To our victory!
Thanks be to our ancestral spirits!
I knew about that ability Frost Pain has.
"Icy Burst", right? I understand it can only be used three times per day.
Pretty well known.
Hmph.
Heh, yeah, but did you know that Frost Pain has the power
to protect its user from cold?
It's not without its drawbacks, though.
That power was the last ace up his sleeve.
He's an awesome warrior.
Yeah. I'm proud to call him my brother.
Rororo, you did well, too.
What do you think will happen now?
It could be that nothing has ended yet.
This "Great One" fellow might come and attack us now.
So, is Zaryusu still asleep?
Probably, since he hasn't come out yet.
Crusch was pretty exhausted, as well.
We can let them rest for a while.
Ho... Well, maybe I'll go peek in on them.
This feast isn't gonna pick up without its major players here.
Don't make too much of a nuisance of yourself.
Hey, you guys at it?!
GO
CRY
GO
CRY
GO
Whe
re
is
the
tru
ths?
Whe
re
is
the
tru
ths?
T
h
i
s
w
o
r
l
d
a
t
n
e
f
u
y
I
ma
mu
jou
it
tai
no
se
ka
i
de
ths?
I
ma
mu
jou
it
tai
no
se
ka
i
de
Here
is
no
tru
ths
Here
is
no
tru
W
e
s
t
a
l
f
r
o
m
n
h
w
i
u
g
y
tru
ths
Ei
ko
u
mo
na
ku
u
bai
a
u
ths
Ei
ko
u
mo
na
ku
u
bai
a
u
It's
like
a
par
ty!
It's
like
a
par
Y
e
w
h
o
c
r
s
a
t
'
p
,
par
ty!
Kou
sa
ku
su
ru
mo
no
ta
chi
yo
ty!
Kou
sa
ku
su
ru
mo
no
ta
chi
yo
S
o
f
r
g
e
n
!
U
t
i
l
y
u
x
p
Tsu
ki
su
me
ha
te
ru
ma
de
yo
Tsu
ki
su
me
ha
te
ru
ma
W
i
l
y
o
u
b
e
w
n
r
s
?
E
t
h
m
a
g
c
z
ma
de
Sho
u
sha
to
hai
sha
do
chi
ra
mo
may
be
so
me
thing
cra
zy
de
Sho
u
sha
to
hai
sha
do
chi
ra
mo
may
be
so
me
thing
cra
"What
can
I
be
lieve?"
cra
zy
"What
can
I
be
lieve?"
F
a
c
e
d
w
i
t
h
q
u
s
o
n
,
N
r
Son
na
to
i
nan
te
No
one
ans
wer
lieve?"
Son
na
to
i
nan
te
No
one
ans
wer
E
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
n
g
a
s
d
o
Su
be
te
ko
no
ko
kuu
no
na
ka
ki
e
tet
ta
wer
Su
be
te
ko
no
ko
kuu
no
na
ka
ki
e
tet
ta
F
o
r
n
w
,
B
e
a
k
u
t
!
p
c
d
I
ma
wa
Break
Out!
Break
Out!
su
me
yo!
I
ma
wa
Break
Out!
Break
Out!
su
me
yo!
C
r
y
o
u
t
!
H
l
d
e
m
i
n
a
h
g
Cry
Out!
Cry
Out!
so
no
i
shi
wo
ka
ge
te!
yo!
Cry
Out!
Cry
Out!
so
no
i
shi
wo
ka
ge
te!
E
s
c
a
p
e
f
t
r
,
B
k
o
u
!
m
h
i
w
l
d
Saa
mot
to
Break
Out!
Break
Out!
se
ka
i
wo!
te!
Saa
mot
to
Break
Out!
Break
Out!
se
ka
i
wo!
C
r
y
o
u
t
!
w
a
h
g
Cry
Out!
Cry
Out!
ki
ri
hi
ra
ke!
wo!
Cry
Out!
Cry
Out!
ki
ri
hi
ra
ke!
E
v
e
n
i
f
y
o
u
l
s
r
w
a
ke!
Ma
yo
t
te
mo
Ma
yo
t
te
mo
So
we
gat
ta
just
go
cra
zy,
cra
zy
and
mad
So
mo
So
we
gat
ta
just
go
cra
zy,
cra
zy
and
mad
Just
go
cra
zy
now
Just
go
cra
zy
now
Dance
dance
cra
zy,
cra
zy
and
mad
Dance
dance
cra
zy,
cra
zy
and
mad
D
o
e
s
n
'
t
m
a
r
i
f
l
u
,
h
:
G
O
C
R
Y
Yu
me
ka
ji
go
ku
ka
GO
CRY
GO
Yu
me
ka
ji
go
ku
ka
GO
CRY
GO
Guardians of each floor, thank you for assembling before me.
