Traveling to Other Worlds: Multiversal Dominion

The air was thick in the valley, saturated with the scent of ashes and an ominous silence. The landscape was devastated, an endless expanse of craters and monster corpses that testified to the power that had fallen upon this place. At the origin of it all, Satou lay motionless, surrounded by a faintly flickering blue glow, like the final breath of a dying flame.

As he observed Satou, Satoru couldn't help but compare this world to that of YGGDRASIL.

"In Overlord," he began, his gaze drifting into memory, "a level 310 would be nearly inconceivable. Not even World Enemies reached such heights," he thought, feeling a stab of discomfort as he accepted that in this new world, those rules didn't apply.

If something at that level existed, any attack from a level 100 would be useless.

In YGGDRASIL, level was one of the most important measures of a character's strength. True, combining various classes could make a high-level player weak, but even so, those with high levels were immune to almost any form of attack from someone considerably lower.

At most, a well-built level 90 might be able to defeat a poorly built level 100 with standard classes.

"But here... it's different." This world lacked that mechanic. Satou had absurd stats due to his level, yet he remained vulnerable to lesser abilities. Mind control, dark magic, physical attacks... all of that should have been useless against someone at his level, but here, they could be a problem if he wasn't careful. Even with his level, it was his ability to quickly learn high-level skills that had saved him time and again.

He recalled how Arisa, a character whose level didn't even reach double digits, had managed to mentally control Satou for a brief moment—until Satou unlocked [Mind Control Resistance] and leveled it up. He also remembered the battle between Satou and the Lich, where Satou had temporarily fallen under the effects of dark magic, leaving him in a trance until he again unlocked resistance to that school of magic.

The reason was clear: in Death March's base stats, there was no magical or physical defense. Nor was there resistance to altered states.

Satoru compared this with the YGGDRASIL system—the game upon which Overlord's rules were based—and couldn't help but look down on this world's mechanics. He admitted that YGGDRASIL's system was more restrictive in some areas, but Satoru considered its balance of advantages and disadvantages superior.

In this world, certain actions could grant you skills. Swing a sword enough times, and you'd gain [Swordsmanship lvl. 1], for example. Satou had 3,100 skill points and could use them to enhance such abilities.

In his case, Satou only needed to grab a stick and swing it; doing so would grant him [Swordsmanship lvl. 1], and after spending 9 points, he would automatically become a Holy Swordsman.

Granted, he wouldn't gain complete mastery, but he would acquire a considerable boost.

And it was precisely because of that capability that Satoru needed to kill him in a single strike. If he failed, Satou could awaken and begin developing offensive and defensive skills that, sooner or later, would make him into something Satoru could no longer kill.

Determined to eliminate that possibility, Satoru raised a hand, summoning the Red Orb of Momonga. The artifact floated where his stomach should have been; it froze in place and then began to shine with a crimson glow, radiating a crushing pressure that seemed to wrap around the entire valley.

This magical item was a World Item, a relic imbued with absolute power capable of altering the fundamental laws of reality. Designed for specific purposes, its devastating power was, in most cases, accompanied by severe risks with prolonged use.

Its immense power stemmed from its origin: literal fragments of worlds condensed into manipulable objects.

This Orb, also known as the Orb of Arcane Spells, was one of the most versatile and devastating World Items in YGGDRASIL. It stored a limited number of immensely powerful spells, each designed for different purposes. However, its use came at a price: every spell cast consumed experience from the user.

This World Item had a special trait— the more it was used, the stronger it became… but so did its cost.

"In my case, I can only use it three times before I lose my level 100," thought Satoru. "A fourth use and I'll drop to level 99, losing a portion of my strength."

Under normal circumstances, it wasn't something he would use. But he deemed the situation warranted it.

Channeling energy through the Orb, Satoru summoned one of his most devastating spells. A column of dark energy formed in front of him, swirling with crushing pressure that distorted the air. The ground and surroundings trembled as power gathered in mere seconds, and with a precise gesture, he released the spell.

—[Abyssal Cataclysm]

The surge of concentrated energy swept across the valley, tearing through reality as it advanced. The impact was monumental—a pillar of darkness so profound it threatened to devour the world and everything in it.

Seeing Satou's body consumed by the darkness, Satoru thought he had won.

But then, golden runes appeared around Satou's body, dissipating the energy of the attack. The shield stabilized, flickering faintly, but still intact.

"...Did it fail?" Satoru murmured, stepping back. Although his emotion regulator kept his mind clear, the idea that his most devastating attack had failed filled him with a doubt he couldn't ignore.

Had Satou moved even slightly, Satoru would have fled on the spot.

"This doesn't make sense," he thought. "That spell was one of my most powerful offensively. With my Dark Mage classes, it was the strongest I could cast."

