The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 111



Only Krnovel

Episode 111. Atala’s Judgement (14)

Kadim’s eyes filled with tears, and he bent his little finger back without hesitation.

Pout- !

My knuckles swelled up and turned blue. My forearms cramped from the pain I endured, and sweat poured down my forehead. However, thanks to my immediate response, I was able to temporarily suppress the madness.

“Whoa… … .”

However, what was in front of my eyes was surreal, as if I was already seeing a hallucination. He collected himself and clicked his tongue briefly.

‘Did she superimpose the magical space onto reality? … I don’t know how she did it, but… … The priestess must have used her brain a bit.’

Because they are kept alive by the magic of the relics, the priestesses of the wilderness can never leave that place. However, by overlaying the relics onto reality like this, it seems that they can exert some influence without dying.

A voice was heard again.

[… … Are you apologizing for ruining the Great Warrior’s hand? It’s already too late, ‘Source of Disaster’. Well, if you kill yourself right now, I can give you my order to destroy your thoughts… … .]

I never thought I would hear that name again. Kadim burst out in sarcasm and cut off his words.

“Is this the ‘source of disaster’ again? … . “Did you also receive revelations from Atala or the Forgotten God?”

[…] … What does that mean?]

“If you don’t know, that’s fine. But why do you keep looking away?”

[…] … Hmm?]

“That guy is a fake, and there’s no way he wouldn’t know that I’m the real Grandmaster. Aren’t you and the fake Grandmaster closer to the ‘source of disaster’? It seems like you guys just killed more people than I’ve killed in my entire life.”

[… … .]

A silence that hangs precariously between the ruined arena and the piles of corpses that resemble mounds.

Eventually, a burning pain filled the voice ringing inside me.

[Shut up! This was an inevitable sacrifice to prevent a greater sacrifice! By killing you, Goltaran will stop the seeds of disaster and save the continent! Just as not long ago, he killed a high-ranking demon, stopped an outbreak, and saved countless lives… … .]

“I killed the high-ranking demon, not you. “This is the blood obtained from killing that demon.”

I opened the stopper of the iron canteen and shook it. The poisonous scent of blood spread, and the remnants of the ruins trembled slightly. While he was pushing him away, he even pushed in and drove a wedge in with the tattoo he had made with the ‘engraving needle’.

“Beshaka, Ketura. Other wilderness shamans have already recognized me as a great warrior. The ‘engraving needle’ you have was also reserved for me, not him. Besides, the reason you chose to be imprisoned in the first place was to regain your strength, but did the magical power you lost come back just because that fake Great Warrior showed up?”

[… … .]

“Finally, I warn you. Fulfill your duty. Hand over the ‘Needle of Engraving’ left by Cyril, dispose of the false Grand Master, and return to the dust of the wilderness. Otherwise, I will crush your old skull and tear your soul to pieces so that it cannot reach heaven.”

A low-pitched voice filled with murderous intent echoed through the overlapping space. For a moment, the inner resonance stopped. Instead, the tension and fear surging inside the shaman was vaguely conveyed.

But after a while, these words suddenly came back.

[… … I came back.]

“… … ?”

[I’m back… … . My magical power, my lost magical power has returned… … ! The mountain range blocking the path to the wilderness has collapsed… … ! I can see the crossroads of destiny hidden in the sandstorm… … ! Ah, ah, I can feel the will of the vast wilderness protecting Daejeon Temple… … !]

A voice cracking in ecstasy. An earthen wind blew unusually along with the flow of magical power.

Huuuuuung –

Kadim laughed to himself. It was a truly unfortunate moment. Daejeonsa is a mediator that connects fighting gods and humans. Was Cyril really right when he said that when the ‘Great Warrior’ returns, the shamans’ magical powers will also return…? … .

Anyway, I thought that now that this much evidence has appeared, even that shaman wouldn’t be able to deny the truth.

The prediction was completely off.

[As expected, I was right… … ! Goltaran was the true ‘Great Warrior of Atala’! Seeing the achievements he has made over the years, the heavenly Atala must have been impressed… … !]

“… … .”

[Ah, don’t worry, father of the wilderness… … . Even if this old tool crumbles, your agent will definitely be protected… … .]

The supernatural power only allowed one to deal with miracles, but it did not open the vision of a person who closed his eyes and was sinking into the well of ruin.

At this point, it was safe to say that he had become senile. There was no point in further conversation. There was no choice but to split the head of the fake great warrior and shaman as quickly as planned.

… … before being consumed by ‘madness’ and failing to properly judge things and ruining things.

Kwak-Ang!

Kadim raised his ax and leaped toward Goltaran.

A nervous voice pierced me inside.

[How dare you!]

――――― Kugwagwang – !

