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...Southern Holy Kingdom...

Gustav Montagne rode with lieutenant Inta at the head of the column. They'd engaged in dozens of small skirmishes throughout the Southern Holy Kingdom for weeks now, countless estates had been plundered and thousands of soldiers had been diverted to stop him. He'd had success after success, but after so much, the losses had begun to pile up. They were being eroded, and support for him in the South had not been great, some favor had come to him by redistributing the food that was taken and having the peasants of the South feast on what would have been taken, an unpopular noble or two had been brought down, captured coin was handed out to the Southern peasants. However all that had bought very limited good will, chiefly because he was still seen, accurately, as the servant of the undead, and the Six were still strongly followed in the South.

"This was always something of a suicide mission I suppose." Gustav said with a grim resolve in his voice.

Lieutenant Inta shrugged, "Did anyone not realize that?" He asked. "It's why I asked her," he pointed to his sister, "to go north instead."

She looked over at him from the left side of Gustav and stuck her tongue out at her brother. "If you thought I'd let my older brother come out here without me, well, you're dumb enough that you couldn't last a day without me." She said in exasperation.

"You always were a stubborn one, Hilda." Inta said with resignation.

"Regardless, I'd rather not lose more than I have to, there will come a point where we cannot continue here and we have to make a choice." Gustav said, returning focus to his point.

"A choice?" Inta asked.

"Yes. Stay and fight to the last sword. Hide and focus on small ambushes to make what little difference we still could. Or attempt to return north and avoid further conflict until we are reinforced." Gustav said practically. "When the Sorcerer King offered me this task, he gave me a free hand in how it was handled, which implies that withdrawal is acceptable if victory is impossible and defeat inevitable."

Inta shared a look with Hilda. "I'm guessing you've already decided for yourself." Hilda asked, her soft twanging voice sounded so odd coming from a vampire's lips, it still threw him off.

"Yes." Gustav said seriously. "As I see it, my atonement for Remedios has only one end, the only question is whether it comes at the talons of a fury in a punishment chamber or the tip of a sword on the battlefield. I have spent my life fighting, I know which choice I prefer."

"Are you so sure torture is how it is going to end for you?" Hilda asked, her red eyes looked doubtful. "You were only being loyal to your comrade."

Gustav sighed, "I can imagine no other fate. My only regret in coming south for this, is that I don't get a chance to face Remedios myself. But perhaps this is for the best, most of the volunteers for this mission are like me in that way, volunteering for some kind of atonement, wanting only an end that gives their last days meaning. Which actually leads me to ask, and I've meant to ask for a while, why is your… family here? You were all given amnesty by the Sorcerer King on the condition that you live openly and abide by his laws."

"It's simple." He said, "There are vampires scattered throughout the Sorcerer King's armies, not great in number, but a few at least in each, from General Emmot-Barear to General Rockbruise, but you had none, and we didn't want it said that there was any campaign where vampires feared to tread. This war will be one of legends, many heroes will perish, new ones will be made, and the stories told in ages to come will shape how we all come together. We would not have it said that there was a field where our blood was not shed." Inta's voice was usually eloquent but informal, but in this case he was different, he was solemn, as if speaking before a grave about to be filled. He was not really looking at Gustav as he answered, he was looking ahead of himself, but not down the road on which his mount trod, rather he was seeing the years to come.

"We have no plans to die, we will fight to win, even when winning here is impossible." Hilda added, "So if you're planning on a suicidal last stand when they finally bring enough to bear to crush us as a military force, well, how about we not do that, eh?" Hilda said, her voice began serious, and ended with a suggestive, fang bearing grin that lifted Gustav's flagging spirit.

"I see, well perhaps I can split the difference there." He said thoughtfully, "I don't know how many battles we have left in us, but the more we draw from the north, the more successful we become, the more quickly we are undone. However, that doesn't mean we have to all die at once when the time comes, I'd like to wreak as much havoc as I can, for as long as I can." Gustav's voice was full of vigor as he spoke, and unconsciously those who were near enough to hear him, touched their hands to their swords, how long there was for them all, none of them knew, but there was a sense growing among the small force that their time was coming to an end.

