Singularity IV: Londinium (Patreon)

If we exclude all the very creative curses, the self-professed desire to destroy the world, the barely held hatred and vitriol from Ainz's outburst, one could say that he was quite silent. Terribly silent, perhaps even to the point of suspecting that he’s mute.

Ainz's silence continued for the next few minutes, before Ainz suddenly took a deep breath, slowly drawing in air, and then became silent again. The silence was almost deafening. Which is quite funny, since not 10 minutes before, the cacophony of Ainz’s battle was quite literally deafening.

If Solomon was here, he would definitely be surprised at the ingenuity of the human mind as he became an audience to very creative curses and lingoes created by the minds of millions of frustrated gamers of the twenty-second century. He could even mistake them as some sort of very esoteric curses as Ainz almost started chanting curses in twenty-six different languages, mostly Japanese, English, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, French…

Curses truly are the universal language.

In his long life as an avid net-gamer, Ainz had never even thought about just how many unique and distinct phrases expressing the emotions of sadness and anger he had remembered during his long life.

In the end, when his second tirade, second only to the one after Tesla’s death, came to an end and his suppression of emotion, which had barely kept Ainz from going after Solomon, was finally able to tamp his raging emotions, Ainz was finally able to calm himself down.  Still with anger coursing through him, Ainz rubbed his temples, the bridge of his nose, all to refrain from spitting viciously on the ground, he had to keep his image as a good team leader after all!

And so, with his mind sufficiently calm, Ainz headed back to his Servants.

The Servants, they didn’t even dare to move when Ainz approached, watching their Master approach with bated breath... Who was their Master? Their mind simply caught in a rut when they watched the ‘battle’ between Solomon and their Master.

Is he God?

Of those present, the closest to understanding what divine nature, of course, was Da Vinci, and she knows that her Master was not a god, he is something more. However, whether their Master was God or some kind of Divine Spirit was neither here nor there. All the Servants present all agree about one thing on this matter.

They didn’t understand a thing about their Master.

The Servants looked at Ainz with... an emotion completely unknown to them before.

Fear? Surprise? Adoration? Horror? Fascination?

Even Da Vinci could not parse what emotion exactly the other Servants were feeling at the moment.

What a strange peculiarity. As soon as everyone had come to a certain conclusion regarding Ainz, creating an outline in their minds of some frames and boundaries about his capabilities, each and every time Ainz broke them with ease and a perverse grace.

When he first appeared in this world, and participated in the very first Singularity, during Lev’s betrayal and the destruction of Chaldea, he was perceived as the most ordinary, undistinguished, if not at all exemplary, magus in the service of Chaldea.

Then he killed Flauros in an instant, and that worldview was destroyed in a flash of unrestrained power.

The people present in Chaldea at that time remembered the experience quite vividly, as they felt and saw Ainz unrestrained might first hand.

And even then, they still unconsciously underestimated Ainz.

This was followed by their first true Singularity where Ainz actively started participating. There Ainz showed himself to be…  a very pragmatic, if not completely indifferent Master, where he regarded his Servants as pawns on a game board, played and sacrificed as necessary to complete the goal. A line of thought that was reinforced by the summoned Cainabel.

A state of mind that was perhaps necessary when the survival of the whole world was in the balance, so it was dismissed by the people in Chaldea. And yet, in this again, they were wrong. Ainz was not a Master that didn't care about his Servants.

A fact shown quite strikingly in the next Singularity.

Stheno and Euryale still couldn’t be left alone with Ainz without them breaking out into hysteria or catatonia. In the second Singularity, Ainz showed that he more than cared about his Servants, and was far from opposed to fighting a powerful enemy himself.

Baal, the Demon King not the Servant, was perhaps a taste of things to come.

The Third Singularity seemed to serve as a confirmation of these words. As if allowing Da Vinci and the other Servants a chance to finally concretely mark Ainz's status.

A distant, powerful, but not insensitive Master. Perhaps was even a Servant or even a Heroic Spirit of some kind, that had come to help Chaldea in their most difficult and challenging time.

Well, this harmonious and logical theory concocted in Da Vinci's head was destroyed yet again.

Ainz, whoever and whatever he is, did not fit into any framework Da Vinci could create in her head.

He was not a Servant, not a spirit, and not a magician. He was not alive, not dead. He was kind and terrifying in equal measure…

Which one is the real Ainz?

Da Vinci desperately tried to find an answer to this question. The only question that worried her so much at that moment. And… she could not.

Who is Ainz Ooal Gown? What goals does he pursue?

No answers to be found.

And all the vaunted knowledge of this world Da Vinci possessed collapsed in a single moment.

Da Vinci was not lying or boasting when she said that she possessed all the knowledge in the world. Unfortunately, her words were very literal.