Passs …

One step too late. Goltaran’s spirit was scattered like dust, and the ax blade only hit the floor. Most likely, the shaman used her magic to transport it to another location.

It was obvious where it went. He must have been summoned to his side because his injuries needed to be healed with ‘elixir’. In that case, the entrance that could lead to where they are… …

A piece of the ruins’ landscape hanging in the air.

Kwa – Ah!

Kadim tried to leap forward again, but in an instant a huge wall of earth rose up, blocking his way.

Kurrururur – !

[There is no way! The unbreakable barrier of the wilderness blocks your path… … ]

The shaman’s voice, which continued triumphantly, suddenly stopped midway. Because she did something that made Kadim doubt her eyes.

He pushed the earthen wall with his shoulder and broke through it.

―――――― Qua-Ang!

Even if you summoned earthen walls one after another, the result was the same. Every time Kadim threw his body like a cannonball, the thick earthen wall, condensed like a stone block, collapsed like a sand castle. Eventually, she thought that the shaman was only wasting her magical powers, so she no longer summoned earthen walls.

But Kadim also knew. That couldn’t be the only backup plan the shaman had prepared.

The moment the piece of ruins was in sight, the earth stood up.

Coo coo coo… … Kwagwagwagwagwang-!

It happened literally, without any exaggeration or embellishment.

The earth split apart, and a magnificent figure rose from the ground floor. The dust blowing thickly, the vast shadow covering the stadium, the surface with incantation lines carved into it as carefully as a petroglyph. The rock giant, more like a landmark than an individual, stood up like a gatekeeper and looked down at the warrior holding the axe.

– Coo coo coo… … .

[You will face an insurmountable ordeal, source of disaster! The ‘Guardian of the Earth’ will turn you into a speck of dust smaller than dust! If you wish to leave behind even a corpse, you must choose self-destruction now… … .]

“… … .”

Kadim swallowed a laugh. Because it reminded me of the time I fought a liquid giant in the ruins. At that time, I thought that lava giants, rock giants, and ice giants might come out later, but it turned out to be nonsense.

– Coo coo coo… … .

Perhaps that rock giant was also used in the ‘trial’. I don’t know for sure, but it must have been a pretty harsh ordeal. Not only would it be difficult to deal with due to its enormous size, but it would also have been difficult to break the solid rock with iron or something.

But now the situation was different.

Kadim now had a new recruit who could summon the power and destruction of the first round. Although he could not summon the new recruit, the ‘Judgment of Atala’ was worth it with just the material of the unbreakable black iron and the extreme anticipation.

When I jumped up and swung the axe, rock fragments flew out like firecrackers.

―――――― Kwagagagagagagak – !

– Kukuku… … .

The rock giant slightly swayed its body. A mark was left on his chest that looked like it had been carved out by a huge chisel. However, Kadim was not very bright and had an expression that made him want to bend his fingers back.

Turn your finger back, turn your finger back, turn your finger back, turn your finger back, turn your finger back, turn your finger back, turn your finger back, turn your finger back, turn your finger back… … .

Ppoduk –

When I snapped my little finger, the whispering stopped. But this was only a temporary measure. I had to quickly clear a path before the madness became uncontrollable… … That rock giant was a tougher opponent than I thought.

Woof! Kurur, kudduduk… … .

The magic circle engraved on the surface glowed. The fragments that had fallen came back. After repairing his scars, the giant aimed at Khadim and slammed his fist down violently.

―――――Whew – Whew, Kwaaaaaaaah – !!

That simple gesture became a natural disaster. A strong wave spread across the ground, and everything that was attached to the ground was lifted into the air. The cracked ground sank, and a torrent of earth and rocks poured down into the pit where the giant had risen.

Kadim dodged by running to the left, then jumped up again and climbed onto the giant’s shoulder. I looked at her body to see if there was anything like a ‘nucleus’, but I couldn’t see it. The next best thing was to aim at her head and hit the ax in a cross pattern.

――――― Quagagagagagak, Quagagagagagak – !

This time too, a large mark was left. However, this time the marks were quickly restored. At the same time, a compressed shock wave was generated from the magic circle drawn on the rock. As if he had stepped on a bomb, Kadim fell into the distance.

The rock giant then threw rocks, punched, stomped, and caused various disasters to crush Khadim. The whole world shook with the reverberation, and the remaining arena buildings shook and collapsed.

When I faced it, I could clearly see it.

This was not a guardian used in trials.

No, the foundation may have been that way, but it had already been remodeled and ended up being something far removed from the original. It seems that the shaman, who was excited after regaining her magical powers, used all the reinforcing spells, but I thought that if she could use these things freely, there would be no need for Daejeon or anything like that.

