Ainz's rattling words weren't just words, but a death knell.
A sense of urgency rooted itself in all Heroic Spirits' hearts, their eyes widening at the thought of a fate that Rider and Berserker had shared with them.
"ATTACK!" Jeanne d'Arc took the lead, shouting and charging at the enemies.
Saber and Archer boomed, Shirou and Black blurred, and purple thunder rumbled around Rider, her Mystic Eyes of Petrification already numbing the enemies' bodies.
"HA!" Saber Alter broke through the petrification with a powerful Mana Burst.
Taking a stance, she shot herself forward, her blackened sword meeting the Holy Maiden's lance, creating a vacuum at the point of contact.
Kirei Kotomine appeared between Shirou and Black like a wraith, the white sclera of his eyes bleeding black.
Lancer was as fast as Gae Bolg, holding back not only Archer, but also Saber.
But Rider… she was free.
Suddenly, a golden ray of light fell from the sky and took the shape of a Staff.
The Moon gem on the Staff lit up, casting the Veil of Moon on Ainz. Rider's strengthened feet landed on the immaterial magical barrier and bounced her off with a rattling boom.
"Humph!" Medusa snorted in annoyance, her eyes glowing with madness as she looked at the Staff of Ainz.
With an unheard thump, the Staff itself began gaining a stony layer, the glow of the gems dulling on its crown.
Simultaneously, Ainz Ooal Gown cast a spell, taking advantage of the defensive barrier.
"Create High-Tier Undead," the Overlord said, the hollow of his eyes, holding black cruciforms, glowing. "Come forth — Eyeball Corpses!"
Deathly Mana surged in Ainz's surroundings, resonating with the shadowy ball of curse.
Instantly, six pinkish balls began taking shape over Ainz's head. In a matter of moments, the tiny balls became huge, looking like a filthy mass of flesh. And the moment all balls fully took their forms, their flesh squirmed.
With a bang, the squirming flesh split open, revealing gray, murky eyes.
These were the Eyeball Corpses, about two meters in diameter. They had countless murky eyes that looked like they were haphazardly sewn together, using eyes removed from the carcasses of many types of creatures.
Although their offensive power was low, their value resided in their surveillance ability rather than their combat levels.
Eyeball Corpses… were the nemesis of all stealthy beings, whether they were using magic or other skills to do so.
As the scores of murky eyes opened, all Heroic Spirits felt naked under their gazes.
However, the Eyeball Corpses were looking neither at Saber nor Archer. Nor were they looking at Jeanne or Rider. All eyes were staring dead at a distant, inconspicuous corner of the battlefield.
Shit! All Servants cursed in their minds, realizing what the Eyeball Corpses were looking at.
Assassin!
He was the trump card that they had been holding back on since the beginning, just for the worst-case scenario. If the enemy showed even a hint of summoning Medusa Alter to the battlefield, Assassin would use his Noble Phantasms and assassinate her instantly.
That's why, no matter how precarious the situation had turned, Assassin had never revealed himself.
Of course, Ainz Ooal Gown had guessed it as well.
Assassin might possess the greatest Concealment ability among all Servant Classes. However, even he wouldn't escape the gaze of the Eyeball Corpses.
Knowing where Assassin was, the Staff of Ainz shook, activating the Sun Gem. A sphere of extreme radiance and heat surrounded the Staff, undoing the petrification. Then, the Sum Gem once again glowed… blinding everyone.
9th Tier Spell —
From the unseen heavens, a fiery pillar of light descended and landed at the spot where Assassin was hiding.
— Vermilion Nova!
It had come so fast and with so much power that, despite his immense speed, Assassin couldn't dodge it, getting burned alive.
As Assassin's painful grunt escaped, revealing his presence, the ball of shadow boiling in the middle of the battlefield intensified. It was as if it knew the chance it had been waiting for had arrived.
At the same time, more Gems began lighting up on the Staff of Ainz, determined to pin down Assassin, no matter where he would run to.
Letting out a growl, Rider had just taken a step toward the Lich, deciding to end it all with her most powerful attack, when someone's voice reached her.
"Leave the Lich and his Spells to me…"
Medusa looked to her left as Betty Shaw came to a stop, missing his white suit. He was still wearing his white pants, and the Video Camera on his shoulder still looked relatively intact.
Not asking how Betty was going to keep Lich and his Spells off Assassin's back, Medusa charged toward the Staff itself, the latter bringing out more Primal Elements to counter her.
Behind her, Betty Shaw took a deep breath and dug his soles into the ground.
"Can you see Ainz Ooal Gown, dear audience?" the Director asked. "He's a Character any director would love to film, right? A Character any director would love to show to his audience, right? But aren't we too far from him? I should be closer to him, right? I should be… right next to him, no? Do you agree with me? Do you? Oh! Thank you!! Thanks a lot… my beloved audience!!!"
The entire ground behind Betty Shaw upended as he shot forward, surpassing even Servants' heroic speeds.
The Veil of Moon, keeping Ainz Ooal Gown and the Eyeball Corpses, was still there, invisible.
It had even bounced off Medusa's full power attack, without losing any of its effectiveness.
And yet… as the Director recorded Ainz Ooal Gown for his audience, he… bypassed the Veil of Moon as if it didn't even exist, appearing right next to the Overlord.
Even Ainz Ooal Gown stumbled back, finding the phenomenon impossible.
The Lich fired a Reality Slash at the enemy so close to him, but the attack didn't even reach Betty, the Video Camera sending it flying in another direction.
"I don't like violence…" Betty Shaw said, as a massive image of a drill appeared on his left hand. "It doesn't mean I am afraid of it…"
Then, he fired himself toward the Eyeball Corpses, destroying each one of them instantly.
At the exact time, the shadowy ball exploded, revealing a long, white-haired beauty, donning black armor, and looking exactly like Medusa.
And time stopped — the fate itself hanging by the thinnest thread — whose name was Assassin…
… as he revealed his second Noble Phantasm!
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