"Nine seconds have passed."
Reinhard swung his sword, sending a white, blinding flash straight at me. Cocytus wanted to intercept it, but sensing that the slash was more powerful than it seemed, instead chose to drag me out of the way.
It destroyed everything in its path. The attack was like the [ Goal Of All Life Is Death ] in some way. Even the space shimmered as the attack moved forward; it looked like a dimensional slash.
Cocytus had a similar ability. A supreme being even had a similar kind of ability. But Reinhard van Astrea's attack was on a different scale. This was truly it; whoever lived after this fight was the clear winner. The clear victor.
"Ten seconds have passed."
Demiurge, sensing the urgency, sent forward a horde of undead beings and even some powerful summons to try and intercept Reinhard. Albedo and Cocytus abandoned their positions and ran away, given explicit orders to stay away from the red-haired knight.
"Eleven seconds have passed."
The fight was on our side. Reinhard couldn't swing his sword aimlessly; another reckless swing of his sword would produce another massive casualties. The undead horde distracted Reinhard, forcing him to use his legs and body to clear his way through.
"Twelve seconds have passed."
The illusions were easily seen through. The illusions of my figure that I had placed everywhere were of no use. Reinhard had already seen through them and was already heading straight towards me with impressive speed.
"But you ran out of time. This is the end for you." I muttered, assured of my victory.
"For all of you."
The [ Goal of All Life is Death ] activated; its delay was the longest twelve seconds of my life. Full of dodging and running, my mana was spent on this huge attack. After this, I don't ever want to face someone like Reinhard again.
A loud clang of the bell echoed everywhere.
Then the anti-climactic collapse. Reinhard, this time, didn't immediately resurrect. The instant death effect was probably stronger, but that didn't mean he was dead, merely taking some time to resist the stronger effect.
Cocytus raced forward to try and pilfer the legendary sword, trying to take away one of the sources of our frustrations. The sword was powerful, but only when it was sheathed, and right now, it dropped to the ground, unactivated.
As soon as Cocytus grabbed the sword. The unmistakable brilliance of Reinhard's resurrection brightly glowed. Cocytus was a second too late. Reinhard had grabbed Cocytus' upper right arm, then punched his chest's exoskeleton carapace, producing a massive crater on the insectoid's chest.
For the first time, Cocytus had drawn blood in a fight. Albedo instantly appeared behind Reinhard and was about to pin him down when Albedo was immediately countered with a quick spinning kick.
Albedo, struck with amazing speed and force, instantly flew backwards and crashed against a building. I couldn't help but grind my teeth together in frustration. How the hell do we kill this damn guy?
One option was to change into another supreme being's form.
One of the supreme beings was an assassin; maybe I can deal with this red-haired knight with that supreme being's set of skills? Still, I would need some time to transform.
"Time you didn't have!" A voice rang from behind; it was Reinhard!
"Shi- " I crashed straight into the ground. I picked myself up and flew away, but Reinhard had grabbed my cape and then whacked me straight to the floor repeatedly, as if I was a hamster in a sock.
Demiurge appeared and set Reinhard on fire. Reinhard staggered as he let go of me. I was about to teleport away when Reinhard grabbed and then duplexed me. My head struck the ground, caving it in.
Not a crater, but caving the ground as we both fell into some deep sewer system. Then, Demiurge grabbed me from behind.
"Greater Teleportation."
I arrived at the throne of Nazarick instantly, then collapsed straight to the clean and revered floor. My father hurried to my position, cradling me in his arms.
"Pandora's Actor!? Are you okay!?" The real Ainz Ooal Gown said.
"Yes, Father. I am just stunned; give me a moment." As soon as I said that, Albedo and Cocytus appeared; both of them showed signs of extensive damage. Reinhard went absolutely crazy on both of them.
However, we won.
Cocytus had managed to steal the red-haired knight's weapon. Sung-bastard was dead. The city was dead due to my death spell and Reinhard's single desperate swing. The city, with its already healing survivors from a previous attack, was now in a new crisis.
"The three maids! They're gone! They're all dead!"
Sebas Tian, the maid who spoke most passionately about their welfare due to his close relationship with them, was the first to voice his concerns. Though he had always cared deeply for the maids, I didn't feel a single ounce of regret for the decision made, it was ultimately worth the cost.
My father glared at me, his hands squeezing my shoulders as he cradled me. I was no longer in my disguised form; I was now just Pandora's Actor. The strain on my father's expression. He was conflicted; he didn't like my decision, and he disapproved.
"Sung Jin Woo is dead, and so are his allies. Reinhard van Astrea failed to protect the city. The rest of his group was most likely dead too. If we rest for a moment, then attack again. Only Reinhard will be the sole living target."
I answered first; I knew what they were all thinking. Albedo then stepped forward, supporting my decision. We talked about this. The [ Goal of All Life is Death ] was planned to be casted in a very wide range, to deal with the targets all at once.
"Ainz-sama. This was the best decision considering the situation. The loss of our three maids was regrettable, but if we had stuck to the original plan- gather information and then retreat. Reinhard would've gotten stronger, further complicating our long-term goals."
Albedo said as she quickly glanced at my cradled form.
My father remained silent.
(The next chapter is Subaru doing the thing he always did...)