- Nazarick Strikes Back.

The tavern was just as loud as the day before. With not much to do while she waited, Neia visited the same adventurer frequented establishment once again. One of Pleiades, Shizu, had told her she will be contacted soon. But with all the chaos of dealing with aftereffects of the mad king's invasion had likely pushed her plea to less important matters and she will have to spend a few more days waiting for her chance to present her Queen's letter.

An empty, smaller table in the corner was just a spot she sought. With the usual loud atmosphere and mostly filled tables, it took some time to get tavern maid's attention, but the fruity ale was worth the wait. For a small framed girl like her, the enormous mug was more than enough for the entire evening.

Listening to adventurers while slowly enjoying the drink was not only a pleasant but useful pastime. During the last few days, she had found out so much about Re-Estize and Nazarick. The monster empire of Nazarick was one of the most discussed topics among the drunk adventurers. From the unnaturally beautiful Pleiades and the ambassador to five ruling gods of incomprehensible power.

Little was known who they truly were, but the term 'player' was tossed around frequently. The race of her own gods. Gods walked this world once again, but they were not the great six that once saved humanity.

Still, despite their monstrous nature and the recent annihilation they brought upon Re-Estize armies, the blame fell to local selfish nobles who, in their arrogance, tried to fight forces they didn't even understand.

"Those faces, you know angels, don't care about sinners like us," a man at the other end of the tavern exclaims. Hunched over a small table sitting by himself. A strange haunted expression on his face.

No one pays any attention to him as even Neia knew he was one of the Katze plains survivors. The poor soul was clearly not right in the head after the horrible experiences he suffered. The man continues to speak more to himself than to others around him. Other patrons paid no attention and mostly didn't interrupt him out of the pity.

"Many sinners they struck down in the god's name. That god, bastard nobles insulted the undead god. My poor brother. He was a decent lad. Wanted to marry that Ivonka girl. Now I weep for my poor brother. For all the poor souls. But gods are merciful. We undeserving ones eat their bread and drink the beer."

The man went on for a while, both praising and cursing the five new gods. His speech was getting more incoherent and Neia, same as people around her, stopped listening to him.

Her attention falls on a table near her. A group of men discussed the increasing presence of monsters in the capital over the last few days. Undead helped with reconstruction and transportation of materials. The churches that were left empty when the slane theocracy priest returned to their homeland are now filled with angels providing cheap healing.

One of them, the oldest among them, with already greying hair, quietly expressed his fears of soon being under the boot of Nazarick. The suspicions sounded justified, leaving a particular phrase ingrained in Neia's mind. "Those monsters are invading and people are cheering for them."

Her thoughts soon return to her own homeland. The constant danger from beastmen was taking its toll. During her last weeks in boot camp, most of the instructors and even many of the older squires, ones soon to be accepted in the paladin order, left for the great wall.

If not for her current mission, she would likely fight by her father's side soon enough. The fear in Queen Calca's eyes told more than a thousand words. Her attempts to contact Nazarick in secret were an act of desperation. Neia knew that. To consort with monsters was a heresy, according to her faith.

Her faith. Was it hers anymore? Ale filing her stomach had its effect and thoughts, even as she considered blasphemous, filled young squire's mind. If the new gods would agree to help her queen, surely they would crush beastmen without an effort, but would the Roble Kingdom deserve their help? For what reason gods would help those who despise them, in their eyes she likely to was a sinner undeserving of salvation.

'I must stop thinking like that. By the four I am turning in one of those heretics, paladins purge.'

With the mug empty in front of her, it was time to go back to her room in a nearby inn and hope that tomorrow brings something new.

Remembering her first experiences in this country, her hand was on her sword constantly. But during the short walk, no one bothers her. A patrol of four skeletons in enchanted gear passes by.

The walk in the cold autumn evening sobers her up with the regrets of sober mind following. But no matter how many prayers she recited while kneeling beside the bed, the heretical thoughts find their way back in her mind, spreading like insidious roots.

The next morning came with the long-awaited summons to meet Nazarick's ambassador. A lich with a skeletal horse-driven carriage waited for her at the inn's entrance. For a moment, Neia's instincts screamed at her to run. A lich was a very dangerous monster with only a powerful paladin being able to defeat such a foe.

It takes a lot of her willpower to smile, politely return the lich's greetings and enter the carriage. Neia looked out the window during the ride, holding her hands to prevent them from shaking. Breathing exercises didn't work at all. Neither did preyers.

