My family runs an adventurer's guild.

"...It's a pity they're all useless combat weapons, completely unusable!"

"Sister Comedy" Clementine, like a cat, stuck out her tongue and licked the back of her hand, nonchalantly commenting, "...magic candlesticks, magic bottles, miniature hound golems, and glass flowers that play music...they're worth a little money, but they don't improve combat power..."

"...A glass flower that plays music? You've got the wrong thing! It's actually a magic pool that can store enormous amounts of energy!"

Kajit's wrinkled old face broke into a smile that looked more like a grimace. "...While it's not quite as good as the [Wise Man's Crown], it's barely enough to activate the [Rite of Death]—to prevent any unforeseen complications, let's hold the ceremony tonight and sacrifice this city to Death!"

At this point, Ainz Ooal Gown's massive army had only just reached a position where they could see the walls of the fortress city of Yelantil.

Chapter 155, The Enemy at the Gates

In the afternoon, a vast, fantastical army appeared on the outskirts of the fortress city of Ye Lantier.

This plunged the city, which had just been suppressed by the rulers with iron-fisted methods, into fear and turmoil once again.

Standing atop the outer city wall, looking out at the massive enemy army charging towards them, Mayor Panasore couldn't help but gasp.

"...God! What did I see? Orcs, elves, death knights, spider monsters? Demons... bone dragons?!"

In an instant, the pot-bellied, balding middle-aged fat man was so frightened that his soul almost left his body, and his bloated fat began to tremble violently.

"...How did the enemy leader manage to gather undead, cannibalistic monsters, and human soldiers under his command all at once?"

Beside the mayor, Burdon-Ainzak, the guild master of the adventurers' guild in the fortress city of Ye-Lantir, wondered in bewilderment.

As a seasoned adventurer with extensive experience, Guild Master Ainzak was well aware that while different kinds of monsters and alien races posed threats and troubles to humans, the relationships between various monsters were never harmonious.

Many of these monsters are sworn enemies. A single encounter can turn into a life-or-death struggle, a relentless battle.

Getting many different races of monsters, aliens, and humans to live in harmony, even for a short period of time, is an extremely difficult task.

Not to mention, in the enemy ranks outside the city, there are so many undead creatures, the natural enemies of all living beings.

Unless... there is some terrifying being above them that can easily suppress any discontent and force them to submit.

"...Could it be...that within the enemy's ranks there truly is an ancient mage king whose history surpasses even that of the [Six Great Gods]?"

Guild Master Ainzak sighed, "...What an unimaginable existence this will be!"

"...The demon god and thirteen heroes from two hundred years ago? Or the Eight Desire Kings from five hundred years ago? I never thought that such a legendary story would come to pass before my eyes."

Laksil, the president of the Mage Guild, sighed, "...Suddenly I feel so insignificant..."

"...My lords, now seems like no time for sentimentality, does it? What should we do next?"

A mercenary commander mustered his courage and approached, asking, "...Could you provide clear instructions as soon as possible?"

"...What else can we do? Naturally, we should do what we did when we resisted the invasion of the Bahars Empire in the past: mobilize all our forces and prepare for war! Although this time the enemy is probably the legendary demon army, Ye-Lantir, with its triple walls, is not so easy to conquer!"

In short, deploy soldiers and crossbows to the city walls as soon as possible, then open the armory, arm the militia, conscript women to carry supplies, and impose an emergency war tax on the merchants and wealthy households in the city. If they have already fled, directly confiscate the property they did not take with them…”

After managing to calm down, Mayor Panasonic rubbed his forehead and finally managed to give a series of instructions in an orderly manner, "...As for the rest...how about we follow the usual diplomatic practice and send an envoy to ask the enemy commander-in-chief about his intentions!"

"...Well, but who should we send as an envoy to the enemy? Their commander is likely a man-eating monster, and he might not abide by the custom of 'not killing envoys in war' between civilized nations!" the mayor's secretary asked with a troubled expression.

As a result, everyone's gaze began to shift back and forth, eventually focusing on President Ainzak's face.

