The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 242



Only Krnovel

Episode 242. The Star That Turned Its Back on the Light (10)

If ‘Never’s Punishment’ had ever been a game, it would probably have been an instant kill.

Like falling off a cliff, being crushed by a rock, or the final boss’s extinction pattern… … Instant death with an unconditional death verdict. It is common sense that when faced with the systematically planned death in a game, even if the character has been raised to the final level, there is no choice but to helplessly see the ‘Game Over’ screen.

Kadim went against common sense.

― …

Once, a frightening counterattack, once again, once again, a counterattack that swung like a whirlwind. The fiercely pouring beams of light were repeatedly countered by even more fierce hammer blows. The fragmented explosions scattered, leaving only the innocent plains scorched.

Looking at that scene, Hendark freezes as if he has lost his soul.

Decagrams have seen more amazing mysteries and miracles than anyone else in the sect. They have seen not only the great blessings and the supernatural power of the stigmata, but also the special magic of the demons. Furthermore, Hendark is the oldest star with a long career. He has seen more miracles than others.

However, even if I add up all the wonders of all the miracles I have seen throughout my life, the scene I am watching now is not enough.

It wasn’t a game concept, but he was also keenly aware of the fact that the punishment was ‘instant death’. Of course, because he had been hit directly due to the limitations of the stigmata. The power was so great that it could burn even a body as strong as steel and a plate made of black iron like a piece of paper, and even the lightest hit would cause excruciating pain that would make one’s soul ache.

But to prevent such heavenly punishment?

How could he block the divine punishment that was not weakened at all, the divine punishment that struck like lightning, not even once, completely like that?

What is the author’s power…? … Did he surpass Elgar?

Of course not. The reason why Khadim was able to resist heavenly punishment was solely due to persistent speculation and observation, a new recruit from the dwarven god, transcendent reflexes, and… … It was thanks to his courage that he thought the liver was not removed because it was sticking out of the stomach.

The idea started from a warning left by the dragon.

In the past, there was a story that the divine punishment was weakened during the time when the Kingdom of Lucaonia was at war with the Land of the Forgotten God. Lafustraan said that it was simply because the war was prolonged, but Kadim focused on other areas to find the cause.

‘A follower of Elgar… … So, wasn’t the number of ‘believers’ reduced due to the war, and Elgar’s ‘divine status’ temporarily lowered?’

All beings have their own means of raising their ‘status’. Demons are suffering and despair, humans are fighting against the strong. By the same principle, it would not be surprising if the gods also changed their ‘divine status’ depending on the ‘believers’ they followed.

The reasoning went one step further.

Demons and humans tend to gain more ‘status’ when they target beings of higher ‘status’. Likewise, gods may also gain more ‘divinity’ when beings of higher ‘status’ become believers, or when believers’ ‘status’ rise.

It sounded good, so it might be true, I was close to half-confident. There were more than one part explained by this hypothesis. The reason why God gives miracles to believers, the ‘forgotten god’ who lost the war and lost his godhood and name, the Elga with the most believers has the highest godhood… … .

Above all, there is the existence of ‘Decagram’, the agent of Elga who destroys demons and non-believers as they come across, and the existence of ‘Atala’s Great Warrior’, the agent of dedication who raises his ‘rank’ by killing strong enemies as they come across.

However, the believer was not the only factor that determined ‘divinity’. If that had been the case, not only the Elgars, but also the continent that was ruled by various religious sects that enforced faith would have been in shambles long ago. However, the probability that it was one of the important factors seemed very high, and that realization led to this conclusion.

Every time you strike down one of Elgar’s followers, especially one of Elgar’s mighty stars, the fake Elgar’s ‘divinity’ will be visibly lowered… … .

――――――― T-huh!

… … The power of divine punishment will also be weakened proportionally.

The prediction was correct. Now that half of the 10th, 9th, 8th, 7th, and 3rd stars have fallen, the power of Heavenly Punishment has been significantly weakened compared to the past when it overwhelmed even dragons. Enough to be able to absorb the impact and counterattack with the ‘Star Crusher’.

What was puzzling was the death of the ‘star that calls peace’. Watching him die convinced Kadim that the Divine Punishment had weakened. However, it was difficult to understand why Elgar punished the believers. Isn’t that nothing more than an act of self-harm, degrading her own deity?

The answer came surprisingly quickly.

‘Rather than losing my godhood right away, I guess I thought killing that guy and growing my status was a bigger threat… … . I am a great warrior who acts on behalf of other gods, and at the same time, I am a threat that may destroy all the stars in the future… … .’

However, this inevitably led to another question that I had pondered over for a long time. Why doesn’t Elgar do everything in her power to kill herself?

Kadim gave a candid answer to this question as well.

That fake Elgar could never kill himself ‘directly’… … Called.

