Infamous

In YGGDRASIL, while PK-ing to loot equipment was commonplace, few players made a habit of it unless there was deep-seated enmity.

This was because the death penalty in YGGDRASIL was relatively severe; not only would a player lose five levels upon death, but one piece of equipment from their person would also drop at random.

Although malicious PK-ers who hunted for gear existed, the overall environment meant that while such behavior was common, it was by no means the mainstream.

Yet, there was one particular guild that made PK-ing for gear its primary objective, remaining active on the stage of YGGDRASIL.

Losing levels was one thing, but for the average player, equipment was something crafted with immense effort and dedication; many players quit the game entirely after having their gear stolen through PK.

That heinous guild was the notorious heteromorphic guild of YGGDRASIL—Ainz Ooal Gown.

Hades only began to pay attention to the Ainz Ooal Gown guild after participating in the 1,500-man crusade; before that, he was merely a casual player who treated the game as a second life.

He had joined a guild at random and leveled up lackadaisically. YGGDRASIL provided plenty of content for players who disliked combat, and Hades was one such player.

However, that 1,500-man crusade changed the trajectory of Hades's game. Influenced by the impulsive nature of his youth, he became determined to topple Nazarick, and in the process, he learned the ins and outs of the crusade against Ainz Ooal Gown.

Hades had only been killed by Ainz Ooal Gown once, and the mockery he had received from Momonga had faded with the passage of time.

Yet, some things could never be forgotten. On the announcement website for the 1,500-man crusade, stories of players quitting the game after being PK-ed for their gear were everywhere.

Although he no longer cared about Momonga's past mockery, Hades could not unconditionally trust that Momonga wouldn't turn on him. His impression of Ainz Ooal Gown was abysmal, and his vigilance was at its peak.

Hades had hesitated about his own actions before the assassination, but seeing Albedo kill without a shred of hesitation, while Momonga remained completely indifferent, changed his perspective.

He understood it was time to shatter his illusions; even in reality, Momonga acted just as he did in YGGDRASIL, with no qualms about taking a life.

Hades turned his gaze toward the group of soldiers using low-tier magic and began walking toward them, a move that caused the soldiers to grow agitated.

They retreated a step, their bodies trembling slightly, but without orders from Nigun, they could only stand their ground. Nigun's face had turned deathly pale; with just a single slash, this man had cut down a Dominion Authority. The strength of this person was likely on par with that Great One.

The current situation left him conflicted. Since this man had killed that magic caster, he was at least an enemy of that caster. The enemy of an enemy... well, Nigun decided to take a gamble.

If this person's strength was truly on par with that Great One, they were nothing more than lambs waiting for the slaughter. Rather than doing nothing, it was better to try and gain something—at the very least, to obtain intelligence on this person to pass on to the Theocracy.

"M-may I ask your name? We are... soldiers of the Slane Theocracy."

Nigun hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and revealing their true identities to the stranger.

At this point, anyone with a modicum of common sense could tell they were from the Slane Theocracy. Furthermore, for someone as powerful as this man, "a modicum of common sense" was an understatement.

Concealment would only leave a bad impression and would be of no benefit to what he intended to do next.

"Oh? The Slane Theocracy?"

Hades paused slightly. If he remembered correctly, Enri's father had said this was Re-Estize. Although he didn't know where the Slane Theocracy was, the fact that they openly admitted to being soldiers of another nation while on foreign soil surprised him.

However, that wasn't the issue at hand. He had already notified Hanzo to keep watch at the edge of the area sealed by the dimensional lock; if enemy reinforcements were spotted, he would retreat immediately, so he still had some time.

"You don't need to know my name. I ask you: why are you surrounding this village? Do you know what happened here?" Hades asked.

The village that had been intact yesterday was in this state when he arrived today. Hades didn't know who had done this, and although he had been somewhat put off by the meal he'd had last night, he wasn't a cold-hearted person.

If he hadn't suddenly encountered a notorious player like Momonga, Hades would have already gone into the village to ask for details, but Momonga's appearance had interrupted his plans.

He didn't want to face such a notorious player head-on. He was alone, while Momonga had at least an entire guild backing him, and he didn't know how many other guild members were here. The risk of a direct confrontation was too high, and he wasn't about to throw his life away to repay the debt of a single meal.

Hades had come from a wealthy family in his original world, and he understood the malice of the human heart better than most. Because of this, he had very few true friends. In YGGDRASIL, even though he had joined a guild with many members, he had remained a loner until he decided to take down Nazarick. Later, he had gotten along well with Ulbert Alain Odle and the others due to his research on Momonga, but that was as far as it went.