Looking Forward to Another World

In YGGDRASIL, countermeasures against time-based powers were something every player prepared once they reached Level 70.

Because time-based magic, special skills, or racial abilities were so overpowered, without proper countermeasures, even players with high levels could be defeated by someone capable of using time-based powers.

Ainz himself had prepared countermeasures, and several NPCs in the Great Tomb of Nazarick were also equipped with appropriate equipment or items to handle time-based powers.

Riezel, on the other hand, clearly had not prepared any countermeasures in this regard, which was one of the pieces of information Shalltear had confirmed and brought to Ainz after fighting him.

”Hmm, this isn’t good, Sir Riezel. Countermeasures against time-based powers are a must, or else you’ll end up like this, easily taken down.”

Ainz slowly drifted forward into a world where space and time were frozen, arriving right in front of Riezel.

Before Time Stop wore off, all attacks from the caster would be ineffective, so even though Ainz was so close to Riezel, he couldn’t harm him.

However, that didn’t mean Ainz couldn’t do other things.

”Delay Magic - True Death.”

Ainz placed his skeletal hand on Riezel’s chest and activated a magic spell modified by a Metamagic Enhancement.

Delay Magic, as the name suggested, was a Metamagic Enhancement that allowed magic to be delayed before activation. Since Ainz couldn’t attack Riezel before Time Stop wore off, he carefully timed it so that the magic would activate as soon as Time Stop ended.

In fact, what Ainz did was a combo of magic that was difficult to time precisely, and probably only about five percent of all magic-oriented job-class players in YGGDRASIL could use it skillfully.

As for True Death, it was a 9th-Tier Magic that caused instant death to its target. Once someone was killed by it, there was no way to resurrect them without high-tier resurrection magic.

”Goodbye, Riezel Brynhart.”

Ainz confirmed his victory, calculating the time.

Just one second before the delayed magic was about to activate, Ainz canceled Time Stop, causing the world to resume its flow and time to return to normal.

At the same time, Ainz’s magic, True Death, was almost simultaneously unleashed, affecting Riezel’s body.

”You?!”

Certain Death, unsure of what had happened, watched in shock as Ainz suddenly appeared in front of Riezel, placing one hand on his chest.

”We won.”

Demiurge spoke with a smile, causing the other Floor Guardians to smile as well as if they knew what had just happened.

However, in that instant, Riezel suddenly moved.

*Schwing—!*

Drawing his sword at lightning speed, with his whole body crackling with electricity, Riezel slashed toward Ainz, whose body was within arm’s reach, his sword glowing like a lightning bolt as it seemed to tear through the air.

In that instant, the lightning-charged sword struck Ainz’s body.

*BOOM!*

With a thunderous roar, the lightning-charged sword struck Ainz with precision, sending him flying and leaving him no time to react.

””WHAT?!””

Shouting in unison, the Floor Guardians were stunned.

”LORD AINZ—!!!”

Seeing Ainz get knocked away by Riezel’s slash, Albedo erupted on the spot.

”How dare you do this to our most beloved Supreme Being! You, YOU LOWLY CREATUUUURE—!!!”

Albedo, letting out an evil aura that twisted the air itself like a monster preparing to engulf the world, screamed with rage before she instantly accelerated to a speed that broke the sound barrier as she charged toward Riezel.

”Time Accelerator!”

Shalltear also let out a near-mad scream as she chanted time magic. Beating Albedo to it, she instantly appeared in front of Riezel, thrusting Spuit Lance at him.

”Cutting Wind!”

Cocytus’s halberd had mysteriously transformed into a longsword over 180 centimeters long, and with the force of a raging hurricane, he advanced to Riezel’s side, slashing with all his might.

”Aspect of the Devil - Tentacle Wings!”

Even Demiurge, usually calm and composed, was enraged at this moment, letting out a furious yell as countless tentacle-like tendrils, unnaturally long and writhing like worms, sprouted from his membranous wings and shot violently toward Riezel with a single wave.

In the blink of an eye, Riezel was under a combined attack from four Floor Guardians.

In the eyes of others, this was undoubtedly a terrifying situation.

Among the four, the strongest was Shalltear, who, among the intelligent NPCs in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, ranked high in power and was the most powerful among the Floor Guardians.

Shalltear’s power, equivalent to that of someone at the limit of Level 7, was no joke—one blow from her could easily shatter a hill.

Albedo and Cocytus, on the other hand, while not as strong as Shalltear, were still among the top three in close combat within the Great Tomb of Nazarick. One excelled in offense, and the other in defense—together, they ranked among the top Guardians and were not lower than Level 7.

Only Demiurge, being a strategist NPC, had relatively weaker combat power compared to the others and was even considered one of the weakest Floor Guardians. Even so, he was still a Level 100 NPC from YGGDRASIL, so he couldn’t possibly be weaker than Level 7.

