The Death Mage Who Doesn t Want a Fourth Time

Chapter 352: A goddess descends into the chaos of the city

The command Rikudou had shouted to the monsters after awakening Guduranis’s instinct struck fear into the hearts of the people of Orbaume who were close enough to hear it but not close enough to make out what he was saying.

It was possible that this was an instinctual fear possessed by all people in Lambda, who had been exposed to the danger of monsters for a hundred thousand years since Guduranis’s arrival in this world.

But there was a being other than the monsters and people who felt this instinctual fear.

Luvesfol, known as the ‘Raging Evil Dragon God’ and as ‘Pauvina’s Pet,’ let out a terrified scream.

“W-what is the matter, Luves-dono?!” exclaimed Reinhardt, one of the people who were accompanying him.

“Is there a powerful enemy somewhere?! Is it the one who let out that fearsome shout?!” asked another.

“I-It is nothing! Do not concern yourself, Reinhardt…kun,” Luvesfol said.

He was currently working with Pauvina’s party members to guide and protect people as they evacuated along the main street where multiple churches, the Adventurers’ Guild, and the Tamers’ Guild were.

That terror and dread, that sensation that feels like my brain is freezing… there is no mistaking it. It is Guduranis! And it is not just ordinary fragments that have been resurrected… Could it be fragments of his soul?! I don’t know if it is Alda or Rodcorte that is responsible, but what have they done!

Over a hundred thousand years ago, despite being an Elder Dragon, Luvesfol had betrayed the world of Lambda and served Guduranis, but he had no loyalty for Guduranis. This was also true for the evil gods of the Demon King’s army, with only a few exceptions.

Indeed, even among the surviving remnants of the Demon King’s army, there were none who truly wished for Guduranis’s resurrection.

There were many who used fragments of the Demon King by gathering them for themselves or removing their seals to make them infest their worshipers. In many cases, their worshipers preached that Guduranis should be resurrected and actively worked towards that goal.

But almost none of the evil gods who had belonged to the Demon King’s army truly possessed a heartfelt wish for Guduranis’s resurrection. Some had an ambition to replace Guduranis as the Demon King to rule over this world, as Ravovifard and Zerzoregin had attempted to do.

The reason for this was that Alda, the God of Law and Fate, and Rodcorte, were the ones who had sealed the fragments of Guduranis’s soul. The evil gods had believed that resurrecting Guduranis would be impossible, as they would only be able to obtain the fragments of Guduranis’s body.

It would be extremely difficult to obtain the fragments of Guduranis’s soul that were kept by Alda, but not completely impossible – though one would need to plot and successfully carry out a clever conspiracy spanning tens of thousands of years.

But there was nothing to be done regarding the fragments possessed by Rodcorte. After all, Rodcorte’s Divine Realm existed outside the world of Lambda. The evil gods who were the remnants of the Demon King’s army were incapable of traveling to other worlds on their own, so they could not reach Rodcorte.

Even if they miraculously succeeded in carrying out a conspiracy to seize all of the soul fragments possessed by Alda, and gathered the body fragments that were scattered all across the world, the Demon King Guduranis would never be fully resurrected. If Guduranis was capable of traveling between worlds even with only half of his soul, he would be able to invade Rodcorte’s Divine Realm, but there was no telling whether this was possible unless it was actually tried.

However, if this was the only barrier to the Demon King Guduranis’s resurrection, then there would have been some evil gods from his army working towards it. The fact that there weren’t was a testament to Guduranis’s complete lack of virtue, and the fear he struck in them.

Guduranis had ruled his army with his overwhelming power and the weapon of fear, which he had not hesitated in wielding, even upon his own subordinates. Even if one were to go to the effort of resurrecting him, none believed that he would reward that effort.

In fact, he even possessed the ability to break souls… the ability to completely destroy gods. The evil gods feared the resurrection of a being with such an ability.

That was why many of the remnants of the Demon King’s army used the fragments of Guduranis’s body as items to power up their followers or as tools to try to forget the despair of being used by the Demon King in the past.

