Karnak, Monarch of Death

The ritual Demphis had performed only guided a soul to a certain point in the past. The act of sending a soul from the future to the past was possible solely due to the power of Tesranach, who resided in the void.

”So, just because the ritual failed doesn’t mean the soul has any reason to return to the future.”

That was why Demphis hadn’t been particularly concerned about the failure. The soul of future Leven was still in the present. They just needed to prepare another opportunity to summon him properly. It wasn’t just Leven who was shocked by this revelation.

While Varos reacted as if he had expected it, Serati was utterly horrified. ”This is the kind of thing you should tell us in advance!”

”You guys should’ve asked better questions. How am I supposed to know what you don’t know?”

Karnak did his best to explain things when necessary, but inevitably, some things got left out.

”Then what happened to the soul of the other Leven?” Serati asked.

”Since he couldn’t take over this Leven’s body, he should be wandering this world like a ghost,” Karnak answered him.

Leven frowned. ”This Leven and that Leven? The wording is getting confusing.”

”What else can I call you? From my perspective, you’re both the real Leven.”

The Cult of the Black God would never simply leave that Leven’s soul alone. Even Demphis agreed.

”One’s own body is always the best, but if there’s no way to reclaim it, they’ll look for alternatives.” Karnak suspected that the soul would seek out another host. ”You remember what happened with Prince Lloyd and Prince Alford, right, Serati?”

”Yes.”

”The same situation is about to unfold.”

Possession became easier when the bodies involved shared similar traits—similar physique, similar age, same gender, and so on. That was why, in most cases, blood relatives made the most suitable hosts. However, blood ties alone weren’t always the deciding factor.

Lloyd and Alford were half-brothers. By conventional standards, they should have shared less genetic similarities to each other than to their father, King Wiscott I. But when considering their circumstances, the brothers were much more alike.

If a father’s traits were inherited at 100%, then a son would receive about 50% of that. Even if they had different mothers, brothers would still be more similar to each other than to their father, since both carried 50% of the same lineage. On top of that, both were young, whereas their father was an older man.

”And if they were full-blooded brothers with the same mother? Then there wouldn’t even be a debate.”

”Which means...” Leven’s face hardened at Karnak’s explanation. ”They might target Emil.”

***

A desolate clearing lay within a winter forest, where the cold still lingered. At its center stood a lone man. He was a swordsman in his twenties, with deep green eyes and rich brown hair, his features carrying an air of quiet dignity.

Slowly, he raised his sword. His entire presence sharpened like a blade, and his aura spread outward as if threatening to cleave everything around him. With a resonant hum, the blade flared to life, glowing with a brilliant purple light.

”Impressive, Emil.” A man in his fifties, whose green eyes mirrored the young swordsman’s, watched him with satisfaction. ”To reach the rank of a purple knight at your age... Even I had not achieved such a feat back then.”

The famed martial king of Delphiad and head of the Strauss family, Gellard, turned to Emil with an approving look.

But Emil shook his head. ”I’m still lacking.”

It wasn’t false modesty. His expression showed genuine dissatisfaction. ”I have a long way to go.”

Gellard let out a hearty laugh. The more he saw, the prouder he became of his son. Reaching the rank of purple knight at just twenty-three was already an astounding feat, yet Emil wasn’t blinded by his own strength. Instead, he set his sights even higher. That kind of mindset was rare in someone so young.

I was prepared to correct him if he grew arrogant... but it seems that won’t be necessary.

The only thing left for Emil was to solidify what he had learned.

”You must have much to reflect on. I’ll leave you to it.”

With that, Gellard left the clearing. A while passed, and left alone, Emil suddenly smiled.

”He should be far enough away by now.”

And then, he swung his sword once more. With a violent surge of energy, the purple aura shifted.cA dazzling silver radiance enveloped the blade, shining brilliantly.

”If I focus, I can reach this level... but beyond silver aura is still out of my reach.”

This was the limit of the aura stored within this body.

“I’m sorry, Emil.” He lowered his sword before sheathing it. “But you were fated to die by Tesranach’s hands anyways.”

His green eyes lifted toward the sky beyond the trees. ”So, even if I’ve taken your body now, nothing has really changed.”

***

A few days later, Leven approached Karnak. ”I received a letter from my family.”

”Hmm? What about?”

”I had written a letter saying I was checking in on Emil.” Leven held up the letter, his expression grim. ”They said he’s fine. In fact, he’s even ascended to the purple-tier.”

Serati’s face stiffened. ”You’re kidding.”

The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. If the future martial king had taken over Emil’s body, then it made perfect sense for his aura to rise so suddenly. Karnak and Varos’s reactions were somewhat ambiguous.

”Well... I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that his body’s been taken over just because of that.”

”He was originally supposed to reach the purple-tier around this time anyway.”

Serati, surprised, questioned them. ”But he’s only twenty-three, isn’t he?”

Then what did that make her, who had been so pleased to awaken to blue-tier at twenty-five?

”I told you, he’s a real genius.”

”He’s talented enough to make Sir Leven seem unremarkable. If we’re just talking about raw talent, even Lapicel wouldn’t be able to match him.”

At the same time, Karnak found himself reevaluating things. If that was the case, then had his past self already been a necromancer strong enough to take down a purple knight in his early twenties?

