The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 32



Only Krnovel

Episode 32. Twin Canyon (5)

The standoff in front of the flames continued for a long time.

Helia glared at Enrico. Despite his hair being singed and his clothes being scorched, the commissioner showed no sign of backing down. He was confident that he would not be harmed. She bit her lower lip hard.

I had a headache. I thought he was just a rich guy with a private army, but I never thought he was a counselor in this area. His behavior was poor, and the number of his soldiers was so small that it was difficult to guess.

‘If it were someone else, you could just burn them and silence them. But it’s not easy for a counselor to do that… … .’

Those ragtag remnants who followed the councilor were not the problem. The real problem is the council behind the scenes.

If a council member suffers a misfortune, his or her council committee steps in and thoroughly investigates the cause-and-effect relationship. If it was the result of an internal political struggle, it could have been buried, but it was different if it was caused by an external cause. If the culprit was revealed to be a Holy Knight of the Empire, it would not end up simply causing diplomatic friction.

‘They will most likely demand a huge amount of compensation or interest from the empire. The probability that His Majesty the Emperor will accept it is not high. Then, a war could really break out between the empire and the alliance… … .’

The Lucaonia Empire is the world’s greatest power, and the influence of the Elgar Cult extends across the entire continent. However, that does not mean that a single paladin can arbitrarily start a war.

Extreme solutions had to be avoided whenever possible. Helia extinguished her flames a little and muffled her brains.

“Stand aside, Inspector. I am now carrying out the will of Elgar, the guide of the stern light. The identity of the author standing behind you is an extremely evil demon who murdered innocent knights and escaped. If you will step aside quietly and help detain the demon, I will leave as soon as I have completed my duty.”

Enrico looked away in surprise.

The savage’s face was as hard as a stone, but he was not particularly agitated. On the other hand, the Holy Knight’s eyes were shining with excessively intense emotions. Time passed as I looked at both sides in turn and thought about it.

At the end of the debate, Enrico made up his mind. He asked the knight in a sharp tone.

“Do you have any evidence? Something like an arrest warrant or a court order with the church’s seal, detailing the name of the criminal, his description, and the charges against him.”

“… … There is no such thing because we captured the evidence and immediately began tracking it down. However, we will deliver the appropriate documents to the temple through follow-up procedures… … .”

“Then how can you expect me to believe what you say? He is the benefactor who saved my soldiers from being annihilated. Are you telling me to commit the heinous act of selling out his benefactor based on your words alone, without any solid evidence?”

“… … .”

Helia was truly embarrassed.

Why is the sergeant defending the demon? He saved the soldiers who were almost killed? Does it make sense that this cruel demon saved people’s lives?

In confusion, she slowly closed her eyes. The shaking green jade eyes disappeared behind the stiff eyelids.

I had no idea what happened before and after. Still, if the counselor came out like that, there was no answer. In any case, this is alliance territory and he has trespassed without permission. Even if he successfully defeated the evil spirit and returned to the church, he was more likely to be criticized for his careless behavior than to be punished for his merits.

‘Then I guess I have no choice but to step aside for now and come back after I’ve finished preparing… … .’

But is that really what Elgar meant?

What Elgar wants is to be entangled in trivial human affairs and retreat in the face of such a dangerous evil?

No, that couldn’t have been possible.

“… … !”

At that moment, my mind trembled as if struck by lightning.

The darkened vision cleared up. The dark clouds of worry and concern cleared away. The eternal snow-like afflictions and mental demons melted away. Only the noble faith and mission shone brightly like the noonday sun.

Finally, everything became clear. Why did the evil spirit save people’s lives, why did the councilor protect the evil spirit, and why did no one cooperate with him? I almost fell for a cunning trick and turned around just moments away from accomplishing my mission.

‘No more… … I will not play along with the devil’s will.’

Helia made a twisted sneer. She then thrust her new recruit, the ‘Flame of Gehenna’, towards Enrico.

“How ridiculous, you possessed servant. I know that what you just said was not of your own free will.”

“… … hmm?”

“Don’t worry. The fire of this new recruit is a flame of purification. If you offer your life as a burnt offering, your sins of being a servant of the evil spirits will be completely washed away… … .”

Kugugugung, quarrrrrrr – !!!

A sudden loud noise interrupted the paladin’s words.

The source of the noise was in front. The paladin stopped swinging his sword and raised his head. Everyone’s gaze turned to him. Surprisingly, the back road that had been blocked seemed to be somewhat open.

