Light's downfall

by ainzOoalGo

Non-canon 10th volume of Overlord, do NOT read if u don't know how volume 9 ends. Ainz sets his sights on the Slane Theocracy! What kind of battle will the Black Scripture put up? He's hungry for revenge after what happened last time! time for the showdown between Nazarick and humanity's strongest has come at last! Rated T for violence

7. chapter 3 part 4

Chapter 3: Darkness Descends

Part 4

"It didn't work! Something interfered with my power! Retreat immediately!" Kaire screamed as loud she could. She was already an old woman but the terror she felt caused her to still scream at the top of her lungs.

At the moment that her item's power should have activated and tried to take control of the foe's mind she felt it. A strange item in the possession of this skeleton sorcerer was blocking her power from working.

This item was one of the twenty strongest items in YGGDRASIL, and Ainz had given to Pandora's actor as a counter to the enemy's weapon. [Chalice of Ponce], the ultimate survival item in YGGDRASIL that could even resist the effects of other twenty type world class items that could destroy players completely. Once consumed the user was immortal for 48 hours. No force in the game could kill an object or creature with the immortal status and had very few counters.

This was also the reason why Ainz gave this item specifically to Pandora's Actor. Even if it turned out that in this world the effects of World items could no longer be blocked by other items of the same level than the damage to Nazarick was still kept to a relative minimum.

Although Ainz felt pained that he had to use his own creation as bait, using any of the other NPCs was even worse to him and furthermore impossible since they could not change appearance.

Ainz had gambled big but won and now thanks to that the Slane Theocracy had found themselves in quite a predicament.

Being the trained and disciplined warriors that they were, the Black Scripture immediately assumed the formation to retreat and tried to get a certain distance between them and the skeleton before they would activate the recall spell and teleport back to the hidden crypt.

They ran expecting a magical counter of some sort. A fireball spell or other type of magic attack that would come their way any second.

The entire scripture was focused on Ainz but to their surprise he did not budge a single inch, instead he just kept looking at them with his hollow eyes while they ran.

They hoped that perhaps Ainz had not designated them as a threat or simply chose to ignore such a small group of enemies, perhaps escaping was not impossible after all...

"Good day to you proud warrior vermin of the Slane Theocracy!"

All the members of the Black Scripture blinked in surprise as they imagined that the image in front of them had to be an illusion of sorts.

The sorcerer known as Ainz Ooal Gown that had withstood the power of their nation's treasure now had appeared in two different places at the same time.

"It has to be an illusion!" the Second Seat shouted as he kept looking back at the figure of Ainz Ooal Gown that was standing behind him.

One of their members could see through illusions so they knew that the one on the behind them was the genuine Sorcerer King.

Ainz calmly raised his bony hand as a gesture to calm down as he began speaking.

"I can assure you that I'm not an illusion and neither is the one on the hill. But first let me introduce you to my fellow comrades."

As soon as he gave the word four figures emerged from the dark space behind him, one more out of place then the next.

A human dressed in formal butler attire, a tailed humanoid wearing what looked to be a suit, a cyan insect that stood upright, and a small dark elf girl that was holding a large wooden staff all appeared.

"Well then, you filthy rats have caused me no end of trouble so I hope that you're prepared. But first let's make sure that we are not seen by the populace. Demiurge!"

As if waiting for his master's command, the one with the spiked tail spread his arms and emitted a vile and dark energy.

"Maximize Magic: [Greater Circle of Hell]!"

Instantly the ground beneath his feet lit up as an enormous fire flared up and stretched into two opposite directions.

Encircling both him and everyone else, it formed a fire circle of approximately three hundred meters in diameter. Once the circle was complete the flames flared even higher and formed a literal fire wall that stretched dozens of meters into the sky.

They had been surrounded with no chance of escape!

Sylvan bit his lip in frustration. From the start their odds of escaping once uncovered had been slim. But now that this had happened they could only fight.

"Well then, now that the trap is complete we can begin the hunt. Ah, but first. Pandora's Actor, return to Nazarick and deposit your world item. After you're done, go back to Albedo, I've heard she is in need of your assistance!"

To the surprise of the Black Scripture they saw how the Ainz Ooal Gown that was standing behind them seemingly changed shape and color as a completely different creature answered to his master's orders.

A person with no apparent facial features who was wearing a strange uniform greeted his master with a proud voice.

"As you wish Ainz-sama! I apologize that I need to leave you again so quickly and hope you will call me if you need my help again. My Master Ainz-samaaa!"

Ainz pretended not to notice the exaggerated reply of his own creation and thanked his passive skill which had prevented him from screaming out in embarrassment just now.

"No... think nothing of it. If anything I need to apologize to you for using you as bait. You will be rewarded later but for now you have my praise. Shalltear, open a gate for him!"

As another black space appeared behind this strange creature, the Black Scripture looked anxiously as they saw the one they thought was Ainz Ooal Gown leave without a trace.

"What the hell was that?"

"I believe I once read about those things, they should be called doppelgängers. But I thought they had been extinct."

"So the one we thought was the Sorcerer King was actually an imposter? That's just cheating!"

Ainz and the guardians felt as if they were being ignored and could all feel a subtle amount of anger forming in their hearts.

"Well then everyone! Allow me to explain why I lured you here. It is my belief that you were the ones to attack one of my subordinates, a platinum-blond haired vampire. Would you happen to know anything about that?

Everyone in the Black Scripture tried to hide their shock to no avail. The surprise they felt from hearing that that monster was only a subordinate of Ainz made them involuntarily shudder.

"Hooh, so that really was you. Well then you can say goodbye to any hope of dying a merciful death."

"Now hold on a second! We weren't the ones that killed that vampire of yours! We were the ones attacked by it in the first place!"

"Silence! You can give your explanation to Neuronist and Shalltear when you're tied up. I think you vermin are missing the point here. I have spent a lot of effort and planning to draw out the ones who brainwashed her in the first place and now I can finally eliminate this thorn in my side."

Ainz looked with a deep vile glare at the group and instantly they felt that the atmosphere had changed drastically. The person before them was undoubtedly Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Defensive positions! Protect Kaire-sama!" Sylvan roared as he commanded his team to take formations. Now that their enemy was only in front of them it made things a lot easier. Although Kaire could not use her power right now, if they could give her enough time to recharge the item than they could try using its power on the Ainz Ooal Gown in front of them.

Even if there was no guarantee that it would work on this Ainz, even if there was no guarantee that this was the real Sorcerer King or that they would be able to hold out, he still had to believe in his comrades. To do otherwise was to acknowledge the defeat of not just them but all of humanity.

"Hooh, looks like these rats are quite accustomed to fighting in a group."

"But it's a pity they are too weak."

Ainz waved regally with his hand and gestured to Cocytus and Mare to head out. After the two nodded their heads they casually started walking towards the formation of the Black Scripture.

The two did not even seem to be remotely tense as to them this was comparable to being sent to weed out the herb garden. If these pests could last as much as five minutes it would already be an astounding accomplishment.

At the Black Scripture's side the front line consisted of Bahmeth, Sylvan, and Roquefort with Persiva, Beaumarchais, Ensem and Kuaiesse in the second line. Behind them were the magic casters of the Black Scripture:; Augus, Alyssa and Palyntana along with Heaven and Earth.

Cedran was in the very back as the personal guard of Kaire who represented their only hope of victory against their current foe.

Cocytus gestured Mare to stay back and support him if he called for it as he proceeded to walk further forwards on his own.

"Well. Then. Let. Us. Begin!"

Cocytus raised his giant right hand and withdrew from seemingly nowhere a giant sword handle.

The handle seemed to possess no blade but instead had a strange mist flowing around it.

Ainz nodded as Cocytus had made a good choice of weapon. This blade by default could not kill its opponents but was perfect for capturing them.

The weapon that Cocytus had withdrawn was called Phantom's Bane. It was a divine class sword that was best against incorporeal enemies of those that had the ability to go into astral forms. On the other hand if it slashed non-corporeal creatures it would inflict high level debuffs such as paralysis, fatigue and sleep. It also had a very low chance of inflicting instant death magic but it could be said that it was too small to take into consideration.

