Well, it has been a long time. Sorry for the long wait, I have quite much things to do. I hope everyone is doing well during such a time and let hope everything would be better in the future. Thanks hakon2feb from Discord for beta this for me like always. So anyway, apparently this one is so long, I have to separate one part into 2 with the second part is nearly done. So, in the end, the epilogue will have 4 parts in total, at least from current. So I hope you enjoy this chapter and reviews are very much appreciated.


The conviction of a higher entity part 1: The pondering of a Supreme Being and the nature of civilizations

This was a rather special day for the Tomb and for his Kingdom, as it was the 10 year anniversary of his return to this world. Although it was currently late evening, Their Kingdom was still overflowed with the spirit of festival and joy. The sky and the land was soothing with a calm gentle breeze and brightened with both natural and artificial light. For the whole day, Ainz had spent most of his time with his family, for that he believed he deserved sometimes at the end of the day for himself.

From the balcony of his castle in the capital of E-Rantel, although his ivory skeletal face graced the celebration that was happening below, his conscience drifted into its own world, the world of thought and nostalgic memory of the journey he, his friend and their creation had spent with each other since the grand reunion and his return to this world.

'10 years sure flow fast when you have lived for so long and have had so many things to do.'

Things had been great. Using the knowledge that comes with the power given to them by Magnus that day, his guild members have already found for themselves a new purpose. Since that day, a great leap in development has been successfully made. Research speed and rate of new inventions being made was unprecedented. Countless new knowledge and innovations, both scientific and magical, had been found and many more had been greatly improved. The current life standard, prosperity and satisfaction of Their people had never been greater than now. If Their kingdom had been great before, now, it is nothing less than mythical and legendary.

Some Supreme Beings, accompanied with the Saints that are also the official followers of Their own tenets, dedicated much of their time and effort into the Order made in their names and ideas. It seems like They had a rather distinctive presence to those who follow them as all of them had some type of buff that made each of them even better in the field they dedicate themselves into than they were meant to be: Touch Me's followers become even greater knights and paladins both physically and mentally, spells cast by Ulbert's sorcerers and wizards become much more effective and devastating, Amanomahitotsu's mechanists and engineers researched much quicker and more efficient while the quality of their creation were much greater...

Meanwhile, some others just simply chose to enjoy their lives in this new kingdom that they now rule with him more, but of course, each of them still had at least some contribution to the kingdom. Although many of his friends had an official Order that was dedicated to their names, some didn't and their ideas were more in the form of principles and well-known ideas rather than a full fledged ideology. They didn't mind this at all, some even glad that they had more time for themselves and their family.

As such, it was the case of Bukubukuchagama. Right after their travel throughout the world, she immediately spent most of her time with her family, which also included the twins and multiple of their descendants. And from what he got from them every time they met, she always seemed to be filled with a sort of maternal happiness and kept telling everyone about her time with her extended family. Beside from the descendants, she also took a liking to the spouses of the twin, who Ainz also turned immortal. Although favoritism is definitely not her thing, she is especially interested in Mare's wife, Zesshi Zetsumei. According to her, Zesshi was such an intriguing individual, with a very interesting personality. Her character was somewhat of a paradox, although she normally looked tough and sometimes even a bit combat maniacal to say the least, yet whenever she is alone with Mare and her children, she is extremely kind and lovey dovey. Aura's husband was somewhat similar, for reasons, she found the case of Zesshi much more charming, perhaps it was because she was reminded of herself when she was younger? He doesn't know for sure.

As everyone found new joy and purpose, he too did find such satisfaction in being a husband and a father of two. Just a few months after their travel around the world, he and Albedo officially got married in the joy and celebration of the whole Tomb and the whole Kingdom. A few months forward, the love of his life has shired for him a pair of beautiful and healthy twins consisting of a boy and a girl.

He remembered that beside the utmost happiness from their parents, their grandfather was too ecstatic, to say the least. In fact, he can confidently say that Tabula was at his happiest when he received the news. It seemed like he was more of a family-oriented man Ainz thought he would be. Since then, beside alchemy and occult related subjects, there had been a new edition to Tabula's favorite activity that was tending the children. It was through this specific activity that aid the healing of the relationship between his queen and her creator.

As his mind drifted back to all those moments, a gentle warmth filled his soul, enough for him in this form to feel, but controlled to not be enough for the suppression to kick in. If he had been in his humanoid form right now, one could see him smiling gently, yet, satisfyingly. He then also remembered far back to the day he returned to his kingdom from where he was born with everyone he cared for. That specific piece of memory gave him a rather paradoxical mixture of many feelings, but the most noticeable was the tender happiness of reunion after a trip that felt like forever and gratitude for the one who saved him that day who now had also been his friend and comrade - Magnus.

