"After Lord Ainz… it's Lord Ren's turn next? How wonderful!
"To be loved and favored by not just one, but two Supreme Beings…"
Shalltear's face lit up with excitement as she watched Ren step forward—yet the words that came out of her mouth made both Ren and Ainz wince.
"And even though I adore Lord Ren so deeply… I'm being forced to kill him right now… Ahh, this feeling is simply irresistible…"
…Yeah. Peroroncino had definitely stuffed way too many bizarre settings into her.
Unlike Ainz, who had to be wary of close combat due to his role as a magic caster, Ren had no such concerns.
"High-Tier All-Attribute Enhancement. Gale Step."
The moment his blade left its sheath, Ren's foot crushed the ground beneath him—
And in the next instant, he had already appeared in front of Shalltear.
Compared to Ainz, Ren could use magic—but his buff arsenal was minimal.
After applying a single enhancement, he broke through the air barrier itself, crossing dozens of meters in a heartbeat—
And brought his blade down.
CLANG—!!!
The clash between the divine spear Spuit Lance and Ren's blade Kamuyori erupted in a storm of sparks.
Though Kamuyori's slender blade seemed almost delicate compared to the massive lance—
The impact told a completely different story.
A heavy, crushing force surged through Shalltear's arms.
Beneath her feet, the ground fractured into a web of cracks.
As a Level 100 Guardian of Nazarick, Shalltear's strength was by no means lacking.
She wasn't the strongest—but she was far from the weakest.
And yet—
From that single exchange, she already understood.
In terms of raw physical power alone…
She was no match for Ren.
"Fūrinkazan Style—Swift as the Wind: Army Breaker!"
A spiraling current of wind wrapped around Kamuyori's blade.
Sensing the danger, Shalltear didn't hesitate.
She activated High-Tier Teleportation, instantly retreating.
Ironically, when fighting Ainz earlier, she had been trying to use teleportation to close the distance.
But against Ren—
She was using it to run.
Her body dissolved into a swarm of phantom bats, reforming far in the distance.
High-Tier Teleportation was notoriously difficult to interrupt, and its destination was entirely controlled by the user.
But—
Just as Shalltear reappeared…
Ren had already predicted where she would emerge.
"Too naive."
"You think creating distance will let you escape my blade?"
The gathered wind exploded outward.
A crescent-shaped slash surged forward, expanding violently as it tore through the air toward Shalltear's location.
"So this is Lord Ren's rare ability—Mind's Eye… the ultimate culmination of honed technique.
"A skill that pierces through illusions, invisibility, charm… and even glimpses into the immediate future of battle…"
Shalltear muttered, her eyes narrowing.
"But I knew from the beginning that Lord Ainz wouldn't be my only opponent. I've carefully conserved my special skills."
"You probably didn't know this, Lord Ren… but I have this as well—"
"Impure Shock Shield!"
A golden radiance burst forth as Shalltear thrust out her hand.
In an instant, a brilliant barrier formed around her—absolute defense incarnate.
When Ren's wind slash struck the shield—
A harsh, grating sound split the air.
The surrounding wasteland—already reduced to desert by Ainz's earlier magic—erupted into a massive sandstorm from the sheer force of the collision.
"Maximized Magic: Crimson Nova!"
Without letting her guard down for even a moment, Shalltear raised her left hand.
A crimson magic circle bloomed—
And a blazing inferno pierced through the sandstorm, engulfing Ren.
She knew his weakness.
Ren belonged to the oni lineage.
And like Ainz, he was vulnerable to fire.
Unlike Ainz, however, Ren lacked extensive resistances to counter it.
Which meant—
Fire magic should be devastatingly effective against him.
Sandstorm and flames merged into a raging inferno.
A swirling, grinding storm of heat and wind tore across the battlefield like a colossal meat grinder.
And at its center—
Stood Ren.
Shalltear's eyes glowed faintly blue as she activated a detection skill, attempting to gauge the damage she had inflicted.
But what she saw…
Made her pupils shrink.
At the heart of the inferno—
Ren's HP and MP had barely dropped.
And more than that—
In that instant…
His body had expanded.
A clawed arm burst through the flames—
And with a motion like tearing apart a curtain—
He ripped the entire firestorm to pieces.
Waist-length crimson hair.
Blood-red eyes.
A violet demonic crest stretching across half his face.
Towering oni horns.
Clawed hands and feet.
Broken chains hanging from his wrists and ankles.
"ROOOOOOOOOOAR—!!!"
A deafening roar shook the air.
An invisible pressure swept across the battlefield—
And beyond the desert, deep within the surrounding forest, every beast and monster fled in terror.
Even the soundwaves alone—
Would have been enough to kill an ordinary human outright.
"Lord Ren has entered his first form… He's finally getting serious against Shalltear."
Back in Nazarick, the Guardians and the Pleiades stared in stunned silence.
Only Cocytus remained calm.
Because he had seen this form once before.
"So this is… Lord Ren's true power…? Such overwhelming magic and presence…
"So the earlier exchange with Shalltear… was merely a warm-up?"
Demiurge and Albedo were both witnessing Ren's Half-Oni Transformation for the first time.
They had always known he wasn't human—
But he had always appeared in a normal human form.
"…No. You misunderstand."
Cocytus shook his head slowly.
"I said Lord Ren is getting serious."
"Not that this is his full power."
"I told you before, did I not?"
"Nishikienrai-sama once said…"
"Lord Ren possesses four enhancement forms—and one overwhelmingly powerful special ability."
"Because that ability is too powerful…"
"He has never used it."
"And what you are seeing now…"
"…is only his first form."