Ainz carelessly showed his back to them, and called out to the VIP box. There was no chance he would be hurt, and it showed in his attitude.
No, that was the reality of it. There was no attack they could use which would work. This was mere fantasy after understanding the truth of things. The two of them had no method which could wound the monster called Ainz. Because of this, they could calmly turn their heads back. At the very least, they had to buy Arche the time to flee.
Although they had no cards to play, they still had to do it. Imina and Roberdyck exchanged looks, and nodded.
On the other hand, a girl’s voice came from the VIP box in response to Ainz’s voice.
She was a human girl with hair that gleamed like platinum. Although the two of them were filled with anger, they could not help but be captivated by that beauty, their eyes drawn to the girl who possessed it.
Suddenly. the beautiful girl shifted her line of sight to look at the two of them. Her eyes were an entrancing crimson. Imina felt as though they were squeezing her heart. Similarly for Roberdyck, he was having trouble breathing with the crushing pressure on his chest.
Even after the girl’s eyes left her, Imina still didn’t feel like she could move freely.
“Shalltear, teach that child the meaning of terror. Teach her the gulf between the sliver of hope for escape that she clings to, and the inescapable reality that awaits all who dare invade the Great Tomb of Nazarick. After that, do not cause her any pain, but slay her with the deepest and sincerest mercy.”
“Understood, Ainz-sama.”
The girl—Shalltear—smiled to Ainz. However, when Imina saw that smile from the side, a chill ran down her spine. Her instinct told her that this was a monster draped in a very beautiful skin.
“Do enjoy the hunt.”
“That was my intention.”
Shalltear bowed deeply to Ainz before setting forth. Every step she took was one closer to ending Arche’s life, but even if Imina knew it in her mind, there was nothing they could do about it. Imina and Roberdyck were both unable to move.
Shalltear walked past them without any sign that she had noticed them, without paying them the slightest bit of attention. Perhaps Foresight could close the distance between themselves and Shalltear immediately if they ran after her, but she seemed so far away.
“What’s this? Still not coming? If you have time to talk, you have time to fight… How unexpectedly honorable of you.”
He was not looking down on her. His sentiment was genuine. In response to it, Imina’s fighting spirit recovered somewhat.
“Wait! A question, please! What happened there, where is the mercy in that?”
“A priest… then, I will tell you. In my Nazarick, a death without further suffering is mercy enough.”
Silence descended upon them. They would no longer speak with words, but weapons.
“Let’s go, Rob!”
“Yes! Ohhhhhhh!”
With an uncharacteristic battlecry, the charging Roberdyck brought his morningstar down on Ainz’s face. It was a strike that considered nothing but the full use of his strength. It was precisely because he thought that Ainz would not evade it that he put all his might into the blow.
Although Ainz took a strike made with all of Roberdyck’s strength, he did not react with pain as expected. Roberdyck followed up his attack, reaching out with his bare hand.
“「Cure Moderate Wounds」!”
The healing spell was targeted at Ainz. When exposed to healing-type magic, undead would take damage instead. However, like the attack spell Arche cast earlier, it vanished uselessly against an invisible wall.
“Ahhhhh!”
Imina tensed her bowstring as she cried out. Then—she loosed. Although Roberdyck was next to Ainz, she was not nearly bad enough to actually hit him. Rather, at this range, there was no way she could miss.
Yet—the arrows struck Ainz, and fell to the ground without doing any damage whatsoever.
Ainz vanished.
It was the same tactic as earlier.
“Teleportation!”
“Not quite.”
As expected, the voice came from behind.
“I—”
Before Roberdyck could finish, Ainz’s hand gently settled on Imina’s shoulder. There was no hint of enmity in that gesture.
However, it had a telling effect. All the strength in her body vanished, and she slumped to the ground. Although her mind was fully functional and conscious, her body felt like a puddle of immobile, insensate slime.
“What did you do to her?”
Roberdyck asked his question in a trembling voice, as his eyes went from Imina to Ainz, who stood by her side.
“Was that a surprise? It’s nothing special.”
Ainz proceeded to explain in such a way as to break Roberdyck’s spirit.
“It was almost the same as just now. After casting a silent ‘Time Stop’ I moved over here and cast the same spell I used on that man, ‘Touch of Undeath’. And then, I just touched her.”
The silence felt as though the space between them had been frozen. The sound of Roberdyck swallowing was exceptionally loud in comparison,
“…He stopped time…”
“Oh yes. Anti-time stop countermeasures are very important, don’t you know? You’ll need to have them by the time you hit level 70. Oh well, you’re going to die here, so in your case, it’s largely academic.”
Roberdyck grinded his teeth.
He was lying. If only he could say that. If only he could deny everything this monster—this god—was saying. It would be better if he fell to his knees and clutched his ears to shut the words out.
He understood that Ainz was very powerful.
However, even with that considered, stopping time and the like was something that should not exist in this world.
The march of time was a flow that could not be mastered or controlled by humanity. What could he do against a foe who was capable of such a feat? Cutting down an entire forest with a single sword would be an easier goal in comparison.
Ainz Ooal Gown. He was a being that the human race could never defeat. He was a man who stood at the cusp of divinity.
He gripped his mace in both hands—
—and he felt a light tap on his shoulder.