Note: This story is a work of fiction. It has many content of adult nature. If you do not want to read such content, please close your browser window or press the convenient back button.
This story uses the same setting as my other story "Momon, Big Black Changeling". Essentially, Ainz Ooal Gown is the same type of creature as in that story, although this and that story happen in different worlds.
Lizzy the alchemist looked at Ainz in shock. "Everything?" she croaked out, astounded by Ainz's outlandish demand.
"Yes, everything. Whoever took Nfrea can cast Create Undead. That means they are at least a 3rd Tier Caster, or even stronger. As Nfrea is not among the dead, then it is more than possible they have taken him, and in this case they would make themselves difficult to track. That means they are confident, experienced: so sure that no one can stop them." Ainz unfolded the piece of paper that had been nailed to the wall. "Here is the note they left. I'm sure you can see that the language in it is more in line with a taunt, with no demand for ransom."
The note read:
"Hi, we had to borrow your Grandson. He's gone to help with something special we have planned for the whole city. It be a Blast!
With love
C."
Lizzy threw the note down in disgust. Whoever this "C" was, they sounded completely insane.
"You need to decide quickly ma'am. Your grandson's life hangs in the balance and I can assure you we are the only ones in this city who are qualified to help. We are also well placed to act immediately: turning to others would just hinder the search, and would delay you precious hours while they dawdle. Who knows what these fools could have done to Nfrea, in the meantime?"
"Enfi!" The woman gritted her teeth. "Fine!" she spat. "Take what you want. Just bring my grandson home."
"Excellent," Ainz practically purred. "Then we can begin immediately. We shall need a room for Nabe to cast the scrying spells. Also, do you have a room where you can temporarily house Ninya?"
Lizzie pursed her lips grimly. "As you can see, my house is in such a state. But we do have a spare room upstairs-she'll have to make do on the floor, though I've got some palliatives I can use on her." She led them to a storage room where Ainz had Nabe and Albedo wait, then he personally carried Ninya up to the spare room.
The part of him that was still Suzuki Satoru felt bad for taking advantage of someone like this, but the pros outweighed the cons. Having a pair of expert alchemists and potion-makers like the Barears would be beneficial to Nazarick in the long run; as it would allow him to keep watch on Nfrea while they made and researched new potions for him. The potions transported here from Yggdrasil were too precious to waste, and the entire Tomb would need suitable replacements.
After he had the wounded girl situated in the room, Ainz left Lizzy to her work and returned to Nabe.
"My lord how may we find the murderers?" asked Narberal, her expression practically livid. Ainz did a double-take, and peered closely at Nabe.
"Hoh. You seem eager to fight them, Nabe. Had you grown attached to the humans?"
Narberal scoffed at this, but she did not met Ainz's eyes. "They were all weak, pathetic plebeians. Especially the blonde haired one that was constantly hitting on Lady Albedo and I. The only one that was worth anything is Ninya. She has been useful to you and knows her place. That makes her tolerable. She provides information that you find valuable. The fact they almost deprived you of that resource makes them worthy of the most painful of punishments!"
Ainz did not feel convinced; but the conviction in Nabe's eyes was unmistakable. Then Albedo chimed in, her eyes hard and stern as she nodded. "These insects will learn what it means to defy you, my lord. Such audacity, to dare spoil your evening! And delay our first time," she added in a lower voice.
"What was that?" When Albedo did not reply, he shrugged, reaching into his inventory and producing a brown bag. "No matter. Let us teach them what it means to cross Nazarick's ambitions." That, and he was curious about these humans who could wield such magic. They were like the Blue Rose whom Albedo had mentioned. Ainz was eager to know all about these "high-level" humans.
Ainz walked Nabe through an array of spells he hoped she could use to help them locate Nfrea. As a jack-of-all-trades Wildcard, Momonga had hoarded all sorts of utilities to make sure he got out of any situation. These divination tools were handy, and apparently Nabe could use them in this world in an effective way.
