"Ains-sama!" - Regular Speech

'Haaahh…so tiring!' - Thoughts

{Message} - Telepathy

[The Goal of All Life is Death!] - Magic Spell/Skill

Chapter 5: Dominion Authority

Several Hours After the Battle of Carne Village

Makeshift Cemetery, Carne Village Outskirts

In her life as a human, Grandia had come across the saying 'nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won.' At the time, she had not understood what it meant, but standing in front of the mass of crudely carved crosses, each indicating a fallen villager, she understood it fully now.

Over fifty villagers, a full third of the entire village, had been put to the sword by the 'knights' and their cowardly leader. He was still alive and had threatened fire things until Grandia used her [Mesmeric Eye] Racial Skill to shut him up.

Being a vampire, Grandia default-viewed humans as food and toys at best, pests at worst, but she fought off the feeling and put her human mind-set to the fore as she approached Enri and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she cried over the graves of her father and mother, her sister Nemu clutching onto her side and weeping as well.

"I am sorry for your loss." She said sincerely.

"Th-thank you." Enri sniffed, "It's just…it's just so hard to cope with the fact that they're gone."

"I lost my parents to an accident when I was your age." Grandia said quietly, "It was devastating for me too, but I kept one thing in mind that helped me keep going."

"Wh-what was that?" Nemu asked with a dry sob.

"That while they might be gone, their love for me never left me." The vampiress said softly, "That it never will disappear as long as I remember them and honour their memories. That, even now, they are watching over me from wherever one goes after death. It is a hollow comfort, but it does help."

Enri nodded slightly. "It…it does help, somewhat….thank you."

"You're welcome." Grandia said softly, "Now, I should go and stand guard over the remaining nine 'knights' so they don't get any ideas about trying to flee."

"C-can I ask you something?" Enri said with an uncertain look on her face.

"You just did." The disguised vampiress pointed out dryly, making the girl flush in embarrassment, "But yes, you may."

"I…Are you and Lord Ains…the same?"

Grandia sighed. As they had seen Momonga without the [Mask of Envy], they knew he was a Lich, so suspected that she wasn't human as well, her guise to one side. "Follow me."

Puzzled, the sisters followed her to their house, where Grandia shut the door and closed the curtains before removing a ring from her hand. Golden locks turned to silver, her skin paled to alabaster and her eyes turned from sapphire blue to ruby red.

"A v-v-v-v-vampire?!" Enri squeaked.

"Indeed. I am a vampire." The YGGDRASIL player agreed, "You suspected something like this because you saw Lord Ains' true form, did you not?"

"Y-Yes…but…why?" Enri asked in confusion, "Liches hate the living and hunt them down mercilessly, and vampires are bloodthirsty monsters that drain people dry! Ah! No offence!"

"None taken." Grandia smiled, "While I cannot speak for Lord Ains, I can tell you about vampires. There are, generally speaking, five tiers of vampires, of which only three or four are known. At the bottom are vampiric familiars, animals who have been cursed with vampirism and serve humanoid vampires. Next are the so-called servant vampires, including Lesser Vampires, Vampire Brides and freshly turned Vampires. Third, and this is likely the limit of what humans know about, are the regular vampires, those who have aged over a century and have broken their bond with their creator. Fourth, you have what are referred to as the most dangerous kind of vampires, the True Vampires. They become intoxicated with blood, to the point that they become frenzied whenever they taste blood. Finally, you have the type of vampire that I am, the supreme class of vampire, the High Daywalker. I am immune to the sun and greatly resistant to all that might harm a lesser breed of vampire. I am also the closest to human in my mentality, as well as having absolute control over my need for blood, to a point. I only need to feed once every fourteen days and I…took my liberty with one of the cowards who attacked the village earlier today."

The realisation that they were in close proximity to one of the most powerful breeds of vampires made the sisters pale, but they didn't faint, which Grandia counted as a plus.

"But…that doesn't explain why you came here to save us." Enri managed to get out.

"Lord Ains and I are from a…different continent, where being inhuman in appearance didn't affect our minds." Grandia lied like a pro. She couldn't exactly say she was from another world now, could she? "Still, the discrimination against those who were not human or demi-human was…severe. We banded together in order to survive and eventually, our group became untouchable. A fanatic pro-human cult used a powerful spell and artefact combined to destroy our home…and the rest of the continent as well."

Enri gasped in horror.

"Lord Ains and I are, to the best of my knowledge, the only survivors aside from our servitors." The vampiress continued, "We arrived her not two days ago and were scrying the local area when we discovered your village being attacked, and we saw a man tackle a knight in full armour whilst shouting at his daughters to run."

The sister's eyes started to tear up as they realised who she was talking about.

"At that sight, we couldn't, simply could not, just stand aside and do nothing." Grandia finished softly, "It reminded us too much of the life we had led before we came together, before we became united."

"Thank you!" Enri choked out, "If you hadn't come, my sister and I would be dead! Thank you so much."

"I am only sorry we could not save your father." The vampiress said sincerely as she slipped her ring back on, assuming her human form again, "I must ask that you not divulge Lord Ains' and mine appearances to others, as it would distress them unnecessarily."

"O-of course." Enri nodded, "We owe you both our lives, so this is the least we can do."

