The Berserker’s Second Playthrough Novel - Chapter 107

Chapter 107
Chapter: 107

Chapter Title: Judgment of Atala (10)

—

A bolt of brilliant radiance tore through the atmosphere in a heartbeat, etching a glowing trail across the vision of the onlookers. The violent surge of electricity focused directly in front of the one-armed fighter’s face.

Flash—!

A blinding sapphire spark erupted first. Perun attempted to parry with his hook, but the metal was useless against the force of the heavens. An explosion of crackling sparks followed, and only after the fighter was sent flying backward did the guttural roar of the thunderclap reach the air.

💥 THUNDERCLAP! 💥
――――――――― Kraka-ka-ka, Kraka-ka-BOOM—!!!

When the echoes died down, Perun let out a pained groan from the dirt where he had landed.

“Hahk… Ngh…”

Crackle—

Charred marks stained his flesh in patches, and burst capillaries left jagged red patterns like the veins of a leaf across his body. Static electricity flickered over his blackened hook. The crowd watched in awe at the weapon’s ferocity, as if the storm itself had taken physical form.

Perun clenched his teeth and, pushing up on shaky knees, forced himself to stand once more.

“In that short time… yet another… new tool you’ve honed… Terrifying strength… What do… you call… that holy weapon…?”

A flat response came back.

“‘Thunderbolt’.”

A title that imbued the weapon with the ‘Lightning Strike’ property—a devastating electrical attribute. Just the day before, Kadim had utilized The One Who Sharpens Names to grant this power to the throwing axe. It had been transformed into a literal projectile of lightning.

Furthermore, renaming the tool did not strip away its ‘Return’ capability.

Kadim extended his hand, summoned the axe back, and immediately launched it a second time.

💥 THUNDERCLAP! 💥
――――――――― Crackle-crackle-crackle—!

Flash—!
An unsettling, flickering strobe. Perun barely managed a defense, but he was smashed all the way into the arena’s outer wall, his guard proving futile. Only after the current bled away and the air grew thick with dust did the angry cry of the thunder follow.

💥 THUNDERCLAP! 💥
――――――――― Kraka-ka-ka, Kraka-ka-BOOM—!!!

A returning strike of lightning. It is said the storm never hits the same place only once.

Gasps of terror and wonder spread through the audience.

“M-My god…”

“H-Heavens, Remillion…”

The crowd couldn’t understand how a man without magic could command such forces. But they were certain of one thing: after enduring those savage jolts of lightning in a row, the ‘Unyielding Warrior’ surely had to be a scorched husk, dead on the ground.

That assumption was shattered.

Despite being slammed brutally into the barrier with his skin blackened and smoking, the combatant did not stay down. Instead, he let out a thin trail of vapor through his teeth, his eyes burning with more intensity than ever.

“Hoo…”

Sizzle, pop—!

By all rights, he should have been paralyzed. His sinews should have been fried and useless. Yet Perun remained defiant. Summoning a willpower that went beyond physical limits, he stood tall and took a determined step forward.

He lived up to the name he had earned in the blood of the pits. He was the ‘Unyielding Warrior’.

“A magnificent… strike… Great Warrior… I attempted to stop it… but it feels… as though… I failed… Even so… I can… continue…”

To Kadim, this was nothing more than stubborn arrogance. He looked at the broken man with a freezing gaze.

“You are being foolish. Your weapons are gone and you can barely form words. How do you expect to carry on? Drop this futile act and concede.”

“I… cannot… I stopped… fearing the struggle… when I gave… my arm… Even if my life… is the price… I will never… give up.”

Perun lifted his shivering, cracked hook. Kadim narrowed his eyes as a thought occurred to him.

“Why did you not call upon ‘Atala’s Sacred Artifact’ earlier? You would have struggled with the consequences, but you might have survived for the moment.”

“That strength… is for the War God to… strike the unclean… How could I… turn that power… against His own Great Warrior…? I would have… no honor… when I face Atala…”

Kadim let out a dry, mirthless laugh. Even facing certain death, the man refused to be shamed before his god…

It was a terrifying level of devotion. It made Kadim feel a pang of guilt to be addressed as ‘Great Warrior’ when he possessed no such piety. Still, he would not grant mercy simply because he was impressed. Had this man not pledged his life to a fraud?

Whoosh—whoosh, whing, whing, thunk!

Kadim tightened his grip on Thunderbolt and gave one final notice.

“A single additional strike from this axe will end your life. There is no doubt.”

