"This woman is incredibly strong!" Evileye felt the terrifying aura emanating from Albedo and knew that this was an existence she could never hope to fight. A cold shiver ran down her spine, making her involuntarily put up her guard. Then she remembered that she also had an incredibly powerful person on her side, Kael, and she felt relieved. Confidence returned to her, and she retorted to Albedo without showing any weakness, "What an arrogant attitude. If you regard humans as ants, then why do you still want to stop this disaster?"
"Hateful!" Albedo clearly couldn't tolerate anyone questioning Ainz, especially a human of lower status in her eyes. Her jaw tightened, and she immediately wanted to discipline Evileye, her fury overflowing.
Ainz, standing behind her, saw this and immediately stretched out his hand to grab her shoulder, his voice calm yet firm. "Wait! Albedo, don't be impulsive!"
"...Yes, Ainz-sama." All NPCs in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick obeyed Ainz unconditionally. When Albedo heard his command, she immediately suppressed her anger, though her eyes still flashed with irritation.
Ainz feared she would act impulsively again, so he stepped out from behind her and explained to Evileye, his voice trying to sound convincing. "We are sincere in our desire to prevent this disaster, so please do not doubt us. If you don't believe me, we can torture this person and I believe it will be easy to prove our lack of seriousness."
Though everyone was still doubtful, seeing the starkly different attitudes of Ainz and Albedo—one calm, one furious—they focused their attention on Khajiit, who was slumped on the ground.
Hateful! Khajiit cursed inwardly, feeling despair engulf him. He's the unluckiest person, okay? He was originally preparing his encirclement plan in the cemetery, when suddenly a powerful Undead Magic Caster appeared and forced him to become his subordinate. Now that Undead Magic Caster has been killed by the newly appeared Ainz Ooal Gown, who is also using him as a tool to enhance his reputation, he's going to be handed over to city officials for disposal. It's conceivable that if he's proven guilty by city officials, the lightest punishment will be burning alive at the stake.
Good, good, good! You don't even treat me as a human, do you? Khajiit was not a good person to begin with, and as he thought this, a hint of cruelty flashed in his eyes. This was his chance to turn the tables.
"He's lying!" After shouting loudly, Khajiit scrambled forward in a panic and quickly arrived at Kael's feet, begging for protection. According to the information he had gathered beforehand, this person before him was a powerful man capable of killing Shadow, and also the best person to ask for help. Khajiit prostrated heavily before Kael as if pleading for mercy, then pointed at Ainz and the others with a panicked expression, loudly accusing, "Gentlemen, this Undead is talking nonsense! He was the one who forced me to summon the Undead army to attack the city. Now he just wants to clear himself and use me as a scapegoat!"
"What!?"
"What nonsense are you talking, lowly human!?" Upon hearing Khajiit's slander against Ainz, Albedo and Shalltear were instantly enraged, their fury erupting uncontrollably. They couldn't stand it any longer.
"Go to hell, you insect!" Shalltear cursed angrily, raising her hand, and immediately activated her strongest single-target fire magic, Ninth Tier: [Vermilion Nova]!
Ah! With a loud wail, a red lotus flame spewed from the ground and burned Khajiit to ashes without leaving the slightest trace, only a pungent smell of char.
Kael stepped back twenty centimeters to avoid being hit by the [Vermilion Nova] flames, and was secretly delighted. He hadn't expected this unexpected development. This situation couldn't be driven by a single force, but required the combined action of many factors to achieve it. The humans' distrust of Ainz, the Guardians' disdain for humans like Albedo and their infinite admiration for Ainz, and Khajiit's slander of Ainz—all three were unavoidable, and now culminated in a perfect explosion.
But whatever the case, the current situation was exactly what he wanted.
Gasp! Perhaps the visual impact of Khajiit being burned to death was a bit too great, and Enri and her followers behind Kael couldn't help but gasp, fear clearly visible in their eyes as they looked at Shalltear. Enri unconsciously moved a little closer to Kael, seeking protection.
Seizing this opportunity, Kael used message magic on her, and told her in a low voice only she could hear, "Enri, when you hear my signal later, you will immediately take the others and leave this place. Remember not to use [Teleportation] magic until you are out of the cemetery."
"Eh? My God, why!?" Enri was stunned and looked at Kael in confusion, not understanding the sudden command.
Kael glanced at her, his gaze sharp, and said in a very firm tone through the magic message, "No reason! Do as I say!"
"I... I understand!" Enri responded in a panic, though still confused, she knew the command was absolute.
On the other side, Shalltear's sudden attack caught Ainz off guard. However, Khajiit's behavior had actually annoyed him a bit, so he didn't blame Shalltear for it. Now that it had happened, they had to find a way to make amends. Otherwise, the reputation of Ainz Ooal Gown would not improve, but instead be tainted.
"Everyone, this is just a misunderstanding..." Ainz opened his mouth to explain something, but saw Kael suddenly wave his hand at the three of them.
Triple Maximize Magic: [Cage of Light]!
Three energy cages fell from the sky. Ainz and his companions were completely unprepared and were instantly trapped within the cages, startled by the speed of the attack.
Kael shouted at the same time, his voice ringing out, "Everyone! Get out!"
"Everyone, hurry!" Since Enri had received prior notification from Kael, she was the first to rise and fly away, leading the way. Although the others were a little slower, they reacted immediately after being reminded twice in succession and followed Enri's actions, rushing away from the unseen danger.
Well then... Ainz watched Enri and the others fly into the sky, and for a moment he was speechless, a little surprised by Kael's unexpected actions.
"Don't even think about escaping!" Albedo also realized something was wrong, and immediately swung her war axe to attack the cage of light, trying to break free from the shackles and give chase.
At this moment, Kael also took his next step.
Tenth Tier: [Summon Angel]!
[Summon Warrior of Light]!
Two summoning circles quickly unfolded, and white and golden light illuminated the night sky, summoning sacred beings. Then, the three summoned creatures—the King of Light Knights, Jupiter Sky·Cephagnum Cherubim, and Jupiter Sky·Cephagnum Cherubim—stood to the left and right to protect Kael in the center, forming a solid defensive line.
Albedo was the first to break through the cage, unfolding her black wings and preparing to fly into the sky. However, the King of Light Knights was a step faster, and with a leaping slash from the sky, he blocked Albedo's path, forcing her into a direct confrontation.
Albedo had no choice but to give up chasing Enri and the others and used her war axe to block the King of Light Knights' attack. But this, of course, enraged her, her eyes flashing with fury.
"Death judgment!" Albedo pushed with all her might, then the war axe exploded with immense power that pushed the King of Light Knights away, and then she swung it like a storm, her attacks swift and brutal. The King of Light Knights raised his holy shield to parry, but each strike from Albedo's war axe left an axe mark on the holy shield, forcing him back repeatedly.
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