175

The children under Brain's protection had already left this place.

{Have they made it out safely I wonder.} They were like seeds he had sown for the future, the source of his calm. Perhaps — there was a 0.01% chance, no, a 0.000001% chance that one of them would grow up to become powerful enough to rival the Sorcerer King. These pipedreams of his further improved his mood.

Brain stood at the middle of the road, waiting for his opponent to get closer.

It must seem terribly foolish!

What he should have done was hide and wait for an opportunity to take revenge on the Sorcerer King, and not oppose the monster that served as their vanguard.

An onlooker might say something along the lines of, "look at the bigger picture, don't do something so stupid," to him.

However, Brain's goal in life was to live by his sword, so he would rather blindly allow himself to battle with his all.

After a considerable amount of time had passed, it was finally at a distance where he could make out most of its features.

His opponent was not human.

Yet he could innately understand that this light-cyan giant was of a race far superior to his own.

Not long after—

{...so cold.}

From this opponent's direction was a gale whipped up and sent towards him, its temperature as cold as a frosty winter's day. Brain's entire body trembled, not because he had felt any bloodlust or an oppressive aura, but from the chill breeze alone. The white puffs of breath coming out of Brain's mouth proved that this was no illusion.

"What...?"

He couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Was his opponent a being that radiated cold air? Now that he thought about it, the gates just then — was it not shrouded in ice and then rammed into pieces?

{Just how cold is he...}

The gate wasn't small at all, so whatever domain this monster belonged to, was seriously terrifying to him.

That said — he knew this already.

Brain tightened his grip on his katana and waited for his opponent.

His hands trembled, not out of excitement nor from the cold, but out of a certain emotion.

The emotion known as fear.

Time after another he lamented in his heart, the heart that told him to move aside and cower in the corner. That thing, although it is a monster, the way it pulled its halberd along the ground as it walked radiated a warrior's aura. If he curled up at the sides, perhaps he would be ignored like a pebble.

The houses that lined the sides of the street had signs of life, but none seemed like they wanted anything to do with this.

And because of that — Brain should perhaps do the same.

If he did that, his life would probably be spared.

But — his legs refused to move.

He was not running away from this one.

He focused his strength onto the one hand that gripped the hilt and slapped himself with the other.

"Alright!"

He no longer trembled. He had made his resolve, in body and soul.

While it had already visually identified Brain's presence, the light-cyan giant continued forward without changing its pace.

The being that held a halberd in one hand emanated an ever-increasing sense of pressure as the distance between them gradually shrunk. Brain gulped down a mouthful of saliva.

Brain waited, like a roadblock for the light-cyan giant.

Because of its overwhelming presence, Brain failed to notice that there were women behind the being until now. They were dressed in white, their skins a similar hue to its, their long hair were black, and from them were chill winds rushing towards him too.

He was made acutely aware of their gazes on him.

The enemy had not taken any action against Brain, who stood in their path, yet.

He pulled out a bottle from the belt by his waist and downed it in one go. He drank another bottle after that, and another after that. In total, Brain had applied three types of magical buffs on his body.

Even though he had drunk the potions, an act of aggression in and of itself, his enemies did not seem to plan to attack right away. Still, he felt something akin to fighting spirit from them.

The distance between them had been closed to around five meters or so.

{Oy oy oy, another sheer cliff to overcome, eh?}

At this distance, it was made all the clearer to Brain that his opponent was a being that held absolute superiority over him. It had reached heights that Brain could never even hope to reach. To Brain, one who had raised his abilities by a mere finger's length in comparison, this was a being he had absolutely no chance of winning against.

Even so — even though he knew that, Brain still refused to move aside.

His opponents stopped its movement.

The distance between them was three meters.

Considering the length of its arm and the halberd in its hand, Brain was already well within its strike range.

"—Brain Unglaus."

He declared his name, raised his sword, and focused his mind.

"One. Who. Serves. Under. The. Camp. Of. The. Supreme. Being, His. Majesty. Ainz. Ooal. Gown, Cocytus."

In the moment, Brain's eyes widened in shock.

That was probably his opponent's name. He had not expected to receive a reply at all.

While he was shocked, he also felt déjà vu.

{What was it?} He felt like he had heard this name before but he could not remember from where. Perhaps he was just overthinking it.

And then, Brain felt unbearable shame at how rude he had been.

The opponent in front of him was willing to respond to him, yet he was so rude to be lost in his own muddy memories.

The reason why his thoughts went in that direction was because his opponent was a monster he could never hope to match, it was probably on the same level as Sebas or Shalltear Bloodfallen. That meant that to his opponent, he was nothing more than an ant in his way. Despite all of that, his opponent did not treat him like an inferior being.

If their roles had been reversed, what would Brain do? He would have probably just cut him down without much consideration and continued on his way. Brain was so insignificant in comparison to his opponent, he probably couldn't even leave an impression of himself in his mind.

Brain straightened his back and gently lowered his head, like what a student would do for his instructor.

"Thank you very much."

"No. Need."

Brain gripped onto the hilt of his katana tightly. {Stronger, stronger.}

To raise his weapons against a being who possessed overwhelming power without a plan felt like he was betraying the goodwill of those who had saved him. What he was doing right now was no different than suicide.

Also, if he thought about it, of what use would stopping the enemy here have?

None at all.

Yet still—

{I'm such an idiot, this Cocytus-danna couldn't be the only one attacking this city. I have failed those two...no, I'm no longer a child. My future is what I make it out to be. That's right...it's in my hands and my hands only.}

Cocytus, who was looking at Brain, stuck his halberd into the ground.

"—God. Slaying. Emperor. Blade."

An odachi of gigantic proportions, much longer than Brain's height, was pulled out of thin air, with which Cocytus assumed the Jōdan stance.

(TL's note: 上段の構え, one of the five stances in kendo.)

This was such an honour.

Words need not be exchanged. Cocytus had already conveyed his wish to resolve this by the blade.

Brain breathed out heavily and rapidly drew in air again. It was like he was trying to expel all of the air remaining in his lungs.

He was completely defenceless while doing so, yet Cocytus did not move a single inch. From his posture Brain could tell that he held massive respect for him.

Not only was his strength top-tier, but so was his character.

If he was of a similar level to the monster known as Shalltear, then he could probably make use of his weapon at speeds far greater than anything Brain could achieve, even in such an upright position. Even so, Cocytus still held his stance.

This wasn't because he viewed Brain as a formidable opponent.

But under the pretext that Brain had made his resolve, Cocytus was treating him with the honour of a fellow warrior.

Such an action overwhelmed Brain with joy.

{He's not the same as Shalltear.}

No, it would be rude of him to compare the two.

{Hmm? Shalltear? Cocytus? I swear I heard his name somewhere... I think— No, don't! How are you still wasting time on these unnecessary thoughts in times like these? What an idiot.}

Brain concentrated his brainpower solely onto the matter of victory.

To parry the jōdan strike of this giant's odachi would undoubtedly be difficult. If his opponent had similar physical attributes as Shalltear, receiving the blow with his katana on its own would not be able to stop it in its tracks. Brain's head would probably be cleaved in half, his katana would probably break too.

So, should he try to dodge Cocytus' first strike?

No, even if he got lucky and dodged the first attack, it's not like his opponent would just stop there. The second and third strikes were sure to be continuous after that point. The common strategy would be to deflect your opponent's first strike and counterattack while they're correcting their stance. However, against this extraordinary foe, to even disrupt his balance and stance would require Brain's full strength. That meant that even if he achieved this, he would not have enough strength leftover to counterattack. Because of that, Cocytus would probably end the fight by slashing upwards as a follow-up.

Which meant that—

{This is a do-or-die situation, isn't it?}

He remembered something Vesture had said to him.

If he wanted to win against Cocytus, he had no options other than to strike a few milliseconds faster than him. That said, even if he managed to pierce Cocytus' body or head, it would not change the path of his blade. The battle would end with both of them striking each other.

So he had to aim for Cocytus' wrist, the one holding onto his blade.

To wish to move faster than a monster on Shalltear's level and cut down his wrist was an absolute joke.

But—

{This is my only option, I have no choice but to use that move...}

Brain lowered his waist.

He adopted the posture for the technique capable of cutting down Shalltear Bloodfallen's nail — Hidden Blade Nail Clipper.

—No.

This was no longer merely Hidden Blade Nail Clipper.

