A/N: Welcome to my 2nd project called Alternate Journey. Since the servants that would be summoned have been chosen, the team for this fic is...
NOTE: I'm sorry if any character such as a chosen servant is a little bit OOC. I only depicted their personalities through in-game fighting at Grand Order and Wiki. So I might not be accurate.
Proofread by Thatguywhowrote.
-II—II-
At night 50 mages were sent by the church, consisting of mages from clock towers and professionals from outside, hired to retrieve the Holy Grail as well as to stop the Yggdmillennia defection from mages' association reaching Romania.
After they arrived at Romania by plane, they went directly to Trifas. a place where Yggdmillennia fortress took place. Before they departed, a mage from clock tower named Atlas Gordius Aramis and the leader of all the other 49 mages said something.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. I know that you have already been briefed on what you would be doing here. I, Atlas Gordius Aramis, will take lead command. Our mission is to retrieve the Holy Grail that has been stolen by Yggdmillennia and persuade them to not defect from the mages' association. But if that doesn't work, we must do it by force. Understood?" Atlas said before someone replied to him.
"But, is it going to be okay? I heard Yggdmillennia is one of the old houses that excels in almost every form of magecraft? Are 50 of us really enough?" One of the member asked to which Atlas replied instantly.
"Do not worry. It is true that Yggdmillennia is powerful, as you said. But they are few in numbers. We are chosen for this mission because we're suitable for suppressing high ranked magi. And we have higher headcount. the only hindrance to us is their Homunculus army. But that's not going to be of concern since we have a countermeasure for that." He said confidently.
"Then, any other questions before we leave?" Atlas scanned the crowd and found someone raising his hand. His attire consisted of a full body hoodie and an eerie mask, completely concealing his entire body.
"Ah, you. If I'm not mistaken, you're a freelance mage known as the Magus of Death, right? The one who excels in magecraft that involves the management of soul. What is your question?"
"Just one. Where do you think Yggdmillennia hid the Greater Grail?"
"From our last intel, they hid it in some kind of underground containment below their fortress. If we can't persuade Yggdmillennia to surrender even by force, we must try to break through and activate the Grail Reserve System so the clock tower can exploit that in fighting them."
"Grail Reserve System?"
"It's a backup system created by three founding families. It's for those who want to monopolize the Grail for themselves and created the staged Holy Grail war. If anyone let that happen, the one who monopolized it will get a free wish for every 60 years. Not to mention they can rule the world with it and reach the root with no effort. This system was created so other parties can stop it by creating a faction system. Adding additional seven servants in the process under one banner to defeat the seven previously summoned servants and to gain the right to fight in Holy Grail.
"Hmm... Thank you for explanation." The freelance mage bowed slightly.
"No problem. Remember, that is our Plan C. Just in case if we can't persuade them or use force. Any more questions?" No one else from the crowd raised their hands. "Alright then, tonight we will start the operation. Let's go!" And with that order, all the magi departed to their intended targets.
-II—II-
Ainz was amused at hearing new information from the mage known as Atlas. Ainz had currently disguised himself as a human for the past two years in search of information. He hid his physical stature using a full body hooded robe and a mask on his face so they couldn't see what Ainz actually was. Since he was cautious if there were someone able to see through his disguise, the robe and mask themselves were magic items that specialized in concealing his identity.
He managed to gain fame as a freelance mage, he had been known as the Magus of Death because of his ability to manipulate the undead and crush his opponents with instant death spells as well as Necromancy. Ainz now got a job from the mage's association to retrieve the Greater Grail form Yggdmillennia as a "hunter" sent to Trifas.
He was actually quite surprised that the Holy Grail war also existed in this world. And from Fuyuki nonetheless, but Ainz was also worried. In the last Holy Grail war he fought, there was some kind of foul being inside it. An abomination that took form as the All World Evil Angra Mainyu. And because of that, Ainz was disappointed that the wish granting device is nothing but a mere fake, it was actually Pandora's Box that no one must absolutely open.
