Chapter 36: Strongest vs. Strongest (6)
Kaiser is strong.
But that didn't mean he had no weaknesses.
Kaiser's weakness was—
"humans."
As a Guardian, he had spent centuries fighting for humanity, defending them from every kind of inhuman threat.
Because of that, his battles were almost always against non-human enemies.
Humans who could match him—you could count them on one hand.
Even Aura and Mare, who were technically "human-type" species, were beings Kaiser would need to fight with full power if it ever came to that.
A weakness, yes—but also a clear indicator of his greatest strength.
Kaiser was unparalleled when it came to killing, crushing, or overpowering non-human species.
Dragons, undead, vampires, demons—
it didn't matter.
Against "non-human" foes, Kaiser possessed explosive might that defied logic.
CRACK—CRACKLE.
The red lightning coiling around Kaiser's blade was the embodiment of that power.
And Shalltear…had thrown away her chance for a decisive victory.
At the beginning—before Kaiser understood her skills, her magic, her tendencies—she should have ended everything.
Shalltear chose a long battle to measure Kaiser.
That… was a fatal mistake.
Their experiences could not compare.
Even if Shalltear had faced many invaders in Nazarick, she had almost no real 1-on-1 experience.
Intruders came in parties.
And every time she "died," the memories were severed—she only remembered the fact of death, not the battle itself.
Only the vague sense that she once fought.
BOOOOM!!
"Khuhh!!"
Experience—that was what overwhelmed Shalltear now.
Analyzing skills.
Analyzing strength.
Analyzing magic.
Predicting everything in moments—
In this field, Shalltear was not one step, but several entire boards behind Kaiser.
Defeating someone who had fought real battles for centuries was simply impossible.
Not even Ainz Ooal Gown himself, called a "Supreme Being," could surpass such a realm.
'Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLEEE!!!'
CLAAANG!!
Their lance and sword collided.
Shalltear gritted her teeth.
What humiliation.
What disgrace.
To be pushed back—by a human.
A chill ran across her undead flesh like blood growing cold.
SWISH—
A cut appeared on her cheek.
Before she could react—
CRACK–BOOOOM!!
Red lightning engulfed her body.
"GRAAAAAAAAH!!!"
The pain was unbearable—her undead nerves screamed.
"Thunderbolt Burst."
Red lightning bullets materialized.
Shalltear widened the distance, dodging them with high-speed movement.
She was fast—fast enough that simple, linear attacks wouldn't hit.
"Gravity Reversal."
BOOM.
The gravitational field twisted violently.
'That's the same as when he sparred with Cocytus…'
He was trying to confuse her with speed—same as then.
But—she smirked.
Cocytus was powerful.
But in pure speed, Shalltear surpassed him.
Speed meant reaction.
Reaction meant dominance.
And Shalltear's senses were sharp enough to track Kaiser entirely.
"Over here!"
She stabbed him through the torso with her lance—
—and Kaiser turned black and vanished.
She expected it.
He used this trick against Cocytus as well.
If it triggered upon being pierced, it must be a passive activation.
She immediately looked upward.
"He's above—!? …He's not!?"
"Below!!"
SLASH!!
Kaiser shot up from beneath her, slicing through her armor and erupting blood like a fountain.
And immediately—
CRACK!!!
Red lightning swallowed her again.
"Ghhh…!!"
She forced herself to stab sideways, piercing Kaiser's flank.
Kaiser grimaced, then retaliated with a brutal kick to her jaw.
"Magic Enhancement: Crimson Sanctity!!"
Flames devoured Kaiser's body.
Kaiser hissed in pain—
"Triple Magic Enhancement: Gravity Lance."
"…What!?"
The sky distorted.
A massive spear of violet gravity energy formed above, descending rapidly.
A tenth-tier spell—one of the few Kaiser could use.
His arm burned, roasting black from the flames, but Shalltear seized the moment.
"Magic Enhancement: Internal Explosion!"
BOOOOOM!!
Kaiser's burnt arm detonated—skin blasted away, muscle scorched.
