Hello! I am PrometheusTheXelNaga and I do not own Overlord and its characters.

I truly hope you like this story of mine. One thing I'd like to point out is that I don't know how to work with Japanese honorifics. Please let me know in reviews if you would like to see them included, and if that seems to be the majority opinion I'll see about finding someone to help with that. Of course, if you can volunteer yourself, please do so!

This was written between Volumes 11 and 12 being released, so my knowledge of Overlord displayed will reflect that.

A resounding basso profundo echoed through the passages of the Undercity, signalling to the residents within that their presence was demanded in the Grand Square at the center of the city. As the membranes of his wings quivered from the sonic power of the summons, likewise did Alastor's heart tremble in anticipation.

'Could this be it?' thought the demonkin, hope registering on his rodent-like face, his black beady eyes glimmering slightly. City-wide gatherings were extremely rare, and usually heralded announcements of great significance. Even as an alchemist's assistant, who spent most of his time gathering reagents in the caverns of the underground, Alastor had some idea of the major undertakings taking place on the surface of the world. Amongst these was a project that, when completed, would give him a chance to better serve his nation, the Sorcerer Kingdom.

In his heart, Alastor felt a deep sense of gratitude towards his distant masters, the mythic Supreme Beings. It was by their grace that he, a demon born in a cave, raised by savage and uneducated brutes, now had his own room with a bed and other furnishings. It was by their foresight that the damp caves that were once home to the demon tribes had been replaced by the architectural marvel that was the Undercity.

Alastor's leathery skin glowed faintly as his demonic heart pumped molten blood faster, inspired by mere contemplation of the 41 and their creations. For luck, he offered up a short prayer to his patron Supreme One: Ulbert Alain Odle - World Disaster, the most popularly adopted patron amongst demon-kind.

"Oh Great Catastrophe, Keeper of the 30 Armageddons…

Hear this insignificant one's prayer.

That should the path of conquest be laid before us,

This one might have the chance to serve.

In the name of Nazarick and Ainz Ooal Gown,

I humbly ask this of you."

There was a sudden series of urgent knocks on Alastor's door. The demon's long, bat-like ears flicked forward involuntarily in response to the noise. On the way to the door, he grabbed his travelling cloak, intending to leave. If the visitor was not who he thought it was, and was someone wanting to stay and visit, they would be out of luck. Though a full hour was given to respond to city-wide summons, Alastor did not intend to dally.

Fortunately, upon opening the door, he was greeted by a familiar face. Large compound eyes, two antennae, and large mandibles were mounted on a segmented body that stood a little shorter than the winged demonkin. In Alastor's opinion, the face before him was a kind one. The insect-like creature's next words only cemented this opinion further.

"I thought we should go together to the square. We wouldn't be able to find each other once there." The visitor spoke evenly, and deliberately, mandibles clacking slightly.

"Gladly, Tarybdis." Alastor bowed respectfully. Having said that, he stepped out into the underground passage, closing the door to his room behind him, and the two began walking side by side to the Grand Square.

Tarybdis was not an individual who would make small talk, so the walk passed by with few words exchanged. Even without speaking, Alastor felt the insectoid gave off an aura of ambition tempered by honor. As expected of a devout follower of the teachings of Warrior Takemikazuchi, the Supreme Being who held the title of 'Samurai' - a word that had never existed in the world before Ainz Ooal Gown, and one that only the 41 knew the full meaning of.

The fact that a noble soldier who served in the peacekeeper force of the Sorcerer Kingdom was a lifelong friend of his was another thing that filled Alastor with gratitude. Unlike him, the spawn of a demon lord and a beastwoman concubine, born in the squalor of the old demon caves, Tarybdis had been brought into existence deep within the hallowed domain of Nazarick. His essence had been created and called forth from one of the sacred tomes of the Grand Library Ashurbanipal, shaped by the mystical gold used by Nazarick and the 41.

