[Wall of Light]!
Just as the King of Light Knights was being suppressed by Albedo and slowly falling into a disadvantageous position, a beam of holy light struck him, and a thin layer of energy covered his entire body and the weapon in his hand. The war axe transformed by Albedo's World Item, [Ginnungagap], possessed extremely powerful destructive power against objects, but its effectiveness in attacking energy shields was not even comparable to artifact-tier weapons specifically designed for attack.
Several successive gravity slashes only created ripples in the [Wall of Light], yet failed to further shatter the King of Light Knights' shields. As the final blow was dealt, the King of Light Knights unleashed his full strength and temporarily knocked Albedo back, buying valuable time.
At this moment, Ainz and Shalltear also managed to break free from the light cages, looking towards Kael. Their eyes fixed on Kael, who stood between two Cherubim, and they noticed that his platinum fashion overcoat had suddenly transformed into an aristocratic mantel with intricate dragon patterns.
That's it!...
Ainz and the others were shocked, a cold dread creeping into their bones. After the last incident where Shalltear was controlled, everyone in Nazarick paid close attention to World Items with mind-control effects. They even asked Solution Epsilon, who had seen it once, to describe the item's light and shadow model through restoration.
So when Ainz and Shalltear saw the aristocratic mantel on Kael, they immediately realized what it was. It was [Downfall of Castle and Country].
Instantly, a feeling of being locked on surged into Ainz's heart, making him nervous. In order to counter the control effects of this World Item, he had equipped all the guardians with World Items collected by Nazarick, and he himself was naturally no exception. However, the reciprocal immunity effect of World Items was effective in the Yggdrasil game world. God knew what changes would occur in the New World, and anxiety was unavoidable.
"Ainz-sama!"
A golden dragon roared closer, and Shalltear became extremely anxious as she realized that the target of the attack was not herself, but Ainz beside her. So she immediately rushed in front of Ainz and tried to use her body as a shield to protect her master behind her, an impulsive act driven by loyalty.
However, this move seemed to have no effect.
In the magic enhancement system, there was a special enhancement that consumed extra magic value to apply a 'sure-hit' effect to magic. The key control effect of [Downfall of Castle and Country] seemed to be based on the same principle. The golden dragon broke through Shalltear's barrier and hit Ainz precisely.
Since it was a pure control effect on a single target, Shalltear didn't feel anything strange, so she hurriedly turned to check on Ainz, her voice full of concern. "Ainz-sama!? Are you alright?"
The dragon light effect lingered on Ainz for a moment, but soon faded. At this moment, Albedo also broke free from the King of Light Knights' entanglement and came to Ainz's side, asking worriedly, her expression tense. "Ainz-sama!?"
Ainz raised his own hand and clutched it. After confirming there were no problems with his control over his body, he comforted the two guardians, his voice calm. "Don't worry, I'm fine. The control effect of this World Item has no effect on me."
Albedo and the two others breathed a sigh of relief, the tension on their faces slightly loosening. Then, all three turned to look at Kael across from them at the same time, and saw that he still had a surprised expression on his face, as if in disbelief.
"Haha, it seems your method is not effective on me," Ainz chuckled, the faint sound of bones rubbing together. Then, he stepped out from behind Albedo and Shalltear and stood in front of them, taking the central position. He said calmly, "I don't wish to be your enemy, but your actions just now were truly unreasonable. How about this, if you are willing to hand over the item you possess, I can forget all the unpleasantness between us and leave this place immediately. How about it?"
This was merely a deception tactic. Nazarick had deployed most of its combat power this time. Besides testing the organization called Dark Alliance and promoting the name of Ainz Ooal Gown by quelling the Undead unrest, he also wanted to test the bottom line of Kael and the "Trinity" behind him—a high-stakes political game hidden behind the chaos.
"Impossible. If you want to fight, come here. Otherwise, get out of here," Kael replaced his dazzling attire with an artifact-tier item, [Guardian of Saints], and refused Ainz's request for the World Item without hesitation, his tone firm.
The sharp-eyed Ainz noticed that Kael wore a gem-studded crown on his head, a feather pendant on his neck had turned into a leaf, and his white rear had a beautiful gem-studded belt. At the same time, the bracelet on his left hand had turned into a small cup tied with a string, and there was a magic book in his right hand.
Is this current equipment replacement for targeted adjustments? Ainz secretly speculated in his heart, but at the same time he also had a bad feeling. The last time he fought Kael, the other party hadn't used this equipment. Does that mean he is strongest in this state? If this is true, then it seems the other party looked down on me.
"Then I'll see what you're capable of!" Shalltear didn't wait for Ainz's command and directly launched her attack, her battle blood boiling. Since the surrounding space was under the influence of the teleportation blockade, she adopted a frontal breakthrough method and rushed towards Kael with incredible speed.
Alright, then, let's begin the war. Ainz didn't blame Shalltear for her behavior. When Shalltear was controlled by the enemy and turned her weapon to attack Nazarick, he hated this kind of thing. Now that [Downfall of Castle and Country] had appeared again, he had to take this dangerous item from him by any means necessary to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Since a fight was unavoidable, then just go all out and win the fight.
"Albedo, prepare for battle!"
"Yes!"
After reminding Albedo, Ainz began to cast strengthening magic on himself.
[Blessing of the Magic Caster]!
[Fly]!
[Magic Caster's Vessel: Sacred]!
...
Various light effects flickered on Ainz's body, preparing him for battle. However, Albedo didn't charge forward like Shalltear, but instead remained by his side, guarding her position. Clearly, the combined Shalltear, Albedo, and Ainz had a very clear division of labor. Shalltear was responsible for close-quarters combat to contain the opponent, Ainz was responsible for long-range attacks, and Albedo acted as a guard to protect Ainz's output area.
Kael stared at Ainz not far from him, without stopping his own actions, and also cast strengthening magic.
[Power of Holy Light]!
[Heavenly Fire]!
[High-Tier Group Enhancement]!
...
As a Magic Caster of faith, his ability in enhancement magic was no less than Ainz's, and what he cast was even a group enhancement, covering his allies with the same power.
The King of Light Knights stood before Shalltear. Facing the continuous assault of the spined lance, he rarely used the shield in his left hand for defense, but instead adopted a battle strategy of exchanging blood with the enemy, unafraid. Although Shalltear was at a higher level, she was not a pure warrior unit, and she quickly suffered losses in this physical confrontation.
"Hateful!" After being hit by a forward slash from the King of Light Knights, Shalltear retreated some distance and immediately cast her own summoning magic, Tenth Tier: [Summon Undead]!