A/N: I will never abandon this story even if it takes me a year to get a chapter there will be another.
Chapter Thirteen.
Voices.
For less than a second the world froze, near imperceptible this sudden pause made every living being feel as though something had just gone horribly wrong.
If only they knew how right they were.
Azerlisia Mountains.
Fire scorched the sky bathing the world below in in a flickering orange hue. There was no sound to accompany the flame, no cries of anguish nor crackling of embers as they charred homes to ash.
Only an eerie silence as onlookers watched with reverential gazes.
A price had to be paid and of the many things that could have been lost not a life was among them. Sacrificing their history they gained a future a grim uncertain future but one laced with hope.
The few members of the dwarven council still watching the blaze had made a promise to one another, within the cramped room that used to be the meeting hall they had agreed to end an era.
"Do you really think the Empire will accept all of us?"
None wanted to answer, it was three days of travel to the closest border but with the sheer volume of people, it could take weeks. Assuming nothing happened on their journey through the untamed wilds that was the forest of Tob.
To be turned away at the gates would be devastating even with how likely it was, the people needed a goal of some kind no matter how faint, and with so few options this was all that remained.
That was why after a final glance upon their burning homes the council alongside a small escort rode forth to meet with the empire. With them, they carried the last of their nation's fortune, over ten tons of adamantite, and hopefully, it would be enough to persuade the Empire to house them.
On the opposite of the silence and sorrow, the dwarves have carried the very force they'd been forced to flee. A sea of multicolored violence, the final gate had fallen, and with it came a rush of bodies and claws eager to rend flesh from bone.
Only moments after they stormed the city did they realize their mistake.
Save for a handful of the strongest commanders not one survived.
When the flames cleared and the city was taken properly its new residents cheered, the war they fought for decades was over and they'd won. No longer would they struggle to feed their children, to ration what little they could of the metals they so desperately needed, it was over.
For a whole ten minutes.
A shadow almost as large as the city itself loomed overhead its wings producing a near-constant wind that toppled buildings and sent those that didn't hide flying.
Olasird'arc Haylilyal felt power surging through his body, all at once this power had filled him as though a piece he'd never known was missing had been returned with interest. So close was he before to the absolute limit of his abilities but now he had well and truly passed them.
For as long as he could remember his true place was to be among the pinnacle of the world, to be a dragon lord, deep down he felt shame knowing how vain it was to have used a title now that he could finally grasp its meaning. Gone would be the days of lording over the insignificant Quagoa and their petty squabbles against the dwarves. Now he was a force of nature the will of the world unleashed in its most primal and pure state, he had to test this power, and as he watched the dying embers of what was once the dwarven capital an idea came to mind.
So many souls lingered in the aftermath what better way could his subjects be of use than to offer their very being? So he drank of the charred corpses filling his domain they would be the fuel for his first act upon the lowly world.
He called out to the world bending it to his will,
and the world bent.
"Sir, the city is ours!
The cowardly dwarves fled during the fire and abandoned the city in its entirety!"
Yozu was practically shouting in excitement the only thing lowering his voice being their masters form high above them.
Pe Riyuro was conflicted for many reasons many of which would've passed even his most trusted commanders. The flight of the dwarves meant no more competition for ore, gone would be the days of their young forced to ingest only iron and the many weaker metals that littered the caves. The next generation would be one of orichalcum and adamantium hides, but this didn't mean there weren't issues to be dealt with.
The fire had been unexpected and only started once his forces were deep within the city's confines, his strongest had perished in seconds leaving his army without its true power. Of course, there still existed his commanders and the clan heads but with so few to begin with any of the stronger monsters that inhabited the mountains could devastate the entire alliance.
Then there was the shadow overhead.
Tributes would continue no argument could be made against them and no force strong enough to stop the dragons who demanded them. Perhaps in time, a generation would breed strong enough warriors to oppose the overgrown lizards.
Pe Riyuro's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a change In the air, what was once a mighty gale forcing down all but the strongest or heaviest had turned into a light breeze. Then slowly as this breeze faded he began to feel a pulling sensation as if the wind had entirely reversed. But for whatever reason the wind did not move the cloth of the flags around the city, then just as he began to notice the strange phenomenon it stopped replaced entirely by light.
Bright searing light far more than the dark accustomed eyes of the Quagoa could handle, instantly the entire population was blinded save for Pe Riyuro himself as he had long ago overcome his race's largest weakness. He alone stood witness to the true meaning of the light and he was more than happy no one else could for what he saw drove him to his knees.
