[Chapter 5: The Beginning Of The End]
Ainz could technically summon a clock. Of course, it wasn't a very good idea to do so on a whim, as said clock was also one of his trump cards should the worst come to worst. Additionally, that clock only counted down twelve seconds, so it wasn't very useful in the manner of checking the time anyway.
'Actually, I should probably refrain from using that. What if I delete this thing and guns also disappear? The whole of America would collapse! Their whole thing was guns back even in my world! Not to mention law enforcement and all that.'
For now he shelved the idea of using [The Goal Of All Life Is Death] and hopefully it would remain on that shelf, gathering dust.
Just as Ainz made that decision, all the foliage around him was flattened by a gust of wind, and it seemed that the very heavens cried out in pain.
"About time, I was worried you wouldn't show up." Ainz said, looking up at the gun devil.
It was similar to the monstrosity he saw back in the United States' blacksite, though marginally larger. If he were a gun expert then maybe he'd be able to say that this one had better guns, but the very notion of what amounted to a good gun was alien to him.
Guns blazed and their thunderous roar echoed out, repeatedly hitting Ainz square in the forehead. Curiously, while some part of the barrage of bullets was indeed shot from the grotesque body of the devil, Ainz noticed some of the bullets simply appearing.
Unfortunately for the devil, his bullets had no mystical force behind them, harmlessly bouncing off of Ainz. It was similar to a shower if Ainz were to be honest, and equally harmless for him, thankfully.
'Actually, when was the last time I showered? I lecture Power on it all the time, and I suppose I don't sweat or anything, but still… First thing to do after I'm done with this, I suppose.'
"[Teleportation]." Ainz muttered, pointing at the gun devil, as it was still outside of his trap. He quickly added a [Paralysis] on top of that, causing the devil to plummet to the ground and in front of his feet.
After a moment, he turned in the direction of where the others should be hidden.
Seeing as how the trap was not yet activated, he sighed, "Are they sleeping on the job? [Message]."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Aki then took off his shirt and-
Himeno suddenly jumped to her feet, desperately trying to silence the incessant ringing that magically appeared in her ear.
{Himeno? What are you guys doing up there? You should turn on the trap!} came Ainz's voice, too loud for her tastes even if she wasn't hung over.
The devil hunter looked over at her colleagues and the… contraption Ainz had entrusted them with.
{We're trying, but you really could've made this thing simpler! When you described it I thought it'd be just a lever or something, not this crazy thing! Not to mention all the instructions or whatever are written in some runes! We all passed out just looking at that, and now Aki is trying to do this blindfolded!}
'Oh, wait. Is all that written in one of the cursed tongues and just automatically translates for me? That… might be a bit of a problem.'
{Just give me a moment and I'll be right there.} Ainz said, cutting off the magical link.
'They really couldn't have told me all that earlier? I feel like a babysitter.'
He reapplied the paralysis to the gun devil, suddenly noticing that something other than a belt of bullets protruded from its lower torso; it was a chain.
"I'm afraid that he now works for me." came Makima's voice as she idly played with the chain, a halo made of what seemed to be intestines floating above her head.
The Overlord sighed, "I really can't be bothered with this today, so I apologise for making this quick. For what it's worth, you were an okay bureaucrat. [Grasp Heart]."
As expected, the projection of Makima's heart burst in his hand, and the devil dropped to the ground.
"Now then, tho-" he began, only for every alarm bell in his head to blare at once. If he had eyes, they probably would have fallen right out of his skull, seeing that Makima actually stood up after his spell.
"As expected of you, Ainz, but that won't put an end to me, unfortunately for you." she said, making a finger gun and pointing at Ainz, "Bang."
The skeletal mage was thrown back by an unseen force, and he was reacquainted with a sensation he had hoped to leave behind: pain.
A tiny, almost imperceptible crack appeared in his top left rib, and the pain quickly dissipated, but it was still by no means pleasant.
Before he even hit the ground once again, the world lost its colour and the hand of Chronos was forced to a standstill. Just in case, the Overlord glanced at Makima, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed that she was indeed frozen alongside the rest of creation.
"At least she isn't immune to that…" he muttered, putting a hand to his rib, "Still, she's probably the strongest devil I've seen. This could be… problematic."
Resurrecting yourself once? Old trick! A carpenter could do it! It wasn't even terribly uncommon in YGGDRASIL. Hell, even some custom NPCs could do it, like half of the god-forsaken things on the eighth floor of Nazarick.
Resurrecting yourself twice, however, now that was a bad sign. If Makima could in fact do it twice, then it was best to presume she could do it an indefinite amount of times and not waste resources.
Chances are [True Death] could prevent that sort of trick, but it could also have one too many unforeseen consequences for Ainz's liking. He had to do this the old-fashioned way, with pure damage. If that proved to be a little problematic, well, some of Ainz's shelved ideas may be in order.
Alas, for now he had a plan.
Time resumed its endless march, and Ainz didn't allow Makima a moment of respite, "[Triple Maximise Magic: Call Greater Thunder]."
This time around it didn't just seem like the heavens tore themselves open, they actually did, sending down their wrath directly at Makima.
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and a few scraps of cloth drifted through the air.
"That should do it." Ainz said, deciding to still stick around for a moment just in case.
It turned out to be the right call, as a mass of crows soon gathered in front of Ainz, tearing into each other's flesh and reshaping the gore into the figure of Makima. Bones cracked and reformed, blood was transfused, and feathers became clothes or hair.
"Can't say I've ever been struck by lightning before." Makima said with a charming smile, "First time for everything I suppose. Oh, and I apologise for the attack from earlier."
The Overlord wasn't listening to the woman, his body glowing a variety of colours as he silently cast buff after buff.
"It really wasn't my best, and Yoru didn't exactly explain how to use her little present." the devil continued. She snapped her fingers and Ainz's non-existent eyes once again rolled right out of their sockets; it was a goddamn RPG. Before he could gather his bearings, Makima indulged her destructive tendencies, "Boom."
