The evil spirit king Karnak
#1. 0. Prologue
I was the one who ruled over death.
It took 100 years before I realized it.
If a person wants to live like a human being, they shouldn’t be ruled by things like that.
***
It was a magnificent and splendid palace.
The endless rows of golden columns, the marble halls spread out beneath them, the elegant paintings and decorations hanging on every wall, and the intricately crafted statues.
But there were no people there who should have been there.
The king, the queen, the prince, the princess, even a subject or a servant.
No, to be exact, there is a king. There are also subjects and servants.
It’s just that they weren’t human.
A large golden throne illuminated by dim moonlight.
There sat a skeleton in black robes, muttering.
“Why did I do that… … .”
I blurted out a word and took a deep sigh.
“Ha, why on earth did I do that… … .”
He sighs, slumps his shoulders, and gives a vain smile.
A skeletal smile, not a human one.
“No, it’s not that I don’t know why. I couldn’t help it.”
Even though no one was listening, the skeleton and spirit king Karnak continued to mutter to himself and blankly raised his hand.
“Ugh… … .”
A blue aura forms over the bare bones, forming the shape of a human hand.
A hand with the power to split the sea and shake the sky with just one swing.
A human shape began to emerge above the skull.
A pale blue human face lets out a sigh.
“Has it already been 70 years since I became like this? Wow, time really flies.”
Leaning back on his throne, King Karnak smiled vainly.
“It may seem like it’s going really slow, though.”
***
It was about 100 years ago that Karnak first encountered the most taboo of taboos, necromancy.
He was born as an illegitimate child of a fallen noble family and grew up being looked down upon.
I reached out to the taboo to survive, and luck brought me strength. I don’t know if it was luck or bad luck.
In return, he strayed from the human path.
He lived the life of an evil necromancer, fighting against endless waves of enemies, sometimes striking first, and killing and re-killing innocent people.
The world hated him even more because he had become a devil.
The Laceaean Empire in the center, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance in the west, the Verus Federation in the east, and the Seven Goddesses Cult that worships the Seven Great Goddesses.
The entire continent was his enemy.
Even when facing the whole world, Karnak did not back down.
Using his powerful power of death, he turned enemies who attacked him into undead and made them his subordinates, further expanding his power.
The war just kept getting bigger.
A living hell where the dead walk the world of the living has spread across the continent.
Before he knew it, he had become the being called the Lord of the Underworld. He was an absolute evil that humanity could not tolerate.
Finally, even the last bastion of humanity has collapsed.
The four greatest martial artists of the world, as well as the three great magicians whose power reached the heavens, were defeated and became the servants of the Four Great Kings.
Eventually, the guardian of the world, the Dragon Emperor Grateria, appeared.
Indeed, the Dragon Emperor was strong.
Even Karnak, who had committed all manner of taboos, had no answer.
It was a natural thing.
What could a lowly human who only uses tricks to the death do against the Dragon Emperor, the greatest of all the great dragons?
I had no choice but to perform the worst magic trick I had been putting off until the very end.
He transformed himself into the ultimate transcendent being ‘Astra Schnapp’, surpassing even the strongest undead, the Death Knight or the Arch Lich.
In this way, Karnak completely abandoned humanity.
The greater the loss, the greater the price.
After three days of fighting, Grateria lost his title as Dragon Emperor. Instead, he became the Dragon Grateria and became the loyal slave of the Lord of the Four Guardians.
Karnak, who had nothing special about him other than being of lower-class nobility.
A mere human, not born with the blood of a hero or the power of a god, defeated a special hero and the power of a god and rose to the top.
The world was completely his.
“Yeah, it’s all good. It’s a happy ending. It’s all good… … .”
Looking at his hands again, Karnak sighed deeply.
“What can I do with this body that is nothing but bones?”
Gold and silver treasures, elegant beauties, American filial piety, and every luxury and pleasure imaginable.
It all became meaningless.
Because all human senses have disappeared from this dead body.
“I want to feel… … .”
I want to taste it.
I want to feel the warmth of people.
I want to feel the gentle breeze and the warm sunlight.
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No, I would rather feel pain.
Even the delicate skin that the blade digs into and causes excruciating pain is better than these dry bones.
“… … Hey, honestly, that’s not it. No matter what, numbness is better than pain. What kind of nonsense are you talking about, a well-raised noble?”
Karnak quickly changed his words and snickered.
Anyway, it is true that I miss the feeling.