"Well. Then. Who. Will. Go. First?"

The Black Scripture tensed up. From a glance it was obvious that this opponent was not as simple as he appeared. Even non-warriors could tell that Cocytus was not being arrogant in taking all of them on at once.

"Humph, you think it's so easy to take all of us on by yourself? Fine, I'll play with you!" Ensem yelled.

"Oi, Ensem, get a grip! This is not the time for you to try and show off! We have to work together to defeat that thing if we want to stand any chance of beating it!"

Sylvan was the only member of the team that could criticize him but even he had a headache with this guy and his giant ego.

"Don't worry, Captain-kun. I'll deal with him and Ainz quickly and we can all go home! Like it is actually possible for me to lose to a magic caster and an overgrown louse."

Even Sylvan couldn't refute this statement. No matter what opponent Ensem would be against, with his power beating them was a small matter. With his ability that only members of the Scripture could defend against, it would be possible to defeat any kind of opponent with one hit.

"Well then, I'm going out!"

Seeing one of the members brazenly walk out on their own, Ainz couldn't help but laugh internally at this young fool that was about to throw away his life in vain.

"Oya, what have we here one of you actually wants to take up Cocytus on his challenge? Quite a brave bunch you are."

Hearing his enemy mock his confidence Ensem's brows twitched as he shouted at Ainz, "Just you wait, Ainz Ooal Gown. I'll show you an amazing sight! Your subordinate will fall before me and then I'll be coming for you next. You will see something amazing!"

Ainz did not retort as the threat was coming from such a weak opponent that it was not even worth arguing about.

Ensem got to about twenty meters from Cocytus before he halted his steps and got in position. Cocytus himself simply stood still as allowing the enemy the first move was the least amount of courtesy that he could give them with the gap in power being so large.

"Well then! Activate, [Time stop lancer]!"

As soon as he called out the name of his weapon a wave of energy emerged from the spear that covered the entire battlefield.

Everything was frozen. Not a single thing moved, and not a single sound could be heard. In this world the only one capable of moving around was Ensem.

This weapon was quite capricious and had the power to match it. The ability to stop all movement of time in a certain area was considered something only the gods themselves should be capable of and so was kept a secret by the Theocracy for multiple reasons. In all of history only three people had managed to tame the power of this lance as all those unworthy would have their minds break from it.

The mental strain of activating this power had ruined more than one capable fighter as once activated one would feel as if ten years had passed without being able to do anything other think. That was unless they were deemed worthy. Ensem was one of those few worthy who did not experience this mental torture and thus wielded its power flawlessly.

Without a care in the world he approached Cocytus who was likewise standing still inside this timeless world.

Of course, Ensem already knew while he was in this world he would not be able to physically harm another opponent while this ability was active. But that was of no consequence.

As he was about two meters from Cocytus he activated the second weapon skill of his lance, "[Storm form]!"

The entire spear began to crackle with hundreds of tiny lightning bolts as the electric energy within was released. Unlike Clementine's stiletto's this was not a spell sealed within a weapon but a power that was already inside the weapon from the beginning and was comparable to a fifth tier lightning spell.

Ensem only needed to time the moment of his strike with the moment his time spell wore off. With so much practice he could get the timing right in his sleep and for the last five years it had never been off. The fate of his opponent was as good as sealed; he would aim the strike at his eyes and pierce his lance all the way through to the brain. No matter the creature, without a brain they would perish.

"Ten seconds left till you die, you insect!"

Now with only five seconds, Ensem stepped in even closer. In a moment he would go in and strike. T the lance would be on target and the enemy's brains would be cooked and he never would have understood how he died.

"Hmm?"

As he stepped to about one meter away from Cocytus, Ensem suddenly felt it. Something strange was in the air around him.

Even though it should be impossible for anything else to move around in this world he felt like some strange force had stirred.

Before he could realize what it was a flash of white immersed him.

The whole world had turned white in his eyes as he felt like an avalanche had hit him in the face.

This was the last light that he would see in his life…

As the time stop ability wore off the world returned to normal again. The Black Scripture focused their eyes as they expected to see Ensem standing over the corpse of Cocytus but the real spectacle was even more dazzling.

Cocytus was standing, completely unharmed he was still in the same spot and seemed to not have done anything.

In front of him however stood a strange figure. It appeared only as big as a human child. It took the Black Scripture a moment to figure out what it was.

Without having the faintest clue what happened they saw how the Second Seat of the Black Scripture…

Had been turned into an ice statue.

An ice figure in the exact shape of Ensem was standing in a fighting pose with its spear raised and ready to strike. Seeing this scene Ainz could not help but laugh.

"Hahaha, and where is this amazing sight that you promised me, young warrior of the Slane Theocracy? All I see is an idiot that thought that my subordinates do not have a counter against time-stop abilities. Such foolishness! He ought to be punished for his arrogance!"

Sebas assumed that the remark was aimed at him and responded to his master. Although Ainz had no face to speak of his subordinates had learned to tell who he was 'looking at'.

"Indeed, it is as you say Ainz-sama! The sin for letting down a Supreme Being is a heavy one and must be redeemed in full. I will see that Shalltear deals with this one extra harshly."

In YGGDRASIL, the ability to stop time was highly coveted by most magic casters, but was increasingly ignored by warriors. Most of the countermeasures against time-stop were range based and only activated once the opponent that had cast time-stop got into a certain range of them. This was why Ainz, a magic caster, had so many advantages as he could simply chant spells from a distance, but this in turn required a much higher level of skill that only top-tier players could pull off.

Though the ways that different guardians protected themselves from time-stop was unique from guardian to guardian, it was impossible for someone to get close to them no matter which guardian they approached. In the case of Cocytus, any warrior that dared to approach him would be frozen instantly.

This was what had happened to Ensem and the fool had never known what hit him.

Looking at the second strongest member of their unit turned into winter art, the Black Scripture felt like they could just vomit. Ensem wasn't the physically strongest, but his ability to manipulate time could be the death of anyone other than another member of the scripture.

Without equipment like theirs that could dispel the time stop ability once Ensem got too close to them, one would be finished.

The reason he wasn't the captain was because he wasn't an awakened God-Kin like Sylvan and he was a bit too arrogant.

Cocytus watched as Mare dragged Ensem out of the way and began to approach the other members of the scripture once again. Although there were still plenty left to fight, he was worried that more of them would do something stupid and attack Ainz or Mare so he would have less chances to show his might.

Bahmeth smiled as he watched the steadily approaching figure of Cocytus drawing ever closer. Just from a glance he could feel the mountain of pure warrior prowess just oozing out of him.

"Palyntana, can you tell how strong this guy is? He looks like he could put up a fight!"

Palyntana frowned as she had been continuously trying to do just that with the power of her crystal divination orb. But no matter whether it was Cocytus, Ainz or even the elf girl the result was the same.

"I can't figure it out. Something is constantly jamming my magic. But I can still feel an unimaginable pressure from them! Don't underestimate him at any cost!"

Bahmeth smiled with anticipation as he untied the giant battle axe strapped behind his back. This weapon that was left by the gods was one that only he could wield. It was no wonder that simply going by physical strength he was the strongest human in the group, not counting Sylvan and Zesshi who could hardly be called human.

"Captain-san, I'm going to take that thing on. You stay behind and make your decisions based on you're the outcome!"

Sylvan looked at Bahmeth in astonishment. Although going out one at a time could potentially buy them more time for Kaire to charge her item, to take on an opponent that Ainz Ooal Gown had sent out to fight all of them by himself would surely spell doom.

"Don't worry captain I'll back him up."

From behind Sylvan the divine chain Beaumarchais raised his hand as he walked forward.

Seeing the arrogant look of his comrade, Bahmeth frowned as he never really got along with this fellow. One reason would be because he was seated higher than Bahmeth himself. The Black Scripture members were ranked not simply by strength but by what level of opponents they could defeat or how useful they were or whether they would be able to best the members ranked lower than them.

"Oi, Edgar! Don't think that you can just butt in with my man to man duel and expect me to quietly agree! This is my fight. Have you forgotten what happened last time you tried to bite off more than you can chew?"

