Chapter 14 (Bonus chapter)

{A/N: Things happened, and I'm not sure when I will suddenly stop updating the novel. But you would know when I suddenly stop updating it. But it would be for a week at most.}

Day 28. In the original timeline of the anime, this would have been the moment Ainz declared war on the Lizardmen tribes of the Great Lake. But this time, something else unfolded.

Armed with the wealth of knowledge Rex had gathered during his years in this world, Ainz made a different move. Rather than dealing with the Lizardmen, he chose to focus on locations Rex believed to have ties to other players—potential threats or opportunities that couldn't be ignored. Demiurge was tasked with leading the operation, and their first target was none other than the Slane Theocracy.

"Their connection to the dragons can prove troublesome…" Demiurge muttered, recalling a quiet remark Ainz had made under his breath. At first, it had sounded like a passing thought—but as Demiurge reflected on it, he realized it was a veiled, subtle hint, guiding him toward something he would have missed.

At first glance, one might assume Ainz was merely pointing out the danger posed by the Slane Theocracy's ties to the dragons. But in truth, it went far deeper than that.

Ainz had been dropping hints. He was drawing attention to the fact that not all dragons trusted the Slane Theocracy. It was his way of showing Demiurge a more elegant solution: a path to victory that would conserve resources while achieving complete domination.

Yet, even with all his brilliance, Demiurge found himself unable to grasp the true scope of Ainz's vision. How could he? The supreme one's intellect was vast, so far beyond his own that even the tiniest fragment of Ainz's thought process was beyond his reach. To conquer and enslave the Theocracy without brute force… it was genius. The kind only lord Ainz Ooal Gown could wield.

So, Demiurge sat down, determined to reflect on every action Lord Ainz had taken over the past few days. Since the situation with Shalltear had been resolved, Ainz had been promoted to Adamantite rank—the highest possible rank for an adventurer.

Step by step, Lord Ainz had begun accepting missions that gradually drew him closer to the borders of the Slane Theocracy. It wasn't just a matter of proximity—his name was spreading. The people of the Theocracy had started viewing him as a hero, praising the deeds of "Momon," and his growing reputation had begun to attract the attention of the nation's upper echelons.

"I see… such vast wisdom!" Demiurge suddenly exclaimed, raising his gaze to the sky in awe. At last, the grand design revealed itself to him—Lord Ainz had been laying the foundation for world domination ever since he first stepped into the role of the adventurer Momon… no, long before he even left Nazarick.

 From the very beginning, it had all been part of a masterful plan. To think it had taken him this long to piece it together… Truly, he was but an insect before the boundless intellect of the supreme one.

"Momon is the hero of the people… the symbol of hope they'll cling to in a world crumbling under our rule," Demiurge muttered, the pieces finally falling into place. Without wasting another moment, he began working feverishly. Right now, he was playing catch-up to Ainz, and he was certain his master was waiting to see if his loyal servant could comprehend even a fraction of his brilliance. He would not disappoint. Not when the supreme ones had already given him so much.

So, he vanished from sight, setting off to make contact with the Dragons…

"So, you're saying you were hunting down this Honyopenyoko?" Michael asked calmly, seated across from Momon. The young man stared back with a focused gaze, as if trying to pierce through Momon's armor and words alike, searching for any hint of deception. 

His eyes then shifted toward the striking black-haired woman seated beside Momon. Her expression remained cold and unreadable, offering Michael nothing—no warmth, no recognition—only an icy wall of indifference.

"Yes, I had a mission the day you went to see that monster, so I saw everything that happened—and how Ainz Ooal Gown followed you back here," Momon replied, his voice calm but cutting.

Michael's jaw clenched at the reminder. He hadn't forgotten that it was his own actions that had led the enemy straight to the Empire's doorstep.

"What do you want?" Michael asked, his tone sharp, laced with tension.

"…I want to work with the Slane Theocracy to destroy Ainz Ooal Gown before they erase it—just like they did to countless empires in Yggdrasil," Momon said, his voice low and weighted with grim conviction.

