The end was near.
Tick... tick... tick...
The digital clock in the corner of the sky blew away its final seconds, glowing faintly above the vast throne room of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Their itself felt heavy—like the world was holding its breath before it came to an end.
Upon the throne sat a skeleton figure draped in regal black robes—Momonga, the last remaining member of the once mighty guild Ainz Ooal Gown.
Or rather...
The last who stayed.
"... So this is the end."
His hollow voice echoes across the silent hall, bouncing off the towering obsidian pillars and disappearing into the shadows where monstrous guardians once stood in unwavering pride.
Now, there was only silence.
One by one, they all left.
Friends.
Comrades.
Brothers-in-arms.
Gone for good.
He slowly raises his bony hand, staring at it as if trying to grasp something that no longer exists.
"... Everyone has their own lives now, huh?"
A faint chuckles escape him.
Dry.
Empty.
"Guess I'm the only one foolish enough to stay until the very end."
Drip...
A drop of emotion–something human–fell into abyss of his undead heart.
....
The Final Duty
Even so... there was still something he had to do.
As the Guild Master of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga rose from the throne.
Clack... clack... clack...
His skeleton feet echoed sharply against the marble floor as he descended the steps. The massive door of the throne room groaned open–
Grrrrk...
Awaiting him were the NPCs.
Faithful creations. Masterpiece built with care imagination... and by their previous lords.
Guardians who never leave.
They remain their usual programs.
"...everyone."
His voice was steady.
This was his final act.
One last command.
Last tribute.
One by one, he issued orders–adjustments, acknowledgment, and silent farewells hidden behind formal authority. His presence remained composed, dignified...
... but inside—
Something was breaking.
Then he glared at NPC that was close to him.
Albedo, Overseer of the guardians.
Her beauty was unmatched. Her loyalty—absolute.
"... There's was one more thing."
Momonga hesitated.
Then, slowly, he accessed her settings.
A line text.
A simple description.
What he was shocked!
What he saw in her previous lord written down on her programs.
It said.
"She is a Bitch!" He said.
Dumbfounded.
Something written long ago... bya friend.
"...this..."
He didn't know his friend had this in his program... or was it some kind of fetish?
Perhaps.
However—
His hand trembled.
"... I'll change it."
Since her previous lord won't be around to see her anymore.
Click.
The words shifted.
Rewritten.
"Deeply in love with Momonga."
It sounded childish and foolish, but it was fine.
Now her love... will now belong to him.
As a joke.
"... there."
He stepped back.
"That should do it."
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then quietly—
"Goodbye."
He said in firm farewell.
...
The Final Moments
The clock continues its merciless countdown.
5...
Momonga returned to his throne.
The vast hall seemed even more emptier now.
Sighs...
"It seem fate was nevertheless on my side," he said.
4...
His gaze drifted across the room—memories flashing like fragments of dying dream.
Raids.
Laughter.
Argument.
So end as bond.
But mostly—
Victory.
3...
"... it was fun while it lasted." A whisper.
Soft.
Almost human.
2...
The good times show in flash.
"... thank you."
Then—
...
A message
Ping!
A sharp notification shattered the silence.
Momonga froze.
"...Huh?"
A glowing window appeared before him.
A message.
"...Now...?"
At this time of ending?
His empty eyes socket flickered as he read—
"Hey, old buddy. Guess what! I'm going to log in a moment... just make sure you don't cry like you always do... lol"
—!
For the first time in a long time—
Emotion surged.
"–That name...!"
His entire body jolted.
The disbelief.
"...No way..."
It couldn't be.
After a long time, four months...?
He hadn't gotten a single message from his long-distance old friend until now.
"... You're finally—!"
Hope.
A ridiculous, desperate hope.
His voice rose—
"Absolute—!"
1...
0...
Everything went completely dark and—cut off.
Then... in a few moments.
Everything went back on.
...
Awakening
...Drip...
...Drip...
A faint sound.
Momonga opened his eyes.
"...What...?"
The throne room remained.
Unchanged.
Unbroken.
Or deleted.
Things were as it was...
"...The server... didn't shut down?"
He moved.
Clack.
The sound echoed.
Too real.
"...Wait."
