Shalltear Bloodfallen desperately savored the remnants of excitement and pleasure that still tingled throughout her body. The initial spike of sudden, inexplicable emotion had worn off some time ago, but the faint memory of that moment of elation in a sea of despair remained imprinted upon her very flesh and blood.

Shalltear narrowed her scarlet eyes in concentration as she wondered just how much time had passed since that pulsing rapture coursed through her.

After all these years confined inside this forsaken chamber, her very perception of time had long become warped and defunct. The days, weeks and months blended together; the ticking of her inner clock fading away under the symphony of her rage and despair until finally, even that was no more.

But something happened not so long ago; an infusion of sensations had awakened her from her growing numbness. And as the myriad of emotions struck her like a flash of lightning, she thought she could sense just a sliver of the Supreme One's presence.

That faint spark of familiarity rekindled the ashen remains of Shalltear's broken heart for a brief moment, but it had dispersed far too soon. Before she could dare to dream of its implications, the feeling had fizzled away, leaving her with naught but the slight tingle of that fleeting bliss.

But it was enough. Shalltear smiled in exaltation as she continued relishing the faint caress of her Master's spectral presence-she had been reminded once more the purpose of her existence.

Ainz-sama…..

"Looking a little more lively than usual, I see."

Shalltear's blood red pupils dilated in anger as a sudden voice cut into her silent delectation, and she snapped her gaze towards the sound of the icy drawl. The speaker's position was shrouded in the shadow of the unlit chamber, but Shalltear's undead vision bore straight into him, undeterred by the darkness between them.

Her eyes locked upon a tall, thin man that looked to be in his fifties or sixties, draped in a simple robe of midnight blue. His long, straight hair and beard retained an unnaturally dark shade of red despite his age, complemented by a pair of stormy grey eyes devoid of warmth.

"What do you want?" she snapped, a dangerous glimmer in her ruby eyes. "Can't I have at least this one moment to myself, or are you craving the same fate as your pathetic subordinates?"

.......

The Jailer did not immediately respond as he swept his gaze across the chamber. Over a hundred skeletons and corpses were strewn across the room, impaled upon the walls and tiles in an almost ritualistic pattern. Dried blood and bits of gore lay splattered all over the floor to form a twisted mural of violence and desecration.

The Jailer still recalled the first year following the Great Vanquishing, when the immobile bodies of the Imprisoned Trio were being transported to their respective locations of confinement. Each member of the Trio had been moved using a different method, and he had personally overseen the Blood Valkyrie's relocation. Back then, they had simply loaded the body into a crate, and carefully transported it over the span of a year to the abandoned prison complex of the ruined Argland Council State.

Occasionally, the Blood Valkyrie's counterattack response would be triggered by accident, resulting in numerous casualties, but the process remained relatively smooth throughout. In due time, they reached their destination and began reinforcing and enhancing the stronghold in the hopes of preparing a permanent prison for the lifeless vampire.

But little did they know that the Sorcerer King's champions would not remain completely inert forever. In time, the Blood Valkyrie awakened, and her mental faculties began to return.

The passive statue they had been working with for months quickly regained all of its cruel thoughts and unfathomable ability. While the vampire still could not attack or move at will, it became far, far more dangerous to work with.

The Blood Valkyrie utilised her unholy presence and speech to evoke terror and hatred from the soldiers around her, knowing that the subconscious release of killing intent from the humans would immediately trigger her counterattack response. Unlike with her prior state, where she would simply eliminate the target in a single blow before returning to her position, she now had her consciousness intact as she went about her dreadful killing sprees.

In the event of these "accidents," the vampire would do her utter best to prolong her limited freedom. She would draw out the deaths of every man or woman she could get her hands on, relishing in their agony before impaling the humans in a twisted display of her power. These outbreaks of violence occurred intermittently enough to drastically hamper the progress of the operation, and it would take several years and countless deaths before the Blood Valkyrie was finally taken to the heart of the labyrinthian prison.

A unit of several dozen elite soldiers had initially been stationed in the complex to monitor the Blood Valkyrie and renew the enchantments in her chamber. However, even that effort had been abandoned several decades ago as the Blood Valkyrie found ways to pick them off one by one, their mutilated corpses impaled upon the walls as a final testament to their painful sacrifice.

