Chapter Text
Issei woke up feeling pain in his chest and with a headache. He then asked himself,
"Where am I?"
"In Dark Tower young man."
Issei looked around in confusion until he heard a small cough. Looking down, he saw a small gray Gremlin-like creature with yellow eyes, gray hair and a small beard. The young man asked confused,
"Who are you?"
"I am Gnarl, the Master Retainer to the Overlord, Master."
The strange creature now known as the Gnarl said. This didn't help Issei's confusion,
"Who or what is the Overlord, and why are you calling me Master?"
"An Overlord is the Overlord of Evil," replied the footman master.
-Does this mean that this Overlord controls all evil?- The young man asked curiously.
-It's not that easy, but in essence, over time yes, the Overlord controls most of the evil. The Overlord really can't control all evil, otherwise they wouldn't be true evil. Evil is all about betrayal and being betrayed, those who are evil will always fight those in control of evil wanting to be in control. So the Overlord is constantly struggling to maintain his power.- Gnarl replied calmly.
Issei found this rather interesting, and in the mood he was in, he didn't mind talking to someone who appeared to be the bad guy.
"And the reason you called me Master?"
He asked the servant, suspecting what was to come but wanting to hear it from Gnarl himself.
"Because you are the new Supreme Master."
Now normally he'd tell the footman where to stick it, seeing as he wasn't evil, nor would he be interested in the idea. But with everything that happened that day, he needed something to keep his mind off of it all. The boy asked,
"Why?"
"To be honest, I don't know," the old footman said, knowing he couldn't really force it. This is the only thing he hated, all the years that most of the Overlords he served were downright evil already in one way or another and were willing to be the Overlord, and there were the few that were left to die or die. close to death before being brought to him, and had no memories of their past and went with the flow or wanted revenge. But then there were those who were on the side of good, these confused the hell of him, why Tower Heart or as he now called Nether Heart chose them he could never understand.
How almost all the time they refused the Overlordship, how they were too heroic than the few who agreed to it because they were in a bad moment in their life for some reason, and they decided to try to be evil at least once. Some fully embraced Overlording and became wonderful evil Overlords, but there were some who could not fully embrace evil and used their Overlording for good deeds. So Gnarl decided that when he found a potential Overlord who was a hero, he would be honest, however much it disgusted him, about any questions they had.
That way, the two could get on with things, and Gnarl could find a true evil Overlord to take control of the Overlord.
"The Tower of the Underworld, where I came from, is a somewhat sentient Master, and with what little magic he has left, he can inform me of a potential new Overlord who can help us regain the Tower's power. And you, for some time reason, is the last potential Overlord to be found, Master."
Now, on any other day, how could I not listen to this minion, Issei wouldn't even think of agreeing to become this Overlord. But the thing is, with everything going on that night, he was really thinking about doing that, becoming this Overlord. And what happened that night for Issei to be considering this?
Flash Back On:
Issei and his girlfriend, Fiore Forvedge, were enjoying the last days of their summer vacation at the beach house, rented by her, which is located in Okinawa. Fiore was a young woman with long brown hair, eyes of the same color and a voluptuous body. Issei was wearing blue shorts and Fiore a blue two-piece bikini and at the time the couple was lying on a towel while watching the sunset hand in hand, enjoying the moment.
Fiore suddenly moved, getting on top of him and kissing him. Issei soon reciprocated putting his hands on her waist. However, the two were forced to stop due to lack of oxygen.
-Why that Fio-chan attitude?- He asked amused. -Vacation isn't over yet.-
-I just want to enjoy every possible moment with you.- She replied pouting and running her right index finger over his chest.
Issei chuckled before kissing her again and she returned it. Soon it was dark and the two went inside. Issei was going to the kitchen to make dinner when something fell on the floor.
Issei blinked as he looked in the direction the sound came from and saw a purple orb. Suddenly, yellow symbols appeared on it and before he could react it exploded releasing some kind of gas, making his eyes widen. He covered his face with one hand shouting,
"Fiore, watch out! They have a gas bomb!"
He quickly left the kitchen, grabbing a knife with his free hand just in case to defend himself and his girlfriend when he was suddenly punched in the stomach, knocking him out of breath. Issei tried to breathe but ended up with gas entering his respiratory system causing him to be knocked out. He finally woke up when they dunked his head in a bucket of water.
After they took it off he breathed in gusts of air before being punched in the face. He heard Fiore yell angrily:
"Let him go!"
A male voice replied:
"No way. Your parents' orders."
-What?- Fiore asked feeling chills in her body.
Suddenly her parents, Heidi and Apolline, came out of teleportation magic circles, surprising the two. Heidi then said sighing:
"Daughter, we love you very much but we think we should discipline your rebelliousness. Running away for two years is not acceptable."
-"Discipline my rebellion"?"- She turned pale before screaming. -Don't you dare do anything to him!
-What are they saying? And what the hell is going on here?- Issei then noticed that Fiore's legs weren't connected to her body. -What did you do with Fiore?!-
One of the men who held him explained, although talking to her parents, in a calm tone:
"She kept attacking us, sir. We were forced to disable her prostheses."
