Chapter 3: Darkness descends
Part 2
The Archbishops' Chamber of guidance. The place where the captains of the Six Scriptures received their orders and met with their bosses, now for the first time in its history was echoing with loud cries of anger.
"Absolutely outrageous!" the Archbishop of life Ordoro shouted at the top of his lungs. In all his life he had never experienced this kind of humiliation.
From the moment he had heard of the reappearance of Ainz Ooal Gown, the magic caster that destroyed his Sunlight Scripture, he had been grinding his teeth in frustration that such an audacious enemy was allowed to continue existing.
When news reached the Slane Theocracy that Ainz was aiding the Baharuth Empire in the war against the kingdom in order to regain E-Rantel and its surrounding regions for himself, the archbishop felt like vomiting blood.
Various assassins from diverse groups had been prepared to strike back at Ainz and repay the favor of exterminating an entire Scripture. That was why they had not officially protested against his claim of E-Rantel in the first place.
The archbishop had been sure that even if this sorcerer was powerful, he would be helpless against knives in the dark and that he would soon receive a report from one of the assassins that Ainz Ooal Gown had been slain.
The unthinkable happened instead.
With one spell, Ainz had eliminated close to half the troops of the kingdom and ended the yearly war in victory.
Most of the assassins had been witness to this event as they observed the battle from far away. Needless to say that some lost more than their spirit after seeing such a scene as the thought of almost having tried to kill this monster caused them to feel unbelievable amounts of fear.
And now that very same monster had brought trouble to the Theocracy and was demanding compensation no less.
"Absolutely despicable! No matter what, that monster must be eradicated without a trace."
Unlike Ordoro who could but scream in frustration at the events that had transpired, the rest of the Archbishops were in the midst of thinking whether they should accept the challenge from Ainz Or not.
"Let us first formulate how to organize the situation at the capital. He said that in three months' time he will attack our capital if we refuse, but can we really trust such a thing? We have to make preparations immediately for a possible attack."
The Archbishop of Earth looked at his subordinate in charge of commanding the Earthquake Scripture and national defense and saw a troubled expression. He didn't bother asking what it meant. "Archon, you know as well as I that making preparations against something like the Sorcerer King is nearly impossible. If we're lucky we can evacuate our most important personnel and most valuable possessions out of the capital but only if this monster sticks to the deadline."
"That's not nearly enough! We need to ensure the safety of our civilians somehow. We should evacuate the entire capital for a start!" Archon was hardly one who would raise his voice at such a meeting, but even he couldn't stand to hear the archbishops talk about valuables when the lives of close to a hundred thousand humans were at stake.
"Evacuate the capital? You mean flee from an Undead? Heresy! If all of us flee then who will stay behind us to protect our backs from the Sorcerer's wrath? Who will still believe in our teachings of human superiority?"
"Leave it you two; we need to work out if we will take up the challenge or not, and who to send if we do!" Ylliana was fed up with the quarrels between her colleagues and tried to guide their attention back to the matter at hand.
Ordoro, still boiling with rage, shouted furiously as soon as he heard those words.
"Of course we accept. If we don't, that monster will take to our capital and destroy everyone with one attack! If we can scare him off by beating his subordinates, or even take this chance to destroy him then that's even better! We will send Kaire and the Black Scripture and kill this threat in its crib before its malice spreads throughout the world!"
The other archbishops looked at Ordoro conflictingly. Although it was clear to see that his anger had replaced his reason, he still had a point. To gamble with the population of an entire capital was a bet that they could not take lightly, not to mention that there was zero guarantee that it would stop there.
Archon looked at Sylvan who was kneeling down alongside the other three captains at the bottom of the stairs.
Inside the room besides the archbishops were the four captains of the Scriptures who were indispensable to the Theocracy.
The Windflower Scripture Captain tasked with spying and gathering intelligence in and outside the realm.
The Earthquake Scripture Captain who was not just the captain of his Scripture, but also one of the generals of the nation's armies and responsible for organizing the defense of the realm and its major cities.
The Firefly Scripture Captain who was in charge of purging. Unlike the Sunlight Scripture, which was responsible for eradicating demi-humans and other troublesome groups, its job was to enforce the church's policies in secret and quietly do away with anyone who would protest against them or who tried to spread a different religion inside their nation.
