Chapter 64: We need to talk
Powerful. That was the first thing Lakyus thought when she watched the squad of angels came into view on the plaza in front of the palace. In the few years since she started as an adventurer, she had already seen all kinds of monsters and honed a sensitivity to the danger a certain opponent would have.
It was a necessary skill one had to cultivate in her profession. Not to mention with her personal experience against angels, she could claim to be able to accurately guess an angel's difficulty level.
It wasn't too long ago when she had witnessed an angel's formidableness through her conflict with Nigun Grid Luin, the former captain of the Sunlight Scripture from the Slane Theocracy. At that time, she had prevented him from slaughtering a demi-human village, which urged her to fight their group off. At that time, she had some difficulties dealing with them mainly due to their angels. However, the Archangel Flames they had controlled weren't even close to these 11 majestic angels.
They weren't even worth mentioning in the same breath compared to these angels that entered the plaza. She sensed that each of these attention-grabbing angels in the plaza would pose a challenging battle. Facing one might result in a close fight while confronting two would surely lead to defeat.
This wasn't a matter to brush under the rug. She was fully aware of her abilities, she recognized herself as the pinnacle of combat prowess among the entire country with only a few being capable of exchanging blows with her.
The group of civilians and even nobles were scurrying toward the angels in the hope of protection. It wasn't difficult to understand why they would seek the protection of the usual benign angels. However, because of the group's march, most people gave way to them with a few saying their thanks to them. She recognized those as the ones who had claimed to have been saved by an angel.
Most had previously dismissed that claim, thinking they had falsely recognized a powerful adventurer for an angel in their state of deliriousness, but it seemed like they were the ones mistaken. Another angel suddenly dashed out of an alley and quickly joined the angel squad. A few moments later more civilians arrived at the plaza as well. They sighed in relief as they arrived and saw the many people already gathered there.
The angels only glanced around before spotting them and directly heading towards them. The retired adventurers on Marquis Raeven's payroll visibly tensed up and even the Warrior Troop led by Gazef Stronoff looked unsure how to handle their approach. Lakyus believed that if it weren't for her friends, well-known members of the capital's only adamantite adventurer group Blue Rose, these angels would have been blocked already.
Most people knew of the tales about true angels and their benign angels, but Lakyus had yet to hear of one appearing naturally in her lifetime. Even Evileye hadn't heard of one in her long life, so she was skeptical if one even existed. Most angels one could come across would be summons of magicians and those were bound by their summoner's will.
If this magician was hostile, then it didn't matter what their summons would naturally be like. Fortunately, it was known that there were some restrictions on who could summon angels, but just like the Sunlight Scripture, it only needed a different perspective in life to cause hostility. All this gave rise to the question of who had summoned these angels or perhaps whether these were truly summons.
Usually, she would dismiss the possibility of so many true angels, but coupled with recent rumors about an adventurer capable of creating a phenomenon to change the sky, she believed that these angels might be followers of this rumored adventuring angel. Like many in the kingdom, prior she couldn't believe that the phenomenon was caused by a single adventurer regardless of how famous or powerful he was said to be.
When the tales told of him being an angel in disguise, who was waging an eternal war against an ancient demon, she had already thought it was just an adventurer trying to spread his name through this natural event. After all, more people knowing about him was good for business and for fame if he cared about such things. However, now with the invasion of demons, these angels appeared and saved civilians, she couldn't help but attribute some truth to these rumors.
She still wasn't entirely convinced that the sky was changed solely by the angel they call Azazel, but she believed that he might be pivotal to what had happened to cause such an event. The gleam of the people looking at the angels made her think that soon more rumors about gods reappearing would spread. She already anticipated a new wave of pilgrims.
Their resplendent armor made it difficult to overlook or to look away from them despite being accompanied by some famous adamantite adventurers. Lakyus looked at her friends and was relieved to find them in good health. The entire city had been chaotic due to the invasion of demons, and it didn't help they were separated due to their intentions to stir up trouble with the Eight Fingers.
