Overlord The Trinity Supreme Beings

by damiantran280

What if there was another supreme being joining Ainz and Nazarick. What if two of the almighty Supreme ones had stayed. —Well this is their legend— Follow Karna, Jeanne D'arc and Ainz as they maintain their precious guild and NPC and dominate the New World — And the new world thought the OverLord of Death was bad enough, well what if we throw in The Son of Sun God and a Holy Saint.

5. Chapter 4 - The Almighty Supreme Beings

CHAPTER 4

MIGHT OF THE SUPREME BEINGS

Within a beautiful cathedral the Slain theocracy flag was proudly displayed and standing above a flight of stairs is 6 priests.

"Nigun grid luin, as captain of the sunlit scripture one of the six scripture of the six great gods, you are called to serve with great honor, you are to go to the Re-estize kingdom and locate Gazef Stronoff and eliminate him" said the high priest as he pulled out a large blue shining crystal the size of his hand "this treasure contain a miracle of the gods, use it only if necessary".

These men were a black ops group from the Slaine Theocracy. Though their reputation spread far and wide, little was known about their members. They belonged to one of the Six Scriptures who answered directly to the high priests of the Slaine Theocracy. They were the Sunlight Scripture, whose mission was to exterminate demi-human settlements.

However, there were very few of these men, who were the most involved of the Six Scriptures in combat. There were only around a hundred of them in total.

This was because the recruitment standards for the Sunlight Scripture were very strict.

Entry required the ability to cast third tier divine magic, which was also the highest tier of magic that ordinary magic casters could reach. In addition, prospective recruits had to be in excellent physical condition, and they had to possess a strong will and deep faith.

In other words, they were the elite among other elite combatants.

The man quietly sighed as he watched his men disperse. Once they scattered to take their positions, it would be very hard to be sure of their movements. However, he was not worried about their skillful encirclement of the village.

The Sunlight Scripture's commander, Nigun Grid Luin, only felt the peace of mind that came with knowing that success was at hand.

The Sunlight Scripture was not used to long-term clandestine operations in the field. As a result, they had missed four chances to finish the mission in the past. They were exceedingly careful every time they closed in on Gazef and his men of the Kingdom, in order to avoid being spotted. If they missed this chance as well, these days of tracking and pursuing would drag on and on.

"Next time… I'd like to ask the other teams for help, and leave some of the work to them."

Someone answered Nigun's gripes.

"That's right, we've always been specialized in extermination, after all."

The speaker was one of the men who had stayed behind to protect Nigun.

"I mean, this is a strange mission. Usually, we would have backup from the Windflower Scripture for something as important as this."

"Indeed, I don't know why they only deployed us this time round. Still, this will be good experience for us. We can take this as training in infiltrating enemy territory. Hm, for all we know, that was what the people on top intended."

Nigun said that, but he was very clear that another mission of this nature would be very unlikely.

The orders he had been given were to "assassinate the greatest warrior of the Kingdom, the man famed in the surrounding countries for his matchless might, Gazef Stronoff."

This was not the sort of task which would usually be assigned to the Sunlight Scripture. Instead, it would have been the province of the Theocracy's most powerful special operations unit, the Black Scripture, whose members wielded the power of heroes. However, it was not possible this time round.

The reason was top secret, so he could not tell his subordinates, but Nigun knew the truth.

The Black Scripture was protecting the holy relic "Kei Seke Kouku" in preparation against the resurrection of the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, while the Windflower Scripture was busy chasing the traitor who had made off with a relic of the Miko Princesses. Neither of them had the free time to help them.

Nigun unconsciously felt the scar on his cheek.

He remembered the only time in the past where he had forced to flee with his tail between his legs. The face of that girl with the jet-black demonic sword rose in his mind.

Magic could have easily healed the wound without leaving a mark, but he had purposely left the scar to engrave the lesson of that humiliating defeat into his heart.

"...That damnable Blue Rose."

The members of Blue Rose were citizens of the Kingdom, just like Gazef. Their priestess was the one who most drew his ire. Besides the fact that she was an infidel who worship another god, she had stopped Nigun while he was planning to attack demihumans, and even believed that she was on the side of justice in doing so.

"...Humanity is weak, and it uses any and all means to defend itself. Anyone who doesn't know that is an utter and complete fool."

One of the subordinates seemed to have sensed the anger smoldering in Nigun's glassy black eyes, and interjected:

"But, but the Kingdom is foolish too."

Nigun did not answer, although he agreed with those words.

Gazef was very strong, so in order to weaken him, they had to deprive him of his panoply.

Upon a hill overlooking Carne village stood a dozen robed mage neatly lined up in front of nigun their captain.

"Attention all units our prey had entered the cage, devote yourself to the gods and carry out their will.''

Everyone began their silent prayers, a shortened version of their usual praise to their gods.

They had to spend time in prayer even when operating in another country. This was not complacency on their part, but a symbol of their faith in their gods.

These men who offered everything to the Slaine Theocracy and the gods they revered were far more devout than the average citizen of the Theocracy. This was why they could perform cruel acts without the slightest bit of hesitation, and why they felt no guilt for doing so.

After their prayers, the eyes of every man present were as hard and cold as glass.

"Begin."

With that one single word, they neatly encircled the village in a way that would appear to onlookers as the product of long, hard training.

The Kingdom was divided into the Noble and the Royal factions. Since they were opposed to Gazef, a prominent figure in the Royal faction, the Noble faction was easily led to take political action to eliminate him. They did not even pause to consider that the impetus for their deeds came from a foreign power.

Gazef was a commoner who had risen to his current station by dint of his swordplay, and so the nobles despised him.

And that had led to this conclusion.

The Kingdom's trump card would soon be lost by their own hands.

That was a supremely foolish move to Nigun.

They — the Slaine Theocracy — might be divided into six sects, but whenever they needed to act, they did so as one.

One reason for that was because everyone respected each other's gods. The other was because everyone knew that there were many inhuman tribes and monsters in this world, and that they would be in danger if they did not work together.

"...Which is why everyone should walk the path of the righteous teachings together. Humanity should not fight amongst itself, but work hand in hand to bring about a better and brighter future."

Gazef would be the sacrifice for that.

"...Can we kill him?"

Nigun did not mock his subordinate's unease.

Their prey was the Kingdom's Chief Warrior — the strongest man in the region — Gazef Stronoff.

Eliminating him would be more difficult than attacking and exterminating the inhabitants of a huge goblin village. In order to dispel his underlings' fears, Nigun calmly replied:

"It will be fine. Right now, he does not possess any of the Kingdom's treasures, the ones which he is permitted to bear. Without them, killing him will be a piece of cake… no, it would be better to say that without them, this is our only chance to kill him."

The Kingdom's Chief Warrior, Gazef Stronoff, was famed as the strongest fighter in the land. But there was a reason for that reputation beyond his extraordinary swordsmanship.

That reason was the five heirlooms of the Kingdom. Although only four of them were known, he was permitted to bear all of them.

The Gauntlets of Vitality, that made their user immune to fatigue. The Amulet of Immortality, which constantly regenerated his wounds. The Guardian Armor, made of adamantite and enchanted to ward off critical hits. Razor's Edge, the sword created and enchanted in pursuit of sharpness, which could slice through armor like the proverbial hot knife through butter.

Even Nigun could not hope to triumph in a head-on attack against Gazef Stronoff, whose offensive and defensive ability increased astronomically when he used those items. No, it might well be that no human could defeat him when he was like that. However, he did not have those treasures with him now, so this was a great chance for Nigun.

"And then… we also have a trump card of our own. This is a battle we cannot possibly lose."

Nigun patted his chest lightly.

In this world, there were three types of magic items which fell outside the usual types and classifications.

The first kind were the relics from five hundred years ago, left behind by the Eight Greed Kings who had conquered the world in an instant.

The next kind came from the Dragons, who were once the masters of the world before they were decimated by the Eight Greed Kings. The most powerful Dragons, the Dragon Lords, made the secret treasures of dragonkind.

And the third kind were the keystones of the Slaine Theocracy, the artifacts left behind from when the Six Gods descended upon the world six hundred years ago.

Those were the three types.

What Nigun had in his breast pocket now was a rare treasure that very few people in the Slaine Theocracy possessed. In other words, it was Nigun's secret weapon.

Nigun glanced at the metal band on his wrist. Numbers floated up from its surface, indicating that the appointed time had come.

"Then… begin the operation."

Nigun and his subordinates began casting spells.

They summoned the highest-ranking angels their magic would permit.

—

Gazef alone with Ainz, Karna and Laeticia was all gather in a large storage house in the village. From the window Gazef peeked out see that indeed they had been surrounded by robed mages with strange flying creature beside them.

He could see three people within his field of vision. They were slowly advancing on the village while maintaining an even separation from each other.

They were unarmed and were not wearing heavy armor. However, that did not mean that they were pushovers. Many magic casters disliked such equipment and preferred lighter gear. This suggested that they were magic casters.

However, it was the winged monsters floating beside them which confirmed their vocations.

From the way they were behaving, Gazef can only guess that those creatures were summoned creature, they appear as a shining white robotic knight in armor. Its back is attached with yellow inthuryal wings, and a halo glows behind its head. It also wields a sword made of flames.

These were ArchAngels flame.

Angels were monsters summoned from another world, and many people — particularly, the citizens of the Slaine Theocracy — believed them to be messengers of the gods. However, the priests of the Kingdom ruled that these so-called angels were merely summoned monsters.

While these religious disputes were part of the reason why the countries were set against each other, Gazef felt that their status as divine messengers was secondary to their strength as monsters.

To Gazef, angels and demons, their similarly-ranked counterparts, were stronger than many other monsters summoned using magic of a similar tier. Most of them had special abilities and some could even use magic. They were troublesome foes, in his reckoning.

Of course, that depended on the individual angel. Not all of them were difficult to beat.

However, the angels this time round, with their shining breastplates and flaming swords, were of a type that was unknown to him.

Ainz was watching them with him from the side. He asked Gazef, who did not know anything and could not gauge their strength:

"Who are these people? What do they want? I don't think there should be anything that valuable in this village..."

"Sir Ainz, you do not know either? ...Well, if it is not wealth they seek, then there can only be one other answer."

Sieg and Gazef locked eyes.

"They must really hate you, Chief Warrior." Sieg said with cross arms.

"It comes with the job of Chief Warrior, however… this is troubling. Judging by the way the other side has so many people who can summon angels, they must be from the Slaine Theocracy… and it's clear that the people carrying out this operation must be a special operations unit… the legendary Six Scriptures. It would seem that both in numbers or ability, the opposition is superior to us."

Gazef shrugged, indicating the difficulty he was in. He might have seemed merely depressed on the surface, but inside, he was seething with anger and panic.

"Well, they've certainly gone to a lot of trouble, using the Noble faction to strip me of my gear. However, it's troublesome for that snake of a man to remain in the courts, so I guess it should be my good fortune to be able to recognize his villainy here. Still, I didn't think that the Slaine Theocracy would have their eyes on me, but it wasn't unexpected"

He snorted.

He did not have enough men, he was under-equipped for a battle like this, and he had no plan in mind. In short, he had nothing. Although, there might still be a trump card he could use.

Laeticia was looking intently at the summons '...Is that an Archangel Flame? It looks similar enough, but… what is a monster like that doing here… could it have been summoned by magic too? That means…'

Gazef turned to look at the mumbling Ainz. With a hopeful look on his face, he asked:

"Sir Ainz and Sir Sieg, if it is alright with you, would you be willing to let me hire you?"

There was no answer, but Gazef could feel the weight of Karna and Ainz's gaze.

