Enri Emmot had ran for her family's life. Perhaps this would have been an odd statement, as one would usually use "ran for her life" to describe the despair in such situations. However, Enri Emmot was a special case. She did really not think she would survive. All she hoped for was for her baby sister; Nemu Emmot, to survive the disaster that befell the rest of her village. She had to get her to safety. While her desire to protect was not as strong as an actual mother's, the sisters were close due to the hardships of village life. Despite the adventurers that would come every two months or so, Carne was still a frontier village- and death by monsters would be their fate, king of the forest or not.

However, the monsters here were not the inhumans- no, these invaders were different. They were knights of a foreign nation, here to pillage and terrorize their lands. From the cruel empire that was the Baharuth nation to the corrupt kingdom of Re-Estize, the peasants were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

She imagined the knight that was about to slay her, smiling cruelly under his helmet. She had to place confidence in Nemu. She had to escape.

Enri Emmot closed her eyes.

And the blade whistled.

Concealed from the view of the invaders and villagers by the forest in front of them, a man in silver armor chuckled.


Momonga flipped through the pages of Demiurge's report, marveling at the intricately drawn map and overwhelmed at the same time by the amazing amount of detail that was sewn within the canvas. The various scouts had crafted his personal map of the area on an extremely fine parchment, and Momonga himself was scared to even appraise it since he didn't want to faint at the cost of the thing.

I mean… This is a lot of fucking gold!

Gold wasn't particularly rare in YGGDRASIL, but now that everything was real, he didn't want to spend everything so frivolously. He'd later ordered the NPCs to write and plan on cheap paper from the lower tiered trees of the fifth floor or the newsletter board, since… well, there was no way he was spending money on something like paper.

(Despite the high cost of wood-pulp paper in his world, there were still moderately priced synthetic canvases and paper made from stone and petroleum.)

He was originally going to gift the map to one of the NPCs, but since it was actually useless (since they were on plains), he decided to hang the artwork in his "office". "Office" meaning a room luxurious enough to inflate the market worth of gold to nothing.

The NPC who crafted this map broke into tears at this news and vowed to serve him to their deaths.

That was awkward...

Momonga sat his ass down on the chair in one of Nazarick's many living rooms. Well, living room was a terrible understatement. If anything, the room was worth at least several mansions. Satoru Suzuki felt terribly out of place here. Again, he'd realized how strange it was that every guild base and player home were all essentially palaces of the gods. Did it embody their dreams? Did it assert their dominance? Did it stroke their egos? He wouldn't know, as he preferred more humble or "cool" settings himself.

Momonga shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a few moments, and readjusted his composure a second later, as Sebas had come into the room.

"Did you bring the magic item as I asked for?"

"It is here, Lord Momonga." The butler bowed.

The old man retrieved the mirror from his inventory, and set it out on the table before Momonga. The magic item surfed mid-air for a brief moment before landing perfectly on the chiseled marble of the table in front of him. Its edges were adorned in gold, and the image on it shifted- now showing the plains around Nazarick with a glassy-blue hue.

Normally, he would be annoyed at the low video quality, but this was literally a magic item in a fantasy world, so he couldn't exactly complain when he doubted electronic technology was even conceptualized.

It was just a hunch, however. Who knew, maybe this was a sci-fi universe, and this was just a remote colony world. Momonga dismissed the thought and raised his hands to the mirror. After an awkward silence, he spoke up.

"How is this item operated?"

"Like so, my Lord." Sebas moved to occupy the space in front of Momonga, and the old man began masterfully manipulating the motions of the mirror's field of view. He zoomed in and out and moved the view across what seemed to be a small patch of trees.

It's actually much more mobile and flexible than an actual surveillance drone, Momonga realized. Added to the fact that it was just an energy anomaly (aka magic), it would be hard to detect with radars and sensors conventional to Satoru's world. Only counter-surveillance magic and skills could put a stop to divination magic.

Combined with the ease of use, this would have been an invaluable tool. If it could be integrated with machines… Momonga stopped his line of thought.

Fascinated by magic, Momonga smiled under his helmet. This was turning out to be more exciting than ever, despite the fact that he was doing mere surveillance work, which should have been handed down to his subordinates.

The problem would be counter-surveillance magic. Those skills and spells could conceal their users from divination, especially from a low leveled item like the one he was using. He was also susceptible to a counter-attack spells triggered by counter-divination methods… And high tier spells of that kind could destroy the item itself.

Taking over the reigns of the magic mirror, Momonga moved the "eye" rapidly across the plains, going further to his left. Demiurge's aerial survey had revealed a village or two in sight, though they were too far to see specifics. Going to extreme heights had also revealed the planet's apparent lack of advanced technology and satellites. Momonga himself loved the night sky, and wished to see it again…

He heard there was some kind of formula for finding things you didn't know the exact location of, but unless he visited the library, he wouldn't know that equation. Punitto Moe had stocked him up on a collection of strategy books when he left the game, but Momonga himself was at a loss; he was a fighter, and he didn't lead armies. What use was the Art of War when he had no army?

Well, that was an exaggeration. Those books were useful, but not useful enough. He just wasn't going to lead an army any time soon. The demon returned to attention as he nearly zoomed by a village. With a hurried motion, he panned the mirror to focus on the village once again.

"A festival…?"

A moment later he would realize how stupid of an assumption that was and what a senseless joke it was. He was sure Sebas' moral value was quite high, so he was sure the butler had taken some offense. Focusing on the knights, he followed one of the riders. His perception allowed him to view the scene with perfect clarity. Knights chasing down men and women… knights killing and looting and setting things on fire.

Shifting the mirror again, the scene cut to a man gasping for life as the invader plunged the sword into his back, splashing blood everywhere.

Satoru felt nauseous, but the sharp pain appeared in his neck again, and the hissing of an injection could be heard. His vision blurred and tunneled for a few seconds- before returning to normal.

It seems my body employs some kind of injection to combat intense stress. Ah, I remember this skill now. Its effects are similar to the description of [Stimulus: Calm], so that must be it.

His mind had adapted- but something else deep inside had not. Almost leaping from the chair, and surprising Sebas, he turned to the butler.

"We have to help them immediately, Sebas! Keep searching for signs of civilization in my place and gather 2 seekers and 40 soldiers with invisibility or stealth skills. I want them to form a perimeter around the village!"

He wasn't sure about it, but he saw something stirring within the old butler. Momonga himself felt his own spirits rise at the butler's reaction.

"It will be done, Lord Momonga!" The servant cried, barely concealing his joy.

Momonga chuckled, sending a [Message] to Omega. A [Gate] portal opened before him moments later, and a bright flash of light was all that could be seen before he stepped through the portal.


Enri Emmot squeezed her eyes shut. She could hear the whistling of the blade through the air. She had denied it moments before, but after praying to several gods she didn't believe in and hearing no answer, she had accepted her fate. However, there was one thing left to be done… But it was too late. Nemu was too tired to run, and now they would both pay the price with their lives.

She felt the shadow of the sword over her head…

A loud clang rang out. A flash of silver resounded in her head, though she knew that wouldn't have been possible. It was almost like the work of magic…

"W-what?" The knight above her gasped. Enri curiously pried her eyes open and found a scene only dreams could bring.

Standing above her was a warrior adorned in platinum white armor. While it was not a full plate, judging by the straps of leather and cloth that could be seen easily between the pieces of armor, in Enri's mind, it remained as powerful as ever.

He was almost a head taller than the knight that was about to strike her, white plate reflecting brilliantly in the sun making his presence even more attractive. He was poised in a lunge, blades still locked with the shocked knight. And his sword… Simple in design, yet the greatsword's glowing material made it all the more brilliant. A pitch black handle contrasted with the silverish platinum blade, worn with elegant engravings.

The imperial knight tried to remove his sword and counter-attack, and Enri was ready to warn her savior, but it appeared he had the battle more than handled. In a flash of silver, the invader knight collapsed to the ground, a clean stroke having cleaved through his armor and vitals. Barely any amount of blood was seen on the man or his sword, and Enri dismissed this as a testament to the warrior's skill.

His body only a shield for the maiden;

Protecting the weak and innocent,

The Savior of justice has arrived...

My white knight!

Her eyes turned to stars of wonder.

"S-stay back!" The other imperial knight yelled, tightly grasping his sword and turning his head around for a moment.

"Guys! A little help here!"

When no answer came but the galloping of horses and the screams of the dying, the knight nervously turned his head back to the warrior in front of him.

A silver hood covered his head. No, this was not an ordinary hood, this hood was smooth and crafted out of the same metal as his armour, and thick enough to be heavy plate. The man didn't have time to think more about his opponent's strange headgear, however, as amber eyes with tiny, barely noticeable slits glared into his own.

