—Hey guys this chapter was kinda rush ok so forgive any problems. One of my Family member is at risk of dying so i will be attending to that problem... But i still want to have the chapter out for u guys, this chapter has been my only stress reliever for the past few days now... sorry for any problem...
After teleporting into the Treasury, the first thing everyone saw was countless lights glittering in the air, like stars in the sky.
The ceiling was so high that one would have to strain to see its heights, and its walls were so broad that they exceeded the range of one's vision. The vast room they defined was filled with dazzling treasures.
In the center of the room was a heaping pile of gold coins and gems, so immense that it resembled a mountain range. Even the amount which could be seen to be counted was but a tiny fraction of the actual sum. In addition, there were masterfully made works of art buried in the mountain of gold.
A quick glance revealed a golden mug, a scepter encrusted with all manner of gemstones, a crystal pitcher, an animal pelt which emitted a platinum radiance, an exquisitely woven tapestry made with thread-of-gold, a pearl-colored ocarina, a fan made of rainbow-colored feathers, a mask made from animal hide, and many, many more.
Needless to say, they were but the tip of the iceberg.
There were hundreds more such articles buried within that gigantic heap of riches. As the NPC beheld this literal mountain of treasure, The three supreme beings could hear whispered gasps of awe from them. It would seem the voices came from four people.
Sixty six percent, huh...
Ainz looked behind him, at the four NPC who were waiting for their orders.
Albedo had shed her armor and changed back into her white dress. There was a look of genuine admiration on her beautiful face as she looked around her surroundings. A similar expression adorned the face of Yuri Alpha, the maid to whom he had given his ring upon returning to Nazarick.
Only two of them was unlike the previous two. That person did not gasp in awe, but instead watched Ainz in silence.
One was Obito the leader of the Uchiha Brothers and the other was a girl with short stature. Her face was a work of sculpted beauty. Only one of her eyes — which radiated a cool glow like a cut emerald — was visible, the other being covered up by an eyepatch. Her strawberry-blonde hair gleamed as it reflected the starlight which shone from the ceiling.
She was a heteromorphic being, of the kind known as Automatons. Her name was CZ2128 Delta, or Shizu for short.
As one of Pleiades Battle Maid, she was dressed similarly to Narberal and Yuri. However, the biggest difference in her outfit from the others was that all her accessories were done up in an urban camouflage pattern, while her skirt had a cute "1-yen" sticker on it. In addition, she had a firearm of some sort at her waist, attached to her belt like a sword.
Incidentally, that magic gun, the Automaton race, and Shizu's job class of Gunner had all been added to the game after the large-scale update called "Valkyrie's Downfall."
Yuri adjusted her lensless black spectacle frames. She seemed unable to abide the mess around her, given her sense of duty as a maid. Then, she asked:
"My Lord, may I ask why are these treasures have not been tidied up? Even if there are protective spells in effect, this is hardly an ideal storage method. You have but to command us and we will immediately begin tidying—"
"Look closely around you one more time yuri." Jeanne said.
Yuri looked around, taking about the time of a single breath, and then she apologized.
"My sincerest apologies. Please forgive my lack of insight my lady."
"It fine. However, the fact is that the items buried within the gold pieces are hardly valuable."
The places where the three supreme beings had looked and where Yuri's eyes had followed were the reason for her apology. There were shelves everywhere, piled all the way up to the ceiling, and the treasures there were more eye-catching than the mountains of gold.
There was a wand socketed with bloodstones, a pair of hihiirokane gauntlets inlaid with garnets, a small silver ring adorned with black diamonds, an obsidian statuette carved in the shape of a dog, a purple amethyst dagger, a miniature altar with countless small white pearls embedded all over it, a peony made from some glass-like material which scattered light in all the colors of the rainbow, a rose blossom which had been masterfully carved from a star ruby, a tapestry which depicted a soaring black dragon, a crown of platinum which held an enormous diamond, golden censers that were encrusted in gemstones, a mated pair of a male and female lion statuettes, carved from ruby and sapphire respectively, cufflinks which looked like flames and which had fire opals set into them, an intricately-carved cigar case made of rosewood, a jacket made of some golden beast's pelt, a dozen plates made of apoitakara, anklets decorated with gemstones of four colors, a grimoire whose cover was made of demantoids, a human-sized statue of a woman which had been carved from gold, a belt with imperial topazes sewn into its material, a chess set whose pieces were all topped in different gemstones, a statuette of a fairy carved from a single piece of emerald, a black cloak that was decorated with countless small gemstones, a drinking horn made from a unicorn's horn, a golden dais that held a crystal ball, and so on.
This was but a fraction of the wonders therein.
In addition, there were many mirrors of blue topaz, red crystals that were the size of a man, a gigantic platinum statue of a warrior, a pillar covered in mysterious characters, as well as a gigantic alexandrite which one would need both arms to fully embrace.
These numberless treasures gave Yuri her answer; which was that there was simply no place to put them.
"Let's go."
The three NPC answered Ainz in the affirmative. Only Shizu remained silent, merely nodding in acknowledgement.
Ainz cast 「Mass Fly」, and then the 7 (that including Ainz) of them took off.
It was then that they realized that a faint purple poisonous gas hung in the air.
Yuri looked around to find the source of the purple gas, but though she looked to the ceiling, the walls, and the corners, she could not pinpoint the source of the purple radiance.
Just as confusion bloomed on Yuri's face, a monotonous voice answered her:
"...Yuri-nee. Powerful magic toxin in the air."
"Eh?"
Yuri's surprising answer was met by a cold, inscrutable look. That look came from Shizu's calm green eye, which was devoid of any emotion.
One would not be able to pick up any emotion from those eyes. Shizu had a beautiful face, but if one were to be ungenerous, one could call it an actor's mask.
After all, Shizu was an automaton. She would not show any emotions — indeed, that was how she had been programmed.
"...Blood of Jormungandr?"
As Obito named that most potent of poisons, Ainz replied:
"Mm, that's correct. I didn't tell you, but the air in the Treasury is toxic. Anyone without poison immunity or items granting it will die within three steps."
"Would that be why you chose me — forgive me, why you chose the four of us to accompany you?"
Indeed it was.
Yuri — who was adjusting her glasses — was a Dullahan, while the stiff-faced Shizu was an Automaton. The two of them were heteromorphic beings who were immune to poison as part of their racial features.
Albedo And Obito were demons and did not naturally possess a resistance to poisons, but they had another way to render themselves immune to them.
"You're right in the reason for which I brought you here… However, I brought Shizu for more than just that; she is also here for verification."
Ainz and his entourage crossed the mountain range of gold with the 「Mass Fly」 spell, and then they came to the door on the other side.
No, was it right to call it a door? It was more of a bottomless black shadow in the shape of a door, affixed to a wall.
As they arrived before this painting-like door, Ainz fell into thought.
"This is the armory, (so what was the password again… dammit Tabula)" Jeanne said the last part in a whisper that could barely be heard by anyone.
"My lady, if there is an armory, does this mean that there are other treasures stored in other locations?"
'...Eh? Does Albedo not know about the interior of the Treasury?' Jeanne thought.
She had no idea why Albedo would have such doubts. However, it was understandable why she would not know about such things. After all, the Treasury did not exist within the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick proper, but could only be reached via the use of the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown. It was designed to be very difficult to infiltrate. Thus, it was only natural why Albedo — who had only received the ring ten days ago — would not know of such things.
She had many questions about what exactly the NPCs knew, but after thinking about it, Jeanne dismissed those concerns as trivial, and answered her question.
"Yes. we had a friend called Genjiro. He liked sorting things out neatly, so he should have arranged the items by their intended purpose."
"Is he the Supreme Being who made our comrade Entoma?"
"Yes, that's right, Yuri. However, it seems there was an exception to his orderly tendencies. If he was truly obsessed with cleanliness, then the treasures among the gold pieces should have been tidily arranged as well. One would not want to say that one's room was filthy, after all. Come to think of it, these items should be arranged in order of defensive gear, weapons, jewellery, wondrous items, consumables, crafting supplies, and so on. Also, there's the rooms for the management of Nazarick… and yes, there should be a room for data crystals." Ainz said.