Magnus was the walking definition of an enigma or what enigma should be. An entity of a much higher existence to the point that it is outright impossible to comprehend, who has taken a liking to something so small in comparison to the entirety of all there is. Then, as his mind drifted back to the time he and Magnus first met, he remembered back to the reason why Magnus "chose" him.

'… Let's just say… Your deeds and your degree of greatness are what make me so interested in you and deemed you to be worthy.'

It was a rather short, seemingly simple answer, yet… To think deeper into it, just like he has always done with so many things in his life, there is so much to it, layers and layers of questions need to be answered. Yet, it all centered around one single primary question

'What makes me so great in his eyes, to the point of making such an entity like him to the point of completely committed to me and Nazarick?'.

After all, for such an entity like Magnus, he would have seen beings much more powerful than him. It is also absolutely certain that Magnus have seen civilizations that surpass their kingdom in all shape and form, with capabilities surpass anything they were having or would have in the near future, to the point of being nigh-incomprehensible for normal minds and for many great minds for that matter.

Just to think about it, all the splendor, achievements, all the sweat and blood he and those who followed him had dedicated to the creation and preserving of this magnificent kingdom of Their looked pale, completely insignificant, if not, outright meaningless when compared to all of the things Magnus had witnessed and experienced.

This idea was not without any basis, afterall, Magnus had sometimes taken them through some trip to other universes for adventuring, learning and relaxation. And let just say, they have seen and done things both great and terrible, divine and ungodly. The specific of such tales may be the subject for another day.

'If there are so many other things out there that surpass us, and in many sense, greater than us and all that we have built together so much, then why did Magnus choose me and not something, someone else?'

As he was pondering, he lifted his magnificent skeletal head up and stared at the final wave of the last fireworks display that marked the end of the day of celebration which erupted spectacularly on the beautifully moon, star filled night sky. As the show ended, he just stood there like a statue sparkling brilliantly under the shining moonlight and as the fiery wisps that are his eyes stared at some unknown distant land. Then, after a short while, with a simple gesture, he sent a [Message] to the enigma that saved him 10 years ago

[Magnus, are you currently busy with anything?]

[No, not at all, I have just been enjoying the festival down here. Things have been fun really, and the fireworks of this year is spectacular, is it not? I am pretty certain that you know it as you have been watching the whole thing from the balcony. So why are you asking?]

[Can you meet me here? I have been wondering about something, about the past]

"Sure thing"

Till this point, the room had been silent and there had only been him and the hazy blue light of the full moon showering over the few royally ornate furniture inside, right now, a joyful, carefree voice had broken such stillness. It was familiar and the presence of the one who spoke it was unmistakable, Ainz calmly turned back and face to face with who he had just [Message] to.

"I see that you have decided to blend in with the citizens again."

In front of him, laxly leaning on the wall was Magnus. Right now, he was not like how the kingdom often officially saw him as. Instead of the formal clothes and the divine yet mysterious beauty many often associate him with, he was garbed in rather simple, plain looking clothing of a white t-shirt which was accompanied with a blue light jacket and jeans, perfect for this mid autumn weather. His face had also been altered, different, mortal, yet still relatively handsome with fair skin, grey hair and strong, sharp features.

"Can you really blame me for that? If I had been like how I normally am, I would have garnered too much attention from everyone. It is rather annoying sometimes, especially in days like this. Thus ruin the fun for everyone. Beside…" He said with a carefree smile on his face "I am usually in that form almost every other single day, so I think a little change in fashion now and then wouldn't hurt much."

In Ainz's perspective, what he said was kind of an understatement. True, everytime he officially showed up, he was clothed in majestic formal wear like that of the day they first met. However, so many other times, he just mixed himself among the citizens and simply wandering around, did this, did that but has never been anything harmful and in fact, beneficial to the kingdom in many forms. Ainz knew this well, as he had several times witnessed such instances and sometimes even joined him in this usual wandering of his.

"Your choice my friend, but I highly doubt the so-called "now and then" of yours"

His word was responded with a chuckle and some light head shaking as Magnus slowly walked toward him. Then, he continued with somewhat of an amuse and curious tone,

"Anyway, so… Just what do you wish to talk about in such a time that is right now?"

"I am certain that you know clearly of what I want to talk about, Magnus."

The sincerely yet mischief smile still evidently on his face and the familiar seemingly carefree tone Magnus has forever been synonymous with when he was with the guild members, he replied:

"Maybe… Maybe not… But even if I do know, I would still prefer to have you speak it out. After all, this seems to be a topic that is troubling you that you couldn't find an answer to no matter how hard you try. And theoretically, in such cases, the best way to solve them would be to ask directly, personally and then get a satisfying answer afterward. So please, voice the topic of your concern."

