Death King Karnak

Chapter 34: Chapter 33: Lanfelt Mansion (3)

For a moment, Alius doubted his ears.

But there was no mistake. He had met this person several times before and remembered the voice clearly.

It was Shutraff, the head of the Trist Diocese.

"Why on earth are you practicing necromancy...?"

A mocking reply returned.

"Why are you so surprised? Weren't you already suspicious and sneaking in here like this?"

Of course, he had been suspicious.

But at most, he thought Shutraff might have allied with a necromancer. He never imagined that the man himself had become a necromancer.

"Good grief! A servant of the goddess, indulging in the unholy powers of darkness?"

"And why wouldn't I? Hahaha!"

With the deepening sneer, the entire space quivered. The force of darkness grew stronger, transforming into a heavy pressure that crushed down on their bodies.

"Ugh!"

Serati, sensing the danger, scanned her surroundings.

When the situation becomes dire, securing a retreat is the first priority.

'The exit?'

The gate they had destroyed upon entry was now blocked by grotesque masses of flesh.

She immediately summoned her aura blade.

"Haaah!"

A red aura struck the wall of flesh. But it quickly dissipated.

The wall only quivered for a moment and remained completely intact.

"How is it so tough?"

Riltein wasn't standing idle either. Struggling to regain his composure, he prepared a spell.

"Fire Arrow!"

Flaming arrows shot toward the wall of flesh in quick succession.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Unfortunately, the result was the same.

After the explosions subsided, the masses of flesh began to writhe again.

Both the aura and the magic were smothered by the darkness before they could unleash their full power.

"I'll dispel the curse!"

Pointing his oak wand forward, Alius channeled his divine power.

"Light of Hatoba!"

A radiant flash spread in all directions.

It was the holy light of the goddess, capable of burning away all evil. No darkness could withstand it.

...At least, that's how it had always been.

But the darkness didn't fade in the slightest.

Instead, it devoured the holy light and grew even more powerful.

The entire space was filled with the stench of death, and the blood pooled on the floor began to swirl violently.

"My divine power... it's not working...?"

Alius's face paled.

This was the first time he had faced such a powerful necromancer. No, he had never imagined that the power of darkness could be so overwhelming.

"Tsk tsk, Alius, my friend."

A voice echoed from beyond the miasma-filled space.

"Did you really think those people you encountered were true necromancers?"

The voice sounded almost sympathetic for a moment...

"No, no, that's not it."

...but in truth, it was filled with utter mockery.

"Think about it. If necromancy were only as trivial as that, why do you think the Churches of the Seven Goddesses have always been so wary of the power of darkness?"

The 'Doom of Darkness' cultists are currently ravaging the continent...

Most of them had no idea what necromancy truly was. They simply wielded power because it came to them.

It's like accidentally picking up a legendary sword.

Just because someone swings a sword recklessly, does that make them a swordsman?

"How do you feel now that you've faced the real thing after only dealing with amateurs?"

Serati and Riltein groaned.

"Ugh..."

The invisible pressure grew even stronger. Just standing became a challenge as their minds grew hazy, and their breathing became labored.

Alius's face grew paler as he looked around.

'Damn it, what should we do now?'

***

Even in the hellish scenery before him, with the suffocating darkness that seemed to pierce the brain, Boras remained unshaken.

'Wow, now this guy can actually call himself a true necromancer.'

While others might have felt terror at the gruesome sight and the aura of darkness, he was different.

'It's been a while, but I've missed this.'

This was a scene he had grown tired of in the past.

It was a common necromantic barrier that Karnak often deployed to crush his enemies.

Of course, unlike back then, this space was no longer an ally. But that didn't matter.

What was there to worry about when the Death King Karnak, who had mastered necromancy to the highest degree, was by his side?

'This is actually a good thing.'

If this necromancer was powerful enough, he must have consumed a lot of the darkness!

'If we're lucky, we might get home right away.'

Boras glanced at Karnak expectantly.

Karnak was scanning the surroundings with a stiff expression.

Boras couldn't help but be impressed.