But Ainz also thought about it. He was currently in a parallel world thanks to his new ability as a Beast. It was said that a Parallel World was another possibility that had taken form. Tabula once said to him that Parallel Worlds exist as a reminder to humanity on "what if they chose this way?"
"Guess I should check this grail myself. I can't let that mud-looking monster materialize once more." Ainz said angrily. He was reminded of a tragic event back at a previous timeline. He could not forget that scene which made him furious beyond belief. Ainz had never been that mad before and accidentally wiped out the whole Fuyuki in one night by unleashing his over rank spell.
But he knew that the grail did nothing wrong, it was because of the entity named Angra Mainyu that corrupted the grail back at the 3rd Holy Grail war.
So he wanted to check if this grail actually had Angra Mainyu in it or not. But since Ainz had no way to know how to it appear from the Greater Grail except killing all participants, he did some research about this world's Fuyuki Greater Grail with his most trusted comrades. He considered stealing it from Yggdmillennia first, but where would he take it? To Nazarick? No, that was a foolish decision. Who knew if Angra Mainyu suddenly appeared and corrupted the denizens of Nazarick? He had already seen what that mud was capable of, so he wouldn't take the risk of bringing it home.
Besides, there was a high chance this World's Holy Grail would become chaotic like the last one. Ainz always hated taking unknown risks.
He collected something from the Remnant of the Holy Grail war in Fuyuki from his original timeline. From his own knowledge after raiding the Tohsaka manor, there existed a system inside the Holy Grail known as the Reserve System that Atlas had mentioned before. It could create additional slots for seven more servants to fight the previous seven servantsm, and to prevent cheaters in creating a staged war.
"If the Tohsaka family's library archive is correct then what I got is a Greater Grail Reserve System in physical form." Ainz said, checking a cube like thing he had found back there.
With this, he had a plan. But he must involve himself to this war again. It was not like he wasn't confident in fighting servants again, but after the bitter memories in fighting a certain golden servant and Angra's incarnate, it had left a bad taste in his mouth.
"We have arrived, ladies and gentlemen. This is the Yggdmillennia fortress." Said the leader of group, Atlas.
They were finally here and they could see the fortress where they were now. They must travel between forests to finally reach the place. It was really hard to come here by walking and one might get lost before you knew it. The only way for Ainz and the others to travel safely was to use detecting magecraft that acted like a compass, although Ainz could just fly. Of course that would be a foolish thing to do as he needed to maintain his identity as the Magus of Death that was only capable of the management of souls.
Unbeknownst to Ainz and the other 49 magi, something sinister had been lying in wait for them.
-II—II-
"Is that bunch of pests what you told me, Darnic?" Asked the white-haired Vlad III to his master. Darnic Preston Yggdmillennia, the head of the Yggdmillennia house, beside him.
"Yes my Lord. They are a bunch of pests that would prevent my Lord from obtaining the Holy Grail. Their purpose in coming here is none other than to confiscate the Greater Grail we have. As such, eliminating them is a must. " Darnic said, still bowed before Vlad III.
"Hmm... I understand that. Looks they don't know who might be waiting them. Well, let's see what these magi look like. Darnic, is the horse ready?" Vlad III said, standing from his chair and materializing his spear.
"Yes my Lord. We already finished it since yesterday. I believe this horse will gladly serve you."
"Darnic, you're too polite to your servant. Remember that I'm merely a heroic spirit. Excessive flattering should not become a habit. But that aside, let's see what their reason for coming directly is, shall we?" Lancer said before jumping through the window from the highest floor of Yggdmillennia fortress.
-II—II-
"Something's coming," said one of the magi who specialized in detecting presences. It was none other than Lancer riding a masked horse atop the hill.
They were currently in an open field ten meters away from Yggdmillennia fortress. All the magi talked amongst themselves and tried to guess who he was, but there were no luck. All the magi prepared their weapons and grimoire against the unknown variable before them.
"State your business, commoner. What made you lot come to my territory?" Said the black outfitted Lancer while pointing his spear's tip at them.
"We are the 50 magi hired to subdue Yggdmillennia from stealing the Holy Grail. If you are from Yggdmillennia then tell this to the leader of the said house: Clock Tower will not let them do as they please. We're here to confiscate the Holy Grail and bring it back to seal it." Atlas declared, making Vlad III smirk.