-Alright, we know how stubborn our daughter can be.- She then turned to a confused Issei. -Oh, he still doesn't understand. See young man, we are a family of alchemists, yes magic exists, and Fiore has been letting us down lately.-
-That's who she hangs out with.- Heidi explained looking at him in disgust. -So many better candidates we've chosen for our lovely daughter… But she chose someone with no useful connections, no powerful bloodlines, almost non-existent magical potential…-
-Magic potential? What are you talking about?!- He tried to get up but was hit in the legs and fell to the ground snarling in pain.
-Honey, we're out of time.- Apolline said looking at a clock. -We have a meeting with Euclides-Sama in an hour.-
-You're right.- He pointed his hand in a pistol gesture at Issei and the boy felt his chest being pierced a few times. -And now to get rid of his body…- A blue seal appeared below Issei.
Before Heidi finished, though, he looked Issei in the eye and for a moment saw a dragon preparing to snap at him. He freaked out by activating the seal and teleporting Issei to a completely random place. Issei found himself in a foggy setting before he heard someone say:
"What do we have here?"
Flash Back Off:
Gnarl then got his attention by asking,
"What's up Master?"
-Tell me more about this Overlord rank. Who came before me?- Issei replied wanting to know about his predecessors before accepting or refusing as well as reflecting.
-Very good. The first was the bastard son of a Duke who was content to rule only his village until he was dethroned by the second, who was a high caliber mage and made eight individuals band together to defeat him.
"I take it you did?" Issei asked.
-Yes, but after their victory they killed one of their companions and left. He became the third Overlord and the most powerful so far.- Gnarl seemed lost in memories. -The Third then ruled his domain for many years, marrying one of the Second's daughters; Rose who was pregnant with their child. And while he didn't have the EVIL that his two predecessors had, he was loved by his people but also feared by them! Everything seemed to go well for our Lord…-
-And then…- Issei asked curiously.
-It all went terribly wrong…- Gnarl said dramatically. -When the Gates of the Infernal Abyss opened, the Third Overlord entered the Abyss, in an attempt to conquer the land of the dead and sinners! However, after killing the forgotten god, he was betrayed! By that damned court jester! Still, it wasn't all bad considering he later ascended to godhood and ruled the Infernal Abyss. We are so proud of him…
-If he became a god, why didn't he ever return?- He was curious about that.
-Michael, Azazel and a third unknown individual created a seal trapping him out of this world. After that he communicated to us that he would leave in search of a new world to conquer.- Gnarl then smiled cruelly. -And the jester was rewarded as he deserved.-
-But what then?- The brownish one motioned for him to continue.
-After having to leave the Tower due to an elf causing a magical disaster and after years of searching we found the Master's son, in some frozen cesspool. And then we turned him from Overlad… To Overlord! The Fourth Overlord, was quite ruthless and evil like the Second, but not as extreme unfortunately. Still, he had carved a path through the lands bringing destruction and domination with him! He would overthrow the Glorious Empire and establish his own in its place while conquering the entire world. With the second considered the greatest evil and the third a god, the fourth would be known to be the first to actually rule the world! A feat that no man, fallen angel or demon alive has ever accomplished until today...- Gnarl wept with pride before sighing. -And then it all went terribly wrong... Again...-
-How the hell would it go?- Issei was curious now.
-After ruling for many years, the Fourth Overlord was finally killed by a band of benefactors called the Bright Justice, whose main objective was the eradication of all evil in the world.- Gnarl was disgusted. -And then recently there was the Fifth Overlord.
-What would the Sixth do to me… What did he do?- Hyoudou looked at Gnarl curiously.
-He began to gather resources, knowledge and improve the Tower my lord. To be blunt... Calling it a castle or fortress would be better.- Gnarl was silent for a few seconds before continuing. -He planned to do nothing until he was ready, but he ran into a stronger enemy ahead of schedule. His last act was to return to the Tower with a resource he wanted to study.-
-I see… But how come I never heard about these people?- He was confused about this as at least a legend should exist.
-Simple. History is written by the victors my lord and they were keen to erase them from history.- Gnarl was disgusted by this. -Besides those I mentioned there were other Overlords but none of them did anything too notable.-
-Right… How long was I unconscious?- Issei asked staring at the wall.
-A few days. Healing the damage was easy, but you've been in a coma.- Gnarl replied. -What do you plan to do now?-
-Before I decide, I need to know, well, do you give me training to become stronger and get revenge?- He asked as he clenched his fists.
Gnarl was shocked here, he thought that someone like this person would change the position of Overlord when he heard that he would be evil, many heroes had done in the past. He feared that this person might be one of the heroes who could use Overlord's powers for good. But seeing as this potential Overlord seemed to want to take on the role, he had to see it through to the end.
And who knows, this new Overlord might not be like the other heroes of the past. He replied:
"Yes, we can give you the training you need, we don't want a weak Overlord. Please accompany me."
