Prologue: The Final Clash & A New Beginning
19:46:39
'Shit… Just how many new attack sequences does this bastard have?!'
Barely dodging the latest attack from the larger-than-life dragon, the tiny (in comparison) undead continued to run (fly) around the battlefield, shielded by a squad of Death Knights, hoping to find a weakness to exploit to defeat this stupidly-difficult enemy.
The guild leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga, was currently facing one of the most challenging challenges in all of Yggdrasil, comparable to the invasion Nazarick fought in the past.
…except this time, he's idiotically facing the most powerful World Enemy in all of Yggdrasil, The Devourer of the Nine Worlds, all on his lonesome.
No matter who could be asked, whether it be an enemy or friendly Player, the GMs or even the shitty sadistic Devs. All would say the same thing.
"He's going to fail miserably."
And rightfully so, considering that even the weakest of the World Enemies requires at the very least a full party of min-maxed specialized Players, preferably ones with World Champion or World Disaster job classes, to stand a chance of defeating any such enemy with the less than recommended number of Players to face the most powerful group of NPCs in all of Yggdrasil.
…Momonga however, is neither a min-maxed Player, has no distinguished World-related classes (not taking into account his Eclipse class, which still makes ranks him very highly in PvP charts due to it's ridiculously powerful buffs and skills), and he doesn't have a party of fellow players to back him up.
So how exactly did he even end up in this situation?
———————————————————
Momonga, or rather Suzuki Satoru, was experiencing one of the most difficult situations he has ever faced.
Yggdrasil was coming to an end.
To the uninitiated, hearing that a video game is shutting down, would think his reaction to be exaggerated. But to any Player dedicated as Suzuki is, they would console one another, regardless of the fact if they hated or liked one another, over this horrifying event.
In the world of 2138, humanity fell from grace in one of the most despair-inducing ways possible.
Due to the events of the Third World War, nations fell, governments were ruined, people were slaughtered, and Earth became a dull dark-gray planet filled with smog and ashes. With the radiation from the nuclear strikes that struck the various parts of the world still affecting the later generations centuries after the event in the form of radioactive air, skin-melting rain and reduced living habitats as the remnants of humanity live in scattered domes of the former cities with the only ones who can afford to traverse from one dome to another, or even live in an Arcology (one of the few places where greenery still exists) are those with the money to afford to.
And most of those who do, are the megacorporation CEOs and Board Members who leech off of the remnants of mankind like leeches, with the victims of such exploitation being incapable of retaliating, as doing so would be the same as a death sentence, whether it be from being literally having a hit on their backs, or from the lack a job, causing a chain reaction resulting in them to be stranded on the streets without shelter and being subjected to the radioactive rain and smog and to the mutated rodents and insects, who surprisingly survived the apocalyptic war and thrived in the aftermath.
It became so that witnessing the corpses of orphans and homeless sprawled across the streets in droves became a normal sight in the streets, that none would bat an eye when witnessing such gruesome scenes of half melted corpses in whose entrails rats feast and live.
Suzuki Satoru was no different. Having lost his mother at a young age, witnessing her drop-dead, literally, from exhaustion in front of him. Cremating her, as he couldn't afford a burial site, in a large baking oven repurposed to cremate the dead for quite the hefty price that caused him to suffer for a few years. And forced to abandon his education after completing elementary school to find a job in this hopeless world.
Suffice to say, he along with many others have grown jaded and worn from the terrible conditions of this world.
But even so, Yggdrasil provided an escape to the man in his late-twenties, both to him and to the remnants of mankind.
Where the world was a dull grey landscape with nary a patch of green in sight. Yggdrasil had worlds full of forests and wondrous sights that one can get lost in for hours. Where the skies of earth where always covered by a layer of ash and smoke, Yggdrasil had a functioning day-and-night system where one can witness the glory of the blue skies and a golden sun at day and be lost in the mesmerizing constellations and the wondrous sight of the moon (or moons) of the many worlds in the game. Where one can not afford to build any relationships where absolute efficiency is a must to retain a job, one can meet friends anywhere in the various hubs in Yggdrasil.
To those who suffered the utter brutality of this cold-grey world, Yggdrasil, among many other games, was an escape and even a more eventful life than the one they are used to, where they hold their jobs by the skin of their teeth to not end up the same as the corpses they witness everyday laid on the streets and the slums.
Alas, all things must come to an end, and no matter how famed Yggdrasil was, to many people it lost its luster as people began to abandon it, either due to the appearance of better games or because they can no longer afford to play them to begin with, with their demanding jobs taking most of their time, leaving none for any form of leisure. And thus, after twelve years of operation, a feat in-and-of itself, Yggdrasil was scheduled to shut down permanently.
And to Suzuki, or rather Momonga, this was a scenario he feared with all his heart, despite his rational mind telling him it was bound to happen. Especially as he himself was the last active member of his guild, having witnessed his friends in Ainz Ooal Gown abandoning the game as they had more important things to care about, or due to their ever-demanding jobs refusing them even the time to enjoy themselves.
