Chapter 76: Judgement
"...What? What do you mean Yggdrasil has arrived??" Ainz asked in disbelief. It was understandable. After all, they had just only talked about his findings of Yggdrasil trying to reach this world. Azazel's words implied that they would have some time until they would need to confront it and certainly not hours after getting the news! His mind reached a peak before suddenly calming down again.
He should have expected it. This wasn't a game where he could decide when to confront the enemy. No, in some sense they were the boss and would need to expect their opponent's arrival at any moment. Not to mention that with Azazel's background, Yggdrasil had finally found its mortal enemy. Now that Azazel wasn't part of Yggdrasil's reality, it would be able to crush him, at least according to the angel's words of not being part of that reality or whatever he meant.
It shouldn't have surprised him that the World Tree would be hellbent on eradicating any future trouble as soon as possible. Despite realizing his mistake, it didn't help their current situation.
"Exactly that!" Azazel responded agitated. "There is a large tear- Just go outside the tomb and you can see it. What should we do?" The prince asked, obviously not as calm and collected as he used to be. It was understandable considering what they were up against. Ainz would be lying if he said that he was calm by any means despite having the emotional dampener kick in as the anxiousness rose again and again.
"Tell everyone to gather in Nazarick. Everyone is to retreat and regroup in the tomb first." Ainz answered directly. There was no point in keeping their forces spread when their highest defense could only be realized inside the tomb. They needed everyone back and prepared for the battle.
As he tried to keep a calm mind, he teleported to the first floor without informing his maid or Pandora's Actor who was standing beside him as he would have done under normal circumstances. Without hesitation he exited the tomb and glanced into the sky, seeing a familiar yet completely novel view in front of him.
A towering tree that seemed to be backlit with an ethereal glow. The background was a familiar sky that was just filled with a myriad of colors and shapes. A sight that could only be seen in a specific route or realm in the game. One had to be quite high-level to even have access to such a view. It seemed like the tree wasn't part of any mortal world, and especially not this New World, evidently with the way reality parted as if it was a curtain revealing the World Tree behind it.
Some colors floated from the ground up behind this curtain only to reveal at a closer inspection what they really were. Soldiers. Different races seemed to have gathered. It looked like they would enter the world any second. However, despite their movement, they didn't look like they were crossing any distance. The progress to close the gap looked nonexistent.
Their previous arrangements were for naught since most of their ideas were about finding where the tree would try to enter the world the next time. Now they didn't need to worry about the tree covertly sending troops over, but whether they could withstand its full might head-on.
He wasn't sure when the forces of the World Tree would arrive, but given their prior miscalculation, he would rather go all out than act on optimistic speculations.
"Alright, I will call them immediately-" Ainz started before Ainz cut him off.
"You said that you could handle the tree, right? Do you still think you can do it?" He asked since that would steer their next course of action. Although he wouldn't claim that he could withstand the entirety of all the worlds' forces, as long as they didn't send thousands of World Enemies at the same time, they could manage somehow...
"Yes, I can. However, I would need something from you Ainz-sama." Azazel said solemnly and he could guess that the angel wouldn't ask for something small. "I have an array- something akin to a magical or rune ward, which could keep Yggdrasil at bay for some time, but the cost is high. I need at the very least 108 precious ores that hold a great amount of energy." Azazel finished gravely, causing the call to fall silent as Ainz processed his words.
"That's it?" Ainz couldn't help but ask.
"Eh, ehm yes? It would be better to have more than 108 to replace them once the energy drops, but it should be enough for now as I can modify the array by using anchor points in the Between and to draw upon the ambient energy of its surroundings. Of course, this would need a delicate fusion of the nature of the array and the mystical reality. I could change the glyphs to serve as conduits, channeling the raw elemental earth particles and transforming them into the necessary power to sustain the formation, which might extend the duration a bit-" Azazel rattled in a hurry and before he could dive deeper into his thoughts, Ainz interrupted him again.
"Right. So, energy-rich ores, anything else? How long would it last?" Ainz asked about the most crucial parts. Although he feared that they wouldn't be able to extend their time by too much, any little would help them prepare.
"Any ore should be fine. Depending on the amount of energy these ores hold the longer the formation will last. With relic class ores, we should be able to hold on for several weeks-"
"What about divine class ores?" Ainz directly asked, interrupting Azazel for the third time in their call.
"I-I'm not sure, several months at least- maybe even years?" Azazel sounded unsure, though even if he was off by a magnitude. If they gained a single month from this array Azazel wanted to erect then it was more than worth it.
