The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 70



Only Krnovel

Episode 70 From now on, kill each other (3)

As the sun set, rose again, and time passed, Duncan realized.

Agon’s Raging Horn was much more sociable than Khadim, at least when we first met him. Thanks to his keen attention and careful consideration, Duncan was able to hear various stories from him while riding with him.

“… … The great warrior of the previous generation disappeared without a trace. It is just a shame that there are not more legends about his life and achievements.”

“Oh, I see. Still, judging by the reputation that has spread so far, I can see that you were truly a great warrior!”

“… … yes.”

“Well, but… … Sir, from whom did you hear this story? You said that there is almost no legend left about the history of Daejeon… … .”

“… … .”

Of course, the response was better than the original Kaddim, but there was no difference in the fact that there were a lot of parts that should not be touched. Whenever Duncan touched that point, he had to try hard to quickly change the subject.

“… … After this expedition is over, I will give the warriors who follow me the name ‘Unyielding Army’. It is named after the legendary army that followed Atala and destroyed the ancient demons.”

“Is that so? Well, what a cool name… … .”

“There’s no need to force yourself to say such things. However, I would really like it if your group of ‘demon slayers’ could join us.”

“Well, uh… … Well, I think so too… … .”

Duncan applied saliva to his dry lips and quickly spoke again.

“Ah, but… … Then, are all the warriors who follow you originally gladiators who were active in the Agon Arena like you?”

“Yes. There are few places where warriors of this caliber can gather, hiding from the eyes of the world. They have been waiting for a suitable battlefield to come, sacrificing their fighting spirit within the narrow bars of the arena.”

“… … .”

“It is still a long way off, but we believe that this expedition will serve as a stepping stone for Atala and the ‘Unstoppable Force’ to eventually spread their fame throughout the continent.”

If someone else had said something like that, I would have dismissed it as delusional nonsense, but he was different. The heavy voice had a mysterious majesty that made you believe that those words would definitely be true. In fact, hasn’t Agon’s Raging Horn himself already risen to a position of fame throughout the Alliance without any background?

A shiver that goes down your spine and makes your spine tingle. Duncan remained silent with his mouth open, not knowing how to react.

‘Those warriors didn’t follow interest for no reason… … .’

Anyway, even as we were talking, the army was steadily moving towards Soltana.

Because the punitive force had already cleared out the area first, there were not many instances of encountering demons or monsters. The rare instances of monsters that had the misfortune of encountering warriors were annihilated without even being able to pick up a single bone.

However, they soon encountered unexpected people.

“… … Perun?”

“Daejeonsa?!”

A one-armed warrior falls to one knee in shock, other Atalan warriors follow suit, and the soldiers of the Disaster Army chatter away like birds in a state of agitation.

“Oh my god, really… … Is it ‘Agon’s Raging Horn’?”

“That’s right! A warrior with horns on his helmet like that… … .”

“Ah, no… … How did a big shot like that end up in a place like this… … .”

It was a group of punitive forces that left first.

The punitive force was a unit that left this army as an advance unit. If the subjugation team had finished suppressing the demons quickly, it would have ended there, but as the damage from the outbreak became more severe, the main unit came as a late unit to provide support.

Agon’s angry horn frowned and gave a questioning look.

“Perun, why are you still here? How did you lose your arm? Where did Tundal go?”

“Well, I… … .”

Perun briefly reported what had happened to the punitive force. After hearing the whole story, Agon’s angry horn furrowed his brows and gave off a ghastly look in his eyes.

“So, he ordered you all to return to the defense line and left to catch the ‘central demon’ alone?”

“Yes that’s right…….”

“Why did you follow such a foolish command? “No matter how great his martial arts skills are, there is no way he could take on that level of evil on his own.”

Perun licked his lips. He then revealed a feat that was still hard to believe even after seeing it with his own two eyes.

“That brother, that is, Brother Kadim… … “He already killed a high-ranking demon on his own without our help.”

“… … .”

“… … “They don’t even download ‘Shinki’ like us.”

The two eyes beneath the horned helmet opened wide.

It was a hard story to believe, but the other subjugation warriors all nodded in the affirmative. The warriors standing behind Agon’s angry horn also trembled and looked at each other in shock.

“Can you swear on the name of Atala that there is not an ounce of falsehood in those words?”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty.”

“… … .”

As Perun swore without a moment’s hesitation, Agon’s angry horns became even more serious. The large warrior strove through his bushy beard, looking deeply distressed.

“… … .”

After a long struggle that left the kneeling warriors’ legs numb and tingling, he finally said this.

