Karnak, Monarch of Death-Chapter 165: The Monarch of Death Tesranach (2)

The actions of the God of Darkness and Death, Tesranach, were strange in many ways. He wielded the shadow of doom, just like Karnak. He ruled over the very beings Karnak had once commanded. He committed the same acts Karnak would have. Even a fool would start to suspect that there was some deep connection between them.

"Well, if you put it that way, there certainly is a close connection...” Karnak turned to his trusted aide with a blank expression. "But I never imagined it would be this close."

Varos shook his head. "Me? I'm Tesranach? Not you, young master? What kind of nonsense...?"

Demphis spoke with polite precision. "That's only according to her explanation. However, from my perspective..."

The archlich's gaze turned to Karnak. "I can sense traces of my former master, Tesranach, within you."

Even if the Mark of Contract had changed, loyalty did not shift so easily in an instant. Demphis’s memories remained intact, and as a result, he should have been suffering from the contradictions of it all. Normally, mental restraints would be applied to gradually reorient the servant's allegiance.

Yet, for Demphis, it had been different. The moment the brand's owner changed, so did the direction of his loyalty, instantly and completely. His memories of unwavering devotion to Tesranach were still there, yet they felt like nothing more than an illusion.

"In fact, it almost feels like things have returned to their rightful place."

Even so, he had identified Varos as Tesranach instead of Karnak. Why?

"For now, we should clarify this first.” Karnak's expression grew serious as he questioned Demphis. "Just what kind of bastard was Tesranach?"

Demphis immediately understood the nuance. Karnak wasn't asking who Tesranach was. He was asking what he had done. In other words, he wanted a chronological explanation.

"There are many things I do not know myself...” The archlich gave a slight bow. "But I will explain everything to the best of my knowledge."

***

Tesranach had not been a god of death from the beginning. Before he gained power, before he obtained his divine authority, he had been nothing more than the son of an insignificant human.

"There is little known about Tesranach's childhood."

All that was recorded was that he had been born the son of a peasant somewhere within the Seven Kingdoms Alliance of the western continent. He became an orphan at a young age and was taken in as the attendant of a noble's illegitimate son.

"His fate changed because of the master he served."

Tesranach's master had been the bastard son of a noble family. From a young age, he had been tormented by his parents and siblings, fostering deep resentment. At some point, he stumbled upon necromancy and decided to use it as a tool for vengeance.

Most believed that necromancy required no talent. And in a way, they were right. Unlike aura or magic, which one couldn't even begin practicing without a natural gift, necromancy was an art that anyone could learn and quickly grow powerful in.

However, just because talent wasn't necessary didn't mean it was useless. If one did possess talent, they would naturally surpass the rest. Yet, the aptitude for necromancy was completely different from that of magic, divine power, or aura. What others considered a lack of humanity, that was what necromancy recognized as talent.

Tesranach's master had been a natural-born necromancer. And before long, he had become a monster. With that power, he bared his fangs at the parents and siblings who had tormented him.

"Tesranach, too, served his master faithfully, assisting him with complete devotion."

At last, his master seized control of the family. But his glory was short-lived. Still young, he had become so intoxicated by the power of necromancy that he failed to grasp its severe consequences.

As the saying went, the longer a tail, the more likely it is to be stepped on. Eventually, the Church of the Seven Goddesses discovered his true identity. Forced to abandon the family he had fought to claim, he fled from the church's relentless pursuit. Tesranach, too, was driven into a life of wandering alongside his master.

***

“Uh..." Karnak tilted his head, puzzled.

"This sounds exactly like our story.” Varos had the same reaction.

"It really does."

"But why are you in the role of Tesranach?"

"From what we've heard so far, Tesranach hasn't even learned necromancy yet, has he?"

"That part comes later...” Demphis muttered in a disgruntled tone, displeased at having been interrupted mid-explanation.

Karnak smirked and gestured for him to continue. "Alright, keep going."

Afterward, Tesranach and his master roamed the continent while concealing their identities. The Church of the Seven Goddesses pursued them with relentless determination, and along the way, much blood was spilled. During their flight, Tesranach's master grew even stronger.

And as his power expanded, so did the scale of his atrocities. At last, the two found themselves up against an opponent beyond their ability to handle: Gellard, the Martial King of Delphiad at the time.

And more than that—his firstborn son, Emil Strauss, a once-in-a-century genius and the chosen successor to the title of martial king. Emil set his sights on them with determination to bring them down.

After a meticulous pursuit, Emil finally tracked them down. A brutal battle ensued, and eventually, the victor was decided. Tesranach's master had been a formidable necromancer. Even Emil, the son of Gellard, had been unable to overcome the might of the great darkness and met his death.

However, the cost of victory had been great. Tesranach's master, too, had suffered an irreversible wound in his battle against Emil Strauss. Though Emil had lost, he had ensured that his opponent would not live for much longer either.

***

Karnak and Varos, having listened up to this point, flinched in shock.

"What? I die?"

"Seems like it."

Demphis, once again interrupted, glared at them. Or at least, he would have, if an archlich had any eyes to glare with.

"If this is how it's going to be, should I just submit a written report instead?"