The last resort of pretending they are just like her, human. A trick her father taught her. Once something is demystified and normalized, it's not as scary anymore. She was in the carriage and there was no sense of fearing a regular coachman.

The trick was effective enough for Neia to keep a calm appearance during the trip and walk to the ambassador's quarters.

The lich accompanying her opens the door and a woman whose beauty put queen Calca and Custodio sisters to shame greets her with a subtle, gentle smile.

"Miss Neia Baraja, please allow me to welcome you to my humble abode and express my apologies for a delayed meeting."

"T-thank you, l-lady Nigredo," after a moment of silence, Neia stammers with a deep bow.

The tall, stunning woman's presence overwhelms a mere squire like she by itself, but to be greeted in such a manner stunned Neia even more.

To break the awkward silence, Nigredo speaks again,

"I believe you wished to deliver a message from your Queen?"

"Y-yes, I carry a letter addressed to Emperor Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Hmm, I assume the letter's contents are for eyes of Emperor Ainz only then?"

"Yes. I think so."

Nigredo puts two fingers at the side of her head in silence for a few seconds and then says.

"Emperor Ainz will await you in the imperial castle at the new capital of Nazarick. We will provide transport for you. Is there any business you need to finish before the journey?"

"No, I am ready to go, lady Nigredo."

"Then I wish you a pleasant trip and hope for a mutually beneficial relationship between our nations."

"Thank you," Neia says with a bow.

"This way if you please Lady Baraja," the same lich coachman that brought her to meeting with ambassador says and motions for her to follow.

The relief of not making herself a complete fool during the meeting was short-lived as Neia was not out of the castle yet when the crushing realization that she will have to face the undead Emperor makes her hands shake uncontrollably again.

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Another pencil snaps in her hands. Rigrit sighs and drops it on the polished stone table and picks another pencil to play with as her summons, elder lich steps next to her, repairs the broken pencil, and puts it back in a tray with similar gray pencils.

Seven hours ago a frost dragon tried to enter Nazarick's territory while carrying the Tsar's decapitated head and was promptly captured, identified as one of the former White Dragon Lord's wives, Mianatalon, and currently interrogated. There was little doubt that she was the traitor who sold out Tsar to the Deep Water Empress.

The torture the treacherous dragon received was a little solace. Her friend was dead, and she had no means of bringing him back. The only hope was her new allies, but there were no guarantees they would bother with the resurrection of a dragon.

Few seats away from her Tabula chats with Sazrasas about the properties of plants they now researched together. By the tales, she heard Tabula was not one to attend meetings, but seems even he had a reason to be here. Unfortunately, it looked like the brain-eaters presence was not because of the death of her friend.

Not wanting to dwell on the pair, she looks around once again. The meeting room of the newly constructed Nazarick's imperial castle was beyond luxurious, as all the things made by overly zealous followers of five lords.

The carvings in stone pillars alone likely required tens of thousands of work hours by hand or hundreds of hours of delicate, magical tampering. The tall arched window frames gave a mix of awe and dread. From what Rigrit could remember from her old world, similar architecture could be found on earth in ancient cathedrals.

It was rather obvious they would not let her in their guild base any time soon, for obvious reasons. Even if she was much weaker than any of Ainz Ooal Gown members, she was a player and possessed an intimate knowledge of how guild bases work and how to destroy them. But they gave her quarters in the imperial castle, even if she didn't ask for living space in the very heart of the empire and preferred to remain in E-Rantel.

Another pencil snaps in her hand as the waiting is getting excruciating. The cycle of her breaking pencils and the lich fixing them go on and on until the next two lords arrive. The siblings she had not yet interacted with.

The avian she knew as Peros looked her up and down before giving a small wave sitting down a distance away, giving her strong Brightness Dragon Lord vibes. If not for a current situation, a fair guess was he would likely attempt to woo her.

The other one was a beautiful Elven woman, a stark contrast to the other four lords who were much more monstrous than her.

"You must be Rigrit." She says while extending her hand in greeting. Rigrit quickly accepts her handshake, not wanting to be rude. Her curiosity about why one of the Ainz Ooal Gown looks so human is quickly answered, as if Buku just read her mind.

"I am not an elf, if that's what you're wondering."

"Oh, I didn't mean to stare like that."