For Ainz, it felt their surroundings had suddenly become standstill. Along with the silence and the stillness of everything, the whole scene was now covered in a sudden alluring poetic beauty as if this was a masterpiece painting. With a serious, partially nostalgic and a bit troubling tone, Ainz finally spoke:

"When we first met, on that cursed world that I used to call home, you told me that you chose me because of my degree of greatness, right?"

Magnus nodded in reply, Ainz continued

"Yet, you have seen so many stronger entities and witnessed civilizations greater in capabilities. I know what I and my people are capable of. It is no doubt that no king can ever ask for more, but, as great as they may be and as powerful and plentiful in resources as I am, I have to say, we would never achieve such in the near or may even in the far future. Then, just what did you see in us that makes us special and more worthy compared to so many others that surpass us? I can't understand why."

Nodding sagely with a satisfying expression on his face

"Ah… Yes... The existential question of one's worth in the grandness of all there is… A classic and eternal one. And particularly in this case, why after all of those that is grand and magnificent, with many of them have greater capability than your by a huge margin, I still like you the most and deem you and all that you, with the help of those have followed you, have built up as great and deserve to last for all eternity? A thoughtful question indeed… And I remember clearly that I did promise that I would tell you why, didn't I? Seriously, took you long enough to ask me that"

Receiving a silent nod from his friend, he continued:

"Very well, but first…"

Magnus made a welcoming gesture at the blue portal that suddenly appeared right beside them.

"I believed that this time, this talk of ours should be taken somewhere more private, where there are just the two of us."

"Isn't this the right place and time not grand and personal enough for such a talk? During the perfectly beautiful soothing night filled with moon and stars that is right now, within this opulent room showered in the poetic blue moonlight and in which also there are only two of us…"

Sensing a invisible smirk and a tiny hint of sarcasm in Ainz's charismatic voice, Magnus bursted into short hearty laughter

"Ha, I see that you have learnt a bit of my habit. But… No. I believe that this talk should take place in somewhere absolutely inclusive, where we can not be affected or intervened upon by anything, by anyone, by any entity, not even space and time of any level of existence, at least, that I know of. In a sense, it would make the whole thing more special and much more personal. Not to mention, I believe that this talk will extend beyond our original intention."

Then, he slightly leaned toward Ainz and whispered as if he was telling a secret, a shame that none but Ainz's inner circles know about

"It is kinda late, is it not? We both know full well Albedo's tendency of not going to sleep until you are back and being overly anxious whenever you come home late right?"

Indeed, no matter how powerful a man is, the ultimate, eternal fear that is the wrath and jealousy of the women they love still exists within any man, especially when their lovers are comparable to them. The case between him and Albedo was no different.

There was this when one time he had gone out with some other Supreme Beings on their so-called "expedition" to see what the cities had in store for them. They couldn't really do it during their first venture around this world as it was more of a business-oriented trip rather than a vacation which limited them from fully enjoying what this world of them had to offer.

They all went in disguises and it was wild, especially to those who hadn't committed themselves into a relationship yet, which comprised most of the crew that night. When it was kind of late, Ainz excused them to return first as he had also promised Albedo to not come back too late. Yet, he was held back and convinced by some of his friends to stay and enjoyed this rare occasion with them and somehow, they had successfully convinced him that Albedo wouldn't mind at all.

To this day, it was still one of the greatest mistakes he has had the dishonor to ever make.

When he finally returned to the hall of the 9th floor in the dead of night, he was greeted with an overwhelming aura. It was so much that its weight alone could easily crush a whole continent into nothing but dust. However, this aura nothing else seemed to be affected. In some sense, he knew exactly who or what was responsible for such an overwhelming presence. For him, this was really nothing, however he couldn't help but be wary… Very wary. So much so, he could say that, for the first time ever since the day of Ascension, he felt fear.

As he silently, delicately opened the door of his room, he was greeted by the complete darkness of the room, with only one small source of light that is a twin glaring, ethereal golden lights of a simmering wrath. At that very moment, he knew he was beyond salvation. Before he could even react, he was immediately dragged into the abyss that was their bedroom and was… interrogated for the rest of the night. It was lucky that they hadn't had the children or Albedo hadn't been pregnant yet because either way, he couldn't see this could have any positive influence on them.

For the next month, Albedo attached herself to him even more than usual and it could be said that for the whole period, she hadn't let him go for a single moment. He couldn't do anything about it but to endure. This was made extra hard when many of his friends kept joking about the situation, and they still sometimes mentioned that incident till this very day. Only after that, he got for himself the freedom he had had before it.

The mental exhaustion from just remembering that incident escaped his skeletal mouth in a long tired breath, and in his accompanied reply

"Yeah… I guess you are right… Lead the way Magnus"

As the leader of the Supreme Beings stepped out of the portal, he was greeted with a dreamlike scenery completely new to him and would never be found in the world, or in the universe for that matter.

