Chapter Text
Momonga looked at the banners hung high in the throne room, the artificial orange light of the setting sun and light summer breeze giving the room a truly regal look. The large marble towers with complicated hieroglyphs depicting each member's greatest moments reached further than anything the salaryman had ever seen in real life. Blue Planet had done a fantastic job; even Momonga was duped into thinking he was outside in the desert instead of within the tomb. He still remembered how shocked everyone was that he managed to create such an incredibly real illusion within the throne room; his work on the Arena wasn't that grand.
But not only him. Everyone had done incredible work to build Ainz Ooal Gown; he wouldn't let any of the 41 guildmates be left in the dust after all their time together. From when they were only nine suicidal players with nothing to their names to when they crafted the hardest dungeon possible, Ainz Ooal Gown had always been a second family for Momonga. All of them were incredible in their own rights, each having left their mark in this tomb.
The great pyramid of Nazarick. Momonga still fondly remembered the day they said they would base the whole dungeon around him after a raid where he had killed the boss in the nick of time, thanks to one of his summons. This was how the pyramid came to be and why everything was heavily stylized to be a fantasy take on Egyptian lore and beliefs he loved so much. They had divided it into different levels to ward off intruders, all filled with traps and powerful NPCs. At first, they wanted to put a part of it underground, but in the end, they decided to just leave this larger-than-life structure visible to the entire server.
The guild master opened his status window and felt a ping of nostalgia at watching everything that made his character Momonga. An undead spirit summoner with racial points put into mummy, Pharaoh, and son of Ra to gain maximum access to the summoning of gods from that tree. The other levels were spent on his job, making all summons far stronger than they would be otherwise. While he was weaker than some in close-quarter fights because of his inability to equip strong armor and heavy weapons, Momonga had never lost a team fight where he could be safe and unleash all his summons on his foes.
His playstyle revolved around the constant spamming of summons to apply buffs and debuffs on the field, rapidly building his resonance meter to power himself up immensely and help his teammate more directly. And while he didn't want to taut his own horn, he had won the world summoner title after his win in a Yggdrasil-sponsored tournament. But it was hard to play at first, as summoners only got access to the resonance at later levels and needed to level up their summons to do most of the work.
In terms of appearance, he had chosen to go balls deep into roleplaying an undead pharaoh blessed with immortality. His avatar was a tall humanoid undead that still looked well built despite his skin being dried up and covered in bandages. His face was completely devoid of flesh, a pure skeleton whose eye-sockets were filled with ethereal golden light. The light also replaced his hands, the pure energy symbolizing his mastery over the gods bleeding from between the bandages.
His attire was of royal blue and gold, the robes of silk and armor proving that he was no mere undead. He was protected by richly decorated armors where his blue pants were tucked, a long coat of sapphire blue silk and golden thread being draped over his torso and held by a large belt, the buckle of which was in the form of the Scarab of resurrection and encased with a large red gemstone. On his shoulder laid a torn and battered cloak whose top took the form of a large pair of wings with feathers of blue and red.
The final piece of his build was his mask, the funerary mask of the first king. Like Touch Me's 'compliance with the law,' this headgear was the present the devs offered him when he won the world tournament for summoners a few years back. Not only did it prevent the user from suffering debuffs to its sight by allowing him to see through fog and illusions, but it also came with a special skill Momonga had abused over his PvP battles. ' Curse of the true king,' a short-range attack emitted by the eyes of the mask that would apply massive debuffs at once to a target.
It was worth the grind to win a tournament against extremely strong opponents; this attack was a get-out-of-jail-free card that worked best where he could be outplayed the most, in close-quarters combat. While his resonance forms could offer him the strength needed to kill others during a set time, having a short-range skill shot that could cripple even the mightiest of warriors was something he just couldn't pass. And finally, the last item to complete his pharaoh persona was his weapon, the pride of his guild.
The Khopesh of Ainz Ooal gown. A powerful item far above even world items that took many sacrifices from the whole guild to create, and the symbol that Momonga was the only ruler of the pyramid of Nazarick. The blade was of divinium, a metallic alloy of the highest quality that can slash through all but the toughest armors. Encased within this curved blade were the seven gems of Ainz Ooal gown, each holding power far beyond what normal soldiers could wield.
A shame he never got to use it. This was a last resort weapon only to be used if players managed to enter the very last level of the tomb, but no one had even made it further than the fourth floor. So it had stayed a glorified wall decoration for the entire time, just a symbol of Ainz Ooal Gown. Same as the Pleiades he had brought with him from the meeting room, they had never seen a real fight in their whole existence.
The Pharaoh sighed as deeply as an undead could, looking over the NPCs with him. The battle maids charged with protecting the throne room with their lives, Sebas the draconic butler that was in charge of overseeing them, and the beautiful Albedo that was the closest thing he had to a second in command left. The succubus oversaw the floor guardians of Nazarick as well as its defenses. Tabula had outdone himself with her design; she was the most detailed NPC in the whole pyramid.
"But was it really necessary to make her a bitch, Tabula?" The undead said out loud, holding his mask in his hand. That man had always loved this gap between angelic looks and bad personalities, but this line at the end of her multiple pages backstory seemed thrown in just for the hell of it. But maybe just as embarrassing was the fact that Momonga had straight up put ' She is madly in love with Momonga " by using the power of the Khopesh.
"I feel like I wrote a shitty self-insert fanfiction… I'm embarrassed." Momanga said, ordering the NPCs to kneel before him as the clock ticked the final 15 minutes of Yggdrasil. The fake desert around the throne room slowly turned to night as per Blue Planet's programming, casting the final rays of the sun across the golden Lord of Nazarick. He needed to be up at four the next day, so he would just go to sleep once the server shut down.
"Hey, Momonga, you're still there?" A message popped up in front of him, the mummy immediately opening his eyes to see that it was Saphire, a friendly moderator he had befriended over his many years playing Yggdrasil. They met at every event Nazarick the guild attended. "That's some dedication you have; I wish more people would do the same."
