Overlord Premise Chapter 15

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! Sebas and Solution are in the Capital City of Re-Estize to further their mission for Nazarick’s future. But they’re not the only ones that’ve made it to the capital recently. A certain swordsman/mercenary/bandit fleeing in terror has also made it to the city. But closer to Nazarick, in the large lake within the Great Forest of Tob, the battle between the Lizardman Alliance and the forces of Cocytus is about to begin.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 15 – A Meeting in the Rain, Lizardman War

Rain fell hard upon the capital city of the Kingdom of Re-Estize this day. The sky was blanketed with thick, gray and black clouds along with the occasional rumble of thunder. Anyone still out in the streets was either hurrying to get indoors, or were covered in thick cloaks to protect them from the rain as they went about their tasks. The first flash of lightning in the sky, followed by the crash of thunder, sent the stragglers hurrying even faster.

Gazef Stronoff was quickly making his way home while covered in a heavy brown cloak. The rain was already coming down harder than before and he knew that he’d be soaked to the bone if he didn’t hurry. A flash of lightning lit up the area and a figure in the alleyway he was passing caught the Chief Warrior’s eye. Gazef stopped walking and pulled his hood back to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things. “You’re…”

The man huddled up in the alleyway had semi-long blue hair, wore a black short-sleeved shirt, brown pants and black boots. Even as he sat with his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees, his sword was still held securely close to his body. Soaking wet and looking almost like a beggar, the man was a stark contrast to how he’d been the last time he and Gazef had met.

“Brain…Unglaus…” Gazef said as he took a step closer to the man. “You are Brain Unglaus, right?” Only his vivid memory of the battle he’d had against Brain years ago allowed Gazef to recall him when he looked so…defeated.

“Gazef…?” Brain uttered out, his bleary eyes registering who was speaking to him even in his nearly delirious state. After days of little food and water in his terrified fleeing from that monster, he’d stumbled into the capital and had nearly collapsed in this alleyway. It was certainly a surprise to see Gazef of all people so suddenly, but Brain’s body and mind were both at their limits now. He closed his eyes and slumped forward a little.

Gazef moved forward swiftly. “Hey! Hey! Unglaus?!”

-Great Forest of Tob ~ Large Lake ~ Razor Tail Village-

The specified day had arrived for the Lizardmen.

Today was the day that the herald from the ‘Great One’ had said that they would be attacked. Every warrior, hunter, and priest of all five tribes was gathered and ready for the approaching battle. The Razor Tail village had been fortified with all the know-how of each Tribe, making it the closest thing to a fortress that could be built within the swampy ground of the marshlands.

Unbeknownst to all of the Lizardmen, each and every one of their preparations had been watched over the last four days through a Mirror of Remote Viewing. Seeing the fortifications they’d built and their gathered forces, Cocytus let out a breath of frosted air. He looked at Entoma, the Pleiades Maid standing roughly two meters to his left, as she watched on as she’d been ordered to by Lord Momonga. Picking up one of the prepared scrolls from the pile in front of him, Cocytus tossed it into the air lightly. “[Message].”

The magic scroll unrolled and then burned up into blue flames as it activated, a faint blue glow hanging in the air around Cocytus.

“Attention all forces,” Cocytus’s voice reached every undead that Lord Momonga had given him. “Advance!”

The hordes of skeletons and zombies began to move forward, straight towards the Lizardman village. As such a large group of undead moved, the negative energy they emitted affected the weather, gathering dark clouds of thin miasma above them that began to spread outwards to block out the sunlight. A chill wind began to blow as well, lowering the temperature as the horde marched ever onwards, groaning, clattering, and shambling along through the shallow water and muck without issue or complaint. Such was the benefit of undead that felt no fatigue, pain, or discomfort and simply carried out the orders they were given.

-E-Rantel ~ Inn of Shining Gold ~ Momon’s Room-

“Has Cocytus begun the battle?” Momonga asked through his own [Message] spell as he stood in the center of the room with Narberal at his side; the Pleiades Maid currently dressed as ‘Nabe’ incase anyone came to call upon ‘Darkness’ for a job.

Albedo’s voice responded back to Momonga through the spell. “Yes, Lord Momonga. According to Entoma’s report, Cocytus is following your instructions to the letter. He is remaining in the dummy Nazarick and using only the forces that you provided him. Nothing on the field has exceeded your expectations.”

“I see.” Momonga said as he let his shoulders sag just slightly. “This wasn’t the outcome that I was hoping for, but we may yet get something out of it.”

-Razor Tail Village-

“Huh?” One of the Lizardmen watching the surroundings from atop a newly constructed lookout tower nearly gaped at what he saw emerging from the tree line and into the marshland proper. The dark cloud spreading out before the horde of undead was large and blocked out the sun significantly and brought with it a chilly, and unnerving breeze. “Th-There they are!” He shouted down to the rest of the gathered forces.

Atop a raised platform all five Chiefs, along with Zaryusu, stood to address the allied tribes.

“Listen up, Lizardmen!” Shasuryu called out loudly, all eyes turning to him as one. “We’ve been preparing for this moment! The enemy is great in number, but there’s nothing to be afraid of! For the first time in history, we have ceased to be separate tribes! Through this alliance, all Lizardmen are now one! I know our ancestor spirits are proud of what they see, and they will protect us! For them, we will see these bastards back to the grave!”

