The popular DMMO-RPG, Yggdrasil, is scheduled to shut down after twelve years of service. During the game's final hours, three of the remaining seven active members of the heteromorphic guild, Ainz Ooal Gown, spend their remaining time together in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Unexpectedly, when Yggdrasil is supposed to shut down, the Great Tomb of Nazarick and its inhabitants are transported to a foreign land.

Finding themselves in the bodies of their avatars, Guild Leader Momonga and his friends, Warmaster Phantom and Guild Enforcer Diabolos, attempt to discover the newfound changes of their surroundings. The Non-Player Characters and creations of Ainz Ooal Gown possess personalities and free wills of their own, swearing their fealty to the remaining members of the guild.

During this time, a malevolent force bares its fangs on a village near the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

How will the members of Ainz Ooal Gown respond to this attack?

Chapter 2 | The War Demon Descends

On the Sixth Floor, a battle was being waged. Sounds of steel clashing echoed loudly through the annals of the colosseum as the duel raged on, witnessed by three sets of eyes. Aura and Mare looked on both in anxiety and in excitement while Phantom looked greatly annoyed.

"Come on, Cocytus! You got this!"

"N-Nee-chan, what're you saying?!"

"Asshole. Beat me right to it...!"

Cocytus grunted as he found himself being pushed to the defensive. He raised twin katanas defensively in front of him, only for a crimson-red fist to smash against them and force him back. Though his feet were dug deeply into the ground, the force behind the blow still sent him reeling. His feet dragged through the dirt and only stopped when his other arms drew an ax and polearm from his inventory to halt his retreat. He looked up just in time to see his adversary leaping into the air, a fist cocked back.

"[Aspect of the Devil - Stout Demon's Gigantic Arms]!" Diabolos roared as his arm suddenly grew in size, covered in thick strands of metal, flesh and bone.

Cocytus grunted as he slammed his polearm into the ground. "[Glacial Wall]." An iceberg formed in front of him, blocking Diabolos' path. However, the warrior embodiment knew that this would not halt the Enforcer's advance and hastily jumped away by bouncing off the ground with his tail. As he expected, the iceberg shattered to pieces. Large chunks flew through the air and struck the surrounding area; a few pieces of ice even hit the stands. One piece in particular nearly hit Phantom, who didn't even so much as bat an eye at the projectile.

"As. Expected. My. Defense. Did. Not. Slow. You. Down." Cocytus clicked his mandibles, cold air blowing from his 'mouth.' "Your. Physical. Strength. Is. Leagues. Above. My. Own."

Diabolos grinned from ear to ear as he held up a hand and curled it into a fist. "Hey, now! Don't get discouraged just yet, Cocytus. The fun hasn't even started. And I haven't had my fill!"

'Sheesh, look at him. Before all of this crap, Diabolos was just a guy who was high-strung about his job and took out his frustrations on poor mooks. And now here he is, having the time of his life. When'd he turn into such a battle maniac?'

The question had been on Phantom's mind since they first arrived. He noticed how his friend seemed rather eager to get into the thick of things, from wanting to smash things to looking eager at the prospect of sparring with Cocytus. That last one was being fulfilled as they speak, though admittedly this was mainly because Diabolos wanted to gauge how powerful the NPCs were for himself. In a way, he understood the importance behind the decision; they were in unknown territory and they had no idea what sort of hostile enemies they would encounter. For all they knew, enemy players could be sneaking around nearby and waiting for a change to invade.

They needed to see if the NPCs were as powerful as they were in the game; especially now that they had personalities and could act all on their own. Well, for a given of "free will." It still unnerved him to see just how subservient the NPCs had become to them.

It just didn't sit right with him.

They just seemed too obedient to him. No one he knew ever had that level of loyalty. Those that did were simply sycophants that didn't mean anything. Yet the NPCs revered them as Gods rather fanatically. Frankly, it was quite disturbing to be the focus of such reverent devotion.

They spoke and acted like normal people, but their devotion to them just seemed too blinding to be genuine. At least to him.

After all, what had any of them done to make them revere the three in such a way? They were just three normal people from a practically dystopian Earth slaving away at their jobs and education and barely scrape by until they died from overexertion, pollution that saturated the atmosphere, or straight up murdered.

And now they were viewed as Gods? Or rather, Supreme Beings?

Phantom still had yet to wrap his head around this.

Diabolos was just as unnerved as he was about all of this, but for the most part, his friend was more concerned about whether or not the NPCs were strong enough to defend Nazarick. Momonga had more or less sequestered himself in his room, trying to figure out what worked in Yggdrasil in this situation and what didn't, all the while remaining vigilant in front of the Floor Guardians. The bone-head was worried that, if he slipped up, the NPCs would lose trust in him and possibly revolt.

'It is a possibility,' Phantom frowned at the idea that he would have to fight the creations of their guild. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. 'But, I'd rather it not come to that.'

"Cocytus, look out!" Aura's concerned shout brought Phantom's attention back to the duel at hand. He looked up just in time to see Diabolos deliver the "fatal blow" and smash straight through Cocytus' ice walls with a gigantic demonic hand, following it up with a flame-coated lariat that knocked the NPC off his feet and sent him flying straight into the walls of the Colosseum.

If Momonga specialized in magical ability, and he in speed and finesse, then Diabolos was nothing short of raw power.

The smoke surrounding Cocytus dispersed, revealing the Floor Guardian to be slumped on the ground. The 'skin' over his head and shoulder was cracked, small flames lapping at his left arm.

"I. Have. Lost." Cocytus conceded defeat sadly as he rose back up to his feet, head bowed in shame. "I. Knew. The. Difference. Between. Us. Was. Great. But. I. Had. Hoped. I. Would. Fare. Better. Than. This. How. Shameful. I. Am. A. Disgrace. Of. A. Floor. Guardian."

Diabolos shook his head. "Whoa, hey hey hey. Don't you dare go spewing that crap, you hear me?" Cocytus looked at the Enforcer in shock. He had expected the Asura to be angry or disappointed in him. Instead, he received only a light scolding. "I told you before when we started; this wasn't a fight, this was a spar. Neither of us was fighting at our full strength. You were holding out on me that whole time, weren't you?"

Cocytus winced. "Forgive. Me. Lord. Diabolos. I. Thought. That-"

"It's fine. It'd be bad if we fought seriously anyway." Diabolos put a hand on his hip while looking the armored bug in the eyes. "Just because you lost doesn't mean you should give up. Defeat isn't the end; it's a step forward. Learn from this experience and grow stronger. Alongside Shalltear and the other Floor Guardians, you were made to defend the Great Tomb of Nazarick. We wouldn't have given you this position if we didn't think you could handle it."

"Lord. Diabolos..."

"So stand and hold your head up high." Diabolos held his hand out to the insectoid. "You are a Floor Guardian, and a precious creation of one of our closest friends. Learn from your mistakes and defeats, and use those lessons to rise back up better than before."

Cocytus was in awe from the Enforcer's wise words. He was correct. He would learn from this loss and improve. He will work hard to be worthy of the faith the Supreme Ones placed in him.

"Yes. My. Lord." The Guardian grasped the arm and hoisted himself up.

While the Dark Elf twins watched the exchange with sparkling eyes, praising Diabolos's profound wisdom, Phantom remained silent in thought.

'...Since when did Diabolos sound like a shounen anime mentor character? Still, he's not wrong.'

After that exchange, he learned that the Floor Guardians put up a decent enough fight against them, despite holding back. Cocytus could've done more, but it seemed like his battle prowess was hampered due to fighting against one of his sworn masters. Although, he wondered if the Floor Guardians will able to grow stronger, as Diabolos suggested.

