{The Cathedral of Death, Kami Miyako, several days after Momon’s departure from E-Rantel…}

“I saw them going along the road, north towards one of the ruined Re-Estize cities. They were conversing with one another.” Thousand-Leagues Astrologer with her head in her hands, wearily rubbing her eyes. A nearby table had a crystal ball on top of it.

“Did they have any special equipment that you can see?”

“No, Captain. They left the monster they tamed in the Forest of Tob behind somewhere. They were riding on horseback. I saw no magic items of note. Momon’s equipment was quite well made.”

“It would need to be. He killed the Vampire that killed Kaire-sama and two others, although to kill the Vampire it’s said he used something called a Sealing Crystal.”

“Are they all resurrected by now?”

“Yes, Kaire-sama accompanied us on our mission against the Elemental monster on the border. The Elemental vanished before she could use the Legacy.”

“Ah, I follow. I apologize for not being able to join you. It’s unfitting for a Seat of the Black Scripture to give in to fear. But… if you had seen what I had in that place… You might do the same too. I still have nightmares sometimes. After conversing for some time, they went off the road. They were making camp for the night. The woman stepped outside the tent for a moment, with a scroll, and then went back in. A few seconds later, the tent vanished.”

“Where could they have gone?”

“I don’t know if they’ve gone anywhere, Captain. They might have used a spell to block scrying.”

“The Sorcerer King said that he was responsible for the death of the Miko Princess of Earth, when she was scrying the Sunlight Scripture’s operations.”

“Captain… I think this Sorcerer King is something beyond what we can handle. I saw his power in magic. It was enough mana to make the Imperial look like a novice magic caster. The intelligence reports say he went toe-to-toe with a Dragon Lord. I don’t want to mistrust the Gods, but I simply can’t guarantee that we can beat him.”

“Maybe we’re not meant to. The undead doesn’t know about Certain Death.”

{Camareaux, the northernmost city of the Theocracy…}

Eugene stood watch from the gatehouse of the city. The less fit soldiers were always relegated to guard duty. He didn’t mind. He was still doing his bit for God and Country. The pay didn’t hurt either. It was double his usual income working as an accountant. He might be able to afford a new house soon with the duty pay and the dowry from his upcoming wedding with Marie. He set his lamp atop one of the crenellations, looking out in the dark. Just a few more hours, and he’d be able to crawl under his sheets. It was rather chilly out. He saw something. Two figures were walking down the road. One tall, dark, and armored, and the other, much shorter, unarmored, wearing a cloak. The two strangers approached on foot. Eugene quickly loaded his crossbow. He looked over the crenellations, and called out to the newcomers.

“Turn around and leave. Entrance to the city is prohibited after dusk, due to the war. If you wish for entrance, return at dawn.”

“Thank you, but we’re not here to enter. We’re here to send a message. I am Momon of Darkness, and this is my companion, Nabe of the same.” Momon of Darkness? The warrior who fought with vampires and demons? He’s here?

“W-what message shall I relay for you, M-Momon… -sama?”

“Send word to your Cardinals in the capital that Darkness will lay waste to this diocese, starting tomorrow. Everything, from this city to the smallest hamlet will be destroyed, unless anyone can beat me and Nabe. Tell me. What village are you from? Or are you from the city?”

Eugene looked around. No other guards were nearby to help him. Not that they could, anyway. “No! Please! I’ll send the message! Please just spare them, I’ll- I’ll send the message!”

“What village? And where?”

“Why are you-”

“Tell me the village. Now. Or I will personally slay every single person in every single village in this surrounding area.”

Eugene gulped. His family, his fiancée, everything…

“Font du Ouest, two miles to the west from here. A stream runs on the east side of the city. There is a marble fountain in its center. No other village has such a fountain.”

“A wise choice. I was going to head that way first if you didn’t agree to take the message. Now listen. I will know if you are lying to me, so do not think about double-crossing me, or sending word ahead to other villages. Remember. We are always watching.” The knight and the spellcaster turned, walking away.

Eugene was off, running like mad, stifling his tears.

{Inner Sanctum, Basilica of the Six, Kami Miyako, two days later…}

“So this Sorcerer King wants to exterminate us, one village at a time, using his Black Knight as the weapon.”

“Should we send the Scriptures?”

“We need all our strength to protect Kami Miyako. The Sorcerer King has shown that he can appear wherever he wants.”

“You mean the protect the Treasury.”

