Momonga skimmed over the extensive notes that Kagali had prepared on the ascension, or awakening, of Demon Lords. Digging through various archives and delivering books while compiling the most relevant information was a momentous endeavor for most. And she had achieved it in a short few days, a mighty feat in and of itself for all bookworms out there.
Both sat at the office table in Momonga's quarters, surrounded by piles of open books and hastily copied individual pages from sources dating back to the origins of the mortal races thousands of years ago. Books even she had thought lost and had taken dozens of assistants to search across the Free Guild's extensive libraries.
Kagali was reviewing the information for the umpteenth time herself, trying to find any clues on how to trigger the process. Surely there were at least a few people in Nazarick capable of becoming awakened demon lords, given its overall high strength. Strong people became stronger over time, that was the rule of the world if you could avoid pissing off the strongest.
"There is nothing concrete, mostly theories and simply speculation. All we know for sure is that one must be a demon lord seed, which only occurs upon reaching a certain level of raw strength, and acquire enough souls, with human ones being the best for triggering," Momonga commented while reaching for a cup of freshly brewed black coffee, motioning for another one to be brought by the chosen maid.
"It has always been a well-guarded secret, that is if anyone even knows for sure how to trigger such evolution in a person. I suspect even Guy Crimson doesn't know for sure, otherwise he would have uplifted at least a few of his countless demon servants within the past few thousand years." Kagali responded absentmindedly while taking a large gulp from her own cup of coffee, enriched with a ludicrously unhealthy dose of cream and vanilla.
As of late, her relationship with her master had improved a lot, and she finally started to enjoy a modicum of trust from the supreme overlord of Nazarick. The fact that both she and Momonga considered the safety of their people the top priority helped to form a blooming friendship, formed upon cooperation and mutual interests to grow stronger and protect those below them.
Even now, Momonga's priority was to ensure none of his subjects got into harm's way, and he didn't care for personal power beyond what was needed to ensure that no one could threaten Tempest. And she could respect that, having seen even weaker majins get drunk on power, let alone one as strong as him.
When one looked past the intimidating exterior the Supreme Ruler of the Great Tomb put up for all to see, it was easy to see that behind it was a man who enjoyed peace and quiet, preferring to spend his free time with a few people whose presence he enjoyed instead of attending public events. He cared for his people, he cared for his friends, and he cared for himself. Rarely did she ever encounter a leader with all three qualities, even though she in the past only ever held two at best when she was once on the Walpurgis council.
"Unfortunately, there isn't any time left to search for possible written sources of how demon lord evolution works. I will have to attempt to give souls to a demon lord seed and see what happens," Momonga stated, putting down the document he was holding as a maid refilled his cup.
The first order of business was to figure out who was a demon lord seed first and foremost. Even a surface-level investigation of himself with Omniscience proved that he was something beyond a demon lord seed, even if the world system itself didn't know what exactly he was, which was proof enough that no number of souls could just trigger this evolution within him, known or not.
"I'm pretty sure Frey and I are demon lord seeds, but there likely are many others such as Diablo, Lady Albedo, and Lord Demiurge. If you are worried about negative side effects, I would recommend you test things out with less important subjects," Kagali suggested, nodding.
"Mmm, you're rather eager to put yourself in harm's way," Momonga eyed her with suspicion. Even if their relationship had grown, she was still a former enemy.
"My Lord, I have attempted to cause my evolution for thousands of years. I do wish to grow in power. The more power I have, the more valuable I am as a servant to you. I'm sure I have proven my loyalty to you enough not to invite suspicion about my motives at this point." Kagali faced the overlord, determination sparkling in her eyes.
Momonga checked her claim, and she indeed was a demon lord seed. A surface-level investigation detected at least a few dozen demon seeds among the ranks of Nazarick's denizens, which meant that in the case of a successful experiment, there would be plenty of candidates to pick from. He didn't necessarily need to choose Kagali.
She knew that Lord Momonga could see into her soul and feel if she would try to deceive him. She wasn't trying to hide anything. In just a short few months of being in the Overlord's service, she had grown to see him as a leader she could put complete trust in, and thus discard the need for duplicity. From a former enemy, to a current ally, and a trustworthy one at that.