“…”

“If your wish is to die like a stray in this pathetic pit, then stand there and take it. But if you want your end to hold any value, use every bit of your talent to avoid it.”

He wasn’t bluffing. The muscles in his arm coiled like springs, ready to release the axe.

Yet Perun showed neither dread nor doubt.

A faint, ghostly smile touched his lips instead.

“A pathetic arena… even so… I have no regrets… The most formidable opponent… of my existence…”

“…”

“For a… low-born fighter… to duel the Great Warrior… is the highest… pride… We gave… our all… Please… do not hold back…”

The fighter’s eyes, settled on his own demise, shone like stars in a dark wasteland.

The Great Warrior, acting as the hand of the War God, accepted that resolve.

He threw the axe with the weight of a final sentence.

Scree—slash!

There was no electrical explosion this time.

The axe hummed through the air, nothing but a cold, rotating edge of steel.

Whirrrrrring, schiiing!

The force was still monumental, but Perun managed to intercept the final blow. His heavy hook shattered into pieces, and the edge of the axe sliced deep across his brow, sending him spinning to the ground—but he had survived the contact.

Whoosh—whoosh, whing, whing, thunk!

Kadim drew the axe back and walked toward the fallen man. Blood poured from the warrior as he lay there, his eyes wide with confusion as to why he still drew breath.

“…’Thunderbolt’ can only hold its charge for two strikes. After that, it needs half a day to recover its power.”

That was not the answer the man wanted. In a rasping voice, Perun whispered,

“Why… did you… let me… live…?”

Kadim looked up at the far-off horizon and spoke with measured words.

“Choosing to follow a pretender was your failing. However… this place is far too miserable a grave for a warrior who does not fear death.”

“…”

Kadim contemplated the man.

He had been stubborn to the point of insanity, and for that, he deserved to die.

But he couldn’t be judged only by his mistakes.

The way he had sacrificed his own limb to live, his refusal to quit despite his handicap, and his unwavering spirit in the face of the end—that life was something a Great Warrior had to respect. This den of filth was no place for such a soul to rest.

So, Kadim chose a different path. He would spare him—for now.

He used the same method that had brought Duncan back from the brink.

Slice—slash, slice—slash, slice—slash!

Kadim pulled the hilt of Blood Ghost and cut into his own arm repeatedly. As the flesh opened, the Hydra tattoo began to knit the skin and muscle back together instantly. The red steel drank its master’s life and offered the vitality back.

Kadim wasn’t giving this away for free. He had a purpose for this man.

“…This isn’t a reward for your service. You said the journey back was too arduous? A man who has traveled a long path once is capable of doing it again.”

“…”

“Go back to the road. Seek out a war that is worthy of your steel. Hunt down monsters and shadows, and keep fighting. Die on a mountain of your enemies in a sea of blood, with your spirit still burning. And when you finally stand before Atala in the heavens… give that bastard a strike for me.”

“…”

“That is the task I give you in exchange for this second chance at life.”

If a warrior like this continued to grow, he might actually be able to wound Atala one day.

The lightning-scarred flesh mended completely. Perun stared in shock. Understanding the magnitude of the grace he had been shown, he scrambled up, dropped to his knees, and struck his chest in salute.

“My flesh is your blade, my spirit is your axe. I swear upon the hilt of Atala to complete the task you have set, no matter the cost, Great Warrior…!”

“…”

Unbelievable—he had been told to strike the god, yet he swore on the god’s name.

Hiding a dry smirk, Kadim gave a short nod. Overwhelmed by the moment, Perun’s shoulders shook slightly. Sunlight broke through the clouds, and a golden dust devil, reminiscent of the desert winds, swirled between the two men.

Meanwhile, the arena seats were frozen in silence.

“”…””

The crowd couldn’t process what they were seeing on the sand. They could only stare at the succession of miracles happening before them.

Then, the shock turned into irritation.

“What is this! Why save him after beating him?!”

That one shout opened the floodgates. The spectators who had paid for blood, the drunks, and the gamblers who had lost money on the Demon Slayer all began to howl in protest.

“Exactly! If you win, finish it! What are you playing at, Demon Slayer?!”

“Is he being soft because they’re both barbarians?! Don’t try to act holy now!”

“Evil magic! The Demon Slayer used dark arts to bring back the dead!”

“The whole thing is a scam! A fix! This fight was rigged! Give us our gold!”

“Boo! Boo! Boo!!”

It didn’t matter how great the display was; this wasn’t the ending they demanded. A gladiator’s first defeat was supposed to end in gore. The chanting began to synchronize into a single, ugly demand.

