As the Guardians gradually gathered one by one, Momonga, Ulbert, and Henry received a message from Sebas regarding the situation outside Nazarick. That while sebas observing the strange scenery outside, he sent a message to the three Supreme Beings.
Sebas [My Lords, I have an urgent report. The area surrounding Nazarick has changed dramatically. The swamp is gone… replaced by endless grasslands as far as the eye can see.]
Momonga exchanged a glance with Ulbert and Henry.
Momonga [I see. Did you detect any hostile presence?]
Sebas [No, my lord. No immediate threats have been detected. However, the environmental change is too sudden to be considered natural.]
Ulbert [Either way, it confirms one thing. We are no longer inside YGGDRASIL.]
Sebas stayed silent, waiting for further orders.
Momonga [Sebas, there is no need to be alarmed. We already expected that Nazarick would not remain in its original environment.]
Ulbert [Still, the sudden change from swamp to grassland is interesting. Someone — or something — may be watching us.]
Henry [Or testing us. Either way, Nazarick must remain prepared for any possibility. Sebas proceed to the Sixth Floor. All the Guardians will be here soon. We will discuss this matter after hearing your full report.]
Sebas [As you wish, my Lords.]
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Soon after, the Floor Guardians arrived. Albedo was the first to break the silence. "Now, let us perform the ritual of pledge loyalty to the Supreme Beings."
Momonga's reaction was immediate, and send a massage. [Wait! Wha—What ritual?!] Before Momonga could speak further, the Guardians all nodded and began lining up on their own, with Albedo standing at the very front.
Shalltear was the first to step forward from the end of the line. She moved gracefully, then dropped to one knee. "Guardian of the First, Second, and Third Floors, Shalltear Bloodfallen… presents herself to the Supreme Being."
After her, Cocytus stepped forward with heavy, deliberate steps. His voice echoed powerfully. "GUARDIAN OF THE FIFTH FLOOR, COCYTUS… PRESENTS HIMSELF TO THE SUPREME BEING." He lowered himself into the same kneeling posture as Shalltear.
Next, two dark elves stepped forward together. "Guardian of the Sixth Floor, Aura Bella Fiora. Presents herself to the Supreme Being."
"G—Guardian of the Sixth Floor, Mare Bello Fiore… p-presents himself to the Supreme Being." Mare's voice was slightly trembling, but he still completed the sentence.
Then Demiurge stepped forward with elegant, measured grace. "Guardian of the Seventh Floor, Demiurge. Presents himself to the Supreme Being."
Finally, Albedo stepped forward. "Overseer of the Floor Guardians, Albedo. Presents herself to the Supreme Being."
One by one, they all knelt after taking their turns.
Albedo continued speaking. "Except for the Guardian of the Fourth Floor, Gargantua, and the Guardian of the Eighth Floor, Victim, all Floor Guardians are gathered before you, oh Supreme One. We offer our complete devotion to you."
All of the Floor Guardians echoed Albedo's words in unison, their voices resounding through the arena like a solemn oath.
Well, things turned out exactly as they did in the original novel.
Seeing this, Momonga panicked slightly and unintentionally released an aura of despair without realizing it.
Ulbert [Okay… didn't expect this much ass-kissing.]
Henry [Let's just respond to their performance. Play along.]
Ulbert [Sure.]
Exchanging a brief glance, we followed his lead and released our own auras as well — not to overpower him, but to reinforce the atmosphere of authority. To fully play the role of that 'we ruled this place'.
"Marvelous," ulbert said, his voice now deep and imposing. "We, the Supreme Beings, are very pleased with your devotion." He then stepped forward, with ominous smile curved on his lips. "Your loyalty… is most pleasing. Devote yourselves fully—without doubt, without hesitation."
The Guardians trembled slightly—not out of fear alone, but from overwhelming reverence.
Momonga sent a quick message to Ulbert.[Ulbert, you're overdoing it.]
Ulbert[Relax. I'm completely in my persona mode.]
"Please save your appreciation," Albedo said. "We offer you not only our devotion, but our very selves. It is only natural that we should heed your call."
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As they rose in unison, Sebas finally arived. "I'm sorry for the delay, but I have returned with my report." Sebas Tian bowed gracefully. "My lord, we have completed our survey of the surrounding area. The environment has changed drastically. The swamp that once surrounded Nazarick… is gone."
Momonga narrowed his eyes slightly. "Gone?"
Sebas continued calmly, "As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but vast, empty terrain. No swamp, no monsters. Even the atmospheric mana density feels… different."
Ublert folded his arms. "Hm… it seems our assumption was correct. We are in another world."
Albedo's golden eyes widened slightly. "Ublert-sama… does that mean the Supreme Beings already knew about this?"
Ublert nodded calmly. "Yes. We suspected it. However, we still do not know what—or who—sent us here."
Henry's tone became firm and authoritative. "We will discuss that for later. For now… Albedo, Demiurge—strengthen Nazarick's defenses to Level Three."
"At once," Albedo and Demiurge responded immediately.
"Mare, I want Nazarick concealed immediately. Use large-scale illusion magic. Cover the surrounding area and transform it back into a swamp—You can also take Alastor to help you rebuild the swamp environment. And do whatever it takes to make this place appear natural and unremarkable. "
Mare nodded. "Y-Yes, Henry-sama…"
"Cocytus, prepare the military forces for emergency mobilization."
"AS YOU COMMAND," Cocytus declared.
"That is all. The rest of the Guardians will guard their respective floors and await further orders."
Without another word, Momonga, Ublert, and Henry activated teleportation magic and vanished in a flash of light, heading toward the meeting room.
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There wasn't much left to discuss, so if there were any problems with each of our characters or behavior, they would be stated now. So that Henry could try to change it using his skill.
Because tomorrow would certainly be busy, and the workload would likely overwhelm everyone.
Momonga spoke first. "I feel like I can't fully control my emotions. If I panic, my body will probably force me into a calm state."
Ublert folded his arms. "Hm... That may be related to your nature as an Undead. Emotional suppression could be part of your racial traits."
Henry nodded thoughtfully. "Then perhaps we could try using my skill, [SCREEN OF REALITY], to modify it. Not remove it—but change it."
Momonga tilted his head slightly. "Change it?"
"Yes," Henry said. "Turn the suppression into something you can control, like a light switch. We don't have to erase it, because we will still need it during meetings, after all."
Momonga was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. "…I see. That might be the best solution."
Henry then activated [SCREEN OF REALITY], and a blue screen in front of Momonga to begin modifying it. After several minutes, a few beads of sweat forming on Henry's forehead, and finally he finished the process.
"Phew…" Henry slumped into the chair. "Okay, that really drained a lot of my energy."
Ulbert stated, "Well, we may are capable of altering reality, but nothing comes without a price."