"Watch out! The monster's right beside us!"
On the boundless expanse of the grassland, four Orichalcum-ranked adventurers huddled back-to-back, their faces all grim. The air around them felt heavy with extreme tension. Their breathing slowly grew shallow, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, dripping past their brows to the tips of their noses.
The Paladin Captain felt an itch in the corner of his eye and unconsciously squinted. In just that split second, a black shadow suddenly appeared before him, followed by a flash of a dagger closing in!
"Holy Knight's Shield!!!"
The Captain roared, activating his signature [Skill]. A wall of energy as tall as he was erupted from the shield in his hand, completely protecting him.
Clang!
A powerful dagger struck the energy shield. In an instant, cracks spread across the entire surface of the shield, indicating that the attack was unstoppable. The Captain, who had anticipated this, used that brief moment. While raising his shield, he retreated, pushing back the three teammates who were behind him.
Although they lost their balance, the three adventurers immediately turned with a silent understanding, locking their gazes on the enemy attacking the Captain. It was a humanoid figure in a black ninja suit reinforced with metal plates in certain areas. However, its head was wrapped in black cloth, and its face was covered by a mask engraved with the character for 'Tolerate' (Nín).
Hanzo. This ninja-type monster, equivalent to a Level 80 being, was known as a master of stealth and assassination.
In the New World, where the average level of beings didn't exceed Level 40, the presence of a monster like Hanzo was naturally an impossible thing. Coupled with their location on the grasslands, the identity of their master was very clear.
"Plant Cage!"
Under the Forest Priest's spell, several vines as thick as an adult's arm burst from the ground, tightly coiling around Hanzo. Then, the Archer drew his magic bow to its full length. A cyan light quickly coalesced into an energy arrow. Violent bolts of lightning danced along the arrow's shaft, "Gale Thunder · Break!"
The energy arrow shot forward, carrying the power of wind and thunder! It struck Hanzo's head squarely and shattered it. A relieved smile formed on the faces of the four adventurers.
However, in the next second, they were shocked by an unexpected event.
The Hanzo that had received the 'fatal blow' turned into a shadow and disappeared. A cold glint appeared behind the Paladin Captain, and his still-smiling head was suddenly severed from his neck. Fresh blood spurted from his neck, falling to the ground, revealing the true figure standing behind him.
It was the real Hanzo! The Hanzo they had 'killed' was just a clone created with ninjutsu; the real body had already moved behind the Paladin.
"Damn it!"
"Raging Wind and Thunder · Explosion!"
"[Maximum Magic · Crimson Lotus Bloom]!"
The three remaining adventurers, a Magic Chanter, an Archer, and a Forest Priest, panicked and immediately activated their strongest offensive **[skill]**s, trying to kill this terrifying monster.
But it was all in vain. Five minutes later, four headless corpses lay on the grassland, leaving the Hanzo standing alone.
"Hmm."
Ainz, sitting in a luxurious chair, hummed softly as he looked at the scene in the surveillance magic mirror. The deep red light in his bony eye sockets flickered slightly, concealing his thoughts.
After a moment, he recovered from his reverie and asked Demiurge, who was standing beside him in a red suit, "Have all the hyenas monitoring around the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick been cleared?"
"Yes."
Demiurge maintained his characteristic smile and answered with certainty. "Within our magic detection range, Hanzo has killed all the hidden scouts. Shalltear has also sent her men to conduct a thorough sweep, so no one will have slipped through."
"That's good then."
Ainz nodded in satisfaction.
For the past half a month, scouts had been constantly appearing around the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Although they used invisibility magic and stealth potions, these were low-tier methods and it was impossible for them to avoid Nazarick's magic detection.
Initially, because they didn't know the other party's origins, Ainz and the others didn't act rashly. However, their peeping behavior became more and more excessive, and Nazarick's patience ran out. Ainz decided to assign Hanzo as the executioner to clean out the intruders. The results were very satisfactory, as Hanzo completed the mission perfectly.
Looking at the fact that the corpses mysteriously disappeared, their origin could essentially be confirmed to be from the Church of Destiny.
But... this is strange.
Even if the sacrificed subordinates could be resurrected by unknown means, it couldn't be without cost. So, what was their purpose in doing this?
This question nagged at his mind, making Ainz feel unsettled.
Just then, the image in the magic mirror suddenly became blurry, and then completely disappeared!
"What happened!?"
Ainz was startled and pulled the mirror that was far in front of him.
Beep, beep, beep!
The [Message] magic notification sound rang in Demiurge's ear. After connecting, the smile on his face slowly vanished.
"Ainz-sama, Shalltear reports that all the men she sent out for reconnaissance suddenly died."
"What!?"
Boom, boom, boom!
A series of explosions shook the plains, and as far as the eye could see, hellfire raged.
Hanzo, who had just finished his mission and was about to return to Nazarick, as well as Shalltear's men, were attacked with extremely powerful magic. In just a blink of an eye, their HP dropped drastically to the point of danger or was even completely depleted.
Before the magical smoke dissipated, the space around the surviving monsters fluctuated. One by one, Priest Knights in white, gold-adorned armor teleported to their side. Weapons shimmering with powerful energy smashed into their bodies.
"Hehe!"
Kael, sitting in a floating chair, grinned as he looked at the dying monsters. He brought a glass with a straw to his mouth and took a big gulp, a refreshed expression appearing on his face.
"My Lord, should we continue?"
"How many [Illusionary Life Creators] can still use [Blood Elemental Creation]?"
"About fifty."
"Then let's continue. After all, it would be a waste not to use today's special [skill]."
"Understood."
The maid in a black-and-white dress beside him bowed respectfully, then used [Message] magic to convey Kael's orders to the front line.
The Magic Chanters in black magic robes conjured a special summoning circle. Beside them, Paladins, Archers, Forest Priests, and other professionals drew daggers, cut their wrists, and let blood drip into the summoning circle. Before long, one by one, physical clones identical to the blood donors emerged from the magic circles. Under the mages' control, they were divided into different small teams, approaching the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick from all directions.
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