Chapter 4 Death vs God of Death

Part 1

Deep beneath the capital inside one of the inner sanctum's private chambers. The room was dead silent as Archon stared at the objects in front of him. He had shut himself in this room and sent away all his guards and other staff while he waited for the results of the battle. The Black Scripture had been deployed and all he could do was hope and pray that their efforts would not be in vain.

Normally, he would never doubt the outcome of a battle where all of the Black Scripture fought against one single foe, but now even he had come to doubt their chances of survival. The Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown had demonstrated that he was an entity that was not to be trifled with.

If their surprise attack was successful and the power of [Downfall of Castle and Country] could hit Ainz, then Archon felt that even the magic caster would be defeated.

But if it failed…

Archon slightly squinted his eyes as he observed the thirteen candles in front of him, eleven of which were still burning.

These candles were burning with what druids called a 'soul flame'. Through a special ritual, one could link oneself with a fire and allow it to keep burning eternally as long as the one the flame was linked with was still alive.

Through this method, the Slane Theocracy was able to confirm the status of all their important warriors if they were out on a mission.

But now Kaire's and Cedran's flames had gone out of all things. This meant that the two were without a doubt deceased.

When Archon had seen first Kaire's flame disperse and then shortly afterwards Cedran's flame go out, he had refused to believe it. For a start, Cedran would sooner die than allow anything to happen to Kaire, so him dying after Kaire made no sense. The flames of these candles could not lie, however, and their deaths were a fact, something that disturbed Archon to his core.

Even though those two have died, the other flames are still burning. Does that mean that the fight is still going on?

Archon tried to steel himself, only to realize that he was clinging to false hope. If Kaire had been killed, then no matter what the rest of the Black Scripture did they would not be able to beat Ainz. Of this he had become convinced after hearing that Ainz had killed the Re-Estize Kingdom's greatest warrior before the latter had been able to so much as close the distance between the two.

Looks like there's no choice.

Archon gathered up what little courage he had and departed from the room. If the Black Scripture had been defeated, then no one was safe anymore, and no place in the capital was secure, but Archon still felt confident that it would be a while before Ainz Ooal Gown and his minions would be able to find the hidden sanctum beneath the Capital.

In other words, he had plenty of time to prepare himself and the spell.

The spell that would unleash the power of the final relic left behind by the Six Gods, which was said to be able to erase all evil from the world.

Archon was regretful that it had come to this; he was originally a man with no real ambition whose only goal was to become a priest in the capital and live a carefree life whilst guiding the common folk in their daily struggles. After years of devout work in various churches across the nation, he had finally been taken into the tutelage of one of the priests working in the capital. Archon was a hardworking disciple that, unlike some of his fellow acolytes, never indulged in the temptations of the flesh such as women or alcohol. It wasn't so much that he had a strong faith in the teachings of his religion as much as his personal tendency to never cut corners when carrying out a task, a trait that did not go unnoticed as the previous Archbishop of Death took an interest in Archon and decided to train him as his protégé.

That kindly old fool, what was he thinking putting someone like me in this position? Having to oversee such a grim part of the national religion, having to deal with the Black Scripture and that lunatic Zesshi and now even having to make such a tough decision. What sins did I commit in a previous life that I am now burdened by such a heavy responsibility?

As much as Archon wanted to stop and scream out his frustration, as much as he wanted to abstain from unleashing the power of the forbidden item, as much as he wanted to just use the secret escape tunnel beneath the capital to try and flee from Ainz Ooal Gown, he could not. Someone had to be the one to make the difficult choices in life, someone always carried the responsibility to oversee the wellbeing of thousands of lives and now it was up to Archon to ensure that as many of those lives were saved as possible.

Using those convictions as a mental safeguard to prevent him from chickening out, he continued his course towards the deepest and most hidden part of the Inner Sanctum alongside all the equipment left behind by the Six Gods all the other legacies were found. The treasures of the Miko, the three great relics and of course the pinnacle of the bloodline left behind by the Six Great Gods, 'Certain Death'. Archon finally reached the Large metal gate behind which was the long corridor that led directly to the treasury where the strongest items were stored.

"Ara, Ar-chan! What are you doing here acting so mischievously? Could it be you're planning on doing something bad today?"

As soon as the door opened, a childish voice rang out from the other side as Archon stared at the black robed Zesshi who was smirking as if she had been expecting him all along, which had probably been the case.

