As the light of the super-tier spell Fallen Down began to fade, the battlefield fell eerily silent. The once scorching air cooled, and the flames of Purgatory flickered weakly. Shalltear stood tall, her lance at her side, a triumphant smirk plastered across her face. She had unleashed the full, tenfold might of her super-tier magic, amplified by the Einherjar's incantation. No one could survive such overwhelming power.
"Pathetic," She spat, wiping a bit of dust from her armor. "It's over." Einherjar added.
But just as she turned to leave, something caught her attention, From the dissipating smoke and debris, a figure stood... unharmed. Completely untouched.
Hiro.
Or was it?
Shalltear's smile faltered as she looked closer. Something was off. His blue hair was now stark white, and his previously dark armor had vanished, replaced by a simple, flowing cloak. His once-serene, determined face was now twisted into an unsettling grin, his crimson eyes. gleaming with malice. And then there were his teeth-shark-like, sharp, predatory.
For the first time in the fight, Shalitear felt an unfamiliar sensation crawling up her spine...
"What is this?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You should be dead. That super-tier spell enhanced with Einherjar's incantation should have obliterated you! Wh–Who are you?"
The man-no, the entity standing before her chuckled, his voice dripping with amusement. It wasn't Hiro's voice anymore. It was deeper, more sinister, filled with a power that dwarfed anything Shalltear had ever felt.
"You truly believed that spell could kill me?" the white-haired man asked, his grin widening "I must say, your arrogance is amusing."
Shalltear's crimson eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
The figure stepped forward, his cloak billowing behind him. "Hiro is no longer in control. You are standing right now, before his creator...
My name, is Akira. "
Shalltear's heart pounded in her chest. She already fought powerful opponentsin the past, even Lord Ainz himself.
But this, was something entirely different. There was an aura around this man, a presence so overwhelming that it crushed the very air around them. It was as though the fabric of reality itself bent to his will.
"You you're Hiro's creator?" Shalltear's voice shook slightly, betraying her unease. "A god." Einherjar mentions.
Akira's grin widened, showing his sharp teeth. "You poor, deluded little vampire. You've never faced true power before, have you? Let me show you what the real deal is."
In a blur of movement faster than anything Shalltear could react to, Akira vanished from his spot and reappeared right in front of her. Before she could even think, his hand was around her throat, lifting her off the ground effortlessly. Shalltear gasped, struggling to break free from his grip, but it was no use.
His strength was unlike anything she had ever encountered. It was as though the very essence of the world was against her.
"I'll give you credit where it's due," Akira mused, tightening his grip just enough to make her squirm. "You are strong. For a servant." He continues.
Akira dropped her. Shalltear fell to the ground, gasping for breath. She quickly rose to her feet, her pride refusing to let her stay down. "You... bastard!" she spat, wiping blood from her lips.
"I WON'T BE DEFEATED SO EASILY! I am Shalltear Bloodfallen, the strongest Floor Guardian of Nazzarick!"
Akira simply smirked, watching her struggle to regain her composure. "Oh, I know who you are. Ainz' child, his precious vampire. But that title won't help you here."
Shalltear's eyes blazed with fury. She raised her lance, preparing for another assault. "I don't care who you are! I'll destroy you like I destroyed Hiro!" Akira's laughter echoed through the infernal landscape, cold and mocking. "You? Destroy me?" He spread his arms wide, as if inviting her to attack. "By all means, try..."
With a roar of rage, Shalltear charged forward, her Einherjar appearing by her side to assist. She thrust her lance with deadly precision, aiming straight for
Akira's heart.
But he didn't move. He didn't flinch.
As the lance was about to pierce his chest, it stopped-an inch away from his body, as though an invisible force had intervened. The air around Akira shimmered, his mere presence warping reality itself.
"What?" Shalltear's eyes widened in shock. Her lance, a weapon that could pierce through anything, was completely useless against him.
Akira sighed, his smile fading into a look of disappointment. "Is this really the best you can do? I expected more from a servant of Nazzarick."
With a wave of his hand, Shalltear's lance disintegrated into dust, crumbling before her eyes. She stumbled back, horror dawning on her face as her greatest weapon was reduced to nothing.
"You see, Shalltear," Akira began, his voice calm and collected, "I didn't create Hiro to fight weaklings like you. But since you've forced my hand, I suppose I'll have to show you a glimpse of true despair."
He raised one hand, and instantly, the very fabric of the battlefield changed.
The hellish landscape of Purgatory twisted and bent, the flames snuffed out as a new reality unfolded. The skies turned dark, filled with swirling vortexes of power. The ground beneath their feet cracked open, revealing an endless void below.
Shalltear looked around, her heart pounding in her chest. "What... what is this?"
"This," Akira said, his voice calm but filled with unimaginable power, "is my domain."
Panic flickered in Shalltear's eyes. She had faced death before, but never like this. Never against someone who could alter reality with a mere thought.
