Queen Eilyte slowly made her way through the tunnels under the island's mountain, her current destination being the underwater cavern where their god Cthalpi resided. She was wearing a simple virginal white robe, with a golden depiction of her god on the back. It was long. So much so that part of it dragged on the floor.

There were several corridors, but only a few actually lead to the god's lair, with the others leading to either dead ends or deadly traps. On the walls, with about 2 meters of distance between each, were torches where green fire burned, painting the corridors with sickly greenish light. The tunnels were wide enough for 4 people to walk next to each other without much problems.

Knowing exactly the path to follow, Eilyte soon found herself in a large chamber. It was perfectly rectangular, with a stone path connecting the entrance to the exit, and width was nearly the same as a tunnel. On the ceilings were several lamps with the same green flames that decorated the corridors. Eilyte took one step on the bridge, when on the other side something began to emerge from the dark water.

It was a mass of gelatinous flesh, tentacles, eyes, and teeth filled maws. Said mass then began to take something one could call shape, as it amazingly began to reduce its massive body into a more humanoid shape. The creature continued to collapse and fold, until finally it took a form only slightly taller than the queen herself. Since its appearance, the thing had been making a sound, which could only be described as whistling, yet the noise itself was nothing more then a mockery of a human voice.

The creature had taken the shape of a generic looking woman with pale skin, long dark gray hair, similarly colored eyes, with a small bust and a robe not too different from the woman before it. It almost looked like an actual human being, outside of the fact that it still showed some slime like properties. The still whistling figure, which now seemed to be emitting the noise from its lips, suddenly stopped and spoke.

"Tekeli-li." It said in a mock greeting.

Eilyte naturally knew what it was, especially this old and evolved individual of the slime species. Before her now stood one of the Proto-Shoggoth, the first of its kind, and was summoned at the same time as the Deep One Priest, and with its great age had grown far stronger than the Proto-Shoggoth created and used by the Deep Ones.

"Stand aside. I wish to pray in peace." She announced beginning to walk towards the creature.

"You can do that somewhere else." It said, in a plane voice which seemed to belong to both male and female.

The queen gritted her teeth in anger. This Proto-Shoggoth much like the Priest and the other guardian of her god, infuriated with how they seemed to see themselves as her equal or superior. She was the queen of this island, surely, she should rule over all, naturally she did not want to go against Cthalpi's decisions, but wouldn't it have been better if these guardians were subservient to the queen?

While in her thoughts Eilyte missed the opportunity to growl out some kind of reply at the guardian, as the creature took a step to the side and revealed the other guardians. She had not heard the figure approach, but that was not new as that was always the case. This guardian moved without making a sound, almost as if it had no feet.

The new arrival was an old looking man with an ancient looking robe with a hood, and wore gloves whose age matched the rest of his clothing. He had a bland expression, which surprisingly felt very warm and welcoming to her even after all the times she had seen it. Yet his face bore unmoving eyes, and its face was very wax like. She had remembered that as a child it had tricked her, but now she knew that his face was in fact a mask.

This was a unique individual on the island, who had been summoned at the same time as the Priest and the other slime-like guardian. It was said that it possibly held more power than the two of them, yet currently no one could be sure of it, and that while it did not wield a [Necronomicon] of its own, it could use any other in existence. The second guardian was one of the Kings Worms, beings who were said to come from the corruption of normal worms when these consumed be body of evil inclined individuals.

The new arrival beckoned her to follow as it motioned deeper into the tunnel where her god rested. The Kings Worm rarely spoke, seemingly because its true voice would show its lack of humanity. That being why it used its body to communicate.

She followed it down the corridor and away from the bridge, where she could still hear the Proto-Shoggoth slowly go back into the water, where it normally resided in its true form. Soon she arrived at a much smaller cavern, which unlike the rest of the tunnels, seemed to be naturally formed. Yet on its walls were carved several symbols and the depictions of ancient history. Even some events which were said to have yet happened. In this chamber rested the underwater pool where Cthalpi rested. Its water was crystal clear, and anyone could see inside a massive black shape resting at its bottom.

Eilyte took a few steps into the cavern, when suddenly one of the ancient guardian's gloved hands grabbed onto her robe pulling it, and effectively exposing her body. This made very visible her unused gills, and certain patches of skin which were scaled like a fish or Deep One. To this she replied with an angered hiss. It wasn't because it was looking at her naked body, but the fact the thing that looked like an old man had not warned her. However, the Kings Worm simply used its other hand to motion to the water, transmitting to her an order, not a suggestion or request.

Doing her best to ignore him, knowing that a fight was not the best way to go about it, especially in the location she was in, the queen simply looked away from the fiend and walked towards the water. There, she sat by the edge, letting her legs partially go in. Clasping her hands together she closed her eyes and concentrated on what was bothering her. She thought of her insecurities as a queen and above that her fear of not being able to bare a successor. Having visualized these things in her mind, she allowed her body to fall into the water and join Cthalpi.

Annika was on her knees, her hands clasped together, her head hung low and her eyes closed in silent prayer. She called upon her gods and asked for strength to see through the task Aizen had asked of her.

