Barrett ran for his life, his heart pounding and breath ragged, plowing a frantic trail through the snow. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. The snowflakes, clearly falling at an angle, seemed to hit an invisible barrier in midair, then dropped vertically to the ground.
Barrett reached out, tentatively feeling forward. Though there appeared to be nothing but air in front of him, his hand met a solid barricade. It was as if a transparent wall had materialized before him.
He drew a two-handed sword from his spatial ring and swung wildly at the air, but the only response was a series of dull thuds; the unseen barrier remained unbroken.
With no way forward, Barrett turned to his left. To his dismay, he immediately struck another impenetrable transparent wall, as if a glass barricade stood before him.
"DAMN IT!" Barrett charged to his right, running a short distance before his sword's tip abruptly halted as though it had struck a flawless crystal shield.
Blocked on all sides—forward, left, and right—was his only option to run backward? Barrett turned around and stepped back, only to find himself face to face with... Ainz Ooal Gown!
The supreme overlord undead, ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and king of the Sorcerer Kingdom, Ainz Ooal Gown, stood before him.
The neat arrangement of ribs in Ainz Ooal Gown's chest resembled arc-shaped spears, and his skeletal eye sockets emitted a terrifying crimson glow. Magic surged like waves, his clothing a gentle flutter of black and gold.
Barrett bitterly smiled to himself. Indeed, adventuring with the captain was akin to courting death. Facing the ultimate demon lord, the day had finally come. He gripped his sword with both hands, assuming an offensive stance.
Now with nowhere to retreat and no one to rely on, he only wished for a death true to an adventurer's style.
Who wouldn't cling to the beauty of life? But for those who embraced living as heading toward death, dying was merely the final stop on the journey, a day bound to arrive eventually.
"Unexpected," came a sonorous voice from the skeletal teeth of Ainz Ooal Gown, "EeDeChi's companion is merely a mortal human. Human, aren't you afraid?"
"If I were afraid of monsters, I would've quit being an adventurer long ago," Barrett laughed loudly, his voice cutting through the snowstorm, bold and tragic.
"To think you call me a monster," Ainz sneered, "Do you even know who I am?"
"You are the most powerful monster I've ever seen in my adventurer career!" Barrett, undaunted by the death that loomed before him, locked eyes with the red glow in Ainz Ooal Gown's sockets.
Ainz mocked, "You think you're a brave soul facing death head-on? To me, you're just a worm squirming in the mud, spouting nonsense you don't even understand."
Barrett took a deep breath and roared, "To me, you are just a pile of gold coins!"
He leaped forward, his sword slashing towards Ainz Ooal Gown—the insurmountable demon lord!
Ainz Ooal Gown extended his skeletal hand and gently clenched his fist.
9th Tier Magic: Grasp Heart!
Barrett's chest burned, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, as if thunder had pierced his heart! Yet, he was not dead. A druid statue in his spatial ring turned to dust—it was a "life-for-life" charm he had obtained from a half-elf. The druid statue blocked a fatal attack for him.
His two-handed sword came down, the fierce blade slicing through snowflakes and striking Ainz Ooal Gown's skeletal head, sparking bright yellow flames, but Ainz Ooal Gown remained unharmed.
Barrett withdrew his sword, gathering strength for another strike, slashing thrice in succession. The blade chipped and sparks flew, but Ainz Ooal Gown stood immovable.
"SUCH TOUGH BONES!" Barrett laughed wildly.
"ENOUGH!" Ainz, infuriated, had never been attacked so brazenly on his face, and now a mere insect dared to insult a god! He unleashed his magic.
9th Tier Magic: True Death!
Barrett's grip on the sword hilt loosened, his blue eyes dilated, and he stopped breathing.
His broken sword plunged into the snow, and he fell backwards, sinking into the snowdrift. Snowflakes filled his lifeless eyes, but a faint smile still lingered on his lips.
Ainz Ooal Gown looked at the faint smile on the man's face and for the first time, he doubted whether he had truly defeated his opponent.
...
