Author's Note:
Hello, I just wanted to say something to clear up the confusion that is bound to come in my messages/reviews. If you're not one of those readers that were here before the chapter division (back when there was still 5 chapters), then please continue on to the main story.
I had decided to split up chapters to the best of my abilities, but in the end each chapter was still quite lengthy. I added line breaks, but it's still a hefty read for the average one, so just bear with that until I can make further improvements to the plot. But from now on, expect more chapters for each volume!
So for any of you old readers who are confused at the chronology of the chapters, here are the steps I recommend you to take if you want to catch up.
For anyone who's eager to get back on track:
I recommend reading Chapter 2 since it's a completely new chapter for both new and old readers.
After that, Chapter 5 has a lessened word count since I moved some parts to somewhere else, but Chapter 6 is where most of the changes occur in terms of placement which helped me progress the future chapters much more smoothly. There's also slightly new content in Chapter 6, but I can only really say to read both Chapters 5 & 6 since the chapters before that (excluding Chapter 1) are pretty much the same.
Chapter 9 has juicy amounts of exposition because I cannot help myself but add loads of that. I thank you Kugane Maruyama for unfortunately veering me towards this writing style.
From that point of the chapter forward awaits you the rest of the new chapters apart from Chapter 10 which has remained relatively unchanged.
And for anyone who's willing to re-read the whole thing (god bless you) then keep an eye out for the chapters I mentioned above.
Alright now, on to the story! This may or may not be the last major rewrite/placement, but if it ever happens, I will do my best to guide your lost souls to the right path.
As always, I wish you good health. Let the world-building continue. Adieu, folks!
-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.
"Well then, it seems I have arrived at the right place."
The domineering presence of this man made Loki shiver a bit, but the God stood his ground just as much as Ainz did, though the latter wanted to shrivel up.
This feeling of inferiority was probably due to the way the stranger composed himself. Not only was he effortlessly showing off the aesthetics of his posture and clothing, but the way he was walking towards the two made it seem as if he owned the entire world.
The stranger that was well on his way to invade Ainz's personal space was wearing an unusually formal attire in the undead's metaphorical eyes. While much more extravagant than Loki's outfit, the stranger's suit and slim-cut jeans perfectly complemented each other, simmering the intensity of the man's aura. There were dazzling white colors that were populated with various but extravagant designs, which made Ainz think he was an extremely rich man.
His silver hair was a little disheveled, but it did not dispel the natural charisma exuding from the newcomer. His eyepatch was covering his right eye, so his left eye was busy sweeping its own gaze over the two uniquely dressed individuals for sometime before it rested on the royally attired undead.
Ainz had already feared Loki's sheer unpredictability, but he wanted to sweat bullets just seeing how this elegantly dressed man was approaching him with even more mysterious intent. Loki meanwhile was just as surprised as the undead, but he did a better job at concealing his true emotions.
"Well well, if it isn't the ruler of Helheim — pardon, the Underworld himself. So you decided to finally crawl out of your little basement down under, Hades? Took you long enough."
—Eh? What was the point of our talk from earlier if you were going to intentionally rouse him up in anger anyway?!
As Ainz was internally freaking out about Loki's provocative remarks, the jab was thankfully met only with a slow head shake from Hades.
"Helheim…right, that is what you refer to it as in your own homeland. My apologies, but I had come late due to this 'Voice' bestowing a few more additions to my repertoire of skills which has now considerably grown since then. But it still does not make up for the unspeakable loss of the rest of my powers that you and I have once boasted of."
"Right, right, that did make me depressed when I—o-oi, what are you doing? Hades?!"
What Loki did not expect was the God of the Underworld to immediately fall into an immaculate kneeling position as soon as he was roughly a meter and a half away from his position.
Both Ainz and Loki's eyes wanted to bulge out of their eye sockets, but while one struggled not to do so, the other could not actually do it. But either way, the intent to commit such an immature action was still well and present within each of their minds.
"It baffles me to see that Ainz-dono — no, Ainz-sama is not in a Pantheon nor does it seem like he is leading one right now. Or perhaps I had not read the situation correctly and that a Pantheon is unworthy for someone like Ainz-sama. Either way, my intuition has never been wrong, and right now it is telling me that Ainz-sama will lead a new future that will rival even that of Olympus."
Olympus…so I really am meeting a God from the Greek Pantheon.
