A/N: No note just Enjoy.
Chapter 12
Acceptable Casualties.
Carne.
Three concentric rings of magic hovered around the masked mage's arm.
"Are you going to explain your actions or should I assume you were the one behind this little fiasco?"
He said to the figure in deep crimson armor.
Only twice in his life had Azuth Aindra ever experienced true fear, the first time he'd met his niece, and the day he was found by the platinum dragon.
Right now facing down one of that man's spells trumped both of these events.
"I mean you no harm, sir.
I was only asked to deliver a message."
He raised his arms, slowly.
He would have to act cautious if he wanted revenge for his niece, the mage was paranoid and one wrong move would turn him into a pink smear on the ground.
"Who sent the message?"
"They wanted to remain anonymous but they said it was from a friend.
Said they knew you at one point, said something about that mask of yours."
The mage lowered his hand but the magic stayed.
He was wary but lowering his guard, did he really know Hilma?
There was a chance, she was, one of the heads of Eight fingers so her having a weird connection or two was a given.
"What was the message?"
Azuth slowly pulled a small strip of paper from his pocket and began to read.
"If you are who I think you are, meet me in E Rantel.
Look for silver."
Silver, the code word he and a select few knew, uttering the phrase 'I'm looking for silver' in just the right place would lead him right to Hilma and her safe house.
The question was, would he go willingly?
Momonga was glad the mask covered his face so no one there would see his jaw-dropping.
The word silver stood out like a CEO in the slums.
'Silver? Why did he say silver?
Is it TouchMe reaching out? No, he would just [Message] me like he used to, but what if he couldn't?
He did say something about answers has TouchMe been here longer than me?
That would explain why this man has power armor, TouchMe might have given it to him to show me the messenger was from Yggdrasil.'
No, he was getting ahead of himself, the likely hood that it was his old friend was very low he'd have to confirm it himself.
TouchMe wasn't even logged in the day the servers shut down.
Canceling the [Dominate] spell, he stepped toward the man in power armor.
"Fine, I'll believe you, take me to this, silver."
Nfirea watched the two talk as the tension grew around them, he wasn't a fighter far from it but even he could tell the red-covered man was the pinnacle of strength.
As their brief conversation ended both vanished into a plume of magic particles.
Waves of relief washed over him if either had attacked he doubted any of the regular humans there would've survived.
The danger of two titans clashing in his backyard was gone however the night was far from over, as if on queue the still-burning house collapsed.
"We could always stay at the workshop."
Ninya snapped him from the embers of his home.
"Yeah, that sounds good."
The Roble Holy Kingdom.
A crow's caw echoed through the open air as it soared high above its next meal.
In a single graceful motion, it landed atop this meal.
Pecking at scattered carrion served as a delightful appetizer, bits of intestines and unidentifiable organs littered the ground like a plate of hors d'oeuvres.
Moving on it found the main course rather close by and what a large meal it was, a true feast, thirty-five kilos of meat and every morsel was for this lone crow.
Peck after peck it savored every bite, sure it was cold and if the smell was anything to go by fairly old, but it still enjoyed every little bit.
And last but not least, dessert!
One plump juicy eyeball like an oversized grape, a shame there was only one but this little crow wouldn't complain even if it wasn't the first to enjoy this meal.
Full to bursting it cawed once more in delight and flapped away leaving the rotting corpse of a girl not even ten years of age.
Her upper body writhed with maggots and flies stirred up by the crow's departure while her lower half sat some distance away a trail of her bowels connecting the two.
Pabel watched the streets below with deep disgust.
Half-eaten bodies lined the streets, blood ran in rivers through the gutters, and homes burned in the chaos.
With Demi-humans, there would have been a semblance of order, hierarchies, chains of command, supply lines, and even a civilian populace.
Here it was just death.
He had to turn away as he watched a crow pecking at a young girl.
This city was among the first to fall to the undead a result of their arrogance they laughed when told to evacuate, stating that even if the great wall had fallen their own would protect them.
Their foolishness had turned the city into a mass grave.
Ignoring the constant reminders of lives that could have been saved he moved on.
The building across from him was his goal for the day, a small bakery.
It wouldn't be much but unlike other foodstuffs bread would keep for much longer saving him the danger of a return trip.
Getting into the bakery would be easy a quick leap from the roof he was on onto the next, he wouldn't even need a martial art to do it.
A few heads glanced up as he soared over the ten-meter gap but quickly ignored him in favor of the corpses at their feet.
Inside the familiar stench of rotting meat filled the store likely from the previous owners.
While small the store made excellent use of the available space turning a few square meters into a dense workspace filled with utensils and ovens.
Pabel ignored the backmost rooms instead heading for the front of the shop where most of the pre-made food would've been kept.
He had to wipe away a bead of drool as he saw the gently rotating towers of bread and pastries.
A store like this was no doubt filled to the brim with enchantments of all kinds to keep the food both fresh and inviting.
His satchel filled in less than a minute as he loaded it with every item he could find and while he couldn't take any pastries he made sure to stuff a few down his throat before leaving.
Bag and stomach full he made his way back toward the roof, only to stop on the first step.
