It was a dark day as the black clouds in the sky were mourning for the deceased that died some time ago. Droplets of water were falling to the sky washing the stench and pestilence of the people who had died and were buried through the rubble.

Currently, Climb was close to the throne room, he had been running but he slowed down. The corridor to the throne room was filled with multiple figures on both sides. None of which he had seen before in the palace.

Their faces were pale white — women who could not have been human.

They had to be the Sorcerer King's subordinates. They did not seem to be antagonizing Climb, who had run at them. Well no, it was more like they were not interested in him at all.

Should he unsheathe, or should he not.

Climb could not make up his mind. One of the women spoke.

"Please enter, last human of this court."

After she said that, she shut her mouth in a disinterested manner.

He had a bad feeling about what she had said, a chill was sent down Climb's spine.

Climb ran between the women towards the throne room.

In the subsequent moment, so much information flooded his brain that he had a sensory overload.

Sat upon the throne was not Rampossa III, but a skeletal monster that radiated overwhelming pressure — the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown. To his left and right was a man with a long tail, the Prime Minister of the Sorcerous Kingdom, Albedo, and an insectoid monster that looked like it was made out of ice.

Not far from them, lifeless and on the floor, was Rampossa III. His clothes were stained dark red and next to him sat Renner, her clothes soaked in blood. On the ground, close by, was Razor Edge.

The blade of the sword was coated with blood. There was no mistaking it, this was the weapon used to kill Rampossa III.

"Princess"

"Climb"

"Hon," someone else laughed. A mocking laugh, probably.

Climb stood between Renner and them and readied his sword. Both of them will probably die right here. To protect Renner till the end despite that fact was Climb's ultimate demonstration of loyalty.

"In front of Ainz-sama, your head is raised too high up.「Kneel」."

Climb immediately kneeled. He could not resist at all. It was more accurate to say that before he had noticed, his body had already adopted this posture. He noticed the one behind him had done the same.

Renner.

The image of Renner being mind-controlled flashed through his mind and everything began to click together.

"You controlled — controlled Renner-sama like this?"

The tragedy in front of the throne: Renner was controlled and forced to kill her own father. His anger boiled over yet he still could not move. It was as though this body was no longer his.

"Ahhh, I remember. I have met with him during my duel with Gazef Stronoff. Undo the command mantra."

"Yes!「You are free」."

With the mental restraints removed, Climb jumped sideways to pick up Razor Edge, which was on the ground. He stood up rapidly, adjusted his breath, and adopted a stance. His opponent was the Sorcerer King.

Of course, this was meaningless against the opponent who was able to kill the Warrior Captain at such a speed that he could not follow his movements with his eyes at all. Still, he was Renner's meat shield. What good would he be if he did not stand between them?

The Sorcerer King got up from the throne and walked leisurely towards Climb.

"You should be grateful that a king, such as I, would be willing to personally duel with you. Ah yes...if I win, I shall be taking that sword."

The Sorcerer King walked towards him without a care, he was not on guard for him at all.

Anger occupied Climb's body and mind.

This was all his fault.

If he did not exist, peace would be the status quo, no one would have died—

"—the princess would not have had to experience this sorrow!"

The Sorcerer King looked like he was sneering at him.

A slash would not be able to reach him. He thought about how the Warrior Captain was slain. What was his best move?

He held on tight to Razor Edge—

The Sorcerer King took a step and at that moment, Climb threw Razor Edge with all of his strength.

It looked like not even the Sorcerer King had expected this.

As he threw the sword, he lost his balance.

Climb closed the distance between them, clenched his fist, and punched him.

His fist was aimed at the Sorcerer King's face.

"Climb!"

He heard Renner mournfully call out his name.

Skeleton-type monsters being weak to bludgeoning damage was a well-known fact, yet he felt intense pain once his fist connected.

The Sorcerer King, on the other hand, did not appear to be affected by it at all.

"If this was a fairy tale—"

The Sorcerer King extended his hand at an unbelievable speed to grab onto Climb's breastplate. He tried to escape, but he couldn't even pry his hand open.

"—passion would awake dormant power, to grant you the ability to defeat me."

The Sorcerer King picked Climb up. His resistance did not have any effect, as if he was struggling against a sturdy wall.

"But — this is reality. Nothing so perfect would happen."

He was thrown. Climb's body flew through the air for quite a while before falling to the ground.

The impact of his back hitting the floor knocked the air out of him.

Climb stood up in a panic and looked at the Sorcerer King. After tossing Climb, he did not take another step. He did not seem to have considered making a follow-up attack.

This was exuberance afforded to him by his overwhelming strength.

"You will die here...you are not worth saving. You, who are without talent nor ability, do not deserve salvation. However, do not despair."

The Sorcerer King appeared to be looking at Climb, but also not at the same time. His eyes appeared to be looking somewhere far away.