As he chattered on, he pointed to where a two-dimensional shadow now appeared on the wall.
"However, they're all located in the same place inside, and it doesn't really matter which direction you enter from… oh, my apologies. I seem to have said too much."
"Certainly not. I am grateful that you would answer our questions so readily, Ainz-sama."
Obito nodded and the two battle maids bowed in thanks as Albedo made her reply.
'We're almost out of time, what the hell am I doing? It seems like my mouth won't stop whenever I talk about the glories of Nazarick…'
'We all feel the same way too you know'
'Yeah, it's just the three of us now, so it uncommon to reminisce about the good old days, you've practically spend every day in YGGDRASIL Suzuki-kun, so it alright'
Ainz let out a smile and gave a thankyou to his friends, and then looked to the shadow before him.
This was a door which required a certain password to open. Perhaps one could force it open with magic or rogue skills, but Ainz did not know spells like that, not did he or his friends have such skills. Thus, he had to speak the password—
'Hm...crap, I forgot it'
That was only to be expected.
There were so many such gimmicks in Nazarick that he would probably only be able to remember a password if it was one he used frequently. However, given that he did not come to the Treasury often, he did not remember the password to this door.
He had only come here when paying for the upkeep costs of Nazarick with the money he had earned, and that had been years ago.
Since he could not remember the password, Ainz spoke a master password:
"Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown." Karna said in a load strong voice.
In response, the jet-black door displayed a series of words: "Ascendit a terra in coelum, iterumque descendit in terram, et recipit vim superiorum et inferiorum."
(Author Note: This is an excerpt from the Emerald Tablet, AKA the Tabula Smaragdina.)
"...Tabula Smaragdina-san really was a perfectionist." Jeanne sigh.
Albedo reacted to those words which Jeanne could not help but mention.
Jeanne thought of one of the people who had designed the tricks and traps used by Ainz Ooal Gown.
He had a hand in designing about twenty percent of the smaller mechanisms throughout the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. His abnormally intricate designs consumed much of Nazarick's free data capacity, which caused the other members to complain about being unable to indulge themselves. Thus, he took responsibility for his actions and paid for many cash items to expand said data capacity.
The three supreme beings studied the words which appeared. This must be a hint for the password, but what could it mean?
They all racked their brains, taking their time to plumb the depths of their mind for the answer.
Soon, Ainz finally found the password, which slumbered within his memories.
"It should be — By this means, you shall acquire all the glory of the whole world, / And so you shall drive away all shadows and blindness — am I correct?"
As Ainz said this, he looked to Shizu with questioning eyes.
Shizu nodded in response to him.
She had been made by one of his friends who had worked on different mechanisms from Tabula Smaragdina. Shizu's backstory had been written so that she would be familiar with the bypassing of Nazarick's mechanisms. This was why she could easily solve that password hint.
However, Ainz had not asked her for help because he wanted to indulge the selfish desire to open the door through his own efforts.
The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick had been brought to life when it came to this new world. Therefore, he wanted to be the first to set his feet here, much like how men wanted to leave their footprints on freshly-fallen snow. It was that desire which drove Ainz to open the door on his own.
As though in response to Ainz's wishes, the shadow door collapsed into a single point. Soon, the shadow was gone, leaving a fist-sized sphere of blackness floating in the air.
Now that the shadow had vanished, one could see into the tunnel that had been left behind. This was an orderly place, completely unlike the previous area. The best way to describe it would be something like a display from a museum.
The dimly-lit room was very long and stretched ever inward.
The ceiling was about five meters above the ground, a height which was clearly not designed with humans in mind, while it was about ten meters from one wall to the other.
The ground was made of tightly-fit, shiny black stone blocks, and it looked like a single gigantic stone slab.
Neat rows of countless weapons were arrayed on the walls to Ainz's left and right, making an impressive display.
"We're going in."
Karna and Jeanne entered the Armory without waiting for the others to respond.
What awaited the group were broadswords, greatswords, estocs, flamberges, scimitars, patas, shotels, kukris, claymores, short swords, sword breakers...
Of course, swords were not the only weapons here. There were one-handed axes, two-handed axes, one-handed bludgeons, javelins, bows, crossbows...
Just the types alone were almost uncountable.
In addition, there were many unrealistic weapons here that stretched the definition of actually being called weapons. Those were the kind that could not possibly be sheathed, or which were more decorative than useful, and so on. No, these weapons were in the majority.
Almost none of them were made of anything as ordinary as mere steel.
There was a sword with a blade of blue crystal, a pure-white sword with gold inlays and engravings, a black sword with purple runes along its body, and even a bow that seemed to have been strung with pure light.
Then there were other weapons that looked dangerous even at a glance.
There was a two-handed axe whose blade constantly dripped fresh blood. Tormented faces appeared and vanished on the black metal of a gigantic mace. There was a lance that resembled human hands clasping each other. And then there were many more weapons like these, in amounts which defied easy counting.
One could guess that most of them were magic weapons, but the exact effect each of them had was a mystery. One might be able to guess at the purpose of a sword whose blade flickered like a flame, but it was impossible to know the abilities of a sword whose blade looked like a whip and which wriggled like a centipede.
``wow, we really have a hoarding problem didn't we?' Karna said.
'So that where Suzuki-kun got his hoarding problem from'
'Hey!'
The group looked at these weapons on either side as they silently walked through the Armory. Before long — about a hundred meters and thousands of weapons later — they reached their destination, which was a rectangular room.
It might have been used to receive guests, since there was a table and sofa set in the middle of the otherwise-empty room. There were other passages visible to the left and right which looked similar to the one through which they—(our three Protagonist and the NPC)— had entered.
There was only one route which led further on, in contrast to the way they had entered. The atmosphere of that way was also dramatically different. If the previous room had been like a museum, then the next one was like a tomb.
The height of the room was about the same as the previous one, but the dim interior extended further in. It was hard to tell due to the angles, but it looked like there was a large niche set into the wall, with something placed within it.
After hearing the sounds of surprise from behind him, Ainz said:
"Within lies the Mausoleum." Ainz said without addressing anyone in particular.
"The Mausoleum?"
"Hm? Albedo… do you not know the name of that room?"
'Well, you did pick that name yourself… Albedo might not even know the name of the Treasury's Guardian…' Karna said.
"Then, do you know of Pandora's Actor?" Ainz asked.
"Yes, I do. As the Guardian Overseer, I am aware of his name and appearance… Pandora's Actor is the Area Guardian of the Treasury, and his abilities are on par with myself and Demiurge. Other than managing the Treasury, his purpose is also to prepare the currency needed to activate Nazarick's defense network. In other words, he is a treasurer."
"That's pretty much it. However, that is not all. That fellow—"
Before Ainz could finish, he was interrupted — the four NPCs turned to look at one of the other passages and saw an entity there.
That being had a bizarre appearance.
While it had a man's body, its head was that of a distorted squid. The right side of its head was half-covered in a twisted, tattooed letters, which resembled the ones that had floated up on the door just now.
Its skin was like that of a corpse, with purple blotches amidst a ghastly white color, and it was covered in some sort of sticky slime that gave off a bizarre sheen. Webs of skin grew between the long digits of its four-fingered hands.
Its body was covered in a shiny, form-fitting black leather outfit studded with silver jewelry. Several belts wrapped around it. Its black cape was closed in front of it, as if to conceal its body.
It was the very picture of a heteromorphic character. The six twitching tentacles which sprouted from its mouth dangled down to its thighs, and it turned its cloudy blue pupil-less eyes to survey the group.
Albedo cried out in surprise:
"Lord Tabula Smaragdina!"
This was one of the Forty One Supreme Beings. As a magic caster, he was superior to Ainz in terms of attack power.
"No, that's not him!" she immediately continued.
The two maids watched Albedo's reaction and swiftly moved into action.
Shizu drew her gun and braced its stock against her shoulder, levelling her muzzle at the person before her.
Yuri clenched her fists in front of her chest, and punched her gauntlets together, which made a sound like a ringing gong.
Obito remain still but attracted his Sharingan.
