Death King Karnak

Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Dark God's Territory (4)

It wasn't just Tarman and Alice who were shocked.

Cald stood there as if he had turned into a corpse.

It was because he recognized the face.

"...Sir Durald?"

The strongest knight of Brelant County and a red-level aura user had appeared before him as a vampire.

Seeing Cald's reaction, Durald narrowed his eyes.

"I thought your face looked familiar. So you were the Twin Blades of Delim. Did you join the King's Order?"

Cald stammered in disbelief.

"Wh-why have you become a vampire?"

There was no way he had been a vampire from the beginning. Just two years ago, Durald had been undeniably human.

He had even seen him in broad daylight, under the scorching sun!

"What could possibly make someone like you... becoming a vampire would actually cause you to lose power as an aura user..."

No, that wasn't right.

The weapon in Durald's hand was undeniably a sword imbued with battle aura.

'What in the world is going on?'

As Cald stood there in confusion, Tarman stepped forward.

"It's confirmed that Brelant County has colluded with the cult."

He spoke as he returned to his serious demeanor, looking around.

"Based on the authority granted to the King's Order, I declare you enemies of the Goddesses and the King! Surrender now and obey the royal command!"

The vampires began to chuckle ominously.

"Kuhuhu..."

"Kikikikik..."

"Royal command?"

"Kneel before us?"

"Who commands whom?"

Tarman remained calm.

He was following the established procedure, never expecting them to surrender peacefully.

"If you won't comply, then there will be only summary judgment!"

Cald and Baros took their battle stances. Karnak began to gather his mana, and Alice surrounded herself with divine power.

"King's Order! Punish them in the name of the King!"

Durald raised his right hand as well.

"Go forth, vanguard of Tesranak!"

The vampires all leaped forward at once.

"Offer the blood of heretics to our god!"

***

Tarman and his group, Karnak, and Baros quickly formed a circular formation.

They stood back-to-back, preparing for attacks from behind while facing the oncoming swarm of vampires.

One of the leading vampires let out a sharp cry.

"Kyaaaah!"

Its ten claws elongated into blades, slashing through the air. A crimson web of bloodthirst sliced through the empty space.

This alone would have terrified ordinary soldiers, but...

"Hmph!"

Scoffing, Cald easily deflected the assault.

In reality, it was no different from wielding ordinary daggers.

Five fingers meant five blades, right? But they were all attached to the palm, weren't they?

The trajectory of all five blades was identical, merely extending the range slightly.

Swinging both hands was no different from wielding dual daggers.

"Let me show you real dual-wielding!"

Cald launched his counterattack.

His twin swords danced wildly. He deflected the attacks with his short sword while launching continuous strikes with his long sword.

"Ugh!"

The vampire that had charged at him staggered back, bleeding.

At that moment, Cald closed the distance.

As he advanced, the roles of his swords switched.

The short sword, capable of quick transitions, took the offensive, while the long sword, with its extended blade, acted as a shield to protect his body.

The claws of another vampire, waiting for an opportunity, were blocked by the blade. At the same time, blood splattered from the opponent's chest.

"Y-you damn royal family's dog... urk!"

It couldn't even finish its sentence, gasping for breath as Cald's short sword had pierced deep into its lungs.

This rapid shift in combat style was the reason Cald was known as the Twin Blades of Delim.

Although he had not yet awakened his battle aura, he was already a swordsman who had reached a high level of mastery.

Cald skillfully continued to battle the two vampires.

But he couldn't finish them off immediately.

Vampires didn't fall just because they got cut a few times.

A wound that would have been fatal to a human, striking them down with a single blow, was just a minor injury that would bleed for a bit before healing on these monsters.

'These regenerating bastards are really annoying!'

That's why they needed the holy power of a cleric.

Alice raised her staff.

"O Atima! Bestow your blessing upon this sword to cut down evil!"

A gentle light enveloped Cald's twin swords. It was a holy spell that weakened the undead's regenerative powers.

But she didn't stop there and continued with another spell.

"Before the light of the Goddess, let the unholy be consumed by fire!"

A soft radiance spread over both allies and enemies alike.

It had no effect on the living, but to the undead, it felt like a burning flame.

The vampires screamed in agony as their skin seemed to burn.

"Kyaaaah!"

"Cleric!"

"Kill that wench first!"

One heavily armored vampire swung its halberd down.

Seeing the incoming blade, Alice grumbled.

"Every time, they always target me first."

Saying it was a common occurrence meant she was well accustomed to the situation.

Twisting her body, she also brought down her wand—not towards the vampire, but towards the ground.

Boom!

Light spread through the earth, binding the advancing vampire's feet. As a result, the force behind the descending halberd was weakened.

The weakened blade failed to penetrate Alice's shield, stopping midway. She reached out her hand.

"Flash of Atima!"

A projectile of light struck the vampire's abdomen.

"Argh!"

The vampire was sent flying, and Alice triumphantly shouted.

"Who said clerics can't fight? We've got plenty of attack spells too!"

The fallen vampire quickly got back up.

Even after taking a direct hit from divine power, the natural enemy of the undead, it seemed relatively unscathed.

Somewhat disappointed, she added,

"...The problem is, most attack spells aren't as powerful as regular magic."

This was the typical combat style of a cleric.