"*laugh* and then? If we refused to hand over said wish granting device, what would you all do?"
"Of course it has already been decided. We will take it back by force. What Yggdmillennia did is blasphemy and breaking the known rules. I, Atlas Gordius Aramis from Aramis house, will not let that happen." He materialized the rune word in his forehead.
"Well, you're no different than an invader, am I right? Then it's my job to repel invaders like yourself." Lancer got off his mount and in an instant, he was already in front of Atlas.
"Die, invader..." Lancer thrust his line in Atlas' abdomen. Everything happened too fast that Atlas couldn't even comprehend immediately what had happened, nor could he activate any of his magecraft.
Ainz almost couldn't track his speed. It had been a while since he had seen speed of that magnitude since two years ago. There was no mistaking it, Yggdmillennia already summoned their servants earlier than the clock tower had anticipated. He began channeling his own mana to cast the buff Clairvoyance to read the black lancer's movement.
"H-He is a servant... That Yggdmillennia! They already summoned a servant two months before the war! This is useless, we can't defeat someone like him. We must retreat and report back to Clock Tower! Let's go every-" Before he could finish. he was already impaled by a dozen spears protruding from the ground, finally killing him.
"I will not let anyone escape. The fate of invaders is none other than to be impaled by my spear. " Said Vlad the Impaler, and by extending his hand many more spears burst through the ground and attacked the other magi.
Screams of agony and pain could be heard piercing through the night sky. Their numbers were lowered so fast that the other magi thought it was hopeless. They tried to run as fast as they can, some even used reinforcements to enchant their running speed.
But it was a shame, Vlad III still easily kept up by using Kazikil Bey with precision, impaling them with it from below. One of the magi, seeing the horror before them, tried to unleashe simple magecraft that generated fire balls to damage Lancer, but he easily dodged it by tilting his head a bit.
"Good, I thought there would be zero resistance. I commend your attempt, and for that I will kill you myself." With that said, Vlad III blinked behind him and with his spear cut his head off cleanly from the shoulders. The head flew away, landing near a certain robed mage who had watched the manslaughter from the beginning.
"Is it just you that's left? Are there any last words since you'll be the last to fall victim to my spear?" Said Lancer, slowly walking toward Ainz.
"Well, I actually want to know something. Say, are you the only servant that has been summoned? Or are there others already like you?" Ainz asked while grabbing the severed head from the ground.
"Hmph. Despite you're going to die, that's all you have to say? And you seem to be accustomed to seeing gore and the like, huh? I hardly feel any fear from you. Is it that you don't have any affiliation with them? Or do you have the confidence in defeating me?" Lancer said smirking.
"Well, defeating you right here right now would not benefit me anything. But I actually got interested in the Holy Grail itself. I merely came with them for my own purposes though."
"Is that so? And you say you think you can defeat me? Interesting. I want to see what a normal magus can do against a servant. Prove to me that your confidence is not actually baseless." Lancer used Kazikil Bey again and trapped Ainz with a barrage of spears. But Lancer was surprised to find none of his spears actually pierced him.
"Like I said, I'm not interested in defeating you at all. This is futile. Greater Teleportation." Ainz said and teleported out of the cage of spears, moving him five meters away from Yggdmillennia's fortress gate.
Lancer's spears didn't pierce him because he had Physical Invalidation passive and resistance towards pierce-type attacks. Even if they were able to penetrate him, Ainz will not feel anything from them.
"Then, I'm going. Until I'm done, how about playing with my children?" Ainz said, throwing the severed head to Lancer. It rolled until its meet its former torso and transformed into a black liquid that grew bigger, taking the shape of some kind of death incarnate in the form of a rooted knight. It was none other than a Death knight.
"What is this? Such a foul creature that reeks the stench of death. Is this what you're capable of?" Lancer had his spear at the ready.
"No, just one will not distract you. [Middle tier summon: Death Knight]" With that incantation, all of the corpses began to turn into additional Death knights. Their number was 49 right now and all were ready to block Lancer's way.
