Karnak, Monarch of Death

Erantel groaned as he lay on the ground.

His entire body was drenched in blood. His cherished blade had been snapped in two, his armor shattered into tattered scraps, and the torn flesh beneath revealed twisted muscles screaming in agony.

Theoderic was on the other side, but in no better condition. Blood trickled from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he lay unconscious. He had overexerted his mana in an attempt to block Maloka’s spells, causing a severe backlash. Through his blurred vision, Erantel saw the archlich preparing another attack.

”I shall offer your heads to the God of Death.”

A sinister blade of magic slashed through the air, hurtling toward him.

With great effort, Erantel tried to move. I... I have to dodge...

But all he managed was a slight twitch. With his body in its current ravaged state, escaping was utterly impossible. The moment before he was torn apart and sent to the goddess’s embrace...

”Hatoba!” Alius gasped for breath and unleashed his final reserves of divine power. ”Grant the blessings of the earth upon your servants!”

The ground surged upward, forming a massive shield that blocked the attack between them. The magic blade struck the earthen wall with an eerie shriek.

Alius let out a sigh of relief, having barely managed to save them. I... I wasn’t too late.

The problem was that the effort had drained him completely.

”Tch. Priests really are a nuisance.” Maloka muttered as he turned around. ”They always show up at the worst possible time to ruin everything.”

He pointed a bony finger toward Allus, and a flash of light shot through the air. Alius’s head was about to burst like a ripe melon when...

”Hyaaah!”

A blue aura-infused blade deflected the attack. Serati had leaped from the cliff’s edge, intercepting just in time.

”Lapicel!” she called out.

”Yes!” Lapicel responded.

Even before Serati had finished speaking, Lapicel rushed forward, scooping up Alius and retreating. At the same time, Varos lunged toward Maloka’s left flank. A crimson chain blade sliced through the dust-laden air, streaking toward the lich’s skull in a perfect arc.

Maloka activated a mana shield to block the strike, his voice chillingly cold. ”Ah, right. You lot were still around. I’ll make you pay for daring to mock me.”

A magic circle flared beneath the archlich’s feet, radiating an ominous light. Flames and lightning intertwined like writhing tendrils before lashing out in all directions. The enchanted projectiles twisted through the air, arcing toward Varos in a deadly storm.

”Haah!” With a sharp battle cry, Varos twisted his body mid-air. The chain blade wrapped around him, forming a swirling red vortex.

The vortex of aura repelled the incoming magic and deflected it. Rather than clashing head-on, he used a deflection technique, diverting the force at an angle. And as soon as he neutralized the spell, he unfurled the coiled chain blade and launched another attack. ”Take this!”

The crimson blade streaked through the darkness, slicing toward the archlich from all directions. Maloka retaliated instantly, casting spell after spell in rapid succession. Their battle filled the air with flashes of red aura and intense magical explosions, shaking the very air.

But in truth, the outcome was already determined. There was no way a mere red-tier aura user could match a ninth circle master in direct combat.

W-what...?

And yet, Maloka felt an unexpected surge of unease. Varos was proving to be far more troublesome than anticipated. He closed the distance between them in an instant before bringing down his aura-infused sword. Then, he immediately withdrew, switching to his chain blade to launch another attack.

Each time Maloka unleashed a spell, Varos dodged as if he had foreseen it in advance, then seamlessly transitioned back into offense. His timing was so precise it was almost unnerving.

What, has he spent his entire life fighting mages?

In truth, this was precisely Karnak and Varos’s area of expertise. They had crushed countless necromancers purely through experience until now.

However, their experience had always been indirect. They had learned from how their enemies fought against them and adapted those lessons in reverse. After all, they themselves had once been the necromancers. In their past lives, the strongest foes they had faced were either mages or aura users.

Of course, no matter how skilled he was, the sheer gap in ability was too great. Varos wouldn’t last much longer.

With a spirited shout, Varos swung his chain blade. However, it barely grazed Maloka’s robe. The fabric tore slightly, scattering pitch-black smoke into the air. Varos quickly retreated and sent a magical transmission.

—Young master, I think I’ve done about all I can!

—Perfect timing! I’m ready!

Karnak raised his wand and began chanting a spell. ”Come forth, El Ragnatia!”

By now, he had summoned this fire spirit giant so often that it almost felt familiar.

”Hmph! That again?” Maloka snorted. ”You really are a one-trick fool.”

”It’s not like I don’t know any other spells, okay?!” Karnak shouted.

There was no helping it. Among the spells Karnak could currently use, the fire spirit giant had the highest power relative to its circle. The summoned El Ragnatia let out a deafening roar and charged forward.

Maloka nonchalantly extended a hand. ”This kind of thing...”

He had been caught off guard earlier only because it defied conventional spirit magic logic, not because of its actual power.

”I can destroy it in a single blow,” he declared.

A massive bolt of lightning flashed, piercing straight through the giant’s torso. A brilliant explosion erupted, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

The spirit giant burst apart, its flames scattering in all directions, setting the ground ablaze. It had been utterly annihilated in a single strike. Now, all that was left was to capture that Karnak fellow, and it would be over.

Maloka glanced around. Huh? Where’d he go?

The spot where Karnak had been standing just moments ago was now empty. He had vanished in the brief moment Maloka looked away.

”Archlich!” Karnak’s voice suddenly echoed from beyond the cliff’s edge. ”I’m the one you want, right?”