"Thank you." Grandia said with a small bow, "Now I really had better go and guard the prisoners. Wouldn't want any grief-stricken relatives trying their hand at revenge before we have what we need out of them."

"What do you need?" little Nemu asked, confused.

"When dealing with attacks like this, the most important thing to do is to gather information." The older woman replied, "Who are they? Why attack this village in particular? Have they attacked other villages? Such are the questions they will be asked…and they will answer."

With that, the disguised vampiress swept from the house, leaving the Emmot sisters to take that in, whilst she updated Ains on what she had told the sisters and why.

{That was quite the risk, Grandia.} He scolded her via [Message], {What if they had taken the revelation of your appearance adversely?}

{Then I would have used my [Mesmeric Eye] to wipe their memories.} She replied as she entered the barn where the nine remaining raiders were being kept, {It was a calculated risk, Ains, and it paid off. They were already keeping quiet about what you are underneath your mask, so showing trust in them by revealing what I was beneath my own disguise made them extend that to me.}

{Hmm. What news have your [1st Star] Scouts brought back?} He asked once he had time to digest that.

{Thus far, nothing of substance.} she admitted, {A few odd tracks, but they are inexperienced when it comes to this world; they do not know if horses and oxen are the main source of transport or some scaled lizard beast. They will inform me if they find something suspicious, though, which I will immediately relay to you. How about on your end?}

Evidently quite a lot had been discovered from the village chief. The armour the soldiers were wearing belonged to the country to the north-east of the Kingdom of Re-Estize, the Baharuth Empire. As they made war with the Kingdom every year, it was a passable ruse to adopt their colours for this raid, but the 'knights' were too weak to be career soldiers from the Empire.

Instead, the most likely source for the 'knights' to have come from was the Slane Theocracy, a theocratic nation that worshiped the 'Six Great Gods' who had appeared six-hundred years ago. The Theocracy was fervently human supremacist, despising even demi-human races such as beastkin, and had been known to act according to its own agenda, regardless of what people thought of them, to the point that while a lot of people disliked the Theocracy, they were seen as a necessary evil.

'Much like the US in our world.' Grandia concluded.

Ains had additionally discovered that, while terms such as 'Magic Caster' were commonplace, the idea of 'levels' and 'experience points' were met with confusion. YGGDRASIL gold coins were highly pure, but the villagers had never seen it before, but it could be melted down and cast into bars which could then be sold, which was good news.

{What intrigues me are these 'Six Great Gods' and 'Eight Greed Kings' that seem to be gods and devils respectively in this world.} Grandia said with a frown, {They sound as if they could possibly have been YGGDRASIL Players. We need more information about them.}

{Sadly, the information of an isolated village such as Carne isn't going to go much beyond what I've just told you.} Ains said with a mental sigh, {We will have to travel to the fortress city of E-Rantel in order to find out more about the world we now live in.}

{Agreed. Should I start interrogating the prisoners now?} She asked, eying the trussed up 'knights' who were glaring at her in a mix of fear and loathing.

{Yes. Make certain that we have all pertinent information from them.} The Guildmaster directed, {We can then give them over to the villagers for justice.}

{I'll get on it.} She promised before ending the conversation. Closing the doors and covering the windows, she smirked at her soon-to-be victims, who felt cold ice go down their spines at the cold expression on the woman's face.

"[Status Analysis]" she whispered, looking at the person who had seemed to be the second in command.

Name: Londes Di Clamp

Age: 25

Race: Human

Affiliation: Slane Theocracy, Sunlight Scripture

Rank: Knight-Sergeant

HP: 1256/1500

MP: 0/0

Overall Level: 23

Racial Level: None

Job Class Level: - Swordsman (10)

- Knight (3)

- Mercenary (2)

- Sergeant (6)

- Martial Artist (1)

- Disciple of the Wind God (1)

Karma: Neutral

This was a surprise for Grandia; she hadn't expected that particular spell to work, as this wasn't YGGDRASIL and these people weren't NPC's or mobs. Still, this was highly useful information. There were a couple of the Job Classes that she was unfamiliar with, mainly [Martial Artist] and [Disciple of the Wind God], so she pressed them.

[Martial Artist]

Allows the user to execute powerful physical attacks, defences and support moves. Requires [Any Warrior Class] (6) and [Knight] (2) in order to access.

[Disciple of the Wind God]

The user is an adherent to the God of the Wind of the Six Great Gods. Must be human in order to access.

'Again with these Six Great Gods.' The vampiress thought in irritation. She pulled herself away from her annoyance and turned her attention to the [Martial Arts] Job. It looked pretty damn good just from the basic outline, and as she had already maxed out the [Fencer] Job class, all she needed to do in order to receive it was to level up twice and take [Knight] both times in order to unlock it.

"So then… Londes Di Clamp." She said aloud, making the man in question jerk in surprise, "You are a member of the Sunlight Scripture of the Slane Theocracy, and yet you dress as a knight of the Baharuth Empire. Do tell me the reason why."

"I am under no obligation to answer your questions, woman, even if you were of the Theocracy!" He spat, "Let alone an unbeliever such as yourself!"

"Ah, a religious fanatic…how pedestrian." Grandia drawled as she slowly drew one of her rapiers, "You see, I come from another continent and I have never heard of these 'Six Great Gods' of which you speak. Illuminate me as to their greatness."

