บท 10: CH : 10 God of Death

They had reached a section of the forest that was completely rotten. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the once vibrant vegetation now lay lifeless and decomposed. Only death prevailed in this desolate place. The girls scanned their surroundings, wary of any undead that might lurk among the rotting foliage.

Ahead, I spotted the old castle, its crumbling structure surrounded by rotten trees. I felt a pang of regret. Now that Blue Rose knew the castle's location.

Despite its current state, I couldn't help but admire the castle. I had always been drawn to such places—old, abandoned castles and large, foreboding tombs. They reminded me of the entrance to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, evoking a sense of nostalgia for the grandeur and mystery of my own domain.

"The undead are coming this way!" shouted Evileye, her voice cutting through the tension.

From every direction, thousands of undead skeletons emerged, converging on me and Blue Rose.

"Alright then, let's destroy these skeletons," I said, my voice calm and steady.

I leaped in front of the advancing skeleton warriors, my greatswords gleaming ominously. With a single, powerful strike, I slew fifty of them, sending bones and skulls flying in all directions. Despite the carnage, the undead felt no fear and continued their relentless assault. I moved like a storm, obliterating every undead in my path with a deadly grace.

The members of Blue Rose watched in amazement. No, not just amazement—awed admiration.

The Frost Wyvern had been far more powerful, and Mark had slain it with ease. These undead skeletons were nothing to him.

"So powerful," murmured Evileye, her eyes wide with admiration.

"Oi oi, Mark, leave some for us, man," said Gagaran with excitement, her blood pumping.

Gagaran charged at the skeletons, her war pick smashing through bones with brutal efficiency. Evileye used [Fly] to hover above the battlefield, casting devastating spells on the skeleton warriors below. Tia and Tina joined the fray, their movements swift and lethal, while Lakyus provided support from behind, her eyes scanning for any signs of danger.

***

After thirty grueling minutes, the entire undead army lay in ruins. Piles of bones and shattered skulls littered the forest floor.

Except for Mark and Evileye, the others were visibly exhausted from the battle.

"Damn, Mark, you have all that heavy armor and those big swords, and you don't look exhausted. Just what kind of training did you do?" Gagaran asked, panting slightly.

Ainz didn't answer Gagaran's question. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the castle looming in the distance and began walking towards it. Blue Rose, after catching their breath, followed him without hesitation.

They were 50 meters away from the castle, and they didn't stop their advance. With each step, the foreboding gothic structure loomed closer. Suddenly, the massive gate of the old castle creaked open, pushed aside by two skeletal guards.

Five figures emerged from the shadows of the gate. Four of them were draped in dark blue, old, and luxurious robes that barely concealed their rotting flesh and exposed bones. The one in the middle was different. He wore a robe of red and black, and unlike the others, he was a skeletal undead without any decaying flesh. Each of them held a twisted staff in their right hand and a strange orb in their left.

"Is it a high lich?" Ainz mused aloud, his eyes narrowing as he observed the skeletal figure in the center. This undead had the appearance of a night or high lich. Evileye, standing behind him, trembled visibly.

The skeletal figure in the red and dark robe, evidently the leader, stepped forward. His hollow eyes fixed on the Blue Rose and Ainz. "You have done well, mortals, in destroying the army of death, but this is where your little adventure ends," the undead leader declared, his voice echoing with an eerie calm.

The Blue Rose, understanding the gravity of the situation, prepared for an imminent battle. It would be foolish to let a magic caster, especially an undead one, have the chance to power up. They knew too well the devastating power of an undead magic caster capable of casting [Fireball] multiple times.

Lakyus, the leader of Blue Rose, gripped her sword tightly. "Prepare yourselves," she ordered, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her heart. "We cannot let him cast his spells."

"I have a question," the dark warrior Mark spoke, his voice breaking the tense silence.

The girls turned their eyes toward Ainz, confusion evident on their faces. Even the Elder Liches seemed momentarily taken aback by the sudden query.