The great dragon who'd stood over his people for years had a trail of ethereal figures racing towards him, from his kin killed by the dwarves to the many monsters the dwarves had killed in defense of their home and even the dwarves themselves.
The dragon was collecting souls in no less an amount than the millions. Just as soon as it started it stopped.
Once upon a time he'd dreamt of fighting that dragon, of leading a charge to slay their masters. That distant dream was the only thing keeping him from ending his life on the spot. The power he felt just looking upon the winged beast was akin to an ant facing a volcano, truly foolish to the point even a madman would laugh at the thought.
Perhaps their masters would see fit to keep their slaves if only to avoid doing the work they didn't wish to do.
The Kingdom.
Renner winced as a man in white robes placed his hands over her cheek the telling glow of a healing spell quickly closing her small wound.
"[Light Cure Wounds]. [Lesser Antidote].
That should cover the worst of it your majesty but if any symptoms begin alert us immediately."
The room released its collective breath as the priest gave a polite bow and left leaving a dozen or so advisors to pester the young queen with questions. Only half listening Renner instead turned her attention to the man whose eyes had narrowed at her story of an assassin.
Fluder Paradyne knew better than to speak out but his unyielding gaze threatened to reveal the cobbled-together lie before it even began.
"Your majesty are you sure it was the man you sent out to the empire, perhaps it was an agent sent by the emperor himself?
They are far from honorable and I doubt using a lookalike to assassinate you would be above those rats."
The first to speak was Marquis Pespea one of the few nobles to not be smitten during the purge, he was overly loyal to the crown but still had a modicum of common sense, a trait Renner considered rarer than adamantite.
Beside him were Margrave Urovana and Marquis Raeven, together these three men were the last tangible threats to Renner's rule as well as her last ally's in keeping it.
To Renner's side stood both her darling Climb and her loyal guardian Brain, the man was a gamble mentioned briefly in the late warrior captain's will as a figure of note but he had proven his worth in battle in the past weeks.
All in all the room held not one real threat to her and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that someone, no something wanted her dead. Had she unknowingly interfered with her benefactor's plans by killing the messenger instead of allowing the news to spread?
No, that man would've killed her the instant she made a mistake that grand it was more likely for her master's enemies to be after her than himself.
"If I may intrude for a moment?"
All sound stopped and to Renner the world seemed to turn to grey, standing in the doorway was none other than her brother, Prince Zanac.
Who was supposed to be on a small estate far from the capital.
"If I may ignore the pleasantries during this dire situation I would like to share my insight into the recent events that have befallen our nation."
Renner was stunned silent for a moment but quickly recovered nodding for Zanac to continue, she couldn't help but note that the once rotund man was now rather thin and muscular.
"Thank you, sister, as you all know since the untimely death of our eldest brother I have stepped away from the line of succession to prevent a civil war from decimating this nation. However, what you didn't know was that I was asked as a new third party to look into the events leading up to and following my brother's death.
Not wanting to bore you with a story about months of mindless study I'll go straight to the point. I believe one of six great gods has returned, with their attention on us."
Silence.
. . .
Then uproar.
"You can't possibly be serious!"
"What kind of foolish!"
"Enough!
I asked him personally to search for this alongside a team of retired orichalcum adventurers I employ.
And I should add that each one claims the same thing."
Renner was the only one who could muster a reply.
"Marquis Raeven what evidence have you found and what could this possibly have to do with the attempt on my life?"
The aging blonde cleared his throat before turning to Fluder.
"Sir Paradyne if you would be so kind?"
A bolt of [Lightning] arced through the room landing against a shaded corner, followed by a shriek of pain from the shadow that fell from it.
Raeven continued.
"While I'm uncertain if that was the only one in the castle it should be the only one following Her Majesty, correct?"
Fluder nodded.
"Yes, but there may be much stronger beings within the kingdom as a whole so we should keep this brief before that thing's master comes to replace it, or worse."
"That creature was something no adventurer I spoke to could explain even when provided a drawing, however, upon our asking of the church a single priest of Surshana was able to identify it.
They claimed it to be a personal creation of the god of death himself."
Renner was silent as the room filled with chatter among the advisors and nobles present, her hands clenched so tightly they drew blood. Just as she was contemplating her next move in this disaster a sound tore through the many voices, the faint chime of a bell.
Brain was the first to react spinning on his heels in a second as his sword leapt from its sheath the blade pointed firmly at the anomaly in space.
A swirling mass of vile energies covered one of the walls its very presence demanding attention, He'd never used this spell before.
A wall of bodies blocked her sight but she could still hear that deep regal voice.
"Where is Renner?"
