NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
What in the world do you mean!? Were they actually MY priests? I am not prepared for something like this!
This is so cringe-worthy and embarrassing. Momo will make fun of me when we see each other.
Aizen said that there was a weird reaction from locals. He already knew. As expected.
And don't think I can't see your smug look Soi Fon! She will, without a doubt, babble about it to everyone, and they will revere me even more than they already do. Damn.
Wait! I heard someone other than me shout at that in shock, and it was a male voice, so it was not Soi Fon. Her reaction is more like Aizen's when everything goes according to Keikaku.
I glance around and spot a tall figure in heavy black armour on a nearby hill, observing the ceremony. He exudes strength but seems unaware of my presence. Who is this mysterious figure?
I sensed spiritual energy around me and got my answer, which made me smile.
"Soi Fon, follow me."
Hehe. Time to see some skeleton edgelord. I used shunpo towards him, and my companion slowly followed behind. For everyone else, it would appear as if we had teleported to this hill.
There was some grass and a few trees, and the view was perfect for overlooking the burial site, but that's not what took my attention. It was the imposing figure in the armour, contrasting with the delicate maid beside him. Ah, right, she is one of those maids that Whitebrim created. A freaking maid maniac.
They didn't notice me. Time to prank a spooky skeleton.
"Lord Ainz, does it mean that Lady Atsune also appeared in this world?"
The maid knows what's up. Sorry, girl, I don't remember your name.
"Nabe, It's Momon now. She should be around, most likely."
Said the skele-boi with his new gruff voice. I sneak behind him and notice something I have entirely omitted until now.
All shinigami are very tall. I, for one, am almost as tall as Momonga, which is a lot.
I took the ring off to make them feel my energy better and tried to scare them.
"Boo!"
I was met with varied reactions to my prank. The maid jumped to the side, turned to me mid-air, and readied for combat. Meanwhile, the skeleton in the armour didn't flinch, but the green light surrounding him proved that my prank worked, and a passive of the undead race kept him from making any noise.
"Hehe, good to see you around skele-boi."
He turned to me, sighing, and the maid relaxed after realising who was standing before her. Other than that, I noticed shocked Soi Fon looking at me, most likely not expecting me to act like that. To be fair, I forgot she was here, and now the regal image I've been making is gone. To hell with it.
"You too, Atsune. But more importantly. What is it about the religion about you?!"
I am sure I cringed and blushed at that,
"I don't know. I arrived here a few days ago. What's with the armour tho?"
He clicks his nonexistent tongue.
This is actually a good idea. Not for me because I would not be able to interact normally, and with the whole cult... religion thing, I am not sure if locals don't know about what I look like.
"An adventurer, huh? That's... surprisingly mundane for you, but it works. You've always been good at adapting. I would invite you to nazarick, but now I can't really disappear from here."
Yeah, he cannot, or his adventurer career will be problematic. Suddenly, leaving the contractor you were supposed to guard is not the best thing for your credibility.
"Hm. Then where will we meet?"
He started humming and thinking about it. Meanwhile, I turned to the vice-captain.
"Ask some of the second division to gather information about the religion. And delegate more people, even from other divisions, to exploring the world itself."
She nodded and sent a butterfly. Momonga meanwhile coughed to get my attention.
"First of all, I am Ainz now, while my adventurous persona is Momon. We will meet in the nearby city E-Rantel. You should be able to find it easily. Ah right. I fought some idiots from Slane Theocracy nearby who were posing for knights from other nations to cause mayhem."
Yeah, I can feel where it was. The residual energy is in there, so I might also look at it. But really? He called himself the name of the whole guild just because there was no one else.
"Said Soul Queen."
He can read me like a book. Need to get better at it.
"Ok. I have to go now, or they will wonder where I went. See you in the city."
After saying that, he and 'Nabe' left us there.
"Let's check the place where they fought."
Without even waiting for her, I swished away.
"Wait for me,Atsune-sama!"
I appear in some plains near the village and the forest. It's quiet and undoubtedly the place that was my destination. If not for residual energies and a lone spirit standing there being enough proof, then the blood stains on the ground that had not yet been washed by rain or anything are.
I see some people walking around and scowling at the scene. They seem unable to see the spirit of some dead young man.
I forgot to wear the ring, and they did not notice me. Focusing some more on them, I see that they seem to be a well-equipped bunch, which means they are not so weak as not to be able to see me. Are they just typically not keeping their guard. Idiotic.
