Chapter 3, Part 1

Zesshi Zetsumei ignored the undead monsters as she walked towards the entrance. Her reason for ignoring them was a bit different than other humans who had come to the envoy’s residence. Unlike them, who ignored the undead due to knowing the monsters wouldn’t attack, Zesshi could ignore them because she was stronger.

She knocked on the door and a few moments later a female elf opened it.

“Mare-sama is waiting for you,” the elf slave bowed.

Zesshi walked inside and saw the dark elf sitting on the couch, she greeted Mare and sat next to her.

“We have already visited all of the temples, so what do you want to do today?” Zesshi asked.

“Yes, you’ve told me the stories of each of the Six Great Gods. Today, I’d like for you to tell me about the Eight Greed Kings,” Mare responded.

“Hmm, them, I don’t really know much about them. They wrought destruction on this world for a few decades, then in-fighting overtook them and soon after they perished. Today only the ruined Floating Castle remains to the south of here.”

“Had the Theocracy not tried to explore it in search of powerful artifacts?” Mare asked curiously.

“The ruins are guarded by magical golems and the center of the city had been taken by the Platinum Dragon Lord as his nest.”

“Platinum Dragon Lord? What, what is that?”

“You really don’t know anything, do you? Just how long have you lived in your master’s domain?” Zesshi laughed.

“Mm, the world was very different back when we walked the surface, before our slumber,” Mare replied trying his best not to stutter.

“Platinum Dragon Lord is one of the Dragon Councilors of the Argland Republic.”

“Does he not leave his nest? The Argland Republic is located to the North, but the Flying Castle is to the south.”

“We are unsure how he handles his responsibility as a counselor. Perhaps he doesn’t participate? The Argland council hasn’t had to deal with any significant matter since the days of the Demon Gods,” Zesshi mused.

“I see. Do you know how powerful this Dragon Lord is?”

“Who knows,” Zesshi shrugged. “But enough of this, tell me more about your master,” Zesshi demanded.

Mare laughed, over the last week Zesshi seemed to have become more and more interested in his master. And it was not an interest of the spy. He was careful not to reveal any information which could be used against Nazarick. No, her interest was… different.

He had already learned some valuable information today, and unseen, the Hanzos were doing some major spying. His visit to the Slane Theocracy had been very fruitful. He obliged the half-elf’s wishes and begun telling her of his master’s benevolence.

“So, he had refused his servants wish to build the biggest statue in the world in his name?” Zesshi asked amused when Mare finished his story.

“Yes, he said a statue could not reflect the kind of ruler he wanted to be,” Mare replied.

“And what kind of ruler does he want to be?”

“One that had brought all of the inhabitants of this world together and allowed them to live in harmony.”

“Sounds boring,” Zesshi chuckled.

“There are many things waiting to be discovered. One does not need to slaughter other species in order to fill fulfilled,” Mare replied. He didn’t get this battle-crazed girl, he himself was perfectly content just lazing around reading.

“But is he strong enough to do it? It’s not just the Theocracy who’s opposed to living beside the undead, you know? The Dragon Lords are also like that. And the beastmen view humans as food, they wouldn’t give up their ways willingly.”

“He is, in due time my master’s vision will be realized,” Mare said confidently.

“And yet, he died fighting Jaldabaoth,” Zesshi’s voice carried a note of mockery.

“He didn’t die, he made a strategic move,” Mare corrected her.

“A move you are forced to make doesn’t carry much strategy, does it?” It was a provocation, Zesshi had tried to unsettle the dark elf girl before, it was fun to tease Mare in such a way.

“Heh, you are wrong there, he wasn’t forced to do it, he chose to. And it gave the Sorcerer Kingdom a huge advantage,” Mare smiled, he wouldn’t be baited so easily.

“How so? Aren’t both Ainz and Jaldabaoth dead?”

“Yes, but Jaldabaoth will need to rebuild his army anew, not to mention his strength being weakened when he comes back. On the other hand, Ainz-sama has all of the Sorcerer Kingdom searching for ways to seal Jaldabaoth. By the time both come back, Ainz-sama will be far ahead of the demon,” Mare explained.

