Karnak, Monarch of Death-Chapter 129: In Shambles (3)

Under the assault of the wraiths, the zombies and ghouls were relentlessly slashed and shattered.

Aaahhh!

Ughhh!

However, the spectral soldiers could not hold out for long. The necromancers had intervened to prevent further losses.

"How dare you wield Tesranach's power in front of us!”

"We'll show you how terrifying true darkness can be!”

Two men observed the scene below on the rooftop of the general store.

"As expected, they can’t last long."

Though the mist was too thick to see clearly, it was obvious that the wraiths were disappearing one after another. Even so, Karnak didn't blink an eye. He had nothing to lose, after all. He smirked while glancing at the blue-lit lantern in his hand.

"This thing's great. It’s convenient and effortless."

It was the Lantern of Lost Souls, a relic left behind by Kayle, one of Detzras's subordinates. Though considering Kayle himself was trapped inside the lantern and thrashing to be let out, calling it a relic he left behind was debatable.

“Aaaaargh!"

“Be quiet.”

"Ughhhh..."

Kayle’s spectral form began to emerge head-first, but Karnak casually shoved it back inside, packing it down firmly before summoning more wraiths. Beside him, Varos frowned.

"Uh, young master?”

“What?"

"There's a crack forming in the lantern.”

"Well, of course. I'm overworking it without much thought to the consequences."

The lantern was something he was supposed to have handed over to the King's Order long ago.

But upon closer inspection, it turned out to be surprisingly useful. So, he had tucked it away in the void space, intending to squeeze a few more uses out of it before discarding it. Of course, the longer he used it, the more likely he was to get caught, so he planned to use it intensively for a short time and then dispose of it.

"And then you'll hand in the broken junk?”

"Of course. I'll still expect a bonus for it."

Pouring the last remnants of the lantern's dark energy into the wraiths had paid off. More than half of the low-level undead, like zombies and ghouls, had been wiped out. Although they hadn't managed to touch Hudel's knights or the cult's necromancers, it didn't matter.

The purpose of using the Lantern of Lost Souls hadn't been to defeat those stronger enemies. It was merely to thin the ranks of the bothersome undead army before the real battle began. And it had achieved a satisfactory result. Eventually, the wraiths summoned by the lantern were all extinguished.

Karnak stepped away from the edge of the rooftop and turned to Varos. "Are Lapicel and Serati in position?”

"Yes."

As they descended from the building, Karnak gave a small nod. "Send the signal.”

***

Serati and Lapicel waited with the temple soldiers amidst the thick mist. They held their breath, remaining calm and alert. In the distance, a faint rumble echoed through the air.

Boom! Boom!

It was the prearranged signal. With the mist obscuring vision, flares or other visual signals were unreliable. Moreover, flares could reveal their position to the enemy the moment they were launched. Sound signals, on the other hand, were far more practical in these conditions.

For an aura user of Varos’s caliber, smashing through a wall or two to create a loud noise was a trivial task. And sound scattered and echoed in the midst, making it difficult to pinpoint its source.

Startled by the booming sound, the cultists looked around nervously.

"What... what was that?"

Serati drew her sword. Wrapping crimson aura around the blade, she charged directly into the enemy ranks. ”Attack, everyone!"

With a deafening war cry, Lapicel and the temple soldiers charged forward, following closely behind Serati. Their assault struck the enemy's flank in perfect sync with the prearranged signal.

“Uraaahhh!"

Battle erupted across the streets in no time. The soldiers fought with fervent energy and cut down the drug-crazed fanatics with their swords.

"As expected of Lord Karnak!”

"The number of zombies has dropped significantly!"

Karnak had claimed he would counter the undead army using Redeemer of Necromancy, a unique spell that turned necromantic arts against their users. True to his word, most of the zombies and ghouls had been eliminated, leaving mainly cultists alone on the battlefield.

Amid the cacophony of clashing blades and spears, Serati pressed forward, carving her way through the enemy ranks toward the center of their forces. That was where the count's knights were stationed.

