The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 72



Only Krnovel

Episode 72. Every Moment, Every Time (1)

The devil sat on a throne carved out of rock.

He was in a languid posture with his feet stretched out and his forehead resting on his hands on the armrests. A pattern of bright light was drawing gentle waves on the white mask.

Demons do not sleep or dream. Even in such a still state, the demons were not in a light sleep. However, if dreams are defined as sudden lapses into uncontrollable illusions, then perhaps the demons were dreaming just like mortals.

In the dream, the devil was on the pale earth stained with demonic energy. He was one of the lowest beings in the land. As befits his position, he was pleading with his face on the ground, inhaling the light purple dust, and desperately begging someone for his life.

‘Please, spare me… … I, don’t want to die… … Keeee, even if you spare a worthless devil like me, it won’t even be noticeable… … .’

‘… … .’

Standing before the devil was a shadow as vast as Mt. Taishan.

Compared to the truly large high-ranking demons, his physique was actually not that large. However, his overwhelming murderous aura and presence that seemed to cut through flesh made the demons perceive the giant spirit as being much larger than it actually was.

When you raise your gaze, you see deep, dark eyes like the abyss. In her hand was a fierce battle ax, and her face was shaded with blood and darkness. It would have been better to sentence him in some way, such as hitting him with an ax right away or letting him run away, but the giant just stood there, silent as a tree.

It felt like he was buried under a mountain of rocks. He couldn’t even breathe properly because of the pressure. Water and tears came out at the same time. All the devil could do was gasp in fear and wipe his palms clean.

‘Keeeeeek, please save me… … . I’ll do anything… … . Keek, I’ll tell you anything… … . Keek… … I’ll do whatever I can, so please just spare my life… … .’

At that time, the voices of other humans were suddenly heard from beyond.

‘Kadim, where are you! Are you okay!’

‘Kadim! Kadim! Where are you!’

‘Sister Melissa! Quick, cast a tracking spell… … .’

‘Whew, just wait a minute… … . I’m preparing now… … .’

Iron gate – !

The devil’s face turned bright red. This was because the giant who heard that voice put down his battle axe. It seems that they decided that there was no need to go through the trouble of killing such a tiny creature. There was a glimmer of hope, like a ray of light shining through dark clouds.

… … But that was nothing more than a fatal mistake.

‘… … .’

The giant did not turn around. Instead, he came right up to the devil. His empty eyes were filled with madness that was as bloodshot as bloodshot eyes.

He tried to run away, but he was a step too late. The giant grabbed the demon’s head first and opened his mouth wide like a maggot.

‘… … Key, key, key, key!! ‘Oh, no, no, no!’

The demon struggled and struggled as if he was going to die. However, his grip did not budge like a hellish frame. All resistance to survive was in vain, and at the end, dull teeth covered his face.

Kwa-jik!

Vision darkened to dark red.

– … … .

Pain spreading faintly behind the mask.

The old nightmare always ended with such a terrible ending. No matter how much I recalled it, no matter how much I tried to forget it, it was a memory that could not be changed.

But… …the story that was about to be written would be different.

Click, click, click… … .

In the devil’s left hand was a small blue pocket watch. When I held it lightly and shook it, the clock hands spun. At the same time, as if time had been compressed, weeds and flowers grew and bloomed all at once from the stone floor and the crevices of the throne.

The devil shook the clock this time so that the hands would turn in the opposite direction. The things that had grown returned to the form of seeds. This time he shook it so that it would turn a little more. The greenery grew green and quickly withered and blackened. Following the devil’s gesture, the plants withered and bloomed again repeatedly.

The blue pattern on the mask drew a twisted arc.

Growth and death, strength and decline, aging and rejuvenation. The birth, aging, illness, and death of all beings were within this grasp. No longer was he a lowly being. Even the great man could never escape this harsh order of life.

How long have I been looking forward to this moment? The horns that sprouted from the forehead were the legacy of a long period of hatred and patience. I was just thankful that even after so many years had passed, there was still a chance for revenge.

The stage was already set. The appearance of the reactionary figure was imminent. The patterns on the mask emitted a fierce blue light with boiling anger and anticipation.

The high demon, Pebillatus, slowly rose from his rock throne.

*

– Ah, my venerable one! You are worthy of being worshipped by all things… … How could you not be… …? Why, why would I… … treat a human like me… .

Pur – Wow!

The effect of ‘charm’ has ended. Kadim smashed the skeleton demon’s skull before he came to his senses. The hare-lipped demon had been defeated long ago, so all that remained was the translucent female demon.

– Ha, you pulled off a pretty cute trick, you… … . But what should we do from now on? No matter how strong that sword is, it won’t be able to cut me down, right?

