Mass for the Dead Chapter 16

Name of God (神の御名) is the sixteenth main story chapter in Mass for the Dead. It was released to the public on November 7, 2022.

Main Summary
On that day, E-Rantel collapsed.

The city was overrun by a large number of Chaos Beasts, and many of the residents were killed, injured, or disappeared without a trace, creating countless tragedies of various kinds. A few months later the fortified city... is being rebuilt. Very steadily.

Episode 1: Since Then
E-Rantel, a city that had experienced many tragedies from an attack by Chaos Beasts to the invasion by the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth and his minions once again is recovering from yet another disaster. Several months have passed since the unprecedented catastrophe that surpassed all those in the past. The city is slowly recovering, its efforts at reconstruction being directed by Saint Clementine in the streets of the city. Though the building are damaged and the streets cluttered with debris, the workmen are alive with activity and morale to restore E-Rantel to its former glory. Part of their heighten spirits is in due part of the saint giving them words of encouragement, but most credit is given to the protagonist.

Clementine while speaking to the workmen, cannot deny that the adventurer is no doubt the major patron to the city and is someone who deserves praise. To the people working to rebuild their home, it goes without saying that the protagonist presence is what is keeping the remaining people in the city going instead of abandoning it. And while there is still danger of staying due to Chaos Beasts that spring up from time to time, the reinforcements brought by the protagonist has made it manageable.

Some of the workers confesses that when first seeing the reinforcements brought to exterminate the Chaos Beasts, they were horrified, but since they are forces brought by their savior they see no harm. The reinforcements are actually Skeleton Warrior s from the Sorcerer Kingdom. Once seen as enemies of the living, they now protect them, guarding the Crack that formed in the fortress city, confronting and dealing with incursions from the monsters that emerge from the anomaly.

Elsewhere in Prince Zanac's office, a soldier delivers a letter from the protagonist. After the messenger leaves, Zanac asks his aide, Marquis Raeven to look at the contents of the message. The marquis reading through the letter informs the prince that it is an additional proposal for the "Resident Dispersal Migration Plan" along with improvements to the construction of a defense network for the migration candidates, establishment and security of supply routes and details of the migration schedule. Though Raeven thinks that the proposal will require some review and calculation, Zanac still finds it to be nothing less than impeccable and excellent. In the past Raeven would have dismissed such a proposal to be "absurd" given the number of soldiers required for the defense network, but such limitations do not apply to the Sorcerer Kingdom given their use of undead as a source of manpower. Prince Zanac finds it hard be impressed and worries if he is not careful he might break off his relationship with such a nation. To Raeven, utilizing the undead would have been difficult and received heavy backlash, even if they are in a city such as E-Rantel where it accepts demi-humans. However Zanac notes that if not for the urgency of the current situation, such a proposal of using undead would have dissolved an alliance, or worse a human nation joining hands with a army of undead would be reason for war.

Thankfully according to Raeven none of the nobility are that outraged, though there are some sentiments that come close to it. Right now there is discontent on not just using the undead, but also demi-humans and the Kingdom's alliance with the Sorcerer Kingdom. Zanac finds that it can't be helped given their country's stance towards demi-humans and undead, an attitude of resistance is to be expected.

The marquis thinking back of how E-Rantel began using demi-humans as a labor force can't help but feel as if it was all just preparations for the residents of the city to get use to the undead army. The thought does not surprise Zanac, as she feels that the protagonist and Prime Minister Albedo have the wit far beyond him to scheme such a plan, so much so it's even silly to try to resist their machinations. This shock the marquis to which Zanac explains the ulterior side of the "Resident Dispersal Migration Plan" which will see to the the population of E-Rantel will be spread to destinations through not just the Kingdom but also the Baharuth Empire. As far as Raeven understand this is a countermeasure against Chaos Beasts, which are drawn towards area where there are large concentrations of living creatures. Hence for humanity to survive the plan is to disperse the populations to avoid less attention from the Chaos Beasts. And while the dispersal will make conserving defense forces and improve food efficiency, it also means that the adherents of the Sorcerer Kingdom will spread to various parts of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

While the protagonist could not stop the recent disaster from happening, his merit of driving Jaldabaoth away is still recognized. Not only that, the people have seen with their own eyes that the Sorcerer Kingdom's undead are more than capable of dealing with the Chaos Beasts from the Crack. This still will lead to more believers in the Sorcerer Kingdom. The development worries Raeven, though not so much for Prince Zanac as he himself feels that he is one of those believers. Things in the Kingdom have so far not been good, as not only has the king and crown prince supposedly died, as well as a certain monster has vanished. In his blunt opinion, it would be better to be under the protection of the Sorcerer Kingdom than in the hands of the bickering nobles who are still trying to make use of the deaths and disappearances of the majority of the royal family. The latter is the best course of action to Zanac who is left helpless to the circumstances.

