Chapter 28: the end of Shalltear
With those parting words Akabaru teleported back to the arena where Ainz was struggling with Shalltear.
….
—The sound of clashing metal rang forth.
"Gyaaaaah—!"
An unbelievable sight unfolded before Shalltear's eyes. The edge of the blade cleaved into Shalltear's chest from her shoulder, until it reached her unbeating heart.
Shalltear's crimson armor was dyed an even deeper shade of red. She scrambled back, looking at Ainz in shock.
Ainz held a katana. It was a massive nodachi, wreathed in electrical discharges. That sword had cut through Shalltear's armor as though slicing through paper.
Her armor was a legendary class item. Only a rare few divine class weapons could go through it with such ease.
Then — there was only one answer.
Yes.
Ainz was holding one of those few weapons—
Shalltear screamed the name of that blade as she coughed up blood.
"Takemikazuchi Mk 8!"
Shalltear leaped back, avoiding the strike from the nodachi. The fact that she had jumped so far beyond the nodachi's striking range was a sign of how frightened she was of that sword.
However, nobody would mock Shalltear for doing, even less so if they were denizens of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.
Rather, they would have sympathetic looks on their faces, because they all feared this weapon of the Supreme Being.
They feared the sight of this sword, named after and wielded by Warrior Takemikazuchi, one of the Forty One Supreme Beings.
"Did I not say so, Shalltear? Ainz Ooal Gown is invincible."
Ainz stepped forward, and Shalltear immediately took two steps back.
"Shalltear, you should know this. Ainz Ooal Gown is the combined power of forty one people. You had no hope of victory from the start," Ainz calmly said.
His words rang with absolute confidence and the utmost assurance.
The dangerous battle of earlier had been like treading on thin ice, where one false step might send him to the bottom of the lake. But now, Ainz had brought the battle to his enemy.
Currently, their MP was zero, but Shalltear's HP was higher.
However, after using [Perfect Warrior] to become a level one hundred warrior, Ainz's stats far outstripped Shalltear, who was not a pure warrior. In addition, Ainz's equipment was superior to hers.
That meant — the unfavourable battle from earlier was a thing of the past. Or at least that was the plan, Ainz was having problems with balance and reach of his weapons. He was not used to a katana or the armour that he wore but he didn't think it was particularly important.
The man who had turned the tables advanced with even, steady steps.
"—Shalltear Bloodfallen, open your eyes and witness the might of the ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the one who gathered the Supreme Beings, and the man whom you praise with your very own mouth."
Those words were the signal for the attack.
Ainz stepped forward and delivered an overhand strike with the nodachi.
Shalltear leapt away, preparing to jump forward as she did. Her aim was to counterattack Ainz in the opening after he made his move. Sure enough, Ainz had overswung his weapon leaving him at the mercy of Shalltear's counter attack.
Even after becoming a level one hundred warrior, he would not have been able to fully utilize a warrior's abilities, and they would have ended up wasted. Much like driving a car, one might have a license, but there was a world of difference between someone who only had a license on paper and one who was used to driving on the open roads. Both of them could operate a car, but their reactions to sudden changes in circumstances would be drastically different.
In other words — experience.
During this battle with Shalltear, Ainz felt that this lack of experience was his biggest flaw.
…..
It'll be hard to avoid it.
That was what Shalltear calmly thought as she saw the tip of the sword coming at her, as fast as lightning. However, thrusts were a risky move. One could use the weaknesses of thrusting attacks to turn a dangerous situation into an opportunity.
Then… it can't be helped.
Shalltear put her hand into the path of the thrust, having decided to sacrifice her left arm.
As the blade pierced her palm, Shalltear twisted her left hand, successfully diverting the thrust to one side.
It did not penetrate her chest, but the tip of the sword still drove through her left palm, into the muscle and bone, until it was deeply buried in her left arm. In addition, the electricity surrounding the nodachi coursed through Shalltear's body.
Though she was undead, the sensation of being savagely penetrated still filled Shalltear with something resembling terror, though she kept the corners of her mouth raised.
It was a smile — not one which an injured person would make, but neither was it a brave front. After all, that was what Shalltear had intended.
Shalltear tensed her left arm. The nodachi halted, pinned down by her muscles.
Thrusts were maneuvers that might end up leaving one's weapon stuck in a foe's flesh should they miss their mark. Hence, they were not very practical in combat. In other words, they had a weakness. Shalltear knew that weakness, which was why she had sacrificed her left arm to force an opening in her opponent's defense.
