Mountain Side, Forest of Tob, 960 b N.
"We have arrived, Sonnerein."
"It seems so. And this there must be the residence of the so-called Dragon Emperors' new enemy. The emperor must be troubled to send us. Maybe this foe could be a threat?"
"Are you serious, Sonnerein? Who could possibly be strong in the eyes of our emperor?"
"Tezzentir, I don't know. But for him to send a force of 20 dragons and two Dragon Lords is not very common. Some would even say it would be rare. Most of the time, he would just send normal dragons on such a mission. Yet this time he chose differently."
"Well, if someone disrespects our emperor or even dares to challenge his power, shall be destroyed by us, Sonnerein! There will be nothing left of this "threat"."
"You shouldn't be too hasty, my dear friend."
"But if I can't be, how can I call myself a Dragon Lord? Are we going to use these human strategies to our advantage, or do we fight like dragons? The second, of course! We are proud creatures, my friend."
"Yes, but there are other ways to keep one's honor. And that is to not die foolishly. If you want to not be forgotten by time, make a name for yourself and don't act before you think!"
The adult Dragon Lord lectured the younger Dragon Lord about everything he could. He still needed much advice and experience, yet his energy was something else, even for the older Dragon Lord.
The two dragons were currently sitting on top of a mountain. For most creatures, it would be unsafe to be in such a dangerous place. However, for dragons, it was normal to stay in high places such as mountains. One dragon was clad in dark brown scales and possessed an average body for a dragon. The younger one was smaller, yet looked more muscular. He on the other hand, had black scales. Both were Dragon Lords in their own domain and so the rulers of lesser dragons.
A couple of miles distant to them was a black tower with sharp edges of metal, which had a light glow to it. It was a weird place for even the dragons. Everything about that screamed evil and powerful.
"We have 20 dragons with us, which is plenty for an assault. I say we should just go and kill this pretender! This nobody shall be exterminated in this existence so that our emperor is once again pleased."
How incredibly foolish the young dragon was! Even with his great power, he is still naïve, like every boy. And the older dragon always tried to correct his way of thinking.
"Didn't I tell you just not to think in such a way? But I suppose you never listen to me. If you would, you wouldn't have ended in this place."
"Accept the situation, Sonnerein. I was made the leader of this mission to bring glory to my emperor. We will storm the tower soon enough. I command it! If I want to be here or not, it doesn't matter."
"As you say. Don't look at me with regret if you fail… Because I warned you, Tezzentir."
"Stop lecturing me for literally anything I do. I can act on my own, you know."
"I am just trying to help a young friend. That I promised to your father."
"You promised to protect me, not to tell me what to do."
"But that is a kind of protection. If I wouldn't call out your fatal mistakes, how could I protect you, really?"
He had a point. If he didn't tell him, it would be his fault at the end.
"Enough now! We have discussed enough of this."
"For once, we agree, my young friend."
The two stared at the weird building once again. Who knew what thoughts went through their head right now? Did they fear it? Maybe love it?
Minutes later, the young dragon started the conversation once more.
"Do you think the Dragon Emperor will reward me for this victory?"
"It could be possible. And if you succeed, you will have the opportunity to finally get revenge on your father's murderer."
"What?! How so?"
"You will be asked a wish, and that could be from gold to slaves, whatever you like. But in your case, you could ask for your father to stand before the Dragon Emperor, as he didn't get any punishment for his crimes."
That outcome would be the best for the young dragon. He had dreamed so long of defeating his father's murderer and finally putting peace in his heart.
"I must be successful at any costs, or I will never have a chance."
"Yes. If that doesn't work, you can request a duel under dragons and fight him to death. It would let you kill him without getting any problems."
"I will think about it. But now let's focus on our given task. Dragons, let us begin!"
Near the Forest of Tob:
As hundreds of large creatures marched into the woods of Tob, the ground could be seen shaking at every footstep. It wasn't common to see such creatures come in such masses. Yet trolls of many numbers entered the forest. Giant humanoid beings who were armed with a minimal arsenal of a soldier. And at the front of their legion was someone who could be called the commanding troll of the army. He was wearing heavy silver romanlike armor and a great sword as his main weapon. Their commander was none other than a war troll, one of the strongest species of trolls to exist. Suddenly, he lifted his hand and all the trolls stopped walking forward.
"Stop! We take a break here! But be ready to cross the forest at any moment!"
The war troll's voice was deep and fitting for a monster of his size. Normally, trolls would be in small groups and would house in any kind of cave. But these were soldiers from a kingdom and not some cave owners. These were very organized trolls, not savages who crave human flesh. These trolls were putting the goal of their mission before food or other lustful things. This was a real troll army.
