Karnak, Monarch of Death-Chapter 171: The Counterattack of Chaos (3)

It was dusk, late winter at a fishing village. Flames erupted from various points within an opulent structure perched atop a coastal hill. It was a temple dedicated to Atima, the Goddess of the Sea.

"You corrupt priests!”

"Face the judgment of Tesranach!"

A mob wielding pitchforks and farming tools rampaged through the temple, slaughtering priests and temple guards without hesitation. None of them showed even a shred of remorse. For years, the temple had tormented the villagers with exorbitant taxes and ruthless usury.

Their fury had long been simmering, and it was only natural that they had turned to the Cult of the Black God for salvation. Naturally, the temple didn't go down without a fight. Armed with spears and swords, the temple warriors roared in defiance.

"You blasphemous cultists!”

"How dare you set foot in this sacred place?!"

But their resistance made no difference. The leaders of the mob were powerful necromancers sent by the Cult of the Black God. The evil spirits and undead they commanded were far too much for a backwater temple to handle.

"Slaughter them all!”

"Tesranach, bless us with your might!"

Screams echoed, then faded. Cries of anguish turned to silence as nearly all the priests and temple guards were slain. Then, amidst the dying embers, figures emerged from the darkness.

The necromancers of the Cult of the Black God hesitated at the sight of the newcomers.

"Huh?"

But they didn't raise their guard. The newcomers exuded the same eerie energy as them. It was the unmistakable presence of fellow necromancers.

"Are they from another branch?”

"Where did you come from?"

The next moment, a torrent of jet-black flames engulfed the cultists.

“Gaaah!"

“Kegh!"

"Uwaaagh!"

Taken by surprise, the cultists fell one after another. But even if it hadn't been an ambush, their fates wouldn't have changed. The new arrivals wielded a far greater power over darkness than any of the necromancers present. Even as they writhed in agony, the cultists screamed.

"W-Who are you?!”

"Why are you attacking us?!"

A cold, chilling voice answered them. "We serve the true master of death..."

The voice was eerie and ominous, as if it had risen from the depths of the underworld. "We have come to erase false teachings and spread the truth.”

***

The gateway city of Tarpin was located in the central region of the Lipaul Kingdom. In the dim backstreets of this chaotic city, there was a hidden passage that led to a secret underground chamber. It was a place where the Tarpin branch of the Cult of the Black God held their sacred masses to honor Tesranach, the God of Death.

And now, within that space, the branch leader, Baston, lay bloodied and gasping for breath. "Why...? Why are you doing this...?"

Nearly all the believers had already met a gruesome end. It was the work of a group of assailants who had suddenly attacked their mass.

Staring at the armed figures before him, Baston roared. "What madness is this, Brahal?!"

He simply couldn't comprehend the situation. The very people leading the massacre were fellow cultists from the Tarpin branch.

"You have forsaken Tesranach! Do you not fear the burning pits of hell?!"

A middle-aged man stepped forward from among the assailants. "I have awakened from my foolishness."

With his arms crossed, the man, Brahal, spoke in a low, eerie voice. "Our faith was in vain. Tesranach is not the true god."

At the same time, his body began to mutate. His skin darkened to black, his muscles bulged grotesquely, and his eyes gleamed a sinister red as a thick, hardened shell began covering his body.

Baston, his voice trembling, stared at the monster before him. “Who is it? Who gave you this power?"

Brahal raised his now-massive right hand. "It was bestowed upon me by the true master of death."

His fingers twisted and writhed, elongating into wriggling tendrils. "In the name of Serakal, Goddess of Twilight and Chaos...” Then, with a swift motion, the razor-sharp tendrils ripped through the air. "I shall punish the sinners."

***

In Thea Krahan, the imperial capital was the White Tower of Magic. Within it, in an office overflowing with stacks of documents, a striking woman with bronzed skin read through many reports.

The woman was Elezar, imperial court mage of the Lacania Empire. However, she was not her usual self—lounging idly in the reception hall, exuding her usual air of relaxed elegance. Instead of her customary lavish dress, she wore simple casual attire, and her once meticulously styled golden hair was now hastily tied back with a simple string.

"Hudel really was quite capable.” Clicking her tongue, she rubbed her temple. “Anyway, what the hell is this mess now?"

Losing Hudel had been a major setback. The Brigade of Purification had been circling around her relentlessly ever since, as if they had gotten a hint. Of course, that alone was no real threat. No one in the Brigade would dare to act against an archmage and the imperial court mage.

She had been aware of their movements and had been taking precautions accordingly. It had been an annoyance, but not a crisis. However, it had forced her to neglect the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, which had technically been under Jedex's jurisdiction anyway. And yet, according to the latest reports, things had taken a disturbing turn.

Four branches have already fallen?

The secret branches of the Cult of the Black God, scattered throughout the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, were being wiped out one by one. And it wasn't the work of the Church of the Seven Goddesses or the King's Orders of various nations.

A new force had emerged, one that called itself the Church of Twilight. They were attacking the Cult of the Black God with a simple claim.