She could not have done so if she could not grasp the nodachi in her left hand in the instant before it impaled her — a feat which she had to perform within tenths of a second.
"You're open!"
Now that his nodachi was tied up, Ainz had no way of defending against the Spuit Lance.
As Shalltear thrust the Spuit Lance at lightning speed, she once more beheld a startling sight.
Ainz let go of the divine class weapon in his hand — a magic item of the highest order — and then withdrew one of the several wooden sticks slotted at his waist.
"Hah!? Are you retarded!? How could a little stick like that block the Spuit Lance!? And then you actually let go of your divine class weapon!? Isn't that a colossal mistake!?"
Granted, not remaining attached to Warrior Takemikazuchi's divine class weapon was a wise decision, but there was no way he could win after losing that weapon.
With a mocking smile on her face, Shalltear vowed to make Ainz suffer more than her left hand had. She thrust the Spuit Lance with all her might — and then it was deflected, with a clear, crisp sound of metal against metal.
"Eh?" Shalltear exclaimed in surprise.
The wooden stick was no longer in Ainz's hand, and in its place were two kodachis, which had deflected the Spuit Lance. One was as blindingly brilliant as the sun, while the other glowed with the pure, gentle light of the moon.
Ainz's hand — which were holding the kodachis — began smoking. It would seem that those weapons were the bane of the undead.
"You were saying something about being open, Shalltear?"
"Cheh! What, what's going on?"
Shalltear could not feel the weight of the weapon which had pierced her left arm. It had vanished, as though it could not exist in the same world as the new weapons which Ainz had prepared. Shalltear sensed that they had returned to their original place.
"Well, that's true. If you can't handle a weapon in each hand, sticking to one would be wiser…"
Ainz's mumblings seemed to have been directed at someone elsewhere.
"Then, is that the case for me now?"
Shalltear could not understand what he meant by those words, and after losing her balance, the moonlit kodachi swung at her.
The attack to her neck was blocked by her lance, Ainz decided to retreat to prefent from getting hit, not profiting from Shalltear using a massive weapon and drawing nearer.
As Shalltear charged to attack she was strook in the back trowing her of blanance and landing her into the kodachi's, piercing her body with the two holy weapons.
"Aaaaaahhh!"
She wailed in pain forgetting the way she came into this position.
Actually being stabbed did not hurt that much. The problem was the agony which came from the holy-element energy which filled her body like poison. That pain was much harder to bear.
Ainz worked the kodachi's from side to side while it was still within her, as though to saw open the wound.
"Get away from me!"
The distance between Shalltear and Ainz was too narrow to use the Spuit Lance, so she kicked at him. Ainz was flung back but at this moment, Shalltear saw that Ainz's hands had released the kodachis, and they had another small stick in them.
Then, as the stick fragmented, a huge, savage-looking gauntlet covered Ainz's hand. That gauntlet was so big that it nearly dragged on the ground from a standing position—
"Take this!"
—And as Ainz shouted, he punched her.
Shalltear reflexively raised the Spuit Lance to defend herself, but the massive impact travelled through the Spuit Lance and washed over her entire body.
"Gugyaaah!"
Shalltear yelped pathetically as she was flung backward, as though struck by a gigantic fist. The hit did not do much damage, and the Spuit Lance could block physical attacks, but the knockback effect was enough to overcome the magic items protecting her.
More importantly she was nocked towards the one that had punched her into the kodachi's
She recovered her lost balance quickly thanks to her magic items, bit right after se recovered she lost it again. A kick nocked her legs causing her to fall back onto the ground.
Looking up with a face filled with rage after making such a pitiful sound. She saw Akabaru-sama standing over her.
"When..?
Another kick strook her this time Shalltear was quicker to recover than before.
Her eyes shifted, and as she saw a massive globe of light, Shalltear's agitation vanished.
That flare of sunlight came from the bow Ainz had drawn. Its arrow of light were naturally targeted at Shalltear.
"No, no way, how could that be… Hou Yi's Bow?"
This weapon had been named after the hero who had shot down the sun while China was still a balkanized mass of smaller countries. It was also the main weapon of the Supreme Being who had created Shalltear.
All the Guardians were protected against ranged weapons, so they did not have to worry about simple projectiles. However, those arrows of light did not do physical damage, but elemental damage. In other words, they were counted as magic attacks, and those defences did not apply.
The fact that she had used up all her MP and her skill uses were all the result of their previous battle. In other words, she had followed Ainz Ooal Gown's script to the letter.