“RAAAAHHH!!!” All of the Lizardmen roared and hissed battle cries while raising their weapons high.

Shasuryu turned to Crusch, just as planned. “Leader of the Priests, Crusch Lulu! Call down the spirits!”

Crusch stepped forward, many of the Lizardmen noticing her rare albinism and markings, but all of them saw it as a good thing for the coming battle. The rare breeds that occasionally were born into the Lizardmen tribes could only be a blessing today. “Look, Lizardmen!” Crush raised one of her arms into the air above her head, all of the gathered priests following her movement as they used the same magic to initiate the pre-battle ritual that all the tribes shared. “Watch as the spirits of our five tribes descend upon you!”

The air glowed with multiple soft lights that drifted down onto the gathered warriors making each of them glow as they were granted protection, their attack power was increased, their defenses were bolstered, and their agility heightened.

“The light!”

“Our ancestors are here to protect us!”

The Lizardmen hissed and roared, letting out a cheer as they welcomed their ancestral spirits onto the coming battlefield.

“Now, Lizardmen!” Shasuryu roared out. “Let us defeat our enemies and dedicate out victory to our ancestors!”

“RAAAHHH!!!” The cheers of the Lizardmen rose up higher than ever.

Kyuku and Sukyu both handed out the traditional warpaints to the warriors, unlike any conflict before though, all five colors that symbolized one of the tribes each, was available and to be used by every Lizardman in their war decoration.

“We’re passing around the paint! Decorate yourselves with all of the colors!” Sukyu called out as the warriors began to paint their scales with symbols and markings of war.

And while the war paint was being passed around, decorating the Lizardmen’s scales, Zenberu and Zaryusu passed out the herbs that were known to provide great energy and sharpen the mind to the warriors.

Once every warrior was painted and had taken their herbs, the energy and morale within the village was higher than anyone could’ve hoped. The Lizardmen were fully prepared for war and held no doubt in their victory.

‘We’ve borrowed the power of herbs and ritual…’ Zaryusu thought as he saw and felt the excitement in the air. ‘But this state of excitement won’t last long. Then again, if the battle drags on we won’t have a chance anyway.’

Back on the platform, Shasuryu raised his large blade high into the air. “TO VICTORY!!!”

“RAAAAAHHHHH!!!” The air in the village nearly shook from the war cry.

The warriors quickly moved out into the marsh as the five-thousand strong undead army stopped shambling forward and broke into a charge.

Shasuryu, Zenberu, Kyuku, Crusch, and Sukyu all raised their voices as one for their fellow Lizardmen. “TO WAR!!!”

The Lizardmen warriors, all thirteen-hundred of them, rushed forward to meet the undead with wooden clubs, stone weapons, and all the strength that their powerful bodies could muster.

The first clash was an almost instant massacre…for the undead.

The Lizardmen were trained warriors, they knocked the skeletons shields aside and quickly crushed the bones of their limbs or shattered the skull for instant kills. Entire waves of the skeletons fell quickly, and those that didn’t, usually from not having their skulls completely shattered, found their attacks blocked, dodged, or parried before they lost their heads.

-Dummy Nazarick-

‘The Lizardmen’s combat ability is above my expectations…’ Cocytus thought to himself as he saw wave after wave of skeletons fall. “What’s our situation?” He asked one of his insectoid commanders.

“It appears we’ve lost approximately five-hundred skeletons.” The insectoid halfway down the long table replied a second later.

Cocytus let out a cloud of frosted air from between his mandibles. ‘Ten percent of our forces have already fallen in the first few minutes… I need to reevaluate the Lizardmen.’ He watched as the Lizardmen’s charge finally stalled out as the skeletons were bolstered by the zombies and the fighting intensified. ‘Still, undead feel neither pain nor fear, they’ll keep fighting until they’re destroyed. How long can the Lizardmen last?’

“Lord Cocytus.” One of the other insectoid commanders spoke up. “I think we should get the archers and riders out there.”

“Nah, keep pushing like we are now and wait until they exhaust themselves.” A differing opinion came from another commander across the long table.

“Why don’t we sack that village, then encircle their forces and annihilate them.” Another commander offer his opinion to Cocytus.

Cocytus took in the suggestions and used his wide field of view to watch Entoma’s reaction. ‘That face is just for show…’ He knew of Entoma’s nature and that her face couldn’t show expressions. It made it hard to judge what the maid (his observer) was thinking. Choosing one of the tactics offered to him, Cocytus reached for another magic scroll. “Have the rear soldiers halt their advance, let’s see how we fair so far…”

Entoma made a light clicking sound as she observed the situation.

-Razor Tail Village-

“Are they underestimating us?” Zenberu questioned as he narrowed his eyes on the state of the battlefield. “The archers and riders haven’t even budged!”

“I can’t make sense of their strategy…” Shasuryu said as she shook his head once.

Sukyu watched the battle for a moment longer before speaking up. “The zombies are just going along with what we do. The riders should be trying to flank us now that the melee had stalled.”

Kyuku nodded once. “Strange. The enemy. Doesn’t move. Together.” Even with his wisdom and intellect stolen by the Dragon Bone Armor, he could still see the lack of actual strategy among the undead horde.

“Is it possible that they’re acting without a commander?” Zaryusu asked as the odd actions would make more sense if the undead had been left without any orders beyond ‘attack’.

