The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 187



Only Krnovel

Episode 187. The Calamity That Kills the World (1)

Melissa looking at the cloth in her hand.

He fixed his gaze. All human shades were erased from his gaze. He only grasped the information that was inferred in a businesslike manner, without any emotion or sentiment.

Yes, this is the trousers that Kadim cut off, and that is.

I looked around. The golden fields had been torn apart by the cutting of knives and axes, losing their original beauty. All that remained was a chaotic scene, as if mad farmers had plowed the fields.

Yeah, this is the trace of Kadim struggling to escape, and that is.

I looked into the empty space. Beyond the gaping hole, I could see a hall overgrown with jungle. The forced entrance, unlike the ripples, did not disappear.

Okay, this is the hole that Kadim broke through and escaped through, and that is.

I stared at the nearby road surface. Unlike other dirt floors that were dug up haphazardly, there were significant knife marks left there. The roughly scribbled strokes were combined to form this sentence.

‘I’ll definitely be back, Melissa.’

Melissa stopped like a stone.

I read that fleeting sentence over a thousand times without even blinking. I came to this conclusion only after repeating each word with my dry cornea until it disintegrated into pieces.

Yeah, this is what Kadim left behind again.

It’s a lie.

“… … .”

An expressionless blank expression appeared on the woman’s face.

Anger… … Resentment… … Feeling betrayed… … These are names that can only be given to emotions that still have a form. No name can fit the image of something burning and crumbling like a heap of ashes, and even the powder was blown away by the cold wind. Blank space, only empty space was a term that came close to the image of this nameless person.

Then suddenly.

“… … Are you okay, Melissa? “My complexion is not good.”

“… … .”

In that gap, a spark flew.

Melissa jerked her neck muscles. She glared at her man with her blood-shot eyes spread like spiderwebs. She looked like the man who had broken his promise to stay by her side again and again and left, but she had never once left her side.

“Melissa. If it’s because of what happened last time… … I’ve forgotten everything, so don’t worry about it. You must have had some unspoken reasons. No matter what happens, I won’t leave your side, so don’t worry about anything… … .”

“… … .”

Only then did I realize.

It wasn’t empty.

The inside of the woman, who was thought to be empty, was actually filled with flammable gas that could explode at any time. The spark of fire hit the compressed gas and caused a violent explosion. Hot flames shot out from the heart and burned the blood vessels all over the body, even the capillaries extending to the extremities, like a fuse.

Melissa pressed down on the fake Kadim with heavy pressure.

“… … 100 million.”

Blah blah blah – !!!

It wasn’t a mistake this time.

He turned back time and restored the flattened lump of meat. He pressed it down as if he was afraid it would regain its human form. He turned it back again, and pressed it down. He turned it back, pressed it down, turned it back, and pressed it down. The blood that had spurted out was repeatedly sucked into the piece of meat and then exploded again, repeating the ebb and flow of the blood sea.

“Melissa, what is this… … .”

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

“Why on earth is this… … .”

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

“Ugh, that, that’s it… … .”

Blah blah blah – !

The glare of her eyes was dazzling, and a sadistic twist appeared on the woman’s face. As the smell of blood grew thicker in the field, the twist became more and more vivid. Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, when the power was abused so excessively that the world’s landscape shook unsteadily like a dream, she stopped for a moment.

A man who had been dying and resurrecting endlessly and had become a corpse was panting miserably.

“Huh, oh oh… … stop… … Stop this now… … .”

“… … You know, Kadim.”

“Ugh, why, why are you doing that… … ?”

“Even so, will you continue to stay by my side?”

“Huh, huh, of course…” … .”

“… … .”

Yes, it had to be that way.

When she created this replica in the first place, she designed it so that she would never doubt herself or leave.

Unlike the real one, which has already left.

“Melissa, I know…” … . This, this is not your truth… … . Most likely, you are now firmly possessed by the devil… … .”

When you snap your fingers, a huge explosion occurs.

―――――― Kwa – Ang!!

The fake Khadim disappeared without a trace.

A belated answer to one who has disappeared in vain.

“No, this is my truth, Kadim.”

The corner of the misaligned mouth turned upward.

“But don’t worry. “No matter how much you leave me, forget me, or hurt me, I promised that I would never abandon you, right?”

I never promised that I wouldn’t cut your tendons, alter your memories, and confine you to the depths of hell that only you can enter, so that you can never run away for the rest of your life.

Melissa came out of the dream.

As soon as I came out, I read the memory of the space and figured out the whole story. Khadim escaped with the help of a helper, Lilia escaped from the prison together, and dragons and dragons were also involved… … . However, due to the involvement of the forgotten power of God, it was impossible to detect the exact coordinates of the place where they left.

It didn’t matter. No matter how far I went, I wouldn’t have been able to escape the great forest.

If you burn it all down, it will crawl out on its own.

There were people who could help. Dense mana was scattered around. Black smoke billowed out from a gap in the thick bushes. A strong smell of sulfur wafted through the thick clouds of smoke.

– Khuuuuu… … .

