The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 68



Only Krnovel

Episode 68 From now on, kill each other (1)

Beyond the walls of Soltana, the city center has fallen into ruins.

Uldren, the high-ranking battle mage of the Mage Tower, was humiliated. Since I couldn’t say it outwardly, I kept it to myself.

‘Ha, Niimi, I was nervous ever since you said you were going with old people who had been stuck at their desks their whole lives… … .’

‘Battle Mage’ is a position that focuses only on learning battle magic and actual combat instead of theoretical research on magic. They have played an important role as a strategic weapon of the Magic Tower and as a spear to protect allies, such as subduing powerful demons and monsters or responding to military friction at the border.

However, high-ranking battle mages were always dissatisfied. On the surface, the treatment within the Magic Tower was not that bad, but in the end, there was a wall that could not be overcome.

There was a culture in the Magic Tower that valued magical achievements more highly than combat merits. Therefore, no matter how much merit a battle mage made, the only thing he could achieve was ‘Conjurer rank’, and it was virtually impossible for him to be promoted to ‘Sage rank’ and join the ‘Elders’ Council, which was the actual ruling force of the Magic Tower.

That was why Uldren, despite being the most battle-experienced and seasoned wizard, was reduced to an annoying nag rather than a commander. There were three elders higher in rank than him in this high-ranking demon subjugation force.

“[… … Encaris, Invictum!!]”

The moment the black-robed elder finished chanting the spell, the flow of mana was turbulent and metal spheres condensed with powerful power appeared. The spheres stretched out noisily, as if shaking the heavens and earth, and pierced through all the buildings blocking the path.

――――― Kwagwagwagwa, Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwa – !!!

Kurururung, kurururur… … .

Buildings collapsed and were demolished, and a road leading to the center of the city was immediately opened. The elder who cast the spell smiled smugly, while the other two elders gave a disapproving look. The battle mages nearby praised the elder’s magic with pretentious admiration.

But Uldren sighed and tried to dissuade him.

“Elder Delpharus, please refrain from using such loud and conspicuous magic. You may be watched by high-ranking demons and be cursed or possessed by their magic.”

“… … .”

“Also, if you waste mana here, you might run out of mana at a crucial moment later on… … .”

The elder of the Magic Tower, Delpharus, did not hide his displeasure. He cut him off and tapped Uldren’s forehead with his metal staff.

“Uldren, how many years has it been since you entered the Tower?”

“… … Next year I will reach 30 years, Elder.”

“I’m 54 years old this year. This means that even when you were a fledgling without even having a magic stone placed in your heart, I was already a wizard who had reached the peak. But how dare you discipline me like that right now? “Do you think you’ve achieved something by catching some sloppy demons?”

“… … .”

“Don’t forget. Your role in this expedition is that of a hunting dog. A hunting dog that does what its master tells it to do and brings back its prey obediently. Have you ever seen a hunting dog give advice to its master?”

Uldren gritted his molars. It is an undeniable fact that Delpharus is a very outstanding wizard and has left behind brilliant magical achievements. However, studying magic in a closet and dealing with demons were completely different things.

“I apologize for giving you presumptuous advice, Elder. However, the devil… … .”

“If you know it’s presumptuous, don’t do it. I know enough to know what demons are. Hey guys, let’s go! The tower owner is eagerly waiting for you! “We must hurry and rip off the head of the high-ranking devil before it is too late!”

Another elder approached and scolded Delpharus.

“But, why are you embarrassing me in front of everyone, Delparus? But he’s a guy who’s well-respected among the battle mages… … .”

“It’s noisy! He’s a battle mage, and he’s been questioning everything from the moment he first steps out, but those guys need to get their hair fixed early! Otherwise, I want to join the Presbyterian Church later without even knowing my own merits… … .”

Delpharus continued talking loudly until everyone could be heard. Uldren blushed as he looked at the elders ahead of him and his fellow battle mages glancing at him.

‘Fuck you, you old bastard like a goblin… … . No, Goblin X is better. That’s probably the least I can do… … . On the way, you get caught by the devil and get cursed, you bastard who can’t even stand properly… … .’

Even while thinking like that, Uldren diligently recited the spell and spread the curtain of concealment. If the elder was truly cursed by the devil, the punitive force could be annihilated. The fact that the inferiors clean up the mess made by the superiors was no exception even in the Magic Tower where the pitiful seekers of mystery gathered.

