Overlord: Blue Citadel Alternate

Jack resurfaced somewhere in the Land of Karst relative to the memories in which he had seen in the back of Brita's mind. He brought his hand up to his head as he scratched his scalp in thought, looking over the entrance to what appeared to be a cave.

There was no life inside, but it felt lived in, even from a few feet away from the entrance. He could smell the putrid smell of death from deep inside.

"This is where her friends died..." His gaze moved to where the shapes of where bodies once lied. He could see hardly any blood present, they had indeed been slaughtered by the vampires.

It was likely the bodies had been collected by the Guild or they had been reanimated. Though it was unlikely as there was plenty of evidence which could make one assume they had been decapitated. So resurrection as members of the undead was an unlikely tale. Especially since Shalltear and her Vampire Brides had wiped all of the bandits which were here, as well as the Adventurers which had been sent to clear them out.

「Flash Step」

Darting around the mountain at immeasurable virtually invisible speeds, Jack made his way into the forest area and leapt above the tree tops. Floating there for a few moments as he would cast 「Fly」 and observe the horizon.

"She would've headed in that direct..." His eyes rested upon a suit of armor leaving a scene in the distance. His eyes traced over its design. 「Greater Identification」

The moment he cast this, a wide grin formed over his lips. It was a set of remote controlled armor which could be considered a golem of some sort. However what was making him grin wasn't this, but the person who was being the controls.

"The Platinum Dragon Lord?" His eyes watched as the suit would disappear off in the distance towards the direction of the City-State Alliance. "Did he lose...?"

「 Teleportation 」

Appearing over the scene which surrounded Shalltear Bloodfallen, he stared down at the small True Vampire which was standing in the center of the clearing.

She looked almost too convincingly harmless. She almost looked like an adorable doll devoid of a soul. In a way, she was originally. In the game NPC's mouths didn't move and even though they were programmed by their creators, they were very limited in capacity.

"Hm..." His eyes tracked about the clearing, his eyes narrowing on bits and pieces of armor and weapons left behind by the two members of the Black Scripture who had perished in the attack by the Vampire.

"They moved Southwest," his eyes stared in the direction of the Slane Theocracy, a low inaudible grumble escaping from his lips.

Lowering himself down to the clearing, he would avoid going to close to Shalltear as he would collect small pieces of armor and weapons. Even metal shavings from a spear that he was able to spot using his identification magic as it sorted it apart from the grass.

Glancing over towards the Vampire, he pursed his lips and frowned.

Her eyes seemed faded out and empty, though he could see the faint slots of her pupils. Even though she had a very negative karma which classified her as Evil... She still reminded him of a doll more than anything else.

Turning away from her finally though, he began to move in the direction of the Black Scripture's determined route of retreat. There were very little tracks, but there was always residue and things left behind. A retreat was usually rushed and this was no exception for this course of action. There was the faintest indication that two individuals were killed and one was critically wounded, that was for sure.

Jack continued to use Flash Step in order to catch up and follow the Black Scripture back towards the roads that lead into their territory.

A small grin formed over his lips as he could already see in the distance one of the closest settlements to the border between the two countries. However he knew he couldn't take his time to stroll despite enjoying the scenery.

Based on his mana regeneration capabilities and his constant use of flash step, he was closing in on the settlement extremely quickly without even losing his reserves. It would normally take several days by foot to have even make it past the border like he did.

"Captain! Someone just teleported nearby!" The Third Seat shouted, he was a mage and watching their surroundings. It was clear he was the first one to spot Jack as some of the members whirled around to look over.

"He disappeared again..." After a few seconds, Jack was appearing and disappearing several distances apart as he was closing in on them. It was as if he was zig-zagging side to side, like a scene from a bad horror movie.

Jack's eyes were rested on the ones carrying a woman, a woman wearing a yellow dress. His eyes which were still using the active-passive spell of Greater Identification, identified it as the Downfall of Castle and Country. A world item from YGGDRASIL which could use mind control even on the undead whom were immune or highly resistant toward such magics.

Launching himself off the ground with a kick, Jack began to hover over them the moment he completely caught up. His eyes looked over each one of them, learning as he did so, just with a simple glance. He knew what they could do and he knew that if they cornered him, it would be a problem. However he was also pretty sure that he could take them all out regardless.

