31

"It's finally dawn," Ainz noticed the moment when the first ray of the Sun touched his eyes. - "Good".

Having watched over the Servant camp and the remnants of the city that was once called Lyon all night, Ainz never saw a single suspicious movement around. No, perhaps it would be more correct to say that Ainz considered every gust of wind suspicious - however, nothing around him looked more suspicious than the whole current situation - therefore he did not react to the sometimes rustling trees or distant ruins, which is the only thing that remained in the place of the once bustling city, from the influx of fresh air. At least he did not attack them in panic.

Slowly, Ainz went down from his flight, canceling the flight spell near the ground, after which he landed on his feet and stretched, massaging his stiff limbs several times. Of course, he was undead, so something like fatigue was impossible for him - even such a meaningless and joyless exercise as constantly inspecting the surroundings were not so bad for him without the ability to feel tired or any strong emotions. He could do this for whole days - however, at the same time, he still did not like to do such things, so when he went down to the ground, Ainz gladly stretched a couple of times, after which he headed towards the Servants.

In fact, Ainz did not even expect an attack on the camp that night - he still believed in some rationality from his opponents, so he knew that they would not risk organizing an attack immediately after a failed assassination attempt - however, at the same time, Ainz was not so stupid as to leave the camp without any protection.

"Archer," he said from the doorway, after which the Servant, who was previously sleeping — or was just resting — instantly opened his eyes, after which he got up from the bed created by magic.

In fact, Ainz could have created a much more impressive mansion - however, almost all magic of a similar level was either designed for personal use - or it was extremely noticeable, like a mansion that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the field - anything else was of a higher rank than Ainz could currently use.

Archer, rising from his seat, only nodded to the magician, and then walked past him. Ainz nodded at this.

Other Servants followed - Ainz chose to wake each one personally.

Memories of how his boss sometimes woke up workers by shouting at the night shift made Ainz grimace unpleasantly. He definitely did not want to do such a thing in this world.

Mozart, Marie Antoinette, Arthuria - lastly Mashu. Including Archer and Ainz - that was all the people in the small company. Of course, there were still Servants with the army - however, with the exception of them, at the moment the entire company of the magician only consisted of six people.

'Hm, six is quite a lot,' the necromancer recalled his gaming adventures. Six people were usually enough for a battle with a normal boss - if he correctly recalled, when they captured Nazarick the battle with Asura also took only six of them...

The thought about Ainz's old comrades made him breathe with nostalgic warmth for a second, after which the magician took a step into the tent to Shielder.

Unlike all the other Servants, who were just waiting for a call to awake and continued to lie in their clothes, sometimes even armor and next to their weapons - Mashu was the only one who accepted the offer of sleep in the proper way - the girl was sweatily dreaming, and her armor and shield stood to one side, leaning against a lonely table. A bed, a small stool that served as a bedside table - on which Mashu's glasses rested - and a lonely table with two chairs - that's all the decoration of the created camp.

"Many of my colleagues lived like that..." - Ainz stopped for a second, then looked around - "All that is missing is a chair with a virtual reality helmet and a connector - and the similarities will be complete..."

The thought that he forced his Servants - in fact, his subordinates - to live like the subordinates of his past boss, made Ainz sigh with embarrassment. Fortunately, the suppression of emotions cut off such a manifestation of emotions before his embarrassment could turn into shame - and Ainz took a step towards Mashu's bed.

From the approach of a man, the girl wrinkled her nose a little and turned around, but did not wake up, because of which Ainz was forced to call her, - "Mashu."

The girl replied to this with even greater grumbling, after which the blanket with which she covered herself slipped a little, exposing the girl's shoulders. Ainz automatically looked at the girl, after which he suddenly discovered a new fact for himself.

"She is quite voluptuous..." - Ainz blinked several times, and then turned away - "No, no, I'm not looking there!"

The embarrassment was instantly suppressed, after which the magician was able to breathe and speak again, a little more insistently, - "Mashu…"

The girl turned around a bit more before turning to the magician and slowly opening her eyes.

"Huh?" - the girl slowly opened her eyes, after which she yawned and stretched, - "Senpai... What is it?"

Ainz watched this for a few seconds.

'The children are really wonderful,' he remembered about Yamaiko, after which he extended his hand to the girl. She did not have time to do anything, as the magician's hand was on her head - after which, with a slight movement, Ainz ruffled Mashu's hair.