"Stand down, invader, or you'll be put down." The man commanded sternly.

The knight considered this for a moment. He was a man of the theocracy… and men of the theocracy did not bow down to foolish heroes. He refocused his will; his nation had ordered there to be no survivors for the sake of the mission, putting down fools who supported the corrupt kingdom of Re-Estize instead of the Holy cause of Mankind.

Was this Stronoff? He questioned in his mind.

He dismissed the thought a moment later. From what he had heard, Gazef was a rat, but he was not a fool. He was the strongest warrior of the Re-Estize kingdom, and it was blasphemy to have a warrior of that caliber not be escorted by a squadron of soldiers.

Packing all hesitation aside, he readied his stance again, the tiny opening of his visor almost glaring at his enemy. The warrior looked disappointed for a moment and sighed, lowering his weapon. The knight was confused for a moment. Was his opponent giving up?

His eyes widened to their maximum, however, as the very ground trembled beneath the silver-clad enemy, launching the warrior into a forward dash. He barely had time to even consider moving his sword in defense. There was simply no time to dodge.

Time slowed to a halt. His life flashed before his eyes-

And it was over. The now bisected man's upper half toppled to the ground, his lower half following a moment later.

"So weak… He dies to a single stroke from a mere Legendary-tiered blade, and in a false form that barely scratches my potential…" The man muttered, words quiet enough not to reach the two girls.

The sound of a tear in reality grabbed their attention again. Enri tensed and hugged her sister closer, but relaxed somewhat when she saw the clam-as-ever posture of her savior. Her eyes flashed with the magical light, watching with curiosity as a woman clad in red armor stepped through. The armor… it must have belonged to an angel; a warrior of the gods. Like her savior's armor, the premise was simple yet it'd been done with unrivaled craftsmanship.

Despite the feelings stirring within her, she could not help but be impressed. She imagined herself in that armor- riding to battle with her savior and sharing a long kiss when the battle was won, and the enemy crushed.

And her face- Enri felt an ugly emotion inside of her. She was blonde; not golden, not straw-like, not dirty, but the regal hair of nobility. Her red eyes and smug smirk made her feel...

"My apologies, my Lord. The preparations took longer than expected."

Her eyes narrowed. The voice… it sounded mature, but there was something evil, something malicious about it.

"It's fine, Sangria. Your timing is impeccable."

What an odd name… Her suspicions rose to the roofs. She stopped thinking about this when the two warriors finally noticed her. She felt as the kind gaze of her savior bore into her eyes, and she looked away with a blush.

"You appear to be hurt. Eat this." The man reached to a pouch on his belt, retrieving a beautiful green herb. She could smell its wonderful scent from miles away… Enri, apprehensively reached out for it, before pulling it to her chest with surprising speed, as if clutching onto it for dear life.

"T-thank you." The village girl muttered apprehensively, before taking the plant and chewing on the herb, savoring every bite, and finally, almost regretfully swallowing the plant.

She looked to her back, to find the wound slowly knitting back together… "No way!"

Enri was more than pleased. The herb her white knight had gifted her was of much higher tier than what the pharmacist (what was his name again?) brought to the village. She blushed, realizing how expensive the plant must have been. Now she was in his debt for life!

Not that she minded.

On the other hand, there was that… pale girl that accompanied her savior. Enri believed that she would be seen as the type of person with a "radiant", almost holy type of beauty. However, she knew there was something wrong with her, and Enri would be the first to warn her white knight.

"Sangria, cast some protection spells on them."

"Yes, my Lord! [Greater Resistance]. [Elemental Shield]. [Ranged Protection]."

"Let's advance. Every second we spend here is another villager dead." The man took a step towards the village.

Enri panicked. Was her savior leaving her behind? No, she realized, how could she have been so foolish? She had not even spoken a word to the knight; she must have seemed like an idiot! Shifting her body closer to the warrior, she cried out her heart.

"Th-thank you for saving us!"

"Thank you!" Her little sister added.

She held her breath, and time slowed down as the man turned his head around to judge her soul.

"It is nothing…"

Amazing, Enri thought. This must be the life of a white knight. To have such care for the lives of the innocent. He stood above all men. This was true nobility, not the disgusting kind that would tax people. What use were taxes when the nobles had so many riches? She was definitely right! Taxes were evil!

"You're our only hope, kind sir. Please! Save the village and our families!" She cried.

"No need to ask. Let us be on our way. Stick close behind us. If there is any danger, run and we will take care of it."

"Thank you, thank you, brave knight! B-but… can I- no, we, know your name?"

The man appeared to be in deep thought for a moment and normally, Enri would be confused at why anyone would hesitate when asked of their names. This time, she thought nothing of it, and eagerly awaited the answer.

"Call me… call me Ainzly."


Momonga reflected on the fight. He had ordered his seekers to analyze all of the knights, and to his surprise, found none of them bypassing level 10. He was completely baffled and disappointed at the same time… a few common soldiers couldn't tell him anything about the strength of this world. From the other reports, the seekers and assassins had also sighted movements of soldiers on horseback traveling towards the village. More disturbingly, however, they reported movements of men adorned in mage armor in hiding. He stopped listening to the report just as there was about to be more information dumped, lest the two girls fall to the pursuing knights.

Coming here in [Enochian] was a big risk, Momonga noticed. If his HP dropped too much, he would revert to his actual form, and that would be a big blow to his image. He came here in the human disguise as he wanted to stay a warrior, but not associate his image with the invading knights.

I also could have come here in that "Momon" disguise. But since [Enochian] allows for three different humanoid configurations, I can simply get rid of this one.

He also noted the distinct lack of demihumans and heteromorphs. There was only few YGGDRASIL villages that had no magical animals or demihumans within their villages. That meant he wanted to be as human as possible to look familiar to the villagers, and a walking mountain of darkness wasn't going to help with that. In case this was a world without heteromorphs or demihumans, he had to go with [Enochian].

I hope the knights aren't hiding some sort of hidden powerhouse. I wouldn't be surprised if a level 100 rogue managed to evade the Eight Edge or the Hanzos.

The only counter to that would be having one of the Overlord librarians summon an Eyeball Corpse and conceal it with magic. On the other hand, a cash item would also do the trick. Shalltear, however...

The true vampire was in disguise- clad in a set of rose-red Legendary armor hand-picked by Pandora's Actor and wielding a longsword of the same tier built for vampire would both go into their actual gear if the situation called for it, but for now, they were sticking with this.

Thankfully, she had chosen an appearance that was… How can he put this… arrogant enough that he wouldn't feel… uncomfortable. While he couldn't deny that she looked pretty good, she held an aura that put people on edge instead of in love. Albedo replaced Shalltear as the guardian of the first and third floors in her absence, which he hoped the Unholy Knight would not mind.

The reason he had chosen Shalltear was due to her magic; as a Valkyrie, she not only had access to powerful spells for combat support but also because she would be able to handle herself in a fight better than any other floor guardian. Well, not Aureole or Rubedo leveled, but still the strongest floor guardian.

He himself was a decent tank, so bringing Albedo wouldn't help at all.

His five Overlord Librarians, while more specialized in magic, were too weak. Their level only went up to 85.

"Sangria, are you ready?"

"Always, my Lord."

He saw the vampire draw her new blade- an elegant longsword with a glassy edge that appeared as if there were red veins embedded inside. On the hilt was a golden Christian cross, befitting a cleric knight. The red vampire blade was ready to kill.

Oh, and there was the subject of his name. He chose the name because of Ainz Ooal Gown, obviously, but since he was a demon, he felt Ainzly fit him better. Demons always had either simple or strange names. Alastor and Amy (actual demons!), for example, were pretty straightforward. On the other hand, there were names like Beelzebub, which… what? Why? He didn't get it. Was he given that name just to mock demons?

Would people think his name was strange or funny? Should he have called himself Ainz Ooal Gown instead?

For some reason, I feel that image fits a mysterious magic caster better. Well, no going back now.

Calling to his mana pool, he activated the [Message] spell.

[Assassin of the Eight Edge, you may continue your report]

[Thank you, My Lord. As I was saying, there are around 100 magic casters in hiding just outside of the village. They range from level 9 to 15 as a blend of offense, support, and all have summoning classes, but their leader is a level 23 angel summoner. They are equipped in Low-Tier magic armor. From what we have heard, they are also religious, and worship "gods" that have the elements as their domain.]

