Karnak, Monarch of Death

Three days after Karnak’s group departed the royal capital, Drunta, dozens of strangers appeared in a remote countryside village.

The 1st and 7th Squads of the King’s Order had arrived in the Zetelba region and immediately began their pursuit of the demonic sword. They started at the last village where the demonic sword had committed a massacre and traced its trail from there.

Bloodstains were splattered throughout the village. Severed bodies and scattered pieces of flesh littered the ground, forcing the members to grimace as they surveyed the grim scene.

“This is horrific.”

“It looks like dozens were killed.”

Glancing around, Ziken asked, “Are all the villagers dead?”

A woman in her early thirties, her brown hair tied back, responded. She was Meiri, a 2nd-class Inquisitor of the 1st Squad and a priestess of Katera, the Goddess of Fire and Battle.

“About ten survivors made it out. They’re being sheltered at a nearby Saisha temple.”

“So not everyone was killed.”

In the earlier massacres, entire villages were wiped out with no survivors. Most victims had been unaware of the approaching threat and failed to escape. To them, it was just a shabby young girl dragging a sword far too large for her. Who would think to run from that?

Good-hearted villagers might have even approached to offer help, while more sinister individuals might have been drawn by other intentions. Either way, they became perfect prey for the demonic sword. But now, the entire Zetelba region was gripped with fear. People would flee for their lives at the mere sight of the girl with the demonic sword.

“Even with the demonic sword’s power, it would’ve been impossible to catch all the fleeing villagers,” Ziken said.

He turned to a young girl clad in the robes of Latiel. She was Milia, a 2nd-class Inquisitor from the 7th Squad and a subordinate of Karnak.

“Priest Milia, assist Priest Meiri with the search.”

“Yes, captain,” Milia replied promptly.

With the order given, the two women set out with ten soldiers, heading beyond the village. Their task was to track the traces of darkness left behind and follow the path of Mareda.

Ziken turned to the rest of the group. “We’ll follow at a distance. Stay on high alert at all times.”

***

The 1st and 7th Squads continued southward, pursuing the demonic sword’s trail. The tracking process was surprisingly straightforward. The traces of darkness left by the demonic sword were so strong and frequent that even second-class Inquisitors could follow them with ease.

It was almost too easy, prompting Serati to voice her doubts. [Are we sure we’re following this properly, Sir Karnak?]

[We’re doing fine. Why?]

[It’s just... it feels too easy.]

[That’s nothing strange.]

Once someone fell under the demonic sword’s influence, they lost all reason and intelligence, becoming nothing more than a creature driven by bloodlust.

[Demonic swords don’t think about hiding or evading. That’s not in their nature.]

The reason the demonic sword had been so elusive wasn’t because it was difficult to find, but because it left no survivors to report its location.

[The 5th Squad found it easily enough. The problem came after that.]

[Fair point.]

[Don’t worry. That man, Ziken, knows what he’s doing. This should wrap up without any major issues.]

After another half day of movement southeast, Meiri and Milia returned from their scouting mission. Both wore tense expressions.

“We’ve located the demonic sword, Mareda, Captain Ziken.”

***

Beyond a gentle slope of hills lay a sparse forest. At the edge of the woods, partially obscured by the shadows, crouched a figure. It was the girl wielding the demonic sword. She sat huddled beneath the shade of a large tree, her body curled inwards as if avoiding the sunlight.

“Is that her?” Ziken muttered as he assessed the target. He issued his orders. “Spread out and form a perimeter.”

The members of the 1st and 7th Squads began fanning out, positioning themselves throughout the forest. The strategy wasn’t much different from what the 5th Squad had attempted. It was a standard tactic for dealing with undead creatures or curses linked to necromancy.

When facing entities that fed on human blood, caution was critical. If mishandled, such creatures could feed on fallen allies, restoring their strength and becoming even more dangerous. Weak allies were potentially problematic.

This was precisely why the King’s Order had been established: to gather elites who could handle such threats.

However, given that Mareda appeared to rival a purple knight in power, even the King’s Order’s soldiers were considered inadequate for a direct confrontation. Only the strongest warriors and high-level mages had any hope of standing against such a weapon. Even so, contingencies were essential. While the strongest faced the demonic sword head-on, the rest would maintain the perimeter, ready to adapt to any unforeseen developments.

As the encirclement was completed, two men unsheathed their swords and stepped forward. They were Triv, a blue knight and vice-captain of the 1st Squad, and Harris, a red knight and the adjutant to Commander Ziken. With Ziken, a seventh-circle mage, and Meiri, a second-class Inquisitor, joining the fray, the 1st Squad’s elite team was assembled in full.

Ziken gripped his staff while glancing at Karnak and Serati.

“We’ll test the waters first. You two hang back and intervene if necessary.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll be standing by.”

As a sixth-circle mage and a red knight, both Karnak and Serati were formidable enough to face the demonic sword directly. But sheer numbers weren’t always an advantage. If their movements weren’t perfectly synchronized with members of the 1st Squad, they might interfere instead.

Thus, they agreed to monitor the situation, prepared to step in if the balance tipped or danger escalated. He wasn’t even an aura user, so he wasn’t even included in the picture.

This is so unfair, he thought, sulking as the two knights advanced toward a massive tree stump where the girl lay.

The girl remained motionless, but the demonic sword did not. A resonant hum vibrated through the air as the blade quivered. A sinister, mocking laughter echoed faintly through the air, sending chills down spines of listeners.

Heh heh...

Dark energy began seeping from the sword. It coiled upwards in an ominous motion. At last, the girl stirred. But it wasn’t under her own power. The demonic sword lifted her limp body into the air, suspending her like a puppet.

The death energy is thickening.

