Chapter 42: Nazarick and the Otherworld (4)
"Arche, are you okay?"
Arche didn't answer.
She didn't even have the strength to respond.
Kaiser was definitely an incredible teacher—whether it was talent, experience, or something else, Arche couldn't tell. But he knew exactly how to push a person past their limits. Especially humans—he knew the precise method to make them surpass themselves.
Arche had motivation, and though she wasn't overwhelmingly gifted, she did have talent. For someone like her, it would've been strange not to grow under Kaiser's training.
They had left the Holy Kingdom and were now headed for the Re-Estize Kingdom. It wasn't too far, but not close either. So they trained along the way.
....
First Lesson: Create five fireballs underwater.
Insane.
Making five normally was already difficult.
To make them underwater was madness.
With the Sage's Necklace and the Ring of Growth removed, it became nearly impossible. Kaiser forbade using both. Arche nearly drowned fourteen times, only for Kaiser to casually fish her out.
She eventually reached three.
When Kaiser smiled gently and said next time he wouldn't pull her out until she succeeded in making all five, Arche felt pure terror.
.....
Second Lesson: Hit a moving target with Lightning while blindfolded.
Impossible.
Yet Kaiser claimed this was the quickest method to learn martial arts.
Arche spent the whole day doing it, only ever grazing the dummy.
Next time, Kaiser said he would replace the dummy with an aggressive undead or magical beast—still blindfolded.
He was a demon.
....
Third Lesson: Spar with Shadow after the above training.
Shadow was a spell that copied the user's power.
So if Arche grew stronger, then so did Shadow.
This was terrifying.
....
Fourth Lesson: Fight monsters.
This looked like the easiest… until Kaiser forbade all spells except Tier 1 Magic Arrow.
And of course, he forbade the Sage's Necklace as well.
To make it worse, Kaiser kindly led her straight to a goblin nest on purpose.
Arche nearly cried at her master's "kindness."
In the end, on the very last day, she even encountered a Gigant Basilisk and had no choice but to kill it alone.
If she were a warrior, she would've been petrified and died instantly.
She had never felt so grateful for being a magic caster.
....
"First, you need to consider the times when your weaknesses make you weaker."
"You still have the energy to talk about training after seeing the state I'm in…?"
"If anything, it only makes me more fired up."
A person grows most when they are cornered.
Kaiser had grown strong through constant adventure, and his comrades had also grown through hardship. If Arche ever refused, he wouldn't force her… but Arche had never once said she disliked training. Were she ever to say that, Kaiser would adjust the method. But until her will broke, Kaiser would continue as a proper teacher.
"So… what exactly is my weakness?"
Arche pushed herself upright. Kaiser looked at her with a relaxed smile.
"For example, Arche, your specialty is lightning magic. But if you face something like a Dragon Lord with strong magic resistance, or simply an enemy resistant to lightning, your strength drops significantly, right?"
"I can still use other spells."
"True. But losing your specialty does make you weaker."
The Gigant Basilisk Arche defeated was infamous among warriors as an awful matchup. Why could Arche defeat it when a warrior of equal level could not? The answer was simple.
Affinity.
Fire is strengthened by wind, but weakened by water.
Magic is no different.
Arche specialized heavily in lightning.
If lightning was blocked, she needed an alternative.
"That's why I want to teach you martial arts. Enemies with magic resistance usually must be defeated by physical force. Don't worry—it's similar to magic."
Crackle.
Lightning danced across Kaiser's fingertips.
Blue lightning turned black.
Then white.
Then finally red.
The red lightning scorched the air itself.
Arche stared quietly.
"This is the result of merging martial arts and magic. If you ask which one it is, it's closer to martial arts."
"What!?"
"It's a technique called Red Lightning. For humans, it's just ordinary lightning."
Red Lightning.
Ordinary lightning at first glance—but with certain conditions met, its destructive power skyrocketed.
The condition wasn't hard:
The target must be a heteromorphic race.
Against humans or demi-humans, it was just lightning.
But against heteromorphs?
It burned their skin, boiled the moisture in their eyes, and scorched the soul itself.
This was why Shalltear Bloodfallen—whose race normally had lightning resistance—was wounded so severely by it.
If she were demi-human, Kaiser would've simply used another technique.
But as a heteromorph, she was utterly vulnerable.
Against heteromorphs, it was absolute.
Against humans or demi-humans, it barely had the power of a Tier 3 spell. In terms of magical efficiency, using Lightning was far better.
Arche raised her hand.
"I have a question. What were all those different-colored lightnings earlier?"
"It's an unfinished technique until I complete it. Black Lightning and White Lightning. Black Lightning is weaker than Red Lightning and horribly inefficient.
White Lightning has good power and decent consumption—but you can't use it for long. It burns your own body as well."
"So in terms of instantaneous firepower, White Lightning is stronger than Red Lightning?"
"That's right. But considering combat risk, White Lightning is far too dangerous."
"Is this a unique technique of yours, Kaiser?"
"Red Lightning is. White Lightning… someone else out there might be able to use it. But unless I personally taught them, no one can use Red Lightning."