――――Zzz – ah! Zzz – ah! Zzz – ah!

It’s not that it wasn’t, but there was no ‘killing intent’ at all in the punishment that Elga was pouring down right now. It only felt like an empty hostility, like the swordsman slashing at someone who was threatening to kill them right away. Even if Elga had lost some of his divinity, he still wasn’t at a point where he couldn’t kill himself… … .

The exact reason was still unknown. For now, I could only vaguely guess that it might be protected by another heavenly god, Atala.

Of course, he didn’t intend to kill him, but he didn’t seem to care about becoming disabled. In fact, he had already been punished by heaven once in Daesurim. Even after suffering the excruciating pain of that spirit, it was impossible for him to face that out-of-scale alien without fear, even with just a little courage.

But rather than being scared, Kadim even provoked them.

“It’s lukewarm. A hot poker on the stove would be hotter.”

―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――!!

“When will the warm-up end? Surely this petty blasphemy isn’t at full power.”

――――― Tsk, tsk, tsk – wow!!

Accumulating the shock of the divine punishment that had been struck down while releasing the accumulated shock, accumulating the shock that had been struck down while releasing the shock once more, releasing again, and accumulating again… … He repeated the process of repelling divine punishment with divine punishment without a single error. The hammerhead turned red like a meteorite that had been rubbed against the atmosphere.

―――――― Blah – blah, blah, blah blah – !!

Even though the momentum of the divine punishment became fiercer, nothing changed. No, rather, the impact of the hammer erupting only scattered the concentrated fire, increasing the number of wasted stray bullets.

In the end, the eyes that looked down on the world were the first to raise the white flag.

――――― – Kuhua -ah -ah!

As if to warn that this is the last time it will pass by, the fire spreads violently, and the sun finally sets over the horizon.

Kadim did not give up and glared at the sun. I blinked until my retina was completely covered in afterimages, and only after the faint afterglow had disappeared did I look the other way.

Although he shouted loudly, this side was actually precarious. The body was fine, but the problem was with the ‘Star Crusher’. The silver lump of iron, overworked by extreme heat and shock, was so hot that it was cracked open as if it would shatter at any moment.

However, it was all for naught.

Tsk tsk tsk, tsk tsk tsk… … .

After leaving it alone for a while, the enchantment engraving began to shine and the cracked surface was repaired by me alone. It was a special effect called ‘self-repair’ that repairs damage on its own when a weapon is damaged.

“under.”

It depends on the accumulation of shock, the effect of reaping stigmata, and even self-repair… … Even the legendary level won’t be enough. What kind of monster did Old Man Sledgehammer create? … . Kadim was filled with admiration.

In fact, compared to Hendark’s surprise, it was nothing but praise.

“I’m so worn out that I can’t even change my pants by myself.”

“… … .”

“Since the only thing I agreed to receive in return was the ‘Stigmata,’ I should return the hand part.”

There is still some effect of ‘Hydra’s Tattoo’ left. Kadim takes out the Iron Blood Ear and gives it to the man who lost one of his hands, and heals himself by harming himself. Hendark looked at his hand, which had grown back like a sapling, and his eyes trembled.

“Who are you, who are you…? Are you the incarnation of the God of War who has descended to earth? Or are you an earthly agent chosen by the God of War and given full authority? How, how can you stand up to divine punishment… and perform such outrageous miracles…?”

“… … .”

What is God, freezing to death. Kadim snorted at her and said.

“Didn’t I tell you? I fit in with the world where crazy things run rampant, and I am also a crazy berserker… … .”

“… … .”

“… … He is a great warrior who fights on behalf of Atala, the god of struggle and wilderness. “The miracles you have seen are the result of persistent struggle, and not the power you easily obtained by being selected by God.”

Even after hearing the explanation, I couldn’t shake the feeling of surprise that filled my mind. Hendark continued to question for a while, and then asked why he had spared the heathen’s life and even healed his hand.

The answer to that was simple. In the end, he paid tribute to Hendark’s ‘struggle’ in abandoning God and choosing faith.

“All who fight on the right path are worthy of being blessed by the great warrior of the fight, even if it is only the star of Elgar.”

“… … .”

“Of course, now that you have turned your back on Elgar, you should not be called Elgar’s Star. There is a precedent called ‘Gordon who turned his back on the light,’ so perhaps the name ‘Star who turned his back on the light’ would be more appropriate for you.”

Hendark was swept up in a whirlpool of confusion.

‘A star that has turned its back on the light’. The moment I contemplate that name, I feel like I have been saved and my shackles have been thrown off, but at the same time, I feel a sense of loss as if I have lost everything. That name was an alias that proved that the faith I had devoted my entire life to had been in vain.

… … And above all, it was a stigma that confirmed that there was no way to save the disciples.

But that was a hasty judgment.

