Selpunoter
Among the planets of the Second Universe, it could be considered one of its crown jewels. For in a universe ruled by strength and natural selection, this planet generated some of the most powerful beings ever conceived. From creatures capable of shattering continents with a single snap of their fingers, to powerful commanders leading legions counting in the millions.
Its flora and fauna as well was rich and diverse, strengthened by millennia of struggles, their traits being the finest to survive a lush, but still harsh world. And in days past, this rich ecosystem hosted far more powerful creatures. Ones that could well be considered Gods. Alas, such days are long gone, but not forgotten.
In hidden corners of this prosperous world, there are still remnant of this primordial past. One such place was the Ancient Tomb of Nazarick.
This ancient place is unknown to most in this world, and even fewer know of its origin. But the few who do, know of the powerful beings that reside inside.
For many millennia, this ancient domain remained dormant. But now, it awoke once more.
Inside an oval arena, identical to the ones built by the Romans, one figure stood. It was a humanoid skeleton, wearing an elaborate, jet-black academic gown adorned with golden and violet edges. He was one of the first beings of this world, the last remaining relic of a long bygone era. And whilst he cannot die, at least of old age, he is still an endangered species. But, by all means, not a defenceless one.
He stood in the middle of the arena, starring the black, star filled sky, almost as he waited for someone. And indeed, he was. Several individuals walked forward, all members of different sentient species native of this planet. From vampires, to elves, to insectoids and demons, all walked solemnly, yet humbly towards the ancient being.
As he turned towards them, they halted and bowed in respect. « Now, then, let us perform the ritual of allegiance. » one of them spoke to the rest. It was a woman with lustrous jet-black hair and the face of a goddess. She had golden irises and vertically split pupils; on her left and right temples were two thick horns protruding crookedly, and on her waist were a pair of black angel wings. She wore a pure white dress with silky gloves covering her slender hands and a golden spiderweb necklace that covered her shoulders and chest.
The other creatures all nodded, and they'd arranged themselves with the woman in front and the other beings lined up behind her. Their expressions were all stiffly ceremonious.
A young woman, at the end of the line, took a step forward. « Guardian of the First, Second, and Third Levels, Shalltear Bloodfallen. I bow before you, O Supreme One. » She dropped to one knee and put a hand over her chest, bowing her head low. She was a vampire of short stature with the appearance of a buxom fourteen-year-old girl. She had pale shiny skin, seductive crimson-red eyes, and fine facial features. Her silver hair was tied in a ponytail through a large ribbon on top of it all, allowing others a full view of her face. She wore a soft black evening dress with a big heavy skirt. Her upper body was dressed in a lace embellished ribbon and a short tailored jacket. Her hands were donned with long lace gloves, not exposing any bit of skin exterior.
After Shalltear, a huge creature stepped forward.
«GUARDIAN OF THE FIFTH LEVEL, COCYTUS. I BOW BEFORE YOU, O SUPREME ONE. » Having an enormous body size of 2.5 meters, it had the appearance of an insect walking on two feet - a fusion between a mantis and an ant. With a tail twice as long as his height, it was covered in sharp spikes like icicles and has a strong jaw. Two of his hands held a silver halberd, while the remaining two hands held a mace emitting black light and a crooked shape sheath which seemed to be for a broadsword. With a breathtaking cold air, the pale blue, hardened bone armor oozed out diamond dust like bright light. His shoulders and back looked like uplifted icebergs.
He took the same humble posture as Shalltear and bowed to the Supreme Being. Next, two dark elves stepped forward.
«Guardian of the Sixth Level, Aura Bella Fiora. I bow before you, O Supreme One. »
She was a tomboyish looking child with dark skin and pointed ears, a signature trait of the dark elves. She had golden hair and heterochromia, her left eye blue and right eye green. She wore reddish-black dragon scale leather covered by a white and gold vest. Below it, she had a matching set of white trousers and gold plated shoes, and around her neck was an acorn necklace emitting golden light. She was equipped with a whip around her waist and a giant, decorated bow on her back.