"Don't worry about it. Ainz and Ulbert will be here soon. That little dragon bitch broke an hour ago and confessed everything."

There was a certain glee in her voice that send a shudder down Rigrit's spine. Not that she felt nothing but rage towards the treacherous frost dragon, but the way Bukuma said 'broke' just felt like an expression of sadistic enjoyment.

True to her word, Ainz and Ulbert arrived a minute later and sat down in their spots.

"As you all know, by now, our ally Tsaindorcus was killed by the Deep Water Empress, and his head was sent as a message. This will not stand. We will show her what happens to those who dare to challenge Nazarick."

Ainz says and then continues.

"Regretfully, the captured traitor does not know where the base of the underwater empire's power is located. So I must ask you, Rigrit and Sazrasas, for your input on the current situation."

The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord sits in a calculated silence and gives a barely noticeable nod to Rigrit. The time to present the sales pitch.

"I don't know either, but Tsar knew. If there is a chance to bring him back, he could aid you."

Ulbert lets out a chuckle and says,

"Clever way to get us to resurrect Tsar, I see. But you will have to do better than that."

"Let's not be hasty. Tsar allied with us and I believe that put a certain level of trust on us to support him and his friends when necessary. But I am not sure a regular resurrection would work on a dragon. I will have to experiment with our captive to see how it works. So for now, I must apologize for not being able to fulfill your request." Ainz says.

A piece of his new collection was taken away. But learning from both Ulbert and Demiurge had given him the insight to use such an event to make Rigrit more loyal to them, and her emotions on the matter were clear as day. It was not just an old acquaintance she lost, but someone close, someone she was willing to give a lot to get back.

"There is a way!" The eldritch god says as all eyes fall on him. As usual, he didn't get the memo to play along, but it was too late to fix that, so Ainz just motions for him to go on.

"I have a ritual that needs to be tested. A ritual that one day can be used to bring a powerful ally to this world. With little modification, we can bring back Tsar more powerful than ever. But he will be considered the summon of one who spearheads the ritual and by looking at overall mana pools of us all, it likely will be Ainz."

A faint suspicion that Tabula might sometimes overplay his absentmindedness for his own benefit flashes in Ainz's mind. If Tsar would be bound as a summon, there would be no worries of him switching sides anymore.

Ainz didn't know full details of how the summoning contract worked, but by explanations of Tabula and Eleleth, it was a contract on a level beyond soul, and to break it entails long-lasting consequences.

"Anyone against Tabulas proposal?" Ainz asks, glancing at Rigrit and Sazrasas.

It was clear as day that Rigrit wanted to protest against the proposal, but kept her mouth shut.

"Then it's settled. Tabula, how much time do you need to prepare everything?"

"Few hours at most. For better result, I recommend all of us to take part in it."

More waiting. But patience was needed and a few more hours, now knowing that Tsar will be resurrected, even if there was a catch, gave the needed solace. The other more worrying topic was how Nazarick planned to retaliate against an underwater empire. Very few Yggdrasil spells were useful underwater, and sending endless armies of undead also didn't seem particularly plausible.

In the end, Rigrit just had to wait and see, with the general idea of how much mana it will require bringing back Tsar stronger than before, a period of rest to regain energy, it will probably be lengthy not only for her but five lords as well.

The ritual setup was not a secret, so she could watch as Tabula draw long lines on a magical circle filled with numerous sigils. A magically lighted cavern under the palace was big enough to house even the biggest of dragons. The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord observed the preparations as well now in his enormous natural form and even he could take a flight and not hit ceiling or wall right away.

Once the magical circle was finished, Tabula pointed where every single participant must stand and Tsar's head was delivered and put in the center of the circle. She had to take the false date ring off with lords doing the same. To say she was not prepared to feel Ainz's unrestricted aura was an understatement.

If the emperor was so powerful, was she even needed for ritual? No, even if it was a small contribution, it still mattered. Her friend had died once and the extra power he would receive would assure he didn't die so easily again.

The other worry was how death would affect Tsar. Would he still be the good old dragon she knew for a long time?

Tabula starts a chant and the drain of mana gets noticeable, not to mention the vortex of energy gathering around Tsar's head. It floats and gets larger. Strains of matter slowly form a new, much larger body.