We'll start with you, Victim.
This is your first time meeting everyone else, isn't it?
Pleasure to meet all of you.
I am Victim.
I've called you, the guardian of the eighth floor, for one reason...
we have yet to identify the foe who targeted Shalltear.
We must take into consideration that a currently unforeseen incident may occur.
As such, we require a powerful skill that is invoked by your death,
to protect all of the guardians, myself included.
I am sorry.
I promise to bring you back to life right away,
so I hope you'll forgive me.
Do not let it bother you, Lord Ainz.
I was born in order to die.
If that power will be of assistance to the Supreme One,
nothing could give me more joy.
One of the catchphrases that Nazarick used goes like this:
"Greater love hath no man than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends."
It is truly an expression that fits you perfectly.
I am grateful for your love.
Your words are more than I deserve.
Next up, Demiurge.
My lord?
First, allow me to honor you for always answering my call.
What are you saying?
It is only to be expected that I should report to you at once when you call, Lord Ainz.
I understand.
It is evident that the sheepskin parchment that you brought
can stand up to use in lower-tier scrolls.
Can I count on a stable supply of it?
Yes. That will not be a problem.
I have acquired an ample number of them.
I see.
So, what was the name of these beasts, again?
Beasts? Ah...
As they are two-legged sheep from the holy kingdom,
how does the name "Abelion Sheep" sound?
Indeed. Sheep, huh?
So the beasts are actually chimeras— or rather, a subspecies.
In Yggdrasil, chimeras had the heads of a lion and a goat, and their tails were snakes.
He must be trying to indicate that a beast with a sheep mixed in is something different.
I think goats would be better, but very well.
Continue what you are doing.
Now, as for you, Shalltear...
Y-Yes?
Regarding the splinter you have in your soul...
Ah, Lord Ainz, after being appointed to the position of guardian,
and betraying you like I did,
I ask you to please give me a punishment worthy of a reprehensible fool such as myself!
All right.
I'll decide how best to discipline you later
Lastly, Cocytus...
You returned in defeat.
Yes, my lord. I am terribly sorry for my offense.
I was—
Cocytus! If you're going to apologize, lift up your face!
I beg your pardon.
Cocytus, tell me the reason why you were beaten.
Right. I am very sorry for losing the army you entrusted to me.
Not that.
Let me state upfront
that I don't intend to come down on you too hard for this defeat.
The reason being that I don't care who you are, everyone makes mistakes.
That goes for me, as well.
That being said, I ask you, Cocytus,
how could you have won?
I underestimated the Lizard Men.
I should have acted more cautiously.
Mm-hmm, that is correct.
You must never underestimate someone, no matter how weak they are.
Is there anything else?
Yes. I think I may have had insufficient information.
The enemy's strength, the topography...
I have learned that without taking these into consideration,
the chances of my victory were lowered, no matter what I did.
Mm-hmm.
Not having enough commanders was also a problem.
Since they were all lower-level undead,
I should have put in place those who could issue orders as necessary.
Anything besides that?
I apologize, but that is all I can think of right now.
Outstanding!
Except for that Elder Lich, they were all spawn undead.
Their demise has absolutely no effect on Nazarick.
Considering what one of my guardians has learned from this,
I will be getting change back from this deal.
Thank you very much, Lord Ainz.
Be that as it may,
the fact remains that you lost, and you must be punished.
Cocytus! You will personally mop up that sludge!
Exterminate the Lizard Men!
This time, without relying on anyone else.
A fantastic idea!
Cocytus will expunge his sin of being defeated, along with all of the Lizard Men!
Lord Ainz...
I have a request I would like to make.
I beg of you, Lord Ainz...
You, who have brought defeat to glorious Nazarick,
dare to petition Lord Ainz?!
Remember where your place is!
Cocytus—
It's all right, Albedo.
Would you lift up your face, Cocytus, and tell me what your request is?
Well, Cocytus?
I simply want to know what you're thinking, and what you would like to say.
I am against killing all of the Lizard Men. I beg you, show them mercy.
Cocytus, do you realize what you're saying?!