"For now, we focus on the next task. We need the greatest deception we can muster, pull it off, and we may very well force the advance on Prart to halt as they make their choice on what to do about us. Ironically, in this victory will be many of our deaths, but in their victory, they will bring death onto themselves." Gustav said softly. There was a grin on his face as he spoke, neither Hilda nor Inta doubted that he was comforted by what he saw as a proper end for himself, but each saw in the other's face a sense of pending regret.

"You have something in mind." Inta said.

"I do." Gustav said, "The scouts last report of the town ahead and their sketch of its unique surrounding terrain gave me just what we need. This will be the greatest illusion the world has ever seen."

"Ahhh, we don't have any illusionists with us." Hilda reminded him.

"That is why this is going to work." Gustav said. "They may have the magic they need to pierce through low level illusions, or even high level, but what we're going to do is going to be so overwhelming that they won't even consider that magic is responsible."

There were confused and uncertain looks shared, but Gustav could not keep the smile from his face.

"Just trust me." He said. "The town is lightly defended, but it is loyal to Astraka and Remedios, and they will trust the report when they hear it, and that is all we need."

That afternoon the attack hit hard, Gustav's raiders slammed into undermanned positions and the town, though large, was still just a town, the stone walls were low enough that ladders were sufficient, and vampires leaping from horseback were able to get to the top of the wall and guard the few feet of space needed for ladders to fall, and soldiers scaled up behind to reinforce them.

Inta gave a small smile as he took down a militia man, humans were fighting at his back, against humans in front of him, humans he called friends, comrades, it was an extraordinary world being born out of the bloodshed of the day, and it made every death worthwhile. He fought beside his sister, whose cackle of bloodlust sent people fleeing in terror when she tore into those in front of her, not far away, his father, mother, and two brothers were securing a tower corner, but over the loud shouting and clang of armor and weapons, he could not hear them at all. He didn't need to, something told him that today was not his day to die, and thus far he had been proved right, the wall began to fall, and the gate was opened. The remainder of the soldiers under Gustav charged through the door, most of them on horseback and began to chase the routed soldiers back into the interior of the town. The defenders fought bravely and died foolishly, unwilling to yield even when so clearly outmatched.

What made this town unique was the forest that buttressed it on one side, and the sloping valley on the other, and as Gustav brought order to the advance party that had secured the place, Inta began to see what he had in mind. With his soldiers securing positions around the interior, he rushed out beyond the wall to where the rest of his men had stationed themselves. With the walls held, no eye was there to watch his instruction or to discern his true intent, but Inta, knowing Gustav intended some deception, began to realize what it was when he saw that the soldiers marching through the gate came in marching two by two. This gave their army the appearance of much greater numbers by expanding the column dramatically. But this was only the start.

He rushed to the wall, leaped up, then clambered up to a tower to see what his commander had truly meant to do. The column marched the length of the town, around a block, all the way back the other side, out the gate, and then back to the rear to march through again.

Inta began to laugh uproariously as he seated himself atop the crenelations, his legs dangling over the side. He slapped his knee as he came to recognize just how far Gustav had thought this through. With no one outside on either of the unobservable areas, and himself in full control of the walls, he could be sure of success. The army appeared to be nearly endless, and his band of a few thousand, being surely counted by numerous agents of the south as the soldiers came through, now had the appearance of being tens and tens of thousands strong, and when he finally stopped the march, the overawed citizens gave up whatever he commanded, lest he turn his army on them. Weapons were ruined, military supplies seized, and all food intended for the army north was consumed by his own troops and the citizens themselves, on the promise that when nothing was left to send north, his army would depart.

When nightfall came, his army marched out of the town but well before that, word was already being spirited to Remedios and Astraka about the massive army under Gustav Montagne, nobody realizing that they'd seen the same soldiers a dozen times or so.

On their way out that evening, Gustav grinned at his companions, "Deception can make the impossible possible, and a good deception is magic all on its own."

