"That is..."
Seeing this scene, Momonga's expression grew serious. "Judging from the radiance, it should be a sealing crystal that contains magic below the super-tier. Those existed in YGGDRASIL as well."
"Deloris, be careful. That thing may be dangerous." He wanted to intervene, but without Deloris speaking first, he was uncertain whether he should act. In the end, he could only offer a warning.
"Please rest assured, big brother. Deloris will never underestimate any enemy, nor will she overestimate any weakling."
Chu Lian turned slightly as she replied. Having already recovered, she did not care how strong the opponent was. At most, it was only around mid-Spirit level. An enemy of that level could be erased with a casual gesture.
His gaze twisted with intensity, yet his face bore a fanatical smile.
"Behold! Witness the true form of the highest-tier angel—Dominion Authority!"
A pure white angel appeared in the sky, gripping a golden scepter, a diamond-shaped ruby embedded in its chest. A sacred aura descended with its radiance, illuminating the early night and casting a solemn brilliance across the land.
"This is their strongest trump card?" Momonga sounded slightly taken aback.
Chu Lian looked at the so-called angel and gave a disdainful smile. "A feeble creature."
"That's right. I deemed it necessary to use this treasure against you..." Nigun looked at Momonga and Chu Lian smugly. The fear he had felt earlier vanished the moment the Dominion Authority appeared. In his mind, no enemy could possibly withstand the might of the highest-tier angel.
"It seems I worried for nothing. An opponent of this level is hardly more than child's play..." Momonga pressed a hand against his mask and spoke softly, suppressing his irritation. "Deloris, end this. There is no need to waste any more time."
Unaware of their conversation, Nigun continued boasting, "What, are you afraid? Two hundred years ago, the Dominion Authority single-handedly slew a demon god that plunged the continent into chaos! In its complete state, no one can defeat it!"
"A demon god? Are you certain that so-called demon god was truly powerful? A frog at the bottom of a well—how laughable."
Chu Lian's low chuckle rang out as she deliberately raised her voice. Nigun's expression froze.
"Laughable? What nonsense are you spouting?" Anger flared in his tone, but then something seemed to occur to him. He swallowed. "Unless... no, impossible. How could a human defeat the strongest highest-tier angel beneath the gods? You are merely bluffing!"
He raised his head and commanded the angel.
"Use [Extreme Holy Strike]!"
At his order, the golden scepter in the Dominion Authority's hand fragmented into countless pieces of light and began to orbit its body.
"A realm humans can never reach—seventh-tier magic! Accept this miracle that can even annihilate demon gods!"
As his words fell, magic power condensed to its peak. The halo above the angel's head blazed with blinding brilliance. A searing white beam tinged faintly with blue descended from the heavens, engulfing Chu Lian and Momonga within a cascade of holy radiance.
"Hahaha! To die within a realm beyond human reach—that is your honor!"
Nigun laughed as the two figures vanished within the torrent of light. No matter how strong they were, they were still human. There was no way they could withstand that blow.
Yet moments later, a peal of laughter drifted from within the radiance.
"Ehehehe~"
The sound was clear and melodious, like silver bells, laced with a trace of seductive charm—as though a beauty beckoned him closer.
Soon after, another laugh echoed out.
"Hahahahaha..."
It was deep and resonant, almost self-mocking. "So this is what being injured feels like... pain?"
The instant those words ended, the torrent of holy light dissipated. Momonga and Chu Lian stood there completely unharmed.
The sight left Nigun and his subordinates utterly petrified. Their eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
"Big brother wished to experience pain, so you chose not to defend? In that case, now that you understand, allow me to destroy this thing that dared attack us."
Chu Lian extended her pink tongue and lightly licked her lips.
"Go ahead. Aside from the angel being far too weak, everything proceeded as expected. Enemies like these do not warrant seriousness." Momonga did not object. Whether he acted or Deloris acted, the outcome would be the same. He would let her continue testing herself.
With his approval, Chu Lian no longer hesitated. Her small figure stepped forward.
Silently, she activated the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
In an instant, an aura that seemed capable of annihilating all life surged from her body. Beneath that godlike pressure, none present had the courage to flee. It was simply too terrifying.
"Despair..." she murmured softly.
Magic power condensed into a small surgical scalpel within her palm. Pushing off the ground, she shot into the sky. In her vision, the Dominion Authority was crisscrossed with countless lines of death.
The scalpel moved lightly.
That seemingly harmless blade sliced the Dominion Authority cleanly in two.
Under the absolute effect of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—death as certainty—the angel had no chance to react. It disintegrated into fragments of light and vanished.
"Power far beyond demon gods... who exactly are you?"
Staring blankly at what she had done, Nigun—now with nothing left to rely upon—only wanted to know the identity of his opponent.
"You may call me Deloris. The one who brings pain to the world."
Chu Lian deactivated the Mystic Eyes and turned slightly toward him as she spoke.
