Mass for the Dead Chapter 17

**Eve of the Storm** (嵐の前夜) is the seventeenth main story chapter in Mass for the Dead. It was released to the public on February 21, 2023.

## Main Summary

The name of God is heard causing turmoil. Although the threat has temporarily disappeared, the possibility of a mysterious and disturbing presence is a source of anxiety for Nazarick.

Meanwhile, upon Gazef's return a large-scale plan is hatched in E-Rantel...

## Full Summary

### Episode 1: Sea of Possibilities

In the depths of the Chaos Zone, Enhela announces the name of the god that he and the protagonist worship—-Kuyō, an existence the same as the Six Great Gods who even united can not even hold a candle to.

This first time the protagonist has heard that name, but for some reason he feel emotionally disturbed. Surako looks at her partner with concern, worried if there is some truth to the priest’s ravings.

Soi who has been observing the situation, notices that the homunculus who is normally calm and reserved is clearly upset, and wonders what is the significance of the name that Enhela mentioned. Soi interjects as even though she is not a believer in the Six Great Gods, she is aware of the extent of their power and influence. For someone to say such a belittling thing about the gods is arrogance.

Enhela doesn’t argue with her, his only interest being on the protagonist’s reaction. The expression on the homunculus’s face though is enough for the priest to see that his brother has not remembered everything.  But the other hand, when he hears this name, his heart is moved with turmoil. Enhela offers to help the protagonist know the true nature of his turmoil, only if he follows him.

He does warn that depending on the role he has carry, they may be destined to be hostile to each other.  It's not Enhela’s intention to play rough with his compatriots until he’s decided that's the case. The protagonist refuses and even though he can't deny that his heart is conflicted, he doesn’t take his position lightly enough to entrust himself irresponsibly to a stranger.

Affirmed that he intends to stay with the Sorcerer Kingdom, both Surako and Soi back the protagonist, with the latter threatening Enhela if she does it cease soliciting their comrade.

The Deputy Pontifex Maximus finds it a pity. Just as he decided it was time to get little rough——he is struck by lightning g and a fireball. The attacks leave him mostly unharmed but he now knows that there are others laying in wait to ambush him. Enhela praises them for bringing reinforcements, though the adventurers feign ignorance. Since Enhela surmises the attackers in hiding are related to the Sorcerer Kingdom, the protagonist bluffs stating that the group specialize in anti-chaos beasts, and assassination warning Enhela that he will be erased if there is any sign of aggression.

There is silence from Enhela, but judging by the level of attack he received he knows that the protagonist is not bluffing. Not wanting to fight an unknown force, Enhela opts to retreat, though Soi asks the priest if he really can as he is outnumbered. Enhela displays another surprising ability, summoning a Crack behind him, which he uses to slip through with his two unconscious comrades Nigun and Ian. Before Enhela goes, he promises to see them again in E-Rantel.

The adventurers are shocked not knowing what to make of what they just saw. Surako still unable to believe that Enhela could summon such power still wonders if it was a trick and that he is just invisible.

The rest of the Pleiades emerge from hiding. Yuri taking the lead reports that it’s not invisibility as her glasses detect nothing. Lupusregina confirms that there is no sign of anyone using [Perfect Unknownable]. There is nothing for camouflage and neither are any of the insect summons receiving anything, which CZ and Entoma attest to. For the moment it truly appears that Enhela is gone, allowing everyone to breath a sigh of relief.

Narberal is still confused how Enhela was able to use teleportation magic as such technique should be impossible in the given environment, but then again she wonders if what they witnessed was truly a form of magic. Even more disturbing was the sight that the human was able to call upon a Crack and use it to his leisure.

Yuri states that CZ who was hiding and waiting at a relatively close distance, to the conversation shared the general flow of the exchange.  She asks if there is a relationship between Enhela and god he worships. The protagonist though cannot say, so Narberal presses the issue of why Enhela seemed so familiar to the homunculus and referred him as "brothers"? If anything the protagonist is a creation of Nishikienrai, Herohero and Beast King Mekongawa and such words said by the priest are obviously fake and disrespectful. Still there is some suspicion from Soi as they cannot risk bringing back a hostile existence to Nazarick.

The protagonist does not blame them for their wariness, and informs them that Momonga is already aware of this and was afraid that revelations would cause a seed of discord, so he ordered the protagonist to keep it to himself. Sadly it appears his efforts were for naught as someone else has exposed him. The protagonist no longer trusting himself of his own existence decides to come clean to his friends.

Narberal shock, asks if then it is true that the protagonist is an imposter. To the protagonist the word imposter is not incorrect but not quite correct. He explains that his existence was never "real" and believes that he is actually born from the other side of the Crack or in the Sea of Possibilities a realm where all possibilities of all things lie dormant. And confesses that the Supreme Beings they mentioned did not see the value of creating him and hence he is actually just a possibility.

This leaves everyone shocked that the protagonist is a being from the Sea of Possibilities. CZ though recalls that there have been cases before in which a potential existence materializes and appeared in Nazarick through the Cracks. Thus what the protagonist is saying cannot be completely unheard of. The protagonist continues stating that he was not suppose to exist at all in Nazarick, and was not created by the Supreme Beings like them, nor was he summoned into being like Slimeko. He is fundamentally different from those who exist as part of Nazarick. He really is just a fake existence that should or should not exist.

The revelation is far much worse than Narbeal suspected. Lupusregina objects as from her memory the protagonist has always been a creation of the Supreme Beings and existed in Ashurbanipal. Soi supports this as well, adding that they always known the protagonist being the "Deputy Diplomat Assistant". However when the protagonist ask them to recall when they first saw him and who they learned of his title, none of the Pleiades can coax a memory of when they first met him before coming to the New World. Soi though remembers that Herohero and the others were talking about creating the protagonist, but that's just about it.