“Then, I guess I should go first.”

“……yes?”

“I will go to Soltana first. Even if I can defeat the high-level demons alone, it will be impossible to deal with the ‘central demon’. If I don’t hurry and help, a valuable talent may lose his life.”

“… … .”

“I left some troops behind in Jinji, so you don’t need to worry about them. Is the prognosis for the arm loss okay, Perun?”

“Yes, no big deal.”

“Then I will entrust you with command, so lead all the warriors and follow them to Soltana. I will heal the amputated wound as soon as the subjugation is over.”

“… … I understand, Your Majesty.”

Perun struggled to swallow his objections and agreed.

Agon’s angry horn grabbed the reins and ran as if chasing the enemy general. The magnificent spirit was involuntarily reduced to a distant dust. Because of this, the one-armed warrior who suddenly became the commander did not have the opportunity to resolve two big questions.

One, who on earth is that little guy riding in the backseat?

“Huh? Okay, just a moment, sir, sir, sireeeeee… … .”

“… … .”

Another thing is, if you know anything about the vision you saw.

“… … .”

He still couldn’t forget it. The vision from a few days ago was much more vivid in his mind than the burning sensation that was piercing through the cut surface of his arm right now. Perun closed his eyes tightly and recalled the image from that time.

The image of Khadim proudly holding up the ‘Judgment of Atala’ unfolded vividly before my eyes on the dry wasteland where the earth had split open.

*

At the center of Soltana, beneath the collapsed council chambers, there was a passage leading to a cave.

From the entrance of the cave, a thick, concentrated, liquid-like magic flowed out. The condensed magic, resembling smoke, went up the stairs and headed outside. The cumulonimbus clouds that covered the sky like a mass of ink must have all originated from here.

“… … .”

Kadim took a deep breath and entered the cave.

The concentration of magic was so thick that it was impossible for ordinary people to see or even breathe. In fact, there were corpses that had choked their necks and suffocated. However, Kadim’s lungs, strengthened by the successive battles, were able to easily take in even that poisonous air. However, it was inevitable that his nose and throat would become scratchy.

The cave had a structure that became wider as it went inward. The width, which was barely enough for two or three people to pass through, gradually widened, until it became wide enough for five people to easily pass through, and eventually widened to the point where a group of ogres could pass shoulder to shoulder. Wet footsteps continued to echo in the wide but empty passage.

Kadim furrowed his eyebrows.

It was too grand a place to be considered a secret underground storage room of the office of the chief of police. It seemed like a space that the devil had deliberately created to make his base. As evidence, there were no stalactites or stalagmites in sight, and only a crudely carved stone floor continued.

And since I can sense other demonic energy besides that of the ‘center demon’, there is probably a ‘guardian’ blocking the path in front of me.

The expectations were not wrong. Arriving at a vast cavity at the end of the passage, Kadim was able to encounter the gatekeepers standing guard at the corner of the passage.

Although they were too powerful to be called nothing more than a ‘guardian’.

“… … .”

Ominous eye lights, like starlight signaling a harbinger of disaster, were densely scattered and flickering in the darkness like the night sky. A halo of light mixed with the dark and dense demonic energy and spreading darkly, and an evil intention as hideous as the blade of a guillotine looked directly at Khadim at once.

As the Magi became familiar to my eyes, the faces of the gatekeepers began to appear one by one.

– Hehehe, it’s finally here. A wild dog in the wilderness thinking I was a wolf… … .

A wolf-headed, plate-armored warrior carrying a heavy greatsword with a growling voice as if scraping metal plates. Two horns sprouted from its temples.

– Hahaha, it’s not that big in real life, is it? That little guy killed that many demons? Even that piece of wood that always spouts off annoying nonsense?

A mysterious woman wearing a gorgeous dress that made her body appear translucent. Two horns also sprouted from her temples.

– Fresh food, sweet food, juicy food… … .

– But you must not let your guard down. The author has a strange ability. Remember, our top priority is to extinguish all the sparks that threaten ‘Febillatus’. The moment he dies, everything will go down the drain, so never let your guard down.

– Squeak, squeak, squeak… … .

Beside them stood a monster with entrails extending out of its face like octopus legs, a skeleton wearing a skull mask and holding a skull staff, and even floating eyeballs with dozens of pairs of wings… … Without exception, they all had two horns on their heads.

There were five goalkeepers in total. They were all high-level demons of the same rank as ‘Hydra’, ‘End-Type Demon’, and ‘Wood-Type Demon’.

