Starting from Ainz Ooal Gown, simultaneously traveling through time

Chapter 205 Finally Reaching the Eighth Floor

The three thousand people easily passed through the first six levels; the obstacles ahead were nothing to them.

Then, they went up to the seventh floor.

The seventh level of the Great Tomb of Nazarick is filled with molten lava.

The air seemed to glow red; this was a red world, with lava rivers flowing, shimmering with the light of crimson lotuses.

There is an environmental effect that continuously inflicts fire damage. Even when the environment is closed, the scorching air can easily strip moisture from the throat and skin. Even freshly dripped sweat will evaporate instantly, causing fatigue to accumulate continuously.

It is not a world where the living can easily survive; it is a hellish world.

【Lava River】, a winding river formed by the convergence of lava, hot and dangerous.

The fiery lava river meandered beneath our feet, the air thick with the smell of sulfur, and the red glow made everyone's faces flush red. Sweat evaporated as soon as it appeared, leaving behind a fine layer of salt frost.

This is the domain protected by the domain guardian, [Red Lotus].

Because it is a colossal Naraku Slime, its body is too large to move freely; it can only serve as the last line of defense to hold off the enemy.

When the Crimson Lotus rose from the lava, everyone was stunned. Its body almost filled half of the lava river, and every wriggling motion stirred up towering waves of lava.

Furthermore, a demon known as the "Wrathful Demon General" led hordes of low- to mid-level demons out from the shadows, attempting to stop this army that had become bloodthirsty.

But they only lasted for less than ten minutes. Crimson Lotus was blasted into pieces by the combined magic of hundreds of mages, Wrathful Demon was cleaved in two by Gazef's sword, and the low- and mid-level demons were swept away like autumn leaves.

Nothing could stop the frenzied attack of these 3000 players.

However, by now, some of the 3000 players have died, about 50 of them.

So to be precise, there are now 2950 players remaining.

These 2950 players fought their way through the seventh floor and stormed into the eighth floor.

They simply walked forward, into that desolate wilderness, and the eighth floor was the final battleground that the flying squirrel had set up for these players.

The eighth level of the Great Tomb of Nazarick is a desolate wasteland.

There were no dense forests, no lava fields, no ice fields. Only yellow sand, withered trees, and a hazy gray sky.

The wind blew across the open field, whipping up fine sand that stung our faces. There was nothing here, yet everyone knew that there was everything here.

The flying squirrel stood under a peculiar tree. The tree was not tall, but its branches were gnarled and twisted, and golden patterns flowed on its bark, like blood vessels, like nerves, like something alive.

【Kabbalah Tree of Life】.

Its roots penetrate deep into the very bottom of Nazarick, and its branches reach towards the eighth-level dome, like a clenched fist.

Many people were standing under the tree.

Shalltear, Aura, Mare, Sebastian, Albedo, Demiurge, and Cocytus—his body had just reformed.

All the guardians who had died were now standing here. Ainz Ooal Gown had spent countless gold coins on them, pulling those dissipated souls back from the dead one by one.

Because the eighth floor needs them.

Moreover, besides them, there is a particularly special floor guardian.

That is the guardian of the eighth floor, Victim.

Victim stood at the very front. Its appearance resembled an extremely mutated baby with an exceptionally large head, and it was about 1 meter long.

It also has a long tail, its skin is a bright pink, it has an angelic halo on its head, and it has dry, featherless wings on its back.

It looked up at the flying squirrel, its large eyes showing no fear, only a quiet, almost pious calm.

"Victim," Momonga's voice was soft, "I'm sorry to trouble you with this."

Victim shook his head, his voice soft and gentle, like a child who had just learned to speak. "Lord Ainz, I exist for this purpose, you don't need to apologize."

Momonga was silent for a moment. He knew that what Victim said was true. This weak and seemingly vulnerable guardian's only purpose in life was to die.

Its death triggers a special effect, applying a powerful, unavoidable binding to all enemies entering the eighth level.

That kind of restraint is enough to turn the most agile thief into a snail, and the fastest swordsman into a wooden stake, and then, [those] can be harvested.

The flying squirrel knew this was its mission, the meaning of its creation, but death was still death. No matter how indifferent it seemed, the flying squirrel still felt something stuck in its chest.

If his guild is strong enough that no one dares to invade, then there's no need to sacrifice anyone.

The flying squirrel turned its head and looked at the other person.

【Oreille Omega】.

She was dressed in the traditional shrine maiden attire of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom, white on top and red on the bottom, with long, ink-black hair tied back with white paper tethers, standing quietly in the shade of the Kabbalah Tree of Life.

She is the only level 100 NPC in the [Ainz Ooal Gown] guild besides the floor guardians, and also the most important supporter in Nazarick.

Her profession is that of a specialized battlefield commander, which endows her with the ability to provide various buffs to "those" on the eighth floor, enhancing their attack, defense, speed, and magic resistance. With her, "those" can reach a new level of power.

"Aurelia, I've entrusted the genuine [Ainz Ooal Gown's Staff] to you for safekeeping. Also, provide blessings for [those]." Ainz paused. "Thank you for your hard work."

Aurel bowed deeply. "Lord Momonga, please rest assured."

That staff, [Ainz Ooal Gown's Staff], is the symbol of the guild. If it is destroyed, the guild will disband. In the past few days, Ainz Ooal Gown made a replica by hand and hid the real one in the safest place.

Momonga is currently holding a replica; he has hidden the real one here, in the safest place in Nazarick, in the [Sakura Sanctuary] under Aurelia's control.

This is a place that cannot be reached by normal means, and even wearing a guild ring does not allow for direct teleportation.

As long as the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown remains intact, the guild will not disband, and as long as the guild exists, Nazarick will still exist.

Flying Squirrel took one last look at everyone.

The floor guardians, the domain guardians, the tens of thousands of mercenary monsters built with gold coins—that was obtained by almost emptying the treasure hall's treasury.

Countless low- to mid-level undead and demons stood densely packed on the wasteland, like a silent forest.

And then there are those beings imprisoned under the Kabbalah Tree of Life.

He set up the largest formation in Nazarick's history; the mountains of gold coins were empty, and the shelves of the treasure hall were wide enough for rats to run across, but he didn't care.

Gold coins can be earned again, and equipment can be reforged, but there is only one Nazarick.

"Prepare for battle," he said.

Behind him, all the guardians drew their weapons at the same time, and tens of thousands of mercenary monsters surged out of the shadows like a silent black ocean.

The seal beneath the Kabbalah Tree of Life is beginning to loosen, and the most terrifying beings are awakening.

Outside the eighth floor, footsteps grew closer, and in the flying squirrel's eye sockets, a calm red light burned.