Текст книги "Overlord - The Invaders of the Large Tomb"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

However, his friend could be trusted.

“Is that so. If that is your decision, then so be it… By the way, there are rumours that you have retired from being an adventurer? Did you come here to work?”

“That’s impossible. I’m here to visit as a friend. I retired from adventuring and what not. Don’t make this old woman work anymore. My job had been inherited by the crybaby.”

“Crybaby?” Tsar pondered momentarily and remembered. “You mean her?”

Reading the slight emotion in Tsar’s tone, the old lady confirmed it.

“Yes, that little girl Inberun.”

“Ah―” Tsar made a sound as if he was stunned. “I think you are the only one who calls her a little girl.”

“Really? Is that something you should say? I’m about the same age as that child. You are much older right?”

“Well, that might be so… But, you actually convinced that kid to be an adventurer huh? What did you do?”

“Hah. That crybaby kept nagging and complaining, so I told her I will do whatever she wants if she can beat me. And so, I gave her a good thrashing!”

Kakaka, the old lady laughed from the bottom of her heart.

“You are the only human who can beat that kid…”

Tsar shook his head as he spoke with a voice that would make any human break out in a cold sweat. He reminisced about the time he fought against the Demon Gods with the friends he parted ways with. Especially the face of his comrade that performed superbly during the fight with the Demon God of Insects.

“Well, the other party mates will help too. And she knows about undead and the way to defeat them. Even if she loses in terms of pure power, the weakness of an undead will still be the same. No matter how strong the crybaby gets, there will always be someone stronger. For example, you could easily win against that kid. If you didn’t restrain yourself, you would be the strongest existence, even in this world.”

The elderly lady shifted her gaze towards the platinum armour. She thought he would have given a flippant response, but instead his reply was gravely serious.

“That might not be so, the power that corrupted the world might rise again.”

On the right shoulder of the armour was a hole, as if it had been pierced by a spear.

“... So the tremors have come again after more than a hundred years. This time, it isn’t something that will help the world like leader did.”

“...The chances for it being just an unlucky encounter is high, but I could feel that the nature of that vampire was evil. And what a coincidence it was. Was the sudden encounter a bad luck, or was I lucky to have learned about their presence?”

“Two sides of the same coin, just interpret it however you like. I already asked before, but can’t you ask for assistance from the other dragon lords?”

“My answer is the same. It is difficult. To be frank, the ones who survived thus far are the ones who did not fight the Eight Greed Kings back then. And they are the likes of Heavenly Dragon Lord that kept flying around in the sky or Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, who knows what he is doing, holing up in that giant cave underground. I can’t imagine these guys lending us aid.”

“I see. However, there is Brightness Dragon Lord, who mingles with humans while making babies. So we might be able to persuade him, right?”

“... Maybe. But my personal opinion is that the chance of waking ‘her’ who is sleeping at the deepest level of the sea city would be higher.”

“Are you waiting for that while you dream? If leader left all his knowledge behind, there would be less trouble. It’s a shame he died so early.”

“That couldn’t be helped. He was shocked after killing one of the companions who came with him. It was understandable for him to reject resurrection. Back then, weren’t you shocked as well, Rigrit?”

The old lady looked into the distance, nodding slowly with a pained expression.

“Yes, ah… that is… so.”

“Rigrit, I feel bad about asking this of you even though you are no longer an adventurer, but can you listen to my request?”

“What is it? I have a hunch, but let’s hear it anyway.”

There was a sword in Tsar’s line of sight. It was a sword that was not suitable for slashing. However, it’s sharpness was beyond anything in this world, an item that was impossible to craft with modern magic.

This sword―one of the eight weapons left behind by the Eight Greed Kings―was the reason why Tsar couldn’t leave this place.

“This is something I had been doing all this while, but I hope for your assistance. I beseech you to collect information about items that can match that guild weapon-sword over there. Or special items like the Reinforced Armour owned by the Kingdom’s adamantite-ranked adventurers, Red Drop.”

Chapter 4. A Handful of Hope

Translators: Nigel, Ferro, Zack Tan, SifaV6

Editing: Skythewood, Rockgollem, Namorax, NoirX, TaintedDreams, JcqC

 

Part 1

The attack resembled a flood from a broken dam. That was how furious the attacks were.

The enemy was only a mass of low-tier undead. They were nothing for Foresight to be afraid of. However, what could only be described as a human wave attack showed no signs of stopping.

