and convinced them to make the Argland Council State an official ally of Guardian Kingdom. Also, Darkers are now basically part of the ecosystem, so I will need to increase security. To that end, negotiations are already under way for a treaty of nonaggression between our two countries"

"I see. Good work, Tsaindorcus. Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Nothing important, actually. After everything that happened, I actually came here to have a little break and also to have conversation with you. Perhaps, akin to a talk between two tired old folks, if you don't mind"

"Hahahaha! Sure! I could use the company!"

Tsaindorcus and the Heavenly Dragon Lord then began having idle conversations of topics with little importance. He was still highly wary of Ainz and everything connected to him, even the entirety of ARKS. However, for the time being he would maintain peace in the best of his ability, at least until the next wave of Players would come.


[X][X][X]


"There are no more Darker readings in that area. Good work, you're home free"

"Roger that"

Ryu spoke into his communication device which was connected to the operator in charge of the mission he had just completed. It was not Xiera, but one of the many mission operators ARKS had. After all, Xiera has been Guardian Melrose's personal operator to begin with, so it was no wonder that Ryu eventually had to return to working with standard mission operators.

The mission Ryu and his party had just accomplished was a straightforward Darker Extermination mission located deep in the middle of Katze Plains. Darkers spawned here the most often, likely because of the big battle back then and also the fact that Ainz was not too far from this location.

"That was easy huh, aniki?"

Yukasa spoke his remark about the mission while putting his rifle away into his photon inventory.

"It was, but don't let your guard down, Yuka-chan"

Hikaru spoke to Yukasa while looking around. The mist enveloping the area made their viewing range quite short so getting ambushed was a possibility, not only by Darkers but also the undead creatures which often spawned. The threat level of the spawning undead was basically non-existent for ARKS operatives, but sometimes an undead could get infected by Darker Factors, making them stronger than they should be.

"Eh, even an infected undead is still too weak to make any scratch on us. Especially with me around!"

Yamino spoke in a confident tone while swinging his weapon around. He was a Techer, wielding what ARKS officially classified as 'Wand', although in practice it was basically a club used to bludgeon enemies, making elemental explosions with every hit.

"Especially with her around, Yami-chan"

Hikaru rolled her eyes as she spoke, ending with a glance at the one standing next to Ryu, who was none other than Lily. She definitely heard Hikaru's words, showing a small reaction before speaking.

"Leave it to me, Hikaru-san! I'll always keep everyone safe!"

Everybody just smiled hearing Lily's confident exclamation which she had proven multiple times even though those had been not really necessary.

"You know, I just thought that with Lily added to our party, the roles are pretty much complete, right?"

Yukasa spoke with his arms folded while looking at everyone else one by one.

"Oh, you're right, aniki. I'm the support role, you and Ryu-aniki as range attackers, Hikaru-aneki as melee fighter, and Lily-chan as the tank"

As Yamino spoke, Yukasa and Hikaru chuckled hearing how he added the cute-sounding honorific to Lily's name. Ryu himself had a sudden urge to laugh at that, but he decided to hold it in and not say anything on that. Instead, he cleared his throat and spoke about something else.

"Anyway, it's been about two weeks since the last time we saw Ainz. We're now free and nearby, so I'm thinking of visiting him"

The other three siblings looked at each other briefly before Yamino broke the silence in response to Ryu's words.

"Hey, are you sure, aniki? He's... you know, a king. I don't think you can casually visit a king just like that"

"Doesn't hurt to try. And I consider this more like having a daughter visit her father"

Ryu replied while putting one hand on Lily's shoulder. The latter showed some reaction, but it was hard to discern her feelings with most of her face covered by her helmet.

"I think I'll pass. After all, people look at me funny with this kind of body"

"I'm beat. You'll be fine by yourself, right oniichan?"

Yamino and Hikaru spoke their decision, while Yukasa stared at Lily and Ryu with his arms folded.

"Hey, aniki"

"Yes?"

"When will you two get married?"

"W-What!?"

Both Ryu and Lily became awkward hearing Yukasa's question, especially Lily who was clearly making shy gestures with the visible small part of her cheek becoming a little red.

"Just kidding!"

"Oh, come on!"

