The Terror of Option

"Oh, I can see it."

Zenberu —​ seated near the back of Rororo —​ laughed as he looked forward.

A few hundred meters ahead, they could see the first tribe marked for extinction —​ the village of the Razor Tail tribe. While it was about the same size as the Green Claw village, there were more Lizardmen here, probably because the Lizardmen from other tribes had steadily flocked to it.

Now that they were preparing for war, everyone was very busy.

"It's hard to hold myself back with the mood in the air."

There was an audible intake of air from Zenberu's nose as he inhaled the ambient scent. It was an odor that boiled one's blood. However, Crusch had never smelled it before, and she said something different from the other two.

"Is it safe to ride over with Rororo?"

Having sensed the tense atmosphere from a distance, Crusch the plant monster was starting to feel nervous, and she said as much. She was worried that the battle ready Lizardmen would rush Rororo if he got close.

They might know Zaryusu, but not Crusch or Zenberu, and it was not as though everyone in the the Razor Tail tribe knew Zaryusu either.

"No, it's the opposite. We're safer mounted on Rororo."

A puzzled look appeared on Crusch's face (obscured by leaves as it was). Sensing her confusion, Zaryusu elaborated:

"My brother should have come by earlier, and he should have told them that I'd be riding Rororo. Therefore, news about us on Rororo's back should have reached him by now, so all we have to do is advance slowly."

In fact, as Rororo was splashing through the marsh, a black Lizardman emerged from the village. Zaryusu waved to the familiar figure.

"And that would be my brother."

"I see."

"Oh..."

The two of them spoke as one. Crusch was genuinely curious, while Zenberu was like a beast that had sighted a powerful entity.

As Rororo moved forward, the distance between the two of them —​ between Zaryusu and Shasuryu —​ grew shorter. Soon, they were close enough to see each other's faces, and the brothers looked at each other.

They had only been apart for two days. However, they had prepared themselves for the eventuality that they would never see each other again, so their reunion was particularly touching.

"I'm glad you're back, Zaryusu!"

"Mm, and I have good news, Shasuryu!"

Shasuryu's gaze fell on the two people seated behind Zaryusu. Zaryusu felt Crusch's arms tighten somewhat around his waist, due to her tension.

Once they were in front of Shasuryu, Rororo stopped in front of the familiar face and nosed at him with its four heads.

"Sorry, I didn't bring any food with me."

In the instant Rororo heard those words, its heads immediately recoiled from Shasuryu, like a child throwing a tantrum. The Hydra might not be able to understand Lizardmen, but it must have telepathically sensed his thoughts. Either that, or it did not smell any food on him.

"Let's get off, then."

After waving to the other two, he lightly hopped off Rororo's back, and then took Crusch's hand as she jumped down. Shasuryu looked at Crusch with a look of puzzlement on his face.

"And what's that plant monster?"

The fact that everyone reacted the same way left Crusch a little demoralized, but she had no desire to contest it. That was probably due to Zenberu's constant needling of her. But the words which followed were a bombshell that made Crusch stiffen up.

"She's the female that I love."

"—​Ohh."

Shasuryu murmured in awe. Then, he turned his attention to the still-frozen Crusch, who was holding his little brother's hand.

"Muu... One thing, is the person inside beautiful?"

"Mm, and we're considering marr—​!"

The sudden pain in his hand shut Zaryusu up, because the person holding it had jabbed her claws into Zaryusu's hand, and very forcefully too. Shasuryu looked at them with some displeasure.

"I see... To think someone like you who went on and on about appearances and said... what was it, 'You know I can't get married?' You were just trying to act cool. You just didn't have anyone to fall in love with... anyway, back to business. I am Shasuryu Shasha, chief of the Green Claw tribe. Thank you both for joining us."

The way Shasuryu spoke did not seek out confirmation of their alliance, but radiated the certainty that they would help. However, Crusch and Zenberu were not the sort to be rattled by small things like that.

"We should be the ones thanking you. I am the acting chief of the Red Eye tribe, Crusch Lulu."

Everyone expected Zenberu to introduce himself after Crusch was done greeting Shasuryu, but they did not hear anything of the sort. Instead. Zenberu eyed Shasuryu from head to toe.

After he was satisfied with what he had seen, he nodded and spoke with a bestial expression on his face:

"Oh, so you're the one —​ the warrior who uses priestly skills in battle. I've heard of your deeds."

"I'm quite surprised that even the Dragon Tusk tribe knows of me."

Shasuryu's response felt like two wild animals circling each other.

"Until your brother agrees to take the position, I am the chief of the Dragon Tusk tribe, Zenberu Gugu."

"Thank you for coming. You certainly seem suited to be the chief of the tribe which values strength."

"How about a go, then? We need to show each other our strength, right?"

"...That's not a bad idea."

Zaryusu did not feel like stopping them. It was true that once they figured out who was stronger, many things would become much simpler in the future.

However, Shasuryu raised his hand before they could get into it, and put out the flames of Zenberu's eagerness for battle.

"—​At least, I think it's a good idea, but now doesn't seem like the right time."

"Why?"

Shasuryu smiled as Zenberu frowned.

"...The scouts we've sent out ought to be returning soon, so we'll be able to learn about the enemy. It won't be too late to spar after they've given their report, no?"

-x-X-x-

There was a small house that was being used as the meeting room for the various chiefs.

All the chiefs and Zaryusu were here, for a total of six people.

The name of Zaryusu —​ bearer of Frost Pain and slayer of the former chief of the Razor Edge tribe —​ was famous among the tribes. In addition, he was the hero who had persuaded the Red Eye and Dragon Tusk tribe to join their alliance, so none of the chiefs here opposed his presence.

The six of them sat in a circle within the cramped interior. The three chiefs had been hard-pressed to hide their surprise when Crusch revealed her snow-white skin, but they had calmed down now.

After greetings were done with, the first to speak was the chief of the Small Fang tribe.

He was small-framed for a Lizardman, but he had honed his limbs until they were as hard as steel. He had originally been a hunter, so he was probably the best ranged attacker among all the Lizardmen around this lake. In fact, he had eliminated all of his opponents during the chief selection trials with a single well-aimed stone apiece.

After mobilizing all the hunters to scout, he now understood the disposition of the enemy.

"The enemy numbers around five thousand."

This figure was far in excess of the Lizardmen's troop strength, but it was still within the range they had expected. Someone even sighed in relief as they heard that figure.

"...Then, who's the enemy leader?"

"We're not sure. The scouts spotted huge monsters that looked like giant blobs of red meat, but it was hard to get close to them."

"How about their makeup?"

"It's an undead army, with skeletons and zombies."

"Did they use Lizardman corpses?"

"No, the corpses did not come from Lizardmen. I don't know land-dwelling creatures too well, so I'm not confident in identifying them, but they were probably humanoids of some sort and I didn't see any tails."

After hearing about those characteristics, Zaryusu was sure that they were from a plains tribe —​ humans.

"Can't we take the initiative and launch a preemptive strike?"

"That would be difficult. The enemy is using a clearing in the forest as a staging area, but how long did they take to clear it? I didn't even see the logs which should have been left over —​ ah, I've gone off-topic. In any case, they're in the forest. It's questionable whether we could get into position by ourselves. It would be very difficult if we had to bring the warriors too."

"Then how about sending the hunters to ambush them?"

"GIve us a break, Crusch-kun. There's only twenty five hunters. How could we defeat five thousand undead? All we'd accomplish is dying."

"Hm... then how about mobilizing the priests?"

Several people nodded at Shasuryu's suggestion, and turned to Crusch. However, Zaryusu answered the question.

"I think it would be better if we did not."

"Ah? Why is that?"

"The opposition has honored their agreement so far, but I don't think it'll extend to allowing us to launch a sneak attack."

"Indeed. Seems like it would be best not to make the first move before all the tribes gather."

"Then are we going to prepare for a siege?"

"Defending sounds hard."

That inarticulate voice came from one of the Lizardmen, the chief of the Razor Tail tribe.

He was dressed in a suit of white armor, which shone with a luster not born of metal.

The armor radiated a faint magical aura. It was one of the Four Treasures —​ the White Dragon Bone.

This armor was made from the cold-infused bones of the Frost Dragons which laired within the Azellisian Mountain Range. Of course, armor made of mere bones —​ even the bones of powerful beings like Dragons —​ could not possibly be magical. Yet, somewhere along the line, that suit of armor had taken on magical properties.