Would they have the capacity to develop? Weren't their stats finalized in their initial designs?

He sighed and scratched his head. This whole situation was so strange.

[Phantom, Diabolos.] A beep sounded off in the two players' heads, followed by Momonga calling out to them. [If you two aren't busy, could you swing by my office? There's something I'd like to discuss with you two.]

[We're on our way.] Phantom responded.

[Yeah. Be right there.] Diabolos added.

"Sorry for the short notice, Cocytus. But Momonga's asking for Phantom and I to talk with him."

"Very. Well. Lord. Diabolos. It. Is. Lord. Momonga's. Order." The Insectoid bowed in compliance.

Phantom turned to Aura and Mare. "Sorry to have you clean up Diabolos' mess you guys," he apologized.

Aura shook her head. "Nah, it's fine! Besides, getting to see a Supreme Being in action is totally worth it! Right, Mare?" Her brother nodded shyly. "Will you be sparring here sometime, Lord Phantom?"

"Eh, we'll see."

After bidding the Floor Guardians farewell, the two members of Ainz Ooal Gown teleported themselves directly to the Ninth Floor and stood outside the doors leading to Momonga's office. Diabolos pushed the doors open and stepped inside the room, finding the skeleton speaking with Demiurge.

"Yo, we're here!" Phantom announced.

Demiurge paused in his talks with Momonga and proceeded to bow before the two. "Lord Phantom, Lord Diabolos."

"Demiurge," the war demon greeted back in kind. "So, what did you want to talk about, Momonga? Did something come up?"

Momonga shook his head. "Nothing of note. Sebas and the Hanzos are currently expanding their search in the hopes of finding settlements or intelligent life. It would see that the Great Tomb of Nazarick is located not far from a large patch of forest."

"Preliminary investigations have shown that the inhabitants of the forest are little more than animals and livestock such as pigs and deer. Some monsters, such as goblins, naga and barghest, also occupy the forest," Demiurge reported. "Sebas is extending his search radius as we speak."

"I see. Inform us immediately should he find anything of note." Phantom instructed.

"Yes, my lord." The Archdevil bowed.

"So, did you wanna talk about anything else, Leader? Or is that just it?" Diabolos questioned.

"Ah, yes. I need to speak with you two regarding a private matter. If you would, Demiurge?"

"Yes, Lord Momonga." With a deep bow, he exited the room, leaving the three Guild Members to themselves. Once he was sure that they were alone, Momonga sighed.

"Haa. This ruler persona is kind of exhausting."

Phantom snickered. "Sucks to be you, huh?"

"Very funny! I'd like to see how you would react if you were in my shoes!"

Momonga silently fumed at his friend's carefree attitude. It made him wonder if he really understood what was at stake here. This wasn't like the game where NPCs had scripted dialogue and reacted only what was within their parameters; they were flesh-and-blood people now. Personalities and traits unique to them. And every last one of the NPCs in Nazarick saw the three of them as divine beings. They swore loyalty, yes, but what would happen if they did something that made them hostile and turn against them?

Diabolos took his role well-enough; battle maniac though he was now, his strength and overall demeanor kept the NPCs cowed through strength and intimidation. Phantom, on the other hand, went about as he always did. He was lax and treated the NPCs casually, not taking into consideration what might and what might not alienate them.

'I'll have to talk about it with him later,' Momonga thought to himself before he returned to the matter at hand.

"I overheard from some of the maids that you engaged in a spar with Cocytus, Diabolos."

The Enforcer winced. "Uh, was I not supposed to? I mean, I did promise to have a spar with him the other day, and I wanted to see how well I'd do against an NPC and whether or not they'd hold up in a fight against another Player. Sure, we weren't going all-out, but still-!"

Momonga raised a hand. "It's fine, really. What I want to ask is, what did you think?"

"Huh?"

"What did you think about the fight? More specifically, what did you think about Cocytus' combat prowess?"

"Oh, that? I thought it was a decent fight. I did beat him though."

"So the NPCs can be beaten should the worst case scenario happen?"

"Well, to be frank, I thought he was holding back." The Enforcer shrugged.

"In what way?"

"I know Warrior Takemikazuchi designed him to have more combat skills than what he showed me. He seemed to be fighting more defensively, only using weapons for offense and used skills for defense. He didn't even use the weapon Takemikazuchi gave him. But to be fair, I held back myself. It'd be pretty messy if both of us went all out, right?" He finished with crossed arms.

"I see. So based on your experience, it was more or less even, correct?" Momonga questioned.

"Sorta. But like I said, he wasn't coming at me with the intent to kill. So I don't know the full extent of his abilities."

Phantom narrowed his eyes. "You don't think that they'll rebel if they don't think we're, well, Supreme Beings and all that, do you?"

"I can't think anything, Phantom. I'm so hopelessly confused that I don't even know where to start. It isn't as if any of us knew this could happen!" Momonga groaned as his skull fell into his hands miserably. "I keep thinking of the worst-case scenario, and I don't want to ruin their expectations. I don't want to imagine what they'd do if they found us lacking!"

"...fair point," Phantom grimaced. "But aside from that, Dia and Cocytus' spar got me curious. Do you think it might be possible for the NPCs to learn new abilities now? I know we haven't seen the full extent of what Cocytus could do, but it got me thinking..."

Momonga recovered after that. "That was on my mind too. I'm thinking of doing an experiment with one of the homunculus maids, specifically one that wasn't given any skills in cooking."

"How exactly does having a maid who can't cook answer the question?" Diabolos asked.

Phantom rolled his eyes. "He means one of the NPC maids, you idiot. If NPCs can learn new skills thanks to whatever the hell happened that landed us in the bodies of our avatars and made the NPCs self-aware and alive to boot, then a maid who doesn't have a cooking skill might learn it herself."

"Oh. That's smart." The Enforcer nodded in understanding. Then his eyes sparkled in realization. "And if that's true, then that means we can also learn new skills? Like new battle abilities and spells?"

"Er, i-it's a possibility. Why?"

"So we can surpass our limits and grow stronger! If we become stronger, then we can stay ahead of the curve so that the NPCs won't be able to deny our abilities and strength!"

Phantom stared at Diabolos for a moment before he sighed and face-palmed. "Well, putting aside the possibility we might learn new abilities and crap, what're our plans for right now? I'm thinking of going over a "buddy" system with the Floor Guardians. With the exception of the Fourth and Eighth Floors, we can have the Floor Guardians pair together when Nazarick gets put on alert."

"Hm, that might be a good plan," Momonga rubbed his jawbone. "Albedo is busy overseeing Sebas' surveillance, but I believe they will return soon. I'll tell Demiurge of your suggestion, so when Albedo returns, the three of you can hammer out the details. As for myself, I believe I'll do some surveillance of my own." He glanced at the mirror floating against the wall. "While Sebas may be scouring the forest for signs of life, there's always the chance he'll miss something. I think I'll search the areas he missed or isn't able to scour for whatever reason."

"Sounds good to me," Diabolos nodded at the two. "In that case, I'll be checking on the Pleiades maids."

Phantom narrowed his eyes. "...so help me, if you're going to flirt with Lupusregina while we're busy trying to figure out what the hell is happening right now-"

"Whoa, hang on. I know we tampered with their settings so they're attracted to us and all, but I know better than to play while on the job! I'm just going to run 'em through some training drills is all."

Momonga would have blinked if he still had eyelids. "Training drills?"

"Well, yeah. It wasn't like we designed them to be as good as the Floor Guardians. We more or less just made some stonewalls who were meant to stall anybody who got to the Ninth Floor. While I'm sure they've never been in combat, since nobody ever made it that far thanks to Victim, it's still worth testing them to see what they're capable of when fighting as a unit or when they're separated."

