Karnak, Monarch of Death

The specters let out shrill wails as they swirled through the air above the temple.

Aaaahhhhh!

Meanwhile, hordes of zombie monsters growled and advanced steadily.

“Grrr...”

”Grrr...”

Varos began to swing his chain blade in wide arcs, the aura chains unraveling into a massive radius. Everything within several meters became enveloped in the weapon’s destructive domain.

Boom!! Boom!

Portions of the temple crumbled under the onslaught. But the specters and zombie monsters avoided the area entirely, staying just outside the range of destruction. Instead, the black servants charged forward. Dark aura blades clashed with Varos’s crimson chain blade, generating violent ripples of power with every strike. The air resounded with deafening explosions as the two sides exchanged relentless blows. Then, Varos suddenly turned his gaze to the necromancers and released a chilling killing intent.

”Gah!”

Sephedes’s eyes widened as he and his fellow necromancers recoiled instinctively. By now, they had learned Varos’s dirty tactic—fighting one enemy while striking at another. Panicked, the necromancers commanded their zombie monsters to form a barrier in front of them.

But it was already too late. Blood-soaked blades pierced through the chests of two necromancers, their tips emerging from their backs. The dying men’s bloodshot eyes widened as their labored breaths faded into silence.

Sephedes froze, his expression one of utter shock. ”W-what just...?”

A red-haired woman stepped into view from behind the fallen necromancers. It was Serati, the very same person who had been guarding the entrance to the underground prison just moments ago.

When did she get there?

Without a sound, she had circled the perimeter of the temple, sneaking behind the necromancers. It had all been part of Varos’s plan.

His earlier instruction to guard the entrance had been deliberate, spoken just loud enough for everyone to hear. The real strategy had been discussed privately.

—Wait for the right moment and take out the necromancers.

Watching for an opening, Serati slipped away unnoticed, scaling the temple walls to circle behind the enemies. She crept up on the necromancers with two longswords. Varos’s intense killing intent had drawn their attention entirely, giving her the perfect opportunity to strike.

With a simple, precise motion, she dispatched two enemies with ease. Had she managed to take out Sephedes as well, it would have been an even greater success, but the result was still a major blow to their opponents.

Varos grinned and called out, ”Well done, Sir Serati!”

Serati quickly returned to the entrance, her mission complete.

Alius, baffled, asked, ”When did you leave? I didn’t even notice!”

Even though he had been right next to her, he hadn’t realized she had slipped away. Serati finally understood something Varos had once told her.

Just because you have eyes doesn’t mean you see everything.

Even if something was in plain view, it might as well be invisible if one wasn’t consciously focused on it. She felt as though she had gained some kind of insight, though she wasn’t quite sure what it was yet.

Meanwhile, the monster zombies began collapsing one by one. With the necromancers dead, their spells could no longer sustain the undead. Now, only five black servants and the specters summoned by Sephedes remained.

”Just a few more to go, and it’s over,” Varos said confidently, a triumphant smile on his face.

Sephedes’s expression twisted in frustration, his features contorting like a demon’s. ”No! This isn’t over yet!”

The specters surged forward, descending upon Varos like a waterfall. Varos deflected the onslaught by spinning his chain blade to shield himself, while retreating slightly.

”Alius, now!”

Summoning specters had been Sephedes’s mistake. The temple still housed not one but two high-ranking priests.

”The light of Hatoba descends upon this land!”

”Saisha, with your radiance, banish these defilements!”

Alius and Belton, as if waiting for this very moment, unleashed large-scale purification spells. The specters writhed in the air, trapped by the holy light that radiated through the temple.

Aaaahhhh!

Seizing the opportunity, Serati slipped away from the entrance once more. She charged directly at Sephedes.

Fire sparked in Sephedes’s eyes as he spotted her. ”You miserable rats!”

Having already fallen for such a tactic once, Sephedes had kept an eye on Serati’s position this time.

”Do you think I’m an idiot? Trying to fool me again?”

The black servants sprang into action and aimed for her back. And then Varos struck from behind them. Having previously used enemies to create openings, this time, he used his ally to distract their focus.

—Thanks for being such good bait.

Serati, unfazed, responded dryly.

