Chapter 29 - Volume 4 (1/2)

Overlord Volu God

Part 1

Ainz’s headquarters was the same as the place Cocytus used yesterday — the fortress which Aura was building If one listened closely, one could hear the faint sounds of work in progress co from the distance

Once they entered the room, the hitherto silent Victi uoy wercs (Then, I shall take my leave now, Ainz-sama)”

“Thank you for your hard work Please take care of Nazarick’s First Floor for et back”

“Kek esiarp (Understood)”

“「Gate」”

Victih the door of darkness which Ainz had conjured It led to the First Floor of the Great Underground To that Guardian — whose death would activate a powerful h the 「Gate」, Ainz turned back to the rest of the room At the same time, he sensed Aura behind him, her head bowed

It would seem she had done her best to pretty the roons of her hard work that could be seen in every corner of the room However, this room was far plainer than Nazarick Perhaps Aura felt ashamed of that

It’s not like it’s that bad…

Ainz had originally been a plebeian, so he did not really mind While his roo, sometimes excessive luxury made him feel uncomfortable He could relax a little in this place, so it was pretty good

I want an eight tatami room Maybe I should secretly set one up somewhere Ah, I need to reward my subordinates I need to tell Aura that I’m pleased with her hard work

People had to thank and rely on others for their hard work in order to succeed

Ainz re an errand at a certain co from the director’s room He did not knoho had said it, but it was a truly wonderful line It made him think that it was how an ideal superior should be

You need to express the gratitude in your heart If you don’t praise your people, they won’t work… so you here, Aura I ahtest I am very satisfied with your hard work, and it is the equivalent of Nazarick because you decorated it for htly Ainz did not know if that counted as co her, but he was out of ideas All he could do was try and bluff his way through by looking around

The room still smelled of wood

Under normal circumstances, it would have been better to return to Nazarick than stay in this nearly indefensible place That was because without the application of defensive spells, this location was little more than a house of papier-ood spot to use oneself as bait to lure out a big fish

It was quite far from the lake, so anyone who could pursue them here — if there were any — would probably be an YGGDRASIL player or people of comparable power to them

In other words, this place had been built to take the attack of a powerful opponent

It was dangerous, of course But Ainz felt that one could not seize the tiger’s cubs without entering its den

So they still haven’t come Or is it that… this operation failed as well? Still… what is that?

“…Aura, a question for you What is that thing over there?”

Ainz’s gaze fell on a white-colored chair within the rooh back and looked very solid Due to the exquisite craftsone into its construction, it easily qualified as a work of art Well, as long as one did not dwell on its sole fault

“It is a little plain, but it is a throne that was specially made for you”

One of the subordinates behind hi anticipated that, Ainz continued asking:

“…And whose bones went into its construction?”

“They came from all sorts of animals I selected choice bones from Griffins and Wyverns”

“…I see… Is that so…”

This throne of bone was not furniture froe hadit here Also, the throne’s construction seemed to use a lot of human or demihuman bones While it was not stained with blood or flesh and was coined that he could shtly revulsed, Ainz hesitated over whether or not to take a seat on it However, it would be hard to sinore a chair which had been specially ood reason, it would be a different ht about the ether

“…Shalltear, I believe I said I would punish you earlier? I shall now mete it out Yes… I shall humiliate you”

“Yes!”

Shalltear see been mentioned

“Kneel there and lower your head Get on your hands and knees”

“Yes!”

Confused, Shalltear went to the place Ainz indicated — the center of the roo into a supplicatory position

Afterto Shalltear’s side, Ainz immediately sat upon her slender back

“—Ai-Ainz-sama!”

Shalltear’s off-key cry of surprise co like “Heinzsh-sama” She seemed panicked, but she remained still, because Ainz was seated on her back

“You are here to be my chair, understand?”

“Yes!”

Ainz turned froe

“—Forgive e That’s how it is”

“I see! How remarkable! To think you would sit upon a Guardian! Indeed, that is a chair which nobody canAinz-sama, you have surpassedof yourself!”

