'They're fighting for my shed wing feathers.' That surely was a bizarre thought, even for him. Pero didn't know what to think once he heard the full explanation from the relevant parties. From one side, mostly his, such actions were something a creepy stalker would do, but from another, he was a God, and his followers saw his feathers as priceless artifacts, practically remnants of his divinity, and that meant they were worth more than almost anything else in the Tomb in their eyes. What's more, one of the vampire brides had somehow crafted it into a long dagger, turning it into a weapon for, well, murder, given how Clementine had nearly perished in the process of obtaining it.
He needed to get to the bottom of the whole thing, fast. With Shalltear by his side, he approached the vampire bride who held the dagger in her outstretched arms while kneeling and picked it up. The weapon was made of steel, with the tip of the dagger made out of his feather's frame, and its blade decorated with its plumes.
By all means the weapon was simply subpar in every metric possible. It was crudely crafted from barely managed steel and had a roughly carved wooden handle that was made by an amateur, not someone belonging to the crafting department.
"How did you make it?" He asked the nameless pop monster, gesturing toward the blade.
"I requested the scraps of the smiths and learned to craft basic weaponry by watching. When there was a free forge or anvil, I self-trained until I could make a decent knife, Lord Pero," She explained.
"Right, you couldn't just make a request… This looks nice but impractical. How about we make you a new one and I'll keep this weapon as a trinket? I'll order the crafting department to accept requests from anyone with my wing feathers and use adamast as base material," Pero suggested, finding the effort the vampire put into using his feathers as a weapon endearing. None of the other NPCs he had encountered so far had gone to such lengths to do something obviously quite far beyond their designated jobs.
The vampire stared up, her eyes widening. "Thank you, Lord. I couldn't dream of bothering anyone of importance to help me with the object of worship."
"Every decent God takes care of his worshipers. You know, let's add another bonus. From now on you will be known as Saihfo. Shalltear, can you mark her as a distinct NPC?" Pero turned to his daughter as the vampire started to hyperventilate from his attention.
"Of course. Do you intend to name all who win your favor in such a manner, Father?" Shalltear inquired.
"You know, it's not a bad idea. We could make it a weekly event in the arena." He scratched his beak with one talon. 'I could use this as a base to build my followers. Clementine already has the feather, so I'll just send her to get a weapon right away, and from then on it'll be established.'
"Is there anyone else who has won my feather?" He questioned.
"No, my Lord. Only me and this human woman have such blessings," Saihfo answered.
"I see. Here is my feather, you can go to the crafting department to get a weapon of your choosing to be made." Pero bent his right top wing and plucked out one of his flight feathers, handing it over to the vampire bride. "Clementine, you can do the same."
All that remained was to send a repeat request to the area guardian in charge of creating gear and give a heads-up to Albedo. He intentionally chose adamast as it was the highest grade metal that could be made with [Create Greater Item]. And if the guardian overseer makes a fuss, then he could learn the spell himself and provide the materials when needed, it cost him very little.
X
With his consorts and his daughter by his side, Pero was sitting on the place of honor in one of the sixth-floor arena's VIP lounges. Below stood fifty vampire brides as the first to participate in a bloody competition for his favor, having been selected by Shalltear herself as her strongest or fastest subordinates.
There also were quite a few other people watching the whole event from the regular seats as his sister and her children occupied another VIP lounge for themselves, interested in taking inspiration for how to handle Buku's likely eventual following. If everything went according to plan and the participants didn't go too far, the fight for his blessing could turn into an arena filler and bring more candidates eager to join the ranks of his distinguished worshippers among other things. It also gave a chance for those weaker in brute force, like Clementine, to rise in the ranks, which he was all for.
To ensure there were no unauthorized fights, his immediate retinue was tasked with picking up the feathers he naturally shed and storing them for him as a resource. Additionally, he gave personalized weapons to his consorts and Shalltear, so they wouldn't join the fight and make him worry for either them or other contestants.
As everyone waited in silence, Pero stood up and spread his wings, using magic to make them glow. "Today, four of you will have a chance to receive my blessings. Show me your dedication!"
He then proceeded to pluck one feather from each wing and hand them over to Clementine and Saihfo, who were standing at the entrance of the lounge. As the first two chosen, they would have the honor of bringing the feathers into four predesignated spots in the arena, and once more were selected over time they would rotate the duties.
Both bowed while accepting one feather in each hand, then stepped on the handrail of the balcony and jumped off, landing with synchronized somersaults. Pero had given them necklaces that nullified fall damage, so such additional theatrics could be performed in the first place as he wished. Neither of the two women could withstand a twenty-meter freefall unscathed without protective gear, given their low power level. For him, they were near useless trinkets lying in the treasury due to his high stats and resistances, only because Momonga hadn't sold any gear whatsoever during his years of solitude, but for them, it was another divine gift that only intensified their already psychotic dedication to him.
At this point, he had come to terms that he, as the God of Murder, was bound to gather the unhinged and the psychotic as part of his worshippers, and it was better to embrace it and give such souls a way to express themselves without breaking down the standard order. An outlet such as this was one such way to sate their bloodlust without causing anarchy and chaos, and it gave his followers, both current and present, a goal to strive for.
Once each feather was put upon a decorated meter-tall pedestal and the chosen ones had left the arena, Pero announced with a thunderous roar, "Begin!"
The fifty figures lept into action with frenzied anticipation, the battlefield becoming utter chaos within seconds. They bit, slashed, and kicked one another with murderous intent. With near-instant regeneration, they weren't easy to kill at their level of damage output, but resurrection was promised should they die trying. Tabula had tested resurrection on pop monsters a while ago, and unless the body was obliterated, it was possible to fully resurrect anyone with the barest threads of sentience.