Something felt.... wrong.
Or rather...
Too right.
"... I can... feel?"
His senses were to sharper. Clearer. Mostly— unbelievably alive and breathing.
Then—
Something unexpected change.
"–Ainz-sama."
...!
He froze.
A chilling sensation runs down his spine.
That voice who he didn't expect to come from behind him was—
"...Albedo?" He said. However, in his very mind, he was processing the very situation of what's going on.
She stood before him.
Alive.
Not as a code or a program but—
A living NPC.
Not as scripted behavior.
But something else... entirely.
Her golden eyes shimmered with emotion.
"Is something wrong, my leige?" She asks in concern.
"... What?"
Momonga mind reeled.
His mind was still processing of what's going on.
"...NPCs... don't talk like this..." Ainz in a confused expression.
Then another voice.
"–Ains-sama, your presence honors us."
More footsteps.
More voices.
Guardians.
All of them were alive, breathing, and lastly—
Watching him.
"—!"
Panic surged beneath his calm interior.
This wasn't YGGDRASIL anymore.
"... What's going on...?"
...
Something was missing
Yet—
Among the confusing situation.
One thought pierced through everything.
"... Absolute..."
His voice dropped.
"...you said you were logging in..."
Silence answered him.
The message.
The timing.
The final second.
"... Did you make it...?"
His hollow gaze drifted towards the empty air.
"...Or... did I lose you, too?"
He was now alone.
However.
Far away—
The deepest dark forest.
Something stirred.
A presence.
Unseen.
Announce.
A faint whisper echoed—
"... So this is the world now..."
Remain unseen.
A pause.
Then—
"...I made it."
A low chuckle.
"... Good. I'd hate to arrive late. Knowing how Ainz true personality goes. He probably thinks I didn't log in, hehe... Oh well, I'll just send him a surprise entrance."
The mysterious figure acts fast.
[Skill activated]
...
Back at Tomb of Nazarick.
A heavy silence lingered within the throne room.
The air itself is different now–alive.
Aware... watching...
Upon the throne, Ainz Ooal Gown sat in absolute stillness.
Yet beneath that unmoving skeleton exterior—
His thoughts were in turmoil.
"...Absolute..."
The name echoed within him.
Did he make it?
The final message—so sudden - still bothers him.
"...Or was it too late for him to log in?"
A flickered of unease passed through his mind.
For the first time since arriving in this strange reality, Ainz felt something unfamiliar.
Uncertainty.
Everything just happened so realistically.
The Guardians noticed something wrong.
One spoke out curiosity and concern.
"...Ainz-sama?" Albedo voice.
A gentle voice broke through his thoughts.
Soft.
Respectful.
Worries.
Standing before him, wings folded neatly behind her, Albedo lowered her head slightly.
"...Is everything alright, oh great being?"
Her golden eyes search his hollow gaze.
Though his face could not express emotion... something felt off.
A pause.
Ainz snapped back to his awareness.
"...Ah."
He straightened slightly upon the throne.
Composed.
Dignified.
As always.
"–There is no issue."
His voice carried authority–calm, unwavering.
Yet—
"...I was merely... thinking."
Ainz hesitated.
Then—
"...About an old comrade."
...
An unknown
The guardians stirred.
A ripple passed through the room.
"...comrade...?"
That word alone held weight.
To them, the supreme beings were absolute—untouchable existence who had abandoned this world.
All except one.
Ainz.
"...there was... someone else?"
Murmurs spread.
Hope—faint, fragile—began to bloom within their hearts.
"...Another being... managed to stay...?"
Whisper among each other.
Ainz continues his measure firm tone, ".. I was wondering whether he managed to log in... before it ends."
Silence.
Confusion filled the room.
Log in...?
The concept meant nothing to them.
But one thing was clear—
Their master... was waiting for someone.
The guardians hope.
A subtle shift occurred.
The atmosphere changes.
If there was another—
If someone else had remained–
Then...
They had not been completely abandoned.
A quiet excitement sparked within the guardians.
"...To not only serve Ainz-sama..."
"... But another Supreme Being...?"
It was a blessing.
A miracle.
The Great Tomb of Nazarick would not stand alone.
