A level 18 Thief crushed a level 100 Guardian-Trap Scroll activated! (Three updates today)

The Warrior Captain and Brain rushed around like firefighters, rescuing adventurers and holding back the monsters.

Thanks to their efforts, the trolls suffered heavy losses, and now the demon serpents took their place.

The Western Demon Serpent had been shirking its duties in the rear until Aura saw through it and shot it a glare.

The cunning demon serpent immediately ordered its subordinates to charge and devour every last human.

Some soldiers failed to escape in time and ended up in the serpents' bellies.

Unable to rescue them in time, the Warrior Captain could only retreat to the third defensive line.

But before they could reach it, the Eastern Giant and the Western Demon Serpent surrounded them.

Clearly, Aura did not want the two of them showing off any further.

If not for Lord Ainz's orders, Aura would have killed them on the spot long ago.

And so the Warrior Captain and Brain immediately found themselves locked in a bitter struggle.

By then, Luke had just fled back to the third defensive line.

The third defensive line was an underground complex.

The humans had hollowed out the ground and supported it with wooden beams, leaving the surface looking perfectly intact.

Even ordinary fighting on the surface would not cause it to collapse.

Once the monsters charged into the camp en masse, the magic casters would cast the second-tier spell Earth Tremor and order the warriors underground to destroy the supports.

The entire surface would collapse, sending the monsters tumbling into a deep pit to meet their doom.

The adventurers and soldiers would stand in designated spots to avoid falling in, then surround and slaughter the monsters together.

If an opponent Luke could not handle appeared, Ainz would make his entrance then.

The Warrior Captain had agreed to Luke's plan precisely because it was so comprehensive.

But none of it mattered anymore.

Before overwhelming strength, their little scheme shattered in an instant.

Mare merely cast a simple spell from afar.

Triplet Magic: Create Stone!

Three sturdy stone pillars suddenly appeared in the underground complex the citizens had dug.

Harder than concrete, those pillars supported the entire underground complex at once.

As the one responsible for the Great Tomb of Nazarick's external defenses, Mare needed only a single spell to create a fortress.

A mere underground complex stood no chance of collapsing.

Impossible!

Luke sensed the changes in the earth and realized that the third defensive line had already fallen apart.

His whole body shook with agitation as he roared:

"Run! Hurry, run!"

"The enemy has breached the third defensive line! Return to the city! Return to the city!"

Luke screamed himself hoarse, but no one answered.

The adventurers in the camp were having their heads blown apart one after another, suffering devastating casualties.

Meanwhile, a bank of dense fog appeared around him, preventing anyone from approaching.

Mare had arrived.

Widen Magic: Control Weather-Fog!

This was a sixth-tier spell used to alter battlefield weather.

As a level 100 caster, Mare had even targeted Luke specifically, drastically dampening his voice so it could not penetrate the thick fog.

Screams rose one after another.

Had they come?

At that moment, Luke remembered the scroll tucked against his chest, along with his great mission.

The Dragon God whispered in his ear, telling him not to fear, not to be afraid.

Charge forward!

For the great Dragon God!

Kill!

Luke drew his dagger, attempting one final struggle.

The scroll had two ways to activate.

One was to lock onto whoever killed him.

The other was for him to use it himself.

The enemy had not approached yet, so he could not activate it himself.

Luke flailed his dagger blindly in the fog, as though venting his fear.

The next second, Entangling Plants!

As a Forest Priest, Mare could hardly have found it easier to manipulate plants and imprison these feeble adventurers.

Mare effortlessly subdued a mere level 18 Thief.

In fact, if he had not been putting on an act, he could have instantly killed a whole swath of them.

The weak Automated Guards stood in stark contrast to the powerful level 100 Guardian.

Yet the fact that Luke survived proved Roy's conjecture entirely correct.

Through the All-Seeing Eye, Eve continually compiled information on the Great Tomb of Nazarick's strength, including crucial details such as Mare's and Aura's abilities and mana.

Even if the Great Tomb of Nazarick was only a speed bump, Eve, as World City's Prime Minister, still had a duty to defeat it at the lowest possible cost.

As for a single level 18 Veteran Guard, he was not worth worrying about.