Marquis Raeven asks if that is why the prince postpone his coronation, which Zanac responds that it is due to the fact that the king's body has yet to be found. If Zanac crowned himself king, before finding his father's body, he would be criticized for showing lack of respect and be questioned on his legitimacy to the throne. At this point Zanac is trying to handle the fallout and support the reconstruction of E-Rantel any way he can. Raeven muses that if the city falls, then it will become increasingly difficult to protect his own territory and family and believes that Zanac's decision was the right one.

Both noble and royal fume over their powerlessness in the situation. Zanac looks on the bright side of things, as he still has the marquis, a patriot to rely on at his side rather than his horrible sister. Zanac mentioning the missing princess, causes the marquis to wonder about her whereabouts, but even Zanac does not know as he never was able to decipher his sister's actions before or even now. At the same time Zanac wonders about Climb's fate. Elsewhere the aforementioned princess is very much alive in an undisclosed location where the human girl wonders what her older brother is thinking about now, before laughing madly.

On the same day, the Territory Guardian of E-Rantel receives a visit by a certain dignitary at the former headquarters of the Tripartite Alliance. Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix greets the protagonist and his allies, Soi and Surako, thankful that the adamantite adventurer is safe despite the tragedy of what occurred in the city. When the emperor heard news of the half-destroyed E-Rantel, Chaos Beasts running amok and mass casualties, he feared that it was over for them. He laments that all the resources that the three allied nations pooled together from their solidarity, acquisition of human resources to research of new magic technology nearly was all lost. Even the disaster brought on by the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth paled in comparison, though just when humanity was facing a resurgence in their strength, it was snatched away in a blink of an eye. And in that moment the alliance not just nearly crumbled but the survival of humanity was tittering to the brink. Though they have endured the crisis no thanks to the protagonist's efforts in supporting humanity in this broken world.

The protagonist though tries to be humble about his accomplishments, giving credit to the early stage of the alliance in laying the foundations for humanity's revival. Soi says otherwise as the human nations while even under an alliance were busy competing for resources. Jircniv goes on to say that Soi is shrewd in that regard, as every country prioritized their own agendas to acquire stronger people. It was in this aspect of the alliance's plan led to discovering unknown people like the protagonist and Soi to promote their growth. The protagonist is sadden though on the loss of so many talented people and that their sacrifices can hardly be compensated by rebuilding one city.

Jircniv believes otherwise as humanity has the protagonist. It was only due to the protagonist that the people of E-Rantel were able to rise above such a hopeless situation and restore the city and people's spirits even when Chaos Beasts can spring up at any time. Thanks to the undead army brought from the Sorcerer Kingdom the people now can live peaceful lives and focus on moving on and restoring their homes because the protagonist is their symbol of hope. The emperor goes so far to say that he would willingly sacrifice everyone that were lost on the day when the Chaos Beasts attack to bring the adventurer back, highlighting how much faith the leader of the Empire has in the protagonist. To him the protagonist is necessary for humanity's survival during these trying times.

Jircniv words are flattering to the protagonist, but finds the idea that the city of E-Rantel relying solely on him a bit too much as the praise should instead be directed towards his homeland, the Sorcerer Kingdom. The homunculus and his comrades grow more uncomfortable when the emperor declares that the protagonist is a greater symbol than his home nation. The emperor clarifies that he does not dismiss the power of the Sorcerer Kingdom and uses the example of his own servant Fluder Paradyne, who abandoned him when Jaldabaoth in favor of going to the side of the Sorcerer Kingdom to peer into "the abyss of magic". While Jircniv is within his right to be furious, the emperor believes that it can't be helped given the old man's obsession and it was natural course to go towards the stronger nation. Hence Jircniv does not hold the Sorcerer Kingdom accountable for Fluder's betrayal nor does he hold it against them for hiding him in the E-Rantel Magic Research Institute. Jircniv having deduced where the old man was, kept the information from Nimble when he came to defend the laboratory, and specifically ordered him to prioritize on his emergency order rather than arrest the traitor.

During that tight spot at the laboratory, the protagonist gives him his thanks for sending two of the Four Imperial Knights to their researchers aid during the emergency as per their agreement. Jircniv knowing the confidential material that was housed in the institute understands the secrecy and was honored that the protagonist approached him for aid in the event of such a disaster. And while his imperial knights should be punished for being privy to the institute's secrets, the emperor feels that they have endured enough, after having been cut down and died, and later revived by the Sorcerer Kingdom. In effect the knights are already indebt to the Sorcerer Kingdom and is more than happy to allow Nimble and Leinas serve under the protagonist. The offer is appreciate, albeit the protagonist feels such praise is underserved. The conversation then moves onto details on the future relationship between the Baharuth Empire and Sorcerer Kingdom.