"Hmph. Even with this many I can still make quick work out of them." Lancer utilized Kazikil Bey again to pierce the undead in front of him, but the Death Knights still moved. It was like Kazikil Bey didn't have any effects on them.
"What!?" Lancer was shocked at seeing his opponents unaffected by his spears. But they were not actually immune to it. Due to their undead race skill as with Ainz, they were highly resistant against piercing-type attacks, but not as much as Ainz whom was completely immune to them. The undead were still damaged and could die by said method, but it would take a long time if Lancer continuously used Kazikil Bey against them.
"Well then, have fun with them." Ainz said and used [Fly] to go to Yggdmillennia fortress with high speed.
"Like I would let you." Lancer broke free from the crowd, but only for a moment as the Death knights entered ethereal form (1) and appeared in front of him again.
"So, these rotten warriors can follow me. Guess I really should defeat them first. I will let Darnic and the homunculus take care of him." He said, bracing himself a fight against the fifty Death Knights.
-II—II-
"It should be underground right?" Ainz said while walking casually inside the Yggdmillennia fortress. The place itself was too big for him to search alone. Using summoned monsters like an eyeball corpse would still take too much time so Ainz decided to use his noble phantasm as an effective way in searching for the Holy Grail.
"You have come far, Momon. But this is where you stop." A voice from the ceiling echoed to where Ainz was. He tried scanning the area with his keen vision and spotted a humanoid figure in white.
"Darnic Preston Yggdmillennia, I presume?"
"That's right. It really is quite rude to trespass on others' domains, no? I advise you to turn back and retreat before Lancer is done with your undead."
With that said, he confirmed that the black suited fellow was a servant. And Darnic called him Momon before. He used that name again as Magus of Death and became famous with it. Adventurer Momon and Freelance Mage Momon, they were different occupation but were actually close in some points.
"I have been ordered by the Clock Tower to cease your actions, Darnic. But don't worry. I won't stop you from your ambitions, even if it will bring you your doom in the future. I don't care." Ainz said, materializing his golden staff with swirling snakes pattern. And at tip of that staff stood seven serpents that held seven colored gems that radiated raw power.
"I don't care about your petty opinion, but you better stop Momon. All Homunculus, shoot!" Darnic shouted, homunculus armed with bows began appearing and shot dozens of arrows at Ainz.
But in the end it was all futile. The projectiles bounced off from his body harmlessly. His passive [High Tier Physical Invalidation] kicked in and protected him from all physical harm.
"I don't have time for you, Yggdmillennia fellow. Let me show you some spectacle then." After saying that. Ainz struck the ground with his staff and an earthquake shook the place.
All the homunculus as well as Darnic almost fell down from the second floor due to the sudden quake. What Darnic saw beside Ainz afterwards was something that he had never seen before.
It was an entrance to Nazarick. As the portal fully materialized beings appeared from it, Death Knights riding Soul Eaters. Old, Elder, and Master Guarders also followed suit. With this, Ainz instantly called on his own army.
"All of you, search any underground entrance here. Dispose of anyone that gets in your way!" With that order all the undead roared in acknowledgement. The homunculus at the 2nd floor tried to shoot arrows again. But the attacks were shrugged off with their resistance against piercing attacks. The Old Guarders threw their spears and pierced most of homunculus.
There was an army of homunculus in the first floor as well, wielding halberds and were ready to engage the undead. But due to their sheer numbers, the sight was nothing short of a massive gorefest as the homunculus were annihilated one by one by gruesomely by the Death Knights and Guarders.
"You! Who are you?! You're no normal magus, are you!?" Darnic said, furious at the sight before him. Lancer was still busy taking out the undead outside while his fortress was getting ravaged up by the undead.
"Ainz Ooal Gown. Remember my name well, for this will not be the last time you see me."
"Tch. Lancer! Immediately, come back here!" Darnic said using his mental link.
"What happened Darnic? Don't tell me he gave you trouble?"
"Just come here. That magus gave me quite the problem. Why can't you finish them off sooner!?"
