AN: Not much to say this time around. Time for divergence to really start happening since things aren't progressing out of their control on Nazarick's doorstep. There will be some minor graphic torture in the later parts of the chapter. Nothing too gruesome but it's there all the same.

I could have split this into 2 smaller chapters but decided against it. I didn't feel like putting in the effort of doing all of that on my tablet. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Edit AN: Whoops. Got the floors of Nazarick mixed up and said the frozen prison was on the 6th floor. Got that fixed.

Basic disclaimer: I do not own Overlord. This is purely for entertainment and not meant to be monetized at all. Do not repost this anywhere else for profit.

Chapter 4: Explanations, Discussion, and Interrogations

10th Floor of Nazarick

Throne room

"This is an absolute order! Make the name Ainz Ooal Gown an eternal legend!" Momonga, now having taken the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, ordered in a commanding and grandiose tone towards the gathered NPC's in front of the Throne of Kings.

Baphomet, who stood behind and to Ainz's left, internally groaned and sighed at his friend's role playing. 'I bet he's going to teleport away soon and leave me behind again. Ah well, I'll stick around to handle the aftermath of what he just ordered.' He thought as the gathered NPC's all gave their vows of dedication to the goal laid out before them.

"As far as I am concerned, I'm content with supporting your endeavors from behind the curtains of your grand stage, Ainz." Baphomet humbly said with a hand across his heart and a slight bow to his head. He was wearing his showmans divine gear set.

Ainz nodded his acceptance. "I wouldn't have it any other way, old friend."

Ainz did indeed teleport away moments after their short exchange. Baphomet walked forward to the top of the dias that held the Throne of Kings. He looked over the gathered NPC's and watched for any signs of possible confusion that were clearly visible. He saw none as their devotion to their lords and supreme beings was absolute. Baphomet looked down to Lilith, who was kneeling to Albedo's left with a mischievous smile on her face. She gave a barely noticed nod to her creator as his vision settled on Albedo before moving over to Demiurge.

Baphomet had a feeling that they both wanted to say something to the gathered NPC's of The Great Tomb of Nazarick. He gestured with his hand as if to say, 'The stage is yours.'

Albedo nodded as she stood and faced those behind her. "Demiurge, please inform the others of the Supreme Being's plans for this world."

Demiurge rose and faced the others. "I was with our Lord's last night when they gazed upon this world's splendors from the skies above. Lord Ainz said this world's riches glitter like gems in a treasure box. While Lord Baphomet said this world should not be our only goal to strive for." He dipped his head and lowered his tone. "Then, after a moment, I heard Lord Ainz say, 'The most enjoyable thing now might be taking over the world.' Yes."

Demiurge grinned in sadistic anticipation. "Lord Baphomet himself said they have both seen many worlds and what happens to the foolish shortsighted leaders of those worlds. They will not blindly rule this world with an iron fist. No. No, the Supreme Beings want the denizens of this world to love them. Yes, they will love them for they will recognize their brilliance and experience stand far above any who would oppose their will."

Baphomet stood there and listened intently to the conclusions that Demiurge had come to. 'Well, at least they're not going to go and tear a path of death and destruction across the land in our names. I hope not at least.'

He spread his arms wide and his face beamed in satisfaction. "Splendid, Demiurge! Yes, we intend for this world and all races upon its surface to be prosperous! Whether they be human or heteromorph, all prejudices born of ignorance and arrogance will be culled!" Baphomet next spoke in an almost growling tone as he slowly clenched one hand into a fist. "We will see this world prosper, even if we have to drag it kicking and screaming along the way." He relaxed his stance and put his hands behind his back as he spoke in a genial tone. "Now then. Does anyone have any questions?"

Several of the NPC's among the gathered crowd looked between each other with varying degrees of mild to severe confusion. Baphomet saw that Shalltear was about to speak up and nodded to her. "Yes, Shalltear?"

Shalltear put a finger to her chin and looked up and to the side with a cute look of mild confusion on her face. "Lord Baphomet, aren't humans weak and pathetic creatures that should be crushed beneath our heels and fed upon? Why would we do anything to help them?"

"Good question. Demiurge, would you like to explain the answer in such a way that all can understand?" Baphomet said as he deflected the question for the moment.

Demiurge bowed. "Certainly, Lord Baphomet. You humble me with your confidence in my ability to understand your intent." He took on a lecturing pose as he began pacing in front of the gathered group. "Humans are weak by nature. They also tend to fear what they do not understand."

"However, given careful education and guidance as they mature from a young age can mold them into useful tools. Lady Yamaiko often spoke of the importance of teaching and raising children properly." He paused. "When they are left to their own devices, however, the fear they have of the unknown can push them to take rather extreme measures to protect themselves. Case in point. Initial interrogation of the recently captured humans has revealed that they are human supremacists. They believe they were chosen by their gods to rule over all other races."

A number of the gathered monsters and demons audibly scoffed at that. "Such weak filth has no right to believe themselves superior to any of us, let alone the Supreme Beings themselves." Albedo coldly said with contempt.

Baphomet's internal thoughts gravitated towards disgust and disappointment. 'Considering that we found what appears to be the remnants of a guild base, the players that came before must have had human avatars. They had to have been young and played into the whole heteromorph hunting meta from before in YGGDRASIL. Ugh, leave it to kids to screw things up and not make sure the consequences of their actions don't get out of hand.'

He cleared his throat before speaking. "If their beliefs of human supremacy come from religious zealotry, then it will be difficult to convince them otherwise." Baphomet cupped his chin in thought. "The country those humans came from will take a more… delicate… approach in order to properly deal with. Hmm… there's no point in coming to any conclusions just yet for now." He shrugged and shook his head. "As they say, good things come to those who wait." He paused and then clarified the phrase. "Patience is key. There's no point in rushing things when their lives are so short."

Shalltear still looked unconvinced of being patient with the humans. "I still think we should just kill them all and be done with it."