"You may name your price and I will meet it."

"...Please permit me to refuse." Sieg cut in.

'Huh? Why would you refuse him, we can gain a useful ally, through helping him he owes us and not to mention he is the royal head warrior of this kingdom so it probably safe to say he has some influence here' Jeanne said.

'That would be useful but think about the information we can gain from capturing a special unit of another country and besides he won't just tell or leak info just because he owes us something' Momonga explain 'furthermore the noble of this kingdom sold him out so It troublesome to do or make use of him without raising the noble suspicion'

'That one reason and another is that we can test our power here by fighting a special force who are considered pretty strong from what gazef said' Karna further explain.

"...Even the loan of that knight you summoned would be fine." Gazef prossised.

"...I must refuse that as well."

"I see… then, what if I conscripted you, in accordance with the Kingdom's laws?"

"That would be the worst decision you could make… I did not plan to say such harsh words, but if you insist on using the authority of the Kingdom to conscript us, then I would be compelled to put up a bit of resistance." Sieg took a step forward.

The two of them looked wordlessly at each other. The first to avert his eyes was Gazef.

"...That would be frightening indeed. We would be wiped out before even crossing blades with the gentlemen of the Slaine Theocracy."

"Wiped out… well, that's a good joke. However, I am glad you understand me."

Gazef narrowed his eyes and looked at Sieg, whose head was nodded in thanks.

His words just now were not a joke, Gazef's instincts told him. Making an enemy of these people would be a fatal error.

In the face of this life-threatening danger, his instincts were more reliable than his meager intellect.

'Who are they and where did they come from?'

As Gazef thought, he looked at Ainz's strange mask. What did he look like under the mask? Was he someone that he knew? Or…

"What's wrong? Is there something on my mask?"

"Ah, no. I simply felt that mask was very special. Since that mask is used to control that monster… then it must be a very powerful magic item… am I correct?"

"Well, about that… I should say that it's a very rare and valuable item. One could even say that it was exclusive."

Possessing a potent magic item implied that the possessor was a skilled individual. By that logic, Ainz must have been a very talented magic caster. Gazef felt a little saddened for not being able to secure his aid.

Although, part of him hoped that as an adventurer, Ainz would accept that request.

"...I see that it's meaningless to keep going on about this. Then, sir Sieg and Sir Ainz, And you a swell my lady, please take care of yourself. Once again, thank you for saving this village."

Gazef removed his metal gauntlet and shook Ainz's hand. Originally, Ainz was thinking of removing his own Jarngreipr to return the courtesy, but in the end, he did not do so. Still, Gazef paid it no heed. He gripped Ainz's hand tightly, and said:

"I am truly, truly grateful to you for protecting these innocent villagers from being slaughtered. Also… I know it is very selfish of me and I have no authority to make you do anything… but I hope you can protect the villagers here, just one more time. Right now, I have nothing to give you, but I hope that no matter what, you will heed my plea… I beg you."

"About that…"

"If you should ever visit the Royal Capital, I will give you anything you desire. I swear this on the name of Gazef Stronoff."

Gazef let go of Ainz's hand, making to kneel, but Laeticia walked forward and extended her hand to stop him.

"...There is no need to go that far… you have my word, I shall protect this villagers. I swear on my name." Laeticia gave a beautiful smile.

After hearing Laeticia swear on her name, Gazef breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you very much, my lady. Now I have nothing more to worry about. All I need to do now is charge boldly ahead."

"...Before that, please take this with you."

Ainz took out an item and handed it to the smiling Gazef. It was a small, strangely carved statuette. There did not seem to be anything special about it. However—

"If it is a gift from your good self, I will gladly accept it. Then, sir Ainz. Time grows short, but I must now leave."

"...Will you not you wait until nightfall before setting out?" Siegel's asked.

"The opposition should have spells like 「Darkvision」 and the like, so night fighting is not to our advantage, but I cannot imagine they will be hampered by it. Also… we also need to let you see how we stand or fall."

"I see. As expected of the Kingdom's Chief Warrior, your keen insight is truly worthy of praise. Then, I wish you all the best, Chief Warriors."

"And I wish you a safe journey home."

Ainz quietly watched Gazef's back shrinking into the distance as he rode off. Although her master seemed to be thinking about something, Albedo did not inquire further.

"...Haa… when I first saw the humans here, I could not help but think of them as insects… but after speaking with them, I have come to be fond of them, like small child among helpless animals."

"Is that why you swore on you and lady Jeanne swore your glorious names to protect them?"

"Perhaps… no, I should say that it was in response to how he bravely rode to his death..." Laeticia explained.

Jeanne admired it.

He admired Gazef's determination, his strength of will that he did not have.

"...Albedo, order the servants to search out the ambushers around us and knock them out once they are found."

"I will do so at once… my lord, the Village Chief and the others are here."

As the three Supreme Beings turned to look at Albedo, he caught sight of the Chief and two other villagers coming over.

They reached Ainz's side, panting heavily. Filled with tension and unease, the Chief spoke immediately, as though breathing were a luxury he could not afford.

"Lord Ainz, Lord Sieg, Lady Laeticia, what should we do? Why did the Chief Warrior leave us behind and not protect us?"

The Chief's words were filled with fear, but there was an undercurrent of anger there as well.

"...He is doing what he must do, Chief… The foe has their eye on the Chief Warrior, and if he stayed here, the village would become a battlefield. The enemy will not let you flee either. He left this place for your sake."

"I see, so that was why the Chief Warrior left… Then, then should we remain here?"

"Of course not. They will come to kill you after they are done with the Chief Warrior. As long as you remain within their encirclement, you will have nowhere to run. However… while the foe is dealing with the Chief Warrior, you will have a chance to flee. You should take it."

So that was why the Chief Warrior rode out in force with his men. He planned to use himself as bait and lure the enemy away with a head-on attack.

The Chief red-facedly lowered his head as he heard about the Chief Warrior's slim chances. The man was riding to his death just to give them a chance to flee. He cursed his inability to understand the man's sacrifice, and how he mistook Gazef's courage for selfishness and maligned him for it.

"I can't believe I jumped to conclusions and wrongly blamed a good man… then, Lord Sieg, what should we do now?"

"What do you mean by that?" Sieg ask.

"We live near the forest, but there's no guarantee that we won't be attacked by monsters. We were just lucky and thought that this place was safe, so we gave no thought to self-defense, and in the end, not only did we lose our friends and loved ones, but even became a burden…"

Now it was not just the Chief, but the villagers behind him who had looks of regret on their faces.

"That could not be helped either. Your attackers were professional soldiers. If you had tried to resist, you might have all been dead before I got here." Sieg said

Sieg was trying to comfort the villagers, but none of them felt comforted at all. The fact was that no matter what pretty words he said, the loss of the villagers was an undeniable tragedy. All they could hope for was for time to heal their wounds.

"Village Chief, there is no more time. You must move quickly so as not to waste the Chief Warrior determination." Laeticia said.

"I see… then, Lady Laeticia, what will you do?"

"...we will stay here and observe the situation, and then wait for a good time to escort you all away." Laeticia gave them a reassuring smile that gave hope to the hopeless villager.

"We are always making trouble for you, my Lady, really, we…"

"...Think nothing of it. Because I made a promise to the Chief Warrior, in any case, gather all the villagers into one of the larger houses. I will further protect it with magic." Laeticia command.

—

He could feel his horse's agitation through his feet.

Even a trained warhorse — no, it was because it was a warhorse that the beast knew it was riding into death.

There were only four or five of the enemy surrounding the village, so there was a large gap between each of them. However, their encirclement was most likely airtight.

In other words, they had set a trap for him, and if he sprang it, he would die.

Even so, Gazef was still determined to break through them. No, going by the present circumstances, a forceful breakthrough was the only choice for him.

He had no chance against them in ranged combat.

If he had skilled archers by his side, it would be a different matter. If not, he had to avoid a long-range battle with magic casters.

Fighting a defensive battle would be even more stupid.

It would be one thing if they had stone-walled houses or a sturdy fort to fight from, but he had no confidence at all in the ability of wooden walls to stop magic. For all he knew, both Gazef and the houses might go up in smoke together.

Therefore, the last tactic he could use was a thoroughly unethical one.

That is to say, he would have to shift the theater of battle into the village and draw Ainz, Sieg and Laeticia into the fight, thus forcing his involvement.

But if he did that, it would completely defeat the purpose of coming here in the first place. Therefore, Gazef had to put himself into danger.

"Hit the enemy hard and draw in the sentries from around the village. After that, fall back immediately. Do not hesitate and miss your chance to flee."

After hearing the energetic replies from behind him, Gazef frowned.

How many of the men here would be able to go back alive?

They were not any more talented than ordinary people. Nor were they born with superpowers or special talents. They were just a group of men who had trained hard under Gazef. Losing the fruits of his labor here would be a terrible waste.

Gazef was going to make a stupid, senseless sacrifice, and his men were going to follow him into it. He wanted to apologize to these men, that he had drawn in with him, but once he turned around and saw them, those words died in his mouth.

What he saw were the faces of true warriors, fearless men who knew where they were headed and who had swallowed any complaints about the matter..

There was no need to apologize for the looks on his men's faces, that look which said that they knew they were riding into danger, but they would go into it regardless. One by one, the men shouted to the embarrassed Gazef:

"Don't worry, Chief Warrior!"

"Yeah, we all came here of our own free will, to fight and die by your side, Chief Warrior!"

"Please let us protect our country, our people, and our friends!"

There was nothing left to say. Gazef returned their shouts with a thunderous cry:

"Then, forward! Tear their guts out!"

"YEAHHHHH!"

Gazef's men spurred their horses forward to follow their leader. The galloping horses shot across the plains like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Still mounted, Gazef drew his bow and nocked an arrow to the string.

Though his horse shook and shuddered beneath him, Gazef calmly drew the string back. The loosed arrow struck its target unerringly, piercing the head of the frontmost magic caster… or at least, that was what he thought would happen.

"Cheh! It was useless after all. Maybe if I had a magic arrow, but… ah, I don't have what I don't have. Griping about it here is pointless."

The arrow bounced off like it had struck a sturdy helmet. That supernatural hardness must have been the work of magic. Just as Gazef had said, in order to shoot through magic that protected against ranged attacks, he would need a magic weapon of his own.

Since Gazef did not have a weapon like that, he stopped shooting and put away his bow.

The magic casters began their counterattack, and cast their spells.

Gazef focused his energies, and took a stance in order to resist their magic.

Just then, the horse between his legs whinnied loudly and reared up, its front legs kicking the air.

"Go! Go! Go!"

He tightly gripped his reins and leaned forward, practically hugging the horse. Fortunately, his swift reflexes kept Gazef from being thrown off. While it had caused a sheen of cold sweat to bloom all over his body, at the very least, he had managed to suppress his brief panic. There was something more important before him.

A flustered and panting Gazef lashed his mount's flanks, but the horse remained still, as though someone more important than its rider were giving it orders.

This strange phenomenon could only mean one thing.

Mind-controlling magic.

The horse had been affected by such a spell. Gazef might have been able to fight off its effects, but the affected party was not a magical beast, but a mere warhorse, so resistance was not to be expected.

Anger flared up in Gazef for not predicting such an obvious form of attack. He leapt off his horse, and his galloping subordinates guided their mounts around him, flowing past him on both sides.

"Chief Warrior!"

The last men of the group slowed down, extending their hands. They wanted to help Gazef onto their horse, but the angel looking down upon them from the heavens swooped down faster. Gazef drew his sword and swung at the angel.

The steel blade became a swift flash of light.