"Another…how foolish do you believe me to be?" Londes scoffed, "There is no other continent! And no one cannot have heard of the gods which we serve!"

"Humour me." The woman's voice hardened slightly, as, beneath her disguise, her eyes widened and emitted a pulse that made him open to suggestion from her.

His eyes dulled and he started to talk.

Later

Outskirts of Carne Village

Grandia and Ains walked next to each other as they both vocally discussed the defence of the village and mentally compared information that they had gained.

{…and that was all that they knew, Ains.} Grandia finished, {None of them knew who their target was, but just that it was someone high-up in the Re-Estize Kingdom's hierarchy. Presumably a strong knight or warrior noble of some sort.}

{Hmm. Good work. You did erase their memories, correct?} Ains asked.

{Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs.} The vampiress snorted, {Of course I did. That pathetic worm, Knight-Captain Belius, actually voided his bowls when I threatened him. What a coward.}

{Agreed.} the Lich nodded, {Whoever the target is, they have likely drawn him out; three sacked villages in less than a week would certainly have any honourable knight chafing at the bit to discover the culprits. We should expect them soon.}

Grandia nodded. If the Re-Estize Kingdom was anything like Feudal Europe, then a single village being burned wasn't anything to be worried about, but three within the span of seven days was of great concern, as the villages supplied grain and other produce to the fortress cities.

"Lord Ains, Lady Grandia." The village chief came up to them and bowed respectfully, "We cannot thank you enough for your aid in stopping the knights from wiping us out. Had you not intervened, we would all likely be dead."

"It was the right thing to do, Village Chief." Ains waved a hand casually, "If anything, we are sorry that we didn't arrive in time to save more lives."

"Such modesty. We really should have walls up, but our coffers are never plentiful enough to allow the expense." The man sighed, "Even a simple wooden palisade would have at least held them off for a while…"

A man came running over and stopped in front of the three of them, gasping for breath. "Ch-chief! Horsemen! Armed horsemen approach!"

Just then, Grandia received a [Message] from one of her scouts informing her of the same information, albeit in more detail. There were fifty armoured men on horseback approaching Carne village, although the armour was vastly different to the Baharuth Empire's. Rather than plate mail, they wore cuirass, gauntlets, faulds, leather boots with armour built into them and spaulders. Their leader was a powerfully built man with intense eyes and a short, well-maintained beard.

Mentally sending admonishments to her subordinates for not alerting her sooner, Grandia placed a hand on the hilt of one of her rapiers. "Well then, we shall just have to go and meet them then, shan't we?"

They were met at the location the horsemen seemed to be cantering towards by a group of volunteer soldiers from the men of the village, armed with weapons confiscated from the knights.

As the group of horsemen approached, Grandia observed the leader with her own eyes and was very impressed. His muscles were big, but not to the point of being large enough to slow him down in a fight and he held himself with the ease of an accomplished equestrian and had the aura of a commander about him.

"Hold!" Grandia shouted, drawing one of her weapons and pointing it at the incoming horsemen, "Identify yourselves. This village was recently attacked by raiders, so you will not pass without being confirmed as of the Re-Estize Kingdom."

Behind her, Ains lurked, ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice.

The leader nodded as he signalled his men to halt. "A wise precaution. I am the Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, personal bodyguard of his majesty King Lanposa III and the leader of these men, Gazef Stronoff. I have been ordered by the king to hunt down the Imperial Knights who have been sacking villages along the border."

"Village Chief, is this man known to you?" Grandia called back.

"Y-Yes. Even out here on the fringes of the kingdom, the name of Gazef Stronoff is well known." The man replied, looking a bit awed at the Warrior-Captain.

"Very well." The disguised vampiress sheathed her weapon and stood aside, "Welcome to Carne Village. The raiders killed a third of the village before Lord Ains and I intervened. We also have some prisoners that you will be interested in."

A savage grin flew across Gazef's face at that. "My lady, kindly lead me to them."

Later

Village Chief's Home

Ains, Grandia, the Village Chief and Gazef stood around the table as the Warrior-Captain stewed at what he had found out from the 'knights'.

"Those…so-called knights…were sent to lure me out here." The man growled, "The worst part is that they have succeeded and I do not dare lead my men away, or else they will resume attacking villages simply out of spite. Damn the Slane Theocracy!"

"Warrior-Captain, can you think of a reason why the Theocracy would be after you?" Ains asked.

Gazef snorted. "The Theocracy helped to empower the Re-Estize kingdom before the nobility of the Kingdom became decadent and corrupt. It is likely that my death is intended to reduce the morale of the common fighting men of the small standing army that we possess, as well as the citizenry. That will allow the Baharuth Empire to conquer the Kingdom far easier than if I were to take the field against them."

"I find myself wishing something permanent to be done about the Slane Theocracy." Grandia growled, "Using such barbaric and dishonourable tactics is a disgrace to all concepts of honour."

"You are in good company then, my lady Grandia." The Warrior-Captain said with a sigh, "Sadly, I do not know when or where they might strike at next."

"I suspect the answer is 'here and now,' as I detect several dozen Magic Casters approaching Carne Village as we speak." Ains said with a frown as Grandia forwarded him a report from her scouts telling him that a group of Magic Casters was indeed approaching.