"Not a bad idea," Momonga nodded in agreement. "In that case, I'll leave you to it, then. I'll message Aura and tell her to prepare the Sixth Floor for you and the Pleiades."

"Thanks, boss man!" Diabolos paused for a moment before his face turned contemplative. "Hey, Momonga, do you think it'd be alright if I visited the Eighth Floor?"

"I don't see why not? I only restricted the NPCs from entering the floor, not you or Phantom. Besides..." Momonga's jaw curved as if to form a smile. "I'm sure Victim would be happy to see his 'father'."

"Awesome! Thanks!" With a wave, Diabolos teleported out of the room to visit his beloved NPC.

"...I get that he's quite attached to Victim, and I'm grateful that he designed him so that he's pretty much a unsuspecting trap that saved our Guild many times over in the past. But I still don't get why he designed him to look like, well, like an Angel fetus. Well, that and the self-sacrifice aspect concerns me." Phantom voiced his opinion.

As one of the last lines of defense for intruders, barring the core forces of the 8th Floor, Victim was essentially a self-sacrifice trap. He would apply a powerful movement restriction skill that affects even level 100 players when he sacrifices himself. He is essentially the main reason why the Pleiades have not been in action.

"To be fair, when Diabolos was designing his own NPC, the others and I made a few suggestions. We needed another Guardian at the time to help serve as one of the last lines of defense before the Throne Room. And he overheard one of our discussions of how nice it would've been if our enemies would just stay put until we could finish them off. That and being the fan of Judo-Christian lore he was, it seemed to be a natural choice for Diabolos to make Victim as he is. Besides, due to his appearance, many invading players greatly underestimated him. Plus, since his level was so low, it wasn't that expensive to revive him. Plus, Victim is cute in his own way that fits the theme of Nazarick."

"Yeah. But did you also anticipate how Diabolos would cry every time he learned that Victim sacrificed himself?" Phantom questioned blandly. He still found it odd to see the god of wrath bawl like that.

Every. Single. Time.

"To be fair, none of us did." The Overlord answered with a sweatdrop before his pale bones seemed to pale even further. "...and now I realize that there may be a time when we would need to use Victim's abilities in this new world."

"And now that the NPCs are self-aware, Victim will be willing to sacrifice himself to ensure Nazarick's victory." Phantom added in realization. "Which will leave us to deal with an overemotional Diabolos crying for his death."

"..."

"..."

"...for the sake of our sanity and safety, let's make sure that never comes to pass."

"Agreed."

The two shared a long, heavy sigh and swore that they would never allow a situation in which Victim's death was required to come to pass.

"Speaking of visiting our NPC 'kids,' I think I'll go visit Sous-chef, see how he's doing."

"Not going to see Aureole Omega?" Momonga asked.

Phantom smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "I'd just get in the way of her work. I do plan on visiting her soon, though. Seeing everyone with their own quirks and personalities, it makes me want to see what she's like now." He paused for a moment before he grinned. "Speaking of our NPCs, have you seen Pandora's Actor yet?"

"I have not, though chances are, I may very well have to in the event a situation requiring the World Items in our possession comes about." Momonga grunted. "Now that I think about it, we'll also have to plan around commerce as well and see the value of this world's currency, assuming there is one."

"That's true. Should anything happen to the NPCs, assuming that the revive system works here like in Yggdrasil, we'd need gold. A lot of it."

In Yggdrasil, should an NPC be killed, they can be revived without experiencing any penalties such as lower levels or parameters. The downside is that it costs a certain amount of gold to revive an NPC of a particular level. The greater the level, the more gold is required. In circumstances like Victim, it is less costly to revive low level NPCs over and over rather than spend copious amounts of resources in the long term creating and reviving a high-level NPC should they be killed.

"That is definitely a concern we need to deal with as soon as possible. We still don't know if the inhabitants of this world are hostile or not."

"But on the chance that they're not, do you think we can really strike business deals with them? What would we even be able to offer in return?"

"...We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Momonga decided.

While Phantom and Momonga were discussing this, Diabolos had messaged all the Pleiades to gather on the Sixth Floor.

"We have come at your behest, Lord Diabolos." Yuri Alpha bowed. The Enforcer's eyes scanned the assembled maids with a critical eye. Their heads were bowed in respect and reverence. Save for Aureole Omega, everyone was present. He would have to speak with Phantom about Aureole at a later date.

"What is it that you require of us, my Lord?" The leader of the group questioned.

"Right. Yuri Alpha. Lupusregina Beta, CZ Delta, Solution Epsilon, Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, Naberal Gamma. I have called you all here today to discuss a new plan of action regarding you all specifically. Your sister, Aurole Omega will join us at a later date."

"What is this plan, Lord Diabolos?" Lupusregina could not help but ask.

"I'm sure you're all aware that in all our years of defending Nazarick from Invaders, not a single player has made it past the 8th Floor, thus have not encountered any of you in combat, correct?"

"Affirmative." CZ nodded monotonously.

"It is because of Victim's efforts and the might of the Supreme Beings that no foe ever made it to the 9th Floor." Entoma added with her child-like voice.

"Indeed." Diabolos nodded, feeling proud of his NPC accomplishing such. "Whitebrim and the others created you all to act as the last line of defense in the Tomb of Nazarick. But from what I recall, you haven't had the chance to engage in proper combat."

"That is correct, Lord Diabolos." Naberal answered.

"Well, that will change today." The Enforcer declared.

"M-My lord?" Lupusregina looked up in confusion.

"From now on, you all are going to be running training drills with me. We know nothing of this new world as of yet, but that's no excuse to be complacent! You all have yet to taste the thrill of true battle, and as the Enforcer of Nazarick, I cannot allow this to go on!" Diabolos fell into a combat stance with an Aura of Bloodlust surrounding his body. His actions surprised the maids. "Today, I want to see how well you all can fight, both as a team and individually! Show me what you are capable of as Nazrick's last line of defense!"

The maids stared at the Supreme Being, then turned to look at each other with looks of equal anxiety and excitement. While they were worried their performance would disappoint their lord, there was no denying how much they wanted to display their abilities to him and prove they were more than capable of defending Nazarick.

"So, how're we doing this?" Lupusregina licked her lips as she dug into her inventory - a black portal opened at her side as she pulled an ax out from it. "One-on-one, team-ups?"

Diabolos merely smiled from ear-to-ear as his skin began to crack. Flames began to flow out from the cracks. His eyes slowly began to turn vermillion red.

"I think you're misunderstanding," he said as he took a step forward. A tidal wave of bloodlust washed over them and caused them to flinch. "We're starting now. Brace yourselves girls, boot camp starts now."

They barely had any time to scramble and defend themselves from the Enforcer of Ainz Ooal Gown.

On the Ninth Floor of Nazarick, home of many NPCs and even providing housing to the Supreme Beings themselves, as well as hosting many facilities one might see in the real world such as salons and stores, there was a certain bar tucked away in the farthest corners of the floor. It wasn't anything fancy unlike the rest of the tomb's grand structure or facilities, but it provided a comfortable atmosphere for anyone visiting as well as a large number of alcoholic drinks to serve to its guests.

Standing behind the counter and proud owner of this bar, as well as a talented cook in the Restaurant of Nazarick, was a heteromorphic NPC; specifically, a myconid or "mushroom-man." In contrast to the puffy pale head and thin green vines acting as his hands, Sous-chef wore a fancy white button-up shirt with a black vest and dress pants.

Currently, Sous-chef was cleaning a glass with a small cloth when he noticed someone entering. "Sorry, but we're-" he stopped when he saw who entered. Though Sous-chef couldn't express himself normally like any humanoid creature, his puffy head shifted and vibrated. "Lord Phantom! What brings you here?"