In his years as a ranger for the army, he'd honed his hearing to match that of his Demi-human opponents, and many times it had saved his life.
In the distance, he heard something odd.
It was similar to wood cracking under an immense weight but somehow it was wrong, it was as if he knew that despite what he heard something far different was happening.
As the last step to the roof passed he saw what this noise was and froze.
In the distance where he assumed the mayor's house to once stand was something from his nightmares.
The sound he'd heard in the store was clear to him now, it wasn't wood cracking when bent, it was bones tens of thousands of them all at once.
Over the city's center stood a pile of undead that seemed to grow by the second.
It was only then that he noticed the now-empty streets below.
He shuddered, looked away, and ran.
He ran back to the forests as fast as his legs could carry him and when exhaustion started to creep its way toward him he used every speed-boosting martial art he knew.
Whatever was happening was something no human could fight only something like the six great gods could save this kingdom now.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
One couldn't stop laughing as his master's plans unfolded around him.
To think his master had thought so many months in advance when he was gifted those precious items.
To a mortal and for a brief time himself the items appeared to only boost defense and necromantic abilities, oh how wrong he had been.
In reality, these few items pushed him just barely over the brink to become something much, much greater.
It would take days possibly even weeks or months but with enough corpses, he would evolve, and all thanks to his master.
He wouldn't become something so grand as an overlord like his master but to even glimpse at the power of a supreme being was enough.
Once all was said and done he would be a being worthy of his master's attention he would be a Grim Reaper Thanatos.
A being with such a mastery over death only his master could best one.
All that was left was to reach level ninety something made difficult only by the abysmally weak foes he faced.
He only needed to kill a few million more.
Nazarick.
A roar pierced the heavens as a sonic boom rocked the earth below sending a wave of sand in every direction like a wave in the ocean.
Barbro knew better than to shield his eyes and in turn, look away from the massive dragon in the center of the arena.
All at once the same sensation he felt during that thing's speech assaulted him and without a second's hesitation he leapt back.
Just as he did a massive set of talons crashed into the ground where he once stood. Even a single hit from this monster would likely kill him if not render him wishing for death his only hope would be to dodge its every attack.
A feat made much easier by his partner, who for the moment appeared more lucid than ever before.
An overhead slash from Succulent carved into the dragon's outstretched arm and to both men's horror only a soft 'clink' could be heard.
The wound was like a paper cut it was so small as not even a drop of blood came from the minuscule attack.
Barbro rushed to aide his comrade only to be sent flying as a just of air rushed through the arena sending both men flat on their backs.
Barbro looked to the side where Succulent lay only a few meters away and gave a small nod.
Much like their fights with the death knights, they'd have to work as a team with one man attacking while the other distracted or defended against their foes.
High above the dragon eyed which morsel it wished to tear apart when an overwhelming urge came upon it, down below one of the men had to be attacked, it didn't know or care why he just had to die.
Barbro smirked to himself as the beast turned ever so slightly towards him, his [War Cry] had worked and the dragon would focus on him he just had to survive the next minute or so.
Succulent quickly activated his abilities disappearing from sight, Barbro wanted to call the man's fighting style cowardly but if it worked it worked.
Another booming roar filled the arena as Barbro readied his stance.
The dragon neared with its fangs bared and claws outstretched it took only a few seconds to go from nearly a kilometer high to a few meters before its target.
A swipe with of its razor-sharp claws followed by a chomp of its maw right where the man would jump away, his death was assured.
But as it bit down it felt no blood between its teeth nor a satisfying crunch under its claw only the gritty sand and the empty air of the arena.
Barbro wanted to vomit out of sheer panic, he'd survived the attack by only a hairs width, quite literally as he could see the small hairs on the dragon's eyelids.
Tap.
He jumped to the side as a wave of empty air passed by him.
"[Duplicity]!"
Succulent called out his martial art as two near-invisible blades came careening toward the dragon's confused eyes.
If they could only inflict a paper cut worth of damage to it they needed only to change where they attacked to dig deeper into its flesh.
'SCREEEE!'
The dragon howled in pain as its sight was torn from it, it could still tell where the two foes were by its [Tremor Sense] but it would be heavily delayed by the loss.
Pain meant little to the undead and in less than a second its focus returned and it whipped its tail clearing the space around its body.
It knew the two men had already fled but in its blind state caution was a must it had already underestimated them once, and it wouldn't do so twice.
Succulent felt for the first time in years price in his life, sure he enjoyed his work with Eight Fingers but staring at Zero's back had left a hollow empty feeling in his core.
But not anymore, now he was faster, stronger, and even smarter no longer would he be forced to another's shadows or reduced to some lackey, here at this moment he was free.
He turned to Barbro with a grin unlike any he'd ever held before.
"I think I know why you called this place freedom!"
"Hahaha good to see your senses have returned, now let's finish this!"
The two men split apart as they dashed toward the grounded dragon, any external attacks would be nearly useless against the hard scales, luckily it had very fleshy wings.
"[Heavy Slash]!"
"[Quick Strike]!"
In unison, they activated their martial arts and together tore into the wings of the beast nearly severing them.
Barbro huffed as he spun to face the wounds he created and paled.
"[Fortress]!"