Apart from actual mythology, Hades did play a huge role in Yggdrasil much like Loki had done so. Ainz recalled that he was both a benefactor and an enemy that could fight multiple level 100 Players at once without breaking a sweat. He also remembered the particular God having this succulently formal speaking voice that seemingly matched with what he was hearing right now.
The undead mage sincerely hoped that he did not have to engage in a battle of wits with him as he was not mentally prepared for this situation. He almost felt like wanting to curl up in a ball and think that all of this was a dream, but he could not do that right now for obvious reasons.
"A-ah, okay, that's true," Loki sputtered, clearly confused at his sudden formal addressing he gave towards the Overlord. "But to go so far as to outright abandon your godly heritage, it's…"
"Nonsense, Loki. The fact remains that Ainz-sama is here with that same power that was demonstrated in Yggdrasil, no?"
Ainz watched in disbelief as Hades continued to affirm his stance on serving the undead, shocking even Loki who was regularly composed up until now.
Hades is definitely someone I need to watch out for. As expected of someone with his status; he has the natural aura of a ruler. And yet, he is even more zealous in pledging his loyalty to me than I could ever imagine.
Meanwhile Ainz saw that the man in front of him was still kneeling and immediately spoke up in an apologetic tone.
"Ah, please rise, Hades. I do not mean to impose on you any further. And please, call me Ainz. I have already stated to Loki here that I am completely fine with addressing you two as equals, especially since you two clearly possess more knowledge in many fields."
"I understand. But I would like for you to have more confidence in your abilities, Ainz. You, as of now, dwarf even my old abilities in terms of variety. And you probably already know this by now, but my status as a 'Councilman' does not matter to me at this point."
"By the way, that's just a title for people who think they're hot shots," Loki whispered to Ainz, who only nodded in half-understanding and half-confusion.
As the silver-haired man slowly rose, the undead sighed in relief, knowing the two were not blockheaded people who refused to listen to simple matters such as these. At least Ainz could be reassured that they were voices of reasons, no matter how quirky their personalities were.
Hades looked at his surroundings, seemingly trying to make something out of the invisible horizon. He then looked down and realized he was stepping on nothing if he did not trick himself into thinking it was a gargantuanly large platform.
"…Loki, what did you do to this place? Is this another one of your shenanigans you seem so fond of doing?"
Hades sounded more disappointed than angry, which tipped off the God of Mischief even more. The latter seemed to be gravely offended by the former person's statement and proceeded to place one of his hands on his chest.
"—Hold on! Why point fingers at me all of a sudden?! And why the hell do you think it was my doing, anyway?"
"Knowing you, there is nothing else that tells me that the place we are standing in is but a resemblance of an illusionary realm that only the God of Mischief and a few, and I truly emphasize at the word few, are capable of doing."
"I could do way better at conjuring up something compared to this shabby place. Second—"
"—No, it was not his doing, Hades," Ainz said, finally joining in the conversation.
Loki nodded as if to say "See?" while Hades went into another train of thought at trying to discern the real reason for this place's state of being. Ainz continued with his explanation once the chatter between the two Gods died down.
"While I cannot explain the workings behind the emptiness around us, I can at least confirm that all of this is thanks to the doings of the Voice of the World. Judging by how we are able to use our skills and what-not, we might have just been moved to a different dimension equivalent to some sort of 'limbo,' which I surmise will end once the Voice's work is finished."
Hades had a thoughtful look on his face before responding:
"You are referring to the Skills that it has yet to finish giving unto you, Ainz? From what I've gathered, it should be a straightforward process. While I understand that some people may receive more favor in the acquiring of Skills than others, I find it peculiar that it has already passed the normal amount of time for the Harvest Festival. Correction — far passed, this is simply taking too long."
"Hehh~ That's odd. The Voice already packed up and went when it came to the two of us. Just how many skills are you receiving, Ainz? Are you a literal cheat?"
"Not even I am aware as to the amount being given to me. Most of the Harvest Festival was converting my own abilities from Yggdrasil into this world's magic, probably for the sake of compatibility as the three of us are 'Otherworlders,' in a sense. I had fallen asleep for the Harvest Festival to initiate, then I went through another slumber-like state for the new things to roll in."
Hades and Loki looked at each other as if the undead was saying something truly maddening. The God of the Underworld then spoke up with a concerned face that made Ainz even more doubly concerned than him.
"S-so you are still gaining more skills, then? As expected of the God of Life and Death…am I to assume that those are the ones that rank below these 'Ultimate Skills' that the Voice had spoken of?"