Albedo, do not get in the middle of this.
I beg your pardon. Please forgive me.
Now then, Cocytus, you must have a pretty good reason for your request.
Something that will benefit the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Tell me what that is.
Yes, my lord.
There is a chance that valiant warriors will appear among their number.
In my judgment,
it will be more beneficial to us to have the Lizard Men pledge loyalty to Nazarick,
and make them our subordinates.
That is indeed a convincing proposal.
If we were to use the Lizard Man corpses to create undead,
they would only be of about the same level as those from human corpses.
As such, there is no reason to insist on Lizard Man corpses.
In that case...
However! It would be more cost-effective
to use undead created by me than it would be to leave the Lizard Men alive.
If there are any other benefits, I'd like to hear them.
Well, I...
How about it, Cocytus?
If you have nothing more, than you won't mind exterminating them, yes?
I see. That's too bad.
Lord Ainz?
What is it, Demiurge?
My lord,
what if we were to use the Lizard Men in a governability experiment?
Ho, now this sounds like an interesting idea.
Yes.
The time will likely come when we will be handling different races and powers.
I humbly submit that we ought to perform an experiment in governing
in which we rule the Lizard Men's villages by means other than fear
for when that time comes.
A terrific suggestion, Demiurge!
Thank you very much.
We will then accept Demiurge's proposal,
and shift from exterminating the Lizard Men to occupying them.
Yes, my lord!
Demiurge, I'm impressed.
How can you say that, Lord Ainz?
I am sure that you were already aware of my modest proposal.
You were simply waiting for Cocytus, were you not?
Hmph, you give me too much credit.
All I wanted...
was for him to display some of his own thinking, regardless of what it was.
Heed my words, guardians!
Orders are not things for you to blindly obey and carry out.
You must instill some thought of your own before you act!
Consider what will lead to the greatest benefit for Nazarick!
Yes, my lord!
Now then, Cocytus, consequently, your punishment must now be changed.
You will govern the Lizard Men,
and instill loyalty toward Nazarick within them.
Rule through fear is forbidden.
As you wish.
I, Cocytus, promise to work hard enough
to measure up to the great mercy you have shown me, Lord Ainz.
All right, guardians, I order you all to move out.
One team as a decoy, and another to flaunt our power to the Lizard Men.
Albedo, make ready our soldiers. Activate Gargantua, as well.
As you command.
Can I also assume that by sending a decoy,
you are considering that there is someone who enjoys peeking at us,
and are giving the wrong impression as to our true intentions?
That is correct.
Very good.
All right, everyone, time to get moving!
I'm grateful to you, Demiurge.
There's no need for that, Cocytus.
For you see, this is probably the outcome that Lord Ainz desired.
Huh?
You're saying that everything is going according to Lord Ainz's plan?
Leave it to Lord Ainz!
B-But then, um, I mean, I'm just saying,
did he assume ahead of time that Cocytus would lose?
Not so much lose, perhaps,
as he may have been entertaining the idea that Cocytus would
probe the Lizard Men's strength,
and recommend whether or not they could beat them.
That's Lord Ainz for you! He truly is beyond incredible!
It's fair to say that his position
of the role of coordinator for the Supreme Ones was not just for show!
Wow, that was amazing! I didn't expect Cocytus to say what he did.
In Yggdrasil, if you do anything you don't have the skills for,
it's sure to end in failure.
But if he can gain tactics and strategies from this experience,
that goes to prove that we have the potential to grow.
But growth means change.
I can't even say that the absolute loyalty of the guardians will never change.
Ah! That's scary stuff!
I wonder if there's anyone around who can teach me kingcraft.
Now, it's about time I got ready to move out.
Hmm?
There's a floral scent.
Have they sprinkled perfume on the bed?
Is this what wealthy people's beds are like?
If so, maybe I should keep that in mind when pretending to be rich.
I had anticipated this,
but this is too soon.
Huh? It can't be.
I-Impossible.
Have you noticed it, too? That is all magic equipment.
A mythical army.
What's with this cold wind?
This isn't possible.
The only thing that can produce wind like this
is the sixth-tier magic "Control Weather".
Sixth-tier?
This is the power of the so-called "Great One"?
Remain calm!
Do not be intimidated, warriors!
Refrain from any actions
that would disappoint the many ancestral spirits behind you!
What do you think?
They're making a move,
but they don't appear to be preparing for battle.
What are they planning to do?
Hmm...