She indeed knows all the knowledge in the ‘world’. And whatever Ainz was, he was not from this world.

Up to this point, Da Vinci had always assumed that Ainz's name was either a pseudonym, or one of hundreds of thousands of names of ancient legendary heroes lost in time. Or else, it was worth taking into account the words of Cainabel and Baal. Their ‘descriptive’ stories made Ainz out to be some kind of hero from a parallel world. A distant and unknowable world, a world not intersecting in any way with Da Vinci's world.

Da Vinci hadn’t truly understood what that had meant until now. Joining Ainz in his enthusiastic walk in the Singularity was truly her most brilliant idea!

In general, in the past, one way or another, Da Vinci considered Ainz a being, if not equal to her, then at least something that she can understand.

For example, although from the point of view of an ant a human looked like an incredible colossus, that is tens and hundreds of times more complex in structure. And although from the point of view of an ant a person’s action could be incredibly strange, surprisingly unusual, or use principles that seemed incredible to the ant, if not impossible, in the end they all converged on a single base, giving rise to a common way of understanding both.

In the end, both a human and an ant existed according to the same principles. The laws of physics, mathematics, chemistry and logic applied to both beings even though they are radically different.

For the first time, Da Vinci understood the most unexpected, strange, but at the same time so liberating discovery for her.

That Ainz existed according to completely different principles. Principles that are entirely new and alien to Da Vinci.

Which means more exciting things for Da Vinci to discover!

Even before this revelation, Da Vinci believed that Ainz was an absolutely unique creature, just not to this extent.

Just as a computer in a binary number system is able to represent the whole world in an order of zeros and ones, Da Vinci had somehow attributed Ainz strange, previously unseen, but explainable, from her point of view, principles into something that while workable was wrong from the very beginning.

To explain using the analogy, Da Vinci had just suddenly realized that Ainz did not exist in a binary system, but... In a ternary system? Decimal? Hexadecimal? Something Other.

He existed in a system that Da Vinci did not even know existed about until this moment. In a system in which Da Vinci was blind, stupid and utterly helpless.

And…

Da Vinci slowly licked her lips.

She liked it.

She liked it so much that an unhealthy excitement is rising from the very depths of her soul, penetrating into her mind, forcing thoughts to be born and die at such a speed that for an outside observer, Da Vinci's mind would sound like white noise. Da Vinci was not paralyzed however and her mind did not go into an endless reboot. Instead, Da Vinci was simply deep in thought. Deeper than she ever did in the past.

With such speed and with such zeal that no thought, not a single question was left unsatisfied.

Da Vinci silently watched Ainz approach, looking ahead with barely hidden displeasure, slowly waving the grail in his hand with his every step and with a mockery of a smile on his face.

There was nothing in the world more terrifying and attractive for Da Vinci than a riddle.

And it seems that today she stumbled upon the greatest one of her life.

***

Solomon… Don’t know what expression he should be making.

He didn't even know what emotion exactly he was experiencing at the moment in the first place.

From hatred to happiness, from confusion to admiration, from fear to complacency. For the first time in his existence, Solomon felt emotions literally overwhelming his mind.

All kinds of emotions, previously seemingly so alien and so despicable, now ran through the mind of Solomon.

How long had he waited for such an enemy? How great was his desire to savor the experience that he did not want to see him in battle against himself? And lastly, how delighted he was with his insolence.

How he did not understand him - how he despised him - and how he admired him.

Solomon took a languid step across his Temple, feeling a myriad of emotions as the dozens of his servants, the Demon Kings, feet his every rolling emotion.

In confusion, in bewilderment, in naïveté, they reached out to each other, as if whispering, gossiping children, trying to grasp from each other the paltry knowledge they have of what had happened. Like gossiping mothers, they discuss the unexpected, so very unusual state of their King, all the while hoping that Solomon would not see their actions.

A wasted effort, as Solomon could see right through them. Their thoughts and actions were always observed, and their whispers and their fear an open book.

This state of affairs must end. And so with a flicker of intent, he started speaking to all his servants.

A moment and all the Demon Kings fell silent, feeling their King's voice echoing in their minds.

"Today I met my enemy..." The coterie of Demon Kings froze as they listened to their master talk about what must be their hated adversary with such melancholy. "And I must inform you... That he is equal to me."

Shock. Horror. Confusion. Anger. Mistrust. Negation. All sorts of negative emotions ran through the Demon Kings.

“You are no match for him, any of you who enters into battle with him will die in an instant. "

Consent. Humility. Support. None of the Demon Kings objected.

"Therefore - none of you will fight with him anymore."

Interest. Confusion. Question. Denied a purpose, the Demon Kings questioned what they would do in the future.

