Overlord

Part 1

—There was the sound of sizzling, as though someone had thrown a burning torch into water.

The spell which surpassed the very definition of tiers went off — and it looked as though the sun had risen on the land, dying everything in his field of view a brilliant white.

The exothermic conflagration generated a rapidly-expanding wave of heat, which greedily consumed everything within its radius.

This hell of a vision lasted only five seconds, but it felt dozens of times longer than that.

Eventually, the brilliant white world disappeared. In the wake of the vanishing pulse of superhot energy was a large circular area — vastly different from before.

Nothing outside the area of effect was affected. The trees were still trees, the earth was as full of vitality as the forest, and the forest itself was untouched — an extremely normal world.

In contrast, the area within the circular area was charred black, converted into a dead zone of jaw-dropping proportions.

The awe-inspiring temperatures had consumed all the vegetation in the area, leaving only a few carbonized tree stumps. There were several vitrified areas on the ground which were still emitting smoke.

Standing beyond the bounds of that world which permitted no survivors, Ainz felt a dreadful presence washing out from within.

It came from the only person who remained within that area.

Nothing living could have survived that fatal heat.

"Kakahaaah~ Kahaaaah~"

That strange sound, accompanied by what seemed to be a gnashing of teeth, filtered into Ainz's ears.

He turned to look at its source, and saw a point of red amidst a world scorched black.

He saw Shalltear with wisps of smoke trailing off her body, and a look on her face which seemed to say, "not enough gun." Her crimson pupils, filled with hostility and bloodl.u.s.t, focused on Ainz's body.

"Ainz-samaaaa! That really hurt!"

Shalltear slowly walked forward, her footfalls fracturing the charred ground underneath.

Step by step, she shrank the distance between Ainz and herself, the Spuit Lance in her hand cutting through the air with a whoosh which indicated that she was still able to fight.

Arcane magic casters could only show their true ability at long range. Ainz had no frontliners to cover for him, so there was no advantage in allowing his foe to draw near to him. Yet, Ainz did not scramble back. In a tone which called to mind an image of a champion welcoming a challenger, Ainz arrogantly taunted Shalltear:

"That was just a meaningless present. Did you like it, Shalltear?"

"Ahahahaha!"

Shalltear laughed, and her mirth came from the bottom of her heart.

"Wonderful! To think I have to kill you, the all-powerful Ainz-sama!"

"-Sama, you say. Why do you address me as -sama? Who is your master?"

"What a strange question. Is it not natural to address a Supreme Being like yourself with -sama? As for my present master…"

Shalltear's face scrunched up, as though confused.

"…Why do I have to fight you, Ainz-sama? …Ah, is it because you attacked me? But why would you attack me, Ainz-sama… I need to destroy anyone who attacks me with all my strength? Why is that?"

Before long, Shalltear seemed to have come to a conclusion, and her smile from earlier returned to her face.

"Well, I'm still not too sure why, but since you attacked me, I must destroy you, Ainz-sama!"

"…Is that so… I understand. I understand what kind of state you're in…"

"Oho, what's wrong, Ainz-sama? You look a little weak there. How can you beat me like that?"

"Hmph, aren't you getting something wrong? Do you think someone like you can defeat me — defeat Ainz Ooal Gown? The name of 'Ainz Ooal Gown' is invincible. Shalltear, you will kneel in submission before me."

"Ahahahaha! Ooooh, how scary~"

Moving with a speed which put gales to shame, Shalltear charged, wreathed in bloodl.u.s.t. The scorched ground exploded beneath her feet with every step she took. Clementine's assaults were swift, but Shalltear's speed was in a class of her own.

For an instant, Ainz was grateful that he did not need to blink, because Shalltear was fast enough that he would lose track of her if he took his eyes off her for a moment.

Trailing laughter behind her, Shalltear continued her charge, aiming the tip of her lance at Ainz and thrusting forward. The lance charge was originally a technique used by mounted knights and made with the speed and weight of their mounts behind it. However, Shalltear's strike — made with her extraordinary strength and her awesome speed — easily surpassed that attack.

The word "one-shot kill" could not even begin to describe that assuredly fatal blow, and it tore through the air towards Ainz.

However, despite the ever-approaching tip of the lance, Ainz remained unmoved.

In a gentle voice, he said:

"It's dangerous, you know."

The tender warning he gave Shalltear, as though concerned for her well-being, referred to the countermeasure he had prepared for Shalltear's attack.

As Shalltear attacked, the 「Triplet Maximize Magic – Exploding Mine」 spell which he had cast beforehand automatically triggered.

The three explosions blew Shalltear's body away.

As Ainz saw this, he apologized in an even more compassionate tone:

"Shalltear, please forgive my late warning. Actually, there were mines there… 「Maximize Magic – Gravity Maelstrom」."