Now, aside from the occasional visit by members of the Black Scripture, only the Jailer remained to stand watch over the Blood Valkyrie. With no more human victims upon which to unleash her vengeful wrath, the vampire gradually slipped back into a state of dormancy.

The Jailer had hoped that over time, the Blood Valkyrie would eventually return to how she had once been in the first year following the Great Vanquishing-a rigid and mindless body.

However, when his gaze finally met the fervent light of the vampire's bewitching eyes, he realised that pure evil would not be extinguished so easily. Something had rekindled her faltering spirit.

But...what could have done such a thing?

A deep worry pricked at him from the back of his mind, but the Jailer maintained a veneer of calm as he finally responded:

"My emotions are not so fickle as to fall victim to the woes of your profane presence. You pose no threat to me in your current state."

"If that is the case," the Blood Valkyrie sneered, "Why don't you come a bit closer-arinsu?"

The Jailer ignored the vampire's taunting words. He had lived for far too long to be one prone to taking unnecessary risks.

"To what do you owe your sudden change in disposition?" he asked in the same monotone drawl, "You seem to have regained some of your earlier...flair."

"That should be obvious, no? I am simply reveling in the glorious memory of my Master. What other stimulation would I need, besides the thrill of anticipation towards Lord Ainz's return?"

The Jailer's brows creased in suspicion as he carefully took in the vampire's words. There had to be more to her sudden excitation than the mundane explanation she had just provided. Was she simply being coy? Or was there something she was trying to conceal?

He decided to prod further:

"Why do you continue to hold on to your deluded faith in the Sorcerer King? He has been cast away from this very plane of existence, and the Extra Seat has grasped his Staff in her hands and brought you and your ilk to your knees. The Sorcerer Kingdom has fallen; your supremacy shattered by the legacy of our gods."

The Blood Valkyrie's eyes flashed with annoyance, and she bared her fangs into an impatient scowl.

"Eh? Is that really what you've been told? You've witnessed my power with your own two eyes; do you really still believe that ridiculous tale?"

The Jailer kept silent at the vampire's rebuke, but that moment of hesitation was all the vampire needed. A hint of contemptuous understanding slithered into her scarlet gaze, and she pressed on with her words.

"Oh, or perhaps you're not so sure yourself?" she mused, her voice dripping with mockery. "You've come here looking for answers, wondering if you've been cast out and deceived."

"You poor thing." she added with a sarcastic pout. "Stuck here with me, growing all the more irrelevant by the day."

"You are sorely mistaken.." the Jailer coldly replied, "My task is to serve Lord Surshana in whatever is required for the continuation of his heritage. If that means my role is to watch over you for the ages to come, then so be it. Your scheming words have no effect on me."

The Blood Valkyrie curled her pale, perfect lips in distaste. "Scheming? Don't lump me in with that overbearing gorilla. I prefer a more...direct approach. No, I am merely pointing out what is clearly apparent in my intuition."

"Besides, your blathering obsession with that pretender god is just painful to listen to. Pure, unquestionable subservience is a creed I share myself, but your faith is sorely misguided. The God of Death….that title has already been claimed."

Even the Jailer's natural impassivity could not prevent the faint stirrings of anger as he heard the vampire's casual slandering of his God. The implication that there was any similarity at all between them only added to his indignation.

"Our Theocracy stands stronger than ever-a testament to the continued grace of the Six Great Gods." he countered. "If anyone is a pretender, it is your Sorcerer King. Despite all his strength and supposed wisdom, did he not fall like all the other inhuman forces that dare to tread upon our blessed nation? You have stood in helpless defeat for a hundred years, and yet you call me misguided?"

"You put on a brazen facade," he continued "but I can sense the doubt and fear in your words. You are not truly certain that your King will return, and that gnawing doubt torments you day and night. You grapple with the possibility that your very purpose of existence has disappeared forever, but you cannot be sure, and that tiny hope is both your salvation and your suffering."

"Tell me, Shalltear Bloodfallen, how many more years can you really wait? Another century? Millenia? How long until your mind unravels, when you realise he is either gone forever or has forgotten you?"

An extended hush fell between them. Not a single gust of wind, nor the dripping of water could be heard in the silence of the labyrinth as the Blood Valkyrie's features froze at the sound of those words-before contorting into something indescribably monstrous.

