Chapter 2 - New world and Floor Guardians.

They all stared silently for a moment. Then Peroroncino spoke up.

"The shitty devs did it again, fucked up closing of the servers, and even the interface is gone."

His voice sounded unfamiliar. It was higher than his usual one but sounded strong and powerful. It confused him and the others even more so.

Momonga tried the call GM function right away, to find out what was going on, but it failed.

"The call GM function isn't working as well," stated Momonga. Spooked by his now much deeper and regal voice.

"Supreme ones, is something wrong?" an unfamiliar voice asked. It took a few seconds to register, but then they all turned in unison to Albedo, who was now kneeling in front of them.

"Did she just spoke?" Ulbert almost shouted.

Albedo's face twisted in panic as she switched from kneeling to full-on prostrating before them and, sounding close to crying, frantically tried to explain herself.

"Please forgive this foolish servant for speaking out of line, it was not my intention to interrupt."

Momonga, despite the bizarre situation, felt calm, calmer than he ever remembered feeling. Seeing his panicking comrades and Albedo prostrating before them, he instinctively knew he had to step in and sort things out. He spoke up in the same regal voice as before.

"Please calm down Albedo, you have done nothing wrong. Ulbert was merely surprised that you spoke up to us. None of us remember you doing so before. You may rise." Surprising himself with how natural it felt for him to give out a command.

Albedo looked up at him, returning to a kneeling position. Lord Momonga was right. She never had spoken like this to them. It confused her now. Was it connected to the reason Supreme Ones were so agitated before her? Only her beloved Lord Momonga was calm, but she expected that of him.

It was Tabula who spoke next. He had stared at Albedo for some time and now was pointing at her.

"The aura around her, like a shining dark star, she is real now."

"What the hell do you mean, what's going on?" asked Buku in a panicked voice.

With a voice just as frantic, Tabula answered, "Don't you feel it, your body, the sensations, smell, vision. How it all feels."

Buku was silent for a moment and then just said, "I can see in all directions at once..." she was in shock and was a step away from a full breakdown.

"Supreme ones, has something gone wrong? Can I help somehow?" Albedo's voice sounded much more panicked.

Momonga started to freak out as well. Tabula saying that this was real now, his friends panicking, Albedo's frantic voice. But he felt forcibly calmed down. It felt so easy to just analyze the surrounding situation with almost cold detachment. His mind worked with the speed of light.

"Let's just figure everything out now, Albedo. Please come here," Momonga said, still sitting on his throne.

Albedo responded happily, "Of course, Lord Momonga." as she rapidly approached him, almost pushing her impressive rack in his skeletal face.

"Albedo, may I touch you?"

Albedo responded with a wide smile saying loudly, "Yes my lord! Touch me however you like."

Her close presence made Momonga nervous as Albedo's cleavage, so close to his skeletal face was distracting, despite his calm state. He gently touched Albedo's arm, and she winced in pain immediately. Momonga let her go right away, remembering that his Negative Touch was active. He quickly turned it off and apologized.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to turn of Negative Touch and caused you pain by accident."

Albedo just said with the same wide smile, "Don't worry my love, I will bear any pain for you."

With that both Peroroncino and Bukubukuchagama snapped out of their shocked state "Love?"

Tabula dragged them and Ulbert aside before they could shout some more and quietly explained that he, with Momonga's permission, changed Albedo a day ago to be in love with Momonga.

With everything happening, it seemed such a minor thing that no one asked additional questions.

"Albedo, can you check Nazarick's systems and confirm that everything functions?" Momonga commanded her and she opened the consoles right away, starting her task.

Momonga ordered her to do so, not only to see if Nazarick still functions, but also to distract her from the current situation. In mere moments he, to his own surprise, had made various plans and checklists to figure out the situation fully. First, he tested the message function for his friends.

{ Can you hear me? } was the first message he sent to all of them and when getting a positive answer from all of them continues.

{ Albedo had a pulse, smell, and body warmth, and seeing her act like a person all but confirms that this is real somehow. I will give her some tasks to get her off our backs so we can get to the conference room and figure out what is going on. }

Seeing nods of approval, he turned to Albedo again and asked.

"Does everything function normally?" He asked Albedo to see how fast she would go through all the stats, expecting her to report maybe one or two systems.

"I don't see any discrepancies in Nazarick's functions, Lord Momonga."

Momonga cursed a bit inside 'Damm, she works fast'. They still needed to find out what was going outside Nazarick.

"Excellent Albedo. Set Nazarick's defenses to the maximum for now and send out..." who to send out? The floor guardians were out of the question, same as Albedo, but a weak force could be wiped out right away. It left him with only one option. "Send out Sebas with two Pleiades assisting him. He is to observe surroundings within a 5-kilometer radius and if he encounters intelligent or hostile life, he is to return immediately. My friends and I will go to the conference room to discuss future actions to take."

"Understood Lord Momonga, it shall be done."

He then motioned for the rest of them to follow and once they were in the conference room, let out a sigh.

"Thank, god, Momonga didn't crap his pants like most of us and handled that like a true guild leader." Buku was the first to speak up.

"Yeah, us being stuck here and walking. Albedo speaking was a bit too much. So, any ideas what's going on?" her brother Peroroncino chipped in.

"I think I was only calm because of my now undead form. When I, at one point, started to panic, I just calmed down forcibly."

Tabula replied, "This is a reality now, your auras, your energy radiates out of you and me like we are akin to gods. My own senses have risen to levels I didn't believe possible. It also seems that my mind works much faster than before."

"What do you mean, your mind working faster?" Ulbert asked.

"Hmm... how much is 5864 x 32577?" asked Tabula to no one in particular.

Ulbert was first to answer "191'031'528, it still..." It only took a fraction of a second for Ulbert to realize that he just multiplied insane numbers instantly and the rest of them to not only know it was the right answer but also that they knew Ulbert answered right.