Then, yuri slide next to Albedo's side, in front of the three supreme beings and Shizu. All three of the supreme beings were magic caster while Shizu was a gunner, neither of whom did well in close combat except for Karna and Jeanne but they mostly fight in mid to long range. Thus, this was the ideal position for her to be in order to cover for all of them.
"Who are you!? Even if you disguise yourself and your presence as a Supreme Being, I would not mistake my own creator and master for anyone else!"
The mysterious being who looked like Tabula Smaragdina merely inclined its head at Albedo's question, but did not make any reply.
"—Really now. Kill it."
As that cold voice rang forth, the two battle maids hesitated. Though this was an unknown opponent, they were still a little reluctant to attack someone who resembled one of their creators.
Under these circumstances, one could not fault the battle maids. All that could be said was that Albedo's calm judgement was impeccable.
Their top priority was the safety of their ward, the three supreme beings.
Obito held out his arm and stop yuri and shizu hesitant advance. Albedo looked slightly shocked. She glares at Obito and clicked her tongue, just as she was about to charge, a distinctly unhappy Ainz said:
"That's enough. Return to your true form, Pandora's Actor!"
Tabula Smaragdina's body distorted.
In the space of a heartbeat, another heteromorphic being stood where the impostor Tabula Smaragdina had been, though it was something else entirely.
Its face was flat, with no nose or other facial features. Its mouth and eyes were replaced by three empty holes. There were no eyeballs, teeth, or a tongue; just three black holes which looked like they had been drawn on by a child with a black marker.
The white, egg-like head was smooth and shiny, without a single hair to mar its surface.
This strange character — and Narberal — were both Doppelgangers.
His name was Pandora's Actor, and he was a level one hundred NPC personally designed by Ainz and placed in charge of the Treasury. His talents lay in disguise, and he could copy forty five separate forms and even their abilities — though only at eighty percent of the original's potency.
His hat bore the crest of Ainz Ooal Gown, while the uniform he wore was very similar to the uniforms used by Neo-Nazi elite guards during the Euro-Arcology Wars twenty years ago.
After forcefully clicking his heels together, he raised his right hand to his cap in a grossly overacted salute.
"I bid you a fond welcome, my creator, Momonga-sama and the two supreme beings of the glorious Nazarick!"
'...'
Karna could feel he was about to burst with laughter, covered his mouth '...what the hell Ainz…'
"...You seem quite lively."
"Indeed! I am bursting with energy every day! Speaking of which, may I know the purpose for which you have come? And to think you would have in your train these fair maidens, the Guardian Overseer and the Pleiades Battle Maids, and the great lady Jeanne herself!"
Yuri and Albedo returned to their positions behind Ainz after the Area Guardian revealed himself, although the four of them had different looks on their faces.
Jeanne slightly laugh and pay it no heed.
However Yuri — who took pride in her position as one of the Pleiades — adjusted her glasses and seemed displeased at being called a "fair maiden." She looked as though she wanted to say something, though ultimately she did not.
Albedo, who stood beside Ainz, seemed to be jealous of the fact that Pandora's Actor had been created by Ainz and pursed her lips where Ainz could not see her.
Shizu and Obito, on the other hand, showed no change in their expression and simply returned their weapon to its place.
"We will be going into the innermost vaults to retrieve World Class Items." Karna said.
"Of what do you speak!? Has the time come to unleash their power!?"
Pandora's Actor put on an exaggerated look of shock. This act made Ainz furrow his nonexistent eyebrows and Karna to sigh.
His clothes were one thing, but why did he have to overreact to everything? No, Ainz knew the answer to that.
Ainz was the creator of Pandora's Actor; in other words, his every move and gesture existed because Ainz thought they were stylish. Thus, he had happily worked them into the character design.
"...Ugh, this is really…"
In the past, he had thought of military uniforms as being very cool, and he believed that actors ought to be dramatic, but watching someone as intelligent like him make such showy motions was—
'Uwah~ how lame~'
Karna who was still trying to suppress his laughter said 'I'd needed to ask…hehe... what the hell was going through that skull of yours when you decided to make him!?' Karna said.
"...Chunibyo… it happens it okay Suzuki-kun" Jeanne said in the hopes of trying to cheer her friend up.
"...Damnit"
Those quiet words slipped free of Ainz's heart, so softly that nobody heard.
This was his black history.
His living, breathing black history (Pandora's Actor).
Calming down from his suppressed laughter Karna said "Ahem!... Pandora Actor, we intend to withdraw 「Avarice and Generosity」, 「Hygieia's Chalice」, 「Billion Blades」, and 「Depiction of Nature and Society」."
"...And what of the other two?" Pandora asked
"Leave them. They're one-use items. The fact that they're so powerful means you have to think about the right time and place to use them. Then, there's also the matter of how to recover the items to use them again." Karna answered.
"Indeed, it is so. For these legendary treasures, so mighty and potent that they are worthy of being called trump cards, which can make the impossible possible, or even change the face of the entire world—"
"—Pandora's Actor, I'd like to test your knowledge; there are two hundred World Class Items, but how many of them are you familiar with?" Ainz asked.
"Forgive me, my lord, but I only know of eleven of them."
Ainz nodded in acknowledgement. Those were the World Class Items which Ainz Ooal Gown possessed. He did not know that there was one more, 「Atlas」, which had been stolen from them. In other words, he had learned that the NPCs' knowledge was affected by their settings, but they could ignore any contradictions in their backstories.
Ainz and friends had observed the NPCs for several days now. They had learned that the NPCs seemed to take after his former guildmates in the parts of their personalities which were not covered by their character details, as well as in interpersonal relationships with other NPCs. For instance, the relationship between Shalltear and Aura, or that between Demiurge and Sebas.
Ainz smiled, though his expression did not change.
So basically, they're like everyone's children.
It felt like his friends from the past were by his side once more. It gladdened Ainz's heart, but at the same time he felt terribly alone.
Ainz shook his head to disperse his hurt feelings.
"Is that so, Pandora's Actor? I seem to have asked you a pointless question."
"Certainly not; I must tender my sincerest apologies for my lack of knowledge."
With that, he bowed. Every move he made was exaggerated to the point of being ridiculous.
"...Never mind. I will be heading to the Mausoleum soon. Has anything happened here?"
"Of course not, everything within this domain is the sole property of yourself and all your colleagues, Momonga-sama. How could anything happen?"
With a theatrical flourish, he gestured all around him.
"Although, it is with a heavy heart that I confess that I was hoping you intended to make use of my abilities, Momonga-sama."
Ainz paused, and began sizing up this heteromorphic creature.
He was right; at one point Ainz had indeed intended to make use of him. Pandora's Actor possessed wit and cunning that ranked among the pinnacle of Nazarick's denizens. While he usually applied said intelligence toward strange purposes, it was very difficult to cast aside his wisdom during times of great need.
In addition, Pandora's Actor possessed very flexible abilities, to the point where he could replace all the other Guardians.
However, Ainz had not made him for combat or administrative duties, but to preserve the forms of "Ainz Ooal Gown" and the memories of his comrades.
"...You are my final ace in the hole, so I do not intend to use you for petty tasks."
"...I am truly grateful for that."
With a look on his face which suggested that he was hesitant to speak (probably), Pandora's Actor once more took a deep bow.
"Understood. Then, I shall continue to manage the Treasury from now on."
"Mm, make me proud. Also, from now onwards, call me Ainz, Ainz Ooal Gown."
"Ohhhh! I hear and obey, my creator, Ainz-sama!"
After Pandora's Actor saluted him, Ainz turned away, as if to show that the conversation was over. Just then, a voice came from behind him.
"However, Ainz-sama; though this might offend you, I submit that since a situation has arisen that requires the use of World Class Items, it might be better for you to permit me to leave the Treasury and move around on other floors."
"..."
'He does have a point' Karna said.
Pandora's Actor was a treasure, but it would be foolish to lose more important treasures because all he did was display him rather than use him. Now was the time to deploy of him, given that this was an emergency situation, and he also had to move the Treasury's gold to the Throne Room.
