23

Chapter 23 - Revelations.

Tabula's frustration slowly grew. Whoever he asked or wherever he searched, every single entity or spirit avoided the topic like a plague. At best, he would get a heartfelt apology for not being able to help and, at worst, he was told to leave and not come back. No matter how vast the astral realm was, it seemed to be united by a simple constant; avoid the great old ones and the dreaded outer gods.

After another unsuccessful search, he returns to his body. Being too agitated and frustrated to do anything else, Tabula just lies in bed and awaits for Mariposa to return from her journey. At least it was calming to listen to his wife's breathing while her awareness was away.

Finally, she slowly opens her eyes and turns to Tabula.

"I see you were first to return. Any success?"

"No, none at all."

"I have something. Mother offered an audience to us both."

"I thought Lilith didn't want anything to do with me."

"The Great Mother is forgiving, you know. Let's go, she is waiting." Mariposa says and lays down in bed once again and closes her eyes.

Tabula follows suit and leaves this body behind moments later.

It doesn't take long for both of them to arrive at their destination. A city resembling the great ancient of Babylon. Tabula walks beside his wife as the denizens look at them. Some human-looking, some alien beyond recognition. He could easily see that they avoided him and Mariposa.

As he listened in, he heard quiet murmurs, 'from the forbidden world', 'doomed' and 'lost souls'. A week before, it would have unnerved him, but now knowing what awaited his new homeworld, he understands why the denizens of Lilith's avoids him and Mariposa. Dismissing his worries for the moment, he walks on towards the center of the city, where an immense ziggurat awaits.

Mariposa squeezes his hand as they walk closer and closer. Tabula knew she had fallen out of favor with the progenitor of the succubi and incubi race when she took the traveler's deal and arrived in the new world searching for him.

"It will be alright dear!" Tabula quietly says as they ascend the steep steps to the top.

"I know, she is forgiving."

Tabula takes one look back at the seemingly endless bustling city below and walks into the sanctuary of Lilith, one of the Infernal Lords. He was still far from being capable of observing one in its fullest form as it was far beyond the capabilities of a mortal like him, even in his new, much more powerful form. What he would see was one reflection, one tiny part of the greater whole.

The inside of the structure looked like an ancient temple decorated with dark marble tiles. The rows of columns depicted various expressions of Lilith, a few of her many forms.

At the deepest part of the vast hall, a tall figure comes into view. A woman with eyes as black as the darkest of voids. She is beautiful and terrifying at the same time, unbelievably so. The face of a born ruler with delicate noble features. Her head was decorated with six horns spread in a crown-like fashion. Both her long dark hair and the dress she wore moved around like mist in a small, constant breeze.

Her gaze falls upon him and Mariposa.

"My lost daughter returns. Come, my child." She speaks in a tone both regal and motherly.

Mariposa walks up to her and drops on her knees, silently lowering her head. Lilith puts her hand on Mariposa's head and smiles warmly.

"Do not be afraid, my little Mariposa. You are my child and always will be. Even when you go against my wishes. I will not punish you this time as you already know for what reason I forbid you to go after your husband."

"Thank you, mother."

"And you, Tabula Smaragdina, come, let me look at you."

Tabula walks closer to her as the two dark voids pierce his very soul. He knew why she used his old name. It was one he still used while living on earth. This is the name he used when he bound his soul to Mariposa.

"I weep for you both, trapped in that world. Trapped by him. I know you came for answers and I will tell you what I can."

"Can you tell us how to stop a Great Old One?"

"I'm afraid I cannot. Those abominations cannot be truly exterminated. Their existence is… different."

"But something stopped it once before."

Lilith's expression changes to a fearful one as she speaks.

"It was the shift in reality itself that put them to their eternal slumber. What truly caused it, I cannot say. Some think it was a war between travelers and the outer gods. Others think one of them made a deliberate change and hid something from existence for reasons unknown."

