Overlord: Advent of the New Gods

Hours had passed and the day had slowly turned into a night, tension thick in the air. By this point, it was clear that Azuth, the Kingdom's last hope to deal with the invasion on their own, had failed.

Zanac, together with the King's advisors and the majority of the nobles, were present in the throne room, waiting for the latest updates. His eyes were heavy and it took effort to not yawn despite the adrenaline. He wasn't the only one. Barbro was already slouching on the throne but even he wasn't about to just retire. His entire kingdom was at stake and no matter how selfish the young King was, he still needed his lands and people to be a monarch.

"I think we have waited long enough. It should be clear that the adventurers have failed and we are out of options." Boullope spoke up.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Rush there ourselves and fight those demons with commoners? Or perhaps we should take our possessions and flee?" Barbro asked with barely hidden anger, glaring at the man.

"Your majesty, you know that no human nation will accept you or the presence of nobles who would choose to abandon our homeland," Zanac reminded him.

"Then give me suggestions, dammit!" The King snapped back, his voice growing coarse.

"There is one source we can attempt to ask for help, but it would require swallowing our pride." Zanac ignored his brother's outburst and remained polite.

"Right…" Barbro rubbed his eyes.

"Archduke Zanac makes a decent suggestion. I much prefer keeping my lands over clinging to pride as well. If there is a way to get the Research Guild to help us, then we should accept it. I'm sure we can make an enticing offer and we'll be able to see their abilities in action. And if they fail as well, you'll get rid of them without lifting a finger." Boullope joined in.

"Hmm… that's one way to look at it. Very well, how do we go about contacting them?" Barbro straightened out as he continued.

"There is a girl I met while delivering supplies. A saint who worships Ainz Ooal Gown, the God of Life and Death. She might be able to contact him and ask for an audience." Renner, who thus far had been in the background, spoke up.

"What do you mean, God of Light and Death? Are you telling me he is the one who saved E-Rantel? How long did you know that?" Barbo jerked his head sharply, his piercing gaze set on his youngest sister.

"I met her two hours ago. I presumed you knew about the miracle, Your Majesty," Renner responded innocently.

"Why did no one tell me this!? Boullope?" Barbro shouted at the top of his lungs.

"It must have slipped through. We have a lot of unreliable information coming in from all over." The older noble didn't even flinch as he faced the young king's wrath.

"So what are we dealing with? Renner, what else did you find out." Barbro demanded, his hands gripping the armrests of the throne.

"I did some research in my free time and I believe the Research Guild belongs to the race of players. Mysterious beings who appear about once in a century to change the landscape as we know it. This girl didn't say much else as she knew very little but apparently, her God and player Ainz Ooal Gown worked through her to help." Renner continued.

"Get that girl here, right now! And get me some wine!" Barbro ordered. It was plain to see that the King's patience was running thin and heads may start to roll soon.

The wait wasn't long and the supposed saint and her team entered the throne room about twenty minutes later, disheveled but alive. All four young women knelt before the king and waited for him to speak.

"Which one of you is the saint?" Barbro questioned as he slightly scrunched his nose. Even to Zanac's surprise, he tried to not show his displeasure as it was obvious that the adventurers, who had been dragged into the throne room straight from the front, would be covered in all kinds of filth, particularly the foul-smelling substance that constituted the blood of the demons. It stank like nothing else, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"That would be me, Your Majesty." A girl with angry eyes and intense gaze spoke softly.

"Then introduce yourself and explain your relationship with this Ainz Ooal Gown," Barbro ordered as he slouched on one side, crossing his legs.

"Neia Baraja, gold-ranked adventurer belonging to team Hurricane. I come from the Roble Holy Kingdom. I was sent on a pilgrimage to investigate the E-Rantel miracle as my God had chosen me long before I knew of him. Lord Ainz Ooal Gown is my God. He has shown me the truth, your Majesty," The girl explained.

"Roble… your last name sounds familiar." Barbro turned to Raeven who had encyclopedic knowledge of all people of any significance.

"Pavel Baraja is one of the kingdom's heroes, the nine colors. Perhaps this young lady is related to him." Raeven gave him the answer he was looking for.

"Are you related to him?" Barbro asked.

"Pavel Baraja is my father, your Majesty," Neia answered.

"Rise. Raeven, should we respond to Roble in this case?" Barbro turned to his foreign relations advisor.

