The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 190



Only Krnovel

Episode 190 A flower that destroys the world (4)

The sky is black, swallowing up soot. There was a quiet air in the forest filled with the smell of burnt coal. Step by step, step by step, the steps compacted the scattered ash and finely ground the less crumbly twigs.

Although they were acting together, there was no significant interaction between the members. Rather, there was only an unknown tension in the air between the glances.

“… … .”

“… … .”

They were a squad of recapturers, consisting of many dark elves and Parneo, the ‘black panther’.

Elves and Dark Elves, two races that were once of the same race, now have an unbridgeable chasm. A chasm that goes far beyond the simple difference in skin color. With different beliefs, different environments, and even different life spans, it was difficult for the two races to completely trust each other when they boarded the same boat.

The uneasy silence, like sleeping with an enemy, continued for some time. However, when they were halfway to Hesiliad, the dark elf squad leader spoke to Parneo.

“Hey, tree friend.”

“… … “Are you calling me?”

“Yes, who else is living on the World Tree here other than you?”

“I will refrain from any pointless disputes. “This is a time when we need to focus on executing operations rather than fighting emotions.”

The elf boy answered coldly. The dark elf sighed and let out a light laugh.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t call you that out of malice. It’s been so long since I’ve talked to elves. “I apologize if the name I called you was offensive.”

“… … .”

“Anyway, I have one question… … Why did you rescue Apostle Lilia from her prison? “I hate to say this, but aren’t the elves’ feelings toward us very good?”

Farneo kept his mouth shut at first. However, as he was repeatedly and persistently asked questions, he had no choice but to interact with the person in the prison and confess his general story, saying that he had mistakenly thought that an ordinary girl had been unfairly imprisoned.

A murmur of confusion spread among the dark elves. The squad leader who had asked the question solemnly rubbed his chin.

“I see, that’s the situation… … . So you endured the persecution of your own kind just to save an ordinary dark elf girl.”

“If you want to mock me for being a stupid guest, go ahead. I just did it because I believed it was the right thing to do.”

“It’s a mockery, how dare you do that? “I swear to the darkness of the beginning that I am truly grateful for your noble courage and sacrifice.”

The squad leader bowed reverently and made a gesture similar to the sign of the cross. The other members hesitated for a moment and then followed suit. Parneo flinched and trembled at the unexpected reaction.

“… … That’s it. “I did not seek Him to gain fame or to be appreciated by anyone.”

“No, my gratitude includes what came before that. “I’m talking about constantly visiting him in his prison cell and talking to him.”

“that… … It was pointless. Looking back, I think it was a terrible example. Such a great person would have to pretend to be a simple girl to please a child… … .”

“That can’t be true.”

A decisive statement.

When Parneo raised his eyebrows in bewilderment, the squad leader spoke firmly once more.

“I said that couldn’t be true.”

“… … What are you saying?”

“Just because someone rises to an inaccessible position doesn’t mean that the ordinary and soft parts of them are erased. “They just hide it and endure it because of their position and responsibility, but in reality, they are just individuals who feel happiness and pain equally.”

The squad leader looked up into the distance with faded eyes.

“Even the terrible great wizard who brought about that disaster… … had the heart of a pure fool who yearned for someone. Apostle Lilia was no exception. Although she was entrusted with the mission of representing the gods and leading the race, she sometimes showed herself like a girl in a secluded flower field where there were no people.”

“… … .”

“Moreover, when he is in the arms of the World Tree, he sees the future through dreams. He was probably eagerly waiting for you even before you were born. In the abyss with no exit in sight, in the lonely darkness without hope, there is someone who will come and talk to me with warm kindness like a spring flower… … “I mean the elf boy.”

“… … .”

Farneo closed his eyelids tightly. The blackened vision went back to her memory and illuminated the moment she first met the girl in the incarceration house.

‘… … Why are you trapped here? ‘Who locked you in a place like this?’

‘… … .’

The light that passed through my blurry eyes at that time was… … Was it not a feeling of wariness, but a discolored joy tinged with deep darkness?

But it was not the time to be immersed in vague sentimentality.

– Khoooooooooo – !!

“No, um, what is that…” … .”

“Inferno… … ? Why is Inferno in a place like this… … .”

The incarnation of disaster, spewing hellfire, appeared not far away. A dark shadow fell over the faces of the squad members.

Parneo was the same. However, the shadow cast upon the boy was different. He realized faster than anyone else that the direction Inferno was heading was towards the core squad of the operation.

“… … “Lilia.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the boy druid summoned his divine power and transformed into a black panther.

*

At a dizzying altitude where even the slightest breeze felt as sharp as a freshly sharpened razor blade, a man carrying a huge axe was climbing up the swaying roots.

The World Tree’s root pile had become a much more dangerous place than when Duncan had previously climbed it.

Nood, nood… … .

This is because the dried roots fell in a heap due to the root neck being half destroyed and loss of vitality.

Moreover, the phenomenon was ongoing. If you accidentally climbed onto a root that was being torn off, you would definitely fall to the bottom. Furthermore, the hazy air enveloped the area like fog, and the dark curtain covering the sky blocked out even the sunlight, making it impossible to tell which roots were safe with the naked eye.

“… … .”

Still, Kadim did not lose his composure.

Calmly spreading out my senses, I sensed the flow, and carefully selected only the rhizomes that were less likely to sway in the wind. Even if I was unlucky and a rhizome fell off while climbing… …

Kkudduk, kuddudduk – !!

“Whew!”

Teo – billion!