"Identify yourself!" The Captain of the Black Scripture had his weapon, a spear, pointed at the man with a frown across his lips. The only reason they dared even hold back from attacking him, was because he looked human, all except for his glowing purple eyes.

"Hand over the 'Downfall of Castle and Country,' or I will eliminate you." Jack threatened them without much more than a bat of his eye. Taking out a quick change stick, which looked like a Popsicle stick with words written on it, he snapped it in half to summon a different staff to his hand; replacing the one he was currently using.

The Intelligence Staff, known as Seraph, appeared in his hand. It was slick and black with golden inlays that appeared to move like decorative living vines.

The Captain's eyes widened as he spoke the name of the relic which Kaire was wearing. He even was surprised by the sudden use of an item which switched out his weapon.

Could this person be a player? A God?

The Captain looked to the Third Seat, then towards the others here. They knew if they fought a god, at least a high powered one, it was unlikely they'd live to tell the tale. However the punishment of losing a national treasure to a hostile wasn't very favorable either.

It was his duty to protect his Scripture from undue harm.

However his eyes moved to the Staff and raised a brow. It looked alive, and the more he focused on it, the more he could see that it was indeed talking. Displaying an unfamiliar text and emoji faces that he couldn't really understand at first.

"What is your name?"

Jack stared through the God-kin, a descendant of the Six Great Gods. "Do you not take my threat seriously?" The man landed on his feet in front of them.

The group took a step back instinctively as a killer intent washed over them. He was definitely capable of killing them. "If you don't give me the item, I will eliminate the Extra-Seat as well."

"… How do you know abou--" The Captain was cut off by the sight of the man's staff eating a butterfly which landed upon it, having grown little black shadowy tendrils to trap and consume it. "Did your staff just.."

Could it be this being had been getting stronger by devouring other things through the staff? The Captain shifted with his spear pointed to the man cautiously.

"If we give you the dress, you'll let us live?"

"..." the Captain stared through the man for a moment before turning to the other members of his group. They were all looking to their captain to make a decision.

"I'll trade," their faces all turned to look to Jack as he opened his item box.

All of the member's mouths opened partially in shock. He was a player, no normal person had this kind of storage. The man before them was just like the Six Great Gods.

The Captain's eyes locked on the hand exiting the item box, revealing what looked to be the Crown of Wisdom which had been stolen by Clementine.

"By any means, we cannot give you this item." The Captain was digging his feet into the ground defiantly. It wasn't to spite him, it was because they needed the item.

"Oh?" His eyes warped through that of the Captain's, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Why would that be exactly?" He wondered what they were planning on using a mind controlling item for.

"The revival of the Catastrophe Dragon Lord is imminent, or has already begun. We need it to defend ourselves!" The Thousand Leagues Astrologer blurted out as she shifted from behind the third seat and moved towards the front of the group though remained behind the Captain.

"What a creative name..." Jack simply stared through the bunch as they spoke of this. If he just devoured them all, he'd be able to tell if they were telling the truth. That and he would gain more knowledge about this world and probably some new skills.

"Hm… I've already been paid to find out what happened to the Vampire," Jack mumbled to himself as he appeared to let his killing intent vanish. However the Captain remained very much on guard with his weapon at the ready.

The last thing he needed was a Country with an anti-nonhuman policy ruling the continent. It made him cringe even though there were plenty of species on the planet that had no problem eating humans for all three meals or even enslaving them for menial labor.

"Then… Why can't I have it to stop this Dragon Lord?" Jack seemed to be smiling blankly in their direction as he took a step towards them. The killing intent was slowly seeping out of him like a boiling kettle of water. The tea was ready to steep.

As the Captain lunged forward and the third seat began to recite buffing spells. Jack just tilted his head and parried the spear to the side as it was meant to stab him in the central mass. He then proceeded to reach in as the powerful Captain swatted his hand away. Only for Jack to grab him by the wrist with a grin. The other members of the Scripture began to surround him closely, melee in the front and magic or support in the back.

"Thank you."

"Eh?" The Captain was now grappling with Jack's hands.

"And goodbye."

The Captain's eyes slowly ticked on over to the Staff which was floating in place directly beside them. "What're you..."