The problem now was that said properties might have been the result of a curse.

That was because the White Dragon Bone converted intellect into defensive strength. If an intelligent person put it on, it would become harder than steel —​ it might even be able to rival the strength of mithril, or the legendary metal adamantite.

However, the lost intelligence would not return even if the armor was removed. That was why the legends surrounding that item said it was cursed.

The armor's wearer had originally inhabited the peak of Lizardman intellect, and after he put on that armor, it became tough enough to deflect any and all weapons the Lizardmen possessed —​ even Frost Pain of the Four Treasures. Its hardness might well be on the same level as adamantite.

Also, while the armor's wearers typically lost their powers of reason and became mentally deficient, he was still capable of thought, which was a testament to his original intellect. As a result, the Razor Tail tribe no longer decided chieftainship succession through combat after he was born.

"Here, here is swamp. Poor foundation. Walls... easily broken."

"I see. Then, shall we sally forth?"

"Hm, why not? Feels better taking the offensive than to defend. I think each of us has to face three, no four enemies? Easy enough; all we'll have to do is take them down."

As they heard Zenberu's words, the others looked at each other. Eventually, Crusch changed the subject.

"The question now is if the enemy has reinforcements... they might still be marshalling their strength."

"Hmmm... that's hard to tell. Given the size of that clearing, there shouldn't be any more space to fit more undead... that said, all they'd have to do is position them throughout the forest.

The undead did not need to eat, drink, or rest, and they did not need large campsites. Therefore, it was very hard to tell their numbers from the size of their camps.

"It seems we had best consider a defense scenario for safety's sake."

"In that case, we of the Red Eye tribe will strengthen our walls to tide us through the siege. I hope everyone else will help us with that."

The other chiefs nodded in agreement, even the disappointed-looking Zenberu.

"In any case, let's start preparing our defenses. We also need to establish a chain of command."

"For starters, we'll assign command of the priests to Crusch-san. She'll have authority over them in combat as well."

Everyone agreed, save one.

"All the chiefs should form a separate squad of their own."

Everyone's eyes went to Zaryusu.

"I see... So that's how it is, little brother."

"That is, you want us to form an elite unit, then?"

"Correct. The enemy is numerous, and if we don't eliminate their commander, we might well lose this battle. In addition, if they deploy monsters like the ones they sent to each village as messengers, we won't be able to overwhelm them with numbers. We'll need to destroy them using small teams of elite troops."

"Still, won't leaving our men leaderless result in confusion?"

"Just... pick, pick... replacement from Head Warriors."

"So even if there aren't any commanders, all they have to do is attack the enemy before them with all their might, huh..."

"...What about having the elite squad give orders from behind and only move out when they find the enemy's headquarters or if the situation turns bad?"

"That ought to be pretty good, right? Then, let's form a six-man squad with everyone here, including Zaryusu."

"No, let's divide it further, into teams of three."

Dividing into two teams meant that they could fight in two places, but it also meant their strength would be divided and weakened.

"One team will be a search-and-destroy unit to deal with the enemy commanders, while the others will be responsible for tying up their garrison troops."

"In that case, I think having we three chiefs form one team ought to work. Zaryusu-san can group up with the chiefs he brought along. We'll adapt the team objectives to suit the circumstances."

"Hm, that sounds good. Will that be all right, Zaryusu?"

"Yes, I got it. Crusch, Zenberu, do you object?"

"I don't mind?"

"Me neither. It's a shame we won't get to show our stuff, but I'll obey the winner."

"Then, there's still four days to the enemy attack?"

"Yes."

"Then, is there anything which needs to be prepared ahead of time?"

"We need to stockpile stones for throwing and to strengthen our walls. In addition, we need to let the various tribes mingle and establish working relationships so they can function in harmony."

"We of the Small Fang tribe would like Shasuryu to handle this, as before."

"We also... feel it should be fine... and you two?"

Crusch and Zenberu nodded in agreement.

"I'll be taking command, then. After this, we'll decide on our tasks for the next three days."

-x-X-x-

After the day's work was done, Zaryusu walked silently through the bustling village. Several Lizardmen saw the brand on his chest and Frost Pain at his waist, and greeted him respectfully.

It felt a little troublesome, but he had to respond to them in order to boost morale. Therefore, he put a confident, dignified look on his face, and replied in a bold, fearless voice.

In this way, Zaryusu reached the location of the walls surrounding the village. Many Lizardmen were there, all their attention focused on erecting the walls as quickly as possible.

First, they used vegetation to serve as the foundation for wooden pillars and to fill the spaces between them. Then, they covered them with somewhat drier mud. The priests would then enchant them, and the walls were complete. There were cracks on the surface of the walls, probably because their water content had completely evaporated. Then, they repeated the same process on the other side.

"Oh, Zaryusu. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to see what you were doing."

Zaryusu splashed softly over the wet ground as he walked up to Crusch, who was still in her plant monster getup. Then, he pointed to the unceasing activity before him.

"What is that?"

"That's a dirt wall. We don't know what sort of enemies we'll face, so I wanted to make it difficult for them to attack us... though we haven't even finished half of it yet, since we don't have enough time."

"I see... Still, isn't it going to break easily, being made of dirt and all?"

"It'll be fine. While a thin layer of dirt is easily broken, that's not the case for a thick wall of dirt. Granted, we haven't been able to gather enough material for it due to the hasty construction and it'll be weakened if it rains, but it won't fall apart so easily."

When he thought about it, just about anything would be difficult to destroy if it was made thick enough.

Dozens of Lizardmen were working as fast as they could before Zaryusu as he agreed with that conclusion, but they were proceeding at a turtle's pace. Even if they pushed themselves for three days straight, the wall still would not be that long, but it was better than nothing.

"Currently, we're changing the structure of the fences on the places we can't cover up, so they can't be pulled down."

In the direction where Crusch was pointing—​

They had uprooted the wooden pillars and erected them on a triangular clearing. The space between them was laced with loose ropes that had been woven from plant fibers. Zaryusu felt that they seemed similar to the fence surrounding the Red Eye village.

"And what is that?"

"We're going to put heavy objects in those triangular openings to ensure that the fence doesn't fall if it's pushed or pulled. Those ropes are meant to obstruct the enemy's movements. If they're drawn taut, they can be easily cut with swords or other bladed weapons, which is why we've left some slack in them on purpose," Crusch eagerly answered Zaryusu's question.

She had been the recipient of Zaryusu's wisdom during their journeys over the past few days, so she was delighted to be able to dole out wisdom for once. In addition, there was another emotion behind that.

"I see... That way, it can't be easily destroyed."

Those words of respectful praise filled Crusch with pride.

Zaryusu nodded vigorously.

They were accelerating the plan to convert this village into a fortress as much as they could. While they could not begin to hold a candle to the defenses of humans or Dwarves, it was the best they could do on these wetlands where movement was difficult.

"Come to think of it, Zaryusu, did you tell the warriors..."

Just as Crusch said that, the wind carried the clamor of the warriors to them. Their voices were filled with excitement and seemed quite hot-blooded.

"What's happening? This cheering sounds familiar... that's it! They're cheering for a fight. Could it be that your brother is dueling Zenberu now?"

Zaryusu nodded. Then he realized Crusch had revealed her face and seemed quite worried.

"...Your brother's the supreme commander. Won't things be troublesome if he's beaten?"

"I don't know. Still, my brother's strong too. Once he has an opening to use his priest spells, he'll get even stronger. For all I know, I might lose to him as well."

Shasuryu's strength was extraordinary after applying several buff spells to himself. In addition, while he probably would not use offensive spells during a mock battle, if he did, even Zaryusu —​ before he had come into possession of Frost Pain —​ would not be a match for him.

After all, when Zaryusu had defeated the previous owner of Frost Pain, the only reason why said owner had not used its special ability —​ limited to three uses a day —​ on Zaryusu was because all three instances had already been expended on Shasuryu.

"That's good..."

Just as Zaryusu thought he should show the worried Crusch his brother's fighting form, he recalled the hidden worry he had not brought up until now.

He did not know if he should mention it, but in the end he decided to do so.

It was somewhat despicable to talk about something he had chosen not to speak of earlier, now that everything was largely settled. However, he could not hold back the pure and intense feelings he had, and he did not want to hide anything from her.