Ryu facepalmed as all his siblings laughed. The group then parted ways with Hikaru, Yukasa, and Yamino teleporting back to the ARKS ship while Ryu and Lily flew towards E-Rantel. While flying, Ryu had one thing going on in his mind thanks to Yukasa's words even though they were meant to be a joke.

If I were to be honest, Lily is totally my type and indeed I like her. But if I married her for real, Ainz would be my father-in-law. I'm not sure if I could handle that...


[X][X][X]


Laguz, the ARKS ship which was Guardian Melrose's home base, roamed through the vast darkness of outer space. The job of keeping Ainz Ooal Gown under watch had been delegated to the other ARKS. After all, the Dark Falz within him were all from their universe, so it was logical to say that it should be their job.

Nevertheless, Laguz had crossed the rift, leaving the universe of that planet and returning to the universe this ARKS came from because there was an important thing they must do.

Psshh...

The door leading to the bridge of Laguz opened, and Melrose walked through it. The first thing she noticed was the presence of someone familiar to her standing next to Xiera. His looks was different from what she remembered, but there was no mistaking the glasses, blue hair, and face. Naturally, Melrose couldn't hide her delight upon seeing him.

"Xiao! You're back!"

Melrose dashed to Xiao and hugged him. He was a little startled from that.

"Whoa, easy there, Melrose. I'm just recently revived, you know"

Melrose soon released her hug and regained her composure. All this time, she has been worrying about how the mission to revive Xiao was going, and seeing Xiao himself standing in front of her eyes was a huge relief.

"Well I'm glad that they managed to bring you back. What was there in Amduscia that made it possible?"

"Well, to make it short, my main body is now Amduscia"

Melrose went speechless hearing the answer, although it only lasted for less than three seconds.

"I want to ask for details, but I think I'll save it for later. What's important is that we have you back"

Xiao nodded with a smile, but then someone suddenly spoke to Melrose from behind.

"No thanks to me, Melrose?"

Melrose immediately turned around, and the one she immediately saw was a girl dressed in black shoulderless short dress with gold and red accents, contrasting her silver long hair and pale white skin. Her head was partially covered by a black beret hat, which had a white flower corsage on the side with a blue ribbon hanging down from it. Her eyes had differing colors which was natural for a deuman, in her case the left one was purple while the right one was silver. A pair of black thigh-high socks covered most of her legs, and a black leg pouch was strapped on her right thigh. Her footwear was a pair of black boots with blue and gold accents.

This girl was none other than Charitonne Elfar Souhaiter, or usually addressed as Sherry by other people. Sherry was a fellow ARKS Guardian like Melrose, and she was the one who had been assigned the mission to revive Xiao in Amduscia.

"Ah, yes. Good work, Sherry. And thank you so much"

"Hehe! Even without borrowing Dark Falz powers like you I'm not a Guardian for nothing!"

Sherry cheerfully grinned after speaking with both her arms behind her head. Melrose just smiled, being glad that she had reliable fellow Guardians. Right after that, she turned back to Xiao with determination fully painted all over her face.

"Now that we're all here, it's time to turn the tables"

Xiao nodded to Melrose's speech, also with determination on his face.

"Right. ARKS has been on the defensive for too long. Now that I'm back in the picture, we're going to go back on the offensive"

"It's payback time! Shiva will regret messing with us!"

Sherry excitedly proclaimed with her right hand punching the air above her. Melrose looked at Sherry and made a small nod as a sign of agreeing. The adventures she had had on that planet had been interesting, but in the end it had been no more than a sidequest. Right now, the most important mission to accomplish was to defeat Shiva once and for all so the universe would survive.

She would make it happen, even if she had to sacrifice herself for it.


[X][X][X]


Snow was falling over the city of E-Rantel. The sky was covered entirely by clouds that blanketed E-Rantel with the freezing, yet beautiful flakes of white. About half a year had passed since that great battle of Ainz's allied forces against the world destroying threat of Dark Falz Double.

Returning home with glorious news of triumph brought Ainz's standing into the highest order in the people's eyes. Especially when ARKS, riding upon their majestic 'sky chariots' had affirmed his achievement of saving the whole world. Thanks to that, Ainz has had little to no opposition from the people in regards to new policies he has implemented over time.

