"Maximize Magic: [Thousand Bone Lances]!"
Without a hint of preamble, Ainz launched an attack spell first. Over a thousand bone lances shot from the ground, all aiming straight at Kael!
Though Nazarick still had hundreds of high-tier monsters, they had lost too much HP under the dual assault of [Platinum Great Explosion]. If Kael and the others launched a few more large-scale attack spells, they could easily be wiped out.
Without numerical superiority, continuing to target Kael would only force Nazarick to pay a heavy price, with no guarantee of ultimate victory.
Therefore, retreat had to be the priority now.
Facing Ainz's magical attack, Kael raised his hand and cast [Embrace of the Goddess]. A protective barrier immediately appeared, blocking all incoming bone lances.
Just as he was about to launch a counterattack, he witnessed an unexpected sight.
The Thousand Bone Lances had merely been a smokescreen.
After casting the spell, Ainz didn't hesitate for a moment, directly activating [Greater Teleportation]. Magical power enveloped him and Albedo, who had been guarding him. In a flash, their figures flickered, then vanished without a trace.
"Damn? Amazing."
Kael reacted at that moment. The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick's attack on the Holy City this time didn't involve spatial teleportation blockade. Evidently, after the last Battle of Katze Plains, Ainz and the others understood how difficult it was to kill him.
Therefore, Nazarick's primary goal this time was to destroy the Holy City, not to besiege and kill him or other members of the Church of Destiny. Since their target was an immovable stronghold, spatial teleportation blockades felt unnecessary; in fact, they would actively ensure the surrounding space remained open. Doing so would allow them to retreat quickly if the battle turned unfavorable, minimizing their losses.
Kael's gaze swept across other parts of the battlefield. Amidst the remnants of low-HP monsters, Demiurge, Aura, the Mares, and the others also promptly activated teleportation magic after Ainz, commencing their retreat plan.
"[Dimensional Severance]!"
Kael tried it with quick reflex. As expected, as soon as the spatial blockade spell was cast, a special power bounced back, nullifying the effect of his magic.
"Heh, interesting."
Kael smiled indifferently. Ainz and the others might escape this battlefield, but they couldn't escape the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Once he was done with the monster forces here, he would pay them a visit to return the favor; the monk could run, but his temple could not.
However, another problem caught his attention.
Aura and the Mares were not equipped with World Items now. Was this a strategy to avoid losing World Items, given my interest in them?
Nazarick only had a few usable World Items, among which [Map of Mountain and River] and [Greed and Generosity] were too conspicuous; they would be instantly noticeable if Aura and the others equipped them. With Kael's strength, it wouldn't be difficult to kill a World Item-equipped Guardian and seize the World Item from them.
Given that each World Item was extremely powerful, it was possible that Ainz and the others chose to disregard the threat from [Downfall of Castle and Country] and try their best to avoid losing World Items.
"If that's truly the case, it will be hard for me to get good stuff from them."
Kael couldn't help but feel a little regret. The effect of [Downfall of Castle and Country] could only affect one target at a time, making multi-person control impossible.
And now, he wasn't particularly interested in controlling the Great Tomb NPCs and gaining LV100 combat power, as he didn't truly lack it. Instead, using the threat of this item to force Ainz to use World Items to ensure the safety of the Guardians, and then seizing the World Items from those Guardians, would clearly yield greater benefits.
Whoosh!
Crimson flames suddenly erupted from beneath his feet, dealing fire damage and jolting Kael from his reverie.
It turned out that the Demon General of Wrath had attacked him. Not only that, the remaining high-tier monsters on the battlefield were likely ordered by Ainz and the others to cover their retreat; despite being severely wounded and near death, they still launched attacks on the Holy City.
Kael wasn't interested in fighting the Demon General of Wrath. He teleported back to Leinas and Fluder Paradyne. "You two, clean up these remaining forces as quickly as possible. After that, we'll go to the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick together to settle this matter."
"Yes!"
Leinas and Fluder Paradyne nodded in unison. Neither had reached the LV100 level cap, and these hundreds of high-tier monsters were perfect for them to gain experience. Moreover, they possessed the innate ability [Magic Work Experience Halved], which Kael had copied from Celesia. If they killed all these monsters, they should be able to reach LV99.
This would also provide assistance for the upcoming Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick counterattack.
Without hesitation, Leinas reached out and grabbed a silver-white spear with golden patterns from her spatial backpack, confronting the horde of monsters charging towards the Holy City.
It's worth mentioning that her spear had a significant origin: it was the exclusive weapon of one of the nine [World Champions] in the game YGGDRASIL!
Every [World Champion] possessed exclusive equipment custom-made for them by the official game developers. The power of this exclusive equipment could even rival Guild Weapons, making them powerful items beyond divine-tier.
Kael, who had been diligently collecting various equipment and items in the game, naturally wouldn't let them go. Unfortunately, not every [World Champion] exclusive equipment was a weapon, and he had only managed to collect three.
These three weapons, after being modified with appearance-editing items, became a sword, a spear, and a scythe. Kael gave the sword to Lakyus, the spear to Leinas, and the last scythe remained in his hands.
Through the innate abilities [Item Unlimited Use] and [Weapon Contact Sense] obtained from Enri Emmot and Zesshi Zetsumei, Lakyus and Leinas were able to successfully equip the [World Champion] exclusive items and activate the [World Champion] exclusive skill, [Dimensional Severance].
"I wonder how Lakyus and the others are doing. Since the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick directly brought an army to attack the Holy City, the Re-Estize Kingdom should be fine, right?"
Kael pondered for a moment, still somewhat worried about Lakyus's safety. After all, unlike Leinas, Lakyus's current level was only around seventy, and she might be in danger if she encountered a Guardian-tier individual.
And in this battle, although Nazarick had deployed a large army, not all Guardians were present.
"Go to E-Rantel to check the situation."
With a thought, Kael activated teleportation magic and headed towards E-Rantel to search for Lakyus's whereabouts.
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