Ziken caressed the tip of his staff, filled with tension. He couldn’t be careless, not when the 5th Squad had been annihilated at the hands of the demonic sword.

“Let’s see how it reacts.”

Mana surged and formed into an intricate spell that coalesced into flames. Flames erupted from the tip of his staff, and a towering column of fire spiraled upward.

“Flame Strike!”

A massive tower of fire tore through the forest canopy. The explosive eruption shook the forest.

Booom!

***

Smoke billowed in all directions.

Shielding her face, Serati grumbled, “Who uses fire magic in a forest...?”

It could potentially lead to a forest fire.

Karnak, however, remained unbothered. “He must already know. A seventh-circle mage wouldn’t overlook something so basic.”

Indeed, the roaring flames vanished within seconds, leaving only a scorched circle where the demonic sword had been. The rest of the forest remained unscathed. It was apparent that he had designed the spell with the aftermath in mind. The precision and control behind the spell were impeccable: It minimized waste of power while maximizing destruction. It was truly impressive spellwork. Unfortunately, it missed.

“Tsk!”

The girl darted into the air, unscathed. She had dodged at the last possible moment.

“Ahahaha!”

With a manic laugh, she charged directly at Ziken.

“Triv! Harris!” he shouted while erecting a magical shield.

The two knights were already in motion.

“Hah!”

Triv’s blue aura-coated sword clashed against the dark currents swirling around the cursed blade, each collision sending ripples of power into the air. Harris circled behind. He approached her while carefully measuring even the smallest of movements.

No room for mistakes, he thought grimly.

The 5th Squad’s aura user had been a red knight, one just as strong as Harris. Yet, they had fallen to this foe. He couldn’t afford a single misstep. After creating enough distance, Harris calmly unleashed a precise strike of his crimson aura.

“Take this!”

Red, blue, and black lights interwove in a chaotic dance as the three warriors clashed. The cacophony of steel meeting steel filled the forest, echoing like a relentless drumbeat.

Bang! Boom! Boom!

With the demonic sword’s movements temporarily hindered, Ziken and Meiri stepped in. Ziken brandished his staff and summoned a torrent of ice magic.

“Freeze! Descend upon them! By the command of the King of Winter!”

A storm of icicles materialized, hurtling toward the cursed blade. However, the dark currents surrounding the sword surged forth, shattering the icicles mid-flight. Splinters of ice scattered like glittering shards, cascading to the surroundings. However, the ice magic wasn’t fully nullified.

While the dark aura managed to shatter most of them, broken shards of ice clung to everything they touched, spreading frost. The sword’s surface frosted over, and the girl’s movements slowed.

Triv and Harris were also affected by the chill. Their movements slowly became sluggish. However, they were accompanied by a priest.

But Meiri’s voice rang out in prayer, “Katera, bless those who fight with the blessing of battle!”

A divine light swept over the knights, dispelling the frost and restoring their vigor. Freed from the cold, Triv and Harris unleashed their full power, their attacks growing fiercer.

“Hahhhh!”

The battle raged on. The demonic sword was indeed formidable. Even though it was outnumbered four to one, it didn’t seem to tire at all as it continued its poweful assault. However, Ziken was assured.

The girl was alone. On the other hand, the King’s Order still had reinforcements.

This won’t pose a huge problem.

No matter how much she swung her sword, it seemed to have no effect. Was that why she felt frustrated? The girl suddenly leaped back a step and let out a bizarre laugh.

“Kyahahahaha!”

At the same time, her eyes gleamed with a menacing light. Two strikes were launched simultaneously, each toward Triv and harris. But the outcome was different this time.

“Hmph!”

“Not a chance!”

Both of them easily blocked the attack with their aura-infused swords. Unlike before, the cursed sword Mareda had been significantly slowed by Ziken’s freezing magic. The slowed attacks were nowhere near enough to overpower the two of them. The girl tilted her head briefly, as if puzzled by the lack of results.

Then, she began laughing even louder. “Ahahahahaha!”

Seeing the moment had come, Ziken shouted, “Karnak! Serati!”

It was the signal for them to join the fight. Until now, they had been held back to avoid disrupting the flow of the battle due to fear of mismatched coordination. But after observing the fight for so long, both of them had seen enough to sync their movements.

As if she had been waiting for the call, Serrati surged forward, her aura blazing. “Yes!”

With her reinforcement, the stalemate began to break. Under the relentless attacks from aura-infused swords striking from all directions, the girl with the demonic sword began to falter. Her skin tore, blood flowed, and dark energy leaked from her, tainting the air around her. And yet, she was still laughing.

“Ahahahaha!”

Her laughter wasn’t triumphant. Rather, it was likely the sound of complete madness. Karnak also stepped forward, his staff glowing with mana.

“I call upon thee, to pierce the heavens and traverse the earth...”

But before he could complete his incantation, the girl’s laughter abruptly stopped.

“.......”

But it wasn’t just that. Her head snapped toward Karnak and her wild eyes locked onto him. Her reflection in Karnak’s eyes showed her expression twisted in fear.

Then, she suddenly screamed, “Kyaaaaaaah!”

Everyone froze, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.

“What the...?”

“What’s happening?”

The girl’s screams shook the forest. She started to back away while trembling noticeably.

“Ahhhh! Ahhhhhhhh!”

And then, with a sudden burst of energy, she leapt into the air, vaulting over the encirclement and disappearing into the forest beyond. She was clearly running away.

“Ah, what?”

Triv sprang into action after a moment, but it was too late. The demonic sword had vanished into the distance. Everyone stood in stunned silence, staring at the spot where she had disappeared.

Ziken finally broke the silence, his expression incredulous. “Sir Karnak, what in the world did you just do?”