The members of the Black Scripture were panicking.
They wanted to escape—desperately. Even if they couldn't flee themselves, at the very least, they needed to get this information out.
Because from the moment Ren Kuroda revealed his true nature, everything had begun to connect, like pieces of a puzzle snapping into place.
The True Ancestor vampire…The demon lord known as Adabao…And now Ren Kuroda himself…
All of them were connected.
And now, even the Sorcerous Kingdom's ruler—Ainz Ooal Gown—appeared to stand alongside Ren.
Which meant—
These monstrously powerful non-human beings… were all part of the same faction.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
First, they attacked the Kingdom. Then they infiltrated the Empire.
Their intentions were obvious.
And every single one of them—the vampire, the demon Adabao, and Ren—possessed power so overwhelming it bordered on absurdity.
This was no longer just a national crisis.
This was a catastrophe threatening all of humanity.
—
In his Half-Oni Transformation combined with his Drunken Demon state, Ren had completely suppressed Zesshi.
At full strength, Zesshi's power rivaled that of Shalltear—though she lacked in survivability. With a world-class item in hand, she was arguably even more dangerous.
At the very least, Ren could tell—
Within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, there were probably fewer than three beings who could defeat her with absolute certainty.
The Black Scripture's captain attempted to repeat his earlier tactic, casting binding magic to create an opening for Zesshi.
But against Ren in his dual-enhanced state…
Even eighth-tier magic couldn't restrain him for even a fraction of a second.
—
After another fierce clash, Zesshi leapt back instead of pressing the attack.
She stood at a distance, her mismatched eyes—one white, one black—fixed firmly on Ren.
"This time… I've lost."
Her voice was calm.
"But we'll meet again."
"You're the most suitable partner I've ever found to bear my child… so I won't give up so easily."
Yes—
Zesshi had decided to retreat.
Strangely enough, she didn't seem particularly frustrated by her defeat. If anything, there was a faint trace of satisfaction.
The reason was simple.
For centuries, she had searched for someone stronger than herself—someone worthy of producing even stronger offspring.
But with her level of power, even finding someone who could fight her seriously had been nearly impossible.
Let alone someone who could defeat her.
Now, Ren had done exactly that.
Which meant her judgment had been correct.
As for race?
He might be an oni… but still close enough to humanoid.
A half-elf and a half-oni—
What kind of child would that produce?
Zesshi didn't care.
As long as it was strong, that was all that mattered.
—
"You're still dreaming?"
A cold voice cut in.
"The space has already been sealed by Lord Ainz's item. Escape is impossible."
"And in terms of speed, you're no match for Lord Ren. Your only fate is to die here."
The speaker stood calmly, utterly convinced.
The spatial lock had been established using a rare, high-grade consumable item.
Not quite a world-class item—but close enough to be invaluable.
From her perspective, Zesshi's attempt to escape was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Without teleportation or communication, how could she possibly flee?
—
"Maybe for others… that would be true."
Zesshi smirked faintly.
"But don't forget—I have this."
Before she could finish her sentence, Ren's instincts flared.
Something was wrong.
His body moved before his mind could fully process it.
"Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain—Move Like Thunder: Rokusei!"
Lightning erupted violently from his body.
A streak of blue tore through the air as Ren shot forward, leaving behind a scorched trail where the ground had been struck.
This was his fastest technique.
Faster than anything else in his arsenal.
Even Zesshi hadn't anticipated that level of speed.
—
But the distance between them had been deliberately maintained.
Even as Ren closed in like a bolt of lightning, Zesshi reacted instantly—gripping her scythe with both hands and slicing open the space before her.
A crack.
A fracture in reality itself.
The spatial lock prevented teleportation and communication—but her weapon was no ordinary blade.
It was a world-class item capable of cutting space itself.
Completely destroying the spatial seal would take too long.
And she knew Ren wouldn't allow that.
But creating a temporary rupture?
That was enough.
In that fleeting moment of instability, she could escape.
Because she possessed—
A world-class item capable of instantaneous teleportation.
—
Ren's lightning-fast strike pierced forward at the exact moment she activated it.
The bolt tore through her chest—
But her body was already half-phased, caught between dimensions.
Blood burst from her lips.
Yet in the next instant—
Light enveloped her.
And she vanished.
—
Zesshi… had escaped.
The remaining members of the Black Scripture stood frozen in disbelief.
They had been abandoned.
…Though, to be fair, she had no choice.
Even she had barely managed to escape alive.
If she had tried to bring others along, none of them would have made it out.
—
Without Zesshi, the rest of the Black Scripture stood no chance.
They didn't even bother resisting.
As for Ren—
He didn't kill them.
Instead, he planned to take them back to Nazarick.
After all, the Theocracy was wealthy. The equipment these elites carried was high-grade—extremely valuable.
More importantly, as the strongest unit among the Six Scriptures, they possessed critical intelligence.
They were far more useful alive.
—
Still…
Zesshi's escape had been unexpected.
Ren let out a quiet sigh.
Revealing his Half-Oni form in front of her had been… a mistake.
His position as the Empire's knight commander?
That was probably over now.
Once she reported back, the consequences would be inevitable.
The Kingdom.The Theocracy.The Empire.The Holy Kingdom.Even distant nations like the Dwarven Kingdom—
All of them might unite against a common enemy.
Against them.
Against the Sorcerous Kingdom—a nation of monsters.
—
And that…
Was never what Ren—or Ainz—had truly wanted.
Because beings like Zesshi… like the Platinum Dragon Lord…
Who knew how many more existed in this world?
If they grew too arrogant—if they tried to conquer everything in one sweep—
Then even they…
Might one day fall.