Michael's eyes narrowed, locked onto Momon with growing suspicion. But then, a flicker of realization flashed across his face, and his expression changed entirely.

"You're a player!" he blurted, shooting to his feet, instinctively stepping back to create distance between them.

"Yes… brother." Momon's voice was calm but heavy as he slowly removed his helmet, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Rex's old avatar, before he ascended to become something more than human. The sight left Michael frozen, his eyes wide with shock, struggling to process what he was seeing.

He didn't move. He didn't speak. He simply stood there, as if the weight of realization had paralyzed him.

"Unlike you… I didn't inherit his magic," Momon said, lowering his gaze briefly. "Back then, Rex wiped out my hometown—every last soul. I only survived because I wasn't there that day… but my mother wasn't so lucky."

With those words, he slipped his helmet back on, the cold metal hiding the pain in his eyes as silence settled between them.

"Before all that, I was indifferent to the fact that my father never cared about me… but after that day, I wanted nothing more than to see him suffer," Momon said, his voice low with buried fury. "But it was pointless. I was too weak."

He paused, letting the silence weigh heavily before continuing. "I trained, pushed myself beyond my limits, and tried to kill him. But it meant nothing. I wasn't the only one. Many of our half-siblings tried too. Each of them sought justice… or revenge. And yet, none of us could even touch him."

Michael's body tensed. His mind flashed with the image of his mother's lifeless form cradled in his arms—a future he hadn't considered until now. The thought horrified him, freezing him in place.

"After so many died," Momon said quietly, "I realized the truth. Alone, we're powerless. But together… if all of us unite, what could we not accomplish?"

His eyes locked onto Michael's, unwavering.

"I've dreamed of the day I'd drive this sword straight into his heart," Momon said softly, his voice shaking with restraint. "To look that piece of shit in the eyes as the life drains from them… I've imagined that moment so many times, I've lost sleep over it."

He paused, fingers tightening around his head as he lowered his gaze to the ground. "I don't remember the last time I slept properly. I can't rest—not while he still lives."

Michael's expression softened. Despite the shock of everything, he felt a strange pang of sympathy.

"He's most likely dead," Michael said gently, trying to offer comfort to the sibling he never knew he had.

"No… he's alive. This proves it." Momon's voice was firm as he pulled out a glowing green orb. "As long as it stays green, it means Rex is still out there."

He held the orb up, letting the soft light reflect in his eyes. "I created this myself. It's attuned to Rex's life force. If he were dead, it would have turned black the moment he fell."

Without another word, he tossed the orb to Michael, who caught it instinctively. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the artifact with a quick spell to verify Momon's claim. The results were undeniable—the orb was indeed linked to Rex and was accurately reflecting his current condition. He was alive.

"Back in Yggdrasil, Rex's guild was known as an evil guild. The number of lives they took… it was in the millions," Momon said grimly. "If we don't unite our siblings, this world is doomed."

Michael stood frozen, his eyes locked on the orb. His breathing grew uneven, and after a long silence, his hand slowly rose to clutch his chest.

Without warning, his legs buckled. The orb slipped from his grasp, but Momon caught it in one swift motion, then moved just in time to catch Michael as he collapsed.

"He's having a heart attack," Momon muttered, stunned, watching Michael clutch his chest in agony.

"I-I can't lose my mommy," Michael gasped, his voice cracking with pain—then, without warning, his body shimmered and vanished. He had only been a clone.

Momon stood still, processing what had just happened. But then his gaze shifted toward the door—where the real Michael stepped in, face pale and eyes wide with shock.

"…L-let's find our half-siblings," Michael said weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.

***

Back in Nazarick, Ainz stared at the floating window before him, watching Pandora's Actor deliver the performance of his life. Every gesture, every word was flawlessly calculated. Step one of his plan was now complete. The plan itself was simple: forge an alliance with Michael, then use that connection to bring together the scattered children of Rex.