He cried out as Succulent came flying at him but the sheer force of an adult man sent through the air quickly overpowered the defensive ability.
As the hard stone of the surrounding walls met his back Barbro could feel his ribs as they cracked and shattered like glass, his partner was likely in worse shape if not already dead.
A cough sent blood flying onto the sand.
The dragon wouldn't smile when it had taken such a blow by two mortals even if its retaliation had certainly killed them, if the supreme one saw it in this poor state he would likely punish him.
The question was how bad said punishment would be, if it failed it would no doubt face only the worst of tortures possible by its master.
Barbro could only stare as the dragon slowly walked toward him on its now injured limbs he'd experienced death once before and while he loathed thinking of the peasant who killed him he had to admit it was a fair fight.
Here though his enemy was on a completely different level, something only the heroes of old or the gods themselves could fight.
He chuckled, at least he could die knowing he almost reached that fabled realm of heroes.
He wanted to close his eyes as the claws of the dragon neared but he refused to give in to fear he would watch his death to the very end.
The claws raised and swung and to Barbro, the world slowed.
He thought of his family, his kingdom, and how close it all was to him but as his thought began to wander his memories a new one began to form.
A thought he knew wasn't his own, a foreign memory he couldn't have experienced, it simply wasn't possible but as he tried more and more to imagine this faint idea he realized his body was moving as if by instinct.
His arms still clutching the sword he'd been given to survive this awful place began to rise.
As the memory became clear he called out the only thing he could think to say.
"[Gamblers Strike]!"
He swung and as his sword neared the oncoming claws he felt as if a coin had been tossed into the air.
Like a scene from a storybook, he could tell the coin had landed on heads and as it did he watched as the silvery blade carved through the dragon's claw like a hot knife through butter.
Surprised at the sudden defense it leapt back sending a cloud of sand into the air the sound of coughing on the floor brought a smile to his face. He may be injured but Succulent had somehow lived.
"Can you stand?"
"Barely."
"It's enough if you can divert its attention for even a moment."
Succulent nodded as his eyes became level with Barbro's.
Barbro had an idea but he wasn't certain they would live to see its results.
In the distance, the dragon roared.
Standing inside the VIP box overlooking the ongoing melee was a lone lich.
This lich through the boundless generosity of its master had been allowed a fragment of his knowledge in order to better assist in this test of the mortals.
That was why the sudden use of a skill from Yggdrasil shocked him to the core.
From his master's previous testing, the inhabitants of this world appeared incapable of this feat and the sudden change was unprecedented.
The skill [Gamblers Strike] was a mid-level attack reserved for rouges and assassins who had a high focus on instant kill attacks for a warrior to use it was dumbfounding.
The skill would either half the damage dealt or if the user was exceptionally lucky it would quadruple it.
He needed to [Message] the supreme one on the new development as it may change his every plan.
The dragon's roar continued as it charged once more both Barbro and Succulent were backed against the wall, if they failed it would mean death.
Succulent didn't have a taunt ability but his proficiency with illusion spells meant he didn't need one.
In an instant five of the man appeared and each one looked as equally near death as the original the dragon as expected turned toward the group hoping to kill as many as possible.
Barbro was exhausted so martial arts of his own would be out of the question that didn't however mean he was out of options.
The dragon neared once more and Barbro grit his teeth as his ribs ground together, with his sword in hand he took a stance behind Succulent and waited.
A few seconds felt like an eternity as the dragon's inky black scales neared in the brief moment before it all ended Barbro offered a silent thank you to his sister, she was after all responsible for him being here.
"NOW!"
Succulent and his clones leapt to the side giving the beast only a few millimeters to divert its course but as expected it failed tripping on its stump of a foot.
With all its momentum headed toward him, Barbro planted the pommel of his sword against the wall and hoped for the best.
In all their fights against the many undead of this place, Barbro had learned a few key details about the arena.
The first was that despite day and night still existing the sky was in reality a ceiling impossibly high up, he learned this when several arrows became stuck as though hitting something.
The second thing he learned was that despite its frail and aged appearance the walls surrounding him were hard, harder than any material he'd ever experienced and he'd once proudly worn the kingdom's treasured armor made entirely of adamantite.
The third was that despite the extreme durability of these walls his and Succulent's swords appeared to be made of something either equal in strength or far harder as they could easily scratch it.
With the sword held tightly against the wall the dragon in its stumbled state had nowhere else to go, so when a beast of legend met an equally hard surface, the surface won.
Barbro felt as his arm turned to paste beneath the weight of the two immovable objects colliding but in the brief moment before it did, he could also feel the sword bury itself deep into the dragon's neck and head.
The two together caused an audible crack to be heard throughout the arena and at last, the dragon laid still.
Then came the sound of applause.
Re Estize Kingdom, Just Outside E Rantel.
Azuth had to stop himself from attacking the mage, while he'd been teleported before he'd always assumed he had to agree before it would take him.
It appeared this mage didn't need his approval, another reason he was too dangerous to live.
"As I doubt you've anything better to do I'd ask you to kindly show me to this, Silver, you spoke of."
Azuth sighed under his helmet, this was a scenario he'd imagined but not so soon after meeting the mage as he'd hoped to gain his trust somewhat before meeting Hilma.