After Jircniv had continued his talk with the protagonist until he was dazed, by sunrise the adventurers of Darkness finally left the meeting. Whilst walking out in the streets of the ruined city, near the area where the Crack is, several citizens of the city spot them and are greeted warmly by a crowd happy to see their heroes amongst them. Navigating through the fawning crowd, the adventurers finally reach their inn suite. There Slimeko along with Soi are relieved that they are done for the day. Though tired the women note that their popularity and the protagonist as planned is now worshipped as an idol and symbol of hope. At this point Soi believes that the protagonist attention is so great that not even the Slane Theocracy could object.

The protagonist does not share the same sentiments, but is more concerned by Jircniv's blind faith in him as it is a little dangerous. While he being seen as a hero falls within their master Momonga's plans, the homunculus finds it a bit disrespectful that he is being given greater importance than the Sorcerer Kingdom. Soi though thinks that the blind faith in their fans could be convenient which Slimeko agrees as now no will dare question their actions. Still this worries the protagonist as such fervent believers could be a problem and believes that it would be safer to approach the plan with that in mind.

Soi reluctantly agrees that to be true, as complains that its a pain to act given she has no acting skills, and what's more annoying is the magic item equipped by a certain person. Slimeko adds that it can't be helped as that person's item makes one immune to mental attacks so they have no choice but to act in order to extract their thoughts.

Episode 2: Master Source
In the Great Tomb of Nazarick, at the Round Table Room, Momonga receives a report on E-Rantel's current situation. Reading through the report, Momonga is glad that the inhabitants of the city were so accepting of the undead army and managed to maintain peace. Additionally it seems that the Theocracy has kept quiet as they are in no position to complain on the undead forces. The solidarity of Three Kingdoms, which Momonga corrects himself, has evolved into Four Kingdom after the other three witnessed how valuable the protagonist and the Sorcerer Kingdom are to their continued existence. The residents of the city have become adherents to the new nation. Not only that the plans for the Kingdom and Empire are now progressing smoothly and soon the puppetization will be expected to progress.

Demiurge and Albedo listening to their masters outline of the status of their plans, report that invisible attacks in the city have subsided, leaving only the Cracks and Chaos Beasts. Though the last two threats have countermeasure, Demiurge is concerned that they do not yet have any for the invisible attackers. But on the bright side their rule of E-Rantel has turned out better than they originally planned, ironically thanks to the calamity. Albedo adds that the Sorcerer Kingdom was given a just cause to deploy their undead army earlier than planned to E-Rantel. Now they have shown the military capacity of their nation to the world and its effectiveness at dealing with the threats of the Cracks and has allowed their political influence to expand.

Albedo notes that with the Sorcerer Kingdom handling the defense of the city, human labor has been redirected to escort the increasing number of merchants, leading to an increase in the transportation efficiency of goods and food. The alleviation of the shortage of goods and food has not only affected E-Rantel but also in various places. It also seems that the achievements of the Sorcerer Kingdom, have spread to various places from the mouths of the humans with very little creatures effort from Nazarick.

Momonga reports that he and Pandora's Actor are continuing the efforts to steadily increase the number of corpses collected from outside for their undead forces. Though the gains of Nazarick still cannot erase the fact that many of their own meritorious agents have gone missing. Albedo sees the distress in Momonga after he mentions this which he apologizes for being such sour thoughts as he cannot help feel bitter of a loss.

The Overlord recalls a conversation he had with the protagonist once upon a time when the homunculus said that his value was low and that he would not regret losing it. Momonga denied that being the case, but seeing how things were now progressing without any major catastrophe, he feels that his words were a terribly hollow consolation.

Demiurge holds some idea what the Overlord is feeling, as for those in Nazarick, they are companions created by the Supreme Beings. And feels great sense of loss towards his missing comrades. However, he feels that their loyalty had prepared them in advance for something like this so that there will be no problems with Nazarick should something happens to them.

If possible, rather than lamenting the situation without them, Demiurge believes that they should praise the results of their commitment and be proud. Momonga knows this to be true. He is reminded that the current situation so far has been mitigated thanks to the efforts of Pandora’s Actor and the Greater Doppelgängers who have been acting as substitutes for the missing, assuming their roles in the field.