"So, we are now much more than just regular humans? I still feel like myself, I think, but my senses are much sharper." half asked, half confirmed Momonga.

"I, for one, don't want to be a walking pile of slimy flesh. No amount of power will convince me to stay like this!" Buku announced.

"I think one of Pleiades, Solution, is like you, but she can keep herself in the form of a human. I'm not sure how I feel being an undead skeleton myself. On one side, I don't need to eat, sleep or feel tired ever again, but on the other, I can't even eat. I hope the doppelganger ring will at least let me eat. Anyone else feels different?" after a short self-reflection Momonga asked.

"Hmm, I feel much lighter, and everyone seemingly moves in slow motion from my perspective but otherwise I just feel hungry and want to get laid badly." Peroroncino explained, but then his eyes went wide at the mention of getting laid and he stuttered with horror.

"Shalltear... Shalltear is real now. All the things I wrote in her backstory!"

Then, despite his black fur, Ulbert went white and lamented.

"Demiurge… All the fucking demons… We made Nazarick as a lair of villains. We are screwed, aren't we!"

Buku was more calm but still regretful "I was away for so long. Will the twins hate me now? How can I even look in their eyes? I didn't even visit them before all this."

Finally, Momonga just stated, "We can't know for sure until we find out. Albedo seemed loyal after all."

At the mention of Albedo, Buku snapped out of her regrets "Oh yeah, she is clearly after your bony dick Momonga. What the hell were you both thinking, forcing her to love you?"

Tabula was the one to retort "I did not force her to love Momonga. She just feels love towards Momonga just like her sisters do."

Momonga asked after some thought, "Tabula, you wrote in Rubedo's backstory that she is loyal to me, right?"

"Yes, she should be loyal to you above all else."

"So, if Nazarick turns on us we have a way out. She alone can stand against about half of Nazarick combined. We just need to activate her. That being said, we still need to find out what the rest of Nazarick thinks about us. We are not exactly humans anymore so there should be no real reason for them to turn hostile towards us, at least for now."

"So, you say we just go chat with them? You have any idea what Demiurge alone can come up with." Ulbert asked.

"Yes, I know what you wrote in his backstory, but if he thinks we are part of Nazarick, then he will not act with evil intentions towards us, so I propose we gather all the floor guardians on the 6th-floor arena and ask how they feel about us. Also, the arena is a good place to test out skills in case any of the guardians turns on us."

"I don't think I can face them," Peroroncino spoke up and Buku just agreed with him.

Momonga just sighed and after a moment of silence said, "I will go. Either way, I need to find out for all of us. If something goes wrong, I will try to warn you all, but just in case, be prepared if they attempt to kill me. I will have no other options but to activate Rubedo."

"I'm coming with you. I can't let you do it alone and they are our responsibility after all." Ulbert stated, determined to come along.

"I think we, at least for now, talk with them like we own this place and are their superiors," mentioned Momonga.

"If Nazarick functions as usual they should think of us as their leaders, I will contact Albedo and ask, no, tell her to gather the floor guardians in the arena."

{ Albedo! }

{ Lord Momonga, how can I serve? }

{ Gather the floor guardians in the 6th-floor arena in one hour. Except for the 4th-floor guardian Gargantua and the 8th-floor guardian Victim. I will contact Aura and Mare myself. }

{ It will be done, my lord. }

"Ok. Ulbert, let's head into the maw of the beast," said Momonga and teleports to the 6th floor.

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Momonga appeared on the steps of an immense arena, modeled after the colosseum of Rome, with Ulbert appearing next to him moments later. The seats were filled with golems and continuous light is cast everywhere, giving the feeling of modern lighting. They both casually walked down the step until they hit the sandy floor level.

Aura's head poked out of the VIP lodge. It was about six stories up from the ground level. Aura hopped over and jumped down, did a somersault mid-fall, and with a small shock wave hit the ground, showed V signs with both hands, and started running towards them with great speed. Luckily, both Momonga and Ulbert kept their composure, as Aura ran up to them. She stopped just moments before crushing into them and wiped her forehead.

Then she greeted Momonga in that ever so slightly too-loud voice: "Welcome to the floor my brother and I guard, Lord Momonga and Lord Ulbert Alain Odle!"

{ For a moment. I almost shat my pants when she was charging at us. I think I will get fully into the role of Ulbert, for now. Poke me if I go overboard. } Ulbert messaged.

"Thanks, we will intrude a bit if you don't mind Aura," Momonga replied and intentionally called her by her name, in case Ulbert had forgotten it.

"What are you talking about? You are the ruler of the great tomb of Nazarick Lord Momonga. No one would ever be bothered to receive a visit from you or other supreme ones."

Momonga heard Ulbert's sigh of relief and asked Aura.

"By the way, I only see you here..." as if taking a cue, Aura swung around and shouted in the direction of the VIP balcony, "Mare! Don't be rude and come here! Lord Momonga and lord Ulbert Alain Odle are visiting."

Ulbert made a somewhat creepy smile, still not adjusted to his new form and said, "Lord Ulbert is just fine Aura."

While Aura looks unnerved by Ulbert's expression, running down the stairs was heard and moments later, Mare ran out of the door at ground level and was approaching while fixing his short skirt.

Ulbert send Momonga a message,

{ I almost forgot that Buku is just as perverted as her brother. Who the hell makes children cross-dress like this? }

{ Just don't say that to her. We will never find your body if you do. }

Ulbert snorted out loudly, trying to hold back laughter and freaking out both Aura and Mare, who both stared at Ulbert and Momonga, a bit shaken.

Aura was the one to ask with her head lowered, while Mare was in the same position with his hands shaking. "Lord Ulbert, did we do something wrong?"

Ulbert was never particularly good with children, but he knew he had to put them at ease, so he walked up to them, patted their heads, and said, "Do not worry children, you have done nothing wrong."