They spread divine power widely to prevent the enemy's approach, and when the weakened foe finally managed to close in, they pushed them back, focusing entirely on self-defense.

There was no need to take risks by trying to finish the enemy off. That was the job of the other comrades.

"Fire Blast!"

Once again, Tarman's scorching flame magic struck the heavily armored vampire that had been targeting Alice.

Boom!

Thanks to this, the vampire that had just managed to rise ended up rolling back onto the ground.

"Ugh!"

Another vampire took this opportunity to target Tarman, but...

Thud!

A 2-meter-tall clay golem blocked its path. It was the golem Tarman had summoned.

"Damn it! A mere golem!"

The vampire snarled, swinging its claws.

The red blood keeps striking the clay doll. However, because it is so hard, only a few pieces fall.

The clay golem reached out to grab the vampire once again.

But this time, the vampire quickly evaded. The golem was simply too slow.

Both mages and necromancers summon unique creatures through their spells.

Necromancers summon zombies, ghouls, wraiths, and undead spirits, while mages summon golems, puppet dolls, or even magical beasts and spirits.

However, there was a significant difference in power.

Necromancers can control hundreds of zombies at once and often summon rare undead monsters.

In contrast, a mage's golems and puppets are slower and weaker.

Summoning magical beasts or spirits could potentially match the necromancer's power, but with the same amount of mana, a necromancer can summon dozens of undead spirits, while a mage can only summon one magical beast.

In similar circumstances, a necromancer's summoning abilities far exceed those of a mage in every aspect.

However, mages have an overwhelming advantage.

"Lightning Blast!"

A bolt of blue lightning tore through the air. It was too fast to dodge.

The thunderbolt struck the retreating vampire directly.

"Kyaaaaah!"

The vampire was instantly reduced to blackened ash that scattered in all directions.

It was a terrifying force that even a vampire's regenerative powers couldn't withstand.

When it comes to the power of a single strike, a mage is far superior.

In similar circumstances, a mage's offensive magic surpasses a necromancer's in every way.

So the tactics of mages and necromancers who use summoning spells are also very different.

For a necromancer, the summoned creatures are the main combatants, while the necromancer acts as a commander, controlling the battlefield.

On the other hand, for a mage, summoned creatures are merely shields to protect the mage. The mage themselves is the primary combatant.

Tarman, harnessing his surging mana, surveyed the battlefield.

'Did I take one down? Not bad.'

They had already reduced the enemy's forces shortly after the battle had begun. Meanwhile, their side had suffered no significant damage.

Tarman glanced over at Karnak's side.

It was thanks to them.

Their skills were far beyond what he had expected, allowing for a more relaxed battle.

'A mere 4th-circle mage and his knight from the countryside, they said...'

At the moment, Tarman and his group were holding off five vampires between the three of them.

Meanwhile, Karnak and Baros were holding off four vampires by themselves without being pushed back at all!

Tarman clicked his tongue in amazement.

'The world is indeed vast. How could such strong individuals have remained unknown until now?'

To Tarman, it seemed as if Karnak and Baros were effortlessly dealing with the vampires.

But the reality was a bit different.

[Ah, this is tricky.]

[Of all things, we're up against vampires...]

They were indeed at ease.

It was true that they were far from being in any kind of danger.

However, considering their experience, they should have already slaughtered these four vampires by now.

They had easily defeated far stronger necromancers in the past, relying solely on their expertise.

Casting spells continuously, Karnak muttered.

[Do you remember how these creatures used to fight, Baros?]

[I don't really know.]

Swinging his sword, Baros shrugged.

[They were so weak that we just used them as ordinary foot soldiers, remember?]

Karnak, who had fought against the world and commanded numerous monsters, had indeed had vampires among his subordinates.

The problem was that Tarman and his group's explanation was entirely accurate.

There truly wasn't a single old vampire among them. All of them had died long before reaching such an age.

Decades after conquering the world, stronger vampires did eventually emerge, but by then, there were no challengers left who could stand against the Death King.

[If it were zombies or ghouls, I'd have a better idea of how to handle them since I used them a lot when I was weaker...]

Karnak had never seen or cared much about how vampires fought.

[Let's just ignore them and treat them like regular foot soldiers.]

[That's probably for the best.]

The two continued their battle calmly.

No need to take unnecessary risks—safety first.

In any case, there was no chance they would lose to these vampires.

The situation was steadily tilting in favor of Tarman and his group. At this rate, they would likely be able to take down the entire swarm of vampires without sustaining any significant injuries.

However, the vampires showed no signs of fear.

"Tesranak blesses us with protection!"

"Even if we die here!"

"The God of Death will grant us the darkness of resurrection!"

To these fanatics, even being reduced to ashes was merely an act of martyrdom, a return to Tesranak.

They charged in ruthlessly, indifferent to whether their comrades or they themselves were dying.

On the other hand, Tarman and his group's expressions were gradually becoming grim.

'It's not enough just to win.'

'The real issue is what happens over there.'

Even in the midst of battle, Cald and Alice kept glancing across the open area.

The relentless barrage of deafening explosions had been continuing non-stop...

Boom! Boom boom! Boom!

It was the battlefield where Serati and Durald were crossing swords, their two streams of red aura devastating the area around them.

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