By the way, Ainz was only level 40. And yet, despite that, there was a key reason he was far more effective than Cocytus had been. Simply put, Cocytus was forbidden from using most of his overpowered spells—any reckless use of such power could risk damaging or destabilizing Nazarick itself from appearing in this new world. Ainz, however, wasn't bound by such restrictions.
By the way, Ainz and the others had been summoned into this world—unlike Cocytus, who had to enter through a weakened state, they arrived at full power. Of course, the Nazarick currently visible wasn't the true Great Tomb, but a projection of the real thing.
"Shouldn't we go after them?" Rex asked as he stepped out of the guild. His body leaned against Demiurge's shoulder for support, his breath still slightly uneven.
It had been Rex who forced Nazarick's arrival into this world ahead of schedule—a decision that came at a steep cost. The skill known as [Apex Singularity] had been locked away, sealed as the price for opening the way.
"Not when we're in such a weakened state in a new world… and with far too many eyes watching us," Ainz said, his gaze settling on Cocytus, who had already been healed by Rex when he had snapped the finger.
"Amazing job, Cocytus," Ainz said softly, his voice carrying rare warmth. "Go and rest. You've done more than enough. We'll handle things from here."
Cocytus gave a slow, respectful bow, saying nothing, before silently getting up to leave with a downcast look…
***
"Are you alright? Why did you suddenly freeze up like that?" Elizabeth asked, concern heavy in her voice as she saw Meliodas clutching his chest, right over the heart that had just reformed.
"I'm alright… that power, whatever that thing used… it was like it shut off my connection to my brain or something," Meliodas said with an easy smile, trying to reassure her. But deep down, he was shaken. That creature wasn't just powerful—it was something else entirely. It was death.
There were no other words for it. No metaphors, no exaggerations. What stepped into this world wasn't a being to be reasoned with or fought—it was death, in its purest and most terrifying form.
He had never encountered spells like that before—spells that ignored a person's resistance to magic, bypassed defenses, and rendered all resistance meaningless. Against that thing, even the concept of resistance felt like a joke. For all his strength, his heart had been crushed in an instant, and in that moment, he was completely helpless.
He didn't even want to approach that creature again, gripped by the fear that simply standing near it might be enough to kill him.
"Thanks for saving me," Meliodas said, turning toward Merlin. She gave a small nod, silent and composed. Once, a moment like that—his eyes on her, his gratitude—might have made her blush. But not now. Not after she had nearly been taken hold of by death itself.
Elizabeth was about to speak, but her words caught in her throat as she suddenly sensed movement—both the goddess clan and the demons were making their move. To her shock, they had joined forces. Enemies for generations, now united by a single purpose: to destroy the never-before-seen entity that had entered their world.
But they didn't get far. All of them froze mid-air, their bodies locked in place, as a pink-haired vampire rose into the sky. She floated above them, laughing with cruel delight, her voice echoing across the battlefield like a curse. Her power was unstoppable, and with a flick of her fingers, she began manipulating their blood, turning it against them, forcing it to betray them from within.
One by one, they cried out in agony, as she gave everyone a slow and painful time. Meliodas, Merlin, and Elizabeth could only watch in horror as their people were forced to suffer, but the stronger members of the goddess clan and demons managed to use their own magic to try and take hold of their own blood, allowing them to fight back…
"Stand still, and accept your fate." The voice carried no echo, no distance—just absolute command. It ignored resistance, space, and willpower alike. Every demon and goddess who possessed even a shred of resistance found it stripped away in an instant. Their bodies froze against their will, unable to move, unable to resist.
Combined with the vampire's blood control, it was a massacre. Screams tore through the sky. Agony painted the heavens as bodies twisted and ruptured, blood pouring from mouths, eyes, and skin as their own life essence was turned against them. Death came slowly, deliberately, and in ways too grotesque to put into words. It wasn't a battle. It was slaughter.
Elizabeth could no longer hold back her tears. She cried openly, the horror too much to bear. For all the atrocities committed throughout the Holy War, even the demons had never inflicted suffering this cruel. This… no one deserved a fate this cruel.
"…" Ainz stood in silence, watching his children revel in their twisted joy. Personally, he didn't care much for torture—never had. But as a father, he found it hard to step in and ruin their fun. This was their way of having fun, of playing in a world that couldn't challenge them.
Shalltear, now elevated to a Vampire God, was unstoppable. Before those with blood in their veins, her dominion was nearly absolute. She could bend their life essence with a thought. Only those who had attained some form of control over their own blood could even hope to resist her control. Everyone else was just a puppet dancing on her strings. Of course, those without blood were spared her grasp.
Then there was Demiurge, whose words alone could bend the fabric of reality. If he gave an order, it would be followed—without question, without pause—unless the target possessed an extremely powerful willpower, or carried a defense capable of nullifying even conceptual commands.
Yes, every floor guardian possessed such a passive defense. Cocytus's was Absolute Zero, a shield that hit everything that could harm with Absolute Zero.
Ainz's passive defense was simply Death—anything that dared to strike him would die before their attack could even land. Each guardian was a nightmare built for domination, with layers of power and protection few in this world could even comprehend.
"Well, I'm going to meet the strongest beings in this world," Rex said, still slightly weakened, but he was able to walk around without trouble. He opened a gate before him, which he walked towards.
