Chapter 29: Knightfall
Angela drowsily opened her eyes as she awoke on what definitely wasn't the hippogriff. As she groggily sat up. She didn't know where she was or what was going on. She turned to her right to see that she was in a small but comfortable room, most likely a bedroom within a palace or mansion. She looked to her left to see….
"By the gods!" she screamed as she fell out of bed. The Death Knight that had been standing next to her bed only continued to stare down at her, completely unperturbed by the Valkyrie's reaction. As Angela scrambled across the room to try to put some distance between her and the hulking undead, the door opened and Minister Roman entered the room.
"Good morning Lady Angela. I'm glad to see you're awake," Roman said.
"Roman! What the hell is this thing?" Angela demanded.
"It is one of the Eternal Empire's undead legionnaires known as a Death Knight. He has thousands of these things patrolling his territory," Roman replied, causing Angela to go pale at the thought of thousands of legendary undead creatures walking about.
"Wait, you said that they serve the Eternal Empire. So we made it?" Angela stated more than asked.
"Yes milady. We've been here for two days now waiting for you to wake up. You never fully recovered from the injuries you sustained from your fight with Jaldabaoth and in all of the excitement of the attack on Roble, you appeared to have gone into shock," Roman reported solemnly. "On the upside, we have made contact with the Immortal Emperor and have been granted an audience." Angela rose to her feet and straightened herself out, taking notice of the fact that someone changed her clothes.
"Roman, who changed my clothes?" Angela growled as she tried to hide her blush.
"Lucifer Dracul himself tended to your clothing, milady." Angela fumed at the thought of some lecherous vampire putting his filthy undead hands on her. She pushed Roman out, quickly got dressed while making sure the Death Knight couldn't see her, and headed out into the streets of E-Rantel with Roman at her side. The city was practically unrecognizable from when it was a part of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Angela hated to admit it, but the city had flourished under the rule of the detestable vampire. The citizens all seemed to trust the ruler, which said something about Lucifer's appeal, and there was no crime with the Death Knights patrolling the streets. Who would risk pissing off one of those things? Angela felt as though she could take them on, but without her wings she as crippled and her abilities were diminished.
"Roman, what do we know about the Immortal Emperor? What is he like?" Angela asked as she and Roman continued to walk the streets towards the Eternal Empire's E-Rantel Embassy.
"He appears to be have strong dislike of slavery as well as killing for religious reasons and considers them to be criminal acts," Roman began, causing her to wince since those were two things that the Holy Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy committed on an almost daily basis. "He has eradicated nobility throughout all the land he's seized, treated all his citizens as equals, and has established churches that worship him as the God of Life and Death where Elder Liches provide healing free of charge making the churches that are dedicated to the Six Great Gods obsolete. Between one who provides healing for free and one who charges to heal, Lord Dracul has made himself out to be more benevolent than our own gods and appears to be trying to make the people view him as the one true god."
"Blasphemy," Angela growled. "What are the priests doing about this?"
"Once people started leaving their churches in favor of the Antichrist's, some of them tried to assassinate Lucifer, which obviously didn't end well, while others left to go to the Theocracy," Roman informed her. "They seek to aid the Theocracy when they inevitably go to war with the Eternal Empire."
"Why do the people not rebel against Lucifer?" Angela muttered.
"It appears to have something to do with the Dark Knight Momon," Roman replied as finally entered the embassy. "He and the Immortal Emperor seemed to have worked out some sort of arrangement to keep the peace. Additionally, Lucifer Dracul doesn't seem to care if you're human or nonhuman, alive or undead, rich or poor, he doesn't even seem to care if people really do worship him or not. He simply leaves them the option to do so which, might I add, no other religion would ever be okay with. The people view him as the hero who saved them from the nobles and gave them the freedom to choose. Either he really does care about his people or he set up all these scenarios to make himself look like the hero, which is a much more alarming concept than the other." Angela shuddered at the thought of Lucifer orchestrating everything. "Either way, once we've saved our people, I think I might move here."
"WHAT!?" Angela screeched. "Why would you willingly go to live under an undead king?"
"The Eternal Empire is the single safest place to live now," Roman shrugged. "The way things were looking back in Roble, we may not even have a country to go back to and even if we do who knows what Lucifer Dracul will ask in exchange for assisting us."
"He said he would assist us in the letter he sent!" Angela interjected.