Brain winced as every hair on his body stood on end, the first two figures out of the portal looked human enough but what followed behind them was surely an omen of death.
A man a full head taller than Brain and as wide as a wagon stepped through his very presence causing shimmers in the air like embers over a campfire. His clothes seemed to glimmer like gold despite their rich black fabric and held in one hand was a staff radiating so much power it almost hurt looking at it.
Topping off his imposing figure was a bright red mask with a wide grin painted over it.
The small crowd surrounded Renner as she lay on the floor and Brain noted how even the prince stepped in between her and the three intruders. Despite his anger over the lost crown, he seemed more worried for the kingdom than his pride.
Then he spoke.
"Where is Renner?"
His voice was deep and smooth like an aged brandy begging to be sipped but there was a power behind it barely restrained by the speaker.
The two men in front looked no less dangerous than the late Gazef their arms and armor clearly being magical in nature.
They took a step forward swords raising just a little higher as they did causing a wave of tension through the few combat capable surrounding the queen.
"I'm here, I'm here don't attack!"
Renner shoved past the wall of people before landing in front of the man in a kneeling position, to the shock of everyone behind her.
All at once the three relaxed completely forgetting they were seconds from a fight to the death.
"Ah, apologies your guardian was killed and I assumed the worst.
The situation has changed so I suppose secrecy isn't as necessary anymore, that is, you do trust these men yes?"
"Yes! They are what remains of the nobility and my advisors, as well as my personal guard!"
"Umu, ah I suppose they can be filled in as well.
At the moment a large force of dragons is headed for this location and I came to inform you that your assistance may be necessary should I fail to defeat them."
While Renner furiously bobbed her head Brain worked up his courage addressing the very large elephant in the room.
"If I may? Who are you exactly?"
He had a working theory but an accusation could mean a fate worse than death if the mage became offended.
Once Renner finally stopped shaking her head he spoke.
"I, am Momonga, and for the past few months your queen and I have been exchanging favors from one another."
Ah, so things were much worse than he thought, the explosion that ended with a third of all adventurers retiring or dead was planned.
The fires that wiped away most of the kingdom's nobility and left a thousand power vacuums nearly sending the country into civil war, planned.
And the rumors that the Empire a nation of almost ten million was wiped of all but a handful of its citizens, planned.
Everything fit so nicely.
Renner had doomed the world for the kingdom of Re-Estize.
The Forest of Tob.
Warriors charged despite knowing their fate, each one destined to die in less than a minute only to buy a few precious seconds against a nigh unstoppable enemy.
Zaryusu Shasha silently thanked those men as Frost pain was driven into the monster's head. With a roar of pain, he was thrown only barely holding onto the prized weapon, a flash of movement would signal his swift end by the rusting flamberge.
Two stones denied the undead its attack turning to black dust and saving Zaryusu from a grisly fate. The fight had taken seconds but felt like hours leaving the few warriors not slain heaving desperate for breath.
This routine of sacrifice had gone on endlessly during the battle leaving dozens dead for little gains, in other words, they were losing. Hours, minutes, seconds it was unknown when it would happen but soon the line would fall and those left behind would die.
Zaryusu readied for another charge as frost pain glinted in the light of dusk, his stance lowered and he braced for death as another of the towering undead charged.
A roar from both sides.
Like a snake pouncing for its prey, the two leapt at one another.
Frost pain slammed into the side of the undead who in turn followed, by standing stock still.
Zaryusu watched as the beast who once tore a man in two for an ineffectual strike outright ignored him carving one of its arms off.
Confusion and fear shot through the assembled lizardmen certain this was some terrifying tactic to lure them away from some unseen horror ready to strike.
But then a minute passed.
Then two.
And before long an hour had passed without a hint of movement.
"This doesn't bode well."
"No, but it is a blessing regardless wasting the opportunity to flee would be foolish."
Zaryusu turned to his brother taking note of the new scars dotting his body.
"You don't look much better brother."
Shasuryu held a firm gaze eyeing the equally numerous scars across Zaryusu's body.
They held each other's gaze for a moment before they burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!
I'm amazed to see you alive brother!
To think the wielder of frost pain would be so daring to charge those vile creatures!"
Shasuryu wiped away a tear and the those that followed.
"Have I failed as chieftain brother?
So many died and for what, a few extra minutes before it all ends?"
"If you'd failed we would not be here discussing it would we?
We wouldn't have evacuated the non-combatants either.
There is also the alliance which the elders would never have accepted had I been chief, if not for you we would all be dead.
Don't forget that."