And the Black Scripture Captain, Sylvan, who was in charge of missions which had the highest difficulty and required the highest level of skill to accomplish. The final trump card against evil which was allowed to use the secret weapons left behind by the Six Great Gods.
Even if we send all of them would it be enough?
Archon could not help but ponder this question. Each of these men was an indispensable asset to their nation that was worth his weight in Adamantite, the cost of which would still be lower than that of training men of even similar caliber. If they did decided to send these men and their units and it turned out to be an ambush the result could spell the end of their nation even if the Sorcerer King did not press further.
"Ordoro, you too must agree that we have been played with by this Sorcerer King from the very beginning. The use of Fluder as an envoy to publically trap us in a net from which we cannot escape, the exposure of our meddling in the Kingdom, and now an open challenge against us with a deadline that gives us the advantage. A more obvious trap could not be made."
"Then tell me, oh oracle of the Six Archbishops, why bother with us in the first place? If I had the kind of power which he does I would not hesitate to simply destroy the country which bothered me and be done with it."
Not even slightly minding the glaring mocking from Ordoro, Ylianna interrupted, "I for one can think of two reasons. This Sorcerer King has shown that he is no fool who just destroys his enemies and conquers cities. The use of the Adventurer Momon in E-Rantel has shown that he always acts with the greatest strategic wit and makes the best use of his resources instead of just blowing everything apart with his magic. If he were to destroy us without reason than he would simply turn every nation around him into his enemy as there is no telling when they might be next."
"And once again, like I said he has the power to destroy entire armies with a thought. Whether we become allies or not will not change that numbers are ineffective against him. Whether we become enemies or not does not change our fate if we oppose him."
"You are mistaken. For one, it is not certain that he does have the capability of taking ALL of us on. Leaving the Baharuth Empire and the Re-Estize Kingdom aside, there are still the Roble Kingdom and the Angrand Council Alliance along with the Draconic Kingdom and even the other demi-human nations beyond that. Can we really be sure that his might is enough to defeat all these nations if banded together? Not even a Dragon lord would be capable of taking on the entire world."
"I suppose you do have a point… and what is the other reason?"
Ylianna looked at the magic crystal on the altar that Fluder had given back to the Theocracy as a 'gift'.
"I think that Gown is afraid, even if he does not show it. He's afraid of us, or rather our power. The fact that the crystal was used means that the angel was released and attacked and my suspicion is that it at least left an impression on him. Perhaps he only nearly won that fight and now wants to make sure that that crystal was our trump card."
What Ylianna said made sense. The high tier angel Dominion Authority, which was released from that crystal, was practically made to attack and destroy evil creatures. If it had the chance to unleash its full power then would even Ainz Ooal Gown come out unscathed?
"This challenge is a trap to lure out our trump card into the open and take over our nation without using simple brute force and terror as the foundation of ruling. No matter what, we cannot provide him with the opportunity to complete both of his objectives."
The other archbishops stared at Ylianna whilst considering her words. If any other nation were to offer these conditions they would consider it too strange and not even hesitate to refuse their proposal, but it was their fear of becoming the target of a monster like Ainz.
"Then there is only one choice. We must begin the evacuation of the city's VIPs and at least partially prepare our defenses to the possible extent. From now on we must ensure that the Black Scripture doesn't go out on any more missions until that monster is dealt with. And of course none of the three God-Kin are allowed to go out of the capital anymore without permission from at least an archbishop."
The other archbishops nodded at Ylianna's words. Considering the fact that the opponent could eradicate civilizations this was all that they could do. Their only hope of victory would have to be the Black Scripture and Kaire.
After sorting out the details and coming up with at least a partial plan, the Six Archbishops and the captains prepared to leave. They would all still have a mountains of things to do in order to do their part of protecting the nation.
Archon looked at Sylvan who was likewise preparing to move out and inform his comrades of the development.
"Sylvan-kun…"
Sylvan turned his head as he was halted by Archon before he could leave.
"Is there something you require of me, Tado-sama?"
"I was wondering if you would be willing to accompany me for a bit. There's something I want to tell you."