And here was Momonga, sitting on the Throne of Kings, a World Item his guild earned among many other rewards by conquering the great tomb in their first try with numbers below what was recommended, counting down the days left before the inevitable shutdown.
'3 days, 21 hours, 46 minutes and 30 seconds…'
Momonga had sent emails to all his friends, hoping that they would return even for an hour so they could probably see Yggdrasil off along with all the memories they have made in Nazarick…
But it's been months since then, with the precious few who answered him giving only polite refusals and wishing him the best for the future. The rest didn't even deign to even give any form of reply or comment.
Knowing that even before the actual shutdown, that the people who he called his family at one point having abandoned all the good times they ever had, shattered his heart even further than the news of the shutdown.
But even then, he couldn't come to hate them, they all had things and people to return to. Touch Me, his oldest friend among the guild, had a wife and a precious child to care for. Bukubukuchagama had a voice acting career to return to, and her brother Peroroncino, had been apparently scouted by a company his sister had a contract with at one point, due to his 'expertise' with H-games. Punitto Moe was very busy in his new job as an advisor, a job he believes befits the one nicknamed as the Zhuge Liang of Ainz Ooal Gown, for a megacorporation CEO that recently disposed of many of his employees. And even Ulbert, his misanthropic friend who cursed the world and mankind to his heart's content every possible chance during Yggdrasil's heyday, found a girlfriend and the two have been gushing about each other everywhere, even on social media till this day.
So as much as he hated their decision, he can never hate them at all (he was rather happy for them in fact). After all, it was his fault that he never attempted to go against the tide and search for a special someone, having preferred to spend all his day in Yggdrasil if he isn't at work or eating. He never attempted to improve his living conditions, considering how bleak they were, or find a more suitable job according to his likes, both for his lack of higher forms of education under his belt and because he preferred to spend all his paychecks in Yggdrasil leaving only the rest for necessities.
It was ultimately his fault that he was the only one to have stayed behind while everyone else found better things to do.
'Even so, they could've at least sent a reply, was even that so hard to ask for?' The Guildmaster of the abandoned guild thought with the tinges of loneliness still caressing his soul.
Momonga sighed for the umpteenth time as he gazed at his interface, even his desire to go dungeon-diving for the resources to manage Nazarick's upkeep was dwindling day-by-day, even when he forced himself by attempting to go to any remaining untrodden territories so that the guildbase's defenses don't deteriorate because of his boredom.
Despite this, Momonga didn't want his memories of Yggdrasil to go up in smoke like that, despite the fact that it Great Invasion of Nazarick made headlines even on public news and on the forums of other games, it has been years since the event, and it became an ancient story like any other.
So as he was gazing at the countdown, he could only rummage around in his mind for anything he could do to commemorate the shutdown, a way to "go out with a bang" as the ancient saying goes. But what?
'Even if I were to rile up any remaining active enemy guilds, the remaining number of players still active wouldn't amount to even a fifth of the total number that participated in the invasion… I could try to go to Midgard and cause havoc there, but since the announcement of the shutdown, the alertness and hostility of the NPCs there towards heteromorphs dwindled by a lot, so I wouldn't even get half the joy of fighting them anymore.'
Another sigh was exhaled from Suzuki's mouth as he continued his inner monologue.
'I could try to fight a Raid Boss or a World Enemy alone for the sake of it, but it's not as if other players didn't try that already, and some even succeeded…'
However, before he could abandon this idea as well, something struck him about it.
'Wait… what about the Devourer of the Nine Worlds? No one tried fighting it on their own, have they? But then again, even a legion of Players would stand little chance against the damned thing if they're not prepared for every conceivable situation. And it's the only World Enemy in all of Yggdrasil who doesn't have a constant attack sequence…'
This was true, as the Devourer was the only World Enemy, or rather the only NPC in all of Yggdrasil that has a fully functioning AI that helps it adapt to the situation and execute attacks based on the situation, helping the Final Boss of Yggdrasil prevail over hundreds of attempt to defeat. It's a good thing however that most of the Devourer's attacks were already witnessed at one point or another. As such, most try to replicate the previous attempts of the raids against the World Enemy so that it wouldn't use unfamiliar attacks and increase the pathetically low chances of one-upping the worst cheat-like opponent in all of Yggdrasil, this effectively undermined the Devourer's AI System, and helped many players finish the Finale of the Main Story of Yggdrasil. Though that is not considering the fact that it still helps the Devourer dodge, create barriers and attack the weakest links in the Raid parties, an issue none have ever been able to subvert even till the dying breaths of the game.
But considering this…
'This means that no one has ever tried soloing it before!'