"There's one thing which worries me—​"

Crusch laughed as she heard the unease in Zaryusu's voice. She seemed to be making fun of him. The look on her face did not suit the mood in the air —​ or her character, for that matter —​ and Zaryusu was left speechless. Therefore, it was Crusch who spoke in his place.

"—​It's what you didn't bring up earlier, right? What if the enemy had already seen through our plans and anticipated that we would form an alliance, am I correct?"

Zaryusu was silent because she had hit the nail on the head.

In other words, the possibility that the enemy might have given them all this time to prepare, informed them of the attack order, and allowed Zaryusu to form his alliance, all for the purpose of gathering the tribes together so they could all be crushed in one fell swoop.

"Well, you would be worried, given that you're so prone to introspection. Still, no matter what, it would be best to fight the enemy first and worry about things like that later."

"Even if we win, the enemy probably won't give up. No, in all honesty, there's very little chance the enemy will give up."

"That may be so, but you were right about what you said that night. And look—​"

There did not seem to be anything in the direction where Crusch was pointing. However, Zaryusu understood that she was referring to the entire village.

"Do you see how all the Lizardman tribes are struggling together for the same goal?"

Indeed, the Lizardmen were all working towards the same objective.

Zaryusu recalled the great feast which had been held to celebrate the alliance of the Five Tribes. The people of each tribe had mingled without reserve. Of course, it would be wrong to say that the survivors of the two destroyed tribes bore no grudges, but at the very least, they had managed to swallow their resentment.

"How ironic," Zaryusu muttered to himself. He had always thought they would keep themselves secluded for all time, but he had not expected to see everyone united as one due to an external enemy.

"We should protect the possibilities that the future holds, Zaryusu. The tribes coming together will surely spur us to grow."

Zaryusu had never seen the techniques of building walls with mud. However, now that all the other tribes knew it too, the Lizardmen tribes would surely build such walls in future. These sturdy walls would be able to keep out monster incursions. If that happened, the number of attacks on children would drastically decrease, and the Lizardmen's numbers would increase in turn.

And as the number of people went up, they could use Zaryusu's fish farms to feed them.

Perhaps in the near future, this marsh might become the home of a large, united tribe of Lizardmen.

"Let's win this, Zaryusu. We can't predict what will happen in the future, and for all we know, all this might be cleared up after we win this battle. If that happens, we'll be able to expand, and that might bring about a world where we won't need to worry about killing each other or food shortages."

Crusch smiled. Zaryusu fought back the surge of emotion within him, because if he let it run wild, the consequences might be irrecoverable. Still, there was one thing he had to say, no matter what.

"You really are an outstanding female —​ after this battle, please tell me the answer to the question I asked when we first met."

Crusch's smile grew even brighter.

"Yes, Zaryusu. I'll tell you after it's all over—​"

-x-X-x-

Demiurge hummed happily as he worked.

He picked up a polished bone and considered where best to put it. Before long —​ perhaps he had already decided —​ he shaved off part of its tip and slotted it into the article before him, which he was building.

The shaved bone fit snugly into its place, as though it had always belonged there.

If building a house without nails was called "timber-frame construction" then Demiurge's technique could be called "bone-frame construction."

"I have a good feeling about this."

Demiurge smiled as he ran his fingers over the bones. He sensed that he would produce an outstanding work if he carried on like this.

"Still... I need a thigh bone from a male of about a hundred twenty centimeters in height."

He could still complete it without the bone, but the finished product would not look as good.

Under normal circumstances, he would let it slide, but this gift was intended for the beloved master to whom he owed his loyalty, so he had to complete it to the best of his ability.

"If only I could find a suitable bone."

In high spirits, Demiurge moved on.

The truth was that Demiurge enjoyed making objects like these. It was not a love for bonecrafting, but a love for crafting in general. He was very interested in that field, covering items ranging from objets d'art to furniture, and his techniques had surpassed those of a casual dabbler.

In fact, his current piece would draw gasps of awe from just about anyone who looked upon it, provided one disregarded the materials from which it was made.

This tent contained other items as well, such as a statue of his master made from solidified lava, all sorts of chairs, assorted clamps, and so on. All of them were the handiwork of Demiurge. While those pieces were all built for functionality and were not ornamented, they were still excellent specimens of workmanship.

Demiurge picked up a piece of raw material from the corner of the tent and began evaluating it. Just then, he sensed movement from the tent's entrance.

He gently put the bone back and squeezed the irreplaceable item which his master had lent him, before focusing his attention on the movement outside. Under normal circumstances, the person outside ought to be one of his vassals or his comrades. Nobody could breach that triple-layered defense without Demiurge's knowledge. Still, it was true that he had to be wary of the enemy who had dominated Shalltear.

Several seconds later, someone opened the tent flap. He was dressed in white and wore a black bird-like mask with a long nose.

It was Pulcinella.

He was a clown who had been created by the Supreme Beings, much as Demiurge had. He had been assigned to assist Demiurge for this operation.

After ensuring that he was not under mind control, the tension left Demiurge's eyes. At the same time, he released his grip on the artifact in his hand.

"Demiurge-sama, the skinning is complete."

Demiurge felt a twinge of regret at those words.

Originally, Demiurge would have done that work in person to savor it, but the need to be wary of their mysterious and powerful foe meant that he could not leave this place under normal circumstances. Thus, he had handed the task to Pulcinella.

Taking care to keep his emotions hidden, Demiurge gave Pulcinella new orders.

"Well done. Then, begin the next step immediately. It would be rude to directly present something in that state to Ainz-sama."

As Pulcinella bowed gracefully, Demiurge asked him:

"So, how many died?"

"None. Thanks to the torturers, they only passed out, so we should be able to skin them soon. While some of them were unwilling to accept healing magic... it was well within acceptable parameters, so it is not a problem."

"Marvellous."

Gathering the raw materials was an arduous task, and they had to perform several skinnings to recoup their investment. Even so, he had not used anesthesia or painless methods to remove the skins.

"I want to make everyone happy."

This sudden interjection made Demiurge think of Pulcinella's personality.

Pulcinella was famous in Nazarick for his kindness and mercy. He had been created to make everyone happy, and so everything he did was intended to fulfill that purpose.

"Everyone in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick is happy to serve Ainz-sama."

Demiurge nodded in agreement.

"I see. Then, a question for you, Pulcinella: do you mean that others will be happy to serve Nazarick?"

"How could that be? That was not my meaning. Serving Ainz-sama is truly a blissful thing, one that makes me want to shed tears of joy, but it cannot be counted as true happiness if it is forced."

"Ohh, then what should be done?"

"Simple. Pick one person, and chop his arm off. Then, the others will compare themselves to that person and count themselves fortunate. How wonderful! And then, to make the person whose arm was chopped off happy, you simply chop off someone else's legs! Oh, how happy I have made them!"

Demiurge nodded at the clown, who was laughing to the high heavens.

"I see. You do have a there."

-x-X-x-

Time would pass slowly if all one did was wait. However, it practically flew past when one was preparing for a task with a time limit.

The appointed time had come.

Today, the searing sun crawled slowly into the sky, which was a cloudless clear blue. There was no sound of wind, and the world was shrouded in a silence so profound that one could hear the proverbial pin drop.

Pre-battle tension filled the air.

Someone gulped, and someone's breathing quickened.

And after who knew how long since the gathered Lizardmen collectively decided to remain quiet—​

A hole appeared in the heavens, and a cloud billowed forth. It expanded as swiftly as it had earlier, until it enveloped the entire sky.

Soon, when the clouds obscured the firmament, when the sun's light was gone and when all was darkness—​

The Lizardmen saw countless undead lurch out of the forest and over the border it shared with the swamp. The trees obscured them and prevented them from getting an exact count, so all they could see was an endless tide shambling forward.

The attackers were 2200 Zombies, 2200 Skeletons, three hundred Undead Beasts, one hundred fifty Skeleton Archers and one hundred Skeleton Riders, for a total of 4950 troops, not including the commander and his retinue.

The defenders were the army of the Five Tribes.

The Green Claw tribe had one hundred three warriors, five priests, seven hunters, one hundred twenty four males, and one hundred five females.

The Small Fang tribe had sixty five warriors, one priest, sixteen hunters, one hundred eleven males, and ninety four females.

The Razor Tail tribe had eighty nine armored warriors, three priests, six hunters, ninety nine males, and eighty one females.

The Dragon Tusk tribe had one hundred twenty five warriors, two priests, ten hunters, ninety eight males, and thirty two females.