Originally, Nail Clipper was a move that incorporated the martial art that guaranteed a hit, [Field], the lightning-fast [God Flash], and [Fourfold Slash of Light]. The crystallization of every skill under Brain's employ still took all of his strength to chip off Shalltear's nail. Of course, to have cut off her nail was already a momentous achievement — it would not be too strange for it to become a legend passed down through history even. However, Brain did not rest his laurels there, he continued to push forward for the sole purpose of reaching the same peak as she did.

It was for this reason that Brain sought to become stronger, going as far as to request assistance from that person — Gazef Stronoff's teacher and former Adamantite-ranked adventurer, Vesture Croff di Leoghain. Under his assistance and through nonstop training, he was finally able to use [Sixfold Slash of Light]. Unfortunately, he was unable to reach the level of understanding that Gazef had of that art.

So while the use of [Field] and [God Flash] remained the same, the use of [Sixfold Slash of Light] over [Fourfold Slash of Light] made it a new technique.

Martial arts used something akin to focus. The stronger the martial art was, the more of it was required. Exceptional warriors — higher-level warriors, while they had a greater capacity for it, would also find it difficult to use multiple martial arts at the same time. Indeed, Brain had greater reserves of focus than your average warrior, but he had already reached his limit back when he used Nail Clipper against Shalltear.

So it should have been impossible for him to use [Sixfold Slash of Light], a much more focus-intensive art than [Fourfold Slash of Light], with his other martial arts.

There was only one reason why he could despite all of that.

The Brain Unglaus who stood there had already surpassed Gazef Stronoff — he had entered the realm of heroes.

All of this culminated in Brain's new technique — True Nail Clipper.

Cocytus moved his foot slightly forward to close the distance between them, a really short distance that was.

Considering the difference in their strength, it would not be strange for Cocytus to easily close the gap between them and hack straight down with his katana.

So why did he do such a thing?

The answer was simple, he wished to grant Brain a death that was befitting of a warrior.

Brain's appreciation for Cocytus as a warrior deepened once more as he assumed the stance of True Nail Clipper©.

{Not...yet...}

{Not...in range...}

The magical buffs granted to Brain by his potions meant that he was much stronger than he was when he faced Shalltear.

Even so.

The human named Brain Unglaus could not hope to reach the domain of the monsters like Cocytus.

There was nothing he could do about it. After all, it was impossible for an ant to prevail against a dragon. A fact that was hard to swallow, but he had to nonetheless.

Still, he did not wish to lose. What should he do? It would be good to reduce the overwhelming gap in strength between them even if by a little, but how should he go about accomplishing that?

{—I am a warrior, so I must do as warriors would.}

"—[Ability Boost]"

Brain activated a martial art.

He had expended all of his reserves for True Nail Clipper©, there should not have been anything left for other martial arts.

However — Brain's eyes began to fill with blood and blood began to stream down his nostrils. His capillaries had just burst.

A {shing} sound rang out as if to signify a transition. His physical capabilities were boosted to the next level.

He activated another martial art.

His physical capabilities were boosted once more.

But — {Not...yet...}

He was still unable to do it.

So what should he do?

There was only one answer.

Brain activated yet another martial art.

"—[Greater Ability Boost]"

Brain Unglaus had yet again, achieved something impossible.

He did not know this himself.

The true nature of his talent was an increase in his focus capacity, only with this and the addition of his higher levels was he able to activate the martial arts required by Nail Clipper.

But, even so, Brain had his limits. He could not use any more martial arts than that, a limit imposed upon him by the world.

But, in that moment — Brain broke the rules of this world once more.

A second miracle of this kind.

The first was when he cut Shalltear's nail.

The second, was made in this moment.

The consequence of breaking the rules was that his body began to deteriorate.

His body probably won't last for another minute.

However, to those who were strong, a minute was a long time.

Cocytus entered—

Into Brain's range—

The God Slaying Emperor Blade in jōdan—

Brain pulled out his own katana to receive the attack from Cocytus' katana—

And then—

—the sound of blood and flesh being rended could be heard.

After swinging the God Slaying Emperor Blade, Cocytus shook off the blood and fat from the katana and returned it to its space. He pulled his halberd from the ground and looked down at the corpse of the man he had just slain.

He is — was a fine warrior.

Cocytus was unscathed, the blade did not manage to reach him, yet his skills as a warrior was commendable.

{...I. Have. Never. Heard. Of. Such. An. Excellent. Warrior...}

It was such a shame that he had to kill him.

If it was possible, he wanted to save his life and have him become loyal to his master. He could have easily broken his opponent's sword, tanked his hit, or broke all four of his limbs, but that is not the way of a warrior.

Cocytus had already sensed it when he saw this man standing on his own from afar, he knew it all the better when he stood face-to-face with him: this was a warrior who had made his resolve.

Cocytus could not dishonour such a man.

He knew exactly how beneficial it would be to bring him under their rule, but still killed him. It would not be wrong to say that he had betrayed Nazarick.

Still.

He wished to converse with him through the clash of their blades.

If Warrior Takemikazuchi were here, he would probably praise Cocytus for his decision.

{By. Levels, He. Is. Probably. Around. Level. 40.}

However, he felt that other than that single strike, there wasn't much else power in him. Perhaps it was something like Cocytus' Vidyārāja Strike, or perhaps he had used special abilities to strengthen himself.

He was insignificant in comparison to Cocytus, but in this world's terms he was strong.

Cocytus picked up the katana Brain dropped.

"I. WIll. Be. Taking. This."

Among the weapons in Cocytus' possession, this was exceptionally weak — something that was practically useless to him. Perhaps it would be better to lay this sword by his side to mark his grave, but Cocytus decided to take the sword.

He was not too keen to leave his body as it is.

"You. All, Freeze. This. Man."

After he gave his command to the Frost Virgins, the body of the man named Brain began to slowly freeze over.

Just as Cocytus was about to step over Brain, he stopped himself again.

He looked towards the castle behind Brain.

"..."

Cocytus turned his head around while deep in thought.

He turned right and walked into a path that was narrower than the one before. He walked down the path until he emerged onto the main street again, after which he took another right turn. He walked along while confirming the castle's position, taking every right turn detour that he saw which brought him back to the main street.

Cocytus looked towards his right.

Brain's remains were now quite a distance away.

Cocytus then silently walked towards his left — towards the castle.

-x-X-x-

"Hello~, don't get in my way~"

Aura called out to the cowering soldiers on top of the city walls. She made use of the imperfections along the wall to make her way up in a single breath.

While the soldiers at the top wanted to use their spears to attack, what they witnessed next were inhuman movements — she jumped over the soldiers, spun around midair—

"Hyup"

—and landed perfectly on the other side of the battlements.

"V!"

Her hands formed into a V-shaped gesture for the lined-up soldiers to see.

The eyes pointed towards Aura, whose appearance was that of a child's, were all filled with fear. Having seen her unusually light body in action, surely none of them still believed her to be a normal child. Plus, there was also the matter of the magical beast down below, waiting for her.

Aura ignored the humans and pulled out a piece of paper from the pocket by her waist casually.

The soldiers advanced towards Aura step-by-step to surround her, their spears were pointed towards her yet she continued to ignore them.

"Okay, everybody. I'll say this again~ — Do not get in my waaay~ —"

Aura unrolled the paper to compare the capital in front of her with what was drawn on the map.

If all of the landmarks matched up, it would be much easier to read.

She easily found the Magician's Guild, her first intended destination.

Aura, now satisfied, turned around to see the soldiers surrounding her. The tips of a few spears were positioned right in front of her eyes at a distance where a slight movement would cause her to touch them.

"Say, even if I was the only one to have climbed up here, was it really a smart idea to focus your attention on me? You know they'll come up here as well, right?"

The soldiers looked at each other and sprung like springs to the outer edge of the walls, but it was already too late. Aura's magical beasts climbed up the wall one after the other.

Their surroundings echoed with the pitiful wails of other soldiers.

Aura had greater combat prowess than them and while it was true that appearances could be deceiving, this was still too much to bear for them.

The soldiers who had completely lost their will to fight, began to stampede over each other to get out of her vicinity first.

There still were soldiers who held the idea that this position had to be defended, but with so many of their compatriots scurrying away, it was hard for them to maintain their morale.

The city walls were thick so the battlements were quite wide, but the fear-driven soldiers still pushed and shoved each other in their attempts to run away. If there was any semblance of order to their rout, they would have probably made it out faster. Those pushing each other at the front made for an absolutely chaotic getaway.

