Harbingers of Change

Chapter 18

A few hours had passed since the spy was captured and the interrogation was started, Momonga eagerly awaited crucial information as he aggressively pushed forward military inspections. But so far there were no results, not even an iota. The girl, driven into a mentally broken state and pushed past mortal despair, had refused to talk.

In a sense, Momonga could admire such loyalty from an individual, especially knowing that his subordinates would do the same if captured and treated similarly under another party's dominion. This was the only reason why the girl's brain had not yet been not consumed by Neuronist or her soul completely burnt by Momonga himself to extract everything the spy knew. His capabilities in soul magics had only grown over time as he experimented with Nazarick, to the point where he could take far more easily than he could give.

Yet, steps needed to be taken. He, the three other guild members, Demiurge, and Albedo were gathered together in one of Nazarick's conference rooms to discuss the situation and relevant information.

The room was spacious enough to easily hold twenty people but didn't have the symbolic meaning of the old guild conference room, where the entirety of the forty-one guild members of Ainz Ooal Gown held their most important meetings. It did, however, have far more extensive protection and stealth measures thanks to their new research, and was just as elaborate in its presentation.

Demiurge, as the one in charge of intelligence operations, was reporting on the current situation regarding all possible or confirmed parties in the infiltration and subsequent capture.

"Kagali has not attempted to escape, and if the decoded messaging is to be believed, she has undergone a falling out with Yuuki. Additionally, the remaining two clowns rapidly approaching the capital city are close to her, one from the border with Blumund and one from the border with Falmuth."

"So it went down according to your predictions to the T. What's our progress on tracking down Yuuki? Is he still in the guild headquarters for us to capture or kill?" Buku asked.

"At the moment, yes, but I am unable to follow or predict his movements when he utilizes Spatial Movement, and the Free Guild headquarters uses a similar protective barrier to Ruberios. The whole system is rather ingenious, even I must admit, by detecting the changes in radar-like energy fields and warning about any possible intruders and their associated data, such as our shadow demons and specters. This, compounded with his high detective, protective, and furtive capabilities from the creation of unique skills, has enabled him to dodge most surveillance and prevent installations of shadow demons," Demiurge explained, immense frustration behind his tone.

"But I am working on countermeasures to reduce shadow demon energy shifts while maintaining their capabilities, and hope to reach a breakthrough soon. Lady Buku, Lord Momonga, may I propose a new plan to deal a blow to the man?" Demiurge asked as he pulled out a stack of papers from his inventory, duplicating and spreading them around the table. He allowed for a few moments to pass as everyone ruffled through the files before speaking, knowing his superiors would want evidence before words.

If previously, they favored more conservative ideas and held a less proactive stance toward human nations, the changing situation of an incoming hostile human crusade and nefarious plots by humanity's most influential guild master had pushed them to become far more aggressive in their foreign relations tone. The crusade could be handled by tossing their strongest forces at the armies and Hinata, but Yuuki was far more difficult to handle thanks to their lack of information. As of now, his current plans were unknown, and crushing the souls of intruders was rapidly becoming their only option.

"Let's hear it," Momonga nodded, motioning for the demon to continue.

"I have prepared fabricated documents and other various pieces of evidence that would reveal and prove Yuuki's deep collaboration with Demon Lords to weaken and eventually subjugate humanity through the Free Guild. The Free Guild is the most influential private company in the Western Nations, perhaps the world if our limited intelligence of the Eastern Empire is correct, and it would not be difficult to point fingers toward its more dubious practices. Obviously, such news would not be taken lightly by the general public or world leaders, but it would be easy to prove that such actions were performed by an imposter if Yuuki was present. With that in mind, I propose to send a strike team led by a doppelganger who would pretend to be the real Yuuki, to cause confusion and lend credibility to our reports."

"I'll do it myself. Yuuki might be too strong to be taken out easily for even our strongest doppelgangers, and if he truly is there then I can take the chance to annihilate or severely damage him," Buku announced, leaning forward from her slouched position as she took out some pages and wrote over them.

