The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 19



Only Krnovel

Episode 19. Demon Baron (5)

I barely managed to pull myself together from my dazed state.

– … … .

The devil had no choice but to grit his teeth. How could he display such a shameful display of fear in front of a mere human? Humiliation and anger burned like wildfire.

Up until now, the only time a demon has failed to possess someone was when he tried to do so on a higher-ranking demon who was more powerful than him. So he was frightened when he thought that this appearance was a disguise of a higher-ranking demon.

But when I looked at it in detail, it wasn’t the case. Belatedly, my keen intuition told me. That barbarian is all he sees. He’s just a big human. He says he is no match for you.

However, it was still unknown why the possession failed. An opponent too unpleasant to deal with casually. The devil decided to punish the saboteur with all his might.

A demon that gathers all of your thoughts and causes the muscles and nerves of your entire body to go into overdrive.

Crack, crack, crack –

A purple bruise appeared, and the muscles suddenly bulged grotesquely. The skeleton realigned itself accordingly, and a distorted cracking sound erupted. Drool flowed from the gaping mouth that could no longer close.

Just a moment ago, Viscount Adlen’s body was only slightly handsome. However, he has now become so large that he cannot be considered human.

– Kreuk, there’s no need to steal the body… … . You can just kill it… … and that’ll do… … .

“… … .”

– … … I’ll beat you up like a slurp.

His bloated forearm lifted a large mace. Kadim took a deep breath and watched the demon’s movements.

Boo – Woah!

The sound of a slash split the air menacingly. The wide range of the hammer attack almost completely covered the entire tent. There was no room to escape, so I had no choice but to block it for now.

――――― Chaeeng!!

A metallic sound hitting my ears.

Kadim fell far back. His wrists felt tingly and his bones felt as if they had been electrocuted. The axe he had been holding up in front of him split open the head in an instant.

Boo – Woah!

The demon came forward aggressively and swung his hammer again. This time, he could dodge the attack because it was a diagonal strike. Kadim quickly lowered his body and stepped to the other side. The hammer barely grazed his hair.

The devil gritted his teeth, twitched, and trembled his eyebrows. The swollen muscles and bones moved mechanically. Without any delay, the mace rose again. Ignoring the fact that the head of the mace was caught on the beam of the tent, I struck it down with a killing blow.

―――――― Kwa – Ang!!

The impact hit the ground. The pillars shattered and the tent collapsed. The demon shook off the tent skin covering its body and its eyes glowed with a sinister light.

– You didn’t even listen to my warning to back off, and all you do is stick your tail out? You’re so pathetic, you heartless wild dog of the wilderness!

Kadim glared at the devil without answering.

It was a demon that ruled over four hundred soldiers, even though it was not properly controlled. Even if we estimate its level to be low, it would be at least intermediate level. Without demon blood, it would be impossible for even Khadim to face a demon of that level head-on.

But Kadim did not run away. I just glanced at the castle from the corner of my eye. Afterwards, he threw away the broken ax and raised a new one, ready to fight again.

The devil snorted.

– Ha, what are you pretending to do? And then you want to take me out again? You won’t be able to do that anymore, you servile bastard.

The devil’s palm faced the ground. Magic flowed like fog, and the fallen soldiers rose up, twisting their bodies in strange ways. A ghastly howl erupted from all directions.

“Keeeeek, keeeek!!”

“Keeeeek!”

The soldiers rose up and surrounded Khadim, swinging their weapons.

Chang – !

Kadim crossed his ax and sword to block the flying spear blade. He raised the spear pole with the ax blade and while his defense was empty, he swung the blade deeply and cut open the soldier’s dry abdomen.

Ugh – Ugh!

“Keuek!”

Boom, with no time to dodge, another spear blade flew in. A piece of flesh fell off as it grazed my ear. Kadim, unfazed, lowers his body and hits his knee with an axe. As the joints were bent and crushed, the soldier collapsed like a broken firewood.

Kadim planned to break through the siege and bide his time. But I couldn’t.

Boo – Woah!

– Where are you looking, you stray dog! Your real opponent is right here!

A large mass of demons appeared from the direction where the escape route had been cleared. Kadim helplessly turned to avoid the angry mace.

A breathtaking battle ensued.

Chaeng, chaeng, zzeo – creak! Pu – creak!

“Keeeeek!”

“Koooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

“… … .”