"That's good. After informing the others, return immediately. I will have you ores ready." With that, he cut the call and returned to the tomb before teleporting back to Pandora's Actor. This news was great and certainly lifted some tension in his shoulders. Of course, the threat hadn't vanished and they still needed to make haste.
"Get the Celestial Uranium," Ainz commanded without hesitation. Although Pandora's Actor's face didn't change, he could sense the shock in his demeanor. It wasn't hard to understand why. After all, Celestial Uranium was one of the seven Prismatic Ores. They were the highest and strongest ores that Yggdrasil had to offer, bordering on the World rank classification.
Ainz Ooal Gown was of the few who knew what gathering vast quantities of those Prismatic Ore's could earn you - Caloric Stone. A world item with which the player could ask the devs to bestow a specific effect on an item they wanted to enhance. It was immensely powerful and could be farmed.
At one point, their guild had a monopoly on the mines producing this ore until they figured out what would happen once one had enough of them. Their entire stash of Celestial Uranium had vanished at that point, leaving only a single Caloric Stone behind. Afterward, they realized that the exhausted mines regenerated and with it a method to farm Caloric Stone revealed themselves. An endless farm of a World Item was just too good to be true and would have elevated them to become one of the top guilds.
Unfortunately, they had lost the mines to some rival guilds, but they still had some ores left from their time as the sole owners of these mines. Of course, what was left wasn't enough to produce another Caloric Stone, but procuring 108 of them wasn't beyond them even if it put a dent into their reserves.
Although he wasn't sure whether they held a lot of energy, these were the most precious ores they had. Not to mention they were named Uranium, so they ought to be as potent as his old world's equivalent.
As he watched Pandora's Actor pile up the Prismatic Ores, he started wondering about this array that Azazel was confident in holding back the World Tree. He hadn't heard of anything like it in the game. Although he wasn't all-knowing, he wouldn't attribute himself as ignorant, at least in terms of game specifics. He would know if such a powerful formation existed...
Was it something that Azazel gained through his background setting? If that were the case, he would need to re-evaluate the items their treasury held.
...
My mind was blank for a moment. Did Ainz just say he still had divine class ores he could give me? I mused as I released a breath I didn't even notice holding. "Fuckin' hell." I cursed as I shook my head. Didn't think I would have to depend on Ainz of all people.
Oh, I knew he wasn't dumb, just lacking some intrinsic motivation for politics, discipline, some guts, and basic education. Without waiting around any longer, I started to contact the rest and told them to gather back at Nazarick as soon as they could.
Although the time was dire, I told them to make some last-minute arrangements, so their plans could be put on hold for now. If they weren't able to, they were supposed to retreat immediately. With that out of the way, I teleported back to Nazarick. I stepped inside and used my ring to traverse to the lower floors.
It didn't even take me a blink to arrive in front of the treasury. I glanced over to the pile of ores, gathered on the ground like they were junk. However, it was obvious that they were so much more than what met the eye. With a mere glance, one could tell how precious they were.
Not to mention, my divine senses flared up as I watched them. Those were divine in nature and the way they weaved and bent reality on a deeper level made it clear that they were extremely potent ores. The bunch of them fold reality into themselves to a dangerous degree.
I felt like they would merge and form something completely new, though it was clear that something prevented that last step. They were lacking something significantly. Perhaps an accelerator or some other aid?
I couldn't help but muse what would happen if I aided these lines of influence these ores exerted on reality. After but a moment I dismissed the thought as the ores might just shatter through my ministrations and I would rather not lose out on even a single ore.
"You've arrived," Ainz stated the obvious, though given the circumstances I just nodded instead of teasing him. "Here are the ores, Celestial Uranium. They are Prismatic Ores and should be enough to power your ward." My eyes widened as I turned to Ainz.
"I-I wasn't aware we possessed Prismatic Ore." Even though his skeletal face didn't change, I could feel his smug smile.
"Our foundation is not to be underestimated." Ainz tried to sound deep, though he only made me feel like I was standing in front of a sect master of some cultivation sect. Given the array I was about to set up, I couldn't help but draw parallels. Hopefully, there wasn't some young mas- Never mind I shouldn't finish that thought, les reality listened.
"Indeed." I just responded.
"Where do you want to set up your formation?" Ainz asked and I couldn't help but pause for a moment. I did say I could modify the array a bit to siphon energy from the surrounding environment. It would be best to place it somewhere with a lot of energy. So, a forest perhaps. The elven kingdom's forest would offer itself as a good place.
Even though I didn't know how it was depicted in the novel, I had gotten some reports from our scouts. It seemed like the elves grew and lived in trees, probably changing and supplying them with magic, so they ought to be more potent in terms of energy.