"I have found them my lord. There is a dark cloud with their scent over the center of the city cemetery."
"Excellent. Cast Clairvoyance and Crystal Monitor to show me what you see."
The viewing screen appeared before them. It showed Nfrea in a dark place, surrounded by a horde of skeletons and zombies. He was dressed in what looked like a see-through robe with a thin, jeweled crown on his head. His eyes were closed, and judging by the blood oozing from the corners, it appeared they had blinded him.
"From that number of undead it can be estimated they could take over the city," Albedo remarked. "Barring interference from strong humans, like adventurers."
"Indeed. This will be a perfect opportunity to show off our skills. We save the city, and move even farther up the ranks. But with that amount of undead, it would delay us enough for them to try escaping." He cupped his chin in thought.
Albedo waved her hand. "My lord, if I may suggest, why don't we deploy assets from Nazarick? The Eight Edge assassins for example, could take the rabble out without revealing themselves."
Ainz nodded, having come to the same conclusion. "True, but we shall not use them in particular. We have lower levels whose strength can be enough. I give authorization to deploy some of the specialized ambush minions from Shalltear's floors. Arrange their transport with Demiurge. Do not disturb Shalltear from her mission. Oh, yes, add in a Wraith Count or two, just in case they need magical support." Wraith Counts were the lowest type of "Wraith noble", invisible, ethereal monsters who were balanced in strength and magic, and were thus good at commanding roles.
Albedo curtsied. "It shall be done." A strange, almost gleeful light had come to her at the mention of Shalltear, though Ainz dismissed that from his thoughts for now as she went to the side to make the arrangements..
After a minute, the last plans were set, and they went to inform Lizzy, who had an anxious look on her face.
"We have located Nfrea. He is at the cemetery and they are using him in some strange ritual involving an army of undead. It's safe to assume that they plan to overrun the city. Please, if you can, inform the Guild. We are heading straight there to decapitate the ringleaders of this plan, and some of the lower dead may be able to slip past the cemetery to kill the townsfolk."
"An army of the undead?" Lizzie exclaimed. "But what can you do to stop them?" The undead were fearsome creatures, deadly in numbers; and were even more so when guided intentionally by some malicious sorcerer. To think this man would take it on without proper support was-well it could be nothing but madness! "You're just a man!"
Ainz scoffed, pausing at the threshold of the door. He turned his head, looking back at her over his shoulder. "I've got these two," he said pointing a thumb at Nabe and Albedo. "And I've got these two," he finished, pointing to the two swords at his back.
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They made their way to the cemetery. When they arrived, they could see that the attack had already begun. The cemetery was surrounded by a large wall, about 20 feet high. It seemed they frequently had problems with the undead before.
These new undead did not seem troubled; they crawled over the wall and engaged the soldiers who'd been caught unaware by the surprise attack. A number of them had already fallen, some even being devoured by the zombie-types.
"Clear the area," he commanded. "Ensure that the humans are saved, but do not intervene on their behalf by sacrificing yourself." He paused. "Just be smart. And quick."
His two companions nodded. Albedo's weapons surprised Ainz. He had expected her to summon her axe but she summoned a round shield with a mirror in the center and in her other hand was a large lance. It was almost as long as she was tall. The lance had a drill like design to it. Before he could finish examining it she shot off. He would have to ask her about it later; he had not seen Tabula-san with it before.
Ainz walked up to a thick group of undead and unsheathed his Moonlight Blade. It was said that it gained power from the moon. He looked up; it was a half-moon, so he expected its power to be doubled. As the moonlight caught the edge, the blade was coated in a luminous green energy. Humming in thought, he made a solid swing, and a wave of that energy erupted, slashing through the undead and impacting against the wall with a solid thump. Then, when the dust cleared, he saw he'd made a hole at the base of the wall.
"Crap." Well, he would need to charge in now. He turned to the nearest guard.