– Khuhuu, khuhuuu… … .

They were servants who had been kept hidden for so long, pretending to be the world’s water keeper that they couldn’t do anything. Now there was no need for that. Whether it was the elves, the dark elves, the guardians, or the forest tyrants, if they came out, they would all turn to ashes.

Gurgling, rumbling, rumbling – !!

The lumps of smoke that swallowed up the scattered mana gradually transformed into the shape of a burning giant. Melissa’s command to the living incarnations of disaster was simple.

“Go out and spread the fire in the great forest. “The more forests you burn, the more mana I will give you.”

– Kurrrrrrr… … .

– Gurruruk, gurrurur… … .

―――― Grumbling, kwagwagwagwagwa – !

Giants wearing hellfire leaped forward one after another under the World Tree. Their blazing trails, like the tails of meteors, spread throughout the forest.

The ‘World-Changing Fire’ began to spread its flames.

*

Thump thump, and stagger.

The sound of crossing footsteps echoed on the downhill path leading to the deepest part of the cave.

A blonde elf boy takes the lead, followed by a white-haired dark elf girl. The boy’s face hardened, and the girl lowered her eyes in confusion. No, now that her whole truth had been revealed, she no longer deserved the title of her girl.

‘Black Panther’ Farneo finally learned of Lilia’s true identity.

It was shocking. The girl I thought was my age and had a close relationship with, has actually lived ten times longer than me. Her youthful appearance was only due to the elven blood that had been forcibly injected into Melissa, but Lilia’s real age was older than her teacher, Tevio. He was even hiding the jaw-dropping title of being the agent of two gods and the leader of the dark elves.

He was an important person with many reasons to save… … He couldn’t help but feel like he was taken advantage of by Farneo. The boy risked everything to save her from her captivity because she was a simple girl who loved white jade flowers, not a great woman who would save her world.

Lilia was not unaware of this either. She sincerely apologized to Parneo for having to hide her identity in order to escape the confinement.

The answer that came back was extremely harsh.

“I did such things only to follow the Master’s will to do the ‘right thing.’ You don’t have to worry about it at all, Lilia… … Apostle.”

“… … .”

A solid barrier had already been created in the boy’s heart. Lilia tried hard to break down that barrier.

“Mr. Farneo. that… … Once we safely revive the roots of the World Tree… … As promised before, wouldn’t you like to go see the white jade flowers together?

“it’s okay. “If you want to take on the role of world balance manager after your death, you will be busy with all the work, so there is no need to waste your time on things like me, Apostle.”

“No, that’s not true! Of course, the duty of the World Keeper is important, but without Parneo-sama’s help, I would never have escaped confinement… … Huh?”

As I was excitedly refuting, I suddenly felt a surge of pressure. My ribs trembled and my legs became weak. Lilia, who almost fell to her death, barely escaped the crisis thanks to Parneo taking her under her wing.

“… … It seems like it was too much for you to move alone with that body. “I’m going to mimic you, so it would be best if you ride on my back for the rest of the way.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay! I can go by myself… … .”

Before the story was over, Farneo had finished mimicking the dumb beast. Lilia climbs on his back helplessly and despondently.

The two elves went down the hill in awkward silence, as if they had returned to a time when they had no relationship with each other. As he progressed, the dragon’s presence felt bigger and his expression became more and more serious.

However, the moment they reached their destination, Lilia completely wiped away the evil spirit on her face and took on the face of a strong apostle.

Kadim and Duncan, Remillion and Illenia, and even the giant dragon, Lafustraan. The other party members were already gathered in the treasure-filled nest. There was only one reason why Lilia, who was still in her infancy, had come here and called everyone.

“Everyone is gathered. Then right away… … “Let’s make a full-fledged plan.”

In order to devise a plan to reclaim the World Tree as soon as possible.

The already tight situation became even tighter. There was evidence that Melissa had taken action first. Kadim asked questions about the strange events that had spread throughout the forest.

“What is that flaming giant thing walking through the forest? “Judging by the smell of sulfur, it looks like it’s covered in hellfire.”

Lilia answered with concern.

“It is a ‘spirit.’ Its nature is extremely distorted, and it is now no different from the incarnation of disaster that follows my sister.”

“… … Didn’t the spirits all die when the ancient mana was depleted?”

“The spirits that remained on the continent were definitely like that. However, when my sister left for Hell, there were a few spirits who followed her to Hell, chasing the mana she carried in her heart.”

The extreme environment filled with hellfire and magic polluted the very essence of the spirits. However, going there wasn’t necessarily a bad choice. Unlike their compatriots who died from exhaustion of mana, the spirits survived by eating the scraps of mana that the archmage dropped.

These were the names Melissa gave to these obsessive companions who returned from Hell with her.

Inferno, the spirit of hellfire.

“When the ‘Infernos’ consume a large amount of mana, they unleash devastating firepower. Now that they’re out there, it’s only a matter of time before the Great Forest is completely burned down.”

“… … .”