"It's because I just realized that piercing damage isn't effective against them. So I had to resort to fighting bare-handed to kill them easily. I will immediately head back, just hold on defending with all your might at the meantime Darnic." With that, Lancer began dashing at an impossible speed to stop Ainz' forces.
"Tch, I won't let you take the grail from me! I will... huh?" Before he could even finish his words, Ainz was already going inside the underground containment where the grail resided.
Darnic, with a notable red face due to anger, ran at full speed to where the grail was. No matter what happened, he would never let that magus do anything as he pleased.
-II—II-
"So this is the so-called Greater Grail of Holy Grail, huh?" Ainz said, amused at the giant round thing with a crack in the middle, and in there were angelic-like statues inside.
"Then, my turn." Ainz touched the grail with his hand and chanted an incantation to act as coding for activating the grail reserve system.
"It's finished, now with the Grail Reserve System activated it's time for some experiments." Ainz grabbed something from his pocket dimension, the cube-like thing he looted from the greater grail in Fuyuki at his original timeline.
"If what the Tohsaka Archive mentioned is true, this cube is a backup system in the same manner as a Grail Reserve System." Ainz threw the cube inside the Greater Grail. It began to shine brightly, and then...
[Due to the additional backup system has been planted, it is possible to create three factions. Would you accept it? [YES] or [NO]?] Said the mysterious voice from the Greater Grail itself.
"So, my deduction was not off the mark. I guess I will use this opportunity to participate myself so I can keep watch and see for myself if this grail really is corrupted or not."
After Ainz said yes, a weird sensation engulfed his body, like someone was hugging him.
[Approval of three factions confirmed. Due to the increase in number. Summoning of two Ruler-class servants is available. Searching for suitable Ruler... Jeanne the Arc has been chosen as prime Ruler class servant. Searching for another suitable Ruler... Ainz Ooal Gown has been chosen as Secondary Ruler class servant. Bestowing command seal to both servants... complete.]
Ainz could feel it. At the back of his skeletal ribs was a red mark which was known as the command seal. Ainz also gained the knowledge necessary for this Holy Grail war. Looks like the Ruler class servants were known as referees of this war. Normally, only one Ruler is summoned but due to the increase in number of servants Ainz had been chosen to become an additional Ruler to aid the first other one in managing this war. This was due to Ainz' nature was still close to that of a Servant. The Grail chose Ainz as a suitable vessel to carry the Ruler class in this war along with Jeanne in the future.
"Looks like I became a servant once more. But the difference is, I no longer need a master."
Not long before Ainz had activated the Grail reserve system. Darnic with Lancer that swept most of the undead with punches and kicks, arrived at Ainz' place.
"You! What are you doing?!. Don't tell me, you activate the Grail reserve system!?" Darnic panicked.
"I have already done what I must do here. This is farewell, Darnic Preston Yggdmillennia. As well as Lancer of Black." With a snap of his finger. All undead the dematerialized, leaving only Darnic, Lancer, and Ainz.
"Then, until we meet again."
"Like I'll let you! Haa!" By extending his hand, Lancer used Kazikil Bey again to trap Ainz. And with lightning speed he appeared almost instantly beside him, ready to use a blunt force attack since he had the feeling Ainz would be weak to it. He wasn't wrong. but Ainz was vastly different than any of his army.
"[Negative Burst!]" A black dome shaped barrier begin emerging from Ainz' body that destroyed Lancer's spears, pushnig Lancer away as well into the wall and creating a massive crack in it.
"What!?" Darnic was clearly surprised. Ainz materialized a dark portal called [Gate] and entered it, leaving behind the shocked Darnic and the furious Vlad III that wanted to rip him apart.
"Darnic, who the hell was he? Are Magus supposed to be this strong?" Lancer asked, prying himself off the cracked wall.
"His name is Momon based on the Clock Tower records of him, but he said his name was Ainz Ooal Gown before. He gained the title Magus of Death due to his prowess in soul manipulation and the undead. As far as I know my Lord, there is no way for us humans to even compete with servants. A servant in the pinnacle of strength, that magus itself is an enigma. Even for Yggdmillennia and Clock tower." Darnic explained, visibly sweating.