His death would be just the thing to test whether certain World City mechanisms worked.

Mare could not detect World City's surveillance and merely wore an apologetic expression.

He always looked guilty when he killed people:

"Sis, everything's ready."

"Okay, my turn."

Worried that Mare might actually beat this adventurer to death, Aura decided to watch over him herself.

Lord Ainz admired this Thief and wanted to capture him for a thorough study.

But considering the losses he had caused, he deserved to be rewarded with a two-day stay at Kyouhukou's place.

Together, the two of them seized the camp and set the stage for the Bone King.

"That's far enough!"

Sure enough, after receiving Aura's message, Ainz finally appeared from the rear.

Rather than dispelling the fog, he roared and unleashed a spectacular Chain Dragon Lightning.

Minimize Magic: Chain Dragon Lightning!

Boom!

Even amid the thick fog, Ainz controlled the lightning with precision, unleashing terrifying dragon lightning without harming his own people.

Chain Dragon Lightning pierced the fog and illuminated the entire world.

False Information: Magic Power!

To display terrifying destructive power, Ainz deliberately used False Information, making the dragon lightning appear outrageously powerful.

Everyone was fooled.

Mare let out a scream and crashed to the ground.

Disguise!

Mare instantly cloaked himself in a charred exterior, seemingly collapsing on the spot.

"Lord Gong is with us!"

The desperate plight of the Re-Estize Kingdom's troops had actually been resolved by Ainz Ooal Gown's intervention.

The soldiers and adventurers immediately cheered as one, their morale soaring as they began fighting back against the monsters.

Just then, the adventurer Momon also entered the battlefield and shouted:

"That's far enough."

The pitiful Eastern Giant and Western Demon Serpent were thus slain by the adventurer Momon's sword before they even understood what was happening.

There was a sharp crack.

Momon's powerful, heavy strike cleaved the Western Demon Serpent clean in two.

The Western Demon Serpent died on the spot without even getting a chance to scream.

Brain immediately looked as though his entire worldview had crumbled.

Was he really in the Hero Realm?

Why couldn't he beat even one of them?

He had clearly reached the Hero Realm, yet he was still so weak, so useless!

Then Momon said gravely:

"I just went to investigate the Western Demon Serpent's cave, only to discover they had all come out in force."

"My apologies. I arrived late."

Brain hurriedly collected himself and immediately replied:

"Lord Momon, you're far too kind."

"It's already a blessing that you arrived in time."

"Enough talk. I'll go lend the Warrior Captain a hand."

Soon, Momon easily brought down the Eastern Giant as well.

Pandora, disguised as Momon, could defeat most of the New World's powerful fighters through raw stats alone.

Even if the Eastern Giant had been strengthened to level 40, there was no way to survive being cut in half.

The Eastern Giant crashed to the ground.

The situation across the entire battlefield reversed in an instant.

"Lord Momon is with us!"

The adventurers rejoiced. They forgot Luke's traps and remembered only Momon's and Ainz's heroic figures.

At that moment, Aura seemed cowed and finally spoke:

"Powerful magic caster, you should not make an enemy of nature."

"Humans invaded the forest. I merely acted on nature's behalf to punish their reckless deeds!"

"If you intend to wipe us out, I won't hold back either!"

Aura put on a disguise, appearing to be nature's spokesperson, ready to take the Bone King down with her.

Ainz said in a low voice:

"Humans were indeed in the wrong to encroach upon the forest."

"But humans also need to expand their living space."

"How about this? Release Luke and retreat into the forest."

"And we'll let this matter end here."

"Lord Gong!!"

Everyone cried out in astonishment.

The Bone King wanted not only to become a hero, but also to become Luke's savior.

He would win everything in one stroke.

Even though Luke had opposed him, he still kindly offered to save him. It was deeply moving.

Everyone was touched.

Aura now showed a hint of hesitation, but still refused to yield:

"O powerful magic caster."

"This man harmed countless forest creatures. I cannot let him go."

Then Luke suddenly shouted:

"Lord Gong, don't worry about my safety."

"You must destroy this vile beast!"

Vile beast!

Ainz's forced calm suddenly kicked in. He had nearly used Chain Dragon Lightning to send this foul-mouthed Thief straight to hell.

