About twenty minutes earlier, in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, tenth floor, Throne Hall.
A petite girl in a black dress knelt halfway before Ainz, her voice soft and sweet: "Lord Ainz, I can pop in some magical contact lenses, share my vision, and go hunt down EeDechi. That way, you'll get a front-row seat to that mysterious adventurer."
A stunning woman in a white gown standing beside Ainz furrowed her brow and snapped, "Shalltear, Lord Ainz doesn't care about eyeballing some adventurer woman. He just wants to know how strong she is."
The black-dressed girl tilted her head up, her chest—way too full for her small frame—jiggling with the motion. She huffed, "Big-mouthed gorilla, I'm talking to Lord Ainz, so butt out. Relax, Lord Ainz definitely won't be interested in that woman."
The white-gowned beauty, Albedo, opened her mouth to fire back, but Ainz raised a hand, cutting their bickering short. "Enough, both of you. I'm just curious about this EeDechi's power. All our surveillance spells have crapped out, and Sebas hasn't sent much info. Shalltear, do it your way."
Shalltear shot a smug glance at Albedo, as if she'd just won some petty jealousy contest. She bowed and teleported out of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Albedo crossed her arms, her lips pursed in a pouty scowl. Ainz, meanwhile, pressed his bony fingers to his skeletal forehead, exasperated.
He, a middle-aged virgin before crossing over, wasn't quite equipped to handle such a situation where two women were vying for his attention. Luckily, Shalltear and Albedo's squabbles were mostly playful, never escalating into anything too vicious over their jealousy.
Both women were fiercely loyal to Ainz, fully aware that the greater good of the Great Tomb of Nazarick trumped their personal desires.
Moments later, Shalltear sent a message. Ainz accepted, and a massive magical screen flickered to life before his throne, displaying Shalltear's first-person perspective.
…
"So, you're the one calling the shots?" EeDechi eyed the black-dressed girl before her, a smirk tugging at her lips as she sensed the real player had finally shown up.
Just moments ago, a tubular lance had shot down from the sky, forcing her to sheathe her sword and defend. Now, she faced off against this black-dressed girl wielding a massive lance.
Back in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz stared at the magical screen. The black-haired, black-clad girl on it gazed back, her lips curled in a faint, teasing smile.
Her vibe reminded Ainz of Boogiepop from the anime Boogiepop and Others. Like Boogiepop, she rocked a black robe, black hat, and dark hair. But unlike Boogiepop, this adventurer's eyes burned with a righteous intensity, her sharp, honest gaze practically slicing through the screen, aimed straight at Ainz.
The red glow in Ainz's eyes flared as he flipped through a dossier on local inhabitants, itching to figure out who the hell this woman was.
EeDechi studied the silver-haired girl in the black dress, her brow furrowing as she sized her up.
Her opponent, Shalltear, was dressed as always in her gothic black gown. The skirt's frame flared out, making the dark red rose patterns bloom, while white lace ribbons adorned the ruffled hem.
Her pale face was accented with dark eyeliner, and her bright red eyes locked onto EeDechi. A massive black-and-red bow perched atop her delicate white hair bun.
What really stole the show was her chest—its size so absurdly out of proportion with her petite frame. She looked like a royal court's handcrafted porcelain doll, exquisite but barely radiating any life.
EeDechi sized up Shalltear's outfit, nodding. "Well, a goth girl, huh?"
Goth! Ainz's mind reeled in front of the screen. Shalltear was created by Peroroncino, one of the 41 Supreme Beings and a total pervert for dating sims. When Peroroncino designed Shalltear, he went all-in on the classic goth girl aesthetic.
But this was an isekai world! How the hell would someone from an isekai know what "goth" means? That could only mean one thing—she was a transmigrated player too! And a female one at that!
Ainz mulled it over, eyes glued to EeDechi's live feed on the screen.
EeDechi swung her giant sword, twirling it with a flourish, and grinned cockily. "Hey, little missy, waving around a dangerous toy like that ain't cute. Hand it over, and I'll tweak your Justice Value to turn you into a good little girl!"
She stood with her sword in one hand, her legs confidently apart, her earlier cool and elegant vibe completely gone.
Hmm, Ainz thought, puzzling. Doesn't seem like a female player, but she's definitely a woman.
Unless… Ainz's mind raced. Could it be… a crossdressing dude?!
Of course, there was another possibility: maybe she'd picked a female character when creating her avatar in the game and got yanked into this world while playing.
Ainz recalled how, back in the game, plenty of sweaty neckbeards would pick female characters, strutting around with girly IDs to scam other players into giving them special treatment.
