"Destroy the Empire!" Jircniv's face went white. The reconnaissance mission he had arranged was so secret, how could it have been discovered?
No, this was not the time to think about that. He had to think about how to deal with the Dark Elf in front of him. Deny his actions? The thought crossed his mind, but he immediately discarded it. A monster like that could not be reasoned with. Denial would only invite greater wrath.
But to surrender? If this were a personal matter, he wouldn't mind pretending to submit. But he was the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire, the representation of the entire nation. Such a declaration would be a huge blow to his reputation and shake the trust of his citizens.
"Your Highness Aura Bella Fiora, I sincerely apologize for any offense that may have been caused to the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. I am willing to provide appropriate compensation." Jircniv tried to calm himself, returning to his usual composure. "Regarding the surrender of the Empire... I hope to meet with Ainz Ooal Gown-sama and discuss this matter with him personally."
"Oh? I accept your request. I can bring you to meet Ainz-sama now," Aura replied, raising an eyebrow. "However, before that, you must do one thing first."
Do something? Jircniv frowned. An ominous premonition suddenly appeared in his heart. If it was just preparing a meeting gift, that would be easy. The Empire had plenty of wealth. But he was afraid the other party didn't care about material possessions, but rather wanted him to do something dangerous.
His premonition was not wrong. The next second, Aura made a terrible demand.
"Didn't the city on the Katze Plains get built with the help of the Baharuth Empire? The Supreme Lord wants you to issue a command for all Baharuth Empire soldiers to immediately march and destroy that city!"
"What!?"
Jircniv's pupils narrowed. "That's absolutely impossible!!!"
What kind of joke was this? He had finally managed to establish contact with the Church of Destiny through Fluder, getting many magic scrolls and weapons every month. Attacking a city supported by the Church of Destiny was tantamount to suicide. The Imperial forces would be no match for them, and the consequences of provoking the wrath of those gods had to be considered.
"You refuse? There's no other choice," Aura shrugged helplessly. She pulled an extraordinary large bow from her backpack and fired an arrow with a raised hand.
Whoosh!
Bang!
Before Jircniv could react, the energy arrow pierced the head of Lightning Bajed who was standing beside him. Blood and unknown matter splattered on his face. The warm, wet sensation, and the sharp smell that stung his nose, made Jircniv's eyes widen. Bajed's headless corpse fell to the ground with a thud.
Fear made his body cold, followed by a wave of extreme anger that erupted from his chest.
He was not a reckless person. As the leader of a nation, he often had to do things he didn't want to. However, at this moment, a distorted expression appeared on Jircniv's face. The monsters from the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick had no intention of giving him and the Baharuth Empire a chance to live. Rather than kneeling as they demanded, he would rather—
"Kill this monster for me!!!"
At his command, the Palace Guards who had frozen at Bajed's death snapped back. They were elite knights, brave warriors loyal to the Emperor, and they would carry out his orders even if it meant death!
"Kill!!!"
The guards moved forward, surrounding Aura from all directions. The Hippogriff Knights in the sky also dove down. For a moment, the guard force surged like a tide, threatening to swallow Aura.
Taking this opportunity, Nimble protected Jircniv and continued to retreat, fleeing towards the Ministry of Magic.
Aura glanced at the fleeing Emperor, then ignored him. Demanding the surrender of the Empire and sending troops to attack the City of Destiny was just an experiment. It didn't matter if it failed. In any case, to control the Empire, this country had to be integrated and branded with Nazarick's mark. That would take time. If the Church of Destiny knew that Nazarick was controlling the Baharuth Empire, they would certainly not stand by.
"I wonder how Solution and the others are? I hope they're doing well."
Aura dodged the guards' attacks while drawing her bow and firing arrows. This time's arrows were stronger, like a strong wind sweeping through a wheat field, knights fell wherever the arrows struck.
Meanwhile, in the district where most of the merchant guilds were gathered, a large group of Undead appeared out of thin air. A prominent Death Knight charged forward like a tank, each swing of its sword claiming a life and turning it into a zombie minion.
Behind the bloody massacre, a curly-haired blonde woman in a maid's outfit and with a small insect face arrived at the guild's treasure warehouse. Under her command, a swarm of magical insects flew in and ransacked all the guild's belongings.
"Entoma, I'll leave this to you. I'm going to help the Undead Archmage in activating the 'Spiral of Death' ritual."
Solution greeted her younger sister, then swung her seductive hips as she walked towards the central area of the Imperial Capital.
The 'Spiral of Death' ritual could gather negative energy by killing a large number of living creatures. If the amount was sufficient, humans could be transformed into Undead, or it could be used to nurture high-tier Undead.