Welcome to Alternate Journey. It's been a while since I last updated Caster of Death. Guess I'll try to continue it in the next update. And also, I have rewritten the previous chapter a bit. So if you see something amiss, check the previous chapter.
Note: Ryuunosuke will refer to Ainz as "Maou" now, because "Demon King" is too long.
Thanks for Hero600, your suggestion shall be applied.
Proofread by Thatguywhowrote
-II—II-
Back at Nazarick, Ainz and company with the summoned servants were still waiting for Rubedo and Victim's arrival. Ryuunosuke, who was still knocked out by Lancer's attack finally regained his sense and looked at the surroundings to find a certain dragon girl observing Ainz before realizing he was awake.
"Ah you're finally up, pig. I didn't even hit you hard yet you fell unconscious. What a fragile master I have here. But I must tell you that I do not regret it, someone has to knock some senses in that microscopic of brain of yours." Elizabeth said while looking down at him with the evilest grin possible.
"Hehe, well I guess it was my fault to begin with. What do they call this scene again? Sexual harassment? I guess that was an unpleasant thing to do. Well, I always see naked girls anyway when I'm doing my work so I thought it wasn't a big deal." Ryuunosuke said with true honesty in his words, creeping Elizabeth out again.
"What?! Let me tell you something to remember by: I can kill you if you try anything funny again!" She glared at him as her hands covered her chest.
"Yeah yeah, no biggy. Guess I'll pass on touching that interesting object on your hips... for now. But I must ask though, that is genuine, right?" He gestured at her horns and tail.
"Of course, there's nothing fake about me. These are all completely genuine thanks to my fame as a descendant of dragons. I even have wings." Elizabeth said with full of pride as she materialized her wings from her back, spread wide for Ryuunosuke to see.
"Whoa, I really did summon a cool being, and it's a dragon too! This is so cool!"
"But Master, why do you have the urges to touch my draconic features? I can feel that you have another motive for passionately trying to touch this maiden body of mine besides being the perverted pig you are." Despite her harsh insult, Ryuunosuke was oblivious to her words after hearing such things so many times even before he had joined Nazarick. The victims he toyed with always said something along the lines of those, if not more colorful.
"Hmm… I just want to feel them with my fingertips, to touch such interesting features and observe its beauty. You know those guys in the back, the one with Maou?" Ryuunosuke said, pointing at the Guardians Albedo, Cocytus, etc. Elizabeth glanced and nodded, assuming he meant Ainz as the 'Demon King'.
"Yeah, I wanted to touch their unique features too you know and hopefully, have something similar and add them to my sculptures. But they have quite the ego. I would die at an attempt alone, and it's been two years since I got here and so many cool things existed that I couldn't freely observe. That built up some stress inside me ya know. And seeing you're not Maou's vassal but was summoned by me, I thought I might be able to do so this time, but in the end it was futile."
Ryuunosuke was a man of curiosity. If it were the old Ryuunosuke back at Zero Timeline, he would just boldly touch any guardian's special features and get killed straight away due to a lack of common sense. But due to his experience living in Nazarick for two years he had learnt the insignificant existence that he was due to the overwhelming presence of its residents. It was like an ant among a herd elephants.
He began to develop common sense for the first time and survived without any incident for two years. Despite running his mouth and the laid-back attitude that the Guardians always despised, with the protection of Ainz Ooal Gown's name he officially became a part of Nazarick as the second human that had ever stayed there.
"Hmm... Then you're just bold pervert, huh? What a disgusting little pig you are. Do you think I would let you touch this body of mine? *giggle* Never! The only thing you can do is probably use that command seal-" By the time Count Blood Lancer realized she had mentioned the words "command seal" she knew she fucked up and it was too late.
'Oh no! Did I just provoke him to use the command seal accidentally?! But, he should not be that stupid right? Even idiocy has its limits, right?' Elizabeth mentally panicked for saying something unnecessary, but the moment Ryuunosuke saw his command seal her heart began racing faster.