This is true, I didn’t realize how precious it was when I had it and passed it by, but now that I’ve lost it, it’s so regrettable that it makes me shiver.
“There’s a reason why people tell you not to do it. For some reason, everyone looks down on necromancy, calling it taboo.”
There is no joy in living.
There is no driving force to continue living.
But I don’t want to commit suicide either.
“I’m still scared of dying.”
I thought that if I became numb I wouldn’t feel the fear of death, but that wasn’t necessarily the case.
I want to live happily, not die and forget my suffering.
All I could do was sigh.
“Is that the only thing you can trust?”
Karnak glanced behind his throne.
A large, blood-red stone monument stood tall, emitting a strange light.
His eyes lit up.
“If that works… … .”
To be exact, it wasn’t that his eyes were shining. His eye sockets had already rotted away a long time ago.
It’s just that the eyes made of spirit energy flashed through the gaping holes in the skull.
“… … There is hope.”
***
A long corridor covered in gloomy darkness where no sunlight shines.
A giant knight, two meters tall, was walking down the hallway.
It looks like a human at first glance, but it is not a human.
There is no warmth on the pale skin covering the thick muscles. Breathing is also unnecessary and the eyes do not even blink.
It was clear evidence that he was not a living being.
The second in command of Necropia, the empire of the dead.
A warrior who defeated three out of the four kings of martial arts to become the strongest in the world and the commander-in-chief of the Legion of Death.
The most trusted aide of the Lord of the Underworld, who was Karnak’s loyal servant even before he was human and had even learned the art of necromancy.
Death Knight Lord Baros suddenly looked back.
Another Death Knight, a sturdy, yet relatively thin looking one, was following him.
Baros asked.
“Why did that gentleman call me out of the blue, Sir Raven?”
Death Knight Raven responded politely.
“How could I know his depths, Lord Baros?”
Baros smiled bitterly.
“It’s always the same line. I wish you were better when you were alive.”
Levin Strauss, one of the four former Kings of Martial Arts and the pinnacle of all swordsmen, bowed his head respectfully once again.
“Everything happens according to His will.”
“Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do since you’re not the same as before.”
Baros continued walking, leaving Raven behind.
Finally, his feet reached the entrance to the huge hall.
Walking into the hall, he knelt down and spoke politely.
“Behold, His Majesty the Lord of all the dead, Ruler of Life and Death, Conqueror of the Continent, and Great King of the Dead, Karnak… …”
The skeleton on the throne immediately waved his hand.
“Oh, okay.”
“Huh? Don’t be polite?”
Baros raised his head, puzzled.
Karnak grumbled, his chin resting on his hand.
“What’s the point of getting dressed up? If I don’t get dressed up, who will think I’m funny?”
Those who have absolute power are insensitive to manners.
You can instill manners on the spot without having to be picky about them.
However, the reason why Baros is formal is because even the undead of Necropia who obey Karnak are influenced to some extent by the customs of their past lives.
Even if you have the power to instill manners on the spot, wouldn’t it be easier not to create the situation in the first place?
‘But you’re telling me not to be formal anymore?’
This means there is no longer a need to rule over the undead.
“Oh, really?”
Baros took out his usual, old title that he had been calling Karnak since his days as a human.
“Did you succeed, Young Master?”
Karnak shrugged his shoulders triumphantly.
“Yeah, I think it works.”
“oh my god.”
Baros’ gaze shifted to the back of the throne.
He asked dubiously, looking at the large, blood-red tombstone.
“Are you sure this actually works? You’ve been failing all along.”
***
From the beginning, Karnak did not regret losing his living body.
Conquering the world, bringing everything under one’s control.
The pleasure of being the ruler was considerable.
The problem is that it didn’t last long.
What’s the point of taking over the world with absolute power if you can’t enjoy pleasure?
So high-ranking undead like Lich tend to be extremely sadistic.
It is abusing and torturing others and obtaining vicarious satisfaction through their suffering.
Unfortunately(?), Karnak did not have such a sadistic personality.
“Other people’s pain is just other people’s pain. Why should I enjoy it? It’s not like I have antisocial personality disorder.”
Baros struck the target.
“No, you said that? Considering all that, what you’ve done so far… … .”
“Oh, so that’s what happened because I was just struggling to survive?”
“It will be a real comfort to those who have died at the hands of the master to hear that.”
“… … be noisy.”
Anyway, for that reason, Karnak also tried various methods.
The first thing I tried was ice.