She was in one of the empty bedrooms in the manor in E-Rantel, the only window was blocked by the curtain, so the only light came from the several candles lit around the room. Normally, Annika had a shrine with depictions of the Four Great Gods. However, given the nature of the situation she had not had time to set it up. She was wearing a simple gown since it was easy to put on or take off.

Just earlier Aizen had asked her to resurrect the dead. Something the both of them believed she could do, even if one of the corpses was badly burnt. However, because of her abilities, this process would involve extensive physical contact with the body. That was the reason why at first, she refused to do it. Still, in the end she gave in to her superior's request. Such was his skill with words and her wish to not fail him, even if the situation did not feel that comfortable for her.

Having now taken on a task that, not only she had never done before, to succeed at it twice, and for two bodies that could not be in less than perfect condition. That was why she was deep in prayer to her gods. She had been doing so for a while, and was just now in the last prayer she knew and found useful for the situation. She then took a deep breath, and continued her prayers directing them now to someone she placed above the Four Gods she had learned to worship and serve.

This new addition who stood above all in her eyes was the one who gave her, her new power, Aizen. After meeting him, Amelia saw in him a god of flesh and blood. Someone who could bend the rules of the world to his own will, yet he himself would never bend to anyone. Her faith and commitment to him were enough to have Annika put her own feelings aside and try to fulfill an assignment that went well beyond what she was comfortable with. That being said, Annika now sent all her prayers to Aizen, the great god who would one day replace the four she worshiped.

Several moments later, Annika was interrupted by a knock at the door, the female Espada was quickly brought back from her prayers as she knew this meant that the time had come, and she would have to see her task through.

"Please enter.~" She said, and the door opened revealing Alvis.

"We have recovered the bodies from the morgue, like Aizen-sama requested. W-When will you be able to begin?" Alvis nervously asked.

"R-Right away. I ask you to bring the body of the woman first."

Tsaindorcus Vaision strengthened his will so as to keep his control over his armor absolute. He felt as if the situation had gone from bad to worse, as before him stood someone he genuinely never expected to see again. Before him was the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, a being who in the past unfortunately lived up to his title, and because of that had to be put down.

Put down he was, or so he thought, as he seemed rather well from the presence his armor exuded. So much so he seemed stronger. Not only that, but his presence was different from the Dragon Lord he knew in the past. Yet, he was still similar enough to be recognizable as the same being.

His thoughts were brought to a quick end when his opponent took one step forward. The motion, coupled with the shock of the situation and what had happened before, caused the Platinum Dragon Lord to act like a rookie and reflexively attack. With one motion he sent all of his weapons flying at his opponent. An action that was greeted by Naz'da'gar placing his broadsword in a vertical position between himself and the incoming weapons, without the use of hand motions.

"I'm not here to play around." Naz'da'gar hissed.

His blade began to spin like a fan, creating a surprisingly effective barrier that blocked the incoming projectiles, sending them flying in every direction. Stopping the rotation of his sword, the Dragon Lord grabbed on to its hilt and once again stared the Platinum Dragon Lord down.

"Have you come for revenge?" Tsaindorcus asked, straightening his posture.

"Would that surprise you?"

"No…" The Platinum Dragon Lord said as he sighed.

"Understand that what I did to you in the past was my only option. And was something you brought upon yourself." He then added.

"It is shocking to see that the great Platinum Dragon Lord justifying murder with his lack of ability to handle those that go against his ideals." Naz'da'gar growled.

"Preposterous! You know very well it was your actions that forced me to attack you! You were offered an opportunity if you ceased your pointless slaughter, one which you dismissed. After that what was I supposed to do!?" The Platinum Dragon Lord roared back.

"I have told you in the past, that my actions were far from pointless. I simply did what you and the rest of our kind are to cowardly to do, and bring about true peace in this world." Naz'da'gar argued with anger in his words.

"The slaughter of entire towns and settlements is not a justifiable act!"

"I slaughtered them, so as to put an end to all possible threats to the order you hold so dear. Do not stand there and say that I attacked people at random like some monster. You are very aware of those who I destroyed, and what they were doing in the background. Yet, you stood in the background, far too concerned with the "big" threats. Too blind to see the ones brewing in your own backyard!" The Catastrophe Dragon Lord shouted back.

"But…" He said as he paused, and then continued.

"I do admit that my methods were rather crude and ineffective. It was far too great a mission to be undertaken by one being, or via the means I employed. However, as I'm sure you can see, much has changed, that includes my methods." Naz'da'gar informed.

Tsaindorcus Vaision, was stunned with what his attacker said. Never would he have expected the Catastrophe Dragon Lord to change his mentality to such a degree. If he had ever expected that to be possible, he would have never been forced to try and kill him. Still, he did not know what had actually changed, but from how his fellow Dragon Lord spoke, he was expecting a more well thought out and peaceful approach.

"Yet, that does not mean, I will let you go unpunished for what you did to me." Naz'da'gar growled.

