The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 202



Only Krnovel

Episode 202 The place where the flames swept away (1)

The aftermath of the disaster that struck Hesiliad, the city of elves, was unprecedented. It seemed that even a few decades would not be enough to restore this miserable heap of ashes to its prosperous past.

However, the damage was repaired much faster than expected.

――――― Uuuuuuung – !!

Because the World Tree, which was drying up and dying, has completely regained its strength.

Hesilia, who governs the world tree, nature, and rest, restored all fallen things with her power. The burned forest was restored, stump buildings were rebuilt, naturalized guardians were pacified, and the remaining flames were extinguished. The traces of the disaster were completely erased like a daydream in the blue-green fog.

Of course, the most important recovery was to revive the roots of the World Tree itself and close the ‘crack’… … Not many people knew that fact.

The World Tree was not the only contributor to the restoration of Hesiliad. The guardians who were not naturalized and the surviving elves also did their best to restore their homeland.

However, there were also completely unexpected helpers.

The first one is the spirits.

– Kkuddeuk, kkuddeuk… … .

– Grumble, rumble, rumble… … .

“Ugh! “What, what, suddenly?”

“Those, those… … Are they spirits?”

The spirits of trees, the spirits of sprouts, the spirits of rain, the spirits of mud… … The old beings that were thought to be dead suddenly appeared, reviving the damaged vegetation and restoring the environment. The spirits did not ask for much in return, and only occasionally swallowed the blue smoke that floated in the air.

The elves found this free aid strange, but in fact it was more like a self-destruction. Their true identity was ‘Inferno’, the spirits of hellfire that burned down the Great Forest, purified by the blessing of the World Tree…

And the second is the dark elves.

Buck, puff – buck! Blah blah blah – !

– Ugh, kuhuuuuu… … .

“Huh, oh oh… … Thanks for saving me… … uh… … ?”

“All of you… … ?”

““… … .””

Elves who were chased by naturalized druids, or elves who were trapped or isolated by collapsed rubble. A considerable number of them were rescued by their former compatriots, who had rejected them as apostates who had turned their backs on the world tree.

Turning their backs on the rescuers who looked on in confusion, the dark elves disappeared into the darkness like shadows. They also did not provide help in return for fame or praise. They were simply acting out of respect for a boy druid who risked his life to save and protect their apostle… … .

Thanks to the cooperation and efforts of all sides, Hesiliad was able to regain some of its original appearance in just ten days.

It would take even longer to wash away the sorrow for the victims… … but the elves’ complexions brightened considerably. The fact that all things were in the process of recovery and that the Mother World Tree seemed more full of life than ever before gradually washed away the stains left by the disaster.

When the elves got the spirit to think about other things, the first question that came to mind was this.

What on earth is the cause of the disaster that burned down the Great Forest and Hesiliad?

“After all, aren’t they the devils who spread the hellfire…?” … ? It looked like a big burning giant… … .”

“No, I mean, who released those demons? “With the Mother World Tree clearly spreading out its roots, would so many demons just fall from the sky?”

“It must be a dragon! I saw with my own eyes that dragon was trying to burn down the Mother World Tree!”

“Well, it must have been the wrath of the gods of heaven… … Didn’t you all see the sky turn dark, the sun twinkle, and stars pour down?”

There were many different opinions, but there was only one consensus. Who holds the answer to that question?

The tyrant of the forest, the one who cut down the Basilisk, who entered the World Tree and suddenly disappeared, and who fell from the sky on the day of destruction… … a barbarian warrior.

“Yes, that’s right! He’s always been at the center of everything! I bet he knows what’s going on!”

“I see. Then how about you, brave old man, go to that empty lot yourself and ask about the situation?”

“Wh, what are you talking about? Hmm, I guess I should go and fix that broken roof… … .”

But no one had the courage to ask about the circumstances.

The warrior, who already had an ominous air, had been emitting a dark and oppressive aura that was impossible to approach after the day of disaster. After several elves watched from afar and fainted, the southern clearing where the warrior usually appeared became an absolutely inviolable area, even more so than the valley where the Basilisk lived.