If Ainz could blink then he would've missed, the rocket hitting him square in the chest and causing an inferno to engulf him.
Time once more heeded Ainz's orders and stopped before the dust cloud even started to dissipate.
"That was nearly an [Explosion], so I'm done messing around." he said to the frozen Makima, dusting off his robes, "But just how the hell are you resurrecting yourself? Hmm…"
Well, there was only one person to consult at a time like this: Vesicar.
But he needed something to occupy Makima, preferably not killing her in case her resurrections also buffed her or something to that effect.
Summons were always a disposable option, but they were either too deadly or not deadly enough.
'Vesicar would do the job, but I need him to decipher this mystery. Hmm…'
Then it clicked, like a joint snapping back into its socket!
Why else were Aki, Himeno, Power, and the angel devil with him? With a few buffs, a few items, and a little luck provided by said buffs, they could probably outmatch her.
He timed his [Teleportation] to trigger right as time resumed its flow, and instantly appeared in front of the group, snatching up the items they were still tinkering with.
"No time to explain, you guys are going to restrain Makima while Vesicar and I figure out how she's resurrecting herself."
"How are we supposed to-" the angel devil began, only for Ainz to haphazardly throw some items on the floor in front of them.
"Take these and you'll be fine. I'll sprinkle in a few extra spells as well."
The bodies of Makima's soon-to-be opponents flared up with every colour known and unknown to man as Ainz buffed them.
"Alright, I'm off to figure out her power. You guys just teleport over to her and keep her occupied. Come, Vesicar."
And with that, the Overlord left behind four very confused faces, though two were also very, very eager.
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"Dibs on the gun!" Himeno exclaimed, practically lunging forward to take the vaguely gun-shaped object Ainz had thrown on the ground, alongside several unique rings.
Power acted in a similar manner, jumping at the chance to get some shiny things as if she were a crow. Unfortunately for her, given the power bestowed to her by Ainz's magic, she overshot her goal and went headfirst into a tree instead, the wood unable to withstand the force and snapping in two.
The angel devil, watching how even Aki indulged himself in the marvellous items that the Overlord threw on the ground like common trash, asked what he considered to be a pressing question, "While I do feel substantially more powerful, how are we supposed to teleport to Makima? Isn't that solely Ainz's power?"
Aki casually tossed him a ring and said, "Just put that on. If it's anything like the one I use for communication, you'll just get the hang of it immediately."
That indeed appeared to be the case, as the angel devil instantly understood the power contained within the ring.
'To think he can just give these away. Terrifying.'
Alas, the terror Ainz could invoke was secondary. Right now it was time to get revenge on a certain manipulative bitch.
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"So," Ainz began as he appeared on top of a roof of one of the skyscrapers in central Tokyo, "do you have any idea as to a pact that may render her functionally immortal? I'd rather not have to kill her permanently."
Visecar appeared to be deep in thought for a moment, or at least Ainz guessed he was, since the skeletal devil just kinda stood there.
'No wonder I can get away with all this lying, how the hell am I supposed to read the expression of a skull?'
After a moment, the decay devil spoke up, "This may be a stretch, my lord, but if I were her, I would make a pact with someone in power, who has authority over a vast array of people. I don't know the details, but something to the effect of, when I die, someone else below you in the hierarchy dies instead. It's not too uncommon in dealings with devils, though I don't recall ever making such a contract."
"That is… smart." Ainz said, desperately trying to remember the pre-Arcology agreements structure of Japan.
'It was the president at the top, right? Or did we still have an emperor? Maybe it was the prime minister? Ugh, nothing good ever came out of politics. Guess I'll just go to each one.'
"First stop then, the emperor. [Blessing of Titania]."
A small fairy appeared in front of Ainz and beckoned for the Overlord to follow.
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Makima tilted her head to the side slightly as she watched Ainz disappear. "There's no way he's afraid of me, even after that." she figured, "So he must be trying to figure out the secret behind my immortality. I expected this, but still… What a bother."
She could manifest from birds or rats wherever Ainz went, but the collateral damage she was liable to cause when accompanied by the gun devil would probably force Ainz's hand and end in a less than pleasant death-loop for her.
Right as she decided to instead throw a few of her newly acquired puppets after Ainz to slow his progress, the gun devil unleashed hell upon a spot in front of her.
"Hmm? Back already?" she said to the cloud of smoke, instinctively knowing that her contract was still intact.
Suddenly Makima's leg turned into a bloody mist, the effect of whatever hit her being so quick that she couldn't even register that her leg was gone.
"Oh no, I'm just here for some overtime. Apparently two real nasty devils are here, and a certain magician decided we should cover his shift for a bit." came Himeno's voice as the cloud of dust died down.
Another burst of bullets flew in their direction, this time being stopped by an immense shield of blood.
"This is Ainz's doing, I take it?" the control devil calmly said as her leg reformed. Bone materialised, sinew and flesh were sewn together, but Makima's serene expression did not drop for a moment.
"Well, yea, but what I'm about to do will be all me. Come on, Miss Makima, show me what you can do." Himeno taunted.
"Fine by-" Makima began, only stopping to step slightly to the side, dodging a sizable bloody lance.
"I'm gonna show you who's a better devil now!" Power said as she lunged forward, her previous fear of Makima erased by Ainz's power boost.
"Fuck's sake, I thought this was supposed to be a climactic showdown!" Himeno complained, briefly turning to the angel devil and Aki, "You guys deal with the gun devil. Makima is all mine… and Power's I guess."
"I refuse! She took everything away from me and now, you ask me to-!"
"Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of this weird gun thing! We'll talk later! Good luck~!" Himeno yelled as she dashed away from her two comrades.
The thought of killing Himeno in the crossfire briefly crossed the angel devil's mind, but Aki forced his attention to move to the floating abomination of gun's that appeared to be loading another clip.
"You can have your revenge, as long as you help me deal with this monster quickly." the devil hunter said, "At least before those two deal with Makima."