'Should I kill him before he uses it? I don't want to be groped by someone I barely know, not to mention a pervert like him...' Elizabeth had prepared to summon her lance when he spoke up.
"Nah, my king always said that this little tattoo is important. Guess I'll find another way to convince you. Oh yeah, I haven't formally introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Ryuunosuke Uryu, a freelance killer at your service~" The so-called artist bowed dramatically like opera actor after his performance.
"...f-fine then, I guess you passed barely to be my master. I'm Elizabeth Bathory, the incarnation of a Noble and a future idol. But you should just call me Lancer, you've not yet gained the right to call me by my name, pig."
"O...kay? So, "Lancer-chan" isn't good then?"
"When you do it I feel disgusted. But I guess it's fine because somehow, an idol is never separated from the "-chan" honorific."
And then, the Blood Countess look at Ainz and Co discussing something. Since she has nothing to do, she try to strike a conversation with her master.
"Pray tell Master, who are those guys? Are all of those servants as well? They look quirky enough and radiate with power, but I've never heard of someone who could summon servants this much. Not to mention inhuman..."
"Oh , you mean Maou and Guardians? I don't really know myself. But if you're asking if they are the same being as you then I guess not, except for him. I don't fully know the details myself, but I once summoned him in a similar way such as you, ya know?
This grail war was already an irregularity to begin with, Elizabeth just wanted to confirm her surroundings. Not to mention what appeared before her were some kind of monstrosities given form. Elizabeth had never seen creatures like them before, especially that certain hooded skeleton donning the expensive-looking robe like that of nobles, that her Master referred to as "Maou". She didn't know exactly why but she had the feeling she didn't want to be near him. His very presence already gave her a reminder of how she died, and that was the most unpleasant thing she remembered.
-II—II-
"Looks like she finally came." Ainz said, all the guardians stood by in their positions, wary that her 2nd personality would manifest itself and potentially harm their lord, especially Nigredo.
"suna ruoy eraperP. (Sorry for the wait)" Victim said, bringing a certain entity and the last piece Ainz needed to begin the votes.
She was the sister of Albedo and Nigredo, but despite being referred to as "she" she was technically genderless due to the nature of Golem, including CZ Delta. She had a child-like appearance and a cute bewitching face that could make even the evilest person falter before her. And she looked so frail and delicate that everyone would think she would be crushed by a mere hug. Her height was only 142 cm and she had long black hair just like her sisters.
But that's where the Gap Moe concept was hidden.
Her attire consisted of a combination of a red corset and a leotard with an elaborate gold ribbon on her chest area. She wore a pair of detached sleeves in her arms with regal patterns on it. For the lower part of her body, she wore two pairs of open-ended skirts - one designed to resemble bat wings while the other had a lot of ridges on each end. And finally, her legs were covered with a pair of golden boots that reached up to her thighs. To put it simply, her clothes were the incarnation of perfection and regality given form. (1)
Everyone probably treated her as a little girl except the denizens of Nazarick, for doing just that would catch them in surprise once they knew her strength.
Seeing her reminded Ainz about a certain Golden servant since his attire consisted of red and gold as well.
She was the strongest among the four close-combat specialists in Nazarick. Even Shalltear as the strongest floor guardians looked weak in comparison. This was because of a certain item implanted within her that made her invincible.
"Well then, since everyone is here I'll open the gate so the grail influence can enter here. Four of you will be chosen to accompany me so I expect great performances from you." Ainz said with a stern voice befitting of a Ruler, all the guardians bowed in acknowledgement.
"Yes!" They yelled in unison.
-II—II-
In a certain church where the priest that oversees the grail resided, Shirou Kotomine was still tweaking his spirit board in case it was broken. He still didn't believe that there was a third faction existing.
"Hmm... There's nothing wrong it seems, but a third faction? What kind of anomaly appeared in this grail war? I can't understand what's going on," said Shirou with a sour expression before a assassin of red materialized in front of him.