"Sis, are you sure? I mean that prick could have a dangerous surprise waiting for you there since he knows we're onto his tracks," Pero asked while glancing over the documentation Demiurge had provided, writing in his own suggestions from the economic foreign relations perspective he oversaw. For example, suppressing economic growth and the funding of nations' armies through monopolizing the willing fighting forces of every kingdom.

"No mortal could harm Buku if she went all out. That Yuuki fella is nothing special, especially when compared to geniuses such as I," Veldora voiced his opinion, remembering the sparring matches with her in the past. Buku was a textbook example of fighting dirty at any cost, the polar opposite of the true hero Chloe who fought with noble grace befitting a former true Hero. That, combined with her various skills, made her a very dangerous one-on-one fighter to handle on the battlefield, and he had even taken some tricks from her to incorporate into his Veldora-style killing arts.

"Buku, are you sure you can pull it off? I would prefer sending expendable units instead," Momonga fired back, ignoring Veldora because of his… unusual standards. Most mortals were harmless under his decisions, primarily because of his skewed power level allowing him to stomp on almost anyone.

It was clear that once again Shizue's influence was driving her decisions, but nonetheless, he believed Buku could handle the operation. That, of course, didn't mean he wanted his friend to take needless risks, hence why he offered to send in others instead.

"Don't worry about me Momo, if I get into real danger I will call for backup. While a lot of things can be done with disposables, if push comes to shove we have to be at the forefront as leaders," Buku resolutely responded, pushing forward her suggestions for the fabricated documents to Demiurge as she spoke.

"In that case, I leave it to you. Demiurge, please assist her however you can."

"I shall do my best, Lord Momonga," Demiurge declared, bowing his head with his trademark smirk on his face as he planned how to change Buku completely. "What shall I do about Kagali and the clowns, the self-professed Moderate Harlequin Alliance?"

"Keep an eye on them. If any of them attempt to leave, capture and secure them before sending them to Neuronist. I want to talk to the current detained spy," Momonga stated, standing up as he slid over his papers to Albedo, who had collected everyone else's papers. "Also, just in case, we must prepare for the eventuality that Chronoa could be deployed against us."

"Don't worry chief, I can handle her now! Hahaha!" Veldora shouted, much to the bemusement of Buku as she tossed a beer can, aiming at his head, which the dragon avoided. Veldora was far more powerful now than he was in the past, and simulations run by Pandora's Actor suggested a decent chance of winning due to now possessing not only more dueling experience but also an ultimate skill.

"With the demon Loli on our side, we should have all our bases covered inside and out. None of the other Demon Lords will dare to touch us while she's known to reside here, right?"

Pero turned to his sister, who had been babysitting and raising the child-like Demon Lord with assistance from various sources. While lately, Milim had been on the low-down thanks to officially dating Mare, there was always the chance things could go wrong. The slightly yandere bikini-wearing girlfriend was one even he didn't want to touch due to how dangerous she was, and everyone knew that same reputation applied to the other mysterious Demon Lords out there.

According to her own testimony, she was one of the strongest and oldest Demon Lords alive, garnering respect and fear from most Demon Lords besides the oldest of the old. Further practice spars with Sebas and even one with Buku had suggested that she would be capable of leveling entire cities in seconds, reassuring many of Tempest's safety so long as she was their ally.

"Yes, we don't need to worry about the Demon Lords too much at the moment with four of them on our side. Clayman is not particularly liked, so no one will come to save his ass," Buku nodded. "Frey and Carrion are also pseudo-allies by this point, having witnessed Pero shoot down Charybdis, meaning we have the southeast border handled."

"Good. Then carry out the mission while I deal with Tear," Momonga said.

"Don't worry, o' glorious leader, we've got this. If Clayman makes a move, Apito, Yoseijoo, and I will turn his nation into a wasteland," Pero said, standing up as well, wings ruffling as he prepared to perform one final quality check.

Since Pero was the only natural flier among the three players, Buku preferred her human form and Momonga had to rely more heavily on magic to do so, and Veldora was not entrusted with any sort of military command besides occasionally training soldiers, he was unofficially in charge of all flying forces of Tempest. Demiurge, as the official commander of all military forces, still did all the planning, but in the case Pero decided to appear on the battlefield, he would lead the fliers while Benimaru handled the ground troops.

