Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Chapter 313: Necronovix, the Four Lords of Hell (2)

In the sacred land of the Elves, disaster had descended.

Karin and Ignisia summoned all their strength from the depths of their power to resist, while the Elves also lent their meager strength.

Together, they fought for their lives against Necronovix.

But it was not the only place to face this catastrophe.

At the exact same moment, there stood the Great Tower of Magic, reaching beyond the clouds—a scene as chaotic as hell itself.

No, to be precise, it was like hell had come, as one of the lords of hell had arrived there as well.

The lord gazed up at the tower, murmuring with interest.

[A tower built by a young magician,]

Necronovix remarked, intrigued.

[It's well-made. Worth analyzing, I suppose.]

"A... aah..."

A magician on the tower’s defense line trembled, his name was Guraisan.

He had met Ketal when he went to confront Ashetiar in the Barkan Territory.

After a long journey, he had finally arrived at the tower and was now an apprentice, studying magic.

His eyes were wide with disbelief.

"No... this can’t be real..."

The tower, prepared for any threat, was on the highest alert.

Protective spells crafted by the tower's master and his disciples surrounded it, and many magicians were guarding the perimeter.

Even a hero-class enemy would have had no choice but to retreat.

Yet now, Guraisan stood alone, the last one left.

All the defense magic, the magicians' attacks—all of it had been shattered with a casual wave of Necronovix's hand.

The spells broke, and magicians fell, coughing blood.

[Magic on the surface world has progressed quite a bit,]

Necronovix observed, as if merely assessing the scene.

Guraisan’s survival was not because of his skill but because he had frozen, unable to cast any spell.

It was this hesitation alone that saved him.

Necronovix, the incomprehensible entity, slowly approached the tower.

He placed his hand on its barrier.

BANG!

With a resounding impact, the barrier shattered, a protective ward that had defended the tower unbroken for hundreds of years.

Guraisan coughed blood and fainted from the shock.

Necronovix reached out to touch the tower itself, only to be repelled.

His hand was pushed back by a force; someone had intervened, and Necronovix's eyes glimmered with intrigue.

[Oh?]

"What is going on?"

It was Elian, the disciple of the Tower Master, who appeared.

He had hurriedly flown over after sensing the disturbance.

As Elian faced Necronovix, he gasped.

"De...mon!"

And not just any ordinary demon.

This was a demon of such a high rank that even Elian couldn't comprehend its level.

It was akin to a god—

No, even greater than that.

To Elian's knowledge, there were only four beings with such a level of power.

"One of the Four Lords...!"

[[Pierce through!]]

Elian didn't bother with any conversation. He simply unleashed his magic at full power right from the start.

It was a command to the world, a spell akin to a word of power.

Necronovix's face lit up with interest.

[You analyzed the language of power and turned it into magic? Impressive. It’s similar to my own method.]

Necronovix, watching the spell fly towards him, quietly opened his mouth.

[[Pierce through.]]

A command was given to the world.

Necronovix's magic shattered Elian's spell and surged forward.

Elian hurriedly cast a defensive spell to block it.

KA-BOOM!

The attack was blocked without any issues.

There was no physical impact at all.

But the mental shock was different.

Elian's face filled with shock.

"...You mimicked my magic?"

The magic Necronovix had just cast was Elian's.

The spell that Elian had developed through a lifetime of research was copied with just one demonstration.

[Not bad, but... it lacks depth. The security system of your magic is flimsy.]

"Ugh!"

With those words, Elian coughed up blood as a powerful shock shook his body.

He quickly inspected his physical condition and his eyes widened.

Demonic energy had somehow infiltrated his body, wrecking his internal magic circuits along the path of mystical energy.

"When... when did this happen..."

[From the moment you arrived here. But you haven't died yet. You have potential. If you had lived longer, you could have become stronger.]

Necronovix flicked his fingers.

The demonic energy surged forth, aiming to pierce through Elian's body.

Elian squeezed his eyes shut.

And at that moment, light descended.

[Hmm.]

For the first time, Necronovix's expression changed.

He took a step back.

BOOOOM!

The light struck down and scorched the spot where he had been.

The attack had enough power to force even Necronovix to retreat.

Necronovix murmured.

[The Tower Master has arrived.]

[What kind of nonsense is this?]

With a wry laugh, a skeletal figure appeared.

Elian's eyes widened.

"M-Master? Weren't you on the other side of the continent handling another matter?"

[I rushed here as soon as I felt the disturbance. You look awful.]

"...I’m sorry."

[It's fine. Given your opponent, it couldn't be helped. Rest for now.]

With those words, the space expanded.

The Tower shifted and moved beyond their line of sight.

[Shifting the tower by stretching space itself? A sensible approach. Simple seals or defenses wouldn't mean much here.]

[...Why are you here? How could someone like you descend to this plane?]

The Tower Master was utterly baffled.

The four Lords of Hell.

The founder of dark magic.

Necronovix.

A being equivalent to a god of Hell was present on this plane.

And it wasn’t an avatar or a vessel but the true form itself.

It was like having the real god directly manifesting on this world.

No, it was even more extraordinary than that.

[...Why?]

How could the world not detect Necronovix's descent?

When Federica opened the celestial pathway before, the shockwave spread across the entire continent.

This should have been impossible.

And that wasn’t the only thing that made no sense.

[Why are you here as well?]

[...Oh?]

Necronovix's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

[You managed to discern my position despite being far away? Impressive.]

[How ridiculous.]

The Tower Master chuckled bitterly.

[It’s not two, but three. There are three of you present on this plane simultaneously, and they're not mere avatars.]

Three Necronovixes were on this plane at once.

[A disaster incarnate. What kind of method did you use?]

[You are a magician yourself. Analyze it with your own power.]

Necronovix grinned.

Demonic energy began to seep out.

The Tower Master froze upon seeing it.

[...That’s...]

This was dangerous.

It was something that could kill even him, a lich, who wouldn't die unless his phylactery was destroyed.

[What is that?]

[It’s the power that once killed the most beings in this world. It is the strength of our old enemy.]

Necronovix drew out death itself.

[You wouldn’t understand the concept anyway, so there’s no need to concern yourself. Now then, the strongest mage on the surface, show me your power.]

Necronovix unleashed his force.

The Tower Master gathered mana and began casting a spell.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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* * *

Meanwhile, at the Dwarves' Sacred Ground.

The Holy Sword, Serena, approached a Dwarven guard with a puzzled expression.

"Excuse me, do you know where Ketal went? He wasn’t in the lodging when I returned from my walk."

"He has entered the dungeon."

"It seems he was too busy dealing with greater evils to handle the nearby dungeons properly. Realizing this, he went off to take care of it."

"Oh, is that so? Well... I have nothing else to do; should I follow him? Do you know where he went?"

"As you wish. I will show you the location."

The dwarf's attitude towards Serena was nothing but respectful.

It was only natural; Serena was a Holy Sword, a divine gift bestowed upon the earth by their god.

To the dwarves, she was like an angel created directly by their deity.

It was entirely understandable that they treated her with such reverence.

As Serena, feeling grateful, was about to head towards Ketal—

Boom!

A tremendous force crushed down upon them.

The dwarf's face, which had been speaking, turned pale in an instant.

"Ah... ahh..."

No, it was beyond that level; his mind seemed on the verge of breaking.

Serena, startled, emitted a bright light.

Ziiing!

"Huff!"

The dwarf, protected by the light, managed to gasp for breath.

Serena, her face drained of color, stared off into the distance.

"Wait... a second!"

Something had arrived.

Something utterly horrifying.

[Is it here?]

And there was Necronovix, approaching the dwarven sanctuary with a hum.

A dwarf flew towards him at high speed.

[Grombir, the Saint of the Blacksmith God.]

"You... you're Necronovix!"

One of the four lords of the hell had come to this place.

Necronovix gazed at Grombir, and in that moment, Grombir's instincts screamed a warning.

He quickly raised his defenses.

"The strongest shield! Protect me!"

[A shield made by a mere earthbound dwarf breaks under my will.]

Crunch!

The shield was crushed in an instant.

Grombir desperately tried to strengthen it, but it shattered against the overwhelming force.

Crack!

"Ugh!"

His shield shattered, and the darkness seized Grombir.

Necronovix hummed.

[I won't kill you. You're useful to us.]

The darkness widened its maw, about to swallow Grombir whole.

In that moment—

Zing!

A golden sword flew in, cutting through the encroaching darkness.

Freed, Grombir hastily retreated.

"Are you alright?"

"Th-thank you!"

[The Holy Sword?]

Necronovix looked at Serena with a puzzled expression.

[Why are you in human form? This isn't a mere imitation. It's real, organic matter... Is this the power of the Blacksmith God?]

Intrigued, a hint of curiosity appeared on Necronovix's face.

Serena swallowed hard.

"...I'll hold him off. Please, go call Ketal!"

"O-okay!"

Grombir hurried inside.

Necronovix raised his hand with a smile.

And the darkness surged forth.

The spreading darkness carried the power to engulf the entire world.

Serena clenched her fist.

Ziiing!

Light wrapped around her entire body as she charged forward, throwing a punch.

Boom!

The explosion of light obliterated the encroaching darkness.

Serena was clearly holding her own against Necronovix's attack.

[A Holy Sword is still a Holy Sword, it seems.]

The humanized Holy Sword was a warrior of the hero class.

Moreover, her divine power held a natural advantage against evil.

Although the world's equilibrium had shifted and the inherent advantage wasn't as strong as before, Serena's level meant there was still a significant edge.

She shattered the darkness as she rushed toward Necronovix.

He muttered to himself.

[Someone like Raphael wouldn't find this easy.]

Which also meant that this was about as far as her strength reached.

[The shadow that kneels even celestial tools.]

Shadows formed from trees, stones, and clouds began to rise all at once, aiming to subdue Serena.

Serena quickly made a decision.

Defense was meaningless; it would break eventually.

Escape was also futile.

In that case, she decided to advance instead.

Covered in light, Serena charged at Necronovix.

The intense light burned away the shadows, but even more shadows rose up to restrain her.

Finally, several shadows seized Serena.

Yet she pushed forward without retreating.

"Arrgh!"

Using the last of her strength, she swung her fist.

But it didn't reach.

Her punch stopped just before hitting Necronovix's nose.

Shadows had fully restrained her.

"Damn it!"

[Such divine power is beyond our reach.]

Necronovix, who had been watching Serena with interest, made a decision.

[I'll take you too. I want to disassemble you and see how you were made.]

"Ugh..."

Fear spread across Serena's face.

At that moment, someone flew in.

Necronovix, who initially looked like he was about to brush the attacker off casually, froze.

Instead of blocking, he stepped back.

Darkness surged forth to strike the newcomer.

Slash!

The surging darkness collided with an axe.

The overwhelming power that even many of the world's strongest warriors couldn't handle was torn apart like paper.

Necronovix's expression turned serious.

[A piercing bullet.]

A bullet was fired.

An absolute shot that could easily penetrate even Ignisia's defenses.

It collided with the axe.

Boom!

The shockwave swept through the surroundings, shaking Mantamia violently.

Necronovix took a step back.

"Eek!"

Taking advantage of the shockwave, Serena barely managed to free herself and staggered back.

She looked up and cried out with teary eyes.

"Ketal!"

"Someone strong has arrived,"

Ketal remarked, stepping forward.

"Stand back."

"...Please be careful, Ketal. That thing is... it's a monster. No, it's beyond that."

Serena swallowed hard and spoke.

"One of the four lords of the hell. It's Necronovix."

Serena hoped that Ketal would take this seriously.

"...The Four Kings of Hell. Necronovix, is it?"

Ketal murmured with a glint in his eye.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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