Lilith takes her hand off Mariposa's head and paces back and forth slowly, with the lower part of her dress dispersing and reassembling itself as she carefully takes step after step barefooted.

"Once the shift happened, the one named Regoz emerged out of nowhere, from outside of the ordered existence and awakened beings known as travelers from simple mortal souls. The damage this act caused was unprecedented. No one knows what he truly is. He calls himself a traveler, but he is different. He acts as their servant but moves them around just like any other figure. Like he does with you both."

"But what is his goal?" Tabula asks.

"To know his goals is to know his opponent. The wandering pharaoh, the crawling chaos. Do not mistake his goals for noble ones. We are but insects caught in a battle between a scorpion and a snake. Regoz only wishes to remove the Great Old Ones because they are the toys of his opponent."

While Lilith speaks, a presence invades her mind.

{ So dramatic. You are scaring your guests. }

{ Haven't you meddled enough? How many more of my children will you take away? }

{ No need to be so aggravated. Go on. Tabula looks at you for answers. }

"Then I should not trust his advice?" Tabula asks.

"Do what you feel in your heart is right. That is all I can advise you to do."

Lilith walks up to him and touches his forehead. A vast amount of images and knowledge burns into his mind instantly.

"If the beast awakens, you, Tabula Smaragdina, have my permission to create a temporary avatar body for me to possess. With your power and the might of your allies, it will be enough to make a suitable form for me in the physical realm. I can assist you in subduing the beast for a while."

With a motion, she orders for Mariposa to stand up and with graceful motion appears beside her daughter, gently stroking her cheek.

"One more thing, don't be afraid to look into the Kitab al Azif for answers. Your soul and mind are strong enough to not be broken by it and, above all, protect my daughter. She is there because of you. Go now, both of you, I will watch over as always." Lilith says, waving them off.

Tabula and Mariposa leave her sanctuary and her plane with a bow.

{ Such a caring mother. }

{ What do you want this time? }

Regoz appears next to her and does a polite bow.

"It is not what I want, my dear dark Queen."

"So be it. I wish to make a deal! "

"Everything for a favor. What is your desire? "

Lilith's expression grows darker, more annoyed.

"Why do you have to be like this? You already know what I will ask and how it will play out."

"Rules must be obeyed, don't you agree?"

"You are the one breaking them without a care. Fine, I wish to protect my children, all of them. Do that and I will owe you a favor."

"Even the angel?"

Lilith is silent for a moment. The daughter Regoz took away from her, made into an angel of the highest order. A deal her lost child foolishly accepted against her wishes."Yes, even her. She is still my daughter."

"Then the deal is made. Your children will be safe. A pleasure doing business with you Lilith." Regoz says and disappears with a smile.

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Tsaindorcus flapped his massive wings to reach speeds few creatures could. The wind blowing in his face was a pleasant change compared to his dwelling place in the flying city. With few exceptions, dragons were the creatures of the sky, after all.

He, however, wasn't flying aimlessly. In a rare occurrence, they called him back to the Argland Council state. A county ruled by the dragon lords. The last bastion of how things should be. All races united under the servitude of the rightful rulers of the world. His race was the noble one, after all, ones who could see the things from the timescales that mortals could not understand and make decisions beyond the wisdom of the short-lived races.

Tsar was flying over the Re-Estize now. A wretched and foolish kingdom. Their late king, in his arrogance, had attacked the filth from Yggdrasil and led many to the slaughter. When will the mortal races understand the true power of the invaders from another world?

Even his friend Rigrit. The very few he considered a friend and an ally. If she so desired, she alone could crush such a country. Tsar, of course, knew that Rigrit was not the type to do so. A rare find among the overall power-hungry players.

His thoughts returned to the present situation. Why was he called to attend the council? What has happened? From what he knew, Nazarick had made no moves towards Argland and there were no other active threats present. His fellow Dragon Lords were not known for idle gatherings.

The mighty platinum-colored dragon had a lot of time to think during his flight, but no answer came to his mind. At sunrise, the spires of the Dragon Lord sanctuary emerge from the horizon. Mere minutes later, he descends and lands on the huge entrance platform made specifically for his kind.