«G-Guardian of the same, Mare Bello Fiore. I b-bow before you, O Supreme One. »
Just like his companion, he was a child with dark skin and pointed ears. He had golden hair and heterochromia, his right eye is blue and his left eye is green. He wore a blue dragon scale leather full-body suit, covered by a white and gold vest and a forest green-leaf cloak. Below, he had a matching short white skirt exposing his thighs, and on his neck was an acorn necklace emitting silver light. His slender hands were donned with shiny white silk gloves and he wielded a twisted black wooden staff.
As expected, they also got down on one knee and bowed their heads low.
Then the demon took a graceful step forward. «Guardian of the Seventh Level, Demiurge. I bow before you, O Supreme One. » About 1.8 meters tall, he was a demon with dark skin and nicely combed black hair. Behind the round glasses were eyes so squinted that they were not normally visible. Wearing a British suit with a tie, he was dressed like a gentleman. Behind his back was a silver tail, covered with metal plates and six long spikes at the end.
Though his tone was cool, he made an extremely heartfelt bow without breaking his elegant demeanor. Finally, the woman in front stepped forward.
«Captain of the floor guardians, Albedo. I bow before you, O Supreme One. » Smiling faintly at the supreme being, she kneeled in the manner of the other guardians. But for Albedo, that wasn't the end. With her head bowed, she made her voice carry and gave her last report. «Excepting Guardian of the Fourth Level, Gargantua, and Guardian of the Eighth Level, Victim, the floor guardians have gathered to prostrate ourselves before you... Your orders, O Supreme One! We offer our complete devotion to you. »
«Raise your heads» he commanded. All of their heads rose together in perfect union.
«Well, then... For starters, I appreciate you all gathering here» he then declared. He then turned toward Albedo. « I thank you for awakening your comrades from this long sleep. You have done a great service to me. »
Albedo could not help but to smile gleefully at the compliment. « And a great service to this world as well. » the supreme being added. «It is my firm belief as of this moment that you can understand my aims and are capable of accomplishing them without error. » He surveyed their faces once more. «And you know what I refer to. »
« This world is not as pure as it was. When beings like me were many, dominating the land. It has been corrupted by lowly beings unworthy of life. I should have awaited for the return of my comrades….but I cannot wait any longer. » He turned towards the guardians. « All of you share this disgust to those beings. » he declared, Albedo and Demiurge eyes narrowing in anger. « And worst, some of you have endured their cruel nature. » he turned towards the two young elves. The boy, Mare, trembled at these words, almost as he was having a traumatic memory.
The girl, Aura, held his hand to calm the boy down. Mare soon stopped trembling, and smiled weakly at her companion. « I do believe that it is time to bring a new age of prosperity to this world. The same where beings like me where at their prime. A pure world, free of the corruption of the inferior race. Let the purge begin… » he declared. « »
«That's it for today. Everyone take a break, and prepare for our great conquest. A long road awaits us. » the Supreme Being dismissed the guardians.
The group politely bowed to him, and headed for the exit of the arena. But as they were on their way, Mare begun to daze off. He trembled, but not in the same way as before. It was almost as he had caught a fever, and he struggled to stand. That was not all; his two eyes, normally green and blue, turned a fiery pink, spotting what seemed the combination of the male and female symbol in his irises.
All of the Guardians were quick to notice what happened to the little elf. « Mare? What's wrong, little bro? » Aura asked concerned. « I….I dunno….M-my head…It…it… » Mare uttered painfully, as he collapsed to the ground, exhaling quickly, almost as he was having a panic attack. Before any of the guardians could say anything, he begun to yell at the top of his lungs, his eyes turning left and right, almost as he was having an epileptic seizure.
The Supreme Being was quick to intervene, and with a quick gesture of his hands, he managed to snap the boy from whatever happened to him. None the less, he was clearly in a state of panic, lunging towards his sister and hugging her tightly, utterly terrified and his breath still fast. « By the Supreme Beings…Mare, what happened to you? » Shalltear asked concerned.
« I….I don't know….th-th-there were…demons….monsters….they wanted my soul! » Mare muffled out. « It appears someone attempted to take a hold of his mind. » the Supreme Being hypothesized. « Who would DARE to do such a thing to my companions!? » Albedo demanded outraged. « The very first victim of our purge. » the Supreme Being declared.