The sky was nothing more than a clear window to a strange, yet, utterly magnificent cosmos. It was one where countless of what seemed to be stars, galaxies and nebulas dotted and painted the eternal darkness that was its background in a harmoniously beautiful mix of tender color schemes.

Contrast to the plenteousness and richness of the sky was the utter elegant simplisticity of the ground. In every direction, the mirror-like ground expanded infinitely to the horizon. The whole place was luminous soothingly by an unknown source, as if the air itself was light. What made this place even more so was that it was completely empty, all except for what seemed to be some objects in the distance.

Coming here, an absolute sense of calm and peace immediately flooded the mind and soul of this mighty monarch, relieving him of an ever existing invisible burden, one which time and his duty as a king had seemed to completely harden him to the point that it was unsensible for him.

In every sense, this strange place was the epitome of tranquility.

"What is this place?" Ainz asked unconsciously, with a tint of awe evident in his voice.

"Ah, I see that you have immediately taken some interest in this place." Magnus remarked happily, "And as for your question, you could consider this as my private little quarter, a pocket dimension you can call it, where I can enjoy my hobby, but can also be used for numerous other purposes, based on the situation."

Following the source of the voice, Ainz looked to the right and saw Magnus, now in the form of that fateful day.

"And I actually thought that you, with that much power, could actually do anything you want any time, anywhere you want"

"True, technically you are not wrong. Yes, I can do anything, anywhere I want. But... you know me, there is time and place for everything, enjoying one's own hobby is no exception. Now, let's go, I believe that you have seen our destination"

Ainz replied with a thoughtful yet silent nod as they calmly walked toward their location of interest, with seemingly echoing in this infinitely still and magnificent plain. For a moment in this infinite realm, there was only their echoing their footsteps which only broken by Magnus's jovial voice

"Well, what do you think about the place?"

"Very picturesque and serene… Very expected and… not expected of you. I always thought you as more of a man, or should I say, an entity of spectacle Magnus."

Magnus grinned at such a notion

"Oh, there are spectacles within simplicity, that is if you know the time, the place, and of course, how to do it. Not to mention, simple things definitely help balance things out in your life a lot, especially when you have to deal with the spectacle of splendor frequently. But if you want to, I can make it more… opulent."

After a short moment of consideration, Ainz replied

"... No, I think this is very much enough, adding more stuff only breaks the aesthetic of the place."

"I think so too my friend, I think so too. And by the way, don't let the simplicity of this place trick you, there is more to it than meet the eye."

"How so?" Curious, Ainz asked.

"This place and everything within it is just an incomplete reflection upon the lower dimension of the real thing. The real one is similar to what we are seeing here in both form and effect, of course, that is in the perspective of entities like me. For you, however, just a glance of it would utterly break you. And as for its effect, literally all the stress and tiredness that individuals have ever felt is permanently erased and those very concepts are temporarily removed during the stay."

"... Truly, there is nothing related to you that can be considered as ordinary, isn't it?" Ainz asked sarcastically.

"Oh, not entirely, I do have and can easily create the so - called "normal stuffs". But I find myself utterly lacking any reason for using them though, unless I have to or just to make things more fun. Beside, the standard of what could be considered as "normal" can be very VERY relative... Oh, it seems like we have reached our destination."

In front of them now were some furniture that consisted of three grand chairs and a table and on it were what seemed to be a closed massive book and an ink pot. All were astonishingly ornate and they were both made with materials that Ainz had never seen or known of, but he knew for certain that it would be beyond in quality compared to everything else. Moreso, there was something mystical about them. The cover and the pages were as dark as the void yet the ink radiated a warm golden light as if they were the condensed light of the brightest stars. The front cover was hidden by the surface of the table, he didn't know what the book was about. Curiosity almost got the best of him, but before he could even open his mouth, his mind quickly adjusted him and reminded him of the main purpose why he was here. Perhaps, it could be asked later on, when his main objective is done? But again, only then such a miniscule pondering could truly be answered.

"I presumed you have some liking for writing?"

Magnus nodded as he walked toward one of the chair

"Ey, you can say something like that, writing is somewhat of a hobby of mine. And… please, take a seat."

As both comfortably sat down on their respective chair Magnus continued:

"So, do you wish to have something? Food? Drink? Anything? After all, like I said before, this talk of ours can be long and maybe even beyond even the original intention"

"Thank you, but I don't think I would be needing it, at least, for now"

"I see… Suit yourself"

The stillness once more dawned upon the place as each looked at each other, thinking who to go first and what to say. After a solid moment or so, Magnus rest upon the back of his seat and sigh

"So… Where should I begin?"