The trolls soon did as their commander said. They were lucky to get such an understanding boss as their troop leader. Others would just let them walk for hours without rest, which was normal in their military.
The war troll made his way into the middle of the newly formed crowd. And as every troll sat down, he began one of his many speeches.
"Fellow soldiers, trolls, brothers. We have come here from far away to finally put an end to the Dragon Emperor. He thinks he rules all, yet he doesn't know the trolls will soon get his head and put it ON A WALL!"
"Aaaahii!" Sounds of approval came from each direction. It was every troll's dream to get rid of their biggest enemy. The dragons.
"We have come here in secret! No one knows of our coming and will never be able to tell it! For now, we only have to cross this forest and go further west! WE! Will defeat everything in our way as ONE. BIG. ARMY!"
Shouts of joy came from the crowd. The commander's impressive speech secured once again their morale. He could easily control these trolls, as their intelligence wasn't as high as his own. The war troll smirked.
"Good! Follow my commands, soldiers! And you will survive more than others! But don't forget! It is not to survive the battle, but to bring your cause victory! It is a small price to pay and you will be remembered as an honorable warrior in the eyes of every troll! The ancestors are watching! Don't disappoint them!"
The crowd was cheering at the words of their commander. They were now sure of their victory.
As the war troll left the scene, he made his way to his war-tent. "Zem! Bring me some freshly cooked meat!" The war troll ordered one of his minions.
"Yes, Master." The smaller troll did as spoken.
"This will be the glory of our race. I want to feast and drink before it begins."
City of Awentil, Miriels Mansion:
Five years have passed since Miriel came to this city. It was wonderful in any way possible and she couldn't complain about anything. But after all this time, it bored her to just sit around and do nothing. She would play with Remmel every day, yet even he was bored with this situation. As a wyvern, he wanted to fly great distances, not play in a garden.
"Dammit! How am I gonna wait this long? I'm already bored to death."
Miriel was not of the patient kind. She wanted to have things done fast. Waiting for some ancient grave tomb to open wasn't on her to-do list. Even when her new life was fantastic, she missed adventuring. But what if she could change that?
"I'm sure Thendriel knows something. He didn't tell me the first time. Yet I'm gonna get that information out of him soon."
She knew it. The wisest elf she knows should know a solution. So she made her way down to his tower.
Yet, as she entered his tower, she couldn't find him anywhere. As if he vanished. But the guards approved that Thendriel had never left his home.
"Weird. I searched all the rooms and called for him ten times by now. Where is he?"
Then she heard a noise. Like something heavy was being moved.
"Thendriel?"
She called for him and went into the room from which the sound came. There was no one there as she checked it before. Yet there now stood the elf she searched for.
"Hello, Miriel."
"Thendriel. But, how? You weren't here first."
"Well, now I am. What brings me this pleasure of your visit?"
The elf seemed slightly annoyed, yet showed none of it to her. But she did disturb him in something important.
"I can't take it anymore, Thendriel. I don't want to wait any longer."
"As I said. That is the only way to pass time, my dear."
"Don't give me that, Thendriel." She came closer while an angry look covered her face. "I know you know a way how to solve this. Come on, tell me."
"If I knew such a thing, I wouldn't be allowed to say it to yo-..."
The elf suddenly shivered and stopped his talk mid-sentence. A surprised look overcame his face as if he saw or heard something most disturbing.
"Good. I will tell you. There is a way."
"Really? Yes, I knew it!"
"But you have to promise not to speak a word about what I will show you. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, sure. Give me the details now." She said, bored by how long it takes for him to tell.
"There exists a liquid which can put one in a state of unconsciousness. It would not let you skip time, but let you experience it differently."
This was the solution she was looking for. Finally, a way to pass time without even realizing it.
"Something like that could be really helpful. So, how does this liquid work and how can you put me into this "state"?"
"That is rather easy. You will enter a pod filled with this strange liquid. And as you are a couple of minutes into it, you will slowly start dreaming. It is that simple."
"That easy? Well, then let's do it."
"And you are sure that you are approving of this to be used upon you?"
"Yeah, sure. I want that. Now bring me to this pod already. I cannot wait anymore."
She was overly impatient at the moment. Yet Thendriel wasn't affected by her and her temper in any way.
"Good. Follow me. We will enter the basement where one pod of such is left."
The two of them took the long stairs all the way down to the basement. It was filled with all sorts of experimental stuff, which was all unknown to Miriel.
"There. You will have to enter that pod."