Although it would be trivial for the magical beasts to chase after them and exterminate them all, they were not interested in doing that at all. They had not received orders from their master yet, which was why they were letting them go. That was true for all of the magical beasts except one.

A level 71 magical beast, the largest one she had brought along for the occasion, an Iris Tyrannus Basileus. Its posture matches that of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, but it also has dorsal fins at the back. As its name suggested, it shined with vibrant light. Aura wasn't too sure on the specifics, but she did remember that her master had said, "its original design had to be based off of the King of the Monsters™."

(TL's note: yes, Godzilla)

The Iris Tyrannus Basileus roared.

A roar loud enough to make the ground clatter.

That wasn't to assert dominance or an expression of its own emotions.

It was a type of special ability — Petrifying Bellow.

If one had a similar level to it or had resistances against mental effects, it would just be an annoying roar. The routing soldiers were about to demonstrate what would happen if you satisfied neither of said conditions.

Fear twisted their expressions to the extreme as soldiers began to fall.

Fear-induced instant death.

It did not do this because the death of the scurrying humans brought it joy, but simply because it had found the inconvenience of having to constantly shift its sightline around to be annoying. The soldiers died for that kind of a reason.

But it wasn't as though the Iris Tyrannus Basileus came out of this unscathed, the cost of such a power was great.

Surrounding the Iris Tyrannus Basileus were five of the six remaining beasts — the level 78 Fenrir, the level 77 Hound of the Wild Hunt, the level 76 Kirin, the level 76 Amphisbaena, and the level 74 Basilisk.

The Kirin started off by bucking it, followed by the Hound of the WIld Hunt trampling on it. The other magical beasts joined in one after the other to kick the Iris Tyrannus Basileus.

"You're too damn loud," was probably what they were trying to convey.

While combat prowess had nothing to do with this, it was still getting bullied by magical beasts with higher levels than itself. The Iris Tyrannus Basileus tried to seek sympathy from Aura by whimpering, which only caused the other magical beasts to intensify their attacks.

If their previous attacks were comparable to that of the seniors of a club disciplining their junior, what was happening now was more like a beating brought on by its own faults.

As a side note, the only monster that did not participate in the beatings was the level 58 Avaricious Frog named Gagarpur.

It was a magical beast that looked like something straight out of somebody's nightmare, like a giant frog but...wrong. In its mouth were rows upon rows of dirty yellow teeth and its eyes looked like that of a lecherous middle-aged man.

"That's — it! Guys, I'm not angry, stop bullying Iris-chan right now."

Aura crossed her arms and looked at the magical beasts with half an eye open. The magical beasts began to cry.

"Alright, alright, I'm not angry at you either."

After she said that, the magical beasts — other than the Iris Tyrannus Basileus — gathered around Aura and used their giant bodies to nuzzle against hers.

"Myuu~"

Aura let out an adorable cry. While her physical strength was no less than any of theirs, getting pushed around by their giant bodies still made her let out that sound.

"Hey hey! Gimme some — space!"

In front of Aura, who was clapping her hands together, the magical beasts began to line up — that said, their bodies were huge, so lining up single-file was quite difficult. Each of them found a spot to stand in and switched to uptight expressions. The playful attitudes they had when they rubbed against Aura was nowhere to be seen.

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"Now, we'll begin invading into the capital to take over a few of those buildings. It's just sad that a few of you children might not be able to shine is all."

The largest of the bunch, the Iris Tyrannus Basileus, began to look indifferent.

"Then I'll give you a special mission! Walk along the city walls and squish any humans you see."

"Bwooooo..."

The Iris Tyrannus Basileus' roar shook the air around them, its voice gradually trailing. It lowered its head and cautiously looked towards the other magical beasts and Aura.

"...Mmm, great. Now then, everyone, the operation has begun! Quick!"

Aura jumped down from the city walls and successfully entered the capital's perimeter. She landed on top of some random roof and ran along the rooftops.

The magical beasts followed along and jumped. Each of them moved in a weightless manner as they trailed behind Aura.

While turning around to check on the magical beasts, Aura noticed that the Iris Tyrannus Basileus was swinging its thick and girthy tail around. Aura waved to it, causing it to wave its tail around with even more fervour, incidentally destroying a part of the battlements.

{—you need to get moving too!}

The Iris Tyrannus Basileus jumped up for a second after she gave her orders telepathically and began to ponderously walk along the walls.

Aura's first destination was the Magician's Guild. Because it was home to numerous magic items, it should be on high alert. It was widely considered to be the place that would put up the greatest amount of resistance in the capital.

Although the enemy's combat strength was not an issue, to gather every piece of magic item in that place would probably take a considerable amount of time. Perhaps she would have to call in reinforcements.

Aura cut across the capital through its rooftops as she pondered these things.

The capital spanned a vast amount of land, but to Aura's speed when she was serious, it wasn't a problem at all.

Not long after she had jumped from the city walls, she arrived at her destination.

None of the magical beasts had slowed her down. Well no, Gagarpur would have slowed her down, so it was carried along by the Basilisk.

Along the long perimeter walls were three five-story towers. The Magician's Guild, what was essentially multiple two-story tall structures that were taller than they were wide, had shut their grid-shaped gates. To the sides of the gate were two two-story tall gatehouses.

She had not detected the presence of people outside, but human activity could be seen inside. Humans were on the watch.

Aura jumped into the guild's land and looked at the map in her hands, comparing the buildings' appearances.

"Mmm—Hmm. That's there, so this is here, right?"

Utilizing the intel they had received from their corroborators within the capital, they had a rough sketch of the guild's appearance. Magic items could be somewhere within here.

However, because there were multiple probable spots for them, they weren't exactly sure where the magic items were kept. They were not able to capture any high-tier magic casters to question, so Aura had to make her own judgment.

While it was tiresome, the land area held by the Magician's Guild meant that this was much more efficient than a human wave attack.

"Let's go then."

At the same time Aura began marching towards the gates, people emerged from it. There were five men and a woman. An elderly figure stood in front of them.

Aura suddenly thought, {oh.}

If they held significant ranks within the Magician's Guild, it would save her a lot of time, but Aura couldn't help but feel disappointed after taking a look at the elder.

The elder had to be a warrior from his appearance.

He wore typical dojo attire, black from the waist down and #48929B from the waist up. Two swords hung by his waist side and a breastplate covered his torso.

He had a full head of white, not a single strand of hair was black. His arms were slender, as expected of his age, yet they did not sag. They were thin yet hard like steel.

Beast-like perceptive eyes sized Aura up from top to bottom multiple times.

"Probably, let us confirm it first. Boy. You are a subordinate of the Sorcerer King, are you not?"

Aura surveyed the humans behind the elder. While they wore similar clothing to him, none of them was with swords. This elder was probably the master of a dojo then, with the others being his disciples.

While she couldn't figure out what connections the Magician's Guild had to a dojo, there had to be a connection for them to be protecting this place.

Although she felt like they might be able to provide more intel to her than the average magic caster, it would probably be non-essential intel anyways.

"—Why are you not answering? I will have you know that I will not go easy on you, even if you are just a brat."

To have put up such a front in spite of Aura's magical beast was probably because they had not shown any malicious intent or bloodlust. Or perhaps their opponents were brave, had made their resolves, and were confident in themselves.

"Mmm—Hmm. Umm, if you're willing to become my guide, I won't kill you, you know? Ah, these children won't attack you either."

Aura planned to keep that promise, since Mare would kill them all later anyway.

"You dare babble your mouth, brat. You may not pass beyond this point. I cannot allow that demon-summoning item to fall into the hands of people like you."

Aura lost her composure and laughed.

Finding out that the thing was still here was enough for her. She had to secure it and give it back to Demiurge.

"Ah — is that so. So what's your answer to my question?"

"I refuse. In any case, I, Ves—"

The elder fell down with a thud.

Aura had let loose an arrow.

The elder's head, pierced by Aura's lightning-fast arrow, split open like a pomegranate. Its contents spilt all over the place.

"I don't have time for chitchat — well then, next — looks like everybody's feeling the same way, huh? If that's the case, how about you run in and grab a powerful looking magic caster to help me out?"

The humans lined up behind the elder were stunned expressionless. Aura felt like it would be too troublesome to wait till their brains had rebooted so she gave an order to her beasts.

"Kill them all."