“But low-tier undead can’t adjust their actions without orders.” Crusch said in disbelief. “Why would the enemy just send them charging forward and leave?”

Zenberu let out a low, rumbling hiss from within his chest. “They must think they can beat us with sheer numbers!”

“Bastards are mocking us!” Shasuryu hissed angrily at being so disrespected.

“Still, we should take this chance to reduce their numbers as much as possible before they get any new orders.” Sukyu said as the tide was clearly turning in the Lizardmen’s favor.

Kyuku looked at Crusch. “Ritual. Going well?”

Crusch nodded as she looked down behind the large mud wall that surrounded the village. “Yes.” Sitting around glowing magic circles were multiple priests from each of the tribes. “Since all of the priests are working together, it’s going much faster than usual.” She smiled at the sight. “It’s amazing what we can accomplish together.”

“You’re right.” Shasuryu agreed.

All of the Chiefs nodded at the truth of Crusch’s words. Truly, what they’d done today had brought the full power of the Lizardmen to the battlefield.

“Heh.” Zaryusu let out a small chuckle.

“Something funny?” Crusch asked curiously.

Zaryusu shook his head once. “No. I know it’s a bad time, but I’m happy.”

Crusch smiled as best she could. “I get it, Zaryusu.”

Their tails found each other and gently wrapped around, a universal sign of affection among Lizardmen.

“Aah, to be young…” Shasuryu commented to Sukyu and Kyuku.

“Yeah…” Sukyu crossed his arms with a hissing chuckle.

“Steamy.” Kyuku recognized the feelings of Crusch and Zaryusu and knew the two were going to end up married after all this was over with.

Zenberu just let out a rough hiss at the two being all lovey-dovey with each other. They were in the middle of war and he was much more interested in getting onto the battlefield to fight.

Zaryusu proved that his attention hadn’t been taken from the battlefield as he quickly called out the enemies movements. “Brother, the riders are on the move!”

The skeletons riding equally skeleton horses were charging through the back lines of the undead, rushing straight towards the Lizardmen with long lances aimed to skewer.

“Then let’s see how they like our first move.” Shasuryu said with a hiss.

The charging horses all began to stumble and trip as their skeletal hooves found the traps set beneath the shallow water of the marsh. The Lizardmen had dug out shallow holes and lined them with stone to create trip points for anyone charging through the marsh from the forest. It was incredibly effective against cavalry as the skeleton horses tripped and shattered their front legs as they crashed to the mucky ground. Their riders went flying, also splashing into the shallow water and muck, slowing them down as they stood back up.

“Shoot!” Sukyu called out to the slingers from his tribe.

The Lizardmen, all armed with large slingshots, fired stones the size of apples straight at the staggered undead cavalry. Each hit shattered a skull, crushed ribs, or broke off an arm or a leg. As the skeletons flailed, the next round of projectiles were launched, destroying even more of them.

-Dummy Nazarick-

‘Traps?’ Cocytus thought to himself as the cavalry was stalled and then destroyed by projectiles. ‘In that case…’ He quickly gave his next orders. “Archers, fire! Deploy the Undead Beasts!”

-Battlefield-

The air was filled with arrows as the skeleton archer began to fire over and over again, raining down death from above.

“Damn it!”

“Guard and move in! Take out the archers!”

The Lizardmen hunched over and charged, using their free hand to shield their soft eyes or a shield if they had one, as the arrows rained down on them. Most of the arrows glanced off the tough scales of the Lizardmen, but some got lucky and found their way between the scales, dropping several of the charging warriors.

Just as the Lizardmen were going to reach the archers, they were swarmed by Undead Beasts, wolves, boars, bears, snakes, all in various stages of decay.

“Gah!” One Lizardman went splashing into the muck from an undead bear swiping him aside.

“Hmph!” One warrior blocked the teeth of an undead wolf before shoving it backwards and crushing its head with his powerful tail.

The fighting went on, but now it was clear that the Lizardmen were being pushed back. The skeleton archers were still firing, forcing many of the warriors to remain defensive, but the undead beasts had no care for any arrow that hit them as they kept attacking. It was difficult to attack and defend simultaneously and the Lizardmen were starting to fall one by one to the swarming beasts.

The marsh below the Lizardmen suddenly glowed before the water and mud swirled into the air, forming two massive, animated vortexes of mud and muck.

[Swamp Elemental]

The priests that had been working together within the village had managed to summon the most powerful Elementals known to the Lizardmen tribes.

The Elementals quickly turned the tide of battle once again as they lashed out with tendrils of mud, grabbing the undead and ripping hem apart. Undead Beasts were crushed, torn apart, and one undead bear’s head was splattered into gore from the whip-like tendril of one of the large Elementals. With the Undead Beast swarm handled, the rest of the Lizardmen charged the skeleton archers and destroyed them as quickly as they could to stop the rain of arrows.

“The Priests have called forth the Elementals! Charge!” The battle cry went out as the undead horde was thinning faster than ever.

-Dummy Nazarick-

‘I’m going to lose…’ Cocytus thought to himself, watching as his forces were rapidly depleting. ‘I didn’t think they’d be this strong… I underestimated both their strength and their morale.’

“You seem to be losing ground. Is everything okay?” Entoma questioned from her place next to Cocytus, looking up at the towering Vermin Lord.