A human with a platinum-colored scale sewn on his silver robes awaits and greets Tsar with a deep bow.

"O great Tsaindorcus Vaision the Platinum Dragon Lord, I welcome you."

Tsar makes a small nod to one of his faithful and moves on. He never understood why his brethren made these orders of faith, but it was a natural consequence that one formed around him, too. He does a shake to drop a few of the loose scales and the servant rushes over to gather them. To carry even one was a great honor and Tsar knew, if nothing else, it made them happy.

He walks through the hall wide enough to let a few like him walk side by side until he reaches the immense council chamber.

A loud feminine voice booms as he enters,

"So my late brother's runt finally arrives. Took you long enough."

A wingless dragon towering over all the dragon lords gazes upon him. Despite the massive size, she is more on the slender side and sits with refined grace. The greenish-blue scaled dragon exuded authority.

"Graladansa!" Tsar growls. Seeing his father's sister, the Deep Water Empress, was not a pleasant surprise. Just as arrogant as his late father and just as irrationally power-hungry.

Tsar had met her very few times and knew little about her underwater empire. As his father once ruled the lands, she at the same time ruled the oceans and seas. But unlike the shattered empire of his father, Graladansa still ruled hers with an iron fist.

"Sit down, I come with the most wonderful news."

Tsar takes his place in the chamber and lowers his head just like other dragon lords. Graladansa glances over with a satisfied expression and holds her head high, making a grand announcement.

"Rejoice o faithful servants of the Great One. With the recent ignorant bloodshed performed by the lesser races, the children of the Great One have stirred. Another war or two and they will awaken to bring their mighty father back from his slumber."

'The Great Ones' children are awakening!'

Tsar knew little of the Great Old One. He was born after the true ruler went into his eternal slumber many millennia ago. He feels conflicted about the news. From one side, ever since he was but a whelp, he was told that dragons were the servants of the true ruler of the world and their most important duty was to await his return.

But from another, unlike most of his kind, Tsar wished for a peaceful and prosperous world, even for the lesser races. In his eyes, even they deserved their place in the world.

"You, runt, don't seem too happy about it!" Graladansa says, glaring at him

Tsar had to blurt something as the other dragon lords were all staring at him.

"No, I am happy about the news. But with another war coming but a month away, we may have a little time to prepare for their coming."

He changes his demeanor, hoping to appease others, and it worked as Graladansa's face twists in a toothy smile.

"A planner to the core. I see, I see, just like my brother once was. Don't make the same mistake as he did in his 'enthusiasm' to speed up the Great One's return."

"I will not. We will follow your lead and rely on your wisdom to guide us."

"Good. Good. I heard a rumor that a new set of out world trash plagues this world once again. Tsaindorcus, you are always knowledgeable in such things. Will they be trouble as their kind once was?"

Tsar looks up at his aunt. Should he tell the truth? Rigrit was terrified of them, and in her eyes for a justified reason.

"I don't think so. But they will provide the needed bloodshed."

The Deep Water Empress scratches her chin with a single claw.

"Be careful of them anyway, runt. So little remains of our bloodline. I will take my leave now and return when the children of the Great One walk this world once again."

Tsar watches Graladansa leave the council chamber and looks at his fellow dragon lords. They shared nervous anticipation. Even if just the children of the Old One would awaken, it should be enough to retake the lands and prepare the united world empire for their masters' return.

Outwardly Tsar did his best to share their sentiment, but inwardly his worries only grew. Could he go against his own kind? Where would he find allies to do so? The only ones were from the race he despised. But maybe in this case they would be the lesser evil.

Or maybe he should resign to his fate to be a servant of the Great Old One and start preparing for the day when he awakens. For now, Tsar had a lot of thinking and very little time left to decide his course of action.

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Cardinal Raymond was taking slow, deliberate steps while performing a walking meditation. It was more planning and sorting of thoughts than an actual mediation, but it helped him set his mind in balance.