The mana drain reached her limit rather fast. Rigrit gets light-headed but manages to remain standing. Ritual was ending and Tsar finally opened his eyes. There was none of the dullness associated with resurrection. His sharp glance lands on Rigrit for a short while, but then he turns to face Ainz.

The mighty platinum scaled dragon lowers his head to Ainz's level and says,

"I have returned and agreed to your terms, Emperor Ainz Ooal Gown. But no mistake, my new master, I will not go against my core principles if you ever order me to do so."

"That is understandable and you have my word. I will never order you to compromise your principles. For now, welcome back, Tsar. Take a brief rest and then we will discuss how to pay back your aunt for killing you."

Her sight gets cloudy, showing that she needs to get some sleep and restore the depleted mana reserves. Bukuma comes up to her and helps her to remain upright, looking as tired as her.

For all she knew, Tsar now might be the most powerful dragon in this world, but the only important thing at this moment was that he was back.

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Compared to her journey to the Capital of Re-Estize, now Neia traveled like a noble. The carriage was comfortable, and the meals packed for her were delicious. The undead coachman wasn't talkative, but she preferred it that way. Friendly or not, he was still undead and her old beliefs still lingered.

Maybe it would be better to get used to the constant presence of monsters. After all, she will soon enter their empire and will have to do her best to remain respectful. On the surface, it was a simple task at this point. The monsters she encountered in the cities and towns of Re-Estize were there to help the local populace and, overall, make life better for an average human.

Deep inside, however, the dogmas of her faith, or what remained of it, still made her wary.

Being alone with her thoughts was getting easier and despite the autumn, the scenery outside was pleasant. The road was rather bumpy, but the stops to sleep in inns were often enough to not tire her out.

There was a reason to wonder if there even be a difference between Re-Estize and Nazarick at this point, but how wrong she was assuming it. At the border of the monster, empire stood tall stone watchtowers, and then there was the pawed stone road wide enough for several carriages or carts to pass each other without an issue.

Even her homeland didn't have such luxury. At best, two carriages could pass each other with minor trouble on the best-kept roads. Couchman opened up right away as he talked from the front of the carriage, explaining just how much work went into creating each wonder she saw.

One would not expect it, but there was a certain pride in the lich's voice. His master ruled over an empire like no other and even a lowly servant took pride in his servitude towards the God of Life and Death.

The smoothness of the roads was enough for her to not feel the bumps on road anymore and on a long stretch of the road she dozed off, tired from the long journey.

The awakening came with another surprise to the city of E-Rantel. Creatures of all kinds going about their business. Some forms of beastmen were unseen by her before. It was noticeable that humans, for the most part, avoided non-humans, but there were already a few exceptions, especially among the children.

There it was, proof that a world where everyone could coexist was in front of her. A dream the most daring madman would not hope to see.

"Lady Neia, we are staying in Re-Estize for the night and by tomorrow evening should reach the imperial capital."

"Is this how Emperor Ainz wants to remake the world?" Neia asks as her eyes fall on a group of children playing.

"As far a lowly servant as me knows, yes. In the Empire of Nazarick, everyone has its place."

Everyone has its place. It could have meant for the weakest to be slaves and even food, but humans here seemed to be free, not bound to a constant battle for survival. Not trying to eliminate everything that wasn't them, not that they even could. The world didn't care. Six great gods seemingly didn't care. They left after all. Or maybe they weren't strong enough to survive what came after them.

There were these monstrous beings called the Greed Kings that the six great gods defeated according to scriptures, but no matter how hard Neia tried to remember, she couldn't recall any mention of gods after that strife.

Maybe it was time to see the world with an open mind and make her own decisions. Too much had changed and she, a simple mortal human girl, obviously knew too little to understand the deep intricacies at play.

One thing was obvious, though. Those with power can impose any form of justice they deemed fit. Soon she will have to face one such being.

The evening and night spent in E-Rantel only increased her conviction of a simple truth. Power was justice. And the only thing one could do to spread justice in the world was to become as powerful as possible.

The remaining journey to the capital of The Empire of Nazarick went by so quickly that the partly built city walls took her by a surprise. The central road to the impossible palace in the distance was wider than city squares in some of her homeland cities. A feeling of awe only grew as the palace slowly grew minute by minute, seemingly taking over the sky in front of her. The architecture was unlike any she had seen before. The entire building reached for the heavens with countless spikes, towers, and arks decorating it. What looked like stone statues of some kind of flying monsters decorated the structure as fierce glaring guardians.