In the case that Clayman launched an invasion in retaliation for Tempest dealing with the Harlequin alliance, a rapidly deployed flying army with Pero in the lead would raze his nation to the ground. Flying majins of various types, sprites trained for war, and summoned spirits all ranked B to Special A would rain hell incarnate upon the lands and skies of Jistav. Pero himself would personally handle Clayman as his armies would decimate Clayman's forces.

The meeting quickly devolved into smaller conversations, primarily around Albedo and Momonga. Albedo conversed with Buku first regarding the supplies sent for handling Milim, then Pero for final touch-ups on equipment, and finally Demiurge to determine the magicule costs of expanding their range of shadow demon experiments. Momonga had a quick lecture from Veldora over soul attacks, something the true dragon was intimately familiar with due to his time in spiritual confinement, in anticipation of visiting the torture chambers.

With the meeting rapidly wrapping up and duties agreed upon and calling, Momonga teleported to the fifth floor of Nazarick where the spy was still being interrogated.

The room stank of the stench of dried blood, bodily fluids, and rot, even though it had recently been cleaned by Neuronist's assistants, but the operator was still well alive.

In anticipation of his arrival, Neuronist had stopped Tear's torture session pre-emptively and disabled the room's magicule-draining feature, so the girl's body could regenerate to a level of suitable physical fitness for vocal response. She also increased the magicule concentration in the air slightly, for all parties' benefit.

Witnessing Momonga appear from a gate, Neuronist hurried over to him, and together with her assistants, kneeled the best she could.

"Lord Momonga, I am sorry, but I couldn't obtain any information out of her. I await my rightful punishment," Neuronist croaked in a shaky voice.

"You did a great job showing how resilient this spy is, thus supplying vital information to us. You failed no one. I will take it from here on out. Rise and be at ease." Momonga waved his skeletal palm in an upward motion.

He observed the young-looking girl surrounded by barriers and magic circles that prevented her from any attempts to either fight back or escape. Her stare was glassy and unfocused, her body moving entirely on baseline instincts. As much as regeneration-related skills helped rebuild damaged bodies from almost scratch, they couldn't help much when it came to the mind. No matter the resilience, the levels of torture Neuronist could inflict on others were bound to break down the mental state bit by bit.

'She looks no older than Shalltear when we arrived in this world.' There were other similarities between the young spy and the vampire he noted upon further observation, Neuronist handing him a stack of notes regarding the physiology of the strapped intelligencer.

Tear had very pale, white skin and a similarly round face to match the mask she was found wearing. The difference in body was obvious with her pointed ear shape, making it clear that her undead body was of elven origin. Her body was just as petite as Shaltear's once was before moving to the Cardinal World, suggesting a fairly loose reliance on her material body.

The primary differences between the two beings were their hair and eye colors. While Shalltear had silvery-white hair and the traditional blood-red eyes of a Yggdrasil vampire, Tear had pink eyes and hair, though hers were dyed spotted blood red from her own fluids.

Tear glanced up, her vision so blurry she could barely tell who was standing in front of her. The agony she had been in had made her mind sluggish, but she did remember who Momonga was, her half-functioning instincts hastily screaming for her to flee at any cost despite knowing it would be futile.

"Torture me all you want, I'm not telling you anything," she spat, blood splattering her body once again.

"Your loyalty towards your friends is admirable, but ultimately pointless. At first, I merely planned to burn your soul, scan its memories, and acquire all you know that way, but I do believe there's a way to make you or the others talk," Momonga spoke slowly, watching for the girl's reaction as he twirled around a mirror spell, forming a vague image that rapidly cleared up.

Tear glared up at the undead monster of a majin as the clarity of her vision and mind slowly returned. "Others? What others?"

'Does he think I was created yesterday to fall for such an obvious bluff?'