—Sure, use me as much as you like.

By now, she had grown accustomed to how these people thought. It was almost predictable. Pivoting swiftly, she joined Varos in a coordinated attack, sandwiching the black servants between them. Their aura swords danced in perfect harmony, vibrant arcs of red and black clashing against one another. Despite the five-to-two disadvantage, the strategic positioning and well-timed assault left the black servants overwhelmed.

“Ugh!”

”Argh!”

One by one, the black servants fell.

Meanwhile, the specters couldn’t withstand the purifying divine energy unleashed by Alius and Belton, and they disintegrated into nothingness. Now, only Sephedes remained, his necromantic energy nearly depleted and his body swaying with exhaustion.

”Da-damn it all...”

Varos leveled his sword at him, his tone cold and unyielding. ”Surrender.”

”Do you think I could ever surrender?”

Sephedes let out a hollow laugh, his shoulders slumping. ”Heh... heh heh...”

With a face twisted in despair, he muttered weakly, ”You naïve children of the goddesses... you have no idea how merciless true darkness can be.”

Varos and Serati exchanged an awkward glance.

”Uh... well...”

”That... might not be...” Serati muttered.

Whether they were truly naïve children of the goddesses was certainly up for debate. Regardless, Sephedes appeared to have resigned himself.

”At least... I won’t have to deal with the aftermath,” he murmured, sighing.

Then, a surge of dark energy erupted from within his body. Varos’s eyes widened in realization.

Ah!

It was the signature suicide technique of the cultists: Heartburst. Sensing the energy building, Varos panicked. Karnak wasn’t here, and even if he were, the presence of two priests would prevent him from collecting Sephedes’ soul. That left only one option—to stop Sephedes from killing himself.

But how? How do I stop something like that?

Varos had spent his life killing those who desperately clung to life. He had never once tried to save someone who was determined to die.

What do I do?!

Though his thoughts raced, only an instant had passed. Before he could act, Serati darted forward like lightning and struck Sephedes square in the jaw.

CRACK!

The blow twisted Sephedes’s neck sharply to the side, and he crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap. Naturally, Heartburst was interrupted mid-process.

”Guhhh...”

Knocking someone out by targeting the cervical vertebrae would have been effective, but Serati had chosen the simpler method, dislocating his jaw to render him unconscious. There was a minor downside. His jawbone was shattered, but he lived, and that was all that mattered.

”Why did you hesitate?” Serati asked, turning to Varos.

Varos scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.

”I’ve never had to do something like this. I guess I’ll need to practice.”

Serati let out a small laugh, shaking her head. ”So, there are some things even Sir Varos isn’t good at.”

***

The midnight battle ended in a decisive victory for the Saisha Order. The invading undead army had been completely annihilated, and most of the cultists were either killed or incapacitated. Those who survived were subdued and thrown into the temple’s prison. Among the captives were Bishop Lehein of the Grental domain and his deputy, Sephedes.

To prevent suicides, both men were gagged and subdued with divine energy that suppressed their minds. They lay unconscious on the cold prison floor. Following the battle, the temple’s forces gathered all the corpses of the undead and monsters around the area and burned them.

Leaving the bodies intact would only serve as a resource for enemy necromancers to replenish their forces. In any case, the corpses needed to be dealt with before they began to rot, and burying such a massive number of bodies was out of the question. By the time the cleanup was complete, the morning sun had begun to rise, bathing the surroundings in light.

As the sky brightened, Trak, the head priest of the Saisha temple, issued instructions. ”Send a messenger to Kallat City. We must contact the Brigade of Purification immediately.”

At nearly 80 years old, Trak had been unable to participate in the battle and had remained in hiding throughout the night.

After giving various orders, he approached Karnak’s group and bowed deeply. ”We owe a great debt to the esteemed collaborators from Hatoba. Please leave the remaining work to us and take some rest.”

Karnak shook his head politely. ”We’re fine. Allow us to continue helping.”

Though Karnak lacked true empathy, he excelled at feigning sincerity when the situation called for it. He adjusted his tone accordingly. ”We can’t possibly rest while everyone else is working so hard.”

