Karnak, Monarch of Death

Far off, a red glow flickered across the night sky above the city. It was the light of fires from the explosions pushing back the surrounding darkness. Relfiana scowled. They were attacked too?

She had no idea how many enemies had infiltrated Astlin City. Then again, it probably wasn't all that difficult to sneak in...

If they had infiltrated just a few days before the imperial army, there was no way she or Leoslav could have noticed. They had focused on monitoring the gates, not placing an impenetrable watch across the entire wall. It would not have been difficult to scale the walls with just a few ropes.

Even so, there was a reason she and Leoslav had paid little mind to potential intruders. The average combat power of the cultists residing in the city was so high that, unless it was a truly exceptional warrior, anyone sneaking in would only be throwing their lives away for nothing.

They simply hadn't imagined that such truly exceptional enemies would appear in force. Take the knight in his thirties standing before her now, for example.

Why would a silver knight risk something this dangerous? He'd be much better off moving with the main army.

Strategically, Relfiana's assessment was correct. Drel himself had thought the same, and if Karnak had been a straightforward man, he would have done the same. It wasn't intentional, but somehow, they had ended up striking precisely where the enemy least expected it.

In any case, the explosions in front of her had made one thing clear. There would be no reinforcements. Those locations were also under attack, leaving them scrambling to deal with the chaos.

Clad in her defensive barrier, Relfiana grit her teeth. "How dare they do something like this..."

Seeing her reaction, Drel clicked his tongue inwardly. Just as Lord Karnak predicted.

The Drmental estate and the Targel merchant guild building were not under attack. They didn't have the manpower to attempt something like that anyway. Those explosions were the result of Karnak's magical domains.

Lapicel and Serati, who had infiltrated in advance, had spent several days quietly planting magical catalysts along the outskirts of the gardens, preparing for this moment.

The domains had been constructed in secret, just enough to avoid detection. There was no way they could have been placed inside the buildings occupied by the cultists. Even in the gardens, they had to be carefully hidden along the outermost edges, avoiding the necromantic domains.

Naturally, their power was limited. The pillars of fire shot high into the sky and the explosions were large enough to be seen across the entire city, but in truth, all they had managed was to scorch the outer walls of the estates.

Not a single cultist had been harmed by the blasts. But that was enough.

—Are you sure this is okay? They'll just send reinforcements to the other locations.

—If the explosion had only happened at one spot, they probably would.

But explosions had erupted at all three estates where the cultists were staying. Of course, only one was a real assault, while the other two were distractions. But how would it seem from the perspective of those under attack?

They could only see it as mysterious explosions of unknown origin and intent occurring at all three of their strongholds simultaneously.

—So what do you think they'll do? They'll dig in and brace for any contingency, thinking something bigger is coming.

Granted, someone with a proper grasp of strategy and tactics might eventually realize this was part of a psychological operation...

—But by the time someone figures that out and convinces everyone else to move, it'll all be over on our end anyway.

Recalling his conversation with Karnak, Drel let out a cold smile. Yeah, there will be no reinforcements. Lord Karnak made sure to tie them all down.

Adjusting his grip on his sword, he launched himself forward once more. Brilliant silver sword energy filled the air with its radiant glow.

***

Vampires, elder ghouls, and demonic zombies, with their retained intelligence, were considered high-ranking among the undead. However, naturally occurring elder ghouls or vampires were not truly formidable monsters. To the average person, of course, they were terrifying beings, but for aura users or high-ranking mages, they were manageable opponents.

That was why, during the hunts against vampire hordes with the Eustil King's Order, no one had paid them much mind. But those belonging to the Black God's Cult were on a different level.

An elder ghoul let out a piercing roar. Green fluid spurted from its bared fangs and extended claws, a potent venom capable of knocking out a bull with just a graze.

Vampires lunged from all directions. With monstrous strength and speed beyond human limits, they filled the field of vision like wild predators.

"Die, you heretics!"

"For Lord Tesranach!"

These were the ones blessed with the Shadow of Doom by the cult. With the grace of the Black God upon them, each possessed capabilities that surpassed most aura users, which was how they had been able to push back the imperial forces with overwhelming power until now.

But that, too, was relative. It depended on who they were facing. Venom that could paralyze with a touch? It was simple enough to avoid being touched. Monstrous strength and speed beyond human limits? Their opponents had transcended humanity too. If anything, they were stronger, not weaker.

Leven Strauss, heir to the Strauss family and a genius on the verge of reaching the silver aura, was slicing through the monsters of Tesranach who had felled countless knights, mages, and priests, cutting them down mercilessly with his purple aura-infused sword. The necromancers of the Black God's cult shuddered at the brutal spectacle.

"Why the hell is that bastard so strong?"

"I don't care if he's purple-tier, this is absurd!"

They could not stand by and be slaughtered. The necromancers began preparing their spells. How much effort had they poured into laying necromantic domains around this government building? Now, it was time to put the fruits of that effort to use!

"Awaken! Cursed vines!"

"Spread nightmares and gouge out the eyes of the living!"

The ground quaked as black smoke spread outward. Vast darkness billowed like slime, reaching toward Karnak and Leven.

With a mild smile, Karnak poked a finger into the approaching darkness. "Oh, that's just right."

His demeanor was like someone checking the water's temperature before stepping into a bath. He swirled his finger once, then drew a line through the darkness. "What do you mean, awaken? Go back to sleep."

The spreading darkness flattened to the ground and vanished. The faces of the necromancers who had painstakingly activated the spells twisted into despair. "Again! He's doing it again!"

It had been like this from the start. No matter how hard they tried to activate their domains, they simply shut down on their own.