She didn't believe they would know anything about who she worked for. There was nothing on her that gave it away, nor that she had told anything about her group to the hateful Neuronist. But then came a sentence that made Tear's blood freeze, followed by a vision of the others under surveillance.

"Kagali and the other two clowns will be brought here soon enough. She hasn't tried to flee yet, believing she can rescue you from our depths. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that she wouldn't want to see Neuronist return to work on you. Or you watching her getting the same treatment you got, plus a few more tips and tricks we learned along the way," The undead stated with the indifference of one who cared little about the topic at hand. And Tear could tell they had learned how to torture spiritual beings if the notes in one of his bony hands were anything.

'How!? No, they'll get the president and others. I'm sorry for what I must do, but I can't let you go through this. Lady Kagali, I hope you'll find in your heart to forgive me!'

Momonga watched her face twist into a pained expression, flickering between agony, contemplation, panic, and back to agony. His suspicions were true. It was her loyalty that made her withstand Neuronist's terrible work, which was made even more agonizing by her Skill.

To see if she would crack in a moment of panic, Momonga turned to leave as he seemingly motioned for Neuronist to prepare for another torture session. The scrying spell Momonga had actively showed Kagali and the others surrounded by unknown entities, who were only visible when the skeleton majin wanted them to.

"Wait! You let them go and I'll tell you everything I know!" she screamed after Momonga.

"Why would I let my enemies go? You and your cohorts plotted against us. All it would do is invite more trouble in the future," Momonga retorted in an amused tone without turning to face her, the shadows seemingly rising around him.

"We won't, you have my word," Tear pleaded.

"Your word means nothing. What kind of fool would trust the word of a tormented spy? You would promise the heavens themselves to me just to save yourself or them."

The overlord approached her again. His collector's drive urged him to get the girl on his side in some way since she had a decent power level, perhaps well into S, but there was no guarantee that she would ever harbor any sort of loyalty toward him afterward. Internal chaos would do him no good in the future.

"Please. I'll tell you who is behind this, but you have to let my friends go! I promise we won't ever mess with Tempest ever again!"

Tear leaned forward, rattling the chains that held her up.

"We will deal with Yuuki soon enough, my people are actively tracking him down as we speak. Same as with Clayman, whose lands only remain his because we deem him to. You have nothing to bargain with, nothing of worth," Momonga declared, his burning gaze seemingly peering into her very soul.

Tear gazed downward, no amount of pain she had experienced in the past few hours could bring the same level of desperation that she felt now. The dreaded leader of Tempest already knew everything. All their efforts were known, and what's worse, they had been played like a fiddle since perhaps the moment they stepped on Tempest ground.

"I…please, I'll do anything! I'll work for you, I will get my friends to work for you. We never betray a client!" Tear pleaded, her face twisted in desperation as her screams turned hoarse. "I'll do anything. Please. We didn't want to mess with Tempest. Yuuki was to overconfident we would not get caught."

Obviously, her word alone could not be trusted, but considering how long it took to crack the code and how careful the group was, they could be a valuable asset in the future. Obtaining all of them would grow their forces, and given their expertise that gave standard military intelligence officers difficulty, they could be used for a wide variety of options if taken in.

'She would be a perfect test subject. I should be able to modify the control I have over Rubedo and make sure none of them would be able to go against Nazarick. And with how well they would have infiltrated Tempest if we didn't have shadow demons, they could teach a thing or two to Souei and his squad.'

"You massively overestimate your value. What need is there for me to have a subordinate I cannot trust? If you can freely betray your current master, what stops you from doing the same to me once you switch?"

Tear peered at Momonga down as tears appeared in her eyes for the first time in a long time, ever since her material body had shut down most of its reactions to resist Neuronist's torture.

"Please, I will do anything, but spare my friends." She sounded like a desperate child begging for her family to be spared, which was, funnily enough, the case.

"And what would that 'anything' be? What value can you, a failed infiltrator and traitor to your cause, give to me?" Momonga thudded closer to her, his burning gaze driving the girl to the depths of terror she had not experienced before. His massive armor seemed to take up her entire vision, eyes dilating.

