Karnak, Monarch of Death

Every time Serati’s crimson blade struck, blood spattered in all directions. Crimson rain fell under the misty night sky, accompanied by anguished screams.

“Aaaargh!”

“Gahh!”

Serati moved effortlessly through the battlefield. It was as expected of an aura user, a warrior who had transcended human limits. Her sword met no resistance as it sliced through the enemies. If her blade struck another weapon, it would shatter the steel. If it met a shield, it would slice clean through. Yet, Varos could only inwardly click his tongue as he watched from the sidelines.

Is it because she’s still red-tier? Her movements aren’t quite...

The mastery of aura users was divided into five distinct levels:

Red-tier warriors wielded an aura that burned like fire, earning them the title red knights. Their crimson aura grants destructive power that surpasses human limits, marking them as figures of unmatched strength. Even a single red knight could tip the balance of power in remote regions.

Beyond the red knights were blue-tier warriors who were capable of finer control over their aura. They could wield it like fluid akin to water, earning them the title blue knights. At this level, they possessed not only overwhelming power but also refined technique, making them capable of delicate, masterful combat. These warriors often served high-ranking nobles, royal courts, or if they were averse to fame, lived their lives as elite adventurers.

Transcending blue knights were those who reached purple-tier, or purple knights. They were capable of uniting the raw power of red-tier with the finesse of blue-tier. They achieved harmony between strength and control. They were seen as true superhumans, and they often served as commanders of elite knight orders or as members of the empire’s knights, who were renowned as the strongest.

Taking yet another step beyond their limits, one would find themselves in control over silver aura. Silver-tier, or silver knights, transcended ordinary skill and power and overcame the limits of traditional swordsmanship. These warriors could not only imbue objects with aura, but also manifest aura as tangible constructs. The empire’s chief knight or protector knights of nations were at this stage.

Finally, the ultimate level of aura: Gold-tier, or golden knights. At this pinnacle of mastery, every action of a gold-tier harmonized with natural law. A mere blade in hand could allow them to stir storms, and they were essentially a one-man legion.

This was the domain reached only by the Four Great Martial Kings. And Varos, as a former death knight lord, had once stood on equal footing with the Four Great Martial Kings. He had once stood among the strongest of the strong. Thus, it was only natural that Serati’s current movements struck him as amateurish.

No, that’s not how you should move there.

Ah, doing that there won’t work.

Why are there so many unnecessary movements?

Of course, he wasn’t in any position to criticize her right now. What right did he have to judge her when he hadn’t even manifested his aura?

Tsk. I should know my place and do my job.

Resigned, Varos sighed and returned his focus to the fight, kicking away a soldier charging at him. The Ranpelt soldiers weren’t foolish enough to solely target Serati. The more experienced among them directed their efforts toward the rest of her party instead.

After all, why face the terrifying aura user head-on when capturing her comrades as hostages seemed far more achievable? The problem, however, was that these comrades were anything but easy targets.

“Detonate, Explosion!”

Riltaine’s fireball hit the desolate garden, unleashing a deafening roar. A blast of wind howled through the battlefield, followed by a plume of black smoke.

Boom!

“Charlie’s down!”

“Damn it! Fall back!”

“Go for their backs! Aim for their backs!”

“Throw daggers at them! Daggers!”

“Hey! Why are you shouting out the plan?”

Anyone trying to throw a weapon at range found themselves swiftly dealt with by Serati.

“Hmph! Who said I’d let you do that?”

Despite never having coordinated before, Serati and Riltaine worked together seamlessly, complementing each other’s attacks. Karnak couldn’t help but express his admiration while observing from the sidelines.

[As expected of veterans.]

[Right? Their adaptability and experience make them a perfect team.]

But neither of them realized that Serati and Riltaine were the ones who were truly astonished.

Wait... those two...

How are they fighting so effortlessly?

The synchronization between Karnak and Varos was nothing short of flawless. Varos would charge and retreat with impeccable timing, creating openings for Karnak to unleash spells. They continuously shifted their positions, yet never left any weaknesses in their defense.