Aura spoke as she walked towards the gate. The magical beasts zoomed past her like a whirlwind and pounced on the remaining humans. Only blood and guts remained on the ground afterwards.

----

Mare sat by himself on top of the second-highest tower in the castle, overlooking the capital.

In the battle that commenced three days before they had arrived at this city, Mare had killed a significant number of humans. Most of them were men however, he had not seen women or children among their ranks. In that case, what was left behind were probably all of the weaklings.

Mare's expression was filled with sorrow.

He could no longer keep count of how many times he had run those numbers in his head.

—he couldn't figure it out.

"What should I do..."

If someone was around, Mare would have consulted them, but no one else was there. Well no, the Hanzos should be there, but they wouldn't appear in front of Mare. Plus, it was useless to ask them this question.

{Umm. W-what should I do...to destroy a city this vast more efficiently and kill every human within it...?}

Before Mare came to the capital, he had destroyed multiple cities with his master and gained relevant experience for it. That was why he had a clear understanding of how difficult it was to destroy a city — of how difficult of a task it was to kill every single inhabitant in it.

Repeated and continuous use of magic could destroy every structure in the city and render it into a mountain of rubble, but to guarantee that everything within the city died along with that was a difficult thing to do.

For example, if he used magic to induce an earthquake, it would destroy all above-ground structures as well as underground facilities. People within said structures would largely be crushed to death or buried alive.

A magically-induced earthquake could not affect things outside of the spell's range, so people hiding in houses in other areas would not notice. The sound of collapsing buildings and the wails of people dying was another matter entirely.

If people heard those noises, there might be a lot of people who would come out of hiding to investigate, look out of windows, or something.

People who cover their eyes and ears in fear were the best, because if they coiled up into balls inside their own homes believing that things would soon pass over, he could just cast another spell and be done with them.

What the problem was, were people who believe that they would be the next to be crushed or the inherently brave bunch. What was even more troublesome were the weaklings who would become suicidal under stress, causing them to run in unpredictable directions.

Their moods were infectious.

Once an inhabitant noticed those who were running away, they would abandon their homes to run away too.

If they chose to run to still-standing structures, things would still be easy. However, terrified people tend to make irrational decisions such as choosing paths through collapsed areas or even try to save others trapped under the debris. They made the situation much more difficult to handle.

{I really wish they wouldn't run away...}

If it turned into that kind of a situation, he would have to use another AOE spell to kill them, effectively doing twice the work for the same result.

If not for the time constraints, doing things twice over wouldn't be such a big deal, but this was an operation carried out alongside his master. There was no way he could allow such a thing to happen.

Reason being that he would be wasting his master's precious time, but also because he would feel ashamed from having to admit that he wasn't good enough to end it in one go.

If it was an earthquake-related solution, he could not guarantee that it would kill everybody. There would be more survivors than he would have expected. While he could start a fire just in case to kill those who remain, a fire would be highly visible to people far away. It could also trigger primal flight responses, causing even more people to run away.

What a dilemma.

{I have to practice more and become more natural at this!}

Bukubukuchagama had gifted Mare the ability to destroy large quantities of enemies. In terms of how wide of an area he could affect, Mare was confident that no other Floor Guardian could rival his abilities.

That was why if he could not successfully destroy the city and kill all of its inhabitants, it would make him question his own worth and existence.

Perhaps Bukubukuchagama would be angry to see Mare like this.

"Nnnnng, nnnnng..."

Mare couldn't help but imagine Bukubukuchagama disciplining him, causing his eyes to water. Before the tears could fall, Mare wiped them away.

"I have to try my best...Ainz-sama said that too."

Mare was deeply respectful and grateful towards Ainz.

If Ainz had not let Mare to practice demolishing cities and to accrue experience over multiple tries, he would not have been able to grow as much as he did now.

Now that he thought about it, back when the war first started, Mare was asked to destroy a small town. The results of that event were honestly terrible.

Those were results that would bring shame upon Bukubukuchagama.

But while Mare took a gigantic hit to his ego, Ainz's gentle words made him so happy that he could cry.

Ainz had told Mare that as long as he understood that he lacked experience in something, all he had to do was study hard to better himself.

If one of the guardians had told him that, it would not have moved Mare as much as it did. However, the one who said it was a being of equal status to Bukubukuchagama, one of the Supreme Beings.

Mare made his resolve.

He will destroy more towns and cities and kill more people to become the person Bukubukuchagama wanted him to be.

"Okay!"

While his voice was still that of a cute child's, his tone was filled with an unusually strong spirit, not expected of Mare. If the other guardians were to see him now and compare him to the Mare they knew, they would probably be shocked speechless.

"I'll do it right!"

Mare's hands clenched into fists as he held them in front of himself.

In any case, he had to make practical use of what he had learned so far—

"To destroy the capital and kill all of its inhabitants — hey hey, ho —"

Mare threw his tightly clenched fists upward.

The Hanzos hiding behind him raised their fists as well.

-x-X-x-

Climb stood in the hallway, observing the scenery outside through the overly-thick glass windows.

Renner had told him that she would be busy putting on makeup now so that she would not embarrass herself in case the Sorcerer Kingdom's army arrived before she could meet with her father, which was why he was shooed out of the room. She also informed Climb that she might even change out of the outfit she had on, naturally it was going to take quite a while.

He looked back down the corridor, the empty, lifeless, and silent corridor.

The knights who stayed in the palace till the end were all preparing to face the Sorcerous Kingdom's army head-on. They had left their posts and gathered together to block off the entrance to the palace.

Some might scoff at them for what seemed like meaningless resistance.

Unlike the band of warriors led by Gazef Stronoff, most of these knights were merely a smidge stronger than the average soldier. If they were to fight the monsters of the Sorcerous Kingdom, they would probably be destroyed as easily as it would be for someone to break the branches of a dead tree. Yet, as men who had been knighted by royalty, they wished to display their loyalty till the very end. They had deployed themselves without complaint. The truly pathetic ones would be those who would dare mock them.

If he was being honest, due to past experiences, Climb did not have much goodwill for the vast majority of knights. He had always thought that should a life-or-death situation arise, they would run away like chickens. Climb could not help but mock his own closed-mindedness.

It was precisely because their loyalty to the royalty was true and without fault that they could not accept a street rat serving this close to a royal.

Climb had made a severe misjudgment of their loyalty to the throne.

He looked towards the direction of the entrance.

Should he not be fighting side-by-side with the knights? Climb mulled it over and concluded that he should not.

Back then, he was not saved by the royalty. The one who saved him, was Renner herself.

If Renner ordered him to do so, he would join the knights without hesitation. However, since she had given no such order, he should stay by her side. If he could buy even a single second to die before Renner, it would be his duty, his all.

His life and soul have long been Renner's, ever since she had saved him.

In this silent, empty hallway, Climb pondered about all sorts of things.

He thought about his life up till this point, about Renner, about their hypothetical future, and—

Climb looked around him. Of course, no one was there. The one who had served next to him, Brain Unglaus, had long since left the palace.

He did not know where Brain had gone.

If the Sorcerous Kingdom's army had made its way to the castle, he was probably already dead.

Climb mourned deep down.

Brain was like a mentor, a friend, and a brother to him. He had taught Climb a lot of things and had guided him for quite a while.

Compared to Gazef, Climb had gotten much closer to Brain. To Climb, who held Renner as the most important person in his heart, Brain was someone who came a close second.

"Why did things end up this way..."

Climb's whisper dissipated in this lifeless corridor.

But how did things actually turn out this way?

Climb had thought that their peace would have lasted, that things would be the same tomorrow as it would the day after tomorrow. However, looking at it now— suddenly, the doors to the room were slammed open. A loud {bang} rang out.

Because the sound was more brutal than he would have ever imagined, Climb hurriedly looked towards the door to see Renner by the door side. She did not change her outfit, only a slight hint of red was on her face, light enough that he could not tell if she put on makeup at all.

She had spent so much time in there but her appearance was no different compared to the usual.

In her hands was Razor Edge, still in its sheath.

Did something happen? Just as Climb was about to ask, Renner spoke.

"Climb, let's hurry now."

"Yes!"

Renner said that phrase and ran along the corridor.

Climb followed and asked.

"Did something happen?"

Renner stole a glance at him and looked back towards the front.

"Yes. I remembered something that had to be done. A mini-revenge against the Sorcerous Kingdom if you will. That is why we must hurry to where my dear father is. We have to check if he is still in his room first!"

