Chapter 20

PVN

Bagian 1

—Ada suara mendesis, seolah-olah seseorang telah melemparkan obor yang terbakar ke dalam air.

Mantra yang melampaui definisi tingkatan pun meledak – dan seolah-olah matahari telah terbit di tanah itu, membuat segala sesuatu dalam bidang pandangnya tampak putih cemerlang.

Pembakaran eksotermik menghasilkan gelombang panas yang meluas dengan cepat, yang dengan rakus mengonsumsi segala sesuatu dalam radiusnya.

Visi yang luar biasa ini hanya bertahan lima detik, tetapi rasanya puluhan kali lebih lama dari itu.

Akhirnya, dunia putih cemerlang menghilang. Di belakang dari denyut nadi energi superhot yang hilang adalah area lingkaran besar – sangat berbeda dari sebelumnya.

Tidak ada yang berada di luar area efek yang terpengaruh. Pohon-pohon itu masih pohon, bumi penuh vitalitas seperti hutan, dan hutan itu sendiri tidak tersentuh – dunia yang sangat normal.

Sebaliknya, area dalam area melingkar itu hangus hitam, diubah menjadi zona mati dengan proporsi yang menurun.

Suhu yang menakjubkan ini telah memakan semua vegetasi di daerah tersebut, hanya menyisakan beberapa tunggul pohon berkarbonisasi. Ada beberapa daerah berbatu di tanah yang masih mengeluarkan asap.

Berdiri di luar batas dunia yang tidak memungkinkan orang yang selamat, Ainz merasakan kehadiran yang mengerikan keluar dari dalam.

Itu datang dari satu-satunya orang yang tetap berada di area itu.

Tidak ada yang bisa bertahan hidup dari panas yang fatal itu.

"Kakahaaah ~ Kahaaaah ~"

Suara aneh itu, disertai dengan apa yang tampak seperti kertakan gigi, disaring ke telinga Ainz.

Dia berbalik untuk melihat sumbernya, dan melihat titik merah di tengah dunia yang hangus hitam.

Dia melihat Shalltear dengan gumpalan asap mengepul dari tubuhnya, dan raut wajahnya yang sepertinya mengatakan, "tidak cukup senjata." Murid-muridnya yang merah tua, penuh dengan permusuhan dan haus darah, fokus pada tubuh Ainz.

“Ainz-samaaaa! Itu sangat menyakitkan! ”

Shalltear perlahan berjalan maju, langkah kakinya mematahkan tanah hangus di bawahnya.

Selangkah demi selangkah, dia menyempit jarak antara Ainz dan dirinya sendiri, Spuit Lance di tangannya memotong udara dengan deru yang menunjukkan bahwa dia masih bisa bertarung.

Kastor ajaib Arcane hanya bisa menunjukkan kemampuan mereka yang sebenarnya dalam jarak jauh. Ainz tidak memiliki garis depan untuk melindungi dirinya, jadi tidak ada untungnya membiarkan musuhnya mendekat kepadanya. Namun, Ainz tidak berebut kembali. Dengan nada yang mengingatkan kita pada citra seorang juara yang menyambut seorang penantang, Ainz dengan angkuh mengejek Shalltear:

“Itu hanya hadiah yang tidak berarti. Apakah kamu menyukainya, Shalltear? ”

"Ahahahaha!"

Shalltear tertawa, dan kegembiraannya datang dari lubuk hatinya.

"Hebat! Tidak kusangka aku harus membunuhmu, Ainz-sama yang sangat kuat! ”

"-Sama, katamu. Mengapa Anda memanggil saya sebagai -sama? Siapa tuanmu? "

“Pertanyaan yang aneh. Apakah tidak wajar untuk membahas Makhluk Tertinggi seperti dirimu dengan -sama? Adapun tuanku yang sekarang … "

Wajah Shalltear mengerut, seolah-olah bingung.

"… Kenapa aku harus bertarung denganmu, Ainz-sama? … Ah, apakah itu karena kamu menyerangku? Tapi mengapa kamu menyerangku, Ainz-sama … Aku harus menghancurkan siapa saja yang menyerangku dengan seluruh kekuatanku? Mengapa demikian?"

Tak lama kemudian, Shalltear tampaknya telah mencapai suatu kesimpulan, dan senyumnya dari sebelumnya kembali ke wajahnya.

"Yah, aku masih belum yakin kenapa, tapi karena kamu menyerangku, aku harus menghancurkanmu, Ainz-sama!"

"… Begitukah … Aku mengerti. Saya mengerti seperti apa keadaan Anda saat ini … "

"Oho, ada apa, Ainz-sama? Anda terlihat agak lemah di sana. Bagaimana Anda bisa mengalahkan saya seperti itu? "

“Hmph, bukankah kamu salah? Apakah Anda pikir seseorang seperti Anda dapat mengalahkan saya – mengalahkan Ainz Ooal Gown? Nama 'Ainz Ooal Gown' tidak terkalahkan. Shalltear, Anda akan berlutut di hadapan saya. "

"Ahahahaha! Ooooh, menakutkan sekali ~ ”

Bergerak dengan kecepatan yang membuat angin kencang memalukan, Shalltear menyerbu, diliputi haus darah. Tanah hangus meledak di bawah kakinya dengan setiap langkah yang diambilnya. Serangan Clementine sangat cepat, tetapi kecepatan Shalltear ada di kelasnya sendiri.

Untuk sesaat, Ainz bersyukur bahwa dia tidak perlu berkedip, karena Shalltear cukup cepat sehingga dia akan kehilangan jejaknya jika dia mengalihkan pandangan darinya sejenak.

Tertawa di belakangnya, Shalltear melanjutkan serangannya, mengarahkan ujung tombaknya pada Ainz dan mendorong ke depan. Tombak muatan awalnya merupakan teknik yang digunakan oleh ksatria yang dipasang dan dibuat dengan kecepatan dan berat tunggangan mereka di belakangnya. Namun, serangan Shalltear – dibuat dengan kekuatan luar biasa dan kecepatan luar biasa – dengan mudah melampaui serangan itu.

Kata "one-shot kill" bahkan tidak bisa mulai menggambarkan serangan fatal yang pasti, dan itu merobek udara menuju Ainz.

Namun, meskipun ujung tombaknya semakin mendekat, Ainz tetap tidak tergerak.

Dengan suara lembut, dia berkata:

"Itu berbahaya, kau tahu."

Peringatan lembut yang dia berikan pada Shalltear, seolah-olah peduli dengan kesejahteraannya, merujuk pada tindakan balasan yang telah disiapkannya untuk serangan Shalltear.

Saat Shalltear menyerang, mantra 「Triplet Maximize Magic – Exploding Mine」 yang dia lemparkan sebelumnya secara otomatis terpicu.

Tiga ledakan itu menghancurkan tubuh Shalltear.

Ketika Ainz melihat ini, dia meminta maaf dengan nada yang bahkan lebih berbelas kasih:

"Shalltear, maafkan peringatan saya yang terlambat. Sebenarnya, ada ranjau di sana … 「Maksimalkan Sihir – Gravity Maelstrom」. ”

Dia masih terbang kembali dari kekuatan ledakan ketika Ainz melemparkan bola hitam di belakangnya. Itu adalah pusaran berputar dari gravitasi yang sangat intensif yang secara signifikan dapat merusak target, bahkan salah satu level Shalltear.

Pada saat ini, Shalltear mundur dari kondisinya yang jatuh dan mengulurkan tangan kosong.

"「 Dinding Batu 」."

Dinding batu besar muncul dari tanah, benar-benar menyelimuti Shalltear. Pusaran gravitasi yang dilemparkan Ainz bertabrakan dengan dinding, menyebabkannya bengkok, berputar, dan hancur, tetapi pusaran gravitasi menghilang juga.

"Hmph! 「Maksimalkan Sihir – Tahan Rib」! ”

Ketika Ainz melanjutkan dengan mantra lain, tulang rusuk besar muncul dari bumi dan mendekat pada Shalltear seperti perangkap beruang. Titik tajam dari tulang putih menggigit dalam-dalam ke tubuh Shalltear.

"Kah!"

Biasanya, mantra ini akan terus memegang targetnya setelah merusaknya, tetapi Shalltear dengan mudah mengangkat bahu. Ini karena dia kebal terhadap pembatasan gerakan, mengakibatkan kegagalan upaya pengekangan.

"… Shalltear, aku lupa memberitahumu, tapi aku sudah mengatur ranjau di sekitar area ini. Bagaimana kalau menyerangku dari udara saja? ”

"—Ainz-sama, aku tidak akan mengambil umpan. Anda juga telah menempatkan jebakan di udara, bukan? "

"Apakah itu sudah jelas?"

"Ya, aku sudah melihatnya sejak lama."

Dia terkekeh, dan nyala api merah di mata Ainz meredup.

Tidak ada yang seperti itu. Tambang yang baru saja diletakkan Ainz adalah satu-satunya yang ditetapkan. Dia juga tidak memasang perangkap di udara. Pertarungan ini tidak mudah di mana ia bisa menyia-nyiakan MP pada mantra yang tidak efektif.

Karena itu, ia menggunakan tambang sebagai gertakan untuk menghambat mobilitas Shalltear. Dia telah menyipitkan matanya setelah dia melangkah ke dalamnya. Namun, sekarang bukan saatnya untuk bersantai.

Ainz adalah penantang dalam pertempuran ini. Dia berjalan di atas tali yang sangat bagus, dan dia akan jatuh jika dia tidak hati-hati. Ainz tahu ini, dan dia tidak cukup bodoh untuk menjadi puas diri atas kemenangan kecil seperti itu.

"Tetap saja, itu Ainz-sama untukmu. Tagihan sederhana seperti itu tidak bisa menutup celah di antara kami. "

Ada kekaguman yang tulus di mata Shalltear dan suaranya. Pada saat yang sama, Ainz bisa merasakan semangat juang yang dipancarkannya dari seluruh tubuhnya.

Acara sesungguhnya akan segera dimulai.

Jika tubuh Ainz bisa mengeluarkan keringat, punggungnya mungkin akan menjadi sungai yang mengalir sekarang.

Bagaimanapun, saya harus terus melakukan kerusakan sampai MP saya habis.

Jika dia tidak bisa melakukan itu, maka Ainz akan siap untuk mengalahkan.

♦ ♦ ♦

Shalltear menguatkan Spuit Lance, menyipitkan matanya pada magic caster di depannya – pada tuannya, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Dia tidak tahu mengapa dia harus menentang tuannya yang tercinta, tetapi pikirannya mengatakan kepadanya bahwa itu bukan pertanyaan penting. Yang harus dia lakukan adalah membunuhnya dan kemudian merenungkan masalah itu lama kemudian.

Saat dia dengan tenang mempertimbangkan ini, Shalltear mempertimbangkan situasi saat ini – pertarungan satu lawan satu, melawan makhluk hidup – dan betapa menguntungkannya baginya.

Magic caster – khususnya magic cacing misterius – sangat kuat, tetapi kekuatan itu berasal dari MP mereka. Begitu MP mereka kehabisan, mereka secara alami akan kehilangan kemampuan bertarung mereka. Di sisi lain, Shalltear mungkin adalah seorang magic caster magic, tapi dia juga mahir dalam pertempuran jarak dekat. Bahkan jika MP-nya kehabisan, dia bisa terus berjuang selama dia memiliki HP.

Karena itu, bahkan jika dia tidak bisa menguras HP lawannya menjadi nol, dia masih bisa menang selama musuhnya mengeluarkan semua MP-nya. Ini terutama berlaku untuk magic caster misterius seperti Ainz, yang tidak memiliki cara untuk memulihkan kesehatannya.

Jadi, tolong gemetar ketakutan pada HP dan MP Anda yang berkurang. Ahaha, jantungku berdegup kencang setiap kali aku memikirkan wajah ketakutan Ainz-sama!

Lalu, apa cara terbaik baginya untuk bertarung? Itu harus menjadi pertempuran berlarut-larut.

Shalltear mencengkeram kelas Ilahi miliknya, Spuit Lance saat dia buru-buru menyusun rencana pertempuran.

Kemampuan khusus senjata itu adalah untuk memulihkan kesehatan pengguna sesuai dengan seberapa besar kerusakan yang terjadi pada lawan. Tidak, bisa dikatakan bahwa item kelas dewa ini dirancang di sekitar properti khusus itu. Inilah mengapa Ainz, kursi abadi, tidak memanggil pelayan untuk menjadi pelopornya. Dia sangat sadar bahwa memanggil monster lemah ke tank hanya untuk memulihkan HPnya.

