Chapter 18: War Preparations
"Everything seems good." Ainz was checking how many undead he had prepared for the battle and found the numbers to be enough for what the kingdom had to offer. The levies of Re-Estize are hardly a match against his mid-level summons.
"I didn't want to use any undead that one could decipher as such." He used Death Cavaliers, a level 55 undead with their bicorns, which was level 50. All in all, they were pretty powerful, and Ainz currently has about 200 of them in his camp on the Katze Plains, ready for the battle.
The next thing needed was infantry, which he made up of Dark Paladins, level 50 creatures with good defensive and offensive capabilities. They were of vampiric origin and used their negative alignment to weaken the enemy in all sorts of attacks. Their numbers were about 500, as Ainz wasn't limited to how much he could create a day. This was but a small number. But he deemed it enough for the army of 50'000 levies, who would not even be able to deal with 10 Death Knights. At least Ainz thought that way.
'I am confident in my victory here. Nothing will stop my forces unless the kingdom has some kind of World Item.' Through his levels in [Master Tactician], his skill in tactics rose, and he could plan how to decimate the kingdom's soldiers on himself without the need for Demiurge.
'For this battle, I will let my troops fight with me. Maybe they can gain even a level or two? I will keep them defensive so the kingdom doesn't lose too many soldiers. After all, the grand battle will occur after this one when the empire arrives with its troops. They know that we are fighting soon, so they will either attack us or simply attack the kingdom. A smart tactic, but I have already sent out an envoy to the upcoming Baharut troops. If I can gain their alliance, the kingdom will have no chance, seeing that we both are working together. The alliance is nothing but symbolic. For now, it will only serve to frighten the kingdom.' He had sent Sebas out to deliver the message to the upcoming Baharut army. He knew the Emperor thought about an alliance from the start, as Demiurge told him so. He said those who think they are smart are easier to read than the biggest fools. And the devil was right.
'It seems I will be able to gain some exp after all. Fighting an entire army? Why not.'
Ainz looked at the mirror on his left. He saw the Re-Estize army currently residing at the Katze Plains. He smirked at the sight, still having his vampire form selected. He was not sure if he wanted to change back yet or not. But he thought it wouldn't damage him being an Original Vampire for longer.
'My world item isn't optimal now that I have a body of flesh. I'll put it in my inventory for now. See if I can put it anywhere else later.' With just his thought, he felt the World Item disappear from his stomach and reappear in his dimensional storage.
'Don't I have something planned? Ah, yes! Balrigg! That order I gave him. I guess he should have made some progress by now.' With a snap of his fingers, he was no longer in his office but in a different place. This place was located on the 8th Floor, a room shelled off the surface and made deep underground.
It was a massive forge, reaching up to ten meters in height as it utilized a miniature sun to heat the materials used to craft various items. The forge was made out of pure prismatic ores to sustain the heat of a star.
There, a person of small stature was hammering what seemed like a sword. It possessed a weird red suit, almost futuristic. But at such heats, the best of protections were needed.
"Hello there, Balrigg." Ainz called out the NPC, who stopped and removed his face cover. One could see the person having dark grey skin, black eyes, and dark hair with a beard marking this man as a dwarf, a dark dwarf, to be precise.
The dwarf in question was called Balrigg, a dwarven smith that made many items for the Tomb in all these years. He could even craft up to divine items with his whole classes invested in smithing.
The dwarf knelt immediately and greeted Ainz appropriately. "Welcome, Lord Ainz." The dwarf said, his voice husky, probably from all the smoke he needed to inhale in the forge.
"I see you have made progress on the task I gave you." Ainz said while eyeing something in the distance.
"Yes, my lord! I have finished the armor as you wished. I haven't enchanted it fully, but it should be usable now." Balrigg explained.
"Very well, Balrigg, then I would like to see it." Ainz said, and the dwarf led him to what seemed an armor covered by a red cloth. Red light illuminated underneath, making the armor slightly visible.
In a fast motion, the dwarf removed the cover, showing an armor like no other.
It looked menacing and dreadful, a garb made virtually for Ainz Ooal Gown. Just from looking at it, the enemies would suffer from morale. Ainz could feel an aura of darkness around it. He guessed it to be negative energy.
