Half an hour earlier.
Deep beneath E-Rantel, inside an underground fortress that had been abandoned for many years.
Water seeped through cracks in the walls and dripped onto moss-covered stone slabs.
The air was already cold and damp, and the intermittent sound of dripping water made the underground chamber feel even more desolate.
The remaining eleven senior members of Zuranon had gathered there.
The atmosphere was oppressively tense.
At the center of the stone chamber stood a broad altar constructed from human skulls.
Twelve ghostly green soul-flames floated above it.
Each flame was directly connected to the life force of one of the organization’s core members.
They served as special magical indicators allowing Zuranon’s leadership to monitor one another’s condition.
And only moments ago, the flame belonging to Khajiit had flickered violently several times.
Then it went out.
“Khajiit’s life signal has disappeared.” One of the members standing closest to the altar spoke in a low voice.
His words echoed through the vast chamber, unable to conceal the grimness in his tone.
A disturbance immediately spread through the group.
Several members exchanged looks filled with anger and unease.
Under normal circumstances, a soul-flame would not simply vanish.
Even an ordinary human suffering a fatal wound usually struggled for several seconds or even minutes.
The corresponding flame would weaken gradually before finally going out.
If that was true even for an ordinary person, then it should have been even more pronounced for Khajiit, whose physical abilities and combat strength were far beyond those of a normal human.
He had also taken powerful equipment with him.
There was only one explanation.
Khajiit had suffered incomprehensible damage in an extremely short period of time and died almost instantly.
Khajiit had been the absolute centerpiece of their current Spiral of Death plan.
He was responsible for coordinating the entire ritual.
With him dead, the plan was in danger of grinding to a complete halt.
“Who did it?” “Did one of the city’s high-ranking adventurers discover our operation ahead of time?” “We don’t know.
But that woman Clementine was with him.” Another member snorted coldly.
His tone was openly hostile.
“That woman is insane, and she’s a deserter from the Slane Theocracy’s Black Scripture.” “For all we know, she suddenly went mad and killed Khajiit with a surprise attack.” The chamber fell silent.
That was entirely consistent with Clementine’s personality.
She had never entered into her arrangement with Zuranon in good faith.
No one would have been surprised if she betrayed them without warning.
“It doesn’t matter who did it.
The plan cannot stop.” The leader strode toward the altar.
Madness gleamed in his clouded eyes.
“Khajiit is dead, so we will complete his great undertaking in his place.” “All of us are on the verge of becoming immortal liches.” “We can still activate the Skeletal Dragon by force, unleash it upon this city, and drag the murderer out into the open.” “Then we’ll avenge him!” “But the Spiral of Death requires an enormous amount of magical power to control.” Someone objected fearfully.
“Without Khajiit, no one can withstand the mental backlash from the ritual.” “And there’s also the Crown of Wisdom…” “I’ll do it.” One of the members stepped out from the group and walked behind the altar.
He lifted a crown that appeared to have been woven from fine threads and pearls, despite the dense aura of death radiating from it.
It was the central magic item Khajiit had intended to use to complete the ritual.
The Crown of Wisdom.
The item imposed extremely demanding conditions on its wearer and was one of the Slane Theocracy’s sacred treasures.
According to the original plan, Nfirea was supposed to wear it because his Talent allowed him to use magic items regardless of normal restrictions.
But circumstances had changed.
They could no longer afford to care about the consequences.
The man who stepped forward was the one whose transformation into a lich had progressed the farthest.
He believed he could withstand the item’s effects.
Holding the crown in both hands, he took a deep breath and placed it firmly upon his head.
The instant the crown touched him, his eyes bulged violently outward.
The muscles in his face spasmed.
His features twisted grotesquely as though something were tearing his soul apart from within.
The enormous magical power contained inside the Crown of Wisdom surged directly into his mind.
His consciousness was destroyed almost instantly.
But his partially undead nature became useful at that moment.
His body did not collapse.
The unconscious shell remained standing and became a conduit for magical power.
Negative energy poured from the crown.
Black mist streamed into the altar.
One after another, the runes carved across its surface began glowing crimson.
At Nfirea’s potion shop.
Nabe’s report changed the atmosphere inside the room.
“A Skeletal Dragon?” Lucien pulled his chair back out and sat down again.
He began seriously considering why the creature had appeared and what its purpose might be.
A Skeletal Dragon itself was little more than an oversized foot soldier.