Ah ~ Ainz-sama yang malang. Dia tidak bisa memanggil para frontliner dan harus bertarung sendirian ~

Shalltear melemparkan 「Mana Essence」 sebagai senyum sadis yang terbentuk di wajahnya.

Mantra itu memungkinkannya untuk melihat mana lawannya untuk sementara waktu, dan karenanya Mana yang tersisa muncul di depannya.

Itu banyak mana … bagaimana dia mengumpulkan sebanyak itu?

Ainz memiliki sekitar satu setengah kali MP (mana) dari Shalltear. Mungkin tidak ada orang lain di Nazarick yang memiliki kapasitas mana seperti itu.

Dia benar-benar adalah Makhluk Tertinggi. Orang bisa menyebutnya mayat hidup yang luar biasa … mayat hidup yang super … tidak, mayat hidup yang saleh.

Meski begitu, dia masih berpikir bahwa dia tidak akan kalah. Mungkin itu mungkin berbeda dari Guardian lain, tetapi bagi Shalltear, Ainz dan mantra serangan necromanticnya yang meningkat hampir tidak menjadi tantangan baginya.

Tentu saja, saya tidak boleh gegabah. Karena itu, mengapa Ainz-sama tidak mengenakan perlengkapan kelas dewa?

Jubah yang dikenakan Ainz sekarang tampak sangat polos baginya. Itu tidak memiliki martabat jubah hitam yang biasa.

Mungkinkah dia memakainya untuk berurusan dengan saya? Sangat mungkin, tetapi tidak ada gunanya saling menatap. Tidak ada yang akan terjadi. Jadi mari kita kembalikan beberapa kesehatan terlebih dahulu dalam persiapan untuk pertempuran berlarut-larut …

""Diperbaiki"."

Mantra yang baru saja dilemparkan Shalltear bahkan bisa memulihkan kesehatan mayat hidup. Saat ini, ia memulihkan kesehatan yang hilang dari mantra serangan tingkat super. Pada saat ini, Ainz meluncurkan serangan lain, melemparkan bola gravitasi seperti barusan.

"「 Maksimalkan Sihir – Gravitasi Maelstrom 」."

Bola hitam mendekat dengan kecepatan tinggi. Dia mempertimbangkan untuk melemparkan 「Dinding Batu」 dari sebelumnya, tapi itu tidak akan memberikan tekanan pada lawannya. Dia harus melakukan langkah pertama jika dia ingin mengurangi mana musuhnya.

Shalltear dipilih—

"-「 Teleportasi Besar 」."

Rencananya adalah untuk berteleportasi dalam jarak dekat dan memulai pertempuran jarak dekat.

Bidang penglihatannya terdistorsi, tetapi pemandangan yang seharusnya langsung muncul di depan matanya terasa seperti melambat.

Cheh!

Shalltear menduga bahwa ini adalah efek dari mantra yang menghalangi teleportasi, 「Delay Teleportasi」. ”

Seperti yang Shalltear tebak, dia agak jauh dari Ainz, ketika dia seharusnya dimasukkan ke dalam jangkauan Spuit Lance-nya. Sebagai gantinya, dia melihat tiga bola cahaya yang berkilauan di depan matanya – dibuat oleh mantra Mine Drifting Master Mine 」.

Shalltear merasakan ranjau dan mengambil bentuk kabutnya untuk menghindarinya saat mereka terbang ke arahnya. Skill ini mengubah tubuh menjadi kabut, dan itu adalah skill yang cukup bagus untuk vampir. Namun, itu tidak mengubah tubuh menjadi fenomena fisik yang disebut kabut, melainkan mengubah tubuh menjadi bidang astral. Jadi dia bisa menggunakannya untuk sepenuhnya menghindari serangan di dunia fisik – tiga ledakan yang dihasilkannya.

"Naif!"

Setelah teriakan Ainz, ia melanjutkan dengan 「Maksimalkan Sihir – Astral Smite ral.”

Mantra itu bisa menyerang entitas astral, dan itu menemukan tanda pada tubuh Shalltear, yang pertahanannya agak berkurang setelah mengambil bentuk kabut.

Karena kesakitan, Shalltear menghentikan wujud kabutnya. Dia merasakan bibirnya pecah, dan sesuatu yang lembut dan licin keluar dari dalam.

"Benar-benar luar biasa, seperti yang diharapkan darimu, Ainz-sama!"

Ainz tidak menanggapi pujian jujur ​​itu. Dia hanya mempelajari lawannya dengan mata ragu-ragu.

"Kamu tidak bisa percaya padaku, kan? Tetapi saya merasa Anda adalah seseorang yang layak atas kesetiaan saya. ”

Lagipula, dia sangat mahir dalam pertempuran mantra.

Tetap saja – Bibir Shalltear tidak bisa membantu tetapi meringkuk dalam senyum. Ini karena anggota parlemen Ainz telah sangat berkurang.

Kesehatan Shalltear agak menurun, tetapi jumlah kerusakan itu masih dalam batas. Sebaliknya, mana Ainz telah turun lebih jauh dari yang diperkirakan, jadi itu layak untuk kerugian. Dengan kata lain, Shalltear selangkah lebih dekat ke kemenangan.

Lalu, bagaimana dengan yang ini?

Shalltear membuatnya bergerak.

"「 Force Sanctuary 」."

Cahaya putih memenuhi area di sekitar Shalltear, penghalang pertahanan yang terbuat dari mana murni. Sementara penghalang ini menghambat serangan kastor, itu juga akan sepenuhnya meniadakan serangan lawannya.

Melalui penghalang cahaya ini, dia melihat Ainz berebut mantra.

"Tepat sekali. Jika Anda tidak segera mengucapkan mantra, itu akan sangat buruk bagi Anda. "

Shalltear sudah tahu mengapa Ainz tampaknya lebih unggul dalam pertempuran ini.

Apakah itu karena kemampuannya – tidak.

Apakah itu karena peralatannya – tidak.

Apakah itu karena persiapannya – ya.

Memang, keadaan yang menguntungkan ini disebabkan oleh persiapan Ainz yang luas dan banyak mantra yang telah dia letakkan sebelumnya. Kekuatan para magic caster sangat bervariasi dengan persiapan mereka untuk situasi apa pun, dan hal yang sama berlaku untuk Shalltear. Karena itu, Ainz seharusnya mencoba untuk mematahkan pertahanan Shalltear sebelum dia bisa menyemangati dirinya sendiri.

Shalltear miskin dalam mantra pertahanan, dan dia tidak punya niat untuk melemparkan mereka. Tujuannya adalah murni untuk mengeringkan mana Ainz. Dia tersenyum pada Ainz saat dia dengan panik melemparkan mantranya.

Ya ampun, semuanya berjalan sesuai rencana, Ainz-sama. Namun, Anda bahkan tidak menggunakan gulungan, paranada, atau tongkat; apakah Anda mencoba mempertahankan kekuatan Anda? Apakah kamu terlalu panik? Atau apakah Anda tahu mereka tidak efektif terhadap saya?

Perlawanan sihir Ainz sepenuhnya meniadakan efek mantra rendah ke tingkat menengah, terlepas dari seberapa kuat kastor mereka. Sebaliknya, resistensi sihir Shalltear dipengaruhi oleh statistik dan level lawannya. Bahkan mantra tingkat kesepuluh oleh magic caster yang lemah tidak akan bisa menembus perlawanannya, tetapi melawan magic caster yang kuat – seperti Ainz – mantra tingkat pertama adalah batasnya.

Beberapa gulungan dipengaruhi oleh keterampilan pencipta mereka, tetapi sebagian besar, mereka dibuat pada tingkat minimum yang memungkinkan untuk penciptaan mereka, yang juga berarti bahwa mereka ditetapkan pada tingkat kastor serendah mungkin. Dengan demikian, ada kemungkinan besar gulungan tidak akan bisa menembus pertahanan Shalltear. Apakah itu sebabnya Ainz tidak melakukannya?

Saat Shalltear menganalisis kondisi tempur, Ainz melanjutkan membaca mantra.

"「 Maksimalkan Sihir – Seribu Tombak Tombak 」!"

Tak terhitung – lebih dari satu atau dua ribu tombak tulang meletus dari bumi di sekitar Ainz. Tombak gading menyerang penghalang pertahanan dari segala arah. Segera, dia mendengar suara yang tampak seperti pecahan kaca, dan pelindung Shalltear hancur bersamanya. Serpihan-serpihan tulang yang tersebar terbang ke segala arah, mencair menjadi ketiadaan.

"Cheh!"

Dia tidak mengira penghalang sihir ini – di mana dia telah menghabiskan sejumlah besar mana – akan rusak dalam satu gerakan. Shalltear tidak bisa mempercayai ini saat serangan terhadapnya berlanjut.

"Ini belum selesai! 「Maksimalkan Sihir – Seribu Tombak Tombak」! ”

"-「 Teleportasi Besar 」."

Tujuan teleportasinya adalah ruang terbuka di udara, di luar area 「Keterlambatan Teleportasi」 efek mantra.

"Jangan berpikir kamu bisa pergi -「 Maksimalkan Sihir – Gravity Maelstrom 」."

Shalltear mengharapkan Ainz untuk menindaklanjuti dengan semacam serangan terhadapnya. Mantranya terbang melayang, seolah ditujukan ke tempat Shalltear akan muncul setelah berteleportasi.

Dia tampak tenang dan tenang seperti biasa, tetapi Shalltear sangat terpesona oleh kehebatan Ainz yang luar biasa. Kemampuan ahli ini hanya bisa diasah melalui pengalaman panjang.

"Kamu sepertinya mengambil ini dengan sangat mudah."

Lawan Shalltear – dia tidak yakin mengapa dia harus membunuhnya – bertanya:

“Kenapa kamu begitu nyaman saat melawanku? Kami berada di level yang sama, tetapi perlengkapan saya lebih kuat dari milik Anda. Memang, spesialisasi saya tidak dapat ditanggung – yang merugikan saya – tetapi itu saja. Meski begitu, saya dapat merasakan kepercayaan dari Anda, keyakinan Anda bahwa Anda memiliki keuntungan dan bahwa kemenangan terjamin. ”

Rasa superioritas memenuhi Shalltear.

“Ahahaha, maka aku akan menunjukkan kepadamu salah satu alasan mengapa aku bisa begitu mudah. Apakah Anda tahu saya memiliki keterampilan seperti ini? "

Dengan senyum kemenangan, Shalltear membangkitkan Shield Shockwave yang Tidak Murni. Gelombang kekuatan – berwarna kemerahan hitam seperti darah beku – menyebar, menghancurkan bola gravitasi saat kontak.

Ini adalah salah satu keterampilan Shalltear, yang menggabungkan serangan dan pertahanan.

"Cheh!"

Ainz mendecakkan lidahnya mendengar ini. Shalltear telah melakukannya sebelumnya karena semuanya tidak berjalan sesuai rencana, tetapi bagi Ainz, itu karena dia tidak bisa lagi bersantai di sekelilingnya.

"Aha!"

Shalltear menertawakan ekspresi Ainz, dan kemudian dia memamerkan keahlian khusus miliknya.

Tombak ilahi raksasa muncul di tangannya. Panjangnya lebih dari tiga meter dengan kepala yang sangat besar. Aura kemurnian yang dipancarkan membuktikan bahwa ini bukan senjata biasa. Itu memantulkan sinar matahari dalam cahaya peraknya, menghasilkan tampilan yang indah dan menarik.

"Oh … aku belum pernah melihat itu sebelumnya. Apakah Anda memanggilnya dengan keterampilan atau sesuatu? "

"Ahahaha, kita akan lihat sampai kapan kamu bisa bertindak tangguh, Ainz-sama. Karena Anda sepertinya tidak tahu senjata ini, izinkan saya untuk memperkenalkannya kepada Anda. Namanya adalah Purifier Javelin! ”

Shalltear melepaskan tombak platinum saat dia menertawakan ketidaktahuan Ainz. Dia tidak melemparnya seperti lembing, tetapi malah naik dengan sendirinya dan melesat keluar. Ini adalah senjata yang dijamin akan mengenai jika dia menghabiskan tambahan MP—

"Guwaargh!"

—Dan berhasil, menusuk dada Ainz. Di mata Shalltear, tengkorak yang tidak bergerak itu tampak berputar kesakitan.

"Ahahaha! Itu senjata suci untuk Anda; sepertinya itu cukup efektif! "

Shalltear memanggil tombak raksasa ke tangannya lagi, dan melemparkannya sekali lagi. Tombak itu bergerak dengan kecepatan yang tak terhindarkan, kali ini menusuk pundak Ainz.