The dark obsidian plates are seamlessly interlocked, forming an impenetrable shell that seems impervious to all but the mightiest blows. The armor's color, as if drawing upon the depths of the abyss itself, is a profound shade of obsidian that absorbs all light around it, leaving only the glimmering reflection of the distant stars.
Enigmatic runes, etched with mystical precision, are upon its surface, almost unrecognizable by the human eye, seemingly portraying forbidden knowledge.
From the shoulder pauldrons, wickedly sharp spikes emerge, both as a sign of dominance and a reminder of who wears this armor and what awaits those who dare challenge his supremacy.
The chest plate, adorned with intricate motifs of ancient writings, appears like a chiseled maw of some eldritch beast, embodying the very essence of darkness. At the heart of the breastplate, a crimson orb resides, glowing endlessly with a malicious intent of dread and wrath, watching over the enemies with an insatiable hunger for conquest.
The gauntlets and greaves are adorned with menacing spikes. Each one honed to a lethal point.
The helmet was another work of art, an icon of dread and domination, completing the sinister visage perfectly.
Concealing anything beneath the helmet except the eyes, it is infused with dark enchantments, making it even more effective to be worn by a being such as Ainz Ooal Gown. It as well had obsidian darkness, the helm taking the form of an array of jagged razor-sharp spikes that encased the whole head. The spiked crown serves as a menacing deterrent to enemies and a testament to the wearer's authority. Each spike glimmers with an unholy luminescence, casting an eerie light.
At its front, the helmet boasts a large and fearsome faceplate that conceals most of the face, leaving only the eyes to peek through. The faceplate features a gaping mow of jagged fangs, almost resembling a skeletal head, showing what is already underneath.
The whole armor perfectly fuses dark artistry and sorcery, standing as a testament to power and embodiment of chilling darkness.
Behind the armor was a flowing shroud of darkness, a cape fitting for the armor. Crafted with the finest and most powerful materials, as well as enchanted to its best, the cape serves as a symbol of the wearer's dominion. It is woven from the deepest obsidian-colored threats, the cape possessing an uncanny luster that seemed to drink the surrounding light. Its fabric, as if touched by the essence of darkness, excludes an aura of both grace and menace.
The cape's silhouette is regal and imposing, cascading in voluminous folds that sweep the ground. Its length extends well beyond normal proportions, hinting at the deep darkness from which it was made.
Upon the surface of the cape, a series of intricate patterns intertwined, evoking the imagery of ancient runes. But one could not believe this cape simply to be made out of matter, as it seemed to flicker into darkness ever so often as if made from a dark mist.
Ainz can but smirk at the sight.
"Impressive, Balrigg. You have outdone yourself. This is beyond what I had expected." Ainz said as he eyed the armor with an unnatural affection for it.
"I only fulfilled your wishes, my lord. You gave me quite a good description of what I was to craft." The dwarf answered.
'Good that he doesn't know I took that description out of a book. Quite an old one at that.'
"Yes, but you exceeded what I described. I am very impressed, Balrigg." Ainz praised the dwarf, who found such praise unneeded.
"Thank you, my lord. It was an honor making this armor." He said while bowing before the Supreme One.
"Enough of that, Balrigg. May I inquire about its abilities and perks?" Ainz asked as he stepped around the armor, inspecting it carefully.
"Of course, my lord!" The dwarf said as he took a deep breath. "The prismatic ore that you gave me, my lord, the Detherium as it is called, is, as you know, imbued with negative energy, even boosting the wearer's ability to use said energy. But since that prismatic ore does not provide great mobility, I used the prismatic ore Lumencite to make the armor more flexible. Without that metal, the armor would simply be unmoving, as you see it right now." The dwarf explained, and to Ainz, it all seemed to make sense.
"And what enchantments are on it already?" Ainz asked, curious to know what the dwarf decided to put on the armor.
"Of course. All armor components are enchanted with [Unbreaking], making the armor almost impossible to break through durability decrease. Meaning it will always find a way to be in perfect condition. Even if damaged, the armor will heal itself after a while. The next important enchantments are [Greater Strength], [Greater Resistance], and [Dark Alignment]. [Greater Strength] increased the wearer's strength, [Greater Resistance] increases the wearer's resistance, and [Dark Alignment] increased the affinity for dark-aligned spells and abilities. Said enchantment also makes it impossible for any positively aligned being to wear this armor. There are more enchantments on it, but they are rather unimportant to speak about them. Just the standard for every armor or weapon. Still, I am not finished, as I couldn't find the right data crystals before your arrival." Balrigg explained, going into detail but keeping it short. He didn't want to bore his lord.