"I… In that case…"
The angel devil took a deep breath and muttered a small "I'm so sorry." under his breath. He extended his hand to the heavens and a lance not too dissimilar from those Power could create manifested in his hand.
"Usage: 1,000 years."
"Can that knock it to the ground?" Aki asked as he unsheathed his two swords, one blazing with fire and the other glowing a sickly green.
"Watch."
The angel devil truly must have been a messenger of God fallen from heaven, for the power of the lance he threw could only be called divine. It was as if a great void opened up, projecting from it a ray with the power of a small star.
Heaven itself rumbled and the very atmosphere screamed in pain as the lance cut through it. The clouds in the sky were split and the forest around them was flattened.
Whatever fleshy alloy the gun devil was composed proved to be no obstacle for the weapon composed of so many lifetimes, a gaping hole appearing in its chest as it plummeted to the ground.
A great roar, like the violent echo of artillery, escaped the devil's misshapen face.
"Is it dead already?" Aki asked, both frustration and disappointment filling his voice.
Then something clicked and fired, Aki putting up his guard just in time. His blazing sword met a ridiculously sized bullet and split it in two, the explosion that followed as the two halves hit the ground behind him singing his coat.
He threw the now useless fabric off of himself, wiping the suit off of his white shirt, which only caused it to be dirtied further.
"So it can shoot even from its head; should have expected as much." he chided himself.
The devil, meanwhile, used its lower body's bullet chains as appendages and raised itself off the ground. As if a whole weapons factory was working overtime, a new centrepiece appeared in the hole that made up the gun devil's chest: the barrel of a terribly oversized piece of artillery. Even when taking into account the gun devil's great size, the thing seemed to throw it off balance.
"Seems pretty alive to me." the angel devil said as a few more much smaller spears appeared around him.
Aki readied his swords, "Let's change that."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Ainz instinctively made sure his suit didn't have any wrinkles, though chances are that his threatened mask would have attracted more attention than any kind of fault in the rest of his outfit.
Still, it was probably at least a little more appropriate for a meeting with the emperor than his usual robes and skeletal visage.
Then again, he was here to probably kill the man, so maybe his skeletal appearance was indeed more appropriate? What a dilemma…
"My lord, if the visitor's map isn't wrong, the emperor's abode should be right in front of us, up on that hill." Vesicar said, dressed in an inconspicuous trenchcoat and one of those hats Ainz always saw secret agents wear on TV. Of course, the collar was so high that nobody around them could see the actual body of the devil.
Yes, it was a ridiculous disguise, but if they were to do something as ridiculous as kill the emperor of Japan while fighting a devil as an undead Overlord, then all bets were off in Ainz's mind.
"Alright, let's head in." Ainz said, silently teleporting them past the initial guards and right to the hill where the emperor's palace was, as it was just barely in view.
He quickly dealt with the guards that were just in front of him with a cast of [Widen Maximise Magic: Sleep]. They dropped to the floor and Ainz briefly wondered if they would be punished for sleeping on the job.
Vesicar pushed the door open for his master and the two entered.
"Hmm, it seems I underestimated the reach of my spell." Ainz said as he stepped over another unconscious guard. He picked the man up by the neck and woke him from his magical slumber, casting [Charm Person] on him instead. "Lead us to the emperor."
As expected, the man listened to his friend's humble request and led the way. "Right this way, though I hope you know this is just for you."
"Of course." the Overlord said as he followed behind the man, appreciating the inside of the palace.
It wasn't Nazarick by any means, but there was a sense of history here that a digital space lacked, something nearly tangible, or perhaps entirely tangible if one considered the expensive historical pieces that lined the walls to be literal history.
After a few minutes of meandering through the corridors of the palace, they made it to what Ainz guessed was the snoozing emperor's living room.
With the guard fulfilling his purpose, Ainz put him back to sleep.
"I suppose we should at least ask him about Makima." Ainz said, waking the emperor with a magical flick of his wrist.
"Huh? What's going on?" the emperor drowsily muttered, only for adrenaline to start pumping as he noticed his guards on the floor and two extraordinarily suspicious characters in his abode. "Who are you people!? How did you get here!? What did you do to my guards!?"
"Unfortunately, I'm going to be the one asking questions." Ainz said, letting a bit of his aura fill the room.
The emperor almost seemed to physically shrink as raw malice permeated the air.
"Firstly, I would like to ask whether you have a contract with a devil by the name of Makima. Mind you, I have ways to get information out of you if you don't cooperate."
The emperor – younger than Ainz expected, appearing to be only in the latter part of middle-aged – briefly shivered in his clothes, which were also surprisingly modern. To be quite honest, Ainz was a little disappointed by the lack of traditional robes.
"I've no clue what you're on about! I do not handle any matters concerning devils!"
Ainz looked at the man for a moment before turning to Vesicar, "I believe him. Though we should still kill him given the nature of his position, right?"
Vesicar nodded, "Seeing as how he is symbolically atop the hierarchy of the country, yes. Makima could form a contract with him after we break her present one."
"K-Kill me!?" the emperor practically squeeked out, "I really don't know anything! Please! This position hasn't been relevant for decades!" The man pathetically went down to his knees and hit his forehead on the floor, as if Ainz was a God he was begging for forgiveness.
Ainz knelt down and forcefully picked the man's head off the floor, forcing him to be on eye level with the Overlord.
"Tell me, emperor, are you a gambler?" Ainz asked.
"A g-gambler? I… Uh, sometimes?"
"I think we're all gamblers. You, me, everyone who has ever played a game. After all, every game has an element of chance, and we're always betting something. Money, gold, items, pride, there's always something." Ainz said, "And I'd like to consider myself decent at some of these games. You see, the key to being decent is minimising the random element."
The Overlord took out a sealed deck of cards from his inventory.
"My friend used to be able to count cards. I never quite had the quick thinking for it, or the slight of hand to trick the dealer. But I can minimise the random element now, by killing you. So please don't take this as anything personal. It really isn't. I'm just eliminating a pawn from the board. [Death]."
A small thud echoed through the room as the emperor's body limply hit the ground.