“…I still have one thing left.” Cocytus answered as he picked up another scroll. Seeing the last of the Undead Beasts get destroyed by the Swamp Elementals through the Mirror of Remote Viewing, Cocytus let out a cloud of frosted breath. ‘It’s just… Using it is as good as admitting defeat.’ He tossed the scroll into the air. “[Message].” The scroll unrolled and then burst into blue flames before the spell took effect. “Demiurge.”

Entoma turned her head to watch Cocytus closely. She wouldn’t allow the Floor Guardian to violate the orders given by Lord Momonga.

-Abelion Hills ~ Demiurge’s Dahu Farm-

“Hm?” Demiurge perked up from what he was doing with a large pile of various bones. “Hello, my friend. Why are you messaging me? Aren’t you in the middle of a campaign right now?”

“I want you to lend me your wisdom.” Cocytus said through the spell. “I can’t lose. I can’t disgrace the Supreme One.”

“Are you sure that Lord Momonga wanted you to win?” Demiurge asked as he held a long bone up to his eyes, measuring it against the one he’d just used a moment ago.

“Demiurge…what is that supposed to mean?” Cocytus asked, not comprehending the Arch Devil’s question.

Demiurge placed the long bone down as a smirk crossed his face. “Think about it. Skeletons, zombies, undead beasts… Why did he give you such low-tier undead to work with?”

In the privacy of his mind, Cocytus had to admit that he’d been wondering the same thing. “But… Lord Momonga ordered me to fight with only that army.” He told Demiurge, clear respect and obedience for Momonga’s orders practically overflowing from his tone.

“It’s possible that this was a test.” Demiurge said simply. “While I respect your warrior code, Cocytus, isn’t the most important thing the results that you’ll offer to Lord Momonga?” Not getting a reply after several seconds, Demiurge continued. “Perhaps the Lord wanted you to think for yourself and adjust your strategy however you needed to in order to ensure victory. Did you investigate the enemies’ forces before the battle? If you had gathered intelligence you could’ve discovered that you didn’t have enough forces to win and could’ve requested more.”

Cocytus was now truly understanding what Momonga had meant by telling him to ‘Rely on his own judgement as much as possible’ and it stung the warrior to have misinterpreted his Lord’s words so badly.

“Additionally, Nazarick and Lord Momonga were never mentioned… And you were forbidden from joining in the battle yourself…” Demiurge led Cocytus towards the answer that seemed rather obvious to the very intelligent Arch Devil.

Beep-beep

Demiurge blinked as someone else contacted him.

-Dummy Nazarick-

“Demiurge?” Cocytus wondered why his friend had suddenly cut himself off.

“I’m sorry, Cocytus, but something urgent has come up that I must attend to. I wish you victory.” Demiurge ended the [Message] spell, effectively hanging up on Cocytus.

‘Someone interfered?’ Cocytus thought, using his wide vision to see a paper talisman burning to ashes on Entoma’s forehead. Knowing that he’d been stopped from overstepping the orders of Lord Momonga, Cocytus didn’t say anything to the Pleiades Maid. ‘Well, I guess there’s no turning back now.’ He picked up another scroll and activated it, sending orders to the one moderately strong undead that Lord Momonga had given him. “Elder Lich, Iguva. I have a task for you. Show the Lizardmen your power.”

At the very back of the undead horde, still within the forest, in fact, a black cloaked undead with a floating cloth covered in undecipherable glyphs began to move towards the battlefield, seemingly floating above the wet ground.

-Battlefield-

“Stay down!” An older Lizardman warrior smashed the head of the last zombie with his club. “Hah… Make sure you’ve crushed all their heads!” He called out to the other warriors, especially the younger ones that had never fought undead before. “Zombies will keep trying to move if you don’t.”

The battlefield was quiet now, the fighting ended.

“Take the severely injured back to the village!”

“Everyone that can still fight, come with us! We’re going to take the fight to the enemy!”

Before the Lizardmen could follow through with their plan, a fireball rocketed past the older male and exploded against one of the two Swamp Elementals, destroying it entirely.

“What the?!”

“Another enemy!”

Through the mist rising up off the marsh, a cloaked and hooded figure could be seen.

A second fireball was launched by the figure and the last Swamp Elemental exploded into steam and flames as it fell apart just like the first.

“Retreat!” The older warrior called out. “This one isn’t like the others!”

“We’ll hold it back! Tell the Chiefs about this, quickly!”

Many older warriors stepped up to cover the retreat of the other warriors and the injured.

“Fools…” The figure raised its hand and cast another fireball.

BOOM

Two Lizardmen died, their charred bodies splashing into the shallow waters, steam rising off their corpses.

“Running only delays your deaths…” The Elder Lich spoke to the Lizardmen. “I, Iguva, will deliver victory for the Supreme One.”

The Lizardmen warriors charged forward, rushing the Elder Lich, knowing that spellcasters were weak in close quarters combat.

Another fireball screamed through the air, before exploding and killing another Lizardman. Then another, and another. Each blast of fire taking down another warrior before they could hope to close the distance between them and their enemy.

-Razor Tail Village-

“I see.” Zaryusu said as the report of the Elder Lich was told to him and the Chiefs from the returning injured. “So all of the head warriors are…” He clenched his fists tightly. ‘For our sakes… To get this information to us… They gave everything.’

“Looks like we’re up.” Zenberu said as he hefted his halberd.

