He saw it!
Everyone else was lying on the ground, shaking in fear. But one person was standing still.
It was a blonde girl in a beautiful white dress. She was so pretty that even his undead body felt a "stunning" shock. She watched the parade quietly. She wasn't afraid. In fact, she looked curious, as if she were judging him.
Ainz (Internal): 'Standing? Not kneeling? Did she just miss the cue? Or is she… challenging me?'
He became very alert. Anyone who didn't kneel on a day like this was not normal!
He quickly used his undead skills to check her. He used [Hostility Detection] and [Life Detection] at full power.
But the results hit Ainz like a bolt of lightning!
[Detection Resistance]! [Information Masking]!
[Hostility Detection]: None (Not a lack of hostility, but an inability to detect the depth of her intent!)[Life Detection]: ??? (Invalid! Unable to determine life form!)
How was this possible? Even against Level 100 players, his skills should have found something!
He was shocked and ready to fight. Then, Ilya's eyebrows moved slightly.
Maybe she felt his powerful scan and thought it was rude. She didn't do much. She just let out a tiny bit of her hidden power. It was like someone moving their shoulder because they were being stared at.
But that tiny bit of power was enough…
BOOM!!!
To Ainz, the world changed color instantly!
One second, the girl seemed normal. The next second, a power as big as the stars exploded from her! It was terrifyingly pure.
It wasn't evil or holy. It was just pure "strength." The energy was so high that Ainz felt like an ant looking at the sky. He felt like he was staring directly into the sun!
The red light in his eyes flashed wildly. He felt a phantom pain in his chest where a heart should be. A loud alarm went off in his soul!
[DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! EXTREME DANGER!][UNABLE TO EVALUATE! UNABLE TO EVALUATE!][LEVEL: ??? THREAT LEVEL: MAXIMUM!!! BEYOND ALL PREVIOUS COGNITION!!!][ADVICE: EVADE IMMEDIATELY! EVADE IMMEDIATELY!]
"Wha—?!" Ainz almost screamed. He gripped his staff so hard that the bone creaked.
Level 119?! A Player?!
How was that possible? The max level in YGGDRASIL was 100! Even with a World-class item, you couldn't go higher. This power was not normal. He could even feel things inside her that made World-class items shake!
His mind was a mess. He was scared and confused. He wondered if this was a high-level trick.
Albedo also felt Ainz's fear. She felt the terrifying power too. Her smile vanished. She got ready to fight and glared at Ilya. If Ainz gave the order, she would attack.
The mood of the guards changed from royal to very tense. The Death Knights flickered, and the horses pulling the carriage were nervous.
But Ilya just blinked her blue eyes.
She saw Ainz's eyes flashing and thought he was surprised. She saw Albedo's anger and thought she was overreacting. She noticed the undead army was shaky.
Ilya (Internal): 'Such a big reaction? I guess he felt the power I leaked. Level 100 players are sensitive to things above the limit. My mistake. I should have hidden it better.'
She didn't want to fight yet. She hadn't even tried the local desserts.
So, while Ainz and Albedo watched her closely, Ilya did something unexpected.
She didn't pull out a weapon or get ready to fight.
She just looked at the skeleton on the carriage and gave a polite smile. Then, she nodded.
She acted like she was just passing a stranger on the street, not a king who could destroy a country.
Then, she turned around and walked away. She even stopped at a stall to buy some roasted nuts. She started eating them as she walked.
She just… left.
Ainz and his guards watched her go. She looked like a normal girl heading home after shopping.
When she was gone, the heavy pressure finally vanished.
Ainz's eyes were still flashing. He stared at the corner where she disappeared.
Albedo asked quietly, "Ainz-sama, what was that?"
Ainz raised his hand to quiet her. His voice sounded calm, but his mind was racing.
"…It is nothing. Keep moving."
But he could only think about the girl and that number: Level 119.
Ainz (Internal): 'A Player… a Player above the limit… Who is she? What guild is she from? What does she want? Is she a friend or an enemy?' Ainz (Internal): 'This world is much more dangerous than I thought!'
Meanwhile, Ilya ate a nut. Her mind was on other things.
Ilya (Internal): 'I wonder if the honey cake here is good? I want to try it.'
'What about the Magic King she almost broke?'
Ilya (Internal): 'He's a strong local leader. I should keep an eye on him. That's all.'
Ilya had only walked a few steps when someone shouted behind her.
"Halt! You, the blonde woman! Stop right there!"
Some mercenaries stood up. They were terrified of the Magic King. They hoped that by yelling at her, they could save themselves.
"You were disrespectful to the Magic King! You didn't kneel!"
"You commoner! Do you want us all to die? The King will be angry at the whole town because of you!"
"Grab her! We must give her to the King! If we don't, we are all dead!"
They were screaming in fear. They were so scared of the King that they attacked the girl instead.
Ainz (Internal): 'Idiots! Morons! Shut up! Don't provoke her!' His eyes flashed like fire. He wanted to kill them himself to make them stop, but he was too afraid to move. He didn't want the girl to think he was attacking her. He just wanted to go home and hide.
Albedo felt Ainz's stress. She thought he was angry. She looked at the mercenaries like they were already dead. But she didn't move because Ilya had stopped.
Ilya stopped.
She slowly turned around. Her relaxed look was gone. Her blue eyes were now cold and indifferent. She wasn't holding the nuts anymore.
The noise annoyed her. These weak men dared to talk to her like that? They wanted to "grab" her?
She was slightly annoyed.
She didn't even look at the men. She looked past them at the skeleton on the carriage.
Ainz felt her gaze immediately.
She wasn't angry. She was just asking, 'Your noise is bothering me.'
Ainz (Internal): 'No! It's not me! I'll fix it!' He felt like his soul was leaving his body.
But it was too late.
Ilya didn't wait for Ainz. To her, the best way to stop noise was to erase it.
She didn't move much. A white light just passed through her eyes.
And then—
The world lost its color!
The sky turned pure white. Everything else vanished. There was only a bright, soul-shaking light.
Then, a giant crack opened in the sky.
VMMMM—!!!
A loud hum filled the world. It drowned out every other sound.
Ainz, Albedo, and everyone else watched as something came out of the crack.
Was it… a sword?
No, it wasn't a normal sword.
It was a massive object made of pure power. It looked like the end of the world.
It was huge. It was at least a hundred thousand meters long. It glowed with white-gold light. There were ancient symbols on the blade. The space around it began to break apart.
[Holy Covenant · Heavenly Punishment — Mimicry Deployment].
Ilya didn't even use her real items. She just used a tiny bit of power from one of them.
The pressure made the earth shake. The ground cracked for miles. Mountains trembled.
The mercenaries didn't even have time to scream. They were erased instantly.
Not just them—the buildings in town began to turn to dust. Everything was disappearing.
"Ugh…!" Albedo groaned in pain. Her best armor tried to protect her, but the light melted it. She felt like she was evaporating. She was terrified.
Ainz was in even more trouble! All his magic shields were breaking. His staff was shaking and making a crying sound. He felt his body and soul being judged by a power much stronger than his own.
[Instant Death Resistance? Invalid!][Negative Status Immunity? Invalid!][High-tier Physical Nullification? Invalid!][World-class Item Protection? Effect drastically weakened! On the verge of collapse!]
Ainz (Internal): 'I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! This is the end! Even my soul will be gone! Items won't save me!'
This power was stronger than any magic he knew. It was stronger than World-class items. It wasn't part of the game at all!
What… was this?!
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