Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

EeDeChi tossed aside the archer in her hand, crashing through a wall as she charged toward the center of the ironworks.

Along the way, she attacked with unstoppable force, and the mercenaries, quick to sense the shift, scrambled to escape. No one dared to resist anymore. After the mercenary group collapsed, a few fearless assassins charged at her, but EeDeChi struck with her sword, sending one of them flying.

The giant sword in her hand was her signature weapon—massive, heavy, and resembling a two-handed sword. But unlike a regular sword, it had no sharp edge; the blade was blunt, and swinging it felt like wielding a huge iron slab.

The sharpness of a blade was what made it deadly, but as to why her exclusive weapon was a dull sword, even EeDeChi didn't know.

Barrett once asked her why she didn't sharpen the blade, but EeDeChi didn't want her teammates to think she didn't understand her own weapon, so she simply deflected with the old saying, "A heavy sword has no edge; true skill lies in simplicity."

Yet deep down, EeDeChi always had a nagging feeling. She didn't want the sword to become sharp.

Once the blade could cut through iron like mud, unstoppable and razor-sharp, perhaps something would happen that could never be undone.

A few assassins wielding curved knives closed in. Two of them even attempted a suicide attack, just as Barrett had once mentioned—these were the suicide assassins, trained by noble families to complete their missions at any cost, even sacrificing their lives.

But they were bound to be disappointed. In this world, not everything could be obtained through the price of life—whether on the side of justice or evil, it was the same.

One of the suicide assassins, after barely getting close to EeDeChi, exploded with a loud "bang," turning into a cloud of blood mist. Countless small shards of blades and poison scattered in all directions. But EeDeChi merely took a few steps back, frowning slightly as the blood stained her clothes.

The other suicide assassin didn't even manage to get close before she swung her sword, sending him flying. In mid-air, he ignited into flames, becoming a blazing fireball that was even more dazzling than fireworks.

A line of heavily armored swordfighters, each wielding a massive sword, formed an ironclad defense, advancing in a fan-shaped formation, with EeDeChi at the center. She spun, sweeping her sword, and the entire formation immediately collapsed into disarray, breaking into separate lines.

Soon, EeDeChi charged into the heart of the ironworks, illuminated by the flickering flames of burning torches on the ground. Ahead of her stood a large factory building made of basalt bricks.

She kicked the oak door open with a forceful strike, and several gleaming blades came slashing toward her. EeDeChi swung her giant sword in a wide arc, sending the blades, along with their wielders, flying backward.

The factory's interior was vast, and the copper torches embedded in the walls flickered with flames. EeDeChi looked up and saw an old man sitting in the room. His silver hair was sparse, his eyes cold and piercing, and his hooked nose long, resembling an old vulture.

EeDeChi recognized him immediately from the arena—he was Slam's employer, Odys Malcon Waverly. Without a second thought, she gripped her giant sword and moved to charge at him.

"Wait!" The old man placed his hand on a nearby iron rod and hurriedly shouted.

EeDeChi's feet skidded to an abrupt stop. The adventurer, who had cut through mercenaries, knocked suicide assassins aside, and crushed heavily armored swordsmen, paused at the sound of his command.

The long-dormant smelting equipment had already been restarted. The abandoned magic-powered iron smelting furnace in the factory had been refueled with magic crystal stones. Intense heat blasted through the air as scraps of iron melted into a blindingly bright pool of molten iron.

At the far end of the factory, molten iron flowing from the furnace, heated to a staggering 1500°C ( 2732°F ), poured into a shallow pool, boiling into a cauldron of deathly-hot iron soup. Just a meter(3.28 feet) above the seething molten metal, two figures lay flat—Sean and Stella.

They were bound in iron chains like mummies, their mouths stuffed with cloth, unable to make a sound. All they could do was squirm in terror just above the searing molten iron. The intense heat scorched them, and Stella's once-beautiful chestnut brown hair curled from the heat.

The only thing keeping them from falling into the molten iron was a thin iron chain. One end was tied to them, while the other passed through a pulley hanging in the air, connected to a mechanical lever in Odys's hand.

With the slightest movement of his lever, Odys could send Stella and Sean plummeting into the molten iron, where the scorching liquid metal would consume them, leaving nothing but ash. Surrounding Odys were a dozen or so mages and swordsmen, ready to intercept anyone who tried to approach.

EeDeChi's face darkened with fury. Sean and Stella were too close to the molten iron—less than a meter(3.28 feet) away—and Odys, that old vulture, had positioned himself deep in the factory, far from her reach.

If Sean and Stella were just two or three meters higher, EeDeChi would have been confident in charging, taking down Odys and catching them just above the molten metal.

The adventurer leader's mind raced with strategy, but she knew it was a delicate situation. She remembered reading about a 4th Tier spell in The Mystery of Magic that could levitate all objects within a specified range. At the time, she'd dismissed it as harmless, and now regretted not studying it—it was too late now.

"You're late. I've been waiting for you for an hour," Odys said, his voice calm as he observed EeDeChi's angry expression. "But I'm not upset. After all, the time of the elderly is hardly as valuable as that of the young, right?"

He wasn't threatening her. He was proposing a negotiation.

