Karnak, Monarch of Death

The Dragon Emperor, Grateria, was the strongest dragon in existence, fated by the Seven Goddesses to be the world’s guardian.

”You don’t know about the Dragon Emperor?” Karnak stared at Demphis in disbelief.

Demphis, equally baffled, responded with his own question. ”How can a dragon even have an emperor?”

To be fair, his reaction was perfectly reasonable. While the alliance of dragons, elves, and dwarves was called the Berus Federation, it was nothing like the Seven Kingdoms Alliance or the Lacania Empire, which had structured political systems.

Nations typically began as tribal or city-states before gradually evolving into feudal societies or centralized governments. The Seven Kingdoms Alliance had settled into feudalism, while the Lacania Empire had moved halfway toward centralization.

But the Berus Federation was different. Elves and dwarves still maintained a tribal and city-state structure. The reason was simple: they lived too long. A period spanning dozens of human generations amounted to only a few for elves and dwarves. As a result, the evolution of their governance was slow—painfully so.

And dragons? They didn’t even live together. Dragons started as beasts, later developing intelligence akin to humans or elves, and ultimately aging into sages. A dragon’s youth and adolescence were spent as instinct-driven creatures that wielded immense magical and physical power but lacked reason.

Unlike humans, who formed nations for geopolitical reasons, dragons chose their habitats based on ecological needs, much like wild animals. It was also during this stage that they acted upon their baser instincts, such as mating.

Only upon reaching maturity did they develop reason, learn languages, and acquire intelligence. Yet, as they had no inherent social instincts, they rarely sought contact with their own kind unless there was an extraordinary reason.

In old age, they withdrew into their lairs, spending most of their remaining years in the Dragon’s Slumber. These dragons were scattered like dots across the vast lands of the eastern continent, amidst the territories of elves and dwarves. Because their habitat encompassed such an extensive area, the entire region came to be known as the Berus Federation.

But that didn’t mean there was any formal political agreement binding the dragons and the elven races. Frankly, there was no need for one.

The dragons’ habitats alone served as a massive natural barrier, preventing the Lacania Empire from expanding eastward. The elves, in turn, had no reason to provoke the dragons unnecessarily. Given this reality, the idea of a nation for dragons simply did not exist, and neither did the concept of a Dragon Emperor.

”Well, technically, it was more of a title than an official position...”

Grateria had been so powerful and so legendary that he had been called the Dragon Emperor. It wasn’t as if he wielded any real political authority.

”But considering there was no one in the world strong enough to oppose him, he was an emperor in every sense that mattered...” Muttering to himself, Karnak glanced at Varos. ”Come to think of it, we didn’t even learn about the Dragon Emperor until way later, right?”

”That’s right. Grateria only revealed himself after we had already crushed every human force.”

Grateria spent most of his existence in deep slumber. He had only emerged when the world was on the brink of destruction. In other words, unless the world was truly ending, he would not interfere.

Even monumental events in human history, such as the war that established the Lacania Empire and the early West Continent Wars of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, were nothing more than petty human squabbles in his eyes.

Because of this, historical records on him were nearly nonexistent. At best, he existed as a distant myth, a legend passed down from ancient times.

”In other words...” Serati, who had been listening, crossed her arms and asked in exasperation, ”You’re saying that what you did was on the level of myth and legend?”

Karnak shrugged. ”When I do something, I make sure I do it right.”

”That was not a compliment!”

Regardless, the atrocities Tesranach had committed were certainly on par with Karnak’s. And yet, in Tesranach’s case, the Dragon Emperor had never appeared.

”Maybe Grateria simply doesn’t exist in that world?” Karnak said.

”Or Tesranach could have dealt with him first. If he took care of him before he became widely known, it would explain why Governor Demphis doesn’t know about him,” Varos responded.

”That would mean Tesranach defeated that monster before ascending to Astra Shunaph. But how?” Karnak posed.

”Yeah, that’s the problem.”

Karnak and Varos racked their brains, but nothing came to mind.

”In any case, what we do know is that Tesranach became Astra Shunaph not to defeat the Dragon Emperor, but to withstand the combined assault of the archmages and the martial kings, right? That means he was weaker than you, young master.”

”It’s not necessarily because Tesranach was weaker than me. If all of them had joined forces against me, I wouldn’t have had a countermeasure either.”

Karnak had only managed to kill the three archmages and four martial kings while still human because he had taken them down one by one. From the start, he had made sure they never had the chance to join forces. There was a reason he had been able to do so.

”Tesranach was alone. But we had two people.”

Unlike the lone Tesranach, Karnak had at his side the one swordsman he could trust more than anyone, the strongest knight of the mortal realm, the death knight Lord, Varos.

”Of course, back then, you were only ranked fourth on the continent and not yet a death knight, but still, you were a fairly useful aide.”

”If you’re going to give me a compliment, why not just say it straight? Why do you always have to add a but?”

Had Karnak been alone, no matter how powerful his authority, he would never have been able to control his enemies all at once. After all, he only had one body. It was thanks to Varos that he could carry out diversionary tactics.

”But in the end, both Tesranach and I became Astra Shunaph. And yet, in Tesranach’s case, the Dragon Emperor never appeared?” Propping his chin on his hand, Karnak fell into deep thought. ”Did things take a different turn after that?”

