Monarch of Death

There might be some debate as to whether saving his soul, only for him to become the servant of a vile necromancer, could truly be called saving, but at least Laven’s own consciousness remained intact.

The problem was that, in exchange, they had freed Demphis, that monster.

Glancing toward the other side of the stone chamber, Serati sent a message.

[What do we do? We still haven’t rescued the others yet…]

Baros, sweating, responded.

[This isn’t the time to worry about that. We’re about to die here!]

The Arch Lich moved, its steps causing waves of evil energy and an aura of malice to flow across the floor of the chapel.

Despite the interference with the ritual, its expression didn’t show any intense anger.

While it was true that Karnak had disrupted the ritual, it was only a temporary setback.

As long as Laven’s body was secured, it would only take a few days to prepare for the descent ritual again.

For now, it was more important to completely subdue them.

Demphis coldly muttered as he stared at Karnak.

“I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

His opponent’s skill was far from ordinary.

He possessed strange techniques that Demphis, a 9th-circle master, didn’t recognize. He was not someone to be underestimated.

But once that fact was acknowledged, the solution wasn’t difficult.

A weakling with just exceptional technique?

Then he simply needed to crush him with pure strength.

After all, Karnak’s mana was undeniably lacking.

“I’ll make sure to block your escape.”

Demphis raised his golden staff and struck the ground.

“Let the earth rise and become the barrier. Stone Wall.”

Rumble!

With a thunderous noise, rocks shot up, sealing all the passageways of the chapel.

Of course, a strong mage or aura user could destroy the rocks, so this alone wouldn’t completely block their escape.

That’s why he added another layer.

“Flow, darkness of the abyss.”

From the Arch Lich’s feet, darkness flowed, spreading across the stone walls and covering the entire chapel.

The massive power of darkness coated everything as if plated in shadow.

“This should leave you without options.”

Karnak let out a mocking laugh.

“That’s an incredibly inefficient and wasteful method. Are you proud of being so simple-minded?”

Demphis remained calm.

“A beggar would fret over a single coin. But for the wealthy, wasting a handful of gold is nothing.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Though Karnak mocked outwardly, he inwardly marveled.

‘Well done.’

The power of darkness had been layered so thickly that the entire stone wall of the chapel was smooth like obsidian.

This wasn’t even an example of compressing evil energy.

Necromancy, unlike mana, loses power when compressed.

So instead, Demphis had spread the darkness thin like a cloth, layering it dozens of times to coat the entire area.

It was a perfectly sound method in the principles of necromancy.

‘As expected of Demphis. He’s talented!’

It was precisely because of that talent that Karnak had made him one of the four governors of Necropia in a previous life.

The Empire of the Dead was centered around the absolute authority of the Death King Karnak, and supported by the second-in-command, the Death Knight Lord Baros, three Archmages, and three Martial Kings.

Below them were the four governors of Necropia, followed by 13 commanders and 72 generals in each region. In this hierarchy, Demphis was positioned right beneath the Archmages and Martial Kings.

‘The problem is that his talent is now aimed at tightening a noose around my neck…’

After trapping Karnak and his companions, Demphis raised his golden wand once more.

“I could finish you all off right now.”

From his wand, a pitch-black current flowed into Hugot and the other necromancers.

“I hear you use some peculiar magic?”

Karnak’s ability to turn necromancy against its user had already been reported by his subordinates.

At first glance, it seemed like Elezar’s magic, but it was different.

Elezar’s method allowed for the simultaneous use of both magic and necromancy, but it did not let one take control of the enemy’s necromancy as Karnak could.

In other words, Demphis still didn’t know how Karnak did it.

But he had understood the effects.

“Once the nature of it is revealed, countermeasures can be taken.”

As he adjusted the darkness, Demphis uttered an incantation.

“Arise, children of Tesranak…”

Just like in the previous battle, Hugot’s entire body began to transform into a monster.

His body grew larger, muscles bulged, and tendrils and spikes emerged from his back and forearms.

“Grrraaaah!”

The other necromancers followed suit.

Though half of them had already been smashed to pieces, the remaining ones were reborn as monsters.

“Kraaaagh!”

Leading the five monsters, Demphis taunted.

“Think you can take control of them too?”

“…”

Karnak didn’t respond.

But his hardened expression was answer enough.

“I thought not.”

Demphis issued his command.

“Capture them.”

Hugot confirmed the order.

“You want them alive, sir?”

In the past, Demphis had shown little interest in anyone other than Laven. But now, things are different.

“He’s someone with a strange ability.”

Demphis’s eyes, blazing with blue fire, focused on Karnak.

“We need to find out why.”

***

The necromancers-turned-monsters began to encircle the group from both sides.

Baros sent a message while glaring at the approaching enemies.

[What’s the plan, young master?]

Karnak replied with a grave expression.

[It’s a failure.]

While Demphis had been blocking their escape and transforming his subordinates into monsters, Karnak hadn’t just been standing idly by.

Though it seemed as though he had only been observing, he had actually been locked in a fierce battle of spells beneath the surface.

[I kept trying to interfere, but there wasn’t an opening. Though, the situation seems better than it was yesterday.]

Serati muttered while raising her sword.

[True. At least they’re not trying to kill us outright…]

Baros shook his head.

[That’s not quite right.]

At that moment, massive spikes sprouted from the backs of the necromancers.

Dozens of spikes simultaneously shot toward the two of them!

Pababababam!

“Whoa!”

Serati barely dodged in time.

The spikes embedded themselves into the spot where she had been standing, causing a deafening crash.