“How thoughtful of your master. Makes me wish he was alive so I could fight him,” Zesshi said wistfully.

“That would be bad.”

“Scared for your master’s well being?” Zesshi teased.

“I like you,” Mare said, brushing Zesshi’s hair from her face and making her blush a little. “But if you fight my master you will die. That would make me sad,” he continued.

The certainty in his words made her shiver. Still, that was what she wanted, a fight against someone as powerful as her, someone who could defeat her.

“Then I’ll have to rely on you to keep me alive,” she joked.

“Depending on the degree of your offense, I might not be able to do so,” Mare replied seriously.

“You take things too seriously,” Zesshi tried to laugh it off. “Tell me more about Ainz.”

The Draconic Kingdom’s army camp near the city of Decoza

Ainz had just finished listening to the report delivered by the Hanzos. The frustration he felt wasn’t enough to trigger his emotional suppression, but that only made it worse.

“So, you were unable to find anyone spying on us,” Ainz repeated the ninja’s conclusion.

“My apologies, Ainz-sama,” the ninja bowed.

Ainz waved his hand, indicating it was fine. However, he was anything but calm. Before he could think this issue through, Nabe spoke.

“Does it mean that we are being spied upon via the magic of this world after all?”

“It would appear to be a possibility,” Ainz said unwillingly. “Of the three possibilities, only the traitor one can be eliminated,” he continued.

“But Ainz-sama, the Hanzos were unable to discover anyone spying on us physically during the last two days.”

“Mm, that doesn’t mean there are no such spies. While Hanzos are proficient in stealth, their stealth detection isn’t as good,” Ainz explained.

However, if I go with that then the implications are just as bad as the other possibility, Ainz could feel a headache coming as his mind raced. Someone is spying on us via magic means that bypass Yggdrasil anti-spying magic. Or someone with enough proficiency in stealth for the Hanzos to be ineffective is physically spying on us.

The implications of both possibilities were disastrous. The first meant that the spying party knew that Momon was Ainz, this would be catastrophic, and would reveal the lies they have told about Jaldabaoth.

The other possibility was slightly better, but an existence of an entity with such highly specialized stealth was quite bad too. Nazarick didn’t have any NPCs that specialized in stealth detection.

The NPCs, after all, were created to defend the tomb. It was impossible to sneak through the whole tomb – the portals from one floor to the next wouldn’t activate unless that floor’s guardian was eliminated. And while some NPCs were given stealth detection skills as part of their backstory, their proficiency was pretty low. Aura was likely the best one they had, but even her stealth detection was sub-par. Ainz could almost fool her with his [Perfect Unknowable].

Ainz shook his head trying to push away the thoughts of unknown enemies away.

“Tomorrow we’ll take the city of Krozno. I will decide what to do after that,” he said.

“Can we just have Nazarick forces use [Gate] to teleport to the camp with the minotaur and capture it? The Hanzos could do it too.” Nabe asked.

“I didn’t want to reveal our hand to an unknown enemy, but we might not have a choice. It’s a matter of Nazarick’s safety to figure out how we are being spied on,” Momon pointed out.

***

The next day the human army advanced on the city of Krozno. Once they arrived, they used the same strategy as they did to take Decoza – Darkness advanced while the rest of the army stayed back, waiting for Momon to unlock the gates.

Momon deflected the arrows which were shot at them, while Nabe cast [Fireball] to clear out the ramparts.

This should be simple enough, Momon thought as they quickly arrived near the gates.

“I am going,” he told Nabe, before he sprinted and jumped over the city wall, a sword in each hand.

Oh, crap! Ainz couldn’t help but think this as he came over the wall and saw what was on the other side.

The beastmen had exceeded his expectations. As he flew over the wall, a hail of arrows hit him, and even some spells cast by the shamans. None of them did any damage, but the impact changed his balance, he would fall on the ground instead of landing on his feet. And below him was a mass of beastmen. In fact, the whole street that led to the gates was teeming with enemies.

Momon landed on his feet, but the momentum pushed him to the ground. Immediately blows fell on him from everywhere. The low-level weapons couldn’t penetrate his armor, but the constant impact made standing up difficult. He tried to swing his swords but discovered that several beastmen had already stepped on each one, using their weight to pin them to the ground.

