//------------------------------// // Chapter Four: The Cycle of Hatred // Story: Welcome to Heaven, Kick Everyone Out // by The Warmaster //------------------------------// A few years later “Welcome back, Ainz!” Sunset smiled, walking up to the disguised skeleton as he stepped through the doorway, a large pack slung over his shoulder. “How was your trip to Ponehenge?” “It was long, arduous, but quite informative, Sunset.” Ainz said, putting the sack down to the side of the doorway. “I would have returned quicker, but the Royal Guard has implemented Identity checks along the train routes.” “The Royal Guard?” Sunset asked, confused. “I thought they stuck to the towns closer to Canterlot.” “No longer, it seems.” Ainz sighed, moving past Sunset to take a seat at the dining table. “So, how have you been for the past two months? I see you cleaned the place up during my absence.” He nodded appreciatively to the room, which had been cleared up of the dozens of books and papers that used to scatter their home. “Yeah, it was an incredible pain to organize everything that you just tossed about… you really need to learn how to clean up after yourself.” Sunset sighed, sitting down across from him. She had grown quite well over the years, rising up to Ainz’s ribcage, her bright red and yellow hair falling over her shoulders like sunlight shining through a bloody waterfall. Her eyes, once curious and filled with the innocence of youth, were now instead filled with the knowledge of countless spells, and Ainz didn’t feel like noticing her more womanly features. “You have shown to me that you are more than capable on your own, Sunset.” Ainz sighed, leaning into his seat. “So, what did you discover back at Ponehenge?” Sunset asked, leaning forward, cupping her hands in front of her. “Aside from its existence and the ridiculousness of its name, not much.” Ainz sighed, his glowing red eyes dulling slightly. “There were magical runes carved into each of the stones, but they were damaged by erosion and all but recognizable.” He put a bony hand on the table, before sitting up. “I could sense the traces of leftover magic from an incredibly powerful spell, but otherwise I found nothing.” “Well, that’s a shame.” Sunset sighed, continuing to eat the dinner she had prepared for herself before Ainz’s return. “I guess we were missing the key to unlocking that mystery… say, Ainz-“ Whatever she was about to say was promptly cut off as the sound of shuffling armored feet reached their ears. “What the… hey! I found a door!” Called a gruff voice, muffled by the aforementioned door between them. “What? Why in Celestia’s name would there be a door underneath a tree?” Came another, seemingly older voice. “I’m coming down to see this for myself!” Ainz and Sunset locked stares, before rushing towards the door, magic burning across their fingertips. Ainz opened the door, magic forming in front of his hand as a fireball. “Tier One: Flame Blast!” The ball of fire launched out to the guard’s surprised face, his golden armor doing little to protect him as the magic flames latched onto his neck, quickly spreading underneath his armor and burning him alive, Sunset’s levitation magic propelling him up and out of the hole and away from the tree. “What in Tartarus- draw swords!” The voice from before yelled, barely managing to be heard over the agonized screams of the burning guard. Ainz rose from the ground, his hollow eye sockets doing nothing to strengthen the guard’s resolve. Before the Sergeant could speak, Ainz struck first, magic licking off his fingers and attaching to the guard’s armor, thin lines of magic connecting the two. “Gravity Bomb.” Ainz stated coldly, and the guard sergeant crumpled under his suddenly incredibly heavy armor, his arms snapping in two like twigs against the immense weight put on them, before his neck granted him a final mercy by snapping, ending his life quickly. “Sergeant!” One of the two remaining guards cried, before pausing in terror as Ainz appeared right in front of him. He fell backwards, landing on his rear before quickly scrambling away, only to find himself held firmly in Ainz’s magic. The other guard rushed to aid his partner, sword drawn, but was sent flying as a powerful burst of pure magic slammed into him, disintegrating the guard as he flew. “You are going to tell me what you know, or I will end you now.” Ainz growled, tightening his magic grip around the guard’s neck. “How did you find this place?” “W-we were on patrol! I-Initiate Hooker fell into that hole