The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 198



Only Krnovel

Episode 198. The Flame That Never Goes Out (4)

Kadim held the melting lump of ash in his arms.

He didn’t care that his clothes were soaked with black water. He supported her sticky back and wiped away the mucus dripping down her face with his own hands. The face of the young magician, barely visible, was revealed.

“Ah… … Kadim.”

“… … .”

However, the eyes that held warm flames did not lose their light. As she stared blankly at the man in front of her, the corners of her mouth went up bashfully.

“Even after so much time has passed… … he still looks so fierce.”

“… … .”

“Anyway, I’m glad you came back… safely… from… hell… .”

As soon as he finished speaking, the collapse accelerated uncontrollably. This is because the body was seriously damaged and the infused holy power was all gone. Melissa’s alter ego soon dissolved into a black mush.

Grumble, rumble… … .

Kadim carefully placed the debris on the floor.

“… … Good work. “Just rest in peace.”

He sat up heavily, briefly regretting not having prevented the use of this clone.

I held the sack tightly and turned my back. She resembled the girl who disappeared on the charred wooden throne, but she looked like a completely different woman. At the end of her alter ego’s life, she was calmly reading the record of the heist without even giving her a glance.

“Don’t you have any particular feelings? Even after killing your past self.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty well made, but it’s still just a counterfeit.”

“In the meantime, in your dreams, haven’t you been comforting yourself by creating fake things similar to me?”

“Oh, that.”

A quick glance, a sidelong glance that catches the eye of the dreamer of the World Tree.

“I broke it. After all, if it’s not real, it’s meaningless.”

“… … .”

A long silence.

The scene when they first met again was recreated in this hall.

A deadlock that occurred not because there was nothing to say, but because there was too much to say. Now, an even more dangerous fuse has been laid at the base. With her man’s golden eyes shining cleverly, the woman could only flip through the pages of records for a while.

The one who broke the silence was the woman who was reading the record. A dissonant sound of laughter rang out.

“Hehehehe, hahaha… … . Kadim, did you see in this record the words I wrote when I first met you?”

“… … .”

“Listen, let me read it to you. Beyond the mountains… … From the wilderness… … Atallain… … The skin is bronze… … He’s very tall… … It’s as big as an ogre… … . A mixture of humans and monsters… … ? Is it possible… … ? As soon as I met him, I asked him to accompany me… … . There is a very high possibility that he is a criminal, so please be careful… … .”

The playful voice seemed no different from the girl who had just entered the room, smiling bashfully and still teasing with a fierce expression. However, Kadim knew that it was only on the surface.

“Oh, it’s not all bad stuff. Later on, I added something like, ‘But he doesn’t seem like a bad person!’”

After finishing her reading, Melissa smiled broadly and tore the page apart.

Whoosh whoosh – !!

The flames completely destroyed the unforgettable memories. Her fingers, which were holding the piece of paper, scattered ashes.

“Huh, that was really stupid. I don’t keep any promises I make throughout my life… … After trying to lure them to hell and failing, the topic popped up… … A person who shamelessly says that he kept his promise to return… … “I can’t believe you wrote that you don’t seem to be a ‘bad person.’”

“… … .”

Kadim frowned darkly. The muscles soaked in blood twitched and twitched.

It is still too early to ignite the fuse of the explosion. I firmly suppressed the impulse that came out of nowhere. Even though she committed such a vicious act, Melissa calmly continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on you. “Unlike you, I promised myself that I would never abandon you no matter what.”

“It’s so touching that it brings tears to my eyes. But it seems like the nest you built has already been taken away by its true owner.”

“Lilia? It won’t last long. “Now that I know that destroying the World Tree’s dream isn’t just a verbal threat, if you have an idea, you’ll come crawling out as soon as possible.”

“… … “Do you think I’ll just let that happen?”

“Well, what are you going to do if I don’t leave you alone? “Didn’t we come to a conclusion a long time ago?”

Kadim breathed red and narrowed his golden eyes. Melissa didn’t think much of the change.

“Give up, Khadim. No matter what you do, you can’t fight me in your own strength. Well, I don’t know about that strange entity inside your body, but it wasn’t something you could control as you wanted, right?”

“… … .”

“Hmm, okay, I’ll gradually think about how to get that entity out of your body… … Instead, come here. “Let’s not waste our energy on pointless fights and just chat until Lilia comes out.”

Knock, knock, the pulse of the muscles was getting stronger. Still, it was too early to light the fuse. Kadim pretended to follow Sunsun’s orders. Melissa smiled and closed the record.

“Kadim, should I tell you something boring?”

“… … .”

“It’s such a boring story that I didn’t even write it down in this record, but you don’t seem to like funny stories anyway.”

I had no choice. I just sat there and the story started on its own.

As previously announced, it was not a fun story. It was a childish story, like a floating folk tale or fairy tale.

“Once upon a time, there lived a wooden doll in a forest. The one who carved that wooden doll was a lumberjack… … .”

The wooden doll was very fond of the woodcutter who made it. The woodcutter also loved the wooden doll that did his chores for him. The two spent a cozy time chopping wood in the forest during the day and making a generous fire with wood in the cabin at night.

