Karnak, Monarch of Death

The second monster Karnak’s party encountered in the great forest was a huge ogre standing three meters tall. Its thunderous roar reverberated through the air, shaking branches and sending birds scattering in all directions.

Leven, his face pale, unsheathed his sword. ”Damn it! Of all things, it had to be a monster like that!”

The wooden club in the ogre’s hand was nearly two meters long. Even a glancing blow from it would undoubtedly be fatal.

”Form up!”

When facing a giant-type monster, there was a standard formation to follow. The strongest warrior, Varos, would take the front, with Serati guarding the rear. Leven and Lapicel would hold the flanks, providing support and protecting Karnak and Milia. The mage and priest would then assist the group with spells and blessings while they engaged the monster. Such was the respect owed to a formidable foe like a giant ogre. But Karnak’s party was anything but conventional.

”Oh, I’ll take care of this one,” Karnak said casually, stepping forward alone and raising his magic wand.

The others didn’t even bother forming up. Instead, they retreated further back, giving him space.

”I’ve become a step stronger, so it’s time for some real-world practice,” Karnak added with a smirk.

He began by drawing the ogre’s attention with a simple spell. ”Explosion.”

A blast detonated at the back of the Huge Ogre’s head. Enraged, the creature let out a guttural roar and charged toward Karnak in a blind fury.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each of its heavy footfalls caused the ground to tremble slightly.

Karnak smirked. ”Perfect. That makes things easier.”

The ogre’s stomping had conveniently shaken the earth, making it more receptive to his mana.

Pointing his wand at the ground, Karnak began chanting another spell. ”Rise and bind, Earthquake Hand!”

The ground burst open in multiple places, and countless mounds of earth surged upward, transforming into dozens of grasping hands. These rocky hands clamped tightly around the huge ogre’s legs, immobilizing it.

The ogre, startled, began flailing its club, smashing the stone hands with loud, resounding crashes.

Bam! Crash! Smash!

Leven couldn’t help but marvel while watching from a distance. There’s a variation of earth magic like this?

Karnak’s approach to magic was definitely unorthodox. Normally, Earthquake Hand conjured a single, massive stone hand to grab its target. However, Karnak’s version produced dozens of smaller hands that intertwined to secure the target. It was a method Leven had never seen before.

Then again... maybe it’s not entirely unfamiliar?

Something about their appearance felt eerily familiar.

Am I imagining things? They almost look like Hands of the Dead necromancers summon...

Regardless, the spell was undeniably effective. Trapped in place, the huge ogre glared at Karnak while grinding its teeth in frustration.

Meanwhile, Karnak calmly prepared a more powerful spell. ”O King of Flames, I summon you by our contract...”

Flames erupted in midair, swirling upward and gradually forming the shape of a human figure.

”By my will, descend upon this place!”

Whoosh!

The flames solidified into a fully-formed being. It was a giant clad in blazing armor, wielding a sword forged of fire. It was the flame spirit titan, El Ragnatia.

That’s a seventh circle spell! Leven’s eyes widened in shock. I thought he was a sixth circle mage! He’s already casting seventh-circle magic? At such a young age?

It was common knowledge that even a prodigy needed to reach their forties to enter the seventh circle of magic. Yet, no matter how one looked at him, Karnak seemed to be in his early twenties at most.

”Well, all that hard work paid off,” Karnak said with a broad grin, issuing his command. ”Go, El Ragnatia.”

The towering inferno surged toward the ogre, its fiery form casting an overwhelming presence. Standing over four meters tall, the flame spirit titan loomed over the three-meter huge ogre, glaring down as though mocking it.

For the first time, the ogre faced a being larger than itself. It roared in terror while charging forward in panic. The flame spirit titan emitted an intense wave of heat as it swung its blazing sword down.

Boom!

The clash of the two giants sent a shockwave of heat radiating through the air, consuming everything in its path.