"My lord, was that speech really necessary?" Vesicar asked as Ainz stood up.
"Oh come on. How could I have a deadly confrontation with an emperor and not make it dramatic." Ainz answered, "Have a little fun, Vesicar."
"I'm not complaining, my lord, I was simply wondering if you are not concerned by the possible state of your companions battling Makima at the moment."
'Oh shit. He makes a good point.'
Ainz laughed; it was a laugh of a king confident in his victory, deep and coming from the very soul. "Have a little faith in them, Vesicar. They are, after all, a tenacious bunch."
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"I swear, I'm going to give Ainz a piece of my mind as soon as he gets his bony ass over here!" Himeno yelled as she swapped magazines behind a tree, only for that tree to turn into splinters with another word from Makima.
Power was somewhere, probably running back to the battlefield after Makima blew her away. She certainly wasn't dead. After all, Himeno also took a blast like that to the chest and was just fine after one of those red potions.
To be fair, losing her legs had hurt like shit, but Power would probably just shrug something like that off.
"Hey, ghost! Maybe be useful for a minute!" she called out as she ran for more cover.
All she heard was Makima say "Bang." and then the feeling of her contract being terminated hit her.
"Now I'll have to get another contract! Thanks for that, boss!" she yelled, frustrated by her current situation.
See, killing Makima would've been easy. Even a normal gun, not this weird magical rifle that Ainz gave her, could've probably done the job with relative ease. Teleport point black, shoot her in the dead, and go get drunk after a job well-done.
Now keeping Makima occupied and alive, that was a can of murderous worms from a can called Pandora's goddamn box!
If only a certain blood fiend who could do something crazy like make rope out of blood was here!
Himeno rolled forward, avoiding another blast from Makima by a hair's length, though she was quite sure her back was now at least a little charred.
"Are you just going to run around in circles? Ainz will not come save you, you know?" Makima said, flicking her wrist and sending a chain forward.
It moved like a snake, weaving through the air and evidently aiming for Himeno's head. The devil hunter pressed the trigger and the chain broke into pieces, and so did the next dozen that Makima sent after her.
"Yea, whatever you say! I think I know Ainz a little better than you!" Himeno answered between bursts of magical gunfire.
"Do you now? Did you know that Ai-"
Flesh turned to mist as Makima's leg was blown away by the last bullets in Himeno's clip.
"I'm not letting any of your bullshit into my head." the devil hunter said.
"That is unfortunate. I would've hoped to settle this with you without extra help, but it seems you really want to force my hand." Makima turned to look at the distant treeline that remained unflattened from the combat, and said, "Come to me, my pets."
Himeno quickly reloaded, putting her last magazine into the magical weapon
'Uh, what else do I have on me?'
Whatever Makima was about to pull and whatever devils she was about to bring forth from the abyss, Himeno sure hoped Ainz had left her something with a little more… bang.
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Power ran through the forest after pouring one of the red bottles on herself. It wasn't blood and didn't taste nearly as good, but it did the job. Now she could get back after that bitch! Too long had she lived in fear of that monster!
Not that she was actually scared of her or anything! She just acted like that for, uh, tactical advantage! Yes, very, very tactical. After all, her iq was immense compared to these petty humans and inferior devils.
However, as she ran through the forest, something caught her attention. It wasn't a particularly appetising scent among the greenery of the forest, but she recognised it for what it was: devil blood.
Makima was still a ways away, so just what could this be? Did some of her puppets get into a dispute with one another?
Rushing with speed that could only be achieved by magical means, she quickly found herself at the source of the wicked smell. It was, as it turned out, a portal hell.
Whatever Makima was trying to summon was currently being thrown through the portal, in pieces of course.
Power leaned over the portal and looked inside, glancing into hell and finding that it was a certain devil she knew brutalising the rest.
"Eve?" Power asked, deftly moving her head out of the way of another leg that was thrown into the terrestrial realm via the portal.
Indeed, the metal storm of blades that was shredding through devils did bear a familiar visage, and as soon as the last devil was cut apart, it responded to Power's voice.
"Oh! I didn't think I'd see you again so soon!"
Power crossed her arms, "When someone is amazing as me, you never know!"
"Of course! But, um, shouldn't you be helping Ainz or something? These devils were supposed to go after you by order of the control devil, so things must be dangerous out there!"
"Nah, don't worry. Makima wouldn't stand a chance against us, even if those devils did manage to go through! But I still need to deal with Makima, so I have to go!"
Eve waved one of her giant metal appendages as a farewell, "Good luck! I'll handle anything else down here!"
With that little meeting concluded, Power resumed her sprint towards where she tactically took a blast from Makima in the chest. It was to, uh, gauge her firepower of course! It's not like she got careless because of Ainz's magic!
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Himeno poured the last of her potions on the stump that used to be her arm. At this point, she had probably been dismembered more than anyone on Earth, and if Power didn't make it back here anytime soon, the next time would probably be her last.
She could feel the magic waning and her resources running short. Her magical armament was useless with no ammunition left, and though the magic did make the two daggers she now held very useful, she could only evade for so long.
"Fuck's sake, Power! Where the hell are you!?" she yelled in frustration as another chain snaked towards her.
She cleaved it in half with a single stroke and dodged backwards.
"Your time is running out, Himeno." Makima commented.
"Shut up." Himeno responded, "I'm not done yet."
Then Makima fell to the ground, a hole in her chest and a spear of blood now skewering her.
"About damn time!" Himeno yelled as Power darted out of the treeline, not even bothering to admonish her about the lethal force she used, "She's all yours. I've got to rest up a bit. Just, uh, bind her or something."
The devil hunter made her way to one of the broken trees that littered the area and sat down, leaning against the trunk of the wooden casualty of the battle.
Power, for once, seemed to actually listen to her colleague's judgement, and chains of blood that dwarfed Makima's steel counterparts began to circle around the control devil as the hole in her chest closed up.
They wrapped around her and covered her entirely, the red chains seemingly taking no chances.
