Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 150 Box!

Chapter 150 - The Box!
What is he saying?
Was he just talking about... 'flying squirrel'?
No, that's impossible. This name has only ever appeared in the deepest part of the Great Tomb. And there, guarded by the thrones of kings, there's no way any information could have leaked out. Unless there's a traitor within the Great Tomb, or one of the guardians has defected, there's only one possible reason…

My heart started pounding.

Even though Ainz only had one 'Flying Squirrel Ball' inside his chest cavity, it could clearly feel the beating of his heart at this moment. His long-vanished temples throbbed. And the next moment—

Force calm.

The seemingly returning body vanished once more, the coldness of the undead taking over the faltering shell once more. A name is nothing special; it could be some kind of unique divination technique or some kind of treasure. And, the possibility of a guardian betraying their cause cannot be ruled out.

Shalltear.

Shalltear's mind was interfered with by an unknown force, so it's possible that information leaked out during this period. After all, Shalltear clearly lost a large portion of her memories after her resurrection, and this could be an oversight.

Don't be nervous.

Don't be nervous, don't be nervous.

—Demiurge! Answer me! Demiurge!

Ainz screamed inwardly; his helmet, concealing his face, proved crucial at this moment. His summoned subordinate responded immediately with excitement and joy. After all, Yadabawo's face was also hidden beneath a perfectly fitting mask.

Ainz couldn't wait to issue his own call.

—Find out what happened! Help me find out! I need to know right now whether this person is a player of Yogg-Trasil! Whether they are...

A player I know who quit the game specially created a new alt account when the server shut down!
The words were not fully spoken, but the thoughts were conveyed in that instant. The Demon Emperor Yadabawo, high above the sky, spoke again, but his words carried a hint of caution, even respect.

“King of mortals, you…”

“You have no right to speak here, Creator.”

Duster did respond to it.

Dust's languidness, gentleness, and approachability vanished in that moment. In its place was a coldness and arrogance that transcended all others, as if he were someone who had turned the pages of a book, and everything before him was merely decorative pattern on the pages.

Ainz recognized that look.

In its original world, in the company where it once worked, it had seen such eyes time and time again. Those managers with glowing rings embedded in their foreheads, those cybernetic cyborgs with more than 70% cybernetics, when they looked at it... no, when their eyes swept over it out of the corner of their eye, that was the look in their eyes.

And now, that gaze fell upon Demiurge… no, upon Adabawo. And it wasn't sure if that gaze was also upon it.

Yadabawo took a half step back. It immediately displayed its blazing fury, just as Ainz had expected. A spell was clutched in its hand, and a rebuking roar was about to escape its lips—

“I will not tolerate a second offense, Ulbert’s creation.”

"Coo—" The demon, who was so aggressive just a second ago, suddenly turned into a little bird with its neck being choked. The mask that concealed its face fell off in astonishment, and the treacherous face was now filled with confusion and panic.

NPCs have always been like this; their most valued object is always the player who created them. Only when their creator is absent will they possibly listen to other guild members.

Its ability to act vanished the moment it heard the name of its creator, 'Ulbert'. All it could do was hesitate between taking action and questioning, and finally, cast a pleading look at Ainz.

"You...who are you?"

Ainz's voice trembled as familiar names echoed in his mind. However, he couldn't match any of them with the person before him in his memory.

No one dared to speak.

Everyone present, all the demons, dared only hold their breath and cautiously look at him at that moment.

Something is going to happen.

A secret of vital importance to the world is about to be revealed here.

"You really don't remember anything, Momonga." Duster's voice remained calm, but carried a hint of impatience. "Well, at least you should remember Skybreaker Corporation."

Forced calm, triggered.

Ainz remembered… Of course it remembered. Having played Yggdrasil for so many years, how could it not know the developer and operator of this virtual reality game? And that name could absolutely not exist on this land.

The NPCs will never know, even if they become reality from data. Their memories, once filled in, are limited to the content within the game, and they will never know a single word about reality.

Only the players will know this name.

Only a player can say that.

“I…remember.” Ainz wished he had a mouthful of saliva so he could swallow it. “So…what does that mean?”

"Then you must have signed that contract too."