She had been worried about their safety even if she was confident in their abilities. After all, on the battlefield, anything could happen. However, it wasn't just the members of Blue Rose who were escorted by these eye-catching angels. Another famous adventurer warrior in black armor, carrying two giant swords on his back, was in their midst. By now most had heard of him.
The adamantite adventurer, Dark Hero. It spoke volumes about his capabilities since his 'group' only consisted of him and Nabe, the Beautiful Princess. In terms of individual capabilities, it suggested that they had even Blue Rose beat. Of course, despite it, Lakyus was confident in her abilities to not lose out against him.
She observed their demeanor and concluded, they seemed to have fought together, which clued anyone in that they were working together. Most were happy to gain powerful allies, while some were still wary.
Lakyus on her part wasn't worried about the angels turning hostile. They were clearly here to combat these demons and save the people of her country. Marquis Raeven, Gazef, and Princess Renner seemed to think the same and directly told their subordinates to let them through, though their faces were even more solemn than before.
Although the city was overrun with demons, they thought it was still a manageable problem. After all, the more powerful these angels were the higher the chances of the demons meeting their strength. If their entire group that had gathered in the plaza would have to fight against these 12 angels, then the outcome would be unclear. Perhaps a handful would survive because they had fled beforehand…
So, despite having some reinforcement, it only signified that they would need it. Perhaps, it should have been clear with the flames that reached the sky, but they had thought it was just a powerful artifact enabling them to unleash such a large-scale barrier. There was another thing. The angel that had made his name known throughout the continent wasn't seen anywhere among the group or was it the one leading the squad?
As her thoughts had gone to this point, the angel squad started to disperse as the leader waved his hand at them. Half of the squad started to reinforce their defenses, while the rest rushed into the city away from the giant flames that reached the heavens, presumably to rescue more people from the clutches of the demons.
Her friends, Momon, and the leader of the angels walked through the soldiers that were initially blocking their way "I had hoped we would meet under better circumstances, Sir Momon. I heard great things about you." Lakyus said to the other adamantite adventurer, who nodded in return.
"Indeed, but let's skip the introduction for now. We have more important things to deal with." His voice carried a silent confidence with it as if he knew that everything would turn out fine. After Momon finished, the angel stepped forward.
"We need to move quickly. My master, Lord Azazel is currently battling Jaldabaoth, the mastermind behind this invasion. They have gathered most of their Evil Lords to ambush him, so this will be the only chance we get to prevent them from achieving their goal."
"Will your master hold on against those demons?" Gazef asked with some concern. Lakyus remembered that he had mentioned an exceptional knight called Azazel he had met during this visit to the villages at their border. At that point, he had mentioned him being a knight protecting the magician called Ainz Ool Gown. Was this the same one?
"He won't fall against these foul demons." The angel responded with utter conviction. "He is more powerful and skilled than they are combined, but whether my master will be able to slay them isn't something I can predict. If my master can't kill them and we don't stop them from succeeding, the consequences would be dire."
"And what exactly is their goal?" Marquis Raeven asked, seemingly not affected by being in the presence of such a powerful angel. A composure cultivated by being the most influential noble in the Kingdom. The only thing that gave him away was the clenched fist around the hilt of his sword.
"They are after an ancient artifact of immense power. With it, they can open a door to hell and invite even more demons to this world. If we don't stop them, the entire planet will be overrun by demons." His words sent shivers down Lakyus's spine. Although she had battled all kinds of monsters, hearing of the end of the world wasn't something one could take in stride.
A look around the present group would make it clear that most were affected by this news, even the composed Marquis had to take a deep breath to digest the news. "Then what are we waiting for?" The angel nodded at the question.
"We need to organize several groups to combat their forces. They still have a couple of Evil Lords left on their side and several other demons that will be troublesome to deal with. Unfortunately, the power of my squad is severely limited in these flames. The Flames of Gehenna have several effects that will leave us angels weakened and demons empowered."