Momonga jumped with happiness at the idea, regardless of how stupid it was. After all, Yggdrasil was going to shut down either way, so why not spend that time doing something crazy and worthy of marking the end of this shining era instead of wallowing in misery alone?
———————————————————
And so, here was, two days later and on the eve of the shutdown having spent the previous two days in preparation, already regretting going through with this stupid idea.
The Devourer despite his humongous size, whose being was so large that his maw is hundreds of times the size of Earth that the battlefield was custom-designed to take place in space as the Undead Guildmaster used an ancient "gigantification spell" to increase his size to be of fighting chance against the Devourer (which only occurs according to both design of the battlefield and the lore behind the battle against the World Eater).
Throughout the entire process, Momonga witnessed many new spells and combos that he never witnessed the Devourer use before, despite having fought and defeated the World Enemy together with his guildmates numerous times.
He would attack the Devourer with spells both single-target and AOE, only for the damned creature to block it with its scales or with its own spells. Before it too took to the offensive, only for Momonga to dodge, teleport, or use a Death Knight to tank any hit he was too late to dodge or teleport from.
This was repeated time and time again, as Momonga began slowly recognizing all the attacks of the World Enemy (seemingly entails it running out of new tricks to deploy), he was able to slowly chip away from the Devourer's health in the small microsecond windows between the Boss's attacks and spells, all while constantly dodging or blocking its attacks that would most certainly take more than 90% of his health, if not outright kill him, by a hair's breadth.
He has been spending the last few hours fighting the dragon in a battle of attrition, one that after surviving the worst of it, gave him confidence that victory is in sight as he witnessed its health dropping to the single digits. Which is something he is happy about considering that every time he struck the virtual creature, it dealt damage below that of one percent
However, suddenly, the Devourer gave a shrill and terrifying roar as its mouth began to glow from the condensed power.
'Holy crap!'
It was not because Momonga had never seen this attack before, but rather because of what it represents.
Despite the fact that not every fight against the Devourer was the same as the other, there's one attack that has been a constant in all fights against the Devourer since Yggdrasil's inception.
A beam attack that occurs when the Devourer's health is below 10%, a fact he forgot about amidst the waves of new spells and attacks showcased by the World Enemy.
It was simple in the fact that it was a mere beam, but that's not counting for the fact that it can be fired more than once, is extremely quick to charge, and can instantly kill anyone unfortunate enough to be in the line of fire of such a devastating attack.
Momonga immediately teleported behind the dragon as he immediately began the countdown for his skill {The Goal Of All Life Is Death} as the remnants of his undead forces were left behind.
12…
11…
The beam finally charged up and was released from the dragon's gaping maw, it obliterated all the unfortunate undead that weren't able to escape from its devastating attack.
10…
9…
8…
Before it could direct its head in Momonga's direction, the Overlord ordered his remaining summons to abandon their defensive positions and begin attacking the Devourer, while their attacks were miniscule and almost insignificant considering the disparity of the level difference. It did its job as the World Enemy turned its attention towards them and began swiping its gigantic claws and devastating the remaining undead forces. The ones who survived were healed by the Death Priests and sent back to continue diverting the dragon's attention.
7…
6…
'Come on…'
Ainz was beginning to run out of summons to use as he saw the last group of death knights get crushed to death by the Devourer, while the remaining ones left were the support units who were far away from the dragon to taunt it or distract it long enough for Ainz to gain the enough time to trigger his skill safely.
"Tch, I can only summon one more High-Tier Summon… There's only a few seconds left, so I might as well."
Raising his hand, Ainz began casting the spell, all while maintaining his gaze on the Devourer's head.
"[Create High-Tier Undead: Grim Reaper Thanatos!]"
From the ichor that formed in front of Ainz, a skeletal being clothed in luxurious black robes with massive black wings on his back and a fearsome scythe studded with black gems and a terrifying skull with a gaping jaw sat at the top of the rod, with the scythe's blade, a glowing sheen to it and a dark aura erupting from it, seemingly leaving the skull's mouth.
"Thanatos, distract the Devourer!"
Hearing his summoner's command, the Grim Reaper began flying to the dragon's location and began using his scythe to leave wounds on the godlike dragon's body, wounds that wouldn't heal due to the scythe's curse stopping all forms of regeneration and causes a form of bleeding damage, which while they don't do much damage in instance, when dealt over multiple attacks, stack and cause greater damage.
5…
4…
The World Enemy began growling in pain as it began ignoring the weaker summons while attempting to attack Thanatos, who only began curving around the attacks of the larger being using his wings and his magic.
3…
2…
Soon however, the Devourer was finally able to land a couple of hits and killed the Grim Reaper Thanatos in the process, but not before getting injured in the process, remaining only on 3% of it's overall health, it opened its maw in Momonga's direction and, with the cooldown over once more, began charging its beam attack again.
1…
Alas, its efforts were to no avail.
"It was a good fight, but Ainz Ooal Gown doesn't know defeat, not even against you."