A tremble resonated across her body, causing her crimson armor to shudder in place, and the temperature of the very chamber seemed to drop inexplicably during the few creeping moments that ensued. The Jailer recoiled slightly as he saw the very air around the stationary vampire blur and distort, as if some extreme pressure was clashing against the very laws of the world.

In the span of that unspeakable moment, the Jailer wondered if he had just committed a terrible mistake.

A second later however, the Blood Valkyrie returned to normal. Her body regained its still, tireless stance, and a neutral expression reemerged upon her immaculate face.

And yet something had changed.

The Jailer's previous statements had not been a bluff; he had indeed sensed those very doubts and fears deep within the Vampire. In fact, he had very quickly caught onto them, for he himself had struggled with that same inner crisis for so many years.

But as the vampire began to speak again in that calm, captivating tone that could capture the heart of any man, the Jailer could sense naught but a resolve of unwavering steel-lined with the hint of tempered rage.

"A long time ago, your words might have had more of an effect than I would care to admit. But I am no longer the same, insecure little vampire from the distant past. Time and time again I have proven myself to my liege, and He has in turn recognised me as his most valued enforcer. My Lance has tasted the blood of upstart dragons and false gods in his name, and he chose me to fight alongside him-to crush the greatest foes this World had deemed fit to pit against us."

"He will never forget me. And for as long as I exist in this World, I shall never stop waiting for him."

The Blood Valkyrie's eyes glowed with a calculated fury, her voice lowering to an icy whisper:

'You might be able to conceal your true nature from those soldiers that you worked with to "imprison" me, but I can see right through it. Your very existence is one of pitiful irony."

"When Lord Ainz returns at last and these invisible bonds around me shatter under His will, you shall be my first prize to him. For those words of scorn you have uttered against My Master, I will drag you by your worthless skull before his glorious presence, where he will dominate your mind and turn you against the very people you have sworn to protect. The First Follower of Surshana shall become but another nameless minion under the great banner of Ainz Ooal Gown, marching across the sundered ruins of the Slane Theocracy."

The Jailer narrowed his eyes wordlessly towards the vampire. A slight shimmer rippled across his body, and for a fraction of a second, the hint of something dark and inhuman flickered into existence beneath his human visage.

And yet, the Vampire did not so much as blink in response to his unsettling display, staring back at him with the same mirthless scarlet eyes. The Jailer felt his fists clench and unclench before he finally turned and walked away, his footsteps making no sound upon the stone tiles as he disappeared into the darkness.

Within the Inner Sanctum of the Central Temple, the most important individuals within the Slane Theocracy held Council upon a round table.

First was the Supreme Chancellor, Zesshi Zetsumei, who held consummate symbolic and declarative authority over all workings under the blessed nation.

Second was the Pontifex Maximus, Hathor Oribos Carim, who served as the right hand to the Holy Throne, the medium between the First and the Rest.

Next were the Six Cardinals, the highest appointed representatives of their respective sects of the Six Great Gods.

The Cardinal of Fire-Akantus Kal Enoch, a hunched, wiry old man with eyes that glowed with equal parts ferocity and warmth.

The Cardinal of Water-Kohana Quarius Lavine, a short, squat old woman with a seemingly permanent look of grouchiness etched upon her dark skinned features.

The Cardinal of Wind-Vernici Prix Eraxis, a spectacled man with a scholarly disposition who carried himself with a casual air.

The Cardinal of Earth-Brachus Tirius Werdum, a tall, broad figured man in his fifties with an immovable presence that had not diminished with age.

The Cardinal of Light-Hyperius Oros Iridix, a middle-aged man with striking blue eyes that glowed with a charming, enigmatic energy.

The Cardinal of Darkness-Irisia Kiv Jovarus, a stone-faced woman of icy temperament with unsettling eyes of obsidian black.

And then there were the three respective Heads of the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branches of the Theocracy's government. Followed by the Grand Marshal, who commanded the Theocracy's army on the Supreme Chancellor's behalf.

One seat, however, remained vacant-the thirteenth seat of the Head Researcher.

"Then, let us begin this meeting."

Zesshi Zetsumei's cold voice of authority rang throughout the sacred room, and the Supreme Council officially commenced.

