The Overlord Journey of Tima, the Creator God

It was as if she had known Shalltear's movements one step in advance; the knight named Arthur responded perfectly.

Of course, the knight had yet to deal Shalltear any fatal damage. But she was steadily, if slowly, whittling down Shalltear's HP, even forcing Shalltear to use two special skills.

That was right. With nearly every clash, the other side gained the advantage. Either her lance thrust was just a little faster than Shalltear's, or she followed up with a heavy knee strike or punch.

Though she was deeply unwilling to admit it, Shalltear had no choice but to acknowledge that she was being suppressed.

Why was this happening? Why did her opponent have the upper hand? By now, Shalltear had more or less understood the reason.

Ability—no. After their repeated exchanges, Shalltear had not sensed any gap in their abilities. There was no obvious difference in either strength or speed. Although Shalltear had chosen close combat and abandoned her magic, her opponent had not used magic either.

Equipment—no. Her opponent's knight lance was undoubtedly a very powerful weapon, but Shalltear's Pipette Lance was a genuine divine-class item. Even if she lagged behind in equipment, the gap could not be that great.

Preparation—no. This had been an unexpected encounter. Neither Shalltear nor Arthur held any advantage in intelligence, terrain, or tactics. In terms of preparation, they were evenly matched.

Technique—yes.

Experience—yes.

Combat aptitude—yes.

That was right. This advantageous outcome was entirely due to the gap between them in combat technique, combat experience, and combat aptitude. These were factors that could not be reflected in numbers, yet profoundly affected the course of battle.

Shalltear's fighting relied more on her exceptional stats. Naturally, she could slaughter enemies whose raw combat power was far inferior to hers. But this opponent, while not inferior to her in ability—

Possessed combat technique, experience, and aptitude seemingly forged through countless battlefields resembling an asura hell, along with an even more terrifying beast-like instinct!

Irritation. The suppressed battle. Her steadily declining HP. The frantic pace that left her unable to continuously use magic or summon her familiars.

All of it gradually intensified Shalltear's agitation. The movements of her Pipette Lance grew increasingly rash without her realizing it, allowing her opponent to seize even more openings.

She wanted to widen the distance between them. It was rare for Shalltear to ever consider such a thing, but at this moment, she was indeed retreating again and again.

"This is getting a little bad." The best choice would have been to immediately ask Nazarick for help, but the humiliation of being outmatched made Shalltear unable to accept such a cowardly choice.

I was created by the Supreme Beings! I am Shalltear Bloodfallen, Floor Guardian of Nazarick! How could I possibly surrender to an enemy like this?!

Anger and humiliation filled her crimson eyes as Shalltear tightened her grip on the divine lance in her hand.

With no intention of fleeing or asking for help, Shalltear resolved to rely on her own strength and offer victory to Nazarick and Lord Ainz.

Author's Note:

I recklessly brought in a battle, and this chapter was incredibly difficult to write. First, I went over Shalltear and Ainz's great battle several times, then spent at least twice as much time as usual writing this.

Even so, I am still very uneasy. Writing battles well is much harder than writing other content, and I do not even know whether everyone will like it. Sigh, this kind of close-quarters battle where neither side reveals their trump cards and they simply compete in raw strength... every single move made me agonize until my hair was falling out, orz.

In the end, I can only hope everyone will be satisfied with the result!

P.S. This is also the first beginning of a month I have experienced as an author. I am still a little concerned about things like monthly tickets, so, um... please give me monthly tickets! (I finally said it. That was hard, orz.)

Valkyrie Battle, Part Two

However, at that moment, Shalltear made a huge mistake.

When the knight's lance thrust toward her, she instinctively raised the Pipette Lance to block it, only to be struck by a sudden wave of weakness.