The Berserker’s Second Playthrough Novel - Chapter 54

Chapter 54
## Chapter 54: Tongue, Teeth, and Jaw (2)

The further they pressed into the heart of the woods, the more violent the opposition became.

“S-Shield Lady Mesetis!”

“Defend Lady Mesetis!!”

— Krrrk! Krrrrk!

— Vreeee!

Barbed beetles dripping with toxins, infantrymen fused with insectoid parts, and now even clouds of massive flies the size of raptors. A tidal wave of abominations and thralls threw themselves at him with reckless abandon, fueled by a singular, obsessive purpose to safeguard their demon mistress.

Kadim dispatched them with effortless precision.

He clamped the jaws of the barbed beetles together, making them choke on their own corrosive fluids. He slung his axe, clearing paths through pairs and trios of soldiers in a single arc. The irritating flies were incinerated mid-air by a well-placed throwing dagger. Even the minor nicks he sustained were instantly mended by the vampiric properties of Mosquito.

There was no necessity to consume the lesser demon blood he carried or awaken the latent strength of his tattoo. No matter how frantically this rabble fought, they posed no real threat to him.

Creeeak-crunch!

“Gaaahhh!”

Yet, as he carved through the ranks of minions, a sudden thought struck him.

‘…Mesetis?’

Hydra had been a unique case, titled by the band of heroes—demons typically only secured a true name upon sprouting a third horn. Servants of named demons could usually call upon their liege’s title to receive intermittent power boosts, similar to how the holy knights of Elga invoked their deity.

However, these underlings displayed no such phenomenon. They shrieked her name out of sheer habit, but their martial prowess remained stagnant.

He knit his brows in contemplation for a moment before reaching a logical deduction.

‘She is merely a lesser demon, yet she has presumptuously named herself, convinced she will grow a third horn at any moment.’

A dry, mirthless laugh bubbled up within him.

It was the height of conceit. That demon would never possess a legitimate name, nor would she ever feast on enough agony and hopelessness to earn her third horn.

Because today, her life would end.

“We must safeguard Lady Mesetis!!!”

“We must safeguard Lady Mesetis… Gaaahhh!”

— Krrrrk!!

Creeeak-crunch!

As if sensing his disdain, the infantry and insects charged with a desperate, frantic energy. Kadim refused to be baited. Like a practiced butcher processing livestock, he methodically dismantled his enemies one after another. He used the thickening wall of resistance as a compass, driving himself toward the demon’s location.

Painting the moss-covered ground a deep scarlet as he advanced, he eventually located her.

Underneath a shimmering rain of pink luminescence, seated upon a gargantuan tree stump that served as a throne: a woman of striking beauty with two horns, radiating a nauseatingly pungent odor.

She pulverized a squirming larva between her thumb and forefinger before opening her mouth to speak.

“You have managed to arrive here already. I was just preparing to seek you out, my—”

The demon’s sentence was cut short. A spinning gale of sharpened steel severed her words.

Whirrr-slash, crack!

He had aimed for her skull, but a limbless thrall threw itself upward to intercept the strike. Kadim calmly utilized magnetic attraction to pull his axe back and launched it once more. This time, a massive moth plummeted into the weapon’s trajectory. The suicidal minions continued to act as living shields for her.

Whirrr-slash, crack! Whirrr-slash, crack!

Relentless, Kadim continued his barrage. Minions were a finite resource. If they were determined to die for her, he would keep throwing until the last of them was a corpse.

The demon grew weary of the display. Scowling as she watched the slaughter, she gave a casual, upward flick of her wrist.

“What is the meaning of this? I was speaking. Such a lack of etiquette.”

――――― Quaaddd rumble!

Obeying her command, a colossal hand burst from the dirt. It was composed of a grotesque cluster of severed human forearms—a nightmare of recursive anatomy. It clamped down on the flying axe and retreated back into the earth.

Kadim pulled with all his magnetic strength. But the weapon was buried too deep—even the ‘Return’ function failed to dislodge it. Salmon would not be returning to its owner. Mesetis allowed her features to soften into a predatory smirk.