"I believe you've all been briefed beforehand on the demise of the Dragon Kingdom and the abnormally powerful Lich that was encountered there? Our first agenda will be to discuss the nature of these discoveries and how we should appropriately respond."

Several faces around the table turned grim. The sheer scale of such a calamity was almost unthinkable, and the implications of this event were enormous-especially considering the precedent of the Sorcerer King. The wounds of the massive war from one hundred years ago had only just been mended, and now yet another mysterious threat loomed around the corner.

"Has it been confirmed that the Lich was the direct culprit behind all those deaths?" asked the Cardinal of Earth. "Speculation regarding the Dragon Queen's access to Wild Magic has been circulating for generations. Wouldn't it be more likely for her to have unleashed her trump card in a suicidal counterattack, and the Lich was simply drawn to the presence of Death?"

Zesshi nodded her head towards the Pontifex Maximus, who responded in her stead:

"According to the Illusionist's report, the Lich directly claims to be responsible for two million deaths. This lines up with the approximate total population of the Dragon Kingdom, if we are to factor in the numbers of the invading beastmen. Of course, we have no way of knowing if this Lich was telling the truth, but it doesn't seem too unreasonable an assumption to make."

"It sounds plausible." commented the Cardinal of Wind. ""There have been records of similar mass sacrifices coinciding with the birth of powerful undead monstrosities. I also recall a powerful artifact being mentioned in the briefing-likely the catalyst needed to invoke power on such a scale. When the Argland Council State was destroyed, many of their treasures were scattered to the wind. The Lich might have gotten its hands on one of them."

Seated besides the Cardinal of Wind, the Cardinal of Water nodded in agreement with her colleague as she expounded:

"Ever since Zuranon was rumored to have joined forces with the Sorcerer Kingdom all those years ago, there has been little to no word of their sort of undead apotheosis sounds exactly like what they've been scheming to do throughout the centuries. With the fall of the Sorcerer Kingdom, they might very well have cut their ties and went into hiding with their newly acquired knowledge and resources. Perhaps this is their way of marking their resurgence-a show of power, if you will."

Several heads among the table nodded thoughtfully at the premise, and some of the tension lifted from the room. The name of Zuranon grounded the scope of the matter considerably. The Lich was no doubt powerful, but at least now they had a familiar place to start. If all those deaths were simply a product of a magic object and not individual power, that was all the more reassuring.

"The timing of this seems awfully convenient…" murmured the Cardinal of Light, just loud enough for all present to hear. "We've had malicious rumors sprout suddenly amidst the populace only days ago, and now a crisis emerges in the Dragon Kingdom. Even if Zuranon was truly the culprit, could they really have accomplished such a powerful ritual by themselves?"

"What exactly are you implying?" inquired the Pontifex with a furrowed brow.

"The sudden reorganisation and mobilisation of the beastmen tribes several decades ago has always been a bit of a mystery. Scattered and cowed as they were, how did they suddenly find the unity and resolve to invade the lands from which they were driven out in such a horrific manner?"

"I see nothing bizarre about it at all." scoffed the Cardinal of Water in disdain. "The beastmen are monstrous savages; it is hunger and bloodlust that drives them, not logic. I doubt they would even remember the woes of their past generation."

But the Cardinal of Light shook his head. "While those fiends are no doubt inferior to humanity, they are not mindless brutes. Their instincts are keen, and they do not easily forget. As Overseer of the newly reformed Sunlight Scripture, I am more familiar with demihuman spawn than anyone else here. For such an invasion to occur, a powerful Lord class individual must have risen up within their ranks and pushed them towards a new purpose."

"And yet, we know for a fact that the Sorcerer King purged all of the "problematic" beastmen during his reign. Based on the knowledge we've amassed from centuries of demihuman extermination, we know that weakened bloodlines take centuries just to regain strength, so how could a chieftain of such calibre arise so rapidly? If we had more time, I would have liked to send my freshly trained squadron to investigate the Beastmen Country, but I suppose that is no longer possible…."

"Gah, stop talking in circles, Cardinal Iridix. What point are you trying to make? Don't tell me you went through all that just to request extra funding for the Sunlight Scripture."

