The moment he appeared in the capital of Re-Estize, Ainz knew that he had no time for idle thoughts. A cursory glance of his surroundings solidified his assumption of this situation being Nazarick's work. The flames of Gehenna, providing status buffs to infernals and demons, in his periphery was proof enough for relations.
Then there were the low tier undead and demons running amok across the capital's streets. They were no more than mobs most YYGGDRASIL Players could farm, but for the inhabitants of the capital, primarily specialized citizens and non-combatants, they were a scourge of the highest order.
Already, Ainz could spot numerous citizens barring their doors and windows to little effect. Homes were overrun, and some building were even toppled like castles of sand or glass. The only bastion of defence these people could rely on were the Adventurer teams caught in the center of this all.
Shifting his attention to the Blue Rose members Merlin had opened his portal near, Ainz gaze them a glance, and no more.
Rather than focus on others, he prioritized his own party.
Shirou was frowning while assessing the current state of the capital while Narberal, true to her orders, kept a vigilant eye for any of Demiurge's direct subordinates of familiars.
Meanwhile, Merlin was nodding when everyone in Team Darkness had been safely smuggled into the Baharuth Empire's neighboring country.
"Now then, I believe my role is done." Merlin grinned, not at all ashamed or embarrassed as he retreated back through the illusory rift he'd created while gifting Narberal a bouquet of flowers. "Contact me through the petals if my assistance is necessary."
Ainz's hands twitched towards his swords. T-This womanizing scoundrel. The NPCs of his fellow guild members were practically Ainz's children.
Narberal clenched her teeth, and resisted the urge to grind the bouquet beneath her boots. She could tell that the petals on the roses did indeed serve the purpose Merlin specified. It was perhaps Merlin's own unique take on YYGDRASIL's message scroll.
If Nazarick could analyze the workings of each petal, they may discover an alternative to manufacturing effective communications.
Merlin wasn't a bug. Incubi at least put him on the level of common curtesy.
"…Thank you," Narberal grouched out with a strained smile, storing the flowers away like a shy school girl.
Ainz felt his heart bleed. It was one thing to mistreat Nazarick's NPCs. At least he'd have a reason for violence, but Merlin's approach was different. It was more accurate to say that he was treating Nazarick's NPCs right. He was a flirt.
Still want to punch him in the face though. Ainz murmured to himself.
Shirou's features twitched in response when Merlin winked at him just before leaving.
Lazy philanderer. However, Shirou couldn't bother with it for now. If anything, Merlin's flippancy in the situation conveyed his level of trust for the group to handle it.
In accordance with Merlin's departure, Ainz only felt relief. Only Ainz knew how on edge and restricting it was in Merlin's presence during the week leading up to the attack on Re-Estize.
Ainz shook his head, no longer dwelling on it.
"Re-Estize is in chaos. Let's spread out and save as many people as we can," Ainz spoke to Shirou and Narberal with both nodding in agreement, Shirou more than Narberal who's expression remained indifferent. "We'll meet up closer to the center of the capital."
Ainz focused his gaze out in the distance, trying to determine where Demiurge would be in all this chaos, but once again coming up short.
Leave it to luck then?
It was not an option Ainz was comfortable with, then again, he wasn't exactly keen on leaving Shirou on his own when others in Nazarick wouldn't be able to recognize him as an ally or asset.
Fortunately, Ainz had a ready solution for this.
"Nabe, you stay with Shirou," his tone brooked no argument. The imperative to 'keep him safe' was all but apparent to Narberal's ears.
The value Shirou had for Nazarick was too important to jeopardize here over a misfire.
Unfortunately, Shirou was unaware of Ainz's considerations for his wellbeing.
"I should be able to take care of myself, and Nabe seems just as capable." Shirou reasoned, scanning the distance for any signs of life, and growing pressed when he found none, yet he didn't lose heart. "We can help others more if we spread out."
Ainz could not have it. He knew how dangerous some of Nazarick's denizens could be, and right now, he knew not of whose services Demiurge had employed.