***

The collision of the huge ogre and the flame spirit titan had caused a scene of massive destruction in the center of the forest

The once-dense forest was now a wasteland. Sunlight poured freely onto the ground through the shattered canopy above. Nearby trees had been reduced to blackened stumps, their charred remains smoldering faintly. Even the ancient tree trunks, which had gone centuries without sunlight, were split apart, burning at their cores.

Leven scanned the devastation and clicked his tongue. “How incredible...”

Despite having unleashed such large-scale magic, Karnak showed no signs of exhaustion.

He stood calmly while inspecting the fallen form of the huge ogre with an air of casual indifference. ”Good. Spirit magic seems pretty practical this way.”

Milia, awestruck, asked, ”When did you ascend to the seventh circle?”

Karnak shrugged. ”Not long ago. I’ve just barely made it in, so it feels a bit awkward to call myself a seventh circle mage.”

”Even so, seventh circle is seventh circle. And spirit magic, no less...”

Her amazement was understandable. Spirit magic was exceptionally powerful. It boasted tremendous destructive capability, consumed less mental energy, and allowed spirits to autonomously handle offense and defence. Properly utilized, it was far more efficient than other spells of the same rank.

However, it was also notoriously difficult to master—not because of its complexity, but because there was no guarantee the spirit would cooperate. Depending on the day, a spirit might fight with immense strength, produce only a wisp of flame before vanishing, or refuse to appear altogether.

Thus, the effectiveness of spirit magic depended heavily on the caster’s relationship with the spirit, a trait scholars referred to as spirit affinity.

“Captain Karnak, you’re truly remarkable. I’ve heard only those with pure and upright hearts possess high spirit affinity,” Milia said with admiration.

Karnak scratched the back of his head and waved off her praise. ”Ah, it’s not that big a deal. It just happened, I guess.”

Watching him, Leven couldn’t help but feel impressed. He’s so humble.

No wonder such exacting spirits lent him their power so readily. His character clearly deserved it. Meanwhile, Varos and Serati exchanged incredulous looks.

—Pure...

—And upright...?

—Young master?

—What did you do?

—Oh, nothing much.

Karnak replied, feigning innocence. But he had been frustrated that he couldn’t brag openly in front of Milia. Karnak finally began to boast via private magical telepathy.

—I adapted the spirit manipulation technique from necromancy.

To begin, Karnak used twice as much mana during the initial summoning. The greedy spirits would be tempted by the surplus of energy and eagerly answer the call. Of course, this method had a downside. The summoned spirits would often consume the mana and flee without doing anything.

—So I mesmerized the summoned spirit and forced it into submission! Once they’re enchanted, they obey commands like evil spirits do.

—Is that even possible?

—It’s only possible because I’m the one doing it.

Varos, still skeptical, was silent. This time, Serati asked a question instead.

—But once you summon a spirit and treat it like that, wouldn’t it refuse to respond the next time?

—That’s why I erase its memory before sending it back.

With its memory wiped, the spirit would obediently follow orders the next time it was summoned, as if nothing had happened.

—Are you even allowed to do that?

—Let me repeat myself. I can because I’m me.

Karnak’s confidence remained unshaken. Regardless of his methods, his spirit magic was undeniably powerful. It was powerful enough to stir feelings of inadequacy in Leven as he observed.

How can these people be so strong?

It wasn’t just Karnak. Both Varos and Serati possessed unfathomable skill. Leven had known that an advanced mage and aura users would be formidable, but their capabilities defied all reason.

Especially Sir Varos... He seems even stronger than my brother Emil.

At twenty three, Emil Strauss was a universally acknowledged prodigy. Despite his youth, he had already reached the level of a blue knight and was capable of holding his own in a short duel against a purple knight. Everyone believed that with a bit more experience, he was destined to become the next Martial King. So how was it that Varos—who was still only a red knight and didn’t seem much older—felt stronger than Emil?

Curiosity got the better of Leven, and he cautiously asked, ”If it’s not too much to ask, may I know your ages?”

”Me? I’m twenty-five,” Serati answered without much thought.

”I think I’m twenty-one now,” Karnak added.

”I’m twenty-two. Yeah, that sounds about right,” Varos chimed in.