"What?!" Gazef barked, "Where?!"

Ains pointed out of a window and the rest peered out of it, seeing men dressed in black and grey robes approaching, with bright forms of light flying above them.

"So these are the Magic Casters of the Sunlight Scripture?" Grandia questioned Gazef.

"Yes. They are heartless exterminators who have wiped out countless Demi-human villages at the behest of the Dragon Kingdom." The Warrior-Captain growled, "It seems that they have even turned on their fellow humans now. Damn, if only I had my true equipment!"

"Your true equipment?" Ains queried.

"As the Strongest Warrior in the Kingdom, I am permitted to carry the Five Treasures of Re-Estize into battle." He explained, "The Amulet of Immortality, the Gauntlets of Endurance, the Guardian Armour, the Razor Edge and the Mantle of Succour. I would normally wear them on a mission of this importance, but the King was pressured into forbidding me from wearing them on this mission, as the nobles care not for what becomes of the commoners."

"It sounds as if you have some people working for the Slane Theocracy in your capital, Warrior-Captain." Ains said slowly, "Alternatively it could be the other way around…"

"I would assay that they are both using each other, with the Theocracy coming out ahead of the deal." The man snorted, "Let's see….about fifty Magic Casters…and half that of those Angels."

"I recognise those angels…they are called [Archangel Flames]." Grandia said with a frown.

"What can you tell me about them?" the Warrior-Captain asked intently.

"Well…the summoner must be proficient in Third Tier Magic in order to summon them." She started, "Their strength is somewhat linked to that of their summoner, so your men might have an advantage there. Sadly, they are resistant against mundane physical attacks and that large four-winged angel floating behind the rest? That is a [Principality Observation], a higher-ranked angel that increases the defence of all units within its line of sight as long as it remains stationary. If you were to send your men against them, then I guarantee that they will die."

Gazef sighed. "As I feared. Would be that I had some Magic Casters with me, but few deign to join the Warrior Troop and fewer still remain."

{Ains, having this man in our debt could be of vital importance.} Grandia said urgently.

{You think so? It sounds as if his position at court is somewhat tenuous.} The Lich said thoughtfully.

{If we send him back with prisoners and an unharmed troop, his position will be more secure and those who mocked him will be forced to back down, publically at least.} She argued, {This is my plan…}

Ains listened as she outlined it before nodding slowly. {That sounds like a variation on my own plan, except more caring about casualties. You truly believe that this is a good idea?}

{Yes.} Grandia said firmly.

{Then I shall make the opening move.} He said before speaking aloud, "Warrior-Captain, I believe I may be of some assistance in this matter."

"Oh?"

"Grandia."

"Of course." The woman nodded before reaching behind her to pull several bottles of different coloured liquid from her pack; blue, brown, yellow and red.

"These are magic potions that increase your strength, constitution, speed and luck." Ains explained, "And if you are willing to hear me out, I have a plan that will be enough to deceive the enemy…"

Minutes Later

With the Sunlight Scripture

"Captain Nigun!"

Nigun Grid Liun, Captain of the Sunlight Scripture, paused in his thoughts as one of his men shouted his name.

"What is it?" he snapped. He had been thinking how to get revenge on the Adamantine Adventurer Group Blue Rose for giving him the scar on his face when he had been interrupted and he wasn't happy about it.

"The target is heading towards us on horseback!" the man said excitedly, "Completely alone!"

This perked his interest. Why would the ever-cautious Warrior-Captain charge out here alone, unless…ah.

'So he figures that if he dies alone out here, we'll leave the villagers alone.' Nigun sneered, 'Sadly for him, we have a 'no witnesses left alive' order, so that will not be happening. Well, better prepare a suitable welcoming committee for him.'

"Prepare to attack!" he ordered, making the Magic Casters scramble to obey.

With Gazef

The Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom had never felt full of so much energy and power, he recalled the potions he had drunk and the numerous spells cast upon him be Lady Grandia and Lord Ains.

[Shield Wall]

[Lesser Strength]

[Magic Ward: Holy]

[Luck Up]

[Wall of Protection from Arrows]

[Enchant Blade: Keen Edge]

[Paranormal Intuition]

Those were the only ones he could remember, but there had been at least two more, maybe a third. He had seen Magic Casters before, but the variety of the spells the two had cast on him was astounding.

'And Lady Grandia says she is no Magic Caster!' he chuckled. She had to be capable of at least Third Tier Magic, if not the rarely-reached Fourth Tier. Lord Ains…now there was a powerful one. He had to be a Sixth Tier Caster, a hidden rarity in the land.

He narrowed his eyes as he approached the Sunlight Scripture lines. There were slightly fewer of them than he had estimated but not by many. The number of [Archangel Flames], as Lady Grandia had called them, was spot on, however.

Each angel carried a fiery sword of holy energy in one and hovered in the air on fiery wings, their halo floating behind their heads. The blank expression on their red visors left a chill down Gazef's spine.

He drew the sword at his side. It was not Razor Edge, but it was the sword that had been with him for most of his career as a warrior before receiving the Treasure Sword. It had never failed him before now and, thanks to the magic cast on it by Lady Grandia, he knew it would not fail him now.

