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Fate: Hero and Sword is a fanfic by Parcasious. It is a crossover between Fate/stay night and Overlord (2012).

A post-Fate Shirou has spent his time in the world of YGGDRASIL, living with a copy of the woman he loved, knowing that she is still out of his reach. But when the game is shut down, a wave of magic falls upon him, and he finds himself in a strange new world, with the characters he created now brought to life.

Read it here.

Currently has a character page in need of work.


This fanfic contains examples of:

  • Abusive Parents: Arche's parents, as in canon — when they see she brought back a large amount of gold, her mother outright robs her while her father provides a distraction.
  • Actually, That's My Assistant: During the meeting between the Holy City and the Holy Kingdom, Calca and her court initially assume that Lancelot is the leader of the delegation, and are visibly shocked to learn that the true leader of the group is Shirou.
  • Adaptational Explanation: The fates of the rest of Ainz Ooal Goan are never revealed in canon, aside from one member having been killed in a case of He Knows Too Much. Here, everyone other than Momonga decided to try one last raid in the Land of Shadows before things ended. This ended in a Total Party Kill just as the servers shut down, meaning they got sent to the New World inside the Land of Shadows. At least, that is what they say.
  • Adaptation Expansion: Slightly more detail on YGGDRASIL is given here than in canon — namely specifying what each world's environment looked like — Alfheim is mentioned to be a desert, for example.
  • Always Someone Better:
    • Shirou and the Holy City Camelot are this to Ainz and the Great Tomb of Nazarick — while the Floor Guardians and Ainz are all Level 100 characters able to give a raid team a challenge, the NPC characters of the Holy City are World Bosses who could give the 41 Supreme Beings as a whole enormous challenges. Just to compare one pair of characters, Ainz himself is an amazingly powerful lich, but he can't compare with Merlin, who has EX Rank Clairvoyance. Case in point, when Cu fights Ainz, Cocytus, Deimurge, and Albedo, he only dies due to luck and a very convoluted strategy on Ainz' part, and kills Cocytus before being slain. Additionally, Shirou outstrips Ainz in creativity, having created characters for every world in YGGDRASIL and dungeons to go with them.
    • Implicitly the case with Eight Fingers and Hundred Face Hassan — the former may be a powerful criminal organization, but the latter was one of the leaders of the group that put assassin in the modern lexicon.
    • Merlin is confirmed to be smarter than Ainz, as shown when the two are examining Jaldabaoth's letter — Ainz has no idea why Demiurge would send a calling card saying that the capital will be consumed with hellfire. Merlin bluntly tells him that it's bait to attract heroes to the capital so he can wipe them all out.
    • Shirou to Lakyus - while both use swords they can control mentally, Lakyus relies on six while Shirou can create a Storm of Blades with his weapons. Lakyus actually starts crying after Shirou unintentionally shows her up.
  • Ambiguous Situation: It's implied that the Musashi in this universe is actually the one from Grand Order, since Shirou has no idea who she is, noting only that she is a female swordswoman that Kojiro hangs out with. How she got here is ambiguous, though it's possible she just universe hopped here.
  • Batman Gambit: Played for Laughs. How does Agravain convince Arturia to play along with people of the Roble Holy Kingdom mistaking her for their venerated founder reborn (who happened to be another Jeanne d'Archétype Lady of War wielding a holy Cool Sword) despite disliking such deceptions on principle? He simply told her Nero would surely do it on her own if she didn't.
  • Becoming the Mask: There are several points in the story where it is implied that the various NPC characters Shirou created based upon servants are actually starting to fuse with the Heroic Spirits they are based upon.
    • Arturia has memories of Shirou fighting to protect her, which never happened in YGGDRASIL but did happen in stay Night.
    • Cu refuses to be called "Father Cu" because it gives him bad memories of a priest. The real Cu was forced to serve Father Kirei Kotomine after the latter killed his master Bazett and stole her Command Spells.
    • Nero has memories of the pain and suffering the real Nero went through.
    • Unambiguously confirmed when Shirou reveals to Mordred that Cu was killed, as Mordred reacts in a way that would've been impossible unless she had her real memories and personalities.
