Supreme Council

Within the Inner Sanctum of the Central Temple, the most important individuals within the Slane Theocracy held Council upon a round table.

First was the Supreme Chancellor, Zesshi Zetsumei, who held consummate symbolic and declarative authority over all workings under the blessed nation.

Second was the Pontifex Maximus, Hathor Oribos Carim, who served as the right hand to the Holy Throne, the medium between the First and the Rest.

Next were the Six Cardinals, the highest appointed representatives of their respective sects of the Six Great Gods.

The Cardinal of Fire-Akantus Kal Enoch, a hunched, wiry old man with eyes that glowed with equal parts ferocity and warmth.

The Cardinal of Water-Kohana Quarius Lavine, a short, squat old woman with a seemingly permanent look of grouchiness etched upon her dark skinned features.

The Cardinal of Wind-Vernici Prix Eraxis, a spectacled man with a scholarly disposition who carried himself with a casual air.

The Cardinal of Earth-Brachus Tirius Werdum, a tall, broad figured man in his fifties with an immovable presence that had not diminished with age.

The Cardinal of Light-Hyperius Oros Iridix, a middle-aged man with striking blue eyes that glowed with a charming, enigmatic energy.

The Cardinal of Darkness-Irisia Kiv Jovarus, a stone-faced woman of icy temperament with unsettling eyes of obsidian black.

And then there were the three respective Heads of the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branches of the Theocracy's government. Followed by the Grand Marshal, who commanded the Theocracy's army on the Supreme Chancellor's behalf.

One seat, however, remained vacant-the thirteenth seat of the Head Researcher.

"Then, let us begin this meeting."

Zesshi Zetsumei's cold voice of authority rang throughout the sacred room, and the Supreme Council officially commenced.

"I believe you've all been briefed beforehand on the demise of the Dragon Kingdom and the abnormally powerful Lich that was encountered there? Our first agenda will be to discuss the nature of these discoveries and how we should appropriately respond."

Several faces around the table turned grim. The sheer scale of such a calamity was almost unthinkable, and the implications of this event were enormous-especially considering the precedent of the Sorcerer King. The wounds of the massive war from one hundred years ago had only just been mended, and now yet another mysterious threat loomed around the corner.

"Has it been confirmed that the Lich was the direct culprit behind all those deaths?" asked the Cardinal of Earth. "Speculation regarding the Dragon Queen's access to Wild Magic has been circulating for generations. Wouldn't it be more likely for her to have unleashed her trump card in a suicidal counterattack, and the Lich was simply drawn to the presence of Death?"

Zesshi nodded her head towards the Pontifex Maximus, who responded in her stead:

"According to the Illusionist's report, the Lich directly claims to be responsible for two million deaths. This lines up with the approximate total population of the Dragon Kingdom, if we are to factor in the numbers of the invading beastmen. Of course, we have no way of knowing if this Lich was telling the truth, but it doesn't seem too unreasonable an assumption to make."

"It sounds plausible." commented the Cardinal of Wind. ""There have been records of similar mass sacrifices coinciding with the birth of powerful undead monstrosities. I also recall a powerful artifact being mentioned in the briefing-likely the catalyst needed to invoke power on such a scale. When the Argland Council State was destroyed, many of their treasures were scattered to the wind. The Lich might have gotten its hands on one of them."

Seated besides the Cardinal of Wind, the Cardinal of Water nodded in agreement with her colleague as she expounded:

"Ever since Zuranon was rumored to have joined forces with the Sorcerer Kingdom all those years ago, there has been little to no word of their sort of undead apotheosis sounds exactly like what they've been scheming to do throughout the centuries. With the fall of the Sorcerer Kingdom, they might very well have cut their ties and went into hiding with their newly acquired knowledge and resources. Perhaps this is their way of marking their resurgence-a show of power, if you will."

Several heads among the table nodded thoughtfully at the premise, and some of the tension lifted from the room. The name of Zuranon grounded the scope of the matter considerably. The Lich was no doubt powerful, but at least now they had a familiar place to start. If all those deaths were simply a product of a magic object and not individual power, that was all the more reassuring.

"The timing of this seems awfully convenient…" murmured the Cardinal of Light, just loud enough for all present to hear. "We've had malicious rumors sprout suddenly amidst the populace only days ago, and now a crisis emerges in the Dragon Kingdom. Even if Zuranon was truly the culprit, could they really have accomplished such a powerful ritual by themselves?"

"What exactly are you implying?" inquired the Pontifex with a furrowed brow.

"The sudden reorganisation and mobilisation of the beastmen tribes several decades ago has always been a bit of a mystery. Scattered and cowed as they were, how did they suddenly find the unity and resolve to invade the lands from which they were driven out in such a horrific manner?"

