Assassination in Progress

The various buffs left Hades feeling refreshed. His undead body didn't seem so hard to accept anymore, and he felt as though he were brimming with inexhaustible strength.

He first cast "Time Accelerator" to slow his own perception of time. Within the effects of this magic, he could move freely without interference, though he was unable to launch attacks.

The primary purpose of this spell was to prepare for the application of various other buffs.

Although this wasn't his first time using the spell—he had used it frequently in YGGDRASIL—that had been a multiplayer virtual world where nanodevices couldn't accelerate a user's consciousness to achieve a "bullet time" effect.

Back then, the result was simply a reduction in the casting time for buffs during that period.

But in the current reality, Hades truly experienced what bullet time was. The sensation was indescribable; during the spell's duration, his thought processes accelerated several times over.

During the time acceleration, Hades's spells were already prepared. As for the delayed-effect spells, he would need to wait until he transformed into his human character to use them.

If he used them now, they would be useless to a magic caster in his current state and would even result in negative effects.

For instance, "Regenerator" was a debuff for an undead being. Undead could only recover HP using negative energy; to them, the recovery effect of this spell was nothing more than poison.

As the effect of Time Accelerator was about to fade, Hades took a deep breath, staring at Momonga below, while simultaneously using the "Message" spell to contact the four Hanzo.

"What is the situation?"

"Lord Hades, the target has detected nothing unusual."

"Have they discovered you?"

"No."

"Good. Once this call ends, count to two and strike."

"Understood!"

Hades cut the connection. Because Momonga's attention was currently focused on the group of native soldiers, he had the opportunity to descend and close the distance, though Hades dared not get too close.

As a magic caster, Momonga could use magic to notify the Elf Twins, and since one of the twins was also a magic caster, they would have the opportunity to alert Momonga to any trouble.

Therefore, the assassination had to unfold simultaneously; otherwise, if the opponent reacted, the advantage would be lost. The Hanzo were already lying in ambush below, and Hades calculated that he would reach Momonga and launch his attack in exactly two seconds.

Barring any accidents, the timing would be perfect. The Elf Twins would be dealt with by the Hanzo, and the Eight-Edge Assassin Bugs would be slaughtered, allowing him to face Momonga without worrying about his support troops.

"Greater Teleportation."

As he cast the teleportation magic, Hades's heart jumped into his throat. It seemed that even an undead body could not fully suppress such a surging, adrenaline-fueled sensation.

In a mere instant, Hades arrived behind Albedo. Suddenly, the hair on his arms stood up, as if he were being watched by the Grim Reaper. Although Albedo did not turn around, he knew she had already sensed him.

He was not a Hanzo and lacked the class-based stealth skills. While "Perfect Unknowable" could completely erase his sound, presence, and silhouette, it was easily detected if the opponent possessed specific countermeasures.

Under immense psychological pressure, Hades left Albedo no chance and immediately activated the tenth-tier spell, "Silent Time Stop."

This spell was different from "Time Accelerator"; it halted the flow of time within a certain range. In the virtual world, this had been relatively easy to visualize.

Now, time was the key to the success of the assassination. Hades chose to consume extra MP to cast the spell silently.

The cost of tiered magic was determined by its tier; for example, a first-tier spell cost 1 MP, while a tenth-tier spell cost 10 MP.

An average magic caster would have about 1300 MP at max level, and far more if various bonuses were included. Yet, even with such a large pool, and even though high-tier spells seemed to cost little, one would still find their MP running thin.

The reason lay in these enhancement spells. If one wanted to cast spells instantly, they had to add "Silent Magic"; if they wanted to increase power, they had to add "Maximize Magic," and so on.

Because these enhancement spells could be stacked, releasing a high-power spell cost far more than just 10 MP.

As the highest tier of time magic, it was not easily resisted. Time resistance could almost only be obtained through equipment and special skills.

Hades was certain that Momonga possessed time resistance, as it was a necessity for almost every player. However, he did not believe the members of Ainz Ooal Gown would be so insane as to prepare time-resistant equipment for their NPCs as well.

Therefore, his first target was never Momonga from the start, but Albedo, whom Momonga used as his vanguard.

Sure enough, Hades's guess was correct. Albedo had no time resistance, and her head, which might have turned toward him at any moment, remained frozen in place.

There was little time left for Hades. He had to finish off Albedo before Momonga could react, or rather, even if Momonga reacted in time, he would risk being attacked to eliminate this nuisance.

"Silent Teleportation Circle."

Hades aimed at the space in front of Albedo and cast the spell. He could not launch attacks while time was stopped, and the Teleportation Circle was not an offensive spell; it was a trap-type spell. He set the anchor point to the forest where he had been waiting earlier.

Because it was a trap-type spell, it could not be placed directly under the opponent's feet—that was not permitted in YGGDRASIL. Hades had no time to test how this magic would function in reality, so to be safe, he planned according to the rules of YGGDRASIL.

As a warrior, it was nearly impossible for him to finish Albedo off in a very short time, so he had no choice but to exile her.

Once the Teleportation Circle was set, Hades glanced at Momonga. Momonga certainly possessed time resistance and remained unaffected, but that didn't matter. He had accounted for Momonga's potential reactions while planning the assassination, and it seemed his predictions were correct.

First, Momonga was focused on bullying the weak and showing off; because the natives were so weak, his vigilance would naturally drop.

Second, the incident was sudden. Momonga was not an AI program but a human, and humans could not escape their own limitations. When faced with a sudden situation, not everyone could react quickly.

Although Momonga also possessed an undead body, based on Hades's own experience, while an undead body could bring a calm mind, that was all it did. If emotional fluctuations were too great, even an undead body could not fully suppress them.

Momonga indeed failed to realize what was happening at the first moment. Hades sneered inwardly; with that, he had already won.