Baphomet adopted a mildly disappointed look as he put his hands on his hips and stared at Shalltear. He was about to speak but was beaten to the punch as Aura voiced her disapproval. "Leave it to miss fake tits to think we should just take a sledgehammer to everything in front of us."

"HEY! I don't want to hear another word out of you, pipsqueak!" Shalltear predictably retorted.

Baphomet raised a hand in their direction. "Enough." He lowered his hand when they quickly quieted down and apologized. "There's a very good reason why we won't be doing something like that immediately and without warning. Tell me, Shalltear, what do you think any other kingdoms in the area around us will do against such a threat?"

Shalltear scrunched her brow as she thought about that. "Um, cower in fear at our strength?" She tentatively offered.

Baphomet took in a breath and sighed before he answered. "No, Shalltear. They will unite and fight us together, or possibly abandon each other and flee. There really is no telling what could happen once chaos ensues in that scenario."

Demiurge offered his own opinion next. "As entertaining as it would be to watch them scatter in fear like the lower lifeforms they are, that would not lend well to them becoming useful tools to the Supreme Beings in the future."

Baphomet cleared his throat. "Moving on. I'm going to show you a world without magic. A world governed by the laws of nature and physics only. But, most importantly, a world of humanity." He waved his hand as he cast a spell to project a large illusion in the air over them. "This world had no other sentient species other than humans, so all they had to worry about was what nature itself could throw at them." The illusion took shape in the form of the Earth he and Ainz had come from. The Earth spun lazily above them as he started to tell a story of humanity's beginnings. "Since humanity's birth on this world, they have fought and competed with each other for resources and territory. Entire kingdoms and empires rose and fell throughout the millennia. In fact, the Library of Ashurbanipal will have a number of books detailing the different epochs of this world if you're curious about it."

Baphomet may not have been that much of a history buff, but he did enjoy watching good documentaries in his spare time. He continued detailing humanity's rise to power as the dominant species on the planet as their technology continued to evolve and grow. Culminating in the modern era, the World Wars, and the rapid advancement of technology and the machines that spewed pollution into the air. "Their tenacity and drive to grow in knowledge continued for the most part unhindered into their modern age. But, greed and corruption began settling into their governing bodies. Further wars over dwindling resources began to take its toll on their world."

The image of the Earth began changing drastically as newer and deadlier wars were waged. After the wars ended, the air had become polluted and the lands barren of anything green. "Eventually, the greed and lust for power of the few destroyed this planet's ecosystem. Forcing humanity to live in carefully controlled domes and habitats that protected them from the poisonous world that they themselves created."

Mare and Aura had looks of utter shock at what had happened to the world above them. "Lord Baphomet? Were the humans really so stupid that they destroyed their own world?" Aura asked with a barely noticed tremble in her voice. "Did they really kill all of the cute animals in their world?"

Baphomet nodded gravely. "Yes, they did. The skies were so polluted that nothing grew on the surface of the world anymore. The oceans were just as poisonous and deadly."

Mare had tears starting to form at the edges of his eyes. "W-why would t-they d-do such a thing t-to their own w-world? They killed it!"

Baphomet shifted the view to the domed city that he himself had lived in. He first showed the horrid and pitiful lives of the common workers living outside of the domes. Young parents and children alike were forced to work long hours for little pay in the worst of conditions. Even when the parents died of extreme exhaustion or other means no one did anything to help the children. The orphanages were complete jokes and simply taught children to work at a young age, or be put off into the streets to fend for themselves. Any that were condemned to the streets died shortly after due to the poisonous conditions of the world around them and the general apathy nearly everyone had. Everyone was concerned with their own survival over anything else around them.

Then, in contrast, Baphomet showed the lavish splendor the rich few wallowed in. They didn't care at all about what happened to those beneath them. The only concerns they had were gaining more wealth and living as lavishly as possible. All in all, it painted a rather bleak picture of humanity's future in that world.

Demiurge huffed out a few sinister laughs. "How delicious. Their greed, corruption, and lust for power drove them to punish themselves with a slow and drawn out death. Truly, these humans were the lowest of the low to allow this to happen to themselves and their world." He turned and faced those behind him. "This proves that humans cannot be left to their own devices. They need rules that apply to every single one of them, even their leadership. No one shall be above the rule of the Supreme Beings."

Baphomet raised a finger. "There is a saying. If you want a true test of someone's character, give them power and see what they do with it. Their leaders had power in the form of their technology, and they abused it." Baphomet concluded as he let the illusion above them fade. "The humanity of this world appears to be in its infancy for now. So they still have time to properly learn and grow with the right guidance."

Albedo stood and addressed the gathered NPC's of Nazarick. "This is our ultimate goal! We shall deliver this world to the Supreme Beings without fail! They and they alone are the only ones worthy to rule this world above any who should stand in their way!"

Baphomet smiled at their dedication outwardly. 'Well… fuck. This is going to be hell to manage without them going out of control. I better stay on top of things like this so Ainz can focus on being the role playing ruler that he's trying to be.' His inner thoughts were a bit exacerbated at how little time they were initially given to come to terms with their surroundings. "And with that, I must bid you all adieu. I have a rather lengthy planning session with Ainz to attend to after all." Just before he teleported away he gave one last order. "Oh and Demiurge, do try not to break the captured humans too quickly. I'd like to see it for myself when they realize they won't be dying any time soon."

Demiurge smiled in his sinister way and laughed openly in twisted joy. "Certainly, Lord Baphomet. I'll be sure to keep things relatively… light… for now."

Baphomet teleported away from the throne room after Demiurge's acceptance of his orders.

Albedo turned to Demiurge after Baphomet had left. "Demiurge? How did you come to the conclusion that the Supreme Beings wish to rule this world with an outwardly benevolent mindset?"

Demiurge pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Make no mistake. There will be plenty who will resist our Lords' goals." The demon imagined the potential pain and suffering he could inflict on any who opposed them with a gleeful expression. "However, after thinking about the conversations that the Supreme Beings would have with each other in the past, it was an obvious conclusion to come to."