After making his decision, Ainz turned around, just in time to see Pandora's Actor placing a hand on his chest, as if to recommend himself.
Ainz also heard a quiet "uwah~" from the otherwise expressionless Shizu.
That sound carved a grievous wound into Ainz soul — although his emotional suppression immediately calmed him down.
Pandora's Actor was indeed far too dramatic, and it made his creator (Ainz) think that every single movement he made was designed to scream "I am cool."
Perhaps such actions would fit him if he was a handsome man, but instead he was an egghead, which made them terribly unfitting. It even made Ainz feel uneasy when he saw him.
Ainz quietly studied Pandora's Actor for a while, and then he plucked a ring from his pocket dimension and tossed it to him.
The ring traced an arc through the air, landing neatly in the hand of Pandora's Actor.
"This… is the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, and it possesses the ability to..."
Ainz held up a hand, as though to tell Pandora's Actor not to go on. Although he seemed quite disappointed, Ainz decided to pay him no heed.
"This is just in case. Albedo, inform the vassals of Nazarick about Pandora's Actor. Before that, you are only to travel between the Throne Room and the Treasury, Pandora's Actor."
"Understood."
The two of them responded at the same time, but Pandora's Actor clicked his heels together with great force, tossing out his arm which was straightened all the way to the tips of his fingers and saluted with great pomp and circumstance… or to put it less kindly, he was hamming it up.
Ainz looked at his egghead, and gently shook his head.
He was not a bad sort, and he was quite capable, but regretfully—
"Uwah~"
'Why did I designed him with such a personality? I used to think this sort of thing was so cool. No, actually, I still think his uniform is kind of cool…'
If Ainz could have blushed, his face would be bright red.
'Are you kidding me! That's what you call cool!'
'Shut up!'
'Hahaha AHHA'
'Alright that enough now Karna-kun'
"...Oi, Pandora's Actor."
Ainz grabbed Pandora's Actor by the shoulders and pulled him aside, as if to say, Come with me. Of course, he told his friends and Albedo and the maids to stay where they were.
"I have an important question for you. I am your creator, and the one you are loyal to, right?"
"Indubitably so, Ainz-sama! For as I was made by you, if you desire me to do battle with the other Supreme Beings, I shall charge into the fray without hesitation!"
"I see… then, I have a request for you as a human being… no, a man… no, as your creator… Could you please not salute any more?"
Pandora's Actor locked his vacant eyes with Ainz own, his confusion at Ainz's words evident within them.
"Er, that… how shall I put it, your saluting is pretty weird, so please don't salute any more… As for your uniform, it makes you look very strong, so we'll leave that be… but please, really, don't salute any more."
"Wenn es meines Gottes Wille!"— (If this is my God's will!)
"Is that German?! Don't speak like that either. No, you may use it if you please, but just not in front of me. I'm begging you."
"Y-Yes…"
This was the first time Pandora's Actor had such a look of shock on his face, and his answer seemed a little strange. After realizing their faces were close enough for a kiss, Ainz backed off and asked weakly:
"Please, I'm begging you. I didn't think my emotion override would trigger over something like this. It's worse than riding a giant hamster… I can hardly believe it myself. Although I'd like to discuss the matter in greater detail, the situation is quite urgent, so we'll leave it at this for now."
"Then, there's something which has to be done before entering the Mausoleum. Albedo, leave the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown which I gave you with Pandora's Actor."
Ainz explained the reason for that to a confused Albedo.
"This is the final trap emplaced here; the Avataras within are programmed to attack anyone with a Ring, even if that person is you or me."
"I see… intruders would use the Ring to get here. Thus, they would trigger that final trap."
"Evil, don't you think?"
"Of, of course not!"
Albedo reluctantly plucked the Ring from her left ring finger, folding it into a silk handkerchief before handing it to Pandora's Actor. As he saw this, Ainz removed his ring as well, and placed it into a box that he had produced from thin air.
"Ah!" Ainz exclaimed. He seemed to have thought of something. He placed the ring with the box which contained all the other rings that he had not yet decided to gift to people.
This was because he would still be considered to have the ring on even if it were in his pocket dimension, which would result in the Avataras attacking him if he entered the Mausoleum.
"Albedo-sama… could you please let go?"
As he heard that vaguely annoyed voice, Ainz turned to see Albedo and Pandora's Actor playing tug-of-war with the silk handkerchief.
"My, my precious…"
"Ainz-sama said so, didn't he? If you wear the Ring, you'll be attacked. It's just taking it off for a while…"
"What are you saying? This is the Ring which Ainz-sama gave me! How could I—!"
"...Albedo, there's no time for this. If you're unwilling to leave it with him, then I shall—" before Karna could go any further, Albedo interrupted him.
"My apologies, I'm ready now!"
Albedo suddenly let go, making Pandora's Actor lose his balance and stumble back with a cry.
"Is that so… then enter. Pandora's Actor, you will direct Yuri and Shizu to move some of the treasure to the Throne Room… Though it might be troublesome, be considerate of Albedo and do not use her Ring. Instead, use the one I gave you."
"Thank you very much, Ainz-sama! I cannot bear the thought of others using the Ring that you personally gifted to me. But — Of — Course — since this is an emergency, it is not that I am truly unwilling. I just wish to let you know how much I value that ring, Ainz-sama, although I am sure that you already know that even without the need for me to—"
"—Understood! ...Then, who shall stay here and receive Ainz-sama when he returns?"
A look that ill-fitted an elegant beauty crossed Albedo's face as Pandora's Actor interrupted her self-promotion. Ainz decided to look away from Albedo in that state, so as not to mar the image of the beautiful maiden in his mind.
"We should be some time. I will notify you with a 「Message」 and you can return to us then. After all, we cannot leave this place without a Ring."
"Understood."
Ainz, Karna, Jeanne alone with Albedo and Obito entered the Mausoleum, under the eyes of Pandora's Actor and the two maids.
This dimly-lit place was deathly silent, and it seemed like a suitable place for the spirits of the departed to rest. Ainz felt somewhat guilty about breaking the silence here, but nevertheless, he opened his mouth and asked the person travelling beside him:
"That's right, Albedo, Obito: what do you know about World Class Items?"
"From what I can tell, they are the most valuable treasures that the Supreme Beings have collected. They are deeply cherished and one of them is in my possession… but that is all."
"Same my lord, these are the treasure of the supreme ones which they have spent countless time acquiring through their glorious adventures, I have heard that some of them are so powerful, they are able to change the fundamental laws of reality itself"
"I see. Then, on some other day, I shall commit what I know about the World Class Items to paper. It will be safer to let more people know about that information. Before that, however, I shall inform you about these dangerous items."
Ainz began talking about them as he walked.
World Class Items.
These items were closely linked to the game world of YGGDRASIL.
The World Tree Yggdrasil had countless leaves, but then a gigantic monster appeared which devoured these leaves, causing them to fall one after the other, until only nine were left. These nine leaves were the previous incarnations of the Nine Worlds: Asgard, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim.
However, that leaf-eating monster continued its advance on those nine remaining leaves. This was the backstory upon which the players adventured into unknown worlds in order to protect their own world.
What did those World Class Items represent? They were equivalent to those other leaves — in other words, a single World Class Item represented a world. Thus, the basic design principle of World Class Items was that they possessed enormous power, and indeed, many World Class Items were extremely powerful.
Many players had even expressed the opinion that these items were too imbalanced, but the developers simply replied, "The possibilities of the world are not that small," and showed no intention of changing these balance breakers.
The developers seemed to have a soft spot for the word "World," and so any class or monster with "World" in its name was usually much stronger than normal.
To the developers, the incredibly powerful last boss of the main campaign storyline — known as the "World Eater" — was the signature World Class Enemy. In addition, only the winners of a tournament held in each world could become a "World Champion."
Just as Ainz got to that part, the five of them arrived at two neatly flanking rows of niches, each filled with a statue dressed in battle gear.
This place resembled the Lemegeton, down to its magic arrays and the mood in the air. However, while the Demons of the Lemegeton were not armed, all the statues here sported incredibly powerful gear, and their potency rivalled Ainz's primary battle equipment.