The stroke of the Kingdom's strongest man was enough to cleave a man's body in two. But the angel was not a man, and although it had taken a grave wound to its torso, it was not slain yet.

The blood spraying into the air was the mana that composed the angel. It vanished like smoke.

"No need for that! Turn around and charge them!"

After Gazef gave his orders, he turned a keen glare at the angel which had escaped with its life. It had been badly hurt, but it was still trying to find holes in Gazef's defenses.

"So that's how it is."

A strange feeling ran up his arms when his blade found its mark.

Gazef knew what it was. These monsters had a skill that would greatly reduce any damage done to them unless the attacking weapon was made of a special material. It was thanks to this ability that the angel could take a blow from Gazef without falling.

If that was the case...

Gazef focused his energies within himself and activated the martial art 「Focus Battle Aura」, and his blade glowed with a crimson light.

The angel took this opportunity to cut in with a sword of red flame. However—

"—Too slow."

In the eyes of the Kingdom's strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff, the angel's movements were truly too slow.

Gazef's sword moved.

This blow was far more powerful than the one before it, and Gazef's sword sheared neatly through the angel's body.

Its body destroyed, the Angel seemed to melt in mid-air, its glittering wings flapping a few times before vanishing as though it had been nothing more than an illusion.

If Gazef had not been in such dire straits, he might well have applauded the light show. However, he did not have the time for that at the moment.

Gazef looked around, saw the enemies advancing on him in an endless tide — and smiled.

More angels flashed into existence around them as well.

Gazef was well aware that they were not ordinary reinforcements.

"...So, anything goes with magic, huh? Damn."

As he cursed the magic casters who could easily do what warriors could not, Gazef calmly took stock of the enemies surrounding him, and confirmed that this was everyone who was surrounding the village.

That would mean that the encirclement of the village was lifted.

"Then, Gown-dono, the rest is up to you."

The knowledge that he could save the surviving villagers filled Gazef's heart with endless joy. He smiled at the enemy's carelessness.

And then, the sound of hoofbeats filtered into Gazef's ears. It was the sound of Gazef's subordinates, charging back into the battle.

"I told you to scatter once the blockade went down… truly, you're a bunch of fools… and truly, I'm proud of you."

Gazef sprinted forward.

This might well be the best and only chance to end the battle. Judging by the speed of the horsemen, the enemy magic casters would need to focus all their attention on them. He would take advantage of this opportunity to cause chaos in their ranks. That was the only way.

His men's horses whinnied and reared up, just like Gazef's horse did. Several people moaned in pain as they were thrown off their horses, and the angels took the chance to press the attack.

Although his subordinates were on par with the angels in terms of fighting power, the latter had special abilities with the former did not possess, and Gazef's men were soon plunged into dire straits. As he had expected, more than half of his men were fighting desperately for their lives. The spells of the magic casters only made things that much worse for them.

His men fell to the ground, one after the other.

Gazef averted his eyes, and ran forward again.

His target was the enemy commander.

He did not think the enemy would retreat if their commander went down, but that was the only way to save everyone.

Over thirty angels put themselves in Gazef's way as he charged. He frowned as he saw the heavy defenses ahead of him.

"Out of my way—"

Gazef activated his trump card.

Heat bloomed from his hands, and spread to envelop his entire body.

Gazef broke the limits of his physical body and stepped into the realm of heroes. In addition, he activated several martial arts at once — one could call those a warrior's magic.

Gazef glared at the six angels surrounding him.

"「Sixfold Slash of Light」!"

This was a martial art that struck as fast as light. In one move, he hit the six angels around him.

All six of them were cut in half, dissolving into motes of light.

The reinforcements from the Slaine Theocracy gasped in surprise, while Gazef's men cheered.

Although his ultimate attack made his arms cramp up, it was not enough to decrease his fighting effectiveness.

Then, as though ordered to drown out the cheers, a huge wave of angels swept in, and one of them lunged at Gazef with its flaming sword.

"「Instant Counter」!"

Gazef used his martial art just as the angel swung, and his body blurred away like mist.

Halfway through its attack, the angel took a hit from Gazef. That hit reduced it to glittering dust.

But Gazef's offensive did not end there.

"「Flow Acceleration」!"

With fluid, graceful moves, he dispatched the angels one after the other.

His ultimate attack took down two more angels again. This splendid display of martial technique inspired Gazef's men and gave them a ray of hope.

But the Theocracy's troops would not allow that to happen, and their commander erased that hope with mockery.

"Well done. However… that is all you can do. Clerics who have lost your angels, summon new ones. Focus your spells on Stronoff!"

The heat which had been building in the air immediately cooled off.

"This is bad."

Gazef took down another angel as he muttered to himself. It would seem there would not be any more cheering no matter how many angels Gazef slew, since his men were worrying about the enemy coming at them.

They were superior in numbers, equipment, training, and individual ability.

The sole weapon of Gazef's beleaguered men — their hope for victory — was gone.

After unconsciously avoiding an incoming sword, Gazef counterattacked, and destroyed an angel in one hit. However, the enemy he was aiming for was still far away.

Although his subordinates hoped otherwise, they needed magic weapons to break through the angels' damage reduction. They did not know how to use the 「Focus Battle Aura」 martial art like Gazef could, and without magic weapons, even if Gazef's men could injure the angels, they could not finish them off.

They were at their wit's end.

Gazef bit his lip, and continued slashing.

His record for the most consecutive uses of his ultimate attack, 「Sixfold Slash of Light」, was rapidly increasing.

A warrior like Gazef could use six different kinds of martial arts at once, and combined with his hidden ultimate attack, that made seven martial arts at once.

Until now, he had been using martial arts to improve his physical attributes, fortify his mind, improve his magic resistance, temporarily render his weapon magical, as well as another technique that he used on hitting an opponent. That made five martial arts.

The reason why he had not pushed himself to the limit and used all seven at once was because powerful martial arts depleted one's concentration.

In particular, the 「Sixfold Slash of Light」 required three times the focus of his other techniques.

Gazef had two ultimate attacks like this, but he could only use them with four other martial arts at the same time.

He could easily defeat an angel with those techniques. But even if he struck them down, more of them were summoned anew. As long as he did not defeat their Summoners, they would call up more angels to face him. While trying to run the opposition out of mana was an option, Gazef would probably tire before that.

The truth was, Gazef's arms were growing heavier and heavier, and his heart was racing.

「Instant Counter」 was a martial art that forcibly corrected the body's balance after making an attack, resetting it to before the blow was struck. While that meant that the practitioner could immediately attack again, the forced reset of the body would place immense strain on it.

「Flow Acceleration」 was a martial art that increased the speed at which one's nerves functioned, increasing one's attack rate. However, that technique created fatigue in the brain.

And then, there was the ultimate attack, the 「Sixfold Slash of Light」.

Using them put a great burden on the body, but without them, he would have no chance at all.

"Bring them all on! Your angels are nothing!"

His fearsome shout startled the Theocracy troops, but they soon recovered and renewed the offensive on Gazef.

"Pay him no heed, that's just the roar of a caged beast. Don't worry, deplete his strength bit by bit. But don't get too close. That beast's claws are long and sharp."

Gazef glared at the man with a scar on his face.

If only he could defeat him, he could turn the battle around. The problem was the other angel near him, different from the ones with the flaming swords. And then there was the great distance between them, and the several layers of defenses in the way.

They were simply too far apart.

"The beast is about to make a break for it. Show him the meaning of the word 'impossible.'"

The man's calm voice only served to aggravate Gazef further.

Even if he stepped into the realm of heroes, Gazef could not win with his refined melee techniques alone.

Still — so what? If that was the only road available to him, then he would have to charge down it with all his might.

As the strength returned to his eyes, Gazef began his charge.

However, the road ahead was hard, like he had expected.

The angels loomed before him, one after the after, swinging their swords of scorching red flame. As he evaded and counterattacked and destroyed the angels one after the other, Gazef suddenly felt an intense pain. It felt like he had been struck hard in the belly.

As he looked in the direction of the pain, he saw a group of magic casters casting a spell of some sort.

"Well, if you're priests, you should act like it. How about a little healing over here!?"

As though to answer Gazef's jibe, an invisible force smashed into Gazef's body.

Though the enemy used invisible attacks, Gazef was confident that he could avoid them by reading traces in the air and the looks on his opponent's faces. That might even have worked, if there were only a few of them. However, against thirty of those attacks, there was nothing he could do. Just keeping his sword in his hands was taking all his strength.

The pain filled his whole body. He had no idea where it was coming from, only that it was so great it almost made him collapse.

"Gahaah!"

The taste of steel welled up in his throat, and Gazef spat a mouthful of fresh blood. The sticky ichor welled out of his mouth and stained his chin.

Gazef's legs were shaky after that barrage of invisible blows, and now an angel was swinging its flaming sword at him.

He could not avoid the blow, and it struck his armor. Fortunately, it deflected the sword, but the impact travelled through the breastplate and deep into his body.

He swung wildly at the angel, but his poor balance meant that the angel easily evaded the attack.

Gazef's sword trembled in his hands as he gasped for breath.

The fatigue that filled his body seemed to be whispering into his ear, telling him to just lie down and rest.

"The hunt has entered its final stages. Do not let the beast rest — order your angels to attack consecutively."

Even though Gazef desperately wanted a moment to recover, the angels surrounding him obeyed their masters and mercilessly attacked him, one after the other.

He somehow evaded the attack from behind, and parried a thrust from the side. He used the strong angles of his armor to deflect an angel's charge from above.

Gazef wanted to counterattack his foes, but he was greatly outnumbered.

As his strength diminished, he could only take out one opponent at a time, since he lacked the stamina to use martial arts. As his subordinates fell one by one, the enemy's attacks were concentrated on him. With no way to break through the enemy's encirclement, he felt death closing in on him.

His concentration faltered, and he nearly fell to one knee. He desperately tried to refocus so he could fight.

The invisible impacts came again, striking the tottering Gazef.

The world before him shook mightily.

Not good!

Gazef used all his strength to try and maintain his balance. However, something seemed wrong with his body, and the strength that should have held him up was nowhere to be found.

The itch of touching the grass spread through his body, and Gazef realised that he had fallen.

He struggled to rise again, but his body betrayed him. The angels' swords meant death for him.

"Now, finish him off, but do not send in one angel. Use them all to ensure he is dead."

Yes, he was dead.

His well-trained hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he could not pick up his longsword. Even so, he could not give up.

His gritted teeth made creaking sounds.

Gazef was not afraid of death. He had taken many lives in the past, so he was prepared to meet his end on the battlefield.

Like he had told Ainz, he was hated by people. That hatred became a sword that would one day pierce his body.

But he could not accept an end like this.

They had attacked several villages and murdered defenseless, innocent villagers, all to lure Gazef into a trap. He could not allow himself to die at the hands of honorless dogs like this, and he could not bear his powerlessness.

"Gaaaaaaah! Don't look down on me—!"

He shouted with all the strength in his body.

Blood dribbled out the side of his mouth as Gazef rose to his feet.

A man who should have been powerless to stand now stood proudly, the mighty force of his presence forcing back the angels that surrounded him.

"Haaa—! Haaa—!"

Just getting to his feet had him panting heavily. His mind was a blur and his body felt like it had turned to mud. But he could not lie down. If he lay down, all would be lost.

This little bit of pain he felt could not compare to the suffering of the dead villagers.

"I am the Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom! I am a man who loves and defends his country! How can I lose to bastards like you who stain my country with your footsteps—!?"

He was certain that great man would protect the villagers.

Then, what he should do was defeat as many of the enemy as he could, so the people would not meet the same fate as all the others.