"He said he would assist in hunting down Jaldabaoth, he never said anything about retaking our country which is now effectively in the hands of a demon. You and your sister promptly ignored his offer and politically told him to shove it. Don't tell me that you didn't think that wouldn't have repercussions, did you? Who knows how badly we've offended his majesty," Roman said coldly as he shot a glare at Angela. "You've always exceled in the art of combat and beating your opponents into submission, but politics are not your strong suite. Your sister was the same way. She was an excellent religious figure and leader, but her isolationist ideals have always harmed us in the long run. I've been a minister for decades ma'am and I've come to realize when to hang onto something and when to bail out. The situation in the Holy Kingdom is most likely beyond repair and I intend to do what I've always done: survive." Angela could only stare at the minister in disbelief. Had he always been like this or had the situation changed him?
"Excuse me," a nearby Elder Lich rasped from behind them. "The Immortal Emperor is ready for you. Please follow me," he commanded more than asked as he moved in front of them and led them to his master's office. The room was much plainer than Roman or Angela had been expecting apart from the banners that hung from the walls, an office desk, and a few chairs. Within the room was a pregnant woman with black wings that Angela couldn't help but glare at since those wings were like a mockery of what Jaldabaoth had taken from her and a tall man with a red high collar cloak who had his back turned to them.
"Have a seat," the man commanded coldly. Angela and Roman complied and sat down in the comfortable chairs in front of the desk. Once they did, the man turned around and faced them making Angela and Roman stiffen. He was death given human form. "I am the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said as he sat down. "I take it Jaldabaoth has taken over the Holy City of Roble?"
"Y-yes your majesty," Angela stuttered as she tried to recall how her sister used to handle these matters. "We were hoping that your offer to assist us in the matter concerning Jaldabaoth is still open. If so, we would like to ask for your assistance now."
"When I offered you my help, you outright refused any assistance," Lucifer replied dismissively. "You denied my assistance and allowed the situation to get out of control leading to the current crisis. This problem you find yourselves in is entirely self-inflicted." Angela grimaced as she was not used to such harsh words or being reprimanded altogether. She wanted to yell at him for his condescending attitude towards a divine being but she knew that he didn't care about divinity and that throwing a fit would only make things worse.
"I have no excuse for our actions. We were arrogant and shortsighted," Angela said as she bowed her head, restraining herself from losing her temper. "We would be very grateful if you could find it in your heart to forgive our foolishness and see fit to help save our people."
"I don't have a heart, but that is off topic," Lucifer responded coldly. "If you truly do desire the assistance of the Eternal Empire, then I will require something in return." Angela looked up with a hopeful expression while Roman's face had a "here it comes" look on it. "The entire Holy Kingdom's territory shall be dissolved into the Eternal Empire's as well as its citizens, currency, resources, and any other items of note. Once this is over, there will be no Holy Kingdom of Roble since it's obvious you people can't be trusted to handle your own affairs." Angela looked like she was about to explode and opened her mouth to yell….
"We accept your majesty," Roman said before Angela threw away their people's only lifeline, causing her to glare at him.
"Wunderbar- I mean, wonderful. The Eternal Empire is eager to welcome you into its arms," Lucifer smirked. "My forces will be ready to deploy within two days. Until then, you may stay here."
"WHAT!?" Angela exclaimed. "The longer we're here the more of our people die!"
"If we go there unprepared the number of deaths will only go up and make the situation worse. We need to ensure we have what we need to succeed," Lucifer stated calmly. "Now is there anything else, Ms. Pious?"
"Yes," she huffed. "I was told that you are the one who removed my clothes and redressed me. What perverted things did you do to my heavenly body?" she demanded, not noticing Albedo's sudden twitch.
"Absolutely nothing and I am offended that you would assume that I did such things," Luicfer replied dismissively. "To accuse the leader of a country with something so vulgar is quite serious and your response to immediately assume I did anything reflects hostility as well as a lack of maturity which makes you highly unattractive and an annoyance to be around and sexual interest in you or any other mortal is completely nonexistent. Lastly, I am married to the woman you've been repeatedly glaring at throughout this meeting which implies that I am a lecherous fool. Lastly, and this simply my own personal opinion, Albedo is much more attractive than you. Now please remove yourself from my office." Albedo puffed her chest out and smirked triumphantly when she heard that .Angela glared at him for a few moments before speaking.
"Thank you for your time, your majesty," she growled through gritted teeth before turning around and storming out with a huff. Roman sighed and followed her out. The moment the doors shut behind them, she started ranting about how horrible Lucifer is, how dare he speak in such a manner to her, how it's impossible to not lust after an angelic being such as herself, how can he prefer that demon woman over me, blablablabla.
Stop acting like a spoiled child! Honestly, you and your sister's pride has been overinflated for far too long. It's about time someone knocked you down a peg. My only hope is that this becomes a valuable learning experience and that you may deflate your head a bit.
Roman didn't really listen to her at all until she finally got around to the parts that were actually important such as the situation
"I can't believe him! Doesn't he know how serious this is?" Angela seethed.