—When you encounter trouble, turn to adventurers… This seems to be common sense in this world.

But I really don't want to take on this troublesome matter... Guild Master Ainzak sighed with a wry smile, but he knew he couldn't easily refuse, so he could only resort to the blame-shifting tactic again, "...Then, how about letting those four unlucky guys from the [Black Sword] go and make the trip again?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

So, less than half a month after leaving the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the four silver-ranked adventurers of the Black Sword adventure group—Peter, Dain, Lucrete, and Nina—or rather, Nina—who had been stripped naked and tortured in the Adventurers' Guild, unfortunately revealed her true gender while disguised as a man for safety… Therefore, she was now wearing a beautiful long dress.

In short, under the orders of a group of important figures, they had no choice but to muster their courage and go to the Nazarick army camp outside the city to negotiate.

"...This is really bad luck. The guild tortured us like this and didn't even offer any explanation! The wound on my back is still hurting..."

As the group was lowered down from the city wall in a large gondola, Lukeluth couldn't help but mutter curses under his breath, "...all our luggage and savings are gone, and we don't know how we're going to survive... In that case, why should we work for these bastards in the city?"

Hearing Lukelut's complaints, the other three members of the [Black Sword] adventure team felt the same way.

Compared to when they were released from the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the members of the Black Sword adventure team were in a much worse state. Each of them had several more scars, or at least bruises all over their skin, and their faces looked much more haggard.

Although the city received intelligence shortly after the interrogation began that the "player army" was wreaking havoc in the suburbs, and began to believe that the four silver-ranked adventurers did not seem to be lying completely, they were not released immediately. Instead, they were thrown into the city government's dungeon and left unattended.

It wasn't until half an hour ago that Mayor Panathore, with a stern face, took them out of the cell, ordered a few mercenaries to give them a quick wash and change them into a clean new set of clothes, and then instructed them to act as envoys to negotiate with the "demon army" outside the city.

—It was only at this moment that the four members of the [Black Sword] adventure team were shocked to learn that the fortress city of Ye Lantier was already at the gates of the city.

Although escaping this imprisonment was somewhat of a blessing for the four members of the [Black Sword] adventure team.

However, besides that, their weapons, money, luggage, and magical artifacts brought from the Great Tomb of Nazarick all disappeared while they were in prison. Peter and Lucrete were also disfigured from being whipped. The mayor and the guild offered no compensation, instead displaying an arrogant attitude that "not killing you all is already a favor," which naturally made Lucrete feel indignant.

"...But if we don't agree to be their envoy, we'll just have to stay in the dungeon and rot away..."

Captain Peter, whose face bore a new whip mark, said in a low voice, "...Anyway, let's get out of the city first, and then see what happens!"

Chapter 156, The Overlord Finally Successfully Shows Off (Part 1)

The Nazarick army's encampment was not far from the walls of the fortress city of Yelantil.

Therefore, the four members of the [Black Sword] adventure team, who had just been lowered from the city wall by the guards while carrying a white flag in a gondola, attracted the attention of the enemy.

A group of goblin soldiers riding wolves approached them and inquired about their purpose. After learning that they were envoys from the fortress city of Ye Lantier, they thoroughly searched them until they confirmed that they were not carrying any weapons or other dangerous items before leading them into the camp.

Next, Peter, Dain, Lucret, and Nina, who had already been deeply shocked in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, were shocked again in the Nazarick Kingdom's military camp. Although they had seen many fierce and powerful beings before, they were mainly shocked by King Ainz's luxury and wealth. This time, however, they were truly frightened by King Ainz's terrifying military power.

On their way into the enemy camp, the four adventurers first encountered a large group of terrifying beasts wandering in the wilderness outside the camp. They looked like large dogs, but their eyes were filled with a hellish evil, and instead of saliva, their mouths spewed burning flames.