Tightening the grip on his sword, Naz'da'gar then enveloped his blade in a purple aura. Seeing this the Platinum Dragon Lord heightened his senses to their max and unleashed his next attack. Clapping his hands together, the weapons that were scattered around the area shot in the direction of his adversary. His opponent however was faster than he expected, as he lunged towards him, before his blades could make any contact.

Not letting his surprise get to him, Tsaindorcus prepared to redirect his weapons to his advancing opponent, hopping to hit him in the back. However, before he could do anything, a figure appeared between them, this surprise seemingly stunning both of the Dragon Lords, as Naz'da'gar stopped his charge almost immediately. The new arrival seemed human in appearance. However, he felt different than any other Tsaindorcus had come across. He even felt different than the beings from YGGDRASIL. He was wore all white clothing, with a katana on his left, and a confident yet calm expression.

"That is enough, Naz'da'gar." The stranger calm said.

"Keh! It's not like I was going to kill him." Naz'da'gar remarked.

"Either way, I will not allow this conflict to escalate any further. He is too valuable of a possible ally to antagonize."

"A-As you wish." Naz'da'gar replied, much to Tsaindorcus' surprise.

"Greetings. I am Aizen. Sōsuke Aizen." The new arrival said.

Once again, the Platinum Dragon Lord did not know what to say or think. The name was not entirely new to him, as he had gotten some information on the Espada Mercenary Company. What didn't match up to his information, was the description he had been given of the man that went by that same name. He also now understood who was the mysterious man in armor that was part of the group.

He was unsure how to proceed. While Naz'da'gar seemed fully passive since the arrival of Aizen, the man himself was impossible to read. His eyes felt very overwhelming and dominant, yet at the same time managed to put him at a strange sense of ease. As if he could place all of his hopes on this man, and in return had them fulfilled.

"Tsaindorcus Vaision. Also known as the Platinum Dragon Lord." He managed to say.

"I am honored to be in the presence of another one of your kind." Aizen said, with a small, cordial bow.

The Platinum Dragon Lord was silent. He was unsure of how he should reply to such strange kindness and cordiality. It in no way felt faked or forced, and certainly this Aizen was not affected by being in the presence of a Dragon Lord. Perhaps he should answer honesty with honesty and get his questions out of the way.

"Why are you here?"

"Like I said, I did not want this conflict to escalate. I also was interested in meeting a potential ally." Aizen replied calmly.

"Ally?" The Dragon Lord asked, with a tone that implied a raised eyebrow.

"Indeed. Of course, I make this offer with some basis. From what I've been told I believe that in the future our interests might align, and that one of us will call upon the other for help. I was wondering if until then, we would simply be able to coexist? And of course, this incident would be put behind us." The Shinigami informed.

Tsaindorcus pondered silently on the offer. It was rather vague in its nature, and he was simply offered help in the future, or he himself would have to aid them, as long as he ignored this incident. He didn't think that Aizen would call upon him to do anything questionable in nature, his eyes and expression told him that much. Letting the incident go didn't seem like that big an issue, since so far Aizen had kept the Catastrophe Dragon Lord in check, and how he acted towards Aizen showed him that this wouldn't change anytime soon.

"Very well. I will take you up on your offer Aizen."

"I am glad to hear that. Now, I would also like to know what you were running from. I can assume it is the same thing that created that hole in your right shoulder." The Shinigami remarked.

A silence fell upon the trio, as the Platinum Dragon Lord felt like he had gotten himself into a difficult situation. His instincts told him that Aizen was not related to the creature he had faced, at least not directly. Still, talking to him about the creature, did not feel right, no matter how much Aizen's expression put him at ease.

"Answer the question." Naz'da'gar growled in his impatience.

"I do not see how it is of any benefit to you to know anything about it." Tsaindorcus said, looking at Aizen.

"I understand your concern for our newly formed alliance. However, I believe that if the creature was strong enough stand up to one of the strongest Dragon Lords, and make him withdraw, said creature should be further analyzed."

"And who would you send, in order to 'test' the creature?"

"I would go of course." Aizen replied in a relaxed fashion.

Once again the Dragon Lord felt uneasy with the sheer presence, power and confidence Aizen exuded. It made him see no issues with telling Aizen about the creature. In the back of his mind he also saw this as an opportunity to know more about Aizen, which at the moment felt like a necessary thing.

"You can go in the same direction I came from. You will arrive at a large clearing, with a female undead in red colored armor. I believe she will only attack if provoked or when you are within a certain range." Tsaindorcus informed, pointing in the direction behind him.

"Thank you." Aizen said, before vanishing.

"…"

Tsaindorcus was about to speak, when Naz'da'gar spoke over him.

"We should wait for him to return."

Using Shunpo, Aizen quickly arrived at said clearing where in the center rested the undead that had been mentioned to him. The creature was unmoving in the center of the clear area. Aizen eyed her carefully, it was strange that something like this would be left to guard an open area.

What his intuition told him was that she was either left here to get someone else's attention, or on the opposite side her being here was a complete whim. Analyzing the creature and her armor from the distance, he felt that she was too high leveled to be in a place like this in order to get attention. No, having something like her here was a complete waste, that much he could tell. Either way, Aizen was certain he would find his answer soon enough.