But before he could say anything else, a figure rushed forward. He had the appearance of an elderly butler and he was dressed gracefully in his traditional black uniform. His hair was entirely white, just like his immaculate beard. He had visible wrinkles on his hollow face, which made him seem gentle in appearance, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
He obviously came in a rush, meaning whatever he wanted to report was of most utter importance. « Supreme Being Momonga! I apologize for my most impolite entrance, but there is an emergency! A portal has opened in Nazarick! » he exclaimed in a hurry. « A portal? » the Supreme Being, Momonga, asked surprised, before he felt something.
He felt some sort of energy, far stronger than anything even he could generate. It was an overwhelming sensation, almost as the sun itself came down to earth to burn his opponents. And worst of all, this energy was near, no if, when or buts. Both he and the Guardians turned to their left, only to see a large structure, larger than the arena itself.
It was a light blue, circular object, glowing with pure energy. Momonga dazed off at the sight of the object, before abruptly snapping back to reality. « EVERYBODY! BRACE FOR IMPACT! » he commanded, but before any of his followers could react, the blue light expanded, engulfing the entirety of the tomb.
Xxxxxxx
Meanwhile in a far-off planet, Mallus, war raged on in the lands of Bretonnia.
This was not such a unique day for this world. In fact, some may even say that this is the ordinary for the natives of this planet, even more hostile and sturdy than their Sepulnoter counterparts.
In this hostile world, there is only war, some may even say. And Bretonnia, was no exception to the rule. Two humanoid species battled in a large field, one definitely more human than their counterparts, which resembled large, corpulent men.
« Charge, men! Do not let these Ogre savages trespass any further! For the Lady! » a knight, perhaps even a king, rallied his soldiers to charge at the monstrosities. He was donned in an elegant blue and red armour, a golden crown, a shining sword and a shield. He rode on top of what seemed like a mixture between a lion and an eagle, charging in front of an army of knights against the Ogres.
The ogres, alongside an army of small goblins, charged as well. As they did, they were harassed by catapults at the rear of the human army. None the less, they managed to close in. Some of the ogres pulled out flintlock guns and fired at their opponents. « The cowards use pistols! » one of the knights yelled in disgust at the Ogres.
« It is to be expected by the less chivalrous races. But it matters little, we'll show them the strength of Bretonnia! FOR THE LADY! » another knight yelled out, as he charged against one of the ogres with his lance, his strength being enough to lift the massive creature and tossing it aside. Soon, knights and ogres clashed with one another, with both sides not backing down.
As the battle raged on, powerful beasts charged at the Bretonnians, with pillar like front limbs, mighty horns and a powerful maw. They stomped and mauled all unfortunate knights that got too close, but most of the humans managed to dodge the attacks of the hulking beasts. The knight riding the lion-eagle hybrid descended at full speed at one of the beasts, decapitating it in one quick swoop.
But as he and his warbeast landed, they were struck by a large club, wielded by an ogre. But it was no simple ogre. It was far larger than its kin, and adorned in a somewhat elegant armour. He simply smirked, as the knight and his mount felt to the ground, but none the less, the latter seemed to be surprisingly fine.
« Well, well, well. If it ain't the Tyrant King of the Bretonnian slims. In the flesh, Hehehe…. » the ogre mocked the king. Meanwhile, the other ogres were joined by more of their comrades, riding on top of giant two horned rhino like creatures, maiming and killing more knights. The giant ogre, a leader of some kind, continued to chuckle at the king.
« Tell you what, slim. I'm feeling mighty generous today. Hand me all of your gold, a thousand or so of yer peasants, and why not, a couple of horses as well, and I might just leave this place. Sounds like a good deal, ay? » the ogre mocked the king. The latter simply glared at the creature and he, alongside his mount, took a stance.
« The only "deal" I'm willing to accept is your head on a silver platter. I am Louen Leoncoeur, the Lionhearted, the Lion of Bretonnia, and the Golden Paladin! I will not tolerate you foul scoundrels raiding my lands! » Louen threatened the giant ogre, who simply chuckled. « Well, tried ta be reasonable. Still, ye have my respect. I'll eat you for last! » the ogre laughed, as he prepared for combat.