'Remember, Warrior-Captain,' he recalled Lady Grandia's final words to him before he set out, 'Even with that enhancement on your blade, cutting apart an [Archangel Flame] will not be easy. Fight as if you had no tomorrow. Show the Sunlight Scripture why you are the strongest swordsman in the Re-Estize Kingdom.'

His other hand clutched the small item Lord Ains had given him with the admonishment to keep it on him by any and all means. He didn't understand why he was to do so, but he had faith in the Magic Caster's plan.

Tucking the small idol-like object into his pouch, Gazef Stronoff kicked his horse from a canter into a full-blown gallop, roaring a war-cry at the top of his lungs as he charged the line of assassins.

"[Martial Art: Body Enhancement]," he muttered, his body glowing yellow for an instant, "[Martial Art: Possibility Sense], [Martial Art: Sense Weakness]."

One raised his hand and a blue magic circle appeared. The next thing he knew, Gazef was being sent flying from his rearing horse. Must have been the Second Tier Spell [Riot Mount]. He flipped and landed on his feet with surprising agility for a man weighed down with armour.

Almost immediately, an [Archangel Flame] swooped down at him, seeking to impale him with its sword of light.

"[Martial Art: Focus Battle Aura]!" he roared, his blade turning red as he leapt forwards at a speed that the angelic monster had no way of seeing, let alone reacting to. With one mighty cleave of his blade, Gazef bisected the [Archangel Flame] from head to groin, the monster dispersing into light.

"Hmmm…is that it? Is that the strength of your so-called 'holy messengers'?!" he shouted as he raised his blade, "I am not impressed!"

Once more, he charged forwards, aiming towards the only man in the entire unit not wearing a mask or helmet. That kind of hubris meant he almost had to be the commander. He had pale blue eyes, closely-cropped blond hair and had a vertical scar running down his left cheek.

Four more angels dive-bombed him at once and he saw red. "Out of my way! [Martial Art: Six-Fold Slash of Light]!"

Bringing his sword down in a vertical slash, he caused six blades of light to appear and cut through the attacking monsters, destroying them, even as more started to pile in.

"[Instant Counter]!" Gazef yelled immediately, his arms swinging his blade without his mind ordering it to slice through yet another [Archangel Flame] before he leapt into the air and shouted, "[Flow Acceleration]!"

Spinning like a top, three more were sliced to pieces, dissolving as he fell, landing heavily on the ground. Ordinarily, he would be somewhat winded by this exertion, but thanks to the potions he had taken, he was still as fresh as a daisy.

"That was rather impressive, Gazef Stronoff." The presumptive leader of the Scripture sneered at him, "To have mastered so many offence-oriented Martial Arts skills is truly impressive, but it isn't enough! Summon the next wave of angels and focus all magical attacks on him! In my, Nigun's name, slay him!"

"'Not enough', is it? We shall see if it is enough when I cleave your head from your shoulders, Captain of the Sunlight Scripture!" Gazef barked back, "[Martial Art: Full Throttle]!"

His body glowed red and he leapt forwards, his speed even faster than before as he sliced at the commander of the unit which had victimised Demi-humans and his country for far too long. An [Archangel Flame] attempted to intercept him, but the Warrior-Captain cut through it without even pausing.

"[Magic Shield]!" Nigun shrieked, creating a grey shield in front of him to stop Gazef from striking him.

The Warrior-Captain lashed out in a fury, his blade moving so fast it was a blur. [Full Throttle] allowed him to double his current speed for a while and he was still under the effect of [Body Enhancement], as well as the speed potion, so it was a significant boost. Bit by bit, he carved the shield into shreds, until the wide-eyed captain of the Sunlight Scripture was vulnerable before him.

"[Shockwave]!"

"[Holy Ray]!"

Two voices to the side shouted out spells that struck him, sending Gazef flying. He rolled over the ground before flipping nimbly to his feet, unharmed. Thanks to the [Shield Wall], [Wall of Protection from Arrows] and [Magic Ward: Holy] that his two allies had cast on him, that had barely been a love tap. All the damage he had received was just a slight scuff on his armour.

"Kill him!" Nigun screamed, "KILL HIM!"

And so the battle raged on, the Magic Casters coming to drive back Gazef through sheer weight of numbers, along with more [Archangel Flames]. It was somewhat irritating for the Warrior-Captain that no matter how many he slew, more would just take their places. Cowardly, distasteful but effective tactics indeed.

Eventually, Gazef fell to one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood. His magical protections had run out and he was not truly exhausted. His armour was beaten, battered and broken in places and his blade was notched in two places. Still, this was the best he had fought in his life and he had managed to slay several of the Magic Casters that had been spawning the [Archangel Flames], so that was something at least.

"Wh…what kind of unholy monster are you?!" Nigun demanded, pasty-faced, "You are bereft of your best equipment and are alone, yet…how?! How were you able to fight like that?!"

The Warrior-Captain managed a smug grin. "Heh…having powerful Magic Caster allies helps…allow me to give you a warning, dog of the Slane Theocracy…you may have defeated me, however…there are two people in that village whose strength exceeds my own!"

"Silence! You will die here and the villagers you are so desperate to protect will die along with you!" Nigun raged.

"Captain Nigun!" one of his subordinates shouted, pointing at Gazef urgently, "Look!"