"Ulbert and I came here to do some tests on spells and summons," Momonga said, to divert the twins' attention from Ulbert.

First, they started with simple attack spells on target dummies. Seeing that they both could cast spells just fine, and instantly knew how strong the spell would be and how much mana it would use, delighted them. It almost went south when Ulbert tested his 8th tier spell - nuclear beam and accidentally destroyed 23 golems in the spectator area. Luckily, Ulbert stopped it before it went above the spectator line and hit the ceiling.

Momonga observed the destroyed part of the arena and remarked, "I guess we will have to be careful with eight tier and above," to which Ulbert vehemently agreed.

They then moved on to summon spells. Momonga started first and summoned the lowest level of undead he had. To his relief, they showed absolute loyalty and killed each other when the command was given. Ulbert did the same with basic imps. Although low-tier demons were more intelligent than low-tier undead, they showed the same absolute loyalty to the summoner.

Both twins were sitting on the arenas' steps and looking in awe during the simple tests Momonga and Ulbert were doing. Albedo contacted aura while they observed.

{ Aura, please explain what caused damage in the arena on your watch? }

{ Lord Ulbert tested a spell, and it hit part of the golems and... }

{ Understood. Keep watch and assist them if needed. }

After all the basic tests were done, Momonga tested out the guild staff and summoned a greater fire elemental in the middle of the arena. It was in the upper eighties in terms of power. It stood, awaiting orders. Momonga wanted to see how the floor guardians would fare against it, so he turned to the twins and asked.

"Do you want to fight it?"

Aura flashed a wide smile and agreed with great enthusiasm, but Mare showed fear and uncertainty. Momonga motioned for them to start. He and Ulbert observed the fight. Aura was using a six meters long sword-like whip and battling the elemental head-on while Mare provided buffs and shields for his sister. It was a one-sided battle since both twins were level 100. It took them only a few minutes to destroy the elemental, and then ran up to Momonga, a bit sweaty.

"How was it?" Momonga asked them.

"It was awesome, but kinda weak for both of us." Aura replied in an upbeat voice.

"Y-you s-should be m-more careful sis." Mare chipped in.

"I was careful Mare, it didn't hit me once!"

"Just like Pero and Buku," Ulbert remarked, making both twins blush a bit at the mention of their creator and her brother.

Seeing that both twins had broken out in sweat, Momonga wanted to show some appreciation for their effort and realized that he hadn't tested his ability to access his inventory. Every starting player got 40 slots in Yggdrasil and anyone of course could find storage items and buy additional storage space. As an almost obsessive collector, Momonga had bought far too many extra slots and filled them up. He was convinced that he would not admit even to his closest friends that he had 16480 inventory slots. Unbeknown to him, the second-largest player inventory in Yggdrasil was only 3240 slots.

With little concentration, he felt how to reach every item in his immense storage and asked the twins,

"Are you both thirsty?" and took his endless water pitcher out of his storage, together with two glasses and offer them to the twins.

Both twins get very nervous and politely refuse the offer.

"It's just water please take this small token."

They nervously took the offered glasses. Aura took big gulps, downing the water and spilling it from the sides of her lips while Mare took slow and careful sips to not waste a single drop of water. The differences in their personalities were very apparent.

Bukubukuchagama designed them to represent the relationship that she thought she and her brother Peroroncino should have. Aura, the brash, brave sister, and Mare the timid and quiet brother.

At that moment, Sebas contacted him via Message.

{ Lord Momonga, we have a situation. Nazarick is surrounded by grasslands. }

{ Grasslands...that's unexpected. Any hostiles, landmarks? }

{ No, just grasslands as far as the eyes can see and some non-hostile animals roaming around. }

{ Any danger from the grass? Any land effects? }

{ None whatsoever my lord. }

{ I see. Return inside immediately and come to the sixth-floor arena. I will listen to your full report in person there. }

{ As you wish, my lord. } Sebas sent as his last message.

Momonga turned to Ulbert saying "Sebas just reported that Nazarick is surrounded by grasslands."

"What? Does that mean we are not in Helheim anymore, but hmm... are we even in any of Yggdrasil's worlds anymore?"

"I'm unsure but it kinda makes sense that we are in some different world entirely. Maybe Tabula will have some idea. He seemed to know something like this would happen."

"Yeah, we are squeezing info out of him after this."

"Oh, that reminds me. The rest of the floor guardians should arrive soon," Momonga stated to Aura and Mare.

"Does that mean Shalltear is coming too?" Aura whined and as on cue, a gate opened and a petite beauty with a victorian style dress stepped through.

"Oh, am I the first to arrive?" she spoke in a voice younger than one would expect from her tone. The moment her gaze fell on Momonga, her face twisted in a radiant smile, her eyes glistening with joy.

"Lord Momonga" she exclaimed, and she finally noticed Ulbert beside him and quickly added "Lord Ulbert Alain Oodle, " as she curtsied to both.

Shalltear then asked, "Have any other supreme ones returned as well?" with a clear sign of who she hoped to see again.

Momonga was the one to answer, "Besides us, Peroroncino, Bukubukuchagama, and Tabula Smaragdina also have returned."

Hearing her creator had returned, Shalltear's face lit up in an even more joyous expression and the elf twins perked up their ears hearing of their creator's return. But moments later, Shalltear's expression grew worried as she asked.

"Did Lord Peroroncino not wish to see me?" the elf twins' faces also became worried. Seeing this, Momonga tried to calm them down, wishing to not escalate the situation.

"Do not worry, you will see them soon enough. Some unexpected events have happened, and we all are trying to figure out the details. If you wish, I will inform your creators that you seek an audience with them."

Hearing this, all three eagerly nodded with their expressions relaxing again, and Momonga made a mental note to tell both Pero and Buku how eager their creations were to see them.