"The supreme beings?" Obito said in wonders.
"Ai-Ainz-sama, are these statues made in imitation of the Supreme Beings…" Albedo asked as she looked all around her.
"So you noticed. That's right — the Avataras are statues made in the image of my former comrades. Still… while you can tell they're very strong, they look ugly, don't they? I don't think I managed to capture even ten percent of their coolness…"
"As one who was created by the Supreme Beings, there is no way I could not notice."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, just so. However, Ainz-sama… from the name of this place, and these statues… Could it be that the other Supreme Beings have passed away?"
The three remaining members of the unconquerable dungeon of Nazarick stop in track as Albedo asked her question. Memory of the past filled their head and the glorious days of Ainz Ooal Gown came back. It filled them with joy for a split second but sadness and sorrow was all that remain.
"Well as far as we know, they are still alive..." Karna said solemnly.
No, perhaps that was the right answer.
'Damn, I don't know why I'd said that to her'
Ainz and Jeanne remain silent as they looked at the statue of their former friends and guild mates.
Albedo had no idea what to make of their silence, and a look of unease spread over her face.
"My lord, are you alright" Obito spoke.
Ainz turned to them and saw Albedo face, no man could possibly be unmoved by a sad look on a world class beauty like her. In addition, she was the loving handiwork of one of their past comrades. Though Ainz was undead, his heart still filled up with guilt and anxiety.
However, Ainz had never had a girlfriend, or even friends in real life, so he had no idea what he could say to comfort her or show sympathy. Panicking, Ainz looked desperately around, trying to think of something to say.
Just then, Ainz noticed something, and he reflexively spoke.
"I'm fine Obito, do you see, those four empty spaces?"
After making sure that Albedo and Obito eyes were turned in that direction, Ainz explained why there were no statues in there.
"I shall put my own Avatara in one of these niches."
'Ainz you idiot…' Karna face palmed 'here it come'
"Please don't — please do not say that!"
With Albedo sudden outbursts, Ainz hurriedly turned to look at Albedo, an even more powerful sense of surprise assaulted him. Albedo's eyes brimmed with tears, and it seemed like they would flow freely if she just blinked a little.
"...Ainz-sama. Our merciful, compassionate master Ainz-sama, one of three remaining Supreme Beings who stayed with us to the end, the one to whom we owe our ultimate loyalty — please do not say that. It is my sincerest wish that you will be our lord and master for all eternity!"
"Please my lord, please do not leave us!" Obito said.
Albedo And Obito fell to their knees before the three supreme beings.
Each of their voice was choked as Albedo hoarsely repeated "Please… please." It sounded like a prayer and a cry of pain — as though she were coughing up blood — at the same time.
Ainz had never seen anyone plead so earnestly in the course of his entire life.
He had not expected his jest to have such an effect on Albedo, and Ainz was filled with guilt as he reached down to help up the kneeling Albedo.
"Forgive me."
After helping her up, Ainz saw that Albedo's face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were still moist.
Ainz produced a handkerchief, and clumsily tried to wipe away her tears.
"..."
He wanted to apologize again — but in the end he said nothing, for want of suitable words.
He lacked experience with interpersonal relationships, and did not know how to comfort her and stop her tears.
At her wit's end, the sniffling Albedo pleaded with Ainz:
"Please My lord, p-please promise me, promise me you will not abandon us and leave!"
"...I'm sorry, but…"
Ainz could not continue after the "but." That was because he had thought of something, but Albedo seemed to have assumed his silence was due to another reason.
"Why? Why can't you promise me that? Were you planning on abandoning us as well? Why? What has displeased you!? All you need to do is explain and I will correct myself immediately! If you consider me a hindrance, then I shall end my life on the spot!"
"Albedo!" Jeanne suddenly said. Albedo's shoulders lurched in slight shock.
"listen to me, currently… there is no way to save Shalltear. The mind control in effect on her is most definitely the effect of a World Class Item. The only way to protect against the effects of a World Class Item is to have a World Class Item yourself, or a special class."
Jeanne walked over place her hand on Albedo's head though she were a child. She sniffled, and then asked:
"So, so the reason you, you came here was, to withdraw a World Class Item?"
"Correct. we wanted the Guardians to have World Class Items of their own. The fact is, one could probably undo Shalltear's mind control with a similar World Class Item, but I don't know if I should use the World Class Items within… what a heartless master I am. To think I would actually value a measly little item over one of our loyal subordinates."
"That, that's not true! The World Class items were gathered through the efforts of the Supreme Beings, and so they are more valuable than we are!" Obito said.
"...Really now?" Karna asked.
If they were in the game, they would agree with him, though part of them would feel otherwise.
However, under these circumstances, the fact was that they could not bring themselves to use these trump cards.
Among all the balance-breaking World Class Items, there were twenty items known as "The Twenty." The Twenty possessed unparallelled power.
There was a famous item among the Twenty called 「Longinus」, which could completely delete its target, but the price the user paid for that was to be utterly deleted himself. But the ultimate World class item that was even more feared among players than 「Longinus」itself was「La Pucelle」. This World Item is an Item that was capable of locking on the user target and no matter it is, Magic Item, Building, Monsters, Players, this World Item could completely destroyed it. Their were no known method of stopping this attack, it was rumored among the players of YGGDRASIL that this item could destroy other World Item but it was just rumored. The only downside to this is that it will turned it user to a level one player with all level one stats, it was said that who ever use this item will have a harder time gaining back those scarified EXP.
Bottom line is, there was no way to restore the data of anyone deleted by these two World Class item, other than by using the resurrection powers of other World Class Items. Neither cash items or resurrection spells would work. If someone were to use it on an NPC of Nazarick, it would even reduce the maximum levels of NPCs which could be created — the special feature of a guild homebase.
They recalled several other equally insane items.
There was 「Ahura Mazda」, which had a potent effect on anything with a negative karma value, and its area of effect could span an entire world.
There was 「Five-Element Progression」, which could request the YGGDRASIL developers to change part of the magic system.
There was also 「Ouroboros」, which could request a more far-reaching change to the system than 「Five-Element Progression」.
Then, there was the most powerful World Class Item, it was known as the most powerful because just about any high level player could use it, this World Item is the「World Savior」. Normally, it only had the power of an ordinary club, but it could grow in strength without limit. A single enemy with this item could conquer the whole of Nazarick, even at the height of its power with all its members present.
The items known as the Twenty were so powerful that they would vanish after being used once, which was why none of them could bear to use them lightly, but instead treated them as trump cards.
Ainz Ooal Gown proudly boasted possession of eleven World Item including three of the Twenty. They would only be used against enemies of incredible power, because only items of matching power could rival them.
In addition, it was one thing if they simply vanished after use.
However, what if they fell into someone else's hands after vanishing? What if they fell into the hands of Nazarick's enemies?
Nazarick was protected by World Class Items, so the interior should not be affected, but if things went poorly, the enemy might be able to lay siege to the entrance.
Therefore, they had to find some other way to save Shalltear, without using World Class Items.
"Albedo, I am grateful for your words. I shall now tell you the reason why I was silent just now."
His body still felt like the human it had once been. Ainz took a deep breath, like he had while he was alive, because he knew how important the words that came next would be.
"I intend to challenge Shalltear to a one-on-one battle. Therefore… I am unsure if I can return alive."
"—I understand that we must do battle with Shalltear, because leaving her be is the worst possible option!"
Ainz nodded in his heart.
He did not know why the enemy had not given Shalltear any orders, but once they did, the situation would become dire, because everything about Nazarick might end up being exposed.
"Still, why must it be a one-on-one fight? Can we not win by numbers? Are we unable to help you, with all three of the Supreme Beings and all of Nazarick forces we—?"
As he wiped away Albedo's freshly-shed tears, Ainz answered:
"It is not that, Albedo. I trust you. It's just that… well, there are three reasons. The first… is because I doubt my own suitability as your master."
"How can you say that, Ainz-sama!?" Obito said.
Ainz raised his hand to interrupt him.
"...Since I considered the possibility of players existing, I should have also thought of the existence of World Class Items. Therefore, I wonder if such a slow-thinking person as myself has any value as a ruler, and if I am qualified to lead everyone."