Protecting the future people of the Kingdom. That was all he wanted to do.

"...You will die here because all you can do is babble that nonsense, Gazef Stronoff."

Gazef glared at the enemy commander as his cruel mockery reached his ears.

"If only you had abandoned these villagers on the border, you would not be dying here. You probably don't know, but your life is far more valuable than even a thousand of these peasants. If you truly love your country, you should have abandoned them to die."

"You and I… will never see eye to eye… let's go!"

"What can that body of yours do? Cease your pointless struggles and lie down quietly. As a final act of mercy, I will kill you without drawing out your suffering."

"If you think… I'm helpless… then why don't you come... take my head? It should be easy… if I'm like this, right?"

"...Hmph. You're all talk. It looks like you still want to fight. Do you think you can win?"

Gazef simply stared straight ahead, his hands trembling as he gripped his sword. He focused on the enemy in front of him, ignoring the angels surrounding him.

"...What a pointless effort. Truly, you are an idiot. After we kill you, we will then massacre the villagers you saved. All you have done is bought them a fear filled stay of execution."

"Heh…heehh...heeh"

Gazef was smiling brightly.

"...What's so funny?"

"...Hmph, you fool. In that village… is a man who is stronger than me. His power is unfathomable, but he could take you all out by himself… Trying to kill… the villagers he protects… is impossible for you."

"...Someone stronger than the Kingdom's greatest warrior? Do you think boasting like that will do you any good? You truly are an idiot."

Gazef was still smiling. What kind of look would Nigun have on his face when he met that inscrutable people that was Sieg, Ainz and Laeticia? Seeing that would probably be the best gift Gazef could receive before heading off to the afterlife.

"...Angels, kill Gazef Stronoff."

Countless wings moved in response to that cold, cruel order.

Gazef steeled himself, preparing to run forward, when suddenly a voice came past him:

—Looks like it's about time to switch.

In an instant the scenery before Gazef changed, and he was no longer on that bloodsoaked plain. Instead, he was in the corner of what looked like a simple village hut.

There were worried-looking villagers all around him.

"This, this is..."

"This is a warehouse that lady Laeticia has protected with her magic."

"So you're the Chief Villager, sir Ainz or sir Sieg does not seem to be here and wear is lady Laeticia?"

"No, he was here just a moment ago, but he seems to have vanished without a trace, and in his place, you appeared, Chief Warrior."

I see, so the voice in my head was...

Gazef allowed himself to relax. He would have no part to play in what would come next. Gazef collapsed to the ground, and the villagers hurriedly drew closer.

The Six Scriptures. They were an enemy that even Gazef Stronoff, the strongest warrior in the region, could not hope to defeat.

Yet, he could not even begin to imagine that Ainz would lose.

—

There was no trace of the intense battle that had taken place earlier on the plains.

The light of the setting sun covered up the blood staining the grass, and the stench of blood was blown away by the wind.

There were two figures on the plains who had not originally been there.

Nigun of the Slaine Theocracy's special operations unit — the Sunlight Scripture — looked at them with perturbation in his eyes.

One of them was dressed like an arcane magic caster. He wore an evil-looking mask to hide his face, and a pair of iron gauntlets on his hands. He wore a expensive-looking black robe, suggesting he was a person of some status.

The other was a lean and tall white haired man who wears a golden armor and red tatter caped. He wield a lance of pure shining gold that resemble a sun at it end. The gears that he wore left Nìgun puzzle, he could not comprehend the power that was radiating off those gears.

Beside him was the most beautiful woman he had ever layer eyes on, she wore shelves armor of the highest quality he'd had ever seen. With gold hair and pure amethyst eyes that gleams and shine as the sunset on the horizon. Her beauty left him and his men speechless and the setting sun was just adding to her holy glow, making her more beautiful.

He quickly shook his head and focused.

The other one was dressed in a suit of jet-black full plate armor. It looked very impressive, and it was certainly some sort of masterwork magic item. One look at the exterior was enough to tell that it was a high-end magic item.

The beleaguered Gazef and his men were gone without a trace. In their place were these two mysterious individuals. It seemed to be some kind of teleportation magic, but he had no idea what kind of spell had been used here. He had to be wary of the mysterious magic caster.

Nigun called the angels back, ordering them to form a defensive perimeter on their side. His assiduous gaze studied their movements, and then the magic caster stepped forward:

"Pleased to meet you, gentlemen of the Slaine Theocracy. I am Ainz Ooal Gown. but please call me Ainz."

He was some distance away from them, but the wind carried his voice over clearly.

Nigun did not respond, and thus the mysterious man called Ainz continued:

"The person behind me is called Albedo and to my side are my friends Sieg and Leticia, I would like to make a deal with you if I could. Might I have a moment of your time?"

Nigun tried to attach some meaning to the name Ainz Ooal Gown, but it was no use. It might be an alias. Perhaps trying to glean some information from him would be more productive. With that, Nigun raised his chin, indicating that Ainz should continue.

"Wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me. Then, I would like to start by making one thing clear to you gentlemen. That would be — there is no way you can defeat me."

He could hear the absolute confidence in that statement. This was not a bluff or a boast. This was something that the man Ainz Ooal Gown believed from the bottom of his heart.

Nigun furrowed his brows.

In the Slaine Theocracy, nobody would dare speak in such a way to their betters.

"Ignorance is truly deplorable. You will pay the price for your foolishness."

"...Really now. Do you really think that will happen? I observed your battle earlier, so my presence here would indicate that I am confident of victory. After all, if I was not sure that I could beat you, would it not be wiser for me to leave that man to die?" Sieg said with an arrogant smile as he stepped in front of Ainz.

Though nigun did want to admit it, this man was right.

An arcane magic caster would be better suited to different kinds of confrontations. Arcaners, sorcerers, and wizards could only use light armor, so they would want to avoid melee combat, using 「Fly」 to repeatedly launch 「Fireballs」 and other such spells from afar. Yet Ainz had chosen to face them head-on. He must have a trick up his sleeve.

After a period of silence, Sieg spoke "I have a question for you, if you can understand it. The angels you have brought with you should have been summoned by third tier magic. Am I correct?"

He was stating the obvious.

Sieg went on, ignoring Nigun's puzzled expression.

"The monsters you summoned are similar to those in YGGDRASIL, so I was curious as to whether the names were the same. Many of YGGDRASIL's monsters were derived from mythology… monsters like angels or demons should be no exception. Said angels and demons are most commonly associated with Christianity, but it seems quite unnatural that something called an archangel exists in a world without Christianity. That would mean someone like myself must exist in this world."

Nigun had no idea what Sieg was talking about and his ire was rising. He asked "That's enough of your self-absorbed prattle. Now tell me; where is Stronoff?"

"I teleported him to the village."

"...What?"

Nigun had not expected Leticia to answer. He thought of why Leticia would say that and replied "How foolish. Even if you tell a lie like that, a quick search of the village will—"

"—It is not a lie. I merely answered your question. Well, there is another reason for why I answered your question."

"...Could it be that you want to beg for mercy? If you help us save some time, I can consider it" Nigun smile an evil smile and look at Leticia with lust "or maybe you can be a-" before he finish is sentence Sieg cuts in.

'I am going to kill you'

"Nonono… well… the truth is, I overheard your conversation with the Chief Warrior. You really have a lot of balls don't you."

Sieg calm tone changed suddenly, and he continued speaking as he looked at the mocking Nigun.

"To think you would dare say that you would massacre the villagers that I and my friends, took the time to personally rescue. I cannot think of anything that is more offensive than that."

Sieg cape rippled in the wind. That same wind blew across Nigun and company.

The cold wind just happened to be blowing from Sieg direction, but Nigun hurriedly brushed away the phantom image that loomed in front of him. Yes, that vision of death before him must have been an illusion.

"...What, what do you mean by "offensive", magic caster? What of it?"

Although he was obviously frightened, Nigun did not change his mocking tone.

He was the commander of one of the Slaine Theocracy's secret weapons, the Sunlight Scripture. How could he be afraid of a single man's name? It was impossible. It could not be possible.

Yet—

"I mentioned a deal earlier. These are the terms. You will hand your lives over to me without resistance. In exchange you will not have to suffer. However, if you put up a fight, then the price you fools shall pay is to die in despair and agony." Ainz joined the conversation.

Ainz took a step forward.

It was just a single step, but Ainz's body seemed to swell massively before their eyes. Cowed by him, the men of the Sunlight Scripture reflexively took a step back.

"Ahh…"

Several hoarse cries came from around Nigun.

They were cries of fear.

His presence was filled with unimaginable power. This was the first time Nigun had been faced with such might. Therefore, he could understand his men's fear.

Nigun was a powerful individual himself, a veteran of many battles who had grazed the edge of death countless times, who had taken many lives. He could feel the might radiating from the mysterious magic caster, an oppressive, potent pressure. It must have been worse for his men.

What kind of being are these people!?

What was the true identity of these magic casters? Who was the man beneath the mask?

Once more, Ainz ignored Nigun's panic and spoke coldly.

"That is why I did not lie to you and answered your question honestly. It is because there is no point in lying to those that are about to die."

Ainz spread his arms and took another step forward. He looked like he was about to hug them, but his evil-looking fingers reminded them of a lunging monster.

A thrill of cold ran from the bottoms of Nigun's feet to the top of his head. He had felt this countless times in his struggles along the edge of life and death. It was a sign of impending doom.

"Have the angels charge him! Don't let him get close!"

Nigun's voice broke slightly as he shouted his orders. It sounded more like a scream.

It was not to raise his men's spirits. He was simply afraid of Ainz Ooal Gown, Sieg and Leticia.

Three Archangel Flames flapped their wings in response to Nigun's command, launching an attack.

The angels flew straight up to Ainz, Sieg and Leticia and stabbed at them with their flaming swords.

Albedo, who was standing behind him, should have blocked that attack. And so all of the Sunlight Scripture, who had been predicting that course of action, could not believe their eyes. It was not that anything happened. On the contrary—

Nothing happened.

Indeed, the people on the opposite ends took no action. They simply allowed the angels to run them through. They did not dodge, block, cast a spell, or have his follower intercept it. Nothing happened.

Their shock became mockery.

That act, pretending to be some mighty figure, was nothing but a bluff. It was not that Albedo did not wish to block it, but that Albedo could not respond in time to the high-speed attack of the Archangel Flame. Now that the truth was out, they did not seem like anything special at all.

His men breathed sighs of relief. Nigun, who felt quite silly for being so afraid, turned to Albedo.

"How unsightly. To think he would try to scare us with a bluff…"

Suddenly, a question came to mind.

Why wasn't their corpse not falling?

"...What are you doing? Call back the angels. He can't fall down with those swords stuck in him."

"But, but we've already given the order."

His subordinates' confused voices startled Nigun, and he looked at Ainz, Sieg and Leticia again.

The angels were desperately flapping their wings, like butterflies caught in a spider's web.

The three angels slowly moved to the side. However, their movements were very strange. It looked as though someone was pushing them aside.

Following that, the body of Ainz — which had been blocked by the angels — appeared once more from the gap between them.

"...I told you, didn't I? There is no way you gentlemen can defeat me. Shouldn't you heed the warnings of others?"

The calm voice filtered into Nigun's ears.

He could not comprehend the sight before him.

He was stabbed through his chest and abdomen, but Ainz was still standing, as though nothing were wrong.

He looked to the others standing by Ainz side and saw the same thing.

"Impossible…" one of Nigun subordinates moaned, giving voice to the words in Nigun's heart.

Judging from the angle of the angels' swords, they had to be fatal wounds. Even so, these people did not seem to be in any pain.