"I think you should start from the very beginning"

At this, Magnus's eyes brimmed with nostalgia as if it drifted to a distant land far far away of a time long ago. Taking a deep breath and in a equally nostalgic voice, he started

"Before all of this, I had been a much much different entity. To demonstrate this, I would like you to imagine an entity… an entity who had been wandering aimlessly from place to place, world to world, reality to reality, nonstop, neverending… Deactivate his own capability of precognition acknowledgement, just to find something that would give him a sense of joy, belonging and purpose."

Ainz's mind followed and a whole new reality suddenly appeared right in front of his eyes.

Walking on some street that he had never known of, among countless others was a noticeable individual with tattered clothes and a hood covering the face. Even without taking into account the powerful presence exuded from this individual, he could easily have figured out who this individual was. As he walked, the people, the scenery, the entire world changed with his every step. Along with it, he changed as well, sometimes it was just the clothes, other times, it was an entirely different form. However, despite all the differences, every one of these versions had something in common and that was the contradiction of how he was seen nowadays: a pair of indifferent, ungodly cold eyes that were void of any purpose and true attachment to anything and anyone.

"During such a time, I have done countless works, some because I liked to, some do for so many others: rulers, civilians, the poor, the rich, self proclaimed higher entities and some truly were of all degrees. Some arrogantly think that they are the true supreme while in reality, they were not while others treat me with respect… The type of jobs were myriad, from small to big, insignificant to significant, brief subtle interference to utter direct intervention, some I did for free, some I did for a price or something similar. As such, I have garnered for myself quite a relationship and quite a name for myself everywhere I go. Some places, they synonymous me and my alias with destruction, calamity and the greatest of woes. Others viewed me as a Saint, a benevolent higher entity, some, I am just a rumor, a folktale character, a legend. But… All of them, in reality, were completely out of self interested, just for the sake of giving my existence a bit of meaning. Yet, all in all, regardless how many relationships I had made during such time, how many things I had done, I had been still nothing more than what my kin called me: the Wanderer, the Vagabond, the Ultimate Wildcard."

Just like before, Ainz could see what was being told in front of his eyes. An entity of extreme power ruthlessly raining down hell and damnation onto an entire nation as the screaming of agony and futile begging for forgiveness filled the whole world. A general, bathed in golden light, wielding godly strength and leading a much smaller army to turn the tide of an impossible battle against an endless sea of monsters that meant to bring only damnation and desecration. A wise and powerful mentor, directly and indirectly guide countless individuals to achieve legendary, if not, divine status and have their names carved in the carnal history in gold. A creator of countless inventions, the holder of unmeasurable wisdom and knowledge that would benefit countless others for all eternity. A nameless wanderer of folktales and legends, bringing miracles to the unfortunate, bringing justice to the land of unjust, bringing wisdom to the ignorance. And so many many more.

"And then, my aimless journey led me to one of the version of this world, during the period it had just conquered the whole continent with most of the things rather similar to yours, but of course there were some differences, like: equipping World Items actually negate the effect of hostile Wild magic."

'Lucky them.' Ainz thought as he listened to this part. He could imagine just how much easier it would be if such a law applied to his case as well. To say the least, True Dragon Lords in his case was rather a nuisance. The effect of their Wild Magic is devastating and has very little way to counter against, unless it was something that actually grants resistance or immunity against Wild Magic which could only be made with Wild Magic itself.

Because of that, in the past dealing with True Dragon Lords had been extraordinarily difficult, especially due to their humongous pride and their animosity against Players, it had required a lot of maneuvering on his part. And that hadn't taken into account the advent of Players every century. Some did indeed benefit him, many others did not, and in their wake, great destruction followed. The table only truly turned when he, with the help of his people, his ever reliable allied Players and the denizen of Nazarick, unlocked the secret of their magic and obtained it for himself and for his select few.

"In some remote area in the far east of this continent, rather far away from any settlement, I arrived. At the first look, the world looked like just another one of those typical worlds with magic which also resulted in a rather limited technological advancement. However, as I went more, saw more, something told me that this place was more than just what I initially thought it was."

As he continued, his eyes became deeper and deeper, his lips slowly formed into a tender smile and there was hint more emotion in his voice as he delved himself more and more into the bottomless sea of nostalgia of what seemed to be a long time ago.

"When I arrived at the nearest large town, the things I saw rather surprised me. The streets were clean and the buildings were nicely built and kept. For the standard of a town its size and the era, it was filled with people, healthy and dressed in fine clothes, coming from a collection of races: human, elven, demihumans, hybrid... However, what surprised me the most was the fact that guarding the street were some massive skeletal beings that I would later know as Death Knights, carts carrying selling goods were being pulled by skeleton horses, liches moving around doing their work in the middle of daylight. Yet, instead of being fearful or wary of these creatures of unlife, I sensed none in their mind nor their souls or any sign that they were being influenced by any type of manipulation. Heck, some children were even happily playing around with these gigantic wardens of the streets as if they were some long time friends."