"Master, all the other masters except Saber's are finally under our control. They are all at the hanging garden right now, hypnotized by my aromatic poison. What are you doing Master? You have an indelicate expression all over your face." Inquired the black-robed Assassin with satisfied smile on her face.
"The anomaly that I mentioned before Assassin, these weird names have finally manifested. It looks like a third faction will be a real thing. I hate it when there are anomalies such as these. We need to prepare another countermeasure, let's see what they look like when they register their servants here." said Kotomine, finally taking his eyes away from it.
"Oh yeah I remembered, all participants in this grail war must register to the church first, right? We already know almost the entire black faction's servants thanks to your skill as a Ruler when they registered here. This third faction should not pose a problem if you knew their servants' true names right? Among other participants, we're the only ones aware of nearly all their true names, and soon we'll find out those of the third faction's servants because they need to come here. Aren't we in a very good advantage from the beginning?" Said the Assyrian queen confidently.
"That's true, but there are other concerns too." Shirou said, confusing Assassin.
"And that is?"
"...the existence of another ruler." Assassin's eyes widened at the answer.
"Are you sure Master? One Ruler is already troublesome enough, but two? Is this what you meant by an anomaly?"
"Looks like it, because this grail war had more participants than usual thanks to the third faction. Grail deemed another Ruler must take place. Our priority will be killing both Rulers of this war." Said the fallen saint with a stern expression.
"Understood. And it seems we have some guests." She said, motioning towards the church door before dematerializing while Kotomine followed suit.
The church opened and revealed two people. One was in a full black robe, a mask adorned on his face. The other one was a girl with long black hair, wearing a white T-shirt with the words 新時代 on her chest, wearing jeans as for the lower half. Looking at them, Assassin believed the robed one was the servant while the girl was the master. but Kotomine knew otherwise. He didn't know exactly how he could tell but both of them were not normal humans. And if one of them was truly a servant, he should be able to see their stats, but nothing happened. He tried to use his Revelation skill, but strangely it didn't show anything. He couldn't just stay silent and so he greeted them.
"Greetings, you two. How may I be of service?" For now, Kotomine played along.
"Tch... I really hate being in here. Can't I just wait outside? I'm not really fond with this place." Complained the black-haired girl, showing disgust at the church itself.
"Now now, there is no need to be rude. Greetings father, my name is Momon, this one is my servant from the White Faction, Archer. I'm here to register myself for this war." The robed man said to which Assassin was surprised for being wrong.
"Is that so? I've never heard of a White Faction before. Are you perhaps the leader of it?" He asked with the best fake smile he could muster.
"Yes, I wish to register my servant. The other white faction masters would come later."
"Understood, then please show me your command seal so I may register it."
Momon gladly revealed his command seal on his human palm which was just an illusion, passing both Assassin and Kotomine's notice.
'This is bad,' thought Kotomine. He couldn't perceive the servant's identity, not one bit. Everything made zero sense. Was there a magical item that hindered his True Name Discernment? Or some kind of Noble phantasm? If his trump card as a Ruler was sealed then the third faction was officially the biggest threat for him.
"Congratulations. Then, master of the white faction, I bid you good luck. If there is something you need to know about rules, then you can come here again" Said Shirou while bowing.
"Yes, farewell father"
Ainz and White Archer left the place while both Shirou and Red Assassin watched them from the door.
"This is troublesome Assassin, we must keep watch of them. That guy called Momon is also a wildcard among this war. Looks like this will become harder than I thought."
"Is that guy called Momon actually a big deal?" Assassin asked, materializing once more.
"Yes, I know a great deal of rumors about him. And if all those rumors are true then we must take caution. He might be the only master that can thwart my plan."
"Hpmh... must be overreacted rumors. Then, do you know his servant's true name?"
"No. Everything was concealed, my True Name Discernment should be able to perceive his servant identity but it showed null result." With that said, the queen widened her eyes in shock at his statement.
