Crumbling World Part 2
I do not own Overlord or SAO
~ Forest Clearing ~
"Arrgh! You useless pieces of shit!" Shalltear screamed in frustration as she cast [Regeneration] on herself for what seemed to be the nth time.
Albedo had messaged her that she being sent reinforcements, seeing as she couldn't deal with this insect herself. Shalltear ground her teeth in frustration as she was forced to accept the help. This Player...she had never encountered his kind before. It was a bitter pill to swallow but she doubted she could even beat it even with the buffs Nazarick's floors provided to the Floor Guardians.
With this traitorous thought, she shifted her tactics and ordered the POPs to swarm him. Previous engagements with Players had her ordering the summons to swarm them. Even if they could not damage the enemy in any serious manner their bodies would at least slow them down allowing her to attack them with a powerful move. That was not the case here.
With a lazy swing the Player cleaved through several NPCs, leaving only a bloody smear on the ground or ashes as the giant sword, with its fire and lightning attributes, vaporized them. One burly demon type spawn leaped towards him from the side, his serrated axe raised high to deliver a skull splitting blow. Before he could even reach the apex of his wind-up he was caught in the face by the Player's clawed feet and slammed down with a bone-crunching snap.
"So..." The Player's voice was raspy, as if it hadn't been used in a long time, "Done healing yet? There's still more I want to test out. Help a guy out will you?"
Shalltear bit her lip. He was toying with her!
The two remaining survivors of the Nazarick reinforcements attempted another attack.
Balancing itself on one foot the Player grabbed the first NPC, crushing its chest while using its articulate feet to catch the second. It flipped itself backward gracefully, tossing the two over its head, but before the bodies could get very far they were caught by the giant blade and slammed back into the ground.
As her mind raced about what move she should do next, she felt dread come over her.
"No..." She whispered with fear as she turned, "Please no..."
Emerging from the clearing was none other than the leader of the Supreme Beings.
Ainz Ooal Gown.
Albedo walked by his right side haughtily, enjoying the position of honor, while to his left Cocytus' hands twitched, ready to summon his weapons at a moment's notice. And to his rear was the accursed outsider, the other Player who radiated the same aura as the one who had attacked her.
Tears welled up in Shalltear's eyes as she knew there was no way to cover up her uselessness now. Not only had she failed to defeat this foe, she had forced her master to intervene on her behalf.
Without a word Ainz walked forward.
"Ainz-sama..." Shalltear's pained whimper escaped her mouth involuntarily as he passed her. She fought back tears as her master deigned to give her battered form a look before focusing on the threat.
"Under normal circumstances I would-" Ainz began but the Player cut him off.
"Hey Ri!" The friendly tone contrasted sharply with the Player's raspy voice, "So you're here too huh? Pretty weird what happened. I thought they pushed back the shutdown, but there's way too many stuff that doesn't add-"
"You bastard!" Ainz yelled.
Initially he was surprised at being interrupted but his anger had quickly overtaken his shock. Peroroncino was one of his closest friends, and they spent many hours talking to each other despite their age differences. Shalltear was a living reminder of this friendship and how much Ainz missed not just Peroroncino but all of his friends and now this player thought that he could just attack her without fear of retribution.
Despite the fact that many griefs could be laid at the base of the guild, Ainz Ooal Gown, the members looked after each other like family and mercilessly PKed even those who sought revenge for their own friend's PK. And this policy would apply even now.
"First you attack one of my subordinates, then you don't even bother to apologize or even- " The Undead part of his brain told Ainz he was shooting his mouth off again and that none of what he was saying was coherent but an attack on his friends was his sore spot.
"How dare you!" He continued to rage, even as the Player in front of him scratched his head in confusion, "She is like the-"
"DON'T. SAY IT. AINZ!" Walkiria yelled out exasperatedly. She had a feeling of what he was going to say next and honestly she was tired of hearing another variation of that line.
"-the child of my friend!" Ainz finished.
"Argh! Seriously?! Now?!" Walkiria clutched her head as if in pain, "You're a real piece of work, you know that Ainz?!"
"I don't need you starting right now about-!" Ainz turned angrily to confront Walkiria but then heard a cough.
"Excuse me."
Ainz turned back and was shocked to find the player standing directly in front of him.
"I was talking to Ri over there..."
Kiros swiftly stabbed an obsidian blade into the red orb of Ainz's stomach, and then his world exploded with pain.
