Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

The north wind howled as EeDeChi led the way with Barrett trailing behind. They walked through a dilapidated residential area.

When they reached an intersection, EeDeChi stopped, as if deep in thought.

Barrett asked from behind, "Are you lost?"

"I could never forget the way." EeDeChi put on a casual expression.

"Then tell me, what's Rigrit's address?"

"Uh..." EeDeChi confidently replied, "Ludus Street, Deerhorn Lane, No. 45."

"It's Ludus Street, Corner Lane, No. 43, second floor," Barrett said with a sigh. "If you don't know the way, stop pretending to lead."

"I'm just momentarily not recalling it," EeDeChi stubbornly retorted. Barrett shook his head, passed her, and headed for the left path at the intersection. EeDeChi hurriedly followed him.

They wandered around for a while and finally found the rumored home of the last member of the "Thirteen Heroes." The adamantite-level adventurer Lakyus had given EeDeChi a ring and recommended that she seek out the reclusive Rigrit Bers Caurau.

A few weeks ago, they had come here once, but the door had been tightly shut, and the house was empty. They had been forced to leave in frustration. EeDeChi was not one to give up easily, and today, she had returned, hoping to uncover something.

The two of them stepped onto the creaky pinewood staircase, making their way up to the second floor of the dilapidated building.

It was disappointing. The iron door was as it had been before, locked tight. A thick layer of dust covered the copper lock, and EeDeChi's fingerprints, left from her last visit, were still clearly visible on it. It seemed even thieves and burglars had no interest in this place.

EeDeChi took out the ring Lakyus had given her and began to fumble around on the iron door, trying to find a mechanism to open the door with the ring as a key, hoping to reveal whatever secret lay behind it.

The old door, with wooden panels embedded inside and covered in iron on the outside, could be smashed with a single palm strike by EeDeChi. But breaking it would be pointless, because she could see that behind the door was another small space.

The small space seemed like jelly, overlapping with the room. She could enter the room, but she couldn't access the small space.

Slow, shuffling footsteps echoed from the other side of the hallway. Both EeDeChi and Barrett turned their heads, only to see the elderly woman they had briefly met last time. Barrett had even helped her dump out some filthy wastewater.

The old woman hobbled toward them, her back hunched, and surprisingly, she was carrying a wooden bucket. The yellow, white, and green contents inside the bucket mixed together, releasing a disgusting stench that filled the entire hallway.

It seemed that dumping out wastewater was her daily routine. Barrett couldn't help but wonder if the old lady had been saving up a week's worth of waste, waiting for it to evaporate and "mature" before she came to dump it.

EeDeChi pinched her nose and said to Barrett, "Don't you know how to respect the elderly and love the young? Why don't you help the old lady dump her water?"

Barrett crossed his arms, looking unamused. He had already shown his respect last time, so he wasn't going to do it again: "Making someone else do it, is that what you call 'respecting the elderly and loving the young'?"

EeDeChi shot him a sharp glare, but after a brief moment of hesitation, she seemed to feel that Barrett had a point.

She lowered her hand from her nose, took the wooden bucket from the old lady, and rushed downstairs in quick strides, dumping the foul, murky water into the drain.

Carrying the empty bucket, EeDeChi climbed back up and saw the old woman standing in front of the iron door. The old woman gave her a gentle smile and extended a long key from her palm, inserting it into the rusty copper lock.

"Click." The dust swirled, and the crisp sound of the mechanism engaging echoed as the door suddenly creaked open.

"Adventurers, please come in," the old woman said. Her previously hunchbacked posture straightened, her face, full of deep wrinkles, relaxed, and the thin slits of her eyes suddenly opened, gleaming with a sharp light.

She stepped into the room behind the door first. EeDeChi and Barrett exchanged a surprised glance and followed her inside.

"You're Rigrit Bers Caurau, the last of the 'Thirteen Heroes,' aren't you?" EeDeChi asked.

The old woman before her no longer looked like the frail, near-death figure from before. She pulled off her headscarf, revealing a head of bright silver hair, neatly combed, her posture now straight and lively. She radiated an aura of vitality that almost made her seem heroic.

The old woman smiled gently. "I am Rigrit. The 'Thirteen Heroes' are just a title. This place is small, please, make yourself comfortable."

The room behind the door was still ordinary, the only valuable item being a wardrobe against the wall, its surface marked with chewed-out holes by rats. Apart from that, there was only an oak table, three bamboo chairs, all covered in dust.

EeDeChi fixed her gaze on Rigrit and said, "I want permission from the owner to enter the small space."

