After a brief moment of the Guardians gushing over how great Ainz was, Hyortr resumed his explanation.
"With the Slane Theocracy under our control, I can spread the faith of Lord Ainz to other countries, allowing for a much smoother transition of power as people come to recognize his greatness."
The inclusion of this "show of greatness" plan immediately won over all the Guardians. Meanwhile, Ainz, feeling increasingly embarrassed, internally pleaded for Hyortr to stop with the excessive praise.
"Not only that, the Slane Theocracy will become the religious center of Ainz Ooal Gown, distributing a revised history of the world. It will also clarify the reality of the Six Gods and their connection with Lord Ainz. This will help bridge the gap between the people and us."
This statement added further merit to the venture, and everyone—including Ainz—nodded in agreement.
"As for me, I will remain as the Saint and govern the nation on behalf of Lord Ainz. Since the nation is already structured as a theocracy, I can gradually reshape it to reflect Nazarick's doctrines. Any threats will be eliminated. Maintaining autonomy through me will essentially make the Theocracy a vassal state of Nazarick. If foreign powers raise objections, the blame can easily be deflected onto the Saint, while Lord Ainz remains uninvolved."
"That is true," Shalltear acknowledged, "but won't this strategy tarnish the image of the Saint?"
"It will," Hyortr admitted, "but the solution is simple. When the time comes, Lord Ainz can publicly demote the Saint and let his generals take over."
Ainz, deep in thought, then asked, "Do you have any other merits to add?"
"Yes. With me ruling the Slane Theocracy, it can function as a puppet nation, allowing us to wage wars without Lord Ainz or Nazarick being held accountable. Additionally, it will prevent any accusations of external interference in its internal politics."
Ainz nodded in approval. "Very good. I grant Hyortr sole authority over the Slane Theocracy. Make this nation the ideal reflection of Nazarick's core values."
"Thank you, Lord Ainz." Hyortr bowed elegantly as Ainz promptly teleported away.
---
After Ainz's departure, the Guardians gathered around Hyortr.
"I must say, Hyortr, you are truly intelligent," Aura praised.
Hyortr humbly shook his head. "It was nothing, really. I am sure Lord Ainz had already planned for this."
"Indeed. But to decipher Lord Ainz's hints so precisely... You truly are the wisest among us after the Supreme Beings!" Demiurge commended, his eyes gleaming with pride—smugness smeared across his face as if Hyortr's wisdom was his own achievement.
Hyortr then turned to Demiurge. "How is the transition with the takeover of E-Rantel going? I was unable to ask you before."
"It is proceeding well. Humans are surprisingly simple creatures. As long as they see strength, they follow—even if their rulers are us." Demiurge adjusted his already perfectly tight tie.
"As expected. But I predict this won't last forever." Hyortr added.
Shalltear frowned. "Why is that?"
"Humans are social creatures. They will not tolerate being ruled by other races—or even by their own kind, should circumstances turn unfavorable. Given a choice between being ruled by unknown, powerful monsters or their fellow humans, they will instinctively choose the latter."
A reasonable deduction, given human nature. Hyortr also had the advantage of knowing partial future from the anime, which allowed him to properly come up with plans.
Humans would rather follow a human leader, even if subjected to cruelty and injustice, than a morally righteous and generous monster. Fear was ingrained in them—unless that fear was completely erased.
There were a few ways to achieve this. Loyalty, admiration, or faith.
But what if all three were combined?
This was Hyortr's ultimate goal. To ensure that when opposition arose in the future, humans—and other races under their rule—would willingly turn against their own kind for Ainz Ooal Gown.
Hyortr explained these reasons in great detail, further increasing the Guardians' admiration and respect for him.
---
Time Skip – A Few Weeks Later
As Hyortr had predicted, just days after taking over E-Rantel, Ainz noticed a decline in adventurers and merchants arriving in the city, as well as a noticeable drop in the local population compared to the initial takeover.
To address this issue, he traveled to the Baharuth Empire alongside Ainzach, the Guild Master of E-Rantel, to advertise the new concept of adventurering.
At Arwinter, he learned of a tournament being held. After some discussion and negotiation, he entered the colosseum and fought the reigning champion—Martial Lord Go Gin—defeating him in combat.
