Chapter 23

*Time Turbulence- TT

*Four Great Spirits- FGS

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"Old man, try to teleport to the captain's location." Shouted TT as he rushed to the Black armoured woman, his rapier pointed her way.

Albedo didn't take up any defensive position, instead, she lifted her battle axe above her head and swung it downwards, creating a shockwave that gorged the earth while hurdling towards the rushing TT.

"What." (TT) 

Surprised at this sudden attack in front of him, TT forcefully pushed his forward foot to accelerate sideways, making him land headfirst on the grimy forest ground. 

"Ho, to think you dodge that attack, human. It seems your light build is not for show." Praised Albedo condescending, as she re-adjusted her grip on the axe.

Jumping up from his compromising position, TT glared at Albedo with a wave of anger and shame in his eyes but quickly restrained himself as he started speaking in his more natural tone.

"Well, your attack was also good for an abomination of nature, took me completely by surprise. Now, see if you can counter this." (TT)

Positioning his rapier upright to his chest, TT activated one of his most powerful Original Martial arts [Temporal Duplication]. The air around him twisted as if someone crumpled a sheet of paper, and from those distortions of space, five identical copies of him manifested.

Seeing this, Albedo finally entered a more serious stance. Extending her left foot slightly, while her right arm strengthened with the axe's grip, She readied for his attack.

The five clones, however, not bordered by their opponent's change, rushed in, quickly circulating her in all directions.

Silence ruled their battel as they gaged each other, only to be broken when the clone behind Albedo, exploded with speed, performing a perfect "Fleche dash" to pierce her armour while maintaining momentum. Albedo though, as if seeing this, shifts her body and stabs the rushing figure on the torso with the sharp end of her axe.

"Hmm, there is no stabbing sensation and no blood." (Albedo)

The clone that should be screaming in pain did not even open his mouth, instead bringing down the sword's tip into the exposed portion of Albedo's helmet, but before it even touched her, Albedo hurled the stab figure to the side, and as if on cue the other dashed towards her.

'Good, that will buy me some time. Those clones are a combination technique of [Split form] and my sword's quality. They don't feel pain and are resistant to most physical attacks, though from how she is overpowering them, it won't last long. Come on old man, how long is that spell going to take?' 

Taking his eyes away from the battle in front of him, TT looked towards the spot he thought GFS would be, instead what he saw was the elf attacking GFS with vines and trees and GFS desperately dodging it while hovering above the ground.

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When Mare won his match, in the "GREAT ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TORNAMENT for choosing opponents", he didn't have any particular opponent he wanted to face, so, he thought of taking the opponent that nobody wanted, but her sister, telling him to be more proactive chose the mage for him. At that moment, thoughts like 'But I didn't get to choose, and did you choose him because we are both magic users' passed through him, but being a good younger brother, he didn't disagree with her and quietly nodded his head in consent. 

And that leads to now, him attacking the elderly-looking man with low-level spells. 

'Ahm, it is hard to catch him while he is flying around like that, but I cannot use any of my high-tier spells because it will destroy the whole area, and Ainz-sama specifically told me to avoid doing that.'

As Mare's eyes tracked the zipping figure of FGS, who was conjuring fireball after fireball to fend off the ever-encroaching branches and vines, FGS's mind was in panic mode. He wanted to quickly teleport to the captain's side using the mark he implanted when buffing' him, but no matter how much he tried, the spell didn't activate.

'No, it feels as if I am being tied to this space, but the magic is still activated. What a despicable barrier. If the spell did not activate or it was cancelled mid-process, I would have concluded I was inside an anti-teleportation spell faster, but because the spell did activate, I wasted almost half of my mana reserves in multiple tries. Now I also have to deal with this elf druid.' (GFS)

Thinking that dragging this out was dangerous, he started elevating his altitude to rain down higher-tier spells and finish off the elf. That way, he could also support his other struggling teammates. But as soon as he started to ascend, a sudden pull of gravity assaulted him, dragging him to the ground with a *boom*. 

"Good, now you won't be able to fly around. But what should I do now? that [Terragravitas] destroyed a few trees, but if he had risen higher, he would have been able to fly through the barrier. I wonder if my sister will notice, hmm."

"W-what just happened?" (FGS)

Hearing the insensible groans of FGS as he tries to get up, Mare woke up from his anxious thoughts.

.

"Ah, I forgot about him -walking towards FGS- I need to properly restrain him, or else sister will shout at me. Hmm? I won't let you [Hold Species]. Good, now you won't be able to move. But just in case." (Mare)

Noticing his injured opponent was quietly chanting a spell behind his Muddled speech, Mare stunned his entire body with a spell, then walking up to him, lifted his staff Shadow of YGGDRASIL and bashed his head, making the body of one the most powerful human magicians known for his apathy and intellect scream for his life. 

