CHAPTER 20:

AN ENTHUSIASTIC WALK

Harry and Momonga listened to Sebas and Solution's report, as did Albedo and Antilene. The Eight Fingers had finally made their move, with one of the Six Arms, Succulent the Illusion Maniac, coming to the mansion, accompanied by a bloated pig of a man. Said man claimed to be Staffan Havish, a high-ranking patrol officer of the city guard. The pair had made not so subtle threats to reclaim Tuare, or else they would get Sebas and Solution into trouble.

Afterwards, Sebas went on a walk, only to encounter Climb, who had been set upon by assassins, whom he incapacitated with Climb's help, and interrogated using Puppeteer's Palm. The assassins intended to murder Sebas and abduct Solution and Tuare (not knowing the latter had been replaced by a Doppelganger in her likeness) to take to a brothel. He returned to make his report, having asked Solution to summon Momonga and Harry in the meantime. Climb was waiting in another room, eager to begin a raid.

"So, they're eager to try and kill you out of such petty reasons?" Momonga asked. "Sebas, I need not ask what you intend to do next. You intend to accompany Climb on raiding that brothel Succulent was based in, correct?"

"Of course, Lord Momonga," the steely butler said. "But I thought it would be prudent to communicate my intentions to you first. Lady Albedo, would this affect Operation Gehenna?"

Albedo pursed her lips. "No, it shouldn't. If Succulent and indeed any other highly-placed members of the Eight Fingers are present, it would be prudent to capture or eliminate them as soon as possible. Would you agree, Lord Momonga?"

"Yes…" the Overlord mused. "Very well." He looked to Harry. "Enzo, contact Evileye of the Blue Roses. Let her know about what is about to happen." His eyes went back to Sebas. "Sebas, I want you to take the Climb boy, along with Antilene, Enzo and Albedo, assuming they wish to come…and raise hell. Any who put up more than a token resistance, unless they are ranking members of the Eight Fingers, are to be slain. As for the unfortunates in there…if they can be saved, do so, send them to Nazarick via Gate for now. I'll have accommodations set up by Aura and Mare on the 6th Floor until we can figure out where to send them. Otherwise…show them the mercy of death."

Sebas nodded solemnly. "Your will be done."

Harry sighed, even as he got ready to contact Keno. This is going to get messy, he thought.

For the sake of this raid, Antilene was going to accompany Climb, while Harry and Albedo were going to accompany Sebas. The brothel had two entrances, a main entrance, and a side entrance through an underground storage area. Harry, Sebas and Albedo were going to take the front door.

Sebas opened up the door with his hand, shoving it through the lock and wrenching it open. And this was a steel door, heavily secured. Harry reckoned that, normally, they'd need a small amount of plastic explosives to get through at the bare minimum. Sebas took the lead, with Albedo and Harry trailing not far behind. "Hello there," Sebas said. "Forgive the sudden arrival, but we were in the area and wished to discuss religion."

Harry and Albedo tried and failed to suppress their snickers at his dry joke. The burly, bearded receptionist blinked, and then said, "Uhh…what? I'm sorry, but this is a private establishment, by appointment only."

Albedo walked forward, taking off her ring disguising herself as a human as she did so, revealing her horns, wings, and her slitted pupils. But she never stopped smiling. "Look at my face, human," she said. "Does this look like the face of someone who gives a damn?" As he recoiled, she then sneered. "And humans have the temerity to look down on us. And yet, in these walls, you let people do things even I would blanch at. Our lords have passed judgement on you, and the sentence…is death."

Before the man could react, Sebas pushed the man aside…turning him into a splatter on the nearby wall. "The sad thing is," Harry said, wrinkling his nose in disgust, "that improved the décor significantly."

They walked through into the back, with a pair of men awaiting them. "My turn, I think," Harry said. "We need to discover where the establishment proper is. Accio." One of the men flew into his hand. "Legilimens." The man convulsed and then went limp, and after digesting the memories he had absorbed, Harry threw the man against the wall, though he didn't splatter as hard as Sebas' victim did. The man deserved it, not only turning a blind eye to the atrocities going on here, but partaking in them as well.