Resigned to whatever fate the gods had planned for him he began walking toward the city.
"Follow closely, they are paranoid, and recent, events have left things far from welcoming for them."
The mage nodded and moved closer, at the very least his own life would be guaranteed.
Momonga was nervous, really fucking nervous, if silver was actually his friend from Yggdrasil how would he respond to the many crimes he'd committed against the people of this world?
If he claimed it was all in the name of protecting the guild would TouchMe care? Of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, he wasn't the biggest fan of their status as avid player killers.
But still, surely he'd understand Momonga's fear and paranoid responses to the strange situation the two had found themselves in after all he'd likely experienced something similar on his own.
More so as TouchMe was the only member known to have a wife and child.
The red-donned man led Momonga through the gates of the city and its many winding and maze-like alleyways.
It felt like hours as the two walked from back door to back door all the while the man was stopping at each one and uttering a passphrase of some kind.
Every time the person he told it to would appear horribly shocked and almost frightened by Momonga, he didn't blame them he did have a reputation of sorts in this city.
After even more narrow streets they finally turned onto a wide courtyard of sorts.
Surrounded by what he assumed to be the medieval equivalent of apartments with a small patch of grass in the center, it looked quite fancy despite the rundown buildings, and despite the differences he assumed this city to share a similar premium on space as his own home of Neo Tokyo so the lack of buildings here was extravagant indeed.
Momonga was shaken from his musings when the man walked to the open patch of grass and knelt, he knocked three times before speaking to an unknown voice.
A series of clicks could be heard as the ground shifted revealing a small trap door and a staircase below it.
The red man stepped below.
Hilma was ready to scream, whether from joy or fear, she didn't know, it had taken weeks to find the mage, and only a day before she would claim the leader of Red Drop dead he'd shown up with said mage walking behind him like a baby duck to its mother.
Reports appeared everywhere the moment the mage had entered the city with rumors ranging from the belief he'd been captured by Red Drop to absolute panic over the city's continued survival.
It was a miracle the Queens Pick hadn't stopped the two long before they reached her front door and now he was here only a few minutes away from her office where she'd come face to face with either her savior or killer.
'At least I'd be quick if his other attack were anything to guess by.'
A small knock came to her door and after ensuring her appearance was its absolute best she sat behind the desk.
"You may enter."
'That's not TouchMe.'
Momonga thought to himself.
As he'd been led through the door into the barren office he was hit first with a wave of relief that he didn't need to face the possible disappointment of his friend.
Then came a wave of soul-crushing despair and for some reason, his emotional suppression didn't activate to quell it.
"I'm glad you accepted my invitation, I apologize for the subpar decor things have been rather tight lately and our focus on luxury hasn't had much upkeep.
Now before I drag on let me get straight to the point of our meeting.
My boss would like to hire you and your exceptional abilities.
If you don't wish to accept that's perfectly fine we have no wish to force you to do anything.
However, my boss has told me that should you accept not only would he offer you any reward you desired but access to our vast network of information."
The mage stopped to think for a moment.
"What would the work entail?"
She smiled, for the first time in months things had begun to turn in her favor.
"We only need two things.
A new hideout, and a way to get our members out of the country.
Recently the new queen has begun cracking down on our organization and we don't have the resources to handle it anymore.
So we want you to help us fix this, of course, you need not directly interact with us if you don't wish, we only need a location and a distraction.
How you do these two are up to you."
The mage placed his gauntleted hand on his chin.
"Would I get to meet this boss of yours?"
"Of course, he would wish to reward you in person after all."
"Fine, you have a deal, Ms?"
"Call me Hilma."
"And I am Momonga."
Momonga bowed slightly before turning away and leaving.
As the door clicked into place Hilma collapsed in her chair hopefully he didn't notice her shaking the entire meeting.
It wasn't every day you meet with someone able to wipe a city off the map.
As the mage named Momonga teleported away Azuth let out a low growl of anger.
The mage's trust wasn't guaranteed but he wouldn't kill him outright the next time they met and for the next step of the plan that was more than enough.
The platinum dragon's plan was borderline absurd and if he didn't know any better he'd call the dragon a complete idiot.
However, he knew better, the plan while complex was nearly foolproof the only true variable being the mage himself.
The plan, at the moment, was to isolate the mage away from any cities where then the strongest beings in the world, including himself, would all gang up and try to kill him.
The actual process to get to that point however was like an artisan's carvings on wood.
The first few steps were just political dealings to convince the rest of the world he was actually a threat.
After that, he lost focus and ended up ignoring the rest of the dragon's speech.
It didn't matter so long as the mage died in the end.
Far off in the Mountains.
Two massive doors made of bright green metal began to close.
On one side sat a myriad of defenses ranging from makeshift wooden barricades all the way to metal emplacements for siege weapons.
Manning these defenses was an equally wide range of warriors, hardened battle mages, expert swordsmen, and archers in the dozens.
The doors continue to close slowed only by the weight of their metal.
Past the doors was what could only be described as a horde of flowing death.
Mole-like monsters swarmed in the thousands toward the door only to be cut down as fast as they charged.
In between these two forces lay a mound of corpses from both sides and rivers of blood.