*Thuk* *Splat*

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TT witnessed this scene of indifferent cruelty with trembling eyes. The elf they thought was the most harmless had just bashed open the head of their best chance of survival, making his brain fluids scatter on the ground.

"Shit, the old man is out, and I was counting on him. Now what do I do?" TT groaned as he mashed his teeth in anger.

"Taking your eyes off your opponent during battle, typical of a human." (Albedo)

Sensing the instinctive heat from his side, TT flattened his body to the ground, and a *swoosh* sound passed right above his head, cutting a few strains of his yellow hair. He did not, however, stop moving because of his instinct and instantaneously activated [Flow Acceleration] and kicked his heel upward as if doing a reverse backflip, hoping to land a counterattack on his opponent, but his feet only touched the air.

On the other hand, Albebo was genuinely impressed by that manoeuvre. She didn't see it coming, and the only reason for her dodging was due to her superior physical states, and to someone who thrives in their intelligence, that came as a blow to her pride.

"It seems I have been underestimating you Human, but that ends now. But don't worry, I will not kill you. We still need what's inside your brain after all." Chuckled Albedo in an attempt to hide her irritation.

"Ha ha, this bitch are you saying you haven't been serious or something. Well, I guess that makes the two of us." Boasted TT while straightening up his posture.

'This is bad. Now that the old man is down, we don't have any viable way to escape this situation anymore... I hope the captain escapes and reports this group of monsters to the capital... Sorry captain, after all, I said, I can only do this much.'

"Let's get started, you black devil. I will kill you even if it drags me down. That is the only way I can repay that guy after all." (TT)

"I will demonstrate to you why I am referred to as the Time Turbulence. You will be among the few to see my sword released, so be thankful, Devil" (TT)

The rapier in his hand started to surge in power, enveloping his entire body. The black and white spiral pattern on the blade began to spin, blending the two colours into one that reflected a different colour every time he moved the blade. 

"Is that a Divine grade item? To think such a precious item is in the hands of a mere human." Shouted Albedo as she took a defensive stance, her spells ready on the tip of her tongue.

Her stance, however, made TT form a smirk on her lips. He rejoiced at the perfect move from his opponent, a perfect move for his victory. Then, taking an "appel" stance, he stomped his right foot to the ground, and in the next moment, he vanished.

Albedo's eyes widened in shock as she instantly lost sight of her opponent, but before she could even look for him, a sharp stinging sensation attacked her side. Without even checking to make sure there was nothing wrong, she swung her axe, cutting the afterimage of her opponent. 

A click naturally surfaced on her lips at her failure to land a proper hit, but, her smile returned on her beautiful face when her eyes captured TT's figure, and the red slash across his chest.

*Haa haa* "What is that armour made of? That even a sword that can harm the platinum dragon lord can't pierce it?" Breathed TT as his hand pressed the open wound. 

"I don't know who this Platinium Dragon Lord is but don't mock me by comparing me to a mere dragon. But I will praise that weapon for being able to pierce two layers of my armour, and that boost in speed it grants its user is quite substantial as well. If someone of a higher level was handling it, it could have been a serious threat. I guess this is what they say, "Pearls before swine". (Albedo)

Not bothering to respond to her, TT's figure again vanished from Albedo's sight, but this time she prepared. Activating [Parry] and [Reflective Barrier], she heightened her senses to the max and waited for a response, and this came as a shattering sound from her back as TT Rapier pierced the [Reflective Barrier], but Albedo, guided by her skills and instinct swang her axe to her left, deflecting the multi-coloured blade 

The air crackled with tension as Albedo and TT exchanged blows at a blistering pace. Albedo's axe cleaved through the air with deadly precision, each swing met with a swift parry or dodge from TT's rapier. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, the sound of metal on metal echoing through the forest.

With a quick step back, Albedo and TT created space between them. Both assess their opponent's next move. Albedo's [Parry] was effective, but the [Reflective barrier] only served as an alarm. Upon realizing this, Albedo deduced why her Divine-class armour was easily penetrated.

"I see. That sword must be a high-level divine class equipment. It can ignore all forms of defence, magical or physical, and, on top of that, it also gives its users a speed boost." (Albedo)

'Is that thing on par with Salltear's Spuit Lance? I need to get that weapon and offer it to Ainz sama. Hehe, I am sure I will be rewarded with his love *slurp* hehehe Ah Ain-sama~~.' 

As Albedo's head was elsewhere, TT's mind was full of trepidation. He has just pulled out all the trump cards except one but still can't even touch let alone damage this black-winged devil.

'Shit, this monster, look at her stance. She must be thinking about how to end this in the next move.*Haa Haa* I bet she has a gorilla-like body with all that ridiculous physical strength.