0…
"{The Goal Of All Life Is Death!}, [Maximized Magic: True Death!]"
As the clock behind Momonga struck 12, his hand glowed a terrifying black as he cast the instant death spell. While against such powerful foes, instant death spells would only do minor damage and their intended effects wouldn't occur. But with the boost provided by his Eclipse skill, the damage done would be extremely severe if not outright delivering instant death as intended.
And so, the Devourer's body was swallowed by a dark aura as its death animation began, its eyes turning a dull grey as its body began shrinking bit by bit as it fell towards Helheim.
———————————————————
The Yggdrasil Developers, or as otherwise (un)affectionately called by the Players, the shitty devs, gazed with mouths agape at the monumental feat that the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga, just did.
With the inevitable shutdown of the game, as sadistic as they are when it comes to trolling their own players, even the devs felt a bit disheartened about the fact that one of the greatest projects that they have ever been a part of and has taken quite a bit of their life, blood and sweat, was going down the drain. Regardless of the fact that they have already begun the development of Yggdrasil 2.
So when they chanced upon the most recent (mis)adventure Momonga, who was the leader of a guild that not only engraved itself as the most powerful and wicked guild in all of Yggdrasil, but as one of the causes for the game's rise to popularity following the failed invasion on Nazarick years ago, they felt both amused by the now solo-player's foolish gambit, but a bit glad that even if his plan to defeat the World Devourer fails, that he attempted to even go through with this suicide attack just to commemorate the end of Yggdrasil.
Maybe when Yggdrasil 2 begins, they could try to incorporate the legendary fight between the Devourer of the Nine Worlds and the Undead Overlord into the lore of the game as a tribute to this occasion?
But to their shock and surprise, the Undead Player rose victorious against Yggdrasil's official Final Boss. While it wasn't a flashy duel but rather a challenge of who can last longer, it was still a battle against the most difficult enemy in Yggdrasil, and the fact that a single player, not even one with World-related classes and even more shockingly, a roleplayer instead of a min-maxed one, was able to defeat it without hacking into the game or using any sort of undeserved stupidly OP skills or spells (Like those pathetic light novels many continue to write since the 21st Century)… Well, they all would take the secret to the grave of them screaming and cheering as they saw Momonga cast the metaphorical last nail in the Devourer's coffin, they still have to keep their dignity, no?
Yet as their shock and glee died down, they began to wonder, now what? Regardless of the end of the game, they still have to reward Momonga for doing something none of them thought was possible, to the point it wasn't even coded into the game. But what exactly can they give to reward the bold player…
"How about we give him a new World Item? I mean, he did defeat a World Enemy, so isn't that the norm?"
"Hell no, as cool as it would be, just giving him a simple World Item for completing the most difficult task in the entire game solo is just lazy!"
"Then what do you suggest genius?"
"How about removing his level cap?"
"Oh so who's the lazy bastard now? You can't think of any actual ideas so you just pick something all players tried to wish for using Ouroboros?"
"Oh you little…"
"Guys, guys, keep it cool! How about instead we…"
To say that the hall where the devs gathered devolved into a mess would be an understatement, each threw a new idea, only for it to be put down by another and an even more ridiculous idea to pop up in its stead.
"Hey everyone, instead of just doing something as boring as giving him a World Item or just breaking his level cap as those two dimwits said-"
"Hey!" "Hey!"
"-How about we give him THAT NPC as the prize?"
This got the rest of the team silent, before the room was drowned in a cacophony of sounds once more.
"That one? / That's a good idea though! / Isn't there any other reward instead…? / There's a reason why she wasn't implemented in the game though…"
As the voices died down, they all voted on giving the NPC in question to Momonga as a reward, after all, if Yggdrasil was going to be shut down, they might as well hand over the unreleased project they created since she probably would be scrapped along with the entirety of Yggdrasil to prepare for the release of the sequel.
"Yeah sure, it's fine, but how about we give him some goodies while we're at it? I mean, it's not as if we all didn't just witness a historical moment in the making in the video game industry right now!"
"Oh! How about we now give him a World Item!"
"Seriously, don't you give up?!"
———————————————————
"I… did it? Did I… actually just do what I think I just did?"
Despite the battlefield changing to the landscape of Helheim was once more with the only difference being the corpse of the very Devourer Of The Nine Worlds he just recently killed laying right in front of him, the shock was far too great for him to accept the situation momentarily.
So much so that when the call from the devs of Yggdrasil reached him, he didn't notice until they accepted the call from their own end (another method usually abused by the shitty devs to harass players in the most inconvenient of times) as a cacophony of noise, filled with both familiar and unfamiliar voices rang in his ears, breaking him out of his stupor.
"Congratulations dude!"
"Way to go bud, you kicked ass!"
