The Undead King

Part 1

There wasn’t a single trace left of the battle that just happened on the grasslands.

The blood covering the grasslands was concealed by the afterglow of the setting sun and the smell of blood in the air was also blown downwind by the strong winds.

On the grasslands stood two figures who weren’t there before.

Nigan, the Captain of the Slane Theocracy’s Special Intelligence Forces, the Sunlight Scripture, stared at the two people in front of him in surprise..

One of them was clad in the robe of a Magic Caster, wearing a strange mask to cover his face and his hands were covered with metal gauntlets. His black long robe looked expensive and gave its bearer an aristocratic air.

The other person wore a full suit of black armor. The armor also seems to be quite amazing, surely not some cheap, widely available good. Its mere appearance hinted it might be a strong magic item.

The severely weakened Gazef and his men had completely disappeared and two mysterious figures appeared instead. This must have been the doing of some kind of teleportation magic, but he had no idea what it was. A mysterious person using an unknown magic, he had to be on guard.

Nigan ordered all his Angels to retreat, telling them to maintain a certain distance around himself to guard him. Nigan cautiously observed the opponents in front of him, but then the Magic Caster took a step forward:

“Good day, men of the Slane Theocracy. I am called Ainz Ooal Gown. It would be a great honor for me if you could simply address me as Ainz,

Although a little distant, and even with the wind blowing, the voice was still very clear.

Nigan did not answer, then the man calling himself Ainz continued:

“The person behind me is Albedo. I wish to make a deal with everyone here, would it be possible to take a little of your time?”

Searching through his mind for the name Ainz Ooal Gown, nothing came up, it could be possible that this was a fake name. Looks like it would be better to find out what the man wanted to say, and gather intelligence from there. Judging it would be good to listen, Nigan raised his chin, motioning Ainz to continue.

“Excellent. Thank you for taking the time to hear me out. First, there is one thing I want to mention, which is that there’s no way for you to defeat me.”

Speaking in an unhesitating tone, one could hear his absolute confidence. This was definitely not a bluff or some baseless nonsense, this man who called himself Ainz had absolute confidence in his abilities.

Nigan frowned slightly.

In the Slane Theocracy, nobody would say this kind of thing to people of power.

“Your ignorance is saddening and you will pay for your foolishness.”

“… About that, is that really the case? I was carefully observing this fight, so me standing here means that I am fully confident in my victory. Do you really think I would come out and rescue that man if I didn’t believe I would win?”

Absolutely correct.

If this person was a Magic Caster relying on spells, there would be more suitable methods. Mystics, Warlocks and Magicians would only wear light armor and most of them would avoid melee combat, instead opting to use 「Flight」 magic to continuously shoot 「Fireball」 from a distance. But Ainz had chosen to come from the front, which implied he possessed at least some amount of power.

Unsure of how the other party would handle the silence, Ainz continued:

“If you understand, there’s a question I want to ask. The Angels you summoned, you must have used the Level 3 spell [Summon Angel], am I right?”

A rhetorical question.

Ignoring Nigan’s look of disdain, Ainz continued:

“The monsters you summoned are quite similar to the ones in YGGDRASIL, so I was curious if it was named the same as well. YGGDRASIL monsters were named after myths… Angel and Demon monsters should also have something to do with myths. These Angels and Demons are usually related to Christianity, but with the absence of Christianity in this world, it would be very unnatural for something called an Archangel to appear. This means that within this world, there are people similar to me.”

Having no idea what the other person was talking about, Nigan furiously replied:

“Stop talking to yourself, where did you send Gazef Strolonoff?”

“To the village.”

“…. What?”

Not expecting the other party to answer, Nigan was puzzled, quickly concluding that the other person had a reason to answer like that:

“How stupid, even if you are lying, a simple search of the village would────”

“────I am not lying, only answering the question… and to be honest, there is a reason.”

“… Could it be to ask for mercy? If you can save us some time, then maybe I’ll consider it.”

“No no no… Actually… I heard your conversation with the Knight-Captain… how courageous.”

Ainz’s tone and manner changed, looking at the mocking expression of Nigan:

“You dare to shamelessly say that you would kill the villagers that I, Ainz Ooal Gown had painstakingly rescued. Nothing else would displease me more.”

The strong winds fluttered Ainz’s robe and breezed through Nigan and his men.

It was just a coincidence that the wind from the grasslands came from Ainz direction, but Nigan quickly shook off the misconception appearing in his mind, surely he was just mistaken and the wind didn't smell of death.

“…S-, so you are displeased about that, Magic Caster. So what?”

Although he was intimidated, Nigan still did not change his cynical attitude.

How could the Captain of the Sunlight Scripture, who held onto the trump card of the Slane Theocracy, be afraid after hearing the words of some random guy.

Absolutely not.

But──.

“The deal that I mentioned before is that I hope that you would quietly surrender your lives, this way you can be spared from physical pain. Otherwise, if you resist, which would be very stupid of you, you would have to pay the cost of dying in despair and misery.”

Ainz took a step forward.

