Relying on her Valkyrie combat instincts, Shalltear hurled her most powerful killing move.
Absolute Hit: Pure Throwing Spear!
Heroic Spirit Soul!
She unleashed both skills instantly. With only a split second of combat intuition, Shalltear pinpointed a dangerous enemy's hiding place.
Her prowess as a Valkyrie truly lived up to its reputation.
But she underestimated her enemy's cunning.
Position Swap!
A thunderous boom rang out.
Demon Substitute!
The Pure Throwing Spear struck the little demon that had been swapped in.
You have Absolute Hit; I have Demon Substitute.
The little demon screamed and died on the spot.
I've been tricked.
It's a demon!
Shalltear reached that conclusion and immediately released a large number of undead familiars.
She intended to use them to probe for her enemy's location.
Because this enemy had to be a greater demon.
Indeed, Shalltear's opponent this time was Lilith, Governor of Hell City, a legendary greater demon.
She had always been on bad terms with Lucifer of Sky City.
The reason was simple.
Lilith could not beat her, and Lucifer often mocked her:
"The stuff stuck to the soles of your shoes is always the hardest to clean off."
"Keep your distance. The Lord will bless you."
Lucifer always wore a smile while saying things that practically begged for a punch.
She was an angel with an utterly vile personality.
How could a kind demon like Lilith possibly stand against such an underhanded angel?
That was why Lilith was determined to obtain the World Item [Forbidden Fruit of Eden] from Roy.
If she ate just one, her stats would skyrocket, giving her a chance to defeat Lucifer.
Yes, even after eating the [Forbidden Fruit of Eden], she would only have a chance.
But Roy said he had yet to work out how to recover this World Item, so it would remain unused for now.
Lilith felt that her achievements were insufficient, which was why her master was unwilling to bestow the treasure upon her.
That made her more enthusiastic than anyone else about this capture operation.
While the others targeted the battle maids, she targeted the level-100 Guardian, Shalltear.
Lilith had released over a hundred little demons in advance, then used the spell [Perfect Unknowable] to conceal them on the ground, where they waited silently in ambush.
With enough ambushers, some would be able to get close to you.
The concealed demons lay in wait specifically at Shalltear's position before triggering the swap.
The moment Shalltear released her familiars, she sensed countless demons approaching.
See Through!
Combat Instinct!
Shalltear tried to sharpen her combat judgment, then suddenly remembered something.
No, this isn't right. My priority isn't fighting. It's getting this information to Lord Ainz.
In the crisis, Shalltear surpassed the limits of her own intelligence and abandoned any intention of fighting the enemy.
The enemy probably used a divine artifact to disguise themselves.
Only by seeing through that disguise will I have a chance to face them head-on.
Shalltear instantly used a Cash Shop Item.
Exchange Doll!
Throughout today's battle, both sides kept swapping positions.
Before the battle even began, Demiurge had prepared an Exchange Doll for everyone, so they could use it when necessary.
Shalltear used hers without hesitation and swapped positions with Hanzo.
She had to return and tell Lord Ainz that this enemy was definitely not a dragon.
The next second-
"Got you."
"What a little fool."
"We set up this ambush in advance. How could we possibly miss a monster like Hanzo?"
Lilith's mocking voice rang out. Her actual ambush site was nowhere near the place where Shalltear had sensed danger.
Lilith knew that the enemy possessed Exchange Dolls. Once she also knew Hanzo's location, their plan became perfectly clear.
When they encountered danger, sacrificing a Hanzo in a swap to secure a Guardian's safety was perfectly reasonable.
But with her advantage in intelligence, Lilith had quickly devised a plan to counter it.
First, she had a substitute release its aura to threaten Shalltear, prompting her to teleport at the critical moment.
By the time that teleportation finished, Lilith was already lying in wait nearby.
The real Lilith had been hiding near Hanzo all along.
She placed her hand on Shalltear's armor, and the World Item [Chains of Heaven] activated instantly.
"Lord Ainz!"
Shalltear cried out in despair, but no one could hear her.
A strange chain had bound her body, leaving her unable to move.
This was one of the World Items Roy had cashed out: the Chains of Heaven.
According to legend, the World Tree gave off an enchanting fragrance that drew countless monsters to invade it and seize its authority. The Chains of Heaven were born during that great war.
