Chapter 163: Awakening (5)

Dozens of streaks of magical light filled the air. Karnak remained calm as he cast necromancy. A veil of darkness spread out, blocking the beams. Explosions erupted one after another. The darkness shuddered before quickly crumbling.

Cold sweat dripped down Karnak's brow.

Damn... I can't hold out much longer...

Varos hurriedly intervened. "Young master!"

He urgently drew his aura blade. But red aura alone wasn't enough to cut through the barrage of magical beams.

“

Haaaaah!”

With a desperate shout, Varos pushed all of his remaining strength into his blade.

His aura, which had been a deep red, turned blue as he forcibly deflected the blasts.

Demphis's eyes gleamed at the sight.

Blue aura again?

It intrigued him. How could this man switch between red and blue aura at will? And that wasn't the only strange thing. His mastery seemed to be at the level of purple, or even silver, yet his aura reserves were barely at the lower end of the red tier.

If anything, that red-haired swordswoman had far more aura than he did. Perhaps because of this imbalance, his aura flickered erratically, flaring bright red one moment, then shifting to blue the next. It trembled as if it were malfunctioning.

Wait, but can aura even malfunction?

The moment curiosity sparked in his mind, the sigil within him trembled again, triggering an oppressive mental constraint.

Demphis steeled his thoughts once more.

Curiosity is a poison.

Now was the time to focus only on killing.

"You too shall perish."

The archlich swung his right hand in a wide arc. Flames surged, rising like a tidal wave to engulf Varos. Varos once again brought down his blue aura blade. The azure aura clashed with the fiery wall, creating a violent shockwave.

He held out for a moment, but not for long. The blue hue of his aura quickly faded back to red, then dimmed entirely. Varos's face paled.

Damn it... is this as far as I go?

There was no helping it. No matter how powerful he had been in his past life, no matter how high his mastery, there was one thing even he couldn't overcome—time.

Varos had only developed his unique aura after encountering Lapicel. At most, it had been three months. Even his knightly training had barely exceeded a year. Though he had grown at an absurdly rapid pace, his training had been far too short. Eventually, the limits caught up with him.

The flames crept closer, threatening to swallow him whole. If this continued, he would be reduced to ashes.

"D-damn it...!"

Before he could react, Serati instinctively threw herself forward. "Sir Varos!"

Seeing her, Varos shouted in desperation. "G-get back!"

Even he couldn't withstand this spell. If she joined him, she would only burn to death alongside him. Serati also realized her mistake a second too late.

If even Varos couldn't hold back this magic, what could she possibly do? But she had already moved. Her sword was already cutting through the flames. Her body moved before her thoughts, and her mind moved before her body.

Huh...?

A strange sensation spread through her limbs, burning within her. Her vision expanded, and she was suddenly aware of things she hadn't been before.

As she swung her blade into the wall of fire, a thought drifted idly through her consciousness.

Haven't I experienced something similar before?

What was it? What was it? What was it? In the span of a fleeting instant, a single thread of light pierced through her mind. At the same time, her aura blade cleaved the tidal wave of flames in two.

The divided firestorm roared across the chapel. The ground trembled beneath the deafening impact.

"Sir Serati?” Varos widened his eyes. But his gaze wasn’t directed at her, but at her sword. "When... did this happen?"

Her aura blade was now radiating a brilliant blue light.

***

Holding her azure aura blade, Serati murmured to herself. "Yes, this was it."

What she felt wasn't the blazing, furious red aura. It was the calm, flowing blue aura. It was gentle like a river, yet with the power to consume everything like a raging ocean. It was the same sensation she had felt when Varos had briefly taken control of her body.

There was no doubt. At this very moment, she had become a blue knight.

With a sharp battle cry, Serati lunged at Demphis. Power surged through her entire body. She felt invincible. Brilliant arcs of blue aura painted the air.

Demphis countered with magic. Dark veils clashed against her glowing blade, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. But unlike Varos, whose aura had flickered inconsistently, Serati's power did not waver.

She had always possessed the qualifications. She had simply never awakened. But now that she had, her aura burned in a steady, pure blue, maintaining its destructive force.

—Wow... I'm actually jealous. I guess age really does matter, huh?

Varos's voice rang out in her mind, full of honest admiration.

Serati's deadly onslaught suddenly faltered.

What did he just say?

But he wasn't wrong. In almost every aspect, Varos overwhelmingly surpassed her. But there was one area where she held a definitive advantage. Aura reserves.

She was twenty-five years old. Her body had undergone years of rigorous training. She had awakened her aura in her early twenties, meaning she had already honed it for over five years. No matter how exceptional Varos had been in his past life as the death knight lord, a mere three months of aura training could never close the gap against five years. Of course, that didn't mean she enjoyed hearing it.

Ignore it. Just ignore it!

Unlike Varos, who had reached transcendence through past experience, Serati relied on the solid foundation of time as she continued her relentless assault on Demphis. She leapt from the ground, flipped mid-air to evade a spell, then redirected its force as she maintained her devastating barrage.

"

Haaah

! Take this!

Haaah!

"

Her blade struck Demphis's staff with incredible force. This time, the impact sent a shudder through the entire staff. Demphis even staggered back a step. But that was all.

"So, an awakening, is it?” He muttered in a bored tone. "An amusing spectacle."

It was intriguing, but hardly surprising. After all, aura awakenings typically occurred in life-or-death situations.

"But in the end... You’re only just blue tier."

A rainbow of mana surged from the archlich's body. It was not necromantic energy, but pure, undiluted mana. That immense energy rapidly transformed into elemental forces—earth, water, wind, and fire—surrounding Serati from all directions.

