[Fate/Despair]
[Volume 1: Death Amongst Men] [Prologue]So much death wrought upon a once noble world.
For what?
Glory? Honour? Revenge?
No.
Pride, lust, and greed.
Tsaindorcus Vaision looked down at the remains of the Greed Kings.
"To rip themselves apart right as they got all they could wish for… Fools." he spat.
These abominations, these players were not meant to be. Tonight he would correct his father's greatest mistake.
He turned away from the deformed, scorched bodies of his hated foes, his gaze turning to one of the objects his father sacrificed his soul for: a World Item. It took the form of a small, silver sword. It did not seem to be impressive at all, but his draconic senses already told him that this item alone held more power than the rest of his hoard could ever hope to.
Delicately, more so for his own sake than the item's, he put a claw on the blade. He felt the magic flow through his body, and soon enough he knew just what to do.
With an ancient chant and a small curse uttered at his father, he gathered what remained of the Greed Kings' souls.
It wasn't enough.
He expanded his reach.
This entire place they had called home and all their creations.
Still not enough.
He reached into his personal storage of souls, running it dry until he had to tap into his own.
It finally sufficed.
Tapping the World Item with his platinum claw, the world went black.
He felt lost, like he was swimming through an endless, inky abyss. Beating his mighty wings produced no effect and he could only float through the darkness.
Souls flowed through his body like a mighty torrent, the space around him greedily absorbing them until he could feel himself weaken.
The darkness stilled and the Dragon Lord called out, "Is anyone here?"
There was no answer in the conventional sense of the word, but Tsaindorcus felt something stir. No longer did the dark seem formless, though it remained equally unfathomable.
"Whatever you are, take these souls as an offering, and take all the future players to come!" he yelled into this starless night.
It seemed unconvinced.
He grit his teeth and did the impossible for a true dragon: swallowed his pride.
"If any more of these beasts, these players, arrive then my world… I… won't be able to hold them back!"
Something shook and the Dragon Lord detected a measure of interest, as if a dozen eyes suddenly began staring at him, so he continued speaking.
"These monsters are powerful! Surely you will find a use for them! Entertainment, soldiers, toys! Just, by my father, take them away!"
Suddenly Tsaindorcus found himself back in the castle of the Greed Kings, their bodies gone alongside the item.
He would not know whether that thing accepted his offer, not for decades to come.
Yet, somewhere in the incomprehensible, primordial chaos of a different universe, something plucked a skeletal overlord from his throne.
[Chapter 1: Might And Magic]As the digital clock kept on ticking, Momonga's grip on his beloved guild's staff tightened. If only he had a little more time, if only his friends stayed with him, if only he could at the very least keep Nazarick…
Alas, his wishes fell on deaf ears and the merciless march of time continued unabated.
[23:59:58]
[23:59:59]
Right as he began lifting his hands up to take off his VR helmet, information flooded into his brain. It wasn't the nauseating, brain-frying experience that would come with a failure of his tech.
No, this was instead akin to a librarian swiftly but methodically putting all the books in their place.
Servants, magic, how the world worked, where he was, that this was real, and most importantly: the grail war and its ultimate prize.
As soon as the stream of information cut off, the Overlord looked down at his now skeletal hands. "So this is what I've become…" he muttered, his voice deep and regal.
While most would be at the very least disgruntled at the idea of being kidnapped for a magical bloodsport, Momonga was not most.
"Ha! Ahahaha!" he laughed, "Whoever dragged me here, thank you for this opportunity!"
A green light overtook him and his emotions evened out, though he remained in high spirits. After all, why would he want to languish in his pathetic apartment when now all he could wish for was on the line?
If the information granted to him was to be believed, and he was quite certain it was, the grail was the answer to all his problems! To all his desires! He could bring back his friends, revive YGGDRASIL, heal Ulbert's cancer, resurrect Whitelace, fix his world entirely to make Touch Me's job easier! The possibilities were endless!
That is… if he won.
"So this is basically a free for all with a few others? Hmm, I wonder who they'll be. Other players? No… It seems I'm an exception."
A foreigner.
That is what the information he now possessed classified him as, separate from the other classes of so-called 'servants': Saber, Rider, Archer, Lancer, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker.
Seeing as how he wasn't classified as a caster, he guessed it was the circumstances of his appearance that defined him most of all.
He once more scoured through the information he was given, trying to find a possible clue about his adversaries.
"The Throne of Kings… Legends… Hm. So I'll be fighting legends and heroes, and their masters on top of that." Momonga said out loud once he found the newly injected memories that answered his question, "Hopefully their masters can't match servants. I seem to be without one."
His mana, as expected, didn't deplete on its own, likely due to some sort of skill or just his natural regeneration, so the lack of a master didn't seem like an urgent problem. Actually, now that he thought about it, not being constrained by one was a benefit.
He reached out to the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown that floated next to him and tapped it on the ground, a blaze of hellfire running across the dirt. Then he tried reaching into his inventory and found that it was indeed still full of random trash, just the way he liked it.
"So magic and items work. Seems like this will indeed be a YGGDRASIL-style battle." he said, immediately setting up his usual viewing countermeasures. Still, he decided against putting a [Nuclear Blast] as the counterspell, going with a conservative [Explosion] instead.
Supposedly this was the 1990s, and he didn't want an entire district to be irradiated because of a single mage's mistake.
Suddenly he realised something quite vital: he had no idea where he was. Japan was a given as per the information bestowed upon him, but the exact location was a mystery. Around him were only trees, trees, and more trees, all covered in snow.
Not a horrible place to hide out in, but a better base of operations could probably be found, if he even wanted one. For now, finding civilization or something akin to it was a priority.
He looked around for a moment before shrugging and beginning to walk forward. After all, if he just walked in a direction, he'd eventually find something, especially now that he didn't have leg muscles to tire.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
"Soooo… what now?" a white-haired girl asked the armoured woman next to her.
"That is for master to decide, but I presume we will move to an area where the main part of the war will occur."
Irisviel von Einzbern, the pale homunculus of the Einzbern family, sighed at the servant's answer. From the moment of her summoning, Saber was always prim and proper. The blonde, admittedly beautiful, girl was around Irisviel's height and oozed determination more than the fire in the hearth radiated warmth.