"And then there was one," Albedo said, looking at the remaining man. She walked towards the man, who tried to attack her, only for her to grab his head and press it into the wall. His screams became frantic, higher-pitched, before his head burst all over the wall. Albedo flicked the man's brain matter off her gloved hand. "So, how do we get into the brothel proper?"

Harry, after cleaning Albedo's hand with a Scourgify, went over to part of the floor, helped by the memories he had ripped from that man's head. "Trap door, right here," he said, before picking it up and wrenching it up. "Open Sesame," he growled, in his best imitation of Alucard from Hellsing, glad that he had gotten to watch that show.

"So," he said, deciding to take a leaf out of the Abridged Series of that show, "how about going on an enthusiastic walk?"

Antilene hummed a little song to herself as she and Climb made their way through the brothel. "Umm, Lady Antilene?" Climb asked, even as she flicked blood from her scythe. Not an ideal weapon to use in narrow corridors and small rooms, but she knew how to adapt.

"Just call me Antilene, Climb. What's the matter?"

"Well…Lady Evileye told us you were an ex-member of the Black Scripture," Climb said. "What was it like there?"

Antilene, after a moment, shrugged. "Boring, Climb. I was the most powerful being there, and they had me guarding a vault most of the time. Even though I wanted nothing more than to go to my sperm-donor and show him what I thought of him."

"Sperm-donor?"

"A rapist bastard, much like many of those who come here," she sneered. "Enzo has been more of a father to me than him. I'm surprised Coccodoll hasn't gone into business as a pimp for the sperm-donor. Now, quiet a moment…"

They entered a storage room, with Antilene's trained eyes roving around. And her eye fell on a seven-foot box, flush against the wall. She held up a hand to silence Climb, who was opening his mouth to ask some asinine question, as she approached the box gingerly. She could hear noises from the box. A secret passage! she thought in joy. She waited until the noise of whoever was moving through the secret passage approached the box, before she tore off the hidden door, and grinned at the pair of men about to emerge.

"HEEEEERE'S JOHNNY!" she screamed with a wide grin on her face, Harry once showing her his memory of watching that film, before she grabbed them both and hauled them out, flinging them to the floor. The scarred features of what had to be Succulent, and the effeminate features of Ampetif Coccodoll. She clapped her hands together. "Oh, and it's Christmas! Not that you guys know what Christmas is, but anyway, it feels like it! A member of the Six Arms, and one of the heads of the Eight Fingers!"

"Crazy Elven bitch," Succulent hissed as he got off the floor, dazed by Antilene's grab. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Antilene's grin widened even further. "I'm so glad you asked, Illusion Maniac Succulent. I am Antilene Heran Fouche, formerly Zesshi Zetsumei, Extra Seat of the Black Scripture. And you're going to be my bitch. So come on, summon up your illusions and whatnot. Because you don't know how screwed you really are."

"Succulent…the boy! Isn't that the princess' pet?" Coccodoll said, his words slurring a little from a concussion, she reckoned. "Kill the bitch, but capture him! We can use him as leverage to…" He then screamed in pain and passed out as Antilene stomped on his hand, probably powdering his bones.

Succulent turned his gaze to Antilene. "…I don't care if you crawled out of the Six Gods' collective arsehole," he sneered. "No man alive has ever overcome my mastery of illusions."

But even as he raised his sword, the sword flickering briefly, Antilene sighed. "Dunno whether you noticed, but I'm a woman, and half-Elf. Lots of people wouldn't count me as a man. And I've trained with and alongside people better than you in combat. Your illusions are handy, true…but you can't fool me!" She whirled and caught the sword coming for her back with her hand. She squeezed, and it shattered, along with Succulent's illusion, the shards opening up a wound on his face, certain to give him another scar to add to his collection. As he screamed in pain, she knocked him out.

After a moment, Climb asked, "How do I get as strong as you?"