She was still flying back from the force of the explosion when Ainz hurled a black sphere after her. It was a spinning vortex of hyper-intensified gravity that could significantly damage a target, even one of Shalltear's level.

At this moment, Shalltear stood back up from her downed state and held out an empty hand.

"「Wall of Stone」."

A vast wall of stone emerged from the ground, completely enveloping Shalltear. The gravity maelstrom Ainz had thrown collided with the wall, causing it to bend, twist, and crumble, but the gravity maelstrom vanished as well.

"Hmph! 「Maximize Magic – Hold of Rib」!"

As Ainz followed up with another spell, massive ribs erupted from the earth and closed in on Shalltear like a bear trap. The sharp points of white bone bit deeply into Shalltear's body.

"Kah!"

Normally, this spell would have continued holding its target after damaging them, but Shalltear easily shrugged free. This was because she was immune to movement restrictions, resulting in the failure of the attempted restraint.

"…Shalltear, I forgot to tell you, but I've already set mines around this area. How about attacking me from the air instead?"

"—Ainz-sama, I won't take the bait. You've put traps in the air too, haven't you?"

"Was that so obvious?"

"Yes, I saw through it long ago."

She chuckled, and the red flames in Ainz's eyes dimmed.

There was nothing of the sort. The mines Ainz had laid just now were the only set. Neither had he set traps in the air. This battle was not an easy one where he could waste MP on ineffective spells.

Therefore, he had used the mines as a bluff to hamper Shalltear's mobility. He had narrowed his eyes after she had stepped into it. However, now was not the time to relax.

Ainz was the challenger in this battle. He was walking a very fine tightrope, and he would fall if he was not careful. Ainz knew this, and he was not stupid enough to become complacent over a small victory like that.

"Still, that's Ainz-sama for you. A simple charge like that couldn't close the gap between us."

There was genuine admiration in Shalltear's eyes and her voice. At the same time, Ainz could sense the fighting spirit she radiated from her entire body.

The real show's about to start.

If Ainz's body could produce sweat, his back would probably be a flowing river by now.

If he could not do that, then Ainz would be set on the road to defeat.

♦ ♦ ♦

Shalltear braced the Spuit Lance, narrowing her eyes at the magic caster before her — at her master, Ainz Ooal Gown.

She had no idea why she had to oppose her beloved master, but her mind told her that it was not an important question. All she had to do was kill him and then ponder the matter at length afterwards.

As she calmly considered this, Shalltear considered the current situation — a one on one fight, against an undead being — and how favorable it was for her.

Magic casters — particularly arcane magic casters — were incredibly powerful, but that power derived from their MP. Once their MP ran out, they would naturally lose their fighting ability. On the other hand, Shalltear might have been a divine magic caster, but she was also adept at melee combat. Even if her MP ran out, she could keep fighting as long as she had HP.

Therefore, even if she could not deplete her foe's HP to zero, she could still win as long as her enemy expended all his MP. This was especially true for an arcane magic caster like Ainz, who had no means of recovering his health.

So, please tremble in fear at your dwindling HP and MP. Ahaha, my heart pounds so hard whenever I think of Ainz-sama's terrified face!

Then, what was the best way for her to fight? It would have to be a drawn-out battle.

Shalltear gripped her divine class Spuit Lance as she hastily threw a battle plan together.

That weapon's special ability was to recover the wielder's health in proportion to how much damage it did to an opponent. No, one could say that this divine class item was designed around that special property. This was why Ainz, the eternal backliner, had not summoned any minions to be his vanguard. He was very aware that summoning weak monsters to tank for him would only serve to recover her HP.

Ah~ Poor Ainz-sama. He can't summon frontliners and has to fight all by himself~

Shalltear cast 「Mana Essence」 as a sadistic grin formed on her face.

That spell permitted her to perceive her opponent's mana for a while, and so Ainz's remaining mana appeared before her.

That's a lot of mana… how did he amass that much?

Ainz had about one and a half times the MP (mana) of Shalltear. There was probably nobody else in Nazarick who had a mana capacity like that.

He truly is a Supreme Being. One could call him an extraordinary undead… a super undead… no, a godly undead.

That said, she still did not think that she would lose. Perhaps it might be different from the other Guardians, but to Shalltear, Ainz and his enhanced necromantic attack spells were hardly a challenge for her.

Of course, I mustn't be careless. That said, why isn't Ainz-sama wearing his divine class equipment?

The robe Ainz wore now seemed very plain to her. It lacked the dignity of his usual black robe.

Could it be that he wore it to deal with me? It's very likely, but there's no point just staring each other down. Nothing will happen. So let's restore some health first in preparation for a drawn-out battle…

"「Regenerate」."

The spell Shalltear had just cast could even recover the health of the undead. Currently, it was restoring the health lost from the super tier attack spell. At this moment, Ainz launched another attack, throwing out a gravity sphere like just now.