"I see nothing bizarre about it at all." scoffed the Cardinal of Water in disdain. "The beastmen are monstrous savages; it is hunger and bloodlust that drives them, not logic. I doubt they would even remember the woes of their past generation."

But the Cardinal of Light shook his head. "While those fiends are no doubt inferior to humanity, they are not mindless brutes. Their instincts are keen, and they do not easily forget. As Overseer of the newly reformed Sunlight Scripture, I am more familiar with demihuman spawn than anyone else here. For such an invasion to occur, a powerful Lord class individual must have risen up within their ranks and pushed them towards a new purpose."

"And yet, we know for a fact that the Sorcerer King purged all of the "problematic" beastmen during his reign. Based on the knowledge we've amassed from centuries of demihuman extermination, we know that weakened bloodlines take centuries just to regain strength, so how could a chieftain of such calibre arise so rapidly? If we had more time, I would have liked to send my freshly trained squadron to investigate the Beastmen Country, but I suppose that is no longer possible…."

"Gah, stop talking in circles, Cardinal Iridix. What point are you trying to make? Don't tell me you went through all that just to request extra funding for the Sunlight Scripture."

The Cardinal of Light smiled apologetically at the Grand Marshal's impatient words.

"No, not quite. I just wanted to point out an observation, that's all." he calmly explained. "Especially when there are so many things to consider. Why did the beastmen start attacking again? Did this Lich intentionally draw the beastmen in for its ritual, or was it just an opportunist taking advantage of the conflict? Is Zuranon really the culprit? Or perhaps…."

Hyperius's blue eyes twinkled with a mysterious light as he gave a brief, dramatic pause before finally continuing:

"...there is a Cult behind the Cult? The puzzling appearance of this Lich and its ritual echo a familiar pattern of calculated behavior. Just apparent enough to attract suspicion, but never so visible as to provide some avenue for retaliation. Yet again, we arrive at a crossroads of possibilities-but it is only an illusion. As I see it, all roads lead to the Deathless."

As the last word escaped his lips, several exasperated sighs could be heard around the council, with a few of the members actively scowling in annoyance.

"I thought we already settled this obsession of yours, Cardinal." responded the Pontifex with a tired grimace.

The Cardinal of Light shrugged. "A dire situation has arisen, and I see no better time to reinforce my point. I have stated this time and time again: the Cult of the Deathless is our greatest foe, and must be stamped out at all cost."

"Our current policies are far too complacent." he continued. "Sending spies is not enough-we need to occupy the Empire and the New Kingdom until any and all traces of those fanatics have been uprooted. This is the only way to ensure that our blessed nation can prosper for the years to come."

The last of his words rang with a heightened dramatism, but many faces amidst the council appeared unconvinced.

"As brilliant as you are, Cardinal Iridix, I do not think you realise the level of manpower and expenditure that your suggestions entail." the Cardinal of Wind curtly replied.

"Weak as they are compared to us, the Empire and the New Kingdom cover huge swathes of land. To occupy and weed out the deeply entrenched influences of the Cult is a process that would take decades, with no guarantee of success. The Deathless are as ruthless as they are elusive; they will have no qualms turning those nations into scorched playgrounds of guerilla warfare. And If things turn bleak, they can simply abandon those locations to set up shop in some other god forsaken place."

"Besides, as they are now, the Deathless are little more than vermin squirming beneath the surface of civilization. They can play their petty little games, but they do not have the power to directly challenge the supreme power of Her Holiness. They can only wait and watch in scorn from the shadows, too afraid to meet us in the light."

"For the time being, perhaps." contended the Cardinal of Light. "But as the years go by and their reach and power expand-"

"Aren't we forgetting something?" suddenly snapped the Cardinal of Fire, his hoarse voice thick with a blistering impatience. The Cardinals of Wind and Light ceased their back and forth to gaze quizzically at the shriveled old man.

"Zuranon this, Deathless that….perhaps you have all grown lax in the study of our great history. A hundred years have passed since the Great Vanquishing-does that not ring a bell?"

Realisation suddenly dawned on many of their faces, and the tension in the room returned just as quickly as it had waned.

"The descent of an incredible artifact. The emergence of a powerful being bringing death and destruction. These are all signs of the Hundred Year Cycle….we could very well be dealing with yet another advent of Player activity."

An ominous silence fell upon the council. The implications of such a conjecture were grave indeed. Just as Jaldabaoth and Honyopenyoko had been precursors to the emergence of an unprecedented threat, the appearance of this mysterious Lich could also signify the arrival of yet another entity on a similar scale.

The history of Players may have been kept as a secret from the greater population, but none were as well versed in this forbidden history than the individuals currently present in the sacred room. The pattern the Cardinal of Fire had just described did indeed seem far too uncanny to be mere coincidence.