"Unless..." A thought crossed his mind. "Is Satou immune to World Items, or... is there something else protecting him?"

For a brief moment, the image of a multicolored-haired girl crossed Satoru's thoughts. He remembered that it had been a Dragon Goddess who brought Satou into this world.

Satoru began to weigh the possibilities. "Maybe the Dragon Goddess left something behind to protect him," he thought. "Or perhaps this world has a system that automatically intervenes in his favor."

Amid his contemplation, Satoru decided to test the energy shield again.

—[Ice Lance]

A simple spell; he conjured an ice spear that shot toward Satou—once again, the blue light flickered.

As he watched the azure glow around Satou's body, Satoru realized that each activation of the shield seemed to consume energy. "It's reactive to regular spells, and it doesn't appear to be constantly active," he thought.

[Call Thunder] —Determined to test the shield's strength once more, he began unleashing his arsenal of spells to probe its limits. Then, amid the trials, he decided to try a different approach.

[Sandman's Sand] —This spell wasn't offensive, but a status-inflicting magic that imposed [Sleep] upon the target. It was a superior version of the [Sleep] spell, placing the target in a slumber that would only end once they received damage.

Surprisingly, the spell worked.

"Allows alternate spells," he noted mentally. "It's a limited defense."

Could he poison him? That idea crossed his mind, but when tested, it proved useless.

Resolved to continue, Satoru began his preparations with another World Item: Depiction of Nature and Society. This World Item, shaped like a large oriental scroll, now hung at his waist. When Satoru had received his equipment from the light orbs, he realized his arsenal was vast. Every item Momonga had ever possessed before the end of YGGDRASIL was now his, and among them was this World Item, along with many others.

Depiction of Nature and Society allowed the user to isolate space. It was an item capable of sealing a target within a closed space. More precisely, it exchanged a painted landscape with the real world and then transformed the real world into that painted scene. The "target" in this case referred to a specific area. Nothing within that zone—living or not—could resist its effects.

The painted world itself was nearly identical to reality, lacking anything strange or out of place. However, it was fundamentally an illusion. The user could choose from 100 alternate worlds to superimpose over the selected area. The most terrifying aspect of this item wasn't the act of drawing someone into a different world, but the ability to manifest multiple effects within that target area. The user could also choose who would be affected by those effects. In other words, even if the user created a field of molten lava, they could exempt chosen individuals from the fire damage it inflicted.

This World Item was one of those rare cases that had no cost to use, but it did have a drawback.

Each world had 40 escape routes randomly chosen—except for a few select worlds with fixed exits. If the enemy escaped through any of them, ownership of the item would transfer to the enemy. Of course, none of those escape routes were easy, but the fact that one could obtain the item without defeating its wielder meant it was easier to claim than most World Items.

But that wasn't something Satoru had to worry about.

Without hesitation, he activated the artifact's power, and both he and Satou were transported to another domain.

This dark domain created by Depiction of Nature and Society was an oppressive place, designed to amplify the power of the undead while weakening all other forms of life. Columns of obsidian rose into a sky that didn't exist, and the ground glowed with magical matrices that enhanced negative energy, empowering his race—Overlord—and other undead who might enter the space.

At the center of this realm, Satou's body remained motionless. But the faint blue glow surrounding him still lingered—a stubborn barrier that resisted even the power of a World Item.

Still, its light wasn't as strong as before.

Satoru crossed his arms, observing the scene with a mix of cold analysis and unyielding resolve.

"No matter how powerful this shield is," he thought, "everything has a limit. And I'll make sure to reach it."

Before proceeding, Satoru began preparing his arsenal. He couldn't afford another failure, and every detail had to be meticulously adjusted. First, he changed his gear, seeking the highest raw power available.

He also swapped out some of his rings for others that would be more effective in the next attempt, according to his calculations.

When finished, Satoru equipped another World Item in case of emergency: Greed and Generosity, a pair of gauntlets—one shaped like a devil's hand, the other like an angel's. This item could absorb and store XP from defeated enemies and granted various abilities based on the XP it contained.

Then, he began chanting his enhancement spells:

[Mana Surge]

[Arcane Empowerment]

[Absolute Magic Precision]

[Dark Blessing]

[Penetrate Magic]

[Draconic Power]

The air around him vibrated with pure energy as he continued reciting the spells. Satoru raised the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, which further amplified each of his capabilities.

The staff bore similarities to the caduceus of the Greek god Hermes. It was entwined with seven serpents, each with a differently colored gem in its mouth. Its grip had a crystalline transparency and emitted a bluish-white light.

In YGGDRASIL, items were ranked as: Low → Medium → High → Peak → Legacy → Relic → Legendary → Divine.

However, Divine-tier gear was extremely hard to craft due to the sheer amount of resources required. As a result, most level 100 players in YGGDRASIL had full Legendary sets, complemented by a single Divine Item.