In the Sorcerer Kingdom, Tarybdis would be considered a higher class citizen than Alastor by two degrees. The demonkin was the lowest-tier of citizen, a creature born outside of Nazarick who had accepted the rule of his new nation. One step above him were the creatures summoned by the Great Tomb itself, that made up the bulk of the kingdom's military might. However, many of these creatures, such as the guards of the undercity equipped with enchanted armor and weapons, were undead, and did not seem to care about such status. Regardless, Alastor treated them with respect, though he had grown stronger than they would be without equipment.

Above the children of the tomb were beings such as Tarybdis, summoned into being by the legendary currency with which the inhabitants of Nazarick manipulated the fabric of the world to create new life. It was said that the tributes paid to the Great Tomb could be transmuted into this currency, which to an unenlightened being appeared just like simple, pure gold.

Tarybdis was a variety of Insect Warrior, the likes of which were commonly found as servants of the being known as Cocytus. 28 years ago, when Alastor had been a child, an army led by the godlike warrior had subdued the demon tribes within the cavernous depths.

Alastor remembered that day clearly, every detail down to the taste of dust upon his tongue as he cowered, peeking timidly from a submissive position for a chance to glimpse the legendary warrior. His mother and 2 sisters, along with him, had quickly surrendered when the Sorcerer Kingdom's forces reached their cave. His father, a "demon lord" who served as chieftain, had been slain that day. It was in this moment, the young demonkin's attention drawn to the distant battle drawing to a conclusion, that a friendship had been formed.

Most of the vassal's of Cocytus treated the subjugated demons with barely concealed disdain, as was their birthright. In contrast, Tarybdis went out of his way to get to know the ones he had taken part in defeating. To this day, he was a well-loved protector of the Undercity. It was rumored that Cocytus himself had advocated to none other than the Supreme Overlord Momonga for this particular Insect Warrior to keep his present assignment when all military forces were undergoing a reorganization period 8 years prior.

Even so, Alastor's bond with the veteran peacekeeper was unique. The two of them were bound by a shared ambition, and had made a promise 25 years ago to support each other until their goal was met. One way or another, they would find a way to be granted Ascension.

For the 41 homunculi who served as maids in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, there was one job which stood out as the most coveted task, valued even more highly than cleaning the personal chambers of a Supreme Being that was currently present. This was attending to the masters whenever they gathered in what was known as the "Conference Room." Truly, there could be no greater privilege than to hear the Supreme Beings speak amongst themselves.

Cixous put a lot of thought into her positioning. In their unfathomable wisdom, her supreme rulers positioned themselves in such a way around the large round table that it presented her with a mathematical problem each time. The main problem she had to consider was, allowing for only circumferential motion around the table, where in the room would allow for the most efficient service to the greatest number of Supreme Beings? Of course, no homunculus maid worth her salt would forget to factor in the likelihood of a Supreme Being actually requiring service.

The ruler above all, Momonga, never required food or drink. This might lead an amateur to remove him from the equation. Cixous however, was no amateur. She understood that if she positioned herself such that she would be in his line of sight upon the meeting concluding, it was extremely likely that when he left, he would rest his gaze on her, and say something to the effect of "Thank you for your hard work." This was a treasure not worth giving up under any circumstance.

This eliminated about 20% of the area where the maid could potentially assign as her neutral position, where she would return to when not meeting requests. Cixous felt the slightest twinge of hunger as she pushed her brain to its limit, making all of these deductions in only a couple of seconds.

Peroroncino, lord of the skies, was presently in attendance. It was well known by the maids, that in his infinite mercy, this particular being would choose to grace them with his unfathomable gaze, seemingly ignoring the words of his peers while he did so. Therefore, choosing a spot near Peroroncino that was not directly behind him, was a desirable proposition. Of course, this depended on whether or not lady Bukubukuchagama was present, as she would often strike the awe-inspiring sky-god with enough force to unmake a maid whenever he chose to reward them with his attention for too long.