Momonga took a moment to process this information as they jogged towards the village. Religious? Summoner? Angels? it didn't look like they were players, but a large gathering of mages all equipped in the same type of magic gear usually meant some kind of organized group. They could very well be this world's mage soldiers. This also confirmed that this world was similar to YGGDRASIL, perhaps some kind of medieval aged world with YGGDRASIL systems.

Shit, did I just intervene in some country's war? This isn't good… well, I should finish what I started. I'll have to take risks if I want to succeed.

[Thank you, Assassin of the Eight Edge. Do not engage with them and contact me should anything else arise.]

[Anything for you, My Lord!]

Momonga smiled. It looked like he would be in control of the situation here after all. Taking note of the dying sounds of the villagers, he rushed to meet his first foe, who was a knight on horseback that had noticed him walking with the two girls.

The man, mounted on his horse, gave a war cry and charged towards the player, unaware of the fate that would befall him. His charge grew hesitant as Momonga kept moving calmly without changing his pace, but the knight was too late to change course. With fluid movement, Momonga sidestepped the horse and stabbed towards the man, impaling the knight in the heart. The man wailed in pain, falling off his horse a moment later.

Momonga frowned. While he outclassed (literally) the man by miles, he was reminded of how difficult it was in the early game to deal with riders. If a player didn't have a polearm or a weapon with long reach, a new player was hard-pressed to win without a party.

In the midst of the slaughter and burning, the only order was how the knights worked in groups of three. Only the remaining two in the rider's team noticed the man's death. They looked to each other, then to Momonga, and then to Shalltear, before charging.

The player chuckled. He needed to save the village, not focus on fighting these knights. With one slash of silver, all that was left of the two were their halved remains. This was the work of some basic channeling and range extending skills.

"Protect and heal the villagers. I will deal with the knights." He ordered Sangria.

"Sangria" nodded as her master dashed towards a knight preparing to kill looming over a woman protecting her children. Their terrified faces turned to shock as the knight was impaled through the back with a silver sword.

Momonga drew his sword from the knight's back and turned to kill another knight charging towards him. One of the men had decided attacking Sangria was a good idea, but found a longsword lodged within his neck a moment later, his helmet concealing his rapidly paling face. He plunged towards the ground a moment later, his clothes shriveled. Turning to the woman Momonga had just saved, Sangria cast [Light Cure Wounds] and healed the mother of three.

"Th-thank you!"

Only smiling in return, Sangria continued healing.

Momonga was making his way through the knights with ever-increasing pace. For every invader he slew, the more attention he attracted. No matter what the knights threw at him: two, four, six men at a time, spearmen, flails, maces, cavalry, nothing even got within proper melee range of the new warrior. After being saved, a few men and women had even picked up weapons to help fight the knights.

Momonga worked hard not to immediately slash the knights into two, making only killing slashes and stabs. Otherwise… well, it wouldn't do well for his image. He wanted to look like a brave noble warrior, not a savage.

"Please help us! They've rounded up most of us at the village centre!"

The player nodded to the villager, a determined expression on his face.

"If you wish to assist me, pick up a spear. You'll all hurt yourselves before you ever get a kill if you keep using your sword like that." He joked.

Unexpectedly to Momonga, this seemingly enforced the spirits of the villagers, putting a smile on their faces. They scoured the dead knights for pikes and spears, looting the polearms. Some even took the helmets, although most of those who did decided to ditch them. The helmets were dashed with blood and putrid sweat, and the villagers found themselves uncomfortable within.

"After me!" He roared, a small group of villagers in tow following his charge.

Breaking through the clustered streets and into the village square, Momonga sliced open the stomach of the opponent in front of him, and the villagers converged on the man as Momonga moved on. Six spears simultaneously stabbed into the invader's body, creating an almost comical scene as blood began leaking from every orifice the man had.

The invaders swore; the situation was turning against their favor by the second. It was then that their captain spoke up.

"Halt! We are on official business of the Slaine Theocracy! Leave now or we will be forced to kill you and the villagers!"

The warrior in silver paused as if considering the notion for a moment. "If I do so, will you leave the villagers alone?'

The man shook his head. "We are doing this for humanity's sake. The villagers will have to die."

"Killing villagers will help humanity? What nonsense. Consider this your last warning: leave now or I'll kill every single one of you." His amber irises burned into the invading knights.

The invader laughed. "You stand no chance against the will of the gods! I'll have that woman too once I'm done with you… GET HIM!"

Grinning lustfully at "Sangria", The man pointed towards Momonga, and the knights rushed into motion.

He doesn't seem to be a tactical mastermind, so I assume he's just a coward. However, that remark… what a piece of shit!

Immediately, twelve knights came at them at once, behind them several more knights that moved to surround the band of resistance. Momonga turned to notice a detachment of four knights at the street they just broke out of, effectively trapping the villagers there.

They think the villagers will give up just because they are surrounded… well, they would, but that's why I'm here.

Momonga smirked, turning his head back to the armed villagers. "Form a circle! Keep them back while I deal with most of them! Sangria?"

The blonde woman nodded with a "yes, my Lord", casting [Lesser Resistance] and [Lesser Speed] on all of the villagers. She readied her blade, spinning it in her hands.

The knights closed in.

Momonga took a deep breath. When similarly leveled, fighting more than three opponents was usually impossible, even with tanking or AOE abilities. Otherwise, it was usually best to keep the attackers in one direction as covering all angles of attack was not easy, but they'd already surrounded the villagers. Going aggressive and constantly moving was also vital. In this case, there were only a circle of untrained villagers surrounded by a whole platoon of knights.

Shalltear blazed to the opposite direction, towards the other end of the village dancing around the attacks of the knights, killing them with graceful steps. For every move and attack, she was perfectly balanced, as if the knights were falling into her blade. Retrieving her blade from the throat of the last knight in her area, she nodded toward Momonga.

"Move back! Form a line!" He ordered.

The armed villagers complied, dispersing into formation and forming a line of spears and pikes. Momonga and Sangria moved to the sides of the armed villagers, protecting them from the knights that were trying to flank them.

"Advance!"

The villagers in captivity cheered for their brethren, shouting words of encouragement. The knights that were trying to keep them down became more and more worried as their fellow knights were cut down quicker than ever.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" The captain muttered, losing his cool. First he gets attacked by the girl's father after trying to have his way with her, then an upstart turns the invasion that would bring glory to his house to ruin. He had to leave...

"Be my shield! Buy time for me to escape! You'll be rewarded with gold!" He yelled, turning tail and making for his horse.

Beside him, another knight sighed. "That fool Belius… Listen, you! Yes, you, run and blow the horn for the horsemen and archers! We'll buy time for you!"

The man he called for timidly nodded, before running madly for the horn. The other men cursed, some of them taking a step backwards as the man in white scored another killing slash, and kicking the dying knight away. The poor soul must have flown several yards before landing in a thud, blood spilling the ground.

As if mocking them, the white knight grinned. "That the best you got?"

Ignoring the horrid gasps of his fellow knights as they were killed by the blonde woman and collapsing to the ground, shriveled as if they were drained of their souls, Londes grit his teeth. There was no time to waste. He ran towards the white knight's right flank, slowing when he was close and staying nimble on his feet, ready to dodge and attack. His eyes bulged, however, as the man disappeared from sight, kicking up a torrent of wind. Blood spurted from Londes' neck.

His head fell to the ground a moment later, causing a cry of fear in his companions. The "white knight" hadn't even bothered correcting his stance, still stuck in a lunge as if he was posing. One particularly brave knight tried to attack him in this weak position but soon found his entrails spilling as the warrior blurred, moving in front of another knight. Throats, bodies, armor were cut like butter, nothing stopping the silver blade of the fearsome warrior that had stepped in.

The remaining few knights chose to back off at this sight. They were about to drop their heavy gear and make a run for their lives when the sound of cavalry rose. Horses neighed and clopped on the dirt, carrying riders clad in steel.

"All of you, find cover!" Momonga yelled. "Sangria" rushed to his side, readying her blade once more and standing guard in front of one of the houses as the villagers hesitantly went back inside the housing.

"A pleasant day, is it not, Shalltear?" He turned to the vampire.

"It is as you say, Lord Momonga… Say, what do you plan to do for those humans? Will we slaughter them and feed on their despair as they realize their saviour has turned on them?"

"...No. We still don't understand what this world is like despite the slaughter we have prevented. It would be best to scout for some more information before making a real move. And that reminds me. Shadow Demon?"

"...My Lord?" A raspy voice rang out, unseen from view.

"Spy on the village head for now. Move between key figures if there is important information. Retreat at once if you are detected. Am I clear?"

"Yes, My Lord…" The demon retreated into the shadows, hopping from dark spot to dark spot until finding himself beside the bearded man that was the village chief.