Is this the ruler of death?
What is that, exactly?
I don't know. I don't know what that is.
Everyone, get to higher ground!
We can be sure this is the "Great One", all right.
Most likely.
I'm sold. From where that monster stands, we might as well be dung.
Hmm?
What is that?
What is that thing?!
It can't be...
A royal procession?
We bring you the words of the Great One.
The Great One wishes to converse with you.
Let your delegate step forward at once.
Know that time wasted is displeasing to the Great One.
H-He used all those monsters simply for that?
Zaryusu...
My brother...
...will you come with me?
Mm-hmm.
Zaryusu...
Crusch,
I'll be back.
Be careful.
Thanks.
Considering their numbers,
they may think you going alone to be disrespectful, Brother.
Besides, if we are killed to make an example,
I, as a traveler, will not be missed in regard to the unity of the tribes.
I am the representative of the Lizard Men, Shasuryu Shasha!
And this is the mightiest of the Lizard Men...
...Zaryusu Shasha!
Our master does not feel that your posture is conducive to listening.
Demiurge?
Prostrate yourselves!
Do not resist!
Lord Ainz, they have adopted a listening posture.
Good work. Lift up their heads.
You are permitted to lift your heads!
I am the master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown.
First, I express my gratitude to you for assisting with my experiment.
Now, onto the main subject.
You will fall under my rule.
Wha—?
However, it is likely...
...that you do not wish to come under the rule of someone against whom you have achieved victory.
Thus, in four hours, I will attack again.
The attacker will be one of my trusted aides, Cocytus, on his own.
If you are able to prevail against him, as well,
I promise to henceforth leave you completely alone.
We surrender—
I would prefer you not suggest something as tedious
as to surrender without fighting!
You're making an example of us?
I am done speaking.
You have four hours.
Enjoy them while you can.
I ask that you wait! Will this ice melt?
Ah, that's right.
I simply did not want to dirty myself with your mud.
I will dispel the effect of the magic later.
Farewell then, Lizard Men. Gate!
Goodbye, Lizard Men.
See you!
This is goodbye.
Um, er... well, please take care.
I bid you farewell.
You are free to move.
Do try to enjoy yourselves, Lizard Men.
Damn them!
This amounts to a ritual sacrifice, doesn't it?
So, what do we do?
Call all of the warrior class Lizard Men to arms.
In addition, we have those of us here...
Could I ask that it just be five of us?
Hmm?
If their goal is to demonstrate their overwhelming power,
they are unlikely to kill us all.
If that's the case, we will need a central figure for the survivors to organize around.
A sound argument.
Mm-hmm. However, Zaryusu...
hametsu sae itowanaide
Don't hesitate to face destruction
Why not? I agree with him.
Then that's what we'll do. Crusch would be suitable.
Just a minute!
I'm going to fight, too!
Zaryusu, why would you say such a thing at this point?
nee, mada kono te ni nokoru kakera datte
You know, even the pieces remaining within these hands
Because we've been given a chance to survive.
Don't give me that!
Zaryusu, you convince her.
I'll see you again in four hours.
anata no mono
Belong to you
nanimokamo nakushitemo
Even if I lose everything
Crusch, please understand.
There's no way I can understand! Besides, there's no guarantee we'll lose!
sasageru mono ga aru no
I have something to offer
With my priestly powers, we might win!
mirai datte inochi de sae
My future, my life...
I don't want to let the female I'm in love with die.
Please grant the wish of this foolish male.
yaketsukita kanjou mo fumou na inori mo
My burnt-out emotions, my fruitless prayers,
That's not fair...
sugaru buzama mo mitsugu oroka mo
The ugliness I cling to, the foolishness I provide,
I'm sorry.
You'll probably be killed.
yanda koe mo kegareta ryoute mo
My ailed voice, my stained hands,
Yeah.
And you're asking me to watch you die?
After we've become so attached to each other?
kizu de sakareta kokoro mo
And my heart, held open by the scars
Yeah.
I'm so happy that we met each other...
...but also, so sad.
Impregnate me!
Next Episode
The Lizardmen were faced with the indisputable, absolute power of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Even so, the warriors charged headlong into the harrowing battle ahead in order to save their tribes.
They had but a single foe.
Guardian of the Fifth Floor,
Cocytus.
Despite the warriors' greatest, most desperate efforts, they were easily frozen in their tracks.
Chapter 5, The Freezing God.
A miracle is beyond you.