His temples started to hurt as if a sharp, awl had been stuck in them. Kadim suppressed his exasperated feelings and let out a sneer.

“I had no idea that high-level demons were such a common thing. “Is there a workshop nearby that produces demons?”

The wolf-headed demon straightened up from his slumped body. When he straightened his back, his size was twice that of the giant Khadim.

– Hehehehe, that’s not wrong… … . Pevillatus, if you have that bastard’s power, even a little devil can wear horns overnight. Well, there aren’t many cases where we have the same ‘potential’… … .

– Save your words, Wolf-head! Why are you giving the enemy clues about his power?

– Stay still, skeleton head. Don’t you want to see that dog that came running at you pretending to be brave, only to fall into despair and struggle like a rat?

– … … .

The skeleton wearing the skull mask looked a bit intimidated, but it closed its teeth for now. The wolf’s head fiercely glared at Khadim and bared its fangs.

– Keuhehehe… … Okay, anyway, do you understand what I’m saying? Pebillatus has the power to instantly promote demons. Right now, there are only six of them, including the piece of wood you killed and us… … But by the time the city falls, dozens of higher-level demons will have been born. Then this place will definitely turn into something like a ‘demon realm.’

Kadim gave him a life-threatening look. The demon lifted the tip of his snout.

– Ha, what a nice look. Are you going to rush in right away to stop it?

“… … .”

– Hehehe, actually, I really want to play with you right away. But now there are five demons that you can’t handle, so you won’t be able to fight properly and will be trampled to death. so… … I’ll give you a special chance just this once.

“… … .”

– Leave here immediately. Run away without looking back. And struggle as hard as you can. Fight against petty demons, watch the city fall and the humans crushed, and feel deep despair, resenting your own helplessness. But if you don’t struggle until the end, you’ll be in trouble. When your despair has become most desirable during the years of meaningless resistance, then I will personally visit you and crush your bones and flesh… … .

When the skeleton heard those words, it slammed its staff down and roared in anger.

– What the hell are you talking about! Didn’t you hear what I said? I told you not to let go of anything that threatens Lady Pebillatus, but you’re not chasing after them, but you’re deliberately letting them go!

– Ha, you idiot, how do you think a mere mortal like you could have come this far? If Pebillatus had intended to kill this guy, he would have used his power a long time ago… … .

So the two demons exchanged a sharp argument for a while. The other demons watched across the river as if they were watching. Their attitude was that they had no regard for the small human standing in front of them.

Kadim furrowed his brow and clenched his teeth.

I had expected that there would be difficult difficulties ahead. But this was just too much. Five high-level demons gathered together? This was a combination that you would encounter not in the secret cave under the office of the chief inspector, but in the deepest part of the demon realm.

Even if Kadim was a warrior with superhuman strength, it would be impossible for him to face these demons head-on. At best, he would be able to die with two of them, and even if he was lucky, he wouldn’t be able to take more than four with him on his journey to the afterlife.

In fact, the wolf-headed devil’s offer wasn’t that bad, as he could save his life right now and get a chance to try again later.

But, nevertheless.

Kadim had no intention of accepting the offer.

That’s definitely not the way the Great Warrior of Atala lives.

Kadim did not forget. The devil was never one to negotiate or bargain with. It’s just a being that has to crush the skin, flesh, bones, and internal organs, rip open the arteries, and drink the blood.

He didn’t want to die. He still had unresolved questions and regrets. But if he was going to run away in fear when he met a strong enemy, he wondered what the point of all that was.

furthermore… … There was no chance of winning this fight at all.

While the demons were distracted, he finished his preparations. Kadim swallowed the blood he had poured into his mouth and regulated his breathing. Then he answered in a detached voice, devoid of any emotion.

“No, I will decline.”

– ……what?

“There are so many usable blood bags lying around right in front of us, so we can’t wait for the future.”

A thorny silence.

After a moment, the translucent woman burst into high-pitched laughter. The deaf and blind-eyed demons writhed their entrails and wings menacingly, expressing their discomfort. The skeleton demon’s eyes glowed ominously from above its skull mask.

―――――― Kwa-Ang!!!

Kurrururur… … .

The wolf-headed demon struck down his greatsword with all his might until the entire room rang. Then he looked down at Kadim with a roaring fire.

– I already know that you drink our blood and gain strange abilities. But aren’t you being too reckless and overbearing? There are five of us and you are only one.

“No. At least, not one.”

– … … ?

The moment when suspicion mixed into the wolf’s burning eyes.

Kadim wiped the blood of the demon charmer on the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and sighed.

“… … From now on, kill each other.”