Along the way, Renner passed over Razor Edge to him. He followed her orders and moved towards the king's room.

Of course, there were no knights there too.

Renner did not intend to dampen her momentum, as she slammed open the doors to this room too.

Inside was Rampossa III, shocked.

"Renner. What in the..."

After so much noise, it turned out that it was his own daughter. He must have thought that someone else had broken in. Rampossa III stopped talking halfway through his sentence.

Climb felt that the king's gaze had shifted from Renner to him, so he took a massive bow as an apology.

"Ah, father, you are still here! I just remembered something really important."

Renner immediately spoke.

She had run her way here, yet her breath remained calm and steady. Climb was the same, but he was still curious as to how Renner, who he had rarely seen running, had the same level of stamina as him. Still, she hadn't run that fast, so it was probably nothing to worry about. Climb quickly killed that thought.

"Renner, what happened? Also, why did you open the door like that?"

"I feel like these things do not really matter as much right now."

Renner spoke a bit faster than she normally would, causing Rampossa III to smile wryly.

"...Well, you do have a fair point. So, Renner, what is wrong? You mentioned that there was something important just now?"

"Yes! So basically—" Renner tilted her head in an adorable manner before she continued, "Father, why are you here?"

"I was locked in here by that child, did you not know about this?"

"Yes, it was onii-sama."

"Haaaaah, Zanac was an idiot to say that the two of you will go before I do. That child..."

Rampossa III's expression was full of sorrow. Everyone knew at this point that of the army they sent from the capital a week ago, none had returned. Though none of them knew of their fate, it was not too difficult to imagine the reason why they had not returned.

"...and then yesterday, when I was finally released, I thought that we must make preparations before the Sorcerer King arrived. That is why I am still preparing here in my lonesome. The knights offered to help but I sent them all away. I wonder where they have escaped to..."

Climb could not bring himself to tell him that the knights were at the entrance, preparing for a last stand. Renner appeared to be the same.

"Speaking of preparations, you meant those?"

"Indeed, those."

In the direction those two looked towards, were treasures such as the crown and many books.

"...So, why Renner, why are you still here? Did that child...not let you escape?"

"That— Is it not the same for father?"

"I will not run. That child was just a prince. I was meant to be the one to shoulder that responsibility. Yet, that child...hmmm? Is that sword not..."

Rampossa III noticed the sword by Climb's waist. He looked towards Climb's back and then back towards Renner.

"The one who served you...the warrior who could rival Gazef, what happened to him?"

"Brain-san had left this place to do battle with His Majesty the Sorcerer King."

"...while I do not believe that he could defeat the Sorcerer King, he should have brought it along even more so than ever. Why, why did he not take that sword with him? Perhaps, with that sword, he could..."

"I do not feel like...it would be possible. After all, that is an opponent not even the Warrior Captain could defeat. Things have evolved into the way they are already, so even if the Sorcerer King was to be defeated, nothing would fundamentally change."

"Is that so...indeed. That is true. If we could not push the Sorcerous Kingdom's army back, everything else would just be meaningless."

Rampossa III suddenly looked out the window and continued.

"As to why I am still here. I believe that I have the duty to pass on the history of our royal lineage to our conqueror. I must, as the last king, demonstrate to them our dignity."

Rampossa III laughed as if he was tired. Well no, he was probably tired in actuality.

"—Climb. Such is the duty of a king. Take Renner and run. Although it might already be too late, the palace does have hidden passageways out of the capital. The moment the Sorcerous Kingdom's army makes its way into the palace, make use of those passageways."

"—there is no need for that, Climb."

Until now, the King's order and Renner's had never conflicted with one another. This time was different.

Climb thought about it for a moment, and did nothing. He just clenched his fists tightly together.

Indeed, Climb did not wish to leave Renner to die, but following Renner's orders was more important to him. In any case, if he really wanted to obey this order, he would have let Evileye take her back then.

"—Climb"

"—Climb"

After seeing that Climb had not moved, both of them called out his name. The emotions imbued within their voices however, were completely different.

"Father, Climb is mine. He will not listen to your orders."

"Indeed...it appears to be so...but, Climb...if you truly are loyal, I believe that you should escape with this child. Do it, even if it only allows for the Vaiself bloodline to be passed on for longer. If you escape with this child, as your reward, you may have her hand in marriage."

Climb's eyes widened.

This suggestion was really alluring to him, causing his heart to falter. To say that he had not fantasized about doing this would be a lie. He had even frequently thought about Renner to {comfort} himself.

But, he decided that his fate would be to die as Renner's shield.

"While the reward is certainly tantalizing...but it is far too valuable for me to accept...so do allow me to refuse your offer..."

As Climb spoke, he felt like he was throwing up blood.

He stole a glance at Renner, to see an incredible smile on her face. Surely it was out of praise for his loyalty.

"...Now then, it is my turn to say why I had rushed here...Father. Please leave the crown to me."

"Why?"

"I believe that we should not just hand over the crown, a treasure that carries with it our family's history, to His Majesty the Sorcerer King directly."

"...He is the man who destroyed this country, so the symbolic gesture of passing on the crown must be done. Also, if things such as the crown continue to be passed down, the history of our family will be preserved. That was my line of thought, which was why I had retrieved these from the treasury."

"I think these items should all be hidden in the city. Then, we could say to the Sorcerer King, 'the items that signify kingship were all hidden inside the city, so if you destroy the capital, you risk losing them all.'"

"...I see. Perhaps this would...be a good plan. Perhaps the acquisition of the crown and the destruction of the capital will become a dilemma for him. Although my life will not be spared, if this could help the people, even if by a little, it shall be done."

Rampossa III took the crown off his head.

"Father, not only that one, but the other one too. I believe that the crown used for the coronation ceremony warrants priority in hiding."

"Ah, indeed. That is true."

"Also the other items father had brought over. The staff, the jewels used for coronation, and the national seal. Could you leave everything that is symbolic of the throne and the Kingdom to me? After all, the more cards we could play from our hand, the better."

"...Mmm. Of course, that is fine."

"Then, Climb. Could I trouble you to hide these items?"

"Of course, Renner-sama. But, where should I hide them?"

"Yes. I had discussed this with onii-sama way back then."

"What? With Zanac?"

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"Yes, father. I actually got this idea from onii-sama. The procedure for hiding these items had been planned out already. However, because he might have gotten the idea from Marquis Raeven, I felt uneasy about it..."

"Really? That child had thought this far ahead?" Rampossa III's voice trailed as he muttered to himself. His eyes appeared to have moistened a little.

"So, Climb. There was this warehouse district that had been abandoned because of Jaldabaoth's attack. There is a small warehouse there."

While Renner had explained in detail, her instructions were complicated enough that Climb did not trust himself to find it.

Renner walked around Rampossa III to use the table to draw an easy to understand map on a piece of paper. It was a simple one, but now he would not have to worry about getting lost.

"Here is a hidden basement here. Please hide the items inside there."

"Yes! I will abide by your order!"

"After you are done with this—"

Climb stared intently at Renner's face, hoping that she would not say something like, "do not come back." {Please let me stay by your side till the very end.} Had his thoughts reached her? Renner spoke after a prolonged moment of hesitation.

"Please do — return safely."

While they were not certain where the Sorcerous Kingdom's army had reached, it was highly likely that they had already broken into the capital and were crawling all over the place. In that case, to leave this place was extremely risky. However, Climb would not hesitate. Since his master had ordered it, he must do as he was told.

"Yes!"

"You must return unharmed. Do not try to fight. If you see an enemy, run with all your might. Do you understand?"

It felt like she understood his resolve, but could not place much faith in his capabilities. Renner repeated herself again.

"Yes!"

Climb nodded his head heavily. At that point, it looked like Renner was finally relieved.

"—Good. Now then, father. Given the current situation, it would be hard for him to make it out of the palace...so could you tell Climb?"

"You wish for me to reveal the hidden passageways from the palace to the capital, correct?"

"Yes."

"I understand. Let me tell him."

After hearing the king's explanation, Climb was truly shocked. He had walked through that tunnel multiple times yet had never detected the presence of those hidden pathways.

"Climb, It is fine even if you return a bit late. Could you remain cautious and not let these items fall into enemy hands?"

"Of course, Renner-sama! I will complete my mission even if it is the last thing I do!"