"The concept of a kingdom where coexistence is possible somewhat surprises you?" Ainz curiously asked.

"Ey, places which coexistence do exist but are rather few in between, fragile and many times, very limited in scale. As for why, it had been dictated that there must be some significant requirements for two things fundamentally contradictory or actively/passively harmful to each other to actually coexist. It is to be expected, of course.

For example, the living and the undead. You know full well that in some sense the essence of undead offends the living and vice versa, to say the very least. Some universes take this literal, some metaphorical. And besides, it makes sense that people would be afraid, if not, utterly hostile against creatures meant to spread fear and very potentially mindlessly cause harm to you and your loved ones. That was why I was intrigued when I first came here."

Ainz nodded in understanding as Magnus procede

"To get some information of the place and maybe of the world, I went to the nearest tavern. Just like any of its kind, the sound and smell of life filled the place with the chatting, the singing of the bard and the cheering of drinkers and the smell of beer and alcohol. As I walked toward the bartender, I asked for a drink and some information about the place. He was a rather jolly, resourceful and patriotic dwarf, but again, many of the questions I asked were rather basic, so basic in fact, initially he looked at me weirdly as if I had been living under a rock or some sort. At that, I explained myself as a traveler from a far away land, which he kind of accepted. After getting the information I needed, I decided to meet you in person"

"And then you meet me immediately?"

"Well no, you know me, I always walk around. After like a month or so of traveling, exploring and felt the rather unique essence of places like this, I finally arrived at E - Rantel. As I heard that no one in the kingdom had completed the Adventurer trial, I decided to undergo the trial and finished it completely. Just as planned, this had caught that version of your attention, then we finally met each other. When we first met, although you were a king and all, you didn't act all pompous and almighty like many I had seen, instead, you were rather confined, yet still exuded a great sense of majesty that only those who are worthy to be considered as kings of kings would have. And when I looked at your soul, it was rather interesting to see the soul of a human as well. From that moment on, I know working with you would be a very interesting experience. You asked me what more I could do, I responded by showing you a rather powerful ability that isn't tier magic or wild magic or martial art for that matter. As a result, I was introduced to the Guardians and Nazarick and my days as an ally of Nazarick had begun."

At this, Magnus had his sight focus fully upon Ainz, he then continued

"From my time working with you, I see what you are, or at least, what you can be. You, my friend, are the greatest paradox to ever exist."

As he said that, the whole scene changed around them. No longer were they in the aesthetic plane of crystal, they were now covered in blackness, with only two of them visible. He then continued

"Instead of being the great monster of destruction and ruination, you brought a civilization of unparalleled greatness, a civilization where all the good aspects that make a sentient species worthy of existence thrive and prosper. From which, you have elevated them, you have made them better than their ancestors could ever be, you have simply evolved them."

The darkness gone, they were now hovering above what seemed like an early settlement of some foreign humanoid creatures.

"True, you currently haven't had the scale, yet. As seemingly crucial and impressive the scale one has can be, in reality, it is not the primary determining factor. Give a civilization, race, species, enough time and a good enough condition, you will find them grow and prosper to the peak of its potential, and if something really "special" happens, that civilization will go beyond even such destined boundaries. The path can be different from civilization to civilization, but the same in nature. These humanoid species down there is a case like that."

As Magnus spoke, the scene changed in a fast forward motion. From a small settlement, it developed itself then made its first interaction with the wider world and slowly expanded into a city state and then the capital of a big nation. As it became bigger and its influence became more widespread, the two hovered higher to oversee its true extent and the world around them, while having the ability to focus on some specific thing that took their interest or need to take notice while up there. With the rise in scale was the rise in technology and knowledge, they saw the city as well as its world went through numerous eras, marked by the level of advancement in technology. Within those ages were countless cycles of peace and war, prosperity and crisis, exceptional leaders and puppet kings and queens.

Many centuries forward, it finally came to the time when the world was developed enough as its buildings, machinery and even its citizens gleamed with the elegant aesthetic of the far future with the whole species finally united as one. From then on, with an ideal position and being a relatively early species themselves, they easily aimed toward the stars. Further in the future, with the absolute mastery of technology, they had conquered even the laws of reality itself. In the end, as they achieved their full potential, they were no less than what could be described as gods themselves.

It didn't stop there as they proceeded to look at various other examples. Some were humanoid, some were demihuman, others were heteromorphic, some were familiar and some were foreign. Each of them were different and unique in their own way with their own path of development depending on the speciality of their species, their environment. Just like with the first species, they all achieved their full potential, they all became gods in their own sense, whether it was in the way of technology, magic, biological evolution, they all have achieved their greatest extent.