"The small space?" Rigrit glanced at her and nodded. "No wonder Lakyus allowed you to see me. You can see through the space magic of the Abyssal Blood-forged Box with the naked eye. You truly are an impressive hero."

As her words fell, the world turned upside down!

The walls spun, dust fell, the ceiling became the floor, and the floor became the ceiling. Polished ceramic tiles and velvet carpets spread across the new ground, while the sky suddenly sprouted a six-armed crystal chandelier, its light dazzling.

The walls, once a dull yellow, were now painted in fresh, soft shades. Red sandalwood bookshelves shot up from the floor, filled with books, some ancient and others finely crafted, arranged like a carefully set-up row of dominoes.

In mid-air appeared a round, carved wooden panel, supported by four long wooden legs, standing firmly on the ground. Three woolen armchairs appeared around a table. A bottle of rich, deep red wine, along with three delicate, transparent wine glasses, landed with a soft "thud" on the table.

What was once a run-down, shabby house had instantly transformed into a luxurious study that could rival the residence of any noble.

"Welcome to my secret study," Rigrit said as she pulled out a chair. "Please, have a seat."

"So cautious." After scanning the decor around her, EeDeChi and Barrett sat down.

"You're not the only ones interested in the 'Thirteen Heroes.' Being cautious isn't necessarily a bad thing." Rigrit said as she took out a brass corkscrew and screwed it into the cork of a wine bottle. She pulled the cork out and filled three glasses.

The rich, full-bodied aroma of the wine filled the air. EeDeChi eagerly picked up her glass and took a sip, smacking her lips in delight. "Delicious!" she exclaimed.

Barrett took a sip as well. The taste was indeed good. With his limited experience in wine tasting, he guessed that this bottle had been aged for at least a hundred years.

Rigrit frowned. "I hope you didn't come just for the wine. Lakyus recommended you, but for what purpose?"

EeDeChi got straight to the point. "The 'Thirteen Heroes' used to have the goal of defeating the Demon King, right? I want to know how to defeat Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Defeat Ainz Ooal Gown?" Rigrit said in surprise. "I didn't expect what Lakyus said to be true. There really are people out there chasing after the demon god, huh."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Whoever fights the demon gods must understand the process of how they became demon gods. Likewise, when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you."

After these philosophical words, Rigrit's expression suddenly grew serious. She spoke each word deliberately:

"I'm going to tell you the world's greatest secret, something that will completely shatter your worldview! Please, be mentally prepared!"

Upon hearing this, EeDeChi felt a surge of excitement. She knew that her trip had not been in vain. This legendary figure, who had lived for over two hundred years, surely knew some ancient secrets that could shock the world!

She nodded eagerly. "I'm ready."

Rigrit crossed her arms over her chest. Her gaze, sharp and cold beneath her white silver hair, was intense. She spoke in a low voice:

"The stars are not alone. In this world, besides us native beings, there are also people who have crossed over from other worlds!"

"Oh."

"The Demon God Ainz Ooal Gown, and the Great Tomb of Nazarick under his control, came from another world!"

"Oh." EeDeChi's expression didn't change.

"Besides Ainz Ooal Gown, there are the legendary World Rulers: the Eight Greed Kings, and the Six Great Gods of the Slane Theocracy. They possess unparalleled items and powers, and they all crossed over from another unique world into ours!"

"Oh~oh." EeDeChi slightly raised her tone, took a sip of wine.

"Hey?" Rigrit widened her eyes, staring at EeDeChi. "What's with that attitude? Aren't you surprised? You should be shouting, 'Wow! This is insane!' or 'There are other worlds!' Lakyus was so shocked she couldn't eat for three days, she spent all her time thinking about the origin of the world."

EeDeChi scratched her head. "Do you know any other secrets?"

Rigrit looked EeDeChi up and down, then it hit her. "Wait a minute, are you also someone who crossed over from another world? No wonder you're not surprised at all."

"Pretty much." EeDeChi admitted.

"Then I probably don't have any secrets left to tell you." Rigrit's expression turned a bit gloomy.

EeDeChi wasn't discouraged. Instead, she asked, "Do you know anyone in this world who could fight Ainz Ooal Gown?"

Rigrit understood. EeDeChi wanted to learn about the top combatants in this world. She thought for a moment and replied:

"In the Slane Theocracy, there's a girl called 'Antilene Heran Fouche', from the far west in the Dragonborn territory, there's a Dragon Lord named 'Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.' At the northern edge of the City Alliance, the Holy Angels sleep in the ice seas. They are all beings with supreme combat power, but normal people can't find them."