"Hello, Sous-chef." The War Master greeted with a wave. "I was just patrolling the floors, making sure that everyone was doing well in these times of confusion. I thought I'd drop by to see how you're doing. Hope it's not too much trouble."

"Of course it's not, my lord." Sous-chef bowed respectfully. "I was in the middle of preparations before opening the Restaurant. I wasn't expecting company until later."

"I see." The Yaksha nodded as his eyes scanned the room. When he first learned of the idea of putting in a Restaurant in a Tomb, he thought that the planners were crazy. That is until he saw the new installation for himself. The atmosphere was just so inviting and comfortable that it made a popular hang out for the members of the Guild.

"May I serve you anything, Lord Phantom? Are you hungry or thirsty?" The mushroom man inquired.

"Hm, I am feeling a bit peckish. Do you have any pizza?"

"I shall prepare at once, my lord!" Sous-chef shuffled to the back to get started cooking. Meanwhile, Phantom took a seat at the bar.

As he waited, he took a quick glance around the bar. It was surprisingly empty, not a single NPC in sight. Then again, it had not been very long since they were transported to this new land. Perhaps once things had quieted down, he would find them coming here to enjoy themselves.

Now that he thought about it, on the off-chance Nazarick was to establish good connections with benevolent forces in this world...

"Apologies for the wait, Lord Phantom." The Yaksha paused in his thoughts and saw his NPC approaching, a plate in its tendrils. "One extra-large three-cheese pizza, with garlic, pepperoni and bacon bits on top. I believe this is how you liked it?"

Phantom smiled widely. "Definitely! Sorry to make you do this when you're busy."

"Nonsense, Lord Phantom!" Sous-chef shook his puffy head frantically. "There is no greater pleasure for me than serving my master and creator! I'm certain Aureole Omega would agree with me. Speaking of Lady Omega, how is she? I have not seen her in quite some time, and I've been informed that Lord Momonga has restricted access to the Eighth Floor."

"I haven't been to see her, but I will soon. I'll tell her you said hello."

"Thank you greatly, Lord Phantom."

The mushroom man bowed before returning to his station. Meanwhile, the War Master licked his lips before taking a slice from the steaming hot meal. He grinned when the cheese stretched in a gooey fashion. He raised the slice to his mouth and took a bite.

He was immediately taken to an explosion of flavor from the mix of garlic, bacon, cheese, and pepperoni.

It may have been a few days, but he was still surprised how they can now eat food whilst experiencing sensations such as taste. Such a phenomenon was an impossibility back in Yggdrasil. It was a simple pleasure that he was relieved to experience. Although, he couldn't help but feel bad for Momonga.

As an Overlord, he was nothing but a skeleton. And skeletons do not have the organs to experience the wonders of food and drink. He couldn't taste his food, nor feel the refreshing feeling of a drink of water.

Realizing this, Phantom frowned in concern. If only there was a way to help his friend. Out of the three of them, he probably has to deal with the most drastic changes. From being a normal, flesh and blood person, to an undead skeleton.

He recalled how Momonga once confessed that he couldn't even feel certain emotions anymore. Some feelings he could still feel, but others were almost always suppressed. Embarrassment, shock, anger; large bursts of emotion that would always be quelled by his own skill.

"Maybe there's something we can use in this world to help him?" Phantom idly wondered to himself before he took another bite.

Questions for another day, he supposed.

It was early afternoon that Enri Emmot found herself wondering if she was cursed. She stared at the sight in front of her, eyebrow twitching madly while flatly staring at her little sister Nemu, the imp smiling innocently.

"...are you sure you should be smiling like that, you little brat?" Enri asked, trying her best to keep her voice calm while internally screaming how much she wanted to throttle her sister.

Nemu's smile turned shaky. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Mm-hm, sure. In that case, please explain to me why I just caught you spilling water all over our clean laundry?" Enri asked, this time with a bit more force. "The same clean laundry I left out on the clothesline to dry since this morning?"

"It-that was an accident?" She offered.

"Seemed to me like you had fun splashing water over it, though." Enri refuted.

Nemu glanced away. Enri stared a moment longer before she sighed and shook her head. "Just, go inside. I need to hang all this up again." Nemu wisely heeded her elder sister's orders and darted back inside the house. Enri gathered the soaking wet clothes in the basket and set them back up on the clothesline. "Honestly, what am I going to do with that girl?"

"Getting into another argument with your sister, are we?" Enri turned and found her father approaching, sweat caked along his brow while carrying an animal carcass on his shoulder. "You two always seem to getting into some sort of spat these days. What'd she do this time?"

"Splash water on some clean clothes that I had just gotten done drying," Enri told him. "I'm drying them again right now. How was the hunting trip?"

"See for yourself!" He gestured to the beast hanging on his shoulder. "Once I get this skinned and sent over to the butcher, we'll be having some nice dinner for a change instead of the slop your mother makes!" He stopped for a moment before he glanced back at the house and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Just, don't tell her I said that, okay? I fear her wrath more than I do our king's!"

Enri stifled a giggle and nodded her head, promising to keep her father's jest a secret. She watched him leave her behind in pursuit of the butcher shop. She returned to her current duties, but stopped when she noticed something in the distance.

"What's that?"

"A buddy system?"

Demiurge and Albedo looked to each other before turning their attention back to Phantom, who nodded. "That's right. In the event Nazarick is invaded, or god forbid someone manages to get past Aureole Omega's teleportation hijacking, it would be a good idea for you all to look after each other. As you know, Shalltear is in charge of the First, Second and Third Floor while Cocytus protects the Fifth Floor. The buddy system I want to test out will have Cocytus and Shalltear's duties extend to the other's floor."

"I see, so in addition to the first three floors, Shalltear would also be responsible for protecting the Fifth Floor, and Cocytus vice versa..." Demiurge rubbed his chin. "An interesting proposal."

Albedo frowned. "Forgive me for saying this, but would this plan be difficult to implement with certain Floors? Gargantua has no will to speak of, and Lord Momonga has forbidden access to the Eighth Floor."

"I'm hammering out the details regarding Floors Four and Eight with Momonga, but I want to hear your guys' opinion on the matter first. Specifically if you have any concerns or worries, as well as any suggestions. Feel free to speak your mind."

Demiurge and Albedo were honored to hear that one of the Supreme Beings trusted their opinion and valued their input. The buddy system was truly intriguing. It could potentially improve Nazarick's security.

As they lack knowledge of this new realm, Phantom's proposal is a reasonable approach towards potential security breaches.

"Hm... I do not mind implementing this proposal, Lord Phantom." Demiurge answered. "It would be a change of pace from our usual patrols, but I imagine that these partnerships can improve our security. That being said, we still need to account for the Fourth and Eighth Floors due to the natures of Gargantua and Victim. But I believe we would be able to initiate this plan with the other floors."

"Indeed. If it is your's and Lord Momonga's will, then we shall inform the other Floor Guardians as soon as possible." Albedo added with equal resolution.

"I see. I thank you both for your input. And don't worry. Like I said, Momonga and I will be discussing this plan further to account for Gargantua and the Eighth Floor. If you have any concerns that may eventually arise from this plan, please do not hesitate to inform us. We need to know as much as possible before making any sort of revisions to address them." The War Master nodded.

"Understood." Both Floor Guardians bowed.

Phantom smiled. "Good. You two can go. Inform the other Floor Guardians and have them and their subordinates hammer out how they'll go about supporting each other."

"At once, Lord Phantom!"