“Believe in the struggle.”

“… … Hmm? What, what did you say?”

“Trust in Atala, and follow the truth. Continue your ‘struggle’ to guide the lost under the precepts of the barren wilderness.”

“… … .”

“I swear by the name of Atala. If you surrender to the struggle, I will do whatever it takes to save your disciples. Even if they all die at the hands of the Archbishop… … I will go down to the pit of hell and save them.”

“… … !!”

“Well, anyway, there are already people to save from hell.”

Kadim calmly looks at his face shaking in astonishment.

Unlike when he mockingly offered the ‘Star that Calls Peace’, this time he was sincere. If a strong person as virtuous as me becomes a believer, it will definitely have an impact on Atala’s ‘godhood’. If the reason why Elgar could not kill himself was really because of Atala’s protection, there was a need to steadily increase the number of believers in the future, regardless of the ill feelings toward the enemy.

Meanwhile, Hendark could not easily control his agitation.

Even though he had lost his stigmata, he could sense that what Kadim had said was the clear truth. If he were that mighty warrior, he could truly defeat the Archbishop and the ‘Star that Devours Darkness’, or he could truly go down to the bottom of the hellfire pit to save his disciples.

Even so, it was difficult to readily accept a new faith.

“I, I… … He is a traitor who has been betrayed by the God he once believed in. Not even half a day had passed since he abandoned the faith he had maintained his whole life… … He doesn’t have the confidence to serve another god… … . It may be rude of you to say this, but I don’t know how much of a difference there is between those false Elgars and Atala… … .”

Kadim said nonchalantly, as if it were nothing more than a trivial matter.

“Elga and Atala are different. There is a huge difference between the two.”

“… … which?”

“All who serve Atala will have one chance to face Atala when they die. So I plan to split his skull in half then.”

“… … .”

“Well, if you do it right, you might be able to pierce Atala’s stomach and turn him into a skewer.”

I was speechless and silent for a moment due to this incredibly outrageous declaration.

The aged eyes scanned the sky. Despite the most terrible blasphemy, there was no sign of heaven. The god of strife and wilderness never looked down on the earth so persistently, never chose as his apostles the wickedest of the devils, and never brought down vengeance on those who opposed him.

Eventually, Hendark rolled up the corners of his mouth and recited in a voice as faint as starlight.

“That… is really awesome.”

*

The remnants of the Crusade led by the ‘Star of Peace’ and the Alliance led by the ‘Butcher of the Border’.

The decisive battle between the two forces entered a brief lull.

““… … .””

““… … .””

I couldn’t help it. How can you concentrate on fighting in the midst of a natural disaster that shakes the earth, giant spears soar into the sky, and heavenly punishment bombards the earth? Both the crusader side and the allied side were just staring blankly into the distance, looking like chicks who had just witnessed the apocalypse.

The only ones who had any idea about the power of the stars were the Arch Paladins.

The gigantic spear that just disappeared, the ‘Holy Spear that destroys lies’, is proof that the ‘star that pierces the truth’ is fighting with all its might. Only one opponent could come to mind that the third-place star could give his all to. As a result, this conclusion was drawn.

The two entities, the ‘Star that Pierces the Truth’ and the ‘Demon of the Alliance’, are engaged in a life-or-death struggle.

Forgetting the mistreatment they had endured, the Arch Paladins sincerely prayed that their leader, the ‘Star that Pierces Truth’, would win the battle.

“Elgas, Lord of Eternal Light… … Grant your star infinite power… … .”

“Please give me the courage and blessings to punish evil… … . Please guide me on the path to victory that is brighter than the sun… … .”

The evil spirit is a monster that defeated two Decagrams. Considering that his whereabouts are unknown, he may have even defeated the ‘Star that Calls Peace’. They had no talent to defeat that monster even if it woke up from death. All I could do was pray for Hendark to win.

Fortunately, heaven did not abandon them.

A vague outline appeared in the distant darkness. Gray hair, a face covered with scars, a spear in hand, armor stained with the scars of fierce battle, that dignified figure was clearly visible.

“The ‘star that penetrates the truth’ has arrived! “The captain has won!”

“The star defeated the evil spirit!! “Elgar judged the demons!!”

“He always looks down on all creation, and all things are for the light!!”

In an instant, the camp of the Holy Army was filled with a festive atmosphere. Hands were busy making stigmata and praying here and there. There were even people holding up water bottles filled with holy water and toasting.

It was a very early toast.

Hendark was not alone. Although it was hard to see in the darkness of the night, there was a huge shadow behind him.

A barbarian spirit that would make even the devil urinate.

“……uh?”

“what… … .”

―――――― Huh – Huh!!

―――― Wedge – Liquid!!

Hammer strikes and spear strikes, which went against the laws of heaven, flew towards the frozen Paladins at the same time.