Chapter 172 ~ Phantom

Words : 1300 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Chapter 172 ~ Phantom Aika stood in between the two dark elven twins, her hands stroking their heads as Aura and Mare rubbed their teary, red eyes. And before long, the two lowered their heads towards Momonga, Yuuji, and Lelouch and bowed in apology. “Please forgive our unsightly appearance...!” “P-Please forgive us...!” The dark, skeletal overlord approached them, his build towering over the dark elven children twice or thrice over, and put a hand on their shoulders. “There is no reason for you to apologize. Rise.” The twins raised their heads as ordered, eyes still red and cheeks still stained with tears. They pursed their lips tightly, else, they would cry all over again. They were on the verge of tears even now as Aika still stroked their heads ever so gently and affectionately. After a while, the two finally calmed down, and Aika also stopped stroking their heads so as to not continue the waterworks. “Aura, have you received my order from Sebas?” “Ah, yes, Momonga-sama! I’ve sent my stealthier pets to scout the area around Nazarick as you ordered, and put them under Sebas’s command! I have given him an item that would allow him to talk with my pets, so he should be able to command and receive information from them easily! I’ve decided to stay here with Mare to defend this floor since we were also ordered to increase the defense level of Nazarick to the highest!” The figure of the young, crying dark elven child had disappeared. And in her place was the guardian of the sixth floor. Although she responded in a youthful, energetic manner, it was clear that the dark elven child before them was not a regular child, but one of the most powerful beings within Nazarick entrusted with the task to guard the safety of an entire floor. “Good. Continue your good work. Mare as well.” ““Yes, Momonga-sama!”” Hearing their answer, Momonga nodded in satisfaction. “I believe I have also ordered Albedo to gather all floor guardians, aside from the guardian of the fourth floor, Gargantua, and guardian of the eighth floor, Victim, to the Amphitheatre in an hour.” “Yes! We’ve received the message from Albedo.” Aura confirmed as her twin brother nodded repeatedly in agreement. “And we have arrived early to... do a bit of test and... exercise.” “Test...?” “E-Exercise?” The twins tilted their heads, looking at the figure of the master of death and leader of the supreme beings with clear confusion. But then, a hand touched their shoulder from behind, and they turned to look to see Aika with a wide, excited smile on her otherworldly visage. “That’s right~ Yuuji and I would like to borrow the grounds and test out a few things with our powers~! Would that be fine?” “Of course! Absolutely! The grounds and the entire Nazarick belong to the Supreme Beings! Please feel free to use them!” “Fufufu~ Thank you~” Yuuji approached the twins and smiled softly at the two. While he wasn’t as close to Bukubukuchagama as he was to her little brother, Peroroncino, he was still one of the closest friends to the female voice actress with the slime tank avatar. And just as she asked Aika to take care of her twin “children”, she had also asked the same to him as her job slowly began causing her to be unable to come online as often anymore. It was the same time as Peroroncino asking him to take care of his “kid” and joke about making her “his”, before he also began to log in less and less. At first glance, aside from their color, the Phantoms had the same exact appearance as the Supreme Beings. However, the aura, presence, and strength they emanated were... far less than what Albedo, Aura, and Mare remembered. They were slightly muddled and... fainter than what they would expect from a true Supreme Being. If Yuuji-sama, Aika-sama, Momonga-sama, and Lelouch-sama were Suns, then they would be more akin to Moons... Just then, the deep, somber voice of the Supreme Being who led all others resounded. “They are simply Phantoms... A being with the appearance and power akin to the original created from my memories of my dear friends and comrade. While they may share a similar appearance, they are far weaker. In a true fight, they would not stand even a few seconds against someone like Yuuji and Aika. However, they were still more powerful than any other summons. So, they would have to suffice for this little exercise.” “A-Ah yes...” “I-I see...” The realization and... hope that he heard within voices of the twin siblings standing to his sides prompted him to look towards them. And as he expected, he could see hope within those two pairs of heterochromatic eyes. He could immediately tell what they were thinking, for he too thought the same the moment he acquired [Keeper of Memories]. “...Unfortunately, they do not have the memories of the original, as they are two separate beings. Although they might have similar mannerisms, they are, in the end, phantoms created through my memories. However...” A large, bony, skeletal hand rested on the twins’ head, causing them to look up at the towering figure of the Supreme Being and Master of Death. “If you wish to... I can have a phantom of Bukubukuchagama-san to stay with the two of you.” “I-Is that true, Momonga-sama?!” Momonga nodded at Aura’s outburst and Mare’s intense stare. And tears began to flow once more from the twins' eyes as they sobbed and bowed their heads towards the master of the tomb. ““T-Thank you very much!”” It was only obvious why they would react in such a way. Even Albedo flinched ever so slightly the moment he uttered those words. The two dark elven children... No, all children of Nazarick deserved happiness. And upon being “abandoned” by their creators, a hole was created within their hearts. In the anime, all the NPCs worked hard in order to fulfill everything he, the leader of Ainz Ooal Gown and the remaining Supreme Being, wished. But their actions were not done solely out of their loyalty to Nazarick and himself. They were done out of desperation and fear. They worked hard in the hopes that he, the last Supreme Being, would not abandon them as well. And Momonga did not want his precious, precious children to live like that. He was no longer afraid of the NPCs betraying him, for he knew now the depth of their loyalty. And if having the Phantoms of his past friends and comrades roam around the Guild like they used to and allow the children of Nazarick to interact with their creator would make them happy, then he would do it. He’d rather his children work hard out of their desire to bring happiness and prosperity to Nazarick, rather than out of desperation and fear. And although the Phantoms could talk and act like they once were, they were all still under their command, so he didn’t need to fear that they would create problems or cause a fight between the NPCs. The large, skeletal hands rested on the twins’ head once again as Momonga began to stroke them, hoping it would calm them down. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work. Or rather, it made them cry even more. To be able to see and even interact with their creators, their parents, once again was something all children of Nazarick wished for from the bottom of their hearts. Even if they were a mere phantom. But now... they could. And the chance to do so was something even more precious than their own lives.

Chapter 172 ~ Phantom

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