next to the tree, then he flew out on fire!” The guard yelled, glancing at the still burning corpse of Initiate Hooker, sweat coating his face, which was contorted into a very fearful expression. “Are there any other guards in the area?” Ainz growled, and the guard quickly tried to shake his head. Ainz sighed, before clenching his fist, and the guard’s neck compressed with a sickening crack a moment later, before his corpse flopped to the floor. Sunset walked up next to Ainz, looking at the “Sunset, we need to dispose of these corpses before anyone else arrives. Remember the steps I taught you in case this happened?” Ainz said, looking down at his skeletal hand. As Sunset nodded, taking a moment to look down at the corpses, before rushing back into their home, Ainz contemplated his actions. “My first murders… and yet I feel nothing.” He sighed, before grabbing the corpse and dragging it away. “Ainz, we really need to talk about how to deal with other people.” Sunset sighed, watching as the last of the corpses were burned away in the furnace, the magic fire turning even their bones to ash, yet barely gave off any heat. “Oh? And why is that?” Ainz asked, closing the furnace and turning to look at her, dusting off his skeletal hands. “We didn’t have to kill those guards.” Sunset deadpanned. “I could have kept them busy talking while you put on your disguise, and then we could have simply erased their memories of this place.” Ainz paused, before shaking his head. “There is a chance that they would have barriers protecting their mind from all forms of magical interference. We couldn’t risk revealing our existence.” Ainz countered. ”Dammit, I didn’t think of that at all!” Sunset gave him a quick inquisitive look, before sighing, returning to her seat. “I guess that makes sense, but next time we shouldn’t be so hasty.” She returned to eating her food, but paused, lowering her fork and instead pushing the plate away. “Ugh, all that killing has murdered my appetite. You’re on dish duty.” She got out of her seat, quickly walking off to her room. “Of course I am…” Ainz sighed, picking up the plate and tossing her leftovers into the fire with the corpses. “I still wish refrigeration was a thing in this world…” “Oh, and make sure to put them in the proper place! If you don’t, I’m going to see if I can steal one of your leg bones!” Sunset called, before Ainz heard the sound of her door closing behind her. Ainz sighed again, a green light flowing around him, before he moved over to the sink, carrying the plate with him. “The mighty Ainz Ooal Gown, doing dishes… this isn’t any different from my previous life.” He muttered, using a spell to create water. “Waterfall.” He suddenly paused, the water flickering but continuing to flow as an idea struck him. “I wonder… is it possible for me to create an NPC like the ones in Overlord?” a few days later Ainz sat in the ‘library’ area, which was mostly just a majority of the two resident’s books strewn about in neat and tidy piles. He was reading through several spell books, having long since learned how to keep them from burning as he looked at them, and was trying to find any information that could aid him in creating life. He closed and tossed the book away, reaching for another one, when a shockwave shook the underground home, causing books to fall from their places, and fall onto Ainz’s hooded head. Growling, he rose from his alcove, walking towards the door. “Sunset! Was that you?” He called, and the girl appeared around the corner. “No, Ainz. It wasn’t me. Maybe it was an earthquake?” She shrugged, before another shockwave hit, throwing her off her feet, and she soon found herself sprawled across the floor, dazed. “I’m going to go check outside.” Ainz said, and Sunset nodded, before slowly pulling herself off the floor. Ainz pushed open the door, exiting his home. “Fly! He stated, a faint blue light appearing around him, before vanishing. He rose out of the ditch to find at least three dozen guards clad in gold in front of him, their weapons pointed at him. “The Monster has shown itself! Attack!” A guard with a red plume roared, and Ainz’s vision was filled with dozens of magic projectiles hurtling towards him, ranging from fireballs to spears of ice. The projectiles either dispersed or shattered against his ribcage, and finally he could see the guards rushing towards him, swords and axes raised. Ainz shifted out of the way of the first strike, the axehead falling into the ground, and the guard tumbled slightly, giving Ainz ample