Issei then followed him into a room with circles on the floor and at Gnarl's request he stood in the center of them. To his surprise they turned red and a symbol with a dragon's head appeared. He asked Gnarl,
"What happened?"
-That was to test if you had any power or ability that my lord was unaware of. And it looks like you have a Dragon-type Sacred Gear and even Draconian atavism.- He was getting excited knowing that his new master had something interesting in his body.
-Which? Sacred Gear? Draconian Atavism?- He was completely taken aback.
"Did the Master not know about the supernatural, my lord?" Gnarl looked at his shocked sovereign.
"According to my girlfriend's parents I had no useful lineage." He growled at the memory and made a note to rub it in their faces when they were at his mercy.
- Clearly it was a lie, my lord. Or the fools didn't notice.- Gnarl said seeing the young man get thoughtful.
-Wait... Atavism is the reappearance of a certain characteristic in the organism after several generations of absence.- He was surprised. -So someone with dragon genes was in my family at some point.
"Or even a dragon in human form, my lord," Gnarl suggested.
-Yes, shall we begin?- He was a little anxious.
-Before I think I have something useful for you. A Dragon Core.- He was smiling as he said that.
"What's that?" He asked curiously.
-A Dragon Core is created from dragon blood and flesh. If we implanted one in you, it would increase your strength, stamina, and magical potential to new heights. Especially with your Sacred Gear and genes. But I must warn you... This process is going to hurt.- Gnarl had a deadly serious expression on his new master.
-No pain no gain. Let's go Gnarl.- Issei said determinedly.
For over six hours, screams were heard echoing from one room to other areas of the castle as the Master of Retainers performed the implantation ritual. Hours later, Issei was taking a recovery potion after the operation and Gnarl watched him in amazement. For someone who was once a weak human, he was adapting well.
Issei was now taller, with some decent muscle, the baby fat on his face was gone and his eyes were an emerald green. Gnarl then guided the new Overlord through his domains while saying,
"I must introduce you to the other important minions."
Then a blue footman, with a black reaper's garb and a scythe, started toward them. Gnarl introduced him:
"This is Mortis who has the power to raise the dead, in other words, he can bring the dead back."
-Tell me Gnarl, can Mortis just be Minions back from the dead, or can he bring humans and other races back?- It was good to know just in case.
-Only if they were evil in life, sir. But although there is a way, the problem is that the person who is brought back will not be the same. They would be evil and loyal only to you.- Explained Gnarl.
-Yes, master, that is true, but remember, there is always a price: life for death and death for life. You will have to use the life force of the lesser minions to bring them back. Master, we Minions, live, serve and die for the Overlord. It is what we are and what we will always be.- Mortis continued the explanation.
-That's right, Mortis, but don't worry, sir, Minions will happily die for your Overlord, several times if necessary, hehe. But you need to resurrect a fallen Minion, you will need to sacrifice Minions of the same color. Why go train newborns when you can easily resurrect a well-trained one.- Completed Gnarl
-Mortis, Gnarl told me that you can resurrect a human or other being is that true?- It would be useful if you need to revive an ally.
-It's difficult, but it's possible, but unlike minions, I would need the body of the one you want to bring back to life. And not only that, but I would need a life force of at least five humans to do that, and it would also depend on the person's power. Then there would be a ritual to bring them back, the last time this happened was about three hundred years ago. But I must warn you, unless the person is evil to begin with, when they are brought back they are different, darker, and they would be loyal to you,” concluded Mortis.
-I understand. Let's capture some criminals later just in case…- Hyoudou said with his right hand on his chin.
At that another came was brown, with a helmet and holding a pickaxe. Gnarl introduced him:
"Grubby the Minion digger, he will be able to expand the tunnel network and reopen the old ones that were blocked by the heroes so many years ago, so that we can send more through the portal."
-Master, I'm happy to dig for you.- He said seriously.
Then two more Minions approached, one was a male and the other a female, both were more muscular than any of the normal Minions, the male had a metal helmet that covered his face and thick gloves, and the female was green, with shades of brown and she had red hair unlike the other Minions. Gnarl introduced them:
"This is Giblet and Ricket, they are the Masters of the Forge, Giblet is a sturdy fellow who's been around almost as long as I have. But like most of the Minions here, he's not a great talker. Ricket, though it doesn't look like it but due to some accidents in the forging, most of her skin has turned green. She's one of the few like me who can give you a good conversation, and unless you annoy her, you'll see how good she is with her humor , quite cheerful and friendly. They both help you create new weapons."
-Greetings Overlord. Giblet and I are happy to have a new Overlord to serve. But now, we can't, we don't have the Reds to fuel our forge. But once the forge is up and running, we'll make a big armor, a spiked armor.” Her colleague nodded.
-Ricket and Giblet, along with Grubby's help, are in charge of renovating the tower and the rest of the Netherworld, and will put the Minions to work on it immediately.- Finished the oldest.
They were then dismissed and bowed before leaving for work. Gnarl then said:
"Are you ready for master training?"
-Ready like I've never been.- Issei replied determinedly.