Just in Time?

The muscular barbarian filled up the Bearded Cat inn. With over twenty giants squeezed into the cramped space, along with Dark Shade and the Judges of Light, it looked as crowded as a packed freezer.

“Then, I’ll explain the plan.”

As I spoke, the murmuring barbarians immediately fell silent.

“First, as the necromancer demanded, I’ll go alone.”

“That seems dangerous, though.”

Camilla frowned as she spoke.

“It’s risky, but it can’t be helped. We need to make sure they don’t get suspicious.”

I pointed to the old map spread out on the table. It was a map of the area around the ‘East-ranked dungeon’ that we’d entered before.

“If I show up, the necromancers will gather in one place.”

Even the Lich would become overconfident if he saw I was alone.

“What will you do after that?”

Balder asked.

“I’ll shout as loud as I can.”

“… You mean, beg for your life?”

Camilla looked at me in disbelief at my plan.

“That’s the whole plan?”

Balder seemed equally bewildered.

“That’s not all. When I shout, Barkal and Serena will respond. That way, you’ll know our location.”

“And then?”

I looked at Camilla.

“Just use your magic wherever you hear my voice coming from.”

At my words, Camilla was momentarily speechless. Her hand trembled slightly on the table, and a small twitch appeared at the corner of her eyes.

“Do you think so little of the power of my destructive magic? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“The Sage won’t die to magic like yours! Destruction magic, valkatus! Only something like that one’s ‘Crimson Meteor’ could even scratch the Sage!”

“I’m a follower of Valkatus!”

“A Sage!?”

Camilla’s shock at learning I was a ‘follower of Valkatus’ was obvious even through the eye holes of Grunt’s Viking helmet.

For even a barbarian to recognize the name Valkatus, that meant it was a god specialized in destructive magic.

“It’ll be fine.”

That was all I could say to them.

In a way, since I was the one pulling the adventurer party Dungeon God into this, I figured I had to shoulder the risk myself.

“It’ll work out somehow.”

If it doesn’t… well, I’ll just die.

Luckily, I didn’t actually intend to die.

* * *

The moment the crimson meteor touched the end of the sky, it felt like the world had stopped.

“W-what is that…?”

A necromancer looked up at the sky and muttered, but his words were cut short.

BOOM!

When the first fragment hit the ground, the earth howled.

Dirt and rocks blasted up into the sky, and two zombies standing there were reduced to ashes in an instant.

“Scatter!”

The Lich shouted desperately, but it was too late. The shards raining from the sky fell endlessly like a meteor shower.

Boom! Boom! Boom boom boom!

Chain explosions rocked the mountainside. The ground split open every moment, and trees were uprooted and flung through the air.

The necromancers’ screams were drowned out by the thunderous explosions.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!”

I could feel my own scream being swallowed up by the deafening noise.

Luckily, my body was still intact. For now, at least.

* 【You use Summon Skeleton.】

Still, I tried my best not to lose consciousness, conjuring skeletons as a ‘wall’ to block the damage.

I had plenty of blood. Extracting ‘blood’ from the fallen necromancers from the bombardment wasn’t difficult.

* 【You use Summon Skeleton.】

The bombardment left a ringing in my ears.

Camilla.

She must’ve been grinding her teeth, since her magic hadn’t worked on the ‘Black Knight’ last time.

Anyway, to think I’d get a first-class seat to watch ‘Crimson Meteor,’ one of Valkatus’ follower’s spells.

Through the vicious bombardment, I caught sight of the Lich, eyes blazing.

That guy seemed to realize I was the cause of this disaster.

“You wretch…!”

Whether channeling his rage or not, one of the Lich’s arms began to grotesquely twist.

From his corpse-like shriveled fingers, black energy leaked out.

“How dare you defile my brothers!”

ZZZT──!

Through the roar of explosions, the sound of thunder could be heard.

At the same time, a pitch-black lightning bolt flashed from the Lich’s fingertips.

This wasn’t ordinary lightning.

A death spell that sucked away vitality itself.

‘Death Bolt,’ one of the necromancers’ offensive spells, shot out from his fingers.

The thunderous bolt flew too fast to dodge.

“Kuaaaaaaaaagh!”

Knowing I couldn’t dodge, I ducked behind the necromancer the Blood-Colored Awl had just drained, using him as a shield.

The necromancer hit directly by ‘Death Bolt’ let out a dying scream and was instantly turned into a shriveled mummy as his vitality drained away.

“Guess you didn’t care much for this brother.”

“Silence!”

Once more.

The Lich tried to use ‘Death Bolt’ again.

BOOM──!

But then, another delayed crimson fragment struck right beside the Lich. The explosion flung him aside, and the spell he’d been casting fell apart.