Confused, Gazef looked down and saw that his body was glowing silver. When he looked up, he was in a house, surrounded by his wide-eyed men.

"Warrior-Captain!"

"Are you alright?!"

"Here, sir, drink this potion!" his second-in-command thrust a deep-red coloured potion into his hand, "Lady Grandia said it would heal your wounds!"

Trusting in that, he gulped it down and was astonished to feel better almost immediately. His wounds closed up and he felt…relaxed, for lack of a better term.

He tried to get up but ended up on one knee instead.

"Easy there sir." His second said firmly, "Lady Grandia also told me that it would do nothing to restore your stamina. She said that she and Lord Ains would handle the murdering scum out there for you."

"Heh…" the exhausted Warrior-Captain chuckled weakly, "Then…may the Four Gods…have mercy on them…for Lord Ains and Lady Grandia…shall have none."

With that, the exhausted man retreated into blissful unconsciousness.

With Grandia.

Her cape flapping in the wind, Grandia Bloodragon stared down the incensed man who was presumably the leader of the Sunlight Scripture. Next to her, Ains stood casually, not worried in the slightest about their enemies. Behind him, Albedo stood, clad in her black full-plate armour, just as Exia stood behind Grandia.

She had been watching Gazef fight and was very, very impressed by his exhibition of Martial Arts skills. They were not necessarily stronger than Skills were, but they were certainly incredibly useful in a fight. She estimated that Gazef would be a warrior in the mid-forties level-wise, and that the addition of his [Martial Arts] skills to that would likely allow him to fight somewhat on par with her for a while, if he wore his fancy equipment.

She quickly assessed the field and saw that, of the forty-five men (Leader to one side) in the Sunlight Scripture, five had been slain outright and several others were badly wounded. Including the thirty-two [Archangel Flames] that Gazef had destroyed, that added up to a heck of a lot of experience points for him. She wondered if he had levelled up.

"You…who are you?!" the man in charge of the enemies snapped.

"Good day to you, people of the Slane Theocracy." The disguised Lich said politely, "My name is Ains Ooal Gown, but you may call me Ains. My charming companion here is Grandia Bloodragon."

The Sunlight Scripture Magic Casters shivered as they felt something…off…about him.

"I have a bit of a relationship with that village back there." He continued.

"Have you come to beg for the lives of the villagers?" the man sneered.

"Far from it…Nigun Gird Liun." Grandia said, having muttered [Appraise Being] under her breath while Ains was talking, "The numerous villages you have sacrificed on the altar of your bigotry speak for any mercy you might have."

"Just so." Ains agreed pleasantly, "We were using magic to listen in on your little conversation with the Warrior-Captain. I must say, you certainly have some balls, little man. We went out of our way to save that village and you wish to raze it? I certainly cannot think of something more offensive to me at this point. What say you, Grandia?"

"I couldn't agree more." She answered her friend with a savage grin, "A gentleman does not make a lady's hard work go to waste. Exia, Albedo? What say you?"

"If it is the will of our Supreme beings that the village of lesser lifeforms live, then it shall be so." Albedo said swiftly.

"Your will is my own, Lady Grandia." Exia said with a nod, "And your will shall be done."

"Offensive is it?!" Nigun snarled, too angry to worry about why the woman knew his name, "Big words for a lone Magic Caster against over thirty-to-one odds! Plus three mere women against all these angels! Do enlighten me as to what you intend to do about it?!"

"Offer your lives to me without resistance." Ains said simply, "If you do so, I can promise you will be well treated."

"This is a limited time offer, so you had better decide." Grandia added smugly, "Conversely, refuse and you will suffer before you die."

The vein popping up on Nigun's head couldn't be healthy. "Angels, attack them!"

Two [Archangel Flames] apiece charged at Ains and Grandia, the former seemingly being skewered, while the latter being concealed by their bodies.

"Hah. That's the just deserts for bluffing!" Nigun sneered before looking closely at the scene before him. The angels were shaking, struggling to get away…why?

"I believe I said 'without resistance'." Ains said simply, making Nigun's eyes widen at the fact he was still alive, "You really should listen to the warnings of others more carefully."

"What the-?!"

"This can't be real! He stopped two angel attacks simultaneously!"

"[High-Tiered Physical Nullification]. A passive skill that nullifies the physical attacks of low-level weapons and monsters." The Magic Caster remarked before grabbing the heads of the [Archangel Flames] and slamming them down to the ground, destroying them instantly.

"Captain Nigun! The woman!" one shouted.

Nigun turned to see the seemingly delicate blond-haired woman holding the angels off, with one finger each, the tip of her finger stopping the thrust of the swords easily.

"In my case, [High-Tiered Holy Resistance] means that these low-level trash angels cannot so much as scratch me with their meagre holy power." She informed the stunned Sunlight Scripture before lightly pushing the angels back and slamming her fist into each of them, dispersing them into motes of light even as they were flung into the air like broken rag dolls.

'What…what kind of monsters am I dealing with here?' Nigun thought numbly, 'First Gazef, now these two!'

"While I am interested in learning how you are able to use the same magic and summon the same monsters as in YGGDRASIL, I will put it to one side for the moment." Ains said as he straightened up, "Albedo, Exia, Grandia, move away. It's my turn. Here I go…it'll be a massacre!"