Shalltear's eyes turned bloodshot and she bellowed. This was the expression of one who had realized their mistake after the fact, and who was determined not to admit defeat.
"Damn you! How did you obtain Peroroncino-sama's weapon? Was all this part of your plan? How did you prepare all these weapons? Where did you hide them? Was it a skill that activated after you broke those sticks!?"
What on earth was going on here? Even Akabaru arrived on time to help as if it was all planed.
It was as though the world itself was bending over backwards to help him out.
"What sort of magician would I be if I told you the secret of my tricks?"
"A trick!? A trick couldn't have summoned Peroroncino-sama's weapon!"
"All that talking ShAlltear I thought I thought you the first time not to get distracted with pointless talking!"
Akabaru stood behind her once more. This time with an attack already on its way to pierce her chest. "[way of the fist – magma's judgment]" it was a skill that turned the whole arm into magma burning trough anything that stood in his way, it wasn't more powerful that [Swallows return] but the damaged was effective against the undead.
"Uoooooh!"
Shalltear gave voice to a battlecry that did not suit her face. Ainz's cold, clear voice responded to her:
"The odds of victory are nine to one with Akabaru here… I trust I need not say who is who?"
Ainz slowly raised an axe made of red crystal that shed a purple glow. It was a menacing-looking greataxe. As she saw this, Shalltear hesitated on what to do. She was surrounded doubting whether to fight the unexperienced Ainz but unpredictable or the more experienced Akabaru, but in the end she took a step forward.
After all, there was nowhere for her to run.
"Such admirable determination. This is the endgame, Shalltear!"
….
Every attack ate away at their health.
Shalltear's attacks restored her health, but the damage she received with every hit was enough to negate the health that Shalltear regained.
Every time that axe scored a hit on Shalltear, it felt as though it would chop her armour to bits. She felt bones breaking and flesh ripping throughout her body. And every time Akabaru's fist landed, it felt as if her internal organs would pop,
However, whenever she thrust her lance, which dealt bludgeoning damage thanks to a skill, she could feel bone fragmenting under her assaults.
After abandoning all thoughts of defense, Shalltear had thrown herself wholeheartedly into the attack, thinking only of seeing which of them would fall first. Shalltear, so full of anxiety, finally smiled as a light appeared in the darkness.
This was because she had been calculating the rate of her health's depletion. The more she worried, the greater her joy would be.
"Ahahahaha!"
Shalltear laughed as she struck and was struck in turn.
"Ahahaha! It seems I will at least be able to kill you, Ainz-sama! Even if I die I will defeat a supreme being!"
And then, something dumped cold water on Shalltear's pride.
It was a simple sentence:
"...Do you really think so?"
Shalltear realised her foolishness as she heard the voice of the schemer who had run her ragged and who had controlled the progress of all the events which had unfolded thus far.
Impossible.
How did he intend to turn this situation around?
Shalltear did not know how he would do it, but a third person's voice clarified her doubts.
"Time's up — Momonga-oniichan!"
It was a girl's voice.
She had never heard this voice before, which seemed to be that of a woman pretending to be a child. It reminded Shalltear of a female voice she had heard before. If that woman had pitched her voice differently, it would probably have sounded like this.
"Now, what do you think 'Time's up' refers to?"
"Did you really set that timer Ainz?... Its fine, we are done here."
Akabaru who had become tired of the back and forth struggle with Shalltear retreated to the back, leaving combat for Ainz to finish with his spell.
Engrossed in trading blows and mauling her foe with her weapon, Shalltear had no idea what that question meant. A look of bafflement appeared on her pretty face.
"If everything thus far has gone as I have planned, that means, the time which has passed has also been within my calculations. Now, what do you think that watch meant when it told us that time was up?"
Engrossed in trading blows and mauling her foe with her weapon, Shalltear had no idea what that question meant. A look of bafflement appeared on her pretty face.
"If everything thus far has gone as I have planned, that means, the time which has passed has also been within my calculations. Now, what do you think that watch meant when it told us that time was up?"
The axe in Ainz's hands vanished, becoming a pure white shield. With his matching white shield and armor, Ainz resembled a paladin of pure white.
The shield rang crisply as it deflected the Spuit Lance's attack.
Things being as they were, Ainz had probably turned to defense because of that female voice, but Shalltear had no idea of the reason for that. As he went on the defensive, Ainz's voice reached her ears amidst the clashing of metal.
"Do I even need to say it? The battle is over, and victory has been decided."
