Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 357
Isolation (4)
The worst criminal organization, Orcules.
And within it, the renowned group of four.
Maybe that’s why it feels so strange.
Because I can clearly sense the change compared to before.
“Schuiz, what are you going to do?”
What do you mean, what am I going to do?
In the Goblin Forest battle on the second floor, there were only three people.
To confront those three, nearly a thousand explorers had to fight and sacrifice their lives.
But now…
“We’ll fight. At least until the teleportation spell is complete.”
It’s not as hopeless as before.
No, this time, I feel like we might actually stand a chance.
And…
“Is that so? I understand.”
Judging by Amelia’s reaction, it seems I’m not the only one who thinks we stand a chance.
Erwin, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have any intention of running away.
“…Abet, Necrapheto“
The moment the Corpse Collector revealed himself from a distance, a killing intent started radiating from Erwin.
I thought about warning her…
‘But there’s no need for that.’
It’s better than being scared out of her mind.
And besides, since she’s not charging forward recklessly, it doesn’t seem like she’s lost her senses.
“What are you doing? Your magic chant stopped.”
Raven, who hadn’t reacted for a while after saying something about my back, regained her senses and resumed her task.
She must have judged that this isn’t the time to resolve her suspicions about me.
‘Tsk, she must have figured it out after all.’
I’m worried about what variables this might lead to later, but on the other hand, I have a glimmer of hope.
Didn’t that Corpse Collector bastard also say something to me?
He called me “Mr. Fake.”
“Pssst, isn’t that fairy over there staring a bit too intensely? I’m feeling uncomfortable.”
“……”
“Hmm, more importantly, I’m quite surprised! I heard you borrowed a lot of money from your clan this time… I didn’t expect you’d spend it on making a counterfeit!”
Even after seeing my [Gigantification], he didn’t connect me to Bjorn Jandel.
Well, he’s convinced that I’m dead.
Given how famous Erwin’s madness is, it makes more sense to think she created a fake.
‘Raven, I hope she thinks that way too…’
Ah, whatever. If I’ve been found out, so be it.
Would she really betray me and report everything to the royal family after I risked my life to save hers?
I decided to stop worrying about this matter here.
It’s a worry I decided to set aside for now.
After all, our opponents weren’t going to wait for us forever.
“Necrapheto oppa, that woman over there is chanting—looks like multi-teleportation.”
The enemy’s dark mage had noticed our insurance.
“Pssit, Then we should start quickly. The dance of blood, bones, and cries—”
“Ah, seriously, can you stop talking like that? Since when did you pick up that weird habit of always putting on a mask whenever we go on a raid…”
“Um… Vivian, other people are watching; maybe you shouldn’t…”
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you not to do it when everyone’s watching! Geez, why does someone who’s normal inside act so strange when we go out…”
“……It’s just a hobby. A hobby.”
Though the Screaming Witch scolded him and caused a brief delay, it didn’t last long.
“Both of you, stop it and get to work.”
The atmosphere grew heavy as the giant man draped in a robe—the Lighthouse Keeper—interrupted their conversation.
Well, I guess the free teleportation gauge filling is over now.
“How much longer until the teleportation magic is ready?”
“…It’ll take around 10 minutes. My mana scattered when the magic formula was dispelled earlier.”
“Then can you cast other spells while chanting?”
“I can. I can’t use high-level magic, but I can assist when needed.”
Okay, that’s a relief.
“For now, focus on completing the magic, but support us as needed.”
“Yes, understood… But, wait, why are you the one giving orders?”
Seriously, you’re asking that now?
“Is that really important right now?”
I quickly changed the subject and continued issuing orders.
“Erwin, Amelia. Focus on defense for now. The priority is completing the magic.”
“Yes.”
Surprisingly, Erwin agreed without hesitation, while Amelia asked one question.
“…Wouldn’t it be better for her to abandon the magic circle and join forces to fight?”
She’s not entirely wrong.
But…
“We don’t know when more of them might arrive.”
We can’t ignore the possibility of reinforcements.
And even without that, I’d rather not fight to the death right here.
We have a good chance of winning, but it’ll be a tough fight.
In the process, there’s a high possibility that one of us might get hurt or killed.
“…That’s true. Alright, we’ll do as you say.”
Amelia seemed convinced by the explanation and didn’t say more. Well, to be precise, she no longer had the leisure to talk.
“Graaaaah—!”
The army of corpses surrounding us charged all at once, and the battle began.
***
The basic situation is simple.
Legion of corpses are attacking from all sides, and we’re holding them off in a defensive formation.
However, the problem here is…
“Graaaaah—!”
The corpses that used to burst apart with one hit have become much more threatening.
「Liranne Vivian has cast level 5 dark magic [Wrath of the Dead].」
「Liranne Vivian has cast level 4 dark magic [Dark Baptism].」
Dark mage and a necromancer.
A powerful combination that I once used myself.
Black magic offers highly efficient buffs for the undead.
The synergy is undeniable.
「Liranne Vivian has cast level 4 black magic [Lamp of the Underworld].
Whew, of course, she’d use that too.
After all, no necromancer would leave that one out.
Whooosh—
The moment the black flame floated up in the sky, the corpses we’d destroyed began to regenerate.
In this situation…
「Liranne Vivian summons [Queen of Agony, Erimianne].」
A vengeful spirit, bristling with thousands of thorns, flew above us, wailing.
This was the signature summon that earned Liranne Vivian her title, the Screaming Witch.