"Divide the angels in two!" Nigun shouted, "Half at the Caster, half at the woman!"

As Grandia and the two NPC's jumped out of his range, Ains chose his spell carefully. He didn't want to kill steal, after all.

"[Negative Burst]!"

A dome of black negative energy exploded out of around him, annihilating the attacking angels in an instant.

"[Skill: Maze of Steel]!" Grandia declared, drawing one rapier. Her arm blurred as the angels drew close to her and they all vanished in an explosion of motes of light. Casually sheathing the weapon, she shrugged.

{Just as easy as it would have been back in YGGDRASIL.} She remarked to Ains.

{Quite. Let us see what else he has up his sleeve.} Her friend said.

The Sunlight Scripture were, to put it bluntly, gobsmacked. Over thirty angels, wiped out in mere seconds, one set by a powerful spell they had never even heard of before and the other set by a physical attack that was unlike any Martial Art any of them had ever heard of.

"Impossible…" Nigun breathed in disbelief. He recalled Gazef's words, that two people in the village of Carne were stronger than him. He had taken it as a bluff at first, but this…this was proof that, if anything, he had been understating things!

"[Holy Ray]!"

"[Shockwave]!"

"[Poison]!"

"[Rain of Fire]!"

"[Confusion]!"

"[Charge of Stalagmite]!"

"[Open Wounds]!"

"[Fire]!"

"[Word of Curse]!"

"[Blindness]!"

As the Magic Casters attacked using basic magic attacks, both Ains and Grandia stood still, not even bothering to dodge or block them. In Ains' case, he had a high enough Magic Defence that the spells simply couldn't harm him, as they were all Second or Third Tier magics, from fairly weak Magic Casters to boot. The effects of the offensive ones washed off him like melting ice and the rest didn't effect undead.

In Grandia's case, she had swapped out all of her Divine-class equipment for ones she had made using [Create Greater Item], which had a number of effects that, while not as powerful as that of her true equipment, was still more than enough to protect her greatly from the offensive spells arcing out at her. As with Ains, she was an undead, meaning most of the other spells didn't work on her.

"All of these are spells from YGGDRASIL, Lord Ains." Grandia spoke aloud.

"Hm. Indeed. Where did you learn these spells?!" Ains demanded.

"Heeee!" one Magic Caster abandoned spells altogether and shot at Ains with a slingshot in a panic.

Just before it reached its target, a black blur sped in front of Ains and the pebble as ricocheted back at its firer at even greater speeds, smashing his head open like a watermelon.

"What…what just happened here?" Nigun asked in confusion as the headless corpse dropped to the ground, fountaining blood like a geyser.

As Ains and Albedo conversed, Grandia sighed. Albedo had used one of the skills from a Job Class, [Shield Lord's] [Missile Reflection] skill. Like the name suggests, the class focusses on defence, raising physical defence by a large margin, but it also allowed the user to act as a shield for other people. Combining the [Body Shield] skill with [Missile Reflection] had allowed Albedo to interpose herself in front of Ains and fire the pebble back at its originator, dealing double damage with a high chance of a critical hit.

"Captain Nigun, nothing we do is working! What are your orders?!" one Magic Caster yelled almost hysterically. They were used to having the upper hand, sitting back and watching their angels cut their foes to pieces and perhaps summoning another few angels if the enemy were particularly skilled. Now the boot was on the other foot, and they didn't like it at all.

"[Principality Observation]! Get them!" Nigun ordered. There was no point in keeping the angel sitting there with no units to use its passive effect on.

The Third Sphere Angel clasped its hands before it and summoned its weapon, a large mace glowing with holy energy, and floated forward, towards Ains. Rearing back, it brought its weapon down in a might swing.

Ains simply reached up and blocked it, his [High-Tiered Physical Nullification] working on the slightly more powerful angel as well.

"These lower lifeforms are starting to rouse my anger with their attacks towards you and Lord Ains, my lady." Exia said in a low growl.

"Patience, little one." Grandia whispered back, "Ains and I are enjoying ourselves. There should be nothing these fools can do to harm us, so let us play with our prey."

"As you will it." The Kobold bowed slightly.

"Dear oh dear." Ains said in an almost bored fashion, "I suppose I had better retaliate."

Raising one finger on his free hand and pointing it at the angel, he said, "[Hell Flame]."

A small ember of black fire appeared and floated towards the angel. As soon as it touched the [Principality Observation], the flame grew instantly to cover the body of the angel and consuming it in seconds before vanishing.

"In…one…hit?!" Nigun stammered in disbelief, "Impossible! A high-level angel can't be killed by a single spell! It isn't possible!"

"Sir…?!" one man asked fearfully.

The scar-faced man thought for a moment before reaching inside his tunic and bringing out an azure-blue crystal the size of two large clenched fists. "We'll summon the highest-level of angel!"

At this, both Ains and Grandia tensed. The highest level of angel was the [Seraph Empyrean], a being so powerful at Level 100 that both of them would have to fight all-out in order to win. Even if it wasn't that, the other two angels of the First Sphere, the [Seraph Aesphere] and the [Cherubim Gatekeeper] were strong enough in their own right to be troublesome opponents.

{Ains, that crystal he's holding…} Grandia said worryingly.