  • Berserk Button:
    • Attacking Arturia is a great way to infuriate Shirou to the point where many players believe he was some sort of secret underboss they needed to defeat before challenging Arturia. It's implied this is mutual, but Shirou has yet to throw himself into a situation that would provoke Arturia's wrath.
    • Attacking (or worse, killing) one of the Nazarick NPCs is a good way to anger Ainz. Unfortunately, the only character who did so is/was in the very small group of beings that can actually fight Ainz on even terms.
  • Brick Joke: When Arche first brings up the Eight Fingers to Nero, the latter wonders if they are related to chicken fingers. When Shirou brings up the group, she wonders the exact same thing before finally getting an explanation.
  • Chick Magnet: Shirou is still this — while in Northern Roble, five maids "coincidentally" fall onto him, and only the last one is indicated to be a genuine accident.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Saber is a muted example — while she isn't visibly clingy, the reason she sends Mordred along with Shirou? To have her protect him from harlots.
  • Death by Adaptation: Cocytus is slain fighting Shirou's NPC Cu, and while Death Is Cheap due to resurrection, Cocytus is left with a massive debuff following his resurrection.
  • Didn't See That Coming:
    • Agravain had Mordred be Shirou's guardian during the visit to Northern Roble because he knew that Shirou would not press Mordred for details about her role if she seemed uncomfortable. Due to Ainz killing Cu, Shirou ends up pressing Mordred for details about Agravain's plans anyway, because things are getting out of hand.
    • Demiurge's plans involved deliberately using the Gae Bolg Nazarick got off of Cu to bait the rest of Camelot into the field. The reactions that Jaldabaoth gave indicate that Demiurge didn't consider the possibility that Cu's allies would be exponentially stronger than him.
  • Dramatic Irony:
    • Ainz makes a plan to introduce his guild's anti-World Enemy strategies to the Floor Guardians to allow them to take down the bosses of the Holy City of Camelot, unaware that said bosses are now on the same team and can cover each-other's weaknesses.
    • Ainz notices Nero's presence and makes plan to recruit her, unaware she's already on Shirou's side.
    • Shirou and Ainz both have to reign in a magic caster NPC they created, at one point during the exact same scene.
  • The Dreaded:
    • Gilgamesh is the most dangerous boss that Shirou created in YGGDRASIL, with his skills and powers (including access to all of the World Items) outright making him undefeatable — indeed, he never lost a fight before the game ended. The fact that he might be roaming the new world terrifies Ainz a lot.
    • Arche views Hundred Face Hassan as this, and wonders if the latter is from the Eight Fingers.
    • Medea was this to magic users in YGGDRASIL, as Rule Breaker made her a Man of Kryptonite to them. Ainz almost loses it when Shirou gives him a copy of said dagger.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Among Shirou's NPC characters in YGGDRASIL are Hundred Face Hassan, Caligula, and Mordred, indicating that Shirou was okay with creating characters that don't necessarily agree with him morally. The narration, however, implies that one of the few Fate servants he didn't create was Morgan le Fey, with the implication that even he realized that Morgan would never be able to let go of her complete hatred toward Arturia and that any attempts for him to mediate would be pointless.
  • Exact Words: Shirou, while talking to Ainz, says that he's a friend of Nero, but has only known her for a short time. Shirou may have created Nero, but she and the rest of the Holy City Camelot characters only gained true life recently.
  • False Flag Operation: Agravain, with Shirou's approval, has Medea create an army of monsters, which he uses to attack the rebel forces in Southern Roble. By doing so, he hopes to enact a Genghis Gambit to get both halves of Roble to stop fighting, securing Camelot and allowing the city to focus on other threats in the New World.
  • Foil:
    • Shirou to Ainz — both were YGGDRASIL players, but while Ainz joined and eventually became leader of Ainz Ooal Gown, Shirou was a solo player. Ainz dove into YGGDRASIL to fight off the burden of being a lonely Salary Man, while Shirou joined on advice of a friend, and then stayed because he had the opportunity to be with a facsimile of Saber that he had created. Ainz is now fighting for the shadow of the Guild he once belonged to while Shirou works to fix the New World because being a hero is who he is. Combat wise, Ainz is a caster who has enough strength to pretend to be a warrior while Shirou is a physical fighter who has magic powers that make him an even better warrior.
