An ice blade sliced across the Dragon Lord's throat.
Its eyes widened in disbelief.
In the next moment, endless frost claimed its life. Until the end, it lacked even the strength to resist.
From start to finish, it was merely a plaything. Esdeath, having had her fun, ended its existence.
"Such a dull affair," Esdeath said, flicking her wrist as the ice sword dissipated. "True Dragon Lord? Nothing but trash."
Behind her stood a girl adorned with black scales.
Draaudillon Oriculus, the queen of the Dragonic Kingdom, known as the Black Scale Dragon Lord. Despite the title, her strength was barely above an ordinary human's—nothing compared to true Dragon Lords.
Esdeath turned, producing a kinship contract. "Make your choice."
Draaudillon fell silent. Though called a Dragon Lord, she had witnessed true Dragon Lords slaughtered effortlessly. Without hesitation, she signed the contract.
With the contract sealed, Esdeath nodded, gazing into the distance. "Next, we sweep away the rest and bring this world fully under His Majesty's control."
Draaudillon bowed obediently and followed Esdeath as they departed.
The Slane Theocracy.
Kanae Kocho floated in midair, her telekinesis enveloping everything like an unbreakable net.
"Hmph!" A girl in black and white grunted, immobilized in the air.
Zesshi Zetsumei.
Unable to move, she floated helplessly.
Kanae smiled gently. "Zesshi Zetsumei, still unwilling to surrender?"
"Damn it…" Zesshi muttered, finally shaking her head. "Enough. I surrender."
"Then sign this contract."
Kanae presented the kinship contract. Zesshi signed without a glance.
Instantly, her soul surged as life, essence, and origin rapidly ascended. The knowledge embedded in the contract revealed everything.
"World power," Kanae murmured, extracting Zesshi's share of world power. "As expected, aside from Nazarick's Great Tomb, the world power scattered outside is minimal."
"No surprise there," Zesshi said, approaching. "Compared to us, Nazarick's Great Tomb is the true protagonist. Most of the world power is concentrated there."
Having signed the contract, Zesshi understood much.
"Indeed," Kanae nodded. "Zesshi, let's go. The Slane Theocracy is handled. Now we expand outward."
"Alright," Zesshi agreed, and the two departed.
Two days.
Led by the Night Raid Team, Butterfly House Team, and Toyosaki Team, the three squads swept through the world's major nations in just two days.
The rest? Minor nations and hidden races—easily dealt with, requiring only a bit more time.
At most, another day.
"Everything handled?" Kanae appeared with Zesshi.
Shinobu smiled. "Sis, it's all done. Utaha, Megumi, Eriri, Najenda, and Leone are all back."
"Kanae!" Leone greeted boisterously, then sidled up to Zesshi with a grin. "You're Zesshi Zetsumei, huh? So cute! As an elf, I bet His Majesty will love you."
Leone… No, everyone knew His Majesty's preferences.
To be precise, His Majesty had a particular fondness for subhuman races—or rather, non-human maidens.
And Zesshi? She fit the bill perfectly.
"His Majesty likes me?" Zesshi's cheeks flushed as she whispered, "Could I… bear His Majesty's child? What a remarkable child that would be!"
Her blush deepened, her thoughts spiraling.
The women watched in silence, save for Lakyus, who seemed to recognize a kindred spirit and moved closer.
Eriri quickly stopped her. "No, no, Lakyus. You're different. You're… intense, maybe even yandere. Zesshi? She genuinely wants a child."
Elsewhere, Kanae, Utaha, and Najenda huddled together.
Najenda exhaled a puff of smoke. Though she'd recovered, her habit of smoking lingered. Alistair didn't mind, and it didn't harm her.
"Utaha, Kanae, everything handled on your end?" Najenda asked, though it seemed redundant.
The two exchanged a glance and nodded. "All done."
"Then," Najenda continued, "aside from Nazarick's Great Tomb, everything is under control."
The three discussed.
For now, everything but Nazarick was secured.
Why leave Nazarick for last? Simple—it didn't matter.