"Out of my way, Zesshi! Kaire has fallen in battle; you know as well as I what that means! Even if the others are still alive, they stand no chance against an opponent like that sorcerer who can kill humans on a whim. I am fulfilling my duty as an archbishop by protecting not only this city or this nation, but the entire human race. Even if it means that I have to sacrifice thousands or even millions. If all evil in the world is destroyed, then surely Ainz Ooal Gown and his minions will be destroyed as well."

"Is what you are saying, Ar-chan, but to begin with, that item's power is vague and leaves a lot of gray areas. For starters, would the item kill adventurers who kill monsters to protect their villages or to simply earn cash be considered evil? Will a ruler leading tens of thousands of his countrymen to their deaths for the sake of repelling an invader be seen as evil by this item? Will a kid who steals food from his neighbors to feed his starving mother be seen as evil? We would answer with 'not necessarily', but it is exactly because we are sentient with a mind that can judge situations based on circumstances that we can make such a judgment and even then we can be wrong. Who is to say that that item won't kill all living beings who have so much as lied to someone else before? Can you really take responsibility for that, Ar-chan?"

Archon was dead silent as he could not form the words to refute this girl, no this woman right away. Although she may act rash or indifferent from time to time, she definitely had a good head on her shoulders and had been educated in more than fighting. What she said made sense as the concept of evil came in as many shades of gray as one could imagine. Even still, Archon could not afford to waver now as the alternative was even grimmer still.

Archon once again began walking towards his destination, only to find his path now completely blocked by Zesshi who held out her slender arm to show that she had no intention of letting him pass today.

"Move aside! Even if what you say is true and I end up condemning the entire world to its demise, that is still a better fate than becoming the puppets of that undead sorcerer. The time of heroes like those from the old stories has passed, even the strongest warrior of the kingdom armed with treasures that are a match even for the equipment of the Black Scripture was done in by an instant. Even if heroes like those from the stories would appear, they would fall like rain before this monster. I will not stand by and watch this world slink into an endless nightmare!"

"Haah? What stupid things are you saying, Ar-chan? Who in their right minds would think that weaklings like the Thirteen Heroes could defeat that undead, it's just ridiculous. But…

"That has nothing to do with me, now does it?"

Archon shivered a little as he felt a malicious aura coming from beneath the smirking façade that Zesshi was putting up.

Having spent so much time around this mischievous-looking girl it was easy to forget, the strongest warrior in this nation was not Bahmeth or Ensem or even Sylvan, the undisputed strongest warrior of the nation was none other than 'Certain Death'.

Taking another look at the girl, Archon realized that a powerful magic vibe was coming from beneath her unusual black robe. It was clear that she was not wearing her standard gear but instead something far more powerful that made even Archon's hairs stand on end.

"Zesshi, you couldn't have, right?"

Expecting the question, Zesshi merely grinned even wider as she leaned in closer to Archon while softly muttering, "Don't look so surprised; with Kaire gone this is our last shot at taking down the Sorcerer King. That old lady isn't the only one with permission to take out one of the big ones from the treasury."

Amongst the various items left behind by the Six Great Gods, there were items that transcended anything that human or dwarven smiths could craft. But even amongst those, there were three items that stood head and shoulders above the rest. The very objects of the Theocracy's faith in the Six Great Gods that the priest would regularly mention in their sermons as the items that guarded humanity and the final trump cards of the Archbishops, known better as the Three Great Relics. One of which was now donned by Zesshi.

Zesshi's strength had never been disputed, and her full power, if she released all of her restraints, could be matched by only a few beings even in the entire continent. With this item on her it wouldn't be strange if she could take on even a Dragon Lord and come out on top; still against the Sorcerer King who held unfathomable powers it was impossible to predict who would win. Faced with that uncertainty, Archon could no longer afford to hedge all of his bets on Zesshi, no matter how strong she may be.

Even Archon, who was not a warrior and could at best be called a sub-par divine magic caster who relied more on his wits then his prowess to solve problems, could tell that Zesshi was emitting a fearsome pressure that would most likely not lose out to even Ainz Ooal Gown.

Should I consider giving her a shot? She's not the strongest for nothing, but even with that item on her…

Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something, a rumbling sound followed by violent tremors echoed through the sanctum, reaching all the way to where Archon and Zesshi were.

"Impossible, this place is a national secret! It couldn't be! They couldn't have found it so quickly"

As Archon was shouting those words whilst looking emptily towards the direction where the sound came from, Zesshi meanwhile was smiling menacingly behind him.

