Karnak, Monarch of Death

A radiant golden sword illuminated the plain. An overwhelming presence spread in every direction. Soon after, a shining woman appeared in midair. Terrifying killing intent and fighting spirit surged outward like a raging tide.

”Wh-what is that?!” The allied soldiers who saw her cried out in shock. ”It’s the Martial King of Cyphras!”

Beltia moved. She crossed dozens of meters with each step, darting across the battlefield as if flying through the sky. Destructive aura rained down on the battlefield like a storm. Screams erupted everywhere. No one dared, or was able, to stop her charge.

The orderly formation of the allied army’s left wing collapsed into chaos. Their advance slowed drastically. It was only natural. How could ordinary soldiers remain calm when facing a transcendent being capable of cutting down dozens, even hundreds, with a single swing?

Yet the Black God’s army failed to seize the opening. Even the fallen popes responsible for commanding the undead were equally stunned.

”Lady Beltia?” Valeria’s eyes widened at the sight of Beltia suddenly charging forward. No... how could she disobey the order...?

She was stunned and confused. Tesranach’s command was absolute, so how could Beltia defy it?

Only then did Valeria realize the mistake they had made. Ah!

***

Varos, who had been leading the allied army’s right wing, glanced toward the left and smiled faintly. ”They are acting just as you predicted, young master.”

While fighting the Black God’s army, Karnak had formed a hypothesis.

—It feels like those bastards are under the same delusion that I am, and it looks like they’re doing something similar over there.

Without realizing it, he had long regarded Varos as his vassal, just like the others. It had simply been the way he lived for countless years.

At present, there were four martial kings serving under Tesranach. They were Leven Strauss, Dreltein Thelix, Malican Thun, and Beltia Crotium. However, there was one key difference that set Beltia apart from the others.

Strictly speaking, she was not Tesranach’s subordinate. She was merely a fanatic follower. Thus, Tesranach’s absolute command, which bound his vassals, did not fully apply to her, just as Karnak’s absolute command did not apply to Varos.

Of course, Beltia remained fiercely loyal to Tesranach. Whether subordinate or not, she followed his orders, much like Varos himself. But just as Varos had once defied an absolute command to come rescue Karnak, Beltia too could refuse orders if circumstances pushed her far enough.

And this was the result. Leven frowned as he watched Beltia charge across the battlefield. ”Isn’t that going too far? But still... targeting Lady Beltia again...”

It was true that she was especially unstable emotionally, and exploiting an opponent’s weakness was indeed a condition for victory. Perhaps the fact that Karnak had at least hesitated over whether it was acceptable meant he had improved compared to before.

”It’s surprising that Sir Serati approved such a plan,” Leven added.

Varos shrugged. ”She opposed it at first.”

Originally, Karnak had prepared a slightly different provocation, which Varos revealed.

—Have you no shame before your daughter’s soul? That dead child must be weeping as she witnesses her mother’s sins! Perhaps you lost your daughter because of the crimes you committed! It must be divine punishment.

Leven’s mouth fell open. ”Good heavens...”

What kind of utterly disgraceful provocation filled with such vile, irreverent lines was that?

Serati’s reaction upon hearing it had been perfectly clear.

—Lord Karnak.

—Yes?

—Shut your mouth.

—Now, now, shouldn’t the saintess avoid such harsh language?

—Then let me put it properly. Close that vile and shameless mouth of yours.

—So in other words, I shouldn’t say it, right? Somehow, it did feel a bit questionable.

Setting aside the basic decency one ought to maintain as a person, provoking someone in that manner would have been problematic. If a hero known as the Evil-Slaying Mage were to shout such things in front of thousands of allied soldiers, what would become of his reputation?

So he had changed the lines into something more befitting a champion of justice, which was what they had just heard. However, with the content toned down, the chances of the provocation working properly had also decreased.

”Still, it worked right away. I suppose you’ve committed enough sins that it hits home easily, young master.”

If anyone else had spoken those words, Beltia likely would have ignored them entirely.

Varos muttered, ”Maybe that saying is true. The messenger matters more than the message.”

Leven stared at him in disbelief. ”Is that really how that phrase is supposed to be used?”

***

Valeria, too, quickly realized what misunderstanding they had made. What do we do now?

Tesranach had forbidden Karnak’s death, so they absolutely had to prevent Beltia from killing him. The simplest solution would be to abandon her as she was.

No matter how powerful Beltia was as a martial king, Karnak’s group had also grown tremendously strong. There was no way she could hold out alone without the support of the three fallen popes.

The real question was whether they could afford to lose Beltia here. Tesranach’s subordinates could be resurrected even after death, but Beltia was different.

If she were to die here, Karnak would undoubtedly devour her soul with delight. Hadn’t he been doing exactly that all along?

A sudden question crossed Valeria’s mind. Why did Lord Tesranach never take Lady Beltia in as a vassal?

In truth, Tesranach had simply made the same mistake as Karnak, but it was forbidden for a vassal like her to question her master. Soon, the doubt vanished, leaving only emotion behind.

Valeria nervously bit her nails. I cannot allow them to gain a Martial King on their side.

To extract Beltia, they themselves would have to return to the battlefield. Beneville and Splendia agreed.

”There’s no helping it. Let’s go.”

”In the worst-case scenario, we’ll just die again.”

”It wouldn’t be the first time.”

The armies of the three fallen popes also began turning back toward full engagement.

***

In an instant, Beltia reached the allied army’s left wing where Karnak was positioned. The moment he entered her range, golden aura burst forth like flames.

—Croterian Sword, Falling Starlight.

Dozens of streaks of sword-light shot toward Karnak. It was a wide-ranging attack that left no space to evade.

Dios thrust forward his staff from behind Karnak. ”I will block it!”

The artifact of the Tower of Dawn, Dawnshroud Staff, had been taken away by the future Diogres Kolon. So instead, he now wielded the Staff of Dusk.

Though he had lost his physical body, the magical wisdom and knowledge he had honed over a lifetime had not vanished. The magical device, forged with every resource of Dios, the greatest enchanter on the surface, glowed with a dark crimson light.

The soldiers who saw it gasped in admiration.

”That’s...!”

”A divine artifact bestowed by the Twilight Goddess!”

In truth, it had nothing to do with the goddess at all, but it had been deliberately crafted to look similar. They needed to elevate Serati’s reputation by any means possible. Magic continued to burst through the staff.

”Arcana Protect! Reflect Veil! Ice Barrier!”

This was the assault of a martial king. Dios’s comparatively weakened magic alone could not fully block it. So he activated multiple defensive spells at once, stacking them to amplify their effectiveness.

A rain of golden flashes collided with the layered barriers of light, triggering a massive explosion. In that instant, Drel lunged forward. With his entire body wrapped in silver aura, he rushed straight toward Beltia in a single burst.

Two streams of aura clashed midair. The destructive force of the golden sword aura drove Drel’s silver aura backward. But Drel himself did not retreat.

With elegant swordsmanship, he redirected his opponent’s strength and lunged once more toward Beltia. His intricate assault struck cleverly at the martial king’s vital points.

In an instant, dozens of exchanges followed. As the blades collided repeatedly, Beltia’s expression hardened slightly. This man has almost reached the wall.

He was not someone who could be dismissed just because he was only a silver knight. He would undoubtedly ascend to the rank of martial king before long.

Beltia roared, ”But you’re still lacking!”

Her aura skyrocketed as she charged at Drel. As the situation turned dire, Dios hurriedly joined the assault as well. ”Sir Drel!”

Only once it became a two-against-one battle did the tide finally reach a stalemate. A fierce deadlock continued as terrifying waves of aura and magic burst outward in every direction without pause. Anyone caught in such a merciless collision of power was doomed.

”Get back!”

”If you get caught in that, you’ll die for nothing!”

The nearby soldiers turned pale and fled in panic. The undead, lacking even the instinct to avoid danger, were swept into the clash and pulverized to dust. In an instant, the surrounding area was emptied, becoming a deserted battlefield.

Karnak slowly stepped backward while watching the spectacle. The moment Beltia saw him retreating farther away, her eyes blazed with fury. He was actually trying to run away after spouting such insolent nonsense?

”If you are truly a man, then face me like one, Karnak!”

The martial king’s shout thundered across the skies of the battlefield. But Karnak paid her no heed. He genuinely was not listening. His gaze was fixed beyond Beltia, toward the army of the Black God. Now then, what are the others doing?

***

The three fallen popes led the horde of undead toward the allied army’s left flank, where Karnak was positioned. Serati’s forces stopped their march through the enemy lines and reversed course, toward the fallen popes, when they saw this. Varos and Leven also pursued the popes from the allied army’s right flank.

Noticing this, Beneville and Splendia frowned.

”The Saintess of Twilight?”

”Of course they’d chase after us.”

Beltia’s safety was their highest priority, but the enemies behind them could not simply be ignored either. At this rate, they would not only suffer a crushing defeat from an attack at their rear, but would also fail to escape safely themselves.

”We’ll have to use our power.”

Valeria stroked the necklace engraved with the symbol of waves. It had originally been the holy emblem of Atima, Goddess of the Sea. But now, it was a black relic corrupted by Tesranach’s power. Beneville and Splendia reached the same conclusion.

”It cannot be helped.”

”He has descended, so there is no longer any reason to hold back.”

Pillars of light rose from various points within the Black God’s army. Soon after, they disgorged colossal beings. Valeria of the Sea transformed into a gigantic blue serpent dozens of meters long, her entire body covered in water.

—Incarnation of Divinity, Abyssal Current.

Beneville of the Earth stood upon the battlefield as a giant composed of jagged black rock.

—Incarnation of Divinity, Pitch-Black Terrain.

Splendia of Fire took the form of a massive bird wreathed in blazing flames.

—Incarnation of Divinity, Black Sacred Flame.

The corrupted powers of the goddesses descended upon the earth. Both Serati and Leven flinched in shock.

What?

Why are they so strong?

They couldn’t gauge the fallen popes’ true strength until they crossed blades, but they could still infer a great deal merely from the pressure they exuded. The pressure they felt from Jedex, Relfiana, and Leoslav had been nowhere near this level.

An overwhelmingly greater force than then now blanketed the battlefield. It seemed they had not been able to fully unleash their power before Tesranach’s descent.

Serati clicked her tongue. Tch, I thought they’d become easier to handle now!

As expected, nothing in this world ever went the way one hoped. Still, there was no point standing around whining helplessly. She placed her hand upon her sword and drew forth divine grace. Crimson-black flames engulfed the blade, scattering radiant light.

—Twilight Sword Art: Prelude of Night!

The light of the evening glow began spreading wide across the skies of the battlefield.