Chapter 402

HAPPY NEW YEAR ❤

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"Spread out!" Alain barked the order. 'Captain… if you were here…' He thought and pictured the way the man danced with a spear as if it were a partner of many years, his indomitable will just beneath the surface of a man who loved what he did, where there wasn't a struggle to survive, but the joy of proving he was truly alive.

'None of us have that… not even me.' Alain cursed the familiar fear growing in his heart. The knowledge of the coming pain and the awareness that this might be his final hour. 'If only I were as brave as someone like Tenjho…' He told himself while the monk punched his knuckles together and rushed forward to tank their enemy without waiting for the others.

One Man Army had the enchanted stilettos in both hands and was down in a charging stance that built up power, he, like his sister, was almost like a living battery, building up power beyond what he was normally capable of to make his martial arts vastly more effective than they might otherwise be. His blonde hair hung loose and swayed in the sourceless breeze. 'I will not betray them by cowardice… I'll be as brave as Tenjho…'

The Tenth Seat, the Strongest Human, recalled in the span of a breath every fight he'd ever passed through, his muscles tensed as the magic flowed through his veins and made him more than a mere man. 'And yet… there is the peak. The reason to be, the mountain I must climb.' His warrior's instinct screamed at him that there ahead lay his dream. The paladin armor of the warrior monarch was easily the stuff of legends, but lipstick on a pig was only effective for a drunk peasant.

It wasn't the equipment that held his dreams, it was the bearer, the wearer, every small gesture of the Allfather, right down to the way he leveled the strange sword and said 'Have at thee!' as if he were quoting something the Strongest Human never heard before, pronounced that reflected in the Strongest Human's eyes was a man he could understand. A man who loved adventure and challenge and pushing his limits… 'To fight beside my brothers against such a man… it is the dream of every true warrior…' One regret did touch his mind however.

'I never did get to finish that sweet bark I stashed away… oh well.' He thought and as the last of his arts toughened his body to the strength of a mountainside, he charged after Tenjho, following Alain's instructions to 'spread out' his legs carried him off to one side, intending to flank his enemy.

Ainz watched the monk style fighter rush toward him, and his immediate instinct as a gamer was to think, 'Newb. You're not a tank class.' But the reckless monk clad in the enchanted flowing garments with the enchanted wristwraps of black dragon skin strips would have made him a dangerous tank to most of the New World.

'But not to me. Not anymore.' Ainz reflected, his massive levels now sent him leagues beyond what any other creature he'd even heard of could possibly do. 'I wonder if I kept my undead skills because my flesh is simply wrapped around my skeleton body? Could I peel it off and be myself again?' There was an unpleasant thought.

The fist came in, and Ainz batted it away, he towered over the one he knew as 'Heaven and Earth' and then brought his head straight down, smashing into Tenjho's face.

Bone shattered and pierced the flesh it was supposed to support, and his sword went out in a single strike that severed the arm at the elbow. Ainz then spun and kicked the man in his sternum, sending the human flying backwards. A spray of blood fell from on high like rain to spatter and stick into the sands of Nazarick's arena, and onto the approaching champions of mankind, in one single moment.

To their credit, no sense of horror touched them, not even Tenjho's cry of pain that followed his flying body.

Alain felt the world slow down, he could even see Tenjho's pained expression clearly as the wounded man went sailing overhead. The droplets of blood seemed to hang in the air as if they were leaves floating in a breeze. He was not 'Time Turbulence' for nothing. The flow of time was his to manipulate.

It was more than a martial art, but something other than magic. It was his talent. He began to move at normal speed, his legs were like springs and his arms were like iron, his eyes narrowed and Alain shot from normal speed to faster than lightning in an instant. There was nothing in his mind but the echo of memories that made him into who he was. 'Kill and you won't need to fear being killed. If you succeed, there's no need to worry about what you protect. If you do nothing shameful, you will never have reason to lower your head.' If he had been able to think those words on a conscious level, he would have smirked at Raymond again even after the years of working together.

But he wasn't.

He didn't need to be.

He needed only to move.

And Alain's body did that for him.

The flow of time slowed to a crawl as the giant of a monarch loomed in front of him, the great double axe of Strongest Human was already high overhead.

'So this is the peak of humanity.' Ainz thought as the axe in the hands of the giant of muscle and sinew went up, and the small human with the single rapier flashed toward him. The stiletto bearer's power was still rising in measurable increments, but even with all their fine equipment, leagues beyond what they came with…

'Even if I was still just a magic caster with a dream build, this would be nothing to me.' He considered and brought his free hand up. He caught the double headed axe at the handle and wrenched it down in front of him, pulling the brute off balance.

