Chapter 158: Chapter 158

Karnak was peeking inside through the crack of the left door of the underground chapel.

“It exploded beautifully.”

Serati asked in disbelief.

“Did you kill him on purpose for this?”

“Yeah, because to use Corpse Explosion, you need corpses.”

Karnak wasn’t someone who particularly took pleasure in killing. He didn’t kill people unnecessarily.

It’s just that his sense of “necessity” was broader than most.

“There are ways to make people self-destruct while they’re alive, though…”

But the power of that method was too weak and inefficient.

“And honestly, I try to live like a decent person. Isn’t making someone explode while they’re alive even more inhumane?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

The most inhumane part was that he didn’t even consider any method other than self-destruction, but Serati decided to let it slide.

Anyway, it seemed that Soress was quite a capable Necromancer, contrary to his appearance. The power of his Corpse Explosion was significant, throwing the area around the altar into chaos.

“Who did this?”

“Watch all sides!”

The air was thick with the smell of smoke, flesh scattered everywhere, and filth covering the surroundings. Some Necromancers were even retching.

“Ugh!”

Karnak and Baros clicked their tongues.

“What’s with these guys? For Necromancers, they have pretty weak stomachs.”

“Well, there’s no rule saying Necromancers have to be used to corpses, right? Honestly, I don’t want to step in there either.”

“Actually, neither do I.”

Being used to filth doesn’t mean one enjoys it.

“But what can you do? You can’t always live life on your terms.”

“Not something the young master, who has lived more on his terms than anyone, should say.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

Karnak chuckled and began chanting a spell.

“O King of Flames, I summon you by the contract! Descend upon this place by my will!”

Flames surged and formed the shape of a giant.

A massive fire spirit, clad in flaming armor and holding a blazing sword, appeared in the underground space, illuminating the area.

“Go, El Ragnatia!”

With a roar, the flaming giant broke through the chapel door and charged inside.

“Graaaah!”

***

The flame-belching giant charged through the darkness.

Its burning eyes scanned the surroundings, radiating killing intent.

“Graaaah!”

It was unmistakably a fire spirit, and one of the highest-ranking ones at that.

Only mages of the 7th circle or higher could summon such a powerful spirit.

“Spirit magic! It really is the King’s Order!”

At Hugot’s cry, the other Necromancers wore shocked expressions.

“But wasn’t that Corpse Explosion just now?”

“How can a mage use necromancy?”

In this era, there was only one group capable of using both necromancy and magic simultaneously.

The mages belonging to the cult of the Dark God.

Only when a mage received the grace of Tesranak could they wield both necromancy and magic.

One of the panicked Necromancers mumbled in a daze.

“This is impossible. How can a heretic use the miracle of the Dark God?”

The flaming giant swung its blazing sword down in a long arc.

With a thunderous explosion, a wave of scorching fire rushed along the ground, heading toward the altar.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

“Stop it!”

They couldn’t afford to lose the altar.

In a frenzy, the Necromancers scrambled to respond.

“O dark veil, become the shield that protects your master!”

Darkness gathered in the air, blocking the oncoming wave of fire.

Soon, the darkness and flames collided.

And then… nothing happened.

‘Huh?’

‘What the…?’

The massive flame spirit disappeared as if it had been a lie.

In the first place, it was all just for show with no actual power.

Hugot belatedly realized his mistake.

“Damn!”

Currently, Laven was bound to the altar.

Why would those who came to rescue him attack the altar? Were they trying to burn him alive?

‘The fact that they used this kind of trick means…’

Hugot shouted and turned his gaze behind the altar.

“It’s a distraction!”

And at that moment, he froze.

A man and woman, each wielding a battle aura-infused sword, were rushing toward the Necromancers.

“Sorry…”

Baros muttered coldly as he spread his arms to the sides.

“You realized too late.”

Clink!

Two swords, linked by chains of aura, danced through the air like snakes.

In an instant, two Necromancers were sliced into pieces, their dismembered bodies hanging in mid-air.

“Gah!”

“Argh!”

On the opposite side, a red-haired woman unleashed a lightning-fast slash.

“Hyah!”

Before the enemy could even react, her sharp strike cut across their chest and sliced through their neck.

Blood gushed as another Necromancer died.

But Serati didn’t stop.

‘Is this how you should deal with a necromancer?’

With a grim expression, she severed the limbs of the corpse to ensure that even if they rose again as undead, they wouldn’t retain their combat abilities.

After dealing with three Necromancers, Baros and Serati quickly withdrew behind the altar.

It was a wise decision.

Had they gone any deeper into enemy lines, they would have been surrounded.

Moments later, black beams of destruction struck where they had just been standing.

Boom, boom, boom!

Their attacks missed and merely shattered the chapel floor. The Necromancers ground their teeth.

“Damn it!”

“Those damned heretics!”

They had lost three comrades in an instant.

The Necromancers, enraged, began to gather their power.

“Come forth, forsaken ones! Burn your souls and strike down your enemies!”

“Arise, creatures of the abyss!”

Unlike magic, which often failed when emotions ran high, necromancy became more powerful when fueled by heightened emotions.

Dozens of evil spirits rose and began to circle through the air, and the gates of hell opened, summoning demons.

“How dare you ruin this sacred ritual!”

“Face divine punishment, heretics!”

“I will avenge my death!”

For the record, the last shout came from one of the Necromancers who had been killed when Karnak’s group had escaped and resurrected as an undead.

When necromancy was involved, even nonsensical statements like that could become reality.

The Necromancers surrounded Baros and Serati with renewed confidence.

Meanwhile, Hugot was calmly scanning the surroundings.

‘Where is he? Where’s that man?’

