Great Tomb of Nazarick, 8th Floor.
In this vast wilderness, there were three terrifying obstacles.
One of them was the Floor Guardian of the 8th Floor, 'Victim'.
Victim was a heteromorph angel with a body resembling a one-meter-long embryo, featuring a tail and pink skin.
Among the Floor Guardians in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Victim was the weakest in terms of combat power, having the lowest level—Level 35.
As for why a mere Level 35 NPC could become the Floor Guardian of the 8th Floor, referred to as the final line of defense for the Great Tomb of Nazarick, it was due to Victim's special skill that required their death to activate—a powerful binding skill that could only be triggered after their death.
In the past, 1,500 players who had attempted to invade the Great Tomb of Nazarick's 8th Floor had triggered Victim's special skill, and one by one, all of them were ultimately affected by it, suffering from a terrifying movement restriction.
Because this special skill was only activated after Victim's death, they held significant strategic importance even though their level remained low.
For this reason, although rarely acting, this Level 35 NPC held the position of Floor Guardian of the 8th Floor, guarding the final line of defense for the Great Tomb of Nazarick and becoming the first obstacle for invaders.
As long as one knew the Victim's information in advance, refrained from attacking them, and ensured they couldn't commit suicide or be killed, this NPC, lacking powerful combat abilities, would become a harmless creature that could only cheer from the sidelines.
Unfortunately for Victim, Riezel knew their information, so they posed no threat to him.
However, the true problem lay with the next two obstacles—truly deadly ones.
On the 8th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, there was an NPC similar to Gargantua, one who remained in a dormant state until activated, known as 'Rubedo'.
Rubedo was the younger sister of Guardian Overseer Albedo and was known as the strongest being in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Excluding the mindless Gargantua, Shalltear was merely the strongest among the Floor Guardians, but when compared to Rubedo, who was the actual strongest being in the entire Great Tomb of Nazarick, Shalltear was weak.
Let alone Shalltear, even Ainz, fully armed with divine-class items and numerous cash items, probably still would not have been able to defeat Rubedo.
It was said that Rubedo was an NPC created in a near-glitched way, with her creator having invested quite a lot of real money into her.
Needless to say, this alone indicated just how formidable Rubedo was, likely surpassing even Level 7.
And yet, Rubedo, as formidable as she was, was only the second obstacle on the 8th Floor, as her threat level couldn't compare to the third obstacle.
In truth, the third obstacle was the ultimate trump card of Ainz Ooal Gown, one that had consumed most of their wealth—their final weapon.
It was a group of heteromorphs whose individual strength surpassed even Rubedo's, but due to her special skills, they were unable to defeat her and thus remained below her—a group known as the '8th Floor Hierarchy'.
When Riezel made his way to the 8th Floor, Ainz used 'Message' to warn him.
"Riezel Brynhart, I honestly don't really want to use them because every time I do, I need to consume a massive amount of resources, but since you've already made it this far, I'll let you experience the strongest weapon of Ainz Ooal Gown!"
Leaving such a warning, Ainz cut off Message's transmission and set the 8th Floor's defense to the maximum.
And so, as Riezel finally arrived on the 8th Floor and confronted the obstacles blocking his way, he ultimately lost.
Yes.
Lost.
Facing Rubedo and the 8th Floor Hierarchy, Riezel, in just over half an hour, had already received a fatal blow, forcing him to activate the second ability of Divine Meloe, a life-saving ability that could reverse time and restore him to full condition.
In that battle, Riezel had also used the magic ring he had obtained from Gazef, boosting his strength as a warrior, and wielded both swordsmanship and magic, using everything he had—Sun Breathing, Decomposition Magic, Hermit, Fool, and every ability he had gained from the world of Danmachi, the world of Demon Slayer, the Akasha Continent, and this world—he didn't hide anything and went all out.
He also used a large number of magic scrolls, wands, staves, and sealing crystals he had previously obtained from Ainz and even sent out all of Yoriichi Type One in the storage space of the Dimensional Magic Cube for backup.
Yet, despite all that, he was ruthlessly defeated.
Not only had all of Yoriichi Type One been destroyed and his items depleted, but all his abilities had also been completely countered.
In the end, he could only activate the second ability of Divine Meloe to reverse time and restore himself to full condition again.
Now, Riezel had truly been forced into a corner.
Nevertheless—
*BOOM!*
With the roaring flames rising from the wilderness of the 8th Floor, Riezel transformed into a never-falling sun and continued to fight.
At this moment, his entire body was engulfed in an unprecedentedly spectacular flame, and his eyes shone brightly, almost as if they were rivaling the light emitted by Divine Meloe around his neck and the magic ring on his right hand.