But one day, the woodcutter suddenly left the cabin.

The reason was unknown. The wooden doll, left alone, wandered aimlessly through the forest in search of the missing woodcutter. But there were no traces of the woodcutter anywhere in the forest. The wooden doll, who was crying bitterly after returning to the cabin, suddenly had this thought.

Yes, if you start a fire, the woodcutter will come back. If you light a fire like before, he’ll think I’m waiting here and come back soon.

The wooden doll set fire to a tree branch. The woodcutter did not return. The wooden doll set fire to the pyre. The woodcutter did not return. The wooden doll set fire to the hut. The woodcutter did not return. The wooden doll set the forest on fire. The woodcutter did not return. The wooden dolls set fire to houses and mansions, cities and castles, and the corpses of screaming humans, screaming elves, howling spirits, and struggling demons.

The woodcutter never came back.

The wooden doll that had burned everything in the world realized that he was the only fuel left to burn. So he set fire to his own body and started burning.

The woodcutter returned to the wooden doll.

“… … how is it? “It’s a really boring story, isn’t it?”

“… … .”

It truly was. Especially since the metaphor is extremely one-dimensional, and you can clearly tell who the story is comparing to.

However, it wasn’t a bad story to use as a fuse for an explosion.

“Maybe that wooden doll wasn’t left alone in the cabin.”

“… … what?”

“If there was such a convenient doll, the woodcutter wouldn’t have had to carve just one. Before leaving, he probably left quite a few dolls behind. “The wooden doll, who was only interested in the woodcutter, mistook my friends for a pile of firewood and burned them.”

“… … .”

A roaring, burning silence like a dry fire.

A wind with a burnt smell blew. Although everything in front of me is just a pile of ashes, it somehow feels like I’m sitting by a fire filled with wood fire. Melissa is lost in thought with blank eyes.

Kadim slowly caught his breath and finally lit the fuse that would cause the explosion.

“Why did you lie, Melissa?”

“… … uh?”

“You didn’t know where that crack would lead. “Why did you lie to me and say you deliberately opened a rift in hell?”

The dazed look disappeared in an instant. The woman put on her blank, expressionless mask again.

“… … I don’t know what you’re talking about. “Didn’t you clearly say last time that you thought you had gone to hell?”

“It’s no use beating around the bush. Your dark elf sister has already told you the whole truth.”

“Lilia, hmm, yeah… … It’s understandable that she would be out of her mind. She’s been rotting away in the asylum for over 150 years… … .”

“For that matter, your argument is more logical than mine. Do you really think that if you continue to ruin yourself by carrying all the things you intended and unintended indiscriminately, I will one day realize the truth and sympathize with you?”

“… … .”

As expected, the void began to distort. At the same time, the fuse leading to the explosion burned out quickly.

“Tolerating bullshit… … You do it beautifully, Kadim? how… … “How did I come up with such a ridiculous idea?”

“Calm down, Melissa. If there is someone who has made an irreversible mistake but struggles their whole life to correct it, I will gladly consecrate that person in the name of the God of Fighting. However, I have not the slightest bit of pity for a weak idiot who falls into a pit and jumps into a deeper pit.”

“Hehehehehe… … I’m delusional and talking like crazy. however… … Even if the root of your tongue is burned like charcoal, will you still be able to do that?”

Whoosh, whoosh – !!

Even in the face of bloody threats and fierce flames, the man remained aloof. Once again, it was the woman who lost momentum. No matter how hard she tried to cover it up with fierce aggression, she couldn’t completely hide the signs of nervousness that had been discovered.

The bloody, concentrated attack continued without any wounds. Kadim repeatedly stabbed and pushed Melissa’s vagina, burning the fuse like a firework.

Finally, an explosion broke the lock on my heart.

“Your goal is not just to find me and provide a haven.”

“… … what?”

“I saw it too. What you saw in hell.”

Melissa stood still like a cremated corpse.

The young gray eyes trembled slightly. In the expressionless void, a crack appeared. The sharp eye light penetrated mercilessly into the gap.

“I understood it when I saw it. Resting after the destruction is one important goal, but it is not your only goal. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have seriously tried to destroy my dream earlier. I think that sanctuary is probably number 3 on your list of goals. Of course, the first priority was to find myself… … “That is a goal that has already been achieved.”

“… … .”

“In other words, your top goal that must be achieved now, even if it means giving up your haven… … “It is drying out the roots of the world tree and ‘collapsing the cracks,’ itself.”

The blank mask shattered into pieces. The pupils shook violently, unfocused, and a rippling haze shook the face.

“What, what are you talking about? Why, why would I want the crack to collapse and the world to end…? I’m not some, some terrible demon from the Demon Realm… .”

“I never said that the destruction of the world was your goal. That would be a price. The world becoming a living hell due to the ‘Great Rampage,’ the elves losing their gods and going extinct, the humans living like maggots and dying and going to hell. Those are all prices. You’re willing to pay whatever you want to achieve your goal.”

“… … .”

