The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 219



Only Krnovel

Episode 219 Star Crusher (8)

Beatle, the balance of the body was greatly shaken. The muscles on his face twitched, revealing a bright red cross section. Drizzled, thin cerebrospinal fluid and red blood mixed together and wetted my face.

Nevertheless, Vitares did not die.

“Ugh, ugh… … .”

Tsk-tsk!

As if he was waving his hand, he pulled out the axe that had cut his forehead. Kadim furrowed his brow.

It wasn’t the first time this had happened. In the past, Hendark, the ‘Star that Pierces Truth’, had also been hit in the forehead with an axe and was fine…

The case was different now. This time, it wasn’t blocked by the hard epidermis or forehead bone. Elgar’s resistance-enhancing magic, thick forehead, hard skull, and ax blade surely cut through everything and turned the contents of his mind into a paste.

A critical blow that even the strongest Archpaladin cannot withstand. But still, that guy moves like that… … .

Tzubbubb, tzubbbub… … .

The crack in the head was instantly healed back to its original state. Kadim’s expression hardened. Did she not wear a helmet for no reason? He’s starting to do things that aren’t even human.

However, Vitares could not help but be embarrassed. Who could be calm when their head was split open out of nowhere… … .

“Elgasi, what on earth is this…?” … . Shit… … .”

“… … .”

However, he glanced at the frozen face of his enemy and hid his expression. The same arrogance as before returned to his blood-stained face.

“Ha, as expected of an uncivilized pagan… … A welcoming speech without even a trace of culture left. Well, I guess there would have been no way for you to win without a surprise attack like this… … .”

“I think you were the one who attacked first.”

Vitares wiggled his eyebrows and ignored Khadim’s words.

“okay… … I understand your impatience as you face the brilliant star of Elgar with a mere mortal body. Still, it wasn’t a very pleasant experience, so let’s keep this ax sealed for the time being.”

Hooooosh – !

The divine energy was concentrated on one forearm. Her hand holding the sack rose high and fell with tremendous fighting power.

――――――― Boom – ! Kwakwakwagagaga… … .

The lightning bolt pierced the surface and sank deep into the ground. It must have been so deep that the ‘return’ effect that attracted human power was no longer effective. Having taken his revenge, Vitales twisted his lips in satisfaction.

“Don’t be in a hurry, heretic. “You should know who took your life. Wouldn’t you have something to cry out in the fire pit of hell?”

“… … .”

“I will say it again. I am the 7th seat of the Decagram, Vitares el Akrasia Durectacion. The dignified nickname that adorns the seventh position of the stars is none other than ‘buying life’… … .”

“Oh, no! Ugh, don’t say it! “You can’t say it!”

The grandiose self-introduction was cut off midway again. This time, it was Angelion, the ‘star that spreads the gospel’.

“Ugh, tinnitus! Don’t say tinnitus, Lord Vitales! This person, this person, seems to know something about our ‘stigmata’… … .”

But that advice too was cut off midway.

Pooh – Sigh!

“… … “Knock!”

Angelion’s bald head being crushed by strong stomps.

Now that the whereabouts of the relics had been found, there was no reason to keep this one alive. Kadim absentmindedly wiped the soles of his brain debris off the floor. Gray matter containing the gospels, like stars, was evenly spread on the floor.

Still, the final advice from the ‘Star of the Gospel’ was delivered.

I only realized it now, but the fact that Angelion was here was extremely strange. He apparently heard that he captured De Rutana in the Saint’s Closet… … . Vitares no longer talked about himself and showed strong caution.

But it didn’t really matter to Kadim, who had already figured it out.

“So you’re the 7th constellation, the ‘star that saves life’?”

“… … !”

“I’ve sorted out the 8 seats, when will the remaining two Decagrams arrive? “I want to get rid of the remaining ones as soon as possible.”

Confusion and doubts run through my mind. Vitares answered hesitantly.

“… … I don’t know what nonsense this is. I’m the only one here. Four Decagrams raising an army at the same time is unlikely unless they plan to erase several cities from the map.”

“… … .”

Kadim clicked his tongue. She later realized that she had been deceived by the Arch Paladin in the corner of the room. She had a whiff of something, but I was hoping that what she said was true… … .

There was a feeling that it was not enough with only two people, but it could not be helped. For now, the only thing we can do is appease the spirit of the old man and promise to sort out the rest later.

Of course, the most urgent task is to retrieve the ‘masterpiece’ of inspiration.

“Anyway, that hammer looks like a pretty good weapon.”

“… … .”

“Where did it come from?”

Vitares pulled the hammer handle without answering. Kadim laughed inwardly.

“But I didn’t know that Elgajaengi could use other gods’ ‘soldiers’ as weapons.”

“… … This hammer, I will purify it with Elgar’s blessing and make it my new ‘soldier’. Although it is a heretical monster, its performance is unparalleled, and it would be a shame to just throw away the weapon of the Dwarf God. Of course, before that… … I will first crush your body with this.”