After a bit of thinking, Aura asked Shalltear in an accusative tone, "By the way, Shalltear, why did you use a gate to come here? You know teleporting within Nazarick isn't allowed without a serious reason."

"I simply didn't want our lords to wait," Shalltear replied smugly.

"You entered the arena normally, you could just run here. Oh wait, that would mess with your stuffed bra!" Aura shot back.

"You are one to talk, you are flat as a board. Seriously Mare… Dealing with that sister of yours must be a pain," Shalltear sneered back.

"I'm only 76 so I still have plenty of time to grow and develop. You, however, are stuck with that undead body of yours," Aura retorted and Momonga saw the hostility growing between them, but before he could split them apart, he was interrupted with.

"IS THIS HOW YOU BEHAVE IN FRONT OF THE SUPREME ONES!" said a deep voice as the fifth-floor guardian Cocytus came into view. The temperature dropped significantly as he got close to them. Some distance behind him, Demiurge approached. His spiked tail moved behind him as he walked, with Albedo beside him.

They joined the other floor guardians, and Demiurge came closer to Momonga and Ulbert. He dropped on one knee and greeted them.

"Lord Momonga, Lord Ulbert Alain Odle," he then turned to Ulbert, saying as his voice broke, "Lord Ulbert Alain Odle, you have returned to us. Thank you for giving us another chance to prove ourselves."

Ulbert almost teared up. In front of him was his creation, who now looked up to him as a father who had returned to his child after many years of absence and blaming himself for his creator's absence. Ulbert somehow kept his composure and said to Demiurge, as he put a hand on his shoulder.

"Please rise Demiurge, I left for my own reasons. You are not at fault. I'm proud that Nazarick still stands, and I can only say thank you to Momonga and all the guardians for doing such an outstanding job protecting it."

Demiurge stood up, wiped tears behind his glasses, saying "Thank you Lord Ulbert Alain Odle." and returned to the other floor guardians who were watching the unfolding scene and getting emotional from Ulbert's heartfelt words.

Albedo interrupted the silence, "Now let us perform the ritual of allegiance."

The guardians all nodded, and before Momonga could get a word in, they had arranged themselves with Albedo in front and the other guardians lined up behind her. Their expressions were all stiffly ceremonious. Any hint of a relaxed atmosphere had vanished.

Shalltear, at the end of the line, took a step forward. "Guardian of the First, Second, and Third Levels, Shalltear Bloodfallen. I bow before you, O Supreme Ones." She dropped to one knee and put a hand over her chest, bowing her head low. After Shalltear, Cocytus stepped forward.

"GUARDIAN OF THE FIFTH LEVEL, COCYTUS. I BOW BEFORE YOU, O SUPREME ONES."

He took the same humble posture as Shalltear and bowed to Momonga and Ulbert.

Next, the two dark elves stepped forward.

"Guardian of the Sixth Level, Aura. I bow before you, O Supreme Ones."

"G-Guardian of the 6th floor also, Mare. I b-bow before you, O Supreme Ones."

As expected, they also got down on one knee and bowed their heads low. Shalltear, Cocytus, Aura, Mare. They all had a quite different built, so there should have been some discrepancy in the size of their steps, but their kneeling positions formed a straight line.

Then Demiurge took a graceful step forward.

"Guardian of the Seventh Level, Demiurge. I bow before you, O Supreme Ones." Though his tone was cool, he made an extremely heartfelt bow without breaking his elegant demeanor.

Finally, Albedo stepped forward. "Overseer of the floor, guardians, Albedo. I bow before you, O Supreme Ones." Smiling faintly at Momonga, she kneeled in the same manner of the other guardians. But for Albedo, that wasn't the end. With her head bowed, she made her voice carry and gave her last report.

"Except for the Guardian of the Fourth Level, Gargantua, and the Guardian of the Eighth Level, Victim, the floor guardians have gathered before you… Your orders, O Supreme Ones! We offer our complete devotion to you."

Seeing it all, Momonga panicked a bit and unleashed his Aura of Despair by accident without noticing it. The aura was devastating enough by itself, but it also was strengthened by the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, overwhelming the guardians. Ulbert took it as a cue to play up 'we rule this place act' and activated his own Aura of Darkness to add extra effect and with his hands spread out, holding his own staff in one hand, spoke with a wide smile that terrified even the floor guardians.

"Excellent! Lord Momonga, the other Supreme Ones and I are very pleased with your devotion," and let out a maniacal laugh.

Momonga messaged him right away, { Ulbert, you are overdoing it. }

"Please save your appreciation. We offer you not only our devotion but our very selves. It is most natural that we should heed your call. The Supreme ones, our very creators, the perfect existences, none of us would think twice but to serve you with absolute devotion. "

None of the other guardians tried to cut in. As Overseer, Albedo was truly their unified voice.

As they rose in unison, Sebas arrived saying "I'm sorry for the delay but I have returned with my report."

Momonga was first to react "Good job Sebas. Please explain to everyone what you saw outside."

"Yes, of course, my lord. It seems that Nazarick was transported to an unknown location, with grasslands surrounding us with no intelligent life or artificial structures within a 5-kilometer radius."

"Since we have no clear information on the outside world, we must proceed with caution. As of now, no one is to leave Nazarick without our explicit permission," Momonga stated.

"We all must be on high alert. There is no telling what we can expect from the outside world, also we need to conceal Nazarick. I don't think illusion magic alone will cut it so I would like to hear your input."

After a moment of silence, it was Mare who spoke up "W-e could c-c-cover walls with dirt and grew plants out of it."

"You want to soil the walls of Nazarick with dirt?" came a quiet and low growl from Albedo, but Ulbert scolded her right away.

"Albedo, don't interrupt if you have nothing constructive to say."

The atmosphere shifted right away as Albedo quietly apologized, visibly afraid. Although the rebuke was not addressed at them, the other guardians also tensed up. Momonga quickly caught up and tried to defuse the heavy atmosphere.