The Cardinal of Light smiled apologetically at the Grand Marshal's impatient words.

"No, not quite. I just wanted to point out an observation, that's all." he calmly explained. "Especially when there are so many things to consider. Why did the beastmen start attacking again? Did this Lich intentionally draw the beastmen in for its ritual, or was it just an opportunist taking advantage of the conflict? Is Zuranon really the culprit? Or perhaps…."

Hyperius's blue eyes twinkled with a mysterious light as he gave a brief, dramatic pause before finally continuing:

"...there is a Cult behind the Cult? The puzzling appearance of this Lich and its ritual echo a familiar pattern of calculated behavior. Just apparent enough to attract suspicion, but never so visible as to provide some avenue for retaliation. Yet again, we arrive at a crossroads of possibilities-but it is only an illusion. As I see it, all roads lead to the Deathless."

As the last word escaped his lips, several exasperated sighs could be heard around the council, with a few of the members actively scowling in annoyance.

"I thought we already settled this obsession of yours, Cardinal." responded the Pontifex with a tired grimace.

The Cardinal of Light shrugged. "A dire situation has arisen, and I see no better time to reinforce my point. I have stated this time and time again: the Cult of the Deathless is our greatest foe, and must be stamped out at all cost."

"Our current policies are far too complacent." he continued. "Sending spies is not enough-we need to occupy the Empire and the New Kingdom until any and all traces of those fanatics have been uprooted. This is the only way to ensure that our blessed nation can prosper for the years to come."

The last of his words rang with a heightened dramatism, but many faces amidst the council appeared unconvinced.

"As brilliant as you are, Cardinal Iridix, I do not think you realise the level of manpower and expenditure that your suggestions entail." the Cardinal of Wind curtly replied.

"Weak as they are compared to us, the Empire and the New Kingdom cover huge swathes of land. To occupy and weed out the deeply entrenched influences of the Cult is a process that would take decades, with no guarantee of success. The Deathless are as ruthless as they are elusive; they will have no qualms turning those nations into scorched playgrounds of guerilla warfare. And If things turn bleak, they can simply abandon those locations to set up shop in some other god forsaken place."

"Besides, as they are now, the Deathless are little more than vermin squirming beneath the surface of civilization. They can play their petty little games, but they do not have the power to directly challenge the supreme power of Her Holiness. They can only wait and watch in scorn from the shadows, too afraid to meet us in the light."

"For the time being, perhaps." contended the Cardinal of Light. "But as the years go by and their reach and power expand-"

"Aren't we forgetting something?" suddenly snapped the Cardinal of Fire, his hoarse voice thick with a blistering impatience. The Cardinals of Wind and Light ceased their back and forth to gaze quizzically at the shriveled old man.

"Zuranon this, Deathless that….perhaps you have all grown lax in the study of our great history. A hundred years have passed since the Great Vanquishing-does that not ring a bell?"

Realisation suddenly dawned on many of their faces, and the tension in the room returned just as quickly as it had waned.

"The descent of an incredible artifact. The emergence of a powerful being bringing death and destruction. These are all signs of the Hundred Year Cycle….we could very well be dealing with yet another advent of Player activity."

An ominous silence fell upon the council. The implications of such a conjecture were grave indeed. Just as Jaldabaoth and Honyopenyoko had been precursors to the emergence of an unprecedented threat, the appearance of this mysterious Lich could also signify the arrival of yet another entity on a similar scale.

The history of Players may have been kept as a secret from the greater population, but none were as well versed in this forbidden history than the individuals currently present in the sacred room. The pattern the Cardinal of Fire had just described did indeed seem far too uncanny to be mere coincidence.

One by one, the silent gazes of the Council fell upon the Supreme Chancellor herself. They waited for her decree, as if her very Word could affirm the Truth of whichever theory had thus been presented.

If Zesshi Zetsumei had been fazed by any part of the discussion so far, her face did not show it. She had barely reacted to the Cardinals' speculation of the Cults' involvement, and showed little distress over the idea of the Hundred Year Cycle.

Instead, she slouched upon her ivory seat, drumming her slender fingers rhythmically upon the wooden surface of the round table. Her heterochromatic eyes glittered with an indiscernible light, an expressionless mask forming upon her exotic features.

