It was a magnificent pillar of light descending from the sky.
It was a dazzling brilliance shooting upward.
When the ultra-high-temperature heat magic was projected onto the vast grassland and exploded all at once, it was as if a giant laser had struck the earth.
*BOOOOM—!!!*
A tremendous explosion and shockwave erupted in the center of the grassland, sounding like an atomic bomb detonating, making the entire world seem to tremble—a truly horrifying impact.
If anyone were on this grassland now, even if they were a great distance away from the explosion, they would undoubtedly be knocked over by the terrifying earthquake or blown away by the extremely high-temperature shockwave, as if trapped in a violent nuclear explosion—maintaining their stance would have been nearly impossible.
One could only imagine how devastating the center of the explosion must have been, where the ultra-high-temperature heat magic had been projected, looking as though the destruction had vaporized everything.
In no time, mounds of earth created by the Great Tomb of Nazarick disappeared one after another, while the ground shattered layer by layer.
Meanwhile, the magic barrier that had enveloped the Great Tomb of Nazarick was directly destroyed by the violent force, exposing the graveyard above Nazarick to the sky, unable to hide any longer.
1st Floor.
2nd Floor.
3rd Floor.
Under the impact of the Super-Tier Magic, 'Fallen Down', the first to third floors of the Great Tomb of Nazarick were completely destroyed, though these floors were reinforced with a defensive system designed to resist magic, they couldn't withstand the evaporation and combustion caused by the ultra-high-temperature heat of Fallen Down for long.
Such magic, such power, had clearly far surpassed the original power of Fallen Down.
Because Riezel was the one who cast Fallen Down, it got enhanced by one of the effects from Pioneer of the Sun, which doubled its power, causing its impact to be far beyond what this magic would normally have.
As a result, three floors of the Great Tomb of Nazarick were easily destroyed, bearing destructive blows they were never meant to endure.
Such an impact, perhaps, had never occurred since the creation of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
As the effect of Fallen Down gradually faded, the ultra-high-temperature heat slowly cooled, and a massive deep hole, roughly a kilometer in diameter, appeared on the earth, with crystallized areas forming within it.
"RIEZEL BRYNHAAART—!!!"
As the battered Great Tomb of Nazarick came into view, a voice filled with intense fury and rage, as if it could shatter the world with a roar, echoed in Riezel's mind.
It was a voice transmitted through 'Message', a magic spell that could convey information and sound over long distances, reaching Riezel's mind.
One could easily tell from the voice that the speaker was in a frenzied, almost irrational state, as the voice ringing in Riezel's ears sounded like a hysterical shout.
"How dare you... How dare you do this to the Great Tomb of Nazarick that I and my companions worked so hard to build! You, YOU BASTAAAAAARD—!!!"
Needless to say, the master of the voice was undoubtedly Ainz.
He must have immediately realized what Riezel had done and was furious about the damage Riezel had caused to the Great Tomb of Nazarick—so enraged that he couldn't even maintain his composure and yelled at Riezel in a mad frenzy.
Even with his undead ability, which forced him to always remain calm, Ainz was still this angry, which showed just how intolerable Riezel's actions were to him.
Nevertheless, Riezel was not at all intimidated by Ainz's sudden outburst but wore an expression of indifference instead.
"So, you can also get angry when someone messes with your companions?"
Riezel's words made Ainz, who had been consumed by fury, suddenly snap into clarity.
Clearly, Riezel had come because of Lakyus and the others.
"Do you think that kidnapping Lakyus and the others makes me helpless? Did you honestly believe I wouldn't figure out this was your doing?"
Riezel spoke in a flat, cold tone.
"Hmph, after defeating you and realizing Lakyus and the others were missing, I pretty much figured this was your handiwork."
"Use that cautious brain of yours. Do you really think I'd just sit back and let this slide?"
"I'm not stupid. I know exactly where your Great Tomb of Nazarick is."
Because of this, Riezel didn't hold back at all—he came straight for the Great Tomb of Nazarick and immediately unleashed Fallen Down without any negotiations.
"You... You..."
Ainz didn't know whether he was enraged or feeling something else, but Riezel's cold tone left him speechless, his words tripping over themselves.
Riezel could easily imagine how furious Ainz must be right now. If Ainz were still human, his chest would surely be heaving from anger, rising and falling violently like a fan.
Riezel ignored the fury in Ainz's voice, looking down from above at the shattered surface of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, now fully exposed.
Seeing the guild base of Ainz Ooal Gown laid bare, Riezel spoke in a voice devoid of emotion.
"So, are you gonna hand over Lakyus and the others, or should I just break in and take them from you myself?"
At this emotionless question, Ainz's voice abruptly stopped, as though someone had grabbed him by the throat.
A long moment passed before Ainz spoke again.
"...You're saying you'll break in?"
At this point, Ainz was no longer as enraged as before but instead sounded like a wounded beast, hiding all his viciousness—his tone was now cold and chilling, making it hard to ignore.