A servant walked in, carrying a wooden chair, and placed it in front of EeDeChi. It was still far from Odys, the designated spot for their negotiation.

"Negotiation?" EeDeChi had no choice. Gripping her giant sword with one hand, she walked over and sat down beside the chair.

Odys raised both hands and opened them briefly, but immediately returned his right hand to the lever.

He smiled and said, "Negotiations require sincerity. I have no weapons in my hands, so I hope you'll place your spatial ring and all your weapons on the ground. My servant will collect them, and you'll get them back once the negotiations are over."

His withered hand stroked the iron ball on the lever, his fingers lightly tapping it. The veins on EeDeChi's temple throbbed, but she still removed the spatial ring from her finger, took out a golden pen, a copper seal, and placed her giant sword on the ground.

A man with a sword at his waist approached, picking up EeDeChi's spatial ring, the pen, and the seal, then dragging her giant sword away.

EeDeChi watched the man's movements, stunned. It was Clovis Daguerre! She clearly remembered that she and Barrett had already killed him, even smashing his face. How was he still alive?

What was more shocking was the dark golden mark on Clovis's forehead— it was the insignia of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. EeDeChi couldn't help but start to think about Odys's connection to the Sorcerer Kingdom.

But as she stared at Clovis, something suddenly popped into her mind—the term "lifelike." Yes, this Clovis before her, moving in front of her, looked so lifelike.

"'Lord of Despair' Clovis? Wasn't he already dead?" EeDeChi asked.

"Indeed, you killed him a long time ago," Odys replied with a smug smile. "What you're seeing now is a necromantic puppet made from his corpse. I must say, the magic of the Sorcerer Kingdom is beyond comprehension. The undead puppets they create are indistinguishable from the living."

He said, almost boasting, "You know, if a dead person is treated like a living one, the value they can provide is even greater than that of a living person!"

"Why are you telling me this?" EeDeChi didn't care whether Clovis was dead or alive.

"It doesn't matter. Our negotiation will end soon anyway," Odys replied with a smug grin.

EeDeChi glanced at the Sorcerer Kingdom emblem on Clovis's forehead and asked Odys, "What's your connection to Ainz Ooal Gown?"

"From the way you're speaking, it seems you don't show enough respect for the Supreme Being," Odys said coldly. "Lord Ainz has granted me his power. I am his representative in Re-Estize!"

EeDeChi furrowed her brow. She needed to be more cautious now. If Odys was backed by Ainz Ooal Gown, things were much more complicated. Her current strength wasn't enough to take on the situation, and she didn't want to provoke the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

After a moment of thought, EeDeChi said, "Did you kidnap Sean and Stella because I was chosen as the Warrior Captain? To be honest, I have no interest in the title of Warrior Captain. I was pushed into it by a series of coincidences."

"Is that so?" Odys raised an eyebrow. "That's an unexpected answer. So, are you going to give up the Warrior Captain title?"

"I will," EeDeChi said earnestly. "I'll soon voluntarily resign from the Warrior Captain position and leave Re-Estize to travel to the Slane Theocracy."

EeDeChi wasn't lying. She hadn't been able to recruit any adamantite-level adventurers, but she had gathered the information she needed from "Thirteen Heroes" Rigrit.

There was no point in staying in Re-Estize anymore. If it hadn't been for the delay caused by the Warrior Captain tournament, she would have already led her team out of the kingdom's capital.

"Unrestrained, free and easy!" Odys exclaimed, "Just as expected of an adventurer."

He smiled, and for a brief moment, his expression gave off an illusion of warmth and kindness.

Odys nodded. "It seems we don't have any conflicting interests."

EeDeChi silently nodded back. If a negotiation could solve the problem, then that would be the best option. She honestly wasn't sure if she could save Sean and Stella from the molten iron.

"Lord Ainz granted me the power to control 7th Tier magic," Odys asked, "What do you think?"

EeDeChi didn't understand why Odys suddenly brought this up. Was he trying to intimidate her with Ainz Ooal Gown?

"7th Tier magic is indeed powerful," the adventurer captain replied nonchalantly, "Baharuth's chief court mage, Fluder, only mastered 6th Tier magic."

Odys smiled. "The 7th Tier magic circle is the domain of the gods."

EeDeChi cautiously asked, "Since I'm leaving soon and won't be in your way, could you release Sean and Stella?"

Odys glanced at her and lifted his eyelids. "They'll be released soon."

He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair. Suddenly, beneath EeDeChi's seat, a massive magic circle unfolded! The spot Odys had designated for their negotiation was directly above the magic circle!

A blood-red seven-pointed star pattern stretched out like vines across the ground, and an enormous surge of magic energy formed a pillar above EeDeChi's head, pressing down on her as though the space itself had turned into solid ice. Countless black iron chains shot out from the magic circle, binding both EeDeChi and her chair tightly.

EeDeChi howled, "What is this?!" Her voice distorted through the warped space, sounding unnaturally strange.

"Kill her," Odys ordered to the surrounding swordsmen and mages.

He stood up and left, casually pulling the lever.

Sean and Stella plummeted straight toward the molten iron! Despair filled their eyes!