Outside the royal capital, on the desolate plains.
On one side stood the undead legion led by the Guardian of the Great Tomb.
At the front were skeletal warriors clad in all manner of magical armor, forming phalanxes together with undead archmages.
The flanks were occupied by Death Knights mounted on Soul-Eaters, alongside many grotesque and terrifying beasts.
Towering siege golems and war machines held the center, while bone dragons and gargoyles soared through the skies above.
The army's formation was perfectly aligned—an awe-inspiring and fearsome sight.
The Guardian, the Pleiades, and Antilene's squad stood at Albedo's left and right.
Some of their comrades—still addicted to the thrill of using magic scrolls from their last battle against the Witch Cult—were already deciding which scrolls to use for another "firepower carpet-bombing."
—It was simply too convenient for racking up battle achievements.
"I want to fight their strongest one."
Antilene and Shalltear spoke simultaneously.
"You'll get your chance, don't worry."
Albedo smiled, giving a small signal to Yuri Alpha, who returned a knowing grin.
Before long—
Clack—
The gates of the royal city creaked open.
First to emerge was a large contingent of knights on various magical beasts, their shining armor gleaming as they rode forth.
Trained and disciplined, they quickly formed up in the distance, facing the undead army in battle formation.
At their head stood a young man with red hair—
Reinhard van Astrea, leading the kingdom's most elite unit: the Royal Knights.
Next, heavily armed infantry took their positions. Judging from their well-maintained equipment, they were part of the kingdom's small but capable standing army.
Among them were even demi-human units.
There were also large groups of conscripted soldiers wearing simple armor, holding spears, bows, and crossbows.
Facing the grim and eerie Death Knights and skeletal warriors, many of the conscripts trembled. Even the air itself seemed colder, as if the undead army's very presence had drawn down the temperature, filling the atmosphere with a bone-chilling dread.
Contrary to expectations, however, the undead legion did not take the chance to attack—they waited patiently as the kingdom's army completed their formation.
Reinhard stood at the front with several members of the Royal Guard and generals, gazing across the plain at the undead army.
"So this is… the Starsea Empire's army?"
Seeing it with his own eyes, he realized how much stronger it was than he had ever imagined.
These undead were nothing like the shambling, disorganized zombies he had once fought.
This was a disciplined, intelligent army—one that could match the organization of human nations or even surpass them.
"This is troublesome…"
Several sages watching from the city walls wiped sweat from their brows.
"Impressive indeed."
Reinhard stood proudly at the front lines, meeting the Guardian of the Great Tomb's gaze from afar—calm, unafraid.
"Enemies who dare invade the kingdom—state your names."
He looked directly at Albedo as he spoke.
Had the Council of Wise Men not required his defense of the capital, Reinhard would have long since ridden forth to confront this undead army himself.
"We are the servants and blades of the Supreme One. We are here to conquer this world."
Albedo's tone was cold and emotionless.
"Kneel before the Supreme Being and surrender. Do so, and you may be spared."
"Is there another hand behind you…?"
Reinhard tried to use his Divine Blessing of Telepathy to gather information—but it failed.
He scanned the massive undead army before him, astonished by its sheer scale.
"Your nation… it's called the Starsea Empire, isn't it?"
"To command so many high-ranking beasts and intelligent undead… unforgettable."
"To mobilize such a force against our kingdom—it's truly…"
Pfft—
Before he could finish, Albedo, Shalltear, and the others laughed softly.
Their expressions were filled with pity, as though they were looking at frogs in a well.
"In the presence of the Supreme Being, we are but insignificant servants."
"Unfortunately, you won't have the chance to face the Supreme One yourself."
"Is that so?"
Reinhard sensed his sword at his waist begin to stir.
The Dragon Sword, Reid—the strongest blade in existence, which only revealed itself when facing a worthy opponent.
The enemy before them was undoubtedly a worthy opponent.
Reinhard took a combat stance, and the other Royal Guards around him also entered battle-ready positions.
Boom!—
Even the mere release of energy from the Dragon Sword's awakening unleashed a violent shockwave in front of him.
With a casual swing—
The skeletal vanguard positioned too close was caught in the blast and instantly reduced to dust, collapsing into nothingness.
"As expected of the kingdom's greatest threat. Hmm… perhaps your level of trouble ranks only slightly below that of the Witch of Sin herself?"
Albedo and the Guardian blocked the attack with defensive magic.
Reinhard van Astrea—Re:Zero's ultimate cheat character.
He carried more than forty different Divine Blessings: total resistance, enhanced strength, weapon mastery, skill nullification, and more.
He was canonically the strongest being in that world—capable of facing the Witch of Envy, Satella, head-on.
Just looking at the list of Reinhard's blessings was enough to make even the Guardians' heads ache.
"However, let's see exactly how capable you are."
Albedo glanced toward the kingdom's army in the distance. She had intended to use Fallen Down or a similar spell—but changed her mind.
"It's rare to encounter so many soldiers at once… Considering we'll need to conquer more nations later, I should use a skill that's more… fitting."
She raised her hand and activated a scroll.
A complex blue magic circle formed around her.
[Super-Tier Magic: Offering to the Goddess of Bountiful Harvest—Iä! Shub-Niggurath]
With a soft incantation—
Shua—
The circles around her rapidly expanded, glowing with immense power.
After several rounds of modification at the Imperial Magic Academy—and with no expense spared in its construction—this version of the scroll eliminated the usual long chant time required for super-tier magic, transforming it into an almost instant-cast spell.