Although it was just a step, Ainz’s figure looked enormous. All the men in the Sunlight Scripture backed off.

“Ahh….”

Several hoarse voices came from around Nigan’s surroundings.

That was the voice of fear.

Full of the incredible imposing attitude of a strong fighter. This was the first time Nigan had experienced such an intense pressure. Therefore he could understand his subordinates’ fear.

Even Nigan, a veteran of countless battles who was unsure of how many times he had been on the brink of death, or how many lives he had taken, could feel the suffocating pressure emitted by Ainz, this mysterious Magic Caster. What his subordinates were feeling was probably even more intense.

Who the hell is he?

What’s this Magic Caster’s true identity, just who is hiding under that mask?

Ignoring Nigan’s anxiety, Ainz spoke coldly:

“That is the reason I did not lie. Because there is no reason to lie to men who are about to die.”

Ainz slowly opened his arms and took another step forward. He gave the impression of wanting a hug, but with his strange curved fingers he looked like a magic beast that was about to pounce.

A chill ran down Nigan’s spine. Having been on the brink of death before, he knew this feeling was a premonition of death.

“Order the Angels to attack! Don’t let him get close!”

With a hoarse voice, Nigan shouted his orders.

Rather than wanting to boost the morale of his troops, he was simply afraid of the advancing Ainz Ooal Gown.

Two Archangels of Fire, having received Nigan’s orders, began to attack. Flapping their wings, they advanced by riding on the wind.

The Angels made a beeline for Ainz, and didn’t hesitate to stab him with their Flaming swords.

Albedo who stood behind him will step forward to Ainz’s front and intercept the attack. That was what everyone expected, but nobody could believe the scene before their eyes. Nothing astonishing happened, it was the exact opposite.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Yes — Ainz didn’t do anything, he just let the Angels pierce his body. Magic, dodging, defending or making his follower defend him, none of that happened.

Surprise turned into ridicule.

They displayed an arrogant front, but all of that was just a bluff. It wasn’t that Albedo didn’t want to protect, Albedo was simply unable to react to the Angel’s high-speed attack. After knowing the truth, it turned out to be no big deal.

His subordinates sighed in relief. With his previously unexplainable anxiety, it made him embarrassingly look at Albedo:

“How disgraceful. Putting up a strong facade to bluff us …”

Suddenly a doubt appeared.

Why didn’t Ainz’s body fall?

“… What are you doing? Hurry and let the Angels withdraw. His body can't fall to the ground if the swords are still stabbed into it.”

“B-but we have already given the order.”

His subordinates replied with a voice full of doubt, and once again he looked at Ainz.

The two Angels strongly flapped their wings, looking like butterflies caught in a web.

With strange movements, the Angels slowly drifted to the side, but it was almost as if they were forcibly pushed aside.

That was when Ainz, who had been hidden behind the Angels, could once again be seen between the two of them

“Didn’t I mention before? There is no way you can defeat me. Seriously, you need to listen properly to others.”

A calm voice reached Nigan’s ears.

Nigan was puzzled by the situation in front of him.

Even though his chest and abdomen were pierced, Ainz was calmly standing still.

“No way…”

One of his men echoed what Nigan was thinking. From the perspective of all the men around, the swords piercing his body were fatal. Even so, Ainz didn’t appear to be in pain.

And that was not the only surprise.

Ainz’s hands were around the throats of the two struggling Angels, holding onto them.

“Impossible…”

It wasn’t clear who muttered that. The body of a magically summoned Angel was created out of the summoner’s magic, but even then they were definitely not light. They were slightly heavier than an adult man if you included the body armor they were equipped with; it was definitely not a weight one could easily lift with a single hand.

Of course, if it was a warrior who had constant training and muscles, it might be possible to do it. But the person in front of him didn’t have any visible muscles, he seemed to be more suitable for concentrating on his studies to improve his intelligence and spells. And even if he magically enhanced his strength, if the base value wasn’t high enough there would be no discernible results.

But why did such a thing happen? Even though he was pierced with swords, he didn’t even look bothered by them.

“…There must be some kind of illusion here.”

“Yeah, it must be like that! How could anyone be fine after being stabbed by swords!?”

shouted the Theocracy’s special forces embarrassingly loud. Although they were all used to danger and survived countless battles, they had never seen something like this before. Even Nigan and the summoned Angels couldn’t believe it.

A dull sound without a hint of pain, entered the ears of the doubtful Nigan and the other men.

“This is a high level physical negation special passive skill, this would render the damage of low level weapons and some low level spells completely ineffective. At most, it would render attacks below level 60 ineffective, in other words, any attack above level 60 would still hurt me. It is a zero or one ability… I didn’t expect that this would be useful this time. So… these Angels really do just get in the way.”

Suddenly, Ainz slammed the Angels he was still clutching in his hands into the ground. The ground shook with a loud noise ─── the power behind that blow seemed to be beyond common sense.

The Angels died, turning into countless balls of light. Of course, so did the swords pierced into Ainz’s body.

“If I learn the names for these angels, then maybe I can understand why you know how to use YGGDRASIL’s magic… but this is a matter for another time.”