Black Lightning aside, White Lightning could surpass Red Lightning in raw power, though only momentarily—and only by burning the user alive. It was a technique perfect for berserkers.
Arche thought for a moment and spoke with her usual blank expression.
"Then is Red Lightning your main technique?"
"I developed this technique about… 800? 900 years ago? Something like that. It's old. I have stronger techniques now."
"Please teach me those stronger techniques as well."
"You can't. You're too weak, Arche."
"…I can't deny that. But… is it dangerous?"
"Well, yes."
Learning it wasn't the problem.
Learning it wrong was the problem.
If the learner lacked the necessary qualifications, the one who would burn to death wouldn't be the enemy —it would be Kaiser himself.
Kaiser's strongest technique grew in power the closer one's karma was to "good." Humans didn't exactly have visible karma values, but even so, no one except Kaiser could learn it. Even if taught, they couldn't master it.
Even if they did understand and somehow reproduced it—any malicious intent, even a flicker of darkness in the heart, would cause them to burn to ash instantly.
Thus Kaiser had never taught it to anyone.
And the number of people who even knew the skill existed was few—his enemies had all died.
"At the very least, if you learn Black Lightning, you'll never lose to the average small fry."
"…Does the organization you're dealing with right now have any 'small fry' in it?"
"Sharp question. Probably not."
Even after defeating Shalltear overwhelmingly, Kaiser knew better.
If all the Guardians fought with Shalltear's level of strength while holding World Items, even Kaiser would lose.
World Items were not things that should exist in the world to begin with. Kaiser had one, but he rarely used it. It was more useful before a battle than during.
"Where are you going now? Are you lost? The kingdom is that way."
"No. I have somewhere to visit. It should be nearby."
A jewel in Kaiser's hand was glowing.
"And Arche—some people don't panic when pushed.
Some get colder. You're one of them."
If an NPC had that trait, it would be incredibly troublesome.
Right now Nazarick should be stable. After witnessing Kaiser utterly overwhelm Shalltear, Ainz—who cherished his comrades to the point of obsession—would never act hostile unless it was absolutely necessary.
"By the way, who did you teach White Lightning to?"
"I didn't teach them. Maybe gave a hint. They learned it on their own. It surprised even me. 'You learned it just from that?'—that kind of feeling."
"T-That person must be amazing… Are they someone famous?"
"No. Even their own country doesn't know they exist.
Their birth itself is a secret."
"I see…"
"When I think of that one, I feel… a little bad for them."
Kaiser had chosen this path himself.
Even if circumstances forced him, even if he couldn't refuse the dying wish of his comrades, it was still his decision to become humanity's guardian.
He chose it.
He endured the pain and loneliness without regret.
But she was different.
She was born that way because of her country.
She became a "Guardian of Humanity" because of her country.
She chose nothing.
She was simply a monster given the title of protector.
He wondered what she was doing now.
Though he'd met her over a hundred years ago, given her race's lifespan she would still look like a young girl.
"…So Arche, if you ever want to quit, you can say so. Power beyond humanity will make you strong, but it will also make you lonely."
"Kaiser… you were the one who truly lived in loneliness. Did you ever regret gaining strength because of it?"
"No… It was just sad. Sad that no one around me remained."
Lifespan was part of it. Kaiser still lived, while everyone else grew old and died. Killing himself was never an option. Without Kaiser, humanity would have faced extinction several times. Kaiser never regretted saving them.
But watching old friends die of old age was one thing.
Hearing them curse him in despair when faced with his overwhelming power was… painful.
"My life will be short. Compared to the countless years you've lived—and will continue to live."
Even if Arche died, Kaiser would remain.
He would continue protecting humanity.
In his long life, Arche was nothing more than a passing visitor—like an old childhood friend you barely remember.
"Still… even if for a very short time… I want to stay by your side."
"…Someone told me that before."
"Yes. I said it before too."
Kaiser gently stroked Arche's head.
He remembered.
Years ago, Arche's desperate pleading convinced Kaiser to guide her a little. Not like now—just a simple introduction to mindset and basics.
And during that time, Arche had restored Kaiser's humanity—the humanity he had lost, leaving behind only the shell of a guardian.
"This is the place."
"Huh? A ruin? …Out here?"
Kaiser walked in, and Arche followed.
The moment they entered, the door sealed behind them and countless glowing symbols floated into the air.
Arche instantly recognized it.
Even though the ruin was ancient, its mechanisms still worked—traps, trials, tests.
Just like the books described.
"To open this door, one must overcome the trial and find the key—Ka-Kaiser?"
"Oh, I have the key."
Arche exhaled in relief.
For a moment she feared Kaiser might make her conquer the trials.
Kaiser stepped toward the door, inhaled deeply, then—
—ran forward and kicked it.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The massive stone door blasted off its hinges.
The blue sigils instantly turned red and began flashing violently.
Warning.
Even Arche could tell that much.
"Run!"
"K-Kaiser! The key!?"
"It was… some kind of password. I forgot."
"Kaaaaaaiiiiiiseeeeeer!!"
"Haha. See? If your body fails you, your brain suffers too."
"People say that the other way around!!"
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