"Would it be possible to cover up walls in such a way?"

"Yes, I believe so if y-you would forgive me for doing so."

"Then I'll leave it to you to start the work right away. Also, if possible, make other hills around the tomb area. A lone hill might stand out a bit too much."

"Y-yes! it w-will be done Lord Momonga."

"As for the rest of you, Nazarick will be on high alert until we know more."

Momonga was ready to dismiss them when Ulbert asked a simple question

"I would like to know how all of you view us, the Supreme ones?" and motioned for Shalltear to be first to speak.

"Beauty incarnate, nothing compares to the supreme ones with Lord Momonga above them," Shalltear replied promptly. It was obvious from the unhesitating speed at which she responded that what she said was what she really thought.

"Cocytus?"

"PERSONIFICATION OF POWER, NO GUARDIAN CAN COMPERE, WITH LORDS MOMONGA AS THE GREATEST EXAMPLE."

"Aura?"

"Merciful and exceedingly considerate, with Lord Momonga caring about us the most."

"Mare?"

"I think the supreme ones are very nice to us, especially Lord Momonga."

"Demiurge?"

"Wise beyond our meager understanding, with lord Momonga particularly enigmatic and near impossible to predict."

"Sebas?"

"Our wise and merciful creators, with Lord Momonga being the one who watched over us while others were away."

"Last but not least, Albedo."

"The ones who stand above all else, led by their exalted leader as well the man I love, Lord Momonga."

"We are pleased with your wows. Take a brief rest and carry out your orders." Momonga finally said and both he and Ulbert teleported away.

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Right after Momonga and Ulbert teleported away, the oppressive pressure of their auras disappeared and the floor guardians sighed in relief.

"T-that was scary, sis" Mare was the first to speak.

"Yeah, their auras were crushing, and when Lord Ulbert Alain Odle laughed, I almost soiled myself," added Aura.

"I NEWER KNEW THEY WERE SO POWERFUL." Cocytus was the next one to share his experience.

"They didn't use auras when we were alone with them. Lord Momonga was very nice to us," Mare added, making the rest of the guardians quite jealous.

"With your permission, lady Albedo, I will head back. I don't know where lord Momonga went, but I should be at his side as head butler," Sebas addressed Albedo.

That snapped Albedo out of the euphoric trance she was in because of Momonga's overpowering aura and replied, "Of course Sebas. Lord Momonga mentioned the conference room so I think all the supreme ones will be gathered there."

"Understood. Then I shall await my orders outside of the conference room," Sebas said. He bowed and then left the arena with a brisk pace as Demiurge noticed Shalltear's heavy breathing and asked.

"Are you OK, Shalltear?"

"Y-yes I'm fine, their presence was so awesome that my underwear went through a crisis."

"Disgusting bitch!" Albedo shouted at her.

"Oh, you are one to speak, you big-mouthed gorilla! I could smell the state of your underwear from the first fucking floor!" Shalltear shouted back.

They were both now glaring at each other, letting out low growls.

"Aura, I'll leave those two to you," said Demiurge as he was leaving.

"Hey... wait!" Aura shouted after him, but there was no use. A shouting match was going on and Aura just stared helplessly at them, as even Mare had slipped away, leaving her alone to deal with it. She had a feeling it would go into blows soon but they soon finished shouting insults at each other and started arguing on which of them would be the head wife of Momonga. Aura just let out a sigh and left the arena, leaving them both to their own devices.

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Ulbert and Momonga teleported back to the conference room where the others awaited them.

"So, how did it go?" Peroroncino was first to ask and then quickly added " Hey Momo, turn that Aura off, my feathers are starting to stand up."

Momonga finally realized that his Aura of Despair was on, turned it off and for a moment wondered how long it was on.

Ulbert turned off his own Aura and started explaining how it went "They all swore to serve us and when I asked how they felt about us, it turns out they basically worship us. And their views on Momonga are on another level entirely. In their eyes, the rest of us can't hold a candle to him, right Momo?"

"I just don't really understand why they hold us in such regards, especially me?"

"Really Momo? You were the one who took care of them all this time while the rest of us quit the game. I do not know how this all works now that they are alive, but it's a fair guess that they remember at least some parts from before, right?" Buku speculated.

Then Tabula spoke up "I think they remember quite a lot. Two days ago, when Momonga and I went and changed my daughters, I could sense their reactions towards Momonga, and I could even see some."

"Speaking of which Tabula, it is time for you to tell us everything. I sure as hell know you have kept silent about things. You fucking knew this would happen and said nothing beforehand. By the way, outside of Nazarick is a grassland now, so we do not know where we even are." Ulbert addressed him in an accusatory tone.

"I said nothing because that would hinder your choice, just as the one who gave me hints didn't explain everything to me. If any of you want to return to Earth to their old life, I will do anything to help it happen. As for what I know, there isn't much more. I knew something big would happen and Nazarick would change, but to what extent, I did not know. For now, I can try to find out what I can in the astral realm."

"I don't want to go back," Momonga said first, seemingly already having made his decision beforehand and the others nodded one by one. Their old lives were shit. Even if they weren't human anymore, their lives would be infinitely better, even if they could never leave Nazarick.

"Speaking of the outside world, we ordered Mare to conceal Nazarick as a simple mound and, until further notice, forbid anyone leaving Nazarick until we know more," Momonga added.

"You think something might attack us? Then shouldn't we activate Rubedo right away just in case? You said she would be loyal to you." Peroroncino asked.

"We might just as well. If she is alive as the rest of the NPC's it would be cruel to leave her inactive. Oh, that reminds me. Shalltear, Aura, and Mare wished to meet you, Pero and Buku."

Buku asked with uncertainty, "Aren't they angry at us for leaving?"