… … He jumped several dozen meters with a superhuman leap and moved to another trunk. Then he continued climbing as if nothing had happened.

I thought that perhaps among wingless things, there is no one that rises as quickly and detachedly as that. Thanks to the amazing climbing speed, the cracks in the sky hidden in the turbid atmosphere gradually began to reveal their true nature.

―――― Kugugugugugu… … .

But fate did not allow the warrior to reach his destination smoothly.

A white flash before my eyes without any warning.

Goo – Ungh, rumbling –!!

The sphere around Hanareum collapsed inward and exploded. The moment the scattered sparks touched my forearm, my skin turned dark with an unfamiliar pain.

‘Shit… … .’

Kadim roughly knew the identity of this flame. I quickly ripped out the affected part and threw it away before the rot spread.

Tsk tsk – !

Hellfire was not just a ‘blazing red fire that smelled like sulfur’. Deeper in Hell, there was also a ‘white fire that rotted and burned anything it touched’.

I remembered it clearly. When dealing with the forces of the great devil, Melissa, who was thinking about how to effectively wipe out the devils, summoned this pure white hellfire, albeit in a small way.

And she was taking it out on herself now, not the devil.

Goo – Ugh! Goo – Ugh! Goo – Ugh!

――――Kwarrrrrrrr – !!

White hellfire balls exploded everywhere. I hurriedly slid under the roots to dodge. The reason I attacked with such a dangerous method was probably because I thought that I would suffer a more fatal injury than last time and not escape from that damned ‘dream’.

There was no time to hesitate. She didn’t know that if Melissa used other magic, she might not be able to deal with it at all. Kadim jumped to the surface and climbed a root, then leapt to another root and breathlessly climbed to the edge.

The good news is that Melissa can’t put more effort into fighting the dragon.

――――Kugugugugugu – !

“… … .”

Beyond the fog beneath my feet, a much more violent conflict was taking place than here. Taking comfort in the fact that I was not caught in that gap, I continued climbing to avoid the hellfire.

Still, since my mana sensitivity was poor, it was difficult to predict where the magic would manifest. However, as I went along, I was able to figure out some sort of pattern.

Goo – Ung, Goo – Ung, Quarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr – ! Goo – Ugh!

‘Four on the left and right of the previous path, two large ones immediately above and below, six small ones randomly, and one large one in the front… … .’

I advised you not to use magic according to certain rules so as not to be detected by the enemy… … It seemed like he had never been able to break his habit. Or maybe I forgot for a moment because I didn’t have time. Thanks to old habits that were somehow revived, Kadim was able to reach the threshold of the ‘crack’ without being burned by hellfire again.

―――――― Kugugugugugu – !!

However, Melissa did not forget one old piece of advice.

Make at least one weapon that the enemy doesn’t know about.

Gooooosh, pachachachachachachang – !!!

When your enemy swings his sword honestly, throw a hidden stone at his face.

Just before entering the crack, the world was divided and mixed together. It was as if the field of view had been divided into a puzzle, and the pieces had been randomly inserted into random positions. The cracks were divided into small pieces and scattered in all directions, making it impossible to enter.

In the distorted world like a mosaic, there were not only pieces of reality. Fragments of the past, mixed here and there, illuminated familiar moments.

‘No matter how much I tell you to, to leave, you must never go… … . You must continue to stay by my side… … .’

‘… … Okay, don’t go. I am here.’

‘Why, why… … You promised to stay by my side… … and then, without saying a word, you left… … .’

‘… … Now, I won’t go back again. I am here.’

‘I’ll definitely be back, Melissa.’

The strange thing is, none of it felt unreal.

“… … .”

The ultimate ‘space distortion magic’ combined with Hesilia’s power. Even my senses and thoughts were altered, so I had no choice but to accept the principles of this world for granted. Like when I saw a fantasy more vivid than reality in the magic tower.

Yeah, why did I try to leave Melissa? After promising so many times that I wouldn’t go? Yeah, I have to go back. I have to go back to Melissa now, before it’s too late…

… … No, no.

This time, I’m not leaving Melissa.

It wasn’t just them who had prepared a hidden weapon. Kadim gathered his wits and activated ‘Tattoo of Aculanos’.

Quagga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-!

A monster with a beast’s head grafted onto the fragments of the world rose up. The ‘invincible predator’ that preyed on mysteries bit into the distortion. It was a rather burdensome mystery, so it couldn’t swallow it right away, but after chewing it, it finally tore off a piece and revealed the exit.

Cluck, cluck, cluck! Teo – Huh!

Beyond that, a fully assembled crack appeared. A torrent of magic poured down like a waterfall, and Kadim jumped without hesitation and threw himself into the crack.

―――――Kugugugugugugu – !

‘Ka… … dim… … .’

A faint voice came from beneath my feet, but I didn’t look back. I just clenched my fists and resolutely repeated to myself, “I’ll break it.”

chase me

Come after me.

I will reveal all the truth you have hidden. I will break your rotten heart and bring out ‘Melissa’. I will extinguish the flames of madness, bring back the girl wizard who always had pure passion, and return to this world.

I made you a ‘fear that is destroying the world’.

“… … I’ll be waiting in hell, Melissa.”

*

Darkness encroaching on the five senses.

He persistently drew the physical form in his mind. Copper-colored skin, thick arms and legs, shoulders and torso, waist, head, toes, sword and axe and tattoos. He collected the strange energy and firmly believed in his own existence. Then.

“… … .”

It was revealed.

A sight not permitted to the living.