"How so?" Albedo asked with genuine interest.

"First of all, I shall tell you a little of my creator, Lord Ulbert. Lord Ulbert and Lord Baphomet were very good friends. They would often hunt down other players together when they left the Great Tomb in the past. Lord Baphomet would use his illusory traps to lure in their targets before Lord Ulbert would utterly crush them." Demiurge paused and smiled at his memories. "They wouldn't just hunt down any other players. They hunted those who were the most corrupt and malevolent. Lord Ulbert despised corruption with a passion. As does Lord Baphomet. Those who abused their wealth and status to influence and corrupt those around them were their favorite targets to hunt."

Lilith spoke up at this point. "I went with them at times along with my sisters. Lord Baphomet would slowly manipulate their targets into betraying their own allies and sowing discord among them. Once they were weakened enough Lord Ulbert would kill them over and over again until they were wiped from existence. They never directly targeted those who were innocent of corruption in their hunts."

Cocytus clacked his mandibles together. "Those without honor and loyalty to one's allies are worthy of neither pity nor mercy."

Demiurge nodded at Cocytus' words. "Very true. Lord Blue Planet would often speak of how one should treasure the world around them and care for it. As for the world Lord Baphomet showed us, those humans failed to take care of their world. Now they are doomed to slowly die out in their polluted world. As I had mentioned earlier, Lady Yamaiko spoke of teaching and raising children properly. Teaching the children of all races a basic set of knowledge and loyalty to the Supreme Beings will create useful tools in the end."

Each of the various NPC's started adding to the conversation as a whole. The entire discussion gave them all a greater sense of purpose in ruling over and leading the new world they found themselves in. They would live up to the memory of their creators without fail.

9th Floor of Nazarick

Baphomet teleported into one of the hallways of the 9th floor and stood still for a moment as he confirmed no one was nearby. "Um, why the fuck did I order Demiurge to do that?" He shook his head and made the short walk to Ainz's room.

He was greeted to the sight of Increment and Decrement standing just outside the double doors to Ainz's room. Decrement noticed Baphomet first and greeted him with a happy smiling face. "Greetings, Lord Baphomet." She had a rather boyish cut to her dark hair and a cheerful disposition on her face in general. Overall she had a tomboyish look to her appearance.

"Decrement, Increment. Good to see the both of you. Is Ainz in his room at the moment?" Baphomet returned the greeting and asked about his friends' whereabouts.

"Yes, Lord Baphomet. Lord Ainz is expecting you." Increment answered this time. She had a pageboy style cut to her dark brown hair. Her expression was more serious than her sister next to her. They, along with Yuri Alpha, were the creations of Yamaiko.

"Splendid. This is a private planning session. Do not interrupt us unless it is an emergency." Baphomet ordered as he walked closer and stood in front of the doors.

"Understood, Lord Baphomet." They replied in unison as they opened the doors after knocking.

Stepping into Ainz's guildmaster office, Baphomet took note that he was looking over some paperwork arrayed on his desk. He made sure the door was shut before he spoke up. "Sorry for taking so long. I got a little sidetracked dealing with the aftermath of your role playing."

Ainz tilted his head and sounded confused. "What?"

Baphomet walked forward and put his closed fists knuckles down on the edge of Ainz's desk as he leaned over it. "You heard me young man. What do you think they're going to do when they hear a proclamation like the one you just made?"

"Uh… I'm not following."

Baphomet's face scrunched up in annoyed frustration. He leaned further forward and slapped his open right hand up against the side of Ainz's head with little force behind it, but enough to get his attention. "Think, Suzuki! THINK!" Baphomet gestured with his index fingers pointing into his temples. "With their backstories and karmic values, what conclusion do you think they'd come to with a grand declaration like yours?!"

Ainz looked visibly stunned for a moment with his slightly open mouth before he stopped and really thought about it. 'Oh… oh shit!' His skeletal mouth opened wider and he groaned out as he gripped the sides of his head. "I THINK I MESSED UP BAD, DIDN'T I!?"

"Oh really? You think?!" Baphomet slammed his knuckles down onto the table's surface.

Ainz seemed to panic for a few moments before a green aura washed over him and he calmed down. He covered his face with both of his skeletal hands. "This isn't going to be easy to deal with."

Baphomet huffed as he relaxed. "Well, at least it's not going to be as hard as you think to manage. I took a while to get here because I gave a rather lengthy explanation of your grand intentions." He shook his head and sighed. "Why do you think I said the things I did when we were up in the sky the other night?"

Ainz thought about that and recalled what Baphomet had said about not ruling with an iron fist. "I thought you were just role playing like I was."

"Partially. But also because Demiurge was there. You really need to stop saying vague things around him. He's really damn intelligent and will twist anything you say in ways that'll leave your head spinning." Baphomet explained what he had observed about Demiurge so far. "Hopefully what I've told them leads them to the conclusion that we want to rule this world with a benevolent mindset overall."

Ainz sighed as he lowered his head before looking back up to Baphomet. "I'm sorry to make you pick up the slack like this, David. I'm just trying to live up to their expectations as the leader of Nazarick."

Baphomet huffed a short laugh at that. "You don't have anything to worry about when it comes to their loyalty. My [all seeing eye] skill has an added effect in this world. It lets me see the barest surface thoughts and intentions of those within its effective range. They are thoroughly and utterly devoted to serving us."

'Thank God! I was worried that they'd abandon or attack us if we did anything wrong in their eyes!' Ainz internally mused. "That's a relief."

Baphomet sighed as he heavily sat down in the chair behind him and slumped before straightening. "Now then, do you have any immediate plans going forward? It's better to coordinate on them now and get everything squared away. That is, before we all go off half cocked and royally screw things up just because we didn't ask what either of us were doing."

Ainz seemed to think for a moment. "I hadn't really planned much out yet. But I was thinking of going out into the world wearing my melee armor and playing the part of an adventurer in order to gain more knowledge. I also wanted to send a few of the NPC's to the capital of Re-Estize to learn more about this kingdom."

