Chapter 172 ~ Phantom

Aika stood in between the two dark elven twins, her hands stroking their heads as Aura and Mare rubbed their teary, red eyes. 

And before long, the two lowered their heads towards Momonga, Yuuji, and Lelouch and bowed in apology. 

"Please forgive our unsightly appearance…!"

"P-Please forgive us…!"

The dark, skeletal overlord approached them, his build towering over the dark elven children twice or thrice over, and put a hand on their shoulders. 

"There is no reason for you to apologize. Rise."

The twins raised their heads as ordered, eyes still red and cheeks still stained with tears. 

They pursed their lips tightly, else, they would cry all over again. They were on the verge of tears even now as Aika still stroked their heads ever so gently and affectionately. 

After a while, the two finally calmed down, and Aika also stopped stroking their heads so as to not continue the waterworks. 

"Aura, have you received my order from Sebas?"

"Ah, yes, Momonga-sama! I've sent my stealthier pets to scout the area around Nazarick as you ordered, and put them under Sebas's command! I have given him an item that would allow him to talk with my pets, so he should be able to command and receive information from them easily!

I've decided to stay here with Mare to defend this floor since we were also ordered to increase the defense level of Nazarick to the highest!"

The figure of the young, crying dark elven child had disappeared. And in her place was the guardian of the sixth floor.

Although she responded in a youthful, energetic manner, it was clear that the dark elven child before them was not a regular child, but one of the most powerful beings within Nazarick entrusted with the task to guard the safety of an entire floor. 

"Good. Continue your good work. Mare as well."

""Yes, Momonga-sama!""

Hearing their answer, Momonga nodded in satisfaction. 

"I believe I have also ordered Albedo to gather all floor guardians, aside from the guardian of the fourth floor, Gargantua, and guardian of the eighth floor, Victim, to the Amphitheatre in an hour."

"Yes! We've received the message from Albedo."

Aura confirmed as her twin brother nodded repeatedly in agreement. 

"And we have arrived early to… do a bit of test and… exercise."

"Test…?"

"E-Exercise?"

The twins tilted their heads, looking at the figure of the master of death and leader of the supreme beings with clear confusion. 

But then, a hand touched their shoulder from behind, and they turned to look to see Aika with a wide, excited smile on her otherworldly visage. 

"That's right~ Yuuji and I would like to borrow the grounds and test out a few things with our powers~! Would that be fine?"

"Of course! Absolutely! The grounds and the entire Nazarick belong to the Supreme Beings! Please feel free to use them!"

"Fufufu~ Thank you~"

Yuuji approached the twins and smiled softly at the two.

While he wasn't as close to Bukubukuchagama as he was to her little brother, Peroroncino, he was still one of the closest friends to the female voice actress with the slime tank avatar. And just as she asked Aika to take care of her twin "children", she had also asked the same to him as her job slowly began causing her to be unable to come online as often anymore. 

It was the same time as Peroroncino asking him to take care of his "kid" and joke about making her "his", before he also began to log in less and less. 

Thus, from his "memories", he also had developed a closeness to the twin dark elven children before him. 

"Thank you, Aura, Mare."

""Anything for the Supreme Beings.""

The two bowed their heads towards Aika and Yuuji in pure reverence and respect. 

"Well then, shall we start- Hm?"

Just then, Momonga and the rest noticed the sound of heavy footsteps and metals clanging against each other echoed throughout the grounds.

And when they turned to look, they saw Albedo approaching them equipped in full-body black plate armor. 

The suit of armor that resembled that of a demon was covered in spikes and did not expose the slightest bit of her smooth, beautiful, jade skin. Its clawed gauntlets grasped a black kite shield in one hand and the jet-black wand with an equally jet-black sphere floating at its tip; the world item Ginnungagap. 

A jet-black horned helmet covered her beautiful face. And behind her, a blood-red cape fluttered with every step she took, while the doublet beneath was also the carmine of fresh blood. 

Upon receiving the order to come to the Amphitheatre early to "protect" the Supreme Beings during their little "test", Albedo did not hesitate to equip her full set of armor and her world item.

Her levels were in the defense focused Dark Knight class. As a result, among the three level 100 warriors of Nazarick - Sebas, Cocytus, and Albedo - she possessed the greatest defensive ability. 

In other words, she was the strongest shield of Nazarick. 

"Albedo…?"

Stunned in place, Momonga looked at the guardian overseer in shock and confusion. Why was she here so soon…? Shouldn't she be coming along with Demiurge later on, just like in the anime?

Upon arriving before the Supreme Beings, the alluring beauty bowed gracefully. 

"Please forgive my tardiness. I have come in accordance with Aika-sama's summon upon completing the task given by Momonga-sama. All floor guardians have been informed of your orders. They shall be arriving in approximately 1 hour from now."

All eyes turned towards Aika as her eyes curved into crescent moons and her luscious red lips curled into a wide smile which, due to the nature of her job class, appeared seductive and bewitching. 

"Fufu~ I've called Albedo here to help us with our testing and protect us in case something goes wrong~"

"Ah… I see. Very well."

