Karnak, Monarch of Death

Karnak looked up at the enormous dragon dominating the sky, seeking confirmation.

—Demphis, is that really Tesranach?

The archlich, Demphis, answered swiftly.

—Without a doubt.

Kalaf added beside him.

—I don't know why he's in the form of a dragon, though.

Neither of them knew anything about the dragon emperor. But they could be certain that the massive dragon before them was once the master they had served. Its terrifying, overwhelming presence allowed no room for doubt.

Karnak responded flatly.

—I see.

He wasn't particularly shocked. In fact, there was a part of him that felt it made sense. Honestly, it did feel like Grateria.

Tesranach's method of wielding mana, aura, divine power, and necromantic energy simultaneously was nearly identical to the draconic magic wielded by dragons. Moreover, the Cult of the Black God had used Tesranach's power to dominate dragons.

In many ways, the circumstances had been pointing toward Tesranach's true identity being the dragon emperor. And yet, the reason Karnak hadn't been able to accept it until now was simple.

Varos voiced that reason aloud.

—Are we really saying the dragon emperor fell to corruption?

From what they had seen of Tesranach's actions, it was clear he possessed intelligence. In other words, Grateria wasn't in a mindless state as an undead dragon. If so, it would mean he had chosen of his own will to become an incarnation of evil.

—Isn't that about as likely as you suddenly turning over a new leaf, young master?

It was the same as saying that Karnak had woken up one day as a benevolent saint to live to serve others.

—That's why I thought it couldn't be.

But, thinking about it now, Karnak himself had changed quite a bit. Whether that could truly be called turning over a new leaf was questionable, but it was undeniable that he had changed drastically from his days as the Monarch of Death. However, there were many reasons behind his change.

Then does that mean Grateria also had a reason to become the Monarch of Death?

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the empty sky.

"My faithful servants." It was a thunderous voice, spreading like mist, shaking the air with its majesty. "Come."

***

Across the grand cathedral, Giyen Ren, Diogres Kolon, and Emil Strauss were each suddenly wrapped in light. Dios, Serati, Varos, and the others jumped back.

What is this?

But it wasn't an attack. On the contrary, the forms of the three people were enveloped in light. They began to vanish from the grand cathedral.

Drel muttered in disbelief. "Good gods, spatial transfer that easily?"

Manipulating space was one of the highest-level feats in magic. Even a ninth circle mage could only manage to fold space enough to create a pocket dimension, and a tenth circle archmage at best could teleport themselves a few dozen meters.

Even Blink, the short-range teleport spell most mages used, was more akin to a rapid movement technique than true spatial travel. If it were genuine spatial transfer, it would have allowed passage through walls and obstacles without issue.

But what had just happened before their eyes was different. The three people had just teleported hundreds of meters in an instant.

"And you're only now surprised by that?" Dios let out a hollow laugh beside him. "How do you think that dragon even appeared here in the first place?"

It was as if the sky itself had been torn apart, revealing a body hundreds of meters long that loomed over the capital.

Drel let out a dry chuckle. "It was so enormous it hardly felt real."

They both spoke jokingly, but sweat dampened their backs. In fact, cold sweat had been running down their backs the entire time. They were not so dull as to remain calm in the face of such overwhelming presence.

The three streaks of light that had vanished from sight now reappeared in the air, beside the massive dragon's head, towering hundreds of meters high. Standing upon platforms of light, Giyen Ren and Diogres Kolon knelt.

"Oh, Tesranach."

"Your servant greets his master."

They raised their heads mid-bow, and Giyen Ren asked curiously, "But why such a form?"

It was not only Demphis and Kalaf who were bewildered at Tesranach's appearance as the dragon emperor. The brand burned into their souls left no doubt as to his identity, but even Giyen Ren and Diogres Kolon found it strange.

"I see." The enormous dragon let out a low voice. "It may be better to assume a form familiar to you."

The colossal figure of hundreds of meters transformed into light. The being that had seemed to blanket the sky rapidly shrank. Moments later, a middle-aged man with golden hair stood upon the radiant platform in midair. He appeared to be a mage, his body draped in a sleek black robe.

Yet his build was imposing. Standing nearly two meters tall with broad, powerful shoulders, to anyone unaware, he would seem a warrior rather than a mage. What stood out most was the pale skin covering his thick muscles.

Like a death knight, he bore grayish skin, exuding the aura of death. Yet he was no undead. A vitality rivaling his deathly aura coursed through his entire being.

Serati, who had been glaring at Tesranach, blinked dazedly.

She could not say for certain from this distance, but there was something strangely familiar about that face.

Could it be...? If she imagined that face much younger, with a healthier complexion... Sir Varos?

At the same moment, Varos found himself thinking the same thing. "Is that supposed to be my face?"

Strangely enough, people often found their own appearance unfamiliar. In fact, most people would find others' faces, seen daily, more familiar.

Karnak, who had spent a lifetime seeing Varos, declared without hesitation, "At least in appearance, yes."