The near-identical creatures eventually coagulated into four distinct groups, each fighting for a feather. Their ferocity was a sight to see for all spectators. No matter the injuries or the odds, they continued to fight. Their dresses were torn to shreds and repaired along with their bodies, blood and fabric alike flying like their screams and shrieks.
"Like rats in a cage. But I do understand them. I would do the same for your favor, Daddy," Shalltear commented, her cheeks red and her breath shallow at the sight.
"They are a good practice group. I likely will have to set up some rules for applicants without regeneration. Just be nice to those who don't win today, OK?" Pero responded. This incredible violence in his name felt so … natural.
"They are failu-" Shalltear clamped her mouth shut with a sharp inhale, face paling. Her face twisted into pure anguish as she gripped the handles of her seat, claws digging into the material.
"Sweety?" Pero reached for her hand.
"I… you are right, Father. I shouldn't be so harsh with them. Each is doing their best," She uttered with a suppressed whimper.
"Sweety, are you alright?" Pero grew concerned about his daughter's wellbeing. Her mental state was still fragile, and she often slipped into bouts of depression at the drop of a feather.
"Yes…" Shalltear audibly exhaled with a shudder, releasing the poor chair. "I am fine. I will keep in mind those who participate today and bring them for your picking, should you decide to take more as your weapons. I once again wanted to be too harsh towards my subordinates."
Pero gently squeezed her hand as much as his talons allowed and spoke softly, "It's alright. I know you're trying your best. Even Ainz has noticed how hard you're trying."
"It's not enough…" She took a sharp breath. "You are right, daddy."
"Of course I am. Hey, look, we have the first winner!"
One of the vampire brides had emerged from the bloody mess, grasping a feather over her head with a triumphant smile decorating her blood-stained face.
"Indeed. I didn't expect that one to win," Shalltear commented, putting her attention back to the fight.
Soon after, the other three victors emerged, mimicking the first as they stood above their defeated competition.
'I guess it's time for my entrance.' Pero shot up in the sky directly from his seat, drowning the entire arena in his aura.
Both the victors and the rest dropped to their knees as he slowly descended, gently flapping his wings. The light coming from the ceiling merged with his slightly shimmering aura, making his outline glow with power.
As his feet touched the arena floor, he could hear a few subtle gasps coming from the crowd. 'Dammit, this feels too good. It's great being a God.'
"Congratulations. You four have proved your dedication to me. As a reward, you each will get these feathers crafted into weapons of your choosing and receive names. From now on, you serve me and me only, and in return, I acknowledge you as my most devoted worshipers!" Pero announced.
With how fast his regeneration was, he could give out hundreds of feathers each day and not lose any of his magnificence. However, since scarcity is what gives an item value, distribution of this honor would need to be ramped up gradually as more of his worshipers emerge over time, but still kept in proportion since rarity was also a factor. Good thing he read those economics books back on Earth, Ainz often commented he could become a leader of economics once Nazarick expanded further.
X
Six women stood in a circle, facing one another. Five vampire brides and one human were the first of many to come, and that's why a proper cult needed to be formed, complete with a hierarchy and rules. They had gathered in one of the unused rooms on the third floor. Save for the candles on the wall, there were no other decorations in the dimly lit brick room.
For now, there would be two leaders of the cult, who would be permitted to directly speak with the Lord. Saihfo would lead the Nazarick's natives until a stronger candidate joined, and Clementine would stand for the outsiders who had decided to dedicate their worship to the God of Murder, but her being the first ensured she wouldn't be replaced per her insistence.
"What should we call ourselves?" Saihfo asked.
"Why not the worshipers of Lord Pero?" One of the vampire brides, the one Shalltear thought wouldn't win, answered.
"That doesn't reflect his magnificence," Clementine commented, frowning. "We need something grander. Something that shows our dedication."
"Each of us is blessed to have his feather to carry with us. Maybe something related to it," another vampire bride suggested.
"Uuh, are you having a meeting?" A new voice interrupted them, surprising Clementine.
From the shadows of the room emerged Lupus, holding a small morning star with Lord's feather encased in its translucent handle.
"Ah, Lady Lupus, it's an honor to see you join us. Please forgive us for not inviting you," Saihfo was the first to respond, bowing.
"It's all good. Nothing happening in the Great Tomb slips past my little sister, and she notified me about this meeting. Anyhow I want to join this club, and they'll do the same." Behind her emerged the rest of Pero's consorts: another vampire bride and a trio of succubi.
"Of course, would you take the leader's position, Lady Lupus?" Saihfo inquired.
"Nope. None of us will. We didn't fight for our gifts so it wouldn't be fair. Although I wanted to join the tournament and have some fun." Lupus smirked, flashing her canines with a sadistic glint in her eye. "You two can take the lead."
"Of course. We'll be honored. Now let's return to the topic at hand. We need a good name for the cult!" Saihfo declared.
"How about the Order of the Golden Feather?" One of the succubi suggested.
"Not a bad idea. All the feathers we have been given came from Lord Pero's wings and have golden tips." Lupus nodded in agreement.
"I like it." Clementine joined in.
"Then from this day onward, the Order of the Golden Feather will be known as Lord Pero's most devoted!" Saihfo announced.
For now, there were only eleven members within, but soon enough there would be more. The deadly worship of their master would be spread through the worlds beyond count, and everywhere where the Supreme Beings ruled there would be ones raising weapons in honor of the God of Murder.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by LionLover, Squid, Sluethen, clagan, x4x, Milk, fvvck, aidan_lo, and NuggetLover.
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