Momon cursed silently under his helm. He was strong, enough so to throw an adult male with a casual flick of his wrist. But lifting a sword which had three beastmen standing on it, while constantly being hit from all sides was too much.

He let go of both swords and reached into a black space in front of him, pulling out a blue dagger.

[Activate: Frost Pain Modified] [Icy Burst] Momon used the dagger’s ability on the beastmen securing one of his swords.

The beastmen who were hit by the ability had directly turned into ice statues. Momon rushed forward, crashing into the frozen beastmen and shattering them into pieces. He turned around and reached into the black space again. This time he pulled out a spear covered in flames.

[Activate: Spear of Flames] [Flame Javelin] he hurled the spear at the beastmen near his other sword. The explosion blew the beastmen away, as the smoke from it obscured everyone’s vision.

Momon used the opening these two moves created to pick up his sword. He swung it in a horizontal arc, forcing the tide of beastmen back. As the sword flew in a beautiful arc, Momon utilized its momentum to take several steps forward. He bent down and picked up his other sword.

“Now, come at me,” he taunted the beastmen.

To his surprise they did, and with no hesitation. However, it was much easier fighting while standing up, compared to when he was fumbling on the ground taking blows from all direction. He sliced through the beastmen that were brave enough to advance, but new ones would take the place of the fallen.

He sliced and sliced, from afar he must’ve looked like a human electric saw, splashing blood and guts in every direction. But the beastmen wouldn’t let up, no matter how many he killed, he was still surrounded by a ring of enemies.

***

On the other side of the gates, Nabe waited for the gates to open. She waited and waited, she could hear the non-stop sounds of battle from the other side. Was Ainz-sama ambushed? She thought.

“Cheh,” Nabed cursed, she cast [Fly] and flew up to see what was happening on the other side.

As she levitated above the walls she was met by a hail of arrows, forcing her to fly back to the ground. However, she had already seen what she needed – Ainz was surrounded by a mountain of corpses, though new fighters came to take their place.

What impudence! Making Ainz-sama work so hard, and for the benefit of the lowly humans at that, Nabe thought. She wanted to help her master, but that would require her to use higher tier magic, and Ainz had not given such an order. All she could do was grit her teeth and wait.

***

How many had he killed? Momon already lost count, but it must’ve been hundreds. Still, the beastmen never stopped, they didn’t try to flee, but bravely stepped forward only to be cut by his swords.

What’s with these guys? Do they have no fear? Can’t they tell this is fruitless? Ainz wondered.

***

The Kingdom’s army waited patiently, they could hear the sounds of battle and knew that their hero hadn’t been slain. Still, the murmurs were becoming louder and louder.

“What the hell is going on?” One of his comrades asked Kraus.

“Let me find out,” Kraus responded.

It had been more than ten minutes since Momon went over the wall, yet the gate wasn’t opening. Kraus quickly approached Nabe.

“Nabe-san, do you know what’s happening on the other side?” He asked.

“Momon-sasan had been ambushed by the beastmen, he is surrounded on all sides and can’t get to the gates to open them,” Nabe responded. “Also, there are archers on the walls, who will shoot at anyone using [Fly].”

“We must help Momon-dono, I will lead the army to scale the walls,” Kraus announced before he ran back to the army.

“Cheh, some lowly human thinks Momon-sama needs the help of these insects,” Nabe couldn’t help but voice her opinion. However, Kraus was already too far to hear her words.

After Kraus returned to his position the human army quickly advanced. As they approached the beastmen atop the wall revealed themselves and let loose their arrows. However, this meant that Nabe could now release her frustration. Fireballs exploded sending defenders flying. But the beastmen seemingly had no fear, they did not retreat, but continued to shoot at the humans.

“Scale the walls help Momon-dono on the other side!” Kraus bellowed.

It was impossible for regular soldiers to scale a four-meter-high wall without proper equipment, but it was different for the men in his group. Seven of them jumped, some scaled the wall just like that, landing on the ramparts, others were only able to jump high enough to grab onto the edge of the wall, and had to pull themselves up. Kraus and another magic caster used [Fly] to get over the wall. Nabe also used [Fly] and rose into the air.

