The Genius Necromancer of the Barbarian Race-Chapter 64 : It's a Fight! Everyone, gather!

It's a Fight! Everyone, gather!
With Mortis's necromancers declaring all-out war, I decided to mobilize every resource I could.
"It's good that you found out the Mortis necromancers' locations."
One of them, the leader of "Dark Shade",
Camilla, glanced at me once and then looked around.
The inn, "Bearded Cat," was packed full of massive barbarians, and her face twisted so much that it wouldn't have been strange if she cursed right there and then.
"I like that you gathered this many barbarians."
What? She didn't have a problem with the number of barbarians?
"Why is this inn our meeting place, and why am I the one paying the rental fee?"
Only then did I realize what Camilla was actually unhappy about. It was about money. I inwardly sighed with relief and shamelessly replied.
"You have a lot of money."
"Just because I have money doesn't mean I spend it on places like this without good reason!"
Come on, just use it already. Haven't you heard of noblesse oblige?
Camilla looked like she was about to say something, but instead, let out a deep sigh and crossed her arms.
"Why are you alone today? Where's that loud, big barbarian and Serena?"
"'Loud and big' describes every barbarian!"
When Grunt interrupted, Camilla frowned.
"Barkal and Serena are currently with the necromancers."
Grunt's face contorted, apparently shocked by what I said.
"Barkal! My brother has taken the side of the necromancers? Disgusting bastard! I never liked him from the start!"
"For certain reasons, he's currently resisting Mortis's necromancers."
"I knew it! My brother would never side with necromancers!"
Camilla stared at Grunt with half-open, bored eyes, apparently struck speechless by Grunt's response.
"Woman, I know my looks are striking, but try not to fall for me. I already belong to someone."
Grunt swept his hand over the horn of his helmet with a rough finger, boasting with a voice full of confidence. Camilla couldn't stand it and clicked her tongue in annoyance.
At that very moment, as the tension between Grunt and Camilla reached its peak, a third person who had been quietly observing the situation from the corner spoke up.
"I have a general idea of what's going on."
Unlike the boisterous Grunt or sharp Camilla, this man drew the attention of everyone present with his obvious sense of presence.
On his shoulder was the insignia of the "Hyrat Order."
He was with the "Judges of Light", a gold-ranked adventurer party.
He was Balder, the leader of that group.
"Disgusting necromancers are beings that must be annihilated, regardless of which god they worship."
Balder's sharp voice almost made me blurt out, "Me too?"—but I managed to swallow it back.
"But is what you're saying really true? Our Hyrat Order's Cardinal, Girinil..."
Balder trailed off, apparently overwhelmed by emotion, and bit his lip in anguish.
"Is it true that a necromancer killed Girinil?"
"Yes."
"Hyrat, my goodness!"
This is also why I summoned Balder, the head of the "Judges of Light".
This time, the Hyrat Order is a victim, too. And since they hold a strong grudge against necromancers, they're perfect for the job.
"Half a year ago, when Cardinal Girinil went missing. Was it then...?"
Balder muttered something to himself. After glancing at me, he spoke.
"I doubt a barbarian like yourself would lie... So it must be true."
"As you say, I don't lie."
"Then why haven't you ed this to the Adventurer's Guild?"
Balder's point is also valid. Killing necromancers who serve evil gods isn't a personal affair—it concerns every adventurer and, furthermore, it is a duty to the nation.
Still, I had simple reasons for not ing it.
There could be necromancers hiding among the upper class, just like "Girinil."
And, above all, there wasn't any time.
"I see. Understood."
Seemingly satisfied, Balder nodded.
"There's no way the Hyrat Order would miss out on eliminating evil. Do you have a plan?"
Grunt interjected at Balder's question.
"For a barbarian, no plan is a plan."
"We're not barbarians."
"Then I suppose a plan is necessary."
As we spoke, everyone's eyes turned to me.
They wanted to know if I—the initiator of this meeting—had any ideas about what to do next.
But really... Outwardly, I'm a "barbarian".
Is it really okay to trust your lives to a barbarian?
"Of course, I have a plan."
Getting ahead of any complaints, I declared it first.
Of course, I really do have a plan.
* * *
Before midnight arrived, two days after the "Lich" made the arrangement, we finished preparations and headed straight for the mountain where the "dungeon" was last located.
The "spirit stone compass" no longer pointed the way, but I wasn't stupid enough to get lost on a trail I'd already traveled.
By the time we reached about halfway up the mountain, I started noticing multiple traces of necromancy.
