Chapter 10 – Echoes of Mold and Fire
The forest air was thick with birdsong and the hum of insects, but none of it interested Nico.
Bored, he flopped onto the grass with a groan, arms spread wide as he stared up at the sky. Ainz had wandered off again—no surprise there. The undead overlord was always scheming, always one step ahead. Nico respected that. Admired it, even. But it also annoyed the hell out of him.
They'd agreed not to meddle in each other's business. Fine. Still, sitting around while Nphirea picked herbs wasn't exactly his idea of excitement.
He sat up slowly, eyes narrowing.
"Time to do something productive," he muttered.
Wandering off from the rest of the group, Nico made sure no one followed before kneeling in a clearing. He flexed his foot, then drew a breath—and without hesitation, severed it with a flick of his hand.
The flesh barely hit the ground before Mold pulsed out of the stump, regenerating the limb in seconds. The severed foot remained on the ground, twitching.
Still connected to him. Still… usable.
He grinned.
"If I can move my consciousness into that…"
Focusing, he channeled his will—and suddenly, the world warped.
His perspective shifted, tunneled through the Hive Mind—and just like that, he stood where the foot had landed.
"Well, damn. It worked!" he laughed, triumphant—then looked down at himself.
"OH COME ON!"
Instead of his full form, a miniature version of himself stood in the grass, no taller than a gnome. His voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. The birds nearby stared, stunned.
Note to self: calculate biomass correctly next time.
He teleported back, reattaching the foot with a grimace. As he walked back to camp, a wicked grin tugged at his lips. The girls were looking for him. Perfect.
A few seconds later, a loud BOO! sent all three of them screaming and falling backward. Nico collapsed in laughter, rolling in the grass while the sisters pouted.
But his amusement didn't last.
A deep rumble echoed through the trees, followed by a tremor. Nico sat up, brows raised, as Ainz emerged from the forest, a massive figure following in his shadow.
"What the hell is that?" Nico muttered.
A hamster the size of a bear lumbered forward beside Ainz, fluff quivering with pride.
"The Wise King of the Forest," someone whispered.
Nico blinked once. Twice.
"That's a hamster," he said flatly.
The other adventurers were in awe. Of course they were. Ainz was playing it up—showing off as usual. Nico crossed his arms and sighed.
"Freakin' show-off."
Nightfall
E-Rantel's lights flickered in the distance as the group returned, exhausted but alive. Nico didn't even wait to get paid. He and the sisters vanished before Nphirea could open his mouth.
"That adventure was fun!" Daniela chirped, twirling midair.
"I barely did anything," Bela mumbled, cheeks faintly flushed. "But... I did have a good talk with Lucas."
Nico raised a brow but said nothing. Instead, he looked out across the rooftops of E-Rantel, eyes narrowing.
"This place isn't ours," he said quietly. "It belongs to someone else now. I can already see the banners flying."
The sisters looked at him in confusion.
"Ainz. He's going to rule this city. Let him. We've got our own kingdom to build. Let's head home."
Without another word, wings sprouted from Nico's back, dark and feathered. The sisters dissolved into clouds of flies. As they soared into the sky, Nico glanced back one last time.
Ainz was watching him from a rooftop.
Nico grinned, raised two fingers in a salute, and vanished into the night.
Back at the Castle
The forest around their castle had transformed. What was once raw, untamed land now pulsed with life. Crops grew in perfect rows. Flowers bloomed in spiraling colors. Trees stretched skyward like painted sculptures.
Nico stood in awe. "How the hell did they pull this off?"
He wandered through the fields, eventually arriving at the Baker's home—the former village chief's house. He knocked once. Jack opened the door with a warm smile.
"Creator," he said, bowing. "Please, come in."
Inside, the family was gathered around a modest dinner.
"I've got questions," Nico said, glancing around. "The farm. The flowers. The trees. This entire place—it's thriving."
Deborah stood, smiling. "It was a joint effort. My family and I handled the agriculture. The J'avo helped. The trees and flowers were the work of Lady Alexia and Lady Donna."
Nico stepped outside with her, taking it in.
"They're not just for show," Deborah said. "The flowers are laced with Mold. One breath triggers vivid hallucinations. Donna's specialty. And underground... Alexia Pods."
"Murder garden," Nico whispered, grinning. "I love it."
The Summit
Back in the castle, Nico stood alone in the top-floor meeting room.
It was massive, elegant—thirty chairs surrounding a polished obsidian table. A room designed for power. For visionaries. For monsters.
He activated the Hive Mind intercom.
"All virologists and bioweapon experts, top floor. Now."
One by one, they arrived. William Birkin. Alexia Ashford. Queen Leech. Osmund Saddler. Albert Wesker. Jack Norman. Derek Simmons. Alex Wesker. Eveline. Mother Miranda.
Legends of virology. Masters of plague.
Nico stood at the head of the table.
"I've been watching humans," he said. "And I've realized something... they multiply fast. Magic. Sex. Politics. Whatever. We don't have that luxury."
A shadowy projection of Ainz appeared behind him.
"Our enemy is building an empire. We need an army."
The room hummed with tension.
One by one, they offered their ideas. Viruses discarded like old tools.
"The Golgotha Virus is unstable," Birkin said.
"T-Virus is too inconsistent," Queen Leech added. "All the variants are flawed."
"T-Veronica can't be controlled," Alexia said, shaking her head.
"Uroboros?" Nico asked Wesker.
"Death sentence," Wesker replied coldly.
Then Simmons leaned forward.
"The C-Virus," he said. "It's the answer."
"But it needs human biomass," Miranda reminded him.
"Use the Mold," she continued. "It provides mass. C-Virus does the sculpting."
"And the mind?" Nico asked.
"Yours," Miranda said. "Guide them. Control them. Mold is an extension of you."
Experiment 01: Genesis
Forty-nine rats.
One vial of Mold.
One dose of C-Virus.
The lab was silent as Nico injected the Mold into the rat. Its body twisted, surged with mass. Then, the C-Virus.
A Chrysalid burst from its skin. Flames licked at its surface.
And then… it opened.
A figure stepped out.
Human. Alive. Breathing.
Nico's jaw dropped.
"Wait... is that me?!"
The clone stared at him blankly. Nico yanked a coat off the rack and threw it over him.
"Don't look at me like that," he muttered.
Carla raised an eyebrow. "Why does it look like you?"
"Coincidence! Mold must've picked up my DNA. Totally random."
He tried again—this time, a perfect J'avo. Twisted, powerful, semi-intelligent.
It worked.
He grinned.
"We're making more. A lot more."
The Challenge
Nico stood at the edge of the village, sipping a drink.
Lucas ran up, panting.
"The Slane Theocracy... they're here again. Soldiers. A lot of them!"
"Again?" Nico sighed. "Do they never learn?"
He walked to the hilltop, gazing down at the assembled army. Dozens strong.
One man stepped forward, muscles bulging under black armor.
"I am the 10th Seat of the Black Scripture," the man roared. "The Strongest Human!"
Nico chuckled.
"Strongest, huh? Let's test that."
He pulled out a small remote and pressed a red button.
The air cracked.
A massive pod slammed into the earth. Steam hissed as it opened.
A monstrous figure stepped out, snarling.
"STARS!" it bellowed.
The Strongest Human screamed.
Nico watched with a lazy smile as chaos unfolded.
"Oh, this is gonna be fun."