The Red Eye tribe had forty seven warriors, fifteen priests, six hunters, fifty nine males, and seventy seven females.

Their combined fighting strength was 429 warriors, twenty six priests, forty five hunters, four hundred ninety one males, and three hundred eight females, for a total of 1380 people, not including the chiefs and Zaryusu.

A lopsided battle of over three-to-one odds was about to begin.

-x-X-x-

This was a log cabin.

It was simply designed and made of bare wood, with little ornamentation to speak of. However, it was a full five meters from floor to ceiling, and it was over twenty meters long and wide.

There was hardly any furniture here, only a huge mirror hanging on the wall, a massive, sturdy table, and the chairs surrounding it.

There were several people seated on those chairs, and on the table were many rolled-up parchments —​ magic scrolls.

"And this is the last one, a teleportation spell scroll."

As the high-pitched voice —​ which called to mind the image of a young girl —​ spoke those words, another scroll was laid on the table.

The person doing so was a humanoid girl in a maid's outfit.

She was adorably cute, with her hair done up in two buns on the side of her head. However, she was surrounded by a strange air, and her eyes were quite unique.

Said eyes were full and round, but like cheap glass marbles, there was no glow in them. In addition, they did not blink.

Her slender body was fully encased in an enchanted maid's uniform, and the high collar completely obscured her neck. Besides her face, none of her flesh was exposed.

She was one of the Pleiades Battle Maids —​ Entoma Vasilisa Zeta.

"And then there are the 「Message」 scrolls, but the table is getting cluttered, so could someone please clear the table?"

Entoma looked at the highest ranking person seated at the table, who nodded slowly in response.

"Then, please go ahead."

"Yes. Then. Please. Tidy. Up. Move. Quickly."

After hearing Cocytus acquiesce to Entoma's directions, the people around the table began working to clear the table.

Each of them was a heteromorphic being. Some looked like praying mantises, some looked like ants, and one even looked like a gigantic brain.

Each of them had a different appearance, but they had two things in common. The first was that they were Cocytus's vassals, and the second was that they all served Nazarick.

For that reason, they obeyed Entoma despite the fact that she was weaker than them.

Within the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick's chain of command, the most crucial factor was not raw power, but whether or not they had been created by one of the Supreme Beings. From that point of view, Entoma ranked very highly.

After verifying that the table had been cleared—​

"Then, please take these, Cocytus-sama."

—​Entoma spoke those words without moving her mouth, and then she picked up the bag by her feet and produced several rolled-up scrolls.

"These are scrolls of 「Message」. According to Ainz-sama, they were made with the skin that Demiurge-sama worked hard to obtain. Ainz-sama also said that he would like feedback if any problems came up with their use."

"Is. That. So? I. Understand. I. Will. Inform. Him. If. Such. Problems. Occur."

Cocytus took the scrolls from Entoma with one of his four hands.

"Now. It. Seems. Demiurge. Has. Pulled. Even. Further. Ahead. Of. Me."

He smiled bitterly to the servants around him as he said that. His servants responded with wry grins of their own.

As he picked up the scrolls, Cocytus sank into contemplation.

Cocytus had once heard that the supply of parchment for Nazarick's low level spell scrolls was running low.

Finding a place to replenish the stores needed to produce various items was a problem which had to be solved sooner or later. The reserves were still ample for the moment, but if they kept drawing on them, they would eventually run out one day. Therefore, everyone —​ their master included —​ had begun work on rectifying that situation.

Part of the solution involved the apple trees on the Sixth Floor, of which he had heard.

However, this was a problem which Cocytus —​ who was responsible for the safety of Nazarick —​ could do nothing about. After all, since he was assigned to protection duties, he could not go searching around outside.

Demiurge —​ who had gone around laying foundations outside, would surely solve this problem in the end. One could say that it was only to be expected.

His friend had accomplished his mission.

It was an admirable deed, and Cocytus was glad for him. However, the flames of jealousy smoldered within him. The fact that his comrade could aid one of the Supreme Beings —​ the master whom he worshipped —​ filled him with jealousy.

His own calling was the defense of Nazarick.

This weighty task was arguably more important than any order given to the other Guardians. If questioned, any vassal would agree that it was an important task. After all, they could not let common riffraff set foot into the sanctum of the Supreme Beings.

However, Cocytus could not prove his devotion and loyalty without any intruders.

That was why Cocytus wanted to prove himself here by obtaining good results.

To the Guardians, aiding their master was a source of great delight. Cocytus wanted to experience that joy as well.

Currently, a chance for that stood before him.

Cocytus turned to look at the image within the mirror and gripped his scroll tightly.

The mirror did not reflect the interior of the room, but instead it showed part of the swamp. The scene within the Mirror of Remote Viewing was the reason why Cocytus had spent the past two days in the log cabin which Aura had built.

This battle —​ no, when one considered the absolute power of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, it was more like a slaughter —​ was little more than a way to recover corpses. When he had received this sacred task, Cocytus's master had also laid down several stipulations.

The first rule was that Cocytus was forbidden to set foot on the battlefield. Naturally, that extended to his servants as well. He was to use the forces allocated to him to deal with this problem.

The second rule was that the Elder Lich who had been designated as the army's commander was to be held back until the end.

The third rule was that he had to make as many decisions by himself as possible.

There had been other details besides that, but those were the most important of the orders he had been given.

His task was to achieve victory using only the forces deployed to the lakeside. However, if he could do it, he could demonstrate his loyalty to his great master.

"Thank. You. Very. Much. Please. Convey. My. Thanks. To. Ainz-sama."

Entoma nodded disinterestedly.

"Then... Will. You. Be. Returning?"

"No. I was given instructions to observe the outcome of this battle."

So she was to be an observer, then.

Cocytus's blood boiled as he realised the importance of his task.

Then, it was about time to begin.

Cocytus cast 「Message」, and gave his orders to the commander of the undead army.

—​Advance.

-x-X-x-

Two bonfires blazed on either side of the raised platform, bathing the surroundings in flickering light.

On the platform were several Lizardmen, including the chiefs, leaders, and other important figures from each tribe.

Before the platform were many battle-ready Lizardmen. The clamor from them rose and fell like the tide. It stemmed from their unease, worry, and fear —​ they struggled to hide all these emotions, but they could not hide the quaking in their hearts.

This was the eve of battle. The friends beside them might become corpses in an instant, or they themselves might fall in combat. They would soon be heading to the cruel place that was the battlefield.

Shasuryu Shasha stepped forward from the assembled chiefs and interrupted their commotion.

"Gathered Lizardmen, heed me!"

A majestic voice rang through the air. It silenced the immediate surroundings and made Shasuryu's words sound exceptionally resonant.

"I confess that our enemy is numerous."

Nobody made a sound, but everybody could sense the tremors in the air.

After a brief pause, Shasuryu spoke again.

"But there is no need to fear! For the first time in our history, the Five Tribes have come together as one! Through our alliance, we are now one tribe! Therefore, the ancestors of the Five Tribes will watch over us —​ even the spirits from other tribes will protect us!"

"Priests!"

At this command, Crusch stepped forward, at the head of the priests from the Five tribes, and then she shucked her clothing to reveal her white scales.

"This is Crusch Lulu, the leader of the High Priests!"

Crusch took another step forward as Shasuryu called her by name.

"Summon the ancestors upon us!"

"—​Listen well, children of the Great Tribe!"

How would this newly-formed tribe turn out?

With an iron determination in her voice, Crusch went on and on. At times her voice was high-pitched, at times it was low-pitched, at times it sounded like she was growling, and at times it sounded like she was singing.

At first, almost everyone was repulsed by Crusch the albino. However, after seeing her unwavering confidence, that distaste gradually vanished.

Crusch's body swayed gently as she spoke, Her white scales glittered in the light of the bonfire —​ the reflected light making it seem as though the spirits of the ancestors had descended upon Crusch.

There were looks of worshipful awe on everyone's faces.

"Now that the Five Tribes are one, it means the spirits of the Five Tribes will protect us all! Behold, ladies and gentlemen! Witness the advent of the numberless ancestors through the generations as they take their place beside you!"

Crusch forcefully cast open her arms and pointed to the sky. Everyone looked up, but all they saw was an expanse of ordinary night sky. There was no spirits descending or anything.

However, someone muttered something.

"Isn't there a light there?"