Again the protagonist underlines that the Supreme Beings were talking about an "idea", citing he was never really created by them, just a concept in progress. He never really had a name when his supposed creators mentioned him and suspects that his name was just complemented to him by the Sea of Possibilities. In any case the protagonist admits that he was never supposed to be created as he was judged unnecessary for Nazarick and should not exist. But it seems that despite being a foreign entity, three people who know he exists even though he should not raises his concern of the danger he poses. Yuri understands now and deduces that some kind of influence is being exerting over the maids to accept the homunculus as a normal existence and a part of Nazarick.

The protagonist suspects that this influence has spread to the entire dungeon and even in the Master Source of the Throne Room. The only one unaffected by this, is Momonga who avoided the incident that struck Nazarick and did not even know who the protagonist was when they first met. From this the protagonist believes that his existence is causing the incidents in Nazarick. In other words he painfully admits that this may mean he is Nazarick's enemy. Narberal is left shock that the protagonist has decided what his fate his, and wonders aloud if he had been deceiving them since the start. But the protagonist continues, stating after coming into the Chaos Zone, which is his birthplace, he had a sudden experience or "divine revelation" as if someone planted hidden information in his head that laid dormant until now. There is now doubt that what Enhela says is true, that they are brothers, created by Kuyō, however he feels that there is some inconsistency that the entity was born in the Sea of Possibilities like himself, but there is definitely a relationship.

That being said, the protagonist pleads the maids to treat him as an enemy and that it is now impossible for him to return to Nazarick. Having made his decision, the maids and the protagonist are left unable to saying.

### Episode 2: Threat Outline

The happy first news comes to Nazarick via  [Message] that Solution and the others retrieved from the other side of the Crack. The moment was fleeting when the Pleiades report about their encounter with Enhela, and about the protagonist’s decision. Momonga is nervous as he awaits the return of the Pleiades to make x plain more in detail.

When the they arrive in the Round Table Room, Momonga is aghast when he hears of the name Kyubo, leaving him emotionally distraught. He goes through a mental crisis until Albedo manages to snap him out of it. Just to confirm, he asks Solution if Enhela truly said the name "Kuyō the World Eater".

When she confirms this, Momonga mused that the priest had said that the Six Great Gods would be no match for Kuyō even if they united. To himself Momonga is well aware that the boast was no lie, as Kuyō was the final boss that existed in the background story for YGGDRASIL and classified as a World Enemy. It was so strong that even a six-player team with six legions has a low chance of winning. Now worried that the World Enemy has materialized in this world, Momonga has no doubt that Kuyō could be the one responsible for destroying Nazarick.

To his subordinates he tells them that its still ambiguous if his Kuyō is the same one that Enhela is referring to, but it's still a development they cannot ignore. Solution acknowledges this to be true, as her assessment of Enhela's personal strength makes it clear he is a threat to even the Pleiades. She is not sure how the priest can compare to the Floor Guardians. Momonga remembers that there were four people who held the same rank in the Slane Theocracy, which means they cannot ignore the war potential of the nation. In addition there is a possibility that a few of the Six Great Gods are still alive, And while the four unknown people may not be around the level of Floor Guardians, the possibility that they could be the deities could be very high. More worrisome beside Enhela's power level to the Floor Guardians and Momonga was that he was able to use teleportation magic via the Cracks.

However Momonga draws attention to the more pressing issue, the treatment of the protagonist after the unsettling revelations on his origins. Slimeko who is present at the meeting is silent on this as Momonga informs the women that he will be gathering the Floor Guardians to solicit their opinions and make a careful judgement. For now he orders them to retire to their rooms and rest. Before they leave, Momonga offers them to provide any opinion on the protagonist's fate. The Pleiades are mute on any response, which somewhat disappoints the Overlord. While they do not treat the protagonist coldly, not do they expose him as a potential threat and call for his elimination, the maids are unable to provide anything of substance to give a defense for their former colleague. Momonga finds himself in a moral dilemma as he cannot accept someone who might pose a danger to Nazarick. In the meantime, Momonga takes solace in the fact that the maids and Slimeko are safe and welcomes them home.

After that, Momong summoned the Floor Guardians to discuss the protagonist's fate. Albedo is the first to speak stating it is too dangerous to allow the homunculus to be allowed back into the dungeon. Demiurge shows concern that while the purpose of the protagonist is unknown, Enhela is currently seeking to gain custody of their former ally. If they leave the protagonist outside of Nazarick, there is risk that he may spill what he knows about them to the enemy. Momonga proposes that he could use [Control Amnesia] to alter the homunculus's memories just as he experimented with CZ, but his skill is still not the stage where he is confident enough to erase a subject's knowledge. In regard to that Demiurge offers to acquire more guinea pigs for experiments, and adds whether they decide to keep or kick out the protagonist out of Nazarick, there is still risk.

Albedo believes letting the protagonist loose in the outside world is better, as they could use him to act as a trap and spread false information. And while she holds not hostility towards the protagonists, her main concern is that the protagonist's "brother", Enhela could use him to invade Nazarick through their connection. What she says makes sense, given what they known about the Cracks, and Momonga is even leaning towards kicking the protagonist out.

Cocytus voices that having the protagonist in Nazarick despite his past loyalty is still dangerous. This is seconded by Shalltear though reminds everyone the danger is minimal at this point as the protagonist had long since relocated to E-Rantel and thus has not returned to Nazarick that often in the past. Aura wonders if they really should expel the protagonist, but asks if letting him stay in the human city for now is alright?

When Mare voices his confusion, Aura underlines that Enhela is now targeting the homunculus and currently is based in the city, thus it is not age for the protagonist there. Demiurge admits that is a concern, but it already has been factored in. Momonga now perplexed asks his follower to elaborate, which the demon complies, explaining that that their priority is to limit the protagonist return to Nazarick and not prevent handing his identity to the enemy, then it's certainly better to allow him to continue to work in E-Rantel.