What if this EeDechi was one of those idiots who got screwed over, transmigrating into this isekai only to actually become female? That'd be a fate even worse than his own.
Ainz, having picked an undead character, had crossed into this isekai only to end up as a skeleton who couldn't eat, sleep, or hook up with anyone.
He couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Honestly, though, who plays a game expecting to get zapped into another world?
"Hey," EeDechi said, eyeing Shalltear's ridiculously oversized chest, "those boobs are fake, right? No way a kid your age is stacked like that."
Back at the screen, Albedo, who'd been watching the first-person livestream with Ainz, broke into a grin, flashing perfect white teeth. "Lord Ainz, see? Even a random nobody can tell Shalltear's stuffing her bra!"
It was true. Shalltear, never happy with her flat chest, always padded it with cotton or whatever to fake a bigger bust.
"HOW DARE YOU!!" Shalltear's pale face flushed red, her sore spot hit dead-on. "They're not fake! I just developed early, OKAY?!"
Fuming, she gripped her tubular lance, lunged forward, and thrust it at EeDechi. EeDechi raised her sword, parrying the strike. The two went at it, lance clashing against giant sword, trading blows in a cautious dance of steel.
EeDechi sheathed her sword and stepped back, her expression turning serious. From their brief clash, she could tell this goth girl, Shalltear, had near-perfect strength and speed. She was, by far, the toughest opponent EeDechi had faced since getting dumped into this isekai.
Neither had gone all out—just straight-up weapon sparring, no fancy skills or abilities. EeDechi had no clue what a full-on fight would look like.
Sure, this goth girl's Justice Value was a whopping -450, which pissed EeDechi off to no end, but she wasn't reckless enough to throw everything she had at her just yet.
Among the enemies she'd faced in the manor today, there'd been an iron-fist maid whose combat skills were top-tier for a regular human, followed by an insect maid just as deadly. And now, this goth girl with her giant lance had shown up out of nowhere.
EeDechi had no idea what kind of heavy hitter might pop up after this black-dressed girl, so she stayed cautious, probing with calculated strikes.
What the adventurer captain didn't know was that Shalltear was just as shocked.
It'd been ages since Shalltear had crossed paths with an opponent this strong. Among this world's natives, this EeDechi was a peak-level fighter. And it was clear she was holding back, fighting with ease, not even breaking a sweat.
Of course, Shalltear hadn't gone full throttle either. She'd underestimated her opponent and rushed out with just her Spuit Lance. The divine gear crafted for her by the Supreme Overlord was still sitting back in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
If they went all out in a no-holds-barred brawl, who'd come out on top was anyone's guess.
Both girls, each lost in their own calculations, circled warily, lance tip and sword blade pointed at each other, hunting for a weak spot.
Outside the manor, Sebas saw Shalltear had rescued insect maid Entoma and was now locked in combat with EeDechi. He urgently sent a message: "Yuri, don't get caught up in this! Fall back now—this fight's way above your pay grade!"
…
Barrett's adamantite shield was battered and dented, a broken longsword stuck in the ground beside him. He gripped another single-handed broadsword.
He'd thought he was a goner, but somehow he'd held his own against the iron-fist maid's relentless, storm-like assault. Still, he didn't let his guard down, slowly steadying his breath, bracing for her next move.
The iron-fist maid's face remained poised, though a few strands of hair, loosened by the fierce fight, hung over her forehead, adding a strange, sultry edge to her elegant aura.
She gave Barrett, his forehead slick with sweat, a gentle smile. Lifting the hem of her now-dirty maid outfit, she took a light step back and vanished right before his eyes.
The surrounding swarm of insects retreated one by one, and the wrecked manor fell silent again. Barrett tightened his grip on his sword, nervously scanning his surroundings, muttering to himself, Is it really over just like that?
In the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz sat before the screen, mulling things over. His bony index finger tapped the table as he issued his command: "Come back, Shalltear. EeDechi's likely a player, possibly packing some unknown high-tier gear. We're not aiming to take her down right now.
"Whether she's friend or foe is still unclear, and we don't know if she's got some bigger force backing her. We need more intel before we make our move."
"Understood, Lord Ainz," Shalltear replied. Under EeDechi's wary gaze, she flipped backward, leaping off the ground, her frilly black skirt rippling like waves. She vaulted into the air, a brief flash of white light flared, and she vanished from EeDechi's sight.
"High-tier teleportation magic again?" EeDechi muttered, staring in the direction the goth girl had disappeared, her mind racing with possibilities.