"How can that possible? Isn't Magic Resistance mean nothing to that skill?"
"Yes, but luck can play a role in it. Either she had incredible an amount of luck or there was a noble phantasm or skill that could prevent information type interference. Either way is a problem to us. Assassin, it's decided. Our real enemy is the White Faction after Rulers."
"Understood Master."
Shirou had a sour look on his face thinking hard of what to do with Ainz' faction until the revelation skill kicked in, but why now when he didn't need it? What he saw completely baffled him, he saw the same masked man that recently registered his servant. Shirou just confused at what Revelation want him to know.
"Its decided Assassin, that guy will be in our number two list as someone that must be lookout for." With that said Shirou pray to the god while clutching the cross in hope of success in his mission.
-II-II-
After reaching a considerable distance, Ainz and Archer walked within the crowded streets full of people and decided to report what he found with Nazarick residents later when he is back.
Why Ainz decide to register Nobunaga early is becuase he want to check the church where all Guardians, Ryuunosuke, and Sakura will register their own servants and to knows about the referee from the church it self. And he find some interesting things in there. He needs more information to devise plans since knowing the identity is not enough. Since he is worried about the summoning circle, he decided to call the overseer about their current condition.
"[Message]. Albedo, did the summoning go well?"
"Yes, Ainz-sama. Cocytus and the others have prepared to summon their Servants. All the necessary tools have already been prepared. With your order, we can start anytime." She said with a professional tone.
"Good, I'm going back right now." The lich cut off the connection. When he looked around, he realized the black-haired servant was missing.
"What is she doing right now? That girl can be troublesome sometimes."
"Master! Over here!" Ainz heard a familiar voice and it was none other than his servant, waving at him while standing by a certain restaurant.
"What is it? Please, refrain from running all by yourself. It is quite crowded in here since this place has so many people and tourists."
"Don't be like that Master, let's forget about that and go inside! I want to try the food of this country. I always wanted to taste cuisine from foreign countries. Back in the day when I was the ruler, I loved trying new things from outside Japan. And their food looks good, I wonder what they taste like..." The eager expression on her face was that of a child wanting a new toy.
"But servants do not necessarily need to eat, right? Besides-" Before he could finish speaking, Nobunaga had already entered it the establishment.
"This girl... might be a handful. Was the Nobunaga known for its fearsomeness really like this? Guess I'll just message Albedo to start the ritual without me." He said with a sigh, beginning to enter the restaurant as well. If only he could sweat, he must have been sweating bullets since Nobunaga already ordered so much food. Most likely ordering everything on the menu the restaurant had. Ainz could only hope her antics won't hinder him too much.
'But still, that guy. Thanks to my [Information Magic Wall] he couldn't see much, or even anything. To think there was another Ruler of this war besides the True Ruler that had yet been summoned. I must keep an eye on that guy, he is clearly suspicious because there shouldn't be a third Ruler in this war."
-II—II-
"Ainz-sama has ordered us to summon the remaining servants without him. Cocytus, you may proceed." After saying this, Cocytus nodded and walked onto the front of the magic circle.
"Then, with the order from our supreme being. We shall carry our duties to its fullest. We have been chosen by this tool called grail to become masters of this war. I, Cocytus, shall carry this honor." He said, extending his hand towards Magic Circle.
Cocytus was one of Nazarick's residents that was chosen to become master of this war randomly by the grail. But in reality, it had chosen those who have strong wishes, and he was one of them.
"I never thought I would be selected. Sorry Albedo, but your work became doubled since I also participated in this small war. If there is anything you need to confirm, you can message me okay?" Said the tuxedo-wearing demon Demiurge.
"It's not a problem Demiurge. Even if it's tripled or quadrupled, if it's for Ainz-sama and Nazarick, all of that would be a cinch. Instead, you should focus on becoming a master okay?"
"Understood." He said with a smirk full of confidence before standing in front of his own magic circle.
