Karnak, Monarch of Death

A crimson blade filled her vision, slashing toward her with relentless force. Serati focused her energy and countered.

Boom!

Their aura-infused swords collided, sending shockwaves rippling outward. Trees trembled, and the ground tore apart, raising clouds of dust. The crimson-haired woman was revealed through the haze. She was panting heavily.

“Huff... huff...”

Durald, the vampire aura user with glowing red eyes, spoke with a tone of amused admiration. “You’ve got some skill for someone so young.”

But his praise carried the weight of superiority, born from one who held the upper hand.

“Still, you’re no match for me!”

Once again, his aura blade slashed through the air, forcing Serati to scramble to evade. She gritted her teeth.

‘Young’? What’s he going on about? He doesn’t even seem that seasoned.

They had clashed several times already, and Serati had a solid grasp of her opponent’s abilities by now. In terms of aura reserves, there was little difference between them. If anything, Serati had a slight edge. As for swordsmanship? It was a fair match. Durald might be more than ten years older, but experience-wise, they were equals.

As a knight of the county, Durald’s combat experience was limited to specific, controlled situations. Serati, on the other hand, was a former adventurer. In her comparatively shorter career, she had faced far more varied and unpredictable battles. In particular, she had gained invaluable experience in the recent months against necromancers.

When it came to skill as an aura user, Serati lacked nothing compared to Durald. And yet, she was being pushed back. It wasn’t a matter of technique but raw strength and speed.

“Haaah!”

With a roar, Durald brought his aura blade down in a devastating strike. It was a simple attack, and normally, Serati would have parried and countered without hesitation. But now, all she could do was hold her ground.

“Grrk!”

The moment she blocked the blow, an overwhelming force pressed down on her shoulders. Durald wasted no time, launching a relentless series of strikes. His aura blade danced left and right, cutting through the air with precision and ferocity.

“Haah!”

Serati managed to evade again. But evasion was all she could manage. She could find no openings to launch a counterattack.

If I try to strike back, I’ll just get overwhelmed.

She clenched her teeth as she continued to retreat under his relentless pressure. She could see where he was aiming. She knew his attack patterns. But knowing wasn’t enough—his sheer power and speed left her helpless.

Damn vampires... how annoying can they get?

With the enhanced physical abilities of a vampire layered with the power of aura, Durald was capable of a destructive force that surpassed the limits of a red knight.

Why didn’t ordinary red knights have such power? Because anyone capable of wielding such strength would already be in the realm of a blue knight. And yet, Durald wasn’t quite at that level. Blue knights could wield their strength with refined mastery, while Durald’s techniques were rudimentary.

I’m not losing in swordsmanship. I’m losing in brute strength!

Serati now understood the frustration of the ordinary knights she had so often overwhelmed in her own battles. Sensing victory, Durald grinned triumphantly.

“Behold the power granted to me by Tesranach!”

“You’re just a vampire with boosted strength! How is that power granted by your god?”

“As a member of the dark kin, even my aura shines brightly! If this is not power granted to me by divine, what is?”

“...I mean, that’s... actually a decent argument...”

Serati found herself mumbling in agreement before shaking her head.

This isn’t the time to get convinced!

The situation was dire. Although her allies seemed to be holding their own, it hardly mattered. At Durald’s current strength, he could easily take on not just her, but Tarman’s team, and even Karnak and Varos, unless they revealed their full power.

If Serati fell here, everyone else would be in grave danger. Of course, Karnak could step in, reveal his true strength, and annihilate Durald...

But then Tarman’s team would all die.

Well, even if they were spared, they would have their memories shattered. For the sake of her comrades, Serati couldn’t afford to lose. Sweat trickled down her back as she gripped her blade tighter.

What do I do now?

***

Karnak sent a discreet magical whisper while observing the situation.

[Hey, Varos. If this keeps up, Serati’s going to lose.]