That was not the only shocking thing.

Ainz, Sieg and Leticia was gripping each of the angels by the throat. The angels struggled against him, but they did not let them go.

"Impossible…t-this can't be possible..."

Someone was muttering to themselves. Angels summoned from magic had bodies created from their summoners' mana, so they were definitely not light. They weighed more than a grown man, and then there was the weight of their armor to consider as well. There was no way they could be lifted up by the throat so easily.

Granted, a well-trained warrior, with a stout and muscular body, might be able to do it. But the people before him, Ainz, Sieg and Leticia were magic caster who should have focused on training his intellect and arcane powers over honing his physique. Even if he were enhanced by magic, he would not be able to do anything if his base strength was low to begin with.

Then, why was this happening? Why did he seem completely unfazed, even after being impaled?

"...There must be some sort of trick."

"Ah, definitely, how could anyone be fine after being run through by a sword!?"

Panic and fear spread through the Slaine Theocracy's special forces unit. They were all veterans of numerous battles and had experienced many dangers in the past, but this was a sight they had never seen before. Not even the angels that Nigun could summon were capable of such a feat.

The doubtful mutterings about how he did not seem to be in pain and was speaking normally crept into Nigun's ears.

"High Tier Physical Nullification — a passive skill that negates the attacks of weapons with low data content and low tier monsters' attacks. It only protects against attacks of up to level sixty — in other words, attacks above level sixty can harm me. It is an all-or-nothing ability… to think it would actually see use here. Well then… these angels are in the way."

Holding an angel in one hand, the Supreme Beings slammed them both into the ground simultaneously. There was a thunderous crash, and the earth trembled from the impact — a testament to their supernatural strength.

The angels died instantly, reverting to countless dancing motes of light which vanished into the air. Of course, the swords stuck in Sieg, Ainz and Leticia vanished as well.

"If I learn how you named these angels, I can then understand how you can all use spells from YGGDRASIL. But let us leave this aside for now."

As Ainz slowly straightened up, he was still talking about things which nobody could understand.

However, that only intensified the Sunlight Scripture's fear of his mysterious power.

Nigun gulped.

"All right, we'll end these pointless games here. Are you satisfied? Since it looks like you aren't willing to accept the deal, then it shall be my turn." Sieg said with a dark tone that send a chill down the spine of the Theocracy soldiers.

Sieg opened those hands of his, those hands which had crushed an angels to death. He seemed to be showing them that he had nothing in them.

His voice carried clearly through the bone-chilling silence, into the ears of everyone present.

"Are you ready? —It'll be a massacre."

A sudden spike of cold pierced his spine, followed by a surge of nausea. Nigun, the hardened killer who had presided over many slaughters, was now feeling something that he had never felt before.

He had to run. He had no way of beating Ainz, so doing battle with him would be very dangerous.

However, Nigun struggled to shake that feeling away. He had cornered his prey Gazef — how could he watch him get away now?

Still, a warning resonated from the depths of his soul. Nigun shouted his order:

"All angels, attack! Hurry!"

Every one of the Archangel Flames shot toward Sieg like bullets.

"What a lively lot… guys step back."

Nigun could hear the cool, calm voice of someone who was being attacked by angels, but did not care. Sieg was surrounded by so many angels that nobody could even see him, yet still his voice did not carry even the slightest hint of worry.

It looked like he would be impaled by countless blades — no, Sieg spell took effect before that.

"[MANA SUN-BURST]."

The air shuddered.

A wave of red scorching flame erupted from Sieg, like the sun itself exploded before them. It only lasted for an instant, but it had an immediate and obvious effect.

"Im-Impossible…"

Someone muttered those words, carried by the wind. They could not believe what was happening before their eyes.

The angels, over forty of them, had been annihilated by the blazing flame.

Their opponent had not used dispel magic to neutralize the summons. The angels that were blown away by the black wave had taken damage. In other words, Sieg had used a powerful spell to wipe out all the angels in one fell swoop.

Nigun could not help but tremble. He recalled the words of the Kingdom's strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff.

"...Hmph, you fool. In that village… is a man who is stronger than me. His power is unfathomable, but he could take you all out by himself… Trying to kill… the villagers he protects… is impossible for you."

The scene before him proved the truth of those words.

Nigun erased those words from his mind, trying desperately to bring himself over.

Nigun knew that the members of the strongest special ops group, the Black Scripture, could also eliminate this many angels. In other words, all he had to do was treat Ainz as an opponent on their level. While he might be as strong as a member of the Black Scripture, he had the advantage of numbers on his side, so victory was still possible.

However, could those members of the Black Scripture take care of all these angels with just one spell?

Nigun shook his head to clear away his doubts. He could not think of that question. If he got his answer, then he would truly be done for. Therefore Nigun reached inside his coat, and touched the item within to give himself courage.

He fervently believed that as long as he held it, everything would be fine.

However, his subordinates did not have the same source of moral support that he did.

"U-Uwaaaah!"

"What, what the hell!?"

"It's a monster!"

Once they realized their angels were useless, they wailed and fell back upon the spells that they knew and trusted.

"「Charm Person」, 「Iron Hammer of Righteousness」, 「Hold」, 「Fire Rain」, 「Emerald Sarcophagus」, 「Holy Ray」, 「Shockwave」, 「Confusion」, 「Charge of Stalagmite]」 「Open Wounds」, 「Poison」, 「Fear」, 「Word of Curse」, 「Blindness」..."

All kinds of spells rained down on Sieg.

Yet, even as the storm of magic lashed against him, Sieg was unmoved.

"Well, all of these are familiar spells… who taught them to you? The Slaine Theocracy? Someone else? There are more and more things I want to ask you now."

Not only could he slaughtered all their summoned angels in one move, their spells were also incapable of harming him.

Nigun felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.

"Hyaaaaah—!"

One of the men screamed wildly as he saw that his spells were ineffective. In desperation, he pulled out a sling and loaded it with a bullet. Although Nigun doubted the effectiveness of such a projectile when even an angel's sword was useless, he did not stop the man.

The bullet that could easily shatter bone sped toward Sieg.

It was followed by a sound. That sound was like an explosion.

An instant.

It had happened in an instant.

Since they were in battle, they could not take their eyes off their target. However, Albedo — who should have been behind the three — had moved in a mysterious way in front of Sieg to defend him. The source of the apparent explosion was because she had violently kicked off the ground to get to where she was.

With a speed that the eye could not even see, Albedo swung her bardiche, tracing a beautiful curve of the weapon's sickly green light in the air.

After that, the man with the sling slowly collapsed to the ground.

"...Huh?"

Nobody knew what had happened. They were the ones who had launched the attack, yet the result was completely opposite — one of them had fallen instead.

One of the men went over to inspect his dead comrade, and he shouted.

"His, his head's been smashed in!"

"...What? Smashed… don't tell me it's the sling bullet he threw!"

Why had he been killed by his own projectile?

Just then, the wind carried a voice into the puzzled Nigun's ears.

"My apologies, It would seem my subordinate used a combination of the Missile Parry and Counter Arrow skills to return your projectile to your man. I believe you have some sort of magic which defends against ranged attacks on your persons. That would mean an attack that is stronger than the defense will break through it, no? It's hardly worth panicking about."

After his explanation, Ainz paid no attention to Nigun, and turned to Albedo.

"Although, Albedo, you should know that ranged weapons like that will not be able to harm him. There was no need to—"

"—Please wait, Lord Ainz. Anyone who wishes to do battle with a Supreme Being must have a certain degree of strength. A sling bullet like that was nothing more than an insult to lord Sieg, these men are pebble fighting a mountains!"

"Haha, so, that means Nigun and his lackeys fail the test, then?"

"Ngk! Puh! Principality of Observation! Get him!"

In response to Nigun's orders, the angel that had been standing by up till now suddenly spread its wings and flapped, propelling itself forward.

The Principality of Observation was an angel in full body armor. It held a mace in one hand and a round shield in the other. A garment that looked like a long skirt covered its legs.

The Principality of Observation was stronger than the Archangel Flames, but it had not been deployed into battle until now because of its special skill. In accordance with its name, the Principality of Observation had the ability to raise the defense of all its allies. However, this ability lost its effect once the angel moved, so the wise decision would be to order the Principality of Observation to hold its ground.

The fact that Nigun had ordered it to attack was a sign that he was grasping at straws. He had to clutch at anything which might turn out to be a lifeline, even if it ended up being chaff.

"Thank you Albedo, but it time for you to fall back." Laeticia command as she walked forward.

As ordered, the angel drew up in front of Sieg, but was now black by Laeticia. The angel raised its shining mace. Laeticia nonchalantly reached out her gauntleted left hand to meet the attack.

While it would not have been surprising for that strike to shatter bone, Laeticia hand was fine. She casually took the subsequent hits as they came.

"Good grief… I guess it's my turn now [HOLY FLAME]."

A small, wobbling mote of golden flame emerged from one of the fingers of Laeticia right hand. It looked so feeble that anyone could blow it out if they wanted. It touched the body of the Principality of Observation, and looked terribly laughable against the glittering body of the angel.

But then—

The Principality of Observation was consumed by a gold fire, so intense that even Nigun, a good distance away, could feel the heat. He could barely keep his eyes open.

The angel's body melted and vanished amidst the sky-scorching golden flames, without so much as a chance to resist. The flames that devoured the angel vanished with their target.

No traces were left behind. The previous scene — that of the angel's attack and the black conflagration — felt like they had been illusions, like they had never happened.

"How, how could this be."

"In just one hit…"

"Hiiiiiiii!"

"Im-Im-Impossible!" Nigun shouted amidst his confusion.

He did not even know he was shouting. He was simply converting his thoughts into words. It did not feel like shouting to him.

The Principality of Observation was a high tier angel whose offensive and defensive strength was in a 3:7 ratio. It boasted the strongest defense of all other angels in its tier.

In addition, Nigun's natural-born talent, 「Enhance Summoned Monster」, could improve the stats of any monster Nigun summoned. As a result, there were very few people who could defeat a Principality of Observation summoned by Nigun.

Nigun had never seen anyone defeat it with just one spell. Even the Black Scripture, whose members' power pressed against the limits of humanity, could not do it. In other words, these people's power exceeded that of mankind.

"It can't be! It's impossible! Nobody can defeat a high tier angel with just one spell! What kind of woman are you!? It's impossible that nobody's heard of you before! What is your real name!?"

There was no trace of calm left in Nigun, just his wild screaming in the hope of denying reality.

Ainz spread his hands once more. Under the light of the setting sun, looked like they were drenched in blood.

"...Why do you think it is impossible? Is that not just the result of your ignorance? Or do you mean to say that this is all you know of the world? There is only one thing I can do to answer your question."

Silenced reigned in the air as they awaited the answer. Ainz's voice was as clear as a bell:

"My name is Ainz Ooal Gown. That is definitely not an alias"

In the face of Ainz's arrogance, Nigun was unable to rebut what he was hearing. It was something he did not understand from a man he did not know. That was the situation he was in.

Nigun was starting to get annoyed by his rapid breathing.

The sound of grass rustling in the wind was annoying too. His heartbeat sounded especially loud. He was breathing heavily, like he had been running for a long time.

Words of reassurance began appearing in his head. However, the sight of Ainz being stabbed with swords, as well as his mass slaughter of angels with just one spell, were telling Nigun something else.

—That is a monster beyond my wildest imaginings. I could never hope to defeat it.

"Cap-Captain, what, what should we do...?"

"Figure it out yourself! I'm not your mother!"

Nigun only managed to calm down after he could no longer see the face of the man he was shouting at.