Bukubukuchagama was not currently present. Fortune further favored Cixous on this day, for Herohero the Decadent, an elder black ooze who could be said to embody hunger itself, was seated - if such a word adequately described it - near Peroroncino. Herohero frequently required food from the trolley, and sometimes even conversed with the maids in a quiet voice.

'It is decided then,' Cixous thought smugly. She would make her neutral position directly behind Herohero, in range of Peroroncino's kingly gaze. The maid let herself smile ever so slightly, before… Her eyes widened. She was being called for! She had taken a few seconds too long to solve the problem of positioning and had allowed her attention to lapse.

"Maid…" a refined sounding voice spoke with sinister undertones, and then paused. Ulbert tilted his head, glancing meaningfully at Herohero, who was across from him.

"...Cixous." A quiet voice intoned from within the roiling blackness of the elder ooze.

"Cixous. Be a dear and bring me a glass of red wine and some mana-infused grass on a stick will you?"

There was the sound of a tongue clicking, a very impressive feat considering that it came from a tongueless Death Vine.

"You spend almost as much time in this world as Momonga, and yet you still have not memorized all of the maids' names after all these years? A shameful display, Ulbert."

"That's a little harsh, Punitto Moe. Ulbert does not spend much time on the 9th floor after all." Momonga, ever the one to make peace, came to his friend's defense.

"Knowing one's own is crucial to defeating one's enemies," Punitto Moe responded sagely. "Nevertheless, I cannot push the issue after you came immediately to defend your guildmate, oh supreme leader."

Momonga got the feeling he was being teased, but he put it aside as he always did.

"Then, it seems like everyone is here. Shall we begin?"

"Mhm," mumbled Peroroncino. It seemed like he was distracted for some reason.

"Okay."

"Take it away, guild-leader."

Ulbert merely waved a clawed hand, busy munching on some grass. The stick it was wrapped around allowed him to eat without getting his hands, which were great for eviscerating but not so practical for eating, near his goat-like visage.

Momonga looked at Punitto Moe, hoping that he would say something. The Death Vine stared back impassively.

'What's this? They expect me to say something? But Punitto Moe is the one that called this meeting in the first place! Ah, don't tell me I have to say that dramatic opening. But there's Cixous, looking over at me with shining eyes. I guess it can't be helped.'

The Overlord of Death raised his arms with great gravitas. "I, Momonga, guildmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown and Absolute Ruler of Nazarick, do hereby commence this - the one hundred and eighty seventh convening of the Supreme Beings."

No doubt about it, his stomach definitely ached. He wanted to tell the scroll-and-quill item next to him "Please erase what I just said," but of course all that would do would be to add an additional unwanted line to the automatic record being made.

Momonga peeked to his right. Ulbert gave an almost imperceivable nod of approval. In his heart, the overlord added a small tick of gratitude next to his friend's name.

"Thank you Momonga," Punitto Moe began. "The main reason I called you all here was to present to you my findings on data crystal drop rates. We have finally accumulated enough data so that the figures for most known species should be quite reliable. I've put my findings into an item that when activated, should automatically add the information to your encyclopedias."

There was a chorus of "ohhhs" in response to this. Herohero in particular, seemed unexpectedly excited. Ever since being summoned to the New World, the one who had been the last guildmate to visit Momonga on the last day of Yggdrasil had spent much of his time sleeping, eating, and enjoying his newfound life of luxury.

'I suppose Herohero was a programmer after all, so this sort of talk about numbers and patterns appeals to him.'

During the time that Momonga had been all alone with the NPCs, he had participated in a war between two nations known as the Baharuth Empire, and the Re-estive Kingdom. During this time, he had cast a super-tier spell that had resulted in the deaths of over 100,000 humans. It was only later that he revisited the location of the massacre, the Katze plains, and had found a small number of data crystals.

