Chapter 388: Dragon Emperor (1)

A group of men and women ran desperately deep in the forest under the cover of night. It was Karnak, Varos, Serati, and Lapicel fleeing from Thea Krahan. How far had they run?

Karnak called out to the group. "Phew, let's take a break."

Varos glanced around and gave a nod. "As you wish, young master."

They had already fled far enough that the capital was no longer in sight. Since there didn't seem to be any pursuit, resting for a moment wouldn't be a problem.

Serati, still carrying Lapicel, approached Karnak. She looked down at the girl, still unconscious, and asked, "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

Lapicel wasn't some delicate girl. For someone as strong as her to remain unconscious for so long felt strange. Even an ordinary person would've woken up after being carried around this long.

"What did you even do to her that someone like Lapicel can't wake up?"

Karnak shook his head at Serati's concern. "It's the opposite. It's because she's Lapicel that this is happening."

If she had been an ordinary girl, he could've knocked her out easily, and she would've woken up just as easily. But Lapicel was a silver knight, and even more than that, her soul was a future martial king. The spell had to be cast with that much more force. Thanks to that, she'd ended up being lugged around by Serati for half a day.

With a calm expression, Serati lowered the silver-haired girl from her shoulder. "As long as Lapicel's not hurt, it's fine. She's not even that heavy anyway."

If one just heard that line, it might sound like she'd gently laid down a child she was carrying. However, the truth was a bit different. Without a second thought, she grabbed Lapicel's belt with just two fingers, lifted her lightly, and set her down.

She was treating a person like a handbag. And not even using aura. Not even Varos, with all his strength, would dare try something like that.

Karnak clicked his tongue. "Varos, at this rate, aren't you going to lose in an arm-wrestling match against Serati?"

"What a dreadful thing to say, young master!"

"Sorry, that might've been too much."

"I wouldn't win even with both arms."

"So she's a monster."

Serati glared at the two as they whispered to each other. "What on earth are you two talking about...?"

In any case, the three leaned against the trees and caught their breath. As their stamina returned, Karnak asked, "How far do we have left?"

Varos recalled the surrounding geography. "Let's see, Zident Village..."

After matching it to his mental map, he offered a rough estimate. "About three more days."

Zident was a small rural village located about three days west of the capital. It was also the rendezvous point in case their party got separated.

Though they had prepared their plan meticulously, Karnak knew full well that things in life rarely went the way one intended. So they had decided in advance: if the imperial army survived, they would retreat together. But if the army suffered a devastating defeat, each group would escape separately and regroup in Zident.

The local Twilight Order chapter had long controlled the area, meaning it could serve as a secure hideout. The others were likely making their way there even now.

Looking up at the night sky, Serati murmured faintly, "I hope they made it out safely..."

Varos asked with a puzzled expression, "What are you worried about? It's not like anything could've happened to them."

If they had failed to escape, that'd be one thing. But they had confirmed that everyone had made it out of Tesranach's clutches. By now, they should be well beyond the capital's reach. And really, how many people in this world could threaten them?

"I know that." Serati wasn't worried about the others. "I left Floke behind."

In the rush to escape, there had been no time to retrieve Floke. But there was no going back to that hell now. She sighed, looking genuinely downcast. "I knew I shouldn't have brought him..."

Countless people had died—was it really right to worry about a mere beast? Still, she couldn't help but feel concerned. Of course, neither Karnak nor Varos so much as blinked. People who barely valued human life weren't about to get sentimental over an animal.

"Oh, right."

"There was that, huh."

"You two are unbelievable. That? Really...?"

Karnak shrugged. "You seem to be misunderstanding something, Serati. That thing's a dragon, not a cat."

"I know it was originally a massive dragon. But it's just a baby now, isn't it?"

"That's not what I meant. I'm saying it's a dragon." There was a reason he emphasized that. "You know now, don't you? Tesranach is the dragon emperor."

"I don't know about any dragon emperor, but I did see one insanely huge dragon."

"Yeah, that one."

It was now certain that Tesranach was the dragon emperor. They had personally seen hundreds of dragons reduced to his slaves and setting the capital ablaze.

"Floke is a dragon. There's no reason for them to have hurt her. In fact, Floke might have even joined his ranks." Karnak smirked and gave a small shrug. "For all we know, the next time we see Floke, she'll be breathing fire on us. Or wait, she's a white dragon. Make that frost breath."

Serati gave Karnak a look. She knew what he was trying to do. This was Karnak's version of trying to comfort someone. "She can breathe whatever she wants. As long as she's still alive, I'll be happy."

Just hearing that there was a chance Floke might be okay gave her a bit of relief. Serati gave a small laugh. "She's so tiny. How much could she possibly breathe out anyway?"

***

Three days later, just as Varos had predicted, Karnak and his companions arrived at the small rural village of Zident. Four walking skeletons emerged to greet them as they approached the village entrance. They were the four archliches. "Welcome, Lord Karnak."

Serati clicked her tongue as they bowed politely. "Wow, you got here early."