Beaumarchais twitched a bit as he remembered how that mysterious vampire broke the hold of his chain and lopped his head off with just one strike. If not for resurrection magic that would have been the end of him.

"Bahmeth-san, that thing can hardly be called a man, and besides, we have good synergy. Your attacks are frightening to be sure, but if the opponent dodges then you're the one who's in trouble. I'll hold that thing in its place and you finish it off."

Although Bahmeth still felt frustrated that he had to pair up with this arrogant fool he still had to agree that Beaumarchais was right. If his chain would keep the foe in his place and prevent him from dodging then victory was all but assured. Aside from Zesshi, even Sylvan would have to dodge a full strength attack from Bahmeth's axe.

"Can't be helped! Let's go!"

Beaumarchais and Bahmeth stepped out as they went out to meet with Cocytus who was now barely fifty meters away from them. Seeing that his first opponents had stepped up he halted as he too would rather draw out the fight than finish them all at once.

"Come, insectoid! We'll be your opponents!"

Beaumarchais gripped the chain strapped to his waist as it began to glow with a white holy gleam.

His chain, unlike his armor, was not an item that was left behind by the Six Great Gods. This was a specially manufactured weapon from the Slane Theocracy. Through simple thought controls it could float, extend constrict, and even burn any enemy. It was embedded with a strong holy energy that drained anyone who was wrapped by it but required a significant level of skill to master. Besides Beaumarchais, who had a very pliable and relaxed mind, it could not be completely controlled by anyone else.

"Now then, fly! [Divine chain]!"

Beaumarchais' Divine Chain leapt out as it extended dozens of times further than one would think it could and quickly reached and constricted Cocytus with its divine aura. Even if one had the strength of a basilisk it would be impossible to break free of this chain's hold. Aside from that monstrously strong vampire and Zesshi, no one could do it.

Cocytus appeared not to move and the Black Scripture thought that even he must find it impossible to break its hold.

Bahmeth, seeing this scene, became extremely satisfied as he walked towards Cocytus with his giant axe dragging behind him.

Like a god of death approaching his next target he magnanimously got closer to Cocytus. In the end all that imposing power that Cocytus seemed to radiate must have been little indeed if he got trapped so easily.

"Hahaha! Looks like you're trapped and can't get out huh? Don't worry this won't be long!"

Bahmeth picked up his axe and easily seemed to place the giant handle on his shoulder. Getting ready for his attack he glared at Cocytus who had yet to move a single muscle.

"All bark and no bite huh…"

Bahmeth prepared himself. This giant axe that was said to have been wielded even by one of the gods that left it behind. It had never been picked up before in the entire history of the Slane Theocracy. Many of its finest strongman had tried to wield it and many had been crushed by its weight or just simply given up. The only brute that was capable of ever using it was Bahmeth.

Born as a natural warrior in the Theocracy, he had already served the nation as a soldier for twenty years in his life and had few opponents even in his youth on the battlefield. But it was not after he retired from the army and went into secluded training in the mountains that he found true strength. After thirty years of physical training that would drive most man insane he returned as a man whose power was no longer matched by any human in the world.

"Take this! [Expand Muscle], [Body Strengthening], [Guided Strike], [Heavy Blow]!"

Bahmeth lifted the axe above his head and swung it down towards Cocytus as he activated his martial skills. Even though he could wield the weapon without them, he needed to activate these powers in order to draw out the weapon's full power.

Upon direct contact it would cleave Cocytus in two with hundreds of smaller pieces shattered to the sides. Bahmeth could already imagine the poignant ooze spurting from the corpse and covering Bahmeth from head to toe. As long as it wasn't poisonous or acid it was fine as Bahmeth was long since used to being drenched in blood.

The blade came down hurling towards Cocytus and would be dead on. It would pierce even his shell and end his life instantly.

Or at least that is what was supposed to happen.

A large bang could be heard upon impact as the blade hit its mark and halted.

The members of the Black Scripture imagined that the insectoid must surely be dead as the hit was successful judging from the sound.

Only a few of them were at such an angle that they could see what really happened.

One of those few,

Would be Bahmeth…

"Impossible…"

If he had dodged I could understand. If he had used magic or some kind of martial skill even stronger than [Invulnerable Fortress] I would still be able to accept it. But how…

"How the hell did you stop my attack with just your hand?" Bahmeth frantically screamed out as he still doubted his eyes and what they seemed to tell him had happened.

As the axe came down on him.

Cocytus had, completely ignoring the chain that bound him, stretched out his one of his giant arms and halted the blade of the axe while it was in full-motion.

"How. Weak. I. Thought. We. Were. Exchanging. Greetings. But. You. Were. Actually. Attacking…"

Cocytus knew that these foes were weaker than him, otherwise Ainz would not have sent him and Mare alone against all of them. But the difference was still too huge. If it was like this than they were only slightly better than the lizardmen.

"Pssshhh! Be. Gone. With. You!"

Before Bahmeth could recover from the shock, Cocytus stepped in and pierced him with the Phantoms' Bane. The sword that appeared to have no blade was actually concealed by the 'eternal mist of the netherworld', a magic enchantment that Warrior Takemikazuchi had placed upon it to give the blade an extra armor penetrating effect and increased fatigue on its targets which Bahmeth could feel all too well.

Instantly he could feel his strength being drained out of him like a giant leech had latched onto him and was draining him of all his blood.

His legs no longer able to hold up the strength of his giant body, he fell forward flat on his face in front of the deeply disappointed Cocytus.

The giant axe fell down beside him with a large bang that made the ground tremble. As the Black Scripture could only helplessly stare at their comrade cut down.

Cocytus now focused his attention on Beaumarchais who was still desperately struggling to tighten the chain around Cocytus to the point it would actually hinder him.

It was laughable to say the least. This chain posed no threat to him and could at best make him a bit uncomfortable while moving as there was some resistance.

Fed up with the futile attempts Cocytus yanked the chain towards him with a strong pull.

Not being able to react fast enough, Beaumarchais flew towards him at high speed. The power of the pull propelled him straight towards Cocytus with no way of escape.

When Beaumarchais seemed like he was about to hit Cocytus he was instead caught by one of his hands and abruptly stopped flying.

"Pathetic. To. Think. You. Believed. These. Chains. Could. Hold. Me."

Cocytus swiftly released Beaumarchais and slashed him with the Phantom's Bane while he fell to the ground.

After falling Beaumarchais like Bahmeth stopped displaying movement as well. His strength had likewise been completely sapped.

Looking at this scene Ainz felt disappointed. The weapon that Bahmeth used was by no means inferior to even the best swords that Cocytus possessed. That great axe was one of the 'World Destroyer' weapons and it was dangerous even to Cocytus in the right hands.

It was a weapon that was the opposite of the piece of armor that was held by the World Champion class players. Unlike World Champions that received a piece of armor once they won a certain tournament, the World Destroyer class received a weapon that had strength surpassing Divine-class weapons of the same type but only once they won a certain event which involved an all-out brawl with hundreds of other players.

It was so dangerous because it possessed a World class weapon skill on the same level as Touch me's [World Break]. It would be in the game comparable to a weapon somewhere between Divine class and a Guild Weapon.

To see it swung around so thoughtlessly was depressing to say the least.

Mare, meanwhile, was quietly watching from the sidelines as he saw how Cocytus had already taken down two of his opponents with considerable ease. Even though Ainz had dispatched him to support Cocytus it seemed that this was an unnecessary precaution. Enemies of this level could not harm Cocytus in the slightest.

"Huh?"

Mare's ears twitched as he felt something weird.

He nonchalantly turned his head to his left and stared into a seemingly empty space.

"Uhm, I'm sorry but… what are you two doing exactly?"

From a human's point of view it would look like there was no one there but Mare clearly felt it.

Not five meters from him stood two hidden lifeforms.

Mare himself was not an expert at detecting presences like his sister, but even he had a certain range from which he could detect almost any creeping enemy.

Unless the foe was a top level assassin-class he would never be able to sneak up on Mare.

There was no response from the hidden lifeforms. Perhaps the shock that they had been detected caused them to lose the ability to answer or perhaps they just didn't have it in them to reply to this young elf boy that they were going to take him hostage and use him to escape the ambush.