As they did, clouds gathered above the battlefield and the chains shook…
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
"So this the Japanese house of parliament?" Ainz asked as he snuck through the place under cover of [Perfect Unknowable], with Vesicar probably stumbling somewhere behind him. Even for him the spell was hard to see through, so he could only guess.
In his days, this building had probably long been demolished. After all, what was the point of parliament if the corporations ran everything? It was probably all done online or something, in virtual meeting rooms where they decided how to better exploit the poor.
Alas, he wasn't here to ponder the notions of late-stage capitalism, he was just here to kill the prime minister and maybe a few others who proved to be involved with Makima.
Still, he always imagined the killing of a politician to be a little more dramatic. With the emperor he at least got to give a cool speech, or at least he thought it was cool.
This, on the other hand, would have to be a quick affair. In and out, and off to the battlefield to deal with Makima before she could manipulate another poor sod into making a contract with her.
Perhaps if he was still human, he would feel guilt for what amounted to acts of terrorism, but then again, if he was human he would probably know a little more about their policies and maybe end up feeling a little more satisfaction instead.
In the end, cold apathy was to be his path though, and he entered the chamber with no problems posed by either guards or surveillance.
He entered the chamber where some meeting with a dozen or so important-looking people seemed to be going on and dispelled his concealment.
Before anyone could yell for guards or ask who the hell he was, he let a little bit of his aura fill the room, silencing the politicians.
"Which one of you is the prime minister?" Ainz asked.
Everyone looked to one man sitting at the head of the table, who spoke up and said, "S-Sir, this is the committee meant to discuss dolphin poaching on the coast."
"Oh." Ainz said, "Could you then point me in the direction of the prime minister? I have urgent business with him."
"The c-chamber next door, sir." the man responded.
"Thank you, and, uh, I apologise for disturbing you." Ainz said, shutting off his aura and exiting the room.
He pushed open the closed doors that were next to the room he just exited and found a much more spacious chamber within, with a lot more suited-up people.
Repeating his aura trick from before, he asked the same question, "Which one of you is the prime minister."
All the men pointed to the older-looking gentleman in the middle.
"Is this true?" Ainz asked, just to be sure he had the right guy.
The man nodded, and Ainz cast "[Death]."
With no triumphant fireworks or great explosion, the man keeled over at his desk, as if age had caught up with him a little earlier than expected.
'Job's done I suppose. Now to kill Makima.'
Having accomplished what generations of foreign spies had dreamed of, Ainz teleported away, leaving behind a stunned and confused parliament.
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Aki dodged another one of the shells shot at him, a small ravine manifesting behind the devil hunter as the ground shook from the force of the blow.
At the moment, he was primarily acting as the bait, with the angel devil throwing spear after spear at the gun devil. So far, the effects were a little less than satisfactory, as most of the wounds didn't linger for long and were replaced with more weaponry.
"We've got to switch up our strategy!" Aki yelled in-between bursts of gunfire.
"Agreed! I'm running out of years to use!" the angel devil answered.
Even if Aki had a few years extra thanks to Ainz, there were wiser things to do in this situation, or at least he hoped what he was about to do would turn out to be wise.
"Can you make a barrier?!"
"No!"
"Then just distract him for a bit!" Aki called out, dashing backwards as a bullet grazed his cheek. If not for his magically enhanced speed and perception, this monstrosity would have gunned him down within the blink of an eye, and if he didn't finish this battle soon, that would still end up being the end result.
"What the hell are you planning!?" the angel devil yelled, one of his wings being pierced by a high-calibre shot from the upper torso of the gun devil.
"Just trust me!"
With no other avenue open, the angel devil obliged, increasing his barrage as he used up the last of the many years of life he had stolen.
Aki, meanwhile, took this chance to glance at one of the other items Ainz had given them, a small, wooden stick with a single word written on it: Kodandam.
He had absolutely no idea what this thing was, but at the moment this seemed like a much better option than running at the gun devil and trying to stab it.
The second he snapped the stick in half – a choice made due to instinct rather than cold reason – a simple though beautiful bow materialised in his hands. It appeared to be made of some sort of ancient wood and radiated power like a raging inferno did heat.
Aki silently thanked whatever God was listening to for his brief stint in archery during high school.
"Angel! Dodge!"
As quickly as he could and with as much precision as he could muster, he aimed the arrow at the head of the gun devil and let loose.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The vice president burst into the oval office with the force of a football player tackling a man about to get a touchdown – he had played college ball, y'know?
Flinging the door open with no regard for the guards on either side, he yelled with utmost urgency, "Mister president! An unknown high-speed projectile is approaching our western shores from Japan's direction! If it continues at this speed, it will impact Los Angeles in around 3 minutes!"
"3 minutes!?" the president yelled, "Are the Japanese retaliating after the soviets' attack!? Is this Makima's doing!? What the hell do you know about this!?"
"Nothing, sir! The projectile just… It just appeared! No prior indication, no military facility in reach; it's as if magic was at play!"
"Don't they have a magician now? The same one that broke into our blacksite?! What's his name!? Ins Oul Gun?"
"Ainz Ooal Gown, sir, and we do presume this is his doing. He's the only rogue element who could possibly manifest such a phenomenon. Even the gun devil did not have such weapons at its disposal!"
"What do we do then!? Can we shoot it down!?"
The vice president shook his head, "It's too quick for our systems to catch."
"Shit!"
Everyone in the room fell silent as the metaphorical blade of the guillotine fell alongside the shoulders of the president.
"Prepare to announce a day of national mourning." the president said, "And prepa-"
Another man burst into the same room with equal vigour to the prime minister, but his tone of voice betrayed hope instead of despair. "Sirs!" he called out, "The projectile, it… It disappeared off the radars!"
"Then why do you sound so happy?! It's evading the system somehow! This is just more bad fucking news!" the president responded.
"No, no! It seemed to fizzle out instead! Like a flair of sorts! This is brilliant news!"