According to Captain Peter's estimate, facing such demonic hounds, their entire adventuring group, fully armed and with exceptional luck, could probably manage to take down one or two together. But here, the number of demonic hounds they had already spotted was no less than a couple hundred…

Then, following behind these demonic hounds were several death knights wielding massive tower shields and waving swords, clad in black demonic armor. Their tattered black cloaks fluttered in the wind. These death knights wore helmets without masks, revealing their horribly decaying faces. Their hollow eye sockets constantly flashed with a striking red light, radiating hatred and murderous intent towards the living, sending chills down one's spine.

According to Peter, Luke, and others, Death Knights are among the most terrifying and powerful monsters in the human world, possessing both extremely tough defense and exceptionally sharp destructive power. Moreover, even the most powerful mages cannot subdue or control them.

(Creating and subduing death knights is seventh-tier magic, while the most powerful human mage in the Overlord world is only sixth-tier.)

Ordinary people in this world generally regard Death Knights as mobile natural disasters, like dragons and sea monsters, inspiring awe and fear. Ordinary warriors and adventurers are no match for them, and only the most powerful adamantite-class adventurers can barely defeat them by working together.

If a Death Knight were to appear in a certain place, it would be a major event that would alarm the emperor and king, requiring the mobilization of the nation's elite forces to suppress it.

However, under the command of the ancient "Magic King" of the Kingdom of Nazarick—whom the residents of the fortress city more often call the "Tomb King"—those terrifying beings like the Death Knights are merely ordinary mid-tier units.

Behind each group of death knights followed a lich, or "archmage of the dead," wielding a wand and tasked with assisting them in battle. Each lich was draped in a long, black robe, and the wands in their hands emitted a chilling red-black miasma.

In addition, ferocious skeleton horses were used instead of packhorses to pull wagons and transport goods, much to the astonishment of the four adventurers.

This is really something! They don't see these evil spirits as a threat at all, but instead make them work like slaves!

Next, the scene in the military camp seemed to become much more "normal"—on the vast grassland shrouded in twilight, there were clusters of blazing campfires scattered like stars, and many tents of various sizes, scattered haphazardly, like mushrooms after a rain.

Many soldiers, dressed in leather armor, plaits, or coarse cloth, gathered around campfires, drinking and chatting, or intently roasting meat chops, salted fish, vegetables, and bread over the fire with sticks. The aroma of the food and drink, and the sounds of their boisterous chatter, could be smelled from afar.

In addition, there were vendors carrying baskets, weaving between campfires and tents, hawking healing potions and weapons; musicians who looked like bards were playing their instruments and singing with great effort, winning cheers or boos from the onlookers; goblin soldiers who seemed to be servants were running around, serving their masters wine and food, shining shoes and sharpening knives... and there were also many heavily made-up, scantily clad women, drinking heartily while laughing and lying in the arms of a soldier or officer, letting him fondle their bodies at will, who looked like prostitutes who accompanied the army to do business.

Upon seeing Nina, this unfamiliar young girl, being brought in, many soldiers even whistled maliciously, their eyes lingering between her delicate face and slender legs. When they saw Nina's flat chest, which remained completely still, they even let out a sigh of regret.

"...Another new girl? Is she a local, or from our area?"

"...They must be natives! Their faces are quite nice, but unfortunately, their breasts are just too small; it's not very satisfying to rub them..."

"...You bunch of slobs who only know how to drink milk! Small breasts have their own charm too!"

"...I still prefer women with bigger breasts, otherwise it feels like touching bones, like I'm doing something gay..."

Despite the harassment and teasing, the four members of the [Black Sword] adventure team actually felt a little more at ease.

The scene before them was no longer some unimaginable extravagance, ferocity, or terror, but rather an atmosphere they were relatively familiar with. In their minds, large-scale adventure groups and kingdom armies were basically like this—a chaotic and lively place where soldiers and adventurers, once they had a little money, spent their days drinking, gambling, boasting, chasing women, and spouting all sorts of frivolous nonsense…

As adventurers, they lived in this kind of atmosphere and environment, and were already used to it. Even Nina, who was being teased with vulgar language, didn't get angry at all—if she was ashamed of this level of teasing, then she shouldn't be a female adventurer.

