[Chapter 3: Devils and Deals]
"So you met Himeno?" asked Aki, for some reason already sounding tired.
Ainz nodded, "Yea, she was a bit chatty, but she seemed reasonable. I'm surprised she has a contract with the ghost devil; that seems like it'd demand more than just an eye."
"She can't summon much of it, so it's not that strong. You'll see once we get a job, probably even later today. Word from Miss Makima is that another devil with a piece of the gun devil has been located in some apartment block. Us, Power, Himeno, and a few others are being sent out."
"Isn't that a bit overkill? The two of us could probably handle it perfectly."
"Probably is, but it's best to not underestimate any monster with a piece of that thing in them. And knowing the higher ups, this is just a field test to find an excuse to cancel our division. Especially with you and Power now in it."
Ainz shrugged, "I plan to deal with this professionally, so I doubt they'll find their excuse."
Aki chuckled, "A professional devil… I've really seen everything by now." he said, being interrupted by the sound of a vacuum turning on in the other room. Evidently Power was far from being done with the cleaning. "Oh, Makima wants you to adhere to the dress code for this, suit and all."
"I knew it'd come to this." Ainz said, shaking his head and leaning against the counter.
"Are those clothes on you something like skin? Can't you simply change?" Aki asked, oblivious as to the nature of Ainz's gear.
"Something like that." the Overlord answered, "But I guess I can think of something. How about this?" He snapped his fingers and an illusion covered his clothes, replacing the majestic robes with an allblack suit. Black gloves made sure that his hands were concealed, and his shoes made Aki's eyes widen, in part due to how bloody shiny they were.
Overall, he was looking quite stylish. There was just a tiny problem… His bareskull was exposed from all angles. As the devil hunter was about to point that out, Ainz took something out of his inventory. It was a cosmetic, jetblack oni mask from YGGDRASIL, which conveniently required Ainz to put on something akin to a balaclava to keep it in place. It certainly wasn't breathable, but it wasn't like he cared about that.
"So? What do you think?" Ainz asked. The quality of the material looked good to him, and he had quite a few years in the corporate business behind his back.
Aki stood up, walking around the Overlord and scrutinising his appearance. Eventually, he sat down and said, "Everything matches with the dress code to my knowledge, and it certainly looks good. I guess I should start getting ready as well."
"Oh, before you go, may I ask what contracts you have? If we are to work together then it'll be easier to do so if we know each other's abilities. Or at least that's what Himeno said."
A smirk appeared on Aki's face, "Yea, that does sound like her. Alright. I guess you already know about the fox devil. I can summon its head, and it takes something away, like some of my skin. My other contract is with the curse devil. If I stab someone three times with my sword, I can summon it. But this… takes a bit of my lifespan."
"Your lifespan?" Ainz asked, 'Is it like a damage over time thing? Or a very delayed instant death? Hmm, this might be worth experimenting on.'
"Yes. I can't die before I deal with the gun devil, so I'd rather not use it." said Aki, glancing at the sword that lay nearby.
Ainz reached into his inventory one more time, this time taking out a green-yellowish, heart shaped fruit. "I believe I can help with that, for a price of my own. Not for a contract, mind you, just some information."
"And how exactly will that thing fix my problem? And what's your price?"
"This thing is something I got from an old gardener I once knew. He was quite tough, but the harvest was bountiful. This life fruit will extend your lifespan by probably around a decade. All I ask is that you tell me about contracts, and where I might find devils for such a thing."
"I've never heard of devils making contracts with one another." mumbled Aki.
"That won't be a problem." Ainz assured him, hoping that that indeed would be the case.
Aki looked at him for a moment, undoubtedly weighing the scales in his mind, and after a few seconds said, "Fine. First the fruit."
Ainz tossed the item to him, it only being some random vanity item that very well could not work for the man, "Of course."
The devil hunter ate the small fruit in one bite and then turned to Ainz, saving himself the discomfort of having his memories read instead, "Contracts are simple. You get a part of the devil's power, and it takes a part of you in return. Either can make the offer, but most of the time it's the devil."
'Well, I can't offer blood or anything, but maybe one of those devils will be interested in something else.'
"As for where you can find devils, some of the ones used for contracts are apparently locked up beneath the main office. Go there, and see if any of them fit you. I'll see you before the job." Aki said, slowly walking away.
Ainz shrugged, deciding to get ready for the mission as well…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
His footsteps echoed out through the rusted hell. The fact that any of these old doors could hold even a basic fiend astonished Ainz. Old, cracked pipes ran across the walls, and the cell-like doors had visible dents in them.
The hallway was long, with doors on each side, but nothing had caught Ainz's attention up until that point. He walked alongside one side of the wall, looking into the rooms, being accompanied only by the loud buzzing of the lights.
In one of the cells was a devil that looked like a tree mixed with a crucifix, in yet another one that looked like a mutilated corpse, and many other abominations. Still, none of these made his eyes linger on them.
It was almost like being in a zoo, lackadaisically gazing at the animals and only reacting to those who noticed him. His true appearance was hidden still which should have only encouraged the devils to do something.
Were these only the broken outcasts? Were the proper devils something he would have to hunt down and tame for himself? That certainly sounded like an exciting prospect… His collector spirit flared briefly, but he straightened his tie as his emotional suppression activated and returned to the matter at hand.
As he was reaching the end of the corridor, he peeked into yet another room. The door to this one, however, was practically scrap, even when compared to the other ones. Not a single bit of rust-free metal remained, and the whole thing creaked as if the light airflow through the underground hall was about to break it apart.
Inside was an unexpected sight. On a bed of dead soil was a single black rose, wilted and dying. "Is there no devil in there? Odd…" he mumbled, pushing the door open.
The hunk of metal fell forward, its hinges gone long ago. "This place really must be empty. With a door like that they wouldn't be able to contain a mouse." Ainz muttered, stepping over the door.