    • Jircniv to Nero — both are emperors of a Roman/Romanesque empire and are shrewd politicians that are/were viewed as tyrants. While Jircniv relies primarily on fear to rule, though, Nero is focusing more on being loved and deliberately plays up her image of The Performer King to make her enemies underestimate her and earn the affection of everyone else. Emphasized by how they deal with a group of barbarian tribes that Jircniv was trying to make peace with but refuse to accept his demands regarding their ancestral lands — Jircniv tries to intimidate them with the might of the Baharuth Empire's military, which doesn't work. Nero offers to have the barbarian tribe's land designated as their home and training grounds if they immediately become a new imperial legion, which the tribes accept on the spot.
    • Agravain and Demiurge — both are the Chessmaster Sidekick to a YGGDRASIL player, and are morally darker than their master. Agravain, however, is much more heroic than Demiurge (the latter's morality is listed as -500, Extremely Evil) and unlike Demiurge, Agravain realizes that his masters (Shirou and Arturia) aren't as smart as him (or at least that they have moral issues that prevent them from being on his level). Furthermore, Agravain is also willing to manipulate both Shirou and Arturia if doing so would be in their best interests, something Demiurge would never do on account of worshipping Ainz.
    • On a factional level, Camelot to Nazarick. Nazarick is made up of heteromorph characters who think that Humans Are Insects and often try to kill or enslave humans, often on reflex. Camelot, meanwhile, is composed primarily of human characters who tend to treat the humans of the New World with at least a modicum of respect. Additionally, while both groups worship (literally or otherwise) their creator, Camelot recognizes that Shirou has his own flaws (Saber in particular recognizes Shirou's Martyr Without a Cause nature) and thus recognize that he isn't infallible, while Nazarick's denizens view Ainz as a god and will do mental gymnastics to justify this line of thought.
    • Demiurge to Merlin — both are demonic spellcasters who act as aides to someone else, with great intellectual prowess that exceeds that of their sovereign. The difference is that Demiurge assumes that Ainz understands him and ends up making plans that leave his boss grasping desperately for the truth, while Merlin is more laid back and aware that Shirou and Arturia can get lost trying to figure out his plans.
    • Narberal Gamma to Merlin — both are caster NPCs who are noted for their attractiveness bland tend to drive their masters up the wall due to their personalities. Both also have trouble empathizing with humans. But while Nabe can barely hide her contempt for humans and often has trouble maintaining her cover (not that anyone notices), Merlin is able to blend in with humans quite easily. Additionally, while Naberal seems to be asexual, Merlin the The Casanova.
  • The Force Is Strong with This One: When Arche uses her "All Seeing Eyes" skill to discern the strength of the bandits about to attack her and Nero in Chapter 24, she almost vomits from seeing just how immeasurably powerful Nero is, wondering how someone who doesn't use magic can be so damn powerful. When she later meets Ainz and Naberal, she has a similar reaction to using the skill on Nabe, and while Ainz has a ring on him that hides his power level, the fact Nabe defers to him immediately tells Arche how strong Momon must be at minimum.
  • For Want Of A Nail:
    • Nero choosing to take Arche as her aid (and Arche hiring the rest of Foresight as bodyguards) means that they will never go on the doomed mission to Nazrick. Arche also makes sure to take custody of her sisters, meaning they won't be sold into slavery and subsequently worked to death.
    • Ainz and Shirou meeting allows the former to avoid killing Shalltear via using a traced copy of Rule Breaker provided by Shirou to undo the effects of Downfall of Castle and Country. It also spares several civilians Demiurge would have otherwise killed in his schemes because Ainz realizes he needs to keep a low profile until they can find out more about the World Enemies in the New World.
    • Since the Holy City Camelot is already making inroads with the Roble Holy Kingdom, Jaldabaoth's plan to invade it is bound to run into setbacks.