Lightning streaked through the air beside a literal rain of enchanted arrows.
The monsters clawed and bit at their foes the corpses of those ahead pushing them forward ever so slowly, steadily reaching the closest defenders and rending them to mush.
At last, the doors slammed shut curbing the flow of attackers leaving only a scant few to be mowed down by the now target-less defenders.
A cry of victory rang out among a crowd of thousands.
Yozu knew as the commander that their work was far from over but for the moment he wouldn't spoil the joyous mood.
It had taken years of searching to find a path around the great divide but after doing so the dwarven fortress was theirs.
They suffered heavy losses but all of those were of the lower ranks and inconsequential to the greater union of the clans.
Yozu's lightened mood quickly faded when he spotted a messenger rushing toward him.
"Sir, the dwarves have sealed the door and appear to have lined the walls with mythril."
The hushed report wasn't the worst news but it did mean that much more effort before this war was finally over.
Yozu found a ledge to stand atop, his orders were absolute the last city had to fall by the fifth day or the dwarves would flee to the surface and all would be lost.
"ATTENTION!
THE COWARDLY DWARVES HAVE DECIDED TO HIDE IN THEIR BURROWS!
WILL WE ALLOW THIS?"
"No!"
The entire army shouted at once.
"THEN GATHER THE STRONGEST!
WE WILL TEAR DOWN THEIR WALLS AND SHRED THEM IN THEIR BEDS!
NOW FORWARD!"
At once over a hundred brightly colored Quagoa began to move in unison.
Inside a dimly lit room sat eight men each one's expression grimmer than then the last.
Outside this room, only a handful of soldiers and commanders knew of the dire straights their country was in.
The fortress had fallen and with it their last hope for survival.
The fall of the heavily defended structure was meant to be a warning for the city to prepare for the worst, to give them time to counterattack.
That didn't happen, the fortress hadn't made a sound as the Quagoa snuck around the bottomless pit they called the great divide and annihilated every soldier there.
So now they faced a dilemma, the mythril and orichalcum reinforced walls of the last dwarven city would fall in a matter of days how would they possibly mount a defense in such a short time?
They could evacuate but with the fall of the last city, the entire population would be forced above ground and into the much harsher world.
In that scenario they could plea with the nearest country, The Baharuth Empire, to accept them as refugees but none there expected a country they'd not traded with in over a hundred years to accept them so suddenly.
As the current leader of the council, the Commander in Chief decided to voice his opinions first.
"If we fight we will lose, if we flee we will starve.
However, if we leave behind a group of 'volunteer's' we could possibly solve both and ensure that the civilian populace can flee in peace."
Outrage filled the room at the audacity of the Commander but only after a minute of indecipherable ranting did the Merchant GuildMaster's voice ring out above the rest.
"Calm yourselves!
We are desperate and while I don't agree with the Commander no one else has suggested anything!
If we were to do this who would remain behind, Commander?"
He folded his hands and looked down even more morosely than before.
"I-I and my top men, if we did it as do you all could claim I acted in panic, that way none could be to blame for our deaths but ourselves."
The room was silent.
A noble sacrifice indeed but the loss of the military's Commander could cause undo strife in the remaining men possibly leading to a revolt or worse a civil war.
"W-what, what if we hired help from another nation?
Or stones I'd say we go to the frost dragons if we truly are this desperate.
They love their hoards and I'm sure a pile of adamantite would convince them to at least stop the Quagoa, if not to side with us."
Said the Master of Caves.
Of those there, he alone knew more of the nation's stockpiles than anyone else, if he thought they could buy support it wouldn't be the biggest setback.
Even if rare adamantite was relatively easy to obtain thanks to years of perfected mining techniques.
To this proposal a round of agreeable murmurs came, everyone hated the idea of bowing to the dragons but chains and shackles were a preferable alternative to graves.
"We likely won't have time to reach any other nations before the Quagoa breach the walls so that's off the table unless we can delay them somehow.
And as I stated if we have to fight it means death."
Said the Commander in Chief.
"What about."
The Master of Caves started.
"What about a cave in, the walls and ceiling are all lined with metal so even the strongest Quagoa would be slowed down quite a lot.
It would also give the soldiers time to rest and mount a better defense deeper within the city, while the civilians could be moved or outright evacuated."
"That isn't an awful idea but if we do win later on it would mean a great deal of the city is destroyed, far more than if we just fought in the streets.
And that's not to mention how we would actually cave in so much of our only remaining defense to make it worthwhile."
The Commander replied.
Suddenly the Brewmaster snapped his fingers.
"I've got it!"
Everyone present eyed him warily.
"If we convert the next few days' batches to pure alcohol we could create either powerful explosives or a shitload of fire.
Either one would work, wouldn't it?
And I'm pretty sure even a Quagoa can't wade through a literal kilometer of flames, no matter how strong."
All eight eyed the known drunkard even more suspiciously.
It would be difficult for any dwarf to give up all alcohol for a full day let alone all of them for several.
However, the Brewmaster had a point.
Quagoa were tough, extremely so with some matching adamantite in physical hardness but that didn't make them immortal. While a regular fire wouldn't do much to one, a sea of it would burn the weaker ones long before they did anything and the stronger ones would suffocate just as quickly.