For her part, Irisviel was made for the grail war, but it was still just the first days of it, right? Why not relax a little bit? Enjoy the era?
'Hopefully she'll open up a little. It'd be nice.'
Still, even now Saber was way more loose than her master. Kiritsugu Emiya, the mage killer, was a tall, black-haired man of few words and of ruthless efficiency. That was also part of his charm though.
"Well, I'm sure we'll be going as soon as he's done saying goodbye to Illya."
"I'll make sure it is not their last goodbye." Saber commented and Irisviel offered her a kind smile in response.
Both looked out of the window and at the snowy landscape outside, until Saber darted out of the room.
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Momonga looked out beyond the treeline, spying something that didn't quite match the year he expected to be in. A castle wasn't very… 90s. Alas, if mages and servants did exist, then why not a massive castle in a snowy landscape; it certainly made an impression.
"I sincerely doubt it's abandoned…" he muttered, "Which means I could also ask for directions, but looking like this may make that a little tough. I should cover up."
He reached into his inventory and rummaged through it for a moment, settling on some plain, black gloves and the Mask of Envy. It didn't have any special effects, but it would do the job. Besides, once this was over, every other servant would be envious of his victory, so it seemed to be an appropriate piece of attire.
Before venturing forth, however, he would first indulge his ever so slight paranoia.
"[Create Middle-Tier Undead: High Wraith]."
A ghastly figure of tattered clothes and transparent bone manifested before Momonga, who promptly figured out how to send the undead a mental command and told it to scout ahead, cast [Undead Slave Sight] on it as well.
All the spells flowed out of him as if they were his breath, though he wasn't sure if that was courtesy of the information granted to him or the general "being isekai-ed" thing. One thing was sure, his muscle memory could now reach a new level.
As the wraith floated forward, Momonga marvelled at the sheer scale of the castle. It was genuinely immense. Exploring the whole thing with a singular wraith would probably take hours.
'I wonder if it has secret passages? Probably does.'
It looked too cool not to have them.
Alas, it seemed that exploring the castle could be put on hold for the moment, as there were indeed people playing outside in the snow. It was a man in a black suit, currently engaged in what seemed to be a very important phone call if Momonga's salaryman business sense was on point, and a young, white-haired girl, probably no older than 10.
'The chances of them being enemies is not zero, rather it's pretty high. This seems like a place mages would hang out in. Still there are 7 other participants in the war… It'd be just my luck to find one here all of a sudden though.'
Just in case, Momonga cycled through a variety of spells. A few buffs to his resistances, a few to his luck, another for crit, and a dash of damage for desert.
'I'm gambling here, but even if they are enemies, I should be able to easily escape. For now I'll play the part of a weary traveller. If I'm in a world with magic then surely hermits are a thing, right?'
He dismissed the wraith with a passing thought, put away his staff, and walked forward. The girl noticed him the second he exited into the clearing.
'That is some expensive fur… Probably.' Momonga guessed.
The red-eyed, white-haired girl had fur clothes matching her pale skin. It was quite cute, and her father evidently had a sense of style, his own black suit matching his style.
Momonga decided to check his robe for wrinkles as the girl ran up to him, a good first impression was key after all.
"Excuse me! Sir!" Momonga called out to the man further out in the snowy plain.
The man turned around, his phone disappearing into his pocket within the blink of an eye, and a pistol instead being drawn.
"Illyasviel! Get away from him!" he shouted, urgency filling his voice though his aim remained steady.
As directed, the girl stopped running, looked from Momonga to the man, and said, "Okay!" before running back to what Momonga once more guessed was her father.
The Overlord put up his hands as if to placate the man, "Please, sir. I mean you and your family no harm. I'm simply a pilgrim coming to ask for directions."
Momonga could feel the eyes of the man stare at his mask, trying to pierce through it,
"You can't fool me." he said, "Only a servant could get past the magical wards around here."
"Wards?" Momonga asked, genuinely confused, "My apologies, I must've just skipped over them. I'm not quite used to the magic in this world." He dropped the act of a hermit, though remaining perplexed by the man's statement.
'I suppose they were so weak I didn't notice them. That bodes well at least.'
"Who is your master?" the man asked, his pistol aimed squarely at Momonga's mask, though the Overlord doubted that the bullet could pierce it.
"I doubt you'll accept my answer, but I have none." Momonga said, seeing no harm in revealing the information, "Now, this is about the time I ask in turn who your servant is if you indeed have one, but I have a feeling I'm about to find out, aren't I?"
Seemingly deciding that firing bullets at a heroic spirit was pointless, the man lowered his gun, and a figure appeared before him.
It was a blonde woman dressed in blue and grey platemail. She was beautiful, with eyes filled with determination and a grace to her stance. Alas, Momonga wasn't particularly interested in her form, instead it was the sword she gripped that piqued his interest.
"You have come early…" she paused for a second, "Caster."
"To your surprise, I am no caster. Though may I guess that you are Saber?"
"Correct." she curtly answered.
"Though that sword… It seems familiar." Momonga muttered. It was veiled in illusion magic, but his Overlord eyes could pierce through it, especially given that the enemy didn't specialise in it. It was beautifully simple, with a golden crossguard and basic-looking though undoubtedly excellent blade. It seemed to almost be the archetype for such blades…
Saber's eyes, meanwhile, widened. 'He can see through my magic? Then my identity is exposed… He must be a caster then, even if he claims otherwise.'
With her identity exposed thanks to the fame of her blade, she decided to at least attempt to gain some information of her own.
"If you can see my blade then you already know my name. I am the King of Knights and Bretonnia, Arthuria Pendragon."
'If he answers in kind then I'll learn his identity, and whether he is honourable.' she thought to herself.
'I suppose it'd only be respectful to respond in kind, and whether she recognises my name will tell me of YGGDRASIL's existence… Wait, wasn't King Arthur a guy? Well, I'm a talking skeleton fighting for a magical cup, so I'll roll with it, I guess.'
Momonga reached out for his staff, which manifested from the void at its owner's call. With his free hand, he reached for his mask.
'If I am fighting legends and heroes, I may as well bear the name of a true legend, one forged by more than just me.'
He threw his mask off and it flickered into mana, returning to his inventory.