“The people here are our prior-“

“Don’t lie to us, Dominic. You lied to us about the Draconic Kingdom. You knew all along that it would be a violent takeover, and it was. 30,000 citizens of that realm died because of your plan, and thousands of our brave soldiers perished for your little plan. You’re lying to me now, even. You only care about the Holy Legacies, not the people they were intended to protect! Now, if ever, is the perfect time to protect the common people, to beat down the Sorcerer King’s minions, publicly! If we can do that, it will give our people the hope they need to fight on!”

“But what about here, Cardinal Lauransan? The Sorcerer King appeared here with all his slaves on a whim, undetected! He could appear right now, with an army of undead. For all we know, he could have infiltrators in our midst already. I propose we completely lockdown Kami Miyako. No one in, no one out. The Sorcerer King has many kinds of minions, which gives him a huge advantage over us, as we are only humans. He could very well have shapeshifters in our midst already.”

“Cardinal Partouche is right. It’s also possible some of us have been replaced by doppelganger spies. I will cast the [Moonlight] spell on this whole room. Even if the shapeshifters resist the damage, there should be some sort of obvious reaction. [Widen Magic – Moonlight].” The room shimmered in silver light momentarily, before returning to normal. Nothing changed.

“It seems we are all human. A good move, Berenice. As long as we stay here, we should be safe from infiltration.”

“While we do, we should send one of the Scriptures north to deal with Darkness. Yvon, what if we merged your reformed Scripture with Maximillian’s, and sent them both north?”

“I think the Black Scripture would be enough. My Scripture is in no fighting condition right now, with only seventeen 3rd tier casters. Would the Black Scripture use any Legacies?”

“The Third.”

“Ah… I see your plan, Ginedine. You want to take control of Momon... Where will we send him once he’s under our control? E-Rantel? Arwintar? The Dragon Kingdom?”

“Actually, Dominic, I was thinking we could bring him back here, and use him as a hostage. He’d pose no threat to us since he’d be under our control, so we could use him as leverage over the Sorcerer King.”

“Do you think the Sorcerer King considers Momon a worthy bargaining chip?”

“I would think so, Maximillian. The Windflower Scripture’s intelligence reports indicated that Darkness is the key to public order in E-Rantel, the largest city directly ruled by the undead. Even after four and half years of them, the people still fear dealing with the undead’s minions, so Momon serves as their liaison to the Sorcerer King. Ginedine, this idea is perfect. We take control of Momon, send an ultimatum to the undead, promising Momon’s safety in return for peace, and if possible, a hundred-year non-aggression pact. If he fails to acquiesce, we kill Momon, and send a hand or his head back to E-Rantel. Only one of those. We don’t need them resurrecting him.”

“A hundred-year peace? Would the undead even agree to such terms?”

“Unless he doesn’t mind dealing with both an exterior war and interior unrest, as well as the loss of a powerful asset like Momon. Turning such a peace down would be to his loss.”

{A ruined village, northern Slane Theocracy, several days later…}

The smoke billowed up to the sky, bringing the reek of burned flesh and hair with it. The fires had long ago died down. The Captain of the Black Scripture poked at a fallen, scorched beam with the ferrel of his spear. The beam broke where he tapped it, rendered fragile by the fire. He turned.

“Quintia-san… any survivors?”

“None, sir. They were either electrocuted by magic, burned with the resulting fire, or cut down by the sword, every man, woman, and child.”

“I thought Momon respected human life more than this.”

“I wonder if he was coerced by the undead. None of those cut down seem to have died overly painful deaths.”

“We don’t have time to wonder or guess, Quintia-san. We have to track down these killers, and either convince or force them to abandon their mission to exterminate us. Thousand-Leagues Astrologer! Have you located them yet?”

The Astrologer looked up from her crystal ball. “Yes, Captain. They’re about a mile west of a village… Font du Ouest, it’s called.”

“Then we have them. Is that village still burning?”

“No, Captain. That village is intact. They had to pass through it, and yet not a single dead body. They might be holding the village hostage, or maybe it has something important to them.”

“They will not have the chance to destroy anything else. We can worry about the village later. We’re going to head them off.”

The Captain turned towards the rest of his unit, gathering nearby. “Divine Chant, prepare [Mass Fragment of Heliodor], [Magic Ward – Lightning], [Mass Unknowable], [Mass Haste], and [Mass Fly]. Once we engage the enemy, switch [Mass Haste] for [Mass Regeneration], and save your final incantation for last, should we need one. Gloom Herald, protect Kaire-sama with [Death Ward] and [Greater Sanctuary]. Heaven and Earth, track them, assess their awareness and equipment and report back. Divine Chain, Myriad Barriers, Gloom Herald, your task is to separate Nabe from Momon. Restrict her movement if you can, Beaumarchais. Strongest Human, Blinding Star, Time Turbulence, and I will focus Momon, prying apart his guard, allowing Time Turbulence to slow him, and allowing Kaire-sama to use the item. The rest will stay in reserve. Fight cautiously, draw out their strength. May my ancestors bless us.”