Kadim used a tree as a lever to clear the burning wreckage. He threw down a large tree and said:

“Counselor, lead the soldiers and get out of the canyon first. “I will kill that paladin and follow him.”

“What, what? You just said you were going to kill the paladin?”

“Yeah, that bitch is crazy. Perhaps the flames of fanaticism have completely burned my brain. “Since we can’t communicate, the only solution is to split the head and cool off the heat.”

Enrico was speechless and stared blankly. A fierce fire blazed in Helia’s eyes.

“How dare you play carelessly with that dirty tongue! “Did you think I was going to just let those below me out?”

He drew back the long sword filled with hellfire. It was intended to burn all the fleeing soldiers by swinging the flame in a long trajectory.

However, the attempt was blocked by a flying ax blade.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

“Ugh!”

The heavy impact of hitting the blade caused Helia to stumble backwards. The violent aftereffects spread through her sword body and pierced her wrist. If she hadn’t been wearing her shoes, her wrist might have been broken in the attack just now.

I adjusted the hilt of my sword and looked at the demon. A blood-red aura was swirling in her emotionless eyes. The muscles of his ferocious body were seen writhing and expanding even further.

‘You’re showing your true colors right away. He seems like a treacherous guy… … .’

The others had already mostly left. We would wipe out the remaining group later. We decided to focus on eliminating the evil spirits first. We placed one hand on our chest and prayed quietly.

‘Elgashi, give me the strength to stand against that mighty demon.’

The red flame-like divine energy burned even more fiercely. A power far beyond that of an ordinary human filled his entire body.

Kuoooo… … .

The time of judgment has finally arrived.

*

Kadim has completed his general understanding of the paladins.

He has a cunning side, but is also overly reckless. His mind is so damaged that he cannot tell right from wrong, and he does not seem to have much experience. However, the equipment he possesses is definitely worthy of the level of an Arch Paladin.

‘The armor seems to be special as it does not melt or scorch in hellfire… … That red sword he’s holding must be a divine weapon.’

Unlike the ‘holy weapon’ blessed by Elgar’s priest, ‘New Weapon’ is a weapon blessed by Elgar himself. Both in terms of symbolism and power, it is different from the axis weapon. Even the weakest ones are unique, and generally have epic or better performance.

As expected, the power of the new soldier was unprecedented.

――――Whirruk, hurruk, hurruruk!!

As Helia swung her longsword, fierce hellfire adorned the air. The afterimage of the flames that remained along the blade’s trajectory seemed to burn the air as fuel. Even though I avoided it with time, I could still feel the heat that was piercing my skin.

The range of the hellfire was several times longer than the sword body. You can’t have a sword fight with your sword in flames. Kadim lowered himself and tried to close the distance as much as possible.

However, Helia, who had sensed the situation, took the initiative to stop it.

“Where!”

Bang – !

He slammed the burning blade down on the ground. The moisture evaporated, and a pillar of fire rose at my feet. Rising flames surrounded the area and blocked access from all directions.

――――Whrrrrrrrr – !!

There was no room to dig in. Kadim quickly pulled away before he was caught in the flames. Helia twisted her lips. She pulled the blade out of the ground and raised it toward the sky this time.

Then the head of the fire broke down. The pillar of fire quickly transformed into a wave of flames and swept all around with menacing force.

―――――――― Kwarrrrrr… … .

Kadim didn’t just pull away. As he stepped back, he retrieved the axe he had thrown earlier. As soon as he grabbed the handle, he aimed at the target, built up his strength, and then he threw it by sharply rotating his wrist.

Pararaeraraek, tae-ang!

The target was hit. The sparks exploded, causing the paladin’s longsword to sway and shake. The waves of flame scattered like an army that had lost its commander. The afterimage of the flames that had been hovering in the air also faded away. Helia glared at Khadim fiercely, gritting her teeth.

Meanwhile, Kadim made up his mind.

‘From now on, I guess I’ll just have to fight and accept that I’ll get ripe.’

I wanted to avoid being burned by that hellfire as much as possible. Previously, I had suffered death only because of the wounds left by the disease. Even more so, if a new soldier were to be injured, he would not suffer any worse side effects.

However, the flames were too wide. Trying to avoid them all and catch the paladin was basically like trying to swim without getting wet. If you wanted to get close and grab the paladin’s throat, you would have to get covered in flames anyway.

‘Because I drank that devil’s blood, everything will work out… … .’

Kadim kicked the ground and rushed forward. Helia sneered. This time, she tried to block his approach by swinging the flames that had bloomed on her sword fiercely.