Trak, however, gently countered, ”I ask you to rest for our sake. What will happen if those cultists return? Without you, we’d stand no chance.”

It was a valid concern. Without Karnak and his companions, the Saisha temple’s forces alone would not have been able to repel the cultists during the night’s battle. Resting and recovering their strength was the best way for them to contribute further.

Karnak, who had anticipated this response, nodded. ”Then we’ll do so.”

As the group returned to their quarters, Alius joined Belton and the other senior priests of Saisha to discuss their next steps.

”What do you plan to do now?” Alius asked.

”We must gather the temple warriors and head for the Grental County’s castle without delay,” Belton replied.

The castle was currently without its lord, Hudel, presenting a prime opportunity for a raid. Their goal was to seize as much evidence of the cult’s activities as possible.

”Won’t everyone be too fatigued for this?” one of the priests expressed concern.

Belton shook his head. ”It’s not just about gathering evidence. Who knows what the cultists might do to the knights and soldiers still in the castle? We must act first.”

It was a reasonable point.

”I’ll mobilize the soldiers immediately.”

***

Karnak had indeed returned to his room as instructed. However, he had no intention of staying put.

”Lapicel, keep an eye on the luggage.”

”Yes, Sir Karnak!”

With Lapicel conveniently left behind, he headed to the underground prison with Varos and Serati in tow. The guards stationed at the entrance saluted upon seeing them.

”Ah! Lord Karnak!”

”Sir Varos!”

Karnak gestured toward the interior of the prison. ”I’d like to interrogate the cultists for a moment. Could you leave us alone briefly?”

”Yes, of course.”

The guards vacated the area without hesitation. There wasn’t a hint of suspicion. To them, Karnak and his group were the heroes who had saved the temple from the evil cultists. And even if they weren’t heroes, there was no reason to be suspicious.

There was nothing strange about them wanting to interrogate the cultists they had captured. Once alone, Karnak quickly cast a soundproofing barrier. He then turned his gaze to the unconscious Lehein and Sephedes, a sly grin forming on his lips.

”Well, I wonder if these bastards have anything useful rattling around in their heads.”

Under normal circumstances, he would have killed them outright and extracted their souls. But in this situation, that was out of the question. If prisoners who had been carefully secured to prevent suicide suddenly dropped dead, it would naturally raise suspicions.

”There’s no reason to kill them unnecessarily, anyway.”

With Alius away and most of the other priests occupied, Karnak had the perfect opportunity. Raising his index finger, he smirked. ”It’s a good day to stick needles in heads.”

Varos, already anticipating this, positioned himself at the prison entrance to keep watch. ”I’ll stand guard.”

Serati narrowed her eyes. ”You’re doing that again?”

Karnak shrugged nonchalantly.

”See? I’ve become much more humane.”

He probably thought that she was complimenting him. Serati pressed her fingers to her temple, unsure of what to say.

I guess it’s better than killing them and harvesting their souls...

Soon after, anguished screams echoed through the prison.

”Aaaahhh!”

Thanks to the soundproofing barrier, no noise escaped beyond the chamber, leaving the rest of the temple in eerie silence.

***

An hour later, Karnak emerged from the underground prison with a wide, satisfied grin. He had thoroughly rummaged through the minds of Lehein, Sephedes, and the other cultists, leaving no detail unexamined. He had also gleaned significant intelligence on the cult’s activities in the region.

”Ah, what a productive day.”

Returning to his room, he finally allowed himself to sleep, making up for the rest he had missed. When he awoke, hunger pangs prompted him out of bed. Stretching, he stepped out, wondering if it was close to mealtime.

”Hmm?”

The temple courtyard was filled with bloodied and exhausted soldiers and priests, many slumped to the ground.

Don’t tell me the cultists attacked again while I was sleeping?

That didn’t seem plausible. If another large-scale battle had occurred, surely he would’ve noticed. No way the former Monarch of Death could have slept through it.

So what had caused this scene of devastation? Spotting Alius among the weary survivors, Karnak quickly approached him.

Alius looked up, his expression a mix of relief and exhaustion, and let out a heavy sigh. ”Ah, Sir Karnak...”

Varos, equally baffled, demanded, ”What in the world happened here?”