"He probably does and that's why he doesn't want to leave anything to chance," Roman, ever the voice of reason, sighed. That made Angela calm down a bit, but did not make her feel any better.
"What should we do?" Angela asked as she held a hand up to her head. "Every minute we spend here is another minute of our people dying."
"I believe I can help," a deep, heroic voice called out as someone approached them from ehind an archway. He was huge! He was covered in dark armor, wore a crimson cloak, and had two massive swords on his back.
"And you are?" Angela asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"I am Momon, the Immortal Emperor's personal bodyguard and unofficial enforcer," Momon introduced himself. Angela's eyes widened for a moment as she recalled what she had heard about him. This was the man who had beaten Jaldabaoth, the demon who even she the Valkyrie Knight couldn't beat. Angela may have been prideful but she wasn't so foolish as to not recognize the strength of a fellow warrior and this one had quite the reputation.
"Dark Knight Momon, I've heard a lot about you and would be grateful for any assistance you can provide," Angela greeted.
"I'm glad to hear that ma'am. Although I'm I don't think it would be safe to begin an attack on the Holy City, I think it would be prudent to establish a forward command center from which we can organize our counterattack," Momon said. "I know milord ordered us to remain here, but I defeated Jaldabaoth before and I can do it again."
"So those fools from the Holy Kingdom are finally getting what they deserve," the Cardinal of Light sneered. "That's what they get for seceding from the Slane Theocracy."
"Although I agree that they never should've seceded over that disagreement regarding Zesshi, that hardly warrants a demon invasion, Yvon," the Cardinal of Fire frowned.
"I agree with Berenice. The loss of so many human lives to Jaldabaoth is a tragedy," the Cardinal of Water said with a nod.
"What! Sympathizing with the enemy….. have you all turned traitor?" the Cardinal of Light spat. "AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS REMAINED LOYAL TO OUR GODS!?"
"You are a fool," the Cardinal of Darkness growled, causing the Cardinal of Light to glare at him. "Despite our disagreements with the Holy Kingdom of Roble, they are not our enemy. Our only true enemies are the Eternal Empire and the Agrand Council Alliance. You need to get your priorities straight, especially now with the Draconic Kingdom AND the Beastmen Country joining the Immortal Emperor. Not to mention the rumors of some alliance with the Dwarf Kingdom."
"Indeed," Maximus sighed, ignoring the Cardinal of Light's muttering about how he couldn't trust anyone. "The Six Great Gods trusted humanity with the noble task of eliminating Lucifer Dracul and thus until that monster is dead nothing else matters."
"However, this Holy Kingdom incident could be a blessing in disguise," the Cardinal of Wind smirked.
"How so?" the Cardinal of Earth asked.
"When the Holy Kingdom seceded from the Theocracy, they took the holy relic, Loginus, from us," the Cardinal of Wind explained. "As some of you may recall, it had the ability to kill any being without fail. Even our gods feared its power according to the ancient texts. If this item is so powerful that our gods feared it, then I am quite certain that it should be capable of destroying Lucifer Dracul." The other cardinals nodded and muttered amongst themselves until the Cardinal of Darkness clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"I believe that it is prudent to reacquire Loginus for our fight against the Immortal Emperor," he announced. "If we offer to assist the Holy Kingdom in return for them giving us Loginus, we can secure our ultimate weapon to use against Lucifer Dracul."
"What about Downfall of Castle, Country or the Wrath of God, or Ahura Mazda?" the Cardinal of Earth asked.
"As demonstrated in the battle between the Black Scripture and the Immortal Emperor, it is possible to avoid Downfall of Castle and Country just like that vampire, who we have now identified as Shalltear Bloodfallen, had done when the Black Scripture attacked. This is also not the first time an incident like this has happened. Decades hence we had attempted to use it on the Platinum Dragon Lord and it failed for reasons unknown," the Cardinal of Darkness explained. "Wrath of God will summon forth an army of powerful angels but with the Immortal Emperor's army we have no idea how they will fare against the legions of the undead while Ahura Mazda's targeting parameters are too unclear and it is to be used only if we ever have to wipe the slate clean. Our best bet is to acquire Loginus and strike when the time is right."
"Then it's settled," Maximus declared. "We shall offer our assistance to the Holy Kingdom of Roble in exchange for Loginus."
"I'm afraid they are not likely to accept our offer your holiness," a new voice commented. Everyone turned towards the entrance to see Nigun enter the room. "Nigun, I trust you have a good reason to enter this sacred room without permission?"
"Yes your holiness," Nigun replied as he kneeled. "The Cardinal of Darkness instructed me to inform him immediately upon Sir Attano's return." The Cardinal of Darkness immediately straightened up upon hearing that his agent has returned.
"When did he get back?" he inquired.
