The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 110



Only Krnovel

Episode 110. Atala’s Judgement (13)

A catastrophe has arrived, as if a piece of hell had been carved out and put up in the arena of Agon.

BAM! Kkwarrrrrrrr… … .

““Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!””

““Aaaaaaaaaaa!!””

The isolation wall collapsed and the stands collapsed. A huge crowd comparable to the population of a small city was concentrated at the exit. Hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of people crowded into the exit, which was not large enough for a dozen people to pass through at the same time, and many people were trampled and trampled to death.

Ironically, those who were far away from the exit sat down with a feeling of desperation and saved their lives. And coincidentally, I also realized who had caused this disaster.

“No, that… … “It’s Agon’s angry horn, right?”

“what? Then, the culprit who caused this mess… … .”

“Agon’s angry horn has gone mad! The champion has killed people!!”

The champion everyone has been eagerly waiting for, Agon’s angry horn.

Onlookers watched the stadium with dumbfounded faces. But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just a riot. The collapse of the building was only collateral damage, and the champion was persistently targeting only one target from the beginning.

A challenger and demon slayer aiming to become the new champion.

Wedge – squeak, whoosh – ugh! Kwakwakwang, bang – !

The champion and the challenger exchanged fierce blows. It was a battle that started at a completely unexpected moment and in a completely unexpected way. However, the final match was unfolding before their eyes.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Several blood-soaked onlookers sat on the pavement. The gamblers whose brains got tired didn’t even bother to do it in the first place. The groans of the injured erupted from everywhere, but no one even glanced aside. For them, watching a game that will forever become legendary was more important than their own lives or the lives of others.

“Okay, you’re doing great! Kill him now, Argon’s Angry Horn!!”

“Stop running now, demon slayer! “How long are you going to run away like a rat?!”

The frenzied champion had the upper hand, but the challenger’s resistance was also formidable. The fight between the two monsters gradually became more intense. The moment they saw both sides drinking the unidentified water bottle with a narrow margin, the onlookers instinctively knew that the battle was about to reach its climax.

But the god of struggle and wilderness protects you.

Unfortunately, no one could watch the warriors’ struggle as entertainment anymore.

―――――― Kwa – ang! Kwa – ang! Kwa – ang!

Tsk tsk, tsk tsk… … .

The wall had already completely collapsed due to the continuous impact, and now the cracks had spread to the bottom of the stands. Those who had even a little bit of sanity left their seats in a hurry, but those who didn’t even have that remained anxiously in their seats until the end.

――――― Crumbling – !

Eventually, the floor collapsed, and everyone who remained in the audience fell into the basement.

“Aaaahhh… … .”

“Ah, no no no!! Please just a little more… … .”

Even as the bones were buried in the Hall of Corruption, spectators and gamblers lamented not the death but the fact that they had not seen the end of the game.

*

Agon’s angry horn raises his battle ax and lashes out.

“Kuhuk, kuhuuuu…” … .”

“… … .”

Kadim felt something awkward.

He was originally much more used to going berserk and running wild himself than to dealing with a frenzied enemy. So, fighting in this reversed situation couldn’t help but feel awkward.

Of course, that’s just for now, but I didn’t know what would happen as time passed. Because ‘the power of the first round’ also entails ‘the madness of the first round’. Since I had a time bomb implanted in my body that I didn’t know would explode at any moment, there was only one strategy I could choose.

Quickly, we kill the bastard as quickly as possible and retrieve ‘Atala’s Judgement’.

The hard heels pushed off the dirt floor at a subsonic speed.

Kwa – Ah!

Shinyoung narrowed the distance in a split second, her eyes filled with black eyes filled with bewilderment. He gave no time to fight back. Kadim immediately drove the ax into the enemy’s bone, stabbed him in the neck, and kicked him in the abdomen.

――――― Wow – Wow!

“… … Wow!”

The first groan came from the mouth of Agon’s angry horn, Goltarran. He crashed into the pile of stones, raised a cloud of dust, and barely managed to get up again.

Kwarrrr… … .

“Kuhuk, kuhuuu…” … .”

“… … .”

Blood trickled down his forehead and neck, and his face was covered in dust and pain. Yet, he appeared to be in no danger of dying.