"A-A-AINZ-SAMA!" Albedo screamed in anguish as she rushed forward in a blind rage, Ginnungagap raised high to strike her beloved's assailant.
The Overseer of Nazarick was joined almost immediately by Shalltear and Cocytus, both of whom had also lost reason upon witnessing an attack on the last Supreme Being.
"Whoa!" Kiros exclaimed in surprise, though there was still a hint of playfulness in his voice, as he leapt back to avoid the attacks.
He was using [Flash Step], a variant of the [Dodge] skill to avoid the enraged swings of Albedo. Though it cost some MP points, they were negligible since he was at max level. The skill itself was being used by almost everyone in ANO since it was a cheap alternative to the more costly evasive maneuvers.
"Rahg! Earggh!" Albedo's screams were unintelligible as she swung wildly at him.
Though her form was perfect in that every strike would have been fatal upon contact to a non-player by virtue of being created a NPC, it lacked technique. And in a game such as ANO where skill was in much greater demand than most games, at least in its beta-stage, the straightforward attacks played right into Kairos' strength.
After a wind-up of Ginnungagap, Kairos struck the head of the axe just after it left its apex and diverted it to a different direction. The axe-head crashed into the ground leaving a small crater before it was lifted for another assault. Having transformed for the first time since coming into this world, Kairos had used the time in pursuing Shalltear to train and see what he could really do.
So far, it seemed all of his character's abilities were present, with their activation somewhere between thought and feeling. It was not muscle memory but like a thought in the mind that defied verbalization. Next was his ability to parry attacks. While there was an auto-parry feature in the game, it was really intended as a crutch for new players as the moves soon became predictable. As soon as they had grown accustomed to the system beta testers, all of whom were veteran video gamers, quickly switched to the manual parry and swiftly found a deeper game mechanic.
Another downward swing from Albedo brought the weapon crashing into the ground. There was a blur of motion and Shalltear quickly stabbed her lance towards Kiros. Grinning with his shark-like teeth Kiros parried the attack so that the lance and its user was brought between the axe. Despite her red-misted vision Albedo still recognized Shalltear and momentarily halted her attack.
"Hahaha!" Kiros laughed gleefully.
This was great! Were this a game, the weapons would not have locked into each other and the NPCs would press their attack. Rather than friendly fire, unlike players, the NPCs would simply push each other out of the way gently as they continued their assault. Now, however, it seemed they were subject how such a situation would play out in the world.
Not being able come up with another test, Kiros decided to counter-attack. Imbuing his attacks with [Blast] which would knock away opponents he struck at Albedo first. The Floor Guardian was able to block the attack but was flung away. A horizontal sweep likewise sent Shalltear tumbling into the air.
Such a basic attack wouldn't do too much damage even to a level 100 NPC or player but it was still noticeable. And if he had to, he could defeat them one-on-one with just basic attacks.
Now a giant blue form stepped in front of him. Cocytus brandished four of his most prized weapons and radiated a crippling cold in his very presence. Though it was unseen, while the ability was designed to slow opponents, Kiros' passive defenses and level difference negated the ability of the ant-mantis hybrid NPC.
"Face. Justice. Miscreant!" Cocytus snarled.
"Pass." Kiros shrugged.
The blue warrior of Nazarick charged, opening with [Rush], an move that propelled the user forward while dealing weapon damage. In Cocytus' case the attack was raised to almost four hundred percent due to the four extra limbs he sported. In his hands he wielded the very weapons his creator made and designed specifically for him. The weapons were of varying types, ranging from a lightning katana to a ghostly blade. Each weapon was masterfully crafted, designed to break either magic casters, whom Warrior Takemikazuchi disliked, or warriors who dueled his creation.
Cocytus moved in blur, his hands imperceptible to all humans. Steam exited his mouth as he fought with righteous fury and unbreakable purpose. Not just because a Supreme Being, the last remaining god, was watching but also because of the affront his master suffered because of his laxity his duties.
In contrast his opponent fought leisurely, parrying his attacks and seemed to be content observing him. When seen side-by-side in this manner with Cocytus, Kiros' attacks lacked the fighter's grace his enemy employed. Rather, the Player used large and powerful swings, often timing them to parry and block two attacks at the same time, capitalizing on his weapon's size and reach.
Realizing this technique, Cocytus use [Alpha Strike] and all four of his arms attacked simultaneously. Kiros saw the attack coming and with a reverse diagonal slash parried the attack, unbalancing Cocytus. With the attack parried, Kiros now used the chance to take a massive swing at him. The [Pummel] skill was activated and as soon as the giant blade connected with a timely block from Cocytus the immediate area around the two combatants exploded.