"Shit. Shit. Dame it. My mana is also almost depleted. Should I use that now, but, if I did, it's over for me.... No, why am I getting cold feet for now? No matter how this ends, I will take this gorilla with me."

Breathing out heavily, TT activated [Temporal Duplication] again, making Albedo return from her imaginary fun time with Ainz. 

"Hmp, that trick again. You might have become faster, but as long as I can deflect your attacks, you are just wasting your time. Just surrender, and I will make sure you don't get toyed with (too much)." (Albedo)

"Thanks, gorilla, but NO thanks." (TT)

"W-What, Gorila, what did you compare me to, you Insect brat?" (Albedo)

The 6 TT scattered with untrackable speed and approached Albedo from all directions. Albedo, however, did not even flinch even if her opponent had increased their numbers. She knows her higher stats give her an advantage in reaction speed, but now that she knows how powerful her opponent is, she decides to switch up her skills. By activating [Parry] and [Perception augment], she now could react to all his attacks.

Their clash resumed with ever-growing intensity, their movements becoming a blur as they deflected and counter-attacked each attack with precision and amid the crackling air, the original made his final move.

Pretending to be blown back from one of Albedo's hits, he activated the sword's final skill, [Chrono's Judgment]. TT's sword flashes in a dark light as he releases a thrust towards Albledo, aiming for a one-hit kill to her heart.

As the blinding light hurtled towards Albedo, she instinctively realized that her usual deflection skills would be useless against such a formidable attack. With a swift motion, she spread her ebony wings and soared into the sky, aiming to evade the oncoming assault entirely. However, to her astonishment, the light suddenly appeared in front of her, as if it had been there from the beginning.

As the light closed in, Albedo's mind raced, every synapse firing at once as she tried to devise a plan. Her heart pounded in her chest, the rush of adrenaline heightening her senses, making the world around her slow down to a crawl. 

'Wh-How did. No, I can think of that latter. From the power of the attack, it will most certainly pierce through my Hermes Trismegistus, and from how it suddenly appeared right in front of me, it must be a homing type with some kind of time attribute, so dodging is out, then my only option is to use my Ginnungagap to block it. No matter how powerful the attack from a divine item is, a World item can cancel it.' 

In less than a second, she came to this conclusion and lifted her axe to deflect it. But to her astonishment and mounting fear, the light didn't yield; instead, it pierced through her weapon as if it were a mere illusion, creeping closer to penetrate her dark armour.

"H-How could this be? Am I going to be defeated like this? By this inferior insect? I-I am sorry, forgive me, Ainz-Sama." (Albedo)

TT's eyes were fixed on the scene, his eyes shining with delight at his attack's success against his opponent. But a massive wall of skeletons obscured his vision as if casting a monstrous shadow over his joy. 

"Ha? Where did this" (TT)

His following words stuck on his tongue when he felt an aura seep in death approach from behind him. His mind screamed inside itself as image after image of death flashed inside it. His body was not spared as well as a suffocating cold grasped him, locking him like a statue.

Driven by his indomitable will and the desperate need to save his friends, TT felt the suffocating aura of death relent ever so slightly. And like a brave moth drawn inexorably to a flame, he summoned every ounce of courage he dared to turn his head. In that fleeting moment, he was overwhelmed, his heart instantly weeping in regret.

The incarnation of the evil stands before him, clade in his skeleton body and dawning a robe made of darkness. It stares into his green eyes with its flaming windows to the abyss. In its right hand, it held a divine staff made of intertwining serpents, with its heads holding jewels of a different colour held tight by seven serpent heads and in its left palm, he held a still-beating heart.

[Garsp heart]

As TT's gaze locked onto the heart, a sickening realization dawned. Before his eyes, the pulsating organ exploded into fleshy chunks, disintegrating into dust mid-air before a single drop could stain the ground. Shock paralyzed him for a moment, but as the gravity of the situation sank in, he instinctively clutched at his own chest, feeling the eerie absence of his own heartbeat.

"I am sorry eve..." Whispered TT as he slumped to the cold ground. The earth seemed to embrace his now soulless body, pulling him into its depths as the last flicker of life faded from his eyes.

Ainz, uncaring of the corps, walked towards the slumped figure and picked up the black and white rapier from his hand. 

"Hmm, as I thought this is a World Champion Class Equipment -he weighed and touched its tip, bending the blade slightly, which quickly straightened itself when he released its tip- very light and flexible. So, [Appraisal Magic Item], let's see what this piece of equipment can do." (AInz)

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Sorry for the long delay everyone, RL stuff. Don't know when I will be uploading the next chap. AND THX for the Power Stones you guys gave, those really motivated me.

On a completely different note, Have you heard of Yodayo, it's an AI chatbot website/app for anime waifu/ husbando. I have been messing with it recently and made some bots for Overlord characters. Tell me if you are interested.

Well till the next chapter.