"「Maximize Magic – Gravity Maelstrom」."

The black orb approached at great speed. She considered casting the 「Wall of Stone」 from before, but that would not put any pressure on her opponent. She would have to make the first move if she wanted to greatly decrease her foe's mana.

Shalltear selected—

"—「Greater Teleportation」."

The plan was to teleport into close range and begin melee combat.

Her field of vision distorted, but the scenery that should have instantly appeared before her eyes felt like it had been slowed down.

Cheh!

Shalltear guessed that this was the effect of the teleport-impeding spell, 「Delay Teleportation」."

As Shalltear had guessed, she was quite a distance away from Ainz, when she should have been deposited into the range of her Spuit Lance. Instead, she saw three sparkling balls of light before her eyes — made by the 「Drifting Master Mine」 spell.

Shalltear sensed the mines and assumed her mist form to evade them as they flew toward her. This skill transmuted the body into mist, and it was quite a flavourful skill for vampires. However, it did not transform the body into the physical phenomenon called mist, but instead phased the body into the astral plane. Thus she could use it to completely avoid attacks in the physical world — the three explosions which resulted.

"Naive!"

After Ainz's shout, he followed up with a 「Maximize Magic – Astral Smite」."

That spell could strike astral entities, and it found its mark on Shalltear's body, whose defense had been somewhat reduced after taking mist form.

Wracked by agony, Shalltear terminated her mist form. She felt her lip split, and something soft and slippery escaped from within.

"Truly marvellous, as expected of you, Ainz-sama!"

Ainz did not respond to that honest praise. He merely studied his opponent with doubtful eyes.

"You can't believe me, right? But I do feel you are someone worthy of my loyalty."

He was very good at spell combat, after all.

Still — Shalltear's lips could not help but curl up in a smile. This was because Ainz's MP had diminished greatly.

Shalltear's health had decreased somewhat, but that amount of damage was well within limits. In contrast, Ainz's mana had gone much further down than anticipated, so it was well worth the loss. In other words, Shalltear was one step closer to victory.

Then, how about this one?

Shalltear made her move.

"「Force Sanctuary」."

White radiance filled the area around Shalltear, a defensive barrier made of pure mana. While this barrier impeded the caster's attacks, it would also completely negate her opponent's attacks.

Through this barrier of light, she saw Ainz scrambling to cast a spell.

"That's right. If you don't cast a spell soon, it will go very badly for you."

Shalltear already knew why Ainz seemed to have the upper hand in this battle.

Was it because of his abilities — no.

Was it because of his equipment — no.

Was it because of his preparations — yes.

Indeed, these favorable circ.u.mstances were due to Ainz's extensive preparations and many spells which he had cast beforehand. The power of magic casters varied greatly with their preparations for any given situation, and the same applied to Shalltear. Therefore, Ainz should have been trying to break Shalltear's defenses before she could buff herself up.

Shalltear was poor at defensive spells, and she had no intention of casting them. Her aim was purely to drain Ainz's mana. She smiled to Ainz as he frantically cast his spell.

My my, everything's going according to plan, Ainz-sama. Still, you're not even using scrolls, staves, or wands; are you trying to preserve your strength? Are you too panicked? Or did you know they weren't effective against me?

Ainz's magic resistance completely negated the effects of low to mid-tier spells, regardless of how powerful their casters were. In contrast, Shalltear's magic resistance was affected by her opponent's stats and levels. Even a tenth tier spell by a weak magic caster would not be able to breach her resistance, but against a powerful magic caster — like Ainz — first tier spells were the limit.

Some scrolls were affected by their creator's skills, but for the most part, they were made at the minimum possible level that allowed for their creation, which also meant that they were fixed at the lowest possible caster level. Thus, there was a high chance that scrolls would not be able to breach Shalltear's defenses. Was that why Ainz had not done it?

As Shalltear analyzed the combat conditions, Ainz continued casting a spell.

"「Maximize Magic – Thousand Bone Lance」!"

Countless — well over one or two thousand — lances of bone erupted from the earth around Ainz. The ivory spears assailed the defensive barrier from all directions. Soon, she heard the sound of what seemed like glass cracking, and Shalltear's protective barrier shattered with it. Scattered ch.i.p.s of bone flew in all directions, melting away into nothingness.

"Cheh!"

She had not expected this magic barrier — upon which she had spent a significant amount of mana — to be broken in one move. Shalltear was unable to believe this as the attack on her continued.

"It's not over yet! 「Maximize Magic – Thousand Bone Lance」!"

"—「Greater Teleportation」."

Her teleport destination was an open space in the air, outside of the 「Delay Teleportation」 spell's area of effect.

"Don't think you can get away — 「Maximize Magic – Gravity Maelstrom」."

Shalltear had expected Ainz to follow up with some kind of attack against her. His spell came flying over, as though aimed at the place Shalltear would appear after teleporting.