He walked over to the black rose that appeared to be the centrepiece of the room and crouched down. It was a beautiful flower, black as midnight.
His hand moved forward, intending to grab the flower and inspect it further, but suddenly an odd sensation came to him. He was being… healed?
The flower suddenly moved and the top of it now faced Ainz. Its petal unfurled, revealing a light grey eye within it. A voice echoed out from around the room, as if coming from the very soil the rose was connected to. "You are not like the hunters." it said.
It sounded like the wind howling at a graveyard, transcendent and ghastly. "But… you are not like us either." it said once again, the eyeball within the rose staring at Ainz's mask.
"You are the first one to notice that. Impressive." said Ainz, impressed by the intelligence of the devil before him. He dispelled the illusion around his robes and before the rose was Ainz Ooal Gown in his full glory, robes and all.
"A walking corpse? No… Something more. I can taste it on the air, the sweet decay that radiates off of you." the rose said.
Ainz chuckled, "Correct once more. I am of the strongest race of undead, an Overlord. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown. I came here to contract a devil, and you seem quite clever. Tell me, what are you?"
The creature remained silent for a moment, seemingly observing Ainz. Eventually it spoke up, "I am the decay devil."
'Decay? No wonder it used negative energy or something like it! This is quite the find! Now how do I convince it to make a contract?'
However, it turned out that it would be the devil who would seize this opportunity, "I can feel it off of you, decay the likes of which I could only dream of. Death, decay, the passing of all things, you embody it. Let me go with you, let me be of use to you, and together we will see this world fall!"
"I do not plan on turning this world to ash and dust, so I recommend you calm yourself."
"Of course, of course; I apologise. But it always goes the same way, and everything will decay eventually. I am in no hurry to see it. Everything ends, and you understand that better than anyone."
"That is indeed true." Ainz said, thinking back to the glory days of his guild. In the moment he always wished those things would last forever, and yet he knew they would come to an end, even back then.
"Then let me go with you, and let me lend you my power."
"What do you get out of it? Specifically. Seeing the world fall apart and other vague nonsense aside." the Overlord said, knowing very well how much the fine print mattered.
The rose shifted in a circular pattern, gesturing to the surrounding area, "I have brought enough decay here, but the one who bound me… She made sure I wouldn't be able to get away. It was during a time of great plague and turmoil when we met, and I was a great devil. But when I travelled here? She managed to defeat me, and keep me here, giving me this constraining form. All I wish is to see the world once more, by the side of the one who can bring death and decay wherever he pleases."
"She?"
"I can't remember her very well… though I know she was fearsome."
"So how about this? I will let you come with me, and I will kill whoever it is that bound you when we find her. In exchange, you will obey me. Fully." Ainz said, stretching out his gloved palm and putting it next to the rose.
"I accept the terms of this contract, my lord." the devil said, wilting and falling into Ainz's hand. After just a few seconds, the flower was gone, turned into ashes.
But just as quickly as it disappeared, a black rose manifested on Ainz's robes. The Overlord felt the ethereal chains of fate bind him with the devil, and yet he still had to ask, "By the way, how did you know I wasn't a devil?"
"Your power is alien to me, my lord. There's a hint of something familiar, but it is muddled. Besides, you are obviously not human."
"Fair enough." Ainz said, snapping his fingers and having his suit appear once more, the devil rose making him look even sharper, "I suppose it's time to get to work then…"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
"Hey, Ainz! I like the new look! It is you, right?" said Himeno as the masked man walked into the room.
"It is me. Good to see you again, Himeno. And it's a pleasure to meet you two." Ainz said, turning to the two people he didn't recognise.
First was a serious looking man with a scar across his cheek, looking perfectly average. He bowed and said, "I'm Hirokazu Arai. It's a pleasure to meet you, special agent Gown."
Himeno hit him with her elbow and chuckled, saying, "You know you're bowing to a devil? Trying to set the foundations for a contract? Clever, I should have thought of that."
The man straightened up and looked at Ainz with wide eyes, but all the attention in the room quickly turned to the meek looking girl who shouted "Devil?!" when Ainz's identity was revealed.
She was average looking, with brown hair and brown eyes. When Ainz turned to her, she tried to hide behind Himeno, only for her senior to say, "Oh come on. He doesn't bite. Right, Aki?"
The ever serious hunter sighed and said, "No, he doesn't. Now let's get going. Ainz, can you teleport us there?"
Ignoring the shocked faces of everyone else, Ainz nodded, "As long as you can show me the location, yes."
"Let's go then! I want to feast on some blood after this!" said Power, standing up and manifesting a weapon made from her own blood in her hand. However, one solid glare from Aki was enough to dampen her enthusiasm, and she appeared to deflate, her shoulders slumping.
"Here. I thought something like this might be needed." said Aki, handing Ainz a picture. It displayed a simple parking lot in front of an apartment block, and Ainz targeted the group around him.
"[Mass Greater Teleportation]." And with that incantation the group found themselves in front of the grey, slightly dilapidated building. It really appeared to be nothing special, just like any other old apartment building you could find in the poorer regions of Tokyo.
"That's so cool!" said Himeno, "I don't know what you charge for that, but I'm all in for a contract if you let me teleport around!"
"I'll consider it. For now, we should get moving. Is the target inside?" Ainz asked, looking over to the most experienced member of the squad.
Himeno took out a small, plastic bag, with something akin to a fleshy bullet inside it, "Yep. Let's go."
The group walked in nonchalantly, Power leading the charge. Deciding that the elevator would be too risky, they walked up the stairs. They eventually made it to the eighth floor, and something appeared in the corridor.
It was a man's head with feet coming out of where the neck would typically begin. "Gotcha!" exclaimed Himeno, reaching out with her hand.
However, capturing the fiend was no cause for celebration, as it quickly was bisected by Power. "Ahaha! First blood is mine!" she yelled, only to be smacked on the back of the head.