Kwak! Kwakwakwak!

“What’s with this? I thought they wanted us alive?”

Each spike was as thick as an iron stake. Even one would cause a fatal wound if it pierced you.

Baros deflected the incoming spikes with his aura blade, wearing a bitter smile.

“In this line of work, the term ‘alive’ is open to some unique interpretations.”

To a necromancer, capturing someone alive simply meant ‘capturing them while their soul is still inside their body.’

In other words, even if their heart stopped beating and their body was broken, as long as the corpse was still warm, it was considered a capture.

Serati gritted her teeth.

“Ugh, I really hate necromancy.”

On the other side, Karnak was casting a spell.

“Become a shield to protect your master, Mana Shield!”

A red shield enveloped both him and Laven.

The spikes flying toward them all bounced off the mana shield.

Lowering the shield, Karnak let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew, that was close.”

He had managed to protect Laven this time.

But there was no time to relax in front of their enemies.

“Laven! Survive however you can!”

“If you’re going to say something like that, at least give me a sword!”

Laven had been looking for a weapon for a while now.

But since all their enemies were necromancers, there wasn’t a single one carrying a sword.

The best he could find was a broken wand.

Karnak took something out of his cloak and tossed it to him.

“Here!”

Laven frowned as he caught it.

“It’s a dagger?”

Was he seriously supposed to face those massive monsters with such a short weapon?

“You think a mage like me would carry around a longsword?”

While it was true that adventurers of any profession carried daggers, it was another matter entirely to have a proper sword.

“Then at least give me another dagger!”

“Here, use mine!”

Serati tossed him a secondary dagger.

Holding a dagger in each hand, Laven was at least somewhat prepared for combat.

‘Ugh, well, I guess this is better than nothing.’

After tossing the dagger, Serati leapt forward once again.

“Hah!”

With a shout, her red aura blade slashed downward.

The brilliant red aura cleaved through the monster.

But the monster wasn’t just going to take it. It immediately pulled out bone blades and swung both arms at her.

A fierce exchange of blows ensued as the aura blade clashed with the bone blades.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At the same time, Baros was dominating the battlefield, taking on three monsters at once.

With his aura chains lashing out in all directions, he moved swiftly through the chapel, disorienting his opponents and creating openings.

And once those openings appeared, he never missed them.

“Hup!”

With a short grunt, Baros’s aura blade sliced deep into the monster’s shoulder.

Blood sprayed as the monster retreated, clutching its wound.

“Hmph! This is nothing. I’ll just regenerate…”

“You won’t.”

The monster’s wound began to regenerate but then stopped.

“Knowing how to counter regeneration is common knowledge, isn’t it?”

Even outside of necromancy, monsters with regeneration were common. So any first-class warrior would know how to handle them.

The easiest methods were to burn them with fire or freeze them.

Leaving traces of aura or divine power in the wound also worked.

The monster’s regenerating wound was halted by Baros’s aura and split open again.

As a rule, wounds that reopen during healing are the most painful.

“Graaah!”

The monster howled in agony.

Seizing the opportunity, Baros drove his aura blade down into the monster.

Just as the red aura was about to strike the monster’s head—

“Lightning Spear.”

With a grim voice, a spear of lightning shot toward Baros.

Demphis, seeing his subordinate in danger, acted immediately.

‘Damn!’

If it struck him, he’d be nothing more than a well-cooked corpse.

Baros quickly twisted in midair and redirected his sword.

‘Please block it!’

The red sword light shattered the lightning spear, scattering sparks in all directions.

With a deafening boom—

Kwaaang!

Baros landed, shaking his head with a puzzled look.

‘Huh, this time I’m doing better?’

The spell was weaker than he expected. Compared to yesterday, Demphis had definitely weakened.

[I told you, didn’t I? Things are better today.]

Karnak’s voice followed up, confirming his suspicions.

[That guy’s used up a lot of power too.]

Between conducting the descent ritual, being bound by his own magic, and struggling to break free, Demphis had expended a huge amount of energy.

He was fighting against himself and had tired himself out in the process.

“I see! In that case…”

Baros, excited, charged at Demphis.

With a rattling sound, his aura chains unfurled, sending two chain blades flying at Demphis like snakes.

“Hmph.”

Despite having no nose, Demphis snorted in disdain as he struck the ground with his wand.

Woooom!

Darkness surged and transformed into a massive vortex.

The black whirlwind deflected the chain swords and surged toward Baros.

“Urgh!”

Baros was caught and hurled into the air.

The vortex’s force was so strong that Baros bounced off the ceiling, walls, pillars, and floor of the chapel.

Finally, he regained his balance and landed, grumbling in frustration.

[He’s still strong, huh?]

[I said things were better, not that we had the upper hand…]

[You should’ve told me that earlier!]

[Maybe you should’ve listened until I finished speaking?]

As the two bickered, the Arch Lich aimed his golden wand at them.

“Blow, death of the snowfield. Blizzard Storm.”

A pure white world unfolded across the chapel.

This wasn’t just a simple snowstorm. It was a magic tempest that froze everything within its range.

At this rate, not only their bodies but even intangible things like mana and aura would gradually freeze over!

‘Damn, even weakened, a monster is still a monster.’

It wasn’t that they had found a way to win; they had simply reached a point where they could at least struggle.

“And struggle we shall!”

Karnak gripped his wand.

“Not me, but this guy!”

Then, he stepped forward, casting a series of spells.

“O King of Flames, I call you according to the contract…”

Fire surged forth, pushing back the snowstorm and forming the shape of a giant.

“Go, El Ragnatia!”