Shasuryu gave a nod. “Yeah…” He trusted in his brother’s strength, but hearing about this enemy made him want to join the advanced team to fight against it. “If this thing can kill a Swamp Elemental in one hit, then it must be this ‘Great One’s’ right hand man…or perhaps secret weapon.”

“There’s a good chance for sure, but how do we get close to it?” Crusch asked as she went over the information they had received. “It’s range is said to be around one-hundred meters.”

Zenberu looked out over the wall towards the steam cloud covering part of the marsh. “Running straight at it is only going to make us easy targets.”

Zaryusu looked at Crusch. “Could we have the druids help us swim under the marsh?”

“That’s be difficult… If we could use [Invisibility] maybe?” Crusch wished that she knew that specific spell right now.

“Could we make shields to block that thing’s attacks?” Zenberu asked them both.

Crusch deadpanned at the suggestion. “Shields? Where would we get material for that?”

“We’d just have to break a few houses.” Zenberu said simply, only to realize that both Zaryusu and Crusch were now looking at him flatly. “Or not…?”

“Wood isn’t strong enough to block spells like that.” Crusch told Zenberu while Zaryusu was thinking.

“We could use…” Zaryusu trailed off.

Crusch turned to Zaryusu. “What is it, Zaryusu?”

“Nah… It’s just…we do have a shield…” Both Zenberu and Crusch could tell it almost physically pained Zaryusu to say that.

-Battlefield-

Iguva floated over the shallow water of the marsh moving slowly towards the village ahead. “This is all they’ve got…?” He examined the charred bodies and fallen weapons littered around the area. Looking straight ahead at the village through the steam and mist, the Elder Lich narrowed its good eye. ‘But there’s no way they’re just sitting around waiting…’

The loud splashing alerted Iguva of something rapidly approaching even before the Lich could see it. Rororo charged straight through the mist as fast as possible, all four heads hissing loudly.

“Really? They sent a hydra?” Iguva raised his right hand. “Fool! You think you can make it all the way over here with those plodding feet?!” He launched the fireball at the charging beast.

BOOM

But to the Elder Lich’s surprise, Rororo charged through the flames, not even slowing down.

“WHAT?!” Iguva balked at the hydra still coming at him. “You cur!” Two more fireballs were launched in quick succession.

BOOM

BOOM

‘Hydra’s are known to have great regeneration…but it shouldn’t work on fire.’ Iguva thought to himself only to still hear the splashing of the hydra as it charged, even over the sound of the hissing and boiling water it was plodding through. “Why?! Why won’t you stop approaching?!” Iguva demanded, seeing two of the hydra’s heads flailing to the side, clearly unconscious or dead, along with the massive burns all over its large body. The lich put both his hands together and launched the biggest fireball he could. “DIE!”

“Icy Burst!” Zaryusu called out as he, Crusch, and Zenberu leapt off Rororo’s back.

The magic weapon unleashed a large wave of frost and chill, hitting the water and sending up a wave of ice at the incoming fireball.

BOOM

The ice and fire stalemated, causing more steam and mist while reducing the ice back to water. As Rororo collapsed behind them, Zaryusu shot a grateful look at his friend. “Thank you, Rororo!” He would do everything possible to save the hydra’s life as soon as this battle was over.

‘He negated my [Fireball]?! This can’t be!’ Iguva raged in his mind. ‘I was created by the Supreme One! How can this reptile scum block my magic?!’ He launched another fireball straight at the approaching Lizardmen.

“Icy Burst!” Zaryusu swung Frost Pain, launching the wave of ice and chill at the incoming fireball. A blast of steam covered the area briefly but the two had once more cancelled each other out. “Shoot as many fireballs as you like! I’ll block every last one!” Zaryusu challenged, bluffing about how often he could use Frost Pain’s ability.

“Then I’ll switch things up! [Lightning]!” Iguva pointed at Zaryusu and a bolt of blue-white lightning crackled through the air.

Zenberu rushed forward. “I’ve got this!” He stood between Zaryusu and the incoming lightning. “[Massive Resistance]!” The bolt hit Zenberu and crackled over his body before being dispersed. “Hah! Too easy!”

“I see. You’re no mere lizards then.” Iguva said as he narrowed his good eye on the three Lizardmen. “You’ll make a nice sacrifice to display my power.” He spread his arms wide and the marsh beneath him glowed, the mud bubbling and turning a dark black. “Summon Undead: Fourth Tier!” Four Skeleton Warriors rose up from the black muck fully armed and ready to fight.

Crusch and Zenberu both flinched slightly at the new undead, able to tell that they were much stronger than the previous skeletons. A second later and Zaryusu’s tail lightly swatted both of their backs.

“It’s okay.” Zaryusu said confidently. “We can do this.”

“You’re right, Zaryusu.” Crusch agreed, refocusing on the task at hand.

“It’ll be fun!” Zenberu declared boldly.

Iguva raised his right hand before him as he spoke from behind the four Skeleton Warriors. “I am an Elder Lich created by the Great One. You may call me Iguva. If you bow your heads, I’ll grant you painless deaths.”

Zaryusu already knew the answer that all three had for the lich. “We refuse!”

“You reject my mercy?” Iguva asked with malice. “You ingrate! Painful deaths it is!” The four Skeleton Warriors rushed forward to attack.

Zenberu lunged forward, his larger right arm glowing crimson. “Iron Natural Weapon]!” She punched the first Skeleton Warrior in the head, sending it staggering backwards into the second one. “Go, Zaryusu!”

