Chapter 422: The Deceived and the Deceiver (2)

Desteran lunged forward. He drooled like a rabid beast as he wildly swung his chain blade. Chaplin charged as well. His eyes rolled back, he brought down his aura blade in grotesque, jerky motions.

Both of them were targeting Serati exclusively. From the beginning, Tesranach had not been aiming at those two beasts wearing human skins. His target was the red-haired beauty—the one who still possessed a normal human soul.

Serati met them head-on with her twilight blade. Crimson-black flames clashed with silver aura, sending shockwaves bursting outward. With a thunderous crash, Desteran and Chaplin were pushed back.

But they did not fall. Neither of them looked remotely normal, yet their aura still retained its full power.

Serati shouted desperately. "Please, come to your senses, Sir Desteran!"

Varos and Karnak clicked their tongues.

—Ah, this is bad.

—Indeed.

If heartfelt cries imbued with emotion could restore someone's mind, the world would be a far easier place to live in. Saying something like that was practically the same as admitting she had been cornered. But stepping in to eliminate Desteran and Chaplin themselves...

—Serati wouldn't allow it, would she?

—Of course not.

For reference, Serati was listening in on their transmissions as well.

Are they trying to tell me something? Her expression hardened.

—Are you telling me to kill them?

Even in the urgency, Karnak hesitated and gauged her mood.

—Well... I was hoping the incarnation of the goddess would make a firm and resolute decision.

—Don't be ridiculous!

It wasn't because Serati was especially virtuous or righteous. Any ordinary person with human sensibilities would struggle to drive a blade into the heart of someone they cared about. That was simply normal. This was just common sense.

Tesranach smiled faintly as he watched them. "You've suddenly grown quiet. It seems you're whispering among yourselves."

Even he couldn't discern the content of their transmissions, but he could tell they were communicating.

"Do you still have tricks left?" His left hand swept through the air. A black wave surged forth, forming dozens of spears that shot toward them.

Each one possessed enough power to pierce thick fortress walls, and they came so densely that there was nowhere to evade.

Karnak quickly swung his wand and erected a shield. "O Arrogant King who lurks in the shadows!"

Varos hurriedly reversed his grip on his sword.

Reversal Blade, Shadow Concealment!

The incoming spears of darkness collided with the barrier of chaos and exploded. Moments later, Karnak emerged unscathed. Though the barrier had wavered briefly, it had held.

But Varos was in a very different situation. He darted frantically between shadows in an attempt to evade the barrage. However, there were simply too many spears.

Unlike Karnak, Tesranach had no reason to concern himself with Varos's safety. Varos dying wouldn't cause Karnak to suddenly revert into the God of Death. He could simply resurrect him as an undead. As a result, the majority of the attacks were clearly focused on Varos alone.

What the hell?! Am I the only one in real danger here?!

Varos's face turned pale upon realizing the truth. Suddenly, from the shadows at the edge of the hall, a white cat leapt out and cried out. Flames, lightning, and frost combined into a massive barrier. A triple-layered magical shield formed in front of Varos.

Of course, it couldn't withstand the spears of darkness for long and shattered almost immediately, but it bought just enough time for Varos to escape.

Varos grumbled.

—What was that? Why's your magic weaker than usual?

Glancing warily at Tesranach, Grateria replied through transmission.

—It can't be helped! If I reveal any more power, he might notice!

***

The only way to defeat Tesranach was for Grateria to reverse the possession. But the moment Tesranach became aware of Grateria's existence, it would become impossible.

When Serati first heard Karnak's plan, she had suggested this instead. "Couldn't we try talking to Tesranach? He's only trying to prevent the destruction of the world. He doesn't have any other goal, does he?"

But Grateria had objected. Tesranach had endured countless failures and frustrations. "He will not believe anything we say. His distrust of the Monarch of Death has already reached a level akin to fanatic faith."

The moment they attempted to engage in dialogue, Grateria's existence would inevitably be exposed. With that, their only chance of victory would vanish. The risk was far too great to gamble on such a fragile hope. "He must never find out!"

***

Tesranach showed a hint of interest in the white cat. "Oh? So that is the goddess's divine beast I've heard about."

Even though he himself wielded the Grace of the Black God, he found the cat somewhat intriguing. But that was all it was—mere interest.

"Insignificant." A wave of darkness surged toward Grateria.

The white cat hurriedly darted behind Karnak. Tesranach stopped his attack. After all, Karnak had to remain unharmed.

"I can deal with it all at once later," Tesranach muttered before resuming his assault.

Calm and composed, he bombarded them with the Black God's Grace. It wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, but it left no openings.

Karnak started growing anxious. What do I do?

The plan had gone awry. Tesranach was supposed to face them alone for them to enact the plan. That was why he had gone to such lengths to separate Tesranach from his subordinates in the first place.

Tesranach's mocking voice cut through the barrage of blessings. "You look flustered. It seems things aren't going as planned. And yet, you intend to keep fighting?"

Tesranach was constantly monitoring the situation across the capital through his subordinates.

"It seems your companions are nearing their limits."

***

Karnak had anticipated this. Leven Strauss and Malican Thun would want to reclaim their original bodies, so his companions would be able to hold out even as silver knights.

