Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

Through Eddie's fragmented story, the four adventurers roughly understood that Tony Ulea had asked Eddie to pass on a message, hoping that EeDeChi would participate in the Warrior Captain competition.

"I don't get it," EeDeChi scratched her head. "This must be old Tony's... last wish, right? He doesn't say who the killer is, and why does he want me to join the Warrior Captain selection competition?"

Barrett rubbed the stubble on his chin, thinking for a moment. "Old Tony was always a cautious and sharp-minded person. He must have had his reasons for doing this. The killer might be someone he couldn't handle, and they could pose a threat to Eddie's safety."

"According to the sheriff's report, there were three other charred bodies at the scene," Sean also joined the discussion. "From the clothing left behind, it's clear that three mages were killed during the battle with old Tony."

"Someone capable of sending three mages to attack Tony Ulea—could it be a mage group from within the kingdom?" 

"No, the ones who attacked him are probably nobles from the Second Prince's faction," Stella speculated. "I know how these nobles operate. For power and influence, they'll stop at nothing, using all kinds of despicable methods—assassinations, framing people, setting up false charges..."

The other three thought for a moment and reluctantly agreed with Stella's guess. Tony Ulea had always been a gentle optimist, rarely getting into arguments during his adventurous career.

Recently, in the Warrior Captain selection competition, he had been working hard for Princess Renner, naturally blocking the interests of another faction of nobles.

"Why don't I just go to the palace and drag that little Second Prince Zanac out, make him spill the beans?" EeDeChi suggested a solution she thought was simple and efficient.

"No, not yet. We don't have solid evidence," Barrett quickly advised his impulsive captain. "Think about it—why would old Tony want the captain to join the Warrior Captain competition? What's the real purpose behind this move?"

"Where is the Warrior Captain selection competition right now?" EeDeChi asked. They had been cooped up at home these past few days, not keeping track of the shifting tides outside.

"Four days ago, I saw on the arena bulletin board that there were still 16 candidates. Based on the rules of the competition..." Sean said, "Tomorrow is the quarterfinals!"

"Quarterfinals... semifinals..." Barrett grabbed EeDeChi's arm and pulled her toward the door. "Hurry up, we don't have much time!"

---

The rain had stopped, but the sky remained thick with gray clouds, blocking out the sunlight.

The storm had just washed the earth clean, but the air was still damp and cold. Puddles had formed thin layers of ice, and as one stepped on them, the ice would crack and the dirty water would churn.

In the courtyard of a manor hous, a hulking man stood bare-chested, wielding a two-meter(6.56 feet)-long greatsword with ease.

His muscles were thick and well-defined, his iron-like arms swung the sword down, cleaving a half-meter(1.64 feet) tall granite stone in two with a spray of sparks and stone dust. He withdrew the sword and, firmly planted on his feet, he raised it before thrusting forward. The rough blade seemed to cut through the very air itself.

"Good, keep that energy," said a tall, thin man standing off to the side, dressed in a cotton coat embroidered with patterns, his ears covered by a bear fur hat. He was jotting something down with a quill on a scroll of paper. "Believe in yourself, tomorrow's duel with Schroeve will surely end with him as your defeated opponent."

"I'm confident," the muscular man said, burying his greatsword into the soft ground beneath his feet. "Schroeve is just a Baharuth mongrel known for picking on rookies. Tomorrow, I'll split his skull with one strike!"

Just as the thin man in the fur hat was about to speak, a monotone female voice interrupted, "Are you Duncan Dalton?"

The burly man turned around, only to find a well-built male who stood as tall as he did. He looked down and saw a black-haired girl standing before him, dressed in a loose black cotton robe, her expression neutral.

"I'm Duncan Dalton. What do you want, little nun?" 

The man spoke, but his eyes were locked on the muscular figure standing behind the girl. From the silver metal badge on his chest, he could tell that the man was a mithril-level adventurer.

The black-haired girl handed him a parchment. "This is a challenge agreement. Please sign it."

Duncan took the parchment and glanced over it. It was a formal, official document. The main content stated that, under the challenge rules of the Warrior Captain competition, EeDeChi was challenging Duncan Dalton.

The Warrior Captain competition had a special challenge rule: any participant could challenge another contestant. 

The contestant had the right to refuse, but once the challenge was accepted, a duel would take place. If the challenger won, they would take the contestant's ranking and points, replacing that contestant's position in the competition.

Barrett reviewed the competition rankings and schedule and realized that the much-talked-about Warrior Captain tournament was nearing its end. 

After dozens of bloody, brutal one-on-one duels, only four contestants remained, with two matches still to be fought: Brain Unglaus versus Rhodes Rupert, and Schroeve Dahlsen versus Duncan Dalton.

It was clear that they couldn't have EeDeChi replace Brain, but Schroeve was nowhere to be found. After gathering some information, they tracked down Duncan, a third-place fighter known for his ferocity—a former mercenary who had killed seven and crippled five in the duels.