"Of course if they fell for it the way I want them to, the South will throw all its reserves at us, and we can't actually handle that. The North might even send reinforcements, and we can't handle that either, but as long as neither of them know that, we'll draw a lot of people fighting us here, which will mean a lot fewer going to Prart, and that might be enough to give Neia and the rest of them the edge they need." Gustav's voice was fatalistic but hopeful as he spoke, there was no part of him that betrayed fear in his choices.

"Now, all that said, I want some of us to survive. Let it be said that we were never fully crushed, so that Remedios will rue the losses all the more for having gained so little from them." He chuckled, "I wonder how long they'll go around hunting for the rest of my 'massive army'?"

That brought similarly confident laughs from his companions, and it felt very good to let their laughter pierce the night. Not many remained, so let every one be a good one, that was how Gustav saw it anyway.

…Northern Holy Kingdom…

Marching for a day had been the plan. Marching for an hour was what they got.

It was infuriating, which is why… Remedios was infuriated. The banner of the Vines had become the most hated sight in the world to her soldiers. That picture of a stone wall, shattered by vines sprouting from its center, it said all it needed to. The elves who ran in, heedless of their lives as long as they killed someone, targeting supply lines and forcing them to move at a crawl for maximum security, and compelling them to stop for every engagement, had taken a mental toll.

The banner of the Blood Miners, with their pickax lodged in a corpse, was only slightly less resented, though in some quarters of the army it was greater, since their numbers included humans. Scouts frequently did not come back alive, and even when they did, horses, oxen, mules, anything that could pull a cart or carry a rider became a target. This was especially true of the Vines, who seemed to bear a particular grudge against cavalry. The Blood Miners on the other hand, liked to obstruct the way and ambush efforts at clearing it up.

Yuri sat next to Remedios the way she usually did, it was easier to let her do the thinking. "You seem stressed. Why don't we light a torch?" She said so sweetly one could forget that she was talking about setting people on fire.

"Not now. We've taken fewer captives since we started doing that, so I'd like to save them for the night hour when I can get some sleep. How many times did we have to clear the road today?" She asked.

"Seventeen." Yuri answered reflexively. "Look we can just send advance parties ahead to clear out obstructions."

"They'll just ambush those too." Remedios said in frustration.

In her head, Yuri raged, following this idiot had let her actually burn people again, but she was just… so stupid. "Do you have a suggestion?" She asked with some measure of reproach.

Remedios shook her head, "I don't." She said.

"I suppose we could ask for one of the Theocracy's units to help, they've been hit too, they might even lend us the use of a scripture for this." Yuri said hopefully.

She froze.

"What?" Yuri asked, and Remedios raised a hand to stop her.

"We're stopped for the evening now, right?" Remedios asked.

"Yes…" Yuri said hesitantly.

"Call up the Theocracy commander, what was his name again?" Remedios asked.

"Suchala." She said distastefully.

"You don't like him." Remedios said, stating the obvious.

"He's hot tempered, he's aggressive, and he likes terror against heretics as a means of advancing his goals, of course I like him. He's just ugly as sin and hard to look at." Yuri closed her eyes and laughed, waving her previous distaste away.

"Well the man has to be sixty years old, what were you expecting the Theocracy to send?" Remedios asked.

Yuri shrugged, her hair bounced behind her as she exaggerated the gesture with both arms. "I don't know, but Prart is ugly enough, it would be nice to at least have something pleasant to look at around here."

Remedios rolled her eyes, "Yuri, just enjoy the burnings and be satisfied when we bring down that city of evil. We'll do to them what they did to Wenmark." She said, clenching the reins of her horse tight enough to turn her knuckles white, and grinding her teeth together in a rage.

"I know, I know, but hey, you got the report, right?" Yuri asked with some concern in her voice.

"What report?" Remedios replied dumbly.

Yuri sighed. "Calca is there, you know? It's been confirmed by multiple witnesses, it's really her, and every report we have says she's legitimately on the side of the undead."

"NO!" Remedios said with fury in her voice and she looked at Yuri as if she were going to gut the woman. "That is NOT my Calca, that is NOT my Queen. My queen would never abandon the gods, she'd never let these… these things happen."

