Karnak, Monarch of Death

The ash-gray-haired girl took a step forward. Her gaze was calm, her lips pressed tightly together in an indifferent expression as she slowly approached.

What?

The members of the King’s Order froze. They had failed to react. Her movements were too natural. There was no sign of hostility, no killing intent, not even the faintest furrowing of her brow to indicate an attack.

Thud!

A flash of light. A faint groan. And then the soldier was airborne.

”Uguh...”

In a split second, she had closed the gap, delivering an upward front kick that connected perfectly with his jaw. The strike carried a violet aura, and the seasoned warrior fell unconscious with a single blow. The other soldiers, realizing what had happened a beat too late, lunged toward the girl.

”What’s going on?”

”Why did we let our guard down like that?”

Blades swung at her from both sides. The girl twisted her body and raised her hands. Her movements weren’t particularly fast, but her timing was flawless. She caught the blades between her fingers on both sides.

And then came her quiet voice. ”Humans...”

The soldiers whose swords she had caught stared in disbelief.

What the—?

Was something like this even possible?

Sure, legends spoke of masters who could catch blades with their bare hands, but seeing it in person? This was a first.

”I must save them...”

Her soft murmur hung in the air as she flicked her arms. A surge of violet aura traveled along the blades and slammed into the two warriors.

”Guh!”

”Aargh!”

Two more comrades collapsed, unconscious. The King’s Order descended into chaos. She kept talking about saving people, yet she kept knocking them out left and right. And her strength? It was absurd.

”Be careful! The demonic sword wasn’t the only problem!”

”Damn it, how is she more of a monster without the sword?”

Meanwhile, Serati stood by, ostensibly protecting Karnak. But in truth, she wasn’t protecting anyone. She was simply frozen in place, staying behind while the others fought.

It wasn’t like her at all, but she couldn’t help it. Even recalling the overwhelming killing intent the girl had aimed at her earlier made her legs feel like jelly. She couldn’t bring herself to move. The only thing easing her guilt was the lack of killing intent in the girl’s current attacks.

She’s treating me completely differently from everyone else, Serati realized.

When facing her, the girl had radiated pure rage, as if confronting her archenemy. But with the other members of the King’s Order, she was almost... careful. The girl didn’t aim to kill or maim. In fact, she deliberately adjusted her movements to ensure her strikes wouldn’t cause lasting harm.

She knocked them out efficiently, going out of her way to avoid unnecessary injuries. Even in sparring, comrades wouldn’t show this much restraint.

Karnak clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, —At least one thing’s clear.

—What is it? Serati asked.

—We now know how the demonic sword became so powerful.

It wasn’t the sword itself that was extraordinary. The weapon was just a conduit. It was the girl. She was simply far too strong.

—The sword merely channeled energy. She’s the one who wielded it so efficiently.

If anything, Karnak realized, the sword had been a hindrance. Without it, she was even stronger. But who was she? What was her true identity? How could she be this strong at such a young age?

Serati rounded on Karnak, —Think harder! What did you do to her?

—Why do you assume it’s my fault? Karnak shot back.

—She’s calling for the Monarch of Death! Of course it’s your fault!

—It could just be a coincidence!

The battlefield fell into a temporary lull. Any soldier who approached was swiftly knocked unconscious, and no one dared to attack recklessly. The girl didn’t take the initiative to attack once the King’s Order paused. Taking advantage of the moment, Varos began edging closer.

Wow, she’s ridiculously strong. But why does she feel so familiar?

Then, it happened. The girl’s expression shifted dramatically when she noticed Varos. Her eyes flared with a fiery intensity, and her entire body ignited with a blazing violet aura.

”Lord Varos!”

”Huh?” Varos froze.

Lord Varos? Not Sir Varos?

No one had called him that in years. That title belonged to a different era entirely.

The girl let out a sharp cry, her voice echoing like a scream. ”Die!”

She lunged at Varos, her movements filled with unrestrained fury. It was the same as when she had attacked Serati. She manifested raw killing intent, as well as an overwhelming rage in a storm of violet aura.

”Arggh!”

Her intent was so overt that predicting her trajectory was almost too easy. Varos became wide-eyed and threw himself to the ground. He rolled frantically to evade the onslaught. Other members of the King’s Order scrambled to his aid.

”What the—?”

”She just snapped!”

”Sir Varos!”

Watching the chaos unfold, Serati and Karnak muttered in unison.

—It’s confirmed now.

—Yeah, it’s me. I’m the culprit.

There was no room left to deny it. She had called Karnak the Monarch of Death, and now she was directing unrelenting hatred toward the former Death Knight Lord himself. This couldn’t be a coincidence.

Having narrowly avoided disaster, Varos steadied himself and clicked his tongue. ”Whew, that was close.”

He cautiously retreated as other soldiers took his place on the frontlines. The girl paused for a moment, seemingly deliberating. Fighting barehanded was proving ineffective as her target kept slipping away.

She needed a sharper edge. Extending a hand toward a fallen soldier, she summoned a longsword lying at his side. The weapon floated into her grasp, as if obeying her will. She lowered both her hands.

Wooooom!

A blue aura surged along the blade in her right hand, while her left hand radiated a crimson energy. Over her shoulders, violet mist continued to swirl like an ethereal cloak. The soldiers blinked in astonishment.