Slowly getting up, Ainz still spoke about incomprehensible things.

But it made people even more afraid of his mysterious strength.

Nigan swallowed heavily.

“Alright, this game is getting boring. Did you already have enough? Since it appears that you are unwilling to accept my deal, it looks like it’s my turn now.”

Finishing off the Angels, Ainz once again slowly opened his arms. Seemingly to prove that he held nothing in his hands.

An eerie quiet passed and Ainz’s voice was heard clearly by everyone.

“Now it’s my turn to ─── kill everyone.”

It was like icicles stabbing into their backs, a feeling that made people nauseous. The seasoned killer Nigan, had never experienced anything like that before.

Must retreat. With the absence of any way to win this battle, any fights against Ainz would be extremely dangerous.

But Nigan tried to ignore his intuition. Since they finally managed to corner their prey Gazef with their trap, how could they just let him escape?

Ignoring the instinctive warnings from his gut, Nigan loudly ordered:

“All the Angels attack! Quickly!”

Like bullets, all the Archangels of Fire flew towards Ainz.

“Really what a frisky group of people… Albedo, stand down.”

His voice was calm and collected despite the Angel's impending attacks. Ainz was completely surrounded by angels, but he didn't act worried despite having no gaps to escape through.

When it looked like he was about to be pierced by their swords ── Ainz had already finished casting his spell.

“「Negative Burst」”

The air shook violently.

Black light came from every direction and gathered around Ainz. It was only for a moment, but the results became immediately obvious.

“Im-impossible…”

A voice came, carried by the wind. The scene in front of their eyes was just that unbelievable.

Almost forty Angels were destroyed after getting engulfed by the wave of darkness.

His opponent didn’t use some kind of spell that banished summons. After getting hit by the black wave, the Angels looked hurt. To put it simply, Ainz had casted some powerful magic and swept away all the Angels.

Nigan couldn’t help but shiver in terror. In his mind he remembered the words the Kingdom’s strongest warrior, Gazef Strolonoff, had said.

“…Heh, you're the foolish one. In that village… there’s still someone stronger than me. That man is unfathomable, he’ll be able to defeat all of you by himself… thinking about killing… the villagers he’s protecting, is an impossible task….”

The scene in front of him confirmed those words.

Nigan tried to get rid of the words in his mind, desperately trying to convince himself.

As far as he knew, the members of the strongest branch, the Black Scripture, could also deal with this many Angels. It will be fine if you just think of Ainz as an opponent of that level. Even if his strength equaled the Black Scripture, there was still a chance of victory using their superior numbers.

But even among the members of the Black Scripture, would any single one of them be able to defeat all those Angels using just a single spell?

Nigan shook his head to get rid of his doubts. He must not think about this question. If he gets an answer, he would really be helpless. That's why Nigan reached inside his pocket, gaining courage from the magic item kept there.

He was convinced that as long as he had that item, everything would be fine.

However, his subordinates couldn’t do the same, so they tried other methods.

“Woo, wooahh───!”

“How could this happen!”

“Monster!”

Finding the Angels useless, his subordinates screamed and began to cast the spells they were confident in.

「Confuse Human」, 「Hammer of Justice」, 「Bind」, 「Rain of Fire」, 「Jade Coffin」, 「Sacred beam」, 「Blast」, 「Stalagmite Assault」, 「Open Wounds」, 「Poison」, 「Fear」, 「Curse」, 「Blind」…

All kinds of magic hit Ainz.

Withstanding this storm of magic, Ainz still had a calm expression.

“These are all very familiar spells… Who taught them to you? Some people from the Slane Theocracy? Or someone else? Seems like there are more and more things that I have to find out.”

Not only could he kill an Angel with a single blow, he was also immune to magic.

Nigan felt like he was trapped in a nightmare world.

“Yiiii─────!”

Because none of these magic had any effect, one of his men shrieked strangely and took out an iron ball for a catapult. Nigan thought that if an Angel’s sword was unable to cause harm, what use would an iron ball be? But he still didn’t stop his subordinate’s actions.

An iron ball capable of easily crushing human bones flew accurately towards Ainz.

The sound of an explosion could be heard.

Instantly.

It really happened in a instant.

When someone is fighting, one cannot let his eyes stray from the target. But Albedo, who ought to have been standing behind Ainz, suddenly appeared in front of him. The place where she stood at from before swelled because of a strong kick, that was the reason for the sound.

Albedo, with speed that was nearly impossible to see, raised the long axe held in her hand. Drawing a beautiful faded green trail in the air.

Following that, the men carrying the iron ball fell to the ground.

“… What?”

No one knew what had happened before their eyes. They should be the ones attacking, but they as the attackers are getting beaten down.

One of the men began running to check on his comrades and finding them dead, he shouted:

“Hi-, his head was smashed by the iron ball!”

“… What? The iron ball… wasn’t that the iron ball that was just flying there!?”

Why were they being killed by the iron ball that they just launched?

At this point, the wind carried a voice into Nigan’s ear.