She seemed calm and collected as always, but Shalltear was quite fascinated by Ainz's incredible prowess. These masterful abilities could only have been honed through long experience.

"You seem to be taking this quite easy."

Shalltear's opponent — she was not quite sure why she had to kill him — asked:

"Why is it that you are so at ease while fighting me? We are on the same level, but my gear is stronger than yours. Granted, my specialty cannot be brought to bear — which is to my disadvantage — but that is all. Still, I can sense the confidence from you, your belief that you have the advantage and that victory is assured."

A sense of superiority filled Shalltear.

"Ahahaha, then I shall show you the one of the reasons why I can take it so easy. Did you know I had a skill like this?"

With a smile of victory, Shalltear evoked an Impure Shockwave Shield. A wave of force — colored reddish-black like clotted blood — spread forth, disintegrating the gravity orb upon contact.

This was one of Shalltear's skills, which combined offense and defense.

"Cheh!"

Ainz clicked his tongue at this. Shalltear had done so earlier because things had not gone as planned, but for Ainz, it was because he could no longer relax around her.

"Aha!"

Shalltear laughed at Ainz's expression, and then she showed off another special skill of hers.

A gigantic divine lance appeared in her hand. It was well over three meters long with an especially large head. The aura of purity it emanated proved that this was no ordinary weapon. It reflected the rays of the sun in its silver radiance, producing a beautiful and eyecatching display.

"Oh… I've never seen that before. Did you summon it with a skill or something?"

"Ahahaha, we'll see how long you can act tough, Ainz-sama. Since you don't seem to know this weapon, allow me to introduce it to you. Its name is the Purifying Javelin!"

Shalltear released the platinum lance as she laughed at Ainz's ignorance. She did not throw it like a javelin, but instead it rose by itself and darted out. This was a weapon which was guaranteed to hit if she spent additional MP—

"Guwaargh!"

—And hit it did, piercing Ainz's c.h.e.s.t. In Shalltear's eyes, that unmoving skull seemed to twist in pain.

"Ahahaha! That's a holy-element weapon for you; it seems like it was quite effective!"

Shalltear summoned the gigantic lance to her hand again, and cast it forth once more. The lance travelled at unavoidable speed, this time piercing Ainz's shoulder.

"Kuh! Don't look down on me! 「Maximize Magic – Reality Slash」!"

Ainz cast a powerful spell.

When one reached the highest level of the strongest warrior class, World Champion, one would learn the supreme, ultimate skill called 「World Break」. This tenth tier spell was merely an inferior copy of that skill, but it was still among the most damaging spells in the game.

It cleaved through the very fabric of space, and fresh blood fountained from Shalltear's c.h.e.s.t.

A hit from this powerful attack spell could disregard virtually any form of magical defense, but the damage dealt converted back into health and flowed back into her body, as though time itself had reversed to render the attack completely ineffective.

Ainz howled at this:

"What did you just do!?"

"There's no need to get worked up, Ainz-sama. That was a skill too," Shalltear answered as she gloated over him.

"Cheh! In other words, my skills won't work and you can do as you please, huh!?"

"Please don't think this is unfair. This was an ability which Peroroncino-sama bestowed upon me. In other words, that great being is superior to you, am I wrong, Ainz-sama?"

"—That felt like it came from the heart."

That emotionless tone — or perhaps it was so calm that one could not pick out any emotions from it — filled Shalltear with doubt. However, before it could settle in, Ainz shouted again:

"Here I come, Shalltear! I'll show you that no matter what skills you have, none of them can hold a candle to my magic!"

"Aha! You want a showdown of firepower then, Ainz-sama? Don't think I'll lose to you!"

A 「Maximize Magic – Reality Slash」 spell crossed paths with a Purifying Javelin, each tearing into the bodies of their targets.

As the two of them traded attacks again, Shalltear laughed at Ainz's foolishness in her heart. At the same time, she was confused — why am I fighting Ainz-sama?

Shalltear Bloodfallen was a Floor Guardian of Nazarick, set over the First to Third Floors. At the same time, she was a loyal subordinate made by the Supreme Being Peroroncino. That being the case, was it not bizarre that she would be fighting Ainz Ooal Gown, who was formerly known as Momonga? Why was she doing battle with Ainz-sama, who was another member of the Forty One Supreme Beings?

If her creator had so ordered, she would obey and fight with all her strength. Even if all of Nazarick were her enemies, she would charge at them without a moment's hesitation. Yet, this was not the case.

She thought and she thought and she thought, but she could not find an answer.

Still, she could not stop herself. It was as though someone was whispering into her ear, "Shalltear, you have to kill the enemy with everything you have."

Shalltear inspected Ainz's MP consumption with 「Mana Essence」, and then she fought to suppress the laughter rising in her heart. At the same time, she reversed time to recover her health.