"I wouldn't believe it if the proof wasn't right in front of me, but here it is…"
Momonga jerked back into (virtual) reality as he noticed the large screen with the animated faces of the devs all surrounding a screen, which he assumed was how they were communicating with him. The only difference from the last couple of times he interacted with the devs in a similar fashion in the past was that none of them were looking either exhausted, bored, or bearing wicked sadistic grins (courtesy of the times when he or his friends and acquaintances complained to them about unfair mechanics in the game, only to be met with those evil-harboring smiles and metaphorical middle fingers shoved in their faces).
"Huh? Oh, I guess you guys are here about what I just did?"
A pregnant pause was born after Momonga's lackluster question, mostly due to the shock still prevalent in his system, before it was immediately killed by the baffled reactions of the dev team.
"Seriously, he did the most badass thing in the game to date and he's speaking about it as if he's talking about the weather!"
"That cool tone of his slaps harder than my dad with a belt…"
"Yo dude seriously, are you okay in the brains department?"
A few seconds afterwards, the voices died down as the dev, situated in the middle of the screen, coughed slightly to bring Momonga's attention to himself as he began to speak.
"Sorry about that, but as for your question, yes, in fact we were watching you while you were fighting against the BBB (Big Bad Boss). Though honestly, none of us had any high hopes for you actually winning, we were still impressed that you were able to dwindle the Devourer's health that far. So when we saw you actually killed it, suffice to say we were all extremely impressed by your fight. So I guess before anything else, let me say this as a representative of all of my colleagues and myself, Congratulations Player Momonga, for completing the most difficult quest to date in all of Yggdrasil!"
As he paused, his colleagues clapped and whooped in joy while throwing their own words of congratulations in the mix. It was at this moment, that the full brunt force of his most recent achievement struck Momonga as he began to sport the widest smile he ever had in a while on his face behind the dive gear device. And it was only due to sheer will that he didn't immediately remove his connection from the NNI (Neural Nano-Interface) and do a little victory dance at what he just accomplished. And so, like any self-respecting Japanese salaryman, he gave a small bow to the devs while muttering a simple thanks.
As his colleagues began quieting once again, the dev begane speaking once more.
"It took a bit of time for us to brainstorm what exactly to reward you for this achievement, because in all honesty, we never expected to be in a situation where we would need to reward any player for defeating the strongest NPC in all of Yggdrasil solo. So let me first start with the common stuff usually given for a victory against a World Enemy."
Momonga cocked his head to the side in confusion, he never expected any special prize for defeating the Devourer solo, after all, he did just do it for the shits and giggles since today is the last day in Yggdrasil's life before it shuts down for good. But still, knowing he would receive the usual rewards for defeating a World Enemy, which usually entails a World Item, was enough to make him pump his fists in the air, afterall, whether he uses it or not, him obtaining one more World Item is enough to increase the guild's overall ranking. So boosting the rank of Ainz Ooal Gown alone, even if only by a bit, is enough for him to consider it as a final tribute to his virtual home.
Soon, a notification of his monetary reward popped up consisting of a massive amount of Gold and experience points, to which he accepted with glee.
"Aside from the massive pile of experience points and gold that's usually given, we honestly didn't know exactly what World Item to give you considering what you just did, but after a lot of consideration. We decided on giving you this"
At that moment, the dev waved his hand in the air, activating a motion-based command, and a small cloud of pixels was generated in front of Momonga before it dissolved leaving a statue in the shape of an angel.
Half of it resembled that of a common depiction of an angel with long flowing white hair, smooth skin, and a beautiful face with glowing white wing on the back with the being dressed in a white robe, one that screamed holiness. While the other half was but a mere mockery of the other side, for it was the same angel but with the smooth skin being instead covered in pustules with a bloodshot eye popping out, haggard looking black hair, a mass of black tentacles that took the form the other wing, and tattered black robes.
"Isn't this…"
"Yep, it's True Ascension."
True Ascension, to say that this World Item that belongs to ranks of the Twenty didn't bring its own fair share of controversy would be an understatement, after all, the former World Champion of Muspelheim used this item once upon a time to become a World Enemy. And after shortly using this item, he used his new-found power as a new member of the Lords of the Seven Deadly Sins to wreak havoc across Yggdrasil, after which he got getting hunted down by droves of level 100 players and forced him to delete his character for good out of spite.
Some had even doubted that it actually existed and that former player must have probably used Ouroboros instead and asked the devs for an ascension to World Enemy status, even the photos leaked of the World Item in question were believe to have been fakes (which in all honesty, is something to be expected of any world item that ends up being showcased for free on the forums of Yggdrasil).
Suffice to say, being gifted the World Item in question, the implications didn't float above his head as he looked at the devs in shock.
"Doesn't this mean I can… you know…"
They began to laugh over the player's nervousness before it began to quiet down to mere stiffles and giggles as Momonga began feeling extremely embarrassed by his question. Until the dev in the middle replied once again.