Both ground and sky around the castle were guarded by monstrous creatures beyond count. The report of her queen showed was not a lie. Even if the entire humanity united, they could not invade even the imperial castle of Nazarick.

The moment had come. Gates opened and her carriage slowly entered the courtyard. She wanted to recite a prayer for courage but was not sure to whom to address it anymore. With a momentary hesitation, it remained unrecited as an undead servant opens the carriage's door and informs that Emperor is waiting for her.

As impressive as the castle was from the outside, the inside was just as grand. A wide corridor with countless works of art stretched impossibly long. Neia felt her feet getting heavier and heavier with each step. Her hands lightly shake again.

'Three breaths in, three breaths out. Emperor is like me. I am calm.'

Final few steps and the door to the throne room opened. Two dark flames gaze at her. A dark god sat on the throne and in his eye sockets. Two dark flames danced. With burning intensity, they stare into her very soul. Beside him, two angels stood. One had strange metallic wings and an emotionless, uncaring gaze. The other one looked at her like she was a lost child needing guidance. Just as the six-winged figure radiated warmth like she had not felt before: the undead emperor gave off a vague sense of impossible depths of power, something no mortal is meant to understand.

It took all her willpower to not weep as she drops on one knee and lowers her head while holding the letter in her hand. The six-winged angel approaches her and takes the letter from her with a warm, caring expression.

"Emperor Ainz, a letter from Calca Bessarez, the Holy Queen of the Roble Holy Kingdom she sends in secret."

"Thank you Eleleth." The deep voice of god booms as he takes the letter in his ring-covered skeletal hand and breaks the seal and after a quick read hand-letter back to the angel.

"Interesting. Eleleth, please read this part aloud."

"I grant the servitude of the letter's bearer as a token for my wish to open mutually beneficial relations between us." The gentle voice reads as she looks at Neia.

Servitude! Did her Queen just sell her to Nazarick? Now it all made sense, this is why grandmaster Remedios chose her. She was never meant to return home. But Nazarick had no need of a servant like her. She was just a squire, weaker than the numerous monster servants she met on her way here.

Neia looks up and meets the gaze of the dark flames.

"Neia Baraja, do you agree with your Queen's offer? I have more than enough willing servants and have no need for unwilling one."

That tone, fear, uncontrollable fear takes her over. Her hands shake. If she would say no, what would the dark god do to her?

"If you do not wish to serve me, you may return home and talks with your Queen will go on no matter your own decision."

"Y-your majesty, I-I am just a squire. As a servant, I have no great value to provide."

"Is that so? Shizu described you as a capable archer. And you jumped to protect people of Re-Estize without a second-guessing your own abilities. What you are now is not as important as what you can become."

Why did he know all that? Why did this dark god commanding untold armies take his time to know about her, an insignificant speck? Did he already know of what was written in the letter? Maybe her purpose, the reason for her entire existence, was to one day kneel before a living God who was kind enough to know of her and give her the choice to serve.

All the trials on her way here, all that she had seen. This was a trial designed for her. How did she not see it? The embodiment of power before her gave her the choice to serve and grow. Only what she would become matters. To remain weak would be an insult to god. To not grow stronger was the sin, and this world was like it was because of sinners remaining weak and hoping for long-gone gods to return.

"Your majesty, I will serve you. I will grow strong in your name!"

"There is a gift I give those who serve me," Ainz says, standing up from his throne as the dark wavy robe he wears straightens itself out.

Neia felt god's touch on her forehead. She felt the intense pain this touch gave. She felt the changes within herself. The god she now swore to serve gave her new heights to reach, power to obtain through her own effort.

To remain weak was a sin, a sin she will never indulge again.

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How long had she slept? It was dark outside and what she could remember in her sleepy state she was back in her Re-Estize mansion. The grogginess of a long sleep causes a mild confusion, but then again Rigrit couldn't remember the last time she spent so much mana. Itchy dry throat forces her to get out of bed and walk towards the dining area for a glass of water.

With a floating light beside her, she half-asleep slowly moves towards her target, trying to not trip on something.

"You could at least put on pants when you walk around the house," Tsar grumbles somewhere near her.

"Mmm, you can look if you like what you see," Rigrit responds sleepily with a self-satisfied chuckle.

Another grumble from the dragon and she finally reaches a counter with a water pitcher. Fresh water in a dry throat feels like the nectar of gods.