    • Pavel Baraja decides to take his wife and daughter to Camelot, meaning that Neia is not going to be Ainz's most devoted human follower.
  • Gambit Pileup: Jaldabaoth's invasion of Re-Estize ends up being a four way collision between Demiurge's plan, Ainz's efforts to ingratiate Momon to Re-Estize, Merlin and Agravain's plans to bring peace to the New World, and Shirou's adventures with Ainz.
  • Geeky Turn-On: While Jircniv appreciates Nero's beauty, the biggest reason he likes her is that she is just as politically minded as he is and is very good at proving this to those who think her as their lesser.
  • Genghis Gambit: Agravain pulls this off at the end of Arc 1, having Camelot's casters create an army of unintelligent monsters for the Knights of the Round to take down after first intimidating everyone else, so that they can peacefully handle Roble and focus their resources on more distant foes.
  • The Ghost: Ghemas Hawthorne's wife, Selena, is mentioned a few times in the chapters of the Heroes of the Capital arc, but doesn't make a physical appearance until Chapter 26.
  • Good Counterpart: Shirou to Ainz — while both ended up throwing themselves into YGGDRASIL to dull the pain of their normal lives, Shirou ultimately comes off as a healthier person, both due to not having Ainz's emotion suppression issues and because Shirou is actively heroic without being a role-player.
  • The Good King: Lampshadeed with Arturia — her main class is Ideal King, making her the embodiment of a heroic ruler.
  • Greed: Emphasized with Arche's parents here — they outright rob their own daughter just because she had some gold on hand. Unlike in canon, though, she finally decides to pull a Screw This, I'm Out of Here! and takes up a full-time position with Nero to ensure that her sisters are safe from slavery. To contrast this, when Arche goes to hire her friends, she is extremely generous to them, even giving them extra money as an advance payment because she mistook their Stunned Silence for disinterest.
  • Hidden Depths: While Narberal Gamma thinks Humans Are Insects and can't be bothered to show courtesy to them, she's significantly more considerate with heteromorphs even outside of Nazaric — when Merlin offers her a drink, she grapples with accepting because she thinks he deserves some respect. Shirou saves her the trouble by refusing for her and stating that accepting would've meant paying Merlin's entire tab.
  • Honor Before Reason: At the end of Nazarick's fight with Cu, Cocytus moves in to finish him, wanting to give Cu a warrior's death, despite Ainz's warning. This gives Cu the opening to use Gae Bolg on the insectoid, killing him.
  • Humans Are Insects: As in canon, most of Nazarick holds this viewpoint. Nabe flat out thinks of them as arthropods whenever her thoughts are revealed. She notably relaxes around Merlin after she figures out he is part demon and treats his flirting with annoyance instead of revulsion.
  • Innocently Insensitive: The first inhabitant of the New World that Arturia meets, Vincent Berferd, pointedly tells her that she wouldn't understand the betrayal and conspiracy that the Roble Holy Kingdom is going through. Arturia had to watch Camelot fall to treachery by her own sister, Morgan le Fey, and thus has very personal experience with what Vincent is dealing with.
  • Irony:
    • The Cu in Fate never got to die in a fight against a Worthy Opponent due to various circumstances. The NPC Cu Shirou brought with him only dies after a long, drawn-out battle against Ainz and manages to kill Cocytus before he falls.
    • Arche would've been heir to the Northern Dukedom of the Baharut Empire if her father hadn't been stripped of the title. She ends up functionally having most of those titles restored to her when she is chosen as the Number Two of Nero, who was assigned the Dukedom by Jircniv himself.
    • After using All Seeing Eyes on Nero, Arche wonders how the ditzy empress can have so much magic power without being a caster. Grand Order confirms that Nero actually is eligible for the Caster class (and is actually better suited to be one), while Arcade reveals that she is a candidate for Beast VI, meaning that Nero isn't even remotely at her strongest here.
    • Shirou and Ainz end up working together during the Darkness arc, with neither realizing the other is a Player.
    • Ainz makes plans to level up Shirou and increase his magic abilities to use him as a counter for Gilgamesh, not knowing that Shirou created Gilgamesh.
