"Cough!"
With a clean stroke, he split the Undead before him in two. Ainzach panted heavily as the foul stench of decay flooded his nose, making him cough again.
"I really am getting old…"
He could feel the soreness spreading through his body, and the Holy Light in his hand was already beginning to fade. Ainzach let out an unwilling sigh.
As he stepped further into old age, his physical strength had steadily declined, and the magic within him no longer surged as it once did. He could clearly sense it. No matter how diligently he trained each day, he could not stop the passage of time.
The power he once wielded at the level of a Hero could now barely reach sixty percent.
Such were the shackles of time, the twilight of a hero.
His trembling hand tightened around the hilt. A dim Holy Light flared once more, suppressing the Brain before him, and he swung down again with force.
As the one leading the defense, he could not fall. If he collapsed, the morale that had only just recovered would crumble in an instant.
"Half a day… we just need to hold for half a day…"
Taking advantage of a brief lull, Ainzach pulled out a recovery potion and drank it. Looking at the soldiers and adventurers still fighting around him, he repeated those words to himself.
The battle was brutal, but if things continued at this pace, and no stronger High-Tier Undead appeared, they might be able to last half a day.
"Ainzach Guildmaster, watch out!"
A shout snapped him out of his thoughts. The soldier he had just saved was running toward him, yelling at the top of his lungs.
Ainzach reacted instinctively and rolled to the side. With a deafening crash, the spot where he had just been standing exploded into a crater.
An Undead had appeared atop the wall.
It resembled a Brain, but far more grotesque. Its massive, yellow brain-like body was covered in writhing eyeballs that scanned the surroundings. Deep blue pupils gave off an unsettling, vacant look. Two pale blue, brain-shaped arms swung wildly at its sides.
A High-Tier Undead: Giant Brain!
Ainzach's expression darkened.
If the earlier Brain had been around Level 21, then this Giant Brain was Level 29. A High-Tier Undead that only someone within the Realm of Heroes could properly contend with.
Yago rushed to Ainzach's side. Even though fear was written all over his face, he still raised his trembling spear.
"Thanks for earlier, kid."
"If we make it out of this alive, I'll treat you to a drink!"
Locked in a standoff with the Giant Brain, Ainzach flashed a grin at Yago.
Before Yago could react, Ainzach grabbed him by the collar and, ignoring his startled shout, hurled him into the distance. Yago crashed into a pile of hay.
This was not a fight an ordinary soldier could take part in.
Ainzach refused to let him die for nothing.
Throughout the entire exchange, the Giant Brain did not move. The large, bulging eyes on its surface stared directly at Ainzach's head, or more precisely, at the brain within.
It was waiting for an opening to drive its tentacles into his skull and claim his brain cells as its own.
"Hmm. Not attacking?"
Ainzach clicked his tongue as he watched the unmoving Giant Brain. He quietly reined in the magic he had gathered.
It seemed this Undead possessed considerable intelligence. It had sensed the trap and chosen not to act rashly.
One man and one monstrous brain faced each other in silence. Neither made the first move. Around them, the howls of the Undead and the shouts of the living rose and fell, yet it was as if none of it existed. In that moment, they saw only each other.
[Ability Boost]
"Cough… not enough…"
[Ability… Super Boost!]
While keeping his guard up, Ainzach quietly activated his Martial Arts. A flash of light burst from his body, and a violent pain spread through every limb. He began coughing uncontrollably, blood dripping from his mouth.
He ignored it.
Gritting his teeth, he forced out another technique. At his current strength, he could not kill the Undead before him. This was his only option. A final, desperate gamble.
Blood seeped from his pores, staining him red. Ainzach raised his greatsword with trembling hands, deliberately making himself appear weak and on the verge of collapse.
He would only get one chance.
Under the immense strain on his body, he had to kill it in a single strike.
As expected, the eyeballs on the Giant Brain's surface shifted slightly. Seeing Ainzach's frail state, it did not hesitate.
Blue tentacles shot forward, wrapping around Ainzach and dragging him toward its main body. From start to finish, Ainzach did not resist. Instead, he let himself hang limply, as though he had no strength left.
The Giant Brain watched him carefully as it tightened its grip. The sound of bones cracking rang out. Only after confirming there was no resistance did it slowly guide a tentacle toward his head, preparing to pierce his skull and devour his brain.
Just as the tentacle was about to drill into him, the blood-soaked old man lifted his head and flashed a bright smile.
"Die."
[Holy Light]
A blinding radiance erupted from Ainzach's body. In the darkness of night, the warm light was dazzling.
The charging Undead suddenly froze, letting out shrill, agonized screams as the Holy Light burned their bodies.
The people still fighting looked up instinctively. A gentle warmth flowed through them, mending wounds and easing exhaustion.
"Guildmaster Ainzach…"
Some adventurers lowered their heads and tightened their grip on their weapons before turning back to the Undead with renewed determination. The others followed suit.
It hurt to watch, but now was not the time to mourn.
They could not let his sacrifice be in vain.
In an instant, the Undead, suppressed by the Holy Light, were cut down one after another. The tide began to turn. For the moment, the onslaught was pushed back.
Within the radiance, Ainzach squeezed out the last of his strength. Seeing the shift in the battle, relief appeared on his face. Then he looked at the Giant Brain before him.
At such close range, bathed in Holy Light, the High-Tier Undead was in a miserable state. The warm glow acted like a deadly curse, melting its body as strands of black mist rose from it.
When the light finally faded, the Giant Brain stopped moving and collapsed.
Ainzach lay nearby. Seeing that, he managed a faint smile.
He had done it.
"So these old bones still had some use left."
He could feel death approaching. Every bone in his body was fractured. His flesh had been burned away by the force he had unleashed. From the outside, he was little more than skin stretched over bone.
His consciousness began to fade. His pale blue eyes slowly closed. After one final glance toward the city, he drifted off peacefully.
"Are you satisfied?"
"You gave your life for a group of strangers…"
In his fading awareness, a voice sounded in his ear. In the final moment before his consciousness disappeared, Ainzach answered silently.
"Someone had to stand up…"
…
Not far away, Naohara sat atop Hamsuke's head, silently watching the emaciated figure before him. Behind him stood Clem and two disguised Doppelgängers.
"Naohara-sama…"
Clem stepped forward, looking at the skeletal remains, and let out a soft sigh. She was moved. If it had been her, she would have run long ago.
"Someone had to stand up, huh…"
Naohara shook his head. He truly respected the old man. He had just tried imagining himself in Ainzach's place, and he knew he could not have done the same.
He was afraid of death.
He was afraid of losing everything he had now.
"I can't be like you…"
Naohara extended a finger. A drop of dark red blood fell.
Then he patted Hamsuke lightly and walked toward the Undead.