"After you have hidden the items, even if something worrying came up, do return here as fast as possible no matter the cost. Given the current situation, we do not know when the Sorcerous Kingdom's army would arrive."

While that sentence's structure was a bit different, she was probably just repeating herself to drill that idea into him. That showed how much she cared for him.

So Climb, one to do anything to even ease her mind a little bit, straightened himself and positively responded.

"Of course! I will run back with all my might."

"—Good, I will leave that to you then."

Renner smiled just as she normally would. Before Climb stepped out of the room, he noticed that Rampossa III had passed a few potions to Renner.

One could imagine what those were.

Climb lowered his head and exited the room. He ran towards the hidden passageways.

Afterwards, he used those passageways to enter the capital.

It felt surreal. It was as though every inhabitant of the capital had disappeared. That was how silent it was.

It was then when he heard the roar of some giant beast, but from his current position he could not figure out what that was. The capital was vast, if he did not have the vantage point of the castle or the city walls, it would be difficult for him to figure out what was going on.

However, to the current Climb, that was not necessary. All he had to do was run full speed towards the warehouse.

He did not run into anybody before he reached his destination.

This was an urgent manner, but this place was quite far away. In addition to how cautious he had been on his way here, he had spent quite a bit of time on the road.

The warehouse was not as big as he had imagined. Climb got near the door and noticed that it was not locked.

He returned the bell he had prepared back into his bag and snuck in.

Nothing was stored in this warehouse, it was empty.

The smell of dust carpeted his face. There were no light fixtures and the windows were shut, so it was terribly dark inside. There were however, rays of light that fell through some cracks, so it was not entirely dark.

Climb walked through the entrance and held his breath. He concentrated on the sounds that came from the outside.

He confirmed that there weren't any sounds coming towards the warehouse and walked towards the wall opposite to him as he had been instructed to.

There were many empty shelves there. He found the third shelf from the right and forcefully pushed it. At first, nothing happened, but after he applied more force gradually, a click could be heard. The shelf no longer resisted his push and swung open like a door.

It was totally dark inside, a room without windows.

Climb put on his helmet.

With its power, he could make out his surroundings. In the empty room, on the floor, was a handle-like protrusion. Upon raising that handle, a spiral staircase downwards was revealed.

At the bottom of the short staircase was a small room with a single shelf.

It was equally empty as the rest, nothing of substance was on it. The dust that had built up in the room formed a thick layer that covered everything. He placed the royal treasures there.

After that, his mission was complete.

Climb returned to the surface and exited the warehouse.

He had to run back at full speed now.

He looked back towards the castle and could not help but mutter, "heh?"

The castle was snow white. Thick walls surrounded the castle, but they were painted white too. Light shone on it reflected off brilliantly.

To a third-party, it must have been a beautiful sight, but as one of its residents, this was an urgent situation—

"Ah! G-great, you weren't squished...umm...it would be dangerous for you to stay here you know?"

He heard a child's voice next to him.

He looked towards where the voice came from. Atop the warehouse was a girl who was looking down at him. In her hands was a black staff. Her skin tone was dark, she was probably of the race known as Dark Elves.

"You are...?"

"...eh, um, umm, ummm. This place is scheduled for demolition...so, umm, because you might get caught up in it, it would be better for you to leave here quickly okay?"

Now that she had said that, he understood.

This girl was undoubtedly from the Sorcerous Kingdom.

His hands, reaching to unsheathe his sword, stopped itself.

While she did not appear to be strong, it would not be possible for her to have made her way here alone. It would be dangerous to treat her as a simple girl.

Although he might win this fight, if he was to cause a disturbance here and cause the Sorcerous Kingdom's undead to gather around, he would not be able to return to Renner's side. His duty was not to defeat the enemy, but to serve by her side.

Plus, had Renner not repeatedly warned him about this?

He wanted to look back at the warehouse, but managed to quell that urge. Since he could not kill her to silence her, he should try his best not to rouse her suspicion.

Climb turned his back on the girl and ran. Compared to his fear of receiving an attack from the rear, his desire to return to Renner as soon as possible was much stronger.

Climb began to run. The moment he turned a corner, he heard the sound of buildings collapsing. He had to kill the urge to check what was going on.

The attack he was watching out for never happened. Climb arrived safely at the entrance to the passageways. While he checked if he was being followed, Climb noticed the plums of smoke rising up to the skies.

"...The capital is on fire?"

Because of the houses blocking his light of sight, he could not confirm where the smoke was coming from, but he was certain that it was from more than a couple of sources.

So that girl was not part of the vanguard, but a sizable contingent of the Sorcerous Kingdom's army had already made their way in and were pillaging the city.

So why could he not hear any screams—

Climb ignored the questions that arose in him.

He did not have time to waste on these questions. He had to return to Renner's side and report that he had completed his mission. After that, he could remain by her side until the end.

Climb ran through the passageway and returned to the palace.

Inside the palace, it was quiet and calm. He could not understand why.

Previously, the castle appeared to have frozen over. That was undeniably the result of some form of attack by the Sorcerous Kingdom. If that was the case, while there might not be many left, there should still be a few knights remaining to defend the place.

Even though this place was far away from the knights' defensive lines, he should still be able to hear some sort of noise, even if it was just the sound of a sword clashing against something. Speaking of which—

{It's even quieter than before.}

Compared to before, the silence became even more uncomfortable. Nevermind the palace, the loneliness he felt right now was like if he was the last man in this world.

Climb intentionally ran with heavier steps to make more noise as he made his way to the king's room. Perhaps he should have followed protocol in how he opened the door, but Climb did not care anymore. He opened the door with all his might.

No one was there.

He looked around. He could neither find Renner nor Rampossa III.

The king's room was connected to another room, perhaps they were there. Just as Climb was about to cross the threshold, he noticed that there was a piece of paper on the table.

It was the same type of paper Renner had used to draw the map.

He picked it up and looked at it.

It was Renner's familiar handwriting, instructions for him to go to the throne room.

The next moment, Climb had run out of the room.

As Climb got close to the throne room, he slowed down. The corridor to the throne room was filled with multiple figures on both sides. None of which he had seen before in the palace.

Their faces were pale white — women who could not have been human.

They had to be the Sorcerer King's subordinates. They did not seem to be antagonizing Climb, who had run at them. Well no, it was more like they were not interested in him at all.

Should he unsheathe, or should he not.

Climb could not make up his mind. One of the women spoke.

"Please enter, last human of this court."

After she said that, she shut her mouth in a disinterested manner.

He had a bad feeling about what she had said, a chill was sent down Climb's spine.

Climb ran between the women towards the throne room.

In the subsequent moment, so much information flooded his brain that he had a sensory overload.

Sat upon the throne was not Rampossa III, but a skeletal monster that radiated overwhelming pressure — the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown. To his left and right was a man with a long tail, the Prime Minister of the Sorcerous Kingdom, Albedo, and an insectoid monster that looked like it was made out of ice.

Not far from them, lifeless and on the floor, was Rampossa III. His clothes were stained dark red and next to him sat Renner, her clothes soaked in blood. On the ground, close by, was Razor Edge.

The blade of the sword was coated with blood. There was no mistaking it, this was the weapon used to kill Rampossa III.

"Princess"

"Climb"

"Hon," someone else laughed. A mocking laugh, probably.

Climb stood between Renner and them and readied his sword. Both of them will probably die right here. To protect Renner till the end in spite of that fact was Climb's ultimate demonstration of loyalty.

"In front of Ainz-sama, your head is raised too high up.「Kneel」."

Climb immediately kneeled. He could not resist at all. It was more accurate to say that before he had noticed, his body had already adopted this posture. He noticed the one behind him had done the same.

Renner.

The image of Renner being mind-controlled flashed through his mind and everything began to click together.

"You controlled — controlled Renner-sama like this?"

The tragedy in front of the throne: Renner was controlled and forced to kill her own father. His anger boiled over yet he still could not move. It was as though this body was no longer his.

"Ahhh, I remember. I have met with him during my duel with Gazef Stronoff. Undo the command mantra."

"Yes!「You are free」."

With the mental restraints removed, Climb jumped sideways to pick up Razor Edge, which was on the ground. He stood up rapidly, adjusted his breath, and adopted a stance. His opponent, was the Sorcerer King.

Of course, this was meaningless against the opponent who was able to kill the Warrior Captain at such a speed that he could not follow his movements with his eyes at all. Still, he was Renner's meat-shield. What good would he be if he did not stand between them.