Varos gave Demphis a curious look. Despite having sworn absolute loyalty to Karnak due to the Mark of Contract, he still had the audacity to grumble. It was a sight all too familiar in the Necropia Empire.

He really does feel like the Governor Demphis I used to know.

Karnak waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright. My bad. Continue."

***

As he lay dying, the master spoke to Tesranach. My most loyal servant, take my body and soul and carry on my vengeance against this world. Rule over all death and darkness, and bring suffering and terror to the living!

With tears in his eyes, Tesranach swore an oath.

I shall obey, my master!

Thus, his master perished, and Tesranach sank his teeth into his master's flesh and blood. Death enveloped him. Darkness seeped into him. His master's soul lived on within him. His master's knowledge lived on within him. His master's power lived on within him.

Thus, he stepped into the world as a new necromancer, a swordsman of darkness, alone.

***

Karnak declared without hesitation. "Nah, that's not me."

Varos immediately echoed the sentiment. "Agreed. That's definitely not you, young master."

Asking someone to avenge him after his death? That didn't sound right at all. Death would be his end after all.

"If anything, I'd have demanded they find some way to bring me back."

Serati, who had been listening in from the side, slyly interjected. "What if that was what you originally said? But then he took your power and conveniently forgot the rest."

"That actually sounds kind of plausible.” Karnak shot a glare at Varos. "You bastard."

Varos, looking utterly wronged, protested. "I am not Tesranach! There's no way I'd eat you, young master!"

"Well, that's true."

"There are so many good things in this world. Why would I choose to eat you, of all people?"

"That's your reason?"

They were joking, but if one considered the circumstances, it wasn't entirely implausible.

"If it was a life-or-death situation, and you were gone with no other way to survive...” Varos shrugged. “I could probably grit my teeth and go through with it."

"Good thing I didn't die, then."

Meanwhile, Demphis, once again interrupted, simply stared at Karnak in silence.

Karnak, looking sheepish, muttered, "Alright, alright. I'll keep my mouth shut from now on."

However, Demphis wasn’t staring because he had been interrupted.

“This is very interesting,” Demphis remarked.

“What is?”

“You are not like Tesranach at all, Master Karnak.”

Though their actions were similar, their personalities and speech were vastly different.

“Really?”

“But Sir Varos isn’t similar to him either.”

Karnak and Varos exchanged glances.

“I thought it was the two of us mixed together. Maybe that’s why.”

“How does that even make any sense?”

“Well, a lot can happen when necromancy’s involved, right?”

“Well, I suppose that’s true...” Varos agreed hesitantly before turning back towards Demphis. “So what happened afterwards?”

***

The Church of the Seven Goddesses continued to pursue Tesranach. And with every encounter, they suffered devastating losses. Tesranach was not just a formidable necromancer. He was also a swordsman of darkness.

At this point, he had become a monster beyond anything the church could handle alone. But that did not mean Tesranach's life was easy. As the world's pressure mounted against him, he, too, felt the urgent need to expand his forces.

He gathered subordinates indiscriminately. He raised the dead with the power of darkness, recruited high-ranking undead, and brought monsters out from hiding and took them under his command.

It was during this time that he discovered the remains of Dallas, a former royal court mage, in the Baracant Mountains. He reanimated his soul and revived him as an archlich.

"It was then that he bestowed upon me the name Demphis."

At the same time, he did not forget his master's vengeance. Countless humans died in agony, only to rise again and spread further suffering. He even unleashed a special plague. It was so virulent that it didn't just infect humans. Even crops rotted under its curse.

Countless people perished, some from the disease, others from starvation. And those who survived fought one another to the death over the scraps of food that remained. Eventually, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance collapsed.

Even humanity’s last hope, Leven Strauss, the Martial King of Delphiad, was defeated and turned into Tesranach’s servant. With the situation spiraling out of control, the Lacania Empire could no longer afford to stand by.

The greatest warriors of humankind rose up like wildfire to face Tesranach. Yet, the outcome remained the same. The once-mighty imperial army was annihilated by the legions of the dead.

Elezzar, the imperial court mage, succumbed to Tesranach's dominion. The survivors fled eastward, barely clinging to their lives. With most of the continent under his rule, Tesranach became known as the Monarch of Death, the supreme ruler of the dead.

The only remaining force of the living was the Berus Federation, an alliance of dragons and fairies. Those who had fled and those who had survived joined forces. Dragons, elves, humans, along with the last two archmages and the three remaining martial kings, banded together to stand against Tesranach's empire.

It was the ultimate battle between light and darkness. No matter how powerful the Monarch of Death was, even he could not withstand the combined might of the entire world. In the end, he cast aside the last fragment of his humanity. Using his final, forbidden sorcery, he ascended to the ultimate transcendent state.

He became Astra Shunaph.

***

“Wait." Karnak cut in. "He became Astra Shunaph because of the combined assault from the archmages and the martial kings?"

He frowned. "What about the Dragon Emperor?"

"What?"

"I'm talking about Grateria, the Guardian of the World."

Something didn't add up. The reason Karnak had been forced to abandon his humanity and become Astra Shunaph wasn't because of the archmages or the martial kings. It was because Grateria had entered the fray.

“Grateria...?" Demphis asked in a bewildered tone. "Who is that?"