"Glad to talk to you, Saphire. It's been a while, hasn't it? That many people left already?"
"You can't imagine. I don't have access to the record of the other servers, but your drive to stay with us makes us a bit nostalgic. You're one of our oldest players, and we had to change the game so many times because of you that you became somewhat of a mascot for the Japan team. You made our work feel like it means something, so we wanted to give you a bit of a present to pass the last few minutes left." Saphire typed, a tear welling into Momonga's eyes.
His inventory was opened through the admin privilege, his almost infinite holding space graced with new summon crystals that Momonga had never seen before. They shined in gold and orange, each taking six spaces, meaning they were either extremely rare or powerful. The mummy's mouth hung open for a while before he saw that Saphire was typing again, his attention shifting back to the open message system.
"These were supposed to be added to a future expansion, but I guess they won't be used now. You can have them; think of it as a token of the appreciation of the Japan theme of Yggdrasil for all the work you have put in. And once again, thank you for playing." Saphire finished, leaving the channel as the last ten minutes of Momonga's favorite game and only passion started. In the end, he was alone again. He had hoped that Saphire would speak with him more and be there until the forced disconnection when the servers would be shut down, but even the Administrators had abandoned him to his tomb, only leaving a present behind them as his friends did.
He sighed. There was no point in blaming Saphire; he was most likely bearing his own cross with the game he loved so much being shut down. He was very passionate about Yggdrasil; shutting the game down forever must hurt him more than it did for the mummy. Momonga couldn't help but wonder what items the others would have gotten if they had been there to see this. But he would never get that answer; Herohero was the last to have ever connected in the past year.
Now fully alone on his throne, Suzuki Satoru raised his eyes to see the stars across the desert where the night had fully taken hold. These stars, the work of his friends, would all be a distant memory in a few seconds. Years of hard work ended like this, vanished forever, and never to be recreated again. Nazarick was their Magnum Opus; it would take a lot to make something as grand.
"There's no point in thinking about this. I'll just wait as I did for the past year." The Lord whispered, closing his eyes. He counted the seconds, waiting to be kicked out and return to his normal, mundane routine tomorrow. He had numbers to crunch, plans to analyze, reports to write… It would be as hellish as always, but maybe a new game would catch his interest after his shift? He'd have to look into that.
23:59:58. 23:59:59. 00:00:00. 00:00:01?
Momonga stood up almost instinctively. Why was the server still online? Was the clock not at the right time? Did they choose to let it play out for a bit longer? Curious about this, the mummy made a movement with his hand to open the menu, but nothing happened. He couldn't use the emergency game master call either, so there was definitely something wrong with the server. The HUD was also missing, and all the textures seemed so… Real?
"Is everything alright, Lord Momonga?" Albedo called out to him, her lips moving as she looked at him with a worried expression. NPCs were not capable of changing expression that much; even the programming maniac Tabula had trouble giving the succubus more than four expressions, and this worried face wasn't something Momonga knew about. "If there is something wrong, please call us to help you!" She said, standing up to lean onto the golden throne on the right side of the undead.
She was even more beautiful up close. Everything about her seemed so alive, from the way her silky hairs moved as she hurried to his side, how her deep yellow eyes reflected the light from the artificial sun of the throne room, how her clothes wrinkled and moved as she did… There was something wrong; NPCs couldn't be that detailed, right? But he could even see her breath, her ample chest rising and lowering as she did so.
"I cannot call the game master," Momonga said out loud, unaware that he was talking to an NPC and not to himself.
"I am sorry, my Lord, but a simple servant like me does not know who is this 'Game master' you speak of." She said, her lips moving much like a human's. "But if he is a being that has caused harm to you, please tell me where I can find him. I swear we guardians will do our best to bring his head to you, my Lord." She said, bowing once more in front of the undead master of Nazarick.
"Forget it, Albedo," Momonga said, sitting back down on his throne. He needed to calm himself; there was no point in freaking out over such simple things; he needed to keep his cool. "Sebas, I have a mission for you. Exit the pyramid and examine our surroundings for any changes in a one-kilometer radius. Be sure to stay on high alert and report to me if you find anything."
"Very well, my Lord. Please excuse me then." The butler said, standing up and leaving with all the class Touch Me once had. Momonga remembered the day his friend introduced Sebas to the guild; it was a present crafted to be a perfect servant to the guild master and always protect him. And as an added twist, Sebas looked just like an aged-up version of his creator. Momonga had never been shy to admit he was jealous of the policeman's physique, Touch Me was in really good shape.
"As for the Pleiades, I want all of you to head to the 9th floor. If you find any intruders on your way, deal with them accordingly and report to me." The mummy continued, pointing at the battle maids who all stood up and followed his instruction. This was new, as such complicated instructions were not programmed into the NPCs of Yggdrasil. There was definitely something wrong with the game, and he would get to the bottom of this.
"Lord Momonga?" Albedo asked, her voice as sweet as honey as she gave the undead one of the most amazing smiles he had ever seen in his life as a salaryman. Even his mom never had that beautiful of an expression when he was still a kid. "I am the only one that didn't receive any directives. Do you want me to stay by your side for now?"
"Hum. You're right, Albedo. For now, come closer in front of me, please." He said, his voice far deeper and regal than his normal one. The succubus immediately obeyed and almost jumped in front of him, her face mere inches away from his mask. There was no denying she looked as real as can be, far more than what should have been possible for an NPC of Nazarick. She also smelled very good, another thing Yggdrasil just couldn't replicate. "I will touch you now. Tell me if you want it to stop."
Albedo's blush went completely unnoticed as her master reached for her wrists. Her breath quickened as her lover's gaze was solely focused on her, almost like she could see through the funerary mask right into the golden pits of energy that were his eyes. Even the simple fact of almost being able to touch him was a delight to the succubus; after all, who wouldn't love being so close to their loved one?