There was also the fact that fire would do far less damage than a cave in would.
"All agreed for the Brewmaster's sea of fire?"
Said the Commander.
Seven "Yay's" responded.
Re Estize, The Capital.
Politics are boring.
Incredibly so, so badly was Renner bored by the useless nonsense her charges spat at her daily that it made her genuinely wish for Momonga to start up another attack.
Of course, such a thing would never happen now that their alliance was sealed in not just stone but blood as well.
A girl could dream, couldn't she?
As the latest noble begging for this and that finished his whining the room became tense awaiting her response.
Of the hundreds of meetings a day her only respite was the brief moments when everyone present would shiver in fear at her bitter responses.
"Baron Montserrat, while I am deeply apologetic for your plight but you must understand that offering you 'wagons of peasants' is not something I can do.
You must understand baron that the undead threat has only recently been quelled and every fiefdom is suffering at the moment.
However, I am not saying you will receive no aid whatsoever, anything more than what I've offered to all the others would be seen as favoritism."
The baron looked down solemnly.
"Yes, your majesty I thank you for allowing this meeting."
He quickly bowed before darting out of the room.
Renner sighed, she'd done all she could for the many nobles hurt by her and Momonga's agreement but outside of reduced taxes and rebuilding the occasional village, nothing could be done.
Every major city had been swept clean of beggars and homeless to fill the now vacant and rotting fields but that didn't mean they knew how to farm.
Each and everyone had to be taught from scratch and to make matters worse winter had set in long before aid arrived meaning the majority of fields were useless until cleared.
She'd had to explain this again and again to every noble who'd passed through her doors, she'd have long since snapped if not for Climb's presence.
Taking a quick sip of the sweet tea beside her she awaited the next appointment.
However as if in response to her dire situation a man came bursting into the room only briefly showing the Royal emblem to the startled guards.
This man was her runner sent to confirm Fluder Paradyne's ridiculous story.
"Your majesty I've returned from the Empire and I bring dire news!"
He said between deep intakes of breath, he'd clearly run the whole way here.
"Clear the room and cancel my next meetings!"
Renner shouted, her guards used to their queen's demands for privacy filed out of the room in seconds leaving only her, Climb, and the messenger.
"Continue!"
"Yes, as assigned the delegation and I traveled to the Empire to ascertain the state of the country but you see, well your majesty, I uh don't know how to phrase it any better but, we never arrived."
Renner's eyes widened her mind aflame with the thousands of things that could have gone wrong.
Had they been attacked? If so by whom, the Empires army, a group of assassins, or was it just bandits?
Momonga perhaps?
Had they gotten lost? Too simple but not impossible given the nature of the vast empty fields separating the two nations, if so she'd be far more disappointed with her agents than the lack of info.
It could be the simple fact that Fluder's story was true and the Empire now lay in ruins.
"Explain."
Her voice was low but carried a tone like a blade of a guillotine falling.
The messenger gulped before continuing.
"There was nothing your majesty, no ruins, no bodies, not even ash.
We even followed a river all the way to where their capital should have stood but nothing, not even a hint that it had been altered to flow through the city.
We triple checked the maps even using a star chart to check again.
Your majesty, it's as if the Empire has been wiped clean from the very map."
Renner was silent.
Of the forces that could accomplish a feat like this only two could have done so, the first, the dragon lords far off in the Argland Council State but they would have no reason to attack, the second, was Momonga.
If she recalled the events of a certain day the puzzle pieces began to click together.
He'd not only wiped away the spies of the Empire, but he'd also erased their existence in its entirety.
A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled his first few meetings with her nation, how close had she been to sharing the same fate as the emperor and his nation?
She coughed into her hand finally breaking the long silence that followed the messenger.
"Climb, do you love me?"
Both of the men in the room went wide with shock.
"U-uh I, I mean I do, don't think I, yes?"
He coughed into his hand as the messenger shifted nervously.
"Yes, your majesty I do l love you."
"Then as your love would you do anything I asked you to?"
"Of course, for you, no task is too difficult!"
"Thank you Climb.
Kill him."
"Yes, your majes. . .
Huh?"
"None can learn of this news so with a terribly heavy heart I ask you, please, kill this man for the good of our nation."
Renner over her years as the darling child of the king had become quite the skilled actor which is why she shed a river of tears while ordering the man's death.
Climb saw her tears and deep inside a switch flipped, without another second to think he pulled his sword from its sheath and took a step toward the man.
The smell of ammonia filled the room as the man tripped backward in his panicked flight from the room.
Unknown to him his life would have ended far quicker had he taken the blow standing.
Lightning fast Climb moved toward him, to those watching it appeared as though he cleared ten meters in a single step, with this speed he swung.
Climb had intended to hit the messenger's neck severing the blood rich arteries in an instant but as the man reached the ground he was forced to correct the swing sending a spray of blood across the room as his arm fell limp to the ground.
"PLEASE! SPARE ME!"
He reached over clutching the spraying stump as the color faded from his face.
Climb wouldn't miss twice and so with a downward slash he carved into flesh from the man's right shoulder straight through his chest and finally his heart.
