Chapter 93

Chapter 93

The only woman among the Four Martial Kings, Laficel Crotéum.

She is the youngest person in history to have earned the title of Martial King and a great hero of humanity who continued to fight against the Death King, even after the entire world had succumbed to his terror.

Karnak and Baros looked at Serati with disbelief.

“How do you not know?”

“She’s one of the Four Martial Kings, right?”

Serati still didn’t understand.

“There’s no one named Laficel among the Four Martial Kings.”

The name Crotéum was familiar, though.

Beltia Crotéum, a swordswoman from Syphras, was currently one of the Four Martial Kings and the only woman among them, known as an absolute powerhouse.

However, she was now over forty years old, a mature woman. She wasn’t some young girl.

“Oh, right...”

Karnak and Baros finally realized.

They had momentarily gotten confused, but in retrospect, it made sense that Serati wouldn’t know Laficel.

“At this point in time, Laficel hasn’t become a Martial King yet, has she?”

“More than that, most of the future Four Martial Kings haven’t attained that title at this point in time.”

Laven Strauss was still acting as the successor to his father, Martial King Gallard Strauss.

Malikan Tun was still training in seclusion in the eastern refuge and hadn’t yet reached the level of a Martial King.

“Dreltain Telix should be active, though. He was a Martial King even in this era.”

However, instead of being the elderly swordsman they remembered in his sixties, at this time, he was a vigorous young swordsman in his thirties, having just become a Martial King.

As for Laficel Crotéum...

“She hasn’t even become Beltia’s disciple yet in this era.”

It would be another 20 years after becoming Beltia’s disciple and taking on the surname Crotéum before she finally earned the title of Martial King.

Serati glanced at the gray-haired girl confronting the King’s Order.

“So you’re saying that girl is a future Martial King?”

“Yes.”

“Then how...?”

The girl continued elegantly and gracefully knocking out the members of the King’s Order, one by one.

Even though she was wielding a sword, she didn’t slash at them. She bluntly gathered her aura into her weapon, using the sword like a club rather than a blade.

It was a completely different demeanor from how she had treated Karnak and his group.

“What did you do to this future Martial King that makes her act as if she’s facing her sworn enemy?”

Suddenly, Karnak looked sheepish and avoided eye contact.

“Well, it’s just that...”

With a sigh, Baros answered for him.

“...Because we are her sworn enemies, of course.”

***

It happened when Karnak was fully establishing his infamous reputation as the Death King, turning the world upside down.

By then, most of humanity had already bent the knee to his undead army.

Even the three Archmages and most of the Four Martial Kings had fallen helplessly before the vast powers of the Death King and his cursed subordinates.

However, Laficel did not submit.

She never bowed, no matter what trials and hardships she faced. Even when despair came her way, she rose again and steadfastly opposed the darkness.

Her unyielding resolve was nothing less than a beacon of hope for humanity.

From the perspective of the Death King, she was a major thorn in his side.

As Laficel’s continued efforts against the Necropia Empire persisted, Karnak finally decided to personally intervene.

“What did you do to her?”

“My original plan was to capture her master, Beltia, and use her as a hostage.”

But the hostage plan didn’t work.

Even though she shed tears of blood for her beloved master, Laficel abandoned her and continued to resist the Death King.

She was fighting for justice, for humanity, with unwavering resolve.

“So, I turned Beltia into an undead and ordered her to capture Laficel,” Karnak said.

Serati’s mouth dropped open.

“What?”

So, he turned her only master, practically like a parent, into an undead and forced them to fight each other?

“I mean, I captured her, so I had to make use of her somehow, right? And Beltia, while past her prime, was still quite useful...”

“You... monster.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

Listening to this, Serati thought it made perfect sense why Laficel would consider Karnak her sworn enemy.

But Baros then interjected.

“The real story hasn’t even started yet.”

Though she was their enemy, both Karnak and Baros acknowledged that Laficel was a true hero.

Which made Serati stare at them in even greater disbelief.