Of course, there was no in-depth investigation or experiment made to confirm the degree of energy their dwellings held. We had barely the manpower as it was and spending it to investigate something like that prior to our knowledge of Yggdrasil's arrival would be foolish.
"I'm not sure. Somewhere deep in the elven forest perhaps. The life of the forest should be more than enough to supply the formation in the foreseeable time."
"What kind of energy can be used to power the ward?" Ainz asked, making me pause again. My mind dissected the immortal array, breaking it down to its components before putting it back together while analyzing what effects which combination had on the whole and in its parts.
In a blink, I went over the array more times than I could count and could proclaim to have mastered this formation to exhaustion. There were no secrets it held for me and with it, I modified it in mind and ran it through some simulations as I supplied it with different types of energy.
"Any should be fine." I finally answered after an entire second of thought. There were certainly some energy types that were more effective than others, especially with the addition of Celestial Uranium, which caused the nature of the array to change accordingly. The sensitivity to divine energy increased by ten-fold. Ironically, the most potent energy it could use was the energy of my divine domain and the life force of my tree.
"What about negative energy?" Ainz asked and I nodded. Negative energy would be the energy with the second highest yield. It was the antithesis to divine energy and was almost directly opposed to the Celestial Uranium. Instead of divine energy that would act as an accelerator that would cause the energy to combust, negative energy would clash against the Celestial Uranium's nature causing immense friction. Although it would erode the ores faster, the resulting energy was several magnitudes higher as well.
"It would be possible. In fact, it could increase the array's power by quite a bit, but it would cut on the duration as well." Ainz held his chin after he heard my response.
"If there is no need to increase the power of the array then go with your idea." I wasn't sure what he had in mind when he suggested negative energy, perhaps the Katze Plains? Or maybe some item out of his personal stash?
"It is enough," I answered despite not being one hundred percent sure. I wasn't aware of how powerful the tree was in the end, but I knew that the normal World Enemies couldn't do anything against the array. Even if they all gathered and struck it at the same time, it would only deplete some energy.
If I truly placed the array inside the Katze Plains where the negative energy abounded, the duration of the array would shorten significantly. The thing I needed was time not power. Despite the rift, Yggdrasil couldn't exert its entire might, which was a combination of it not being able to move in the traditional sense as it is bound by its worlds, but also because of the clash of different types of reality. So, there was no need to maximize the power of the array, what I needed was to extend its duration. I needed time to convert my potential to real strength.
"Alright, then go set it up. Take Albedo to protect you." Ainz ordered, making me nod before I waved my hand and stashed away the pile of Prismatic Ore. There were more than 108, so I would be able to replace some ores once they were depleted. After storing them, I teleported to the entrance again.
"Lord Azazel," Albedo called out and I didn't comment on her way of addressing me. She was fully prepared, clad in her armor and her axe in her hands and I could feel her World Item on her.
"I will rely on you." I simply said.
"Hai!" She answered solemnly and energetically, trying to convey her confidence in me. I nodded and raised a hand, a portal appeared in front of us. Without waiting for a command, Albedo stepped through before I followed her.
We floated in the air, hovering above a city that I hadn't even seen before. I overlooked it for a moment before I nodded. Unlike many other places of this world, this forest teemed with life force and even some Wild Magic.
It looked like the elves naturally attracted wild magic or perhaps it was just the souls of the trees being nurtured that attracted a high volume of wild magic. After all, Wild Magic was just a primitive raw application of soul magic powered by a smidgen of Chaos. Where there were souls there was wild magic.
I overlooked the situation. The city was blending in with the forest well, forcing one to take a deeper look. However, in the next moment I realized that it wasn't a forest, but the elven capital itself, consisting of elf trees connected with each other. A glance around made it clear that it wasn't as hidden as I had previously expected. Around the royal capital, there was a lot of flat terrain. The capital was built in a crescent shape on the shores of a giant lake.
I didn't know much about this kingdom as the series hadn't gotten to the point when I was misplaced in the body of an NPC. However, I was aware that the king was supposed to be quite powerful in terms of the New World.
I read some speculation of him being in the level 70s or 80s. Certainly a formidable foe for anyone in this world. Though given the gap between a level 80 and a level 127 World Enemy like me, it was not even worth mentioning. It was akin to a peak human of this world, those that had even surpassed the realms of heroes, fighting against a sickly newborn.
Of course, there was the risk of a World Item, but even that didn't have any effect on me as I had already stepped into the realm of being unaffected by those powers. Given the low risk and the expected high volume of energy, it was a no-brainer to place the formation with the biggest tree as its center.