She had seen how well her family had been treated ever since their pledge to the undead overlord. A luxurious home, high wages, good quality equipment and information always supplied, excellent food, and steady and logical employment. So long as her people did not betray him, his forces would protect them.
Of course, she hoped that perhaps some other members of her family would be demon lord seeds as well, but that was uncertain. Deadmen were the end of the evolutionary line after all for their particular branch of undead.
"Very well. I will let you be the first test subject. But considering that it might trigger a Harvest Festival, we should make sure all those under you are safe, and only then can we begin." Momonga issued an order to Demiurge to recall all three clowns and notify Clayman to prepare for such a possibility. Clayman was also a demon lord seed, and he didn't know how a demon lord seed of the same lineage would react to a member of the same soul lineage undergoing such a soul-rendering experiment.
Multiple sources described the demon lord's evolution in detail, albeit mostly during and after rather than before due to the heightened danger levels, and one of the most commonly mentioned events was the so-called Harvest Festival, which would put all the demon lord's subordinates into a deep slumber while evolving them alongside their master. Many strong subordinates of past demon lords had gained their strength from such an event, with limits to growth unknown.
The slumber itself would tend to last a few days, and only afterward would the awakened demon lord unleash hell upon those who were weaker and opposing their newfound strength.
"I am ready, my lord," Kagali put down the cup and leaned back into the chair since she would pass out if the evolution indeed was successful. She had topped off her magicule count today for such an occasion in case it also came in handy.
Momonga then began pouring souls stored in Nazarick's reservoirs into Kagali. At first, using ten thousand souls, then twenty thousand, and finally pushing the number to one hundred thousand, but nothing happened. Kagali remained in her chair, awake and slightly tense from nervousness.
'There must be some additional parameters I'm not taking into account.' He once again forced Omniscience to reveal any information the skill could provide from the Voice of the World, and this time the answer came relatively fast and was rather simple. A demon lord seed needed to meet two criteria to evolve. First was the desire to become a demon lord, which Kagali had in spades, even more than he did. The second was that the candidate couldn't serve another and needed to stand at the pinnacle of a power structure, which was a problem.
'No one besides me could evolve since I am the ruler of Nazarick, and I cannot evolve because I already am something similar somehow. Maybe I should release her from my service for a moment and try again. I trust Kagali will not turn against me. Milim and Ramiris had proven that awakened demon lords could be added to the ranks of Nazarick without any problems, Milim in particular with her huge magicule output, so it isn't a magicule problem. But what if it messes with the entire power structure? Since then, I would need to temporarily remove entire sections of Nazarick's servants over time… if Albedo is one to receive an evolution, then I would have to cut out everyone, including myself. Hmm, this won't do. That is not ideal.' Momonga reclaimed most of the souls from Kagali and stored them back in Nazarick, leaving only ten thousand bound to her, which was the commonly assumed required minimum, in the case that she somehow managed to awaken it herself naturally, and set Omniscience to constantly monitor what she was doing at all times.
"My Lord-"
"I understand now. No one who serves another can evolve into a demon lord," he explained to his confused and disappointed servant, who slumped into her chair.
"In that case, no one can evolve. I'm sure there must be some workaround, like a temporary release from service. I know I would not get such an honor, but I'm sure many of your servants could." Kagali tried to hide her immense disappointment at the fact that she likely never would evolve into a proper demon lord, even after so much effort and time.
"I will look into all possible options. Don't crush your hopes yet. You have been a valuable and trusted servant in this endeavor, and you shall be rewarded in kind," Momonga decided that he could reward Kagali's efforts in another way. With a single thought, he changed her status from Nazarick's Thrall to Servant of Nazarick, elevating her authority tremendously within Nazarick. She could now command other servants who also held the title who were legally below her, instead of only being able to command thralls.
"Master… thank you!" Kagali exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I will not break this trust you have shown me!" She leaped out of the chair and knelt before Momonga.
