Grand Foreigner (Chapters 201+)

"Stop!" Ainz stepped forward as Artoria's spear glinted in her hands, interested in her words and remarks.

"Wait a second, what exactly did you want to say about saving humanity and your plan!?"

Ainz had been preparing for this confrontation for a long time, honing the best of his excuses, remembering the most appropriate phrases and copious visualization training. And yet, at the last step, where he was to confront the big bad and after one big battle solve the Singularity, he had committed the greatest mistake!

Ainz had indeed made a mistake and disrupted someone's elaborate plan to resolve the Singularity!

Taking a step towards Arthuria Ainz looked at her seriously, inwardly trying to quickly put together a well-thought-out plan of action from his practiced, thought out phrases and actions. How to get Arthuria's plan to resolve the Singularity back on track? How to justify himself to her, to his subordinates, to Chaldea? Should he have stopped fighting right now... Wait.

Or was it all a lie, and really Arthuria was just trying to confuse him at the moment?

After all, ever since the Rome Singularity Ainz was always looking out for the various plans of the Demon Gods, wary of a conspiracy in the corners. The America Singularity also showed him that things were not as simple as it seems, there are figures in the Singularity that have their own agenda that might even solve the Singularity on their own.

Of course, whether they would be successful or not remains to be seen.

This Singularity, Ainz thought, was the more simple one, in fact, he thought that it was more like his first one, where a single large enemy was to be defeated for the Singularity to be solved. Was he mistaken somewhere? Could it be the Assassins, the ones that were responsible for the Singularity? It was already quite dubious to trust Assassins in the first place, after all... Of course, it's also possible that 'solving' the Singularity here meant killing everyone.

'Join me, and we'll rule the world!' was often part of the standard options for completing some quest in YGGDRASIL, and extremely often, they're the wrong option to pick.

Medb, who had previously prepared herself for battle, as much as she could, though it really doesn't look like it. That is, her 'fully prepared' position was leaning back on a newly summoned throne, looking to the world as if she was simply lounging on her throne without a worry in the world. This Medb, who was already prepared to unleash her strongest attack, simply looked at Ainz and chose to do nothing, following Ainz's lead.

At this moment, actually in a lot of times, he was grateful that he had such an unbreakable reputation as a genius, boss, commander and all that, as Medb didn't even raise an eyebrow in bewilderment. Medb truly believed that, if Ainz did something, then there was a reason for it.

Arthuria, however, did not possess such a favorable predisposition. Though, she still decided not to attack Ainz instantly when he found himself almost defenseless in front of her, well, at least in her eyes. Possible allies or not, Ainz would never allow himself to relax on the battlefield. Despite not attacking, she hadn't lowered her horn-like spear, only pointing it at Ainz in a more than unfriendly gesture.

The perceived disrespect to her beloved caused Medb to let out a sort of growl, ill-suited to her features and high voice, and for Ainz himself to prepare for an incoming attack.

"I see no point in talking to you." Arthuria's voice was cold, but not as cold as the voice of... Arthuria? That Ainz knew.

Ainz made a note to pick up another distinction between the two in the future, temporarily deciding to call Arthuria of Chaldea 'Black' and the Arthuria in front of him 'Goddess' in his mind. Either way, the voice of the Goddess was cold, but not imbued with the cold, almost arrogant disdain, of Black. But rather it was empty, detached, as if the speaker was simply repeating memorized phrases, perhaps not even understanding the meaning of the words spoken, or not knowing the language she spoke.