The third ability of Frost Pain.
Granting the user with resistance to ice damage—
Even though Frost Pain offered resistance to the cold, it couldn’t completely negate a powerful skill like Icy Burst. The damage from the cold chilled Zaryusu to the bones. He was on the verge of collapsing, his breathing ragged and his movement dulled. His tail drooped weakly into the water. It was almost impossible to fight on when you even had difficulty just breathing. That strike wasn’t aimed carefully, but a blow thrown out by instinct using all his might.
It was a lucky hit.
Zaryusu struggled to keep his eyes open.
He gave everything he had to deal this final blow to Iguvua, and he could feel that it was a fatal hit.
Zaryusu who had no energy left to fight looked at Iguvua with a glimmer of hope.
Iguvua was wavering. He couldn’t keep his body intact as the skin fell off his face and cracks appeared on his bones. Even his clothes were rotting away. It was a matter of time before he would fade away. The moment Zaryusu was certain he was victorious—
A bony hand covered in skin grabbed Zaryusu’s throat.
“I… I am created to serve the Supreme Being… How could I be… vanquished like this!”
Iguvua wasn’t even holding him with much force and Zaryusu could break free easily, but—
“— Ahhhh—!”
— Zaryusu wailed as an intense pain permeated his entire body.
Negative energy flowed into Zaryusu’s body, robbing him of his vitality. Even Zaryusu who was trained to endure pain couldn’t withstand the feeling of the pain caused by the cold that seemed to be injected directly into his veins.
“Die—! Lizardman!”
Pieces of Iguvua’s face had dropped off, disintegrating in mid air.
Iguvua’s life was deteriorating as well, but his intense loyalty towards his master made him cling on to life desperately.
Zaryusu was struggling with all he had, but he was overcome with fear as his body refused to move as he wished.
Zaryusu didn’t have much health left. The negative energy Iguvua was injecting into him was draining his life force away.
Zaryusu’s gaze wavered and his vision blurred.
The world seemed to be covered by a thin fog.
Iguvua who was clinging to consciousness mightily had a victorious smile as he watched Zaryusu slowly lose his strength to struggle.
Kill this lizardman, as well as the other two behind him. They should be the elite of the lizardmen.
Killing these lizardmen would be the best gifts he could offer to the Supreme Being— his creator.
Iguvua’s expression was depicting these emotions strongly without words, allowing Zaryusu to surmise what Iguvua was thinking.
“Go to hell!”
His body was not reacting to him as he could feel his body temperature dropping as if a poison was spreading through his body. He could hardly breathe, and his mind was the only thing that was clear.
He couldn’t die yet.
Rororo who sprinted with all its might.
Zenberu who shielded him.
Crusch who exhausted all her mana.
Not just them, he was also shouldering the burdens of all the lizardmen who had sacrificed themselves in this war.
Zaryusu who was racking his brains for a way out heard a whisper.
— The gentle voice of Crusch
— The hearty voice of Zenberu
— The playful whimpers of Rororo
Sound that should be impossible for him to hear.
Crusch had lost consciousness and Zenberu should be knocked out.
Rororo should had been taken far away from here.
Was Zaryusu hearing things as he loses consciousness? Imagining the voices of the comrades he knew for less than a week? The call of his family?
No.
That’s right, this line of thinking was wrong.
Everyone was here with him—
“—Ahhhh… Ahhhhhh—!”
“—? You still have this much strength left?!”
Zaryusu who was on the verge of losing his consciousness roared and the surprised voice of Iguvua could be heard.
Zaryusu moved his eyeballs and glared at Iguvua. His eyes were filled with indomitable will, making it hard to believe that his eyes were unfocused just moments earlier, stiffening Iguvua’s expression.
“Crusch! Zenberu! Rororo!”
“—! What are you doing! Just die—!”
Where did such vitality stem from? The huge amount of negative energy injected into Zaryusu was draining his life force constantly. Zaryusu also felt that his limbs were heavy and his body ice cold.
Even so, Zaryusu felt warmer with every name he shouted. This warmth didn’t originate from his life force.
It came from within his chest— his heart.
The sound of muscle tensing erupted. It came from Zaryusu’s right arm, his clenched fist. He was gathering all the strength he had left in it right now.
“Impossible—! How can you still move! You monster—!”
The scene of Zaryusu still moving despite all that was incredulous.
Heated emotion appeared in Iguvua’s mind, but he suppressed it.
He was Iguvua, the field commander of Great Tomb of Nazarick's army. And more importantly, he was an undead created by the great king of death— Ainz Ooal Gown.
He cannot permit his powerful self to lose this fight—
“Die—!”
“It’s over you monster!”
Zaryusu was a step faster.
That’s right, his strike with all his might was an instant faster than Iguvua’s injection of negative energy—
The tightly clenched fist hit the hilt of Frost Pain—
Zaryusu’s fist bled. After taking such a heavy blow, Frost Pain that was lodged into the left eye pierced all the way through Iguvua’s brain.
“Oooowwwwww!!”
Iguvua was an undead that couldn’t feel pain, but— he could still feel his negative life dissipating.
“This… this… impossible… Ainz… sama…”