AN: Welcome one, welcome all, I am your host and writer Lambda38. It's been a bit, but I do hope you enjoy chapter 7, with a title that probably makes the last one makes some manner of sense. I hope you enjoy, leave a review if you're feeling particularly snazzy, and I'll see you next chapter, which is well underway, fear not.(we totally didn't finish this chapter and forget for months, I swear.) See ya. -L38.

Chapter 7: The Storm

The Captain of the Black Scripture glances around the forest they had brought Kir to, before turning to the giant of a man and the dwarfed form of Lady Kaire, an old woman wearing a white dress with a gold eastern dragon crawling up the front. He looks towards the rest of the Black Scripture.

"Alright then, set up a perimeter. Do not allow anyone to approach unannounced," he orders, all except the Extra Seat, Lady Kaire, and Lady Kaire's guard obeying. "Lady Kaire, if you would make him more amenable to questioning, we must begin."

"I already have," the old woman says with a huff, receiving a nod as the black-haired man meets Kir's eyes, the beast of a man looking rather confused but otherwise normal.

"Sir Kir, I need to ask you questions about your party," the man begins. "First of all, your ally, Lady Mer. What was she doing in Carne Village when the Sunlight Scripture arrived there?"

"She was bored, said she wanted to look around a bit," Kir answers, making the Captain balk for a moment as the monochrome girl snorts.

"Why did she interfere with the Slaine Theocracy, what allegiances does she hold?" He continues, eyes narrowed.

"Not sure she did anything to the country, but those religious lunatics sure had it coming. And her allegiances stand with me, Momo and the rest of the guild," Kir says. The Captain frowns.

"Momo, you mean Sir Momon?" He asks quietly, ignoring the jab of being lunatics. "But what guild do you speak of? The adventurers guild?"

"HA! I'd cut my own beard off if I had to be loyal to such a shady bunch. To Ainz Ooal Gown and no one else," Tir exclaims proudly.

"What is Ainz Ooal Gown?" The Captain asks, frown deepening.

"Our guild. Though even with most members gone we still stand proud… not that there is anyone to stand up to in this world."

"What does your guild stand for?" The Captain asks, annoyed. "Who are the members, what is your level of strength, and where has Lady Mer taken the artifact she took from Sunlight Scripture Captain Nigun Grid Luin?"

"Well right now it's just me, Mer and Momo, our levels are 100 last I checked and I have no idea what Mer has taken or where she has put it… maybe I should ask Nigun… bah, I forgot him back home. As for what the guild stands for… that's a tough question, depending on who you ask you might get different answers," Tir explains. The Captain furrows his brow in confusion.

"Ask Nigun? How would you ask him when he's dead?" He asks curiously. "And what would you say the Guild stands for then?"

"Well considering his soul is under my control right now I can just grab 'im and ask him, though the fucker is still in the ball so I gotta go and physically grab him. And for me, I'd say the guild represents family, a bond between close friends that can never be broken, even if the others are gone."

"I see," the Captain mutters. "What would you say your weaknesses are, for each of you?"

"Hmm, for me usually someone with higher speed, though even then I can still probably come out on top, very few get through my defenses. For Mer, someone with more powerful magic than her, though her strengths outweigh that. And Momo, anyone that can swing a sword better than the average person and can survive the ungodly amount of magic that is thrown at them is good enough," Tir says. The Captain and Extra Seat look at him, one in shock and the other in excitement.

"Magic?" The man asks incredulously. "But he's-!"

"Captain!" One of the members of the Black Scripture comes rushing from the tree line. "Our target is coming straight towards us! She's maybe five minutes out!" The Captain gapes, wondering how she'd managed to find them so quickly.

"Bring everyone together. Lady Kaire, bring Sir Kir with us. Zesshi, I'm sure you'll be happy enough to fight?" He asks, the Extra Seat merely grinning as she follows the Captain out towards the nearby field. "Sir Kir, do you think if worse comes to worst, we can defeat Lady Mer?"

"Honestly no idea, both of us fight from time to time but never seriously. Maybe outnumbering her would do the trick. Though why would we fight right now? She is going through some stuff, it's probably best if we let her be."

"And if we're with you?" The Captain asks curiously, as they walk amongst the darkened foliage. "If you hold her off, can we kill her if need be?"

"Mmmm, tough question. She is a lot faster than me, probably than anyone else honestly. But I'm not even equipped with my PvP armor so not sure how well I can chase her around while she is zipping all over the place."

"I see," the Captain says coldly. The group comes to a halt at the edge of the forest, seeing a black-haired woman staring straight at the Captain, eyes glowing enough to cast shade on the rest of her face. "And what would you say the chances of not getting into a confrontation or possibly convincing her to join the Theocracy are?"

"Depends really, I mean I can talk to her if ya want? Though joining the Theocracy… yeah no not happening, neither for her nor for me or for anyone else in our group."

"I'm sure you'll be more than amenable after a little while, Sir Kir," the Captain replies stoically as he walks out of the edge of the forest, his group following. Mer looks at them, a scowl firm on her face, even as she clenches her hands to control their shaking.

Thirty Minutes Prior

Mörderin gasps for breath from where she sits, back pressed to the side of a cave, arms looped around her legs as she presses her forehead against her knees.

A moment passes before she feels an oncoming Message, instinctively slashing it before it has the time to connect, as she does her best to try and control her fractured emotions.