Ainz currently stood upon a balcony in his residence in E-Rantel, overlooking the entire city. His bright crimson eyes scanned over the buildings below, and he felt satisfied with the results shown thus far. The city's infrastructure had been largely improved, the economy was stable enough, and demihumans were slowly but steadily integrating with the local human populations.

As Xiao had promised, so far ARKS has never intervened with Ainz's activities. They occasionally sent over an operative to check on him, but nothing more than that. In fact, Ainz always looked forward to it because so far the one they always sent was Ryu along with Lily, and sometimes one or two of his siblings. Rather than an officer inspecting him, their visit always felt more like a reunion of families and friends. Indeed, Ainz now has known Ryu for long enough to consider him as a friend instead of a stranger he had to be wary of like in the distant past.

As for the Darkers, indeed they now regularly spawned at random locations. However, for some reason they mostly only spawned in the wilderness far from civilization, giving enough time for an ARKS task force to come and exterminate them before they could harm innocents. The worst known case had been when a small number of them had spawned within the city cemetery, but it was basically no different than the regular undead spawns.

Moreover, likely because the influence of Dark Falz was suppressed within Ainz, the Darkers were much weaker than in the past, to the point that mere Platinum Rank Adventurers could defeat them. Infection was a concern, but ARKS collaborated with Adventurer's guild, awarding standard issue photon armors to those who reached Gold Rank, and also regularly briefing adventurers of the fact that Darkers had to be killed with magic or enchanted weapons.

In other words, Darkers were now no different than medium threat wild monsters by the standards of this world, which ARKS curiously named 'Pandora'. The given name delighted the Floor Guardians because they assumed the name was in honor of Ainz's personal creation, Pandora's Actor. Ainz himself didn't have it in him to correct them on the coincidence, and simply waved it off. After all, this world needed a name, and Pandora was as good a name as any other.

As for the Dark Falz within Ainz, some interesting things happened over time. Since Ainz was not the type to stand idly by and ignore the fact that he had multiple creatures of destruction dwelling within, he conducted a number of experiments with them. Ample safety measures to prevent them from breaking out of him were taken of course, but he had to know what other things he was capable of. One of the interesting things was the fact that he had help, coming from Luther, or the Dark Falz Loser himself.

Seemingly a scientist at heart, Luther had shown interest in Ainz's experiments, even giving a few pointers and suggestions on making use of the Dark Falz powers. Of course, Ainz had no intention of believing Luther at first, since for all he knew he could have been trying to break out or worse, hijack Ainz's body. But in the end, Ainz had come out on top of the bargain, since it had turned out that Luther had been surprisingly genuine all along.

Ainz still felt suspicious, but owing to his days as a Japanese salaryman, he still had wanted to repay Luther somehow. However, Luther only requested that Ainz continue showing him many interesting sights, claiming that he had no other desire. After being pressed for an explanation, Luther had said that he had no reason to exist in a world without omniscience. Ainz couldn't fully understand the meaning behind that claim, but decided to let it pass.

The most interesting thing Ainz had gained from his research was a transformation ability like Guardian Melrose's Dark Blast. However, instead of the towering figure of a Dark Falz's battle form, the transformation ability gave Ainz a biological, fully functioning humanoid form without losing any access to his original powers.

Thanks to this humanoid form, Ainz once again could indulge in the simple things his undead body never allowed him to, such as tasting delicious food, savoring exquisite drinks, relaxing naps, and feeling highly positive emotions without the emotion suppressor yanking him away from it. Of course, with that form came the fact that he could no longer resist Albedo's charms.

For the first time in his life, he understood the pleasures of the flesh, in which Albedo was always more than happy to be his paramour. Ainz chuckled at the memory of the morning after when, much to his confusion, Albedo rode around atop her Bicorn summon mount in absolute joy. Much to Shalltear's odd frustration and despair.

Truly, the change in their dynamic was both amusing and confusing in equal measure. Not to mention the reactions from the other NPCs. Cocytus had shouted in jubilation, saying strange things about how he would one day become an uncle, while Demiurge had seemed to be fascinated by this newest development, wanting to know what would come of it.