I noticed my partner silently sending a butterfly. Maybe asking for reinforcements in case they turn out to be hostile.
I came a little bit closer while observing them. First, a slim woman with purple eyes and long black hair was dressed in light, u, unobstructed armour like a typical rogue.
Next is a muscular dude whose face I can't see because he is covered in heavy armour. He holds a warhammer and a large shield. On his armour, there is an insignia that I don't recognise.
Third is a woman with silver hair and heterochromia. One eye is green, while the other is blue. The most striking feature is her robes, which seem too big for her and have so many colours that would make rainbows seem like a basic variety of colours.
The last one is another caster, but this time... a teen boy? or a girl? Very sus.
I am closer now, but I have still not received a response from them. I understand they are turned back to me, but do they have no training in feeling the energies around them?
"Soi fon, go make a soul burial for the guy. Be cautious. We don't know what they will do."
Let's try to see if they will react to her being barely a few meters away from her.
I followed after her and noticed why they were not paying any attention. They are talking with someone using an artefact of some kind.
"Whoever did this is undoubtedly a very powerful or huge group. Continue investigating, and remember not to let anyone know who you are, Windflower Scripture, especially that you are from Theocracy. Our relations with Re-estate kingdom are not cordial at all."
Oh. Some special forces of Theocracy. Now I know that in case of the fight to not feel guilty about killing them.
Before they could respond, a flash of light took their attention away from the artefact. They look at the front directly at Soi Fon and the ghost disappearing after the soul burial. I can't see their expressions since they are back to me, but I imagine how slack-jawed they are.
"What are you looking at?"
The voice from the artefact said this, and they turned something in their hands towards the vice-captain. So it works like video calls, they are ahead of their times.
And so the silence ensures that when they are all watching the shinigami, who is not even sparing them a glance while walking back in my direction. Or at least that's what it looks like. I, for one, know very well that she is ready to strike at any moment.
Man, I don't know why I find it funny.
The dude in heavy armour was the first to get out of his stupor.
"There are only the six great gods, you imposter!"
And he charged at her. Damn, talk about religious fanatics.
The rest, including the one on the call, tried to stop him. Unfortunately, he didn't listen.
Soi Fon, though, didn't wait. She activated her shikai and tried to stab him, but it was unable to pierce the armour, so she shunpoed away.
Oh, it's enchanted against spiritual entities and attacks.
The rest seemed to realise they had no choice and took out their weapons, staff, or whatever.
"Kaldor! We will have a talk about this later!"
Yeah, it seems I have to act, too. I should take care of casters first. With that, I shunpo next to the one with mismatched eyes and tried to chop her head off, but due to my inability to wield a sword properly, I had to run back when rouge threw knives at me. At that moment, I looked at her, noticing shock and panic on her face. In it, she dropped the red crystal used for communication, which shattered on the ground. For fanatics, they seem to study other religions since she can recognise me.
It seems I need to focus on the fight. Even if they are kind of weak, I have no idea what kind of trump cards they could have.
The girl moved first, disappearing into the shadows. I had to react as her poisoned daggers sliced through the air, aimed directly at my heart. I parried with my Zanpakuto, feeling the lethal edge of her blades scrape against mine.
Soifon darted forward, her speed blinding. With her shikai, she struck at the assassin wannabe with precision, marking Elara with the first strike.
"One more hit, and you're done."
Before she could strike again, one of the casters unleashed a Frost Nova. The ground around us froze, and icy shards shot towards us. I swung my Zanpakuto, releasing a wave of energy that shattered the ice, but it wasn't enough to stop their tanky friend.
He charged, his warhammer raised high. I braced myself, our weapons clashing with a loud impact. His strength was pretty good, but I held my ground, pushing back easily.
Overall, I would rate them at around level 50.
A mage with weird eyes cast illusions that filled the battlefield, disorienting everyone other than me with images that flickered around.
Soifon, undeterred, executed a flawless Shunpo, appearing behind Elara and delivering the second strike of her Shikai. Elara's eyes widened in shock before she crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
"You'll pay for that!"
The ice caster shouted, hurling a barrage of ice spears at us. I deflected them with my Zanpakuto, feeling the numbing cold seep through my defences.
Ok. I had my fun, time to end this.
"Hado 90. kurohitsugi"