They maintained the most advantageous positions throughout the battle. They fought with calm precision, and their teamwork was so seamless that the Ranpelt soldiers, no matter how many charged, couldn’t even make a dent.

As a result, the number of enemies Karnak and Varos defeated was more than double what Serati and Riltaine had managed. Varos, who wasn’t even an aura user, and Karnak, a mere fourth-circle mage—how could their combination possibly outshine that of an aura user and a sixth-circle mage?

No wonder Priest Alius couldn’t stop praising them. He had every reason to.

Their combat sense is incredible!

The truth was simpler: Karnak and Varos had fought together for far too long—over a hundred years, in fact. After fighting side by side for such a staggering amount of time, they didn’t even need to think. They could let their bodies react instinctively, and it would result in perfect teamwork. In fact, it would have been harder for them to not be in sync.

Thanks to their seamless cooperation, the Ranpelt soldiers found themselves continually pushed back. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t find an opening to exploit. Even Alius was far from being a weak link. He was holding his own.

Wielding a longsword, he calmly faced the advancing Ranpelt soldiers. Since he needed to keep his identity as a priest hidden until the necromancer appeared, he deliberately acted as if he were merely a swordsman. Surprisingly, his swordsmanship was impressive. While not as overwhelming as the rest of the party, he fought steadily, protecting himself while dispatching enemies.

“Ha! Take this!”

Karnak and Varos exchanged glances, their astonishment evident.

[He’s at least on par with an average knight, isn’t he?]

[Honestly, he’s better than most of the knights in our territory. Where does a priest even learn to wield a sword like that?]

Eventually, the battlefield was left littered with corpses, and the soldiers began to retreat. Serati frowned as she watched the remaining enemies fall back into the depths of the estate.

“This is strange...”

Despite all the commotion, no reinforcements appeared. It was hard to believe that these soldiers constituted the entirety of the estate’s forces.

“Do you think the necromancer isn’t here after all?”

“That’s unlikely,” Alius replied, his expression hardening.

The atmosphere around the Ranpelt estate was shifting.

“The stench of necromancy is starting to seep out,” he said grimly.

The air grew heavier, the darkness thicker. While Serati and Riltaine couldn’t sense it, Alius, as a priest, could feel the ominous energy prickling at his very skin.

“It seems they want to fight us on their home ground,” he added.

***

Boom!

The thick wooden gates shattered with a single strike, and Karnak’s group stormed inside. Immediately, they scanned their surroundings, preparing for an ambush. Wand at the ready, Riltaine frowned.

“It’s awfully quiet.”

The first-floor hall was vast, as expected of a mansion once owned by a count. Four corridors branched off to the left and right, and a grand staircase led to the second floor. The walls were lined with lit candles, providing ample light.

“They’re up there.”

Sensing movement, Serati pointed toward the top of the staircase. Three men in black robes emerged from the shadows, their figures ominous in the dim light.

“An aura user and a high-ranking mage, is it?”

“They must be quite renowned.”

“Not that it matters before the power of darkness.”

Their voices dripped with malice as the atmosphere turned oppressive. Even those who weren’t priests could clearly sense the heavy aura of darkness. The necromancers of the Ranpelt family had arrived.

“Behold!”

“This is the true power of necromancy!”

The three unleashed their dark magic simultaneously. Shadows poured forth, flooding the hall in an instant. The sight was enough to make any ordinary person’s hair stand on end. That is, if Karnak’s group could be considered ordinary. Alius seemed almost pleased.

“Oh, three of them?”

Riltaine and Serati, too, reacted with satisfaction rather than fear.

“That should be enough evidence.”

“Let’s take all three alive, just to be sure.”

Smiles crept across their faces. While they didn’t openly celebrate, even Karnak and Varos were clearly delighted.

[How many servings of Lords of Darkness are those guys worth?]

[Looks like they’ve consumed a decent amount of darkness. Between the three of them, I’d say about ten servings.]

[Big cases always come with big rewards, don’t they?]

The necromancers noticed the complete lack of fear—let alone tension—radiating from Karnak’s group. They were incensed.

“You insolent wretches!”

“How dare you mock us!”