"Like I said awhile ago, I sensed a strange presence while patrolling the inner sanctum on the same day that I discovered that werewolf. Those guys already knew about the existence of this crypt from the beginning. Us launching our main force into them and fighting them on their terms was probably all part of their plan all along."

Hearing what Zesshi said, Archon turned around, astonishment on his face; if what Zesshi said was true then everything they had done, all of their resolve and convictions, plans and preparations, was just them dancing in the palm of Ainz Ooal Gown's bony hand.

"All guards move out! Seal every part of the sanctum! Activate the inner defenses! Call back every paladin on the surface; we need every man we can get! Delay the intruders for as long as possible!"

Hearing the shouts of the archbishop, the guards frantically started moving and began carrying out the orders, passing on the various messages both verbally and through magic as they ran towards different directions, preparing for battle.

In this moment, the entire sanctum seemed to come to life as mysterious carvings on the ceiling and walls began to glow with a faint magic. At the same time, throughout the underground structure, rumbling could be heard as all of the doors and gates that usually remained open without any possibility of intruders now suddenly simultaneously began closing. The inner defenses on the sanctum had been activated!

The inner sanctum was built more as a monument or sacred ground than as a vault, but over the years various archbishops had invested a large amount of funds into protecting this place as the unlikely scenario of even one of the stored items being stolen could spell a great disaster for the Theocracy.

And so it was that besides the elite paladin guardians, each of whom could match platinum-ranked adventurers, the sanctum was also inscribed with various magic wards and seals along the mysterious markings on the wall that greatly strengthened holy magic and repelled evil creatures to turn this place into an impenetrable fortress that could easily repel any army, be they undead or human, monsters or even demon gods, this place would not fall so lightly.

Even so, Archon knew that Ainz Ooal Gown would likely plow through these defenses in a matter of minutes; to someone who could fight the Black Scripture, these countermeasures were most likely as insignificant as flies buzzing around him.

But that didn't matter, even if he could deal with the defenses, reaching the treasury would not be so easy; the sanctum's greatest defense from invaders was its vastness and secretive nature. The entrance to the treasury itself was concealed behind various hidden paths and doors. Only a handful of guards knew the exact location and path one had to take in order to reach here. Without these, one would have to search quite a while before discovering the entrance to the treasury, which meant that Archon still would have enough time to unleash the power of the last great relic left behind by the Six Gods.

Now that the enemy had appeared practically on their doorstep, all of his doubts had been cleared away; if he did not seize this chance to use their last real hope of victory then his only chance to regret it would be in the afterlife.

"Move, Zesshi, this is no longer something I can leave in your hands! If this place has been discovered then I no longer have any choice!"

Zesshi merely looked vexingly at Archon and softly stepped closer as she calmly spoke, "That is true, but if you won't give me a shot you'll regret it for the rest of your life. For once, just let your brain take a rest from making calculations. Let me break my seal; all I need is a little time to slay that Sorcerer King or whatever."

Archon gulped. Zesshi's power was already very domineering, but if her seal was undone she could take down entire armies by herself, and it was dangerous to all around her so it was intentionally locked away. But it was still a power that ranked in the top five of the entire world.

"So how about it, Ar-chan? You going to unleash my power, or are you going to try to get past me knowing that I'm not going to let you through?"

"… Fine, I will give you exactly ten minutes from the moment that I hear the rumbling get too close, you understand, right? If you can't kill whatever is coming for us in that space of time then I'll activate the holy relic. Deal?"

Zesshi clicked her tongue but didn't refute; without Archon letting her remove her seal completely she could not fight to her full extent and that would make the battle truly dangerous. Even she realized that holding back against someone like Ainz was a deadly mistake.

Looking at Zesshi' eyes, Archon did not see the hidden mischief that Zesshi usually had and understood her decision. Having spent so much time with her he had learned to distinguish when she was hiding something from him and when she wasn't.

"I guess I can take that silence as an agreement. Alright, I'll trust that you won't betray me this once, so I'll break your seal."

As he said these words, Archon took out a small knife from his robe and made a small cut on his thumb, just enough to make blood flow out. Silently chanting incantations, he pressed his thumb onto Zesshi's forehead and watched as it began to glow with a weird green symbol resembling a six sided cross that had appeared on the place where his blood had left a mark. With this, her seal had been undone and it showed as a terrifying aura emerged from her that seemed to swallow up life itself.

"Seems like you're ready to go, remember you have ten minutes once they get too close to this place. I will be in the treasury; if you manage to defeat the enemy than shout your real name and I'll know it's you."

