"Solution, this seems to be the right place."
Perched upon a dead tree beside the ancestral hall, a silhouette draped in a crimson dress remained unseen, observing the fierce battle between humans and Undead below. Beside her, a blonde maid blended perfectly with the darkness, thanks to her Assassin's prowess. These two were none other than members of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Shalltear Bloodfallen and Solution Epsilon.
Their presence here was no accident. After the shadow demons reported the movements of the Black Scripture Team to Sebas Tian, the three Guardians immediately followed, convinced that something significant must be happening here. Since Sebas Tian was a pure combatant without adequate stealth abilities, they decided to let him stand guard outside the cemetery. Meanwhile, Shalltear and Solution would conduct reconnaissance in secret.
The two girls witnessed the brutal fight between Clementine and the Black Scripture Team. From their observations, the fighters' performance could only be described as "extremely weak"—no one was worthy of their attention, save for one small exception.
"Won't that person join the fight?" Shalltear turned, her gaze fixed on a figure hidden in the shadows of a nearby tree. A young man wearing armor and clearly extraordinary magical accessories, clutching an ancient spear in his hand, with long hair that almost touched the ground. According to previous intelligence analysis, that man must be the captain of this human team, a god-man who had awakened a divine bloodline in The Slane Theocracy. Shalltear did sense the aura of a strong warrior from him, far superior to Solution. However, since she herself was not a professional warrior trained for such assessments, she couldn't make an accurate judgment of his level solely from perception.
Roar!
A brutal roar pulled Shalltear's attention back. The Black Scripture members were on the verge of finishing off the Death Knight that had suddenly appeared. However, soon after, a large number of low-level Undead swarmed out of the ancestral hall, led by two new Death Knights. The situation dramatically reversed. The Black Scripture members lost momentum, slowly losing their advantage in close combat. Even Clementine, who had previously been captured, seized this chaos to break free, stumbling towards the ancestral hall under the protection of one of the Death Knights.
Is it time now for the Black Scripture captain to act? Shalltear again turned her head towards the figure hiding in the darkness, waiting for him to move so she could analyze his combat power.
Unexpected Appearance and Disparaging Words
"You are truly audacious!"
A voice suddenly boomed from behind them, startling Shalltear and Solution. Both turned vigilantly, discovering two figures floating in the air thanks to [Fly] magic not far away. One was a skeletal mage in black robes, clutching a bone staff. According to intelligence analysis from the Supreme Being Ainz Ooal Gown and Demiurge, this Undead was their primary target—the mastermind behind the Black Scripture attack and the theft of The Slane Theocracy's original artifact. The other figure was a middle-aged human. Judging from the equipment he wore, he appeared to be a necromancer.
"Don't embarrass yourselves before us with such clumsy hiding," the middle-aged man said. There was a clear tone of disdain in his voice, cold and piercing like a winter wind.
"Oh dear, I didn't expect to be found out." Since their presence was already known, further concealment was pointless. Shalltear immediately dispelled the invisibility magic on her body, revealing herself before the man with grace. Her crimson dress gently fluttered. Seeing this, Solution Epsilon beside her also appeared, her slender silhouette materializing from the darkness.
Suddenly, the Undead Legion attacking the Black Scripture team halted their movements. The four Black Scripture members also realized the change in situation and immediately closed ranks, fully alert to the enemies around them.
Quaiesse, serving as the team's temporary commander, glanced at his captain's position without any visible trace, then made a subtle gesture. After that, he directed his attention to Shalltear and the other two figures, observing their every move intently.
I cannot see any trace of the original artifact. Quaiesse wondered inwardly. Has it been moved by the enemy, or is the enemy equipped with the artifact hiding in the darkness and watching me? If the latter, even if the original artifact's power is strong, there will be no problem as long as the object is retrieved before the enemy launches an attack. The reason why the strongest captain hasn't appeared is to surprise the enemy and complete this important task.
But if the original artifact has been moved by the enemy, that would be the worst-case scenario. There's a high probability that The Slane Theocracy will never be able to retrieve this precious treasure, the legacy of the gods.
So where is the item? And who are the identities of these three people before us? Are they accomplices of this Undead – Khajiit, the Great Undead Sage? Quaiesse frowned, his mind racing for answers amidst this unexpected threat.
On the other hand, Shalltear realized that the Undead below were gradually encircling the dead tree where she stood, but she paid it little mind. She elegantly lifted her skirt, curtsied to the middle-aged man before her like a noblewoman, and introduced herself: "My name is..."
"I don't care what your name is." Before Shalltear could even mention her name, the man cut her off coldly, his voice piercing like ice. "You're Ainz Ooal Gown's person, aren't you? Tell me, what are you doing here?"
Just a lowly human! Shalltear frowned slightly, a wave of dissatisfaction washing over her at the man's rude demeanor. However, remembering the instructions given by the Supreme Being before acting—that this time contact with the other party should primarily be based on negotiation—she suppressed her anger with all her might.
"I am here to contact you on the Supreme Being's command, with the hope that we can reach a certain level of cooperation."
"No need." The man firmly rejected Shalltear's proposal, his voice filled with arrogance. "We in the Dark Alliance are very powerful. Neither Ainz Ooal Gown nor Trinity are qualified to cooperate with us."
Dark Alliance? Not Zuranon? Then, what is Trinity? Solution Epsilon, whose role was to observe, immediately noted the key pieces of information from the man's words, memorizing them in her mind, ready to report them to the Supreme Being later.
Suddenly, she realized something was amiss with her temporary superior, Lady Shalltear, who was negotiating with the man on behalf of Nazarick. Shalltear's beautiful face slowly changed, her eyes staring sharply at the man, while she gritted her teeth.
Such a lowly human! Not only does he dare to refuse the Supreme Being's invitation to cooperate, but he also presumptuously belittles all of Nazarick! Kill him! A wave of pure rage surged in her mind, and Shalltear extended her hand, grasping her artifact-tier weapon, the Blood Sucking Lance.
"Lady Shalltear! Please calm down and don't forget what the Supreme Being told us!" Solution Epsilon sensed the danger, and immediately grabbed Shalltear's wrist, trying to persuade her in a low voice filled with urgency.
After hearing the title 'Supreme Being', Shalltear seemed to receive a calming injection. Her emotions slowly subsided, but the anger on her face was still clearly visible, like embers ready to reignite at any moment.
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