"Also, Sangria, it appears magic exists, so hopefully it would not be a surprise for two warriors to take out two platoons of archers and riders. When the arrows come, use some low tier air spells to take them out."

"Yes, My Lord!"

Momonga nodded, a determined and calm expression on the face generated by his illusion skill. Drawing his sheathed blade again, he moved into a low stance.

With the twinge of several dozen strings, a rain of arrows covered the sky. First there were fifty, then fifty more, and fifty more yet again. The archers were at a distance, but could still be seen. As the arrows began to fall closer and closer to their location, the rider knights came closer than ever, from three directions all at once, leaving trails of dust in the air. The onlooking villagers had a face of fear, some accepting their fate, but some still holding hope for the great knight and his companion that were their saviors.

"Now!"

Pointing a palm to the sky, Sangria muttered a simple incantation. "[Widen Magic: Gale Blast]!"

A wave of mana surged to her fingertips and into the grey-white glyph that surfaced in front of her, pushing forward a large blast of wind barely visible to the human eye. Powered and steered by magic, it collided with the rain of arrows, pushing back every single one, causing them to either fly off in the other direction or fall to the ground. One falling arrow even managed to kill a warhorse, stabbing into its neck. As its surprised rider fell to the ground, Momonga dug his feet into the ground. His sword hummed with silver energy, and he reared the blade back, leaping into motion a split second later.

"Platinum Edge!"

It all happened so slowly for the onlookers. One moment there were the knights on horseback, and the next there seemed to be a silvery trail of energy in the air, and then it was all over. The charging riders were lively in motion, but suddenly they froze, like puppets cut from their strings. The horses still ran, but there was a strange difference to their gallops.

And that was when they fell.

Men, horses, blood, hands, and arms all fell forward and collapsed to the ground in two pieces. One was bisected and his horse decapitated, another only lost everything above his chest, his horse missing a chunk of its brain, but the knights were all cut to pieces with the same terrifying accuracy. The houses and trees around them fell into two soon after, kicking up a round of dust.

The archers, on the other hand, could only look on in horror as blood pooled in the gallons around the carnage, making an end to their faith to the gods.

"M-monster…" They dropped whatever things they didn't need and ran for their horses, carrying a wave of frightened voices.

"Sangria?" Momonga turned to look at his companion.

As per his instructions, "Sangria" was forced to refer to Momonga not as "Lord", but as would a good acquaintance. Sangria, of course, was giddy at this news, barely concealing the pride and at the same time embarrassment she felt.

The vampire in disguise glowed blue for a second, before taking to the skies at barely conceivable speed. Flying towards the archers, she sent a [Fireball] at them, making sure they would not survive whatever journey they were about to make. She was curious why her lord had not ordered her to take some in for questioning, but she could not comprehend the wisdom of the Supreme Beings.

Wait, what was she thinking? How could any of these fools have knowledge worthy of Nazarick? Plus, if her lord wanted to extract information, he would have taken those arcane soldiers he mentioned.

Shaking her head, "Sangria" descended beside her companion, amongst a group of cheering villagers. Though they seemed a little disheartened due to her Lord's fearsome power, she saw that her master did not appear displeased, so she held back from slaying all of them then and there for not appreciating a Supreme Being's kindness.

On the other hand, she had to hold back from falling over in adoration at the sight of her master…

Momonga sensed something was wrong with the air, but decided to ignore it as he received praises from the villagers. He was slightly uncomfortable since he knew he was just using them as tools, but he was at least glad that he could save all these lives.

Many people don't like isekai, and I don't either, but I'm not going to let a bunch of people die when I can save them...

Deciding to calm things down, he kept answering the eager questions of the villagers until they were eventually waved off by the village elder.

"Now, I'd like to discuss a few things with you, if you don't mind."

"N-no, of course not! Although, uh… if you wish for gold coins, then it will take some time for us to exchange for those. We're very sorry about that."

Momonga moved his hands in a reassuring manner. "It's no problem. I will not ask for much other than some coins to help get us to the city."

"Then I'll not trouble you for long, Sir… Ainzly." The old man and his wife opened the door to their cottage. It was slightly bigger and included an "office" since he was the chief, but other than that, Momonga considered the lodgings to be very humble.

"Would you like some hot water or tea?" The chief's wife inquired, digging through a chest and retrieving a small box that revealed several aromatic herbs.

"Water is fine." He quickly decided, smiling slightly.

They then began discussing the world, with the player asking from a list of questions that he had prepared beforehand. He mentally made a checklist of everything he wanted to know before inquiring about the currency, retrieving a YGGDRASIL coin from his pocket. It turned out that the game's standard currency was worth roughly two of the new world's gold coins.

Then there was the boiled water. It took roughly 17 minutes in total to prepare, as she had to gather wood, start a fire with flint, fetch water, keep the fire going constantly… it went on and on. This told Momonga quite a few things about this world. Furthermore, from what the chief told him, Carne village was a run-of-the-mill settlement, nothing technologically advanced or behind, just lacking basic plumbing systems compared to major cities.

It's established, then. This isn't Midgard or any unreleased part of YGGDRASIL. There are no in-game factions called the Re-Estize Kingdom, the Baharuth Empire, or the Slaine Theocracy.

This excited and worried him at the same time… While physics seemed to be still there, the existence of magic would change the development of a world's drastically. It seemed everyone was just waiting for some major discovery. Gunpowder, or the magical equivalents, would revolutionize any world. Guns were very rare and powerful items in YGGDRASIL. In fact, those who aimed for the [Gunner] classes would have to go through at least a fifth of the game using crossbows and bows first.

There were classes in the new world, but anyone could equip a gun. A magician could use a blade, but they couldn't use any powerful melee weapons. He wasn't sure about the specific level gap, but from his numerous competitive PvP experiences, he guessed the gap between equippable blade and magician level was too far, seeing as no caster ever used one above [Top]-tier.

Guns… he wondered. There are lots of videos that make real-world comparisons. The gist of it is that any level 20 physical fighter should be around the level of your average Batman, except with superhuman strength capable of punching through steel. They can simply guess the trajectory and move before the trigger's pressed. Enemies like Death Knights have magical resistance to piercing, and a regular bullet can only dish out a baseball bat's worth of blunt force. In short, it will take heavy weaponry that can do a lot of blunt force damage to take them out.

"Thank you, that will be all. Now…"

They left the chieftain's home soon enough, still exchanging pleasantries. As they walked around town to see all of the villagers helping each other, Momonga was put more at ease. The spirits of the people seemed to be high, despite the few that were still crying. They eventually came upon the pile of cleanly sliced body parts, blood drenching the earth, causing a putrid smell that made many gag.

Staring into the shocked bloodshot eyes of a dead and bisected knight, the village elder sighed.

"That attack..."

Momonga's illusionary face grimaced. "I know. I was afraid of its effects when I first learned this technique as well. However, it gets the job done. If I didn't use it, then the knights would have eventually broken through and killed more of you."

In truth, platinum edge wasn't a real attack skill. He only combined several passive abilities to form it. It would have been considered a normal, hell, even weak attack in the game since [Enochian] only created a level 85 human warrior with a mid-tier build.

The chief had a look of understanding. "We can't thank you enough, Sir Ainzly. Forgive us, but we're going to mourn the dead for a moment."

Momonga didn't say anything, as if giving the villagers a respectful silence, but in reality, he was in shock. He realized the impact of resurrection magic. While it looked like it was in the realm of legend in this world to achieve resurrection magic, the chief said that it had been done before; high ranking adventurers dying on their quests but brought back alive the day after.

Momonga knew three third-tier divine casters could form a [Resurrection Circle], so he did not doubt these claims in the slightest.

"I could order Shalltear to resurrect them… but she doesn't have any of those spells since only the tenth floor had player guards as a last line of defense, and [Wands of Resurrection] are in limited supply…" He muttered to himself.

With a heavy heart, he decided against it. Who knew, maybe in reality, the dead were supposed to stay dead.

"Shalltear, do you hate humans? You're a good actor, but I saw that something was off."

If vampires could blush, she did. "My lord… your attention to detail is impeccable! It's true, humans are mere insects. And working side-by-side with a Supreme Being… it's an honor none of us lowly servants deserve."

"What about Touch Me? Is he an insect?"

"To me, My Lord, that would be the same as referring to Lord Lucifer as a mere angel, or yourself as an imp. You are the Supreme Beings of Nazarick, beyond lowly classifications."

"I see… And don't worry. We'll be working together more in the future."