Endless snowflakes hung suspended mid-air, the sky a murky grey, with a few rays of sunlight piercing through the clouds, refracting a spectrum of colors within the snow like irregular rainbows, creating a beautiful, shifting play of light and shadow.
EeDeChi raised his giant sword high, holding it in front of him, his gaze intense as he faced off against Albedo, Shalltear, and Cocytus, all of whom were on high alert. Clearly, Albedo and the others had already prepared for an attack, but they simply stood there, not making a move yet.
A dreadful suspicion crept into EeDeChi's mind—they were waiting for someone else to arrive.
Sure enough, from another direction at the crossroads, the figure of Ainz Ooal Gown, ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, gradually became clear.
EeDeChi shifted her stance to face the new threat from Ainz Ooal Gown. Ainz raised his hand, and a body broke through the dense snowflakes, hurtling towards EeDeChi.
"NO!" EeDeChi screamed in agony, leaping to catch the body mid-air and clutching it to her chest—it was Barrett's corpse.
"You fight against us, aiming to save the world?" Ainz's voice carried a cold, merciless sarcasm. "Sadly, you couldn't even save your companion, much less yourself."
He pointed at EeDeChi, his tone icy and ruthless:
"You could have joined us to rule this world together, but you chose the most foolish path—to oppose the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The most laughable part is, you actually believed that the rulers of the Re-Estize would stand with you."
The adventurer team leader's hands trembled; her last teammate was also gone. She suppressed the rage surging within her, took a deep breath, and composed herself. She attempted to store Barrett's body in her spatial ring, but her two mental commands to activate the ring failed.
EeDeChi suddenly remembered what Barrett had once told her: "You can't store a spatial ring inside another spatial ring." She took off the ring from Barrett's finger and, only then, was able to properly store his body in her spatial ring.
The sound of footsteps approached from behind. EeDeChi propped up her giant sword. The demon Demiurge, wearing a brown pinstriped suit, stepped over the snow, walking from the other end of the crossroads. EeDeChi's temples throbbed—the direction Sean and Stella had fled toward!
At this point, all the level-100 combatants of the Sorcerer Kingdom who could be mobilized had gathered, except for Sebas who was holding down the fort at the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and Aura and Mare who were facing the Dragon Lord at the Argland Council State.
Demiurge's eyes met EeDeChi's, and he smirked. "Looking for them, are you?"
He raised his hand, and his palm suddenly grew larger, revealing two blood-soaked bodies. It was Sean and Stella! Their heads hung low, their bodies riddled with horrific penetrating wounds, and they were already dead.
"What a touching love story," Demiurge sighed. "The boy sacrificed his life to protect the girl. But sadly, the boy only had one life, so he couldn't protect the girl a second time."
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Endless fury roared in EeDeChi's chest. Her eyes burned with hatred as she swung her sword, cutting through the snowstorm, and charged toward Demiurge.
Demiurge pushed his glasses up on his nose and stored the two bodies away. Cocytus and Shalltear rushed toward EeDeChi from either side, closing in at high speed.
EeDeChi had no choice but to stop, raising her giant sword to block the massive blades of the two coming at her. The clash of metal rang out deafeningly as the shockwaves shattered the surrounding snowflakes and even shattered the windows of several nearby houses.
The huge noise startled the residents of Lentwei Town. A few windows in the houses along the street slid open, and the residents stuck their heads out to take a look. But upon seeing the battle, they quickly shrank back inside, slamming the windows shut and locking them tight.
"Aspect of the Devil - Archdemon's Wrist!" Demiurge extended his hand, and his pitch-black fist swelled up, shooting forward like a ton of steel smashing down. Surrounded by the three enemies, EeDeChi dodged and retreated, once again moving back to the center of the crossroads.
Suddenly, the door of a low building on the side of the street swung open. A little girl, around seven or eight years old, with golden hair, ran out into the snow. She stumbled and wobbled, her tiny body struggling through the knee-deep snow.
She didn't notice the demonic figures confronting each other on the street. Or, if she did, she probably thought they were just characters from a fairy tale.