A wave of black mist spread outward.
Any kingdom soldier touched by it had the life instantly drained from their body.
The kingdom's army collapsed like rows of dominoes.
Their vitality was severed—completely.
No one even understood what had happened. To them, super-tier magic was a foreign and incomprehensible concept.
The soldiers had no chance to react or flee.
In the blink of an eye, countless corpses covered the battlefield.
"Th-this… what is this…?"
"Fifty thousand—no, sixty thousand… even more?!"
The generals in the distance stared blankly at the carnage, and even Reinhard himself was visibly shocked.
Even by Re:Zero's magical standards, annihilating tens of thousands in one spell was an atrocity beyond comprehension.
But that was only the beginning.
Then—
A massive black sphere formed in the sky.
It slowly descended, landing with a thunderous crack before shattering apart.
The fragments melted into a thick, pitch-black fluid that quickly spread across half the battlefield.
"Retreat!!"
The surviving kingdom soldiers scattered in panic.
The corpses that had fallen earlier touched the liquid—and immediately dissolved, absorbed into it.
As the liquid gathered more energy, it began to twist and deform—shaping itself.
Finally, five towering creatures—each tens of meters tall, surrounded by writhing black mist and countless tentacles, their bodies covered in gaping mouths and eyes—rose from the dark ooze, standing upon the earth.
They exuded an indescribable, mind-shattering aura. A mere glance at them could drive ordinary men insane. They charged straight toward the kingdom's army.
"Oh, Black Goats—five of them."
Setsuna noted that Albedo seemed to have a rather creative approach to warfare.
Kingdom army, decisive battle, knights—all the classic elements were here. Not trying this spell would've been a waste.
Baa—!
The Black Goats rampaged into the kingdom's formation, tearing through their ranks without restraint.
Neither the Royal Guards, nor the elite knights, nor even the few battle mages could survive contact with the creatures—the moment they touched the goats' aura, they died instantly.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!"
From afar came the soldiers' wails of despair.
Albedo raised her hand and gave the order:
"Advance. Eradicate them."
The undead legions surged forward.
Death Knights, bone dragons, and gargoyles charged together, their assault overwhelming everything in their path.
From the skies above, more spells rained down in rapid succession, bombarding the remnants of the kingdom's army.
The combined might of the kingdom's entire military—its finest and most elite—was utterly obliterated within moments.
"..."
Utterly shocked, Reinhard froze for a brief moment before regaining his composure.
In all the battles he had ever fought—no war between nations had ever turned out like this.
Shua—
He drew his sword to meet the enemy.
With a single swing, the nearest squad of Death Knights was obliterated into dust.
Empowered by the Dragon Sword's immense might and his myriad blessings, he was unstoppable on the battlefield. Even surrounded, he remained completely unharmed.
The attacks from mages and archers couldn't even scratch him.
Like a divine paladin, he swept through the undead legions, aiming straight for their commander.
"Is that all you've got…?"
As he muttered to himself—
Vmmm—
Before he could make another move, the sound of space fracturing and reforming filled the air.
Reinhard's vision blurred, and when he blinked again—
He found himself dragged into a completely unfamiliar space.
"This…?"
He turned around. All he could see was an endless, violet-hued void. Upon closer inspection, he realized this space was completely sealed off.
All teleportation and spatial movement skills were nullified.
"What… is this place?"
Reinhard frowned in confusion.
In an instant, his analytical mind pieced the situation together.
He had been thrown into a separate dimension.
He possessed countless blessings—those that protected him from long-range attacks, ambushes, and elemental magic such as ice, fire, wind, and earth.
But there was one thing he did not have: resistance to spatial confinement. After all, this wasn't an attack—it was a containment technique, wrapping him inside an isolated dimension.
And this space was exceptionally stable. It had to be created by either extremely high-tier magic or an artifact comparable in power to the Dragon Sword itself.
"There, he's inside now. Anyone want to go in and challenge him?"
Yuri Alpha weighed the enormous scroll in her hands.
[World-Class Item: Depiction of Nature and Society]
An artifact capable of exchanging a painted world with reality—sealing enemies within a pocket dimension.
Once trapped, escape was impossible unless one had either immense power or a means to break the spatial seal from within.
"Hmm… Considering Reinhard's abilities, I doubt the Depiction of Nature and Society can hold him indefinitely. It's best to finish him quickly."
"But at least now, no one will interrupt our conquest of the kingdom. If we let this man destroy too many of our forces, subjugating the Empire and Holy Kingdom later will become troublesome."
Albedo's golden eyes swept across the Guardians, Antilene, the Nation-Destroying Loli, and the others.
Having done her research beforehand—and striking while the opponent was unprepared—she had effortlessly neutralized this world's strongest combatant.
"Oh…"
Shalltear couldn't help but admit—when it came to intelligence, she was still a little behind Albedo.
"Didn't you all say you wanted to test yourselves? Who's going in first? Or should we just eliminate him right away?" Albedo asked calmly.
"I will!"
Shalltear, Antilene, Evileye, and several battle maids raised their hands simultaneously.
A rare, interference-free one-on-one duel—against the strongest being of another world.
Winning would be glorious.
Losing didn't matter—they could just be revived with a scroll, or escape afterward.
"Alright, one at a time."
"This is the Sword Saint Reinhard. Let's see if anyone can solo-clear it."
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