"Yes, you can use it. If anything, if you plan to actually do so now, now would be the best time. And don't worry, as a final tribute to your guild, we will keep your guild's new rank of 16th place since you did obtain another World Item right now and win against the most powerful World Enemy at the same time. Just note however that the rise to World Enemy status is decided automatically based on your current build and classes, so it's not up to you exactly."
Momonga, having heard the devs guarantee of safeguarding Ainz Ooal Gown's automatic rise in the ranks regardless if he were to use the World Item now, only gave a few words of gratitude towards the devs, before sighing to himself.
And after that, the place was encased in a sea of black and white smoke as the Player used the item. Ever so slowly, the cloud of monochrome smoke coalesced and condensed around Momonga's avatar before he finally reappeared, but with slight changes to his appearance.
His bones became even more prominent and immaculate in appearance as a new shining sheen began to cover them. His eye sockets, which seemed to previously hold only his flaming red glowing eyes inside them, now seemingly becoming closer to in appearance to that of a red black hole (a red hole if you will) that seemed to suck in all manner of light, exuding utter confidence and regality while seemingly providing an endless source of torment for his enemies.
Atop his head, a crown of gold and violet laid atop his head and below his hood, its frontal appearance being visible atop Momonga's skull, with its shiny mix between gold and purple complementing the Undead's current appearance greatly. And his dark halo that usually laid behind his head, grew in size and was now slowly rotating behind his head, instead of staying stationary as it always had been.
Suffice to say, using the in-game camera feature to look at the changes in his appearance, Momonga was happy for it not giving him a complete overhaul of his original design, which he could admit without shame that he grew extremely fond of.
Yet when he looked at his new stats, his skeletal jaw nearly dropped in Yggdrasil, while it already did IRL. The entirety of his stats have doubled in size, and his original level of 100 became 150 well. With several unfamiliar levels, both in the racial and job categories taking advantage of his new levels.
'Wha… Isn't this too much?! Was this how that former champion was able to defeat so many Players before!?'
Ainz could only look at the devs in shock, his voice cracking as he attempted to formulate a question in regards to this situation, as most of them began to sport shit-eating grins at his bafflement. With some even laughing at his reaction with tears in their eyes, the dev in the middle of the group was no exception.
After calming themselves down, the dev began speaking once again.
"It's a surprise, ain't it? But it's honestly fitting for us, lore-wise and gameplay-wise that the one who defeated THE Devourer gets such a massive boost in their stats, and besides, aside from the World Item, and the usual gold and exp we would give you, there was one more reward we have to give you."
It was at this moment that a shiver began crawling up Momonga's spine as he witnessed the shitty devs' smiles begin morphing into more wicked smiles, filled with mischief. And soon he would come to understand why.
This time, the cloud of pixels took over the Devourer's body, before morphing in various shapes that faintly resembled the silhouettes of beings from other races; a angel, an elf, a brain-eater, then a wyrm, an undead, a nephilim…
This continued for a few more seconds before the cloud finally settled on the shape of a human and began dissolving leaving behind a female NPC in its stead, and the being was anything but human.
The inanimate being sported large white draconic wings on her back that seemed to contrast with the rest of her appearance. Her skin was smooth and freeWhich consists of long heterochromia hair of a mix of white on the left side and black on the right side, and heterochromia sharp eyes of a scarlet-red and an ocean-blue respectively with slit-like irises.
Her ears weren't as long as that of an elf, but were fairly long and pointy, with her small sharp nose, her mouth displayed small smile displaying utter arrogance and complete confidence in herself. And her large white horns that sprouted from the front sides of her head and grew towards the back of her head was clear proof of her draconic heritage, coupled with the sleek white tail sprouting from her back, none would be considered at fault for believing her to be a dragonoid rather than a true dragon. Her entire visage and dragon-like traits seemed to accentuate her prideful aura and superiority over others.
She was clothed in an intricate set of a battle dress that resembled that crafted by Norse blacksmiths. Her chest plate consists of nine metal pieces of a silver-color layered upon one another. With each piece engraved upon it differing displays of the nine different realms of Yggdrasil.
A sash made of a mystical purple cloth adorned large round golden pieces resembling that of shields wielded by the Valkyries Momonga once fought. Below the waist, was a skirt-like purple piece open on the front with robe-like pants of similar color worn below the skirt piece. On her arms were gauntlets made from the same silver metal as the chestplate mixed with purple leather protrusions for the fingers, perfect for mobility and defense.
Finally, her large deep-purple cape flowing to her feet and was furnished with snow-white wool on the rims. The back of the cape was adorned with a nordic engraving representing the World Tree emblazoned using gold-like thread.
Overall, the being in front of him, even without knowing her skills, exuded pure confidence and primal strength. But considering the animation that involved the corpse of the World Eater which gave rise to this woman, he had already understood who was standing in front of him.
"Is this… the Devourer of the Nine Worlds?" Momonga asked incredulously.