But they say that words become seeds.

Uldren opened his eyes wide.

A chilling sensation that tightens your throat and slides down your spine. Indeed, the ‘demon energy’ was approaching this way. He quickly rolled up his sleeves and activated the wide-area protection spell that had already been imprinted on his forearm.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

But it was too late.

The distance wasn’t close enough. A black trail settled on those ahead faster than the protective shield could reach. Uldren suppressed his lament and hastily approached his elder and his companions.

Then his face distorted in embarrassment.

“Ahem? Uldren, why did you grow so tall… … .”

“What, what is this? Why is my body… … .”

“… … .”

The people he knew were not there. There were only children with bewildered expressions.

However, the children were wearing flowing black and red robes that were clearly the clothes of the expedition party. As a seasoned battle mage, Uldren quickly realized the truth.

‘Damn it, was he a devil with this kind of power? … . But wait a minute, where is Delpharus… … .’

“[… … Ilek, Ersio.]”

The moment I raised my head, a sharp ray of light poured down from the sky.

―――― Plop, plop, plop, plop!

Metal spikes fell without mercy like whiplash. They pierced the flesh from the crown to the toes, or tore through the skin and internal organs and buried themselves deep inside the body. The excessively rejuvenated wizards soon collapsed helplessly, looking like hedgehogs covered in spikes.

Uldren quickly reduced his body surface area to avoid instant death. However, he knew that he would not last long as one of his thorns had pierced the back of his head and exited his eye socket. He stared at the source of this disaster with his half-blinded vision.

Delpharus, possessed by a demon.

“[Gh, gh… … All the intruders have been dealt with… … . Ah, ahhh, no… … . G, Thank you, ‘Febillatus’… … . Gh, I will gladly… … .]”

Physical aging usually means a decline in strength, but for wizards, the opposite was true. Even so, the old elder grew older and became a monster whose magical capabilities had reached their peak.

Uldren closed his remaining eye tightly and left a lamentable last words.

“Nimi… … Damn old man… … . The devil said… … Fuck… … Good to hear… … .”

*

Wedge – liquid, squelch, squelch!

The slate-gray blade shot up diagonally, crushing jawbones, breaking teeth, splitting cheekbones, and exiting through temples. Blood streaked the air like a meteor’s tail, and the demon, its face torn and tattered, let out a scream as it fell far away.

-Que hee hee!!

– Quieeeeee, Ju, die, die!

Another demon that was trying to get into the gap was struck with his elbow.

Purge-!

The savage’s elbow, with its strong bones protruding, was almost like a hammer. The bridge of the nose began to sink, and the demon’s entire face caved in, and vitreous mixed with blood poured out of its distorted eye sockets. The demon stumbled and fell over the ramparts, leaving only a faint scream as it gradually faded away.

– Gaaaaaaaaaaaa… … .

“… … .”

On the blood-stained walls of Soltana.

There were already piles of corpses on the walls, both above and below, and along the path Kadim had taken. If the reward for subduing was actually increased based on the number of demons killed, it would seem that the Galentana Council’s coffers would be completely empty.

But the demons and monsters still remained for a long time.

– Crrrrr!!!

– I’ll chew you up! I’ll break your limbs, break your balls, and crunch you up!

Kadim opened his eyes. If possible, I tried to get rid of all of these guys. Anyway, even if you subdue the ‘center demon’, the demons will only disperse here and not disappear. I thought it would be much more efficient to deal with them all at once when they were crowded together.

But there were too many of them. Furthermore, a small number of demons were able to revert their bodies back to youth or evolve into a more powerful period by calling out the name of the ‘Central Demon’.

– Kihihihihihi, the rise and fall of all things are all in the hands of ‘Febillatus’… … .

– ‘Febillatus’! Please grant me that precious power… … !!

“… … .”

This was like scooping out the rushing water with bare hands. Kadim made a decision. The correct order is to kill the ‘center demon’ first and then eliminate these guys.

“… … Please wait here quietly. “I’ll be back soon and cut it for you.”

– Kyaaaaa!!

– The prey is running away!! Catch it!!!

Kadim leapt over the ramparts and into the castle grounds. Several hobgoblins and kobolds, who had been blinded by the demon’s command, followed Kadim without regard for direction.

