Time rewound for a moment, back to just a few minutes ago.
As the view shifted from the ground to the sky, beneath the high-hanging moon and the twinkling stars, a figure quietly appeared among the clouds.
'Wow… it's just… so beautiful…'
Accompanied by this sigh of awe, the figure slightly lifted his head, fully exposing his appearance to the moonlight and starlight.
He was a very burly warrior.
As for why he was described as a warrior, it was simply because he wore a complete set of armor with a red cape draped over it.
The armor was pitch black, resembling something forged from obsidian, adorned with golden and purple markings that made it look both extravagant and expensive.
Such extravagant and expensive armor covered him completely, from his upper body to his lower body; even his feet were encased in it, leaving only his head exposed to the air.
Yet this single exposed head, if someone were to catch sight of it, would surely elicit screams of terror.
Yes, a skull.
No flesh, no features—just a white, bony structure, with two red lights shining in the dark eye sockets, signaling to anyone that this skull was alive.
Such an imposing warrior, wearing full black armor with a skull for a head, was actually a player who had recently crossed over from YGGDRASIL to this world, the protagonist from the original work named 'Ainz Ooal Gown'.
No, this wasn't right, as he wasn't called Ainz Ooal Gown just yet.
Ainz Ooal Gown was actually the name of his guild, while his actual in-game name was 'Momonga', which he still went by at the moment.
It would be after he stepped into this world and started interacting with its natives that he would take on the name Ainz Ooal Gown.
Of course, to others, this was rather pointless and held no meaning.
Whether he was called Momonga or Ainz Ooal Gown didn't change one fact—he was a player who had crossed over from YGGDRASIL, a max-level player capable of using over seven hundred magic spells.
Originally, he should have been human, but in YGGDRASIL, instead of choosing the human race for his character, he had opted for the heteromorphic race, becoming undead.
One of the high-tier heteromorphic races that players were able to pick in YGGDRASIL, a powerful undead magic caster who pursued ultimate magic known as 'Overlord'—this was him, the man now called Momonga, soon to be known as Ainz Ooal Gown.
'Another world, huh...'
Momonga floated high above, admiring the beautiful night view before him, constantly sighing in wonder.
'Neither my world nor YGGDRASIL has such a sight, especially in my world, where the environment has suffered severe pollution, making it impossible to see such beautiful scenery...'
'If Blue Planet were here, he'd be so happy, right?'
'He loves this kind of beautiful, unpolluted nature, after all...'
As Momonga remembered his guild companion, his mood suddenly turned low and dejected.
'Where is everyone now?'
'Are they, like me, in this world?'
'Or…'
Even though Momonga had nothing but a skeletal face without flesh, his somber and downcast sigh, combined with his forlorn demeanor, still allowed one to catch a glimpse of his expression, which seemed profoundly melancholic.
It was perfectly normal for someone to feel this way after being transported alone as a game character into such a world.
However, to say that he was the only one who was transported to this world was somewhat inaccurate.
Indeed, the player who had crossed over was only Momonga, but along with him, he brought not only his in-game character's power, status, and various items but also the base of his guild and a group of NPCs who had once been merely data.
"Lord Momonga."
A voice suddenly rang out from below, pulling Momonga from his melancholy.
The speaker was a man, about 180 centimeters tall, dressed in a sharp British-style suit with a tie, giving off the vibe of a competent businessman or lawyer.
However, while his voice was steady and extremely pleasant, evoking an image of a 'gentleman,' he exuded an evil aura.
He had a tail covered in silver metal plates that ended in six sharp spikes, along with massive, damp, greenish-black, leathery wings on his back, indicating to anyone who saw them that he was undoubtedly a monster.
Especially his face, which wasn't human at all but resembled that of a frog.
Undoubtedly, he was not human but one of the heteromorphic races, an extraordinary existence.
"Demiurge..."
Momonga called out the name of the newcomer.
Demiurge was one of the NPCs who had crossed over with Momonga to this world, the 7th Floor Guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, belonging to Ainz Ooal Gown, and the highest-tier demon at Level 100.