"Your presence alone is value enough, Ainz-sama! If there is any inadequacy, we will assist you with all our strength!" Obito said.
"Thank you, but the person most responsible for this incident is myself."
'Ainz, it not just all on you' Karna sigh.
If this world truly possessed a 「Longinus」, then it was possible that all the Guardians might be eradicated for the price of a villager's life. It was quite bad that Shalltear had been mind controlled, but when one was aware of that aforementioned danger, they had gotten off remarkably lightly.
"And so you intend to atone for your sins by fighting Shalltear in single combat… but who could possibly punish you, Ainz-sama, one of the highest rulers of Nazarick?" Obito said.
"That's not all. This is the second reason… the fact that Shalltear is alone. It might well be a trap — indeed, it could be a fatal trap."
As he saw the puzzled expression on both Albedo and Obito face (he can't see it but he could feel it) , Ainz continued speaking:
"We — Ainz Ooal Gown — often used PK methods similar to how Shalltear is now. We would use one of our members as bait and then hunt down any prey who got hooked. Of course, there was a high chance of the bait being killed, but in exchange, we would make sure any enemies who attacked were wiped out."
"If that's the case, Ainz-sama!"
"Wait a minute Albedo, I'm not finished. Do you know what we feared most whenever we set a trap like this?"
Without waiting for a reply, Ainz proceeded to answer his own question.
"That would be the number of attackers being less than the number of people used as bait. The less people we hooked, the more we had to worry about enemy ambushers turning the trap against us."
After he saw the understanding dawn in Albedo's bloodshot eyes, the unbreathing Ainz exhaled anyway.
"And the last reason is because Shalltear has to die."
"In that case, let me go! I am the most suitable for the task, since I have a World Class Item of my own."
"... Are you sure you can win? Don't lie to me — tell me your odds of victory."
Albedo bit her lip under Ainz's calm gaze.
"Then let me go my lord! I am the most suitable for the task, since I have a higher stats than her I can easily win!" Obito said.
"I cannot bear to see you fight each other" Ainz word shock the two NPC.
'This to much responsibility, even for you Ainz-kun' Jeanne thought.
"Because of that… I must be the one to challenge Shalltear in a one-on-one fight and win."
Karna sigh and looked over at Jeanne. His and Jeanne eyes met each other and without any words passing from their mouths or thought, they both nodded in agreement and continue to listen.
"Well, about that… perhaps you could defeat her in your full equipment, but…"
Ainz sported a full set of divine class items and all sorts of cash items, while Shalltear only had a single divine class item, her Spuit Lance. Ainz had a massive advantage in terms of equipment quality. However, what Albedo had left unsaid was the reason why Ainz's chances of victory were slim.
Ainz was fully aware of that reason as well.
It was because Shalltear Bloodfallen was the nemesis of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Ainz roleplayed an undead magician, and his character build focused on necromancer-type classes.
In other words, his character had been built for entertainment.
Shalltear, on the other hand, had been made with an optimized build. In addition, Shalltear's divine magic caster classes could use many spells which were very effective on the undead, and she was adept at melee combat.
These two reasons were bad enough, and on top of that, the necromantic spells Ainz favored did not work well on Shalltear.
Ainz could not use his specialty against Shalltear, and Shalltear had an advantage when fighting the undead.
In addition, Ainz typically did not equip his best items because he feared that they would be stolen away. Thus, when they clashed, Ainz's chances would be very low. Worse, he might not have a chance at all.
"So you're saying that the circumstances don't favor me?"
Ainz had the right of it. Albedo lowered her head.
That might be the case, Ainz agreed. He should not be able to beat Shalltear.
Still—
Karna smiled, this was the perfect time to interrupt 'You see Albedo the title of Supreme Beings of Nazarick is not for just for show".
"—There is nothing wrong with your thinking, but it is in error. After all, you only possess the knowledge has been infused into you." Jeanne said.
Ainz looked at his friends and wonder why they had interrupted him. But all he saw was Karna and Jeanne looked at each other and smiling.
"What does that mean my lord?" Obito asked.
"How experienced are you?" Karna said.
"Experience My lord?"
"Yes, combat experience." Jeanne clarifies.
"Ah! So that's what you meant! Yes, I can make full use of the strength which the Supreme Beings have given me. So I believe it counts as being very experienced." Obito replied and Albedo nodded.
Jeanne shook her head to reject their answer.
"That's not right. Being able to wield power and gained experience are completely different things. Do you remember the large-scale invasion of Nazarick? Are you familiar with Shalltear's memories of fighting players?"
"I did not ask in detail, but she said she vaguely remembered being killed once."
"...Besides that?"
Albedo shook her head to indicate that she did not.
"...Typically, she and Ainz were the ones who handled lone intruders… That stinginess helped quite a lot. That being the case, me and Karna will be the one be the one who goes."
Ainz eyes widen, though he It was impossible because he has no skin or eyes to begin with, the feeling was still there.
"What?!" Ainz all but yield.
"It not that surprising Ainz, out of all of us, me and Jeanne can easily kill Shalltear with no trouble"
"Yes but—"
"It fine Ainz, you've done enough for the guild, we are here too, as members of Ainz Ooal Gown, we too have responsibilities and the Shalltear cases is one of them, beside you are the guild master, and as the guild master it your job to keep the guild up and running right?"
"But Jeanne, that one of the reasons I'm going to begin with—"
"It to prove that your a competent leader right? Well you are already are one Ainz" Karna said, ''Now let us prove that we are competent friends and guild members"
"What if there are others out there who will ambush you guys?"
Jeanne and Karna walk up to Ainz and place their hand on each side of his shoulder "Ainz let us worry about that, you've done enough guild master, it time that you step down and let us carry that weight on your shoulder for you!" they both said.
Ainz emotion suppression was not strong enough to hold back the sheer Joy he was feeling right now. If he could cry and shed tears, it would be purring out of his eyes.
"My friends…"
They smiled along with the NPC behind them 'thank you'
"Albedo, Obito, hear us well, Ainz Ooal Gown does not know defeat, we swear will defeat Shalltear!" Karna said while brimming with confidence 'Peroroncino my friends please forgive me'
"Understood my lord, than I shall no longer stand in your way!"
"Good, now we must prepare, Obito gather all of your brothers and call all of the Trinity Sister to meet us near Shalltear location!"
"Yes my lord!"
A vast, emerald-green world spread before them. Karna looked around, and then chuckled at his post-teleport reflex to check if anyone was around. If there was anyone that Karna needed to look out for, they would have attacked long ago, without giving him the chance to look around.
For security's sake, he along with Jeanne had also chosen to teleport to a point over two kilometers away from Shalltear.
While Obito and his Brothers was out scouting for any enemies ambush and Astil and her sister where covering the area with magic to make it seem that nothing was going on in the forest while Karna and Jeanne prepare for the battle, however even with all of this extra precaution, there was no way to completely guarantee that the World Class Item user who had mind controlled Shalltear was not around. However, in the end, all they could do was try not to worry unnecessarily. As Karna rounded his shoulders in relief, he looked behind, to the eleven people that were behind him.
"Alright, we'll split up here," Karna said as Jeanne, the two dark elf twin, the four Uchiha Brothers and the four Angeloid Sisters nodded.
These NPC were the only ten whom Karna had permitted to walk with him and Jeanne before the impending battle with Shalltear.
Ainz had already ordered those subordinates who had tasks outside back to Nazarick. Apart from ten that was accompanying him and Jeanne now, only Sebas and Solution were still at large.
Karna looked at the two mismatched gauntlets on Mare hands. The right one was fashioned in the shape of an angel's sleek hand and glowed with silver light, but the left one resembled a demon's claw, covered in hooks and spikes. The crimson radiance of magma leaked through the fissures on its surface.
Then, he turned to Aura, and at the large scroll behind her.
"...alright, from here on out, no one will be interfering with our fight with Shalltear, expect for Aura and Mare, you all will spread out and survey the forest and make sure that no one see or interfere in our fight." Karna ordered.
"Understood my lord!" All of the NPC said.