Neuronist, to her credit, knew when to be intimidating. She and her assistants approached as well, carrying the torture instruments Tear vividly remembered from intermittent memory sessions in her gap-filled mind.

'What can I give? To this monster, I am nothing, or perhaps worse than nothing. Why does such a monster exist? I need something, anything. I cannot let him hurt the troupe. But what? I…' She despaired. The hard truth was that she had nothing to offer. The undead monster was right. Compared to the likes of Shalltear, or whoever was not only able to see her but hide its presence, she was nothing.

She had no wealth, not that he needed it when he was the leader of the rapidly burgeoning Tempest. She had no power, considering their uppermost echelons could swat her aside in seconds. All she could do was beg, "Please spare them. Please. I'll agree to anything, but please don't hurt my family!"

By all means, this girl was an enemy, so the cold-hearted approach was not only understandable but preferable. Momonga's undead heart felt little to no sympathy for her. She was not one of those who was in his care, thus neither her nor the lives of her family mattered to him. She was an enemy, and his undead instincts wanted her dead.

"What you are asking for is undeserved mercy which you would not give in my situation," Momonga stated coldly. "You came here to plot against me and my people, and yet you have the audacity to beg me to show weakness."

"Wouldn't you do the same in my situation? I'll do anything for my family. Yes, we plotted against you on behalf of Yuuki. But we can be of some use to you. Please, I will accept anything, just don't hurt them," she whispered, her voice near incomprehensible as Tear was driven beyond the breaking point. Her only hope was that this monster had any semblance of compassion and would offer at least some deal she could latch onto.

Momonga fell silent for a moment. He had played his hand perfectly. Tear would accept anything and thus he could try to ensure that she not only served Nazarick, but wouldn't be able to escape or betray him.

"I have an experiment in mind. If it's successful, we will talk further regarding your and your group's status. However, if you try to resist, your friends will join you here until every bit of information is extracted."

"I agree," Tear desperately grasped for the only hope she had.

Momonga leaned closer, placing his index finger on her chest in the middle between her small, bare breasts. This was the best point to gain direct access to her soul.

He took a deep breath and concentrated on visualizing Nazarick. Same as he did with Rubedo's core, he wrapped chains around Tear's soul, as tight as he could. He discovered he had grown a bit in terms of soul manipulation, and resolved to re-apply the bindings on Rubedo later.

But that was only the first step. The threads from Nazarick connected directly to her soul and her unique skill, overriding her control over them for himself. At this moment, she had no access to her magicules or her Skills, truly helpless.

Unlike Rubedo's, where there were only safeguards against her trying to break free, he wrote in additional conditions into these chains of his. Tear would be unable to even think about betraying him or Nazarick or resisting orders without suffering from the draining of her magicules or her Skills being restricted.

The skill even gave her a new type of designation; Nazarick's Thrall, showing up under his own sub-skills as Thrall Manipulation.

Tear felt what was being done to her very spiritual body, but didn't resist whatsoever. It was the only way she could help her friends and her creator, the only way she could live. The final thing to fade was Kagali's control over her, a familiar feeling gone forever.

"It's done. You now belong to Nazarick, and will be under my control for so long as you live," Momonga claimed, satisfied with his work. He removed his finger, cleaning it as a few blood stains had transferred.

"Now what, boss? You won't break your promise, will you?" Tear asked nervously, resting against her shackles. The soul-wrenching pain was over, but it was time to move on.

Despite feeling that she could not resist her fate, Tear knew her will was still hers. She wasn't a mindless drone, despite the new skill Nazarick's Thrall being firmly imprinted into the depths of her soul.

"I promised that we would talk about the next steps, nothing more," Momonga stated, motioning for Neuronist to temporarily leave the room as the conversation was about to become private. She left quickly, knowing the Supreme Being had to perform negotiations personally.

"But… you said… What do you plan to do with my friends?" Tear muttered fearfully.

"You will bring them all in and I will give them a simple choice; to serve me. Should they refuse, I won't let them leave. You understand that, yes?" Momonga replied, the underlying message shaking Tear to her core.