'As expected, our young master's acting skills are unmatched. Even I, who have served him for so long, almost believe he's genuinely startled.'

That impeccable acting was truly something to admire.

Putting on his own shocked expression, Boras secretly sent a magical message.

[So, young master, what should we do now?]

Soon, Karnak would analyze the flow of necromantic power, identify the barrier's weakness, and give instructions. All Boras had to do was follow those directions and strike at the weak point.

He waited confidently for the instructions...

[Young master.]

But there was no response from Karnak?

[Young master?]

Karnak was still just 'acting startled' the entire time.

[Why are you acting like you've never seen necromancy before?]

Finally, a reply came.

[I've never seen it before.]

[What?]

[I'm telling you, I've never seen anything like this!]

[...What?]

***

Karnak was sweating coldly.

'What the hell is going on here?'

The necromantic barrier that Shutraff had cast was at a remarkably high level. Even by the standards of his previous life, where necromancers were rare, this was comparable to that of a first-rate necromancer.

Still, to Karnak, it was third-rate at best.

From the perspective of the Death King, it was still insignificant. With just a bit of focus, he could clearly see the flow of the energy and the methods used.

The problem was that he could see it all too clearly, but couldn't actually do anything about it.

'Why is there divine power mixed in with the necromantic power?'

The current necromantic barrier wasn't formed purely by dark energy. Within the flow of black magic, there was a complex intertwining of holy light.

This fusion of divine power had turned what was otherwise a straightforward necromantic barrier into something he couldn't break with his usual methods.

'Light and darkness have merged? How is that even possible?'

To put it in layman's terms:

The light was purifying the darkness.

In such a state, the necromantic barrier should collapse on its own, without any intervention. After all, necromantic power and divine power could never coexist.

But here they were, coexisting naturally.

'How is this even possible?'

It was so far beyond common sense that Karnak couldn't even form a hypothesis.

Moreover, this wasn't the time to leisurely come up with theories.

'At this rate, there's nothing I can do!'

Until now, Karnak had never struggled when dealing with necromancers.

It wasn't because his magic was stronger than theirs.

Ever since his regression, Karnak had deliberately focused only on cultivating his chaos magic, avoiding developing his necromantic powers as much as possible.

As a result, his necromantic power was extremely limited.

In pure necromantic power alone, even those half-witted necromancers with their heads blown off would likely have ten times more than Karnak.

Yet, he had always been able to defeat them easily because he could clearly identify their weaknesses.

It was almost like foresight, allowing him to anticipate their moves and preemptively block any necromantic spells, effortlessly overpowering them.

But now, that method is impossible...

[Boras, stay alert.]

He would have to face this enemy with nothing but his chaos magic and a small amount of necromantic power.

[If we're unlucky, we might die here.]

Karnak swallowed hard. For the first time since returning to this era, he felt a sense of impending danger.

Boras's expression also hardened immediately.

[Is it that serious?]

He didn't know all the details, but he was all too familiar with that look on Karnak's face.

[Well, I had a feeling things were going too smoothly.]

***

"There's no escape..."

With the eerie voice, the darkened space began to shift. The bloody swamp writhed as dozens of tendrils shot up, slicing through the air.

"Surrender your foolish souls to the darkness, sacrifices!"

Riltein hastily prepared a wind spell.

"Winds, become blades of decapitation! Wind Blade!"

Serati also unleashed her aura blade.

The wind blades and red aura slashed through the swamp, striking the tendrils.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

The advancing tendrils were severed and scattered in all directions. Riltein muttered in surprise.

"Hey, did it work this time?"

Earlier, neither their aura nor magic had any effect, but this time the attack seemed to land successfully.

Just as Alius and his party started to show a glimmer of hope, Karnak's cold voice cut in.

"Don't celebrate. It only worked because he let it."

"What?"

Serati, puzzled, caught sight of a strange scene.

The severed tendrils began to morph simultaneously, each transforming into a towering dark giant, about 2 meters tall, emitting a disturbing noise.

Goooh...

Goooorrr...