"Albedo, I will now touch your chest." The Lord declared, not a hint of shame in his voice. Albedo took a few moments to process this information, was it finally time for her to honor her duties in the way she had dreamed of for so long? "Only if you're fine with it of course. If you want me to stop I will."
"No, please help yourself, my Lord!" She answered, thrusting herself and offering no resistance when the master touched her. Momonga was deep in thought, as the fact he could do this without either having his vision turned into large pixels near Albedo's chest or being flat out denied access meant they were not in any game, and certainly not Yggdrasil that had been clear on its refusal to had sex or adult content to the game.
The mummy was so deep in thought, in fact, that he hadn't let go of Albedo for a solid minute, the succubus moaning and trembling as she reveled in the intimacy she had with her Lord and Master. It felt like a dream come true for her; her Lord was looking at her and feeling her up! Was he feeling lust for her? Or was he doing so to please her? She remembered that Shalltear always said she was able to feel lust, so was her master like her? Or did such a flawless and perfect creature ascend past lust itself?
"Lord Momonga? Is it finally time for us to become one?" The succubus asked, a crazed smile forming on her lips. "Shall I get naked? I could execute a small dance for you if you desire! Or maybe you wish to undress me yourself? All you wish for is my command my Lord! No matter how depraved or degrading, I will follow without complains!" She said, reaching for the laces that held the sides of her robe only to be stopped by the powerful hands of Momonga himself.
"Unfortunately, not now Albedo." He stated, his voice almost feeling like a death sentence for the shot-down succubus. "Your offer please me and display your fidelity to me, but we have more important business to attend to. I have new orders for you: You are to bring every floor guardians to the 6th floor in an hour. On second thought, do not bring the guardians of the 4th and 8th floor. I have an important declaration to make, so treat it as a top priority. Can you do this Albedo?"
"Of course, my Lord." The succubus said, immediately going back to business mode. She got up, fixed her clothing, and bowed deeply to her master before she left by using the Gate spell. Ainz waited a few moments to stand up, pondering just what he almost did with Albedo. In his past life, he was very awkward with people of the opposite sex, to the point where even talking with a female coworker was an exercise in and of itself.
But here he laid, having gone that close to being intimate with a woman far more beautiful than he could have asked for. He should have stuttered, become a nervous wreck, and apologized for every little move he made. But no such things happened. Quite the opposite, really; he had felt like the promiscuity he shared with Albedo was deserved and not stolen. He felt like he was owed this worship, that he had been born to be this confident leader.
He chose to simply keep it in mind, for now, standing up and extending his hand to the Khopesh, the golden artifact flying into his hand before the mummy teleported away to the 6th floor by using his ring of Ainz Ooal Gown. "At least, this still works fine. Walking in the tomb is a hassle, this takes away the fear of being late." The Lord said to himself, walking through the rocky corridor to enter the great Arena.
Blue planet had really poured all his love on this floor. A star-filled night sky, the likes of which didn't exist anymore on earth, a luscious forest of tall trees that made clever use of mirrors and illusions to make the floor seem far larger than it actually was… There was no denying that Blue planet was an artist in heart, and Momonga was sad that more men like his friend didn't exist past a certain paygrade.
Momonga walked to the center of the Arena, wondering where its two guardians currently were. His answer came in the form of a somersaulting blur of red and white that appeared from the tallest point of the Arena, skillfully landing despite the height and flashing him a double peace sign. He applauded her form as she rushed to him, neatly stopping and bowing respectfully to the Lord of Nazarick.
"Good evening Lord Momonga! It's a pleasure and an honor to have you on our floor!" Aura said, fixing her jacket. She was one of the two NPCs Bukuku Chagama had created, a dark elf with odd-colored eyes and golden hairs dressed in a rather boyish red and white outfit.
"It's a pleasure too Aura. I hope I am not bothering you with my unannounced visit."
"How could we be bothered by you visiting us my Lord? You're the supreme ruler of all Nazarick, you can go wherever you please whenever you want! And more than anything, my brother and I are always happy to greet you in the Arena!"
"Speaking of your brother, where is he? Did something happen?" The mummy asked, looking around the Arena to maybe spot the other dark elf in charge of maintaining this floor.
"Please leave me just a minute my Lord." She begged, quickly turning to where she came from. "MARE! We're waiting for you! When the Lord visits, we're supposed to welcome him together!"
"B-But it's so high! I will hurt myself jumping down!" Came the meager answer of her brother in a pitch far higher than the sister's voice.
"COME HERE RIGHT NOW!" Aura yelled, followed by a blue, white, and green form jumping down with far less acrobatics and with a far less agile landing. Mare adjusted his skirt as best he could with his free hand before running to catch up with his sister in front of Momonga, his huge staff in hand. Bukubuku Chagama had some… Interesting tastes in NPCs; having a tomboy tamer and effeminate spellcaster was special at the very least. At least far less extravagant than Peroronchino with his.
"I am sorry for making you wait. It is a pleasure to see you Lord Momonga!" The small spellcaster said, smiling timidly at the much larger undead he and his sister served. Moments like these made Momonga realize just how big his avatar was, even if comparing himself to kids was ridiculous. In real life, Suzuki Satoru was of regular height, so just about the same as Albedo if the status window was exact. Momonga, on the other end, was quite gigantic, bordering on three meters even.
"It's a pleasure too. I am here to test out some summons, as well as this artifact." The undead said, raising the Khopesh high above his head. The weapon shined with divine power, the golden light that imbued the Lord's body spreading to the weapon, giving it an ethereal glow. Each of the stones came alive with energy, each resonating with each other and Momonga's magic to make the Khopesh another part of the mummy, just like a hand or a foot.
"Is that the Khopesh of the supreme beings? The one that represents the pyramid of Nazarick?" Aura began, marveling at the magic power almost oozing from the weapon. "I heard that only you can use it, that it was crafted to represent your authority over all the supreme beings and the pyramid itself!"