While the shapeshifters have competently played their roles, Albedo is worried about the long-term as they cannot be permanently stationed in the field. Momonga wonders if there are any new clues from those who were resurrected. Sadly Demiurge answers that to be a negative, as the knights of the Empire who were revived have already been handed over to Jircniv, and there is no new information from Fluder or Sophie, who are under their control and doesn't seem to be much memory confusion, etc.

Another thought comes to mind for Mimi ga, this time directed towards Climb and Renner, particularly asking how the human princess is doing. Albedo states that the girl remains under their protection and control. While her freedom is restricted, Renner welcomes the current situation and continues to cooperate with the puppetization plan and so far does not show any intentions to betray them. The girl’s behavior though only human is lauded to be a “heteromorph in spirit”. Though The Overseer Guardian attributes the human's cooperation as being the ability to accurately and coldly see the most profitable option in the calamitous time.

Demiurge adds that from the fragmentary reports of the situation of E-Rantel, the princess was able to determine that "if an accident were to strike, there wouldn't be any corpses left to revive anyone". Hence leading her to request the Shadow Demon assigned to kill Climb to guarantee his survival. However when the demon refused to do so as it conflicted with its current orders, the princess then had Climb take Razor Edge to the E-Rantel Magic Research Institute, which was a reasonable decision as sending the boy there would ensure he be protected by the Sorcerer Kingdom. Frankly Demiurge is quite impressed at the princess's wit and that Climb's death helped further Nazarick's interests. Truly the princess is recognized by the Floor Guardians in the room in high esteem and are well aware of Climb as a bargaining tool.

While the offer by the princess was seen as something as a joke, it proved to be an invested that Nazarick collected on. Ultimately the Shadow Demon was forced to kill Climb after he witnessed the protagonist vanish when he was pulled into a Crack at the institute. Climb's premature death prevented the human from being spirited away by the anomaly, though the demon itself was not spared this fate. Nazarick was able to revive Climb and gin a detailed account of what happened to the protagonist. As such the two were given protection under Nazarick. Thanks to Renner's aid, Nazarick is closer to achieving the puppetization of the Re-Estize Kingdom. In exchange Demiurge had promised to fulfill a wish of Renners' which is to be accepted as a genuine heteromorph, which he passed to Momonga who permitted the request.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Momonga is seen walking alongside Cixous, his maid attendant for the day, in the halls of the 9th Floor. Through dead silence, Momonga ponders about the quietness on the floor. Initially he dismisses it to be just his mood but senses that it is actually the result of Nazarick's current sober mood. To get a better idea, he directs his concerns to Cixous, asking if she met with any of the Pleiades, and atmosphere they are putting up. The maid answers that she spotted the remaining members of the Pleiades have been in each other company in good cheer though also with great worry. To Momonga that is understandable as Yuri Alpha, CZ2128 Delta, and Solution Epsilon, nearly half of the Pleiades have vanished so it expected for them to be discouraged. In a way the uncertain fates of the missing are more troubling to the maids than being dead.

Momonga recalls in the past of how he rushed to the control console in the Throne Room at the time when E-Rantel was suffering it latest calamity. Immediately after he received words that the protagonist and the others vanished, Momonga opened the Master Source, the undead discovered a shocking reveal. The statuses of the missing indicated that they were alive....not dead, and since then he has been checking and the statuses have not changed. Such news should be joyous but the whereabouts of the missing remain unknown. Judging by the situation, there is a possibility that they are in another dimension which is all more worrisome. Momonga still doesn't discount it being a bug in the system, but has not yet tried reviving any of the supposed missing as when reviving the NPCs last time, it lowered their levels. He still feels responsible for their fates as he sent them out on dangerous missions due to his greed for knowledge. If anything Momonga believes that he should have done more such as sending Cocytus and Mare Bello Fiore to accompany them from the Azerlisia Mountains to E-Rantel.

Emotional distress overcomes Momonga, which quickly dissipates due to his racial status. Cixous noticing some change in her master's behavior asks if he is alright. Instead he offers an apology to her and the general maids, knowing how much they admired the Pleiades and that their disappearance is a blow to them. He asks Cixous and her fellow general maids to support the remaining Pleaides to the best of their abilities which, Cixous after a brief stunned silence promises. Momonga resolves to ensure the safety of his friends' creations who he considers them to be their children. Thinking back on the attack on E-Rantel, Momonga still has not answer to the cause of the phenomena, but as indicated by the presence of Chaos Beasts, they were drawn to the city due to the powerful existences there and large number of living creatures. In essence this is what Nazarick experienced when it was transferred to the New World.