Thendriel raised one hand from behind his back to point at a mysterious pod in the middle of the room. Four golden rods held it in place.
"That thing? Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure. Now you wanted this to be quick. So we will perform the transfer now."
"What do you mean by transfer, Thendriel?"
"Teleportation. The liquid cannot in any way interact with air or it will evaporate. So, are you ready? It doesn't matter if you have clothes on or not. Both ways go."
"I am ready. Now could you please watch out for Remmel, he nee-..."
It was too late. Thendriel had already teleported her inside the pod. Her view suddenly changed, and she was first surprised, yet recognized soon enough what was going on. She could still see Thendriel from inside the pod, yet everything was a bit blurred.
But, as she looked at him, a new entity appeared beside him, seemingly out of air. She couldn't figure out who it was. And as she tried to get closer to get a look, she could only touch the glass as she slowly lost consciousness. The being now turned around and walked away, as if it had approved the happenings. Now Miriel entered a dream state where she would experience nightmares and daymares.
"Well done, Thendriel. I suppose she won't be disturbed in any way?"
"No, My Lord. I did as instructed."
"Good. This is all for the greater good of the elves. Soon you will see, Thendriel."
The being vanished, how it appeared. Now Thendriel was alone once again, with only Miriel, who was now in the pod. He turned around to look at her. Her blue hair is beautifully floating in the liquid. She was a stunning beauty. Yet Thendriel wasn't doing this for affection, but because of loyalty.
"I only did as ordered, Miriel. You will understand soon enough. Once you come out, everything will be clear as glass. That I promise."
Eternal Tower:
Silence surrounded the Eternal Tower for a long time now. Yet the Dark Knights did not falter and continued to guard their master's abode. Because an attack could strike at any moment. This they knew. For further security, Lord Ainz had summoned additional undead to guard his tower. To be exact, they were ten lvl 80 Shadow Walkers, undead creatures that specialized in using shadows. They wear full plated black armor with only their long white hair visible. They had a stature of about 1.80 meters and each possessed a long, two-handed black sword. Furthermore, they are slim, but fast creatures. What helps their stealth class is their special ability called [Shadow Step], which puts them into an ethereal state, ignoring all physical damage and objects. Their passive surrounds them in a black fog, which could be for intimidation or to hide in the shadows.
Another pair of summons were 20 lvl 45 Ancient Corpse Ravagers. At 3 meters in height, they scared the most common enemies. This uncommon undead didn't have any sort armor as their body was hard to penetrate. They have the looks of a giant with multiple corpses put together. Which is what they were, and with each corpse they add to their body, they gain a 5% boost in health and damage. That makes them worth a lot more than a lvl 45 should. And with their four arms and one giant bone sword, which they held in one hand, they were a nightmare to many infantry troops.
In command of all these troops were the two Dark Knights. And currently, they were patrolling the surroundings of the dark tower, as it happened. Out of nowhere, fire engulfed the area as multiple dragons came crashing onto the troops of the dark lord. The Ancient Corpse Ravagers couldn't escape the fire, yet the Shadow Walkers were not even hit by it.
As the two Dark Knights came out of the entrance, they immediately commanded their small army appropriately.
"Defend the tower at all costs! Kill those dragons!"
Dragons of red, gray, and brown color attacked the troops. About twenty, yet they were still less than the undead. However, the Dragon Lords boosted their strength immensely, which still stayed in the air, possibly commanding their troops from above.
As the dragons each fought a Corpse Ravager, the two Dragon Lords were surprised that they could keep up with their dragons.
"I have never seen such creatures. What do you think of this, Sonnerein?"
"Yes, it is indeed weird. They can all keep up with a normal dragon, as we can see. Maybe it is time for us to enter the battlefield, my dear friend."
"And I thought you'd never ask."
As the two Dragon Lords saw how their dragons were slowly losing against the undead, they decided to enter the battlefield. As they came crashing each on two Corpse Ravagers, the Shadow Walkers had to abandon fighting the lesser dragons and instead focused on the two Dragon Lords.
They were proud and didn't know creatures stronger than them could possibly exist. Yet the Shadow Walkers proved them wrong.
"Fight us, creatures! Now you face the wrath of two Dragon Lords."
Sonnerein taunted the Shadow Walkers to focus on him. But only four came to oppose them, two for each Dragon Lord.
"Thy dare enter the land of my lord. You shall pay with your death, dragon."
The bitter voice of the Shadow Walkers was clearly visible with rage and disgust towards them.
"I will show you and your lord the power of the dragons! Now come!"