Chuckles and giggles came from the other side of the screen as the dev seated in the middle answered again. "Yep, or to be more precise, she was the placeholder and the alpha version of the Devourer. But after many discussions and arguments she along with the realm she would have resided in were scrapped and the massive dragon was implemented instead. This was a better fit for us since while both are dragons, but being known as the Devourer of Worlds was way cooler than our initial idea of her just being the Conqueror of Worlds and a simple run-of-the-mill World Enemy you can find in a stylish dungeon."
Momonga was both awed by the explanation and appreciative by the fact that he was given a tidbit of what goes behind the scenes in Yggdrasil's development (though he would never admit to his friends that he ever held at any point in time any positive feelings towards the shitty devs).
"But… why are you showing her to me?" Momonga's voice was filled with confusion as he continued staring at the NPC, absentmindedly thinking in the meanwhile, 'Huh, wonder how many data crystals we would've had to use to create someone of her caliber if she was an NPC of Nazarick?'
The man replied with a chipper tone. "Isn't it obvious, we're giving her to you!"
Momonga only gave a small 'huh' before what the man said registered in his mind and he gave a more sensible reaction.
"Eeehhh?! What do you mean giving her to me!? I can't accept something like this! This is way too much!"
The devs collectively laughed at his response with some even shedding a few tears from the excess laughter, that even the dev in the middle who used to showcase more mild reactions in comparison to his colleagues was in the same boat as well.
A few moments of laughter later, much to Momonga's embarrassment and mild irritation, a dev responded to him, this time, it wasn't the one seated in the middle.
"Trust us, in any other situation, this wouldn't have crossed our minds. But let's be honest, Yggdrasil isn't going to shut down permanently and she would've been thrown in the bin either way. Besides, it's not as if she is as strong as the actual Devourer, we did, however, alter her lore and stats a bit to make it seem as if she was the Devourer but is now weakened after being put under servitude following her defeat. so it's both a good reward for you for the remaining time till the shutdown at midnight and we can see that our hard work in creating her wouldn't go down the drain in the end. So it's a win-win situation, wouldn't you agree?"
Momonga slowly nodded after a moment of contemplation. It's true, Yggdrasil is going to shut down today, so it's not as if anything bad could happen either way, right?
"Besides, we haven't even shown you the main prize yet~" The dev spoke in a mischievous sing-song tone, with the rest snickering in the background, much to Momonga's dismay.
"There's more?!"
"Yep, but don't worry, I would say this is what you would love the most from what we gave you. Just don't tell anyone we gave you a leak before the official announcement"
Before the player could question the man's last statement. A window opened in front of Momonga with an article written on it, and from the title alone, the man-behind-the-avatar nearly screamed with joy as he began reading it intently.
"Yggdrasil 2! Coming in early 2141!"
"After the shutdown of Yggdrasil in 2138, many players have become dismayed by the departure of the game that has lasted a dozen years. However, the developer team behind the famous game have announced a sequel to the popular game with massive modifications and additions to the game to once again allow the title to topple the charts of the gaming industry once more.
When in an interview with one of the minds behind the popular game, he stated…"
As Momonga read on and on, he almost shed tears from happiness, so much so, that if he wasn't connected to the NNI right now, he would be jumping with joy at this announcement. Several moments later of him fangirling over this, he coughed to calm himself slightly and gave a deep bow of gratitude while uttering a few words of appreciation for the favor the devs gave him.
The dev in the far right of the screen, who Momonga recognized to be the one in the interview, spoke. "It's a sweet reward, isn't it? We know that guys like you who took the time to stay in Yggdrasil till it's dying breath would probably love this news, so we all agreed that giving you the best for last, which is this, was the best possible way to commemorate the craziest thing done in the game. After all, what's a more fitting way to announce the 'Beginning of a New Era' than by informing the being who slayed the destroyer of the old one?"
Momonga could only nod in appreciation towards them, both for the news, and for the little tidbit of lore the dev, intentionally or unintentionally, just gave the player in the end. "Thank you all, as much as you guys proved to be a bunch of sadistic jerks throughout the entire game, guess you aren't that bad after all."
The team behind the screen laughed at his bold words, with some even shouting phrases like "You got that right!" in the back.
"Well, I guess that's that. Once again, congratulations Player Momonga for single handedly defeating the Devourer of the Nine Worlds. And we hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."
The devs waved goodbye to the player on the screen, before he too waved awkwardly back to the animated group of crazy folks who both annoyed him to no end during Yggdrasil's golden years and just gave him the best possible news since his promotion at work.
Momonga looked towards his own hands, now with more intricate finger bones than before, before setting his eyes on the NPC he was just given and then to the clock.
23:51:45
'Huh, not even 10 minutes left to bask in the glory of what I just accomplished' Momonga chuckled sadly at this thought, but he didn't even stay dismayed for long as he began to daydream of the new sequel, who knows, regardless of how slime the chance perhaps he could chance upon his friends again in Yggdrasil 2?
