Chapter 44: The Curse of Dawn (4)

The red aura blade weaved through the air in dazzling arcs.

“Haaah!”

Maz-nun finally took the fight seriously. He swung his massive sword at blinding speeds, unleashed storms of demonic energy, and roared with enough force to crush weaker wills, pressing his relentless assault.

“Graaaaah!”

Blood splattered, but it wasn’t human blood—it was the demon’s dark ichor. Maz-nun’s eyes widened in shock.

“Yo-you dare?”

Even before Varos had possessed Serati’s body, the occasional strike had slipped through his defenses. While such attacks had previously been negligible, now they inflicted noticeable wounds.

“And what of it?”

Though unexpectedly stronger, this opponent was still merely of the red-tier. Maz-nun, by contrast, was as strong as the purple tier—a level comparable to a purple knight. The power gap between them was immense, a difference of two entire ranks.

“I’ll crush you like the insect you are!”

Infuriated, the demon unleashed his full power. Hellish energy erupted in flames and explosions, consuming the entire chamber.

Boom! Boom!

Yet the crimson-haired beauty remained untouched. Not even a stray ember scorched her.

“It’s been a while since I’ve used aura. This is kinda fun.”

She danced through the chaos with effortless fluidity, striking, retreating, and dodging with ease. Her movements no longer resembled those of a red knight. A red-tier aura user couldn’t possibly move this gracefully in a battle. Before long, her blade began to shimmer with a radiant blue light.

“A blue aura blade?”

Maz-nun was stunned. There was no mistaking it—this was the aura of a blue knight, someone who had achieved the blue tier of aura.

He’s not just controlling her body as if it were his own. He’s wielding her power even better than she could!

Varos glanced at the glowing blue light on the blade and spoke through Serati’s lips.

“So I can do this much. She may be inexperienced, but she has potential.”

Through her lips came a mocking smirk and a sharp laugh.

“Guess I can fight on better grounds.”

A vein throbbed on Maz-nun’s forehead as fury consumed him.

“A mere human dares to mock me?”

***

Serati watched the spectacle. She felt detached, as if she were observing from afar.

My goddess...

Maz-nun’s claws slashed through the air at blinding speeds. The attacks were essentially imperceptible. And yet, her body was evading them all with seamless grace. In one fluid motion, her blade slid along the demon’s arm, cutting deep and spilling more of his dark blood. Each movement was perfectly executed, as if rehearsed a thousand times.

I didn’t know my body could move like this....

The bloodied demon roared, unleashing torrents of hellfire in a massive, all-encompassing attack. There was no place to run, no room to dodge.

“Graaaaaah!”

But she didn’t attempt to flee. Instead, the aura blade carved a sweeping arc and deflected the flames. The surging blue energy redirected the hellfire, dissipated its force, and scattered it harmlessly.

I didn’t know my aura could flow like this....

The terror of losing control over her body had vanished. All that remained was awe. Maz-nun was still physically faster and stronger. Even at the blue tier, her body couldn’t match the raw physical power of the demon. But sheer, overwhelming mastery of technique was bridging the gap. It was both amazing and incomprehensible.

How is this possible?

It wasn’t just that Varos was a more skilled swordsman. Even if that were true, that didn’t explain everything. The male and female physiques had distinct differences—differences subtle enough to ignore in casual movements but significant in precise, high-level combat.

Yet Varos accounted for these differences with an eerie ease, as if he had inhabited bodies like hers dozens, if not hundreds of times before. Something like this wasn’t possible just because he was an expert with a sword. Rather, it was something different... What could she call it? If she had to name it, then...

A... master of possession?

It was as though Varos had spent his life possessing countless bodies of every size, shape, and build. Otherwise, such seamless control would have been impossible

Without that experience, such seamless control would have been impossible.

Who exactly are they?

But by now, the question of

who

they were had become irrelevant. Serati’s thoughts turned deeper, more fundamental.

...Are they even human?

***

The demon's arm was severed and sent flying through the air.

“Gah!”

Maz-nun staggered backward while clutching his wound. After being pushed relentlessly, he had finally allowed a critical blow to land. Yet, Varos did not pursue him for the final strike.

“What? Is that all?”