As the Shadow Walkers attacked the Dragon Lords from each side, they tried to keep them at a distance with their fire breath. However, it seemed to be powerless against them.
"Your fire cannot harm us, dragon."
As the Shadow Walkers successfully evaded the fire, they came jumping in on the dragons with their swords ready to strike. But the Dragon Lords weren't fools to fall by such a move.
"Wind of the Mountains. Strengthen our wings so that even the trees might fall!"
The dragon chanted his wild magic and as the Dragons clapped their wings, a strong wind propelled the Shadow Walkers backwards, giving the dragons space to fight again.
As the Shadow Walkers recovered from the fall, the two dragons didn't want to give them any time. They attacked the Shadow Walkers from the sky, trying to slice them with their claws. Yet also this showed unsuccessfully. The Shadow Walkers simply went into their ethereal state, ignoring the physical world for seconds.
"That is an excellent trick. Yet it will not work every time." The young dragon roared towards the Shadow Walkers.
"Wait Tezzentir! Do you hear that?"
The confused dragon turned his head to his friend. "What should I hear?"
"The trampling… As if troops were marching. The sound is getting closer! This could be a trap, Tezzentir! Let us retreat to our dragons for now!"
"No! We fight, we don't flee!"
Soon the sound of troops marching came closer and closer, taking the attention of dragons and undead to it. Now hordes of trolls came charging out of the woods, each equipped with light armor and a sword. It took both parties by surprise. Nobody expected trolls to appear in such a place.
"Dragons! We attack the trolls! They shall not pass to our lands! Forget these creatures for the moment! This is more important now!" Tezzentir commanded his dragons to abandon the fight with the undead and instead focus on the upcoming trolls. They knew the trolls wanted to march into their lands. So the Dragon Lord had to focus on their demise instead. But the troll army was massive. They just kept coming out of the woods into the open field without stopping. Yet, the dragons charged their arch nemesis from above without fear.
"Be ready to clash with the dragons, soldiers!" The war troll commanded his own troops to be prepared. Dragons were fierce enemies, yet still killable.
As the dragons came from above, they spread fire on the trolls before anything else. Trolls are weak to fire and so it was very helpful to reduce their numbers. The trolls couldn't really defend themselves from the fire, so most of the front liners got burned to death real quickly. The dragons wanted to continue to breathe fire upon the trolls, but the war troll wouldn't allow that.
"Now! Shoot the ballistas!"
Large spears came from behind the troll army flying towards the flying dragons. The spears hit some dragons and forced the others to land and fight on the ground.
"Dammit! I got hit by one of these things!"
"Now is not the time to cry, Tezzentir. We have a giant troll army charging at us. We have to fight our way through this."
They could only watch as the hordes of trolls came rushing in on their location. Each troll wasn't really strong, but their numbers gave them a tremendous advantage. The dragons made a line with the Dragon Lords in the middle. But what surprised them was a troll that overshadowed every other troll, that slowly walked to them. It was a menace of a troll. It wasn't like the rest. This troll was much worse.
"Is that a war troll, Sonnerein?"
"Yes. A formidable opponent. If you can defeat that, you will surely gain the respect from the other Dragon Lords. As their species are rare and powerful."
"Then that I shall, my friend. I want you to take command of my dragons for the moment. I'm fighting this thing."
"I will. Be careful."
"Of course."
The young Dragon Lord walked up to the upcoming war troll, killing trolls left and right on his way.
"War Troll! Fight me with all that you have!"
The war troll just stared at the young dragon with its cold eyes. Yet replied soon after.
"It will be your death."
The young dragon rushed in on the war troll, slashing with his claws against the troll. However, the war troll used its giant sword to block the strikes and even counter one. It hit the dragon right on the left foot, damaging it slightly.
"You dare!"
The young dragon was furious at the injury it sustained. Yet, the war troll didn't stop at that. He made a jump attack on the dragon, yet a tail slash deflected it. The war troll was sent back multiple of meters, but sustained not much damage because of its heavy armor.
As the war troll got up from the attack, it charged the young dragon once again. They exchanged hit after hit, yet none of the two gave into defeat.
From the tower were two Dark Knights watching the battlefield. They had recalled their troops to let the dragons and trolls fight each other. Their orders were to defend the tower after all.
"What should we do now?" Asked one Dark Knight to another. The other responded. "We will inform Lord Ainz of these happenings. He will know what to order."
{You have something to report, Dark Knight?} Soon, the voice of their lord appeared in their minds. As if he knew they had something to say.