"Instead, what you will do in the future will be to study my opponent."

Confusion. All the Demon Kings felt the same way at their King’s instruction.

"You will be studying his Servants, his thoughts, his goals, his powers and his plans."

Question. What will the Demon King’s do?

"All remaining Demon Kings will henceforth be sent to the remaining Singularities."

Shock. Thousands of questions. Incessant screams. No explanation is needed to explain the terror that the Demon Kings are feeling

Solomon pulled away from the Demon Kings’ mind and smiled.

He wanted to look at his opponent again. He wanted to meet him in battle again.

Only this time, with all he has… How exciting!

***

“Solomon… ” Olga-Marie blinked, first in confusion then in dawning horror as she heard Da Vinci’s report. “Solomon!? Did I hear you correctly? That Solomon!?”

“Yes. The King of Israel. The Builder of the Temple.” Da Vinci found it necessary to clarify. “Yes. That Solomon. ”

Olga-Marie could only react with shock, slowly rolling the name over her tongue. “Solomon… ”

If someone asked an ordinary magus to list the most powerful magi in history, they would list out many names.

Names like Lorelei, Zelretch, Paracelsus, Da Vinci, Merlin, Morgana, Medea, Aozaki, Darnic… but almost never Solomon.

Solomon's name would have never been listed among the entire list, for the same reason that Hecate or Zeus would not be on this list.

Yes, they each had awe-inspiring magical abilities, but you simply cannot call them magi.

They are simply more than that.

However, if the gods were somehow could still be called magi, even then Solomon couldn’t be listed.

After all how do you categorize the strength in a system of the one that made the whole system in the first place? One cannot really be called a magus if he invented the magical system in the first place, no?

While Magic and mysteries existed as the highest law long before Humanity even entered the picture, it was not that ‘magic’ that was studied in the Clock Tower, and not even the magic that Paracelsus or Medea wielded.

The original form of magic was something beyond the reach of humans.

Humans were not originally capable of magic, and although the earliest people and civilizations could use the forces of nature to perform acts that are like magic, they are not. In the end all their ‘magic’ was just an imitation of divine abilities, a small copy of already existing miracles.

Until Solomon created the magical system that all magi, without exception, uses.

The first and only one, it was Solomon who created the thaumaturgical system as it was.

Magic not as pathetic imitations of divine miracles, not as a set of actions, but as a science, as a craft, as an art, as a miracle, and as a human tool. It was Solomon who created it.

Is it any wonder that the Age of Gods soon declined after his passing?

There has never been anyone in the world a more powerful magus than Solomon, there categorically couldn't be.

The creator of magic, it was he who determined all the laws, all the abilities, all the rules and conditions of magic, he did not ‘discover’ it, as great scientists discover the laws of nature around.

No he Created it. If there was anything like a God of the Magus, then it would be Solomon.

Solomon. The greatest magus of all time. The person whose death ended the Age of the Gods. A living beacon of a mystery. The Creator of Magic. The summoner of the seventy-two demons of Goetia. The King of Kings. The Grand Caster.

And he’s the enemy that they need to defeat… And if they fail Humanity perishes.

Olga-Marie slowly lowered her head into her hands, blind to all but the table in front of her. All her thoughts, plans about the future had just suddenly scattered into dust before her eyes.

What kind of insurmountable trial is this? They have to defeat Solomon of all people!?

Although… If Da Vinci was now in front of her, that means that there’s still hope.

“What happened in that Singularity?” Olga-Marie, not even bothering to raise her head, afraid to hear Caster's answer, asked. If they had survived by coming to some kind of agreement then…

She wouldn’t want to see the horror in Da Vinci’s expression as she loses all hope.

“Ainz kicked his ass, then Solomon ran away.” Da Vinci said calmly.

Olga-Marie blinked, a little bit of heat entering her voice. “I have no time for jokes, Da Vinci.”

“I would never joke with such things,” Olga-Marie could literally feel the exasperated smile Da Vinci was expressing at this moment… So, it's true.

Ainz had somehow deflected the assault of the Greatest Magi.

Olga-Marie blinked, she literally couldn’t believe what Da Vinci was implying. Then one more time, as she internalized the information. Then once again for good measure…

“I’m going to go to sleep, now.” Having enough of her day going so strangely, she abruptly rose from her seat and started going to her bed. A nearby sofa in this case, if her ambling stays true.

“Let the ‘me’ in the morning deal with this shit!”

Da Vinci just grinned before speaking again. “Wait, there are some other things that need discussing.”

“In the morning, Da Vinci! I’ll deal with it tomorrow!” Olga-Marie did not even bother answering with anything else, walking past Da Vinci and immediately collapsing on the sofa.

