Karnak, Monarch of Death

The core of the dwarven dense formation lay in raw strength alone. It was a tactic meaningful only under the premise that, while slow and short-limbed, they had an overwhelming advantage in brute strength.

Serati’s response to this was simple and clear. You’re just relying on brute strength to push forward? Then I’ll just hit harder! Thanks to that, the dwarven legion fell into utter chaos.

”She’s coming!”

”Block her!”

The elegant woman jumped into the air. She was strikingly beautiful, even to the dwarves’ eyes. Her waist was so slender that even the thighs of an average dwarf soldier seemed thicker in comparison.

Slim, graceful limbs, a physique that appeared utterly incapable of displaying such monstrous strength. Yet each strike from that body sent their ranks collapsing as if a battering ram had smashed into them.

One of the dwarves, thrown to the ground, trembled as he shouted, ”What kind of brute is that human woman?!”

For a moment, Serati felt depressed. Ah, to think she was called a brute by these dwarves who wore shields on their heads while charging forward swinging their weapons. What was she supposed to do with this feeling of self-loathing?

But it’s not like I can ignore my strengths either.

She had not reached the next stage of her aura, yet for some reason, her aura’s destructive power grew day by day. She had no idea what she had done wrong to end up this way. She even suspected it might be because she was one of Karnak’s vassals, but the other vassals were perfectly fine, so that couldn’t be it.

Why is it just me?

She pondered her worries, but while still rampaging back and forth through the enemy ranks. The dwarven legion scattered in all directions. Staying grouped meant being swept away by her attacks, so they had no choice but to break formation.

However, once they scattered, they became easy prey for the imperial army. The imperial soldiers took their chance and attacked the isolated dwarves.

The dwarves hurriedly removed their helmet-shields as they found themselves surrounded by the imperial forces. The tactic of using helmet-shields was only useful when maintaining a tight formation. Once scattered, they became nothing more than blind men stumbling about.

Of course, the battlefield was no place where one could leisurely change equipment while one’s life hung in the balance. As a result, many dwarves fell after showing an opening to their opponents.

In the end, the dwarven army, having suffered heavy casualties, retreated in unison. The imperial army did not pursue them. They were satisfied with having secured this location for now.

”At least we won this one,” Serati commented.

Sir Melissa, captain of the imperial army’s seventh regiment, glared toward the direction of the grand cathedral. ”Though we’ll have to retreat again soon.”

It was the same pattern that had repeated for days. Before long, the overwhelming spells of the archmages would fall like natural disasters, followed immediately by the relentless onslaught of the undead hordes.

So this time, they didn’t even bother occupying the buildings they were using as outposts. Instead, they settled in an empty lot nearby, simply waiting for the spells to fall.

Looking around at everyone, Serati spoke kindly, ”Before that happens, get some rest, everyone.”

***

The imperial army’s second regiment was taking a moment to catch their breath after securing one of the western outposts of the capital.

Suddenly, Commander Callahan looked up at the sky and shuddered. ”Everyone, prepare yourselves! That damned thing is coming again!”

There was no need to explain what was coming. It was a situation they had experienced to the point of exhaustion over the past few days. The soldiers, who had been resting, quickly sprang into action.

”Retreat! Everyone, form up!”

”Run! Run!”

”At least call it a retreat! It sounds better that way!”

”Running or a retreat, what’s the difference?”

The fact that jokes were being exchanged was proof that they were remaining calm. The second regiment began calmly withdrawing from the outpost. The mages and priests prepared barriers.

Soon, dozens of fireballs rained down like a meteor shower from all directions. The transcendent spells of Giyen Ren and Diogres Kolon, the two archmages, were pounding the city in every corner.

Amidst the storming firestorm, the second regiment moved swiftly. Experience truly was the greatest weapon. Even in the face of the archmages’ overwhelming might, they all responded calmly. As they withdrew from the outpost, as always, the undead horde came surging in.

At first glance, it appeared to be no different from the usual scenes. But this time, it seemed the cultists had no intention of letting the imperial army leave so easily. A chilling sensation crawled up Callahan’s spine.

Aura users!

Behind the undead horde, five dwarven warriors, their long beards flowing, charged in while wielding brilliant aura-infused weapons.

”Humans!”

”In the name of Tesranach!”

”We’ll smash you all to pieces!”

They were strong, evident just from the color of their aura.

Three reds and even two blue?!

In comparison, the imperial army’s aura users on this field numbered only three. They had two red-tier and Callahan as the sole blue knight. It was a clear disparity in strength. Moreover, the fact that these dwarves used pure aura rather than dark aura was another problem.

Dark aura could at least be weakened by the divine spells of priests, but pure aura users had no such weakness. These dwarves were cultists, yes, but they were not necromancers.

It meant that they did not covet the powers of necromancy but truly believed in and held faith in Tesranach.

Why in the world would these long-lived creatures feel the need to worship the god of death?

Even as he found it absurd, Callahan drew forth his aura. They had to stop these dwarves if the second regiment was to withdraw without heavy casualties. Soon, the distance between the two sides closed completely. The three human aura users and the five dwarven aura users clashed head-on.

***

Although the term aura blade was commonly used, not all aura users wielded swords. With so many types of weapons in the world, it was common enough to see aura channeled into weapons like battle hammers, just as these dwarves were doing now.