"—Eh?"
"Ah, you just called him a God! Is he already one? No wait — he's already an insane person when it comes to his cornucopia of skills. Now it's just straight-up blasphemous as to how much he currently has. 'God of Life and Death…' indeed, what a nice name befitting our new master. No other God could accurately match this epithet as much as Ainz Ooal Gown."
God of Life and Death…? Wait, is that who I'm referred to as now? Did they just decide on a new epithet without my permission?! Since they're actual Gods, I'm pretty sure there's a lot of weight in those words, right?
"…I understand, but again, I would prefer it if you continue to address me as Ainz," the undead flatly said, betraying his internal wailing.
{ Alert. Sleep state of the individual "Ainz Ooal Gown" will end in ten minutes. New skills have been successfully granted to the True Overlord. Because of this, the borrowed skill [ Small World ] is no longer required for this task. As a result, the constructed subspace will be broken down. Beginning clean-up procedure. }
All three of them suddenly staggered a bit from a voice that echoed all around them. Loki and Hades covered their ears as if a horse fly buzzed a few inches near them. Ainz tried covering his ears as well, and it was only until half a minute had passed when the undead realized that covering one's ears was an impractical move on his part.
"Ahh, does that mean our glorious leader is going to be departing us?"
Ainz was briefly hit with nostalgia after hearing being called a glorious leader by Loki. He shook his head and faced the God of Trickery, who also looked to be in a somber state as well, for some reason.
"I suppose so. I do need to remember that I was brought into this world, specifically in this cave-looking area. Gathering information would be a start...I almost forgot to ask, but what will happen to the rest of you?"
"That's...a very good question. Hades?"
"—Always leaving it to me to answer your dilemma, Loki. I presume this will not be the last time we will meet, Ainz."
"Hm? How so?"
Hades tapped his head in a knowing manner, which absolutely confused Loki. However, Ainz somehow understood his gesture.
"…Are you saying I could just meet back in this place? But the Voice had specifically said this subspace will be broken down."
"Indeed, that is what the Voice had said. However, I had done some thorough analysis of this domain after using an extremely helpful skill that has been giving me a hefty amount of insight."
"Interesting..."
"Furthermore, this has also allowed me to figure out where we are. We are currently in a dimension that is actually hosted within your body, specifically [ Small World ]. For some reason, the Voice utilized this skill in order to establish a temporary subspace without your permission. I was a tad bit confused on how spatial magic works — in this world, at least — but from what I can gather, it utilizes one's magicules to create floors. But I am confident that the boundaries of what can be created here do not just end there."
Loki looked as though a lightbulb appeared above his head, making him temporarily take over the reins of the conversation much to the God of the Underworld's annoyance.
"—I believe I understand where Hades is going with this. The Place that we're in is simply a blank slate waiting to be filled in, Ainz. There's probably more to it that the damned Voice isn't telling us, but with magic being accessible here, I believe that you could already use my trump card magic to make great use of this [ Small World ], Ainz. Doesn't that just tickle your fancy?"
The words "trump card" thrummed within Ainz's chest. He knew what Loki was talking about.
"I see…you are referring to your Unique Skill [ Conjured Realm ]. But…can it really be used to fill in this [ Small World ]?"
"To be frank with you, I do not know much about the skill myself. But there is a first time for everything, I suppose."
Ainz suppressed a disappointed sigh when he saw Loki shrugging his shoulders. It seemed that this would be a little more difficult than he imagined.
[ Conjured Realm ] had a plethora of opportunities, but like many of his new spells, Ainz only grasped a "feel" of it. The idea that there is a first time for everything gave a foul taste in Ainz's mouth since he might be stepping on a minefield. But it seemed that he had no choice as when he tried asking Hades after Loki's inability to clarify any further, the God of the Underworld could only describe it as a "sorcerer's intuition."
Yes, of course. Go tell an ex-salaryman to rely on their sorcerer's intuition. What does that even mean?! Sorcerer's intuition my ass!
"I…guess you are right about that. But I fear what would happen to us if something goes awry mid-usage."
"You should be fine. Just don't overdo your thinking of the desires you want to channel into the Unique Skill."
"Hm? You said my desires have to be sent out? Does that mean I have to just…think about it?"
"Yeah. Try to think of anything. Who knows, you could even imagine my own homeland — though I'd be glad if you avoid bringing in certain figures here."
"Certain figures…I'm afraid your worries will be left unwarranted in the foreseeable future, Loki. If you two came here, then there is a high chance that I will meet others from their respective Pantheons, including yours."
