With a calmness that bordered on arrogance, I rose from my seat and adjusted my coat. The chatter around the restaurant softened as eyes began turning in my direction, some curious, others uneasy. I paid none of them much attention.
"Time for me to leave. It's been... interesting."
I had barely taken a step when a guard barked from behind me, "Where do you think you're going?"
I stopped, glancing over my shoulder. "That's none of your concern. Though I suppose corruption does suit you. Especially you."
His face tightened with anger, but before he could answer, I vanished from where I stood. A ripple of surprise passed through the room. One moment I was near my seat; the next, my hand was wrapped around the guard's face. His feet lifted from the floor as he clawed uselessly at my wrist, his muffled protests dying against my palm. With my free hand, I took his Novacoms from him and examined them briefly.
"We're going to pay your little friend a visit," I said, turning my gaze in the direction I intended to go.
"Men, attack!" the burly soldier shouted. "Don't let him escape!"
Weapons rose at once. Chairs scraped violently against the floor as soldiers moved into formation, their Nova Force flaring with reckless confidence. They surrounded me as though numbers meant something.
I sighed.
"You all thought I was the weakest," I said, my voice low enough to cut through the room without needing to rise. "How amusing."
Azure light flickered around my body, then surged outward.
The restaurant trembled.
A heavy wave of Nova Force rolled across the room, pressing down on everyone beneath it. The walls groaned. The ceiling cracked. Tables splintered under the pressure, and the air itself turned cold and dense, as though the atmosphere had become too heavy to breathe. The first soldier dropped to one knee. Then another. Then another. Weapons slipped from trembling hands, clattering against the floor as trained men collapsed beneath the weight of my energy.
Even Tarif buckled, his face twisted in pain as he struggled to remain conscious. Only Mr. Konessàne and Miss Irene stayed on their feet, though both trembled as if standing in the heart of a storm.
I drew the pressure back into myself slowly. The air lightened. Soldiers gasped for breath across the floor, some clutching their throats, others staring at me with wide, terrified eyes.
"Mr. Konessàne," I said.
He straightened immediately.
"Move Tarif. Miss Irene, stay close."
Neither of them hesitated. Konessàne reached Tarif at once, pulling him away from the soldiers while Miss Irene followed close behind. The moment they reached my side, something slammed into the building with enough force to shake the entire structure.
The outer wall burst inward.
Stone, dust, and broken wood exploded across the restaurant. Screams tore through the room as the ceiling cracked above us, ready to collapse. I lifted one hand and released a burst of compressed Nova Force. The falling debris stopped for the briefest instant before scattering away from us, crashing harmlessly into the far corners of the ruined building.
For a moment, silence ruled.
Dust drifted through the air.
Then the figure lying in the wreckage became clear.
Lieutenant Ainz.
He had been thrown through the wall like a ragdoll.
I didn't need to ask who had done it. Only one person here could launch him that far with such ease.
Zero.
"Impossible..." a sharp voice said from outside. "Lieutenant Ainz?"
Fourteen figures phased into view almost simultaneously. Their arrival might have startled anyone else, but I had sensed their Nova signatures before they appeared. They were strong, much stronger than the ordinary soldiers littering the floor, but still not strong enough to make me worry.
"Lieutenant Ainz, are you alright?" one of them called.
Another turned toward me, anger burning in his eyes. "Let's take care of that prick."
Tarif swallowed, leaning heavily against Mr. Konessàne. "It's Lieutenant Ainz's team... and Lieutenant Semora's team as well."
His voice was strained, but there was fear in it. Real fear.
"They're elite. The Twelvefold Paragon."
The name caused a reaction among the soldiers. Even the ones barely able to stand seemed to regain a little hope just from hearing it.
Tarif continued, his eyes fixed on the newcomers. "They cleared a two-floor B-Class dungeon in under an hour. Three bosses, every monster inside, wiped out like it was nothing."
I raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. But where were they while their city was being overrun by trash?"
Tarif's expression tightened. "They were on a classified mission. And now they're back." He looked at me, as though that was supposed to mean something. "Things aren't looking too good for you three anymore, Nova Dos."
Before I could answer, the rubble shifted.
Lieutenant Ainz rose from the wreckage with controlled precision, brushing dust from his uniform as if being launched through a wall had merely inconvenienced him. His eyes never left the distance. Never left Zero. There was no fear in his expression, no humiliation, no hesitation. Only excitement.
"Take that one," Ainz ordered, pointing toward me without looking away from Zero. "The other one is mine."
A sharp crunch echoed through the ruined street.
His broken hand twisted back into place. Bones shifted beneath the skin. Tendons reconnected. Within seconds, the injury vanished as though it had never existed.
Blue Nova Force erupted from his body.
The ground beneath him fractured. The air vibrated around him as the pressure intensified, wild and unstable. It reminded me of Laylah when she fought the Scorpion Dragon back on the island, only this felt more violent. More savage. More willing to destroy everything around it.
Then Ainz roared.
The sound tore through the street like a shockwave. Windows shattered. Buildings trembled. Soldiers stumbled backward, some thrown off their feet entirely. Ainz didn't look at them. He didn't care who was caught in the blast. Not his men. Not civilians. Not anyone.
His entire focus was on Zero.
By then, I had already moved everyone out of his immediate reach, including the man I still intended to question.
Mr. Konessàne adjusted his glasses, his gaze flicking toward the city. "Dos, this is where we separate. I'll return to my office and see what I can uncover." Then he looked at me seriously. "Please keep the damage to a minimum."
"I'll try my best," I replied.