time to drive his bony fingers into the soldier’s eyes, sending him screeching to the ground in agony, tears of blood trailing down his face. He dodged another strike, bathing the assailant in wall of flames. “For the Princess!” A guard cried, his hands trembling as he stabbed his sword into Ainz’s back, the blade passing through his clothes and ricocheted off of his spine. Ainz flipped around, his eyes glowing bright red as he grabbed the frightful guard by the neck, crushing it in his grip before leaping away. “Sir, this Lich is far stronger than any we’ve seen!” One of the attackers cried, before he was silenced by A shard of ice impaling his throat, deflected by Ainz. “Dammit…” The Sergeant growled, turning around. “Mages! Switch to fire based spells and destroy that damn thing!” The line of guards in the back stiffened, before raising their hands. Bright flames danced in their hands, before launching towards Ainz, and within a moment, Ainz vanished, the flames passing through where he had just been and slamming into the tree. “You would do well to defend your Mages a bit better, Sergeant.” Ainz growled, reappearing in front of the line. “Hell Flame.” A small ball of black and purple flames appeared on the tip of his index finger, slowly making its way over to the terrified mages in front of him. The moment it made contact, the mage burst into flames, frantically grabbing at the other mages, and incidentally catching them aflame as well, his cries of agony soon being joined by a crescendo of similar screams. “R… retreat!” A soldier cried, dropping his weapon and turning to the open fields, soon followed by dozens of his fellow soldiers. Ainz cut through those that stood their ground, magic flying from his hands and burning them alive, freezing them solid, or simply cutting them in two. As the last of the soldiers fled into the treeline that led to Vanhoover, Ainz finally turned to head back to his and Sunset’s home. The tree was on fire, smoke rising from the underground doorway, and Sunset slowly crawled out, coughing and gasping for air as their home burned. “Sunset!” Ainz called, rushing over to his student and helping her up, moving away from the blazing tree. “D...dammit all…” Sunset gasped, balling her hands into fists. “Damn you, Celestia!” Ainz watched her cry out with rage, somewhat stunned at her sudden outburst of anger. He looked back to their burning home, and felt a twinge of sorrow as his and Sunset’s home burned to the ground. Years of memories went up in smoke, and hundreds of years worth of magic spells and books burned away. “Why…?” Sunset asked, anger burning in her eyes like the fire destroying their home. “We’ve done nothing to deserve this… why in Tartarus did the Princess send all those soldiers after us?” “The guard’s we killed earlier must have had a secondary squad deployed further back… or there had been someone further back on the road.” Ainz muttered, before shaking his head. “No, they would have gone to Vanhoover and the Adventurer’s Guild for help if that was the case…” “Celestia…” Sunset growled, shaking off Ainz’s support and stepping forward, though Ainz noticed a slight limp in her step. “She’s responsible for this… she will pay. We will topple her from her throne!” “Sunset, I understand your anger, but we cannot fight an entire nation. We are only two people.” Ainz stated, stepping closer and putting a skeletal hand on her shoulder. “We can just leave Equestria, flee into the western region.” “No, Ainz. We aren’t just two people.” Sunset said, looking at him. “We can build an army of the undead, and conquer Equestria for ourselves.” “But Sunset-“ Ainz began, but was silenced by a glare from Sunset filled with such intense rage the likes Ainz had never yet seen from his student. “No, Ainz. You and I both know that Celestia’s rule has brought nothing but suffering for the poor, while the corrupt rich bathe themselves in splendor. We can, no, we need to overthrow Celestia, for the good of Equestria.” Sunset stated, determination in her eyes. “You are one of the strongest magic users in the world, you could do it.” “I’ll… consider it.” Ainz sighed, turning back to the rising cloud of smoke and ash. “But right now, we need to head into the western regions that have yet to be explored. There, we will have time to plan and prepare.” He turned back to her. “Is that alright with you?” “Fine, Lord Ainz.” Sunset growled, before quickly trying to pacify her building emotions, knowing better than to let them control her. “Let’s go…”