Aura nodded, her face stiff. Mare rushed to lower his head as well. Obito and rest of his brothers and sisters sport very serious face and nodded.
"While everyone else will be surveying the forest, Aura and Mare you two will stay here and keep watch just in case, if anyone see a World Item user retreat back here Immediately!" Karna said.
"Aura, Mare if you two are outnumbered or surrounded before any the others arrive, retreat back to one of the dummies Nazarick Immediately, In addition, the items we have given you are the treasures of Nazarick. You cannot allow them to be taken, no matter what...forgive me for saying this but... In some ways, they can be considered more valuable than you are. Do you understand?" Jeanne exhorted.
"We understand my lady, and please do not worry about us, these treasures were collected by the supreme ones through hard work, so of course theses will be more important than servants like us!" Aura said.
Karna nodded
After hearing Aura replies — a question arose in Karna heart 'In truth, which do I value more, the World Item or the NPC?'
Perhaps he might have been able to conclusively state his answer before coming to this world, but now, he could not.
The results of his guildmates' painstaking and intricate labors were these NPCs, who had the ability to think and feel.
'Because we—no— I'm planning to kill this… this NPC, who's like a child. I'm planning to... kill Peroroncino's daughter…'
Frustration filled Karna heart.
One could also call it a form of guilt.
However—
Karna keen gaze zeroed in on Shalltear's potential location.
"...this is the only way to break the control of a World Class Item." He had spoken those words to convince himself.
After seeing the looks in Aura and Mare and even his and Jeanne NPC eyes, Karna felt that it was not good to worry them further, and changed the subject.
"Even if you say that Aura, I'm not planning on letting any of you die, so Aura, Mare work together with them. Keep an eye on the surroundings."
Karna pointed to the four huge clumps of meat that were leading the way for them.
They were two meters wide and their bodies were pink. However, these monsters had countless cloudy white eyes. It looked as though the eyes from all manners of corpses had been haphazardly stitched together.
These were undead beings made with the 「Create High Tier Undead」 skill, Eyeball Corpses.
Karna had asked Ainz to used his entire day's worth of that skill's uses to make these Eyeball Corpses, because they were the nemesis of stealthy beings, whether they used magic or skills to do so.
Their cloudy eyes were not ornamental, but possessed outstanding perception. Even the specialized ranger Aura could not match them. Although their effective combat level was low, their emphasis was on detection ability and not fighting power, so his aim was to have them support Aura for targeting duties.
"Thank you My lord! However, will they obey my orders?"
"There will be no problems in that respect. I guarantee it. Also, you should link your minds with magic. That way, you can act as a command center and patrol the area in peace."
"Okay! Although it would be faster for me to go myself, we don't know where those guys are. Got it! Then, after Mare uses his stealth-enhancing magic, we'll take these guys and lay low."
"That sounds fine. I'll leave that to you."
"Now...SCATTER!"
—-
The last person to enter the room was Demiurge, who threw himself down on an empty spot next to Albedo. This clearly illustrated his mood, given that he would never act so impolitely under normal circumstances.
"Well, is there an explanation for this?"
Demiurge narrowed his eyes as he directed that intense question to Albedo, seated next to him.
"Why did you agree to this?"
His tone was even, but that was simply a thin veil draped over the surface. Everyone could feel the barbs in his words.
When a typically calm person displayed great emotion, the distance between his usual behavior and the abnormality made that emotion seem even more intense to others. However, this was not quite accurate, because Demiurge was very worked up, and none of his comrades had seen such agitation from him before.
However, in the face of this questioning, filled with hostility — or even killing intent — Albedo remained unmoved.
"This was the supreme ones decision. How can we who just their subordinates oppose—"
"—Why?"
The question interdicted Albedo's reply with the finality of a guillotine's blade.
"Why? When lord Ainz and other supreme beings left for the human city (E-Rantel), you were the one who insisted the most on having a Guardian follow them. How could possibly agree to the same thing now!? You should be worried about our lord safety now, as you were then."
Albedo inclined her head in response, and Demiurge's face visibly contorted.
"Then, I'll ask you again! Why did you permit this!?"
His anger seemed to shake the room. This intensity was completely unlike the Demiurge whom they were familiar with.
Cocytus slowly turned his head, looking at the two people who were opposite of him, they staring each other down. There was worry in Cocytus eyes.
"...Also, you must have known that the supreme ones was lying, right?" Demiurge asked, his voice low and angry.
After Albedo nodded again, Cocytus exhaled sharply. Both of them knew that this clear, high-pitched sound was one which Cocytus made when he was confused.
"..Earlier. You. Said. That. The. Supreme. One. Told. You. Their. Reasons. For. Leaving. Alone. But. Do. You. Not. Find. It. Strange? From. Their. Point. Of. View. A. Sequential. Attack. Would. Be. Safer. We. Could. Attack. In. Waves. And. Wear. Down. Shalltear. HP. And. MP."
"...You're right, Cocytus. There is no way the supreme beings would not be able to think of a strategy that we could easily come up with. In other words, they were deliberately lying, to hide something else."
"What. Reason. Is. That?"
"I have no idea… which is why I'm asking. Since you did not know the reason, why did you let them go alone?"
"Why do you have such doubts in our masters, as a guardian is it not also one of your duty to believe in your master. This is our purpose, as those who were created by them."
Demiurge's eyes went wide, but there were no eyeballs within his eye sockets. Instead, he had gemstones, which lacked pupils or sclera, but which were intricately cut with countless sparkling facets.
Demiurge's mouth had been opening and closing all the time, but now he firmly shut it.
This was because he felt — she might be right.
The NPCs of Nazarick were absolutely loyal to the Forty One Supreme Beings, but the way in which they expressed their devotion varied from person to person. Thus, it was natural that Demiurge and Albedo might have different opinions on how to show their loyalty.
"I have complete faith in our masters victory, but there is always a chance that the one who control Shalltear might ambush them, they are one of the last, once we know their lives are in danger, it is our duty to eliminate that danger even if we know they could handle it themselves, because that is a servant duty, if doing so means we get rebuked for it, and if we should perish by doing so, we should still take action, should we not?"
There was a thumping sound as Demiurge sprang up.
"Where are you going?"
Demiurge's voice was quite calm as he turned to leave.
"Need you ask? Obviously it is to send my minions—"
Demiurge sensed something running toward him and turned to look. He saw Cocytus, brandishing a divine class weapon.
"...I see… So the reason you summoned me here and ordered me to this place was for this, was it not, Albedo?"
"Indeed, Demiurge. The Seventh Floor is already locked down in the names of myself and the supreme beings, and I was given control of all the vassals."
"This is still foolishness! How will you take responsibility if any of the supreme beings are hurt or might perishes? Lord Karna and Lady Jeanne are one of the last three remaining entities to whom we can pledge our loyalty!"
—"that is enough..." a deep and commanding voice rang throughout the room.
The sitting Guardians Immediately stood up but only to kneel again before one their master, the Overlord of death, the guild master of Ainz Ooal Gown, and the man once known as Momonga and took now took the name of his guild.
"My lord" the guardians said with a deep bow as they kneel.
"Raise" Ainz simply said as he walked up to the table and shifted his gaze to the 「Crystal Monitor」 within the room. Its surface displayed the form of Karna and Jeanne walking deeper into the forest.
"As Albedo said Demiurge do not worry"
"But my lord, wouldn't it be dangerous to send two of the last three supreme beings who had mercifully stayed with us to battle Shalltear? thoughts I know they could kill Shalltear with absolutely no trouble, there might be the possibility of—"
Ainz cut Demiurge off "you are worried that an outside force might ambush them right? Then do not worry, all of the Trinity Sisters and the Uchiha Brothers are there to prevent such things from happening"
"If that the cause, then why not have any one of your servants there kill Shalltear my lord? anyone of them could very easily do so"
"That is quite easy to answer, it is because none of us want to see the children of our dear friend kill each other..."
Demiurge eyes widen, the present guardians were blown aback by their masters love for them.
"To. Think. That. A. Supreme. Being. Would. Care. For. Us. Like. That…" all of the agree with Cocytus statement.