"Twin maximize magic: [Entangle]."

With a face completely devoid of emotion, Mare cast his spell and watched as two sets of green vines sprouted from the ground and rapidly coiled themselves around the two hidden figures. The two managed to draw their swords out, but even that was useless.

As much as they struggled, the more they resisted the tighter it wrapped around them, never letting go of its grip and retracting further back into the ground, forcing the two to fall down. No matter how much they tried to cut through the vines the cuts would simply mend themselves instantly and make the vines wrap even tighter around their bodies.

After they had been fully subdued they released their cloak ability as it was pointless to keep it up anymore. The two twins, who had been allowed to join the Black Scripture in place of the traitor Clementine, who boasted that their assassination skills were superior to even the agents of Izaniya, had been captured like amateurs.

Mare casually walked up to the two assassins and stared at them with a slight sense of curiosity. Unlike the rest of the guardians he was timid and shy but also a bit interested in the creatures called humans.

"Then… I will have you sleep for a-a bit. OK?"

The light in Mare's staff glowed for a bit again and the two assassins felt as if they were being pulled into a deep slumber while the strength of their bodies left them completely and their eyes felt heavy. Very quickly the two had been put to sleep and left to the mercy of Nazarick.

Seeing this scene, Cocytus sneered. Another two fools had tried to bypass him and attacked Mare instead. Naturally he had sensed the two of them disappearing but they had gone around him in such a wide detour that even his senses could not detect their location until they reappeared thanks to Mare.

"Everyone, get back!"

Augus, Alyssa and Palyntana stepped up as Cocytus began his approach once more. The three magic casters had understood that this opponent outclassed them when it came to martial prowess. If they continued to fight with brute strength and skill they would only lose more members.

Then the obvious answer is to bombard him with magic instead.

"Confusion!"

Palyntana let out her spell and aimed at Cocytus. Though she excelled at illusion magic she had to make sure that her comrades' spells would hit the target. Thus her first spell would stop his movements.

As soon as she cast the magic she felt it disappear without a trace and Cocytus was left completely unaffected.

A measly third tier spell like this would not make Cocytus so much as dizzy. It simply bounced off of him and vanished.

"He's got magic defense! Use your strongest spells or we won't stand a chance!"

Not taken aback by the development, the other two mages changed the spells they were going to use and prepared their next attack as fast as possible.

Cocytus, meanwhile, stopped his advance as watching what these magic casters were capable of was also amusing.

Augus clicked his tongue as he could clearly feel that unless he and Alyssa went all out they would not be able to best this monster but if they did they might not have enough power left to fight Ainz afterwards.

"Can't be helped we have to first beat this creature. First spell orb release, seal spell [greater hold species]"

One of the six orbs behind Augus glowed as he unleashed his spell. This was his greatest trump card. These orbs possessed the ability to store mana inside them allowing a person to unleash it later in order to use a much more powerful spell. Augus just now had unleashed a 7th tier spell that even Cocytus was not immune against.

A sigil of light appeared around the waist of Cocytus' body. Glowing with bright markings it prevented him from moving his body even an this scene Alyssa who was standing next to Augus smiled slightly.

"Then I'll join in, First prayer, in the name of the god of life and light bind this foul beast with thine holy chains [Divine Seal]!"

A sigil of light appeared beneath the feat of Cocytus as strings of light began wrapping around his feet and torso, appearing to try and strangle him.

Looking at this scene Ainz could not help but feel nostalgic. These techniques and items were the same as the players of YGGDRASIL used when the level cap was still 40.

At that time super tier spells and world class items had not even been announced and the highest level spell that anyone could perform was 5. However by using items that could contain magic power like the one that Augus used or by storing divine energy for a long time like Alyssa and her fellow priests had done it was possible to unleash a higher tier spell than was expected and it became a tide turning strategy for guild wars.

However against Cocytus it would be far from enough.

"Alyssa let us finish this thing. Second spell orb release, seal spell [chaos flame strike]!"

As another orb started glowing, the palm of Augus his hand lit up and fired a giant fire bolt whose flame emitted a dark luster. This spell could level an entire village and even burn a city if left unchecked. Against Cocytus who was of the ice attribute it would be especially effective.

"I'm on it! Second prayer, in the name of the god of light and life vanquish this creature from this world! [Archangel Arrow]!"

At the same moment an enormous bolt of light shot from Alyssa's hand as it traveled towards Cocytus in the shape of an arrowhead. This was her greatest single target spell and she firmly believed it would be capable of bringing down even a demon god.

Cocytus remained calm as he watched the two spells simultaneously close in. Although they could hurt him they would cause very little damage to him as they were just seventh tier spells. He could have asked Mare for help and already been free of his restraints, but in the end it was not even worth asking.

"How. Annoying. Skill. Activate. [Mass Magic Dispel]!"

A majestic wave of indigo radiated from Cocytus and spread out around him.

As soon as the energy got into contact with the power of the magic casters that had bound him it disappeared. As the wave travelled towards the Black Scripture it did the same to the two magic spells that had been fired at Cocytus.

Without even a sound the spells that the Black Scripture thought could finish even demon gods disappeared without a trace and left them without words as Cocytus stood proudly and unharmed in front of his foes.

When targeted by multiple magic spells at once this skill that Cocytus used could dispel every magic spell that he was afflicted with, was being cast, or was fired at him. Although to use it to cancel out only four spells was overkill, it was the best possible action as his opponents only had this many magic casters.

The Black Scripture was in a state of utter shock. They had gone on numerous dangerous missions and had killed creatures the likes of which would scare even seasoned warriors to death but never had they encountered someone as overwhelming as Cocytus. The Seventh tier spells that cost decades and a fortune to prepare had been erased in an instant along with all the labor that the citizens of the Theocracy had performed to be able to use them.

Cocytus had seen enough of his opponents' magical capabilities. These spells could damage him if only a little so it would be a hassle to enjoy a good fight while having to deal with these pesky magic casters. In that case the solution is simple.

"Skill. Activate. [Break the Line]!"

Instantly Cocytus had disappeared from the place where he stood previously. To the members of the Black Scripture that were holding the front line it appeared as if their opponent had vanished without a trace. But to those behind them…

"Aaaaaah!"

A scream came from one of the members behind them. It was Palyntana and the reason why she screamed was all too obvious.

Without a sound or trace of magic energy, Cocytus… had appeared right in front of them.

Without even giving them time to react, Cocytus swung his blade in a wide horizontal wave at the three magic casters lined up neatly besides each other.

Not a single one had time to react and were all cut by the incorporeal blade of the sword.

Instantly all three of them fell to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. All strength had left them and their bodies refused to move so much as an inch. The fatigue quickly caused them to lose consciousness as they hit the ground with a smack.

"You bastard!"

Roquefort roared as he and the other fighters leaped towards Cocytus from behind.

Faster than they could blink they had lost their magical advantage against an opponent that had clearly demonstrated superior fighting skills. This situation was appallingly bad to say the least.

Cocytus sneered internally as this overexcited reaction from his opponents reminded him of a child throwing a fit when things didn't go as they wanted.

To lose composure in battle due to a bad turn of events was unacceptable for a warrior.

"Pssshhhh. Skill. Activate. [Back Step]!"

Once again in the blink of an eye Cocytus vanished from his opponents' line of sight only to appear behind them again in the same spot where he had stood previously.

Utterly dumbfounded, the remaining members looked at the imposing figure of Cocytus. Besides having insanely powerful fighting skill he also possessed countermeasures against magic and even had ways of closing the distance between his foes in a flash.

If this thing decided to pick a fight with a dragon lord what would the outcome be like?

They simply had no way to defend against this kind of might anymore. If he chose to he could blink to Kaire instantly and end the only chance of survival they had there and then.

The skills that Cocytus had used were specially designed by his creator Warrior Mikazuchi to wipe out magic casters in a fight. His creator was a warrior enthusiast and secretly despised magic casters, thus he had skewed Cocytus with plenty of anti-mage abilities and passives that would make it impossible to beat Cocytus without a proper group of warriors on the enemy team.

Looking at this scene Ainz couldn't help but remember the words of his comrade when he presented Cocytus to the rest of the guild.

