Sebas was walking across the seventh floor of Nazarick toward the Blazing Temple where Demiurge was waiting for him. The last string of events and his master's decisions gave him a lot to ponder. All of Nazarick denizens, himself included, were troubled by the announcements that were made by Ainz Ooal Gown himself, particularly, they all had a hard time to accept that after all these years in the New World, that they shouldn't consider themselves the ultimate powerhouse no more. Not only they had a first contact with another more technologically advanced civilization and universe, but there was an inherent threat from the fact that outside of the planet they controlled, they knew almost next to nothing about their universe.
It was decided in the Throne Room that the next steps would be twofold; firstly they would have to establish a bridgehead in the other universe in order to acquire technology and resources, secondly they would explore and expand cautiously in their own one.
Sebas wasn't exactly thrilled about his own orders, he was obviously proud to work for his master on such an important mission, but the context was troublesome. Demiurge had requested to be part of the first group that would establish contact with Earth and despite their master hesitation, he had been able to argue that he would be the best candidate to not only negotiate, but also observe and learn. However, in his infinite wisdom, Ainz Ooal Gown rejected the first plan concocted by the archdevil. The devil suggested to contact one of the local species, named Goa'Uld and trick them with promesses about the rebirth of their empire in exchange for technology, only later to use them as a threat to unify all others under the protection of Nazarick. Instead Demiurge and Sebas were surprisingly ordered to work together on the mission and on very specific terms.
The Sorcerer King had often been the arbiter of disagreements between Demiurge and himself, but since a few years, disputes had been so frequent and increasingly important, that there had been several failed attempts to solve the issue in a more permanent way. However, it was well known that the situation was the direct result of their creation by Supreme Beings, who were themselves in permanent disagreements and that the matter wouldn't be resolved easily, since their respective views of things were fundamentally opposed. Their common master seemed to have seized this opportunity to make a dent on their natural enmity.
The antagonistic duo had been tasked to make the first move as Nazarick representatives. The particularity of their assignment, was that neither one of them was authorized to do anything that wasn't explicitly approved by the other, from the mission preparation to the execution and that would remain the case until they would come back to the New World. They were allowed to defend themselves if needed, or to act as they saw fit if one of them died, but besides that, everything else had to be the result of genuine collaboration.
Finally arriving at his destination and asked by one of Demiurge's demons to wait, Sebas sighed in front of an Ulbert Alain Oodle full-scale statue, wondering if his own creator, Touch Me, was faced with the same kind of dilemma in his own time. He read the plate and found it appropriate for his nemesis's creator: 'Ulbert Alain Oodle, World Disaster and Great Catastrophe'.
"Demiurge-sama is ready for you Sebas-sama" announced the imp that guided him and went back to his work whatever it might be.
Sebas entered the Archdevil's office and found it completely different from the last time he saw it almost ten years ago. The decorum was essentially the same as for the rest of the floor, but key elements were changed. The chairs had been replaced by huge thrones that were made of bones and what he guessed was skin from exotic and varying color creatures, the desk was a beautifully carved dragon skull and there was a disturbing display of what he suspected was either stuffed or petrified naked persons behind him, three humans, a dark elf, an orc and a centaur.
Putting down the paper he was reading, Demiurge noticed the gaze of the butler and told him with a smile "This is my Zurenon Executive collection, those too weak to have been of use for ainz-sama. Don't concern yourself with them, they have been very naughty and won't repeat what they hear".
Not sure if the guardian statement should have been taken as a taunt or a gesture of good will, Sebas decided to ignore it and instead focus on the mission given by Ainz-sama. He sat and began "I have finished delegating my duties and preparing myself for our mission, I am ready to begin the preparations".
"Good, on my side, since CZ Delta will be our pilot, I made sure that nothing critical about Nazarick's security or other operations remained in her memory. I've also prepared a compilation of our current information about Earth and the other universe with Doppel-Rodney". answered Demiurge giving a thick file to Sebas before continuing "Since we are forced to travel back where the device opened the first tunnel due to its functionment, we don't have any other options than starting our operation by entering in direct contact with this civilization. Besides that, we have a pretty wide latitude on how it is best for Ainz-sama and Nazarick to accomplish our mission." Stated the red suited devil with a wide grin.