Besides, I couldn’t even ignore it. When I suddenly changed direction and entered the ruins, the banishment spell from before pushed my body out.

Tu – Ugh!

[That’s right! Those who don’t pass the trials will never be able to set foot in the ruins!]

‘Damn shamans, what a fucking trick… … .’

Just as he was muttering the words, the rock giant’s fist flew behind him. Kadim had no choice but to swing the axe head upside down, like a blunt weapon.

― …

He planted his feet firmly on the ground and struck back the giant’s fist. A feeling of pressure similar to hitting a meteorite. The shock hit her, crushing her spine and crushing her limbs, but she managed to hold on without breaking.

However, the damage to the giant was greater than to Khadim.

Zzz, zzz, kwaddeuddeuk – !

The impact from the fist was transmitted to the shoulder and completely destroyed the right forearm. The scale of the damage was so extensive that even the giant was unable to properly repair it, and only dropped large rock fragments.

Kadim furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

The magic that repaired scars was not omnipotent. If the damage was too great, the magic itself seemed to be destroyed and could not be reversed. I unconsciously held it upside down to ward off the attack, but by chance I ended up spotting the giant’s weakness.

‘Actually, it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a ‘weakness’… … .’

When we talk about the ‘weakness’ of these giant or golem-type monsters, it usually refers to the core or vital point that is clearly visible to the eye. It was questionable whether the obvious fact that it could not be restored if it was destroyed by a blunt blow could really be called a weakness.

However, now, Kadim possessed the power to attack even the weak points that were not weak points.

He held the axe handle tightly with eight fingers, his tattered fingers hanging down. He turned the axe head like a hammer and charged without hesitation towards the rock giant.

“Uuuuuuuuup!!”

―――――――――― Kwa-ang, Kwa-ang, Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!

From the legs to the thighs, from the waist to the ribs, from the chest to the shoulders, Khadim struck the giant’s body indiscriminately. At each point of impact, cracks spread out and merged into a large one at the intersection.

– Coo goo goo, coo goo goo… … .

―――― Huuuuung, blah blah!

The giant swung his fist repeatedly, causing the magic circle on the surface to explode. He fought hard to somehow shake off Kadim, but it was only a futile struggle. The giant’s heavy and slow movements, despite his destructive power, were not enough to keep up with the speed of the running berserker.

It was almost impossible to hope that the fight would continue like that.

The speed of damage outpaced the speed of recovery. Eventually, the cracks throughout my body became irreparable.

―――――― Ku, kukwagwagwagwagwa – !

The rock giant collapsed majestically like a collapsing castle. Thick dust rose, and megaliths piled up, forming a stone tomb. The giant that was completely defeated was never able to restore its body again.

“Whoa… … .”

Kadim is holding up better than I thought. He is holding up well. He is holding up well. He is holding up well. He is holding up well. He is holding up well. He is holding up well. He is holding up well. He is holding up well. My back and palms were damp with cold sweat. It was a close call, but I thought I got through the ‘ordeal’ before the madness consumed my mind.

No it wasn’t.

Kugugugugugu, kukugugugugu, kukugugugugugugugu… … .

As soon as one of the rock giants fell, the ground shook again.

The land that sings of rage. The sporadic sounds merged into a powerful thunderclap, like the sound of several drums coming together. Soon, the stratum twisted and took the shape of a human, and magnificent ‘spirits’ rose from the ground.

――――――――― Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwa – !!!

[Cluck click… … Did you really think it was over? No, the insurmountable ordeal is not over! The moment you reach destruction!! Until that moment, the ordeal will never end!!!]

A priestess screaming as if possessed by an evil spirit, and six giant rock figures rising like a mountain range.

The moment when Kadim looks up at the walking natural disasters in a daze.

Out of nowhere, half of them collapsed in a spectacular manner.

――――Kwarrrrrr, kwarrrrrrrr… … .

“… … ?”

He hadn’t even lifted a finger yet. The remaining rock giants had stopped like stone statues. Kadim tilted his head slightly. At the moment he was trying to figure out what was going on, voices of confusion dug into his mind.

[Ah, no? W-what are you, you punk! How dare you sneak into the ruins… … .]

[…] … Ugh! Go, stay still, grandma! Oh, otherwise something bad and regrettable will happen… … .]

[… … Get away from him right now!! If you don’t, I’ll tear you to pieces!! Not a single speck of dust will remain… … .]”

[Two – Woah! Whoosh! Whoosh!]

[… … Ah, no!! Nooooooooooooo!!]

Desperate screams, loud noises and the roar of fire followed.

I had no idea what had happened. Still, it was clear who the voice I heard before belonged to. Kadim furrowed his brow and quietly uttered the name.

“… … Duncan?”