‘So you did something so monstrous to such an incredible hero, tore apart her soul, and tortured her? Why am I following these guys?’

Serious doubts about her choices began to creep in.

“Come to think of it, it’s strange. Why does she harbor so much hatred for me as well?” Serati wondered aloud.

Karnak? Anyone could see that he deserved her fury.

Baros? The same.

But Serati hadn’t done anything to Laficel, so why the intense hatred?

Karnak shot her a glance. “Maybe it’s because she sees you as a cowardly human who sold their soul to a vile necromancer to save your own life.”

“...”

Leaving the now deflated Serati behind, Karnak and his group continued deeper into the canyon. Eventually, they found a suitably secluded rock to hide behind.

“Curtain of Chaos, drape over me and deceive the eyes of my enemies....”

A 6th Circle concealment spell spread around them, cloaking them in an illusion and hiding not only their appearance but also their presence and scent. It was a higher-tier invisibility spell.

Only after this did Karnak allow himself to relax.

“We’ll figure out how she got here later...”

Right now, that wasn’t the problem. Surviving was.

“How do we catch her?” Karnak asked, watching Laficel fight.

Baros replied, “Her combat instincts are still as sharp as ever. Just like back in the day.”

“Yeah. Ugh, I really don’t want to face her.”

As the two shuddered at the thought, Serati asked, “Just how strong was she?”

Karnak and Baros answered simultaneously.

“She was the strongest of the Four Martial Kings.”

“She was strong, obviously. But the weakest of the Four Martial Kings.”

Serati blinked, confused. “Why are you two saying completely different things?”

***

The other Martial Kings were born into noble families and received systematic training from a young age.

In contrast, Laficel’s childhood was anything but privileged.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say it wasn’t even ordinary.

Born into a poor, common family, she grew up struggling, eventually losing her parents to bandits and becoming an orphan.

Before she was taken in by Beltia, she didn’t even have the luxury of training in martial arts. Her daily life was a constant struggle just to get by.

But on the flip side, despite such circumstances, she was so exceptionally talented that when the Martial King of the time saw her, she immediately took her in as her personal disciple.

“Her talent was truly overwhelming.”

Of course, talent alone wasn’t enough to surpass the other Martial Kings.

After all, no one reaches the level of Martial King without being a genius.

To become a Martial King, one had to be naturally gifted, receive ample support, dedicate themselves to grueling efforts, and even have a bit of luck on their side.

That’s why Laficel was considered the weakest of the Four Martial Kings.

“But she had a knack for adapting quickly to any situation.”

She was strongest when facing enemies no one had ever encountered before.

No matter how bizarre the enemy’s techniques were, she always found a way to break through.

From Baros’ perspective, as a warrior, she was somewhat easier to deal with.

But for Karnak, a necromancer, she was the most troublesome of the Four Martial Kings.

“Oh, she was such a pain,” Karnak muttered, glancing over the rock.

“Fortunately, she’s not as formidable as she used to be.”

Serati, shocked, asked, “You mean she’s weaker now?”

“Of course. You think someone could become a Martial King with just that level of skill?”

“Exactly. The sky’s still blue, and the ground hasn’t split open, has it? She’s stuck in a young, untrained body right now, that’s why she’s like that,” Baros explained.

Serati’s face went blank.

So, when Laficel was in her prime, the sky would change color and the ground would crack?

How strong are these Martial Kings supposed to be? And what does that make Baros, who defeated them all?

“So what’s the difference between Sir Baros and that girl?” she asked.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

She understood that both of them were once monstrous beings who had fallen from their prime.

But the degree of their decline seemed different.

Unlike Baros, who couldn’t even use his aura anymore, that girl was freely unleashing a purple aura.

“You said you two were equals back in the day, but now the gap between you is enormous...”

“Well, it’s different circumstances. Baros and that girl...”

In the middle of their conversation, something clicked.

“Aha!”

Karnak’s eyes lit up.

“Of course! There’s that method!”