No matter how many soldiers he killed, there was no escape route. As he killed them one by one, the demon raised another soldier who had fallen. If he swung his weapon sharply and destroyed them all at once, the demon would inevitably stand there and block his way.

Not only the devil, but also the small elite troops wielded by the devil were by no means something to be underestimated. Even though dozens of people had already been defeated, there were still more than 300 soldiers left for the devil to control.

Little by little, fatigue accumulates and muscles become sluggish.

“Whoa, whoo… … .”

Little by little, Kadim’s injuries increased.

A laceration across the bridge of the nose, numerous stab wounds on the arms and legs, and blood dripping from the ear. Smoke rose and it healed little by little, but it was too slow. The rate at which injuries are sustained is faster than the rate at which they are healed through blood sucking.

“Whew, whoosh, whoosh… … .”

The siege became increasingly narrower. Kadim had already reached the far corner of the camp. The devil laughed to his heart’s content at the wildly breathing savage.

– Hahahahahaha! I don’t know what kind of embarrassment this is! Climbing up on someone else’s table, showing off and then getting beaten up like a dog and whining!

“… … .”

– That’s why you should have known your place, you stray dog. This is the difference in class. A human being like you, who has nothing but a body, can never stand up to the devil. If you wanted to kill me, you should have brought those damned Elgar hounds. Hehehehe… … .

The savage’s eyes turned to the sky. The moon was setting toward the horizon. It was amazing that I could see the crescent moon even in the middle of the night. I felt anew that I was in a world different from reality.

It was not the right time to indulge in sentimentality. I had wasted enough time. I glanced back at the gate. Finally, I saw a man running hard.

Kadim took a deep breath and spoke softly.

“Whew, okay… … . “It certainly seems like I can’t deal with that body with my own strength right now.”

– Haha, yes! How foolish to finally realize that… … .

“But what about your body?”

– … … what?

“Well, wouldn’t it be possible to kill even a peddler who can’t kill a single goblin?”

For a moment, I stopped dead in my tracks because of a story that came out of nowhere.

The devil looked at the castle of Molden in horror.

– Yes, you, no way… … .

I urgently extended my palm towards the castle. However, the demonic energy containing thoughts only flowed toward the ground, and never toward the main body in the castle.

The devil’s protruding facial muscles were distorted miserably. The barbarian raised one corner of his mouth.

Kadim had faced the Ice Demon in the game, even in the first round. Thanks to that, he knew very well what was most important when dealing with the Ice Demon.

Where is the ‘main body’, the origin and command center of all thoughts?

There is no point in killing a body possessed by a possessed demon. From the devil’s point of view, all he has to do is transfer his thoughts to another body. A person who does not know this fact only kills the body in front of him, loses his guard, and ends up losing his consciousness to the devil who has taken over another body.

From the moment he first saw the soldiers, Kadim vaguely sensed the identity of the devil. While I was wondering where the ‘main body’ was, Baron Malden unexpectedly gave me a clue.

‘That can’t be.’

‘… … .’

‘Entry to the basement is prohibited.’

However, I couldn’t just go down to the castle’s basement and kill the ‘main body’.

The devil must have left behind some thoughts in his body in order to survive. If the devil noticed the approach and hid the ‘main body’ or ran away, it was clear that even trying to find out the location would be in vain.

So, Kadim created a situation where the demon had no choice but to focus all his thoughts.

Before leaving, ask the peddler to take care of the ‘main body’.

‘They say that if you go through this door, you will find the basement of the castle. I will steal the devil’s mind. When the crescent moon is half way down, go down, find the odd-looking piece of flesh, and tear it to shreds.’

‘B-but, isn’t the door locked with a big lock like this?’

Kwa-gang!! Clang –

‘Not anymore.’

‘… … .’

The peddler carried out his instructions admirably. Thanks to this, the demon, who had lost his ‘main body’, lost the ability to control his thoughts and was trapped in that body.

But the problem still remained.

– Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

How are we going to dispose of the Viscount’s body that has become a monster?

Losing the ‘body’ did not mean that the thoughts already possessed would disappear. In other words, only by defeating that body can the devil be completely destroyed.

The enraged devil contorted his face like a murderer and raised his mace.

– How dare you take my body… … . You… … I will give you the most painful death… … . I’ll burst every muscle in your limbs, rip out your intestines, and stuff them in your snout… … .

Kadim was unfazed. He had already prepared a solution to kill the main body and dispose of the remaining flesh.