"Wait! Hold on a sec, why do I have to shout something as embarrassing as my real name for you to believe me?"

"You fool! It's precisely because you would never say your own name carelessly that I can know for sure that it's you!"

A second explosion became audible as it vibrated through the sanctum, closer than the first time and even distant cries of soldiers began to echo through the halls of the sanctum as one could but imagine what horrors they faced.

"Could it be they're headed straight for us? Did someone betray us or can they sense the power of the holy relics? Tch, anyways, Zesshi, I'm leaving it to you!"

Shouting these words, Archon ran past Zesshi in the direction of the treasury earning a respectful glance by Zesshi who admired her usually timid and annoyed superior for finally stepping up to the plate and acting as someone in his position should. It seemed that crises truly did give birth to amazing people who just needed a push to blossom.

Whilst thinking this, Zesshi showed an almost unnoticeable smile as a thought ran through her head.

If we meet again in the next life or the afterlife, I may treat you a little bit more respectfully, Archon-san.

Treating this as her last casual thought, she steeled herself as she could feel the malice of perhaps her last opponent drawing in on her.

The rumbling was getting closer as the various screams from the paladins behind the door died down completely. There could be no doubt that all of those poor souls had already been dealt with. Zesshi, however, didn't even have time to think of them as she felt a monstrous power get closer and closer to the door, like a wild beast approaching her in the forest that was looking for prey.

For many years, she had not felt this thrill anymore, the thrill of being frightened just before a life-threatening battle, now in the short span of a few months she had already felt it twice: once in the battle against that strange werewolf and now as whatever monster drew near her.

The rumbling died down just as it approached the large steel door. Evidently, whatever was on the other side was probably preparing to blow down the door or was figuring out how to open it. Hopefully it was the former as Zesshi didn't think that they would be able to get through without brute force and having to bear with the suspense was far more difficult for her than actually fighting.

Zesshi licked her lips as she felt cold sweat running down her back. She didn't know what kind of foe was about to appear before her, but in the face of finally facing a worthy opponent who could make her go all-out, she could not help but rejoice.

Hopefully it's something not only strong but also intelligent. Fighting another beast like that werewolf that has only brute force and no tactics would be too boring. Maybe that sorcerer brought a dragon along with him, I've always wanted to fight one of those. Please, God of Death, grant my one and final wish. If this is going to be my last fight, I want to be killed by a powerful dragon.

Not a second later as that thought had gone through her head, a powerful blast rang out on the other side of the door as the entire structure with hinges and all was blown back all the way to the back of the corridor.

Zesshi stared in awe as even she didn't possess the destructive strength to break down a steel door as solid as that in one blow. That door had been reinforced with powerful seals and spells to ward it not only from magic but powerful brute force as well. An army could bash it with battering rams for days and it wouldn't be dented. Even the strength of the blowback was so strong that had Zesshi been standing in its path when it was sent flying, she would have been hard-pressed to dodge.

The blast had caused the stone wall surrounding the door to be damaged quite a bit as a lot of rubble and dust had created a thick dust cloud that made it impossible to see who had destroyed the door. Zesshi hoped that any second now a ferocious beast would emerge from out of the cloud and her final fight could commence.

Soft footsteps became audible as a figure emerged from the cloud wearing a calm expression on his face.

The one who appeared before Zesshi was not a monster or even a wild beast, but a human looking person wearing formal attire with a straight posture that reminded one of a butler for high ranking nobles; even his face gave off a dignified aura of someone who would not look out of place at a high society ball or at the side of royalty.

"Forgive the rude intrusion, but we were unable to find the key to the door."

"What the…? Where the hell is my dragon?!"

Author's afterword: going to try to periodically post parts from now on but can't promise anything as this chapter is coming along rather slowly and I'm definitely not also playing games instead of writing… also on a side note I want to point out that it's disturbing when the part with Shalltear torturing some poor girl gets more views than the big fight of the BS vs Nazarick :/ anyways the story is doing quite well and I hope that this chapter will give it the final push it needs to be the most followed T rated fanfiction (since getting more favorites than The Guest seems impossible), my friends said they'd each pay me five € if it gets most follows. Truth be told never thought I'd do so well and I am happy to keep working on more stories like these and of course I'm going to do a volume 11 after volume ten gets released. So for now look forward to part 2 and as always.

Burn in hell yen press!

And

GLORY TO AINZ OOAL GOWN