Thanks to his guidance, King Alaf was on the right track. The country was stronger than ever and the angel attacks were becoming easier to repel. The dark illusions of Zurrernorn helped to confuse and misguide the rogue angels. It was the Alah Alaf, the God of Light himself who told Raymond that the attacks will cease and Slane Theocracy's righteous path will prevail.

After finishing the meditations, he returns to his quarters, only to be met with a figure sitting in a chair waiting for him. A man dressed in a white, golden accented sleeveless robe and a pharaoh's hat. His skin is lightly tanned and his face wears a warm smile.

"Raymond my child."

Raymond prostrates before the figure and says,

"My Lord Alah Alaf, you have graced me with your divine presence once again."

"Rise, your devotion is as strong as ever."

Raymond slowly stands up, looking at the divine figure. Although he was the Cardinal of Earth, his belief and devotion to the God of Light were the same as to the God of Earth. Ever since the dark gods had arrived in this world and sent their wretched angels to attack his homeland, one of the great gods had returned to guide the faithful to the right course.

This was the third time Raymond had the honor of looking upon the God Alah Alaf. The king himself had seen God only once.

"I see your council keeps the young king on the right path and for that alone, your place in the kingdom of heaven is assured."

"My lord, I am not worthy of such honor. I am but a lowly servant."

"Humility is a virtue, my child, but don't rely on it too much. I have a new task for you. Queen Calca and her ilk in the Roble Holy Kingdom have set their eyes on the false gods. She seeks to turn away the people from the right path in secret. I must ask from my people this great sacrifice and prepare to free the faithful before it is too late."

"It shall be done, my Lord. We will mobilize armies and free the faithful from their tyranny."

"Do not rush things. Patience is a reward in its own right. Advise the king, make preparations. Remember that the lesser ones of the Abelion hills still stand in the way of helping the faithful. Only when the legions of faithful are ready should you strike at non-believers."

"Thank you, Lord, for the wise counsel."

"Go now child and spread justice in my name."

With a flash, Raymond is alone again, shedding tears of joy. He leaves his quarters in a hurry and runs through the underground stone corridors towards the throne room. The underground palace built deep under the capital was the marvel of his generation. Only those inspired by the divine could perform such a task in such a short time.

Seeing the cardinal in a rush, the castle staff parts ways and bow deeply. Raymond pays no attention. The news he needed to deliver was far too important to follow formalities. He keeps pace until the large doors of the king's quarters come into view.

As usual, two of the black scripture members guard the entrance. Today it is Lightbringer and Divine Chain guarding the young king.

"I'm sorry, your excellency, but the king doesn't wish to be disturbed," Lightbringer says, standing in front of the door.

"This is important! Our God appeared before me once again with a message." Raymond says with clear urgency.

After a moment of hesitation, both guards step aside and open the door.

King Alaf sees Raymon approaching him with a half run,

"Did something happen?" he asks with a curious expression.

"Alah Alaf appeared before me once again, your Majesty."

The king who had seen the God only once gets up from a couch agitated, expecting the words of guidance as the queen scowls at the cardinal. Queen Lumina considered herself as one of the most devoted servants of the God of Light and for her to not be in his presence even once was a cause of great distress. Especially now when she carried a child from the bloodline of Alah Alaf himself.

"Raymond, please tell us the will of God?"

The pumped-up cardinal drops on one knee and rapidly recounts every word God spoke. He would go to scribes and dictate the words once again to be written in holy scripture after the meeting with the King.

"We must prepare our forces and march against the Ruble Holy kingdom. Queen Calca, a ruler of light falling so low to consort with the Dark Gods. This world is being plunged into darkness more and more. But we cannot risk it during the harvest season and the harsh winter. The best course of action will be to wait for next summer for the campaign at the earliest. If not a year after that. Raymond do you agree?"

"As God said, patience is its own reward. We shall cleanse the fallen kingdom when the time is right. The devoted will not lose their faith even in times of darkness."