"Wh-who the hell are you?"
"Eclipse Nebula," he replied smoothly. "Hold the line-we are heading straight for the enemy's head. Clean up will have to be saved for later. Try not to die." And with that, he, Nabe and Albedo vaulted over the wall, straight into the cemetery.
There was an army waiting for them on the other side. Entire graves, mausoleums and tombs were laid out, plundered of the resting dead, their denizens forming a veritable army numbering in the thousands. Ainz could well marvel at such a sight-after all, this scene reminded him of the first few floors of Nazarick, where scores of undead awaited anyone foolish enough to invade their guild. In this instance they were enemies, which delighted Ainz. Nowhere else would he have access to so many enemies where he could test his skills.
Unfortunately, going through them all was not part of his plan. "Lord Ainz, our forces are ready to transport," Albedo said, as Ainz cleared a circle around them.
"Very good. Ensure their departure after their duties are done; or failing that, they must hide from any adventurers that are sure to be coming. They are not to be killed. However, if there are any low-level humans coming in foolishly, then they're fair game."
"Did you get all that, Demiurge?" Albedo asked.
"It shall be done."
A few dozen shades appeared from within the Gate spell. The Shades were literally shadows crawling through the ground, striking with caricatures of sword, spear or dagger. They were accompanied by two Wraith Counts, their translucent forms shimmering in the moonlight, each holding a rapier. At Albedo's imperious wave, the lot began tearing into the undead ranks, crushing bone and severing rotting flesh with prodigious ease.
Ainz took a moment to marvel at their skill. He turned to Albedo and said, "We must not waste them needlessly. Ensure they do not draw attention to themselves. I would be sad if any of them got killed needlessly." There was always that possibility-and Ainz did not win his PvP battles through underestimating the unseen enemy.
After Albedo gave the orders, Ainz led the way onward. The pathway cleared by the Shades led to another part of the graveyard, where there was a great big mausoleum built on top of a hill. That was where Nabe had seen Nfrea. Ainz could sense people there, and they were not undead. They were sure to be the ringleaders of this little farce.
And indeed that was the case, with Ainz throwing up a hand to stop Albedo and Nabe from going any further. His Truesight skill was not as sharp as a true scout's, but his mimicking abilities gave him access to certain species of monsters that could fulfill adequate enough alternatives. His eyes, for example, had been replaced with a pair of beholder eye-stalks, which peered into the gathering of humans right ahead.
"All of them are casters," he mumbled. "No high-levels." There were no numbers here in the new world, but he could get a "gut feeling" about certain things, like detecting levels. His eyes roved over the area, spotting several traps set up, along with Nfrea. "Follow my lead," he said. He chose a suitable spot, then made a mighty jump into the air, propelled on frogman legs. He crashed back down on the ground with an almighty stomp, causing a mini-quake that jolted the group of dark-robed men they'd spotted from afar.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Looks like you lot have been quite busy."
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Lizzie Barear had many things to complain about. Chief of it all was the self-proclaimed madman, Momon, leaving her behind to take care of a wounded person in a house riddled by dead corpses. By the time she'd realized it, the madman and his cohorts had already disappeared, flying off into the sky where her shouts could not reach.
She was forced to lay the girl on one of their wagons and drag her along on her way towards the adventurer's guild. With it being night-time, there were practically no people out and about who could help her move the cart, which made for slow going as she made her way to the relatively close guild.
"Emergency!" she cried, banging on the door once she'd reached the place. "Open up! There's an emergency you twits!"
The door opened, and Lizzie squinted at the rush of sudden light that filled her vision. A moment later, she realized she was still squinting because of the golden armor reflecting much of the light within, who belonged to the person who'd opened the door.
"Oh, hello there, Mrs. Barear," said a familiar voice. She squinted her eyes.
"Ah, so it is you, Lakyus! Very good, very good, if Blue Rose is here then I can rest easy."