“Terribly sorry, it looks like my subordinate had used the two spells, Anti-missile Shield and Reflect Missile to send it back. It seems that you have casted barriers that resist projectiles, but an attack that is stronger than the defenses will still break through right? No need to be so surprised.

Ignoring Nigan after explaining what happened, Ainz then turned towards Albedo:

“However, Albedo, you should know that those kinds of ranged weaponry would not be able to hurt me. There was no need—”

“—Please wait, Ainz-sama. If they want to challenge the supreme overlord to a fight, they need to reach some standard in strength first. That iron ball attack… was too rude!”

“Haha, that is like saying that Nigan and his men have no qualifications, am I right?”

“Wuu! Heh! Principality of Observation! Come!”

Hearing Nigan’s orders, the Angels who were lightly flapping their wings began to move.

Principality of Observation were Angels who wore a full body of armor. In one hand they held a huge warhammer, the other held a round shield. A long robe covering up their legs.

Angels who were stronger than the Archangels, the reason why they were not used till today was because of their special ability. The Principality of Observation, just as their name implies, enhance the defensive capabilities of all allied forces within their line of sight. They would lose that ability if they weren’t still, so making the Principality of Observation stay back was a wise move.

The fact that the order to move out was given, showed that Nigan was at his wit’s end. As long as there was a chance of survival, even if it was just a blade of grass, he would grasp onto it.

“Stand down, Albedo.”

The Angels who had accepted the command appeared in front of Ainz in the length of a breath, and raised their shining warhammers. Ainz impatiently stretched out his gauntlet gloved left hand to engage.

Although it was a strike that would normally break his bones, but Ainz’s hands were safe, he just calmly withstood the multiple attacks of the Angels.

“Oya, oya… Looks like it's my turn to attack. Hellfire.

From the finger of Ainz’s stretched out right hand, a small flame appear, looking like at any moment it would be blown out, it attached itself to a nearby Principality of Observation. On the body of the shining Angel, that flame was so small that it was a joke.

But—

The Principality of Observation’s body was instantly engulfed in a black flame, a flame so strong that even Nigan who was so far away could feel the heat, so much so that his eyes were unable to open.

Within the imposing black flame, the Angel’s body melted away with no resistance. The black flame faded away after consuming its target.

There wasn’t a trace left on the scene. The previous scene — the attacking Angel the burning black flame, it all seemed like an illusion.

“Ho-, how is that possible?”

“With only one blow…”

“Yii!”

“Tha-, that is too impossible ahhhhhhh!”

In the middle of the mess of sounds, was the sound of Nigan’s roar.

Nigan had no idea he was shouting. He only wanted to translate what he was thinking into words, and unknowingly started to shout.

The Principality of Observation were high level angels, also, their attack defense ratio was 3 to 7. Of all the Principalities that can be summoned with high grade spells, Principality of Observation boasted the highest defense.

Also with Nigan’s innate ability, 「Strengthen Summoned Creature」, he was able to strengthen the abilities of all his summons. So there were very few people who could defeat his Principality of Observation.

In all his life, Nigan has never met anyone who could defeat it with one spell. Even the strongest people that he knew of, the members of the Black Scripture who were almost at the physical human limits were unable to do this. That means that Ainz Ooal Gown’s strength was beyond the level of humans.

“Such a thing can’t happen! Too impossible! No one is able to just use one spell and destroy a high level Angel! Where are you from Ainz Ooal Gown!? A person like you can’t be some unknown figure! What is your real name!?”

Absolutely abandoning all semblance of calm, not willing to acknowledge the fact, Nigan roared.

Ainz just slowly opened his arms. Under the light of the setting sun, those arms looked blood-stained.

“… Why can’t it be possible? Only due to your ignorance, right? Or is this how this world is? There is only one thing I can tell you though.”

While waiting for answers, the surroundings were silent. Only Ainz’s bright voice was an exception.

“My name is Ainz Ooal Gown. This is not a fake name.”

From Ainz’s voice, pride and joy could be heard, Nigan was unable to answer due to the unknown significance of Ainz’s reply, that was the current situation.

Nigan was upset at his own shortness of breath.

The wind blowing across the grasslands was also very annoying. His own heartbeat was especially loud. His breath was in disarray, as if he had used up all his energy sprinting for a long time.

Although a few words floated to his mind, trying to comfort him. But looking back at the scene of his opponent being pierced by swords, or the scene of him just using one spell to destroy so many Angels, all these things were telling Nigan the same thing.

— That is an unimaginable monster. He cannot fight against him.

“Ca-, captain, wh-, what should we do…”

“Think about it yourself! I am not your mother!”

After shouting, Nigan saw the fearful expression in his subordinates eyes, and recovered.

Panicking in the face of such a monster, would be a very bad move.

Gradually the sun began to set, engulfing the world in darkness. It felt like Death was opening its mouth, preparing to devour everything whole. With some effort, Nigan suppressed his fear and ordered:

“Protect me! Those of you who want to live, buy me some time!”