"Last night your holiness," Nigun reported. "He filled out a report that I have been reviewing before he returned to Captain Ruvik."
"What information has he gathered and what does this have to with the Holy Kingdom not accepting our offer?" Maximus demanded.
"Representatives from the Holy Kingdom arrived in E-Rantel recently and demanded an audience with the Immortal Emperor," Nigun said. "There can be only one reason they would break their isolationist stance and go to an undead ruler…"
"Those bastards want help from the Immortal Emperor!" the Cardinal of Light shrieked.
"Maximillian, Raymond, and Yvon! You are to take the Black Scripture and a battalion of troops to "assist" in freeing Roble from Jaldabaoth!" Maximus ordered before smirking. "If Loginus just so happens to disappear while we are there then we will blame the Eternal Empire for the theft of their holy relic."
"Yes your holiness," the Cardinals of Light, Earth, and Darkness replied as they bowed.
"Very good. This session is hereby dismissed," Maximus declared. With the cardinals filing out, the Cardinal of Darkness grabbed the Cardinal of Earth and pulled him aside.
"Raymond my friend, I need to ask you something," the Cardinal of Darkness started.
"What is it?" Earth asked his elder, slightly concerned by the tone he was taking.
"Have you noticed anything wrong with Yvon?" the Cardinal of Darkness asked. The Cardinal of Earth looked over at the Cardinal of Light and watched his mannerisms as he conversed with the Archbishop.
"I see. He seems more fidgety than usual," the Cardinal of Earth said.
"Not just that but have you seen that look in his eyes?"
"Yes. I've seen that look in the eyes of many before: angry paranoia mixed with borderline insanity."
"Exactly," the Cardinal of Darkness said with a nod. "He's losing it. Every time we have a meeting concerning Lucifer Dracul it gets a little worse. Up until that monster appeared, his way was what tended to go with. All the old ways and our usual methods will prove fruitless against the Antichrist and he can't accept that. In his mind not just the Theocracy blessed by the gods, which makes him believe us to be invincible, he believes that he specifically is blessed, chosen by the gods. He sees himself as the most important and powerful person in the room at all times. He's always been a narcissist, but with Lucifer upsetting the natural order we have worked hard to upkeep Yvon's delusions are getting worse. He's becoming paranoid to the point he doesn't even trust his fellow cardinals and I'm afraid that he may do something incredibly foolish that will hurt the Theocracy beyond repair."
"You're not suggesting that we kill him, are you Maximilian?" the Cardinal of Earth asked with wide eyes.
"No. By the gods no," the Cardinal of Darkness sighed. "Just keep an eye on him." The Cardinal of Earth nodded in understanding and walked off. The Cardinal of Darkness held his hand to his face as he felt a headache coming on.
"They're gone," Albedo said as she watched Momon, the emissaries of the Holy Kingdom, and several other people leave E-Rantel on dragonback. The moment Lucifer heard this his body morphed and shuddered until Pandora's Actor stood in his place.
"Durch das oberste wesen that was stressful!" Pandora's Actor cired. "Do you think I did an acceptable job portraying our lord, Albedo?"
"I think you preformed our master adequately," Albedo replied pleasantly.
"Ah! Danke fraulein!" Pandora's Actor exclaimed with a bow. "If you will excuse me, our Führer will require my presence in the Holy Kingdom!" With that, Pandora's Actor grabbed a dark green potion that was hidden behind the desk, jumped out the window, turned into a bird, and flew off towards the Holy Kingdom, leaving Albedo alone in office.
"Well, I suppose I should begin organizing the troops," she hummed happily.
The Dragon Lords of the Agrand Council Alliance had gathered in a massive building that was big enough for a dozen dragons. Thankfully, there were only five dragon councilors so there was no trouble fitting into the room.
Suveria, the Blue Sky Dragon Lord. He was an average sized dragon with royal blue colored scales and handled domestic affairs.
Cythonan, the Obsidian Dragon Lord. He was large, even among dragons, and covered in rough dark purple scales with several obsidian spike protruding from his back. He was tasked with handling commerce, trade, and other financial matters in the Agrand Council Alliance.
Eserth, the Green Crystal Dragon Lord. She was slim had smooth light green scales. She was in charge of foreign affairs and diplomacy.
Gorsis, the Red Sigil Dragon Lord. He was covered in pointed crimson scales and smoke constantly streaming from his mouth. He was the supreme commander of the Agrand Council Alliance's entire military.