That was why. One sunset, when they saw a young man walking towards that empty lot, the citizens of Hesiliad who witnessed it were all shocked.

“Uh… … ? I, I, I shouldn’t stop that woman… … ?”

“Hey, look! Well, that’s a place you shouldn’t go! “Come back here quickly!”

“Damn, I have another tough invoice to clean up… … .”

Those who were brave enough ran into the forest to stop her, but when they arrived, the woman’s spirit was nowhere to be found.

“uh……?”

“Huh? Hey! Where did you go?”

The elves looked around in confusion as if they were possessed by a ghost.

From a distant bush, a pair of bright yellow eyes flashed like fireflies.

*

An empty lot overgrown with trees and weeds.

Under the shadowy glow of the sunset, an expressionless giant sat on a rock, fixing his equipment.

I oiled and cleaned the red blade. The iron bars were bent to connect the worn-out pauldrons, and the wave-shaped ax blade was sharpened with a whetstone. The sound of sharpening a blade or grinding a whetstone harshly scratched my heart.

Ilenia, who was watching this, parted her lips in confusion.

“… … “I don’t know what to do to comfort your broken heart.”

“… … .”

“sorry. It’s a cliché, but I haven’t been able to visit you in a while because I don’t think anything I can say will comfort you… … . However, to the one who carried such a heavy burden and saved the world… … “I came here because I thought it would be even more rude not to keep saying hello.”

“… … .”

Kadim was the first to ask to stop Melissa, and he did not criticize the woman who came to see her until ten days after her death. She paused for a moment. She let out a low breath and continued sharpening the ax as she had been doing.

Suddenly, Illenia noticed a trace of blood that had not been there for a long time on the pitch-black axe lying below. When she asked about it with a curious look, the answer she got was this.

“Beasts that are forest tyrants or something, and similarly transformed guardians. I walked around for a while and sorted out those guys. From now on, there will be no harm caused by elves wandering around trying to revive the forest.”

“… … .”

I thought he was hiding in despair, but… … My expectations were completely different. Ilenia looks in despair at the man who did not stop fighting even at times like this.

“if… … Saving the world… … Oh, no, Melissa’s body… … “Where is it buried?”

“It was burned.”

“yes?”

“I rekindled the flame with my blood and burned it with that fire. I have also scattered all the ashes, so now fire and wind can be called his grave.”

“… … .”

A fitting end for a woman who was set ablaze and reduced to ashes.

Illenia nodded solemnly. After a moment of silence to express her condolences, she reported on what had happened in Hesiliad while the man was away.

“As you know, the center of the crack has been safely closed. However, the Apostle said that the restoration of parts other than the roots has consumed more of the World Tree’s power than expected… … The period of time that the destruction has been delayed will actually be between 20 and 30 years.”

“To reduce confusion, it will be announced to the public that the ‘World Keeper’ has not yet been replaced. Since the position was never openly vacant to begin with, there will be no major issues if the Dark Elf Apostle Lilia takes over the position.”

“The cause of the burning of the Great Forest and Hesiliad will probably be announced as an attack by demons. The ‘Infernos’ were clearly demons, so this shouldn’t be a big problem. So, you don’t have to worry about Melissa’s actions being revealed and your honor being tarnished… … You don’t have to worry about that.”

After that, Ilenia reported many positive developments. The spirits of hellfire have been purified, the elves are planning to regain their lifespan by receiving back the blood they sacrificed, and they are promoting exchanges between the elves and dark elves that had been cut off… … .

Instead of getting better, Kadim’s complexion only grew darker. The result of all that recovery was also evidence of an evil deed committed by someone.

A silence that melts away into the afterglow of sunset.

Only after Ilenia found something on the side of Kadim’s neck did she manage to speak again.

“That pattern… … “Did it happen to be something that Melissa left behind before she passed away?”