The faint voice grew louder, and several Lizardmen added, "I see it." Someone said they saw a faint light, someone shouted about a Lizardmen, someone muttered about a gigantic fish, someone exclaimed that there was a child there, and someone muttered incredulously about an egg.

There was only one thing within the hearts of the Lizardmen —​ that the spirits of their ancestors really were with them.

"The spirits have come to protect us!"

Thus, it only made sense that someone shouted exactly that.

"Feel it! Feel their power entering your bodies!"

Crusch's voice seemed to speak directly to their souls. It sounded like it was coming from a faraway place and very close by at the same time.

As the Lizardmen heard her voice, they felt some kind of strength filling them.

"Feel it! Feel the strength which the ancestors of the Five Tribes have gifted you!"

Now, all the Lizardmen here definitely felt it.

They could feel the intense power within them. This sense of hot-bloodedness wiped away their prior unease; their bodies glowed from within with warmth, as though they had just drunk wine.

This was certain proof that the spirits of the ancestors had descended to the mortal realm.

Crusch turned her eyes away from the crowd of intoxicated-looking Lizardmen, and nodded to Shasuryu.

"Hear me, all you Lizardmen. The ancestors are now with us. The enemy outnumbers us, but will we lose?"

"No!"

The air shook as the Lizardmen —​ with vaguely drunken looks on their faces —​ answered Shasuryu in unison.

"That's right! Now that the spirits of the ancestors are with us, there's no way we can lose! Let us defeat the foe and offer this victory to them!"

"Ohhhhh!"

Everyone's morale was through the roof. In place of the uneasy Lizardmen from earlier were now warriors hungry for battle.

This was not the effect of charm magic. Even with this many druids, they did not have the luxury of casting spells on everyone here before the battle started.

Rather, this was the result of the special beverage the Lizardmen had drunk before this ceremony began.

Said beverage was a recipe passed down through the generations, which gave its drinkers courage. It was made with herbs which induced a brief period of intoxication, euphoria, and hallucinations in those who consumed it.

The net result was a state of altered perception.

Crusch's spiel had been intended to buy time for the effects to kick in.

When one knew the truth, it hardly seemed impressive at all. However, for the people witnessing this spectacle with their own eyes —​ in other words, the Lizardmen who saw the proof that their ancestors were walking with them —​ this ritual ignited the courage within them.

"Then, we shall begin applying the warpaint. Originally, every tribe would have their own color, but now that the spirits of the Five tribes reside within us all, we shall use the colors of each tribe for everyone!"

Several priests took up clay pots and walked among the Lizardmen.

The Lizardmen decorated themselves using the paint from the pots. They believed that the ancestor spirits within them were guiding their hands, so they let their fingertips wander freely, tracing designs all over their bodies.

Many of them painted their entire bodies, possibly thanks to this "advent." However, almost none of the Green Claw Lizardmen applied paint to themselves. This was because Zaryusu, Shasuryu and the elite members of the tribes had not done so. In other words, it was a form of idol worship.

After looking around and satisfying himself that everyone was done, Zaryusu drew his greatsword and pointed it at the village gate.

"Forward march!"

"Ohhhhhh—​!"

Countless roars rang through the air.

-x-X-x-

The troops from the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick were divided into two groups and stationed in the swamp.

The Zombie division was on the Lizardmen's left flank, while the Skeleton division was on their right. The Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Riders were stationed behind the other Skeletons.

The Beast Zombies were kept in the rear, as though they were a command company.

The Lizardmen facing them were also divided into two forces, despite their comparatively thin numbers. The hunters and the females were on the Zombies' side, while the males and warriors were on the Skeletons' side. Meanwhile, the priests remained within the village, defended by the walls.

The Lizardmen had come out of the village because they knew that there was no point in laying up for a siege. There was no help coming for them, and the walls were anything but sturdy. In addition, the enemy was an army of the dead, who did not need rations or rest.

Given these deeply unfavorable circumstances, a siege was a very bad idea.

However, once the Lizardmen had formed up outside, they keenly understood the tremendous disparity between their forces and those of the enemy.

A situation where one faced three could still be compared to that of ten facing thirty. But if one thousand had to fight three thousand, the vast difference in their respective strengths became very apparent. Even if three thousand undead beings did nothing but stand in ranks, they were still a very intimidating sight.

Despite the circumstances, the Lizardmen did not show any signs of fear. Their ancestors were with them now —​ numbers counted for nothing to them.

Soon, the undead forces began a slow advance. The Zombies and Skeletons began to move, while the Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Riders remained where they stood. Perhaps they were being held in reserve.

The Lizardmen advanced as well.

"OHHHHHH!"

The wetlands echoed with an ear-piercing shout, accompanied by the sound of countless splashes. Water was churned into foam and dirt flew everywhere.

The two armies continued advancing, until they were on the verge of a ferocious clash. However, an abnormality arose in the Nazarick army.

The Zombies and the Skeletons had begun their advance together, but as they moved forward, they gradually drew apart. This was because the Zombies were slow while the Skeletons were swift. In addition, the wetlands were very difficult terrain.

When slow monsters like Zombies were mired down in mud, their movements became even slower. However, agile monsters like Skeletons were not as badly affected.

Therefore, the first engagement was between the Skeletons and the Lizardmen warriors.

The Lizardmen employed no formations, simply crashing into the Skeletons. There was no art in their technique; they simply swung whenever they saw an enemy.

Leading the way were the five Head Warriors of the various tribes. To some extent, it was foolish for a commander to lead from the front. However, they were the highest ranked warriors of their respective tribes, and morale would suffer if they did not fight at the head of their troops. Instead, the Lizardmen were all in high spirits.

They were backed by eighty nine armored warriors from the Razor Tail tribe. They wore hide armor and carried hide shields, and they possessed the highest defensive strength of any group among the tribes.

They raised their shields, charging the Skeleton horde as a single, united wall.

Then, they clashed —​ the vanguards of the Skeletons and the Lizardmen colliding with each other.

In that moment, countless bones flew in all directions, and the Lizardman squadron tore into the Skeleton horde.

The sounds of carnage shook the heavens and the sounds of bone crunching seemed endless. There were occasional cries of pain, but those were drowned out by the sounds of shattering bone.

The Lizardmen had an incontestable advantage in this first engagement, and the tide of battle favored them.

If the combatants were not Lizardmen, but humans, the opposite would probably be the case.

Skeletons were made of bones, so piercing weapons were almost completely ineffective against them while they resisted slashing weapons to a certain extend. Therefore, human troops —​ who used blades and swords as their primary weapons —​ would have a hard time damaging those Skeletons.

The advantage of the Lizardmen stemmed from the fact that they used crude maces and clubs as their primary weapons, which inflicted bludgeoning damage —​ the bane of Skeletons.

The Lizardmen easily crushed the bony bodies of the Skeletons with every swing of their weapons. Even if they survived one hit, the second would pulverize them. In contrast, the rusty longswords that the Skeletons used were deflected by the tough scales and hides of the Lizardmen. While some of them were hurt, nobody sustained any fatal wounds.

This was the first charge.

Almost five hundred Skeletons lay in fragments from that clash alone.

-x-X-x-

Cocytus's jaw dropped as he stared at the vision within the mirror.

This was only the first time they had stood toe to toe, but the strength of the Lizardmen had exceeded his expectations. As an excellent warrior himself, Cocytus possessed a degree of insight into the strength of his enemy.

It was true that as individuals, the Skeletons were clearly weaker than the Lizardmen and they had no hope of victory. However, their numbers should have compensated for that weakness.

Even so, this outcome had taken place. What was the meaning of this? It made him wonder if they Lizardmen had been strengthened by some other power.

In all likelihood, only the Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Riders could claim victory over the Lizardmen as they were now.

The Skeletons crumbled one after the other as he watched the battle. The Skeletons and Zombies would probably only serve to sap their opponents' stamina.

At this rate, the only effective troops we have are the three hundred Beast Zombies, the one hundred fifty Skeleton Archers, and the five hundred Skeleton Riders. The weight of numbers is now against us.

Cocytus calculated the odds in his mind. .

The undead were strong, especially in extended battles; almost nobody could beat them at that. The undead did not feel anything —​ not fear, not pain, not fatigue, or the need for sleep.

The advantages those characteristics bestowed in warfare hardly needed to be stated.