"Ask, mortal!" the undead responded, crossing his arms in a gesture of defiance and amusement.

"What does he want to ask in a moment like this?" Evileye thought, her mind racing with confusion and concern.

"What kind of undead are you? You might get offended if I call you a mere elder lich, right?" Ainz asked, his tone curious and probing.

Although the undead didn't possess facial expressions, Ainz felt an eerie sense of amusement emanating from him, as if he were smiling. Ainz was genuinely curious about what class of undead stood before him.

"You are not wrong; every mortal that has seen my face thought I am an elder lich. Well, you and your friends are going to die anyway, so I will tell you," the undead continued, his voice dripping with arrogance. "I am an undead of the highest order, the night lich Alzur from the Corpus of the Abyss," he introduced himself, pride evident in his declaration.

"But... but I thought they were just myths," Evileye stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she processed the revelation.

Ainz, with his superior sense of hearing, caught Evileye's murmured words. He had never heard about these night liches before; they didn't exist in YGGDRASIL. And Corpus of the Abyss? To him, that sounded like some kind of nefarious undead organization. Yet, despite the grandiose title and the ominous introduction, this night lich seemed strangely weak.

"Night Lich, huh... never heard about them," said Ainz, his voice calm but curious.

"Of course not," the Night Lich, Alzur, sneered. "No one has survived to tell the tale. Now..."

Alzur pointed a skeletal finger at Evileye, clearly perceiving her as a significant threat due to her strong magical presence.

"[Dragon Lightning]!" Alzur unleashed his spell.

White lightning, crackling and fierce, took the shape of a dragon and surged towards Evileye with blinding speed. In the split second before the spell could reach her, Evileye acted swiftly.

"[Crystal Wall]!" she incanted, her voice steady and resolute.

A wall composed of earth-element crystals materialized in front of her, shimmering with a radiant light. The dragon-shaped lightning collided with the crystal barrier, and for a moment, the air was filled with the deafening sound of crackling energy and shattering crystal. The [Crystal Wall] held for a brief second before it was completely obliterated by the sheer force of the [Dragon Lightning].

The remnants of the shattered crystals glittered like fallen stars around Evileye, who stood her ground, unscathed but visibly alarmed by the destructive power of the Night Lich's attack.

"Annoying, they are not like the other adventurers," Alzur growled, his patience wearing thin. "All of you, use the Supreme Orb of Death."

"Yes, master," the Elder Liches responded in unison, their voices echoing with an eerie resonance.

The ground began to shake violently, fissures forming and spreading rapidly. From the cracks emerged ten colossal beings composed of countless human bones.

"Skeletal Dragons," Ainz said, his voice low but steady.

The skeletal dragons stood three meters tall, their wings unfurling with a bone-chilling creak. Their hollow eye sockets glowed with a malevolent light, and their very presence exuded an aura of death and decay.

"That's right," Alzur declared with a sinister smile. "After we're done with you, we will march on the cities of the Kingdom. We will kill and destroy everything in our path. This Kingdom will become a land of the dead."

The sight of ten skeletal dragons and five powerful undead magic casters filled the air with a palpable sense of dread. The weak armies of the Kingdom would stand no chance against such formidable foes.

"We must stop them now!" shouted Lakyus, her voice filled with urgency.

"I'll handle the skeletal dragons," Ainz responded, his tone resolute.

Like a bullet, Ainz charged towards one of the skeletal dragons. The undead beast swung its massive claws to block him, but Ainz's speed and power were unmatched. With a single, devastating strike from his greatswords, he obliterated the skeletal dragon, sending fragments of bone flying in all directions.

"What the..."

"Impossible!" gasped the undead magic casters, their disbelief evident. It was inconceivable that a skeletal dragon could be destroyed with a single hit.

"You bastard, I'm gonna kill—"

"[Penetrate Maximize Magic - Crystal Dagger]!" Evileye interrupted, attempting to catch Alzur off guard with her spell.