A sickening series of crunches could be heard the sound of bones collapsing as Climb's enchanted sword far outmatched the strength of bones.
"Gahh!"
Climb whipped around only to see a trickle of blood fall from Renner.
A small line ran across her cheek and in her hand was a small dagger.
With grace not expected in a room full of gore she moved over toward the still bleeding corpse placing the bloody dagger into his remaining hand.
"Climb call the guards!
They won't have heard this assassin with the soundproofing enchantments!"
She clutched her cheek as Climb rushed over threw open the door and shouted a single word.
"ASSASSIN!"
Renner held her smile behind her mask of pain, what a good little doggy she had.
Fluder Paradyne studied the blade between his hands as though it were the royal crown itself.
He'd already cast [Appraisal] and so knew its two enchantments but he was still scrutinizing every detail of the blade.
The item was a rather simple short sword made of regular non-magical steel however the uniqueness of this item came from its post-production additions.
The two enchantments placed upon it were [Sharpen] and [Durability] both low-level magics but very effective when combined. For the mage guild's first duel enchant it was a marvel of progress, for the kingdom.
For the Empire, the common soldier would've expected triple enchants in their weapons with one mid-grade and two low grades as well as a full suit of enchanted steel plate.
Of course, this meant they could only equip an army of around a hundred thousand strong but quality would always trump quantity in the end.
This major gap in technology was the main reason the two countries were so evenly matched in all their previous wars and that was only operating under the emperor's plan to starve the country as a whole.
Had they actively wished to slaughter the kingdom they could have, and while it would cost innumerable lives on their behalf it could've been done.
This piece marked the first step toward bridging that now nonexistent gap.
Just because the Empire was gone didn't mean they could relax, there were a host of countries that bordered the two nations and only the continued entropy of both had stopped any invasion, most had been waiting for the two to wreck one another before delivering the killing blow themselves.
Now that that buffer was gone how long they had before something like the minotaur nation to the west moved on them was anyone's guess.
Fluder would be damned if he had to flee yet another project so soon.
"The enchantments have worked splendidly but I fear your progress is far too slow for your current level.
However do not be disheartened, this is the best I've seen of the kingdom and I hope to see much more, for now, rejoice for you are now a magical kingdom."
A round of cheers came at the approval of the elderly mage.
Fluder shook his head if only his previous students were so joyous at minor praise.
Inwardly he faced turmoil, if these two enchants were the culmination of twenty third-tier mages the nation was doomed.
The Forest of Tob.
Zaryusu shielded his eyes as the light of noon beat down on him.
His, companion, for a lack of a better word, wasn't fairing much better as her white scales and hide had to be covered at all times lest she turns into a tomato from sunburn.
The next stop on his journey to the many lizardman tribes spread across the lake would take him to the battle-hungry Dragon Tusk.
A group not known for its diplomats and orators.
As they neared the tribe he expected to be accosted in seconds and challenged to a duel of some kind but instead, all he found was sorrow.
The village was in shambles with homes destroyed and watch towers toppled it looked as though an earthquake had struck.
As he entered atop the back of his pet hydra Rororo, a lone figure came to greet him.
He was an imposing male a full head taller than Zaryusu with shoulders twice as wide however his defining feature was a scar line running up his side that lead to a missing limb.
"I am Zenberu Gugu, chief of the Dragon Tusk, why have you come here traveler?"
"I am Zaryusu of Green claw, we seek an alliance against the evil that threatens our peace."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Zenberu laughed like a madman only stopping when he ran out of air.
His eyes turned dark as he took in a gulp of air.
"You can have our help but it won't mean much.
We glimpsed firsthand at what monsters we face and I fear our extinction is near."
As night fell the sound of insects filled the air.
Bowls of alcohol were passed between the three like paper in an office.
Zenberu downed his drink before he spoke.
"It began much like I assume both of you had experienced.
Those three monsters fell from the sky announcing the great one or whatever was coming, the problem was I couldn't just let them burst into our home without acting.
So I attacked.
Alongside two of our strongest males, we went to fight those things, and of us three only I survived.
I'd tell you how we fought with honor and pride dying as warriors should but I'd be lying.
They died worse than insects.
The first charged that mouth, thing, but the second he came close a tentacle of pure black lashed out and tore his legs off before biting his head clean from his shoulders.
The second and I charged the two big guys, I faired a little better because I've had experience with things way tougher than me before.
I thought I dodged the first strike but I guess it was faster than it looked, took my arm in an instant only reason I didn't die was the mouth thing started to leave.
Our other warrior died faster than I lost my arm, all that thing did was step forward.
No strike, no bracing, nothing!
With one hand and a single step, it turned our second-strongest warrior into a pink fucking mist!"
Zenberu's voice was hoarse and his eyes began to water.
If the messengers were that strong what would a defense matter? Our only hope would be to flee and hope whoever this great one is, decides chasing us isn't worth it!
"I could heal your arm if you'd like it's still fresh enough that I wouldn't even need to reopen the wound."
Crucsh, who Zaryusu was glad he'd brought along, was a shaman of the highest order and so capable of healing miracles greater than any other.
