Author's Note:
As always, I wish you good health. Let the world-building continue. Adieu!
-Zirmeister
Disclaimer:
This fanfiction is a crossover that directly takes characters and other source material from the two preexisting light novel series Overlord and Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken. Please go support the authors, artists and the other people who have worked on each of the respective works.
"...I see, so you're just as confused as me. By the way, you don't need to call me that. Just call me Loki."
Loki crossed his legs as he continued to give a serious stare at the undead.
"Alright. Then I hope you can just refer to me as Ainz. I am not really one for pleasantries."
On the other side, Ainz felt he was sitting too rigidly on his seat. But right now he had to be more focused on what the trickster God in front of him would be trying to do.
The talks between the two have been going smoothly, for the most part. Loki had been doing most of the talking, specifically when he kept reminiscing the times of where he had involved himself in many affairs that Ainz thought a God should not frequently do. With each passing minute, the God of Trickery continued to flaunt his reputation around in order to make a considerable impression towards the undead, and for a moment it worked in a sense that there were a few key details that could not afford to be passed up.
Ainz could easily tell that Loki was someone who was greatly knowledgeable about Yggdrasil, yet the God interpreted certain aspects from the DMMORPG game in such a way that the undead would consider it to be hardcore roleplaying. Apart from that, the content in the God's words were an uncanny resemblance to what had actually gone down in the former NPC and the quests he would give out to heteromorphic players.
Loki then let out a bellowing laughter which sounded genuine, at least to the undead's non-existent ears. He seemed to be taking the word "laughter" to the next level as one of his hands was placed on his guts as he bent his back at an inhuman angle.
"…Was there something I said that is making you laugh so much, Loki?"
"N-no, it's j-just — I was half-expecting you to get all riled up like my dad. But really, this is a huge relief, Ainz. I really hate to call people with honorifics even if they are deserving of my respect. You are an exception, of course, but it still leaves a bad taste on my mouth."
Ainz nodded in understanding as he watched Loki wipe tears off of his eyes, who had now recomposed himself.
As the God laid back on his throne, the undead heard jingling noises from below. His eyes briefly fell on the twin-chained hooks that were dangling off of his waist.
"…Ah, right. While I do remember you a little bit, where are those other quirky individuals that I usually see you hanging around with?"
Loki made another exaggerated expression of trying to look for someone in the endless horizon. Of course that was not doing anything for him unless he had a skill that made [ Hawkeye ] look like a child's binoculars.
"Ah…they're not here anymore. Or at least, they did not arrive with me here."
A small frown appeared on the trickster God.
"Is that so…a shame, really—I had really liked the spunk of that goat demon. Whatwasit, it was something like Albert…?"
"—His full name was Ulbert Alain Odle. I had forgotten to ask you this beforehand, but how is it that, apart from me, you remember Ulbert-san and other Players?"
"One does not tend to forget interesting faces, even in a God's lifetime, Ainz. Maybe for some of my peers…okay, most of them would simply bat an eye at the names of mortals in general, but I for one recall the great conquests of Ainz Ooal Gown!"
Loki stood up and swiveled to the right, placing his right foot on one of the armrests of his obsidian throne while lifting his right hand in the air, which was now curled up into a fist.
"Everyone who came before you had not proved their mettle compared to the likes of you. You, who so proudly led your fellow guild to completing one of the most arduous tasks in all of history, should have your names carved into the etches of all Pantheons' history books!"
Ainz, not knowing how to react to Loki's flamboyant acts, triggered his emotional suppression.
"…Wait a moment. Were you referring to the acquirement of Hygieia's Chalice?"
The undead heard a loud snap somewhere within the neck region of the trickster God. Loki's wide smile was now stretched to inhumane lengths, like a devil whose sadism was being barely concealed.
"Naturally, that name should not be unfamiliar for Ainz Ooal Gown. If that is what you are curious about, then allow me to showcase the item of interest."
Ainz was surprised in the next second. Not because of the fact that he was indeed right on the money with his guess, but because of the following action that the God of Trickery had done.
Whether this action was credited to Loki's ability of his infamous illusion arts that tricked even the eyes of Punitto Moe in Yggdrasil, it was nonetheless an impressive sight for the God to conjure up the same exact appearance of the World Item that Ainz had spoken of.