"You're flying too high, Lord Momonga."
Demiurge, with his enormous leathery wings spread wide, respectfully flew behind Momonga.
"If you were to leave my sight, it would trouble me greatly."
Demiurge's respectful tone didn't come across as an attempt to restrict freedom but rather as a concern for the safety of his lord.
"Is that so...? I'm truly sorry then."
Momonga changed from his previous melancholy and disappointment, adopting a commanding voice to apologize to his subordinate.
"No, it's just my one-sided worry, so there's no need for Lord Momonga to apologize."
Demiurge bent slightly mid-air as if bowing, still maintaining his respect.
"Now that I think about it, how could a world-defying existence like Lord Momonga need to worry about safety? In the end, it's just my unfounded thought. Only by seeing Lord Momonga safe and sound can I feel at ease."
"That's why there's absolutely no need for Lord Momonga to apologize. Rather, I should be the one to apologize for making you, a Supreme Being, consider my trivial concerns, which is truly unacceptable."
Demiurge spoke incessantly, his tone filled with respect and admiration that he could not hide.
"...R-Really?"
Momonga found it hard to cope, and his words became slow and stuttered.
Nonetheless, he forced himself to hold it together, not wanting to show any weakness in front of his subordinates.
As the guild master of Ainz Ooal Gown and the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he had strict expectations of himself to present a formidable presence at all times in front of his subordinates.
Knowing that he had just been transported into this world and that the NPCs, which had previously been nothing more than data, where they weren't alive and didn't even possess intelligence, had suddenly come to life, he realized that if they sensed he wasn't fit to be their ruler, they might unite and rebel against him.
Such an incident was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
Moreover, the Great Tomb of Nazarick was not only home to his forty guild companions but also a crystallization of their blood and efforts.
Because of this, including the NPCs designed by his guild companions, he hoped to cherish and protect them, ensuring they would last forever. If he caused them to doubt his abilities and sparked chaos in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, it would be a huge problem.
With no other choice, Momonga, an ordinary office worker in reality, had to keep displaying the image of a competent ruler to prove his worth, even if it was exhausting.
Suppressing the urge to sigh, Momonga waved his hand at Demiurge.
"Speaking of which, don't call me Momonga in public. We don't know the situation in this world yet, so we need to avoid accidentally revealing our identity. Understood?"
Momonga's words did not raise any suspicion in Demiurge.
"Understood. In that case, how should I address you?"
"...Dark Warrior."
"Hmm?"
"Call me Dark Warrior."
"...Understood. From this moment on, I will call you Dark Warrior."
"Umu, I appreciate it."
Satisfied for a moment with his chuuni-like impulse, Momonga prepared to return to the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
However—
"Lord Momonga!"
Demiurge suddenly shouted at Momonga.
"?!"
Momonga froze in place.
Below him, a burst of light suddenly erupted, transforming into a beam that pierced the night sky, shooting upward at breakneck speed.
*WHOOSH!*
Before long, the beam zipped past Momonga, continuing its ascent without losing momentum.
"Lord Momonga!"
Demiurge rushed to Momonga's side, exuding a terrifying aura that completely blew away the cloud layer around them.
In contrast, Momonga remained calm.
"Calm down, Demiurge. It isn't directed at us—no, it's more like they aren't aiming for us in the first place but merely want to get our attention."
Saying this, Momonga understood what was happening.
"Who is it? Enemies?" Demiurge asked with a deep voice, his face darkening as he suppressed his anger.
"I'm not sure..."
Momonga's empty eye sockets flickered with a red glow.
'From the looks of it, they seem to want to talk to us...'
He pondered while glancing at the ground beneath him.
'Should we try to make contact?'
'No, we're not ready yet... Recklessly approaching someone from this world could cause problems...'
'Still... it seems like a good opportunity...'
A flurry of thoughts raced through Momonga's mind as he brainstormed, and before long, he made a decision.
"Demiurge, use Message to inform Albedo and all the Guardians to raise the alert level to the highest."
"We'll go meet them."