Karnak, Monarch of Death

A crimson blade light danced through the air, cutting down the leading zombies in a single sweep. Severed limbs flew into the flames, sending up thick, acrid smoke. Above them, a blue chain blade tore through the battlefield. Skeletons, ensnared by chains of aura, shattered instantly, their fragmented bones scattering in all directions.

The outcome of the battle was obvious. There was no way mere lower-tier undead, zombies and ghouls, could pose a real threat to them. Yet, the expressions of the group were not entirely triumphant. Leven and Serati looked strained as they wielded aura blades.

”Ah... I’m out of breath...”

”The smoke is worse than the zombies.”

Flames swirled violently in every direction, and thick black smoke filled the air. Just standing there was dangerous, and fighting while moving so aggressively only made breathing even harder.

The only relief was that they didn’t have to endure this for long. The aura users had held the front line long enough for Karnak to prepare a powerful spell.

Karnak raised his wand and chanted, ”Arcane Strike!”

A brilliant white flash surged through the burning streets. The majority of the undead horde was swallowed by the magic’s light and swept away. Amid the crumbling buildings and roaring flames, a path was forcibly carved open.

Lifting the unconscious guards into the air with magic, Karnak shouted, ”Grab the others! We’re getting out of here!”

”Got it!”

The others picked up the remaining guards and leaped into action. One mage and four aura users, each carrying two unconscious men, dashed through the burning streets.

At the front, Lapicel continued leading the way. ”This way!”

Drawing from a blend of distant memories and instinctive awareness, she steadily found the safest paths through the fire. After passing through one more street, they arrived at an open space.

It was a plaza with a well, where citizens usually gathered to draw water or do laundry. There were no nearby buildings to catch fire, and with a water source right in the center, it was the ideal place to take refuge.

Sure enough, dozens of civilians had already gathered there for safety. Elderly people, women, and children huddled around the well, trembling. Beyond them, warriors, mages, and able-bodied men stood their ground, preparing to face the advancing undead with determined expressions.

Many of them lacked proper weapons, wielding crude clubs, pitchforks, and whatever else they could find. After breaking through the undead’s encirclement, Karnak’s group also made their way to the well.

The civilians were startled by their sudden appearance. They asked nervously, ”Wh-Who are you?”

Without answering, they first laid the unconscious guards down near the well. The men still showed no signs of waking. As they examined the motionless guards, some of the women gasped.

”This is...”

”What happened to them? Why won’t they wake up?”

For guards strong enough to be entrusted with security, being in such a deep state of unconsciousness was highly unusual.

An elderly man among them shuddered. ”What have you done, you wretched necromancers?!”

Unintentionally, Leven glanced at Karnak. Well... technically, he’s not wrong, is he?

It was the work of a wicked necromancer, after all. Either way, handing over the guards lightened their burden somewhat. But they couldn’t leave just yet. Lapicel had already taken the lead, determined to save the civilians.

”I’ll hold them off!”

She charged into the incoming horde, her crimson aura blade slicing through the undead without pause. Nearby warriors and mages cried out in astonishment.

”A-An aura user?!”

”At her age?!”

Even as she fought, she sent bursts of aura across the plaza to prevent the fire from spreading any further. Even without her memories, her body moved with the experience of countless battles.

Leven and Serati found themselves unconsciously following suit. With people in danger right before their eyes, the idea of turning their backs and running didn’t even cross their minds. That left Varos and Karnak—two selfish scoundrels—feeling uncomfortably out of place.

—So... this is what it means to live like a decent person, huh?

—Seems like it.

—Then... does that mean we have to do it too?

—Well, I suppose so, but...

They knew what they should do if they wanted to live like proper human beings. But that didn’t make it any less troublesome.

Is this really okay?

This was a strategy Karnak had often used in the past. High-level necromancy differed slightly in its mechanics from traditional magic. Magic functioned by preparing everything in advance and executing it all at once for the optimal result.

Necromancy, on the other hand, relied on a gradual increase in power. Every technique already in place became the foundation for the next, feeding into it and growing stronger over time.

In a positive light, it was efficient. In a negative light, it meant that without prior preparation, achieving the best results was impossible.

For this reason, the old Karnak had always weighed his opponents down first, tying their hands and feet with obstacles to buy time. Once they were sufficiently restrained, he would unleash his true spells to finish them off.

This is playing out exactly as Jedex intended.

***

The bishop of the Black God, the necromancer Waraine, looked down at the street from the rooftop. The fire had spread considerably, and soon the flames would reach them as well.

”It’s about time.”

He had never expected Karnak’s group to fall to mere undead. The more powerful a necromantic domain, the greater the risk of it being broken. That was why they could only rely on waves of simple summoned undead.

But weak, low-tier undead lacked the strength to eliminate their enemies. So how could this problem be solved? Tesranach had granted him wisdom.

”Enough fire and death have accumulated...” Waraine and the other necromancers raised their staffs in unison. ”It is time to bring hell to this land.”

A massive darkness began to spread outward from them. The great wisdom of the abyss, bestowed through divine revelation, was descending on this land.

***

A deafening explosion erupted. Lightning split across the sky with a sound like rolling thunder. At the same time, the flames surged even higher, and a crimson river began flowing through the alleys.