Instead, he sheathed the radiant blue aura blade, a cold smile spreading across his face.

“Ah, using aura after so long was refreshing. But is it over already?”

His tone was unbearably arrogant. Maz-nun gritted his teeth in frustration, but he couldn’t summon the courage to charge again. While he was drenched in his own blood, his opponent exuded effortless confidence.

“Yo-you monster...!”

In truth, Varos wasn’t as composed as he seemed.

Damn, forcing myself to push her aura to that level is taking its toll.

Outwardly, he was the picture of smugness, mocking the demon like an insect, but internally, he was busy stabilizing the tumultuous aura and calming his disrupted flow of energy.

Of course, no one needs to know that. Hehe.

Years of perfecting his bravado rivaled even Karnak’s mastery of deception. His feigned disappointment was so convincing that Maz-nun completely bought into it. The demon started shaking ever-so-faintly. Would he be forced to retreat back to hell helplessly?

No... there’s still a chance.

The key to Varos’s sudden surge in strength was the possession spell. If the caster were taken down, the spell would surely dissipate. Without warning, Maz-nun lunged toward the red-haired woman with all his might.

“Graaaaah!”

Varos reacted smoothly, his confidence undeterred. By now, he had caught his breath while maintaining his earlier act.

“I told you, didn’t I? It won’t work.”

Another slash of the aura blade cut deep into the demon’s side, sending a fountain of dark blood gushing out.

“You wretch!”

In desperation, Maz-nun twisted his neck and spewed hellfire from his gaping maw. His target wasn’t Serati—or rather, Varos—but Karnak, who stood leisurely on the far side of the chamber, observing the battle.

Boom!

The flames engulfed Karnak entirely, and Maz-nun let out a triumphant laugh.

“Kuhaha! Caught off guard, were you, human?”

But his laughter didn’t last long.

...Huh?

Something was wrong. Despite hitting his mark, Varos was still fully possessed, glaring at him with Serati’s body.

Why hasn’t the possession been broken if the caster is down?

A voice echoed from behind Maz-nun.

“What are you doing?”

And it wasn’t just behind him.

“Oh ...”

Karnak’s voice rang from every direction in the chamber.

“Both the summoner and the summoned...”

Illusions of Karnak materialized all around, five identical figures surrounding Maz-nun.

“...are just as easy to fool.”

Maz-nun’s face twisted in disbelief.

“It was an illusion?”

***

The multiple Karnaks chuckled in unison.

“Earlier, I couldn’t pull this off because you didn’t leave me an opening...”

“But now? You’re so distracted it’s embarrassing.”

“And thanks to that, you’ve made plenty of mistakes.”

“Which makes casting illusion spells incredibly easy.”

Maz-nun spun frantically, his gaze darting between the identical figures. He hadn’t expected Karnak to anticipate his attack—or even worse, prepare a countermeasure in advance.

Karnak scoffed.

“You think I didn’t see through your little plan?”

Varos, observing the cocky expression on one of the illusions, couldn’t help but send a telepathic message.

[Young master.]

[Hm?]

[You didn’t predict it, did you?]

[Nope.]

The truth was, Karnak hadn’t foreseen the demon’s sudden charge. So why had he cast illusions in advance? It was a force of habit. Having accumulated countless enemies and committed numerous sins, he had made it a habit to lay traps, whether necessary or not.

[This is why the words of ancient sages never fail. They say good habits can change your life.]

[...I don’t think this is what they meant, though.]

In any case, this was the end of it all. Maz-nun had expended what little strength he had left in vain.

“Ha, to think I’d end up like this at the hands of mere humans...”

His voice was hollow as the demon’s form began to fade. Having exhausted all his power, he was being banished back to hell.

“Mark my words! When I return, I’ll come for you first!”

Maz-nun hurled curses as the summoning spell unraveled.

“When I’m back, I’ll ensure you neither live nor die! I’ll inflict every imaginable torment upon you! This is a promise from hell!”

“Oh, how terrifying,” Karnak sneered, raising his right hand. “So if I let you return, it’ll mean big trouble for me later, huh?”

Darkness swirled around Maz-nun’s fading figure, wrapping tightly around him.

“I can’t possibly ignore a kind warning like that, could I?”

The demon’s eyes widened in shock.