From her reaction, Shalltear appeared to be delighted. Momonga knew that the vampire had the disadvantage of blood frenzy, and he didn't know how long she could keep the act up. Hell, she was literally panting at the sight of all those dead bodies. He almost had to "excuse" her from the scene a couple of times.

Peroroncino made a mistake… then again, who could have thought that the NPCs would become real?

"Now, Shalltear. Since the Hanzos found no bugs on these knights, get ready to open a [Gate] right below the bodies as you cast a maximized [Fireball] on them. I will have Demiurge bring some ash from his floor."

"Understood, My Lord!"

Momonga was a bit unnerved at how his mind managed to come up with such a plan, and also at how Shalltear was perfectly fine with all of it, but he could think about that later. It was strange; sometimes he felt human, and sometimes his mind transformed to the cold, calculating, but also fiendish demon.

Shaking his head, he sent a [Message] to Demiurge.

[Demiurge. I need you to do something for me.]

[Anything, My Lord.]

[In a moment, I will be sending you around thirty dead humans.]

[...]

[They were knights pillaging a town I decided to save. There will be a [Gate] spell at the sixth floor forest in a minute, and I've asked Omega to disable anti-teleportation on my command. Once everything drops, send some ash and… 9 broken sword and twenty broken pike decorations through the [Gate]. Am I understood?]

[Understood, Lord Momonga!]

[Also, preserve a few bodies and all the minimally damaged horses. That will be all, Demiurge.]

Momonga disconnected the [Message] spell, nodding his head at Shalltear. Raising a hand, he held it in the air for a minute.

[Demiurge. Are the preparations complete?]

[On your mark, my Lord!]

He reconnected to the leader of the pleiades.

[Now, Omega!]

With a silent cast of [Gate], the bodies and weapons fell through a miasma of red energy focused on the ground. A split second later, piles of ash erupted from where the gate used to be- followed by several weapons in a state of disrepair. Immediately, a wave of explosive flame set over the waste, revealing a smoldering pile of ash and weapons in serious disrepair.

"Good job, everyone…" He muttered.

The mourning villagers noticed the commotion as soon as the [Fireball] exploded, some of them rushing from the graveyard over to the former pile of dead bodies.

"Sorry about that. Most of those weapons were designed for cavalry anyways, so you won't find much use in them." Momonga apologized to one of the villagers, a middle-aged man who was the eldest of the young men that had come to investigate.

"True, but we also need money to help rebuild our village… What am I saying, Sir Ainzly? These are the invaders you killed- feel free to do whatever you wish with them."

The villagers behind him seemed to agree, nodding amongst themselves.

Momonga nodded, considering the situation. The man had raised a good point. It would be impolite for the villagers to claim ownership of the reclaimed gear when they were defenseless against the knights.

I could sell the swords to the villagers. After all, they will probably be more interested in investing in defense after this attack.

He shook his head, a stern expression coming over his face.

What am I thinking? That would be a dick move. I have to consider human emotions too...

"In that case, it would be troublesome for you all to get invaded and killed after I went through saving this village. I will take a few, but please keep enough to arm at least half of your village."

The man nodded, an expression of gratitude on his face. "Thank you, Sir Ainzly!"

"It's no problem. On the other hand, I'd like to purchase some of your livestock and produce in the future."

"You'll have to talk to the chief again, then. We won't forget this, kind sir!"

Momonga faked a blush and rubbed the back of his head. "Really, it's no big problem. You should return to…" He trailed off, eyes pointing towards the graveyard.

The man rushed off with the rest of his group back towards the mourning site, giving Momonga a space of time to consider the situation. Not getting the shadow demons to follow the surviving archers was a mistake, but he wasn't sure if they would report to their superiors after getting their platoon wiped out in a few attacks. Plus, there was probably also the problem of distance…

The knights were probably from the Baharuth empire, but after hearing about those religious casters, he would not be surprised if they were from this "theocracy" as well. Like that, almost an hour had passed, with most of the dropped weapons collected ad a payment of gratitude from the settlement. The Enri girl was trying to start a conversation with him every other minute or so, with Momonga finally realizing what had happened.

For some reason, I feel like I want to cave in my head just from hearing her voice. Is this unusual?

"Lord Ainzly, Lord Ainzly!" The girl pleaded once again.

"...what is it this time?"

"T-this time it's really really important, I swear! We sighted a platoon of warriors on horseback coming this direction! I-it w-would-"

"Don't worry, I will do this for free."

"But that's not what I-"

He dashed off with a charming smile and a wave before zooming at almost supersonic speeds.

Another day, another bullet dodged!


His first impression of the Head Warrior was a brave and honorable man. Gazef and his men were dispatched by the king of the Re-Estize Kingdom to investigate the recent incidents of multiple villages razed by what looked like knights of the Baharuth Empire.

Momonga wasn't terribly surprised at his arrival. The Eight Edge Assassins had informed him of the situation mere minutes before the villagers had. He, however, took a liking to the warrior immediately; he was the embodiment of several qualities all desirable in an honorable and loyal servant, to both citizens and king. It turned out that the chief's description of the man lacked exaggeration.

He's also supposedly the strongest warrior in the kingdom. If those claims are to be believed, then that should speak a lot for this world.

"Please, no need for a ceremony at this moment. I saved these people because I could, and I happened to pass by. It's also the right thing to do."

"A capable and compassionate warrior, then. I believe you're also travelers, so I will not waste your time for long. Could you tell me more about the blackguards that attacked this village?"

"It's not a problem since it's so late already, and we actually plan to stay here for the night. However, the knights that attacked this village have either escaped on horseback or are already dead."

"I don't see many bodies, but that pile of ashes… Did you strike them down?"

"Yes. My companion and I killed them… As for the ashes, I did not want to bother the village-folk with too many corpses, so I asked my companion here to burn them with a spell." He gestured to the polite form of "Sangria".

"I see… And you are?"

"Sangria Oras, pleasure to meet you, warrior of the Kingdom." The vampire in disguise gave a mock bow, smiling in her facade.

"The pleasure's mine." Gazed chuckled.

"One more thing, gentlemen, this village was attacked by knights dressed in armor of the Baharuth empire. I'd prefer if you did not cause a disturbance with all your weapons, so if you don't mind, we can all lay them down in a pile somewhere."

"I'll have to politely refuse that offer, Sir Ainzly. This sword was given to me by the king himself. I cannot set it down…"

"Since you're all soldiers of the kingdom, that will be fine."

"Anyways," Gazef changed the topic. "I hope you will not mind if we stay here for the night, chieftain? We'll need to be in top condition if we're to keep searching for any other invaders in the area."

The elderly man smiled. "Of course, Warrior Captain. We would never protest such a thing. And you, Sir Ainzly? I hope you will accept staying a night here."

Momonga looked away for a moment as if considering the option. "I'm on a tight schedule. It will depend on the situation…"

The chieftain's mood dropped at that, but Momonga had expected this. As if on cue, a member of Gazef's band of elite warriors rushed to their side, panting heavily.

"Captain! Men accompanied by flying monsters have circled the village! What should we do?"

"Lead us to them, then. Chieftain, can I trust you to lead your people to safety?" Gazef asked with a stern face.

"I'll keep them out of your way…"

With that, the chieftain rushed back to the villagers who were about to settle down for the day, calling out to them and sending the villagers into worry once again. They wondered if their savior would aid them again, after already having done so much for them. Their worry was somewhat eased by the presence of the Warrior Captain, who they believed to be on equal footing with Ainzly.

Momonga and Gazef stared through the opening of a darkened brick house, its design simple and filled with dust. Sangria stood like a guardian at the entrance, but that would be a rather ridiculous statement given her height.

"Sangria" stood just a head higher than her true form, though that still wasn't tall at all.

Despite the mission the warriors were on, Momonga still caught several of Gazef's men eyeing her and jeering at the cleric-knight, though Sangria did not even bat an eye.

If I chose a more intimidating disguise or brought Albedo, this wouldn't be happening. Though I somehow feel sorry for those men…

Batting an eye over to his companion, he found her standing guard, impassive as ever.

Thank god she's not acting in character.

He managed to send a [Message] to her just as he left for the village… Looking to Gazef, who he hoped would be a good friend, Momonga shared his concern. If he had been at level 29 and faced off against a large group of decently-equipped noobs, then he would have been worried, especially if those noobs could all summon Archangel Flames and cast third-tier buffs and debuffs.

Speaking of which, sorry, Gazef. You'll have to get your ass kicked around for a moment while I observe the fight.

Seeing through the Captain's concealed panic and frustration, Momonga cleared his throat.