"…With difficulty," she said, before looking at him with sadness in her eyes. "Climb…when one is born with strength, it can be a curse. I was trained from almost the day I could pick up a sword, by my own mother. I was conscripted into the Black Scripture, an honour, I thought at the time. But I was just a glorified guard dog to them, partly because of my heritage. It took Enzo for me to rediscover myself as a person, be less obsessed with power and finding someone strong to breed with. So, Climb, I ask you…why do you want to be strong?"

"…To protect the princess, and this kingdom," Climb said, as if it was obvious.

At this, Antilene couldn't help but laugh at the boy's simple-minded but honest desire. "Well, let's hope you stay alive to become strong enough for that. I'll contact the old man, see how he's going…"

"…So, yeah, that's the situation," Antilene said via Message.

"Good work, Antilene," Harry said. "We'll be there before long." He glared at where Sebas was, though not at the butler himself. "Sebas is just taking out the trash."

Said trash was a grotesquely obese and naked man whom Sebas had identified as Staffan Havish. They had found a few clients in the rooms, and had used Legilimency on before setting them aside for being sent to Demiurge. But they had then come across this pig beating the shit out of what must've been a rather beautiful girl, and had been about to rape her when they intervened.

Harry regretted using Legilimency on the man. He despised the Golden Princess for eliminating slavery, and forcing him to go to establishments like this. Indeed, every girl he had bought the services of from that point on had the same blonde hair, so he could pretend to rape Renner. And he didn't care if the girls died. All he had to do was pay extra towards the disposal fee. And Tuare was just one of his many victims in this godforsaken place. For all that Renner was a monster in human skin, she was at least rational and pragmatic. This, though…

Sebas was currently bitchslapping Havish. It was amazing the amount of restraint the steely butler was showing, as he was only leaving the man's face a bruised, broken mess, instead of killing him. Harry and Albedo, meanwhile, were tending to Havish's victim, who had barely survived.

"Okay, Sebas, that's enough," Harry said. "As fun as it is to watch you bitchslap him, I have a better idea for his punishment. We'll send him to Demiurge."

"…I agree," the butler said, his anger barely contained. "You can see it in his eyes…he doesn't understand why this is happening, why we are punishing him. This is what an unworthy life looks like."

Albedo nodded, gently picking up the girl. "He will have a more worthy life before long."

"Pleashe! Shtop!" Havish squealed, trying to speak through swollen lips and broken teeth. "I ken gif you money! Whadeva you wand!"

Albedo smiled sweetly, leaning in to his face. "Thank you for your generous offer. What we want is your life, to do with as we see fit. What Sebas did to you is but a mere aperitif. What you put these girls through will be returned to you, with considerable interest."

"Bud why? Why?"

"Because you offended us, truly and deeply," Albedo said. "And there is no greater crime in this world than to offend we of the Tomb of Nazarick."

"Gate," Harry intoned, and the Gate appeared in the room. As a few of Demiurge's minions came through, Harry indicated Havish. "The Frozen Prison for that one. Guest accommodations on the 6th Floor for this one." He indicated the girl slumbering in Albedo's arms.

Havish squealed in fear as he was pulled through the Gate, none too gently, while another Demon gently picked up the girl from Albedo, and carried her through. As the Gate closed, Harry said, "How would you have killed him, Sebas?"

"A blow to his internal organs, causing massive internal bleeding, as well as a ruptured stomach, allowing the acids to digest his own innards," Sebas said.

"Probably too merciful," Harry mused. "Given how fat he is, I reckon Demiurge could make more than a few magic scrolls from his skin. Anyway, let's go find Antilene and Climb. They've caught a couple of big fish…"

They brought Antilene and her prizes back to Nazarick, before heading back to the mansion. The Blue Roses had arrived, summoned by Keno. Thankfully, Sebas and Albedo had taken some paperwork, and Coccodoll had some on him, taken in his haste to escape the brothel. Climb was waiting outside with Sebas after he related matters to them, and being sworn to silence.

As Lakyus took the papers, she asked, "What do you intend to do about those you've taken from there?"