I did it, she thinks with a sobbing laugh. I did it. I did it! I tortured her! Why did I do it? The woman takes another gasping breath as her body shudders in disgust.

"What's one of the Beastfolk doing in a place like this?" A young voice asks, startling Mör. The Angel looks up to see a small person in a red cloak with a white mask with black lines and a red jewel over her face. The girl tilts her head. "Though you appear far too human to be a Beastfolk, so what are you?" Mörderin stares at her for a moment, before shrugging.

"I'm not a Beastfolk," she says with some tears leaking from her eyes as she looks away. "Just a person with some issues." The girl lets out a hum.

"What kind of issues?" She asks, taking a seat a few feet away from Mör. The Angel glances over at her again.

"Does it matter?" She asks despondently. "Even if we solve one issue all that happens is that there's more room for another issue to take its place."

"Possibly, however, there are some issues that need to be taken care of quickly, and some which need help to be solved," the girl says quietly. "I think this counts for both of those." Mör chuckles hollowly.

"I killed a woman," she replies bluntly, surprising the cloaked girl. "I killed her because she tried to kill my ward while I wasn't there. I took it too far though." The girl nods.

"If the person who attacked your wards was happy in doing so, it makes sense for you to be angry over it," the girl says, fidgeting slightly. "But if you want to, perhaps it'd help you if you explained what you did to her?" Mör chuckles humorlessly once more.

"My name is Mörderin," she begins. "What's yours?"

"Evileye."

"Cute name," the Angel says dryly, cracking a small smile. "I suppose I should start from when I learned of my ward being attacked," Mör explains what happened, how she had been contacted, what she had come to find, and the events leading up to her encounter with Clementine, occasionally cutting off a Message trying to reach her before it could begin. "And I fell into a sort of… trance, I suppose." She wipes her face with her sleeve, not crying anymore, though she could still feel the disgust and horror lingering in her stomach. "When one of my friends pulled me back from the woman, I only just realized what I'd done. It didn't sit well with me, as you can see, so I let my wings out and decided to fly."

Evileye, who had been silent, if slightly angered when she learned a child had nearly been killed, nods.

"An understandable reaction, if an extreme one," she surmises. "But it is merely something you must learn to control or prevent." The girl tilts her head down, humming slightly. "Doing it again may lead you down a path you can't bring yourself back from," Mör smirks tiredly and opens her mouth to reply when the flap of wings is heard, as well as a manly shout of surprise before Seikatsu appears down the cave.

"Mother!" She calls, getting Mörs attention.

"Yes?" Mörderin asks shortly.

"It's Lord Tirdak! He's been captured!" She says swiftly, making Mörderin stand in shock.

"Captured? How?" She asks incredulously.

"I don't know! My servant only told me he'd somehow been mind-controlled-!" Seikatsu begins before Mör cuts her off with a curse.

"Where is he?" She demands.

"My servant was killed, but Demiurge has sent our scouts to find him," the angel replies, making Mör wall past her, the woman taking a deep breath.

"Thank you, Evileye," she says. "You were a good listener." A moment later Mörderin leaves the cave to see four other women, including one giant who is rubbing the back of her head, before she spreads her wings and launches into the air, towards E-Rantel once more. After a few moments of feeling the wind buffet her face, she sends out a Message.

"Demiurge," she calls.

"Lady Mörderin," he greets, his voice pleasant. "We've found the mongrels that dared to control Lord Tirdak, and the full power of Nazarik has been mobilized in order to kill these filthy humans." Mörderin narrows her eyes as she passes through a cloud.

"Where is he?"

"They've taken him to the forest near the city you and our Lords went to gather information."

"I see," she replies, before taking a steadying breath. "Very well, Demiurge, I want you to listen closely. This operation must not fail, and if a single member of our forces disobeys their orders, I will personally see to their punishments."

She explains her plan, attempting to keep the casualties to a minimum as she reigns the Demon in. Mere minutes later, she arrives at the fields outside of E-Rantel, feeling her wings draw into her back as a shadow demon nearby beckons her towards her foes.

After five minutes of walking, she notices a group of five people walking out to meet her. She recognizes Kir instantly, the man looking rather befuddled even as he replies to the questions the group are asking him.

At the front of the group is a man with long black hair, with ornate armor and a raggedy spear, followed by a girl with white and black hair carrying a scythe, and an armored man with a massive shield. The last one garners Mörderins attention, being the odd one out. An old woman wearing a white and gold dress. She squints at the woman, and as she draws closer to the group, she can make out the gold pattern on the front to resemble a golden dragon, before her eyes widen in shock as she stumbles a step.

Isn't that the brainwashing World Item? She thinks in shock, as it finally dawns on her how they controlled Tirdak. Dammit. There must be a way to get him out from their thumbs, but I don't know if it can be used to relieve its own brainwashing, or if the effect will end after the user dies.

Mörderin ignores these questions as she stops around ten feet from the group.

"I see you've absconded with my teammate," she notes coldly. "Return him immediately."

"Whatcha talking about Mör? We're just having a chat, no harm in it," Tir says, "Also you doing well?" Mör merely snorts.

"Can we talk or are you going to continue pretending he's anything but a puppet right now?" She asks, annoyed. Kaire merely hmphs as Kir's eyes dim and he stands tall and silent.

"Indeed," the Captain replies. "I'm here due to the artifact you stole from the Slaine Theocracy. The summoning crystal-."