"Which effect can we expect from these flames?" Gazef questioned as he surely already set his mind that he would lead his Warrior Troop into these flames and prevent the demons from getting their hands on this artifact. A look at her friends' solemn expressions told her that they too had made up their minds.
Even the retired adventurers under Marquis Raeven and the few soldiers who had overheard them visibly steeled their hearts. After all, they wouldn't be able to escape this if the demons truly overran their entire world.
Seeing that he had everyone's rapt attention, he started explaining. "The Flames of Gehenna has a total of 7 major effects.
[Demonic Empowerment] Within the illusionary flames, demons experience enhanced physical strength, improved agility, and heightened resistance to light and divine effects.
Through [Corruption Amplification] the flames amplify the corruption or negative-karma essence within demons, granting them increased effectiveness in spreading malevolence or causing mental anguish to enemies, while positive and light alleviations have diminished effects. This enhances their curses, hexes, demonic speech, or spells aimed at inflicting psychological or emotional harm."
Lakyus heard someone gulp as the angel listed the first two effects of these flames. Just these two were already enough to spread despair and there were 5 more to go. Even with her experience, she couldn't believe that such flames could exist. It was truly heaven-defying.
"With [Soul Harvesting] the flames can facilitate a higher efficiency in soul harvesting or essence absorption for demons, allowing them to gather energy from the surroundings or weaken the life force of those nearby.
The [Resurrection Enhancement] within the flames, gives demons faster recovery rates or reduced cooldowns for abilities related to resurrection or revival, allowing them to reform or regenerate at an accelerated pace.
[Dark Enchantment] will enhance demonic items or artifacts within their vicinity, imbuing them with additional powers, augmentations, or sinister enhancement, making them more potent.
The flames emit an [Aura of Dread] that instills fear and dread in non-demonic beings, weakening their resolve or causing hesitation, making them more susceptible to the influence of demons.
[Dimensional Influence] gives the flames a subtle effect on the surrounding dimensions, making it easier for demons to traverse or manipulate the boundaries between different planes of existence. Usually, it solidifies space, so no one can escape with teleportation once they enter the flames."
The surroundings were so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, even the slightest sound seemed magnified in the hushed atmosphere. The flames in the background and the wind running through them were deafening in this silence. Each of the mentioned effects was devastating to hear and considering the artifact's abilities, it was clear why they used these flames in the first place.
The combined effect of these flames and the artifact to summon more demons would be a winning strategy once it's implemented. Not only did it enhance their ranks, but almost perfectly suppressed their sworn enemies. Even if the angel who could change the sky defeated his opponent, it would be unclear whether he could prevent more demons from coming to their 'plane of existence'. She looked around and locked eyes with Gazef, then Marquis, and the unusual serious Renner.
Although no one said anything, she could practically hear their anxiousness.
"How high are our chances of success?" She wasn't sure, who asked it, but everyone waited with bated breath.
"With Momon and my squad's help, I would guess about 80 percent." Their held breath was released almost at the same time. All were relieved at these odds, though they were also clear that the angel might be wrong. "Let's organize our troops and go out. Even if they activate the artifact now, it will take time until it can unleash its full potential. Hopefully, it is as my master suspects and just a prototype of the real artifact."
"A prototype? Someone created this artifact?" Renner asked surprised and the others listened in after giving some necessary order to prepare their troops.
"The real artifact can truly overrun this world with demons, but there are several artifacts made by an ambitious demonologist. The power of these artifacts doesn't come close to the real thing. Even if they were activated, it would only destroy this country and perhaps the surrounding countries." Perhaps, his words were meant to put them at ease, but even if it was just an imitation of the real thing, everyone they knew would still die because of it.
Although they wanted to wallow in silence because of their dreadful situation, they didn't have time for it. The urgency and their experience made organizing for a possible fight to the death a matter of mere minutes.
