Karnak, Monarch of Death

Crimson mist billowed into the air, filling the entire field of vision. The sticky fluids of the dead poured down like a grotesque rainstorm, drenching the streets in a macabre deluge.

Detzras stood frozen, his expression momentarily blank.

“.....”

It wasn’t often one witnessed a human body explode so completely, so cleanly. The sheer horror of the scene transcended reality, becoming almost surreal. But the hail of flesh and bone fragments, the writhing, snake-like entrails, and the eyeballs rolling like marbles across the ground quickly dragged him back to the harshness of reality.

“Aaaagh!”

With a scream, Detzras stumbled backward, terror gripping him. For all the wicked deeds he had committed as a nefarious necromancer, not even he could have imagined such a hellish scene.

“You... you demon!”

Hadn’t those been living people just moments ago? Even as a necromancer, how could anyone do something so monstrous to other humans?

“How could you do something so atrocious?! You only wear the guise of a human, you demon!”

Karnak tilted his head, looking genuinely puzzled. “Did I do something so unforgivable?”

He wasn’t particularly offended by the outburst. After all, he’d lived his whole life enduring worse accusations. But to hear such condemnation from a fellow necromancer? That was unexpected.

“All I did was blow up a couple of corpses. Why’s he losing his mind? He’s a necromancer too.”

Serati, having finally collected herself, stammered out a response, “...That was incredibly horrifying, Lord Karnak! If anyone saw this, they’d immediately try to kill us!”

“Is it that bad?”

“Yes,” Serati replied firmly.

It felt necessary to drive the point home now if there was any hope of Karnak exercising restraint in the future. To her surprise, Karnak and Varos both showed a rare glimmer of introspection.

“I knew it might cause a stir, but I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“Same here.”

What followed, however, shattered any sense of relief.

“Guess next time I use corpse explosions, I’ll just have to kill everyone who sees it.”

“And be more thorough with cleanup afterward.”I

Serati could only stare in disbelief.

“Is... is not using that technique even an option?”

Both men blinked in unison.

“Why?”

“Why wouldn’t I use it?”

She sighed in exasperation.

They really don’t get it. Neither of them.

Most people in such situations would at least attempt a justification. They would argue in favor, justified on the grounds that it had saved their lives. Or they might argue that they didn’t need to care about the opinions of the ignorant.

But not these two. Their expressions mirrored that of a swordsman being told not to wield their blade, or a mage being told not to cast spells. Excuses, after all, were something people only made when they at least acknowledged some fault.

“Forget it,” Serati muttered, resigning herself to the absurdity of her companions.

Turning her attention to the golem knight, she found that the massive stone giant no longer existed. All that remained were two lone, crumbling stone feet. After withstanding relentless attacks, the golem knight had been obliterated in a single strike. The destruction was immense, though unsurprising, given the simultaneous explosion of two corpses saturated with necrotic energy.

Karnak shot Detzras a cold smile. “Well, looks like you’ve run out of tricks.”

Detzras bit his lower lip, his expression twisting.

Karnak was right. With the golem knight destroyed, his mana and necrotic power were utterly depleted.

“Hah... haha...”

A hollow laugh escaped his lips.

“You are strong, unbeliever. Truly strong...”

Now, he was only left with one choice.

I have no choice but to end my own life before they extract the secrets of the order...

A trickle of blood ran from the corner of Detzras’s mouth. It was the result of the self-destruction spell, Heartburst, the same technique Kayle and Olt had used earlier. But Karnak merely scoffed.

“He’s also an idiot. Suicide in front of a necromancer? Pointless.”

Without hesitation, he summoned the Hand of Darkness, intent on capturing Detzras’s soul as he always did. But Detzras, it seemed, was different from his subordinates.

“Oh, Tesranach, please claim my soul...”

With his final breath, Detzras uttered a prayer. At the same time, a pillar of black light erupted from his body.

Whoosh!

The Hand of Darkness collided with the pillar and was immediately repelled.

“Damn it!”

Karnak’s face twisted with frustration as he realized what the black pillar represented.

Contract-bound soul transfer ritual!

It was a necromantic spell that pre-emptively marked a soul, which would be claimed for collection upon death. If left unchecked, the Cult of the Black God would retrieve Detzras’s soul.

“Damn it, did I underestimate them too much?”

Karnak hurried to counter the spell, but the black pillar was faster. The darkness deepened, enveloping Detzras’s corpse. Soon, his soul began to fade into the darkness.

“This isn’t good...”

As Karnak helplessly watched the soul slip away, a surprising development occurred. With a pop, a ghostly figure emerged near his feet. It was none other than Detzras’s soul, the very one that had been vanishing into the darkness.

Karnak looked down at the spirit, utterly baffled.

The ghost, equally confused, looked up at Karnak.

For a moment, both froze in mutual bewilderment, their thoughts a tangle of questions.

I thought he was going to Tesranach. What’s he doing here?

Why is this guy standing where Tesranach should be?

Of course, the silence didn’t last long.

“Tsk, tsk. Looks like the ritual got botched,” Varos snickered, snapping Karnak back to his senses.

Right. It wasn’t exactly rare for necromantic spells to go awry.

“Shows what happens when you don’t master the basics,” Karnak chuckled as he extended the Hand of Darkness again. Dark fingers seized the ghost by the head, dragging it toward him.

“Ugh, aaaagh!”

Detzras’s soul screamed in agony, while Karnak grinned cheerfully.

“Well, we have plenty to discuss, don’t we?”