The small human with the rapier was adjusting course. 'He must have time manipulation skills.' Ainz realized and his collector's instinct shot into overdrive. 'I haven't seen anyone with time manipulation before… is he… slowing me down? How fascinating! No… he's slowing down time 'around' me… inducing server lag almost…' Ainz's mind raced faster than the bodies of his opponents, the big one landed with a thud, the victorious smile on Time Turbulence's face was not that far away from kissing range.

[Time Stop] Ainz cast the spell and stepped out of the way, rather than immediately kill the curious human he was testing, he tried something else. He thrust his sword toward Alain's side, and set a spell on a delay.

The world began to move, and the sword struck like a hammer, the 'push' spell activating to blunt the blow, the human's ponytail went flying around like a rope caught in high winds as the rolling human went tumbling.

The blonde human was in motion a half a second later. 'Definitely Clementine's brother. Maybe I should have kept her, or at least restored her to life.' It was an academic thought in the background of his mind as he deftly parried the swift strikes of the human spring that was One Man Army. Momentum never seemed to leave the man, not even when he should have been slowing down.

Ainz held himself back, testing the limits of the champions of man, practicing the sword skills he'd developed over recent years. 'I'm lacking. It's different for me, my skills are the product of levels, not finesse…' That was his conclusion with the way the human chained his attacks in perfect succession, while his own counters might have been technically perfect, Ainz was anything but artful in his own mind.

'I can't hit him! Why can't I hit him?!' One Man Army cried out to himself for answers he didn't have, the monster of a monarch was like a golem, perfect execution, no artistry, but perfect execution nonetheless. 'Like a gifted novice… but he's holding back… this is a game to him!' One Man Army realized as another parry threatened to remove the hand holding the stiletto except for a desperate twist that brought the second weapon up toward the gap in the armor at the waist.

"How did you do that?!" Time Turbulence yelled as he got up, out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Heaven and Earth was on his feet, a cauterized stump where his whole arm used to be, admiration swelled in Alain's breast for his companion's raw courage.

"I stopped time." Ainz answered and landed a punch into the blonde man's face that sent teeth scattering into the sand and down the unfortunate stiletto bearer's throat.

Strongest Human was up and wrapped his arms around Ainz's waist. The words barely registered.

"Get him! I've got him! Don't worry about me!" Strongest Human roared and began to squeeze for all he was worth.

The sword tip was above his back, he waited for the piercing blow.

Out of the corners of his eyes he could see, and feel them moving to take the opportunity he gave them. 'It's an honor to fight with you, right up to the end.' He thought and closed his eyes as he began to draw on his life itself to boost his strength.

'Hmm, interesting. It's like his levels have shot up by ten or more in an instant. Like an adrenaline boost back in the old world.' Ainz activated the spell stored in the sword, and the punching blow knocked the giant down onto his face with such force that he bounced off the sands.

Before the aged warrior could catch his breath as the wind was knocked out of him, Ainz kicked him square in the head and sent him tumbling away.

'He stopped time…?! And… that sword, it didn't penetrate but…' Alain wondered, but to his shock, the Allfather held the blade up and out toward him.

"This is a spellsword. A sword that magic casters can use, it's closer to a wand than a sword. It is the perfect weapon for me." Ainz acknowledged and Alain felt the inevitability of defeat creeping over him.

'You useless trash… you useless idiot, you coward and fool… covering and hiding your worthlessness at every step, now here we are. You shouldn't be there, you shouldn't be one of them, you should have just stayed down in the dirt where you belong.' Heaven and Earth cursed himself as he ran in.

The pain was fading away to nothing as he began to punch and kick at the monarch, his fists could shatter clean through orichalcum and when enhanced, he boasted he could dent things touched with adamantite… yet to the armor that could have only come from a god?

'I might as well not be here.' He swung his one good arm again and again, and the Allfather began to back away, but not in retreat, rather he was controlling the distance.

The ice insect in the stands began to pound a spearbutt beside his feet, but before Tenjho could wonder anything more, he felt the sword sink into his body.

"I'll hold him this time!" Tenjho tried to shout, but it came out a barely intelligible gurgle as blood pumped out of his mouth. He never saw the blow, but as soon as he felt it, he knew it to be a mortal wound. 'For once… just for once I want to do something without being afraid!' He screamed his frustration in his head and rushed forward, indifferent to the penetration of the sword, his wound opened up when he found himself sliding his body along the length of the Allfather's arm until he was close, and his remaining intact arm wrapped around the limb. "Got you." He gurgled and held on as his consciousness slipped away.