“However, Inferno is also a spirit that feeds on mana. If we subdue Melissa and cut off her mana supply, she will soon be unable to use her power. So… … we must commence the operation as quickly as possible.”

This problem also resulted in the same conclusion.

Lilia takes a resolute breath and begins to explain the operation to recapture the World Tree.

The basic gist was a diversionary operation. Two groups attack the World Tree at the same time: the Suppression Group, which is responsible for subduing Melissa, and the Recapture Group, which is responsible for regaining control of the World Tree.

The key members of the suppression team were ‘Kadim’ and ‘Lapustran’.

Finally, the Warriors of Revelation, an asymmetric force that guarantees certain destruction, and the Supreme Being met and joined forces. The general consensus was that, if we exclude any unknown variables, it wouldn’t be that difficult to subdue Melissa even if it were just the two of them.

The core member of the repatriation team was ‘Lilia’.

As the true World Tree Keeper, she was the only one who could regain control of the World Tree and revive its roots. However, before that, she needed to shake off Melissa’s interference and enter the ‘World Tree Dream’ herself.

Therefore, the main flow of the operation was as follows.

First, the suppression team goes to the upper level of the World Tree and surprises Melissa. They use fierce attacks to distract her and drag her away from the World Tree if possible. Meanwhile, the recapture team breaks through the security net and infiltrates the lower level of the World Tree. They escort Lilia and go up the passage to the Hall of Eternal Dreams.

If Melissa is busy blocking the suppression team, Lilia will enter the ‘World Tree Dream’ right away. If not, the recapture team will help the suppression team to turn their attention away, and Lilia will enter the ‘World Tree Dream’. Afterwards, the power of the World Tree will be redistributed to revive the roots, and Melissa will be completely subdued and finished.

The suppression team only had one hundred warriors and dragons per person, so all the remaining members were part of the recapture team. However, Remillion, who could be said to be the greatest strength of the recapture team, stroked her chin as if wondering.

“Look, Lilia. Is there really a need to carry out such a dangerous diversionary operation? Wouldn’t it be better if we sent all of our personnel to the suppression team and you stayed here? I think it would be safer to completely subdue the Archmage and then go to the World Tree… … .”

Lilia flatly denied it.

“It would be better to regain control of the World Tree even just one second sooner. “You never know when the crack will collapse, and it takes quite a long time to redistribute the force toward the root.”

“Hmm… … Then how about we at least move by digging a black hole through the root of the World Tree? Why, with the help of that priest, just like we escaped from the World Tree last time… … .”

“I’m sorry, dear friend of the dragon. That’s not a sex law that can be used so lightly. Although it is a basic holy method, moving long distances requires a lot of holy power and the preparation process such as calculating coordinates takes a long time.”

An immediate response from Ilenia. Les Millions bitterly said she couldn’t help it, and she ate her mouth.

… … For some reason, it seemed like Lilia’s gaze was directed in this direction, but Duncan tried his best to pretend not to notice.

The suggestion to fly on Remillion’s back was also rejected. That would have been too risky to be discovered by Melissa. Then the suggestion to put on Duncan’s cloak was also rejected. The fact that the Night Shadow Cloak did not work on Melissa was proven when Duncan was discovered hiding in the hall last time.

In the end, it came back to the starting point. The conclusion is that there is no choice but to secretly infiltrate the lower levels of the World Tree while the suppression team is attracting attention. The group began to simulate the details of the operation, including the infiltration route and personnel deployment.

But one person, Kadim, had different thoughts.

He looked towards Lafustran, thinking seriously about something.

“Hey, dragon.”

– … … Why are you calling me, you warrior’s lackey?

“If you were to fight Melissa one-on-one 10 times, how many of them would you win?”

– You can win about 100 times. If only that accursed Elgar didn’t interfere.

“No. Tell me objectively and honestly. This is a really important issue.”

– … … .

Lapuustran seemed indifferent for a moment, but in the end, he seriously considered the question and answered obediently.

– Number 7… … No, the 8th Jeongdon Bonryong will win. That crazy magician is no ordinary magician, so he probably has a few secret tricks. Even if all of them are stabbed, the probability of the main dragon being defeated is not very high.

“… … .”

Kadim rested his chin on his hand again, lost in thought. His forehead wrinkled like a knife mark, his expression more serious.

How much time has passed like that?

Kadim finally made a decision and stood up.

“Let’s modify the strategy.”

A voice that clearly resonated, immediately drawing the attention of all the party members.

“I have a better idea.”

The eyes that had been clouded with doubt were filled with anticipation.

Everyone has heard about how Lapustran was persuaded. I couldn’t help but look forward to what tricks the great warrior who defeated even that fearsome giant dragon would pull out. Ilenia and Duncan, who knew something about the nature of the barbarians, showed faint anxiety.

Kadim spoke clearly and to the point.

“I will go into ‘hell’ and lure Melissa away.”

““… … .””

Two humans, an elf and a dark elf, and a dragon and a dragon.

A great unification was achieved where all races were equal.

With an expression full of astonishment, as if hellfire had been poured over Jeongsu-ri.