With trembling hands, Nigan took out a crystal. Originally his men’s hands were agile, but now they were bound by chains of fear, their movements became dull. Under the orders of being a shield against this monster, even though his subordinates were not afraid of death, but they will still be hesitant about it. But they would still fight to buy him some time.

The magic seal inside the crystal, was able to summon the strongest Angel. This Angel alone was able to destroy the Demon god that rampaged through the land two hundred years ago.

The strongest Angel capable of destroying cities.

It was impossible to estimate how much work and money they would need to summon this Angel again, but for this mysterious person, Ainz Ooal Gown, it was worth it. More importantly, if it was not summoned, but taken away instead, that would be an even worse outcome. Nigan used this to convince himself.

Nigan hid his horror, scared that he will die like those that died by his hand, becoming a ball of meat.

“I am going to summon an Angel of the highest level, hurry up and buy me some time!”

With the reality of the situation explained to them, his subordinates quickened their actions.

This ignited the spirit of hope within all the people around. As the opposing party, Ainz should have noticed the change But instead he was still not taking any action, he was only talking gibberish to himself:

“… Could that be a Crystal of Magic Sealing… from the degree of light coming out from it, it should be some kind of strong spell that is sealed in there right? There is also this kind of YGGDRASIL item… This is, a spell to summon an Angel… Could it be Seraphim level? Albedo, please use your special skills to defend me. Although it is unlikely that a Seraph Empyrean will appear, however if it is a High Seraph or stronger, we would have to fight with full power. No… it might be a unique monster to this world?”

While Ainz was still thinking, Nigan, using the proper methods, broke open the crystal within his hand — sending out bright rays of light.

As if a sun had appeared on the ground, the grasslands were dyed white, a slight fragrance also entered the nose.

The Angels of legend, Nigan cheered:

“Look! Behold the glory of the highest ranking Angel! Dominion of Authority!”

There were a collection of shiny wings, within the numerous wings, there were tablets etched with symbols of royalty, but the head and legs could not be seen. Although its appearance was strange, but anyone could feel that it was a Divine living being. Because the appearance of the Angel was so sudden, the surrounding atmosphere had become pristine.

A supreme incarnation of goodness, made everyone burst out in frenzied cheers. The men were in high spirits.

This time, they would definitely be able to kill Ainz Ooal Gown.

This time it was his turn to be fearful.

To face the power of a god, he would know how stupid he is.

Facing the overjoyed mood, Ainz with great difficulty said:

“Just… Just this? This Angel….? To go against my strongest killing ability?”

Looking at Ainz’s surprise, the anxious Nigan from before felt relieved, and even felt overjoyed:

“That's right! Even if you’re afraid there is no way out, this is the image of the highest level Angel. Originally using him here would be a waste, but I judge that you have that value.”

“How could this be….”

Ainz slowly raised his hand, and placed it on the mask on his face. In Nigan’s eyes, this was a move of despair.

“Ainz Ooal Gown. Honestly saying, it is truly respectable that you made me summon the highest level Angel against you. You are a Magic Caster who possesses fearful powers of magic, be proud of it!”

Nigan then nodded heavily:

“Personally, I would really like to make you one of my comrades. Even now your strength is so great… But you must forgive me, the situation this time does not allow for it. At least we will remember you. Remember you as the Magic Caster who made me summon the highest level Angel.”

But replying to Nigan’s praise, a cold voice replied:

“Really… how boring.”

“What?”

Nigan did not know what Ainz was saying. For Nigan, facing the highest level Angel which humanity could never possibly defeat, Ainz was simply just a sacrifice. But his attitude was too much at ease.

“To be so on guard for such a childish game… I am terribly sorry, Albedo. To make you use your special skill.”

“Please do not mention it Ainz-sama. Because we did not know what kind of unimaginable monster they would summon, so it was necessary to minimize the possibility of injury.”

“Really…? No, you’re right. Only I did not expect only this kind of level, how unexpected.”

Finding out that the reaction of the two was full of contempt, Nigan’s thinking was unable to keep up:

“Even in front of the highest level Angel, you can still put up this kind of attitude!”

Ainz was leisurely talking to Albedo, and did not even look at the highest level Angel, which made Nigan yell uncontrollably.

Feeling like he was at an absolute advantage and was enjoying it with a leisurely attitude, Nigan was overjoyed, but suddenly it immediately disappeared, and once again turned into fear.

Could it be that Ainz Ooal Gown was even stronger than the highest level Angel?

“No! Impossible! That cannot happen! There is no way that any man is stronger than the highest level angel! This Angel is even capable of defeating a Demon god! Facing against a mere human — It must be a bluff! Definitely a bluff!”

Looks like Nigan was unable to contain his emotions.

He would absolutely not acknowledge such a thing. A person capable of defeating the highest level Angel, was not only an enemy of the Slane Theocracy, but was also standing in front of him.

“Activate 『Holy Smite』!”

A tier of spells that humans could not reach, this was the rank seven spell. Even in the Theocracy large scale rituals could not cast it, but for the highest level Angel, the Dominion of Authority, he alone could cast it, that was the reason they called him the highest level Angel.

