"The situation isn't looking good. There are too many enemies, and something feels off. It's like they've been infected by something," Ainz said, watching the endless stream of foes pouring out as unease churned within him.
With magic sealed, he had no clear idea what level his current strength amounted to. But no matter what it was, there was no way he could eliminate the seemingly infinite enemies before him.
Not to mention the humans by his side—and the client who needed protection. He had to divide his attention to keep them safe. Nabe was in the same situation. She couldn't fight at full power either and could only assist from the side with magic.
The only one who might be able to help them survive under these circumstances was Deloris, who had yet to reveal her true limits.
"Nabe, stay behind me and prepare your spells. Nfirea, remain in the carriage and don't move. Peter, you and the others protect Nabe and Nfirea. Liliana and I will hold off the enemy." At this critical moment, Ainz stopped worrying about fine distribution and simply took command of the entire situation.
Faced with so many enemies, the others already knew this was beyond what they could handle. Though reluctant, they followed Ainz's orders, forming a circle around the carriage to guard Nabe, the spellcaster, and Nfirea, who had no combat ability.
"Nabe, be ready to cast fifth-tier magic at any time. Don't worry about exposure. After this battle, what happens here will spread no matter what. So fight freely—just don't exceed fifth tier," Chu Lian whispered into Nabe's ear. Then, under Nabe's worried gaze, she stepped forward, raising her left hand as a dazzling white light burst forth.
A magnificent longbow materialized in her grasp. Lowering her head to look at the Seven Illusions Bow, she smiled faintly. "Partner, we're fighting side by side again."
Her right hand plucked the string. Arrows formed from Magic Power shot forth one after another, piercing through the skulls of goblins and ogres whose eyes glowed red and whose bodies emitted black miasma.
No matter how her shooting skills might be under normal circumstances, the moment she held this bow, she became like an archer who could strike a willow leaf from a hundred paces. Wherever she aimed, she hit. There was no concern about missing.
It was as if an innate talent within her had been awakened by the Seven Illusions Bow. She loved this feeling of absolute precision.
Chu Lian was the first to move. The others followed immediately. They had to strike first. If they allowed the enemy to surround them, it would be over.
Reaching behind his back with both hands, Ainz drew two greatswords. Staring at the enemies ahead, a crimson light flickered within the eye sockets of the skull hidden beneath his helmet. Taking several steps forward, he swung both blades downward with force, cleaving two ogres clean in half at the waist.
Yet they did not die. Their upper halves, still capable of movement, grabbed at Ainz's ankles, attempting to pull him down.
"Hm?" He froze for a split second.
Two arrows shot in succession, piercing through their heads. Deloris's voice rang in his ears. "Attack their heads."
"Their heads? Zombies? Why have these things turned into zombies?" Though questions filled his mind, the enemies were multiplying. There was no time to ponder. He raised his sword and beheaded two goblins rushing toward him.
Zombies? This is similar to Tyrael's situation—undead species? No… it shouldn't be like this. Is the aberration only happening around me, or across the entire world? Chu Lian continued firing arrows without concern for her Magic Power consumption.
Each arrow consumed only 20 MP yet dealt over 200 damage. Against ogres and goblins whose HP did not exceed 150, this was perfectly sufficient.
At a rate of one arrow per second, her MP expenditure was slower than her natural recovery. She had no fear of a prolonged battle.
In previous fights, her endurance had seemed lacking largely because the intensity forced her to repeatedly use high-consumption skills, greatly reducing her sustained combat ability.
But in this battle, her companions were not weak, and the enemies were not particularly strong.
No matter how numerous they were, she felt no fear.
Still, she did not believe things would end so easily.
"I can feel their strength increasing," Chu Lian calculated inwardly. If the earlier enemies had generally been around level 7 to 9, then after five minutes, they had risen to level 11 to 12. The pressure on her and Ainz intensified further.
Looks like I'll have to activate an aura… Auras and titles were passive traits she could toggle at will.
Of course, only auras and certain specially designated titles could be switched on and off. Other titles, once equipped, could not be removed without special means.
Currently, she possessed the B-rank title Zombie Slayer, the A-rank title Taboo of Life, the S-rank auras Depart, O Dead and Depart, O Weaklings, and the S-rank removable title Dragon Slayer.
She had no intention of activating or equipping the latter four. Doing so would undoubtedly make Ainz tense.
After all, having one's little sister turn out to be one's natural enemy would be terrifying. It was only natural he would think in unfavorable directions.