“So, you, who have been living off the lifespan of the world as firewood, are now trying to realize your ideal by burning down the world itself… … This is it.”

The Archmage desperately hoped that this blatant revelation would not reach the truth, but the warrior’s remarks cruelly dashed that expectation.

“Through the completely destroyed crack, take out the ‘old comrades’ who fell into hell and revive them.”

“… … .”

“… … Isn’t that right, Melissa?”

A gaze that digs in like a golden spear blade.

For a brief moment, the woman convulsed as if her heart had been pierced.

“… … .”

The shaking just stopped.

The woman who had been reduced to ashes was no longer agitated. Her heart, which had been barred, had already been torn apart one by one. She was swept away by the explosive storm, and there were almost no secrets left in her memory storehouse.

… … Except for one nightmare, locked away in the most intimate corner.

Melissa asked with a resigned smile.

“so… … Are you going to stop it?”

Before I could even get an answer, I found myself asking myself this question in solitude.

“No, that was a stupid question. Of course, of course if you… … There’s no way we’re going to let the world perish. You have to find a way to return to the world you originally lived in… … Now, not just me and my old colleagues… … “Because I made new connections.”

“… … .”

“Then from now on… … “You probably know how I’m going to get out, right?”

Woooooooooooooo – !!

A space distorted into a crimson red, an unsteady flowing vortex, a black flame that burns majestically like a halo.

―――― Kuhoooooooo… … .

Of course, Kadim foresaw this situation. Yes, it was too much to bring him to his senses due to an internal explosion.

There was no need for any more conversation. He tensed his muscles. Cluck, cluck, cluck, the accumulated blood began to run wild like an unbridled beast. The blood radiating from his teeth and shoulders gradually became thicker.

Melissa glared at that figure.

“Isn’t that all the ‘means’ you’ve prepared? Dragon’s blood alone is no match for me, Khadim.”

“… … .”

The archmage understood. What ‘means’ has the opponent prepared? However, he could only guess that he had gained some special power like Yongin, but he did not know exactly how to use ‘that means’.

It made sense. The first time Kadim used this ‘realm’ was when she lost consciousness after being attacked by a high-ranking demon.

In other words, how hot the ‘flame’ will be given off by the enormous amount of collected blood.

An unknown territory that even the archmage who has mastered the mysteries of flame knows nothing about.

Kadim held on tightly to Atala’s judgment.

“[Atala, god of struggle and wilderness. Burn your great warriors, spread torches and lead them to battle… … .]”

Whioooooooo… … .

Pay close attention. By reflecting on our mission, we bring out endless spirit.

Squeeze your muscles, vaporize your blood, and pump up your vitality.

Control the spread. Controls the disorderly spreading smoke and gathers it into one place.

Mix the energy. Use the floating mind as a catalyst to unite the chaotic air currents into one.

Huh, huh, huh, huh – !

The yellowish mist and the deep red fog were intertwined and combined in a grand manner. It caused an irreversible change from the energy that strengthened the body to a flammable object that could explode at any moment. It squeezed out the color of golden blood and squeezed in, increasing its density and squeezing in around the origin.

Darker, darker, darker, darker.

Even more so, with such intensity that it can make even a dying fire burn like crazy in an instant.

And then, finally, the moment when the color became opaque so that it was impossible to see even an inch ahead, the air in the area trembled unstably, and the energy was so compressed that you could feel resistance on your skin.

“… … .”

Ignition.

――― Grumbling – !!

The karma of these two hands is a flame lit by the fighting spirit of a warrior who has sworn to fight forever.

ignition.

――― Grumbling – !!

These two flames are the sparks of remorse from the man who left the woman who had turned to ashes.

ignition.

――― Grumbling – !!

This karma of the heart is a flame that was kindled by the despair of the demons who were condemned to become prey.

ignition.

――― Grumbling – !!

The flame of this soul must be a flame ignited by the fighting spirit of a great dragon who defied even the judgment of the Absolute… … .

Look.

Oh, all the little sparks.

I have become the flesh that splits flesh, the soul that burns souls, the blood that devours blood, and the fire that burns fire.

― …

A heat wave broke out from Ilshin. Scarlet flames more fierce than the dragon’s breath covered the entire heaven and earth. In front of that heat and brilliance, even the black flames ignited by the great wizard were nothing more than weak embers. The living flame reigning over all flames looked like hellfire spreading everywhere.

“What did you… … .”

Melissa poured out hellfire. Black flames surged forward all at once, merging into a pitch-black wave that destroyed all things.

―――― Kuhooooooo – !!

A scarlet strike that cuts through the tsunami of black flames in one fell swoop.

Write – Geez!

― …

A huge explosion occurred along the trajectory of the ax blade. The explosion raged, and the rampant black flames were wiped out without a single spark remaining. Because of a single stroke that burns and burns fresh blood.

Divine Qi Type 2, ‘Blood Fierce Fire (血劫火)’.

“[… … Hit it with your hottest flame, Melissa, with all your might.]”

The warrior, burning with blood, straightened the fiery mane of his ax blade and declared.

“[Otherwise, you will burn to death like a moth to a flame.]”