Final Preparations

Hades watched helplessly as Albedo reflected a soldier's iron ball back at him, smashing his head open. Blood sprayed everywhere, gushing from the soldier's neck.

As expected, these people didn't hold back just because they'd come to the real world, Hades thought.

No matter how these natives fought among themselves, Hades and the others weren't natives. They had come from a civilized world, and they were strong enough to crush these soldiers. Yet Momonga simply let the NPCs kill them.

Hades refused to believe Momonga still hadn't grasped how strong these people were. With their abilities, they could easily capture them instead of taking their lives just like that.

No wonder the heteromorphic race guild has such a notorious reputation. Even after coming to the real world, they still don't take killing people seriously.

Hades believed that even if killing became necessary, one should think it through carefully before acting. The New World was probably at a medieval level of civilization, where killing might be commonplace, but he had spent nearly thirty years adhering to the morals of the civilized world.

He couldn't change overnight. The reason he hadn't stormed the house where Momonga was staying was that he feared harming the villagers.

But Momonga seemed to have no such qualms. Hades had needed only a few hours to confirm that this was the real world. There was no way Momonga hadn't realized it, too.

Yet Momonga had still casually killed people. He clearly had no need to kill them to deal with them, given his strength. Hades was now somewhat relieved that he'd chosen to stay instead of leaving. Given the terrible values of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, they would surely come after him in the future.

"Albedo, you should know that kind of weapon can't hurt me. I don't need it," Momonga said to Albedo in a slightly reproachful tone.

"Please wait, Lord Ainz. If they want to fight a Supreme Being, they should at least have a certain degree of strength. An attack with an iron ball like that is simply too disrespectful."

Albedo was furious. That rat-like attack had enraged her; it was as if they were insulting the great Supreme Being.

"If you put it that way, then Nigun and the others don't even qualify to fight, do they?" Momonga said, comforted by Albedo's defense of him. His voice held a hint of ease.

While Momonga and Albedo were talking, Nigun suddenly pointed at them. His voice rang with confidence, though there was still a trace of unease as he ordered the angel beside him.

"Dominion Authority! Go! Kill them!"

Dominion Authority was an angel clad in full armor, holding a massive morning star in one hand and a shield in the other. It was an angel-type monster that Nigun had summoned with a fourth-tier summoning spell.

It was stronger than Archangel Flame. The reason it hadn't been sent out until now was its special ability: as long as it remained still, it increased the defense of allies within its field of vision.

But Nigun couldn't worry about that anymore. By giving such an order, he had admitted he was out of options. He hoped Dominion Authority could eliminate the two of them. This angel was on a level comparable to a "Hero."

"Stand down, Albedo!" Momonga barked when he saw what was happening.

Albedo had no choice but to retreat behind Momonga for the time being, keeping her eyes fixed on the people opposite them. The moment Lord Ainz gave her the word, she swore she would end those rats' lives in the cruelest way possible.

Dominion Authority's attack came quickly. Momonga raised his left hand, which was clad in a metal gauntlet, to meet it. The massive morning star came crashing down with overwhelming force.

But no matter how powerful its attack was, the gap in strength was insurmountable. Momonga took the angel's successive blows as if they were nothing.

When Dominion Authority swung its morning star at Momonga again, he simply grabbed the weapon, which was larger than his own body. Dominion Authority's movements stopped abruptly, as if it had frozen in place.

"Well, well, well... I suppose it's my turn to strike back now." Momonga's skeletal face showed no expression, but from his tone, one could guess he was trying to look smug.

But just as Momonga was about to use the spell "Hellfire," he was surprised to find that he couldn't cast it. He froze for a moment, then felt a sudden foreboding.

The enemies facing Momonga seemed frozen in a single moment, motionless.

"Time Accelerator"

"Guard"

"Concentrated"

"Aegis"

"Rouse"

"Eclosion"

"Conceal Life"

"Bless of Magic Caster"

"Greater Full Potential"

"Greater resistance"

"False Data"

"False Data"

"Resistance from Natural Weapons"

"Greater Hardening"

"Greater Luck"

"Paranormal Intuition"

"Sensor Boost"

"Sanctuary Protection"

"Indomitability"

"Mantle of Chaos"

"Power of Gaia"

"Perfect Unknowable"

"Delayed Magic"

"Delayed Magic Body"

"Delayed Magic"

Hades methodically cast various buffs on himself. Many of them focused on enhancing a warrior, so they had limited effect on a Magic Caster.

That was because he had no intention of using a Magic Caster to determine the outcome. Instead, he would engage the enemy in close combat as a warrior. In fact, this was currently the only way to kill Momonga at the lowest cost.

As a Magic Caster, Momonga had a frail body. Without any preparation, a top-tier warrior could kill a Magic Caster with a single combo.

And Momonga was a pure Magic Caster, without a trace of anything else.

When those 1,500 people attacked the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Hades had been killed by Momonga's special skill, "The Goal of All Life is Death."

At the time, he hadn't recognized the skill. After asking around, he learned the answer from a guild member, Ulbert Alain Odle.

"The Goal of All Life is Death" was a skill belonging to the special class "Eclipse," which unlocked through specializing in necromantic magic.

Ulbert Alain Odle knew about it because his character had the same class combination as Momonga's. It wasn't uncommon for identical characters to appear in YGGDRASIL.

This contradicted the developers' claim that there wouldn't be characters with identical classes, but that couldn't stop players from sharing information. Whenever someone discovered a hidden class, others would inevitably copy it.

Hades didn't know whether Ulbert Alain Odle had copied publicly available information or discovered it by chance, but it had been a great help to him.

Hades had thoroughly researched Ulbert Alain Odle's classes and skills. The magic might have differed, but the fundamental abilities were unlikely to be far apart.

As for the character's stats, those depended on the equipment, but Hades planned for the worst and assumed he was decked out in divine-class gear.

During that period, whenever he had free time, he was practically glued to Ulbert Alain Odle. That opportunity also helped Hades, who had once been a nobody in the guild, get along well with several of its core members.

Hades had also chosen an undead character to store his Seed of the World Tree because he wanted to study Momonga.

As the saying went, know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.