Losing his cool in front of an unknown monster like this was a very bad thing.

The sun was slowly falling below the horizon, and darkness threatened to swallow the world. It felt like Death itself was opening its maw to devour everything. Nigun tried to force his fear back, and gave an order:

"Protect me! Protect me if you want to live!"

Nigun brought the crystal out in his trembling hand. His subordinates, usually vigorous and nimble, were chained down by fear and their movements were slow. Even these fearless men would hesitate when ordered to become a shield against a monster like the one which stood before them. However, he had to have them buy him some time, no matter what.

The magic sealed within the crystal could summon the most powerful angel known to man. It was an angel that had single-handedly destroyed a Demon God that rampaged throughout the land two hundred years ago.

It was an angel of the highest order, that could easily destroy a city.

Casting the spell to summon that angel again required an incalculable amount of money and manpower, but Ainz Ooal Gown, this mysterious being, was worthy of being eliminated by its power. More importantly, it would be worse if the crystal was taken without the spell being cast.

This was what Nigun told himself.

He concealed his fear that he would become a lump of meat like his deceased underling.

"I am going to summon an angel of the highest order, hurry up and buy me some time!"

Once they realized the truth, his subordinates moved swiftly.

Ainz, who was facing them, should have noticed the flames of hope blazing up. However, he made no move, instead babbling about some nonsense to himself.

"...Could that be a spell-sealing crystal… and from its brilliance, it should be something that can seal anything except a super tier spell. So they have a YGGDRASIL item like that as well… that being the case, what kind of angel can they summon… Seraph class? Sieg wonders 'if so this is bad'

"Albedo, your skill is now required. While I don't think they can bring out a Seraph Aesphere, if they manage to summon a Seraph Empyrean, we will have to fight them seriously. Or rather… could it be a monster unique to this world?"

"As you will lord Sieg!" Albedo stepped in front of Sieg and prepared her weapon.

While Sieg held his ground, Nigun ritually broke the crystal in his hand, and a brilliant radiance spilled forth.

A hidden sun seemed to have risen upon the land, dying the grass a blinding white. A dull fragrance filtered into everyone's noses.

The legendary angel descended upon the earth, and Nigun exulted:

"Behold! The glorious visage of the highest angel! Dominion Authority!"

It was a mass of many shining wings, and among them were a pair of arms that held a scepter, symbolizing royal authority, but neither its head nor legs were visible. Though it looked quite disturbing, anyone could tell this was a sacred being. In the moment it appeared, the surrounding air turned bright and clear.

The advent of this supreme incarnation of goodness drew wild cheers from everyone who saw it. The blood of Nigun men boiled with excitement.

Now, they could kill these beings.

This time, he would be the one to be afraid.

He would learn his foolishness before the power of the gods.

In the face of their jubilance, the three barely managed to get a sentence out:

"This… this is it?"

"This is what you call getting serious…?"

"This is your ace in the hole that you were planning to use on us?"

As he saw the three shocked faces, Nigun, who had been extremely uneasy, breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, his heart was filled with joy as he replied:

"Indeed! Your fear is only natural. After all, this is what an angel of the highest order looks like. While using it here seems like a bit of a waste, I have determined that you are worthy of it!"

"How could this be…"

Sieg slowly raised his hand and covered his face. To Nigun, it looked like a gesture of despair.

"Ainz Ooal Gown, Sieg and Laeticia, the truth is, you deserve respect for forcing me to summon this most exalted of angels. Be proud of your fearsome strength, magic caster!"

Nigun nodded deeply, and continued:

"Personally speaking, I would like to bring you into our fold. If you are truly that powerful… however, I am not allowed to do so on this mission. At the very least, I shall remember you — the magic caster who made me decide to summon this mighty angel."

However, the response to Nigun's praise was a cold voice:

"Really… this is ridiculous." Sieg aura flared.

"W-w-what?"

Nigun had no idea what Sieg was saying. To Nigun, Sieg was little more than a sacrifice to the highest order of angels, which humanity could not possibly defeat. Yet, his attitude seemed too relaxed for that.

"I can't believe I was on guard against such child's play… my apologies, Albedo. I made you use your skill for nothing." Ainz sigh with relief and disappointment.

"Please, do not say that, supreme one. We did not know what manner of monster they might have called forth, so it was prudent to reduce the chances of injury."

"Is that so…? No, you're right. It's just that I did not expect this to be all. It was quite unexpected." Laeticia commented.

Nigun's mind could not keep up with their patronizing banter.

"How can you act like that in front of the angel of the highest order!?" Nigun shouted, He could not believe that they were chatting leisurely and completely ignoring Dominion Authority.

Their calm attitude of absolute superiority made the surging joy in Nigun's heart vanish. In its place was terror and unease.

Could it be that these people are more powerful than this mightiest of angels?

"No! Impossible! It cannot be! Nobody can be stronger than the highest-placed of the angels! This is a being which can defeat a Demon God! In the face of a foe that humanity cannot beat — it's a bluff! It must be a bluff!"

It would seem Nigun could no longer control his emotions.

He could not, would not acknowledge this. He could not believe that a man who could defeat Dominion Authority was not only an enemy of the Slaine Theocracy, but was standing right in front of him.

"Use it! Use 「Holy Smite」!"

This was the magic of the seventh tier and above, a realm humanity could not reach. Even the large-scale rituals in the Slaine Theocracy could not cast it, but this most exalted of angels, Dominion Authority, could do it by itself. That was why it was ranked among the highest order of all angels.

The magic that Nigun ordered to be cast, the seventh tier 「Holy Smite」, was such a mighty spell.

"I get it, I get it. Hurry up and make your move. I won't do anything. That should satisfy you, right?" Sieg tiredly said with disappointment present in his voice.

However, Sieg relaxed attitude was like a pedestrian letting another person walk past him.

His casual attitude filled Nigun with fear.

This angel of the highest order had once defeated the Demon Gods of legends. Its omnipotent power was enough to qualify it as the mightiest being on the continent. It was invincible.

Yet, if someone could defeat it...

If the mysterious magic caster before him could do it, it would mean that this mysterious person was a far stronger being than a Demon God.

Such a person could not exist.

In response to its Summoner's wish to use its most powerful attack, Dominion Authority shattered its scepter. The fragments rose up into the air and slowly orbited its body.

"I see. So this is a once-per-summoning special skill that it uses to augment its spell power. It would seem this Dominion is about the same as the one in YGGDRASIL…" Laeticia said.

「Holy Smite」.

The spell was cast, and a pillar of light broke through the sky.

With a loud whoosh, a seemingly endless cascade of holy blue-white radiance flooded down from the heavens, submerging Ainz, who simply raised one arm to shade his eyes.

The seventh tier of magic — a height humanity could not hope to attain.

This sacred power would annihilate all evil beings, and even good entities would meet the same fate. The difference was only if they were reduced to sightless atoms, or if there would actually be remains left behind. This was the awesome power of magic that exceeded the realm of humanity.

No, it would be strange if that were not the case.

Yet — he was still there.

Ainz Ooal Gown, the monster, was not blasted into glowing ash, sprawled on the ground, or pulverized into meat jelly, but he was still standing nonchalantly, and even laughing:

"—Hahahahaha, as expected of magic that has extra effect on those of evil alignment… so this is what taking damage feels like… pain, is it? I see, I see! Still, even though I feel pain, my mind is clear, and my ability to act is not affected at all." Sieg and Ainz said.

The pillar of light vanished. It had not had any effect.

"Wonderful, I've concluded another experiment." Sieg smiled.

His voice sounded indifferent… no, it would be more accurate to say that he was satisfied.

Nigun and company thought that way, and the smiles on their faces froze.

However, one person was filled with anger.

"You, you inferior lifeforms!"

Albedo's shout ripped through the air.

"You inferior lifeforms! How, how dare you do such a thing to my beloved masters, You pieces of trash, how dare you cause pain to the man I love, my master!? Do not think that I will allow you to die so easily! I will have you taste the greatest suffering this world has to offer until you go mad from agony! I will melt off your limbs with acid, cut off your genitals, and feed them to you as mincemeat! Then I will heal you and do it again! Ahhhhhhhh! I WILL MAKE YOU KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF HELLLLLLL!—"

Her arms, clawing at her head and sheathed in black armor, were writhing.

It felt like the world was distorting, with her at the center. A wave of world-twisting, courage-sapping malice smashed into them like a hurricane.

Something seemed to be crawling under that black armor, like there was an enormous creature that was about to break through the plates and reveal itself. Nigun knew this was happening, but there was nothing he could do but stand there and watch the emergence of a monster that would pollute the world.

'I finally get why they were so nervous around Albedo that night I arrive here…' Laeticia thought as look at Albedo who continue to cures and threaten to do unspeakable things to these men.

[MESSAGE] 'Hey Momonga your the only one that can stop this now'

'W-what don't just through this all to me!'

'Your the one that changed her setting…'

'...'

Only one person in this world could rein her in now. Ainz raised his hand and quietly said.

"That's enough, Albedo."

Those words were enough to stop Albedo in her tracks.

"...But, but Lord Ainz, these inferior lifeforms…"

"—It's fine, Albedo… everything has gone according to my predictions, aside from the weakness of the angels. What else is there to be angry about?"

As Albedo heard this, she raised a hand to her breast and bowed in acknowledgement.

"...As expected of you Lord Ainz, your insight is truly fitting of the title fathomless I am in awe."

"Nonono, the truth is, I'm quite glad that you would be worried and angry for me. However… your um… charming smile is far more preferable."

"Gufu—! Char-Charming! —Cough, thank you, Lord Ainz!"

"Now then, I'm sorry you had to wait for so long."

Nigun, who was stunned by their easy-going back and forth, finally managed to recover enough of his senses to shout:

"I know it… I know your true identities! — Demon Gods! You must be Demon Gods."

There were scant few intelligent beings that Nigun knew of, which could stand on par with the highest tier angels:

The Six Gods which Nigun believed in

The kings of the mighty draconic races — the Dragon Lords.

The legendary monster who could destroy an entire country — Landfall.

And one more — the Demon Gods.

He had heard that the Thirteen Heroes had defeated and sealed away the Demon Gods. Judging by that wave of evil from just now, that must have been a Demon God about to break its seal.

At the same time, Nigun had the faint hope that if they were Demon Gods, then Dominion Authority might still have a chance to win.

"One more time! Use 「Holy Smite」!"

Ainz said that the spell had hurt. That meant that he had been injured. It might mean that he had trouble just standing up.

Countless "What ifs" and "Might" popped up in Nigun's mind. Without them, he would go mad.

However, Laeticia would not permit a second attack.

"That quit enough [AUTHORITY OF GOD]!" Laeticia activated one of her class skills which derive from her class in [God Hand]. This ability allows her to control any low or mid tier holy creatures.

Dominos Authority stop and turned to Nigun and his men.

"So you think that this can kill us, don't make me laugh, now know despair…"

Karna hand burst into crimson flame, four giant swords made of flame spawn from above Dominos Authority, the blades stabbed the angel through it body, tiring it apart but now before the blade exploded and arumpt into a pillar resembling the Inferno of hell.

The flame swallowed everything.

It was so underwhelming that it made them stare in dumbfounded silence. It might even be laughable. But they could no longer see it.

As the radiance of Dominion Authority vanished, the light drained from the surroundings.

There was only the sound of the hot wind blowing across the plains. And then a hoarse cry broke the silence.

"Who… are you people…" Nigun asked these these impossible beings again. "I have never heard the name of a magic caster called Ainz Ooal Gown nor Sieg and Laeticia before… no, there can't be someone who could destroy the highest ranked angel in one blow! Someone like that should not exist..."