Countermeasures have been made such as dispersing the forces outside and utilizing undead to combat the Chaos Beasts, but this also means that there is a reduced ability to deal with other threats and increasing the chance of being defeated. Momonga contemplates on the risks of dispersing himself and the Floor Guardians in Nazarick, as they are the strongest, that could draw the Chaos Beasts in the immediate area. Even so Momonga understands that Nazarick is prioritizing quantity over quality, and building a back-up base in the event of an attack at worst. Right now the plan Nazarick is adopting is fine for now at the behest of the three greatest minds in the dungeon.

Momonga's long sigh, starts to affect Cixous, who worries she may have insulted her liege. Momonga apologies claiming his mind was adrift and was thinking about his long lost subordinates. He changes the topic by focusing on the positives. For instance taking in account, save for Aura and Mare, that everyone in Nazarick are heteromorphs, it is fortuitous that the five who are missing are of the heteromorphs. Having no definite lifespans, so long as they are alive Momonga does not doubt they will be unable to find their way back to them. This brings hope to Cixous bring brevity to the prospect of a reunion. To Momonga he remains firm that he will wait for those missing, whether it will take a 100 or 200 years, swearing to search for them to fulfill his oath to protect those he cares about.

A [Message] comes through to Momonga, who upon answering it finds that Narberal has returned to Nazarick from the field. When she accidentally interrupts Momonga she requests to be punished and offers to commit suicide which id denied by Momonga. Going back to why she contacted him, she has some startling news...she returned with the protagonist to the confusion of Momonga.

Episode 3: Still Alive
After several checks and inspections, the protagonist was allowed an audience with Momonga, Albedo and Demiurge in the Round Table Room. Before debriefing the homunculus, Momonga welcomes the NPC home, happy that he is safe and alive. Momonga though tells the homunculus that he has no intention of blaming the protagonist for his long absence, the same is said by Demiurge and Albedo. Momonga still wishes to know the whereabouts of the others who are missing. But before he does that he notices Narberal is present at the meeting an wonders if he should dismiss her, before deciding that it would be best for her to remain. The protagonist is questioned by Momonga on what happened to to Solution, CZ and Slimeko.

On that the protagonist reports that while he may not be sure, he thinks with high probability that the women are still alive. Though the news is good, Narberal still demands more details on what happened to her sisters. However to the protagonist it is much harder to explain in a few words, but from what he can say is that the place he and the others were transported to should be on the other side of the Crack. The news is taken with some interest. Demiurge finds the idea possible as the Cracks have been proven time and time again to connect to other worlds by their regular visitors to Nazarick.

The protagonist goes on to give a account of the world he saw, describing it to be completely different from the world they are currently in with its own civilization. The landscape is said to be similar to the current world, almost like another dimension. Momonga listening still can't wrap his head around how the world beyond the Crack is different, and begs the homunculus to continue. From the homunculus, the assembly learn that the world allows very few creatures to function properly there. The only ones that exist there are Chaos Beasts and a number of Contaminated Beast s. Though due to their limited numbers, the protagonist suspects that they are prey upon by the Chaos Beasts. Not only that time seems to flow very differently, as when the protagonist returned to Nazarick, he was shocked to learn that several months had passed during his absence when he only experienced a few days on the other world. This is shocking to Momonga and he surmises that the large number of Chaos Beasts in the other world to be the source of the monsters that spring out from the Cracks in the New World.

Demiurge is more concerned about what the protagonist said that creatures unable to function there, he hopes that this only applies to living creatures and perhaps Yuri and CZ being non-living races will be okay. The protagonist though does not know where in the other world the members of the Pleiades are as he was too busy to search for them due to being attacked by Chaos Beasts. Luckily he managed to find an "ally" who joined him on his travels and eventually the protagonist was able to find a way out and return to the current world. Demiurge and Momonga then ask who this "ally" was, which the protagonist answers that it was Gazef Stronoff, but before he can explain further he has a personal request.

Albedo though intuitively senses what the protagonist wants, to have a private audience with Momonga to speak with, without her, Demiurge, Narberal, Cixous and the guarding Eight-Edge Assassins. The Overseer Guardians wants to deny the request as the protagonist has been out of contact for the last few months, having his be trusted to be alone with Momonga is risky as it has yet to be determined if the protagonist is compromised or brainwashed. The protagonist does not blame her distrust, hence why he understands the intensive screening process he was subjected. Even if they did not find anything wrong with him, there is still a possibility he may have a hidden danger. Momonga believes that though there is a possibility of betrayal by the protagonist, it is worser to doubt an ally and sow a seed of discord amongst themselves. Albedo disagrees that whether or not the protagonist is is being manipulated willingly or unwillingly, he is already a traitor and a risk to her master. Though her words have a silent agreement among the remaing people in the room, Momonga overrules their concerns and agrees to have a private talk with the protagonist.