「Devour」

With his hands intertwined with the poor Captain of the Black Scripture, black tendrils would begin to sprout from his gloves and wrap their way up the unknowing man's arms.

The Captain quickly snapped to attention, and as he tried to pull away from Jack, his lower lip quivered as he found himself unable to move. His eyes traced over the black tendrils which were covering every inch of his body below his neck. Then his eyes locked with Jack's, he seemed to be frowning.

"You didn't want to do this, did you?"

Jack shrugged at the man who was capable of speaking even in the face of death itself. "I'll get over it."

"All units, make a run for it!" The Captain turned towards his friends and colleagues as he shouted for them to go. They weren't going to be able to fight him, not here, not without reinforcements.

The moment they began to scatter in all directions, abandoning the bodies of their fallen in the process, the Tendrils blacked out his sight and soon enough he was fully covered.

"Five… Four… Three… Two… One..." Jack turned his eyes toward those whom were running away. Like a vacuum the entire body of the Captain was s.u.c.k.e.d into his hands. A light glow forming around his body as his physical attributes and other jobs classes improved.

「Assimilation」

They only made it about ten meters away from their previous positions. And as they all glanced back as a new spell was cast, their eyes widened in horror. They could see invisible shapes that bent light around them combing through the grass and after them.

"I don… I don't want to die..." Kaire who was on the ground g.r.o.a.n.e.d as she felt the unknown presence wrap around her. It felt like it was squeezing, constricting and crushing every bone in her body. She couldn't even move, let alone speak the moment it had reached her t.h.i.g.h.

Jack watched as they screamed out for one another, or towards one another.

The Third Seat, the Mage, tried to combat the attack with his own magic. Sadly he was incapable of doing so. Fifth tier magic seemed to only slow it down, but it wouldn't stop it. Flying also didn't work.

The Holy Caster with blond hair and pink robes was hovering away from hers. Yet it was catching up quickly like a snake would on a low gliding bird. Just as she was gaining altitude, it got hold of her ankle and slammed her into the ground.

Time Turbulence tried attacking it as he found running away made no difference. It could match or even outmatch one's speed. Even if one could move extremely fast or use time based magic.

Jack walked over to the woman known as Kaire and stared down at her as she could only give him a gaze of fear and hatred. He was killing her and she was already critically injured from before.

"Think of this as a mercy, Kaire. You may have lived a few more weeks with people trying to heal you, but that status effect from Shalltear would've been the end of you." Holding a hand over her, he closed his eyes partially.

「Aport」

The moment he recited the spell, the dress known as the Downfall of Castle and Country appeared in his hand. Having stripped her entirely of the dress which he would proceed to put in his item box.

He then turned his eyes towards the girl with long blue hair. Unlike the others she found herself frozen, watching all of her friends and colleagues flee to no avail. Whether or not they stayed to fight or ran away, those things he had summoned with that unknown tiered spell, just caught up with them anyway.

"Now..." Jack began walking towards the Astrologer. "Tell me more about this Dragon Lord," his eyes rested on her form. She was busty, wore scantily clad clothing with two different colored socks.

"I..."

"...Nevermind," Jack watched as a tendril came up from behind her and wrapped around her waist. "Should've answered faster. I'm sorry."

Tears began to trail down from her eyes and drip from her chin. Her mouth slowly opened, but nothing was coming out. She could feel the tendril enclosing around her very being and there was nothing she could do as it kept her completely paralyzed in the process.

Jack walked up to each member of the Scripture and cut off a little bit of their hair, or at least something with a simple of their DNA on it, and placed it into his Item Box.

If he saw it fit, he could use parts of them to resurrect them completely. Even if it was just hair. He even collected it from the dead bodies of their fallen as the tendrils were beginning to turn their reddish tinge. He would take a step back from all of them as he could hear their bones and organs be crushed into nothingness. Soon enough there were just thirteen vials of dark red goop sitting in each spot they had once been subdued.

Like a scavenger, he would pick up any weapons or accessories they had left behind and placed them in his item box as well. He left nothing, not even a breadcrumb from their emergency rations.

"Now that this is finished… All I have to do is get back to E-Rantel." Turning in the direction of the Re-Estize Kingdom after collecting the vials, he let out a quiet sigh. That was a long way back if he were to walk it. "Hmm..."