So what is the meaning of this?! Why have fragments of his soul been resurrected?! A reincarnated individual is involved, so was it Rodcorte?! Does he intend to destroy this entire world along with Vandalieu?! Luvesfol thought frantically. But Gufadgarn and Fidirg are with Vandalieu. And I am sure the Five-colored Blades have come. I’m sure they will be able to defeat Guduranis before he is fully resurrected. Right now, what’s more important is…

“More importantly, that shout will have stimulated the monsters’ instincts. How are the familiars of the Tamers’ Guild?!” Luvesfol shouted.

Guduranis’s resurrection was not something that he would welcome. But right now, he had to prioritize carrying out the orders that Pauvina and Vandalieu had given him. Leading and protecting the humans as they evacuated – If he failed these tasks because he was terrified by Guduranis’s roar, he would never be forgiven… or so he believed.

He was currently on a main road that connected the central plaza where many people had gathered to the Dungeon that had been created as an emergency shelter, the official story for which was that the Tamers’ Guild had built it in a facility that it owned.

The tamers of the Tamers’ Guild were also fighting the monsters and leading the people as they evacuated, even though Vandalieu hadn’t made prior arrangements for them to do so. Naturally, there were many familiars around.

The shout of Guduranis, the one who had created the system that reincarnated the souls of monsters, would sway the instincts of even monsters that had become familiars.

“What?! Then you might be affected too, Luvesfol-san! Should we call Pauvina-sama?!” one of the party’s members exclaimed.

“I-I am fine, as I am highly intelligent! Do not hinder Pauvina-sama!” said Luvesfol indignantly.

He was unaffected, as he had originally been an Elder Dragon, but he couldn’t tell Reinhardt and the others that, so he attempted to convince them that his high intelligence was the reason instead.

“Pay attention to see if the familiars other than myself are showing any strange behavior!” he said.

“I think you’re acting quite strangely yourself,” said a large man with a warrior’s body, the head of a lion, four arms, and gray-brown skin.

At a glance, he looked like a monster, but he was not.

“Vigaro! May I suggest that you be silent and concentrate on fighting the monsters?!” shouted Luvesfol.

“… You were talking strangely for a bit and looked frightened, got lost in thought for a few moments, and now you’re shouting all of a sudden. It’s a fact that you’re acting strangely,” Vigaro said.

“Y-you’re right!” Reinhardt exclaimed, shaken by this realization.

“I’m going to go and get Pauvina-sama!” said one of his companions.

“Stop! My tone of speech is always like this! I am in a perfectly ordinary state!” Luvesfol insisted.

He was currently helping children while in the form of a Wyvern. Could this really be called a ‘perfectly ordinary state’ for a being who was an Elder Dragon and a lower-ranking evil god? This thought flashed through Luvesfol’s mind for a moment, but with all of his mental strength, he forced it into the corner of his consciousness and looked around at Vigaro and the familiars of the nearby tamers.

Many of the tamers’ familiars were indeed shaken, but none of them were obeying Guduranis’s command. And Cuatro and Knochen, who were in the sky overhead, seemed to be unaffected.

“I suppose the command did not have the power to compel monsters to obey it without question, other than the monsters coming from the gates. Or perhaps it does not affect those who have been guided?” Luvesfol wondered. “Either way, it works in our favor.”

It would have been nothing less than a nightmare if allies suddenly turned into enemies in this already chaotic situation.

“More importantly, it seems that it has had no effect on members of Vida’s races,” he said, looking at Vigaro, who seemed entirely unaffected.

“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, but are you guys alright?” Vigaro asked.

“What?! Do you really think that I would betray you?!” Luvesfol almost screamed, moving away so as to not hit Reinhardt and the others and slamming his tail against the ground.

His mind was thinking desperately to figure out a way to clear up this misunderstanding.

“No, I mean, the monsters suddenly became more ferocious, didn’t they? I was just asking if you guys will be alright on your own,” said Vigaro as he produced a spirit-form arm from his back to strike down a crab-like monster that had approached him.

No matter how ferocious the monsters had become, he was capable of defeating Rank 6 monsters without even turning around to look at them. And Luvesfol, despite having his power sealed away, had increased his Rank numerous times, so he wouldn’t fall behind in dealing with the monsters, either.

But the same couldn’t be said for Reinhardt and the others. They were capable fighters who had received Vandalieu’s harsh training, and they were far stronger than other boys and girls of their age. But they could only reliably defeat monsters that were up to Rank 4. If they all worked together, they might manage a Rank 5 monster at best.