"What's the matter, ma'am-oh! Who's that wounded one? Hey guys, I need some help out here!"
"Enough enough," Lizzie said impatiently, waving her hands. "First, there's an emergency that requires you guys-no, all of the adventurers here. Something's happening at the cemetery, and it sounds bad."
"Tell us more."
"Well, there're these rookie adventurers who were helping my grandson with a request of his. Then tonight, just as he'd returned, I found they'd done and kidnapped him right from my house! Anyway, these er... what did they call themselves: Eclipse something..."
"Eclipse Nebula?"
"That's right. Yes, that's the one." Lizzie peered up curiously at Lakyus, whose gaze had gone fully intent. "Do you know of them, young lady?"
Lakyus coughed. "Yes, we know of them." Someone cackled from behind her. "Hush, Gagaran..! So was she, I mean, was Amelia there?"
"I don't know of any Amelia, but this Momon was leading two girls with him. Could be one, could be the other one-anyway, they up and left for the cemetery, supposedly to clean up this undead army that's spawned there."
Lakyus nodded, her relaxed expression turning serious. "I understand. As citizens of the Kingdom, and adventurers besides, we have an obligation to protect humanity from any unnatural threats. Evileye, did you spread the word?"
Another voice called out from further inside the guild house. "I did, but as expected the low-level grunts want in on it."
"Did you tell them it would be a dangerous, unknown situation?" Lakyus said, exasperated.
"It's no use, leader. These newbies want in on the pie, and they ain't taking no for an answer, not even from the adamantium plates."
In short order, the adventurers mobilized, with Blue Rose at the head. Lizzie watched them go, hoping all would be well with Enfi.
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"Know this adventurer," said one of the gathered men. He raised an ominous looking staff. "The hands of Zuranon are many, and you would do well not to defy us and our goals. But I guess it is too late for you lot. You shall all be dying soon enough."
"Bold claims," said Albedo. "Yet the master will soon have your head on his blade."
"Al-Amelia," Ainz said chidingly.
"Oh, I apologize, master. He is not fit to be sullied upon your most glorious blade."
"Not that!" Ainz said, shaking his head. He made a grand sweeping gesture with his hand. "I have no qualms with you-but you did kidnap someone of interest to me. And therefore all of you are obstacles in my path."
"Kidnap? Do you mean the boy? Well, it is far too late for him now. He has already been used up. He is not dead yet, though he soon will be."
"Does that have anything to do with that person hiding over there?" Ainz tilted his head pointedly to the side, where another cloaked figure had been slowly trying to sneak its way to flank Nabe. He had spotted it from the moment he'd landed to announce their presence. The fact that it hadn't shown up on his initial scan pointed to some sort of sneaking ability, which was of course negated immediately by his beholder eye-stalks.
"Oh, I was spotted? Oh me, oh my, you are good, stranger." The human materialized, and threw off the hood obscuring its face. A beautiful blonde woman stared back at him, her eyes thin and cruel. She grinned widely. "Though I wonder how you ever came to be here at all."
"You left a lot of clues at the scene of the crime," said Ainz. "It was quite easy to track your location, and my client's."
She scratched the back of her head, effecting a foolish look. "Uh-oh, looks like I goofed up big time Dale."
"Enough! The ritual shall not be delayed! Clean up this mess, Clementine, or I will wipe you out!"
"Mm'kay," said the woman, stretching her limbs to reveal her odd-looking dress beneath the cloak. It seemed to be some sort of scale-mail filled with different colors.
"Hmph." He turned to Nabe, and whispered, "Nabe, take care of them. I authorize you to obliterate them without a trace."
Nabe's eyes flashed. "It shall be done!"
Addressing the humans once again, Ainz said, "We shall play with you for now. I shall leave my companion here to deal with you lot."
"How insolent!" the man spat, his mouth frothing.
