Overlord: Trinidad

Overlord : Trinidad chapter:1

Two figures stood still at the entrance of the Great Underground Tomb. They looked at each other. The black eyes of the goat demon and the small, round eyes of the insect knight both reflected resentment.

It was 11:55 at night when the champion and the demon, both bearing the title "World Champion," met once again.

"You're the last person I expected to find here, Ulbert," said the insect knight.

"And you? I'm surprised you had the guts to come back, TouchMe," replied the goat demon.

Their words reignited an old grudge they both thought had been extinguished. The insect knight drew his sword, old and rusted, while the goat demon enveloped his hands in a weak, corrupted crimson flame.

They were but a shadow of what they once were. But even without their equipment and in a weakened state, this was still a duel between the two most powerful players of Ainz Ooal Gown.

It promised to be something capable of drawing the attention of even the undead who awaited them on the ninth floor...

But at the moment of truth, neither of them found the courage to attack. Neither had the determination to make the first move.

In the end, they just stood there, staring at each other, as the clock continued to tick.

This went on until, finally, both of them found the resolve to speak.

"Did you come for Momonga?" asked Ulbert.

"Did you come for Momonga?" asked TouchMe.

Their voices echoed simultaneously. Their words coordinated perfectly, asking about the friend for whom they both felt so much sympathy.

Momonga had been the reason they were both there. He was their motivation, their courage to return to the home they had once destroyed.

The champion and the calamity had made room in their lives to come back and see the friend who, rumor had it, dedicated every free moment of his life to sustaining Nazarick. He worked tirelessly to keep the home created by the 41 friends who once formed the guild, hoping they would one day return.

That man was the reason why Ulbert, who had slept barely 10 hours this week, and TouchMe, who had an important meeting in the morning, made the effort to come back to this world that was about to fade away. They came only to express their gratitude to the lonely person who, with no friends left to help, ventured out every day alone to gather the resources needed to keep this fortress alive.

Once they understood each other's motivations, the knight and the demon laughed.

Because despite wanting to thank Momonga for all he had done, neither of them had sent him a message or even informed him they would log in tonight.

Why? It was because of their shame. Shame born from not having done it sooner, from not having come on one of their free days to give their friend one last adventure to remember before this dream called Nazarick died.

But it was too late for that now. The clock read 11:58, and the sky began to fill with thousands of colors. The fireworks heralded the imminent end.

"Damn it…" muttered Ulbert.

"And there goes the last chance…" TouchMe said to himself.

For a few seconds, both of them looked up at the sky where the players bid farewell to Yggdrasil.

"Well… maybe it's for the best. It would have been sad to just show up, say thanks, and then rush out before the servers closed," said Ulbert, imagining a scenario that could have been worse for his companion.

TouchMe sighed and looked away from the fireworks.

Without saying a word, the demon and the champion entered the tomb together. They walked through the entrance, perhaps wanting to remember the first time they crossed that door to conquer the fortress they later turned into a home.

"HeroHero's idea is better," commented TouchMe.

The poisonous slime, still a guild member, had suggested meeting on a Sunday at a restaurant for a meal with all 41 members who built Nazarick.

"I don't think many will show up," replied Ulbert to the idea.

"Maybe… But what does it matter? As long as one of us goes and tells Momonga how much we all appreciate what he's done, it'll be enough."

Ulbert laughed.

"I don't think any of us could say something that cheesy in real life."

TouchMe laughed in return.

"A beer, then?"

"Yes, I think that would be better," replied the demon as they walked through the mausoleum on the first floor.

At some point, without meaning to, TouchMe stepped on a pressure tile.

"What the…?"

A moment later, a powerful explosion erupted, causing the knight to lose a fraction of his HP without his equipment.

"What was that?!" he shouted in confusion, not remembering a trap in that place.

"HAHA! Looks like Momonga rearranged the traps."

"Now that you mention it… it seems like some details were polished."

Both players admired the entrance to Nazarick, appreciating the work Momonga had done to improve certain aspects that had once been forgotten. They were so impressed that they didn't even worry about the auto-generated enemies coming toward them to protect the tomb.

With only seconds left before the servers closed, they stood still in the middle of the beautiful mausoleum of their beloved Nazarick.

The sight of the dream they had built together with the 41 members touched their hearts. It extinguished the old hatred…

"TouchMe… I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry," a word Ulbert never thought he would hear, moved the knight.

"No… I should say it. Forgive me, Ulbert," said the knight.

Their real bodies let out their tears. It all seemed so stupid… that fight… that grudge could have been resolved if only one of them had had the courage to say the same words back then.

Just a simple "I'm sorry"… a simple "Forgive me" could have kept this dream alive a little longer…

"What would have happened if we had done it then?" they both wondered as they closed their eyes when the clock struck 00:00 and everything vanished…

What would have happened? Perhaps that question was heard by some god…

There was no notice. No message box showing forced disconnection from the server.

When they opened their eyes, both found themselves under the night sky, filled with stars. A clear sky like they had never seen before.

Confused, they looked around and found their companion beside them, with the old guardians of Nazarick kneeling before them.

Ulbert and TouchMe had wondered what would have become of Ainz Ooal Gown if they had stayed a little longer.

And today, a merciful god or a cruel demon fulfilled that wish…

...

Within a massive coliseum, the embodiment of death was surrounded by monsters of immeasurable power that praised his glory.

But then, one of his servants communicated with him through the spell "Message."

-"They're here!"- shouted the elderly butler of the ninth floor to his master, shocked.