The president glanced at his second in command. "Cancel my previous orders. If nothing impacts us within 24 hours, let us call it a misfire. Whatever this Ins-"
"Ainz, sir."
"Whatever this Eiz is, I'd rather not get on his worst side for the moment."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The world around him shook and everything felt scorching to the touch. A permanent ringing resounded in his ear, and he desperately tried to get to his feet.
Something warm poured down his cheek, and he fell backwards as something cold hit his forehead, the contrasting sensations producing a sobering effect that literally knocked him off his feet.
His ruptured eardrums were healed as the cool, red liquid was absorbed by his body.
"What the hell happened?" Aki asked, his vision still blurry.
"You used a weapon that exceeded mortal power, and you paid the cost for your hubris, as did the gun devil." came the cold, hollow voice of what Aki recognised to be Vesicar.
Slowly but surely, his vision regained its focus, soon enough being able to make out what the decay devil was pointing at. It was a pile of bubbling sludge, not even meat or stew. The steaming thing that was left of his nemesis sat snugly in a ravine of molten metal that seemed to extend to the very sea.
"I applaud your ability to survive using that weapon." Vesicar said.
Aki, however, had a more pressing matter in mind, "Where's the angel devil? Is he alright?"
The decay devil nodded, nearly poking Aki's eye out with his beak, "He suffered severe burns, but my lord has made sure of his recovery. You have completed your mission, now rest."
Exhausted, Aki lay back down on the scorching dirt, not caring for the pain and too out of it to bother avoiding it.
"So what now?" he asked.
Suddenly, a pillar of burning flame arose in the distance.
"Now," Vesicar began, "my lord enters the stage."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
"You've done well." Ainz said as he teleported Himeno away. Turning to Power, he said, "As have you. Do forgive me for depriving you of the chance to finish the job, but I'd rather handle this myself." With a flick of his wrist, Power also disappeared from the scorched field.
The sky darkened further as clouds blocked off the last rays of sunlight.
"Besides, I think they would only be a hindrance. Isn't that right, Makima?" Ainz asked, right as the bloody chains that had entombed the control devil shattered.
The devil that emerged from within Power's makeshift cocoon only vaguely resembled his previous adversary. Her alabaster skin had turned a dark, obsidian colour. Her red hair turned jet black, and her ominous aura seemed to swallow all the light in the area.
"Right you are, Ainz." her voice resounded.
Ainz tried to grimace, "I preferred your old look." he said as Makima's body twisted in the darkness that now encompassed the area. "Either way, I'll make this quick, [Maximise Magic: Vermillion Nova]."
As if the very core of the Earth erupted at Ainz's command, flames consumed Makima and shot far into the sky, ripping apart the very clouds that darkened it.
Though Ainz guessed that the flames seemed to be there for an eternity from Makima's perspective, the spell was over and done within just a few seconds.
Expecting the corpse to be sufficiently well-done, Ainz walked forward, only for a dark chain to strike him square in the jaw.
Pain flashed in his mind before dissipating, and he watched Makima turn from a charred mess to her previous form in seconds.
Curiously, she stepped out of the monetary beam of light that [Vermillion Nova] caused to pierce the heavens.
"I must say, your regenerative ability is impressive." he said, silently thinking, 'She can regenerate from fire attacks!? This is bullshit! And I just got rid of her last gimmick as well!'
Unfortunately for Ainz, Makima could both monologue and fight, several more joins rushing at him as she spoke, "An old enemy of mine in hell was kind enough to hand me this power. If you listen to me, I might spare you."
"[Aura of Despair: V]."
A void darker than night briefly flickered, the area around Ainz being robbed of all life in an instant, including the chains which turned to dust.
'So they count as separate living beings. Curious.'
Even in the midst of battle, there lay room for experimentation, and Ainz chucked the knowledge somewhere into the depths of his mind before responding to Makima's offer.
"Unfortunately, I don't make deals with devils. Well, that's not true. I don't make deals with bureaucrats. [Maximise Magic: Grasp Heart]."
Makima fell to her knees like a puppet whose strings were cut, and stood up as if the strings were reattached just a moment after.
"So you've become a glutton for punishment, is that the extent of your newfound power? That colleague of yours must be a poor devil indeed." Ainz said.
'So she can regenerate even her heart. I could just use [Death], but she's probably the strongest devil I will fight for a while, so might as well have her do a cool villain monologue. She seems like the type.'
"Why do you refuse to listen to me?" Makima asked, sending a ray of pure darkness towards Ainz.
"Two can play this game. [Triple Maximise Magic: Ray of Negative Energy]." Three counterparts to Makima's attack lashed out from Ainz's skeletal palm, pushing the darkness back and eating away at it. "As for your question, I don't know if you know, but devils don't have the greatest reputation."
"With the power you hold, you and I could change this world, Ainz. Make it better. Get rid of disease, war, greed. We could make it happen. There is nobody else who can stand at the top!"
Ainz's attack proved to be more powerful, reaching Makima's face and causing it to decay until there was nothing but a skull left, yet the second the negative energy dissipated, flesh crawled across her face and reformed it anew.
"Contrary to what you may believe, Makima, I'm not very interested in all that." Ainz said, "I've a plan of my own, and seeing what you just said, I doubt you'd let me just kinda waltz on out of this world."
'Not to mention that destroying things like that could lead to unforeseen consequences that I want no part in dealing with.'
Makima's launched another several chains at Ainz, and the Overlord mimicked a yawn.
"This is getting dull." he said, swatting away the chains with a [Shockwave], "You've had your explanation, and now let me make this matter of fact. [Death]."
The control devil fell to the ground, not even a muscle twitching, though she returned to her normal form.
Ainz slowly walked up to the body and snapped his fingers, "[Vermillion Nova]."
'Just to be safe.'
One last pillar of flame shot up into the sky and erased Makima's body, leaving only a bunch of ashes behind.
"Okay… Now what?"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Ainz silently looked out of the window of the new penthouse he, Aki, Power, and Makima's several huskies moved to. Vesicar was sitting next to him in a large birdbath added just for him.