The woman named Clementine made a long, hacking laugh. "That's rich! Alright, tough guy, I'll 'play' with ya. I'd gotten so bored lately with all these weak-ass adventurers. Your gold plate won't be new, but I'll be sure to have your head preserved or something."
"You-" Ainz blocked Albedo from attacking.
"We shall see," Ainz said, vaulting off to the side with Albedo on hand. He sensed the woman follow along, with a speed surprising for a mere human.
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"Impudent..." Spittle flew from Kajit's mouth, his hands clenched as he watched Clementine sprint off with the strangely armored adventurers. His eyes went to the one who'd stayed behind: a woman he could honestly call beautiful. There was something about her that made him want to contemplate her form, but he quickly shook that off. He had discarded much in his pursuit of the ultimate power, and he'd be damned if he were to falter at this juncture because of a pair of sweet legs. "Kill her," he ordered the acolytes. "Let us then continue the ritual. Clementine can-"
His acute danger sense flared up. The ground trembled and shook, and a moment later, dust exploded from the sacred ground. A moment later, the dust faded, showing spikes shooting up from the earth and impaling the entire host of acolytes that had been brought to the ritual.
"Wh-what kind of caster are you?" Kajit demanded, barely saved by his quickly casting a Fly spell to avoid the attack he'd sensed course through the earth. Any second later and he'd be just a poor sack of meat like the acolytes down there. He snarled, and cast the best necromancy on hand: a snap of his fingers and the bones within the recently dead acolytes ripped out of their dying shells, converging around him to form a protective ball made of whirling bone.
"Disgusting," said the female caster.
"Hmph. What matters more in magic is in the final effect, nothing else," said Kajit. He raised his fists, as if he were about to personally pummel the adventurer to dust. The stakes were high, and with the loss of the acolytes he would need to work doubly hard to complete the task he had undertaken.
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"Ohh~ You're waiting there like a good guy? Such a gentleman~ You're almost like one of those do-goody knights in the stories, yanno." Clementine snorted. She sounded ultimately bored by the whole situation. "That's so stupid. You wasted a chance to kill me, sir knight."
"Lord A-Momon, allow me to get rid of this filth for you," said Albedo, stepping forward to intersperse herself between him and Clementine. Somehow this situation seemed very familiar-it was just like that scene, when he'd confronted those humans who had been threatening Carne Village.
"Stop, Amelia. I dragged her here for a purpose," he said.
"But, my lord-"
"It's fine, it's fine, you'll get your turn lady," Clementine drawled. "I'll be sure to carve you and your lord up nicely. You'll make a wonderful set of corpses."
"Grr..!" There came the sound of metal screeching against metal as Albedo quivered in apoplectic rage.
Ainz sighed. While it was true that Clementine posed no threat, particularly if either Albedo or him got serious, Albedo's behavior still left a lot to be desired. They did not seem to understand "subtlety", not in the way that he preferred it. That went for the other NPCs of Nazarick as well. He would have to think of a way to correct this attitude, particularly if their behavior might bring unnecessary trouble in the future.
"There's a reason for all this," Ainz said. "Would I have not immediately ordered her death otherwise? Please use your head, Amelia."
One could almost hear her teeth grinding silently. "...I understand." Taking a deep breath, she tossed her head and looked askance at Clementine, like she were looking at an inferior specimen of creature.
"Whew! That was cold, m'lady. You've got a look that would make even me aroused! And that's something." She smirked. "Now, are you two done? Ol' Dale must be getting kind of lonely. You know, you're really underestimating that old fart. He's not gotten into Zuranon for his looks you know. That guy's a nasty piece of work with his magic, and I'm afraid your little missy's already dancing along to his strings by now. I mean, even while I was still a stooge of the Black Scripture I heard of the guy's reputation. Your little missy's got no chance."
Ainz stilled. Something the woman so casually mentioned lit a lightbulb in his mind. "You... did you say you belonged to the Black Scripture?"
