Karnak, Monarch of Death

Karnak scratched his head irritably.

“Ah, now that I think about it, there were clues.”

The spiritual energy of Astra Shunaph, his undead form, had been so immense that he couldn’t even properly possess another body. Just inserting a fraction of himself, a mere finger, would cause the host to explode instantly.

Karnak had always assumed this phenomenon was because his soul hadn’t been fully separated from his body. He believed that transferring his soul to another vessel failed because the sheer energy involved was too much for the host to handle. That was why he’d created the temporal regression spell.

Simple possession wasn’t enough to perfectly extract his soul. His body and soul had been intertwined for so long that they had no clear boundaries.

“But this body is me. Returning to the unified state of my original body and soul provides a natural reference point, allowing for a clean separation.”

To this point, everything had gone according to plan. His soul had shed all necromantic power and settled perfectly into his new body, transforming him into a complete human.

“So, I figured whatever was left of Astra Shunaph’s domain had been abandoned in that timeline...”

What Karnak hadn’t considered was that his soul could fail to settle for the same reason as his spiritual power—because it was overwhelming. If his necromantic power had remained tied to his soul and traveled with him to this era, the result wouldn’t change. His soul would still have separated from the necromantic energy to merge with his current body.

“But in this case, the sequence is reversed.”

Instead of separating before traveling back in time, it had separated afterward. This meant that Astra Shunaph’s domain, the authority of the Monarch of Death, now existed not in the future but in the present.

“It looks like that leftover power has spread across the world as the so-called Shadow of Doom.”

Varos blinked in confusion.

The explanation was complicated, but after serving Karnak for so long, he understood the gist. Still, accepting it was another matter.

“...So, you’re saying the power you discarded is now threatening to destroy the world?”

“Probably?”

“But no matter how strong you were, I doubt your discarded powers alone would make the seven churches tremble at the thought of the world’s end...”

Varos trailed off, remembering. It was Karnak who had brought down the seven churches.

“Still, there are powerful empires and kingdoms left in the world—”

“We wiped those out too.”

“And there are dragons, the fae, the Four Great Martial Kings, and the Three Archmages—”

“We killed all of them, turned them into undead, and made them our subordinates.”

That wasn’t all. In the end, even the seven goddesses lost their influence over the world. The Monarch of Death’s power had blanketed the world, cutting off divine blessings entirely.

“Now that I think about it, you really did bring about the end of the world, didn’t you?”

To Karnak, it had been a conquest. To the living, it had been an apocalypse. And now, Karnak found himself on the receiving end of his own destructive legacy.

“Hold on.”

Varos still wasn’t fully convinced and raised a counterargument.

“But back then, you controlled that power. That’s why you could conquer the world, right?”

Now, the power was scattered across the land without a wielder.

“Do you really think even fragments of it could pose that much of a threat?”

Even if someone managed to gather portions of that power and become a new Monarch of Death, they would undoubtedly be weaker than the real Karnak.

”Yeah, you’re right.”

Karnak nodded in agreement.

”But, Varos.”

”Yes?”

”When did I conquer the world? Specifically, how many years after becoming Astra Shunaph did it take me to conquer everything?”

”Well, your final battle was against the Dragon Emperor, so...”

Varos calculated quickly and continued.

”About three years after becoming Astra Shunaph.”

”Exactly.”

Karnak let out a wry chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.

”And how long after that did we perform the temporal regression?”

”Roughly 70 years later... Oh.”

Varos finally realized the gravity of the situation. Karnak had conquered the world and become the Necromancer King in his early 50s. By the time he performed the regression, he was about 120 years old. That meant he had spent nearly 70 years growing even stronger after already destroying the world.

”By the time I regressed, I was at least five or six times stronger than I was during the world conquest.”

Varos’s face turned ashen.

”My goodness...”

The mere thought of that overwhelming power was terrifying. It was more than enough to justify the seven goddesses issuing a unified prophecy of doom.

Pale and anxious, Varos pressed further. ”Are you absolutely certain you’re the culprit? There’s no chance someone else is responsible?”

Facing the horror of the Monarch of Death at his peak seemed far worse than dealing with some unknown demon from another dimension.

”Wait, didn’t you say the timeline didn’t match?”

It didn’t make sense upon closer inspection. Karnak and Varos had performed the temporal regression about a year ago, but the Shadow of Doom had already begun spreading across the world before that. According to the churches’ reports, it wasn’t even fully dispersed yet. Instead, it seemed to be seeping into the world gradually, crossing timelines to do so.

”The timeline doesn’t add up! It’s impossible for you to be the source!”

”I don’t understand it either.”

Even so, there was undeniable evidence.

”That Shadow of Doom we found with Fred? Its properties match my energy perfectly—100 percent.”

This was why Karnak hadn’t raised suspicion in incidents like the one with Fred or Randolph. No matter how much of his energy Karnak left behind, the churches simply saw it as more of the Shadow of Doom. There was no reason to suspect him, especially when the darkness was already spreading across the continent.

”There’s no doubt. This is my power. I just don’t know how it came to this.”

”If it’s your power, can’t you reclaim it somehow?”

Varos’s lingering hope earned him a sharp glare from Karnak.

”Do you think that’s even possible?”

Imagine a wealthy man standing in a plaza, throwing handfuls of gold coins into the air. Then, he yells, “Gold, return to me!” Would the scattered coins fly back into his purse, or would passersby scoop them up and take them home as windfalls? The moment Karnak discarded his power, he lost control over it.

