The wind howled across the ruined battlefield, pulling at tattered silk and splintered stone. Above it all, two figures faced each other—Ainz Ooal Gown, the Crimson Sovereign, his body cracked with bleeding light; and Shalltear Bloodfallen, reborn from ashes, her strength diminished but her will unbroken.
A silent moment passed.
Then—
Shalltear moved.
Her body shot forward like a crimson streak, lance poised. No mana to bolster her. No buffs to guide her hand. Just pure, honed martial prowess—the skill of a Guardian once crafted to kill gods.
Ainz reacted, floating back as he raised one hand.
"[Force Displacement Field]."
The air rippled. Her lance met an invisible wall—and shattered it.
Steel met pressure. Her body twisted mid-air. She spun, planted a heel on the air itself, and launched again.
Ainz countered.
"[Quick Cast: Death Coil Surge]."
A spiraling arc of black-red lightning surged forward. Shalltear ducked, cape smoldering. Her foot caught a broken pillar—she launched off it, flipping over the spell, diving straight for his throat.
He whispered,
"I see you."
"[Chain Bind - Singular Lock]."
Ribbons of pale crimson snapped up from the ground, snaring her wrist mid-lunge. She ripped free with brute strength and slammed the lance down—
Clang!
He raised his arm just in time—[Reactive Ward] flared, but cracked under the force. His shoulder staggered back—
And blood spattered the air.
Ainz's health dropped another sliver.
But so did hers—exertion eating into her strength. She was powerful, yes. Reborn—but drained. The resurrection had stripped her mana, and every swing cost stamina she couldn't afford to waste.
He raised his hand again.
"You've lasted long enough, Shalltear."
"[Twin Maximize Magic: Gravity Well – Soul Slash]."
The ground twisted. Gravity pinned her in place—and a translucent blade of soul energy cleaved the sky.
She moved at the last second.
The Soul Slash cut across her side, splashing blood—but she didn't fall.
Instead—
"[Blood Spike Impale]!"
A special technique—no casting needed or mana since it was her racial abilities. A burst of blood forged into a lance from her own wound, launched at point blank.
Ainz's robe took the hit—but tore open across his ribs.
His HP dropped again.
Crimson light oozed from the wound—not blood, not quite mana. Something in between.
And his eyes flared.
Suzuki Satoru: That's it. I feel it now. The blood—this power—feeds on pain. On sacrifice. This isn't Yggdrasil. This is something... beyond.
His hand snapped upward.
"[Final Binding: Crown of Ruin]."
A circle of glyphs appeared above Shalltear—gold and red, woven like flame and scripture. Chains dropped from the sky, spectral and scorching.
She snarled, tried to dodge—but her movement was slower now.
One chain caught her arm. Another caught her leg. She screamed—not in pain, but defiance—and with one final roar, she tore them free.
But the effort left her gasping, knees buckling.
Her eyes still burned.
"I won't stop... until I fall, Ainz-sama…"
He floated downward slowly.
"Then allow me…"
His hand clenched.
"[Apocalypse]."
The sky turned red. Again, his HP is nearly depleted. Just one attack from Shalltear could kill him.
Reality cracked above them. From the fissure fell a spear of pure crimson light—a fusion of life and death, of mana and blood. It wasn't Yggdrasil magic. It wasn't New World sorcery.
It was his.
Forged from sacrifice.
The spell fell like a divine punishment.
Shalltear looked up.
And smiled.
"So beautiful…"
The light engulfed her.
An explosion—silent at first—rippled across the land. The crater deepened, and everything within it dissolved into radiance.
When it cleared—
Only Ainz stood.
Breathing shallow. Knees nearly buckling. His robe scorched. His HP low.
But victorious.
He gazed down at where she had disappeared.
His blood still dripped onto the earth.His hand trembled.
But in his chest—where no heart beat—there was warmth.
The Guardians watching from afar wept. Silent. Reverent.
Because they had just witnessed not only the victory of Ainz Ooal Gown.
But the birth of something far more terrifying.
And noble.
The Crimson Sovereign.
****************
The throne room of Nazarick had never felt this quiet.
Ainz Ooal Gown stood at the center, still clad in torn black robes—bloodstained and dimly glowing with remnants of battle. The others were gathered near the dais: Albedo, Cocytus, Demiurge, Aura, Mare, and Sebas. All watched in respectful silence, waiting. No one dared interrupt.