"Get up," he smiled. "We have to go."

"Huh?" - the girl seemed to just realize that Ainz patted her on the head, and then nodded, - "Yes, of course…"

Ainz got out of bed and managed to turn around when Mashu suddenly realized that all this time she was lying covered with only one blanket.

"Senpai, don't look!" - the girl shouted, but Ainz has already taken a step away from her tent, leaving the girl to lie alone.

'Maybe he should have stayed?' - Serenity's voice, full of malice, sounded in Mashu's head to which Mashu herself just waved it off.

Ainz, coming out of the tent, was greeted by all the other Servants, who looked at him expectantly.

"As Archer said last night," after that the magician looked at Archer that nodded to him, and continued, "In this city, in the church on the hill, there is a Servant. The signature is weak, but it is still a chance that we cannot miss."

The Servants nodded at this, after which Ainz heard the tent's door flapping at the moment Mashu jumped out of it - already ready and carrying her huge shield in her hands.

"Good," Ainz canceled the spell, after which the entire camp instantly disappeared, as if it had never been here, "We are going there now - as a single group. Each one remains in the field of view of at least two others, no one moves away more than fifteen meters."

The Servants only nodded at this - only Arthuria objected at Ainz at that moment - "Is this really necessary?"

"I prefer not to take any chances," the sorcerer sighed, then slowly moved forward, allowing the Servants to follow him.

Not that the mage himself was afraid of an unexpected ambush - however, he really preferred not to risk it. The reason why he did not go after the Servant at night, when it was discovered , was precisely this fact. Being in enemy territory - and after a nightly assassination attempt, Ainz could not see Lyon differently - it was always full of risks. If the enemy had placed traps with teleportation circles - or have several powerful assasins - the advance at night would be suicidal for them - so Ainz chose to use all the advantages available to him. Even considering that he spent the whole night observing Lyon, it did not give him the necessary confidence - therefore, the magician was moving slowly, waiting for a possible ambush at every turn. Fortunately, it was not there. Unfortunately - this only stirred Ainz's paranoia more.

The path through the ruins of the city was passed silently - because of which what in reality would only take a few tens of minutes stretched out to hours of painful expectations, but in the end Ainz was still able to climb the steps to look at the lonely church on the hill.

The church clearly saw better days - its walls were charred in many places, and a small church square was burned to the ground. Fragments of stone lay on the stone road - part from the church itself and part from the destroyed gravestones that were scattered along the way to the chapel.

Ainz just nodded at this, and then moved forward.

The church was supposed to have a grand entrance, similar to a castle gate, but one of the doors was completely absent, instead it was lying near the entrance, and the second was kept attached only on one loop, squinting. As he approached, Ainz tried to open the door, which it could not tolerate, it tore itself off the hinges and fall on the rocky road with a screech.

This at least provoked a reaction - a groan came from inside the church, after which Ainz heard a voice.

"Well, this means I won't be able to run further..." - the speaker's voice was deep enough, but the fatigue and doom in his voice hid all the positive things it could have, "Good... Then come on — I want to take a couple more with me!"

"We did not come here to fight," Ainz was the first to step on the floor of the church, trying to not step on the piled benches and their scraps lying around, "We are the one currently fighting with the Witch, and we came here in the hope that we will find an ally."

"Witch?" - the voice suddenly fell silent, - "Well, then you found an ally."

"But..." - Ainz heard a slow, irregular step, so even by that sound alone it was possible to determine that the speaker was moving with difficulty, limping every step - after which a man appeared from behind one of the columns, "I don't think I can offer a lot of help right now…"

The men who appeared was quite tall- however, his muscularity and huge mane of silver-gray hair made him appear much larger in the eyes of the observer. The large steel pads on his shoulders, sharply knocking out against his black clothes and a huge two-handed sword in his hands made his appearance truly huge.

On the man's chest was a huge cross of white light that pulsed measuredly to the beat of his heartbeat.

'Hmmm, I already saw this cross…' - Ainz remembered - 'On the chest of the Witch's dragon…'

"And who dared to fight the Witch?" - the man smiled, after which he took another lame step to the magician.

"Ainz," the magician decided not to get into the explanation, after which he looked around the man. He looked perfectly healthy, albeit a little tired - but he barely walked, limping on one leg, - "What is the matter with you?"

