Time returns to the present.
At the border of the Holy Kingdom, the land lay in ruins.
Despite the quiet surroundings, a suffocating atmosphere spread across the battlefield, oppressive enough to drive an ordinary person mad.
Three figures stood there like demon gods.
Besides Momonga, the other two were Naohara and Herohero, who had rushed over as quickly as possible after receiving Nigredo's Message.
"Samirth…"
"My friend. I never imagined we would meet again like this."
Naohara lowered his head.
He looked at the figure lying before him. Whether it was his appearance or the aura surrounding him, everything was vastly different from the person he remembered.
Naohara remained silent for a moment.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
Complex emotions surged through his mind before eventually turning into a quiet sigh.
Sadness flickered in his eyes, yet at the same time the killing intent within him rose to an unprecedented level.
"Deep Darkness Dragon Lord."
The moment he thought about the one responsible for everything, a heavy pressure began to spread from him.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Naohara truly felt this level of anger.
"Even Super-Tier Magic didn't work?"
Naohara turned to Momonga beside him and asked.
Momonga shook his head.
"No. I have already tried everything. Tier Magic, Super-Tier Magic, even Cash Items."
"The influence of Wild Magic itself has already faded."
"But because he was unconscious and completely defenseless, the portion of his will that had been altered continues to instinctively erode the part of his soul that remained untouched."
"On top of that, his soul is extremely fragile and could collapse at any time. We cannot act recklessly. The only thing we can do now is maintain this unstable balance."
Momonga's tone was calm, but the situation was clearly severe.
Samirth's condition was extremely unusual.
So unusual that even with Nazarick's vast resources, there was no effective solution.
Wild Magic formed the foundation of the damage, and after three hundred years of influence, his consciousness had already become twisted and split apart.
This type of change directly affected the soul itself.
It was irreversible.
Trying to forcefully intervene might trigger the worst possible outcome.
Complete destruction of the soul.
If that happened, even resurrection would be impossible.
To clarify the situation, killing him and then resurrecting him would not solve the problem.
According to the rules governing resurrection magic, the altered portion of his soul had already become part of his original being.
Even if he were revived, that corrupted state would remain.
"So his consciousness has fallen into the deepest level of unconsciousness, instinctively shutting out all contact from the outside world?"
Naohara showed a hint of helplessness.
If Samirth had been conscious, there might still have been a small chance to resolve the situation with cooperation.
But according to Momonga, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's taunts had pushed him into complete psychological collapse.
That made the situation far more difficult.
Even Naohara had no solution for a case like this.
"So… who exactly is this guy?"
Herohero, who had been standing beside them listening quietly, finally spoke up after hesitating for a moment.
He felt completely out of place.
He could not say he recognized the unconscious man at all.
In fact, he had absolutely no memory of him.
"Well, you had already quit the game by then, Blackie, so it makes sense you don't know."
"In a way, though, he's actually someone we're familiar with."
Naohara glanced at Momonga. Seeing that Momonga remained silent, he continued the explanation himself.
Samirth.
The name might sound unfamiliar.
However, once his guild was mentioned, it would likely ring a bell.
Guild: [World Searcher].
This guild existed solely to explore the game world.
It was also the guild that the game developers acknowledged the most.
Rumor had it they barely possessed a single World-Class Item to support their guild, making them relatively poor compared to the top guilds. They had little interest in competition and preferred exploring the world instead.
Samirth held the same position within that guild as Momonga did in Ainz Ooal Gown.
He was the guild leader.
He was also one of the very few players who continued logging in every day until the final moments before the game [Yggdrasil] shut down.
In terms of guild rankings, [World Searcher] stood one place above Nazarick.
They ranked second.
Or rather, they could even be considered the true number one.
The original guild ranked first, [Trinity Guild], was actually a coalition formed by combining the sixth, seventh, and eighth ranked guilds.
Strictly speaking, it was not a single guild in the traditional sense.
As for how Naohara came to know Samirth, that story went back to a year before the servers shut down.
At the time, Naohara was carrying out his usual daily activity of hunting dragons when he happened to encounter Samirth, who was simply wandering around the world and enjoying the scenery.
Surprised to see another player still online during such a late stage of the game's lifespan, Samirth took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Naohara.
And that was where everything began.
"I see."
After hearing Naohara's explanation, Herohero nodded.
[World Searcher]
As one of the few guilds that had no conflicting interests with Nazarick, he still remembered their name. As fellow Guildmasters who hadn't quit the game, it was no wonder they had such a good relationship with Momonga and Naohara.
"So what do we do now?"
Herohero asked softly.
Now that he understood the whole story, his opinion of their fellow countryman, Samirth, had improved considerably. Momonga and Naohara's friends were his friends as well. And when it came to friends, you gave them your full support.
"Let's seal him for now."
"The person who tied the knot must be the one to untie it. If we want him to wake from his isolation, the only real possibility is capturing the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord."
After thinking for a moment, Naohara extended his hand.
A dark crimson crystal enveloped Samirth's body, while a small magic circle appeared in his palm.
The 10th-Tier Magic [Time Pause] activated.
The flow of time around the crystal froze, preventing the situation from worsening any further.
"The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord… that guy is such a troublemaker."
A trace of disgust flashed through Momonga's eyes. At the same time, his desire for power grew even stronger.
If only he could use Wild Magic.
If only he possessed strength comparable to a World Boss.
Then this wouldn't have happened…
"Don't blame yourself. The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord won't be jumping around for much longer."
"For now, the most important thing is waiting until everything is ready. Once that happens, we can begin the sacrifice ritual."
"Herohero and I will support you with everything we've got."
"After obtaining the power of the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord, your strength will definitely see a huge boost."
Naohara reached out and patted Momonga on the shoulder.
He understood how he felt.
The pressure on Momonga had already been enormous. After everything that had just happened, it was only worse.
What was supposed to be a relaxed outing had turned into this mess.
Thinking that, Naohara exchanged a glance with Herohero.
Damn that Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
"Right… by the way, what are your plans next?"
After calming himself a little, Momonga looked at the two of them and asked.
"I'll head back to the Kazte Plains first."
"After that, I need to go to the Sorcerer Kingdom. There are still some alliance matters with the Theocracy that need to be drafted with Renner."
Naohara answered without hesitation.
They had left in too much of a hurry earlier, and Evileye was still there. But before leaving, he had ordered the Vampiric Dragon Lord to protect her, so nothing should happen.
Besides, the alliance between the Theocracy and the Sorcerer Kingdom still needed to be handled.
Since the Six Great Gods had handed the Theocracy over to him, he naturally had to plan things carefully.
"As for me, I'll take them back to Nazarick first."
"Momonga, you can continue your meditation. Once the preparations for the sacrifice are complete, we'll notify you."
Herohero looked at Momonga and suggested.
Then he waved his hand. Khajiit, who had been hiding in the corner the whole time, immediately jogged over.
"Alright."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Momonga nodded.
He didn't refuse Herohero's goodwill.
After glancing at Khajiit, he sent a Message to Nigredo.
Although something unexpected had happened, he hadn't forgotten that he had been considering giving him a reward earlier.
Having once been a corporate slave, Momonga understood the hardships of ordinary people very well.
Effort should be rewarded.
Even after becoming a Supreme Being, he still kept that principle in mind.
"Oh right, congratulations, Naohara."
Just before they parted, Momonga suddenly said.
Naohara was momentarily stunned, but he quickly realized what he meant.
Watching Momonga's departing figure, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"Congratulations? You should hurry up and deal with Albedo already. You were supposed to be the fastest, yet you somehow dragged it out to the very end."
"Don't make me step in and handle it myself."