"

Ugh... Aaaahhh!

"

The confidence that had filled her moments ago drained away. She had thought she was pushing him back, but almost instantly, Demphis's counterattack overwhelmed her! She barely managed to deflect the storm of fire, lightning, and ice, but she found herself retreating, step by step. Cold sweat soaked her back in mere seconds.

Then, Demphis's mocking voice reached her ears. "Did you truly believe that a mere blue knight could stand against a ninth circle master?"

The awakening had been impressive. But at the end of the day, she had only just reached blue-tier. The gap between them remained vast. Honestly, the only reason he had been cautious at all was because of Varos. That man was just too unpredictable. And, well... Demphis was always careful by nature.

"I gave you the benefit of the doubt," he mused, lifting his staff as his glowing blue eyes sharpened. "But now I see... you're nothing special after all."

An immense pressure descended upon her. For the first time, she truly felt the weight of death, and her knees threatened to buckle

Am I going to die here? I just barely awakened this new power!

Just as she fought to suppress the fear rising in her chest...

"You did great, Serati!” A voice rang out from behind her. It was a very excited voice, belonging to Karnak. “You’re our savior!”

“What?”

Her head snapped toward him in disbelief. He had never spoken to her like this, ever. His voice was practically brimming with approval. Karnak and Varos immediately exchanged glances.

Wait. Why are they communicating through eye contact instead of telepathy?

Then, without warning, Varos hopped over to Karnak and bowed his head. A terrible memory flashed through Serati's mind.

No... it couldn't be!

And yet, the moment Karnak placed his hand atop Varos's head, he uttered a very familiar incantation.

"My vassal, open your mind and accept me."

"Y-you son of a—"

Her words cut off. Her voice had changed. It was deeper. Rougher.

"Oh, wow. Sir Serati, you're seriously strong now. This is amazing!"

Karnak's triumphant voice echoed through the chapel. "Go forth, Sera-Varos!"

***

The red-haired woman flicked her azure aura blade lightly. Varos, now inhabiting Serati's body, smirked.

"If I push just a little more...” A dazzling violet radiance filled the chapel. "I see... I can reach purple-tier too."

Unlike before, Serati's abilities had improved significantly. With a stronger body to wield, Varos could push her even further without overexerting it. Even Serati's soul, trapped within her own body, felt the change vividly.

Th-this is the realm of a purple knight...

She was momentarily entranced—until she abruptly snapped back to reality.

Is this really okay? Didn't you say this was dangerous if we did it too often?!

Would you rather die right now?

Well... no, but still...!

She understood the reasoning. She had cursed him out purely on instinct before, but in hindsight, they had all been on the verge of death. If there was a way to survive, then taking it was the rational choice. But it still felt so unfair.

I really thought I'd finally achieved something...! I even felt proud of myself!

Whether she felt robbed or not, Varos was clearly having the time of his life.

"Hahaha! Now this is a fight!"

Serati's body charged at Demphis. Glowing purple chains unraveled from her aura blade, replicating the energy into multiple spectral blades. Nine chains of swords surrounded the archlich, aiming for every possible opening. A flurry of precise, relentless attacks rained down upon him.

“Hmph." Demphis let out a breath of admiration while deploying a multi-layered magical barrier.

What...? How is this even possible?

No. No, he couldn't let his thoughts wander.

Focus on killing, focus on killing.

He forced himself to remain committed to pure murderous intent and retaliated with magic. But his spells... had already weakened. His curiosity was unbearable. It gnawed at him so intensely that he could not suppress it.

Why does that work?! Hmm? And why does it feel familiar?!

His Mark of Contract trembled. His concentration wavered. And Varos was an expert in exploiting the smallest opening. He wasn’t about to let that slip by.

—Young master!

Karnak immediately raised both hands.

—I got it!

Even if Serati had reached purple-tier, she was still not strong enough to take on a ninth circle master. While not an exact comparison, ninth-circle mages were usually on par with silver knights.

—But if I don't hold back, even this is possible!

Serati screamed in protest.

You bastards! This is my body! BE GENTLE!

The entirety of Karnak's accumulated necromantic energy burst forth. A vast darkness billowed into the air before engulfing Serati's form.

Black flames erupted, and the once-beautiful woman now stood with ominous, abyssal wings unfurled behind her. Her eyes blazed crimson, dark horns sprouted from her limbs, and molten shadows surged beneath her feet like liquid night.

What the hell is this?! Why is this coming out of my body?!

Varos didn't answer. Instead, he casually mused to himself. "With this, I should be able to use my old death knight techniques again."

Wait—what happens if you do that?

Serati's body shifted into position. An overwhelming killing intent concentrated into a single piercing strike, aimed directly at the archlich.

Hey! Why aren't you answering?!

Demphis was in shock.

Th-this is...!

His enemy was coated in an immense dark aura rivalling even silver-tier. If this continued, he could truly lose.

How... how is this happening?

And yet, despite the crisis before him, he still could not silence the cursed curiosity gnawing at him. That single lingering question—the need to know—was what sealed his fate.

Varos took a step forward, and darkness flowed like light. In just one step, the distance between them vanished. Then, he swung his abyssal blade.

—Reversal Blade: Severance of Life and Death!

Demphis's golden staff shattered, and the black veils shielding him were torn apart. The darkness he wielded was erased. Varos's strike cleaved through everything.

A thunderous explosion rang out as the archlich's chest was split open. From within the shattered remains of his ribcage, an eruption of darkness and countless wailing souls poured forth.

“

Kraaagh!

"