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The blood swamp that had covered the hall, the tentacles of darkness, and the walls of flesh all crumbled, revealing their original forms.

It was because the necromantic barrier had gone out of control.

‘W-why is this suddenly not working?’

Shutraff grimaced in frustration.

Judging by the circumstances, it was clear that this was the work of that Karnak… But how?

‘What did he do?!’

The barrier hadn’t shattered. It still exuded dark power exactly as he had conjured it.

His necromantic energy hadn’t been obstructed either. It was still flowing through the barrier as it should, perfectly in line with his will.

He had followed the necromantic script precisely, without making a single mistake. Everything had been going smoothly.

And then suddenly, it all stopped working.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Karnak watched the collapsing necromantic space with a cold smile.

‘You don’t understand, do you?’

Despite the barrier breaking down, there was no immediate reaction from Shutraff—a clear sign of his utter confusion.

‘Of course, you wouldn’t know.’

***

The mixed barrier of light and darkness had thrown Karnak into disarray.

He had been trying to seize control of the barrier’s power the entire time but found it impossible to break through. To be honest, it was becoming quite frustrating.

‘Seriously, is there still necromancy in this world that I don’t know about?’

What particularly grated on him was the fact that some priest had managed to wield a technique that even he, the former Necromancer King, couldn’t comprehend.

He could understand losing in terms of power since he had lost all his former abilities after being reincarnated.

But when it came to knowledge and wisdom, he still prided himself on being the ultimate necromancer!

Then, he suddenly realized something.

Something was off.

If that were the case, it would mean Shutraff was an ultimate necromancer—a monster among monsters, possessing profound wisdom and knowledge even Karnak, the Necromancer King who had conquered the world and brought down the Church of the Seven Goddesses and the Dragon Emperor, couldn’t fathom.

That guy?

The one who arrogantly summoned chaotic golems and showed off like that?

‘This…’

A reasonable doubt arose in Karnak’s mind.

‘Does he not know either?’

He decided to change his approach, just in case.

Instead of trying to seize control of the darkness and wrestle away its command, he would overlay his own necromantic barrier on top of it!

Normally, this would be a foolish move.

It would only add more power to the opponent.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of necromancy could easily break through such a technique.

In fact, it was hardly even a technique.

But if this fusion of light and darkness wasn’t born from some profound magic, and if Shutraff himself didn’t know the reason behind it…

‘Then that means he’s in the same position as me.’

The moment he changed his technique, confusion would ensue!

* * *

As expected, Shutraff couldn’t manage the situation at all.

No, it seemed he didn’t even realize that confusion had occurred in the first place. If he had noticed, he would have at least tried to contain the situation.

In the end, the necromantic barrier completely ceased to function.

Looking around at the first-floor hall of the manor, which had reverted to its original state, Karnak gave a bitter smile.

‘So, you’re just another fool who’s only skimmed the surface.’

He was better than those who hadn’t even scratched the surface, but still, he didn’t truly know what the “real” experience was like.

As a result, the necromantic barrier that had been suppressing them no longer existed.

Karnak shouted, “Varos! Let’s get out of here!”

Varos had been waiting for the command.

“Yes, sir!”

Just as he was about to dash toward the exit, Karnak, who had already started ahead, yelled at him.

“Hey, you need to take the lady too! Are you planning to leave her behind?”

That’s right.

Serati was still lying unconscious, her arms gruesomely severed.

“What?!”

Varos was momentarily stunned.

‘Is the young master actually concerned about someone else?’

At the same time, he felt a sense of shame.

He had briefly worried about her but quickly forgot. Yet, Karnak had changed enough to care about someone else’s safety?

‘Unbelievable! I always thought that no matter what, I was more human than that man!’

With deep self-reflection, Varos hurriedly ran over to Serati.

“G-get away from me… you necromancer…”

Even in her weakened state, she struggled to push him away.

‘Ah, this lady saw the young master using necromancy, didn’t she?’

Her eyes, filled with hatred born of deep betrayal, glared at him.

“How could you deceive us all this time… you vile…”

Varos didn’t pay attention.

