Ainz flew towards the fortress.
The view from the air is much better than from the ground.
He could see the entire city, as well as the earth elementals and undead hidden in the ruins.
Their distribution is very regular.
Centered on the fortress, the distribution becomes sparser towards the outer edges and denser towards the inner edges.
The outermost area only had a few low-level earth elementals, but in the central area, high-level earth elementals and high-ranking undead roamed in large groups.
However, air defenses are much weaker than ground defenses.
Ainz speculated that the city's defense system was primarily designed for ground intruders, with relatively weak defenses against air attacks.
Perhaps the designers didn't anticipate someone could enter from the air?
Possibly.
After all, there are very few humans in this world who can fly.
But I still feel that the possibility is slim.
He flew successfully over most of the city and arrived above the fortress.
Its shape is not a regular square or circle, but a more complex structure that resembles some kind of geometric pattern.
The walls were covered with runes, densely packed, stretching from the foundation to the top.
The runes shimmered with a dim light against the deep purple sky, and with each shimmer, an invisible force emanated from the fortress.
Ainz hovered above the fortress, observing the runes.
He could sense that those runes were more than just decorations.
They are the core of a certain defense system.
The power that spread out could suppress magic, interfere with perception, and even sever space.
"Be careful."
He descended slowly, preparing to enter from the top of the fortress.
Then, everything changed.
When he entered the area within 100 meters of the fortress, the runes suddenly burst into a blinding light.
It wasn't a dim shimmer, but a blazing, sun-like light.
Light surged from every corner of the fortress, converging into a massive pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.
Ainz's "Perfect Unknowable" has been cracked.
His figure appeared in the air, his silver-white armor reflecting a dazzling luster in the light.
The earth elementals and the undead raised their heads simultaneously.
Not dozens, but hundreds.
From every corner of the ruins, from every crack in the street, from every shadow of the buildings.
They surged out, rushing towards the fortress like a tide.
High-level earth element, level 70 or above.
Those who are undead and of high rank, level 60 or above.
Their sheer number was terrifying; they were packed together so tightly that the fortress was completely surrounded.
Ainz's red eyes flickered.
"This is troublesome."
He quickly assessed the situation.
While brute force isn't impossible, his ability to tackle difficult opponents isn't particularly strong, given his support-oriented character build.
Although you can win, it will consume a lot of MP.
Moreover, these earth elementals and undead are merely guards; the real threat lies within the fortress.
He needs to clear them out as quickly as possible before entering the fortress.
After all, although Higashino Makoto is a teammate, he is also a competitor, and he must obtain the Sand Scepter as soon as possible.
The Goal of All Life is Death.
He unleashed the ultimate skill of the "Eclipse" class.
A gigantic, clock-shaped phantom appeared behind him.
Then, Ainz raised his hand and unleashed another spell—
"Enlarged Magic Range. Banshee's Howl".
Wide-range instant-death magic, combined with the property of "The Goal of All Life is Death" that breaks through instant-death resistance --
A sharp howl echoed through the air, like the weeping of countless banshees.
Wherever the sound passed, earth elementals and the undead fell, like wheat being harvested by a scythe.
One, two, a hundred, a thousand.
Ainz stood in the air, looking down at the battlefield below.
Earth elementals and undead fell like ants before him, wave after wave.
Not only earth elementals and the undead, but even the earth itself, and even the air, were killed.
Everything within a circular area centered on Ainz was killed.
But he didn't stop.
The undead and earth elementals from further away were surging toward him.
"And there are too many of them."
Ainz's red eyes gleamed.
Clearing out all the earth elementals and undead again would consume a large amount of his MP, and might even use up his reserve of magical items.
However, there are still unknown threats inside the fortress, so he needs to conserve his strength.
After thinking for a moment, Ainz decided to ignore them for now.
All you need to do is get the item before they surround you again.
After all, his goal was the Sand Scepter, not to eliminate these monsters.
"The Sand Scepter is of utmost importance."
Ainz took advantage of the fact that the monsters hadn't gathered yet and went straight into the fortress.
At the center of the fortress is a stone platform.
On the stone platform lay Sand Scepter.
It seemed as if something was trying to break free from beneath the stone platform.
Then, the ground cracked open.
A withered hand reached out from the crack and grasped the crystal box.
The hand was yellowish-brown, with cracked skin, like a corpse that had been dried for a thousand years.
An undead being, and a very high-ranking one at that.
Its fingers are long and slender, with sharp nails that gleam with a metallic sheen.
It grasps the Sand Scepter.
Then, a figure crawled out from underground.
He wore a long yellow robe embroidered with ancient runes, the edges worn and the colors faded, but the runes still shimmered with a dim light.
His body was withered and emaciated, like a mummy that had been dried for a thousand years.
The skin was yellowish-brown, clinging tightly to the bones, revealing the outline of each bone.
No, it was a mask without facial features.
Smooth, featureless, like a mask cast in sand.
There are two holes where there are only two eyes. Golden light shimmers within the holes.
He held the Sand Scepter in his hand.
The scepter is golden, about one meter long, and topped with a huge yellow gemstone.
There seemed to be a sandstorm churning inside the gem.
The immortal in yellow robes raised his scepter and pointed it to the sky.
Then he spoke.
The sound did not come from the throat, but came from all directions, as if the earth itself was whispering.
"Invaders! You will become sacrifices for the Baharuth Empire."
He raised his scepter and plunged it into the ground.
Yellow sand surged up.
It didn't surge from the ground, but rather from all directions.
The sand on the city walls, the dust on the streets, the rubble in the ruins—
Everything was converging on him.
They spun, coalesced, and compressed around his body, forming a gigantic, sky-covering figure.
Giant.
It is over 100 meters tall, its body is made of yellow sand and gravel, and its surface is covered with golden runes.
Its eyes were two enormous yellow gemstones, gleaming with dazzling light.
The scepter has become part of its body, integrated into it.
The yellow-robed immortal stood atop the giant's head, golden light emanating from the two holes in his mask and gazing down upon Ainz.
"Die."
The giant raised his foot and stomped down on Ainz.
Ainz didn't dodge. He just stood there, head tilted back, his scarlet eyes fixed on the massive, overwhelming foot.
Then, he unleashed the magic.
"Magic Triple Enhancement - Gravity Vortex".
Three enormous gravitational fields unfolded simultaneously beneath the giant's feet, overlapping and reinforcing each other to form a terrifying gravitational vortex.
The giant's feet were stuck, unable to fall, unable to lift, unable to move.
It lowered its head, its topaz eyes looking at Ainz at its feet.
"A futile resistance."
Its voice came from all directions, deep and hoarse.
"Experience what it's like to be eroded by yellow sand!"
It raised its hand, and yellow sand surged from its arm, transforming into countless sharp sand spears that shot towards Ainz.
Ainz raised his hand and unleashed "Magic Double Enhancement: Chain Dragon Lightning".
Two bolts of lightning shot out from his palms, splitting, intertwining, and spreading in the air to form a huge electric grid.
The moment the sand spear touched the electric grid, it was shattered by lightning and turned into a sky full of yellow sand.
But there were too many sand spears.
The electric grid could only block some of the sand spears; more came from the sides, behind, and overhead.
Ainz unleashed "Flight," quickly taking to the air to dodge the sand spear attacks.
At the same time, he unleashed "Greater Teleportation" in an attempt to create distance.
The transmission failed.