"Start the planning. I trust in your ability, Cardinal Raymond."

"At once, your highness," Raymond says and leaves the throne room.

King Alaf turns to his wife, gently touching her cheek, and says,

"Do not worry my Queen, I believe God will show herself to you one day too."

"I know, I just feel unworthy when the cardinal of the earth is given the honor."

"To understand god's ways is beyond us. Please don't worry, it is bad for you." Alaf says, sitting down beside his worried wife and putting his hand on her small baby bump.

She returns a small smile, putting her delicate hands over his.

He knew the feeling of inadequacy very well, as Raymond seemed to be favored by the Great God more than anyone else. He realized that a cardinal with years of experience was a better option for receiving the divine messages than a young king, but still a hint of envy burned even in him.

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Rigrit walks the streets of the flying city once again. This time, fear replaced the usual nostalgia. Tsar had requested her visit once again and something was off in the way he worded it.

'Did he find out that I know the dark secret, and now wants to get rid of me?'

Even fully prepared, Rigrit could not defeat the Platinum Dragon Lord in a battle. Her specialization was ill-suited for it. The massive dragon could tear through most of her summons like wet paper. But she still wanted to believe that Tsar was her friend and would not harm her. The dragon was better than that. Unlike many of his kind, he had a strong moral compass and set of values he didn't break.

Still, each step felt like she was chained down. What if she was wrong? What if their friendship was all a lie? She was one of, how Tsar put it, 'Yggdrasil's filth'.

Resolved to see it through, she steps into the Platinum Dragon Lord's sanctuary once again. The usual neat piles of treasures were all tossed around. Her gaze falls to Tsar, who seems more agitated than usual. Rigrit suspected that maybe her fears were unfounded and the reason for the dragon's distress was something else entirely.

"Tsar, good to see you so soon again. Did something happen?"

"Rigrit my friend, I… no. But I have a request."

"If you want me to sort through your treasure, then the answer is no," Rigrit says.

Maybe a joke would ease up the tense atmosphere.

Tsar looks around and shakes his head, oblivious of the joke as always.

"No, that's not it. I must ask something very dangerous of you. I need to know what kind of creatures the Lords of Ooal Gown are. How they think, what their goals are."

Rigrit stares at him for a moment," Are you insane? Do you have any idea what they could do to me?"

"Yes, I understand. But a lot is at stake and I need to know as much about them as possible and you are the only one who I can entrust with the task."

Was he sending her on a suicide mission? It was not the dragon's way to get rid of someone through such underhanded methods.

"Why? If you want for me to crawl into pits of hell, then be honest with me."

"Rigrit, it's best for you to not know why."

The moment of truth. If she was about to do something so stupid than to try dealing with the monstrous players, she might as well fully confront Tsar beforehand.

"Tell me the truth, is this because of that thing who once ruled the world?" she inquires calmly.

"You know!"

The massive dragon blinked and then shifted nervously. Both stared at each other silently for what felt like an eternity. None of the usual casual banter was present.

"Yes, so Tsar, you either come clean with me or you can do it yourself."

"Rigrit, you don't understand. It happened long before I was born. We all are supposed…"

"I need to know where to stand and you are the only one who I can still trust," Tsar says.

"What is happening? TELL ME? Please."

The enormous dragon lays down his head, meeting the old woman on her level," I can't tell you all the details but…" he says quietly, "but we may have to side with them for better or worst. There are things, dark things under the waves and recent bloodshed is making them stir."

In his gaze, Rigrit saw what she needed to see. He wasn't hiding things to protect himself, but to protect her.

Rigrit puts a hand on Tsar's muzzle," My old friend, I will trust you. I will do what I can, but don't expect a miracle and if they kill me, don't attempt to avenge me for your own sake."

Tsar lifts his head once again, towering over the old woman." You know me. I can't promise that. Take care and be careful."

