We ran.
Well, actually, the shadow bear ran, and at blinding speed, too. I glanced down, and its four running legs were a blur. I don't know how, but for some reason, when Reinhard van Astrea is leading from the front, we feel secure and a whole lot faster.
Reinhard said that it was his 'Divine Protection of Hasty Group Retreat'.
I've stopped questioning the nature of his wish-like abilities. It's impressive and scarily useful, the ability to wish for whatever you want, within reason.
Ryuen Kakeru, Izuku Midoriya, Megumi Fushiguro, and I rode the shadow bear named Tank. I look to my left, and the endless rows of grocery shelves were almost a blur. We're probably traveling at more than five hundred kilometers per hour.
We were flanked by other shadow soldiers, maintaining the pace and also protecting us. Mr. Sung and Reinhard were leading the sprint. They were whispering to each other, and I couldn't quite make their voices out, but I managed to read their lips.
Reinhard was trying to convince Mr. Sung to accept the idea of transporting to Reinhard's world. When Mr. Sung accepts, the rest will agree too. Mr. Sung is still hesitant, but I can see the flicker in his eyes; he's really considering it.
The doubt inside both of their glistening eyes, they must've known or have glimpsed our enemies' capabilities. I can't help but be nervous. Our enemy can spawn undead armies out of thin air using magic.
The resurrected maids. Mr. Sung informed us that strong shadows can speak, but the three maids weren't particularly strong, so they remained silent.
The endless hell of being trapped in here had somewhat cracked Mr. Sung's shadowy heart, making him surprisingly approachable lately.
Anyway, as for the travel speed, my eyes should be watering right now. The wind should be like needles prickling my handsome face and nose constantly, but I don't feel anything.
More of Reinhard's tricks up his sleeves, the 'Divine Protection of Shared Wind Resistance' and 'Divine Protection of Passenger Princess Comfort'. He called it.
The whole infinite mall or grocery area also had sharp turns and strange nonsensical structures, but we were easily traversing it, smooth and slippery like a fish.
He probably has some sort of 'Divine Protection of Running Fast and not Tripping or Hitting Anything'. I honestly wouldn't be surprised.
Mr. Jin Woo Sung was worried lately; he told us the enemies had entered through the ripple entrance and destroyed the thousands of shadow soldiers who were positioned and entrenched around the designated kill zone.
It's only a matter of time until we're under some surveillance spell. We needed an exit or another ripple entrance, but Reinhard wasn't finding any yet. A lot of shadow soldiers were also ahead, looking for some, but no dice, too.
"Can't we go any faster!?" Ryuen shouted.
"I can go faster, but it wouldn't be quite a - "
A huge magical rune suddenly appeared right above us.
It was white, with a smooth, mirror-like surface at its center where a smoky swirl churned inward toward the middle. Am I perceiving things in slow motion? Yeah, everything is slowed down, like in a movie, to highlight a sudden reveal or danger.
Another one of Reinhard's divine protection, it must be.
A huge explosion boomed, but the shadow soldiers instantly protected us. All the surrounding shelves flew at amazing speed; some vanished outright, turning into tiny fragments instead.
The magical rune hovering above jittered, then slowly settled into a vertical position. I instantly knew what it was: a teleportation gate. The design was similar to those of fantasy video games or action manga.
Out came a skeleton, standing at around seven feet tall, along with a black-colored heavy armor woman-knight, wielding a large halberd. The only tell that it was a woman was the contours and shape of the black full plate armor.
The skeleton wore a regal robe, standing at an intimidating height. Its skeletal chest was laid bare, and below it was a blank space where the guts and intestines should have been. It's empty. The robe was dark, but it had these purple and golden edges.
The regal robe had these large red orbs at the broad of the shoulder and some skeletal horns.
"Life Essence." "Mana Essence." The skeleton muttered. Most likely spells.
The skeleton then raised both of its hands, like expecting a hug. "So we finally meet with the group that has given me and my kingdom so much grief. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, remember the name." The skeleton, Ainz, said with a terrifying tone.
