Momonga's Plan

"Um, if I may ask, Father, what brings you to the floor we guard?"

Mare, his head being patted, looked up at Naiyuan with curiosity as he asked.

"Mare, you're being so rude! Father and the other two Supreme Beings are the rulers of Nazarick. How can you be so reckless as a subordinate?"

Aura looked at Mare with some annoyance. His words were truly too presumptuous, and by only asking about Father, he was making it awkward for the other two Supreme Beings standing right there. She quickly moved to explain.

"It's fine. Since you are Naiyuan's children, there is no need to be so formal."

Momonga said calmly. After a short period of reflection, he had modeled his behavior after the superiors he remembered, and he now had a rough grasp of what the demeanor of a "ruler" should be. Perhaps it was because he had become an Undead, but he found that his memory and learning abilities had been greatly enhanced, which made his previously distressed little heart feel a bit better.

For now, I suppose I won't destroy it.

Have they completely shifted their focus to Naiyuan?

Looking at the two Dark Elves in front of him, Momonga thought to himself. Their attitudes had clearly changed; while they had originally treated everyone equally, they were now slowly leaning toward Naiyuan.

It seems the NPCs possess a high degree of autonomy. Even if their status is the same, they will still favor the one they like more.

Come to think of it, could Naiyuan have done that just now to test their autonomy? I never would have guessed; this guy actually planned it all out in advance. It seems I've been too lax. No, I must work harder; I cannot let Naiyuan's efforts go to waste.

"Aura, Mare, did you feel anything strange just now?"

Momonga thought for a moment before asking the two of them.

Although the transition had granted the NPCs intelligence, Momonga still wanted to see if he could discover any other changes.

"Huh? Just now? I didn't feel anything strange. We were just patrolling here like we always do."

Aura scratched her head, closed her eyes to think for a moment, and then replied with an embarrassed smile.

"I see."

Momonga's eyes flickered, and then, thinking of something else, he spoke to them.

"Herohero, Naiyuan, and I have come here to discuss something. I have already sent Albedo to notify the other Floor Guardians; they should be arriving shortly."

"While we still have time, would you like to be my sparring partners?"

"A sparring match... against Lord Momonga?"

Aura was stunned, then hurriedly began to decline.

"No, no, that's impossible! To spar with a Supreme Being... that would be a grave act of disrespect."

Beside her, Mare nodded repeatedly in agreement.

The Supreme Beings—in their hearts, they were the most powerful existences. As beings created by the Supreme Beings, how could they ever dare to raise a hand against them?

"It's fine, it's just a small test. You wouldn't refuse my invitation, would you?"

Momonga whispered to Aura, yet his tone carried an air of authority that brooked no refusal.

"Alright, if it's just a test..."

Aura glanced at Naiyuan, who was standing to the side. Seeing no reaction from him, she finally gritted her teeth and nodded.

"Hey, hey, Momonga! Are you really planning to cross swords with a Floor Guardian? Isn't that too risky? Maybe we should wait a bit longer."

Herohero, who was watching from the sidelines, hurriedly used Communication Magic to connect with Momonga, calling out to him with a hint of worry.

It was too reckless. Herohero felt that they should just let the two Guardians fight while they sat back and watched. That way, they could observe the Guardians' strength without putting themselves in danger.

But Momonga had rushed in headlong, giving him quite a shock. Good grief, did he really have to be like that, even as an Undead?

"Herohero, this is my decision. Besides, I said it's just a small test, don't be so nervous. And don't I still have you and Naiyuan here?"

Hearing his friend's urgent voice, Momonga hurriedly tried to soothe him. This was a plan he had reached after careful consideration, and he truly wanted to know just how strong the Guardians were.

"Alright, you two, stop arguing!"

Hearing the two of them bickering through the communication link, Naiyuan finally couldn't help but put an end to the pointless dispute.

"Naiyuan, hurry and talk some sense into Momonga. This is just too risky. We could clearly use a much safer method."

"I told you, Herohero, I'll be fine."

"Who knows? What if something goes wrong by accident?"

In this debate, Momonga was at a complete disadvantage. Herohero kept trying to persuade him to give up the fight, but with very little effect.

"Herohero, you don't need to say anything more. We both know Momonga's personality. Although he can be indecisive at times, once he has made up his mind, he will never back down. You won't be able to talk him out of it."

Naiyuan explained patiently to Herohero.

When Momonga was hesitant, he would be flustered and disorganized, but once he truly decided on something, he would pursue it without looking back. Even Naiyuan, as his close friend, could do nothing about it.

"But... fine. Momonga, Naiyuan and I will be keeping a close eye on things. Be careful."

Herohero still wanted to say something more, but in the end, he chose to agree, cautioning Momonga carefully.

Naiyuan felt a sense of melancholy. He roughly understood why Herohero was acting this way; it seemed the death of a certain companion in the real world had affected him deeply.

Momonga finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was helpless against his friend's concern. Although he wouldn't change his decision, he didn't want his relationship with Herohero to sour, which was not something he wished to see. Fortunately, Naiyuan had intervened in time to stop Herohero, preventing the situation from spiraling into the worst-case scenario.

"Come."

Momonga exhaled, walked slowly to the center of the Arena, and spoke to Aura.

Aura turned her head to look at Naiyuan. His warm palm rested on her head, and a few words reached her ears.

"Go on. Consider it an order from me. Besides, the chance to spar with a Supreme Being is rare, so do your best, Aura."

Naiyuan encouraged Aura. She seemed a bit timid, and he knew he had to make her set aside all her reservations.

"Since it is Father's order, I will give it my all."

Aura took a deep breath, then immediately leaped into the center of the Arena.

"Momonga-sama, I will give it my all. Please be careful."

Aura looked at Momonga across from her and spoke firmly, her own weapon manifesting in her hands.

"That is for the best. Let me see the full extent of your strength."

Momonga replied, then reached out his skeletal hand to draw a staff from the void.

The staff was named Dragon's Protection, a Divine-class weapon he and Naiyuan had obtained by defeating a hidden boss before the game servers shut down.