It was three hours before the undead hoards did anything, and no one expected them to flee.
Most celebrated, others wept with joy, but a select few were silent, waiting for the trick to be revealed. They waited long into the night long after the last skeletons disappeared into the dense marsh of the lake.
When again nothing happened they celebrated. Wine flowed endlessly and food vanished faster than it could be prepared, they'd suffered losses but by morning it would be over and they could rejoin the families who'd fled.
Regardless of the victory, the fact that the undead still roamed the forest surrounding them meant they could no longer stay. Aside from the last stand few villages remained most wiped out long before the alliance could reach them and evacuate. This left too few homes for far too many refugees many being the young and sick who'd fled the lake first.
When dawn came and the cold reality of the situation came to those present the joy of victory vanished leaving only a bitter sense of failure.
The march from their home was silent.
Leinas Rockbruise last of the four imperial knights.
Though the knight no longer considered herself a part of the imperial army the lack of any superiors made the issue moot. Or the lack of an army in general, or citizens, in fact, all that remained of the once great nation were the cities themselves.
That and the slaves.
Personally, Leinas loathed the practice of slavery the only thing stopping her from taking a stand was her position beside the emperor. One of the emperor's guards being openly against his policies would make him appear either foolish or cruel both of which ended in her termination as a guard, even if the policy on slavery was changed.
Wincing she was reminded of her own much more immediate issue, the curse placed upon her face that would no longer be treated.
Her entire military career had been for the sole purpose of removing the curse, again something not likely with the empire gone.
A hand reached out toward her and she was forced to repress her training telling her to strike.
"No, thank you I'm fine."
The outstretched hand belonged to an elven woman who'd begun following Leinas as she fled the city, one of about a dozen now. They'd started small with a few trailing behind her as quietly as possible and though they failed to hide from her entirely it took a full week for her to notice the rest joining.
And so with her gaggle of ex-slaves, she was left in a conundrum, most cities would be ash from the fires while others would likely be overrun with monsters, this left her options somewhere between the forest or the kingdom.
Fluder Paradyne would've fled to the kingdom, he was as loyal as she was, meaning not at all, she might be welcomed without hostilities but chances were slim.
Her only other option would be Slane Theocracy but contact with them had all but stopped a few months ago and her showing up alone could prove an issue.
She glanced at the elves trailing behind.
She could go to the elven kingdom.
She shook her head, aside from the kingdom all of those required months of travel without a horse and while she was quite fast even without one her companions weren't.
The kingdom it is then, so long as she avoided major cities during travel she should make it to the capital before they sent out a force to deal with her.
Traveling with a dozen slaves all proved far easier than she expected, elves were gifted druids and most could use some magic naturally. Trees would ease out of the way while any monsters who crossed their path were swiftly dealt with by her, by the time she stepped from the forest of Tob only a week had passed.
She didn't expect to see the largest army ever fielded by the kingdom.
E Rantel.
Renner paced.
Something unexpected had changed Momonga's priorities and whatever they now were the man made it increasingly hard to understand.
First, he forgoes any hint of secrecy appearing in the throne room like that, and now against all common sense he was picking a fight with the dragon lords.
Of course, his depiction of the events painted the dragons as the aggressors but she had her doubts those ancient lizards didn't move for anything but world-changing threats.
Could he be one such threat?
With what he'd done so far, absolutely.
Raeven's claim might have merit.
Even if his attack on the Empire was a once-in-a-lifetime spell the fact remained that he'd cast it to an insane degree of damage.
Her quiet life with Climb would vanish like smoke if the dragons so much as sneezed in her general direction, open conflict would see her entire nation wiped out.
At the same time so would disobeying Momonga.
So death by magic, or death by dragon.
Of course, he could prove stronger than the dragons and they somehow win against the beings that killed the last of the gods but somehow that prospect seemed foolish.
But it was her only hope.
Who could she turn to otherwise, the Empire?
Ha!
If even one of their citizens survived she'd welcome them like a sibling.
Climb's voice snapped her from her stupor.
Leinas frowned as she was stopped by a boy half her age but with no standing besides that as an enemy she complied.
Muffled chatter from within the tent eased her mind but not her expression, you don't discuss the execution of a spy you just do it.
So her life was guaranteed at the least, now to see if the dozen mages she'd brought along would gain her any favors.
"Come in."
'This, is not how I expected my day to go.'
Leinas thought to herself.
A full pardon for all wrongdoings against Re Estize and a position among its nobility should she so desire.
Of course, she accepted without hesitation but the eagerness of the queen to accept any foreign military help was unnerving at best.