23:59:56
'It's been fun…'
23:59:57
'In fact…'
23:59:58
'It's been a blast…'
23:59:59
00:00:00
...…
00:00:01
00:00:02
'Huh?'
Momonga opened his eyes as he didn't feel the effects of the forced logout, only to find himself in an instead entirely different environment.
'Did they delay the shutdown?'
He began to look at his surroundings in hopes of finding any significant landmark to help assist him pinpoint where he may be exactly. Only to find that he was on a simple small beach with a magnificent view of the ocean coupled with a massive cliff casting down a large shadow over the entire place.
"I don't recall ever being here before…" Momonga recalled to himself as he folded his hands while looking around once more.
"Me neither, then again, it's not as if I would be personally acquainted with every pathetic place in a world I intend to devour." A beautiful female voice filled with both haughtiness and confidence sounded from behind him, which caused the undead Player to immediately turn towards the source.
And to his surprise, it was none other than the NPC he was just gifted, Nidhoggr.
"Eh?"
"What?"
"...Eeeehhhh!?!?"
———————————————————
Name: Momonga
Epithet: The Strongest Magic Caster With the Appearance Of A Skeleton
Job:
One of the Almighty 41 Supreme Beings
Undead Traveler
Residence: None
Alignment: Extreme Evil
Sense of Justice: -500
Total Level: 150
Racial Level:
Skeleton Mage Level 15
Elder Lich Level 10
Overlord Level 5
Elder Overlord Level 5
Death God Level 5
Others (15)
Job Level:
Necromancer Level 15
Dark Priest Level 15
Master of Death Level 10
Wicked Archbishop Level 10
Eclipse Level 5
Undead Pope Level 5
World Enemy Level 5
Others (30)
Approximate Status:
HP: Exceeds Limit (120)
MP: Exceeds Limit (€R®0r)
PHY. ATK.: 70
PHY. DEF.: Exceeds Limit (140)
AGILITY: 85
MAG.ATK.: Exceeds Limit (185)
MAG.DEF.: Exceeds Limit (190)
RESISTANCE: Exceeds Limit (190)
SPCL.ABTY.: Exceeds Limit (200)
———————————————————
Name: Nidhoggr
Epithet: The Devourer Of The Nine Worlds
Job:
Leader of World Enemies
Momonga's Subordinate
Draconic Traveler
Residence: None
Alignment: True Neutral
Sense of Justice: 0
Total Level: 180 (Weakened)
Racial Level:
Juvenile Dragon Level 15
Adult Dragon Level 10
Ancient Dragon Level 5
Dragon King Level 5
Dragon God Level 5
Others (40)
Job Level:
Brawler Level 15
Mage Level 15
Berserker Level 10
Elder Mage Level 10
War Wizard Level 5
World Devourer Level 5
World Enemy Level 5
Others (35)
Approximate Status:
HP: Exceeds Limit (€R®0r)
MP: Exceeds Limit (130)
PHY. ATK.: Exceeds Limit (€R®0r)
PHY. DEF.: Exceeds Limit (€R®0r)
AGILITY: Exceeds Limit (€R®0r)
MAG.ATK.: Exceeds Limit (110)
MAG.DEF.: Exceeds Limit (€R®0r)
RESISTANCE: Exceeds Limit (200)
SPCL.ABTY.: Exceeds Limit (200)
———————————————————
An Excerpt from "The Rebirth of the Ash Tree":
It was said that when the World Tree was in its final stage of life before it prepared the inevitable rebirth, the Devourer of Worlds, the one who has taken it upon its shoulders to devour the source of life for its own gluttonous desire. Only one being stood against this grand tyrant, who was a tyrant of his own right. The Lord of Abominations, Momonga, Leader of the Ainz Ooal Gown and Master of the Tomb of Horrors stood against the treasonous dragon who sought to destroy all life.
Though for reasons unknown till this day, the Undead King, regardless of his goals at that time, became the sole hope of Yggdrasil, facing against the might of the Eater on his lonesome.
The battle that ensued was legendary, as blades of mana crossed with draconic claws, beams of endless light clashing against rays of abyssal darkness, and barriers were erected that contended with the indomitable scales of the Nidhoggr.
In the end of this clash between Primordial forces, the Undead Lord rose victorious against the Dragon, and so, the entirety of Yggdrasil cheered for the demise of it's oldest nightmare.
Yet, for reasons unknown, both the defeated dragon and the Lord of Ainz Ooal Gown disappeared post-fight. Some, who despised the undead sorcerer cheered for his presumed demise, while many wept for the loss of their savior.
In the end, Yggdrasil stood tall till the day of its rebirth and our ancestors who have witnessed the epic clash between the two monsters gave a toast in honor of the being of the one who saved them all from the Devourer's machinations, Momonga…