"Curse," the man briefly explained, after which he looked at the Servants accompanying Ainz, "And they are... Servants, I suppose ?"

"Yes," Ainz nodded. "We were called here to fight the Witch — and at this moment the army had already begun moving towards Orleans for the final battle."

"So you can do well without me," the man sighed. "I would have helped you in the battle - with joy... However, I'm afraid I'm not able to fight right now."

"Curse, huh?" - Ainz thought for a second. His inventory was full of all kinds of things created to remove curses, but most of them were disposable items - moreover, they acted on curses of different strengths. He would not want to spend one of the rare things on removing a weak curse — however, at the same time, if he had spent one of the weaker ones on removing the curse — and then curse would become stronger — he would still be wasting the item...

"Jeanne can remove the curse from you," Ainz suddenly was distracted by Mashu's voice and looked at the girl. She caught his eye, instantly embarrassed, - "At least she said so…"

"Jeanne?" - the man looked at the girl.

"Jeanne d'Arc," Ainz looked at the guy, waiting for his reaction, but to this man only nodded.

"Yes, that would be good..." the man smiled. "In that case, of course, I will go with you."

"Good." Ainz nodded.

"Oh yes," the guy said, and then nodded. "I apologize for not introducing myself before. Siegfried."

'Ha?' - Ainz froze, and then said out loud, "Dragon Slayer Siegfried?"

"I see you have heard about me," the man nodded. "It's a loud title, but I'm really the same Siegfried."

'Wow, there is Siegfried here!' - Ainz was surprised - 'Siegfried was strong in the game - when Ulbert was killing heroes he said that the battle with Siegfried was one of the most difficult - the only thing worse was only the battle with Merlin and that girl... Scratch? Scutach? Something like that…"

"Good," Ainz answered after a second of thought, "in that case ..."

"Master," Archer suddenly said, "A Servant is moving toward here."

"Assassin?" - Ainz turned to Archer, but he only shook his head.

"He's not hiding at all, he is moving on a horse," Archer nodded "In a hurry."

"Good." Ainz nodded, then looked at Siegfried. He just shook his head, saying that he did not know anything about it - "Then we will wait for him."

Quickly enough, Ainz noticed a spot that appeared in the distance - the rider was moving at a speed clearly exceeding the speed that a normal horse could move, but at the same time he was not hiding at all - and was not like anyone that Ainz had met before, so he decided to still meet with them.

A few minutes later the man appeared in front of Ainz - easily climbing the stairs to the church, the man jumped off his horse, patting it a little, then turned to the Servants.

Ainz carefully looked at the one that appeared - he was slightly shorter than Siegfried and did not have the same impressive hair - but still he was tall and his long brown hair could probably reach his lower back. The person who appeared was dressed in armor - bronze-colored armor that turned into a snow-white cloak, and a strange-shaped blade rested on his belt - as if the blade had not tapered to the end, but was completely straight - and even seemed to be completely blunted.

"A man in red," he instantly recognized Archer, after which he turned his eyes to Marie Antoinette and Mozart, "A girl and a magician. Yes, it seems I arrived to the right people."

To this Ainz took a step forward, - "Greetings. My name is Ainz."

"I apologize for being rude, but I prefer not to give my name now," the man looked at the magician. "I'm afraid we don't have time for courtesy. It's getting closer, the…"

"Dragon," Archer finished his thought, then turned to Ainz.

"It seems that after Vichy she's not leaving us now," Ainz sighed.

"Vichy," the man who appeared, immediately noticed the word, "So it was you in Vichy?"

"Not really me, but it's true," Ainz sighed. Vichy passed for him... Very unpleasantly - so he did not really want to remember it.

"So you are the ones who fought the Witch?" - the man looked at Ainz, to which he nodded, - "In that case…"

The man bowed a little, his right hand in his heart, "In that case... I would like to join your battle."

"Oh?" - Ainz looked at the Servant - "Really?"

"Yes," he nodded again. After Chevalier's actions, confidence about such contracts was undermined, but Ainz had no choice but to nod, "Good... In that case, we are backing off."

"What?" - unexpectedly asked Marie Antoinette, - "But what about the dragon?!"

"That is precisely why we are retreating," said Ainz nodding to his own words, "To battle with it now is something I would like to avoid by all means."