Baphomet started to lift a hand and then relaxed back into his seat. "Well, I guess that's one way of learning things about this world. But what about the warrior captain you saved? Gazef Stronoff, I believe, was his name. Did you plan on asking him any questions before he leaves and heads back to his post?"

"No. I think we've learned enough for now." Ainz replied.

Baphomet looked at Ainz with a deadpan expression for an uncomfortably long few moments. "So you're not going to ask anything of the man you saved? A man, mind you, who would know the most within our reach right now about the inner workings of the government he comes from? A man who would more than likely be very happy to answer any questions that you have?"

The red points of light in the eye sockets of Ainz's skull dimmed at that. "Uh… shit."

Baphomet sighed and gave a small knowing smile. "You were never the best strategist or intelligence gatherer."

Ainz slumped theatrically in his seat. "I know. When Punitto Moe and Nubo left you took over their jobs in Nazarick for the most part as best as you could."

"Yeah, I compensated as much as I could with my items and the Astral Observatory. Nubo did very much enjoy using it after we had it built. After all, he was capable of using all of its features on his own." Baphomet reminisced about the past and their former guildmate. The demon cleared his expression and took on a more serious air. "Alright, let's agree to coordinate on things like this in the future. I'll handle espionage and things in the background while you concentrate on leading from the front. Does that seem reasonable enough to you?"

Ainz cupped his chin in thought. 'Yeah, I'm not cut out to go skulking around in the shadows and micromanaging like Baphomet is. He was a department supervisor and lead where he worked while I was a simple salary man.' He nodded as he made up his mind. "Yes. That will work. I'll go out into the world and gain fame and favor by being an adventurer while you do… what will you do now?"

Baphomet smiled and lightly laughed. "Hadn't gotten to that part yet. I'll know more about what I'm going to do once I've gotten some more information on this world from Gazef." He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "Alright, I'm going to need you to introduce me to Gazef as a colleague and good friend of yours. You can even tell him that I helped you all out from the shadows if that makes things any easier."

"Are you sure you want him to know about your involvement?" Ainz asked.

"Yeah. I'd rather have him know that I'm your friend and ally. It'll make it easier for me to act out in the open if necessary." Baphomet answered back as he looked to the ten rings adorning his fingers. "I think I'm going to have to burn the midnight oil tonight." He removed one of his resistance rings and put it into his inventory while pulling out a ring of sustenance. "You naturally don't have to eat or sleep because of your undead nature. Me? I can't ignore nature's rules without a crutch."

Ainz looked at his actions with curiosity. "Burn the midnight oil?" He muttered as he thought about the words as Baphomet put on the ring of sustenance. "Oh, you mean working late into the night? What do you intend to do now?"

"It's a very old saying from well before our time." Baphomet gained a dark and mischievous look. "What every good demon should do with captives. Interrogate them. I'll have Cathy help since she has certain abilities that focus on manipulating single targets mentally." He dropped his expression before speaking again. "I need to make sure all of my girls' abilities work the way I intended them to. They were all created to supplement my own shortcomings in one way or another."

Ainz motioned a sigh. "I don't envy what you're going to have to do. I don't know how I'd deal with all the stress that comes with living up to the NPC's expectations in that situation."

"What makes it easier for me is the fact that all of those men have killed innocents without mercy before." Baphomet answered back with a slight growl in his tone. "But, this will also let me confirm something that I noticed when you were fighting against their magic casters. I perceived some sort of aura coming from them once I got close enough."

"An aura? What do you think that means?" Ainz asked as he cupped his skeletal chin and looked to the side.

Baphomet shrugged. "I have no idea. Only one way to find out." He finished with a wink. "By the way, which NPC's were you planning on sending over to the capital?"

Ainz paused as he thought he had gotten out of answering that question. "Well… uh… I was thinking of sending Sebas and Solution out to act as nobles moving to the capital. And maybe perhaps Shalltear as extra defense. Just in case."

The Lord of Sin cupped his chin and scrunched his brow in thought. "Hmm… Sebas and Solution I can understand. Sebas can play the role of a loyal butler, while Solution can take just about any form she desires due to her nature as a slime and her assassin class." Baphomet looked Ainz in the eyes after that. "But… Shalltear? Don't you think she'd be more of a risk due to her blood frenzy getting out of control once she gets to killing things and it triggers?"

Ainz put a skeletal hand to his chin and hummed. "You have a point." He dropped his hand back to the desk. "Should we test Shalltear's limits with her control over it?"

Baphomet nodded as he shrugged and sighed. "Yeah. That would probably be a good idea." He snapped his fingers as a thought occurred to him. "We should test the other guardians as well against this world. That way, if there are any other players hiding out in the world they'd potentially be drawn out by the threat they present. But that would also mean putting them in harm's way."

Ainz dipped his head and sighed. "Considering that you found the remains of a potential guild base, and the leader of those humans had a sealing crystal… players have been here before us or are even still present." Ainz concluded. "If that's the case… then we can't discount the possibility of world items being here as well."

They both looked at each other and nodded grimly.

Baphomet broke the short silence between them first. "In that case… I'll be taking my personal world item with me when I go outside of the Tomb. The only way to counter a world item is with another world item." He reached out a hand and cast a simple illusion spell to project an image of it. It was a small red skinned figure that looked like a chubby horned demon hunched over a scroll with a quill in its hand. "Belphegor's Effigy. I never did figure out its effects in the end."

Ainz looked at the image for a moment before he recalled the item in question. "Ah… I remember now. Belphegor was a mythical demon who inspired humans to invent things so they could be slothful, so the guild decided to let you keep it since it fit with your aesthetic as you create items and are a demon. Not to mention it had unknown effects that none of us could discern."

The Lord of Sin reached into his shirt collar and pulled out his jeweler's eyepiece. "Not even this was able to tell me what it did." He sighed. "It's probably one of those world items that requires a very specific activation sequence."

