Overlord: Advent of the New Gods

Just as things had died down again, another portal gradually opened and a boy in his mid to late teens stepped through. He was wearing a simple but rune-embroidered purple robe, and six thick books floated around his shoulders. The boy's blonde locks covered most of his face so Renner had some difficulty reading his expression, save for the boy's gaze fixed on Clementine, which was clear as day.

"Hey Nfirea, glad you could make it. Remember me, your old pal Clementine?" She straightened up and waved with a giant grin plastered on your face.

"You should have stayed in Neuronist's chambers," He hissed back, his posture stiffening.

"Aaaaw, but we had so much fun last time." Clementine's smirk only grew wider.

"I am not afraid of you anymore," Nfirea replied as he moved towards his seat, addressing her and Neia, "I am Nfirea Bareare, the Apostle of Knowledge."

"Neia Baraja."

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Neia. You must be the one who will be in charge of the Apostles. Oh, and it's an honor to meet you in person, your grace."

"Please, just Renner will do. We're all equals here." Renner flashed Nfirea a charming smile. "Your last name sounds familiar. I think a famous apothecary in E-Rantel bears the same name; Lizzie Bareare."

"Lizzie was my late grandmother," Nfirea's tone grew somber for a moment, and then pointed at Clementine, "Until that… beast butchered her."

"I didn't know you would become an apostle. But hey, it all turned out for the better. After all, it's how we found the gods and got our places at this table." Clementine clearly had no remorse for what she had done, wildly grinning.

"You will pay for it one day," Nfirea hissed as he plopped down in his seat, the six books firming an ark over his head, pages flipping occasionally.

"My, my, it looks like the boy has grown some fangs. I would love to see what you can do with them. If you plan to hit me with a book and call me a bad name we can do it right here, right now. I won't even fight back." Clementine taunted with a giggle, Stiletto spinning on her plate-clad index finger.

The animosity between the two was palpable, thicker than royal court tensions. It was easy to guess that Nfirea was a caster and likely a proficient one, given his unwavering aggression towards Clementine.

'He must be at least tier three or four. I doubt a Black Scripture member would underestimate magic. Still, Clementine doesn't see Nfirea as a threat. Too many probabilities but I think the best approach would be to play a peacekeeper.'

"Let's try not to kill each other on the first day, shall we? I'm sure the Gods would want us to resolve our issues before we move on." Renner spoke up.

"I can deal with her just fine. And death is not final." Nfirea glared at Clementine.

"Bring it on. Go on, get your revenge. I won't even fight back unless you're actually strong enough now." Clementine smirked and tapped her stiletto on the table.

Nfirea extended his arm towards her and a mere moment later Clementine clutched her head, "What the…arghr!" She slammed her fist on her head a few times and then slumped over, her forehead resting against the table.

Antilene, sitting beside her, just let out an exasperated sigh and continued playing with her Rubik's cube.

"Could I be so bold to ask for details?" Renner addressed Nfirea curious about the spell the boy had used.

"Microwave field. It's a tier-four spell my master created. He had gotten inspiration from his homeworld," Nfirea replied.

"What does it do? What even is this microwave?" Renner asked a follow-up question.

"Ah right. It's not even a concept in our world. You see, all energy vibrates so it has a frequency, and by changing it, all kinds of effects can be achieved. Microwaves make water particles move around and heat up rapidly, as heat is just an application of kinetic movement. The human body is mostly water particles." Nfirea explained, the smile decorating his face as he stared at Clementine who showed no signs of life.

"Wait, if I understand it correctly, the spell you cast boiled her head from within?" Renner couldn't help but be impressed with Nfirea's brutal yet clean display of power. A way to murder that would be untraceable and undetectable unless the skull was pried open, a perfect assassination weapon.

"Yes, I boiled her brain. It's a fast and effective spell. Though if I wanted to torment her, I would have used it on her stomach. I heard the torturers of Nazarick are using it, but let's not drag this out for too long. The Gods want to meet us soon." Nfirea stood up and cast another spell at Clementine, the books behind him glowing with power.

The apostle of murder slowly lifted her head; her gaze unfocused and drool escaping her half-closed mouth.

"Unfortunately for her, I only know the regular resurrection spell," Nfirea commented with sadistic satisfaction.

"Ha, ha, vevy funy." Clementine blinked, her speech slurred.

Antilene leaned away as she scrunched her nose, "Did you just soil yourself?"

"Wha… no…a…" Clementine tried to get up but her legs refused to work. "I NEED…I need… clean."

'Creative and effective. I must not underestimate Nfirea.' Only now did Renner realize that killing her wasn't the intended revenge Nfirea inflicted upon Clementine, her resurrection was a means to humiliate the smug apostle of murder in front of her peers, reminding her that her life was in his hands.