"Lapicel, handle the cultists!"

Just as Lapicel was about to follow Serati, she hesitated and asked, "What about you, sister?"

"I'll take care of them."

"Then let me go with you!"

"Just do as I say!"

The count's knights all wielded dark aura. Lapicel was still growing into her abilities, and they would be too much to handle.

Though she hesitated briefly, Lapicel eventually nodded. "Understood!"

Meanwhile, Hudel's necromancers didn't go down without a fight. Although they were momentarily startled by the surprise attack, they quickly recovered and began summoning the armies of hell.

As summoning gates opened, hordes of demonic beasts poured forth, their roars shaking the battlefield. At that moment, another thunderous noise reverberated through the area.

Boom!

Simultaneously, a divine radiance surged from the rear of the enemy ranks.

"Saisha! Send forth your light to burn away the darkness!”

The priests of Saisha were leading a small, elite force, unleashing powerful divine spells upon the demonic beasts. The creatures' movements slowed dramatically, stumbling as they tried to regroup. The elite soldiers took advantage of the moment, plunging their sanctified spears and swords into the beasts.

"Take this!”

Hudel, observing the situation, shouted in desperation, "Sir Ancent! Lead the knights and take on the priests! Switch targets, now!"

From a rooftop, a mocking voice echoed, ”You don’t know how to command a battle, do you?”

Varos, the blond knight, had already leapt into the heart of the enemy lines.

"Switching formation mid-battle? That'll only make things worse."

Indeed, Hudel's forces descended further into chaos under the ill-timed command. Through the confusion, a crimson aura blade cut a wide swath across the enemy formation.

"Make way, make way!"

Charging alone into enemy lines might have been suicide, but with the perimeter secured by allies, it became a breakthrough. Varos's sprint tore the enemy's main force in two, splitting their ranks completely.

"Everyone's holding up well, right?"

Reuniting with Serati, Varos casually shook his right hand. The chains of his aura unraveled all at once.

Clink-clink!

The crimson chains of his aura blade danced in the air, moving like a living creature. They soared, twisted, plunged, and spiraled, painting a chaotic whirlwind. It was as if an enormous brush was painting a grand masterpiece on the canvas of the sky, except that the paint being used was the blood of his enemies. Screams and cries of anguish filled the air.

"Aaagh!"

Varos deftly wielded his chain blade, weaving through the enemy ranks with precision and ferocity. Watching him, Lapicel's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Wow! Brother Varos is amazing!

The urge to imitate him flared up inside her. However, she wasn't an aura user. Without the ability to form chains with aura, there was no way she could alter her blade's direction mid-air like he could.

What should I do?

After a brief moment of consideration, Lapicel humbly accepted reality.

I'll stick to what I can do.

This was a village where people lived, and ropes were a common tool in everyday life. Finding a stray rope wasn't particularly difficult. After finding some rope, she tied it to the hilt of her sword. Then she spun it experimentally in imitation of Varos.

"Like this? Like this? Maybe like this?"

After a few spins, she felt she was getting the hang of it. With a grin, Lapicel sprang into action.

"Take this!"

Once again, a bloody tableau unfolded on the battlefield. Though her version was slightly smaller in scale than Varos's, its precision was no less impressive. Serati was torn as she observed Lapicel from a distance.

What on earth is she doing now?

Lapicel's previous techniques, though unconventional, had been extensions of what she had already learned. Watching and learning from them had been quite enlightening. But this chain blade imitation was in an entirely different league, operating on principles Serati couldn't fathom.

How is anyone supposed to practice something like that?

At that moment, Varos's voice echoed in her mind through their telepathic link.

—I realized there's something I forgot to tell you earlier.

—What's that?

—I've seen it happen before, so take this seriously. When it comes to Lapicel, there's something just as important as learning from her. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Varos knew exactly what Serati was thinking. After all, he had experienced the same dilemma himself in the past.

—When it's clear something isn't for you, don't hesitate to let it go.

—Excuse me?

—I mean it. Trying to copy her will only ruin your own swordsmanship. You'd be surprised how many people have made that mistake.

What wasn't meant for you simply wasn't meant for you. Unfortunately, many lives had been derailed by failing to recognize this truth.

—I see.

Serati tore her gaze away from Lapicel.

I’ll stick to what I can do!

She let go of any lingering envy and focused on her own swordsmanship. Her movements grew sharper and more refined with each strike.

***

Varos and Serati continued to press the attack against Hudel's knights.

"Take this!"

With a powerful shout, Varos lashed out with his chain blade, which coiled and struck like a serpent. The knights of the county desperately swung their pitch-black aura blades in response, but their efforts were futile. Each time they were caught by the chain blade, they crumpled under its force. The knights, unable to understand their predicament, gritted their teeth in frustration.

Damn it! We're aura users now too!

Why are we being overpowered like this?

Serati also found herself puzzled.

—Aren't these guys supposed to be dark knights? They seem much weaker than before.

Dark knights were usually on par with red-tier aura users. Yet, as she clashed swords with them, it felt like their energy reserves barely amounted to half of her own.

Varos explained it with an air of inevitability.

—This is exactly why we worked so hard to set the count's castle ablaze.

The dark aura wielded by the knights of the county originated from necromantic altars installed in the castle. With the altars destroyed, the flow of energy empowering them had naturally diminished.

However, there was another reason for their weakness, something even Varos didn't know. Originally, the cult had stockpiled a significant amount of dark aura, enough to enhance all the knights of the county. However, a certain dark bishop had taken it all away just days prior!

Not only had the bishop taken the aura, but he had also recklessly depleted it, leaving no chance of recovery.

That damned Lehein is ruining everything from every angle!

Grinding his teeth, Hudel surveyed the battlefield. At the front, the necromancers and the priests of Saisha were locked in a fierce struggle, but the light of divine radiance continued to press down on the darkness, steadily gaining the upper hand.

The necromancers were clearly losing ground, largely because all their pre-prepared domains had been obliterated. Meanwhile, the rank-and-file cultists were battling the temple soldiers, and here too, the cult was at a disadvantage. Despite their superior numbers, most of the cultists were drug-addled and unable to fight effectively.

In contrast, the temple soldiers were seasoned veterans. In fact, after enduring nightly ambushes, they had all become battle-hardened elites. And at the forefront of the temple's forces was that terrifyingly powerful young girl.

"Take this! And this! Haah!"

With cheerful yet fierce battle cries, Lapicel swung her rope-sword. She was sending blood spraying in every direction. Moments ago, she had been wielding just one sword, but now, she had become so adept that she was dual-wielding, effortlessly twirling both weapons with deadly precision.

I can do this with two swords now!

The knights of the count's household were already being decimated by Varos and Serati. Seeing this, Hudel clenched his fists tightly.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go...

His original plan had been simple but effective: use the undead army and cultists in a war of attrition to tie down the temple's strongest fighters. Meanwhile, the knights would target the priests, and the necromancers would focus on the temple soldiers. Even if their side suffered heavy losses, the outcome would still favor them. But the enemy had seized both the initiative and the terrain, and in real-time at that.

How did they manage this?

It wasn't something that could be explained away by brilliant strategy or tactics.

It's as if they can see the entire battlefield...

***

The answer to Hudel's question was, in fact, quite simple. They really could see the entire battlefield.

Good, everything's going according to plan.

Karnak surveyed the entirety of the village from a rooftop. The thick mist obscured the streets and alleys below, but that didn’t stop him. From various points in the fog, wisps of malice rose into the sky like smoke signals. These were no ordinary wisps. Each one marked the morale and movement of the enemy forces.

Dozens of these columns dotted the village, giving Karnak the feeling that he was watching pieces move on a giant chessboard. With his side seeing everything clearly and the enemy stumbling blindly, losing here would be nearly impossible.

But soon, Hudel will catch on...

Not that it would matter. He wasn’t left with much. No, to be exact, Hudel only had one choice left.

Come on, then. Let's play.