Equip B-rank title Zombie Slayer. She spoke silently in her heart. System-chan Shiroha immediately equipped the title for her. In an instant, her output surged dramatically. A fifteen percent damage increase, when applied to her base damage, was terrifying.
"Big brother, be careful. Don't let their claws or any part of them touch you. If they do, you'll be infected and become one of them," Chu Lian called out while continuing to kill, fully embodying the image of an attentive and considerate younger sister.
"So they can infect others?" Her warning startled not only Ainz but the others as well. They no longer dared move too far forward, fearing injury from the monsters.
"Nabe, use magic to clear the scattered monsters getting close. Hold on for a moment—I'm activating a skill." Chu Lian turned to Nabe, who remained on high alert.
Closing her eyes, she poured Magic Power into the Seven Illusions Bow. Three seconds later, she opened them again and shouted loudly, "Big brother, fall back—"
Without waiting to see Ainz turning and running toward her, she shot the arrow in her hand into the sky…
"To keep my strength suppressed, I deliberately charged only 100 MP over three seconds. Even Thousand Feathers—with merely a twenty percent damage increase—is enough to slaughter these weaklings."
She lowered her bow and feigned heavy exhaustion, leaning against Nabe as if drained. Yet her eyes remained locked on the forest. She could sense stronger enemies approaching from within.
Countless streaks of light descended from the sky. Aside from a five-meter radius centered on Chu Lian where no enemies remained, a twenty-meter diameter area beyond that was completely engulfed by a rain of arrows…
"Lian'er, you must be careful. This aberration began around you. Perhaps because you are not originally from this world, and because your actions have altered the course of the storyline, it triggered the disturbance. After resolving this wave, there may be several more, until the source of the aberration shifts elsewhere. So you must be cautious."
Ayase's reminder echoed in her mind. Chu Lian gave a slight nod as she listened.
"The aberration isn't limited to zombification. Zombies are merely one race formed when the living transform into the undead. There are many other undead species. And it won't be only the undead."
"It would be more accurate to say that the undead are only a small portion. Almost every aberration is accompanied by their arrival. So never equate aberration with zombies. That misconception could lead to unforeseen dangers in what follows."
"I understand." Even if Ayase hadn't warned her, Chu Lian would not have made such a naive assumption. That kind of thinking would only bring greater danger.
While she conversed inwardly with Ayase, the rain of arrows finally ceased. Within their immediate surroundings, every zombified monster had been wiped out.
Yet in the distance, more monsters continued rushing toward them without end—and they were stronger than at the beginning.
"This is bad…" Ainz realized that if this continued, he would soon have to reveal his true strength.
That would completely disrupt his plans. Once exposed, these people behind him would need to be silenced—if necessary, eliminated. He did not want to resort to that so soon.
Moreover, if the mission failed, their reputation would suffer, jeopardizing future plans.
Deloris was already suppressing her power to a level only slightly above Hero-class. If she continued fighting like this, her true strength would eventually be exposed as well.
Just as he resolved to have Nabe clear the field with a fifth-tier spell, a long, resonant wolf howl echoed from the forest.
"Awoooo—"
The howl made everyone's expressions change.
"Why are there wolves here? And trailing behind these monsters?" This was not their first time traveling this road. They were familiar with the creatures that inhabited the area. Wolves had never been seen nearby. When had they appeared?
Frowning slightly, Chu Lian stepped out of Nabe's embrace and moved to the front. One hand drew the bowstring as her gaze fixed on a point deep within the forest. Blue-green Magic Power surged, condensing directly into a wind arrow upon the string. She released it.
The arrow shot forth, surpassing the limits of human visual tracking.
"Awo… wooo…" The previously melodious howl instantly dropped in tone, turning savage and bloodthirsty. Clearly, her strike had wounded it—and provoked its ferocity.
"Nabe, prepare a fifth-tier spell. Our enemies are increasing," Ainz said decisively, turning back toward her.
"No need. Magic can't harm them," Chu Lian interrupted with a wave of her hand.
Her words startled both Ainz and Nabe. They looked up toward the distance. The magical beasts emerging from the forest were covered in mysterious black runes. After sensing them briefly, Ainz's shock was evident.
"Complete immunity to fifth-tier and below magic… These beasts…"
"From this point on, your only task is to protect yourselves. Don't act recklessly. These enemies are no longer something you can handle." Chu Lian glanced calmly at the members of the Swords of Darkness and Nfirea.
She drew a deep breath. The exhilaration before a great battle… she was beginning to enjoy it more and more.
However, at that moment, another sound echoed from the distant mountains—one that caused all of them to pale.