{The road west of Font du Ouest, forty-five minutes later…}

Momon and Nabe walked along, casually. The road was surrounded by many trees and foliage on either side. Some nearby bushes rustled, as a light breeze passed by.

“Pandora-sama. It’s been several days since we have begun exterminating the pests. They have not responded.”

“Be patient, meine Prinzessen. Someone will respond to us. Perhaps it might even be the people who attacked Shalltear-sama. Just remember, our goal is not to kill any serious attackers. Our goal is to realize their strength, and report back. Which reminds me, I almost forgot!” Momon withdrew something from his finger. A golden ring with a red gem. “Take this Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown. Be prepared to return to Nazarick when I give the command.”

“I… I understand, Pandora-sama.”

Nabe gingerly took the ring. Momon looked around, and then at the sky behind him.

“Nabe, buff yourself now. Fast.”

“I see. [Fly], [Magic Caster’s Blessing], [Reinforce Armor].”

“Keep walking. Act natural.” Momon’s voice sank to a whisper. “Don’t look back. Just a little longer…” A few seconds passed. “GO!” Momon leapt off the road at one side, as Nabe flew up in the opposite direction. As they did this, the place they were just at on the road exploded in a cloud of dust. Nabe drew her sword, looking down at the place of impact. As the dust settled, there stood the First Seat of the Black Scripture, the Captain, spear in hand, looking at both her in the air and the place in the forest Momon had leapt to.

Nabe pointed a finger at the Captain. “[Boosted Magic – Lightning]!” Her hand blazed with blue light, as the 3rd tier spell arced from her finger in a straight line towards the Captain. As it did, it was stopped by an unseen force in the air between her and the Captain. The world flashed bright white, as a burly man with red hair, appeared, taking the full force of [Lightning] on his vast mirrored shield, stopping the spell. The surface of the shield glowed brighter. So… that might be Myriad Barriers, if the roster we have is to be trusted. He can absorb magic with his shield, by the looks of it. [Lightning] is 3rd tier, so I wonder how he’d fare against my 8th tier magic, thought Nabe.

The Beautiful Princess didn’t have much time to dwell on this, as another voice in the air behind her cried out “Ascended Cage!” A pale tattooed man with black hair and yellow garments appeared, about five or so meters away, whirling a chain, likely a magic item of some sort, over his head. He threw it, and its links separated, moving to form a circle around the flying spellcaster. Divine Chain? Pathetic. Starting with the central link in Divine Chain’s hand, a ray of light quickly shot from each end of the link, connecting to the next one in the circle. Nabe turned to face the Divine Chain, extending both hands.

“[Boosted Magic - Lightning]!”

“[Widen Magic - Wall of Force]!” cried another voice. A bearded mage, wielding a staff and clad in dark robes, appeared near Divine Chain. Gloom Herald. They really look their parts, thought Nabe. As Gloom Herald uttered his spell, a translucent wall appeared in between Nabe and Divine Chain. The [Lightning] struck the [Wall of Force], dispersing across its surface. The impact of the spell seemed to cause the barrier to flex and bend back before the spell’s energy dissipated. Nabe flew rapidly out of the circle, as it completed itself. The area inside the ring exploded with a sphere of holy light, the energy pulsing once before Divine Chain retrieved the links. Myriad Barriers moved to join his comrades, taking the frontline, with Divine Chain next, and Gloom Herald forming the rear.

Nabe retreated several meters, casting a triple [Thunderlance] in the direction of her attackers. One lance struck Myriad Barriers’ bright shield, turning it brighter still. The next two were evaded by their intended targets.

Gloom Herald responded. “[Twin Magic – Acid Javelin]!”

“[Electrosphere]!” Again, Myriad Barriers caught the spell. Brighter.

“[Dark]!” A column of nothingness fell from the sky.

“[Dimensional Move]!” Nabe was gone in the blink of an eye. A few seconds of watchful silence passed, as the Black Scripture Seats scanned the air around them for the enemy. Gloom Herald broke the silence.

“Damn… Did you see how that spell affected the [Wall of Force]? I have never seen such a forceful 3rd tier spell. Definitely specialized in Air or Lightning magic.”

“This is just the beginning, Gloom Herald. We’ll outlast the magic caster. It’s three to one. We can outmaneuver-” said Divine Chain.