More powerful spells consumed more mana. 「Reality Slash」 was one of those spells, and it was quite inefficient, in terms of damage caused for mana expended. Even so, Ainz was still using it. Shalltear thought that perhaps Ainz was hoping to deplete her health and claim victory before the battle became a brawl.

That's right, finishing it quickly is the right thing to do, because drawn-out battles are to my advantage… Perhaps it's also because Ainz-sama knows that debuff spells have little effect on the undead.

Shalltear narrowed her eyes and focused on Ainz, who was still casting big spells.

Very well, then I shall adapt to whatever he comes up with.

Shalltear's skills were divided into the at-will and limited use types. Turning back time to recover damage could only be done three times a day. The Purifying Lance was also only usable three times a day, while the Impure Shockwave Shield could only be used one more time today.

Still, there was no point in being miserly about them. Shalltear's plan was to end the battle in a melee fight. Her MP and skills were essentially tools to deplete Ainz's MP.

I can fight without MP, but Ainz-sama is finished without MP.

Shalltear could fight with the total of her HP and MP, but Ainz could only use his MP. This was the great disparity between them.

She looked on Ainz — who was limited to his spells — with a gentle expression in her eyes. One could call them the eyes of a mother looking upon her child… or rather, the look of pity which the mighty would bestow upon the weak.

After throwing her final Purifying Javelin, Shalltear accepted the 「Reality Slash」 counterattack, and decided to move into the second phase of the battle.

"How about this, then? 「Summon Monster Tenth」."

"As if I'd let you! 「Greater Rejection」!"

The summoned monsters were dispelled in an instant, and Ainz's smug laughter reached her ears.

"I won't let you draw out the fight, Shalltear."

I can't smile yet, though I was just trying to use up my MP after expending all my special abilities.

Shalltear faked a stern expression, and then cast another spell.

"Really now? Then how about a direct attack? 「Maximize Magic – Vermilion Nova」!"

"「Triplet Maximize Magic – Call Greater Thunder」."

The crimson blaze — one of Ainz's weaknesses — engulfed him, while three gigantic strokes of lightning earthed themselves through Shalltear's body.

This was the first time in this battle that she had felt her health drop like a rock, which put a look of disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e on Shalltear's face.

Did he make preparations to resist fire?

No matter how powerful one was, one could not prepare to resist all elemental attacks. There was a limit to that, even if a heteromorphic character combined their racial resistances with job classes that granted resistances and outfitted themselves from head to toe in resistance-granting divine class gear. However, by focusing on specific resistances, a character could make themselves immune to elements to which they should have been weak.

In other words, Ainz had forsaken his other resistances and focused on raising his fire resistance.

This might be troublesome. I have no idea which elemental resistances Ainz-sama gave up.

The only way to discern Ainz's elemental weaknesses was to use 「Life Essence」 to check his HP and barrage him with attacks of multiple elements, then see which one hurt him the most.

I'm not going to do something tedious like that. I'll target an element which he should be weak against.

"—「Maximize Magic – Brilliant Radiance」."

"—「Maximize Magic – True Dark」."

Holy-element light wrapped Ainz, purifying his body, while Shalltear's body was corroded by non-elemental darkness.

In this moment — Shalltear did not miss the fact that Ainz had flinched.

Although he was trying to cover it up by changing his stance, there was no way he could cover up the fact that he was trying to remain stoic in the face of pain.

Shalltear smiled inwardly, because she had found his weakness.

No, she could not blame him for that. After all, most undead were highly vulnerable to holy-element attacks. It was very difficult to remove that weakness, and if he had geared himself to resist the fire element, there was no way for him to do so.

The two of them locked eyes, and Shalltear cast her next spell.

Naturally, the spell Shalltear had chosen was still 「Brilliant Radiance」

They exchanged magic in this back-and-forth fashion for some time. Even Shalltear had lost a sizeable amount of health. In fact, her HP (health) might well be zero had she not secretly used MP on skills which defended against spells.

That's Ainz-sama for you… he's far superior to me in spell battle, be it in attack or defense. I used several holy-element spells in a row, but Ainz-sama took a lot less HP damage than me. Still, I also made him burn a lot of MP too.

From what she could see, Ainz's MP was greatly reduced from how it had been when they had first started out. Even so, she could see Ainz's fighting spirit burning in his eyes.

It's getting hard to take, I want to break Ainz-sama's magnificent will and turn him into a beaten dog.

Shalltear forced herself to ignore the sensations welling up from her lower belly. If she were in her room, she would have called a Vampire Bride over, but she was on the battlefield, much to her regret. And of course, she could not comfort herself on the spot to slake her d.e.s.i.r.es.

That being the case — she would satisfy herself through combat.

Shalltear looked at Ainz with l.u.s.t-moistened eyes, and she licked her lips. If she continued lengthening the distance between them, what sort of face would he make for her?