At worst, it was the world's biggest and brightest red flag.
By the gods was it worse.
One short briefing later and she was now a commander assisting in the soon-to-be defense against a small army of dragons.
For a brief moment, she considered fleeing to the forest but quickly tossed that idea away along with her hope that life would be any easier in the coming years.
With the literal hell the Empire had gone through it seemed as if the kingdom had endured a similar series of gruesome events, from mass fires to actual smitings they'd seen it all.
"When are we to expect the enemy?"
She asked to the silent tent around her, shortly after she was caught up to speed all chatter quickly died out as people were reminded just how fucked they were.
After a moment Renner cleared her throat and answered.
"Our benefactor estimates three days stating that the enemy force is preoccupied with ensuing chaos among the mountain range.
Which brings me to my next point of discussion.
He has asked us in light of our near uselessness to simply distract the beasts while he prepares his attack."
Marquis Raeven slammed his fist into the table.
"You mean to say he expects us to die for him, yes?
Because anything short of fleeing is utterly pointless in this situation, how can this one man warrant such obedience from you of all people!?"
Renner turned to face Leinas.
"Climb have you used the item?"
"Yes."
"Good, Miss Leinas can you describe the state of the Empire at the moment?"
Leinas nodded.
"There is no longer an Empire your Majesty, overnight it was reduced to a handful of survivors most of whom were hardly considered citizens at all.
Short of Paradyne and myself not a member of government stands.
Though I suppose a border town or two might've been ignored given their separated nature."
Fluder looked up from a thick leather tome.
"She is most likely right, I personally didn't check the other cities assuming the capital to be either the worst off or the primary target.
Regardless the majority of our government would have collapsed entirely, simply too much relied on the Emperor himself to survive the attack."
All was silent as the two survivors spoke, even Renner was stopped silent as she listened to the facts of her situation. She'd assumed he was exaggerating when the messenger said there was literally no Empire to be found but perhaps things were worse than she'd imagined.
Thoughts for another day, more pressing matters required her attention.
"I hope that helps put the consequences of angering our benefactor into perspective, he is simply not a threat Re Estize can handle.
A few dragons, however? Even we could take that down, eventually. And it's not as though we're fighting alone here he's promised a supplementary force while we fight. Should we do well we may even be allowed to keep the forces he brings."
Zanac raised his brow.
"What sort of army does he possess?
Golems or some sort?"
Renner let out a silent sigh, she was told to be upfront regarding his army but saying what it was may very well ruin his reputation, besides herself, Climb, and Raeven possibly including her brother, no one knew that this benefactor was the exact mage who crippled the kingdom almost a year ago.
"Summons I'm led to believe, among others, specifically undead."
It took approximately five seconds for those not aware to put the pieces together, then came the outrage.
Zanac was the first voice she noticed out of the cacophony of yells.
"You traitorous bitch! I knew you'd plotted against our brother but the very kingdom itself? Despicable!"
Raeven was beside him and hence just as easily heard but he'd known more than most in the room anyhow.
"I figured your obsession was strong enough to sow chaos but this is, disappointing."
The yelling continued as the many who'd known nothing added their opinions.
Margrave Urovana simply let out a string of expletives not bothering to form a proper sentence in his outrage.
Marquis Pespea however was perhaps the one voice of reason among the small crowd.
"So the man who could've wiped away the kingdom instead focused on our enemies, was this your doing Your Majesty?"
"Enough!"
A new voice broke the shouting match.
Stepping into the tent was a man in his final years, his eyes lined with black circles from a lack of sleep and the scowl of someone whose patience had long since vanished.
Ramposa the third stepped confidently into the room as if he hadn't spent a year in seclusion.
"If you want to bicker like children go home and talk to your wives we don't have the time nor the need to fight over this now.
Renner, I assume you've known of him since the beginning?"
She only nodded.
"Then just how strong is he? Will all this delaying even work should we succeed?"
"Zanac, Marquis Raeven you might be right on your theory.
His power is, blinding, to say the least."
"Then simply put, we must deal with the consequences later for now we organize our forces.
We'll start with this mage's army interposed within our own, acting as a reinforcement to our usual squads that could prolong their survival.
As for your elite soldiers, we should keep them as a hit-and-run unit assisting wherever needed.
Again our goal isn't to win this it is to survive long enough for the mage to finish things, any questions?"
Silence.
"Then let's begin with the morale issue, seeing the queen and her father among the front line should help immensely."
The Forest of Tob.
How had things gone wrong so fast?
Of course, a total evacuation wouldn't be so simple but one would think a day or two would be expected before the absolute worst came to pass.