"Ainz Ooal Gown, the Overlord of the Great Tomb of Nazarick."
Carefully watching Arthuria's face, he saw only confusion painted upon it.
'It seems YGGDRASIL indeed has no trace here. That is fortunate.'
"I cannot say I've ever heard of you." Arthuria answered, getting into a more aggressive stance with her sword held high, "But nonetheless, I can tell by the pride in your voice, you cherish that name and title."
"You are sharp, King of Knights, but please, put down your sword for the moment. I am not here to do battle. If I were, you would already be dead."
A chill deeper than the winter cold penetrated the bones of everyone aside from the Overlord, though he did feel bad about putting the little girl on the verge of tears.
"Why are you here then?" Arthuria asked.
"As I told your master there, I came here for directions. I sincerely doubt this will be the main area for the war, so I wanted to ask in which direction I should head."
Saber's stance relaxed ever so slightly, "As a show of thanks for not assaulting my master in my absence, I am willing to give you this much."
"Thank you, Saber. I promise to keep your identity secret in turn." Ainz said, graciously nodding, "Question is, is your master willing to grant me such a boon?"
This entire time, the man standing behind Saber had been evaluating Ainz, prodding for weaknesses, movements, any little bit of intel. The Overlord knew his type well, and knew even more so how dangerous they could be.
'I should either leave him for last or eliminate him here and now.' Ainz concluded, 'Or perhaps master and servant should clash?'
"Saber, attack him." the man said, to which Saber looked at him with barely veiled disgust.
"Master, he has shown honour in not killing you while I was away. At the very least show him the same courtesy." she said.
"Kill him." came the command once more, to which Saber sighed.
"I apologise, Sir Gown. It seems we must clash."
Ainz chuckled, "Fortunately for you, I shall bid you good day instead and find my way on my own. Thank you for your attempt at the very least, King of Knights. Next we meet, however, your master's wish for battle will be granted."
The Overlord disappeared from sight, and Saber breathed a sigh of relief. A battle like that had no honour in it, and so this Ainz Ooal Gown had done her a favour. Honour, after all, was the backbone of any knight.
Under the cover of [Perfect Unknowable], meanwhile, Ainz circled Saber's master like a shark.
"No empathy, no mercy, no hesitation. Punitto Moe would be proud. Alas, discord between you and your greatest weapon will be your downfall. I suppose I shall see you again in Tokyo, where you will hardly have magical weapons aimed at me."
Ainz glanced at the windows of the castle where the glint of scopes could be seen.
"Amateur…" he muttered before casting [Fly] and moving on.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Kiritsugu waited at the moment, his eyes darting from side to side to see if Caster would reappear. After a solid minute of silence, he raised his hand and signalled for the Einzbern servants to stand down from inside the castle.
'I didn't expect Caster to find us that quickly. What was that magic he used? Invisibility? No, Saber could detect his presence at least a little then. Teleportation? Not impossible but unlikely.'
Illya quietly held onto his waist, and he put his arm around her to comfort the girl; Caster's aura chilled even him to the core, so his daughter's reaction was understandable.
Saber, however, proved to be more problematic than his child.
"Master, why would you order me to attack him?" she asked, "If he manages to get the drop on you once more, then he will likely kill you."
"I won't let him sneak up on me."
"How can you be so sure?"
Kiritsugu remained silent, turning away from Saber and beginning to move back towards the castle.
'Command seals will be a vital resource if this continues.' the Mage Killer noted, 'It's best if I go with my original plan and have Irisviel act alongside her. She will be more likely to cooperate then.'
Servants and masters needed each other in the grail war, but cooperation wasn't entirely mandatory, hence why each master started with three command seals that could force a servant to obey. However, after those seals were used, all bets were off until the master could get more from the overseer or otherwise.
While he didn't suspect that Saber would attempt to kill him should he run out, it was best to remain safe rather than sorry.
For now he would play the hand he was dealt, and he was confident he could have Saber defeat Caster when the time came, even if she foolishly revealed her identity. Caster could've very well bluffed about seeing her sword.
'No servant by the name of Ainz Ooal Gown exists, and there are no records of a tomb called Nazarick. He lied about his name… Somehow.'
True Names, alongside their Noble Phantasms, were the essence of their legend. While lying about them wasn't impossible, it was certainly unorthodox and spoke of the servant's true nature.
'A deceptive caster…'
There were a few that matched that description, but none were skeletal. In fact, Kiritsugu recalled no skeletal casters at all.
'Their legend must be obscure.'
While this didn't offer an exact measurement of a servant's strength, the more archetypal a servant's legend, the stronger they tended to be, and a legend of little renown was unlikely to be one of that sort.
As he entered the castle, he sent Illya back to her room and headed to his own.
If Caster and his master were already making a move, it was time for him to do so as well.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Irisviel swiftly turned to face Saber as she entered the room once more. She ran up to the servant, asking, "Is everything alright?! You rushed off so suddenly! What happened?!"
"Everything is fine, my lady. It just seems that Caster decided to… visit us. Luckily, we avoided battle for now, so you were not in any danger."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Irisviel smiled, "Good. I was scared Illya may have been caught in the crossfire."
"I would not allow such a thing." Saber resolutely answered, "Thankfully, Caster didn't appear to be interested in fighting right now either."
"Then… Why did he come here?"
"His stated purpose was for direction. I am inclined to believe him. He seemed… truthful."
It was an odd statement to make, particularly when Arthuria had magic resistance and thus passive charms proved useless against her, but Caster had a certain aura about him that made Saber want to believe his words were true. The way he spoke and even the way he stood made it seem like he simply had no need to lie about such trivial matters.
"Did you recognise him?"
Arthuria shook her head, "No. He introduced himself as Ainz Ooal Gown, but I have never met nor heard of him."
"Did he lie then?"
Once more, the King of Knights shook her head, "There was too much pride in his voice when he said his name. He wouldn't lie about such a thing."
"Hmm… Then what did he look like? I should probably be ready to recognise him down the line."
"His visage was that of a skeleton clad in royal purple robes. He also held a golden staff in his hand. You'll know him when you see him."
"Sounds scary." Irisviel commented, "Do you think you can beat him?"