"Then, time to recover. 「Maximize Magic – Greater Lethal」."

Positive energy restored the health of the living, while negative energy would damage them. However, the opposite was true for the undead. Thus, 「Greater Lethal」, which channelled vast quantities of negative energy, was the most powerful healing spell that Shalltear (one of the undead) could cast.

"I see. It would seem I've lost quite some health as well — 「Greater Lethal」."

Shalltear blinked several times, unable to believe what was happening before her eyes. However, she had to accept the fact that Ainz's wounds were recovering before her eyes, even if she could not quite believe it.

"…Eh? Why is it that you can cast the divine spell 「Greater Lethal」? Was it on your class's spell list?"

"No, sadly, this is not an innate ability, but an effect from a magic item. This magic item only allows me to use a single specific spell, and requires me to use an equipment slot, nor can that spell be enhanced with skills. It is also much weaker than someone casting the spell off their own list, so you could say it has many drawbacks."

As Ainz complained, he used 「Greater Lethal」 again, causing Shalltear in turn to mumble, "that's a spanner in the works, isn't it?" Still, her aim was to deplete her foe's MP, so the plan was not yet ruined.

With that in mind, Shalltear continued casting 「Greater Lethal」 to recover her health. Since Shalltear was a level one hundred character, it took a while for her to fully recover.

At the end, she cast—

"「Maximize Magic – Greater Lethal」."

"「Body of Effulgent Beryl」."

—After healing his wounds, Ainz cast a defensive spell on himself.

Shalltear was a divine magic caster, and she had not received much knowledge from Peroroncino. Thus, she did not know what the 「Body of Effulgent Beryl」 spell did. However, the green radiance that surrounded Ainz appeared once more, so Shalltear concluded that it must be some kind of defensive magic.

That seems about right. I'll launch a direct attack next.

Shalltear brandished her Spuit Lance, but just as she was about to move, the words which had slipped from Ainz's mouth entered her ears.

"What a disadvantageous fight."

Shalltear had not expected this, and she loosened her grip on the Spuit Lance. She was about to say, "Did you only realise that now?"

Well, she wanted to say that, but Shalltear concluded that it would be disrespectful to mock Ainz, her master, so she did not speak those words.

…My master? Ainz-sama?

That word kept appearing in her mind, and it confused her. Why was she baring steel at her master, Ainz-sama? Still, this was quite normal. There were many things in the world which were difficult to understand, and this was simply one of them.

Having made that decision, she sensed that Ainz's actions lacked consistency. Thus, in a casual tone which did not belong on the battlefield, she asked:

"If you feel it is disadvantageous, why not retreat?"

"Mm, well, you do have a point…"

Ainz's skeletal face could not show any expressions, but for some reason, she had the feeling that he was smiling bitterly at her.

"I… yes, that's right. I'm very stubborn, Shalltear. I don't want to run from this."

Ainz looked at one of his empty, skeletal hands. Shalltear's eyes went to that hand as well.

"Perhaps others will not understand why I have done this. Some might even think of me as a fool. Still, right now, I am enjoying my position as guildmaster, because… I… Well, I might have been guildmaster, but all I did was mainly coordinate events or other sundry tasks. I hardly led from the front. Still, I am now standing on the frontlines for the sake of the guild… Perhaps it was simply to satisfy myself."

"Is that so? Is that what they call a man's imperative?"

"Yes… Is it? It might be… Well, to some extent, I might have resigned myself to my fate. It seems we were almost interrupted by this pointless conversation. My apologies, let's start again."

Part 2

Ainz calmly studied Shalltear, who was bracing her Spuit Lance. He had to triumph in this melee if he was to attain victory.

The back of her armor bulged out, and a pair of bat wings burst forth, as though going straight through the plates. Ainz knew what would happen next.

Several giant bats flapped out from behind her to the sky. These were Elder Vampire Bats summoned through her Household Summons skill. In addition, she continued summoning Vampire Bat Swarms.

They were not strong monsters, but he could not let them do as they pleased. Ainz cast a spell:

"「Sharks Cyclone」."

A tornado, one hundred meters high and fifty meters across appeared before him. The black funnel cloud engulfed the bats before they could flee, trapping them within the vortex.

Fast-swimming shapes could be seen within the rapidly-spinning tornado. These creatures were six meter long sharks, and they moved as though they were in the ocean. The desperately fleeing bats were like bait which had been dropped into the water, and the sharks sprang on them. This spell showed its true potency against flying creatures, and the proof of that was adequately shown as the sharks ripped the Elder Vampire Bats limb from limb in an instant.

Just as the Vampire Bats were vanishing after being torn apart — a shadow broke free of the tornado.

It was a crimson shadow, bursting out of the tornado at top speed. The lance it thrust before itself left an afterimage in the onlookers' eyes, like the fiery plume of a rocket.

