Chapter 1164: with translation of chapter title

A road appeared before Xiadie, with countless 'phantoms' constantly emerging beside her, shouting in unison 'Monster', 'Executioner', 'Murderer', as if they wanted to pour all their resentment and venom onto this girl inseparable from 'death'.

Walking on, she came beside a female warrior on her last breath, lying on the ground like a fish about to drown, as Xiadie slowly reached out her hand: 'Holy… Maiden…'

"Go, bring her an honorable death." Amonnet's voice sounded from behind her.

Xiadie crouched down, tightly gripping the female warrior's hand, watching her body gradually turn into a puff of purple vapor beside her, dissipating into the air.

"Th… thank… you…"

Ahead on the road, more people awaited Xiadie; following Amonnet's instructions, she touched them one by one—the sadistic murderers, the shepherds tormented by grave illness to the point of death—all dissipated in the wind.

"How long… must this continue…?"

Not knowing how long she had walked on this road, Xiadie finally pushed open the last door; inside the vast hall, only Amonnet waited for her.

"Come, fulfill your mission."

Xiadie stared, stunned: 'What… what do you want me to do?'

Amonnet gently shook her head: 'I am old; I must answer Senatos's summons and go to its realm… this… is also the destination of every Ai Diliya person.'

"You are far from being that old; you still have many years to live…"

"No… I have already 'died.' I am beginning to feel fear of the aging imposed on me and the approaching death…" Amonnet looked seriously at Xiadie; she only hoped that the final breeze blowing toward her could carry the fragrance of the Nether River flower sea. "So, Xiadie, can you give me one last chance to charge at that fear and prove I am not a coward?"

"I…" Xiadie collapsed to her knees, painfully clutching her head, shaking her head desperately, "I… I can't take it anymore…"

"Child, it was I who brought you back from the ice plains, setting your absurd fate in motion. As the chief executioner of Ai Diliya, I also imposed the heavy duty of 'execution' on you without discussion, pressing it onto your shoulders. I know you have always been confused, even angry, about me… about everything of our faith…"

Xiadie tightly bit her lip, her voice trembling constantly: 'I… I have no choice…'

"Yes, what we have done is no different from kidnapping."

——

OVERLORD.

Ainz silently gazed at everything unfolding in the sky.

As an undead, he clearly understood what 'touch and die' meant—even in his own world, magic that instantly takes a human life is the highest tier and hardest to master among all magic types. Xadie's ability to instantly deprive life is a power closely tied to the rules of the world of Wengfalousi.

Xadie possessed such power, yet she was unwilling to use it lightly; to Ainz, it was nothing short of a waste of heavenly gifts.

However, as he thought this, a number suddenly flashed like an electric spark in his mind and vanished instantly.

Seventy thousand.

In the Katlei Plain Battle, he used the 'Dark Harvest Offering' to instantly kill seventy thousand troops of the kingdom's army left wing—seventy thousand people who had parents, wives and children, fears, and unfulfilled wishes; they didn't even have time to scream before being slain by super-tier magic like harvesting wheat. And he—Ainz Ooal Gown, the entity overlooking all this from high above—what was he thinking at that time?

When he killed those seventy thousand, did he ever experience the same anguish and hesitation as Xadie? If not, when did he lose those feelings?

Seventy thousand—this number is truly too large, so vast that human empathy cannot possibly grasp its entirety. Xadie feels such agony killing a single person, yet he slaughtered seventy thousand without a ripple in his heart…

Even Ainz himself finds it somewhat frightening.

Xadie is like a mirror reflecting himself; the human side of him, the faint emotion belonging to 'Lingmu Wu', is quickly slipping away. His former self could never have imagined personally destroying a life, but now he doesn't even have the cruel thought of stepping on an ant—truly—truly he feels nothing at all.

Only the desire to see the results of his own actions, and how much benefit this action could bring himself—and thereby to the people of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

——

"So, as long as you lightly touch, a sinful life will wither away right then. For you, escaping isn't exactly easy, is it?"

Xiadie shook her head firmly: 'I… I cannot do that. Even if the Ai Diliya people are thoughtless and treat death as a game, I… I cannot do it.'

"Heh, so… I really didn't misjudge you."

Xiadie stared, stunned: 'What…?'

Amonnet: 'I have always treated you as my daughter, nurturing you with care, because you were born blessed with such grace; no one in this world understands the weight of life and death better than you. If we view 'death' through the eyes of Ai Diliya: it is the endpoint of all life, the inevitable path for each of us. People should not resist it, but learn how to welcome it. Only after fully comprehending this truth can you truly live well.'

"Even if you will eventually leave Ai Diliya's protection—even if you forever bear the curse—you can still live like an ordinary person, head held high, chest out."

Xiadie still refused to believe: 'No, how could I…'

"Come, make your move." Amonnet walked slowly toward Xiadie, "I have taught you everything I could comprehend in my lifetime… Prove yourself a qualified holy maiden, or possess such determination."

……

"I obeyed her instruction for the last time, lightly touching the old man before me."

"This executioner, accustomed to death, her passing was no different from an ordinary person's: the sob in her throat, the regret in her eyes, and… a barely perceptible tremor transmitted from her fingertips."

"Amonnet, the one who tried to teach me about 'death,' also ultimately vanished like morning dew in the morning mist. She spent her life upholding the faith of the Ai Diliya people, and when death truly came, she too followed that faith… leaving nothing but reverence."

"Outside the walls of Ai Diliya, in the marshes, I erected a cenotaph for her, placing her among the countless dead I myself had buried. Then, to meet Senatos, I once again set out on my wanderings."