“Is, is that so…”

De as he radiated his loyalty to his htly and turned away uneasily Then, a beautiful woive me, Ainz-sama, may I be excused for a moment? I will be back soon”

“What’s the ht Go, then”

After thanking Ainz, Albedo left the roo “DORYAAAAA—!” froainst the wall, which made the house shake violently

About a minute later, Albedo returned to the silent rooentle smile on her face

“I’m back, Ainz-sama Oh yes, Aura, I accidentally bumped into the wall on e Could you fix it later? Sorry about that”

“Ah, er, all right… okay~ I’ll go fix it”

Ainz sighed, sing a lot of the things he wanted to say He recalled his gaze that had nearly drifted away and focused it on the staff which radiated an evil aura

Obviously, he would not bring the true Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown to such a dangerous place This was an experimental specimen that had been built in iic ite in the Treasury, it looked alood decoy

The guild would disband if the Guild Weapon was destroyed Therefore, he could not casually carry it with him It was currently in the care of the Guardian of the Sakura Sanctuary on the Eighth Floor

I’ve considered counter stolen as well, but I just can’t find a place where I can conduct the experiht about this, Shalltear’s body suddenly twitched That movement seemed like an adjustment so Ainz could sit more comfortably A bizarre sense of unease drove Ainz to look at the back of Shalltear’s head

She was panting

He was probably too heavy for her Shalltear’s back that he sat upon was about as slender as that of a fourteen year old girl’s and it was quite slender To think an adult would be sitting on such a slender back Ainz was deeply convinced that he was a shaone too far

Shalltear was an NPC made by one of his friends from the past, Peroroncino In all likelihood, he had not expected Shalltear would have ended up being tormented like this Since this was essentially an action which cast shame upon his former comrades, Ainz believed that this was a form of punishment for himself as well However, he now realized that he was foolish for having thought so

To think I’

“Shalltear, is it uncomfortable?”

If it is, then I’ll stop it — just as Ainz was about to say that, Shalltear looked back, staring at Ainz Her face was flushed, and her eyes burned brightly

“Not at all! In fact, I feel this is practically a reward!”

Every word she spoke carried the heat breithin her body, and her glazed eyes reflected Ainz’s face Her bright red tongue licked at her lips, leaving a seductive sheen The way her body writhed ever so slightly was re this for anything other than carnal desire

“…Uwah…”

It made him want to run away

Ainz almost stood up

I can’t, how could I do that?

This was a punishment for Shalltear, and Shalltear’s mistake had been because of Ainz’s e to stand up was also a way of punishi+ng hi tide of complex emotions within hi, panting chair beneath him Even so, he could not help but wonder How perverted did Peroroncino make her, anyway?

“…Then, let’s talk business Are the Lizardhtened as expected?”

“Indeed, Ainz-saht, just look at the Lizardhed as he heard the Guardians’ responses In truth, he could hardly tell how the Lizarded While Lizardmen looked more like humans than reptiles, their facial expressions were completely different from those of humans

“Really now Then, we can consider the first part of the i to hed in relief

He had expected at least that much from super tier spells, which could only be used four tione out of his way to use one of them — 「The Creation」 — and if that failed to impress, then all he could say was that it was sad

“Then, De the information on how far the lake was frozen?”

“We are still gathering the relevant data, but the radius of freezing was larger than expected, which presents soiven a bit e fro, and then cupped his jaith a skeletal hand, before settling into contemplation It would seeined, but as a ical experiment, it was quite a success

「The Creation」 was a super tier spell that could change terrain special effects In YGGDRASIL, one would use it to ward off the heat in hot regions or to suppress the freezing chill of icy areas

In truth, he could have awed the a super tier spell

However, he had used it anyway because he wanted to conduct an experie a spell’s radius could be In YGGDRASIL, 「The Creation」 could affect quite a large area, and when they tested it in Nazarick, it hth Floor However, they did not knoould fare outdoors

In YGGDRASIL, it could cover one area, but he wanted to kno large that zone was in this world It would be too much if he cast it on a plain and it covered the entire plain

Similarly, it would be too much if it covered the entire lake It would seeic

“Then, Aura, what about our security net?”