Kadim didn’t care. It was a result he had already expected. ‘Atala’s Divine Power’ wasn’t just an energy that increased strength.

The effect is to grant immunity to all debuffs and boost all combat-related stats. The ‘resistance’ that blocks damage is also greatly increased. The guy’s outer shell now looks like it has been covered in several layers of dwarven iron armor.

‘… … Even so, it won’t be possible to prevent the collapse of the body.’

In any case, the damage was reduced, but it was not invincible. So the solution was simple.

Continue attacking until the damage accumulates and you are destroyed.

Kwak-Ang!

Kadim kicked off the ground and leaped again. Goltaran also raised his battle ax and prepared to counterattack.

The moment it entered the attack range, the pitch-black axe swung like a whirlwind.

――――――――― Huuuuuung – !

The rushing yellowish trajectory, the pressure that sent shivers down his spine. However, Kadim calmly shifted his center of gravity to dodge and kicked the side of the axe head. The violent recoil added to the force of the swing caused Goltharan to lose his balance and stumble forward.

“Kufuu… … ?”

The black pupil shook. It was an acrobatic feat that was far beyond common sense, so it was hard to believe even after seeing it. Kadim did not miss the moment when the enemy was defenseless. He grabbed the blood demon and ran forward, drawing a sword path that stabbed the blind spot.

――――――― Phew – !

The great power was concentrated from the hilt to the blade, and from the blade to the sharp tip. No matter how high the resistance, it was not an attack that could be withstood. The yellowish sapphire split and a shallow scratch was left on Goltarran’s forearm.

“Cook!”

― …

Kadim dodged the furious ax strike and lashed out again. The successive attacks were successful one after another, and the superficial wound became deeper and deeper.

But around that time, Kadim soon stopped attacking and slowly moved away.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah… … .

The blood demon was emitting an extremely unstable sound. Since it is not a very durable weapon, it seems that it was difficult for this sword to handle the force of the first round.

It wasn’t a big deal though. Right now, I could wield overwhelming power with just my bare fists. I switched weapons to lightning strikes and then closed the distance so that I could make contact with them again.

What followed was a rough fight.

――――――― Wedge – Liquid! Phew, wow, wow!!

Goltharan’s attacks were still devastating enough to change the terrain, but they were ineffective. The fierce swings of his axes could only destroy innocent buildings and the ground. On the other hand, Khadim’s attacks, although less destructive due to his weapons, were almost always effective. He could steadily accumulate damage to his enemies by penetrating the strong defenses of his divine powers.

In fact, in terms of overall combat ability, Goltaran had the upper hand. Thanks to wearing divine gear and the ‘berserk’ buff, his physical abilities were similar to those of Khadim from the first game, and his weapon was incomparably powerful.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason why he was pushed back.

He has lost his reason and is fighting based only on his instincts.

If the force is the same, it goes without saying that it is better to have reason. Berserkers had to overcome their lack of judgment with their overwhelming spirit and superiority in strength, but since their physical abilities were similar, they had no choice but to be pushed back every time in a moment-to-moment battle of numbers.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a matter of moment. Goltaran was defeated even in the overall battle of numbers that turned the tide of battle.

As his body began to show signs of collapsing, Goltarran was feeling his waistline when suddenly his face became distorted.

“Kuhuhuk…” … ?”

The remaining four bottles of iron canteen were all ruined and burst. While the sum was being exchanged, Kadim cleverly attacked and destroyed it. Since I had lost all of my extra elixirs, I could no longer prevent side effects.

Clumping, clumping… … .

The joints were melted and the left arm hung limp. The right arm dangled limply, and both legs were wobbly as if they had no bones. The skin all over his body was peeling off.

“Kuhook, kuhook!”

Goltarran did not give in and gathered his remaining divine powers to fight desperately. However, the outcome of the battle was already decided. Without wasting any time, Khadim went straight into finishing it off.

The wavy blade cut through the deer’s neck without mercy.

――――― Ugh!

Shingi rushed to the RBI, but it was already too late. The surface was crushed as if the clay had been split. The fresh blood mixed with the soggy flesh, and Goltaran fell to his knees, drooling.

“Kuhuu …

Kadim delivered the finishing blow by stomping on the back of the head.

――――――― Kwa-Ang!!

A heavy, spreading ground rumble.