However, just as the ogre finished laughing, Louen smirked. « And besides, why accept such outlandish demands from a defeated foe? » he asked, as fog appeared all around the battlefield. The ogre was confused by the current turns of events, before a hail of arrows felt down on many of the ogres, either killing them or at the very least injuring them.
Then, coming out of the forest came another group of knights, leaded by a woman in elegant noble clothes, holding a sword on one hand and a chalice on the other, riding on top of a unicorn. « Come, sons of Bretonnia! Let us push these foul ogres from our beloved lands! For the Lady! » she shouted, the knight's morale further boosted.
Soon, the ogres flanks were shattered by the incoming knights, as the formers were pestered by arrows and by the catapults. As this occurred, the ogre lord roared, as he swung his club against Louen, who parried the attack with his sword, holding his ground despite the might of the blow. With one mighty war cry, Louen and his mount charged forward, pushing the ogre back.
The latter got up surprisingly quickly for such a hulking beast, and swung once again at Louen. His mount simply flew out of the way, dodging the incoming attack and diving on the ogre. Unlike the horned beast before, the ogre managed to fend off the attack, but was still injured by the claws of Louen mount. He then pulled out a flintlock pistol and attempted to shoot the king, but missed.
Once again, Louen mount dived on the opponent, this time hitting him at full strength. None the less, the ogre was still able to withstand the attack, holding the beast at bay with his immense strength. However, taking advantage of the fact that the ogre was too occupied with his mount, Louen jumped in the air, and swung his sword against his opponent neck, the blade shining even more.
The ogre's head felt on the ground, it's body collapsing shortly after. Many ogres saw their leader killed by the Bretonnian king, and their ranks begun to break. None of this mattered, however, as the reinforcing knights continued to charge at the enemy, cutting them down despite their difference in size.
Despite that, the ogres would present themselves as a formidable opponent. It would take many gruelling hours to deal with them fully.
Xxxxxxx
In a makeshift camp, Louen wandered around as he looked at the condition of his knights. While their morale was fine, they were tired after battling such a formidable opponent. The ogres did have might on their side, the only reason why the Bretonnians won was their superiority in numbers and the element of surprise. Truly, they had never faced anything quite like ogres before.
The lands of Bretonnia were as much under siege as any other region of this world. From humanoid fungus called Greenskins, to vampires and their undead minions, savage northmen from Norsca, and the occasional confrontation with the wood elves of Athel Loren. But ogres? Never before they faced such a large-scale invasion by these creatures.
The king seemed to be lost on his thoughts, before a woman walked towards him. « Your highness. » she politely said, snapping Louen back to reality. The woman was none other than the one who leaded the reinforcements against the ogres. Louen bowed slightly at her sight. « I thank you, in the name of the Lady, for protecting her sacred grounds from the savages of the mountains of Mourn. » she thanked the king.
« Could I still be considered a true son of Bretonnia if I allowed the lands of the Lady to be trampled by these savages, Fay Enchantress? » Louen asked. « Still, you sacrificed much against the ogres. Especially when other threats plague our lands. » the Fay Enchantress said. « I still have trouble reasoning with it. Ogres here? In Bretonnia? » she then added, clearly confused.
« The Empire could not hold them at bay. Norscan raids, Beastmen attacks, even the foul Skaven themselves emerged from their lair to lay destruction on the Imperials. There was simply no way they could had stopped them. In a way, it was a blessing that they decided to come to us. We have far less troubles, compared to the worshippers of Sigmar. » Louen explained.
« These are dark times, your majesty. » the Fay Enchantress commented. Louen simply sighed. « Times have always been dark, my lady. But we will endure, as we always had. » was his response.
Satisfied with his answer, the Fay Enchantress seemed to depart, before she stopped on her tracks. She placed a hand on her temples, almost as she was having a headache. « My lady? » Louen asked concerned. « The Winds are screaming….something's off…. » was her response. Sounds of panic back in the camp caught the attention of the two, as they hurried towards the source of the commotion.
Once they reached the centre of the camp, the two saw what was causing the panic among the men. A large circular structure, taller than the trees themselves, emitting blue, pure energy. « What is that sorcery!? » one of the knights yelled confused and slightly scared. Before any of the soldiers could react, the light expanded forward, engulfing the entire camp.