"To live and die by the blade is honor but to perish through magic is a shame", wasn't it?

Those were the words that Warrior Mikazuchi carried around as his creed. And he made it a point to skew his armor and weapons to be heavily resistant to magic. In PvP tournaments it was extremely rare for him to lose to a magic caster and that characteristic had carried over to Cocytus as well it seemed.

The members of the Black Scripture did not even bother checking the status of their companions. In this battle where they were faced with an opponent who could close the gap instantly they could not afford to worry about their casualties. Not to mention that none of them had healing skills.

"Looks like we'll have to give it our all today right captain?" Persiva jokingly remarked as she started to undo the zipper on her bag. Normally it would be well and truly an emergency before she unleashed what was inside of it but if this didn't qualify as one then nothing would.

Persiva's weapon called the 'Maiden's Secret' functioned as both a storage space and blunt weapon. The person capable of wielding this ancient item would be capable of completely binding to its will one beast of choice no matter how strong it may be once defeated. In addition it held the very special power of being able to change the weight of the bag to match its true weight when adding how heavy the monster weighed inside of it. If timed properly it was comparable to a flail, only much more powerful.

"Okay, come out! I summon to this plain the lurker of the ancient caves. Come forth Gargantuan firefoot spider!"

From within the bag gloomed two brightly glowing eyes that quickly turned into eight glowing eyes as a dark blob of black mass erupted much like when Ainz used his super tier skill to summon the Dark Young, only much smaller. This black bubble floated above the heads of the Black Scripture and eventually burst to release what was inside.

From within the black bubble emerged a hideous eight-legged black spider. It was roughly twenty meters in height and had fierce red eyes staring down its prey. Though the spider itself was almost completely black, its feet were clearly tipped in a scarlet red color, hence the name firefoot.

This spider had been caught by a previous member of the Theocracy's Black Scripture and had been stored into the 'Maiden's Secret' ever since. No matter how many decades went by this beast had yet to find its match in the world as the poison of its fangs could kill entire cities.

Cocytus seeing this creature felt a strange sensation burst through him. It wasn't fear as he didn't even consider a monster of this level an adversary but something about him being an insect and the monster an arachnoid made him feel uneasy.

Even Ainz was surprised when he saw what had been stored into the maiden's secret.

Even after hundreds of years "moe-culture" was still very much alive in japan despite the concept being so old, therefore no one was surprised that an armor set called "tsundere wrath" became available in the item shop. Despite the ridiculous look of the armor a lot of players started buying or crafting this set as the power it provided could not be called cute by any means.

Originally that item was a very annoying one to deal with in YGGDRASIL as it could literally seal any beast type monster apart from a world class enemy. It had only been available for a very short time and was quickly banned from lots of tournaments and tossed into obscurity but of course a group like the Six Addicts would have had the armor set when it came out.

But this level of creature that they took out was simply too low. If they had taken out the Spider Queen Lothra or perhaps Beast King Kong then even Cocytus would have to fight without holding back alongside Mare in order to win.

When only producing a Gargantua, however, they were simply admitting defeat.

Cocytus looked at the beast that had been summoned as he pondered on how to best deal with it. Although killing it was an easy task he honestly felt disgusted even looking at arachnoids and did not want to deal with them. Something about the eight eyes disturbed him as if recalling memories from an ancient past.

Then an idea struck him.

"Mare. Could. I. Ask. You. To. Deal. With. That. Thing."

Mare's ears twitched as he had just been watching and was not expecting to be called out.

"Ah y-y-yes Cocytus! That's… I mean… if you can't be bothered!"

Mare looked at the spider that by now was slowly starting to approach Mare and Cocytus while moving each of his legs one at a time, creating an eerie atmosphere of a predator stalking its unsuspecting prey.

Although I said I'll kill it, it doesn't look like any spider we have in Nazarick. I wonder if I give it to Onee-san if she won't pester me so much?

"Then… [Petrification]!"

Mare extended his staff as a green light emitted from it and shot towards the spider.

The light slowly enveloped the spider and caused its movements to come to a total halt.

The spider shrieked loudly in cries of agony as its entire body began to petrify from the legs up.

Before long the massive imposing black spider had turned into a stone statue that master sculptors would gape in awe at.

The Black Scripture had already seen too much today to still be too surprised when seeing this. First a Legendary item that was effective against Dragon Lords failed to halt a single Undead, then some of their strongest members had been defeated with one hit and now the ancient spider that three members of the Black Scripture had died for to catch back in the day was turned to stone. It was simply too ridiculous for words.

Persiva in the meantime had fallen to the ground unconscious. The spider was linked to her in more than one ways. If the spider was defeated then so was she.

Now only five members of the scripture still remained.

"[Move Earth]!"

Once again Mare used a spell and this time it appeared to cause the statue of the spider to float into the air and be placed aside so it would not hinder the rest of the battle.

Ainz looked at this scene as he could mostly understand what was going through Mare's mind. This type of Spider was not native to Nazarick and would be a great present for Aura when she returned from her mission. pertification was easy to undo for her after all.

Aura had been sent to scout out another nation of demi-humans and was not able to attend this massacre, but Ainz guessed that she would be more than satisfied once she saw her new pet.

All this time Sylvan couldn't help but blankly stare at Cocytus and Mare. The two had displayed abilities which had turned all logic on its head. Even if they fought with everything they had it would not be enough.

With what they had left they could not possibly buy Kaire the time she would need to use her item again.

"Captain, let's go for one last attack. All of us from different sides! Even if that monster can take down one of us in a swing if we strike from all sides, one of us has to be able to do some damage to him."

Roquefort looked at the captain as if he had already given up. But even in this sorry state he was still capable of thinking up the best possible solution to the problem.

Sylvan was unsure whether it would even work. The monster in front of them had displayed a strength that made him doubt his own eyes. This creature could probably go toe to toe with even Zesshi!

"Looks like it can't be helped."

"Listen up, all of you! We're going to attack it from all sides! Cedran, stay behind and protect Kaire! Those of you confident that we can kill that abomination, follow me!"

Responding to their captain's call the last remaining members all rushed out, approaching Cocytus from two sides with either ready to leap if he decided to attack.

Cocytus himself didn't move an inch as he watched how the Black Scripture encircled him, thinking they had him trapped.

Amusing as it was, he allowed them to execute their foolish ploy and couldn't wait to see what the results would bring.

Roquefort, Sylvan and Kuaiesse charged at him as Cocytus seemed to have let his guard down.

Roquefort figured that he would be targeted first as his sword was eye-catching after all. Thus he attacked from the front and swung his blade vertically down on Cocytus' face.

Sylvan and Kuaiesse attacked from behind with their strongest skills as their weapon. They could only hope to make as much damage as possible. Kuaiesse didn't even bother bringing out his basilisks as against a foe like Cocytus they would likely just be finished off like the spider by Mare. instead he had to rely on his monk skills to attack his foe directly.

"Take this! [Valiant Strike]!"

"[Five Fold Spear Thrust]"

"Southern style Eight Trigrams [Palm Strike]!"

Roquefort slashed, Sylvan thrust his spear and Kuaiesse struck at Cocytus. Not even Zesshi could take on all of these attacks at once and would be forced to dodge. Against an opponent that took too much pride in his strength, surely they would do some damage.

At least that was what they thought would happen.

"Impossible."

"Monster, no… demon."

"This kind of fight is just unfair…"

Sylvan and the other two members could not believe their eyes. Cocytus had taken the sword strike, the spear thrusts and the palm strikes without moving a muscle. And yet his shell was completely undamaged. naturally all Cocytus had done was activate another skill which allowed him to resist physical damage for a certain amount of time.

"No. Rhyme. Or. Reason. Just. Blind. Attacks. The. Lizardmen. Were. Better. Opponents. Than. You."

The combined effort of the two Lizardmen brothers that had forced Cocytus to use one of his skills had left a deep impression on him as their final attack was worthy to leave a mark on his body but this time he had activated this skill simply to show them the insurmountable difference between the two groups.

Cocytus had seen enough and launched a backward horizontal strike against Sylvan and Kuaiesse.