"More than likely." Ainz agreed. "I imagine that since you put on a ring of sustenance that you'll be working through the night and into the morning?"

"Yes. That's the general idea. Those humans are a veritable treasure trove of information, and I intend to squeeze every last drop I can from them." Baphomet casually stated as he rose from his seat. "Don't forget to introduce me to Gazef in the morning. I'd hate to lose out on talking to the man in person."

Ainz hummed several laughs as his friend walked towards the door. "Don't worry, Gramps. I won't forget." After the door had closed behind his friend Ainz cast a [message] spell. "Sebas. Baphomet is heading to the frozen prison on the 5th floor to interrogate our prisoners. See to it that anything he asks for is tended to." He waited for Sebas' acknowledgement before ending his spell.

5th floor, Frozen Prison

After leaving his friend's office, Baphomet headed to the frozen prison on the 5th floor of Nazarick with Cathy in tow. The two of them appeared in a flash of light within the entryway of the frozen prison. Cathy had a small contented smile on her face as Baphomet released his grip from around her shoulders. He seemed to not notice as he was focused on the task ahead.

They started walking towards the holding cells as distant screams of pain and anguish began filling the silence. These, however, were not the normal screams of pain you would expect from men. They were the screams grown men devolved into when under intense torture that made it difficult to determine if they were from either sex. Baphomet began to cruelly smile as they grew closer to the source.

The two of them remained silent as they drew near a door that had several homunculus maids in attendance around it. 'I guess Ainz made sure I'd be attended to. Hmmm… might as well ham it up as much as I can in front of the prisoners.'

One of the maids noticed their approach and opened the door and called into the room. "Lord Demiurge. Lord Baphomet has arrived." She dutifully held the door open as Demiurge stepped out and into the hallway.

Demiurge put an arm across his chest and bowed as he greeted the supreme being in front of him. "Greetings, Lord Baphomet. As instructed, I've kept the methods used to a relative minimum until your arrival."

Baphomet smiled and nodded. "Wonderful, Demiurge. What is your personal opinion of these humans so far?"

Demiurge rose from his bow and smiled cruelly as his crystalline eyes glinted behind his glasses. "These lower lifeforms exhibit typical behavior common for weak willed individuals of their race. No true loyalty for one another when faced with the consequences of their actions. Willing to do anything to make their suffering stop."

Baphomet huffed a few low laughs. "I expected as much considering what they were doing to those who couldn't defend themselves." He peered into the room for a moment before stepping back into the hallway and holding out a hand. "[Create item]." A chair and small table took shape. They were made of a dark wood whose design was elegant without being overly ostentatious.

Demiurge watched the actions of his Lord with a curious and calculating seriousness. He understood his Lord's intentions as he motioned a hand to the maids standing by. "Carry this into the room." They did as the arch devil ordered without hesitation.

"Presentation is key. Otherwise… they'll just view me as some kind of common demon worthy of nothing but scorn in their eyes." Baphomet said as he quickly checked the positioning of his shirt and coat. He stepped into the room and was followed by Demiurge and Cathy.

Upon entering the interrogation room, Baphomet was immediately struck by several smells. Namely urine, feces, vomit, and blood. Only a few hours of being under Neuronist's and Demiurge's care had saturated the room in the bodily odors. Baphomet walked forward and towards the humans chained to tables and the wall itself. He hummed to himself as he looked over the mostly naked human men in front of him. He could also indeed see an aura surrounding each of the men. They varied in intensity and overall color but it was there all the same.

Demiurge stopped to his side and spoke. "These are the highest ranked humans that we captured. The rest have been separated into various rooms."

The blonde haired human with the prominent scar on the left side of his face lifted his head and opened his eyes at Demiurge's words. "N… no m-more… I'll… tell you everything. Everything you want to know…" His tone was fearful and his speech almost breathless as he took shallow breaths while chained and strapped to the wall.

Baphomet examined his body for the signs of torture. He saw numerous angry red lines from presumably a whip with cuts weeping small amounts of blood. Several of his fingernails had also been removed. 'Painful, but ultimately survivable in the end. He must not have a very high pain tolerance to already be giving in like this.' Baphomet concluded as he stepped forward and reached a hand towards the man's face.

"Don't you DARE touch him, foul DEMON!" One of the braver humans strapped to a table off to Baphomet's right shouted as his hand neared the recoiling man's face. Despite having his leader offer up all of his subordinates' lives in exchange for his own freedom earlier, this man still held some semblance of loyalty within him.

Baphomet stopped and remained eerily still for a few moments before he slowly turned his head with a raised eyebrow to the man who had interrupted him. He hummed as he met the man's eyes with an unblinking and unnerving stare. Baphomet turned his head more as he looked to Demiurge behind him through the corner of his eye. He nodded to the floor guardian as he looked back to the man who had shouted and lowered his arm and faced him fully with his hands clasped behind his back.

Demiurge stepped forward and looked down at the man with a sadistic and unnervingly calm expression on his face. Faster than the man was able to perceive, Demiurge grabbed his lower jaw and held his mouth open with a crushingly painful grip. "You shall speak only when spoken to." The man attempted to struggle but was unable to remove himself from the grip without also tearing his own jaw from his face. Demiurge then proceeded to cut out the man's tongue and scoop it from his mouth in one quick and fluid motion with clawed fingers.

The man's gargled screams then echoed out into the room. Seeing as he could potentially drown in his own blood, Demiurge pulled a lever on the side of the table after dropping his tongue on a nearby tray. He then spun the table in a way that had the man staring at the floor so that he couldn't kill himself by drowning.

Baphomet watched the events play out with a calm indifference that he didn't know he was capable of. Far from unsettling him, it calmed his nerves to know that it wouldn't be too hard to get through this. "If he comes close to bleeding out… heal him. Death is a mercy that I will not be granting any time soon."

"Of course, Lord Baphomet." Demiurge said as Neuronist handed him a cloth to clean his hand with.