This World Item was brought into the hands of Ainz Ooal Gown after a daring raid.
At the very end of the quest-chain that Ainz Ooal Gown had undertaken, Loki had given yet another ridiculously difficult task to Ainz and his exhausted guild members. Under a heavily imposed time limit, they had to obtain "Hygieia's Chalice" from none other than one of the five daughters of Asclepius, Hygieia, the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation.
To do this, they had to annihilate the waves of enemies that were guarding the entrance to what looked like the Temple of Artemis. Because of the insane amount of both high and low karmic-valued monsters, not to mention some of them matching the strength of a single World Enemy when given the chance to regroup, even Yamaiko's repeated uses of [ Judgment of Osiris ] and spells which were suited against these type of enemies were met with stubborn resistance.
Punitto's strategy of "divide-and-conquer" was unable to give the members of Ainz Ooal Gown an upper hand since the AI was specifically optimized for "horde mechanics." Kiting the enemies seemed to also be out of the question, so the strategy then fell onto Ulbert Alain Odle, who was more than pleasant to be of great use after putting his [ World Disaster ] class to the mettle.
What was originally supposed to be a strategy of whittling down enemies turned into a fire-fight so large that it was recorded by surrounding Players who could not interfere in the quest-locked battlefield. They were enamored by Tenth Tier and Super Tier spells, creating a wildly explosive spectacle for everyone to see. The sight alone was pretty much hell on earth for the lower-leveled Players spectating the battle, who knew that they could not possibly reach Ainz Ooal Gown's combined firepower and proficient teamwork abilities.
On Ainz Ooal Gown's side, they found it annoying that whenever the large swathes of the monsters tried to be diverted via "aggro," a new stratagem had started to be put into use on the opponents' side. This was what Ainz quickly learned as a "change in phase," as Peroroncino himself made a gawking noise that sounded like a debilitating chicken. That was because the birdman and his equally baffled friends saw the monsters de-equip their bludgeoning weapons and re-equip themselves with Legendary-class bows, staffs and wands.
The already terrible situation had become even worse in a matter of seconds, and every single Ainz Ooal Gown member participating in Loki's quest felt wanting to strangle the developers' necks for implementing this extremely unfair mechanic.
Luckily, after Ulbert exhausted all of his mana reserves, Ainz Ooal Gown and their combined "damage-per-second" (DPS) were able to finish off the great horde of monsters. They had let out sighs of relief when they found out that the monsters who kept filling in the missing ranks every time a group was picked off originally came from the underground depths where Hygieia's Chalice had laid unclaimed. It was easy pickings from there onwards, but every member was scarred with traumatic memories on the horde of monsters that nearly overwhelmed them when their defenses would falter just for one second.
It's fortunate that every single one of us were so stubborn that no one minded repeating this quest-chain. The fact that it would completely restart the quest-chain and make us go all the way back to step one if the time limit ran out…no wonder that even guilds like Seraphim opted out not to go for this quest, saying that it was a waste of valuable time and resources.
"Is…is this the real chalice, Loki?"
"Hm? Oh, yes...and no. You may consider it bewildering that I possess this, but I will be frank with you — I have only done what I could to mimic it using my own powers. The Devourer of the Nine Worlds may have usurped a great deal of my powers, but Hygieia and I had come to a mutual agreement since bickering over petty arguments did not give anything of remote benefit to either party. She too was a great help in this somewhat lessened copy. I believe that you alone are worthy enough to have it."
It was a little disappointing to Ainz that this was not the actual World Item. But since Loki had said so himself that it was more than a mere conjuration or illusion, there was no reason that he should deny it.
The lore had seemed to line up pretty well. The Devourer of the Nine Worlds was a massive threat to both Players and Gods in Yggdrasil. It excites me a little to see that Loki is not only following the script, but he is giving his own dialogue and is exercising his own conscience into the matter.
"Well...if you really don't mind, then I will gladly accept the gift that is born out of the fruits of both you and Hygieias' efforts."
"Of course. It would be nothing more than gratefulness for someone such as you to take it from my hands as I find myself unable to make relative use of it."
