Karnak, Monarch of Death

With Elezar dead, the only archmages remaining were Diogres Kolon and Giyen Ren. Since it was impossible that Diogres had sided with the Black God's cult, there was no archmage who could have subdued Giyen Ren.

Then what about the martial kings? Gellard of Delphiad and Dreltein of Kretas were dead—though Dreltein's case was somewhat ambiguous—leaving only Beltia of Cyphras and Batalok of Taledo. Only Beltia was known to be a confirmed cultist among the martial kings.

Varos shook his head. "Beltia is strong, but not enough to subdue Giyen Ren."

Perhaps if the goal was to kill him, it might have been possible somehow. But to subdue him without harming him was a completely different matter.

Varos suggested, "Don't tell me even Batalok has joined the Black God's cult?"

Karnak shook his head. Batalok's recent activities indicated that he had almost no ties to the cult. "From what I've heard from the empire, that doesn't seem to be the case. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that he's been hiding his true allegiance, but even then, the timing and locations don't match up."

Unlike Beltia, who wandered the continent, Batalok had never left his territory and was frequently seen in public.

Varos made another suggestion. "What if he sent out a fake and moved in secret?"

Karnak shook his head once more. "Would there be any need for that? He could just say he was going off to train for a while."

"That's true... Ah, then what if it's the future versions of Leven, Dreltein, or Elezar returning again?"

"All these are possible explanations, but it still doesn't explain the fundamental question."

Whoever it was, if someone had subdued the archmage Giyen Ren, it should have caused a battle that would shake the continent. There was no way such an event could have gone unnoticed and unreported.

Karnak furrowed his brow. "There's something going on here, something I don't know."

***

Giyen Ren let out a bitter laugh as he walked through the streets reduced to rubble and across the plaza covered in debris. "As if they could last even a single day."

The once steadfast border fortress, Ment Citadel, had turned to ash in less than an hour. A man in his mid-twenties approached Giyen Ren while inspecting the surroundings.

The young man had deep brown hair and green eyes. "You handled it well, considering you must still be unfamiliar with that body."

Anyone else watching would have found it strange. A man merely in his twenties was speaking down to Giyen Ren as if he were above him, an elf archmage who had lived for centuries.

But Giyen Ren did not find it awkward. Instead, he bowed his head respectfully and replied. "There may still be remnants left. There was no need for you to come in person."

"Please speak comfortably." The young man waved his hand. "I am merely an avatar."

"I know that, but..." Straightening his back, Giyen Ren shook his head and changed his tone. "It is still difficult to get used to, Avatar of Tesranach."

The young man rolled his eyes. "And try not to speak that name so openly. I do not wish to draw unnecessary attention."

He was right. "Then how should I address you?"

"Simply call me by the name this body once held," answered the young man.

Nodding, Giyen Ren changed the way he addressed him. "Understood, Sir Emil Strauss."

***

The news of Ment Citadel's fall was enough to leave emperor Gottfried II of the empire speechless. "Giyen Ren has raised an army and invaded the empire?"

Had Giyen Ren covertly led an elite force to strike directly at the capital in an assassination attempt, the emperor would have felt a sense of alarm. An archmage was certainly a threat, and the power of a 10th circle mage was more than enough to warrant such fear.

But to raise an army and declare open war? If war broke out, the empire's victory was assured. Such was the disparity in power between the empire and the Berus Federation. Why would Giyen Ren deliberately place himself at such a disadvantage?

One of his ministers offered an opinion. "Giyen Ren is commanding the dragons as if they were his subordinates. Perhaps he is relying on their strength."

The emperor questioned him. "Are you saying an army of dragons is powerful enough to stand against the empire?"

The minister hesitated. "W-We still do not know for certain..."

Dragons attacking as a horde? If it was true, it would indeed be a troubling situation for the empire. However, no one could say exactly how troubling it might be.

"There is no precedent to such a case. It is difficult to gauge their strength."

Even so, it was not enough to make the empire tremble in fear. After all, such was the might of Lacania's power.

Gottfried muttered under his breath. "To think they would dare to mock the empire's strength."

Gottfried II gave his commands, and the armies to oppose Giyen Ren began to gather in the capital. The emperor also reached out to the Berus Federation to ascertain the situation.

"Demand that the fairies take responsibility for this crisis."

They couldn't make contact with the Berus Federation immediately. When the empire communicated with other nations, they typically relied on the power of magic. The ones responsible for magical contact in the Berus Federation were the Golden Branch Society, one of the continent's three great magical schools.

It was indeed the very same Golden Branch Society that was now invading the empire alongside Giyen Ren. Because of this, Diogres Kolon had to mobilize the mages of the Tower of Dawn to barely establish a third-party channel of communication.

Now that Elezar was gone, Diogres was acting as the imperial court mage in her stead. After much effort, they managed to send a magical transmission to the Berus Federation. The message encompassed a simple message.

—What excuse do you have for raising your blades against the empire?

The Berus Federation Council's response was surprising.

—Are you saying our supreme guardian has attacked the empire? When did this happen?

They had been ignorant of the whole matter. The elves and dwarves lived scattered throughout Dragon Land, only meeting during the one or two regular assemblies each year. In other word, communication among them was practically nonexistent.

Moreover, the current joint representatives of the elves and dwarves, En Hiba and Ogomu, the rulers of Taf'l City and Suul Mountain—Berus Federation's most powerful factions—lived in places furthest from the empire, precisely because they were the most habitable locations.