Grumbling –

The check failed. Kadim did not avoid the flames. He raised his forearms and charged forward. Helia’s eyes shook dangerously.

“what… … !”

Phew – Yeah!

The mosquito’s blade extended sharply. Helia reflexively bent down. The blow aimed at the throat unfortunately failed to draw blood from the enemy.

Whoosh, tang, tae-ah!

Without giving him time to prepare, Kadim swung his sword aiming for a gap in the armor. Helia quickly pulled her longsword inward to block the attack. The corners of her eyes were trembling with excitement that she could not hide.

“Oh, what happened… … . How can you be covered in hellfire and still be fine… … .”

Kadim smiled bitterly inwardly.

It wasn’t really that I was completely fine. The skin on my arm that had blocked the fire was burnt and the muscles were cooked. However, the affected area soon regenerated and I was able to endure it.

‘The fact that the snake’s head has evolved to regenerate even when burned is an unexpected help.’

The regenerative effect gained by drinking Hydra’s blood. The devil’s assertion that he would be fine even if he were to suffer the karma of hell was not an empty promise.

However, it did not completely block the effects of fire or give immunity to pain. If it was burned too much, it would take time to recover. Kadim continued the fight, being careful not to get burned as much as possible even after approaching.

“… … .”

Helia also seemed to realize this soon. She focused her firepower on the range where the long stretch of hellfire could reach the sword. However, every time she blew out the flames, Kadim exquisitely blocked and evaded the sword path, and the attacks failed every time.

In the end, the battle turned into a close-quarters battle aimed at disarming and finding the opponent’s vital points.

Blades clashing together, sparks flying as the sword body is scraped, taking a step back and then quickly advancing two steps, slashes that cut several times in a split second, counterattacks, dodges that break the sword force, and a struggle of crushing power.

Chae-Ang, Chae-Ang, Kigigigik, roar!

The fierce battle continued for quite a long time, but you could tell even if you just watched a little.

It was an unfair fight.

The difference in equipment was too big. Unlike Archpaladin, who was covered in plate armor, Khadim’s entire body was an effective target. The Mosquito was not a bad sword by any means, but it was not enough to compete with the new soldier’s power. The reason why the fight was on equal footing so far was entirely thanks to Kadim’s extremely excellent fighting sense.

But that too was reaching its limits.

Arch Paladin’s skill was also not bad. The mosquito, which had accumulated heat and metal fatigue, emitted a dangerous sound. Small burns and lacerations appeared on Kadim’s body and were repaired. In addition, while the demon’s blood was gradually weakening, Elga’s divine power was rather more intense.

Kadim’s mouth tightened. It’s like fucking Elgar. I thought that the buff becoming stronger over time was a foul. If things continued like this, it was obvious that their buff would run out first and they would lose.

‘… … ‘I guess I’ll have to resort to desperate measures.’

Helia, who had gained the upper hand, pushed Kadim back and waited for an opportunity to strike a decisive blow. At that moment, Kadim deliberately loosened his grip on the hilt of the Mosquito’s sword.

Helia did not miss the opportunity. Like a soaring hawk, she swiftly raised her sword and struck diagonally. Clink, a metallic sound pierced her eardrums and her mosquito left Kadim’s hand and flew away from her.

The blade dug in like a flash, as if it had been waiting.

Boom, growl – !

The red blade pierced Kadim’s abdomen. The blazing flames burned flesh and organs from within. Helia let out an evil laugh as she saw her grim face contorted in pain.

“You let your guard down, demon. Even the most powerful of evil spirits cannot escape the stern judgment of light… … It is finally time to atone for your deep, dark sins.”

Kadim did not respond to the taunt. He simply held the new recruit with his hand, making sure he could not pull him out. The leather on his palm sizzled and melted, but he paid no attention.

“… … Do you know what the most common mistakes inexperienced, arrogant, reckless, and naive paladins make?”

Helia’s golden eyebrows twitched.

I suddenly got chills. An ominous feeling wrapped around the back of my neck. First, I put away my weapon and tried to take a step back. However, the blade did not budge as if it was stuck in a gap in a rock the size of Mount Tai.

Kadim pushed his blade deeper and advanced. A huge shadow covered Helia’s face, casting a dark shadow. The berserker only spoke the truth when he reached the paladin’s face.

“It is the most important piece of defensive equipment: not wearing a helmet.”

Then he took out the axe he had hidden and struck down the enemy like a thunderbolt.

Ugh – Ugh!

The red flame scattered, and the forehead of the Arch Paladin, filled with the heat of fanaticism, split in two.