The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 33



Only Krnovel

Episode 33. Twin Canyons (6)

Helia Munel is the youngest Archpaladin in the Empire.

She hunted twenty demons alone throughout her life. All demons have unique abilities, so you have to use special wisdom to catch them. With each of her demons slain, she learned a lesson each time and took another step toward becoming a great paladin.

But no devil has ever taught me such a poignant lesson.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Warm liquid flowed down from my forehead. One side of my vision was strangely distorted. The other side was also stained red with blood. The pain that made me feel better about dying was eating away at my mind and body. I touched my forehead with a trembling hand, and something cracked and broke apart, sending goosebumps all over my body.

“Aaaaaaa!! Hee hee, hee hee, hee hee… … .”

An Arch Paladin who vowed to live her life carrying the Sword of Extermination, the Shield of Glory, the Armor of Faith, and the Helmet of Truth. But in reality, all she really needed was a very sturdy helmet.

The ax blade split her forehead and shattered her skull, but Helya did not die instantly. Divine resistance, trained body, quick reflexes, etc. Thanks to a combination of factors, the ax blade stopped just before splitting her brain. It was truly something that could only be seen as a miracle from God.

Helia had no time to be grateful to Elga. This was the first time in her life that she had felt such terrible pain. Her faith and belief were covered by the slurry of agony, and there was no trace of them.

“Huh, huh, huh…” … .”

But Arch Paladin was Arch Paladin. Even as his brains were gushing out, he didn’t let go of the hilt of his sword. He was mortally wounded, but so was the demon. He thought he would be unable to recover since his stomach had been pierced and burned to the bone.

‘Now if I go and deal the final blow… … uh?’

Her expectations were completely different.

The damage was clearly significant. There was a large, pitch-black hole in the demon’s abdomen. But the hole was being filled at a rapid pace. The flesh wriggled, repaired, and the scorched scab fell to the floor.

Helia made a blank expression. Kadim responded with a bitter smile.

“Why did you want me to scream like you did?”

A heavy fist hit Helia in the face.

Bboo – Ugh!

My distorted vision flashed and the world spun around. I felt extremely dizzy and nauseous, and my sense of balance was disturbed. Helia spat out blood mixed with broken teeth and barely got up.

“Ugh, demon, demon, you wrathful demon… … !!”

Helia’s subsequent struggles were not motivated by a sense of duty to somehow punish evil. It just comes from personal revenge and greed. The staggering movement and blade made the paladin’s movements look like nothing more than an ugly struggle, not an indomitable resistance.

The condition got worse and worse. The strength of the muscles that had been trained to the limit gradually relaxed. The red spirit that gave him superhuman abilities gradually faded away. The green eyes that were pursuing the mission became as murky as mud.

So he could never stand up to the fully recovered Berserker.

Thud, thud!

Kadim kicked Helia’s breastplate and knocked her down. Only after he gave her another slap in the face did she finally stop her tantrum. He kicked the red longsword away and looked down at the wheezing Arch Paladin.

It was strong. It was definitely a strong opponent. If he had kept fighting without giving up his abdomen, he would probably have been rolling on the floor right now.

however……

“… …Why are you so weak?”

Being strong only means that when compared to the average person.

For an Archpaladin, he was strangely weak.

The Archpaladins he remembered were not at this level. If he had called in hellfire, he would have burned the entire canyon, if he had stabbed him, he would have changed the terrain, and if he had been hit by an ax, he would have just dabbed saliva on the wound and continued the fight. Kadim also had no idea that hitting his forehead with an ax would be the final blow.

‘I thought I had to hit it a dozen times to split it… … .’

The equipment was good, but the overall strength was only at the level of the ‘High Paladin’ of the past. I wondered if it was because he was an inexperienced, immature high-ranking paladin. However, even if that were true, the difference in level from 300 years ago was too great.

Kadim looked at the defeated paladin and asked.

“Are you really the Archpaladin? Or are you just an advance guard and there is a real Archpaladin behind you?”

“Ugh, shut up, you demon! How dare you insult the agent of Elgar! The subject who barely won with the vitality of a cockroach… … “I’m embarrassed to be called the Great Devil!”

“… … Great devil? “What are you talking about?”

“It’s no use playing around! Because I already know what kind of being you are! Ugh, you disgusting guy… … .”

“… … .”

Kadim frowned. I knew he was mentally unstable, but I didn’t know it was to this extent. If he was this fanatic and delusional, it would be best to avoid pointless arguments.

