A Theory on Godhood: An Overlord Story

Chapter 53: King's Gambit

Arthur and Umbarth traveled along a popular merchant road that connected the Imperial Capital of Arwintar to E-Rantel. It was popular in that many merchants used it as a general positioning of where they were, rather than as a genuine connection between the two nations of the Baharuth Empire and Re-Estize.

This road was among many relics that were left over when Baharuth and Re-Estize were one-in-the-same. Part of it was paved, but the rest was crumbling rock. Being two centuries old, it was a testament to the previous craftsmanship of humans before the advent of the Demon Gods.

As of late, the number of travelers on this road had dwindled. The conversion of E-Rantel into a new Katze Plains had wider implications than anyone would care to think about. Most of the undead stuck close to the crater of E-Rantel with a few stragglers wandering further than they should have. Arthur put them down as he saw them.

Even then, the land seemed to weep at the loss of life. Grass cracked underfoot. Animals fled the decaying perimeter of the once plentiful fortress city. The skies rained incessantly, and the size of the clouds indicated they were far from empty.

Arthur and Umbarth had dressed appropriately, the former donning his Yggdrasil samurai armor, and the latter wearing his paladin armor. The paladin armor was one of the suits Umbarth used when he wished to fight opponents indirectly, puppeting it with Wild Magic when needed. However, the dragon lord was present beneath the heavy plate.

It was strange, taking on a dragon motif. An enchanted white-gold metal served as the armor's base, and blue-gold trimmings, and white symbols provided decoration to what would have been an eye-sore. On the back was strapped a bronze-colored spear, a golden flag tied on the very end. With how Umbarth was so theatrical, Arthur had no doubt every last piece of his equipment was enchanted.

In contrast, Arthur's armor was less heavy. It was primarily composed of Star-Silver chainmail, lindworm leather, and Asgardian Cloth to preserve mobility. The overlapping plates of his samurai armor were made of Scarletite, for its notable ability to absorb damage more easily than other prismatic ores. The shade of metal was made darker with cosmetics, with whitish-red and black markings painted on here and there. A Chokuto, a single-edged straight sword, was strapped to his side.

All-in-all, they were armed to the teeth, for neither would take any chances. The enchantments on their armor and their natural strength made them the most dangerous creatures on the planet for kilometers around.

Despite this...

The smell continues to grow worse with each step toward E-Rantel. What have these players wrought?

From every direction was a horrific stench. It smelled of the decay of corpses mixed with the scent of burning rubber, a scent not unlike the battlefield of Europe during World War III. Strangely, this road was devoid of bodies for how strong the smell was.

Whether they'd been cleaned up or picked apart by predators he could only guess. It would be better not to think about what happened to the unfortunate victims of E-Rantel.

At least some of the people survived, saved by the efforts of the Chief Warrior Gazef Stronoff and whoever was able to fend off the Black Scripture. The player that was there, if it was a player, must have been formidable indeed to catch such an elite force's attention.

It might not have been an NPC, but it's not unheard of for some to gain autonomy and decide that serving their masters is no longer viable. The NPCs of the Greed Kings were much the same way when Tsaindorcus took over the castle.

He wondered if that was some of the Greed Kings' selfishness shining through one last time. They had been dead for five-hundred years, and still, their influence could be felt throughout the New World. Arthur wondered if the world would ever truly forget their massacres.