"I'll bring them in. But, boss, please let me talk to them. I will convince them that there's no other way but to serve you," Tear implored, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had saved herself, but at the cost of her and her entire family's souls and servitude. If he was to demand her to fight, she would go as far as kill her own creator.

The new skill even gave her a certain amount of assurance that she was now part of Nazarick, and that it meant she would not be treated poorly. In a sense, it was similar to the bond she shared with the rest of the clowns and their creator. Nazarick cared for its people, no matter how low they were.

"You may, but if you fail, I will send someone who can and will get the job done," Momonga uttered and then addressed Neuronist, who had been standing right outside. "Let her go, and make sure she's clean before you send her to the ninth floor."

Another interesting piece was added to his ever-growing collection, and if the rest would be as reasonable as she was, he would gain a few more bishops and pawns on the chessboard of politics.

X

The two stubborn, idiot subordinates stood invisible in her office, prepared to fight off the entirety of Tempest if they had to. They had set up all the barriers they could, empowered all their skills, and yet Kagali sat there.

While Kagali could have forced Footman to leave, given that she had control over his spiritual body, Laplace had full free will and could choose to disobey her orders, like he already did when traveling to the Free Guild's headquarters in Tempest and when he worked with Footman to set up the barriers.

All teleportation was blocked and all contact with Yuuki was broken. She sent him another message about an hour ago, both announcing the end of their partnership and cursing him for what he did. Yuuki sent back no response, the deafening silence only making her curse him more.

It wasn't a hard guess that the moment she attempted to leave, Tempest's forces would stop her in every way they could. Tear was a strong-willed girl, but she likely would break at some point and tell everything. Her window for fleeing was likely already closed a long time ago. In short, there was nothing Kagali could do at the moment besides waiting for Tempest's forces to show up.

{ President, you have to decide what we are doing next. I hate to leave Tear to her fate, but we can't get to her. } Laplace once again reminded her of the current predicament, leaning against the wall.

{ I know. Dammit! But I don't want to risk you both as well. }

{ Don't worry about us. We'll distract them so you can run. } Footman joined in on the conversation, a worried tone seeping into his voice.

{ I have repeatedly told you both that the answer is no. Now shut up and let me think. I may have a way to negotiate our and Tear's freedom. }

Considering that there would be much information to sell during the negotiation, the only thing that Momonga likely would agree upon was for them to bring Yuuki to him, dead or alive. She and the rest of Harlequin Alliance were just lackeys, not the mastermind, so her former client was a far more lucrative tool to work with. She knew many of his hiding spots abd his thought processes which would serve as a bargaining chip.

She was startled by the appearance of the dark void that was the gate spell she had seen Tempest's leaders use. It was also somehow immune to the spatial manipulation revocation cast across the entire nation, suggesting a Skill at least of Extra or perhaps Unique level which could override magicule suppression.

Laplace and Footman moved between her and the gate, maintaining invisibility as their magicule radars went off the charts, hastily sending messages to Kagali.

{ President, whoever's coming through has a powerful yet familiar magicule reading. }

{ It feels off at the same time too. }

Kagali's eyes went wide when she saw who came through the gate. Her expression instantly darkened, the other two reacting in surprise.

"What did you do?" She asked Tear who was wearing her colorful costume, but not her mask as she always had for the past few centuries.

"Bought you and the others a final chance," Tear replied quietly, refusing to look their way.

"How long did it take? What did they do to you?" Kagali asked the question to which she didn't want an answer, nor did anyone in the room want it either. No matter what, she wouldn't consider that her daughter had betrayed her and others. No doubt Tempest forces had used some incredibly vile torture methods. Those few screams she heard were proof enough.

"I didn't break, President. They knew from the beginning, from the moment we stepped on their lands. About you, Yuuki, and Clayman. They were on us the moment we tried to investigate who they were, no, before. You'll be given the same offer I had, and please accept it. Nothing can stand against Nazarick. I know its power now, and it pales to what we've encountered before."

