The skeleton, previously struck by the energy weapon, quickly rose from the chair after hearing what Demiurge said, even knocking the chair to the ground with excessive force. An unexpected emotional glitch.
The demon guard beside him showed a hint of nervousness, a reaction contrasting with their dominant aura. This was clearly an instinctive reaction when facing a powerful enemy, or at least, an unexpected one.
His extremely wary and cautious demeanor, so different from his calm and powerful attitude when he unleashed magic to destroy the palace, made the old king even more suspicious. Something was amiss with this particular Ainz Ooal Gown.
So, King Ramposa III turned to the demon beside him who called himself Demiurge, asking in a cautious tone, "Excuse me, what do you mean by impersonation? Could it be..."
Demiurge confirmed his guess with a tone that sounded like false admiration, "As you suspected, these two guests who claim to be from the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick are merely imposters who wish to ruin our reputation."
"They attacked your cities before. I assume they are trying to sow discord between us and make the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick mortal enemies."
"However, please rest assured, Your Majesty. Now that we have appeared, we will not allow these imposters to continue their evil deeds. Leave it to us to handle them." Demiurge's cunning smile never wavered.
This part contained a lot of information to process. The old king looked at Demiurge and the other two with sharp eyes, clearly not easily trusting his words. His experience taught him to always be wary.
Ainz and the other two were not surprised by this doubt. However, they knew that as long as they killed the imposter and resolved the crisis facing the kingdom, everything would proceed smoothly.
If the old king was not "wise" enough to accept their offer, then someone else would sit on the throne. An unspoken threat hung in the air.
Demiurge continued to smile, his eyes obscured by the reflective lenses of his spectacles, making it impossible to see what he was thinking. Only cold intelligence radiated from his demonic aura.
Ainz knew it was time for him to speak, so he nodded to King Ramposa III and said, his voice calm and full of authority, "Your Majesty, this place will be very dangerous. My subordinates will escort you to safety. Please leave."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shalltear Bloodfallen, who had received commands via mental link, walked in front of King Ramposa III and bowed gracefully, holding the hem of her skirt with both hands. A perfect display.
"My name is Shalltear Bloodfallen, and I am here to protect your safety at my master's command. Please follow me and evacuate temporarily, Your Majesty." Shalltear Bloodfallen's demeanor was very gentle and graceful, like a princess from a noble family in the kingdom, making people easily like her. Her appearance was completely deceptive.
The old king hesitated for a moment, torn between following the unfamiliar Ainz's words or remaining with Gazef.
At this moment, Demiurge cast a [Control Mantra] on Gazef Stronoff, who was kneeling on the ground. "Please move freely."
As the invisible force dispersed, Gazef Stronoff felt the pressure on his body lessen, and he was able to resume normal movement. His first reaction was to stand in front of the old king, draw his sword, and remain vigilant of both sides. This monster can also control humans with words, so we must not take him lightly, he thought, letting caution envelop his every sense.
Just as the five of them were in a stalemate—King Ramposa III, Gazef, Ainz, Demiurge, and Shalltear—the two monsters disguised as Ainz and Demiurge took action at the same time. They unleashed a beam of magical light and an explosive fireball, attacking the old king and Gazef Stronoff, then immediately flew into the sky.
Shalltear Bloodfallen, ordered to include the old king and the other two, quickly stood in front of them, activating her defensive magic: "[Impurity Shockwave Shield]!"
Waves of black and red energy spread, and in the blink of an eye, the magical light and explosive fire disappeared into thin air, absorbed by the shield.
The old king and Gazef Stronoff were unable to react and were shocked by the sudden attack. When they recovered, they found that the danger had vanished.
Seeing Shalltear Bloodfallen's small and adorable back, both of them strangely felt an odd sense of security.
On the other hand, after seeing the imposters flee, Ainz Ooal Gown and Demiurge took no action, as there was no need. They knew reinforcements were on the way.
"Where will you run first, lowly creatures!?"
Suddenly, two shadows flashed across the sky, moving at incredible speed, stopping the imposters on their left and right.
Albedo swung the war axe transformed from the World Item [Ginnungagap] and cleaved the undead into the ground with one axe blow, obliterating him in an instant. On the other side, Cocytus also kicked the demon backward with a devastating single kick.
The two monsters fell uncontrollably onto the already damaged conference table, and the immense force of the impact cut the entire long table into two halves.
"Quick, quick, quick!"
"Where is His Majesty?"
At this moment, a large number of palace guards finally arrived on the scene, shouting in panic at the sight of the destruction.
"Your Majesty, this way!"
"Good." Gazef Stronoff held the old king's left hand, guiding him quickly, and prepared to escort him into the safer crowd. The old king certainly felt the danger and followed his advice without a second thought.
Just as Shalltear Bloodfallen was about to pursue the two imposters who had just been struck, a swift figure suddenly descended from the sky at high speed, aiming directly at her!
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal was incredibly clear under the dim moonlight.
In an instant, Shalltear Bloodfallen activated the effect of [Instant Armament], donning full-body blood-red armor and gripping a knight's lance, blocking the opponent's attack.
But when she saw the weapon in the other party's hand, her anger immediately flared!
"You damn hussy! How dare you!?" Shalltear Bloodfallen exerted all her strength, pushing her opponent back uncontrollably. An ancient rage burned within her. Just as she was about to pursue, Demiurge beside her called out to her.
"Shalltear! Stop fooling around!"
It felt like a bucket of cold water was thrown over her. Shalltear Bloodfallen was stunned for a moment, yet she stopped and glared fiercely at the woman before her through gritted teeth.
The lance had a rather peculiar appearance, and the silver-white armored female knight, who else could it be but Leinas holding the Drip Spear?
After Leinas, Kael led Enri Emmot, Folland, and Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra to slowly descend from the sky, landing directly in front of King Ramposa III, who was protected by the palace guards.
"This meeting is truly magnificent." Kael glanced at Ainz and the others with a half-mocking smile.
Without waiting for Ainz and the others to respond, the two monsters who had been struck earlier stood up from the middle of the broken conference table. They were clearly a little excited, forgetting their pain, and shouted to Kael expectantly, "Lord Kael! You came at just the right time!"
"There's no harm in us pretending to be them and attacking the city twice. Finally, we managed to lure the people from Ainz Ooal Gown out!"
"We beg you to help us kill these people. After that, we will do our utmost to dedicate the entire Re-Estize Kingdom to you!"
Wow!
The fake undead's shout caused a commotion on the scene, and everyone's eyes immediately focused on Kael, suspicion filling their gaze. What was really happening here?
Kael had no intention of seeking an excuse for this. He simply frowned slowly, an expression of dissatisfaction appearing on his face.
Although Ainz Ooal Gown and the others were surprised by this betrayal, Demiurge was the first to react. He slowly clapped his hands, the cunning smile on his face widening. "I admire you! You are truly wise!"
"Use those imposters to confuse the public, cause unrest in the kingdom, then quell it. This will not only lure us out but also gain fame and fortune for yourself."
"I, Demiurge, deeply admire your wisdom, God of Destiny!"
For a moment, everyone's minds were swayed by Demiurge's words. The demon's logic sounded convincing. They looked at Kael with more suspicion, wondering if Demiurge had exposed the God's cunning plan.
"Don't be fooled by them!"
Suddenly, a woman's angry voice rang out. It was Lakyus, who could no longer bear it, standing amidst the chaos.
She pointed the holy sword in her hand towards Ainz Ooal Gown and his companions, and loudly accused them, her voice thundering with conviction, "All of this is the conspiracy of the true Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick!"
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