"Ex-member," said Clementine, placing her hands on her head and whistling. "I ain't proud of it. Shitty hours, shitty pay, and your co-workers are all boring stiffs. Freelancing's the job for me, yep-yep."
"Fascinating," said Ainz. He had defeated quite a number of people belonging to a "Scripture", and much of their initial intelligence about the world had been gleaned from them. While those guys had considerable firepower, they were still outmatched. This woman claiming to be from the "Black" Scripture might be the same type of high-level human. This encounter just got even more interesting. "Hoh. I see." He turned to Albedo and whispered: "Albedo, on second thought, it would be good for you to duel her. Don't strike to kill. She is an interesting sample, and I would be disappointed if you acted too much."
Albedo blinked at him. She nodded hesitantly. "I shall obey," she said in the same whisper.
"Whoa, what the-"
Just as she'd said her last word, a gout of wind erupted from beside Ainz. It was Albedo's explosive departure, as she charged at Clementine at full speed. She swung the spear, and with Ainz's heightened senses he could tell she was holding back. Predictably, Clementine ducked, somersaulting several feet backwards to give herself some space before revealing the twin daggers in each of her hands.
Clementine spat. There was bits of dust on her face. Her cloak had gone, revealing the lithe, athletic body. Ainz felt the part of him awakened by Nabe's mistake, stir at the thought of claiming her body-he ruthlessly quashed that down. He would not be some lech randomly choosing women to fuck. She said, "That was pretty good. A bit less weight on your weapon and you'd have cut me in two, lady!" She looked at Ainz. "What's the matter, sir knight? Afraid to charge in?"
"Lord Momon will fight you when he wants to, vermin," Albedo said coldly, balancing her lance on her side and charging forward, her speed making the ground burst before her. In the next moment, Clementine's form had blurred, and she landed on Albedo's lance, perching precariously on top like a cat.
"Tag, you're it," she said, smirking. She dropped something to the ground, causing a puff of smoke to appear and engulf Albedo.
Ainz saw it coming a mile away. He unsheathed Moonlight Blade and struck it at the ground, causing a wave of energy to appear and obstruct Clementine's abrupt charge at him. She jumped out of the way, skidding to a halt a few feet back, now positioned in-between them.
Clementine clucked her tongue. Her eyes stared thoughtfully at his Blade. "That's a neat trick you got with your magic weapon, sir knight. Maybe I can sell it to a good, fat merchant and be set for life. Well, after I stick my dagger right between your eyes."
Ainz did not even comment on her sudden target change. Such things were expected in Yggdrasil's heavy PvP environment, which rewarded those who could think on their feet, formulating paths to victory in the blink of an eye. So he raised his sword, turning it towards her. "I had intended to be 'honorable', woman. But as you did challenge me, then I shall endeavor to meet your expectations."
A roar rent the air beside him, and the black smoke poofed out to reveal a fuming Albedo. Dashing forward, she struck her lance into the ground, causing a blast of air and jettisoned stone to crash against Clementine's position. Ainz saw the human jump nimbly into the air-not towards Albedo, but to him.
"Hyaah!" Moonlight Blade flashed as its edge caught Clementine's dagger strikes, catching them with the flat of his blade then driving them back.
"What's this?" Clementine said with a laugh. "You've got a ton of strength, sir knight, but your skill's seriously lacking! It's like you're just waving your sword around! Are you even a warrior?"
Ainz largely agreed with the girl. His high level and skills meant he could meet and match Clementine's every move. They all seemed to happen in slow motion, and he could tell where her strikes were aimed. But he had no style of his own, no set objective on how he could proceed with fighting. He was just flailing his sword about, holding Clementine off. The latter, though much slower to his eyes, struck with such keenness and precision, and it was like he was fending away two snakes.
Admittedly, he was holding back-to him, Clementine's every action were sluggish. A mere burst of effort from his part would have him strike with so much speed even Clementine could not see it. It was troubling, and opened up a huge concern about battles from then on: without Yggdrasil automating whatever attacks he chose, he had to rely on his own skill with the blade to accomplish feats. It would become more important should ever another player be present in this world, with levels equal to his.
