The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 106



Only Krnovel

Episode 106 Judgment of Atala (9)

If the sound of the arena were to be depicted in a painting, the audience’s voices would be like a densely painted background. The densely colored noise filled the entire canvas.

But in reality, the central space surrounded by the background was an empty space.

The two main characters here, Kadim and Perun, stared at each other in silence for a long time. The only communication exchanged was a vague greeting, like a single solid line, that Perun had uttered when he first entered the room.

The wait is not short. Only after the noise from the audience subsided did the quiet time come to an end. Kadim clenched the hilt of his sword and opened his stiff lips.

“I will skip the greetings for now. As I said before, I am neither your brother nor your ally.”

“… … .”

“This situation doesn’t seem unfamiliar to you. You’ve been a gladiator for a long time.”

Perun also clutched the hilt of his sword and shook his head.

“Yes. It wasn’t a life I particularly liked, but… … .”

“Why didn’t I like it? “It would have been easier than fighting demons.”

“This is a meaningless fight. It’s a futile struggle that neglects the real enemy and wastes blood. Even though there is little to gain and it is dangerous, the days when I confront the demons in the punitive force are much more satisfying to me.”

Kadim tilted his neck. An answer that matched his views. It was an answer he had somewhat expected. Didn’t Iza lose one of his arms while desperately hoping for a meaningful fight?

But soon, this question inevitably arose.

“Then why did you come here again and stand before me?”

“… … The superficial reason is that the Agonist senators ordered it. The news of what happened in Agon has spread all the way to Galentana. The Agonist senators are very flustered. I had planned to trap you here, but I heard that you have caught the eye of the great Ubik and are actively working as a gladiator… … .”

But the legislators’ supporters weren’t just the kings of the arena.

The lawmakers heard that other sponsors, other mercenary lords, considered the demon slayer a thorn in their side. That intention coincided with the wishes of the lawmakers who wanted to eliminate the demon slayer, and eventually an agreement was reached to mobilize the ‘Indomitable Army’ for the game. And Perun was chosen as the dagger to pierce the demon slayer.

But that couldn’t be everything. Kadim raised his eyes sharply.

“Then what is the real reason? According to the precepts of the wilderness, to kill me and protect Agon’s raging horn?”

“Before I answer that question, one thing… … “I just want to ask you one thing.”

Perun raised his hand and took a deep breath. His throat twitched dangerously as if a large thorn had caught it. His pupils shook nervously and his heart pounded wildly as if it were going to explode.

The one-armed warrior barely managed to ask the question as if spitting blood.

“Are you, by any chance, one of the chosen ones of the noble warriors… ‘The Great Warrior of Atala’?”

A silence that makes even the wind stop for an instant.

But compared to the long conflict and deliberation that went into asking the question, the answer came back disappointingly simple.

“Yes.”

“… … .”

Perun could sense that those words were true.

Because of the eyes that won’t flinch even when a sandstorm blows, and the firm gaze that won’t fade even after a long period of time.

So, I had no choice but to distort my face.

I had a gut feeling from the time I saw the vision. But when I heard it with my own two ears, I couldn’t help but be shocked. Questions, confusion, despair, joy, all kinds of intense images mixed together like a blast furnace. When I opened my mouth again, even my voice was trembling.

“Then, the one who leads us… … Agon’s Raging Horn, no, Goltaran… … What is He? “Is he also the great warrior of Atala?”

“No, the ‘Great Warrior’ is an oath that only one person can make with God. “This guy is a fake Grand Master who stole my title.”

“Then why, why does he have the former great warrior’s new soldier in his hands? Why did he call himself a great warrior, and what about that priestess… … .”

“I came here to find out, kill the fake Great Warrior, and bring back the ‘Judgment of Atala.’ “Things got a little complicated because he disappeared, but now we can finish everything by defeating you and killing Agon’s angry horn.”

“… … .”

Kadim’s voice was still indifferent. Perun was lost in thought. Then suddenly he lifted up a sword with ancient writings on it and showed the axe hanging from his waist.

“… … Do you know what kind of weapons these are?”

Kadim nodded with a new feeling. He couldn’t not know. After all, it was a weapon he had made himself.

‘Angry Blade’ and ‘Flame Cry’. Those were the weapons that were forged in the first round as ‘The Name Forgeer’. How did it survive to this day and end up in the author’s hands? … .

“I have served the Lord Goltharan… … all my life. He taught me how to fight, gave me incredible strength, and even gave me these blessed weapons to fight against you. My mind still tells me that he alone is the great warrior, the savior who will destroy rampant evil, the leader of armies who deserves my loyalty forever.”

“… … .”