"Y-you can cast resurrection? I couldn't even properly channel it." Neia stammered as she sank even deeper in her seat.

"Only the fifth tier one. I am still falling short of reaching tier nine, but I'm sure you'll catch up in no time. As Lord Ainz's apostle, I have no doubt he will empower you more than the rest of us. From what I heard, both you and Renner are getting one today." Nfirea flashed a reassuring smile, the boy's demeanor changing to polite and reserved as the books behind him closed shut.

"An empowerment? How wonderful. Is there something more you can tell me about it? I can't pass up the chance to learn from the apostle of knowledge." Renner was all smiles, doing her 'I'm young and adorable' impression to butter up the boy.

"Not much. It takes only a moment… you'll see." Nfirea's smile faltered for a moment before resuming its previous facade.

'So the process is unpleasant. But if it is a near-instant empowerment, there is nothing to worry about. I can also safely assume that Neia will get empowered a lot more than me, so her ascension might be more grueling than mine.' Renner reasoned from Nfirea's hesitation to give details.

"I see. Is there more you can reveal to us?" Renner inquired as Clementine finally got her legs working and left the room with an uneven stagger, even leaving behind her blade.

"Hmm…I'm not sure what to say. I will try to aid everyone in terms of magic and science. My wife and I live in Carne so I am not sure how often we'll meet."

"I have learned the message spell, so if it's not a burden, I would like to be able to contact you directly on occasion," Renner proposed.

"Of course. That is great. I wasn't sure if you knew. Neia, do you know the message spell as well?" Nfirea turned to the future head apostle.

"No. I am a squire. I train to be a paladin, not a general spellcaster. Though the ability to contact you would help a lot. I would not want to bother Lord Ainz with needless prayers."

"Until you do, I will provide all the assistance you need," Renner assured the girl.

The conversation died down a bit as they exchanged magic signatures, so Renner expected for another gate to open and the last apostle to arrive. When it didn't happen she spoke up. "It seems the last apostle is late."

"There is no sixth one. Lady Albedo has shown no interest in having one from what I have heard." Nfirea explained. "We need to wait for Clementine to return and then be ready for the summons of the Gods."

It was an interesting revelation and Renner couldn't comment much. For now, she needed to just go with the flow.

Renner had expected a grand ceremony, but there wasn't one. After twenty more minutes of casual mingling, a maid arrived and guided her with Neia to the office of Lord Ainz.

The grandeur of Nazarick was as expected, glorious in every way. It was the dwelling of gods after all. Renner did take in the sights of long corridors, inhuman guards, and the countless works of art decorating the walls, each more magnificent than the last.

For the first time in her life, she was truly terrified. There was no point of reference to understand Lord Ainz, nothing she knew of she could compare him to. Lord Ulbert had said she was beneath the head god's notice, and now she wasn't. Life and death were too vague of concepts to work with. She was supposedly rewarded for her efforts, but the efforts weren't solely hers. The invasion of the capital wasn't her plan, she hadn't even been informed about it beforehand.

Her mind tried to sort out all the information and fill in the gaps, but the more she tried, the more cracks appeared. What did she really know about players and gods? Each new revelation crushed her carefully crafted theories and understandings like a house of cards. She knew nothing of Ainz Ooal Gown, the ruler of Gods. She knew of her God - Lord Ulbert, but only that her mind was aligned with her master.

The more she thought, the more her mind unraveled. She didn't truly understand the Gods. All she knew was an incomplete picture. She couldn't outplay and outsmart them like mortal men and women. Gods, plain and simple, were an existence above her; one she could not reach. She was looking up at a glass ceiling and seeing them through it, experienced their presence.

Their schemes went further than hers could ever go, capable of destroying nations with ease. There was some bigger picture she was failing to grasp. Some divine scheme was taking place. Perhaps the arrival of the players was planned, a part of a great play. It sure felt that way. She just found her God, her place in a new order though almost no fault of her own, save for who she was. This train of thought led to a horrible realization: fate was a working concept, not a lazy excuse to avoid thinking, and everything was predetermined. There was nothing she could do except accept her lot in life, whatever it would be.

Her pulse slowly rose. For the first time in her life, she was truly and utterly terrified, like a blindfolded woman walking barefoot through a field of glass and hoping not to get cut. The magnificent machine that was her mind came to a grinding halt, her thoughts gone, her head empty. She couldn't plan for what was to happen, she couldn't prepare or theorize, and all she had left to do was to trust the higher power utterly and completely. She would meet this power in mere moments, the ultimate ruler of Nazarick, the Ruler of Gods, Ainz Ooal Gown. Unfathomable, unperceivable beyond her mind, body, and soul.