The little girl tilted her head, gazing at the snowflakes frozen mid-air and the colorful rainbow twisting across the horizon. Her eyes shone with delight, and in her innocent voice, she called out, "Mom, look! The snow's hanging in the air!"
A middle-aged woman rushed out of the house in a panic. She called out softly, "Sweetie, come back!" She ran to her daughter, scooped her up, and hurried back into the house. With a loud bang, she slammed the door shut, as if the thin oak door could protect them from any danger.
Ainz Ooal Gown paid no attention to any of this. He spread his arms wide, and like a tsunami, almost endless magical power erupted! Countless magical halos circled around him, spinning like planets orbiting the sun.
The wind began to spiral into a vortex centered on him, as all the air and magic in the area was sucked toward him. Cocytus, Shalltear, Albedo, and Demiurge all retreated at once, stepping back a thousand meters(yards) in an instant.
Ainz Ooal Gown held a long crystal hourglass in his hand. The golden sand inside flowed with the power of time. It was the Hourglass, a non-renewable Super-Tier item, capable of shortening the long chanting time of Super-Tier Magic to the blink of an eye.
EeDeChi reached into her chest and pulled out a golden pen. She was about to charge at Ainz Ooal Gown when he, without hesitation, crushed the Hourglass in his hand.
Super-Tier Magic: Fallen Down!!!
EeDeChi raised her pen and shouted, "The Magic Repeater!"
Super-Tier Magic: Fallen Down!!!
Two massive beams of light, nearly a thousand meters(yards) in diameter, crashed down from the sky. One beam struck EeDeChi directly, while the other slammed into Ainz Ooal Gown.
The light was blinding, and the two columns of light pouring down from the heavens merged almost into one, resembling the colossal pillars that held up the sky in ancient myths. The overwhelming light and heat bombarded the earth, and the divine power annihilated everything in its path.
As the light faded, the heavy, gray clouds were completely shattered, revealing a vast and boundless blue sky. The ground was now a massive crater, about three kilometers in diameter, with the scorched earth hardening into jagged clumps. Lentwei Town had been utterly destroyed.
The battlefield of the gods had become the hell on earth for the townspeople.
Only two people remained standing in the center of the crater. EeDeChi's hair was wild, and her black clothes were scorched and curled at the edges. On the other side, Ainz Ooal Gown fared little better. He had taken the full brunt of the eye-for-an-eye Super-Tier Magic. His robe was torn, and his staff at his waist had turned to black ash.
"Ainz-sama! Ainz-sama!" Shalltear and Albedo cried, terrified, as they rushed to Ainz Ooal Gown's side.
The others had already flown away, barely managing to avoid the range of the Super-Tier Magic. Only Cocytus, who was slower due to his long-distance movement, had been caught in the overlap of two identical Super-Tier Magics. The effects had combined with terrifying intensity, expanding the area of damage by nearly half.
Cocytus was affected, but his defenses were nearly impenetrable, so he didn't suffer significant damage, though his health dropped by 40%. However, Super-Tier Magic was immune to the caster, so both EeDeChi and Ainz only took one hit from the Fallen Down.
From the very beginning, the situation had escalated beyond the expectations of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. According to the gathered intelligence, EeDeChi was only supposed to have mastered 5th Tier magic and was a pure warrior relying on skills and close combat.
But she had somehow managed to replicate Super-Tier Magic cast by others! This was an unheard-of ability!
Super-Tier Magic was the ultimate magic that surpassed even 10th-tier magic. Even a level 100 Demon Lord would need to think twice before underestimating it. Before Ainz crossed over, during the guild wars in the game, Super-Tier Magic was a game-changer, a trump card capable of turning the tide of battle.
Ainz had once used Super-Tier Magic,the Fallen Down, twice to deal with Shalltear, who had fallen into a "neutral state." The second use of the magic had completely obliterated Shalltear, who was on the brink of death.