"Aki, you didn't lie when you said she was a chaotic variable." Himeno said before turning to Power, "I told you I was contracted with the ghost devil! I was going to interrogate that thing."
Power rubbed the back of her head and stuck her tongue out towards her superior, causing Ainz to sigh. 'Is there something like devilnip just to calm her down? Or is that just blood?' he asked himself, knowing very well how such stunts could doom a mission.
"Miss Himeno, I think something is wrong…" came the voice of Arai, "Could you please come take a look at this?"
Everyone moved back to the stairwell where the man stood, only to watch him go up and… come up from the bottom.
"Ah, a loop." Ainz said, immediately recognising what was going on.
"Y-you know about this, Mister Ainz?" asked Kobeni, still keeping her distance away from him.
The Overlord nodded. YGGDRASIL's developers were veterans at causing immense suffering to players, and having them be stuck in a looping environment was a favourite of theirs. But there appeared to be several problems in the enemies plans.
That pathetic thing that initially appeared could hardly be considered an enemy and would not deplete their resources almost at all. Secondly, teleportation was still active.
"Give me a second; I need to check something. [Teleportation]." Ainz said, disappearing from view.
Immediately, Kobeni fell on her knees, "We're doomed! We're going to be stuck here and die, and this was all his plan, and now he left us, and-!"
"It appears teleportation isn't restricted, so we can leave at any time. Whoever did this is truly an amateur." Ainz said, reappearing just as quickly as he left. He spied Himeno with tears rolling down her cheeks and asked, "Did I miss something?"
Aki waved Ainz's question away and said, "No. But did you say teleportation isn't restricted? Is that even something devils can do?"
The undead mage shrugged, "I don't know, but I can do it."
"I guess you weren't lying about being able to do everything." said Himeno, walking past Ainz and into the corridor, "So what's the plan? We kill whatever devil is causing all this and go hit up a bar?"
"Sure, though I won't drink much. Question is, where's the devil?" asked Arai, looking around.
Suddenly, the sound of shuffling could be heard, and everyone turned to the far end of the corridor. A mass of writhing flesh appeared there, anguished faces and conjoined limbs making up most of it.
"Give me the heart of that masked guy, and I'll let you live! Or stay here and die!" the devil cried out, only to have the statement be punctuated by a blood spear to the face.
However, instead of taking any meaningful damage, the devil just grew in size. "You can't kill me, you stupid fiend!" it yelled, "Because I am the mighty eternity devil!"
But before Kobeni's cowardice could bubble to the surface, Aki turned to the masked Overlord and said, "Ainz?"
"Leave it to me." the undead mage answered, secretly sending a message to his own contractor.
{Show me what you can do.}
{Of course, my lord. May I borrow some of this energy I sense in you?}
{You mean my mana? Sure, just don't use too much.}
{I don't believe I could use so much that it would impact you even if I tried, my lord.}
'Was there some secret clause in the contract that said it would have to call me a lord? It's kind of weird, but I guess I'll run with it for now.'
Ainz felt a tiny bit of his mana drain, consistent with the usage of most Tier 5 or 6 spells, and the flesh of the eternity devil quickly began to turn brown, then grey, and then disappear entirely.
"What!? Ow! It hurts!" it cried out as one of its faces turned to ashes on the wind. "Make it stop!" Alas, contrary to the devil's wishes, the effect only accelerated, consuming the creature within seconds.
The only piece left was a piece of small, bullet-like flesh. Himeno picked it up and put it in the bag, and quickly said, "Alright! That was quicker than expected which means we have more time to drink the day away! Ainz! As your senior I demand you teleport us to a bar!"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Despite the copious amounts of [Cure Poison] Ainz had cast, everyone was still effectively passed out. Thankfully, despite the 40 beers she had put into her system, Makima still appeared to be fine.
He took both Aki and Power, while she decided to get cabs for everyone else. After teleporting back home and dropping the two off in their respective rooms, Ainz went to his own.
Sure, sleep was off the table, but there were still a bunch of things to check out. For instance, he could interrogate his personal devil about the whole "mana usage."
He sat down on his bed and switched back to his regal robes. "Tell me, devil. Do you have a name? Calling you the decay devil each time is quite tiresome."
"I think I had many in the past, but now I can barely remember them." came the ghastly voice.
"In that case, would you mind if I named you?"
"It'd be an honour."
Ainz went silent for a few seconds. He had never been particularly good at naming things, and his friends always had said he was absolutely terrible. It would do him no good to piss off his contractor by giving him a bad name.
After a few more moments of deliberation he spoke up, "From now on, you shall be known as Vesicar." Ainz didn't wait for the devil to comment on the name, and instead he asked the question that was on his mind, "Now tell me, is it unusual for devils to have access to mana?"
"Yes, my lord. We devils have our innate abilities, nothing less, nothing more. Some devils can acquire the abilities of other devils but we are not limited by this pool of power you possess."
"Interesting. What could you actually do with it, if you were to use a significant portion?" asked Ainz, curious as to the extent of this unknown connection.
"I cannot be sure, but when I used some of your mana, I felt some of my old strength returning. Perhaps one day I could even assume my old form."
"Your old form? You had one different from this?"
"Yes. I was forced into this form when I was bound underground. That reminds me… My lord, that woman named Makima, something about her is not right. I think I've seen her before."
"Seen her? She looks no more than 25! How long ago were you bound?" Ainz asked, the information hitting him like a tier 9 lightning bolt.
"Hmm, decades ago? Perhaps more, perhaps less." Vesicar answered nonchalantly.
"Then how exactly do you remember her? Are you sure that you aren't mistaking her for someone else? Then again… Her eyes are quite odd." Ainz said, remembering the circular pattern within the woman's eyes, "And all those beers… You are making more and more sense."
"Yes, her eyes, I remember them. I don't know where, but I've definitely seen her before. Keep your eyes on her, my lord. I can sense that she is dangerous."
"I will. Is there any other esoteric devil knowledge you can give me?" Ainz asked, knowing that the information he sought most certainly wouldn't be found in conventional sources.