"Once I am certain that their conditions have stabilised, we will release the prostitutes into your care. We only found a dozen, and a little over half of those were with…clients," Momonga said. "The Princess has established many organisations like orphanages, perhaps they can help out at one of them. As for Succulent and Coccodol, they will remain our prisoners for now."

"Because otherwise, the Eight Fingers could potentially secure their release, right?" Keno asked.

"Amongst other considerations. However, we do intend to target another high-ranking member of the Eight Fingers before long. This one, however, we intend to subvert, as she could be useful. Hilma Cygnaeus, while the head of the drug-trafficking division, is nonetheless well-connected, and she could be useful to our plans."

"Our plans?" Gargaran asked.

"Renner works to defang or subvert the Nobility faction. Through Hilma, we have a potential list of contacts for her to work on," Albedo said. "You are working with Renner, and through Keno, you are linked to Harry. We are allies."

"More like accomplices," Lakyus muttered sardonically.

"You were already breaking Adventurers' Guild rules by working for Renner in this way anyway," Harry pointed out. "And these people would have managed to get away with what they've done so far. Once we're done with them, the Eight Fingers won't exist anymore. Just some criminal gangs with far less influence. You know who and what we are thanks to Keno, what the so-called Six Gods and Eight Greed Kings and their ilk were, to say nothing of the idiot who originally owned your sword, Kilineiram. You know we intend to take on the Platinum Dragon Lord down the track, to say nothing of your former team-mate, the Theocracy, and the Elf King. If you don't want to be part of that, then that's up to you."

"…No, that's fine. I'd rather not be part of any of your…dirtier operations, but as long as you don't harm innocents, I will be fine. As for Rigrit…" Lakyus looked away. "She has much to answer for. I may not agree with what you do all the time, but as long as you protect the innocent, you have my sword."

"Well, you'd best deliver the good news to the princess," Momonga said. "Tell her that the downfall of the Eight Fingers has truly begun…"

CHAPTER 20 ANNOTATIONS:

And here you have it, Harry, Albedo, Sebas and Antilene taking enthusiastic walks through a brothel. Maybe you should play A Left Foot Trapped in a Sensual Seduction during this chapter.

Review-answering time! Nathair1: They're giving the kids up promptly to the Theocracy's ambassador, who has designs on Arche, a prodigy caster, as you'll soon see in a later chapter, in exchange for an absolving of their debts. The Furts seem to have the same amount of suicidal stupidity and self-centredness as Philip does. It makes you wonder how Arche is as smart as she is in canon. I mean, I doubt it's either nature or nurture.

As for Rigrit being a necromancer, it's not stated in the anime, but it is stated in the novels. And Davernoch hasn't been in Death Battle. Harry just made the mistake of showing Albedo a couple of his favourite videos from the Nazarick archives. Albedo will be copying one of them. If you want a clue, it was a Death Battle episode that was released last year.

ShadeslayerX: Thankfully, Jircniv is not quite at those levels. True, he's lost his cool, but he's also worried that the Theocracy, or at least its ambassador, is poking a sleeping dragon. Even with his friendship with Harry, it's still stressful, and that's compounded by the ambassador actually compromising a significant part of his spy network. Dealing with Nazarick is always going to be stressful, true, but nowhere near as much as in canon. Jircniv knows precisely who and what he is dealing with in this version of events, and he's friends with Harry.

Dragon Man 180: That dinner won't be shown, but after the Eight Fingers is taken down, Harry, Albedo, Aura and Mare sit down with Foresight, Ninya and Tuare for a celebratory dinner afterwards. As for who Erya takes on…well, I changed things up at the last minute, but his opponent is quite apt: Imina, albeit supported by Aura if things go south.