"OK, OK." Yuri said calmly, trying to placate Remedios. "But you're going to see her, I'm sure of that, there is no reason to see her there except for her to try to deal with you, what will you do… if it is her?" Yuri said with some concern.

"Then she's trapped there, she's under the undead's sway somehow, and we have to rescue her. Neia Baraja has her as a hostage to threaten me, that mad eyed bitch would do anything for her monstrous master, killing her own Queen wouldn't be beyond her. She's part of this country in name only now." Remedios said.

"OK, say all that works, say you kill Neia, Skana, Tinamoc, and whoever else is on her side and recapture the Queen, right now we're with the Slane Theocracy and they're backing Astraka as the new king, what then?" Yuri asked, probing uncertainly.

Remedios froze. "I have only one ruler. If I can free her, I'll fight for her again, I'll fight the Theocracy, I'll fight Astraka, I'll fight the whole damn world if that is what it takes, but she will sit on that throne again in my lifetime."

"I see." Yuri said softly, while privately contemplating how best to extricate herself from this before the end. If it was one thing she was sure of, it was that even if everything else went flawlessly, there was no way that Astraka or the Theocracy were going to allow Calca to be queen again. "Well that answers that, I'll go get Suchala, if his scripture support has linked up with us, we should have a reasonable chance at clearing away some of the opposition, I hear they have entire units dedicated to this kind of warfare."

As the camp established itself, Yuri rode away, leaving Remedios alone at the front of the long column. She returned with Suchala, and even Remedios could see that she was giving him a side glance of general distaste. For that Remedios didn't really blame the woman. Suchala wasn't much to look at, he was thin, though his muscles were still solid looking, his face was well wrinkled and he had a thin beard that dropped about a hand span below his chin. His face was wrinkled and crisscrossed with various scars. Given the nature of healing spells, Remedios concluded one of two things was likely… he refused healing out of pride, or they were from injuries that healing spells couldn't entirely repair. They stood out all the more because his skin was leathery and tan to the point of redness, as if he'd spent a great deal of time in the sun, enough to get quite permanently baked by it. It was rather like someone had taken red brick and carved a figure out of it. His eyes were clear as a spring day though, and their hazel shade reflected Remedios's face back at her. To herself she thought, "Yes, he could think for me." The thought came with some relief, as she didn't do it very well herself.

"Suchala, good to see you." She said and held out her hand. His grip was firm as he answered in his elderly voice, "Good to see you too, I've been getting tired of the old windbag's sermons back there." He said with a laugh at the expense of his priests. Remedios forced a laugh at the impious joke.

"So, you're aware of the problem now, I take it." Remedios said, "You've been properly informed?"

"Course." He said, "At this pace I'll be killed by old age before I ever face the swords of heretics." He chuckled in grim humor at the very real problem.

"Do you have a possible solution?" She asked, attempting to tease the answer out of the man of few words.

"Course." He said.

"Would you mind… telling me?" Remedios asked, her patience wearing her voice thin.

"Sure. I've got the better part of the Black Scripture and the Holocaust Scripture with me. The Holocaust Scripture specializes in countering this kind of fighting. Course I don't have all of em." He answered with a caveat.

"Uh, where are the rest?" Remedios asked cautiously.

"Headin to the Abelion Hills last I heard, and a few of em are probably up in the north of the Theocracy too, along with the Windflower and Clearwater Scriptures. Don't know where the members of the rebuilt Sunlight Scripture are though."

"Well damn, that complicates things." Remedios said. "Listen, a little while ago, about when we halted, I got a message that Gustav Montagne has somehow been reinforced by eighty thousand men, there was no illusion magic at use, this is a head count from people in the streets of the last town he took."

Yuri and Suchala shared a doubtful look. "A message spell?" Yuri asked.

"You trust it?" Suchala looked at her with surprise.

"I'm not a complete idiot. I know the one who sent it, and he used an authentication keyword so I'd know it was him." Remedios said with annoyance, while both Suchala and Yuri shared a look that said, 'Yes, you are a complete idiot.'

"I admit misgivings, where could this many have come from?" Yuri asked.