    • Demiurge has several of his minions spread calling cards for Jaldabaoth as part of his plans to manipulate the human kingdoms to Nazarick's advantage. Nero ends up sending Momon to investigate this, to Ainz's displeasure.
  • Laser-Guided Karma:
    • Kelart tries to embarass Calca by subtly loosening her dress so that it shows off more of her cleavage when the Knights of the Round arrive in Northern Roble, which also enrages Kelart's sister Remedios. The queen and the paladin promptly take advantage of Kelart being the slowest to recover from Eating the Eye Candy by insinuating that the mage is a messy eater and leaving her with no opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding.
    • Arche's parents made a point of effectively enslaving her so that they could maintain their noble lifestyle despite losing their title. Once Arche becomes aide to Nero, she uses the new authority she has to buy their current house and kick her parents out.
  • Like a Duck Takes to Water: Several of Camelot's NPCs absolutely thrive in the New World, in part because the locations they go to are very reminescent of their homelands and time periods.
  • Logical Weakness: As NPCs of a player-made Dungeon, Nazarick's inhabitants never once interacted with other Boss-type NPCs in YGGDRASIL other than themselves, therefore they treated the first one they meet in the New World like they would any other human-like enemy entering their domain, resulting in quite a Wake-Up Call Boss fight.
  • Malicious Slander: Due to Calca, Remedios, and Kelart refusing all marriages offered to them (because the prospective grooms weren't up to their standards), nobles of the Northern Roble Holy Kingdom started spreading rumors the trio were in a relationship with one another.
  • Mugging the Monster:
    • Several bandits try to rob the Nero. A few minutes later, she's planning on using them as free labor.
    • Narberal Gamma treats Shirou as she would any other human (like an insect), unaware that he is a Player, and thus implicitly on the same power level as Ainz.
  • Mundane Utility: Since Traced weapons don't disperse in the New World, Shirou makes several with the express purpose of selling them for money.
  • Mythology Gag: Holy City Camelot has numerous references to Fate/Grand Order.
    • The mooks of the city are Enforcement Knights, who were the foot soldiers of Goddess Rhongomyniad in Singularity 6.
    • Da Vinci is one of the NPC characters in Camelot and runs a tavern (similar to how she runs the shop in Grand Order).
    • It's implied that the various expansions to YGGDRASIL were based on the Singularities and Lostbelts from Grand Order, as reference is made of an Okeanos area.
    • Upon seeing Shirou's powers, Ainz considers powering him up to fight Gilgamesh — which did end up happening in Unlimited Blade Works after Shirou had a tantric ritual with Rin.
    • The various Servants who occupy the Holy City result in it being functionally equivalent to Chaldea.
    • NPC Gilgamesh's disdain at having to deal with Heteromorphs in YGGDRASIL is in line with his attitude when dealing with Bluebeard's monster in Fate/Zero.
    • Agravain's plans for handling the Holy Kingdom of Roble are essentially the same as Demiurge's in canon - create an army of monsters to attack the kingdom and then swoop in to save the day. Unlike Demiurge, though, he runs this plan through with his superior and only uses monsters created by his subordinate casters.
  • The Needs of the Many: It's explicitly noted that Arturia giving the Camelot NPC the order to try and fix the New World is the first time she's done something solely for herself — she isn't doing it because she wants everyone to be at peace, but because no conflict/strife means no causes for Shirou to martyr himself for.
  • Noodle Incident:
    • Merlin attempts to woo Scathach in chapter 3. The exact details are not revealed, but it apparently went so badly that the Witch of Dun Scaith is actively hunting down the Magus of Flowers. Finally resolved in Chapter 43, where it's revealed that he copped a feel on her.
    • Ainz reveals that there was only one raid group that ever beat Medea in YGGDRASIL, and that they had to use a team of solely physical fighters, because Rule Breaker made mages useless. The one guy who got the dagger as a drop wouldn't stop bragging about it until they got cornered by the Argonauts and turned into a pig permanently, forcing him to make a new account.
    • The Ainz Ooal Gown guild came the closest amongst YGGDRASIL's playerbase to defeating Gilgamesh, though even they fell after an epic battle.
  • Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Ainz's thoughts reveal that Nazarick and its NPCs are this when compared to the Holy City of Camelot — while the Floor Guardians, Area Guardians, and Pleiades are all more than capable of harrying or defeating a player party, the Holy City of Camelot uses World Enemies as their version of Floor Guardians and Area Guardians, which puts them on a completely different caliber compared to Nazarick. It helps that Shirou outright cheated when making those characters, having used Projection to craft them as opposed to the normal methods available to players.
  • Not Quite the Right Thing: Upon meeting Merlin, Narberal quickly pegs him as an incubus based upon how he acts. She's half right, as Merlin isn't an incubus, but a cambion.
  • Not So Above It All:
    • Shirou is really protective over his Saber NPC, to the point of secretly modifying her into a world boss and maxing out her stats to prevent her from being killed. He also made an NPC version of Gilgamesh and gave him the Gate of Babylon, because seeing him trounce other players was amusing. It's also been made clear that he's caught on to his Chick Magnet status and is starting to get annoyed with it (but only slightly).
    • Calca, Remedios and Kelart are reduced to Stunned Silence when they see the arriving Knights of the Round Table, all of whom are distractingly attractive.
    • It's also implied that the great danger that Arturia sensed when sending the Knights of the Round to meet with Northern Roble was Calca, Remedios, and Kelart fawning over them.
    • Ainz is confirmed to have been a member of the Nero faction during his time in YGGDRASIL, and it's bluntly made clear that this is why he wants her on his side.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity: Nero, ever The Performer King, deliberately plays up her capabilities as an actress to hide her political talent and combat skill. Arche is left dumbfounded when Nero reveals her true power and takes out a whole group of bandits.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
    • It's noted that Remedios is visibly shocked to see the Knights of the Round, and is actually frozen like a statue to hide how distracted she is.
    • All of Nazarick is noticeably in shock after Cu kills Cocytus.
    • Ainz acts noticeably more laid back and friendly toward Shirou than he does other characters due to Shirou's closeness to Nero. Narberal Gamma is left dumbfounded by this.
    • Ainz's minions tend to believe that Humans Are Insects. So when the false Jaldabaoth starts panicking in the face of Scathach, it's a clear statement of just how strong she is.
  • The Paladin: Many people mistake Arturia for one, being a heroic, holy knight, and her interlude confirms that she has levels in the Paladin class.
  • Properly Paranoid: Ainz's paranoia is much more justified here on account of the existence of the Holy City Camelot, who are quite literally everything Nazarick is but better.
  • Rags to Riches: Over the course of Chapters 25 and 26, Arche goes from being a down-on-her-luck Worker from a former noble family to being aide to the new Northern Duchess, in the process getting back almost everything her parents lost except the actual title of nobility.
  • Running Gag: Momon having to repeatedly shut-up Narberal Gamma when the latter reacts with indignity to someone who is WAY beyond her capacity to defeat because they are human.
  • Shared Family Quirks: Shirou's thoughts reveal that Arturia and Mordred both have a habit of rapidly trying to look in various directions with their eyes whenever they are lying.
  • Ship Tease:
    • Arturia has multiple moments where it's made clear she wants Shirou romantically, including trying to fix the problems in the New World so she doesn't have to worry about him risking himself to fix them. As this is a post-Fate timeline Shirou, the feeling is 100% mutual.
    • One of the personas of Hundred Faced Hassan has a moment of this with Arche, giving her a flower after scrutinizing her for a moment.
  • Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Nero is this to Arturia, as the former looks so much like the King of Knights except for having a much more developed bosom and showing off way more of her figure. The latter makes Arturia unable to stand being around Nero, and Agravain convinces his king to pretend to be the Valkyrie Knight by making it clear that Nero will fulfil this role if Arturia refuses.
  • Small Steps Hero: Shirou was actually able to obtain the "Hero" class in YGGDRASIL because he went out of his way to help other players because it was the right thing to do, but as the class heavily tied to Reputation, he only made two levels in it before getting sent to the New World because he never saw the point in making a name for himself.