Ainz could not react in time, and his body was wracked with pain. It felt as though his bones were crumbling.

In the instant in which Ainz had failed to pay attention, Shalltear had appeared in front of him. Her cruel weapon pierced through Ainz's c.h.e.s.t and protruded out his back.

"Guwaaaargh!"

The weapon which had struck him also did bludgeoning damage, and the massive drop in health which resulted drew a cry of agony from Ainz.

Any pain which the undead Ainz felt would cut out once its intensity exceeded a certain threshold, much like his emotions did. This was why even Suzuki Satoru, who lacked combat experience, could endure this pain and calmly deal with it.

That said, this was no ordinary pain.

Ainz's — no, Suzuki Satoru's — mind was assaulted by the fact that his life was ebbing away. His vision grew dim and he felt himself losing consciousness, as though he had lost a great deal of blood.

However, Ainz's will was stronger than that weak mind.

This was because the person fighting here was not Suzuki Satoru, but the Supreme Ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Shalltear did not cease her attack, even as Ainz considered what steps to take next.

Having impaled him with the tip of her lance, she continued driving it forward, ramming the point straight into Ainz's body and forcing the thicker part of the lance behind it into him. He felt his body tearing apart, as well as a burst of intense pain, accompanied by the sensation of his health depleting further.

Thus, Ainz decided to activate the 「Body of Effulgent Beryl」.

The green light which enfolded him shattered.

The tenth tier spell 「Body of Effulgent Beryl」 reduced the effectiveness of bludgeoning attacks against its subject while it was in effect, and it could completely negate one instance of bludgeoning damage after it was cast.

The 「Body of Effulgent Beryl」 absorbed the damage dealt by the lance, and so it seemed as though time had turned itself backward, the lance's tip retreating back outside Ainz's body.

Ainz moved back to where he had been standing before the lance had impaled him. As Shalltear watched him in bafflement, Ainz cast another spell.

"「Wall of Skeleton」!"

A wall composed of numberless armed skeletons erupted between the two of them. The skeletons in the wall attacked Shalltear, chopping, stabbing, and slashing at her.

However, none of them managed to hit Shalltear's body.

"「Maximize Magic – Force Explosion」."

An invisible shockwave exploded from Shalltear. The wall of skeletons buckled under the invisible impact, and then completely disintegrated.

The pulverized chunks of bone pattered like rain as they fell. Still, it had bought some time for Ainz, so it had been worthwhile.

"Release!"

In accordance with Ainz's command, the 「Triplet Magic Greater Magic Seal」 triggered three magic circles, each of which released thirty streaks of light, for a total of ninety. These white bolts of light were non-elemental 「Magic Arrows」. The dazzling afterimage left behind as they travelled through the air were like the spread wings of an angel — an angel of death.

First tier spells could not breach Shalltear's magic defenses, but Ainz had cast that spell anyway. Sensing something odd, Shalltear desperately tried to evade them, but the ivory bolts of light turned a full ninety degrees in mid-air and chased her down, falling on her like hail.

The ninety magical bolts scored hit after hit on Shalltear, rapidly dropping her health.

The reason why they could pierce Shalltear's defense was because Ainz had used a skill to temporarily boost the magic arrows to the equivalent of tenth tier spells.

Ainz was not finished yet.

"Dance! 「Triplet Magic – Obsidian Sword」."

Three longswords appeared in mid-air, their black bodies gleaming. They streaked after Shalltear, as though they had a mind of their own.

"Out of my way!" Shalltear shouted as she batted them aside with her Spuit Lance. However, the obsidian swords continued attacking her even after they were deflected. These weapons, created as they were through magic, were very difficult to destroy through physical means.

"「Magic Destruction」."

Shalltear used her scant few remaining MP to cast a spell which dispelled other magic.

Two obsidian swords vanished from that spell, cast with no regard to her remaining MP. However, one had not vanished, and it continued attacking Shalltear. The success rate of 「Magic Destruction」 was directly dependent on the spellcasting ability of its caster, and this was conclusive evidence of which magic caster was superior.

"Ahhh, how annoying!"

Shalltear paid no heed to the longsword attacking her and pressed onward to Ainz. Damage like that was barely a scratch to Shalltear.

The Spuit Lance sent Ainz flying to the side. With no way to resist bludgeoning damage now, Ainz could not ignore this damage. He stabilized himself in mid-air with 「Fly」, and then—

"Dammit!"

—This was the first time Ainz had cursed in panic during this battle.

Ainz had enough health to weather an attack like that, but the problem was right before his eyes. This was because the health lost by Ainz had been used to restore Shalltear's own health.

Her recovery rate was enough to surpass the damage done by the obsidian sword, so in order to cut down her rate of healing, Ainz cast an attack spell.

"「Triplet Maximize Magic – Reality Slash」."