In his hand was the resurrection crystal—gilded with sigils etched in World-Class script. He stared at it a moment longer, the memory of the battlefield still vivid in his mind.
Shalltear had fallen.
Not in betrayal.
But in suffering.
Corrupted by a World Item.
Turned against her will.
And yet—even now, she remained his.
He stepped forward toward the golden ritual circle inscribed into the floor by the treasury team hours earlier. The Resurrection Platform pulsed with power, ready to consume what only the Supreme One could offer.
He raised one hand, and a stream of numbers floated into the air.
500,000,000 gold.
Vanished.
Just like that.
Suzuki Satoru: Half a billion gold. The price of her life… and the price of my responsibility.
He clenched his gloved fist. It's cheap. Compared to what I owe her.
Light erupted from the center of the platform.
It wasn't a harsh light—no divine thunder. No drama.
Only warmth.
Pure, golden warmth.
The pillar of energy bathed the chamber, and within it, a form slowly took shape.
Small. Elegant. Regal.
Silver hair. Crimson eyes. And a face lined with guilt even before memory returned.
Shalltear Bloodfallen collapsed to her knees.
She was back.
Alive.
But barely breathing.
Her armor was gone, replaced with a plain robe summoned by Ainz beforehand. Her head was bowed. Hands trembled in her lap.
"…Ainz-sama?" she whispered, voice cracking.
Ainz approached her. Slowly. Deliberately. His footsteps were soft, but each one echoed with unbearable weight.
"You've returned."
She looked up at him.
Shalltear looked up at him.
Her crimson eyes were wide, unfocused—fragile like glass on the verge of cracking. "why am I naked, and why is everyone looking at me?"
"Why… why is there blood on you, Ainz-sama? Why do I feel so—so empty?"
Her voice quivered.
Albedo stepped forward sharply.
"You should feel ashamed," she hissed. Her golden eyes burned with fury barely restrained. "You raised your weapon against the Supreme One."
Shalltear blinked. "I—I what?"
Demiurge adjusted his glasses. "You don't remember, do you? Curious… but not unexpected. Resurrection clears most short-term memories if it's triggered by trauma or control."
The tension in the air thickened. Mare shifted awkwardly, glancing between Shalltear and Ainz.
"You… really don't remember?" Aura asked, arms crossed, suspicious but not angry. "Not even the fight?"
Shalltear shook her head slowly. "I… was standing somewhere. Then… light. And now—" Her gaze fell to her own hands. "Why do I feel so… guilty?"
"You nearly killed Ainz-sama," Albedo said coldly, stepping forward. "You fought him like a beast. Like a traitor."
"No," Shalltear whispered, as if the very idea physically hurt. "I wouldn't… I couldn't…"
"But you did," Cocytus rumbled.
Sebas remained silent, arms folded behind his back, eyes closed.
Demiurge turned to Ainz. "Shall we explain the events in full, Ainz-sama?"
Ainz raised a hand gently, silencing them.
"No," he said. His voice wasn't stern. But it carried the finality of command. "There's no need."
He looked down at Shalltear again.
"You were not in control," he said softly. "A World Item—a cursed artifact—ensnared you. Everything you did… was against your will."
"But the others said I—"
"You are my friend Creation," Ainz interrupted, his tone warm but firm. "Even if your blade is turned against me, I will never see you as anything but loyal. That is my duty as your master."
Shalltear's lips trembled. Her body shivered.
"I don't deserve your mercy."
"I didn't offer mercy," Ainz replied, his voice still calm. "I offered trust."
Behind him, the Guardians stood frozen.
Even Albedo, for all her jealousy and pride, lowered her head slightly.
Shalltear's eyes welled with crimson tears. "Ainz-sama… I swear to you. I will never… never let it happen again."
"I know," he said.
Then he turned to the others.
"Let this be a reminder. Even the strongest among us can fall. Even a World Guardian can be broken. That is the power of the world we are in. It is not weakness—it is reality."
Demiurge lowered his head. "As always, your wisdom is absolute, Ainz-sama."
Albedo followed a heartbeat later. "Forgive my outburst. My loyalty simply… overwhelmed me."
Ainz gave a nod. "We have learned something invaluable. And Shalltear is home."
A quiet hush settled over the throne room.
Then Ainz turned once more to Shalltear and extended his hand.
"Come. Stand beside me once again."
She hesitated—but only for a moment.
And then, with trembling hands and heart weighed by guilt she couldn't remember, Shalltear Bloodfallen reached up—
—and took it.