With that, the Overseer and Floor Guardian both teleported away. Seeing as how his second task was completed, Phantom smiled in content before he used the ring to transport himself back over to Momonga's office. He felt that he should tell him the good news and continue discussing how they would handle the Fourth and Eighth Floors once the 'buddy system' was implemented in Nazarick. Emerging in front of the doors to the Guild Leader's office, Phantom rapped his knuckles against the door.

"Yo, boss man, you in?"

"Come in!" Momonga told him. Phantom stepped inside and paused when he found Momonga sitting at his desk, waving his hands around awkwardly while Sebas stood next to him, observing Momonga intently. In front of the skeleton was a floating mirror, which Phantom recognized to be the Mirror of Remote Viewing.

"Lord Phantom," Sebas bowed deeply.

Phantom nodded back. "Sebas, welcome back. How went your extended search? Did you find any settlements or intelligent life in the forest you and the Hanzos found?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. We discovered a small human settlement a few kilometers or so away from the tomb. I found no heteromorphic or demi-human individuals in the settlement, and they didn't appear to be well-defended. From what we observed, there was only a small group of people armed with spears and swords. The settlement itself is surrounded by wooden fences that don't offer much in the way of protection. The weapons the villagers carried also appeared to be of poor quality as well, but they seemed to have seen their fair share of battle. For the most part, it appears to be a farming village from what we were able to tell."

Phantom furrowed his brow. "Human, huh? Damn, I was hoping we'd found someplace with demi-humans or heteromorphic like in Yggdrasil, but I guess that's asking too much. It would be a good place to make first contact, though. On the other hand, it could be dangerous..." He looked at the butler curiously. "Did they seem like they were affiliated with any country or kingdom? Were there armed soldiers or individuals in armor defending it?"

"I'm afraid not, my lord." Sebas shook his head.

Phantom was about to continue before he saw Momonga swing his arms out of frustration, apparently having gotten fed up with his attempts at making the mirror work when it suddenly zoomed in. "Oh?" The skeleton seemed surprised. "Ah, it worked."

Sebas clapped. "Excellently done, Lord Momonga."

"N-no, this is nothing. If anything, I should be apologising for having you stand with me while I'm doing this, Sebas." Momonga told Touch Me's NPC. He honestly did feel bad that the poor man had to sit and watch as he flailed about while trying to get this damn mirror to work.

Sebas shook his head. "Nonsense, Lord Momonga. I live to serve you faithfully, nothing more and nothing less."

"Hurk!" Momonga internally winced. Again with this! He still couldn't get used to how-how loyal and devoted the NPCs had become! It felt like they were worshipping him like he was a god, if not higher than that! Once more, he found himself dreading not meeting their expectations and what might happen if he did. Quickly composing himself, he began to work the mirror again.

He flicked his hand and watched as the mirror showed him a settlement, most likely the one Sebas had just told them about. "Mm? What's this?" Momonga leaned in when he saw men clad in armor rushing about the village with blades in hand. "Some sort of festival?"

Sebas looked over his lord's shoulder and frowned. "No, I do not think so."

Curious about it as well, Phantom slid around the desk and stood next to Momonga to get a better look.

The sight shown on the mirror made his inner demon roar with the fury of hellfire.

One by one each of the villagers were murdered. Some were gouged with deep gashes. Others were skewered brutally by swords or spears. Some had their throats slit. Some were even trampled underfoot by horses.

Homes were broken into and set ablaze. Not even women or children were spared from these acts of brutality and torment. Phantom's nailed dug deep into his palm as he witnessed a solving child be silenced by a swift, heartless swing of a sword.

"How-how could they do this?!" He demanded hotly.

"I do not know, Lord Phantom." Sebas shook his head, Equally repulsed. "It is truly barbaric."

In contrast to the two, Momonga barely felt anything from the sight. No disgust or horror. Just nothing.

And that terrified him.

He expected to feel sick or maybe throw up, but he just felt indifferent. The first thing that went through his mind when he saw this was, 'Oh, they're getting killed.' He thought about it in a way that felt like he was reading something on the page of a newspaper or what was shown on the news.

He should have felt disturbed for seeing a massacre, but Momonga just couldn't think anything more about it. In fact, he wanted to just ignore it outright and focus on something else.

"[Gate]!"

Phantom's venom-filled voice brought him out from his thoughts and saw that his friend had opened up a shadowy portal, his weapons drawn. "Phantom, where are you going?" Momonga asked in spite of knowing the answer.

"I'm going to that village, and I'm going to save those people!" Phantom replied as he looked over his shoulder. The black patch of flesh on the right side of his face pulsated and throbbed while his right eye glowed vermillion. "Don't try to stop me!"

"There's no point in saving them. There's no benefit."

Momonga wasn't sure who looked more shocked, him or Phantom. The latter stared at him incredulously before rounding on him. "If Touch Me were here, he'd think otherwise!"

'Touch Me-san...'

Momonga glanced at Sebas, the butler having been quiet throughout the exchange. Faintly, the silver-clad champion of justice and the person that Momonga respected with all his being stood behind the NPC and seemingly stared down at him.

The memory of their first meeting, of when Momonga had been so pitifully weak and helpless that he was powerless to stop Players from PKing him, came to his mind.

"W-why did you save me?"

"Saving someone in need is always the right thing to do!"

The words echoed as loudly as a bell being run. Momonga internally sighed to himself and shook his head. Touch Me would be disappointed in him if he saw them like this. Phantom was right. It didn't matter if there was no benefit in helping these people. Even if he saw no reason, that didn't mean there was no reason he shouldn't try and save the village, right?

"...you're right. Forgive me, Phantom." Momonga bowed his head. "However, you can't go in blindly. There's still the possibility other Players or someone with a high level may be among these raiders. Take one of the Mercenary NPCs with you just in case. I'll join with you shortly." Phantom smiled widely and bowed his head in thanks before firing up a [Message] spell. Momonga then turned to Sebas. "Sebas, as of this moment, all of Nazarick is on high alert. Tell Albedo and Demiurge to come here at once."

The undead swore he saw a faint smile beneath the butler's beard. "At once, Lord Momonga!"

Enri held Nemu closer to her as tightly as she could as she ran for dear life. Behind her, she heard the harsh shouts of the armored men of Baharuth promising death behind her. She had no idea what had happened. One moment she was trying to hang the laundry again, and the next she saw Baharuth Empire knights invading her village and cutting people down. Her father had managed to smuggle her and her sister out from danger. She didn't want to leave him alone, but she knew he was trying to keep them safe. So she just ran.

But it wasn't enough. Some of the invaders saw them and gave chase. Her legs pounded the earth as fast as she could. Her heart pumped wildly from fear and exertion.

She knew it was only a matter of time before their pursuers caught up to them, but she still ran as fast as she could. She might have had a better chance at escaping if she discarded Nemu, but that thought was banished the moment it crossed her mind. She didn't know what happened to her mother when the knights attacked, and she saw her father cut down as she fled with her sister in tow. For all she knew, her mother was dead and gone.

She made it maybe a few miles away from the village when she felt something cold slice her back open. She screamed and fell to her knees, nearly toppling over poor Nemu who clung to her fearfully. Enri felt something warm soak into her shirt and spill down her back, a searing heat burning into the open wound. She wanted to scream and cry, but she wouldn't give her pursuers the satisfaction.

Enri looked over her shoulder. Two knights stood over her as executioners. One stood a little bit behind as though making sure she made no attempts to escape while the other, closest to her, held a sword with red dripping from his blade.

Nemu whimpered and buried her face in her chest. Enri pulled her sister as tightly into her body as she could as the knight prepared to deliver the finishing blow.

'Someone, please...' Enri thought as she closed her eyes and prayed hers and her sister's death would be painless. 'Save us!'

