Magic Caster of Destroy

“Then, then what should we do? Gazef-dono?”

Gazef replied without wasting words.

“Retreat.”

They understood that the enemy had prepared an awe-inspiring force. With that in mind, what else could they do but run?

“Advise the king to order a retre—”

Gazef could not finish his sentence.

That was because a masked magic caster stood at the head of the enemy. At his right was a short person in a cape and robe. At his left stood one of the Empire’s Four Knights.

Even at this distance, Gazef would not mistake that man for any other...

“...Gown-dono.”

“Is that the magic caster, Ainz Ooal Gown?!”

“Is that the one who summoned the Soul Eaters? Him? Marquis Raeven, we—”

The fearless warrior of countless battles swallowed heavily, and continued in a lowered voice.

“——What on earth have we gotten ourselves into?!”

Ainz waved his arms. In response, a magic circle that was shaped like a dome and roughly ten meters in radius, sprang into existence. He was in the center. The people on his left and right were encompassed by it, but they seemed fine. He probably would not harm his own allies.

This surreal sight drew everyone’s attention, even if they knew this was an emergency.

The magic circle glowed a pale white, and translucent symbols appeared across its length and breadth. The sigils changed with kaleidoscopic speed, shifting between runes and letters that nobody had ever seen before.

The Kingdom’s troops gasped out in surprise. It was like watching a spectacular lightshow, and there was no fear or tension in their voices. However, the sharper men among them started watching their surroundings in obvious discomfort.

“I’m returning to my unit. There’s no more time to waste. Ainz Ooal Gown’s power is

immeasurable. Doing battle with him was a mistake from the start. All we can do is minimize the number of casualties, and at the same time we need to get back to E-Rantel as fast as we can. Gazef-dono, please protect his Majesty. After that, retreat without delay!”

The despair clouding Raeven’s face was gone.

“Aye! Although I don’t trust my abilities that much, but I will definitely protect his Majesty’s person. Then, please fall back with all due haste—”

“I shall. We will run— no, flee like rabbits.”

“Then, I wish you well, Marquis Raeven!”

“The same, Gazef-dono!”

The men who stood at the pinnacle of the Kingdom’s military might and strategic thought hurriedly flew into action. However—

—It was too late.

♦ ♦ ♦

Nobody’s there.

After Ainz deployed his magic circle, that was what he had thought.

There were no players in the Kingdom.

YGGDRASIL’s super-tier magic was incredibly powerful.

Because of that, during a large-scale battle, bringing down a person who cast super-tier spells was the absolute highest priority.

There were many ways to interrupt the casting. Teleportation ambushes. Bombardment from atop a magic carpet. Extremely long-range sniping.

However, no attacks like these came toward Ainz. In turn, that proved that there were no YGGDRASIL players present.

Under his mask, Ainz smiled, a fact which went unseen by anyone. Of course, the skeletal Ainz could not smile.

The bitter smile, laced with faint traces of joy, highlighted the struggle in Ainz’s heart.

“So, there is no longer a need to serve as bait, then?”

His joy came from the fact that he had not met any players from YGGDRASIL.

Ainz could not be counted as the greatest among the players of YGGDRASIL. There were others who were better than he was, and the odds of his survival against stronger players than himself were not good. While playing, Ainz’s strength had stemmed from his knowledge. Although he won PVP

battles with surprising regularity, that was only after forfeiting the first round of each match.

Since he was very skilled at using the information he had gathered, Ainz’s technical skills were unexpectedly high. Conversely, if he fought an opponent he had never encountered before, his chances of defeat would also be very high.

Ainz was fully aware of his abilities, and was deeply grateful that he had not encountered a powerful enemy that he knew nothing about.

But at the same time, he also felt a hint of regret.

Regret for the fact that he could not find the one who had brainwashed Shalltear among his enemies, the one who bore a World-Class item.

Hatred, thick and cloying, pooled at the bottom of Ainz’s heart. Although strong emotions were suppressed by his passive skill, the weaker ones still lingered within him.

Ainz opened his hand, and within it was a miniature hourglass.

If he used a cash item, he could immediately cast the super-tier spell. The reason why he had not done this was because he wanted to lure out any possible players from YGGDRASIL. However, even if there were none, there was still no need to wait out the long casting time for the spell. He felt quite silly for having to stand still in the middle of the magic circle without being able to move.

During the battle with Shalltear, he did not have that luxury.