The one who stepped in to block the attack meant for Gazef was, of course, none other than Ren Kuroda.
The moment Shaltear saw that it was Ren who had intercepted her claw, she visibly relaxed.
Gazef was someone Ainz-sama had taken a liking to. If she had killed him here, then instead of redeeming herself, she would likely have been punished again.
"As expected of Ren!" Brian exclaimed, his face lighting up with excitement. "With him here, our chances just went up significantly!"
Climb nodded just as fervently.
They might not fully understand how strong the masked adventurer Hiiro was—but Ren's strength?
That was something they had experienced firsthand.
And they knew exactly how overwhelming it was.
—
In truth, Ren had already handed off the Eight Fingers operation to Sebas and Mare.
As for this grand "performance" orchestrated by Demius and Ainz—Ren had originally intended to stay out of it entirely.
After all, one hero was more than enough.
And more importantly, they couldn't afford to let anyone notice the connection between War Oni and Black.
The decision to have Shaltear assist Demius had actually been Ren's suggestion.
Unlike the original plan, where the capital would fall into chaos for only a single night, this time the lower demons and lizardmen had rampaged for an entire week.
With that much time passing, Ren couldn't be sure whether outside forces like the Slane Theocracy might intervene—or whether the kingdom would call for reinforcements.
Bringing Shaltear along was simply an added layer of insurance.
But who could have predicted…
That Brian—Shaltear's personal "nail clipper"—would recognize her instantly, like some kind of radar, even through her disguise?
If the adventurer Hiiro succeeded in driving back the demon Adayamao, his fame would skyrocket. He would become the kingdom's hero.
But if he also defeated a True Ancestor vampire on top of that?
That would be a different story entirely.
No one would believe a human could possess such power.
And worse—organizations like the Black Scripture, who understood Shaltear's strength, would undoubtedly place Hiiro under intense scrutiny.
For all these reasons, Ren—who had planned to simply watch from the sidelines—had no choice but to step in.
Because the "villains" were simply too strong.
No matter how much they held back, the kingdom's forces had zero chance of victory.
The performance itself would collapse.
—
With a single slash, Ren deflected Shaltear's claw and immediately followed up, launching her into the air.
Her body crashed straight into the towering clock tower behind her.
At the same time, Ren gripped his blade in his right hand and raised his left toward the sky, unfolding a massive blue magic circle.
Dark clouds churned violently above, forming a spiraling vortex—
And from within it, a colossal dragon-shaped bolt of lightning descended like a diving wyrm.
"Eighth-Tier Magic—Triple Maximize: Dragon Thunderfall!"
The thunder roared like divine judgment.
In an instant, the massive clock tower was reduced to rubble.
The surrounding low-tier demons were obliterated as well, reduced to nothing but ash.
And in the very next moment—
Ren kicked off the ground with such force that it shattered beneath his feet, his body shooting forward toward the ruins.
"I'll handle the vampire. Leave the rest to you."
Before anyone could object, he had already vanished into the dust-filled wreckage.
Moments later, the sharp, relentless sounds of clashing metal rang out from within.
—
Everything had happened far too quickly.
Even Gazef, who had just been saved, needed a moment to process it all.
By the time he snapped back to his senses, he was already preparing to charge after Ren—
But Brian stopped him with an outstretched arm.
"You understand it too, don't you?" Brian said quietly. "If Ren hadn't stepped in just now, we'd already be dead."
He looked toward the battlefield where Ren and Shaltear clashed.
"They're on a completely different level from us. If we rush in, we won't help—we'll just hold him back."
Then his gaze shifted across the battlefield.
"We should focus on what we can do."
—
A single glance at the battle between Adayamao and Hiiro was enough for Brian to realize—
That was not a fight he could even approach.
On another front, the members of Azure Rose were struggling against a massive red-scaled demon—the Wrath General.
Despite fighting together, they were clearly being suppressed.
Elsewhere, Narberal and Yuri had each paired off against other members of the Pleiades, the so-called "battle" little more than a staged skirmish as they casually exchanged blows while chatting.
"That adventurer team Azure Rose is surprisingly strong," one of the maids remarked idly. "As expected of humans ranked alongside Lord Ren and Lord Ainz as adamantite adventurers."
"The Wrath General under Lord Demius is far beyond even us," another replied. "Though he's holding back quite a bit, it's still impressive they can endure this much."
—
In truth, the only real battle happening on the field was between Azure Rose and the Wrath General.
Everything else—
Ren versus Shaltear,Hiiro versus Adayamao,Even the clashes among the Pleiades—
Were all part of the script.
The Wrath General, meanwhile, had it the worst.
Despite possessing overwhelming power at Level 84, he had been strictly ordered not to display his full strength.
After all, Adayamao was supposed to be the leader of the demons.
If the Wrath General revealed power surpassing his, the entire act would fall apart.
As such, he had been limiting himself to around Level 60.
And yet—
Even at that level, Azure Rose, whose average strength hovered just above Level 30, was pushed to the brink.
If not for Evileye—whose true identity as the "Landfall" class being placed her above Level 50—the team might have already been wiped out.
With no other battlefield they could meaningfully influence, Gazef and Brian finally joined the fight alongside Azure Rose, surrounding the Wrath General.
Seven warriors who had stepped into the realm of heroes now stood together, encircling a towering demon wreathed in hellfire.
It was a scene straight out of legend—
Heroes confronting a demon.
But everyone present understood one thing.
The outcome of this battle…
Did not depend on them.
If Adayamao and the True Ancestor vampire were not defeated—
Then victory was impossible.
And the entire kingdom…
Would fall.