"[Skill], [All Seeing Eye]." Baphomet softly said as he activated his skill. "Now then… where were we?" He said in an upbeat tone as he turned back to face the blonde man chained to the wall. Golden eyes stared back into black ones as Baphomet focused on the mans' surface thoughts. "What is your name, boy?"

The man shifted as much as he was able to without truly struggling against his restraints. He just didn't have the physical or mental energy to resist anymore it seemed. "My name… is Nigun… Grid… Luin… I-I… I am the leader… of the… Sunlight… Scripture."

Utter terror and despair were the only things going through Nigun's mind. That is what Baphomet was able to feel from the sorry excuse for a man before him. "Those who kill anyone unable to defend themselves should also be willing to face the same fate." Baphomet explained as he stepped forward and cupped Nigun's chin with his right hand. The very short claws that replaced the fingernails of an otherwise human looking hand gently pressed into his skin. "All I see in front of me is a sinful human willing to sacrifice anything just to survive a few moments longer."

Nigun almost seemed to frantically cling onto that statement. "YES! Yes… I'll do anything… anything just to live…"

Baphomet hummed out several laughs. "I'm sure you would, boy. But you see, you're too sinful to be let free." The man started hyperventilating and struggling against his restraints as hard as he was able to after those words had settled in. Baphomet was also able to feel the man's pulse reaching dangerously high levels through his fingers on his face. "Now now. We'll be having none of that." Baphomet chided with a waving finger in front of the man's face.

"[Tranquility]." Baphomet said as he cast a spell that would remove all mental debuffs and leave the target in a docile and calm state. It was normally used on mob monsters that you needed to capture alive for specific quests, but could also be used on sufficiently low leveled beings. Nigun's breathing immediately calmed as his frantic mind was forcibly reigned in. "Now… isn't that better?"

Nigun smiled as he answered. "Yes. Much better. Thank you."

Baphomet released his grip on the man's face and stepped back. Unfortunately though, Nigun's little freak out left some drool on his hand. 'Ew… I should've been expecting that.' He held his hand out to the side and one of the homunculus maids stepped forward and wiped his hand clean. Baphomet crossed his left arm across his chest and supported his right elbow as he brought his other hand to his chin in thought.

Demiurge had a series of contemptuous thoughts running through his mind at the weakness displayed by this lower life form. "Such a weak and pathetic lower life form."

Baphomet huffed a laugh. "He certainly did bluff about being powerful before. Now, however…" He gestured a hand towards Nigun. "He turns into a sniveling weakling begging to live for just a little longer." Baphomet shook his head and sighed as he looked down. "As I suspected, he needs a more… delicate… touch in order to learn all we can."

"Is that why I'm here, Lord Baphomet?" A soft feminine voice said from Baphomet's other side.

"Indeed, Cathy." Baphomet replied as he looked at her. "You're specialized in single target manipulation skills." He put his hands on her shoulders and asked earnestly. "Are you ready?"

Cathy blushed and looked away for a moment. She turned her head back and answered her creator. "Yes. I'm ready. Let me get changed first."

Baphomet released his grip on her shoulders as he raised a mental eyebrow. 'Changed? Why would she need to change clothes…?' As she walked away and to a partition that was set up in another corner of the room a thought occurred to him. 'Wait a minute. Didn't Peroroncino say he gave Cathy a special surprise gift the day he left the guild? And I promised him that I wouldn't look to see what it was?' His mental processes halted at his realization. 'Oh crap… what did he give her?'

Neuronist Painkill was the first to notice Cathy stepping out and into view. "OH! What a lovely outfit, my dear. Dare I say that we match each other in beauty!"

'Neuronist's outfit is leather S&M gear…' Baphomet deadpanned internally as he turned to take in the sight of his NPC. Her outfit was much like Neuronist's. The main differences were the spikes, shoulder pauldrons, and the very short leather pleated skirt that barely went low enough to cover her nethers. Despite being clothed, the outfit made her seem more lewd and indecent than if she were stark naked. Her green tinted wings and tail were also on full display for all to see. The addition of the short flogging whip held in her right hand completed the aesthetic.

'Well… it's within the decency limitations that YGGDRASIL had at least.' Baphomet mentally mused before he commanded out loud. "Learn everything that there is to know about his life. Leave nothing out, as it could be useful in one way or another."

"Yes, Lord Baphomet. He will have no secrets left to give by the time I'm finished with him." Cathy answered her creator with a distinctly sadistic and malicious tone in stark contrast to her earlier timidness. She turned to face her target and began slowly and sensually walking towards him.

Baphomet subconsciously found his eyes drifting down towards Cathy's swaying backside. He was transfixed for a few moments before he realized what he was doing and shook his head. It looked as if she had been doing so on purpose just for his viewing pleasure. Walking back to the table and chair that had been set up within the room, he sat down in a slow and dignified manner. Turning his head to face the maids nearby, he requested service. "Hot tea and some light snacks."

The maids acknowledged his orders and departed to carry it out. Turning back to face the room in front of him, Baphomet crossed one leg over the other and placed his elbows on the arm rests of the chair and rested his chin on his folded hands. He carefully watched as Cathy began using various skills and spells in order to place her target into a dreamlike state. She was clearly putting on a show that the other humans in the room seemed transfixed on. It looked like she was sensually caressing the man, but Baphomet knew better after hearing the names of the skills and spells she used.

'I do not envy you, young man. Being trapped within an illusion of your own minds' making with all of your desires fulfilled is going to tear your heart apart in the end.' Baphomet thought to himself as he watched Cathy ply her special skills and spells on the man.

A short while later, the homunculus maids returned with Baphomet's refreshments. "Thank you." He said with gratitude as he took the offered teacup and saucer. He took a sip and savored the rich flavor of the hot tea. This continued for a few minutes as his [all seeing eye] skill caught the barest hints of what was going through Nigun's mind. Seeing as Cathy was going to have no trouble learning all she needed to know from the man, Baphomet called out to Demiurge.