EeDeChi lowered her head, thinking for a moment, before asking the question that had been weighing on her mind: "For people who have crossed over, how strong can their combat power get?"

Rigrit replied, "To measure combat power, there must be a ranking system. The leader of the Thirteen Heroes is a hero who came from another world. When we went on an adventure together, he told me about the way combat power is classified. An adamantite-level adventurer is at most level 30 to 40, but the demon gods who came from another world can reach level 100 at most!"

"Level 100?" EeDeChi pondered, thinking about how she was "one of the strongest."

The adventurer captain asked, "Is it just level 100? Is there anyone above level 100?"

"No one can go beyond level 100," Rigrit said. "The leader of the Thirteen Heroes once told me, 'The highest level set by the game is 100.' At the same time, there's some sort of limitation in this world that prevents going beyond level 100."

"Why can't it go beyond level 100?" EeDeChi asked eagerly.

"Look at that pile of books in the corner," Rigrit said, pointing to a large stack of thick ancient books piled up like a tower, reaching from the floor to the ceiling.

Rigrit asked, "Do you think that stack of books can go higher?"

"It can't," EeDeChi answered. "Because it's already reached the ceiling."

"Exactly. It's already hit the ceiling of the world."

EeDeChi furrowed her brows as she stared at the stack of books, as if gazing at a towering mountain.

She took a deep breath and suddenly swung her fist towards the sky. A powerful gust of wind shot out like a cannonball, blasting a large hole in the ceiling. Wood chips and dust fell everywhere.

With a smile, EeDeChi said, "As long as we break through the ceiling, we can keep adding to the stack of books, right?"

"Not a bad idea," Rigrit said, staring at the large hole in the ceiling. "But how do we do it?"

...

The two continued to discuss the form of Tier Magic. As night fell, Rigrit saw them out.

"Goodbye." EeDeChi waved at her.

At the door, Rigrit suddenly stopped and said, "Wait, you owe me 40 gold coins."

"Are you kidding me?" EeDeChi was shocked. "I came here to ask you questions to help fight the demon gods and protect humanity, and you're charging me a consultation fee?"

"Consultation fee?" Rigrit gave her a cold look. "It's not a consultation fee."

She pointed at the large hole in the ceiling: "You broke the ceiling of my study. Shouldn't you be paying for that? The roof is made from six-hundred-year-old spruce wood, all coupled together as one piece."

"Is it really that serious?" EeDeChi muttered but still counted out 40 gold coins from her spatial ring and handed them to Rigrit.

Barrett and EeDeChi said their goodbyes to the last living member of the Thirteen Heroes and left the house. They hired a carriage to return to their residence.

They had talked with Rigrit for so long that it was already evening. The night was deep, and a dark yellow crescent moon hung in the clouds.

EeDeChi didn't have the key, so Barrett opened the door and pushed it inside. The house was empty and silent, the cold wind rushing in through the open windows, stirring the dry, cold air.

Barrett felt a strange unease. Normally, Sean and Stella would be in the house, a warm fire crackling in the fireplace. The cleric girl would have a pot of lamb milk porridge boiling, baking a few slices of white bread, and keeping a bottle of cherry jam warm in the oven, waiting for them to return for dinner.

But now the house was empty. The charcoal in the fireplace was piled up like stones. Both glass windows were wide open, and the northern wind had swept away all the warmth.

EeDeChi frowned and said, "Where did those two young ones go?"

Barrett ignored EeDeChi's complaint. A sense of foreboding filled his heart. He slightly drew his sword from its sheath, lit an oil lamp by the door, and stepped carefully into the room, cautiously scanning his surroundings.

The cold moonlight slanted across the pinewood table by the window. A dagger was stuck into the tabletop, with a crumpled piece of parchment pinned underneath. The cold wind swirled, causing the parchment to tremble, as if it were a butterfly pinned to the table, struggling in its last moments.

Barrett approached the pinewood table. To prevent the dagger or the parchment from being poisoned, he took a pair of leather gloves from his spatial ring and put them on. He pulled out the dagger and lifted the corner of the parchment. On it, written in bold, clear letters, were the words:

"Your companions are in my hands. If you want to save their lives, come to the Koccus Ironworks on the outskirts of the Western District tonight at 8. Don't inform the constables, and don't bring anyone else. Otherwise, no matter how great the resurrection magic, it won't ease your regrets."

Barrett's heart tightened. He pulled out his silver pocket watch. The angle between the hour hand and the minute hand was sharp and glaring. It was 8:35!