  • Spanner in the Works: Demiurge's plans as Jaldabaoth are inscrutable to pretty much everyone. Unfortunately, Shirou has one person on his side who can think on Jaldabaoth's level — Merlin.
  • Spared by the Adaptation:
    • Nero ends up hiring Arche to work for her, with Arche then recruiting the rest of Foresight as guards, ensuring that they will never embark on the doomed mission to Nazarick.
    • Shirou gives a traced copy of Rule Breaker to Momon to cleanse Shalltear of the effects of Downfall of Castle and Country, sparing Ainz the need to kill her.
  • Spotting the Thread: Narberal immediately figures out Merlin is part-demon due to how he acts, which reminds her of an incubus.
  • Stunned Silence: Most of Foresight has this reaction when Arche offers them a whole sack of gold coins as advance payment for being her guards. The entire bar they're in follows suite when Arche starts adding more gold to the pile, mistaking the silence for disinterest.
  • Superboss: Every Servant NPC Shirou made is indicated to be a superboss, as Shirou maxed out their stats and gave them ridiculously overpowered builds. The developers of YGGDRASIL tolerated this because they were genuinely challenging foes, and modified them to have special drops (Gilgamesh would've dropped a guaranteed World Item if he had ever been defeated, while Medea had a chance to drop Rule Breaker).
  • Sure, Let's Go with That: The developers of YGGDRASIL, unwilling to admit that someone (Shirou) had hacked their source code, claimed that all the new bosses and areas popping up within YGGDRASIL were free expansions.
  • This Cannot Be!: Narberal Gamma is increasingly shocked when she not only sees just how powerful Shirou is but how much respect Ainz shows him.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: After having an understandably rough time with her parents and life, Arche ends up as the Number Two of Nero, able to purchase a house of her own away from her parents, and paid enough to hire her team as bodyguards, meaning they never have to take a risky job again. All because Nero thought she was cute.
  • A True Hero: Surprisingly, YGGDRASIL actually had "Hero" as a secret class, which Shirou managed to gain a rank in through being a genuinely nice player who helped out others in need. Rather notably, he didn't gain more than two levels in it before being sent to the New World because he chose to keep a low profile and avoided acknowledgment for being a hero, and leveling the "Hero" class is heavily dependent on reputation. This also means that Shirou lost access to the class upon entering the New World, as he is currently a nobody.
  • Underestimating Badassery: The denizens of Nazarick are honestly confused by how cautious Ainz seems around the World Enemies that Shirou created, since to them, Humans Are Insects. They get a rude wake-up call in this regard when Cu tracks them back to Nazarick, fights them all to a standstill (with Ainz's support, no less), and killing Cocytus before he is slain.
  • Villainous Breakdown: The false Jaldabaoth is reduced to impotent ranting after Scathach pins him down and summons the Isle of Sky to trap him.
  • Villains Blend in Better: Inverted — Camelot's NPCs have a significantly easier time integrating themselves into the New World than Nazarick, as they are not only human (and thus unburdened by the Fantastic Racism that plagues the residents of the Tomb) but most of the ones sent out to gather information were explicitly chosen due to traits that would ingratiate them toward their targets (Nero was sent to the Ancient Rome themed Baharuth Empire, for example, while the Knights of the Round were sent to the Medieval European Fantasy themed Roble).
  • Wake-Up Call Boss: Cu is this to Nazarick — not only does he manage to get inside the Tomb and engage both the Floor Guardians and Ainz, he kills Cocytus!
  • You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Mordred has this reaction when Agravain decides to have her be Shirou's bodyguard, as said guard would need to be someone who Shirou could not get any information out of. Mordred points out she was the one who almost revealed one of their earlier plans to Shirou, to which Agravain retorts that Shirou refused to press her for details when he realized she was uncomfortable.
  • You Remind Me of X: While she never says anything about it, the first time she meets Merlin, Narbersl notes that he has an aura similar to Albedo. This makes her realize that Merlin is a let least part demon.
  • You Were Trying Too Hard: Noted mentally by Ainz when the rest of Nazarick ponders his reasons for wanting to align for Nero, as they fail to consider the obvious one — having a World Boss as an ally.

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