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" Remedios asked, "What matters is that he has them. The good news is though, these are not the best of the best, some may be fairly good, but if the nobles still in the south combine their forces they can crush him at one go, however I don't think they'll do that without an elite command team at the center. Can you spare some of your best to go south?" She asked.

"Sure, but I thought you'd want the captain of the black scripture at the siege, along with the first few seats." He said uncertainly.

Remedios thought that over for a long moment. "Yuri, what do you think?" She asked.

Yuri turned the question over in her head for awhile. "Well, if we can terrify them enough, they might capitulate without a fight, but we can't leave eighty thousand soldiers to march up our backside now either. If the South won't mobilize without an elite force at the core, then we've already lost it and they'll start knuckling under just to save their own estates. Without the South, we have no resupply, without any resupply, we'll run out of food before we break through the walls. I suppose we have to send some."

"Alright, do that. General Suchala, if you can send the first few elites of both units to the south to deal with Gustav, the rest can help us get to Prart." She said with a confidence she didn't really feel.

"Uh huh, can do, but ahhh… what about Yanana?" He asked.

"What about it?" Remedios inquired.

"Neia Baraja was there, whatever she did made quite an impact, the priests have been declining ever since, some converted, some left, some were actually murdered over the healing spell charges. It's bad there from what I hear and they're also behind us." Suchala said with a concerned voice. Remedios was silent as she thought it over.

"No, don't worry about it, if the official authorities are still in charge, things should be fine. After we finish off Prart's resistance I'll parade Neia's burned torso to the city gate, that should still any further opposition." Remedios said with a casual shrug.

"I see." Suchala said thoughtfully, "Well then for now, it's alright. I'll send the first few seats of both scriptures to the south to fight Gustav, with him put down they can reinforce us, and the rest I'll put to helping solve the problem on our line of march to Prart, and I'll contribute some additional soldiers to support your scouts as well. They may not know the land, but it can't hurt us worse than this current issue with the Vines and the Blood Miners already has."

…Nazarick…

Ainz sat on his throne, he spent a lot of time there when he wasn't at the Mirror of Remote Viewing keeping an eye on his pope to ensure she stayed… functional. Her promise to get help at the end of the war weighed on him, he had his doubts about her ability to keep herself together, but more importantly he had noticed the change in her abilities, and on this particular occasion, it was just himself, Albedo, Demiurge, and Vanysa in the throne room, and he brought the matter up.

"Demiurge, have you noticed the way our human follower has changed in the course of all this?" He asked with a hint of curiosity.

He pushed his glasses close to his eyes and smiled. "Of course, Lord Ainz, since the beginning her power as an evangelist has grown, I knew there was no way this could have escaped your notice." Albedo beamed proudly beside the Sorcerer King, in awe of his ability to cultivate talent.

Vanysa raised her hand and bowed her head.

"What do you want?" Albedo asked sharply. Despite being, for all intents and purposes, a creation of her master, she was not abundantly fond of the girl who was far too familiar with the lord who was well beyond her station, to be more accurate it could be said that she disliked the fury.

Ainz raised his palm up a little and touched Albedo's arm. "It's fine, let her ask."

"As you say, Lord Ainz, you're so generous!" She said with a warm smile.

"What is it, Vanysa?" He asked.

Her wings shook with delight when she was granted permission to speak. "My lord, forgive this girl her ignorance, but I know very little about what you're speaking of, I know this one is very important, that she is establishing your proper place in the world to all those foolish enough or ignorant enough to deny it, but I don't know what abilities you refer to. Please enlighten this ignorant one." She asked with her head still lowered and her hands clasped low in front of her.

"Of course, as an evangelist, she has the ability to persuade, or to intimidate, she has a mastery over her voice, not quite the same, but very similar to a bard. It makes people listen to her, moreover, the power held within her is manifested in her gaze, to inspire or to terrify." He said. He was about to go on when he froze and realized that Demiurge and Albedo were looking at him expectantly, and he'd already reached the limit of his knowledge.

"Damnit… ahhh…" he thought to himself, grasping for an answer, and then he gestured to Demiurge who stood at the base of the throne's steps next to Vanysa and said, "Demiurge, I permit you to explain the rest."