Via Shunpo, Aizen reduced the distance between them to less than half, at which point the female undead lifted her head bathing him with pure killing intent, before she lunged at him. Taking advantage of the simple nature of the attack, Aizen threw himself to the right easily dodging it, before lifting his left hand towards her.

"Bakudō #4. Hainawa."

At his command a yellow rope of Reishi darted from his hand to the creature, which from it's pale skin and red eyes Aizen believed to be a vampire, wrapping around her and for the moment seemingly immobilizing her.

"Y-You insect!" She roared.

"I ask you to remain still. It will make this much easier."

As Aizen said this he slowly unsheathed his blade, to which the creature's eyes went to as soon as it was bathed by the sunlight. To the sight of the weapon, the vampire simply laughed, right before tensing her muscles and breaking free of the restraints.

"Do not make me laugh. As if someone of your level can do something to me." She laughed.

"Perhaps. Still, must we fight?" Aizen asked, giving her a somewhat charm filled expression.

"Oya.~ Fight? Not really. For someone like you, punishment is more fitting. But do not worry, I will take your above average human looks into consideration." She replied with a mischievous tone.

Once again, the female vampire lunged at her prey. This time she went for him with her free hand wanting to grab him. However, just like before he managed to avoid the attack by throwing himself back, which only managed to further amuse her. He was like a hamster who once freed from his cage would run around, and even try to escape its master, as the simple animal he was.

"Ara! It seems like I will have to put you in a cage.~" She remarked.

"But before we get to that, [Charm Species]!" The vampire added.

For a moment her prey's face seemed to shift before going back to normal, seemingly satisfied by the result as her face twisted into a perverse expression.

"Why don't you come to me?" She suggested.

He didn't say anything but accepted her offer as he began to approach her, stopping only when he was at arm's reach of her.

"Such a well behaved pet you are. But, I did say you would be punished."

With one swift motion, she hit the man in the chest with her free hand, easily sending him into the ground. Before he had anytime to even consider getting up from the ground, she stepped on his head, doing her best so as to not kill her new toy.

"Much better, don't you think? Beings like you only deserve to be under my feet."

She began to feel a certain heat beginning to form in her midsection, as she looked upon the figure of his form under her feet. The thought of his face, which she almost pitied for having been born in such a bland world as this, being deformed by her foot. She could already imagine dragging him home, having him healed, just to chain him and break him down all over again, over and over again until she got bored.

Her thoughts came to a swift end, when a hand fell on her right shoulder. The touch was so slight and so calm, that it didn't cause her to attack right away, but instead turn her head to as to see who it was. Much to her surprise it was her prey, who showed no signs of having been under her feet or on the floor. Her eyes then darted to the floor when she realized that under her foot was a rock instead.

"Fascinating." Her prey remarked in a calm tone.

He followed this by raising his other hand, pulling back his middle finger with his thumb, releasing it afterwards, effectively flicking her. At first she didn't expect nothing, but soon she found herself being sent flying by the physical force behind the blow. The strength was such that she was sent several feet back, until ultimately, she was sent rolling across the floor and into the dirt. What Aizen had just used was a Hakuda move used by high leveled Shinigami called, "Oni Dekopin". He knew its effectiveness, as he had once been on its receive end.

"I was led to believe your kind ware immune to mind altering abilities. Since that rule does not seem to apply to you, do you really deserve to feel as superior as you do?" Aizen asked with a smirk.

Almost as if his words had a physical effect on her, the vampire got back to her feet with lightning speed, her face twisted with anger and her eyes adorned with a crimson glow. Anyone else would most likely expect an attack from her at this point. However, Aizen did not. From what he had learned so far, she had a great tendency to speak, and boasting herself and blemish her adversaries. That being said, she would first speak and counter his questioning of her abilities, before seeing her words through with actions.

"How dare you!? I am Shalltear Bloodfallen! One of the servants of the Supreme Beings! I will not be mocked by the likes of you!" She roared balefully at him.

"I see. Then, why are you in a place like this? Alone nonetheless. Have these 'Supreme Beings', forsaken you?" Her prey asked, with that hatefully calm and confident expression.

"A-Alone…"

Shalltear froze, her mind going back to everything that had happened before. She had remembered having attacked a group of people. Then there was a flash, but everything after that was a blur. As her mind worked on trying to make reason of her being there, her eyes kept themselves on her prey, her senses for the first time taking him in fully.

It was then that she felt something strange about him. Almost as if something about his nature was actively trying to assault her. With this new revelation, her mind easily transitioned from questioning her circumstances and her ideas of keeping him as a pet, to the idea of killing him. Surely, that would be the only option to someone who had mocked her, and now was assailing her with his presence alone.

"I've had enough of hearing you talk. I will now do what I should have done in the beginning, and squash you like the bug you are!" Shalltear growled.

"Indeed. Let us finish this."

Ignoring him, Shalltear attacked head on. However, this time she placed effort into her attack, not like before where she was putting in her attacks the same effort one does behind swatting away a fly. Easily closing the distance between them, with lightning speed she easily pierced through her opponent's gut.