With her mind finally fully waking up, all the recent events flash in her mind. She twists her hand in a fist and with a flying jump, punches Tsar in the face, who promptly falls down with the chair he is sitting on, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"You died! I told you not to go. I told you that was a trap. Dammit, you can be a selfish, stupid prick sometimes!"

He had never seen Rigrit so furious before. He was the one paying the price for the resurrection. Why she was so angry. As far as the brief exchange with Emperor Ainz went, besides the participation in the resurrection ritual, Rigrit had not been forced to give or do anything else.

To play it safe, he sheepishly says "Sorry," and gets up, putting the chair back by the table as Rigrit storms off.

Five minutes later she was sitting opposite to him by the table with a drink called cocoa, which mildly annoyed him with a strong weird smell, still noticeably angry. Seeing that it probably wasn't the best idea to ask why she get so upset. They were friends, yes, but someone like her had lost a lot of friends over the centuries.

To divert her attention elsewhere, he clears his throat and says,

"While you slept, I draw the map of the Underwater Empire by the memory. Emperor has a plan on how to strike its capital."

"Didn't tell me any details, but I bet they can find a way to put even the seafloor on the fire. Did your 'master' tell you any details?"

"A bit. Lord Tabula is preparing a special spell for this occasion."

"I guess that's expected. I would love to get my hands on his research notes."

"You could ask."

"Like they are going to tell me anything. Remember, you are their pet now, not me. They will not trust me with anything dangerous any time soon. Being careful is a trait you could learn from them."

"I am ca… I am sorry. I should have listened to you and not underestimated just what lengths Graladansa would go to kill me."

Rigrit sighs, takes a long sip from her drink, and then says,

"What's done is done. At least you are back. I guess I overreacted a bit, too. It's not me who is now bound to Ainz, after all."

After a moment of silence, Tsar speaks again.

"By the way, are you coming with us to assault underwater empire?"

"Of course I am coming. Someone has to watch after you. Anyway, I think I will go back to sleep. No sense in messing up sleep cycle even more."

With Rigrit leaving, Tsar was alone again. Her overreaction still baffled him. For now, there was no point in losing sleep over it, as he could see how these interactions go over the next few days. His death had hurt Rigrit more than he imagined and the last thing he wanted was to hurt his friend even more.

The map was more or less finished and there was time to rest for him, too. The human form got sleepy so much faster than the true one, but at the same time sleep cycle was shorter too.

The next morning came with the news that all the spells were prepared and assault would commence at the noon. With Rigrit on his back, Tsar goes through the gate to arrive at the meeting place about a kilometer over water, where the capital of the Underwater Empire is located.

All five Lords were already present, floating in the air with a sizable escort forming a perimeter around them.

There were also seven strange floating crystals, but it was an easy guess they were the deterrent against the Great Old One to prevent him from claiming the souls of the slaughtered.

"Ah, Tsar Rigrit, you are finally here. Looks like the map was on the point." Ainz says.

"Emperor Ainz, can I get details on the plan. What are Tsar and I going to do?" Rigrit asks right away. As usual, she had no information and wanted to correct it right away.

"You both are going to enjoy the show. Tabula and I will take care of water, and Ulbert is the main hitter of the day as one with the most powerful offensive spell."

"I would have assumed that you would be one to cast the offensive spell."

"I need to flex my power too from time to time. Besides, ever since we arrived here, I was itching to test my signature spell." Ulbert says with a cackle.

"Now I am curious which one of the super-tier spells you plan to use."

"Oh, it's not anything so weak as super tier."

"Wait a minute, you said a signature spell, super tier is… you mean you are…"

"That's right, I am World Disaster! Grand catastrophe it is!" Ulbert screams, while laughing maniacally.

"Let's begin!" Ainz says to stop Ulbert's theatrics as the casting cycles appear around him and Tabula.

Moments later, water rapidly parts revealing a bustling city underneath about seven hundred meters deep below the surface. The surprised mermen drop from the air as water just disappears around them.

The parting water forms around an 18-kilometer wide crater, revealing the immense underwater city with a grand palace in its heart. Ulbert motions for Ainz to put a shield around them and casts his magnum opus of destruction.

Once the spell is cast city down below is instantly engulfed in an earthquake topped with bluish-red hellfire. An earth-shattering roar is heard below as the city is glassed and shattered in tiny melted glass pieces.