Kagali glanced into Tear's eyes and shuddered. Most of her immaturity, and in some sense, her innocence, was lost. The crystal clear eyes she once knew were long gone, replaced by those she knew all too well. Once, she too had been wide-eyed and innocent, until her own father performed the cruel experiments that culminated with her soul being forced into a shriveled and ugly male body. From those days onwards, she was never the same, and she saw her past self in Tear.

The others, Footman and Laplace, could tell as well. The mask was off and they finally saw their comrade's face for the first time in centuries, and it wasn't a pleasant one. They had tortured others in the past, yes, and they too knew all too well how scarred those who returned from constant agony and pain appeared.

"What did they do to you?" Kagali demanded, her anger rising the longer Tear stood.

"It doesn't matter. Call Clayman here and let's go. You too, Laplace and Footman. They knew you were here before you even set up the barriers. It's not smart to make Lord Momonga wait!" Tear exclaimed more insistently, motioning for them to follow as tears threatened to overflow once more. 'They have to come. It's already all over, but at least I can get them some better treatment if they were only to listen!'

{ President, Tear is different. I smell a trap. } Laplace messaged her.

Footman, meanwhile, was getting more worked up. With him and Tear being created first and with the same methods, they acted as twins, even with their vastly different personalities and bodies. Both were fiercely protective of each other, and not even knowing what was done to her, Footman rightfully assumed it was something terrible.

{ I know. But this is our one chance. If we can, we shall serve Momonga for now. }

"It does matter! What did they do to you? Answer me!"

She hated to give them orders they wouldn't be able to resist, but she was about to be done with Tear's stubbornness.

"That won't work anymore. I traded my freedom so you all would have another chance. You have to come with me and serve Lord Momonga. You have to accept the same chains he put around my soul. That is the only option left."

'He used my own methods against me! That bastard took my Tear away from me!'

Kagali's hands started to shake, her ancient aura flaring through the room.

"Kagali, we have to go now or something much worse will be sent to collect you all, including Clayman," Tear repeated, as her neutral demeanor broke and she started to tear up. She had seen the forces of Nazarick firsthand, Kagali didn't stand a chance. With what little she had seen of the undead overlord, she could tell Kagali was already dancing in the palm of his bony, skeletal hands, and could be crushed at any moment he wished.

"I want you to leave with them. I will face Momonga on my own," Kagali motioned Lapalce and Footman and raised her hand to stop her subordinates from protesting.

"I told you I traded my freedom to give you a chance. Master awaits. If you run, I'll have to stop you, and if I fail, they'll send something much stronger next. I've seen his forces, they'll hunt you down to the ends of the world, and you won't stand a chance!" Tear pleaded, before bowing down and whimpering. "President, please do not make me fight you."

"Fine." Kagali, finally realizing how terrible the situation was, caved in. She could not imagine what was hidden behind the swirling portal, but what had to be done, had to be done. "We will come with you."

Kagali contacted Clayman and quickly explained the situation. With teleportation to Tempest temporarily unblocked for a few minutes, he appeared in Kagali's office mere moments later, his pet fox in his arms.

Clayman gave his peers a nod and waited for Kagali's orders.

"Let's not make Momonga wait," Kagali announced and followed Tear through the gate.

They arrived in a massive throne room. Kagali followed Tear while glancing around to figure out where she was.

The magnificence of the room exceeded both that of Tempest's royal castle and Clayman's castle.

As they moved forward, an immense throne came into view, Momonga sitting upon it. By his sides stood Demiurge and Albedo, Rubedo floating above the throne.

At both sides of the room stood rows of creatures whose might exceeded that of Laplace, who was the strongest of the group. Dozens of undead soldiers blocked their every pathway, whether it be through the enemy's own corridors or the gate spell they had just passed through.

Tear gave her hand command to stop about five meters away and approached the throne alone. She kneeled before Momonga, declaring, "I brought my friends to you, my Lord."

"They seem to not understand their place!" Demiurge exclaimed harshly and shouted an order. "Prostrate yourselves!"

Unable to resist, Kagali immediately hit the ground, her knees and forehead painfully colliding with the red carpet. Laplace was the only one remaining standing, but with his quick wits saving him, he prostrated as well. There hadn't even been aura pressure, as Kagali was expecting, but a mere order from a majin caused them to kneel.