He might not be an expert in swordsmanship, but that didn’t mean he was clueless about combat. After all, he had endured countless battles in his previous life. Karnak could assess a situation at a glance.

[Helping Serati develop her skills is great, but don’t you think it’s time to switch out?]

Varos shook his head.

[That’s not an option.]

It wasn’t that Varos had intentionally pushed Durald onto Serati.

[If I step in, I’ll lose. You saw what happened when I fought Maz-nun, didn’t you?]

[Isn’t that even worse? If you can’t win, Serati has no chance. She’s weaker than you.]

[But Sir Serati has better physical capabilities than I do right now.]

At present, the gap Varos could handle was precisely what existed between him and Serati. Any greater disparity, and his techniques would become entirely ineffective.

[That’s why I didn’t go against Randolph.]

Back then, he had just returned to this timeline. Although his mind was brimming with techniques and experience, his untrained body couldn’t execute them effectively. It had been the same with Maz-nun, the demon. By then, Varos had trained himself enough to unleash his full repertoire of techniques, but his raw physicality was so outmatched that nothing worked.

[Flawless techniques that don’t land are less effective than imperfect ones that do.]

[And what happens if she loses? Are you expecting me to resort to necromancy again?]

[There’s always the safe plan. Let’s go with Plan P. We can use Plan P.]

[Ah, right. That’s still an option.]

Karnak finally took on a relieved expression. Possessing Serati through Varos was a solution that could be implemented discreetly, without Tarman’s group realizing anything. Of course, it would come at a steep cost—Serati’s mental stability would likely suffer greatly...

[She can handle it about three times before losing her mind. This will leave one more.]

Incidentally, Karnak and Varos weren’t the only ones part of this discreet magical communication network.

Serati shuddered mid-fight as she overheard their conversation.

[Excuse me! I can hear everything you’re saying!]

They had warned her against the possible side-effects of possession, yet now they were casually planning to do it again? Karnak attempted to soothe her.

[Don’t worry. You can handle it once more, no problem.]

[Weren’t we saving that for an actual emergency?]

[This looks like an emergency to me.]

Grinding her teeth, Serati felt her mind snap into focus. Up until now, she had only worried about protecting Tarman’s group. But now? This had become a personal issue.

I have to win! I can’t lose here!

Serati’s aura changed completely.

She could endure two more times? How could she trust their words? In fact, she couldn’t trust anything that came out of their mouths.

If I lose now, I might end up insane!

Her aura, sharp and deadly as a blade, surged with newfound resolve. Every ounce of her determination coursed through her body, amplifying her strikes. Even Durald noticed the sudden shift, his expression tightening.

What... what’s happening? This determination, it’s something else entirely!

***

Serati fought with everything she had, again and again.

“Haah! Hiyah!”

Up until now, desperate had been more of a figure of speech. But now, it was quite literal. Her life was truly on the line. Losing your mind doesn’t necessarily mean losing your life, you might say?

As if that man would care to save a vassal he no longer finds useful!

Based on everything she’d seen of Karnak’s personality, it was far more likely he’d discard her without a second thought.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Faced with her ferocious determination, Durald could no longer fight as casually as before.

What’s behind her sudden change?!

Thanks to her relentless assault, what had been a one-sided beating turned into a balanced duel. Neither Serati nor Durald yielded an inch as their aura-coated swords clashed with fierce intensity.

Boooom!

Even so, her chances of victory remained slim. Though she had managed to hold her ground for now, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide. If things continued as they were, she would eventually be overwhelmed again.

Damn it...

Swinging her aura blade, Serati’s complexion grew pale.

Am I going to lose control of my body again?

For a fleeting moment, she entertained the idea that it might not be so bad. Truthfully, she had often caught herself yearning for that feeling, the same sensations again.

No! Snap out of it, Serati! Even thinking like this is dangerous!

And then it happened.

[Looks like we won’t need Plan P after all,] Karnak’s calm voice echoed in her mind through a magical transmission.

[At this rate, she’ll win.]