The Sorcerer King got up from the throne and walked leisurely towards Climb.

"You should be grateful that a king, such as I, would be willing to personally duel with you. Ah yes...if I win, I shall be taking that sword."

The Sorcerer King walked towards him without a care, he was not on guard for him at all.

Anger occupied Climb's body and mind.

This was all his fault.

If he did not exist, peace would be the status quo, no one would have died—

"—the princess would not have had to experience this sorrow!"

The Sorcerer King looked like he was sneering at him.

A slash would not be able to reach him. He thought about how the Warrior Captain was slain. What was his best move?

He held on tight to Razor Edge—

The Sorcerer King took a step and at that moment, Climb threw Razor Edge with all of his strength.

It looked like not even the Sorcerer King had expected this.

As he threw the sword, he lost his balance.

Climb closed the distance between them, clenched his fist, and punched him.

His fist was aimed at the Sorcerer King's face.

"Climb!"

He heard Renner mournfully call out his name.

Skeleton-type monsters being weak to bludgeoning damage was a well-known fact, yet he felt intense pain once his fist connected.

The Sorcerer King on the other hand, did not appear to be affected by it at all.

"If this was a fairy tale—"

The Sorcerer King extended his hand at an unbelievable speed to grab on to Climb's breastplate. He tried to escape, but he couldn't even pry his hand open.

"—passion would awake dormant power, to grant you the ability to defeat me."

The Sorcerer King picked Climb up. His resistance did not have any effect, as if he was struggling against a sturdy wall.

"But — this is reality. Nothing so perfect would happen."

He was thrown. Climb's body flew through the air for quite a while before falling to the ground.

The impact of his back hitting the floor knocked the air out of him.

Climb stood up in panic and looked at the Sorcerer King. After tossing Climb, he did not take another step. He did not seem to have considered making a follow-up attack.

This was exuberance afforded to him by his overwhelming strength.

"You will die here...you are not worth saving. You, who are without talent nor ability, do not deserve salvation. However, do not despair."

The Sorcerer King appeared to be looking at Climb, but also not at the same time. His eyes appeared to be looking somewhere far away.

"This world is unequal. The inequality you experienced started the moment you were born. The birth of those with talent meant that of course, there are those born without talent. Furthermore, the environment one was born into differs. A rich family versus a poor family, even the personality of your fellow brothers and sisters matter. Those who were lucky will go on to have fulfilling lives, but those who were not, do not. However, I must reiterate, do not despair at such inequalities. The reason for this — is because death is the equalizer gifted to all. That is to say — me. Only the mercy bestowed by the ruler of death to all could be regarded as absolute equality in a world riddled with inequalities."

Climb could not understand what he was talking about at all, he was probably telling him to rest in peace the long way round.

He could not help but be overwhelmed by his presence.

He is death, a being no living thing could oppose. It was as though Climb was about to be swallowed up by the Sorcerer King's pride alone.

The difference between them, on a biological level, was too great.

Of course, the Sorcerer King, head of a state and one who wielded magic that could easily destroy an army, was entirely different compared to the talentless warrior that was Climb. However, the difference between them was not just so.

It was like that of an ant, yearning for the skies. That, was the difference between their domains.

Even so — even though he knew full well that he could not win, he had made his resolve to give his all, to be Renner's meat-shield till the end of the very end.

Courage surged through him.

His languished heart burned once more.

Yes

All of this was for Renner.

For the woman who had saved him on that rainy day.

For her, who saw him as human—

"...I see. Those eyes."

The Sorcerer King said something strange.

He must have sensed Climb's intent to battle. The Sorcerer King exposed his defenceless back towards Climb, picked up Razor Edge which laid on the ground, and tossed it towards him.

"Rise up."

The Sorcerer King extended one hand and in an instant, a black sword appeared. The length of the blade was around that of a longsword.

Climb stared at the Sorcerer King without raising his guard while he picked up Razor Edge. To have left openings in this moment could not have been helped. He thought about Gazef's duel. Right before the fight began, the Sorcerer King had said himself that weapons without adequate enchantments could not damage him, but also that this sword could kill him.

Even this set — this set of armour granted to him by Renner, which had multiple enchantments imbued on it, could not break his defence. This was a depressing fact, one he had confirmed in that strike.

"Climb..."

To Renner, who leaned towards him with worry in her eyes, Climb smiled and whispered.

"Princess, I will buy you some time. If...you wish, please do it sooner than later."

His thoughts were conveyed as Renner nodded her head.

Climb created some distance between him and Renner before he raised Razor Edge.

"Have you bid you farewell?"

"I wish to ask. After you kill me, will you kill the princess too?"

The Sorcerer King remained silent.

Climb couldn't help but find that odd.

This wasn't an occasion to be silent. What answered his question was a "hehe" from the Sorcerer King, a soft laughter.

"How shall I torment you...? The best way would be to not answer your question."

"Sorcerer King!"

He swung Razor Edge, which was easily caught by the Sorcerer King's sword. After multiple strikes, the Sorcerer King remained standing where he stood.

The Sorcerer King did not attack him, he was playing with him instead, like someone would do to entertain a child.

However, this was fine by him.

He raised Razor Edge up high and bet everything in this single strike.

As before, the Sorcerer King parried his attack with that sword of pure black.

Now was the time.

To bet everything he had.

Climb activated his martial arts. Not only that, but he had also activated the ring's ability too. At that moment, Climb's combat prowess surged significantly.

In that case — because the Sorcerer King had gotten used to his usual moments, this strike was more like an ambush.

He pretended to use all of his strength to swing the sword down, relaxed his muscles, and pulled the sword back with all his might the moment it was blocked. In a single stroke, he thrust it towards the red orb in the Sorcerer King's stomach.

He had been thinking since a long time back.

That was probably the Sorcerer King's weak spot.

Even if it was not, if he managed to break it, would that not also count as a form of revenge?

"—oooof."

"—I see, an impressive attack."

The attack he had put all of his strength into, was caught dead in its tracks by the Sorcerer King with a single hand.

Climb felt his shoulder burn, a moist sensation began expanding from it, and in the next moment, the heat turned into intense pain.

He jumped back immediately, knowing that his shoulder had been slashed.

The armour given to him by Renner was cleaved through this easily by the Sorcerer King's blade. That said, it did not appear to have weapon destruction abilities, because the armour itself did not break.

He could still move his arm, but the problem was that he could no longer do the same attack he just did.

The thought that he could avenge those who had fallen was but a mere dream.

"Could Razor Edge break a World-Class Item? I am very interested in the result of such an experiment. If it could damage one, that sword's value would skyrocket. That said—" the Sorcerer King threw his sword and it disappeared midair, "—I can afford to wait till after I kill you to run those experiments."

It looked like the Sorcerer King was about to cast magic.

Climb laughed. The Sorcerer King chose to use magic against someone like him, so he could not allow his opponent enough time to cast.

Climb leapt. As he heard the words "[Grasp Heart]", he felt intense pain, as if his body was being ripped apart from the inside.

"Outstanding."

And then—

His vision—

Really—

Meant—

-x-X-x-

"I shall excuse myself then, woof."

He heard an unfamiliar voice by his side followed by the sound of doors being shut. It woke him right up, like a trigger being activated.

Something should have happened, but everything felt like it had withered away. He felt something akin to the feeling of forgetting a dream in the morning.

Climb felt like his muscles and bones had melted as he could not summon any strength at all. Even the simple act of twisting his neck was a struggle.

He tried his best to survey his surroundings.

The most luxurious room Climb had seen so far in his life had been Renner's, but this far surpassed hers in opulence. He had something of a photographic memory, yet he could not recall ever seeing this room in the palace.

What had happened to him?

Why...was he still alive?

Also — what happened to his master?

Although he could not move his body well, he could feel the presence of someone else in the room.

"Aaaa..."

He tried to call out to them, but the sounds that came out of him could not constitute speech. Still, the person in the room had understood him as they hurriedly rushed over.

"Climb! You woke up!"

He still could not vocalize, but that was to be expected. His entire body was without strength, so not even his vocal cords could move. Yet that was not the reason why he did not speak, it was because of the flurry of emotions that occupied his mind.

His eyes were filled with tears.

That's right, this was all a nightmare.

The Kingdom being attacked by the Sorcerous Kingdom and how Renner had been forced to make her resolve to die had all just been a nightmare.

"Aaa, saa..."

"Uhmm, yes. I am Renner. Climb."