If she focused on the already burned area—the spell could indeed destroy the limb.
Satisfied, Shalltear dodged the descending Gravity Lance.
Fast, yes.
Dangerous, yes.
But manageable.
Still—triple enhancement meant taking a direct hit would be fatal.
"Don't dodge."
"…What?"
Kaiser smiled—burned face and all.
"You should have teleported."
"…!?"
The Gravity Lance that hit the ground suddenly—
compressed.
It shrank into a small, dense sphere.
Shalltear's eyes widened.
She understood.
She stepped back—
KAAAAAABOOOOOM!!!!
The sphere erupted in a gravitational supernova,
dragging everything into its core—
then obliterating it.
"Mist Form!!"
Shalltear dissolved into smoke just in time.
Her instincts screamed—If she were caught in that explosion, she would have been left in critical condition.
Grinding her teeth, she searched desperately for Kaiser.
She spotted him—charging toward her through the dissipating smoke, blade in hand, surrounded by crimson lightning.
'That lightning— it hurts me! It affects me directly!
Is it designed to counter vampires?!'
It wasn't ordinary lightning.
Considering how long Kaiser had fought,
it was natural he'd develop techniques tailored to non-human foes.
Shalltear knew it—but retreating now would only get her killed.
Close combat—that was her best chance.
And Kaiser wasn't uninjured either.
"Hmph!"
"Red Thunder—"
"As if I'd let you!!"
She struck him again—but once more Kaiser's body melted into shadow.
Her senses screamed—from behind.
She thrust her lance backward—hit nothing but shadow again.
He disappeared.
'He's starting to panic. Good. Kaiser may be strong, but even he has limits! He must have a trump card—
he has to!'
And that shadow technique—it restored a small amount of HP each time.
Not much—but noticeable.
Shalltear kept attacking, recovering bit by bit.
"How long do you plan to hide?! For someone called the Guardian of Humanity, this is disgraceful KAISER!!"
She thrust again!
Then scanned the surroundings.
Where is he?
Where is he…?
Where—
Her eyes widened.
Her HP—which had been recovering slowly—
had suddenly restored a large chunk.
She froze.
Then she understood.
And her trembling gaze turned toward—
the Kaiser she had just stabbed.
"That stings a little."
"You—you bastard!"
This time, it was real.
Not a shadow clone. Not an illusion.
The real Kaiser stood before her—his blade overflowing with red lightning.
"Thunderbolt Burst!!!"
"KAISER!!!"
BOOOOM!!
Shalltear was blown backward, her consciousness flickering in and out.
She felt as if she were about to faint—as if she were truly about to die.
Her body twitched uncontrollably.
Electric shock.
Shalltear—who had resistance to lightning—was being electrocuted.
That lightning was not normal.
She clenched her teeth and summoned her minions.
"Buying time… is it?"
"Fine then. I'll admit it— I'll get a little serious for you."
"How terrifying."
Shalltear impaled her own minion with the Spuit Lance—Kaiser nearly clicked his tongue.
Shameless, he thought.
The Spuit Lance restored a significant amount of HP whenever it struck something.
Naturally, stabbing a weak minion restored more than stabbing Kaiser.
He charged forward immediately.
Shalltear, having regained some HP, grabbed the last minion—and ripped its throat open with her bare hands.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
Shalltear bathed in it—and her beautiful face twisted into madness.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! KAISER!!!"
"…Oh no."
CRACK!!
Shalltear's fist smashed into his abdomen, sending him flying.
Kaiser spat blood as he tumbled back, only to stand again almost instantly.
Shalltear was already in front of him.
Kaiser's blade—longer than her reach—pierced through her torso.
Lightning exploded across her body—but the madness in her eyes didn't flinch.
The tip of her Spuit Lance extended—and pierced Kaiser's stomach in return.
"HAHAHAHA!! DOES IT HURT!? DOES IT HURT!?SCREAM! SCREEEEEAM!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
I'll eat you! Bite by bite! You must be delicious!!"