After briefly using [ All Appraisal Magic Item ] — Loki found this to be quite a rude gesture, but he decided to let it slide considering the circumstances — Ainz accepted Loki's gift and was given the elegant-looking chalice that had been floating above the God of Trickery's hands. He then proceeded to place the mimicked Hygieia's Chalice into his inventory.
"—Anyways…I find it just as weird that I've not only been brought here, but this 'Voice' had the audacity to replicate my very own soul. Something that should be literally impossible in every aspect. And from what I've garnered so far from the Voice, I'm supposed to serve you, Ainz. Isn't that weird?"
"Hm…I do find it odd that a Norse God out of all people is declaring his loyalty to someone such as I. And, I do not mean to offend you when I say this, but I have my doubts when the person saying this is none other than the God of Mischief. I may be lacking in some fields, but when it comes to people like you, I know more than just hearsays."
A cheery smile flashed on Loki. He seemed to be pleased by being well known, or rather he is really just used to people knowing him in the first place.
"I can't say that I don't understand where you're going with this. True, I am fond of playing tricks on people, regardless of status. But…"
The God of Mischief looked back over his shoulder, subsequently making Ainz do the same in curious fashion.
"…I don't really mind hanging around here for some time. Plus, I am pretty sure this isn't even my real body. I'm clearly more built than this!"
"Ho?" Ainz exclaimed, his interest piquing at the enigmatic statement.
"Yep. That Voice you and I heard earlier; it only barely managed to create someone like me, and it was thanks to your own knowledge about Yggdrasil. But, if it was really me, then I would not hesitate to destroy you — a false God in the making."
Their eyes clashed with one another with none giving up the overdramatic staring contest.
Right now Ainz's mind was alleviated due to the useful handiworks of emotional suppression. He instinctively began to apply even more buffing skills to himself, not knowing what was going to happen in the next minute.
While he does look scary, I'm not really surprised at this haughty attitude. Is it because Yggdrasil honed my mind to deal with these theatrics? Or is it my undead self keeping me cool headed at all times? Either way, Loki is not someone whose temper I should aggravate.
"—Then, what is stopping you from doing so, Loki? It is just the two of us here in this empty space. And if you really wanted to deal with me, then you would have already finished the job instead of giving me a greeting. For someone who is supposed to be the God of Trickery, your ulterior motives could never be as obvious as now."
"Haah…you know, I like your attitude, Ainz. You do not back down from a challenge, though I know exactly what is behind all of that bravado you're showing. Perhaps you were just reading me wrong this whole time. My brothers called me an unpredictable fellow, after all."
Loki's eyes dilated as his hands twitched, lowering themselves to his weapons at bay. His smile was now more benefitting for someone such as a deranged lunatic. Ainz continued to stand still, his pose silently demonstrating a calm demeanor that betrayed his inner emotions.
Then, as if this tense atmosphere was all but a ruse, Loki's hardened expression fell back into a childish pout.
"Ahh, but I don't really have anything to use against you~ These, what do you call them…skills? They're awfully mediocre and I actually don't really know how to use them. There is this levitation ability that I'm super fond of using, but that's really about it!"
Huh?
Ainz reared his head at the sudden change in disposition. Then he thought about the potential abilities that Loki would have along with his usual attitude.
Lying about one's abilities was something that Ainz did on a regular basis. This was even more true when he had to engage in fights with other similarly leveled players in PVP matches, with the undead preferring to engage in more dirty-handed tactics that would throw off his opponents.
Ainz tried to think really hard at where the God of Mischief was going, but before he could say anything, Loki continued with his finger placed on his lips which pursed back and forth.
"—You see, I came up with a little theory. It's about the way the Voice works. While I am just a physical manifestation of an Ultimate Skill, it should really only be used by the one who possesses said skills. As peculiar as this sounds, all of me belongs to all of you. My skills are yours for the taking, though you might need to go over them in more detail rather than glazing it. It's very, very important that you do not mess this up, Ainz!"
It almost sounded like Loki was pleading Ainz to not mess it up, which admittedly gave the undead a little bit of stress. But it was a comfortable change in the trickster God's attitude that made Ainz seriously consider what he was saying for a moment.