Naturally, the delivery of information was painfully slow. Since there was no reason for them to lie, the imperial diplomats eased their stance somewhat.

—So the Berus Federation does not consider the empire an enemy?

—Of course not!

—Then take responsibility for the insolence of that wretched Giyen Ren.

The council of fairies faltered.

—Of course, we bear moral responsibility, but...

—We would like to comply, but...

—As the empire well knows, Dragon Land lie between us and your realm, do they not?

It was precisely because Dragon Land loomed between them that the Lacania Empire had never been able to easily dispatch troops against the fairies. Dragons would go berserk if large numbers of humans approached their territory.

And dragons reacted no differently to large numbers of elves or dwarves entering their domains. Dragon Land served as a protective barrier shielding the Berus Federation from the empire's oppression, while simultaneously acting as an iron wall that kept the federation from advancing westward.

—To comply with the empire's demands, we would have to cross Dragon Land, but our armies have no means of doing so.

The empire's reply to the fairies's message was as cold as ice.

—Then know this: after Giyen Ren, it shall be your turn.

—You would cross Dragon Land? The cost in lives would be too great.

—There is no such cost to consider. The dragons of Dragon Land are already attacking the empire. The Berus Federation will taste the wrath of the empire.

With that chilling declaration, the empire's magical transmission ended.

***

The end of the message from the empire threw the council of the fairies into chaos.

"W-What should we do?"

"I can't even understand what's happening."

"More importantly, what is this nonsense about the archmage being a cultist...?"

The Berus Federation had long been troubled by the Black God's cult as well, since the Shadow of Doom fell upon all nations without discrimination. Naturally, many among the elves and dwarves had fallen into corruption, and the number of cultists grew with each passing day.

Humans saw the fairies as mysterious, long-lived beings, but living long did not make one fearless of death. Humans lived many times longer than dogs or cats, yet were they free from fear of death? If anything, the longer they lived, the more they feared it.

Fairies lived long lives merely by human standards, and living beings were living beings all the same. Many elves and dwarves were equally terrified of death, and they were easily lured into the cult.

Because of this, Giyen Ren and the mages of the Golden Branch Society had been occupied with managing the Federation's internal chaos. Yet, the one responsible for dealing with the cult had supposedly turned into a cultist himself.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"We can't simply ignore the empire's demands, can we?"

"But realistically, there's nothing we can do."

"They don't expect us to send our army across Dragon Land, do they?"

"Still, we should at least show some sincerity."

Dozens of elves and dwarves shouted over one another, and the council chamber quicklky devolved into chaos, resembling a crowded market.

It was En Hiba, one of the joint representatives of the fairies, who finally calmed the room. "Let us select elite warriors from each city and send small units across Dragon Land."

They could not simply do nothing. If the enraged empire decided to press forward despite the cost, the devastation would be unimaginable. Even if that were not the case, it was clear that the federation bore responsibility for the matter. They needed to take some form of action.

"Indeed."

"If it is only a small force, we can cross Dragon Land without agitating the dragons."

Other council members began nodding in agreement. And so, as they moved toward forming a special unit composed only of the federation's elites to stop Giyen Ren, something happened.

An elven councilor spoke, a strange hint of regret in his voice. "So, you have decided on that course, then? What a shame. I had hoped to remain hidden a while longer."

Nearby elves and dwarves turned to him, confused.

"Reltana?"

"What are you talking about?"

Their confusion did not last long. Darkness like the night began to surge outward from the elf's entire being.

Wh-What!?"

"A cultist!?"

And it was not just him. All throughout the council chamber, foul necromantic energy erupted like geysers.

"Dear gods! The cultists had infiltrated even the council!?"

Everyone scrambled to draw their weapons in horror. But the cultists moved faster.

"Kill them all."

The beautiful council hall of the fairies was instantly transformed into a slaughterhouse. Dark blood soaked the marble floors, and the shadow of death thickened in the air. Terrible screams echoed through the chamber.

***

After gathering all the reports concerning Giyen Ren, Karnak decided on his next move. "We're heading to the empire for now."

However, he had no intention of joining forces with the Lacania imperial army.

"The imperial army won't take us in, and even if they do, there's nothing for us to gain from it," he explained.

Besides, given how often he had to engage in deeds unfit for the public eye, there was no way he could wield his full power in the middle of the imperial army. Besides, Karnak's goal was neither the empire's victory nor the defeat of the Black God's cult.

"All I need to do is take Giyen Ren out."

The Black God's Cult had to secure Giyen Ren's body alive and intact. Karnak, however, had no such obligation. He could simply kill him first and extract his soul for information.

Contrary to Karnak's hopes, Dreltein's soul had yielded no information regarding the cult. But Karnak had still obtained valuable data on the method Tesranach used to harvest souls.

During the process of extracting Dreltein's soul, he had managed to acquire information regarding Tesranach's ritual. If he could take down Giyen Ren, this time, he would be able to prevent the soul from being stolen.

Of course, there was always the possibility that Tesranach had already devised a new technique in anticipation of this. "But if I let every possibility stop me, I'd never get anything done in this world."

It was best to believe it could be done and proceed. Only then would things move forward.

Thus, Karnak devised a simple operation. "We'll keep monitoring the movements of both armies, and when the moment comes, we'll slip in and smack Giyen Ren from behind with perfect timing."