Chapter 14: The Keep Besieged and the King's Return
The ride to Greywater Keep was a desperate race against time. Ainz, his youthful face set in a grim mask, urged his horse onward, the image of Entoma's pain and the looming threat of Albedo's arrival fueling his urgency. Sebas, his normally impassive demeanor etched with a rare intensity, kept pace, his senses extended, constantly scanning the surrounding woods for any sign of Albedo's vanguard. Entoma, cradled carefully in Sebas's arms, clicked softly, her injuries still causing her discomfort, but her loyalty and devotion to Ainz unwavering.
As they neared Greywater, the sounds of battle reached them – the clash of steel, the screams of men, the guttural roars of something… else. The air itself seemed to vibrate with a palpable sense of dread and chaotic energy.
"They are already engaged!" Sebas exclaimed, his voice tight. "My Lord, I sense… a powerful demonic presence, and… the defenses of Greywater Keep are… surprisingly resilient, but clearly overwhelmed."
Ainz's mind raced. Albedo had arrived, and Ser Desmond's hastily assembled defenses were already crumbling. He could only imagine the carnage. He had to intervene, and quickly.
At Greywater Keep, chaos reigned. Albedo, impatient with any semblance of resistance, had launched a full-scale assault. Her death knights, their balefire eyes blazing, smashed through the crumbling gates, their skeletal steeds trampling the hastily assembled defenders. The skeletal mages, chanting in a guttural, otherworldly tongue, unleashed volleys of necromantic energy, turning the living into withered husks.
Albedo herself, magnificent and terrifying, hovered above the fray, her dark wings beating, her golden eyes fixed on the keep's central tower. She was searching for Ainz, her beloved lord, her beacon, her very reason for existence. The resistance of these… insects… was an irritating distraction.
Ser Desmond Grell, his face pale but resolute, fought with desperate courage. He rallied the remaining guards and militia, his Tully training and his innate sense of duty driving him forward. Hal and Timms, surprisingly adept for common soldiers, fought beside him, their shortbows unleashing a constant stream of arrows, though they were largely ineffective against the undead onslaught.
Nyx, concealed in the shadows, observed the carnage with a detached, clinical interest. The "demon queen" was indeed a force to be reckoned with. Her power was palpable, her presence radiating an aura of absolute command. The defenders of Greywater, while surprisingly tenacious, were being slaughtered. The Tully knight fought bravely, but his efforts were futile.
Suddenly, a death knight, its eyes burning with balefire, charged towards Ser Desmond, its massive sword raised to deliver a killing blow. Desmond braced himself for the inevitable, his hand gripping his sword hilt, his face set with grim determination.
Just as the death knight's blade was about to fall, a bolt of pure, white-hot energy slammed into its chest, shattering its ebon armor and sending it reeling. The death knight shrieked, a sound of tortured metal and dying magic, and collapsed into a pile of smoking bone fragments.
All eyes turned towards the source of the attack.
Sebas Tian, his normally dignified posture radiating an aura of implacable fury, stood at the edge of the courtyard, his simple walking staff glowing with an inner light. He had arrived.
"Halt, demon!" he commanded, his voice booming across the chaotic battlefield. "This keep is under the protection of Lord Ainz Ooal Gown! You will not defile it!"
Albedo, her golden eyes widening in shock and disbelief, descended slowly, her gaze fixed on Sebas. "Sebas… Tian?" she breathed, her voice a mixture of confusion and dawning realization. "What… what is the meaning of this? Where is my Lord Ainz? Why are you… defending these… humans?"
Before Sebas could answer, a new voice, cold and commanding, echoed across the courtyard.
"Albedo," Ainz said, his youthful form now radiating an aura of absolute power, his eyes glowing with an inner light that seemed to pierce the very shadows. He stood beside Sebas, Entoma clinging to his arm, her multifaceted eyes fixed on Albedo with a mixture of awe and fear. "Stand down. These… humans… are under my protection. You will not harm them."
Albedo stared at the young boy, at the aura of absolute command, the familiar, overwhelming presence that transcended his physical form. Her mind reeled. Her beloved Ainz-sama… in this… guise? Defending… humans?
"Ainz… sama?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Is… is that… truly you? Why… why are you in this… form? Why are you protecting these… insects?"
Ainz sighed inwardly. This was going to be… complicated.
"I will explain everything, Albedo," he said, his voice softening slightly. "But first… we must deal with this… situation." He gestured towards the remaining undead, who were now frozen in confusion, their orders unclear.
"Sebas," Ainz commanded. "Disarm them. But do not kill them. They are… misguided. Entoma, tend to the wounded. We will restore order to this place."
Sebas moved with terrifying speed, his staff a blur of motion, disarming the remaining death knights and skeletal mages with precise, non-lethal strikes. Entoma, her own injuries momentarily forgotten, scurried to the aid of the wounded, her insectile physiology allowing her to move with surprising speed and agility.
Albedo, still reeling from the shock of seeing her beloved Ainz-sama in this… form… watched, her mind struggling to reconcile what she was seeing with her unwavering devotion. This was not how she had envisioned their reunion.
Ainz, meanwhile, surveyed the chaotic scene. The courtyard was a mess of broken bodies, shattered stone, and lingering necromantic energy. Ser Desmond Grell, his face pale but alive, stared at Ainz and Sebas with a mixture of awe, terror, and profound confusion.
The stage of Elian Hollow, Lord of Greywater, had just received its most dramatic and terrifying twist. And the consequences were about to unfold.