Hekkeran wiped the sweat off his face after beating his tenth group of opponents since the start of the battle, a pair of ghasts.

Although he wanted to rest, there was no time for it. He gulped some water from a pouch on his waist, and signaled a retreat as he calmed his breathing down. However, or rather, as expected, the enemy had no intention of giving them any time to rest.

A group of three skeleton warriors, with a robed skeleton mage mixed into it, jumped out to block their path.

“Conserve your mana!”

“Got it.”

“—Enough, understood.”

In a situation like this where they could be surprised at any time, magic—which could easily deal with any situation—was a trump card they could not use casually. Because of this, they had conserved their mana as much as possible.

That being said, several of their abilities with limited uses per day had already been exhausted. This was the result of being swamped by the large amount of traps and undead.

There were skeleton archers lined up behind barred windows, and out of swords’ reach. It was difficult to deal fatal blows since the skeletons were resistant to piercing attacks, but Roberdyck was able to exorcise the undead.

He was also able to eradicate the undead that were throwing bottles of poisonous gas at them.

He exorcised the flying undead and the “floor-imitators” which glued their victims to the ground with their bodily fluids.

And he also exorcised a team of several undead that caused all sorts of status ailments such as plague, poison and curse.

All this had taken a heavy toll on his daily uses of ‘Turn Undead’, leaving him with only a few remaining uses. Conversely, they had managed to conserve other abilities as well as mana. The only tough battle had been the one with a flesh golem mixed into a battalion of undead.

“Warning! Multiple footsteps from behind!”

“Undead reaction! There’s six of them!”

Along with Imina’s warning—followed immediately by Roberdyck’s—the tension ran high. The reason why the five skeletons ahead of them weren’t attacking was probably because they were waiting for a chance to execute a pincer attack.

Hekkeran considered their next move.

Several options appeared on a list in his mind. First, they could make a pre-emptive attack on the enemies in front of them and bring them down. Or they could launch a suppressing attack on the enemies in front of them, then turn to attack their pursuers. This plan would require good observation skills to determine the strength of the forces in front and behind them, then take on the weaker group first. They could also use magic to hinder one side, then take the opportunity to break through the other.

They were all effective, but none of them could turn the situation around. In a moment of inspiration, Hekkeran decided to trust his instincts.

“Hekkeran! What shall we do?”

“Turn back! There’s a path to the side! Retreat there!”

The instant his voice rang out, Imina, who had been the rear guard, ran. Arche and Roberdyck followed her. Hekkeran was one step behind them.

The fact that Imina was running meant it wasn’t an impossible distance. Not wanting to fall behind his teammates, Hekkeran ran as fast as he could. The enemy wouldn’t let them escape easily, of course; the footsteps of several undead could be heard pursuing them relentlessly.

“Have a taste of this!”

Hekkeran took out a bag of alchemical glue and tossed it behind him.

The alchemical fluid splashed out and spread over the ground.

The results were immediate and the footsteps stopped instantly.

Intelligent undead might have made a detour, but such thinking was impossible for lesser undead. Furthermore, skeletons lacked muscles, and thus they found it very difficult to break free once they were stuck.

“More undead reactions! Four from the right!”

“It’s a wall!”

“No, it’s an illusion!”

Four ghouls grunted as they charged through the wall. Although they were scrawny undead that were little more than skin and bones, they were still a fearsome sight when attacking with their outstretched yellowed claws. That said, there was nobody on this team who would be frightened by such an attack.

“Don’t look down on me!”

Seemingly unaffected by the ambush, Imina immediately unsheathed her shortsword and swung it at the ghoul’s neck. Dirty-looking fluid oozed out of a ghoul in place of blood, and it fell. Beside her, Roberdyck swung his mace with all his might and crushed another ghoul’s skull.

Judging that it was safe to leave those two alone, Hekkeran turned his attention to the rear. They were still being chased. Should he throw another bag of glue just to be on the safe side?

Just as Hekkeran was about to toss one, the shape of a terrifying undead loomed into view.

“Elder Lich!”

At the same time, he noticed lightning crackling on the lich’s finger. Hekkeran was familiar with the spell in question.

‘Lightning Strike’ produced a straight line of piercing lightning, and there was only one way to dodge it.

“—Push the ghouls back!”