“I see. Instead, how about handing it over to me and dying cleanly?”

“… … What?”

“That hammer was originally something a blacksmith was supposed to give me. “If you just hand it over to me obediently, I promise to kill you cleanly without you suffering like this.”

Thud, a thoughtless kick touched the corpse, its limbs and skull missing.

Vitales, who had been dumbfounded by the ridiculous proposal, soon began to tremble with rage. Although he was a thorn in his side, Angelus was also a true member of the Decagram. He could not continue to watch a lowly heretic blaspheme and despise the star of the church.

“We are Elgar’s spear, Elgar’s will, Elgar’s incarnation, Elgar’s chief agent… … How can you, a pagan who is not even as good as a worm, dare to touch us, the ten splendid ‘stars’, and deal with the consequences?”

“I guess so. I’ve already got one ready.”

“Ha… … You must have clearly seen that the ‘Star that Spreads the Gospel’ is different from me. Even your first blow of conversion was in vain. Do you really still think you have a chance of winning?”

“It won’t be difficult. “It’s not like you’re immortal.”

“… … !”

The red-haired paladin stood still as if he had been hit with a bullet. Meanwhile, Khadim searched through his inventory and pulled out a giant axe suitable for dealing with the giant. Atala’s Judgement, a pitch-black battle axe that calls for death and destruction.

Vitares glanced at the pattern on his chest. They seemed suspicious that the effects of stigmata had been discovered. However, Kadim raised the sack without saying a word. It took enough time to drag on.

From now on, it is not the three-inch tongue, but the weapon in each person’s hand that will be the spokesperson for the opinions that are carried out…

Heavy, stomping footsteps signaled the start of the battle.

Kwa-Ang!

The person who started the attack first was Khadim. The ground shook, and the distance that had been about ten meters narrowed in an instant. Because the approach was so rapid, Vitares was not properly prepared to deal with it. He belatedly tried to lift the hammer, but an enormous weight was holding him back.

A black gust of wind swings mercilessly, without regard for the enemy’s circumstances.

―――Whew – Woah, Kwaang – !!

Vitales barely managed to block the axe blade by sticking out the handle of his hammer.

“Ugh… … .”

A shock that sent shockwaves through my bones. A groan escaped my lips and my forehead furrowed. In order to handle the weight of the hammer and the strength of the enemy, I concentrated my mind and focused all my divine energy into my arms.

Kadim continued to attack. He twisted the axe head and immediately launched a counter-slash. When the opponent evaded by pulling out his foot, he skillfully controlled the inertial resistance to continue the chain attack.

――― Hu-huh, hu-huh, hu-huh!!

A wave of attack that never lets up. Just looking at the speed, it seemed like he was wielding a quick sword rather than a giant soldier.

If he counterattacks rashly, he will leave a big opening. Even after gathering his divine power, all Vitales could do was evade or defend. However, even that gradually became precarious, and in the end, he allowed a serious effective attack without even being able to respond properly.

―――――― Per – Oops!

“Cough!”

A brutal, direct blow to the chest.

The ten-pointed star pattern was split in half, and the muscles and organs were reduced to a pulp. It wasn’t over like that. The tremendous power contained in the ax blade collapsed the entire skeleton and threw the body halfway into the ground.

Tsk tsk! Blah blah blah… .

Of course, this time too, the injury was healed in an instant. But it was absolutely not the case that he was not hit at all.

“How much ‘life’ do I have left now?”

“… … !!!”

“After being turned into a rag twice and surviving, I don’t think there’s much left.”

Vitales’s eyes opened wide as if they were going to pop out.

It was certain. Doubt finally became certainty. This person was undoubtedly aware of the effects of his stigmata.

The stigmata received by Vitares, ‘the star that kills life’. The effect is to avoid trauma at the cost of consuming the remaining lifespan.

If you think of it as a version of Melissa’s unique characteristic, ‘Mana’s protection’, where ‘mana’ was replaced with ‘lifespan’, it was roughly similar. The price was a bit expensive compared to the mana, but it was still the same as being virtually immortal until the price ran out.

And that wasn’t all it had to offer.

“Ha, I don’t know how you found out about ‘stigmata’… … “Now that it’s like this, there’s no need to hide it anymore.”

“… … .”

“Don’t worry. Because my ‘life’ still has a long time left. Exactly how much is left… … .”

“… … .”

“… … This organization is endless, so much so that I can use it without any problems.”

Vitales clenched his fist against the stigmata and shouted resolutely.

“Lord of Eternal Light! Please grant your agent the power to destroy evil! I salute this ‘year’ of life from the light!”

The moment he finished his declaration, Archpaladin’s momentum changed.

Hooooooooooo – !!

The pure white mist was mixed with a blush. The wind pressure swept across the floor violently. Elga’s divine energy swept like a whirlwind, and the muscles in his entire body expanded abnormally.

Ilsin’s strength was strengthened by sacrificing ‘one year’ of life.