"Of that pathetic Dominion, yeah, I know," Mör interrupts, ignoring the sight of someone being pulled into a Gate behind the tree line. "Sorry to break it to you, but I already destroyed the crystal. It wasn't even worth ten gold, so I'd hardly say you've lost much." The Captain balks.

"You destroyed it!" He asks, shocked. "Why? That was an angel of the highest tier-!"

"Barely an angel worthy of the title mid-tier, actually," she interrupts again. "Now, can we get on with this and can I leave with my teammate or am I going to have to-!" Mör blinks in surprise as the dual haired girl leaps at her, a bored look on her face as she swings her scythe. Mör doesn't bother with a preamble as she dons a full set of shining silver armor, with twin gleaming silver sabers appearing in her hands as she casually deflects the girl's strike. Zesshi, for her part, grunts in shock as her attack is easily diverted, before a bloodthirsty grin appears on her lips. "So that's how it is."

"Lady Kaire, send in Sir Kir," the Captain orders as he takes a ready stance next to Zesshi, and Kaire's guard places his shield between her and Mör. A moment later, Kir grunts as he surveys the situation. Then in an instant, he begins to transform, his doppelganger side of him turning him back into his true minotaur form. Then with a dull light, his armor is donned.

Full plate made of dark iron, perfectly made to fit his form, wherever the plate would stop to allow the movement of joints, deep red colored chain-mail shines through. A black cape that turns into mist towards the end floats behind him, names written upon it. The armor itself has images of different animals engraved into it.

A large silver greataxe appears in his hands, sparks of lightning emanating from the blades.

"A Beastman?" Kaire exclaims in disgust.

"I know he's an ugly bastard, but that's my friend you're feeling disgusted about," Mörderin objects, before twirling one of her blades. "That said." Mörderin vanishes in a blaze of silver, knocking Zesshi and the Captain aside like bowling pins, and easily slicing through the shield of Kaire's protector, blade closing on the old woman's neck when she sees a flash of orange and stiffens, sword halting in the air before being slammed in the aide with a massive axe.

Mör cries out in pain as she flies through the air, skipping on the ground before hitting a tree and slumping to the ground. She grits her teeth as she retches, pushing away the images that had been brought to her mind. She looks over and rolls out of the way as the twin colored girl sweeps her scythe through the air.

"I thought you might actually be a threat," the girl muses as she glances at Mörderin as she shakily stands. "But it turns out you're just a disappointment." Mör huffs and darts around a spear strike from the Captain, slamming her swords against his spear harshly enough to send him tumbling to the ground.

"Says the girl who couldn't even scratch my armor," Mör retorts as she glances at the deep groove left by Tirdak.

She doesn't have enough time to examine it entirely as a bestial roar is heard from in front of her. Snapping her head up she sees Tir charging at her with full force horns pointed at her abdomen.

The Angel jumps to the side, avoiding the hulking Beastman as she darts towards the old woman and her bodyguard again. Mör takes a breath and goes for the strike again, the old woman diving to avoid her sword and only getting nicked on her side.

Mör clicks her teeth in annoyance as she bashes aside the shield man who attempts to slam her in the side of what remains of his shield.

A moment later, she holds both of her blades up to intercept both a large scythe and spear.

"Did you honestly think that would-," Mör mocks, before a sudden strike in the middle of her back sends her tumbling forward, knocking her two opponents to the ground with her.

"Oh yeah, turn your back on the minotaur, a great idea there Mör," Tir taunts as he goes for an overhead strike towards his friend. Mör curses as she turns and blocks with one of her blades, the force slamming her back to the ground.

"Snap out of it Tirdak, come on!" She yells as she kicks one of his knees, making him stumble enough for her to scramble back to her feet.

"Oh, I am gonna snap something alright!" Tir yells back and does an upward diagonal attack with his axe. Mör fades around it and slams a heavy blow against the blade of his axe, attempting to dislodge it from his grip, Tirdak staggering as he tries to keep it.

"Attack every weakness she has, make her suffer until she submits, my servant!" The old woman cries, making Mörderins eyes widen as she jumps back from Tirdak, evading a swift strike from the scythe-wielding girl.

"Holy shit, with the amount of fucking dodging you do, I'd think you were a pansy-ass rogue," Tir taunts once more. "Then again, no one in the guild had the balls to take a hit!" He yells, throwing three strikes, one after another.

Mör evades the strikes, as well the ones the Captain throws in before she deflects the scythe strike.

"Oh come on, you told us to let you take them!" She objects before she evades a decapitation swing. "And Buku was right there with you!"

"Oh please, I was ten times as useful as her," Tir says as he tries to punch Mör.

"You even admitted she was a great bloody tank!" Mör objects as she evades it, glancing between the relatively slow opponents and the old woman hiding behind her damaged shield holder, noting the Gate behind them right before a long hand of claws reaches through and severs the old woman's head.

"Lady Kaire!" The shield man calls, even as the body is dragged through the Gate before an armored figure grabs the man and drags him off.

"What?" The Captain says as he looks at where they had been, pale as a sheet as the Gate shuts.

"Tirdak, come on, we don't need to fight," Mör urges as she jumps backward, creating a sizable gap between her and the group of her opponents.

"Oh, that's rich, considering how fucking much you were trying to prove you were better than TouchMe. The number of times you would challenge someone to a fight just to prove you can win faster than him, is so high I had to stop counting!" Tir yells.