She saw his body bend forwards, yet he continued to infuriate her, as instead of a shocked or painfilled expression, he was wearing an amused smirk on his face. Her mood worsened as his image faded, leaving behind his suit jacket, her senses quickly picked up on her prey, who was now not to far to her right, his upper body covered only by a thin shirt.

"Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō."

She saw him aim his index finger at her which sparked with yellow energy, this was followed by the appearance of six energy beams that slammed into her mid-section before she could react. Shalltear let out superior sounding laugh. Her immunities to resist binding and immobilizing made her feel confident that she could break out of it if she wished.

Noting that her left arm was free from the restraints, she went to lift it and use magic on her target, just to find herself unable to do so. She naturally tried to free herself from them, but found that her wild attempts at freedom did not work. Her eyes then widened in shock, unable to grasp how she could have been rendered immobile due to her passives and immunities. Nothing made sense to Shalltear as her mind reeled from the implications. Just then she heard him speak again.

"Do not worry. You will be free after I am done. That being said, allow me to say my goodbye." He informed, still with that superior expression that filled Shalltear with hate.

Aizen knew that for this part he would have to hold himself back greatly, and suppress the lion's share of his power, so as to not risk killing Shalltear, since something told him that in the long run, him killing her here would not be that beneficial for him. It was her mention of "Supreme Beings", and the obvious fact she did not know why she was there that made him make this decision. So, blocking part off his power, he prepared to cast his final attack.

"Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi."

Shalltear's mouth was agape as she saw another unfamiliar spell take shape all around her in the form of near complete blackness. What further shocked her was the fact that as the Darkness formed all around her, she could not "see" anything. Only black as the hatefully smiling face of the "insect" was all that she last saw, before the darkness overtook her sight.

Aizen did not wait to see the aftermath of the attack. That was no longer important as he felt he had acquired a good gauge of her strength. Having made that decision, he vanished from the scene using Shunpo, leaving the red clad vampire to her fate.

The two Dragon Lords had spent the entire time looking around, not directing a single word to each other, as neither had a particular desire to speak with the other. That was why, Aizen's return was the necessary thing to inject some life back into the bored Dragon Lords.

"Well?" Tsaindorcus asked in an almost eager tone.

"She's still alive."

"Did you risk your life for nothing?"

"Watch your tone." Naz'da'gar growled.

"I understand you are worried, but yes, I did get somethings done." Aizen calmly remarked.

"Her name is Shalltear Bloodfallen. She mentioned being a servant of the 'Supreme Beings'. However, it was visible that she did not know why she was there. In terms of power, you were correct to escape. At least as you are now, you would not able to defeat her." He calmly added.

Tsaindorcus fell into a deep silence, as the new information was very troubling. The designation "Supreme Beings", immediately made him think of the Eight Greed Kings or Six Great Gods, or to a lesser extent those he accompanied in the fight against the Evil Deities. These Supreme Beings were not beings from this world. That was what his gut told him. The same went for this Shalltear Bloodfallen. He wondered if he should share this information with Aizen. As much as the man seemed to be open to a genuine partnership, he believed that telling him that much information would not be wise. At least for the time being.

"When it comes to what should be done with her. I say she should be left as she is." Aizen said, bringing him back from his thoughts.

"You're concerned what these Supreme Beings might do?" The Platinum Dragon Lord asked.

"I am. As she is, they might come back for her. That being said, we should leave her alone for the time being."

"…Very well. Do you need me for anything else?" Tsaindorcus asked.

"Not for the time being."

"Then, I will bid you farewell." With that he vanished into the sky.

"Is it true? Is she that strong?" Naz'da'gar asked.

"Her strength is considerable, but not something the Espada ranked 4 and above could not defeat. But, we can discuss this later. For the time being let us go back."

Arriving back in the manor, Aizen dismissed the Dragon Lord, before making his way back to the office, where Amelia was already waiting for him. Doing so while she looked into a half full glass of wine.

"Did Annika see her mission through?" Aizen asked, closing the door behind him.

"She did. And they have been restrained in the space under the building, like you requested." Amelia replied.

"And how is Annika?"

"She is resting. I don't really know if she needs it, but you asked a lot of her today. Even so she managed to see it through, so I saw nothing wrong with letting her rest for the time being." She informed, finishing her glass.

"I understand. Then, should we go see our new guests?"

"Yes. But before we do that, I want to know what happened while you were away dealing with the Nazz situation." Amelia replied.

"He felt the [Wild Magic] used by his fellow Dragon Lords to control lifeless armors like he does. In this case he felt the magic of Tsaindorcus Vaision, also known as the Platinum Dragon Lord. He also being the one that gave him the near fatal injury that drove him into the cave we found him in."

"And he wanted some kind of retribution for that injury? I guess I understand why Nazz did what he did. Still, going so openly against us is a serious issue." Amelia had sternly pointed out.

"True, but because of this conflict we uncovered something even more interesting." Aizen informed with a please smile, which was enough take Amelia's mind off the Dragon Lord's actions.