Unlike the others, the archliches hadn't saved a single soul. They'd simply fled in a straight line. Naturally, they arrived first.

Karnak muttered as if it were obvious. "When you abandon your conscience, everything else gets a lot easier."

"But your conscience suffers," retorted Serati.

"Look at them. Do they look like they have anything left to feel guilty with?"

The archliches were completely unfazed by the insult. They didn't so much as blink—not that they had eyelids to begin with. All four shifted into the forms of ordinary humans.

"We have prepared a safe house."

"Please, this way."

Guided by the archliches, Karnak's group entered Zident Village. The safe house provided by the Twilight Cult was a modest two-story wooden home at the center of the village. Neither shabby nor lavish, it looked just like any other house in the area. It was perfect for hiding in plain sight.

Once inside, Serati's first move was to find a bed. She needed to lay Lapicel down. "When is Lapicel going to wake up? She's going to waste away at this rate."

It had been days now. Honestly, it was starting to get worrying. Karnak waved a hand to reassure her. "The spell's about to wear off. She'll wake up tomorrow."

Then he turned to the archliches and urged, "Food. Now."

Varos chimed in immediately. "Meat, too."

Serati, her face slightly flushed, added softly, "Maybe some wine, if there is any..."

They had escaped with only the clothes on their backs. They had no supplies and no provisions. And with the entire region around the capital a smoldering ruin, they hadn't had a chance to resupply.mAfter nearly three days of starvation, it was no surprise they were about to lose their minds.

Maloka, now in the form of a black-haired beauty, gestured toward the kitchen. "We anticipated this and prepared in advance."

"See? Maloka's the only one who actually thinks ahead."

Delighted, the group rushed to the kitchen. Sure enough, there was food, meat, and even wine waiting for them. Nothing too fancy. Just barley bread slathered with melted cheese, roasted sausages, and watered-down wine. Typical fare for the region. But for those who hadn't eaten in days, it may as well have been a royal feast.

"Mmff—mmmf!"

"Drink something while you eat. You're going to make yourself sick."

"Can you not nag during mealtime, Serati?"

"Then how about you stop doing things worth nagging over, Lord Karnak?"

"Well... I mean, fair enough."

The group ate and drank like they hadn't in years. After a while, Serati leaned back with a blissful expression. "Ahh... that hit the spot."

Tesranach had descended. The empire's fate teetered on the brink. The world itself seemed on the verge of collapse, with worries and anxieties piling higher by the day. Serati commented, "But at least for now, with a full belly, I feel a little better."

Varos and Karnak wore matching expressions of satisfaction.

"Humans really are such simple creatures, aren't they?"

"In the end, what's life about anyway? Everything we do is just to eat and survive."

For now, there wasn't much else they could do. All they could do was stay hidden in the village and wait for the others to regroup. Of course, they had no intention of simply wasting time.

Karnak gave an order. "Demphis."

"Yes?"

"Mobilize the Twilight Order and get some intel on what's happening in the capital."

They needed to understand the situation to decide their next move.

"Understood."

The mention of the capital made Serati think of one particular person. There was a person who wasn't Karnak's subordinate and had not received the order to flee. She had no idea what had become of him now. I wonder if Sir Desteran is still alive...

***

The imperial palace of the Lacania Empire was now buried under ash and molten earth. A man with golden hair sat on a gray throne, idly moving his right hand. It was Tesranach, the new master of the capital. Dark currents swirled briefly between his fingers before fading.

Tesranach murmured, "So this is all for now?"

By expanding his domain, he had managed to reclaim part of the scattered Shadow of Doom. He had also begun to prepare the soil to plant the World Tree of Shadow. But it was still far from enough. He would need to gather the scattered deathly power spread across the continent once more.

It was a disappointing turn. Had everything gone according to plan, it all would have ended the moment of his descent. "Now I'm tied down."

If Tesranach, the master of the domain, were to leave the capital, the groundwork he had laid for the darkness would scatter.

Of course, if he willed it, he could establish his domain again anywhere on the continent. But that would be inefficient. The empire, which ruled over more than half the continent, had built this city, Thea Krahan, in the most governable location possible.

It was truly the center of the world, and therefore the most suitable place to gather the darkness of the world. Wearing a faint smile, Tesranach looked down at the great hall. "This will be a grand harvest indeed."

Three archmages and three martial kings stood in formation at his sides. They were soul-bound vassals who obeyed his every command without question.

"Go, my servants. Go forth and carry out my will."

But they did not move immediately. There was one thing left for them to confirm. Elezar cautiously asked, "If I may ask... what should we do if we encounter him?"

Karnak Zestrad. He would surely appear again to obstruct the workings of the Black God, just as he always had. But his death had not been permitted, and they could not harm him at will.

Tesranach's reply was simple. "Avoid him."

"And if we cannot avoid him...?"

"Then die and return to me."

Death was not to be feared. Only failure was. Satisfied with his answer, the six bowed deeply in unison. "We shall act according to your will, Master of Death."