"Ainz Ooal Gown—this name once resounded so widely that none were ignorant of it..."
As Momonga spoke, his magic power suddenly condensed. A sound like shattering glass rang through the sky. Visible ripples of fractured distortion spread across the night before slowly fading.
"What was that?" Nigun looked up, confused.
"Someone was using information-type magic to monitor you. Because my anti-attack barrier activated, they failed to see anything."
Momonga's explanation drained the last of Nigun's resolve.
"The Theocracy... was monitoring me..." he muttered blankly.
"Very well. The game ends here."
Chu Lian stepped forward once more. Rings of magical radiance revolved around her—power capable of obliterating any life.
"Ah—no, no, no, no, no! Please wait! Spare me! Lady Deloris, we—no, even if only I survive—if you let me live, I will prepare any amount of money you desire!"
"It seems you have misunderstood something. I never said I was going to kill you. I will give you a chance. Surrender immediately, and I can guarantee that you will live. Otherwise..." A playful smile curved Chu Lian's lips. "I imagine you would make very useful test subjects for my undead magic training."
"Undead magic?" Her words made Nigun realize something was terribly wrong.
Slowly removing her hood, she revealed a beauty beyond the mortal world. Behind her, nine snow-white fox tails extended from beneath her robe. The expression on Chu Lian's face carried a seductive charm entirely different from her usual purity, as though she were the most irresistible temptation itself, capturing the soul of anyone who gazed upon her.
Her appearance felt as though it did not belong to this world at all. Nigun and his subordinates stared, utterly entranced, their minds blank.
But in the next moment, Momonga removed his mask, revealing the skeletal face beneath. The sight shocked them completely. With a cold smile, he said, "I recall you said something similar to Gazef before: [Do not struggle meaninglessly. Lie down obediently, and perhaps I will show mercy and let you die without pain.]"
Hearing this, Nigun collapsed to his knees in terror. "Lady Deloris said that if we kneel and beg for mercy, you will spare our lives, right? I surrender! I surrender!"
With his submission, the remaining Slane Theocracy magic casters lost all courage. One after another, they fell to their knees. Before beings humans could never defeat, all they wanted now was to preserve their lives. As for faith in the gods, that could wait until they survived.
"Big brother, we should be able to extract useful information from them. Nazarick also needs people familiar with this world as guides—maps, records, intelligence about the various nations. I believe all of that can be obtained from them. Shall we spare their lives?"
Chu Lian turned to Momonga. Though she had already decided, she still sought the approval of the master of Nazarick. That was the basic duty of a subordinate.
"Deloris has considered this well. Then let them live. They shall serve Nazarick for the rest of their lives. That will be both their honor and their punishment for daring such actions." Momonga replaced his mask and agreed with her proposal.
"Then look into my eyes."
Chu Lian's voice became increasingly hazy and mesmerizing. In a daze, they seemed to see countless beauties approaching them. Unable to resist, they raised their heads and met her gaze. In the next instant, all consciousness faded...
"Big brother, let us return. We have been out for quite some time. Albedo and the others are probably already worried. And Deloris is hungry too." After ensnaring their minds and making the group obediently follow, Chu Lian yawned and spoke to Momonga.
"Mm. We will return to Nazarick now. But we cannot use Teleport. Their strength is too weak. If we use teleportation, they may die. Although we could protect them with magic power, there is no need to show such consideration toward these humans." Momonga did not object, but he had reservations about how to bring them along.
"It doesn't matter. As long as big brother is happy, even killing them would be fine. At worst, we could just capture another batch." As Chu Lian spoke, she stretched lazily. Beneath the robe, her full figure was faintly visible, surprising Momonga.
Deloris is quite young and already looks like this. In the future, she might not be inferior to Albedo...
He immediately startled himself with the thought.
She is my little sister. What are you thinking?
Shaking his head to dispel the unnecessary thoughts, he turned and walked away silently.
After he turned around, Chu Lian opened one eye, which had been closed during her stretch. It was filled with amusement.
It seems he still has desires. Desires are easy to work with. Although I will not use my body to seduce him, desire does not necessarily mean lust. There are other kinds as well. Slowly submit to me, onii-chan~
"Little Lian'er, I feel like you are becoming more mischievous. Is it really that fun to tease a skeleton like this?" Ayase held her forehead, unable to look directly at Chu Lian's shameless behavior of tempting with legs when lacking curves, and tempting with curves once she had them.
"Well, what's there to worry about? There are clothes underneath and a cloak outside. Nothing can really be seen anyway. And besides, I used to resent my lack of bust size so much. Now that I finally have something to show off, of course I'm not going to waste it."
Chu Lian followed after Momonga, but within her mind she and Ayase continued their playful banter.
Yes, no matter how much she changed or where she went, at her core she was still a shameless little girl who loved acting cute and offering fan service, yet who could also become overwhelmingly embarrassed in an instant. As for truly growing up, that was still far in the future.
And so, this eventful day finally came to an end...