”What... is that?

”How is she even doing that?”

She had layered a crimson and a blue aura atop a foundation of violet. It was a transcendent feat, manipulating the level and nature of aura.

”Not even the commander can do that, right?”

”Isn’t that something only silver-tier masters or higher can pull off?”

Varos, too, looked baffled.

—What is that, young master? Was there ever a swordsman in this era, especially someone so young, who could do something like that?

Serati interjected. —Is that supposed to be difficult?

After all, when Varos had taken over her body, he had performed similar feats effortlessly. She had assumed it was simply a high-level skill anyone could learn.

Varos flared with heat, —Of course, it’s difficult! I could only do it because I’m me!

Karnak’s expression darkened. —So, you’re saying this girl has aura control on par with you?

Back in his prime, Varos hadn’t just been a swordsman. He was the strongest, a man who had taken down three of the Four Martial Kings single-handedly.

I can’t help but think that she’s quite familiar...

Varos narrowed his eyes.

But it wasn’t her martial technique. Her techniques were too basic, devoid of any distinguishing style. But within that simplicity, the flow of her movements carried an unmistakable presence.

Where have I seen that before?

Karnak, too, was experiencing a strange sense of familiarity, though from a different angle. He didn’t care for martial arts—it wasn’t his field. But the aura, the essence of her soul, resonated in a way that tugged at his memory.

This doesn’t make sense. I’ve never seen her before, so why does this feel so familiar?

Then it happened. The girl turned her gaze.

”Lord Varos...” Her voice was quiet, almost calm, before it erupted into a thunderous roar. ”Cursed servant of the Monarch of Death!”

The warriors of the King’s Order stood frozen, their faces blank with confusion.

For them, the statement was as random as it was incomprehensible. But for Karnak and Varos, it was like a sledgehammer to the brain.

”Ugh!”

”Oh, for the love of—!”

Both men stiffened as memories they’d buried deep resurfaced, bringing clarity to the unsettling familiarity.

”Th-this is bad!”

Karnak swung his staff, his face pale, and shouted, ”Shine forth, light of the blazing flash!”

Ten or so magic bullets streaked through the air, their brilliance illuminating the surroundings. The girl didn’t bother dodging. She merely cast a glance at the incoming projectiles and draped her entire body in an aura shield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The blazing bullets hammered her, each impact shaking the air with a thunderous roar. But it did no harm. Like an unyielding mountain, she absorbed the full brunt of the assault without flinching.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Karnak spun on his heel. ”Varos! Serati!”

He knew the truth: whether she was hit by one bullet or ten, it wouldn’t breach her aura defense. But there was one advantage to using ten bullets. The dust cloud was ten times thicker.

”Run!”

With her line of sight obstructed, Karnak bolted, sprinting away with all his might. Varos let out a strangled whimper and followed right after.

”Eeeek!”

Serati, left with no choice, chased after them. As she ran, she shouted incredulously, ”What’s wrong with you two? Do you actually know her?”

She had never seen the two men look this shaken. Normally, they were full of themselves. But right now, they didn’t even have the composure to use a discreet magic message.

”It’s Lapicel!” Karnak panted as he ran. ”Lapicel of Cyphras! The Martial King, Lapicel Crotium!”

***

The soldiers of the King’s Order’s First Squad were utterly bewildered.

What now?

What’s even happening anymore?

Their leaders, Ziken, Triv, and Harris, were all down. That left Karnak, Varos, and Serati as the only ones in charge. But those so-called leaders had just abandoned their troops and run off without a word.

Should we run too?

But we can’t just leave our fallen comrades behind!

While the First Squad was caught in chaos, the Seventh Squad seemed oddly nonchalant.

”There they go again. They’re up to something.”

”Ugh, it’s always like this.”

”Would it kill them to give us a heads-up for once?”

They were used to such antics. The Seventh Squad calmly regrouped, forming a defensive perimeter around the girl. Despite being abandoned, they showed no hint of betrayal or bitterness.

If Karnak had a reputation as a coward, they might have reacted differently. But surprisingly, Karnak was rather respected among his subordinates.

He rarely sent his men into dangerous situations, preferring to keep them away from peril. (Truthfully, this was because summoning undead was easier without witnesses.)

He never forced his subordinates into reckless missions for personal glory. (His real priority was interrogating cultists himself, rather than sharing credit with the squad.)

And, above all, he took extremecare of their food and drink, almost to the point of obsession. No one knew why, but he approached meals with the same fervor as if his very soul depended on it. For those who were always physically toiled, having a superior who ensured good meals was no small blessing.

Karnak had always been a great superior, and he was always acting in secret. Moreover, he would often act in incomprehensible ways. Given all this, it wasn’t surprising they didn’t panic at his sudden departure.

”Captain Karnak must have some kind of plan!”

”Let’s hold the line!”

With that, the Seventh Squad threw themselves into blocking the girl’s path, giving Karnak, Varos, and Serati a clear route to the canyon’s entrance.

Breathing heavily, Karnak trembled. ”Good heavens, it really is Lapicel!”

Varos, equally shaken, groaned. ”How is Lapicel even here, young master?”

Serati, looking between the two pale-faced men, hesitated before asking cautiously, ”Who exactly is Lapicel?”