"I know you won't. As for your children, they soon will have their chance to have their statuses updated. All of you have shown loyalty and dedication." Momonga motioned for her to stand back up. "For now, let's concentrate on looking for possible clues on how to bypass our current predicament."
It was time to force his skill into complete cooperation and gain insights into the whole process beyond any scholar or demon lord in history. There had to be some way to trigger such evolution without the requirement of being on top, and he would do anything to find it.
Perhaps his past self wouldn't have approved, but that was the past. Growth at the cost of others was merely another step onward toward the grand powers he needed to keep his current life.
Chloe nervously knocked on the doors leading into Buku's chambers. She had already made the request to try to talk Luminous out of her confrontational stance to Tempest, but her friend had doubled down on her actions, likely due to fear and confusion from Hinata's disappearance and her nation's crumbling, and had called for Walpurgis, which had complicated things even more for the two of them.
She was using her adult form, as she did most of the time when not around the other summoned children of class S. Despite a part of her being just a child, most of her being was an old soul who wished to be seen as the adult she was. A few years of new memories couldn't even touch the many thousands of years of experiences she already had buried within her soul.
One of Buku's maids let her in, leading her towards the entity that was partly both her teacher and student throughout history. It was her, with the help of Hinata, who shared her body and took in young Shizue to teach her as much as they could. In turn, Shizue took in her young form and got summoned again and again in each timeline, eventually adding to the greater whole that culminated over the millennia.
She found Buku engaged in conversation with Hinata, who was explaining what she knew about the political climate of the Western Nations and the military forces contained within. Chloe hadn't yet interacted with this version of Hinata, and all she could do was pity the poor woman for the terrible mistake she made and the even worse price she paid.
Each cycle, they had spent almost two thousand years together in the same body, over time growing closer than sisters ever could, and that friend was still sleeping in her other half and one day would be reunited with this heavily damaged version of her, permanently scarred and broken.
It was easy to see that Hinata was treated harshly even now. While Buku lazed on the sofa and ate rare, perfectly sweet berries, the former protector of humanity stood in a rigid pose, her hand behind her back befitting a soldier. Hinata's violet eyes betrayed pain and fear no mortal should ever have lived through, yet she did and survived, as she monotonously continued speaking what she knew.
Chloe was unsure what exactly Rubedo was, but that creature was something so unnatural that mortal souls simply broke in its unrestricted presence, even stronger souls like Hinata's, who was one of the strongest humans in the world. The only word in her vocabulary to describe the angelic golem was 'Eldritch.'
"Oh, hey, did you need something?" Buku greeted her with a smile and offered the bowl she was eating from.
"I…yes. It's about Luminous," Chloe politely declined the offered treat with a shake of her head and sat down next to Buku, nervous.
Despite being the older one by far, she always felt like a kid meeting an adult when around Buku. The pink slime had a dominant presence that was hard to overcome and she wasn't a person to even try.
"Ok, what about her? I hope you don't plan to tell me we should spare her or, even worse, forgive her for the problems she has caused," Buku rightfully guessed her intentions in an instant, causing her to slump.
"Miss Buku… can I at least explain myself? I know what Luminous has done is not exactly forgivable, but maybe there is a way-"
"Chloe, don't you dare, OK? It's not me you should talk with if you want that bitch to be spared. To some degree, I did care about sparing Hinata, as undeserving as she is, but I hold nothing but contempt for Luminous. If you think she should be taken captive with a chain around her neck, then go talk with Momonga," Buku interrupted her.
Chloe gulped, looking away from Buku and focusing her attention on Hinata, whose expression said it all. In her eyes, Luminous didn't deserve any mercy. It was hard to piece together what exactly had pushed Luminous to do what she had done in this timeline since neither Buku nor Momonga had given her the full details of Hinata's testimony, but the mysterious weapon Hinata once wielded and its subsequent consequences had changed the occurring events a lot more than anything else in this timeline.
'Luminous is not like this. She is very afraid of what has happened, and I can't even reach her. Rimuru isn't here, they won't forgive her.' She understood that her new friends were not as merciful as the blue slime that had caused the chain of events in the previous timelines, and this meant their reactions would be different as well.
