The Storm Gathers

Hades used his monocular to observe the situation below. As he prepared to launch his ambush, his heart remained as still as stagnant water. This was not due to any innate calmness, but rather a blessing of his undead body.

Without extraneous distractions, he could organize his affairs methodically with a clear mind, minimizing the influence of emotion to the greatest extent.

Though Hades disliked it, he had to acknowledge the superiority of an undead physique. Through the lens of his monocular, he saw two Hanzo already quietly lurking not far from the Elf Twins.

Two more Hanzo were already targeting the fifteen Eight-Edge Assassin Bugs. While these monsters possessed exceptional stealth capabilities, they were not difficult to deal with once discovered.

The Hanzo were monsters exceeding level eighty and possessed the specialized class of Ninja. Their concealment was difficult for even level-one-hundred players to detect, and their combat prowess was equally formidable. Using one to handle these Eight-Edge Assassin Bugs was more than enough; the second was merely a precaution.

Hades had summoned a total of five Hanzo, which was his limit, as he only possessed five magic item books for summoning them. Four were currently lying in wait for the Elf Twins and the Eight-Edge Assassin Bugs, while the final one remained hidden within his shadow for emergencies.

Because Albedo always followed Momonga, and Momonga was a Magic Caster who naturally required a Warrior to serve as a vanguard, Hades had already planned how to eliminate Albedo. However, for an assassination, it was better to have an extra layer of insurance.

The Hanzo belonged to the Thief class and could use certain scrolls to cast spells. As items for conserving mana, scrolls could only be used by Magic Casters and had to contain spells present within that caster's skill tree.

For instance, a priest's "Blessing" scroll could not be used by a mana-based Magic Caster; since priests belonged to the faith-based system, mana-based casters could not utilize them.

Therefore, it was even more impossible for classes like Warriors to use scrolls.

However, there were exceptions; Thieves could use skills to deceive magic items, allowing them to utilize some items without specific restrictions.

The Hanzo could use Ninjutsu themselves. Since Ninjutsu consumed MP, it could be viewed as a Ninja's form of magic, though it had limitations and was less convenient than standard spells.

Hades had distributed various scrolls needed for the ambush to the four Hanzo. These scrolls were of a high tier, and while he did not know if he could find high-grade materials in this world to replenish them, being stingy now would only lower the success rate of the ambush.

There was a saying: you have to spend money to make money. He could not wait until the members of Ainz Ooal Gown noticed him and prepared to strike first; that would be too late.

The organizers of the original 1,500-man crusade had listed their crimes, which were truly shocking. That guild had constantly engaged in PK, seized others' equipment, and even stolen World Items.

Because of their constant PK, the Ainz Ooal Gown guild had offended many people in YGGDRASIL, and over the years, this had finally culminated in the 1,500-man siege.

Hades was well aware of the social environment of his original world. In such a high-pressure, hostile environment, there were bound to be many people dissatisfied with society who wished to take revenge upon it.

Perhaps those people dared not act this way in reality, so they went on a killing spree in the virtual world. Given Ainz Ooal Gown's consistent behavior in the game, it was hard not to think that the guild was full of such people.

Hades dared not gamble his life on their moral standards. Having suddenly acquired such immense power after arriving in reality, those people might become even more deranged, regardless of whether it was real or not.

Perhaps this was just Hades worrying needlessly, but striking first was better than regretting later. He did not hate society, as his family background was affluent, but he would not act like a naive fool either.

The four Hanzo were deployed on the ground, quietly lurking beside the Elf Twins and the insects. According to the reports from the Hanzo and his own observations, the enemies had not discovered them.

This put Hades at ease. The Hanzo were worthy of being called Ninjas; even level-one-hundred NPCs had not detected their presence. Now, he only needed to wait for the right moment.

He would strike as soon as Momonga stepped out of that house. There were villagers inside, and a rash attack would cause innocent casualties. Moreover, the space was cramped; even if he used teleportation magic, Momonga would immediately sense something was wrong, causing him to lose the initiative. It was better to assassinate him in an open area.

Huh? Wait...

Hades suddenly noticed that at some point, the village had been surrounded by unknown people. Because his attention had been focused on Momonga, he had neglected to observe the surrounding environment.

Those people wore uniform attire and black cloaks. Were they natives? Surely they weren't here to rob the village? Wait... what was that...

"Archangel Flame!" Hades observed in shock.

This angel was not high-level, but it was a monster from YGGDRASIL. Why were there monsters from YGGDRASIL in this world, and why were those people using Tier Magic to summon them?

Hades suddenly wanted to dismiss the possibility that this was the real world, believing he was still in the virtual world of YGGDRASIL, but his reason told him this could not be a simulation.

Therefore, there was only one possibility: the natives of this world could use Tier Magic.

This discovery left Hades both pleased and worried. He was pleased because if Tier Magic existed in this world, he might be able to find allies to help him eradicate the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

However, he was worried because since magic existed here, he wanted to know just how strong his own power truly was. Although those people below were using third-tier angel summoning magic, they might just be small fry.

To be safe, Hades used his monocular to scan the surroundings once more, confirming that aside from the villagers, the members of Nazarick, and this group of Magic Casters surrounding the village, there was no one else.

In reality, there were no clear stat sheets like in YGGDRASIL, so Hades could only judge their levels based on their magic.

They could use third-tier magic, which meant a maximum of level 21. No... he should estimate higher. Let's double it; perhaps they could use sixth-tier magic, meaning a maximum of level 42.

Their numbers were not small, but a single Hanzo should be able to handle them. A level-eighty-plus monster could easily deal with a group of level-forty individuals.

He just hoped these natives wouldn't interfere with his assassination plan. To ensure no variables arose, he decided to let the fifth Hanzo, hidden in his shadow, go and deal with those natives.

Hm? Wait...

Hades saw the burly man who had been talking to Momonga earlier leading his men, charging on horseback toward the group of Magic Casters.

Oh... was this a conflict between the natives? That was fine. Wait, what was Momonga doing?

Hades felt a tightness in his chest and hurriedly switched his view. When he saw that Momonga was still inside the house, he calmed down. From here on, he would keep his eyes locked on Momonga.

The moment he left that house, he and the four Hanzo lurking below would strike simultaneously.