[Central District — Office of the Grand Marshal]
.
The strategic map room lay in suffocating silence, bathed in the luminescence of magical crystals. Raymond Zac Laurentsan, Cardinal of Earth, sat rigidly opposite Grand Marshal Beren. Beren was a monument of a man, forged from steel and the brutal scars of the Elven Wars, yet tonight, the heavy plate armour seemed to hang on an utterly exhausted frame.
Raymond's gaunt finger tapped a relentless, anxious rhythm against a parchment list. "The selection process is proceeding too slowly, Marshal. We have successfully secured the lineage of the Sunlight Scripture's descendants, but the great noble houses are fiercely resisting the extraction."
Beren's jaw tightened. "Resisting? Under what authority?"
"Their own arrogance," Raymond murmured. "They refuse to abandon their grand estates. They will not be separated from their accumulated wealth, even as the shadow of destruction falls over us."
"Then drag them by their hair!" Beren slammed a gauntleted fist against the oak table, rattling the crystal luminaries. "You came to me, Eminence. You told me the situation was beyond critical. If this 'Noah's Ark' contingency is truly our only recourse, we do not have the luxury of time to haggle with fat merchants over their gold and jewellery!"
"It is critical," Raymond hissed, leaning forward. The shadows under his eyes looked like bruises. "The Black Scripture has already engaged the enemy within the Inner Sanctum. And... we have lost all contact with Clemence."
Beren stiffened, the anger draining from his face, replaced by a rigid disbelief. "Lost contact? With the First Seat? Is the vanguard truly that overwhelmed?"
"It is worse than overwhelmed," Raymond replied, his tone chillingly flat. "The astrologist... she peered into the immediate future, and she saw only darkness. Pure darkness, Marshal. We are no longer planning a defence. We are preparing for the fall of the capital. We must move the 'Talented bloodlines' to the Sanctuary in the mountains immediately. Tonight."
Beren stared at the sprawling map of the capital spread between them. "And the populace?" he asked, his voice suddenly hollow. "Two and a half million souls in those districts. Do we simply abandon them to the darkness?"
Raymond closed his eyes, shutting out the map and the crushing guilt. "We save the seed, Marshal. The chaff... must fend for itself."
The heavy oak doors of the map room shattered inward.
A messenger staggered across the threshold, practically crawling. His tabard was scorched to useless rags, his skin blackened with thick soot, and his eyes were blown wide—the vacant, fractured stare of a man who had looked directly into the abyss and had his mind broken by it.
"Your Eminence! Lord Marshal!" the man shrieked, choking on his own spit.
"Report!" Beren commanded, rising to his full, imposing height. "Where is your discipline, soldier? Stand up!"
The messenger did not stand. He collapsed utterly onto his knees, gasping as if he were drowning in the open air. "The Outer City... It's gone. Gods have mercy, it's gone!"
Raymond rose slowly from his chair. "Gone? Choose your words carefully, soldier. What do you mean by 'gone'? Has a riot broken the lines?"
"Fire," the messenger openly wept, clawing at his soot-stained face. "Unnatural fire! It's green Fire! The Fire doesn't just burn, it melts the stones! It eats the people! The entire Northern Sector is burning, and the Eastern Sector has already been breached!" The man choked out a sob. "There are... There are things in the smoke."
"Things? What Things?" Beren pressed, stepping around the table.
"The Undead, Skeletons, Zombies, ghouls and wights, sir! Thousands upon thousands of them, marching through the flames! And a giant... a colossal shadow that just cuts the buildings in half!"
"It is the Sorceress Kingdom. The Undead King has finally attacked in the open. It's obviously them, it has to be them, Sir!"
Raymond felt the last traces of warmth drain from his blood. He looked up, meeting the Grand Marshal's horrified gaze.
"They aren't just attacking the Inner Sanctum," Raymond whispered, the realisation crushing the breath from his lungs. "They are exterminating the entire city."
Beren reached out and seized his heavy helmet from the table. The exhaustion in his eyes vanished, replaced by the grim, terrifying resolve of a man walking willingly to his grave. "Mobilise the City Watch. Seal the Inner Wall immediately. We hold the Walls."
"Marshal?" Raymond asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Beren turned, his expression harder than the steel he wore. "If the Outer City is truly gone, then two million people are already dead." The veteran's voice cracked, just for a fraction of a second, before hardening again. "We buy time for the Ark. Go, Cardinal. Get the chosen into the mountain tunnels. Do not look back. I will hold the line."
Raymond could not speak. He merely watched the Grand Marshal stride out of the room, marching toward an unwinnable war. Slowly, Raymond looked back down at the parchment list of names, the fragile, pathetic future of the Theocracy.
Beyond the heavy glass of the window, a sickly, greenish glow began to dominate the night sky. The unnatural light bled into the room, casting long, twisted shadows across the map of a world that was already ending.
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Author's Note: Want to see Nazarick's true wrath? (Special Side Story!)
Hello everyone! First of all, thank you so much for your continuous support, comments, and love for the main story. Your enthusiasm is what keeps me writing!
While the main storyline is racing forward, have you ever wondered what exactly happened inside the Great Tomb the moment Ainz-sama uncovered the truth about Shalltear's mind control?
If you are craving some deep, behind-the-scenes lore, I have just finished a massive 10-chapter exclusive side story over on my Patreon! This special arc dives completely into the inner workings of Nazarick as they prepare for war.
Here is a taste of what you can expect:
Shalltear's Wrath: Witness her raw, destructive reaction to the truth, and her chilling transformation into the Crimson Valkyrie as she hungers for revenge. The Guardians' Mobilization: See the terrifying, synchronized shift as the Floor Guardians drop everything to prepare Nazarick for total annihilation. The "Good Faction": Follow Sebas Tian as he grapples with his empathy. See how the Good Faction (Sebas, Pestonia, and Nigredo) handles the heavy, moral weight of the impending slaughter.Carne Village & The Pleiades: Take a trip to the thriving utopia of Carne Village, and watch the terrifying tonal shift as the Pleiades battle maids drop their domestic duties to become frontline soldiers. The Final Assembly: Experience the epic, spine-chilling finale as the true horrors of the Tomb assemble at the Main Gate for war.
If you want to experience the full scale of Nazarick's fury, read these bonus chapters, and support my work, I would be absolutely honored to have you join my Patreon!
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But please, do not feel pressured! If you cannot join or prefer to stay right here, no worries at all. The main story will continue uploading here just like always, and you won't miss a beat of the main plot!
Also, The first side story chapter is completely FREE 👀Get ready to see Shalltear Bloodfallen's reaction when she finds out who brainwashed her…
https://www.patreon.com/collection/2031997
Thank you all again for being such an amazing audience. Prepare yourselves... the true destruction is just around the corner!