The ground flash burned while a sphere of bright red-orange expanded outwards. The skill [Eruption] was activated by chance on Kiros' giant blade. Though his weapon both shared the fire and lightning elemental damage, the player had focused more on the fire aspect in upgrades. This gave the weapon its primary attribute of fire while retaining some benefits of the lightning element.
When the smoked cleared, Cocytus was on his knees as he struggled to rise. [Armor Layer] had spared him a humiliating death.
"Hehehe, thought that fire would be your weakness," Kiros chuckled, "I mean, its quite obvious with all the ice on you. Whoever made you should have been less obvious."
"I. Was. Made. By. A. Supreme. Being." Cocytus rose painfully, "One. Who. Is. Above. You."
"And you're a perfect picture of what would happen if we tangled," Kiros laughed scornfully, "I think some people actually did think they were gods or at least acted like it."
"Like that ass back in Nocturne," Kiros turned, "Ain't that right Ri?"
Walkiria didn't reply and was instead looking at Ainz flopping painfully on the ground. The Lich had never felt this sort pain before, not once ever since coming into this world and certainly not in real life. Never mind the fact that whatever force that brought them here had simply struggled to interpret the foreign mechanics of "gameplay" that the ANO players had brought with them into the transition. And so the "Transition", finding no other way to interpret the attack, simply listed it as damage and that translated to the pain Ainz was feeling at the moment.
"Ah, hell Ri," Kiros sighed, "You had your chance, he's mi-"
"RAAAAAAAAAAGRG!" Albedo swung violently with skill imbued strike, having recovered from being ignominiously blasted away.
"[Holy Spear]!" Shalltear flung a blue, arrow shaped energy projectile at Kiros while he was distracted by Albedo's frenzied attacks.
Hope surged in Shalltear as the projectile hit, causing the Player to hesitate. Albedo's strike connected with his shoulder guard and managed to cause him to stumble. However, he quickly righted himself before dealing a vicious strike on his own which Albedo blocked.
"Damn, [Weapon Break] isn't working," Kiros thought, after he had activated the skill and counterattacked, "Gonna have to be the traditional way huh?"
"AHGHH! My love! what have you done to my love you shit!" Albedo continued to scream incoherently and she prepared another attack.
"Oh no, a player with an NPC girlfriend," Kiros said sadly, "That's just pathetic."
"I know, you're not really a person and all," Kiros continued as he evaded the attacks, "But too much anger will give you a heart attack."
A strike whizzed by above his head as he ducked. He could also feel that the one in red armor was approaching him for melee. The player decided it was time.
"So why don't you-," Kiros activated his skill [Brutal Wave], "SIT DOWN!"
Several blows struck Albedo, and while she was able to block some of them, most connected and forced her onto her knees. A lance strike from Shalltear rushed towards his head but he had activated [Mist Step], an ability unique to his class and so not only avoided it but also appeared behind Albedo.
"[Fatality]"
Just as the name implied, it was an attack that dealt a mortal blow to opponents. Though it usually resulted in instant death, there were several high rank skills that prevented it from happening. Still, the damage was was still high and the ability found some use among players.
Three savage strikes rocked Albedo side to side, while the fourth ended with a violent smash to her head.
The Overseer was flung away, parts of her armor missing, including her helmet*. A golden eye glowed with rage as it peeked out from the damaged section.
"HYAAA!" Shalltear attacked once more only for the lance to grabbed from the side.
The Floor Guardian froze. This never happened before! In fact it seemed outright impossible!**
"Testing," Kiros smiled.
In one swift move he chopped up Shalltear's arm. Again. This time it was the arm that held her weapon.
"Give it back!" Shalltear yelled as she was separated from the weapon bestowed on her Peroroncino.
"Well, well," Kiros laughed petulantly, "Look who just ran out of options."
There was a bright glow behind Kiros and he turned to look back.
The last thing he saw was a sphere of intricate symbols spinning rapidly, then a pillar of light and then - pain.
In the aftermath of the Super-Tier spell, Ainz Ooal Gown stood straight, his eyes glowing with anger at the player who dared harm his subordinates. Walkiria stood beside him, wearing an annoyed expression.
"Ainz-sama!" The Floor Guardians rushed to his side. Even Cocytus, who had by now healed himself.