“Quiet!” said Myriad Barriers. “There! To the right!”

There, sure enough, was Nabe.

“[Boosted Mag-“

“Nabe!”

Nabe turned to her three opponents with a smug grin, raising her hands. She clapped them once, drawing them apart. An intense bolt of lightning arced between her palms.

“It seems I have to leave now. This is for you. [Triplet Magic – Dragon Lightning]!” The stream of lightning pulsed at this and flowed forward, splitting into three, each bolt taking the form of a great dragon, each arcing its way towards the three Scripture members. Myriad Barriers hurriedly raised his great shield, its mirrored surface glowing blue with energy. “Auf Wiedersehen!” proclaimed Nabe, before vanishing.

“[Twin Widen Magic – Wall of Force]!” incanted Gloom Herald, raising his staff. Two large transparent barriers appeared, covering himself and Divine Chain. The twin lightning dragons arced towards them, crashing into the barrier. Gloom Herald raised his hands, focusing on the spell with intensity. The first barrier held, then bent, then buckled, then shattered completely in about five seconds. The second held, bent, and then buckled, before the energy of [Dragon Lightning] dissipated. The spell vanished in a blinding flash. As soon as it stopped, Gloom Herald lowered the barrier, ready to cast an attack spell against Nabe. But she was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’d the caster go?” asked Divine Chain. “Did she teleport again?”

“It seems she’s gone for now. We’ll have to get Astrologer to scry the area around us,” said Gloom Herald. He turned to Myriad Barriers. “I see you’re still alright. Perhaps that thick skull of yours has some use after all as an insulator. Whether it’s insulating anything is quite obvious.”

“Do you eat dictionaries, egghead? ‘Cuz every time you talk a gods-damn dictionary comes out. That tweety-bird just tested the uppermost limits of my spanking-new shield and scared the everliving shit outta me, and you wonder if I’m ‘Alright!?’ That was the best time of my life! Not counting that barmaid in the brothel who managed to-”

“What tier was that last spell, do you think?” asked Divine Chain, rather bored in tone.

“5th at least,” said Gloom Herald.

“Gods in heaven. Is everything that works for that gods-damn undead so ridiculously powerful? Giant army-stomping nightmares that keep poor ol’ Astrologer from sleeping, Death Knights, Elementals, and now this human caster? She’d give that old nutjob from Baharuth a bloody nose, assuming the Emperor actually wants to dust him off.”

“Cedran, remember what they filled us in on while we were dead. The Empire is now part of the Sorcerer Kingdom, and Paradyne defected.”

“Oh. Right on then.”

“Prying aside the disruptive webs of ignorance in what Cedran just said, the core is accurate. They are quite powerful. I cannot say how the others are handling Momon.” Gloom Herald put two fingers to his temple. “[Message.] The Captain.”

Momon had rolled off the road, drawing his two greatswords, and recovering his footing. As the dust from the initial attack settled, he saw the rest of the Black Scripture flying, invisible, around him. Several flew off to deal with Nabe.

“I am Momon, the Raven Black Knight!”

“We are aware of your identity. Your attacks on innocent villages ends here,” said the Captain, sweeping his spear down and in front of him. As he finished, the Captain turned into a blur. The next thing Momon knew was that he had been shoved backwards, the tip of the Captain’s spear impacting on his breastplate. The armor turned the spear’s point. Momon reached for an amulet he wore, in the shape of a silver wing set with a blue gem.

“[Fly].” Momon was off, up into the sky. The Captain followed, as did the other Black Scripture Seats. In the corner of his eye, Momon saw Nabe’s second [Lightning] spell impact on a magic barrier. He was over several dozen meters from Nabe’s position, and at about her height. He dispelled one of his greatswords, drawing out his duplicate of Frost Pain, the icy blade treasured by the Lizardmen.

“[Icy Burst]!”

Clouds of frigid cold from the icy blade as Momon slashed it in front of him. Soon, he and his enemies were immersed in a freezing whirlwind. The damage broke the invisibility of his other foes. Two of the attackers, a priestess of some sort, and a hooded figure, retreated at the first sign of the AoE attack. They were minimally damaged by the spell.

The cleric must be concentrating on mass buff spells to keep them aloft, Momon thought to themselves. Divine Chant, it seems. That other one might have the World Item. Alright. I need Nabe to leave before she kills them.

“Nabe!” bellowed Momon.