"But what about the army?" - The Rider was indignant, - "If the Witch directs the dragon after us, then the whole army will be in jeopardy."

"Yes," Ainz was forced to admit the truthfulness of the words of the girl, "However, in that case, we can join our forces to fight the dragon, collecting the full number of Servants. To battle with the dragon now is impossible."

"If a dragon possess such a danger - then it alone can destroy the army!" - Marie Antoinette took a step forward, - "We can not let it do this!"

"We have no other choice," at that moment Ainz heard the dragon roar and was able to discern a moving figure in the clouds. This time, the dragon also carried a Servant on it - however, Ainz could not distinguish who it was from that distance.

"Yes," said Arthuria unexpectedly, forcing everyone else to look at her.

"What?" - said Ainz, glancing at the girl.

"The dragon can be distracted," the girl said it calmly, "if we leave a Servant or two to fight him, he will not be able to attack the army after the battle."

"It's a suicidal mission," Ainz shook his head.

"Yes," Arthuria nodded. "Therefore..."

"I'm volunteering!" - Marie Antoinette took a step forward, distracting Ainz from his thoughts.

"Mari..." said Mozart, trying to calm the girl down, but suddenly someone objected to him - no one other than Arthuria herself.

"No, let it be so," Arthuria nodded. "In that case... I will stay too."

Ainz looked at the girl, who only nodded calmly, "We need at least two Servants with strong Phantasms to injure the dragon. Me and Rider are the best candidates for this."

Ainz paused for a second, then slowly nodded. "This is a suicidal mission, no retreat and last-time save. Are you sure you agree to this?"

As if confirming the words of the magician, the dragon in the sky roared loudly, but Marie Antoinette and Arthuria only nodded.

"Good," Ainz sighed. "Good, then..."

The remaining Servants took a step towards Ainz, who cast a last look at the two girls and nodded.

"Teleportation," he used a spell and instantly carried the Servants. Arthuria and Marie Antoinette were left alone.

Marie Antoinette watched the dragon approach slowly, gradually beginning to distinguish the outline of the Servant standing on its back.

"That is Sanson," she finally said, managing to discern the man in front.

"I understand," Arthuria nodded, after which she silently stared at the sky, looking at the approaching dragon. Marie Antoinette also looked up, continuing to stare into the sky.

For a few seconds they both spent it in silence, watching the outlines of the monster gradually grow, which had already gone down to the city and now continued to fly low, almost scratching the skeletons of the destroyed buildings with its belly.

"Why?" - unexpectedly, Arthuria was distracted by her voice. Turning, she saw Rider staring at her intently. "Why did you decide to stay?"

"Because I needed to," Arthuria answered calmly and turned around, considering the dialogue completed, however, Marie Antoinette did not back down.

"And what about the conversation about the True King?" - the girl turned around. - "You spoke about the need for sacrifices and that the True King should retreat from the battle, which he cannot win?"

Rider fell silent for a second, after which Arthuria shook her head a little.

"The King must retreat from the battle when the battle is pointless - even if he can fight," the girl sighed, and then looked up to the dragon, "And the King must fight when the battle is necessary - even if he cannot win."

Silence reigned for a second, after which Marie Antoinette looked up.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"It is not because of you," Arthuria answered coldly and turned away, "I was the only candidate with sufficient strength and a powerful Noble Phantasm that could support you - while you remained the least efficient member of the squad. That's all."

"Yes, I know," Marie-Antoinette nodded and smiled, "But anyway, thanks."

For a second Arthuria fell silent, after which she nodded, "Of course."

After another second, the roar of the beast again broke the silence, after which the dragon wrapped a hook around two Servants, allowing the executioner to jump from his back.

"Well, well, well..." - Sanson smiled only upon landing on the ground, "Your Majesty — we meet again... It seems that this is really destiny - I will become your executioner yet again."

"Charles Henri Sanson," Marie-Antoinette nodded briefly to the Servant, "I would like to say that I am glad to see you again, but I cannot lie straight to your face."

"Well, what are you, Your Majesty," Sanson smiled and took a step forward, "It always seemed to me that I brought you the calmest and quickest death. Believe me, I didn't prepare for any execution as much as for yours - I personally sharpened the guillotine to make your last moments as quick and painless as possible. Admit it, you liked this method of execution."

"Sanson," Marie Antoinette sighed and shook her head, after which the executioner finally turned his gaze to Arthuria.