Next moment Ainz and Tabula release water that crashes black in place, creating a momentary vortex in the center.

"THAT WAS GLORIOUS!" Ulbert shouts, panting.

Ainz chuckles, letting Ulbert have his moment, and then turns to Tabula, asking. "How many souls?"

"Two point two million. We can proceed with the first few."

"Excellent. It's time to retreat then. Rigrit, Tsar, I assume you will use your own gate to get back?"

"Two million… yeah, we will find our way back." Rigrit mumbles.

Two million souls gathered just like that. To her knowledge, no event in history had a body count that high and now it was caused, arguably, by a single spell. And the worst part of it was that this is just the beginning of the incoming conflict.

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Her own bloodline betrayed her. Graladansa stomps back and forth in her throne room. Her mermen servants covering in corners, afraid to become the targets for anger.

Suddenly water just disappears. After a momentary confusion, her eyes widen. Magic! Water was just removed by magical means and that could mean only one thing, imminent attack.

The surrounding castle suddenly shatters, engulfing her in flames. The heavy stone slabs under her feet crumble and melt, plummeting her into a molten stone.

A jolt of agonizing pain strikes every part of her body. Scales melting and searing her flesh, eyes boiling and exploding.

On instinct, she reaches out to consume the souls of her subjects, but there are none. Panic rises, pain becomes unbearable.

In an act of desperation, a realization comes. There is only one way out. The mighty dragon empress drains her own soul to fuel the magic sustaining her. With an earth-shattering roar, she plunges herself upwards, freeing herself from the molten pit, and looks up.

Her attackers, Yggdrasil's trash, and with them an immense dragon with platinum scales.

A sudden change of pressure makes her look down and see the walls of water closing in. Millions of tons of water hit her from all sides, pulverizing her bones. Just some pure sense of self-preservation fueled all her magic to protect her skull. As her shattered body now moves with the vortex.

Just a few moments more and there will be no more fuel. She has failed her master. With the last moment of clarity, one last thought enters her mind.

'I'm sorry I failed you, Great One. Take my soul as punishment.'

Just as the last remnants of conciseness fade, a presence invades her mind. Familiar presence, angry presence.

'Live, little one. Your job is not yet done!'

A jolt of energy seeps into her, fueling her spell, mending her bones, repairing her broken body. Sight soon returns, but the pain doesn't fade. her molten scales remain as is. A constant agonizing reminder of her failure.

Graladansa surveys her surroundings. What was once her seat of power was reduced to a field of dark, crumbling glass. The vortex still rages on around her. In her complacency, she underestimated her enemy and paid a price for it.

Her master gave her another chance. One she could not waste.

Bonus Story - Idols.

"Seven new confessions," Lupu shouts while taking a big gulp from the cup in her hands.

"Just seven, I had nine," Solution says with a smirk sitting on a barstool next to her.

"It is not nice to string men along. Why both of us can't be good girls for once." Yuri says fixing her glasses and taking a small, careful sip from her own drink.

"It's not our fault that men in Re-Estize are horny morons, right barkeep?" Lupus says.

"Right you are, Lupus. Men will always chase pretty ones like you." Barkeep, a bald man with a white bushy mustache, responds while filling another cup.

His business was booming as the six beauties frequenting his tavern brought in so many patrons he could barely fill the mugs on time. Ever since the six battle maids arrived and helped to repel the Mad King's assault, they had become idols of sorts.

He got lucky, and they went to celebrate in his tavern, bringing an army of admirers with them. He wasn't of age to chase young women anymore, but they sure were pleasing to the eye. One called Solution teased him the most, intentionally leaning forward when receiving her drinks.

But she might as well have been his granddaughter. And besides being a sly flirt back, he thought little of it.

Once the cup is full, he slides it over to one who sits a little to the side with an unhappy expression.

"Here you go, miss Narberal."

As always, no response. At least she wasn't calling him insect or worm, as she did with men who tried to woo her. Everyone in the city knew that none of the six beauties were human, but that didn't prevent hot-headed men from trying their luck constantly.

With a silent chuckle, he fills another mug. A mischievous thought to send a personal letter of thanks to the Emperor of Nazarick crosses his mind as he hands the next cup to the smallest of six. A girl with a cute mask and voice. Her method of drinking with a straw put under her mask was amusing, but less he knew the easier it was to treat them like young human ladies.