"Sorry, I just thought you could help me," Chloe mumbled under her breath, getting ready to stand up. Despite her power, she wasn't a confrontational person, and most of the more aggressive actions attributed to her in the past came from Hinata, who was more assertive and dominant in her choices. If things hadn't happened like they did, Buku and Hinata likely could've become good friends.
"I told Momonga you're coming. So good luck. That is all the help you are getting from me right now," Buku stated in a softer tone with a sigh, glancing at Chloe like an exhausted mother looks at a child.
"Thank you, Miss Buku," Chloe replied with a short bow and was on her way moments later. If Momonga indeed was waiting for her, she couldn't afford to waste the opportunity.
The undead overlord, however, turned out to not be amused about her request as well.
"Tell me, Chloe, why should I attempt to spare her after what she has done? Do you disregard the deaths of the people she has caused with her desire for vengeance as irrelevant?" Momonga questioned after gesturing for her to sit down in the guest chair, which she did.
Her one relief was that talking with Momonga was easier than with Buku since the undead ruler was more diplomatic and, no matter the situation, attempted to hear out the opposition. He was cold, he was calculating, and that could be relied upon to garner an audience with the skeleton.
"She is scared. All her actions are based on fear. I know what she has done, but if you would please give me a chance to talk to her into surrendering, she would," Chloe pleaded, becoming desperate.
"You didn't answer my question. Why should I? I have already put a lot of trust in you and planned around the fact that your duplicate exists and should be awakened to all the dangers that would come from said actions involving the vampire. While you have enjoyed a position of great privilege within Tempest and Nazarick, every bit of information you have provided in return has been unreliable at best, useless at worst," Momonga spoke calmly, without any anger behind his words.
"I know… is there nothing that I can do to convince you to at least give her a chance? Even if you imprison her for a long time, she could be turned to your side with enough persuasion."
"After we destroyed her empire and took away most of her people? Do you believe she will just bend the knee? You are aware that at no point has she attempted to have open talks and come to any sort of agreement with us," Momonga reminded her of Luminous' blunders, of scheming against him and his forces and forcing their righteous retaliation in return.
"I understand. Mister Momonga…" She paused. There wasn't any ground for her to make demands. If anything, she had been treated like a spoiled child and not asked to do anything in return, mostly due to Shizue holding back Buku, who held back Momonga. There was the chance that the undead overlord would keep her around as a possible deterrent against unforeseen events, but up to this point, she hadn't carried her weight, not even one bit, compared to the treatment she received.
"If I pledged my servitude to you, would you consider sparing Luminous as a favor towards me?" She made the only offer she could, given how she held no lands, no subordinates of her own, only her spirit and body.
"Why do you want to make that sort of offer for her?" Momonga asked in genuine curiosity, bones clacking on the desk.
"Because she was a good friend for most of my life. I know how she seems from your point of view, but for me… Wouldn't you do the same for your friends if they made terrible mistakes?" Chloe inquired politely.
The overlord fell silent. She patiently waited for an answer in return. If her offer were rejected, then there would be nothing she could do. Chloe was well aware she would lose a fight with most of Nazarick's leaders, and at best she could just try to make things better if she were forced to travel back in time once again, to reset the timeline and hope the more malleable and beloved slime showed up.
"I would. Chloe, I will accept your servitude and give you the chance to make Luminous surrender. But the only thing I will promise you is that I will keep her alive, that is it. It will be your usefulness that will dictate that woman's fate. Furthermore, should Luminous choose death, your servitude will not end" Momonga finally replied, flames flaring in his eye sockets.
"I agree to these terms and promise not to attempt to jump to the next timeline should Luminous prove to be unreasonable," Chloe decreed, sensing her Friend of Nazarick change into Servant of Nazarick as she finished.
All she could hope for was that Luminous would listen to her and not throw her life away for her pride, as it was clear that once Walpurgis started, she would lose no matter what. Millim the Destroyer alone would ensure that Guy would not protect Luminous from retribution, let alone what Momonga could do to the vampire.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by clagan, FantasyTroll, Sluethen, Cay, shynavyseal, NuggetLover, CakeEight, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, and Nervy.
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