It was Ulbert that answered their worries "When we were in the arena with Momonga, Demiurge came to me and looked at me like a child seeing his father after years of absence. He fucking cried when I told him it was not his fault I left. Demiurge, what I thought would be an evil monster, cried like a child seeing me. I felt like some deadbeat father who had left his child and fucked off for years."

Peroroncino was deep in thought and when Momonga asked if he was alright, replied "I… You know I don't know how to approach Shalltear with the way I made her. It was with that cute lewd loli waify in mind but being here I feel more like she is my daughter. I'm afraid..."

It was Buku who asked his brother in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, "Afraid of what, brother?"

"That she will want to sleep with me. I... shit... why did I make her in such a way."

"You know, if you feel like she is your daughter, she probably will think of you as her father. And even though you are a fucked up pervert, I don't think you wrote incest fetish in her backstory."

"No, I didn't. Thanks, sis..." Peroroncino told his sister and with newfound resolve added, "I will go talk to her later, but now I'm starving, there must be some food somewhere in Nazarick."

Momonga contacted Sebas, asking for him to bring food in the conference room as Bukubukuchagama turned to him and asked,

"How you and I are going to eat?"

Momonga slid a ring over the table to her and put one on his free finger, saying,

"These are doppelganger rings, just pick a form..."

He didn't manage to finish the sentence, as Bukubukuchagama eagerly grabbed the ring, absorbed it in her red gelatinous mass, and activated it, thinking of the form she wanted to take the most.

She quickly transformed into a humanoid shape as skin and hair rapidly grew on her. She had the same heterochromia eyes and long golden hair as Aura and Mare. What she didn't account for was that changing into a humanoid would leave her without a single piece of clothing and armor. As a slime equipped nothing resembling clothing, she was now standing nude in front of them. Buku was never particularly shy but now with the curvy and toned body; she made herself large shapely breasts; she had no problem standing nude.

Momonga stared at her for about half a second with his mouth open, her gorgeous looks now burned in his mind. Then he rapidly snapped out of it, reached into his storage, took out a simple robe, and tossed it at her, turning his head away without being embarrassed because he stared at all.

Bukubukuchagama quickly dressed saying "Thanks big brother Momonga, I didn't expect to give you all such a show," and gave a wink to Momonga.

She was always flirty with him so she could easily play off her mishap.

Momonga activated his ring as well. He had saved a few forms in it, which he used in raids on enemy guild bases. Since he was left alone, he needed various builds to clear them. The first idea was to switch into a human but Nazarick mostly hated them and he didn't feel like one anymore anyway, so a demon sounded like a better option. The moment he activated it, flesh rapidly grew on his face and to his surprise, for a very brief moment, felt pain. It replaced his skeletal face with a demonic one. Grayish skin with a bit of blue tint, dark eyes, sharp teeth, and two horns sprouting upward from his head. Two large wings grew out of his upper back, seemingly ignoring his robe, which retracted, giving them space to grow out of. The wings felt like a part of him right away. Flying was one of the things he wanted to test, but that could wait.

Only about two minutes had passed before a knock on the door was heard. Momonga told them to come in. Pestonya, a maid with a sown-up dog's head, showed up with ten homunculus maids, each carrying a platter with appetizers. The maids looked a bit out of breath, as if they had run as fast as they could with platters in their hands.

Pestonya bowed, as two plates were put in front of each of them and they were presented with menus by the maids, and spoke "Apologies for the delay. I shall take your orders for the main course if you please, a woof."

Momonga and the others were stunned, looking at the number of appetizers presented to them. Peroroncino snapped out of it first, ordered a steak and started eating. The rest of them ordered as well. For all of them, it felt weird. None of them had ever been to a high-class restaurant, after all.

The next hour was spent trying out various appetizers, then each eating a luxurious main course, with desserts at the end.

As the maids were taking away empty plates they were sitting with satisfied faces and Peroroncino, as usual, was the first to speak "That was heavenly. I didn't know food could taste so good," as the others nodded in agreement.

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Momonga was in his quarters on the 9th floor. Each of them decided to do or try things on their own, now that they knew Nazarick was safe for them. He only had an hour since they all agreed to meet for a walk outside. Momonga first was against the idea, but trying to breathe fresh air was something even he couldn't pass. Besides, a combination of all five of them could take down a world boss.

Momonga was testing out various equipment. He was curious if he could wield a sword as a caster, which he couldn't in-game. He picked the sword by the handle, feeling how light it was. Being a level 100, even as a caster, gave him immensely high stats, and even though his strength was lacking compared to the other stats, he felt abnormally strong compared to his human self from before. For a moment he wondered how Buku and Pero felt, as their strength was much higher than his. Swinging the sword around turned out to be easy, but he still lacked even basic skills and techniques. In his skeletal hands, the sword was nothing more than a sharp club.

A maid was standing nearby and watching him intently. When he and his friends split up, Sebas had insisted to provide each with a maid in case the 'Supreme ones' needed anything. He had tried to turn him down, but to no avail. In his case, it was Narberal Gamma, a dark-haired beauty with Asian features. Momonga had noticed how unhappy she looked to not be of any use to him. He internally sighed as he continued to swing the sword and then dropped it 'by accident' and ordered for her to pick it up. It was an insignificant gesture for him, but she now looked much happier, although, as before, tried to not show it. Momonga made a mental note to remember to give minor tasks to servants to make them feel useful.

Momonga also did some tests with other weapon types and armors and got the same results. He could technically use everything, but he simply didn't have the skills to use them properly. He was wondering if he and the others could now level up or more precisely just learn new skills and magic. The concept of level seemed to have faded, but the idea of overall power level stayed.

Ulbert was inspecting his living area with Yuri alpha following him around. She was a beautiful woman with an intelligent look, dressed in a maid's outfit. The thing that stood out was her blue-collar. Yuri, as a Dullahan, was a type of undead with a detached head, and in Yuri's case, a blue-collar kept her head in place.