"..And you. Tch, why did you get chosen?!" The succubus spat, seeing a certain smug vampire's face.
"*chuckle* It feels sooo good to be chosen. It feels like I'm far superior to you. Do not worry granny, I will take care of Ainz-sama in your stead. And likely make him mine alone."
"Grrrr... Hmph, I doubt it. Ainz-sama is not a man who looks for imitations like you." That word already made Shalltear's expression dark but Albedo saw this and decided to end the bickering since now was not the right time to do that.
"Shalltear, we might not really get along. But as one of Nazarick's residents and the strongest floor guardian, I trust you to carry Ainz-sama duty to its fullest." Seeing Albedo change of demeanor suddenly actually surprise the petite vampire. But she smile nonetheless hearing Albedo acknowledge her as fellow Nazarick residents.
"Of course, even if it means my death, I'll carry out Ainz-sama's order without fail. I'm glad you acknowledge that, miss overseer." The vampire said, joining in with the others to stand in front of her own magic circle.
Everybody was tense at the last member that would accompany Ainz in the real world. To think that "she" would be chosen out of all the people in Nazarick by the grail itself. Almost everyone in Nazarick didn't know her that much except for a few people, and it certainly concerned them.
Rubedo, the last master that will be joining this war, already stood in front of her own magic circle. Since the grail chose her, she must have had some wish to fulfill. But even her sisters didn't know what her wish was as she rarely talked unless someone else started a conversation.
"Rubedo, you will be accompanied by Victim later. I have faith in you to carry out your duty as the vanguard of Nazarick. Prove to Nazarick that your loyalty is not inferior to us all."
Why Victim would accompany her was only for one reason, and that was to act as her safety mechanism in case she went on a rampage. Because this was the second time she was outside of Nazarick's domain that even Albedo wasn't reckless enough to give Rubedo complete freedom despite caring for her.
"…yes, sister." Her monotone voice greeted her, making Albedo smile as she saw her enthusiasm underneath her blank expression. At the back, Nigredo still didn't approve of this at all to the point of paranoia.
"Then, everyone. Begin! Remember Ainz-sama's order, you all must try not to antagonize the servants that will be summoned as much as possible and try to get along with them. Acting is very important for this mission." With that said, the four soon-to-be masters chanted the spell to summon the heroic spirits from the throne of heroes. The summoned servants would be the ones that were most compatible with them since they didn't have any catalyst to pull a desirable servant. But that was not the problem for them as any servant was welcome, be they weak or not.
All of them chanted the incantation with precision and at the same time, all of their magic circles began glowing in response. Then, a blinding light engulfed everyone within the area.
There stood four individuals that were soon to be their servants, and surprisingly all of them were female.
"I'm servant Saber. Say, are you my master?" said the servant of sword. Wearing a blue kimono-like outfit while looking at the monstrous form of Cocytus made her a bit taken aback.
"I am." He answered, while showing her the command seal in his upper right arm.
"Then the contract is complete. I must say, you have impressive full-body armor there master." She praised, unable to help but commenting on it. Cold air then emerged from his mouth.
"Whoa, I never thought that helmets could unleash cold air. I must say, I've never seen something like this, I wonder how that works? Modern technology is awesome." She said, curiously eyeing Cocytus' face.
"It seems you think I'm a human underneath these armor. But I assure you, this is my true body."
"True body? Oh I know! Just like a samurai that had become "one" with his sword, you have become one with your armor, right? I'm glad I have such a dedicated warrior like yourself, Master!" Saber gleefully remarked. The armor doned in his body its actually his skin, so its actually correct that Cocytus become one with his armor but still, she mistaking him for human in full-body armor but that misunderstanding was trivial so he let it slide for now.
"It's warrior's chivalry to share each other's name between warriors. My name is Cocytus, the 5th floor guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. State your name, Saber." Cocytus said, a stream of cold air rushing forth from his mouth.
"My name is Musashi Miyamoto, practitioner of Ninten Ichi-Ryu sword style. You're an interesting person so I look forward to working with you." The swordswoman said, bowing a bit.