Arthuria offered her companion a small smile, "Of course, my lady."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
"Man, flight sure is useful." Ainz said to no one in particular as he raced across the sky. The ground beneath him would have seemed little more than a blur, though this was mostly due to the significant amount of time he had had to accelerate.
He still had quite a few kilometres ahead of him before he reached civilisation, so he wondered about his last encounter.
"Those two are going to be at each other's throats." he muttered, recalling the duo. Arthuria and her master seemed to be antitheses. One would do anything for victory, while the other prized honour. It was a recipe for disaster if Ainz was to be honest.
"It's like putting Touch Me and Ulbert on the same squad during a battle… Utter foolishness."
If it was his best guess, while the two would be deadly, they would also be their own downfall, just like that time when Ulbert 'accidentally' clipped Touch Me with the edge of his [Grand Catastrophe], killing him and causing a wipe for the group. Coincidentally, they had an argument just before that raid.
Sighing once more, Ainz turned his mind to more pressing matters.
"So… King Arthur is Saber, which means that sword was excalibur… It wasn't a super good sword in YGGDRASIL, but here I'm guessing it's something special, probably her noble phantasm."
His own phantasms were simple, as they were the same as YGGDRASIL. [The Goal Of All Life Is Death] still amplified his instant death spells after a 12 second delay, his staff still worked as it did previously, and it only made sense for an ability as powerful as [Wish Upon A Star] to become his third phantasm.
Still, what could excalibur do?
It was, at the end of the day, the sword of a king pulled from stone… There was probably more to it than that, but Ainz's limited knowledge didn't paint a very impressive picture. What was it going to do? Summon an army of Brits? He could handle that. If each of them was as strong as a servant, that would be a different story and he'd have to get a little serious, but there was no way someone would have an ability like that.
For now he shrugged. Preferably Saber would be dead before she realised what had hit her, with no chance to use her noble phantasm.
He travelled onwards, wondering how much longer it would take to reach some proper hub of civilization.
"Wait… If finding the grail is my objective, won't this count as a quest? [Blessing Of Titania]."
A small fairy appeared in front of Ainz, darting in front of his face, twirling around, and then setting off in the opposite direction Ainz was heading.
The Overlord sighed, "At least I got to meet Saber early…"
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As the dust settled down, three pairs of disinterested eyes gazed at the aftermath.
"What a bore…" came one voice, though by the time anyone turned to see the one who spoke, the only thing that remained was golden sparks.
Tokiomi Tohsaka, the head of the ever-influential Tohsaka line, turned away from the window. He picked up a glass of wine from the table, careful not to spill any on his crimson tuxedo, and spoke to the other man in the room, "While I doubt either Archer or Assassin will appreciate such a ploy, faking the death of Assassin will give us an obvious edge."
A small though superbly confident smile stayed on his face as he waited for his associate's answer. Tokiomi's brown hair and sharp, blue eyes gave him the air of a distinguished mage, and he certainly lived up to anyone's expectations.
"I agree, master." Kotomine Kirei said. He was a plain man dressed in a priest's outfit, with eyes that betrayed nothing but a serene calmness, "Assassin's main asset is their multitude, after all."
"On that we agree, Kirei. I could not have asked for a better apprentice. Now, with this we will learn of our enemies' characters, and then we shall go after the sharpest ones. I understand I can rely on you for further information gathering?"
Several figures of obsidian skin and clad in skeletal masks materialised behind Kirei, disappearing just as quickly when he bowed, "Of course, master."
The priest turned on his heel and moved to exit the room, leaving Tokiomi alone for the moment, but a very brief one as the golden glimmer from outside took shape into the form of a handsome, golden-clad man.
His blonde hair was almost the same shade as the gold of his armour, and his red eyes were akin to the accents of his platemail. Despite being only a few centimetres taller than Tokiomi, he appeared to look down on his master.
"It perplexes me as to why you would insist on this utterly pathetic strategy. Do you lack the ability to comprehend just who I am?" Archer asked, his voice tinged with disgust and boredom in equal measure.
Tokiomi immediately bowed to the man as he spoke, "King of Heroes, today's actions are to illuminate the world with your greatness, and find the fools who would oppose you rather than waste your time searching. I assure you, all I have done, I have done for the sake of your convenience."
Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes and the Archer of the current Grail War, turned to the window and looked out into the horizon, "In this fascinating age of information, with scarcity all but removed and so much information at your fingertips, to think some would still resort to such banal and boring strategies… If our enemies truly fall for this, it only speaks of those mongrels' pathetic natures."
"Indeed, glorious King of Heroes. Alas, this will simply make sure you do not waste time on them."
Archer sighed, "A fascinating age, and yet I am forced to not only wander in this horrendous world but also go along with strategies that would only be used by lowlifes."
"Does the modern world and its ways displease you, my king?"
"Compared to my glorious kingdom, this place lacks even a fraction of its beauty. But… if there remain things amongst the rubble to add to my collection, I will be satisfied for the moment."
"I assure you, my king, that the Holy Grail will be worth your time."
"If I judge that it isn't, the price you will pay will be unimaginable, Tokiomi. For now though, I shall indulge in some exploration."
Gilgamesh dissolved once more into no more than a golden glimmer, and Tokiomi could straighten his posture, his back cracking.
"As long as he does not use his Independent Action ability to go into battle, I suppose it is fine."
'What a difficult to control servant.' he thought, leaving the words unspoken lest a golden arrow skewered him.
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"So you seeeee, Ryuunosuke! Terror! Fear!" the robed man exclaimed as the screams of the child he had just let go were replaced with squelching and tearing, "These are like a valley! You must give them hope! For there is nothing so beautiful as seeing a child's innocent hope be crushed and for them to be plunged into the valley of despair!"
Ryuunosuke Uryuu, a perfectly average young man in a purple, blood-spattered jacket, stared agape for a moment at the demon he had just summoned. He had been trying for so long, just to see what would happen, and it worked! It actually fucking worked!
The second his voice returned to him, he exclaimed, "That was so coooooool! Mister Demon, please, show me more things like that! Teach me!"
This time it was the demon who seemed to lose his voice, and a small tear appeared in his bulging eyes, which he wiped away with his dark-blue robe. He reached out for Ryuunosuke's hand and said, "Ooooh, how great it is to be blessed with such a compassionate master! I, Bluebeard, swear to show you the coolest magic has to offer, Ryuunosuke! Now, tell me, do you know what Servants and the Holy Grail War are?"