Its body was larger than most, but that alone was hardly worth Lucien’s concern.
Even as one of the more fragile max-level builds, Lucien could probably stand still and let a creature like that attack him all day without taking meaningful damage.
Ainz turned toward Nabe.
He briefly explained what he and Lucien had discovered, along with the conclusions they had just reached.
Officially, the two of them were adventuring partners, so they needed to keep one another informed.
After hearing the full story, Nabe frowned deeply.
She suppressed her contempt for the two inferior creatures and thought seriously for several seconds.
“Lord Ainz, could this Skeletal Dragon be their ultimate weapon?” “Perhaps they released it specifically to take revenge upon Lord Lucien?” “Impossible.” Ainz rejected the idea almost immediately.
He folded his arms and analyzed the situation with the confidence of an experienced player.
“Nabe, a monster on the level of a Skeletal Dragon would be used as nothing more than a forward scout in a genuine high-level battle.” “If the enemy is competent, they must have something far stronger held in reserve.” Lucien agreed completely.
This was obviously a test of their abilities.
No capable opponent would reveal their final trump card at the very beginning.
“Which means we should divide our roles.” Ainz looked toward Lucien and began laying out the plan.
“Lucien, Nabe and I will confront the Skeletal Dragon directly.” “Our public identities are adventurers.
Taking action against a monster threatening the city is perfectly natural and won’t make any faction suspicious.” “If Nabe and I deliberately fight using only the strength appropriate to our disguises, the enemy may also lower their guard.” “They may become impatient for victory and reveal more of what they’re capable of.” Ainz’s red eyes flickered beneath his helmet.
“You’ll use your class abilities to remain hidden and observe.” “We’ll keep their attention on the frontline.” “You locate whoever is truly directing the operation from behind the scenes.” “Don’t attack immediately.” “First determine what hidden abilities and unusual skills they possess.” Ainz paused.
His voice remained calm.
“Once we understand their capabilities and confirm there are no additional ambushes, we’ll eliminate all of them together.” The frontline would hold their attention.
The assassin would slip around the side and eliminate the people controlling the battle.
“Sounds good.” Lucien agreed immediately and stood, loosening his wrists.
“I’ll work around the flank.
You take the front.” “Keep in contact.” With the plan settled, they left the potion shop and separated.
Ainz and Nabe rushed at full speed along the main road toward the outskirts of the city.
Partway there, they encountered a formation of fully armed soldiers coming from the opposite direction.
A broad, powerfully built man led them.
He was shouting orders, organizing defensive lines, and preparing his men to protect E-Rantel.
Ainz focused on him.
It was Gazef Stronoff, the Warrior Captain he had saved near Carne Village.
Gazef had received extensive professional treatment at the municipal infirmary.
A considerable quantity of magic and high-grade healing potions had been used on him.
His wounds were now mostly healed, and his strength had returned to its peak.
He currently carried a greatsword and was heading toward the outskirts to reinforce the defenders.
Ainz wore his pitch-black armor and a fully enclosed helmet, completely concealing his face.
Gazef did not recognize him as the magic caster who had saved him at Carne Village.
However, Gazef was experienced at judging warriors.
From Momon’s steady gait, enormous physique, and the two greatswords crossed over his back, he could immediately tell that the armored adventurer was powerful.
Momon was also wearing an adventurer plate.
It was only Silver rank, but their enemy was undead.
Against such opponents, raw physical strength could provide a significant advantage.
E-Rantel was also desperately short of elite soldiers.
It was already the middle of the night, and most adventurers were either asleep or drunk, making immediate reinforcements difficult to gather.
Every capable fighter was valuable.
“Are you an adventurer heading to reinforce the defense?” Gazef approached him directly.
“Momon.
Silver-ranked adventurer.” Ainz answered briefly.
Gazef nodded firmly.
“The situation is urgent.” “Come with us!” Elsewhere.
Thanks to his extremely high Agility, Lucien reached the outskirts even faster.
He leaped onto the top of a tall tower, concealed himself, and looked down.
Once he saw the situation below, his expression darkened.
There was more than one Skeletal Dragon.
Outside the walls stretched a dense mass of undead.
Skeletons.
Zombies.
Ghouls.
They were packed together into an enormous gray-white tide of corpses that seemed to stretch endlessly into the darkness.
At a rough estimate, there were several thousand of them.