His face sank deep into the dirt, and the entire area sunk in. Goltaran, whose back of his head was torn apart, could never rise again. Kadim wiped the blood from his face and wiped the lumps of flesh from the ax blade.

“… … .”

The battle is over.

However, the really important part was now. Under the precepts of the wilderness, it was the victor’s rightful right to take the spoils, so Khadim approached the fallen loser.

Goltarahn did not easily give up his new recruits. As if he could not accept the result, he held on to the axe handle tightly and did not let go even while burying his face in the ground.

Splash, splash, splash –

… … But even after all his fingers were broken one by one, he could not maintain that stubbornness.

Kadim took a deep breath. After much struggle, I finally got it back. He fell from the giant’s body and solemnly lifted the jet black ax.

‘The Judgement of Atala’.

A battle axe that brings death and destruction, used to strike down the Great Demon’s neck in the first round.

A new soldier who returned 300 years after being abandoned by his master, putting an end to that unfortunate history.

A sense of relief and accomplishment surged through me like water. The axe head with the ancient white letters engraved on the pitch-black background, the long black handle, the weight that rested heavily on my palm joints… Everything was exactly the same as my memory from the first time. This was my second time getting it, but the joy of the moment of acquisition had not faded at all.

Still, it was too early to get sentimental. It definitely awakened my spirit. Now that we have recovered our new recruits, it is now time to summon the ‘God’ and complete the judgment.

Kadim recited a prayer from memory.

“[O Lord Atala, ruler of eternal war. Look upon your great warriors, lift the torch and lead them to the battlefield… … .]”

The earth resonates with the murmuring. The wind blows straight, scattering the sand, and a yellowish energy flows out from the pitch-black axe, surrounding the shoulders and arms… …

Hooooooooo –

… … did not.

Until the end of the prayer, nothing happened except a slight breeze.

“… … ?”

I tried reciting the prayer again. Still nothing happened. I thought I had remembered it wrong, so I tried reciting it differently. The result was the same. I tried all sorts of tricks, swinging the axe around, but no matter what I did, the ‘Atala’s Divine Power’ did not appear.

Perhaps in response to the sound, the enemy, who had been in a near-dead state, only began to squirm.

‘Kook… … .’

“… … .”

A look of bewilderment fell over Kadim’s face.

I had no idea what the cause was.

There was no way the weapon had lost its power. Wasn’t that guy using the divine weapon just fine just a moment ago? Could it be that he was upset that he had thrown it away in the first round and that the new soldier was not giving him any power? I even had ridiculous fantasies.

‘Kuhuhuk, kuhuuk… … .’

The sound of heavy breathing continued to irritate my ears. Agon’s angry horn was pulling his face out of the ground. It wouldn’t be strange if he was already dead, but his vitality was truly extremely tough.

At the same time, a thin red tide was creeping in on one side of my field of vision. It was a bad omen. If I couldn’t summon the ‘magic’ like this, I would definitely go mad and run wild soon…

“… … .”

Perhaps the clue was not here but there. While I was at it, I decided to cut off the windpipe of Agon’s angry horn and recite the prayer again.

But the moment I take a step forward.

Scribble –

A sibilant sound that suddenly penetrates my ears.

And the texture of a rapidly changing world.

Scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble… … .

As if tearing off wallpaper, the scenery of the ruined arena began to be roughly peeled away.

The distant background lost its three-dimensional effect and became flat. The shadows of the enclosed space were visible beyond the removed pieces. It looked as if part of the plastered arena had been torn away, exposing the ruins that had been like a bare wall behind it.

The sight of the arena and ruins overlapping in such a bizarre way.

A voice as delicate as a broken iron bell echoed inside me.

[The ‘source of disaster’ that will destroy the world… … . That shameless evil ends there! If you do not immediately abandon your recruits and get away from the great warrior, you will be judged by Atala… … .]

Kadim raised his empty eyes and frowned ̴͈̞͊̏͐̎̎̀ ̶̡̡̬̟͔͎̦͋̉ ̵̢͍͉͈̺̞̹̰̓̃̇̃̆̊̀̾… ̷̡̨̥̮͓̟̱͎̿… ̴̩̘̃͑̍͆… The corners of his mouth suddenly brightened.

Ah, this is fun.