Overlord: The Wandering Sorcerer Chapter 10 — The First Real Fight
Clementine moved first.
There was no warning.
No battle cry.
No hesitation.
One moment she stood in the doorway.
The next, she was already in front of Momonga.
Her blade flashed toward his skull.
Clang!
Nabe intercepted it.
The impact shook the corridor.
Clementine’s eyes widened.
Nabe’s sword was pressed against hers.
For several seconds, the two women remained locked together.
Then Clementine smiled.
“You’re fast.”
Nabe’s expression didn’t change.
“You are not.”
Clementine’s smile disappeared.
She twisted her body and kicked Nabe backward.
Nabe slid several meters across the stone floor.
Momonga’s emotions surged.
“Nabe.”
“I’m fine.”
She stood immediately.
Clementine laughed.
“Oh, I really like you.”
“I do not like you.”
“That makes it more fun.”
Clementine attacked again.
This time Nabe met her.
Their swords collided.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The corridor filled with the sound of steel.
Gagaran stared.
“What the hell…”
Tia pulled one of her blades free.
“She’s matching Nabe.”
“No,” Momonga said.
Everyone looked at him.
He watched the fight carefully.
“She’s not.”
Nabe was deliberately holding back.
Momonga knew that.
He also knew why.
Nabe was waiting for his command.
Momonga raised his hand.
“Nabe.”
She glanced toward him without breaking her stance.
“Yes?”
“Don’t kill her.”
Clementine heard him.
Her smile returned.
“That’s a strange order.”
Momonga looked at her.
“I want answers.”
“You always want answers.”
“Yes.”
“You should want revenge.”
“For what?”
Clementine laughed.
“You’re undead.
Aren’t you supposed to hate me?”
Momonga frowned.
“Why would I?”
“Because I’m stronger than most humans.”
“That doesn’t make you my enemy.”
“You don’t hate me?”
“No.”
Clementine’s expression became strangely disappointed.
“That’s boring.”
Momonga sighed.
“You really are difficult.”
Nabe suddenly changed her rhythm.
One step.
A feint.
A turn.
Her sword struck Clementine’s wrist.
Clementine’s weapon flew across the corridor.
Before she could react, Nabe’s blade was at her throat.
Everything stopped.
Clementine stared at the sword.
Then at Nabe.
Then she started laughing.
“That’s it?”
Nabe’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re defeated.”
“Maybe.”
Clementine looked at Momonga.
“But he’s not going to let you kill me.”
“No.”
Momonga stepped forward.
“Correct.”
Clementine shook her head.
“You really don’t understand.”
“What?”
She looked at the magical circle behind them.
“That thing isn’t for experiments.”
Momonga turned.
“What?”
“The people who came here weren’t being experimented on.”
“Then what were they doing?”
Clementine smiled.
“They were sacrifices.”
Silence.
Lakyus stepped forward.
“Sacrifices for what?”
Clementine’s eyes moved toward her.
“You’ll find out.”
Momonga’s gaze hardened.
“How many?”
“How many what?”
“People have been sacrificed here?”
Clementine shrugged.
“Enough.”
Momonga’s voice became cold.
“And who is doing it?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
Clementine smiled.
“Maybe.”
Momonga considered using magic to force the truth from her.
Then he remembered something.
The magical circle.
The symbol.
The Slane Theocracy insignia.
And Clementine.
There was a connection.
He just didn’t know what it was.
Yet.
Evileye stepped forward.
“Let me see the circle.”
Momonga moved aside.
She approached cautiously.
Her eyes glowed.
Magical energy gathered around her.
Then she froze.
“What?”
Lakyus asked.
Evileye didn’t answer immediately.
She stared at the circle.
“There’s something inside it.”
Momonga’s attention sharpened.
“What?”
“A spell.”
“What kind?”
“I don’t know.”
That answer was becoming irritating.
Momonga stepped beside her.
“Can you identify it?”
Evileye shook her head.
“It’s old.”
“How old?”
“Very.”
Momonga examined the markings.
The magic wasn’t YGGDRASIL.
He could tell immediately.
The structure was different.
The spell wasn’t built around levels, skills, or mana in the way he understood them.
It was something else.
Something native to this world.
Then—
The circle activated.
A pulse of crimson light spread across the chamber.
Everyone froze.
Momonga immediately raised his hand.
“Everyone back!”
The floor shook.
The walls cracked.
A deep rumbling sound came from beneath them.
Gagaran grabbed Tia. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“What is happening?”
“I don’t know!” Lakyus shouted.
Clementine laughed.
“Now we’re getting somewhere!”
Momonga turned toward her.
“You knew this would happen.”
Clementine shrugged.
“I suspected.”
“You idiot.”
“Thank you.”
The magical circle brightened.
Then the center of the chamber split open.
Something climbed out.
A hand.
Then an arm.
Then a head.
A skeletal creature pulled itself from the darkness.
It was enormous.
Far larger than a human.
Its bones were black.
Blue flames burned inside its eye sockets.
Momonga stared.
He recognized the general category.
But not the creature itself.
Evileye whispered:
“What is that?”
Momonga answered quietly.
“Undead.”
Gagaran laughed nervously.
“That’s a bit obvious.”
Momonga’s voice remained serious.
“Very high-level undead.”
Everyone became silent.
Nabe stepped closer.
“How strong?”
Momonga focused.
He couldn’t determine its exact level.
But he could estimate.
“Stronger than Clementine.”
Clementine’s expression changed.
For the first time, she looked genuinely concerned.
“That’s not supposed to happen.”
Momonga turned toward her.
“What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
The creature stood.
The chamber trembled beneath its weight.
Then it looked toward Momonga.
And spoke.
A distorted voice echoed through the room.
“PLAYER.”
Momonga froze.
Every thought stopped.
The others stared at him.
Nabe immediately moved closer.
“Mommon?”
The undead creature looked directly at him.
“PLAYER.”
Momonga couldn’t move.
It knew.
Somehow…
It knew.
Not undead.
Not adventurer.
Not Mommon.
Player.
The word had not been spoken in this world for centuries.
Perhaps millennia.
And yet this creature had recognized him.
Momonga’s mind raced.
How?
Why?
What created it?
And then another thought appeared.
Does it know there are others?
The creature raised one enormous hand.
“PLAYER…
RETURNED.”
Momonga felt something he had not felt since arriving in the New World.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Something deeper.
A terrible certainty.
He was no longer simply exploring the New World.
The New World had begun to notice him.
“Momonga.”
Nabe’s voice was quiet.
He turned.
She had never called him that before.
Not here.
Not in public.
Not since they had left Nazarick.
But now she had.
Perhaps she understood.
This was no longer an adventure.
This was personal.
Momonga looked at her.
“Yes.”
Nabe stood beside him.
“Command me.”
Momonga looked toward the enormous undead.
Then toward Blue Rose.
Then Clementine.
He made his decision.
“Nabe.”
“Yes?”
“Protect everyone.”
Nabe nodded.
“Understood.”
Momonga stepped forward.
His adventurer’s cloak moved behind him.
The copper plate around his neck suddenly seemed almost absurd.
He raised one hand.
The undead creature roared.
The chamber shook.
Momonga smiled.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he stopped pretending to be weak.
Not completely.
Not yet.
But enough.
“Let’s see what this world can really do.”
He cast.
“Greater Teleportation.”
Space twisted.
Momonga disappeared.
The creature turned.
Too late.
Momonga appeared above it.
His hand touched the creature’s skull.
“Reality Slash.”
The air itself split.
A black line appeared across the creature’s body.
The undead staggered.
Everyone stared.
Even Evileye.
“What…”
Momonga landed.
The creature remained standing.
Momonga’s eyes narrowed.
“It survived.”
Nabe looked impressed.
“That is unusual.”
“Very.”
The creature roared again.
It swung its enormous arm.
Momonga raised a barrier.
The impact sent him sliding backward.
He stopped himself.
His barrier had cracked.
Momonga looked at it.
Then at the creature.
He smiled.
“Now that’s interesting.”
Clementine stared at him.
“You’ve been holding back.”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
Momonga didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know.
He had never fought seriously in this world.
And neither had the creature.
The battle had only just begun.
The creature attacked again.
Momonga teleported.
It struck the wall.
Stone exploded.
Gagaran shielded Tina.