There was no way a single ordinary magic caster had done this.
This had to be the work of multiple people acting together.
Of course, it was also possible that another transported player had used some special item to produce the effect.
Because of that possibility, Lucien did not act immediately.
He observed.
At the edge of the city walls, patrol soldiers were fighting desperately.
The defensive line was on the verge of collapse.
Men were constantly being wounded and dragged into the undead horde, where they were torn apart.
Screams mingled with the clash of weapons.
The smell of blood filled the air.
That scent only drove the undead army into greater frenzy.
The defensive formation was already failing.
If nothing changed, the wall being overrun was only a matter of time.
Lucien tightened his fingers around his short sword.
He wanted to jump down and help clear away the low-level monsters.
But these creatures were obviously disposable fodder.
Concerned about revealing himself too early, he restrained the impulse.
If he showed himself before identifying the people behind the attack, he would only alert them.
And if the enemy witnessed him effortlessly clearing thousands of undead and immediately fled, Lucien might lose his only lead.
Observe first.
Strike only when success was certain.
That was how he preferred to operate.
Then Ainz, Nabe, and Gazef arrived.
The three entered the battlefield directly.
Almost immediately, they tore a hole through the undead formation and forced the horde backward, giving the collapsing defenders enough room to stabilize their line.
Crouched atop the tower, Lucien raised an eyebrow when he heard Ainz call Gazef by the name Stronoff.
He had heard that name from the Wise King of the Forest.
According to the rumors, Gazef was supposedly the strongest swordsman in the entire Kingdom.
Perhaps even the strongest human warrior.
Lucien watched him fight for a while.
Gazef’s greatsword moved with solid technique.
He charged through the undead horde without hesitation.
Combined with his personally developed Martial Arts, each swing could destroy several skeletons at once.
He was certainly brave.
But after watching carefully, Lucien found that bravery to be the most impressive aspect.
Compared with ordinary soldiers, the Warrior Captain was unquestionably on another level.
But he was nowhere near extraordinary by Lucien’s standards.
In raw technique, he was only somewhat more refined than Momon’s false warrior persona.
The defensive line had stabilized and was beginning to advance.
According to the plan, Ainz and the others were now drawing the enemy’s attention.
The next step was to reach the backline.
Lucien layered several stealth abilities over himself again.
Avoiding the densest areas of combat, he circled around the side and followed the flow of undead toward its source.
This was the rear of the enemy formation.
After passing through a ruined section of the outskirts, Lucien stopped within the shadows.
Ten people stood in an open area ahead.
Their clothing was almost identical to Khajiit’s.
Ragged magic caster robes.
And every one of them possessed the same unsettling appearance, somewhere between human and undead.
They stood in a circle holding staffs, continuously releasing necromantic magic.
Fanatical expressions covered their faces.
Lucien remained behind cover and listened.
“Keep feeding magic into it!” “Destroy this entire city and turn it into a city of the dead!” “We must force out whoever murdered Khajiit!” “After tonight, all of us will become immortal liches!
Hahahaha!” “It’s just unfortunate about Elut…” “He chose to put on the item himself!” “We didn’t force him to summon the undead army!” “It was his decision!” “Everything is for our great plan to become liches!” Lucien quickly pieced together what was happening.
The enormous undead horde had been summoned through a magic item.
These people were also continuously using their own magic to summon additional undead and strengthen the existing ones.
At the frontline.
Ainz, Gazef, and Nabe had already destroyed most of the lesser undead.
Now they faced the enormous Skeletal Dragon.
“What in the world is that thing…?” Gazef gritted his teeth.
He had never fought anything like it.
Looking up at the gigantic creature, which towered thirty to forty meters above them, he found himself unsure where to even begin attacking.
“A Skeletal Dragon.” Nabe stepped forward and explained coldly.
“It can nullify all magic below the Sixth Tier.” “However, it is vulnerable to blunt-force damage.” “It can nullify everything below the Sixth Tier?” Gazef stared at her.
“How is that any different from complete magic immunity?” “How many people in the world can even use magic above the Sixth Tier…?” Throughout his entire response, Gazef kept his eyes fixed upward on the Skeletal Dragon.
He never noticed the contemptuous look Nabe gave him from the side.
Gazef continued considering how to attack.
He was not especially agile.
Even with Martial Arts assisting him, a full-powered leap would barely allow him to reach the Skeletal Dragon’s knees.