The speed was such that even Sylvan was taken aback but he still managed to jump backwards in time to dodge.

Kuaiesse was not as fortunate as the incorporeal blade sliced through him he fell down to the ground like a sack of meat.

Sylvan thanked the gods that he had been standing on the left side behind Cocytus and had activated martial skills that enhanced dodging capabilities before attacking.

If he had stood on the right side where Cocytus launched his attack from he would have fallen just like Kuaiesse.

"Hoooooooh!"

Roquefort roared as he had completely lost his senses against this unfair being called Cocytus and launched another desperate strike against him.

This time Cocytus simply side-stepped the horizontal sword strike and countered by piercing his blade through the chest of his foe.

Roquefort, just like his comrades, fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Sylvan had taken this moment to retreat back to where Kaire and Cedran stood. The two had been watching the spectacle and felt like they were living a nightmare. The entire Black Scripture had been destroyed down to only two members and Kaire.

Without some kind of miracle this would be the end.

…

….

…...

Just one more minute.

Sylvan was feeling the urge to make a wry smile as he thought that there might still be hope for the Theocracy.

Although ten of the twelve members of the Black Scripture had been eradicated, if Kaire could reactivate her item's powers again and take over Ainz Ooal Gown then that would still result in their victory.

That two members of the scripture plus Kaire were still alive could already be considered incredibly fortunate.

Although Sylvan was unsure whether or not two would be enough to buy Kaire another minute of time, he had to believe that as the captain of the Black Scripture he could draw the attention of the enemy long enough to create an opening.

All of his comrades had given everything they had to delay the onslaught of Ainz's subordinate so he could not allow to let their defeats go to waste anymore.

Sylvan readied his spear as he positioned himself between Cedran and Cocytus and prepared to strike with the intent to kill.

As Cocytus approached, Sylvan could only keep silently counting the seconds inside his head. Every second seemed like an eternity but now in just thirty seconds victory could be theirs.

The fact that the weapon had not worked on Ainz's doppelganger caused a stir in Sylvan's heart but he chose to believe that Ainz himself did not come out because he feared that weapon. He himself was vulnerable against it. Sylvan was sure this was the reason, otherwise it would mean their end.

"By the way I believe the timer should be close to off cooldown about now?"

The voice of Ainz caused a shudder in the heart of all three members that were still standing. They felt as if their darkest secret had been exposed by their worst enemy which was not far from the truth.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you lower lifeforms perhaps under the impression that I did not know the item's properties and restrictions? The reason I leisurely came out and greeted you personally is because I have already seen the extent of your power and have deemed it insufficient to threaten me."

Sylvan could almost feel the ground beneath him splitting open and wanting to suck him in.

If Ainz was telling the truth then that meant…

Sylvan and Cedran remained alert as they prepared to stop any magic or physical attack directed at them and especially Kaire.

"You fiend, I won't let you touch Kaire-sama. Activate [Crystal Dome]!"

Cedran roared as he activated the ability that he had been saving until the last moment to ensure that Kaire could activate her power.

Immediately the mirror like shield that he used glowed in a bright light that formed a veil of energy quickly shrouding both him and Kaire which stood behind him. Even Sylvan would find it impossible to break through it in the time they had left.

Ten seconds remaining.

Sylvan rejoiced inside his heart. With this barrier in place, even if Ainz fired a spell it would only rebound back at him. This was the final ace that they had been saving to buy time and now it would be their salvation.

"Crystal Dome is an ability which shields against arcane magic. A pity it won't protect you from me."

Five seconds left…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

…..

Against everything that he had learned as a warrior, Sylvan had turned his head around away from his enemy and Ainz and looked towards Kaire and Cedran.

He had an ominous feeling that he would see them both dead. Even though it should be impossible to break through the barrier in such a short time.

"Huh?"

Fine?

Sylvan peered at them and examined every detail of what he saw but could not find a single thing wrong with them. The two were still standing in the same spot that they had been in and were alive and well from what he saw.

"Oya? Did my magic fail? Well no matter, you bugs will still die soon enough."

Ainz's his remark alighted a spark in Sylvan's heart. The arrogant sorcerer king had finally overestimated his power. He had probably silent cast a spell that failed to break through the crystal dome. Of course, he hadn't realized this until the time was up and it was already too late.

"Hahaha, looks like luck is on our side! Now Kaire-sama use your power so we can end this."

Cedran roared with laughter as he relaxed. With him still alive he could protect Kaire until she had finished casting her mind control. This he was certain of as he was her bodyguard and had given his life once already to protect her.

Kaire responded by raising her hands and preparing to activate the power of [Downfall of Castle and Country], any second now a dazzling light would shine from her dress as her power would take over the mind of any foe that was in its range.

Cedran and Sylvan focused their attention on the enemy as they knew that this was the moment that Ainz and his subordinates would attack most fiercely.

No matter what I have to stop his advance for as long as I can.

Sylvan steeled himself to use the last of his strength as he would not allow Cocytus to step even one foot closer.

"Come at me you monster!"

Sylvan had activated the last skill of his armor which temporarily increased his defensive powers trifold. Even if a hammer were to hit him in the face at full swing it would do little more than leave a bruise.

For the sake of protecting Kaire for as long as he could, even if he could only use this power once a day now was the perfect time.

Just as he prepared to once again exchange blows with Cocytus he noticed something odd.

There was no light. The pulse of magical energy that normally occurs when Kaire uses the item did not appear. The great dragon that wipes the minds of all it attacked clean was nowhere to be found.

Sylvan again felt the undeniable urge to turn around and see what was going on but now that his foe was so close to him he could no longer afford to do so.

"Wondering what happened behind you? Go ahead and have a look for yourself, young knight of the Theocracy. Cocytus, don't attack him until I say so!"

Sylvan was suspicious at first but the strange silence behind him together with the fact that his minions seemed to listen to Ainz's command caused him to give in to his unrest and turn around anyway.

He immediately wished he hadn't. He wished that what he saw was just an evil illusion of the Sorcerer king.

Kaire-sama was still alive and well but she hadn't begun to start her item's power. The reason why was clear as day.

Her left hand held the still dripping head of Cedran. It had been decapitated just moments ago. The reason why he had not heard was because the barrier that Cedran had put up still filtered the sound.

The bloodied body was lying around next to her as she herself just kept looking at Sylvan with eyes devoid of compassion, guilt or anger.

Sylvan felt like dropping his weapon and falling on his knees. Everything that he had was destroyed.

His comrades beaten or dead and his hope of victory taken in the most brutal way. He had truly nothing left.

"How?"

Despite all this the strongest emotion inside him was not grief but anger.

"How?!"

Ainz appeared to ignore the heartfelt cries of his opponent as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Although I said I'll capture them all alive, Ghouls are still troublesome to control properly. Well, seeing as it was probably her that brainwashed Shalltear it would be unbefitting of me not to kill her myself, no? And the other one we can probably still revive right?"

Demiurge nodded as he realized the question was probably directed at him.

"It is as you say, Ainz-sama. No one but you could have the right to execute her. I'm sure that Shalltear will not mind the one toy being broken and the other one broken but repaired."

Sylvan kept listening to the casual conversation and felt like lunging at Ainz directly, regardless of whether or not he'd stand a chance.

"No need to show such a face, young knight of the Theocracy. Though I don't enjoy having a conversation with corpses I'll tell you. Before that man with the shield had even put up the barrier, I had already cast a silent [Creeping Death] spell on your comrade."

In YGGDRASIL this tenth tier spell was very controversial as it allowed one to kill an enemy and turn it into an undead without the enemy team noticing. It was, however, a spell with many faults that could be seen through easily in YGGDRASIL. But in this world it could be said to be one of the most dangerous spells in existence. Only special types of people who had the ability to see through illusions could distinguish between a human who was and who was not affected by this spell at first glance.

Once affected the victim would be instantly turned into a Ghoul without the enemy noticing the difference and would be able to launch surprise attacks at its former allies from the back.

This was exactly what Ainz had done and Cedran had never even understood what it was that killed him.

"You were so fixated on that item's power that you forgot that its user is still human. Well, I suppose it's a fitting ending considering that it's [Downfall of castle and Country]."

