Ren Kuroda had a general grasp of the main storyline of Overlord—but that didn't mean he remembered every last detail.
Especially when it came to minor figures like Clementine and Khajit… he couldn't even recall their names.
Originally, he had only come to this graveyard to investigate the undead as part of an adventurer's request. But by a twist of fate, he had ended up crossing paths with Momonga.
And just his luck—thanks to the earlier All-Knowing Search scroll, Yuri had gleaned a fragment of information about their opponent: 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 had concluded that the other party was the mastermind behind this entire incident.
Although Ren had always known that, in terms of raw power, this world wasn't particularly threatening compared to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he hadn't let his guard down in the slightest.
After all, Overlord wasn't a finished story. There could very well be hidden bosses lurking in the shadows.
On top of that, this world contained all sorts of absurd items. Among them, World-Class Items—especially the infamous "Twenty"—possessed the power to overturn the very fabric of the world.
—
Meanwhile, the kidnapped Enfrea—gifted with the innate ability to use any magic item without restriction—had fallen into the hands of Clementine, former Ninth Seat of the Black Scripture, and the sinister magic caster Khajit.
Using the magic item Crown of Wisdom, they had summoned a massive undead army.
Though most of the undead were low-level skeletons, their numbers exceeded the thousands.
Combined with the strength of Clementine and Khajit, they were confident they could seize several nearby towns before the kingdom could even react.
—
By the time Momonga arrived at the graveyard with Narberal and Hamsuke, the undead—led by waves of skeletons—had already begun attacking the town's perimeter.
After deliberately leaving behind his name, Momonga leapt over the city walls alongside Narberal and headed straight for the location identified through Item Tracking.
"This is strange… way too strange!"
"The enemy clearly has access to a rare item like All-Knowing Search. If they're summoning undead to block us, why are they all this weak? If they can use Undead Summoning, shouldn't they at least be bringing out something like Death Knights?"
At first, Momonga assumed the skeletons were merely the opening act. He had even prepared for a difficult battle, placing Nazarick on high alert.
But as he carved his way from the graveyard's entrance to its center—dual greatswords in hand—he found nothing but fodder.
Not a single opponent worth calling a challenge.
The unexpected turn of events left him completely thrown off…
"Lord Ainz… could it be the enemy wasn't as strong as we thought?" Narberal asked cautiously, floating in the air while holding the oversized hamster.
"How naive, Narberal," Momonga replied immediately.
"This is clearly a tactic to lower our guard. First, they send weak undead to make us think they're insignificant—then, when we relax, they strike when we least expect it."
"This is a classic PvP strategy. If I remember correctly… Ren is especially fond of using it."
"He usually bluffs with a normal state, but those who know him understand—he has multiple forms with overwhelming combat power. Underestimating an opponent like that is fatal."
By the time Momonga finished speaking, Narberal's expression had already shifted to one of admiration.
Reflecting on her earlier carelessness, she gazed at him and murmured,
"As expected of Lord Ainz… your foresight surpasses all of us."
—
Just as Momonga, clad in heavy armor, was cutting down skeletons one after another—like bullying children of his own kind—a sudden alarm rang in his mind.
In the next instant, a massive magic circle unfolded above his head.
He tried to react—but the spell activated faster than his body could move.
Though he was disguised as a warrior in full armor, Momonga was ultimately a magic caster.
Against low-level opponents, his level advantage made up for it—but against high-level enemies, his physical capabilities simply couldn't keep up.
"Tenth-Tier Magic—Maximized: Twin Lotus Azure Flame Descent!"
Brilliant blue flames cascaded down from the magic circle, blooming like lotus flowers in the night sky.
A violent surge of heat erupted—
BOOM!
Within a radius of one hundred meters, everything was annihilated in an instant.
Skeletons were completely vaporized, leaving nothing behind. Even after the explosion subsided, blue flames continued to burn across the scorched earth and withered trees.
Narberal, having maintained distance per prior instructions—similar to Yuri's—immediately activated her ring and returned to Nazarick the moment Momonga was struck, going to summon reinforcements.
Just as Lord Ainz had predicted… those weak undead had been a trap to lull them into complacency.
Judging from the sheer power of that spell, the enemy was anything but ordinary.
And the deliberate use of fire magic—highly effective against undead—proved they had come prepared.
—
The armor and greatswords Momonga wore were constructs of his own magic.
Under the devastating fire spell, they melted away completely—revealing his true skeletal form beneath.
"Lord Ainz, our deepest apologies—we are late!"
At that moment, a massive portal opened behind him.
From it emerged Albedo, Demiurge, Shalltear, Cocytus, Aura, and Mare—each one visibly alarmed as they dropped to one knee before him.
After learning of the attack from Narberal, nearly every high-level guardian of Nazarick had assembled—except those unable to come and Sebas, who was currently undercover in the capital.
Looking at his HP—reduced by nearly one-sixth—Momonga felt a flicker of surprise.
Even accounting for the increased effectiveness of holy and fire magic against undead, an attack capable of dealing that much damage in a single blow meant one thing:
This opponent was no ordinary foe.
But with the guardians of Nazarick now present, his confidence surged.
—
And yet… something was off.
After that attack—and after the guardians appeared—the hostility that had filled the surroundings… suddenly vanished.
"…What the—so it was you guys, Momonga."
A familiar voice rang out from the darkness.
"I don't mind you playing adventurer, but that ring of yours? It doesn't just hide your mana—it completely masks your presence too."