"It is quite relieving to see that you are at least aware about more of us being potentially gathered here, Ainz. But as Loki had said, I advise being careful with who you choose to bring here. There is a chance that you are even tampering with the natural laws of space time right now. Not even I know the full extent of its consequences to committing such an action."
"In other words, Hades is saying you might be bringing in unwanted attention that is even more frightening than my family! I don't tend to talk with those people, considering they're, well…not right in the head. But if it's you, there might be a chance that even those rambunctious folks could be settled down…maybe."
Ainz cupped his chin in curiosity at both of the Gods' warnings. Right now he was trying his best not to mimic a cartoon character releasing steam out of his ears as he desperately tried to wrap his head around the concept.
I'll take Loki's words into serious consideration about certain Gods that might visit me in the future. But for now, let's just try to simplify things regarding what Hades had said just now.
When Ainz took a closer look within his mind, he tried to delve deeper into [ Small World ]. He already knew it was a spatial-based skill in which its type of magic only existed in few in Yggdrasil. For some reason, the Voice of the World automatically borrowed it from someone and is now going to take it away. But from what he can discern from their theories, [ Conjured Realm ] sounded like it could throw a wrench into the Voice's procedure. The undead thought about utilizing the skill in some form of brute-force method.
Then, all of a sudden, it became simple.
If he could change the inner constructs of this subspace with the help of [ Conjured Realm ], then there was one thing that immediately came to his mind.
The gears were turning in Ainz's head as he began to piece together his plan.
If Ainz thought about using [ Conjured Realm ] as a means of exploiting a glitch in the system — something the undead looked quite favorably at in Yggdrasil's "golden age" of some sorts — then he would pretty much abuse it for his own advantage before it would inevitably become patched.
He did not know if the "developers" of this world were even aware of the concept of patching, but there was also the possibility that the Voice was independent of any human emotions and mindsets. Ainz thought that meant it would not seriously consider fixing this loophole out of a needless worry or overreaction towards harshly criticizing Players that the undead saw a lot of in Yggdrasil.
The part about Hades being concerned about the possibilities of "tampering with the natural laws of space time" did send waves of worry down the undead's spine, but he could simply not pass up an opportunity such as this.
Ainz's confidence was backed up by a feeling that the Voice followed a rather basic procedure in its handling of skills.
In that case, how would it react when something interferes with said procedure? The answer would be found out within the next few minutes.
"Well…it seems that acting despondent about my leave from Nazarick would be all but a ruse if this somehow works out. No — this has to work, no matter what. I do not like having to place such a risky gamble on the first time use of a skill, but our powers are surely enough to subvert everyone's expectations, even the Voice of the World's. Gentlemen, I would advise that you backup a few steps for this procedure."
With curious looks on their faces, the two Gods heeded to the undead's call. Loki in particular had a giddy look on his face when he realized that the undead magic caster was also complimenting him and his powers.
Concentrating his thoughts, Ainz tried to channel his desires into [ Conjured Realm ]. Nothing was felt in the first few seconds, so he feared that he was grasping straws.
But in no time at all, he felt a faint connection to the spatial-based skill. Perhaps the metaphor at "grasping straws" should have been a literal application as he actually felt a "tug" into said skill.
"Umu. Here goes nothing…!"
Ainz then channeled all of his willpower into the spatial skill with countless memories that depicted him in several locations of a familiar place that he once called his home. He felt something gradually disappearing within himself, but he knew by now that it was actually the steady loss of his magicules.
Not long after, the room began to shift.
"—Interesting, this is interesting! Ainz is certainly right about betraying everyone's expectations, including mine! I somehow feel touched that my own powers are being relied on for whatever devious schemes the undead has in his mind."
Loki was speaking with true reverence in his voice as he watched the scenery change around him. The white canvas was now being painted at a furious speed, breathing new life into the dull, empty spaces that plagued the Overlord for so long.
The whirring sounds that were now being heard was the implantation of actual, atmospheric air — though that did not matter much to the three who did not need to breathe air due to their unique circumstances. Two were simply physical manifestations of the Ultimate Skills that are under Ainz's control while Ainz himself was an undead who was no longer required to breathe, eat or sleep.
But all of them found themselves holding their breaths when they saw the endless expanse being rapidly closed down to their position.
This was due to a brief, but large barrier which was both seen and felt by the three.