Serati froze. ”Wait. Does that make me the oldest here?”

The two men, with their deceptively young bodies and ancient souls, nodded solemnly.

”Seems so.”

”Yep.”

The truth was, despite being centuries-old monsters on the inside, their physical ages were indeed those of fresh young adults. Leven was only twenty, and Lapicel and Milia were even younger.

Why... why do I suddenly feel cheated?

—What’s wrong?

Karnak asked, puzzled, as Serati shot him an annoyed glare.

—I feel like I’ve just aged a decade.

Of course, as someone in her mid-twenties, Serati didn’t have a single wrinkle to worry about. It was just an exaggerated complaint. Karnak, however, took her words seriously.

—Oh, are you worried about skincare? Want me to regenerate it for you?

Serati’s eyes gleamed ominously.

—You can regenerate skin?

—If I can regenerate limbs, why not skin? It only works on my vassal, though.

—Wow, being a vassal is great.

—Serati, your eyes are scaring me.

Karnak flinched at her sudden intensity.

—If I ever fall to corruption, you’re supposed to stop me. What happens if you’re the one who succumbs?

—But my skin could go back to looking like I’m a teenager!

While the two engaged in a silent staring contest, Varos chuckled softly and turned to Leven.

”So, what made you ask about our ages?”

Scratching his head awkwardly, Leven replied, ”It’s nothing, really. I just thought Sir Varos seemed stronger than my brother Emil...”

Leven’s instincts were sharp. Considering Varos’ experience, facing someone like Emil in this era wouldn’t be much of a challenge, even if Varos had comparatively less aura. But Leven didn’t know the full extent of Varos’ past. Even so, from watching Varos fight without even exerting his full power, Leven had judged him to be stronger than Emil, a blue knight.

Sir Leven truly has an incredible sense for these things. His natural instincts can’t be underestimated.

***

They encountered several more groups of monsters after that. Naturally, they swept through them without much trouble. By the time they were done, the sun had set. Karnak’s group found a reasonably safe spot and began preparing to camp for the night.

As they ate and rested, Leven quietly approached Lapicel and asked, ”Excuse me, but what swordsmanship style was that technique from earlier?”

He was referring to their battle with a flock of harpies. Among the techniques Lapicel had used, one had particularly caught his eye. It involved lowering the blade into a hanging guard before delivering two consecutive upward slashes. For some reason, he couldn’t rest without finding out more about it.

”Oh, this one?” Lapicel demonstrated the technique again before answering cheerfully. ”It’s something Sir Karnak was practicing. He called it Overkill.”

Leven turned to Karnak with a look of admiration. ”You practice swordsmanship as well, even though you’re a mage?”

”No, it’s just for exercise...”

To be fair, Karnak’s skill with a sword was no more than that of an average person, and it was clear to Leven that he wasn’t particularly serious about it. Satisfied, he turned back to Lapicel.

”May I see it one more time?”

Lapicel paused to think.

To her, Leven was like an older brother who had taught her valuable lessons. (In truth, she had simply copied his techniques on her own, but she firmly believed otherwise.) And when someone gave you something, it was only right to return the favor.

”Yes!”

She demonstrated Overkill again. Leven watched with keen eyes and began to mimic her movements. His observational skills were truly remarkable. With just one demonstration, he was able to replicate the technique almost perfectly.

Watching this unfold, Varos couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

—The creator ofOverkill is learning Overkill from someone else. Is this even allowed?

—Good point.

Karnak replied with a chuckle, though his expression suddenly turned serious.

—Wait, so Leven just learned Overkill from Lapicel, right?

He frowned, his thoughts turning suspicious.

—If that’s the case... who actually invented Overkill?

—What do you mean? Sir Leven invented it, obviously.

—But the creator of the technique just learned it from someone else. Doesn’t that mean Leven didn’t create it?

—That... does make sense?

Karnak furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

What does this mean?

The fact that Leven had created Overkill seemed to dissolve into nothingness. Yet the technique itself undeniably existed.

Is this what they mean by something coming into being from nothing?