Its effects are clear…
「Character’s pain resistance decreases by 200.」
Increased pain.
And…
「When a target hit by the scream takes damage, the summoner’s black mana recovers.」
A reliable source of mana recovery for a mage.
‘Well, we just have to avoid getting hit.’
As long as we avoid damage, this summon isn’t too troublesome for a small group like ours.
However…
「Liranne Vivian casts level 3 black magic [Voodoo Doll].」
「Accuracy for curse-based spells targeting the character increases to 100%, and their power significantly rises.」
After buffing her undead army and summoning her signature spirit, the Screaming Witch began unleashing her spells in earnest.
「[Advanced Decay] is ongoing.」
「Healing speed is drastically reduced.」
「[Fatigue] is ongoing.」
「Strength is significantly reduced.」
「[Invisible Threat] is ongoing.」
「The chance of failing to detect enemy attacks has increased…」
Why is she only cursing me?
She’s starting to remind me of Elisha, the priestess of Karui, and it’s giving me PTSD.
Still, what choice do I have?
I just have to press on.
Even if I have to scream like a madman in the process.
“RAAAAHHH!”
I swing my hammer with all my might.
In moments like this, a warrior’s job is simple.
CRACK!
I allocated all my actions to protecting my allies, leaving ranged attacks to Erwin.
Fortunately, Erwin’s performing even better than expected.
[Erwin Fornacci di Tersia casts [Elemental Synthesis].」
A concentrated, powerful snipe for suppression.
「Erwin Fornacci di Tersia casts [Rapid Fire].」
A rain of arrows from above.
And…
「Erwin Fornacci di Tersia summons [Dark Elemental King, Diclore].」
The Dark Elemental King that earned Erwin her title as the Blood Spirit Queen.
Boom boom boom boom—!
The Spirit King was only summoned for about five seconds, but in that short time, half of the massive corpse army was annihilated.
Yes, literally annihilated.
No matter how [Lamp of the Underworld] works, it can’t resurrect corpses that have disappeared without a trace.
“No! How could you destroy all my hard work?!”
Even the Corpse Collector was forced to acknowledge her overwhelming power.
However, the drawback of summoning the Spirit King was that Erwin’s spirit power was depleted.
She could still use various skills that consume soul power as a resource, but it meant she couldn’t utilize spirits anymore.
“…Good job.”
“No… problem.”
Though Erwin’s trump card was gone, the situation wasn’t bad.
A large gap appeared in the charging corpse army, giving us much more leeway.
Well, unfortunately, that leeway didn’t last long.
“Schuiz, he’s coming.”
“I’ll handle him; you guys fall back.”
After staying in the rear for a while, the Blood Knight returned to the battlefield after receiving healing from the Lighthouse Keeper.
‘So he had a healing skill too?’
It’s a shame.
He lost his entire left arm earlier when Erwin’s [Rupture] hit him, yet he’s back as if nothing happened?
Such a wound would normally take ages to recover from, even with the top level potions—
SLASH!
Huh?
“Urgh.”
Expecting another slash aimed at my armor’s gaps, I took the hit and prepared to counter, but suddenly my body stiffened.
With my pain resistance reduced by 200, it’s natural to experience excruciating pain from small wounds, but…
“Now, you can be cut.”
The wound was much deeper than before.
Yet, there was relatively little bleeding, and I smelled something burning.
So, what’s the cause?
It wasn’t hard to find the reason.
‘It’s not aura.’
His sword was still enveloped in a red energy, but it was different from the aura earlier.
A heat so intense it could be felt through the air.
‘Hah, he imbued it with fire enchantment during that time?’
It must be the Lighthouse Keeper’s doing.
Using the information that my defenses were effective against aura but vulnerable to magic, he turned the Blood Knight’s regular attacks into magic-based damage.
Smart bastard.’
Even so, just because it’s changed to fire damage doesn’t make it impossible to withstand.
It’s merely a slight increase in the battle’s difficulty.
‘This level is still manageable.’
As expected, the ensuing battle turned into a war of strength.
There were moments when my spine chilled, but ultimately, time passed without either side landing a decisive blow.
And then…
“It’s over!”
Finally, Raven completed the multi-teleportation spell.
This meant we could end the fight and escape whenever we chose.
Okay, then the insurance is settled.
“Don’t use it yet, wait.”
“What?”
What do you mean “what?”
After being beaten for so long, you think I’ll just run away without achieving anything?
Even if we leave, we should at least take one of them down.
‘Then who should it be?’
Without much thought, my first target was decided.
“Oppas! Their spell is complete!”
The dark mage is flying on a broomstick, so pass.
“Vivian! Do something! If they escape, I’ll suffer enormous losses!!”
The Corpse Collector would be too difficult to pin down with his high agility and invincibility.
Swoosh—!
The Blood Knight who’s slashing at close range isn’t an option either.
Even when we attacked him 4-on-1, he slipped away like an eel; how can I catch him alone?
Unless it’s in a confined space, it’s nearly impossible.
Therefore…
“……Someday, I’ll see you again.”
I grinned at the Blood Knight, who assumed we’d retreat without a fight.
Who said we’re just leaving?
‘”Yeah, he’s the best choice.”
The lighthouse keeper, name unknown.
Characteristic: one of the few support-type sorcerers of Noah’s Ark.
And…
‘Support artifacts are usually the most expensive.’
He also wore ten rings on all his fingers.