"Even still, forgive me if I'm concerned." Ainz decided to be truthful, hoping that sincerity could aid him the most against Shirou. "I've lost many friends before, and I won't risk another from negligence. Please allow Nabe to accompany you."
Hesitation flickered in Shirou's eyes, but perhaps realizing that arguing would only prolong their inactivity, he chose to concede the point.
"Then, thank you," Shirou said in earnest before giving his own warning to Ainz. "Watch out for yourself. You don't know what you may face here."
"Naturally. I'm more than capable," Ainz answered, more relieved that Shirou had accepted the arrangement than anything else. "Let's regroup in half an hour. Nabe will be able to send me a signal at that time."
Narberal nodded in the affirmative before Ainz immediately took off.
Due to Merlin's presence, Ainz felt that he'd been left out of the overall loop of the situation for long enough, and was antsy. Forgive him if he hardly paid attention to Blue Rose whose members were vigilantly scrutinizing them.
"Wait, you can't be planning on going alo-"
Ainz had already left, the voices of Blue Rose entirely ignored. Then again, they fell mute when Ainz hefted his great swords and mowed through the undead that tried to impede him with little effort.
He just wasn't concerned.
Far from it, everything changed for Ainz when he was certain that he was no longer in sight from Shirou and the Blue Rose. His heroic demeanor changed into a pensive air that made it seem like he was glaring at those that dared block him.
From here on, rather than engage in hostilities, the undead and demons parted for him, clearing the area as if Ainz had defeated them single-handedly. Then, at the end of the street appeared a single Demon Ainz was able to recognize immediately as one of Demiurge's direct subordinates.
The Demon's gaze was hinting towards Ainz before it fled into a distant time square building, and that alone was enough.
Ainz followed into a central clock tower and ascended the spiraling stairs to the upper floor.
The inside was dimly lit aside from one corner where a window peering out into the central plaza illuminated it with dim rays of light from the flames of Gehenna. In the shadow cast from the light, a neatly dressed Demon in a tailored orange suit stepped out, a hand adjusting the glasses worn over his face.
"As expected, Lord Ainz, you've arrived," the Demon spoke in awe.
"Demiurge," Ainz greeted with mixed feelings. "You've been busy."
"Indeed, I have." Light glinted off Demiurge's glasses before he made a flourishing gesture towards the scenery outside. "After Shalltear's blunder, I dared not disappoint."
'I'd rather you did.' Ainz inwardly grumbled, but didn't reveal anything.
"Quite a sight isn't it, Lord Ainz?" Demiurge continued, straightening his back and walking towards the only window in the room. "Everything is going just as planned, but someone at your station should have already known. Your appearance here before I could even send a word for cooperation warms my black heart."
Another coincidence.
The truth was hidden only by a string of rough circumstances.
"...You know me too well," Ainz would never admit it.
Demiurge's reptilian tail swayed back and forth, eager at the words he took as acknowledgment for his wit and cunning. This was how it was done. Not like Shalltear. She still had a lot to learn. In contrast, Ainz was metaphorically sweating, and furiously tried to glean as much information as he could of the current situation by trying to lead the conversation.
"How are the preparations?" He gauged.
Demiurge was all too willing to elaborate. As far as he saw it, Ainz's insight into any flaws in his inferior plan was a boon beyond any Demiurge could acquire.
"All underway." Demiurge took out a small statue carved with the likeness of numerous wailing demons. It was the source of the blaze outside. "The fire of Gehenna has been set up to encircle the entirety of the Re-Estize Capital, acting as the beacon that will draw the moths to the flame...and it's worked."
Ainz's hands twitched in affirmation.
Merlin's prior analysis of Demiurge's intentions with the letters had been right, Ainz had no choice but to concede to these intellectual fiends.
"Certain areas have been utterly cleared out of low tier undead within minutes, something no ordinary foe can achieve. It's not guaranteed, but it's certain that one such 'hero' has taken the bait. The pamphlet Milord has provided about these 'Raid Bosses' has been most helpful in planning out countermeasures."
It was supposed to dissuade action- not encourage it!
Now, Ainz was genuinely incredulous, his emotional inhibitors the only thing preventing an outburst. He could not recall ever insinuating any intention of purposely antagonizing those monsters.