Sylvan pondered for a second. He, as the captain of the Black Scripture, had arguably the largest workload of the captains and would have plenty of things to take care of, but if Archon wanted to speak with him in private then it would be no trifling matter.
"Okay, if we can keep it short then that's not a problem for me."
.
….
.
After walking for a bit the two arrived at the private study of Archon inside of the Cathedral. It was a nice silent room with a good view of the city. No one would bother them here.
After arriving, Archon did not say anything as he first stopped to gaze outside the window as if making sure that no one was spying on them.
"So what do you wish to talk to me about? I assume you don't plan to tell me to secretly accept the challenge and head out towards the Charakuri Plains, do you?"
Archon displayed a slight grin as he responded without stopping to look out the window.
"Of course not. Although their reasoning is shallow, the archbishops are right for once. Even if it means total war and massive casualties, refusing to walk into such an obvious trap is still better than sending our best hope of victory to the grave."
Even if dozens of settlements would be swallowed up by Ainz Ooal Gown, there was no guarantee that if they sent out the Black Scripture and lost them due to an ambush or trap that their cites wouldn't still be burnt to the ground by that monster. An Undead did possess an intense hatred for the living, after all.
Archon continued staring out the window and watching the daily life of the citizens outside. An intense feeling of regret swept over him as he realized that this was never what he wanted in life. Why did such a catastrophe have to befall his nation when he was in charge?
"Hey, Sylvan-kun?"
He hesitated to continue, but then decided that it was for the better that Sylvan knew.
"…have you ever heard the story of how the six gods left our world?"
Sylvan looked up in surprise. This was a question that he didn't know how to answer at all. The gospels told that in a magnificent light the Six Gods ascended back into the divine realm that they came from, leaving behind their weapons and legacies that would protect humanity until the end of time.
"You mean from the accounts of the fourth disciple? In brilliant light as clear as…"
"I'm not talking about that rubbish!"
Sylvan almost choked on his words. The rare display of anger from Archon and that he called the officially recognized account of a holy disciple rubbish caused him to be petrified from fear. Even though he had fought countless monsters he still flinched from something so unexpected.
"Sylvan, I feel that as the captain of the Black scripture, you're entitled to know the full story behind the beings we call the Six Great Gods."
Archon finally turned around as he looked firmly at the baffled Sylvan.
"The other archbishops wanted to wait until you're a bit older. But I think you need to know this bit of information if you are to stand any chance against this foe."
Sylvan recomposed himself as he felt that he might be having the most important conversation in his life and absolutely couldn't afford to be taken back by what he was told.
"This is the true story of what caused the Six Great Gods to leave, or rather to die."
"Die?"
Sylvan only heard the first line of the story and was already mortified. The six beings that the entire population of the Theocracy had put their faith in were supposed to be immortal. The idea that they could die at all would get you crucified if you said it to the wrong person.
"Yes, die. And I ask you that you please be quiet and allow me to tell you the whole story as it will be quite a lot to take in."
Sylvan was still perplexed but nodded in understanding as he still had a responsibility as the captain of the Black Scripture to hear the whole story.
Archon, seeing the youngster's resolve, began to tell the true story of the six gods.
"Six hundred years ago, humanity was nothing like the powerful race that we are today. Food to beast-men and trolls and slaves to all other races that did not consider us tasty enough to eat.
"Humanity at this time only had one small nation and one stronghold where they lived as a satrapy of a nation of dark elves. I have no doubt that if these humans were under attack or threatened that the dark elves would just let them all die, seeing as those humans were just a giant slave colony to them and not worth the effort. These humans prayed to their ancestors or whatever gods they thought they had found and hoped with all their heart that a savior would appear.
On a day like any other, a girl was playing near the forest when she heard something in the woods. From the woods came out several goblins who were looking for easy prey. Although the girl tried to run, she was obviously no match for the speed of the goblins. Just when everything seemed lost, a mysterious light appeared between her and the goblins.
The girl saw in front of her six creatures that radiated a brilliance the likes of which we cannot even begin to imagine.
"With just a thought one of them eliminated the attacking goblins and saved the little girl's life. This little girl, not knowing the difference between danger and safety, befriended the six creatures and followed them around until they agreed to take her with them.