"That's different and you know it!" Mörderin objects. "That was just YGGDRASIL!" The Captain stiffens as he hears the name, mouth falling slightly open.

"Oh yeah, you're right. Here I can actually maybe get some fucking respect for once from this damned fucking guild!" Tir roars and charges once more. Mörderin sighs before she sprouts wings from her back.

"I'd hoped her death would free you," she mutters as she flaps her wings, ascending two hundred meters up in nearly an instant. She stares down at her opponents before folding the white limbs behind her, letting gravity do its work.

A few seconds later she flies past the three foes before her, her form bouncing around them and nearly instantly disarming the two Black Scripture members and sending them flying before she slams into Tirdak.

"Don't worry Tir," she says as she slams her second sword into his axe, flapping her wings with enough force to send his hooves plowing through the ground. "I'll make sure you're alright after this. I won't fail."

"Oh so high and mighty, I should have left with SukMiOv when he left the clan, he was so fucking right about you lot it's painful just thinking about it!" Tir says, making Mör take a deep breath as she disengages.

"I really wish I could knock you out," Mör mutters. "You're gonna feel like shit later." A second later Mör stiffens before dropping to the ground as a wave of black energy scythes through where she'd just been, slamming into Tirdak's face. "What was that?"

Mör looks behind herself as Tirdak curses to see the girl with her hair fallen down, revealing elven ears. The girl growls and launches herself at the Angel. Mörderin doesn't waste time and bats her aside, turning back to Tir as he begins to chant in a language she does not understand. It sounds like a mix of his regular speech and guttural growls, a white circle forming in front of his hand before lighting zaps its way across to her.

She sidesteps it and almost chuckles as she hears a litany of curses from the elf girl before feeling a small spark against the back of her armor.

"Seriously Tirdak, it's like I never told you I made my armor specifically for lightning and ice resistance," she states with a smirk underneath her helmet. The Angel chuckles as she flaps her wings, the spear which would have pierced her side passing harmlessly underneath her, before her metallic boot meets the Captain's temple, sending him flying off of his feet and into a freshly opened Gate.

"Oh congratulations, it will take me only five strikes to kill ya instead of four," Tirdak taunts as he charges again.

Mörderin dodges the swing from Tirdak's axe and flies higher. The minotaur grunting in frustration.

"You know I have always found it funny, how for a guild that was supposed to be evil, we had the most non-evil people as guildmates. Hell, you are the most ironic out of all of them," Tir laughs.

"Well to be fair," Mör says while she drops to the ground beneath another wave of black energy which strikes Tirdak in the face, making him roar in annoyance. "There was Ulbert who was a bit more into the whole evil thing than the rest of us!" She raises her swords, blocking the scythe behind her before she kicks off the ground, a swift strike with her sword sending the scythe flying. "I'll take this!" She lets go of one of her swords in order to grab the girl's scythe and chucks it into her inventory before anyone can react.

"Give that back!" Zesshi shouts as she reaches for the Angel's hanging sword, only for the woman to beat her to it. Mör snorts as she flaps her wings, evading yet another strike from Tirdak.

"Bah, sure he led others on with his charades. But he was just like the rest of us, pretending to be something that we were not," Tirdak stops before taking a few breaths. "Not that it makes a difference now, does it? None of em are here, it's just the three of us."

"That it is," Mör replies morbidly, sighing. "And I won't let you stay like this, I promise, Tirdak."

"Oh, that's rich, heh. Won't be the first time someone from the guild promised me something only to stab me in the back in the end," Tir sneers as he readies another spell.

"I told you that Luci-Fer was an asshole, but no, you couldn't believe he'd be that much of one!" Mör snaps back, kicking Zesshi across her face as she tries to jump and strangle her. The half-elf falls bonelessly into a new Gate, leaving the two friends staring each other down over the moonlit field.

Momonga hums as he watches his two friends through the Mirror of Remote Viewing from his throne, gripping the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown hard enough to snap a man's neck in two, and ignoring the pile of unconscious humans between the lines of Guardians at the base of the throne steps.

"My Lord, is something the matter?" Demiurge asks as he watches the fight with his normal smile. "I am assured by Lady Mörderin that her plan to save Lord Tirdak will not fail."

"I have full confidence in Mörderin, however the fact that someone would dare control one of my guildmates," the Skeleton replies darkly. "It infuriates me to no end."

"My Lord," Albedo speaks, Momonga turning to meet her gaze, the Overseer dressed in her full armor. "Do you believe whatever despicable creature managed to… get ahold of Uncle, is forcing him to say those outlandish things?" Momonga hums to himself as he looks back at the mirror.

"No, I believe he is saying them because they are events that happened," the Overlord replies, making the Guardians stand straighter as they see the two exchange a flurry of strikes on screen. "The majority of what he says does hold some weight. Back before we all came to this world, he and Bukubukuchagama were the only ones who were hardy enough to weather the attacks of our foes. The rest of us were better at killing than we were at taking the blows ourselves. I'd never seen it as disrespectful, though, and Tirdak has insisted that it be that way. His opinion of what happened, the perceptions he speaks of. Those I believe are being forced from him."

"What does he mean by being stabbed in the back, My Lord?" Demiurge asks, frowning.