Two groups eyed each other warily weapons already drawn.
Zaryusu gripped frost pain as tightly as he could, across the small clearing stood an army of dwarves which not only outclassed his people but outnumbered them as well.
Hesitantly he took a step forward his brother mimicking the action.
"So thoughts?"
He asked.
"Assuming we don't kill each other in a few seconds you me and the other chiefs could survive. That's about it."
Zaryusu sighed taking the last step placing him directly between the two forces.
His brother spoke first.
"I am Shasuryu Shasha acting chief of the lizardmen tribes, this is my brother Zaryusu Shasha our best warrior, we mean no harm I only ask that we pass by peacefully."
The rows of armored dwarves parted and eight people stepped forward.
The one to speak was different than his fellows as he appeared the least serious his face seemingly in a permanent smile.
"We are the regency council the highest dwarven authority, let us talk calmly, our men will relax should yours do the same."
Shasuryu raised his hand quelling the growing panic behind them, the dwarves followed and soon the two parties were only a meter from one another.
"First an apology, our men are jumpier than usual, and when we saw your tribe so suddenly we almost panicked.
Second, a question, why are so many of you in one place I was led to believe the lizardmen tribes had settled around the lake?"
Shasuryu hesitated.
"I assume you haven't been aware of the forest goings on of late?"
The council collectively nodded.
"Up until the last few days or so undead of monstrous strength have been found roaming the forest killing everything in sight.
It was less than a month ago that the lake itself was attacked by a hoard of undead, and what we assume to be their creator."
The council whispered to each other before the same cheery man spoke again.
"How strong were these undead to cause you to flee your homes?"
Zaryusu was the one to respond.
"Strong enough to kill my pet hydra in two hits, and there were easily a hundred of them."
The whispering resumed with an audible layer of fear.
"We have a proposal you may be interested in."
"Go on?"
"You see we're quite lost and could use a guide out of the forest something we can see you wish to do as well. How would you and your tribes feel about joining us in this journey?
We'd even feed you though I doubt our spices would be very appetizing."
"We should discuss this with the other tribe leaders."
One short discussion later the two groups were moving out of the forest at a vastly increased speed.
The dwarves now know where to go and the lizardmen no longer fearing for their lives.
Zaryusu found himself beside a member of the council as they walked, this one armed to the teeth and wearing a full set of plate armor.
"So what was so devastating to force you all to flee the mountain?"
"A force of mole-like Demi-humans had breached our last stronghold forcing us to either flee or die in a final stand.
As you can see we fled."
"Then our situations aren't so different, a shame so much life has been lost these last few months.
Where are your people headed after the forest?"
"The Baharuth Empire, our craftsmen are second to none so we should be able to barter for refuge.
What about you and yours?"
"Again not so different, close to the Empires borders should be a relatively untouched plain we could settle. The lifestyle change will be hard but with time we should find a river to call our own."
"Perhaps our two nations will meet again in the Empire."
"Perhaps."
The Empire?
From nothing came a monument of architecture, at least to those not familiar with the concept of concrete and steel.
Hilma was among the first of the Eight fingers to witness the literal town they had bought from the mage.
He'd taken the idea of a safe haven to heart and built a small town that could fit a few thousand easily.
It was however the ugliest set of buildings she'd ever witnessed in her life, worse than the whore houses and drug dens of the slums, at least those looked livable.
Here towering monoliths of stone seemed to serve only to house those living there and nothing else, grey featureless walls that rose tens of stories off the ground the only thing breaking up the monotony of it all were the evenly spaced windows.
Even the streets were boring with perfect squares of stone surrounding every building somehow making the marvel of paved roads unpleasant to look at.
As she walked the barren roads another oddity of the town appeared, unlike in a normal town there stood no center. Where villages would have a well or cities a plaza here there were only lines of grey.
"Is he a fan of grey or was this outside his control?"
She was startled by the only thing her companion had spoken all day. Since her meeting with the mage, Azuth had gone silent save for his occasional jabs at the mage and the string of inhuman fear he orchestrated.
"Perhaps you're right, this could have been some spell that limited his use of materials and decor.
No matter, once we move in proper the place will feel as welcoming as we want it."
"And what might that entail?"
"First of all, we'd need to establish our right as rulers of this place, if our forces see this as an opportunity to rebel we have to crush it fast.
There's also the issue of the neighbors not taking kindly to a nation of criminals forming. Being labeled a bandit nation would ruin all hope of trade for the future."
"Hmm, would you truly be criminals if the laws reflected your desires?"