The same smile as usual.

No, she was at the edge of his sightline yet he could still tell clearly, this was different from her usual smile.

Did something happen?

Climb moved his eyes to discover something bizarre on her back.

Black wings.

Like that of a bat's.

It flapped around, making "whap whap" noises as it went along.

Even if it was manmade, it was way too realistic. In any case, he should stop making up lies to comfort himself.

Perhaps she had realized the source of his confusion. Renner's expression became neutral.

"This thing...I was changed by the Sorcerer King's power. I am no longer a human — but a demon."

Climb's eyes widened.

"Saaaaaa..."

"What a tragedy, for me to have been the only one to have survived."

He wanted to tell her that what she said wasn't true, but he could not muster the strength to speak. He could only groan with "aa—" and "oo—" sounds.

Droplets of tears began to fall.

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Renner gently wiped his tears away.

Climb trembled with emotions as he groaned. No matter how much she had changed on the outside, she was still Renner on the inside.

"So...you must be curious about why you are still alive, correct? Before I answer that question...Climb...are you willing to listen to something selfish that I have to say? I have been turned into a demon, so I will remain in this world forever. Living alone would be a terribly painful thing to do."

Renner looked towards him.

"Climb, are you willing to turn into a demon as well?"

He did not hesitate, he had decided long ago to give his all for Renner. Climb struggled against his immobile body to nod his head.

"Thank you...then allow me to answer your question. The truth is, I have already sworn fealty to His Majesty the Sorcerer King. That was the cost of your resurrection."

Climb widened his eyes once more.

"Do not let it weigh on your heart. I did not believe that this was a bad deal. After all, I would not have to live on my own...Climb, are you willing to swear fealty to His Majesty the Sorcerer King too?"

"Ye...s"

While he was still a bit confused, if Renner was willing to swear fealty for his sake, he should choose to serve too. No, it was more accurate to say that this was the only option he had.

"Thank you, Climb. After you swear fealty to His Majesty the Sorcerer King, he would most definitely force some tasks onto you to test your loyalty. It will probably be painful for you, and that saddens me a lot..."

"That, won't, be, the, case. "

"...thank you...Climb, that is all I have to say for now. Take a rest, I will take good care of you."

She maintained her smile and disappeared from his view. From the direction where she went, he could hear the sound of doors opening followed by doors closing.

Climb relaxed.

Immediately afterwards, his desire to sleep took hold of him.

Climb, whose face was covered in tears, lost his consciousness as though he had just sunk into mud. The emotions behind those tears were too complicated for himself to explain. Not even Climb himself knew why he cried.

----

Renner left the bedroom and walked towards the neighbouring room. Upon noticing the person on the sofa, she knelt down in panic.

"Albedo-sama," Renner took a deep bow, "I could not thank our master in time, so I am terribly sorry for that. The preparation of the poison and the theatrics in the throne room, to have even troubled His Majesty the Sorcerer King to personally go there to help, I am deeply grateful for that."

"Fufu. That is enough. There is no need to worry over these things. {If} it was for outstanding individuals, such trivialities are well worth the time."

"Thank you very much, Albedo-sama."

The "if" part of that sentence was somewhat stressed more than the others, causing Renner to shudder. She did not know if they had seen through her even in this aspect. Albedo did not continue, but she felt her gaze on the back of her head.

"...Fufu. There is no need to be this tense around me. Demiurge and I have a full grasp on your capabilities through this event with the Kingdom."

Back then, from the moment she had met with the demon Demiurge to the destruction of the Kingdom, around 90% of the plan had been suggested by Renner herself. She had expertly manipulated all sides through their conceit. The only thing she was wary of, was when the plan had changed to the slaughter of almost all citizens of the Kingdom. She was worried about whether or not she would be thrown away afterwards. Other than that, things had gone mostly according to her plans.

"Such exceptional abilities must be put to their full use in Nazarick — under my command."

"Naturally, Albedo-sama."

"Ainz-sama had high praise for you. I will not allow you to disappoint him."

Minor, she could only detect a minor difference, but Albedo's tone had changed somewhat.

Renner continued to act subserviently. In this situation, this was probably the smartest choice she could make.

"The reward for your service from now on, for the next millennia, will be given to you in advance."

The sound of something being placed on the table could be heard.

"The Fallen Seed I gave you before, this is another one of them. The next step would be to prepare the sacrifice. You may start after he recovers. While magic could speed up the recovery, based on your specifications we will not do such a thing."

"Thank you very much, Albedo-sama. Please do convey my thanks to His Majesty the Sorcerer King as well."

"Renner. I will reiterate...do not disappoint me. This was not given to you because you have inherent value as a hostage, but something you had earned through your actions and the trust that had been built up between us. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing her gentle yet frigid voice, Renner bowed her head even lower than before.

"...Yes, Albedo-sama. To repay your generosity, your servant I will maintain, no, I will strive to serve you better than I have."

Her superior left behind a soft laugh as she stood up and left.

Renner kept her head down until she heard the sound of the door being closed. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. Mixed in her breath were lingering sensations of fear.

She had overcome the final hurdle.

The other party was a ruthless demon after all, it would not have been strange for her to have said that all of this was to raise her hopes up only to dash it at the last moment. Yet nothing of that sort happened. The weight on her shoulders was finally lifted, but she could not allow herself to believe for a single moment that her position was absolutely safe and secure.

For her to have gained their trust — was impossible. The best-case scenario was that they believed her to be valuable as a pawn, one worthy of their favour. That was why Renner had to contribute as much as she could. If she could not prove herself worthy of their grace, things would go south fast.

This was the home of those monsters after all, they knew full well that she was absolutely powerless here no matter how hard she tried. Yet, not even that was enough for them.

For that reason, Renner had to expose her weaknesses to them, the more the better. She had essentially handed over the other end of the leash to them to tell them that she was a loyal pet and that they were her masters. She had to make the superior-inferior relationship between them as clear-cut as possible. If she had not done so, they would probably not even bother to feign trust in her.

That was why they had put on such a show in the throne room.

Climb was Renner's biggest weakness — to show how important he was to her, she had spoken of him in the first conversation she had with Albedo — only when this truth was presented in front of these monsters, would she have truly put on the collar.

Climb's value as their hostage had to be realized, but she had a separate reason for it too. However, it appeared as though she had been seen through, but since things had turned out better than she had expected, it wasn't much of an issue.

There was something else that not even Renner could foresee.

She did not imagine that the Sorcerer King would act out that character himself.

{What a terrifying Supreme Being.}

Every time Renner thought about the being named Ainz Ooal Gown, she could not help but shudder all over.

It would have been more than enough for the Prime Minister Albedo to have acted that scene out, but the Sorcerer King would deign to essentially act the role of jester himself. This must have meant that he held quite a high opinion of her. "That is to say, the sovereign of a nation had gone out of his way to cooperate with your boring play. Surely you understand what that means?" was probably what Albedo was implying through her statements.

Albedo must have been against that decision.

If someone she admired had to stoop to act upon a stage, it would displease her too. Which meant that her goodwill for Renner, the person responsible for him being on that stage, had probably dried up.

{If His Majesty the Sorcerer King had intentionally gone against Albedo-sama to act out that scene, that would make things even worse for me. If they were to believe even for a split second that I was no longer of use to them, I would surely be disposed of...}

She had planned to only demonstrate a portion of her abilities and hide her true capabilities for now, but now that the Sorcerer King had personally come to cooperate with her, she had been forced into a corner.

{...His Majesty the Sorcerer King had probably already foreseen all of this. It appears that an exceptional superior would not necessarily be good news for their subordinates.}

Despite all of that, Renner still smiled.

Her dream of the past was minuscule. It only grew to how wondrous it was now because she had met them.

How lucky was she that she could realise such a dream through the simple betrayal and sacrifice of the Kingdom?

She wanted to dance.

She wanted to sing.

The joy in her heart was overflowing.

She was truly, truly overjoyed. Her brain felt like it could break from all of this happiness.

Demons were immortal. Being locked up in here meant that she had just found shelter in the safest place in the world.

If that was the case — Renner looked towards the door behind her. No, towards the young man sleeping on the bed inside.

"Climb. Stay here with me forever~ Let us exchange our first times today."

Renner almost melted as she spoke.

"Or should I treasure it more — and stop myself short of that today? This is the first time I have been met with such a dilemma — aaaah, such bliss."

-x-X-x-