– Kehehehehehehe!!

-Whewww!!

Monsters that persistently wave their weapons in the air even while falling.

Kadim didn’t even look at them. He only focused on the accelerating acceleration and the approaching ground. Then, when he judged that he was close enough to the ground, he grabbed the handle with both hands and drove the axe blade into the wall, drastically slowing his fall.

Kwagagagagagagagagak – !

Stone fragments bounced around mercilessly, leaving long scars on the castle wall, but Kadim was able to land safely on the ground.

Bang – ! Knock, knock, knock!

The monsters that couldn’t do so mercilessly crashed into the ground, jumped up, and rolled on the floor like boneless meat dolls, or slammed their limbs into the rocks and moaned in pain, clutching the bones that had torn their flesh.

– Keww… … .

Tsk-tsk!

Kadim drove the ax into the bone of a less-dead monster. The sense of digging still sharp. Just in case, Salmon Day turned out just fine. At this point, I was wondering what on earth the ancient dwarves ate to create something like this.

“… … .”

It was not a good time to be lost in idle thoughts. As he looked into the castle, Kadim found traces that were not so pleasant.

There were piles of dead creatures, burned to a crisp, frozen, crushed by rocks, impaled by metal, and so on. It wasn’t hard to guess who had passed before.

‘Damn, the wizards of the Magic Tower came first… … .’

Did I take too much time? What I was worried about finally happened. If wizards hunt down the ‘central demon’ first and take the body, it will be very troublesome to get their blood.

Fortunately, though, it seemed like they hadn’t caught the ‘central devil’ yet. The strong demonic energy that had led him this far was still piercing his flesh like a spear point. Kadim used that unpleasant sensation as an indicator and hurried into the city center of Soltana.

“… … .”

The city had completely forgotten its days of prosperity and peace. Instead of neat brick buildings, the streets were littered with geometrical skeletons and collapsed ruins. Broken walls, shattered debris, shards of gold, and rotting vegetables were all mixed together in a disorderly manner, creating a desolate carpet. The distant cries of monsters and the slow footsteps of savages mingled miserably.

Finding human bodies was not easy. Instead, finding traces of where bodies had been was very easy. Everywhere you looked on the streets, you could find bone fragments and blood stains, like the remains of a dirty meal.

In some places, even the meal was still in progress.

– Sigh!

– Tsk tsk… … .

Parallel, oh – ugh!

– Snap!

Even while running, Kadim steadily brought death to the ratmen who were eating his entrails. The flies that found new prey swarmed him greedily, and the ratmen’s corpses soon turned into a filthy mess covered in black sesame seeds.

How long had I walked around such a black and desolate city? Kadim encountered an absurd trace deep in the city.

“… … .”

The rubble of the demolished buildings lined up as if they had been fired from a cannon.

From the remains, I could sense a turbid magic mixed with many other evils. Not the magic of the devil, but that of the wizard. It was a trace of the energy they themselves called ‘mana’.

It was not an average skill to use magic of this power. He is probably an even stronger wizard than the aide who was killed near Remtana. If the Magic Tower guys had any idea, they wouldn’t have sent a frivolous third-rate magician to hunt down a high-ranking demon.

Still, Kadim stepped into the rubble without hesitation. The road opened by the collapsed buildings led to the center of the city. I could feel the devil’s energy there, so I had no choice but to go down this path.

And in the very center of the city, in front of an abandoned building that was probably the councillor’s residence, Kadim was able to face it.

The corpses of wizards who were mercilessly impaled and torn to pieces. And a wizard who had aged and cracked like a corpse, but whose eyes were as ferocious as a thousand fires.

“[Geueugh, Master Pebillatus… … . Yes, I will gladly… … stop the intruders, the intruders… … . Golkata, Mol, Delgsium… … .]”

A wizard possessed by a devil chanted a spell in a phlegm-filled voice. Shiny metal thorns flickered in the air.

Chi-ing, ching, ching, chii… … .

I liked the idea of ​​going straight into battle without any unnecessary conversation. Kadim smiled bitterly and fired his axe like an old man.

Pararaeraraeraraerarak – !

“[… … Ilek, Ersio!]”

―――――― Wedge, Wedge, Wedge!

Then, to block the rain of metal falling down on him, he immediately activated the power of his newly engraved tattoo.