"There is one last thing. All devils know about him, and all the devils fear him. The chainsaw devil. He had the uncanny ability to consume devils and stop them from reincarnating. Usually he would be in hell, but I have to ask, why does it feel like you have the same power?"
"You can feel such a thing?"
"It's hard to explain, my lord. Imagine the primal fear of prey noticing its predator. It's that exact feeling."
'I suppose I am stronger than all the devils I've met so far by quite a margin… And [True Death] would probably stop them from resurrecting. Does that chainsaw devil have something to do with me being summoned here? Did I replace him or something?'
With such questions on Ainz's mind, the night passed by quickly…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Ainz, Aki, and Power entered the restaurant and sat at the table Himeno was at. "So why'd you call us here?" asked Aki, picking up the menu that was in front of him.
"Oh come on, can't invite you all over for some post-hangover ramen? Well, Ainz doesn't need any, but you two still eat." said Himeno.
"We all know that's not the actual reason. Why did you have us gather here?" asked Ainz, deciding to get down to business.
"Fine, fine. No need to be so impatient, you know?" said Himeno, "Makima said we're getting close to having all the pieces needed to find the gun devil. I thought I'd just give you a heads up."
Aki and Ainz sighed, while Power called over a waiter and began ordering what felt like half the restaurant. The Overlord gave Aki a subtle nod before the latter could have a heart attack at the check that would come in.
However, before they could turn to more pleasant topics, a man from a table next to them spoke up. "The gun devil, huh? I think I know something about it." he said as everyone turned to him. He looked quite unassuming, but his statement was enough for Aki to slowly reach for his blade.
"See, I know one thing for sure." the man said, looking directly at Ainz, who at the time had his clothes disguised as a suit, "He and I have something in common. You, you bastard, killed my grandfather and turned his boys into zombies."
"Wait, I think you are a bit confu-" Ainz began, only to be cut off.
"And both the gun devil and I want you dead!" Within the blink of an eye, the man pulled out a gun and shot towards the group. The bullet pierced through Himeno's torso, and Aki reacted immediately.
"Kon!" he said, making a gesture akin to a fox with his hand. The head of the fox devil appeared from the aether and shattered much of the building, consuming the assailant.
"Ainz! Power! Help Himeno!" the devil hunter called out, and the blood fiend began to use her powers to stop Himeno's bleeding. "How the fuck did this guy get a gun in Japan? Only the police and devil hunters have them…" muttered Aki as the fox devil chewed on its prey,
"Pour this on her." Ainz said, handing Power a potion, "I have a feeling that this show is far from over."
Something rumbled within the mouth of the fox devil, and it said, "Hayakawa Aki, you have put something outrageous in my mouth, neither devil nor man."
Blood and guts spilled over into the room as the side of the fox devil's face was cut open. There stood an ominous figure, katanas jutting out of his head and arms. An odd, military-style hat sat on top of the creature's head, right above the fleshless and grotesque face.
{Vesicar, what is that? Is it some sort of fiend?} asked Ainz.
{I… I can't remember. I think it is something like a fiend, but deadlier.}
Great, his one mobile encyclopaedia of this world's lore turned out to be useless. In that case, it was time to take matters into his own hands. "[Hold of Ribs]."
Spikes of bone jutted out from the ground as Ainz's spell made its mark on the world, biting deep into the flesh of his adversary and immobilising him.
"We can do this the hard way, or the easy way. It is your choice." Ainz said, walking up to the immobilised katana man.
"As if I'd ever talk! I'll kill you yet!" the katana man protested, thrashing around as the bones dug deeper into his flesh. His attempts to get out were, of course, futile. He would need some very strong magic, abilities, or passives to break out.
But before Ainz could put the fear of God into the creature before him and get the information he wanted, a massive snake-like creature rammed its body into the spell.
Naturally, the attack did nothing against the spell and a female voice could be heard crying out, "What?!" Everyone in the room turned to the source of the noise, a short, blonde-haired woman in an oversized hoodie.
"Ghost! Grab her!" said Himeno as she got back on her feet, stumbling slightly despite having recovered from her injury.
A hand with a mouth materialised in front of the devil huntress and simply said, "No, that girl is scary."
Ainz sighed. What kind of push over was the ghost devil? He didn't have time for such statements during combat! And it's not like the undead could even feel fear!
The Overlord pointed at the floating hand of the ghost devil, saying, "[Dominate Undead]." In an instant, the hand moved forth and grabbed the girl by the neck.
A jaw made of human arms appeared out of the aether and severed the appendage, making Ainz mutter, "How useless is that ghost…" before turning his attention to the matter at hand.
Power, Aki, and Himeno were taking up defensive positions behind Ainz, and so he decided to be decisive. "[Paralysis]." Ainz said, pointing at the katana man, who fell to the ground motionless the moment [Hold of Ribs] expired.
Next, he took out a scroll and unfurled it, the parchment bursting into blue, heatless flames the second he did so. "[Dominate]." he said, utilising the power that had been stored within the item.
All resistance faded from the snake-like eyes of the girl before him, and he said, "Come here and tell us why you are trying to kill us. In detail."
As the girl walked up to her newfound master, Himeno leaned in and whispered, "Ainz, what the hell is this?"
"Hmm? Oh, this? It's simple mind control magic. It'd be a waste to use anything more extreme." the Overlord answered, "I cast something similar on your devil. It'll listen to you now as well, without the need for a contract." he continued, quickly sending a mental command to his new minion.
Of course, the ghost devil could never be used to harm him, but letting Himeno have access to it wouldn't hurt. She was an entertaining specimen and would probably be of use to him in the future.
"Master, we were sent after you to claim your heart for the gun devil, and as revenge for your killing of the Yakuza." the girl who controlled the snake devil said, "We made a contract with the gun devil and got the guns we used. There should be similar hits on other devil hunters going on right now. Including Makima."