Ainz grunted, catching Clementine's daggers and swinging wildly, causing the smaller girl to be flung back a certain distance.
"Oof!" She'd barely landed on the ground when Albedo was on her, thrusting her spear with a speed that almost shaved off her head clean from her shoulders. Clementine ducked, crawling backwards like a directionally challenged lizard straight through the gap of Albedo's legs, before she rolled to her feet and propelled herself some distance away.
"Crap, crap, crap!" Clementine said, her expression drawn and pale. She put her hands down, and fought to catch her breath. He could hear her pant and wheeze heavily. "Alright, I get it! You're both frigging strong! What kinda monsters are you anyway?"
"The very best," Albedo said proudly.
"... Are you yielding?" Ainz asked the girl. Clementine sucked in a breath, and they both waited for her answer.
Then she looked up, her expression still bloodthirstily cheerful. "Fat chance of that," she said. Ainz then hear her mutter a lot of things under her breath. He braced for an attack he knew was coming. His instincts were proven right when Clementine disappeared in a blur, and thankfully he was able to spot her head flying towards him just in time to sidestep out of the way as she barreled forward like a bullet.
It was easy to miss, but Ainz could tell she'd done something to make her just a bit faster. It was the difference between a pison backing up carefully and a slowly moving car.
"How'd you like that?" Clementine said gleefully. Her whole body quivered in place, like she were brimming with excitement. "Maximum speed. I probably won't be able to last very long, but it'll be enough just to take care of one of you." And judging from the way she was eyeing him, he knew who her target was.
He held out a hand to stop Albedo from interfering, then faced Clementine's dash head-on. There was something to giving an enemy hope, then pulling the rug from right under them then rolling them around inside it. Ulbert-san and LUCIFER-san had been saying something similar, something that earned them titles of "the sadists" among Ainz Ooal Gown.
Ainz swung Moonlight Blade, a horizontal sweep that anyone could see from miles away. Clementine demonstrated her body's flexibility when she twisted in midair to dodge, then, without losing momentum, she lashed out with a kick that knocked out the damaged part of his armor that the Wise King had struck. The force of her kick propelled her around: less than a second later, she got into a position where she struck her two daggers right onto the exposed skin. For a moment, he glimpsed the exultation on her face.
"Burn! In hell!" Cackling, Clementine unleashed some sort of enchantment on the blades that sent a stream of fire into his shoulder. Still cackling, she then landed on the ground. "You should really invest in an armor repairer. That little weakness just cost you your-what the hell?"
Her surprise was well-founded, for Ainz had just grown two additional arms from his body and they looked like they were sprouting from his body. Each hand then grabbed one of Clementine's limbs, too fast for her to react. He then dangled her in the air, her body making an X form.
"You should stop struggling," he remarked, the piece on his shoulder still smoking from her spell. "Nothing can escape this grip, and if you try, you'll only end up as just a torso and head." He chuckled at his own morbid joke.
"Fuck you!" Clementine spat, grunting and straining at his ironclad grip.
"...Your strategy was sound. In your position, I would have done the same thing. But I changed my skin just in time-becoming the hardest, most impervious shell of any monster I know. Your blade and your magic could do nothing."
"What the hell are you? Some kind of monster?"
"That is not important now." He glanced at Albedo, and hoped she learned the value of subtlety. He would not give even a boast of himself, or his abilities, in case someone were listening. "Do you surrender now?"
In response, Clementine hacked up and spat, her spitball landing on his helmet. Tuning out Albedo's predictable squawk of outrage, Ainz merely smiled, dissolving his helm and exposing a head transformation that made Clementine pale in shock.
"Wh-wha-?"