The spell that Nigan has ordered to be casted was the rank seven magic 『Holy Smite』, which was considered to be the ultimate spell.

“I know, I know. Cast it quickly, I won’t do anything. Are you satisfied?”

But Ainz still looked as calm as a pedestrian crossing the road.

This attitude made Nigan feel fear.

This was the highest level Angel that defeated the legendary Demon God. Possessing ultimate strength, this Angel was the strongest existence in the entire continent, and was impossible to defeat.

If someone was able to defeat it.

If the unidentified Magic Caster in front of him could beat it. It means that the strength of this mysterious being was far beyond the Demon god.

There couldn’t be such a transcended person.

In response to his summoner’s expected attack, the tablet in the hands of the Dominion of Authority shattered. The fragments of the tablet slowly rotated around his body.

“I see, it can use a onetime special ability to increase the strength of a spell every time it is summoned. The ability of Dominions seems to be the same as YGGDRASIL…”

—「Holy Smite」

The magic activated, the only thing that could be seen was a beam of light falling.

With a sound, bluish white divine light constantly fell down, encircling Ainz who simply lifted his hand as if he was holding up an umbrella.

The Seventh rank — a rank that was completely inaccessible to a human.

The existence of absolute evil will be destroyed by this power, even if that existence was good, it would be the same result. The only difference was whether it would be completely eliminated, or leave behind some residue. Magic beyond the realm of human magic is so amazing. No, it would be strange if it wasn’t.

But — he is still alive.

Ainz Ooal Gown, that monster, was not only not wiped out, fallen to the ground limp or completely destroyed, he was still calmly standing, letting out a mocking laugh:

“—Hahahahahahaha. To be expected of a magic that has increased properties against evil… So this is the feeling of pain… does it hurt? Of course, of course! But even though I feel pain, my thoughts are clear and it did not affect my actions.”

The beam disappeared. No other effects appeared.

“Excellent, there ends another experiment.”

“It sounds as if nothing happened, no, he sounds content..”

Nigen thinking about this, could only show a stiff smile on his face.

Only one person was angry.

“Yo-, you insignificant being!”

Albedo shouted a piercing cry into the air:

“You lower life forms! T-, to dare to do this kind of thing to our most beloved ruler Ainz-sama! To make my favorite and most loved person feel pain, is to not know your own abilities! I absolutely will not forgive you, I will let you taste the most amount of pain you have ever felt until you go mad! Using acid to corrode your four limbs, then cut off your genitals, make them into mincemeat and make you eat them! After that use healing spells to cure you! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Damn! Damn damn damn damn, my heart is about to explode!”

The black armor was moving its hands nonstop.

It felt as if the world was distorting with this place as the epicenter, a dizzying sinister aura blew towards them like a storm. Something was squirming under the black full body armor, as if a huge body was about to burst out. Nigan was aware of this, but he could only stand there dumbly, watching the monster that would devour the world break out of its cocoon. There was only one person who can stop Albedo in this world now. Ainz raised his hand and said softly:

“Enough, Albedo.”

With those few words, Albedo stopped moving.

“… Bu-, but Ainz-sama, these lower life forms….”

“—That's enough, Albedo… Other than the weakness of the angel, everything was within my expectations, what else is there to be angry about?”

Hearing that, Albedo with one hand to her chest, bowed:

“… As expected of Ainz-sama, prudence is the most suitable word to describe you. Truly admirable.”

“No no no, for Albedo to worry about me and even get angry, makes me very happy. But… your smile is definitely more charming.”

“Guuhuu—! Cha-, charming! — Well, thank you, Ainz-sama.”

“Alright, I seem to have kept you waiting, sorry.”

Nigan looked at the two of them who were still taking things easy with puzzled eyes, then finally recovered and shouted:

“I know… I know your true identity! — Demon gods! You two are demon gods!”

Within Nigan’s knowledge, there were only a few beings able to be on par with the highest level angel’s power.

The six gods that Nigen had placed his faith in.

The strongest of all the dragon race the — Dragon King.

The Legendary monster that was capable of destroying cities — Landfall.

And also — Demon god.

Even hearing that the Demon gods were all sealed by the thirteen heroes. From the look of the pulses of evil from before, that should have been able to release the seals on the Demon god.

Meanwhile Nigan held on the faint hope, if it was a Demon god, then the highest level Angel would still have a chance to win.

“Once again! Activate 「Holy Smite」”

Just now Ainz said he felt pain, which means that he had been hurt, maybe even standing was difficult for him.

Countless “Maybes”, came to his mind, if he did not think this way, he would have gone mad.

But Ainz would not allow a second attack.

“…. Looks like now it's my turn…. Feel despair 『Black Hole』.”

A small dot appeared on the bright body of Dominion of Authority. Then it slowly grew into a huge hole.

Everything was being sucked into the empty hole.

Simply everyone was stupefied, so much so that it was ridiculous, there was already nothing in front of their eyes.

The light from Dominion of Authority was gone, the surroundings lost its glory.

There was only the wind blowing across the grasslands, and the sound of crickets. Suddenly a hoarse cry broke the silence.