Neither Imina nor Roberdyck understood why Hekkeran gave this command, but they obeyed without hesitation.

A bolt of white lightning flashed across the hallway just as the four of them pushed the ghouls through the illusionary wall.

As the air shook with crackling sounds, Hekkeran felt a magic circle activate under his feet. In the next moment, they were enveloped in a pale blue light that they could not avoid, and the scenery before them shifted.

“Be careful! Stay alert!…?”

Although the ghouls had vanished and the surroundings had changed, they were still on edge from the battle. Even so, after such an unexpected occurrence, it wasn’t a surprise that they were dumbfounded for a few moments.

Hekkeran shook his head, regaining his focus. The most basic thing he had to do—although learning about their current situation was also important—was to ensure the safety of his comrades.

Imina, Arche and Roberdyck.

All the other members of ‘Foresight’ had maintained their formation as the magic circle activated, and nobody was missing.

After mutually confirming that they were all safe and sound, the four of them continued observing their surroundings.

This place was a wide corridor, dimly lit and with a high ceiling. Even a giant could walk freely through here. The flickering flames of faraway torches provided unsteady illumination and in their light the long shadows seemed to dance. Ahead of them was some kind of crosshatched portcullis, and from the square gaps in its surface, rays of white, magical light shone through. Behind them, the path stretched into darkness, and along the way, several doors opening into the corridor could be seen, lit up by torches.

With everyone remaining quiet, only the crackling of the torches could be heard.

It did not seem like they were in any danger of being attacked immediately. After they realized this, their tension eased.

“Although I don’t know where this place is, it has a completely different atmosphere to what we have seen up until now.”

The style of this place was completely different to the tomb they had just left. In fact, signs of civilisation could be seen here. The members of ‘Foresight’ surveyed their surroundings, and whilst they were trying to grasp where this place was, only Arche’s attitude was different from the rest.

“—This place is…”

Keenly perceiving the meaning behind the words, Hekkeran asked Arche:

“Do you know? Or perhaps you have a clue?”

“—I know of a similar place. The Empire’s Grand Arena.”

“Ah… indeed, you are right.”

Roberdyck grunted in agreement. Although Hekkeran and Imina did not say anything, they also shared Roberdyck’s opinion.

When ‘Foresight’ had made their debut at the arena, there was a place similar to this one when they were making their way from the waiting room to the arena.

“Then behind that should be the arena.”

Roberdyck pointed towards the latticed gate.

“That should be the case… then being teleported to this place means that… is that what it is?”

“Give me a fight to watch” was probably the intention here. Although, they had no idea who or what might be waiting for them.

“—It’s dangerous. Long-distance teleportation is reckoned to be 5^th tier magic. Being able to use that kind of magic as a trap has only been heard of in stories. This site must have been constructed by someone with unimaginable skill in magic. It is not favourable for us to accept the opponent’s invitation. I suggest we proceed in the opposite direction.”

“But, if we accepted the opponent’s invitation, don’t you think there might be a path to survival? Wouldn’t rejecting the invitation antagonise the other side?”

“Both sides are very dangerous. Rob, what do you think?”

“There’s a case to be made for both arguments. But I have some doubts about what Arche-san has said. Is this really a trap laid by the person who currently resides here? Could it be that they're just using something created by an unknown third party?”

They looked at each other and exhaled in unison. There was no point in staying here and discussing the matter further. They did not have enough information and their opinions did not match, but they had to make a decision right now.

“What Rob said makes sense. Who know, maybe it was made five hundred years ago.”

“Ah, there were more advanced magic techniques in the past.”

“Are you referring to the beings that dominated the continent and whose country shattered almost immediately, of which only the capital remains today?”

“—The Eight Greed Kings. They are considered to be the ones who spread the existence of magic further through this world. If this is a relic of that era, then perhaps…”

“…I see. Then I am in favour of heading out to the arena. In any case, since we were brought here by a trap, they would not allow us to escape.”

In response to Roberdyck’s statement, everyone nodded as they resolved themselves, and began moving.

When they got close to the latticed gate, it rose upward with impressive speed, as though it had been waiting for them all this time. The first thing they saw as they entered the arena were rows upon rows of audience seats around the arena.

The arena was no less impressive than the one in the Empire. In fact, it might have been even more so, given that it was covered in lanterns enchanted with ‘Continual Light’, which lit the grounds up as brightly as if it were the day.