”Well, back then, I was solely focused on necromancy. And even then, I struggled a lot.”

”You barely won, but it was a close call, young master.”

”I really almost died.”

”In the other timeline, you did die.”

”I keep telling you, that wasn’t me.”

Regardless, Emil had been an extraordinary talent, perhaps the strongest martial king of them all. The only reason things had gone awry was that he had the misfortune of crossing paths with Karnak. Since he had already been destined to reach purple-tier, his advancement alone wasn’t enough to confirm whether future Leven had possessed him.

”We’ll have to wait and see. That’ll make things clear.”

”How?”

At Serati’s question, Karnak shrugged. ”Just think back to what happened with Princes Lloyd and Alford.”

Possession was never permanent. Even for half-brothers, the longest the possession had lasted was about three months. Since Emil and Leven had the same parents, the time limit would probably be longer...

”But at best, it’ll last half a year. If he really is possessed, then before that time is up, he’ll definitely come after Leven’s body again.”

”The way you phrased that is disturbing.”

Leven grimaced. From his perspective, that was a terrifying thing to hear.

”That’s why we need to prepare beforehand.” Karnak smirked before continuing. ”First, let’s make sure Leven has a stable position.”

Since he had officially become a knight of the Zestrad family, he had naturally ended up under Karnak’s command. But if he wanted to follow Karnak around without raising suspicion, the best way was to work in the same organization.

”You were originally in the King’s Order of the neighboring country. As an experienced knight, you should get accepted easily, right?”

***

In the capital Drunta, Erantel stared blankly at the young man before him while sitting in his office. ”Leven? Leven Strauss? Is it really that Strauss?”

”Yes. I recently became a knight of the Zestrad family.”

Erantel’s response was brief yet deeply expressive. ”Why?”

It was a single word loaded with layers of meaning.

Karnak, standing beside them, pouted. ”What’s wrong with my family?”

”A-Ah, no, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Oh, come on. You absolutely meant it like that.

To be fair, Karnak understood Erantel’s reaction. Comparing the reputation of the Zestrad and Strauss families was like comparing a lizard to a dragon.

Why on earth would a Strauss serve under a rural noble house like Zestrad...?

But as he thought about it, Erantel thought of a plausible explanation.

Wait a minute. It’s not just a rural noble house anymore, is it?

Its head was a seventh circle mage. It had two aura users, one of whom had already reached blue-tier. It owned a copper mine, ensuring a steady flow of wealth. It even had the backing of Prince Lloyd, and its knights were active in the King’s Order, further boosting its prestige.

It wasn’t quite a noble house of great renown, but it was far from a simple rural family now. Meanwhile, Leven calmly recited the explanation he had prepared in advance. He described how he had fought cultists alongside Karnak in Maleficus Dungeon, how he had been greatly aided by him, and how, as a result, he had sworn loyalty and moved to the Kingdom of Eustil.

It wasn’t a lie. Not technically.

”I see. So you joined the King’s Order to serve your lord.”

He had the qualifications. He had the pedigree. There was no reason to reject him. And on top of all that, he was already an experienced knight. Naturally, he was accepted.

Erantel instinctively reached out for a handshake, about to give the customary welcome, but then hesitated. Welcoming him to the King’s Order felt odd, considering he had originally served in the Ethriel King’s Order. But welcoming him to the Kingdom of Eustil felt like openly celebrating his defection.

In the end, Erantel just settled for an awkward smile. ”Ah. Let’s get along well.”

***

Thanks to Demphis, they had gathered information on Tesranach. Leven’s position had also been settled.

Karnak declared after gathering everyone together. ”All right, time to put a stop to whatever plan that Tesranach bastard is cooking up!”

Varos chimed in beside him. ”Exactly! We can’t just let these guys from the future manipulate this era as they please!”

Serati shot them a glare. ”Excuse me, but you two are also from the future.”

Naturally, neither of them even blinked.

“Exactly!”

”We’re the only exceptions!”

”Of course! Anyone except us is a no-go!”

Leven muttered under his breath, exasperated. ”You two are unbelievably shameless.”

Serati, on the other hand, just looked resigned. ”They’ve always been like this.”

Clicking her tongue, she asked, ”So, what’s the plan now?”

Thanks to Demphis’s intel, they had learned that it was impossible to prevent the Shadow of Doom from spreading. After all, it wasn’t some naturally occurring phenomenon. It was something Tesranach was deliberately making happen.

No matter how many doors they closed, he would simply punch new holes through reality. But there was another way.

”If the Cult of the Black God becomes the dominant faith in this world, that bastard descends, right?” said Karnak.

In other words, they just had to prevent the cult from rising to power.

”Aren’t we already doing that?” Varos responded.

”Until now, we were just capturing cultists to extract information,” Karnak answered him.

Now that they had a clear goal, they could take precise action.

Serati, uneasy, asked, ”And what exactly is that? You’re not going to go back to living like before, are you?”

”Like before?” Karnak paused to think, then responded with some uncertainty. ”Hmm... No, I don’t think I’ve ever done this before. At least, not exactly.”

Something about his phrasing felt incredibly ominous. Feeling even more uneasy, Serati pressed again. ”What in the world are you planning?”