This discovery was quite a momentous one. Data crystals were the tools through which all manner of things from NPCs to equipment to the tomb itself and other structures - could be created, strengthened, and customized. From his time posing as an adventure, Momonga had thought that the creatures of this world did not drop data crystals, but it turned out he was mistaken.

Years after arriving to the New World, the lonely guild leader had by complete chance stumbled upon the method to summon most of his lost guildmates to the world. He was at the time, completely overjoyed, and thoroughly confused. Fortunately, the freshly summoned Tabula Smaragdina seemed to have all the answers. Momonga had inadvertently triggered a piece of detailed lore that his guild member had written into the Avatara - tributes to departed guild members deep within the treasury - before he himself had quit Yggdrasil.

'It seems Tabula was really quite nosy in his last days,' Momonga had thought at the time. He had then recalled how Albedo had been gifted with no less than a World Item without anyone's consent. Of course, he couldn't fault Tabula Smaragdina now that the lore he had composed for the Avatara - something about them being able to summon the Supreme Beings from the higher planes if fed enough devotion - had reunited the entire guild.

It was one of the guild members that had suggested that data crystals still dropped from all creatures just like they would in Yggdrasil, only with severely reduced probabilities, most if not all of which would be below 1. And so, Punitto Moe, during the time he spent in Yggdrasil, made it a personal project of his to determine the likelihood that data crystals would drop from all the known species. Now, at the project's completion, it was really quite the accomplishment.

'Although, Punitto Moe is really ruthless isn't he?' Momonga thought to himself. To think that the man, or whatever plant-thing he had become now, would prioritize information that could benefit his allies to the point where he would be sanction the repeated killing and resurrection of all sorts of species, including sentient ones, was somewhat unsettling, and made the overlord's nonexistant stomach twinge mildly.

However, looking around, it seemed that his friends were all smiles about this development, or at least the ones who could smile. Once again, Momonga peeked over at Ulbert.

'Ah! So scary! To think that Ulbert would look so evil when he smiles, I'm glad I can't sweat.'

During the time that Momonga had been contemplating things internally, the other guild members had continued discussing the matter of data crystal drops. Even back in Yggdrasil, the guild leader had been prone to zoning out, solving disputes with an "Eh? Well, how about we vote on it?" Now, his unreadable skeletal face only enabled his occasional absentmindedness.

"...and so, I think I will log out for a while."

Momonga snapped back to reality.

"Eh? So soon? It hasn't been that long though!"

Punitto Moe looked over with what appeared to be a warm expression.

"Maintaining the wards is just about the most important task I can do. Don't worry, I'll be sure to send someone down to fill the gap. Maybe Whitebrim?"

Of course, the former Yggdrasil players could not "logout" in the same manner as they did back when they were in a game. In terms of the mechanics of the Avatara described in Tabula Smaragdina's thousands of words of lore, they could ascend to a higher plane in order to maintain wards designed to protect Nazarick from powerful universe-transcending beings. In the days following their initial summoning, Punitto Moe had complimented his comrade on this level of attention to detail, which was rare given that the two had often clashed intellectually, though they were always good friends.

From what Momonga gathered, the Great Alchemist had created something very useful, according to Punitto Moe. After all, in their chief strategist's words, "The fact that we're here proves that we live in a multiverse. So it's a godsend that we have a way of protecting ourselves against that world of Outer Gods and Old Ones that I once would have thought was just in your head, Tabula." In line with these sentiments, Punitto Moe spent a lot of time "logged out" much to Momonga's disappointment. 'Can't we all just stay and enjoy Nazarick?' was his selfish desire.

The overlord strained to keep the melancholy out of his voice as he responded to his friend. "Well, if you say it's that important then it can't be helped. Please come back anytime."

Perhaps sensing the more depressing aura that threatened to descend upon the meeting, Ulbert took action, pushing a new topic forward. "All the best to you in the higher plane then, Punitto. Actually, I have an announcement to make today too." The goat-demon paused dramatically, taking a sip of his wine. "The portal to the Demonic Plane has just been completed."