For one it would mean he is isolated and also it would allow them to prepare a strict security system and anticipate an attack by Enhela. Aura still wonders if keeping the protagonist in the city is really fine. While there are several problems with the plan, mainly the biggest one is that the other party may have the power of a Floor Guardian. In order to prepare for this, they would also need to have a suitable force on standby.

Aura then begins to see that Demiurge plans to have a Floor Guardian or two in case there is a bad compatibility between the attacker and the battle. However Mare points out that having too many Floor Guardians outside Nazarick is dangerous, but  considering the defense of Nazarick, and the current problem, Demiurge believes that should give Enhela top priority, as that they should at least have a Floor Guardian accompany the protagonist.

In short, whether or not the protagonist is located in E-Rantel or somewhere else, makes no big difference as long as they have a standby as an escort and the security system is in place. For now the protagonist will keep his post as Territory Guardian in E-Rantel. And while the city may not hide the protagonist’s presence,  a secluded location would be more dangerous to leave the protagonist as then Enhela would be more likely to make bolder moves than in the human city where his movements are being watched by other parties.

Momonga affirms that the protagonist will remain in E-Rantel. And although he is unsure if the homunculus will be hostile to them in the future, he would for the time meaning use him to glean as much information from the mysterious Enhela. For who will be given the task to guard the protagonist, Sebas Tian is elected by Albedo to assist Solution in monitoring the protagonist. The butler humbly accepts the task without any issue. Now that what is to become of the protagonist has been settled, Momonga addresses his followers with a question of his own which is what they think of the homunculus now that they know what identity is.

The Floor Guardians are silent at first until Aura speaks first, at first unwilling as what she will say will seem disrespectful to the Supreme Beings. Momonga begs her to be honest, which the dark elf complies, stating while the protagonist creation may not have been made into existence from Nazarick, or even a creation of the Supreme Beings, she still regards him as a friend.

The fact that she feel this way may be the result of the incident that Narberal and the others seem to be undergoing. This is the same for Shalltear who after hearing everything about the protagonist cannot allow herself to cast out the protagonist who she considers a friend. Mare believes that they should just have to be more cautious around their associate. From Demiurge,——even if the protagonist is just a possibility, he thinks it matters little as the homunculus is still an existence that was devised by the Supreme Beings. It was only due to circumstances that the protagonist was never realized, and just because he was not created like the other NPCs does not necessarily mean he had no value.

Momonga thinking about this noted that having an NPC with diplomatic abilities was useless in YGGDRASIL. If anything the protagonist even though was just a concept discussed through small talk among his three old guild mates, it was enough for the homunculus to be resized in this world.

Sebas admits that it's hard to dismiss the homunculus so coldly. Cocytus feels the same as he has much respect for the protagonist as he is still a legacy of the Supreme Beings. Albedo comments that she is also half sympathetic and half vigilant.  But her duty as Overseer Guardian, compels her to remain vigilant.

Momonga contemplates on their responses on their impression of the homunculus before ending the meeting that outlined the threat of Enhela and the potential World Enemy, underlining that they should try to remain calm.

### Episode 3: And What's Happening

Despite falling into a complicated situation, the protagonist returns to E-Rantel, deciding to continue his duties as a Territory Guardian. There with Surako they are greeted by someone on their rounds. Since Sebas Tian choose not to come out from the shadows, the protagonist guesses the person is not a threat. It turns out to be Ninya who Surako and he had not seen for awhile.

Ninya engages in a conversation, feeling nostalgic. Evidently the protagonist heard that she is quitting as an adventurer. Ninya though is on the fence on whether she should retire, as her comrades would be unhappy if she quit.

Aside from Ninya, the other three members of the Swords of Darkness were attacked and disappeared shortly after the Cracks began appearing in E-Rantel. The protagonist sympathizes with Ninya which brightens the girl, thinking that her comrades wherever they may be would be proud to hear that. Although for her missing comrade Lukrut, Ninya guesses that he would have tried to get Narberal to recognize him.

Onto brighter topics, Ninya reports that some good has come from all this. After so many years of searching, Ninya finally reunited with her long lost older sister. Actually, it seems that she have been in this city for a while and now Ninya is currently helping her sister with her work and thinking about what to do next.

Due to the course of events, Nemu Emmot is currently in their care, but lately, little by little, is starting to smile again despite the loss of her previous guardians. The magic caster admits that her woes are minor as many other people are having a hard time adjusting, so she should be feeling blessed. Ninya gets emotional, elicitin some sympathy from Surako. Ninya then leaves thanking them for listening. Once she departs, Surako comments to her partner that the human girl appears more haggard.

Rather than dwell on the state of Ninya, the protagonist motions the slime to follow him and together they head towards the Adventurer's Guild. There they head to a private room, where Gazef Stronoff in a formal suit is waiting for them. Gazef thanks them for meeting with him, given the protagonist's busy schedule though he jokes that the two have unusual constitution. Speaking of which the warrior Captain is confused on some things that he hopes the Territory Guardian can elaborate. Gazef having gone missing and losing his wits, is still coming up to speed of what happened in E-Rantel. This includes how the protagonist repelled Jaldabaoth and was given the mantle of Territory Guardian. Though the feats of the protagonist are a lot to take in, Gazef accepts it, but is more interested in another conundrum.

He of course is referring to how the protagonist who was supposedly sucked through the Crack at the same time as Gazef, and was able to be still in E-Rantel, devoting himself to the city's recovery in the aftermath of invisible disaster. Surako watching the dialogue between the two, becomes nervous as she wonders how the protagonist will hide the fact that she, Solution and the protagonist were replaced by doppelgängers during the time when they were left incapacitated in the Chaos Zone. Thus to the public Gazef was regarded to be away for months, whilst their body doubles maintained her team's presence in the city.

