The Invaders of the Great Tomb

by Kugane Maruyama

  His twin blades whipped at Ainz’s head.

  A normal enemy would get hit.

  A first-rate enemy would get off with a scratch.

  But what about a super-first-rate enemy?

  “Hmph!” Ainz interrupted the swords’ arcs with his shield. An ordinary person wouldn’t have made it in time, but superior physical ability made it possible.

  “Magic Arrow!”

  “Lesser Agility!”

  As the hard sounds of Hekkeran’s two attacks being repelled by the shield rang out, Arché’s spell became an arrow and flew at Ainz. At the same time, Roberdyck targeted Hekkeran and cast an agility-raising support spell.

  “Child’s play.”

  Ainz didn’t even look at Arché. Just as her shot of light was about to hit him, it disappeared. Arché gaped in shock.

  “Magic Immunity?! What kind?!”

  “Hmph!”

  As if in reply, Ainz struck at Hekkeran’s face with his shield.

  A shield blow!

  The name of the well-known fundamental move flashed through Hekkeran’s head. He saw it as an opportunity and readied an attack. He would aim for Ainz’s torso, which he figured would be a blind spot due to the shield.

  But Ainz easily deflected it with his black blade.

  He read my move?!

  He just barely evaded the black shield coming at him like a wall by ducking—and a kick from a greave-clad foot was approaching.

  A normal kick wasn’t so scary, but it had become apparent through their exchange that the attacks Ainz’s muscular strength unleashed—despite the fact that he was a skeleton with no muscles—were all deadly blows. If one landed, he had to be prepared for a lethal wound.

  Hekkeran hurried to roll out of the way. Without Roberdyck’s magical assistance, it probably wouldn’t have been possible. The kick’s wind pressure ripped a few of his hairs out, sending chills up his spine.

  “Over here!”

  Imina shot two arrows at once. Since she had shouted, it wasn’t a surprise attack, and Ainz was able to deal with them calmly.

  The arrows missed their mark and flew behind him.

  In the first place, Ainz was a skeleton, so arrows wouldn’t work on him, so she’d been hoping he would just take them without even bothering to evade, but it seemed like things wouldn’t work out that conveniently.

  The heads of the fallen projectiles were smashed; they were specially made magic arrows that dealt crushing damage. Since skeletons were weak against crushing damage, if he hadn’t dodged, they would have been very effective.

  Still, there was nothing to be upset about. Hekkeran had been able to use the opening to get back on his feet and take some distance. The whole reason Imina had shouted was to create that opening.

  Hekkeran charged to counter.

  “Twin Swords Slash!”

  “Hah!”

  Ainz had no trouble blocking the dual slash attack with his single sword. The impact made Hekkeran’s hands go numb.

  Man, this guy is tough. So this is what it’s like when a monster with physical ability far surpassing that of a human trains to be a warrior… I guess the reigning champion would be strong!

  Fighting in range of a sword that dealt one-hit death consumed an extraordinary amount of mental energy. His brain was screaming its exhaustion, and he attempted to retreat to a more comfortable distance.

  But Ainz wasn’t about to let him do that.

  “You think you’re getting away?!”

  Ainz rushed him. Obviously the one moving forward was faster than the one backpedaling.

  Hekkeran was feeling cornered when he heard something whiz past the side of his head from the rear.

  It was a high-speed arrow, loosed from cover. For a normal person, it would be impossible to dodge, but—perhaps they should have guessed—the arrow never reached Ainz, with his superhuman reflexes.

  “Flash!”

  “Lesser Strength!”

  A burst of light appeared before Ainz’s eyes. Flash was a spell that temporarily shrank the target’s field of vision a little, regardless of resistance, but it seemed to have been useless against Ainz. He merely exhibited his annoyance.

  “Don’t get in my way!”

  Ainz clicked his tongue as Hekkeran, with boosted agility and strength, closed in.

  “Reinforcing Armor!”

  “Evil Protection!”

  Arché and Roberdyck fortified Hekkeran with support magic.