~ Battlefield, Ainz Ooal Gown ~
Ainz writhed in pain on the ground. Whatever he was hit with had bypassed the buffs he had cast earlier. It must have been something he missed. But what was this?!
Aside from a level of pain he had never experienced in this world or that of real life, he had trouble moving. He looked down at his stomach area to see a dark, twisted dagger embedded in the orb that was supposed to be his belly. The dagger flashed and he felt another surge of mild pain.
His gaze fell upon his fellow player who stood this entire time, watching him with a cold expression he had come to recognize whenever she disapproved of something he did.
Sounds of battle diverted his gaze and he saw that his subordinates were in peril. Not only did they seem outmatched individually, they each tried to engage the enemy player in their own way. Albedo was swinging wildly while using the occasional offensive skill. Shalltear was using physical attacks primarily banking on the Split Lance's ability drain HP as she was understandably low on MP at this point. As for Cocytus, Ainz had seen him try to engage the enemy one on one and paid for it when he was hit by a flame attack, his elemental weakness.
With his veteran's eye, Ainz concluded that the reason they were doing so poorly was the lack of coordination in their attacks. Albedo should have contained the threat with her defensive abilities while Cocytus and Shalltear would press the attack, giving the enemy little time to counter-attack. Ideally Ainz himself would have been casting offensive magic from the rear. Walkiria-san could- wait...why wasn't she doing anything?!
Ainz looked back to find her still looking at him with that infuriating look. Finally, she shook her head sadly, and if Ainz could still sweat he would have extruded an embarrassing amount.
"Stupid." She whispered as she reached into her item box.
Ainz struggled to free himself. Her dislike of him was obvious after a while. Whether or not this was inside job didn't matter as she would clearly attack him now, while the guardians were distracted. How could he have let his guard down in a strange situation such as this?!
However, rather than her familiar scythe Walkiria pulled out a semi-opaque crystal. Inside Ainz could see a humanoid figure with four wings buzzing around frantically, seeking a way out.
Walkiria leaned down and removed the dagger stuck in Ainz and instantly, though still weak, he found he could move again. She then crushed the crystal and a tortured scream could be heard. Blood-red orbs floated towards Ainz and he suddenly felt rejuvenated, empowered even.
"I-uh, thanks, Walkiria-san," Ainz mumbled, still surprised that she helped him despite all indicators.
"Ready to listen now Ainz?" She asked, "Or maybe you didn't get hit hard enough? Go back now."
"Its too late for that!" Ainz responded, "We're committed now, and there's four of us against one."
A cry arose from one of the Floor Guardians as they were on the receiving end of an attack from Kiros.
"It could be five against one," Ainz tried to convince her, "Help us in this and I'll pay you back somehow."
"Hmm," Walkiria made a show of thinking about it, "No. Let the kids have a day out. Get some experience from all of this. We should leave. Now."
Ainz looked at her in disbelief, before shaking it off. "I'm not leaving them. They could get killed! The revive system might not work here!"
"Pffft, no revives? Sounds disgustingly familiar." Walkiria mumbled.
Finally accepting that she wouldn't help, Ainz moved past her and looked at his repertoire of spells and skills. And then he knew which one to use specifically. But before that-
[Epiphany!]
Ainz wasn't the most powerful magic caster in the guild. Whether it was offensive magic or support, the title fell on other members. When he started playing, Ainz was in no way prepared for several of the game's mechanics, both spoken and not, such as there was virtually no guide to be had. Thinking it was similar to games of the past, he had built his character for PVE, which while great against mobs, still relied heavily on support from other character classes and simply could not match their single target damage potential or support role.
However, through research and keen observation Ainz was able to win a surprising amount of PVP matches. This spell, [Epiphany], boosted his magic damage to surpass that of his friend, Ulbert, in terms of Magic Attack. Next was the super-tier spell:
[Final Verse!]
The spell, already causing damage beyond most players to endure, would be boosted to a fatal degree.
However, it did not stop there. The length of cast time meant it was unfeasible to use such a spell in this type of combat and so Ainz took out one of the many items he had spent his salary on.
A Cash Item.
Specifically, one that would cut the cast time to almost zero.
And so, within a span of a few seconds, the super-tier spell [Final Verse] was unleashed in the New World.
~ Throne Room, Nazarick ~
The rapid beating of Demiurge's heart slowed down to more manageable levels. When he was first summoned by Ainz, he had literally dropped the experiment he was working on and rushed towards the throne room, stopping only to collect Nigredo and Titus along the way, per his master's orders.