"Now, Mr. Stronoff… Unless there's some strategic benefit to this village that I'm not aware of, I can see only one reason why an organization like that would be here…"

Gazef grimaced. "It comes with the job of warrior captain. Judging by the number of angel summoners, I would guess our guests are from the Slaine Theocracy, and most likely a special operations unit of theirs… One of the infamous Six Scriptures, I'd guess. In both numbers and ability, they seem to trump us."

The man shrugged as if uncaring of his tough luck.

"They've gone through the trouble of getting the Noble Faction to rid me of my gear. It would be rude to not entertain them. Ah, that snake of a man…" He snorted, then turned to Momonga.

"Sir Ainzly, how much would it cost to hire you? Name your price."

"...Unfortunately, I'll have to refuse. I'd rather not be under the eye of a powerful country. If these soldiers are so well equipped, then it would not be unreasonable if they had divination magic."

"I see… What if I con-"

"Forget it. I'll step in if I have to. Sorry for these harsh words, Warrior Captain, but I hope to understand the situation more before I take action in a skirmish between nations."

Gazef sighed. "It's settled, then. Thank you, Sir Ainzly. Without you this village would have been razed to the ground. Take care of yourself."

Momonga- Ainzly looked towards the setting sun. "Should you fail, Stronoff- I will protect this village. I swear this on my name, Ainzly."

The captain was amused. "No surname? Just Sir Ainzly?"

"Indeed. I no longer have a family and barely remember them, so I abandoned my surname."

"I see…" The man breathed an air of relief, and smiled warmly. "Should you need anything, Sir Ainzly, simply visit the Royal Capital and I shall gift you anything you desire."

"There's no need for that."

"I can't thank you enough then, Sir Ainzly. Time grows short- the only thing left for me to do is charge towards the enemy."

Momonga understood his mentality. The opposition ruled the skies; moving in special routes would only lead to slaughter. Spreading the men out was ineffective, as they would be easily defeated by the magic casters. Arrows were also pointless since the angels were practically immune to them. Simply charging in a good formation would be the best they could do.

As the two bid their farewells, Ainzly felt some melancholy as the form of Gazef became a small dot in the vast distances travelled. The demon raised two fingers to the side of his head.

[Eight Edge Assassins. Capture and incapacitate the ambushers, but leave the ones that will be engaged by the riders alone.]

Disconnecting from the spell, Ainzly retrieved a pair of binoculars before focusing it on the charging band of riders.

"Can I watch too, My Lord? I wish to see the look of despair on those soldiers' faces as they are slaughtered by mere Archangel flames…" Sangria spoke.

Ainzly sweated, putting down the binoculars. "Fine. Disable the divination spell above them first; we don't want any attention from a human supremacist nation."

With a confirmation too sweet for what she had in mind, Shalltear cast a [Message], and a moment later, Ainzly could see the cracking of a hidden spell above the magic casters, causing their leader and several troops to look up in confusion.

Ainzly looked on as the soldiers went into range of the spell casters, and with a motion from the leader, waves of angels descended upon Gazef and his band. Several men tried firing arrows at the summoners, but those were either blocked by the angels or defensive magic. As the warriors went within casting range, however, that was when things truly went downhill. With the appearance of several blue glyphs, the horses cried before giving out and collapsing. A moment later, offensive and debuff spells rained upon them, knocking the men off their horses and ripe to be picked off by the angels.

Gazef seemingly forgot about potential mind-affecting spells that could be used on beasts, Momonga noted. The captain had a brief look of panic on his face as he fell from his horse.

Sangria, on the other hand, was getting a kick out of seeing this reaction. Moving her divination spell around the battlefield, she relished in the panicked look on the faces of the warriors as they fell to magic.

From a tactical perspective, Gazef telling his men to retreat would have been a bad move. Although they could not defeat the angels, they would buy some time for Gazef.

Those men must be very loyal to follow him like that. They appear to be elite soldiers too, given their large variety of gear.

The men had apparently been ordered by their captain to draw out the sentries surrounding the village, but they had returned like loyal dogs after having done their task. What they didn't know was that without the Eight Edge assassins disabling most of the casters, none of the soldiers would have returned alive.

Good thing I ordered that, then. From what Gazef implied, this group of magic casters is a black-ops unit, so investigation by this Theocracy would be kept under wraps. I need to remove all evidence once I defeat the casters. Erasing the village… no, that would cause concern from the kingdom as well.

The village must be paying taxes to the kingdom, Ainzly thought. If he chose a faction to align with, then he would probably getting on the Kingdom's good books first. However, judging by Gazef's dislike for the nobles and how they had stripped him of his gear, he did not think he would like this kingdom very much.

He watched as Gazef swung against an angel— and found the blade lodged within. With barely concealed frustration, he gave up as the Captain realized that the angel was healing the damage, pushing the blade out with amazing strength.

Only warrior skills and magic items will work, Gazef. Did you forget that?

However, the warrior quickly corrected himself. Teeth gritted in concentration, Ainzly saw a red glow around Gazef.

What's this? I know there are skills with similar visual effects, but Gazef isn't a berserker or a vampire.

The player observed the Captain with renewed interest. The man pressed the attack as soon as the glow faded around him- and then, there was one dead angel.

That should be a low-tier channel skill. I could have forgotten about many of the lower tier skills, but I haven't seen anything like that before…

"Chief, can you leave us while we decide what to do about this?"

"Of course, Sir Ainzly." The man bowed slightly before stepping out of the house.

Once Ainzly made sure he was gone, he closed his eyes and focused on the storage space within him… and retrieved a silver necklace. The hexagonal silver plate attached to the chain had a sickly green iris engraved onto it. The eye glowed for a moment— before a floating eyeball materialized beside his head.

"Appraisal Eye, use [Full Analysis] on Gazef."

The fist-sized organ looked towards its master, before tipping forwards and back, as if nodding. As the tendons behind it swam and flowed like a wave, the eyeball turned with perfect accuracy towards the warrior in the distance, following the man's every move. It did this for several seconds before stopping, its iris and sclera now swimming across the milky white surface to lock onto its target.

With a silent whir, the iris began spinning, and the dark brown sclera glowed blue. Ainzly's eyes followed, and his mind flowed with information.


{Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom}

Gazef Stronoff-(Lvl 29)

Race Levels:

Human (N/A)

Class Levels:

Fighter (13)

Mercenary (2)

Champion (7)

Sergeant (3)

Sword Master (4)

Info:

Gazef Stronoff was born on 21/ME/571 from Iza (Lavender) and Rowan Stronoff in Dunham village. He is, and also believed to be the strongest warrior serving the Re-Estize Kingdom. (Read More)

Skills…

Intimidate(3), Athletics(11), Simple Weapons Mastery(15), Sword Mastery(15), Mounted Combat(5), Combat Expertise(12) (Read More)

+Martial Arts+ (27/29) [Limit: 6]

[Slash], [Focus Battle Aura], [Twofold Slash of Light], [Fourfold Slash of Light], [Sixfold Slash of Light], [Instant Counter], [Full Throttle], [Flow Acceleration], [Instant Reflex], [Body Strengthening], [Enhanced Magic Resistance], [Mental Enhancement], [Pace of the Wind], [Possibility Sense], [Sense Weakness], [Magical Weapon Enchantment] (Read More)

Abilities…


The rest of the page was as expected for a level 29, albeit slightly less powerful warrior. The warrior skills, however, were replaced by something else entirely.

What's this? A new mechanic?

The [Martial Arts] section was added to the [Skills] section of the profile. The abilities were occasionally very similar to the standard warrior skills of YGGDRASIL, but some felt more like utility skills. A brief hovering his "cursor" over [Slash], for example, revealed that it was nearly identical to [Lesser Cleave]. [Magical Weapon Enchantment], on the other hand, was very different. Special enchantments sometimes required mana to activate, but that was through the [Mana Channeling] skill.

These are attacks that did not exist in the game. Just what has happened?

As he opened up a detailed description of the new abilities, Momonga turned his head in amusement.

They consume a bit of HP and place physical debuffs to use.

He was proven right as Gazef appeared to be more out of breath than ever after executing an attack of six simultaneous slashes.

Not bad. Other than that, this is pretty much the same as YGGDRASIL except with real combat skills.

Since melee combat in the game was based purely on the user's own combat skills and how they implemented their build and abilities into it, there was a spike of interest in swordsmanship lessons in the real world. Suzuki himself only attended one lecture, however, before deciding that most lessons were either cash grabs or self-defence lessons.

Conventional street self-defence was rather ineffective when the opposition was armed with guns, crossbows, teleportation, and time stop, after all.