“Yes! We’ve dispatched the undead we borrowed from you to patrol within a two kilometer radius, but we haven’t picked up any exceptional intrusions Also, I’ve sent out soical beasts who are adept at reconnaissance to patrol a four kilometer radius around us, but there haven’t been reports of anything suspicious so far”

“Is that so… Our foe ht make their approach by soainst that yet?”

“It’ll be fine Shalltear was helping ood at surveillance”

“Very good”

Aura was all smiles after Ainz’s praise Her previous depression was nowhere to be seen

“Still, has the person who used the World Class Item on Shalltear still not made a move even after we’ve exposed ourselves like this?”

All eyes were on Ainz as he asked that question again, but he was not directing it at anyone in particular

“Why isn’t the opposition spying on this place and Nazarick?”

“Could it be that the ene an eye on us with a World Class Iteular surveillance?”

Ainz tilted his head in confusion after Dee answered with his question

“…I used Moht use such means… if the enemy uses World Class Items to spy on us, they won’t be able to observe Momon, since he also possesses a World Class Ite on the assu physical or direct observation… well, itthat they’ll use more conventional methods to keep an eye on us…”

Ainz sensed that the Guardians around him seemed puzzled, and he realised that his explanation was not sufficiently clear

“Well… how shall I put this… in the past, we once owned a h the roof because we roup of people schemed to steal it from us Back then, our opposition used 「οὐροβόρος」 That was one of the World Class Items known as The Twenty”

(TL Note: Ouroboros)

Ainz narrowed his eyes

He had been furious when theback on it now, it was a good memory It held true even as he recalled how they had been hunted and lost quite a few rare pieces of gear

“What!? Someone actually dared seize territory which had been claiivable! Please order us to retake it at once!”

Ainz hurriedly shi+fted his gaze as he heard Albedo vent her anger

He saw all the Guardians seething with hostility and e expression on his face That was not all; Ainz could glimpse the deter face

Incidentally, Ainz could not see Shalltear’s expression on account of her being a chair, but he could feel her body tense up, sending her iron will travelling up through his rump

“Calm down! That’s in the past”

Ainz raised a hand to order the Guardians to cool their heads While it looked as though they had soained their co beneath the surface Ainz decided to pick up the previous topic to change the subject

“Our enemy used 「οὐροβόρος」 and made it impossible for us to enter the world where the mine was They probably used that time to search for and find the mine Once the seal was broken and we could enter the world, we found that the ht recklessly to retake the uild e to speak of that

“Then, this is the point I wanted to make While I said the world was sealed, people with World Class ite that time Therefore, it should be impossible for them to spot us even if they use World Class Iteasps of enlightenment from his subordinates, he wondered if that was really the case

It was very likely, but there was no proof that they could not be found

When 「Five Eleression」 — one of the Twenty, just like 「οὐροβόρος」 — had been used, the gae to all World Class Itey, they also included an itey went: “Dear holders of World Class Itees in the world, but we have learned that keeping your data unaffected will be a very difficult task for the syste your data as well”

Therefore, he could not conclude that it was a perfect defense Still, that incident had been a special case

In particular, one of the World Class Iteainst divination spells If it could not block surveillance froless

“Therefore, I feel the enemy will try to approach Momon… but the ones who have co their newborn children or adventurers”

The ones who caed him to touch their children’s heads in the hope that they would grow up strong, or they asked to shake hands with hier themselves None of them had asked to speak with him in private

Therefore, Ainz had createdfor the ene Cocytus a World Class Item was part of that plan Ainz intended to use him as bait to draw out the opposition Their foe was fearsome precisely because he did not know their identity That being the case, learning about their opponent would probably help them find a way to deal with them

“May I share my humble opinion on this matter?”

“What is it, Albedo?”

“Ainz-sama, as you have said just now, your aim is to divine the enemy’s identity and learn more about them In that case, is it not possible that the eneet close because they have not been exposed yet?”