Without delay, they started to march toward the illusionary flames that illuminated this dark night into a well-lit city as if the sun had started rising. The resistance they encountered as they headed toward the flames was minimal. Considering the numerous ridiculous effects these flames had, it was obvious that most demons would opt to stay inside its influence.
After cutting down the fifth roaming demon, they finally arrived in front of the wall of flames. Vague figures inside and behind the flames revealed that most demons had converged inside it, surely searching for the artifact. Just before they were about to enter the flames, a holy light shot into the sky in the distance behind them.
Lakyus glanced toward it, remembering that it was in the direction of the hideout her teammates had gone to. Considering their short retelling of what had happened, she knew that it must be Lord Azazel's action. The sheer scale of the attack left her stunned for a moment. Despite its considerable distance away, she could still feel the energy inside it like the warm sunshine on her skin. There was no way anything could survive something like that. At least, she hoped that this had killed his enemy, if it didn't then…
She took a deep breath and turned back to the Flames of Gehenna. "Let's move quickly. Regardless of the outcome, we need to make sure that the demons won't activate this artifact!" She called out with conviction, getting some shouts of determination as a response.
With their motivation and will at their peak, they plunged into the flames right behind the valiant angels. The flames brushed over their skin and for the first time, she felt what it was to be just a touch away from pure malevolent and corruption. Although she acted like her sword was corrupting her, this was a real thing. With an involuntary shudder, her grip tightened around her sword hilt.
The moment they stepped inside the flames, the angels found demons resisting their advancement. Clashes of metal sounded out. The divine light of the angels was drowned by the flames, but despite the seemingly hopeless situation, their divine light lived on, flickering amidst the demonic flames. The demons that were previously cut down like mere annoyances were now holding their own against the angels' divine blades.
Momon and his partner Nabe, who had joined just before they headed to the flames, were heading in a slightly different direction toward where they had seen one of these Evil Lords before. They too encountered demons but had an easier time with them.
From their arrangements, the angels and Momon would fight one of those Evil Lords, while the rest would clean up the rest of the demons and simultaneously search for the artifact before the demons found it.
Suddenly, a demon rushed toward them from the sides. Flames enveloped it like an armor. He swung his bastard sword. Gazef was closest to the demon and intercepted them. Slightly rotating his body away to lean out of the swing. Before the demon could recover from his missed swing, Gazef's sword already stabbed it in the armpit.
He was fully clad with the royal army, but despite it, the flame armor of the demon almost resisted the attack. With a flick of the wrist, the demon's arm and part of his shoulder were cut off. Gazef twisted his sword around again before beheading the demon in one swing.
She was quite surprised by the sight. It all happened quickly and without the use of martial arts. There was also a certain sense of elegance to it. Seemed like the rumors were true. After losing his battle against Azazel the knight, he started to polish his swordsmanship without any martial arts.
These thoughts rushed through her mind but were quickly put aside as more demons headed their way. Without hesitation, she stepped forward with a few soldiers ready to meet any and all demons that threatened her country. Even at the cost of her life!
…
He certainly didn't think it would turn out this way. Once again there was a sense that he was only playing a supporting role in this grand event. From what Ainz remembered, wasn't he supposed to be acting as the focal point for future rebellions? Wasn't he here to show off his strength? Then again Azazel would fulfill the same role as well.
Perhaps, a literal angel would make for a better disguise than an armored warrior, whose face was rarely seen. Of course, with the 'war' between Azazel and Demiurge, his role was more present and closer to the peasants.
Even if Azazel were the only solace for the desperate, Momon would be the one they would turn to reach the angel. However, there were a few things he didn't quite get. After all, they said he would be the one where future rebels would gather. Rebels of a kingdom, but who would be the king?
Even though this question swirled in his mind, he already knew the answer. He just dreaded it and what it meant for him. He was already struggling to be the 'Supreme Being' of Nazarick and he wasn't sure if he could handle even more responsibility, especially those who weren't blindly loyal to him.