Well, it's not like what he's saying actually matters to me. I had technically already peered in the names and functions of Ultimate Skills, but if that's the case, does that mean Hades will be here as well?
"…Of course. I plan not to let even the smallest of details get away from me, Loki. Thank you for informing me of this change."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not that much of an idiot compared to my brother who thirsts for battle. Thankfully he isn't here or else my mood would immediately sour."
For some reason, something had clicked in Ainz's head.
It was the possibility of nanomachines sending him into this Matrix ripoff — the reference would have never gotten to him if it was not for a certain Brain Eater in his guild — as a result of an erroneous process or even the lack of nanomachines, both of which were relatively plausible. This would make more sense to him compared to being brought into a whole new world outside of Earth.
But here he was, talking to someone who claimed to be Loki. Not even a lucid dream can go to great lengths such as this, and Ainz knew this was not a dream since he tried pinching himself several times.
Ainz did take the stranger seriously though because of how mischievous he was acting in front of him, so he kept a wary eye on him even after the supposed "oath of fealty" from the God of Mischief.
"—But!" Loki suddenly said out loud, startling Ainz. "Let's not beat around the bush. There's something that's been catching my attention. That World Item of yours — why wear an ancient relic of the Gods?"
Ainz tilted his head. "Ancient relics? Is that what you refer to it as?"
Loki acknowledged with a grunt as he continued to eye the World Item, though Ainz could not tell if he was interested or concerned about the sinister red orb that nestled gently under the undead's ribcage.
—Now that I think about it, World Items are probably not that significant for a God, so it's not like I'll be under constant scrutiny for having them. And trying to anger him when he is trying to be courteous would worsen my relations with the God of Mischief. If he is serious about wanting to serve me, then I should at least give reasons as to why I'm wearing it...maybe a half-truth will settle his worries.
Ainz placed one of his hands on the surface of his World Item. "If you must know, I wear this for the sake of empowerment, but I do not see any reason to remove it right now. Is there anything else that you need to know?"
"I was simply curious about it, that's all. But, now that I think about it, did the Voice of the World have trouble with your ceremony precisely due to the presence of this World Item? Whether or not otherworldly presences have long marked their etch onto the pages of this world's history, World Items alone may unknowingly bring terrible storms."
Ainz thought about what Loki just said before speaking with a voice which was now at a deep-level pitch that put even baritone horns to shame.
"—I cannot say for sure if that is fortunate or the other way around, but I understand your concerns. But if you are what people referred to you as, then with the help of your illusion arts, there will be no problem with masking both the appearance and aura of a World Item."
Loki seemed pleased after Ainz had intentionally diverted the conversation into a stage where the God would be the recipient of genuine compliments. This was also a way for Ainz to see if Loki was the real deal.
"Hmph! That much is no problem for someone like me. But to think that you would not be irate over me prodding into a sensitive topic. Should I assume Ainz Ooal Gown has already become customary to World Items and its divine presence? Not even Seraphim could boast of having as many as you and your friends."
"—You know Seraphim?!"
Ainz had accidentally said that a little louder, and he found out too late that he was leaning forward towards the surprised God, who only let out a chuckle at the undead's quirky response.
"A-apologies, I didn't mean to overreact like that."
"Nah, you're alright. Yes, me and my brothers found the Seraphim to be…what would your people call it? Hot trash? Right—precisely so, they were a bunch of hot trash who were self-absorbed in their righteous justice. It reminded me of a few people I knew. It makes me sick just thinking about them. They're not like you and your other friends, who are clearly much more civilized than those brutish angels."
"That's…an apt way to put it, Loki."
Ainz could see that Loki was seemingly growing more disinterested based on his current facial expressions. He saw God's posture shifting from straightened to slouching in the matter of seconds.
"Well, I'd rather not continue this topic any further. Is it true that Ainz Ooal Gown held the most World Items throughout all the Nine Worlds? I would have expected you to be more boastful about it. I certainly would have."
"You could say that," Ainz said as his mind idly wandered off to the Treasury in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. "Though I would not say World Items are easy pickings. We happened to see them more than every once in a while, but admittedly we had to pick up the slack once guilds like Seraphim became increasingly motivated to gather them. But we still treated them as something that could change everything."
"As it should be. Then, if you require more assistance from me on these grounds, I do not mind providing help. I would absolutely despise it if these ancient relics fell into the hands of insignificant mortals such as Seraphim."
Ainz was still sitting on his chair, but he slowly leaned in closer, prompting Loki, who was still standing, to do the same in exaggerated fashion. The God was slightly towering over the undead this way, but he crouched down for whatever reason.
"Does that mean people from Seraphim will be arriving here too, Loki?"
"No, I don't think so. Why—are you concerned about them?"
"Since I don't see my friends here, of course I am. They might be bringing World Items with them too, and I cannot dismiss the potential for them to grow stronger with the Voice of the World's help."
"I understand. Then which one of those members do you want me to target first?" Loki finally said, lifting a finger up in the air. "I may be only able to help through the powers of my Ultimate Skill, but if you so generously provide me with an adequate host, I will easily capture them and bestow you the World Items that rightfully belong to my great master~"
Eh?! Is he seriously thinking about fighting them head-on? What an insane God. And how do I know he's going to keep his word and not backstab me?
"—By the way, I will definitely not backstab you. I have sworn my oath of fealty to serve you, and only you, Ainz."
"Are you reading my mind by any chance?"
"I could see it in your gaping mouth that you were befuddled by my request, no?"
Ainz suddenly snapped his mouth shut as soon as Loki pointed that out.
"Well, it's fine. It's food for thought, of course. I wouldn't want to interfere in your affairs unless you personally come to me for help. In all seriousness, what say you when it comes to dealing with those foreigners? So far I can only see that you are the only one out of your kind who was able to come here, but I cannot say for sure if that will continue to be the case."
Ainz took some time to think about those words before coming to the conclusion that Loki had been referring to the people of this world. He had his own concerns too about the arrival of future Players, but he did not expect the question to arrive so soon.
"In my opinion, I'd do my best to avoid them until I can gather more information on this world and its foreign skills. They will no doubt be able to receive the same powers as me, so in the end, it might be necessary to kill them after getting what I need to know. It is because they would possess valuable intel that could get into the hands of other people…"
…Eh? How did I just think about that without getting sick in the stomach? I can't just casually pass up someone's life now, can I? Is it one of the side effects of being an undead that I simply don't care anymore about who lives and who dies?
Disturbing as it may be, Ainz knew he needed to be more forward when it came to life-or-death scenarios. It became increasingly clear to him that this was no longer a game.
In some cases, the slightest bit of hesitation, especially when information gathering is involved, would result in his immediate loss. Now that his life could be truly in danger, this immediate loss would actually be the forfeit of his own life.
That much he knew, and he was resolved to take his situation more seriously. Yet Ainz could not help but feel faint displeasure at how swiftly decisive he was on this matter.
"…Anyway, I would find it best if we would capture those people for interrogation before their demise. I'd hate to see potential treasure troves sink to the bottom of the sea."
"Hoo…give them a lifeline only for it to act as bait in the end. So that was your plan, Ainz. Very well, if this is what you wish for. I cannot go back on the words of my master~"
Loki grinned, knowing that he still has permission to deal with unsavory foes of the undead if necessary. He then clapped his hands all of a sudden as though he came up with something brilliant, startling the undead.
"—I think it's enough chit-chattering, Ainz! You should know that I'm not the only one who was brought here. They're all somewhere else sitting on their asses, but that's because they're probably scared of meeting you."
"Scared of meeting me?"
"Yes. Now that they have completely and utterly lost the remnants of the divine blood that ran through them when we were all inhabiting the Nine Worlds, they too have become pawns of the Voice. Even you and I are no strangers to the powers granted unto us. It would be a fool's errand to deny this power, but even so, they could only make use of that power if they line up to become fully fledged servants under you."
Seeing Ainz's silence, Loki spoke up with a more reassuring tone.
"I would not worry too much, Ainz. If you're concerned about the other Gods becoming a future threat to you, let's just say that it's virtually impossible for them to rebel against you."
"Is that so? But I'm afraid I'm going to need more assurance than words, Loki."
