The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 246



Only Krnovel

Episode 246. Earth, Water, Fire, Light, and Steel (2)

When a person hears a story that is too shocking, they become speechless and mute.

Even the priests of the Forgotten God, who were good at hiding their emotions and wearing masks, had no choice. It wasn’t until several minutes later that Ilenia finally, barely, parted her lips.

“… … I ask you to give us a more detailed sermon, Your Eminence. I consider this a matter of grave importance that may change not only our Order, but also the fate of both earth and heaven.”

“… … .”

After a brief pause, Gordon told the whole story. Underneath his heavy tone, there was a sudden, shocking message, and the shock felt by the listener gradually multiplied like a mountain.

It was not an empty story at all. Just as the World Watcher sees the future in his dreams, the Patriarch sees the truth buried in the darkness. However, it was not at all believable, and the events and causes and effects were here and there missing or mixed up, so Ilenia had a hard time organizing her thoughts.

Now that she had figured out who had erased the name of God, she expected the Patriarch to discuss ways to punish the ‘Star that Devours Darkness’. However, her expectations were wrong once again.

“A star that has turned its back on the light… … What an unexpected achievement.”

“… … ?”

“Even after seeing the light, seeing the darkness, and seeing countless mysteries and wonders over the years, I still marvel at what he accomplishes. No, perhaps I should not be surprised. For now is the moment when the ‘revelation’ given by the darkness of the beginning will come into its own orbit.”

Illenia, who had been blankly staring, realized belatedly that it was about the ‘Warrior of Revelation’ who would bring down the false sun. It was hard to contain her bewilderment at the sudden change in topic.

“Yes, I also agree that the deeds of the Warrior of Revelation are so brilliant that they could fill the abyss. However, I think that for now, it is time to punish the evil spirits who have erased the name of the gods, and find a way to restore the name of the forgotten gods, Your Highness.”

“That is impossible, little nameless darkness.”

“… … yes?”

“We cannot defeat him with our own power. The ‘Star that Swallows Darkness’ did not simply erase the divine name. He usurped the divinity of the ‘Forgotten God’ and ascended to the realm of a demigod beyond transcendence.”

“… … !!”

The thunderclouds hanging over my head struck me like lightning. It was not information I could handle at all. Before long, my thoughts were flowing out of control and in an ominous direction, as if I was falling off a cliff.

“Then could it be… that he is the ‘Great Demon’ who returned from the Abyss, whose advent was predicted by the World Guardian?”

“… … .”

I thought he gave me a strange look for a moment.

Gordon slowly shook his head.

Illenia barely managed to catch her breath. But then she couldn’t help but wonder:

If he is not the Great Demon but has usurped the divinity of God, then what is his true identity? And why is the Patriarch so calm? Even though we have uncovered the worst enemy that has caused the downfall of the forgotten God and the religious order, we have been unable to do anything about his existence… … .

The time to ponder was not long. She suddenly remembered something.

“Surely Your Highness… …does he think that the Warrior of Revelation will be able to defeat him as well?”

This time the answer came back like a knife.

“No. No matter how many revelations he received and how many amazing feats he accomplished, that warrior is still a human who has just crossed the threshold of transcendence. It would be difficult for him to face a transcendent being who has reached the realm of a demigod alone.”

“… … .”

The bright yellow sparkling eyes were filled with disappointment. However, the patriarch’s words were not over yet.

“but.”

“… … .”

“Unlike demons who exist alone, humans are beings who coexist. It would be a different story if others helped. Even though my old colleagues and I have left, he still has many great helpers by his side.”

I knew without even saying it. I knew who he was referring to.

A peddler chosen by a forgotten god, a friend of the dragon who founded the alliance, a general of the alliance who abandoned his old name, a star who turned his back on the light that had just joined, and none other than… …Ilenia, herself.

The corner of the woman’s mouth twitched. It was difficult to suppress a smile due to the overwhelming sense of duty that filled me and the ecstasy of the moment I was recognized by the warrior.

However, the joy was short-lived. A deep sense of reproach and a sense of despair came over him. He had already committed a mistake that caused the warrior to receive divine punishment, and compared to his other excellent assistants, he was an insignificant being in terms of his own abilities.

