Karnak, Monarch of Death

The wind from the violet sword relentlessly pressured Varos, and the metallic clang of blades ringing continuously. Varos clenched his teeth while dodging and parrying with everything he had.

Still as exhausting as ever.

In terms of skill and experience, Varos wasn’t inferior to Lapicel. The amount of aura they could wield wasn’t significantly different either, as both relied on the limited power drawn from the demonic sword Mareda.

Varos even had a significant physical advantage. He was currently at the peak of his prime, with a body honed through diligent training and proper nutrition. Lapicel, on the other hand, was a young girl who had neither trained extensively nor received adequate sustenance.

Physically, Varos was leagues ahead. And yet, he was the one being pushed back.

”Dog of the Monarch of Death!” Lapicel let out a desperate cry as she slashed diagonally with her aura blade. ”I’ll kill you!”

The strike appeared straightforward at a glance, but Varos didn’t let his guard down. He knew too well how deceptively that seemingly simple trajectory could twist in an instant.

Which side will it be this time?

Drawing on his experience, Varos predicted her move and searched for an opening. He stepped forward with his left foot, countering with a thrust aimed straight at her.

”Urgh!”

Varos was the one who first took a hit. His thrust barely grazed Lapicel, but her diagonal slash landed precisely on his shoulder, carving through flesh. A sharp pain radiated from the wound, and Varos bit down hard as he retreated.

Hit again. Damn it.

That was the problem.

Lapicel’s greatest strength, the one that even other Martial Kings marveled at, was her extraordinary combat sense. She didn’t need formal training to excel, nor did she require experience to instinctively find the right moves. Varos couldn’t keep up with that.

I used to hold my own against her...

But combat sense alone didn’t determine one’s strength. She didn’t need formal training to excel? She didn’t need experience to find the answer?

In other words, he could catch up to her with lots of training and plenty of experience. In the past, Varos had surpassed Lapicel as the Death Knight Lord, thanks to his learned techniques and accumulated experience, which compensated for any lack of raw instinct. Moreover, his physical prowess had been overwhelming back then.

Now, however, his aura was severely lacking. The techniques and experience he’d honed couldn’t be fully utilized. Despite his physical advantage, he was slowly being worn down. With each of Lapicel’s unrelenting strikes, Varos’s body was stained red.

”Urgh! Gah! Dammit!”

Unable to watch any longer, Serati intervened. She aimed for Lapicel’s flank with her aura blade.

—Let me join in, Sir Varos!

Lapicel reacted immediately, her crescent-shaped aura attack slamming toward Serati.

Boom!

Serati deflected the blow and recovered her stance, albeit with difficulty. This time, she didn’t go flying like a skipping stone. Somehow, she managed to evade the full brunt of the attack.

All right! I can hold my own now!

Up until now, Serati hadn’t dared to intervene. But Lapicel was clearly running on fumes. There was now a fighting chance even for a red knight. Moreover, the infernal armor summoned from Gehenna was a significant help.

Suddenly curious, Serati asked, —This armor is amazing. Why don’t you use it, Sir Varos?

Varos let out a bitter laugh.

—I can’t use that.

—Why not?

—The armor runs away from me.

—What?

Serati frowned, unsure if she had misheard. Varos pointed at the demonic sword, Mareda.

—It’s similar as this thing.

In other words, the armor, like the demonic sword, was an object that devoured the soul of its host.

—Wait, then what’s happening to my soul right now?

Varos averted his gaze and charged at Lapicel.

”Take this!”

His sudden diversion made Serati even more uneasy. Why was he avoiding the question?

—Hey, Sir Varos?

—Don’t worry. The young master will handle it.

—Handle what?

Even while fretting, Serati kept swinging her aura blade. For now, the immediate task was dealing with Lapicel. With both of them attacking in tandem, the situation began to shift in their favor. Lapicel’s expression started to twist.

”Ugh! Ngh! Gah!”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Karnak’s eyes.

They’re doing well!

Just a little more, and he could reach her soul. Then, it happened. Lapicel’s aura blade struck the demonic sword, Mareda.