"As expected of my lord, to ever test our knowledge so that you know we recognize your true intent." He bowed politely with one arm bending to the front of his waist, then he straightened and said, "Some time ago she reached the fourth level, while at Wenmark she gained the Hellwalker trait, she can't be affected by killing intent unless it is greater than that which gave her the trait itself, and given that this was a combination of the complete destruction of a city and the slaughter of those she sought to save… and the overwhelming power of our lord, I think it safe to say that nobody's killing intent will ever touch her. What is more, because she is a fourth level evangelist, she can buff and debuff allies and enemies, the more who die in service to her cause, either on the wrong side, or our side, the more she grows. As it is, she can use it even in combat to weaken those who hear her, or strengthen her own. She can't compel, but she can influence, and she is beginning to draw on the divine aura of our lord, if I'm to judge by the change in her eyes." Demiurge said with a grin.

"I see." Vanysa said, her brilliant eyes shone and Ainz could see the wheels turning in her mind, this was the intelligence that he saw when she scoured the city, it was an analytical mind buried under a mountain of uneducated ignorance, fostered by his basic education and the steady guidance of Demiurge, she was, in a word, growing. Her head snapped up and she slapped her forehead. "AH! I understand the plan now, Your Majesty, how stupid of me, forgive this ignorant peasant her foolishness!"

"Of course" Ainz said in his lordly manner as he privately thought, "Ahhh… what's this plan?"

"But Your Majesty, may this humble one ask another question?" She asked, and Albedo looked ready to snap again, but withheld as she looked at her lord.

"Please don't." He sighed internally. However aloud he said, "Go on."

"I've looked at all the numbers, and Prart is very undermanned. I saw the reports that Lord Demiurge and Lady Albedo wrote, and it seems to me that since Kedyn and other places are now secure, couldn't we put the hired adventurers there to boost their numbers and their combat power considerably? I know Blue Rose in particular would be a fine addition, am I missing something?" She said.

"You looked at my reports?! Who told you to do that?!" Albedo snapped.

Vanysa looked down at the floor. "I was tryin' to help." She began to say, when Demiurge spoke up.

"Actually, I had her do that, I hope you don't mind Albedo, but she's sort of become an… assistant, to me in my work, when she's not in the Draconic Kingdom or helping Neuronist. I have been seeing to her education in higher matters to make her a greater asset to Nazarick."

Before Albedo could speak up, Ainz leaped at the opportunity. "Just as I intended!" he said improvising a lordly laugh and leaning back on his throne.

"Well done Demiurge, well done Vanysa!" He said.

"My lord I had no idea you had this intent, why did you keep this from me, have I failed you in some way?" Albedo said in a panic, drawing close to him and grasping at his arm as she crouched beside him.

"Crap." He thought, "I overshot with that one." However he recovered quickly and said, "No, of course not Albedo, but sometimes it is best for me to test my own subordinates myself, to ensure that they continue to grow and take initiative on their own. As it is, Vanysa accurately guessed my intentions to reinforce Prart with more of my followers and further drive Neia's growth in turn."

Demiurge and Vanysa wore Cheshire grins on their faces and bowed deeply at the praise, "Thank you my Lord, I live only to serve you." They said in unison.

While Albedo clutched at her own breast and said, "My lord never fails to amaze me with his insight, as expected of the one I love." She sighed like a lovesick schoolgirl and Ainz cleared his nonexistent throat to resume course.

"I'll be sending you to Kedyn, Vanysa, call it a… 'diplomatic assignment', you'll be there to convince Blue Rose, and Cersei, to lend their aid to the defense of Prart, and since they're already capable fighters, I will be providing transport." Ainz said in passing.

Vanysa blushed, her blush lightened her dark, almost purple skin and she bowed her head. "I am humbled master, at your trust in your servant. I will do my best to serve your will, but may this insignificant one ask, why myself, what have I that might persuade them?" She asked.

