"One form enhances physical strength, vitality, and recovery. The second boosts skill power. And the third amplifies magical energy and its regeneration speed…"
Aura's eyes widened as she processed it, her voice rising in disbelief.
"Doesn't that basically mean Lord Ren Kuroda has no weaknesses at all? These three forms practically cover every stat imaginable!"
Since the topic revolved around him, even Shalltear—whose rage had been boiling over just moments ago—found her attention drawn in despite herself.
In truth, Shalltear also possessed multiple forms. One was her warrior-oriented Valkyrie Form, while the other leaned more into her racial traits—the grotesque Lamprey Form. When Peroroncino had created her, he had actually used Ren Kuroda as a reference template, which was why she had been designed with transformation abilities in the first place.
Unfortunately, despite all that effort, Shalltear's two forms were far from perfect—and worse, they couldn't be stacked together.
That was precisely why Peroroncino had ultimately abandoned the idea of using her to defeat Ren Kuroda. Beating Ainz alone had been considered more than enough.
"So what about the fourth form?" Lupusregina leaned forward eagerly, unable to hold back her curiosity. "Didn't they say Lord Ren Kuroda has four forms? His physical abilities, skills, and even magic have all been enhanced… so what exactly does the most mysterious fourth form strengthen?"
Her question instantly captured the attention of everyone present.
After all, Ren Kuroda's true combat capabilities had always been one of the greatest mysteries within Nazarick. Now that Orelia seemed to know so much, no one was willing to miss a single word.
Orelia puffed up with pride, clearly pleased to be the center of attention.
"Father's fourth form further boosts all of his attributes to another level. And while in that state, his already powerful regeneration evolves into hyper-regeneration."
Her voice dropped slightly, carrying a reverent weight.
"Even if his heart is pierced or his head is destroyed, he can regenerate in an instant. It's a power that truly deserves to be called immortality."
A brief pause followed before she added, more seriously:
"However… according to Father himself, using that form means bearing the burden of a sinful power. It makes him extremely prone to losing control and going berserk."
The room fell silent for a moment.
"Of course," Orelia continued, "aside from these four stackable forms, Father's strongest ability is actually a unique, one-of-a-kind skill in the entire world."
Even she shook her head slightly at that point.
"I've only heard about it. Even I don't know the details."
That alone was enough.
Just from what she did know, everyone present already regarded Ren Kuroda as an existence bordering on invincibility.
The level cap in YGGDRASIL was one hundred.
But if all four of his forms were stacked together…?
Setting aside skills and other factors, purely in terms of raw attributes—he might rival a level two-hundred entity.
"…So Demiurge doesn't really need to be this tense, right?" Aura finally broke the silence with a confident grin, glancing back at the projection. "With how strong Lord Ren Kuroda is, even without our support, there's no way those people stand a chance against him."
On the battlefield, the projected image showed Ren Kuroda calmly reaching into empty space with one hand.
From the void, he pulled out a massive gourd.
With a casual motion, he popped the wooden stopper—then, completely ignoring the enemies surrounding him, he tilted it back and began drinking as if he were alone at a bar.
The Endless Sake Gourd in his hand was no longer what it once had been.
If one looked closely, the crack that had once been carved into it by the blade of the Night Blade God had been replaced by a strange red, rock-like substance.
Originally, the gourd had only been an SS-tier item.
Now?
It had become a true transcendent high-grade artifact.
The reason was simple.
At its core, the current Endless Gourd contained a consumable World-Class Item—the Caloric Stone.
Within YGGDRASIL, there existed over two hundred World-Class Items—some so powerful they were said to disrupt the very balance of the world itself. Among them were the legendary "Twenty."
The Caloric Stone wasn't one of those unique items, but it was still undeniably a World-Class Item.
Its applications were incredibly versatile: it could be embedded into weapons, armor, or even used as a power core for golems.
Now fused into the Endless Sake Gourd, it had elevated the gourd's brewed liquor into something extraordinary.
Not only could the sake activate Ren Kuroda's ability Drunken Demon State—the liquor itself had become a top-tier recovery potion capable of restoring both HP and MP.
And thanks to the gourd's unique properties, the longer the liquor was left unused, the higher its quality would rise—along with its recovery effects.
In other words…
An elixir that would drive the entire world into a frenzy was being consumed by Ren Kuroda like ordinary water.
As the rich, aromatic sake flowed down his throat, the change was immediate.
The magical energy within his body surged visibly, recovering at a rate the naked eye could follow—then rapidly exceeding its previous limits, climbing higher and higher without restraint.
Even standing still, doing nothing at all, the sheer pressure of his magic shattered the ground beneath his feet.
A storm of power spiraled outward, buffeting the members of the Black Scripture like fragile leaves caught in a raging gale.
"…We can't win. There's no way. That thing… isn't something humans can defeat. We're all going to die here…"
The Eighth Seat, Thousand-Mile Astrologer, had been muttering to herself in a near-hysterical state for some time now.
Before Ren Kuroda as he was now, she had completely lost the will to fight.
As for the others in the Black Scripture, their expressions were grim—utterly grim—but none of them turned to flee.
Because they still had a card to play.
The Fourth Seat, Sacred Hymn, wore a white qipao adorned with golden dragon patterns.
That garment…
…was none other than the World-Class Item Alluring Nation—the same one once used to control Shalltear.
Ren Kuroda was powerful—there was no denying that.
But to them, this was also an opportunity.
If they could use Alluring Nation successfully, not only might they escape alive…
They might even turn Ren Kuroda himself into a puppet of the Theocracy.
Having learned from their previous encounter with the vampire, the members of the Black Scripture had positioned Sacred Hymn securely at the rear, guarding her closely.
And now—
Taking advantage of the moment while Ren Kuroda drank, seemingly unguarded—
The Black Scripture's leader shot her a sharp glance.
A silent command.
Do it.
The golden five-clawed dragon embroidered on the white qipao suddenly seemed to come alive, blazing with radiant light.
In the next instant, that brilliance shot forward, streaking toward Ren Kuroda.
It was an attack born from an item—not a physical strike.
It could not be dodged.
It could not be blocked.
Even Shalltear, back then, had been powerless—able only to watch as the light enveloped her completely…
...
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