This wasn’t the time to focus on those two aura users.

The real terrifying enemy was the black-haired mage who had completely dominated their necromancy.

If that man showed up, it would be a repeat of the nightmare.

Which meant he needed to counter with a powerful spell before that happened.

Hugot turned his head to look beyond the altar.

“Lord Demphis!”

And then, he froze.

The Arch Lich stood there, completely immobilized, as if trapped.

The curtain of darkness emanating from the altar had surrounded him like an impenetrable barrier.

‘…Lord Demphis?’

***

Demphis was in shock.

‘How… how did this happen?’

The enemy’s magic had targeted him at exactly the right moment.

‘How did they know the precise moment I couldn’t move?’

Five minutes. It was only a matter of five minutes.

If they had attacked five minutes earlier?

He hadn’t yet reached the peak of the ritual, so he could have paused and dealt with them.

If they had attacked five minutes later?

He could have accelerated the remaining ritual and completed it quickly.

This was a deliberate act, exploiting a vulnerability they knew about.

Which baffled him even more.

Why? Because even Demphis himself hadn’t known this ritual had such a weakness.

It was only after being trapped that he realized this was a weak point.

‘How could they have exploited a weakness I didn’t even know about?’

As a result, he was now trapped by his own power, unable to move.

It was a form of magic he had never seen before.

The blue flames in Arch Lich’s eyes flickered as he looked across the chapel.

A black-haired youth was flying toward the altar, gripping a wand.

‘What the hell is that guy doing?’

***

Cutting through the air with a wind spell, Karnak sighed in relief.

‘That was close.’

He had summoned El Ragnatia, but he couldn’t maintain it for long.

He had to quickly cast Elezar’s spell on Demphis, but his current mana wasn’t enough to handle both at the same time.

In any case, the fire spirit had done its job by disrupting the ritual around the altar.

With Demphis restrained, all that was left were the minions!

“Fierce flames!”

Dozens of fireballs arced through the air, crashing around the Necromancers.

Boom, boom, boom!

After bombarding the surroundings with fireballs, Karnak landed on the altar. He then swung his wand wide.

“Break!”

The chains that had bound Laven’s limbs shattered all at once.

After freeing him from the restraints, Karnak helped him up.

“Hurry, get up, Laven!”

In the rush, Karnak ended up speaking informally.

Usually, he would switch between formal and informal speech since Laven was technically his subordinate.

Of course, in the situation of being rescued, Laven wasn’t in any position to complain about being spoken to casually.

“Th-thank you!”

First, he had to rescue Laven. Then, he would go deeper into the stone chamber to save the others, and after that, make a swift escape.

Afterward, they would sprint at full speed toward the non-residential area!

That was Karnak’s plan.

‘Right, that must be the stone chamber where the others are being held?’

Just as he was about to move away from the altar and head toward the other captives—

Laven, who had been following Karnak, suddenly stopped.

“What?”

Though Karnak had cut the chains, the dark aura was still gripping Laven’s neck and limbs.

‘What is this? Why is the ritual still ongoing even though we’ve left the altar?’

Karnak scanned the flow of necromantic power surrounding Laven with a bewildered look. He quickly realized the reason.

‘Wait, this isn’t a sacrifice; it’s a vessel?’

The type of ritual was different from what he expected.

In necromancy, a sacrifice is an object that is offered.

In contrast, a vessel is the subject that holds something.

Because of this, the power that had trapped Demphis, who was conducting the ritual, had also ensnared Laven, who was part of the same ritual.

‘Damn it, this is what happens when you try something you’re not familiar with.’

If it had been necromancy, Karnak wouldn’t have made such a mistake. But since he was trying to imitate Elezar’s magic, this kind of side effect occurred.

In any case, the situation was dire.

To free Laven from his bindings, he would also have to free Demphis.

But if he did that, the 9th circle master would become his enemy once again.

‘What do I do?’

Maintaining his composure, Karnak quickly surveyed the chapel.

He needed to find a way to resolve the situation—and fast.

Unfortunately, it seemed Demphis wasn’t planning to give him much time.

***

Demphis was calmly thinking.

Currently, he was trapped by his own power.

What kind of magic had been used to create this situation?

‘I have no idea. I can’t even guess.’

However, one thing was certain.

That man, Karnak, had made a mistake.

‘I don’t know what happened, but…’

Demphis refocused his mind on the pitch-black cube in his hand.

‘I will continue the ritual!’

The dark energy, which had been momentarily halted by El Ragnatia, began to flow again.

The vast necromantic power surged through the void, causing the chapel to tremble.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

In the midst of the sudden situation, Baros and Serati sent secret messages.

[Young Master?]

[What are you doing, Lord Karnak? Hurry and get Mr. Laven out of there!]

[Wait a second! This is…]

Karnak’s response was cut off midway.

The aura of death that had enveloped the surroundings suddenly changed.

The darkness grew still.

Like the eerie calm before a storm.

“I will anchor myself in the space-time continuum, becoming the dark beacon that blocks the light…”

An eerie voice pierced through the silence, echoing softly.

“Come forth, Martial God of Necropia, King of those who wield the sword!”

The darkness split open, and the void gaped wide.

At the same time, something unseen crashed down upon the altar.

Thud!

Laven dropped to his knees, clutching his head, and screamed in agony.

“Ahhhh!”

Karnak’s face went pale.

He recognized the sight all too well.

‘This…’

It was the phenomenon where a soul takes possession of a body.

The problem was, Karnak was all too familiar with the soul inhabiting Laven’s body.

‘…Laven?’

The soul of Laven Strauss, the future Martial King, had crossed the boundaries of time and space to descend into this world.

“Ahhhhhhh!”