"Shit, perhaps I should have picked Albedo, or contacted Neia, or… crap she's looking at me, how do I answer?" He thought to himself, then he grasped at the first thing that came to him. "You are yourself, and you have your history, and also, we must test your growth. Who you are may drive them to listen more than they otherwise would to someone of higher station or greater power." He said.

"I see, then I will do all I can to succeed for you, my Lord." Vanysa said and went down to one knee, lowering her head deeply. "If I do fail however, please take my life, that I may atone for the unpardonable sin."

At that, Albedo nodded approvingly.

"Now, on to the other matter, I believe you and Demiurge were compiling reports from Neia and others about how well the Draconic Accords have been held to by the other nations?" Ainz asked.

"Yes my lord, over the last few months we've compiled quite a bit, for your convenience we have left all 'individual acts', which are clearly not national directives, off this list, a rogue soldier is not the same as national policy after all, and those persons are to be shipped off to the Argland Council State for trial, this list only accounts for those actions either known, ordered, or endorsed by senior leaders of the belligerent states." Demiurge said formally.

"Very well, a suitable list then, is it short?" Ainz asked.

"I cannot judge Your Majesty's infinite wisdom in terms of ascribing length, however…" He trailed off and gestured to Vanysa, who rose to her feet at a gesture from Ainz and removed a thick sheaf of papers from the bag she wore at her side.

As Vanysa read aloud the many violations of King Astraka, the Elf King, and the Slane Theocracy; from her own torture, to the Theocracy's destruction of the accords and their express vote to dismiss them, Ainz sat and listened in silence, allowing the reading to go on as things that were clearly a matter of policy. Zesshi Zetsumei's testimony, the inadvertent testimony of Raymond as a consequence of his letter to Zesshi about the treatment of elf captives and the intended treatment of captives by the Elf King reminded the man within the undead of the horrors of his own world. It reminded him of the suffering of his friends that was now being recreated by the hostile powers. However, worst of all were the reports of ever worsening treatment of slaves in the Slane Theocracy, reminding him far, far too much of the mistreatment his own mother had endured, but still he sat silent until the report was concluded.

When at last she fell silent, Ainz did not move a single fragment of bone.

It seemed to all others that he was indifferent.

As he sat on his throne, he calmly reached out and took the staff of his guild and looked straight ahead, unmoving as a statue. Then it hit. Like a mountain falling down on the pair of guardians and Vanysa, crushing them all to their knees by sheer overwhelming force, Vanysa shrieked in pain and Demiurge held onto her under the weight to keep her from complete collapse, the throne shook, the walls shook, the very foundation of Nazarick threatened to crack, and then as if from a bomb on his home world, the force of his undampened rage spread out, radiating through earth, rock and air, causing stone buildings to threaten to collapse in Hoburns and Kami Miyako.

"THEY DARE!" He shouted, his skeletal fists balled in rage, his limiter was working overtime to calm him down, but he did not want to be calm as he thought of his friends being worked to death, his mother barely able to keep them both alive under the corruption and cruelty of her employment, and now others in this world, those whom he had bargained honestly with, were recreating that world as best they could. The pressure was enormous, and it wasn't until he caught the sound of Vanysa's crying out in pain under Demiurge that his limiter caught up and quashed the maelstrom of wrath that had burst out from his place on the throne.

Vanysa was shaking like a leaf in the wind, unable to look up, the guardians who were present were not in a tremendously better shape. He bowed his head, "Forgive my loss of temper, I hope I did not trouble you too greatly, Vanysa, can you move?" He asked.

She nodded weakly, "Ahm alright master, was kinda scary though, so thas what appens when yah piss off a god." She said softly. Her eyes were alight with madness and her wings wrapped tight around her, when Ainz gestured for them to rise to their feet, Demiurge had to assist her in doing so, in order that she could obey.

"I wonder how far that spread." Ainz asked aloud.

…Re-Estize Kingdom…City of E-Libera…

This one was stubborn, King Zanac was trying to be fair, but the delegation that exited the city under a white flag was being very petty. "You betray me, my family, our country, and want to remain in power?" He asked incredulously.

