Chapter 59: Hand-to-Hand Combat

                                    

                                          
In the lower levels of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, in an arena resembling ancient Rome, Ainz Ooal Gown stood on the observation balcony at the very bottom. Flanking him were the tall and elegant Albedo and the petite, loli-like Shalltear.
Not far away, a group of beautiful women dressed in maid outfits huddled together on the stone-tiered seats, peeking anxiously toward the center of the arena. Their nervous gazes were all fixed on the center of the arena.
In the vast, open arena, with its floor paved with heavy square stone slabs, a man and a girl faced each other from a distance.
The man was Sebas Tian, a level 100 Dragonman warrior and the butler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
The girl was undeniably EeDeChi, an orichalcum-level adventurer and the leader of the Last Defender of the Way adventurer party.
Sebas still wore his tailored black tailcoat, but his face was no longer kind and gentle. Instead, he scrutinized his opponent with sharp, piercing eyes.
EeDeChi had lost her usual nonchalance. She twisted her neck, flexed her wrists, occasionally taking a few steps and hopping on the ground as if she were warming up before a swim.
The choice to "spar" here wasn't because Ainz wanted to watch a fight or enjoyed seeing his subordinates battle like gladiators for his amusement. It was simply because this spacious area was perfect for a duel between two level 100 powerhouses. If they fought elsewhere, they would surely destroy the entire room.
The red light in Ainz Ooal Gown's skeletal eyes flickered like torches as he looked up at the large, black curtain at the top of the arena. A hint of unease settled in his heart. The curtain was supposed to project images of the arena using magic, but now it was pitch black.
Not only that, but as soon as EeDeChi stepped into the Great Tomb of Nazarick, all the surveillance and listening magic surrounding her became ineffective. She seemed like a bottomless black hole, capable of swallowing all magic aimed at monitoring her.
Ainz suspected she possessed a World Item that counteracts magic, or had developed a skill that grants immunity to magic. As a Magic Caster himself, he dared not engage EeDeChi directly and decided to let Sebas test her first.
Sebas, as the butler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, was responsible for managing the daily affairs of the ninth and tenth underground floors. He commanded the battle maid squad, "Pleiades," as the last line of defense guarding the throne room.
Among the four guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick who were best at hand-to-hand combat, his unarmed combat skills were superior to those of Cocytus and Albedo, making his overall combat power potentially higher than the other two.
Regarding EeDeChi's combat capabilities, Ainz had not gathered enough information to assess her. Only through actual combat could the true extent of her skills be revealed.
In previous interactions, this newly emerged level 100 powerful individual did not align with their values. However, Ainz did not dare to completely sever ties with her. One reason was that several level 100 guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick were currently deployed on missions around the world, leaving them not in the best condition in terms of numbers and overall combat strength.
Another reason was Aizen's uncertainty about EeDeChi's trump cards and which World Items she possessed. If things came to a desperate struggle, it would be troublesome if EeDeChi was cornered and fought back fiercely, but if she was a tiger jumping over the wall, it could lead to a major disaster.
As a prudent Demon Lord, Ainz was cautious. He valued the lives of his subordinates and preferred to proceed with caution.
According to Ainz, this was just a simple sparring session, a standard match between warriors.
However, Ainz had already instructed Sebas that if EeDeChi appeared weak or if her skills were countered, it would be best to incapacitate or even kill her during the "sparring" to eliminate a potential threat.
EeDeChi at one end of the arena was unaware of Ainz's sinister intentions. She clapped her hands on her knees, stretched her muscles, and seemed to have finished her last warm-up routine before a swim.
Sebas, showing great patience, noticed that EeDeChi had stopped her strange movements and asked in a deep voice, "May we begin?"
EeDeChi clasped her fists together and asked, "May I inquire which school or sect you studied under?"
Sebas frowned at EeDeChi and replied, "I practice Mixed Martial Arts, so I don't belong to any particular school. If I must name some, I specialize in Boxing, Muay Thai, Jujutsu, Wrestling, Sambo, Karate, Taekwondo, Aikido, Bajiquan, Krav Maga, and Jeet Kune Do."
"Ah," EeDeChi said, somewhat surprised, "I know all of those as well. Besides, I also practice Tai Chi, Sanda, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, Wing Chun, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Drunken Boxing."
She paused for a moment and continued, "In terms of swordsmanship, I specialize in the German school of fencing, especially the Deutsche Zweihandschwert, as well as the Italian school of swordsmanship, Rapier, and Wudang Sword Techniques."
"......"
Sebas remained silent, unsure of the intent behind EeDeChi's words.
"What I mean is, since you're unarmed, I can't take advantage of you with weapons," EeDeChi said as she unsheathed the giant sword on her back and drove it into the ground. The heavy stone floor was pierced half a meter(1.64 feet) deep by the blade.
Sebas's mustache twitched slightly at the corners of his mouth. "Thanks, Go ahead."
He then removed his black tailcoat and tossed it aside, leaving only a fitted white shirt and dress pants. His muscular chest was barely concealed by the shirt. He unfastened the top two buttons of his shirt, loosened the collar slightly, and took a step forward, clearly ready to engage.
Dressed entirely in black, EeDeChi gave a thumbs up. "Old man, you've got a good build." She then took her stance, preparing for battle.
Both crouched low and sprang into action simultaneously!
BOOM!
The air was suddenly ripped apart. The stone floor beneath their feet exploded! Cracks spread across the ground like a spider's web, dust flying everywhere as their powerful charge left imprints on the surface.
Except for Ainz, Albedo, Shalltear, and Cocytus, no one else in the arena could see how Sebas and EeDeChi were fighting. They only saw a blur of white and black clash violently and then entangle with each other.
In the center of the arena, dust and sand swirled. Their footprints crossed each other like lightning, and the stone tiles were ground into dust. The white and black shadows intertwined in the arena, indistinguishable from each other.
The sounds of fierce wind, clashing fists, knees, elbows, and feet echoed like thunder!
Barrett, sitting in the corner of the first-tier audience seats, watched with a dry throat. His proud life-and-death battle with the iron fist maid seemed like a childish scuffle compared to the fight before him!
"Is this even human?" he muttered to himself. Though he couldn't clearly see their movements, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
With a thunderous crash, Sebas and EeDeChi's fists collided directly. The surrounding air rippled with the impact, and the ground trembled. Both fighters were pushed back two steps, and the black and white shadows temporarily ceased their entanglement.