“Hwaaaaaaaap – !!!”

The ‘Star that Burns Life’ lived up to its nickname by burning life to gain the power to fight against its enemies. Swinging its hammer with all its might, it attempted its first plausible attack.

Huuuuung -!!

And it broke just like before.

―――――― Per – Wow!!

“Uh huh, huh… … .”

It was impossible to narrow the gap by sacrificing just ‘one year’ of his life. Vitales quickly erased the sense of defeat that had been clouding his mind and began sacrificing more of his life in exchange.

But even if it costs 3 years… … .

“I salute you for the ‘three years’ of this life that came from light!

Even if I pay for 5 years… … .

“I praise the ‘five years’ of this life… … .”

Even if it costs 10 years… … .

“I, I dedicate this ‘10 years’ of life to you… … .”

Pur – Wow!

“Ugh, ugh… … .”

The results did not change.

Every time, I couldn’t avoid hitting the hammer properly and having my body cut into pieces. They had barely caught up with him by a few steps, but the power of the maddened cultist was still staring at the struggling paladin in a far, distant state.

But at this point, Kadim couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

“What is it, you guy?”

“… … .”

“I’ve only lived 20 years openly, and if you include the years I’ve died and come back to life, it seems like I’ve used up several times that amount. How can a baby turtle live this long?”

“Hehe, hehe, hehehe…” … .”

Vitares let out a mocking laugh. The superficial shell of embarrassment was thrown away, and the underlying composure was quietly revealed.

He was well aware of his own infinite potential. Throughout the fight, in fact, he never felt a real sense of crisis for even a moment.

You could do it whenever you wanted, as much as you wanted. To ‘equally’ confront that monstrous heretic, to ‘slightly’ outcompete them, or even to ‘absolutely’ overwhelm them. I just saved my life because the cost was ‘life’, which is a waste of time to use for useless things.

But instead, I wasted more of my life in vain because of that… … I felt like it was time to stop dealing with people in moderation.

Vitares raised the corners of his mouth and declared.

“… … 10,000 years.”

“… … !”

“My lifespan is close to ‘10,000 years’… … . The lifespan you have cut down by struggling so hard is only a moment shorter than the blink of an eye in my eon-long life… … .”

“… … .”

For a moment, Kadim wondered if the paladin had gone mad from being hit so many times.

Even elves who enjoyed a long life cannot survive for a thousand years. The only beings on earth and in heaven with a lifespan like that were gods and dragons. Even the Grand Mage Melissa struggled so hard to survive for only 300 years… … What kind of nonsense… … .

But, when I thought about it, that wasn’t the case.

In this world, there were three ways for humans to live longer than expected. God’s blessing, pact with the devil, elven blood. And this guy was in a position to take at least one of them indefinitely.

‘God bless you’.

“Elga has blessed me with a long life, long enough to reach the end of eternity. Moreover, in order to extend my life, a thousand priests in the city are imprisoned for their entire lives and pray… … However, no matter how long my life is, I do not want to waste it on punishing a single heretic… … .”

“… … .”

“… … I guess you are not an ordinary heretic. devil… … Yes, that violence and evil deeds are worthy of the ‘evil spirit’ the Archbishop is looking for. If it were to slay a ‘demon’ as big as you, I would be willing to sacrifice ‘1,000 years’ of my time… … .”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh – !

The pure white mist became a pure white storm. His body and muscles also swelled to the point where they were comparable to the savage before his eyes. Vitales swung his hammer with a firm stance, quite different from his previous sloppy stance.

Kadim also calmly raised the axe handle.

In the meantime, the confusion had subsided. I realized that ‘10,000 years’ was just a theoretical number game, and not an absolutely guaranteed lifespan for this guy.

“Not only do I waste my time like that, but I see my life disappearing every time I turn into a mush… … “You will definitely live less than 10,000 years.”

“Ha, even if it were, wouldn’t it be shorter than you, who are about to die? Even after your white bones are destroyed, I will live for thousands more years and exalt the glory of the El family!”

“No, that’s an overly optimistic prediction. I think you probably only have 10… … years left to live.”

… … After saying this, Kadim activated ‘Hydra’s Tattoo’.

Woohoo!

Vitares frowned. Even if it had been 10 years, he would have been outrageous. He must have thought that by 10 months he would have gone crazy. If it had been 10 weeks or 10 days, the other person would have thought that they had forgotten all reason out of fear.

But Kadim’s prediction was none of those things.

A rush of red light suddenly turned Vitales’ entire field of vision bright red.

― …

A dizzying shock and excruciating pain struck my throat. My entire body’s senses were paralyzed as if I was stuck in a fixed time axis. I tried to scream, but for some reason, only the sound of wind came out of my mouth. Suddenly, a bloody axe blade and a headless body entered my fluttering vision.

“… … !!”

Only then did Vitares realize what had happened.

The light warrior, his red eyes shining, looked down at the severed head and muttered absentmindedly.

“9.”