"Hm. I thought you would say something like that. But this time, place your trust in me. For whatever reasons unknown, none of us could find any realms that were of our liking. Some even chose to go through the reincarnation cycle, knowing that they will just go back to their original vessels. But for the ones like me who stayed, we seemed to be heading on a collision course towards you, Ainz Ooal Gown."
Ainz was troubled by the God of Trickery's information. Not because he did not understand it.
No — it was more like he did not want to hear about it.
If what Loki was saying was true, then the existence of tens, if not hundreds of Gods that Yggdrasil opted to add in might actually be true. They would be freely moving about without the restrictions that a normal NPC would have. Ainz knew that he might be roped into a situation where if he were to falter even a little, he may be consumed by power hungry individuals that may lie within the crowds of Gods that are casually wandering about.
There was also the consideration of how they would turn out to be. To be more specific, how would their personalities turn out to be?
Would they be as callous and wicked as the normal Gods who could easily contend with several groups of level one hundred Players at a time? Or would they be as kind as to offer untold riches and power rivaling that of Divine Class equipment?
Loki himself said he would be serving Ainz, but Ainz had no guarantee that Loki's words were not laced with a hidden poison. But it would be even more dangerous for the undead to call out the God of Trickery for being an unfaithful servant.
For now, Ainz decided to see how things would play out. Arrogance may have been shown from the trickster God from time to time, but it did not reach to levels of belligerency. And now that Loki was aware of Ainz's hidden reserves of power after feeling [ Despair Haki ] (the skill was pushed to only twenty percent of its power), the God too felt it was an unwise move to go against the undead's words.
"Then…if that's the case, are they only scared because it affects their original standing? I am aware how prideful Gods are as that has been a trait of theirs for as long as history remembers them to be as."
"You're right on the money, Ainz! Do you know how extremely embarrassing it would be to go from standing shoulder to shoulder in their Pantheons to becoming submissive in the blink of an eye?"
"Then why would you be so eager to sign up, Loki? Trying to separate yourself from them in terms of bearing humility is the least likely scenario I can see happening."
"How offensive! I came here because I am genuinely interested in becoming your servant. If need be, I am willing to throw away my status, my past history, even my pride as the God of Trickery just to be a lowly servant of yours truly!"
By now, Loki was prostrating in front of Ainz, who tried his best to not stumble on his next few words.
"Y-you don't need to go that far. If you are so willing to serve under me, then the next thing to do is to at least not act like that."
"Like that…?" Loki questioned, lifting his head up with curiosity on his face.
"Umu. You do not need to sink so low just to work under me. As a matter of fact, you hold more experience in many fields compared to me. I would like you to treat your status as not someone who would serve me, but someone who could tutor me as well. Since we are both in a completely alien world, it stands to benefit that we can both learn from each others' knowledge and magic when the situation needs it."
"Ohh…you are clearly too kind for an undead, Ainz. The other necromantic Gods need to learn a thing or two from you, it seems. I understand, though. I will become a great advisor so that the great Ainz Ooal Gown can rise to even greater heights!"
"I'll be counting on your help, Loki. Now please stand up, you're continuing to make yourself look bad."
After the God stood up, both of them went for another handshake, though it seemed to be more eager than the last one. Ainz too was now standing up from his obsidian throne, and this time he was slightly towering over Loki.
"There is something else I need to ask you, by the way."
"If it is within my ability, I will give my best answer.!
"Umu. You said the Gods need to serve me in order to make full use of their powers. How do I improve their opinions of me?"
Loki cupped his chin as he went into thought.
"Well, since I'm here, I do not mind vouching for your reputation. It might also do well for you to showcase a little bit of your magic in case some of the Gods get a funny idea and try to beat you up. Not that they can do anything to someone like you, but I can easily see that happen with some of the more brutish types out there."
"Are you already well established among your peers for you to make them consider your words?"
"Let's just say some of them owe me century-long favors that I can cash in for this occasion."
"I see. If other Gods do come here, then I hope that you will be at the forefront of sweet-talk diplomacy, given your silver tongue. I can't say that I'm too confident in this field."
"Ah! Leave it to me, Ainz. They will no doubt express their gratitude for serving someone who will surpass even the best of us. If that does not somehow get in their heads, I will make them see things differently."