Something terrifying silently crept up from the base of Ainz's spine. It was chilling, icy, and filled with a viscous, slippery substance like stacked blocks of ice or rubbing blades together. It grazed each of his vertebrae with a soft, cutting sound.

That was... the smell of fear.

The forced calming effect was turned on and off. But the smell never dissipated.

"Which...contract..." Its voice wavered visibly.

"The last one, which stated 'The final interpretation right belongs to this company,'" fear overwhelmed it.

It didn't know exactly when or what contract it signed, but it knew that this sentence would definitely appear at the very end of the registration instructions for any online game. In other words, it definitely signed this ambiguous contract. It just never paid attention to the specific details of the contract.

Now, this contract has become a chain that chokes it, and it has come after it.

Perhaps, this is why I'm here. It's not some kind of miraculous adventure of traveling through the world.

Perhaps, your own body is still lying somewhere...

"I... don't remember."

“That’s your problem.” Duster’s impatience deepened, an undeniable air of authority typical of those in high positions. “I’ll only tell you one thing: the entire human realm is under my protection. And your actions have caused me harm.”

“You’ll have to pay the price,” Duster said calmly. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you directly.”

An ominous premonition surged within him at that moment. Ainz instinctively reached for his staff, but a deep-seated fear and a sense of relief prevented him. He remembered the power of the corporation, and Duster had just said he wouldn't do anything to it.

that……

"Demeurge! Quickly—"

Should we act now, or run away?
It was unaware that Dasster had already stepped forward.

step.

Demiurge did not run away.

Its body swelled rapidly, unleashing the final transformation of the Great Demon. It was a massive and majestic demon king with burning wings. Without hesitation, it stretched out its claws towards Dust, who was already approaching the sky.

Exclusive Skill: Junoka's Freeze.

Ice suddenly formed, sealing Duster's body. Yet Duster still took a second step, getting even closer to where it was.

Ice was ineffective, so fire and sulfur followed. However, even when Demiurge used its highest-level skill, pulling down the falling Morning Star, it had no effect on Dust!

Something was protecting him. Something that even Ainz couldn't see or touch, yet whose existence he was certain of, was protecting Dust's body—all external interference had failed to affect Dust at this moment. And there wasn't even a trace of a World Item activating.

What exactly is that?
Magic? Martial arts? World-class items? Or something even more terrifying—something Ainz didn't even want to think about…

—Game permissions?
“I remember that Yggdrasil’s most powerful attack skill was Dimensional Slash.”

It saw Duster raise his hand, it saw Demiurge swing his demonic claws. It knew Demiurge had many high-level protective items, yet its heart was still filled with terror.

"—Run!" it finally said.

But that sentence was already spoken with a casual pull of Duster's hand.

A piercing scream erupted as Demiurge, possessing the body of a level 100 demon, was instantly severed at the waist. Its HP wasn't depleted, but an even stronger fear spread through the hearts of all the members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

That was indeed a dimensional slash; they had seen it many times in the hands of 'Tachimi'.

Even a world champion like Touchimi couldn't possibly have knocked Demiurge out like that with a single blow. Unless...

It couldn't think of that unless.

All it knew was that it recognized nine champions across nine worlds of Yogg-Trasil, and that this profession could not possibly exist on a player who had not reached level 100.

This is a reward that only game operators can offer; it represents superhuman power that disrupts the game's balance. Yet now, it's in this person's hands!
This only means one thing, a terrible thing, a horrific thing.

Something...that made Ainz despair.

"Don't be nervous, I won't kill the max-level NPCs that you spent so much resources and effort designing."

Dust's voice put Ainz's mind at ease a little.

Then, it tightens again.

Because at the moment Demiurge fell, Dust's hand was already gripping the neck of one of the maid demons.

"But you will still have to taste the flavor of loss."

'Gela—' Neck, broken.

Ainz's heart clenched suddenly.

For in the very next moment, it heard Albedo's panicked scream from the depths of the Great Tomb.

“Lord Ainz!”

"Xi Zi...Xi Zi's name has disappeared from the Great Tomb Register! I...I have no way to resurrect her!"

"We've lost her!"