I've never felt this kind of fear before; just the mere sight of this skeleton king was enough to send thousands of sequential chills down my spine. The sensation of stress and anxiety surged, and it was difficult to hide my fear.
Ryuen, Megumi, Midoriya, and I. We're barely holding on to our sanity as we gaze upon this terrifyingly powerful creature, an impossible being. I never knew this kind of pressure and power could exist.
I darted my eyes to Mr. Sung and Reinhard, whose faces were masked with determination and resolve. I don't believe in God, but if you exist, please give these two the strength to soldier on and kill them.
I am so scared, so very, very scared. My eyes were watering, and my heart was beating as fast as it possibly could. "Oh god..." I can only weakly mutter.
The skeleton glanced at us, then back to Reinhard. "I am a king with mercy and grace. I shall absolve you of your sins provided you surrender yourselves and be the subject of intense scrutiny and observation."
"I see..." Reinhard said, closing his eyes, his face was full of disappointment. "The mercy and grace that you speak of is death, correct?" Reinhard must've deduced their intentions, that scary intuition of his.
"Also, you're a horrible liar." Reinhard continued.
"It seems the negotiations have broken down." The skeleton murmured, but there were no negotiations; he merely demanded, only to be denied.
"Grasp Heart!"
Reinhard clutched his chest and then knelt, blood coming out of his mouth and nose.
Several shadow soldiers shot forward from Mr. Sung's shadow. Beru, Igris, Iron, and the three maids. They aimed for that skeleton, but they were effortlessly sliced down by that armored woman-knight, except for Beru, who barely blocked it.
The woman-knight glared at the dissipating forms of the three shadow maids, then snapped her head to Mr. Sung.
"YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER A HORRIBLE DEATH!"
The woman-knight screamed and shot forward, but she was instantly trampled by something huge that had fallen from above. The ground shattered, producing a cloud of smoke.
That woman-knight was squatting, blocking the heavy, ambushing blow from above with her armored forearms.
That something huge was Mahoraga. I turned around and then saw Megumi, both of his arms already forming the gesture needed to summon the Divine General.
Ryuen hurled a small piece of debris, the metallic clang echoing as it struck the armored plating protecting the female knight's groin. "Insolent insect! Throwing a weak attack that didn't even bother activating my magical and physical defenses!"
The ground instantly lit up with a purple-ish glow. It was coming from Mr. Sung.
"Chain Dragon Lightning!"
The skeleton said, holding out his hand. A lightning dragon shot forward, but Beru kicked it away. That spell was aimed at me. That shadow saved my life.
"Greater Hardening!" "Penetrate up!" "Body of Effulgent Beryl!" "Greater Full Potential!" "Greater Luck!" The skeleton was obviously activating buff after buff; the shadow soldiers tried to disturb him, but that woman-knight was holding the line.
"Oh? That's quite rude." The skeleton said with a bored tone.
"Summon Undead Tenth: Doom Lord!" An undead, rotting skeleton wearing a crown appeared before the shadow soldiers. It towered over them with its colossal height. It was the same undead that Mr. Sung had defeated a while ago.
"Thank you for protecting me, Mr. Sung," Reinhard said and then did a single quick vertical slice with his hand, aiming it at the doom lord. The doom lord vanished and died.
Reinhard flicked his hair, but his smile was gone.
"Eh?" The skeleton muttered as Reinhard shot forward and punched it straight in the face, sending it backwards.
"HOW DARE YOU LAY YOUR HANDS ON AINZ-SAMA!" The woman-knight screamed, her voice piercing the space and sending Mahoraga back with a single backhand attack. She was about to provide support, but Mr. Sung's shadow army surrounded her.
"You insolent fools!" The woman-knight shouted as she engaged the shadow soldiers.
"Reinhard, do not hesitate to kill. Hit with everything you got, fight like a wounded cornered animal. I will do the same." Mr. Sung said.
"BEHIND US!" Midoriya shouted as he kicked the air, but hit something solid. It was invisible, but it was sent back and then crashed against a grocery shelf.
"A praying mantis?" I muttered, as I could see the outlines only briefly.