Mare had mastered the disciple of disaster class, earning its ace move.
A weaker version of the world disaster’s ultimate move.
Its name: Micro-catastrophe.
It required a vast reserve of mana, but the raw destructive force outperformed Ainz’s super-tier spells. Naturally, this paled in comparison to the Macro-catastrophe. But the resulting pure energy blast blew away everything around and was more than strong enough.
✦ ✦ ✦
In that instant, No Death was hit by a tremendous impact.
Shit, I’m dead, her instincts cried.
The raging force vaporized the elemental.
At last, she got it. The elemental was neither there to fight the Einherjar nor to allow the girl’s escape. It was bait, forcing her to stand in the path of this emission of pure violence.
A moment after the elemental went down, her double did as well.
And then—
Not yet! I’m not dying here! I refuse!
In that vortex of destruction, giving up might have been easier. But No Death clung to life with everything she had. Yet—her mind faded. A moment ago, she’d felt as if her body was being torn apart—but that pain was gone. She couldn’t tell where she was or which way was up.
Is this what death feels like?
What the fuck?
Those were No Death’s thoughts on the matter.
Had she not been about to put her life on the line?
Throw every last bit of strength she had into a battle against a villainous state’s horrific plot, all to protect her homeland?
Cowards.
Sure, that was her selfish take on it. Even as her mind faded out, she knew the truth of the matter. But what else could she call it?
The death of the elemental was no comfort. That had never been anything but a pawn to sacrifice. At best, it had been deemed a worthy loss to take out the Theocracy’s finest warrior.
Who was that girl?
If she was from the Nation of Darkness, how much of this was the evil king’s scheme?
This was defeat.
Not because she’d fallen to her enemy’s spell. She had not even been allowed to risk her life, and the humiliation of that could never be overcome.
Horrid.
She didn’t want this.
She didn’t want defeat.
She’d never wanted to learn what it was like to lose.
She’d simply wanted to reject her own strength. Or—perhaps her mother.
The blood in her own veins. What going unloved had given her.
But if that cursed strength let her protect what mattered…
Then perhaps, her mother might relent.
She was finally motivated.
Only for it to crumble.
I just have to hope…the Nation…isn’t involved…
And then it all went black.