Karnak, Monarch of Death

Many mages throughout history had conducted various thought experiments on the manipulation of time and space. Most of these experiments inevitably led to a single question: How does one resolve the paradoxes of time travel?

Just as Karnak had once wondered about the origins of the Overkill technique, the mere act of traveling between past and future inherently created contradictions.

Several hypotheses had emerged to address this problem. One was determinism, the idea that no matter what, the past could never be changed. Even if one thought they had altered the past, their actions were merely events that had always been destined to occur.

Then there was the mutable versus immutable history hypothesis, which suggested that while minor details could be changed, greater fates could not be altered.

Another was the history rewriting hypothesis, which stated that the moment one changed the past, the original future would vanish, replaced by an entirely new timeline.

And lastly, the parallel world hypothesis, which proposed that every choice created infinite branching realities, each containing a future corresponding to its divergence. There were also those who claimed that the very existence of paradoxes was proof that time travel itself was impossible.

But that last theory had already been rendered meaningless the moment Karnak successfully crossed into the past.

Among these, the theory Karnak had once believed in was history rewriting. The moment he returned to the past, the future he came from would cease to exist, and time’s continuity would become bound to him. Thus, he alone would retain knowledge of the vanished future while shaping a new one.

”When I was making the Obelisk of Transcending Space-Time, all the data pointed to this theory being correct.”

But now, this theory had been disproven. He had met Lapicel, someone who had also traveled from the future. If history rewriting were true, then the future he had come from no longer existed, meaning Lapicel could not have followed him into this timeline.

On the other hand, Demphis’s explanation made sense of many things. Why did the returning figures resemble those from his past, yet still feel slightly different? Why did Elezar and Demphis know of Lapicel, while neither knew Karnak and Varos?

If this world was some kind of parallel universe, then most of his lingering doubts could be answered.

”Tesranach’s existence would also make sense.”

Perhaps Tesranach had once been Karnak and Varos in another reality. But if in a twist of fate, Karnak had died and Varos had absorbed his power, then it was plausible that a third being had emerged in their place. This said being could have taken on the name Tesranach and walked a different path from the two.

”No matter how I look at it, that guy doesn’t seem like me, but... let’s just go with it for now.”

If that were the case, then even if Tesranach had once carried Varos’s fate, he had ultimately taken possession of Karnak’s body and authority. It wasn’t impossible that their subsequent actions had aligned.

Even the fact that Demphis’s Mark of Contract had been identical to Karnak’s made more sense under this theory.

”Yeah, it all fits together in some ways, but...”

Karnak’s expression remained uncertain. Even with this explanation, there were still unanswered questions.

***

”One thing I still can’t make sense of is this Anti-TIme-Space Transcender.“ Turning to Demphis, Karnak asked, ”You said this thing was created to help guide those returning from the future, right?”

”That’s a rather blunt way of putting it, but yes.”

”And you guys were sent back randomly, just like the three vanguard members?”

”Yes.”

”Doesn’t that seem strange?”

Demphis frowned in confusion. ”Which part, exactly?”

Karnak scowled. ”You’ve already managed to send back multiple people randomly. So why would there suddenly be a need for precision timing?”

”That’s to ensure everyone arrives at the right moment and properly joins forces...”

”That’s exactly what makes no sense.”

Tesranach had already sent back three vanguard members and four governors without using the Anti-Space-Time Transcender. That meant he was capable of sending back others.

”And yet, you’re telling me that after successfully sending all of you, he suddenly needed to build something to control the timing?”

Demphis had claimed it was to strengthen the Cult of the Black God’s forces before their arrival. But if that were the real reason, there was no need for such an elaborate system.

“He could just keep sending people at random.”

The more times something was attempted, the closer it would get to a guaranteed result. Summoning one soldier within a single day would be nearly impossible. But sending ten within a month? A hundred within a year? A thousand within ten years?

If he simply scattered his forces broadly across time, sowing them like seeds, then eventually, he would have gathered enough power to achieve the same goal.

”No matter how random it is, if you do it enough, you’ll end up with the manpower you need.”

”That’s... true.”

Demphis faltered, visibly shaken. He had never considered it before, but after hearing Karnak’s argument, he could sense the contradiction himself.

”And yet, instead of just flooding the past with troops, he built the Anti-Time-Space Transcender to precisely guide them here? That suggests there’s another reason behind it...”

As Karnak mulled over the implications, Demphis lowered his head. ”My apologies. That is beyond my knowledge.”

”Well, if you don’t know, then you don’t know.” Karnak nodded and shifted the topic. ”There’s another question.”

It was regarding the Guardian of the World, the Dragon Emperor Grateria.

”In the future I came from, Grateria definitely existed.”

But in the future Demphis had come from, the world ruled by Tesranach, Grateria did not exist. Whether he had never existed in the first place or had vanished for some reason remained unknown.

”In that case, what about this world?” Turning to Serati and Leven, the residents of this timeline, Karnak asked, ”Does the Dragon Emperor exist here, or not?”

Leven responded in a grave tone. ”I’ve never heard of such a being in my life.”

Serati, however, looked uncertain. ”I did hear about it from you once, Lord Karnak. Before that, I had no idea. I just assumed I was too much of a country bumpkin to know about it...”

Of course, this alone was not proof that the Dragon Emperor didn’t exist. Even in Karnak’s timeline, almost no one knew of Grateria’s existence until the very brink of the apocalypse.