Ryuunosuke shook his head in confusion, "No… Not really."
"Hmm, hmm. In that case, follow my lead if you want to learn more of just how beautiful death can be! Together we shall succeed!" Seeing that his master was vigorously shaking his head in agreement, Caster wiped away another tear and continued, "First, we must find a place where we can dwell, Ryuunosuke! To bring our victims!"
"Like a secret lair?! That's so cool! Uh, let me think…" The young man appeared to be deep in thought, his thought process completely unaffected by the stench of gore and blood that permeated the room. He snapped his fingers after a moment of thinking, splatting blood on Bluebeard's robe, who didn't seem to be too bothered by it. "How about the sewers? It's dark, large, and isolated. Nobody should find us there."
"Supeeeerb, Ryuunosuke! Come! Let us go!"
And with that, the two demons left.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Ainz landed on the tallest building he could see, looking down on the town below him as the fairy that had guided him disappeared.
"So this is Fuyuki, the city where this whole war is going to go down… Seems a little too peaceful, but I guess there could be ley-lines or something that caused this."
He idly summoned a wraith and directed it to find and bring him a local newspaper.
"Hopefully the Japanese of this era isn't too far from the one I know." he said to himself.
Now the question was, what would he do now? Starting a fight with another servant was the height of foolishness, so that was off the table. Finding a base of operations would only make him an easier target to ambush, so staying on the move was preferable. Besides, a base of operations was mostly needed for servants and masters who slept, and that needless to say didn't apply to Ainz.
Actually, if that didn't, could he also not eat?
The wraith returned with the morning issue of the Fuyuki Times, and right below the headline about some satanic murders was an advertisement for a new takoyaki stand in town.
Ainz reached into his inventory for some random consumable, taking out a slab of dragon jerky and biting into it. He ripped off a chunk, somehow forced himself to swallow, and felt nothing fall through his ribcage. In fact, he felt a slight boost to his mana regeneration.
Alas, there was no taste.
He threw the piece back in his inventory with a heavy sigh.
'After I'm done abusing the grail for all those other wishes, I'm giving myself a sense of taste if I ever return to his body. Actually, maybe I'll just modify this one? Feels better than my dying old one quite honestly.'
The lack of taste was unfortunate, but at least he could get some mana if he was ever in a pinch; a small boon but a boon nonetheless.
Still, food shouldn't be his current focus. Right now, the priority was his next move!
'I guess I should explore the city? Nothing else to really do, since hunting servants would be unwise; they might reveal themselves and then I can gank them, and blending in in plain sight doesn't seem like a terrible idea.'
With a sufficient excuse to explore the late 90s, he cast a minor illusion spell to make his robes a little more presentable, his face a little more Japanese and average, and teleported to a side alley where he hoped none would notice him.
His guess seemed to be correct, and he stepped out dressed in a black suit and looking like your average, two metres tall salaryman.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
'I'm starting to think that I could've just left that artefact…' Waver, a short, black-haired boy thought to himself as he dodged yet another empty beer can that was thrown by his servant.
"Boy! You're telling me there are two perfectly good frozen wastelands waiting to be conquered in the North and South but nobody has laid claim to them!? They were just waiting for my return it seems! Gahahaha!"
The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, an over two metres tall mountain of tanned muscle, laughed so loudly that Waver's entire room shook. The artefact to summon this servant in particular had belonged to Waver's teacher at the Clocktower, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
'I still need to prove him wrong though! Even if this is a bit of a pain…'
He was talented! And he was going to become a great mage! But it seemed that no amount of talent could tame Iskandar's lust for conquest.
As the sun began to head down, Iskandar turned to Waver.
"Tomorrow night, we are going to begin our conquest, boy! What do you say!? We can't just wait for those other cowards to show up! We've gotta take the initiative! Grab Zeus' bull by the horns as we used to say! Gahahaha!"
"Are you insane!? Why would we go out first! I still need to gather information!"
"Bah! Information is best gathered first hand! As the King of Conquerors and the son of Zeus, I declare that our conquest begins tomorrow!"
The door to the room slowly opened, and an elderly Asian woman peeked her head in, "Boys, dinner is ready!"
Iskandar immediately jumped to his feet, nearly bumping into the ceiling,
"Aha! First, however, we shall conquer the dinner table!"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The sun was about to set, but Irisveil and Saber decided to wander the banks of Fuyuki City's canals for a while longer. There was something serene about watching the clear water simply flow as the sun's glow turned into moonlight.
"I hope Kiritsugu is alright…" Irisveil absentmindedly mused.
"I'm sure master would have called for me should any complications have arisen." Saber answered, walking just a few steps behind her charge.
"You're right, but I'm still worried. It's not easy having a husband who just disappears like that, you know?"
"I… don't, but I take your word for it, my lady."
"You can stop with the 'my lady' thing. We're friends, right?"
Saber, dressed in an midnight-coloured suit, graced Irisveil with a small smile, "If that is what you wish for us to be."
"Always so proper." the homunculus teased.
They walked for a bit in amicable silence, Saber briefly speeding up to walk side by side with Irisveil.
"Sooooo…" Irisveil eventually said, "What are you going to use the grail for? If I may ask."
Saber's expression returned to her usual, serious one as she answered, "I want to save my country."
"That is very noble indeed, Saber." came a third voice from the other side of the canal, where a perfectly average, maybe even slightly below average in appearance, man stood.
Arthuria immediately drew her sword and moved to protect Irisveil with her body. Her suit turned into armour, and she entered a defensive stance.
The man raised his hands up as magic dissipated from around his body, revealing a familiar, robed figure.
"Caster!" Saber hissed.
"I am still not here to fight you, Saber." Ainz said, "I was simply happy to see some familiar faces while I was exploring."
'He must be an illusionist. First seeing through to my sword, and now this change of appearance… Who are you, Ainz Ooal Gown?' the King of Knights asked herself as the Overlord continued speaking.
"In fact, there are few desires as noble as saving what you built, whether it be your country or… otherwise." Ainz gestured for Saber to put her sword down, "Would you like to continue this pointless standoff, or shall we walk and chat?"
Arthuria's stance slightly relaxed, and she nodded, though she now walked close to the canal instead of Irisveil, putting herself in the way of Ainz should circumstances change.
"See, Saber, I admire such zeal to protect what's yours. Perhaps, since we are alike in that regard, you would be open to a temporary… alliance?"
"That is up to my master, not me." Arthuria swiftly replied.
"Ah, that is true." Ainz said, sighing deeply, seemingly dropping the topic entirely.
Suddenly, something resounded in Arthuria's head, like one of those weird phone things Irisveil and her saw today. She thought about answering it, and suddenly Ainz's deep voice resounded directly in her head.
{Do not worry. This is just a more… direct form of communication. I would simply like to point out that you seek the grail for yourself, not for your master, isn't that right?}
{We may both benefit from it. It is, after all, omnipotent.}
{Nevertheless, only one may benefit from it. This, of course, does render our alliance quite temporary, but it also means that your master has a vested interest playing against you at the end of the day.}
{Does that not also apply to your master?}
{If I had one, yes, but I do not. Why that may be so, I'll leave ambiguous, but let us just say that the issue of competing for the grail arises even within your little partnership. Remember, Saber, we are all playing for ourselves, but we certainly have more in common than you and your master.}
{Even… Even if you are speaking more than mere falsehoods, what could my master do against me when the war is over? He is not as mighty as a servant.}
{Perhaps not, but he does possess command seals, does he not? If he does not use all of them, then by the end could he not force you to kill yourself?}
{Command seals can be resisted.}
{Even all three?}
Saber didn't answer.
{Think of my offer and of what we spoke about today. Oh, and as a token of my good will, I will keep both your name and the identity of your true master hidden.}
{...}
{No need to thank me.}
Ainz cut off the link and spoke aloud for the first time in a while, "My, my. This has gotten quite awkward, I must admit. I believe this is the cue to take my leave then, and leave you ladies to it. Do have a good night, and I suppose this really may be our last peaceful meeting."
With that, Ainz disappeared out of sight, same as when Saber had first met him.
"You were right, Saber." Irisveil said, "He is creepy… though, I can't dislike him."
"Yea…" Saber answered.
Seeing that the servant didn't seem too intrigued in further conversation, Irisveil too fell silent.
In Arthuria's mind, however, a few voices couldn't help but wonder: did Ainz Ooal Gown have a point?
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
'That should sow some discord among the two.' Ainz silently thought to himself as he reapplied his illusion.
'Now then, where to next?'
It was already dark, but even if it was pitch black he'd be able to see just fine, and a nice nightly stroll could only do him good really, so…
"[Mana Essence]." he muttered.
As it turned out, servants left behind an ever so small trail of mana. The Overlord guessed it wouldn't be easy for anyone but a servant of the Caster class to detect Saber's traces, but perhaps a prodigy of some sort could pull off a similar – if less impressive – feat.
He ignored the trail that led to Saber and instead decided to wander the streets for a while. It was really quite amazing to see the old, almost ancient city-planning that he had heard about from some of his guildmates. It was quite serene.
In fact, he could get used to this. Maybe this should be the blueprint for the world he would restore when he won the grail?
He sighed.
'All in due time, I suppose.'
Turning the corner into what seemed like a slightly rich neighbourhood, his illusionary eyes were immediately drawn to a single building in the centre. It practically oozed mana, a mixture of blue and purple reaching to the night sky with it as the epicentre.
'Now that warrants investigation.'
It could be the base of operations for another servant or some other mage. Hopefully it was the latter, and Ainz could… borrow some of their knowledge.
He turned around the corner once more to hide himself from view of any potential inhabitants, double-checked whether he was truly alone, and summoned a wraith to do his bidding.
'Investigate that house.' he commanded as he cast [Undead Slave Sight].
Paying a little more attention than he did with the castle, he noticed the ever so slight feeling of passing through a barrier.
'Defensive wards… Probably an important mage lives here, or multiple.'
Alas, the wraith found nothing of interest in the house at a glance. It was full of mana, but no artefacts lay about, no scrolls were thrown around, and there wasn't even a display of the beasts the mage had slain!
It was a total disappointment, even if the house was indeed very well put together.
Then, right as he was about to dismiss the undead, it passed through a wall and into an appropriately ominous secret passage. The area seemed to be made of stone and it even had the perpetually burning torches!
'This is more like it!'
The wraith crept down, quickly finding itself floating above a pit of what looked to be writhing maggots.
Had Ainz been alive, he would've surely gagged, but at the moment it was only his curiosity that was roused.
'So this is the lair of an entomancer of some sort? I wonder what he needs all these bugs for… They don't seem particularly strong.'
The tapping of footsteps filled the hall as an old, decrepit man made his way down the stairs.
'Ah, speak of the devil. What was the insect devil Tabula mentioned? Beelzebub? Wonder if he'll be summoned.'
However, the man, aside from his smile, hardly seemed to be demonic. In fact, Ainz was confident that this entomancer didn't have what it takes to be in the war. Where this confidence came from was a mystery, but it was there.
The old man suddenly stopped and glanced around.
"Who's here?"
Ainz immediately dismissed his wraith.
'Okay, maybe he's not too bad. Still, entomancers aren't strong in direct combat, and he didn't have a servant with him, so… Well, I'll come back here after the servants are accounted for. I'm sure he has some more interesting things in that house than just a pit filled with bugs.'
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald looked out at the nightscape of Fuyuki from inside the luxurious Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel. It was likely that tomorrow was when the true Grail War would begin, a proper and honourable battle which would finally add that dash of martial prowess to his already glorious name.
'I'm sure the Three Founding Houses will provide for a great battle, and an even better story when I defeat them.'
The Einzbern, the Matous, the Tohsakas; all three families of great renown and the origin of this whole ritual in the first place.
Alas, the Matous were on the decline, the patriarch of the Tohsaka line would be eclipsed via raw skill, and the Einzberns must have been desperate to hire that filthy Kiritsugu Emiya.
Kayneth's expression soured at the mere thought of that man, and his grip on the armrest tightened.
'That fool Kiritsugu goes against everything this war is meant to be! A showing of magical prowess, not the plebian cunning he's known for!'
On top of that, his artefact just had to have been stolen! Chances are it was – as if the universe was purposely seeking to enrage him – stolen by that little shit Waver Velvet!
No decorum! No talent! No lineage!
That pathetic weasel dared to stand in his way even in such a glorious affair?!
'Perhaps I should track him down and give him a visit. It certainly wouldn't be hard to track down a half-rate fledgling.'
He took a deep breath.
'Calm down, Archibald. Your current servant is plenty powerful as well.' he reminded himself.
He exhaled and stood up to grab another bottle of wine. While battle lay on tomorrow's horizon, for tonight at least he could relax.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Kiritsugu lay down as Kenneth returned to the window, rolling away from his line of sight, where his accomplice waited.
"The glass in that suite is likely bulletproof." he commented, "We'll need to blow up the whole building. Can you procure a dozen charges of C4 and plant them at the key pillars in two days time, Maiya?"
Maiya, a woman with dark hair and emotionless expression, nodded, "I will. Do you require anything else?"
Kiritsugu shook his head, "No. Besides this, my main concern is tracking down Caster's master. He may be a rare servant with the Independent Action skill, which would explain why he has appeared on his own with no master in sight, but it also makes his master a difficult target."
"Do you have any leads at all?"
"None."
"Nothing even on the name 'Ainz Ooal Gown'?"
"It must be a pseudonym or something made up on the spot, even if Saber argues to the contrary. There are no records of Ainz Ooal Gown or a Great Tomb or anything with the name of Nazarick in any of the Einzbern records."
"What do you plan to do then?"
"I will force Saber to kill him, then his master's position will be irrelevant."
"Again, are you sure she can do it?"
"His ability appears to be illusions, and Saber has resistance to magic. She should be the servant best capable of taking care of him. The sooner he dies the better, seeing as how he knows I am her true master. You just focus on procuring what we need to kill Kayneth. That will effectively eliminate two servants."
"Alright, Kiritsugu."
The two sat in silence on the rooftop, each taking out a cigarette. They breathed in at the same time, and Maiya's hand landed next to Kiritsugu's. The Mage Killer moved away and stood up, "We will meet at sunrise on the dock."
He took another drag of his cigarette and left.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Ainz hummed to himself as he, once more clad in illusions, wandered through the dark alleys of Fuyuki.
'This city seems so safe… I guess I won't have the typical 'meet thugs when isekaid and show them your true power' moment. A bit of a shame, I always thought those were pretty cool.'
He turned into an even dingier alley and spotted a man lying on the ground, wearing dirty clothes and appearing nearly decrepit, with white hair and hollow eyes.
'Ah, but I guess even a city like this will have its fair share of homelessness. It still is Japan, I suppose. I'd give him some money, but giving him YGGDRASIL coins is like asking for him to be hunted… Well, maybe at least I can conjure up some food.'
Walking over to the man, he scoured his inventory for any items that wouldn't in fact turn this random homeless man into a demigod for thirty minutes, eventually finding a simple stew that would just give him a little more health overall.
He pulled it out of his inventory before crouching and gently rousing the man from his slumber.
"Excuse me, sir." Ainz said, putting the wooden bowl on the ground.
The man jumped up with vigour hardly characteristic of the drowsy or malnourished, much less so both. He, however, fit his characteristics right after, slumping over and supporting himself with one good arm.
"Who–" he coughed, "Who are you?"
Ainz forced his illusionary face to smile, "I'm just a passerby who lives nearby, and I decided to cook something small for you, sir."
"I… You…" The man glanced from Ainz to the bowl of food, one of his eyes seemingly grey and blind. His veins were pronounced, as if he had permanently high blood pressure, and the Overlord briefly swore he saw something move beneath his skin. "Thank you." the man eventually said.
The undead mage moved a few steps away to give the man some space. "May I ask your name?" Ainz asked as the man practically inhaled the stew.
No answer came aside from the further, hurried slurping of stew, as if the man was in a rush.
"I can always prepare more. No need to rush, lest you choke."
It took a few more minutes of hurried devouring for the man to finish his meal.
He wiped away the remains of the stew on his face with his hoody's sleeve before exhaling deeply.
"Thank you." the man eventually said, "My name is… Kariya. Just Kariya."
"I see. My name is Satoru. Just Satoru."
They both chuckled, and the man threw a mournful glance at the empty bowl.
"If you want another, it would take only a few minutes for me to go get it. I made a big pot, after all." Ainz lied.
The man didn't offer a verbal answer, but his eyes lingered on the bowl.
Ainz picked it up and stood up, "Give me but a moment."
Walking around a corner to break the line of sight of Kariya, Ainz went invisible and waited a few minutes, to at the very least give the illusion of walking away.
When he deemed that enough time had passed, he took out another bowl and dispelled his invisibility.
"Told you it'd only take a moment." he quipped, putting the bowl down in front of the man.
The same cycle repeated itself, with Kariya devouring the bowl in mere minutes despite it being quite a hearty stew.
Once the man put down the bowl, his face had regained some of its original colour, and something resembling a smile could be seen attempting to creep onto his face.
"Another?"
"No. Thank you."
Crickets played their nightly ballad, for a moment uninterrupted by the two sitting in the dirty alley.
"Can I… vent for a bit, Satoru?"
'Er, I'm not great at stuff like this, but I might as well? Hopefully this whole ordeal doesn't affect my karma rating. Hmm, though maybe karma will come around in this world?'
"Go ahead." Ainz eventually said, deciding that it didn't really matter. He had time to kill, so might as well.
"Have you ever… had someone stolen from you?" Kariya asked, his voice tinged with more anger than sadness.
The Overlord raised a magically conjured eyebrow, "Stolen?"
"Yes. By someone who didn't deserve them."
"I cannot relate, Mister Kariya." Ainz said, shaking his head, "But do go on."
'This might just get interesting. Wait, am I the weird one by finding this entertaining? Uh, I'll just call it payment for the food. Yeah, that makes sense, like he's a starving bard or something.'
"A… A woman I know… She–"
"Married somebody you deem inferior to you and does not deserve her hand?"
Kariya nodded, "Yeah…"
"Is there… more to this tale?"
'Or is it simple jealousy?'
"There is… not." Kariya offered a weak smile, "Sorry for bothering you with that."
Ainz stood up and offered a charming, salaryman smile in turn, "No worries, Mister Kariya. For what it's worth, I hope things will workout for you."
"They will." Kariya said, a confidence and iron will that seemed alien to him now appearing in his voice, "I'll make sure they do."
Ainz turned around and began walking away, "I'll be rooting for you then."
'Though there is something sinister in that story of yours, I can practically smell it on your breath.' Ainz said, 'And whatever it is that is wriggling under your skin certainly makes it no ordinary kind of sinister.'
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The sun was at its zenith and marked Ainz's second day in Fuyuki City. If he were to hazard a guess, today was the day some Servant got impatient and decided that hiding was for cowards. He would, of course, welcome such a foolish attitude.
'So far I only know about Saber. This leaves Lancer, Rider, Assassin, Caster, Archer, and Berserker. Hmm, I wonder if I could use whatever Berserker was summoned to my advantage. If they resemble the class, then I presume so.'
He continued walking through the city with a single thought in mind: 'I wonder what the night will bring?'
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Iskandar grabbed Waver by the collar and said, "Come on, boy! The sun is down, and it is time for us to show these fools what we're made of! Gahahaha!"
Waver briefly struggled against the Servant's strength before merely protesting verbally, "Rider! We still don't know about anyone else! And apparently Assassin was already wiped out! This is stupid and dangerous!"
Rider raised Waver up to look him in the eyes and spoke in a low voice, "Boy, are you really worried about that sneak?"
"Of course I am! Killing a Servant that early is impressive! Even if it's a stealth-focused one!"
"Boy, listen to me very well, I am not just going to sit around and wait. Conquest doesn't come to those who wait! Conquest is done by those who march forward, chin up and back straight! You need to get some of that attitude, you know?"
"I don't care about conquering! All I care about is winning this war!"
Iskandar sighed, "Boy… Oh, young lad… You'll get what I mean. Now! It is time to ride towards victory! Gordius Wheel!"
A strike of lightning erupted from the clear sky and the Noble Phantasm of Rider made its way from the heavens.
The glorious chariot didn't bother to stop for its master, with Rider easily hopping onto it as it barreled down towards him. Waver was dragged on by his Servant and held onto Rider's flowing, red cape for dear life as the divine chariot made its way back up into the sky.
"Let us find a place to do proper battle! Where the glorious roads of my future empire won't be destroyed! Gahahaha!"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Night had fallen, and of all things Ainz had expected to see, it wasn't Santa Claus barrelling through the sky.
'I mean, I guess it makes sense that he counts as a servant. He is a legend after all, but didn't he used to have a sled instead of a chariot? Maybe it's just a thing in this world? The red certainly seems festive enough.'
He gave himself a tap on the skeletal cheek to return to more important matters.
'Either way, he seems to be going somewhere to start a fight, so…'
"[Perfect Unknowable], [Fly]."
Though not quite as striking, or rather at all, he followed behind Santa's chariot, being led all the way to an isolated cargoport.
'At least he seems to have a mind for civilian casualties.'
Rider, who Ainz guessed the Servant was, raised his bejewelled sword in the air and yelled, "Come all who hear me! I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors, and I am here to partake in glorious battle for that Holy Grail we all know and desire! Show yourselves, and let us enjoy this martial tournament to the fullest, eh?!"
'Ah, so he's not Santa….' Ainz thought to himself, mostly disappointed, 'Oh well, at least his master seems to be with him. Still, why does it have to be a kid? I don't want to kill a kid!'
Ainz sat unknowable for a while longer, watching as two Servants appeared. One he was familiar with, being Saber alongside the white-haired woman that had accompanied her.
The other he guessed was Lancer, weidling dual spears and conversing with the two.
Third, however, was the masked, obsidian-skinned individual that Ainz saw crouched on the industrial crane. Their presence was faint, but he could still see through their trick.
'Assassin… Hmm, I might as well get rid of my natural enemy early and swiftly. [Silent Magic: Touch of Undeath], [Silent Magic: Teleportation].'
He appeared behind the figure, grabbing their shoulder and breaking his spell, quickly grabbing their masked face with his free hand and casting another spell, "[Maximise Magic: Death]."
The figure fell limp and disappeared, leaving Ainz with a sour taste in his mouth.
'That wasn't the real thing, and if it was then there is a gimmick. A Servant wouldn't die to something so simple. Still, that seems to have gotten rid of him for the moment.'
He looked below and, seeing that it was still the three servants standing there, made a decision that Ulber surely would have approved of.
'I believe it's time to make an entrance.'
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
"Oho! Three's a crowd, isn't that right, kid?" Iskandar said, putting his massive hand on Waver's hand.
"Stop joking around, Rider." Saber said, pointing her invisible sword at him, "The battlefield is not a place for such things."
"I agree with the pretty lady." Lancer said, spinning his lances and pointing one at each servant, "So, how do you wanna do this?"
Iskandar raised his hands to cool the atmosphere, "Relax for but a moment. There's still a chance somebody else will join us." He turned from them to the empty sky above, "Speaking of! Come on out, Servants! You surely are listening! Are you afraid?!"
Something tapped on the concrete and a sickening chill filled the air. Everyone's hair stood on end, and their bodies seemed to scream to run before freezing up entirely.
Slowly, all three servants turned to look at the figure that had appeared behind Saber.
It was a skeleton matching Rider's height, clad in robes weaved from the very inky abyss that was said to stare right back. In his chest lay what appeared to be a round, massive ruby, radiating power and giving their minds the idea to step back.
Tink
The skeletal mage took a step forward, his golden staff, made of intertwined snakes and oozing divinity, hitting the ground once more and causing the dark halo behind the figure to expand.
"Am I afraid? No…" The flames within the menacing, ivory skull's eye sockets burnt brighter, nearly overflowing from within. "Are you?"
Discord . gg / 8966UupbPp
Edited by Korak324
Betaread by: HackSlashBash, WhoStoleMyTea?, SIB
(AN: And here we are! Sorry this took so long. Was busy finally getting university offers, having multiple breakdowns, and going insane. However, I have returned with what I hope is a complete banger! A few other authors have tried taking a crack at an Overlord x Fate/Zero fic, but I found their execution… slightly lacking. So here's my own take on it. As usual, if you want me to continue, review and do tell. As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)