That wasn't his case. Since Momonga and his guild were PKers—players who killed other players—they had far more resources than most.

Satoru's current equipment was entirely Divine-tier, including his rings. Everything, from head to toe.

And the staff was the crown jewel. It was the guild weapon, the one into which they had invested the most. It symbolized Ainz Ooal Gown, the guild composed of heteromorphic monsters.

It had been forged collaboratively through a long-term project that took years and many sacrifices from their daily lives. The result was a weapon composed of numerous powerful Divine artifacts, enchanted for use and activation by its wielder.

Simply holding it filled Satoru's entire body with power. The golden staff itself was already a potent Divine Item, and the combined strength of its components made it superior to any other Divine item—surpassed only by World Items.

With this gear, he was ready for the final assault.

—[Triplet Maximized Magic: Reality Slash]

Satoru dedicated a portion of his mana to spells effective against barriers. Unlike before, the barrier showed greater signs of stress this time. However, he didn't have enough mana to sustain that kind of effort indefinitely.

Saving mana in case something unexpected occurred—like an unforeseen reaction from the shield or the intervention of a third party—Satoru reviewed his list of special spells.

Finding the one that seemed ideal, he channeled a high-tier spell, a kind of magic considered a trump card among the highest-level spellcasters. Through the Staff, he enhanced its force—this spell was designed specifically to tear down barriers:

—[Oblivion Breaker]

A sphere of black energy began to form before him, spinning with a force that distorted the very fabric of space. It deformed into a kind of pike, and with a precise gesture, he launched it toward Satou. The shield reacted—its golden runes glowing intensely in an attempt to disperse the impact—but the spell's power was too much.

The already-weakened barrier began to falter.

The blue shield shattered in a flash of light, leaving Satou's body completely exposed.

Without wasting a second, Satoru activated the Orb again:

—[Abyssal Cataclysm]

The resulting explosion was so intense the entire domain trembled. When the energy subsided, Satou's physical body had been reduced to ashes.

Satoru exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on the spot where Satou once stood.

"Was it enough?"

But upon reviewing the results, something didn't add up. Satoru had received no experience from the attack.

He frowned, mind racing.

"That doesn't make sense. If his body was destroyed, there should have been some reaction. Why isn't there?"

The answer came immediately: Satou wasn't truly dead.

—"That woman!" Satoru exclaimed. And for a fleeting instant, his mind was seized by a torrent of frustration and dread. It wasn't just a curse—it was a fracture in his emotional control, a moment of genuine instability. The possibility that the Dragon Goddess was interfering hit him hard, and that thought ignited a rage he barely managed to suppress.

If destroying the body hadn't killed Satou, then it meant his soul was still active.

"Then I have to make sure nothing remains," Satoru muttered, channeling one final spell through the Orb. This time, the energy gathering around him felt different—more intense, nearly overwhelming. According to its description, this spell could damage the soul, making it ideal for preventing resurrection magic.

—[Soul Extinction]

Dark energy enveloped the space, forming a vortex that pulled everything inward. When it struck Satou's soul, the result was immediate. A silent scream echoed through the domain, as if millions of souls were vanishing alongside his.

For a moment, everything went silent.

In the uncertainty that followed, his gauntlets—Greed and Generosity—began to wail. A sound between sorrow and elation.

The item was filling up.

When the spell faded, Satoru exhaled slowly, staring at the spot where Satou once was. Body and soul had been completely destroyed—and as a result, a stream of items began to materialize around him, falling as if the world itself were expelling them, before transferring into his inventory.

"I'd forgotten he had those items," he thought, recalling how Satou had obtained everything the dragons once possessed before their deaths.

***

There were too many items for Satoru to bother collecting them all. So, choosing to leave them stored inside Depiction of Nature and Society, he returned to the dragon valley.

The valley was wrapped in silence. Ash floated gently through the air, covering the devastated land in a gray veil. At the center of the chaos, Satoru stood motionless, the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown in hand and the Red Orb glowing faintly within his body. The dark domain he had created with Depiction of Nature and Society was slowly fading, its purpose fulfilled.

Satoru lowered his head, letting out a low chuckle that echoed like a sinister omen.

"I did it," he murmured. "The man who was invincible in this world... I've killed him."

Satoru remained silent.

The tension, so relentless just moments before, now faded as if it had all been a dream. If not for the scars on the land, the air thick with ash, and the fatigue in his bones… he might have believed none of it had been real.

And then, a metallic chime rang inside his mind.

Ting!

A notification appeared within his consciousness, suspended like an inevitable decree:

> New Racial Class Unlocked: Overlord King

Satoru narrowed his eyes, frozen in place. He said nothing. But in that instant, one truth became clear:

This was only the beginning.