Nazarick – 1st Floor – The Grave of Great Tombs
Shalltear Bloodfallen stood with her mouth hanging open. A string of saliva dripped onto her chin, which was incredibly unladylike, but justifiable given the situation.
Standing ten meters in front of her, amidst the gravestones of the entrance hall, was Ainz Ooal Gown.
Or rather, a skeleton wearing robes that looked like Ainz's, holding a staff that looked like the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, radiating an aura of dread.
"Insolent Vampire!" The skeleton shouted, throwing its arms wide in a gesture that was 120% theatrical. "Kneel before the Supreme One! I am the Ruler of Death! I am the Absolute!"
Shalltear blinked.
"Fake-su," she muttered.
"Excuse me?!" The skeleton bristled. "How dare you call your Creator a fake! I recall the day I designed you! 'Make her kinky,' Peroroncino said, but I, Ainz Ooal Gown, added the padding!"
Shalltear froze. Her eyes went wide.
"P-padding?" she whispered. Her hands flew to her chest.
It was a secret. A deep, shameful secret. Only Peroroncino and the Supreme Ones knew she stuffed her bra.
"Y-You..." Shalltear trembled. "Are you... really...?"
"Of course!" The Skeleton strode forward. "Now, stand aside! I must inspect the Treasury! I suspect Albedo has been hoarding... uh... limited edition figures! Yes!"
Internal Alarm in Shalltear's Head: Logic Error. Ainz-sama just spoke to me ten minutes ago via Message. He is on the 9th Floor. Ainz-sama does not shout like a kabuki actor. And Ainz-sama would never insult my padding. He is kind.
"You're lying," Shalltear hissed. Her Pipette Lance manifested in her hand.
"Resistance?" The Skeleton scoffed. "Rebellion? Rebellion! This is mutiny! Maximize Magic: True Dark—"
The spell circle formed.
But it wasn't black.
It was yellow.
Shalltear's eyes narrowed.
"Since when," she growled, her face splitting open to reveal her lamprey maw, "does 'True Dark' smell like sunflowers and holy water?"
She didn't wait for an answer. She charged.
Piercing Lance.
She rammed the lance through the skeleton's chest. There was no resistance. No crunch of bone.
The "skeleton" flickered like a broken television screen.
"Wait! Error!" the Skeleton's voice shifted, turning robotic and metallic. "Test failed. Social Engineering Module insufficient. Activating contingency."
The skeleton smiled—a projected image of a yellow smiley face appearing over the skull.
"Beep."
BOOM.
It wasn't a necromantic explosion. It was a Holy Hand Grenade level event. A blast of consecrated light Tier 9 equivalent vaporized the entrance hall's stone floor.
Shalltear was thrown back, her skin sizzling.
"Holy Element!" She shrieked, rolling to extinguish the holy fire on her dress. "A trap! It was a holy bomb!"
6th Floor – The Amphitheater
While Shalltear dealt with the exploding imposter, the Twins were dealing with the intrusion from above.
Unit 02 stood in the crater of her own arrival. She dusted off her Shrine Maiden outfit.
"Obstacles detected," she droned. "Two Dark Elves. High threat levels. Initiate suppression."
She gripped her spear. It looked like a replica of Surshana's scythe, but straight. A lance-scythe hybrid.
"You broke the sky!" Mare shouted, tears forming in his eyes. "We just fixed it!"
"Hmph!" Aura crossed her arms. "Mare, don't cry. Just crush her."
Mare sniffled. "Okay."
"Earth Surge!"
The ground beneath Unit 02 erupted. Sharp obsidian spikes stabbed upward.
Unit 02 didn't dodge. She spun her spear.
Martial Art: Flowing Water Defense.
Martial Art: Adamantite Skin.
The spear blurred, deflecting the earth spikes with impossible precision. She danced through the assault, untouched.
"She has Warrior skills!" Aura analyzed. "Level... maybe 75? Higher? She moves weird. Like an automaton."
Unit 02 lunged. Not at Mare, but at Aura.
Ability: Mage Slayer Charge.
She closed fifty meters in a heartbeat. Her spear tip glowed with anti-magic silence runes.
Aura smirked.
"Bad dog."
She snapped her whip. It wrapped around the spear shaft.
"Fenrir! Fetch!"
From the forest line, a massive shadow leaped. A Level 78 Holy Fenrir—one of Aura's pet beasts.
