Number 9 advanced toward the lower floors of Nazarick within the Shadow Space. To be honest, he was a bit frightened because there were many high-level Undead soldiers here, and he could faintly sense some particularly terrifying Auras. Moreover, he had felt like someone had been staring at him since a moment ago; his infiltration seemed to have been exposed.
But the strange thing was, even though they had clearly discovered him as an intruder, those guys pretended not to notice and were instead observing him secretly. According to the intelligence, the master of this place was the King of the Undead, whose strength was on par with a Sword Saint. Despite possessing power at the world's peak, was his conduct so cautious? Did he not act immediately because he wanted to observe what he intended to do? Although the opponent's caution exceeded his expectations, it was actually a good thing for him. When he realized he was exposed, he had wondered what to do next, but now he could feel relieved and continue.
However, doing nothing wouldn't be good either. He had to keep those guys observing, so he should appropriately perform some actions to mislead them. For example, recording the distribution of troops here, exploring rooms that might contain treasure chests, and so on—disguising himself as an adventurer who came here to explore ruins.
Behind the surveillance magic.
Ainz watched the boy's actions on the screen and said, "It's a bit strange."
"Indeed. Upon entering, he acted as if he knew where the entrance was from the beginning, but after coming inside, he behaved like an ordinary ruin explorer. I think it's highly likely he knows of our existence."
Demiurge voiced his speculation.
Ainz was slightly surprised. He had no idea when they had been exposed. Nazarick had not yet appeared in the world; even the Slane Theocracy had only investigated a few leads and didn't dare to be certain they were hidden in this place. Where did the people from the Goddess Cult get their information? No, could it be that someone from the Goddess Cult had already investigated this place beforehand, and they hadn't noticed it! Ainz suddenly woke up to the possibility.
"Albedo, immediately investigate all recent surveillance records. If you see any suspicious footage, report to me at once. The Goddess Cult likely possesses Stealth methods we are unaware of; information about Nazarick might already be known by the Goddess Cult."
"Yes, I will begin the investigation immediately!"
Albedo immediately ran to the console and pulled up the previous surveillance images. Everyone, including Ainz, watched those images with some tension.
However, Demiurge reminded them at this time.
"If that's the case, then Lord Ainz, we should promptly capture this intruder. His current actions seem to be a stalling tactic."
"Hmm, then I'll leave this task to you. Demiurge, Cocytus, Shalltear—the three of you will act together. You absolutely must not let him escape or allow him to self-destruct. I want to know the information about the Goddess Cult inside his head!" Ainz's mood was very anxious. He hadn't expected the Goddess Cult to have already reached into Nazarick without his knowledge. Fortunately, there were no humans in Nazarick; otherwise, he would have to worry about the possibility of spies.
Currently, there were no traces of non-human believers appearing in the Goddess Cult's Gospel. Although this could be intentional on the Goddess Cult's part, suspecting that someone in Nazarick might defect based on such groundless suspicion was being over-tense. Besides, only NPCs existed in Nazarick, and the probability of them being brainwashed was very low. Unless the Goddess Cult's brainwashing effect was comparable to a World-Class Item, it wouldn't be that easy to achieve.
"Understood." Cocytus stood up.
"I will definitely complete the task Lord Ainz has assigned, definitely!" Shalltear's expression was solemn.
Seeing the high morale of his two colleagues, Demiurge simply smiled. "Then let us set out. Aura, Mare, I'll have to trouble you to seal the entrance. After all, we don't know what other tricks the opponent has; we must guard against methods like spatial teleportation."
"Leave it to us."
"Yes."
In an instant, all the Guardians began to take action. As Ainz exercised his authority, Number 9, who had been pretending to hunt for treasure in a treasure room, was transferred to an area where spatial teleportation was prohibited. Simultaneously, three Guardians appeared before him.
"Caught you!"
Shalltear was the fastest; as soon as she appeared, she reached out to grab Number 9's shoulder. However, the moment Number 9 was forced into the teleportation, he activated his Shadowfication skill. Shalltear's attack missed completely, and she watched helplessly as the intruder vanished before her eyes.
"He vanished? Impossible! No one should be able to use spatial transfer magic in this area!" Shalltear's bewildered expression revealed her current state of mind. The breaking of common sense and the anxiety of a potential mission failure made her feel frantic.
Demiurge spoke with a smile at that moment, "Shalltear, calm down. That fellow should still be within this area; he hasn't escaped."
"What did you discover?"
Shalltear could not sense the intruder's presence at all. The moment the intruder vanished, it was as if they had used spatial transfer, losing all presence instantly.
Cocytus did not move; the results of his perception were the same as Shalltear's.
Both of them looked toward Demiurge.
"Spatial teleportation leaves traces behind, but this fellow's magic hasn't left a single trace. Though it is exquisite..."
"...this kind of magic is not amazing at all once you know about it beforehand, wouldn't you agree?"
Demiurge summoned a wall of flames. Instantly, at one of the exits, Number 9's figure was ejected from the Shadow Space, his body still scorched by the fire.
"Tch, exposed so quickly?"
Number 9 looked back to see that Vampire already charging toward him. However, he didn't even glance at her, completely ignoring Shalltear's attack. Shalltear's full-force strike surprisingly passed right through Number 9's body as if hitting thin air, striking the exit behind him and collapsing it with a single claw swipe.
"Shalltear, use magic. That fellow's ability allows him to be immune to physical damage." Demiurge explained the principle, and Number 9's expression changed instantly.
Boom!
In an instant, a massive frost figure launched an attack toward Number 9 like a god of war.
Cocytus's attack was accompanied by a freezing breath and carried magical damage effects, making it an attack that Shadowfication could not evade. Just as Demiurge thought the battle was decided, he suddenly saw Cocytus's expression turn strange. The next moment, a voice rang out behind him.
"Unfortunately, I'm not the kind of fool who knows his own weaknesses but doesn't find ways to improve. Besides, did you think the Goddess's Gospel was only at this level?" Demiurge thought the opponent was foolish for alerting him during combat, yet he found himself unable to move.
"This is truly..."
An unexpected fellow.
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