“Kuh! Jangan memandang rendah saya! 「Maksimalkan Sihir – Realitas Slash」! ”

Ainz mengucapkan mantra yang kuat.

Ketika seseorang mencapai level tertinggi dari kelas prajurit terkuat, Juara Dunia, seseorang akan mempelajari keterampilan tertinggi, tertinggi yang disebut Break Istirahat Dunia 」. Mantra tingkat sepuluh ini hanyalah salinan inferior dari keterampilan itu, tapi itu masih di antara mantra yang paling merusak dalam permainan.

Itu membelah melalui tatanan ruang yang sangat, dan darah segar mengalir dari dada Shalltear.

Pukulan dari mantra serangan yang kuat ini bisa mengabaikan hampir semua bentuk pertahanan magis, tetapi kerusakan yang diberikan diubah kembali menjadi sehat dan mengalir kembali ke tubuhnya, seolah waktu itu sendiri telah terbalik untuk membuat serangan itu sama sekali tidak efektif.

Ainz melolong mendengar ini:

"Apa yang baru saja kamu lakukan !?"

"Tidak perlu marah, Ainz-sama. Itu juga keterampilan, ”jawab Shalltear ketika dia bersyukur atas dirinya.

"Cheh! Dengan kata lain, keahlian saya tidak akan bekerja dan Anda bisa melakukan apa saja, ya !? ”

"Tolong jangan berpikir ini tidak adil. Ini adalah kemampuan yang diberikan Peroroncino-sama padaku. Dengan kata lain, makhluk luar biasa itu lebih hebat darimu, apa aku salah, Ainz-sama? ”

“—Itu rasanya seperti berasal dari hati.”

Nada tanpa emosi itu – atau mungkin sangat tenang sehingga orang tidak bisa memilih emosi apa pun darinya – mengisi Shalltear dengan keraguan. Namun, sebelum itu bisa menetap, Ainz berteriak lagi:

“Aku datang, Shalltear! Saya akan menunjukkan kepada Anda bahwa apa pun keterampilan yang Anda miliki, tidak satu pun dari mereka dapat memegang lilin dengan sihir saya! "

"Aha! Kamu ingin pertarungan senjata, Ainz-sama? Jangan mengira aku akan kalah darimu! "

A 「Maksimalkan Sihir – Realitas Slash」 mantra melintasi jalur dengan Purifikasi Javelin, masing-masing merobek tubuh target mereka.

Ketika mereka berdua bertukar serangan lagi, Shalltear menertawakan kebodohan Ainz di dalam hatinya. Pada saat yang sama, dia bingung – mengapa aku bertarung dengan Ainz-sama?

Shalltear Bloodfallen adalah Penjaga Lantai Nazarick, yang mengatur Lantai Pertama hingga Ketiga. Pada saat yang sama, dia adalah bawahan setia yang dibuat oleh Supreme Being Peroroncino. Karena itu, bukankah aneh kalau dia akan melawan Ainz Ooal Gown, yang sebelumnya dikenal sebagai Momonga? Mengapa dia melakukan pertempuran dengan Ainz-sama, yang merupakan anggota lain dari Empat Puluh Satu Makhluk Tertinggi?

Jika pencipta memerintahkannya, dia akan patuh dan bertarung dengan seluruh kekuatannya. Bahkan jika semua Nazarick adalah musuhnya, dia akan menyerang mereka tanpa ragu-ragu. Namun, ini bukan masalahnya.

Dia berpikir dan dia berpikir dan dia berpikir, tetapi dia tidak dapat menemukan jawaban.

Tetap saja, dia tidak bisa menghentikan dirinya sendiri. Seolah-olah seseorang berbisik di telinganya, "Shalltear, kamu harus membunuh musuh dengan semua yang kamu miliki."

Shalltear memeriksa konsumsi MP Ainz dengan 「Mana Essence」, dan kemudian ia berjuang untuk menekan tawa yang naik di hatinya. Pada saat yang sama, ia membalikkan waktu untuk memulihkan kesehatannya.

Mantra yang lebih kuat mengkonsumsi lebih banyak mana. 「Reality Slash」 adalah salah satu mantra itu, dan itu cukup tidak efisien, dalam hal kerusakan yang disebabkan untuk mana yang dikeluarkan. Meski begitu, Ainz masih menggunakannya. Shalltear berpikir bahwa mungkin Ainz berharap untuk menguras kesehatannya dan mengklaim kemenangan sebelum pertempuran menjadi perkelahian.

Itu benar, menyelesaikannya dengan cepat adalah hal yang tepat untuk dilakukan, karena pertarungan berlarut-larut menguntungkanku … Mungkin itu juga karena Ainz-sama tahu bahwa mantra debuff memiliki sedikit efek pada mayat hidup.

Shalltear menyipitkan matanya dan fokus pada Ainz, yang masih menggunakan mantra besar.

Baiklah, kalau begitu aku akan beradaptasi dengan apa pun yang ia hasilkan.

Keterampilan Shalltear dibagi ke dalam keinginan dan jenis penggunaan terbatas. Menghidupkan kembali waktu untuk memulihkan kerusakan hanya bisa dilakukan tiga kali sehari. The Purifying Lance juga hanya dapat digunakan tiga kali sehari, sedangkan Shield Shockwave Impure hanya dapat digunakan sekali lagi hari ini.

Tetap saja, tidak ada gunanya bersikap kikir tentang mereka. Rencana Shalltear adalah untuk mengakhiri pertempuran dalam pertarungan jarak dekat. MP dan skill-nya pada dasarnya adalah alat untuk menghabiskan MP Ainz.

Aku bisa bertarung tanpa MP, tapi Ainz-sama selesai tanpa MP.

Shalltear bisa bertarung dengan total HP dan MP-nya, tapi Ainz hanya bisa menggunakan MP-nya. Ini adalah perbedaan besar di antara mereka.

Dia memandang Ainz – yang terbatas pada mantranya – dengan ekspresi lembut di matanya. Orang bisa menyebut mereka mata seorang ibu yang memandangi anaknya … atau lebih tepatnya, ekspresi kasihan yang akan diberikan oleh yang perkasa kepada yang lemah.

Setelah melemparkan Purifikasi Javelin terakhirnya, Shalltear menerima serangan balik 「Reality Slash」, dan memutuskan untuk pindah ke fase kedua pertempuran.

"Kalau begitu, bagaimana dengan ini? 「Panggil Monster Sepuluh」. ”

“Seolah aku akan membiarkanmu! 「Penolakan Besar」! ”

Monster yang dipanggil dihilangkan dalam sekejap, dan tawa sombong Ainz mencapai telinganya.

"Aku tidak akan membiarkanmu keluar dari pertarungan, Shalltear."

Saya belum bisa tersenyum, walaupun saya hanya mencoba menggunakan MP saya setelah mengeluarkan semua kemampuan khusus saya.

Shalltear memalsukan ekspresi tegas, dan kemudian mengucapkan mantra lain.

"Benar-benar sekarang? Lalu bagaimana dengan serangan langsung? 「Maksimalkan Sihir – Vermilion Nova」! ”

"「 Triplet Maximize Magic – Panggil Greater Thunder 」."

Api merah tua – salah satu kelemahan Ainz – menelannya, sementara tiga pukulan petir raksasa membumikan diri melalui tubuh Shalltear.

Ini adalah pertama kalinya dalam pertempuran ini bahwa dia merasakan kesehatannya menurun seperti batu, yang memberi ekspresi tidak senang pada wajah Shalltear.

Apakah dia membuat persiapan untuk melawan api?

Tidak peduli seberapa kuatnya seseorang, seseorang tidak bisa bersiap untuk melawan semua serangan unsur. Ada batasan untuk itu, bahkan jika karakter heteromorfik menggabungkan resistensi rasial mereka dengan kelas pekerjaan yang memberikan resistensi dan memperlengkapi diri mereka sendiri dari ujung kepala sampai ujung kaki dalam perlengkapan kelas ilahi yang memberikan perlawanan. Namun, dengan berfokus pada resistensi spesifik, karakter dapat membuat diri mereka kebal terhadap elemen-elemen yang seharusnya lemah.

Dengan kata lain, Ainz telah meninggalkan resistensi lainnya dan fokus pada peningkatan ketahanan api.

Ini mungkin merepotkan. Saya tidak tahu elemen perlawanan mana yang Ainz-sama menyerah.

Satu-satunya cara untuk membedakan kelemahan unsur Ainz adalah menggunakan 「Life Essence」 untuk memeriksa HP-nya dan menyerangnya dengan berbagai serangan elemen, lalu melihat mana yang paling menyakitinya.

Saya tidak akan melakukan hal yang membosankan seperti itu. Saya akan menargetkan elemen yang harus dilawannya.

"-「 Maksimalkan Sihir – Sinar Cemerlang 」."

"-「 Maksimalkan Sihir – True Dark 」."

Cahaya elemen suci membungkus Ainz, memurnikan tubuhnya, sementara tubuh Shalltear terkorosi oleh kegelapan non-unsur.

Pada saat ini – Shalltear tidak melewatkan fakta bahwa Ainz tersentak.

Meskipun dia mencoba untuk menutupinya dengan mengubah pendiriannya, tidak mungkin dia bisa menutupi fakta bahwa dia berusaha untuk tetap tabah dalam menghadapi rasa sakit.

Shalltear tersenyum dalam hati, karena dia telah menemukan kelemahannya.

Tidak, dia tidak bisa menyalahkannya untuk itu. Bagaimanapun, kebanyakan mayat hidup sangat rentan terhadap serangan elemen suci. Sangat sulit untuk menghilangkan kelemahan itu, dan jika dia bersiap untuk melawan elemen api, tidak ada cara baginya untuk melakukannya.

Mereka berdua mengunci mata, dan Shalltear mengucapkan mantra berikutnya.

Secara alami, mantra yang Shalltear telah pilih masih 「Cemerlang Cemerlang」

Mereka bertukar sihir dalam mode bolak-balik ini selama beberapa waktu. Bahkan Shalltear telah kehilangan banyak kesehatan. Bahkan, HP-nya (kesehatan) mungkin nol jika dia tidak diam-diam menggunakan MP pada keterampilan yang bertahan melawan mantra.

Itu Ainz-sama bagimu … dia jauh lebih unggul dariku dalam pertarungan mantera, baik itu dalam serangan atau pertahanan. Saya menggunakan beberapa mantra elemen suci secara berurutan, tetapi Ainz-sama menerima kerusakan HP jauh lebih sedikit daripada saya. Tetap saja, saya juga membuatnya membakar banyak MP juga.

Dari apa yang bisa dilihatnya, anggota parlemen Ainz sangat berkurang dari apa yang telah terjadi ketika mereka pertama kali memulai. Meski begitu, dia bisa melihat semangat juang Ainz menyala di matanya.

Semakin sulit untuk mengambil, saya ingin menghancurkan kehendak luar biasa Ainz-sama dan mengubahnya menjadi anjing yang dipukuli.

Shalltear memaksakan diri untuk mengabaikan sensasi yang muncul dari perut bawahnya. Jika dia berada di kamarnya, dia akan memanggil Pengantin Vampir, tetapi dia berada di medan perang, sangat menyesal. Dan tentu saja, dia tidak bisa menghibur dirinya sendiri di tempat untuk memuaskan keinginannya.

Karena itu – dia akan memuaskan dirinya sendiri melalui pertempuran.

Shalltear menatap Ainz dengan mata bernafsu yang basah, dan dia menjilat bibirnya. Jika dia terus memperpanjang jarak di antara mereka, wajah seperti apa yang akan dia buat untuknya?

“Lalu, saatnya untuk pulih. 「Maksimalkan Sihir – Lethal Lebih Besar」. ”

Energi positif memulihkan kesehatan makhluk hidup, sementara energi negatif akan merusak mereka. Namun, yang sebaliknya berlaku untuk mayat hidup. Dengan demikian, 「Lethal Besar」, yang menyalurkan energi negatif dalam jumlah besar, adalah mantra penyembuhan paling kuat yang dapat dilemparkan Shalltear (salah satu mayat hidup).

"Saya melihat. Sepertinya saya juga sudah kehilangan kesehatan – 「Greater Lethal」. "

Shalltear berkedip beberapa kali, tidak bisa mempercayai apa yang terjadi di depan matanya. Namun, dia harus menerima kenyataan bahwa luka Ainz pulih di depan matanya, bahkan jika dia tidak bisa percaya.