"This world is unequal. The inequality you experienced started the moment you were born. The birth of those with talent meant that of course, there are those born without talent. Furthermore, the environment one was born into differs. A rich family versus a poor family, even the personality of your fellow brothers and sisters matter. Those who were lucky will go on to have fulfilling lives, but those who were not, do not. However, I must reiterate, do not despair at such inequalities. The reason for this — is because death is the equalizer gifted to all. That is to say — me. Only the mercy bestowed by the ruler of death to all could be regarded as absolute equality in a world riddled with inequalities."

Climb could not understand what he was talking about at all, he was probably telling him to rest in peace the long way round.

He could not help but be overwhelmed by his presence.

He is death, a being no living thing could oppose. It was as though Climb was about to be swallowed up by the Sorcerer King's pride alone.

The difference between them, on a biological level, was too great.

Of course, the Sorcerer King, head of a state and one who wielded magic that could easily destroy an army, was entirely different compared to the talentless warrior that was Climb. However, the difference between them was not just so.

It was like that of an ant, yearning for the skies. That was the difference between their domains.

Even so — even though he knew full well that he could not win, he had made his resolve to give his all, to be Renner's meat-shield till the end of the very end.

Courage surged through him.

His languished heart burned once more.

Yes

All of this was for Renner.

For the woman who had saved him on that rainy day.

For her, who saw him as human—

"...I see. Those eyes."

The Sorcerer King said something strange.

He must have sensed Climb's intent to battle. The Sorcerer King exposed his defenseless back towards Climb, picked up Razor Edge which laid on the ground, and tossed it towards him.

"Rise."

The Sorcerer King extended one hand and in an instant, a black sword appeared. The length of the blade was around that of a longsword.

Climb stared at the Sorcerer King without raising his guard while he picked up Razor Edge. To have left openings at this moment could not have been helped. He thought about Gazef's duel. Right before the fight began, the Sorcerer King had said himself that weapons without adequate enchantments could not damage him, but also that this sword could kill him.

Even this set — this set of armor granted to him by Renner, which had multiple enchantments imbued on it, could not break his defense. This was a depressing fact, one he had confirmed in that strike.

"Climb..."

To Renner, who leaned towards him with worry in her eyes, Climb smiled and whispered.

"Princess, I will buy you some time. If...you wish, please do it sooner than later."

His thoughts were conveyed as Renner nodded her head.

Climb created some distance between him and Renner before he raised Razor Edge.

"Have you bid you farewell?"

"I wish to ask. After you kill me, will you kill the princess too?"

The Sorcerer King remained silent.

Climb couldn't help but find that odd.

This wasn't an occasion to be silent. What answered his question was a "hehe" from the Sorcerer King, a burst of soft laughter.

"How shall I torment you…? The best way would be to not answer your question."

"Sorcerer King!"

He swung Razor Edge, which was easily caught by the Sorcerer King's sword. After multiple strikes, the Sorcerer King remained standing where he stood.

The Sorcerer King did not attack him, he was playing with him instead like someone would do to entertain a child.

However, this was fine by him.

He raised Razor Edge high and bet everything in this single strike.

As before, the Sorcerer King parried his attack with that sword of pure black.

Now was the time.

To bet everything he had.

Climb activated his martial arts. Not only that, but he had also activated the ring's ability too. At that moment, Climb's combat prowess surged significantly.

In that case — because the Sorcerer King had gotten used to his usual moments, this strike was more like an ambush.

He pretended to use all of his strength to swing the sword down, relaxed his muscles, and pulled the sword back with all his might the moment it was blocked. In a single stroke, he thrust it towards the red orb in the Sorcerer King's stomach.

He had been thinking since a long time back.

That was probably the Sorcerer King's weak spot.

Even if it was not if he managed to break it, would that not also count as a form of revenge?

"—oooof."

"—I see, an impressive attack."

The attack he had put all of his strength into, was caught dead in its tracks by the Sorcerer King with a single hand.

Climb felt his shoulder burn, a moist sensation began expanding from it, and in the next moment, the heat turned into intense pain.

He jumped back immediately, knowing that his shoulder had been slashed.

The armor given to him by Renner was cleaved through this easily by the Sorcerer King's blade. That said, it did not appear to have weapon destruction abilities, because the armor itself did not break.

He could still move his arm, but the problem was that he could no longer do the same attack he just did.

The thought that he could avenge those who had fallen was but a mere dream.

"Could Razor Edge break a World-Class Item? I am very interested in the result of such an experiment. If it could damage one, that sword's value would skyrocket. That said—" the Sorcerer King threw his sword and it disappeared midair, "—I can afford to wait till after I kill you to run those experiments."

It looked like the Sorcerer King was about to cast magic.

Climb laughed. The Sorcerer King chose to use magic against someone like him, so he could not allow his opponent enough time to cast.

Climb leaped. As he heard the words "[Grasp Heart]", he felt intense pain, as if his body was being ripped apart from the inside.

"Outstanding."

And then—

His vision—

Really—

Meant—

----

As he saw the boy die Infront of him, a message came from Pandora's actor who contacted him.