"Same here, Saber. I'll be looking forward to working with you." The insectoid showed the same respect as a knight of honor by bowing back.
Next was Demiurge's servant. A petite woman with horns on her forehead. Wearing a rather revealing outfit that showed the world her pale, glistening skin. Demiurge was a bit intrigued regarding his servant, no matter where he looked at her she was definitely not human.
"Servant Assassin, thank you for summoning me. Such an interesting face we got here. You look just like a human but I believe you're not, right?" The Assassin said with an alluring voice that could melt any weak-willed man.
"I must applaud you to not misunderstand me with those lowly beings, Assassin. And yes, I guess it's quite obvious if you see my tail." He said, begin to waving his tail.
"Yes, indeed. Then tell me, are you my master?"
"Yes, I am Assassin." He showed her his command seal.
"Then the contract is hereby completed~. Let's start the banquet to welcome me. Do you have alcohol perhaps? Japanese ones are most preferable." She said, looking at Demiurge.
"Alcohol? We have plenty at the canteen. I'll talk to Ainz-sama first if he can spare you some. Or maybe we can find some outside. Let us make that a prize for you when you uphold your duty as a servant of Nazarick Assassin."
"My, my~ it seems I must work hard to get what I want. But I mostly do what I want so can you accept that my master~" She said with sultry voice filled with an enchanting curse thanks to her skill. But Demiurge, being a guardian that was focused on that department too, was unaffected by her.
"As long as you uphold your duty, you're free to do so. All I ask is that you must be available when I need you. You can drink as you like or have a banquet every day. But still, you're my servant and you know your duty. So in summary, just be ready when I really need you to take action." Demiurge said, a bit of a playful tone in his voice making the Oni smile mischievously.
"Wow~! Such a professional and understanding Master I have here. Do not worry Master~ Despite how I look like, I'm a demon who serves." She bowed in respect.
"Then I'm looking forward to working with you. Since we're going to work together, exchanging names is a must. My name is Demiurge, the seventh floor guardian of Nazarick."
"Hmm~ such an interesting name, to think it is equivalent of "universe." Such a strong name for one with a thin stature as yourself. No offense though, Master, but your bones look fragile at first glance." She licked her lips.
"Isn't that what Demons do? If my appearance can fool you then I'm doing a good job as a Demon." He fixed his glasses with a smirk.
"So you're a Demon? Interesting. I've never seen a Demon like you but I guess there are always new things to try. Then it's a pleasure to be with you, I'm Shuten-douji. I hope we get along, Master~" The Oni kind said, showing a smile of acknowledgement.
Meanwhile, with Shalltear's servant.
"Servant Berserker has answered your call. Are you my master?" The yellow-haired short girl said.
"Yes I am, be glad that I'm your master. Now tell me your name." Shalltear said with pride.
"I dislike your commanding tone, Shorty. You're quite bold for being rude against our race, little one." Berserker said, enough to irritate Shalltear, a vein appearing on her forehead.
"Shorty? You're one to speak! And again, I've been informed that Berserker class servants can't speak that fluently, but how can you?" The vampire said, still remembering Ainz' order to try to not antagonize her servant as much as possible.
"Huh, even when my rage is like a raging storm of fire, it can never subdue my ability to speak. So you are my master, huh? Then, I'll take the command while you do everything I said, chibi-master." She said with a smug smile planted on her face.
"Huh? You take the command? Nuh-uh, I'm the 'Master' and you know what that means, right? It should be I to take the command, and you as Servant should act like one."
"I'm the ringleader of the Oni kind in Mount Oe. I'm not taking orders from anyone except Shuten. And I'm not taking orders especially from someone like you! And also-" the word stopped from her mouth because she saw someone that she never expected to be there. It was none other than her most respected subordinate Shuten-douji herself talking with tailed tuxedo man.