  Ainz was busy evading, blocking, and countering Hekkeran’s attacks when another arrow went flying for his face.

  “…Hmph!” His posture as he moved his head slightly to dodge was appropriate as master of the tomb and becoming of a monster warrior.

  Hekkeran took advantage of the support to get some distance and wipe away the sweat that had accumulated on his brow during this still short but intense fight.

  He’d known it already, but Ainz Ooal Gown was strong.

  A human could never hope to achieve Ainz’s physical ability. On top of that, Ainz possessed the skills to take advantage of his body. He was insightful enough to see through feints and perceptive enough to grasp the movements of every Foresight member. He had magic resistance and a magic sword and shield. He had everything a warrior could want.

  There was a reason Hekkeran had been able to fight on an equal footing with such a man.

  Certainly he was just barely hanging on throughout every exchange. If he tried to parry and mistook the angle of the sword, his weapon would break and he would be critically injured. If he misjudged the range and speed of a swing, even by a tiny bit, he’d be sliced in half. This luck was as if every coin he tossed came up heads—but he was also being protected.

  But there was an even bigger reason he was making it through this fight.

  And that was teamwork—movement as one, that was only possible between friends who had survived deadly battlefields together and could even read one another’s thoughts.

  The compound Foresight versus the solo Ainz Ooal Gown were having a close fight.

  Hekkeran extinguished the smile that had begun to form in his cheeks.

  Ainz was still unharmed. This wall was thick and high; still, it wasn’t absolute.

  Believing that, he swung his twin swords.

  The fastest attack Hekkeran could unleash with his magically strengthened body was repelled ever so easily by the black round shield. The flying arrows were slashed in half by the black sword. All the while Arché and Roberdyck’s magic continued to boost Hekkeran.

  They heard Ainz click his tongue in displeasure, and the hostility they sensed from him subsided dramatically.

  Hekkeran had been thinking to do a follow-up attack but chose to catch his breath instead and backed up. No matter how much Ainz fought, he was undead, so he wouldn’t get tired, but Hekkeran and his team were gradually exhausting themselves. A lengthy battle of attrition would put them at a disadvantage. It was right to rest when they could.

  “Just as I thought… I seem to lack a finishing move. And I thought I understood the strength of numbers, but now that I’m outnumbered, I just feel so irritated… Why can’t I take out even just one of these guys?”

  When Ainz shrugged, it didn’t bother Hekkeran. He knew he’d meant what he said.

  That was the real power of teamwork. Hekkeran smiled as if Ainz had complimented them.

  Then the peerless beauty, who had been watching in silence so far, opened her mouth to speak. “Lord Ainz. Perhaps it’s time to end this jest.”

  “What?”

  “I beg your pardon, but I find it hard to allow these most insolent thieves any more freedom. They attempted to cheat you using the Supreme Beings! Don’t you think the time for mercy is over?”

  “Hey, Albedo, Lord Ainz is—”

  “No, Aura. Albedo’s right.” Ainz shook his head. “Besides, I think this is plenty. I feel like I gained a fair amount of experience in that fight.”

  “Indeed, you have fought admirabl
y. Of course, I would expect nothing less from our ruler.”

  “Heh-heh. Really? I’m glad. Coming from a far greater warrior like you, praise kind of gives me butterflies, even when it’s flattery.”

  “It is most certainly not flattery. I believe it with all my heart.”

  “I see. Then thank you. Now all I need is Cocytus’s critique and opinion on how I should train from here on out.”

  Nodding a few times in satisfaction, Ainz turned back to Foresight.

  Hekkeran had a bad feeling about this shift in atmosphere.

  The intuition he’d sharpened in many a life-and-death battle was screaming, Danger!

  “Okay, that’s enough fooling around with swords. Time for a new game.”

  The sword and shield spilled out of Ainz’s hands. The moment they hit the ground, they disappeared.

  “Huh?!”

  Throwing away one’s sword—that was the act of someone admitting their defeat. But nothing in Ainz’s attitude implied surrender, and it shouldn’t have been a situation where he would have to acknowledge his loss.

  This confused Hekkeran; he had no idea what Ainz was thinking. “What are you…?”

  In response, Ainz smiled faintly. No, Hekkeran had the feeling he did.

  The skeleton slowly spread his arms. It was a loving gesture, like the way an angel would accept believers or a mother would embrace her child.

  “You don’t know? Then I’ll put it into words for you.” Ainz sneered. “I’ll play with you. Come at me, humans!”

  The mood had changed.

  Normally when someone abandoned their weapon, their equipment, they would become weaker. But Hekkeran felt like Ainz had grown much more powerful than before. He was assailed by an overwhelming sense of authority, as if Ainz had gotten physically larger.

  A being who grows more powerful by casting his sword away?

  There were only two answers he could think of. One was that Ainz was a monk and used his body as a weapon. But the way he fought before, the way he dodged, didn’t seem to indicate he was used to that style of combat.

  So there was one other possibility—

  “—A caster?!” Arché shouted, having reached the same conclusion as Hekkeran.

  Yes. Only now did they realize—that the being before them, Ainz Ooal Gown, might just be a caster.

  It was only natural that it didn’t occur to them sooner. Who could imagine a caster going head-to-head with Hekkeran, the strongest member of their team and a seasoned fighter?

  Casters, especially arcane casters, were more physically vulnerable than warriors. If they had time to train their bodies, it was better spent honing their magic. That was why there were no casters who could brawl on equal terms with a warrior.

  That was common sense.

  The one before them was a being who turned common sense on its head, but who could have known that?

  Hence the pleading tone in Arché’s shout: “Please deny it! Tell me it’s not true!” If he confirmed that he was, it meant that he had more confidence in himself as a caster than as a warrior. What that meant goes without saying.

  Using just a little magic could massively improve one’s combat ability. A few fortification spells could make one dramatically stronger, like Hekkeran was right then. In that case—

  “You finally figured it out? What a bunch of fools you are. But you’re the mice who tramped into my—no, my friends’ tomb, Nazarick, with your dirty feet! Makes sense that you wouldn’t be terribly bright.”

  But as long as Arché was with him, Hekkeran had reason enough to deny that claim. “Arché! Is this guy a caster?”

  “No! Definitely not! At least not an arcane caster!”

  “Hmm? What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I don’t sense any magical energy coming from you!”

  “Oh, you’re using detection magic? Do excuse me.”

  Ainz spread his fingers so that Hekkeran and the others could see them. They were only bones, fitting for an undead. Each one had a ring.

  “If I take this ring off, you’ll understand. I lent one to one of my subordinates for a while…” As he spoke, he slipped a ring off his right hand. And then—

  “Uwagh!” The sound of someone throwing up. The mostly liquid vomit splattered the floor of the arena and a sour smell wafted through the area.

  “What did you do?!” Imina glared at Ainz as she ran over to Arché.

  Ainz responded as though he was confused but still definitely displeased. “What’s this lady doing?! Looking someone in the face and throwing up? How rude can you be?!”

  “Everybody run!” Arché screamed with tears in the corners of her eyes.

  “He’s a monst— Euwaagh!”

  As Arché threw up again, unable to hold herself together, the rest of the team realized why she was vomiting.

  It wasn’t as if Ainz had done something. Arché was just so scared and tense—she couldn’t withstand his vast magical power.

  In other words—

  “We can’t win! His power is on another level! The word monster doesn’t even begin to describe him!” Arché sobbed. “No way, no way, no way!”

  Arché shook her head back and forth like a crazy person, and Imina hugged her tightly. “Calm down! Roberdyck!”

  “I’m on it! Lion’s Heart!”

  Arché, recovered from her fear thanks to Roberdyck’s spell, stood with legs as unsteady as a newborn fawn’s and held up her staff.

  “You should all run for it! Humans can’t win against that thing! He’s an unbeatable monster!”

  “…We got it, Arché.”