Honestly, there’s no need to live as a living being all day long.
Shouldn’t we just be able to feel sensations when and as much as we need?
So, he tried to capture a bunch of living human slaves, erase their souls, and take their bodies instead.
“… … And you say you’re not an antisocial person with empathy disorder?”
“Shut up, Baros.”
Sadly, the attempt failed.
The spiritual energy of Karnak, who became the ultimate transcendent being, Astra Schnap, was too great.
Even if the soul’s fingertips entered, the body would be destroyed, let alone the spirit.
‘Is it really impossible to temporarily occupy someone else’s body?’
So this time I decided to try reincarnation.
From the beginning, carefully selected babies are gathered, and the body that best suits one’s soul is chosen and placed inside it.
The result was better than the ice. At least one leg went in. It was a huge improvement over the fingers.
Of course, that was the limit.
I’ve tried many other things as well.
They have found many ways to steal others’ senses and seek pleasure as undead.
It was no use.
A race that feels pleasure by absorbing souls, and a vampire that gets pleasure through sucking blood.
What these undead have in common is that their pleasure is a side effect. They have something they lack, so they get pleasure from the process of making up for it.
Karnak, who had become the ultimate transcendent being, had no shortcomings.
There is nothing missing, so there is nothing to fill in.
There is no pleasure as there is nothing to fill.
He was desperate.
Should I live like this without being able to die?
Is there no fun in life?
While I was wasting my time like that, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
The reason he cannot obtain human pleasures is because he is not human.
The reason he is not human is because he has become the ultimate transcendent being.
‘Then, it’s not Astra Schnapps anymore?’
I continued my research to lose the power I had, and finally I found the answer.
‘Just go back to when you were human.’
When I was human.
A time when he was not the enemy of the world and the object of hatred by all living beings.
Back then, when I was an illegitimate child of a lower-class nobleman, with only vague resentment toward the world.
‘I will turn back time!’
The result is the bloody stele behind the throne, a manifestation of darkness that transcends time and space.
Karnak said proudly.
“The greatest shaman in human history devoted himself to his research with a greater desire than anyone else. If he fails after doing so, then it means that no one can do it!”
Baros snorted as if he had been waiting.
“Isn’t that because since the beginning of human history, there has only been one true shaman other than you? There has to be a comparison to determine who is the strongest and who is the weakest… .”
Necromancy is a secret art left behind by an unknown ancient race that existed in prehistoric times, before humans invented writing.
Since then, it has been considered the most taboo of taboos, and no one has properly learned it. There were only third-rate people who foolishly pursued power and ended up getting their heads cut off.
Of course, Karnak would be the strongest in human history.
“Oh, well, that’s not wrong, but… … .”
The skeleton sitting on the throne clenched his jaw.
“Baros, if it weren’t for the confidant I grew up with since I was little, I would have killed you long ago.”
“That’s why I’m acting like this. Do you think you’ll feel better if I cut off your neck?”
“Hey, just keep talking.”
Karnak rose from his throne.
He approaches the bloody tombstone and mutters.
“Anyway, let’s go, Baros.”
Baros also approached the tombstone. He looked around the crimson surface and asked.
“If this is successful, when will we go back? Are we going to start over from when we were babies?”
“That won’t do. There has to be at least some commonality.”
Since it is a matter of twisting space-time with the magic of darkness, there must be an identical point of contact in the space-time it reaches.
Karnak continued, as if he was longing for her.
“When I first took my first steps as a necromancer. That was the very moment when I first took on the power of darkness.”
“Then I go back to the moment I became a Death Knight? The timeline wouldn’t match up, would it?”
“You’re just piggybacking on me. We’ll go back to the same time period.”
“Oh, I see.”
Still with a dubious expression, Baros kept looking at the tombstone. Then suddenly he asked.
“What happens if I fail?”
“It will disappear.”
“I don’t think extinction is something that can be easily talked about as if it were someone else’s story.”
“Why? Are you regretting your life now?”
Baros laughed vainly.
The second most powerful person in the world’s greatest empire.
An immortal body with superhuman powers.
Are you foolish about all this?
“There isn’t any.”
That’s right. He too had no pleasure in life.
“There is nothing to lose, there is nothing to gain.”
With a relaxed expression, Baros placed his hand on the tombstone.
“Let’s go, Young Master.”
“okay.”
Karnak also raised his palms to the stele.
The bloody tombstone began to emit a great darkness.
“Let’s go back. To the days when we lived like human beings.”