At that moment, Aura said in a low voice:

"Humans truly are evil!"

"I'll take them all with me."

Aura immediately unleashed powerful magic-

Widen Magic: Control Weather-Dense Fog!

Aura primarily fought with a bow and was not proficient in magic.

She merely wanted to look as though she was about to self-destruct.

After all, these people knew so little about magic that they could not recognize the spell at all.

An enormous magic circle formed in an instant, seemingly possessing the power to destroy heaven and earth.

The other warriors and adventurers shouted:

"Do it, Lord Gong!"

"We're willing to bear the blame."

You weren't the one who abandoned Luke. This was a choice we all made together.

Then let's do this.

High in the air, Ainz prepared to cast the spell he had readied.

It was nothing more than a showpiece.

Minimize Magic: Mamaragan Annihilation!

False Data: Magic Power!

Everyone watched the terrifying ninth-tier spell, filled with profound awe.

Ainz was about to bring everything to a perfect close, but the captive Luke threw a wrench into his plans.

Because he worshipped the supremely great Dragon God, he felt no awe whatsoever toward Ainz's magic.

Now!

Thief skill-Deception!

Scrolls had a special restriction: only those with the corresponding class could activate them.

For example, to use a healing scroll, you had to possess a faith-based spellcasting class.

You did not necessarily have to know the spell, but your class had to have access to the relevant magic before you could use it.

Thieves, however, had a special skill called Deception.

It allowed them to fool scrolls and activate magical scrolls outside their own repertoire.

This was one of a Trap Thief's most powerful skills.

The magic scroll activated.

No, it's Deception!

The Great Tomb of Nazarick was renowned for its defenses. How could its inhabitants not know about Deception?

"Aura, look out!"

Ainz nearly interrupted his skill activation to rush to Aura's rescue.

Aura was also in the middle of casting and had no time to react.

"Sis!"

Mare moved.

In the fog-shrouded camp, he suddenly sprang up from his feigned death and hurled himself forward.

The instant he slammed into Luke, the scroll activated.

"Long live the Dragon God!"

Following the predetermined plan, Luke shouted the [Dragon Worship Cult]'s slogan.

Ainz immediately crushed the Cash Shop Item [Hourglass].

The false lightning struck the ground on the spot.

It was merely for show, meant to maintain the disguise.

Ainz had never aimed at anyone in the first place. Now that something had gone wrong, he immediately released the spell, trying to rescue Aura.

Then came a second Hourglass.

Time Stop!

Strange, I haven't used it yet.

Ainz felt a light radiate from his body.

Divine item: Time Stop countermeasures Ring!

In the game, players above level 70 had to consider the threat of Time Stop attacks.

As a veteran player, Ainz had naturally made preparations.

What did that mean?

Mare knocked Aura aside, only to be hit by Time Stop himself.

An astonishing light radiated from his body.

Time Stop countermeasures!

Level-100 NPCs would certainly have the appropriate Time Stop countermeasures prepared.

But Ainz and the others had never expected Luke's Trap Scroll to be so insidious.

Besides Time Stop, it also contained Greater Hesitation.

The divine ring on Ainz's hand could naturally counter multiple time-based tactics.

Mare and the others could not. Their Time Stop countermeasures had to be reserved for where they mattered most, so they were not immune to Greater Slow.

That was because Greater Slow was one of the few control abilities that was not specifically countered.

It would automatically wear off as soon as the target was attacked.

As a result, most players generally did not prepare defenses against it.

And Luke's Trap Scroll merely needed its target to be unable to dodge in time.

Teleport Capture!

Teleportation successful!

"Little brother!"

Before Aura could come to his rescue, she saw Mare teleported away.

In that instant, she raised her bow, ready to kill the enemy on the spot.

"Don't kill him!"

"Seal him away and teleport him back to the Great Tomb of Nazarick!"

Ainz immediately relayed his orders to Aura, even though his forced emotional suppression had already activated a full five times.

At that moment, Mare appeared on the moon.

"A dragon... such a huge dragon."

"So you're the one who's been spying on me, little fellow!"

Sensing Mare's presence, the Space Dragon finally stirred.

Mare's heart stopped.