"I believe it is not necessary as of now, but we could officially recognize Miss Baraja's efforts in helping the kingdom in the time of need, that is if she can contact Ainz Ooal Gown," Raeven replied.

"So, can you contact him?"

"Lord Ainz Ooal Gown hears my prayers." Neia slowly stood up together with her peers.

"Then contact him and explain that Kingdom Re-Estize requires his assistance. I will personally see that his service is rewarded accordingly." Barbro ordered.

Neia dropped to her knees again, pressing her palms together and putting her hands against her forehead. The room fell silent as everyone waited with bated breath.

"Lord will send help immediately! He does demand that his servants are treated with proper respect and not attacked!" She exclaimed a short moment later.

"He has my word," Barbro assured, raising a brow. By all means, this was a strange request as no one in their right mind would attack their allies in a time like this. Good old backstabbing and political power games were better left off when there wasn't a kingdom-ending crisis raging on.

Instantly, a dark void appeared at the entrance of the throne room. The first to step through was a young girl, about fourteen to fifteen years old in an extravagant purple evening dress, her head covered with a headdress decorated with a bow. One would easily see her as a young, noble lady on her way to a ball if not for the rest of her appearance.

Barbro tensed up the moment he noticed her distinct disgusting inhuman features. Her skin was extremely pale, her eyes blood red and slight fangs rested on her lower lip. The girl clearly was a vampire and a stunningly beautiful one at that. She strolled forward like she owned the place with a tall blue-haired vampire emerging next. He was followed by a horde of scantily dressed female vampires.

As the obviously noble leader approached the throne, the rest formed an orderly row at the further end of the throne room.

Barbro's two guards stepped forward, blocking the vampire's path toward him. It didn't seem to deter the gorgeous creature as she stepped in front of Neia, her face twisted in a faint smile. She grabbed her dress and curtsied, declaring, "Shalltear Bloodfallen, the eternal servant of the true Gods. I was sent to help contain your problem while the Gods decide upon how to resolve it."

"If you are not powerful enough to kill the man responsible for this invasion then you won't be that much of a help, but I accept the gracious offer nonetheless." Barbo huffed.

"It's not the cardinal you should worry about. I can kill him but I am ordered to stay away because of what he could summon through the demon gate. My vampire brides, you see behind me, are each on par with your nation's best. The man you see among them is Brain Unglaus and he needs to exert serious effort to defeat even one of them." The young vampire explained, smug superiority oozing out of her.

"Then what is the real threat if not the mad cardinal?" Boullope asked, ignoring the vampire's boisterous nature. If there was something even worse on the horizon he at least needed to know about such a threat. If his kingdom was beyond saving, the only reasonable option would be to flee with his family and coffers of gold. Bravery was a trait he cultivated within his heart, but there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity and it wasn't a line he wanted to cross.

"The possibility that one of the old Gods gets resurrected and decides that all of humanity belongs to him to do as he sees fit. You see, my masters had defended their home from them while they still resided in Yggdrasil, and these human players stopped at nothing to get their way. Ask yourself, why am I sent here to help, and not take over?" Shalltear smirked, her crimson eyes set on the young King.

"Your point?" Barbro was once again losing his minuscule patience.

"The Gods I serve respect the autonomy of mortal nations and their rulers. If you see reason, you won't be forced into servitude or worship. These human players, these false Gods, would enslave you instantly to use you as their playthings. You've seen similar in the upper echelons of this world's holy nation. Lord Ainz Ooal Gown is monitoring the events and working to ensure this does not happen, but he also will require something to resolve your problem in the least harmful way possible. It would be easy for him to destroy this city and be done with it, but he chooses not to."

"What does he ask of me?" Barbro inquired while trying his best to remain calm. This creature was very dangerous, he could feel it, and thus he needed to be cautious. He already underestimated the Research Guild once, he would not do so again.

"I am not authorized to discuss any deals. Lord Ulbert Ooal Gown will arrive tomorrow morning for talks. For now, Your Majesty, take a rest and let me handle things. I promise there won't be any nasty surprises tonight." Shalltear pretty much ordered him.

"Very well. Boullope, ensure our ally receives all the help she needs." Barbro left his father-in-law in charge and departed the room with his two guards in tow, heading for his bed still empty of women.