"Ah, Your Majesty - as I look, you brought a retinue with you," Sanson smiled at Arthuria, and then nodded respectfully to her, "It seems that this time I will also have to execute someone other than you... Perhaps this is what people call fate."

"I'm not here for you," Arthuria looked at the executioner coldly, after which she turned her gaze to the dragon, who landed nearby, "But for his sake."

"Oh, for the sake of Fafnir?" - the guy smiled, - "Of course, how could I forget - such a sight can really attract the attention of the people."

"Fafnir?" - Arthuria turned her gaze to Sanson - "The legendary dragon of Scandinavia?"

"My lady, all dragons are legendary in one way or another," the executioner smiled at her, "And all of them, one way or another, come from different places — however, yes, you are right. This is really the legendary Fafnir himself - the power of my Master allows such things."

"Good," Arthuria nodded. "In that case, I will be proud that I was able to kill another legendary dragon."

"Lady," Sanson smiled at these words, "I have no doubt in your strength — just as I do not doubt in the strength of Fafnir. You will always be given the chance to battle - however, the outcome of this battle will not be the one you may desire."

"In this case - I will still take the chance," Arthuria nodded at this, after which a moment later she disappeared in a quick, continuous movement, to which the dragon only growled.

"My Queen," Sanson smiled at Marie Antoinette, "So we are left alone again. Tell me, are you ready for your execution? I am ready to wait."

"Sanson, my friend," the girl sighed, then smiled, "Why wait? I am quite ready."

"I'm glad, My Queen," the Assassin bowed to the girl for the last time, and then rushed forward.

Ainz was in the middle of the army camp at a time when the last troops had already gathered their belongings and began to line up in marching order. The messengers rushed through the camp, not noticing the magician, so he sighed, and then went straight to the commander's tent, where he could see Gilles shouting something to his squire, after which he looked at Ainz. He smiled for a second, seeing there was a replenishment in the form of Servants, after which, not finding two familiar faces, he looked at Ainz - "And the other two…"

To this Ainz himself only sighed, - "They will not come."

To this, Gilles only sighed sadly, after which he nodded, "I understand."

"We need Jeanne," Ainz looked at Siegfried. "There is a curse that must be lifted."

"Good, of course," Gilles nodded. "The army is almost ready. If you need Jeanne, then most likely she is with John, at the head of the army."

"Good." Ainz nodded at this, then turned to the Servants.

"I will accompany Siegfried," Mashu instantly volunteered, after which she went to the imposing guy, who only smiled guiltily and leaned on the girl's shoulder, after which he slowly limped forward.

The man who did not give his name also nodded at this. "I will join them if Jeanne needs my help. Unfortunately or not, but I was also called as a Saint by humans."

To this the man nodded and also went after Mashu.

"Then I will go to inform the other Servants," Archer nodded, after which he instantly disappeared from the tent.

Gilles, taking a look at this, also took a step, - "It is necessary to send an army - otherwise these guys will ruin everything again."

Ainz sighed at this, and then turned, expecting to see behind him only an empty tent, but unexpectedly found a Servant there.

"Ah, Mozart," Ainz completely forgot about him in this hectic, after which, realizing that Caster was lost in his thoughts, he called him, "Mozart..."

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry," he shook his head instantly, as if dropping unnecessary thoughts, and then turned to Ainz, instantly smiling, "Is something necessary?"

Ainz was silent for a few seconds, after which he sighed, "If you need..."

"No, no, nothing," he immediately waved his hands, as if nothing had happened and he remained all the same Mozart, as always, "It's okay, I understand."

"And yet," Ainz sighed, after which he looked at Caster. He, seeing this look, only waved his hands.

"Losing her the second time, after we have become Servants, is not so painful," the man smiled. "I will survive."

Ainz was silent for a few seconds.

If he ended up here with his friends - after which there was a need to leave one of them - could he react calmly to this?

No.

The answer came to Ainz's mind instantly.

No.

Never.

He would have put the army at risk, he would have gone into a hopeless battle, he would have stayed with them - whatever may happen, but he would never have abandoned his Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Mozart," Ainz sighed once more, realizing this simple truth, "I... No, I cannot say that I can feel what you feel - but I understand you."

"Come on," Mozart once waved languidly and sighed, "I understand the need for this, and I understand the necessity of such an act. Mari... Mari always sacrificed herself for the sake of others - perhaps this was the reason why she attracted people so much."

