Ren Kuroda remembered the main plot of Overlord—at least, in broad strokes.
But that didn't mean he could recall every detail.
Especially when it came to minor characters like Clementine and Khajiit—he couldn't even remember their names.
Originally, he had only come to this graveyard because of an adventurer's request to investigate undead activity. But somehow, through a twist of fate, he had ended up running straight into Momonga.
And to make matters worse, thanks to the earlier use of the "All-Seeing Search" scroll, Yuri had managed to extract a small but crucial piece of information—
The opponent was a powerful undead being.
Undead had suddenly begun appearing in the graveyard. Now, a powerful undead entity was actively searching for their location.
Naturally, Ren concluded that this individual was the mastermind behind everything.
Although he had always known that, compared to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the overall power level of this world wasn't particularly high…
He still didn't allow himself to get careless.
After all, Overlord wasn't a completed story. Whether some hidden boss existed in this world was still unknown.
On top of that, this world contained all sorts of outrageous items. Among them, the World Items known as the "Twenty" possessed the power to overturn the entire world itself.
—
Meanwhile, Enfrea—who had been kidnapped—possessed an innate talent that allowed him to use any magical item without restriction.
Because of that ability, he had been captured by Clementine, the former Ninth Seat of the Black Scripture, and the sinister magic caster Khajiit.
Using the magical item known as the "Crown of Wisdom," they had summoned a massive army of undead.
Although most of these undead were the lowest-tier skeletons, their numbers exceeded the thousands.
Combined with the strength of Clementine and Khajiit themselves, they were confident they could seize several nearby towns before the kingdom even had time to react.
—
By the time Momonga arrived at the graveyard with Naberal and Hamsuke, the undead—primarily skeletons—had already begun assaulting the outskirts of the town.
After deliberately leaving behind his name, Momonga leapt high into the air with Naberal, clearing the city walls in a single bound as they headed toward the area located via "Item Tracking."
"…Strange. This is far too strange!"
Momonga frowned deeply.
"The enemy clearly possesses a rare item like 'All-Seeing Search.' If they intended to use summoned undead to stall us, why are they all this weak?"
"If they can use 'Undead Summoning,' shouldn't they at least be capable of summoning something like Death Knights?"
At first, Momonga had assumed the skeletons were merely the opening act.
He had prepared himself for a difficult battle—he had even placed Nazarick on high alert.
But now…
From the moment he entered the graveyard to the very center, cutting down enemies with his twin greatswords—
Everything had been nothing but trash mobs.
There wasn't even a single opponent worth calling a real fight.
This unexpected situation left Momonga completely at a loss.
"…Ainz-sama, could it be that the enemy wasn't as strong as we initially thought?"
Floating in midair while holding the oversized hamster, Naberal cautiously voiced her thoughts as she looked down at him.
"That's far too naive, Naberal."
Momonga immediately shook his head, his tone firm.
"This is exactly how they intend to make us lower our guard."
"First, they send out weak undead to make us believe they're insignificant. Then, the moment we relax, they strike and catch us off guard."
"This is a common PvP tactic. If I remember correctly, Ren Kuroda is particularly fond of this kind of strategy."
"He usually bluffs with his base form, but those who truly know him understand that he has multiple forms with overwhelming combat power."
"So we absolutely cannot afford to be careless."
By the time Momonga finished speaking, Naberal's expression had already shifted into one of deep admiration.
Realizing her earlier lapse in judgment, she looked at Momonga with renewed respect.
"As expected of Ainz-sama… your foresight far surpasses that of your subordinates."
—
Meanwhile, as Momonga—clad in heavy full-body armor—continued mercilessly cutting down skeletal enemies one after another…
A sudden sense of alarm blared in his mind.
In the next instant—
A massive magic circle unfolded directly above his head.
His body tried to react—
But the spell activated faster.
Though he was disguised as a warrior, Momonga was, at his core, still a magic caster. Against low-level fighters, his superior level allowed him to dominate with ease.
But against high-level opponents…
His physical abilities simply couldn't keep up.
"Tenth-Tier Magic—Maximize Magic: Twin Lotus Azure Flame Descent!"
Azure flames plunged from the magic circle like blooming lotus flowers in the night sky.
A wave of searing heat erupted, followed by a deafening explosion.
Within a hundred-meter radius, everything was instantly reduced to nothing.
With a single strike, every skeleton in the area was completely vaporized.
Even after the spell ended, blue flames continued to burn across the scorched earth and withered trees.
Naberal, having been instructed earlier—just like Yuri—to maintain distance, reacted immediately.
The moment Momonga was struck by the spell, she activated her ring and returned to the Great Tomb of Nazarick to call for reinforcements.
Just as Ainz-sama had predicted—
Those weak undead had merely been bait to lure them into complacency.
From the sheer power of that spell, the enemy was clearly no ordinary opponent.
And the fact that they had deliberately used fire magic—so effective against undead—proved they had come prepared.
—
The full-body armor and greatswords Momonga wore had all been conjured through magic.
Under the impact of that devastating fire-based attack, the armor had completely melted away—
Revealing his true skeletal form.
"Ainz-sama, our deepest apologies—we arrived late!"
Just as Momonga's skeletal body was exposed, a massive gate suddenly opened behind him.
From within it, Albedo, Demiurge, Shalltear, Cocytus, Aura, and Mare rushed out in visible panic before dropping to one knee.
After hearing from Naberal that Ainz-sama had been attacked, nearly all of Nazarick's max-level Guardians—except those unable to come, and Sebas, who was undercover in the royal capital—had assembled.
Looking at his HP, which had been reduced by nearly one-sixth, Momonga felt a flicker of shock.
Even accounting for the fact that fire and holy magic were especially effective against undead…
An attack capable of shaving off that much HP in a single blow meant—
The enemy was anything but ordinary.
However, upon seeing Albedo and the others arrive, Momonga's confidence surged.
And yet—
Something felt off.
After that devastating attack… and even after the Guardians of Nazarick had appeared…
The hostility that had filled the area moments ago—
Had suddenly vanished.
—
"Huh… so it was you after all, Momonga."
A familiar voice rang out casually.
"I don't mind you playing adventurer—but that ring of yours doesn't just suppress your magic power… it completely erases your presence too."