"[Tenth Tier Undead Summoning]!"
As the magic was successfully activated, a huge figure, nearly two and a half meters tall, appeared before Ainz, protecting him safely from behind.
It was a zombie-type Undead humanoid warrior, clad in rusty armor, with a helm burning with blue flames that completely obscured its face. It wielded a greatsword, and its entire body exuded a terrifying black aura.
[Legendary Undead: King of Fear], Level 70.
The reason for not summoning the stronger [King of Destruction] was mainly due to the [King of Destruction]'s special skill that automatically burned its own HP upon appearance, which meant it couldn't sustain a long battle. This was a first engagement with The Slane Theocracy's God-kin, and Ainz hoped the battle would last longer, allowing him to gather more intelligence on the God-kin.
However, just a summoned Undead as a guard didn't seem to give him much confidence.
"[Obsidian Sword]!"
Ainz activated another special magic. Two stone shortswords, shimmering with a black light, automatically hovered around him. If any enemy approached, they would actively attack the opponent as if they were living beings with their own consciousness.
After all, the enemy to guard against wasn't just Zesshi Zetsumei; Kael and Leinas, who were watching from the side, also kept him from relaxing.
As Ainz cast his spells, Zesshi Zetsumei also began her assault. Clad in the gold-patterned silver armor inherited from the Six Great Gods, her speed was not affected at all. She swiftly approached the [King of Fear] like a nimble little leopard.
Most of Ainz's attention was focused on her. Seeing her charging forward, he immediately commanded his Undead guard to attack, and the [King of Fear] swung its greatsword at Zesshi Zetsumei.
Clang!
A cold glint arced through the dim cave. The [Caron's Guiding Long Scythe], collided with the [King of Fear]'s greatsword, producing a crisp sound.
Amidst the clashing attacks, Zesshi Zetsumei looked at the [King of Fear] with a hint of surprise, then tapped her toes, dodged an incoming blade, and retreated nimbly.
"It is indeed, a formidable opponent. This summoned Undead guard is almost on par with me in my normal state." Zesshi Zetsumei subtly glanced at Ainz behind the [King of Fear], sighing inwardly.
As she reached her conclusion, Ainz, who had been observing her, also formed an initial impression of her.
"This girl... doesn't seem to be very strong. A warrior around Level 75, perhaps?"
"If The Slane Theocracy's strongest God-kin is only this level, then The Slane Theocracy poses no threat to Nazarick. Maybe we can proceed with actions against The Slane Theocracy later?"
Ainz's eyes flickered slightly, his mind wandering due to Zesshi Zetsumei's seemingly unimpressive performance. However, he quickly refocused.
The opponent's brief contact with the [King of Fear] was clearly just a probe. Perhaps the girl was inherently cautious, intentionally holding back her strength to appear weak, and the possibility of him making a wrong judgment based on it existed.
As if in response to Ainz's conjecture, a strengthening aura began to shimmer around Zesshi Zetsumei.
"[Super Ability Enhancement]!"
"[Super Defense Enhancement]!"
"[Gale Super Dash]!"
With the power of the New World's [Martial Arts] activated, Zesshi Zetsumei assaulted again, but suddenly intended to bypass the [King of Fear] and directly attack Ainz himself.
Seeing the speed she exhibited after strengthening, Ainz immediately raised his guard and commanded the [King of Fear] to intercept her.
At that moment, a white figure shot out from behind Zesshi Zetsumei, swinging its scythe at the [King of Fear]!
Clang!
A heavy thud. The [King of Fear]'s Greatsword collided with the energy scythe, subtly suppressing the [King of Fear]'s movement.
Only then did Ainz see clearly what had struck the [King of Fear]. A pure white energy golem, identical in appearance to Zesshi Zetsumei, was the special skill of the [Valkyrie] class—[Heroic Spirit Soul].
"Has having the high-tier [Valkyrie] class become common?"
An image of Shalltear flashed through Ainz's mind. He knew it was rude to think that, but he couldn't help but inwardly grumble. This wasn't the first time he had encountered a unit that could summon a [Heroic Spirit] warrior in the enemy camp, so he wasn't too surprised.
"If you feel you can easily suppress me like this, then you truly underestimate Ainz Ooal Gown!"
Watching Zesshi Zetsumei continuously approaching him, Ainz's eyes narrowed, and he raised his hand to cast an attack magic.
"[Grasp Heart]!"
A ghostly heart appeared within the terrifying white skeletal hand. When Zesshi Zetsumei, who was charging forward, saw this scene, a strong sense of suffocation surged within her body.
The next second, the skeletal hand clenched tightly, and the ghostly heart instantly shattered, splashing a large amount of blood outwards.
Affected by the magic, Zesshi Zetsumei's charging steps immediately faltered, and her vision blurred for a moment.
[Grasp Heart] was a Ninth-Tier magic. For low-level targets, it had a one-hit kill effect, but for higher-level targets, it wasn't unbeatable.
Although Zesshi Zetsumei's previous performance was lackluster, Ainz hadn't expected to easily kill her with this magic. The '[Consciousness Blurry]' effect added to the enemy after resisting the instant-death effect was enough to disrupt Zesshi Zetsumei's assault.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ainz continued to cast attack magic on Zesshi Zetsumei. "[Maximize Magic: Gravity Vortex]!"
When Zesshi Zetsumei recovered from the effects of [Grasp Heart], seeing a super gravity energy ball flying towards her, a sense of impending death instantly surged within her heart.
"[Summon Spartan Undead]!"
A summoning magic circle rapidly expanded, and five [Spartan Undead] instantly appeared in front of Zesshi Zetsumei, forming a human wall to block the path of the [Gravity Vortex].
At the same time, Zesshi Zetsumei also took the opportunity to swiftly dodge backward.
Bang!
The [Gravity Vortex] attack slammed heavily into the [Spartan Undead], instantly forming a massive vortex of distorted space, pulling all surrounding objects towards its destructive center.
The five [Spartan Undead] couldn't even resist and were swallowed whole by the vortex in a flash.
Zesshi Zetsumei stabbed the [Caron's Guiding Long Scythe] into the ground with all her might, gripping the long handle with both hands to resist the terrifying suction, which prevented her from following in the footsteps of the [Spartan Undead].
"This isn't over yet!"
Bang, bang, bang!
Several large bone ribs exploded out of the ground, clamping down on Zesshi Zetsumei, who was resisting gravity, like a beast trap. The tips of the white bones even pierced her armor's defense and embedded themselves in her body.
The intense pain stimulated Zesshi Zetsumei's nerves, causing a fierce glint to gradually appear in her heterochromatic eyes.
"This opponent is indeed not simple. In that case, continuing to hold back my strength is an incredibly foolish act!"
A white Roman clock appeared behind Zesshi Zetsumei. Ainz was stunned for a moment upon seeing this. "Could this be!?"