Demphis, who had been quietly waiting, spoke once more. ”After ascending to Astra Shunaph and becoming the God of Death, there was no one left who could stand against Tesranach...”

***

All three archmages became Tesranach’s subordinates. Three of the four martial kings also fell under his command. Only Lapicel, the Martial King of Cyphras, barely managed to escape, leading a feeble resistance.

But it was nothing more than a dying ember. In the end, she, too, was defeated. The last hero of humankind fell into the clutches of darkness, her body and soul torn apart and put on display before the entire world.

Even the power of the Seven Goddesses faded from the mortal realm. And thus, the God of Death became the undisputed ruler of the world. There was no longer anything that could stand in his way.

For decades, Tesranach reigned as both Monarch of Death and God of Death, ruling over all creation. Then, one day, he made a declaration.

—I have ruled over death.

—It took me a hundred years to realize something.

—To become the true God of Darkness, I must not only rule death. I must rule life as well!

At that moment, Varos let out a short laugh. He had heard this before. Wasn’t this the exact same nonsense Karnak used to grumble about back in the day?

”Though, I must say, this version has a bit more grandeur to it. Honestly, young master, you were always a bit petty...”

”Shut up, Varos.”

”Yes, sir!”

As the two of them bickered, Demphis cautiously asked, “Excuse me, are you two finished?”

By now, he was so used to it that he didn’t even get angry anymore. In fact, it felt as if he was familiar with their bickering far longer than reality.

Why am I so familiar with this kind of atmosphere?

It felt as though he had been dealing with their nonsense for years.

Regardless, he cleared his throat and continued. ”Then, I shall proceed.”

Karnak and Varos quickly sobered up, their expressions turning serious. From here on, this was uncharted territory. It was a story neither of them had ever heard before.

***

Having become the ultimate undead, Tesranach had perfected his control over darkness and death. But in exchange, he had become more distant from light and life than anything else. And this, he found unsatisfying.

He wanted to possess everything in the world, and that included the domains once ruled by the goddesses. How could he become an absolute being, one who controlled both life and death, one who dictated the fate of the world itself?

He pondered endlessly, researching, searching for an answer. And finally, he found a clue.

If I return to a living body... and in that state, obtain a power equal to darkness, the power of light... then I can succeed.

But turning this theory into reality was no simple feat. Simply stealing another living body would not suffice. To do so would compromise the integrity of Astra Shunaph.

And yet, the God of Death eventually found the solution.

If my own body is the foundation, then it is possible.

The problem was that Tesranach had long since discarded his physical body. And so, he turned his gaze to the past. If he transcended time and possessed his body from the past, he could fulfil his ultimate ambition!

His research continued. He faced failure after failure. But he never despaired. For one who had already attained immortality, time was a meaningless resource. It was something he could afford to waste as he pleased.

And at last, he succeeded. The ultimate magic, Temporal Regression, was completed. Standing before the massive, blood-red monolith, Tesranach reflected to himself.

With this, I can return to the past. But even this is not perfect.

The monument could only send back his soul. Of course, since his body was composed of pure energy as Astra Shunaph, this sorcery would allow him to transfer not only his soul but also his divine authority into the past. But that would separate his soul from his authority.

That would be problematic.

He had not developed this sorcery just to return to being a weak, whimpering servant who had lost his master.

What should I do?

He found the answer. The reason his soul and authority would be separated was that while his soul had a vessel to inhabit, his authority did not. For Tesranach’s soul to possess his past body did not significantly violate the laws of the world.

However, the power of Astra Shunaph was simply too vast. The moment he tried to forcibly interfere with the past, the world itself would resist.

The key to maximizing necromantic power is dispersion.

Instead of returning through time all at once, he would first remain in a void space and keep his soul and authority unified. From there, he would slowly spread his authority into the past, seeding the world with darkness. By doing so, he would prepare a place for his descent.

This should be possible.

But even this plan had its flaws. Unlike the present, the past was still intact. The Seven Goddesses were alive, the Church of the Seven Goddesses stood strong, and humanity, dragons, and elves all still thrived.

If he carelessly scattered darkness throughout this world, it would inevitably be cleansed before it could take root. Tesranach needed people to return before him, people who would spread darkness and lay the groundwork for his arrival.

***

“The spell of Temporal Regression did not exist before Tesranach. Naturally, there was no guarantee that it would function properly.”

According to Demphis, before sending his subordinates, Tesranach first conducted preliminary experiments.

”He sent souls that he wouldn’t regret losing, yet were strong enough to withstand time regression.”

He chose out of those who had resisted him to the bitter end, the powerful warriors he had never managed to turn into his subordinates.

”The martial king of Cyphras. Lapicel Crotium.”

Lapicel’s soul successfully crossed time and returned to the past. Of course, even Tesranach had no way of knowing where or when she had ended up. But simply confirming that the process had worked was enough.

”After that, he moved in earnest.”

To pave the way for Tesranach’s arrival, darkness, death, and necromantic power alone would not suffice. It was necessary to harmonize with the existing powers of the world—mana, aura, and divine energy. Thus, three individuals were chosen as the vanguard.

To represent mana, the Archmage Elezar de Reflasion.

To represent aura, the Martial King Dreltein Thelix.

To represent divine power, the Fallen Pope of the Sun, Jedex Tieland.