Zaryusu swiftly passed Zenberu and the two undead.

“Stop him!” Iguva ordered the other two Skeleton Warriors.

Both of the undead raised their swords to cut down Zaryusu before he could get passed them.

“[Earth Bind]!” Crusch cast and the mud and muck of the marsh rose upwards to engulf both undead, forcing them away from Zaryusu.

Zaryusu was closing in on Iguva, only for the Elder Lich to reveal another spell.

“Fool! Succumb to fear! [Terror]!” Iguva cast with a malicious smirk.

Zaryusu stumbled in his steps as (to his eyes) he was enveloped in a pitch-black void, unable to see or hear anything as overwhelming fear crept into his mind.

“[Lion’s Heart]!” Crush cast the counter spell to fear-inducing effects.

A bright glow shone form Zaryusu’s chest before the [Terror] spells broke and Zaryusu could see and focus again.

“You’re okay!” Crusch called out to Zaryusu.

“Obnoxious wretch!” Iguva snarled at Crusch. “[Lightning]!” He cast and the bolt struck Crusch head-on.

“GYYAAHHH!!!” Crush cried out as she staggered backwards, nearly falling to the ground.

Zaryusu hissed angrily at Iguva for attacking the female he loved. ‘All I have to do now is close the distance!’ He lunged towards Iguva with Frost Pain at the ready.

Iguva pointed his left index finger at Zaryusu, about to cast [Lightning] again. But Zaryusu was faster as he smacked away the Elder Lich’s hand with Frost Pain.

“Too slow!” Zaryusu said as he slashed at Iguva’s body. “You let a warrior get up close, caster! Let’s see how good your spells are now!”

“Don’t underestimate me, Lizardman!” Iguva declared as three glowing yellow needles appeared. [Silent Magic: Magic Arrow] The Elder Lich cast without saying a word.

Zaryusu felt the arrows slice against his scales and hide, but the wounds were minor. “Is that all?!” He slice at the rotting body of the Elder Lich again and again. Iguva didn’t make landing a hit easy though, always floating back and to the sides to make any blow that did land only a glancing injury, while almost constantly raining down more [Magic Arrows] on Zaryusu from every direction he could.

“You damned Lizardman!” Iguva bellowed out as Zaryusu landed a clean hit against his body with Frost Pain. Three more [Magic Arrow] hit Zaryusu dead in the chest, making the Lizardman warrior stagger backwards a step.

Crusch, having somewhat recovered from the [Lightning] stood up and held out her hand towards Zaryusu. “[Middle Cure Wounds]!” Zaryusu was surrounded by a light green glow that healed the majority of his injuries.

Iguva turned to snarl at Crush, but was interrupted by Zaryusu swinging Frost Pain at his head. “You..!”

“I’m not fighting alone!” Zaryusu declared as he stared down Iguva. “Crusch, Zenberu, Rororo! We’re all fighting together! We won’t lose!”

“Nonsense! I was created by the Great One! There can be no defeat for me!” Iguva denied hatefully.

Crusch, having taken a second to look at where Zenberu was, saw the large crocodilian-like Lizardman fighting of all four Skeleton Warriors at once. “Summon Beast: Third Tier!” The ground glowed for a moment before in a burst of marsh water a massive crab rose up in front of Crusch. “Snap Grasp!” She sent her summoned beast to aid Zenberu.

The Snap Grasp scuttled swiftly across the marsh and grabbed one Skeleton Warrior from behind with its large claw cutting it spine in half before slamming the top half of the undead into the ground with a large splash.

“Thanks for the help, White One!” Zenberu was able to take a breath now that it wasn’t four-on-one anymore. “[Iron Skin]!” He activated his defensive Martial Art and blocked the sword of two of the Skeleton Warriors while the third was forced to use its shield to block the crushing claw of the Snap Grasp. “I’ll leave that one to you!” Zenberu told the massive crab as he punched one of the Skeleton Warriors in the head again, cracking its skull.

Crusch was breathing heavily now after using so many spells back-to-back. “[Middle Cure Wounds]!” She cast again, healing Zaryusu of the injuries he was sustaining in the fight against Iguva. She wobbled in place and fell to her knees but refused to fall. ‘I can’t… Pass out yet…’ She saw Zenberu crush the skull of one of the Skeleton Warriors and with a bit of direction she had her Snap Grasp used its pointe, spear-like leg to stab through the skull of the bisected Skeleton Warrior before it could try and do anything else. “[Middle Cure Wounds].” She cast again, feeling the strain building up rapidly as her mind began to get fuzzy.

“HYAH!!!” Zenberu roared as he slammed a glowing red hammer fist down atop the skull of the second Skeleton Warrior, shattering the bones like they were dry sticks. “That’s two…” He said, breathing harder than he expected. Seeing the Snap Grasp fall and its summoning come undone, Zenberu looked over to see Crusch nearly on the ground as she kept casting and the third Skeleton Warrior heading for her. ‘I really owe that crab. Maybe I should stop eating mud crabs for a while?’ Putting that thought aside, Zenberu rushed at the final Skeleton Warrior. “Where do you think you’re going?!” The undead turned around while swinging its sword.