“Just what are you…”

Nigan once again asked the incomprehensible figure.

“I have never heard of the name Ainz Ooal Gown the Magic Caster… No, there is no one that should be capable of destroying the highest level Angel. There is no such existence…”

Nigan weakly shook his head:

“I only know that you have far surpassed the power of a Demon god… This is really going too far… Who are…”

“… I already said, I am Ainz Ooal Gown. Other than this name, I am still not something well-known. Let us skip the small talk, continuing to say anything more would be a waste of time. Also, in order to not waste your efforts, I have to tell you some things, I have already stopped the ability to use teleportation magic here. In addition my subordinates nearby are waiting in ambush, so you have no means of escape.”

The sun had completely set, and the surroundings were slowly being engulfed in darkness.

Nigan knew it was over, this was absolutely true. Just as all his men felt demoralised, a hole appeared from out of nowhere, like a clay pot. But it quickly disappeared, returning to the original scene.

While Nigan was confused, Ainz answered:

“Oya oya… You guys better thank me. Looks like there is someone who has been using Intelligence Magic to monitor you, but because I am also within range of effect, so I was also able to resist the spell by using an Anti-Information Magic Wall, so I won’t be subject to surveillance… Ahh, if I had known this would happen, I would have prepared some more high level counter spells.”

That speech made Nigan understand why.

The Slane Theocracy must definitely be monitoring him.

“With some strengthening, I could influence a huge area with 『Burst』 and maybe let that peeper learn a lesson… With that, the game is now over.”

Understanding the meaning of those words, Nigan felt a chill up his spine.

They were usually in the other position, but now they were the victims.

He was afraid. Afraid that of all the lives that he had taken on his own, now his life was able to be taken. His subordinates saw the fear in his eyes, truly making them upset.

They were on the brink of crying.

He wanted to kneel down and beg for mercy, but Ainz did not look like a person that was that compassionate. So Nigan held back his tears and tried desperately to find a lifeline. But no matter how much he thought, he could not think of any foreign aid. The only way he could think of was to appeal to Ainz’s compassion.

“Wa-, wait a moment! Lord Ainz Ooal Gown… No, Master! Please wait a moment, We… No, I want to make a deal with you! It will definitely be no loss to you! As long as you can spare my life, I will prepare any amount of gold you want!”

Throughout his field of vision, he could spot some of his subordinates showing expressions of surprise, but they weren’t significant to him anymore. At the moment the most important thing was one’s own life, everything else is insignificant.

Also, he could always replace his troops, but he himself would be irreplaceable.

Ignoring the countless sounds of complaint, Nigan continued:

“To satisfy a great Magic Caster like yourself, would surely be difficult, but I will definitely prepare you a satisfactory amount of gold! I have a strong position in my country, the state will be willing to spare no cost in saving me! Of course, if you have any other demands, I would gladly oblige! I beg of you! Please have mercy!”

With those words Nigan began panting.

“S-, so how is it? Master Ainz Ooal Gown!”

Towards Nigan’s pleading face, the gentle voice of Albedo replied:

“Did you not previously refuse Supreme Ainz-sama’s compassionate deal before?”

“That was!”

“… I understand what you want to say. Because even if you had accepted the offer, it would have ended with a dead end, so you wanted to beg for mercy is it?”

The black helmet slowly shook her head, as if she couldn’t take it anymore:

“I see you are confused about the situation. As Ainz-sama, the one who holds the power in Nazarick, has already said, humans, you lower life forms should bow your head down and be thankful, waiting for death.”

Albedo with an unyielding tone, flatly said so.

Crazy. This woman is completely insane. Realising this, Nigan look at Ainz with a glimmer of hope.

Quietly listening to this conversation, Ainz knew that they were waiting for his decision, he shook his head and said:

“It… is so. Do not struggle unnecessarily, lie down obediently and await death. This way, I can send you off without any pain.”

Part 2

Walking on the grass plain after night had fallen, the beautiful stars were visible when you looked up.

Ainz was in awe after seeing this scene a second time and walked silently to the village.

He went a bit overboard.

With Albedo by his side, Ainz can’t act too weakly. A master has to look the part before his underlings. Even though this time he went a bit overboard, but he still did his best playing the role of a master.

He didn’t know whether he made the grade, but it’s fine if he didn’t let Albedo down.

Ainz couldn’t see Albedo’s “no good, Ainz is too cool. Fufufu” expression under her helmet, so he didn’t know what she was thinking. He reviewed the day’s activity.

“But Ainz-sama, why did you save Gazef?”

Why? Ainz can’t explain what he felt back then, so he tried to dance around the issue:

“We started this trouble, so we should be the one settling it right?”

“Then why did we gift him that item?”

“This is for the schemes in the future, we will benefit if he took that with him.”

The item Ainz gifted to Gazef was a YGGDRASIL cash items, which he possessed in great number. He might not be able to replenish his stocks, but it’s not a big loss giving it to Gazef.

Ainz was happy that the number of those items had decreased anyway.