And lastly, the most elusive of its members, Zydrayis, the Platinum Dragon Lord with his platinum white scales. He usually handled matters that the other councilors would rather not know about. It gave him a certain level of freedom to act as he saw fit, which Suveria took particular offense to for some reason, in order to deal with any situation that may come up. The only thing that made Suveria happy about this arrangement was that it kept Zydrayis away for extended periods of time. It was a rare occasion for the Platinum Dragon Lord to be here but it was even rarer for such odd company to be present. With him was an old woman they immediately recognized as Rigrit and a tall man who was covered head to toe in adamantite armor and wore a tattered cloak.
"Zydrayis, it is good to see you again," Eserth greeted in a calm voice befitting a wise woman.
"Indeed. You spend far too much time cooped up in that accursed flying city," Cythonan in a gravelly voice.
"You should really stop by more often ya bastard. Who am I supposed to brawl with when you're gone?" Grosis commented with a hearty chuckle.
"Yes we do loooooooooove it when you two tear the surrounding area apart and leave us to pick up the mess," Suveria sneered arrogantly. Zydrayis rolled his eyes at the thought of listening to more of this fool's grandstanding.
"I'm not here for a social call and according to my friend here, time is of the essence," Zydrayis said deciding to get to the point of why he was here.
"You're the one who called this meeting so go ahead," Groisis shrugged.
"It's concerning that vampire, Lucifer Dracul," Zydrayis stated.
"We've been investigating the Immortal Emperor ever since his emergence. Although his policies regarding the inclusion of nonhuman races and despite his tolerance of the undead, but since he is a vampire that was to be expected, we have had no issues with him but still have had practically no contact from him resulting in us having very little information on him If you have any information pertaining to him please share with us," Eserth implored.
"The floor is yours," Zydrayis said to the massive armored man. The tall figure stepped forward to the middle of the room and looked up at the dragons.
"My name is Ainz Ooal Gown. I used to be a friend of Lucifer Dracul back when he called himself Momonga," Ainz informed them.
"You know this vampire?" Cythonan asked.
"Yes but it's been a very long time since we last saw each other. I don't know what's going through his head, but the death and destruction I've seen this past year all seems to lead back to him. I believe he intends to take over the entire world," Ainz announced.
"Rule the world? Ridiculous," Suveria scoffed. "The thought of someone ruling the entire known world, not even counting anything that may lay beyond the ocean, is ludicrous. The manpower, resources, and wealth required to maintain such an empire would be a staggering amount."
"Yes it would," Ainz agreed. "An amount that he already possesses. He will not stop. I don't know how much he's changed but one aspect of him I'm quite certain hasn't changed is his absolute unwillingness to give up. You've seen it yourselves, every nation close to him has been swallowed up one by one for one reason or another. It will only be a matter of time until he sets his sights on your country."
"He HAS upset the balance of power drastically and he IS undead," Zydrayis spoke up.
"So what is it that you're suggesting?" Suveria asked.
"We must strike at him and demand he cease his endeavors. We must all work together if we want to stand a chance," Ainz declared.
"Well if we all attack him at the same time we should easily overpower him," Grosis growled.
"Not necessarily," Rigrit spoke up. "We've already heard how he killed the White Dragon Lord as if he was nothing but an ant. Although a few of you are stronger than he was, I doubt that Lucifer would have any trouble killing us all."
"So what do we do?" Eserth asked.
"If we all attack him, he would probably call on his subordinates and the battle will become a disaster. Your job should be to keep his subordinates off of me while I engage him in combat," Ainz stated.
"If he is so strong then what makes you think that you can beat him?" Cythonan asked.
"He and I have sparred many times in the past and he's never beaten me even once. However, this time I don't have my usual gear or weapons since I gave them to him when we last saw each other. As I am now I'd wager that I have a fifty-fifty chance of beating him with a few magic items I've acquired. Still, I know him better than anyone so I know what to expect," Ainz replied.
"If he is your old friend then why are you helping us to defeat him?" Grosis inquired.
"Because I need to learn what it is he is doing. I don't know what his motivations for world domination are or if there's anything left of the man I knew but I'm going to find out. Whatever his motivations may be, nothing can justify the deaths he had caused and I will ensure that he answers for what he's done," Ainz declared with a world-shaking amount of conviction.
I don't know what's come over you Momonga, but I can't let you continue this. I know Jaldabaoth is Demiurge and I know that either your or Pandora's Actor is Momon. Did the transition from human to undead affect you more than I thought? Is this about everyone going their separate ways? Do you think you're doing the right thing? Are you just ambitious and have no regard for life at all? Whatever the answer is, this is going to end one way or another.