"Ah. I believe it was back before we'd made the Great Tomb, he was asked by our clanmate Luci-Fer to help him with some rather simple enemies, nothing major," Momonga recounts. "Luci-Fer however, is nothing if not notorious for his love of small pranks, and after everything was finished, he set off a small trap behind Tirdak that sent a dagger into his back." He rubs his chin as the Guardians stiffen, several looking confused and others looking incensed at this story. "The two had a good laugh over it after Tirdak stopped chasing him with an axe."

"It just seems strange to me, that Uncle of all Supreme Beings would hold such a grudge, given the fact that he would behave so pleasantly with humans even," Albedo speaks.

Momonga hummed in response, before remembering a certain story Tirdak had told him when the minotaur/doppelganger joined the guild.

"It would make sense for him actually, given his background," he says.

"I see, My Lord," Demiurge says with a small frown. "In any case, I believe we are ready to move to the next stage of Lady Mörs plan. Albedo, are you prepared?"

"Always," Albedo says, an inkling of guilt in her voice, at the prospect of having to fight the person who had the most in common with her creator.

"Very well then, I shall inform Lady Mörderin," Demiurge states. "Please get yourself into position, Albedo."

Mör dodges yet another swing of Tirdak's axe, wings flapping as she takes a deep breath, feeling the sweat on her forehead as she tries to dart behind him. She plants a kick into his spine and sends her friend off his feet with an enraged roar. She takes a deep breath as she lands on the ground, watching Tirdak stand before she feels a Message connect to her.

"All of your orders have been accomplished, and Albedo is in position, Lady Mörderin," the Demon replies.

"Albedo!" She calls out, the Succubus rushing out of the woods to intercept Mörderin's attacker. Albedo hesitantly takes a stand in front of Tirdak, her black armor shining in the moonlight. "I'll be back soon."

Mör opens a Gate next to her and walks through.

Tirdak huffs, two puffs of smoke coming out of the snout on his helmet as he snarls, "Running away from a fight and using others to shield yourself from the enemy, typical Mörderin." He stands his ground while looking at Albedo. "Typical for all of them..."

"Lord Tirdak, please stand down," Albedo begs, gritting her teeth. "We do not need to-!"

"She doesn't even have the fucking guts to face me in actual fucking combat!" Tirdak yells. " I will run to Nazarick, I will bash down the walls of that fucking tomb and I will rip that spineless coward's wings off!" Tir roars as he charges forward.

Albedo blocks him, grimacing under her helmet as his axe crashes into her own.

"Lord Tirdak, please come to your senses! We aren't your-!" She tries. Tirdak for his part ignores Albedo and pushes her aside to run past her. The Succubus grunts as she rushes after him, trying to intercept.

"I can't keep up," she realizes despondently, trying vainly to move faster.

"Lord Tirdak, that's quite far enough," a smooth voice calls, before Demiurge swoops down from the sky in his Demi-Demon form, arm pulled back. "Aspect of the Devil: Archdemons's Wrist!" The Demon slams his expanded wrist into Tirdak's chest, sending the Beastman stumbling back. "Albedo. We have our orders. Even if we must raise arms against Lord Tirdak for the moment, we must make certain Lady Mörderin's plan is not interfered with."

Albedo looks at Tirdak, who has by this point recovered.

"It's gonna take more than that to take me down!" Tirdak yells. "And you are starting to get on my nerves, Spirit Power Transfer!" A white mist begins to emanate from his extended arm. "Twine Plant!" The ground under Demiurge rumbles as large vines protrude and begin to surround him, they themselves letting out a mist. The Demon flaps his wings and takes to the air, flying upwards to avoid the plants.

"Flash," the Demon calmly intones a bright light emanating from his form and searing itself into Tirdak's retinas.

With a roar of pain, more beast than man, Tirdak covers the openings for his eyes on his helmet with his right arm and stumbles a few feet back.

"Ah, you oversized frog!" Tir roars as he blindly aims up with his free hand, a gray magical circle appearing in front of his arm. "Drain!"

"Hellfire Wall!" Demiurge chants, a wall of black fire sprouting up at a distance around Tirdak, even as he moves to avoid the mist like rope sprouting from the spell circle.

Albedo stares in despair, watching as her Lord fights against her fellow Floor Guardian, her natural loyalty to Nazarick, and the orders of Mörderin clashing with her loyalty to her Uncle.

As she stands insensate, Demiurge grunts as his fingers extend to blades and clash with Tirdak's axe, the Demon grunting as he is pushed back, trying to keep his Lord inside the cage of fire as Tirdak's vision starts to come back ever so slightly, though the massive amount of light from the flames around him stings his eyes even more.

"C'mon you, bastards, you managed it once, you can do it again," he says as he focuses upon the souls bound to him.

Demiurge, with a lunge, goes for Tirdak's axe, thinking to pry it from his Lord's hands. Just as he reaches his target, Tir turns into mist and shoots upwards. The mist passes through the demon, an unnatural cold seeping over him. It maneuvers over the flame wall and lands on the other side. Only red eyes are visible from the tall mist pillar for but a second before Tir's body reforms and he begins his sprint anew.

Demiurge curses and ceases to flow of mana to his wall of fire, flapping his wings as he attempts to pursue Tirdak, only to find he is slowly but surely falling behind.

"Demiurge, is Tirdak near you?" Mörderin asks suddenly, surprising the demon.

"Yes, but he is rushing towards the Tomb and I can't keep up with him, My Lady," he replies.