Seconds passed. Enri did not feel cold steel run through her. Instead, she felt something warm splash across her back and heard a panicked scream come from behind her. She dared to look behind her and found spewing blood splatter across her face. She could only stare in dumbfounded shock and horror at the decapitated knight that had prepared to cut her down only seconds ago, watching the now headless body stumble and fumble about before falling to the ground.

It took Enri only a second to see the culprit behind the attack. It was a man with features she had never seen before; tanned skin with messy hair tied back into a ponytail, the right side of his face jet black and his right eye glowing bloody red, clad in odd robes and wielding a wicked-looking sword with a square-shaped hilt and thin handle, the blade as long as Nemu and dyed dark purple with a fresh coating of blood.

What terrified her the most was the man's smile. It was wide and open, revealing his pearly white teeth. She swore she saw fangs belonging to that of wolves or barghests among his molars and canines.

'W-where did he come from?' Enri thought, too shocked by what just happened to move.

The knight backpedaled away from him, visibly trembling like a leaf and didn't dare approach any further. Instead, he turned on his heel and ran. He didn't get very far, however, as a blur shot right past Enri and collided with the knight, throwing him to the ground. Once the knight was pinned with his arm pulled behind his back, Enri saw who was responsible and gaped.

It was a girl, possibly a year or so older than Nemu, petite and slender with pale skin and peach-colored hair that came down to the mid-section of her back. She wore a sleeveless black vest with a red undershirt exposing her midriff, scarlet-colored pants that were far too short and a hat that seemed to jiggle with even the slightest movements. It was definitely not made of cloth, but rather some kind of rust-red mud.

The knight screamed and thrashed beneath the girl's grip. Surprisingly, she didn't budge. "Target captured," she said in a deadpan voice before turning towards the smiling man wielding the katana, eyes the color of rubies. "Shall I dispose of him, Lord Phantom?"

"Nah, don't bother. We need info about these assholes, plus I promised the boss man I'd bring a few of them back to the Tomb," the smiling man said, hefting his sword onto his shoulder. "Slimeko, you've got [Mind Read], right? Think you can use it on him and see who these guys are?"

The girl nodded. "I will do as you command." She paused briefly and looked at Enri. The latter froze when she felt Nemu start to stir and kept her face pressed against her chest. She had no idea who these two were or why they were here. She didn't know why they saved her, but she had a feeling that she couldn't let them near her sister. "What of the two humans? What will we do with them?"

The smiling man turned to face them. Enri stilled when she got a better look at his face. The black patch of flesh on the right side of his face was visibly throbbing and twitching as though it were alive.

He extended a hand toward her. Enri flinched and shut her eyes, bracing for pain. She waited for him to touch her and-

"[Lesser Heal]."

A light surrounded her, but instead of the pain that she expected, a nice warmth engulfed her. In a matter of seconds, the pain from her back had disappeared. She blinked her eyes open and examined herself. She wasn't harmed and her own injuries had disappeared.

"That should take care of the wounds." The man explained before reaching into a dark hole in the air and pulling out a couple of items. They looked like horns, carved out and hollowed with leather straps wrapped around them. He set them down at her feet. "You can use this to summon goblins to fight for you, in case you get into trouble while we're gone."

"...huh?" Enri blinked rapidly. She wasn't sure what was going on. "I-I don't... What's happening?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the girl with the mud hat tilted her head. "Lord Phantom has decided to graciously defend this human settlement and kill its invaders. Be honored."

"Lord...Phantom?" Enri turned up to look at the swordsman.

He nodded. "That's right. And admittedly, defense magic isn't my forte, but I have this at least. [Wall of Protection from Arrows]." A bright glow surrounded the two girls, forming a circle around them. "That should defend you from projectiles."

Enri gasped. "Y-you're...a Magic Caster?"

"Oh, good! You know what magic is then. Saves time to explain." Phantom then turned his attention to the girl pinning down the Baharuth knight. "Slimeko, get anything useful out of him?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, Lord Phantom. This meatbag is part of a group called the Slane Theocracy. They are masquerading as soldiers from a place called Baharuth to slaughter villages on the frontier, in the hopes of drawing out a man named Gazef Stronoff. The one leading this operation is a Magic Caster by the name of Nigun. The total force is approximately twenty soldiers and fifteen Magic Casters."

'Th-the Slane Theocracy...?'

Enri paled. She knew of the religious country that had been at odds with Re-Estize for a long time, but to hear what the girl was saying brought a shiver down her spine. Worse was that she and everyone in her home were nothing more than sacrificial lambs to lure out the strongest soldier in the Kingdom.

Phantom narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? Tch. All of this, just to bring out one guy." He turned his gaze to Enri who stiffened. "Hey, girl. Do you know who this Gazef Stronoff is or why they're targeting him?"

"L-Lord Stronoff is the Warrior Captain of Re-Estize, the strongest warrior in the kingdom a-and sworn royal guard to our king," Enri replied hastily in fear of being struck down.

Her words caused her apparent savior to furrow his brow. "Re-Estize?" he mumbled beneath his breath before shaking his head. "Nevermind that for now. I can ask questions later." He returned his gaze to her. "What's your name?"

"E-Enri Emmot, milord! Th-this is my little sister, Nemu." To Enri's fear, Nemu managed to slip out of her grasp and look at Phantom. Her eyes widened and stared, shoulders trembling. Her gaze was fixated on the right side of his face, where the ugly black patch of skin and blood-red eye were.

Phantom smiled wryly. "Alright, Enri. Nemu. I need you two to stay here. Don't move. If you're in any danger, use those horns I gave you. Slimeko, guard these two just in case! Oh, and while you're at it, cast a paralysis spell on that guy, would ya? I did say we're bringing as many of these assholes back to the Tomb with us."

Slimeko nodded and pressed her hand against the back of the soldier's head. Moments later, the man went still, but was clearly conscious by the fact he was grunting and twitching. "Understood, Lord Phantom. Will you be alright, facing against these worthless lower creatures by yourself?"

"I'll be fine, don't you worry. Besides, the boss man will be here soon. In the meantime..."

Phantom walked away from the two sisters and began walking towards the village. Beneath his bangs, his right eye began to glow like fire.

"...I'm going to carve these bastards up, and take their leader's head."

The village was practically in ruins. Numerous corpses laid motionless on the ground, bleeding from gaping wounds and/or missing limbs. Many buildings were burnt down to cinders as the frauds dressed in armor continued their acts of destruction and pillage to draw out Gazef and his platoon so they may end them once and for all.

However, not a single soul anticipated drawing the ire of a certain War Master.

Just before a fake knight could deliver the final blow to a cowering man, his arms were severed from his shoulders.

Londes di Clamp, one of the lieutenants appointed by Nigun to carry out the operation, could only stare and gape at the man responsible. He clearly wasn't human if the black writhing patch of flesh scarring the right side of his face was of any indication. The bloodthirsty aura he emitted was dreadful as was the hellish katana in his hand. His attire was foreign, but his posture was that of a warrior.

The soldier that lost his arms screamed and flailed about on the ground, blood spurting from his stumps-

"Shut it."

The soldier's whimpering cries were silenced as the sword pierced his throat. Unintelligible gurgles came out from his throat, blood pouring from his mouth before he went limp. The monster grunted as he pulled the blade out from the newly-made corpse before he leveled a glare at the gathered soldiers in front of him.

Londes swallowed the lump in his throat, unsure what to make of this unknown. Whatever he was, man or demon, it didn't matter.

"Which one of you is the commander?" the monster demanded as he aimed the tip of his sword at the fraud knights.

