Momonga gazed at the exquisitely crafted scepter before him, unable to hold back a sigh.
"This design is incredibly detailed."
As the game faced its imminent shutdown, the scepter had finally returned to its original owner's hands. Watching his stats rapidly rise, a mix of joy, regret, and melancholy surged within him.
Before long, Genji, adorned with the "Ainz Uul Gown," arrived at the hall with Leticiel by her side.
"How's it going? Is anyone else around?"
Momonga glanced around the quiet surroundings and sighed. "No, it's just the two of us now."
"Really? That's quite disappointing. Thank you, Momonga, for maintaining the guild so well until now."
"It was my duty, Genji. It's time to go."
"Right."
The two exited the room known as the Round Table.
Even with company, Momonga felt a heavy heart as he strolled through the city alongside Genji.
"It's so beautiful."
Genji admired the surrounding area, a splendid world resembling a chalk-white castle filled with a majestic atmosphere.
Especially the luxurious crystal chandelier overhead, radiating brilliant light.
"Yes, this is the Nazarick we created together, but it's a shame it's all coming to an end."
Momonga felt a deep sadness.
This was the ninth floor, the guild's leisure space, housing the forty-one supreme beings and their servants, with many non-combat NPCs assigned here.
Managed by the penguin butler Kyle and Sebas, it was equipped like a standard five-star hotel, complete with bars, entertainment rooms, saunas, and hot springs.
In this castle, worthy of being described as sacred, the only sounds besides the footsteps of the three were the faint tapping of scepters against the ground.
As they walked down the extremely spacious hallway and turned a few corners, a group of several women approached them.
They were beautiful maids, dressed in long, elegant skirts with lush golden hair.
Standing about 170 centimeters tall, their curvy figures were quite eye-catching, exuding an air of grace.
The two walked down the center of the path, with Leticiel slightly trailing behind.
The leading woman stepped aside, bowing deeply to the two supreme beings.
Behind her, there were still forty other maids of various designs.
These were NPC maids working in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, each inspired by different illustrations.
"Seeing them reminds me of those guys."
Genji reminisced about the three who originally created the illustrations.
"Whitebrim, HeroHero and Coup De Grâce" Momonga immediately knew who he meant.
"Yeah, I remember when they declared, 'The maid outfit is a weapon of battle' while designing those illustrations."
The overall attention to detail was astonishing.
Momonga continued, "And those guys also said, 'The maid outfit is everything to me!' Speaking of which, Whitebrim is also a maid in the comic."
As for the other AI programs, they were designed by HeroHero and five other programmers.
"That poor assistant must have had a tough time."
Without stopping, Momonga and Genji moved deeper into the tomb.
Soon, a grand staircase adorned with a red carpet came into view.
This was the tenth floor of Nazarick, the heart of the entire guild, where a "world-class item" lay at its deepest center: the throne of the supreme beings.
At the forefront stood Sebas, the butler dressed in formal attire.
With completely white hair and a matching beard, he was the guild's strongest man, an NPC created by the justice-filled Touch mei.
Behind the butler stood six casually dressed maids, the battle-capable "Pleiades Maid Squad."
Momonga internally scoffed at the character design and then commanded, "Follow me."
The maids bowed deeply and followed the trio into the hall.
The surrounding walls were adorned with seventy-two holes, which should have housed seventy-two statues.
These were Golems made of extremely rare metals, based on the concept of the Solomon Pillar demons, though the creator had given up after completing the sixty-seventh due to boredom.
"Lucifer... still five more to go."
Genji observed the statues lining the walls.
"That guy is the biggest troublemaker in the guild, but he's quite amusing."
Momonga chuckled at the thought of that troublesome yet entertaining character.
This place could be considered the final line of defense for Nazarick.
Genji and Momonga extended their hands to touch the final door, which opened slowly, as if it were an automatic door.
The atmosphere inside was even more imposing than before, with soaring ceilings and lavish decorations.
The walls displayed forty-two banners, each with a unique pattern.
At the front of the room, atop a series of stairs, loomed a massive throne.
Behind it hung a huge red banner emblazoned with the guild's insignia.
This was the deepest and most significant location within Nazarick—the Throne Hall.
Even the two who helped create it couldn't help but be awed by its opulence.
Here, they chose the most fitting place to confront their final moments.
Before the throne stood a stunning woman in a pure white gown, designed by the eccentric creator Tabula. Her breathtaking figure was accentuated by black wings, and she sported goat-like horns at her temples.
She was Albedo, the floor guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, responsible for overseeing all seven floor guardians.
"Tabula might have added some strange traits to her. Momonga, why don't you take a look?"
Genji suggested, seizing the opportunity.
"That guy? It's possible; he seems to love contrasting traits."
Curiosity piqued, Momonga browsed through her design specifications.
The sheer volume of detailed attributes was dizzying, and after some time, he finally reached the last line.
"Also, a bitch."
Momonga couldn't help but widen his eyes and exclaimed, "What does that mean?"
"Probably just the literal interpretation."
"That design is just too... well, it is Tabula after all."
Should he change it? As the guild leader, a slight exercise of power wouldn't be out of place.
He cast a sidelong glance at Genji.
Ah, what should it be changed to?
In no time, he removed the term "bitch."
The last line now read:
"Also in love with Momonga and respecting Genji."
How embarrassing!
Ah.
Then, with Momonga's command of "Worship!" everyone, except Genji, knelt in reverence.
Perfect.
Momonga looked at the countdown on the panel, confirming the time.
Leaning against the throne, he slowly scanned the forty-two banners, reminiscing about the others in the tomb.
"Indeed, this has been enjoyable..."
Perhaps Genji felt worse, as he had invested the most energy among them.
"Ah."
Countdown: 35, 36, 37...
Momonga murmured the seconds aloud.
50, 51, 52...
Then he closed his eyes.
55, 56, 57, 58.
Imagining the curtain falling on the world, he awaited the forced logout—
23:59:59.
00:00:00.
00:00:01.
"Hmm?"