“Now!” cried the Captain. Two other figures, an old but grizzled barbarian, and a young blond man in colorful armor carrying a lance, charged at Momon. The old man could be Strongest Human. Is that young man Blazing Star? Let’s see what they’re made of. Strongest Human, with his gigantic battleaxe, struck first, with a resounding blow directed against Momon’s helmet. The dark warrior raised his greatsword up to parry the strike. As he did, Blazing Star flew in on the other side, driving with his lance for the less-heavily armored armpit. Momon struck the attack aside with Frost Pain, before retreating again. He return Frost Pain to his inventory, and took his remaining greatsword into both hands. Just in time, as the Captain brought his spear crashing against Momon’s pauldron. The adamantite turned the spearpoint, and Momon drew back.

Momon swung the greatsword horizontally, a mighty blow. The Captain withdrew beyond its range, before making full use of his spear’s reach to strike the dark warrior again, this time on the bevor. Momon deflected the blow with his sword, assuming a high guard to strike down the Captain. Strongest Human swept up from below with his expansive battleaxe, aiming to delimb Momon. The Raven Black Knight darted to the side, evading the sweeping blow, just in time to intercept another two-pronged attack. The Captain driving with his polearm for the helmet’s eyeslit, and Blazing Star moving to pierce the breastplate directly. Momon bowed his head slightly, warding off Blazing Star’s lance with his greatsword. Blazing Star readied to stab again. The Captain’s spear glanced off Momon’s helmet, sliding up and over.

Momon swung himself backwards, using his momentum to sweep around him, from the Captain to Strongest Human. Momon drew back again, descending towards the trees. He saw a powerful burst of lightning far from his position, but still visible. He called his second greatsword back and turned at bay. No more running. He hurtled forward, making straight for Strongest Human. He was arguably the best fighter here. He saw Blazing Star’s lance begin to blaze with light, and for the brightly armored human charge towards him, followed by the Captain and Strongest Human. He heard Blazing Star cry out.

“[Greater Gale Acceleration]! [Piercing Red Dragon Tusk]! [Strong Assault]!”

Blazing Star closed the distance, jabbing forward with his now fiery lance straight into the eye-slit of Momon’s helmet. The [Piercing Dragon Tusk] released, sending gouts of fire roaring through Momon’s armor. Every joint between plates glowed orange, and smoke soon clouded the surrounding area. Blazing Star pulled back and smirked in enjoyment of his victory.

Two vast black swords, swinging from opposite directions, swung straight at Blazing Star, who fell back further, just enough to avoid them. His eyes widened in shock. The great black knight emerged from the smoke, the smoke and ash still pouring through the chinks of his armor. Momon swung with one sword, then another. Blazing Star moved to parry. The black knight began to beat his colorful opponent with twin swords, swinging one after the other again and again, mercilessly, forcing Blazing Star to parry and to fall back with each swing. Momon concluded with a final, imposing swing. The impact forced the lance from Blazing Star’s hand, sending it tumbling to the ground. Momon darted forward, swinging the other sword. The blade vanished as he swung, and he brought his fist, armored with plates of adamantite, crashing against Blazing Star’s face. Momon thought he heard a crunching sound as the blow fell. The Sixth Seat of the Black Scripture was sent flying to one side, red streaming down his face and out of his nose. The vibrant lancer fell away, crashing into the trees.

Momon brought his sword up, parrying Strongest Human’s thrown battleaxe, before hurling his own sword straight for the grey brute. The sword hit square in the stomach, and then vanished. The barbarian fell, as blood oozed from the wound. Another member of the Scripture, with blue hair and a large wizard hat, moved in from afar.

“[Twin Maximize Magic – Floating Blinding Mine]! [Extend Magic - Blazing Flare]! [Greater Veil]!”

Before Momon could react, two bursts of light surrounded him, exploding. Small points of life, shooting bright sparks and flashes, attached themselves to Momon’s armor. Lastly, a veil of dense fog surrounded the black knight.

He heard a voice, the Captain’s cry out. “Now!”

“[Deceleration]!” said another voice, through the fog. A time spell. Momon let the world around him move, while he stayed still. This is Time Turbulence, it seems, thought Momon.

“Kaire-sama! Use it!”

The world around Momon blazed with light. The fog broke. A bright golden dragon coiled around him.

{Back to Gloom Herald, Divine Chain, Myriad Barriers…}

Gloom Herald heard the Captain’s voice. “[Gloom Herald, I take it you dealt with the magic caster?]”

“[She escaped, sir. None of us are hurt.]”

“[That’s fortunate. Blazing Star is hurt seriously injured, as is Strongest Human. But we have won a victory against the undead. Kaire-sama has taken control of Momon.]”