Ulbert was already enjoying his new life. Not being in pain and feeling strong was great, and a maid following him around didn't hurt either. His quarters were beyond luxurious. Silk sheets on his bed to a nice bar filled with expensive drinks. And then there was the bath. In fact, his new bathroom was much bigger than his old apartment on Earth. He realized that if Momonga hadn't invited him to come online for the last day of Yggdrasil, he wouldn't be here.

'I really need to thank him for that invite,' he thought. At some point, he just wondered if he had died and gone to heaven. So many things to enjoy. His closest friends with him. Darker memories surfaced for a moment. Ulbert on Earth was an orphan with no education. As a bright kid he had learned to read and write on his own, but no one gave a shit. He was tossed in a low-end job at sixteen. At 30, his health had gone to shit. If not for this, he most likely wouldn't even live another month. But then he pushed them away. It was a shitty past and nothing more. Now he just needed to decide what to do for an hour.

Ulbert decided to take a bath, but a problem occurred right away. Yuri simply refused to just leave. She even offered to replace herself with another maid if she was the problem. After some back and forth, he just gave up and took a bath in her presence. If she wanted to watch, that was on her. First, he was self-conscious but soon realized that even though he was a caster he was ripped, with an almost steel-like physique and he couldn't complain about his junk size either.

Just relaxing in a bath was almost a divine experience for him. Yuri just stood near the bath with a towel and a bathrobe. Yuri was standing still, awaiting orders, as a proper maid should. As an undead, her overall feelings were dampened the same as Momonga. Otherwise, she would have been red in the face when the supreme one undressed and took a bath in front of her. Finally, Ulbert was getting out, and she was ready to dry him off with a towel, but he, to her disappointment, wrestled the towel away from her and dried himself off.

Tabula was in a deep trance, traversing the astral realm for answers. First, he tried to contact the same being that gave him hints about Nazarick becoming real, but no answer came. There were other ways to find information, so he investigated the basic rules of the world. It was quite clear that most game restrictions didn't exist anymore, like the number of spells one could learn, and their types also didn't matter anymore, just the person's capacity to learn. The weapons one could learn, and class restrictions didn't matter anymore. In place of a level cap, there now was a person's maximum potential. But to Tabula's surprise, he found an interesting solution right away. A lesser spirit wanting to gain his favor revealed that an item called Endless Strive could increase the potential of a being and that Momonga possessed it. What was even greater, the so-called one of twenty world items would not disappear in the world if soulbound? There was such functionality in-game for up to epic items, but now it could be applied to even the greatest of world items if the proper rituals were used. Tabula found and learned the ritual, intending to teach it to his friends.

Time functioned differently in the astral realm so Tabula didn't need to worry about being late for their walk, as even days spent here would only be minutes in the physical realm. He continued exploring for useful information and found another interesting thing. Because of their almost godlike power and nature, they could call themselves gods and speed up the learning of what they were gods of.

Shizu Delta was standing near Tabula as he sat in a deep trance traversing the astral world. She wore a blank expression. CZ2128 Delta or just Shizu Delta was an automaton. She rarely expressed emotions and just observed the supreme one that paid her no attention.

Peroroncino was on the 9th-floor dojo testing out how weapons worked since he wasn't fully ready to face Shalltear and he had nothing better to do. Lupusregina Beta was a maid that managed to be assigned to him for a day and was happily sparing with Pero, even though she could match neither his strength nor speed.

Peroroncino was very flirtatious with her, and Lupus flirted back, being thrilled with the attention he was giving her. She pretended to be mad when he slapped her butt for the fifth time while she swung the sword at him. She stuck out her tongue and taunted him as a pervert but only made Peroroncino laugh, puff out his chest and proudly announce that he would wear the title of a pervert with great pride, and she better watch her butt for the sixth strike would come soon.

After a 30-minute match, Peroroncino had barely warmed up, but Lupus was panting heavily, covered in sweat. She wore a wide smile and her wolf's ears twitched happily under her hat. Her mood dropped only when Peroroncino informed her he would join the other supreme ones for a walk outside and she would be left behind.

Buku was picking out an armor she could wear as an elf in the armory, with Solution Epsilon as her assigned maid. At first, she just wanted to visit Aura and Mare, but going out in just the robe Momonga gave her didn't sit right with her. She was a tank, after all. So, nothing less than heavy plate armor on her new form would suffice.

Seeing Momonga's creation for the first time, Pandora's Actor. was amusing, to say the least. When he exaggeratedly greeted her and Solution and called them both mademoiselle's, she couldn't help but giggle. Solution wasn't too thrilled about it, though, and just glared at him silently. Buku noticed Solutions' glare wasn't as much of annoyance but of envy.

To distract her, she asked about Solutions' shape-shifting abilities and soon they happily chatted while picking out armors for Buku. Buku also took some dresses that she liked, although most of them were with caster stats and served only as fancy clothing.

Solution explained how she changed her forms as slime and even though Buku wasn't really a slime, she was similar enough to take her advice on how to practice shapeshifting without the doppelganger ring Momonga had provided her with.

She had finally picked gear she liked, and even though it wasn't divine quality, she had managed to get a stat build that worked almost perfectly for her with immensely high defense, aggro management, and resistance stats. Her strength and agility were a bit lacking, but as long as her friends were with her, she just needed to soak all the attacks.

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An hour later, they all gathered at Nazarick's entrance for a walk outside. Somehow, both Demiurge and Albedo caught wind of them getting out and waited for them at the entrance. The scene somehow resembled parents catching their rebellious kids sneaking out at night.

"Supreme Ones, we can't let you go out without armed escort!" they both said in unison.

"Demiurge, Albedo. Do not worry. The five of us can kill a world boss, we will be fine," Momonga said to them but to no one's surprise, it had no effect. They continued to insist and finally, Buku just said,

"Let's just bring them with us. No harm in it, right?"