The protagonist has already prepared a well-though explanation for this occasion. He explains that the last they met whilst in the Chaos Zone, his team attempted to exit the dimension through a Crack, however when they emerged from it, instead of coming out to the present, they emerged to the past. Seeing Gazef confused, the protagonist continues his cover story, that after passing through the Crack, the team arrived in E-Rantel, in the midst of the disaster that befell the city when it was being attacked by a large number of Chaos Beasts and invisible attackers. Before that the him of that time was still existing, and so there were two existences of the protagonists, one that remained in E-Rantel and another that was sent through the Crack.

The concept is a little beyond the Warrior Captain, so the protagonist simplifies it that on the day he disappeared from E-Rantel's side of the Crack, was when he and Gazef were transported to the other side. Then the two reunited after regaining consciousness. The protagonist was the first to cross back through the Crack. When the protagonist arrived back in E-Rantel, he found that several weeks had passed since the disaster even though moments passed while on the other side of the Crack. Upon his return he helped formulate a way to rescue hie teammates with the Sorcerer Kingdom. He then stepped into the Crack again where to save Surako and Soi and then met with Gazef who left to return back to the human world. The protagonist and his party were occupied in fighting Chaos Beasts and then went through a Crack to hopefully return home. Though the protagonist claims that they found themselves in the past which Gazef finds hard to believe. But Gazef owing to his experience that when he returned to E-Rantel with King Ramposa III and Brain Unglaus, he found that several months passed, eventually accepts it to be true given the fact that it proves time passes differently in the Chaos Zone through some unknown magical phenomena.

The protagonist has avoided telling Prince Zanac Valleon Igana Ryle Vaiself of the details of the story, and hence refrained from making it public as it could throw the internal affairs of the Re-Estize Kingdom into chaos, especially now when the nobles believe that the king is dead. Gazef still has smore questions, and so the protagonist explains the concept of the "time paradox" phenomenon he read from the archives of the Sorcerer Kingdom, that if events that transpired were changed, it would have dire effects and could cause the world to collapse. This of course is just a convenient lie to maintain the protagonist's body doubles, but the mixture of lies and truth convince the veteran warrior due to the protagonist guile.

Despite the state of his kingdom, Gazef does not hold it against the protagonist as he was serving the greater good of maintaining the integrity of the world. Instead he feels grateful for the Sorcerer Kingdom's efforts in purging his body of the contaminants from the miasma. The protagonist is modest of Gazef's recovery admitting that the study of Gazef was more due to interest in advancing the Sorcerer Kingdom's technology, thus its top secret agenda. However the cancellation of the pollutants were an accidental opportunity which they capitalized to bring Gazef back.

Gazef asks why only he and the protagonist are able to work in the "other side". The protagonist is unsure, but theorizes it may be due to their bodies' experience with contamination. The answer satisfies Gazef who accounts that ever since the contamination has been cured from his body, he has been filled with power that he can hardly believe is within him, feeling strong enough to even repel the Demon Emperor.

In response to Gazef’s assessment, the protagonist confesses that his power has some limitations.  So it wouldn't be strange for Gazef to have such restrictions at any time, and asks him be careful. For their discussion about the “time paradox”, the Warrior Captain agrees to keep quiet about it.

Gazef also mentions about the upcoming trilateral meeting with the other nations. The meeting being a convention to hash out a common policy with the other nations. Knowing the surmounting tasks ahead the Warrior Captain thanks the protagonist for their hard work ahead of them and invites the adventurer for a drink when they have time.

It is deemed that it will be awhile for them to act casually at least once the the four countries are out of their current predicament. Gazef takes a moment to observe the scene outside the window where undead are battling Chaos Beasts near the anomalies before, highlighting the change in scenery in the city before he leaves.

### Episode 4: Join Forces

One day passes since the meeting with Gazef.  The protagonist and Surako attend a liaison meeting between the officials of the city. Saint Clementine moves forwards with the meeting, acting as moderator for the proceedings, with permission from Enhela as the saint has the trust of everyone in the city and the people in the room.

Surako watching from the other side finds it unnerving that this is the same priest  who days ago he was threatening her and the protagonist on the “other side”. Clementine addresses the attendees that the main focus of today’s meeting will cover the request from the Kingdom and therefore the city. It is about an "operation to rescue city residents from the other side of the Crack".  No that they know more about the “other side” from the protagonist and Gazef the next step would be to formulate a plan.

Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra agrees that is the main topic, as it is fresh in everyone's mind of how Gazef came back with the king and Brain from "the other side" the other day and survived.

The Baharuth Empire delegation composed of Nimble Arc Dale Anoch and Leinas Rockbruise were surprised by news.  In the first place, even before the attack by Jaldabaoth, he heard that the Warrior Captain would be forced to withdraw from the battlefield for a long period of time. As far as they can see, he appears to be in good health now.

The Warrior Captain knowing that they have many questions about this matter, promised to elaborate on some of the details. But first he would like to explain his own account of the aftermath from the investigation of the cave.

Then, Gazef provides his story of what happened during his expedition to the cave which was contaminated with miasma, and that he was able to purge himself of it through the cooperation and research of the Sorcerer Kingdom.

He explained that it was in the midst of the city-wide disaster that he succeeded in the decontamination process, and that he found himself on the other side of the Crack by the invisible enemy. And that for some reason he was able to function on the other side as well.

