Monarch of Death

She merely stared blankly at the carnage before her.

“Ugh, ugh, aaah!”

“Why, why are these creatures…!”

“Go away! I said go away!”

The summoned wraiths, demons, and skeleton soldiers were attacking the necromancers.

Though the necromancers tried to fight back with the power of darkness, it wasn’t enough.

One of the necromancers, dying, cried out in despair.

“Why, why won’t you listen to me?!”

Karnak and his party didn’t even need to join the battle.

With just one strike from the Redeemer of Necromancy, the situation was over.

Edia scratched her cheek.

“Hm, somehow, I feel a little sorry for them?”

Millia clicked her tongue.

“To think that the captain’s magic was this powerful.”

She had already heard that Karnak had mastered a new magic spell, one specifically for dealing with large-scale necromancy.

After all, he had received a thousand gold coins for it, so it was no surprise the rumor had spread.

But she hadn’t expected it to be this devastating.

“If I’d known it was going to be like this, we probably didn’t even need to sneak in.”

She turned to Karnak and asked.

“Couldn’t we just wipe this place out on our own?”

Karnak shrugged while controlling the Redeemer of Necromancy.

“That depends on how you define ‘wipe out.\'”

The skill level of Karnak’s party was already quite high. Plus, Karnak’s methods were a nemesis to necromancers, and they were especially powerful when dealing with large groups of weaker foes.

“It’s certainly possible to clear out the cultists in this dungeon. Since it’s an underground structure like an anthill, there’s no risk of being surrounded.”

Carefully taking them down one by one wouldn’t pose much danger.

“But taking out all the cultists here by ourselves? That’s impossible.”

At first glance, it might sound similar, but it was clearly a different statement.

No matter how strong Karnak’s group was, they were only six people.

They could kill or capture all who attacked them, but they couldn’t catch the ones who fled.

“If we stir things up and let some escape, wouldn’t that just spread the cultists all over the region?”

That was why a subjugation force couldn’t consist of just a small elite group; it had to be of a certain scale.

“Ah, I see.”

Millia quickly understood.

“We should just rescue Lady Edia and report back.”

“Thanks to us, the subjugation force that comes after will have an easier time.”

Meanwhile, the necromancers continued to die steadily.

Eventually, all of them were torn apart by the demons, leaving only Hugot.

“Huff, huff, argh…”

Of course, it didn’t seem like he had much time left, either.

“When that guy dies, we should head out too.”

Karnak pointed casually at Hugot.

Suddenly, a pitch-black flash shot from the upper part of the hall.

Fwoosh!

A ruthless beam of destruction swept through the area around Hugot.

With a massive explosion, the undead and demons were wiped out in an instant.

Boom!

“Huh?!”

Laven looked around in shock.

“What is this? Who else is here now?”

No doubt, he had failed to notice yet another arrival.

He glanced sideways at the others.

Humans are so petty. Can’t they just share information instead of keeping it to themselves?

But this time, it seemed different.

“Huh?”

“What is that?”

Even Karnak and Baros were staring in surprise at where the flash had come from.

They, too, hadn’t sensed anyone approaching.

A chilling cold began to seep across the floor of the hall.

At the same time, a sinister blue light flickered faintly from the darkness at the far end of the corridor.

Karnak’s entire party went pale.

Even though the figure had not yet revealed itself, its overwhelming presence pressed down on them.

It was a far more powerful aura than the necromancers they had just fought.

‘This…’

Finally, the figure emerged from the corridor.

A skeleton draped in tattered robes and holding a golden wand, its entire body cloaked in a powerful spiritual energy.

“Hehehehehe…”

A faint laugh echoed through the hall, shaking their minds. Their hearts pounded with inexplicable fear.

“Guh!”

“Urgh!”

Laven, Laficel, and Serati clutched their heads, staggering.

Millia hastily cast a holy spell.

“Latiel! Please, grant us your light!”

The radiance of the goddess who protects the mind enveloped the party.

Only then did the overwhelming fear slightly subside.

Millia glared at the skeleton and spoke.

“Captain, that’s…”

Karnak frowned as he stared at the newly appeared skeleton.

“…An Arch Lich?”

***

The Arch Lich slid across the hall floor and approached Hugot.

“My apologies for being late.”

At the same time, the surrounding undead, who had been attacking him, withdrew.

Even though they were under the control of the Redeemer of Necromancy, the Arch Lich’s evil energy had a stronger influence over them.

“I hurried as much as I could, but I didn’t expect them to infiltrate this far.”

Hugot staggered to his feet.

“No, no. Thank you for saving me.”

The Arch Lich turned to look at Karnak’s group and asked.

“Is it them?”

“Yes, Lord Demphis. It’s those people.”

The hollow eyes of the skeleton flickered with a blue flame as it glared at the group.

Feeling the cold stare from the flames, Laven shivered.

“An Arch Lich… isn’t that a creature only found in legends?”

Millia, trying to keep her composure, muttered.

“Well, it’s not a legend if it’s standing right in front of us.”

Everyone had looks of shock at the appearance of the legendary and powerful monster, the Arch Lich.

Karnak and Baros, however, were surprised for a different reason.

[Young master, doesn’t that guy look familiar?]

[Didn’t he just call him Demphis?]

Serati, puzzled, joined the conversation.

[Do you know him?]

Baros hesitated for a moment. How should he explain this?

[Should I say he was the teacher of the young master?]

It sounded ridiculous, but Serati had heard the name countless times before.

[You know that Mr. Dallas that the young master always talks about? When he turned him into an Arch Lich and made him the governor of the south, his name was Demphis.]

In other words, Demphis was originally one of Karnak’s subordinates.