Gordon looked at the scene silently. With eyes as dark as the abyss whose true intentions are difficult to guess. After remaining silent for a long time, I quietly opened my mouth.

“You little nameless darkness. Who were you, what did you do before wandering the wilderness… … “Have you remembered anything about the past you’ve forgotten?”

“… … No, there isn’t.”

“Then, have you recently been able to derive divine power without the ‘Silver Coin of Ruin’ or have had a spiritual experience about a forgotten god?”

“… … “Not yet, Patriarch.”

Illenia expressed her anxiety, wondering if someone else would be entrusted with the mission to help the warrior. But it was a needless worry.

“Then maybe this mission will be an opportunity to awaken you to the past you have forgotten… … .”

“… … !”

“Don’t worry too much. If you only gain enlightenment, you will be able to find a way to swallow even the ‘star that swallows darkness’. However, please be clear. “Never forget your ultimate purpose.”

“… … .”

“Help the warrior of revelation in both material and spiritual ways, but do not give him too personal feelings. “If we do that, we might end up messing things up at the last moment when the ‘revelation’ is about to end.”

The nameless priest immediately assumed the mask of an emotionless follower. After resolutely saying hello, he immediately turned around to carry out his mission. Gordon looked like a strict instructor sending a cadet into battle at a moment’s notice, but at the same time, he had the expression of a shepherd looking at a pitiful lamb.

But just before leaving the hideout, Illenia suddenly turned around and asked.

“May I ask you one last question, Patriarch?”

“What is?”

“What was the reason for creating a pond filled with water like this in the hiding place? I don’t think I’ve seen it before… … .”

The explanation came back that it was a trap to prevent any intruders. However, I couldn’t help but wonder why they had created a puddle of water instead of a swamp or a distortion hole.

Then, Gordon suddenly looks up at the distant ceiling.

“… … Do you remember the ‘fear that is destroying the world’?”

Illenia’s eyes flinched open. Uncharacteristically, a bleak sadness appeared in the Patriarch’s pupils.

“When she was still a young girl, she once said this to me. “You are called ‘water’, like water mixed with water, you are a person who flows aimlessly and shakes without any sense of purpose.”

“… … .”

“At the time, I was a devout follower of Elgaman, so I didn’t understand what she said. But now that I think about it… … she was absolutely right.”

Woof – !

As Gordon waved his rough hand, a small light appeared above the nail. The pool sparkled and briefly took on a brilliant glow.

But the moment he snapped his fingers again.

Whoa… … .

The light faded out in vain, and a black-like darkness appeared on the surface of the water.

“… … ‘Water’ is the purest renegade. When light comes, we only embrace the light, but when darkness comes, we embrace darkness as if it had never happened before. “You may believe that you devoutly maintain a certain level of light and dark, but in reality, that is just an empty belief that is swayed by circumstances on the surface.”

“… … .”

“I barely managed to turn my back on the false light, flow into the embrace of darkness, and rise to this position of leading the religious order. However, this was not possible because I had kept my faith steadfastly, but because the darkness of truth shone upon me. In order not to forget this fact and to always remind myself of it… … I placed a puddle of water like that in my hiding place.”

The heavy flowing echo was followed by the muffled sound of water.

The woman hesitated for a moment and then asked in a puzzled tone.

“Making the ‘gift’ given to me… … “Haven’t you forgotten all about her, her memories of Melissa?”

A ‘reminiscence alter ego’ that reproduces a person from the past in the exact same way, all memories of the subject are included as a sacrifice in the Daeseongbeop. Soon, a bitter smile appeared on the man’s shadowy lips.

“Even if memories fade, records remain. Following her childhood habits, I kept separate records of all my old colleagues.”

“… … .”

For a long time, I was at a loss for words and looked at the man who had turned his back on the light.

In the end, Illenia was left speechless, only making the sign of the cross once more before leaving the dark, watery hiding place.

*

The searing heat bit my skin. The acrid steam choked my throat. The vicious screams pierced my ears. The leech-like demon thrust its beak in, drooling.

– Querrururururuk!!

It is an immutable truth that in this land seething with blood and fire, demons are predators and humans are prey. There have only been two humans since the beginning of time who went against that truth and became predators.

But if there is one piece of bad news for the devil… …

Kwa-Ang! Frequently -!!

