Chapter 404: 382 Let’s talk
"Boom———"
The intense booming still echoed in the wilderness of Nasalik Underground Tomb’s eighth floor, long after its onset with no signs of subsiding.
Listening to the tremors, the many aberrations waiting in the Throne Hall on the tenth floor weren’t so much shocked anymore as they were numb.
There was no helping it.
"Albedo..."
Ainz, from his throne, let out a weary sound uncharacteristic of the undead.
"...I’m here, Lord Ainz."
Albedo, having removed her armor, saluted Ainz. Her voice also carried a hint of weariness that aberrations should not possess.
Ainz didn’t dwell on this and instead asked a question.
"How long has the battle been going on?"
Ainz’s query brought a complex look to Albedo’s face.
"It’s been roughly over a month now, Lord Ainz."
The words spoken by Albedo were unbelievable.
Indeed.
The battle Reiger was fighting on the eighth floor had been raging for over a month.
To be more precise, it had been about 57 days.
During these 57 days, Reiger, without eating, drinking, sleeping, or resting, demonstrated resilience and stamina that was completely inhuman. He was still battling monsters like Lubedo in the eighth floor of the Nasalik Underground Tomb, never once stopping.
It sounded fantastic and inconceivable, yet it was happening.
Reiger had truly been in combat with monsters such as Lubedo for over a month on the eighth floor.
That meant Ainz and others had been watching the battle for over a month.
If not for the fact that those present were aberrations, and undead like Ainz and Shalltear, who do not tire, require food, or need sleep, it was likely that the attendants would have fallen before Reiger did.
That indicated just how preposterous the situation was.
"Over a month..."
Ainz felt both weary and heartbroken.
"To keep the eighth floor active for over a month, how much of Nasalik Underground Tomb’s resources must have been consumed?"
Just thinking about this caused Ainz pain in his heart.
He felt weary not only because he was heartbroken but also because he was mentally exhausted.
The others felt more or less the same. Even those aberrations not prone to fatigue, after over a month of continuous observation and seeing Reiger display his divine power day after day, felt serious mental strain. It left each of them feeling mentally drained.
In contrast, Reiger on the viewing window still had sparks slowly lighting up his eyes. He might not have been brimming with vitality, but even after more than a month of battle, his combat spirit had not faded, and he continued to entangle himself with the many monsters of the eighth floor, led by Lubedo.
Ainz and the others were no longer shocked, nor did they wonder why Reiger was able to keep going.
In their hearts, Reiger had become thoroughly associated with the word "monster". No matter how outrageous his actions seemed, nothing could surprise them anymore.
This was numbness.
Now, there was only one thought left in everyone’s minds.
That was...
"When exactly does he plan to stop fighting?"
Not just Ainz and Albedo, but Shalltear and Demiurge were numbly thinking about this question as well.
Yet their instincts told them that as long as Reiger wished, he might just keep fighting on and on.
Not just for a month, but perhaps a year, he would probably be able to persist.
This wasn’t wild speculation on Ainz and others’ parts.
Anyone who saw Reiger’s battle stance would think the same.
He was always in full battle mode, never showing signs of fatigue no matter how long he fought, nor any signs of wear. He maintained peak combat effectiveness without any drop in power over time, buoyed by high morale and intense concentration. Sometimes, he even demonstrated exceptional performance, exerting strength far beyond his best.
Injured?
He could heal himself with magic in one go.
Magic Power exhausted?
There had not been even the slightest indication of that happening to him.
His physical and Magic Power seemed to be inexhaustible, allowing him to fight at full strength. Even if injured, he could recover with magic. The biggest threat posed by the monsters like Lubedo was at the beginning when they inflicted a deadly strike, forcing him to trigger the second effect of the divine power of Melora to reverse his own time.
After that, Reiger seemed to be cheating, applying magic to himself that prevented fatal strikes, then throwing caution to the wind, he engaged in all-out battle. In the end, he had been in fierce combat with the monsters of the eighth floor for an entire month.
Indeed, there are many spells within tier magic that can nullify deadly strikes.
For example, spells like "Radiant Green Body," "Radiant Golden Red Body," and "Radiant Sea Blue Body" from the same system of tenth tier defense magic all possess the effect of immunizing against a single corresponding attribute’s physical attack, even if it is a strike potent enough to be deadly.
In the eighth tier of magic, there is also a Forest Priest spell known as "Elemental Phase" that can immunize against various abnormal statuses and also negate the damage from one deadly strike.