The three dimension-rending slashes drew gouts of fresh blood from Shalltear, but she paid it no heed and continued pressing forward, the implacable obsidian sword at her back.

Shalltear's depleted of MP, so all she can do is advance and fight within the effective range of the Spuit Lance… is that it? But that's the kind of fighting I hate most…

Ainz retreated with a 「Fly」 spell, and continued attacking.

"「Triplet Maximize Magic – Reality Slash」."

Even as he kept backpedaling, the distance between them shrank with each passing moment. This was the difference between the speed of a 「Fly」 spell and a fly speed which had been augmented by skills.

Shalltear pulled herself before him, spurting blood as she did. Then, she suddenly curled herself up. The air distorted — and a massive shockwave erupted from Shalltear's body.

That isn't a 「Force Explosion」! That's an Impure Shockwave Shield!

The shockwave generated by the skill shattered the obsidian sword and smashed into Ainz, sending him flying into the distance.

"Guwaaargh!"

Perhaps the Impure Shockwave Shield had been enhanced by another skill, but Ainz ended up tumbling several times along the ground. By the grace of his 「Fly」 spell and the magic items on him, he managed to force himself back upright.

Perhaps it was because he lacked semicircular canals or because of his undead traits, but Ainz was not dizzied by the rolling, and made to open the distance between himself and Shalltear.

This was a fortunate consequence. Ainz did not want to be locked in melee, and he now had a chance to cast other spells.

Just as he was about to do so, Ainz saw a ball of white light coalesce in front of Shalltear, which slowly shaped itself into a humanoid form.

Ainz was very aware of what that was.

His unmoving face grew stiff, and in contrast, Shalltear grinned like she had scored an overwhelming victory.

"It's here… It's finally here, huh? I knew she'd use this sooner or later, but to think Shalltear would use 「Einherjar」 — her trump card — at this critical moment…"

The white light fully resolved itself into the shape of a person.

If one ignored the bleached-white armor and the glowing skin, it was the spitting image of Shalltear.

Ainz understood that the resemblance was not merely cosmetic.

While it lacked Shalltear's spellcasting ability and several skills, and had no magic items, its weapons, armor, and stats were otherwise identical to Shalltear's. It was not undead, but a golem-like Construct. The two creature types had nearly identical resistances and immunities.

In other words, there was another Shalltear, who could only fight in melee combat.

Ainz had anticipated this would happen, but facing two level one hundred opponents at the same time was still quite taxing.

In addition, Shalltear had summoned countless minions, like wolves, bats, rats, and the like—

These summoned minions were not as powerful as the Einherjar, but he could not discount their power in a group.

I could wipe them all out with an area-effect spell… but what should I do about the Einherjar?

Just as Ainz was thinking about his next move, the Einherjar charged, and that surprised him.

Why was Shalltear not moving? Did she not intend to gang up on him?

Ainz learned the answer to those questions after shifting his line of sight. At the same time, the points of light in his eyes blazed up.

"Now that's just unfair!" Ainz cursed. To think she would actually do something like that.

What Ainz saw was the sight of Shalltear's summoned minions disappearing one after the other, their bodies pierced by the Spuit Lance.

Shalltear was killing her summoned minions with the Spuit Lance to restore her health.

It went without saying that the amount of health restored by the Spuit Lance depended on the amount of damage it inflicted. When she attacked Ainz — who was of equal level and had a high defense — and her weak summons, it was immediately obvious which would give her more health in return. Indeed, Ainz could see Shalltear's health refilling rapidly.

The summoned minions steadily died and vanished.

This was an unexpectedly cruel fact.

Since friendly fire was in effect, this too should have been an expected outcome.

Ainz regained his calm, and altered his battle plans to take this unexpected development into account.

However, Ainz could not completely calm himself after witnessing someone killing their own summoned monsters to restore health, a sight which could not take place in YGGDRASIL. As a result, the charging Einherjar landed a solid hit on him.

"Guwaaargh!"

The expressionless Einherjar continued attacking, the blows knocking Ainz back.

Forced back by the continuous string of attacks, Ainz decided to use his own trump card.

Shalltear's summons were not unlimited, so they should have been almost used up by now. Still, it would be bad to let Shalltear heal herself by using the surrounding monsters.

The original plan was to use the trump card once the Einherjar appeared. That plan did not account for Shalltear healing herself by killing her summoned minions.

♦ ♦ ♦

Ainz had sixty levels of job classes, and one of them was quite special.

It was a class that was very rare even in YGGDRASIL, held only by a small number of players.

Ainz could enter this class because he was not fixated on pure power, but had instead focused on roleplaying a necromancer to the hilt. Had he pursued character power, he would not have discovered this class — which required a very unorthodox build — by chance.

This was because the class's entry requirements were five levels of Overlord, a focus on necromancer-type job classes, as well as an overall character level of ninety five.