"Okay, now that all that's done, June, can you let Johann know that the Calamity quest is complete?" Seran turned to June, who was still in the hand mirror held by Theodore.
"Well, I guess making the Alpha Chimera into a contracted beast would still count as subjugation... so I'll pass it on. What are you going to do with them now?" June, to Theodore's worry and amazement, was only mildly fazed by what the white-haired demigod managed to do, as it had become pretty normal by now.
"I'm going to send them to Greenwood Town. They can make themselves comfortable in the forest nearby until I get back to make dens for them. It'd be better to have them stay there where there's at least someone capable of restraining them if necessary."
"Right, Lady Eleanor is certainly capable of that..." After sighing and agreeing with Seran's decision, June told Theodore to be careful and follow the little demigod on his next journey.
"Wait, what's his next quest? It sounds serious if he needs us to follow behind him, considering his power." Theodore was very quick to realize the inherent problem with them following along with the all-mighty demigod. He had absolutely no need for them earlier, so why would he need them now?
Seran cut in to answer that question, "Undead horde subjugation. The situation in Blood-Bone Cemetery has been left unchecked for too long, and it's suspected that there is not only at least a hundred thousand undead, but multiple A-ranks, and, most terrifyingly, an Elder Lich of S-rank." His tone and expression emphasized the gravity of the quest.
"Elder Lich!? Those things are worse than a full-grown Dragon! No wonder you need help..."
"Not entirely. I'm going in alone, as per my usual methods. The problem is that I don't know if any will escape while I'm doing my extermination run. Since there are several undead specialists amongst you, I decided to deal with the Calamity quest first so I could get some specialists to defend the outer perimeter." He walked over and calmly said to the male guild-master, "I'd like for you to ask the others, but tell them it's their choice above all. You just lost two years of time, so if you need to recover, it's fine. Those who want to come along, I will make it worth your while. You have my word."
Theodore was stunned momentarily, thinking about just what he wanted to do. As Seran had said, he'd just lost two whole years of time, leaving so much for him to have to readjust to. On the other hand, the Elder Lich was such a massive problem that it was hard to leave it alone. Yet, the demigod had promised a payment worthy of the quest, even if it was only outer perimeter defense. However, the Grandmaster Pyromancer found his resolve, his eyes shining with determination, "I'm going along with you. I can't just sit by and do nothing when something so important is being left to a ten-year-old, no matter how strong. I'm not the best of the undead specialists here, not by a long shot, but my fire magic is second to none, and flames are one of the strongest counters to the undead."
"Thank you. It'll make it much easier for me, knowing that there is at least one person ready to keep the undead from escaping." Seran had a smile as he solemnly gave his thanks to the fire mage, who then bowed slightly before walking over to the group of adventurers. The mirror had gone dark now, as June had closed the connection so as to call Johann. The white-haired boy looked to the sky and sighed, "This is going to be one rough day, huh?"
---
Two hours went by in a flash as Seran rocketed through the sky towards Blood-Bone Cemetery, going more than 10 times the speed of sound and blasting clouds out of the way. He couldn't afford to wait much longer, as the situation only continued to get worse the longer it was left alone. Blood-Bone Cemetery was almost four countries away from Chimera Hollow, a distance that would take weeks to cross even at the fastest speed others had. Still, Seran wasn't like others. He'd already crossed 3 countries and was closing in on the dark and gloomy valley shrouded in black fog that held the A-Rank Danger Zone.
Earlier that day, he'd sent the three Chimera siblings via teleportation to the forest next to Greenwood Town, telling them to be quiet and not get into any trouble. If someone notices, make sure to tell them that the three of them are now part of Greenwood Town, by his order. Once that was sorted, he'd used powerful space magic to make an alternate dimension that held the thirty-three adventurers who had agreed to follow along. While it was a massive space, more than enough to fit four of Lightwood Fortress inside, it wasn't locked in place as it was supposed to be. Instead, Seran had it anchored to a large gemstone he'd gotten in the Primeval Forest, from one of the elders of the elves. This way, he could carry all 33 of them safely and not have to worry about the space breaking apart due to it not being anchored down.
Other than Theodore, Adrianna Skybreaker had immediately agreed to go along, saying it was her duty as a Paladin to cleanse the undead. The Undead Hunter Company also agreed after some discussion. The others who tagged along were the elf mage who'd used the seal spell, the half-demon, several fire specialists, two High Priests, and the female Bishop. Priests were indispensable for dealing with the undead, as many had corpse poisons that would render normal healing spells useless. Only the powerful healers that were the Priests could fully heal injuries caused by the undead.
Seran began to slow down and glided over several small mountains to alight atop a tree. "Gods above, I can see the undead from here without even focusing." Though he was powerful, dealing with such numerous amounts of the undead is certainly frightening for anyone.
From where he was standing, the valley that was his destination could be seen, but it wasn't very clear due to the fog. Through it, even a villager would be able to see shining metal and bones so tightly packed together that it looked like a nightmarish sea of death. Just at a glance, C-rank zombies and skeleton soldiers smashed against each other, a throng of deathly wails and groans, clattering bones and crashing steel. A menagerie of equipment was used by the host of death, some of which was ancient beyond recognition, and some beyond repair.
"Hoo... this is gonna suck." Seran used Nature Magic's second version to relocate several trees into a formation he had devised. Marking the trees with runes, he activated a new array that would force the undead to only be able to escape from one direction: towards the eastern end of the valley. He then floated down and released the 33 adventurers into the space behind him before saying, "Welcome to the nightmare that is Blood-Bone Cemetery."
Unsurprisingly, the insane amount of zombies and skeletons caused even the best of them to go pale with fear, but the quickest to respond were the three Priests, who quickly cast [Holy Sanctuary], an area-of-effect spell that created a massive rectangular space filled with holy light. With the aid of the holy magic, the potent undeath fear was reduced by a lot.
Adrianna, who held aloft her heavy hammer and shield, shouted, "Do not fear the undead! Let them fear our strengths instead!" A Paladin's biggest role was as a tank, but it was often overlooked that it was also one of the best at rallying one's allies against the undead. It even had a passive job ability that empowered companions so long as the Paladin still stood. For this task, Adrianna was just as important as the Priests.
Seran grinned seeing their quick reactions, "As I expected of professional A-rank adventurers." He cracked his neck and stretched his body, "Alright, you guys can prepare yourselves. Let me know when you're ready to get started."