Lakyus wasn't taking the news well. Not only her uncle was missing in action but her friend and teammate as well. There was only a small chance that either were alive, held captive wherever they were. On top of it, her mind was in turmoil because of the implications of Yvon's actions. She couldn't help but wonder if her Gods were the heroic figures they were painted to be.

What if the new God or Gods present in the world were the good ones and hers were the villains who had twisted history to their ends? She had never heard a God respond to her prayers. She had never performed a miracle like the girl following Ainz Ooal Gown had. Only silence.

On top of it, this new God saved Gazef and the villagers when they were attacked by Slane Theocracy agents. She had zero reasons not to believe Gazef, a man renowned for his valor and honor across the land, as he retold the tale in great detail.

Yet she knew that she couldn't discard her belief. She needed this reliance on a higher power to keep the darkness at bay, the darkness that threatened to consume her at every moment. Not only in her cursed sword but in her heart as well. She had always been just one step away from the darkness whispering its corrupting thoughts of giving in and becoming evil.

"Hey, Lakyus, you alright?" It was Gagaran who snapped her out of her contemplations. The massive woman was fighting beside her, slamming her massive warhammer into the upcoming beasts again and again. If not for the demonic creatures dissolving upon their deaths she would be standing on a massive pile of corpses by now.

"Yes. Just a bit tired," She replied.

"Then go take a rest. I can handle this and you can take over in a few hours." Gagaran suggested, her tone betraying tiredness as well.

"I'll be fine. We can't rest now." She sighed, continuing her fight as she slashed off a demon's arm reaching for her friend.

It was times like these when she almost envied monsters, many of whom didn't need rest or could go for days without as much as slowing down. Unlike her and her allies.

Her mind now decided that it was time to think about Evileye and the possibility that she had died. The ancient vampire had survived for centuries and fought beside many over the years, never drawing too close to her peers which was understandable. Lakyus and the rest of the team would eventually grow old and retire while Evileye would remain unchanging until her last breath, only slowly growing in power the entire time. Not that she even needed to breathe as an undead or sleep for that matter, yet she indulged in both activities to establish common ground with them.

As she fought tirelessly a messenger ran in their position. "By decree of King Barbro, no one is to get in the way of the servants of the new Gods who are about to arrive. Any hostile actions towards them will be punishable by death."

The boy no older than fourteen ran forward to the next position, repeating the message at the top of his lungs.

"You heard that? Help is coming!" Gagaran exclaimed.

"Why would anyone attack allies?" Lakyus wondered out loud.

Before she could get any speculations from her friend, her question was answered. A vampire arrived, clad in a dress suited for a grand ball, not a battle. She walked forward with casual ease as if the entire situation was a trivial matter.

"You can rest. I will handle this area." She declared, flashing her fangs for all to see.

"We can help," Lakyus protested. She was not about to take orders from this creature, she hadn't been ordered to. If not for Evileye and the knowledge that even monstrous creatures could see reason, she would've moved to strike it down. She knew to judge everyone by their character, not just appearance. She wasn't as naive as to ignore the practicalities of the world.

"You will only get in my way." The vampire waved her off and walked past her and Gagaran.

"We can-" She stopped, feeling Gagaran's heavy hand on her shoulder. "Let's see what she can do first."

Lakyus nodded. The curiosity was getting the better of her. If this vampire was anything like her friend, who seemed to have the same almost unintentional sense of superiority about her, then they just might have some time to rest and then plan to push back the demons. And if not, she would be just another body to add to the count.

The vampire materialized a crimson lance in her hand and with a motion so quick Lakyus barely could see it sent a shockwave down the street, shredding any demon in its path.

Before she could even process what she had seen, shadowy wolves and bats poured out of the vampire's shadow and started to make a defensive perimeter, street after street, halting the advance of the demons completely with growls and shrieks.

Within minutes it was a monster-against-monster brawl, with exhausted soldiers and adventurers falling back. Some collapsed against the walls and dozed off on the spot, needing to be carried back by their comrades.

Lakyus let out a long sigh of relief. The much-needed turn of the tide had come, even if it was in a form she didn't expect. She knew that soon she would find out who the mysterious allies of the kingdom were, but part of her already knew. The new Gods were not abandoning Re-Estize to its fate.

Editing by aidan_lo.

Proofreading by Stac, Sluethen, fvvck, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, mfkz_rocker, x4x, clagan, and aidan_lo.

Link my discord server (https://discord.gg/WmGKVU3XG2)