The confusion only deepened. Tesranach's true identity had been confirmed as the dragon emperor, Grateria. So why, then, had he chosen to appear in the form of Varos during his time as death knight lord?

Karnak wondered. I really don't understand any of this.

Unfortunately, there was no time left for confusion. Tesranach's gaze turned toward the ground.

***

The middle-aged man raised his right hand. Three enormous orbs of light appeared around him. The spheres circled Tesranach before shooting down toward the earth.

Three beams of light struck the ground. The flashes were so intense they seemed like towers of light piercing the capital sky. Then came an explosion so vast that dark blue flashes illuminated the entire world.

The merciless light of destruction vaporized the' grand cathedral in a single strike. And it did not end there. The pillars of light that struck the ground began to sweep across the entire capital.

The relentless tide of power cut across the sky. Roads were ripped apart, shops and homes crumbled, and the wave of destruction extended beyond the borders to the city walls.

A storm of heat swept across the capital. Shattered fragments of stone whirled in the wind, tearing apart everything they touched. However, there was almost nothing Karnak's group could do.

"Shields! Shields up!"

"Raise your aura!"

They hurled themselves aside in a panic, fleeing desperately from the flashes of light. Moments later, one by one, they emerged from the debris of collapsed buildings.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Why is he suddenly doing this...?"

Surprisingly, everyone was unharmed. Tesranach's attack had not been targeted at them. They had simply been caught up in the destruction sweeping through the entire capital. Yet the force was so overwhelming that everyone looked completely battered.

If that had been a direct hit, there wouldn't even be a corpse left behind. Karnak quickly ran through his thoughts. What now?

The answer came easily. It wasn't as if he'd led a life of uninterrupted triumph. In fact, he had far more experience with failure and retreat. Things not going according to plan was more the rule than the exception.

Trying to do anything more here would be a mistake.

Abandon the capital. Abandon the imperial army. The top priority was to admit defeat and preserve as many allies as possible.

Karnak calmly sent a message to all his servants.

—To all my vassals, hear this.

His message went out in all directions. To the north of the grand cathedral were Serati, Leven, and Maloka. To the south were Varos, Demphis, and Kalaf. To the west were Dios, Drel, Milia, and Tirafar.

Each one received Karnak's command.

—Flee, all of you.

Of course, if he merely told them to run, they wouldn't simply comply. Karnak knew his vassals well. They weren't the kind to sit idle while people died before their eyes—except maybe Varos and the archliches.

So he issued a forceful order.

—This is the command of he who holds your soul.

It was an absolute command compelling them to abandon comrades, allies, citizens, even their own morals and conscience, to flee.

—Abandon everything. Run, and protect yourselves.

***

Giyen Ren and Diogres Kolon narrowed their gaze as they peered down at the ground from over the ski sod Thea Krahan.

"Ah!"

"Those bastards!"

Karnak's group was fleeing through the wreckage of the shattered grand cathedral.

"Where do they think they're going?!"

The two archmages were about to cast flight spells in haste, but Tesranach held them back. "Let them go."

"Lord Tesranach?"

They both turned to him, puzzled. These were enemies they could never allow to escape. How many plans had been foiled by those very people?

And among them, one in particular was the most dangerous.

"At the very least..."

"We must eliminate the one named Karnak."

Tesranach lightly waved his hand. In the next instant, an absolute command echoed within the minds of the two archmages.

—You are forbidden to kill him.

Confusion arose for a moment. Why?

But the question quickly faded, replaced by an unnatural obedience.

"There is something else I am more curious about," Tesranach said quietly, watching the now-silent pair. "Why did I have to descend in this manner? What of the World Tree of Darkness? What became of the Soil of Shadow, where Astra Shunaph should have taken root?"

The two archmages trembled and bowed deeply.

"Forgive us."

"We lacked strength."

Asked to explain, and they chose to beg forgiveness instead. But Tesranach did not blame them. They were slaves of the soul, made that way from the beginning.

I must understand what happened.

Tesranach turned his gaze to Emil Strauss.

"Return to me, shard of my soul."

A radiant light left Emil and flowed into Tesranach. Emil's eyes dulled, his expression going vacant. Leaving the puppet-like Emil behind, Tesranach nodded.

"As I thought." Now he understood what had transpired. "This is just like him. He did everything he could to interfere."

Meanwhile, Karnak and his group were continuing to escape. They had already left the ruins of the grand cathedral and were heading for the outskirts of the capital.

Watching them go, Diogres Kolon asked, "What shall we do now?"

Tesranach spread both hands. "I shall make this place my dominion."

With the Shadow of Doom lost, he could no longer move freely for now. That meant he had no choice but to move to the next-best plan. "Come, my children."

Once more, the skies above the capital roared. Space tore apart again and again, light bursting forth from the rifts. And from beyond that light, they appeared. With massive bodies and wings, they soared through the sky with deafening roars.

Hundreds of dragons crossed through space and now flew over the skies of Thea Krahan.

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