True to his word he didn't touch on things that happened over there, such as the "time paradox”. Nimble can't help but marvel story, that such a realm exists within a step, as he heard that in the past, there have been no cases of people or animals returning from beyond the anomaly.  Although he cannot can't find any reason to deny this story. Leinas interjects saying that it was said that on that side, all animals other than Chaos Beasts and Contaminant Beasts would lose consciousness and cease their activities. A question begs on why it was not so for Stronoff.

Gazef has no confirmation, but the Sorcerous Kingdom think that it is probably the effect of contamination. The protagonist then takes the lead on the explanation, and while he cannot divulge some information due to it being confidential, he states that given some precedents and the fact that the Contaminated Beasts have been able to operate out there, this seems to be the most likely possibility this is why Gazef can freely operate on the other side.

Nimble is curious about the other precedent as it sounds like the Sorcerer Kingdom has experience observing other examples like Stronoff’s case. On the subject, the protagonist discloses that the Sorcerer Kingdom has been independently and secretly conducting investigations and research into "the other side of the Crack."  In regards to the disaster from a few months ago, the Territory Guardian apologizes for not making the connection sooner to prevent it.

Enhela finds this to be a very interesting story, particularly the results of such important research, inquiring why even the existence of the research itself, was kept a secret from the other three countries?

There are no words to return from the protagonist, taking the blame in failing to persuade the upper management of his nation to trust their allies, despite espousing international cooperation. Nimble seeing that the protagonist acknowledges the mistake of his nation, also shows that he appears sincere, making the knight finding it hard to blame the hero. Neither does Enhela, who makes a show of having no intent to blame the protagonist, given his deeds and efforts for everyone. Though he states that as a representative of his nation, he must have the protagonist regard the current discussion as a "country vs. country argument". The manner of how the priest skillfully separates a person's personal achievements from national responsibilities astound Nimble, as the man from Theocracy clearly is showing he is flexing his bargaining power over the protagonist, just as he and Leinas were planning to do, albeit in more underrated way.

Pluton Ainzach though counters that the Sorcerer Kingdom placed the protagonist in this position by revealing this secret research to the adventurer and kept it quiet as he believed it would benefit the Tripartite Alliance. Enhela does not argue that, as he only wishes to make a public statement from the view of his national interests, and understands that its only natural for each country to maintain confidential information according to its own standards.

Enhela leaves the issue on the legality of the research alone for now, adding that there is no such thing as a country that is transparent with its allies even when in an alliance. Nimble is mentally humored by the comment as in his opinion, no such country would include the Re-Estize Kingdom, who is ruled by its good-natured king, but admits that its a normal course in diplomacy to keep state secrets. That being said the imperial knight contemplates on whether to intervene to come to the protagonist's defense on behalf of the Baharuth Empire.

The conversation moves forward as Enhela allows the protagonist to explain why the Sorcerer Kingdom is now willing to share its research which was once a state secret with the rest of the Alliance. On this the protagonist elaborates that the research initially started out as a way to cure the Warrior Captain, for thr Re-Estize Kingdom, but due to the return of Gazef, a new development occurred. As it turns out on the "other side", many of the people who were in E-Rantel on the day it was attacked by the invisible foes and emergence of new Cracks and seemingly vanished are in fact still alive in the otherworldly realm. Only the Warrior Captain and the protagonist were able to return, but the former wishes to still save the soldiers trapped on the "other side" before they are devoured by monsters as he seen evidence that most of the people who were taken from E-Rantel were left in pieces or swallowed whole.

Lakyus is hopeful that there maybe still survivors on the other side and representing the Kingdom, supports to formulate a rescue plan at any cost. Leinas understand why the Kingdom is invested in this, but is unsure how the Sorcerer Kingdom will come into play in this situation. The protagonist then takes the opportunity to announce that his country has developed practical use equipment that enables a wearer to operate on the other side of the Crack. And while granted mass production of the items will take time, Nimble surmises that the equipment will enable them to not only mount a rescue operation but begin to unlock the secrets of the mystery of the Cracks. It all makes sense to the representatives as to why such research was kept secret.

On the contrary, it seems that the profit of monopolizing this information is so great that Nimble wonders whether it was really okay to share this fact with the Alliance.

The protagonist doesn’t deny that the technology is impressive, his nation is not in a situation where they can get out of the current crisis on its own.  Considering the total number of missing people the rescue will be difficult even with the resources of only the Sorcerer Kingdom. The rescue of those trapped on the other side is paramount to raise the hopes of those in the city.

Satisfied, Nimble answers that the Emperor would spare effort in the rescue operation to cooperate with the protagonist. The military aid is appreciative by Lakyus though reminds everyone that the new equipment is still limited in numbers. Battles with large numbers of Chaos Beasts are unavoidable on the other side, so it would be desirable to have a few elites as possible.

From the kingdom, Gazef informs everyone that the forces of the Kingdom are planning are being led by him, with cooperation from Brain, Blue Roses, and the adventurers led by Soi. It is a shrewd in the eyes of Nimble as most of the soldiers in the Kingdom are as skilled as ordinary people. As soldiers under the direct control of the Warrior Captain will remain in the king's escort, it would be more appropriate to use volunteer adventurers instead of soldiers.

From the Empire, Nimble volunteers himself and Leinas lead a force of knights into the Crack for the operation. Likewise the protagonist will also going, with an undead army courtesy of his nation.

Clementine raises the question on what will the Theocracy contribute to this endeavor.

Enhela having been made aware of the coordination of the rescue operation prior to the start, states that he has been given a certain amount of discretionary authority and declares that he will be dispatch the Sunlight Scripture.

Pluton is surprised by this announcement as many in the Scripture were lost in disaster a few months back. Before Enhela get into the details on that point, he offers to use this as an opportunity to introduce or reintroduce the ones who will be leading the Scripture. A door to the meeting room is opened, revealing Ian and Nigun.