“I realize you are fond of your little plaything. But you should strive to act like a gentleman when in the company of a lady.”

“……”

“Do not fret. I shall return it once our conversation has concluded. Won’t you step closer? I am consumed with curiosity about you. Your name, that power, those prosthetic limbs… how did you acquire them?”

Swoosh—splat, fwoooosh!

This time, a dagger wreathed in hellfire interrupted her.

The minions’ defense had wavered for a split second; it streaked toward her wooden throne. Mesetis’s eyes flared as she ducked out of the way.

Fwoosh—

The blazing blade missed her vitals but scorched several strands of her cascading hair. Her smooth forehead creased with fury, and a hateful fire lit her gaze.

“You truly… do not know how to listen.”

“……”

“I don’t always despise a rebellious male. Those who are too compliant are tedious, offering no satisfaction when they finally break.”

“……”

“But this is beyond the pale. You may defy me, but you must recognize your standing. You clearly do not understand the nature of the being before you. It seems I must instruct you in proper behavior first.”

Mesetis gave a sharp snap of her fingers.

Voooohm…

The hovering orbs pulsed with a blinding light. The stench of the forest became stifling. Chitinous insect legs tore out from the stumps of the soldiers’ severed limbs. Every minion lunged forward with renewed, frenzied vigor.

“Graaaahhh!”

— Chirrrrk, chirrrk!!

Kadim was not passive. He produced a glass vial with his unoccupied hand. Contrary to her assumptions, he was acutely aware of exactly what stood in front of him.

A disgusting bladder of gore lost in a world of self-serving delusions.

The berserker pulled back his lips in a snarl and drained the demon blood.

— Chirrrrk!!

“Graaaahhh!!”

“Huuuuh!”

Only the standard ‘Strength Enhancement’ modification took hold, but it was sufficient. He lunged forward on a wave of searing bloodlust. Before they could even register his movement, he tore into the center of the minion pack.

Splat-crunch!

His magically accelerated fist caved in a helmet. The sheer force of the impact snapped the soldier’s neck like a dry twig. He kicked the corpse out of his way, seized its fallen shield, and hurled it into the swarm of flies. Giant moths and hornets fell in broken piles, their translucent wings shattering like glass.

— Chirrrk, chirrk!

Swoosh—splat! Fwoooosh—

He slipped past a spray of venom and struck back with a searing dagger. The hellfire took root, cauterizing the insects’ vents while their insides turned to liquid. Sensing soldiers approaching from his blind spot, he pirouetted, swinging his sword in a wide arc. The keen edge sliced through three torsos simultaneously, drinking deep of the hot lifeblood.

“Graaaahhh!”

“Graaaahhh!!”

――――――― Quaaddd rumble!

A second massive hand exploded from the mound of bodies, reaching out to snag Kadim.

He tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt and dropped into a low crouch. As the hand closed the distance, he released the energy stored in his muscles, leaping like a triggered trap. In the air, he twisted his artificial arm and torso, carving out a catastrophic, fan-shaped strike.

Kwajijijik!

A spray of flesh, blood, and bone fragments filled the air. The cluster of forearms was sheared through in bundles; the giant wrist collapsed under its own weight. Massive fingers twitched to crush him—but they were too slow. Kadim landed on the back of the hand, systematically shredding the fingers with the tip of his blade. The construct dissolved into a heap of mangled tissue.

“Huuuuh!”

“Graaaahhh!!”

— Chirrrk, chirrk!

The berserker’s sword craved a never-ending supply of enemy blood. The minions were unable to land even a glancing blow; they fell away from him like dry leaves in a storm. The ethereal glade, once lit by soft pink hues, was now draped in a gruesome tapestry of gore.

Mesetis observed the carnage from her seat, drumming her fingers on the wood, one elegant brow raised.

‘…Hmm.’

She saw it clearly. He had been a formidable combatant before, but whatever concoction he had ingested had rendered him even more feral and potent. At this level of power, she began to wonder if his humanity was merely a facade.

Even so, she did not consider him her peer.