***

After securing Detzras’s body and soul, Karnak and his party relocated. The building where the necromantic battle had taken place was thoroughly destroyed, so they needed a new, discreet spot. In the slums, finding a suitably crumbling ruin wasn’t difficult. They entered one such derelict structure and settled inside.

Varos set down the corpse he had carried, while Karnak began preparing for the necromantic interrogation.

“This one’s going to take some time,” Karnak muttered. “There’s a lot we need to uncover.”

Serati, keeping watch, voiced her concern. “Won’t this keep Prince Lloyd waiting too long?”

Karnak shrugged dismissively. “He’ll have to wait. What else can I do? I can’t exactly perform necromancy in front of him.”

“Aren’t you worried he’ll get suspicious?”

“If he does, then he does. If I had to worry about every little thing, I wouldn’t have become a necromancer in the first place.”

His nonchalant reply made Serati begrudgingly accept his reasoning.

I see...

She wondered if necromancers, despite being excellent liars, ended up exposed and executed because of such personalities. She kept the thought to herself, though. Meanwhile, Karnak was intently focused on Detzras’s body.

“Looks like I’ll need to concentrate this time.”

Noticing his unusual demeanor, Serati raised an eyebrow. “What’s different about this one?”

Varos answered on his behalf. “Because the young master has made it look so easy to extract information from ghosts, you might think it’s a simple method. But it’s actually quite dangerous.”

The agony and madness of a summoned soul could spill over to the necromancer. Those with heightened empathy could experience the full weight of death and despair and potentially die. Even ordinary humans would eventually succumb to the overwhelming malice and death energy, descending into madness.

“It’s not a technique most necromancers use lightly.”

Safer alternatives existed, such as torturing the living for information, rather than walking this precarious path.

“What about Lord Karnak, then?” Serati asked.

“Well, I’m an exceptionally skilled necromancer,” replied Karnak.

“Well, more importantly, he doesn’t possess the empathy to care, so he’s never been affected,” Varos added.

Karnak frowned. “You’re not wrong, but hearing it phrased like that stings a bit.”

Grumbling, he clasped his hands together in preparation.

“This guy was no ordinary necromancer. He must have set up some defenses to protect his soul.”

High-level necromancers often took extensive measures to safeguard their spirits. Carefully, Karnak began the summoning.

“Come forth, my servant... Obey the command of your master...”

With his eerie incantation, the ghostly form of Detzras emerged. Simultaneously, shadows of pure darkness surged forth from the surroundings. Kyaaaaah! A piercing, blood-curdling wail shattered the air as black ripples spread outward. Serati staggered backward, her mind momentarily clouded.

“Ugh! What’s happening?” she gasped.

Varos, maintaining his composure, answered cautiously. “As expected, a spirit of madness was guarding him.”

It was a necromantic defense that ensnared the soul of anyone who dared confront it. There was an old saying: When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you. The moment someone attempted to invade another’s soul, the spirit of madness would drive them insane.

However, what unfolded next defied all expectations. The spirit of madness locked eyes with Karnak and let out a chilling screech.

Kraaaaak! Aaaaagh!

Then, trembling violently, the black shadow began to shrink in on itself as though recoiling in terror. It was unmistakably the reaction of someone who had seen what they should never have seen.

Wait... wasn’t it supposed to drive the gazer insane?

Serati blinked in confusion.

“Then why is it going berserk instead?”

Varos, unfazed, stroked his chin knowingly. “As I said, when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.”

“Are you saying I’m the abyss?”

Karnak’s face twisted into an expression of mild annoyance as he watched the spirit of madness fade away. It was as if the malevolent entity had been crushed by something unimaginably terrifying, grotesque, and vile.

Muttering indignantly, Karnak said, “Is my soul really that horrifying? Surely it’s not that bad?”

Varos gave him a skeptical look. “Do you honestly believe that?”

“Haven’t I been much kinder lately? I’ve worked hard to live like a decent person since my return.”

“You might have after you returned. That may be true, but do you think the filth of a hundred years will wash off in just one?”

“Fair point.” Karnak nodded, conceding the logic. “Looks like I need to work harder at living like a proper human being.”

Serati stood silently, observing the exchange.

To her, Karnak didn’t seem like a villain, per se. He was genuinely trying to avoid doing terrible things and live a better life. That much was clear. But was he a good person now? Not in the slightest.

Actually... why does Sir Varos act like he’s perfectly normal? Is it just because he’s comparing himself to Lord Karnak?

Regardless, the spirit of madness was gone, clearing the way for Detzras’s soul to spill its secrets.

“Let’s continue,” Karnak said.

Picking up where he had left off, he turned his attention back to the quivering ghost.

“Answer me.” Fixing his gaze on the wraith, Karnak asked sharply, “Why did Prince Alford switch bodies with Prince Lloyd? What could he possibly gain from it?

***

In a rundown hut tucked away in a corner of the slums, Prince Lloyd huddled in the shadows, hidden in a corner.

When will Sir Karnak return?

The entire slum had been shaking for hours, with deafening explosions reverberating endlessly. He didn’t dare show himself. All he could do was wait anxiously for Karnak and his party to return.

How many hours had passed?

The explosions finally ceased, and the oppressive silence stretched on before the long-awaited figures appeared at last.

“Oh, you’re back! How did it go?” Lloyd asked urgently.

Karnak reported calmly. “We defeated the enemies and interrogated the necromancers. I believe we’ve uncovered Prince Alford’s motive.”

“Is that so!”

This was the news Prince Lloyd had been desperately waiting for. He leaned forward eagerly.

“Why? What was his reason? Why did Alford target my body?”

“Well...” Karnak replied, a wry smile tugging at his lips as he shrugged. “He was never intending to go after your body.”