"Glorious, are they not?"

"Indeed, to be fair, it is hard not to be awed at such achievements of such scale. However, I do not want to sound jealous or anything but I noticed that every of these scenarios are just too… ideal."

Although his skeletal face couldn't show emotion, Magnus still could feel that his friend's mental slight frown as he recollected all that he had recently seen.

"Even when things were heading for a great cataclysm, caused either by themselves or by nature, they were solved in relatively miraculous ways. Their contact with the bigger world and their history, for the most part, was peaceful. There were strife and conflicts from time to time, either among their own species or interspecies, but very manageable and in fact, those conflicts were even beneficial as it gave them a boost in development speed in every aspect. And not to mention, I see that each of their home regions of space were rather peaceful, some even had them as the only sentient species, remote and even early compared to the age of their universe. And not to mention, each of these civilizations is monospecies and only went for a single aspect, whether it was due to their choice or their law of nature dictated that they could only go for that path." Ainz thoughtfully noted.

"You have paid attention to the details really well, very much expected from you. Indeed, that was somewhat I meant by an "ideal situation". Under less… ideal ones, things would be much much different. At the very least, it would be a truly herculean effort with a very little chance to succeed. Or normally, during such a treacherous journey without all those ideal aspects, most would fail. Some would die off before they could achieve it, due to many reasons: other hostile races, catastrophes caused by nature or by their own vanity and callousness."

With that, the scene of a utopian vision was no more, and instead, it was replaced by the scene of the planet where the same humanoid species they had initially seen, during a time which they were still very undeveloped. However, unlike what happened before, from space, a gigantic blazing meteor appeared, flying toward the planet at a terrifyingly speed. As the world was still too primitive, they watched as the whole world drowned in the chorus of screaming of utter panic and prayer for their gods to come and save them but to no avail. And when it finally struck, the world cracked and was engulfed in flame and lava. Afterwards, the once lush world that held so much potential was no more, and in its place, a dead world, devoid of any life and no sign of civilization could ever be found ever again.

Then, they saw a more modern world. However, instead of a civilized one where peace should reign, perpetual war covered the entire planet. With war, poverty, famine, disease and misery reigned as well. As if the final seal of apocalypse had been released and the sanity of the leaders of this world had been broken, the world succumbed in the fire and poison of weapon of mass destruction which effect reached into the very core of the world. With the environment no longer able to sustain life on any levels, their civilization ceased from existence and never be known by any.

Then in another, they saw another civilization in a more futuristic setting where it had begun to colonise surrounding planets. The spirit and hope for a bright and glorious future was all time high. However, entirely unknown to them, in the distance, between the stars, in the deep darkness of space, hid what could only be described as a galaxy size horde of spacefaring monsters heading toward their fledgling civilization. And when these beasts arrived, there was nothing that could stop them. Though their ordinary ground troops were seemingly weaker individually, their number was uncountable. They were led with a wild cohesion and by an alpha whose intellect and physical capability were absolutely terrifying. Although they were purely organic creatures, their larger kin's skeletal claws could pierce tanks and armors with ease, ships of flesh that could easily destroy their futuristic metal counterparts. The short - lived optimism they had just seen was no more, and instead, despair reigned the star system. After one month of valiant but futile resistance, the once prospering star system where a civilization started their first step to greatness was no more and all there is left were planets devoid of all life and devoid of any sign that a thriving civilisation to have ever existed here in the first place.

"Of course, not all evolution stopped or halted indefinitely directly caused by some sort of an utter extinction incident. Many cases fell into that situation far before it. All of them may or may not cause a mess for them and to those around them. Of course, there are still ways to salvage those situations, but they are nothing less than interferences from higher planes of existence or something similar like that." After a pause, he continued, "Some would just halt their advancement, whether it was due to their overcompliance to the position they were currently having and feel like there is no need to become better."

The depressing barren star system changed and the scene now was of a sector of space where a powerful galactic empire resided. Its society was post - scarcity, its art and architecture was astonishing and magnificent beyond all measure and its people were a beautiful and powerful breed, capable of great feats and could become much more, so much more. Most of all, at least in their home galaxy, their power and dominance was unquestionable by any others. However, instead of being an enlightened species and aimed toward a higher goal, they simply stopped and fell into absolute decadence for what seemed to be long long ago, with the least severe among them could make even the most hardened soul visibly disgusted. In a mysterious way Ainz couldn't explain, one could perhaps call it a hunch, but he felt for certain that, in the horizon, this hedonism shall be the end of the tainted glory that was their empire, as it shall mark an new era for this galaxy, and maybe even for this very universe… An eternal era of strife and suffering.

"During the path, some may make a misstep in their advancement or some specific happening that puts them into an evolutionary dead end. Or even, they achieved their potential in one part but disregard other aspects, leading up to an unfinished evolution compared to how it was meant to be done."