Ainz thought back of the lore behind the item. It wasn't a particularly well-written background but it sufficed.

The legend behind it told of a warlord who wanted to claim a nation as his own but could not do so because of its capital being an impregnable fortress. Even after months of sieging, it would not fall, so he decided to try a different approach. He sent out his sister dressed as a beautiful escort. Wearing a marvelous white dress with dragon etchings he had her sneak into the city. At a feast hosted by the king who was mocking the warlord she danced for him and he instantly fell in love with her. With her seductive charms and him being sated and drunk it was easy to convince him to do anything. In a drunken trance he was persuaded to have the guards open the gates to the invaders to sue for peace which against knowing better they did. In the end the city was burned to the ground long before the king could awaken from his drunken slumber.

"The fool who acted in the way he would protect his country and the woman closest to him from the evil in front of him, eventually died at her hands from an attack from behind. How typical. Well, not like I'm unfamiliar with troublesome women."

Sylvan could feel his wrath overflowing as he looked around. He saw the unmoving bodies of his comrades lying around.

With now even Kaire-sama defeated he saw no way out. This was without a doubt the end of the Theocracy's number one unit.

Even if he could beat the opponent in front of him, which he highly doubted was any weaker than Ainz himself, it would still be insufficient as Ainz had not joined the battle and was still in the presence of three guards which looked just as strong as the one before him.

Truly with his strength all that Sylvan could do was throw down his arms and accept his defeat.

Seeing the dejected look inside Sylvan's face, Ainz decided that it was time to finish this little game.

"Cocytus, take that insect to…"

"To hell with that!"

Before Ainz could finish he heard a roaring voice that thundered loudly above his own. He had no trouble guessing its source as only one man would dare to still shout in his presence.

Sylvan lowered his stance and stretched his spear as he prepared for his final battle. Even though he knew that he was done for he would still fight to his last breath. To do otherwise would be an insult to his fallen comrades.

In his mind Sylvan saw not the horrific scenes of what Ainz would do if he lost nor the unbelievable amount of power that Cocytus had displayed. He thought only of his friends in the Theocracy, the innocent children, and the elders who had fought their entire lives to protect this nation and all humans in the world. For their sake he would fight against these desperate odds! He thought of the loving girl waiting for him back home… of the child inside her that still had to open its eyes and grow up to protect its nation.

At this moment Sylvan felt a surge of energy beneath his feet. Like a bonfire was set aflame below him, the heat spread throughout his body. Quickly he felt this heat turn into energy as his entire body surged with strength that he had never felt before.

Ainz and the bunch looked at Sylvan with a slight sense of surprise. Although they could not tell by what extent, it was clear that he had become stronger for some reason. So much so that Ainz couldn't help but chuckle as his trip here proved somewhat interesting after all.

"Looks like I was rude a bit earlier by calling you an insect. You are certainly much more capable than your comrades, so tell me what the source of your sudden power-up is."

"Behold Ainz Ooal Gown, this is the power of the bonds between me and my comrades. My burdens that I carry, in the name of all the humans that I must protect, is the power that I wield for their sake!"

Ainz's eyes flickered as the lights went a bit dim for a second.

"Power of bonds between comrades…"

….

What the hell is this?! A generic anime plot?!

Ainz felt depressed to the point that he wanted to put the palm of his skeletal hand on his face. When he was still young he was a huge fan of anime and manga and truth be told he still was now. Inside these he had always read that the power of friendship and comrades could give rise to incredible strength in the face of evil. But that would mean that Ainz was the bad guy in this scenario. Although that was true from their point of view, they were the ones who made him kill his own subordinate.

How depressing, now I'm the bad guy all of a sudden. Well I did do some things that could be considered bad but they were for Nazarick's sake…

But to say it's the power of bonds between comrades… ridiculous!

"Mare, can you figure out why this idiot suddenly got stronger all of a sudden?"

"Ah, yes Ainz-sama! Shouldn't take long."

Mare quickly cast some spells and a screen appeared in front of him that showed all kinds of readings.

"Um Ainz-sama, this human possesses a talent called [Blessed of Gaia] which grants him exceeding basic power and a talent called [Final Stand of Gaia's knights] which allows him a temporary power up when facing multiple powerful enemies alone. Judging from the black color difficulty his power level right now is around ninety. "

"Hooh, from all the creatures that we've encountered that makes him the strongest. To think he was hiding such latent skill. Good thing we didn't take him out until the last moment."

"It is as you say, Ainz-sama. We are quite fortunate!"

Demiurge congratulated Ainz with a hint of a sinister smirk.

"By the way Ainz-sama, I would like this human for my experimentation. Would that be alright with you?"

Ainz didn't care what happened to Sylvan as long as he suffered. Knowing Demiurge that was guaranteed.

"Fine I have no problems with it, but remember that Shalltear gets first crack at them."

"As you say, Ainz-sama, I have no problems with that."

Demiurge slightly bowed in gratitude and glanced at Sebas who he felt held back what he wanted to say.

Sebas himself felt that this boy was an admirable warrior and deserved a warrior's death. But when the future good of Nazarick was considered, this boy's body could end up being a treasure trove of information that could strengthen Nazarick's defenses incredibly so even he held back.

"Alright then, now let's continue the fight. Cocytus no need to go easy on him anymore. Feel free to use your real strength. If you can prevent him from being killed that's great, if not it's still acceptable. Mare, you've done enough, let Cocytus handle it for now."

Capturing a prey that had a level in the nineties was a tall order after all, even for a Floor Guardian. Having Mare do it would be best but Ainz felt that Cocytus would feel depressed if such an opportunity to prove himself was snatched away from him.

"As. You. Wish. Ainz-sama. I. Don't. Know. If. I. will. Succeed. But. I. will. Try."

Cocytus felt incredibly excited. If he was human he'd be shaking in anticipation. To fight a foe that had such a high level in the name of Nazarick was the greatest honor he could possibly ask for.

As the guardian in charge of protecting Nazarick, he had been on guard duty for a great amount of time. Although it was an honor, he felt that he wasn't fulfilling his job since no one invaded.

Now that at last a worthy opponent had appeared he rejoiced in his heart, even though he had several.

"Well. Then. I. Won't. Hold. Back. Anymore."

It had been so long that he had almost forgotten how it felt to unleash his true strength.

As soon as he said those words the entire area seemed to freeze over as the temperature dropped by several dozen degrees. Even though it was supposed to be summer it felt like winter.

Cocytus had, for practical reasons, restrained his aura. Much like Ainz who could release negative energy at will, he could do the same with cold energy. This right now was Cocytus truly cutting loose.

In that very same moment, out of nowhere appeared blades in the free hands that Cocytus still had. Originally he would always wield four swords but his opponents had been too weak for that.

This time, he had finally been able to draw them out: his four best swords.

Phantom Bane which was best at attacking enemies who didn't have a corporeal form, and exceeded at inflicting paralyze and fatigue statuses on the ones it cut.

God Slaying Emperor Blade which had cut down the proud warriors of the Lizardmen tribes and was sharper than any blade that humans or even the dwarves of this world could craft.

Blade of the Niflheim King which was counted amongst the strongest blades with an ice attribute. It caused frostbite to the wounds that it made, thus making it even more dangerous. It was shaped in the form of a European broadsword of which the blade emitted a chilling frost of air.

And his own master's blade that Ainz had given to him for his work in the lizardmen village. The lightning attribute blade, Takemikazuchi MK-8, thus completing the dual wield that his master once used.

To be able to use it against an opponent like his creator did filled Cocytus with an indescribable amount of joy. If he could cry he would have if his master was not here as well.

He finally got ready as he prepared to charge at Sylvan. The real battle began now.

….

…

"[Piercing icicle]!"

Sylvan jumped to the side as a wave of icicles as sharp as spears flew past him.

If he got hit by so much as a single one he was certain that it could penetrate his armor and end the fight there and then.

Only through the use of his martial skills and experience had he been able to evade or block all of Cocytus' attacks thus far.

On the other hand, he himself was still lacking. Even though his basic abilities were at a comparable level to his opponent, his attacks were not. The power of the martial skills that the humans of this world used was far below that of the skills, spells and passives in YGGDRASIL.