Amidst the unbearable heat, a hideous laughter echoed, a sound that struck instinctual despair and terror into the hearts of humans.

Before long, massive demons of fire emerged throughout the streets. Their bodies, covered in golden-red hellfire, bore two grotesque horns and eyes burning a deep, menacing crimson. These were demons of Infernal Hell, Nar’tha Fiends.

They had manifested using the charred corpses of the dead citizens as vassals. Alongside them, swarms of fire imps and flame wraiths burst forth from the blaze. They had been summoned using the ashes of zombies, ghouls, and skeletons as catalysts. The sky and the earth alike were now consumed by their overwhelming presence.

Facing this scene, Karnak scowled. ”Ah, of course.”

He had expected this, but that didn’t make it any less irritating.

Leven turned to him in shock. ”What is happening?!”

”This is their real objective,” Karnak replied.

They had set the fires, unleashed the undead army to scatter catalysts, and slaughtered civilians to cultivate the land for evil to take root. And now, this was the result.

”It’s the descent of hell upon this land, and not just as a figure of speech.”

The survivors were consumed by despair. It was natural, given that they had barely escaped, only to find an even worse nightmare waiting for them.

”Uhh...”

”Great goddess, why...”

”Why is this happening...?”

Not just the powerless civilians, but even the warriors and mages began to tremble in fear.

Lapicel anxiously looked around at the flames, her expression tense as she turned to Karnak. ”Wh-What should we do now, Lord Karnak?”

In contrast, Varos remained unbothered. ”That’s still a necromantic domain, isn’t it?”

Since it was necromantic in nature, Karnak would surely be able to deal with it.

But the answer that came was not what he had expected. ”I’ve already broken it.”

”Huh? You did?”

”This area, at least.”

Not only Varos, but Serati and Leven also glanced around. Yet the streets were still filled with fire and demons.

”Nothing’s changed at all.”

Karnak grumbled as he adjusted his grip on his wand. ”If it were that easy to break, would I be frowning like this?”

The spell currently in effect was Aahwaan Naraka, the Summoning of the Abyss. It was black magic that brought Infernal Hell to this land. It was structured as a complex dual hexagram domain. To dismantle it, one had to track down and disable each key component of the formation individually. It was like having to press twelve different buttons just to shut off one mechanism.

”They designed this spell to be as troublesome as possible.”

It was an incredibly inefficient technique, requiring a massive expenditure of necrotic power. But when facing an opponent like Karnak, it was undeniably effective.

Which meant... They’ve done quite a bit of research on me.

It wasn’t surprising. They had sent an archlich just to deal with him. That much attention was expected. The fire had begun to engulf the plaza, closing in from all sides. Following the path of the flames, the demons advanced, tightening their encirclement.

Taking a battle stance, Leven asked through telepathy.

—So there’s no way to counter this?

Karnak pursed his lips.

—Who said that?

There was a way. It was a method long honored by tradition and one he had stubbornly upheld all his life.

—We just run away on our own.

Disabling even a portion of the barrier would be enough to carve out an escape route. Once they got outside, what did it matter if the demons of Infernal Hell burned the city down or doused the flames themselves? All they had to do was abandon the civilians, and the problem would solve itself.

For a moment, Karnak seriously considered it. Wow, I really want to leave them behind.

This was a city doomed to burn, and the lives within were already as good as lost. Even if they risked their own necks, they couldn’t save everyone. At best, they could pull out a handful.

—Do we really need to stake our lives on this? Doesn’t seem like anyone else is willing to.

Serati didn’t argue.

—That’s true.

Would abandoning these people really make them less than human? Would it turn them into something worse than beasts? Honestly, it wouldn’t.

Serati gave a wry smile and gestured with her eyes.

—I’m not exactly the paragon of righteousness, so I want to agree with you, Lord Karnak, but it looks like someone with a truly good heart thinks differently.

Lapicel hadn’t hesitated. She had already thrown herself at the demons. With a fierce battle cry, she swung her aura blade at the swarming fire imps.

She cut through the advancing demons, shouting back at them, ”Lord Karnak! Get the civilians out while I hold them off!”

There was no doubt in her voice. She believed without a doubt that he would save them. Karnak let out a long sigh. But deep in his chest, something shifted, albeit just slightly. ”Fine. We’ll save them, we’ll save them!”

***

The demons surrounding the plaza launched a full-scale assault. Karnak’s group fought back with everything they had. Across the battlefield, magic flashed, and crimson and blue aura danced like fire. Demon blood splattered, igniting fresh bursts of flame.

But the odds were against them. There were too many people to protect, and even more demons to fight.

Come to think of it... A thought struck Leven, and he sent a telepathic message.

—What did you do in situations like this before?

—I told you. I just ran.

—Not you, Lord Karnak.

In his past life, Karnak had caused disasters like this, which meant the ones who had resolved them must have been the future archmages or martial kings.

—If it were Lapicel, she would’ve done something, right?

Karnak blinked. There had been a similar situation once, though the one who had resolved it hadn’t been Lapicel.

—Leven... it was you.

—What?

More precisely, it had been Leven Strauss before his downfall, before he was defeated and turned into a death knight.

Karnak’s eyes calmed as he sank into thought. Wait... what exactly did Leven do back then?