That was correct. The ‘evil spirit species’ demons had a spiritual body, so they could not be suppressed through physical means. In order to inflict effective damage, holy laws, magic, holy relics, or new soldiers had to be mobilized.

Coincidentally, Kadim had one of them.

Whoosh whoosh!

– Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

The Hellfire Dagger was originally made by Arch Paladin’s new recruit. The flames that contained Elga’s blessing could even burn spirits. When the blade touched the demon’s dress, it burned and the translucent flesh was blackened.

Grumble, growl – !

Kadim continued to throw his daggers at the demons. Wherever the blades touched, brimstone flames spread. Slowly, the demons engulfed in flames disappeared like ashes, leaving only faint screams behind.

– Aaaah …

All five demons were defeated. Kadim retrieved his daggers and took a quick breather.

“… … Phew.”

I desperately wanted to sit down and rest for a while, but I couldn’t delay any longer. She had already mixed and absorbed a lot of powerful blood, so she didn’t know when the madness would explode.

The harvest from this battle was quite abundant. In just one battle, he obtained three types of powerful high-level demon blood. It was a shame that the woman and the skeleton demon didn’t get blood due to their nature, but I decided not to dwell on it too much. Kadim cut open the flesh of the remaining demons and quickly filled the empty bottles and leather canteens.

Of course, I didn’t forget to recharge the ‘Blood Demon’ with devil’s blood.

Deep – !

It has already been proven how powerful the ‘Blood Demon’s’ slaughter is. Even if it was a high-ranking demon, it would be difficult to save his life if he was hit properly.

However, a slash could not always exert this kind of destructive power. The power of a slash is proportional to the quantity and quality of accumulated blood. This time, it was able to cause powerful damage because it was filled with the blood of a ‘high-level devil’. Since ‘high-level demons’ were not that common, it was impossible to routinely deliver slashes of this magnitude.

‘… … But it doesn’t matter right now.’

Because there were a lot of corpses and blood of ‘high-level demons’ lying around here. Enough to fill all the bottles and canteens and cushion the sword body with blood.

Goo goo goo goo… … .

The ‘blood demon’ was filled with the same red energy as before, and his sword trembled. Kadim swept the sword down as if to appease the will of the sword and tied it around his waist. This slaughter was the only dagger that could cut off the demon’s breath, and it had to be used only at a moment when the enemy could not avoid it.

There was a small hole in the back of the cavity. I followed the lead of that evil demon and entered there. The passage was narrow enough for a goblin to move in and out easily. Kadim bent his back and walked forward as if half-crawling.

As expected, the entire road was covered in a humid magic.

My skin stung, and every time I breathed, a stinging pain came down like an arrowhead was being thrust into my windpipe. The thick magic was too much to bear even with my trained body. However, Kadim drank the magic without hesitation, like a gladiator entering the arena drinking dust.

The passage widened rapidly toward the end. At the end was a huge stone gate. It looks like it was only recently made, but the surface has already corroded and the corners have been chipped due to the demonic energy.

It was finally time to face the being that had brought him here. Kadim took a deep breath and pushed the stone door open with all his might.

Then, as if a dam had collapsed, the magical energy from beyond poured out.

Gugugugugugugugugu… … .

Whoop, the vision turns pitch black.

A state of not feeling anything came over me for a moment. It was as if my brain had turned off all senses, as if I had been thrown into a vast space.

Kadim was not flustered. This was a symptom of being overly consumed by magic. He already knew how to deal with it. He persistently drew the physical form in his mind. Copper-colored skin, thick arms and legs, shoulders and torso, waist, head, toes, weapons in hand, and blood-filled tattoos.

Then, little by little, my five senses recovered, and the scenery of space came into view, as if a light was slowly turning on.

“… … .”

A place as vast as the cavity we passed through before. There wasn’t just a lot of space. With colonnades built side by side, a throne and platform carved out of rock, and strange petroglyphs carved on the ceiling, it was a place that gave off the atmosphere of a blasphemous temple of a secret religion.

And upon the platform where the throne was placed stood the source of all these things.

The build was that of an average adult male. He was dressed in a neat blue suit, a coat, shiny high-quality shoes, and a white mask with blue patterns covering his face. He was carrying only a pocket watch and no weapons, so he didn’t look all that threatening at first glance.

However, the evil magic that was enough to paralyze the senses for a moment, and the three horns growing on its forehead clearly proved its status.

After a moment of silence, the devil slowly descended down the platform. A clear, beautiful voice was added to the sound of his shoes.

– It’s been a while. Honestly, I was surprised. I didn’t know she was still alive. Humans have been living for over 300 years… … . Did he not only drink the blood of a demon, but also the blood of an elf?

“… … .”