In the ninth tier of magic, there is a similar spell to "Elemental Phase" called "Elemental Form" that can also immunize against deadly strikes.
And Reiger could cast all these spells.
Thus, after the retroactive effects of Melurae’s god had been triggered, as if he had learned his lesson, he continuously utilized these spells to avoid fatal blows and sustain injuries that would otherwise render him unable to continue fighting, which is why he had yet to suffer a defeat in battle up to this point.
For Reiger, the consumption of physical and magic power was completely negligible.
With the top-grade development abilities "Heal" and "Spirit Heal," which automatically restored physical and spiritual power respectively, Reiger never feared running out of stamina, nor was he concerned about depleting his magic power.
The no-cast "Diya Flatel" was released over and over again in Reiger’s hands, healing the major and minor wounds on his body continuously, as if it was incredibly cheap to use.
As for the issue of food and drink, Reiger had long since resolved that.
In this world, there were magical artifacts that enabled one to go without eating or sleeping, and there were also several ranks of magic that achieved the same effect. Having survived over a month in the Angelisia Mountains, Reiger had already equipped himself with the means to maintain full readiness without the need for food or sleep whenever necessary.
In this way, as long as Reiger wished, he could indeed fight for as long as he desired, unless someone could overpower him with sheer strength, disregard all his strategies, chop off his head, and kill him instantly. Otherwise, he could keep on fighting endlessly.
Ainz seemed to have realized this serious problem. He gazed at the dwindling list of guild resources displayed in the window beside him, feeling an increasing twist of pain in his heart.
"Even after using a World-Class item, we still can’t defeat that monster. If this were still a game, I’d definitely call the GM to protest, claiming someone was cheating."
During this past month, Ainz hadn’t just been sitting here watching; he had also taken various actions in an attempt to bring down Reiger.
He had released Shaltear and the others, released the hostages, hoping to make Reiger cease his assault, but unfortunately, Reiger had no intention of stopping and continued the fight.
He had even led the Guardians to the eighth floor once, intending to amass all their strengths to launch a concerted attack on Reiger, but that too failed.
Finally, Ainz had even retrieved the World-Class items from the Nasalik Underground Tomb and used them on Reiger.
This seemed to cause Reiger some trouble momentarily.
However, Reiger managed to resolve the crisis and withstand the power of the World-Class items, surviving until now.
By now, not only Reiger, but the Nasalik Underground Tomb as well, had run out of strategies, exhausting all possible methods, and neither side had managed to secure victory, prolonging this drawn-out, fierce battle.
At this point, the only tactic left for Ainz was the very last one.
"Could it be time to use ’The Twenty’?"
Among the World-Class items, almost all of which are balance breakers, there exists a group known as ’The Twenty.’"
These are the top twenty World-Class items with unparalleled astonishing powers and potent effects.
Because of their extremely powerful capacities, these items come with a restriction: once used, the item would disappear completely.
Known as ’The Twenty,’ these World-Class items are generally considered the last resort, and even the top-tier player guilds would not use them unless facing a crisis that could dissolve the guild.
Out of the eleven World-Class items possessed by ’Ainz Ooal Gown,’ two are among ’The Twenty.’
Could it be time to use them now?
"No, that won’t do,"
Without a second thought, Ainz immediately rejected the idea.
"Those are the most powerful items that disappear after a single use. What will we do if the Nasalik Underground Tomb faces a real crisis?"
Unless an enemy breaks into this tenth floor, into this Throne Hall, ready to destroy the entire Nasalik Underground Tomb and ’Ainz Ooal Gown’s home base, Ainz would absolutely not use any item from ’The Twenty.’
In that case...
"It’s necessary to have a proper talk with Reiger Brillhaut."
Ainz came to such a decision.
...
"Hm?"
Above the wilderness of the eighth floor of the Nasalik Underground Tomb, Reiger, whose body had become ragged and bloodstained, was about to continue his assault on Lubedo and the others when he suddenly stopped.
That was because Lubedo and the others had all of a sudden ceased all action.
"What is this..."
The excited gleam in Reiger’s eyes gradually faded, and he furrowed his brows.
"Whoosh!"
At that moment, a number of figures appeared all at once, standing before Reiger.
"Reiger Brillhaut,"
Ainz, accompanied by the Guardians on high alert as if facing a formidable enemy, spoke to Reiger with a grave voice.
"Let’s talk."
Hearing this, Reiger narrowed his eyes and finally laid down the sword he had been swinging for over a month.