“”Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!””

Even those who were originally silent joined in. The voices of reason were drowned out. Thousands of eyes burned with bloodlust and spite.

“He was brought back by darkness! He can’t stay alive!”

“The gods will be angry! Kill him again, Demon Slayer!!”

“”Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!””

The roar was deafening, shaking the very foundations of the stadium. The crowd was on the verge of a riot; not even the Arena King could stop it without a massacre.

Kadim, however, silenced the mob without touching a single person.

He threw his axe directly at the audience.

Whirrrrrring—

“…Guh!”

“Ughk!”

“Gaaah!!”

The wind of the passing weapon made the front rows dive for cover. But the axe didn’t hit any people; it flew straight for the massive gong that signaled the start of rounds.

💥 GONG SHATTERED! 💥
――――― Clang—CRASH!!!

The brass gong exploded, releasing a sound so piercing it felt like a physical blow. People clutched their ears and recoiled. The screaming stopped instantly.

Kadim called Thunderbolt back and drove Blood Ghost deep into the earth.

Thud—!

“If anyone is unhappy with my verdict, come down and take this sword. I will give you the chance to strike me down and then finish this warrior yourself.”

“”…””

Once again, the arena went deathly quiet.

Not a single voice spoke up.

Out of the tens of thousands in the stands, not one person moved.

The laws of the wilderness forbade taking a life unless you were ready to lose your own. Combined, the courage of the entire crowd didn’t equal that of a single Atalan fighter.

Kadim gave the cowards a look of pure disdain and turned his back on them.

The bloodthirsty eyes of the crowd lost their fire, staring blankly at the ground like dead fish.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
‘However… this place is far too miserable a grave for a warrior who does not fear death.’

The second those words reached him, Perun saw it.

It was the exact same vision from the day he had lost his limb.

In the middle of a vast plain, Kadim stood against the sun. The desert winds blew around him like a royal cloak, and his few tattoos shone like polished steel. The lightning axe and the blood-soaked sword in his hands cried out for the blood of his enemies.

His instincts had been correct. The truth of Kadim’s nature was burned into his mind.

He was Atala’s true representative, the one carrying out the War God’s decree on the world. The savior meant to purge evil and lead them into an eternity of battle.

I will die by the hand of this great man.

A rush of excitement filled his heart, a tremor of joy in his muscles. But it vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a suffocating dread. Perun remembered how the vision ended.

Just as he thought, the warrior’s arm began to split, revealing raw muscle just like in his dream.

Slice—slash!

Perun turned pale.

But wait—it wasn’t there. The terrifying horror that could stop a heart with a glance didn’t appear. The exposed flesh was simply what Kadim had done to himself.

‘…?’

Confused, Perun soon realized that Kadim was using his own lifeblood to restore him.

The vision had been a message, but not the one he expected. The Great Warrior wasn’t a bringer of doom, but a merciful leader who would give even a traitor a second chance.

‘Die on a mountain of your enemies in a sea of blood, with your spirit still burning.’

He had been given a new life from the Great Warrior’s own body. Despite his crimes, he had been granted the path to a glorious death. He felt a wave of gratitude that he couldn’t put into words. He had to pay back this debt. Even if the world ended, he would finish his mission.

Without a second thought, Perun went to the Indomitable Legion’s camp.

“I am leaving this place,” he declared.

The Atalan warriors stood with their weapons ready, and in the center sat the massive man with the piercing gaze.

Agon’s Furious Horn looked at him with a dark scowl.

“…What is this, Perun? What happened to the duel? And the weapons I gave you?”

“I have no excuses. I lost, and the holy weapons are gone. They were taken by the wrong hands and returned to the one who hones… perhaps the Great Father of the Wastes planned it this way, Goltaran.”

A vein throbbed on Goltaran’s forehead.

The words were sharp and disrespectful. Perun hadn’t even addressed him as ‘Great Warrior’.

“What… are you saying, Perun.”

“I think you understand exactly what I mean, Goltaran.”

“…”

“…I thank you for what you gave me. But I cannot follow a fake any longer. I am going to finish the task the ‘Great Warrior’ gave me.”

Perun turned around and walked away without looking back.

In an instant, one of his most loyal men was gone.

A chilling silence took over the camp. No one was brave enough to stop him. The other warriors eventually looked at their leader.

“…”

Agon’s Furious Horn stared with blood-red eyes at the path where the one-armed man had disappeared…

Bang—!

…before slamming his helmet into the dirt and covering his face, his fingers digging into his skin.