"Is that so…well, are there any Gods that are going to visit us anytime soon?"
"Now that you mention it, I did speak with someone who hailed from the Greek Pantheon before I arrived in this place. It's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't place my finger on—"
"—Loki. So you did arrive before me. A sorry sight for sore eyes, if I do say so myself."
The God of Mischief was interrupted by a booming voice, causing both him and the undead to peer to the sides of their thrones. They focused their eyes towards the new speakers?
"…It's him."
Another visitor had unexpectedly arrived under his radar, but Ainz was not as surprised as he would have been in Yggdrasil. He may have been able to sneak by with the Voice also acting as a beneficiary as it would be towards any newcomers.
With the feeling of touch being ever more present even in a dimension where all life was null, Ainz felt a great deal of negative energy emanating from the individual that was approaching them. This same energy was currently cloaking the outwards appearance of the person, but Ainz can somewhat make out the tracings of a man beneath the aura's malevolent layers.
As someone who was familiar with high-tier heteromorphic undead races, negative energy was a phenomenon that Ainz did not pay too much attention towards. He kept it somewhat in mind when it affected how much it would heal or damage himself, his allies, his summons, and naturally, his opposition.
For someone to use it to overload their aura was a feat that Ainz did not know was possible. If the undead were to base it off of this, then the individual making towards their position would be naturally affiliated with "un-life." That only made it terrifyingly easy for Ainz to deduct it to a few, if not one God that was extremely knowledgeable in this field.
"This is one of those necromantic Gods, Loki?"
"Y-yes. To be more specific, that is none other than the king of the Underworld, or in your case, the first ruler of Helheim and one of the 'Councilmen' of the Nine Worlds. I was expecting him to come a little later, but I stand corrected."
"I see."
Loki slightly smirked at the casual reply from the undead, not knowing the real truth behind those words.
I haven't felt this much of a stomach ache since that one social gathering where I drank too much and vomited. Out of all the Gods that would be coming here, why does it have to be someone like him?!
The amount of stressful scenarios continued to pile up in his head as Ainz instinctively went to straighten his posture, while Loki bore a serious look that did not befit his usual cheery attitude. The undead hoped the next encounter with this foreign God along with the Voice's autonomous duties working in the distant background would meet an inevitably swift conclusion.
With all the common sense vested into him, Rimuru had stubbornly denied Staff's opportunistic actions that continued to lead them further deep inside the labyrinths of the former Storm Dragon's cave dwellings. It was practically the opposite of where he wanted to go, and even if he had to comb out materials such as hipokute herbs and magic ore, he would most likely find those places emptied due to his previous incursions.
He went along with the woman since he could not really deny her request, given the circumstances at the time. His [ Great Sage ] was still locked up, and for a moment he wanted to bring it up to Staff, but there was not an available time for them to settle down and talk. Rimuru remembered to keep it in the back of his head for the time being as he followed the woman, both of them ignoring the confused monsters they speedily passed by.
Initially there was a great deal of worry within the slime. He saw throughout multiple occasions that the one who continued to call herself the "greatest Guild Weapon out of the Nine Worlds," whatever that meant to him, had this prideful and sometimes charming look on her face. That was because her exuding charisma was always at its peak regardless of what situation they were in.
An average-joe monster could easily be taken care of by someone like Rimuru with his current abilities being up to date. Literally, it meant he could perfectly mimic the abilities of the monsters that he absorbed. Yet he did not use them and instead favored putting all of his eggs into one basket.
The concept of versatility was not something Rimuru had often thought about, so when Staff saw him launch ten [ Water Blades ] towards all various types of monsters, he got laughed at for it. That made the slime slightly frustrated and even yell out to the woman if she could do any better.
That was a question Rimuru would never ask Staff ever again.
It must have been a skill she was hiding from him up until now, but Rimuru had seen the woman for who she really was under her modern Japanese attire. The seamless switch into what the slime could only interpret as the female version of the famous Spartan Leonidas had surprised both the onlooker and the aggressors who were irritated by the woman's disruptions of their peace.