However… these soldiers, feasting and drinking around the campfire, indulging in wine and women, were actually from all races: humans, dwarves, elves, and orcs were eating, drinking, and laughing together around the same fire! This gave the four adventurers a strange sense of unreality, even though they felt a strong sense of familiarity with them.

I have this feeling... it's as if they don't actually exist in this world.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

After passing through this chaotic camp, the atmosphere changed again, becoming strangely impressive once more.

Before the four members of the [Black Sword] adventure group lay a neatly arranged camp, surrounded by moats and fences, clearly separated from the messy tents and campfires outside. It was as starkly different as the orderly and beautiful wealthy area of ​​a big city versus the chaotic slum.

However, at the entrance of this well-planned camp, the guards were not human, dwarf, elf, or orc soldiers, nor even "humanoid undead" like death knights, but a group of spider-like monsters draped in black cloth, with sharp blades at the ends of their eight limbs.

They are the "Octopus Assassination Bugs" of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, which are not only powerful in combat but also have the ability to become invisible.

Of course, the eight-limbed assassin insects responsible for guarding Ainz Ooal Gown weren't invisible; instead, they openly displayed their terrifying forms. This immediately sent a chill down the spines of the four members of the [Black Sword] adventurer group, making them realize they were stepping into a terrifying world belonging to non-humans…

Amidst the "welcome" of the eight-limbed assassin insects, the four adventurers trembled as they entered the camp gate, where they witnessed even more terrifying beings.

—Those are all sorts of demons!

Among them are traditional demons whose bodies are covered in scales, whose mouths spew fangs, whose arms have sharp claws, and whose backs have burning wings.

There were also female demons wearing red leather bodysuits, with figures as slender as beauties, but with a black raven's head on their necks.

Another type of demon wears armor with the front open, revealing muscular abs. If it weren't for a pair of black bat-like wings and two horns near the temples, one wouldn't initially recognize it as a demon, but rather as a muscular, handsome man with a rather sinister charm.

Their names are the Wrathful Demon General, the Envyful Demon General, and the Greedy Demon General, all level 80 monsters. Judging from their levels alone, they are all as powerful as dragons! Naturally, they possess an imposing aura! Especially when dozens or hundreds of them gather here, even just sitting or standing a short distance away, they can make the four members of the [Dark Sword] adventure team feel immense pressure, and even tremble involuntarily.

When the demons noticed the arrival of the four adventurers and focused their attention on them, an indescribable, oppressive pressure made the four silver-ranked adventurers turn pale, their legs tremble, and their limbs feel like they were filled with lead, making it impossible for them to move any further.

It was as if a lamb or calf had been "fixed" by the gaze of a predatory dragon and couldn't even escape.

"...Hurry up and leave, don't keep the great Supreme Being waiting! Do you know what kind of sin that is?"

Although the goblin leading the way had a trembling voice, he still tapped their backs with the handle of his spear, urging them to hurry up.

"...I'm so sorry, I didn't want to keep His Majesty waiting either. But, but, I really can't walk any further right now!"

"The Black Sword," Captain Peter of the adventure team said with difficulty, his teeth chattering, and he felt like he was about to pee himself.

Fortunately, the commander of these demons was none other than Demiurge, the demon gentleman who had escorted these four adventurers away from the Great Tomb of Nazarick last time. Noticing the adventurers' disgraceful behavior, Demiurge gave a dismissive sneer and casually gestured for the demons to turn away and stop staring at the adventurers.

After that, feeling slightly better, the adventurers were able to cautiously take another step into the depths of the camp.

Then, they finally met their envoy—in the center of a deliberately cleared flat area, stood a magnificent golden throne, surrounded by a large group of beautiful maids. The throne itself shone with gold, inlaid with pearls and gems as embellishments. It was unclear whether it was made entirely of gold or simply gold leaf applied to wood, but even so, it was the epitome of extravagance.

Behind the throne hung a magnificent purple banner, the patterns of which, though difficult to decipher, still commanded respect.