…Ah

“It… it’s fine, Albedo I have considered that point as well”

As if Ainz had already assumed that his enemy was like himself, and would want to learn about their opposition

…What a gaffe What if I’ve been going about it all wrong froive me Also…”

Albedo, could you please stop — Ainz could not bring hi that of her He felt like he had finished a h his work one more time, he found that all his ansere incorrectly shi+fted one space down

“There’s the ic item…”

“Yes I reported asMo crystals are extre one for an experi that the spell-sealing crystal went out of control — that the ic iteuard against Momon”

“Indeed, it is as you say It would ell against people who think spell-sealing crystals are rare items”

Albedo’s subtle qualification of her statement made Ainz feel very uneasy

“…However, what if our enemy had multiple such crystals like yourself, Ainz-sama?”

“…Hm? Ah, so that’s what you mean”

Ainz put on a show of sudden realization, but he had no idea what she meant

So what if the opposition hadcrystals? The fact was that they were very valuable items in this world Was Albedo worried that someone would break a crystal as an experiment?

Still, it did not feel like that

A sense of foreboding filled Ainz’s heart He wanted Albedo to explain herself, but he resented having the pretense of knowledge he had put on just now

Coht if I act as a ruler and decide the direction of Nazarick? What if I end up steering us into an iceberg?

He wanted to run away from all of this and be done with it

Unable to bear the strain of leadershi+p — which was only amplified when he messed up — he ithin his soul

However, he could not just run off Since he had called his — the NPCs and the treasures of Nazarick — that his friends hadwas that he did not want to become a deadbeat father

I soive up on me However, that just means I have to be the Ainz Ooal Gown you expect and believe in

Therefore, Ainz put on a confident front, the pose of a ruler with utmost confidence in himself, which he had practiced in the mirror

“It’s fine However, I understand your unease”

Then, Ainz looked around

“Albedo… share your worries with the other Guardians”

“Ah, yes! If the opposition possesses multiple crystals like you do, Ainz-sah that news immediately In other words, they will believe that Shalltear was not defeated by the crystal Although the eneth, anyone with a World Class Item would probably think that Shalltear and Moth Therefore, they would probably consider Momon — a mysterious warrior who suddenly appeared in E-Rantel — a threat, no? In addition, the oppositionabout the link between Shalltear and Momon…”

“…Albedo, and the Guardians What do you think the enemy will do next?”

“Permit me to answer, then I feel that if our enemy intends to oppose you, Ainz-sa ruue with each other — even if there is no basis to them — and lash out at him Our opposition will surely not want Momon to becoroaned internally

His original aiather information, but his main objective was to make the character Moet away froreat hero and then reveal his true identity, whereupon the falory he had accumulated would be transferred to Ainz Ooal Gown, and resound throughout the world

In addition, it would also serve to show that a forh the name of Momon But now, those plans were littlein the wind

“Oh? De to spread the ru with that Va so at that time would be a poor move Once Ainz-sama is sufficiently faossip That reputation rows and becoe”

Ainz nodded h he had been thinking the sa as well

“Then, I have another question If that is the case, why has the enee raised a finger after hearing Ainz’s question

“Firstly, the eneation into Momon-sama If it turned out that Momon-sama defeated Shalltear in open co his ire, or perhaps they would like to recruit hier

“What if the opposition only ran into Shalltear by chance? Or what if they encountered her on the way to another objective, and they were a completely unrelated third party?”

“That’s not possible now, is it, Dee How unlikely would that be…”

Ainz said that, but in his heart, he realized that it was not impossible

He was dead set on the idea that this was an attack targeted at Shalltear — or the personnel of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick However, Shalltear had been attacked shortly after they had all been brought to this neorld Under those circuet and attack Shalltear

Was he being overly paranoid of some hidden masterht in his eye sockets

Ultimately, the lack of inforh th

In any case, the biggest proble network

Currently, he had ordered Sebas to handle this sort of work However, there was a lience personnel could gather At first, he had only wanted to learn the basic facts of this world, but they were now at a stage where such inforer sufficient

They could not learn what they wanted to know by going through adventurers and traders alone It was siovern importance

In addition, he had no idea what sort of person could analyze the data they had gathered and determine whether or not any particular piece of inforrief In any case, our e now is a lack of information Our hands are tied because we have to be wary of an unseen foe…”

Dee flashed Ainz a conspiratorial smile as he heard Ainz mumble

“In that case, why not seek a nation to support you?”