As expected of aura users and high-level mages, their arrogance was palpable. It was clear they had spent their lives looking down on those they considered beneath them.

“Let’s see how long you can keep laughing!”

Grinding their teeth, the necromancers began to focus. They worked together to condense the shadows in the air. They were pooling their power to summon a stronger, more formidable entity.

“Come forth, avatar of death!”

The shadows twisted and morphed, taking the form of a grotesque specter wielding a massive scythe.

“Go, specter! Drain every last ounce of their life force!”

With an ear-splitting screech, the specter unleashed an aura of overwhelming malice.

Screeeeeeeech!

***

The specter was considered a powerful entity among the spirits. Without the divine powers of a priest, neither blades nor magic were particularly effective against it. Thus, for those unaccustomed to battling the undead, even the most skilled warriors and mages found it nearly impossible to face a specter. Its power was such that a single specter had been known to annihilate an entire village.

The necromancers were certain of their creation’s strength. They had no doubt that the intruders would soon be slaughtered.

But...

“The light of the goddess shall punish all impurity!”

Alius raised his oak staff, and a radiant flash of light erupted. The specter suddenly slowed in its path toward them. Its movements became sluggish. The necromancers flinched, gasping in shock.

“What?”

Before they could react, Riltaine chanted his spell.

“Piercing spears of blazing fire—Flame Spear!”

The fiery spears struck the now-hindered Specter, skewering it like a pincushion.

“Wha—what?”

Then came Serati, her crimson aura blade slicing through the specter with a clean, decisive blow.

“Hyaaah!”

With a burst of light, the specter was cleaved in two, its form dissipating into the air.

“What...?”

The necromancers were dumbfounded. They hadn’t anticipated that their opponents would include both a priest and seasoned undead hunters. Their painstakingly summoned specter had been destroyed in mere seconds. Serati turned to the dazed necromancers with a gleeful smile.

“Well, looks like all that’s left is to capture that lot and head back.”

“Indeed. It seems things will resolve more smoothly than expected,” Alius replied, nodding.

While they would typically purge the necromancers along with their Shadow of Doom, these individuals needed to be captured alive to testify against the crimes of the Ranpelt family.

“If anything, that earlier fight was more troublesome,” Serati remarked with a chuckle as she darted forward.

In a flash, she closed the distance, appearing right in front of the necromancers. They screamed and fell backward in panic.

“Argh!”

And then, suddenly, their heads exploded.

Pop! Pop!

Blood and chunks of flesh flew everywhere.

“Miss Serati!” Alius shouted, horrified. “I told you we needed to capture them alive!”

“What? It wasn’t me!” she stammered, spinning around in confusion.

At that moment, the surroundings began to shift.

Woom... woom... woom...

A ghastly noise filled the air as the walls warped and transformed into grotesque masses of pulsating, dark-red flesh. The floor turned into a squelching swamp of blood, and countless writhing tendrils sprouted from the ceiling. The scene was a nightmare brought to life. Even Alius stood frozen, unable to hide his shock.

“What... what is this?”

He had dealt with countless necromancers in his time, but he had never encountered anything like this.

Typically, necromancers summoned spirits, ghouls, or zombies. The more powerful ones might even call forth demons from hell. At worst, such actions would darken the atmosphere and fill the air with malevolence.

But this...

This was on an entirely different scale. The entirety of the manor had been transformed into a hellish domain. Riltaine and Serati were equally stunned, their eyes wide in disbelief. What they saw reminded them of the legendary necromancers they had read about as children.

“This... this is actually possible?”

“It wasn’t just some made-up legend?”

As the group reeled in confusion, a voice echoed through the room.

“Heh heh... well, now...”

The voice emanated from the lifeless body of one of the fallen necromancers, its mangled throat producing an unnatural, eerie sound.

“An aura user and a sixth-circle mage is already quite the harvest...”

It wasn’t the voice of any of the necromancers. How could it be? Their heads had exploded.

“And even Inquisitor Alius has joined us? These fools turned out to be more useful than I expected.”

Alius’s face darkened as recognition dawned.

“...Bishop Straph?”