‘It’s not like this is the first time I’ve gotten looks like this.’

Ignoring her resistance, he hoisted her onto his shoulder.

At that, her entire body went limp. She had fainted from exhaustion.

‘Well, at least she’s easier to carry now.’

He immediately ran through the exit to the front yard of the manor. Approaching Karnak, who was anxiously waiting, Varos spoke with admiration.

“Young master, you’ve changed! You even made sure to save this lady.”

Karnak responded matter-of-factly.

“Aura users have a high value as sacrifices. While we might just want to kill her, others will want to keep her alive. She can be used as a shield.”

Varos beamed with a grin.

“I knew it.”

“…?”

“As expected, you never fail to live up to expectations, young master.”

Varos still felt like he was a bit more human than Karnak.

That made him happy.

“Is this really the time for nonsense? Run!”

“Yes, yes!”

* * *

Two men burst out of the gaping entrance of the manor.

Karnak led the way, with Varos following close behind, carrying Serati on his back.

Shutraff ground his teeth as he watched them sprint across the garden.

“Hmph! Do you think you can escape?”

He still didn’t know what had happened. The necromantic barrier he had cast continued to ignore his commands.

But that didn’t mean he had to cling to it.

“You might have a few tricks up your sleeve…”

The power of darkness that Shutraff wielded was still immense. There was no need for him to rely on a malfunctioning barrier.

He could simply discard it and cast a new one!

“In the face of overwhelming power, tricks are useless!”

With a thunderous roar, the barren landscape of the garden began to change.

Whirr, whirr, whirr!

The sky twisted into a chaotic vortex and turned a blood-red hue. The ground grew soft and spouted dozens of tendrils. Thorny vines sprouted, forming a massive wall that blocked the two from escaping.

Karnak looked around and clicked his tongue.

“His necromantic energy is really overflowing. He must’ve consumed a ton of other necromancers.”

But it still wasn’t a big problem.

Another necromantic barrier? He could just disrupt it again!

“Huh!”

Karnak spread his arms wide. Darkness surged and extended in all directions.

Compared to the thick aura that had enveloped the garden, it was a faint shadow.

Yet the result was astonishing.

The newly formed necromantic barrier vanished. As if time had been reversed, the sky and the earth reverted to their original state.

“Damn it, this isn’t working either?”

Cursing, Shutraff switched tactics.

Another necromantic barrier appeared, altering the world once more, only to crumble again. This cycle repeated over and over.

Taking advantage of these moments, Karnak and Varos continued their desperate escape.

As they ran, Varos suddenly asked, puzzled, “Is there really a need to keep running, young master?”

From what he could see, Karnak now had the upper hand, able to shatter Shutraff’s techniques.

“It seems like it’d be better to just turn back and finish him off.”

Karnak shook his head.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s trying different things.”

“…What?”

Varos tilted his head in confusion, not understanding.

Just then, corpses began to rise from various spots in the garden.

They were the soldiers of Ranpelt Manor, slain when Karnak and his group had stormed in. Now, they were being reanimated by Shutraff’s necromancy, turned into zombies.

“Ugh…”

“Ughhh…”

Groaning eerily, the horde of corpses began to shuffle across the ground.

They weren’t ordinary zombies by any means. Shutraff had poured so much necromantic energy into them that they had become monsters rivaling even high-level undead.

Despite this, Varos wasn’t worried.

‘They’ll just collapse on their own, like before.’

If all those sophisticated necromantic barriers were useless, what difference could these zombies make?

He was wrong.

“Prepare to fight, Varos.”

“Huh? Are you saying these ones won’t go down easily?”

“Exactly.”

The more complex Shutraff’s necromantic barriers were, the easier they were to disrupt. The more intricate the spell, the more likely it was to create confusion.

Conversely, simpler necromancy was harder to interfere with.

“He probably didn’t plan it this way…”

Karnak got into a battle stance, as if he had anticipated this all along.

“When you try enough things, eventually something’s bound to work.”

***

‘This one’s working? But why?’