These were golems, necromantic constructs made of blood and darkness.

The golems charged at the group all at once. Alius quickly cast a holy barrier.

"Hatoba! Grant your servant protection!"

A dome of holy light enveloped the group. The golden barrier pushed back the advancing golems for a moment.

But it didn't last long.

Goooorrr!

With a roar, the golems began hammering the barrier with relentless force.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

With each impact, a thunderous sound echoed, and the barrier started to warp. Alius groaned repeatedly.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

Every time the golems struck, the shock reverberated back, hitting him hard.

It wasn't just physical force; the punches were infused with dark energy.

"It's no use, Priest Alius."

The mocking voice returned.

"Your light is far too weak before the true darkness."

His insides twisted as blood welled up.

"Gah, ugh!"

Alius staggered, coughing up blood.

Riltein, focusing intently, shouted.

"Hold on just a little longer!"

The barrier could break at any moment. They needed to turn the tide with a powerful spell before that happened.

As Riltein finished his incantation, he raised his wand high above his head.

"Raging inferno that consumes all, Flame Strike!"

This was the most powerful fire spell he could currently cast.

A massive pillar of fire erupted, filling the entire hall and sweeping toward the golems.

Kwooooom!

Or so he thought.

Just as the pillar of fire surged toward them, the golems opened their mouths. They spewed forth darkness, unleashing a deafening roar.

Goooooh!

The inferno was engulfed by the darkness and extinguished completely.

It wasn't merely dispersed or shattered—it was entirely obliterated.

"Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't go around setting fires in someone else's house."

With the sound of a tongue clicking, the barrier of light finally shattered.

Boom!

The golems surged forward, overwhelming the group.

A massive dark hand gripped Alius by the throat.

"Ugh! H-Hatoba..."

He desperately tried to cast a holy spell, but it was useless. The darkness seeped into his entire body, suppressing his ability to summon divine power.

A cheerful voice echoed through the hall.

"Always secure the priest first."

Riltein found himself in a similar situation.

'Damn it! I need to cast another spell...'

His mana was surging wildly after casting such a powerful spell. He needed just a moment to catch his breath and cast another spell, but that "moment" wasn't given to him.

Thud!

One of the golems struck him down, stomping on him. Pinned under the golem's foot, Riltein struggled.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Then, he went limp.

The darkness had infiltrated his mind, rendering him unconscious.

"Well, I have caught the high-ranking mage as well."

Shutraff's attention then turned to Serati.

"So, that just leaves this young lady?"

Of course, Karnak and Boras were still standing, but Shutraff didn't care much about them.

To him, they were just a regular knight who hadn't even awakened his aura and a mid-rank mage of the 4th Circle. Compared to an aura user, they were insignificant sacrifices and thus lower on his priority list.

Serati, however, was still holding on.

"Hah, hah..."

Even though her comrades had fallen one after another, she refused to give in to despair. She continued to swing her aura blade, targeting the golems.

"Take this!"

But it was no use.

No matter how fiercely she slashed with her aura blade, it was blocked by the dark armor that enveloped the golems.

Finally, she took a hit.

A heavy fist struck her shoulder.

Thud!

Although the blow only glanced off her, the impact momentarily halted her movements.

In that brief pause, a golem's massive hand seized her by the throat.

"D-Damn it!"

In a desperate attempt, Serati tried to cut through the golem's arm with her aura blade, but it was futile. The golem remained unscathed.

"What a rich soul you have."

The voice, now filled with satisfaction, echoed from the void.

"You will make a truly splendid sacrifice."

At that moment...

Whoosh!

Suddenly, an ordinary steel sword flew through the air, aiming for the golem's forearm. With a loud metallic clang, the thick arm was severed cleanly.

Clang!

The severed arm lost its grip on Serati's throat and fell away. Taking advantage of the opening, Boras quickly moved in, pulling Serati back to safety.

"Are you alright, Miss Serati?"

Serati's eyes widened in disbelief.

The dark armor that had withstood her powerful aura blade had been sliced through like straw by a simple steel sword.

"H-How...?"

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