One by one, the silent gazes of the Council fell upon the Supreme Chancellor herself. They waited for her decree, as if her very Word could affirm the Truth of whichever theory had thus been presented.

If Zesshi Zetsumei had been fazed by any part of the discussion so far, her face did not show it. She had barely reacted to the Cardinals' speculation of the Cults' involvement, and showed little distress over the idea of the Hundred Year Cycle.

Instead, she slouched upon her ivory seat, drumming her slender fingers rhythmically upon the wooden surface of the round table. Her heterochromatic eyes glittered with an indiscernible light, an expressionless mask forming upon her exotic features.

"You've been unusually quiet throughout this discussion, Cardinal Jovarus." she finally murmured in a soft, offhand tone as her piercing gaze snapped suddenly towards the Cardinal of Darkness.

Irisia Kiv Jovarus's lowered her head respectfully before responding:

"Thus far, I do not have anything to add that has not already been stated by my colleagues. As I see it, there is simply not enough information. If the theories suggested thus far prove correct, then I have little doubt that the full picture will present itself soon enough. But until then, there is little we can do besides proceeding with caution."

"Quite the measured response, as expected…." the Supreme Chancellor replied, the drumming of her fingers coming to an abrupt stop.

"Let us put the current matter on hold for a moment to discuss our second agenda."

Hathor, along with the rest of the council, blinked in surprise at the unexpected flux in their meeting.

"But we haven't even-"

Zesshi raised her hand without so much as sparing him a glance, and the Pontifex immediately fell silent.

"You must all be wondering why I have yet to comment on Head Researcher Kareth's absence at this meeting. I regret to announce that he has, in fact, passed away on duty."

Momentary shock and confusion rippled across the room, and a myriad of concerned voices rose in unison:

"What, how did this happen?"

"Did an assassin sneak into our ranks?"

"What of the Staff, is it still secure?

The Supreme Chancellor swept her chilling gaze across the disturbed council to silence them before continuing:

"I found him in the Research Chamber, wracked with some sort of strange mental affliction. Within the span of a mere hour, his body withered and his pulse grew weaker and weaker until he gasped his last dying breath. Incidentally, his condition coincided with a strange commotion connected to the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown."

The dual colors of Zesshi Zetsumei's eyes flashed dangerously as they swiveled towards the Cardinal of Darkness, who wore a rare expression of shock upon her usually taciturn features.

"I recall receiving a report from you not so long ago regarding the status of the Staff. You stated that there were no abnormalities with the object, and that Kareth's mental faculties had been noticeably declining. Perhaps you would like to offer some sort of explanation for this...disparity in observations?"

"I was not aware that such a thing had happened, Your Holiness." Irisia Kiv Jovarus quickly replied. "The Head Researcher demonstrated significant agitation and spoke of ludicrous things that I attributed to hallucinations, which was what led me to question his soundness of mind. When I last inspected the research unit, there did not seem to be any significant changes with the Staff's activity. That report was made with both of these things in mind, and nothing else. I swear to Surshana that this is the Truth."

The Supreme Chancellor's gaze bore into her for several seconds, and a thick, impalpable pressure hung in the air over the council. No one present had ever witnessed Her Holiness inflicting any sort of physical punishment on a subordinate, at least, not in their generation. However, the woman's power was so unfathomably great that the tiniest notion of that possibility struck helpless dread in the hearts of those in vicinity.

For if she did decide to do anything of that sort, there was precious little that any of them could do to stop her.

Thankfully, that tiny, nagging worry did not come to pass, and Zesshi Zetsumei simply looked away to address the rest of the Council.

"In any case, our first two agendas may as well be merged as one. The Staff bloomed with a crimson glow on the same day the red spire of light was reported. A coincidence? I think not."

The council grew even more disturbed upon hearing this. The Executive Head of Government was the first to direct his protest to the Supreme Chancellor, his voice cracking with a barely concealed agitation:

"Y-Your Holiness! Forgive me, but why did you not inform us of this crucial news from the beginning?"

The Supreme Chancellor gave a nonchalant shrug. "I was interested in hearing what you would come up with in the absence of this information, and I was right-your discussion has proven quite fruitful. My intuition tells me that the truth lies at the point where all these ideas intersect."

"So how are we to proceed?" inquired the Pontifex Maximus.

"Have the Earthen Scripture tighten their defensive network over the Immaculate Capital. If those lurking in the shadows refuse to meet us in the open, then I can only force their hand. After all, there is one simple way for me to confirm whether or not the power of Ainz Ooal Gown truly has returned."

The confusion on Hathor's face only deepened at the Supreme Chancellor's words.

"Apologies, Your Holiness, but I'm not sure the rest of us are following…."

Zesshi Zetsumei smiled, a wicked yet beautiful expression that sent chills throughout the council.

"For our next agenda, we shall discuss the arrangement for a great coming event…

….Public Execution."