Chapter 4

Azirim led Ainz in the direction of the mountain and Ainz watched as Medulla broke away from the group.

"She will gather the NPCs of the Vault. I am sure they are eager to welcome the leader of the Supreme Beings."

Ainz nodded in a dignified manner.

Aura raised a hand. "I have a question. Why do you refer to this place as a Vault? Also, shouldn't Victim be in charge of this place since he is the Guardian of the 8th Floor?"

The other Guardians nodded as they seemed just as interested as Aura.

'It's a good thing that I am not the only one who is in the dark' thought Ainz.

"We were created to protect, first and foremost, a unique NPC made by our Lord and, secondly, a World Item our creator had found at the edge of Niflheim."

'Hm? All 11 of our World Items are accounted for… Could it be that Sixs found a World Item and didn't tell anyone? Wait, did he just say that the life of a single NPC had priority over a World Item?'

It seemed that Albedo had a similar train of thought. "Why is it that this NPC has priority over a World Item?"

Azirim shook his head. "I will explain once we meet her. It will make more sense once you witness her power."

'Oh ho, it seems to be a weapon. I wonder if it is stronger than Rubedo.'

Mare raises his hand.

"W-why is there a battlefield here?"

"My creator created for us an arena to ensure our combat ability never dulled. All 13 Legions regularly conduct war games against each other."

"Interesting. Could. You. Tell. Us. More. About. These. Legions?"

"Perhaps during a debriefing, there is too much to discuss and we have reached our first destination."

Azirim gestured to the large fortress that stood before them.

"As you can see this fortress is made out of ceramite and…"

Ainz started to tune out the conversation.

'Uwah it feels like I am on a day tour and Azirim is my tour guide. At least the Guardians seem into it.'

The group entered through the main gates and walked through the courtyard. Ainz noted that, unlike the other fortresses, there were no banners draped over the walls, however flags bearing the symbol of the guild flew on the ramparts.

Upon exiting the fort the group continued forwards as the Vault Guardian continued his commentary. As they continued moving towards the base of the mountain, a large Torii gate came into view.

"We now approach the mountain bastion. The mountain is populated with the most powerful NPCs my creator could construct. They could be considered the Area Guardians of the vault and the last line of defense. The first is Crownguard."

Azirim pointed to the top of the gate and Ainz could make out a figure sitting on top.

The figure then teleports in front of the group and knelt. She carried a long staff and was dressed in an outfit that was exactly what Ainz would expect from a JRPG female magic caster.

"My Lord."

"Crownguard is an artillery mage. The moment intruders emerge, she would proceed to bombard them with spells. She does not know many spells but her power lies in her ability to change the base element of her spells for different effects."

'What is he talking about? I don't think that's possible in Yggdrasil.'

Ainz glances at Shalltear who also seemed puzzled.

"Wait, her name is Crownguard?"

Many of the other Floor Guardians groaned.

"Azirim had just explained to us that the other NPCs in the vault do not have names. I suppose memorizing such a detail is beyond you capabilities…"

"Hah? Are you calling me stupid you gorilla?"

Before their bickering could continue, Ainz held up his hand.

"Settle down you two."

"My apologies!" two voices cried at once.

"Let us continue."

After climbing to the halfway point, the group stepped onto a large flat section carved into the side of the mountain. The area was about the size of one of the citadels down below and waiting for them were three dragons. As Ainz walked towards them, they prostrated themselves before him.

"Welcome Supreme One to our humble lair. I am known as the Worldbreaker Dragon."

The dragon that spoke was massive. It was easily over three stories tall and dwarfed Olasird'arc Haylilyal. The dragon was covered in menacing black scales and in the crevices between the scales flowed lava. Embedded in the center of its head was a red jewel that burned a sinister crimson.

"Your presence humbles us Supreme One. I am known as the Cataclysm Dragon."

The second dragon was just as large as the first. However its scales were a deep purple color and framed in a way that made it look like it was wearing armor. There were also many large light purple crystals that seemed to have grown all over the dragon.

"My Lord, I am known as the Archfey Dragon."

The final dragon was much smaller than the other two and looked very different as well. Instead of scales, it had white feathers on its wings and white fur on the rest of its body. In fact, other than its general shape and its own declaration, it did not resemble a dragon at all.

The dragons looked familiar. Ainz's mind raced as he struggled to recall where he had seen them before.

"These three are the trump cards of the vault. The three of them could defeat the combined forces of the Vault."

The simple comment made by Azirim made it obvious to Ainz.

'This is not funny anymore. These are World Enemy dragons. First we have a spell caster who can change spell properties, now we have dragons that are individually worth 30 elite level 100 Players. What is going on? Could this be because of the World Item? If that's the case, then what about the NPC who is considered more valuable than the World Item!? Sixs, what have you been doing down here!?'

"Lord Ainz, are you alright?" asked Albedo worriedly.

At the sound, Ainz snaps out of his thoughts.

"Ahem. Yes let us continue."

At the peak of the mountain there was a stone tower carved into the mountain. The tower was cylindrical in shape and its walls were made up of many intricately carved stone arches. There was no roof.

The interior of the tower was devoid of any furniture, except for a stone bowel the size of a large table that sat in the centre of the building. In the bowel was a flickering ember.

Nearby stood a female figure. She wore a simple grey robe and a smooth, featureless stone mask covered her face. In her hands she held a dragon skull.

Ainz entered with the Guardians.

"These are the treasures of the vault. Lord Ainz, may I introduce you to the Herald."

The lady in the mask put down the dragon skull and curtseyed.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Lord Ainz."

"How dare you- You must kneel to Lord Ainz!"

The other Guardians looked almost as upset as Albedo, displeasure evident on their faces. All except Azirim, who nervously glanced back and forth between Ainz and the Herald.

"It is fine. Calm yourselves, she has meant no disrespect." commanded Ainz.

"Now, Azirim, explain to me why she is so special."

Azirim flinched. "Yes! She was my Lord's only successful attempt at creating a pseudo World Item!"

Ainz frowned mentally.

"Explain."

Azirim gestured towards the flickering ember within the stone bowel. "My creator used the World Item [Proof of Creation] to do so. He said that the World Item gave him access to 'hev ools?' Every NPC in the vault originated from that World Item."

'I am honestly not surprised that the shitty Yggdrasil devs made a World Item that gave players control of dev tools. That explains the ridiculous NPCs.'

"The Herald is his greatest creation, an NPC with an ability that could be considered the effect of a World Item. The Herald's ability is that she is able to permanently increase someone's stats daily."

Ainz stared in shock. This was insane information, normally in Yggdrasil the only way to gain permanent stat increases was through leveling up and item enchantments. Since a level cap existed and enchantments did not infinitely scale, this NPC could bypass those limitations and provide impossible to achieve stats. Ainz could see why this NPC was so important; if this was known back in the game, Ainz would not be surprised if the entire server came after it.

"And the dragon skull?"

"It was an attempt to create a complete World Item. The intent was to have unlimited castings of [Wish Upon a Star]. The issue is that the skull has a twisted personality and will purposefully misinterpret your wishes."

Ainz nodded sagely.

'What the hell. Why is everything in here so insane? Damn you shitty devs for creating this World Item! Damn you Sixs for leaving this mess to me!'

"My apologies for interrupting your thoughts Lord Ainz, but it seems Medulla and the rest of the vault's inhabitants are ready. Shall we return?"