The demon thought the barbarians had been cornered and had reached the edge of the camp, but in reality, this was not the case. Khadim had cleverly dispatched the soldiers and had advanced on purpose.

“I, Your Majesty, have brought it here! Take it!”

To contact the vendor who brought the solution as soon as possible.

Swish, swish, swish!

The projectile thrown by the peddler spun around and flew over the fence.

Even though the throwing force was extremely weak, strangely enough, it drew a high parabolic curve. The rotation speed also accelerated even faster the farther away it was from the peddler.

However, as it reached beyond the barrier, its rotation gradually slowed and it settled into Kadim’s hand.

chin!

The handle wraps around as if waiting for the owner’s touch. His excited eyes quickly scanned the shape of the thrown object.

The wave pattern of cold weather, like a driving snowstorm. An ax blade so sharp it looks like it will cut you just by looking at it. A sack painted in a dark ink color. It has the right weight and a strange air of elegance rising from it.

An ancient treasure made with the blood, sweat, and tears of dwarf craftsmen, the dwarf throwing axe.

Even at a glance, it was a weapon with great care put into it. The barbarian smiled with satisfaction.

“They’re just going to keep the devil hidden, but they’re also letting this masterpiece rot away. “The Baron is really quite a person.”

Even the devil recognized what kind of weapon it was in the barbarian’s hands. I took a step back, shaking my shoulders.

– Well, that’s… … Made by crazy northern dwarves… … . How could something like that be here…? … .

There was no reason to continue listening to the devil.

Kadim held the axe handle firmly, pressing down with his palm knuckles. No matter what angle he held it at, the weight was just right, so it felt as if the weapon was balancing itself. He twisted his upper body to accumulate maximum strength, and explosively accelerated his muscles to throw it.

A flash of light cuts through the darkness and rotates at high speed.

Pararaerararak – !

The devil couldn’t even see the image clearly. The Disk of Destruction traversed a split second and struck the devil’s head directly.

Pfft!

The bright blade tore the protruding face and bone to pieces. Drops of thick blood, squishy brain fluid, and shattered skulls were scattered in a chaotic mess.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

The axe continued to fly for quite some time, still not losing its strength. I thought it might have a special effect that enhanced the throwing power, as it was a rare or higher grade item.

-Kke… … . Turn it off… … .

The demon, with nothing left above his lower jaw, was already incapacitated. He let out a roar as blood pooled in his throat and fell down, unable to get up again.

Duncan, who had been anxiously watching the situation from behind the fence, slowly approached.

“Have you taken care of them all, Your Majesty? Are all the demons dead now?”

“… … .”

Instead of answering, Kadim quickly went to retrieve the axe.

There was still one more target left to deal with.

Phew!

A sudden stabbing blow to the side.

Kadim twisted his feet and barely avoided the blade. A middle-aged man with a mustache and quilted armor gave me a hostile look.

– Hehehehe, I thought it was a shameless wild dog, but it turned out to be a very cunning fox cub… … . So, is it the barbarians’ new way of fighting, pretending to fight fairly and then stabbing others in the back?

Kadim silently glared at the demon-possessed baron.

‘… … As expected, he has already planted his thoughts in Baron Molden’

It was as expected.

This was probably what the devil wanted to see. He tried to save Malden by sacrificing himself, but in the end, Malden was destroyed and the Baron survived alone, screaming. In order to see that, you would first have to have control of the Baron’s body in his hands so that he could not die.

Dealing with the possessed Baron was not difficult. In any case, most of the thoughts disappeared along with Viscount Adlen’s body. The Baron’s current strength would not be much different from the dozens of soldiers that Kadim had killed.

Kadim raised his sword. From the beginning, he knew this would happen and brought the Baron in to kill it himself.

But what happened next was something even Kadim could never have expected.

– Hahahaha, huh, uh, uh… … ?

The Baron pointed the knife towards himself and stabbed him with all his might.

Sigh!

A blade that pierced the armor and completely penetrated the abdomen rose out like a thorn from the back.

The Baron mutters with bloodshot eyes.

“Devil, you cannot lay a finger on Molden… … .”

– … … Keu-heu-heu, keuk, keu-heu… … . Uh, how can I release this… … .

“… … You will die here, with me.”

The hilt of the knife twisted violently, tearing the skin.

The Lord of Malden drove out the demon with his own strength and fell like a collapsing tower.