It encompassed for hundreds if not thousands of meters far in the distance, which then made its way far up in the sky. This mana-filled phenomena looked as though it was forming a giant dome over their heads before becoming nearly invisible to the naked eye. When it completely faded, it looked as though it was never there to begin with.
"A barrier…does [ Small World] actually have a finite space, after all? But that contact the barrier made with…it reminded me of the 'Forbidden Zone' when that one Player used some sort of cheat to teleport themselves to the ends of Vanaheim."
Ainz was a little disappointed when that thought occurred to him. But he was also thankful that he could roughly approximate the maximum size of the dimensional subspace without having to personally find out himself. He considered sending out his summons for further probing of the end space.
"—Hm…somehow I'm not surprised that you still continued even with my warning, Ainz. But I cannot find any blame in this action, considering I would have done the same thing with my own abode."
Hades watched in silent curiosity as a blue color began to paint itself over the white ceiling, which slowly birthed various shapes and sizes of clouds that scattered itself over the landscape, hovering above the new location that he and the others were now standing on.
His eyes briefly widened when he saw his fellow God's shadow, making him realize that the sun was now high in the cerulean blue skyscape, shining down upon them with a righteous fury. Hades felt his eyes squinting as they tried to adjust to the new lighting.
"…I had forgotten the last time I found myself under this light."
Ainz too squinted his eyes, but not from the sun.
Instead he was looking at the familiar stone works that erected on the flat terrains of grass under him.
They, along with various ruins that befitted the looks of a grand cemetery, comprised a great deal of Nazarick's external infrastructure, specifically the tomb buildings that were spread evenly throughout the newly filled in subspace.
Moving to one of the pillars with the two Gods subsequently following him, Ainz placed his hands on the familiar engravings and pushed his fingers on the surface, trying to feel the indented marks that scribbled the pillar's surface. He could not help but be startled when his bony fingers came into actual contact with the pillar. The grainy feel was certainly there, betraying yet another one of his expectations.
"This…is not an illusion."
Ainz almost rolled his eyes after hearing a "That's right!" from a prideful sounding Loki. When he took a closer look, the undead saw that the writing on the pillars looked to be more clear than usual.
Actually, to his surprise, he could make sense of it now.
According to his memories, the writing was supposed to be randomly attached Latin script in order to make it look "ancient and cool" in both his and the guildmates' eyes. Now that he was able to understand the language without a single issue, it made him cringe at seeing the poorly worded Latin.
No way Tabula-san would have written this considering his masterful use of the language. It might have been a last-minute addition from another guildmate while somehow avoiding the Brain Eater's ire and the subsequent corrections that would have occurred.
While Ainz returned to that oddly fond memory of his, the two Gods had made their way on each side of the undead, also taking a gander at the Latin-written pillars. They made a series of confused exclamations when their eyes glossed on the horribly structured script.
"Ah, this is…huh…interesting, to say the least..."
"Why is it so…off? Is this your own doing?"
The genuinely confused pair of Gods made Ainz cringe on the inside. He tried to come up with an explanation as soon as possible for this dark side of his guild.
"A-ah, well, you see, it was only supposed to be a—"
The sound of something cracking interrupted Ainz. The sound had intensified in volume before it sounded like a brief thunder.
Unfortunately the undead had exerted a little bit too much force in his pushing motion, causing the same pillar in front of him to be torn off from its foundation. It fell down like a tree that was cut from its stump, creating a loud bang! that rippled through the air.
"Ah…"
"Unfortunate…"
"Oh-ho! Someone's gonna have to pay for that. Wait, let me try lifting it up. Aaaand, there we go~"
Loki placed the fallen pillar back on its broken foundation, only for it to fall back on the ground unceremoniously a few seconds after. This time there was no fixing it as the pillar crumbled into smaller fragments.
"Oops. I'm not paying for that, by the way."
Ainz did not feel too upset about destroying a pillar as he could either reimagine it or let the automatic systems fix it. He was disturbed when he felt Hades' aura lash out in the air after the pillar broke on the moment of the impact.
"Loki, you insolent…"
"Not my fault, Ainz was the one who destroyed it first! Stop looking at me like that, you creep!"
Before Ainz could reassure Hades that everything was fine, he, followed by the others, immediately caught wind of a small girl stepping out of the main tomb's entrance.
The undead mage's eyes fell towards the same, pitch-black entrance that he once turned away from on that fateful day. The two Gods were unable to see the undead's jaw dropping.
That's…!