"This girl was called Maura, the very same girl that would be called the first Miko of the Six Great Gods.
"In the next few years these six creatures took notice of the appalling situation that humanity was in and decided to liberate us from the oppression of other races. whether this was done on a whim or because four of them had a human appearance, we still don't know.
"With strength that seemed to defy reason justice and reality itself, they expelled the dark elves from these lands and created their own human nation. Over the course of their stay, they crushed countless threats as if they were bugs and expanded the borders of the human nation exponentially.
"All this time Maura had not left their side and began keeping a detailed account of their words and actions along with six other humans that we now refer to as the Holy Disciples.
"They blessed humanity with a brand new magic system, new methods of agriculture and hundreds of other things, and in the end we accepted them as gods.
"However the fact that even gods are not omnipotent was proven. When Maura died…
"She had been with them for almost a century and had lived up to the incredible age of 95. They likely prolonged her life with their magic, but even they were apparently not capable of tricking death infinitely for anyone but themselves.
"The loss of Maura caused a great sense of depression and panic as they had many children. They foresaw that they would see each and every one of them die before their eyes until the end of time.
"Faced with this desperation they decided to put an end to such a horrible cycle that would continue until the end of the world, and deliberated the possibility of putting themselves out of their misery.
"Four of the Six Gods decided that death was a blessing that they had been able to avoid for long enough and took their own life…
"Of the Six Gods, however, one chose not to take his own life and instead decided to dedicate his existence to reviving Maura. This was the one we now call the God of Death, and the original leader of the Six Great Gods.
"His attempt to perform such a ritual resulted in Maura being revived as a horrible Undead that killed 3 of the original six Holy Disciples.
"Mad with grief and anger, the last of the Six Great Gods that had chosen to watch over humanity a little longer attacked and fought with the God of Death in a battle that until this very day has left an enormous mark upon the land.
"This was the God of Life. After he succeeded in killing his lifelong companion after that fierce battle, he left the fate of humanity to the last of the original Holy Disciples along with the knowledge that they were not god's only 'players'.
"He convinced him to tell the humans that the Six Gods had ascended back into their divine realm. His explanation was that humans would live happier knowing that someone watched over them and that god's protected them from evil and judged the sinners.
"After that he too ended his own life and left us with all of the god's weapons and items, such as the Five Legacies and the armor the Black Scripture uses, so that we could protect ourselves from evil."
Sylvan had listened attentively without saying a single word, but not due to not wanting to say anything. He just didn't have the words. After a long pause, he finally collected his thoughts and spoke, "What about their bodies?"
At this Archon shook his head.
"The bodies of the Six Great Gods disappeared after a while. We can only hope that they went back to whatever world that they came from and found peace."
"Archon-sama… why tell me this? This knowledge, if made known, could shake six hundred years' worth of theology to its core."
Archon turned around again and resumed watching the citizens of the Theocracy walking on the streets.
"Which is exactly why only the Six Archbishops and the God-Kin know. Funny, isn't it, that the people closest to gods are actually the only ones who know that the Six Gods are nothing more than just insanely powerful beings that took pity on humans?"
Sylvan furrowed his brows in anger as he boiled from anger after hearing this.
"Then… why tell me now?!"
Archon waited a bit before replying. He knew that the following would be a lot to swallow, maybe even more than hearing that the Six Great Gods were dead.
"Because I think that Ainz Ooal Gown is a being from the same world as the Six."
Even Sylvan, a God-Kin, felt as if he had fallen into some deep ravine. Such was the mental shock that he felt right now. His entire life had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes. Not only were his deities dead, but his next enemy is possibly on the same level.
"What makes you think so?" Sylvan asked, hoping against hope that Archon wouldn't be able to give a proper answer.
"His power is not of this world. To have the ability to wipe out an army with a single attack is not something that a being of this world should be capable of. Even if it was a Dragon-lord it would be almost impossible."
"This is not the first time that such a being has appeared in this world. The Eight Greed Kings were also monstrous beings that appeared and dominated this world using unseen powers. My theory is that throughout history multiple such powerful beings from the world that the Six Gods came from seep into this world."