In other words, Riezel was currently facing a siege from four Level 7 beings, which, in terms of power, was the same as being attacked by four Sword Saints in the Akasha Continent.

Despite such a dire situation, however, Riezel surprisingly remained unusually calm, his eyes shining brighter than usual.

At this moment, Riezel pushed the Transparent World to the limit, making his eyes completely transparent in color.

He carefully observed the four Floor Guardians surrounding him, analyzing their muscle movements, blood flow, internal organ activity, and body movements, incorporating all of these into his observation under the Transparent World, unraveling their attacks.

In the next moment, Riezel took the most appropriate action.

”Decompose.”

A crimson wave erupted from Riezel’s body, engulfing him like flames.

Among the four Floor Guardians, the first to touch Riezel was Shalltear.

*Chi—!*

As Shalltear’s Spuit Lance made contact with the crimson wave engulfing Riezel’s body, it was as though the lance had plunged into a corrosive fluid with incredible dissolving effects, causing it to tremble within the crimson wave, with smoke beginning to rise from it.

”What the—?!”

With her face changing drastically, Shalltear quickly tried to withdraw Spuit Lance, but it was too late. Under the decomposing effect of Decomposition Magic, Spuit Lance was almost completely dissolved, with the tip of the lance turning to nothingness.

”H-How could this be possible?!”

Shalltear couldn’t believe her eyes.

A divine-class item, one of the highest-class magic items, just below the two hundred World Items, had been dissolved by more than half in the blink of an eye?

Impossible!

As Shalltear was in shock over this, Cocytus and Demiurge also found themselves in a similar situation.

Cocytus’s longsword, as it was swung into the crimson wave, was immediately disintegrated, its blade turning to nothingness.

Demiurge’s tentacle-like tendrils, which had been shot out, were also disintegrated the moment they came into contact with the crimson wave, all turning into nothingness without leaving a trace behind.

Needless to say, the attacks of these three Floor Guardians were almost completely neutralized under Riezel’s overwhelming Decomposition Magic, with near-destructive results.

As for Albedo, wielding an ominous giant battle-axe, her weapon showed no signs of disintegration at all but instead easily cleaved through the crimson wave, striking the sword Riezel hastily raised.

*DING!*

Following this heart-stopping metal collision sound, Riezel, like Ainz before him, was sent flying.

*PENG!*

At the same time, the sword in Riezel’s hand met the same fate as the weapons of Shalltear and Cocytus. Under the massive destructive power of Albedo’s battle-axe, the blade of his sword was destroyed on the spot, shattering into fragments.

’Impressive.’

Praising Albedo’s battle-axe inside his mind, Riezel desperately stopped his body mid-flight before throwing away the broken sword and gazing at the battle-axe.

’Is this the power of a World Item?’

Indeed, the weapon in Albedo’s hands wasn’t a divine-class item like the ones Shalltear and the others had, but a genuine World Item, known as ’Ginnungagap’.

It was a unique privilege of Albedo as the Guardian Overseer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick to have one of the eleven World Items once obtained by Ainz Ooal Gown as her weapon. Normally, this item took the form of a wand, but it could change into any weapon at will.

What made this World Item special was that it was a World Item with the most destructive power over physical objects. Even though its attack power against living beings wasn’t very strong, and was even weaker than some divine-class items, it could easily destroy physical objects like equipment, making it a nemesis to all close-combat job classes that used weapons.

Meanwhile, Ainz, who had been sent flying by Riezel’s lightning-charged sword, used Greater Teleportation to return to the battlefield.

Despite having been knocked away by Riezel’s powerful slash, however, Ainz seemed to have no obvious injuries, as if nothing had happened.

Gazing at Riezel, Ainz quickly and urgently chanted one magic spell after another.

”Body of Effulgent Beryl, Bless of Magic Caster, Infinity Wall, Life Essence, Mana Essence, Greater Full Potential, Freedom, See Through, Paranormal Intuition, Greater Resistance, Mantle of Chaos, Indomitability, Sensor Boost, Greater Luck, Magic Boost, Draconic Power, Greater Hardening, Heavenly Aura, Absorption, Resist Break, Magic Weapon, Greater Magic Shield, Magic Barrier - Lightning.”

One magic spell after another was rapidly cast by Ainz, his fast chanting speed suggesting he had practiced them tens of thousands of times, so familiar that they had become second nature.

”DIE!”

At the same moment, Albedo charged at Riezel again, her battle-axe glowing with an ominous light.

Seeing this, instead of feeling anxious or panicked, Riezel smiled—smiled with an extra sense of joy, an overwhelming excitement.

’Looks like I gotta bring out my real skills this time...’

A sword instantly appeared in Riezel’s hand, and from it, intense heat began to radiate.