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Deep inside the Nazarick treasury, there was a secret room. A secret not only to the rest of the world or even some of the denizens, but a room so secret that even Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't aware of its existence.
It had been built years ago, using many magic items which mysteriously disappeared from both the treasury and the lists of available resources, without any written trace or proof of their existence in the first place. This place was only accessible through a complicated and dangerous pathway consisting of many traps, passwords, enigmas and was ultimately protected by some of the most destructive mercenary summons of Yggdrasil, mainly high level Gas Spores and Explosive Mushrooms. It wouldn't be enough to stop or even deter a strong enough person, such as an area guardian, a guardian or even Ainz himself, however their destruction was made to trigger, not only an alert to the one who placed them, but would also provoke a chain reaction that would destroy the secret room and all its content.
Making his way on the path that he was one of the few authorized to use, Pandora's Actor hesitated a few seconds before opening the last door. Like always when he came here, he experienced a mix of many feelings, from pride and shame to fear and excitement, but he had made his choice many years ago and it was too late to change his mind. Like always, he thought of his creator, gathered his courage and opened the door before closing it behind him.
The room was very unusual for Nazarick in several ways, in the center was a plain table with chairs, there were many cases of various files, obviously the housekeeping wasn't regularly done and a banner that was displayed nowhere else in the world, was proudly hung on the wall; The banner of Momonga.
"I trust you are sure that no one knows you are here ?" asked Albedo, stopping to gently caress the banner and turning to face him.
"Natürlich! We are alone in the whole treasury area for the moment" answered Pandora's Actor "However I am unsure what you want to discuss, your secret unit was disbanded years ago, when we completed our exploration of this world and once we were certain that no Supreme Beings, other than Ainz-sama, was to be found in the New World".
With an angry glare, Albedo interjected, "You know the rule of this room!"
Dropping his shoulders, Pandora's Actor corrected "no other Supreme Beings other than … Momonga-sama".
The succubus relaxed a little before sitting and making an invitation gesture to the doppelganger to do the same, when he did so, she started to explain "I believe we are in a very dire situation, you heard … Momonga-sama" she said with a blush and a lovestruck look "If so far, every attempt to find or magically summon the others failed, the technological angle, once mastered and intertwined with magic, can potentially give results. We can't allow it".
"Is the unit recreated ?" asked Pandora's Actor
"My beloved Overlord didn't give his permission so far. Since it is certain that none of the others are in the other universe, there should be no need for a team dedicated to their finding" answered Albedo "Once the technological level of Nazarick will be risen to a satisfactory level, the project will be entrusted to Ashurbanipal and under the authority of Demiurge. I will need your help to make sure that this project is not successful, no matter what happens".
"Eine schwere Aufgabe! Demiurge, Titus and his librarians, none of them are easy to fool or known for their lack of results …" wondered the doppelganger out loud. "If the task can be done and is entrusted to them, they will achieve it sooner or later".
"I will be able to monitor their advancement one way or another, even probably slow them down from time to time, but if they are coming too close to success, we will have to take a more direct approach. I've already reactivated Rubedo secretly and she is ready to go back to work" matter of factly announced Albedo closing her gaze on Pandora's Actor in a threatening way.
The doppelganger could only suspect how far the crazy succubus would go in the name of her love for his creator if she deemed it necessary. He often reassured and justified himself about his participation in her conspiracy by imagining that the day she would cross the line, he would be able to stop her or reveal everything to his creator, but he recognized that it was only wishful thinking. He knew that she didn't trust him completely and that she was crafty enough to act without him learning about it. It was also a certainty that even if he was able to defeat her in a duel, if she doubted him on this matter, with the help of Rubedo, she would be able to get rid of him and perhaps even on a permanent basis by preventing his resurrection.