Sylvan thought about it and thought that as ridiculous as it sounded, it made sense. If powerful beings like the Six could enter into this world, then who was to say that other beings couldn't do the same?
"But this time is different!"
Archon looked stern as he raised his voice.
"This time the being that comes to claim this world is neither a savior nor a conqueror. If it merely wanted to rule this world it would have already conquered it. I believe it is causing conflicts and panic around the world, preparing it for a very dark future that will be like a nightmare with no end."
"So what do you hope to gain from telling me?"
"Two reasons. Firstly, if this is the case then even if this being is from the same realm, then that still means that we have a chance to kill it. You as the second strongest of the God-Kin must be the one to succeed in this task."
"And secondly?"
Archon closed his eyes.
"If you should fail, I want you to know that I will release the light of the Six Gods upon this world…"
Amongst the weapons and items that the Six Gods had left them, there was one that was described as being capable of erasing all evil from this world. It was left to them with the prediction that there may come a day when some form of evil will rise that threatens the existence of the entire world. At this time the Six Gods had noted that this item would kill all evil beings in the world, regardless of gender, age, or race. Thus, it must only be used when armageddon was near.
Sylvan, as one of the God-Kin, knew of this and was one of the people that had to either agree or be dead before it would be allowed to be used.
Sylvan stared at the ground as he tried to come up with a reason to dissuade Archon from doing something so insane, but later realized that if this foe is indeed victorious it would be the only way to protect humanity.
Archon understood what Sylvan felt and quietly responded.
"Sylvan-kun, you have been burdened with an unreasonable fate. You're just a young man and already you are the captain of the most important unit in the Theocracy."
Archon placed his hand on Sylvan's shoulder as he gently smiled at him.
"Whatever happens, as long as you fight your hardest and do your best, no one will ever blame you for what comes after. I know that we have always been unreasonable with you, but I hope you will bear with it a little longer."
Sylvan looked up and displayed a rare slight smile as he responded, "Archon-sama, I have not once cursed my fate and will never do so. I understand that this power is granted to me for a reason, and even if it does not come from a god I will use it to protect this nation and the rest of humanity."
Archon could tell that there was no hesitation in the youth's eyes. This young man had a bright future ahead of him. If properly nurtured he could get stronger still and protect many more people than he realized. With him as the third God-Kin, the Theocracy could rest easy.
"Which reminds me, why did you give Zesshi permission to venture outside?"
In the Theocracy there was a rule that stated that one God-Kin must always be in the inner sanctum to protect the treasures left behind by the Six Great Gods. Zesshi could not have sneaked out without one of the other two God-Kin giving their permission.
"Archon-sama, I did not know…"
Archon raised his hand in a halting gesture.
"It's fine Sylvan. No one in the Theocracy can really deny Zesshi anything if she really wants it. Let's just forget about this matter and move on."
Sylvan bowed to Archon and left the room. It was about time he went home.
Archon continued to stare out the window and watched Sylvan leave as he himself wondered what should be going through Sylvan's mind at the moment. It was a miracle that he was able to take in so much and not lose his mind, if only temporarily.
"Ainz Ooal Gown, this nation has endured the test of time and the threat of creatures as dangerous as you. No matter what, it will not fall due to our cowardice."
.
….
.
Sylvan closed the door as he walked into the house. He noticed that the maids that should have been there to greet him were nowhere to be seen.
Did she give them another day off?
Sylvan sighed as he hung his mantle on the wall by himself and walked into the living quarters. Although he was the captain of the Black Scripture and received a more than generous tribute from the church he was obligated to live in an appropriately small house that would not arouse suspicion as to what job the person who lived there performed.
As he walked into the kitchen he saw what he had expected to see. A young girl no older than sixteen was standing at the kitchen counter and preparing vegetables and meat for her dish.
The girl wore a beautiful blue dress with white embroideries and had a reasonably pretty face with her blonde hair in twin tails and her big blue eyes attentively focused on her work.
She was working hard at cutting the vegetables and didn't notice Sylvan had walked into the kitchen.
"You know that as a descendant of the Holy Bloodline, you are not supposed to work a day in your life, right?"