That prediction held true for Malican Thun. But there was something Karnak had overlooked. The future Leven Strauss had never cared much for his original body to begin with.

He had once taken possession of Gellard's death knight body and abandoned his own. He had even tried to reclaim it midway, only to suffer for it. There was no reason for him to covet his body now.

He had no intention of reclaiming his body and simply unleashed killing intent with his aura blade, sending forward golden slashes.

Delphiad Swordsmanship, Storm King's Barrage!

Leven cursed inwardly while frantically dodging the attacks. This isn't how you said it would play out, Karnak!

His opponent was a martial king. There was no way a silver knight could stand on even ground unless the martial king held back. Even so, Leven had endured until now through a different tactic.

"You told me to witness what you've built in the future, didn't you?" Even in the midst of the struggle, he kept talking whenever he found an opening. "I can certainly see it. My future self is indeed quite formidable."

The unmistakable sarcasm caused future Leven to scowl. "What did you say?!"

But Leven did not stop. "So after all that effort to become a martial king, you ended up as Tesranach's slave? What a truly inspiring and admirable future you've shown me."

His absolute loyalty to Tesranach clashed with his pride as a martial king. As if aggrieved, the future Leven shouted. "Do you think you would have fared differently if you were in my position?!"

Leven's reply was indifferent. "I wouldn't have."

In truth, he really wouldn't have. After all, Leven himself had also become a servant of a wicked necromancer. Whether it was the Monarch of Death of this world or that world, they were the same.

Leven pushed him further. "Still, I wouldn't have acted so proud about it. At least, not if I had any shame."

Enraged, future Leven unleashed another slash. "Shut up!"

His sword seemed perfect, but the flow of his aura wavered ever so slightly. It was an opening, one that could barely be exploited if one pushed to the limit.

Leven narrowly evaded and let out a ragged breath. I managed to dodge again.

His opponent was himself. Leven Strauss was the boy who had lived a timid life, outshone by a great father and a brilliant older brother. Even after becoming a slave of the soul, his personality hadn't changed. And Leven knew better than anyone which parts of himself were the most vulnerable.

Every time Leven provoked him, future Leven lost his composure. And each time, he revealed an opening. Of course, a martial king wouldn't let their aura scatter or their sword form collapse so visibly over something so minor. He was already a perfected warrior, and his blade remained nearly flawless.

But there was still a difference, however slight, between a perfect sword and one that was merely near-perfect. That tiny difference had been keeping Leven alive.

Still, I can't keep this up much longer like this...

***

Leven wasn't the only one in danger. Drel and Milia were also being steadily pushed into a corner. Even though Milia had been pre-programmed against her opponent, it was only a temporary measure.

She could not truly match a martial king, and as time passed, she would inevitably be at a disadvantage. The same was true for Malican Thun, who was facing his future self.

Future Malican's lingering desire for his original body allowed him to hold out somewhat, but he fell short in terms of skill. There was only so much room to improve with a few days' worth of training.

Thankfully, there was one saving grace. Lapicel and Dios were holding their own in evenly matched battles. Having risen to the level of a martial king, Lapicel stood as an absolute powerhouse equal to Elezar. She was not lacking in experience either, having regained fragments of her past memory.

Dios, too, still possessed the realm of an archmage. With the support of the archliches, he was successfully contending against his future self, Diogres.

But even they weren't at an advantage. They were merely maintaining a precarious balance. No matter how well Lapicel and Dios were holding their own,if Leven, Drel, and Malican Thun fell, the outcome would be disastrous. Martial kings would be freed to come to their allies' aid.

"And as for the two of you, you're accomplishing nothing here." Tesranach gave a cold smile while calmly pressing Karnak and Varos. "It doesn't seem like you have much hope."

***

Desteran swung his chain blade, and Chaplin followed with his attack, both with lifeless moans. Serati knocked both of them back at once with her twilight sword.

She now bore an immense amount of faith within her. Even the combined assault of two silver knights was not difficult for her to handle. But defeating them was another matter.

Killing an opponent was relatively easy if their skill levels were similar. Even if one was slightly weaker than their opponent, luck could tip the scales.

But subduing someone alive required an overwhelming gap in skill. And Serati did not possess that level of mastery. The power she had gained was immense strength and vast authority, not fine, precise technique.

She continued to search for an opening in an attempt to take them alive. However, it was futile. She simply couldn't deal with two silver knights at her level. And if she used the goddess's grace, she might kill them.

At this rate, the plan would fall apart. She couldn't let everyone die just to spare these two. Is there no choice but to take the risk?

She steeled herself. She would strike with everything she had and pray they survived.

Twilight Swordsmanship, Cleaving Sunset.

A massive slash split the air, and a pillar of crimson-black flames engulfed both of them at once. She made a desperate please. Please just survive!

Suddenly, a strange sensation brushed across her mind. It felt oddly familiar, like something she had experienced once before.

Serati's crimson-lit eyes turned a deep ocean-black. The twilight flames along her blade shifted as well, taking on that same dark hue. Her strike took on the same shade, and a cold, blue radiance sliced cleanly through Desteran and Chaplin.

Chains of darkness shattered black fragments in all directions. It was the darkness of Tesranach, the force that had been controlling them.