Xxxxxxx
Carne, Sepulnoter.
It was a small village not far from the Tove Woodlands at the southern edge of the Azerlisia Mountains that formed the border between the empire and the kingdom. The population was about 120. Twenty-five households was not an uncommon size for a village on the frontiers of the Re-Estize Kingdom.
Carne mainly relied on agriculture and the bounty of the forest, and the only visitor apart from an apothecary who came to acquire herbs was the tax collector. The phrase like time had stopped was an apt descriptor of the place.
The day started early in the village. Villagers generally awoke at dawn. Unlike the larger cities, they didn't have magically maintained lights, so they rose and slept with the sun.
Enri Emmott's mornings began with fetching water from the well near her house. Fetching water was women's work. Her first chore was done when the large pot in her house was full. By that time her mother would be finished preparing breakfast, and the four members of their family would sit down together to eat.
Breakfast was barley and wheat oatmeal, sauteed vegetables, and on some days, dried fruit.
After that, she would go out to work in the fields with her mother and father. Her younger sister, soon to be ten, would gather wood near where the forest started or help in the fields. The bell in the center of town on the edge of the village square rang at noon. They would take a break from their work and eat lunch.
Lunch was brown bread baked some days earlier and soup with bits of preserved meat in it.
Then, it was back to the fields. When the sky began to redden, they would return home and eat dinner.
Dinner was the same brown bread as lunch and bean soup. If a hunter caught an animal, they would sometimes get a share of the meat. After the meal, they would chat as a family and mend clothes by what light remained in the kitchen.
They usually slept around six pm.
Enri Emmott had lived her whole life, from the moment she was born to her current age of sixteen years, as a member of this village.
She thought her uneventful life would continue on the same way forever.
Xxxxxxx
One day Enri awoke as usual and went to fetch water. She hauled the bucket out of the well and filled her small pot. It took about three trips to fill the large one at home.
«Oof. » She rolled up her sleeves. The parts of her skin that weren't tanned were glaringly white. Her arms were slender but well toned from working in the fields—she even had some muscle.
The pot was quite heavy once it was full of water, but she picked it up like usual. Enri was about to head home when she thought she heard something and looked in the direction it came from. Something set the air roiling and her heart frothing.
Off in the distance, she heard the sound of something wooden being crushed. And then—
«A scream? » It was like the cry of a bird having its neck wrung and yet altogether different. Something cold raced down Enri's spine. "No way. It's just my imagination. I misheard. » Words to drown out her anxiety bubbled up, popped, and disappeared.
Panicking, she started to run. The scream had come from the direction of her house. She abandoned her pot. It's too heavy to run with. Her feet got tangled in her long skirt and she nearly tripped, but luckily she managed to keep her balance and run on.
More voices.
Enri's heart was pounding.
Human screams. No doubt about it.
She couldn't remember ever having run this fast. She felt like she was going to trip over her own feet.
Horses whinnying. People screaming. Shouts.
It was all getting louder.
Still quite a ways away, Enri saw an armored figure swinging a sword at a villager. The villager screamed and crumpled to the ground. The sword followed up with a finishing stab.
«Mr. Morger! » There was no one in this small village she didn't know—they were all like family—so of course she knew the man who had been killed. He could be a bit loud at times but was a good-natured person. He certainly didn't deserve to die like that. Enri nearly stopped in her tracks, but she grit her teeth and pushed herself to sprint even faster.
This distance never felt terribly long when she was carrying water, but now it seemed like she would never arrive.
Angry shouts and curses reached her ears on the wind. Finally her house was in sight.
«Mom! Dad! Nemu! » she called out to her family as she opened the door.
Their three familiar faces were frightened but all present, huddled together. As soon as she burst in, their expressions softened into relief.
«Enri! You're safe! » She felt her father's rough farmer hands on her back as he hugged her. And the warm hands of her mother.
«Okay, now that Enri's here, let's get out of here! »
The Emmott family was in a pretty bad position. They didn't want Enri to come home to an empty house, so they'd missed their opportunity to escape. The danger must already be closing in ...
That fear soon became reality.