"It indeed is, and I am glad that you know so much about it." Momonga answered, feeling his pride in his companions soaring to new heights. "This is the peak of our guild's work. Each of the seven stones encased within the blade is a divine class item with far reaching powers, and the blade itself holds an almost limitless power. It is no mere powerful weapon, it is a world class item that serves as our most valuable treasure. And let's not forget its automatic aiming system that-"Momonga stopped himself, finally conscious he was talking a bit much.
"Ahem. But enough about it's stats. As you have cleverly pointed out, this weapon has laid dormant within Nazarick for far too long. I intend to carry it with me from now on, both as a mean of protection and a reminder that, wherever I may be, I am the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown and must act the part. So, would you assist me in testing it in a combat situation against both of you?"
"Of course my lord, we'll do our best to bring out the best results possible!" Aura exclaimed, making her whip snap in existence as her brother nodded his head and clutched his staff to his chest.
"By the way, I have tasked Albedo with bringing all floor guardians to this floor, they should be here in about an hour." The Lord said as two servants brought wooden offerings for the mummy to cast his magic.
"Oh no… Does that mean that Shalltear will also come here?" She asked, a dejected look on her face. Momonga couldn't remember if the sadness she felt was only because of her programming or if a part of her creator's personality had rubbed off on her. He decided to leave this for later and pointed his Khopesh to the two offerings, the golden energy bleeding out in droves from his arm as the gems shined with life.
"Summon! Curse of the sands 5, the Giant!" He said, the two wooden offerings taking away some of the mana cost as they were shredded in a tornado of the Arena's sands. It surprised the master of the pyramid how easily he had summoned this high-tier monster without the help of Yggdrasil's HUD; it was just like writing or riding a bike. He knew he could be faster at it if he took some time to train, but he could still pull off his spells without any clear problem for now.
"Curse of the sands rank 5. A level 80 construct with earth attributes." Momonga explained, looking as the massive tornado took the form of a human torso with powerful arms and a Sha's head to show it was related to Set, the god of storms and chaos. "Aura, Mare, this will be your opponent. Don't go easy on it and fight with all you have, it will be good practice for you and for me."
"Wow? Can we really fight such an incredible opponent master? Thank you so much for the honor!" Aura said, grinning happily as her brother showed a terrified expression in front of the mighty creation of the Lord and master.
"W-Well, if you want to fight it, then I'll leave you to it… I got tons of things to do." He meekly responded, trying to flee before his sister caught him by the shoulder and forced him to fight with her. Momonga was glad to see them work together in a fluid and destructive manner; even the rapidly regenerating golem could not hold the assault of Aura's physical attacks and Mare's shields and magic strikes.
"Well, that is a very conclusive test. I can use my summons just like in the game, and with each punch the golem lands I can feel my resonance rise up. Everything seems to be in order, the other summons should be just as simple to use." The mummy said, lowering the Khopesh and bringing a hand to his ear. "Message." He whispered, hearing nothing but a beep telling him no player was in message distance. He half expected this; his GM call back in the throne room was a dud.
“This is Sebas, Master Momonga.” He heard the butler say through his message spell, the undead's eyes lighting up in response. Did his spell just work on a member of Nazarick? Could he use Message as a telephone with his subjects?
"How are things outside Sebas?" Momonga asked, thinking back on his top priority of gathering information about what was happening here and why he had seemingly changed worlds like in some manga he used to read.
"Well, forgive me for the bad news, my Lord, but we may have some trouble. Shall I explain them right now?"
"No, come back and make your report to me directly. I am not sure how secure Message is, I want all conversations that concern the safety of Nazarick to be done face to face. I have summoned the floor guardians to the Arena of the 6th level, meet me there."
"Understood my Lord." The butler said, ending the message call. Momonga turned his attention back to the twins, who managed to inflict enough damage to the curse of the sands to destroy it. The broken pieces of the once mighty creature were scattered by the wind, ending in nothing but the sand of the Arena it was birthed from. "Aura, Mare, this was excellent! Your teamwork is impeccable, I'm proud of you."
"Thank you, Lord Momonga! It's been a while since we worked up a sweat like this!" Aura said, whipping the sweat off her forehead as they both panted in exhaustion. It was strange for the mummy, but he felt a real surge of pride at seeing the kids work up a sweat and get some exercise. The closest thing he could attribute this feeling to was paternal pride, which is quite ironic for someone that is a kissless virgin at age 30.
"You two must be thirsty after all this work. Let me help." He began, reaching out almost mechanically to open his inventory as he did in the game. It felt decently smooth, too smooth in fact that Momonga only realized it worked when the item he wanted was in his hand. At least he didn't lose his hoard of items; that was a relief. He opened his inventory once more to pick up two glasses which he filled with water using the jar he had summoned the first time.
"Here, drink up." He simply stated, offering a glass to the twins. They accepted gratefully but with still a hint of surprise in their eyes as they enjoyed the soothing, perfectly cooled water their master had offered them.
"Lord Momonga? If I may speak my mind, I always imagined you as being a much scarier person then you really are." Aura said, looking at the master with a happy smile on her lips.
"Really now? Well, I can always be scarier if you want me to." He joked, both dark elves shaking their hands in wide 'no' gestures.
"Please don't Lord Momonga! You are perfect as you are, please do not listen to my rumblings!" The poor girl immediately snapped back, only for the undead to kneel down and pat her head.
"I was joking, Mare. Thank you for being honest with me." He reassured her, the tomboy enjoying the feeling of the Lord's large hand on her scalp. This bounding time was cut short by a large gate spell that opened not far from them, space pulsing in a mixture of purple, black, and blue. Ainz was familiar with this spell; it was a very useful high-tier magic that would open a portal that led exactly where the user wanted it to as long as they either could see where they wanted to go or had been there once.