"… Eh? Mengapa Anda bisa melemparkan mantra ilahi 「Greater Lethal」? Apakah itu ada dalam daftar mantra kelas Anda? "

“Tidak, sayangnya, ini bukan kemampuan bawaan, tetapi efek dari item sihir. Item ajaib ini hanya memungkinkan saya untuk menggunakan mantra tertentu, dan mengharuskan saya untuk menggunakan slot peralatan, juga mantra itu tidak dapat ditingkatkan dengan keterampilan. Itu juga jauh lebih lemah daripada seseorang yang mengeluarkan mantra dari daftar mereka sendiri, jadi bisa dibilang itu memiliki banyak kekurangan. ”

Saat Ainz mengeluh, dia menggunakan 「Greater Lethal」 lagi, menyebabkan Shalltear bergumam, “itu kunci pas dalam pekerjaan, bukan?” Tetap saja, tujuannya adalah untuk mengurangi MP musuhnya, jadi rencananya belum rusak.

Dengan mengingat hal itu, Shalltear melanjutkan casting 「Greater Lethal」 untuk memulihkan kesehatannya. Karena Shalltear adalah karakter level seratus, butuh beberapa saat baginya untuk pulih sepenuhnya.

Pada akhirnya, dia melemparkan—

"「 Maksimalkan Sihir – Lethal Lebih Besar 」."

"「 Tubuh Berul Effulgent 」."

—Setelah menyembuhkan luka-lukanya, Ainz mengucapkan mantra pertahanan pada dirinya sendiri.

Shalltear adalah seorang magic caster ilahi, dan dia belum menerima banyak pengetahuan dari Peroroncino. Karena itu, dia tidak tahu apa yang dilakukan 「mantra Tubuh Effulgent Beryl」. Namun, sinar hijau yang mengelilingi Ainz muncul sekali lagi, jadi Shalltear menyimpulkan bahwa itu pasti semacam sihir pertahanan.

Itu sepertinya benar. Saya akan meluncurkan serangan langsung berikutnya.

Shalltear mengayunkan Spuit Lance miliknya, tetapi tepat saat dia akan bergerak, kata-kata yang terlepas dari mulut Ainz memasuki telinganya.

"Pertarungan yang tidak menguntungkan."

Shalltear tidak mengharapkan ini, dan dia melonggarkan cengkeramannya pada Spuit Lance. Dia hampir mengatakan, "Apakah kamu baru menyadarinya sekarang?"

Yah, dia ingin mengatakan itu, tetapi Shalltear menyimpulkan bahwa tidak sopan untuk mengejek Ainz, tuannya, jadi dia tidak mengucapkan kata-kata itu.

…Tuanku? Ainz-sama?

Kata itu terus muncul di benaknya, dan itu membingungkannya. Kenapa dia memamerkan baja pada tuannya, Ainz-sama? Tetap saja, ini cukup normal. Ada banyak hal di dunia ini yang sulit dipahami, dan ini hanyalah salah satunya.

Setelah membuat keputusan itu, dia merasakan bahwa tindakan Ainz kurang konsisten. Jadi, dengan nada biasa yang bukan milik di medan perang, dia bertanya:

“If you feel it is disadvantageous, why not retreat?”

“Mm, well, you do have a point…”

Ainz’s skeletal face could not show any expressions, but for some reason, she had the feeling that he was smiling bitterly at her.

“I… yes, that’s right. I’m very stubborn, Shalltear. I don’t want to run from this.”

Ainz looked at one of his empty, skeletal hands. Shalltear’s eyes went to that hand as well.

“Perhaps others will not understand why I have done this. Some might even think of me as a fool. Still, right now, I am enjoying my position as guildmaster, because… I… Well, I might have been guildmaster, but all I did was mainly coordinate events or other sundry tasks. I hardly led from the front. Still, I am now standing on the frontlines for the sake of the guild… Perhaps it was simply to satisfy myself.”

"Apakah begitu? Is that what they call a man’s imperative?”

“Yes… Is it? It might be… Well, to some extent, I might have resigned myself to my fate. It seems we were almost interrupted by this pointless conversation. My apologies, let’s start again.”

Bagian 2

Ainz calmly studied Shalltear, who was bracing her Spuit Lance. He had to triumph in this melee if he was to attain victory.

The back of her armor bulged out, and a pair of bat wings burst forth, as though going straight through the plates. Ainz knew what would happen next.

Several giant bats flapped out from behind her to the sky. These were Elder Vampire Bats summoned through her Household Summons skill. In addition, she continued summoning Vampire Bat Swarms.

They were not strong monsters, but he could not let them do as they pleased. Ainz cast a spell:

“「Sharks Cyclone」.”

A tornado, one hundred meters high and fifty meters across appeared before him. The black funnel cloud engulfed the bats before they could flee, trapping them within the vortex.

Fast-swimming shapes could be seen within the rapidly-spinning tornado. These creatures were six meter long sharks, and they moved as though they were in the ocean. The desperately fleeing bats were like bait which had been dropped into the water, and the sharks sprang on them. This spell showed its true potency against flying creatures, and the proof of that was adequately shown as the sharks ripped the Elder Vampire Bats limb from limb in an instant.

Just as the Vampire Bats were vanishing after being torn apart — a shadow broke free of the tornado.

It was a crimson shadow, bursting out of the tornado at top speed. The lance it thrust before itself left an afterimage in the onlookers’ eyes, like the fiery plume of a rocket.

Ainz could not react in time, and his body was wracked with pain. It felt as though his bones were crumbling.

In the instant in which Ainz had failed to pay attention, Shalltear had appeared in front of him. Her cruel weapon pierced through Ainz’s chest and protruded out his back.

“Guwaaaargh!”

The weapon which had struck him also did bludgeoning damage, and the massive drop in health which resulted drew a cry of agony from Ainz.

Any pain which the undead Ainz felt would cut out once its intensity exceeded a certain threshold, much like his emotions did. This was why even Suzuki Satoru, who lacked combat experience, could endure this pain and calmly deal with it.

That said, this was no ordinary pain.

Ainz’s — no, Suzuki Satoru’s — mind was assaulted by the fact that his life was ebbing away. His vision grew dim and he felt himself losing consciousness, as though he had lost a great deal of blood.

However, Ainz’s will was stronger than that weak mind.

This was because the person fighting here was not Suzuki Satoru, but the Supreme Ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Shalltear did not cease her attack, even as Ainz considered what steps to take next.

Having impaled him with the tip of her lance, she continued driving it forward, ramming the point straight into Ainz’s body and forcing the thicker part of the lance behind it into him. He felt his body tearing apart, as well as a burst of intense pain, accompanied by the sensation of his health depleting further.

Thus, Ainz decided to activate the 「Body of Effulgent Beryl」.

The green light which enfolded him shattered.

The tenth tier spell 「Body of Effulgent Beryl」 reduced the effectiveness of bludgeoning attacks against its subject while it was in effect, and it could completely negate one instance of bludgeoning damage after it was cast.

The 「Body of Effulgent Beryl」 absorbed the damage dealt by the lance, and so it seemed as though time had turned itself backward, the lance’s tip retreating back outside Ainz’s body.

Ainz moved back to where he had been standing before the lance had impaled him. As Shalltear watched him in bafflement, Ainz cast another spell.

“「Wall of Skeleton」!”

A wall composed of numberless armed skeletons erupted between the two of them. The skeletons in the wall attacked Shalltear, chopping, stabbing, and slashing at her.

However, none of them managed to hit Shalltear’s body.

“「Maximize Magic – Force Explosion」.”

An invisible shockwave exploded from Shalltear. The wall of skeletons buckled under the invisible impact, and then completely disintegrated.

The pulverized chunks of bone pattered like rain as they fell. Still, it had bought some time for Ainz, so it had been worthwhile.

“Release!”

In accordance with Ainz’s command, the 「Triplet Magic Greater Magic Seal」 triggered three magic circles, each of which released thirty streaks of light, for a total of ninety. These white bolts of light were non-elemental 「Magic Arrows」. The dazzling afterimage left behind as they travelled through the air were like the spread wings of an angel — an angel of death.

First tier spells could not breach Shalltear’s magic defenses, but Ainz had cast that spell anyway. Sensing something odd, Shalltear desperately tried to evade them, but the ivory bolts of light turned a full ninety degrees in mid-air and chased her down, falling on her like hail.

The ninety magical bolts scored hit after hit on Shalltear, rapidly dropping her health.

The reason why they could pierce Shalltear’s defense was because Ainz had used a skill to temporarily boost the magic arrows to the equivalent of tenth tier spells.

Ainz was not finished yet.

“Dance! 「Triplet Magic – Obsidian Sword」.”

Three longswords appeared in mid-air, their black bodies gleaming. They streaked after Shalltear, as though they had a mind of their own.

“Out of my way!” Shalltear shouted as she batted them aside with her Spuit Lance. However, the obsidian swords continued attacking her even after they were deflected. These weapons, created as they were through magic, were very difficult to destroy through physical means.

“「Magic Destruction」.”

Shalltear used her scant few remaining MP to cast a spell which dispelled other magic.

Two obsidian swords vanished from that spell, cast with no regard to her remaining MP. However, one had not vanished, and it continued attacking Shalltear. The success rate of 「Magic Destruction」 was directly dependent on the spellcasting ability of its caster, and this was conclusive evidence of which magic caster was superior.

“Ahhh, how annoying!”

Shalltear paid no heed to the longsword attacking her and pressed onward to Ainz. Damage like that was barely a scratch to Shalltear.

The Spuit Lance sent Ainz flying to the side. With no way to resist bludgeoning damage now, Ainz could not ignore this damage. He stabilized himself in mid-air with 「Fly」, and then—

“Dammit!”

—This was the first time Ainz had cursed in panic during this battle.

Ainz had enough health to weather an attack like that, but the problem was right before his eyes. This was because the health lost by Ainz had been used to restore Shalltear’s own health.

Her recovery rate was enough to surpass the damage done by the obsidian sword, so in order to cut down her rate of healing, Ainz cast an attack spell.

“「Triplet Maximize Magic – Reality Slash」.”

The three dimension-rending slashes drew gouts of fresh blood from Shalltear, but she paid it no heed and continued pressing forward, the implacable obsidian sword at her back.

Shalltear’s depleted of MP, so all she can do is advance and fight within the effective range of the Spuit Lance… is that it? But that’s the kind of fighting I hate most…

Ainz retreated with a 「Fly」 spell, and continued attacking.

“「Triplet Maximize Magic – Reality Slash」.”

Even as he kept backpedaling, the distance between them shrank with each passing moment. This was the difference between the speed of a 「Fly」 spell and a fly speed which had been augmented by skills.

Shalltear pulled herself before him, spurting blood as she did. Then, she suddenly curled herself up. The air distorted — and a massive shockwave erupted from Shalltear’s body.

That isn’t a 「Force Explosion」! That’s an Impure Shockwave Shield!

The shockwave generated by the skill shattered the obsidian sword and smashed into Ainz, sending him flying into the distance.

“Guwaaargh!”

Perhaps the Impure Shockwave Shield had been enhanced by another skill, but Ainz ended up tumbling several times along the ground. By the grace of his 「Fly」 spell and the magic items on him, he managed to force himself back upright.

Perhaps it was because he lacked semicircular canals or because of his undead traits, but Ainz was not dizzied by the rolling, and made to open the distance between himself and Shalltear.

This was a fortunate consequence. Ainz did not want to be locked in melee, and he now had a chance to cast other spells.

Just as he was about to do so, Ainz saw a ball of white light coalesce in front of Shalltear, which slowly shaped itself into a humanoid form.

Ainz was very aware of what that was.

His unmoving face grew stiff, and in contrast, Shalltear grinned like she had scored an overwhelming victory.

“It’s here… It’s finally here, huh? I knew she’d use this sooner or later, but to think Shalltear would use 「Einherjar」 — her trump card — at this critical moment…”

The white light fully resolved itself into the shape of a person.

If one ignored the bleached-white armor and the glowing skin, it was the spitting image of Shalltear.

Ainz understood that the resemblance was not merely cosmetic.

While it lacked Shalltear’s spellcasting ability and several skills, and had no magic items, its weapons, armor, and stats were otherwise identical to Shalltear’s. It was not undead, but a golem-like Construct. The two creature types had nearly identical resistances and immunities.

In other words, there was another Shalltear, who could only fight in melee combat.

Ainz had anticipated this would happen, but facing two level one hundred opponents at the same time was still quite taxing.

In addition, Shalltear had summoned countless minions, like wolves, bats, rats, and the like—

These summoned minions were not as powerful as the Einherjar, but he could not discount their power in a group.

I could wipe them all out with an area-effect spell… but what should I do about the Einherjar?