As the smoke and dust began to clear, the Lich was getting up, leaning against a boulder.

His corpse-like face was now completely twisted, and the remaining arm was bent backward.

It was quite a ghastly sight. The blue flames seeping out of his eye sockets burned like a specter rising from hell.

All that rage was now focused solely on me.

Once this bombardment ended, he’d kill me.

That resolve blazed in his eyes.

“Do you think this is the end?”

He probably couldn’t hear me over the explosion, but I made sure he could read my lips.

As expected, the Lich’s twisted expression changed slightly.

‘This isn’t the end?’

That was the look on his face.

“Damn you.”

I couldn’t hear his voice either, but I could read his lips. Looks like he cursed at me.

He then glanced back up at the sky, apparently afraid another bombardment spell might come.

With the fire attack over, it was time for an ice pack. That is, cold steel therapy.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

When the bombardment ended, the mountainside looked like hell.

Fallen necromancers and the scattered flesh of undead all around. Suddenly, a roar shook heaven and earth.

Not just one person.

A monstrous howl formed by the voices of dozens.

It was the barbarians.

“Foul necromancers! Behold the purification rite passed down from the Red Wolf tribe!”

Grunt plunged his spear into a confused necromancer’s heart, demonstrating his so-called ‘purification ritual.’

Next up, garmark of the Black Claw tribe appeared. Covered head to toe in tattoos, swinging a serrated sword, he let loose a hearty laugh.

“I take back what I said about a pointless summons, sage! If there’s going to be this kind of war, Count me in anytime!”

The Lich was astonished at the sudden arrival of the barbarian horde.

“You… you weren’t alone…!?”

Buddy.

If I don’t even listen to my own mother, do you think I’d listen to you? And you saw the bombardment magic.

“Chargeeeeeeeee!”

At Grunt’s shout, over twenty barbarians rushed in at once.

The spectacle of massive barbarians charging together was a disaster in human form. It was like a tidal wave of mountains rushing in.

“Graaaagh!”

“You damned ignorant barbarians…!”

A few necromancers tried to curse and resist, but it was futile.

With the undead swept away by the bombardment, there was nothing left to protect the necromancers.

Likewise, the Judges of Light were cutting down necromancers as well. Their leader, Balder, unlike the barbarians, quietly finished off the necromancers.

At this rate, it looked like the Mortis necromancers would be finished off in an instant.

That’s what I was thinking when—

* 〈Mortis embraces the dead.〉

With a text related to faith, an ominous feeling crossed my mind. I immediately looked towards where the Lich was—and saw a familiar statue.

It was Mortis’ Goddess statue from the Lerudan Forest dungeon.

“I had planned to start the formal ritual only once I’d acquired the right eye.”

With a mocking smile, the Lich approached the suddenly appeared ‘Statue of Mortis.’ In his hand was a gem identical to the ‘right eye’.

“I changed my mind. I can bring Mother down to this land even after I finish dealing with you all.”

He muttered as he moved to insert the gem into the statue’s eye.

Anyone could tell at a glance.

That gem, just like the ‘right eye’, was a ‘divine grade’ item, and if it was embedded, something serious would happen.

“What, what!?”

“The necromancers we killed have gotten up again!”

“This is our chance! We can kill a necromancer twice!”

“Wahahahaha!”

Watching the necromancers get up again as dullahans, it was déjà vu from ‘Lerudan Forest.’

But it seemed the members of the Barbarian Respect Association didn’t grasp the seriousness of the danger.

Damn it.

I swore, stomping the ground. If I didn’t stop this immediately, something terrible was going to happen. My mind was overwhelmed by that thought.

Undead rising along with the text.

Necromancers resurrected as dullahans, fighting again.

That made the path to the ‘Statue of Mortis’ a nightmare.

* 【You use Summon Skeleton.】

Still, since I was the one who brought everyone together under the name of the Dungeon God adventurer party, this was my responsibility.

If I just stabbed the Blood-Colored Awl into the Goddess statue like last time, I should be able to destroy it.

But could I pull it off this time?

There were more undead.

More necromancers.

And even the Lich was here.

Wasn’t I going to die like this?

Just then.

In the distance. I saw a group of resurrected undead flying through the sky.

Something with overwhelming strength was approaching. That impression fixed my gaze in that direction.

Eventually, cutting through the undead horde, two familiar faces finally appeared.

I smiled as I saw them.

Barkal and Serena.

They looked so ragged after all that had happened since we parted, it was almost grotesque.

“Brother, are we late?”

“Brother… you’re alive!”

Even so, I was glad to see them.

“No. You’re just in time, my brothers.”

—

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