Instead, he simply looked to YGGDRASIL's complimentary swordsmanship guidelines, and what he could get online. It wasn't like there were no volumes on combat after over two thousand years of never-ending war, after all. Well, most of the volumes were rather useless. Fighting with two giant blades was unheard of in the real world, and also impractical. That was why Momonga chose to learn as many combat and strategy fundamentals as possible.

But I have actual fighting skills in my head now. I know how to balance my attacks, how to properly feint, and how to recover and take advantage of every opening.

"Well, chief, I've made my choice on what side to take now. I must assist the captain."

Bullshit. He had just slaughtered almost 150 soldiers. It was clear who he was helping, Momonga thought. The chief bought this lie with a smile, however, before returning to the shelter.

"Whenever you're ready, Sangria."

The vampire looked away, embarrassed, before tentatively setting a palm on Ainzly's shoulder. With a blue glow, they were both levitated into the air.

[Mass Fly] doesn't require touch to work. Does she not know? Ainzly pondered.

His thoughts were cast away, however, as he once again took pleasure in the feeling of wind brushing against his skin. The sounds around him became a gentle whistle; the only sound he could hear was the dying screams of Gazef's soldiers.

God damn it.


Nigun Grid Luin smirked. Their prey had walked right into their trap, despite all the warnings they had given. If anything, it further tempted the rat Gazef Stronoff. Nigun had to admit, the man had a good sense of loyalty. Unfortunately, that loyalty was misguided as a result of the corrupt nobles.

The Theocracy initially funded E-Rantel to become a stronghold of humanity; capable of bringing out talented warriors through its prosperity. That prosperity, however, lead to the eventual corruption of the nobles, far more arrogant and wicked than any seen before. As a noble himself, Nigun regretted to admit that the upper class of Re-Estize were scum, not worthy of their titles and power.

All was well for the Theocracy, on the hand, but they still had to complete the missions the gods determined for humanity.

But there was one question.

Where the fuck were his troops?

Nigun clicked his tongue in annoyance. There were no reports of movement from the angels. He could investigate further, but he liked to believe that nothing was wrong.

I'll handle this when we finish Stronoff.

The men with Nigun had clustered into one group to aid in killing the Head Warrior. The largest gathering of elite battlemages rained down spells of all kind at Gazef, keeping him from killing the angels.

As Gazef started to fall, Nigun smirked. The hunt was at its end—

He was amazed when the captain began ranting and stood with wobbly strength again, promising swift justice to those who opposed his kingdom. He had to scoff, however. Sometimes men needed to accept their fate.

"Nonsense, Stronoff. You'll die here exactly because you babble such nonsense."

He rolled his eyes as Gazef began going on about some man strong as him in the village.

"Bluffing won't help you, Stronoff. Angels, kill him…"

Waves of angels descended from the skies, painting a beautiful picture of blood and war, of men and mice, of conspiracies and betrayal…

At that moment, Gazef's life flashed before his own eyes. His unsuspecting birth in a village, the discovery of his talent, and his eventual rise to become the blade of the king…

His eyes widened as a red angel descended from the skies between the wave and himself, her angelic form dropping her silver platinum companion to the ground. She flew back up into the skies a swift moment later, a devious smirk on her face.

He looked back to see Ainzly standing with his arms crossed, not a hint of fear in his body.

Gazef closed his eyes. His job was done here.


Nigun looked at the scene before him.

We won! The gods favour us, as usual!

Something was amiss, however. The packs of angels were frozen in their attack, arms and blades slashed down. Nigun looked to his men.

"Well? Order the angels to disperse."

"W-we're trying, sir. It's like they're stuck."

Nigun raised an eyebrow. What had happened? Did Gazef use one of the kingdom's treasures? He knew that the warrior was without those relics, but…

The captain of the Sunlight Scripture breathed a sigh of relief as the angels began moving again. It would seem—

"How weak…"

One moment there were at least thirty angels, and the next a bright slash of white energy appeared across all the angels.

The skies in front of Nigun turned into a cascade of ascending light particles. As they dispersed, the Sunlight Scripture gasped.

"W-what?"

A man in brilliant silver-platinum armor stood in front of the collapsed form of Gazef, an amused smirk on his face. He was not young, although some youthful features still adorned his aging face. Jet black hair contrasted with milky white skin and amber yellow eyes.

Nigun was suddenly reminded of the teachings about the features of the despicable incubus race, and how much this man resembled that image. He was sure this one wasn't an incubus, but disregarding his age, the man shared enough distinctive features to raise an eyebrow.

"Gentlemen of the Slaine Theocracy… I have a deal that you can't refuse."

The men behind Nigun froze in fear. To hear the voice of the man that had slain thirty angels so easily… it seemed impossible. Even Gazef should have been heavily breathing. Yet this man appeared as if he did not even lift a finger.

Was this the actual head warrior, then? Was the man they had fought just a body double?

"Oh, silly me. I've forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Ainzly."

The air was silent for a second. Nigun and his men almost forgot to breathe, before they realized the expectant look on the man's face.

"M-my apologies. I am Nigun Grid Luin, leader of the Sunlight Scripture. These magic casters are with me."

"And this… Scripture you speak of. Do you answer to the Slaine Theocracy?"

Nigun looked at the man, confused. Almost everyone knew about the Scriptures, though no identities or abilities were ever revealed. Their name spread fear- and that was their weapon. A collection of omnipresent death squads willing to slaughter for humanity's wellbeing.

"Yes. We serve humanity and the Gods."

"Interesting… Tell me about these "Gods" you speak of. Do they walk amongst you?"

"N-no. They are either watching from heaven or passing instructions to the cardinals."

"And your cardinals… I presume they ordered you to take out the strongest warrior of the kingdom; no doubt their trump card?"

Ainzly was silent for a minute, though he stared right at the Scripture.

"I will give you one chance, and one chance only. Give up, and you will die painlessly. Should you choose to oppose me, however…"

He chuckled.

"You will know despair."

Nigun felt a bead of sweat run down his head. He had to convince this man. Fast.

"Please wait! We are killing Gazef because he is a pawn of the corrupt nobles. Without him, humanity will prevail in the unification of the Kingdom and the Theocracy! There would be no more war amongst us…"

That ought to do it, Nigun thought. A man like this must have lost many friends in the fire of war. It didn't matter what hero or warrior he was, or maybe even a God-Kin. All warriors had lost a part of themselves in war.

The man stopped as if considering his words. "I did not come out of my slumber just to see the corruption of men kill a warrior with good heart. I also apologize in advance; I cannot let the Theocracy's delusional views to succeed the world."

Nigun gritted his teeth. So, a blasphemous man? Did no one realize that humanity was destined to prevail? Why did they all oppose the gods, when the divines had clearly descended six hundred years ago?

What was that part about slumber? Never mind.

"I'll have no more of this. As we practiced!" The captain roared, though there was a tone of uncertainty in his voice. No one could feel the power to stand straight in front of the man that had destroyed thirty angels in one swoop, after all. His mind tried to rationalize such power, and he did a good job of denying it, believing the warrior used most of his energy in that move and was barely able to stand.

Nigun's men had seen better days, but they were still soldiers; every one of them. Their talent and skill was forged and tuned in war. They would fight on, regardless of fear and opposition. A quarter of the casters began a salvo of spells at Ainzly, while the others began summoning angels once again. The Principality of Observation was in wait, using its defensive aura to protect the magic casters.

"I'll humor you for a while, then. Sangria, get our friend out of here."

The men were startled as out of nowhere, a red flash snatched Gazef from the ground and disappeared in a blur. Ainzly smiled, not flinching at all as several [Bolt] cantrips and offensive spells landed on his unarmored areas. The soldiers gasped, seeing none of their spells do any damage.

"[Legendary Magical Nullification]... it provides immunity against magic attacks lower than level 90," Ainzly muttered.

The roles of the magic casters switched as the offensive mages began summoning their own angels while the summoners that had been previously calling forth angels began firing spells at him. They also quickly realized the futility of their effort as Ainzly stood doing nothing and wearing a pleasant smile.

"Nothing's working…" One of the soldiers yelled with growing panic.

"Keep firing! It's the only way!" Nigun roared.

The men happily obliged. One man decided to load up a slingshot, arming it with a large pellet. Releasing the projectile, the stone sailed true, until Ainzly caught it in his hands moments before it could hit his chest.

"I'm afraid you'll need to work on your aim. A good slinger should be able to hit a headshot on anything in their view." Ainzly concluded, drawing more gasps.

It was at this moment that the angels had all been summoned, manifesting into existence from the will and mana of their summoners. The magic casters were all out of breath, a result of their growing fear and despair.