Just as Ainz was thinking about his next move, the Einherjar charged, and that surprised him.

Why was Shalltear not moving? Did she not intend to gang up on him?

Ainz learned the answer to those questions after shifting his line of sight. At the same time, the points of light in his eyes blazed up.

“Now that’s just unfair!” Ainz cursed. To think she would actually do something like that.

What Ainz saw was the sight of Shalltear’s summoned minions disappearing one after the other, their bodies pierced by the Spuit Lance.

Shalltear was killing her summoned minions with the Spuit Lance to restore her health.

It went without saying that the amount of health restored by the Spuit Lance depended on the amount of damage it inflicted. When she attacked Ainz — who was of equal level and had a high defense — and her weak summons, it was immediately obvious which would give her more health in return. Indeed, Ainz could see Shalltear’s health refilling rapidly.

The summoned minions steadily died and vanished.

This was an unexpectedly cruel fact.

Since friendly fire was in effect, this too should have been an expected outcome.

Ainz regained his calm, and altered his battle plans to take this unexpected development into account.

However, Ainz could not completely calm himself after witnessing someone killing their own summoned monsters to restore health, a sight which could not take place in YGGDRASIL. As a result, the charging Einherjar landed a solid hit on him.

“Guwaaargh!”

The expressionless Einherjar continued attacking, the blows knocking Ainz back.

Forced back by the continuous string of attacks, Ainz decided to use his own trump card.

Shalltear’s summons were not unlimited, so they should have been almost used up by now. Still, it would be bad to let Shalltear heal herself by using the surrounding monsters.

The original plan was to use the trump card once the Einherjar appeared. That plan did not account for Shalltear healing herself by killing her summoned minions.

♦ ♦ ♦

Ainz had sixty levels of job classes, and one of them was quite special.

It was a class that was very rare even in YGGDRASIL, held only by a small number of players.

Ainz could enter this class because he was not fixated on pure power, but had instead focused on roleplaying a necromancer to the hilt. Had he pursued character power, he would not have discovered this class — which required a very unorthodox build — by chance.

This was because the class’s entry requirements were five levels of Overlord, a focus on necromancer-type job classes, as well as an overall character level of ninety five.

In normal games, most people would spread the news of a newly-discovered class on walkthrough sites to share with others. However, games like YGGDRASIL put a very high premium on information. For instance, few people would share news about a World Class Item with others without charge. This was especially true for classes with trump cards.

The class in question was called “Eclipse.”

The class description stated, “Only an Overlord who is truly dedicated to the pursuit of Death may enter this class, which swallows up all life like an eclipse.”

The move Ainz was planning to use was one which was only available after reaching the maximum level (fifth) in Eclipse, a skill which could only be used once every hundred hours.

It was the trump card of the Eclipse class.

That skill was called 「The Goal Of All Life Is Death」.

In that moment, a clock face appeared behind Ainz, its hands indicating 12:00. Then, he cast a spell:

“「Widen Magic – Cry of the Banshee」.”

A woman’s wail echoed through the air. This cry carried with it an instant-death effect.

Ainz had used various skills to augment this spell, so its potency was greater than normal and harder to resist. Still, it was useless against Shalltear and the Einherjar construct.

Oddly enough, Shalltear’s summoned minions — who had no resistance to instant death — did not fall.

This situation was quite bizarre, but Ainz remained unmoved. Rather, one could say that things were going as planned.

Kutu, mencentang, menandakan.

The clock face behind Ainz ticked, and its hands slowly moved as the spell took effect.

Ainz glanced at Shalltear in the distance as his health dwindled under the onslaught of the Einherjar, and at the same time he felt quite disappointed.

…So I can’t finish this cleanly, huh? Damn you, Peroroncino, did you build her specifically to counter me? To think you actually gave her a resurrection item! Sialan!

Ainz cursed his guildmate within his heart.

Ainz frantically struggled to avoid the attacks of the Einherjar. After twelve seconds had passed, the hour hand had completed a full circuit, and it pointed to the heavens once more.

Then, Ainz’s trump card took effect.

In that moment — the world died.

This was not metaphorical.

Everything died.

The Einherjar evaporated into white mist as it couched its lance, and dispersed before Ainz’s eyes. Even a homunculus with no concept of life died instantly. Shalltear’s familiars shared the same fate, unable to resist the destruction which overtook them.

Bukan itu saja.

Even the air — which was not even alive to begin with — fell into death. For over one hundred meters in all directions, the air was no longer breathable. If any living creature tried to respire within that area, their lungs would be corrupted by the deadly air, and they would die.

Neither did the land escape the embrace of death. The terrain in a hundred meter radius was instantly transmuted into sand.

Only Shalltear and Ainz could move in this world, where only death remained.

Ainz’s trump card, 「The Goal Of All Life Is Death」 strengthened the effect of instant death magic and skills. Thus augmented, those instant-death effects could bypass any immunities or resistance and kill their targets after a certain amount of time had passed.

One could resist it by using a resurrection effect on themselves within twelve seconds, as Shalltear had.

The air and the land had also died because of that effect.

In YGGDRASIL, the environment would not have succumbed, but in this new world, the effects were quite appropriate to the skill. All things were equal in the face of Death.

Ainz himself was taken aback by this strange effect. The land had not died like this in YGGDRASIL. He could not help but shake his head after witnessing the effects of the game’s powers in the real world.

However, Ainz swallowed back his surprise. The pride in his heart would not permit him to show any sign of shock. Instead, he acted as though this had been part of his plan. Carrying himself with the arrogance that befitted a ruler, he gently asked the sole survivor:

“What do you think, after experiencing the power that can slay even the unliving?”

The wind blew, dispersing the dead air between them. That wind carried his words to her.

“Incredible, I would expect nothing less of you, Ainz-sama. My household summons are dead to the last. However, your MP is almost depleted, while my health… is still at maximum.”

In Shalltear’s eyes, Ainz’s MP was nearly zero. It was not completely gone, but he would probably only be able to use two or three more spells. With his MP so low, there was no way he could finish off Shalltear, no matter what spells he used.

Not even that super tier spell which could grievously damage the undead — 「Fallen Down」 — could do so.

“I believe you only have two more tenth tier spells in you? You had too much mana, so I can’t really judge how many more spells you can cast.”

"Itu benar. I should only be able to cast about two more spells, I believe?”

That was not a lie.

She had won.

Shalltear quirked up the corner of her mouth in a knowing smile.

There was no longer any doubt that Shalltear Bloodfallen was the victor and Ainz Ooal Gown was the defeated.

Shalltear patronizingly congratulated the loser, who had struggled so bravely until now.

“Truly magnificent. I had to deplete my MP and use up all my skills in order to drain your MP to that level, Ainz-sama. You are to be praised for lasting this long.”

Shalltear tightened her grip on the Spuit Lance. Now, all that was left was to deliver the fatal blow in melee combat.

“You are correct. Thus, I shall humbly accept your praise.”

Shalltear’s forehead twitched.

She was very annoyed.

She was very annoyed at Ainz Ooal Gown’s nonchalance. However, in the end Shalltear managed to swallow her rising uneasiness.

No matter how she pondered the situation, Shalltear could not think of how Ainz could turn the situation around. He had already used his ace in the hole. Thus, that was probably not composure, but the resignation of a death row convict, who had already foreseen his fate.

Shalltear slowly closed the distance between them. Even if her enemy tried to cast a spell from a scroll, Shalltear was confident of being able to strike faster than him. Thus, there was no need to be hasty.

Ainz did not flee, but merely stood proud where he was. She could sense his determination from his stance, and so Shalltear asked:

“Any last words?”

“Well, hm… Since you felt that I was a disadvantage, that without my MP I would be nothing more than a mook… You came at me with everything you had. For that, I must thank you, Shalltear. If you had fought more carefully, things would not have gone so smoothly.”

“…Wha?”

Shalltear doubted her ears. It would seem she had heard some nonsense.

Ignoring Shalltear’s confusion, Ainz continued evenly:

“The most crucial thing in PVP is to deceive one’s enemy. For instance, pretending that you’re vulnerable to holy-elemental attacks when you’re largely immune to them after swapping out your gear. On the other hand, there’s the fact that you’re still weak against fire-elemental attacks. However… I seem to have miscalculated. I used 「False Data: Life」 because I thought you would use 「Life Essence」. It would seem that was a waste. If there is a next time, do remember to check your opponent’s health. That’s the difference between the theory and practice of tactics.”

This was not what Shalltear wanted to hear.

Shalltear could not understand the meaning of those words. No, she did not want to understand them.

He did not want to admit his defeat — no, she could feel his strong will. More than that, he sounded like victory was at hand for him.

Shalltear continued closing the distance, but the thoughts welling up inside her checked her step.

…Why isn’t Ainz-sama backing off? As an arcane magic caster, he can’t possibly beat me at this range. This must be a bluff!

“My friend Peroroncino told me a great many things when he was making you. After I came to this world, I took the liberty of memorizing everyone’s information. However, aside from my black history (Pandora’s Actor), you are probably the NPC in Nazarick with whom I am the most familiar.”

“Didn’t you say… you didn’t know my skills…”

Ainz smiled.

“I was lying, of course. Wasn’t that obvious? I thought that perhaps if I said so, you would take the bait. That’s because it would be quite hard to win if you saved your Impure Shockwave Shield until the end.”

The flow of blood meant nothing to the undead, but Shalltear could feel hers draining from her face. In exchange, a wave of agitation spread through her entire body.

That was not a lie.

Nothing he was saying here was a lie.

Ainz Ooal Gown was standing before her without running away because he was confident of attaining victory.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Shalltear’s lips parted and she wailed, the better to vent the emotions welling up inside her breast.

Shalltear was the lion, Ainz was the rabbit, she should have been the hunter — no, that was wrong.

This should have been a battle between lions; it was just that Shalltear had treated him as a rabbit—

The anxious and uneasy Shalltear clutched at her Spuit Lance, intending to finish this battle right away, intending to kill her foe with strike after strike, even if he fought back —

An instant before that, the spell Ainz cast went off, and he reached into his robe.

A clear, crisp sound rang forth.

Shalltear could not help but doubt her eyes.

Ini tidak mungkin.

The Spuit Lance had bounced off some kind of white metal.

If it had been deflected by magic, Shalltear would have pressed the attack, because she knew Ainz did not have much MP left. That would simply have been his death throes. However, Shalltear froze as she beheld the scene before her.

That pure white radiance was not the work of magic.

—It was from a suit of armor.

It was a set of pure white armor, with a huge sapphire set into the breastplate, which radiated a pure, holy light.

That suit of armor was on Ainz’s body, and it had repelled the thrust of the Spuit Lance.

From his superior height, Ainz looked toward Shalltear.

No… he was probably looking down on Shalltear.

She was angry, of course, but Shalltear did not have the energy to spare on that, because a cold voice spoke to her:

“From the start, I too was planning to end this battle in melee combat.”

♦ ♦ ♦

There was a loud bang as a hand struck the magnificent table, which shuddered from the blow it had taken.

The Guardians here had been watching the battle intently.

They had struck the table several times, but this was the first time that particular person had done so.

"Mustahil! That. Armor. Belongs. Untuk. That. Supreme. Being!”

“…Touch Me-sama, is it?”

Albedo squinted at the crystal monitor as she breathed the name of that Supreme Being.

"Benar! That. Aku s. Touch Me-sama’s. Armor!”

Cocytus seemed very excited — no, in truth, he was very excited — as he exclaimed.

The pure white armor which Ainz wore belonged to one of the nine people in YGGDRASIL who possessed the class of World Champion.

Only the winner of the developer-sanctioned tournament could possess the class of World Champion, and the company awarded a special piece of equipment to the champion as a prize.

Touch Me had chosen that suit of white armor. This specially-made armor complemented his status as a World Champion, and its abilities exceeded those of divine class items, putting it on par with Guild Weapons. Of course, since it was a gift to the champion, only the World Champion could equip it. However—

“By using the warrior transformation spell — 「Perfect Warrior」… it would seem… he is no longer bound by any job-related penalties, and can make use of warrior equipment.”

Demiurge’s tone was filled with respect, and Albedo murmured in awe.

“To think his plans had been laid out that far in advance…”

Albedo broke out in goosebumps, and she hugged herself.

By turning into a warrior via magic, one could equip several items that would normally only be usable through specific job classes. This was a method the developers had implemented to allow players without specific classes to make use of items such as shurikens, vajras, kasa, and other bizarre pieces of equipment. However, it would seem that spell’s remit also extended to those prize items issued by the developers to World Champions.

“Astounding…To. Berpikir. He. Actually. Thought. That. Far. Ahead… I. Am. In. Awe.”