Everyone in ‘Foresight’ was astonished, especially when they glimpsed the audience above them.

This was because sitting there were innumerable clay figures, the dolls known as golems.

Golems were inorganic creatures created through magical means, who would obediently carry out their master’s commands once they received them. Without the need for food or sleep, and never suffering from fatigue or even the ravages of time, they were treasured as guardians and labourers. Furthermore, because their production took considerable time, effort and cost, even the weakest ones would cost a considerable amount of gold coins.

Even Hekkeran and the others, who were paid well, would find it hard to purchase a golem.

They were valuable constructs, and this arena seemed to be overflowing with them.

To Hekkeran, it spoke of how wealthy the person who owned this arena was, as well as how lonely he felt.

As though they had already come here many times before, they looked briefly at each other’s faces before silently walking towards the centre of the arena.

“Outside?”

Reacting to Imina’s voice, all that could be seen when looking at the sky was darkness. Because the light from the surroundings was too strong, it outshone the light from the stars, but even so, there was no doubt that above the arena was a vast expanse of open night sky.

In response to Imina’s voice, they looked up, and saw the night sky. The surrounding illumination was strong and eclipsed the light of the stars, but even so, it was impossible to miss the fact that this arena was open to the night sky.

“Then, we could use flight magic to escape—”

“TOOOOOH!”

A figure jumped from the balcony of the VIP box, in time with the voice that had interrupted Arche’s words.

The figure somersaulted in mid-air as it descended from a height that seemed roughly equivalent to a six story building, making people wonder if it might have wings as it gracefully landed upon the ground. There was no magic at work here, only pure physical ability. Even the rogue Imina had her breath taken away by the perfection of the movement.

The figure who had absorbed the impact with a mere flexing of its knees smiled brightly.

Before them stood a young dark elf boy.

The long ears which emerged from amongst the golden strands of his hair twitched slightly, giving rise to a glorious impression like that of the sun.

He was fully dressed in a suit of tight-fitting, light leather armour, made from jet black and deep crimson dragon scales, over which he wore a white vest embroidered with golden threads. A coat of arms was sewn onto the breast of the jacket.

Seeing his heterochromic eyes, Imina let out a gasp of surprise.

“—Ah!”

“—The challengers have arrived!”

The boy spoke into the rod-like object he was holding in his hand, and his amplified words resounded throughout the arena.

The arena trembled and shuddered in time with the boy’s bright and cheerful voice.

Looking around, it seemed that the golems which had remained motionless so far were stomping on the ground to make noise.

“The challengers are four reckless fools who have invaded the Great Tomb of Nazarick! And, facing them is the master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Supreme King of Death, Ainz! Ooal! Gown-sama!”

The portcullis on the opposite side of the arena rose upwards at the same time as the dark elf’s voice rang out. From the darkness of the path beyond, a being stepped into the light. In a word, it would be skeletal.

A crimson radiance flickered within the eye sockets of the white skull.

It was dressed in a gown-like vestment, and because there were no muscles where the robe was cinched about the waist, it appeared too skinny for belief. Judging by the lack of weapons on hand, it was probably a magic caster of some kind.

“Ooh! And walking in behind him is our Guardian Overseer, Albedo!”

The members of Foresight held their breath as they saw the woman who followed behind like a servant.

She was a peerless vision that surpassed even the ‘Beautiful Princess’ of Darkness. Hers was a comeliness that could never be reached by human beings, and two horns curved out gently from both sides of her forehead. At her waist were a pair of black wings. They looked so realistic it could not possibly have been artificially created.

The arena quaked with stomping, as if to welcome the debut of these two new entrants, before turning into thunderous applause. It was a reception befitting the arrival of a king.

The two people approached ‘Foresight’ amidst the thunderous applause from the surrounding golems.

“—I’m so sorry,” Arche muttered. “We ended up like this because of me.”

What would follow was probably going to be the most grueling battle Foresight would ever have faced. In all likelihood, one or more of them might die. Arche probably felt that they had been plunged into such a dire circumstance was because of herself. Without her debt, perhaps they might not have accepted this task to go investigate a tomb they so obviously did not know enough about.

But then—

“Hey, hey, what nonsense is this kid babbling?”

“Yes. Taking on this work was a group decision. This isn’t your fault. Don’t you think we’d still have taken it even without your personal problem?”