Ainz froze for a second, not knowing what he had to say, after which Mozart made his way to the chair next to him and sat down on it. Ainz was always bad with comforting people, so he could not say anything in the current situation - however, once Bukubukuchagama told him that if a person is sad, the worst thing that can be done in this case is to remain silent.

"Did you love her?" - Ainz sighed at this, but Mozart, who first prepared to sharply negatively wave his head, stopped, then slowly turned his head away.

"What difference does it make..." Mozart sighed and smiled, "Our lives cannot be changed other than what has already taken shape - so what use is this question?"

Ainz sighed at this, after which he himself moved to the nearest chair and sat down in it.

"Maybe..." unexpectedly, Caster continued, after which he looked up somewhere, "Perhaps if she were not the Queen of France - and I was not God's Child... If she baked pastries - and I worked as a minstrel at the square... Who knows?"

Ainz did not know what he had to say to this, so he asked what seemed appropriate to him - "Is this all for the sake of France?"

"Of course," Mozart smiled, "Mari always did everything for France..."

He leaned back in his chair, and then closed his eyes.

"You know..." he suddenly said after a few seconds of silence, "Once upon a time I saw her for the first time... After a performance. I was just a child - and so was she... We first met - and I saw her. She was in a blue dress - one of those that is adorned with fresh flowers - I was in a small frock coat made specially for me by my parents... I then saw her for the first time... I was awestruck - and I promised to marry her when she grows up…"

"Stupid, isn't it?" - Mozart smiled and opened his eyes, looking at Ainz, - "Children are pure - they do not know about human stupidities - about people and classes, about kings and queens, about duty and responsibilities... Of course, this did not happen - this could not happen."

Ainя looked at Mozart, but he only waved his hands.

"You don't have to feel sorry for me," the man smiled. "She married a good man. She loved him and loved her children more than her life. At that time, I was carried away by music... Orpheus' magic - to be more precise. I was absorbed in it as much as a person could be absorbed by his calling - to the point of madness. I have fallen in love with the miracle of music... Then I found a good girl - and I loved her, I dedicated poetry and sonnets to her that no one else saw - she witnessed the birth of my greatest masterpieces and supported me in my most difficult moments... I had six children - believe me, I would not have had six children with a girl whom I would not love. We lived in perfect harmony - and Mari lived with her beloved husband."

After that, Mozart fell silent, allowing Ainz to slowly breathe.

"But you did not forget her," he said in complete silence, to which Mozart only slowly closed his eyes.

"No..." he finally said, "I haven't forgotten."

"And you have become stronger, My Queen!" - Sanson smiled, jumping away from the next blow.

"I am always ready to try for the sake of France, my dear executioner!" - the girl smiled, gracefully moving away from the next blow of the huge blade in the hands of Sanson.

Somewhere in the distance a mournful roar of a dragon was heard, after which the roar deafened both Servants for a second.

"Oh, and she is strong!" - Assassin looked back a second to see the discarded dragon - and Arthuria, although she was wounded, was far from losing.

"Of course," Marie Antoinette rushed forward, but her next blow was laid aside, "She is stronger than me — you — and, perhaps, your dragon."

"Stronger than Fafnir?" - smiled Sanson, delivering the next blow, - "This is an extremely flattering praise received from the Queen herself!"

"You flatter me, Sanson," the girl smiled, after which she dealt a particularly strong blow, sending Assassin on a flight. The same one, finding himself in flight, after a second later landed on his feet, blocking the next blow of Marie Antoinette.

"My queen, not a drop of lies," the executioner smiled, "Only sincere admiration."

"In that case, Sanson," the girl suddenly jumped back, "Would you like to admire me even more?"

"Oh, My Queen," Sanson smiled as the girl got ready, "So you are ready to end our fight? Ready for the climax? Ready for execution?"

"Of course, my dear executioner," the girl smiled for the last time, bringing a smile to Sanson's lips.

"So let it be so," Sanson nodded. "I will do everything quickly."

"I have no doubt about that," the girl finally said, after which she extended her hand forward.

A moment later, Sanson realized that he was icebound.

'No, this is not ice,' Assassin corrected himself immediately, realizing what was slowly absorbing him 'It's crystal.'

Crystal grew under his feet, gradually fettering his movements.