When the monsters, which the slime learned to be Black Spiders, had casually approached Staff, it seemed the monstrous arachnids knew that the woman was wearing equipment and gear exclusive to that of a seasoned warrior. They had taken this into consideration, and at first they utilized the spacious surroundings to their advantage—scurrying onto the walls and ceilings while shooting what looked to be [ Sticky Threads ] in Rimuru's perspective. It was frightening to see the monsters actually strategizing and coordinating their movements in order to secure the kill.
With these moves, the Black Spiders were also trying to assert their dominance over the environment they were using to their complete advantage. But despite that, Staff had continued to watch the three lurking within the shadows with growing disinterest on her face. While Rimuru had to keep an eye out every single second, she was still undeterred by the monsters' frantic movements.
Then, without a warning, the slime witnessed something completely out of the ordinary, even for the standards of this world. Rimuru could not accurately describe it even if he was given months to describe Staff's following actions.
The sharp flow in her movements and hypersensitive reflexes allowed her to dodge and weave all of the simultaneous ranged attacks from the three Black Spiders. A second after that, the golden-hued shield and spear she was holding — hence Rimuru's "Spartan" reference — were compressed and mushed together as though they were merely balls of clay to Staff. It had morphed into an entirely different weapon that the slime could quickly identify as a crossbow.
Before Rimuru could complain that a medieval weapon could do anything of the sort, he was not ready to see it fire off several hundreds of neon bright bolts into the sky. His eyes then bulged when the magic-riddled bullets did not follow a straight line, but rather diversifying into three different directions, each homing onto a separate Black Spider.
As fast as a Black Spider could move, even within its preferable grounds, they were unable to outpace one of Staff's magic bolts that could travel as fast as a speeding bullet. The moment they made impact with one of the Black Spiders' hairy surfaces, the result was the utter vaporization of at least five of the arachnid's several legs.
A huge chunk of the main body was taken out as well, and Rimuru had to unfortunately bear witness to a rain of bloody entrails falling from the ceiling above them. Thankfully, Staff had set up a thinly veiled layer of protective shielding in their vicinity, protecting all three of them.
Rimuru did not forget that during all of this mayhem, Ainz was still deep within his slumber, and he was mercilessly being treated like a piece of luggage to Staff. The woman had vehemently opposed the slime's perspective that he was treated as such, but it was difficult for Rimuru to change his mind when the undead looked as though he was being carried out in a funeral procession.
The two other Black Spiders did not get off so easily since they too were obliterated by a multitude of ranged magical attacks. But to Rimuru's disgust and horror, the warm smile on Staff's face was now tainted with blood that dripped from her head down to her sharpened boots.
It only got worse when she asked him if she could "thoroughly investigate the various compositions of the monsters." Since that sounded more or less like salvaging monster materials, Rimuru happily agreed to the woman's kind request.
What actually happened was the delighted looking woman foraging her hands inside the Black Spiders' torn up corpses, occasionally showing the horrified slime a different organ or two and asking "What do you call this, Rimuru?"
At first Rimuru partially blamed himself for misunderstanding Staff's words, but then he realized it was not the problem in what she said, but rather how the woman followed up in her approach. As respectful as Staff could be sometimes, Rimuru guessed she was genuinely unaware how boundaries worked.
That could also explain why Staff was horribly handling Ainz's transportation while the woman kept saying it was for his own good. While she was doing an efficient job at protecting the undead, Rimuru thought her extreme actions were displacing regular societies' norms. Anyone with a semblance of common sense would consider her actions to be a war crime to humanity.
With that being said, there was no way that Rimuru would ever meet a happy-go-lucky individual who could also possess frightening amounts of power and the lack of a moral compass.
"-Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha! I have arrived to meet this Ainz Ol' Goon! Now, since you angered my friend, I have no choice but to discipline you and teach you what it's like to face a True Demon Lord!"
In the distance, Rimuru, followed by Staff (she was in the middle of dissecting an Armorsaurus corpse), turned their heads to a mysterious, twin-ponytailed person who was standing on a much higher ground.
What also greeted them was mountainous stalactites of rock falling towards them. Before Rimuru was able to react, Staff cleaned up the mess of the creature and shot out more of the same magic-filled missiles from earlier. A series of explosions echoed throughout the cave.
The haughty laughter of what sounded like an innocent teenager made the slime start to think twice about his previous remark.
