"Is the Black Scripture here for the sealed monster from before?" Tia offered her opinion.
"Most likely. That monster sealed there was something even the Thirteen Heroes couldn't handle. For it to suddenly disappear, those old geezers in Theocracy are probably scared something went wrong. It's understandable for them to send their strongest force, the Black Scripture, over here," Irubyue said.
"So, we just have bad luck then? We just happened to run into them?" Gaguran shrugged.
Uh... saying they had bad luck wasn't wrong, but they shouldn't have been here for that tree demon. Iri didn't think so.
If only the Black Scripture had come, Iri might have thought Theocracy was after the tree demon, but with Death Knight, it was different.
Death Knight was Theocracy's trump card, so things definitely weren't that simple, and it shouldn't have been about Shalltear.
When they encountered Shalltear, one person died instantly, and another was severely injured. When others came to check, another was lost. She remembered that old hag died in the end too!
So, three main forces died from just one encounter... Theocracy didn't send Death Knight then, so why did they send Death Knight out now?
Not only that, but looking at their team composition, the Black Scripture was leading, then Holy Hymn as the 'healer,' and that blond 'guy' seemed to be a one-man army, right? Plus Astrology Thousand Miles, who was responsible for intelligence, it was a fairly balanced combination.
If it was a typical reconnaissance or subjugation mission, these people alone would be enough, right? There was no need to reveal Death Knight.
As for what Irubyue said, Iri couldn't agree. How could Theocracy, who was constantly stirring up trouble, care whether a sealed monster had escaped? Besides, if it had really escaped, E-Rantel nearby would have already exploded with chaos, right? Would the Black Scripture even be needed then?
Based on the above, the reason for Death Knight's appearance in this place was completely unknown. To be safe, she should report it to Nazarick!
But how should she report it? Death Knight's existence was Theocracy's top secret. If she reported everything truthfully and Ainz-papa suspected how Iri knew, it would be hard to explain.
However, if she concealed it, it might affect Nazarick's future decisions, especially since Iri had no reliable information about Theocracy's situation. When she was alive, she never had the chance to see Theocracy's main storyline.
"Illy-dono, what's wrong?" Lakyus noticed Iri had been silent and deep in thought, so she asked.
"Hmm... I'm fine, just thinking about a few things," Iri said.
"Is that so? Although it's a bit late to say this now, thank you very much, Illy-dono, for sacrificing yourself to save us in that situation," Lakyus bowed her head to Iri.
"You don't need to thank me. It's what I should do. Aren't we companions?" Iri did feel a bit undeserving when this was brought up.
"Companions, huh..." Lakyus hadn't expected Iri to bring up that word and was deeply moved.
Originally, when Iri had suggested being an honorary member of Blue Rose, Lakyus had thought Iri merely wanted to use Blue Rose's reputation and status. She hadn't expected that Iri truly regarded Blue Rose's members as her companions.
"In that situation, if it were Lakyus, I'm sure you would have made the same choice as me! So, there's no need to thank me," Iri continued.
"Speaking of which, when did the Black Scripture become so powerful? Or did those guys use some despicable means to ambush you, Iri?" Irubyue took off her mask and said with a very displeased expression.
Hmm? From the information revealed in Evil-Crushing Lolita's words, Evil-Crushing Lolita should know the Black Scripture's level. Otherwise, she wouldn't have questioned why Iri was in such a sorry state. Had they fought before? She should try to get more information! Iri thought.
"Who is this Black Scripture you're talking about, Irubyue?" Iri naturally had to play dumb first. According to her settings, Iri shouldn't have any means of encountering Theocracy's strongest combat unit.
"It's that black-haired man dressed as a warrior who was leading them. He is the Black Scripture. The squad he leads is named after his nickname. He's simply the standard template for an arrogant little brat," Irubyue said with a sour face.
However, you almost fell into that brat's hands, Iri inwardly scoffed.
"That black-haired big brother? Is he very powerful?" Iri asked, feigning confusion.
"If he didn't have those damned pieces of equipment, I could crush that brat with one hand, hmm?" Irubyue replied, then noticed Iri's question was a bit strange.
Iri had been beaten so badly, why was she still asking if the Black Scripture was powerful? It was as if she hadn't fought him?
"So that's how it is... that black-haired big brother stayed hidden in the back, so I didn't know his strength," Iri said. This wasn't a lie; the Black Scripture hadn't made a move.