“But… … My heart says that you are the true ‘Great Warrior of Atala’. So I had no choice but to come to you like this. Because I had to find an answer to this contradictory intuition. Because I had to find out if I had been loyal to the wrong person all this time. If two great warriors decided to risk their lives against each other… … Because I had to make a choice. So, I, I… … I am… … .”

A warrior who, unable to bear the agony, tightly shut his eyes, then slowly raised his eyelids as if dawn was breaking and declared.

“I’ve come too far to turn back….”

“… … .”

“… … I will fight with all my might, Grand Master. Please, do not show mercy to a servant who has decided to go down the wrong path until the end.”

The fighting spirit burned in Perun’s pupils like the prominence of dawn.

Kadim responded with a look of contemplation of a fire moth flying fearlessly.

“… … What, are you finally fighting?”

“Oh, I guess you’re thinking of getting closer?”

“Oh, ohhhhhh!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

The audience, which had grown cold from the long wait, was once again ignited. Turning their backs on the cheers that were rising like a fiery flame, a warrior burning with fighting spirit charged forward first.

A gray blade reaching out at a very short distance.

Chae – Aeng!

Kadim also took out his blood demon and struck back with alacrity. There was a strong recoil that even a person with both intact hands would be thrown to pieces, but Perun was not pushed back much. Deok supported the hook on the back of the sword and added additional strength.

There was another cause.

‘Angry Blade… … One of the obvious effects was ‘strengthening muscle strength’… … .’

A special effect that makes you stronger just by holding the hilt of the sword. That alone was a useful feature that earned it a rare level. Indeed, the muscles of Perun’s left arm were noticeably bulging.

Also, that wasn’t the only special effect attached to ‘Aguikalnal’.

Chae – ah! Wedge, slap, Chae – ah! Chae – ah!

“If you just keep on taking it like that… … you won’t be able to do it, Grand Master. You’ll keep losing energy… … .”

“… … .”

‘Robbery of energy’.

A special effect that exhausts enemies on contact and restores the owner’s stamina. The judgment of contact was generous enough to even acknowledge contact between weapons. Every time the blades clashed, a hazy smoke-like substance leaked out from Khadim and flowed toward Perun.

Woohoooooo… … .

The ancient letters engraved on the gray blade glowed. Thanks to these two effects, the overall rating of ‘Angry Blade’ is somewhere between Unique and Epic. Although it did not have the explosive power of the Blood Demon, it was an outstanding weapon that guaranteed higher stability.

Of course, it wasn’t just the weapons that were good. In the meantime, Perun devised and mastered sword techniques suitable for a one-armed swordsman.

A method of holding the sword hilt with the good hand and holding it in place, controlling the force and direction by pushing the back of the sword with the hook hand, and sometimes striking the enemy’s blade directly with the hook. Although it was a method that could easily lead to a sword with a screw missing, Perun reached a level where he could stand up to Kadim based on his innate fighting sense.

Chae – Ang! Chang, Chae – Ang!

The blade falls in a diagonal line, rises in a straight line, and rushes in a curved line. The anomalous sword tax rained down like a shower. It bounced irregularly like a drop of water in a puddle, aiming for a loophole. Kadim could not respond loosely and had to sharpen his senses.

Chaeng, tsuzuzuzuzu… … Chae – Aeng!

The two men exchanged fierce attacks and defenses. Neither side was able to easily take the other’s blood. However, it was definitely Kadim who suffered the most damage. ‘Stamina Stealing’ was not an effect that could be prevented by blocking the sword strikes…

Gradually, a muttering sound spread from the audience.

“… … what? “Is the demon slayer being pushed back now?”

“It’s not like we’re being pushed, it’s like we’re fighting on equal terms… … .”

“Shouldn’t we see that we are actually losing? The indomitable fighter is no longer in good shape… … .”

“Huh, how can that demon slayer be so defeated by a half-armed bastard… … .”

Up until now, they had only seen the demon slayer crush his opponents. The very idea of ​​engaging in an ‘equal fight’ with someone was shocking. Especially when that opponent was a one-armed man who had lost his right arm.

But Kadim remained calm. Rather, it was Perun who felt anxious as time passed.

Wedge – Liquid! Wedge – Liquid! Jang!

“… … .”

No matter how much energy is taken away, Khadim’s strength does not diminish.

The culprit would have already lost enough energy to faint, but Kadim did not feel that much fatigue. All I could feel was that her muscles were slightly sore. His physical strength had already reached a level where he could withstand fighting for hundreds of hours straight.

Moreover, we have now found a method of destruction that will disarm the enemy.

Chae – ah! Chaeng, Chae – ah! Chaeng!