A few days had passed since the battle with Makima, and naturally the country was in an uproar. To appease Ainz, they had given him this penthouse and begged for his cooperation now that their previous trump card was dead.
"How spineless…" he muttered, remembering the look on the face of the man who was to replace the prime minister.
However, he had other concerns than politics. Makima was dead, but her death did not give him any clues as to how he had initially been summoned here. As she died, she did not explode in a ball of brilliant light and summon someone else, nor were there any abnormal consequences following her death.
"I'm sorry, my lord." said Vesicar all of a sudden.
"Hmm? For what?"
"For not having any information on this. Your case is unique."
"I've realised that much…" Ainz answered, his gaze still on the streets below.
'Maybe she just wasn't powerful enough? After all, she wasn't exactly strong even with all those random power ups she gathered. Hmm… I suppose I have to go after the death devil or something of that sort if I'm to see results.'
He began pacing around.
It's not like he minded living in luxury with all the politicians in the country at his feet, but the 90s didn't really fit him, especially in this new body. This was prime stereotypical isekai material, and he was going to get those elf ladies that everyone always talked about one way or another!
'What separated me from Makima besides strength? Hmm…'
Well, there were a lot of things, so Ainz slightly altered his inner inquiry. What was the main difference between him and Makima, why did she need him?
Power was a very obvious answer, but from what he gathered, there weren't many, if any, devils that could actively challenge her outside of hell, so there must have been something to it.
Right as he thought his mental searching was getting somewhere, the doorbell rang, throwing him off course.
"I got it!" Ainz called out so that Aki and Power would know, heading over to the door.
He opened it to find an odd sight, namely, Kishibe, but more importantly, a small, black-haired girl with Makima's eyes stood next to him.
"Ainz, this is Nayuta. We found her in China. She's the new control devil. Here, you should take care of her."
The old devil hunter pushed the girl towards Ainz and disappeared from sight as fast as his legs could carry.
Ainz stood there stunned for a moment, his gaze switching from the girl to the place where Kishibe just was and then back again.
"I… Devil… Uh…" he mumbled as the girl poked at his exposed ribs with no sign of fear.
'I've never taken care of a child! What the hell am I supposed to do!?'
With this problem literally thrown into his lap, he did the only thing he could: threw it in someone else's.
"Hey, Aki!"
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
The new prime minister of Japan had quite a mess in his hands. While the process of getting the position wasn't terribly difficult, that was solely due to the fact that nobody currently wanted it.
Makima, the weapon that Japan had carefully cultivated and used for so many years, not only drew the ire of all other countries but was also now gone, with the resentment remaining.
That, however, was only a fraction of the bigger issue.
Makima, the previous prime minister, and for some reason the emperor, all had their blood spilt by a skeletal pair of hands, belonging to what now seemed to be the single most important individual on Earth: Ainz Ooal Gown.
The reasons for this devil's killings, or even what fear he represented, were all mysteries. For his part, the devil seemed to be content working with the devil hunters as long as he was left mostly alone.
However, his mere existence and slight cooperation with the Japanese government meant that the island nation suddenly went from a powerful player to by far the single most important country in the world. Worse yet, the depths of Gown's powers were an unexplored abyss, one that hopefully none would be keen to pry.
And so, today's meeting was to be about what to do with Ainz, or rather what lengths they could go to in order to appease him.
"I hereby declare the meeting of the Select Devils Committee open. Today's subject matter is the one known as Ainz Ooal Gown." the prime minister said, sitting down in the seat where his predecessor had dropped dead.
All eyes turned to the head of the Public Safety Devil Hunters, who was required to attend the session by virtue of his position.
"Ainz Ooal Gown has not posed a threat to anything besides devils for his entire known existence, and he has earned the trust of several notable members of the Special Division. Additionally, given his demands up until now not requiring more than a slight dip in the treasury, for now we should simply recognise him as a replacement for Makima."
"With all due respect," began the minister of the interior, "Makima had a pact at least, and was somewhat controllable. This devil is a wild element that none of us can predict. Should we not look for alternatives?"
The devil hunter representative scoffed, "What alternatives could you think of? Even if you manage to reconstruct the gun devil in its entirety, you heard what our intelligence gathered in the US. Whatever it is that he used, it could wipe out an entire province. There are no alternatives."
"Even so, security cannot be sol-"
Suddenly the room fell quiet as a figure manifested in the centre of the room.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important, but I've an urgent request." Ainz said, his eyes darting to the prime minister.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
Kishibe crushed another radio beneath his heel and lit yet another cigarette. At least the exchange rate was alright in Madagascar…
More so, he was mildly surprised by the ability of the Japanese intelligence service to find him all the way here. Not only did he have to get rejected, but he also had to have his vacation interrupted by them; a horrible day all in all.
Worst of all, he knew exactly who sent these people after him and just how lost of a fight this was. Still, he commandeered a private jet for this, so he wasn't going to go down without a fight.
He heard the bushes to his left rustle, and his hand darted to one of the many knives he kept on his person at all times. Purely based on instinct, he threw it into the darkness of the jungle, hearing the thud of a body just moments later.
Ageing he may have been, but he still had it.
Yet he knew it was too late when the crackle of a radio went through.
He took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled as he felt the presence of someone not even he was crazy enough to take on.
"You covered your tracks well. Even for me it was troublesome to find you." Ainz said.
"The point of a vacation is to make sure my bosses don't find me." Kishibe answered, blowing smoke in Ainz's face.
The skeletal mage remained unbothered, "Well, neither do people just dump devilish children on my lap, You have some explaining to do, Kishibe. I just want an explanation, and I will let you go, even with the murder of all these agents."
"What's there to explain? You killed the old her, raise the new one better. I thought you were old enough to figure out what I meant."
"Seeing as how I am confident in my ability to permanently kill her, and your apparent dislike for authority and control, the interpretations truly vary. What exactly do you expect me to do? Of course, the matter of what I'll do is separate, but I am simply perplexed." the Overlord said.