"EeDeChi?" Duncan looked at Barrett, crossing his arms. "What a sissy name."

"Actually," the black-haired girl pointed to herself, "I'm EeDeChi."

"Oh?"

Duncan glanced at the girl, then at the challenge agreement in his hand. After confirming that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he burst into loud laughter. "Hahahaha! Little nun, you're challenging me? Since when did the church start sending nuns to fight for their faith? Hahahaha!"

The thin, tall man in the fur hat walked over and gave them a cold, dismissive look. "Get lost, you outsiders. Don't interrupt us while we prepare for tomorrow's Warrior Captain elimination match."

Barrett walked up to EeDeChi, casually remarking, "You're just afraid. No matter how loud you laugh, you can't hide it."

Duncan stopped laughing and grabbed the quill that EeDeChi had handed him. He signed his name with a few swift strokes. "Alright, I accept the challenge."

"Duncan, Count Kura has ordered us to focus on preparing for tomorrow. The quarterfinals are a crucial match!" The thin man's tone grew stern.

"Don't worry, old buddy," Duncan shrugged. "Why not take on an easy punching bag when it's offered to you? Just think of it as a warm-up."

The four of them left the manor and flagged down an open-topped three-horse carriage. After turning down several streets, they arrived at the notary office responsible for the Warrior Captain competition.

The officials at the notary office listened to their request and turned the parchment over and over, checking it thoroughly. After confirming that everything was in order, they looked uneasy.

"The agreement is fine, but..." one official hesitated. "No woman has ever participated in the Warrior Captain competition. Although there are no gender restrictions in the rules, it's always been a tradition..."

"Traditions are made to be broken." EeDeChi stepped forward, standing tall and proud.

Duncan slammed his thick, solid hands down on the official's desk. "Help us out. I'm just going to teach this little girl a lesson. I won't kill her."

The official hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed to the challenge. A fat official followed them out of the notary office. He would act as the witness for the duel between EeDeChi and Duncan.

As they walked out onto the street, Duncan gave EeDeChi a sideways glance. "Little nun, pick a spot. Wanna fight at the convent? But don't expect the gods to save you."

"I'm an atheist." EeDeChi's face showed a hint of displeasure. "Let's fight here."

The thin man in the fur hat looked at Duncan. "Quick and decisive, we need to get back to training."

"Fast," Duncan replied with a cold smile. "One punch. No time to waste."

He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a pair of steel knuckle-dusters, sliding them onto his strong, muscular hands. The spikes on the knuckle-dusters looked like the teeth of a beast. He clenched his fist tightly, and his hammer-like punch seemed reinforced with iron nails.

EeDeChi stood firm, facing him, and raised her hands into a boxing stance.

"Little nun, here we go," Duncan said, taking a deep breath. His massive arm muscles tensed and bulged, and after a brief moment of building up strength, he swung his fist.

A dull "THUD!" rang out as the brutal punch landed squarely on EeDeChi's face!

Barrett jumped at the sound, but when he saw that EeDeChi was still standing straight, he let out a sigh of relief.

Duncan withdrew his fist, looking at it in disbelief. He was stunned. How could this girl still be standing? Why hadn't she collapsed? Why hadn't her cheekbone shattered?

The warrior's willpower overwhelmed his initial shock and confusion. Duncan's killing intent surged, and with lightning speed, he began throwing punches again—this time, a fury of blows!

Jabs! Hooks! Uppercuts! Crosses! Overhand punches! Thrusts… A barrage of punches rained down on EeDeChi's upper body. The force exploded with each strike, and even the wooden buttons on her cotton robe shattered into dust.

Duncan paused, looking at his hands, his confusion deepening.

The black-haired girl was still standing. If it weren't for the real impact he felt with every punch, if the steel spikes on his knuckle-dusters hadn't dulled from the repeated blows, he might have started to believe he was punching thin air—fighting a phantom!

"My turn," EeDeChi said, before calmly extending a simple, unadorned fist.

Duncan coughed up a mouthful of bright red blood, and before he could react, he was sent flying backward, crashing into a nearby idle cart. The wheel axles splintered, and wooden boards flew in all directions. He landed in a heap of wood chips, his eyes rolled back in his head, unconscious.

Both the fat notary official and the thin man in the fur hat stood frozen, jaws hanging wide in shock, their mouths forming an "O" shape. It looked like they could fit two eggs in there. Their chins were on the verge of dislocating.

"Mmm, one punch, no time to waste." EeDeChi said, turning to the fat official. "Did I succeed in the challenge?"

The fat official struggled to close his mouth, his head bobbing up and down. "Y-yes... you... you did..."

Shaking, he took out the quill, scratched off Duncan Dalton's name from the roster, and wrote down EeDeChi's name instead.