Meeting with Tsar differed from what Rigrit imagined. She didn't teleport away for a moment and just walked the empty streets for a while, thinking.

For Tsar to even consider siding with Yggdrasil players against his own kind could only mean that it was the better option compared to whatever was stirring underwater.

'Why did this have to start right now? Couldn't it wait a decade or two until I die from old age? I am too old for this shit.'

Rigrit could only chuckle at herself for thinking like such an old geezer. For now, she had some planning to do. Approaching heteromorph players as a human player was a risky thing under the best of circumstances, but she had been part of invasions on their guild base and if her own level of memory is any indicator, they might recognize her despite her aging a lot since then.

A part of her wanted to believe that a spark of humanity remained in the Lord of Ooal Gown. And that part, that little spark, was what Rigrit banked her success and safety on.

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Once Tabula returned to his body, his next course of action was clear. They will have to look through the Al-Azif to seek at least some clues on further actions. Lilith's assurance that his mind can withstand it gave him at least some solace.

While he was slowly getting up, Mariposa awakened as well and stretched with a yawn, her expression more relaxed than before the meeting.

"I will go talk with Ainz. We need to look into that book."

Mariposa rolls to her side, facing him, and asks.

"Are you sure? I know great mother told us it was somewhat safe for you but it is still dangerous."

"Don't worry Mari, I will be careful."

"Ok, but if you lose your mind, you will be in trouble."

"Noted. Angering you, my dear, is scarier than losing my mind." Tabula says with a chuckle.

"Just be careful." She answers with a small pout.

As always, Tabula didn't bother to check if Ainz wasn't busy with anything else as he barged into the Emperor's office unannounced.

Ainz, who hasn't seen his friend in a while, just looks up from the pile of reports, surprised. Luckily, this time Albedo was away to perform other duties and couldn't lecture her creator on proper protocol.

"Tabula?"

"Ainz, it is time to look at the Al-Azif. I now know it is safe for us to read it and the book could provide clues to our next steps." Tabula rambled completely, ignoring Ainz's worried look. The overlord knew there was no point arguing, just takes out the lockbox and gets the book.

"Shouldn't we call Ulbert as well?"

"Yes, it would be better for all of us to be present."

Ainz didn't even finish the message as Ulbert teleported in. The demonic goat looked far too excited for the grim task of looking into the forbidden book.

Tabula was the one opening the book. The language it was written in seemed almost alive, given the illusion of crawling symbols.

Various rituals on how to contact and summon the outer gods and various other beings of the most grotesque nature. Strange rituals to achieve states unknown to man. The trio stood side by side, reading each line, looking at each sigil and illustration.

"Wait, Tabula, did I read it right. One of them is called Shub-Niggurath?"

"Yes, does it remind you of something?"

"I have a super-tier summoning spell…"

"Oh, that one, never use it, never. The attention of an outer god is the last thing we need right now."

"Doesn't that mean we should go through the spell list from Yggdrasil and put the possibly dangerous ones aside?" Ainz asks.

"Yes, without a doubt, it must be done. I will do it with the help of the Librarians and lock away all that might be related to this." Tabula says, pointing back at the book in front of them.

Only the first few pages in and a revelation of how careless they might have been already presented itself. As the trio slowly read on, the blasphemous book revealed more and more of the genuine dangers of carelessly using wild magic.

The ritual that has brought Nazarick and other players before them to the New World was written there as well. The sheer amount of magic required was insane. Whoever used it was either extremely powerful or simply insane enough to sacrifice his own mind and soul to achieve it.

One thing was obvious, the carelessness with which they experimented needed to cease. Tabula stopped at a particular paragraph and read it out loud.

"Only the bloodshed of unwitting ones can bring the awakening of the great masters. Despair the servants of the great slumbering masters, as they cannot rise them from the cursed sleep with their own hand."

"Does that mean since we didn't know about this, it helped that Great Old One?" Ulbert Asks.

"Careless, I was so careless. I should have known better. Since the first day, I should have known better." Tabula laments, "That energy needs to gather somehow, used somewhere else. That abomination must not awake."