"Very good, Balrigg." Ainz says as he eyes the armor carefully. The dwarf seemed to know what his lord wanted to do next.
"Do you wish to try it out, Lord Ainz?" Balrigg asked, and Ainz nodded.
"With pleasure, Balrigg."
The dark dwarf quickly went to turn off the anti-stealing magic on the armor stand. Then, the moment Ainz touched the armor, it disappeared into his inventory, and with a motion of his hands, he was enveloped by light as he suddenly switched his divine robes for the new divine class armor.
'Impressive.' He thought. The visor of the helmet did not hinder his vision. He saw everything as if he didn't even wear a helmet in the first place. It was probably one of the minor enchantments Balrigg put on it.
Ainz looked at his gauntlets, seeing each of his rings on the outside. He felt the armor to be extremely fashionable, something worthy of rivaling the armor of Touch Me. But nowhere near its power.
Ainz tried to move around with no problems. Now that he had levels in warrior classes, he had little issues with moving around in such armor. But casting spells was a different topic.
'I probably need to level up [Armored Mage] to unlock the 10th tier. But I think it will pay out in the end. Even if it seems a waste of levels. Wait, now that I think about it, I could make some improvements of my own. Let's see if this works.'
Ainz reached into his inventory, his hand disappearing into a dark vortex as he pulled out a red orb pulsating with the power of a world. Balriggs eyes widened at the sight. He recognized that artifact in an instant.
"Balrigg, I hope you will be okay with me doing a small experiment with your armor." He said to the dwarf, who seemed to hold nothing against it.
"Please, my lord! Do as you wish." Balrigg said, Ainz continuing with what he had in mind.
He let go of the [Orb of Momonga], guiding it with the palm of his hands to move to his helmet and in the middle of his jagged crown. Soon, the orb seemed fixated at that exact point, almost as if attached to the helmet, even if hovering in the air.
'So it worked. Now I can use my World Item without restrictions. Maybe it even looks cool from afar.' He moved to a mirror nearby to inspect the newly added World Item, to see it hover in the middle of his spiked crown.
Now that he had taken a good look at himself, he could not remove his gaze from the reflection as two red lights shone where eyes should be. It portrayed what was already underneath for everyone looking at him. A taste of what is to come.
With that done, Ainz turned his head to the dwarf.
"Does this armor have a name already?" Ainz asked Balrigg, who nodded.
"I call it [Abyssal Dawn], as it portrays a night that will be so dark no one shall escape unharmed from it." The dwarf said with overly motivated expressions.
"I see. I like the name. Fits rather well." Ainz said as he closed his palm in a dramatic pose but returned to normal just a second later. "This is really a work of art, Balrigg. You have outdone yourself." Ainz said again.
"I thank you, Lord Ainz. Crafting such armor was the greatest honor I could receive."
"Mmh, very well. I will need a weapon fitting for this. I suppose there are enough in the treasury. Goodbye Balrigg, now, try to enjoy some free time." Ainz said as he disappeared and reappeared before the treasury.
He took all the actions necessary to enter and moved to the weapon section. The treasury had many rooms designated for its respective purpose of hoarding all different kinds of items. And the room that held the most weapons was the one in the treasury, filled with endless items going from low to divine class. The room seemed infinitely tall as on the walls, weapon upon weapon was stacked on a holster.
Ainz applied a fly effect as he slowly levitated to the maze section, then searched for any kind of divine class one. His guild possessed so much wealth that it was unbelievable how much stuff they had.
Soon, he found his weapon of choice, a dark maze similar in color to his armor. It was called [Dark Star], a divine class weapon made purely for damage output, allowing the user to hit multiple enemies simultaneously and apply all sorts of negative effects on them.
The weapon was especially good against positive aligned beings. As the damage grew, the more positive karma the enemy had.
Ainz caressed the maze in his hand, swinging it left and right as he adjusted to its weight.
"This will do." Ainz said as he threw the maze into his inventory and returned to his office.
"Time to go over the plan all over again."
At the Katze Plains, one could see the kingdom's army residing in their respective camp, their troops reaching about 50'000 as they prepared for the fight or decided to spend their time drinking and having fun.