Belius, Londes' commanding officer and the one chosen by Lord Nigun to spearhead this attack, didn't dare speak lest he garner the attention of the monster. But some of his more squeamish men immediately pointed him out. "You damn traitors!" He yelled before he was grabbed by the throat and hoisted into the air.

"So you're the one, huh?"

Belius spluttered and glared death at the monster holding him. "Don't touch me, you filthy-GURK?!" The monster's grip tightened around his throat. He choked and wheezed as he suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"You got some nerve! Attacking peaceful villages like this one all to draw out a single man to assassinate?! You lot may be human, if your self-righteous supremacy is anything to go by, but it's always your ilk that make up the worst monsters!" Some of the more zealous troops tried to rush the man to save their leader. But without even glancing in their direction, Phantom's sword blurred through the air and diced them to pieces. This convinced the others to remain away. "And it's bastards like you that make me sick. You pick on the weak while gloating on your high horse! You're just like those damn assholes from back home! Having no qualms over the suffering of those below you!" Phantom glowered, slowly tightening his grip.

All Belius could do was try to gasp for air whilst feeling the bones in his neck creak. He silently begged for anyone to save him only to be met with silence. "Normally, I'd decapitate you, but I have something much worse in mind." The War Master grinned wickedly.

"Wh-"

Without another word, the monster slammed Belius' head straight into the ground, creating a small crater in the shape of a helmet. Releasing his grip on the downed captain, the monster set his sights on the rest of the cowering soldiers. Londes gritted his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his face. He gripped his sword tightly and wondered whether he should contact Lord Nigun of this development or stall for time. Mount an escape and send a messenger and inform him of what was happening.

Whatever the case was, Londes was resigned. He knew full well there was no escaping his fate.

"Now, as for the rest of you..." the monster leered, lips curving into a twisted smile that showed his fangs. "I'll give you all two choices. You can either drop your weapons and surrender, or you can just drop dead. I would choose very wisely, boys."

One of the soldiers turned to Londes desperately. "L-Lieutenant, what do we do?!"

Londes swallowed the lump in his throat. "Fighting this thing is suicide, but we can't abandon our mission." He turned to another soldier. "Tell a messenger to ride to Lord Nigun, tell him what's happening. We'll hold the line."

"Y-yes sir!"

The monster said nothing, but it was clear he knew what Londes was up to. He merely stood and watched as the soldiers moved about and prepared what may as well have been a suicide charge and formed into a defensive line. Some soldiers took to horseback and began to flee. Londes hoped that, with the power of the Archangels and Lord Nigun's secret weapon, they would be able to prevail and kill this monster, and maybe even that despicable Warrior-Captain of Re-Estize.

However-

"[Hellfire Wall]."

The panicked cries of his men and the sound of horses neighing in fright brought Londes' attention to behind him.

"Oh gods..." he heard one of his men wail in despair and horror.

And why wouldn't they? Their messengers had been knocked off their horses, said steads running as far away as possible. The reason? A wall of fire seemingly from the deepest pits of hell was erected in front of the village entrance, preventing any means of escape.

Londes turned back to the front. The monster was not the one who cast the spell as he made no movements. That meant someone else did instead. He searched the area to find the caster responsible when a voice called out to them, echoing from above.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I trust my associate has been providing you some excellent entertainment?"

Londes looked up and gasped.

A man in elaborated robes, decorated in bones and jewels, floated high above with a red mask hiding their features, seemingly glaring down at them. At his side was a figure clad in jet-black armor of a make Londes had never seen before, a wicked halberd in hand while feathered black wings sprouted behind them, keeping them afloat. Going by the design of the armor and their figure, Londes assumed they were female, whereas the other figure on the other side of the robed caster was a man. Or rather, another monster as evident by the lazily-swinging armored tail and pointed ears, face hidden beneath a black-and-gold harlequin mask with a mocking smile.

"My name is Suzuki," the robed Magic Caster introduced himself. "I believe you've become acquainted with my friend, Phantom? The monster wielding the katana grinned in response as he swung his sword threateningly. "I'm sure he delivered an ultimatum to you all, so I won't bother rehashing what's already been said. Instead, I'll have you understand the gravity of what it is you've found yourself in. I believe one of you will suffice."

'What does that mean?!' Londes thought in a panic. 'Who is he? Are these monsters under his control? And what does he mean by one of us will suffice?! What's he-'

The robed Magic Caster raised his armored hand towards the amassed group of soldiers - more accurately, at Londes himself. "[Grasp Heart]."

The last thing Lieutenant Londes di Clamp, sworn and faithful servant to the Theocracy, felt was the feeling his heart being crushed before he fell dead to the ground.

Momonga stared at his hand for a moment. When he casted the spell, he felt blood and bits of flesh explode in his grasp. He swore he saw himself holding the bloody remains of someone's heart before it vanished.

"Good. It seems 9th-tier spells work perfectly," he mused. "If it hadn't, I would have called for a hasty retreat."

'Still, I just killed someone without even blinking,' Momonga thought somberly. 'And earlier, I watched as these people were being killed with little concern at all. I guess I really am less than human now in this body, huh?'

"Lord M-...Suzuki," Demiurge, or rather Yaldabaoth in his current guise, said as he peered down at the amassed humans below. "Shall we dispose of the rest?"

For emphasis, his fingers extended into sharp bladed claws. The sight caused the soldiers, now spooked and thoroughly terrified, to recoil and scream and flinch away, no doubt tempted to run.

"Don't bother," Momonga ordered. "They're better to us alive." He lowered his voice slightly so only the NPCs could hear him. "Knock out a few of them, but kill the rest. Take the ones you knock unconscious back to Nazarick for interrogation, but tell Neuronist to hold off until we return."

Albedo bowed her head. "Of course, my lord."

As the two NPCs went to work (which should be stated to be a one-sided beatdown that would linger in the minds of everyone witnessing it in Carne Village for a very long time), Momonga floated down to where Phantom stood. He was currently going over the unconscious body of one of the knights attacking the village perhaps in search of loot or some other item of importance.

"I take it none of these men proved a challenge?" he inquired.

Phantom laughed. "Not a goddamn one, though apparently these idiots are just the foot soldiers. Also, this isn't some mindless slaughter. It's part of an assassination plot; these assholes are from someplace called the Slane Theocracy and are attacking villages out here to lure out a guy named Gazeff, who is more or less the bodyguard of the king of a kingdom called Re-Estize. There's a bunch of Magic Casters not far away from the village. Got no idea how strong they are, but for now, I'm thinking of leaving them alone until the man of the hour shows up."

"...what are you planning, Phantom?"

"Oh, nothing much~ Just possibly setting up what may very well be friendly relationships that will benefit Nazarick in the near future! By the way, what's up with the name 'Suzuki'? Something I should know?"

Momonga would have blinked if he still had eyeballs. It took him a moment to realize that Phantom never attended the IRL meet-ups on account of how busy he was.

"It's my surname in real life," he told the Yaksha.

Phantom blinked. "...huh. Well, okay then."

After Albedo and Demiurge had finished killing and knocking out the Theocracy soldiers, Momonga and Phantom were free to discuss things over with the villagers. Despite having saved them, the townsfolk were initially wary until Momonga requested payment for their services. Said payment was not monetary value, but rather in information, which proved to be informative. The village chief told them all that he knew, which while not much, was still substantially better than what they dealt with before. At the very least they were no longer going about this blindly.

Once the bodies of the villagers were gathered and funeral rites began, Albedo and Demiurge made themselves scarce by collecting the bodies. While those still breathing would be interrogated by Neuronist Painkiller for information about the Slane Theocracy, the dead would be used as part of a series of experiments involving resurrective spells and other abilities.

Phantom watched as the villagers buried their dead. The sisters knelt in front of one of the newly dug graves, their faces buried in their hands and sobbing.