"You've been unusually quiet throughout this discussion, Cardinal Jovarus." she finally murmured in a soft, offhand tone as her piercing gaze snapped suddenly towards the Cardinal of Darkness.

Irisia Kiv Jovarus's lowered her head respectfully before responding:

"Thus far, I do not have anything to add that has not already been stated by my colleagues. As I see it, there is simply not enough information. If the theories suggested thus far prove correct, then I have little doubt that the full picture will present itself soon enough. But until then, there is little we can do besides proceeding with caution."

"Quite the measured response, as expected…." the Supreme Chancellor replied, the drumming of her fingers coming to an abrupt stop.

"Let us put the current matter on hold for a moment to discuss our second agenda."

Hathor, along with the rest of the council, blinked in surprise at the unexpected flux in their meeting.

"But we haven't even-"

Zesshi raised her hand without so much as sparing him a glance, and the Pontifex immediately fell silent.

"You must all be wondering why I have yet to comment on Head Researcher Kareth's absence at this meeting. I regret to announce that he has, in fact, passed away on duty."

Momentary shock and confusion rippled across the room, and a myriad of concerned voices rose in unison:

"What, how did this happen?"

"Did an assassin sneak into our ranks?"

"What of the Staff, is it still secure?

The Supreme Chancellor swept her chilling gaze across the disturbed council to silence them before continuing:

"I found him in the Research Chamber, wracked with some sort of strange mental affliction. Within the span of a mere hour, his body withered and his pulse grew weaker and weaker until he gasped his last dying breath. Incidentally, his condition coincided with a strange commotion connected to the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown."

The dual colors of Zesshi Zetsumei's eyes flashed dangerously as they swiveled towards the Cardinal of Darkness, who wore a rare expression of shock upon her usually taciturn features.

"I recall receiving a report from you not so long ago regarding the status of the Staff. You stated that there were no abnormalities with the object, and that Kareth's mental faculties had been noticeably declining. Perhaps you would like to offer some sort of explanation for this...disparity in observations?"

"I was not aware that such a thing had happened, Your Holiness." Irisia Kiv Jovarus quickly replied. "The Head Researcher demonstrated significant agitation and spoke of ludicrous things that I attributed to hallucinations, which was what led me to question his soundness of mind. When I last inspected the research unit, there did not seem to be any significant changes with the Staff's activity. That report was made with both of these things in mind, and nothing else. I swear to Surshana that this is the Truth."

The Supreme Chancellor's gaze bore into her for several seconds, and a thick, impalpable pressure hung in the air over the council. No one present had ever witnessed Her Holiness inflicting any sort of physical punishment on a subordinate, at least, not in their generation. However, the woman's power was so unfathomably great that the tiniest notion of that possibility struck helpless dread in the hearts of those in vicinity.

For if she did decide to do anything of that sort, there was precious little that any of them could do to stop her.

Thankfully, that tiny, nagging worry did not come to pass, and Zesshi Zetsumei simply looked away to address the rest of the Council.

"In any case, our first two agendas may as well be merged as one. The Staff bloomed with a crimson glow on the same day the red spire of light was reported. A coincidence? I think not."

The council grew even more disturbed upon hearing this. The Executive Head of Government was the first to direct his protest to the Supreme Chancellor, his voice cracking with a barely concealed agitation:

"Y-Your Holiness! Forgive me, but why did you not inform us of this crucial news from the beginning?"

The Supreme Chancellor gave a nonchalant shrug. "I was interested in hearing what you would come up with in the absence of this information, and I was right-your discussion has proven quite fruitful. My intuition tells me that the truth lies at the point where all these ideas intersect."

"So how are we to proceed?" inquired the Pontifex Maximus.

"Have the Earthen Scripture tighten their defensive network over the Immaculate Capital. If those lurking in the shadows refuse to meet us in the open, then I can only force their hand. After all, there is one simple way for me to confirm whether or not the power of Ainz Ooal Gown truly has returned."

The confusion on Hathor's face only deepened at the Supreme Chancellor's words.

"Apologies, Your Holiness, but I'm not sure the rest of us are following…."

Zesshi Zetsumei smiled, a wicked yet beautiful expression that sent chills throughout the council.

"For our next agenda, we shall discuss the arrangement for a great coming event…

….Public Execution."