Nigun shook his head powerlessly.

"All I know is that you are far beyond a Demon God… this is unbelievable… who exactly are you!?"

"...Like I said, I am Ainz Ooal Gown. In the past, there was who did not fear this name... Well, I guess we've spent enough time on idle chatter. Going on would only be pointless. Also, just so we don't waste each other's time, there is an anti-teleport effect surrounding me, and my subordinates are waiting in ambush. You have nowhere to run."

The sun set completely, and darkness swallowed the land.

Nigun knew that this was the end. This was an unassailable reality. Just as his subordinates fell into despair one after the other, cracks appeared in the sky, like the breaking of a pot. They vanished in an instant, and the scenery has returned to normal.

As confusion washed over Nigun, Ainz answered:

"Good grief… you know, you should thank me. It would seem someone was using divination magic to keep an eye on you, but because I was in the spell's effective range, my anti-scrying offensive barrier activated, and you were not observed. Really, if I had known, I would have linked a higher tier attack spell to it."

Those words filled Nigun's eyes with realization.

The Slaine Theocracy must have been spying on him.

"A widened 「Explosion」 might not be enough to teach them how to behave… oh well, things being as they are, playtime is over."

A wave of cold ran through Nigun as he picked up the hidden meaning in those words.

He, who had always been the oppressor, was now going to become one of the oppressed.

He was filled with an incomparable fear. The fear that he, who had taken countless lives in the past, was now going to have his own life taken. His subordinates saw his terrified expression and it frightened them as well.

He was on the verge of tears.

He wanted to kneel down and loudly begged for his life, but Ainz did not look like a compassionate man nor Sieg and Laeticia. Thus, Nigun fought back the urge to weep, trying his best to look for a way to survive. But no matter how he thought, he could not think of any way to get help from the outside. Therefore, his only hope was to throw himself on the mercy of Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Wait, wait a bit! Sir Ainz, no, Lord Ainz! Please wait, we, no, I wish to make a deal with you! I guarantee you will not be disappointed! As long as you spare me, I will give you any amount of money you want!"

He could see his shocked subordinates out of the corner of his eye, but they were no longer relevant to him. The thing that mattered now was his own life. Everything else was of secondary importance.

Besides, he could find more subordinates, but his own self was irreplaceable.

Ignoring the countless angry voices of his men, Nigun continued:

"It must be difficult to satisfy the tastes of such a great magic caster as yourself, but I will definitely prepare enough money to please you! I have a position of some power in my country, so they will definitely pay any price to ransom me! Of course, if you desire anything else, I will do my best to meet your wishes! So I beg you! Please spare my life!"

Nigun panted as he finished his monologue.

"What, what about it my lord?!"

A delicate, gentle woman's voice responded to Nigun's desperate plea:

"Did you not already reject the compassionate offer of the Supreme One?"

"That is!"

"...I know what you want to say. You wanted to beg for your life because accepting his proposition would also mean your death. Am I correct?"

The black-helmeted head shook, as though it was tired of talking.

"You seem to have gotten the wrong idea. Since Lord Ainz, who holds the power of life and death in Nazarick, has already stated his will, inferior lifeforms like you humans should lower your heads and gratefully await the taking of your life."

Albedo's forceful words were backed by an adamant resolve.

She's mad. This woman is mad. Nigun, who realized this, looked hopefully to Sieg and Laeticia.

Sieg had been quietly listening to them. When he realized that Nigun was waiting for his decision, he shook his head in exasperation and said:

"Indeed… it is as she says. Cease your pointless struggles and lie down like a good dog. As a final act of mercy, I will kill you without drawing out your suffering."

—

As they three walked along the night-veiled plains, Ainz raised his head. What greeted him was the beautiful sight of stars in the sky.

Ainz sighed at the scenery for the second time, and then he headed back to the village.

He had gone a little overboard.

As long as his friend was by his side, he could not afford to appear useless to them. Have Albedo there didn't help either, as her master, he needed to act in a fitting manner in front of his subordinates. While he might have gone a bit too far, it still fit the role he was playing.

He did not know if he had passed or failed, but it would be fine as long as Albedo was not disappointed.

Ainz could not see Albedo's expression of, Damn, the supreme ones was so cool, especially Lord Ainz meme hemm~ under her closed helmet. Since he could not tell what she was thinking, he went over the day's proceedings once more.

"Still, my lord, may I ask why you save Gazef?"

Why indeed? Sieg could not articulate his feelings at that time, so he tried to approximate them for her:

"This was a problem we caused, so shouldn't we try and settle it ourselves?"

"Then why did you give him that item?"

"I was laying the foundation for future plans. Letting him hold it would be a good thing for me."

In truth Ainz had given Gazef a cash item from YGGDRASIL, but he had a great many of them. Although he could not replenish his stock of them, giving one away was not a great loss.

In addition, Ainz was actually happy to have less of those items.

That was because those were consolation prizes from the 500 yen gacha draws, which reminded Ainz of how profligate he had been with his spending and his poor lifestyle then. In addition, while he had spent countless 500 yen coins on finally getting the ultra rare item that was the top prize, his former comrade Yamaiko had gotten it on the first try. The impact of that incident cast an indelible shadow in Ainz's heart.

He had wanted to throw those consolation prizes away, but when he thought of the 500 yen it had cost… he could not bear to wastefully dispose of it.

"Well, it doesn't matter who ends up with that item in the end, or if it ends up being used or not. It's no loss to me."

"...Would it not have been best to let me take care of things? There was no need to trouble yourself my lord, to personally aid those inferior lifeforms… surrounding them was hardly a difficult task, which is why I submit that you did not need to personally take the field."

"Is that so…"

Without a device to measure power levels, that was all Ainz could say in response.

In YGGDRASIL, one could determine the strength of an enemy by the color of their names. Beyond that, one could only rely on information from one's friends and walkthrough sites.

Ainz Sieg and Laeticia could not help but feel nostalgic.

If only I had learned some divination-type spells — Ainz thought, with a hint of regret. Of course, he did not know if those spells could be used here. However, if he could, then he would not have to be as nervous as he was now.

Still, there was no point worrying about what he did not have. Ainz decided to think of something else:

"Look Albedo, we know your strength, and we trust you devotion, however, I would like you to discard such shallow thinking and remember that an enemy who is stronger than myself could appear at any time. This is especially true given that we do not quite understand this world… so I hoped Gazef could do our work for us." Sieg said as turned to look at Albedo.

"I see… so you used him as a pawn to feel out the enemy's strength. It is quite fitting to use inferior lifeforms like humans in that way."

'Close enough…' the three sigh.

The three of them had once been a human being, and now they were monsters, an undead, a demon and an Angel. The three already had sensed that Albedo hated humans very much. However, it did not upset them or make them feel depressed. Rather, they felt that such thoughts were quite suitable for the inhuman Guardian Overseer of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

"...Indeed. However, that is not all. Since we saved him at the brink of death, he will be even more grateful to us. In addition, since the enemy was a special forces unit, the country's higher-ups will not investigate the matter too openly. That was why we stepped in." Laeticia explained.

"Ah… as expected of you my Lady... so that was why you took the commander and the others alive. Marvellously done!"

The three could not help but feel proud when they heard Albedo's praise. After all, they managed to put together a sensible, coherent plan in a short period of time; perhaps this was their leadership talent at work. Just then, Albedo's cheerful voice entered the supreme beings self-satisfied ears:

"...Still, was it necessary to take the angels' swords with your precious body, my lords?"

"Is that how it looked to you? When we first came to Carne Village, we used the knights on the outskirts to verify that my High Tier Physical Nullification was still working normally." Sieg said.

"Indeed, you are correct. I verified it with my own eyes as well. However, I do not wish my eyes to helplessly watch the swords of those despicable angels piercing your body, lord Sieg."

"..."

Though she hides it well, Ainz and Sieg could the aura of jealousy coming off of Laeticia.

"...I see your point, though you were our shield, I did not take your feelings into consideration. You have my—" Ainz was cut off as Albedo continue to speak.

"—And even if I knew you would emerge unscathed, which woman would want to see the man she loves being stabbed by swords?"

"...Ah, yes."

Ainz did not know how to answer, so he let it slide as he continued to the village. Albedo did not seem to want to press the matter and followed quietly.

Once they reached the village, the villagers, led by the Death Knight, came out to meet them.

They lavished praise and thanks onto them, and Ainz saw Gazef among the villagers.

"Oh, Chief Warrior, I'm glad you're alright. I should have gone to your side earlier, but the item I gave you took some time to work, which was why I was almost too late. My apologies."

"What are you saying? It is I who should thank you, sir Ainz. After all, you saved me… speaking of which, where did those fellows go?"

Since Gazef had changed his tone somewhat, Ainz decided to nonchalantly inspect him.

Gazef had taken off his armor and carried no weapons with him.

He was bruised all over and half his face was swollen up, like a strange-looking, misshapen ball. Yet, a fire burned within his eyes.

Ainz turned away, as though he had seen something brilliant. His eyes reflexively went to the ring Gazef wore on his left ring finger.

So he was married. It's probably good that his wife won't need to shed tears for him. As he thought about that, Ainz decided to carefully put on an act:

"Oh, I chased them off. I couldn't take care of all of them, as I thought."

That was a lie, of course. They had all been shipped back to the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Gazef narrowed his eyes a little, but neither of them spoke. The air between them grew tense.

In the end, Gazef broke the silence:

"Truly amazing. I do not know how I can repay you for your help, Gown-dono. Please, look for me when you come to the Royal Capital. I will welcome you with open arms."

"Is that so… then, I will have to impose on you when the time comes." Sieg smile slightly.

"...sir Sieg, I do not know what plans you have, but would you be willing to travel with us? We will be staying in this village for a while."

"Is that so? Well, I was planning to move on, though I have not decided my destination yet."

"Still, it's already too late, travelling now would be…"

Gazef cut himself off halfway:

"Forgive me, there was no need to worry about a mighty being like yourself. Then, please seek me out when you reach the capital. My doors will always be open to you. In addition, I am deeply grateful to you for your gift of a full set of equipment from the knights who attacked the village."

The three nodded, and decided that he had taken care of everything he needed to do in this village. There had been more things to do here than he had expected, and he had spent more time here than he had planned.

"Let's go home, Albedo," Sieg said in a voice low enough that only his friends and Albedo could here. Albedo immediately turned around joyfully in response — although she was still wearing her full plate armor.

—

Momonga room was filled with exquisite furniture, while the floor was laid with a bright red carpet. This vast room was usually draped in a thin veil of silence, and today it was even more quiet than normal. The maid who normally attended him here was nowhere to be seen. The only people here were Momonga Albedo, his friends and the Death Knight standing off in the corner of the room.

Albedo spoke in a soft, syrupy sweet voice, as though trying to preserve the silence of the room:

"I have a report to deliver. The commander of the Slaine Theocracy's Sunlight Scripture who we captured has been incarcerated in the Frozen Prison. We will extract information from him with the help of the Special Intelligence-Gathering Officer."

"If it's Neuronist, there shouldn't be any problems. However, I want to conduct experiments on the bodies… do you know anything about this?"

"Understood. In addition, we are currently looking through the arms and armor recovered from the men dressed as knights. They do not bear any major enchantments and will be sent to the Treasury after the investigations are concluded."

"...Well, that's the proper way to dispose of them." Karna said in reflax way.

"And finally, I plan to have two Shadow Demons keep an eye on the village. Then, what should we do about Gazef Stronoff?" Jeanne asked.

"Leave the Warrior-Captain be for now. It is more important that we build a good relationship with that village. We might need their help in future, so avoid antagonizing them." Karna said.