– Well, anyway… … I’m glad that temper hasn’t changed. I worked hard to send out demons and spread demonic energy, but I was wondering what if you didn’t get caught. When I think about it now, it was all for naught. I never would have thought that it would come so suddenly, even though it has been less than two months since it arrived… … .

Kadim drew his eyebrows together. Even though it was my first time seeing him, he naturally pretended to know me.

“who are you.”

– … … .

“Why does someone you’ve never met pretend to know?”

The blue pattern drawn on the mask drew a violent wave pattern. The demonic energy that had been pooling at my feet surged up until it reached the ceiling. I clutched my pocket watch tightly, as if to calm my agitation, but the trembling of the pattern did not go away easily.

The devil managed to draw a sharp line on the mask.

– Pevillatus, the demon of birth and old age, and… … He who has a debt to pay you.

Then he held the mask with one hand and slowly took it off.

– … … If I do this, will you know who it is?

“… … .”

Inside was a skinless face.

Empty eye sockets, torn flesh, and exposed cheekbones. Sticky blood and pus flowed from between the torn muscle fibers. The inside of the removed mask was also a mess of dark red scabs and pus.

The devil showed a bizarre smile, revealing his red teeth.

– If I wanted, I could replay as many faces as I wanted. But I didn’t do that on purpose. To persevere no matter how bitter the years of suffering are. To gain transcendent power and reunite with you.

“… … .”

– Hatred towards you… … To not forget ‘at every moment, at every time.’

From what he was saying, it seemed like he had contributed to the situation at the top being like that. But no matter how much he looked back, Kadim couldn’t remember when or where he met that devil. Well, you can’t remember all the meals you’ve eaten in your life, can you?

So, Kadim decided to just respond appropriately.

“I don’t remember, but I’m sorry. I stopped working.”

– … … ?

“Now I will peel off the rest of the skin.”

Pararaeraeraeraerarack – !

A violently spinning axe blade flew at him. The demon stood there as if shocked, then slowly opened his hand.

Woof woof, iron – bang!!

The stagnant demonic energy surged up and became a shield of slime. The ax blade was stuck on the surface, splashing drops of magical energy. As the blade sank deeper and deeper, as if stuck in a swamp, Kadim quickly pulled her manpower to retrieve her salmon.

The demon put his mask back on. The pattern of light was rippling violently like angry waves.

– It’s done now. I was foolish. Since you treated me like an insignificant person and killed me, I should be treated the same way… … .

“… … .”

– That’s the end of the small talk. From now on, in the inescapable cycle of growth and death, learn what true pain and despair are, you insignificant creature.

The demon threw the blue pocket watch into the air. Then, magic gathered around it and it spun around like a saw blade, and soon only one blade remained, and the handle extended outward, forming a shape like a large scythe.

Charrrrrrr – !

The devil held the magic scythe with the clock hanging from its head tightly in his hand. Then he swung it fiercely.

― …

Without any delay, a vast remnant spread out and split the pillars and walls.

Kurrururur… … .

The stone was splitting apart. The walls were cracked, some of the pillars were broken, and some of the dust was mixed into the blackened magi.

That wasn’t the end of it. As the demon swung the scythe handle, the black shadow that had split the wall burst out from the scar and returned to the scythe’s blade.

Write – ―――――――――――――!!

An attack similar to Kadim’s throwing and retrieving salmon. However, its scope and destructive power were incomparable. Four pillars were cut off with a single scythe, leaving a large scar covering half the space.

Kadim furrowed his brow. He had dodged by a hair’s breadth, otherwise he would have been torn in half before he could do anything. In order to land a definite blow from the ‘Vampire’, he had to get as close as possible, but if he were to blast away with such a wide-area attack, it would have been impossible for an average body to do so.

― …

Write – ―――――――――――――!!

I hid behind a pillar to avoid the incoming attacks. For a very short moment, I thought about it layer by layer. And then I quickly came to a conclusion. The longer I dragged my feet here, the more disadvantageous it would be, so I decided to choose a surefire solution, even if the aftereffects were great.

Full doping.

Kadim poured all the blood of the high-level demons he had saved earlier down his throat. Then, he concentrated his mind and even activated ‘Hydra’s Tattoo’.

“… … .”

The red light of the tattoo flickered unsteadily, and the poisonous, hot heat flowed down my esophagus as if I had swallowed freshly erupted lava.

Cardiac output flowing enormously like a flooding river. The blood boiling, burning, and running rampant inside the heart.

Adrenaline poured out of my brain like a waterfall. My muscles swelled like balloons filled with lead. Blood flowed like hot water into my veins. My eyes flashed open, then all the blood vessels burst and turned blood red.

The light warrior prepared to leap out, red steam billowing from his teeth.

“… … Ugh.”

It’s time to hit the high-ranking devil with all his might.