Despite being pushed to the brink of despair, however, he didn't feel the slightest intention to retreat and instead became even more passionate, more insane, and more fearless, launching relentless attacks against the heteromorphs before him.
Naturally, the heteromorphs retaliated, showing overwhelming power and leaving countless deep wounds and bloodstains on Riezel's body, bringing him to a near-death state where it wouldn't have been surprising if he had died right there.
However, even in such a situation, Riezel showed no sign of retreating—his eyes grew even brighter, the flames around him surged more intensely, and his movements were faster than before.
It was as if Riezel had finally unlocked some hidden strength within himself, as his sword strikes became faster, his swordsmanship more refined, and even the magic he used between sword strikes seemed to grow more powerful.
No, it wasn't that the magic grew more powerful, but simply because Riezel had grasped a higher level of magic usage amid combat, making his magic more rapid, more perfectly linked, and with more precise timing.
Yes, this gave the impression that his magic had become more powerful, but in reality, Riezel was simply using it more effectively, causing far greater threats to his enemies than before.
Ultimately, Riezel fought harder and harder, growing stronger and stronger.
Despite the increasing number of injuries and the severity of them, Riezel didn't even blink but instead fought with even more fervor, more intensity, and more excitement, swinging his sword with all his might.
*Rumble—*
Amid the battle, not only did the entire 8th Floor tremble, but the desolate wilderness was also destroyed under the immense shockwaves of the battle, resembling the aftermath of a natural disaster.
"..."
In the throne room on the 10th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, all the heteromorphs watched the battle through a floating screen, rendered speechless by the scene. They watched in shock as Riezel grew more and more determined, ignoring his own terrible condition and fighting fiercely.
Including Ainz and the resurrected Guardians, they all felt the same way.
Unknowingly, their murderous intent and anger from before vanished without a trace, replaced by an inexplicable sense of terror.
"Monster..."
It was unclear who had suddenly muttered the word, but it seemed to give all the heteromorphs in the throne room an outlet for their emotions.
One after another, they started shouting.
"He's the real monster!"
"Compared to him, what kind of monsters are we?"
"I can't believe he's human!"
"How could a human be that strong?"
"No, strength aside, what's truly terrifying about that bastard isn't even that!"
Even Shalltear and Albedo, who had harbored intense hatred toward Riezel and had wanted to tear him apart earlier, found themselves overtaken by fear as they watched Riezel, bloodied and battling fiercely on the 8th Floor against their powerful colleagues.
"Riezel Brynhart..."
"Damn monster..."
Shalltear and Albedo whispered through gritted teeth beside Ainz.
Demiurge, Cocytus, Aura, and Mare also fell silent, their emotions complicated as they watched Riezel on the floating screen.
Of course, no matter how complicated their emotions were, it couldn't compare to Ainz's.
Sitting on his throne, Ainz stared at Riezel, who refused to fall despite his injuries and kept pushing forward, relentlessly attacking Rubedo and the others on the 8th Floor, sending a chill down his spine.
'Is he nuts in the head?!'
'Why won't he die?!'
'How is he still fighting?!'
'Even those 1,500 invaders who tried to take on the 8th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick couldn't last as long as he has, right?!'
Ainz's skeletal hands, resting on the throne armrest, tightened, especially when he saw Riezel, in the face of overwhelming odds, actually smile and curve his lips upward in genuine joy—his normally calm mind began to tremble.
It was then that Ainz finally realized something.
'Did I make a mistake...? Did I provoke a terrifyingly strong enemy for the Great Tomb of Nazarick, one that has never appeared before...?'
Having this thought, the human part of Ainz that still lingered inside him began to scream, almost as if it wanted to cry.
'If only everyone were still here with me...'
Ainz couldn't help but think of his past guild companions, the other forty players who had once been called Supreme Beings alongside him.
If they were still here, would they be able to defeat Riezel?
In the past, Ainz would have answered 'yes' without hesitation since his guild companions were the best, the strongest.
If they were still here, how could they let such a mere human run wild in the Great Tomb of Nazarick?
However, at this moment, Ainz could no longer give such a confident answer.
He had a feeling that even if Ainz Ooal Gown at their prime returned, they might not be able to defeat the human who was still fighting on the 8th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
It wasn't a matter of strength, but something else.
At least, watching Riezel fight fiercely with a genuine, excited smile filled with joy and his eyes gleaming brightly in a battle that should have been a desperate one for him, Ainz strangely couldn't imagine a victory for their side.
'Damn lunatic!'
As the fear in Ainz's heart completely overshadowed his anger, he turned his gaze toward Lakyus and the others in the throne room.
'It seems... I can't leave them here any longer...'