There was no need to raise his voice to have a smooth conversation. He pressed his thumb firmly to the center of Helia’s forehead.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

“No more nonsense from now on. Just answer the questions I ask you.”

“Aaaaaaaaa!! “Aaaaaaaaa!!”

“Of all the Arch Paladins I’ve met, there was none as weak as you. You call me a demon, but those guys were the ones closest to demons. But you’re not even close to their level. Screaming like a little girl after being hit by an axe once? Is that all the discipline these days of Paladins has?”

“Whew, whoosh, hic, ugh, ugh… … .”

“Tell me, is there a real Archpaladin behind you? Or has the level of the Paladins degenerated compared to the past? “If you don’t answer, I’ll give you a chance to see for yourself what’s inside your skull.”

Helia’s shoulders trembled. Despite the creepy threats, the demon’s eyes showed no trace of emotion. Fear took over her and her lips parted as if possessed.

“Ugh, ugh, ‘Decagram’… … .”

“… … ?”

“It’s a special group of the strongest high-ranking paladins among the Arch Paladins… … . You probably met one of them… … . If I had defeated you, I could have become one of them too… … .”

“… … .”

“Now that I am defeated, they will come forward… … . The ten great stars will pursue you… … . Their faith is like the will of Elgar, and their strength is like the incarnation of Elgar… … . When the brilliant starlight shines over the firmament, the darkness of all things will fade, and even the greatest evil will lose its life like a blade of grass… … .”

The more I spoke, the closer it became to a prayer that held onto the self rather than an explanation. Kadim let out a hollow laugh. Oh, so that’s what happened. Now I could see what was going on.

‘The Arch Paladins of the past were gathered separately. Well, with the demons running rampant, the level of the Paladins wouldn’t have declined. This guy who couldn’t join them is closer to the second tier, so to speak… ‘

I looked down at Helia again. The reddish aura was now emitting a very faint light. I heard that the concentration of aura is proportional to the strength of one’s faith, although this is not always the case. It seemed that her faith had weakened considerably in the face of death.

“Oh, hurry and kill me, you evil spirit… … . I am not afraid of death… … . Elga will have prepared a place for me in heaven and is waiting for me… … .”

Is that really true?

He wanted to confirm it right away, but he couldn’t do it yet. Kadim grabbed the paladin’s hair and lifted his head back up.

“Why don’t you ask me more? Have you ever heard the name Gordon? “He is not from this era, but a priest who was part of the Elgar Church a long time ago.”

“… … Gordon? “Gordon?”

“Yes, Gordon Elgarroch. The priest who defeated the great demon of the Demon Realm together with the warrior 300 years ago.”

“… … I don’t know. This is completely new to me. Ugh, defeating the Great Demon? If such a feat had been accomplished, there would have been a statue commemorating it in each temple… … .”

“… … .”

“Huh, huh, and even if you knew, would you tell a demon like you information about the priest of Elgar… … .”

It seemed like he really didn’t know anything. Kadim gritted his molars. I couldn’t believe it, but even the high-ranking paladin didn’t know his name, so did he have his record erased by the church?

At any rate, there seemed to be no further information to dig up. She asked the final question and decided to end the paladin’s life.

Kadim asked. Even in the first round, this is a question I sometimes asked when I met someone steeped in fanaticism. When I asked him normally, there was no particular reaction, but when I asked him right before he died, I got a completely different reaction.

“Your scriptures say that the will of God is so deep and profound that mere mortals can never fathom it.”

“… … That’s right. How about that… … .”

“But how can you be sure that there is a place for you in heaven? That scripture must have been written by humans trying to understand God’s will. “Isn’t it possible that what Elgar truly desires is a faith that will not break even while burning for eternity in the fires of hell?”

Sure enough, as soon as she asked this time, a big ripple appeared on Helia’s face.

“uh……?”

At the same time, the remaining divine energy completely disappeared.

“Hey, wait, wait! Ah, ah, just a little more time to think… … .”

“That cannot be. I pray that you have correctly perceived the will of the gods, Archpaladin.”

“Oh, no… … .”

Tsk – Tsk!

The ax blade struck his head sternly.

This time, even the brain was clearly cut in half. Red and soggy residue of fanaticism flowed from the crushed cross section. The heated body cooled down, and the hellfire burning the wreckage all died down. The protruding eyeballs turned in different directions.

The Arch Paladin’s jade eyes were no longer looking at the god.