Deep within the forests of the Troll Kingdom, a rumbling sound emanated from the depths of a cave hidden by the trees. Inside the cave, an eye that was completely white opened as the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, Mortis, awoke from his long slumber. Reflexively, upon his awakening he checked to make sure that very special scroll was still in his possession. Of course, it hadn't gone anywhere since he had it chained to his neck. He had obtained this when he fought and killed a powerful being that called itself a "player" that kept spouting nonsense throughout the entire battle. This scroll, called Five Elements Overcoming, was supposed to be very powerful, even more powerful than him! He didn't know what it did since he couldn't decipher the ever changing strange writing that covered the scroll, but he could sense that it possessed incredible power even if he didn't understand what it was supposed to do. That scroll was the reason he had come here in the first place. He wanted a secluded lair where he could research the scroll and try to decipher it for himself but he had no luck. For some reason, smoke was starting to fill the interior of his cave and it had been the scent that had woken him up. Mortis growled as he wondered what it exactly it was that had disturbed his rest.
What have those filthy trolls done this time? I came to this place for the sole purpose of being left alone and even here some fool has managed to disturb me! How many of them do I need to kill this time to get them to leave me alone?
Mortis rose from his previous coiled position and stomped to the cave's entrance, grumbling the entire way. When he made it, his eyes widened when he saw the state of the forest that had hidden his cave away for almost the past two centuries. The entire forest was on fire. Trolls and Orcs were running all over the place carrying whatever they could bring with them. The Troll Kingdom's hierarchy had consisted of the citizens who lived in huts and small houses made of wood while the strongest trolls, the Troll Lords, lived in fortresses made of stone bricks. While the Troll Lords would be relatively fine, all the other trolls' homes were burning. Mortis wasn't sure what had caused this but the entire situation was annoying. The trolls would inevitably go on the warpath again, would need to gather more food which would probably end up being humans, and, most importantly, he had to go find a new cave to dwell in. With a sigh, Mortis emerged from his cave, revealing his sleek, shiny black scaled form to the trolls who immediately started roaring and shouting.
"It damn dragon!"
"He been here for long time!"
"KILL!"
"GLORY!"
"Meh."
"Gorg kill!"
"No! Gir kill!"
Mortis simply rolled his eyes and let a burst of black fire, turning the battle-ready trolls to dust with laughable ease.
"Stupid trolls," he growled as he flapped his massive wings and took to the air.
Dammit. Now what? If I want to continue my research undisturbed then I will need a new secluded lair to call my own. Perhaps I can find a place in the Great Forest of Tob? Most intelligent lifeforms avoid that place.
Vega and the group of survivors he had gathered ducked into the mausoleum dedicated to the city's founder near the eastern perimeter wall, which was still on fire, of the city just in time to avoid Jaldabaoth himself coming down the street. The group now consisted of eight humans, three goblins, one orc, four Dark Dwarves, and six Dark Elves including Vega himself.
"What the hell is he doing here? Some unlucky bastard must've gotten his attention if he's out of the Holy Palace," a Dark Dwarf with a braided beard said fearfully. Vega ignored him and walked over to one of the older humans was examining a loose brick wall near the elegant sarcophagus.
"Are you sure it's here?" Vega asked.
"Positive," the gruff old man replied. "I was one of the guys they had preform maintenance on these sewers. Since the sewers were built on top of the old catacombs, we should be able to bust in without any trouble and follow the tunnel to the other side of the wall."
"What about the undead? Won't there be some down there?" a Dark Dwarf who had sloppy bandages covering the left half of his face asked.
"Shouldn't be too much of a problem," a guard who had managed to survive spoke up. "Queen Hope used to send a platoon down there once a month to clear e'm out." Just as he finished speaking, the bricks on the wall collapsed allowing entrance into the catacombs.
"Alright," the old man grinned. "We follow this passage east for a bit and we take the first door we find on our left. That will lead us into the sewers. From there on, as long as we don't have any demons blocking our way out, we should be home free."
"Let's go," the orc growled as he brandished a mace in one hand and a torch in the other, leading the way in.
Approximately half a mile away from the holy city of Roble, Angela and Roman had begun setting up a forward command center with the help of Momon and several volunteers. Among the volunteers were Moknach with the rest of the mythril ranked team Rainbow, Pops and the rest of the guards from Khajiit and Clementine's attack on E-Rantel, Nabe, Hamsuke, Pluton Ainzach, and Theo Rakheshir. They were setting up their base of operations inside an old fort within an abandoned city. While Pops and his men continued setting up barricades, Nabe and one of the adventurers from Rainbow kept watch. Momon had just finished conversing with Rakheshir when a few unimpressive carriages pulled up near the fort causing everyone to take up defensive positions. Momon moved up to the closest carriage and placed a hand on one of his swords and waited for the carriage to open. Five seconds passed before the door to the carriage slowly creaked open.
"MOMON!" an entirely too happy voice yelled as a small blur of black and red collided with the armored behemoth and latched onto his arm. Obviously, it was Evileye.
"Hello Evileye. What brings you here?" Momon asked. As if he already didn't know.