With a deafening crash, a piercing scream echoed through the air. ”Aaaaah!”

The scream didn’t come from Lapicel, Varos, or Serati. Rather, it came from the sword itself. A black, translucent humanoid figure began to emerge from the blade.

”Haaah...”

The ghost wore an oddly contented expression as it slowly dissipated into the earth.

Serati blinked in confusion. ”Wh-what just happened?”

Varos made a sour face. ”Ah, the damn thing went off to hell after all.”

***

Lapicel’s aura blade whipped through the air as a blur of violet light.

”Lord Varos!”

Varos leapt backwards and rolled across the ground. His timing was impeccable, allowing him to dodge perfectly. And yet, though the strike missed entirely, the shockwave alone sent him flying like a dry leaf in the wind.

”Uwaaaaagh!”

The bear-like giant of a man tumbled across the ground like a skipping stone. Serati immediately moved to defend him from any follow-up and aimed for Lapicel’s back.

”Take this!”

Lapicel shifted her blade mid-strike. Their aura blades clashed, and the reverberated with a loud roar. Serati stumbled back with beads of cold sweat running down her face.

—Wh-What now?

With Varos unable to use his dark aura, he was no longer of any help. It was now up to her alone to face Lapicel.

Feeling cornered, Serati sent a frantic message. —Should I let you use my body now?

—The way you phrased that is a little... off, but...

Of course, what she meant was for Varos to take possession of her body to fight.

—It’s too late for that now.

Varos shook his head.

—If we were going to do that, it should’ve been earlier.

Karnak had already begun preparing his necromantic spell. If Varos attempted possession, Karnak would have to abandon the spell he’d been weaving. Starting over would only put them at a greater disadvantage.

Varos scowled as he glared at the now-useless demonic sword. ”Seriously? How can an evil spirit have so little grit? It can’t even withstand a bit of pressure?”

Lapicel alternated her gaze between the two, then suddenly burst into laughter. ”Ahahaha!”

Then, without hesitation, she lunged at Varos. It was only natural, given the depth of her hatred toward him. Varos braced himself, gripping the now-ordinary sword with a grim expression.

Damn it. Can I really hold her off like this?

He launched into a series of thrusts and slashes, showcasing intricate swordplay. His movements were precise, calculated, and rooted in the highest level of martial artistry, encompassing every angle of her approach. Yet, with one haphazard horizontal slash from Lapicel, his elegant offense was utterly dismantled.

”Ugh!”

The shock reverberated through the blade, numbing his arms. Varos grimaced.

As I thought... this won’t work.

Lapicel let out another burst of crazed laughter and swung her blade down at Varos’s head.

”Ahahaha!”

Fortunately, Varos evaded just in time. The murderous intent radiating from her was so intense it gave him just enough warning to react. However, he couldn’t avoid the mid-kick that followed. Her relentless combination of attacks was simply too fast.

Damn it, I know it’s coming, but I still can’t dodge it.

Thwack!

Though he barely managed to brace himself, his right arm went limp. Even though it had barely skimmed him, the impact had completely paralyzed his muscled arm. He wouldn’t be able to use it for a while.

At this rate, I’m going to die!

In desperation, Varos shouted at Karnak. There was no one else to rely on. ”Young master!”

”Ju-Just a little longer!”

”We don’t have a little longer!”

Things were truly dire—dire enough for Varos to scream aloud rather than rely on mental communication.

Serati rushed in to cover him. ”Get back, Sir Varos!”

She charged head-on toward Lapicel, attempting to draw her attention with a feint to the head before transitioning into a slash aimed at her waist. It was a basic maneuver, but one that often worked well in real combat. Of course, it was far too simple to fool someone like Lapicel.

”Vassal of hell!”

Lapicel dodged effortlessly before retaliating with swift slashes from both sides. But that was exactly what Serati had anticipated. Her eyes gleamed. She had deliberately chosen a rudimentary approach to lure Lapicel into this moment.

Now!