After a brief silence, Albedo went “Oh” to indicate that she understood Soon, Ainz e So that hat you meant”

However, the other three Guardians still looked quite confused After that, Aura came out and asked:

“Ainz-sama, what’s this all about?”

As Aura asked that question, Ainz gave thanks that he did not have any facial expressions

“Honestly… Mare, Shalltear, do you not understand what De to say?”

The two of them shook their heads in unison

“I see Then it can’t be helped Tell thee”

“Yes, I understand Now then, everyone Ainz-sama is worried about the existence of a hidden, powerful enemy I feel that if we encounter said enemy and they are hostile to us, we need to have sootiations”

Sensei, I don’t get it — that look appeared on the faces of three students and one adult Dee-sensei seemed to realise that his explanation was too co himself down to match the students

“What would you do if Ainz-sama was dominated by some World Class Item?”

“I’d kill the bastard who did it”

“…No, that’s not what Ito say is, don’t you think the very fact that being mind controlled would count as an alibi? The fact is that there are people out there who really can dominate their opposition with World Class Itely say that Ainz-sama was controlled by a World Class Item”

assistant Teacher Albedo supplee’s lecture:

“In other words, by pretending to support another country, we have an excuse for any action which Nazarick takes By saying that ere ordered to do so by that country and we had no choice but to obey, we could use that to deflect bla there was an enemy on our level Also, if the other party does not want an open conflict, they will have no choice but to bear with it”

“I see… so even if soood reason, we could drag a third party into beco an ally… so that’s what it is, as expected of Ainz-sama…”

Ainz reached out and stroked the head of Shalltear the chair It was like a e cao to him”

“No, it’s not true It would seem you already came to the same answer, Ainz-sa credit for your hard work Sorry about that Also… I believe it will be easier to obtain information if we support another country”

A country would probably have the intelligence-gathering network that they were struggling to build That being the case, infiltrating the usable inforestion had been useful on so which had bothered Ainz, and at Ainz’s words, which seemed to validate his and Albedo’s opinions

“Indeed”

Ainz are of the subtext: “You picked up on it as well, Ainz-sama”

“Ah, indeed As expected of Ainz-sahts… in that case, even inferior lifeforly useful”

After Albedo spoke up, the other Guardians — including Shalltear the chair — looked at Ainz with sparkly eyes filled with pure loyalty

Ainz felt very uncomfortable, but he consoled hiiven him their approval

“Then… let’s find a country to infiltrate Which country will it be?”

“If we pick frodom, the Empire, and the Theocracy”

“Ho about a country that was further away? Like say, the Council Alliance or the Holy Kingdom…”

“I would rather not select a distant country, and I would prefer not to h about the by Sebas’s report, the Kingdo However… this matter requires further study Anyway—”

Ainz interrupted the conversation by extending his hand to the iven the Lizard unexpected”

A bird’s eye view of the Lizard

Ainz reached out to the ed the scenery it showed

Naturally, he began by zooe

In this way, they could see every detail of the Lizardmen’s preparations for battle

“Such futile effort,” Deently to the Lizardmen

Let’s see, where are they? It’s hard to tell one Lizardman from another

Ainz frowned as he searched for the six Lizardmen he had seen earlier

“Oh — there’s the ar fellow? And then, the one with the greatsword is here The differences are really fine Maybe color, gear, or obvious physical variations would be good ways to tell them apart… ah, there’s a distinctive one”

After that, Ainz e around in confusion

“…I don’t see that white Lizardic weapon”

“Hht, that’s his name”

After Aura reminded him, Ainz remembered the naotiate with him

“Could he be in his house?”