"I wish we could do something for them..."

The scene felt vividly familiar to him. Instead of a pair of sisters, it was just one little boy kneeling in front of a pair of gravestones, bawling his poor eyes out and asking the people dumping dirt into the pits why they were burying his mother and father.

Momonga nodded solemnly. "I know, but we can't risk bringing anymore attention to ourselves than necessary. A Magic Caster capable of both giving life as well as death would attract the wrong kind of attention. They'll just have to happy that they're still alive and can mourn those who aren't."

"I get it. It's just watching sights like these hurt especially."

The Overlord nodded. He could understand what Phantom meant. Like him, he grew up without parents. He did not know his father, but his mother died from overworking to provide for him. She died when he was young. But he was nonetheless grateful to her for giving him the chance for an elementary school education.

Despite his suppressed emotions, he could feel some sympathy for the two girls. But even so, he could not risk using the [Wand of Resurrection]. He did not wat to risk the safety of his home and guildmates.

"...By the way." Phantom started to shift topics. "Since you're here, I take it Diabolos was left in charge of Nazarick?"

Momonga nodded. "Yes. He was disappointed, but he agreed to stay behind just in case someone invaded Nazarick." He turned fully to face the Yaksha. "Now, back to what you said earlier... The ringleaders behind this attack are close by?"

"Yeah, and since they're men are gone, it'll probably be a while before he notices. Hopefully by then this Gazeff guy shows up. Just to be on the safe side, though-" Phantom stopped when he felt a connection form in his mind. "Slimeko, perfect timing! You done with scouting?"

[Yes, Lord Phantom,] the Redeem Slime reported in her deadpan voice. [I have successfully scouted the main enemy force. They do not appear to hold any noteworthy equipment, but they're garbs indicate they are all Magic Casters. Additionally, they are surrounded by Archangel Flammes.]

He blinked. "...I'm sorry, but did you just say they have Archangel Flammes with them? As in, the ones from back in Yggdrasil?"

[The very same ones.]

"...Archangel Flammes. Really?"

[Yes.]

"...Phantom?" Momonga glanced at his friend.

"...We're not the only ones from Yggdrasil here it seems." the Yaksha answered seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"Slimeko scouted out the enemy. She found that they were Magic Casters with Archangel Flammes. The ones from Yggdrasil."

"Archangel Flammes? So they can use 3rd tier magic at the very least?"

"Seems that way. Don't know how strong they really are. But I doubt they have an actual Yggdrasil player with them. If they did, they would have high tier summons instead. Then again, it's either that they lack one, or they don't see the necessity of higher ranked Angels. That could give us an indication of the power scale of this world. But at the very least, we know that others from Yggdrasil have made it here somehow."

The undead rubbed the bottom of his mask as if he were rubbing his chin. "It could also be the work of NPC, like those in the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Either way, this is good information."

Phantom nodded in agreement and returned to his conversation with Slimeko. "Has the group made any movements yet?"

[None, my lord. They seem to be growing anxious that their soldiers have yet to report back. I suspect they will either move out shortly or wait and see if this Gazeff Stronoff human will appear.]

"Alternatively, there's a good chance they know we're here and are waiting for us to leave and finish what their soldiers started," Momonga said. "Did you remember to cast [False Data: Life] or [Safe Visage]?"

The Yaksha gave the Guild Master a flat look. "...you do remember the only non-combat spells I know of are [Lesser Heal] and [Wall of Protection from Arrows], right?" he deadpanned. "And the only reason I even know those skills is 'cause of Touch Me nagging me about having at least some level of protection."

"Right. Whatever was I thinking..."

"Tch! Even with your emotions hampered, you're still an ass, you know that, Momonga?"

Momonga scoffed. "And you're still as green as ever." In spite of their playful banter, Momonga was a little peeved that Phantom hadn't taken the necessary precautions. Even if they hadn't confirmed the existence of Yggdrasil magic or the possibility of a player like themselves being in this world, he still should have accounted for the possibility.

Then again, Phantom's speciality was always in defensive measures and counterattacks. When that massive raid on the Tomb occurred some odd years back, he was the one who led the defensive strike and purposely whittled down their numbers whilst leading them to the Eighth Floor, where Victim would weaken them further and leave them crippled and vulnerable (though not before making numerous apologies to a crying and furious Diabolos for sacrificing his beloved NPC in the first place).

As Ulbert himself once put it; if Momonga could be considered one of the guild's best strategists, then Phantom was their greatest shield and spear.

'We can't afford to make rookie mistakes like this, especially now that we know there's a chance a player like us is here,' Momonga thought. 'And we have no idea if that player is hostile or not. There's just too many unknowns to make of the situation...'

He sighed deeply and shook his head. If only the others were here with them, then maybe he wouldn't feel so stressed out.

"Lord Suzuki, I've returned," Demiurge announced as he stepped out of the newly-formed Gate behind him. The corridor of shadows and darkness ceased to exist the moment his form left its embrace. Approaching the two guild members, he swept into a bow. "We have delivered the remaining members of the Slane Theocracy's soldiers to Neuronist. She seems quite eager to start the interrogation."

"Oh, I can imagine..." Phantom shivered.

Neuronist Painkill was one of the Five Worst NPCs of Nazarick. They were referred to as such not because of their stats or personalities, but rather by their occupation. In the case of Neuronist, her specs were designed in a way that would make even the most sadistic of torturers green with envy or sick with disgust. Given her skillsets, however, she would undoubtedly break those poor souls they captured. It was all a matter of waiting for vital information to be obtained. Once they were done with, they would be sent over to Demiurge for his own experiments.

Now that Phantom thought about it, those that were killed were granted a merciful sentence. Now the ones captured would definitely suffer.

Well, not that he minded given what they did to Carne Village.

"What else do you require of us, my lord?" Demiurge questioned.

"I want you to inform Diabolos of the following information." Phantom interjected. He then proceeded to inform the Archdevil of the presence of Archangel Flammes and the possibility of another Yggdrasil Player aiding the invading forces. "Have him prepare the other Floor Guardians for a possible conflict should any additional players seek out Nazarick while we are preoccupied."

"At once, Lord Phantom." He bowed before retreating through the [Gate].

Once the demon was gone, Momonga let out a grunt. "We can't afford to wait for too long. We should have the Hanzos and Slimeko monitor those Magic Casters and prepare to move in at a moment's notice."

"Should we capture a few of them plus their leader too?" Phantom inquired. "This Nigun guy could be a big shot."

"Perhaps..."

At Momonga's orders, the Hanzos moved out and waited in the shadows, patiently stalking the Magic Casters of the Slane Theocracy. It wouldn't be until the sun began to descend that the man of the hour, Gazef Stronoff, would appear on the horizon, riding out on horseback and accompanied by a small contingency of soldiers behind him.

Phantom smirked. "Showtime."

END

Phantom and I manage to successfully defend Carne Village, but with the possibility of a Yggdrasil player being among its attackers, my concern only grows. Gazef Stronoff arrives at Carne Village, and we help assist him in defeating the mages while also finding out the truth behind their acquisition of monsters from Yggdrasil.

Meanwhile, an unexpected development occurs while we are away in the Great Tomb of Nazarick...

Next Time: The Might of Ainz Ooal Gown

Starlight's Poet: For the uncultured swine among you lot, the character Slimeko is not an OC, but rather a character from the Overlord mobile game "Mass for the Dead." Speaking of, we've decided to include some storyline elements from Mass of the Dead into the story, but we're trying to decide what and what not to include. For the most part, we're following the light novel storyline and not MftD's, which while set in the same world, does have some differences due to the presence of the game's antagonists fucking everything up.