Their appearance is met by expressions of astonishment from Leinas, particularly Ian who gives her a friendly greeting. Lakyus can scarcely believe they are here as she remembered that they were attacked by the invisible threat and disappeared.

According to Nigun that is the case, though the two Scripture leaders were only told about the situation afterwards and honestly still having some difficulty adjusting to reality. On "the other side", the protagonist distinctively remembers that the two were carried away Enhela. Naturally, he expected them to return here, but is unsure of the priest’s intentions in revealing their return at this time.

Enhela attests that the two certainly disappeared to "the other side".  However, the other day, he came to rescue them himself. Gazef is in disbelief of this, as the Theocracy representative claims he is also one of those who had “experienced contamination and it’s cure”.  Thanks to that, he work on the other side without any problems. To Gazef this is logical as it matches to the little power Enhela showed during the match before the Tripartite talks such as blocking Fluder Paradyne’s magic with a wave of his hand.

The protagonist sees through the deception, despite From Gazef's point of view, while it appears that Enhela’s power is a side effect of decontamination, in truth it is more complicated. In any event Enhela knows that the protagonist lied to Gazef as why he was able to operate on the other side and is perhaps is planning to accuse the homunculus’s duplicity.

Enhela proclaims that his experience of contamination and its removal was the result of a lot of accidental elements, so it's not the result of research like Sorcerer Kingdom, but thanks to the side effects he is able to observe "the other side". Additionally when he was earlier blaming the Sorcerer Kingdom, he was also hiding important information about the Cracks.

Of course, it was only after receiving news of Stronoff’s return that Enhela claimed to learn that there were people on that side who had disappeared due to the disaster, but after that he went to the other side on his own.

First it was just Nigun and Ian.  A few days later, some members were also rescued, and the Deputy Pontifex Maximus asks that the Scripture be allowed to accompany the protagonist in the rescue operation. Ian states that they only have only a small number of soldiers and still many more comrades who have yet to be rescued.

Lakyus knowing the Scripture members abilities welcomes them to the operation. The protagonist is still perplexed as he can’t read Enhela’s intentions, and when he thinks about it, so far it’s seems that the the priest wants to accompany the rescue operation and set something up there. Though he learns that Enhela has declined to accompany them due to various circumstances throwing the protagonist into even more confusion. Gazef happy to hear such news that Enhela is also immune to the effects of the Crack, is fine with Enhela is stepping out as the Sunlight Scripture are enough. All the representatives are in agreement with the operation and Clementine announces that a date will be assigned once the equipment from the Sorcerer Kingdom is ready.

### Episode 5: Enemy's Target

On the night after the strategy meeting, members of Nazarick in E-Rantel regrouped in the hotel they were staying at. Among them is Sebas who is informed of the details of the meeting. The undercover butler is concerned about Enhela not accompanying the rescue operation, as they expected him to do so as it would be a perfect opportunity to nab the protagonist.

Enhela's intentions though are confounding to Soi as if he is like the rest of the people of the Slane Theocracy, he is a human supremacist, and yet his actions appears contradictory. Not only that, Enhela is related to the Devourer of the Nine Worlds who possibly caused the crisis with the Cracks. Sebas admits that the priest's goal in overcoming the current crisis to be more convoluted. The protagonist only can say that the Enhela is from the Sea of Possibilities like himself who was given the memory of being an NPC in Nazarick. He surmises that Enhela is the same in that he did not originally exist in the Theocracy, nor was there ever a role of Deputy Ponifex Maximus. Possibly like the protagonist he was created to fulfill the role, even if it meant going against the god who created him. Soi points out Enhela aims to unite humanity to overcome the crisis, and is using the Sunlight Scripture as puppets for his plans. Ultimately Enhela's true purpose is still unknown leaving the group uncomfortable on what the future holds.

As it is not something they can think about and get an answer to, Sebas switches the discussion on what transpired at the meeting with the representatives. The protagonist and Surajo reveal that after their strategizing with the Alliance members, they were approached by Leinas in private. Leinas wanted the opportunity to thank them for reviving those who were lost at the time of the disaster in E-Rantel, including herself. Leinas though wants to personally thank the Sorcerer Kingdom representatives for helping her recover her strength but also shows an unintended benefit. The knight's right side of her face which was originally foul looking from a curse has been cured. It appears that even after being revived Leinas's face was still cursed, but thanks to the healing magic of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the scars and curses inflicted on her were nullified. Leinas is grateful as in the past she tried a variety of healing spells but nothing worked.

The protagonist studying the results, silently deduces that this is the result of cancellation of "Bad Status" by resurrection as mentioned in the books he read. For instance if a curse has two effects, "changes the face" and "fixed changed state", the change on the subject's face from the former effect will still remain even after resurrection, however the secondary effect will disappear allowing for healing. The latter effect of the curse was what blocked the healing spells, and vanished once Leinas was killed and then revived.

From what he heard this was a troublesome curse of Leinas as there was no one who could heal it. But then again the only way was to remove it was to die and use revival magic, which was something the Empire lacked. Thus such gratitude towards the Sorcerer Kingdom is misplaced as a series of circumstances was what allowed Leinas to be unburdened by the ailment. Nonetheless Leinas still wants to give thanks to him and pass on her gratitude to the Supreme Being who she heard that he and Aura serves. If there is anything she can do to repay them, she is willing to risk her life and has even received permission from the emperor to do so.

The protagonist reluctantly agrees to pass the message to his master. Leinas knowing that her level of ability would not be appraised as much to the Sorcerer Kingdom, still desires to be of use to the kingdom. Not only does she want to repay the foreign nation for fulfilling her fantasy but also to gain the Sorcerer Kingdom's protection, believing it has the power to overcome the current crisis.