Varos chimed in with a similar sentiment.

[Exactly. All that effort in training her is paying off.]

Serati was stunned.

I’m going to win?

Why were they so confident she would win? She couldn’t see any path to victory herself!

And what does he mean by effort in training me?!

As she wrestled with her confusion, something strange happened. Without realizing it, her aura blade slipped perfectly through Durald’s offensive. Even Serati herself didn’t understand why she had moved that way...

“What the?!”

Durald recoiled in shock. Her strike had landed precisely during the moment he shifted stances, exploiting a narrow gap in his form. The balance of their duel shattered in an instant.

“Huh?”

Despite her confusion, Serati instinctively pressed her advantage. Her red aura swirled like a serpent, striking at Durald from every angle. Once he was forced on the defensive, Durald’s movements became noticeably sluggish. Gritting his teeth, he retreated frantically.

“Tch. You’ve got a trick up your sleeve, huh?”

What trick?

Serati’s mind was in turmoil, yet her body executed the next sequence of attacks flawlessly. Her rapid thrusts targeted Durald’s left side, and once again, her aura blade slipped through his defenses with pinpoint precision.

“Huh?”

A moment too late, she realized what she had done.

“Oh...”

This was it. This was why Varos—despite not having mastered aura—had been able to toy with her, an experienced aura user. No matter how fast or powerful her strikes were, the movements required to initiate those attacks couldn’t be sped up. So the key wasn’t to aim at the flying blade, nor at Durald’s body wielding it. The target was Durald’s intent.

This is it...

With her newfound realization, Serati’s movements became fluid. Her aura blade danced gracefully, weaving a continuous flow of attacks that exploited every opening in Durald’s stance. But even as she fought, a lingering sense of bewilderment remained.

“Huh?”

But in her confusion, she found the answer.

“Oh...”

Durald, on the other hand, was on the verge of losing his mind.

What the hell is this?

His opponent had been decent at best. But suddenly, she was fighting back with an inexplicable ferocity. She had become stronger.

What is it? A spell? A curse?

Why were these bizarre counterattacks coming alongside her odd murmurs? Once again, Serati’s aura blade slipped through his defenses.

“What?”

When he tried to parry, a relentless follow-up attack forced its way through, impossible to block or evade.

“Ah...”

Blood sprayed from Durald’s body. Even the supernatural resilience of a vampire’s physique couldn’t withstand the damage inflicted by her aura-infused strikes.

This can’t be happening!

His once arrogant expression contorted in despair.

It can’t be happening!

As the corrupted knight’s face twisted in desperation, a single thought consumed his mind.

Tesranach bestowed this new power upon me!

With a roar, Durald channeled all his remaining aura into a final, desperate attack. Raising his blade high above his head, he took a stance for a strike that ignored his own safety entirely. It was an all-or-nothing blow meant to end it all.

“Graaaaaah!”

Watching him, Serati scowled.

Oh, how cheap.

His actions practically screamed, “If I die, you die too! Except I’m a vampire, so I won’t actually die!” If she tried to exploit another opening, she’d likely lose an arm in the process. Should she retreat? Should she abandon the hard-won advantage she had finally seized? Then, her gaze suddenly steadied, cold and calculating.

Why should I?

There was no need.

I’m a vassal of a wicked necromancer, aren’t I?

Becoming his vassal had already earned her back two arms she had lost before.

What’s one arm if I can just get it reattached later?

With a chilling smile, Serati surged forward. Her aura blade slashed horizontally in an unrestrained arc. Both combatants disregarded their own well-being, engaging in a final, reckless exchange of blows.

Flash!

The fight ended in an instant. Durald’s crimson blade bit into Serati’s right arm, embedding itself deeply as blood splattered everywhere.

Drip, drip, drip...

At the same time, Serati’s blade cut cleanly through her opponent’s neck.

Shhhhck!

With a sickening sound, Durald’s head flew into the air, severed entirely from his body.