The black-haired young man reappeared above the cliff, looking down at Maloka while beckoning with a flick of his fingers. ”Come on! Let’s settle this, just the two of us!”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Maloka who was flustered. It was Leven.

—That won’t work, Lord Karnak!

—Huh? What won’t?

—There are plenty of hostages here, remember?!

Only then did Karnak realize his mistake and scan his surroundings. Leven was right. He had never even considered the possibility that he might end up in a situation where he had to protect someone.

...Or so he thought.

No choice, then. That bastard won’t care about hostages anyway!

Clicking his tongue, the archlich took to the air. Maloka had no idea why he felt so certain about that. He simply did, without questioning it.

”You really think I’ll let you escape?”

—Wait, so it does work?! Why are you messing with my head?!

Leaving that remark behind, Karnak disappeared into the forest. Maloka immediately gave chase at full speed.

Huh? He’s actually following him? Leven was the only one left in sheer disbelief. Why is that working?!

***

Now that Karnak had drawn Maloka away, the rest of them needed to pursue him and provide support.

”You two take care of the others!”

After giving instructions to Leven and Lapicel, Serati launched forward. Since neither of them were aura users, they lacked the physical ability to keep up with Karnak and Maloka.

Varos swiftly followed behind her. Watching them disappear into the distance, the priests let out awed murmurs.

”The rumors we heard...”

”They weren’t exaggerated after all.”

It was said that a righteous hero named Karnak had appeared in the Kingdom of Eustil, punishing the forces of darkness and saving people. Now they had seen it with their own eyes.

How else could someone throw away their own safety so readily to save others? Unlike the priests, however, Leven’s expression was... complicated.

He’s saving his allies? That guy? Seriously?

By now, he had gained a decent understanding of what kind of person Karnak was.

More like... he just wanted an excuse to go somewhere people wouldn’t see him using necromancy, right?

As if on cue, an intense surge of dark energy erupted from deep within the forest. The priests scowled.

”The archlich is wielding the power of darkness.”

Soon, brilliant bursts of powerful magic illuminated the forest in flashes.

”But Sir Karnak seems to be holding his own against him.”

With sighs of admiration, the priests clasped their hands in prayer.

”May the goddess’s blessing be upon our hero.”

Leven, meanwhile, maintained a dubious expression. Yeah... I wouldn’t be so sure about that...

***

The sinister energy of darkness filled the forest. Countless vengeful spirits wailed incessantly, their forms shifting and twisting. Leaves withered, and weeds froze over, only to be incinerated by the radiant flames of magic.

With an explosion, searing heat and raging winds swept away the spirits. Yet, their presence did not wane. With a mere flick of a hand and a chilling whisper, they danced once more, shrieking as they emerged from the shadows.

Maloka scoffed in disbelief. ”What kind of mage is that damn good at necromancy?”

Just as Leven had expected, the oppressive dark energy engulfing the forest was entirely Karnak’s doing. The moment the battlefield changed, he had shamelessly unleashed necromancy in full force.

Maloka, on the other hand, remained committed to proper spellcasting. He had already suffered enough counterattacks from careless use of necromancy. While constantly retreating, Karnak continued to wield his dark arts.

Meanwhile, Varos and Serati struck at Maloka in a series of hit-and-run assaults, relentlessly pressuring him. But it wasn’t making much of a difference. The gap in magical power was simply too vast. Even with necromancy, all Karnak could do was barely escape danger.

”Ah, my necromantic energy really is lacking.”

Hearing his grumbling, Varos sent a transmission.

—Is there any way to boost it in an emergency?

—There is.

—Then do it!

—That would mean going back and sacrificing all those people to convert them into energy.

Serati immediately cut in, alarmed.

—Are you insane?! Absolutely not!

—Yeah, figured as much.

Cold sweat beading on his forehead, Karnak studied Maloka’s condition. ”Well, his mana does seem pretty drained...”

Having recklessly burned through vast amounts of large-scale spells, Maloka’s overflowing aura of magic had notably diminished. Not that it mattered. He still held an overwhelmingly superior reserve of mana.

”You’re starting to think you might have a chance now, aren’t you?” Noticing the shift in atmosphere, Maloka sneered. ”Let me show you just how wrong you are.”

He reached into his robe. ”Behold the boundless power of our lord.”

A vast, ghostly energy surged over the archlich’s robes. Once again, he was drawing forth an immense amount of mana from somewhere. Varos and Serati turned pale.

What the hell? He recovered his mana again?!

How?!

Even when they had managed to wear him down, he had still been an overwhelming opponent. But now, it was as if they were back at square one. There was no way to win like this.

”Hah... Hahaha...” Karnak suddenly burst into laughter. ”What? So that’s how it is?”

Maloka instinctively took a step back. ”What’s so funny?”

He knew it had to be an act. And yet, the moment he heard that laughter, an inexplicable fear crawled up from deep within his soul.

Karnak shrugged. ”Oh, it’s nothing.”

Suddenly, a terrifying surge of energy erupted from his entire body.

”Ghh!” Maloka’s jaw clenched in shock.

The very space around them roiled, packed to the brim with raw magical force, as if ready to explode.

Where did he get that much mana?!

Worse still. It was double his own.

”Thank you, Maloka.” Standing amidst the swirling storm of mana, Karnak smiled brightly. ”Really, you’ve always been, and are, such a helpful friend.”