"…I've seen vampires enter Blood Frenzy before…
but this is honestly extremely unpleasant, Shalltear."
His fist slammed into her face, sending her flying.
At the same time, Kaiser summoned another weapon with his free hand.
"What's that—?"
Even while berserk, Shalltear lunged in.
TING! TING! TING!
Blades collided endlessly.
"A silver spear?! A holy weapon? No—judging by the feel, that's not just normal silver! But who cares! If I kill him first, I win!!!"
Kaiser accumulated minor wounds, but then ZAAAAAP—he closed the distance with lightning speed.
A sane Shalltear might have countered.
But in her frenzy, her logic was gone.
To Kaiser, who specialized in hunting non-human foes, this enraged Shalltear was actually easier to deal with than before.
"Thunder Sever."
CRASH—!!
Her skin burned as she was blown back.
She glared, trembling, as Kaiser prepared to throw the silver spear.
"Idiot! A frontal throw won't hit me!…No—It's Kaiser. I need to be careful!"
She observed instead of dodging.
"Good choice."
That silver spear—
To ordinary foes it was nothing.
But to vampires—especially those in Blood Frenzy—
it dealt devastating damage.
He had waited.
Provoked her.
Let her frenzy consume her.
"True Ancestral Hunt."
Kaiser hurled the silver spear, now glowing with a holy sheen.
Shalltear laughed madly.
"Greater Teleportation!!"
She should have reached Kaiser instantly—
should have.
But the world slowed.
Her instincts screamed.
Teleportation Delay.
"TELEPORTATION—DELAYYYYY!?"
Her vision snapped into place—
And Kaiser was gone.
In his place—
A crimson lightning prison hovered silently.
"Red Thunder Prison."
"YOU SON OF A—–!!!"
KKKRRRRRRRRAAAAAAK!!!
Lightning far stronger than before engulfed her whole body.
Red Thunder Prison was almost impossible to land normally.
Using the opponent's teleport was the only reliable method.
And Shalltear stepped right into the trap.
She charged out, burning and shrieking.
CRUNCH!!
Her lance pierced Kaiser's shoulder.
He gritted his teeth as she healed a chunk of HP.
Shalltear shrieked:
"I'LL KILL YOU! KILL YOU! KILL YOUUUU!!! YOUR TRUMP CARD FAILED!!! IF WE KEEP FIGHTING UP CLOSE— I WIN!! I WIN, KAISER!! A HUMAN COULD NEVER…EVER BEAT SHALLTEAR BLOODFALLEN!!!
DREAMS ARE FOR SOMEONE ELSE, LOWBORN—!!!"
"Your technique—you called it Pure Throwing Spear, yes? My True Ancestral Hunt has a similar effect."
"…What?"
"Consume MP—and the attack becomes unavoidable."
Kaiser seized her wrist.
The Spuit Lance dug deeper—but Kaiser ignored it and grinned.
A slicing sound whistled through the air.
Shalltear whipped around and punched him in the face.
"Martial Art: Adamantine Body."
THUD!
Shalltear's knuckles burst open in blood.
Even Kaiser staggered—Adamantine Body could not be used while moving, a fatal weakness.
Shalltear saw it coming.
The silver spear.
"LET ME GO, YOU BASTAAARD!!!"
"Farewell."
SHLUNK—!!
The silver spear impaled her.
Kaiser stepped back.
The spear purified her blood—then detonated in a burst of holy light.
BOOOOOM!!
Kaiser exhaled deeply.
Given her earlier injuries—and taking True Ancestral Hunt head-on—
she should be dead.
Just to confirm, Kaiser cast Life Detect.
And instantly scowled.
Shalltear stood there—Blood Frenzy gone—fully conscious.
Impossible.
Even Time Reversal couldn't restore her to that state.
She must have used something else.
Only one possibility came to mind.
She stared at him—and he stared back.
Player resurrection items.
Kaiser couldn't help but laugh dryly.
"Players really have no sense of fairness, do they?"
He wiped the blood from his mouth—and smiled calmly.
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