King Zanac was in his tent and didn't like the situation at all. His face showed worry and anxiety at the same time. Dressed in the armor of the king, he felt a kind of safety, even if it had to be made smaller due to his lack of height. For all he knew, Ainz Ooal Gown might as well be working with the Bloody Emperor to weaken the kingdom.
'This war, I would have tried to avoid it. But the nobles would have been furious at me. Maybe even rebel.' These thoughts plagued his mind every day, every night. To be king was difficult and stressful, and he found that out the hard way. He felt it even more as his current situation wasn't the best for a king who wasn't even one for a year.
'The nobles are furious at the magic caster for making oblivious and disrespectful demands. And there are rumors that the magic caster is quite wealthy. Two things drive nobles to war with Ainz Ooal Gown. What a terrible position I am in. I act in once favor, and the other will try to butcher me, heh.' Zanac sighed. He hoped to overcome this and defeat Ainz Ooal Gown before the empire marched into the plains. The two events were very close, with the empire's troops only two weeks away.
Zanac knew the rest of the Re-Estize forces were still coming. He raised them later to lessen the instability by raising that many levies. It would have had drastic side effects if he had raised them all at once. This was the plan of the Baharut Empire all along. They would attack Re-Estize every year to disturb their food supply. And since the empire didn't have conscripted soldiers, Baharut won't ever lack food due to having an army raised. Zanac must say that it is quite a good innovation of the empire. But doing the same in the kingdom would be impossible. Its long stood traditions were hammered upon Re-Estize, unremovable until the whole country was purged and built anew. But Zanac wasn't in the mood to start a civil war from that. He had to live with the current circumstances and do the best out of it.
'50'000 for a magic caster. I say that is enough for whatever this Ainz Ooal Gown has in stock.' His thoughts were logical, but felt the knowledge of what was to come. A force so great it would devour his whole army in a shroud of darkness.
Suddenly, a soldier entered the tent, his face covered in sweat as he stopped for a breath. "Your Majesty! There is still no movement from the enemy camp."
"So it seems." Deciding to look at it himself, he left the tent and gazed at the camp of Ainz Ooal Gown with the help of a telescope. The camp was surrounded by what seemed to be a wall made out of wood and stone, creating a mix between the two to offer the best of both sides. There hung banners with an unknown symbol, which Zanac guessed was the banner of Ainz Ooal Gown. From what he could guess, it was a sword surrounded by various gold circles.
In the middle was a fortress made of stone and approximately 30 meters tall. One would guess it would be plain and simple, but it was the opposite. The fortress was well made, having even windows to look out and a spiked roof. It would be akin to a princess's tower if not for the dark tone it possessed. One could say it was more akin to a dark sorcerer's home.
'How did they build such a structure that fast? We, the kingdom, only have tents built up!' His camp was made of tents, made of decent quality, but the enemy had an entire fortress. But this confirmed his suspicions. Ainz Ooal Gown was not alone. He had an army or something similar at his command. And he seemed confident of himself to beat the 50'000 under his control. Zanac smirked at that thought as it brought a cold feeling down his spine. He wished he could be that courageous.
But if he didn't know the capabilities nor the extent of the magic casters' army, he could not say if he were to lose or win. He hoped he would not have both enemies ally with each other. If that were to happen, the kingdom would be in deep crisis. He would have no chance with his 50'000 winning against the empire. For that, he needed the whole army that could be raised this year.
Zanac turns to his left to see the same soldier as before. "Tomorrow, the battle begins. May we win by the grace of the gods."
If you haven't guessed yet, Ainz's new armor is made similar to Sauron's armor since he is one of my favorite characters in fiction. Still, I want to say that he CANNOT use all of his spells while wearing the armor. Only first Tier spells if he activates [Perfect Warrior].
And be ready to see a whole new side of Ainz in this fanfic. Since he can level up, he will use every opportunity to do so, meaning he will be in A LOT more fights than usual. Battling the army of Re-Estize is just one step to world domination!
Even if 50k troops sound small, in the long run, Ainz will kill much more than that. Its simply because Ainz doesn't have an alliance with Baharut yet, so they cant legitimize his claims. If they find out the power he possesses, the kingdom will be sure to send out more in the hope of defeating the great evil Sorcerer.