Da Vinci, however, did not let something as simple as her boss’ reluctance stifle her curiosity.

“I also need all the information Chaldea has about the Grand Order, about Roman, and finally about the origins of the Animusphere family…”

Olga-Marie did not even bother answering back, perhaps she couldn't even bother her brain enough to do so.

Da Vinci, looking at the collapsed Olga-Marie, only grinned.

She did have one last bombshell hidden in her sleeves. After all she hadn’t even mentioned the fact that her Noble Phantasm had suggested some amazing things about the Solomon she met...

***

Ainz rinsed off the suds off of his face again and shook his head. The cold shower didn’t improve his mood much.

He was still fuming, to say the least, by the fact that he had failed to get the drop item from Salavat - or whatever his name was. From Tesla too now that he thinks about it. Furthermore, the best find that he had found in the Singularity, Jack, was killed.

But with the very large exception to the fact that Ainz didn't get all the benefits and loot that he could in the Singularity, overall, the Singularity itself went pretty well. Ainz could even congratulate himself on yet another more or less successful ending to the Singularity…

He didn’t even lose a single one of his Servants this time!

Coming out of the shower, still dripping wet, Ainz dried his hair and body with a towel before wrapping it around his waist.

As he took a step into his room, he was suddenly struck with a sense of melancholy.

His room was small… generally speaking. At least it doesn't quite fit the image of the kind of domicile that the supposed savior of the world was supposed to live in.

Still, it was five or six times larger than his apartment.

The bed in front of him… a double bed. A great luxury in his time, he didn’t even have a bed in his apartment.

A lamp, turned on. An insane waste in his time, electricity was very expensive.

His bedside table was made of real wood. An incredible rarity that even the richest of his time would find hard to purchase.

As he looked over every item in his room, Ainz’s sense of melancholy became more pronounced.

The singularities were slowly passing, being cleared one by one. He was already halfway done…  How much longer can he enjoy these luxuries? A couple of months?

A couple of months later and it's over. A couple of months more and Ainz will be here in the new world with nothing to do.

Ainz had no plans to return to his past world, but... What lies in the future for him? A future where Humanity was saved and there’s nothing else to do.

Prevent the third world war? Ensure that it happens? Sponsor the creation of YGGDRASIL? Start looking for his friends? Send all the Servants back home? Organize them all together? Take over the world? Or maybe even become a hermit?

Ainz didn't know. He didn't know the first thing he would do in the future…

Ainz closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He may not know anything about the future, but he definitely knew something about the present.

He knew about the Servants. Knew about people. Knew about battles. And he knew about Chaldea.

Only... What was he to do with this knowledge?

And if Da Vinci rejoiced in her ignorance, then Ainz could only sigh. Ironically acknowledging the truth of the phrase.

I only know that I know nothing.

***

Excerpt from scientific work: "The Rise of Boudica and the Collapse of the Roman Empire on the British Isles":

The legendary queen of the Britons, Boudica, is one of the infrequent examples of the existence of real historical heroes more suitable for legends. A historical fact that is somehow stranger than fiction.

Boudica was a warrior queen, a queen who always fought in the front among her soldiers. Soldiers that she had gathered among the people of Britain to stand against the mighty Roman Empire. Her vows to personally kill Nero and expel the Roman Empire from Britain was so famous that even after her death, many rebels would still carry on her cause. There were many a Roman rebels in the future that declared themselves to be her generals, her henchmen, or in the most surprising cases - even Boudica herself, who had arrived incognito to raise an uprising in the Roman Empire.

The most famous case of the previous happening during the uprising of the false Spartacus, which acted in concert with the false Boudica according to the surviving records of that time.

In particular, it is at least known that the pseudo-Boudica, continuing the tradition of the real Boudica, fought in the front and even tried to besiege Rome. A feat which, in particular, led to great chaos in Rome and the establishment of a temporary ‘War Emperor’ who tried to seize power among the chaos.

It is also known that, having accepted a doomed battle against the forces of Nero, Boudica still tried to break through to the Emperor to make true her vows, only to be defeated due to the intervention of an ‘unknown magician’. Most likely serving as an allegorical description of Nero’s reinforcement. Whatever form they might actually be the ‘unknown magician’ was credited as the main cause to Boudica’s death.

According to a later historical record, Boudica herself was found during the siege under the walls of the besieged city, dead and ‘drained dry, as if deprived of all her blood’. A fiction which most likely created as a reason not to show the body to the deceased public in the future.

A duplicity created most likely in order to conceal the fact that Boudica was not killed by the Romans in the end, but by her own conspirators, who realized the futility of resisting regular Roman troops.

Truly the history of Boudica sounds more like fiction.