"Well, I see I am the first to arrive." A small figure said, walking through the portal with grace and class. She was Shalltear Bloodfallen, a level 100 true Vampire that guarded the first three floors of the great pyramid of Nazarick. She was made by Peroronchino, one of the original members of Nine's own goal and a good friend of Momonga. She was dressed in her usual attire, a purple and red evening dress decorated with many ribbons that showed she was a classy woman.
"Ha, My liege!" The vampire exclaimed, throwing her umbrella on the ground that vanished in hundreds of butterflies that scattered in the wind as she ran up to him. She reached up to hug him as best she could, but being nearly half his size made it hard for the vampire to even just reach his neck to latch onto it. "The most perfect being that I cannot control!" Momonga used his free hand to catch her, preventing her from falling down if she let go of his neck.
"Shalltear, please show restraint in front of our master! You're embarrassing yourself as hard as that is!" Aura began, making the girl slowly turn her head to look at her with a shit-eating smile.
"Oh, did I just hear the pipsqueak Aura? Sorry, I didn't see you down there. " She insisted on the last part as Momonga slowly let the girl down by bowing his larger-than-life body down so her feet could touch the ground. "Hello Mare, Sorry for not saluting you earlier. Poor boy, it must be hard for you to live with such an obnoxiously loud sister!" The vampire mocked, touching a sour spot in the female elf's mind.
"That's rich, coming from a girl that pads her chest." She said, making Shalltear immediately grasp at her generous breasts in defense. "I knew it! That's also why you chose to use a gate spell to come here instead of walking right? You stuff so much in there that if you were to run they'd go everywhere! Why don't you just accept that you don't have boobs?"
"S-Shut up! Just look at yourself, you're flat as a board! Don't comment on someone else's chest when you don't have any to speak of!" Shalltear snapped back, making Momonga sigh. He zoned out as the argument continued, thinking back at how familiar this scene was. Bukubuku Chagama and Peroronchino used to always fight like this, the bond as brother and sister was something that Momonga always envied and wished he would experience one day.
"Enough." A deep voice said, a massive shadow arriving in the Arena. Cocytus, the guardian of the 5th floor joined the group, the air around him freezing as his body emitted huge clouds of steam from the difference in temperature. His creator, Warrior Takemikazutchi wanted to create a perfect glass cannon, an NPC that didn't have lots of HP or armor but could give tremendous damage in a short time with his four arms. "Stop squabbling in front of our Lord. It is unacceptable."
"This damn shrimp decided to insult me in front of our Lord! I cannot accept such humiliation in front of the man I love!" Shalltear screamed, her face twisting in rage as dark energy pooled within her opened hands. Aura had taken out her whip to defend herself. Fearing that they were about to fight in front of the Pharaoh, Cocytus slammed his halberd on the ground to send a wave of cold toward the two women to prevent further blasphemy.
"ENOUGH!" Momonga yelled, the golden energy pooling behind him in a blinding halo of divine power that irradiated the Arena like a second sun. It was one of the skills undead that reached 'Son of Ra' had access to, the burning Aura of the creator. An AOE skill that would deal constant fire damage to everything around him as well as hindering movement. "I will not tolerate another childish act like this again! Do not make me regret summoning you!"
"Yes, Lord Momonga." Both ladies said, bowing down in shame in front of their master. While their grudge against each other was quite the problem for the two guardians, bringing shame upon themselves in front of their master was such a massive error that they put aside their dispute for now. Cocytus made his way close to his still shining Lord, content that the calm had returned to the Arena.
"Thank you for heeding my call, Cocytus," Momonga said, his presence made even greater by the warm rays his aura cast onto the cold skin of the floor guardian. There was no denying that their master was the very definition of Kingly; everything about him humbled the warrior to his core more than anything could ever claim to have.
"It would be blasphemous for a floor guardian to refuse a direct summon from the Supreme beings, even more so from their leader." The four armed insect said, bowing down to his Lord. "Lady Albedo said you wanted to talk to us about something, so I made haste to meet you."
"Please apologize for my tardiness, my Lord, but I have finally arrived." A man said from the other side, following Albedo with the same exact class. Demiurge was a powerful demon that controlled the seventh floor of the pyramid of Nazarick. Dressed in a dapper red and orange suit with his armored tail shifting behind him, Momonga remembered that he was the one in charge of overlooking the defense systems of Nazarick through an army of smaller demons and imps.
"Now, all floor guardians." Albedo said, her smile growing into a gorgeous example of beauty. "Bow down in front of the Lord, and swear eternal fidelity to our one true ruler." She said, all other guardians forming a neat line next to her before taking a knee to the ground in respect and devotion to their undead master.
"Thank you Albedo. To all of you as well, I thank each and every floor guardian for arriving in front of me on time despite the suddenness of this call." He began, making the various being in front of him gasp in shock.
"Master, you do not need to thank us for making haste to see you. Our only purpose is to serve you and accomplish your will on the earth and in the skies. It is you that give us purpose, for without your orders we are but tools without a craftsman to be used. Our lives are yours to command, please use them however you see fit to further your goal. We swear we will never disappoint you." Albedo countered, getting words of agreement from all other guardians that lay next to her.
There was no answer for a while. Albedo feared that her sudden interruption of her loved one's speech had angered him, cursing herself for not remembering the most basic law that subordinates do not speak up unless given permission to. But her worries were washed away when she heard her master laugh behind his mask, the energy behind him flaring up once more. It was no mocking laugh; it was the confident guffaw of a proud king and ruler.
"Most excellent! I wouldn't have expected any less from such perfect creations! With you by my side, I can rest easy and be certain that all our enterprises will be met with great success!" He roared, making his servants smile at the compliment. But as soon as this sudden burst of laughter had started, it quickly died down as their master followed with a much more serious voice.
"But let us get back to the main situation at hand. Nazarick may be currently facing dangers of unknown origins that could threaten our current situation. I have already sent Sebas on a scouting mission, we will wait for his return to decide how to proceed." The Lord began, noticing that Sebas was patiently waiting off to the side to avoid bothering both the mummy and the other floor guardians he had summoned while he was searching.