"Why, you! Calm down Shalltear! Ainz-sama has trusted you with an important mission! There is no way for you to fail this. Okay, *ehem* Let me make this clear, you-" As Shalltear turned around after composing herself, Berserker was already gone. This infuriated her even more when she found her servant with Demiurge's servant.
"Oh my~ to think we would meet in the most unexpected place." Commented the black-haired Oni, meeting her own kind and also the ringleader herself.
"Shuten! Such fortune! To think we would meet each other in the place like this. I miss you so much I thought I'd never get to see you again!" She eagerly hugged Shuten like a child that hasn't met her parent for a long time.
"What a naughty girl, to outright hug me with this much affection caught me off guard~ You really are such a strange Oni."
"Being with you is the greatest thing that could happen to me. So, we're at the same team, right? The grail has informed me about this weird grail war rules. Looks like we can let our names be known to this land once again. It's finally time for our kind to shine again. Kuhahaha!" Berserker said haughtily, declaring that statement quite loud unaware that a certain vampire was clearly angry.
"Albedo, is it alright to discipline a rebellious servant? Because I really want to mince this servant of mine for disrespecting me this much." Her frightening blood lust emanating from her words was something the denizens of Nazarick could feel from where they stood.
"You're still here? Don't you dare interrupt my sweet reunion with Shuten! I will kill you if you try!" She summoned flames and began transforming it into a sword.
"THAT'S IT! I will take responsibility Albedo, just let me teach this ungrateful brat a lesson!" Shalltear said looking at Albedo.
"Okay then Shalltear, but don't go overboard. You may teach her lesson but don't forget Ainz-sama's order is absolute and you must find a way to mend it later." Albedo warned.
"Fine by me. Alright you ungrateful brat! I'll take you on!" Shalltear said, summoning her Spuilt lance and preparing to engaging.
"Hmph, you're quite brave for calling me 'brat' and challenging me, rude Master. Let's see if you really pack the bone. I don't want to be ordered around by someone weaker than me anyway." She said, engulfing herself with intense flames, ready for combat.
"Who is that girl anyway? Looks like you know her Assassin?" Demiurge asked, intrigued by Shalltear's servant's capabilities.
"She is a colleague of mine back when she and I were alive. She is Ibaraki-douji, a really sweet child that obeys everything I say to the point she takes pleasure in it. And she loves treasures, sometimes she can be rash but she is a capable person to have around." She said, sipping some alcohol from her gourd.
"Hmm... interesting."
And at last, the final servant to be summoned in this grail war. There stood a beautiful lady with a monk's attire, standing before the short girl that was Rubedo.
"I'm servant Caster. May Buddha bless us upon our new journey. You may call me Genjou Sanzou or Xuanzang for short since I'm better known by that name. Nice to meet you Master." She said, looking at the girl in front of her although she just stared blankly at her.
"Umm... Master?" The monk asked, scratching her cheeks at the awkward silent treatment.
"...Servant Caster: RECORDED. Formal greeting activate: Nice to meet you too, Caster." She said with a weird robotic way of talking that most of Nazarick didn't know she talked like that.
"Rubedo, you don't have to use that way of talking. I'm sure you can speak normally." Said the big sister Albedo trying to correct her.
"Understood. Greetings, Caster." She said, still lacking emotions.
"O-o... kay? What a unique Master I have here *chuckles awkwardly* and... you're kinda cute... N-no! As a disciple of Buddha I must restrain my desires. Focus, focus!" She closed her eyes and slapped her cheeks with both hands, trying to meditate for unknown reasons to Rubedo.
After some time, a [Gate] had appeared at the 6th floor they were currently in and showed Ainz and seemingly stomach ache Nobunaga after registering themselves to the church. Ainz changed his clothing to his divine class equipment with magic while walking to all the guardians that immediately bowed before his presence, except some confused servants and certain two people that were still fighting at the other side of arena.
"Report everything to me, Albedo." Ainz motioned for her to stand up.