Why? Why are all the wards going dead like this?!

Leven, having just cut down three demonic zombies at once, glanced back at Karnak with a smirk.

—Wow, using necromancy without restraint now that Lapicel's not here, huh?

Karnak shot back, looking aggrieved.

—This is the Redeemer of Necromancy, thank you very much!

—So it really wasn't necromancy?

—Hey, I try to avoid using necromancy whenever I can, you know. I'm just afraid I'll develop a taste for it if I use it too often.

Of course, it wasn't because of any lofty moral principles. All the while, the number of cultists was dropping at an exponential rate. Dozens had swarmed them, but now, the number left could be counted on one hand.

Karnak quietly sent a telepathic message to Leven.

—You can handle the rest on your own, right?

—What are you going to do?

—I need to go help Varos.

***

A blond knight ran horizontally along the wall of the government building, a long silver aura chain extending from his left hand.

Whip of Prison!

The aura blade at the end of the chain lashed like a whip, aiming for Leoslav's head. In a panic, Leoslav stomped on the ground."Rise, earth of the night!"

Three stone pillars erupted, blocking the incoming chain blade. Of course, stone pillars alone could not stop a silver aura blade. They shattered immediately. But thanks to them, the chain blade's power was significantly reduced.

The barrier collided with the chain blade, sending out ripples of shockwaves. Varos clicked his tongue as he slipped through the dispersing shockwave. "Tch, he blocked it."

No matter how powerful silver aura was, if its force was reduced this much, Leoslav's shield could withstand it. Leoslav launched a counterattack. "Goddess of the Stars, grant your wrath unto my hand!"

A spear of starlight formed from divine power, beginning to dance in the air. The entire spear moved with cunning precision, flying toward Varos as if wielded by a master martial artist. Varos could not underestimate it. He focused his mind and met the attack head-on.

Delphiad Swordsmanship, Breath of the emperor!

Varos' aura blade hummed with a low cry as it slid between the approaching spearheads. The spears of starlight did not let him pass easily. They twisted in the air, deflecting the aura blade that tried to slip through. Silver aura and the divine power of starlight clashed in rapid succession.

Neither side managed to pierce nor cut, resulting in a temporary stalemate. But in truth, it was Varos' victory. The purpose of this attack had been to close the distance between him and Leoslav.

The real strike comes now!

Tascal Swordsmanship, Quadruple Slash!

Serati's Tascal swordsmanship was practically useless, but Lapicel's was a different story. It had evolved into a highly refined sword art, worthy of being stolen by a former death knight lord!

Varos roared, "Time to split apart already!"

The rapid strikes of the silver aura blade shattered the spears of starlight and closed in right before Leoslav's nose. Leoslav's face tightened as he focused even more power into his barrier. Varos' slashes hammered the shield, sending out explosive booms. The smoke quickly cleared.

Varos clicked his tongue in frustration as he stepped back. "Tch, blocked again?"

This time, he had struck properly, but even so, the barrier did not break. "That man still fights like a turtle. Well, I suppose that's the strength of the popes."

Among the continent's most renowned powers were the Three Archmages and the Four Martial Kings. Compared to them, the Seven Popes of the Goddesses were often underrated. They certainly wielded influence rivaling those figures, but when it came to discussions of absolute strength, they tended to be left out.

The reason was simple. They really were a step below the archmages and martial kings. Priests, by nature, exhibited their greatest power when supporting their allies from the rear rather than fighting at the front. When such figures faced off directly, alone, against mages or aura users, they inevitably fell behind.

The seven popes were no exception. Each of them hid a single, powerful technique, but when considering their overall skill, they could not compare with a martial king or archmage. At best, they were on par with a silver knight or a ninth circle mage.

But there was one aspect in which they possessed power that could rival a martial king or an archmage: their toughness. Their shields were absurdly durable. On top of that, their stamina and regenerative abilities were exceptional, so even if a shield was shattered, it would soon be restored. Just like now.

"Goddess of the Stars, shield your servant!" Once again, Leoslav enveloped his entire body in a protective barrier.

All the powerful techniques Varos had stolen from the martial kings and poured into breaking that barrier were now wasted, as the barrier he had half-destroyed was restored to pristine condition.

"Ugh, I've hit him more times, so why am I the one getting tired?"

For a moment, Varos found himself hesitating. Should I just use Reversal Blade?

If he did, he could shatter that stubborn barrier and take Leoslav's head in one stroke. The problem was that the Reversal Blade had side effects. If I use it too often, it'll ruin my taste for combat.

If it were a matter of life or death, he would use it despite the side effects, but Leoslav wasn't strong enough to justify it. It felt like a waste. Ah, what should I do?

As he wrestled with this decision, a calm voice reached his ears. "Still not finished?"

"Huh? Young master."

Karnak, who had been dealing with the cultists, was now approaching. Leoslav's face stiffened further. Damn it, are they all down already?

He had known he couldn't win, but he thought he could at least buy some time. Karnak looked at Leoslav, who was holed up inside his barrier like a turtle, and smiled softly. "Need a hand?"

Varos asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Karnak made a gesture in the air, as if dotting a point. "Just this."

It was a deceptively simple motion. At that exact moment, Leoslav's expression twisted. "W-what?!"

The barrier that had enveloped his entire body began to crack like an eggshell. "M-my barrier?!"

Karnak twirled his finger with a crooked grin. "I finished analyzing your technique. This should be doable now, right?"

"Of course." A murderous smile spread across Varos' lips as he adjusted his grip on his sword. "There's nothing easier to carve up than a turtle without its shell."