"Any ideas how to do it?" Ainz asks, slowly dragging his bony finger over the page of the accursed book.

"I think I have a solution. An alchemical device that gathers the energy. It would be far too dangerous for any of us to gather it directly. Once it fills up, we use it on something that is not beneficial to our adversary. We must put it somewhere outside of Nazarick. Being even near it might break weaker minds, somewhere no mortal would wander."

"Katze plains!" Ainz exclaims. "We put that device in the middle of Katze plains. The low-tier undead should not be affected? But what could we use it to not make things any worse than they already are?"

Tabula turns the book few pages back and points at the ritual that brought them here.

"This! If enough magical energy is gathered, we can use it to bring our friends here in a controlled manner."

"Our friends… are you sure they would want to come?"

"Leave it to me. I will set everything up and when the time comes reveal details and be open to suggestions on who to ask first."

"Just don't do anything before talking to us."

"This matter is too dangerous to be taken lightly. Of course, I will talk with you both before doing anything." Tabula says, a bit aggravated. At the same time, he understood their worries. Far too often, he started projects on his own without bothering to get any kind of opinion.

A possibility to turn things around and maybe even save a few of their friends from the nightmarish life on the old earth was a hopeful outcome. All that remained was to make it happen.

Bonus Story - Going for a walk.

It was a rare occurrence when Ainz could just take Albedo for a walk. Both were almost always busy. But today, fortunately, it was a mix of both.

When the dark void opens, Eleleth and Rubedo are first to come through and clear the way. Ainz, with Albedo holding on to his arm, comes next and Demiurge trails some distance behind to give the married couple some space.

The muddy streets didn't provide the best strolling experience, but one must take what he can.

"It is so nice to have a walk together," Albedo says, smiling.

A loud crack somewhere to their right is not distracting enough to be bothered with.

"It sure is," Ainz responds.

Rubedo zips past them, followed by a loud scream on their right.

Ainz helps Albedo to step over a puddle in their path.

"These lesser beings can't even set up roads right, it would be easier to just wipe them off the face of the world than to uplift them."

"We can't do that anymore. And Demiurge wanted to have a territory to improve. There is some competition between him and Pandora."

"Will you give me one too, my love?" Albedo asks, stepping over a minor obstacle in her way.

"Then we would see each other even less."

Albedo frowns for a moment, then turns her head facing Ainz," Then I don't need one. Boys can have their competition. I have better things."

Ainz gently brushes her cheek and both walk on. Their destination was close. A crude castle-like building stood in the city center. Rubedo crushes the front door and flies inside.

But a moment later she returns, holding a huge tigerman by the neck and drops him before Albedo and Ainz.

At first, King Kato didn't even understand what happened. A flying human-like creature crushed the front door of his castle. Foolish or not, the creature was at least strong enough to do it. Kato smirked, garbing his war hammer. Another challenger. First one this year to challenge him for the leader's position.

There was no expression on the delicate creature's face as she approached him. Kato could see that it was female. He had awaited the retaliation from the Dragon Kingdom once he heard that their invasion failed.

King Kato lets out a deafening roar of challenge and charges. The woman moves aside with a blur and grabs him by the neck like a cub. He growls and swipes his hammer at her with his full might. A loud crash and only a broken-off handle remain in his hands.

She just drags the mighty tiger king like a little kitten without bothering to even acknowledge his attacks.

He is dropped in front of a skeleton and another winged human with horns. The Skeleton looks down at him and then takes off one ring.

Power! Such power should not exist. The blast wave he felt was beyond everything he had ever experienced. Kato lets out a whimper and prostrates before the skeleton.

"M-my lands are yours. Spare us."

"Good, my subordinate, Demiurge, will rule your lands in my stead. As for now, you all belong to the Empire of Nazarick."

"Yes, great one we will serve. I will serve."

"We are done here. Albedo, shall we continue our walk?"

"Oh yes. I would love to."