"Yes Ainz-sama. Everything is going well and we are well-prepared for this war... except for one problem." Albedo sighed and gestured at Shalltear and Ibaraki still fighting. Shalltear with only her Spuilt lance against Ibaraki engulfed with intense flames showed a stalemate fight between them. The clash of their weapons generated shockwave that obliterated the surrounding with force beyond a human's capabilities.
"Shalltear, please cease creating a ruckus in front of Ainz-sama and show him some respect." Albedo said shouting at them.
"Ah-! A-Ainz-sama is already here!? I-I'm sorry Ainz-sama! But this brat really won't go down easily. Hey you! Ainz-sama is right here so can you behave and act like a proper servant?!" Shalltear yelled, eyeing her opponent that glared at her.
"Tch. I'm not taking orders from anyone, even from another Demon. Only Shuten may order me and you can't change that fact. Besides, you're not leader material. I should be the one who commanding you as my pawn or something." She said, preparing a fire ball to throw at Shalltear.
"Why you-"
"Ibaraki, please behave. Or you can't have sake for a whole week as punishment." Shuten scolded playfully, completely freezing Ibaraki movement and dousing the raging fireball she had earlier.
"W-well... if Shuten wanted me to stop then I will. But that punishment is actually quite scary!" She cringed at the thought of it. "Listen here, my shorty master. I commend your strength for competing against the great fire of Oni itself, but that still didn't earn my respect. You got lucky I'm holding back so until then, we will continue this farce later." She said leaving the True Vampire baffled at her commanding tone.
"You act like you're the one in command. And was I being underestimated by a lowly Demon? Me? One of the supreme beings' creations? There is a line that you must never cross and this is one of it, you brat!" Anger permeated from her whole body and her killing intent rose to a serious level, which was stopped instantly as Ainz called out to her.
"Shalltear, don't do anything reckless. Come here since i have announcement to make." With that voice alone, Shalltear changed drastically from being angry to happy in matter of seconds.
"Yes Ainz-sama~ I'm sorry for the inconvenience I caused with my bratty servant." She said, bowing to him.
"*sigh* Guess their relationship can still be mended. I can change Berserker Master if Shalltear can't handle her and let someone to be her master... But let's see what will happen first in the long run." Ainz mumbled to himself.
With all the servants having been summoned under the banner of the White faction, Ainz and his group were now ready to join the war. But still, Ainz' duty as a secondary Ruler was still there so he needed to aid the first Ruler for managing this war. He doesn't really need to do it but to avoid suspicions by True Ruler, Ainz will play along for a moment.
"Hmm... There is a spiritual link connected to me? It is like the [Message] spell but a bit different." Ainz said, sensing something on his head.
"Greetings, another Ruler. I have been summoned forth by the grail and informed by the grail itself that we must work together to manage this war. Let us meet elsewhere so we can talk in person." Said the woman's voice inside his head.
"Hmm? Is this the True Ruler? How can you contact me telepathically like this?"
"It is a skill given to me as the True Ruler of this war. It lets me speak to you through our link as Ruler class servants of this war. I have been informed that you don't have such a skill but you have something equivalent to it, do you not?"
"Yes indeed. Then we will meet at Trifas then, let me know once you're there."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to working with you." The "call" stopped and Ainz' eyes glowed in anticipation.
"The True Ruler has been summoned. It signals the start of this war. My loyal subordinates! It is time to show the world the might of Nazarick that trembles both space and time in our banner!" With their leader's declaration, all the guardians roar in acknowledgment. The force of Nazarick had finally returned to surface once more.
END
AN: Done, man. Not my best chapter but well, enjoy. I might not update frequently anymore like the days when I was focused on Caster of Death, but thank you everyone for faves and follows. See you guys next time.
(1) If you can't imagine her clothes at all, Google "Elsword Noblesse", click the Elwiki one and there will be a picture of a loli girl. That's what Rubedo clothes were based on albeit with a golden and red scheme instead of white and blue. I suck at clothes so I can't help it.