Gamer71796: My tentative plans for a Harry/Freya story don't involve any Odin-neutering, though that's partly because I intend to set it shortly before and during the PS4 God of War game. But my main plan for now is for an adult Harry paired with Freya. Any possible pairing with Thrud will have to wait until I've played more of Ragnarok, which I've only just started. I mean, I'm making my way through Svartalfheim, which for those who have played it will tell you where I'm up to. I also want to concentrate on getting a crossover with The Witcher off the ground, with a Harry/Ciri pairing.

omnimon12: Maybe, but there's also the fact that Naofumi's relationship with Raphtalia was still pretty dysfunctional and dark, especially in its initial stages. This isn't apparent in the anime, but in the light novels and manga, Naofumi decides to buy Raphtalia so he could pretend she is Myne/Malty and abuse her…based purely on her gender alone. Thankfully, he does snap out of that desire as soon as he realises how traumatised she is, but honestly, that shows how misogynistic Naofumi was for a time, and indeed, it takes until after the farcical trial by combat and Raphtalia's subsequent comforting of him to actually treat her better. Allen Blaster of The Hope of the Shield Hero fame pinpoints Raphtalia's bond with Naofumi as being caused by a form of the Florence Nightingale Effect (as opposed to Stockholm Syndrome, which was the opinion of many, including myself: he is VERY vehement about that, due to having dealt with many people with Stockholm Syndrome IRL, apparently), and that would apply to Tuare's adoration to Sebas.

AvidReader245: Harry's build is…eclectic. Like me when playing a Soulsborne game, he's more about using cool spells and weapons, and ensuring he has the stats for them. In other words, 'Build? What build?' And while the other members of Ainz Ooal Gown tried to get him to refine his build, at best, it can be loosely described as being like a Red Mage. He uses both damaging and healing spells (including stuff that can heal undead). The only Yggdrasil spells I have confirmed he can use are various anti-Divination and anti-Resurrection spells, Negative Burst, and the Super-Tier Magic Fallen Down. He can use both dark and holy-style magic, so in some regards, he's actually a bit like a weaker form of Shalltear. His magic may certainly be more powerful than hers, and more varied, but he lacks her potent physical attack ability, by comparison to her, anyway.

However, Harry's advantage is that he can use spells (once in the New World) that aren't from Yggdrasil. In fact, the Potterverse spells are perhaps closer to the Wild Magic that the Dragon Lords wielded in some regards. What's more, thanks to him assuming a powerful Fallen Angel form, his magic is boosted. He could wipe out a city the size of E-Rantel with a single casting of Fiendfyre should he wish to…not that he'd want to. In other words, the spells he learned in the Potterverse make him more of a wild card with some varied spells, and Legilimency is considerably more potent than any Tier Magic mind-alteration spell, especially now it's coupled with his Fallen Angel power. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Also, Harry's rank as a Fallen Angel isn't important, beyond him being a high-ranking Fallen Angel. He never paid that much attention to it, though Momonga and others did.

Skull Flame: Yes, Renner's face can be pretty damn creepy when in full-blown yandere mode. Of course, so can Albedo or, of course, the archetypal yandere, Yuno Gasai from Future Diary. Harry's shown Albedo some various shows he's enjoyed, though she's taken to reading stuff in her spare time. As for Peroroncino's creating Shalltear to have almost every kink imaginable…yeah. Peronroncino also gave her a ridiculous amount of fetish costumes.

And as for Davernoch, it says a lot that in my story Shalltear, Albedo and Sebas actually play Scissors Paper Rock to determine who kills him. In the novel, Sebas actually targets Davernoch first for his arrogance in calling himself the Undead King, and actually spits on his corpse afterwards, uncharacteristic for him. In the anime, it simply pisses off Sebas enough that he kills the Six Arms far more quickly than he does in the novel.

Arche and her sisters met Nigredo off-screen. Nigredo scared them with her looks, but won them over with her gentle nature (once she has been placated with a doll). And finally, I think with Naofumi, it was self-justification. With Jircniv, it's because he's a supreme pragmatist. In truth, in this story, he's not that fond of slavery for both moral and pragmatic reasons (the latter being just in case a Spartacus-style revolt happens, amongst other reasons), but he still needs them for economic reasons, hence Fluder's research into the undead as a substitute.

No numbered annotations this time.