"I'm just testing him. We still don't know much about him, I don't even know what manner of name Ainz Ooal Gown is, hence I was surprised by each of his tricks. The next time we meet, it would be his last." With that said, Lancer left the room.
"This is troublesome. This is unacceptable. Damn you, Ainz Ooal Gown!"
-II—II-
After the incident in Yggdmillennia. Ainz reported to the Clock Tower that he managed to activate Grail Reserve System and told them that the Clock Tower could get the Red Faction as their banner in summoning seven servants. Ainz let the Clock Tower have their own servants because he might be able to manipulate them to a certain degree.
And not to mention Ainz actually never tell them there is 3rd faction. But church will know it anyway.
One month after that, Ainz asked Demiurge to create a magic circle for summoning servants in the sixth floor. Since Demiurge didn't know what Ainz intended to do with a magic circle, he lent him a book from the Tohsaka archives he had raided. Inside were the instructions to create a magic circle he desired.
Three days before the official war started, at the Nazarick throne room all the denizens of Nazarick consisting of Guardians and Pleiades were present, bowed to their Lord Ainz Ooal Gown that sat upon the throne.
"I think you all know why you were all called here. Demiurge, are the magic circles done yet?"
"Yes Ainz-sama. Everything is as you've requested. Ainz-sama can check it right away."
"Hmm. Then, let's depart to the sixth floor immediately. Call Ryuunosuke and Sakura to come as well." With that said. Ainz activated the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown and teleported away.
At the sixth floor. Mare and Aura kept watching the magic circles to ensure there were no defects. They had been ordered by Demiurge to monitor them until his Lord came to check it himself.
"Mare, what do you think will Ainz-sama do with these magic circles?"
"P-probably for rituals? If I'm not mistaken, Ainz-sama did rituals a lot back in YGGDRASIL. What was it? Hmm...Dark Wisdom? Maybe these were for them?"
"Ah i heard of it. Even Ainz-sama still want to become stronger"
After their little chat, Ainz appeared out of nowhere before them, startling both Aura and Mare a bit. They soon bowed before him after comprehending the situation.
"Good work Aura, Mare. I will take care of things from here, you can step aside for a moment. Sakura and Ryuunosuke will come here, so both of you can rest for now."
"No, no need to worry Ainz-sama. Guarding these magic circles is not even tiring at all!"
"M-me too!"
"If those are your wishes then you may watch from there." Ainz gestured at them to sit while waiting for the arrival of the other two.
Not long before that Sakura and Ryuunosuke arrived with several guardians acting as escorts, though the scene seemed like they were captives brought in by guards.
"Yo, my Lord! It has been a while since you last visited me. It's good that my hobby is appreciated in here. But I want to get fresh air sooner or later since it's been quite hectic lately." Said the red-haired guy with a laid back attitude.
All the Guardians still didn't approve of Ryuunosuke's antics for not knowing his place and treating almost everyone with little to no respect, except for his Lord. But because of Ainz' order, they refrained from trying to kill him.
"Is there something you need, Ainz-sa—ma?" Asked the purple-haired girl. She was still feeling a little bit awkward in staying here. She had been staying with Tsuareninya, another regular maid which was also normal human just like her, working together to become a maid at Nazarick under Sebas' supervision these past two years.
"Good, you've finally come. Now Ryuunosuke, stand in front of that magic circle. Sakura, you do the same.
"Oh! Is this another satanic performance? Cool! Just stand here, right?" He immediately moved in front of one of the magic circles, Sakura followed suit.
"Follow my words. Extend your hand over the magic circle, can you hear me?." Both nodded their heads and did as they were told.
Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let white be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotated
Let it be declared now;
Your flesh shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword.
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.
Answer, if you would submit to this will and this truth.
An oath shall be sworn here.
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven;
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell.
With that said, three out of the seven magic circles flashed brightly with blinding light before revealing unknown entities they had just called. Ainz taught Ryuunosuke and Sakura an incantation to call for Heroic spirits that were most suitable for them. If those summoned were servants, then the ritual was a success. Ainz, Ryuunosuke and Sakura had just become one of the masters in this great Holy Grail war.