A Gate appears just above Demiurge, a white-winged figure speeding out of it and landing into Tirdak's back, sending the beast-man crashing to the ground with an enraged roar.

Mörderin flaps her wings to escape the dust cloud created by Tirdak's falling, looking down as Demiurge flies up to her, inspecting the curious dress she is wearing.

"My Lady," he calls as he levels off next to her. "Did you manage to test it, will you be able to bring Lord Tirdak out of his unstable state?"

"I don't know," she states, making the Demons heart nearly stop. "I couldn't test it on anyone, so I presume it doesn't have the power to control more than one person at a time. I'll just have to check on Tirdak."

"Ever the annoying cunt, aren't ya Mörderin," Tir's voice sounds from below as the dust cloud settles. "That same fucking ego, high as a mountain, just like the rest of them."

"I suppose you can say that," she says quietly.

Tir grunts as he begins to create multiple magic circles.

"Spirit Shield! Enhanced Passive Spirit Protection!" He calls out, two circles glowing with a bright white light as they float onto Tir's armor. "You know I have been trying to experiment with my souls since we got here, but until now I never had a use or reason to try this one spell out. And trust me Mör, for a Spirit Shaman I don't only have buffs and debuffs." Tir looks up at her as five circles spin around each other so fast that there is only a blur left. "Summon Spirit! Waywatcher of the Woods!"

Suddenly a form storms forth from the blurry mess of spinning magic circles. It is a tall and slender figure. Though mostly incorporeal, the greenish armor made from wood and cloth is not easily mistaken. A hood and bandana cover most of the head and face, and only one black eye is visible as the other is covered by white hair.

Tirdak does not even order the spirit before it runs into the nearby brush, vanishing from sight.

"Is it possible it realizes he's not himself?" Mör wonders, a spark of curiosity breaching her mind, before half a dozen arrows streak from the brush, headed directly towards her. She glances over and gives a large flap of her wings, easily avoiding the hail as she ascends and the force of her flap throws them off course. She stares at the spiraling twigs in surprise. "Huh. I didn't know I could do that."

Mör shakes her head and spreads her arms, the dragon on the dress she wears glowing a bright golden before it dies out.

"You still feel like fighting Tir?" She asks before she has to avoid more arrows. "Message received." She furrows her brow before leveling a hand at Tir, the dragon once again glowing. "Stop."

A moment later, every motion vanishes from the beastman, even the slight movement for breathing ceases. Mörderin sighs, before preparing to use her newfound World Item once again.

Momonga looks over the unconscious forms of the people who'd captured Tirdak from his throne, as well as the corpse of the one who had put him under her control, feeling no small amount of satisfaction and rage. The Guardians line the sides of the carpet approaching the steps of the throne, most of them casting glares towards the people on the ground, Shalltear nearly frothing at the mouth in fury.

A few moments later, a Gate opens, with Mörderin walking through with her head held low, followed fairly swiftly by Demiurge, Albedo, Tirdak who is holding his head, and following him, a ghost.

"Tirdak, are you alright?" Momonga asks from his throne as Mörderin slowly ascends the stairs to stand next to the throne.

"Mmmm, yeah I'm alright. My head is pounding a little but other than that I am fine," Tir responds as he sits on the stairs. The Guardians stir slightly, many of them casting glares towards the forms on the ground. Sebas walks over to his Lord, offering a cold towel to the hulking Beastman.

"Mörderin, is he out from under the effects of Downfall of Castle and Country?" Momonga asks, looking at the Angel next to him.

Tir turns around to face his friends as he takes the towel from Sebas and places it on his head before asking, "Who out from what now?"

"No, I failed at that," Mör replies simply, Demiurge's tail lashing behind him as Mörderin speaks. "The World Item doesn't appear to be able to release its own control. That said, their commander did mention that they were here for the Summoning Crystal I got from the people who attacked Carne Village. They might have been from the Slaine Theocracy, but I can't be sure that they aren't from a rival nation yet."

"I see. That is quite unfortunate," Momonga murmurs, gripping the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown tighter as he looks over the beheaded form of the woman who placed his ally under control.

"So anyone wanna fill me in as to what happened? Cuz for some reason I can't recall anything from the past… however long it's been since I went on a walk after we sent Sei after Mör," Tir says.

For a moment nobody answers.

"Demiurge, fill him in," Mörderin says with a sigh.

"Of course, My Lady," Demiurge replies. "Well, since the time that Lady Mörderin left you in the graveyard, barely more than two hours have passed, in which time the vermin you see here on the ground placed your mind under the control of the World Item, 'Downfall of Castle and Country' due to Seikatsu's negligence in her duty to protect you. Lady Mörderin led an attack in order to set you free of their control, and has since managed to at least free you from their commands." Demiurge pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose as Tirdak blinks a few times, slowly processing the information before Mörderin speaks up.

"But you are still under the control of this World Item," she says with another long sigh, gesturing to her dress. "Your headache may well be a result of the spirits in your head trying to fight that which is designed to be unbeatable. If that is the case, it's probably not going to go away."

Tir sits and thinks on the words his allies had just told him for a solid minute, before he turns to the ghost that was standing near him and asks, "You wanna tell me how the fuck you're here?"

The ghost looks at Tir and begins to gesture with its hands as if to communicate, yet no words, apart from the faintest sound of wind, come out of it.