—Tesranach is not the true god of death.

—The true master of death exists elsewhere, and the followers of the Black God have been

deceived by false teachings.

And the entity they worshipped was... "Serakal, Goddess of Twilight and Chaos?"

Elezar muttered in disbelief. "How does a goddess like that even exist?"

According to the doctrines of the Church of the Seven Goddesses, twilight was merely the transition between day and night, and chaos was nothing more than a mix of light and darkness. Neither was supposed to be a true force, let alone an entity with divine authority.

"Then again, by that logic, neither should a God of Darkness and Death."

She let out a bitter chuckle and fell into thought. Some unknown faction had appeared, and they were actively interfering with their grand undertaking. They couldn't simply be left alone.

Most members of the Church of Twilight had formerly been part of the Cult of the Black God before defecting. The way they spread their teachings was insidiously effective. They exploited the inconsistencies in Tesranach's doctrine and provided just the right answers to lingering doubts, before proclaiming themselves as the true faith. At a glance, their teachings weren't drastically different from those of the Black God's cult.

“No matter how I look at it, this is a direct attack on our order."

But there was no way the Church of Twilight could have grown so rapidly on its own. There had to be something more behind it.

"The question is, what?”

Hudel had originally been the one handling matters like this. But now, he was gone. Tossing the reports aside, Elezar glared westward.

Looks like I'll need to make contact with them.

***

At a house in the capital Drunta, a red-haired beauty stared in disbelief at the dark-haired young man before her, raising her voice in exasperation. “The Church of Twilight? What the hell is this, Lord Karnak?!”

Karnak responded proudly. "Well? It's working, isn't it?"

Serati grabbed the back of her neck.

I knew it! This was his doing!

It had been nearly two months since they had rescued Leven from Maleficus Dungeon. During that time, Karnak's party had ignored all King's Order assignments, instead spending their days comfortably at their residence in Drunta. Of course, one couldn't just decline missions at will. But the group had very good excuses. First, there was Karnak.

—I have an agreement with Lord Deltros. It'll take about two months.

He claimed he needed to deliver a high necromancy-exclusive spell, Circumventer of Necromancy, to the Azure Silver Tower of Magic. Since he had already spent the advance payment, he naturally had to fulfill the contract.

And Deltros, being a Eustil court mage, far outranked Erantel, the commander of the King's Order. With age, status, and influence on his side, Deltros approved Karnak's leave without protest. Serati also had a valid reason.

—I was fortunate enough to reach the blue-tier. I need some time to reflect on myself.

Erantel, as an aura user himself, fully understood. A newly ascended aura user had to consolidate their skills, as it would significantly impact their future growth.

Naturally, he approved. As for Varos?

—Leven here is close to becoming an aura user. Give me some time to train him.

Honestly, it was a flimsy excuse. Not just anyone could become an aura user just by training hard. But the name Strauss carried weight. Leven had enough latent talent that people actually believed it was possible.

And if things worked out, the Eustil King's Order might gain another aura user, which made it worth considering. So, with these reasons, Karnak's entire party had abandoned their King's Order duties to take care of their own business and slack off.

And Lapicel? Well, she wasn't even part of the King's Order to begin with. She was Serati's squire. Because of this, the Seventh Squad was now full of rumors.

—Is Karnak really still our captain?

—No idea. I haven't seen him in ages.

—Ever since the demon sword incident, he's been off doing his own thing.

—Well, he's definitely competent. He's got an impressive track record.

—He pulled off something big in the Kingdom of Ethriel too.

—Shouldn’t he quit being a squad captain and move on to a bigger role? 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Meanwhile, Serati spent her days diligently refining her blue-tier aura under Varos's guidance, while also sparring with Lapicel and Leven. Then, one day, strange rumors reached her ears.

—A new cult called the Church of Twilight has appeared!

—They’re growing at an alarming rate, rapidly devouring the Cult of the Black God's influence!

Already uneasy, Serati had immediately tracked down Karnak. "When did you even have time to do this?!"

"I told you, Demphis is competent."

"That damn talking skull! I was wondering what he was up to...!” Clicking her tongue, Serati took a deep breath, calming herself. Then, she asked seriously, "What exactly is this Goddess of Chaos, Serakal? Does she actually exist?"

"Well... if I had to put it simply...” Karnak's voice carried a hint of ambiguity as he pointed at her. "I suppose... she's you?"

"What?"

Of course, he wasn't actually claiming Serati was a goddess. Rather, he had combined her and his own names to fabricate a completely fake deity.

"We don't actually need to gather real followers. As long as we disrupt them, that's enough. Why would I put effort into coming up with a serious name?"

For reference, the mysterious leader of the Church of Twilight was called Varonak.

I don't even need to ask what names he mashed together for that one.

Karnak grinned at Serati, who looked utterly dumbfounded. "They say an eye for an eye."

So, for a cult, they countered with another cult.

"I had Demphis round up the Wellad branch guys and set up a fake one."