Once there and discovering that Mare and Aura were on standby, Demiurge proceeded to telepathically order all disposable troops to aid Shalltear in her fight against the enemy. Once the [Gate] he had opened closed, Demiurge then proceeded with the rest of the orders. First, Nigredo, a creation of Tabula-sama was to use her unrivaled divination skills to observe the battle. Next, Titus was to observe, along with Demiurge, the battle as it had progressed in order to determine if there was some record of the enemy they fought and their affiliation, if any, to known opponents of the Guild.
So far as the battle progressed Demiurge had to resist the urge to be at his master's side when he had fallen to an base underhanded attack and judging from the way Mare and Aura fidgeted they felt the same way as well.
"I apologize Demiurge-san," Titus also could not take his head away from the images Nigredo was showing before them, "There is no mention of an opponent such as this in the archives of the Supreme Ones."
Demiurge furrowed his brows, finding it difficult to accept that the Supreme Beings did not encounter a Player such as this.
"However," Nigredo cut in, "His aura is the same as that of our master's guest."
"Another Beta-Player?" Demiurge thought with surprise. Given how the Supreme One had explained the nature of Nazarick's guest, the Floor Guardian surmised that they were powerful but left players alone most of the time because of their duties to Yggdrasil's world. Why was one attacking them now?
As the battle wore on, Demiurge began to feel some sympathetic frustration for his fellow Guardians as their attacks seemed to have little effect on the enemy Beta-Player despite throwing more and more powerful attacks each time.
Then in a move befitting their mysterious nature as described by Ainz, Walkiria, produced an item that healed his master without suffering any of the negative effects of healing an Undead. Once rejuvenated, Ainz proceeded to cast two spells in succession. One of which was a super-tier spell, a spell that transcended the 10th Tier in terms of damage but had an extremely long cast time. And yet, Ainz Ooal Gown had somehow managed to bypass this limitation and cast it immediately***.
As a blinding white light engulfed a large area, with enemy player in the center of it all, Demiurge breathed a sigh of relief. Once again, the strength and cunning of the Supreme Beings prevailed against greater odds. The Floor Guardians, battered but alive, rushed to the side of their master. Albedo in particular looked like she was about to gloat at her master's victory to Walkiria.
"Sasuga Ainz-sama," He whispered, with a smile.
"Hmm?" He turned to find the Overseer's sister still staring intensely at the image, "Is something wrong Nigredo? Ainz-sama is not hurt too much is? he!"
"Something...is coming." Nigredo mumbled as she continued to observe the scene in front of her.
~ Forest clearing, Ainz Ooal Gown ~
"That was wonderful Ainz-sama!" Albedo gushed.
"A. Feat. Worthy. Of. Legends." Cocytus added.
"As expected Ainz-sama," Shalltear said humbly, still feeling down at having botched her mission.
"Enough of that!" Walkiria snapped, "Get this pile of bones back to Nazarick while there's still time."
"Why? Even you Beta's are no where near my beloved in terms of power," Albedo crowed haughtily, "What else could possibly threaten him?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Impossible!" Ainz thought with panic, "That super-tier spell should have killed him! He was fighting Shalltear for two hours!"
"HAHAHAHA! First real 'damage' I suffered since coming here." came a voice from the diminishing sphere of light, "Alright, I think that's enough for now."
The ground cracked as a monstrous foot stepped out.
Gone was the blue skin of Kiros. In its place was a dark, navy blue tone that was partially covered by matted fur. His armor that had covered only part of his form had expanded to accommodate the added bulk and now fit him perfectly. His arms had thickened to the size of a grown man and ended with elongated claws that was abominable mix of both human and creature. Lastly, two angry red orbs glowed in the thickened skull of a hybrid between human and wolf.
The thing charged, flinging chunks of the ground away from the sheer wave of displaced air and red ethereal fire coated sections of its body.
Shalltear made move to intercept him, but Kiros was like a runaway train. This time Kiros wasn't playing around. With the [Path of the Wolf] active, his ATK and AGI were greatly boosted, while some stats suffered greatly in turn. He swung Hastati's Bane and there was a thunderous roar as [Eruption] was activated. Her HP already low, Shalltear was reduced to bloody gobbets as she came into contact with the sword.
"Why won't your just die!" Albedo growled as she stepped forward, "[Wall of Jer-]"
"[Surge]!" Kiros sped up.