"You see, the Platinum Dragon Lord before being attacked by Naz'da'gar was attacked by something else. This allowed me to do two things. First, it allowed me to offer him a partnership, which for the time being he accepted, even if he is still somewhat reluctant to trust us. Second, I also had contact with this creature, confronting her myself."

"Is that why you lost part of your suit?"

"Yes. Her name is Shalltear Bloodfallen. A vampire servant of the 'Supreme Beings', as she put it. However, there was more to her than that, as from what I could determine she was not there on their orders. She herself didn't seem to know why she was there, but she did seem to know that she had to attack whoever came into a specific range. The same should apply to any force that is hostile towards her."

"Could it be that there is something in that area?" Amelia suggested.

"I don't believe that is the case. I felt nothing in the area."

"How strong was she?"

"Her power is considerable…" Aizen began, but Amelia spoke over him.

"Is she stronger then you?"

"No. But she is stronger than most of the Espada. The Espada ranked 4 to 1 should be able to handle her, if transformed. In the case of Naz'da'gar, using his armor he should do somewhat a better job than the Platinum Dragon Lord, but using his own power, victory should not be difficult to achieve." Aizen replied, his words visibly surprising Amelia.

"So, you are telling me that there is something out there that could pose a threat to the Espada? Not only that, but there might also be these 'Supreme Beings' laying in wait somewhere?"

"Correct."

"An unexpected turn of events, that's to be sure. Especially, now that we are dealing with this Momon and Nabe situation…" Amelia remarked, falling into a brief silence.

"Do you think this is in anyway connected?" She asked, not really sounding convinced by her own words.

"Hm. An interesting thought." Aizen admitted.

"But something we can discuss later. For the time being, lead the way." Amelia said.

The duo made their way to the large bookshelf that rested in the room. Aizen placed his hand on one of the books and pulled it back. This caused part of the bookshelves to move apart, revealing a passageway which both stepped into. This was followed by the floor below them to begin moving and lowering, showing that this hidden space was in fact an elevator, which lead them to a small corridor. This stone corridor, had to their left stairs that lead to the entrance in the first floor, and to their right was a large metal door.

Going through the metal door, they arrived in a large open space. It was covered by stone bricks and lit by several torches. In the center of the room were the newly resurrected Clementine and Khajiit Dale Badantel. They were sitting on the floor, having been stripped of their equipment, so that they were now wearing simple looking robes.

Sitting on a small bench near the door was Alvis. He looked bored out of his mind even if he was trying his best to hide it. The responsibility of looking over the prisoners had been placed on him, since he could influence their minds if necessary, and even being the weakest of the Espada he could easily handle the two prisoners.

"Alvis, you are dismissed." Aizen announced, as soon as he entered the room.

"As you wish." The young Espada said, taking a bow before leaving.

"Greetings. I am Aizen. Sōsuke Aizen. This is Amelia. Amelia Bedelia Aigner." Aizen informed.

"Might I know your names?" He added.

"I-I am Khajiit Dale Badantel." The man hesitantly replied.

"Clementine.~" The woman said in a mischievous, albeit disinterested tone.

"I will be very direct with the both of you. I want you to join me and aid the Espada in their cause." Aizen said.

"Uh? And what is this cause?" Khajiit asked incredulously.

"I wish to change this world, and in order to do so, I offer you the chance to join my forces. Of course, as you are, the two of you are rather weak so you will be gifted with a power boost of sorts. In return, I expect full servitude. I believe that isn't asking much, after having brought you two back to life." Aizen replied with a stern, yet superior tone.

Khajiit looked at Aizen, then Amelia. He had lived long enough to understand who these people were, and knew they were the ones in charge. He found himself focused on Aizen's eyes, and they made him shiver. He felt like those eyes would tell him no lie, at least not in this situation. He understood that in Aizen's eyes he was another pawn, one that he would like to have, but failing to obtain it would not be the biggest loss for him.

Khajiit took everything in, like he had done several times after having woken up next to the being named Annika, alive and with his body restored. He had been completely humiliated by that woman, yet he found himself unable to feel anger towards her, since he had been the fool all along. His victory had never been possible, and he doubted that it would have ever been, in the face of a magic caster of her caliber.

Now, he was given new life and new purpose. These people saw in him a possible pawn in their plans to change the world. To be honest he cared little for how they wanted to change it. His past did not allow him much choice when it came to new opportunities.

Aizen even offered him more power, which for him made things immediately more interesting. Above all this, was still the fact that he was alive. That someone brought him back to what for the time being seemed full capacity, even after he had been badly burnt. He needed to learn more about this. He saw in this opportunity a possible way to expand his magical abilities.

"T-The woman that brought us back to life, d-did she also gain her powers from you?" He asked expectantly.

"Correct." Aizen calmly replied.

He was right. This sounded perfect for him. For all that the world knew he was dead. No one would be looking for him now, meaning he could devote all his time to this. Looking at Aizen and Amelia, he got to his knees, then bowed placing his hands and forehead on the floor.

"P-Please, allow me to serve you! Allow me to gain access to such pits of magical knowledge as the one who brought me back did." Khajiit pleaded.