Esdeath wanted to test Ainz's strength. Though she could easily crush him, she was curious.
"Overall, everything's handled," Najenda said. "Esdeath's taking Nazarick. I'll coordinate and wrap things up there."
"Utaha, Kanae, help Ker with the barriers."
"Got it," they agreed. It was their duty.
For now, the number of world power holders and anchor points was unclear. Too few anchors could complicate dragging this world into the Dark Multiverse. Better to prepare thoroughly.
"Let's move," Najenda said.
The three nodded, dispersing with their teams.
Meanwhile, Alistair and Persephone were searching for something.
"It should be around here," Alistair said thoughtfully. "But finding it isn't easy. This involves crossing universes."
"Indeed," Persephone agreed. "I didn't expect this world to have reached this stage."
"Ker."
"Your Majesty!" Ker appeared, bowing.
"Tell Esdeath to clean up Nazarick's Great Tomb. Afterward, freeze everyone. No kinship contracts for now."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ker nodded and departed.
"It involves the world's rules," Alistair mused.
"Yes," Persephone agreed. "Only after handling that can we fully claim Nazarick."
"Let's go. It's nearly set. Two more days, and we can begin."
They chatted, their figures fading. They had preparations to make.
Alistair and Persephone hadn't anticipated this world's advancement. If their plan succeeded, the future gains could be immense.
The rewards from isekai worlds weren't as simple as they seemed.
They intended to observe from the shadows, but this first phase's conclusion was proving extraordinary.
The gains might surpass those of the previous three worlds combined.
Nazarick's Great Tomb.
Under the night sky, just past midnight, Nazarick had freshly crossed into this world.
Before Ainz could grasp the situation, an uninvited guest arrived.
"Momonga…" Esdeath's voice cut through as she appeared before the bewildered Ainz. "Is this all you've got? How dull."
Before Albedo could speak, Esdeath raised a hand, and endless frost enveloped Nazarick.
In an instant, time seemed to freeze.
Esdeath gazed at Ainz, lifting a single finger.
And then, it was over.
Ainz's life ended once more.
Crack.
Crack.
Encased in ice, Ainz shattered, his life extinguished.
"Not even worth testing his strength?" Ker appeared beside Esdeath, asking calmly.
Esdeath glanced at her, shaking her head. "Dull. His Majesty ordered us to handle this world swiftly. If the timing were right, I might've played a bit."
"But waiting for him to master his power? Pointless."
"He's just an ordinary man. It'd take too long for him to wield that power effectively."
Esdeath had no interest in Ainz. His strength was no match for hers.
With a Seventh Sense Cosmo, honed far along its path, she was a star-destroying, solar-system-level force.
The Cosmo system's ceiling was extraordinarily high, its framework complete—from Cosmo to divine will to ultimate power. With potential, one could climb endlessly.
For a genius like Esdeath, constrained by her original world, her growth was only accelerating.
Ainz? An ordinary man with sudden power. Mastering it was a pipe dream.
She'd rather spar with a Gold Saint back home.
"Never do that," Ker said softly.
Esdeath nodded, understanding.
Ker continued, "His Majesty's orders: freeze all chosen kin in Nazarick. Dispose of the unworthy and collect their world power."
"Got it," Esdeath agreed. Why wasn't Ker acting? This was Esdeath's task.
Besides, Ker's role was limited to faith systems and barriers.
Esdeath moved quickly, handling everything in short order.
"The world power is yours," she said, handing it to Ker. "Do I wait here?"
"No need," Ker replied. "Everyone's setting up barriers. Join them. I'll deliver the world power to His Majesty and follow."
Esdeath left Nazarick, now entirely encased in ice.
The supposedly invincible Nazarick was, to her, a trivial matter.
The gap in power was insurmountable.
With Nazarick's fall, the entire world was under control.
Next came the real work: setting up barriers, spreading faith, and building faith nations.
As the saying goes, conquering a world is easy; holding it is hard; governing it, harder still.
Conquest was the simplest step. The real challenge lay ahead.
Esdeath stepped out, gazing at the moonlight. "What a beautiful night."
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL