The sharp evening wind stirred the hems of their robes. The sudden appearance of Momonga and Chu Lian—and the equally sudden disappearance of the Warrior-Captain and his squad—left everyone present stunned. After a moment, Nigun finally looked at them expressionlessly and asked, "Who are you?"
"Allow me to introduce myself. Esteemed members of the Slane Theocracy, my name is Ainz Ooal Gown. If you would call me Ainz, it would be my honor." Momonga showed no irritation at the man's tone. Instead, he introduced himself with remarkable courtesy.
The sun sank toward the west, its brilliant glow illuminating the plain and casting the two opposing sides into sharp relief.
"I happen to have some ties to that village..."
Those words led Nigun to mistakenly assume he had come to beg for mercy. A proud and contemptuous expression appeared on his face. "Have you come to plead for their lives?"
"No, no. In fact, I overheard your conversation with the Warrior-Captain. I simply thought... you truly do not know your place."
The unexpected response caught Nigun off guard. Before he could react, Momonga continued, his voice colder.
"To dare speak of killing the villagers I went to the trouble of saving—do you have any idea how displeased that makes me?"
"Displeased? Such arrogance. Just because you are a magic caster? And so what?" Nigun laughed. In his eyes, this was the one who truly did not know his place. When it came to magic casters, who surpassed the Slane Theocracy—especially the Sunlight Scripture?
"Surrender and accept death. That way, you may suffer a little less." Momonga slowly raised his hand, anger evident beneath his calm exterior. "If you refuse... then you will pay for your foolishness with a death steeped in despair and agony."
Those words were the last straw.
"Angels, charge!" Nigun commanded.
At once, his subordinates directed the Dominion Authorities toward Momonga.
Just as two of them thrust their radiant swords at him, Chu Lian moved.
In an instant, she appeared before Momonga. With two small fists, she struck once to each side—boom—sending both angels flying. They crashed into the others behind them, and the sky descended into chaos.
"There is no need for you to act, big brother. Leave these to Deloris. I would also like to see how strong my abilities are now that they have become reality."
Momonga had intended to use this opportunity to gauge both the enemy's strength and his own. But since Deloris wished to test herself, he relented.
Still, he offered a warning. "Deloris, be careful."
She nodded. "They are mere fodder. Please rest assured, big brother. As long as I stand by your side, no one can harm me."
Her words clearly conveyed another meaning.
With you here, I will never be hurt.
Understanding her intention, Momonga felt a surge of elation. His focus sharpened instantly, ready to intercept any threat aimed at her.
"There is no need for Lord Ainz to personally deal with the likes of you. As his subordinate, I am more than enough. For him to act would be beneath his status. Though even I am overqualified to crush you... do try to enjoy yourselves."
As she spoke, a bead glowing with pale blue light appeared in her hand—the Devourer's Soul Orb. A soul-pulling attraction emanated from it, threatening to drag their minds into its depths.
"You arrogant brat! Witness the power of the gods' envoy! Dominion Authorities, kill her!"
Nigun could tell from her voice that she was barely more than a child. That such a girl dared speak so brazenly enraged him.
At his command, all but the two half-shattered angels regrouped and surged toward her.
"Hehe..."
Her soft laugh rang out like a beautiful woman whispering seductively in one's ear.
Three Demonic Foxfires began to revolve around her, incinerating three approaching Dominion Authorities into ash in an instant.
Yet three foxfires were not enough. More angels closed in.
Chu Lian flicked the Devourer's Soul Orb forward. The orb alone dealt catastrophic magic damage, obliterating every Principality Observation before her. When she recalled it, the true damage from its return swept through the remaining angels, reducing them to motes of light.
Half the angels vanished in moments. The rest, still awaiting orders, continued their charge.
Her skills entered cooldown.
Unless she used Soul Assault immediately, she would not be able to eliminate them all at once. But wasting such a skill on mere cannon fodder would be excessive.
She extended her hand. A burst of Spiritual Power exploded outward, blasting the angels back. Then, one Spiritual Bullet after another shot forth, interspersed with further bursts, sweeping through them like a storm and crushing the remainder.
The entire battle lasted less than fifteen seconds.
Though it lacked the overwhelming spectacle of Momonga's Negative Burst from the original timeline, the sight of the petite figure annihilating the Dominion Authorities left the Slane Theocracy's magic casters stunned.
"Summon more angels! Her magic has long intervals between uses. Do not give her time to recover—attack continuously!"
Nigun had identified her weakness.
The casters obeyed, summoning a new wave of Dominion Authorities.
"So it truly is just like the game... How are they using these spells? I must capture the leader alive and find out why." Momonga observed carefully, increasingly certain that their abilities were tied to YGGDRASIL.
"Why do the weak insist on fighting?"
Chu Lian's tone turned colder.
She stowed the Devourer's Soul Orb within her sleeve. The mark of the Seven Illusions Bow on the back of her left hand shone with mysterious light. A magnificent longbow materialized in her raised hand.
Momonga's gaze sharpened.
Is that a World Item? No... the energy surpasses even that. What kind of weapon is this? And it appears sealed...
If the energy of a World Item was like an ocean, then the power contained within Deloris's bow was like the sun itself.
Chu Lian paid him no mind.
"Thousand Feathers..."
She infused five hundred MP into the skill. The damage multiplied. She loosed the string.
The bowstring thrummed.
A rain of radiant arrows streaked forth, shattering the Dominion Authorities mid-flight before exploding into a cascade of star-like brilliance across the darkening sky.
White magic energy engulfed the battlefield. The figures of the Slane Theocracy seemed pale and fragile beneath it.
Even Momonga felt his expression grow grave.
She is only level forty-five. And yet this rivals super-tier magic...
Ayase's voice sounded within Chu Lian's mind.
"Lian'er, keep this level of power when using it before him. Do not reveal Unstoppable. If you show too much, he may grow wary."
"I understand. Once he checks my loyalty later, he will not doubt me."
"People change. Be cautious."
Chu Lian smiled faintly. I have never overplayed my hand.
Meanwhile, the remaining magic casters launched their spells in panic.
"Holy Ray!"
"Poison!"
"Fear!"
"Rain of Fire!"
"Emerald Coffin!"
"Open Wounds!"
Spell after spell struck her.
She did not even look.
The damage was negligible. Thanks to Undying Body, her defenses surpassed even high-tier immunities.
Momonga clenched his fist.
Her resistance applies to magic as well...
One caster, breaking under the pressure, raised a crossbow and fired at her.
"I had not intended to kill," she murmured. "But since you dare use such tricks... die."
Teleport activated.
She appeared before him. Her eyes turned a bewitching violet. A cruel smile curved her lips as her palm pressed against his chest.
"Spiritual Power Burst."
Boom.
He exploded into fragments.
"Weaklings rely on tools..."
Without further interest, she teleported again—this time into the sky before the final, massive angel.
"A Principality Observation? Too weak."
With a single punch to its chest, she obliterated it instantly.
Nearly two thousand percent of her strength detonated through the blow, more than enough to erase its six hundred HP.
Only then did the violet light fade from her eyes.
She glanced at the place where the caster had died and whispered softly, "Killing... feels less and less like anything."
"How... how is this possible..." Nigun staggered back. Even the high-tier angel had fallen in one strike.
"Nigun, what do we do?" one subordinate asked, voice trembling.
Remembering the sealing crystal entrusted to him by the pontiff, Nigun pulled it from his robes.
"Summon the highest-tier angel!"
The crystal burst into radiant light.
A colossal silhouette materialized in the sky, solidifying from illusion into reality...