All she could do was hope she was indeed getting rewarded. That she was a small cog fitting in the right place of the machine and hope that this little cog was getting oiled up to work better, not reshaped or torn out.

The door opened and she was gazing upon Lord Ainz Ooal Gown and Lady Albedo standing in a lavish office. She didn't stare for long before she took her next breath. Her gaze was upon the intricate strains of green carpet her forehead touched as she prostrated, believing with all her heart this was the position she was supposed to be in. There was no other way.

"Rise and be at ease," Came an unquestionably authoritative voice she had heard only once before.

Ainz Ooal Gown approached her and Neia, his impressive stature alone would be enough to make her feel small, but it was the presence that reduced her to a speck of dust daring to enter the light. A God's presence, the head God's presence.

"Renner, Ulbert has told only good things about you. You have served us well and I wish to reward you for your efforts." Ainz loomed over her.

"Thank You, Lord, I am most grateful," Renner replied, her voice quieter and more timid than she intended.

"Take a deep breath. It won't be pleasant."

She did as told, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, the cold, impartial bones adorned with equally cold and uncaring jewelry touching her head. Instantly every part of her body tore itself apart and was reassembled stronger than before, unlike anything she had felt before. The pain was so intense her mind refused to accept and endure it, putting her in a temporary state of shock and shutting down her nerves altogether. Her body, unused to hardships, took the coward's way out, much to her fear and disappointment. She couldn't even accept a divine gift without paying the appropriate price, proving her as a failure, unworthy of the gift of the Gods.

Just one breath. She was still standing. There was a strange pleasant weightlessness to her body as she subtly shifted around. All her muscles were tighter, more responsive.

"Thank you for your infinite kindness, Lord, I am unworthy of such a gift." She spoke truthfully, carefully testing her vocal chords.

"It was earned and I trust you will continue to serve us with devotion. Now, Ulbert asked to give you an additional reward. You may ask a question."

She looked up at Ainz Ooal Gown, her mind still blank. 'Question? I can- I need to. Think! Dammit! How stupid, this is my one chance to peer into the unknown. What to ask?' Her mind refused to cooperate and as the God before clearly wouldn't stand for something as disrespectful as wasting his time, she blurted out. "What is the grand plan?"

'Stupid! How could I ask something like this? I was already seen as arrogant.' She was rapidly losing her composure as the God loomed over her, his unreadable pristine skull looking back down at her, his mind unfathomable to her, a mere failure of a mortal.

Her legs wobbled, she held her hands together to not shake. It was too late, she had made the stupidest mistake of her life and given the impression that she foolishly thought she could possibly comprehend the grand plans of Ainz Ooal Gown. Perhaps she would be blessed with a quick death, as a final gift for her contributions to the Gods.

Ainz froze. He had to give a smart answer to one of the most terrifyingly brilliant girls found in the new world, her mind rivaling the likes of Albedo and Demiurge. She would scrutinize every word he spoke and find holes in it, possibly unraveling the carefully crafted narrative Ulbert had weaved to keep Renner in check. And the two apostles would surely be in constant contact, given that they had established messaging earlier.

He decided to go with Ulbert's advice to be vague so smarter people would fill the gaps in themselves and accredit their own brilliance to him.

"To protect mortals not only from selfish gods but also from themselves. I have seen their lands turn into an unspeakable hell in a misguided desire to build a never-ending paradise. Clouds above their heads raining down misery of their own making while the elite hide themselves in their castles, enjoying the scraps that are left in the barren lands. Dead worlds with dying races, abandoned by Gods and hope itself." Ainz included some smudges of poetic auditions in his answer which could be interpreted in many ways.

"I see. Thank you, Lord, for indulging me. I hope I didn't waste too much of your time." Renner lowered her head, her mind exploding into overdrive at the revelations she had been gifted.

She understood the underlying accusation Lord Ainz tossed towards all mortals. Without oversight of benevolent Gods, they would rot into corruption, just like the Kingdom she hailed from, and now she knew mortals were capable of doing a lot worse. Given enough time, they could irreparably damage the world itself through unchecked greed, and the Gods had arrived to stop that.

She carefully memorized the answer to later go over each word and intonation, hopefully to learn more. Each word from God was worthy of infinite wisdom and this incomprehensible gift was just given to her to unpack, to observe and learn from, to bring the vision of the Gods to the world she called hers. At last, her mind could do something it could work with, an intense relief flooding through her as her brain began doing what it did best.

Editing by aidan_lo.

Proofreading by fvvck, mfkz_rocker, Omnax, Dtrackt, nate051499j6, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, and aidan_lo.

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