The king most likely resided in there, so I would dispose of him, but that could wait until after I had finished setting up the array. My hand waved and a total of 108 Prismatic Ore appeared, floating in the air in front of Albedo and me. With a flick of my fingers, they shot out along with thousands upon thousands of invisible threads of divinity.
They weaved through the trees and ground forming an intricate formation with thousands of components acting individually to combine as a whole. This happened in an instant and was unknown to anyone inside the capital. The 108 ores were placed in focal points of this formation, making it light up in my eyes.
Of course, those who couldn't see through the folds of reality and see the threads of divinity as they slightly waved wouldn't notice them until it was too late. A moment longer and then the forest shook. Birds startled by the sudden earthquake flew away, while the elves in the trees were confused and rattled at the sudden change.
Elven guards took up arms and looked outside for any enemy attacking them, but found no one. It lasted a moment and afterward, the earthquake disappeared as if it never happened. They didn't know that the formation's foundation had already been set and this city wasn't theirs anymore.
I was about to disperse the elves since even though I could use their energy it wasn't enough for me to slaughter them all. My gaze turned to the World Tree. Its crown slightly waved like it was affected by the wind. Obviously, there was no wind strong enough to move even a single leave of this tree, but they still moved.
It was a towering existence. Its peak was so far above me that it made it feel like it was looking down on me, Judging me for my existence. I took a deep breath before glancing at my clenched fist, "There is no one worthy enough to Judge me. Not even a higher existence."
I rolled my shoulders as I felt something tugging on my spine, like a nasty itch that was scratched excruciatingly slowly. "Hm?" My thoughts were interrupted as I glanced down at the tallest tree which made up the center of my formation and found an elf looking at me with a frown on his face.
In the next moment, I stood beside him. His eyes widened before jumping away slightly. My eyes trailed him as I took in his form. He was rather dressed revealing though at the same time, it looked like his armor. The crown on his head made it clear with whom I was dealing with. The elven king. The strongest elf and rapist of that Slane Theocracy trump card's mother.
Just with that information, I knew he was scum, so I would just get rid of him and remove the greatest obstacle in this country.
"Who are you?!" He shouted a bit hysteric as he tried to calm his breathing. For a moment his eyes flashed toward Albedo, who landed behind me.
"I have to commend you," I spoke before Albedo went off on her insult tirades. His limbs were trembling, seemingly urging him to leave though he stayed with his feet cracking the ground as if he was gathering all his strength to jump away.
Despite his body telling him to flee, he stayed his ground. Was it pride or something else that made him keep standing? Did he know I had his people trapped inside my formation with their lives up to my Judgement? Was he worried about them?
"What?" He spat out with his eyes trained on me. The ground shook slightly and I could feel the earthly elements rising rapidly.
"Regardless of the reason. I commend you... for facing me, your certain Death." I pointed at him and before he could utter a word, his body collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
In the next moment, a giant earth elemental showed itself though the blank look on its face seemed to convey its confusion as the bounds to its summoner had been removed. It would have collapsed into a pile of rubble in the next moment, but my formation was siphoning its remaining energy, making it just freeze on the spot.
My gaze turned to the city and with an invisible command, I urged all the elves to pack their things and leave to another place, which they followed in an orderly manner. Although I could still sense a rather formidable creature living inside the lake, I didn't give it much thought. It wouldn't be able to leave this place even if it wanted to, so I ignored it for now.
The formation triggered a chime only I could hear as the formation was finally set up. My eyes turned away from the city I had decided the lives of and turned to the World Tree that was trying to judge me and everyone I knew.
I unsheathed my sword and pointed it at Yggdrasil as the formation churned and sent a powerful blast at the gigantic rift. At that moment, I heard something shattering and the weight on my shoulders seemed to have lessened. I knew then that another chain had broken.
The Emanation of Judgement, Gevurah. The power to rule and bring order to the world. Overcoming adversaries both from within and without. The power demanded as much fear as it did respect with violence inherent to it. A force to create balance.
My level rose and I broke through level 130 in an instant, bordering on the next Emanation of Empathy, Hesed. With that, I was 7 down and 4 more to go. Without having time to dwell on my insights, I turned my attention to the would-be battlefield.
The swaying crown of Yggdrasil suddenly stopped, deathly still that it was unnerving. "Seems like it noticed my advancement," I muttered as I watched the glow of the tree intensify and tens of thousands of sparks rising from it, heading toward the rift. However, the blast of energy from my formation finally reached the rift.
It seemed to have crashed into something solid as it spread and covered the World Tree behind a grayish transparent veil. The sparks of light emitting from the tree crashed into the veil and burst like stars exploding in the sky. A firework of immense power came crashing into the immortal formation and yet it stood. For now.