As the four of them were just about to make a run for it, a shadow appeared in the front entryway. Standing there with the sun at his back was a knight in full armor, the arms of the Baharuth Empire emblazoned on his breastplate. In his hand was a naked blade—a longsword.
The Baharuth Empire occasionally invaded its neighbor, the Re-Estize Kingdom, but usually the fighting was centered around the fortress city of E- Rantel; the enemy had never made it as far as Carne.
But now the village's peace had been shattered.
From the icy stare coming through the gap in the close helmet, Enri could sense that they were being counted. She hated the feeling of his eyes moving over them.
A squeak from his metal gauntlet announced that he had tightened his grip on the sword. He moved into the house—
«Yaaargh! »
«Urgh! »
Enri's father tackled the knight, and the pair of them tumbled out the front door.
«Go! Hurry! »
«You bastard! »
Her father's face was lightly smeared with blood. He must have cut himself when he rushed the knight. The two of them thrashed around on the ground, her father struggling to keep the knight's dagger at bay, the knight struggling to keep her father's knife at bay.
Seeing a family member's blood right before her eyes made Enri's mind go completely blank.
«Enri! Nemu! » The shout brought her back to reality. Her mother, though anguished, was shaking her head.
Enri took her sister's hand and started to run. Hesitation and guilt made her reluctant, but she had to just run as fast as she could to the forest.
The whinnies and screams of horses, angry voices, the clanging of metal, and...the smell of something burning. From all over the village, the sensations bombarded her eyes, ears, and nose. Where is that coming from? She was frantic to know even as she ran. In open areas, she moved in a half crouch, trying to stay in the shadows of houses.
Fear that made her blood run cold. The exertion of running wasn't the only reason her heart was pounding. The only thing keeping her moving was the little hand clasped in hers.
Her mother, running a few paces ahead, was just turning a corner when she suddenly stiffened and shrank back. She motioned with a hand behind her back to run the other way.
When Enri realized why, she bit her lip to hold back a sob.
She squeezed her sister's hand and ran to get as far away as they could.
She didn't want to see what was going to happen next.
Xxxxxxx
Meanwhile, somewhere inside the Tove Woodlands, the Bretonnians had no idea of what just happened. One moment they were in Querelles, one of the Dukedoms of Bretonnia, having just repelled an Ogre invasion, the next they were in completely unfamiliar terrain.
Inside the main tent, Louen attended a meeting with the Fay Enchantress and two other knights. One was a man with relatively long light brown hair and blue armour, the other was a bulkier man, his helmet decorated with a trident and a dragon, and his armour being blue and gold.
« So, if I understand this correctly, that huge source of energy has just stranded us in Lady only knows where? » Louen asked the Fay Enchantress. « Indeed. Never in my life have I felt such power before. I've heard of the exploits of the Ratmen in the Empire and their creation of a portal similar to what we just faced, but alas, it obviously fail to compete with this. » the Fay Enchantress explained.
« At the very least, the topography doesn't seem to different from where we were. » the helmetless man added.
Louen let out a sigh and massaged his forehead, not sure about what to do.
« Still, we're in an alien land we may have never seen before. For all we know, it could be as hostile as Athel Loren or the Chaos Wastes. We need to find any sort of settlement, that way, we may gain information's regarding this place. » Louen then turned to the two other knights in the room.
« Agravain de Beau Quest, Duke Alberic of Bordeleaux, I need brave knights to scout the area for any nearby settlement. Will you take this quest? » Louen asked.
« I've faced the forest of Athel Loren before, my lord. This forest must be tame in comparison. » Agravain responded. « And would I be a true duke of Bretonnia if I were to refuse my king's call to arm? I will also answer the call. » Alberic responded.
And so, the two knights exited the tent, got on their horses and departed to the woods.
They had a single task; to find any sort of civilization.
Xxxxxxx
In the same setting as the Second Universe
If you're wondering about the character change of Ainz in the beginning of the story, let's just say that in the context of this setting, Overlord isn't an Isekai, and the Supreme Beings weren't video games characters but real people.
Also yes, I decided to call the Overlord world Sepulnoter.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review so I can learn your opinion. I'm willing to accept suggestions, so stay tuned.
See you on the next chapter!