"Thank you but no, I want this to stay as a reminder of my failure, had I acted with even a hint of caution my people wouldn't be suffering as they are now."
The night ended with alcohol and tears.
A solemn room awaited Zaryusu when he returned with the two chiefs in tow.
His village had been selected to hold the meeting between the leaders of the lake but with the retelling of Zenberu's story, none wanted to speak.
The alliance had agreed to fight despite this.
The consensus was that should they flee they would face a famine greater than the one that sparked war only a few years ago, if they did, it would be a slow painful death.
Fighting would be futile but a lizardman's spirit was that of a warriors, so a prideful death was far preferable.
Should the worst come to pass a small group from each tribe would flee out of the forest.
The hope was that despite the unfamiliar terrain the undead wouldn't dare follow so close to the powerful human nations that bordered the forest.
So now in the silence of the room they waited for death's icy call.
Only a few hours remained before their last day came to an end and despite the silence, Zaryusu felt no fear from the others.
Only determination.
A boom was heard sometime later.
Argland Council State.
Eight figures stood at the ready.
Each one could be considered a pinnacle of strength the world had only seen in minuscule amounts.
And yet here stood enough to change the very world.
Tsaindorcus, the platinum dragon lord, broke the silence.
"Today we end centuries of hardship, today we finish what our forefathers could not!
With this battle, our world will return to us, and with it, our choices will once again be free of the vile influence of those beings who dare intrude upon it!
I asked you here not to fight for the good of a select few or even the many what we fight for is the sake of the world itself!
Will you run?"
Silence.
"Good, we head for the Roble Holy Kingdom, the player dies today."
Somewhere?
The world held its breath.
For a millionth of a second, a force pulsed the globe, and not even the most sensitive of its residents noticed it.
This force, this energy, was foreign to the world and even more so to those from the other worlds.
It was akin to a spell, not unlike the magic of the dragons whose primordial power had existed since the dawn of time but it was different, far different.
Unlike them, this power was pure.
Millennia ago a being had wished for power.
It wished to ensure its reign in the world and so violating every law it knew to exist it weaved this grand magic.
It called to the void for strength, for whatever could enhance a being already so close to the top.
But what came could only be called death.
At first, those barring the artifacts were weak, pitifully so, but before long they'd become stronger than even the being who sought them.
As the dragon once known as a god lay in a pool of its own blood it cursed its hubris and greed, and canceled the magic sealing the world from further invaders but the damage had been done and those present were far too strong to be pushed aside now.
So the magic went on.
So long as the players continued to live and the world items still existed it went on.
However, there were only so many of these items.
And as the last pittance of magic lay in a dying world its search finally came to an end and, at last, it headed the call of its master to come home.
The world had lived for millennia on the magic of a different world but as this pulse spun the globe in search of its master it found nothing.
With nowhere to go and the world already so full of the new and old it simply grew.
And grew.
And grew.
Then it grew some more.
Until finally.
Nazarick.
Momonga sat reading through a stack of documents.
The super tier spell [Creation] allowed one to alter a near limitless area of space into whatever they desired, with restrictions of course.
That didn't mean it would add structures, however.
So here he sat trying his damnedest to source a small country worth of buildings.
Between his [Create Item] spell and a thousand death knights turned construction workers, he figured he could have a small city up by the end of the month.
But that ignored the issue of him still needing mana in his day-to-day life, the month-long time frame was only feasible if he cast [Create Item] once every one point four seconds non-stop for a month.
He sighed, why in the hell had he agreed to such an impossible task?
'POP'
The world went black.
As Momonga slowly regained his senses he recalled two things.
A feeling identical to the sensation felt when he'd arrived in this world.
As well as a smell he had long since accepted as a part of his daily life.
The smell of blood and chemical poisons.
As the world's color returned he saw himself.
Not a mirror.
Not a statue.
Not a metaphorical inner self.
No, he saw Suzuki Satoru the man he was before becoming Momonga the overlord.
They met eyes.
Red pooled beneath his other self.
The world came into focus.
He saw those same grey streets coated in blood and viscera as a lone figure in the distance moved ever closer outright ignoring a hail of gunfire directed at it.
Fires raged in the background as what used to be a tank sat in pieces across the street.
What was already hell on earth thanks to extreme pollution and mass poverty had been made even worse with the addition of all-out warfare.
Someone called out and the line of soldiers and corporate security stepped into cover just as a massive boom rang out.
He'd heard rumors about prototype weapons back in his old office job but never paid much attention.
Learning corporate rumors and myths wasn't conducive to living a long life.
Now seeing the fabled fusion rail gun fire he was in awe.
Then he was in disbelief.
Then anger.
The target they'd fired upon.
Was Sebas, one of the many NPCs that once resided in Nazarick depths, here being attacked.
Like a tissue in a rainstorm, the projectile tore through his shoulder sending a wave of blood down the street.
A crowd of people cheered as the elderly butler fled, Momonga looked down where he saw himself and a line of tears was running down his cheeks.
'POP'
And just like that he was back atop the throne of kings staring at a mound of papers.
All at once the dam broke and Momonga shot up sending piles of paper cascading to the ground.
He let out a guttural roar.
If not for its layers upon layers of defenses the entire world would have heard him.