Because that consolation prize from a 500 yen capsule vending machine reminded Ainz of his wasteful and impoverished days. After countless tries he finally got the super rare item from the machine, but his comrade from the past, Yamaiko, got it on her first try. The impact still left some trauma in Ainz’s heart.

Ainz had thought of throwing the consolation prize away countless times, but once he remembered that it cost 500 yen… He couldn't do it.

“It wouldn’t hurt me no matter where that item goes or if it will ever be used.”

“… Letting me handle it would be the best way right? Ainz-sama, you don’t need to act personally to aid these lowly creatures… The people that were encircling Gazef were no big deal, that was why I proposed that Ainz-sama need not to act in person.”

“I see…”

Ainz who didn’t have a power scouter can only answer that way.

In YGGDRASIL, it was possible to judge the strength of an enemy based on the color of their names. After that, you can only rely on information from comrades and online guides to determine their power level.

Ainz couldn’t help but felt nostalgia.

If only he leveled a bit in Information oriented magic — Ainz felt some regret. Of course, there was no telling if the spells can be used here or not, but if it could, he wouldn’t need to be so cautious.

There was no point lamenting over things he doesn’t have, Ainz decided to change the mood:

“… I know Albedo’s strength and I trust you. But I want you to abandon such naive thoughts, and keep in mind that an enemy stronger than me might turn up at any time. Especially now, as we are not familiar with the world, we need to be even more careful… That’s why I let Gazef work for us.”

“I understand now… He is a pawn used to judge how strong an enemy is. This role really suits the lowly human race.”

He couldn’t tell the emotions from her beneath her helmeted head, but her voice was cheerful like a flower in full bloom.

As a former human who is now an undead, Ainz had been feeling for some time now that Albedo seemed to dislike humans. But Ainz wasn’t sad or lonely over this. He thought it was only right for the alien races of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick to harbor such thoughts.

“… That’s right. But not just that. People who were in mortal danger would be more grateful to their saviour. And the enemies were a special unit, the higher ups in the country wouldn’t openly cause trouble over their disappearance. That’s why I interfered.”

“Ah… As expected of Ainz-sama, having such foresight before capturing these people, impressive!”

Ainz felt proud listening to Albedo’s praise. To think of such a logical plan without contradiction in such a short time, he might have the innate talent to be an overlord. But the moody voice of Albedo reaches Ainz’s ears:

“… But Ainz-sama, there was no need for you to take the hit of the angel’s sword with your esteemed body right?”

“Is that so? When we came to Carne Village, we had verified through the knights outside the village that high grade physical attack immunity was working normally.”

“Yes, you are right. I saw it with my own eyes too. But I can’t allow those lowly angels to pierce Ainz-sama’s body with their swords.”

“I see. You are protecting me as a shield, but I didn’t think about it from your perspective. I am really sor一”

“Even if I know you wouldn’t be harmed, no woman can bear seeing blades stabbing the body of the ones they love.”

Ainz didn’t know how to respond in this situation and quietly ignored it, continuing on towards the village. Albedo didn’t press for an answer and followed quietly.

The moment the duo entered the village, the death knight and the villagers encircled them.

Accepting the gratitude and praises of the all the villagers, Ainz saw the figure of Gazef among them.

“Oh, Sir Knight-Captain, I’m glad that you are okay. I should have went in earlier, but the item I gave you took some time to activate, I am sorry that I almost didn’t make it in time.”

“No need to worry, I am very grateful to you sir. I am safe thanks to you… That’s right, what happened to those guys?”

Noticing Gazef’s tone change, Ainz spied on him nonchalantly.

Gazef took off his armor and didn’t equip any weapon.

His face was bruised with half of it swollen, looking like a misshapen ball. But his eyes were still full of life.

Ainz shifted his gaze to look at something shining, his sights falling on the ring worn on Gazef’s left ring finger.

He was married. It’s great that his wife won’t have to grief. Ainz thought as he carefully began his act.

“Well, I chased them away. I couldn’t finish them all off.”

This was a lie, all of them were sent to Nazarick grand underground Tomb. Gazef squint his eyes for a moment, and the two of them stayed silent. A tense air lingered between them.

The one who broke the silence was Gazef:

“That was amazing, I don’t know how to repay Master Gown’s aid. Do visit my residence if you come to the imperial capital, I will give you a grand welcome.”

“I see… I will trouble you then.”

“… Master Gown, I don’t know what plans you have, but would you be willing to journey with us? We will be resting in this village for some time.”

“I see. I am planning to leave, but my destination isn’t set yet.”

“It’s already late, to travel now is a bit…”

Gazef paused at this point of the conversation:

“My apologies, this is unnecessary worries for a powerful man like Master Gown. If you drop by the imperial capital, please pay me a visit, my doors will always be open for you. Other than that, I am thankful for you giving me a set of equipment from the knights attacking the village.”

Ainz nodded and judged that the things he needed to do in this village were done. Unexpected events kept on popping up, it felt like he had overstayed his welcome.

“Let’s return, Albedo.”

Ainz spoke in a soft volume only Albedo can hear. She nodded happily immediately while still wearing full body armor.