As he usually did, Pandora's Actor chose to play his role. In this instant it was the role of co-conspirator, "Fluder Paradyne might be a partial answer to the problem. He has become an important part of the Ashurbanipal team, now that he has become a powerful undead he might prove himself resourceful enough and he has no loyalties besides Momonga-sama himself".
Surprised by the idea that she didn't even consider, Albedo answered "Maybe you are right, it might be the opportunity to have someone in the inside that could potentially botch the research or even sabotage it. I will think of how to develop him as an asset for our newly created, unofficial secret unit".
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Both combatants were exhausted and covered in wounds.
The first one, an impressive creature which could only be described as an humanoid panther, was named Shar'Alar, a seven feet tall male, that had been presented as both a warrior and a shaman. He was this season's winner of the newly created estearn arena league and the challenger for his first attempt at the annual great tournament. Wearing a mixture of armor plates and leather pieces, he fought very nimbly and made an impressive use of his pure physical power, mastery of martial arts and competency with spells.
The second one, a strange half-elf female with hairs split in half between silver and black, had been announced as the current title holder. Zesshi Zetsumei the Certain Death. She was wearing a strange assembly of what appeared as normal clothes and small pieces of armor that barely covered anything of her, in contrast to her opponent, minuscule silhouette. It seemed she was pretty famous in the arena, she had barely been introduced and already the crowd was cheering loudly. Her capabilities had been mind boggling to observe, incredible speed and strength, amazing spells and even in comparison to a literal feline, impossible agility. Her cross-shaped scythe had seemed the most natural weapon for her to bear and during the fight, looked like an almost sentient item dancing of his own.
The dark beastman, roared weakly, lost his equilibrium and was forced to put one of his hands on the ground. His other hand, that was holding a massive two-handed ax, lost his grip and the weapon fell, raising a cloud of dust. On the ground, dripping from the many gashes he suffered, started to form a puddle of blood. He seemed to make an attempt to heal himself like he already did previously during the fight, but this time, the magic circle flickered and nothing happened.
Walking casually toward her opponent, the half-elf crouched in front of him. In the deafening silence, the whole crowd tried to hear what she was saying, but ultimately, nobody could. Zesshi Zetsumei then gently patted the head of Shar'Alar, rose on her feet and in a swift gesture, decapitated the beastman. She grabbed the head and in a gesture of victory, lifted it high and proudly.
Immediately the crowd exploded "Zesshi! Zesshi! Zesshi! Zesshi!". The fight was unquestionably over.
In the VIP booth that was occupied by the otherworldly team, reactions varied greatly. The group was still escorted by the same retired or without a team, adamantite adventurers that had been tasked by Momon to watch over them and act as liaison of the Sorcerer Kingdom. It has been several days since they met each other and for the most part, had learned to respect and even in some cases form a strange form of friendship.
Vala Mal Doran and her beautiful escort, Leinas Rockbruise, had tried to dissimulate the fact that they enjoyed the display, but when the uncomfortable killing occurred, they looked at each other waiting for a reaction and both looked a little disappointed that the other didn't react exaggeratedly.
Cameron Mitchell and John Sheppard had been captivated by the fight itself and had been totally surprised by the brutal execution that put an end to the match. Their respectives escorts, Shasuryu Shasha and Zenberu Gugu, had also excitedly followed the fight, but unlike the earthlings or the crowd, they only stoically approved the beheading of the vanquished.
Rodney Mckay and his liaison, Jiudo Peshmel, a very young magic caster freshly out of the magic academy and newly integrated to the adventurer guild, both squirmed during the whole fight and yelped shamefully seeing the cold-blooded killing. The young man, apparently the son of a famous knight and noble, had been a curious choice to work with McKay. Both of them were often seen by the others discussing their specialities with each other and seemed totally incapable of accepting or even comprehending the technicalities explained by the other.
Teal'C and his liaison, a strange red Quagoa named Yozu, a species that resemble mole-men, had both remained composed and only exchanged brief observations during the whole combat.
The last one, Daniel Jackson, came without his personal attaché, Momon had been occupied and only joined the arena just before the fight started. The tall armored man remained silent during the entire fight, remaining perfectly still. Looking like something else was on his mind, he didn't respond to any question and only gruntled with a small hand gesture when talked to.