Serati asked hesitantly, ”Doesn’t that mean he doesn’t exist? The world is already on the brink of ruin, and he still hasn’t appeared.”

Varos let out a wry chuckle. ”Well, that’s all a matter of perspective...”

Even when Karnak had been rampaging across the world, bringing it to the verge of collapse, the Dragon Emperor had just been asleep. By his standards, the current turmoil was nothing more than a cloudy day.

”That’s impossible...” Leven shook his head in disbelief. ”The Seven Goddesses themselves sent down a divine oracle to prevent the world’s destruction.”

”There was no oracle in my time, but even so, this world is still in relatively good shape,” Varos commented.

For the Dragon Emperor to recognize an event as true world-ending destruction, things would need to be far worse than they were now. For example, if the God of Darkness and Death had actually descended into the mortal realm...

”This is a crucial issue to consider. If humanity fails to stop the apocalypse and Tesranach truly descends, the Dragon Emperor could be our final line of defense.” Something seemed to click in Leven’s mind. ”Fortunately, there’s a way to check.”

The Dragon Emperor was almost completely unknown, existing only as a vague legend or myth. But that meant there were legends and myths about him.

”If we search the imperial library or the Church of the Seven Goddesses’ grand temple, we might find some traces in old records.”

”That makes sense. It’s worth investigating.” Karnak nodded, making a mental note to visit Alius later. ”Well, the matter of Grateria can be settled with some research...”

The first two questions had only been uncertainties. Even if Tesranach’s world was some kind of parallel reality to Karnak’s, it didn’t necessarily cause a major problem. But in this case, there was one thing that made no sense at all.

”You said the first person Tesranach sent back was Lapicel, right? As an experiment?”

”Yes.”

”And that’s the same Lapicel we encountered?”

”That’s correct.”

Demphis tilted his head, puzzled. Why was Karnak reaffirming something so obvious?

Karnak’s expression hardened. ”Lapicel knew who I was.”

”What?”

”She knew me, Karnak, the cursed Monarch of Death, perfectly well.”

She had even known Varos. Not just that, she had precisely referred to him as Lord Varos.

”If Tesranach was the one who sent Lapicel back... how does she know about us?”

***

Many mysteries had been answered. But just as many new ones had emerged.

”There’s nothing we can do about this right now.”

With the Mark of Contract on Demphis, there was no chance he was hiding anything. It didn’t matter how much Karnak questioned him. The answers simply did not exist.

”Let’s wrap things up here.” As he was rising to his feet, Karnak turned to Leven. ”Oh, and we should explain the role of a vassal to Leven, too.”

There was no need for Karnak to go through the trouble himself. He had a kind and helpful senior for that. ”Hey, Serati.”

”Yes, I figured this would happen.”

She gave a quick summary. He couldn’t betray Karnak. He couldn’t reveal Karnak’s identity. But he wasn’t a slave, and he did have a degree of freedom.

Leven listened carefully, then nodded in understanding. ”I see. Were you also Lord Karnak’s vassal?”

Without even realizing it, he, like Serati before him, had instinctively begun addressing Karnak with honorifics.

Recalling that moment, Serati let out a dry chuckle. ”I was just as powerless as you.”

She smiled as she recounted the story of how she had lost both her arms.

”There are some upsides to being a vassal, you know. For one, you’re pretty much free from injuries. Even if your limbs get cut off, they can be regenerated.”

Of course, that did little to ease Leven’s expression. He was a direct descendant of the prestigious Strauss family, one of the most distinguished noble houses in history. And now, he had become the vassal of a necromancer? His future seemed bleak beyond measure.

Karnak pursed his lips. ”Hey, don’t act like I forced you into slavery or something. I was actually trying to turn Varos back into a vassal. You just took his place. You should be grateful.”

Leven narrowed his eyes. ”Then why not just release me from the contract and make Sir Varos your vassal instead?”

”Ah, well...”

Karnak hesitated. He was about to change the subject when Demphis, completely oblivious to the atmosphere, chimed in. ”Would that really be alright? If the contract is undone, you’ll die on the spot.”

A startled response followed. ”What?”

It wasn’t Leven who reacted. It was Serati.

Seeing her expression, Demphis hesitated. ”You didn’t know?”

Karnak and Varos simultaneously buried their faces in their hands.

”Demphis, seriously...”

”Unbelievable...”

Serati let out a sharp breath, then turned her glare on Karnak, smiling faintly but dangerously.

”So, Lord Karnak. Care to explain exactly what that means?”

Karnak shot a glare at Demphis before responding. ”Technically, it means your soul would be disassembled.”

To break the contract was to erase it. But a vassal’s soul was bound to the contract. So if the contract was erased, the soul would be erased along with it. That was why Demphis had initially planned to kill Karnak and obliterate Leven’s soul before summoning the future Leven into his body. He had ultimately failed due to the power of the brand, but the intent had been clear.

”There’s no need for you to worry, Serati. I have no intention of ever breaking a vassal contract.”

Serati, who had been bristling moments before, let her expression relax.

Still... the fact that he’s even bothering to gauge my reaction... does that mean he’s become somewhat more human?

Deciding to let the matter slide, Karnak gave Demphis his next command. ”Lift the veil of darkness. We need to rescue the others.”