To assure the others he will be safe, Momonga plans to summon two Death Knight to act as silent guards for himself. In addition Albedo and the other can observe the discussion visually through magic. If anything should be amiss, then the group will have permission to intercede to protect him. Momonga insists that he must do this as the protagonist appears to have something dire to tell him for his ears alone, and such the information is too valuable to avoid and worth the risk. Albedo finally agrees to her master's order, which Momonga takes pleasure of winning an argument with her and feeling like he is in control. Turning back to the protagonist, Momonga senses that the NPC is not plotting anything against him, but seems to be carrying something heavy in his chest that he wishes few to learn.

The one on one conversation proceeds with Momonga alone with the protagonist in the Round Table Room, flanked by his undead summons. From the conversation, Momonga is left emotionally shocked by what the protagonist had just revealed to him. Recovering from his shock, Momonga thanks the protagonist for being candor with him as what he just said truly was something that Albedo and the others must not hear. Even so, with everything that he just learned Momonga still has more questions and still has trouble believing it. The protagonist does not blame his master, as even he was not sure if he should have disclosed what he knew to anyone, but he believed that Momonga can provide him a clear judgement on what to do.

The protagonist though feels ashamed now as from now he will become even more sinful with these revelations, though Momonga dismisses the protagonists' self-deprecation. From what he told him, there is no way to verify it without solid proof, and could be interpreted as someone planting information in his memory. The protagonist hopes that is the case, though he cannot dismiss it due to feeling some sort of conviction in the experience. And while the knowledge could be planted in him to sow chaos in Nazarick, the protagonist in case of betrayal apologizes to his master. Momonga understands this, but rejects his apology. Even if the information he gave him turns out to be true, nothing can change the fact the protagonist is an irreplaceable existence created by his friend, touching the homunculus.

Putting aside that the information, Momonga then discusses about plans to rescue the remaining members of Nazarick. The protagonist intends to make preparations, but given the time dilation between the two worlds, there is plenty of time for a rescue. Due to the sensitivity of some of the information, Momonga plans to tell Demiurge and Albedo a omitted version to allow them to cooperate. Additionally he will order Demiurge and the Greater Doppelgängers to develop and test out the "equipment" needed for the rescue operation. In the mean time Momonga suggests to the protagonist that he resumes his post in E-Rantel and allow his doppelgänger to bring him up to speed.

On the night that the protagonist returned, Momonga retiring to his office contemplates the revelations that the protagonist had given him. Though he is happy that the protagonist is back, and a rescue is underway, the story told by the protagonist still baffles him as it is too outrageous but yet true. The truth though must have been painful for the protagonist to hold by himself, which Momonga can relate, echoing that the NPC is similar to himself.

Episode 4: Push Forward
As preparations for the rescue operation will take some time, the protagonist after taking the minimum amount of rest, returned to E-Rantel and worked hard until it was ready. He retook his role as Territory Guardian relieving the Greater Doppelgänger that was substituting for him, acting together with Soi and Slimeko’s doppelgängers.

The trio worked together, first by culling the Chaos Beasts emerging from the Cracks in the city. After task is done the protagonist was able to get a feel for the location and size of each anomaly in the city, and the number and strength of the Chaos Beasts that appeared.

Although the protagonist could have read the reports to ascertain the situation, he found doing an on-site visit was necessary and apologizes to his colleagues for the trouble in escorting him.

The Doppel-Soi and Doppe-Slimeko pay if no mind, grateful that the real protagonist is willing to check the details in person.

The group then is about to move to check on the reconstruction efforts in the Crack free zones of the city. Before they do so, the doppelgängers suggest that the protagonist take a break as the homunculus hasn’t had a proper rest for three full days since he arrived in the city.

The protagonist believes that if is not an issue the as he has items he was loaned that remove fatigue. But the idea of wearing himself out mentally is not appealing and decides to brief break is in order and see how the residents are doing. Though the decision doesn’t really count as a break the doppelgängers agree to it.

On the protagonists so-called break, while walking lightly and observing the city residents, the protagonist head was not resting at all. In his mind he considers the number of strong people who seem to have been swallowed up by the Cracks, noticing that the power relationship of the three countries have not changed much from before.

Currently the Empire has recovered, but still the weakening of Nimble and Leinas echoes its losses. The Kingdom had lost many soldiers, including Gazef, and Brain who were swallowed up, and Gagaran of Blue Roses fate is unclear. Last time he saw them, Gagaran took a hit for Lakyus urging her to get away as if she died then no one would be able to be revived. Gagaran and Evileye were standing together to fight the invisible monster attacking the strongest in the city, allowing Lakyus to escape safely.