“Perhaps”

The Mirror of Re could not peer into structures However, that was only under nore, fetch me the Infinite Haversack”

“Understood”

With a bow, Dee picked up the Infinite Backpack which lay on the table which had been shi+fted to the corner of the roo it to Ainz Ainz took a scroll out of it

After that, he cast the spell inscribed within it

The spell produced an invisible and incorporeal sensor It could not penetrate h conventional walls regardless of their thickness If it could not pass through said walls, that would imply there was a powerful foe present, and they had to be wary

He linked the sensor to the Mirror of Re, so the Guardians could see what Ainz could see Then hesensor

“Let’s see what’s inside this house”

Ainz selected one of the nearest houses — a pretty run-down affair — and sent the sensor inside Despite the darkness of the interior, it appeared as bright as day through the eyes of the sensor

The white Lizardainst the floor of the house Her tail was tucked up and there was a black Lizardman mounted on her

Ainz was utterly confused

For aon In the nextlike that at a time like this

After that, Ainz silently steered the sensor outside

“…”

Ainz grabbed his head in a moment of infinite weakness The Guardians around hiround with puzzled expressions on their faces

“—What a displeasing lot Cocytus will be attacking anythemselves!”

“Exactly!”

“Er, ah, a-about that…”

“Deht! We need to make those two suffer!”

“I’m so jealous…”

Ainz waved his hand to silence the Guardians

“…Forget it, they’ll all be dead soon I once saw a movie which said that situations like these stiate the species”

Ainz nodded, certain of his opinion

“Indeed, it is so!”

“Well, if that’s all, we should probably let them off the hook”

“Exactly!”

“Er, ah, a-about that…”

“I agree with Dee-sama…”

“…Quiet, all of you”

After the Guardians had fallen silent, Ainz sighed

“…Well, there goes my motivation Never mind, there’s probably nobody to worry about in the Lizardht be heading for us right now Aura…”

Ainz froze, and looked at the twins

crap! What should I do now!? Those two haven’t been given sex education yet… no, it’s too early for that!

Ainz suddenly understood what it was like for a father to see a lewd scene on the television during a fa

Dammit, hoould a father or mother answer if they were asked where babies caah, it shouldn’t be too bad Let’s not consider Albedo, and Dee… he’d probably teach them from a clinical perspective Shalltear… not too bad either Let’s handle this another day

After pushi+ng the question to the back of his hed and asked:

“If the security net picks up anything, all the Guardians — ether”

If there were any other players around, he would not adhere to his agree the Lizardmen If they would not become allies, then they would have to be terminated with extreme prejudice to avoid any information leaks When they happened, they would destroy the village, even if they had to draw on all the forces of the Eighth Floor to do so

Ainz thrust aside the guilt he felt at violating his promise to Cocytus A little white lie would be preferable if it was for a good reason

“…Now then, the show’s about to begin… let’s enjoy watching Cocytus in action”

Part 2

The four hours passed in a flash

The frozen athered there — at the e After the intense battle several days ago, there were precious few of theht in this battle

There were three hundred and sixteen of them in total

nobody but the warriors would participate in this battle, because Shasuryu had said, “The enemy is few in nuet in the way”

That seeh explanation, but that was not all

Zaryusu stood some distance ahead of the Lizardmen and looked on the warriors

Everyone was painted with s which showed that the ancestors had descended upon them Their iron as readily apparent on their faces, and they looked confident of victory

The Lizard their warriors on Still, he could see quite a feorried-looking people in the crowd

Zaryusu strove to keep a nonchalant expression in order to keep his uneasiness fro on his face He did not want the other Lizardmen to know that this battle was essentially a live sacrifice to the king of death

Indeed, this was a battle that was intended to de’s power to the Lizardhly eradicate the very possibility of rebellion a, which meant that the subtext behind Shasuryu’s words was “so that we can reduce casualties to the minimum”

Zaryusu looked away froaze on the enemy formation

The skeletal arn of thethem Zaryusu doubted that it was a skeleton As a trusted subordinate of that king of death, how could he be a th was apparent at a glance

A loud splashi+ng came from behind the worried Zaryusu—

“—Hey, Zaryusu”

—And Zenberu greeted him as casually as always He was the same person even when he was headed for certain death

“Morale’s at its peak”

“Well, it would be nice if it could stay that e faced that Cocytus fellow…”

“Yup Oh, is it tiate, and all the Lizardmen’s eyes were on the tamp Elementals by his side

Crusch was not here because she had spent all herthe ele a plethora of long-duration defensive spells on Zaryusu, had left her almost immobile In fact, when they had left their house, Crusch had already told hi too ain

Alone now, Zaryusu looked towards the place where Crusch was The way she had looked when they had parted made Zaryusu feel like he had been stabbed in the heart

“Warriors, let’s go!”

