In the sky, Ainz, clad in black armor and wielding two swords, was engaged in a fierce battle with the masked Demiurge.
They saw Ainz swinging the twin swords in his hands with full force, while Demiurge used his sharp demonic claws to block.
Each time sword and claw collided, a metallic clang would ring through the air.
Clang Clang Clang-
Watching the battle between Ainz Ooal Gown and Demiurge, Gagaran said with admiration: "So strong!"
Although Gagaran's voice wasn't very loud, Kenichi, with his [Hearing Magic], heard Gagaran's words clearly.
'So strong?'
'These two guys are clearly just acting, right?'
'They aren't fighting with their true strength at all.'
'They're just fooling you!'
Kenichi couldn't help but complain a few times inwardly.
Not long after Gagaran finished speaking, a female ninja identical to Tia suddenly appeared beside Evileye.
"Tina, is your side finished too?"
Seeing Tina appear, Gagaran casually greeted her.
"Gagaran, Evileye, a large number of monsters have appeared in the capital! The branch leaders, you, Blue Rose, and Fairy Tail, all withdraw to the city to eliminate the monsters!"
'A large number of monsters appeared in the city?'
Hearing Tina's words, Gagaran's expression changed immediately.
And Demiurge, who was fighting Ainz, also put some distance between himself and Ainz, hovering in mid-air, and declared loudly: "It seems my subordinates can no longer restrain themselves. If you wish to continue fighting me, that's fine too!"
"But the humans in the city will have to suffer a bit. My lovely subordinates... they eat people."
Demiurge's words were directed at Ainz.
They were also directed at Kenichi, Erza, and the group.
Right now, Demiurge just wanted to retreat.
Then, after Ainz returned to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he would report Fairy Tail's intelligence to Ainz, and they would discuss strategies to deal with Fairy Tail.
Ainz understood Demiurge's meaning. He pretended to be angry and said: "Damn it! Using the city's residents as a threat! It seems we must eliminate those monsters first!"
As he spoke, Ainz prepared to turn and leave.
However, Kenichi, Erza, and the group showed no intention of leaving at all.
Ainz, seeing from the corner of his eye that Kenichi's group wasn't planning to leave, felt the crimson flames in his eyes beneath his helmet flicker instantly.
Although Ainz really wanted to speak up and induce Kenichi's group to retreat, it wasn't appropriate for him to say it.
Just as Ainz was contemplating a countermeasure, Gagaran, Evileye, and the others walked over and said to Kenichi, Erza, and the group: "Members of Fairy Tail, a large number of monsters have appeared in the city. The guild wants us to eliminate those monsters first!"
Hearing Gagaran's words, Ainz inwardly praised.
But Kenichi just chuckled lightly. He first glanced at Ainz in his black armor, then turned his gaze to Demiurge in the sky.
"The leader of the monsters is right here. 'To catch rebels, first catch the leader', isn't that right?"
Kenichi looked at Ainz and spoke with a meaningful expression.
Although Kenichi's voice wasn't very loud, it reached the ears of everyone present.
The first to react was Ainz.
Hearing Kenichi's words, he subconsciously turned to look at Kenichi. The jaw beneath his black helmet involuntarily dropped slightly, revealing a surprised expression.
'Huh?!'
Originally, Ainz thought Kenichi would leave this place along with the members of Blue Rose.
But he never expected that Kenichi still wanted to fight Demiurge and Mare.
If Kenichi, Erza, and the group were just ordinary humans, Ainz naturally wouldn't care, ending them with a casual [Grasp Heart].
However, Ainz had already discovered earlier that Kenichi, Erza, and the group possessed very powerful strength.
Engaging them without understanding their capabilities wasn't his style.
Furthermore, his current identity was the adventurer Momon.
If he continued fighting Demiurge, there was a risk of his identity being exposed.
He had spent a long time building Momon's reputation, so once exposed, all that effort would be wasted.
'What is this human thinking?'
'He seems quite confident in his own strength!'
'What to do next? Kill everyone present, or...'
Ainz stared at Kenichi, thinking to himself.
And Demiurge, hovering in the sky, looked at Kenichi and spoke.
"'To catch rebels, first catch the leader'? Is that a saying among you humans?"
"However, my subordinates are currently active in the city. If you fight me here, it's the people in the city who will suffer in the end!"
Demiurge clearly also wanted to escape quickly, so he deliberately emphasized the danger in the city.
But Kenichi remained unmoved.
He said with a faint, ambiguous smile: "The monsters in the city will be handled by the Kingdom's army and other adventurers. If we let you go today, it would be like releasing a tiger back to the mountains. Who's to say you won't return later?"
With that, Kenichi issued the command to the manifested Bukubukuchagama to attack.
With Kenichi's order, the waiting Bukubukuchagama immediately launched an attack on Demiurge and Mare.
They saw numerous tentacles instantly differentiate from Bukubukuchagama's liquid-like body, sweeping towards Demiurge and Mare.
"It seems a fight is inevitable!"
Seeing the mass of tentacles sweeping towards them, Demiurge vigorously flapped his demonic wings, his figure instantly retreating backward.
Meanwhile, Mare activated Earth Magic.
Bzzzt-
Just as the numerous tentacles approached Mare, a wall formed from condensed rock instantly rose from the ground ahead of him, directly blocking the oncoming tentacles.
But soon, those tentacles shattered the rock wall and headed straight for Mare.
'What's going on?'
'Didn't Demiurge say this Bukubukuchagama was an impostor?'
'Why does this Bukubukuchagama's abilities match the real Bukubukuchagama's exactly?'
Ainz watched the Bukubukuchagama attacking Mare and Demiurge, his skeletal face beneath the black helmet full of confusion.