"Angels! Attack!" Nigun commanded, fear in his voice knowing that their mana supplies were all but down to a few more simple spells. The Principality of Observation moved into motion with the mass of angels, shooting forward to support its kin.

"What spirit…" Ainzly muttered, out of ear's reach.

The second wave of angels circled around Ainzly, supported by a repertoire of buff spells. Once again, the enemies descended upon him.

But something was wrong. As acid javelins and angelic blades came upon him, they all froze. If one could perceive events faster than the speed of light, they would have seen time freeze and Ainzly draw a circular slash of light around himself that expanded and cut all of the spells and angels to nothing.

The magic casters felt their jaws drop as all of their hard work; years upon years of grueling training and growing their talents as humanity's brightest reduced to nothing. And in front of a warrior, no less. The superiority of the magic caster over the warrior was previously undisputed due to the large variety of applications, but this man- no, demon took everything they knew and threw it out of the window. Third tier spells of every category and element; arrows and blades; bullets and bolts all did nothing.

"[Blade Time] is an essential skill for overwhelming your enemy, despite the array of anti-time stop measures available. It's particularly useful on monsters, as they have fewer countermeasures." Ainzly instructed.

The Scripture branch that had committed genocide without another thought only weeks ago stepped back in fear, cursing as Ainzly began slowly advancing.

"What kind of monster are you!? There's no way so many angels and spells could be destroyed in one attack!"

"We're fucked…"

"How is this possible!"

Amidst the chaos, one voice rose above the others. Nigun cackled with mad fear, trying to justify the use of the holy relic. He knew the cardinals entrusted this relic to him only as an item to calm the men's fear. Realm of heroes or not (and in the case of Gazef, barely), using an angel that had single-handedly destroyed the demon gods on some man that was barely half as strong as a god-kin was unfeasible.

It would be worse if this man took it for himself, Nigun reasoned.

"Buy me some time if you want to live! I will use the most powerful angel to defeat him!" The captain of the Sunlight Scripture commanded, mustering up whatever hope he had left.

You're worthy of being destroyed by this holy will of the gods, Ainzly. Monsters like you should not exist!

The men managed to gather their courage for one last run. They threw everything at Ainzly— flasks of poison, pellets, third tier spells… Yet nothing was working.

"The highest order of angels? I may have to pay a bit of attention if it's an Aesphere. Shalltear?"

Out of nowhere, a red flash fell to the ground. The soldiers gasped at the magnificent beauty before them— a girl with red blood eyes and cloaked in red armor that could only belong to an angel. With her white wings, it would certainly seem that way.

Shalltear Bloodfallen descended in her combat form, ready to annihilate whatever it was that put her master on edge.

"A-an angel?"

"Shut it! Can't you see she's working with him?"

Ainzly did not care for their remarks in the slightest. There was something else on his mind, however.

"I can't use my Appraisal eye when I use this skill, and since he activated it already, the eye won't detect the spell until the angel is actually summoned. So..."

"[Enochian: Dispel]"

The silent use of the ability was only shown by the dark glyph that glowed at Ainzly's feet. A wave of black, unholy energy washed over him, and no longer was the white knight. In place of that holy image stood a demon; armor constructed from the darkness itself and terrifying eyes of red.

"[Hell's Edge]. [Blessing of Wrath]. [Champion's Grace]. [Immovable Mountain]. [Dancing Fortress]. [Titanic Strength]. [Gladiator's Enlightenment]." The man before them flowed with incomprehensible power, sending many men outright fainting.

As I predicted! He must be a demon god! Nigun's mind raced at the implications of that.

He must have been sealed away during the Age of Heroes. But why are there no records of a demon that looked like this?

He chuckled, thinking of the riches and fame he would get for putting rest to this pollution that stained the world.

As the Sunlight Scripture looked back at their captain, they found hope. Hope that humanity would live on despite the demon that had appeared before them. Hope that they themselves would live on. Brilliant blue light stung their eyes, but the mortals could not pry their eyes off the holy sight manifesting before them.

"Behold! The glorious visage of the highest order of angels! Dominion Authority!" Nigun announced with mad glee.

It was as if a new moon had been made; blue celestial light eclipsing the skies. A royal scepter held in its vaguely human form, and pairs of majestic white wings fused with the glyph that was its head. Angels, as beings of logic and reason, had perfectly symmetrical designs. It was a symbol of authority from the realm it descended from and purity at the same time.

It brought cheers and relief and joy to their faces. They cried out in elation at the holy sight before them that would surely vanquish this evil. Blood boiled in excitement.

All across the multiverse, there was one unified thought and prayer.

Now, they could kill Ainz Ooal Gown.

Now, they could kill Ainzly.

This time, he would be the one to be afraid.

This time, he would be unable to stand against a virtue of pure might.

He would learn his foolishness before the power of the gods.

He would forget his blasphemy and bow before the power of the gods.

The men savored in the fear that Ainzly must have been feeling. He and his companion were perfectly still, not a movement was made. They must have been terrified.

"So, what do you think, Ainzly? Only an angel of this power is worthy of taking out filth like you."

The men jeered and cheered with Nigun, becoming one with the mob. They grinned at their victory, which was close in sight.

Not only had they killed Gazef Stronoff, the trump card of the Kingdom and its strongest warrior, they had managed to take out a demon god.

"It was memorable while you were alive, demon. Have fun in hell… Use it, most exalted of all angels. Exterminate this world's filth! Use the strongest attack"

The Angel did not nod or make any kind of reply. Moving its arms, the scepter shattered into fragments that began orbiting the angel.

[Holy Smite]

Like a curtain falling, the ethereal light descended from heaven itself, sending a beam of pure holy energy to the earth. It should have vaporized him. It should have killed him instantly.

But something was wrong.

Surely, but slowly as ever, Ainzly stepped out of the aftermath of the attack, not even a bruise on him judging by his calm stroll. He remained standing— and for a moment the men wondered if their brains had ceased to function.

But it wasn't a dream.

"Where is the highest order of angel?" Ainzly inquired curiously as if he was a pedestrian asking for directions.

The men found their mouths and jaws unhinged, unable to swallow the rising tension they felt in their necks.

"No? I see only a seventh tier angel— nothing much. I find this appetizer to be disappointing, to say the least."

Ainzly shrugged casually, though it was rather strange to see a hulking demon in that dreadful armor to do so. "I'll have to use what's offered, then."

Leaping into the air and leaving a crater at his feet, Ainzly grabbed the angel, twirling his body and sending the massive being hurtling towards the earth. An earth-shaking vibration was coupled with motes of light.

Ainzly landed gracefully, cracking the earth with his heavy armor and impacting the ground with slightly bent knees. He walked slowly to the angel, picking up the monster by its neck as if it was some kind of bar fight.

The men watched with horror as Ainzly grabbed hold of one of its wings, pinning the titanic angel to the ground with his leg. With a slow creak, the feathered appendage began tearing, breaking off into motes of light.

The angel shrieked, emitting a cry that made the mages cringe in pain. Ainzly began working on the other wings, ripping them off one by one until the angel was without any chance of flight.

Ainzly stood proudly at the sight of his own work, admiring the view he had created.

"What do you gentlemen think? Should we add a dash of creativity to end this performance?"

They were silent.

"Oh my, what a tough crowd. Unreasonably high standards these days…"

Backing up a few meters, Ainzly went into a sprinter's prowl, limbering up his legs with a few mountain climbers. With a burst of energy that destroyed the earth beneath him, Ainzly accelerated past the speed of sound, creating a shockwave that sent the Sunlight Scripture stumbling backwards from the shock alone.

He was gone in a blink of the eye, and suddenly the angel lying in defeat was gone as well. They could, however, see the disappearing figure in the distance, and dirt settled to reveal a massive gash in the earth.

In the distance, Ainzly was running with speed that made his legs look almost like a storm, dragging and pressing the angel into the earth. With each second, more and more motes of light were left in the dust. At the seven seconds mark, the celestial being had been grounded to nothing but dust.

The Sunlight Scripture promptly fainted.


A/N: So, I'm sure some of you will be upset that Ainz… or rather, Ainzly (a more demon-like name) found out about the Sunlight scripture before Gazef arrived. However, I find it OOC in canon for Momonga to have considered that the Theocracy could be behind the attack with no evidence given. Sure, in game factions may ask you to dress up as another faction and attack them to cause hostilities between the other factions, but Momonga doesn't say or think anything about that.

The Sorcerer King is no more than a man in terms of intellect, unless it's fighting intellect. He'll need to rely on spies constantly if he wants to know what's happening in the world.

Note: Ainzly is NOT and Incubus.

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