"I'm Servant Lancer. Who has awakened an Idol like me from my slumber? Is it you, blood-headed pig?" Said the pink-haired servant while smirking, insulting Ryuunosuke at their first meeting.
"Whoa, cool! You actually have horns! Man, look at that, even from here I can see that your horns are genuine. OH! OH! And that tail! Can I touch it? Hey, hey, can I touch it?" Ryuunosuke had a perverted grin on his face. He stayed with the denizens of Nazarick for two years and had seen all manner of lifeforms in here. Of course, Lancer's feature were not that much surprising to him, but he respected all of Nazarick's residences due to his respect to his Demon King. He admired them, but never laid a hand on them. The one before him though, was an exception.
"W-what's with this guy!? Do I have such a pervert for a Master?" Lancer visibly blushed while slowly stepping away from Ryuunosuke's grasp before hitting him unconscious.
Ainz already noted Pink Lancer's name with his Ruler class skill, [True Name Discernment]. She was Elizabeth Bathory, the one who killed 600 women for the sake of beautification and atrocious deeds like torturing her victims in gruesome ways. She somehow matched Ryuunosuke's tastes. If Elizabeth killed for her beauty, then Ryuunosuke killed for the sake of "art". A compatible pair indeed, both of them needlessly murdered for absurd reason.
Then, Ainz turned his head to Sakura.
"We are Servant Rider. I ask you, are you my master, little child?" Inquired the grown woman with a busty chest, showing almost half of it. She wore something like a naval army uniform that exposed her chest area lewdly, had blonde hair and red eyes, smiling at Sakura. The little one was white-haired with emerald eyes, a silent girl with almost no notable emotions visible, although it may be because of her grey hooded robe that concealed half of her scarred face as well as most of her body, paired with stockings on her legs. Ainz mouthed to Sakura "yes" and she answered their question.
"Ah, is that so? Then the contract has been established. It's great, right Mary? Looks like we have a cute little master, just like you~ *giggle*" The blonde servant mused while the white-haired one nodded in approval.
"Wait, you both are Rider?" Asked Sakura, startled about their unique circumstance.
"Yes, we're but one set. Our legend manifests ourselves as duo servants due to our circumstances in our life time. We share the same parameters with each other as even our bond is too strong for the Grail to separate us." She said, hugging the smaller girl affectionately which caused her to blush.
"So there are instances like that, huh?" Ainz murmured to himself. He confirmed their names using the Ruler class skill once more. Their names were Anne Bonny and Mary Read, members of the most famous pirates in history called Calico Jack. Since they were Riders, they should be able to call on that ship to their aid, right? But John Rackham was the one who owned the ship, could they do it?
Ainz decided to let that matter aside and check his servant first. She wore the military uniform of ancient Japan, her black hair and red eyes looked enchanting yet frightening. When Ainz used his skill at her, he was surprised knowing her true name.
"Oda Nobunaga, huh?"
"Oh~ you know my name? What a smart master I have here. Yes, it is none other than I, the awesome Oda Nobunaga. The one known as the Demon King of Sixth Heaven. You got lucky in summoning me master, because you will never regret it! HAHAHAHA-Wha-!" She started speaking confidently, but after seeing Ainz's skull face Nobunaga was taken aback and she pulled out her pistol. All the Guardians reacted accordingly and was ready to put Nobunaga down. Anne and Mary moved to protect Sakura due to the sudden tension built. Ainz however, stopped the Guardians action with a gesture of his hand.
"My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, and I hereby declare myself as your master." Ainz displayed his command seal planted on his skeletal hand. Nobunaga put her weapon down after confirming that Ainz was her master and actually felt her connection to him.
"Whoa! Never thought I, Oda Nobunaga will get contracted with a small Odokuro. Hahaha, I have quite the interesting master here hahaha. O-oh no, I'm crying..." She wiped the tears building up at the corner of her eyes.