"And let France be forever!" - the girl smiled, after which the crystal instantly formed a shape under her feet.

It was a beautiful horse - as if made of pure morning light - it easily took a step forward, after which Marie Antoinette was at one moment on the back of the stallion.

Having torn from his seat, the horse immediately rushed forward, after which Marie Antoinette, sitting on his back, smiled.

"Guillotine!.." she said with a smile, after which the crystal, which had previously swallowed the man's legs, accelerated instantly, turning Assassin into a cocoon.

The embodiment of the beauty of Versailles... The embodiment of the luxury of the royal court... The embodiment of the Champs Elysees and the views of Montmartre...

The embodiment of France - the shining pearl of Europe - and the embodiment of the soul of Marie Antoinette...

Beautiful France of her dreams.

Her view of the beauty of her life - and the future of generations that will come after her.

That is what Her Noble Phantasm embodied. The pure beauty - and the pure soul of the girl, that when even stepping on the scaffold - apologized for stepping on the shoe of her executioner.

This power could afflict people like Excalibur - and possessed the power of all France behind her.

But…

"La Mort," the executioner said at the moment when the crystal touched his hands, "Espoir..."

The horse of Marie Antoinette took another step forward, and then suddenly froze. A second later, the decapitated body of Marie Antoinette fell from it's back.

It was all over instantly. The executioner's blade hit the girl, having executed it's target.

La Mort Espoir really was the epitome of the guillotine of the French Revolution, the executioner's guillotine and the power of the rebellion. And therefore, it was not a tool that destroyed evil.

Perhaps if Sanson did not have to personally execute Marie Antoinette, Louis Sixteenth, Charlotte Corde - and many other people who found themselves on the chopping block not as criminals, but as political opponents of the revolution - then Sanson's Phantasm could really destroy evil. However, instead, the guillotine in the hands of the executioner found its other purpose.

The destruction of those who should be destroyed.

It was still a tool for executing criminals, but now it has been tarnished by another purpose to be a judge over people.

It was a tool of execution, which primary goal was not to destroy evil - but those who were recognized as evil. Those who were ready to die for their truth.

In other words, it was an attack that did not base its strength on how evil a person is, but on how much he himself recognized himself as evil. In other words, in order to cause damage, such an attack first had to touch the victim's consciousness.

Ainz was protected from such things.

In other words, if you consider this as numbers, then Ainz's karma could increase the damage done to him by a similar action a thousand times. However, Ainz's mind defense meant that the base damage from a similar attack that couldn't touch his mind at all was zero. And no matter how many times the zero was increased, it will always remain zero. Therefore, such a Phantasm was absolutely safe for Ainz.

However, for Marie Antoinette, even if she was pure - having acknowledged and accepted her death - she was doomed from the very beginning.

"I thought you changed, My Queen," the man smiled, misunderstanding his failed Phantasm when trying to attack Ainz, "When I met that magician, my Phantasm did not work on him... He found the strength to resist fate - no, he destroyed my guillotine. He rejected his fate and execution - he rejected his own death - and looking at you I thought that you would find the strength in yourself to resist execution…"

"But, I'm sorry, My Queen," the crystal still holding Sanson began to crumble slowly, "Now it's finally over."

"Not really," he heard a voice nearby, after which he turned to the side. Hell, the second girl he completely forgot about!

"Excalibur!.."- on the body of Arthuria there were many wounds - her armor was pierced and crushed, and her face was cut many times - but she was alive. And the black blade in her hands, shining with an ominous light, reminded Sanson of his own weapons.

About the executioner's guillotine.

"Fafnir!" - he instantly shouted to the dragon that immediately rushed to the defense, but Arthuria only smiled.

"It will not help," she said with a grin, after which the blade, still burning with black light in her hands, striked, "Morgan!"

A second later, a stream of darkness rushed forward.

It took only a few tens of seconds before the dust from the blow of Arthuria began to slowly subside.

Sanson felt pain in his whole body - a blow deprived him of the entire right half of his body... However, he was still alive.

The howl of the dragon caught the attention of Assassin - and he turned his eyes to Fafnir, who still managed to cover part of Sanson's body - but he paid for it himself.

It was as if someone had torn off the dragon's scales with its flesh, after which he frantically wounded him with blades until his body became a bleeding piece of meat. All the main power of the blow fell on Fafnir's body, so he could only utter a mournful howl instead of a mighty roar - then he lowered his head, allowing Sanson to see the mutilated face, through the fragments of which the skull looked through.