"The pyramid has been moved?" Momonga asked, barely believing what the butler was saying.
"Indeed my Lord. Our great pyramid has been transported from it's desert to a plain by a method I cannot understand. I have checked the one kilometer radius you ordered me to many times and have found no trace of human constructions or monster in that area."
"This confirms my suspicions. As I feared, we have been taken to uncharted lands without any of us noticing. Thank you, Sebas, you did a wonderful job." The Lord said, nodding at the draconic butler kneeling in front of him. “Guardian Overseer Albedo. Manager of defensive lines Demiurge. I have a task for both of you." He began, both guardians responding to his call. "Create a more efficient way of communication between the floors of Nazarick using Message. Ask help from any other guardians; they will obey you for that endeavor."
"Very well, My Lord." They answered, bowing even deeper to the undead.
"Mare, I want to temporarily hide the pyramid in preparation of a greater project. Can you think of a way to dissimulate our home?"
"W-Well, there are multiple ways we could achieve such a goal, but I do not think that illusions and magic would be enough, your Highness." The magic caster said, turning his staff in his hands. "With your permission, I could summon soil to hide the visible part of the base, then make grass bloom to give it a more natural look."
"How can a Guardian like you be thinking of soiling the work of the Supreme Being with mere dirt?" Albedo said, her voice filled with venom. But harsher was the answer from Momonga.
"Albedo, I did not ask for your opinion on this matter. Worry about your work and let Mare do his."
"Please forgive me, My Lord. I will keep it to heart." The succubus said, wishing she had never opened her mouth.
"Covering the steps with dirt isn't a bad idea, even if the zone to cover would be quite large. Do you think you can do that in short order Mare?"
"If so is your wish you Highness!" He happily exclaimed, his enthusiasm dying down immediately after. "But if I may voice an opinion your Highness, I do not think that a hill would look natural on its own."
"Indeed, this is a valid concern. Sebas, have you spotted any other hill or small mount around our home?"
"Unfortunately no My Lord. The area seems almost perfectly leveled, the only things that come out of the ground are trees and plants."
"I see… While this makes my future ambition easier, this poses an immediate problem of believability for our disguise. Mare, you will create various hills around us to give credit to your work. You will cover what soil cannot with an illusion spell to ward off intruders. I give you my express permission to use dirt to hide the first layers of the pyramid." He said, looking over the whole guardians to make sure his command was heard.
"Yes, Your Highness! I swear I will do my best work!" The elf chirped with a huge smile on his lips. He was visibly proud of being given a direct order by his Lord; this made even the calm Momonga smile a little.
"Very well. Now, to conclude this impromptu meeting, I wish to ask a question to each guardian present. Know that I expect only the truth, no matter which forms it may take." Momonga began, turning to face the cute vampire at the extreme right of the line of servants. “You first, Shalltear. What do I represent to you? How do you feel about me?"
"You are beauty incarnate, so otherworldly incredible that I often struggle to keep my eyes on your perfect form." She said with a very obvious blush on her cheeks. The Lord turned to the next one, the gigantic Cocytus.
"Cocytus?"
"The embodiment of strength. Your power knows no bound, and you are the only one worthy of ruling over the Great Pyramid of Nazarick and all its denizens."
"Aura?"
"You are marvelous in how you treat every single one of your subject with respect, no matter how small!"
"Mare?"
"Y-You are very kind and patient."
"Demiurge?"
"A sage of incomparable strength that not only makes incredibly smart decisions, but also has the power to enforce them on his own. You are the beginning and the end, a man so complex none of us could decipher you."
"Sebas?"
"The merciful leader of all supreme beings and a Lord that refused to leave us behind when all other Supreme Beings left. Your presence is a gift not only to us, but to the very world we reside in."
"And finally, Albedo?"
"You are the mightiest and most noble of all Supreme Beings. You are our absolute master, one that illuminates the right path for us to walk. And you are also the man I love more than anything in this world!" She exclaimed, a bit too loudly for Momonga's personal taste.
"Thank you Albedo. I am pleased with your answers, I will now retire for the time. Continue to toil in my name!" The mummy ordered, vanishing as his ring took him to another part of the pyramid. The guardians stayed still for a while, waiting for a potential return of their master before they all stood up, dusting their clothes.
"It was so intense! I was so tense I thought I would faint!" Mare said to his sister, whipping the sweat off his forehead.
"I understand you, him just standing there adds so much pressure it's unreal!"
"Such power can only be commended. Without the need for any display of strength, he still showed his superiority to us." Cocytus said, feeling his warrior soul tingle with respect for his Liege.
"Even I marvel at the ease with which he rules over us. Only a perfect being can command us all without needing to assert his dominance excessively even once." Demiurge said, standing up and putting his glasses back on his nose. "He also took our feelings in consideration, something so trivial yet so showing of how merciful he is with us."
"That's true!" Aura said, turning to face the taller man. "He also reigned in his Aura to avoid arming us, he went through the pain of cooling his flame halo so we wouldn't be bothered by it! And when we were done fighting for him earlier he even offered us water to drink!" She followed, nodding to her twin brother as Albedo shook at the forefront. Her shaking got more and more intense until she sharply turned around, her face flushed and covered in a deep blush.
"You are all so correct!" The succubus exclaimed, her wings flapping and leaving behind some dark purple feathers around her. "He acknowledged our feelings and laid out simple orders for us to follow as a true ruler would! As would be expected of the true and only leader of all the 41 supreme beings, the one that overcame death and who our creators served, the great Lord Momonga! We would never have time in our lifetimes to thank him enough for not leaving us when all others did!"
"Well, if you will all forgive me, I will now search for our Lord. I need to find the Lord and be by his side, for it is my duty as his personal butler." Sebas said, bowing down to all other floor guardians as neatly as he could.