"Huh, so it did work… but why did I summon you then?" Tir says. The ghost begins to gesture once more, this time pointing at Mörderin and then at one of the humans at the base of the stairs. "Ah I see, so he… oh, wait, the granny did it?... did they make me do anything?... so I didn't… ok that's good, is that why the… yeah, so it is them… well, go tell em to stop." Tir converses with the spirit before he snaps his fingers and it vanishes. "Hope they listen."

"Tirdak, What was that?" Momonga asks, broken from his anger for a moment, even as Aura and Mare try to hold Shalltear back from the unconscious bodies on the ground.

"Oh, that's just a spirit. A wood elf waywatcher if I remember correctly. Pretty good with a bow that one. She does lack a bit in the magical department though," Tir explains.

"I see," Momonga muses, about to ask further questions when one of the people on the ground groans and tries to push himself up.

The room falls silent as every Guardian turns their gaze to the Captain, whose once pristine armor is littered with gashes and holes as he tries to stand, only for Shalltear to move over and plant a foot on his back, slamming him back down to the floor.

"A pathetic human like you dares to raise his head in the same room as the Supreme Beings? Know your place you filth!" She screeches, bloodlust filling the room as the Captain very nearly passes out from the fear she inspires.

"Shalltear, that's enough," Momonga orders, the Vampire looking at the Overlord incredulously.

"But, Lord Momonga-!"

"Shalltear, I said that's enough," he reiterates firmly. The Guardian lowers her head and steps back.

"You there, on the floor. What is your name?" Momonga demands, activating his Despair Aura V. The Captain looks up in shock at the undead on the throne.

"I-I don't answer to any undead!" He manages to snap off, every NPC in the room looking as though they want to carve out his tongue.

"Is that so?" Momonga comments. "Very well, I suppose it doesn't matter if you speak to us or not. You're from the Slaine Theocracy, are you not?" The man merely glares at Momonga, sweat dripping down his scalp.

"Demiurge, make him answer," Mörderin orders after a few moments of silence.

"Answer our Lord, human," Demiurge urges, his voice carrying the command straight to the Captain's unconscious.

"Yes," he growls out, despite his efforts.

"Good. You were here for the Summoning Crystal that Mörderin here obtained, were you not?" He asks, drawing the man's gaze towards the Angel beside him.

"Yes," he says between clenched teeth.

"One final question, why did you use this World Item on our guildmate?" Momonga asks, glare intensifying.

"I believed it was the most assured option for success, especially after how the two of them managed to cripple the slave markets in E-Rantel," the man replies.

"Did you ever intend to release him from your control, and if so, how?" Momonga demands, the temperature dropping several degrees as the weight of the Guardians rage bears down on the man, who very nearly passes out.

"Yes. The Downfall of Castle and Country is too useful to waste on one man. We intended to kill him in order to relieve the mind control and then resurrect him if Mer was willing to help us convince him to work with us," the man says, the anger in the air turning to hate in an instant, with Shalltear very nearly launching herself at the cretin.

"I see," Momonga says coldly. "Very well then. Tirdak. You are the one who has suffered the most here. What would you like to do with these people?"

"Eeeh, just let me deal with that one," Tir says pointing at the Captain. "You guys do what you will with the others."

"Very well," Momonga says, a dark-winged angel appearing from the shadows in order to knock the Captain unconscious and drag him out of the throne room. Momonga deactivates his Aura before standing, drawing the gazes of the Guardians, even as Sebas passes another towel to Tirdak. "Demiurge, I want you to resurrect the old woman and see if she knows of any way to end the control that her World Item inspires. As for the rest of them, do what you think is most fitting." Demiurge gives a long bow.

"But of course my lord," he replies with a sadistic grin, before frowning. "However, what about Seikatsu and Albedo?" The three friends glance between each other, before looking back at Demiurge. "Seikatsu was designed to be able to defend all the Supreme Beings from any harm and failed miserably on the part of Lord Tirdak. Furthermore, when Lady Mörderin created a plan to save him, Albedo was unwilling to play her part, and it could have led to disaster if she hadn't already accounted for the Overseer's actions." Mör blinks, as she hadn't thought Albedo would freeze, but rather that she'd be too slow to stop Tirdak alone. "Their failures must be punished, My Lords, so I must ask what shall their punishments be?"

"There will be no punishment for them as far as I am concerned. Seikatsu was sent after her mother and you have no idea how glad I am that Albedo didn't actually try and stop me," Tirdak says. "What if I hurt her? Badly? Hell, what if I hurt anyone who had come to 'stop' me."

"Then they would have been hurt or killed in order to save you, My Lord," Demiurge counters coolly. "There is not a single member of Nazarick even approaching the worth of a Supreme Being, and she should have been overjoyed to lay down her life if it meant saving you, perhaps more than most of us." He glances at Seikatsu, who stands stoically in the corner. "And Seikatsu failed at her very function. She was designed to function as protection for every Supreme Being and couldn't manage to protect the three of you. Neither of them should be excused, Lord Tirdak."

"Do not make me repeat myself Demiurge," Tir says standing up. "Momo, Mör, you guys deal with this, I am gonna go rest. And someone put that spear-wielding, honorless, son of a whore in a cell or something, but don't harm him, I have an idea for tomorrow." With that Tir vanishes.

"My Lord, My Lady," Demiurge begins.