In the present Sebas, musing that it is wonderful more and more people are becoming fascinated with the Sorcerer Kingdom. To Soi they have already half-way in making the Empire into a puppet state. And while Leinas doesn't have much value there is still the risk of her being a potential threat to their liege. Their relationship with the Empire and Kingdom are rock-solid, but the Theocracy is another matter, especially with Enhela. Having said that the protagonist informs his team that he will be helping out in manual labor and working with Clementine to prepare for the rescue operation.

Elsewhere in a the Theocracy's garrison, Nigun and Ian are seen thanking their superior, Enhela, for rescuing them. Enhela tells them to think nothing of it as it would be a waste to let such talented people perish, thereby saving his friends was the least he could do after they nobly risked their lives for the people of the city. Nigun embarrassed at being considered noble, but accepts the gratitude. Enhela senses that Nigun would have wanted to volunteer for the rescue operation, as a result of his violation of defying orders in using the Sealing Crystal at the time of the disaster. The deputy does not hold it against the head of the Sunlight Scripture, as Nigun actions were to protect humans so there is no risk of being reprimanded.

Nigun is aback by this, but states that his wish to volunteer to go was out of concern for Enhela. He wanted to prevent Enhela from returning back to the "other side" as the priest heard that it will cause physical and mental pain to Enhela in the future. In order to prevent a loss in the chain of command it would be better for Nigun to lead the mission and command unit and have Enhela return to the homeland. Enhela agrees with Nigun as he admits that commanding a military unit is an unfamiliar role and is happy to ask Nigun for any assistance in command. The deputy then ends the meeting as the members of the Sunlight Scripture will soon have to get ready and train for the upcoming operation.

After Enhela leaves, Ian's warm smiles fades as he speaks to Nigun that though he is grateful to the deputy for saving their lives, its difficult to trust him as Enhela's intentions are hard to read. Nigun concurs, acknowledging that he knows very little about Enhela, at least in terms of ability, but regardless the deputy's history is enough for them to trust him. Ian though still is worried about Enhela's personality, but Nigun chastises his peer for saying such things, but secretly agrees that Enhela remarks and demeanor is unsettling at times. That they convey a kind of dangerous arrogance, bordering a fine line between cruelty and cold-heartedness.

When it comes to arrogance, Nigun in retrospect was more familiar with the attitude, though until the current hardships that hit humanity, confessing to himself that he was arrogant and greedy and far from being noble. His thoughts are interrupted when Ian prompts if he is alright, to which Nigun claims he is just thinking that the deputy might be having thoughts of being powerless which in uncommon for greenhorns who are arrogant about their status. Despite this Nigun is confident that Enhela has a good side. The two priests then decide to focus on training with the remaining Scripture members for the operation.

Unknown to Nigun and Ian, Enhela mind is trailing to the decontamination of Gazef Stronoff and the protagonist survival on the other side leading to the revelation the adventurer is his compatriot. Though there were many irregularities the plan is going ahead of schedule. Alone in the hallway, Enhela lets out a wicked laugh with a smile.

### Episode 6: Rally

After that, a few months passed by and the day for the rescue operation finally arrived when the Sorcerer Kingdom adaptive equipment arrived. Gazef Stronoff donned in the Five Treasures of the Re-Estize Kingdom stands alongside Brain Unglaus, addressing the assembled forces, thanking them for coming and giving a warning about the land they will be entering. Gagaran in a gregarious manner tries to make some humor that the people just have a simple job, "don't complain even if you die." Her carefree manner causes her to be scolded by Evileye to take the situation more seriously. The magic caster claims that she wants to hurry to the Chaos Zone as it interests for in the case for magic development. Gagaran asserts this to be just a lie, and that Evileye really wants to hurry to save Climb and also help Nemu, who's relatives are all gone, but this is denied by Evileye.

Surako and Soi, now attired in her professional Darkness gear, are listening to the banter, and know that Climb will not be found in the Chaos Zone as the young man was already secured by Nazarick. To make it less suspicious that Climb is the only one to be unfound, Soi secured several other people in the Chaos Zone beforehand, reducing the number of people that the rescue operation will find. Truthfully Soi believes that the expedition wouldn't be able to rescue that many people while dealing with the Chaos Beasts on the other side. Lakyus, Tia and Tina ask Gazef to resume his speech, apologizing for their comrades bickering. Gazef goes on to say that the equipment from the Sorcerer Kingdom still has problems, one being weight so asks them to be careful to adjust themselves accordingly, but Brain and the other shout that it's fine. Among them is Ninya, who aims to find not only her friends but Lizzie.

Sebas who is also one of the volunteers in the expedition, takes notice of her, recognizing her as Tuare's younger sister and heard that she reunited with. The undercover Nazarick agent notes that although the equipment's weight was reduced since the last version, it still fairly heavy, more so for even a soldier and a silver ranked adventurer. Although he must give priority of being the protagonist's escort, Sebas decides to keep an eye on Ninya.

Nimble and Leinas with the Royal Guard state that they have no issues and are ready, followed by agreements from Ian and Nigun with the Sunlight Scripture. Lastly Gazef warns everyone that time in the Chaos Zone flows differently compared to their world depending as claimed through a lie provided by the protagonist that the time axis for each entry point is different. Thus entry into the other side will be limited to Cracks whose safety have been confirmed, meaning the ones which the Warrior Captain used. He reminds them that this operation is a trial mission that serves to foster cooperation between countries, their mission will be either to return back with at least a hundred people from the other side, or judge if a larger secondary disaster may occur. The Four Kingdom Rescue Team then marched towards the Crack that was some distance away from E-Rantel, and was used by Gazef as passage to escape from the other side.