"Demiurge." Baphomet waited until Demiurge had turned and given him his full attention. "You and Neuronist are free to interrogate the rest of the prisoners with vigor at your leisure. Oh, and do try to have fun."

The unnerving smile the stretched across the face of Demiurge and the squeal of utter glee that escaped Neuronist's circular maw sent fresh shudders of terror through the remaining humans. "Oh Lord Baphomet! It would be my pleasure to make them perform an exquisite symphony of pain in your honor!" Neuronist energetically pronounced as she wriggled about.

Baphomet shivered internally. 'Oof. Man, Tabula went all out with making Neuronist as creepy and repulsive as he could. I do not envy these men at all. Oh well, they brought it on themselves in the end.' He rationalized their fate as he watched Demiurge and Neuronist carry out their gruesome task.

He ended up going through several cups of hot tea and some rather delicious snacks as Neuronist delivered on her promise of a symphony of pain. Demiurge was no slouch either as his approach was more clinical and calculated. He pushed each of his subjects to the extremes of their bodies' tolerances before having them healed. Despite the nature of what was happening in front of him, Baphomet felt oddly calm and somewhat satisfied with all the pain inflicted upon the sinful. 'I wonder if my Lord of Sin racial class has anything to do with how I'm handling all of this? Eh, more than likely…'

The time seemed to smoothly pass by as screams of pain and despair filled the frozen prison. The overall impression that formed in Baphomet's mind concerning the thoughts and mindsets of these men disgusted him. "Really? Human supremacy? What kind of asinine fools lead you to believe something as preposterous as that?" Baphomet softly said in a dark tone that none of the prisoners were able to hear.

At some point in the evening, Baphomet noticed that the tongue of the prisoner that had been cut out disappeared in a shower of motes of light. He raised an eyebrow as he watched all of the rest of the mans' injuries fade away while he was healed by Neuronist's helpers. "Hmmm…" Baphomet smoothly set his tea to the side and rose from his seated position as he walked over towards the man. He ran his eyes over the restrained man in morbid curiosity as he reached for his face. The man reacted with a violent fear that had him struggling against his restraints with all of the strength he had left. Baphomet retracted his hand and took a step back as he looked to his side. "Demiurge. A moment, if you will."

Demiurge looked up from his current task as he stood straight and walked over. "Yes, Lord Baphomet. How may I be of service?"

Baphomet gestured to the man and the blood stain that was on the tray next to him. "When this human's injuries were healed I noticed that the tongue you had cut from his mouth disappeared."

The 7th Floor Guardian looked down to the blood stain where the mans' tongue had been. "Indeed it has. Shall I check for its regeneration?" Baphomet nodded. Demiurge reached for the mans' jaw and clamped his fingers around it despite his struggling and opened his mouth. "Full regeneration and return of functionality appears to have occured, Lord Baphomet." He smoothly and clinically answered his lord.

Baphomet brought a hand to his chin and stroked his short goatee. "Well now. This development bears experimentation. Wouldn't you agree?"

Demiurge smiled as his eyes gained their signature sinister glint. "Yes indeed, Lord Baphomet. Shall we begin at once?"

'There wasn't a dismemberment system in place within YGGDRASIL. Hell, there weren't even any visible depictions of injuries and such on player models when we took hits.' Baphomet thought internally to himself before he answered Demiurge. "Yes. Start small and work your way up from there."

Demiurge bowed and answered. "Yes, Lord Baphomet. These lower lifeforms will make themselves useful to us one way or another."

Baphomet smiled as he answered. "Indeed they shall." He returned to his table and chair as new screams of absolute agony started echoing out into the room.

He watched the gruesome displays of cruelty with morbid curiosity. First came fingers and toes, progressing into partial limbs and entire limbs. Each and every time the human was healed, the severed appendages disappeared while new ones regenerated on their bodies. It didn't matter if their body parts were severed with clean cuts or ripped from their bodies. The severed body parts always disappeared while new ones regenerated in their place.

"Hmm… they always disappear no matter how they've been severed once healed. Does that always apply? Or can they be preserved or processed in any… way…" Baphomet trailed off as a thought occurred to him. "Being processed is easy to test. We just need someone to eat the limb and see if anything happens when the human is healed." Two of the Pleiades Battle Maids came to mind at that moment. He turned to the maids nearby. "Bring Solution Epsilon and Entoma Vasilissa Zeta here." They bowed and answered in the affirmative before turning and leaving to carry out their task.

It didn't take long for the homunculus maids to return with Solution and Entoma in tow. They dropped to their knees in front of Baphomet and bowed their heads. "Yes, Lord Baphomet. You summoned us?" Solution answered for the two of them.

"Yes. And I hope that you enjoy the purpose I have summoned you for." Baphomet stood from his seat and gestured behind them and over to the human prisoners. "Their severed body parts are disappearing when they are healed. I would like to test if they'll still disappear if you've eaten them." He watched an inhumanly wide smile grow on Solution's face as Entoma appeared to start drooling beneath her bug mask. He motioned for them to follow him as he walked over to the prisoners. Baphomet stopped a short distance away with Solution and Entoma behind him. "Now then, which humans catch your fancy?"

Entoma answered first. "The man Lord Demiurge is working on has nice arms!" Her tone was very cute, excited, and girly. It contrasted heavily with the arachnoid form Baphomet knew that hid beneath her maid outfit and bug mask.

Baphomet nodded and smiled at her. "Then you can have them." He looked over to Demiurge and called out. "Demiurge. Entoma will assist you with the human you are working on for this next test."

Demiurge bowed as he answered. "Of course, Lord Baphomet." Entoma nearly skipped over as Demiurge gave her his attention.

Baphomet turned to Solution next as he watched her looking over the prisoners. He was about to speak when she pointed to a human and spoke. "I'll take that one."

He nodded and gestured to the pointed out human. "Remember, they must stay alive. Death is a mercy, but that doesn't mean you can't inflict as much suffering as they can endure."