Aura, who was revived shortly after the battle and lost a few days worth of her memories in the process, had seemed to be excited at the prospect of being a big sister again, even encouraging Mare to be a big brother. Truly, Ainz was confounded by their varied reactions and their odd excitement to his attaining a new form and sleeping with Albedo, but had never pressed the issue. He honestly didn't want to know unless he needed to.

That wasn't the end of unexpected things, however. It seemed that over time, Ainz had developed a rather good rapport with the other Dark Falz within him. Dark Falz Apprentice, bearing the real name of Margaretta, was amused by and supportive of Ainz's developing relationship with Albedo. Even going so far as to give him 'womanly advice' from time-to-time. Since he was inexperienced in such things, never even having a girlfriend, he had welcomed her advice with gratitude.

The twins of the former Dark Falz Double had become an energetic pair, always wanting 'Uncle Ainz' to play with them in some fashion. He had to admit, despite the initial hatred and anger he felt towards them for killing Aura, he had found himself taken by their childlike behavior. Even more so when he entertained their requests, and enjoyed their reactions to some of the games he came up with inside his mindscape. The same had gone with Elder, when Ainz mentally practiced combat techniques using his own projection inside.

Despite all of this however, not everything was good news. After being gone for a long while, the ARKS from Guardian Melrose's universe had returned not too long ago bringing news about their war against Profound Darkness. They had won, but their victory had come with a cost.

Guardian Melrose was no more.

According to the messenger delivering the news, Profound Darkness had forced their way into Melrose upon defeat, similar to the thing Double had done to Ainz. In response to that, Melrose had invoked her powers to travel back in time, bringing Profound Darkness all the way to the beginning of the universe where there was nothing for it to destroy, and thus it would starve into nothingness. Melrose had sacrificed herself for the survival of an entire universe.

Ainz looked up to the sky and let out a small sigh. He had not expected to have such a feeling of loss, and he began questioning whether he had subconsciously considered Melrose as a friend too, thus losing her became a notable blow on him. Nevertheless, before he could muse his loss for longer, Albedo spoke to him from behind.

"Momonga-sama~"

"Umu? Yes, Albedo?"

"Your guests have arrived. They are waiting for you"

"Ah yes, I shall get going, then"

Ainz then turned around and walked away from the balcony. While walking to the guest room, Ainz activated the transformation ability, becoming a middle-aged human figure with black hair and eyes, and dressed in a presentable suit befitting a royalty. Right after transforming, Ainz could faintly hear a mild amused laugh from Albedo behind him and he knew why, but he decided not to pay heed to it.

Once Ainz arrived in front of the door leading to the guest room, Albedo opened the door for him and he walked in.

"Hello, Papa!"

As soon as Ainz entered the room, Lily, who was one of the guests, immediately hugged him. In response, Ainz caressed her head in delight while glancing at the other guests, who were Ryu, Hikaru, and also Rose, to whom the title of ARKS Guardian had been passed down from Melrose. They smiled at him, having already known about this transformation ability and thus were not showing any sign of surprise.

"It's been a while, Lily. How are you doing?"

"All good, Papa!"

"That's good to hear"

Ainz spoke in a fairly delighted tone of speech that he always had difficulty speaking with in his undead body. He was thankful for once again having the ability to have a pseudo-living body, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

He was Ainz Ooal Gown in public, Momon in disguise, and Momonga in the past, with Albedo being the only one allowed to use that old name in private.

But deep down, he was still Suzuki Satoru. The best version of himself he always wished to be.


End of Epilogue


Afterword:

Those who play Phantasy Star Online 2 may recognize that this story takes place in a splinter timeline left by the bad ending of the game's story. There's no clear implication whether the player character's sacrifice left a splinter timeline or actually turned back the time, but for this story I choose to go with the former.

In any case, all is done. Thank you for reading Overlord Phantasy. I hope you have had a good time and will continue to do so with other stories out there.

As for what I will do now that it is over, I will be writing an original story. Therefore, this is probably the last time you see me in this site. If you wish to contact me, you can still find me at Discord in the "Overlord Fanfiction" and "Overlord Community" server. Nevertheless, I think I have said everything I wanted to say, so I shall bid you farewell with a quote I learned from a manga.

"Every story must eventually come to an end. And because there is an end, it is beautiful and precious"

So yeah... Farewell, and take care of yourselves out there.