Anything above the thighs was completely beyond the reach of his sword.
Originally, he had intended for Nabe, as their magic caster, to attack the creature’s upper body.
Learning that the Skeletal Dragon could effectively nullify her magic immediately made his heart sink.
It meant Nabe, whom Gazef considered the primary source of offensive power in their group, would be unable to contribute against this opponent.
But E-Rantel was territory of the Kingdom.
With such an enemy before him, retreat was not an option.
“In that case, Miss Nabe, please continue clearing the remaining lesser undead.” “Sir Momon, I’m going in.” Gazef took the lead.
Ainz supported him from the side, striking alternately with his two greatswords.
Although both men used swords and some of their damage was reduced by the Skeletal Dragon’s resistances, they possessed physical strength exceeding that expected of Adamantite-ranked adventurers.
Even though they could only attack its legs, their brutal strikes still forced the Skeletal Dragon backward step by step.
[Ability Boost] [Sixfold Slash of Light] Gazef unleashed his signature Martial Arts one after another.
Cracks spread across the enormous skeleton.
Fragments of bone flew through the air as the Skeletal Dragon released an enraged roar.
“We can win!” Joy appeared on Gazef’s face.
He glanced toward the companion fighting beside him, wanting to share his confidence.
Unfortunately, Momon’s helmet concealed his face completely.
Still, Gazef assumed he must feel the same way.
The Skeletal Dragon possessed immense vitality, however.
It would not fall quickly.
The ten Zuranon members in the rear noticed that the Skeletal Dragon was losing ground.
“That man…” “Isn’t that the Kingdom’s Warrior Captain?” “Why is he here?!” “The Skeletal Dragon can’t hold them!” “Move forward together and strengthen it!” All ten stepped forward at once.
They raised their staffs and poured necromantic magic into the undead creature, strengthening and restoring it.
Streams of necromantic energy flowed into the Skeletal Dragon like black chains.
Broken bones reconnected.
Cracks across its body rapidly closed.
And that was not all.
The spells also granted it resistance against blunt-force attacks and further strengthened its defense against slashing weapons.
A dull gray sheen spread across its bones.
With ten support casters assisting it at full strength, the Skeletal Dragon’s capabilities rose dramatically.
Its physical defense climbed to the point of near immunity.
Its strength also increased far beyond expectations.
Brilliant red light erupted from its empty eye sockets.
The creature violently swung its tail.
A powerful gust tore across the battlefield.
The situation reversed instantly.
The Skeletal Dragon brought one enormous claw down.
Gazef and the others were suddenly struggling to withstand its attacks.
Gazef struck its leg with his sword.
The blade bounced away.
The recoil split the skin between his thumb and forefinger, sending blood running down his hand.
He was forced to abandon offense and defend, retreating repeatedly beneath the creature’s pressure.
Momon stepped forward with both swords and used his full strength to oppose the Skeletal Dragon’s left forelimb.
He attempted to overpower it directly.
Then blue light suddenly flashed across the Skeletal Dragon’s body.
The stone beneath Momon’s feet cracked instantly.
[Strong Strike] At the critical moment, Gazef leaped forward and slashed at the Skeletal Dragon’s wrist.
Momon exerted his strength again at the same time.
Together, they successfully forced the monster several steps backward.
The battle had become dangerously close.
Cold sweat appeared on Gazef’s forehead.
His breathing was already much heavier than when the fight began.
He glanced toward Momon beside him.
“Are you all right?” “Yes.” Momon deliberately kept his answer quiet.
He did not want Gazef recognizing his voice as that of the magic caster who had rescued him near Carne Village.
Momon and Ainz Ooal Gown had to remain two separate people.
His identity could not be exposed.
During that brief exchange, green light appeared across the Skeletal Dragon again.
The shattered bone around its wrist rapidly reconstructed itself.
Most of their attacks were being resisted.
Even when they managed to inflict meaningful damage, the support magic from behind restored it almost immediately.
Worse, the number of enhancement effects covering the monster continued increasing.
Gazef was beginning to struggle just to defend himself.
Even Momon’s full-powered sword strikes could no longer break through its defenses.
The Skeletal Dragon raised its skull.
A deafening roar emerged from its hollow ribcage and shook the night sky.
Its enormous body advanced step by step.
The three defenders were steadily forced back toward the city wall.
(To be continued.)