*

A soot-blackened scar like the abyss and a floor cracked like hell.

Just by looking at the remains left in the canyon, you could tell how fierce the battle had been, how powerful that paladin had been, and how ridiculously powerful the barbarian who had killed that paladin had been.

“Oh my God, Remillion… … .”

Enrico became dizzy.

It was a great feat to kill a troll by himself. However, a high-ranking paladin had the power to slaughter trolls in units. Killing such a high-ranking paladin meant that Khadim’s power was far beyond what he could have estimated.

At the same time, my eyes turned yellow.

Just a high-ranking paladin invading the border was a significant incident. Worse yet, that high-ranking paladin died in the Alliance Territory? If the rumor spread, the entire continent from east to west would be in an uproar. Enrico had no idea what to do with this situation.

Kadim had no time to consider the situation of the inspector. He had pretended to be fine earlier, but the aftereffects of the stomach piercing still remained. His insides were boiling and he felt nauseous as if his stomach was turning inside out. He knelt down on one knee with a furrowed brow as Duncan approached him.

“N-Nari, are you okay! How does a paladin… … Ooh, wow! Uh, uhh… … Seo, a paladin… … .”

The soldiers who followed the sergeant had similar reactions. They looked at the kneeling barbarian once, then at the split-headed paladin once, and then stopped breathing as if their breath had stopped. Shock, shock seemed to be the only emotion allowed in this canyon.

Duncan finally came to his senses and realized that Kadim’s shirt was completely see-through.

“I’ll be fine…” … Hey, are you okay? If you have been seriously injured by a paladin… … .”

“Okay. “It’s all better now, so don’t worry about it.”

Kadim barely managed to shake off the pain. He crossed the mindless gazes and approached Enrico.

“It looks like the sun will set soon. “Let’s get to Eklo before it’s too late, Councilor.”

“Oh, no… … . That’s not the problem… … My God, Remillion, how do I do this… … .”

“… … Who is Remillion that you’ve been looking for him all this time?”

“Don’t you know that? Lord Remillion united the divided East 250 years ago… … Ah, no! That’s not important! What should I do with this! West, a paladin, a high-ranking paladin died in the alliance territory… … .”

“If you hadn’t killed us, we would have died. “Are you hoping to burn to death quietly in this canyon, Councilor?”

The low-pitched voice had the power to overwhelm the listener. The sergeant’s pupils dilated twice and then contracted. He lowered his head to his feet and spoke in a weak voice.

“Please forgive me for not being able to properly thank you due to the circumstances. Once again, I owe you a great debt. However… … .”

“… … .”

“… … Phew, no. You must be very tired from the continuous fighting. Let’s go back to Eklo and get some rest, and then let’s talk again.”

Kadim glared at Enrico. He was trying to see if he was up to something sinister. But he didn’t see any signs of that. In fact, even if he was up to something, it didn’t seem like it would pose much of a threat…

The Disaster Army followed Enrico’s instructions and recovered the remains of the Holy Knight. The plate armor was so heavy that it could not be carried along with the corpse. After taking off the armor and carrying it separately, I was finally ready to move it.

However, one piece of debris could not even be touched, let alone carried.

Hwaruk – !

“Ahh!”

“Eww! It’s hot!”

Archpaladin’s new recruit, ‘Flame of Gehenna’.

Just like the conscripts, the new recruits could only be touched by the knights who had been given the weapons. The new recruits resisted the touch of the soldiers with fierce hellfire. Even soldiers wearing thick cotton gloves over their iron gloves had difficulty grasping them.

Kadim watched the scene carefully.

The power of that red longsword was certainly impressive. The performance it showed was enough to be rated as epic. It would have been even more powerful if it had been wielded by the Arch Paladins, who were probably the ‘Decagrams’. As a warrior, I could not tolerate leaving such a weapon behind.

The problem was that the new recruits’ rejection reaction was too strong.

The fire was so strong that even indirect contact with it was unbearable. It would be okay to drink Hydra’s blood, but it was not always possible to drink demon blood. And there was not much blood left.

Kadim was lost in thought. How can I use that weapon? I think it would be possible to make a heat-resistant handle and weaken the power of the rejection reaction… … .

After much thought, a not-so-bad idea occurred to me.

‘The buff given by Hydra’s blood… … is there still some left?’

Anyway, you have to lose money to make ends meet. There was nothing to lose even if I failed. Kadim approached the soldiers pacing around with a puzzled look on their faces.

“Go away. “I’ll take care of that sword.”