"The same thing that brought you here I bet," Evileye replied as she hopped down from Momon. Momon turned his head to see Sebas, Climb, Brain, the rest of Blue Rose, and a man he had seen once before during the Demonic Disturbance, Freddon if he recalled.
"I should've known you would be here, Momon," Lakyus greeted with a smile.
"Figured you might need some help bringing down this demon, big man," Brain grinned as Tina and Tia gave nods of respect.
"I owe that demon for last time," Gargan growled.
"We brought Sebas!" Climb declared as Brain waved lazily. Sebas and Momon stared at each other, giving off the impression that they were sizing each other up. In reality, it was just good to see each other again.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Momon," Sebas greeted.
"Climb and Brain speak quite highly of you. When this is over I would love to spar with you," Momon said.
"I look forward to it," Sebas chuckled as they started walking back to the fort.
Roman and Angela were searching the city for anything useful. They didn't bother looking anything that could tell them what happened to the people that were living here since it was pretty obvious that Jaldabaoth's demons had been here judging from the destroyed buildings.
"So now that we've met Momon, what is your opinion of him?" Roman asked as he gathered a bundle of wood in his arms.
"He seems to be as skilled as the rumors," Angela mused. "His strength and reflexes appear to be on a level comparable to a Godkin. He might even actually be one. This is hard to admit, but I don't think I've ever been as skilled as that human is. If Jaldabaoth is the same as when I first fought him then Momon has a substantial chance of winning."
"I see! That is indeed impressive! Our people might be saved yet!" Roman commented with eyes wide.
"Why do you even care?" Angela asked coldly. Roman was about to answer when his eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he saw something in front of him.
"That's why," Roman responded fearfully. Angela stopped staring at Roman and turned around to see HIM. He had changed his suit from orange to black and he now had a cape made of suspiciously familiar feather but there was no mistaking who he was.
"Jaldabaoth," Angela whispered fearfully. She had thought that she would go into a rage the next time she saw him, much like she would do whenever she met anyone who had ever humiliated her, but he was different. He didn't just humiliate her, he crushed her mind, body, and soul. She was afraid. She and Romon arrived at the most logical course of action and ran like hell back to the fort hoping to find Momon. Jaldabaoth simply strolled behind them at a leisurely pace. Although it felt like hours, they arrived back at the fort in under five minutes just in time to catch Momon and some old man about to enter the fort.
"Sir Momon!" Roman cried, getting their attention "Jaldabaoth is here!" The moment he heard those words, Momon drew his swords and ran to intercept a black ball of flame hurtling towards them with a hard blow from one of his massive swords. The ball of flame exploded, obscuring Momon's vision and preventing him from seeing the foot that was on a collision course with his head. The kick struck him with tremendous force that would've taken a normal human's head off. Thankfully, Momon wasn't human. He wasn't even normal among his own kind! Momon was knocked back nearly thirty meters and landed on his feet in a crouched position with his swords at his sides.
"[Aspect of the Devil: Razor Sharp Claw]," came a familiar, sneering voice as Jaldabaoth strode forth from the flames as if they weren't there and glared at his enemy with his claws extended.
"It's absolutely wonderful to see you again, Sir Momon," Jaldabaoth bowed with his usual mocking politeness. "Although it pains me, I'm afraid that this the last time we will meet like this. This time, I have the advantage."
"And what advantage might that be?" Momon inquired as he rose to his feet.
"Hellmouth," was all Jaldabaoth said before he shot towards Momon and grazed his chest plate with his claws. Evileye gasped as she watched from the fort. Jaldabaoth's strength and speed were on a completely different level from last time. While Momon was faster than the human eye could keep up with, Jaldabaoth was faster than even an undead such as Evileye could keep with. Momon managed to parry one of Jaldabaoth's lightning fact strikes and stabbed forward with the sword in his right hand while the sword in his left hand swung at Jaldabaoth's left claw in an attempt to knock him off balance. At the last possible moment, Jaldabaoth turned to the right allowing the sword to only graze his chest while countered Momon's strike with such force that the sword in his left hand was knocked from his grasp, sending it clattering to the ground and leaving its wielder with only a single sword. Before Momon could react, Jaldabaoth dug his claws into Momon's chest plate and threw Momon into a nearby building. The members of Blue Rose, and even Nabe, were shocked. Jaldabaoth was dominating the fight unlike last time. Nabe, even though she knew that it was Demiurge under that mask, wanted to jump down there and rip him apart with her bare hands. She was about to jump over the wall and rush into the fight when Sebas placed a hand on her shoulder.