"Sebas, please inform me via message if our Lord needs anything. Especially if he wants me by his side, I shall come rushing no matter what!" She exclaimed, her smile growing quite perverse as Demiurge sighed as he knew what was to come. "B-But please tell the Lord that if he wants me in his personal chambers, I would need some time to clean myself and make me as presentable as I can! I would need to take a bath, or maybe he wouldn't want me to… Or we could go together-"
"I understand Lady Albedo. I shall keep it in mind and notify you if any orders involving you are given." Sebas answered, hoping that she wouldn't mind him cutting her daydreaming short. "If you do not need me any longer, I shall now take my leave and bid you farewell, floor guardians." He finished, leaving the others to search for their supreme Lord and master. The attention shifted from him to Shalltear, who was the only one that wasn't standing up right now.
"Shalltear, is something the matter?" Demiurge asked, more out of courtesy than any true fear for the small undead female. He knew floor guardians were not weak enough to be strongly affected by the level one Aura of their master, especially Shalltear, that was made to guard the first three floors. But while he had no clear idea as to why she was still kneeling and shaking, he had a gut feeling that he just hoped wasn't true.
"His presence was so sweetly oppressive and powerful that my underwear went through a bit of a crisis… I think I will need to change them." The vampire answered, her face flushed and breathing ragged. Demiurge sighed. His gut feeling was right once again. Sometimes his blessed intelligence felled like a curse, and he wished he had been made more of a fool by his creator to avoid being disappointed by his fellow floor guardians.
"You BITCH IN HEAT!" Albedo snarled from where she was standing, her body glowing in feral purple energy.
"What? I'm just basking in the fact that we were rewarded with such a shower of energy from our Liege and Master!" Shalltear began, standing up as her body glowed with dark pink energy. "A horny succubus that smells frustration all the way from here that says she's not wet is a fucking lie, you wide mouthed gorilla hollstein!"
"You fake-titty Lamprey!"
"I was made that way by the supreme beings you dumb gorilla! Don't spit on their creation like that!"
"Like you did when you called me out you washboard of a vampire?" The overseer yelled, both ladies now ready to jump at each other's throat out of spite. Demiurge did the only thing that made sense in his greater mind, bail out as fast as possible.
"Aura, I'll leave the problem of women to other women." He said, waving his hand dismissively as he walked away from what he thought could really become a battlefield if things were let to climb the ways they did. Cocytus and Mare soon followed after him, letting the poor elf deal with two madly in love women that fought over what they were sure were theirs. "If anything serious happens, we'll intervene! Don't worry and do your best!"
"Such childness." Cocytus said, looking back at the women fighting. "Is the affection of our lord something so precious to them?"
"I can't say for sure, but I think I may be interested in what will result from this conflict," Demiurge answered, pushing his glasses up his nose as thousands of scenarios coursed in his mind. He turned his gaze away from the ladies to see the confused face of Mare, which made him understand he might need to explain more than just this. "Lord Momonga stayed with us even as all the other supreme beings ascended to other places. But this may one day change, and I think it would be nice for him to leave behind an heir for us to serve after his departure."
"Oh! So they are fighting to the right to bear the heir of our Lord!" Mare said, putting his fist to his hand as he finally understood what the demon was saying. "That makes more sense now. But can't they just both have children with him? That way they wouldn't have to fight."
"That is… strangely coherent, Mare. Good job." Demiurge said, wondering how his supposed greater intellect hadn't thought of the solution of just making them both bear a child.
"What heresy are you blabbering about?" Cocytus said, shaking his head. "A floor guardian getting intimate with a supreme being is blasphemy of the highest order. This isn't our choice to make, Lord Momonga is the only one that can decide if he wants an heir or not."
"Yes, you are right Cocytus. But if he choses to have a baby with either Albedo or Shalltear, wouldn't you be overjoyed to pledge your fidelity to the flesh and blood of the supreme being? Wouldn't it be fantastic to serve both father and son for all eternity?"
"That… Is quite an appealing thought indeed… No, it would be marvelous! Oh, how could I resist being called uncle? And not let them ride on my shoulders when they ask me to? I would surely fall for such cute and mighty beings!" The tall insectoid said, going into his own little world and leaving the two other males alone for now as he wandered off to the dream world.
"By the way Mare, I was wondering something. Why do you, a male, dress in a way that is more traditionally female?"
"W-Well, these are the clothes that Lady Bukubuku Chagama personally designed for me. I have other outfits for various situations, but all look relatively the same. She told me I was a "Crossdresser," but I never came across such a class, and it isn't written on my status sheet anywhere. I am unfortunately as lost as you are, Sir Demiurge."
"I see. Maybe all young boys are supposed to dress like that then? I should ask Lord Momonga one day for future reference. If he wants an heir, we need to be ready to offer presents worthy of the son of our absolute master. May I see those outfits later to design some piece myself?" He asked, getting an excited nod from the small elf. "Perfect, thank you Mare. Now, Cocytus, please come back to us, we have work to do. Shalltear, Albedo, are you still fighting?"
"Not anymore. We are busy deciding something far more important now. Who will the main wife be?" Shalltear said, trying her hardest not to snap back at Albedo again.
"Yes. It would be strange for a Lord of Nazarick to have only one wife; only a harem is befitting of such perfectness. But the title of official wife is still something important, as it will dictate the order of pregnancy and authority within the harem."
"That is wonderful, I am glad that you came to an agreement." The demon said, glad this storm was over. "Because out master has given his orders, and I think the time to begin our work is ripe. We need to work on using message for communication within the pyramid, I want to discuss the implementation with you at length Albedo."
"Very well, you are absolutely right Demiurge. Shalltear, we shall bring this up at a later date once our work is over. For now, I would need an inventory of all active traps within your floors as well as all monsters under your command."
"I will bring them to you as fast as I can. I know that such important matters need to be calmly discussed." The vampire said, exiting the Arena with a forced smile on her lips. The other floor guardians also left to attend to their work, Albedo and Demiurge going to the meeting room to think of new defenses for the pyramid as well as their main task of using message to facilitate communication. While it may seem simple, most denizens of Nazarick may not be able to use Message that easily.