"Damn it! [Teleportation]!" Alzur snarled, vanishing and reappearing in the sky. Hovering above using [Fly], he glared down at the adventurers.

"You little brat, eat this," he spat.

"[Maximize Magic - Dragon Lightning]!"

The lightning spell, shaped like a fearsome dragon, shot towards Evileye with blinding speed. She had no time to cast a defensive spell and was struck directly.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" she screamed in agony as the lightning coursed through her, sending her crashing to the ground unconscious.

The rest of the team was stunned. The strongest magic caster among them was now lying helplessly on the ground, and the situation had taken a dire turn.

"EVILEYE, NOOO!" screamed Gagaran, her voice breaking with desperation.

She sprinted towards Evileye, but in her haste, she made a fatal mistake—turning her back to the enemy.

"Gaah!" she cried out in pain as four magic arrows struck her, forcing her to her knees.

"Gagaran, I'll heal you!" shouted Lakyus, rushing to her side.

"[Middle Healing]!" she cast, but it was too late.

"You forgot about me, human, hehe," an Elder Lich appeared.

"[Fireball]!"

Lakyus quickly cast [Magic Shield], but the force of the explosion sent her flying. She hit the ground hard but slowly rose, using her demonic sword for support.

"Don't... look... down... on me..." she said through gritted teeth, her determination unwavering.

"Super skill! [Dark Blade Mega Impact]!"

With a powerful horizontal sweep, black energy erupted from her blade, slicing through the air in a vast, slashing wave. Alzur used [Fly] to dodge the dark energy, but the explosion obliterated several undead magic casters.

From the thick smoke, two [Fireballs] emerged, one from the left and one from the right, hurtling towards Lakyus. She used her Floating Swords to deflect the fireball on the right, but the one on the left struck her hard, sending her crashing into a rotten tree.

"...Ma...mar...ple...ase..." she whispered before falling unconscious.

Gagaran and Tia also lay on the ground, unconscious, having been struck down by a relentless rain of magic arrows. The battlefield was strewn with the fallen, and the situation grew increasingly dire.

Tina had been using [Hide Shadow], a ninjutsu skill to blend into the shadows. But her stealth was abruptly shattered as three knife-like projectiles pierced her body, forcing her into visibility.

"Haha, I can detect life, human. You can't hide from me," cackled an Elder Lich.

"[Lightning]!"

Three bolts of lightning struck Tina in quick succession, each impact searing through her, causing her to collapse to the ground, unconscious. One more spell from the Elder Lich, and she might lose her life.

The tension in the air was palpable as all eyes turned toward Ainz. The once cohesive battlefield had shifted its focus entirely to him. The sight of the lone warrior standing amidst the carnage was a stark contrast to the chaos that had just unfolded. The Skeletal Dragons, formidable opponents, had been reduced to nothing with a single, devastating blow from Ainz. Now, the remaining undead Elder Lichs began to encircle him, their intent clear in their eyes and postures. They were ready to unleash their full power upon this intruder.

"You are alone now, warrior," intoned the leader of the undead, his voice a chilling echo that sent shivers down the spines of even the bravest. "Kneel, and let me grant you a quick, painless death."

For a moment, a heavy silence settled over the battlefield. The air was thick with anticipation as everyone waited for Ainz's response. The undead magic casters exchanged wary glances, their skeletal faces betraying no emotion but their unease evident in their movements.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a deep, resonant sound.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ainz's laughter boomed across the battlefield, a sound so incongruous with the grim surroundings that it seemed almost surreal. It was a hearty, genuine laugh, as if someone had just told him the most amusing joke he had ever heard. The undeads looked at each other in confusion, their hollow eyes reflecting their uncertainty. Had the dark warrior lost his mind in the face of imminent death, or was there something more sinister at play?

Ainz's laughter continued, echoing off the skeletal remains and broken weapons that littered the ground. He clutched his sides as if to contain his mirth, his whole body shaking with amusement. Slowly, he regained his composure, though a wide, almost manic grin remained on his hidden face.