Ignoring the incoming strikes, she thrust her blade forward. She had placed her faith in the demonic armor’s defense. She calculated that she might suffer some injuries, but nothing fatal. Unfortunately, even that was within Lapicel’s expectations.

A mocking giggle escaped Lapicel’s lips. ”Heh.”

With a front kick, Lapicel struck the flat of Serati’s blade, sending her thrust off course. In the same motion, she followed up with a vicious roundhouse kick aimed at Serati’s side.

Boom!

The sound of the impact echoed like an explosion, and crimson shards of her armor scattered in all directions. Blinding pain wracked Serati’s body, forcing a scream from her lips.

”Aagh!”

Even as her vision blurred, she clung to consciousness, trembling from the sheer agony.

Why does it hurt so much? She’s so small, though!

A petite girl, barely reaching 150 centimeters in height, struck Serati’s hell-forged armor with her bare feet. The result? The armor shattered while her feet remained unscathed. It wasn’t just astonishing. It was incomprehensible. Her mastery over aura was on an entirely different level.

Even as he staggered, Varos couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

She’s always been like this. Truly, her talent is otherworldly.

The current Lapicel was far from normal. Her memories were fragmented, and her soul was torn apart. And yet, she flawlessly converted the cursed aura of the demonic sword into her own.

No one even taught her. She’s managing all of this purely on instinct?

As Varos continued to marvel, a sudden thought struck him.

”Hm?”

Lapicel hadn’t been trained by anyone, and yet...

”Wait.”

She was taking an aura that wasn’t hers and transforming it into something entirely her own?

”...Ah!”

A faint glimmer of realization sparked in Varos’s eyes.

***

The onslaught didn’t let up. Lapicel rained down punches, kicks, and relentless slashes upon Serati’s already cracked armor. Her entire body became drenched in blood.

”Agh! Ugh! Gah! Argh!”

Serati was on the verge of death.

Boom!

A deafening explosion reverberated, sending Lapicel flying backward. A crimson flash struck her with immense force.

”Aura?” Serati stammered.

Startled, she turned her head. There stood Varos, his massive frame wielding the greatsword. A blazing crimson aura illuminated its blade. It was not the demonic, dark aura of before, but a bright, vivid flame.

It was unmistakable.

It was pure aura.

”Sir Varos? Did you awaken aura?”

At this precise, almost miraculous moment? How was that even possible?

”It’s a long story,” Varos replied, stepping forward and shielding Serati. ”But first, let’s clean up this mess!”

Lapicel, who had been thrown back, regained her footing and charged. Varos calmly met her advance, swinging his sword. Their auras clashed midair, and this time, Varos held his ground. He wore an odd expression while wielding his brilliant crimson aura.

So, this is what it feels like?

He had spent his entire life relying on borrowed power. This was the first time he wielded aura born of his own strength.

It’s an incredibly strange feeling, to say the least.

Lapicel began to falter. No matter how much of a prodigy she was, she had reached her limit. Her exhaustion was evident. Varos, however, had newfound energy surging through him. Moreover, it wasn’t residual strength, but an entirely new power.

”Well then, isn’t it time for you to go down?”

The tide had turned decisively. Varos sliced through Lapicel’s longsword with his aura-coated blade. The vibrant violet hue of her aura faded into nothingness. He seized the back of her neck and slammed her small frame into the ground with tremendous force.

Thud!

Holding her pinned, Varos shouted, ”How much longer, young master?”

”It’s done!”

More accurately, the final blow had shattered any semblance of resistance in Lapicel’s soul.

Karnak delivered the finishing touch. ”O karma of pain, find solace in the darkness of rest!”

A pillar of darkness descended upon Lapicel, striking her with overwhelming force. She let out a piercing scream. ”Aaaaaaah!”

Then, she collapsed, her body going limp. Varos crouched down and placed two fingers under her nose to check her breathing. Confirming that she was still alive, he exhaled a sigh of relief.

”Good, she’s still breathing.”

Karnak approached. There was a look of incredulity in his face.

”Hey, Varos, what’s going on with you? What’s with that aura?”