Though puzzled, Shutraff’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

He didn’t know why, but this time his magic wasn’t being disrupted. He couldn’t let this opportunity slip by!

“Go, my servants!”

The zombies began to transform.

Hideous fangs sprouted, and their nails elongated into beast-like claws. Their skeletal structure twisted grotesquely, and their muscles swelled unnaturally.

“Tear them to shreds and offer their souls to me!”

The cursed creatures, no longer recognizable as human or beast, let out agonized roars.

“Raaagh!”

Varos swung his sword at the oncoming horde of deformed zombies.

“Take this!”

Even with Serati slung over his shoulder, he wielded his sword with ease, showing no signs of struggle. He had plenty of experience fighting while carrying someone.

‘I’ve lost count of how many times I had to fight while carrying the young master when he was exhausted!’

Luckily, in this life, Karnak’s body was in much better shape. He could cast spells while walking around on his own, with some energy to spare.

“O pure light of destruction, Arcane Burst!”

Karnak unleashed a barrage of destructive flashes, pushing back the advancing monsters before casting another spell.

“Blades of darkness, protect your master—Dark Blade!”

Black blades slashed through the approaching zombies one after another.

Varos and Karnak fought fiercely against the oncoming zombie horde.

It seemed like they would be overwhelmed at any moment, but somehow, they managed to hold their ground.

It wasn’t just because they were experienced in fighting the undead.

‘Are they really doing that?’

Whenever the situation became too dire, Karnak would subtly maneuver Serati, still slung over Varos’s shoulder, into the path of the zombies’ attacks.

“Sorry about this, Miss Serati!”

Since Serati was a precious aura user, a valuable sacrifice, the zombies were forced to halt their attacks each time she was used as a shield.

Shutraff clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“What kind of people are they?”

Using a comrade as a meat shield! And not just any comrade, but a pitiable woman who had lost both her arms.

Could those really be considered human?

“Necromancers are truly despicable creatures!”

It seemed he had already erased from his memory the fact that it was he who had put Serati in such a state.

Self-justification wasn’t unique to necromancers, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.

In any case, Karnak and Varos were fighting astonishingly well. Considering their abilities, their resourcefulness was extraordinary.

“It’s just a cheap trick, though.”

No matter how clever they were, they were still just ordinary humans.

Their necromantic energy was feeble, their magical power was low, and they hadn’t even awakened any martial aura.

“I’ll put an end to this!”

Shutraff focused his mind.

From the depths of the manor, a massive surge of necromantic energy burst forth, piercing through the garden’s sky.

*Boom!*

“Come forth, demon of Gehenna!”

A portal of darkness opened in the air, and a towering blood-red giant, nearly three meters tall, emerged.

It was Maz-nun, a demon from the abyss with two black horns on its head, a grotesque appearance, and bulging muscles ready to burst.

“Raaagh!”

The demon roared, asserting its presence.

“Contractor, state your desire!”

Shutraff replied with arrogant confidence.

“Kill the men and bring the woman to me!”

Maz-nun was a fearsome demon, comparable to a Purple Knight, a warrior of the highest rank.

No matter how skilled those two were in necromancy, they wouldn’t stand a chance against such overwhelming power!

However, the demon’s response was unexpected.

“Who?”

“…What?”

“Who exactly do you want me to kill?”

Shutraff couldn’t understand why the demon was asking this. He stood there, baffled.

“Have I been found out?”

Karnak glanced at the demon with a sly smile.

“Well, the demon was summoned too late. Of course, it won’t be fooled.”

‘Fooled? What does he mean by that?’

Shutraff’s gaze landed on Karnak, who was waving at him.

“Thanks, you bumbling necromancer.”

At the same time, Karnak, Varos, and Serati began to blur.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever met who falls so easily for illusions.”

In an instant, all three of them vanished completely.

All that remained were the zombie horde and the demon, looking around in confusion.

“Contractor, speak clearly! Who am I supposed to kill and who should I bring to you?”

Shutraff’s jaw dropped.

“…It was all an illusion?”

Since when? Where?

A roar filled with rage echoed through the manor’s underground.

“Those bastards dared to deceive me!”