Kadim took a wide trajectory and persistently struck only one point of the blade. Perun noticed his intention and tried to dodge the swing, but it was already too late.

Jang – river!!

Sparks flying, the sword blade of the ‘Angry Blade’ splitting in half.

“… … !”

Perun’s pupils fluttered. Kadim let out a huff.

The ‘Angry Blade’ was certainly an outstanding weapon, but before it was forged, its foundation was nothing more than a common iron sword. A sword made of ordinary material and not equipped with ‘durability reinforcement’ cannot survive 300 years. Rather, it could be said that it was courageous to endure this much.

“Oh, the sword broke!!”

“The Demon Slayer broke the enemy’s weapon!!!”

“Waaaaaaaaaa!!”

“As expected, he is a demon slayer!!”

Whee – ik! Whee – ik!

As if they had been agitated for some time, the audience started making noise again. Perun hid his frustration and quickly retreated. The broken sword lost its effectiveness and Khadim was no longer deprived of energy.

Perun, who had kept a suitable distance, bowed his head in respect.

“As expected… … You are a great warrior. I never thought you would break the blessed sword… … . A weapon worthy of being chosen by the Father of the Wilderness… … .”

Whoosh whoosh!

A flaming piece of iron flew in and cut off the soldiers’ horse.

“… … “Inhale!”

The one-armed warrior avoided the hellfire dagger by a narrow margin. Kadim advised in an indifferent tone.

“Don’t take your eyes off them during battle. Do you think demons or monsters will let you off while you’re doing that?”

“… … I’m sorry. I’m ashamed to show you my shortcomings.”

Perun adjusted his posture properly. With my left hand, I grabbed the handle of the ax that was tied to my belt. Then hot dust flew out.

Knock, knock, knock… … .

“but… … “I still have other weapons left.”

“… … .”

“Your Majesty’s martial arts skills are undoubtedly at the level of a master, but… … this is such a destructive weapon that I am not sure if you will be able to respond. May I… … use the power of this axe to confront you, Grand Master?”

Perun raised his axe. It was small in size, but its sweeping force was by no means shabby. A brilliant flame spread across the blade that radiated extraordinary aura.

―――― Grumbling, rumbling – !!

‘Fireworks cry’.

There was no way Kadim didn’t know about that weapon. It was a throwing axe with a ‘flame’ effect that inflicted fire-attribute attacks, and an ‘explosion’ effect that caused it to explode the moment it struck. It was a weapon that boasted enough power to blow up even mid-level demons with a single strike.

Even with that in front of him, Kadim remained aloof.

No, I almost burst out laughing because it was so funny to ask about the enemy’s intentions even during this time.

“Does not matter. “Didn’t you say you were going to hit me with all your might?”

“… … .”

“Throw it away quickly, before I take your head.”

Perun looked straight at Khadim and steeled his resolve.

“Okay. In that case, I’d be happy to… … .”

Fingers firmly gripping the handle. Tendons stretched taut, building up tough elasticity. Twist the upper body so that the arm falls back, put heavy strength into the forearm and upper arm muscles, and desperately push down the hot axe handle as if throwing the whole body.

Wedge – Liquid! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

The afterimage spread fiercely, and the axe flew towards Khadim, scattering shards of flame like a saw blade.

Just before it touched and exploded, Kadim raised his throwing ax and struck it as fast as a beam of light.

―――――― Kwa-Ang!!

Flames exploded, and an explosion rang out that pierced my eardrums. A terrible shock hit my body violently. Flame Howl rose into the air, spun around, fell to the ground and broke, and Kadim was thrown back several meters.

However, he soon shook off the dirt that stuck to his body and calmly stood up.

The audience and Perun froze, their mouths wide open. Khadim spat out blood and chanted.

“It was a good hit, but it was a little short.”

“… … .”

“Then… … it’s my turn now.”

Kadim held the sack tightly.

Kurrrrr, rrrrrrr… … .

A colorful afterglow appeared on his cute face.

The light source was not elsewhere. From the lightning flashing madly at the tip of his right hand, the ink-colored sack. Just before the dark sky let out a thousand rays of anger, a thunderstorm resembling a thunderbolt striking violently beneath a cumulonimbus cloud.

Kadim took a deep breath.

“… … Phew.”

He let out a deep breath and threw it away.

Wedge – liquid!

An axe made in the cold, bitter lands and forged in the underground fortress of a fallen kingdom with the name ‘Salmon’.

――――――――――――――――――――――― !!

However, last night, when the moon was buried in darkness, the weapon was given a new name and was reborn as a thunderbolt in the shape of an axe.