But to replicate Super-Tier Magic? What kind of item or skill was that? Not only was it unheard of in this isekai world, but Ainz had never encountered it in the game either.
"Ainz-sama," Albedo said urgently, "Should we still stick to the plan of capturing EeDeChi alive? This adventurer is far too dangerous, I suggest we kill her!"
"No, capture her alive. She holds too many secrets," Ainz replied, pulling a set of shimmering silver high-magical-resistance armor from his storage bag and putting it on. "Besides, we're short one level 100 test subject. Don't worry, she won't be able to cast her copied magic again. The cooldown for Super-Tier Magic is extremely long, and I'm sure her copying skill has a similar restriction."
EeDeChi stood in the crater, gripping her giant sword. After the blast of Super-Tier Magic, the air around her was scalding hot, and each breath felt like fire consuming her lungs.
Ainz had guessed right. The main use of the pen she held was to generate and modify the Justice Value. "The Magic Repeater" was just an auxiliary skill, usable only once a day.
"No wonder you're the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick," EeDeChi said loudly. "Even with a little girl standing next to you, you're still casting Super-Tier Magic."
"Young ants are no different from adult ants," Ainz replied coldly. He extended his hand and activated his battle power detection, a series of "???" flashing in his vision.
Life Force: ???
Mana: ???
Armor: ???
Magic Resistance: ??? ...…
"Seems like it's immune to detection," Ainz said, preparing his next skill. He issued the command: "Proceed according to the original battle plan."
"Purifying Javelin!" Shalltear soared into the bright blue sky, her hand materializing a gleaming spear of light, which she immediately hurled toward EeDeChi.
Martial Art - Flow Acceleration. Strike the leader first! EeDeChi dodged the Purifying Javelin, her body condensing into a streak of black lightning. Instead of retreating, she charged forward, heading straight for Ainz Ooal Gown.
Albedo, clad in dark teal armor, positioned herself in front of Ainz. Holding a massive battle axe—taller than her own body—she swung it high above her head, bringing it down with incredible force!
In an instant, a narrow, jagged crack tore through both the sky above and the earth below EeDeChi!
EeDeChi rolled to avoid the strike, only to be met head-on with Cocytus's Cutting Wind! Cocytus's three artifact-grade weapons spun in a whirlwind, turning into a fortress of blades, slicing everything in their path.
EeDeChi gripped her giant sword with both hands, desperately blocking the oncoming barrage. She nearly got pulled into the whirlwind. With a powerful swing, she struck Cocytus's great sword, using the force to propel herself sideways through the air. She broke the sound barrier, accelerating towards Ainz Ooal Gown.
Shalltear flew to intercept, her Spuit Lance clashing with EeDeChi's giant sword, creating a thunderous crash of metal. Shalltear was surprised—her Spuit Lance was supposed to drain life force from her enemies when it struck, but now, she couldn't siphon any power from EeDeChi's giant sword.
"COWQRD! Don't hide behind women! Come out and fight me!" EeDeChi roared, darting past Shalltear. She twisted in midair to narrowly avoid Demiurge's Aspect of the Devil - Sharp Claws.
Ainz Ooal Gown stood behind Albedo, raising his hand and casting several deep, dark voids, unleashing the ultimate triple-layered magic—Negative Burst!
The space around him rippled as the black holes twisted the fabric of reality itself, bending the sky. EeDeChi swiftly dodged, but one of the black holes struck her square in the back.
It felt like a massive bronze bell was ringing inside her head. Before she could fully recover, Cocytus descended from above, launching his Rakshasa! A cross-slash came crashing toward her.
EeDeChi landed, raising her sword to block the attack, but the ground beneath her cracked open, creating a massive X-shaped scar five hundred meters(yards) in length. The Aspect of the Devil - Archdemon's Wrist shredded the air, erupting in brilliant golden flames, like a battering ram smashing into her giant sword.
Shalltear, holding her Spuit Lance, shot toward EeDeChi at speeds that broke the sound barrier, like a fiery meteor piercing through space.