Before Hilma could ponder a utopia of her own design two figures emerged from inside one of the towers.
What startled her more than their sudden appearance was that she recognized both men. On the left was the once-first prince of Re Estize Barbro seemingly alive after his head was paraded in the capital as a traitor to the kingdom.
On his right was yet another ghost, Succulent of the six arms a man who'd personally been killed by the mage if her network was to be believed.
Both men were far from dead though as each carried a certain vitality as they passed their gazes over Hilma and Azuth.
"Be careful everything they're wearing is enchanted right down to their shoes."
Came a whisper from behind, despite his heroic nature Azuth was a man of contracts and promises, he'd protect her to the bitter end. Or until his end of the deal was finished.
"Ah so you are here, good the Master wished to inform you that preparations are nearing completion and only a few days are left before we move your people."
Barbro said with the cadence of a man reading the latest book about dirt.
"In the meantime, we were tasked to fetch and secure you and your companion."
Both men started walking towards Hilma but Azuth quickly interposed himself.
"Why has he asked for us?
Our deal is far from over so he can wait to collect until the end."
Barbro and Succulent stopped, sharing a look before Succulent spoke.
"Master is concerned for your safety as a war has broken out in the kingdom and he wishes to ensure you can uphold your end. Death would make such a thing difficult to do."
Hilma pushed past Azuth's hard armor.
"War? With whom?"
They answered in unison.
"A dragon lord."
As the group left the odd city Azuth couldn't help but gaze toward the untamed wilds outside the city.
He didn't need the suit's sensors to notice the thousands of feet marching toward the city.
"Ironic."
Nazarick.
The throne room was silent.
Nothing moved.
Not even the cosmetic effects on the chandeliers glowed as they usually did.
Momonga leaned forward his hands intertwining as his forehead rested upon them.
'It's over.
After all these years it's really over.
I-i can't do this anymore.'
"So don't do it dumbass!"
Momonga's head shot up and his jaw fell.
Standing before the throne was the goat demon Ulburt, he'd come back.
"You sit here moping about the lost memories like they don't still exist, I knew you were a little depressed but fuck man it was just a game!
I know we had fun and all but if you don't pick your boney ass up and start fixing yourself up we won't be able to defend the tomb!
So what are we gonna do?"
Momonga stiffened.
What would they do?
The tomb was half empty, the world powers hated him, and a hoard of dragons was coming to scour the land in search of him.
Well, the answer was starting to become obvious.
"We fight like we always have."
"Why?"
"Because Ainz Ooal Gown does not know defeat."
"Damn straight now let's go."
The first stop was the treasury where everything the guild had ever earned now lay. Among its millions of trinkets and various equipment were several thousand unsorted items and some of these items were gear that rivaled what Momonga now wore, of course, it wouldn't outclass his custom-made gear but it could come infinitely close.
Obviously, none of it would leave the room, instead, he marched straight for the lowest end of gear a neatly organized shelf labeled 'Drops'.
First, he gathered rings, even the black dragon protecting the entrance could use a ring or two. Second was weapons, swords, axes, and spears, nothing custom or divine tier but all powerful nonetheless.
Then came the armor, around a thousand sets of a very specific set, it was a drop from a low-level mob that spawned just outside the tomb. Being pre-enchanted and low level it wasn't even worth selling however it did have a nifty effect should you wear the full set, a flat rate HP boost.
For higher levels it was less than a drop in the ocean, for the armies of Re Estize it would make them nigh unkillable.
Momonga moved on.
Over the last year he'd summoned close to five thousand undead above level fifty and by now most were around level eighty, they needed appropriate gear just like One.
One!
Where the hell was he during this mess?
He was supposed to be a trump card why wasn't he here defending the tomb like he was summoned for?
Later, though there wasn't much choice, his leveling was just as important to Nazarick's survival in the long term.
Lastly, he came upon the heart of the treasury, or one of them anyway, a mountain of gold coins numbering in the billions.
Gold was used for everything in Yggdrasil from food to god-slaying weapons enough gold could earn you a place atop the world, A mirror image of the earth he once called home.
With several million gold in his inventory, he made his way to one of the few places seemingly untouched by the lack of NPCs, the library of Ashurbanipal.
He'd come here before to summon both the dragons and the few hanzos he'd sent out but since then this place lay untouched.
As he surveyed the rows of scrolls and books it more and more resembled an arsenal as a veritable army of mercenary monsters called this place home, all he had to do was spend a little gold.
The collector deep inside him died an honorable death as the first martyr in the war.
Cold wind swept across an open field the grass swaying gently without a hint of the sheer violence that would soon be brought upon this place.