Though the battle had not yet been decided, the Guardians present were filled with incomparable reverence for Ainz’s cunning and wealth of experience, which had allowed him to weave such an intricate plan and guide it to fruition.

And as the Guardians watched the crystal monitor, their delight and awe growing within them, the sound of the table thumping could be heard again.

“That. Is!”

Again, Cocytus raised his voice.

Part 3

—The sound of clashing metal rang forth.

“Gyaaaaah—!”

An unbelievable sight unfolded before Shalltear’s eyes. The edge of the blade cleaved into Shalltear’s chest from her shoulder, until it reached her unbeating heart.

Shalltear’s crimson armor was dyed an even deeper shade of red. She scrambled back, looking at Ainz in shock.

Ainz held a katana. It was a massive nodachi, wreathed in electrical discharges. That sword had cut through Shalltear’s armor as though slicing through paper.

Her armor was a legendary class item. Only a rare few divine class weapons could go through it with such ease.

Then — there was only one answer.

Iya.

Ainz was holding one of those few weapons—

Shalltear screamed the name of that blade as she coughed up blood.

“Takemikazuchi Mk 8!”

Shalltear leaped back, avoiding the strike from the nodachi. The fact that she had jumped so far beyond the nodachi’s striking range was a sign of how frightened she was of that sword.

However, nobody would mock Shalltear for doing, even less so if they were denizens of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

Rather, they would have sympathetic looks on their faces, because they all feared this weapon of the Supreme Being.

They feared the sight of this sword, named after and wielded by Warrior Takemikazuchi, one of the Forty One Supreme Beings.

“Did I not say so, Shalltear? Ainz Ooal Gown is invincible.”

Ainz stepped forward, and Shalltear immediately took two steps back.

“Shalltear, you should know this. Ainz Ooal Gown is the combined power of forty one people. You had no hope of victory from the start,” Ainz calmly said.

His words rang with absolute confidence and the utmost assurance.

The dangerous battle of earlier had been like treading on thin ice, where one false step might send him to the bottom of the lake. But now, Ainz had brought the battle to his enemy.

Currently, their MP was zero, but Shalltear’s HP was higher.

However, after using 「Perfect Warrior」 to become a level one hundred warrior, Ainz’s stats far outstripped Shalltear, who was not a pure warrior. In addition, Ainz’s equipment was superior to hers.

That meant — the unfavorable battle from earlier was a thing of the past.

The man who had turned the tables advanced with even, steady steps.

“—Shalltear Bloodfallen, open your eyes and witness the might of the ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the one who gathered the Supreme Beings, and the man whom you praise with your very own mouth.”

Those words were the signal for the attack.

Ainz stepped forward and delivered an overhand strike with the nodachi.

Shalltear leapt away, preparing to jump forward as she did. Her aim was to counterattack Ainz in the opening after he made his move. Sure enough, it was hard to be overly precise with the nodachi Takemikazuchi Type 8, much like it was with the Spuit Lance.

The lightning-swathed Takemikazuchi Mk 8 rent the air as it swung down — and then the tip of the blade halted in front of Shalltear, who was preparing to jump, before thrusting forward at incredible speeds.

No matter how strong one was, it was very difficult to stop a full-strength blow in the middle of a swing. This was especially true when one used a large and heavy weapon.

Yet, Ainz could do it. This was because he had not used all his force to attack. In other words, he knew that the strike would have been avoided, so he had deliberately feinted an opening.

The continuation of that attack had also been planned out, down to which strike he would use to follow up. It was an instinctive, natural movement for a warrior.

Ainz simply provided the bodily strength to turn it into reality.

However, he probably would not have considered these matters had he not experienced combat in E-Rantel. He would probably have unleashed one massive earth-shattering strike after the other, and taken Shalltear’s counterattacks.

Even after becoming a level one hundred warrior, he would not have been able to fully utilize a warrior’s abilities, and they would have ended up wasted. Much like driving a car, one might have a license, but there was a world of difference between someone who only had a license on paper and one who was used to driving on the open roads. Both of them could operate a car, but their reactions to sudden changes in circumstances would be drastically different.

In other words — experience.

During this battle with Shalltear, Ainz felt that this experience was his most potent weapon.

♦ ♦ ♦

It’ll be hard to avoid it.

That was what Shalltear calmly thought as she saw the tip of the sword coming at her, as fast as lightning. However, thrusts were a risky move. One could use the weaknesses of thrusting attacks to turn a dangerous situation into an opportunity.

Then… it can’t be helped.

Shalltear put her hand into the path of the thrust, having decided to sacrifice her left arm.

As the blade pierced her palm, Shalltear twisted her left hand, successfully diverting the thrust to one side.

It did not penetrate her chest, but the tip of the sword still drove through her left palm, into the muscle and bone, until it was deeply buried in her left arm. In addition, the electricity surrounding the nodachi coursed through Shalltear’s body.

Though she was undead, the sensation of being savagely penetrated still filled Shalltear with something resembling terror, though she kept the corners of her mouth raised.

It was a smile — not one which an injured person would make, but neither was it a brave front. After all, that was what Shalltear had intended.

Shalltear tensed her left arm. The nodachi halted, pinned down by her muscles.

Thrusts were maneuvers that might end up leaving one’s weapon stuck in a foe’s flesh should they miss their mark. Hence, they were not very practical in combat. In other words, they had a weakness. Shalltear knew that weakness, which was why she had sacrificed her left arm to force an opening in her opponent’s defense.

She could not have done so if she could not grasp the nodachi in her left hand in the instant before it impaled her — a feat which she had to perform within tenths of a second.

“You’re open now!”

Now that his nodachi was tied up, Ainz had no way of defending against the Spuit Lance.

As Shalltear thrust the Spuit Lance at lightning speed, she once more beheld a startling sight.

Ainz let go of the divine class weapon in his hand — a magic item of the highest order — and then withdrew one of the several wooden sticks slotted at his waist.

“Hah!? Are you retarded!? How could a little stick like that block the Spuit Lance!? And then you actually let go of your divine class weapon!? Isn’t that a colossal mistake!?”

Granted, not remaining attached to Warrior Takemikazuchi’s divine class weapon was a wise decision, but there was no way he could win after losing that weapon.

With a mocking smile on her face, Shalltear vowed to make Ainz suffer more than her left hand had. She thrust the Spuit Lance with all her might — and then it was deflected, with a clear, crisp sound of metal against metal.

“Eh?” Shalltear exclaimed in surprise.

The wooden stick was no longer in Ainz’s hand, and in its place were two kodachis, which had deflected the Spuit Lance. One was as blindingly brilliant as the sun, while the other glowed with the pure, gentle light of the moon.

Ainz’s hand — which were holding the kodachis — began smoking. It would seem that those weapons were the bane of the undead.

“You were saying something about being open, Shalltear?”

“Cheh! What, what’s going on?”

Shalltear could not feel the weight of the weapon which had pierced her left arm. It had vanished, as though it could not exist in the same world as the new weapons which Ainz had prepared. Shalltear sensed that they had returned to their original place.

“Well, that’s true. If you can’t handle a weapon in each hand, sticking to one would be wiser…”

Ainz’s mumblings seemed to have been directed at someone elsewhere.

“Then, is that the case for me now?”

Shalltear could not understand what he meant by those words, and after losing her balance, the moonlit kodachi swung at her.

The attack at her neck was a feint; the kodachi nimbly altered its course and streaked at her shoulder. It was only by the barest of margins that the Spuit Lance managed to deflect it.

Ainz took the opportunity to close the gap with Shalltear. Since his foe was using a massive weapon, drawing nearer would make it harder for his opponent to make her move. This was the thinking of a grizzled veteran — one who was intimately familiar with that idea.

Then, the other kodachi — the sunlit one — sliced into the gap in the Spuit Lance’s defense and lightly pierced Shalltear’s body.

“Aaaaaahhh!”

She wailed in pain.

Actually being stabbed did not hurt that much. The problem was the agony which came from the holy-element energy which filled her body like poison. That pain was much harder to bear.

Ainz worked the kodachi from side to side while it was still within her, as though to saw open the wound.

“Get away from me!”

The distance between Shalltear and Ainz was too narrow to use the Spuit Lance, so she kicked at him. He blocked it with a kodachi, but he could not fully resist the kick and was flung back. At this moment, Shalltear saw that Ainz’s hands had released the kodachis, and they had another small stick in them.

Then, as the stick fragmented, a huge, savage-looking gauntlet covered Ainz’s hand. That gauntlet was so big that it nearly dragged on the ground from a standing position—

“Take this!”

—And as Ainz shouted, he punched her.

Shalltear reflexively raised the Spuit Lance to defend herself, but the massive impact travelled through the Spuit Lance and washed over her entire body.

“Gugyaaah!”

Shalltear yelped pathetically as she was flung backward, as though struck by a gigantic fist. The hit did not do much damage, and the Spuit Lance could block physical attacks, but the knockback effect was enough to overcome the magic items protecting her.

She recovered her lost balance quickly thanks to her magic items, but a fire still burned inside her head.

“How, how dare you force such a pitiful sound out of me! I’ll make sure you squeal like that before I tear you apart… huh?”

Her eyes shifted, and as she saw a massive globe of light, Shalltear’s agitation vanished.

That flare of sunlight came from the bow Ainz had drawn. Its arrow of light were naturally targeted at Shalltear.

“No, no way, how could that be… Hou Yi’s Bow?”

This weapon had been named after the hero who had shot down the sun while China was still a balkanized mass of smaller countries. It was also the main weapon of the Supreme Being who had created Shalltear.

All the Guardians were protected against ranged weapons, so they did not have to worry about simple projectiles. However, those arrows of light did not do physical damage, but elemental damage. In other words, they were counted as magic attacks, and those defenses did not apply.

Sialan! I’m out of MP! If I had some, I could defend myself with a spell! I’m out of skills too! If I had known, I should have saved a few uses for… no!

The fact that she had used up all her MP and her skill uses were all the result of their previous battle. In other words, she had followed Ainz Ooal Gown’s script to the letter.

Shalltear’s eyes turned bloodshot and she bellowed. This was the expression of one who had realized their mistake after the fact, and who was determined not to admit defeat.

“Damn you! How did you obtain Peroroncino-sama’s weapon? Was all this part of your plan? How did you prepare all these weapons? Where did you hide them? Was it a skill that activated after you broke those sticks!?”

What on earth was going on here?

It was as though the world itself was bending over backwards to help him out.

“What sort of magician would I be if I told you the secret of my tricks?”

“A trick!? A trick couldn’t have summoned Peroroncino-sama’s weapon!”

“…Well, that’s correct. Saying so is kind of disrespectful towards him. Simply put, I was using cash items. You should understand now, right? Everything you have done until now has been dancing in the palm of my hand.”

A fully charged orb of light streaked out at Shalltear. She knew it was useless, but she tried to block it with the Spuit Lance anyway — and then her surroundings were enveloped by a blast of exploding brilliance.

Shalltear tried to think as the sacred radiance scorched her entire body. Retreating was pointless, and if this went on, there was nothing she could do but let him slaughter her at his leisure.

That white armor had high defensive power, but he could not possibly be unscathed by a hit from the Spuit Lance. All she could do was count on her weapon’s life-absorbing properties as she abandoned all defense and focused on an all-out attack.

“Uoooooh!”

Shalltear gave voice to a battlecry that did not suit her face. A cold, clear voice responded to her:

“The odds of victory are seven to three… I trust I need not say who is who?”

Ainz slowly raised an axe made of red crystal that shed a purple glow. It was a menacing-looking greataxe. As she saw this, Shalltear hesitated on whether or not to advance, but in the end she took a step forward.

After all, there was nowhere for her to run.

“Such admirable determination. This is the endgame, Shalltear!”

♦ ♦ ♦

“…Ainz-sama. Will Win.”

Those words slipped out from Cocytus as he shook his head. However, Demiurge — who lacked a warrior’s knowledge — asked a question.

Naturally, Demiurge was firmly convinced that his master would win. However, he needed to know more about the situation to make a logical analysis, and so he voiced the doubt in his heart.

“Why is that? Should it not take a long time to determine victory?”

“Shalltear. Has. Abandoned. Defense. For. An. All-out. Attack. I. Would. Have. Done. Begitu. In. Itu. Same. Situation.”

"Memang. Ainz-sama changed his weapons one after the other — in other words, she has no idea what other weapons Ainz-sama possesses. Under these circumstances where she lacks further knowledge, Shalltear would conclude that running away is a foolish option after seeing Ainz-sama’s bow. Thus, all she can do is close the distance to the attack range of her Spuit Lance and fight. The fact that she can no longer use skills and magic only adds to that… at least, that is what I think.”