The person sitting on this throne is none other than Ainz Ooal Gown, the lord of the ancient tomb whom they had met once before, who calls himself the "Sorcerer King".

Compared to his last audience with the Sorcerer King, who was now in the midst of the army, he still had that ordinary black-haired face. However, instead of wearing the luxurious purple-black academic robe, he had changed into a luxurious royal robe with a pure white base, decorated with gold lace and purple embroidery.

Then, on the gloves, which were the same color as his clothes, were inlaid metal plates that seemed to shimmer with seven-colored light. Beside the throne was a magnificent magic wand shaped like seven intertwined snakes, exuding a strange aura that was a mixture of purity, holiness and terror.

If it weren't for the fiery red light still flickering in his eyes, characteristic of the undead, one might easily mistake him for a living person!

This is Ainz Ooal Gown, the "Magic King" who has donned a "human skin," and whose main personality traits are arrogance and cowardice.

—Although Ainz had vaguely felt that maintaining his original skeletal appearance was the most comfortable thing after becoming an undead, he still put on this [human skin] before receiving the messenger, at the insistence of the cat-like Firi and the silver dragon Lulutia, in order to avoid being unsightly.

On either side of the throne stood a slightly smaller chair. On the right chair sat a silver-haired female mage wearing a pointed hat and a gray robe. Although she appeared no different from a human at first glance, the terrifying aura emanating from her proved that she was also some kind of extraordinary being.

On the left, a muscular man sat in a chair, holding a large glass of beer, chatting with Ainz Ooal Gown on the throne and the silver-haired female mage opposite him... However, although this man was very strong, his aura was ordinary and unremarkable, and he did not exude the aura of a strong person.

Not to mention compared to the "Magic King" on the throne and the silver-haired female mage beside him, he is far inferior even to the death knights patrolling outside.

Why is it that such a weak, ordinary, and powerful man is qualified to sit on equal footing with the "Magic King" and discuss the Dao?

The four members of the [Black Sword] adventure team couldn't help but feel a little confused, but they didn't have time to think about it anymore. They simply followed the etiquette for paying homage to a king, walked to the throne, knelt on one knee, and bowed their heads. At the same time, Captain Peter spoke, "...Greetings to the great Sorcerer King. The mayor of the fortress city of Ye Lantier has sent us to pay homage to Your Majesty to inquire why Your Majesty has come."

"...Why are you here? Are you pretending to be stupid or have you lost your memory? It hasn't even been half a month since we last parted, has it?"

Ainz Ooal Gown asked, somewhat puzzled, "...Have you forgotten my instructions and not told anyone in the city anything?"

Upon hearing Ainz Ooal Gown's question, the maids standing present all looked at Peter and his companions with hostile eyes, frightening them into crying out in protest.

"...It's a miscarriage of justice, Your Majesty! We told everyone everything, but no one in the city believed us!"

Chapter 157, The Overlord Finally Successfully Shows Off (Part 2)

"...Heh, how amusing! Our troops have been operating on the outskirts of this city for days, and are now at the city gates, yet this mayor is pretending to know nothing... Your Excellency, what do you think of this?"

After listening to the explanations of the four members of the Black Sword Adventurer Group, Ainz Ooal Gown was still tapping the armrest with his fingers, lost in thought. Lulutia, the silver dragon sitting next to him, smiled and looked at the muscular man in the opposite chair, and spoke first.

The information implied in her words surprised the four members of the [Black Sword] adventure team.

The Prime Minister? This muscular, muscular man, whose brain seems to be filled with muscles, is actually the Prime Minister?

In general, people think that those who become prime ministers are either cunning middle-aged men or kind-looking old men.

No matter how you look at it, it seems to have absolutely no connection with the shirtless, muscular, muscular man in front of you.

Captain Peter, along with Din, Lucret, and Nina, exchanged a few glances, then looked at the unremarkable, muscular man with slight suspicion, seemingly unable to find any trace of "powerful strength" or "wise insight" in his face or eyes...

However, such matters were not something outsiders like them could comment on, so after glancing at it a few times, they quickly lowered their heads again.