The wolf slammed into Unit 02, jaws clamping around her arm.
CRUNCH.
No blood. Sparks.
Unit 02 looked at the wolf chewing her metal arm.
"Damage within acceptable limits," she stated.
Her arm... detached.
She left the limb in the wolf's mouth and spun, striking the Fenrir with her remaining hand.
Skill: Impact Dial.
A shockwave blast erupted from her palm, blasting the massive wolf back into the trees.
"She's a robot!" Aura yelled. "Like Shizu!"
"Automaton," Mare corrected, raising his staff. "A... shiny one."
"Magic: [Create Earth Golem]!"
Two massive rock giants rose to block her path.
Unit 02 stopped. Her eyes—camera lenses—whirred.
"Time limit exceeded. Target 'Ainz' not found in immediate vicinity. Switching to Protocol B: Sabotage."
She opened her mouth. A high-pitched whine emitted from her throat.
"Is she screaming?" Mare covered his long ears.
"No," Aura's eyes widened as her beast senses picked up the frequency. "It's a call signal! She's calling monsters!"
From the 6th Floor's jungle—filled with Nazarick's indigenous high-level mobs—roars answered. The creatures were confused by the frequency, enraging them.
"She's aggro-ing the whole floor!" Aura hissed. "Smart bucket of bolts."
"Enough."
The voice descended from above.
Ainz Ooal Gown floated down through the hole in the sky. He was flanked by Albedo, who looked like she was about to eat someone's liver.
Unit 02 looked up.
"Target Identified: Ainz Ooal Gown."
She dropped her spear.
She fell to her knees.
"Delivery for Unit 01," she spoke.
Her chest cavity popped open.
Ainz flinched, casting [Body of Effulgent Beryl] instantly, expecting another holy explosion like the report from the 1st Floor.
Nothing exploded.
Instead, a small, intricate glass vial ejected from her chest. It contained a golden liquid.
Unit 02 powered down. Her eyes went dark. She slumped forward, inert.
Ainz landed cautiously.
"Albedo... is that?"
"It's Yggdrasil tech," Albedo said, kicking the inert robot. "A lower grade than Shizu, but... specialized."
She picked up the vial with a handkerchief.
"A potion?"
"Look at the label," Ainz pointed.
There was a tag on the vial. A tiny piece of paper written in Japanese.
For the crybaby Satoru. Drink up.
Ainz felt the world stop.
Satoru.
Not Momonga. Not Ainz.
Satoru.
Only his guildmates knew his real name. And even then, only the close ones.
"Analyze it," Ainz ordered, his voice sounding distant to his own ears.
Albedo peered at the liquid.
"It is a resurrection potion, Ainz-sama. Highest Tier. Specifically... it removes the 'Level Loss' penalty upon death."
Ainz stared at the vial.
Someone knew his real name. Someone sent a delivery bot to the heart of his fortress. And they gave him a gift.
A gift that said: I know who you are. I know you're Satoru. And I think you're going to die soon.
"A threat?" Albedo growled, crushing the tag. "Who dares mock the Supreme One?"
"Someone who knows me," Ainz whispered.
The 'Imposter' on the 1st Floor was a distraction, Ainz realized. The explosion was to keep Shalltear busy so this delivery could be made.
"Who?" he asked the dead robot.
It didn't answer. But on its back, etched into the metal shoulder blade, was the logo.
The Smiley Face with the Dagger.
Seraphim.
And underneath it, scratched in crude common:
DADDY IS COMING.
Kingdom of Re-Estize – The Demon's Palace (Former Royal Castle)
Princess Renner sat in her garden. The black roses she had planted were blooming beautifully, fed by the compost of the executed nobles.
Climb stood guard. He was always on guard. His devotion was absolute, primarily because Renner kept his mind dosed with enough charm magic to sedate a dragon.
"A lovely afternoon," Renner sighed, sipping tea. "Isn't it, Puppy?"
"Yes, Mistress," Climb agreed tonelessly.
"Though, we have visitors."
Climb drew his sword. "Enemies?"
"I don't know," Renner smiled at a shadow under the rose bush. "Why don't you come out? Hiding in my garden is rude."
The shadow elongated.
A man stepped out. He was dressed in rags, but he moved with a fluid, terrifying grace. He had white hair and eyes like molten gold.