"Quick and painless, you say?" Ainz's voice was rich with amusement, yet underlined with a dangerous edge. "Do you truly believe that you have the power to grant me such mercy?"

His eyes glowed with an eerie light, a sign of the immense power that lay within him. The undead magic casters shifted uneasily, sensing the shift in the balance of power. Ainz took a step forward, and the ground seemed to tremble beneath him.

"You fools," he continued, his voice now a menacing growl. "You have no idea what you are up against."

In that electrifying moment, the dark armor that had encased the formidable warrior began to dissolve, disintegrating into thin air like wisps of smoke. What emerged from beneath was something beyond belief, a sight so surreal that it left everyone stunned. The entity before them was no longer the dark warrior, nor was it human. It was a being draped in a flowing black robe, a garment that seemed to absorb all light, creating an aura of impenetrable darkness around him. A dark, halo-like object glimmered ominously behind his head, casting an eerie glow.

The being was skeletal, devoid of skin or flesh. Each of his bony fingers was adorned with a different, ornate ring, each pulsating with a different, powerful energy. In his right hand, he held a golden staff, intricately designed and exuding a formidable, almost palpable power. The staff seemed to hum with latent energy, promising untold destruction.

The surrounding undead elder lichs instinctively took a step back. The aura emanating from this figure was overwhelming, like a terrifying storm bearing down upon them. The entity before them exuded an aura of such malevolence and power that there was only one apt description: "God of Death." The undead, though devoid of the human capacity for fear, felt an instinctual dread; if they had been human, they would have likely perished from the sheer shock of his presence.

"Ah, you guys are really amusing, kuku," the skeletal figure spoke, his voice resonating with a godly, otherworldly timbre. It was a voice that commanded attention and inspired fear, the voice of a deity of death.

"Wh- who ar- are you?" stammered Alzur, his voice trembling with a mix of awe and terror.

The being's eyes glowed with an intense, fiery light as he regarded Alzur and the others. The dark god's smile, or what could be interpreted as a smile on his skeletal visage, widened slightly.

Alzur's mind raced as he grappled with the shocking reality before him. Why was this undead being allied with humans? The presence of such a powerful entity among them reminded him of the dark days when the God of Death, Surshana, reigned over the Slane Theocracy.

"I had hoped to converse with you..." Ainz murmured, his voice tinged with regret. "But now, it doesn't matter."

With a gesture, Ainz invoked a spell, his voice echoing with unearthly power. "[Maximize Magic - Call Greater Thunder]!"

The sky, dark and foreboding, seemed to split open as a massive thunderbolt descended. The skeletal dragons and elder liches had only a brief moment to register the blinding light before it consumed them entirely. Their final vision was a blinding white flash.

"Maaaaster!" screamed one of the elder liches in sheer desperation.

The thunderbolt struck with unparalleled fury, obliterating the nine skeletal dragons and reducing the elder liches to mere dust. Alzur stood paralyzed, his emotions a tempest within him. The scene of destruction before his eyes was a nightmare made real. For centuries, the four elder liches had been his loyal subordinates. Though he was ruthless, he cared deeply for them.

His mind drifted back to the memories of each one:

The first was Igor, a lich he had named himself. Alzur found him wandering the desolate expanse of the Katze Plains and offered him a place by his side.

Xuldo, the second, had been fleeing from the Black Scripture in the Dragon Kingdom. In a moment of desperation, as he was about to be slain, Alzur intervened, dispatching three members of the Black Scripture and saving Xuldo, who then pledged his loyalty in gratitude and for the promise of greater magical knowledge.

Tanush, the third, had been cast out from his cave by a powerful magical beast in the Baharuth Empire. Desperate and on the run from the patrolling hippogriff riders, he encountered Alzur. After sharing his plight, Alzur helped him reclaim his home by grievously wounding the beast and allowing Tanush the honor of the final blow. Impressed by Alzur's power and wisdom, Tanush joined him.