“That’s how it is, so there’s no need to be worried.”

Hekkeran and Roberdyck smiled as they spoke, and Imina patted Arche’s head.

“Well then, although planning is hopeless at this stage, we should still have a discussion. Arche, can you identify that undead?”

“—Seeing that it seems intelligent, perhaps it’s an upper-class skeleton-type?”

The skeleton in question, Ainz, waved his hand before them. The movement looked as if he was wiping something.

The sounds disappeared. In an instant, the golems’ movements stopped, and once more they were subjected to the almost deafening silence. Hekkeran bowed sincerely to Ainz, who was slowly turning to face them.

“Firstly I would like to apologise, Ainz Ooal…dono.”

“…Ainz Ooal Gown.”

“My apologies. Ainz Ooal Gown-dono.”

Ainz stopped and raised his chin, as if he were waiting for an inferior to continue.

“We wish to apologize for entering your tomb without permission. If you can find it in your heart to forgive us, we will gladly offer the appropriate compensation to atone for our transgressions."

Time passed in silence. Then Ainz sighed. Of course, as one of the undead, Ainz had no need to breathe. But he did so in order to get his message across.

“Is that how you do things where you come from? After someone else eats in your home and leaves waste behind which sprouts maggots, would you actually show him more mercy than a swift death?”

“Humans are not maggots!”

“They are the same. At least, they are to me. Or, not—perhaps humans are even lower than them. If a maggot is born, the fault lies with the fly. You, however, are different. You were not forced along, nor did you have any particularly compelling reason to come here, but purely for the sake of greed, you attacked a tomb which might have had people living in it, with the intention of plundering its treasures!”

Ainz’s laughter echoed through the coliseum.

“Ah, do not take it to heart. I am not blaming you. It is only natural for the strong to dominate the weak. I have done it myself and I do not consider myself an exception from this rule. It was precisely because there might be someone stronger than me that I was on guard… Now then, the time for idle banter is over. In accordance with the principle of the strong feeding upon the weak, I shall claim one thing from you.”

“No, actually, there’s a—”

“Silence!” Ainz declared in a voice which allowed no interruption. “Do not upset me with your lies! Now then, you shall pay for your foolish mistake with your life.”

“What if we had permission?”

Ainz froze. Apparently, that had gotten through to him.

Hekkeran was surprised that a single sentence could have had such a great effect, but of course he did not let it show on his face. Just when all seemed lost, a ray of hope had shone through the darkness. Clearly, he had to seize it.

“…Nonsense.”

It was a still, small voice, almost on the verge of fading away.

“Utter nonsense, it’s nothing but a bluff. What do you gain from angering me?”

His unease was spreading, and even the dark elf boy beside him was starting to look uncomfortable. When he turned to look at the last person, goosebumps broke out all over Hekkeran’s body.

The beauty behind them was still smiling. But she radiated a murderous intent that beaded Hekkeran’s brow with sweat.

“And what if it was true?”

“…No… no… it’s impossible. Absolutely impossible. You should all be offerings dancing in the palm of my hand…”

Ainz shook his head and fixed Hekkeran with a gaze that seemed to bore right through him.

“But… however… I… yes, that’s right, just in case, I will hear you out… who gave you this permission?”

“Don’t you know him?”

“Him…?”

“He didn’t leave his name, but he was a pretty big monster.”

Hekkeran desperately thought on where the safety lines to evade danger were hiding.

It was a question that only a person paralyzed by indecision would ask, because only by asking could a person know what was true or false.

It was a purely human attitude, Hekkeran thought. It wasn’t the reaction of a monster, but of a coward. This was a good chance.

“Tell me what you saw.”

“…He was very very very big…”

“Very very…”

As Ainz descended into another round of introspection, Hekkeran reflected that they had avoided danger yet again, and breathed an internal sigh of relief. He gestured to his colleagues with small movements of his fingers, telling them to find an exit. Ainz would not act without confirming the truth or falsehood of Hekkeran’s words. This was all the time they had to think of how to get out of here.

“Did he say anything?”

Who knows, someone might have used a charm or dominate spell or some other special ability…

“Before that, I hope that you can guarantee our safety.”

“What? …If you have indeed gained the permission of one of my friends, then your safety is assured. Do not be afraid.”

A new word—friend.