He looked as if he didn't believe me, but there was no time to argue. "Tarif, let's go."
Konessàne pulled Tarif away from the ruined restaurant while Miss Irene followed, leaving me in the shattered street with the Twelvefold Paragon closing in around me.
Lieutenant Ainz lowered his stance.
The ground beneath him cracked.
Then he exploded forward, shooting toward Zero in a blur of blue energy powerful enough to tear the street apart behind him.
And just like that, I was surrounded.
The ruined street fell into an uneasy silence after Lieutenant Ainz disappeared in pursuit of Zero. Dust drifted through the air, illuminated by flickering lights from damaged buildings, while fragments of shattered stone crunched beneath armored boots.
I found myself surrounded.
The fourteen soldiers spread out with practiced precision, forming a loose circle around me. Unlike the ordinary guards from earlier, these individuals carried themselves with confidence born from countless battles. Their Nova Force signatures were impressive by most standards. To the average person, they would have appeared overwhelming.
To me, they were merely an inconvenience.
At the center of the formation stood a man wearing the number one across his uniform. He adjusted his glasses with an air of unwavering confidence before studying me carefully.
"So you're one of these so-called troublemakers I've been hearing about," he said calmly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Paragon 1. Normally, I'd offer you a chance to surrender, but you've long surpassed that stage."
The air seemed to tighten as another member stepped forward. The number four was emblazoned across his chest.
"We all wear our numbers proudly," he explained, his voice carrying easily through the ruined street. "It's a hierarchy. Twelve to one. The weaker to the strongest."
Paragon 5 folded his arms and smirked.
"Our strengths vary according to our rank. A simple system, really. Twelve is the weakest. One is the strongest."
I stared at them for several seconds.
Then I sighed.
"Why are you wasting my time with this irrelevant information?"
The smirk instantly vanished from Paragon 5's face.
"You insolent fool—"
I raised a hand, interrupting him before he could finish.
"You have two choices. Either you let me quickly break your legs without resisting, or you resist and I break your legs anyway."
The street fell silent.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody mocked me.
A few of the Paragons exchanged glances.
For the first time since arriving, uncertainty crept into their expressions.
Paragon 5's jaw tightened.
"You arrogant—"
He never finished.
Paragon 7 suddenly moved.
A massive war hammer materialized in his hands as he lunged forward, Nova Force surging through the weapon. The air screamed beneath its weight as he swung directly toward my head.
The hammer collided with my raised arms.
BOOM!
A shockwave exploded outward, shattering nearby windows and sending dust cascading from damaged buildings.
For a brief moment, Paragon 7 smiled.
Then he realized something.
I hadn't moved.
Not even an inch.
His smile disappeared.
Before he could retreat, I stepped forward.
My foot struck his ankle.
CRACK.
The sound echoed through the street.
Paragon 7's eyes widened.
His leg folded beneath him instantly.
A scream tore from his throat as he collapsed to the ground, clutching the shattered limb.
The battle had begun.
Paragons 6 and 9 attacked immediately.
Twin swords flashed through the air with deadly precision, their attacks coordinated well enough to overwhelm most opponents. Their blades came from opposite directions, cutting off my escape routes and forcing me into what they believed was a disadvantageous position.
Unfortunately for them, they were too slow.
I slipped between their strikes effortlessly.
One blade passed in front of my face.
The other swept past my shoulder.
Neither touched me.
Paragon 6's eyes widened.
Paragon 9 reacted first, pivoting for another strike.
I moved before either could recover.
My fist buried itself into Paragon 6's stomach.
The impact folded his body around my arm.
A burst of compressed force erupted through his back, launching him across the street and through the wall of a nearby building.
Paragon 9 swung again.
I caught his wrist.
Twisted.
The sword slipped from his grasp.
Before he could react, my forehead crashed into his face.
Blood exploded from his nose.
His balance disappeared.
My kick landed a moment later.
CRACK.
His knee bent sideways.
Paragon 9 screamed as he crashed onto the pavement.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Several Paragons froze.
The confidence they had displayed moments earlier began to crack.
"Watch his movements!" Paragon 2 shouted.
The warning came too late.
Two more Paragons rushed in from opposite sides, hoping to capitalize on my position.
I had already sensed them.
One attacked high.
The other low.
Their timing was nearly perfect.
Nearly.
I ducked beneath the first strike and seized the second blade before it could reach me. The attacker stared in disbelief as I ripped the weapon from his grasp and spun.
Steel flashed.
Both men jumped backward.
Confusion crossed their faces.
Then thin lines of blood appeared along their cheeks.
Neither cut was serious.
That wasn't the point.
The message was.
I could have aimed elsewhere.
The realization struck immediately.
Fear appeared in their eyes.
Good.
They were finally beginning to understand.
Paragon 8 clenched his fists.
"What are you all doing?" he barked. "Take him seriously!"
Nobody answered.
Because they already were.
Paragon 1 adjusted his glasses again, though this time his expression was noticeably more cautious.
"Stop underestimating him," he ordered.
The remaining Paragons immediately repositioned themselves.
Weapons rose.
Nova Force surged.
The casual confidence from earlier had vanished.
What remained was caution.
Paragon 6 emerged from the rubble of the building I had launched him through, blood running from the corner of his mouth. Paragon 9 limped back toward his comrades, struggling to put weight on his injured leg. Paragon 7 still hadn't managed to stand.
The battlefield had changed.
Only moments ago they had surrounded me like hunters cornering prey.
Now they stood together like prey trying desperately not to become isolated.
And every single one of them knew it.