For instance, if one swung a mace at the head of a living creature, there was a high chance said creature would die, or if it survived, it would bleed profusely and suffer great pain. The person receiving the attack would naturally lose the will to fight. Of course, an exception had to be made for warriors who had been trained to endure great pain, but most people would not want to fight on.

That was a perfectly natural reaction from living beings.

But what about the undead?

Crack their skulls? They would continue attacking while they leaked their brains with every blow.

Break their arms? They would keep attacking with their shattered limbs.

Chop off their legs? They would crawl to launch the next attack.

Indeed, as long as the negative energy which served as their lifeforce was not depleted, the undead would keep fighting. As long as the conditions for instant death were not met —​ decapitation was quite a common one for most low tier undead beings —​ they would not lose the will to fight like humans would. In other words, the undead were perfect soldiers.

It could not be denied that the Lizardmen were currently superior, going by individual strength. However, that state of affairs might not carry one.

Cocytus's opinion of the Lizardmen went up by a notch, and he concluded that they were not a foe which could be instantly destroyed. That being the case, he had to draw out the battle.

"Should. We. Pull. Back. And. Wait. For. A. Chance. To. Launch. Another. Attack?"

"Your servant feels that would be the wisest move."

"Your servant is of the opinion that it would be better to mobilize the archers and cavalry."

"No, no, we should continue the attack until the enemy is exhausted."

"But what good does it do to exhaust the foe? If we cannot smash their headquarters, the enemy will eventually recover their strength."

"Indeed. The enemy seems to have a strong defense, but they are hiding behind those fragile walls. What about taking the village and then encircling them?"

After listening to his servants' responses, Cocytus picked up the 「Message」 scroll and glanced at Entoma, trying to read her expression.

Entoma looked disinterestedly at the mirror. She produced a green biscuit from somewhere and brought it to her chin, and soon, the sounds of crunching echoed through the room. That attitude seemed to be saying that she was unconcerned about the events that were unfolding. Perhaps that was why she had no expression on her face.

—​No, that expressionless face was nothing more than a decoration.

Cocytus thought about her true nature, and realised that trying to read her expression was a foolish gesture.

She was a Familiar Eater. Even Cocytus's friend, Kyouhukou of the Five Worsts in Nazarick, had bluntly stated that "she is a most frightening person." That was her true nature.

Cocytus abandoned the plan of trying to divine her thoughts by reading her face and unfurled the scroll, sending a 「Message」 to the army's commander.

-x-X-x-

"—​Are they looking down on us?" Zenberu muttered. He did so quietly, but it was still loud enough that everyone watching the enemy from the wall could hear it.

"They aren't mobilizing their archers or cavalry. That makes me think that they're looking down on us."

"Yes, I thought they'd come at us all at once..."

"Zombie fight, going well."

There were only forty five hunters fighting the zombies. They launched hit and run attacks with thrown stones, slowly drawing the Zombies away from the Skeletons. The females slowly moved to a position where they could flank the Skeletons.

"Don't you think their movements are very suspicious?"

"...Indeed."

The Zombies were not so much diverted as completely distracted by the hunters. Would any commander permit such movements? No, it should not have been possible, yet the Zombies were moving as described. That being the case, what did the enemy have in mind? Nobody present had any idea.

"I don't quite understand what they're doing."

"Mm, I'm with Shasuryu."

No matter how hard thought about it, they did not feel there was any particular significance to the Zombies' movements.

After observing for a while longer, Zaryusu shared his thoughts with the others.

"Could it be that there's no commander?"

"No commander...? Ah, do you mean to say that the undead have been acting on the orders they were given at the beginning of the battle?"

"Mm, yes."

The lowest tiered undead like Zombies and Skeletons did not possess intelligence. Therefore, giving them orders at the appropriate moment was the best way of commanding them. However, the Zombies and other enemies seemed to have received orders to kill any nearby Lizardmen. That was what they were getting at.

"In other words, the enemy thought they could beat us by sheer weight of numbers... no, could it be that this battle is just to see how well they can fight without a commander?"

"Seems that way."

"Bastards! Are they fucking with us!?"

It was Shasuryu, not Zenberu, who was cursing. Even Shasuryu could not tolerate this sort of thing. After all, the Lizardmen were all betting their lives on this.

"Calm down, Shasuryu. We don't know if that's the case yet."

"Mm, sorry... though I guess it's good that we're doing well so far."

"Ani-ja, you're right, because we need to cut down the enemies' numbers as much as possible right now."

Battle was a very fatiguing activity, and a pitched melee was unimaginably taxing on one's mental strength. On a battlefield where one did not know if the enemy would be coming from the front, rear, left, or right, merely swinging one's weapon a few times was several times more exhausting than normal.

However, the undead did not feel fatigue, and they would continue attacking without respite.

This was the difference between the living and the dead, and as time went by, that difference would become more and more apparent.

In other words, time was the Lizardmen's enemy.

"Cheh, it would be fine if only I could fight..."

"Patience, Zenberu."

Indeed, if a mighty warrior like Zenberu took the field, they could probably wipe out the Skeletons in moments. However, that would mean revealing their ace in the hole. Zaryusu's group of half a dozen people was their secret weapon. While they would obviously need to play their trump card in times of emergency, they could not reveal their true power as as long as the situation was not dire and if their greatest foe had not shown up yet.

"Still, if the enemy doesn't advance, doesn't that play right into our hands?" Zaryusu told the others, who responded in the affirmative. Then, he turned to Crusch and asked, "Are things still okay on your side?"

"...Yes, and the ritual's going well too."

Crusch answered Zaryusu's question as she looked around the village. The ritual which the priests were conducting in the village might well be another trump card for the Lizardmen. Normally, it would have taken a very long time, but since all the priests of all the tribes were gathered together, it was progressing at a tremendous pace, quickly enough to be used in this battle.

"So this is the power of cooperation..."

"Mmm... yes. Granted, we did share some insights after that war in the past... Still, there's a lot of things I want to do after the war now."

The other chiefs nodded vigorously at Shasuryu's suggestion. They had shared a lot of knowledge thanks to this battle, and they had seen with their own eyes the importance of everyone working together towards a common goal. The three chiefs who had allied in the past but not exchanged information were particularly forceful in their agreement.

Zaryusu looked at those five people, and smiled.

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing. I just felt really happy despite our circumstances."

Crusch immediately picked up on what he was thinking.

"—​Me too, Zaryusu."

As he looked on the smiling Crusch, Zaryusu's eyes narrowed as though she were shining. They had looks of admiration and kindness in their eyes.

It was only natural that they were not embracing. After all, they could not indulge their desires while Lizardmen were dying before them. However, Zaryusu's and Crusch's tails seemed like independent creatures as they twitched, occasionally touching and separating.

"Muuu..."

"Do you know what this situation is, as an older brother?"

"We've been completely shut out."

"Aw, they really do love each other."

"In short... good to be young, future is bright."

The four older Lizardmen nodded as they looked on their adorable juniors.

Of course, there was no way Crusch and Zaryusu could not have heard that. Their tails moved and twitched without pause, but they had serious and proper expressions on their faces.

"Ani-ja, the enemy's making their move."

Shasuryu and the other chiefs could not help but smile bitterly at the sudden change in Zaryusu's attitude. At the same time, they cast their eyes toward the enemy formation. The Skeleton Riders were advancing en masse.

"Oi oi oi, don't tell me they're heading for us?"

"The cavalry? Are they planning to shake our morale by striking directly at us?"

"No, they should be planning to circle around the warriors and the males and then flank them, right?"

This was bad.

Everyone came to the same conclusion without saying a word. The mobility of the Skeleton Riders was hard to deal with.

If the Skeleton Riders had moved out at the beginning of the battle, they would have prioritized their destruction. However, the warriors and the male Lizardmen were currently locked in melee combat, the hunters were drawing off the Zombies, and the females were flanking the Skeletons with thrown rocks, so there was precious little manpower left to block the Skeleton Riders.

"It looks like it'll be better if we make the first move."

Shasuryu nodded after the Small Fang tribe's chief spoke.

"The question now is who we should send out... or rather, who we should allow to fight first..."

-x-X-x-

Skeleton Riders

They were lance-wielding Skeletons mounted on Skeletal Horses. They had no special characteristics beyond their enhanced mobility, but said mobility was outstanding on this marshy terrain. Their bodies were made of bone and would not sink too deeply into the mud, which meant that they could advance at the speed of a regular horse.