"Why did she do that? The poor guy had obviously lost !" Aggressively asked Colonel Cameron.
Momon, snapping back from his daydreaming, asked "You were not explained the rules of the tournament ?"
"Not in details Momon-sama" answered Jiudo Peshmel fidgeting his magic staff "We spent most time explaining the worldwide display system via Eyeball Corpses and the different magic shields that protected the spectators from the actual combat"
"Anyway, what kind of rule can justify the killing of someone who couldn't fight any more?" continued accusing Cameron before being elbowed by Shasuryu with a bad look.
Momon raised his hand to the lizardman and answered "It's okay Shasuryu, I understand how this warrants an explanation. During the firsts competitions, there had been several issues to determine the victor when high level fighters were involved, sometimes both died, there had also been cases when none of the fighter was able to force the other to surrender, it even happened that both were unable to defeat each other. That's why the conditions of the match were made specific for the annual tournament, the vanquished has to be dead and the victor has to be alive. Shar'Alar is an interesting young warrior, maybe next year he will get his revenge, although he still has a lot of growing to do before reaching Certain Death in the arena".
"I know we were told that resurrection is possible here, but isn't the decapitation a problem to do so?" Asked John, he had seen a lot of improbable healing and even what some could call miracles during his missions, but nothing as impressive as a head reattached to the body.
Chuckling, the dark warrior added "You should ask Zenberu, I believe in this room, he holds the record of most resurrected".
At this statement, the whole team looked surprised and stared at the big lizardman. In turn, the old male looked embarrassed and rubbed the back of his head with his oversized arm before answering in his gravelly voice "Yeah I guess so. My first death, I was cut in half clean by Cocytus-sama, probably the least painful I had. The second time I was chewed by a wyrm during an exploration, not my greatest memory. The third time was kind of my fault I guess, I should have known that not all hydras are friendly, at least the one I found wasn't. And that's it, I haven't died for the last five years".
"The resurrection was possible before the rise of the Sorcerer Kingdom, but with very harsh requirements and conditions. Not many were able to cast this level of spells and those who could, either didn't share the knowledge or asked for small fortunes. However, since the monopoly established by the temples was broken, there have been other ways to access healings and resurrection spells, being an official adventurer or fighting in arenas are good examples". Explained Jiudo Peshmel.
"This is surprising, even the Goa'Uld sarcophagus can't resurrect someone who has lost his head" Commented the Jaffa "I am however unsure what are the limitations of the ancients powers …" but he was interrupted by the small person that announced the first match, running incredibly fast to the center of the arena and that started to yell.
"We have our first finalist ladies and gentlemen! Too bad the 'stilling brother attempter' is the one who won but still, it was a good fight. For the next match, we have another regular of this event, the champion of the northern arena tournament, already several times finalist of this event, former Martial Lord of the Baharuth Empire: Go Gin!"
Making his entrance, a giant creature covered from head to toe in armor and carrying a huge two handed sword, walked proudly under the cheering of the crowd.
The small person continued her announcement, covering the loud crowd with a voice that almost seemed magic by being able to do so "On the other side, for his first participation in the tournament, the former champion of the Great Minotaur Nation, God-Kin of the Minotaur Sage himself, Noshi Thunderhoof!"
Covered in strange tribal paint, carrying a shield and an ax, an imposing minotaur made his entry. His long horns seemed covered in a multicolor metal, but beside a loincloth, he wasn't wearing any armor.
Both fighters stopped to gauge each other and seemingly satisfied, the announcer continued "Will it finally be the year that sees the war troll go in the tournament final and win a new title ? Will the challenger prevail and offer us our first God-Kin confrontation ? The only certainty is that only the strongest will win!"
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Hello everybody, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter :)
I am particularly happy that I found an opportunity to introduce my favorite secondary plot from Overlord, Albedo's secret unit and her litteral 'Momonga obsession'.
Like always thanks for the review, interesting ideas and comments, it's always helpfull for an amateur writer :D
See you around for the next episode :p