"Saya melihat. So that’s how it was. After all, only you could fully grasp the weapons which the Supreme Beings did not show to us, Cocytus.”

Cocytus shrugged.

“I. Only. Know. Of. Their. Effects. And. Names. Tapi. I. Have. Tidak. Seen. Them. Before.”

"Saya melihat. I think I understand, though I am unclear on the details. In other words, now that Shalltear is committed to an attack, Ainz-sama has brought out the axe—”

“—Blood-Drinking. Flesh-Eater.”

“Thank you, Cocytus. That Blood-Drinking Flesh-Eater does not look very balanced and seems inaccurate. However, it should be able to strike Shalltear, who has abandoned her defense.”

“I. Mentioned. It. Before. Tapi. Itu. Entire. Pertarungan. Has. Gone. As. Ainz-sama. Planned. I. Am. In, Awe. Of. His. Prowess.”

“Ainz-sama probably foresaw those developments. His insight is astounding, as expected of the one who gathered all the Supreme Beings… In all honesty, he could probably rule Nazarick easily without us. I am somewhat dissatisfied.”

“…His. Extraordinary Ability. As. A. Magic. Caster… No. As. A. Combatant. Aku s. Truly. An. Inspiration.”

“Still… the battle is not decided yet, no? Ainz-sama is still at a disadvantage compared to Shalltear, in terms of health.”

Albedo simply smiled, because she was certain of Ainz’s victory.

“There will be no problem on that account.”

"Mengapa demikian?"

“That man is Ainz Ooal Gown, our ruler and supreme leader. Since he has declared he will seize victory, there is no doubt that he will attain it.”

♦ ♦ ♦

Every attack ate away at their health.

Shalltear’s attacks restored her health, but the damage Ainz dealt with every hit was enough to negate the health that Shalltear regained. The Spuit Lance chipped away at Ainz’s health, turning this into something like a game of chicken.

Every time that axe scored a hit on Shalltear, it felt as though it would chop her armor to bits. She felt bones breaking and flesh ripping throughout her body. However, whenever she thrust her lance, which dealt bludgeoning damage thanks to a skill, she could feel bone fragmenting under her assaults.

This feeling… Can I win with this amount of health…?

Joy filled Shalltear’s heart, as she felt that there was still a chance of victory. If they continued trading blows, that might just be the case.

After abandoning all thoughts of defense, Shalltear had thrown herself wholeheartedly into the attack, thinking only of seeing which of them would fall first. Shalltear, so full of anxiety, finally smiled as a light appeared in the darkness.

This was because she had been calculating the rate of her health’s depletion. The more she worried, the greater her joy would be.

“Ahahahaha!”

Shalltear laughed as she struck and was struck in turn.

"Ahahaha! Ainz-sama! It seems you’ll run out of health first! The difference in our health will be what determines victory and defeat!”

And then, something dumped cold water on Shalltear’s pride.

It was a simple sentence:

“…Do you really think so?”

Shalltear realised her foolishness as she heard the voice of the schemer who had run her ragged and who had controlled the progress of all the events which had unfolded thus far.

Impossible.

How did he intend to turn this situation around?

Shalltear did not know how he would do it, but a third person’s voice clarified her doubts.

“Time’s up — Momonga-oniichan!”

It was a girl’s voice.

She had never heard this voice before, which seemed to be that of a woman pretending to be a child. It reminded Shalltear of a female voice she had heard before. If that woman had pitched her voice differently, it would probably have sounded like this.

“Now, what do you think ‘Time’s up’ refers to?”

Engrossed in trading blows and mauling her foe with her weapon, Shalltear had no idea what that question meant. A look of bafflement appeared on her pretty face.

“If everything thus far has gone as I have planned, that means, the time which has passed has also been within my calculations. Now, what do you think that watch meant when it told us that time was up?”

The axe in Ainz’s hands vanished, becoming a pure white shield. With his matching white shield and armor, Ainz resembled a paladin of pure white.

The shield rang crisply as it deflected the Spuit Lance’s attack.

Things being as they were, Ainz had probably turned to defense because of that female voice, but Shalltear had no idea of the reason for that. As he went on the defensive, Ainz’s voice reached her ears amidst the clashing of metal.

“Do I even need to say it? The battle is over, and victory has been decided.”

Mengapa? Shalltear was still at twenty five percent health. How has victory been decided, Shalltear wanted to scream, but she could not.

“…Super tier magic cannot kill you in one hit when you’re at full health. Then, all I need to do is reduce your health until it can do so. And it would seem our back and forth just now has heavily depleted your health.”

“…Ahhh, ah,  ahhhhhhhh—”

Shalltear desperately attacked, trying to shut her opponent up and block out the knowledge of her impending defeat.

The clashes of metal against metal rang out continuously, the interval between them less than a tenth of a second. Shalltear’s continuous attacks lashed at Ainz like a storm.

However, Ainz neatly blocked them, with unimaginable speed. So skillful was he that it seemed that he could stand beneath a great waterfall and not get wet. As he effortlessly blocked the attacks against him, he continued:

“…It’s true that I am inferior in terms  of pure fighting ability… but my magical defense is superior. Then — you should understand what I’m getting at, right? I’m about to make my move, Shalltear. All you can do is pray that I miscalculated.”

“Kuuuuuuuhhhhh—!”

♦ ♦ ♦

Knowing that defeat was at hand, Shalltear continued her frenzied string of attacks. Though her features were distorted, her looks were not diminished.

In the face of that, Ainz made his final gambit.

Despite what he had told Shalltear, his plan had not gone as smoothly as he had intended.

To begin with, super tier magic was like a skill, and did not consume MP. However, it was still a form of magic, and he could not access it when transformed into a warrior.

Once he dispelled the warrior transformation magic, he would not be able to equip his armor and shield and they would fall off him. That would make it very difficult for him to resist Shalltear’s attacks. If she decided to use a skill of some sort, he might not be able to secure a victory through HP damage with super tier magic.

That would spell defeat for him.

However, he had no other way to win.

Ainz briefly went over the timing of his actions. First, he would dispel the warrior transformation, and then he would use a cash item.

Dia tersenyum.

He had never been this profligate in the use of cash items before, even when PVPing in YGGDRASIL. This was the difference between a game and reality — between entertainment and survival.

Sekarang!

He blocked Shalltear’s full-tilt attack with his friend’s shield, and then he glared at her.

He dispelled the warrior transformation, and cast the super tier spell.

The same magic circle appeared around him as before, and he prepared to break the hourglass-like cash item—

—And then he suddenly hesitated.

This was because a wave of guilt flooded through him; guilt at murdering an NPC which his friend had painstakingly created.

His hesitation was a fatal mistake.

Shalltear did not miss that opening. She noticed the item in Ainz’s hand and thrust her Spuit Lance, enhanced with a skill. Her plan was to destroy Ainz’s hand.

Having dispelled his warrior transformation, Ainz could not possibly avoid Shalltear’s attack—

♦ ♦ ♦

—And then she felt something.

Just as the Spuit Lance was about to destroy the item, she felt something on her spine. That was clearly hostility.

Someone hostile had appeared beside Shalltear, so obviously that she could not ignore it.

Shalltear averted her eyes from Ainz to see who that enemy was.

And then — she found that there was nobody there.

Ainz’s spell had created a two hundred meter-wide expanse of desert. Nobody else was there beside Shalltear and Ainz. The hostility she had felt just now was nowhere to be found, as though she had been daydreaming—

“Not good!” Shalltear exclaimed as she came to her senses, but by then it was already too late.

The hourglass shattered, reducing the casting time of the spell to zero.

“「Fallen Down」.”

With those words, a brilliant flash erupted between them and swallowed up everything.

Shalltear could feel her body disintegrating in the incredible heat.

Her carbonized right arm crumbled to dust, while the Spuit Lance slowly fell to what was probably the ground in this bleached-white world. Her face was shrivelled up from the incoming heat, and all she could see before her was whiteness.

Her throat was dried up too — in fact, she did not know if her throat had also been incinerated — so it was difficult to speak. Still, there was one thing she had to say. Shalltear Bloodfallen marshalled the last reserves of her vitality to give praise:

“…Ah, long live Ainz Ooal Gown-sama. Truly, you are the mightiest of Nazarick’s Supreme Beings.”

This was her sincere respect for the almighty one who had gathered the Forty One Supreme Beings. The heatwave seemed to burn away her bindings, and though her body could not move, she felt unimaginably free.

Someone who should not have been there appeared in Shalltear’s vanishing consciousness. That someone was the person that had allowed this victory to take place.

The undead could ignore just about any form of mind-affecting effect. However, there were certain abilities that produced similar effects, but which were not counted as mind-affecting. That person had used such an ability.

Shalltear smiled, and said:

“…Shorty.”

Thus satisfied, Shalltear vanished into a world of white.

♦ ♦ ♦

Aura dispelled her skill 「Sky Eye」, and her puckered pink lips returned to their original shape. There was a look of annoyance on her face as she began scolding someone who was not there.

“You dummy… how could you let yourself get mind controlled, even though you were undead? That’s just so stupid of you.”

“What, what’s wrong, Onee-chan?”

"Hm? Nothing.”

Mare looked where Aura had been looking, but since he was deep in the forest, all he could see in any direction was trees. Still, he could tell what Aura was looking at from the way she was facing.

She should have been observing the battle between Shalltear and her master.

His big sister Aura could use a ranger skill to expand her field of vision to about two kilometers. This was why he and his sister were standing watch over the surroundings with the help of the Eyeball Corpses.

“Th-Then, has the battle been decided?”

"Mm. Ainz-sama won, hands down.”

“That, that’s what I thought too.”

The form of Ainz-sama — a being that not even the strongest Guardian could defeat — appeared in Mare’s mind. It was a sensible conclusion; how could the one who led the Supreme Beings be defeated?

“Then, Onee-chan, should, should we go collect Shalltear’s equipment?”

Aura considered what she had seen before terminating her skill.

“Ainz-sama should have recovered it all. We’ll fall back as instructed.”

"Mm."

Mare knew his sister was in a bad mood, so he said nothing else, but obediently acknowledged her commands.

Aura’s best friend had been mind-controlled, and made to point her lance at the beloved master to whom they had all sworn their loyalty. While her execution was the expected outcome of such a course of action, she still felt upset about it.

Part 4

He opened the name list in the Throne Room, and as expected, the space which should have contained Shalltear’s name was blank. This verified that Shalltear was dead, and so phase one of the plan was concluded.

Ainz’s heart ached. While he knew that there was no other way, the fact that he had personally committed and witnessed the act filled him with guilt.

In his heart, Ainz apologized to Shalltear. Then he gulped, and turned to the gathered Guardians.

“Then, the next step will be to resurrect Shalltear. Albedo, pay attention to Shalltear’s name. If she remains mind-controlled as before…”

“Ainz-sama, though I may overstep myself, I propose that you should allow us to deal with it ourselves.”

Cocytus and Aura immediately agreed with Demiurge’s words, while Mare despondently agreed as well. Only Albedo remained unmoved.

“Demiurge…”

Demiurge’s passionate words interrupted Ainz’s mumbling.

“We are fully aware that your orders are to be respected above all else, Ainz-sama. We will grind ourselves to dust in order to obey them. However, as your loyal servants, we cannot allow you to be placed into danger once more, Ainz-sama.”

Demiurge’s gaze shifted from Ainz to Albedo.

“If Shalltear betrays you once more, then we shall eliminate her as your Guardians. We pray that you will watch us do so, Ainz-sama.”

Now that he understood the Guardians’ intentions, Ainz could not offer any further resistance.

"Saya mengerti. Guardians, if Shalltear betrays us once more, you may deal with her as you see fit.”

The Guardians nodded in acknowledgement.

Ainz felt miserable as he watched them.

What a pathetic excuse for a master he was.

Even after going this far, he still had to let his beloved children kill each other.

The root cause of it all was his foolishness. It was all his fault.

Ainz wanted to sigh, but as he saw the gentle expression on Albedo’s face as she stood to the side, he decided to swallow it.

“Ainz-sama, all you need to do is stand aside and watch. To whom should we pledge our loyalty if the final Supreme Being vanishes? Though we will not have been abandoned, we will still be lonely if all the Supreme Beings are gone.”

“…Indeed. It’s very lonely to not have anyone by your side.”

Ainz’s eyes had unconsciously turned to the the flags hanging within the Throne Room, his gaze resting on the emblems above his head.