One Man Army felt his teeth lodge in his throat as soon as they'd gone down, and did his best to swallow them, he'd almost readied himself when he saw the death of Heaven and Earth. "Noooo!" He cried and flashed forward, he leapt into the air and brought both his stilettos toward the eyes of the monarch.

Ainz tilted his head back, opened his mouth… and bit down. The blades caught and before the One Man Army could truly grasp what had just taken place, a toss of his head and the blond quick killing hero was bouncing over the sand again.

Or part of him was.

The slash was so swift and clean that the Black Scripture member saw his legs tumbling far away, severed just above the knee, long before he felt the actual impact.

"Bastard!" The Strongest Human in the world, or so he styled himself, had his axe up and was bringing blow after blow against the monarch, however the spindly green twig of a sword seemed to have no trouble parrying aside every blow. "I will bring you down!" He roared his defiance and ignored the laughter that went up in the stands. Sweat was running down his limbs as he called on every skill and trick he knew, his axe moved faster than a hurricane wind and yet, even hobbled by the desperate efforts of the dying Heaven and Earth, the monarch seemed unimpeded.

Screams were already fading from the agonized throat of One Man Army, blood flowed like a river in flood out of the stumps of his legs, his body spasming as he struggled to be able to reach them to cauterize the stumps as Heaven and Earth had done.

It was futile, his body went limp.

And at that moment, Ainz felt the hold on his arm grow limp. 'He is dead.' Ainz realized, the bloody gore on his limb continued to flow and catch and tear chunks free, but even without effort on his part, the body would come free soon.

'How could this be happening?!' Alain couldn't truly ask those words, only 'feel' them down to his bones. The limp body of Heaven and Earth slipped to a quiet, almost serene 'thud' into the sand.

'Move! Move!' Alain's body commanded itself.

"We all go together, little brother!" Strongest Human shouted and abandoning the use of his axe, he acted like a monk and brought his fist toward Ainz's face.

Ainz brought his head down to meet the punch with his forehead, and every bone in the Strongest Human's hand shattered like glass. The lessons of Cocytus were not lost on Ainz in that moment, the warrior created to be the pinnacle of honor by Takemikazuki liked to talk during his lessons, and a fraction of Ainz's heart melted little. He stopped, stepping back rather than strike the finishing blow.

Alain stopped in his tracks, fearing a trap, the monarch had them. 'He's got us… right… is this a trap for worse?' He wondered.

Strongest Human's shattering was worse than his fingers, his armbones were a spiderweb of cracks and fractures beneath the flesh.

"Why… stop…?" The Strongest Human growled and held his axe up across his body, though it shook like a leaf in the breeze, he held on still.

"Brothers preparing to die together, deserve a moment for their farewell." Ainz said matter-of-factly, recalling the stories of his old friend.

"A warrior king. No wonder they love you." Strongest Human said and traded a single nod of farewell to his comrade.

"That may be so." Ainz accepted the praise and leveled his sword, taking up an attack posture meant for fencing, his leg went back and blade held level at the Strongest Human's chest.

"See you." Alain remarked passively, 'Who knows if he intends to really resurrect us or not, that could have just been a trick to weaken our resolve, who says something so casually about their enemies? Well, it was a useless trick, my resolve is not less… now to see it through.' He promised himself, and at a signal nobody could have seen, he and Strongest Human rushed toward the Allfather at once, howls of mingled defiance were like an angel's song to the eyes of the more warrior inclined observers of Nazarick's numbers.

Disinclined to torture the pair, Ainz rushed in himself, giving his own warrior shout, he leaped forward, he spun and avoided the time warping Alain, his blade coming out and severing the top half of his head away and sending the head section spiralling away like a frisbe to land with a soundless poof into the bloody sands.

As his body spun in midair, spiraling like a perfectly thrown football, Ainz brought his free hand forward, and with a punch… the head of the Strongest Human exploded into a spray of blood and brain matter.

The body stood up for a second.

Alain's body, carried on by its final impulses, charged on for three steps before it acknowledged its death and fell forward, jaw open and able to taste the blood and sweat stained sand for the worst last meal ever, before it knew nothing else.

Strongest Human began to fall forward a moment later, the axe falling from his grasp and landing with a thump, Ainz caught the body as it spasmed and blood pumped out of the neck, the heart still thudding inside a body that didn't know it was dead already, the white armor carried rivulets of red away to drop at his feet for several seconds before he could lay the body out on its back.

Off to the side, in the stands, the applause of his guardians all went up in a dull roar, as if there was not a handful, but a crowd in the thousands watching and praising the work of the last god in the world.