"You have chosen well. Now, what about you, Clementine?" Amelia asked, looking at the woman.

"Since this is a choice, I will decline.~" Clementine replied, jumping back to her feet.

"Oh, really? You're leaving?" Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Correct~" Clementine remarked with a mocking smirk.

"So, you are going back out, and get yourself killed once again?" Aizen asked, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Excuse me~?" She hissed, her head tilting to the side.

"Did I say something wrong? Do you honestly expect a different outcome when you face the same being that killed you again?"

Clementine's face twisted into an expression that was a mix of annoyance and anger, her eyes scanning both him and Amelia. She noted the katana on his left, yet she also didn't feel anything about its owner that gave her a reason to be on guard. She found his eyes extremely annoying. Perhaps she should disarm him, and after that take his eyes. Perhaps she should also take his tongue, that was also beginning to annoy her.

She eyed Khajiit for just a brief moment, quickly dismissing him since he had already pledged his loyalty to the people before them. Clementine then eyed Amelia, she seemed to be a normal human, which for her seemed to be a perfect hostage in the given situation.

Aizen's words served to fuel her anger, as it reminded her of the humiliation she had felt at the hands of some undead magic caster. Not that it mattered now, after making her way out of this place, Clementine was certain that now that she knew what she was dealing with, she would take the undead out.

Strengthening her resolve, Clementine decided to use [Flow Acceleration] and [Pace of the Wind] to close the distance between herself and Aizen. She opted to use both on the man, maybe because he just pissed her off that much.

Activating both [Martial Arts], Clementine lunged at Aizen, however just after she began her attack, she felt something akin to an incredible weight falling on her back, sending her straight onto the floor. Gritting her teeth, Clementine placed her hands on the floor trying to push herself back up, her head moving up and meeting Aizen as she did so.

"Is something wrong, Clementine?" Aizen asked calmly.

"Y-You b-bastard!" She shouted.

"I simply wish for you to reconsider your choice. Understand, that you are not at the level to compete with an Overlord-type undead." The Shinigami informed.

"I-Impossible!" Khajiit said, shock visible in his voice.

"An understandable reaction. An Overlord is a creature of legend, not something one can ever expect to meet. However, we have had a previous experience with one. Based on that experience, and taking into account what we know of what Clementine faced, I believe that it was in fact an Overlord." Aizen explained.

"W-We never stood a chance…" Khajiit mumbled with a nervous chuckle.

Aizen then turned his attention back to Clementine, who was still firmly held under the pressure of his Reiatsu. In order to get quicker results, he made it so that most of the pressure was applied on her back, so as to send her mind back to the moment of her death. This option seemed to be paying out, as during the brief moment he took his attention from her, she seemed to have curled into a fetal position, becoming a quivering mess on the floor.

"Is there something you wish to say, Clementine?" He asked sternly.

"S-Stop…" She mumbled.

"I did not understand. Could you please speak up?"

"S-Stop." Clementine repeated, this time so everyone could listen to her.

"You have to ask nicely. I have no room for unruliness among my people. You have to ask me nicely." Aizen informed, with a stern and commanding tone.

"…"

Clementine was about to speak, but he interrupted her.

"Another thing, this time for the both of you, when referring to me, do so as Aizen-sama. Now, you were saying, Clementine?"

"P-Please… have m-mercy, A-Aizen…-sama."

"Very well." Aizen remarked, lifting his hold on her.

Even after having been freed, Clementine remained as she was, a quivering mess, her mind going through her final moments in the embrace of the undead magic caster.

"Did you break her?" Amelia asked, looking at Clementine.

"In a sense, but do not worry. She won't be difficult to rebuild. Still, perhaps you should go back. You might be needed upstairs, sooner or later. Also have it so that what I told you before we came here, is made known to all Espada." Aizen replied.

"Oy. If you insist." She sighed, leaving as he had suggested.

"Now, the three of us have a lot to discuss." Aizen said, looking at Clementine and Khajiit.

As Ainz entered his usual double room from before, he dispelled his magic and resumed his true form, showing his bleached white marbel face as an Overlord. The mythril plate around his neck clinked loudly against the armor he had created with his magic as he sat down on the cheap straw bed with cotton sheets.

After he had explained his part in the previous night's activities in the incident in the cemetery, he had been awarded that metal plate, along with the adventurer rank it represented. Ainz could not help but feel vindicated and proud from his choices that led to this. Especially the awestruck looks the others in the inn were throwing his way. Still, despite this he also felt dissatisfied.

In his nonexistent heart, he had hoped a promotion all the way to orichalcum rank, and as he fiddled with the plate it reminded him of a similar experience in his original world when he was just Suzuki Satoru, the Japanese salaryman.

"How insolent of those bag-worms to only give you mythril rank, my lord." A nearby Nabe said with venom in her cool voice as she noticed her master picking at his plate.

This brought Ainz out of his musings as he calmly replied.

"Don't say that, Nabe. The guild had reasonable concerns for promoting a newbie so quickly. Still, the surviving guards from last night are speaking of my actions around E-Rantel and raising my name. All as planned." Ainz said in a pleased tone.