"Odokuro. That's a Yokai, right? I remember Tabula once jokingly called me Odokuro too because I use a skeleton as an avatar." Ainz recalled, somehow feeling nostalgic about Tabula's antics.
"Don't worry master. Even if you are an Odokuro, I will gladly serve you. I've been waiting for someone to call me. As such, I will gladly make you my new vassal. Let's us conquer the world, shall we?" With that word alone. All the guardians already prepared their weapons which made Ainz panic. Luckily, thanks to his flawless poker face it was not seen so he decided to talk nicely to the other guardians later and suppress their anger.
"Umm... You two, it's okay. He is not bad." Said Sakura, trying to put Duo Rider's tensions down.
"But Master, he looks dangerous. Not to mention those people at the back." Said big busted Rider, clearly feel bad towards Ainz' presence and the Guardians.
"Agreed." Mary actually wanted to summon her cutlass, but Cocytus already had his eyes toward them. Sakura noticed and hurriedly tried to stop them.
"Please believe me. I mean, about Ainz-sama not being bad. And I believe all the guardians won't take actions without Ainz-sama's permission. So please, don't fight." Sakura pleaded to save them from Cocytus.
"So, he is the one with authority here? Then I will let it go for now, but I will keep watch of him and his crew regardless of what you say, okay? I will see for myself if he is trustworthy enough." Anne warned.
"Me too." Mary seconded, canceling her weapon summoning. Despite that, Cocytus never took his eyes off of them.
At the same time.
"Wha!? You're still alive?! Stop approaching me, you dimwit! I don't want to get touched by a filthy pig like you. I am known as Elizabeth Bathory. a person who has killed 600 women for the sake of bathing in their blood. I can kill you easily, you know? If only you weren't my master..."
"Wow, 600! Really? Man, I should keep track of my record too. I don't know how much I killed, but it should only be around 100. You must be the coolest girl ever with that record. Ah I see, if that's so then I shall call you my senpai from now on!" Eliza was surprised at his unusual reaction and blushed a bit.
"Y-you're not saying what I did was wrong?"
"Huh? Well, I dunno about that, but what I do know is killing 600 women is awesome. And you did it for what again? Ah, right! For beauty. Man, I can see the results right away just by looking at your face. For me, I kill for the sake of art. There is no other satisfaction than to create random sculptures from the delicate detritus of the human body. I once preferred children, but somehow my Lord change something within me. Still, my passion remains the same, and Demiurge-sensei also taught me how to build much more beautiful sculptures from the parts of human. You should try it too."
This was probably the first time in her entire lifetime that someone wholly appreciated what she had been doing in her life time. She was a tormentor who loved seeing and hearing the pained cries of her victims. She had never considered her actions as bad, not even once, but everyone else treated them as if they were the acts of a demon. She had claimed that she never did anything wrong, she had always wondered why people viewed it that way.
It was like they could never understand the girl known as Elizabeth at all no matter what she said.
But the man before her. this blood-headed pig said her act was awesome and thought she was cool. Maybe Elizabeth doesn't know exactly what she felt, but she was sure she appreciated what Ryuunosuke thought of her. He may not be bad after all to become her partner, but what he did next still irritated her to no end.
"Still! LET. ME. TOUCH. THAT. TAIL! I WANT TO FEEL IT!" With a loud voice. Ryuunosuke tried to grab Elizabeth's dragon tail.
"NO WAY, YOU PERVERTED MASTER! WHY I MUST GET A MASTER LIKE YOU?! THAT'S ENOUGH!"
"But I just want to-gah!" Elizabeth punched Ryuunosuke, sending him away unconscious.
All the Guardians, Sakura, Ainz as well as their servants only shook their heads in unison at their antics.
'Yes, compatible indeed...' Ainz thought before continuing with summoning the remaining slots
-II—II-
AN: Done! Six thousand words! Man, never thought I would exceed five thousand in my entire life time. And the chosen team for this fic is Team #4. You guys really like Harem, don't you? Fine then, you get what you want! And sorry for the unselected teams' voters since Team #4 had the most votes. The rest of the team will be in the next chapter. Until then, bye bye!