Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Finally, the long-awaited reinforcements arrived. Karnak shouted irritably.

“You’re late!”

Feeling wronged, Baros immediately retorted.

“I hurried as much as I could!”

Laficel stood quietly, just glaring at the opponent.

“...”

Unlike before, she didn’t launch an immediate attack. It seemed she instinctively sensed that the situation was dire.

Serati, looking at the two-handed sword Baros held, asked in a concerned tone.

“Are you okay with that cursed sword?”

It was a vile sword, one that had the power to dominate humans and turn them into bloodthirsty murderers.

Even Baros, who had been the Death King’s most loyal servant, was now just an ordinary human.

How long could Baros withstand the terrifying power of that sword?

Baros answered with a serious face.

“I’m focusing as much as I can.”

Indeed, handling the sword’s power was a tricky task.

If he lost focus for even a moment, the balance would be destroyed!

‘Gah! I messed up again!’

A horrendous scream erupted from the cursed sword Mareda.

“Aaaah!”

At the same time, a pale evil spirit appeared through the blade.

“Ah! Ah! Aaaaaah!”

It thrashed about wildly, desperately trying to escape from the sword.

It looked like a drowning person frantically flailing for life.

“This again?” Baros muttered with a scowl as he shook the sword.

“Where do you think you’re going? You can’t escape.”

A dark current rose from the blade, capturing the evil spirit and sucking it back into the sword. It was as if it was being dragged to hell.

“Kyyaaaaah!”

With a final, agonizing scream, the evil spirit vanished back into the blade.

“Just a little lapse in focus and it tries to pass on for good, even though it’s an evil spirit.”

Serati stared in disbelief.

‘Oh, that scream was from the evil spirit?’

As expected, the servant matched the master.

Like Karnak, Baros was also one who belonged to the “abyss.”

For some reason, Serati felt the weight of her fate more deeply than ever.

How had she ended up among people against whom even evil spirits were desperate to escape?

Just as she was lost in thought, Baros directed a message at her.

[Please guard the young master, Dame Serati.]

[Ah, yes!]

Snapping back to her senses, Serati rushed to Karnak.

Baros lifted the cursed sword Mareda and pointed it at Laficel.

“It’s been a while, Dame Laficel.”

Woooong!

A sinister red battle aura radiated from the blade. It was the dark aura drawn out by the sword’s power.

“We’re not exactly happy to meet again, are we?”

Laficel could barely handle this dark aura and had to transform it into her own aura before she could use it effectively.

But for Baros, this was his expertise.

“Given the situation, let’s give it our all.”

The grey-haired girl twisted her expression.

“Lord Baros...”

Her blue eyes filled with murderous intent, and purple aura surged, enveloping her entire body.

“You cursed dog of the Death King!”

Her voice, filled with hatred, echoed through the air.

***

The gray-haired girl slashed vertically through the air.

The giant knight counterattacks with an upward strike, kicking the ground.

Two streams of battle aura clashed midair.

Crackle!

A deafening sound echoed as if the air itself had shattered. A vortex of light burst out in all directions.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Both let out groans as they staggered backward.

The first clash was a draw.

In terms of speed, timing, and the destructive power of their aura, they were evenly matched.

—Kill all approaching humans, only the Death King’s closest may pass, discern friend from foe, I’ll kill you, I’ll definitely kill you!

A complete disaster, to say the least.

Once Karnak realized this, he saw a way to resolve the situation.

‘If I can fuse her soul back together, that madness should subside.’

But he couldn’t restore her fully to normal. If he did, he’d be beaten to death by Laficel, who had once been the Martial King.

‘I’ll need to bury all her memories deep within her unconscious mind while healing her soul.’

This way, all of her memories would be sealed, including her hatred and anger.

As Karnak began to cast his spell, he formed a seal with both hands.

“O suffering soul, let the King of the Underworld guide you to peace...”

A dark magic circle appeared on the ground, exuding a sinister energy.

At the same time, mist-like particles spread toward Laficel.

Since there was no hostility, she didn’t try to evade them. She didn’t even seem to notice, still fixated on Baros.

Karnak’s incantation continued.

“Follow the path of rest, and enter the realm of peace...”

***

Dark red battle aura and purple aura clashed in the air.

Crackle!

Electric sparks flew as both figures were thrown in opposite directions.

Baros, wielding the cursed sword Mareda, and Laficel, holding an ordinary longsword, glared at each other.

“Huff, huff...”

“Haah...”

Both were breathing heavily, sizing each other up.

Blood stained Baros’s shoulder and Laficel’s thigh.

The bleeding stopped quickly. Those who had mastered the art of aura control could easily stem bleeding with just their aura.

Of course, stopping the bleeding didn’t mean the wounds had healed.

‘Ugh, if I move too much, it’ll reopen.’

Feeling anxious, Baros glanced behind him.

‘He’s doing something, but...’

He could feel a powerful, sinister energy emanating from Karnak.

‘Why is it taking so long?’

This was the former Death King, after all. Unless he lacked necromantic power entirely, if he could still use it, he should be more than proficient.

While still keeping an eye on Laficel, Baros sent a quick message.

[Young master, how much longer?]

[Just hold on a little longer!]

The reply was urgent, clearly showing Karnak’s deep concentration.

[What exactly are you doing?]

[Sealing Laficel’s memories!]

[Is that something that takes this long?]

[It’s hard because I’m not used to doing this!]

Baros was even more confused.

Sealing memories? That’s not something he hadn’t done before. Karnak had tampered with memories countless times, gaining all sorts of infamy for it!

Karnak shouted as if making an excuse.

[I’m healing Laficel’s soul! I’ve never healed anyone other than you!]

That’s right.

Crushing and breaking souls, erasing memories—that was easy. He did that all the time.

But carefully nurturing a soul, treating it with gentleness, ensuring it’s healed without engaging in hostile actions—that was something he had never once done!

[Ugh, I should have lived more kindly...]

Watching Karnak struggle and groan, Serati was taken aback.

[Why are you suddenly doing something so nice?]

Could it be that he felt guilty? Was that why he was trying to save Laficel’s soul, even though his life was at risk?

No way.

[If she senses hostility or murderous intent, she’ll immediately strike back! I have to be as gentle as possible to make her accept the healing!]

Right now, it was impossible for Karnak to dominate or brainwash Laficel’s soul. Her mental strength was too strong for that.

However, it was possible to heal her fragmented soul.

That was because this act wasn’t rooted in hostility but in goodwill.

It was within the realm of what Laficel’s instincts allowed.

In a way, it was like trying to calm a wild beast enough to administer medicine.

[So, just hold on a little longer!]

[I think I can manage, but...]

Baros glanced anxiously at the two-handed sword in his hand.

The sword’s evil spirit peeked out from between the blades, looking like a dried-up mummy. The blood energy had already been completely drained, and even the spiritual energy was hanging by a thread.

[I’m worried this thing won’t hold out much longer.]

Laficel, who had steadied her breathing, once again had her eyes turn blood-red.

“...I’ll kill you, dog of the Death King!”