As if a charge of an electric current had run through her the young girl jumped up and turned her head rapidly. She had finally noticed Sylvan standing at the entrance of the room.
"Aah, you're home Bastion-sama. I'm sorry for not greeting you at the door, I was so busy with cooking the meat dish that I completely lost contact, sorry."
"Why you insist on cooking and cleaning by yourself mystifies me to no end. And I've told you dozens of times that it's Sylvan. What married couple still calls each other by their last names?"
Although they had gotten married, to call these two a couple would be stretching the limit quite a bit. Even though this girl was from one of the sacred families from which a God-Kin had been born, when married off it was made abundantly clear by her family that her task was to give birth to another God-Kin and quietly accept her husband and a second wife if he chose to take one.
Her name was Valerie Crux Nilldem, or Vi to her friends. She was not a girl that sat quietly in a corner and knit clothes for her children or even read books. To her she needed to do something active and move her body in any way that she could or she would go insane.
In the beginning, the archbishops had advised against picking this girl in particular as she would be more trouble than she was worth. The chance of an awakened God-Kin being born was very small after all. But Sylvan had chosen her as by comparison the other candidates were either too old, too plain, or not genetically suited enough to marry, besides he did not mind her energetic personality as he himself was rarely exposed to it.
Vi stared down at the ground as she meekly responded to her new husband.
"I'm sorry… uhm Sylvan-sama. I just couldn't take it anymore and I thought you wouldn't be back today either with the meeting taking place today and all."
Vi, despite being a woman, was one of the few people in the Theocracy that knew what Sylvan really did for a living and knew she had to treat a man like him with respect as it could be said that Sylvan was the reason why the nation was safe from monsters.
Sylvan sighed as he walked up to the girl and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. The girl twitched in fear as she thought she was about to be lectured by him and still was a little afraid of him.
"Vi, I know that you must have it tough living in this tiny home away from your friends and family. To top it all you have to live with a guy like me. So I don't mind you doing whatever takes your mind of things. I just want to be certain that I don't make you suffer an unreasonable fate."
"Ah, no of course not, Sylvan-sama! It's a great honor to be chosen as the wife of someone like you and as long as I can keep myself busy with something I won't complain. I know I'll have plenty to do once I…"
At this moment Vi became quiet as talking about such a subject was still embarrassing to her. She knew full well that she was just a baby making tool in this relationship, but to discuss that issue was a taboo after all. The matter of the child being taken away if it turned out to actually be a God-Kin was also not a point of debate.
Seeing his wife's expression, Sylvan could easily read her mind and cracked a slight smile.
"Don't worry about it. In most cases a God-Kin doesn't awaken until they are older than six or seven, and as long as you're with me no one will do you harm even if you can't give birth to an Awakened."
Vi reacted and finally lifted her head up to look at the face of the man comforting her. Although she should normally not have been able to marry him she was graced to be protected by such a powerful, well-funded and kind man.
"Ah about that Sylvan… sama, the priest came by today and examined me. It seems that today is a good chance…"
At these words her face became as red as a tomato as she blushed from ear to ear. It was really difficult to talk about these things with a person that was a complete stranger to her not long ago.
Sylvan showed a rare surprised expression as it took him a moment to understand what she meant. This quickly turned into a smile as he compassionately leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"Let's first have dinner shall we, you are an amazing cook after all."
Hearing her husband say these words she lit up and smiled brightly as she jumped from the hold of his arms and returned to the kitchen counter to finish the dish.
"Then give me five minutes to prepare, Sylvan… uhm dear."
As he looked at the girl that was passionately cooking him supper, Sylvan could not help but smile as he thought of spending his days lazily with this girl without caring about sorcerers or wars. This quickly faded as he remembered everything that he had heard today.
Even if the gods will not protect us anymore, as long as I still draw breath I will protect this nation and this girl…
Author's afterword: Part 2! Enjoy! Also, I want to point out this recurring issue. How strong is Zesshi, the six gods and the Black Scripture? I take what the author has shown and said in his LIGHT NOVEL and not the Web novel and base myself on that. This is MY interpretation of how strong they are as we do not know this from reading the light novel. So keep that in mind. Part 3 in 2-3 days If beta doesn't get snowed under.