Waaaaaah—!!!
Amidst a series of completely undignified screams mixed with panic and excitement, the group successfully arrived at their destination—the Consciousness Space where Greater Lord Rukkhadevata resided.
It was just that... Zane's teleportation gate always seemed to land with a bit of a "surprise" regarding its precision.
The moment the magical light dispersed, the feeling beneath their feet wasn't solid ground, but rather—a sensation of stepping into empty air!
"Holy crap! Zane, you opened the door in the sky again!!"
Jesse's scream was the loudest.
"Ahh! We're going to fall to our deaths! Help!"
Paimon flailed wildly in the air.
"I knew it!"
Lumine was too lazy to complain anymore; she simply adjusted her posture silently, preparing to execute a breakfall upon landing.
The next moment, with a series of crashing noises, the group tumbled down from mid-air like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
Bang! Thud! Splat!
Fortunately, the ground below was the Consciousness Space's soft grass (or something grass-like), so the fall didn't hurt much.
Momonga reacted the fastest, instantly casting Float upon himself.
But he only had two hands! In a panic, he grabbed the back collar of Lumine, who was closest to him (choking her until she rolled her eyes), and with his other hand, he accurately scooped up Paimon, who was flying around like a headless fly.
Meanwhile, Nahida, who was sitting on his neck, subconsciously clung tightly to his skull, remaining perfectly stable.
Thus, Momonga, carrying one person in each hand and with a small-scale deity hanging around his neck, descended slowly and gracefully onto the ground like a ghost.
This was in stark contrast to the messy landing styles of everyone else.
Matt's massive body struck the ground like a meteor, letting out a muffled thud that caused the ground to tremble slightly.
He shook his enormous head, stood up as if nothing had happened, and habitually stretched his neck.
Then, a faint groan came from beneath him.
"Ugh..."
"You're... crushing me..."
"Matt... get... up..."
Where Matt had just landed, Jesse, Elliot, and Zane had been completely flattened into three thin "paper figures" by his heavy body, sticking tightly to the ground with only their limbs twitching slightly.
Matt finally realized what happened, quickly moved his massive foot, and said with a look of remorse, "Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't notice you guys were underneath me!"
"Puff bobo~ Puff bobo~"
A crisp and comical sound, like a balloon being inflated, was heard.
The three "paper figures" began to rapidly inflate and return to their original shape, transforming back into normal Hilichurl forms in just a few seconds, though they still looked a bit dizzy.
"Matt!!!!"
Jesse jumped up immediately upon recovering, so angry that smoke seemed to be coming from his head.
"Next time we land! You! Are! Going! To! Stand! In! The! Very! Front!"
Matt rubbed his massive fingers together forlornly and mumbled in defense, "But... but if I stand in the very front, you guys complain that I block the entire view and you can't see anything..."
Jesse: "..."
He choked on his words. It seemed... that was actually true?
Having a seven-meter-tall Electro Lawachurl stand at the very front of the teleportation queue meant that the people behind him could indeed only see his rear end.
"And you! Bone King!"
Elliot pointed the spearhead of criticism toward Momonga, who was carefully setting down Lumine and Paimon.
"Why didn't you use magic to catch us just now! Did you just stand there and watch us fall and get flattened by Matt?!"
Momonga spread his hands helplessly. "I only have two hands..."
Besides, I'm a Magic Caster! Not a Martial Artist! I can't perform high-difficulty actions like catching people barehanded!
Furthermore, you fell so suddenly, and I need time to chant spells!
Even the fastest Tier 1 Float spell requires me to shout out the words 'Float,' right? Did you give me that zero-point-something second?!
"Alright, stop arguing."
Zane interrupted the meaningless interrogation, straightened his slightly crooked mask, and looked toward the distance.
"She is watching."
"She?"
Hearing this, everyone immediately followed Zane's gaze.
They saw a figure standing quietly beneath the massive, yet ominously withered, phantom of Irminsul ahead.
She possessed the exact same appearance as Nahida—long white hair and emerald green eyes—but radiated a much older, gentler, and more weary aura.
Ominous phantoms, like black thorns, were vaguely wrapped around her body—that was the corruption of forbidden knowledge.
"You are... Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, right..."
Nahida lightly jumped down from Momonga's shoulder and walked step by step toward the being who was her mirror image, her voice carrying a trace of an imperceptible tremor.
"Yes, that is me, the me after reincarnation."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata turned slightly, a gentle yet sorrowful smile on her face, and looked lovingly at Nahida approaching her.
"Mhm..."
Nahida stopped in front of her, nodded vigorously, and clenched her small hands into fists.
"They... have already told me everything about you, including the sacrifice you made for the world and your final decision..."
She raised her head, her emerald eyes shining with incomparable determination as she looked directly at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata: "Therefore, I don't want to forget you! And I don't want this world to forget you!"
"What?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's gentle smile froze, replaced by an expression of incredible surprise.
She subconsciously looked at the group of "oddly dressed" and stylistically diverse "reinforcements" behind Nahida. Finally, her gaze settled on the Skeleton Mage who radiated a massive aura of death yet somehow gave off a strange sense of "reliability."
"Although I don't know what you have gone through or how you arrived here, still."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's voice was filled with deep weariness and helplessness.
"I have been completely corrupted by forbidden knowledge. This is the 'source of illness' that even I cannot eradicate... The only way is to erase me along with these memories..."
"forbidden knowledge?"
Jesse stepped forward, hands on his hips, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"That stuff isn't particularly difficult for us to deal with."
"Although using that ring pains my heart..."
Momonga also stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Nahida. He looked at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and the red light in his eyes flickered.
"But comparatively, I would rather not see Nahida sad."
With that, he raised his right hand, pointing the [meteor ring], which contained the power of miracles, toward Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and the phantom of the withered Irminsul.
"Ring, heed my wish!"
Momonga's voice, amplified by magic, was filled with majesty and echoed throughout the Consciousness Space.
"In the name of Ainz Ooal Gown! I command the 'forbidden knowledge' corruption suffered by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata Buer and Irminsul in this realm to be completely separated, purified, and forgotten!"
Vwoom—!!!
The star gem on the meteor ring once again erupted with incomparably brilliant, pure white radiance that purified all.
This light, like a warm tide, instantly swallowed Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's figure and enveloped the giant Irminsul!
Within the light, the black, thorn-like corruption wrapped around Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, which clung to her like maggots, let out a silent shriek and rapidly melted away and Vaporized, like snow meeting sunlight!
Warm, pure, and vital energy began to replace the original decay and stillness!
This time, the light of the miracle was not for slaughter, but for—redemption!