"My guardians, the one thing you should know is that Ainz Ooal Gown dose not know defeat, now watch as my friends claim absolute victory!"
—-
After parting ways with their creations, Karna and Jeanne walk to Shalltear's location in silent as they mentally prepare to kill one of their friends children.
After passing through the trees, they finally saw Shalltear. She looked completely different from how she had before, like a doll, and it made Jeanne feel sad. At the same time, she was angry at herself, but she was far angrier at the user of that World Class Item.
"Dammit." Karna growled as he took the words right out of Jeanne mouths.
He did not curse loudly, but the intensity of those words implied an anger so powerful that even Karna could not fully suppress it.
"We'd decided to spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown in order to find our friends. That was the method I selected. Thus, I took action in a low-key manner to avoid pointless conflicts. And yet, why did this happen?"
"Don't blame yourself Karna, no one could've predicted that this would happen, you made all the right choice in your situation" Jeanne said as she grabbed and tightly hold Karna hand.
"The question we should be asking ourselves right now is who were they? Who did they belong to? What did they want? Why had they used a World Class Item on Shalltear?" Jeanne said.
"...No matter who they are, once I learn about them from Shalltear…I will kill them." Karna was shaking in rage.
'You will deeply regret your foolishness. If it is a fight with Ainz Ooal Gown you want, then a fight you shall have.' Karna thought.
After the anger in his heart subsided, Karna frustration slowly ebbed away.
The true battle would begin now, and he had to calm down in order to face it. In this battle they clearly have the advantage but most of Karna and Jeanne offensive attacks were completely unusable. Most of their attack were AOE attack, which mean they affect a large area, using theses attack would end the battle quickly but would attract a lot of unwanted attention.
"The enemy hasn't made a move yet. Up till now, the only thing I can sense are the divination spells from Nazarick… are we even being watched?" Jeanne asked as she tilted her head, unable to make sense of things "Could it be that Shalltear was actually abandoned here by accident?"
"I don't know, but let's end this quickly, I don't want to draw any attention from the one who did this to Shalltear…—'Obito, Astil, report'—"
"My lord, the entire area is completely clear, there is no trace of any living or nonliving thing in the vicinity" Obito said as he and his brothers stood atop the trees.
"There is no one who is watching us with magic either my lord" Astil said as she and her sisters were high above the clouds.
"I see, what about you Aura, Mare?"
"Nothing here my lord, even outside the barrier, I can't sense anyone who is watching or spying on us with magic" Aura said.
"Y-Yes like big sis said, t-there is no one physically near us either…" Mare said.
"Alright that good, but remain vigilant, there might be a spell or skill that only exist here in the new world that could escape our detection, so Astil, you and your sister are responsible for surveillance and Obito and the rest of the Uchiha Brothers will be in charge of making sure nothing interrupts our fights, as for Aura and Mare, you two will continue with your mission" Jeanne said.
"Yes my lady" the NPC all said in unison.
Both Karna and Jeanne eyes were keen as they studied the defenseless Shalltear.
"...Then… let's start!" Karna shouted as he summoned his golden lance. He carefully selected a spell that was not destructive from his repertoire of magic and skills — and activated a skill.
"[Protection of The Holy]!"
Karna body glowed red, and then—
"Hahaha!"
—He laughed, his eyes never leaving Shalltear as he activated his skill. He laughed because of this outcome, and also because he had confirm a theory.
"Exactly as we had expected. As long as they don't consider our actions to be a clear sign of hostility, the NPCs won't even enter combat status! It's just like how it was in the game!" Karna said as Jeanne smiled.
These actions were identical to those of mind-controlled monsters in YGGDRASIL. The fact that the game's logic could be used here slightly improved the massive disadvantage he faced.
"Then if that being the case, I'm sorry about this, Shalltear, but I'll have to ask you to stay that way before the battle starts." Jeanne said.
Because Jeanne could not use the majority of her offensive attack because her build was not a full on fight nor caster, she going to be heavily nerf in this fight, so she continuously cast various spells.
"—「Fly」, 「Bless of Holy Magic Caster」, 「Magic Ward - Negative 」, 「Life Essence」, 「Greater Full Potential」, 「Freedom」, 「False Data - Life」, 「See Through」, 「Greater Negative Resistance」, 「Sensor Boost」, 「Greater Luck」, 「Magic Boost」, 「Heavenly Aura」, 「Absorption」, 「Greater Magic Shield」, 「Mana Essence」... Alright let's do this"
This seemingly endless stream of spells surrounded Jeanne body.
"Then, let go!"
The first thing Jeanne did was to use one of the ultimate moves of magic that was not too destructive but also very powerful, that spells which surpassed the tenth tier of magic.
These spells were known as super tier magic—
From the perspective of the tiers of magic, spells of this level could be considered spells, and not spells at the same time. To begin with, they did not consume MP, but instead they could only be used a limited number of times per day.
When one first learned them, they could only be used once per day. Every ten levels after level seventy, however, one could use them an additional time per day.
One could learn a single super tier spell per level.
Rather than call them magic, they might be better described as skills.
In other words, the average player could only use four super tier spells per day at level one hundred. One might ask at this point — why not consecutively cast super tier spells to defeat Shalltear? If one could cast super tier spells one after the other, even the damage alone would only be survivable by a vanishingly small fraction of level one hundred players. Shalltear was not among that number, so that would definitely defeat her.
However, she could not do that.
The reason was because super tier magic spells could not be cast one after the other.
To begin with, each super tier spell needed a certain amount of casting time. Cash items could remove that casting time, but another penalty prevented the repeated casting of super tier spells.
Once any member of a team cast a super tier spell, every member would be penalized by being unable to cast such spells for a certain period of time — in other words, a cooldown period.
This restriction was put in place to prevent guild wars from being decided by who could vomit out the most super tier spells. In addition, this cooldown period could not be eliminated by any skill or cash item.
Thus, when PVPing, the party which cast a super tier spell first was often considered an idiot.
After all, defeat was likely when one expended a trump card without properly understanding one's foe. The fact was that there were very few PVP battles where the victors were the first to cast super tier spells.
Yet, Jeanne first move was to cast such a spell.
There was no frustration or confusion on her face.
A gigantic dome-shaped magic circle appeared around Jeanne, extending about ten meters away from her.
The magic circle shone a brilliant white, and translucent diagrams of characters and symbols appeared. These images changed ceaselessly, with kaleidoscopic speed, differing from second to second.
"Once the spell is casted I'll move in Attack Immediately, we have advantages when it comes to numbers and stats but this fight is going to be dragged out really long if all we do is exchange attack, she was designed for that after all, I'll be the front line fighter while you support me from the side and try to make her use up all of her MP and skills, we need to hit her hard and fast and kill her so she will use the resurrection item Peroroncino gave her—"
"—Once she does I'll fight her and finish her for good" Jeanne said.
"Then, let's go." Karna said as he ready for an attack "[Delay Skill]—[maximize Skill: Weapon flame burst]" his gold lance burst into crimson flame, this attack is not too destructive but it does deal heavy damage to a Player if hit.
Having steeled their hearts, a look of conviction filled both Karna and Jeanne eyes.
'...forgive us Peroroncino…'
The blue light of the magic circle intensified, indicating that the super tier spell was ready to be cast.
"Super tier magic - 「Collapsing Heaven」!"
—Hey guys DamianTran280 here, I have an announcement to make, I want to thank everyone who commented both negative or positive on this.
I have gotten commented that said this is boring and I'm just going off the original but with added character and… your right. BUT after this fight coming up that WILL change.
I have a lot of ideas for this story. I'm not good at beginning a story so that why I go off the original but NOW I'm adding NEW events and plots in my story.
Has anyone ever heard of Magi… yeah that you know where I'm going with…
Oh and don't get mad at me for shelving Ainz go watch the anime for that fight. Speaking of the fight, it is not going to be long at all. This will mainly focus on the other NPC (Obito, Itachi, Shisui, Sasuke, Astil, Jibril, Ikarus, And Nymph) and Ainz and the Guardians commenting on the fight.
...Poor Shalltear….