MOMONGA'S PRIVATE CHAMBER.
Momonga had retreated to his private quarters after the meeting with the floor guardians; he had many things to test with this new body of his. If he was accurate with his estimates, it had now been about 3 hours since the end of Yggdrasil, so it was about 3 in the morning outside.
'I do not feel tired, but there is still this appeal to go to bed… It's not that I want to rest like I did when I was a human; it's more that it feels natural to lay down when it's night outside. Maybe it's something I brought over from when I was still Satoru Suzuki; something humans are not aware of because sleeping is natural for us. I also don't feel grossed out when I look at myself; I even find myself more handsome than when I was a human."
The first thing he had done was take a bath, as strange as that sound. He knew that Japanese people used to be strict on being clean, but the fact he ordered for a goat milk bath to be drawn was both out of character yet so right at the same time. He remembered that ancient Egyptians also took great care of themselves. Maybe that was why as a mummy, he felt the need to be clean at all times. And compared to the fake water he used back home, goat milk was just divine.
His body, just as he designed it all those years ago, was a true mummy brought back to life. His skin was dried in the same way the ancient civilization used to, his body a mass of muscle and bones that had been through the sacred rituals of mummification; he only looked more alive thanks to the energy of the sun that coursed through his veins. His muscles were invigorated and smooth; his missing left hand was pure energy… There was not a change from his avatar, apart maybe from the gold in his veins.
He mused at how long he spent in his personal bath, his armor and bandages neatly stored at the entrance. The temperature was just perfect, and the luxury of taking baths was something only the richest could afford back on earth. He stretched his arms up high, feeling them behave much like when he was human. It still felt good to stretch; he was glad that this didn't change from the old world to this one.
"Master Momonga, may I be allowed to enter?" Sebas asked, making the mummy come back down to earth and look at the entrance. He knew deep inside him that he should be embarrassed to be seen naked by what was essentially his subordinate and that things like this could lead to sexual harassment complaints and potential career end. But something in his mind blocked the thoughts and replaced them with pride in his body and title.
"You may, Sebas." He simply said, not moving from his spot in the baths. The butler bowed as he sighted his Lord, not bothered in the slightest by the inhumane look of the Pharaoh. "I was about to call onto you. I need your help for a personal project of mine." The mummy said, standing up from his bath and letting the rich milk drip off his divine body slowly. With a flick of his wrist, the bandages that wrapped him most of the time flew to him, covering the Lord like they had a mind of their own.
"I am honored to receive such an order my Lord. I will do my utmost best to live up to your expectations."
"Very well said Sebas, I didn't expect any less from you." The Lord said, going for his clothes as two maids walked in to help him into his regal outfit. "We sorely lack information of this new world. We need to build ourselves up to check if there are any potential threats to us and Nazarick. I want you to prepare the mirror of remote viewing, I will take a look at the area myself and decide on my future plans. These will include you and Yuri Alpha, notify her that I will call her soon."
"It shall be done, my Lord." The butler said, bowing once more. Both master and servant exited the baths to Momonga's main chamber, where his office and bedroom were located. "If you would kindly excuse me my Lord, I need to leave your side to follow your orders. May one of the Pleiades take my place for the time being?"
"Of course Sebas. Report to me once you have prepared the teams." The Pharaoh simply stated, sitting at his desk and opening his inventory to retrieve a magical sheet of paper and a pen. "Create map!" He simply stated, the paper forming a perfect magical map of the Arena around the pyramid. The undead cracked his knuckles and smiled under his funerary mask as he began to work his pen across the map with expert, fluid motions.
Suzuki Satoru had always been a simple man with simple hobbies. His biggest passion was Yggdrasil, of course, the MMORPG, where he spent a good 12 years grinding endlessly with a smile on his face. But he also had something else that was his job in real life: city planning. He never understood where he had gotten the passion from. Maybe it was from the games he used to play as a kid, but there was always this appeal of building a functional city where people could live.
Having no other real idea of where to go at the time, he chose to become a city planner and studied hard for it. HE got accepted straight after graduation in a relatively known firm and began his new life as a modern-day slave that needed to pump out month-long projects in a week. There was no time to think when he clocked in; every action, form to fill, complaints to read, and idea to push needed to be perfectly executed to earn his salary at the end of the month.
And the worst part was that whenever he had these bouts of genius when he had excellent ideas that fixed many problems at once, his asshole superior would take all the credit and raises from the firm while they stayed at their meager paycheck. But he couldn't complain too much; his work was a changing place where people would come on Monday and get fired on Saturday. He should be glad he was smart and competent enough to stay that long with them.
But here, in this new world, Momonga was free to do as he pleased. He was the boss now, he was the one that called the shots, and he would build like he always wanted to do for so long. The map soon got filled with sketches and layouts that all overlaid thanks to the magic item he used, the mummy using all his knowledge of his corporate hellscape of life to design something akin to a capital city around the pyramid.
"Do I really want to build something?" He asked himself, unaware that Narberal Gamma was waiting in the corner to let him work in peace. "Our top priority should be to remain hidden… Large scale work without access to the technology I was used to will gather a lot of attention and maybe attract other people." He continued, resting his pen down. "Other people… Maybe there are other players that ended in this world after Yggdrasil was shut down. A city could be a nice place to attract them and spread our name… Maybe some of my friends are out there too."
The mummy leaned into his chair, looking once more at the map on his desk. If there were other players if his friends were out there… Then he needed to make something perfect. His best work, as modest as he was, would need to be worthy of the trust his teammates showed him when they gave their stuff to him before taking a long break off the game. Yes, a capital. A royal city befitting of Ainz Ooal Gown in their golden era.
"Then, the course is settled." The mummy said, a smile forming on his lips. "Let the world be amazed at my work." He finished, Narberal doing her best not to disturb him by squealing at how badass her master sounded just now.