Now, with Albedo and Demiurge tailing them, they got outside and took their first breath of fresh air. Momonga turned into his demon form to have the ability to breathe normally and took deep breaths, staring at the sky. He felt the others do the same. There was no need to talk. They all felt the same. Fresh air, clear sky. This was their chance to create the paradise they wished for.

Deciding to test his wings, Momonga cast Fly on Tabula, Ulbert, and Buku, as the rest could fly by themselves, and took to the sky. They were floating high in the sky, high above the Nazarick. No light in view besides the clear sky. Albedo had managed to fly close to him and locked his hand with hers, carefully positioning herself so their wings didn't hit each other. Her hand was warm and there was an alluring radiance coming out of her. He hadn't noticed it as an undead, but now in his demon form, he had nothing to dampen his emotions. She was not saying anything, just holding his hand and looking in the distance with a warm smile on her face. Momonga had felt no one's touch for years. Somehow it felt so right. He knew he cared for her deeply.

Momonga, after staring at the sky for a while, said somberly, "Blue planet would have loved this."

"Yeah, sucks others didn't come. Most would enjoy this new life," Ulbert added.

"No pollution, clear sky. Maybe this is our chance to make a better world," Momonga remarked absentmindedly, just enjoying the moment.

Suddenly Ulbert broke out into a burst of mad laughter "You know what, we are taking over this world. We can't let some shitheads mess this one up, like the Earth was."

"We don't even know what's out there. For all we know we are weaklings here," Momonga said back to him.

"Momonga, Endless Strive can be reused again and again, there is no limit to our growth anymore." Tabula casually informed everyone.

"What?! Wait… How did you even know I had it? I never mentioned I had found it, and wouldn't it just disappear who knows where after use?"

"The astral world can give all the answers if you know where to look," Tabula casually replied, then continued "All you have to do is to soulbound it and the item will never leave you, I even found out how to perform the ritual."

"So, all that crazy occult shit you were always talking, it was all true?" Peroroncino asked in disbelief.

"Yes, mostly."

"So, we agree we are taking over this world or if we can't right now we level till we are on top, counting that any of us doesn't have a natural lifespan anymore?" Momonga half asked, half proposed.

It was unanimously agreed, and Ulbert proposed they start planning tomorrow and assign roles everyone is most suited for.

Both Albedo and Demiurge were listening to the conversation intently. Finding out that the original world of the Supreme ones was corrupted, and that they didn't want the same thing to happen to this new one, was shocking. Also, they now knew what the goal of the Supreme ones was - world domination. The task was straightforward, and they internally swore to do anything to deliver this world in their hands and see Lord Momonga on top of it as absolute ruler of this world.

Momonga returned to his quarters, still in demon form. He could have dropped it but feeling tired was nice and he wanted to stay like he was so he could sleep at least for a few hours. There was no shitty job to wake up to, and he thought to himself that he can have one night's rest before starting his new life fully.

While the Supreme ones rested, the rest of Nazarick was in frantic excitement as Demiurge and Albedo retold what the Supreme ones planned.

Bonus story 1 - Drawing names, telling stories.

Yuri Alpha had gathered her sisters and informed them that each Supreme one was taking an hour's rest and they were to be assigned to serve them.

"There are five Supreme ones and six of us, so one will have to stay behind," Yuri added.

Lupu was raising her hand and almost shouted, "I want to serve Lord Momonga."

"I want to serve Lord Momonga too. Maybe he will need cleaning," Solution interjected, licking her lips.

Yuri clapped her hands to get their attention as everyone wanted to serve Lord Momonga first and proposed to draw names to see who gets who and which one of them stays behind.

After getting nods of agreement, she prepared six identical pieces of paper and filled five of them with the names of the supreme ones and mixed them.

Lupusregina as the most impatient one, grabbed one piece right away and read

"Lord Peroroncino, not what I hoped for, but serving him will probably be fun."

Yuri planned to take the last piece, so she motioned Narberal to take the next piece, which she did.

With a triumphant smile, she announced her piece, said Lord Momonga, dampening the mood of the remaining Pleiades.

Shizu took the next piece and just announced in a neutral voice "Lord Tabula Smaragdina".

Solution grabbed a piece and then said "Oh I got Lady Bukubukuchagama. What a coincidence, she mentioned something about wanting to talk to me."

As only one of the two remaining pieces contained the name of a supreme one, Entoma took one with a shaky hand and let out a whine when she opened it up, "I got the blank one."

Yuri then announced, "That settles it. I'm serving Lord Ulbert Alain Odle, and the rest of you go take your positions as well. I'm sorry Entoma, your chance will come next time."

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Entoma returned from snacking on bugs on the 3rd floor of Nazarick and waited for her sisters to return and tell the stories on how it went. They all returned at the same time as the Supreme ones had went outside together and dismissed them.

Lupus was overly excited as she was jumping around, and her ears twitched under her hat. She was also the first one to share.

"I got to train with Lord Peroroncino. He is so strong and fast I couldn't even get hit on him and he spanked my butt five times."

After that, all eyes were on Narberal as her story was one the rest of them wanted to hear.

"Lord Momonga tested weapons and armor. He even dropped one on purpose, so I had something to do." She told beaming. The rest agreed that Lord Momonga was always so nice and considerate even towards mere servants like them.

"We visited the treasury with Lady Bukubukuchagama. She picked armor for herself in her new Elven form. She now truly looks like Auras and Mare's mother." said Solution, not wanting to say anything about meeting Pandora's Actor.

"Lord Tabula just sat unmoving," Shizu added.

Then Yuri, as the last one dropped the bomb and reported, "Lord Ulbert Alain Odle took a bath, and I can assure you he truly has the physique of a Supreme being." She had clearly won this small competition as her sisters just stared at her.

Chapter 2 Edited by Comtessev.