Traces that hadn't been there before.
Whether the Mortis necromancers had only now started gathering here, or whether this had always been their headquarters—I couldn't be sure.
― Krrrrrk."
With the traces of necromancy, undead began to gradually appear.
There were skeletons, like the ones I use.
Zombies.
And even ghost-type undead like "Specters."
"Not that I should say it, but..."
A familiar face emerged from the crowd of undead.
It was the corpse that no longer bore any resemblance to "Girinil"—the Lich I had encountered previously.
"You're surprisingly still alive."
Not that you should talk. You were buried in the dungeon collapse too, remember?
"I was saved from death by our mother, lady Mortis. But you..."
What, why are you trailing off?
The Lich looked at me and suddenly scowled.
I was surprised a corpse's face could twist up like that.
"Don't tell me—did you commune with Mother?"
Even if I don't answer, the Lich seems to sense this sort of thing instantly.
"How could Mother, if you're not a necromancer...?"
What? The Lich let out a short sigh and stared into my eyes.
"No... It can't be... There's no way."
"I want to know my companions' whereabouts. Where are they?"
"Before that, didn't I tell you to bring me something?"
He means the right eye.
I took the gem out from my coat and showed it to him.
A dark red gemstone. Upon seeing it, the Lich gave a crooked smile—so wide it was unsettling.
"Well done."
"My companions' locations..."
"Let's talk after I receive the item."
The Lich held out his hand, making a gesture for me to hand over the gem.
As expected, he had no intention of showing the hostages. This guy's negotiation tactics are terrible.
"So, you couldn't capture them after all?"
"What?"
"No wonder. Even if you had a hundred like you, it wouldn't be enough to catch monsters like them."
As mocking laughter spilled from my lips, the Lich's expression hardened. Struggling to contain his cold anger, he spoke.
"Do you even understand the situation you're in?"
At that, shadowy figures began to emerge behind the Lich, their dark robes drawn tight.
They were the necromancers I'd met with Mortis on the foggy grassland. And there wasn't just one or two—almost all of Mortis's followers seemed to have gathered.
"I'm not joking around right now."
"I know."
"Know what?"
"I know you couldn't take my companions hostage."
Mortis had once said her followers were threatening my companions. That probably wasn't a lie.
It's certain they're somewhere nearby. If so—
I took the deepest breath I ever had, filling my lungs with so much air I couldn't remember when I'd done so before.
"Barkal! Serena! Where are you!"
Then I shouted at the top of my lungs, so loud that even the leaves on the nearby trees shivered.
Not long after—
"Brother, I knew you were alive! Where are you!"
"Big Bro! Where are you now!"
Two voices resounded through the land in turn.
Just as I suspected, Barkal and Serena hadn't been caught by the necromancers. They must be fighting off the undead on their own.
"You're a sharp one."
"Your mother told me."
"What?"
When I mentioned "Mother," the Lich's mood instantly turned nasty.
Looking closely, the other necromancers were also exuding an ominous air.
These guys... They're extremely sensitive if anyone mentions "Mother" to them.
"Wait, can't you even hear her voice?"
Even though I was half-joking, they clenched their teeth, ready to listen to any word that came out of my mouth.
That made me want to provoke them a little more.
"You bunch of degenerates. Seems like your faith isn't really all that impressive."
When I mixed in some swearing and provoked them, the necromancers' corpse-like faces started turning red. They were seriously angry now.
"Now that I've confirmed you have the right eye, here—"
Just as the Lich was about to say something—
Pyooong──!
A sharp metallic whistle tore through the air.
With that sound, a brilliant scarlet light soared into the sky.
It wasn't just any flame—it was as if a river of red tears cascaded upward, leaving a long tail behind as it shot up.
"What is that?"
The previously cold, angry Lich muttered as he looked up at the rising light.
"It's the magic of a Valkatus follower."
Since the necromancers seemed curious about the red light, I kindly explained.
"Valkatus...?"
When I answered, the Lich's expression darkened.
He might not know what spell it is, but he definitely understands what the name "Valkatus" means.
The God of Explosion and Magic.
The followers of Valkatus always crush their opponents with overwhelming firepower, annihilating all resistance.
Soon, the crimson light reached the end of the sky and exploded into a mass of blinding sparks.
Countless red fragments rained down to the earth. Below them, necromancers and undead crowded the ground.
"D-dodge it!"
The Lich screamed desperately, but it was already too late.
When the fragments fell like a meteor shower and struck the earth, the land began to glow red hot with explosions and searing heat.
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