  “We understand that very well, Arché. The moment he took off the ring, there was a flood of this intense feeling, like the world was enveloped in it. I have goose bumps.”

  “Yeah, saying he’s quite the monster doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

  All three of them had surpassed the limits of their caution levels. With nerves even more on edge, they fixed their eyes on Ainz. Their expression said they understood that shifting their gaze for even a moment could result in death.

  “We definitely can’t escape.”

  “The second we turn our backs to him, we die. Even looking away feels too risky.”

  “We need to find a way to buy time.”

  “…You’re not charging?” Ainz languidly scratched his skull with a bony finger.

  Hekkeran didn’t respond to the provocation. This enemy had combat ability that far surpassed anything he’d ever encountered. There was only one thing to aim for—the moment he started casting, that is, the time a caster was most vulnerable. On the off chance he casts silent magic, it’s all over…

  Hekkeran began to muster his body’s strength, as if he were a spring or a bow being drawn.

  “Then I’ll start. Touch of Undeath.”

  “What kind of spell is that? Arché!”

  “I don’t know! I’ve never heard of it!”

  With a watchful eye on the black haze enveloping Ainz’s right hand, the unknown magic, Hekkeran tensed his feet so he could dodge at a moment’s notice. His teammates behind him seemed to be spreading out, wary of an area-of-effect attack.

  Suddenly Ainz began walking toward him.

  Hekkeran blinked in surprise.

  His bearing was too nonchalant—full of holes. It wasn’t the way a man who had just displayed the skills of a warrior should walk. Hekkeran knew it was a trap for sure, but he couldn’t fathom its purpose.

  Is he planning to do something with his magic? Does that spell only have an effect up close? Or is it defense?

  He’d studied the most famous spells, so he was familiar with those, but since he wasn’t a caster, Hekkeran couldn’t figure out what Ainz was up to.

  “Stay away from him!” Imina’s shout reverberated, and a series of arrows went flying at Ainz.

  She’d shot the three arrows using a skill, but Ainz dexterously batted them away with a bony hand.

  “You’re in my way.” His vo
ice was quiet and cold.

  The red flames in Ainz’s vacant orbits wavered, and watching his every move, Hekkeran was the only one who understood.

  Just as a chill went up his spine, Ainz vanished.

  Hekkeran obeyed his instinct to turn on his heel and run. He could see the surprised faces of his teammates, but he had neither the time nor the energy to explain—not when Ainz was standing behind Imina, slowly reaching out with his right hand.

  Imina! She hasn’t noticed! I should scream—no! The fact that he’s not in a hurry might save us!

  Hekkeran ran, using a martial art to boost his speed, but suddenly hesitated.

  Is protecting Imina the smartest thing to do?

  Compared to Arché and Roberdyck, who could use support magic, Imina wasn’t all that critical in this battle.

  He had no doubt it was better to drop someone who was a burden in order to ensure survival for the majority, but even so—

  Shit!

  He was making the wrong move as team leader. Though he understood he was essentially betraying his teammates, he didn’t slow down. He was spurred on by not logic but emotion—emotion that told him, Save Imina!

  Suddenly, an image of her in bed flitted across his mind. He smiled bitterly at himself for thinking of her smooth body in a life-and-death situation like this.

  Still, the energy pumping in his legs increased.

  It was the power of a man protecting his woman.

  “Move!”

  If Ainz hadn’t hesitated upon seeing him charging over, he might not have made it in time, but before Ainz could touch Imina, he bowled her over.

  A small yelp sounded as she bit back the pain, and it was obvious Ainz was trying to decide whether to prioritize the man who had appeared in front of him or the escaped woman.

  “Over here, you idiot!” Hekkeran shouted and then focused on his martial arts.

  The first one he activated was Limit Break. He had to pay for it, but it briefly increased the number of martial arts he could use at once. Next, something inside him hurt like it was ripping, so he used Dull Pain. Then Physical Boost and Sturdy Arm, Strong Blow followed by Twin Swords Slash.

  Thus, his most powerful attack was born.