Akira stepped closer, his crimson eyes glowing with deadly intent. "Now, Shalltear... Shall I show you what it feels like to be truly powerless?"
Shalltear gritted her teeth, her pride refusing to let her submit. "I will fight... TILL THE VERY END!!!" She shouts. Her resolve was admirable, even Akira was impressed.
"Hm." He mumbles. His gaze shifts towards Einherjar, "We won't be needing you here anymore." Akira says.
The next moment, the ground below them starts shaking, as if an earthquake is hitting them. And, a gigantic tentacles comes out of the static void and grabs Einherjar so fast no one apart from Akira could react.
Einherjar gets dragged into the void where it withered away and all of that in just a single second. Shalltear noticed the disappearance of her familiar and she knew that Akira was behind it.
The oppressive weight of Akira's power began to seep into every corner of the space around them, but this time it wasn't just an aura—he was actively warping the domain itself.
Shalltear's crimson eyes darted around as she raised her secondary weapon defensively. "What is this trickery?" she spat, her voice laced with fury and a hint of uncertainty.
Suddenly, from within the inky darkness, grotesque figures began to emerge. They were twisted abominations—horrors beyond her imagination. Massive, writhing tentacles lashed out, dripping with black ichor. Grotesque, humanoid creatures with misshapen limbs crawled toward her, their gaping mouths filled with rows of jagged teeth.
Shalltear swung her lance, slashing at the nearest creature. "Maximize Magic – Negative Burst!" she shouted, unleashing a wave of negative energy that disintegrated several of the abominations.
But for every one she destroyed, two more appeared. They tore at her armor, striking her with claws, fangs, and tendrils. Even with her vampiric regeneration, the sheer number of attacks began to overwhelm her. Blood dripped from fresh wounds as the abominations pounded her relentlessly.
The air inside the dark bubble was thick with despair. Every hit drained her, not only physically but mentally. It felt as though the very essence of the creatures was seeping into her, breaking her down, consuming her from within.
"You're proud, Shalltear," Akira's voice echoed through the void. "But pride alone won't save you. You're at my mercy."
Shalltear grit her teeth, her body shaking from the relentless barrage. She swung her lance in wide arcs, obliterating the abominations that came too close, but the hits kept coming. There was no end to the onslaught. The dark energy surrounding her began to crush her spirit. She felt her movements slowing, her vision narrowing.
"Maximized Double Magic – Vermilion Nova!" she cried out, summoning an explosion of crimson flames that engulfed the nearest wave of monsters, incinerating them in a flash of heat. But even then, the darkness pressed closer, and more abominations poured out of the shadows.
In the center of the bubble, Shalltear fought to keep her composure, her breathing ragged as she struggled to fend off the unending tide of horrors. She could feel it—the hopelessness creeping in. This was no ordinary magic. This was the power of an omnipotent being who bent reality to his will.
She was being toyed with.
And Akira's laughter echoed through the darkness, cruel and cold. "You're not fighting me, Shalltear. You're fighting a piece of eternity. But let's see how long you can last before you break."
Her grip on her lance tightened as the abominations closed in again, but deep inside, she knew this wasn't a battle she could win on her own.
The darkness around her grew even heavier, and it seemed as if the world itself had turned against her. She needed an opening—something, anything, to escape this nightmare.
Just as Akira raised his hand to deliver the final strike, intending to crush Shalltear beneath the weight of his dominion, the sound of rushing wind tore through the void. A blur of black and gold appeared between Akira and Shalltear, the force of the impact so great that it dispersed the dark bubble entirely.
Something only a Universal Tank Class can do in this game.
"Shalltear! Are you alright?!" The figure asked, her voice metallic as it came out of a fearsome helmet.
Shalltear takes a few breathes in and out to calm herself down before giving the thumbs up signaling that she's doing good.
Standing tall and fierce, her black wings spread wide, was none other than her superior and the second strongest guardian of Nazzarick's floors.
She directs her paladin axe towards Akira, menacing to cut him to slices, "So you're the arrogant mortal who thought he could defeat Nazzarick's treasured floor guardian. We'll let me laugh, human." She grits her teeth and hardens her fist.
"I'll crush you like the little vastard you are..." She cursed.
Akira giggles, "Well, if it isn't Albedo herself, fully armored and wielding her halberd like a fierce champ... I must say I'm impressed." He says.
"That's enough!" Albedo roared, her voice filled with righteous fury. Her crimson eyes glowed with unwavering determination as she stared down Akira.
"You dare challenge the might of Nazzarick?!" She shouts, ready to fight.
"I'll take you both head on, even your lord can come and add a little firepower to the menu if he wants. Hahaha!" Akira laughs.
It was Albedo and Shalltear, Versus Akira.
While Ainz was preparing, the Trump card of the century. Because HE knew what the outcome would be.
X―x―X—x—X―x―X
Chapter 200: The End, is Out.
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CH. 200: BREAKDOWN IS out!!
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