Under those circumstances, one of its leaves transformed into a chain that could help the World Guardians capture the monsters devouring the World Tree.
According to its lore, this World Item could easily bind any boss, until a World Boss appeared.
In other words, the Chains of Heaven were a control-type World Item.
They also had two effects based on racial levels.
Effect 1: the Chains of Heaven could bind any player or monster below [World Class].
Effect 2: the binding effect of the Chains of Heaven could activate only once every 24 hours.
Effect 3: the binding duration in hours equaled the target's heteromorphic racial levels.
Effect 4: targets without heteromorphic racial levels would be bound for only one hour.
In the game, there was a war between the Heteromorphic Species and the Human Species.
World Items were likewise divided into two categories: those designed specifically to counter the Heteromorphic Species and those designed specifically to counter the Human Species.
Clearly, the Chains of Heaven were an item specifically targeting the Heteromorphic Species.
Shalltear had Vampire (LV10) and True Vampire (LV10), for a total of 20 levels, so she would be imprisoned for 20 hours.
This was an enormous punishment in the game, effectively a partial account ban for the player.
It was also extremely useful for fighting bosses.
Once monsters below World Class were bound by it, they could neither use any skills nor move.
Lilith bound Shalltear immediately. Since this level-100 NPC carried no World Item, she was captured on the spot.
It was even easier than when Shalltear had been controlled by Downfall of Castle and Country in the original story.
The next second, Lilith took Shalltear with her and teleported back to World City.
Lord Ainz!
Shalltear struggled in despair, but she could not escape the control of the Chains of Heaven.
The chain held her fast, leaving her unable to move.
That's right-suicide!
Shalltear remembered Mare's example. If Mare could be resurrected after death, so could she.
Shalltear's foolish side tended to surface only when she dealt with her own people.
Now, faced with a hopeless situation, she had finally found a solution.
Then, with a thunderous boom-
She and Lilith appeared together in World City's throne hall.
A man sat on a golden dragon throne, a dazzling crown upon his head.
Anyone who saw that crown would find their attention involuntarily drawn to it.
Mind Control!
As an undead and a True Vampire, Shalltear possessed various special effects, including [Mental Effect Immunity].
Yet the moment she formed the thought of resisting, her entire consciousness was reshaped.
"Kneel."
In terms of practical combat ability, disregarding weapons, Veronica was inferior to Shalltear.
After all, more than half her levels were in maid classes, but the pressure of her bloodline surpassed Shalltear's.
At the command to kneel, Shalltear unconsciously put away her weapon, changed into her usual attire, and obeyed, falling to her knees before Roy.
What magnificent power. What a mighty king.
He is the King of the World, destined to rule the entire world.
"Great King of the World."
"Shalltear Bloodfallen pledges her loyalty to you. I shall strive to conquer all lands in your name."
Roy was not at all surprised to see Shalltear kneel.
He had deployed so many World Items that the Bone King's current faction could not possibly stand against them.
He merely wanted to force the Bone King to deploy Momonga's Orb and fight the Space Dragon to the death.
Why has Lilith captured Shalltear and brought her here now?
Lilith said with a cheerful grin:
"Supreme One, that player is bound to be their true main fighting force anyway."
"One more or one less won't affect the test."
"Besides, this vampire is very powerful. If we don't deal with her, she'll expose a great deal of information."
"The enemy's deployment changed, so the Prime Minister had no choice but to adjust the plan."
Lilith was the most rebellious of the Nine Governors.
She believed her judgment was correct and had reported it to Eve, receiving permission.
If the other Governors captured the maids, Shalltear would notice the disturbance.
They were all meticulously designed level-100 NPCs.
Even if World City had advantages from certain special classes, the gap would not be too large.
Regardless of whether Shalltear could put up a fight, she would at least not be defeated easily.
Even Certain Death had managed to resist Mare for a while, let alone Shalltear.
A prolonged battle was bound to lead to mistakes, so Lilith made an on-the-spot decision to take Shalltear down first.
Eve adjusted the plan based on Demiurge's situation, which was how it became an operation to capture Shalltear.
The other Governors returned together to report on their work.
Roy nodded and said:
"In that case, let's watch Nazarick's bloody battle."
"If they can't even defeat the fire dragon, they have no value left for us to exploit."
Roy remained in World City and enjoyed the show.
Before you continue