"C-Continue," Ainz coughed, trying to hide his stammer.
"With the capital surrounded, and the humans flocking together like scared sheep, it's only a matter of time before they mount some form of resistance. Of course, their resistance isn't what's important. It's how the true targets would react. Admittedly, Lord Ainz, we of Nazarick have yet to truly experience the capabilities of our current foes."
Fools. You're playing with fire.
"That said, the precautions written about these 'Raid Bosses' have been strictly adhered to. I assure you, the necessary precautions have been set, and what we have here now is an experimental board; the fuse of which is already lit in the latest item acquired by Nazarick."
Latest item?
Ainz furrowed his nonexistent brows before stiffening.
"That spear is here?" He asked slowly.
"Indeed." Demiurge affirmed. "It plays a crucial role."
At painting a target over our heads?! A death sentence?!
Ainz blanked.
He resisted the urge to spew profanities, and instead focused all his attention on discerning Demiurge's motives in doing so.
"I see," was all Ainz could say, feigning his calm when he, in fact, didn't see at all.
Considering Demiurge was in front of him, and there were no traces of said spear, it meant that Demiurge had either concealed it elsewhere, or it was in possession of one of Demiurge's higher tier infernal subordinates.
The question now, was why?
For the life of him, Ainz wouldn't admit to his ignorance in the face of Demiurge's expectant features, waiting for praise or acknowledgment.
Dammit it all!
Meanwhile, just because Ainz had been able to ignore Blue Rose entirely, didn't mean it was the same for Shirou and subsequently, Narberal.
"Where the hell did you all come from!" Evil Eye yelled, pointing. Raising her voice was certainly out of her character, but as a Magic Caster, she could recognize the absurdity of Merlin's magic to conjure a portal from nowhere!
Who were these people?
"Now isn't the time," Shirou could only shake his head, too focused on the immediate need to act.
Evil Eye begged to differ, but Lakyus placed a hand on her shoulder and stared squarely at Shirou who called out to her.
"Do you know if the entire capital is like this?" He asked.
"Yes." Lakyus answered mutedly. "The entire area shrouded by those distant fires has become a hell in this world, and we're all in it."
Shirou closed his mouth, hands balling into fists. It was already too late to prevent all this, so what mattered now was how to put it to an end.
"Do you know how stop the demons?" He asked. Rather than being impulsive and striking blindly at the enemies, a goal would narrow down what needed to be done.
Unfortunately, Lakyus and the others were just as ignorant of the machinations at work as Shirou. Perhaps only Narberal could provide some insight, but her lips were sealed.
"I don't know," Lakyus could only answer dispiritedly like that.
She shook her head while Tina and Tia regretted not taking the time to gather more intelligence before the attack had begun. Then again, they hadn't exactly taken the warnings too seriously much like every other Adventurer team dispatched.
"We need more information," Lakyus concluded. "Up ahead. There's a Guild Hall where stationed teams or guards must have holed themselves up."
"You think they'd have more information?" Shirou asked.
"Fat chance," Gagaran snorted on the side, only to get elbowed by Lakyus. "What? You know as well as I that no one had really taken that notice seriously."
"Even still, we can at least work something out with everyone rather than move blindly on our own," Evil Eye interjected.
Shirou couldn't help but agree with the statement. It sounded like something Rin would have advised.
"How far is it?" He asked, assessing the number of enemies ahead.
"Not far. I can lead us," Lakyus volunteered, putting aside her curiosity for the Adventurer team that literally came out of nowhere. She was the leader of Blue Rose, and knew how to prioritize. Questions would be for later.
Under Lakyus's imperative, the members of Blue Rose moved passed Shirou and Narberal, before leading the way. However, not without another sort of surprise.
"Wait a second," Shirou called out.
"What's wrong?" Lakyus raised her brow.
"We're too ill equipped."
"Excuse me?" Tia was the one who spoke, eyes glaring.