"Fath- Ainz-sama, an unexpected and unknown gate opened in front of our domain. Humans riding wyverns and demihumans are attacking us."

'What! Could it be that the enemy is attacking now that the sorcerer kingdom is defenseless? Have they find out that Momon is a farce and now they are attacking him because he is 'alone' in the kingdom?'

"Tell me what happened Pandora's Actor!"

"Fa- Ainz-sama it would be better if you went to Nazarick and send the guardians here to come in your stead and check what is happening."

Ainz Replied Pandora's actor.

Although he wanted to go there personally, he knew that the guardians would not let him go in front of unknown enemies. So now he would have to satisfy his curiosity by using the [Mirror of remote viewing].

He then turned to look at the fallen boy, the princess, and the confused guardians.

Killing the princess came to mind because retreating with her in Nazarick could be a little risky.

Right now the guardians would go to the kingdom and see what is happening. While the maids here were just disposables as they weren't created by any member of Ainz Ooal Gown, they were pop monsters and they could go with the guardians.

But the girl and the boy would be a factor that brings at least a little bit of risk.

He thought for a while until he came to a conclusion to let her live. They already had a promise made with her and he could not bring himself to break it without reason, as although it was true that they were a bit of risk. It wasn't a serious risk.

"It seems something has happened at the sorcerous kingdom. Humans and demihumans attacked the Sorcerer Kingdom while we weren't there. Albedo, Tell Cocytus, Mare, and Aura to go with you and hold the enemy for a while with the troops available. Demiurge, You will come with me to Nazarick and compose a battalion of Monsters and command them to Sorcerous kingdom. Albedo, do your best to hold them off using any means available. Though if they are extremely powerful make sure to retreat at all costs. Demiurge will make sure you annihilate them all."

"[Gate]" Ainz opened a gate as he passed through it and waited for Demiurge, The princess, and the corpse.

"- dare - attack - my be- created." He heard a small whisper coming from albedo but couldn't make out the word she said.

----------------

Today was another normal day like the others for Nukgrog. He had been working in making buildings at the demihuman district when a large Portal appeared in front of the sorcerous Kingdom.

He could see it been behind the city wall because the portal was bigger by a far margin imaginable. He was also in a higher elevation so he could see what was happening on the other side.

Humans with what looked like to be unenchanted armors and shields appeared from it. After that, Humans mounting Wyverns, horses appeared. Lastly, Demihumans with big maces and gigantic hammers also appeared.

He could see that all the death knights and liches were getting into formation to defend as it looked like the opposition came here to attack.

The enemy advanced as the death knights were coming out of the gate and getting ready.

Archers from the opposition began shooting arrows at the death knight. The arrows bounced off from the shields looking like it was child play. The wyverns flew and dispersed and began heading toward the city, while doing that they targeted the statues of the ruler of this place, the one who gave him a job, Death himself. He felt sorry for the opposition.

The King was at war with the Re-estize kingdom Right now. Some rumors that were heard were that they killed every single person. They didn't leave anyone alive.

So It was difficult to Imagine someone attacking without first sending a letter for the war to begin.

In a way, if they were captured and tortured nothing would happen as the surrounding kingdoms wouldn't say anything as the norm was to send a letter announcing the war. If the king found out the kingdom behind this then they would also be turned to ashes and the other kingdoms wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it as they were the ones who went to find their demise by breaking by one of the unspoken rules.

He saw that the Death knights began advancing while slaughtering every being that it came across. Be it demihumans taller and bigger than themselves or humans riding their horses. They were cut and all their gut and inner parts came out of them. The wyverns that dared to attack the statues were showered by magical attacks from the liches. They came falling down without being able to enter the city.

The battle continued but it was one-sided as the death knights killed every being alive as if they were nothing. The enemy was also terrorized seeing the appearance of the death knight that they lost all spirit of fighting.

"Do not worry, We will all be safe. The Sorcerer king values you all. Meanwhile, you don't do anything bad he will not do anything to you other than to protect you. You will all be safe and if the enemy is capable of defeating the Army of his majesty then I Momon of darkness swear on my name to protect you all."

It seemed that Momon was giving his speech as people were scared of what was happening.

After a while the battle ended and the surviving enemy was captured.

He was sure that they would be in court and so that the king could use his magic to hypnotize them to gain information.

-------------

BEEP*

"Ainz-sama it seems that the enemy was weak as you minions could contain them easily."

"Mhm, I was watching what was happening with the mirror. Still, be on guard as this could be a distraction played by the enemy."

"YES, Ainz-sama! It could be so because we have already captured the enemy but the portal still isn't closing."

"Albedo and the floor guardians ought to have reached their so tell them to not lack off. Demiurge will be there in a while he will first maximize the defense of the dungeon and then will go there with the Monsters that he could gather."

"Ainz-sama, Do we send the remaining enemy alive to Nazarick so that Nueronist can gather information? or can you send Neuronist here?"

"I will send Neuronist so that she can gather crucial information."