”I can’t just ignore this anymore.”

The stakes were too high to turn a blind eye. A madman had amassed power on an unimaginable scale. But that madman was none other than Karnak himself. Trust humanity’s strength? Believe in the world’s resilience? Karnak couldn’t do that—not when he was the one who had fucked both in the first place.

”I don’t trust them! How can I trust them?!”

As Karnak began to spiral, Varos tried to calm him and asked, ”So, what’s the plan now?”

Taking a deep breath, Karnak answered seriously. ”First, we need more information.”

Right now, they knew far too little. Any plan would have to wait until they better understood the situation.

”Like when you absorbed that necromantic energy from Fred?”

”Exactly. I need to examine the state of the power that’s separated from me. This time, the amount was too small to learn anything useful.”

The Shadow of Doom Karnak had absorbed from Fred had been far too faint to yield any real insight. Compared to Karnak’s original powers, the fragments of the Shadow of Doom he’d gathered so far were barely a drop in the ocean—like scooping a single pail of water from a vast sea. They provided almost no useful information.

“I need to collect more information,” Karnak said.

“So, you’re saying we’ll need to go around gathering this Shadow of Doom from now on?” Varos asked.

“Exactly.”

“And that means saying goodbye to the comfortable life here in the estate, right?”

“...Exactly.”

The two exchanged a long, weary sigh. For people who thought they were finally done with chaos and could live the rest of their lives in peace, this was a particularly cruel twist of fate.

Karnak let out a groan of frustration. “Ugh, I really wanted to live quietly this time, but the world just won’t leave me alone!”

Varos couldn’t resist a jab. “What does the world have to do with this? You brought it on yourself.”

“Well, yes, but still...” Karnak faltered.

“Blaming the world instead of owning up to your mistakes? Classic young master.”

“Ah, shut your mouth already.”

***

The next morning, Karnak summoned the retainers of the estate.

“I’ll be away for about three months,” he announced.

He had already prepared a convincing excuse.

Despite his diligent studies with the magical tome of Dallas, he had reached the limits of what self-study could accomplish. Therefore, he would either need to invite a high-level mage to teach him or visit the mage guilds himself to seek guidance.

However, hiring a mage of sufficient caliber would be extraordinarily expensive. Even though the Zestrad estate was thriving, it wouldn’t be appropriate for a lord to spend lavishly without justification.

“So, I’ve decided to go to the capital myself to deepen my knowledge and understanding of magic. Varos will be the only escort I’ll need.”

The elderly steward, a steadfast supporter of Karnak, nodded enthusiastically.

“A most prudent decision, my lord.”

The Zestrad estate was running smoothly without any pressing issues. A three-month absence from its lord wasn’t likely to cause significant problems. Moreover, this wouldn’t be the first time Karnak had left the estate for an extended period. During the trial by combat, he had been away for months, so no one found his current plans particularly strange.

Of course, back then, his absence had faced strong opposition—not because of his departure itself, but because a lord with no combat ability leaving with only a single attendant was considered far too dangerous. But Karnak had insisted, leaving his retainers no choice but to reluctantly agree.

But now?

Karnak had grown significantly stronger as a mage, and Varos had become the estate’s most formidable knight. There was little reason for concern. The steward also had a different motivation for supporting them.

“Broadening your horizons by traveling the world is the privilege of youth! It will be a wonderful experience for you.”

It seemed he assumed Karnak was setting out on a journey fueled by youthful curiosity.

No, but I’ve already had more than my fill of those kinds of experiences...

Still, it was a convenient misunderstanding. The other retainers raised no objections either.

“Travel safely, my lord. We’ll take care of the estate in your absence.”

“We’ll await your return and the further growth it will surely bring you,” they said, led by the steward, who added with a formal bow, “May the blessings of the seven goddesses be with you.”

Karnak could barely suppress a bitter laugh.

Those goddesses conspired to issue a prophecy just to destroy me. Blessings? Yeah, right.

After completing the handover of estate management duties for his absence, Karnak returned to his room. Inside, he found Varos busily packing their belongings. His expression wasn’t great. It was obvious the thought of leaving the comfort of a warm bed and a full belly to wander the world again clearly didn’t sit well with him.

“Ugh, to think I’d be packing up and hitting the road again at this point,” Varos grumbled.

“It’s not like before. Things are better now,” Karnak said, trying to cheer him up as he held up a heavy coin pouch. “We’ve got money now. We even have gold coins, you know?”

Varos’s face brightened immediately.

“Oh! That means we can enjoy the finest delicacies from every region while we travel, right? And sleep in the best inns?”

“Of course! We’re not on the run anymore.”

In their past travels, they had always been hiding, skulking through alleyways and shadowy backstreets. Their crimes had ensured that, no matter how much money they had, they couldn’t dare reveal their identities publicly.

And on top of that, they had constantly been evading the pursuit of the seven churches. They were never given the luxury of a sound sleep, even for a single night.

“I was just remembering those days of being hunted and couldn’t help scowling, but this time it’s completely different,” Varos said, a grin spreading across his face.

When he thought of it as nothing more than a spoiled noble’s leisurely tour of the continent, it didn’t seem so bad.

“If we’re going to suffer anyway, might as well make it enjoyable, right?”

“Can’t argue with that,” Varos agreed.

With his packing complete, Varos slung his backpack over his shoulder and asked, “So, where are we headed? We’re not actually going to the capital, are we?”

“Derath City. That’s where Fred first gained his powers. There’s bound to be some clue there.”