One step without holding back his undying loyalty out of impatience.
The one who has been loyal among the guardians.
Demiurge.
He steps forward.
Calm.
Controlled.
Calculate.
"–Ainz-sama."
Demiurge adjusted his glasses, bowing deeply.
"May we know... who are you referring to?"
His voice was polite.
Respectful.
But beneath that calm surface—
Excitement burned.
If such being existed...
Someone even Ainz-sama acknowledge–
Then, that entity must be beyond comprehension.
All eyes on throne.
The guardians fell silent.
Every gaze fixed on Ainz.
Shalltear.
Cocytus.
Aura.
Mare.
Even the lesser servants held their breath.
Waiting.
Eagerly.
Impatient.
The revelation.
Ainz exhaled softly.
"Very well..."
If they were this curious.
There was no harm in telling them.
After all...
He intended to reveal it eventually.
"He is known as..."
A brief pause.
Than—
"...Absolute Being."
—!
Shock.
It struck the room like a silent explosion.
Ainz continued, his voice steady.
"He was my comrade."
A pause.
Than calmly—
"... And someone who far outclassed me."
That one word hit like a thunder.
The disbelief.
"... What!?"
Shalltear stepped forward instinctively.
Her crimson eyes widened in disbelief.
"No way! Could there be truly... someone... who surpasses you, Ainz-sama!?"
The very idea–
Unthinkable.
Unacceptable.
"–Shalltear."
Demiurge voice cut in sharply.
"Restrain yourself."
She froze.
"...My apologies..."
Through her expression, she still burned with doubt.
Even Demiurge–
Felt it.
That unease.
That doubt.
Yet–
No question it.
Ainz-sama said it–
Then it must be truth.
Ainz laughs.
AHAHAHA!
A rare sound.
Genuinely.
It is filled with nostalgia.
"... your reaction was... something else."
Ainz voice softened slightly.
"... Someone I personally admire."
A pause.
Then—
"...My mentor."
...
Silence Once more
The room fell still.
Completely stunned.
Utterly.
The weight of those words crushed all doubt.
Their Master–
The supreme Overlord–
Look up to someone else.
Admire.
Mentor.
One question remains.
The guardians lowered their heads.
But their thoughts surged.
"...Who... is this absolute being...?"
"... What kind of existence could surpass Ainz-sama...?"
Curiosity.
Reference.
And something deeper—
A growing anticipation.
If this unknown entity truly existed...
Then, one day–
They might meet him.
Ainz thoughts.
"...absolute..."
Ainz gaze drifted once more.
It seems fate didn't let us reunite after all.
"...if only you were here..."
A quiet thought.
Unspoken.,
Yet heavy.
"...A truly disappointing."
Ainz Ooal Gown.
Slowly, he gave up the hope that his friend might not make it here in this unimaginable world.
And yet—
A voice.
Sudden.
Uninvited.
Echoing across the grand hall—
"Hehe... you couldn't just say you missed me, old pal? Instead of exaggerating about me being all that great."
–!
The atmosphere shattered.
Every guardian reacted instantly.
Weapons ready.
Killing intent surged like a storm.
"...An intruder?"
Demiurge glasses gleamed sharply as his gaze snapped towards the source.
"Who are you?!"
Shalltear crimson eyes ignited–
A deep,violent red.
"To dare set foot in great Tomb of Nazarick—!"
Albedo stepped forward, armor raised, finger pointed like a blade.
"Identify yourself?"
Her voice—
Cold.
Laced with bloodlust.
The supreme command.
"SILENCE!!!"
–BOOM
Ainz voice thundered across the chamber.
Authority.
Unquestionable.
The pressure alone forced every guardian to halt instantly.
"...!"
They froze.
Obeying without hesitation.
Recognition.
"...Heh..."
Ainz leaned forward slightly on his throne.
"...So it's really you."
There it was—
Something rare and most realistic thing that could ever happen.
Excitement.
Genuine.
Unfiltered.
"... You actually made it..."
Doubt.
Relief.
Disbelief all in one thought.
All tangled together beneath this composed exterior.
...
The Arrival
Step...
...step...
...step...
Footsteps echoed throughout the hall.
Unhurried.
Casual.