With a rousing cry, Shasuryu stoked the fla spirit, and the air was filled with eager tension

He had to think like a warrior again Zaryusu reined in his rahts

The Lizardmen advanced slowly, led by Shasuryu and the tae so it would not be caught up in the fighting

Zaryusu and Zenberu followed behind them

Just then, Zaryusu suddenly looked back to the village There were the broken-down dirt walls, the worried Lizardhed quietly, and cast all his worries away as he strode forward He did not speak the name of the female which was on his lips

♦ ♦ ♦

The Lizardion between the skeletal are

That said, they had no formation to speak of They siht At their head were the various tribal chiefs and the tamp Ele for their arrival They banged on their shi+elds and stomped

The many small delays between footfalls would normally s However, the undead ar a harmonious sound If the circumstances were any different, it would be worthy of applause

Just as the Lizardmen were drawn in by the sound of their movements, several trees fell — behind the skeletal arantic trees would fall — because someone had cut the the Lizardmen

Since nobody was visible yet, it was reasonable to assuether to fell those trees However, if that were the case, then the trees were falling with far toothe unity of the skeletal arht think that they could chop down trees with such precision, but none of the Lizardh their minds — that all this had been done by one person

That was because there was no sound of blades striking wood before the trees fell In other words, itit was) that so person had chopped the trees doith one swing

How strong an arhty a weapon would be needed to cut a le stroke?

The earthshaking tre trees blended with the sound of the skeletons pounding on their shi+elds, and both crept closer to the Lizardan to brew That was only to be expected — who could remain calm under such circumstances? Even Zenberu — as prepared to die — was shaken, though he tried to hide it

Soon, the creature which had cleaved a path through the forest finally appeared At the sa on the shi+elds suddenly stopped

In the preternatural silence, the first thing they saas a htly would it have shone had the sky not been overcast?

It looked like a two-legged insect, itsaround two hundred fifty centih It resembled an ant or a mantis, and it looked like some hybrid made by an utterly depraved fiend

Its hard exoskeleton reathed in freezing cold, and it glittered like dia as its body and studded with countless spikes Its hty jaws looked like they could easily bite a man’s hands clean off

It had four arms tipped in razor-sharp claws, each of which was sheathed in a shi+ny gauntlet It wore a disc-like as around its ankles

This was how the being ofof death, made its entrance

♦ ♦ ♦

Was he Cocytus?

Zaryusu’s heart pounded Unconsciously, his breathing had grown faster

None of the Lizardmen spoke Everyone’s attention was drawn to the htened that they could not tear their eyes away

They had begun backing away sloithout realizing it Be they Lizardh spirits, or Zaryusu and the others who had come here prepared to die, all of theinably powerful entity

I know the king of death didn’t use his full strength on us, but even so, I didn’t expect the warrior he sent to fight in earnest to be so frightening

Even with a spell that reed within Zaryusu’s heart It was a ic, were not already tra each other as they fled

Cocytus slowly drew closer

He strode proudly into the marsh, past the skeletal arhly thirty meters away from the Lizardmen After that, his insectoid face swivelled atop his slender neck, as though looking for so that Cocytus’s eyes were on hi I Shall Ensure You Get A Chance To shi+ne However Before That 「Ice Pillar」”

As the spell activated, two pillars of ice erupted from the water between the Lizardmen and Cocytus, about twenty ht Be Rude To Warriors Who Are Ready To Give Their Lives But I Must Inform You That My Side Of These Pillars Will Be Your Grave Any Who Cross It Shall Die”

Cocytus folded his arh to say, The choice is yours