“That’s right. Ainz-sama has been swapping out his weapons in succession— you can’t tell what others weapons he has. In such a situation where there isn’t enough information, leaving a wide distance could turn out to be a painful mistake. Wouldn’t seeing the bow make her even more sure of that? So Shalltear has no choice but to fight at a range where her Spuit Lance can reach. And she can’t even use her magic or skills, which would spur her on even more towards that decision…. Maybe that’s how she judged the situation?
“Aha, so that’s it. The Supreme Beings never did ostentatiously flaunt their weapons in front of us. So you’re probably the only one who completely understands their weapons, Cocytus.”
Cocytus shrugged his shoulders.
“I. too. am. only. knowledgeable. about. their. names. and. effects. I. have. never. seen. them. in. person.”
“Hmm. I’ve understood most of it. In other words, now that Shalltear has abandoned her defense, Ainz-sama will pull out the axe and—“
“—‘Suck. The. Blood. And. Eat. The. Flesh’.”
“Thank you, Cocytus. It appears that ‘Suck The Blood And Eat The Flesh’ has poor balance and thus decreased accuracy. However, it should not be a problem against Shalltear who has decided to forgo defense.”
“To. think. that. the. entire. flow. of. this. battle. had. been. dictated. by. Ainz –sama…. Although. I. have. said. this. before. I. can. only. give. my. admiration.”
“If it’s him, then it’s even possible for him to read everything from the view of a god. Wouldn’t you agree that his insight is fitting for the one who led the Supreme Beings? …. Honestly, he probably would have ruled Nazarick just fine even if we didn’t exist. It’s a little frustrating.”
“….I. give. my. admiration. to. his. aptitude. for. strategy. as. a. magic. caster…. no. as. one. who. battles.”
“However... is it not true that the victor still has yet to be decided? A battle of HP will not be in Ainz –sama’s favor.”
At those words, Albedo smiled. It was a smile that was sure of his victory.
“It’ll be alright.”
“Why is that?”
“He is the one who wears the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, the one who rules over us all, the one who is both high and supreme. Such a being has declared his victory with his name.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Each time the two exchanged blows, their health was chipped away.
Although Shalltear healed herself with her attacks, Ainz’ attacks dished out enough damage to ignore healing of that level. At the same time, his health was also being chipped away by the Spuit Lance. The battle was turning out to closely resemble such a chicken race.
The armor threatened to break with every attack from the axe. The feeling of bones breaking and flesh being crushed. It was met by a lance thrust, the lance that was imbued with the striking property from a skill. It transmitted the sensation of shattering through bone.
Shalltear was glad that she still had a path to victory. If they continued this exchange of blows, she would very narrowly be able to win.
A close combat abandoning defense and focusing entirely on offense, where the only thing she could think about was which side would fall first. Ever since such a grisly exchange began, Shalltear had been anxious. A faint glimmer of hope now showed on her face.
That was because, in a corner of her mind, she was calmly calculating their health losses. Her delight was as great as her previous anxiety.
“Ahahahaha!”
Even while trading blows, laughter trailed out.
“Ahahaha! Ainz –sama! It seems you’re going to be the first to run out of health?! The difference in our base health is proving to be crucial here! “
A single phrase threw cold water over her thoughts.
“…. Do you really believe that?”
The machinator who gave her a harrowing fight all the way up to this point, the voice of the one who had been controlling everything within the palm of his hand, she realized her own foolishness.
Impossible.
Then how was he going to turn the tables on this battle?
Shalltear could not understand. The answer came in the form of a voice from a third party.
[Time’s up— Momonga onii-chan!]
A female voice.
One she had never heard before, the purposefully childish female voice reminded Shalltear of a certain woman from her memories. That person may sound like that if she disguised her voice, she thought.
“Shalltear, what time do you think is it talking about?”
Unaware of the meaning behind the question, as they continued their melee of stabbing each other’s bodies with their weapons, Shalltear floated an honest, questioning look to her graceful face.
“If everything until now has been proceeding according to my plan, then this time we have spent also falls within the realm of my predictions. Then the time that has elapsed as told by this watch, what meaning do you think it holds for you and I?”