Momonga nodded and accepted the reasonable explanation Aika gave. On the other hand, Lelouch seemed to sense something else hidden beneath Aika's action of calling Albedo here, though he did not pursue it further. 

While Yuuji noticed something in her smile that also made him doubt that protection was the entire reason why Aika called Albedo here… 

And seeing the mischievousness in her beautiful smile was all the confirmation he needed. However, he couldn't find out why…

Yuuji couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Sometimes, figuring out what's in his beloved girlfriend's dirty little mind was much more difficult than figuring out the stock market during an economic upheaval. 

Momonga and Lelouch then headed to the side of the grounds with Aura, Mare, and Albedo following closely behind. 

And they would stop only after they were right in front of the stone walls that separated the edge of the arena grounds and the audience seat.

Even then, after hearing the absurdity of both Yuuji and Aika's Job Class and Race, Momonga still felt like he wasn't far enough from the two. 

He turned to look at Albedo, who stood in front of him and adorned in full set armor and equipment in addition to the World Item Ginnungagap, and felt a bit safer. 

He hadn't thanked Aika enough for her thoughtfulness for calling Albedo to protect them from the possible devastation she and Yuuji might unleash during this "exercise". 

"Arise… Touch Me. Ulbert Alain Odle."

Momonga raised his left bony hands in front of him, and upon uttering the names of his past comrades and close friends, two jet-black, shadowy figures rose from the ground a few distance away. 

Immediately, a look of recognition and shock appeared on the twins' face. And although Albedo's expression was hidden beneath her helmet, she still flinched in shock, causing her armor to clang against each other slightly. 

The two "Phantoms", which had a similar appearance as the Supreme Beings who had long since "abandoned" them, rose and stood on their feet, before slowly making their way towards Yuuji and Aika. 

At first glance, aside from their color, the Phantoms had the same exact appearance as the Supreme Beings. 

However, the aura, presence, and strength they emanated were… far less than what Albedo, Aura, and Mare remembered. 

They were slightly muddled and… fainter than what they would expect from a true Supreme Being. If Yuuji-sama, Aika-sama, Momonga-sama, and Lelouch-sama were Suns, then they would be more akin to Moons…

Just then, the deep, somber voice of the Supreme Being who led all others resounded. 

"They are simply Phantoms… A being with the appearance and power akin to the original created from my memories of my dear friends and comrade. While they may share a similar appearance, they are far weaker. 

In a true fight, they would not stand even a few seconds against someone like Yuuji and Aika. However, they were still more powerful than any other summons. So, they would have to suffice for this little exercise."

"A-Ah yes…"

"I-I see…"

The realization and… hope that he heard within voices of the twin siblings standing to his sides prompted him to look towards them. 

And as he expected, he could see hope within those two pairs of heterochromatic eyes. He could immediately tell what they were thinking, for he too thought the same the moment he acquired [Keeper of Memories]. 

"...Unfortunately, they do not have the memories of the original, as they are two separate beings. Although they might have similar mannerisms, they are, in the end, phantoms created through my memories.

However…"

A large, bony, skeletal hand rested on the twins' head, causing them to look up at the towering figure of the Supreme Being and Master of Death. 

"If you wish to… I can have a phantom of Bukubukuchagama-san to stay with the two of you."

"I-Is that true, Momonga-sama?!"

Momonga nodded at Aura's outburst and Mare's intense stare. And tears began to flow once more from the twins' eyes as they sobbed and bowed their heads towards the master of the tomb. 

""T-Thank you very much!""

It was only obvious why they would react in such a way. 

Even Albedo flinched ever so slightly the moment he uttered those words. 

The two dark elven children… No, all children of Nazarick deserved happiness. And upon being "abandoned" by their creators, a hole was created within their hearts. 

In the anime, all the NPCs worked hard in order to fulfill everything he, the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown and the remaining Supreme Being, wished. 

But their actions were not done solely out of their loyalty to Nazarick and himself. They were done out of desperation and fear. They worked hard in the hopes that he, the last Supreme Being, would not abandon them as well. 

And Momonga did not want his precious, precious children to live like that. 

He was no longer afraid of the NPCs betraying him, for he knew now the depth of their loyalty. 

And if having the Phantoms of his past friends and comrades roam around the Guild like they used to and allow the children of Nazarick to interact with their creator would make them happy, then he would do it. 

He'd rather his children work hard out of their desire to bring happiness and prosperity to Nazarick, rather than out of desperation and fear. 

And although the Phantoms could talk and act like they once were, they were all still under their command, so he didn't need to fear that they would create problems or cause a fight between the NPCs. 

The large, skeletal hands rested on the twins' head once again as Momonga began to stroke them, hoping it would calm them down. 

Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work. Or rather, it made them cry even more. 

To be able to see and even interact with their creators, their parents, once again was something all children of Nazarick wished for from the bottom of their hearts. Even if they were a mere phantom. 

But now… they could. 

And the chance to do so was something even more precious than their own lives. 

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