While the members of Blue Roses were quick to prioritize Lakyus’s survival, the Kingdom is still dealing with the tremendous losses. All three nations in the Tripartite Alliance waned in power while then Sorcerer Kingdom’s influence increased considerably.

If the rescue of Solution and the others is achieved with this, there will be no loss to the Sorcerer Kingdom. It could even be concluded that the upcoming rescue is akin to a raid for his nation and also his personal agenda. The protagonist’s thoughts are beaded back into the world when he is approached by an all too familiar figure: Enhela Read Gahi.

Enhela greets the Territory Guardian, along their meeting a pure coincidence. The deputy assistant of the Pontifex Maximus observing that the protagonist is doing an inspection of the city is impressed having expecting someone like the adventurer to have such diligence and care towards the city.

The former answers since he had been entrusted with this city he cannot slack off, speaking of which the protagonist asks Enhela on his many responsibilities. The priest is modest if his duties as it pales in comparison to the hero although he admits he is working with a meager pool of skilled people.

The fact that Enhela revealed that the Theocracy is facing a shortage of capable people and compensating with those who are inexperienced is odd to the homunculus, thinking maybe the priest has a motive for leaking the information.

Engels’s actions are inscrutable to the protagonist and wonders if the human is trying to rattle him by feigning a weakness.

According to the information shared by Solution, prior to her disappearance, when she and his team with this man alone last time he said the meaningful words of "Thank you for the other day." Alas the protagonist has no context on what Enhela was talking about.

Enhela seeing that he is interrupting the protagonist  decides to excuse himself. While the protagonist watches the human priest depart, Enhela is curious as to why the protagonist inquire about the time when he met Soi, by now the female adventurer should have informed her leader of his attempt to sneak into the E-Rantel Magic Research Institute through the sewers. He eventually guesses that his colleague doesn’t want to touch upon a the issue due to the sensitivity.

A Slane Theocracy soldier disturbs Engels’s thoughts, brining a message. The urgency of the message is not serious, he the Temple of the city that helped defend against the Chaos Beasts have requested aid from the Theocracy as they are struggling to heal all those injured from the attack. To better coordinate the effort, the priests of the Temple requested a meeting with Enhela. Enhela promises to arrange something in the afternoon, though is irked that such a missive could have been sent via [Message], though the soldiers answers that word of mouth was more reliable. Quite so, Enhela finds the paranoia of using magic to communicate to be somewhat irrational as he prefers speed over security in certain situations.

That being said, he notices that this recent message was one of many that he received from the Temple in recent days which the soldier replies could be that the Temple is feeling overburdened with the disposal of Chaos Beasts in the city. While the Theocracy is able to sell favors to the Kingdom this way, the Temple's reliance on the Theocracy forces is getting tiresome to Enhela. In his opinion, which he keeps to himself, if the Kingdom had cared anything about the welfare of the populace then, they shouldn't have embraced the undead army of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Enhela thinks that it is only a matter of time before the Kingdom's priests stop asking for the Theocracy's aid in healing matters before requesting them for military aid. He has no wish to do all the work for the Kingdom, and considers making an excuse that his forces are limited, which is true since the Sunlight Scripture is heavily depleted and concentrating their efforts in transporting goods from the homeland.

The soldiers admits that the loss of many elites in the Scripture was a heavy toll, as they did their best to protect the people of the city to the very end. Furthermore the soldiers calls them to be true and noble which Enhela agrees sadden that such valuable people were lost. Among the missing, Among who Enhela considers in high regard was Ian Als Heim, deeming him to be a moderate mind for a citizen of the Theocracy able to see the bigger picture not engrossed in doctrine and work with other races for the benefit of humanity. It would have been better for Ian to survive according to Enhela as he recalls how the deputy commander of the Sunlight Scripture sacrificed himself for Nigun when they were attacked by an invisible foe before the two vanished altogether. With no bodies, the possibility of resurrection is impossible. The priest is left wondering on the recovery of personnel, and if countermeasures to prevent such a catastrophe are even possible to implement in the future.

Episode 5: Beyond The Crack
A month passes, since the protagonist returned, and a meeting is convened at the Round Table Room. There Momonga announces the start of the rescue operation for their comrades is to begin. Those present are Narberal, Lupusregina, Entoma, the protagonist, Albedo and Demiurge with members of the remaining Pleiades and the protagonist selected as part of rescue party. Albedo seeing the team, muses that the inclusion of a Floor Guardian was avoided. The maids though understand as they are going into unknown territory. Depending on the situation they place they are heading to is one where they won't be even able to die if they are captured. Adding a Floor Guardian on the team would only expose to unwanted danger without assurance that they can be revived. On a personal note the Pleiades feel that this is their responsibility to rescue their sisters even if they lack the strength as the Floor Guardians, they still intend to see the mission through.