Nearly a hundred Skeleton Riders were moving forward, intent on circling around behind the Lizardmen to destroy them from behind.

They saw three Lizardmen approaching from their front and left —​ in other words, from the village —​ but the Skeleton Riders paid them no heed. They had not received orders to engage them, so they would ignore them as long as they did not attack. Unintelligent undead were such creatures.

Just as they were about to reach the rear of the Lizardman forces, the leading Skeleton Rider's world was suddenly flipped and turned upside down. The horseman flew far into the air and crashed heavily to the marsh.

A human would have been confused and been unable to act. However, the Skeleton Rider was an unintelligent undead being, and it immediately continued moving to fulfill its orders.

Though it rose quickly, it had been injured, and so it moved with a bit of a limp.

Just then, it was hit by another unhorsed Skeleton Rider, and the shattered bones of the two Skeleton Riders were scattered all over the marsh.

Scenes like this were happening everywhere.

Why had something like this happened on the wide-open wetlands? The answer was simple —​ it was a trap.

There had been open wooden boxes buried in the marsh, and when the Skeleton Horses stepped into them, they had fallen.

The Skeleton Riders fell one after the other. If they were humans, they would have slowed their pace. However, the Skeleton Riders would not do that. While they had enough judgement to avoid a hole they were aware of, they had no ability to be wary of traps. This was because they had no orders to do so, and no intelligence to allow them to adapt to the situation.

Their headlong rush into the traps looked like a form of mass suicide.

Still, while the traps were very effective, they were ultimately only a delaying measure. They could inflict some damage, but they could not eliminate the Skeleton Riders by themselves. The fallen Skeleton Riders rose to their feet, covered in mud.

Just then, there was a whoosh and the sound of the air parting. Just like that, one of the fallen Skeleton Riders had its head knocked off.

The Skeleton Riders judged this to be enemy action, and looked around.

Just then, another Skeleton Rider's head flew off its shoulders, shattered like a glass marble.

The Skeleton Riders spotted three Lizardmen about eighty meters away from them. They also saw them launching stones from the slings in their hands, crushing the skulls of the Skeleton Riders—​

The Skeleton Riders began moving.

-x-X-x-

At the same time, the battle situation with the Skeletons began to change.

After the sound of countless bowstrings being pulled taut, the sound of arrows filled the air like the falling of rain.

The one hundred fifty Skeleton Archers fired at the melee with the Skeletons and the Lizardmen. They did not just discharge one arrow each, but two, three...

The Lizardmen had not expected an arrow storm like that.

Many Lizardmen were hit by arrows and collapsed. They could not fight the Skeletons and block the arrow attacks at the same time.

Of course, the Skeletons were hit by the arrows as well, but they were not hurt.

Using the Skeletons —​ who were nigh-immune to piercing damage —​ as screens and then having the Skeleton Archers fire from behind them was a near-perfect strategy. They would have enough time to wipe out all the Lizardmen in the time it would take to bash through the two thousand Skeletons screening them.

The problem was that they had used that tactic too late. If they had opened with that move, the fate of the Lizardmen would have been sealed. They would have been drowned under the overwhelming tide of enemy forces and victory would have been decided. However, the outcome of the battle was largely decided by this point.

The Lizardmen ignored the skeletons Skeletons, and charged the Skeleton Archers in the rear.

One hundred fifty arrows fell like rain, and several Lizardmen hit the ground as a result. Yet, that was only a small portion of their forces.

The Lizardmen had thick skin and strong scales, so even without armor, they had the same defensive strength as humans in leather armor. Even if an arrow somehow pierced their hides, their thick layer of muscles kept them alive.

In addition, the Skeleton Archers did not have much strength behind their draws. That was another reason why they could not kill the Lizardmen.

The Lizardmen roared fearlessly as they charged. They crossed their arms over their heads as the arrow storm fell upon them, and even if they were impaled by the shafts, they continued regardless.

Three arrows —​

This was the most each of the Skeleton Archers managed to loose. If they had any intelligence, they would have fallen back. It would have been better if they retreated for the moment and then regrouped to engage the surviving undead troops.

However, the Skeletons' minds could not process such complicated orders, and such orders had not been given anyway. Therefore, they could only do as they had been told —​ keep firing on the Lizardmen even if they get close.

There was a mighty roar —​ and then the Skeletons and Skeleton Archers alike drowned under the rising tide of Lizardmen. The Skeleton Archers could no longer show their stuff at this range. Their part was to be punching bags for their enemies, and so they fell steadily, in twos and threes.

Currently, the Zombies were still alive, but the Skeletons had been almost completely beaten into the ground.

This was when the enemy sent out new foes.

Those were the Beast Zombies.

These monsters —​ made from the corpses of wolves, snakes, pythons, and other such creatures —​ combined the strength of Zombies and the agility of wild animals.

The Beast Zombies ran at the Lizardmen. The swift ones surged ahead while the slow ones lagged behind; it was a ragged charge with no formation to speak of.

Attacks from below were unexpectedly hard to avoid. The Beast Zombies would tear at their foes' legs and finish them off once they were immobilized. It was a truly savage combat technique.

The increasingly fatigued Lizardmen had a hard time warding off these attacks. Several Lizardmen were too slow to avoid having their throats torn out by the Beast Zombies. After seeing their comrades fall, even the ones who had steeled themselves for combat or believed in ancestral protection could not hide the looks of fear on their faces.

The Head Warriors had led their men into the bloody fray, but now they were gradually being forced back. Just as they thought the line of battle would eventually break, the ground before them swelled.

Before them appeared two armless and legless lumps of mud, around one hundred sixty centimeters tall.

The two clumps of mud began moving.

They had no legs, but they moved adroitly and smoothly over the wetlands, towards the Beast Zombies. After closing the distance, the mud-clumps sprouted whips that were longer than them from the places where a human's arms would have been.

This was one of the trump cards of the Lizardmen, the Swamp Spirits summoned by the combined efforts of all the priests.

The Swamp Spirits charged into the Beast Zombies and attacked with their tentacle-like whip arms, seizing the enemy. Naturally, the Beast Zombies fearlessly counterattacked, slashing with claws and tearing with fangs.

This was a battle between beings that knew no fear. However, the tide turned in favor of the Swamp Spirits, purely because of the difference between their fighting strengths.

The power of their priests had defeated the unliving. This fact rekindled the Lizardmen's courage, and they rallied for another charge.

A brutal battle ensued.

Unlike the previous fight with the Skeletons, the Lizardmen began to take casualties. However, victory was at hand for the Lizardmen, who had the advantage of numbers.

-x-X-x-

We will lose.

Cocytus understood that much.

There were no intelligent undead among the forces he had been assigned. That was the main cause of their defeat, and something which had worried him from the start, but he had not expected them to be that weak.

Cocytus's head ached at his naivete. While there was a way to turn the tables in a situation like this, he did not favor it much, because making that move was tantamount to admitting defeat.

Still, how could he report failure to his master? Cocytus picked up the 「Message」 scroll. Who should he send this message to...

"...Demiurge?"

『Indeed it is, old friend. Why would you contact me? Has something happened?』

A calm, even voice spoke in Cocytus's mind. Demiurge's intelligence was top class in Nazarick. Surely he would have an idea for a situation like this.

On a certain level, Demiurge could also be considered a rival of his, so Cocytus was not too happy about asking him for help. Still, the most important thing was to avoid defeat. How could the armies of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick be beaten in battle? He was willing to cast aside his pride and bow before others for help in order to avoid that outcome.

"Actually—​"

After hearing a scroll's worth of explanation about the current situation, Demiurge —​ who had been listening quietly —​ sighed in exasperation.

『Then, what do you want me to do?』

"I. Hope. You. Can. Help. Me. Think. Of. Something. If. This. Carries. On. We. Will. Be. Defeated. I. Can. Accept. A. Personal. Defeat. But. I. Cannot. Allow. The. Great. Tomb. Of. Nazarick. —​ The. Supreme. Beings. —​ To. Be. Disgraced. In. Such. A. Way."

『...Do you think Ainz-sama truly wishes for victory?』

"What. Do. You. Mean?"

『I am saying, why do you think Ainz-sama picked out such low tier fodder for an army?』

Cocytus had harbored his doubts about that point. He had no idea what reason could warrant drafting the dregs of Nazarick into a fighting force.

"...Ainz-sama. Must. Have. His. Own. Motives. But. What. Could. They. Be?"