"Makima was raised like shit. Raise this one right, and she'll turn out alright."
"I never figured you had a soft spot for devils."
"I don't."
"Then how do you explain this? You are clearly taking pity on a devil that could easily be contained." Ainz continued.
"Just do as I ask."
"Why would I?"
Kishibe shot Ainz a glance as he lit another cigarette. He was clearly too proud to say it, instead offering a cigarette to Ainz as well.
The skeletal overlord took it, putting it in-between his jaws. "Fine." he said, his speech unimpeded by a closed jaw somehow, "Even if she's a devil, she's still a kid. Luckily for you, I don't annihilate children."
Kishibe lit Ainz's cigarette, but as expected the Overlord didn't seem to inhale.
"I'll clean up the bodies." the devil hunter said.
"No, you did me a favour in that regard. I'll take them." Ainz said, turning away from Kishibe, "And I suppose I shall see you later."
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
'Why are there no books on devil psychology…' Ainz lamented as he scoured the last major library in Tokyo. He couldn't even give a damn about the frightened glances he was getting from everyone, seeing as how most people in the country knew both his suited-up and robed appearance.
There were more important things to worry about than public image! He was now supposed to be a father to a devil child who was most certainly going to become a complete control freak. More pressingly, he would also have to find a way to abandon his adoptive child and get into a fantasy setting!
Now that he thought about it, maybe that wasn't exactly the best avenue to take either.
Yes, the only obvious choice here was to distance himself from Nayuta so that she doesn't feel bad when he somehow managed to find a way to leave.
However, for the moment, he might as well see how his little band of misfits was going.
With a swift [Greater Teleportation], he found himself in his penthouse, immediately noticing that things were orderly… Too orderly.
"Aki! Power! I'm home." he called out, receiving no answer.
He briefly considered casting a few buffs and decided that it was best to remain safe, though foregoing the magical traps.
Creeping through the apartment, he cleared each room like a professional. When he threw open the door to Aki's room, he found the devil hunter calmly napping on a chair while Nayuta did the same on his bed. Power, meanwhile, thrashed around in the corner while bound by chains.
Ainz walked up to her, cast [Silence] on the fiend, and rotted the chains around her by pouring negative energy into them. He then clapped his hands and woke up the other two.
"Aki, care to explain what happened while I was gone?" Ainz asked as the devil hunter jumped to his feet.
"I was just teaching Nayuta how to properly deal with Power." Aki answered.
The Overlord stopped Power from launching a bloody spear at his head and sighed, walking up to Nayuta and crouching down to look at her, "Nayuta, don't always listen to Aki, okay? You have to be nice to others, that's what's most important."
"Even to devils?"
Ainz nodded, "Unless they try to harm you first, be nice." He then stood up and turned to Aki, "And you can say goodbye to any fancy weapons until you teach Nayuta some proper manners. Unlike Power, she isn't a lost cause."
"If you don't trust my ability to deal with that kid, then why don't you do it?"
"I've got more pressing matters to handle, unfortunately."
"Such as?"
'Oh shit, what do I say? Uh, think! Something he can't confirm… Oh! I got it!'
"The end of the world."
As Aki's mouth fell agape and something resembling curiosity appeared in Nayuta's eyes, Ainz disappeared.
ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ
For a moment of quiet retrospection, there were few places than the vaults where devils were kept by the Public Safety Devil Hunters, alas even here Ainz couldn't find a moment of peace.
"Ahhhh, so you're my visitor. I was wondering why I couldn't foresee that part. Still, the future really is best." came a cheerful voice from beyond one of the rusted doors.
'Oh for fuck's sake. I just wanted a moment to make up some bullshit for Aki to believe when I come back! And I've really got to stop abandoning them like this!' Ainz thought to himself, nevertheless moving towards the voice. Curiosity, as it turned out, overpowered frustration.
The metal door opened with a squeak and clang as it fell entirely off its hinges. Beyond it was a devil similar to a rooted tree, with an eye in the middle of its chest where a hole appeared to stretch from head to root.
"You could've escaped long ago it seems." Ainz commented.
"Why would I want to? The future rules, but not for me this time around. I'll stay here." the devil commented.
"And you are specifically the devil of…?"
"The future! The future is best!"
"Ah, just who I was looking for." Ainz lied through his teeth, "Tell me, what is the price for me to learn of any upcoming calamities?"
"For you it's simple. I want you to acknowledge that the future rules!"
"That's it?"
The devil leaned forward, "And I want to know your future. I can't see it for myself, so you need to tell me. Come on! It's a good deal, no?"
"It is, and the future does indeed rule. As for my future, it lies beyond this world. I will travel to a place with more than just devils, to a realm with demons and angels, a place of fantasy, where my magical talents may be better suited."
"Then I have another stipulation."
"It best be minor."
"Just take me with you when you go. A future I can't see is new to me. I want to see it for myself."
Ainz stayed silent for a moment, 'In the worst case I can incapacitate him indefinitely… Eh, whatever.'
"It is a deal."
Ainz felt the ethereal chains of a deal bind him once more.
"In that case, let me tell you, you're in for a ride! I can't see the details very well, but in July of 1999, most of humanity will die! The prophecies of Nostradamus will come true! All of them!"
"Prophecies of Nostradamus?"
"It's fate! Humanity is all gonna die in terror and fear! Hahahaha! Doesn't the future just rule!?"
The Overlord turned his back on the future devil, "The future can yet be changed, and humanity has earned a soft spot in my soul. Keep that eye of yours peeled for a massacre, but I assure you that whatever beast is going to come shall be begging for my mercy. As long as I remain here, this world is mine.'
Discord . gg / 8966UupbPp
Edited by Korak324
Betaread by: HackSlashBash, WhoStoleMyTea?, SIB
(AN: And that's the penultimate chapter of Fear V1! Sorry this took so long, I've been busy! Join the discord or something, and, uh, that's it I guess? I'll get on with the epilogue and then Fear will be on hiatus until the original Chainsaw Man develops! As always, more to come and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)