Clang

“Heh!” Zenberu hissed out triumphantly as his [Iron Skin] stopped the blade cold. “Take this!” He slammed his larger right fist into the Skeleton’s Warrior’s damaged shield, the metal giving way as it had already been nearly cut in half by the Snap Grasp. The Skeleton Warrior’s left arm shattered and fell off while it swung its sword at Zenberu again. The blade glanced off Zenberu’s scales and he grabbed the entire skull of the Skeleton Warrior and slammed it into the ground with all his might. The splash that rose up was large as Zenberu felt the skull shatter in his grip. “That’s…three…” He looked over to Zaryusu and saw that his new friend had been fighting Iguva alone, and even with Crusch’s magic, Zaryusu had the wounds to show for his battle. “THAT’S ALL OF THEM, ZARYUSU!!! YOU’RE CLEAR!!!” He roared out to let Zaryusu know that he didn’t have anything left to worrying about except killing the Elder Lich.

Zenberu then promptly collapsed to the ground, heaving for breath. His focus for martial arts had been all but used up and he couldn’t keep going anymore.

Zaryusu knocked Iguva’s hand aside again as he shot a glance back at Crusch and Zenberu. Both were clearly exhausted and out of the fight, even as Crusch still tried to cast another [Middle Cure Wounds] on him. “Then it’s my turn!”

Iguva took the brief second of respite to leapt backwards and raise his hand.

Zaryusu saw the slight distance being made and tried to figure out what the Elder Lich was going to do. ‘Is he going to cast [Lightning] again?’

A fireball crackling to life in Iguva’s rotten hand revealed the lich’s intentions. “I am Iguva, Elder Lich! Do not think you can defeat me!”

“An AOE spell at this range?! He’ll be hurt too!” Zaryusu readied himself to make distance and dodge, only to realize that both Crusch and Zenberu were still collapsed behind him. ‘He’s not aiming at me!’

The sinister smirk on Iguva’s half rotten face made it clear that Zaryusu was correct.

“Icy Burst!” Zaryusu used up the final ‘Icy Burst’ for the day as he stabbed Frost Pain into the ground. The ice and chill spread rapidly across the shallow waters and swirled around for a long moment before finally settling down, leaving behind a thick and heavy weight mist.

Iguva smirked as he snuffed out the fireball in his palm. “Fool. Cold doesn’t work on me. You only hurt yourself with your little trick.” The Elder Lich had known that the Lizardman would act to protect his comrades, so had made a situation where the power of the Lizardman’s own magic weapon would finish him off. “Now, once I find your frozen corpse, I’ll make sure to turn it to ashes.”

A glint in the mist of Iguva’s damaged peripheral vision was all the undead got before Zaryusu came down form the highest jump that he could manage and buried Frost Pain’s blade into the Elder Lich’s bad eye.

“GAAUUUHH!!!” Iguva roared in defiance and rage. “Why aren’t you dead?!”

‘Frost Pain’s protection from chill saved me… But I can’t take much more of this.’ Zaryusu thought to himself, feeling the pain throughout his body. Even holding Frost Pain was starting to take a toll.

“Urrrggghh!” Iguva’s half-rotten hands reached up and grabbed Zaryusu’s neck and began to squeeze. “I was… Created by my master as his minion… I will not let you…destroy me so easily!” Black fog began to come off Iguva’s hands. This was the [Negative Touch] ability of undead. As negative energy slowly poured into Zaryusu, it would steal his vitality and snuff out his life. “Die! Die! DIE!!!”

Zaryusu hacked out a painful breath as his throat was being crushed and his vitality started failing him. Darkness began to encroach on his vision as his arms hung limply at his sides. ‘Crusch… Zenberu… Rororo…’ He thought of the ones fighting with him and forced his arms to move.

“What?! How can you move?! How?!” Iguva tried to crush Zaryusu’s neck completely. “Die you worthless lizard!”

Zaryusu raised his hands above his head and made a fist with his right hand while grasping it with his left to squeeze it tighter. “You…first!” He slammed his hands down on the ‘pommel’ of Frost Pain, forcing the magic weapons’ blade straight through Iguva’s head entirely and destroying the Elder Lich’s ability to maintain its undeath.

Iguva’s released Zaryusu’s throat as his entire body began to fall apart and crumble away into black ashes and dark magic. “How…stupid… Lord…Ainz… For…give me…” The Elder Lich’s last words faded away as Zaryusu fell to the ground and the undead withered away to nothing.

-Dummy Nazarick-

“Magnificent…” Cocytus praised the fight he’d just witnessed through the Mirror of Remote Viewing. “Just magnificent.”

Entoma perked up for a moment before turning to look at Cocytus. “Lord Cocytus, it appears that Lord Momonga is calling for you, immediately.” The way the last word was spoken made it clear that the order was to be obeyed instantly.

“Understood.” Cocytus stood from his chair and began to follow after Entoma. He shot one more glance back at the mirror and saw the celebration of the Lizardmen as the rest of the warriors got to the three that had managed to take down Iguva. “It’s too bad. Aaah…what waste.” He knew that these Lizardmen warriors would likely be wiped out now for defying Lord Momonga. To him, it would be a true shame to lose such true warriors; but it was not his decision to make.

-Remote Village in Re-Estize Kingdom-

“Did you find the plantation?” A masked person in a red cloak asked her colleague.