Then they saw another civilisation, one that was going through an apocalyptic event. It was world ending in a way that dramatically changed the environment and frequently brought down devastating natural disasters, to the point that the planet was nearly inhospitable and the civilization did not have the means or the time to counter such a situation. The only way that one could survive was through a severe change in biology and society. And so they did. From a slender, civil looking species, through time, they had become more beastly, knowledge was discarded and forgotten forever as physical capabilities were all that mattered. Gone with knowledge was any sign of an advanced civilization that had ever existed here. In the end, they endured through the cataclysm, but not without a heavy price. Unawareable by the current generation or by almost any of those before them, the changes they made just to survive was devastating as it forced them to evolve but also devolve at the same time. The path they went through was something their species were never meant to go through. In the current time, they have reached an evolutionary dead-end and couldn't go any further. Compared to who they were and especially, to the original and true potential, what they were now was a terrible excuse of a species.

As everything turned back to normal, Ainz couldn't help but feel a pang of lament and sadness.

As a king of a grand empire for many many centuries, he had slowly come to greatly appreciate the concept of a great and beautiful civilisation with ever - increasing wonders, achievements and progress. Normally, seeing the fall of a kingdom or an empire wouldn't really strike him as much, for at least once in history, he had decreed such an order. All of them didn't hold much value, their knowledge and technology had already been known or copied, their so - called wonders were mediocre at best, their greatest minds and talents had swore their loyalty to him and his kingdom long before.

This time, however, it was much much more impactful. Maybe, it was that the civilizations that fell were the same ones he had just seen and awe at them for achieving absolute mastery over their fate and their own reality. Although each of them was a different version to their successful counterpart, to see all they could have been, he couldn't help but feel a slight bit of pity and worry for his part, for what can happen to the heaven they had made.

His friend, on the hand, seemed to feel nothing, as his face was unmoving, his voice was monotone and his presence was cold and unfeeling.

"You have seen these a lot, haven't you?"

"Ey, I have, I have lost counted to be honest." He said coldly with a hint of ruthlessness in his tone "In a sense, as grand as they were or they could have been, each was nothing more than a grain of sand in an infinite desert with infinite layers that none could ever comprehend. And beside... I just haven't shown you the fall of those who have achieved their full potential, for even gods and titans can fall, if the conditions are met."

"And I presumed that you showed me this so that I can relate to our kingdom?"

Magnus answered with a nod

"Indeed, like you have noticed before, all I have shown you were the visions of a civilization of a specific species achieving their full potential. If you were impressed by them, just wait until you see the splendor of ones that combined many aspects perfectly. For in actuality, the potential, the essence of what that civilization is made out of is what determines its own greatness."

Then once more, a new scenery appeared. This time... There was simply no word to fully describe the grand magnificence around them. If the utopian scenes they had witnessed initially were almost unbelievable, this one was nigh- incomprehensible. If the others were the absolute mastery of a singular aspect, this civilization was the culmination of all of those achievements, with each intertwined perfectly and offset each own primordial downsides. This was shown through its citizens and all of their achievements. No more were the signs of their primitive, problematic aspects, they had all ascended what seemed to be a long time ago and what was left in them were all the qualities that make a sentient species worthy of existence. However, though it was difficult for Ainz to see, yet, in some way, he slowly noticed, there was more to it.

This civilization didn't just achieve those ends, they have long ascended beyond those so called limits, something that others couldn't have under even their most ideal situation, of course, if nothing "special" happened.

"Is this… Is this what my kingdom can achieve?" Ainz seemingly unconsciously asked in an amazed tone. True, the prophecy of a few years back had indeed given him a glimpse of what the future had to offer, but to see it with his own eyes, was a much different story. He could easily feel the spirit of such civilization despite it being just somewhat of an hologram.

"Definitely and can be more than that." Magnus noted happily "The essence and potential of these civilizations are tremendous, averagely higher than the others as they are the culmination of more than one species and one path could ever achieve. Thus, the reward for achieving the full potential of this type of civilization success would be glorious, more than any others, just like you are seeing here."

"However, they are very fragile?".

Magnus replied but his tone and his gentle nod hid a tint of what seemed to be sadness in it.

"Very, VERY vulnerable. Everything had a price after all. What I am showing here is an ideal version of what could have been. In a more "realistic scenario", things would be much more different. Just one unintentional mistake, just a simple thing like one day, a member species deluded themselves that they were more superior than the others, the civilization shall be no more, it would either turn into something else or be destroyed completely. And even then, like I said, this can only really be sustainable on a small scale and even then, still very fragile. All in all, this is the utopia of utopia, the most impossible future."

With the scene around them vanished and they returned to the serenic realm again, a short silence dawned upon them once more.