Not the NPC Seraphim. This was someone else.
The Assassin of the Dragon Lords.
"Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself," the assassin spoke. His voice was whisper-quiet. "You are coming with us."
Climb roared and charged. "Get away from her!"
The assassin didn't draw a weapon. He simply sidestepped and tapped Climb on the neck.
Pressure Point Strike.
Climb collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
"Climb!" Renner dropped her teacup. It shattered.
"He lives," the assassin said, kicking the boy over. "If you comply."
Renner looked at the assassin. Then she looked at Climb. Then she looked toward the window of her room where a Shadow Demon was watching.
She made a micro-expression. A subtle nod.
Let them.
The Shadow Demon retreated into the wall.
"Where are you taking me?" Renner asked, acting the part of the terrified damsel.
"To the South," the assassin said, grabbing her arm. "Someone wants to meet her great-niece."
"My... great-niece?" Renner blinked. "I have no living relatives."
"You have blood you know nothing about, Demon," the assassin pulled out a teleportation scroll—an ancient, wild magic infused parchment.
"Wait!" Renner reached for Climb. "Take him too! Please! I can't live without him!"
The assassin paused.
"A leash might be useful."
He grabbed Climb's unconscious body and threw him over his shoulder.
"The Sleeper waits."
Flash.
They vanished.
Nazarick – 10th Floor – Private Quarters
Ainz sat on his bed, holding the vial.
For the crybaby Satoru.
He turned it over in his fingers.
Internal Monologue: Who calls me Satoru? Touch Me called me Momonga-san. Peroroncino called me Momonga. Ulbert called me Momonga.
Wait.
Herohero? No, he was polite.
Punitto Moe? No, strategic.
The only one who called me Satoru... was when we met offline. In real life.
A memory surfaced. A rainy Tokyo street. A cafe.
A member who lived near him.
A member who knew his insecurities.
A member who quit the game early because of "family issues" but stayed in the chat logs.
Bellriver? No, he died in real life. Conspiracy covered it up.
Unless...
"Unless he didn't die," Ainz whispered. "Or unless the transfer to the New World pulled people not just from the server... but from memories?"
He shook his skull. No, that was madness.
Albedo entered the room without knocking. She never knocked anymore.
"Ainz-sama."
"The intrusion is handled?"
"Yes. The robot is being dissected by Demiurge. The Skeleton on the 1st Floor... Shalltear is putting the pieces in a jar. She's calling it her 'Pickled Boyfriend'. It's disturbing."
"Leave her be."
"Renner has been taken," Albedo reported flatly. "The Shadow Demon monitoring her allowed it, as per her silent command."
"Taken?" Ainz looked up. "By whom?"
"Dragon Agents. They teleported her South. Towards the Sea City coordinates."
Ainz stood up.
"It's a convergence," he realized.
Seraphim moves against me here. Dragon Lords lure me South. Touch Me is in the ocean.
It was all pointing to the water.
"They want me to leave the Tomb," Ainz deduced. "They know Nazarick is impregnable. So they kidnapped Renner to drag me out."
"Shall we rescue the pet?" Albedo asked.
"No," Ainz placed the vial in his inventory. "We proceed with the original plan. We were going to the Sea City anyway."
He walked to the window.
"If this 'Sleeper' thinks holding Renner hostage gives them leverage... they misunderstood the hierarchy of Nazarick. Renner is a tool."
He clenched his fist.
"But Satoru? Whoever used that name..."
The red lights in his eyes blazed to inferno levels.
"...I will find them. And I will ask them face-to-face if they remember the ramen we ate in Shibuya."
"Prepare the forces," Ainz ordered. "We sail."
"Oh," Albedo paused at the door. "One more thing, Ainz-sama."
"Yes?"
"The robot, Unit 02... Demiurge found something in its memory banks before it wiped."
"What?"
"An image."
Albedo handed him a printed scroll.
It was a picture of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. But it wasn't the current tomb.
It was the tomb covered in white feathers. The flag of Ainz Ooal Gown was torn down. In its place flew the flag of Seraphim.
And standing on the balcony, holding Ainz's staff... was a figure in white armor.
The caption read: Prophecy Simulation 001: Success.
Ainz crumbled the paper.
"They want to take my home," he said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
[Emotion Suppression] failed to activate. The anger was too cold.
"Let them come. I have empty space in the Frozen Prison."