Bloody Emperor: ?
Hearing Momonga's answer, the Bloody Emperor slowly formed a question mark in his mind.
An alliance?
He had already prepared himself for the Empire to become the other party's vassal.
The reason was simple.
The other side was an Undead.
Everyone knew Undead were evil.
For beings that despised the living, massacring cities and destroying nations was hardly unusual.
Though he was unwilling to accept it, at least becoming a vassal might prevent the slaughter of his people.
That had been the best possible outcome he could imagine for the Empire.
But Momonga's words had completely thrown his thoughts into disarray.
With power like this, why would he still present himself as if negotiating as equals? What exactly was he planning?
"Your Highness Momonga, forgive my boldness, but what exactly do you mean by 'alliance'?"
After thinking it over repeatedly, the Bloody Emperor still could not understand the purpose behind this proposed alliance.
He was convinced there had to be some hidden scheme behind it.
Even though he disliked pressing the matter, the Bloody Emperor clenched his teeth and voiced his doubt for the sake of the Empire.
"What exactly does it mean?"
Momonga showed no sign of displeasure at the question. Instead, he raised a pale skeletal hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.
"My two friends and I once had an idea."
"Even if we simply live our lives quietly, even if we keep a low profile and avoid provoking trouble, we will still end up dragged into various problems."
"In that case, why not strike first and eliminate those problems before they can even take shape?"
The Bloody Emperor's expression stiffened as a bad feeling swept through him.
"Your meaning is…?"
"Exactly what you're thinking."
Momonga nodded slightly.
"We will establish a nation of our own. Then we will deal with every source of trouble until the ideal life we desire finally arrives."
Momonga's tone carried a trace of quiet emotion.
His gaze passed through the layers of structures and drifted toward the Sixth Floor, as if he could see Naohara and Herohero still sleeping there.
"For the sake of the Three Supreme Beings, we will devote everything we have!"
Hearing those words, the surrounding Floor Guardians immediately knelt.
The Brightness Dragon Lord also hurriedly grabbed the Heavenly Dragon Lord beside him.
Having convinced himself that he understood the entire situation, the Brightness Dragon Lord now felt nothing but fear and dared not make the slightest move.
Meanwhile.
After hearing Momonga's words, the Bloody Emperor felt a chill shoot up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as though he had been thrown into a freezing storm.
Establish a nation?
The Bloody Emperor did not believe for a second that someone with such terrifying power would be satisfied with merely founding a country.
An ideal life?
Heh.
Put more plainly, that meant ruling the world.
And this was no exaggeration.
The Bloody Emperor did not doubt for a moment that Momonga could accomplish it.
The maid clad head to toe in magical equipment. The hundreds of Demon Gods in the corridor. The monsters among monsters standing beside him.
Whether it was military strength, wealth, or sheer power, the other side had every qualification.
And those were only the things he had seen on the surface.
Was the demonic lair called Nazarick finally opening its gates to face the world?
If that were true, then everything made sense.
Why would they help the Empire attack the Kingdom?
Most likely because managing two countries directly would be too troublesome. The so called alliance was probably nothing more than a statement for the public.
Their real goal was to control him.
By manipulating him, they could rule the Empire without lifting a finger.
The Bloody Emperor slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock.
What kind of terrifying intellect was this?
Even more despairing was the fact that he had no choice but to accept their goodwill.
"I see. Being able to form an alliance with the nation ruled by Your Highness Momonga is my honor."
Thanks to his formidable composure, the Bloody Emperor still appeared calm on the surface.
A faint smile rested on his face, as if he were genuinely pleased.
That was, if one ignored the beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
"No. It's not me who rules, it's the three of us."
"My two friends, Naohara and Herohero, will govern everything together with me."
Momonga shook his head and pointed toward the two thrones beside him.
There was no way he was going to handle everything alone. Managing Nazarick was one thing, but running a country? Just imagining it sounded like a headache.
At his side, Albedo parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she held her tongue.
It felt a little unpleasant, but if it was Naohara-sama and Herohero-sama, Albedo could accept it.
If it were someone like Peroroncino-sama, a Supreme One who had clearly chosen to abandon Nazarick yet still wanted to carve up Momonga-sama's authority... heh.
Leaving Albedo's private thoughts aside.
The Bloody Emperor lifted his head slightly and looked at the other two empty thrones, his mind spinning.
'Naohara and Herohero... No wonder it sounded familiar. Isn't that the adamantite adventurer [Ainz Ooal Gown]?'
'So that identity was just a cover. Hah... good thing I didn't invite him back then to carry out that so-called decapitation plan.'
The Bloody Emperor let out a quiet breath of relief, then froze.
No. They had probably already seen that possibility coming and were simply waiting for him to jump in on his own.
If he really had done that, then today...
He felt numb all over. For his sake, they had gone to such lengths.
Now he no longer had any other thoughts. All he could think about was how to earn their trust as much as possible.
Maybe... he could try for more.
It seemed Momonga had a good relationship with the two who belonged on those thrones. If he could get on good terms with even one of them...
"My apologies. Please forgive my slip of the tongue."
"Then, Your Highness Momonga, is there anything else you require of me?"
He did want to build a connection with the other two Supreme Beings, Naohara and Herohero, but there was no need to rush.
They would meet sooner or later. All he had to do was wait.
Once he returned to the Empire, he could have his people gather information on the [Ainz Ooal Gown] team, analyze it further, and prepare for what came next.
Momonga, meanwhile, fell into thought.
Anything else? Probably not.
When he realized there was nothing more, he shook his head and said, "That's all. But since you're here, as allies, would you like to stay one night in Nazarick and take a proper look around?"
Faced with Momonga's goodwill, the Bloody Emperor reacted as if he had seen a savage beast and hurriedly shook his head.
"No, no, no. There's no need to go to such trouble. The Empire is about to go to war with the Kingdom, and I must return as soon as possible to deal with a great many matters."
"Is that so? That's a shame."
"Per our agreement, I will provide assistance in the war between the Empire and the Kingdom."
Momonga sighed. He had been turned down, but he could understand.
After all, as an emperor, the man surely had mountains of paperwork to handle. Thinking about his own daily routine in Nazarick, Momonga suddenly felt a sense of kinship.
He lifted a hand, signaling Sebas to escort the Bloody Emperor and his group out.
Then he turned his gaze to Albedo beside him, wanting to hear what she thought.
"My evaluation?"
Pulled out of her daydream by Momonga's look, Albedo gave him a faint smile.
"He has a few little schemes, but under Momonga-sama's far-reaching plans, he is not worth worrying about."
Momonga: ...
My far-reaching plans?
Fine. Asking had been pointless.
Looking around, the other Floor Guardians nodded in agreement. Even the Brightness Dragon Lord did the same.
Momonga shook his head. Forget it. Next time, he just wouldn't ask.
Time passed in a blur, and half a day was gone in the blink of an eye.
...
At the same time, on the Sixth Floor.
World-Class Item [Depiction of Nature and Society].
Within a barren pocket world, a massive cocoon of magic that had been giving off dim, ominous fluctuations trembled slightly, and a consciousness inside slowly began to awaken.