{Yes…it's a sealing crystal that can have any spell other than Over-rank Magic sealed within it.} The Lich replied calmly, {To think they have items from YGGDRASIL as well…put your guard up. If it is a Seraph-class angel, we will attack as soon as it is summoned.}

"Albedo, use your skill and protect me." He ordered the succubus, who moved to obey at once.

"Exia, get ready for combat." Grandia ordered tensely. The kunoichi raised her hands to clasp the hilts of her weapons as she awaited her mistress' order to attack.

During this time, the glow of the crystal had grown steadily until it was almost blinding with its light.

"Now, behold the shining form of the highest class of angels!" Nigun smiled fanatically, "DOMINION AUTHORITY!"

Both Grandia and Ains' brains blanked at that. Like, what?

A grand appearance formed before them. Several pairs of wings wrapped around it as a heavenly scent was emitted. A long tablet shaped like a stave was clutched in its two hands and a great holy seal covered its face.

"So…this angel is your greatest trump card?" Ains said in disbelief.

Grandia waved Exia back out of combat readiness. Seriously? A [Dominion Authority], while definitely a step up from the previous two angels, was still only about level 40-50 at best. She could kill it with a single attack, as could Ains. Sure, it could hurt them, but not to a debilitating or even remotely serious degree.

"Indeed! I have deemed you worthy of using the treasure of the Wind God on you!" Nigun said proudly.

"I am speechless." Ains said, facepalming lightly.

"You say this is a treasure from the Wind God?" Grandia asked carefully as she walked over to stand next to Ains, "Is it perhaps something that he left behind when he ascended?"

"Just so!" the Sunlight Scripture Captain agreed, "Rarely is it used due to its status as a relic, but this mission is critical enough to have it deployed. If you are both afraid, it cannot be helped! Before the might of one of my God's servants, you cannot help but tremble!"

"This situation is ridiculous." Ains said as he removed his hand and glared at Nigun through his [Mask of Envy], "To think I was on guard against such child's play…"

"Wha…what do you…?" Nigun stammered.

"Allow me to educate you, fool." Grandia said coldly, "There are three Spheres of Angels, each denoting a degree of power. At the bottom is the Third Sphere, the Heavenly Messengers, where [Archangel Flames] and the [Principality Observation] are ranks. Next is the Second Sphere, the Heavenly Governors, where the [Dominion Authority] is ranked. While more powerful than the Third Sphere, it is not the highest rank. At the top is the First Sphere, the Heavenly Counsellors, which holds the most powerful angels. What you have there is a child's toy compared to their power!"

"A…the holy relic…child's toy…?" Nigun's eyes were twitching like fury as his rage warred with his fear, "No…you're bluffing! You must be! [Dominion Authority]! Use [Holy Smite]!"

At its master's command, the tablet shattered and turned into a golden ring that surrounded it as it charged up the spell.

"This is a Seventh Tier spell that was used to slay a Demon Lord!" Nigun sneered, but he was full of fear, so it made him appear desperate instead of arrogant, "This is power beyond what humans can achieve or fight against! Taste the power of god, unbelievers!"

In a flash of bluish-white light, both Ains and Grandia were engulfed in a pillar made of heavily concentrated holy magic. The vampiress stumbled and felt her HP drop for the first time since she came to this new world. She actually felt pain as well. Ordinarily, she disliked pain, but there was something about this pain that was exciting. She confirmed that she wasn't invulnerable, that she could be hurt by sufficient amounts of force.

Unconsciously, she started to chuckle, then burst into explosive laughter, even as Ains did the same.

"Ha…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed, "So this is what it feels like to take damage! This is actual pain!"

"Indeed…it's been so long…" Grandia said as she rotated her head as if getting a crick out of it.

At this, Albedo and Exia exploded with rage.

"YOU LOWER LIFEFORMS!" The Guardian Supervisor screamed, a massive wave of negative energy rising around her.

"You….shall pay…!" Exia seethed, the shadow of a large wolf-like creature standing on its hind legs appeared behind her, blue eyes glowing with rage, "You dare harm my mistress?! You dare harm a Supreme One?! Your lives are forfeit for this action, human scum!"

"You hurt Lord Ains! You hurt Lady Grandia! My love and my sister!" Albedo wailed in fury, "Know your place, you trash!"

"Albedo, Exia, calm yourselves!" Grandia ordered.

"Quite." Ains moved forward and placed a hand on Albedo's armoured shoulder, "It's fine Albedo. Aside from the unexpected weakness of the angels, everything is moving according to my plan."

"Should I deal with this pathetic excuse for an opponent?" Grandia asked.

Ains shook his head. "It will be quicker if I do it. [Black Hole]!"

As he reached out one hand, a black sphere the size of a basketball appeared in mid-air between him and the [Dominion Authority]. Although it tried to resist, the mid-level angel was dragged into the small gravity sphere and vanished in a white explosion.

Nigun was too far gone to do more than whisper, "A power that exceeds Demon Lords…who…what are you?!"

"Ains Ooal Gown." The disguised Lich said solemnly, "In the past, there were none who did not know this name."

"And so it shall be once again." Grandia added, "Now…what should we do with you…?"

The Sunlight Scripture gulped, to a man.

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Next Chapter: The Legend of Ains Ooal Gown

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