Momonga is glad that their morale is high and then allows Demiurge to brief them on details of the operation. The demon then begins handing out pieces of armor to each of the maids, which he explains to be equipment that was recently made based on the information the protagonist brought back from "the other side". It is for when operating in the "chaos environment" a term Demiurge coins to describe the beyond the Crack. After extensive study on what lies on "the other side" they confirmed that there is a phenomenon that affects both living and non-living creatures causing them to lose consciousness and cease functioning when they cross into the zone of the Crack. Using this equipment should negate the effects and allow them to retain their senses and walk in the environment normally. The equipment is taken with amazement as it is an incredible breakthrough, by Momonga and the Pleiades. In all honesty Demiurge admits that the equipment is the result of cooperation with Pandora's Actor, the Chief Blacksmith, the data brought back by the protagonist and the research accumulated by the E-Rantel Magic Research Institute. Regardless, Momonga plans to properly reward those who contributed fairly.

Said equipment is made by apply Chaos Stones into its structure, similar to how Data Crystals enhance items. Though the method for the latter is considered mundane to Momonga, Sophie Noia at the institute was able to arrive to a similar process using the Chaos Stones when she was dying. Going on, Demiurge elaborates that the equipment still contains disadvantages such as while the equipment can come in many variations, there are still risks such as losing balance of original equipment, depending on the type of equipment it may either weaken or strengthen. And that they could experience dipropionate weight when using the new equipment. To avoid being unbalanced,

Momonga advises that in order to adjust for the overall weight, they should remove unnecessary equipment. Demiurge also warns that the equipment are disposable consumables that lose their adaptation effect to the "chaos environment" after a certain period of time. Since they don’t last that long, they will need to bring multiple pieces to the other side.

And before the equipped item loses its effect, it is necessary to replace a new one to another part and wait to make sure that all pieces of the equipment are balanced as a whole throughout the body. This will be a serious disadvantage as the team will probably need to repeat this process in enemy territory so all members of the team will have to maintain their guard for each other.

Once finished Demiurge says sorry for taking so long, but Narberal speaking for the group says it is alright as if is better to be prepared for the mission.

Momonga appreciative towards their spirits tells the group should they encounter something unexpected, choose to withdraw without hesitation. Prioritize gathering intel before the success of the mission. Though Narberal sates that they will, Momonga senses that doing so will probably be difficult for the Pleiades when they are faced with saving their sisters or retreating. The Overlord then tells them to be ready as tomorrow they will head out.

The next day, the rescue team left Nazarick, followed by several summons, all heading towards the nearest Crack outside the dungeon. Along the way, the protagonist inquires about their new equipment. The maids having forgo disguises donned the items given to them by Demiurge report that they seem be working withing acceptable parameters. Though for Entoma, she finds that her ability to command and use her insect summons to be limited, though she still is able to use some such as Bullet Bugs to decent effect. This proposes a question from Narberal if CZ would have this problem when donning the equipment with her magic bullets. Lupusregina though is worried if they should have dressed in their disguises as humans may recognize them as subordinates of the Demon Emperor. The protagonist believes it will be okay as long as they keep their distance from any newcomers, and besides their Shadow Demons they have with them will guard them,

The rescue team arrives at different forest, some distance away from the Great Forest of Tob where a Crack is located. The protagonist explains that this was the anomaly which he returned from. And while they could have use the Crack in the Throne Room to enter the "other side", the homunculus thought it would be safer to use the same one he came from as he has very little grasp on the actual geography of the other dimension. He then provides details of the mission. The exact locations of Yuri and the other missing Pleaides are unknown, but since the protagonist was able to join up with Gazef in a short time, he was able to confirm that there were many resident of E-Rantel aimlessly wandering on the "other side". Those who were swallowed by the Cracks were not scattered over a huge amount of area, so they should be relatively close together and hopefully their friends will be too.

Entoma comments that the protagonist was lucky to regroup with Gazef. Luck is not what the protagonist would call it, but more like fate to meet the Warrior Captain as they were not that far apart when they were sent to the "other side". That being said Yuri and the others should be close by as well. The protagonist wants to find them as soon as possible before their equipment use deteriorates. The maids and homunculus prepare to enter the Crack, first by Entoma checking on the statuses of the summons and the protagonist reminding them to be mindful of Gazef in the area and to avoid encountering him.

The cross through the Crack, where they find themselves in a forest like the one they just left, only it is nightfall as compared to day.