The beastmen might’ve been well prepared, having several groups on the ground dedicated solely to shooting down anyone who tried to make it over the wall. However, ten targets were just too many. They shot their arrows, trying to suppress the three magic casters, but that left the humans on the walls to their own devices.

Several of the humans pulled out and secured ropes to the wall, throwing the other end down to the invading forces. While others rushed the beastmen on the ramparts, quickly dispatching them. After the ramparts were cleared of enemies, the men from the Slane Theocracy descended from the walls and joined the fray.

While they weren’t as powerful as Momon, their addition forced the beastmen to defend multiple points, alleviating the pressure on Momon. The three magic casters also managed to release several spells, creating even more opening. The fighters of the Theocracy broke through to Momon’s position.

“Open the gates while I hold them back,” Momon ordered.

Several men attacked the beastmen between their position and the gates, while others fought by Momon’s side, pushing the beastmen away.

The tide was turning. More and more humans appeared on the walls after climbing the ropes and when the gates finally opened the human army flooded into the city.

They were shocked by the mountains of corpses lying everywhere. But there was no time to gawk around, the beastmen refused to run away. They stood their ground even as Momon and Theocracy’s men cut through their ranks. Even when the magic casters were finally able to get rid of the archers and begun flinging spells at the crowded defenders, they still didn’t flee.

What’s going on? It’s like they are all under a [Berserk] status effect. But given their numbers, only a high-level Shaman could cast such a spell on all of them, and the Hanzos didn’t find anyone like that, Suzuki Satoru wondered as he fought, knee deep in blood.

The beastmen’s bravery was in vain. Led by Momon and the group from the Theocracy, and with three days of rest, the human army couldn’t be stopped. However, every beastmen had been either slain, there wasn’t a single one who surrendered or was captured while trying to escape.

“What the hell happened,” Momon couldn’t help but speak this words as he looked around.

Even though he had killed 70,000 men at the Katze Plains, they were killed silently by a spell. On the other hand here most of the beastmen died from melee weapons, and their blood and guts were laying everywhere.

“Are you alright, Momon-sasan,” Nabe asked after flying over.

“Yes, I am fine. Nabe, fly up and see if there are any beastmen fleeing from the city,” he ordered.

“That was a heck of a performance,” Kraus praised as he approached.

“I was able to hold out just long enough for your group to arrive. I am thankful for your help, Kraus-dono.”

“Momon-dono is too kind, I am sure you wouldn’t fall even without our help,” Kraus motioned to the mountains of beastmen corpses, which almost blocked their view of the gates.

“I was lucky none of their champions were in this city,” Momon said.

Wait a minuted, why weren’t any of them in the city? What about the one who led them? Did I accidentally kill their leader without noticing? Momon’s mind raced.

“Ahem, if you will excuse me, I’d like to clean this filth off of my armor,” Momon told Kraus.

Looking around he saw what used to be an inn and walked inside.

“If you have anything to report, do so,” Momon said, despite being the only one inside.

“Yes, Momon-san, we had taken the liberty to capture the beastmen commander of this city, as he tried to flee. He was knocked out from behind and doesn’t know of our presence.”

The ninja’s addressing him as Momon-san could be seen as disrespectful, but Ainz had instructed the Ninjas to address him such, in case some human saw their interaction. That way he could explain that the Hanzo was an agent of Nazarick, sent to keep tabs on him.

“Where is he now?” Ainz asked, eager to learn what caused the beastmen’s unyielding behavior.

“We had moved him to the city wall opposite of the gates you’ve attacked. I believe Nabe-san was flying there as well,” the ninja replied.

Momon nodded to the ninja and exited the building and cast a quick glance around, but no one was acting weird. He began to walk, thinking of an excuse he could use to go to the unconscious beastmen commander. However, before he could come up with a satisfactory reason he saw Nabe flying towards him, carrying something large over her shoulder.

“I have found this bug on the other side of the city, maybe it could prove useful,” she said, dumping the beastmen on the ground.

“Let’s see what he can tell us,” Ainz smiled. He wanted to know what happened here and now, he would get his answers.

 

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