As if he owned the place.
As if—
He belongs here.
From the shadow, the figure emerged.
Tall.
Confident.
A striking appearance.
Golden hair slicked back with effortless ease.
Eyes glowing faintly–sharp, radiant, almost divine.
He wore a long white coat trimmed with a deep green collar, golden shoulder guards gleaming under Nazarick dim light. Black pants. Polished shoes. White gloves.
Every step–
Tap... tap... tap...
Echoed like he was walking onto a stage.
Unbothered.
Unshaken.
However, he was unwelcome.
Yet completely at ease.
Tension ignite.
Ainz watched him approach.
"Still the same..."
He almost laughed.
That entrance–
That attitude–
It was unmistakable.
The man stopped, titling his head slightly as he brushed his golden hair back.
"And who... doesn't?" He said.
A smirk formed.
"...and yet..."
His glowing eyes locked onto Ainz.
"... you still look oddly dead as usual... bony."
–!
Ainz froze.
That name.
That nickname.
Only one person ever called him that.
"...you.."
Before he could respond.
–SHHHHNK!
A spear tore through the air.
Fast.
Deadly.
Precise.
Straight towards the intruder head.
But–
Tilt.
A slight movement.
Effortless.
The spear grazed past him–
Slice–
A faint cut formed along his cheek.
A drop of blood.
He didn't flinch.
...Whistle, he playfully blows. Just to admire how loyal the guardians was. To the point they attack without thinking who he might be.
He glances sideways, amused.
"I didn't expect the vampire girl to be this fiesty... hehe..." He went ahead and joke about it.
Shalltear fury.
"How dare you—!"
Shalltear stepped forward, bloodlust erupting violently.
But—
"Hold your tongue."
Demiurge voice stopped her cold.
"... What?! Why—?!"
She turned furious.
Confused.
Demiurge didn't even look at her.
"Can you not read the situation?"
"...Huh?"
Shalltear glances around.
–and froze.
Every guardian–
Was staring at her.
Cold.
Sharp.
Disapprove.
Albedo voice cut in, venomous.
"Shalltear... The Supreme being commands silence."
A pause.
"... And you disobeyed."
"...!"
Control Restore
Sebas stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"My apologies on her behalf, lady albedo."
His voice calm.
Measured.
"She acted without ill-intent towards Ainz-sama will."
His eyes briefly flicked toward Shalltear.
A warning.
Stand down.
However—
Albedo gaze remained cold.
Judgmental.
She was ready to punish–
"Enough." Ainz voice descended once more.
Firm.
Decisive.
"I said it's enough."
Silence returned instantly.
Ainz mood.
"...it's fine."
Ainz leaned back slightly.
"... Our guest has arrived."
There was no anger in his voice.
Only—
Interest.
Satisfaction.
Demiurge stepped forward again, composed as ever.
He had doubts about the strange... intruder. Despite their lordship, Ainz himself was highly showing this uninvited guest an audience.
To be more cautious.
Demiurge himself will test the so-called quest.
"May we request your name? It is rude of an unknown person to show himself without revealing his name." Demiurge said.
Polite.
Respectful.
Yet beneath it–
A blade intent.
If this man was not an ally—
He would be eliminated.
Immediately.
Ainz intervene.
"Demiurge."
Ainz voice sharpened slightly.
"... You're being unusually rude."
–!
Shock ripple through the guardians.
Demiurge?
Rude?
"...My lord..."
Even he was momentarily caught off guard.
Albedo doubts.
"...May I ask... who is this man is?"
For Ainz to defend him–
Was no ordinary guest.
Even warned Demiurge—
Despite the fact Demiurge who is the most loyal among the guardians.
...
The Reveal
"....Hahaha..."
Ainz laughed.
Deep.
Echoing.
"The one I spoke highly of."
–!
Silence.
Than—
Shock.
Absolute.
The truth
The man placed a hand against his chest dramatically.
".... And here I thought I was welcome." His tone was playful.
Mocking.
Yet—
There was something behind it.
Something real.
The absolute being.
The first comrade.
The co-creator of Nazarick.
The one–
Their master admired.
Respected.
Their master... so-called mentor.
______________________________________
[Next chapter]
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