"If you must spit," said Ainz, his head now a certain reptilian shape. "Then do it like this." He gathered up saliva from his glans and spat it, covering Clementine's mouth and nose with the thick, violet, gooey substance. Clementine rocked her head wildly from side to side, struggling to breathe. The substance dissolved quickly-it was meant to be nonlethal, not suffocate, merely a wad of something like knockout gas that would shut down her consciousness. Clementine's eyes rolled up to her head, and she slumped, finally slackening in his grip.
"Hmph," Albedo said. "She soiled herself."
Ainz looked and twisted his face in disgust. It seemed the girl's body had voided, forming a black stain on her crotch. He quickly dropped her to the ground. He then began to gather the objects sewn like armor to her clothes-upon second glance it looked like they were adventurer plates, a various assortment that drew Ainz to only one conclusion: she had been hunting the previous owners of these. They would make a fine testament to the adventurer guild, and he would be the helpful hero who'd helped bring her to justice.
"L-Lord Ainz, you can't be seriously thinking-?" said in a tiny, squeaking voice.
"Hm?" He looked down. He had gathered fistfuls of the plates in his hands, ripping them off of Clementine's body. But it seemed that in the process it looked like he was ripping out her clothes-the bitch had actually been wearing those as her upper armor and was naked beneath. Her bare boobs now lolled out, round and savory and layered with a sheen of sweat. He cleared his throat, looking away from the lewd sight. "Oh."
"D-do you intend to ravage this wretch this moment, m-my lord?" Albedo said, with teary eyes. It seemed the very thought of sex with any other creature turned Albedo into a completely different person.
"Ah, no that was not my intention at all." He glanced to the side, where a great burst of fire erupted, signalling Nabe's spell. "W-we should go see how Nabe is. We must also try to do what we can for Enfi. Bind her, then arrange transport."
"Understood."
Ainz hesitated, then further said, "You must also understand that it is my wish she remained unharmed until our affair in this city is over." Albedo gasped.
"I knew it! You've been tempted by this inferior being, my lord!"
"I have not been tempted!" Ainz cried.
()()()()()()()()()()()
For all his many boasts, Kajit was outmatched. For however many spells he deployed, Nabe had a counter-sheer, overwhelming force. Such skill should not have come from someone looking so young, but that was perhaps the point. Clearly this was no mere adventurer caster: it was an age-old witch, who had reached the secret of immortality.
"M-mother..." were his last words, as the inferno swallowed him whole.
Blue Rose and the other adventurers witnessed his end, as they saw the conflagration erupt and consume everything within.
"...She's powerful," Evileye remarked from behind Lakyus.
"She must be, if she's an ally of Amelia."
They had seen the aftermath of Eclipse Nebula's devastating assault. What looked to be hundreds of undead had been felled, leaving a trail of carnage that would take days to clean up.
"Oh, there they come. Hey, Lakyus, it's her!"
Indeed, the strong female they'd met back then, Amelia, arrived at the heels of a massive man in black armor, toting two impressive-looking greatswords on his back. They went up to the female caster who'd summoned that impressive fire. To an outsider who did not know their circumstances, it was clear that the two females were very deferential to the man.
"It seems we have an audience, my lord," said Amelia, pointing towards their group of adventurers.
()()()()(()))()())
"On behalf of the Re-Estize Kingdom, we thank you, Eclipse Nebula. Your swift actions have ensured the safety of this city's people. For that, you can be assured of our gratefulness."
Ainz glanced at Albedo, who had a triumphant look in her eye. "She's the one you were talking about?" She nodded. Ainz glanced again at the blonde woman, who certainly had her charms; she had the air of someone noble about her, dressed up in a mask of iron will, the mark of a veteran adventurer. "I see. Well, I think your idea has merit, Albedo."
Albedo beamed, her expression flush with pleasure.
Parts of the chapter co-written. Commissioned by anonymous. Extra words are, as usual, on me.
If you'd like to have something written of this series or another kind of work entirely, then contact me here, or on my tumblr theruffpusherdottumblrdotcom.