For a second time, the conference room was filled with a chorus of approval from most of the gathered heteromorphic beings, save for one not paying attention.

"That's great news, Ulbert!" Momonga congratulated his guild mate, feeling genuinely excited. He wondered if they would encounter rare, or unique demons there, and his collectors spirit was briefly stirred. This time though, the overlord pushed back his musings, deciding to actually pay attention to what Ulbert had to say.

"As we know, what we've been calling the Demonic Plane is the origin point for the energy trace we observed from the higher plane that is visible when demon summonings occur. Having tested all the summons except for those requiring experience points, we can be certain that if this plane is inhabited by demons, and is not just a primal source of energy, then the strength level is vastly higher than this world."

Once again, Ulbert took a sip to allow his words to sink in. The mid-tier and high-tier summons that could be classified as demons were nothing to sneeze at certainly, not for an average inhabitant of the new world.

"And so, as we've discussed, I would like to take Demiurge and the Infernal Legion to subjugate the realm."

Just as Momonga summoned undead daily to grow the forces of Nazarick, the tomb also boasted an army composed of demons, summoned through certain residents' skills as well as through the gold mercenary system. Supplemented by automatically generated monsters below level 30, this was the Infernal Legion.

"Well, since we discussed it, that much should be fine. Does anyone have any objections?"

"It's as Momonga says. We've been expecting this for a while now."

"I have no objections either…"

Those who had just spoken waited expectantly for the last one in the room, for three full seconds.

"...Peroroncino?"

"Oh! Um… You guys were saying?" The birdman seemed flustered.

"Do you have any problems with Ulbert requisitioning the Infernal Legion for his conquest of the Demonic Plane?"

"No, no. No problem," Peroroncino responded. He then muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear, "to think that my daydream was just getting to the good part too," before fixing his gaze once more to a spot over a certain ooze's… shoulder? Over a certain ooze's amorphous form.

"Although," Momonga said, clasping his skeletal hands together and resting his chin on it in a way that made him look like a brooding death god. "Make sure that you send the POPs through first, in case it really just is a realm of energy."

"I can do one better," Ulbert said, with a grin that made Momonga feel uneasy. "I'm recruiting local demons from the Undercity to act as our vanguard. They'll be the first through the portals."

'Is that not worse? At least POPs respawn automatically!' Momonga thought to himself. But seeing, his friend's satisfied expression, he didn't have the heart to say what he felt. Especially since this all seemed somewhat familiar. If Ulbert had been planning something like this together with the NPCs, then Momonga did not want to contradict him and make them look disunified in front of their followers.

Thus, he said "Ah, as expected of Ulbert. That will do." Then, addressing all present, "Is there anything else people would like to bring up?" An assortment of replies indicating that there was not came back.

Momonga discreetly put the quill item back into storage. "Thus, I declare this - the one hundred and eighty seventh convening of the Supreme Beings - concluded."

"I'll be going to the Mausoleum then," Punitto Moe told Momonga and Ulbert, who were near him. Herohero had started talking with Cixous. The elder black ooze was very gentle with the NPCs, and was the first to champion for improved workplace conditions if he discovered that they were dissatisfied in any way. Peroroncino on the other hand was lost in some sort of reverie.

"As for me," Ulbert stopped to think for a moment. "I think I shall make a surprise appearance in the Undercity. See if my presence there can squeeze out a few extra volunteers for the legion's vanguard."

Momonga nodded. "I wish I had your charisma. Then, I'll go take a bath."

Ulbert and Punitto Moe shared a look on hearing their guild leader's first statement, as if to say "he still doesn't realize it does he?" By this point, they had stopped remarking on Momonga's severely deflated self image.

The Overlord of Death, adorned in robes as dark and black as his mind was inscrutable, strode gracefully to the door. He stopped moments before reaching it, glancing to the side.

"Thank you for your hard work, Cixous."