The fat noble in front of him waved his hand dismissively, "Well, you want a city intact that does not mar your triumph, I'm sure 'if' you attack that you'll win, but we'll burn the city first so that your triumph is hollow and forever marred by the deaths of many of your citizens, you know how people gossip, your rule will never be truly stable after that, you'll be the king who killed his own for the crown."

King Zanac and General Nimble were getting increasingly angry, but before they could retort, the rage of the Sorcerer King hammered them all, sending them to the ground, the delegation of the rulers of E-Libera froze with horror. "What was that…" The fat nobleman said when he could speak again without his teeth chattering in terror, though he could not stop the shaking of his body.

King Zanac and General Nimble slowly rose to their feet. "That, was the Sorcerer King, the one backing this army, and unless I miss my guess, he's very, very angry." King Zanac said softly, "Shall I present your terms to the source of 'that'?" He asked archly as the pair reclaimed their seat.

"Give us a pardon, our lives, and enough to go live on, and the city is yours right now." The noble said, terror still haunting his eyes, a terror that King Zanac was not immune to when he considered what he'd just felt, however he did two things. First he said, "It is a bargain then." The second thing was to think, "Ruling my kingdom is about to get much, much easier."

…Slane Theocracy…

Within Kami Miyako, a chill wind like the deepest winter swept over the capitol building, as the foundations of the center of the faith shook and threatened to fall, Dominic had to hold on to the window sill to keep his feet, and when the quake ended and the wind hit, all he could do was freeze and shake, and wonder what awful thing had happened to bring what he was sure was the threat of divine wrath down upon himself and his people.

In his home, Raymond fell to the floor when the shaking began, and did not rise until it ceased. When it did, he turned an eye to the sky as if the ceiling did not bar the way and whispered, "Gods preserve us, what have we done?"

…Draconic Kingdom border region of the Forlorn Fortress…

Zesshi Zetsumei was looking smugly at the ruined wall, much of the outer part of the fort was in the hands of her forces, and the Draconic Queen was doing her part as well, with her forces filling other gaps and moving in the opposite direction within the city. That was when the wave hit, pressing down on them all, Zesshi had never knelt before the moment she'd met the Sorcerer King and pledged her fealty in trade for her greatest desires, and having been close to him, she knew exactly what that was, someone had made her new king very, very angry. The Draconic Queen had even more difficulty breathing than Zesshi did, and more difficulty getting back to her feet, but she'd been in the presence of that force, the rage as it battered down and crushed the living into paste on the stone in front of her. Many times she'd felt uncertain of her decisions, and in retrospect many of those doubts about herself had been justified, however as she felt that pressure radiate outward, she knew one national policy was absolutely the right choice: Do not piss off the Sorcerer King.

…Hoburns…

As Astraka's new assembly, including whatever magic casters he could find, marched out of the gate, a wave of shaking, trembling, dread, and a terrible weight crashed against him, so hard that he and most of those on horseback were knocked to the ground. His heart raced in his chest as he looked up, the weight was gone, the dread remained, and the unbowed king felt a wave of pity sweep over him, for whosoever that rage was directed against. He swallowed hard, and wondered if it might be himself.

…Prart…

Neia stood on the battlements and spoke to her people, she reassured them that they had not been forsaken, that they would be victorious, and as she shouted out, "The Justice of our god shall strike them DOWN!"

And as she said those words, she felt it, the wave of power swept the city like a storm, and the great assembly before her, and herself, all fell to their knees.

Neia grimaced under the weight of it, yet to her it was not painful, it was the tightness of a loving embrace, the reassurance of her god that he was full of wrath, and she felt it leave her and sweep towards the advancing army. She grinned, that was going to be unpleasant for them.

AN: Well thanks everybody for reading so far, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, if you've read all the way up to Chapter 76, well you're awesome. :) If you're supporting my audio project (creating an audio version of God Rising) on P atreon, you're even more awesome. If you're not and you'd like to, that goes to paying for the equipment I need to do a decent job of it. (i.e. a decent microphone, ministudio setup, sound engineer costs, things like that. Any overage will be donated to charity, I will not personally profit from any of this, I just want to produce something awesome. You can throw your support behind that at P atreon dot com slash godrising.

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