Assassin suddenly heard footsteps and looked at Arthuria, who walked through the dust, slowly manifesting herself, like a ghost that came for his soul.

Arthuria took another step forward, then another, after which she was next to the body of Marie Antoinette. Looking at her, Arthuria closed her eyes, and then turned to Sanson.

"No," she said, and then slowly moved forward.

Sanson looked at the girl uncomprehendingly, feeling how the last minutes of his life were leaving.

"No," she said again, "She accepted her fate."

"Even knowing that she would lose," Arthuria smiled, "Even knowing that she would die - even after accepting a hopeless battle... She still fought. And even when she died, she sacrificed herself for the sake of others. She met her death as an old friend…"

Arthuria approached Sanson, after which she brought the blade for the last blow, to which Sanson reacted calmly. He only looked up at Arthuria.

"She is My Queen after all," Assassin smiled, to which Arthuria answered with a smile.

"Yes," she smiled. "She is the true Queen."

After that a blow was dealt.

The blade in Arturia's hands fell only a few centimeters, without touching Sanson's chest, after which she froze.

"Huh?" - she sighed, after which her mouth was filled with blood, - "Ha?"

"You shouldn't forget about me," a voice heard nearby made the girl feel the wound on her neck slowly starting to bleed.

"Phan... tom," she realized instantly to whom this voice belonged and turned to Assassin.

"Of course, my dear," The Phantom of the Opera nodded, slowly turning the blades that replaced his fingers into a human hand, "Of course, it's me."

"You... Dishonest... Bastard," Arthuria could only spit blood, and then fell to the ground.

"Phantom of... the Opera…" - Sanson felt his weakening every second, so looking at the face of the appeared Assassin, who was waiting for a moment for his blow, - "You…"

"Of course I am," the man took a step, after which he looked around Sanson, "You are dying."

"I know," Assassin smiled, "Finally... I can be... Free from the Witch..."

"Fafnir is dying too," said the Phantom, ignoring the man's words, after which he turned his eyes to the dragon.

"Yes," Sanson nodded and smiled, feeling his eyes close, "Good..."

"No," the Phantom's voice suddenly struck Sanson, forcing him to open his eyes. "You will not die so easily."

"Ha..." laughed the man, "Ha... Ha ha... Ha ha ha... Why deny the obvious, Phantom? Even the Witch... Even Gilles will not be able to heal me... Or Fafnir... Now."

"Yes, it's impossible to heal you," the Phantom nodded at this, after which a light half laugh appeared on his lips, "But this does not mean that you will die. My Christine will still find a use for you."

"Huh?" - Sanson just looked at the Phantom with a daze, but froze a second later.

"The army is advancing to storm Orleans," he sighed, then turned to Arthuria. "In that case, we need to hurry."

Arthuria heard a step next to her, but could not do anything. She was wounded before - but now, after the last wound - she could not even gather enough strength in herself to get off the ground.

Thin hands turned the girl over, which was able to look into the beautiful face of the Phantom, covered with a disfigured mask.

"You are very beautiful," the man admitted after a second of inspection, "What a pity that you turned out to be the enemy of my Christine..."

Arthuria could only grit her teeth and speak,- "Go to Hell."

"I was already there, lady," the man smiled, after which his fingers, once again turned into blades, lay on Arthuria's neck, "And I returned."

With the next movement of the Assassin's hand, Saber, Arthuria Alter, died.

Life Denial: EX (B) (Case)

Production of negative energy by the undead is an integral part of their existence - as well as their natural characteristics. This is especially true for the Elder Lichs, which, with their touch, are able to cause metal to rust, and people to die. This is especially true for Overlords, each of which is such a powerful source of negative energy that their very presence can turn a flowering garden into thickets of dead grass. And, of course, this applies especially strongly to Ainz.

Ainz is not only the Overlord of the highest rank and a great necromancer, but also the creature who subjugated Helheim - the reality of the dead - and the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the stronghold of the forces of Evil and negative energy. Ainz is so saturated with negative energy that it would be easier to consider him an anomaly, a living distortion of reality, consisting of negative energy of such quality and quantity that even divinity is not save from the distorting and destructive presence of a living embodiment of unlife.