“Is this really necessary?!”
Tia shouted:
“Probably not!”
Lakyus raised her sword.
Evileye shook her head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
She pointed toward the circle.
“If we leave now, whatever is controlling that thing remains active.”
Lakyus understood.
“So we destroy the circle.”
“Exactly.”
Gagaran grinned.
“Finally, something I can hit!”
She charged.
Clementine suddenly stepped in front of her.
Gagaran stopped.
“What are you doing?”
Clementine looked at the circle.
Then at the undead.
Then at Momonga.
“I want to see this.”
Gagaran frowned.
“See what?”
“How far he’ll go.”
She smiled.
“Don’t interrupt.”
Gagaran raised her weapon.
“You’ve got some nerve.”
Clementine didn’t move.
Then Momonga appeared beside them.
“Move.”
Clementine glanced at him.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Perhaps.”
“You’re smiling.”
“Perhaps.”
“You really are a monster.”
Momonga looked at her.
“Maybe.”
He raised his hand.
“But I’m not your enemy.”
Clementine stared at him.
Then slowly moved aside.
Momonga faced the magical circle.
“Evileye.”
“Yes?”
“How do we destroy it?”
“I don’t know.”
Momonga sighed.
“Of course.”
He examined it.
Then he noticed something.
The center wasn’t powered by mana.
It was powered by something else.
Life.
The sacrifices.
The dead adventurers.
The missing people.
The blood.
Momonga’s expression hardened.
“It feeds on life.”
Evileye nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then we reverse it.”
“Can you?”
Momonga smiled.
“I can try.”
He placed his hand against the stone.
The circle reacted.
Dark magic spread through it.
The red light became black.
The creature screamed.
Clementine stepped backward.
“What are you doing?”
“Ending this.”
The circle cracked.
Once.
Twice.
Then shattered.
The enormous undead creature collapsed.
Its body hit the floor with enough force to shake the entire chamber.
Silence followed.
Momonga stood motionless.
Then the creature spoke one final time.
“Player…”
Its blue flames faded.
And it died.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Gagaran broke the silence.
“Well.”
She looked at Momonga.
“That was impressive.”
Momonga turned toward her.
“Thank you.”
Evileye stared at the remains.
Then at him.
“You really are something.”
Momonga smiled.
“I’ve heard that too.”
Lakyus approached.
“Mommon.”
“Yes?”
“I think we need to talk.”
Momonga nodded.
“I agree.”
Clementine suddenly laughed.
Everyone looked at her.
She was standing near the broken doorway.
Her weapons were back in their sheaths.
She looked completely delighted.
“This was wonderful.”
Momonga stared.
“What?”
“I’ve never seen anything like that.”
She looked at him.
“Now I understand.”
“Understand what?”
Clementine smiled.
“Why I was drawn to you.”
She turned.
“I’ll see you again.”
Momonga sighed.
“Apparently.”
Clementine disappeared into the darkness.
Lakyus watched her leave.
“We should have stopped her.”
Momonga nodded.
“Perhaps.”
“You let her go.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Momonga looked at the ruined circle.
“Because she’s not the biggest problem anymore.”
Lakyus followed his gaze.
“The Theocracy.”
Momonga nodded.
“Yes.”
Evileye crossed her arms.
“And whatever that creature was.”
Momonga looked down at the broken black bones.
“That too.”
He paused.
Then looked at Nabe.
She was standing exactly where he had told her to stand.
Watching him.
Waiting.
Momonga smiled.
“We have a lot of questions.”
Nabe nodded.
“Then we should find the answers.”
Momonga looked toward the ruined corridor.
For a moment, he thought about Nazarick.
About the Great Tomb.
About his old guildmates.
About the world he had lost.
Then he looked at the people around him.
Lakyus.
Gagaran.
Tia.
Tina.
Evileye.
Nabe.
He realized something.
Perhaps he didn’t need to find a way back.
Perhaps this world could become home.
Not because it was safe.
Not because it was familiar.
But because there were people here worth knowing.
Momonga smiled.
“Let’s go home.”
Evileye raised an eyebrow.
“Home?”
Momonga looked toward the surface.
“E-Rantel.”
And for the first time, he said the word without hesitation.
“Home.”