Aki's eyes widened, and he quickly took out his phone and began calling the devil hunters he knew. Ainz, meanwhile, continued with the interrogation, "And why exactly Makima? Why would she ever be the exception?"
"I… I don't know, master. The gun devil told us to deal with her specifically. That's it." she said, unable to lie thanks to the effects of the spell. Her answer, naturally, sent Ainz's paranoia into overdrive.
{It appears you were onto something. I detect a conspiracy of some sort.} Ainz communicated, sending Vesicar a [Message].
{I agree, my lord. Perhaps you should see if you can contact Makima? If she is dead then this spell should simply not connect, right?}
{Good point. I'll check.} Ainz answered, ending the current [Message] and casting a new one that was directed at Makima. The odd feeling of reaching out came to Ainz, but he felt no answer from the other side.
Ainz waited for a few seconds and cast it again, just to make sure that nothing odd was afoot. If [Message] failed then Makima was most likely dead, but if she was worth getting specifically targeted by the gun devil, so maybe there was more at play.
The spell manifested once more and this time found its mark.
{Hello? I presume this is you, Ainz?} came the sonorous voice of Makima.
{Yes. Just checking in. We've been attacked by some people allied with the gun devil. I presume you were attacked as well?}
{I was. I'm the only one left alive from my group. I'll have everyone regroup and deal with this. Stay safe.}
{Likewise.}
Ainz cut off the connection and returned to speaking with his hidden ally.
{What are the chances Makima has a contract with a devil that would bring her back?}
{Nearly zero. Only a few devils would be able to do something like that and even fewer would be willing to take a contract like that. However, a devil could very well make a contract with someone and use their life to resurrect themselves.}
{So Makima is probably a devil… I'm glad I at least came to this conclusion this quickly. We'll talk about this later.}
This was an… unfortunate development. Not due to the fact that Ainz was particularly scared of Makima, but rather because she must have had some sort of charm effect.
'I should probably start casting anti-mind control buffs on everyone around me. And if devils and people want to assassinate her, then there must be someone within the organisation that can work with me.'
Returning to what was going on before him, Ainz looked at the soon-to-be corpses in front of him. "Anything else you want to ask these two before I kill them?" asked Ainz.
Only Power raised her hand, jumping up and down to attract his attention.
"Yes, Power?" asked the Overlord, akin to a teacher dealing with an overly excited student.
"Can I drink their blood?" she asked, already inching towards the two.
"Fine, go ahead. The rest of you should regroup at HQ. After all, we don't know the extent of the attack."
After Power was done with her meal and left behind two dried husks, Ainz teleported the group to their destination.
There were a few things to be done in the office, and Ainz immediately headed for the archives. If he wanted to find people who were in the know about Makima, then there probably existed some record of them.
'Maybe I should look through the disciplinary action logs? There must be some colourful characters there…'
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Ainz opened the door, only to be greeted with a knife flying directly at his skull. Naturally, it broke on impact, since projectiles that weren't enchanted couldn't hurt him.
"What a warm welcome." Ainz said, chuckling, "But I have to admit, you aren't an easy man to find, Captain Kishibe."
"And how exactly have you found me, devil?" asked the man in front of the Overlord, stepping out from within the darkness. He had grey hair and desperately needed a shave. Some stitches ran across the left side of his face, and his wariness didn't stop him from taking a swig from his silver flask.
In response to the man's question, Ainz held up a knife, "All I can say is that I recommend you don't leave your weapons in the office. And that you stop boobytrapping it."
"Then what is it you want? Can't say I enjoy hosting one of your kind, even if you work with us."
Ainz decided to switch over to a more covert means of communication, sending the man a [Message].
{Given how much you keep yourself off the grid, you'd prefer talking like this, in a manner where nobody can eavesdrop.}
{You got that right. But are we thinking of the same person eavesdropping?}
{I believe so. See, this spell that I am using will not connect to someone who is dead. I tried to send this message to Makima. It failed.}
{And let me guess, the next time it worked?}
{Precisely. To be quite honest, I was just guessing you wouldn't be under her influence.}
{And if I were?}
{I would have killed you. Or manipulated your memories. Whichever I really felt like at the time. But I presume we can be allies, at least for now. Whatever Makima is planning, it involves the gun devil, and I'd rather not deal with two strong opponents at once.}
Kishibe turned around, leaving the door to his apartment open, and motioned for Ainz to follow. The undead mage did so, casting a spell to prevent magical means of spying as well, and closing the door behind himself.
The two sat opposite of each other in the dining room, and Ainz continued, {I came to you to confirm two things. One, is Makima in fact a devil?}
{Yes. I'm sure she's died several times already. I even contributed to some of them.}
{Alright. The second question is, does she have some sort of mind control ability.}
{Probably. I'm too old and crazy to be affected I guess, but most of the devil hunters are wrapped around her little finger.}
'She must hold the key to knowing how I was summoned… I suppose I'll play dumb until the gun devil is dealt with.'
{What do you think her next move will be?}
{If I could predict her then I would've been done with this years ago… I think the next move will be from abroad. Both the Soviets and the Americans want her head, and with you being around here as well, I expect some assassins to be sent in.}
{I suppose that is not entirely unexpected, though I doubt they will be able to harm me. Is Makima's head that valuable though?}
The captain appeared to scoff, taking a sip from his canteen soon after, {Governments want weapons, and Makima is the greatest weapon Japan has. If you could take out your opponent's trap card, wouldn't you?}
{Point taken. I suppose our course of action is to wait them out then…} Ainz said. Makima certainly didn't appear to be hostile to him, and could even be an ally, but his paranoia was currently ringing church bells left, right and centre. It was best to play it safe and get what information he could from her, and then end her.
{Why are you after her anyway? Is it some devil infighting?}
{Would you believe me if I told you I'm not a devil?}
{No.}
{Fair. I expected that. But only non-devils can form contracts with devils.}
{What are you getting at?}
"Hello." came the ghastly voice of Vesicar after Ainz nudged the rose with his index finger.
{That is my contracted devil. And before you ask, I am what I appear to be, an undead. I have a couple things I'd like to ask Makima, and I doubt she'd be willing to answer.}
{Hmph. I see. I'm sure Makima will tell you all about the assassins when she realises they are on the move. You should go before she realises you are here.}
{I assure you that I have all the corners covered and that no information will leak. Aren't you curious as to where I came from and so on?}
{The crazier the devil hunter, the better they are. I am the deadliest devil hunter, and you're just another part of the crazy pile of shit I deal with.}
{In that case, I look forward to our cooperation.}
And with those parting words, Ainz teleported away…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The last few days had given Ainz a lot to think about. First was his… pet? Contractor? Partner? Well, the devil in the shape of black rose that he carried around with him. He certainly had quite a bit of knowledge of his kind which had been a boon in deciphering how Makima survived the fiasco with the Yakuza.
Speaking of that, the casualties were high. A few divisions were almost wiped out, and even Arai had apparently been killed in action. It was an unfortunate turn of events, but what could one really do? Resurrection was an ace up Ainz's very extensive sleeves, and there was no point in using it.
Makima had apparently "dealt" with the issue, but the information was highly classified. The revelation that Makima was almost certainly a devil didn't come to Ainz as a massive shock. Those eyes of hers were pretty telling, not to mention that only a few people in this world would have the seemingly brilliant idea to create a division that uses devils.
In hindsight, thinking back to his first meeting with the woman, she was quite insistent on getting him in the organisation… He really should have figured this out earlier. But what was done was done, and so now what would he do?
She certainly wanted something from him specifically, or maybe it was about that chainsaw guy Vesicar mentioned? Something about killing devils permanently? Why in the nine circles of hell would Makima want a power like that?
Were there even circles of hell in this world?
There were so many questions, and he couldn't even drink to wash them away! What woe. Alas, for now he just needed to figure out what Makima wanted. After all, she was his only lead as to how he got here, and how he could either get Nazarick here or go back there, and probably somewhere else with Nazarick.
Where to? That was a question for another time. For now he would communicate, have fun in this world that consisted of a cool, devil-filled questline.
One thing he certainly wanted to get out of the next few battles that would occur was a corpse of one of those hybrids. Whatever that katana man was, he certainly was neither devil nor fiend. It would be a bit conspicuous if he just took it when everyone was looking, so finding another one would be preferable.
Making an undead out of one of those would make for a fascinating experiment. Unlike devils, would they keep their capabilities? Would they be able to still transform? He really needed to get his hands on one of them.
He walked the streets of Tokyo in his suit and mask, getting glances from passerby that disappeared the moment they spied the badge of the public safety devil hunters on his person.
A walk like this always helped him clear his head, but this time around he didn't have to worry about acid rain. Some would say that such a thing was preferable to devils, but Ainz disagreed.
The question of environmental destruction versus supernatural horrors aside, it seemed like it was about to rain. Ainz, not wanting to mess with the nature of this world too much, just let it happen.
It appeared to be quite the downpour, as only a few minutes later everyone was running home, covering themselves with whatever coat they had on hand. As an undead, Ainz didn't have to worry about getting a cold, and so he continued walking. His clothes would magically dry themselves anyway.
He wandered with no particular direction in mind, trying to calm his ever paranoid mind. However, he may have gotten a bit too caught up in his own thoughts, bumping into a girl that was walking down the street. She fell back, only barely catching herself and avoiding a nasty fall on the wet concrete.
Ainz looked down at the girl and instinctively offered to help her up. She accepted his offer, pulling herself up with his help. She had brown hair, green eyes, and appeared to be around Power's age, that is to say she looked as if she was in her late teens.
"I apologise for my carelessness." Ainz said, stepping to the side and moving on.
But before he could get too far, the girl called out to him, "Excuse me! Are you a devil hunter?"
Ainz turned around to see that the girl did in fact appear quite frantic, with her eyes darting around and her breath being ragged. He came to the appropriate conclusion soon enough, the girl was probably running from a devil of some kind.
A part of him lamented the fact that he effectively had to work overtime, but on the other hand fights with devils tended to be relatively fun, if brief. "I am. Do you need help with something?"
"Y-yes. There's a d-devil at my school! I barely made it out alive!" she said, "Please help!"
Ainz sighed, "Fine, lead the way."
Despite the girl's previously subpar physical state, she certainly could run. Almost too quickly in fact… No, that must have just been his paranoia speaking. Maybe she was just a student athlete?
The Overlord inspected the girl more closely, but found nothing amiss. Her outfit didn't scream "combat ready" and was quite basic by his standards. Maybe it was just the whole "Yakuza and Makima" conspiracy that was causing him to jump at shadows. Then again, jumping at shadows was a necessary thing in YGGDRASIL.
After a dozen or so minutes, the two made it to the school. Ainz went in head first, scanning the corridors as if they were a dungeon. He found no traps and little sign of any kind of massacre that would indicate the presence of a devil.
Eventually he made it to the top of the school. On the roof was something akin to a tornado, which Ainz already would have considered odd, even without the part of a baby's face that floated around inside it.
It noticed him immediately and from within the typhoon came a man, armed with a knife, wearing a trench coat, and with a massive scar encompassing the centre of his face.
"This the devil?" Ainz asked, pointing to the man nonchalantly. The girl who led him here nodded, and the undead mage, disappointed by how uninteresting the situation turned out, decided to end this quickly. "[Twin Maximise Magic: Call Greater Thunder]."
A strike of lightning, greater than even Zeus' wrath, struck both the man and the devil, causing both of them to evaporate in a flash. A large chunk of the building also was blown apart thanks to the strike, but Ainz could always blame it on the devil, since nobody would listen to the girl's testimony over his. Besides, it was appropriate to have a devil that looked like a small typhoon to be blown apart by lightning.
All of a sudden the girl from before leaned into him and said, "That was so cool! Thank you so much for helping me! Would you like to come to the cafe I work at? I'm sure I could get you a discount."
She tried to grab his gloved hand, but he pulled back almost immediately, "No, thank you. I was simply doing my job. You should probably go home now. I need to deal with the aftermath." he said, moving a few steps away.
Perhaps if he still had flesh he would have reacted differently, as the girl certainly was charming, but he was probably twice her age and now a skeleton. Also, his paranoia was currently screaming that something was insanely wrong. He, in part, agreed.
Something about this whole situation felt… artificial, like a setup. The lack of blood, destruction, everything devil-related except for the actual devil really.
After making sure that the girl was gone and scanning the premises once more, Ainz walked up to the scattered remains of the corpse and decided to test something out. "Necromancy uses bodies in lore for summon spells, right? Maybe I can use this for something. [Create Middle Tier Undead: Death Assassin]."
A black ooze covered the body of the man from before, or rather the charred ashes that remained, and reshaped itself into a hooded figure, armed with two daggers. The transformation process was, as expected, much different from the one in YGGDRASIL and Ainz would have to see if there were any notable changes in the behaviour of the undead.
A Death Assassin wasn't the most stealthy creature he could summon, but it would probably be enough for the task ahead of it, even if the new way of summoning undead somehow tampered with its skills or stats.
"Go follow that girl."
The undead being nodded and dashed off, activating its stealth abilities. Ainz did kind of feel like a creep for giving an order like that, but he wasn't one to leave loose ends. Something was wrong here, and he would find out what it was.
But there was nothing left for him to do here. With a snap of his fingers, he teleported away, conveniently forgetting to report this…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Reze walked back to the place that served as her temporary residence for the mission. The whole thing was a complete failure so far! Firstly, she wasted a valuable pawn in the form of the typhoon devil. The Soviet Union had plenty of spies and quite a few devils on its side, but each loss hurt.
But that sacrifice meant nothing! That devil – or was it devil hunter? – that she was supposed to honey trap didn't respond at all! All her training, the whole damsel in distress routine, all of it proved ineffective.
Her target was a complete mystery, and she only knew the two ways he dressed! What was behind his mask, or contracts he had, none of this information was available.
Even the Americans, the bloody Americans of all people, proposed an exchange of intel on this "Ainz" character, but they both had nothing! As if Makima wasn't bad enough, now there was this unknown variable in play!
Now how could she get to him? She needed his heart, but getting close to that thing appeared nigh impossible. Her secondary objective of finding out his combat capabilities also was not only unsuccessful, but only reinforced the idea that he should be left alone.
All she got to see was a strike of lightning, or two rather, which could probably knock even a monster like the gun devil to the ground for a moment! What kind of thing was she supposed to get the heart of?!
And on top of all this, now she felt paranoid, as if the eyes from behind that mask were still trained on her. It felt like being a deer in the headlights of a massive truck.
Ah… How would she report this to her superiors?
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
For some reason, Ainz found the offices of the tailend of the 20th century to be much more welcoming than the ones he knew. Perhaps it was because of the decor which made it feel much more warm and less robotic, or maybe it was because he was no longer a corporate slave. It was probably a mix of both.
However, neither of these factors could erase the dread Ainz felt before a meeting called by a high ranking member of a company. Of course, Makima didn't out rank him, but she still had seniority.
He could already guess the subject of the meeting, which was most likely the topic of the various assassins that were supposed to make their way to Japan according to Kishibe. Whether he was to be a guard or the one being guarded, he didn't know, but he felt that he would find out soon enough.
Eventually making it to a large hall, Ainz was faced with the entire special division, and a few guests. Aki, Himeno, and Kobeni were already there, each greeting him in their own unique way.
Aki nodded.
Himeno waved.
Kobeni nearly got a panic attack.
It was about what you would expect. Ainz answered with a wave of his own, deciding that it was best to deal with Makima first. As they say, speak of the devil and he shall appear, but Ainz evidently didn't need to speak as Makima walked out from behind a corner and greeted him with a polite smile.
"Hello, Ainz. I'm glad you're on time. Everyone gathered here will be protecting us, or rather you." she said, gesturing to those gathered in the room. There were many people, and what he identified as fiends, that he didn't recognise, all gazing back at him with curiosity blazing in their eyes.
'About what I thought it'd look like, or maybe it's even overkill if I were a human. Are these assassins really that good? I guess this is just a kind gesture. Or she is heavily underestimating me.' he thought to himself before answering.
"It'll be an honour, but do tell me who exactly I'll be protected from." he said. He already knew that girl from before was a soviet spy thanks to his undead trailing her, though the existence of the USSR did surprise him. Still, he was already in another world, so would shrugging it off as "parallel timeline" really be that bad?
She would most likely be involved in one way or another, but in the worst case he could always send a [Message] to the Death Assassin trailing her to get rid of her and recover the body, especially given that the undead he summoned using a corpse seemingly didn't disappear like the ones created out of pure mana.
The rest of the assassins Kishibe mentioned, however, could be much more interesting characters. Ainz thought of the event as a sort of Olympics or a fun game event, where he would see all the best players compete against one another. Naturally, he wasn't planning on endangering himself, but why shouldn't he draw what enjoyment he can from such situations?
"I've heard the best of the best from the private sector are on their way here, going after you, and probably cooperating with the gun devil. We are expecting monsters like Quanxi and Santa Klaus to appear." said Makima, "As to where and when they will strike? We can only guess."
"Hmm… Are they averse to attacking in public, or will they disregard such a thing in favour of trying to get to me?" asked Ainz, a plan already forming within his head.
"Most of them will attack outright. Why do you ask?"
"I believe I have a plan, a welcome party of sorts. For it I will require an open area, several dozen corpses, fiend or devil, and for the team to remain in stealth. I can handle the rest."