She was a lesser demon on the verge of claiming three horns and a sacred ‘name.’ Her individual strength far eclipsed that of her servants. Had she chosen to engage directly, she would have reduced him to ribbons long ago.

But she had no desire to step in yet. A lack of finesse might damage that vessel. Such exquisite, durable limbs were a rarity. She required them to be preserved.

Furthermore, once this powerful warrior understood that he had been stripped of his precious strength… the exquisite flavor of the pain and hopelessness he would radiate…

‘My third horn is nearly within my grasp.’

Mesetis suppressed her urge to rush. Greed would only spoil the result. His total surrender was inevitable. He had persevered on sheer stubbornness thus far, but staying in the presence of her concentrated pheromones would erode his psyche very soon.

‘Shortly, he will be begging to kiss my feet, offerring his own limbs as a sacrifice…’

And the indicators manifested exactly on schedule.

The warrior halted his slaughter, gazing directly through her. His vacant black eyes burned with a profound intensity. Seeing this, Mesetis knew the turning point had arrived and allowed her lips to curl into a smirk.

“My children, withdraw. I require a private moment with him.”

The minions snarled in frustration and envy, but they retreated from the clearing nonetheless.

Only the two of them remained. The glade was bathed in a gentle glow, heavy with a thick, unsettling tension.

Mesetis stepped down gracefully, her garments flowing around her. Kadim did not attack. His face, covered in the blood of her servants, remained emotionless as he watched her approach.

The gap between them vanished. It was time to bind him in her web. Mesetis let her silks fall away, revealing her perfect form. Kadim’s brow gave a nearly imperceptible twitch.

The naked demon offered a deceptive smile, pressing her body against his. Her delicate fingers tapped his broad chest before tracing a soft path downward.

“What is it that you desire.”

“……”

“Name your deepest craving. Truly anything. I shall grant it to you. In exchange, simply give me your limbs.”

Her voice, as light as a whisper, hummed in his ear. It was a temptation powerful enough to lead even a saint astray.

Yet Kadim offered no sign of yielding. His expression stayed grim and immovable. The hand resting on his sword hilt even shook slightly, as if eager to run the demon through.

Mesetis gave a slight frown. Had the charm not taken hold completely? Could a human spirit truly resist to this degree? How…

This was insufficient. If his mental fortitude was this high, she needed to establish more intimate contact. Mesetis stood on her toes, looping her arms around his neck and whispering with a hot breath.

“Were you aware? There is nothing in this world softer than the tongue of a beautiful woman.”

Then she pulled him in, kissing him with forced passion.

A light breeze rustled her pale pink hair. Stray fireflies danced in the air. The insects hiding in the undergrowth sang a quiet melody. The demon’s mouth seemed to swallow his lips and tongue, like a starving creature finally finding a source of water.

To a casual spectator, it might have appeared to be the intimate embrace of lovers.

But the conclusion was far more fitting for a field of corpses than a romance.

“Mmph! Mph, mmph!”

Mesetis recoiled, her eyes wide with shock. A river of blood poured from her mouth. She collapsed to the ground, spitting out gore, and then let out a scream so high it sounded as if her vocal cords were tearing.

“Ah, aaah… Kyaaak, kyaaaaah!!”

Kadim chewed on something for a second before spitting it out with a wet thud. A mass of bloodied muscle hit the dirt, with molars still visible in the raw flesh.

The demon’s tongue.

“And there is nothing harder than the teeth of a spiteful Atalan.”

Kadim wiped the red from his lips and hoisted his sword once more.

“It isn’t just your smell—your blood is rancid. I’d rather have that dog-milk swill you tried to give me.”

“Kyaaaaah! Aak, aaah…”

“Regardless, I’m finished with your games, demon. Seal that filthy mouth and prepare to lose your head.”

Mesetis realized the truth far too late. The look in Kadim’s eyes had never been one of lust or obsession.

It was loathing. A pure, unadulterated, burning hatred for her kind.

The light in her eyes faded. Her frame began to shake. A foreign sensation of terror and disbelief began to eat away at the demon’s heart—the very same feeling she had used to break human spirits her entire life.