They may not look it in this desperate sort of situation, but they were Blue Rose, an Adamantite-Class Adventurer Team. Their equipment wasn't anything legendary, but they were the most optimum for their level. Both Tia and Tina carried curved daggers known as Vampire Blade, able to suck the blood out of their enemies, allowing for silent murder. Additionally, they each carried poison needles with varying effects based on the coated poison. Then again, when the enemies were 'undead,' they could see how their skillset could be inefficient.
Unperturbed by the stares from Blue Rose, Shirou was more focused on safety.
"Other than her sword," Shirou pointed to Lakyus before looking at Gagaran, Tia, and Tina. "The rest of your weapons will eventually break against the defense of a demon or high-tier undead."
Shirou stated the facts of his observations. His eyes would never fail him in this regard.
"You speak as if you're any better?" Tina criticized, unable to find a single weapon on Shirou's person at all.
Shirou shook his head, finding arguing now to be useless when he could just get things over with.
He raised his hand up before interface patterns flashed over his skin towards the center of his palm.
A pair of daggers emerged, followed by a large axe.
In the stunned silence of his Tracing, only Evil Eye was pointing at him as if he'd done something ridiculous, but words were failing Evil Eye.
Shirou didn't mind it, and turned his attention to his own party member.
"Nabe," he called, Tracing out none other than Merlin's own staff, a more than optimum medium to channel Tier spells. "Here."
In terms of quality, this staff far surpassed Narberal's own even as a Pleiades.
Narberal opened then closed her mouth, saying not a word as Shirou passed the staff over. Contemplative acknowledgement flickered in her expression as she unconsciously compared it to her own, before she quietly put away her current staff in favor of the new one.
"No harm must ever come to you," it was the most Narberal had ever spoken to someone other than Ainz.
Meanwhile, Lakyus couldn't help glancing at her party members staring dumbly at the offered equipment.
The daggers Tina and Tia were holding felt heavy despite their overall size, denoting that it was made of a metal denser than what the eye could perceive. More importantly, armour pierce inscriptions etched on the sides pulsed with what looked like magic energy. Tia and Tina were ignorant. They didn't know what they could do, as Shirou hadn't explained, but the point of the matter was the quality.
There was no way these weapons were going to break, and he was just giving them away- no hold up! Didn't he just make these out of nothing at no cost?!
"W-What did he…?" Words finally left Evil Eye's mouth, breaking the transfixed expressions on Tina, Tia, and Gagaran's faces, before Evil Eye too grew mute.
Shirou offered Evil Eye the same staff he'd given Narberal.
"I'm not complaining as long as I don't have to give it back!" Gagaran marveled at the blood axe in her hands, testingly swinging it from side to side, the weapon buffed with gales of wind on each strike. Far in the distance, the test winds generated from Gagaran's swinging were still strong enough to cut into a building. "…Definitely don't want to give it back."
Lakyus stiffly stared at her own sword, and felt that it might have been better if she hadn't brought it. She was the only one to not receive anything.
"Let's go," Shirou's voice interrupted Lakyus's silent contemplation, but it wasn't long before a feeling of incredulous doubt crept back inside her.
Shirou pushed ahead in the direction Lakyus had intended on leading, rows of floating swords appearing around him, prepped to fire.
Lakyus herself had her own pair of floating swords, but she could only ever control like six or so at once. Then how about that man?
How many was that?
One, two, or so dozen?
Lakyus glanced at Shirou's floating swords, then stared at her own before meekly putting them away with the dullest and most wronged expression she'd ever made. He didn't give her a new weapon and what was worse was that he was copying her style…
"What are you doing, leader?"
"What does it look like?" She felt like crying despite how dangerous the current capital was.
The tips of Lakyus's cheeks then tinted red in embarrassment from the knowing stares of her party members.
"Oh, the leader's blushing in shame."
.
.
.
"Fine I admit it! I don't want to be compared, alright! So, shut up!"
Sorry for smaller chapter! I intended to write more since I had several hours of free time today, but one of my dogs was given chocolate, so I have to take her to the vet before anything bad happens. (I went to the park to walk the dog, and let the dog off the leash to run in the fields since he's a very friendly dog. My dog ran to a kid whose parents were eating by a picnic table a distance away, and then the kid gave him chocolate)