Spear tips glowed like miniature suns as the points high above caught the first light of day far before their wielders.
Some hundred thousand men had been gathered to defend their country and homes not one certain they'd live to see the result.
Momonga would've smiled if his bony visage allowed such a thing.
Instead, he just sat there enjoying the sight of his armies.
Renner had more than earned another favor with this.
As daylight finally reached the rear of the human army he called to his own forces and like obedient dogs they moved.
Five portals, five rips in the very fabric of space tore themselves open ahead of the humans laying themselves between the very world and Momonga's allies.
Were it not for a significant forewarning and the threat of what they would soon face a rout would've torn the army apart.
Out of the swirling masses of energy came five thousand death knights their levels ranging between the standard forty-five and a few who'd reached the staggering high of level eighty.
As the rows of undead aligned themselves the next group came immediately after, two hundred and fifty elementals with every type Momonga could find in the library; light, dark, fire, water, earth, electricity, nature, wind, poison, and ice.
What followed that was a never-ending wave of low-level undead these numbered so high that Momonga had to stop counting somewhere around the quarter million range.
One last thing came from these portals, to even see it move made Momonga slump his head in shame for among the millions of items among the treasures in Nazarick only a handful of these existed.
The ground shuddered as the being took its first step into the world and with it came a wave of gasps from the human observers.
A body that would easily tower over the walls of E Rantel came forth, its metallic skin changing into every possible color the longer you looked at it, and atop its head stood a crown that shone so bright it hurt to look at.
This being though smaller than the guardian of the fourth floor 'Gargantua' was still a behemoth at a towering twenty meters tall.
In Yggdrasil, this golem was barely noticed save for its size and a great haul of materials upon death but here where the strongest metal was only adamantite it would be unstoppable.
The Prismatic King was a level one hundred mob only found deep within the mines of prismatic ores. though not a challenge itself considering the strength of players in control of such a mine it could easily tank most attacks with its absurd health pool.
Add on a natural defense buff and you had one of the heartiest mobs in the games and only its weak attacks saved players from yet another boss.
This was his army and though a mockery of the guild's heyday it still stood as a beacon of Ainz Ooal Gown's power.
Save for the autumn breeze all was silent.
The very air was ripped in two leaving a fading shimmer as the world worked to put itself back together.
Brain swung again and found this effect repeated as the world itself seemed to fight the weapon in his hands.
The katana he wielded was to be a gift during this battle as his usual weapon would be less than useless in a fight of this caliber. It was unlikely he'd even get a chance to swing it seriously but should the time come better to do damage than simply annoy his opponent.
Atop this, he was also given a set of enchanted armor so finely made he truly believed it to not have been crafted but rather appeared in the world exactly as it was. Accrediting his thought were the thousand matching sets donned by the queen's pick and what few commanders who would need the added protection.
"So sir knight are you ready to die for your country?"
Climb's shit-eating grin alongside the armor broke Brain the instant he saw it and he erupted in laughter.
"Haa, nope not taking you seriously with this shit on, for super magic armor it has to be the dumbest looking gear in the world."
The gear in question despite its laundry list of benefits was so ugly some people nearly refused it had they not seen these two wearing it.
A bright purple cloth hood, a plate chest piece with a poorly drawn animal across it, and a pair of pants dyed just the right shade of brown to make one question whether the scent of shit was coming from the sewer or the pants.
Brain wiped away a tear turning to the back of their rainbow guardian.
"So what do you think about him?"
"Who the mage?"
"Yeah, I mean just look at us, two years ago this kingdom was nearing total anarchy and now we have a giant made of metal about to fight a fuckin hoard of dragons.
Everything I've known about the world has killed itself and I'm certain he's the one giving out the knives."
"You remember what Raeven said?"
"That he thinks one of the gods has come back?"
"Yeah, well I was there for a few of the meetings, never in the room but I could sometimes catch the odd piece from what he was saying to Renner.
Personally, I have no clue about the god bit but I think he's just as crazy as he is powerful."
"How so?"
"Aside from being paranoid beyond reason he always had these stories to tell and even if they were true he always talked with this distance in his voice.
Like he's not paying attention to what he's saying but he can still talk without issue, it was, odd."
Brain was still as he recalled what little he'd seen in the throne room.
"I never saw him breathing."
"What?"
"Not once did he stop talking to inhale nor did he shift in the slightest as others were talking. His voice too, hard to notice but I could tell it was almost like he wasn't the only one speaking."
The giant took a step forward.
"That is odd."
The army followed behind.