"Understood. I will take care of it. Thus ends the report."

Momonga turned to look at Albedo as he said, "Well done." The look on her face was slightly different from her usual gentle smile. She seemed particularly happy today.

The reason was the sparkling Ring (of Ainz Ooal Gown) upon her left ring finger, which she caressed lovingly.

Although she could wear the ring anywhere she wanted, it was not hard to tell why she was wearing a ring on that finger.

If that was how Albedo truly felt, then as a man, Momonga would be overjoyed. However, if that was the result of his tampering, it would make him feel guilty instead.

"Albedo… the love you feel for me is the result of my meddling. They are certainly not your original feelings. Therefore…"

What should he do next? Was it right to change her memories with magic?

'Idiot…' Karna and Jeanne mentally facepalm.

Momonga could not go on. Just then, Albedo looked at Momonga and smiled.

"Before you changed me, what kind of person was I, Lord Momonga?"

A S-L-U-T.

Ainz could not say that, of course, but he did not know how to tell her. Though he appeared calm enough on the exterior, his heart was in chaos. Then, Albedo spoke again.

"Then, I am quite happy with the way I am now, so there is no need for you to feel upset, my lord."

"But…"

"But...? But what, may I ask?"

Ainz did not answer, sensing something unusual coming from Albedo. She continued addressing the silent Ainz:

"There is only one thing that matters."

As Momonga waited for Albedo to continue, she said:

"Does it trouble you?"

Momonga dumbly opened his mouth, taking note of Albedo's smiling face. Her words branded themselves deeply into his brain — although his skull was empty — but Momonga knew what she was trying to say, he looked over to his friends, they just gave him the 'hurry up and say something' look and he hastily replied:

"No, no, how could it inconvenience me..."

He was not at all unhappy with receiving the love of a beautiful woman like Albedo. At least, for now.

"Then, is there a problem with it?"

"...Eh—"

'He's hopeless…' Karna mentally sigh.

'Oh Momonga, even though you undead you're still you…' Jeanne smile giggle inwardly.

However to Momonga It felt wrong. He thought that, but Momonga could not find any reason to refute her.

"Then, it should be fine, right?" Albedo said again. Ainz could sense something mysterious and inscrutable in those words, and he brought up a question in a final, desperate attempt to struggle free:

"I messed with Tabula character settings. Don't you wish to go back to your old self?"

"I believe Tabula-sama would approve, with all the joy of giving his daughter away for marriage."

"...Is, is that so?"

Was he really like that? Just as Momonga was thinking about this, the sound of crashing metal rang out.

He turned to look at the source of the sound, and saw a longsword on the ground. The Death Knight who should have been holding that sword was nowhere to be seen. He had summoned the missing Death Knight not long ago.

"...When I summon them normally, they disappear after a while… given the way the sword from this world is on the ground, it would seem that equipment alone was not enough to bind them to this world, so it was left behind. If that is the case, does that Death Knight remain here because I used a corpse to summon it? It would appear that I can strengthen Nazarick if I had more corpses."

"Then, shall we collect a large amount of corpses for you?"

"...Try to avoid digging up that village's graveyard." Karna cut in before the guardians overseer get any ideas.

"Understood. However, we must then consider a way to procure fresh corpses. Now that the Death Knight has disappeared, everyone should have assembled by now. Please proceed to the throne room with Sebas. I will go ahead first my lord."

"I see. All right, Albedo. I'll see you later." The three stood up and walk out the door.

As Albedo quietly left Momonga room, she saw Sebas approaching along the corridor.

"Sebas, you've come just in time."

"Lady Albedo. Is lord Momonga in his room?"

"Yes, he is."

"You seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen?"

"Yes."

Albedo's joy was not just because of the name, but because she recalled her conversation with Momonga. She spoke of marrying Momonga, and he did not reject or deny the suggestion. In other words...

Albedo's smile shifted, going from graceful and elegant to lewd and wicked in an instant. it was a smile she would never show to Momonga.

"Meemmeh, I've done it. No, I will definitely do it. I will be the one seated beside him. Shalltear will be nothing more than my footrest."

Albedo clenched her fist, unable to resist the words boiling up in her heart. These were not words of a Guardian Overseer, but a woman.

"Ah, my succubus blood is boiling…"

Sebas silently watched Albedo as she acted up.

The Throne Room.

Sebas trailed behind Momonga, karna and jeanne as they entered the room, fashionably late.

There were many people kneeling here, to show their loyalty.

Nobody in this place moved a muscle, and it was so quiet that even the sound of their breathing could be heard. Apart from that, there was only the sound of the supreme ones and Sebas's footsteps, as well as the tapping of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown on the ground.

Momonga ascended the stairs and sat on the throne alone with karna and Jeanne who also summon a throne on each side of Momonga. Sebas remained at the foot of the throne, kneeling behind Albedo.

Karna silently surveyed the throne room from where he was seated.

Almost all of the guild's NPCs were gathered below him. They looked quite majestic when he watched them from on high, like a Night Parade of monsters. Karna could not help but silently praise his guild members for their creativity in making so many different and interesting characters, this though was also shared by Momonga and Jeanne. As he looked again, there were several NPCs who were not present. However, that could not be helped. After all, they could not easily move the ultra-large golem Gargantua and Victim — who oversaw the eighth Floor — from their positions.

However, it was not just NPCs who were gathered here. Although they were not intended to replace the above mentioned two people, this great hall also contained many high-levelled vassals who had been hand-picked by the other Floor Guardians.

That said — the Throne Room did not feel crowded at all, given its massive size. Although he could understand why his underlings would not want to let their servants into the heart of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick — the Throne Room — karna felt that such severity was not needed.

'Ah, forget it, not like it's important anyway...' he thought. After deciding to discuss those matters later, Momonga lowly addressed his subordinates.

"Firstly, I would like to apologize for taking independent action."

Momonga was feeling singularly unapologetic as he said those words. It was mere pleasantry, yet the apology was extremely important. Since gathering them all was his idea, then he needed to let his subordinates know that he trusted them implicitly.

"Albedo will tell you why I have gathered you all here afterwards. However, there is a matter which is more important than that. I must tell the gathered members of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick something — 「Greater Break Item」."

Momonga cast a spell which could destroy a magic item of a certain level. A large flag fell from one of the poles attached to the ceiling.

The sigil on the flag represented "Momonga".

With loud tap of the staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga raises from his throne.

"I have changed my name. From now on, my name is Ainz Ooal Gown. You may call me as Ainz."

Momonga raised his staff and forcefully slammed its tip into the ground again.

"If anyone objects to this, rise now and let your views be heard!"

Nobody spoke out in opposition. Albedo lower her head, a second later she was was all smiles as she replied "I feel that some of the supreme beings who abandoned us, might object that name being used by the one that had mercifully stayed with us now".

Karna looked at Albedo '...hem, the way she's said that… it doesn't make sense…' karna look intently at Albedo. From his side jeanne notice Karna harden gaze and wonder what happen but she remain silent as Albedo continue.

"We have heard your precious name lord and we will devote ourselves to it, with unwavering loyalty, glory to lord AINZ OOAL GOWN!" Albedo declares with absolute loyalty.

GLORY TO LORD AINZ OOAL GOWN, ALL HAIL, ALL HAIL!" The guardians shouted.

"We give ourselves to you utterly and without any hesitation!" Shalltear declares.

""To the most powerful supreme beings!"" The dark elf twins shouted at the same time.

"Everyone in this world will know of your greatness and fear your undying wrath" Demiurge started with a prideful smile.

"Our king, who rules over all, FOREVER!" Cocytus release an icy breath as he lowered his head more to shower his unwavering loyalty.

"Glory to the Overlord, the supreme ruler of death!" And with that declaration made by Albedo, Ainz Ooal Gown raised his staff and forcefully slammed its tip into the ground.

"This is an absolute order, make the name Ainz Ooal Gown an eternal legend!" He gripped the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown tightly, and rapped it on the ground. Then, as if responding to Ainz, the crystals socketed on the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown radiated light in all the colors of the rainbow, and the air around him trembled.

"There may be many heroes, but we will surpass each and every one of them. We will let everybody in this world know that Ainz Ooal Gown are the true heroes! If there are people stronger than us, we will deal with them in ways other than force. If we encounter a magician with many subordinates, we will achieve our goal some other way. This is merely the preparatory phase in order to let everyone know that Ainz Ooal Gown is the greatest. Let us fight together for this glorious future!"

He would spread this name throughout the world. The former members of Ainz Ooal Gown may have left YGGDRASIL, but there was a chance they might be in this world, like Ainz.

Therefore, he had to make Ainz Ooal Gown a legend, so everyone would know of it.

He would carry this name to the ears of his comrades who might be in this world.

Ainz's fearsome presence was startling, and his thunderous voice could be heard anywhere in the Throne Room.

Their voices united as one, everyone in the Throne Room lowered their heads. The sound they made might have been taken for a prayer.

As he basked in the praise of his subordinates, Ainz looked over to Karna and Jeanne who there smiling at him 'My friends, what do you think of me using this great name? Are you happy? Are you displeased? If you have any objections, please let me know, tell me, "this is not a name you can take for yourself." I will gladly return to my old name of Momonga, but for now, across the land, over the sky and through the sea, I will spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown throughput this strange new world, and if any of my friends had come here, their will know that there not alone and find me'.

'I have absolutely no objection, in fact this is a great idea' Jeanne happily said.

'...I think no one will object to this… Ainz' Karna smile grew bigger as the three look down, they saw their friends in the place of the NPC.

—

The throne was vacant after its masters left, but the air in the Throne Room still boiled with excitement.

Hearing their Supreme Overlord's orders to work as one filled everybody with incomparable motivation, especially those who had been given specific orders.

"Everyone, raise your heads."

After hearing Albedo's calm and steady voice, the people whose heads were still lowered lifted their heads in unison.

"Everyone, please act as lord Ainz orders. After that, I have something to announce."

Albedo's eyes were fixed on the flag of Ainz Ooal Gown that hung behind the throne. The NPCs and servants behind her were also looking at it.

"Demiurge, tell everyone what the Supreme ones said to you."

"Understood."

Demiurge was kneeling with everyone else. However, his voice could clearly be heard by everyone present.

"On the third night since we've arrive in this world, The Supreme Beings looked to the night sky and told me, 'Perhaps the reason that we have come here is to claim this chest of jewels which belongs to nobody.' After that, lord Karna said, 'No, this is not something I can claim for myself. Perhaps these jewels are meant to adorn the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick; and my friends from Ainz Ooal Gown.' The chest of jewels here refers to the world. This is where the all powerful ones true ambitions lie."

Demiurge smiled, but it was filled with something other than kindness.

"Finally, Lord Karna said, 'However, conquering this world might be quite interesting.' In short, that means…"

The looks in everyone's eyes turned razor-sharp. It represented their iron will and determination.

Albedo rose slowly, to look on everyone's faces.

Everyone looked at Albedo, as if in response. At the same time, they looked at the flag of Ainz Ooal Gown behind her.

"Understanding Lord Karna and the Supreme Beings true intentions and preparing for them is the proof of our loyalty and the mark of excellent subordinates. Everyone must keep in mind that the final objective of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick is to deliver this chest of jewels — the world — to the Supreme Beings."

Albedo was all smiles, and she turned that smile to the flag behind her.

"Lord Ainz, Lord Karna And Lady Jeanne, we swear we will give this world to you."

Then, countless voices spoke as one, their words echoing across the Throne Room.

"We will render everything in this world unto its rightful ruler, the 41 Supreme Beings!".