Only a small number of people knew of the matter, but when he narrated the events to the guild, "Momon's" accomplishments were truly unbelievable. Though he could have been elevated to orichalcum rank right away, but that hadn't happened because he had no prior accomplishments, and the investigations were not complete. Therefore, the guild decided to be prudent about the matter, so as to not displease a golden talent.

As time goes by, the story of the battle in the cemetery, as well as the great name of "Momon" would spread throughout the city, thanks to the fleeing guards' stories of his exploits. The plan had gone so smoothly that Ainz could not help but be pleased. It had all gone perfectly. His inner reverie was once again interrupted by Nabe's cold voice.

"May I ask how we should deal with those two?"

"Hm? Lizzie and Nfirea Bareare? She said she would pay everything she had. Therefore, I will have her bring Nfirea to Carne Village. They will make potions for me. No, for the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

As Ainz replied, Nabe fell into an uncomfortable silence as he looked upon her. It was clear that something bothered her so Ainz calmly spoke to her.

"Nabe. Is something the matter?"

"Actually, Ai... I mean, Momon-sa...n. I was referring to those two lower lifeforms from the Espada. The ones that were so rude to you in the Adventurer's Guild."

"Ah, you mean them..."

All at once, Ainz understood what she meant. Truthfully, he had forgotten, or more accurately, he pushed it away from his consciousness. The adventurers that came to greet him as he carried Nfirea on his shoulder, had informed him that the only reason that they were able to breach the gate and enter E-Rantel's cemetery was due to the aid of the Espada. The same two members that he had met, before setting out with Nfirea and the Swords of Darkness.

He already knew this for the most part, as one of his passives had allowed him to sense the destruction of his undead summons. The Bone Vultures and Wraiths were low-tier undead summons, so he would not have fretted over it. They held back the adventurers whose ranks ranged from iron to gold, and gave him an even better idea as to the power scaling of the other adventurers. However, his other concerns were raised after that...

"What were their names again?... Eh... Hm... Ah. Leinas and Nazz, wasn't it?" Ainz mindlessly muttered aloud.

"My humblest apologies, Momon-san. I have difficulty remembering the names of these inferior lifeforms." Nabe apologetically stated with a bow.

"Eh? Oh. Ah. Umu. That's fine Nabe." Ainz quickly waved it off as he realized she was replying to him talking to himself.

Dragging his thoughts away from her, Ainz refocused his thoughts on the 2 mercenaries that he met, and the ones the adventurers seemed more than happy to discuss despite their previously established dislike for them. He had listened as closely as he could back then, and it both stirred his curiosity and concerned him regarding two things.

First, his earlier suspicions regarding the potential usefulness of [Martial Arts], and how the adventurers had described them being used to completely decimate the remaining undead at the gates, which included his low-tier summons. Second, was the fact that the 2 Espada had done the same to the mid-tier undead summons he had left behind as another line of defense against interference, Jack the Ripper and Corpse Collector.

Based on what the adventurers had told him, and what he could guess by comparing estimated levels, in order for the Espada to take them on 1-on-1, they would have to be as strong, if not a bit stronger than Gazef Stronoff, or that Clementine woman he had "fought". This made him curious and he wondered as to how to make use of the Espada in the future, and his desire to gather more information on them grew.

'It really surprised me that a for-profit mercenary company sent help for free. Maybe they'll use this to gain favors. Oh! That's good! I need to use that! Dammit. I guess I should have taken them up on their offer...'

He silently cursed himself for turning them down, because now he would have to find another way to gain more information on them. He wanted to speak with them directly after rescuing Nfirea, but they had already left after finishing their battles. Still, Ainz also grew concerned about the Espada themselves. Just how strong were their members? This was a question Ainz wanted answers to, but no matter how hard he thought on it he couldn't come up with an answer.

Ideally he'd like to use his spell [Discern Enemy] to answer some of those questions, but using his Momon persona and its armor kept him from using that spell. There were other methods he could use, but none guaranteed success. Especially if they were high enough leveled to detect those methods. Ainz lightly shook his head, and decided to kick that can for his future self to pick up as he then remembered something else...

"Let's leave the matter of the Espada aside for now. I need to check in with Albedo." Ainz said as he placed his joined left index and middle fingers on his left temple.

[Message].

He received word earlier from Entoma Vasilissa Zeta. She was an Arachnoid NPC and one of the Pleiades Battle Maids of Nazarick. Via [Message] she tried to relay news of some sort, but since he was busy dealing with Nfirea's kidnapping, he could not speak and was told to contact Albedo later. It was only now that he remembered to do so.

After the [Message] spell connected to Albedo, she spoke with a seriousness in her voice that took Ainz off-guard.

[Ainz-sama. Shalltear Bloodfallen has rebelled against us.]

For a moment, he had no idea what those words meant. Albedo's sudden report had far exceeded his imagination. After they slowly filtered into his mind, Ainz's reaction was akin to that of a moron as the lights in his skull faded to black...

"… Hah?"