『...There are several possibilities that come to mind.』

That's Demiurge for you —​ Cocytus did not say that, though his respect for the demon grew in silence.

『Let me ask you something, Cocytus. You've been there for several days now. Don't you think you should have gathered intelligence on the Lizardmen?』

He was right. However—​

"No, Ainz-sama ordered me to defeat the foe with that force, in a head-on confrontation."

『That is indeed the case, but I hope you will think carefully on it, Cocytus. The important thing is what sort of results you will show Ainz-sama, am I wrong? If exterminating the village was the objective, then you should have considered the ideal methods for extermination, don't you think?』

Cocytus had nothing to say, because Demiurge had hit the nail on the head.

『Ainz-sama must have assigned you those servants because he had that in mind.』

"...You. Mean. To. Say. That. Ainz-sana, Deliberately. Assigned. Me. Inadequate. Troops?"

『The possibility is very high. If you had researched the village beforehand, perhaps you would have known that your forces would be insufficient to conquer the village. In that event, you would have told Ainz-sama that, 'Exterminating the village will be difficult with these forces, I wish to request reinforcements.' That was most likely Ainz-sama's objective.』

In other words, Demiurge was trying to say that Cocytus had to divine his master's intent and adapt his methods to the situation, not follow orders blindly.

『This seems to be one of Ainz-sama's plans to improve the way in which we approach matters, but he seems to have other objectives in mind as well...』

"Other. Objectives?" Cocytus hurriedly asked Demiurge. He had already erred once, and he did not wish to further add to his mistakes.

『Ainz-sama sent messengers to the village, but he did not state Nazarick's name at all. In addition, he ordered you not to take the field. That being the case—​』

Cocytus gulped as he waited for Demiurge to continue speaking. However, Demiurge did not.

『Cocytus! Forgive me, something urgent has cropped up. I apologise, but let's leave our conversation here. Good luck.』

Demiurge's words cut off and the 「Message」 ended.

As Cocytus wondered what would panic a calm person like him, his gaze shifted to someone else seated at a table within the room. He saw Entoma peeling a tattered talisman from her forehead and casting it down.

If she, a talismancer, was using a talisman, that meant—​

It was too late for anything else.

That being the case, now was the time to deploy the final undead being, his trump card. However, would that really fulfill his master's aims?

This might be the first time Cocytus had contemplated his master's true underlying motives. However, there was only one conclusion he could reach.

Cocytus cast the 「Message」 spell.

"—​Heed me, Elder Lich commander. Attack and show the Lizardmen your power."

-x-X-x-

The bony body —​ dressed in a luxurious but timeworn set of robes —​ clutched a gnarled staff in one of its hand. Its skin was a thin layer stretched over the skull underneath and it was beginning to rot, and it bore a malevolent intelligence within its eyes. Its body radiated negative energy like a mist which shrouded it.

This undead magic caster was the Elder Lich in question.

After receiving its orders, the undead creature looked over the marsh. Then, it turned to the Bloodmeat Hulks —​ undead creatures that were masses of red skin and muscle —​ behind it. To these fellow creations of the same Supreme Being, he gave an order:

"Kill those three Lizardmen."

Upon receipt of those orders, the two Bloodmeat Hulks lumbered out towards the three Lizardmen who were devastating the Skeleton Riders.

While the Bloodmeat Hulks were low tier undead who could only attack with brute strength, they possessed the power of regeneration. As a result, it would take a long time to bring them down with physical attacks on their level.

The Elder Lich felt that the Bloodmeat Hulks could buy him enough time.

This could be considered a foolish strategy. The Elder Lich was a magic caster and not used to melee combat, so under normal circumstances, it would have been better to keep the Bloodmeat Hulks by his side.

However, he could not do that now.

His orders were to "Show the Lizardmen your power." Therefore, he had to proceed alone and destroy the Lizardman headquarters with his overwhelming might.

The Elder Lich advanced. Its face twisted into a fearsome shape as it chuckled.

He felt that this was a piece of cake.

He had been personally made by the Supreme Being Ainz Ooal Gown, and he was far superior to the automatically-spawning Elder Liches in Nazarick. And now, his task was to demonstrate his puissance to the Lizardmen.

He swore to achieve victory by the name his master had given him.

"I, Igva, shall dedicate this triumph to my liege."

-x-X-x-

After wiping out the Beast Zombies, the Lizardmen rounded their shoulders in fatigue and breathed sighs of relief. There was anguish on their faces, but at the same time there were faint smiles there.

It was true that they had taken many casualties, but they were lucky only to have sustained that much. If the Swamp Spirits had not joined the fight... no, if they had come in just a little later, their formation would have collapsed and it would have turned into a rout.

"We're moving out," shouted the Head Warriors. It was an announcement that they were heading into battle.

Their bodies were weak from fatigue, and just raising their weapons consumed a great deal of effort, to say nothing of actually wielding them. They were bone-tired, but the battle was not yet over.

They had to beware the enemy's reinforcements even as they eliminated the distant Zombies.

"All right, get the heavily wounded back to the village, the rest of you form up on us—​"

The sound of roaring fire interrupted him.

Searing heat engulfed the surroundings, and the Swamp Spirits at the center of the blaze wavered.

As the flames vanished like they had never been there in the first place, the two Spirits were in terrible shape. A single gout of fire had half-destroyed them.

Before the Lizardmen could cry out in surprise, the fires raged once more. The Spirits could not endure the attacks and disintegrated into the roaring inferno.

As the Swamp Spirits —​ who had demonstrated incredible power against the Beast Zombies —​ disappeared without a trace, the Lizardmen's faces went blank, unable to keep pace with what was happening before them.

What had just happened?

They knew that the Swamp Spirits had been destroyed, but they were desperately trying to deny that reality. That was because if the Swamp Spirits really had been destroyed, it meant that there was a more powerful monster headed their way.

The Lizardmen looked around in confusion and also to hide their fear. Just as they spotted an undead being in the distance, a fireball once more flew from its hand.

The head-sized ball of flame soared through the air in a straight line and flew into the leader squad of the Lizardman troops.

Under normal circumstances, flames would vanish upon contact with water. However, this fireball was a magical phenomenon and defied that logic. When the fireball touched the water, it was as though it had struck a hard surface. A roaring cyclone of flame blossomed from the point of impact.

The fiery explosion consumed several Lizardmen —​ and then faded away.

Was this an illusion? —​ that thought vanished in an instant. The smell of charred meat wafting in the air and the bodies of Lizardmen slumped on the ground was real enough.

The undead creature advanced with unhurried steps, so elegant that one might take it for arrogance. That was the stride of a mighty being, fully confident in its power.

As the Lizardmen hesitated about whether they should rush it with an all-out attack, just like how they had destroyed the Skeleton Archers, another fireball flew at them.

The fireball exploded violently, claiming the lives of all the Lizardmen around it in an instant.

This was overwhelming power. It made people think that everything which had happened just now was little more than a game.

"Uooooohh!"

The Lizardmen shouted to clear the fear from their hearts. Just as several Lizardmen charged recklessly ahead, a cold, clear voice spoke from what seemed like an unthinkably great distance:

"—​Utter foolishness."

That was all their foe said. The onrushing Lizardmen were incinerated by a ball of flame before they could scream.

The undead being took a step forward, and over a hundred Lizardmen immediately took one step back. The disparity between their powers was like a high wall which forced the Lizardmen to retreat.

"Run away!"

A strident, electrifying cry filled the air. The voice belonged to one of the Head Warriors.

"That one's different from the ones before him! We can't take him!"

That much was true. The majestic sight of the Elder Lich slowly advancing by itself was an awesome one. It made the Lizardmen feel as though a mighty wind was blowing across their skin.

"Go inform the chiefs and Zaryusu about this."

"We'll try to buy time!"

Another fireball exploded, and several more Lizardmen lay upon the ground.

"Run! Go tell them!"

The five Head Warriors ordered the Lizardmen to flee, and at the same time they judged the distance between them. They were spacing themselves out so even when a fireball burst, at least one of them would be able to close the gap to the enemy. It was a suicidal tactic designed to accomplish that objective.

After spreading themselves out, the five of them looked at each other, and then sprinted.

The enemy was roughly one hundred meters away. They despaired at the distance separating them, but even so, they ran with all their might. That was because even if they perished halfway, their deaths would still give the chiefs and Zaryusu information they could use.