From there… it would be up to Rex to decide what came next. As for the orb? It was linked to Pandora's Actor, who at the moment was Rex. A simple trick,

***

Elsewhere, deep within the shadowed heart of a dark forest, Demiurge stood calmly before the trembling Elder Coffin Dragon Lord.

"Lord Rex was right," Demiurge said with a relaxed, almost amused smile. "Your breath attack truly does rival the power of the world item, Longinus."

Longinus—a terrifying world-class item feared even among players—had the ability to erase a player's avatar permanently, unless another equally powerful item was used to restore it. And now, Demiurge stood face-to-face with a creature whose very breath mimicked that finality.

In other words, this Dragon Lord's breath attack was a force of absolute erasure—an existence-ending strike that ignored all stats, resistances, and defenses. It was the kind of attack that could kill nearly anyone it touched, leaving nothing behind. The only way to survive it was to wield a world-class item… as Demiurge did.

"Aura," Demiurge said with a slight smile, stepping aside, "I think the dragon is willing to listen to you now."

The dark elf nodded and moved forward, ready to begin the taming process. With Momon building his party of heroes. Demiruge planned to fan the flame that would have them be known as heroes worldwide, The time had come to expand Nazarick's control through more subtle—and strategic—means.

3 Days later

"Roar!" The sky above the Slane Theocracy trembled as the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord let out a thunderous cry. His arrival brought with it a vast sea of undead, their presence blotting out the sun. Panic erupted across the streets as magic circles flared to life throughout the city, summoning undead monstrosities that began spilling into every corner.

Momon, joined by Nabe, immediately sprang into action, racing forward to protect the civilians and drive back the advancing hordes. The Slane Theocracy mobilized swiftly as well, deploying their elite forces to counter the invasion. But just as order began to take form, alarm spread like wildfire—more Dragon Lords had appeared, descending through the skies with overwhelming power.

Antilene shot into the sky, her presence radiating with overwhelming force. To Momon's shock, she raised both hands, revealing a pair of swirling blue orbs.. The air around them twisted and groaned as the orbs began to draw everything inward, crushing it all under the weight of infinity.

"She's using the spell Blue…" Momon murmured, watching the devastation unfold in disbelief.

"How is she able to do that?" he asked, turning to Michael, who had just landed beside him, his expression equally stunned.

"Mommy… cough, I mean, my mom has a talent, Rex called Psychometry," Michael said, straightening his back as pride slipped into his voice. Around him, his clones darted like shadows through the battlefield, cutting through the undead with ruthless precision. 

Blood sprayed in arcs, painting the stone walls and flickering in the magical light. "She can use any skill that belongs to someone by touching an item tied to them. Doesn't matter how rare or restricted it is—job class limitations are also bypassed."

"I see…" Momon muttered, his gaze locking onto Antilene as she floated above, the spell Blue warping reality around her. Buildings groaned and bent under the pressure, debris spiraling into the collapsing vortex like paper in a storm. She had everything that belonged to Rex. Every last one of them. [Limitless], [Vector Monarch], [Apex Singularity], even [Eyes of Infinity]. And she wielded them like they were her own.

But she could only use two of Rex's abilities at a time. Any more than that, and it would fry her brain.

That limitation, however, wasn't too bad. She relied on [Eyes of Infinity] for its passive—Perfect MP Control—allowing her to manage the overwhelming energy demand without falling apart.

From [Limitless], she could safely wield Blue, Red, or Purple. Those spells were manageable, requiring far fewer calculations than the others.

She couldn't touch anything from [Vector Monarch] or [Apex Singularity]. Those abilities demanded thousands of real-time calculations, the kind of cognitive load only Rex could handle.

Without Perfect MP Control running constantly, just trying to activate one of those skills would cook her brain. But as long as she had perfect MP Control, she could stick to Blue, Red, or Purple, she could fight without falling apart. That was more than enough.