During the tournament, he also encountered Emperor Jircniv. Unlike in the original timeline, Jircniv merely greeted Ainz cautiously, his fear evident but not to the extreme.
The reason?
Due to the Slane Theocracy's ongoing civil unrest and the chaos caused by the plague, Jircniv's proposed alliance letter had been outright rejected. With a greater internal threat looming, the Cardinals had ignored his request.
As a result, Jircniv did not come to the same horrifying conclusion about Ainz that he had in the original story. Instead, he assumed that Ainz had merely caught wind of his scheming, leading him to lay low for the time being.
Meanwhile, Ainz, completely oblivious to these developments, continued his journey to the Dwarven Nation alongside Zaryusu Sasha.
---
Present Day
"A lot has happened… Soon, the final phase of the Armageddon Plan will begin. I am quite excited to see how it unfolds."
Hyortr sat upon his throne in the Abyssal Forest of the 4th Floor, musing aloud. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest as he reflected on past events.
"The spear I used… Radiant Sun… was a Divine-Class Weapon personally wielded by my creator, HuTaoTaxEvasion. To think those developers would create such an artifact…"
Radiant Sun—also known as the Prismatic Crystal Spear—was a Divine-Class Item that hovered dangerously close to World-Class level. Even Ainz speculated that it might be capable of serving as a Guild Weapon, akin to the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Its most potent ability allowed the user to unleash a near-instantaneous [Fallen Down] spell—previously demonstrated by Hyortr in his persona as Orovas.
Beyond that, Radiant Sun could divide itself into five smaller spears, each capable of casting specific spells such as Icicle Javelin, Fire Spear, Holy Ray, and Dragon Lightning.
In combat, the spear granted a devastating advantage, bypassing almost 90% of an opponent's protection against physical enhancements and buffs. Any protection spells below the 7th Tier would be outright nullified.
Furthermore, the weapon granted powerful buffs to its wielder, including protection against slashing attacks and enhancements to physical resilience.
When combined, these traits made Radiant Sun a high-class divine weapon—a menace to any opponent who did not specialize in magic or tanking.
Hyortr silently took out an oddly shaped object. A hollow wooden doll whose head was much larger than its small torso, it had three large holes for its face, just like Pandora Actor's face. This was the so called Catalyst for his Grand Finale.
The Orb of Abyss was a Divine Class Artifact that could be utilised for some very useful purposes. It's most popular and arguably dazzling use was the Large AoE spell called Doom of Heaven.
Just like its name implied, it casted a Super Tier Spell that broke the skies as if it were broken glass. Burning the very heavens themselves as the falling 'sky' fell on the earth, creating devastating damage.
It dealt high negative damage to good or holy aligned enemies and boosted the evil and negative Karmic values of the allies.
Well that was what was said in the Lore, what effects this spell will have in this new world filled Hyortr with a sense of anticipation.
"After this Arc.....I am not sure what happens in the later story...*sighs*...I should have atleast read the Light Novels. Regardless, atleast I know PDL and the Elf King is the main antagonists. As for any hidden threats... we'll deal with them when time comes." Hyortr mused as he held the Catalyst in his hands.
'I am surprised The PDL didn't come to fight me then, at the fight with the Black Scriptures. Did he think I wasn't a Player?' Hyortr's thoughts trailed as he asked this question.
One deduction he reached was that the PDL didn't see the Healer as a Threat, but if the God Ainz Ooal Gown the Healer preached were to be someone like the Six Great Gods then PDL should have been wary right?
Was it because he was too cautious that he didn't choose to act but rather observe?
That was a valid reason too. What if PDL simply saw this as a natural course of human actions? As time passed nations will change rulers and something like this happening, he should have seen a dozen times in the past.
'Too many theories but no concrete proofs.' Hyortr sighed out internally as he stood up.
"Let's just focus on the present. Overthinking might just lead to me being too cautious. It might just become counter intuitive for me." Hyortr spoke to himself.
He was never one to take things as it was, he needed proofs, for all things to be known to him so that he can perfectly manipulate them, unknown variables illuded him.
Everything needs to be perfect...and at the same time Chaotic... Whatever the circumstances....The Abyss is ready to Engulf it in it's Void.
★★★★★★