… … The prey selected this time was one of the only two exceptions.

– Queeee, Queeherererek-!!

The demon that swallowed the exploding fireball fell to the ground, pouring out copious amounts of blood instead of saliva. There were already a dozen similar corpses scattered around the area.

The woman frowned deeply. She was careful not to get any dirt on her as much as possible. Even though she had been fighting, her whole body was covered in blood. The only consolation she can get is that her naturally red hair doesn’t have asterisks on it.

“Phew… … . Gulp, gulp… … .”

It’s already been a year since I fell into hell.

The Archmage, Melissa, was continuing her journey to fight against the fierce demons.

No, the title ‘Grand Wizard’ no longer suited her. Right now, I was limited to just summoning a single fireball like this. At least this was possible by scraping up all the mana crumbs that had been scattered throughout hell in the past, and when even that was depleted, he was destined to become helpless prey again.

Naturally, efforts were being made to find substitutes. Taking inspiration from the idea of ​​the descendants left behind in the magic tower, I thought about using the devil’s ‘magic energy’ instead of mana. But there was a fatal problem with that idea. If you use ‘magic energy’ raw, even if you do not have a body, your soul will be polluted and you will be possessed by the devil.

Actually, there was a solution to that too. To prevent the body from being possessed, you can use the human body as a buffer. In the same way, to prevent soul possession, you can use the human soul as a buffer.

In other words, if you use the souls of sinners in this hell… … It was possible to control ‘magic energy’ without being possessed by a devil.

“Kuaaaahh …

“Ah, oh no… … Oh no… … . Mommy, Mommy… … .”

“… … .”

But that wasn’t even worth thinking about.

He has already committed an unforgivable sin. He killed countless lives and threatened the fate of the world. As Kadim said, this was a process of atonement by sacrificing one’s whole body. He held up a torch to save innocent criminals, but using those criminals as firewood was absurd nonsense.

The price for wrongly spreading the unquenchable ‘fire’ has long been paid. It’s too late, but now is the time to ignite the right fire.

“Ugh, huff… … . Save me, save me… … . Gulp, gulp… … .”

“Mom, ahhh… … . I’m sick… … Ugh, ugh, ugh… … .”

“… … Even though it smells because of the corpses, it’s better to stay here as long as possible. If we leave here, we’ll face other demons.”

After providing minor relief to suffering sinners, the woman who resembled fire turned her back without hesitation.

There was no hesitation in moving forward. Even when he was alive, he came through a crack and survived for half a century, so he was well versed in the geography of hell. After killing about a dozen more demons and walking for well over half a day, I finally found an arched gateway that could be considered my first destination.

The entrance to the next area of ​​Hell, ‘Golgatha’.

Hell is largely divided into three areas. ‘Gehenna’ with the red flame of sulfur burning, ‘Golgatha’ with the white flame of corruption, and ‘Grimos’ with the black flame of extinction.

Among them, the person she was looking for was likely to be in ‘Golgatha’ or ‘Grimos’. So, after traveling back and forth to Gehenna for several months, targeting only the path with few demons, we finally arrived here.

It was only a taste so far, and it could be said that this is the beginning of full-scale hell. Although I didn’t have a heart, I felt like my soul was pulsing with tension.

Surely… … it would not be easy to find Gale. She might have to spend years on the run from demons, and perhaps even decades searching for her whereabouts. Nevertheless, Melissa entered the gate, vowing never to give up on her old comrade this time.

But my expectations were completely different.

“……uh?”

As soon as she crossed the threshold, she came face to face with a strange object.

Under the hill where pure white flames burn, Shinyoung is clad in even more brilliant whiteness. The original light was strong, so his facial features were blurred, but I couldn’t recognize him.

“… … Ge, Gail? Gail, is that you?”

“[… … .]”

Gentle curves spread through the gaps of blooming brilliance and swaying light.

The man who became ‘light’ opened his lips for the first time.

“[No].”

*

One afternoon, when a sharp breeze was blowing, Kadim calmed his rising spirits and looked at the corpses neatly delivered to the butcher shop called the battlefield, and suddenly thought.

I think we need to end this war soon.

“… … .”

I threw away the empty canteen and swiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.

Nod… … .

A grip stronger than ‘steel’ gripped the hammer handle tightly.