Albedo grunted in pain as she was struck in the abdomen. However, rather than being torn in two or obliterated like Shalltear, she simply bent back at an unhealthy angle, but was alive. Once again, her armor had absorbed the fatal damage but she was down to one more charge.
"Oh, just give up already," He snarled while striking at her.
Though on her knees Albedo stubbornly blocked the attacks with her weapon, relying on its inability to break, as anything less would result in Ainz getting injured.
"For. The. Supreme. Ones!" Cocytus yelled, swinging all of his weapons at once.
"Ugh, I never liked bugs." Kiros said as he parried the zealous attacks. Then an idea hit him.
He grabbed one of the limbs and pulled.
Cocytus' eyes widened as he realized what the Player was trying to do. He attempted to retreat while attacking, landing blow after blow but for those strikes not deflected seemed to do inadequate damage. In contrast, Kiros continued to pull and Cocytus screamed in pain.
"Hey, the limb damage system is still working Ri! Sort of... I mean why do still have [Glamour] on? Our forms are great without-" As he was speaking Kiros turned to find Walkiria gripping the Undead Player and speaking sternly to him****.
"Hey, that's just rude." Suddenly he felt a stinging sensation on his chest.
Looking down, he saw a lance tip sticking out.
Kiros glared balefully at the offender, it was the red armored vampire NPC again.
"Some kind of revive ability or item?" He questioned as attempted to bite the diminutive NPC using [Devour].
She leapt backwards, taking her lance with her. At the same time, Cocytus wiggled free and also retreated. The view allowed him to see Albedo also rising, around two thirds of her armor already gone.
"Aw, man, two of these guys must be tanks," Kiros pouted internally.
Whenever playing, players ofter assumed that lower level mobs would pose little challenge. While mostly true, they could be used protect a more powerful opponent by using their bodies as meat shields. In fact, this was the most common reason why certain bosses could summon minions since overwhelming numbers was one of the most predictable tactic used by people.
He didn't want to use any of heavy hitting abilities since his little experiment had already drawn players out. The commotion might even draw max level players like himself and Walkiria. And so, Kiros decided to use an equally old tactic in video games.
He spun around, once more damaging the environment with his sheer speed and made a beeline for the Undead Player.
"Fine, be that way! If you die, then its not my problem!" He heard Walkiria say exasperatedly.
"That's the idea!" Kiros laughed evilly.
"[Wall of Bone!]" Ainz hurriedly cast a spell. A wall made of human skeletons quickly rose from the ground, obscuring him and Walkiria. Kiros' sword shattered the construct in an instant.
His basic attack was slowed by the barrier and only succeeded in knocking away the player from Walkiria. He walked past her with no resistance whatsoever. Kiros smiled.
Ri was never one to pick a fight unless it involved her, and that looked true even now.
He planted a clawed foot on the player, pinning him in place as he raised the sword high.
"Ainz-sama!" The Guardians yelled.
~ Nazarick, Throne room ~
"Ainz-sama!" The NPCs screamed in despair at their helplessness as they saw their master about to be killed.
~ Forest, Clearing ~
"LEADER DOWN!" Kiros roared as he swung his sword overhead and activated [Explosive Impact].
Ainz raised his hand in a warding gesture instinctively as the sword came crashing down.
However, before it could complete its descent the blade, as large as it was, was hooked by gleaming scythe that emitted an aura of wrongness, stopping the attack with a violent jerk.
"Need a Rez," Walkiria whispered.
Author's note:
* One of Albedo's armor ability in canon.
** Shalltear is referring to when it was still a video game.
*** I'm going to assume that the Floor Guardians know what a cash item is but not necessarily what they can do or that there are multiple types of them. This is because a Cash Item is a micro-transaction and they should not have any knowledge of the real world.
**** She's arguing with Ainz to return to Nazarick.
So...here's this chapter. Man, another long one? Anyway, I did some playing of two different online games to ensure I got some mechanics right. Turns out a 40 level gap is not a one shot, but may take at least be two to four hits. This does not take into account abilities and gear resistance/defense, which I did in this chapter. The NPCs on the spot, Albedo and Shalltear, are the most durable in Nazarick if I remember correctly, and coupled with Kiros' reluctance to use his more destructive abilities contributes to their survival.
Anyway, if there are some clarifications, it may be addressed in the next chapter. Not really a whole lot of time to explain everything here in the author's note and it would just add to the bulk of words. Other than that, there may one or two more chapters before the epilogue.
Until next time.