“What?!”

The banishment to hell had been stopped. At the same time, Maz-nun’s own demonic power began to turn on itself, tearing him apart.

What is this? Does a method like this even exist?

“If it were in the past, I’d bind you and make you my slave, but I don’t have the resources for that now. Dominating a demon takes a lot of effort, you see.”

Boom!

The darkness pressed down on the demon. The essence of his hellish existence scattered rapidly, disintegrating.

“So, I’ll just settle this cleanly by getting rid of you.”

Desperation overtook Maz-nun as he flailed his arms.

“W-wait a moment!”

So frantic was he that even his tone had changed.

“I’ll enter a subjugation contract! I’ll become your slave!”

“No need.”

Unfortunately for him, Karnak showed not a shred of interest.

“That would mean I would return to my past self, wouldn’t it?”

A blood-curdling scream filled the underground chamber.

“Aaaaahhhh!”

***

Maz-nun’s presence vanished entirely from the mortal realm. With that, Karnak withdrew from his possession. Varos scratched his head after returning to his own body.

“Thanks for letting me borrow your body, Miss Serati.”

But she was in no condition to voice her fury over having her body commandeered.

“Ack! My... my body...”

Varos had pushed Serati’s body far past its limits. It was in complete shreds.

“Maybe I overdid it a bit. Circulate some aura through your body, and it’ll hurt less.”

“I don’t know how to do that!”

“Well, guess I’ll have to teach you later.”

“Ugh...”

Grinding her teeth, Serati fought to endure the pain. Regret wouldn’t help her now—not when she’d chosen to become the vassal of a vile necromancer. In the dungeon, the only ones left standing were Karnak’s group and a dazed Straph.

“Now then, I suppose we’ll have to deal with him too.”

Straph’s face twisted in a grimace. The once immense necrotic power he’d commanded was gone, leaving him utterly defenseless.

“Haah...”

Sighing deeply, he raised his hands.

“I surrender.”

“What a funny little man.”

Karnak scoffed as if in disbelief.

“What’s with that attitude? Do you really think I’ll accept your surrender?”

“You won’t kill me.”

Straph smirked smugly.

“You’ll want the information I have, won’t you?”

“Of course, information is valuable. But why would that stop me from killing you?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s easier to extract information after killing you.”

“...What?”

Straph’s face turned pale. He realized too late what he had overlooked. Karnak was no ordinary mage. He was a vile necromancer.

“I’ll kill you, summon your soul, and torture it to extract information. Why would I keep you alive?”

Before necromancy, even death couldn’t serve as an escape. Facing the terrified Straph, Karnak suddenly turned to look behind him.

“Still, let’s double-check.”

Striving not to live as he used to, he deliberately turned to Serati.

“Is there any reason not to kill him? From a general, common-sense perspective of an average person.”

Her answer was as universally reasonable as one could expect.

“Kill him right now!”

“There you have it.”

Karnak took a step forward. Darkness rose and formed a massive blade. Straph, staring directly at his approaching death, shouted in desperation.

“W-wait! Just wai—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, his head was severed and flew into the air.

“If killing you solves everything, why would I waste my time talking?”

For a high-ranking priest of his order and a necromancer who had ruled an entire city through fear, it was a disappointingly anticlimactic death. Karnak flicked his fingers at the blood-spilling corpse.

“Well then, time to take care of my business.”

Black smoke began to rise, coalescing into an orb that was absorbed into him. It was the Shadow of Doom Straph had been accumulating.

“Oh! Quite the feast.”

“How much is it, young master?”

“Enough to equal thirty lords of darkness.”

“Does that mean we can go home now?”

“Looks like it. It’s all wrapped up, so let’s head back.”

Serati, who had been listening blankly, cautiously raised her hand. She couldn’t grasp the flow of their conversation, but there was one thing she couldn’t let slide.

“Excuse me, but... aren’t you going to rescue Mr. Alius and Ms. Riltaine?”

Karnak and Varos blinked in unison.

“Right...”

“We did originally come here to save those two, didn’t we?”

“Completely slipped my mind.”

“Same here. Trying to do something I’m not used to is awkward, huh?”

Watching the two of them, Serati shuddered yet again.

What kind of people are these?