“Yes. “They say it’s a magic that blocks heat and cold.”

“I see… … . Yes, although there were some unfortunate flaws in his later years… … Melissa’s heart for Kadim was truly… … .”

“This isn’t the only thing left. Look.”

Kadim suddenly stops talking and starts stomping his feet violently.

― …

Dust rose up, and the ground in the area cracked and sank. Illenia stumbled and almost fell over due to the violent shaking of the ground. A calm explanation was given to the woman who was dumbfounded and opened her mouth.

“I have regained almost all of the strength I had when I killed the Great Demon. At least 80%… … No, about 90%. As you said before, it’s probably because I raised my ‘status’ a lot by killing someone stronger than me.”

“… … .”

“I said I would take care of it myself… … but I didn’t know that Melissa’s undying fire would truly become the flame that would set me ablaze.”

The priest of the forgotten god froze in a daze. The great warrior of the fighting spirit rubbed the dust-covered throwing ax on his pants and raised it, showing no signs of handling.

“Anyway, I’m still worried about what Melissa said right before she died.”

“… … .”

He said he would kill the god of the elves and become a new god.

At first, Kadim thought it was ridiculous nonsense. But when I thought about it, that wasn’t the case. The fact that a human’s ‘level’ rises explosively when he kills a being of much higher ‘level’ than himself was proven by killing Melissa like this.

In other words, if we take it to the extreme and kill God, humans may truly ‘transcend’ humans and become gods… … .

“Coincidentally, there are people around me who, under the pretext of revelation, are urging me to kill God.”

“… … !!”

Bright yellow eyes that wavered without focus. The empty pupils that had become even darker stared straight at those eyes.

“Tell me. “If I kill the ‘fake Elgar’ and gain godhood as promised, then what are you going to do from then on?”

“… … ”

“Gordon through me…” … “What on earth are you planning?”

But Ilenia was not looking at Kadim.

Yellow eyes were fixed vaguely on the western sky, the sun still hanging on the horizon even though it was already past sunset.

“Ka, Kadim Ni… … .”

By the time I screamed and stretched out my hand, it was already too late.

A brilliant beam of light that turns an area into broad daylight in an instant.

― …

‘Heavenly Punishment’ pierced through Kadim.

Illenia’s complexion turned pale.

“… … Oh, no!!!”

‘Celestial punishment’ is a judgment that does not allow resistance. If hit directly by it, even a dragon cannot escape serious injury, and mortals will most likely be fatally injured or killed instantly.

The reason she withstood the divine punishment even once at Galentana University was purely because she used the darkness of her hideout as a buffer to avoid it. However, the heavenly punishment just before was a clear hit without any cushioning material.

It was an outrageous and fatal oversight. Oh my god, how could I have let the Warrior of Revelation fall into the sight of the ‘Watching Eye’? I should have come after the sun had set, or paid attention to the direction of the conversation, or prepared a hiding place in advance… … Ilenia’s mind was completely bleached by the bright flash of light that filled her eyes.

But somehow, Kadim was not mortally wounded or killed.

“……uh?”

All I did was break out in a cold sweat and frown so that the veins on my forehead stood out.

“Is this… …a punishment from heaven for those damn eyes?”

“… … .”

“… … It hurts so bad. “It certainly doesn’t deserve to be hit twice.”

The warrior raised his sack and glared as if he were going to split the sun. The ‘Blessing of Fire and Ice’ engraved on his neck flickered in murky colors.

Woof, woof, woof… … .

Ilenia, who had been staring at the absurd sight from afar, came to her senses belatedly and searched through her bag.

Pearl – Luck!

The remnants of the ‘Night Shadow Blackout’ that had been left for emergency use were unfurled. As soon as the surrounding area became dark and shielded, Illenia opened the distortion hole and pulled the man’s arm inward.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

By the time the pitch-black sky had fluttered down, there was nothing left beneath it.

In the far west, the sun, glaring like the eye of an angry watcher, finally sank beyond the horizon and disappeared.