“…Yes, you’re right… It must have been that way in the Treasury too… What a fool I was.”

After muttering to himself, Ainz turned to face the Guardians.

“Protect me, Guardians. It begins now!”

Their spirited replies washed over Ainz as he grabbed the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown that floated in the air beside him, and turned it toward a corner of the Throne Room.

There was a mountain of gold coins there, about five hundred million of them. That was the sum needed to recall Shalltear to life.

Normally, he would have needed to use the keyboard to perform the necessary operations, but he now knew that it was no longer necessary.

The mountain of gold changed shape, from a solid to a liquid.

Watched by the Guardians, the molten gold formed a river, which flowed to the same place. Ten thousand tons of gold compacted and shrank, taking a humanoid shape that finally resolved itself into the form of a golden puppet, and its golden glow slowly weakened.

Soon, the golden glow had vanished completely, leaving white, waxy skin and platinum blonde hair. There was no doubt that the person before him was Shalltear Bloodfallen.

“Albedo!”

Ainz kept his eyes fixed on Shalltear as he bellowed Albedo’s name.

“Please be at ease. It seems the mind control has been terminated.”

“Is that so…”

Ainz unconsciously touched his chest in response to the powerful sense of relief flooding him. The gesture calmed his spirit. Then, he reached into his pocket dimension and retrieved a black cloak, before he strode over to the supine Shalltear.

Her eyes were tightly shut, and her chest was not moving. She lay quietly on the ground, like a corpse. Still, the undead were essentially animated corpses, so that was hardly unusual.

Something unusual—

The chest he had just seen was so flat that it hardly seemed to belong to a girl, but to a boy. Not knowing where to put his eyes, Ainz’s gaze left her chest and looked elsewhere.

The freshly resurrected Shalltear was naked (of course), so he had no idea where he should be looking. Ainz was so panicked that he forgot that all he had to do was look elsewhere.

His vision had sharpened greatly from when he was a human being, so he could see certain places very clearly.

Shalltear’s body was carelessly displayed, and her thighs were slightly parted—

—Ainz hurriedly threw the black cape over her.

The cape spread in mid-air, settling perfectly on Shalltear and covering her entire body.

It’s not like I regret doing that! I’m undead, so I have no sexual desires! No, that should be, almost no sexual desires. I was looking at Shalltear’s body because I was simply curious about whether or not she was designed with parts under her clothing. You’d never be able to take off all your clothes in YGGDRASIL anyway, so that’s why I took a peek. That’s right, it’s not because I was wondering if she had hair down there or anything!

As Ainz tried to explain his actions to… someone, he approached Shalltear, feeling somewhat helpless. Perhaps the reason why he took so long to reach her was because he wanted to cool down his overheating head.

Also, he deliberately ignored the female voice behind him saying, “If you are interested, I have no objection to displaying myself for your viewing pleasure.”

As Ainz stood before her, Shalltear’s crimson eyes opened, as though sensing the presence of someone nearby. She blinked sleepily and looked around, finally resting her gaze on Ainz.

“Ainz-sama?”

She sounded like she was groggy from having just woken up. However, he could hear the loyalty in her voice. Although Albedo and Nazarick’s administration system had already verified her allegiance, Ainz was delighted to confirm it with his own ears, and he knelt down to embrace Shalltear.

“Uh, ueeh?”

It was hard to believe that such a slender body possessed such startling physical abilities.

Ainz paid no heed to Shalltear, who was babbling in a thoroughly baffled way, and tightened his grip on her.

“Wonderful… no, I’m sorry. This was all my fault…”

"Eh? Ah, I’m not sure what happened, but I’m certain that you couldn’t have made a mistake, Ainz-sama.”

Shalltear’s ice-cold hands returned the embrace. They were vaguely uncomfortable, given that she seemed to be trying to grope him, but Ainz did not stop her, because she was probably trying to verify her sense of touch after her resurrection. He pretended that he did not hear her saying, “Ah, shall I have my first time here…”

However, Albedo immediately made her displeasure known.

“…Ainz-sama, I believe Shalltear is tired, so we should leave her be for now.”

"Memang."

Perhaps there was a penalty for resurrecting NPCs, just as there was for players. After all, this was the first resurrection ever since coming to this world.

“Tell me the details later. Before that, I have some questions.”

After Ainz let go of Shalltear, a look of disappointment crossed Shalltear’s face and she glared sharply at Albedo. Albedo responded with her usual smile. He thought they would continue staring at each other as usual, but Shalltear averted her eyes instead.

“Yes, do ask me whatever you desire… right, Ainz-sama, why am I in the Throne Room? Then, there’s the matter of my body, and your treatment of me, Ainz-sama. Have I caused any trouble?”

“I was about to ask you that. Do you remember anything that happened?”

"Ah iya."

“…Sorry. Shalltear, tell me the last thing you remember.”

Shalltear’s most recent memory was five days ago. She had no impression of what had happened after that, until now.

Ainz could have used the tenth tier spell 「Control Amnesia」 like he had at Carne Village, but even altering short stretches of memory would require a massive amount of MP. The staggering amount of MP needed to affect five day’s worth of memories was beyond the limit of ordinary magic casters. Not even Ainz and his extraordinary MP regeneration rates could do it.

Of course, the resurrection process might be such that NPCs lost their memories of the past few days. Alternately, perhaps several people might have gathered to do it.

He lacked information at the present moment, so he could not solve that mystery.

Still, he could be sure that whoever had used the World Class Item on Shalltear had gone silent, vanishing without a trace.

It’s quite troublesome when I don’t know who’s acting behind the scenes. The enemy might be waiting for a chance to strike at Nazarick… no, perhaps I should be glad that this incident didn’t escalate… In any case, I’ll make sure I thoroughly avenge myself on whoever did this to Nazarick.

Ainz quelled the anger which even his undead traits could not fully suppress, and gently asked Shalltear:

“Are there any other problems with your body?”

If this world was like YGGDRASIL, then there should not have been anything else. The NPCs should not have lost levels, but he was unsure if the same applied to this world as well. For all he knew, the NPCs would lose levels, just like player characters would.

Shalltear felt herself up before answering Ainz:

“I don’t think there’s anything.”

"Apakah begitu?"

After Shalltear answered, a look of shock came over her face. Not knowing what was wrong, Ainz felt uneasiness welling up inside him.

“Ainz-sama!”

“What happened!? Apa yang salah?"

“My chest is gone.”

The faces of the Guardians twisted as they heard this, with expressions of We want our concern back written all over them. Even Demiurge had his teeth bared.

“Don’t you know what you did? How could you say something like that!?”

As Albedo delivered a rebuke on everyone’s behalf, Shalltear’s shoulders trembled in fright.

Ainz had gone so limp that his hands were about to drag on the floor. All he could do was watch Shalltear argue with the other Guardians, and ponder various questions about resurrection.

In particularly, he hoped that Clementine and Khazit, who he had met in the graveyard, would also lose their memories after resurrection, as Shalltear had.

Still, that was just being optimistic.

Since he did not know why Shalltear had lost her memories, he could not guarantee that their resurrection through magic would be the same as resurrecting an NPC through money.

Just as Ainz was thinking about these things, Shalltear had already begun tearing up under Albedo’s one-sided torrent of abuse.

As Ainz watched the scene before him, he recalled a scene from the past.

♦ ♦ ♦

He saw Bukubukuchagama (the elder sister) scolding Peroroncino (her younger brother), and the rest of his smiling guildmates.

The NPCs before him were like his past comrades.

♦ ♦ ♦

Ainz slowly reached a hand out, and then stopped in mid-air. It felt as though an invisible wall of glass was blocking him.

A profound sense of loneliness filled Ainz’s heart.

It felt as though the memories of the warm place where the Guardians existed was little more than an image on a monitor — and he was on the other side.

If he stepped into it, they would pledge their loyalty to him. That was a form of awe, and not the warmth he had felt when he had been with his friends.

He felt that it was a terrible shame.

Just as Ainz’s hand fell powerlessly, Albedo turned around — as though sensing something strange about Ainz — and watched him quietly. Baffled by why she was looking at him that way, Ainz was about to ask what was wrong when the flames in his eyes suddenly flared up.

That was because Albedo was gently holding her hand out to him. After a moment’s hesitation, Ainz took her hand, and thus he was pulled into the circle of the Guardians.

Albedo was the first to speak, and then the other Guardians followed suit.

“Ainz-sama, please reprimand Shalltear sternly.”

"Tepat sekali! Please give this dummy a good scolding!”

"Memang. She. Needs. A. Stern. Lesson.”

“You’ll remember Ainz-sama’s words of wisdom, won’t you?”

“Al-Although, maybe it would be better not to be too strict… er, erm…”

“—Ha, hahaha.”

Ainz could not keep his laughter from escaping his mouth despite the baffled looks from the Guardians around him. No, that laughter did not just come from his mouth, but from his heart.

After he was satisfied, Ainz silently turned back to Shalltear.

“I have told Albedo before, but the fault for this does not lie with you, Shalltear. It is I — who possessed all this information but did not consider the possibility of this happening — who most deserves to be rebuked for this. Shalltear, you did nothing wrong. Remember that.”

“Thank, thank you, Ainz-sama!”

“Demiurge, you will be in charge of explaining what happened to Shalltear. Bisakah Anda melakukan itu?"

Demiurge bowed to show that he understood.

“Ah, then there’s the matter of Sebas—”

“He will be bait.”

As Ainz calmly proposed using one of his subordinates as bait, the Guardians merely nodded, with the attitude a proper minion should have. They were simply prioritizing the considerations of the master of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick over the life of their colleague.

“I am not entirely willing to do this, but it cannot be helped… I do not know why Shalltear was targeted, but if the opposition is looking for a new victim, they might well decide on Sebas, who was travelling with her. This was why I did not call him back to receive a World Class Item… Albedo, select a few clandestine operatives to keep an eye on Sebas and his surroundings… He might be bait, but I do not intend to allow Sebas to be so easily taken. Inform these observers that their mission also includes preventing the enemy from approaching Sebas.”

After issuing his orders, Ainz narrowed his eyes — in other words, the flames in his eye sockets grew dim.

…Someday I shall meet the person who used a World Class Item on Shalltear. When that day comes, I shall return the favor with interest!

"Dimengerti. I will select the appropriate personnel as soon as possible.”

“Please do. Thanks to Shalltear, we now know that NPCs can be resurrected, but I do not wish to kill any of the NPCs my friends created again.”

Moved by those words, the Guardians lowered their heads. They had probably sensed how much Ainz valued them. However, since he had actually voiced those feelings, the effect on them had been that much greater.

Shalltear seemed to have realized something had happened to her. A look of shock crossed her face, which soon turned into one of utmost regret.

Ainz gestured that she did not need to take it to heart. Just then, a voice came from the side.

“Ah, then, Ainz-sama.”

“What is it, Mare?”

“Erm, ah, should… should I remove all traces of the battle?”

"Tidak perlu untuk itu. Tahukah kamu? When one breaks a spell-sealing crystal, it releases powerful energy, enough to level the surroundings.”

"Eh? Is, is that so?”

“…My apologies. It’s a lie, of course. What is false is true and what is true is false. Magic-sealing crystals seem to be rare items, so nobody should be able to test that. Albedo, put a few scratches on the item Nigun was using. Then, we’ll need to have the blacksmith build some damaged armor and put some scorch marks on it, so it looks like it went through an intense battle.”

"Dimengerti."

“In addition, perhaps I have been too careless so far, which allowed hidden enemies around Nazarick to harm us. Thus, I wish to initiate a program to strengthen Nazarick. Part of that is to use my skills to create an undead army. I think I’ve mentioned that before… hm? Did I only tell Albedo about that? Forget that. In any case, this will be my top priority. I would like to make some preparations to recover corpses from E-Rantel which can be used to make an undead army.”

“About that, Ainz-sama…”

“What’s wrong, Albedo?”

“If I am not wrong, when you use a human corpse as a medium for making undead, the undead thus created are quite weak, despite being mid-tier. Is that correct?”

"Memang. Is there a problem?”

The most powerful undead he could make with the corpses of the Sunlight Scripture were level forty. Beyond that, the undead would vanish with the passage of time, along with the corpses that served as their medium.

“In truth, after receiving that order, I had considered ways of obtaining fresh corpses. Perhaps you could consider using non-human corpses?”

“…I trust you do not intend to use the corpses of Nazarick’s vassals?”

“No, that is absolutely not my intention. I was thinking of using other demihumans.”

Albedo smiled. It was a stunningly beautiful — and terribly cruel — smile.

“Aura discovered a Lizardman village. What do you think of attacking and destroying them?”