"My lord, I can't allow that!" Albedo, who had been reveling in the chorus of screams echoing across the sky, suddenly appeared before him. Her expression shifted from blissful indulgence to fierce desperation as she dropped to one knee, her wings flaring slightly in panic.
"She has a point, Rex. In your weakened state, it's unwise to wander this new world so freely," Ainz said, his tone firm yet measured. "The magic here is foreign, unfamiliar to your defenses. That means that all of them could bypass some of your defenses since they are not known to you."
Rex sighed, reluctantly nodding. Ainz was right, after all.
"Then Albedo can follow me," Rex replied lazily, brushing the concern aside with a dismissive tone. Despite the warning, he seemed completely unbothered by the idea of anything being able to harm him. After all, he still had Limitless—and with all vectors resting beneath his control, just because [Apex Singularity] was sealed didn't mean he was helpless.
"B-but…" Cocytus said, sounding almost like a disappointed puppy left behind. The tone was unexpected, and Rex paused, speechless for a moment. He glanced toward Sebas, who was doing a poor job of hiding the eagerness in his eyes, clearly hoping to join him as well.
Rex sighed.
"Fine. You guys can come too," he said, waving his hand dismissively before turning his attention toward Shalltear. "By the way, Shalltear—don't kill everyone. Let others do some of the work. We need everyone to start leveling up under this new world's system."
Though this world didn't naturally follow a leveling system, Rex had noticed something intriguing: the levels were adapting. The framework seemed to be adjusting itself into a multiversal leveling structure—one where level 100 was regarded as omnipotent, or something close to it.
"Understood," the sadistic vampire replied, her voice trembling with suppressed excitement. Rex gave a small nod, turning toward the swirling portal—only to pause when someone suddenly leapt onto his shoulder.
"Aura!" Albedo snapped, her voice laced with fury. "You dare show such disrespect to the Supreme One!"
Aura, grinning happily, froze as her eyes widened in realization. Her cheerful expression faltered, and she slowly looked at Rex, guilt creeping in.
She had forgotten—just for a moment—that Rex wasn't just the fun, laid-back figure who played games with her and Mare. He was a Supreme One. A god among gods. And her casual gesture had stepped far beyond the boundaries of protocol.
"It's alright, Albedo. Aura is allowed to be a kid. What kind of father would I be if I couldn't allow her that much?" Rex said with a light smile. His voice was gentle, but firm enough to make it clear—this was his will. Ainz gave a silent nod, fully in agreement. After all, Aura was still young, only seventy-six years old. She was barely more than a child.
"Forgive me, my lord," Albedo said quickly, bowing low in shame. But Rex merely waved her off, his expression unbothered.
Then, spotting the nervous Mare shuffling nearby—clearly wanting to join but too shy to ask—Rex extended a hand. With a small smile, he gently picked up the hesitant twin and placed him on his other shoulder, balancing him opposite Aura with casual ease.
After Rex stepped into the portal, following behind Cocytus and Albedo, who had entered first to ensure the path was safe, he found himself in the heart of the demon realm. A land soaked in thick, poisonous miasma, it stretched endlessly with skies of swirling darkness and jagged mountains that pierced the clouds. The ground itself was cracked and lifeless, pulsing faintly with corrupted energy. No other race could survive here for long—those without demon blood would rot and decay just from breathing the air.
Rex took a long, thoughtful breath, unfazed by the environment as he scanned the horizon.
"What do you guys think… should Nazarick be moved here?" he asked with a faint smile tugging at his lips. "It reminds me a lot of where Nazarick was located back in YGGDRASIL."
"Thanks to Lord Rex's blessing, many beings within Nazarick won't be affected by this land," Sebas said respectfully. His tone carried pride—not just for Rex's power, but for what that power had made them. Even the weakest NPC in Nazarick now held the strength of a level 36 being, and the elites—Rex, Sebas, and the others—stood proudly at level 40. Though if one accounted for their unique cheat abilities, those numbers hardly reflected their true potential.
"You are the newcomers." A deep, earthshaking voice echoed across the corrupted land. From a distance, a tall man in a full set of armor walked towards them, each of his steps cracking the ground beneath him. He was tall, but of course, Rex was taller.
"Level 59… not bad. What level of power is that—planetary?" Rex mused aloud, his eyes calmly scanning the colossal figure approaching from the horizon. He took a casual step back, just as Albedo moved in front of him, her stance sharp and protective, ready to shield him from anything that dared draw too close.
"I'm Rex Tempus," he said, a confident smirk tugging at his lips. "And I'm the strongest."
His voice didn't rise, but it didn't need to. It carried the weight of absolute certainty, one that made the corrupted winds pause around him.
***
So, time passed. The Holy War erupted into full force, engulfing the world in chaos. Oddly enough, the appearance of Nazarick didn't shatter the balance—it reforged it. What should have been overwhelming dominance instead created a strange equilibrium. That was, in part, because every loss on the battlefield only served to swell Nazarick's ranks. The more that fell, the stronger they became.
Still, that didn't mean the war slowed down. The Goddess Clan rallied all remaining races—giants, fairies, humans, and more—to stand against both Nazarick and the Demon King. Meanwhile, the Demon King unleashed his full wrath, determined to erase both Nazarick and the gods from existence. And since the war unfolded across the human realm, the cost was unimaginable. Cities fell, landscapes were torn apart, and countless innocent lives were caught in the crossfire.