EeDeChi was sent flying hundreds of meters(yards). She planted her sword into the ground, carving a deep trench and barely managing to stabilize herself. Her chest felt tight, and she coughed up a mouthful of bright red blood.
The fabric of her clothes on her back was shredded, revealing a long, narrow wound that went deep into the bone, the blood spilling like a fountain. It was a wound she had suffered earlier when Cocytus's skill Acala's Sword struck her back during their battle.
Despite her formidable self-healing ability, red blood cells and platelets rushed to the wound, desperately trying to close it. Muscles and tendons strained to regenerate, but as soon as the wound began to heal, it split open again, blood trailing down her back and soaking into the dry earth below.
Cocytus's weapon, the God Slaying Emperor Blade, clearly had a high-level enchantment that nullified healing effects.
Ainz Ooal Gown's skeletal hands pressed forward as he stood protected by Albedo. He finally completed the incantation for the longest chant in the 10th-tier magic arsenal—Falling Sun!
Above EeDeChi, the realm of death suddenly expanded. An immense, boundless wave of magic power gathered into a swirling vortex, drawing in all air, temperature, moisture, and mana within a thousand-mile radius. The compressed energy within the domain formed a dazzling whirlpool of light.
A massive, fiery orb crashed to the ground with a deafening roar, as if the sun itself had fallen from the sky, striking EeDeChi with unimaginable speed that transcended time!
"BOOM!!!" The energy, even greater than a solar flare, shattered everything in its path! The very fabric of space seemed to tear apart, and a blood-red mushroom cloud rose into the air!
In the deep pit within the pit, the high-temperature smoke and dust began to dissipate. EeDeChi's disheveled black hair hung around her face, blood dripping from her eyes. Her once-pristine black clothes were now tattered beyond recognition.
Her hand released the giant sword planted in the ground, and her knees buckled as she collapsed, her head hanging low, like a blackened, broken statue kneeling upon the scorched earth.
Shalltear, Cocytus, Demiurge, and Albedo exchanged glances. Everything was proceeding according to plan; EeDeChi had been battered into immobility.
The four of them encircled her from different directions, then charged forward at the same time, their weapons—Spuit Lance, crimson claws, great sword, and massive battle axe—closing in on the blackened statue.
"I really didn't want to do this," EeDeChi muttered to herself. She reached into her chest and pulled out a bright yellow copper seal.
It was one of her personal items. Having crossed over into this world, EeDeChi carried three pieces of equipment: the giant sword, a pen, and the copper seal. While she had used the giant sword and pen, for some reason, she had never activated the copper seal.
In an instant, Shalltear, Demiurge, Cocytus, and Albedo had closed in on her. Under the razor-sharp blades of their artifact-level weapons, she was about to be torn apart.
The copper seal spun rapidly, emitting a high-pitched, buzzing sound that echoed through the world. Red energy surged in EeDeChi's eyes as she pressed both hands down on the copper seal with all her strength, slamming it downward with a roar:
"THE GREAT BANISHMENT!!!"
A "BAN" symbol, written in blood and ink, fell from the heavens! It carved into the earth! It embedded itself into the fabric of space!
"AH!" A terrible, heart-wrenching scream echoed from all directions.
The four members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, who had surrounded her, froze in place. Their eyes bulged and bled. They fell to the ground, their bodies wracked with horrific damage that seemed to tear them apart from their very bones and spirit!
[The Great Banishment: This ability inflicts extreme harm on all beings within the designated area, except for the holder. Its power rivals that of Super-Tier Magic.]
[Note 1: For beings with low Justice Value, additional damage is inflicted. For those with high Justice Value, damage is mitigated.]
[Note 2: Using this ability once causes the holder's Favorability Level to drop by 33%. It will be difficult to recover for a short period, so use with caution!]
[Favorability Level dropped by 33%, turning into strangers;]
[Favorability Level dropped by 66%, friends turned into enemies;]
[ Favorability Level dropped by 99%, the whole world became my enemy!]
[Albedo, Justice Value -500; Shalltear, Justice Value -450; Demiurge, Justice Value -500; Cocytus, Justice Value 50.]
"FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!" Ainz Ooal Gown panicked. EeDeChi had once again taken action far beyond their expectations.
Shalltear, Cocytus, Demiurge, and Albedo quickly retreated. After taking a hit from the overpowered Super-Tier Magic, their vitality had dropped significantly, but they were nowhere near being killed in one blow.
The five members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick still had plenty of strength left, but EeDeChi was completely drained. She had repelled the four enemies, but failed to seize the opportunity to either counterattack or escape. She remained silent, kneeling on the ground like a voiceless black iron statue.
Even if she wanted to escape, the five of them could easily stop the weakened EeDeChi.
"Ainz-sama," Albedo gasped, calming the pain surging through her veins. She suggested, "That Super-Tier Magic must have been EeDeChi's last trump card. We must use this opportunity to kill her! we can't let her escape!"
"The cooldown for Super-Tier Magic is long, and my Fallen Down still hasn't finished its cooldown," Ainz calculated the current situation. "Go, I'll cover you with a 10th-tier spell."
He raised his palm and began chanting an incantation. Dark clouds quickly gathered in the sky, and thousands of lightning bolts flashed, converging into a massive lightning serpent that lunged toward EeDeChi.
Shalltear, Cocytus, Demiurge, and Albedo gripped their weapons tightly, once again cautiously forming a protective circle around the black-haired girl kneeling on the ground.
At the moment the lightning serpent was about to strike EeDeChi, she pressed down on the copper seal again, as if the judge were stamping the death sentence on the execution order.
She let out a shrill scream:
"THE GREAT BANISHMENT!!!"
A crimson "BAN" splashed down from the heavens! The lightning serpent shattered into pieces. This time, the "BAN" was larger than before, almost enveloping the entire area, even trapping Ainz Ooal Gown within it.
PAIN! SO MUCH PAIN! Ainz's Justice Value was -500, and he bore a massive amount of extra damage, feeling as if his bones were about to shatter into pieces.
Shalltear, Cocytus, Demiurge, and Albedo quickly retreated again, taking defensive stances.
After the intense pain subsided, Ainz Ooal Gown was stunned. The interval between the two Super-Tier Magics had been less than a minute. How could Super-Tier Magic be used twice in such a short time? Could it be that this wasn't Super-Tier Magic at all?
EeDeChi kept her head down, still kneeling. Around her, indescribable ripping sounds filled the air, making one's teeth ache. Dark, deep rifts in space tore open, like the finest high-tier silk being torn apart by someone's hands.
The space had already endured two strikes of Super-Tier Magic, Fallen Down, followed by the pinnacle of 10th-tier magic, Falling Sun, and then two more the Great Banishment spells, each comparable to Super-Tier Magic.
Add to that the deadly battle of six level-100 experts breaking through the space-time constraints, and finally, the space could bear no more.
If the world were painted on a canvas, this canvas had now been torn with immense force.
EeDeChi reached for the sword handle, standing tall on the scorched earth. She was as straight as a spear stuck into the ground, surrounded by terrifying rifts in space.
She looked up, raised her sword, and with all her strength, leaped into the air! She stepped on the wind, soaring into the boundless sky! The sky was a clear, endless blue, no clouds in sight. She spun in the crisp sunlight, swinging her sword.
High in the air, EeDeChi gathered all her strength, unleashing everything she had. She shouted at the top of her lungs: "THE GREAT BANISHMENT!"
Brilliant flames enveloped her, and with speed that surpassed time, she dove straight down toward the ground!
Ainz sucked in a sharp breath and yelled, "Everyone, prepare for defense! Watch out for the space rifts, don't step into them!"
But this time, no crimson "BAN" fell.
EeDeChi's giant sword gleamed with the sharpness of light, and the tip drove straight into the fabric of space!
The narrow, winding space rift shattered under the impact, splitting wide open.
EeDeChi fell backwards into the rift, releasing her tight grip on the giant sword, vanishing into the endless darkness...