Unfortunately for Ainz, Riezel wasn't intimidated at all.
"Looks like you've chosen the latter then."
Riezel's voice remained as emotionless as ever, causing Ainz to fall silent again for a long while.
"You think you can just break in? Break into the perfect stronghold that my companions and I worked so hard to build?"
Ainz sounded like he was either sneering or laughing in anger, but it was clear that his emotions were still churning within him—not even the forced calm ability from his undead race could stop it.
Riezel knew that Ainz wasn't just being blindly confident.
One should know that the Great Tomb of Nazarick, a guild base built by the heteromorphic-race-only guild Ainz Ooal Gown, which had once ranked among the top three in YGGDRASIL, was truly a perfect creation.
Not only did it have as many as ten floors, but nearly every floor was vast and equipped with corresponding defense and enemy deterrent systems, turning the Great Tomb of Nazarick into an unbreachable fortress.
On the 1st to 3rd Floors of the Great Tomb of Nazarick were vast underground graves, also known as catacombs, filled with various traps and countless undead wandering about in many forms, from undead that threw glass bottles filled with poison to flying undead, to a mixed force of undead capable of causing diseases, poisonings, curses, and other abnormal statuses.
Additionally, there were even transfer traps that teleported intruders to other floors, as well as area traps that continuously dealt negative energy damage. Along with many high-level undead, anyone who dared to enter would face unimaginable trouble.
On the 4th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick was a massive underground lake, where a strategically placed giant golem stood—it was so powerful that it could easily break through sturdy city walls.
Even though the golem shouldn't have been placed underground, the guild members of Ainz Ooal Gown had positioned it on this floor to ensure that anyone who dared to enter would receive a crushing welcome.
On the 5th Floor was an expansive glacier, a land ravaged by extreme cold and snow.
At times, blizzards would whip up, making it even more difficult for intruders, as the entire area could unleash a freezing effect that caused continuous frostbite damage while slowing movement. Coupled with Level 80 ice monsters stationed on this floor, surviving this floor was an incredible feat.
On the 6th Floor was a vast jungle, home to various magical beasts of varying levels, as well as an elliptical, large-scale arena where numerous golems were stationed. No matter how strong an intruder was, they would be trapped in a battle to the death, like a cornered beast, until they were annihilated.
On the 7th Floor was a fiery lava zone where the environment could continuously deal fire attribute damage, while the scorching air could easily drain the moisture from any intruders—even freshly dripping sweat would evaporate instantly, causing fatigue to build up.
With various high-level devils stationed on this floor, it wasn't a place where the living could survive—truly a literal hell.
As for the 8th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, it was a silent wilderness where monsters at Level 85, skilled in using psychic magic and acting as the final defense of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, resided.
Former guild members of Ainz Ooal Gown had invested most of their wealth into this floor, making it a death trap capable of destroying a large army of 1,500 players in one fell swoop.
Yes, these were players who were viewed like gods by the natives of this world.
In fact, the 8th Floor was widely recognized by those who knew of its existence as the most dangerous area, a forbidden zone, a place of absolute despair. Even Ainz would regularly order the NPCs to prohibit entry, allowing only those with his permission to set foot on this floor.
Nonetheless, one thing was sure—only after conquering this floor could one be considered to have conquered the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Why?
It was simply because the 9th and 10th Floors of the Great Tomb of Nazarick weren't as difficult to conquer.
Firstly, the 9th Floor was where the guild members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick typically resided, which not only had private rooms for each important member but also various facilities, including a guest room, a round table conference room, a courthouse, a spa resort, a bar, a beauty parlor, a dojo, a classroom, a manicure salon, and many more.
As for the 10th Floor, it was the heart of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, housing key facilities like the throne room, the library, and the treasury—important assets that could be considered the very foundation of Ainz Ooal Gown as a guild.
Most of the crucial items were concentrated on the 10th Floor, but because of its importance, they couldn't afford to place too much defensive security on this floor.
In other words, to conquer the Great Tomb of Nazarick, if someone conquered the 8th Floor, it was basically considered a success.
Because of this, the 8th Floor became a truly terrifying forbidden floor that acted as a final defense, where even the largest group of 1,500 players who had ever attempted to invade the Great Tomb of Nazarick in YGGDRASIL met their end.
In fact, this event was also the only time in the original work when Ainz Ooal Gown was mentioned to have made use of the 8th Floor.
If 1,500 players had met their doom on this floor, what chance did a single person like Riezel have?
Not only was each floor nearly fully guarded by Level 100 Guardians, but with Ainz, a seasoned whale player who held numerous cash items, and the eleven World Items Ainz Ooal Gown had obtained in the past, the odds were even worse.
Yet, Riezel wanted to charge in alone?
Even Riezel himself knew that it was basically a death sentence.
However—
'Well, isn't this where the fun is?'
Riezel grinned widely and genuinely.
Needless to say, for Riezel, the more dangerous it was, the more he craved it—especially knowing that dying in this world would just mean the end of this dimensional travel.