A single real attack from Cocytus that could use strikes from the wisdom king series could wipe out entire villages. The only reason that he did not use them thus far was because his opponents' attacks were also much weaker and he was still under orders to try and take Sylvan alive.

A continuous amount of attacks and spells had launched at Sylvan and Cocytus had already seen through this evasive kind of battle tactic where Sylvan would wait until Cocytus attacked so he could make use of the opening to counter. this hit and run style of fighting could only carry him so far.

Cocytus had grown tired of Sylvan dancing around him. Though it was praiseworthy enough that Sylvan could keep up with him to this extent, it was time to end this game.

Just as Sylvan went in for another hit-and-run attack, Cocytus activated his trap.

"You. Won't. Get. Away. [Ice Ring]!"

Icicles instantly sprouted from the ground and encircled Sylvan and Cocytus.

With a radius of just under three meters an arena of ice enclosed Sylvan and Cocytus. The ice itself was magically hardened and would be able to withstand up to three attacks from even a level 100 warrior character from YGGDRASIL.

"You. Can't. Run. Anymore."

"You are mistaken, I did not attack you with full force because I know full well you can dodge if you want to. But now I have you nice and tight inside this arena. I'll let you taste the full force of my spear!"

Sylvan had held back his strongest attack as dodging it was fairly easy for someone of Cocytus' caliber, but in this place, at this moment, with his strength increased and his opponent trapped it was time.

Sylvan guided all of the energy he had gained into the tip of his spear, making it glow with a brilliant shade of golden luster as it shone brightly and lit up the icicle arena.

This would be the deciding strike. Even if he could not kill Ainz Ooal Gown he would take one of his men with him and maybe that would persuade him to call off the attack. With this faint hope in his heart he charged.

"Oh. Looks. Like. You. Want. To. Finish. It. As. Well. Then. I'll. Greet. Your. Resolve. With. My. Best. Skill. Activate. [Ashura Sutoraiku]!"

This skill was not the most damaging of the skills that Cocytus possessed, but it had the special power of increasing the level of special effects that his weapons did to his opponents. Combined with Phantom Bane it upgraded the level of immobilizing effects that the weapon did and gave it a potential chance of inflicting instant death magic upon them. Because his sword itself had an armor penetrating effect it would activate the magic even if the armor normally shielded one from it.

With this attack Sylvan had a seventy percent chance of survival. For the sake of his master's orders but true to his warrior spirit this was the best chance of mercy through death that Cocytus could give to his opponent.

"Now martial skill [Tenfold Demon Spear Thrust]!"

Sylvan activated his greatest martial skill that he knew. Even in practice he had only pulled off this skill one out of five times. Following a special movement pattern it became possible to launch ten heavy spear thrusts that would seem almost simultaneous to the naked eye.

Now combined with his newfound power this was the limit of Sylvan's strength.

The two charged at each other, although it was just one step it felt as if they jumped a kilometer. Their weapons roaring with power, they flung themselves at each other. This exchange with each holding their own burdens and determination, they hit and…

"Take this!"

Ten booms that carried a clear metallic sound could be heard followed by a single whoosh that seemed to erase the sound from the world as the battle fell silent after it.

Shortly afterwards the ice arena disappeared and the winner of the battle became known.

As expected…

Cocytus stood strongly over the unmoving body of Sylvan. The power that had been granted to him at the eleventh hour and the weight of the burdens and determination that Sylvan carried…

In front of Cocytus it had been rejected and crushed into tiny bits. The power of comrades that Sylvan believed he had received to beat his foe… had failed.

"Splendidly done, Cocytus. You finished off a strong opponent in the name of Nazarick. But I have to ask… is he still alive?"

Cocytus did not turn around as he answered his master in a calm if not somewhat distressed voice.

"Yes. Ainz-sama. He. Is. Still. Breathing. But... there. Is. A. Problem."

Cocytus slowly turned around with great reluctance like a child that was about to show his parents a bad report card. He was very unwilling to disgrace Ainz-sama but he had no way to hide this.

As Cocytus turned around Ainz saw it even from a distance.

Cracks?

Over Cocytus' entire body there were cracks leaking out with a green substance. Although the cracks were minor and did not seem to be lethal they were numerous.

In total there were ten places where the seemingly impenetrable exoskeleton of Cocytus had been breached. Two cracks on his shoulders, five on his chest, two on his abdomen and one right in the center of his head between his eyes. Each one was dealt with pinpoint accuracy and was visibly meant to either incapacitate or kill the opponent.

"Please. Give. Me. Punishment. Ainz-sama. I. Have. Brought. Shame. To. Nazarick. Yet. Again."

From the tone of his voice it was clear that Cocytus was about to break down from frustration. If he had not used up the skill which nullified physical damage earlier in the fight then he would have been able to get out of the battle flawlessly. Instead he had allowed his opponent to injure him and had brought shame to every warrior of Nazarick, himself included.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Cocytus. You were able to capture a high level opponent alive and only sustained minor injuries. Even I myself would have had trouble doing so without getting injured. Consider this your victory."

"My. Thanks. Ainz-sama."

Ainz looked on across the landscape. All he saw were the lying bodies of the Black Scripture and the unmoving corpse Ghoul of Kaire. With this battle the fate of the Theocracy had been sealed and he himself could now breathe a slight sigh of relief as his biggest headache was resolved.

…

….

…...

As Ainz walked past the unmoving corpses of the Black Scripture he felt a vague sense of pride and happiness.

Like a gamer that had finally beaten the last level of a game or the last boss. After all this time that he had worried and strategized on how to defeat this hidden enemy, he felt extremely satisfied seeing his foe lying motionlessly beneath his feet. He cared not for what horrible fate awaited them in Nazarick.

"You… will… l-lose…"

A faint voice could be heard from one of the bodies but Ainz had a little trouble seeing which one. That was until he noticed that Sylvan's body was still slightly squirming, trying to move as much as it could, which was millimeters at best.

"Oh, you're still conscious? I gotta say that you are most tenacious for managing to stay awake after all that."

Ainz looked at Sylvan in the same way a butcher would look at the cattle about to be slaughtered. The battle was over and he had won, that was all that mattered now.

"My fate is u-u-unimportant… you will still lose in the e-end… the Light will be unleashed and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I'm well aware. Which is why I had this place shielded both from magic and the naked eye. Your nation will not use an item like that carelessly so I should have plenty of time to rip it from their filthy hands in that hidden crypt in the capital, right?"

Sylvan's face contorted as if Ainz had punched him in the stomach. If he already knew and had countermeasures in place than that meant…

"Ah... Aaah… Ainz Ooal… Vi… run…"

"There there, it's alright now. You've fought admirably, now let Shalltear take good care of you and your friends. The day that we will see each other again will come, though you will probably not be the same by then."

Ainz patted Sylvan's shoulder as two death knights carried away the now completely motionless Sylvan along with the other members of the Black Scripture.

After the transport was complete and the Firewall had been dispelled, Ainz looked at the capital in the distance from the same spot where Pandora's Actor had stood previously.

Demiurge stood next to him and awaited an opportunity to congratulate his master on another victory.

"Demiurge…"

"Yes, Ainz-sama."

"Prepare yourself and Sebas. There's still one matter that we need to see to. Summon Lycan as well, he could be useful."

"Will we not take Cocytus and Mare with us?"

"They've already done enough for today. Let them rest. Besides, I want to rely upon you two for a change."

"Understood, Ainz-sama. Then where will we be going?"

Ainz continued to look at the direction of the capital and without turning his head around replied, "You need to ask? To the capital!"

Author's afterword: well I know for certain I'm gonna catch hell for this chapter from some of you (you know who you are), I followed the overlord route with this fight. Get hyped get dunked! I believe that those are the words that the original author of overlord lives by. Anyways tomorrow I'll post final part of the chapter and after that it will be two weeks before part one of chapter four begins to be published. Look forward to it and don't forget to press that big friendly follow button if you want more and please don't try to post this on reddit pretending it's the real thing (yes that actually happened before).

And as always burn in hell yen press and

GLORY TO AINZ OOAL GOWN.