The woman had a slender figure with fair skin, coral eyes, and blond hair that was tied up into a high ponytail with a red string. She would be considered quite lovely by most that looked at her. Her outfit was made up of a black half-breastplate over a sleeveless mesh bodysuit, a black and red striped headband, a light orange scarf with red flower pattern, black arm gloves with metal bracers, a pair of light orange hakama pants, and black boots with metal plate around the shin and instep.

This was Tina, an Adventurer of the Adamantite Ranked ‘Blue Roses’ party. She was listed as a ‘Thief’ with the Adventurer’s Guild, but both she and her sister called themselves ‘Ninja’…not that many in Re-Estize seemed to know what that meant.

“We did.” Tina confirmed to her masked and cloaked colleague.

“We had to listen in on a few different conversation to find out though. No one in this village spoke as soon as they saw someone unfamiliar.” A second blonde woman, that looked identical to Tina, said as she handed over a piece of folded paper to their boss.

The obvious twin also had a slender figure with the same fair skin, coral eyes, and blond hair kept in the same high ponytail, only hers was secured with a blue string instead of a red one. Her ‘ninja’ outfit also consisted of a black half-breastplate over a sleeveless mesh bodysuit, but with a black and blue striped headband, a similar light orange scarf but with a blue flower pattern, the same black arm gloves with metal bracers, identical light orange hakama pants, and the same black boots with metal plate around the shin and instep.

This was Tia, twin sister of Tina, another member of Blue Roses.

“Thank you for your hard work, Tia, Tina.” The leader, a beautiful blonde woman of clearly noble birth smiled at the two before unfolding the paper and looking it over. “It’s taking much longer than I thought to find any information about these black dust plantations.”

The largest woman in the room, a heavily muscled woman with semi-short blonde hair and wearing full plate armor, chuckled quietly. “It wouldn’t be very secret if they just told people where they were growing the plant for their illegal drug, no would it?”

“Gagaran, You need to stay in your casual clothes.” The leader said to the armored woman, briefly motioning to her own clothing, which would mostly blend in with what commoner’s wore…as long as none of them touched it and realized the actual quality of the material, of course. “We don’t want to be discovered.”

“Tell that to shorty and the ninja twins.” Gagaran pointed out that the other three members were still wearing their regular Adventurer gear. “Besides, if we get discovered it’ll definitely be a fight, and we should all be ready for that, Lakyus.”

The leader, Lakyus, let out a low sigh. “We’re trying to avoid being discovered entirely though.” She looked at Tia and Tina, then Gagaran, and finally their shortest member, the cloaked and masked woman. “This mission is going to pit us against Eight Fingers eventually. It will be one of the most dangerous missions we’ve ever faced before, but I know that we can succeed. We’ve already reached the first step.” She held up the paper that Tia and Tina had wrote the information they’d overheard on. “Now it’s time for Blue Roses to make our first move.”

“Now you’re speaking my language.” Gagaran smiled brightly at Lakyus.

“Always so ready for a fight.” The masked woman said, clearly sending an unsubtle verbal jab towards Gagaran.

Gagaran just smirked back. “I know you enjoy a good fight just as much as me, Evileye!”

Evileye just sighed audibly, even behind her mask.

“Whenever you’re ready, Evil Boss.” Tina said with a small smile for Lakyus.

“These ninja are ready to carry out whatever mission needed.” Tia nodded with a little grin.

Lakyus smiled warmly at her team. “Then we’ll move out under the cover of night to this first plantation. With any luck we’ll find information about others while we’re there.”

“Right.” Gagaran, Evileye, Tia, and Tina said in unison.

As the five women waited for the sun to fully set, Tina and Tia pulled out something from their clothing and looked at them with soft smiles. The items in question were nearly identical, both being small cloth bags containing a single special paper talisman each. Tia’s little charm pouch was blue and silver with a stylized fox silhouette on it. Tina’s little charm pouch was red and sliver with the same stylized fox silhouette on it, but mirrored in position to Tia’s.

The sisters both rubbed their own charm pouch softly, little smiles on their lips as they took seats in positions that would give them clear views of the only door and window in this room. Lakyus, Evileye, and Gagaran were all used to this little habit from the twins by now. A while back, Lakyus had asked Tina and Tia what the little charm pouches were and had only gotten the answer that they were charms and a measure of last resort for safety. Neither kunoichi had explained any further than that and Lakyus hadn’t pressed the issue.

Evileye had privately shared with Lakyus and Gagaran that the two charm pouches were magic items of a remarkable power, but she wasn’t quite sure what they did since neither Tia nor Tina would let her examine them properly.

Lakyus had stated plainly that as long as the two charm pouches weren’t dangerous, then she wouldn’t look into them any further. Evileye had agreed with her since neither pouch seemed dangerous and had let it go. Gagaran had respected Tina and Tia’s privacy on the matter, knowing that everyone had something that they didn’t talk about with others.

As the sun slowly vanished behind the horizon, the members of Blue Rose prepared to move out.

-End Chapter-

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Victory for the Lizardmen! Woo! Yeah!

The Great One’s forces have been eliminated!

But they’re still on guard. They haven’t found anyone still lurking around or any further forces, but for now, they’ll declare victory and celebrate!

We see that Brain has made it to the capital and met Gazef!

At the same time, the Blue Roses have begun the mission to attack and destroy the black dust plantations hidden throughout the Re-Estize Kingdom!

Things are starting to come together for the next arc!

But what will be the result of the Lizardmen’s victory?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!