"No," was all that Nazarick's butler said. Nabe turned back to him and saw the look in his eyes, telling her not to interfere no matter what. She looked back just in time to see Jaldabaoth get knocked through a window with a crack on his mask. Momon jumped through the window after his opponent, now wielding his remaining sword with both hands. As he fell, he brought his sword down in a downward slash before Jaldabaoth could regain his footing, leaving the demon with no choice but to block the attack. When Momon would swing a sword in each hand it was already stronger than the strike of an average two handed sword wielder, so what would a two handed attack from Momon do? When blade met claw, the opposing strength from each individual clashed and created a small earthquake. After a few moments of a blade locking stalemate, Jaldabaoth's claws started to be pushed down. Momon's overwhelming strength was forcing Jaldabaoth onto his knees as he struggled to keep the massive blade from getting any closer. Evileye was so relieved that she was laughing now that the tide had turned. Despite Jaldabaoth's new unbelievable power, Momon was winning!
"[Aspect of the Devil: Archdemon's Wrist]!" Jaldabaoth shouted, actually showing a hint of panic before his arm enlarged ridiculously and he used the sudden burst of strength to send Momon flying up nearly fifty feet in the air, but Jaldabaoth wasn't finished yet. "[Evil Ray]!" he yelled, shooting a beam of purple light straight through Momon's chest. Everyone gasped in horror as the Dark Knight plummeted to the ground and crashed through the roof of a partially destroyed house on the other side of the city. The moment Jaldabaoth teleported away, Evileye, Nabe, and Hamsuke ran towards the street with panicked expressions.
"MOMON!"
"MOMON!"
"MASTER!"
Within the house where Momon's "corpse" had crashed, Momon sat up and dispelled his armor returning once again to the pale form of Lucifer Dracul.
"Mein Führer! That was a spectacular entrance!" a certain German shapeshifter exclaimed dramatically ass Demiurge teleported into the room.
"My lord, I hope I did not injure you too badly," he said as he bowed.
"Nothing major, Demiurge," Lucifer responded dismissively as he stood up. "Pandora's Actor, are you ready for this?"
"Jawohl," Pandora's Actor replied unhappily since he knew what had to be done. "For the Immortal Emperor!" he cried with conviction.
"For the Immortal Emperor," Demiurge grimaced as he also took no pleasure in this part. The next minute was taken up by Demiurge inflicting the exact same wounds on Pandora's Actor that he had inflicted on Momon. Once it was over, Pandora's Actor proceeded to roll around on the floor swearing in German. Deciding to let the Doppelganger get it out of his system, Lucifer turned to Demiurge.
"I trust everything has been prepared appropriately in the Holy Kingdom?" he asked.
"Of course, Lord Dracul," Demiurge smirked. "The Hellmouth illusion has covered the [Gate], the totems have been erected, almost every living thing in the city has been sent to the Deadhouse, and my Evil Lords have continued spawning more demons. We now have the single largest demon army ever recorded in this world's history."
"And the world items?"
"Unfortunately, neither Loginus nor the World Savior have been located," Demiurge reported with a frown as Pandora's Actor stood up and brushed himself off. "The Dark Elf King has thus far managed to evade me and Loginus is in none of the locations we previously mapped out. It wasn't even with the queen's corpse."
"That is unfortunate, but we cannot delay any longer. Return back to Roble and prepare for war," Lucifer ordered. Demiurge bowed in response and teleported off. "Pandora's Actor, you know what to do."
"Jawohl mein Führer!" Pandora's Actor declared as he withdrew the potion that he had grabbed back in E-Rantel. "But, mein Führer, might I make a request?"
"You may speak," Lucifer said as he raised an eyebrow.
"Mein Führer, would it be alright if I initiated relations with that vampire, Evileye? I will of course, dispose of her should you demand it. But if it is alright with you," Pandora's Actor rambled.
If he's into that then sure. Why not? I was planning to recruit her anyway.
"Very well Pandora's Actor, I suppose you DO deserve a reward for all your hard work," Lucifer stated. Before Pandora's Actor could launch into hysterical thanks, Lucifer raised a hand to get his attention. "Tim is of the essence so please take your position."
"Jawohl!" Pandora's Actor nodded as he transformed into Momon with the additions of the wounds that Jaldabaoth had inflicted. He then laid down in the crater created by his master's landing and drank the potion. The effect was immediate. "Momon" stiffened and became unable to move. He was now essentially comatose and, to anyone who didn't know the effects of that potion, he was dead. That potion was something Lucifer had asked for from Nfirea, who had done a superb job of creating it, and its affect wouldn't wear off until the antidote was administered. If used on a human, going too long in this state WOULD result in death. But the denizens of Nazarick were made of tougher stuff. With an evil grin on his face, Lucifer teleported away, leaving "Momon's corpse" to be found, most likely by Evileye.
My computer was being an absolute BITCH
HAIL AND KILL!