"Then what about your injuries, Iri?" Irubyue questioned. Irubyue had found it strange. Although she hadn't witnessed the strength of the Black Scripture's squad members, the Black Scripture alone would definitely not be Iri's match. However, Iri said the Black Scripture hadn't even moved, so who exactly injured Iri?
"I was injured by that black and white-clad older sister. That older sister is very powerful... I barely had any room to retaliate, and just parrying was very difficult." This was also the truth.
She had only retaliated with one Pure Throwing Spear, and it hadn't caused much damage to her. Originally, this move was one of Shalltear's trump cards. Although its destructive power wasn't as great as a Super-Tier spell, its attack power was definitely strong enough.
Although the Pure Throwing Spear she used was indeed far less damaging than the one thrown by the original Shalltear, she had activated damage transfer and took it head-on as if nothing had happened. This was truly outrageous.
"The black and white-clad older sister? The one who was hiding in the back? Someone I've never seen before. Do you know her?" Irubyue also stated she hadn't seen Death Knight, then looked at the Twin Ninjas.
"Never seen her." The Twin Ninjas, Tia and Tina, who specialized in information gathering, also said they didn't know. Lakyus also shook her head, indicating she didn't know.
After all, she was Theocracy's ultimate weapon. It was normal for the members of Blue Rose not to know her. In short, she was full of mysteries.
Since it was brought up, Iri briefly described the situation at the time. Of course, a significant portion of it was made up. For example, everyone was affected by the delayed teleportation status, but Iri said her true vampire body was immune to all abnormal statuses, and she managed to bluff her way through.
Her guardian ring, which was her lifeline, naturally had to be kept secret. Then, there was the exchange of blows, and how Death Knight used an invisible move to slash her chest.
Bringing this up still made Iri quite indignant. The day before, she had already been agitated by Brian's Four Light Slash, and now Death Knight could easily injure her. If this continued, this game would be unplayable.
The inherent flaw of not being able to level up was truly too uncomfortable! Hmm? Brian's Four Light Slash?
Ah!
Iri suddenly seemed to understand something. So that's it! Death Knight's strange move, that's what it was!
Brian's Four Light Slash involved four almost simultaneous slashes at superhuman speed. Before this, when Brian used this move, Iri barely managed to block the third slash, which she had regretted for a long time.
However, the move Death Knight used was probably exactly like Brian's Four Light Slash, except... Brian's was a finishing move, while Death Knight's was a normal attack...
This was truly terrifying! Although there were only two slashes, Iri couldn't completely track the second one, which was why she was hit.
Fortunately, the second time, Iri learned her lesson and used the Unclean Impact Shield to block it directly. Otherwise, she would definitely have another wound on her chest. This was practically cheating, a normal attack having the effect of someone else's finishing move... As expected of Theocracy's strongest trump card!
Even though she knew the principle... it was still very difficult to perfectly defend against it. Even Brian's Four Light Slash, Iri wasn't confident in perfectly defending against, let alone Death Knight's normal attack with built-in special effects.
It seemed she needed to consult Cocytus. Although using the Unclean Impact Shield directly could counter it, as her trump card... Iri didn't want to use it too many times.
Although she didn't have a limit on the number of uses, relying solely on this finishing move she obtained through cheating would prevent her from growing.
Hehe! Although her special physique itself was already quite overpowered.
"So, Lakyus-nee-san, what do you plan to do about this incident?" Iri, having thought things through, brought the topic back.
Earlier, when they encountered the Black Scripture, Lakyus had said she would protest to Theocracy's diplomat. Although, from Iri's perspective, protesting wouldn't do much, right?
The Kingdom was currently busy fighting Nazarick. They wouldn't have the leisure to deal with some 'lost' Theocracy squad.
"I plan to go directly and protest to Theocracy. They sent the Black Scripture directly into the Kingdom's territory without any notification, and they even attacked us. We must get justice for this," Lakyus said angrily, slamming her fist on the table.
"I think it's better to discuss it with Princess Lana first," Iri suggested. With Golden Princess Lana's brilliant mind, she might be able to figure out Theocracy's purpose for sending the Black Scripture to this place.
"Alright, then we'll stop here for now. Irubyue, I'll have to trouble you again in a bit," Lakyus said.
It seemed Lakyus wanted to go directly to see the Golden Princess. In that case, Iri wouldn't get involved. Let Lakyus go have her 'yuri' moment with Lana. Iri still needed to go home and change her clothes.
Iri looked down at her tattered clothes and thought, although she had cut them herself. If she told Albedo that her disheveled appearance was caused by Death Knight, what would Albedo's reaction be?
Hmm! Should she try it?
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