"Alright. I think we have some devil bodies that we haven't gotten rid of yet, so I'll have someone fetch those. Oh, and there's one person I'd like to introduce you to. He'll be your main contact point for this whole affair." Makima said as a familiar figure entered the room, cantine in hand, "This is the captain of the special division, Captain Kishibe."
The rugged man looked at Ainz as if he was seeing him for the first time, and Ainz answered in kind, tilting his head slightly to the side. "I don't believe we have met. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, special agent."
"Hmph, whatever you say. Never did I think a day would come where I would have to escort a devil, though from what I heard you won't need much escorting."
"Perhaps you are right, but I have a few things in mind that I would like your help with…"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Ainz sat in the centre of the town square, casually reading a newspaper. The people around him were casually minding their own business, unconcerned with the masked man that looked like something out of a fantasy game.
All the pieces were in place, and the preparations only took a day or two! He was quite proud of the setup he had created and with the line up of fiends, devils, and hunters that he had at his disposal. It was almost like an RTS game where he had to position different units.
Sadly, there was very little info on the adversaries he would face. It did concern Ainz, but if any of them managed to get through his first few lines of defences, only then would he consider them a true threat. He was still an enigma, and he'd rather keep it that way.
But for now he had other things to think about.
{Do you think the one who initially sealed you will be among the assassins?} asked Ainz.
{It is not out of the question, but they wouldn't be human. I was not so weak as to be bound by one of their kind. But do remain cautious, my lord.}
{I will. By the way, what do you think Makima is the devil of? I can't tell since she hasn't ever shown any of her abilities in front of me, but maybe you can guess?}
She really could have been everything. Humanity? Something ridiculous like women or bureaucracy? If she at least had some kind of identifying feature, besides her eyes which gave Ainz zero hints, then he would at least be able to speculate.
Still, she would have to be quite up there to command the various devils and fiends that were in the special division. Vesicar, as a devil who claimed to be pretty strong in his heyday, should at least have some idea, right?
{Sadly no. Her appearance is almost entirely human. If my memory was to come back then I feel like I could tell you, but as of now I cannot.}
Ainz could tamper with his companion's memories, but that incurred the risk of accidentally rendering the devil braindead, berserk, or anything of that variety.
{That's a shame. Hopefully one of the assassins will actually go after her and force her to fight.}
If all went according to plan, which it really should unless Punitto Moe was about to materialise out of the ether and scold him on some very obvious hole in his plan that he overlooked, Makima would be forced into a fight. In fact, everyone besides Ainz would be unless Ainz got bored and decided to join himself. He had an idea of who would do well, but going through those given to him as guard wouldn't hurt.
Supposedly Kishibe was the deadliest man in Japan and far scarier than most devils. If that was the calibre of foe he was up against, he would probably be fine. Still, why these people or the gun devil wanted his heart was a mystery. It was probably something about becoming stronger, since devil cannibalism was apparently a path to success.
However, he was more interested in how the incoming forces do against those given to him. Kishibe would almost certainly win against who he would encounter, but he had decided to give the oldtimer a small boost just in case.
The angel devil, despite having a breakdown after being buffed for some reason, also was a safe bet. The adrogynous, angel-like boy could steal people's lifespans and turn them into weapons, quite strong ones at that. It was a curious case, especially since they still claimed to be more devil than angel.
The shark and violence fiends were… Well, they were there. He didn't have particularly high hopes for them. Same as Kobeni. Why was she even in this business if all she could do was act terrified? There existed a possibility that she was faking it to draw people into a false sense of security, but that seemed like a ridiculous stretch.
Aki was currently devilless after the incident with the fox devil having half of its head split open. Apparently it was quite a capricious being. To not force him to rely on the curse devil, Ainz decided to indulge his curiosity and give Aki a few items. He was quite excited to watch the fight with the [Undead Slave Sight] he would cast on the eyeball corpse he stationed above himself.
Himeno would be able to use the entirety of the ghost devil thanks to Ainz's spell, though he didn't have high hopes for it. Despite it appearing pretty powerful, in reality it seemed quite useless. Maybe there was more to it that he hadn't simply seen? If that was indeed the case, then he hoped its true capabilities would be revealed soon enough.
Next was Power, who had apparently gotten much stronger after drinking the blood of the katana man. Also, her horns got really big and some of her blood had to be drained to reduce them. Devil physiology certainly was odd… Still, Ainz was quite excited to see how her enhanced powers would do when compared with high level hemomancy.
There were a few other characters that were given to him, but he doubted there would be that many assassins. Quality, in cases such as this, most often trumped quantity. For that reason, and also to test out his theory about Makima having a passive charm, he buffed up his subordinates, adding a quick mind control resistance spell in the mix.
So now he could only do one thing: Wait and watch his plan unfold…
(AN from Edgy: Whew, that took a while. Sorry about that, I was terribly busy with school and some other work I had to do. But I won't bore you with the details of my woe. Next time around, the assassins are in for a nasty surprise! By the way, don't worry, Ainz won't be constantly wearing his newfound suit. It was more of a one time thing, unless you like it, then it can appear again. Also, now I'll be going back to Beyond Sin for a long while, so I'll see you in the AN of that! As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)
(AN from Aterro: Edgy and I were pretty busy so this chapter was a bit delayed, but I bring good news, with the large amount of free time I have thanks to the start of my summer break, I will start working on some interesting Overlord oneshots, and the one you like the most will be turned into a full blown story, so if you want to see any anime or manga crossed over with overlord feel free to give some suggestions in the reviews !)
Pa tr e on DOT com / EdgyTheWriter
Answering Reviews:
Change Ainz's height to the canon one?: Nope, I like Ainz when he's tall better and it's not like it impacts the story much. - Edgy
Ainz devil because people are scared of him?: Who knows? Am I the author or something? - Edgy
Nazarick? Guardians? - … - Edgy
Holy Magic on devils? - Maybe with a scroll or two. - Edgy