{Yes, My Lord. In front of the tower is currently a battle between dragons and trolls. The dragons attacked us first, but when the trolls arrived, they instantly charged them. There are surely thousands of trolls housing before the tower and just a handful of dragons. I fear for the tower's safety, My Lord.}
There was a small silence, yet Ainz replied to the Dark Knight with a fitting response.
{Most troubling. There I thought I could focus on the corruption of the elves, but yet another problem came to disturb my work… Fine. Command your troops to stay near the tower. I will deal with them alone.}
{As you command, My Lord.}
Angered by this minor disturbance was to be expected by Ainz. He was so close to find another secret of the past. Yet it had to wait.
As dragons and trolls massacred each other, a small crack in the sky appeared. It wasn't noticed at first, yet as it got bigger, it made a loud crackling sound. Dragons and trolls alike looked at the sky, stopping their fight momentarily. And as reality bends, the crack opened into a purple oval form, from which everyone could feel the darkness oozing out.
It felt as if ages passed until the entity finally stepped out of the anomaly. The dark aura was so strong that even the dragons feared it. The sky turned gray as the being showed up. And it was Death itself. The enemy of all living things came to them, surrounded by the darkest aura. Its red orbs of eyes gazed upon the battlefield with no break. Nobody dared to move, as the being's aura incapacitated most of them.
"Very well then." [Maximize: Soul Drain]
The Overlord raised his hands against the masses, and they feared for what would follow. The dark energy that surrounded the entity now spread amongst trolls and dragons. They couldn't flee, only wait until their death. Their eyes were all filled with fear, with no hope of escape.
The life force got sucked off most of the participants. Only the Dragon Lords and the War Troll Leader could resist the spell, yet even they were almost on the brink of death. They could see as the energy flew into the being before them, flying in the sky while feeding himself with souls of dragons and trolls alike. Nothing what they could do would harm this being, this they knew.
The lifeless bodies slowly fell, each after another. Without a soul, the body would only fall as if dead. And nearing the end of the spectacle, lesser amounts of souls started entering Ainz. Now he had successfully killed an entire army with one spell again.
The three creatures left had all shocked expressions. They could not believe it. Such a grand army killed with one spell. It was just not possible. Only the Dragon Emperor could possibly make such a grand attack.
"So it seems you are the only ones left. As I have no quarrels with you, I advise you to leave and never return, or…" The sky turned black. All light was now gone, as if it was night. Soon purple flames started to appear in the sky, forming a giant skeletal face with burning red orbs as eyes. "...You will face something worse than death."
The words of the giant Overlords face made the three feel fear, as they never did. This being, this god, just ordered them to leave. So they could only obey this higher entity.
"Now, begone." As the being said those words, they only saw how their vision turned black. They were gone, teleported by the Overlord to a random location to never be seen again.
Now, Ainz went out of his projection and hovered over the hills of dead bodies. He inspected them and asked himself one important question.
"How will I put use to these bodies? I can't have them possibly stay here."
How would one such as Ainz use these bodies? Well, it would be easy to guess.
"They are all weak. But combined, I could call upon a great summon of mine."
And as Ainz spread his arms, he recalled the one he wanted to bring into this world.
[Create High Tier Undead: Grim Reaper Thanatos]
Black liquid fell from his hand and slowly encompassed all the corpses, forming an entity before Ainz.
As it was fully created, it stood as tall as Ainz. Instead of red orbs for eyes, it had blue ones. It wore a detailed black robe and held a long scythe in its hands. Different to Ainz, it possessed two pitch black wings. It was imposing, even to Ainz himself. The new summon was Thanatos, a Grim Reaper of Death. Even its passive aura could kill most living things in its area alone.
"What is thy will, My Lord?"
The Grim Reaper ultimately bowed to the Supreme One. As it waited for its order.
"Thanatos. You shall manage the defense of my tower, as the Dark Knights weren't very efficient in commanding my forces. That will be all for now."
"As you wish, My Lord."
The Reaper spread its pitch black wings and left for the tower. Yet Ainz was curious about his new summon. How strong is he? Do his powers increase if more corpses are sacrificed? He would have to further experiment with these kinds of things.
And as Ainz watched his new summon fly away, he thought how easily he finished this army by himself. Were there any others strong enough to oppose him? He wouldn't hope so.
"This battle has gone unnoticed by the world, and as such, should it stay? It would only attract unwanted attention to me."
As a purple portal appeared behind Ainz, he slowly turned around and passed through it, and so releasing the pressure he has put on the outside world. The wildlife in the forest could finally breathe again as the pressure finally went away. The Overlord went to a place only he could visit. A place where he couldn't be disturbed by anyone.