Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

Chapter 24: The Emperor's Hope

The strongest... or one of them, anyway.

Before crossing into this world, she'd vaguely learned her power was among the strongest. But if it was just "among," that meant there were others on the same level.

Could that Ainz Ooal Gown guy be one of them? EeDechi ran her fingers along her giant sword, muttering to herself.

In the lavish palace hall, the ground around her was a charred mess—strewn with spell runes, flames, iron arrows, and ice spikes.

This was the wreckage left by the barrage of attack spells the court mages had unleashed moments ago. The marble floor was scorched with pitch-black holes, yet she stood there without a scratch.

"The Imperial Four Knights—big deal, huh?" Disappointment flickered in EeDechi's dark eyes. No wonder Baharuth rolled over and became a lapdog for the Sorcerer Kingdom. Human strength was just too damn weak.

The three knights who'd come at her full of bloodlust were now sprawled in the hall's corners, groaning. Each had a gaping tear in their armor, leaking pain.

Their Justice Value wasn't half-bad, so EeDechi hadn't gone for the kill. Still, they wouldn't be fighting again anytime soon.

Baziwood, one of the trio, was pale as a ghost. His fancy Adamantite armor sported a massive dent. He gripped his greatsword, trying to stand, but only managed to prop himself up on one knee.

EeDechi didn't spare him a glance. She swung her giant sword casually and strode toward the crumbling line of guards ahead. The soldiers fanning out around her could barely hold their shields and spears steady. Their eyes were wide with terror, and their Adamantite armor rattled as they stumbled back.

Emperor Jircniv, who'd been lounging on the throne like he had all the time in the world, shot to his feet. His handsome face was now pale, eyes unfocused, and his voice quivered as he spoke. "Warrior, please spare them. If Lord Gown wants my life, he only needs to take me out. Don't hurt my people or my men."

"Your Majesty! Don't say that! We're just too damn weak to protect you..." Baziwood, one of the Imperial Four Knights, gritted his teeth in frustration, struggling to get up.

EeDechi stopped in her tracks and turned around, looking puzzled. "Who's this Lord Gown?"

Jircniv stared for a moment and said, "The unparalleled God of Destruction, the most powerful Magic Caster, the Eternal Emperor of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the Writer of Magical Rules, the Master of Time and Space, the King of the Undead......"

EeDeChi was taken aback, "So many people!"

Jircniv continued to recite with the air of an actor performing in an opera, "...the One who Controls the World, the Supreme Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Great and Supreme Overlord—Ainz Ooal Gown!"

"So, it was the esteemed Lord Gown who sent you, right?" Jircniv asked, testing the waters. He figured a badass who could toss the Imperial Four Knights around and yank him by the collar onto his throne had to be one of Ainz's crew.

"Oh, you mean Ainz Ooal Gown? His name's got that many prefixes?" EeDechi nodded, finally getting it.

What she didn't know was that this over-the-top praise had been cooked up by Baharuth's literary minister over three grueling days, all just to kiss Ainz's ass hard enough.

"I wasn't sent by Ainz Ooal Gown. Hell, I've never even laid eyes on the guy," EeDechi said with a wave of her hand. "And honestly, I'm here to take him down."

"Take down... Lord Gown?" Jircniv sucked in a sharp breath, his voice shaky. "What do you mean by 'take him down'?"

"Means if I can kill him, I'll kill him. If I can't, I'll fix him up," EeDechi explained, cool as a cucumber.