His mind snapped back to the present when he dodged a swipe from Pride before hitting him into a building. The brick wall collapsed as the Evil Lord slammed into it. They weren't going at it with their full power, just enough to leave the locals in awe.
In the background, he saw the soldiers hurrying further into the center of the flames. Ainz stood in front of the broken brick wall with his swords drawn. Gazef glanced at him, making him nod to convey that he had the situation handled. Only then did the warrior captain leave him with the Evil Lord.
He then stepped into the hole, where he would 'fight' against Pride. After a few steps deeper into the building and down the stairs into the basement, he glanced at the demon, who was already kneeling. "Everything going as planned?" He asked as he closed the cellar's heavy door.
"Yes, my lord. The artifact is placed, and the warehouses have been emptied with clues of the Eight Finger's 'involvement'." The demon said with pride about his accomplishment evident in his voice.
Ainz nodded before he fell into thoughts. Despite not having more to discuss, he wanted to use this moment to think about what had happened since entering this city. The way Azazel had summoned these Luminari Guards had piqued his interest.
This star-like crystal was certainly something to summon the Luminari Guards, but he somehow felt like there was something off about how they appeared. Usually, it would gather the light of the stars to form their bodies. It was how their armor and their wings looked like; the colors of the universe gathered into their being.
They certainly looked like he remembered, but instead of the starlight, the crystal had emitted a blinding light of divine energy. It was like something supplied them with a different source than the starlight they were supposed to be made of.
Still, they looked like they should be, so he initially would have ignored it and just assumed it was different like the way he would summon Death Knights with corpses in this world, but what concerned him was what the angel had said about Azazel. The leader of the Luminari Guards had called Azazel an Archangel, and he wasn't sure why.
He briefly entertained the thought that Azazel had truly become an Archangel, but this was impossible, wasn't it? After all, an Archangel represented the peak power even in Yggdrasil. A single Archangel was enough to contend with the entirety of Nazarick. Besides, how would a rather normal angel NPC suddenly turn into the peak of his race?
In all the years, he hadn't heard about any guild-based NPC turning into a World Enemy. Even if knowledge was tightly kept among players, something like this should have circulated over the years. Or perhaps it had something to do with this world. Did it change Azazel and allow him to become an Archangel? And if it did, why didn't he report it and instead keep it a secret? Did he have any ulterior motives?
As his thoughts reached this point, he couldn't help but feel pained in his undead heart. His interactions with the angel flashed through his mind. The angel certainly was the most peculiar among the NPCs. Was this just to lull him into a false sense of security?
Over the weeks he had learned to trust his loyal subordinates and he still wanted to believe that he was overthinking it, but what if he didn't? What if the prince wanted to overthrow him to replace him as the king? He thought about the moments they had talked about certain things, about the way to govern and future missions. Was he so disillusioned about Ainz' capabilities that he thought he wasn't worthy anymore? Did he think he wasn't fit to be king, that he wasn't Good enough?
To be honest, he didn't want to believe this hunch. After all, he was beginning to see Azazel as his friend, something he didn't think he was capable of after his friends had quit the game. He would lose all hope if that was the case.
"My lord?" Ainz looked at the Evil Lord, who looked at him with a curious expression, surely waiting for the next command. He just sighed deeply, causing the Evil Lord to panic.
"It's alright, let's wrap this up." He picked up his swords again before they started to clash again, bursting through the ceiling of the basement only to crash onto the street. The soldiers who were still lingering were surprised, but quickly created some distance to not hinder his fight. They had a 'fierce' fight until Pride escaped with Gluttony from Ainz' and the angel's clutches.
Ainz watched as the Evil Lords escaped before glancing at the light of magic spells further ahead. It seemed like Blue Rose, Gazef's troops, and the noble's private army were now clashing with the remaining demons.
Although he and the angels continued to assist the soldiers with exterminating the demons as they rushed toward the humans, he was secretly calling Azazel. It took no time for the call to connect as he heard the respectful greeting from the other side.
"Azazel, we need to talk."