Serati’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

[So, does that mean you can make him obey?]

Karnak frowned.

[I wish I could, but…]

He had been closely observing the Arch Lich since it appeared.

If this skeleton was indeed Demphis, the governor of Necropia, there should be the soul brand he had placed on him.

[Is the brand you put on him not there?]

[I’m not sure. There’s something there, but it’s not my brand.]

[Ah, then maybe this is the governor Demphis from this timeline?]

Originally, about ten years later, Karnak found the remains of Dallas in the ruins of the Barakant Mountains and turned him into an Arch Lich, naming him Demphis.

So, could someone else have revived him earlier in this timeline?

[No, that’s not it.]

Karnak firmly denied it.

[He’s definitely from the future.]

[How can you be sure of that?]

[Because he’s calling himself Demphis. That’s the name I give him ten years from now.]

Even if someone else had resurrected Dallas as an Arch Lich, how would they come up with the same name?

In any case, the important issue wasn’t which timeline the Arch Lich was from.

Serati asked again.

[So, can we beat him or not?]

Karnak and Baros were still staring intensely at Demphis with serious expressions.

[That’s the wrong question.]

[We should be asking whether we can escape safely.]

[…What?]

She was taken aback.

It wasn’t uncommon for these two to show uncertainty, but never when dealing with undead or necromancers.

[In life, Dallas was the court mage of the Yustil kingdom.]

Karnak gripped his wand tightly, cold sweat forming on his brow.

It wasn’t just because his opponent was an Arch Lich.

[…And he was a master of the ninth circle.]

***

Undead and monsters, bound by chains of light, stood frozen in the hall.

They were still under the control of the Redeemer of Necromancy.

Following Karnak’s orders, they should have attacked, but the presence of Arch Lich Demphis was so overwhelming that it caused confusion.

Demphis raised his golden wand.

“Let’s clear away the unnecessary ones first.”

From the tip of the wand, a fiery storm erupted.

The intense heat began to engulf the entire hall.

“Ugh!”

“Get over here!”

Karnak and Millia quickly cast protective shields.

While the party hid within the barriers, the remaining monsters and undead were swept away.

Demphis’ magic didn’t stop there.

“We should block off the escape routes as well.”

In the current situation, it was easy enough to kill those who tried to flee by blasting them with magic.

But during the chaos of battle, there was always a chance someone might escape.

“Death Round Ray.”

A black current swirled from the tip of the skeleton’s finger.

The current soon turned into a dark flash that cut across the entire hall. Explosions followed one after another.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

All the corridors in the hall collapsed, blocking the exits.

Laven’s face hardened.

‘Damn, the escape route…’

Of course, Karnak and his party could use either magic or aura to break through the blocked paths. They had enough destructive power for that.

But doing so would leave them vulnerable to Demphis’s attacks.

Fighting and then escaping became much harder now.

‘So, we have no choice but to face him head-on!’

Karnak raised his wand.

“Mass Fireballs!”

Over ten fireballs shot through the air towards Demphis.

Each one was as large as an adult’s head.

Demphis murmured in admiration.

“Oh, quite impressive for one so young.”

He then flicked his skeletal finger.

Just like that, the fireballs vanished in midair.

The difference in mana was so great that they were dispelled before they could reach him.

But Karnak wasn’t fazed.

After all, the fireballs were just a distraction.

“Now!”

Baros and Serati drew their aura-infused swords and lunged simultaneously.

The sound of chains echoed through the hall.

Clank!

Red aura chains flailed wildly in front of the Arch Lich, while Serati quickly moved to his rear.

It was a technique where Baros would dazzle the enemy with his flashy swordsmanship, allowing Serati to sneak in for a surprise attack.

Her red aura sword struck down on Demphis’s shoulder, creating a thunderous explosion.

Boom!

With a groan, she was sent flying back.

“Ugh!”

Even though she had landed a direct hit, her hand had burst open instead.

It was the power of the darkness surrounding Demphis’s entire body.

‘A Curtain of Darkness!’

Right after, Baros followed up with a series of chain sword attacks.

But none of them could damage Demphis.

He stood still, enduring the onslaught without moving an inch. The Curtain of Darkness was so powerful that none of the attacks could penetrate it.

Realizing the situation, Millia cast another holy spell.

“Latiel, send forth your light to burn away the darkness!”

The radiant light of the goddess enveloped the Arch Lich.

But soon, her face turned pale.

“Th-this can’t be…”

The darkness was devouring the light.

Shadows began to creep over the goddess’s radiance, rapidly weakening its power.

Demphis clattered his bony jaw.

“Those kids are impressive too. Were there really such strong individuals in this era?”

Praising them, he raised his golden wand high, his magic power surging.

“Lightning, come to my hand and howl!”

Blinding bolts of lightning shot out in all directions.

Karnak’s party frantically dodged the attacks, their faces pale.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“You shall crawl on your belly, and the dust shall be your food.”

The scattered lightning bolts bounced off the walls and slithered along the floor like serpents, launching a second wave of attacks.

Though the power had diminished, the range had expanded, making them nearly impossible to avoid.

Baros, Serati, and Laficel managed to dodge, but the slower Karnak, Edia, Millia, and Laven were hit and staggered from the shock.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Seeing this, Hugot shouted in panic.

“Be careful! That one must not be harmed!”

“I know. I’ve already been taking extra precautions.”

At Demphis’s response, Baros and Serati unconsciously looked at Karnak.

Given the situation, they assumed the target was likely the former Death King.

But Karnak knew that wasn’t the case.

It wasn’t Edia either.

From the power and angle of the lightning bolts, it was clear who Demphis was being cautious about.

‘Why are they targeting Laven?’