The rescue team entered the "other side" and formed a formation around perimeter, securing it and culling the area of Chaos Beasts. Adventurers who are part of the team, carry spare adaptive equipment and Ninya finding her friends on the ground, quickly equips them with it. One by one the members of the Swords of Darkness rise. Lukrut being the last to wake up is confused when he sees Ninya crying and why his body feels so heavy. Dyne and Peter who were brought up to speed on the situation quickly tell Lukrut to get his bearings, telling him Ninya saved them. This only makes Lukrut even more bewildered, until he notices the Chaos Beasts fighting the Warrior Captain, Lakyus, the imperial knights, and the Sunlight Scripture. In addition the ranger spots skeletons in the midst of fighting the monsters. Dyne explains that the undead are allies and the rest of his comrades promise to explain the situation later, which Lukrut agrees as he sort of gets what is going on.

By rescuing the lost adventurers, soldiers, and members of the Sunlight Scripture, the rescue team's strength increased and operation was slowly accomplishing its objectives.

### Episode 7: Achievement

After that, the rescue operation proceeded more smoothly than expected, and the goal of rescuing a hundred people was approaching. The sky in the Chaos Zone shifts to evening, causing Gazef to complain on the hectic shifts of the realm making him lose sense of time and go crazy. The Warrior Captain tells his people that they need only to rescue a few more people before they return home. In the meantime he asks about the health conditions of everyone, as if anyone is sick, will mean that they will have to advance their schedule to avoid more serious injuries.

Nigun though thinks that everything is going well, as there are no casualties compared to the slain Chaos Beasts, which is contrary to what he expected. The captain of the Sunlight Scripture ascribes the low death rate to the impressive strength of Blue Roses and the man Sebas, but also to the Warrior Captain, who he notes to be more stronger than he remembered. What unsettles him is that Gazef now possesses red eyes when he is fighting, similar to that of a Contaminated Beast, but yet his strength is beyond normal or even a hero, perhaps even an outlier or beyond.

Similar thoughts are shared by Sebas as he studies the Warrior Captain. He estimates that Gazef's power level far exceeds the Pleiades. While the human pales to the Floor Guardians, the butler believes that Gazef may be still useful.

Brain even comments in Gazef’s condition as the man had singlehandedly slaughtered half of the Chaos Beasts they encountered with only a handful of scratches. More comments are raised by Evileye and Gagaran on the Warrior Captain’s intense change. Gazef seeing that he is becoming the main topic of discussion relents and allows for everyone to take a break.

Meanwhile the members of Darkness notice that Enhela is not hiding among the rescue team nor does the Sunlight Scripture appear to be plotting anything. Even though they cannot let their guard down, Soi wonders if the man gave up since he lost his chance to target the protagonist.

A running Lukrut appears in camp shouting to everyone that this is no time to be taking a break. The Ranger having been on a scouting mission for the rescue team reports that he spotted a horde of Chaos Beasts coming their way. This is deemed nothing new to Nimble as the international army has been facing a lot since they came through the Crack.

From what Lukrut can see, the horde is different from the ones they’ve seen up until now! For starters the Chaos Beasts it comprises are all giants of various specialized types and in large numbers. The adventurers of Darkness take this sight to be part of Enhela’s work as the Chaos Beasts have now surrounded the Four Kingdoms Rescue Team. The adventurers being in the frontlines have no choice but to exert a little power to intercept the monsters, while Sebas in the rear fends the beasts utilizing his limited power to avoid standing out.

The human leaders of the army take command, with Lakyus ordering everyone to stay together and avoid being divided. Gazef puts himself in the front acting as the group’s main defense, with Brain guarding his back.

The three launch a flurry of their strongest attacks at the horde. They kill many, but as Evileye observes, the numbers in the horde of Chaos Beasts keep numbers pouring. Not wanting to exhaust themselves and be trapped, Gazef calls everyone that they need to reduce the enemy’s numbers and force their way through and escape to their original entry point. Sebas then steps forward to provide assistance acting as the vanguard to spearhead a way out, allowing Gazef to rest. Brain knowing Sebas's skills accepts as he trusts the miner. The protagonist volunteers his team to back up Sebas, so as to stay under Sebas's protection in case Enhela is lurking around. The others such as Nimble accede the protagonist to do so promising to take care of the injured.

Gazef seeing that all three, no four nations are working in sic, cannot help but feel proud of this moment, believing that they can overcome any crisis and rallies everyone to stay strong so that they all can go home, which is met by cheers.

After the deadly battle, the rescue team, broke through the horde, and finally crossed through the Crack and back into the plains of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Morning is coming and as the recovering army rests, Gagaran shouts how exasperated she is coming close to death. Her words are met with agreement by her teammates as they are all dead tired. Gazef takes the moment to thank Sebas for piercing through the enemy as they might not have survived without him. Sebas is more humble on the action as he claims it was nothing, just doing the minimum. To which Brain thinks he is joking as he can see that Sebas is holding his breath though the old man just insists that it is a breathing trick he learned.

As the leaders of the other three factions congratulate each other, the members of Darkness stand some ways to contemplate the situation. Surako is disappointed that Enhela did not move as they expected, and Soi is left bewildered as to what the priest is up to if the using the horde was some sort of ploy to make them drop their guard after it was defeated. This makes Surako wonder if they were mistaken on the Chaos Beasts horde, and perhaps it was not related to Enhela's machinations at all. The protagonist hopes to himself that their fears was just a baseless worry, but it seems unlikely as Enhela was obsessed with the protagonist being his "compatriot".

A [Message] comes through to the homunculus, with Momonga on the other end having dire news. From the summons in the field who were monitoring the Cracks, a serious and urgent situation has occurred. And while he cannot say for sure, it's likely to be the work of Enhela. From what Momonga gathers, the major cities of the Kingdom and the Empire, E-Rantel included, have been engulfed in miasma over a wide area causing everything to be contaminated.

## References

1. ↑ *Mass for the Dead Chapter 17: Eve of the Storm*