A massive lump of iron, swirling with blue aura, came crashing down. Clenching his teeth, Callahan swung his aura blade to meet it. Even wrapped in aura, the edge of a blade was bound to meet a devastating end when it met the head of a hammer.

And so, what Callahan aimed for was the long handle of the battle hammer. His aura blade flowed along the shaft, closing the distance in an instant.

Just as he was about to reach his opponent’s nose, the dwarven aura user snorted and raised one hand, swinging with his palm. ”Not a chance!”

Given how short the dwarf’s arm was, dodging the incoming blow itself would have been easy. The problem was that a vivid blue aura blast shot out from that palm. At such close range, there was no angle left for him to dodge. With a thunderous roar, Callahan staggered backward, blood dripping from his mouth.

With a groan, he forced himself to straighten his stance, looking at his opponent with a troubled gaze. This is troublesome.

It was an unfamiliar opponent, using unfamiliar tactics. The truth was, once a dwarf learned to harness aura, their typically short limbs were no longer a weakness. It was simply a matter of extending the aura.

But after spending a lifetime adapting to fighting with short limbs, was it really so easy to abandon everything they had learned just because they now wielded aura and suddenly master a new style?

That was why most dwarven warriors, even after becoming aura users, did not bother changing their weapons or fighting styles. They still preferred long, heavy strikes.

Instead, they compensated for the vulnerabilities that came with wielding long weapons using their aura abilities. Rather than abandoning their original style of fighting, it was more about complementing them.

At a distance, they would strike with spears or long-handled axes and hammers, and if the enemy managed to close in, they would swing their short limbs and engage in close-quarters grappling techniques.

This was the fundamental combat style of dwarven aura users. One might wonder what good it would do for such short-limbed creatures to attempt unarmed combat, but it was different when they were aura users.

Because their posture transitions were so fast, they could deliver aura blasts with even greater precision. And since the target was close, the power of the blasts hardly diminished.

Thus, for dwarves, a completely opposite technique to that of humans had developed: striking distant enemies with weapons and blasting nearby enemies with aura blasts.

”In the name of Tesranach!” With frenzied roars, the dwarves swung their long-handled spears, axes, and hammers, the radiant glow of aura flashing chaotically across the battlefield. ”Receive divine punishment!”

The imperial aura users did not back down.

”Never!”

”For the empire!”

With relentless exchanges, both sides fought fiercely. As time passed, it was the imperial regiment that began to lose ground. They were outnumbered and unfamiliar with the enemy’s fighting style.

In the end, Callahan’s sword shattered along with his aura. He coughed up blood and rolled across the ground.

The dwarven aura user loomed over him, bloodlust radiating as he brought his hammer down. ”Return to the God of Death!”

Suddenly, the sound of chains unfurling rang out as silvery flashes scattered chaotically across the battlefield. Wherever the chains traced their arcs, dwarves were struck by shockwaves, sent flying one after another.

The dwarves let out scream and shouts. ”Wh-Who is that?!”

Callahan narrowly survived thanks to the timely intervention. He was equally as shocked. Of course, he knew well who the wielder of those chained blades was. As a knight of the capital, he had encountered him several times.

The problem was, he had always ground his teeth in frustration whenever they met. ”Desteran?”

***

A man with silver hair and red eyes descended from the sky, scattering chains in all directions. His chained sword, dancing like a serpent, swept through the dwarven aura users and the undead horde alike. Behind him, a group of warriors surged forward.

All of them wore clothing marked with strange, twisted emblems, making them look almost indistinguishable from the Black God’s cultists at a glance.

”In the name of Twilight!”

”We cut down the false darkness!”

An unknown faction had begun tearing through the undead horde. Their numbers were few, but their momentum was extraordinary. All of this was due to the man leading them, the silver knight Desteran.

He muttered what sounded like prayers from a priest. ”Serakal, grant your blessings upon your servants!”

Desteran cut down dwarven aura users as he advanced, and strangely enough, the more one watched, the more he looked the part of a devoted priest. Wasn’t he a silver knight? Didn’t his aura shine silver?

Silver and white were quite similar colors to begin with. The paladins of the goddesses, spoken of in legends, probably looked exactly like this.

But if he’s a Paladin of Twilight, shouldn’t he be colored like the sunset?

One of the imperial knights harbored this reasonable question but wisely kept it to himself. Hurling sarcasm at the man who was currently saving one’s life was hardly a recipe for a long and healthy future.

In the end, it took only a few minutes before all the dwarven aura users were slain. Wiping the blood from his blade, Desteran clicked his tongue. ”Annoying bastards. If I hadn’t been briefed beforehand, I would’ve struggled with them.”

Callahan looked at him and cautiously asked, ”Why are you helping us?”

Why was Search Black, the capital’s notoriously wanted criminal gang, siding with the imperial army now?

Desteran traced a graceful sign across his chest. ”Under Twilight, we are one.”

Then, he turned away. With his back boldly exposed, he spoke in a solemn tone, ”Now, lead your soldiers and retreat! Is that not your duty?”

And with that, he departed without hesitation, heading off to assist other imperial forces that had not yet managed to escape the capital. It was a truly dignified sight. At least, that was what Desteran himself believed.

Callahan and the other imperial knights had different thoughts. They were confused, struggling to understand what Desteran was going on about. Quoting lines from his own scriptures might sound moving to him, but how was anyone else supposed to know what they meant?

”’Under Twilight, we are one?’”

”What is that supposed to mean? Let’s help each other out since we’re all in the same boat?”