Why? Shalltear was still at twenty five percent health. How has victory been decided, Shalltear wanted to scream, but she could not.
The axe in Ainz's hands vanished, becoming a pure white shield. With his matching white shield and armor, Ainz resembled a paladin of pure white.
The shield rang crisply as it deflected the Spuit Lance's attack.
Things being as they were, Ainz had probably turned to defense because of that female voice, but Shalltear had no idea of the reason for that. As he went on the defensive, Ainz's voice reached her ears amidst the clashing of metal.
"Do I even need to say it? The battle is over, and victory has been decided."
Why? Shalltear was still at twenty percent health. How has victory been decided, Shalltear wanted to scream, but she could not.
"...Super tier magic cannot kill you in one hit when you're at full health. Then, all I need to do is reduce your health until it can do so. And it would seem our back and forth just now has heavily depleted your health."
"...Ahhh, ah, ahhhhhhhh—"
Shalltear desperately attacked, trying to shut her opponent up and block out the knowledge of her impending defeat.
The clashes of metal against metal rang out continuously, the interval between them less than a tenth of a second. Shalltear's continuous attacks lashed at Ainz like a storm.
However, Ainz neatly blocked them, with unimaginable speed. So skillful was he that it seemed that he could stand beneath a great waterfall and not get wet. As he effortlessly blocked the attacks against him, he continued:
"...It's true that I am inferior in terms of pure fighting ability… but my magical defense is superior. Then — you should understand what I'm getting at, right? I'm about to make my move, Shalltear. All you can do is pray that I miscalculated."
"Kuuuuuuuhhhhh—!"
....
Knowing that defeat was at hand, Shalltear continued her frenzied string of attacks. Though her features were distorted, her looks were not diminished.
In the face of that, Ainz made his final gambit.
Despite what he had told Shalltear, his plan had not gone as smoothly as he had intended.
To begin with, he had failed at the melee combat, but luckily Akabaru had helped him covering for his flaws.
Secondly super tier magic was like a skill, and did not consume MP. However, it was still a form of magic, and he could not access it when transformed into a warrior.
Once he dispelled the warrior transformation magic, he would not be able to equip his armour and shield and they would fall off him. That would make it very difficult for him to resist Shalltear's attacks. If she decided to use a skill of some sort, he might not be able to secure a victory through HP damage with super tier magic.
That would spell defeat for him.
"Akabaru!"
Shouting for the assistance of Akabaru Shalltear turned to look at where he was, ready to block what she expected to be a devastating attack to her health, but unlike her expectation he was approaching slowly, as if walking down the street.
Ainz took the Brief moment to dispel the warrior transformation, and get ready to use the cash item.
Akabaru smiled, seeing Shalltear being unable to react it time to the activation of the super tier spell, But it seemed as though Ainz hesitated.
Letting Shalltear have a window of opportunity to destroy the item, but before she could do it She felt something on her spine. That was clearly hostility.
Someone hostile had appeared beside Shalltear, so obviously that she could not ignore it.
Shalltear averted her eyes from Ainz to see who that enemy was.
And then — she found that there was nobody there.
Ainz's spell had created a two hundred meter-wide expanse of desert. Nobody else was there beside Shalltear and Ainz. The hostility she had felt just now was nowhere to be found, as though it was an illusion.
"Not good!" Shalltear exclaimed as she came to her senses, but by then it was already too late.
The hourglass shattered, reducing the casting time of the spell to zero.
"[Fallen Down]."
With those words, a brilliant flash erupted between them and swallowed up everything.
Shalltear could feel her body disintegrating in the incredible heat.
Her carbonized right arm crumbled to dust, while the Spuit Lance slowly fell to what was probably the ground in this bleached-white world. Her face was shrivelled up from the incoming heat, and all she could see before her was whiteness.
Her throat was dried up too — in fact, she did not know if her throat had also been incinerated — so it was difficult to speak. Still, there was one thing she had to say. Shalltear Bloodfallen marshalled the last reserves of her vitality to give praise:
"...Ah, long live the guild.."
This was her sincere respect for the supreme Beings as the heatwave seemed to burn away her bindings, and though her body could not move, she felt unimaginably free.
The undead could ignore just about any form of mind-affecting effect. However, there were certain abilities that produced similar effects, but which were not counted as mind-affecting. Only two people in the guild had that ability.
Shalltear smiled while thinking about her love and that shorty
Thus satisfied, Shalltear vanished into a world of white.
....
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone