Monarch of Death

Taking advantage of the battle, Pross kept retreating. Harris and Serati also slowly moved the battlefield.

The target and obstacles were all moving in the same direction, so naturally, the cursed sword followed suit.

The purpose of the second defensive line was slightly different from that of the first.

Not only was it meant to wear down the cursed sword’s power, but it also aimed to guide it to the desired location.

Even amidst the intense fighting, the battlefield was steadily shifting.

Before long, they had left the campsite and reached the entrance of a small canyon.

It was a basin-shaped canyon, hollowed out inward, with a diameter of about 100 meters.

‘Good!’

Pross threw himself into the magic circle he had prepared in advance.

The girl wielding the cursed sword looked around, seemingly flustered, as her target had suddenly disappeared.

“…”

The confusion didn’t last long.

Another target had revealed itself deeper within the canyon.

It wasn’t the human she had been chasing, but a target with an even higher ‘priority.’

At that moment, Harris and Serati had also distanced themselves from the cursed sword. There was no interference in handling the new target.

“Kyahaha!”

Laughing, the girl with the cursed sword headed straight for the ravine.

Harris, watching this, couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“She really doesn’t stray from our predictions, does she?”

“Well, it’s fortunate, but still…”

Following slowly behind, Serati furrowed her brow.

“…I still don’t understand. Why is she doing this?”

***

Inside the basin, Jiken, Trib, and Lephan, who had just emerged from the magic circle, were waiting.

As the girl with the cursed sword entered the basin through the canyon, she first set her sights on Lephan.

“…”

However, she didn’t immediately rush in. Jiken and Trib’s presence was too imposing to ignore.

Both were radiating intense mana and aura.

She needed to deal with those two first to achieve her goal.

“Ahahaha!”

With a laugh, the girl lunged forward.

Trib responded by swinging his blue aura-infused sword.

The cursed sword’s blade lashed out like a whip, scattering a dark red aura. The red aura and blue aura clashed violently, intertwining in chaos.

Leaves were scattered, and the air was torn apart with deafening roars.

Bang! Paang!

Jiken calmly supported it with magic, casting various fire and lightning spells targeting the cursed sword from behind.

It was a joint attack from a 7th-circle mage and a blue-class aura user.

Moreover, Jiken and Trib were both seasoned veterans who had worked together in the King’s Order for a long time.

Their coordinated assault gradually drove the girl with the cursed sword into a defensive position.

Yet, she did not fall. The more cornered she became, the more the aura of darkness intensified, unleashing frenzied slashes in all directions.

“Kyahahahaha!”

As her offensive grew stronger, so did her maniacal laughter.

“My god, how does she still have this much strength left?” Trib clicked his tongue, while Jiken shook his head.

“At this point, it’s clear her strength has already been greatly depleted. How else could the two of us handle someone of purple-class?”

“That’s true.”

Meanwhile, Lephan was circling the battlefield with his sword drawn, keeping a cautious distance.

He couldn’t afford to let his guard down since the cursed sword might target him at any moment. However, there was no need to interfere either.

Simply keeping a safe distance and circling was enough.

Just by doing that, they were able to shake up her priorities and give Trib and Jiken a moment to catch their breath.

Thanks to this, they had stalled for enough time. Harris and Serati, who had been trailing at a distance, now closed in behind the cursed sword.

The maniacal laughter of the girl suddenly ceased.

“…”

With an expressionless face, the girl glanced around her.

The situation had grown quite dangerous. Retreating was the wisest choice.

Having made her decision, the girl suddenly leaped backward. Trib frowned.

“Is she really going to run?”

Jiken, gripping his wand, shouted, “Hold her down for just a little longer!”

Harris and Serati blocked her path.

However, the physical abilities of the cursed sword’s wielder were comparable to that of a purple-class aura user. Once she made up her mind to escape, stopping her wouldn’t be easy.

Indeed, a small opening appeared.

The girl swiftly dodged to the left, deflecting Harris’s aura sword, and broke through the encirclement.

‘Damn it!’

Leaving a flustered Harris behind, the girl dashed across the ground with terrifying speed.

Her destination was clear: the canyon’s entrance, the only way out.

And then—

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A man appeared from the crevice of a rock.

It was Karnak, who had been hiding in a magic circle, just like Lephan.

The moment she saw him, the girl let out a sharp scream.

“Kyaaaa!”

She reacted as if she had seen something utterly horrifying, and in sheer panic, she fled in the opposite direction.

Where else could she go if not back? She had returned right into the middle of the encirclement.

“It was a good thing we had a backup plan, just in case.”

Jiken let out a sigh of relief, raising his wand.

“O flowing crystal radiance, become the prison that binds my enemies!”

A massive crystal prison, composed of light, formed around them, stretching dozens of meters in every direction, with its ceiling, walls, and pillars all made of radiant crystal.

This was a 7th-circle imprisonment spell, Crystal Labyrinth.

While it had the disadvantage of a long preparation time, once activated, it was powerful enough to trap even a Blue Knight.

The girl gripped cursed sword tightly, her face showing signs of panic.

“…”

Of course, if the cursed sword wielder had strength comparable to that of a purple-class aura user, she could probably break through this barrier. It would likely take only two or three strikes.

Indeed, the girl made an attempt to do just that.

She raised her sword high, concentrating all her power into a single point, and struck at the wall of light!

BOOM!

With a single blow, the light barrier trembled, and cracks formed along its surface.

But it did not shatter.

If it would take two or three strikes to break, that meant it could withstand the first one or two.

This gave Trib, Harris, and Serati enough time to interfere.

“We’ve gone this far!”

“You think we’re going to let you get away?”

The girl, now frustrated, glanced around in confusion before fixing her gaze on one spot.

Karnak was slowly approaching from a distance.

“Ugh…”

For the first time, a different sound escaped the girl’s lips.

It was not a laugh, nor a scream, but a groan.

“Uuuhhh…”

***

The girl no longer targeted Lephan. She didn’t scream at the sight of Karnak, nor did she attempt to escape anymore.

Like a cornered beast, she let out faint groans, scanning her surroundings constantly.

“Uuuu…”

The encirclement of the King’s Order was tightening from all sides. Beyond them, the sturdy crystal prison blocked every route of retreat.

Had she realized that fighting was the only option left?

The girl slowly ran her hand along the blade of the cursed sword. Black flames began to rise along its edge.

Whoosh!

At the same time, she launched herself into the air!

“Kyiaaah!”

With a scream, slashes were scattered in every direction.

At first glance, they seemed wild and reckless, but in truth, they were precisely aimed attacks.

Trib deflected the assault with his blue aura sword and shouted, “Everyone, stay alert!”

A series of fierce strikes followed. Yet, they weren’t very effective.

Harris and Serati remained composed, focusing solely on defense without overextending. Jiken and Karnak also concentrated on maintaining their mana shields, blocking her offensive.

They had forced her into this corner.

There was no need to rush and risk making a mistake.

‘Stick to the plan!’

‘Separate the cursed sword from the girl!’

With a glance to each other, Trib and Harris continued their coordinated attack from both sides.

Blue and red streams of aura relentlessly struck the black flames. Each hit weakened the fire, and its intensity steadily diminished.

The goal was to avoid harming the girl and focus on destroying the sword itself.

Since the cursed sword was the true threat, breaking the weapon would ensure victory.

Despite their efforts, the cursed sword endured. It wobbled as if it might fall at any moment, but still managed to deliver menacing counterattacks.

While continuing to batter away at the black flames, Trib glanced to the side.

‘Is Lord Karnak ready yet?’

With Jiken focused on maintaining the crystal prison, Karnak was the only mage who could act in this moment.

Finally, Karnak completed his spell.

He struck his wand to the ground, unleashing a surge of chaos power!

“I summon the chains of binding power! Chain of Arcane Force!”

Five red chains shot up from the earth and wrapped around the cursed sword and the girl.

Three chains coiled around the blade, while one each bound the girl’s legs.

Serati’s eyes lit up with hope.

“Did we get her?”

But it was too soon to celebrate.

The girl let out a piercing scream and began thrashing wildly.

“Kyaaaa!”

The chains anchored in the ground were violently ripped out, flailing in the air.

Boom! Boom boom boom!

The chains themselves were sturdy, but the ground holding them wasn’t strong enough to withstand her force.

The red chains, like whips, lashed out in all directions, attacking the members of the King’s Order instead.

“Ugh!”

“Lord Karnak!”

The shout was meant to urge him to prepare the next spell after the failure of the previous one.

But Karnak remained calm.

‘I didn’t fail.’

This was part of the plan all along.

Without hesitation, Karnak activated the next spell.

“Rise, spirits of the earth!”

Rumble!

The ground shook as mounds of earth rose, transforming into five clay giants.

In an instant, Karnak had summoned not one but five golems.

Trib and Harris were left in shock, their mouths agape.

‘By the heavens, did he just summon five golems at once?’

‘Even Captain Jiken’s limit was two, wasn’t it?’

Jiken was just as surprised.

‘They said a genius Archmage had appeared in the Kingdom of Yustil…’

This wasn’t merely about mana or the level of one’s magic circle. It was a testament to Karnak’s incredible mana manipulation and processing abilities.

‘He really is a talent blessed by the heavens.’

In reality, it was simply because this particular spell didn’t require much computational power.

‘Well, I guess everyone thinks I’m a genius.’

Karnak felt slightly awkward under their intense gazes, but he remained composed.

‘I can’t let it show.’

With a confident expression, Karnak gave the command.

“Subdue the enemy, my servants!”

The clay giants grasped the red chains and pulled with immense force.

Though slow in movement, golems are known for their immense strength. Both the cursed sword and the girl were left dangling helplessly in midair.

“Kyaaah!”

The girl screamed and struggled, but it was futile.

Once her feet had left the ground, she couldn’t muster the strength to break free.

“Now! Strike!”

At Karnak’s signal, the three aura users moved.

Serati quickly grabbed the girl from behind, immobilizing her. In that moment, Harris struck the cursed sword with a powerful blow. The impact caused the girl to drop the sword.

Clang!

However, the connection wasn’t completely severed yet.

A fiery black aura still linked the girl and the cursed sword.

As long as this flame remained, the girl was still the sword’s host.

Trib raised his sword high above his head, readying himself for a decisive strike. With overwhelming force, he brought it down.

“Take this!”

Earth Smasher.

It was his most powerful finishing blow, and it slammed into the fiery connection between the girl and the cursed sword.

An enormous explosion followed.

Boom!

The girl’s body was flung backward, skipping across the ground like a stone on water. At last, she had been freed from the cursed sword’s control.

Serati quickly rushed forward, scooping the girl up and retreating to safety.

“We’ve rescued her!”

The cursed sword, now alone, vibrated wildly in the air, emitting a frantic, ominous hum.

Woom woom woom woom woom!

But it was too late for any further resistance.

Karnak’s chains fully coiled around the sword’s blade, while light from Jiken’s crystal prison pressed down on it.

Finally, the black flames extinguished, and the cursed sword’s eerie cries ceased.

“Good!”

A satisfied smile spread across Jiken’s face.

“We’ve finally secured it for real this time!”