"Enough, Demiurge," Mörderin says, raising a hand. "Shalltear." The Vampire perks up. "Take the other members of this group except for the one with the scythe. Distribute them amongst your subordinates and have them turned into ghouls, and extract whatever information you can about their roles in their society and what they know."

"Gleefully, My Lady," Shalltear replies, grin nearly splitting her face as she opens a Gate behind her walking through and then back with several Vampire Brides, who move to pick up the unconscious soldiers.

"Lupusregina, take the elf to the cells on the ninth floor," she proceeds to order, the red-headed maid stepping forward with a grin. "See to her needs, and make sure she's comfortable enough. She has some potential." The maid gives a playful salute before grabbing the twin colored girl's leg and unceremoniously dragging her off. After a few moments, all the members of the Black Scripture are gone, Sebas having taken the Captain out after Tirdak left. Mör glances at both Albedo and Seikatsu before leaning close to Momonga.

"We probably should deliver some form of punishment to them, Momonga," Mörderin mutters quietly with a heavy sigh, the skeleton looking at her with some surprise as the others in the room are left out of the conversation. "Even if we say we forgive them, I don't think they'll forgive themselves or each other. Some form of punishment might be best for their sakes." Momonga stares at the Angel for a moment before nodding.

"Very well, Demiurge," the Overlord states as Mörderin stands straight. "We agree that both Seikatsu and Albedo should receive punishment for their failures. As such, I shall leave the decision of what their punishments will be to Mörderin. Know that her decision has my full support." With that, Momonga stands, nodding at Mörderin before vanishing to his office.

The Guardians and Pleiades look at Mörderin for a moment, who looks at the floor as she thinks about what punishments might be appropriate.

Failure to maintain one's composure despite the necessity of their role is unacceptable. She nearly got Alloralla killed and very well could have gotten Tirdak killed, Mör thinks. And Albedo, while not nearly as severe, did disobey orders. I suppose that's hardly worth mentioning seeing as I had also sent Demiurge, but might as well.

"Seikatsu," she class loudly, looking over at her creation, who stands with a blank face if an extremely telling posture. "You're being stripped of your ranks and privileges. Until I decide otherwise you are to serve under Yuri Alpha as a maid of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Your summons will report to Demiurge rather than you and all of the networks and information are to be transferred to him immediately. You are not to interact with me, Tirdak, or Momonga unless we approach you until I deem enough time has passed. Understood?"

"Yes, Mother," the angel replies morosely, bowing respectfully.

"Albedo," Mör continues. "You are too integral to Nazaricks infrastructure to be given a punishment nearly as severe, however for the duration of the next two months, you are not to interact or even look at me, Tirdak, or Momonga unless it is strictly necessary for the security or ongoings of Nazarick. Understood?"

"Yes, Lady Mörderin," Albedo says with a genial bow and smile.

"Now go and resume your duties, all of you. I'm going outside," Mörderin says before she transports herself to the entrance of Nazarick, extending her wings and immediately ascending before anyone can pursue her.

Back inside the tomb, Tir sits down on his bed with a huff. His headache had stopped a short while after he'd returned to his room.

Guess she got 'em to stop, good, Tir thinks to himself.

While he didn't remember what happened after that massive attack on his mind while he was talking to the human, the Waywatcher spirit had given him enough detail to know what had happened.

Getting mind-controlled by a granny in a fucking dress, how pathetic can I become? Tir thinks. He then opens a white portal to his inventory and pulls out a large black bottle. What even is this world? He opens the bottle. The strong smell of alcohol hitting him in the nose.

"I don't know if I should cry or celebrate," he says and takes a huge swing from the bottle. "Holy shit this is sweet. And here I thought it's gonna be like vodka." He comments, trying to distract himself from the events of the last few days. A quiet knock comes from his door, grabbing his attention. "Come in." He sighs as he takes another swig.

A moment later, he sees a diminutive maid looking up at him, her green camouflage scarf pulled up over her mouth.

"Hello Shizu," Tir smiles a little and pats the maid on the head, making her perk up slightly. "How can I help?"

"You're sad," she says simply.

"Mmmm, a little," Tir admits.

"Why?"

"Many reasons you need not concern yourself with. I'll be fine," he says.

"Nn," Shizu replies, before moving to stand by the wall near the head of Tirdak's bed.

Tir finishes the bottle and puts it on the floor before laying down on his bed.

"Wake me up in eight hours Shizu," he says, closing his eyes.

"Of course, My Lord," she replies stoically.

Momonga sighs as he sinks into the mattress of his bed, feeling more exhausted than he had since arriving in the New World.

I can't believe I was so careless as to not even consider the existence of other World Items, he chastises himself. It's ridiculous to think we're the only things from YGGDRASIL. I'll have to get Mörderin and Tirdak their own World Item's in order to preempt any other problems we might have.

Not for the first time, he wishes he still had the ability to sleep as he thinks over the new tasks he finds he needs to do.

AN: Hope you lot enjoyed this one, it was great fun writing that fight scene, plus the backstory for our protagonists. There is of course more on the way in terms of backstory(I wonder if I went overboard with Mör…. eh.-L38), which I at least am excited about, and maybe a bit more spicy stuffs (not that ya animal, get your mind outta the gutter!). Thanks for waiting on Lambda and me to remember that, yes, we do have to update this shit. If you have any criticism and/or comment, leave a review, they are always helpful (unless it's about a 'Jojo reference', no idea what the fuck that was about.) See ya! - RadiTheCrusader.