Hekkeran analyzed the information he had just obtained. From the events of the negotiation, he had learned that Ainz Ooal Gown had friends, which he was currently not in contact with.

The secret of trickery was to expose the information your mark wanted, and then force him into a mistake.

“…Well? Why so quiet? Then let me hear what the person you met said to you.”

Up to now, the deception had worked. Then, this would be the next time. His palms sweated profusely.

“He said to give his regards to Ainz in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.”

“…Ainz?”

His fidgeting suddenly stopped. Hekkeran noticed, and an “oh crap” expression spread across his face.

“…He said, to give his regards to Ainz?”

Hekkeran steeled himself. After all, words spoken could not be taken back.

“…Yes.”

“Kuhahahahaha!”

Ainz laughed when he heard Hekkeran’s answer. This was not a happy laugh. It was a laugh that could be best described as volcanic.

“Hah… well, so much for that. Though really, when you think about it calmly, there were bound to be holes aplenty in that story.”

Ainz’s movements stopped, and he turned to look at Hekkeran. The crimson fires blazing in his eye sockets turned dark, consumed by the black which surrounded them and reducing his pupils to points of red light. Hekkeran and the others took a step back, as though Ainz’s mere line of sight was exerting physical pressure on them.

Within that glare was the purest rage.

“YOU TRAAAAAAAASSHHHH! YOU DARE! YOU DARE TO TREAD YOUR FILTHYYYYYY! YOUR FILTHY BOOTS INTO THE NAZARICK THAT I, THAT WE, MY FRIENDS AND I, CREATED!”

So intense was his fury that Ainz was struck speechless. His shoulder blades moved as though he were breathing, and he continued.

“AND YOU! YOU DARE USE THE NAME OF ME, OF MY FRIENDS! YOU DARE USE IT TO TRICK ME! YOU SHITS! DO YOU THINK THAT CAN EVER, EVER BE FORGIVEN?!”

Ainz was shouting in a furious tone.

It would not have been a surprise if his anger had gone on forever. However, his rancor suddenly vanished, and he returned to his usual calm.

It was a sudden change, as though the emotion had simply been switched off. The abrupt change was enough to make Hekkeran and his team, who were facing off against Ainz, think that something was amiss.

“…Although it made me angry, the fault does not lie with you. Of course you would tell an outrageous lie to preserve your lives. To tell you the truth, I’m still very mad… I guess I’m still too willful. Albedo. Aura. And all the Guardians who can hear my voice, everyone, cover your ears!”

The absolute beauty and the dark elf boy listened intently. The boy stuck his fingers into his ears, while the beauty delicately covered her ears with her hands. This was without a doubt to show that they were not going to listen to what he said.

“From the beginning, I was opposed to this plan to invite filthy thieves into my Great Tomb of Nazarick. But that said, I understand that this was the best method and I accept it.”

Ainz looked back up, and regretfully shook his head.

“Well, that’s all. Rant over. As a final mercy, I wanted to grant you an honorable death as a warrior, but now I’ve changed my mind. Now I will dispose of you like the thieves that you are.”

While talking as though it were somebody else’s problem, Ainz shed his gown.

Naturally, there were bones below. A dark red orb floated under his ribs, emanating a feeling of dread. He had nothing equipped besides his pants and boots… No, there was one more item. There was a leather collar around his neck, with a chain, broken halfway down, dangling from it.

“Ohhhhh!”

A strange sound came from above them.

Looking up, they could see the upper body of a silver-haired girl leaning out of the VIP box. She was immediately pulled back by an arm wearing what looked like a blue gauntlet.

“…What the hell is she doing?”

“I’ll go scold her later.”

By the time they had managed to recover their senses and focus them back onto Ainz, he had produced a black sword and a round black shield out of nowhere.

“Then, I’m ready over here. Let’s get started.”

He stance had his feet slightly spread out—it was a fighting stance.

“Albedo and Aura, you can remove your hands now.”

The two people addressed reacted immediately, and returned their hands to their sides.

“I’m in a very bad mood now. To think I would encounter fellows like this. So I’ll toy with them without killing them, and I’ll leave the disposal to you. Now, let’s begin.”

As Hekkeran stared down the sword-and-shield-equipped Ainz, Hekkeran’s first thought was that his opponent was not a warrior or a swordsman. If pressed, he would say that he was like a monster, the kind who would use their excellent physical abilities to overwhelm their opponent.