'Is this their true power? Were we that far off in our assessment?' Kagali tried to gulp, but her body refused to react.

"Demiurge, raise their heads so I can address them," Momonga spoke with the authority of a born king.

"Raise your heads!" Demiurge shouted another order that Kagali was unable to resist, her own body not hers to use.

'I knew my instincts about them were right. That stupid brat be damned for not listening.'

"You should be thankful to Tear for giving you this opportunity. It would be easier for me to execute all of you and be done with this, but she insisted you could be of use to me. Is that the case?"

Momonga looked into her eyes with his burning gaze, which she returned with equal intensity. She had dealt with unreasonably powerful monsters before in the past and could withstand them, having been one of them.

'There's no real choice. We either serve or are brutally killed. If Tear didn't escape her body, it likely means none of us could. It's either enslavement or the end of our existence.'

"We agree to serve you loyally, Lord Momonga, but under one condition," Kagali replied calmly, despite knowing she held no cards at the moment.

"You dare to make-" Demiurge shouted at her.

Momonga raised his bony hand and the demon backed off immediately.

"You are in no position to make demands, but I am curious, what would you ask of me?" Momonga questioned, leaning forward on his throne. Albedo and Rubedo stood still, knowing their time would come in the future.

"If we are all to serve you, I want to be in charge of my team, including Tear. We shall serve you with the same, absolute loyalty as we did to Yuuki before he abandoned Tear, but I already made a mistake blindly entrusting my creations to a master who did not care for their safety."

"Amusing. Where were you to stop Yuuki from sending Tear into Nazarick? Was it your arrogance that made you think you could get away with it?" Momonga inquired, leaning back on his throne.

"I trusted his abilities. His goal was to rule the world, and in his careless arrogance, he didn't want to heed my advice of caution. Once the Moderate Harlequin Alliance agrees to work for a master, we do so with full loyalty, and until Yuuki abandoned Tear, we served him. I will accept your rule. I will accept the chains you will place around my soul, but I won't let you send my children into meaningless deaths," Kagali spoke with determination, Tear's already pale face paling even further.

"My Lord, her defiance should be punished. Let me show this worm her place," Albedo spoke up, taking a step towards Kagali.

"Wait, Albedo," Momonga motioned for her to stop. "Are you ready to take full responsibility for the mistakes of your subordinates?" he addressed Kagali.

"Without hesitation. I know what they are capable of and how they can serve you best, Lord Momonga. Let me lead them and we will prove our worth to you."

Momonga could see that Kagali was not lying. She was ready to stand up against him. 'I think I just hit a jackpot. They will be a fine addition to Nazarick. But first things first, safeguards need to be put in place.'

"Then, you have my word that you will be in charge of your subordinates," Momonga stated before addressing Demiurge. "Release them."

"You are free to move!" The demon barked another order.

Kagali slowly stood up, with the rest doing the same.

"Come forth and do not resist." Momonga motioned for her to come closer.

She carefully approached the undead ruler without making sudden moves. It would be foolish to perish so soon after an agreement was made, even if she knew what was coming. She had observed the chains around Tear and knew she would have the same.

Albedo stepped beside her, grabbed Kagali by the neck, and tore open her jacket and blouse, roughly pushing her closer to Momonga. He placed a skeletal finger against her skin and started the procedure.

Understanding what was being done to her, it took a lot of willpower to not resist the enslavement that far surpassed one she or Clayman could put someone under.

A new skill, Nazarick's Thrall, was firmly burned into her soul seconds later.

Once the job was done, she was unceremoniously pushed aside by Albedo and Laplace took her place. One by one, all her children were bound by the same chains as her.

Now they were all property of Nazarick, and all she could do was hope that her new master was not an overly cruel one, nor that he would abandon her creations.

Editing by aidan_lo

Proofreading by aidan_lo, FantasyTroll, Sluethen, Aurodium, Cakeeight, Dtrackt, and Alassandro.

AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (https://discord.gg/WmGKVU3XG2WmGKVU3XG2) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).