Solution smiled as her features darkened with sadistic glee. "Their pain will be my pleasure, Lord Baphomet."

The distinct sound of flesh and bone being cleanly sliced and severed by a very sharp instrument along with the subsequent screams of pain caught Baphomet's attention. He turned his head to see Entoma hungrily eyeing the freshly severed arm held in her hands before she placed it just beneath her mask. He watched as she rapidly tore into the arm and stripped it of flesh very quickly. 'Holy shit! She picked that arm clean to the bone in seconds!'

Demiurge had the man healed after Entoma had cleared the bones clean of flesh. As expected, the arm regenerated on the man. This time, however, the bones that were left of the man's eaten arm did not disappear. Baphomet walked over to observe more closely. "How do you feel, Entoma?"

Entoma looked to the Supreme Being that had asked the question of her. "I feel good, Lord Baphomet. That man's arm was really tasty too! Thank you for the meal!"

"You are very welcome, Entoma." Baphomet smiled and reached a hand forward and placed it on Entoma's head while lightly rubbing it. 'Hmm, smooth.' That was the thought that went through his mind upon touching her head. Entoma seemed to buzz and chitter at his touch while slightly wriggling in delight.

Demiurge reached for the remains of the man's arm and inspected it closely. "Hmmm… it would appear that if severed body parts are processed in some form before the healing is performed, they do not disappear."

Baphomet pulled out his research notebook and wrote several quick notes within it. "It would seem so. Let's replicate and confirm the results more thoroughly before we make a final decision on this." He turned around and faced towards Solution as she held tightly onto a man's arm. His struggles were in vain as Solution had more than enough physical strength to easily counteract his attempts at freeing himself. The look in Solution's eyes told the man she viewed him as nothing more than food and prey to play with. "You may go ahead and eat his arm, Solution." The Lord of Sin ordered as he and Demiurge looked on.

The man's screams and protests did nothing more than to give sadistic amusement to the predator slime as she slowly started engulfing his arm into her exposed cleavage. She stopped once she had gotten up to his mid bicep and turned her gaze over to Baphomet with a mischievous and playful look on her features. Absolute agony escaped the man's throat as Solution began dissolving the portion of his arm that was held within her. She turned her attention back to the human as she sought to enjoy his suffering to its fullest.

Solution seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself as she slowly dissolved his arm from one end to the other. After she had finished prolonging the man's pain as much as she could, she pulled herself away from the man. The remains of his arm slipped free from the grasp of her cleavage and visibly smoked and sizzled as he flailed the melted stump around to try and get her digestive acids off. Demiurge then ordered his healing and the man's arm regenerated as expected.

Baphomet observed Solution for any reactions before she bowed and answered his unasked question. "I still hold several small bones from his arm within me, Lord Baphomet. Would you like to see them?" Solution crossed her arms under her bust and pushed it forward as her 'skin' became translucent blue and several small finger and wrist bones appeared.

"Excellent, Solution. This next test will differ from the first. You will remove his arm and hold it within your stomach while the healing is performed." Baphomet praised as he explained the next test for the predator slime battle maid. Despite how any normal person would react in this situation, he found himself able to look at things clinically and analytically without issue. 'Hmm… researcher? I wonder…' Similar experiments and the like continued on further into the night.

Baphomet looked at the pocket watch he pulled out of his pocket. "Hmm… I think it's about time I go and talk to Ainz before we head to Carne village." He turned his attention over to Cathy to see how her little project was coming along. She seemed to be finishing her task as she drew away from the blonde human and snapped her fingers. Several moments passed as Nigun's eyes lost their glazed over look and they focused on what was in front of him.

His breath started to quicken as he looked around him in a near panicked state. "Wait?! I was just… where's my… NO! NONONONONONOOOOO! This is just a DREAM! THIS HAS TO BE A NIGHTMARE!"

Soft titters of laughter interrupted him before he could get further into his rambling. "Oh… I'm sorry little man. But your happy life was all just a dream. A fabrication by me. A man such as yourself is undeserving of a happy ending." Cathy coldly said with a grin as her eyes seemed to sneer in disgust at him. "You were oh so willing to give everything up to me in your dreams. It's a shame, really. You were far too easy to wrap around my fingers. There was no challenge at all." She huffed and turned up her nose as she and Baphomet turned from him and walked away. Nigun's anguished cries of despair did nothing to make the pair give any more attention to the man behind them.

Cathy stepped away from her creator as they neared the table set he had created. "I'll go and change out of this, Lord Baphomet." She did so and returned several moments later in her normal garb.

Baphomet watched as Cathy's entire demeanor switched back into her more normal timidness with her change in wardrobe. "What were you able to learn from that human?"

Cathy looked away and blushed at the focused attention her creator gave her. "Everything, Lord Baphomet. I was able to learn everything there was to know about his life, and the lives of the people of his nation."

The Lord of Sin smiled. "Excellent. Depending on how important of a position the boy had within his government we may have made great strides in learning about this world today." He patted her shoulder and gave a light squeeze. "Good work, Cathy."

"Y-yes, t-thank you, Master." Her blush seemed to become more pronounced as her eyes flitted between her master and to the side.

AN: I think that's it for now on this chapter. If you guys haven't guessed just yet, I intend for canon events to be thrown out the window for the most part. Ainz will do his usual adventuring bit at first but things behind the scenes will play out very differently.

For those who are curious about my Voyage unto Infinity story I've got about a quarter of a chapter or so done. I've just been kinda stuck on how to progress things at the moment. Not to mention I've still been working my ass off as usual. Maybe once a month or so I've found a small amount of time to work on any of my stories. I've just been tired and wanting to get out of my driver's seat and rest at the end of the day. Yeah, being a responsible and hard working adult can get a little repetitive and tiring after a while. But hey, hope you all enjoyed this. If not, let me know. Have a good one out there folks.

For now, I ride my 18 wheeled stallion.