The Berserker’s Second Playthrough Novel - Chapter 62

Chapter 62
Chapter: 62

Chapter Title: Sons of the Wilderness (5)

—

The expected fountain of gore did not erupt, nor did a severed head tumble into the dirt.

Clang!

The strike had been intercepted. Using a hand slick with his own lifeblood, the fighter Tundal had caught the edge of the blade. He squeezed the steel tightly with his only remaining hand.

“…!”

Despite the weight Kadim put into the downward swing, the man’s flesh did not part. The strength in that grip was unnatural. Kadim slammed his boot into the enemy’s blood-soaked midsection with everything he had. Capitalizing on the split-second loosening of the grip, he wrenched his weapon free and leaped back to gain distance.

Tundal didn’t make a sound. Rising unsteadily to his feet, he spoke in a voice that ran cold.

“I had no desire to challenge the verdict of a holy trial… but my perspective has shifted.”

“….”

“Not only have you sullied the tool of a Great Warrior, you have the gall to masquerade as the man himself… If I permit a parasite like you to draw breath, Atala would surely curse me… I pledged to reserve this strength for the hellish brood alone, but it appears I must squander that vow now….”

Kadim let out a dry, mocking snort. In the end, the man was too far gone in his own delusions to see reason. If that was the case, the swiftest mercy was to send him to meet Atala immediately.

However, Kadim was still processing how the man had managed to catch a bare blade with his hand…

Suddenly, Tundal lowered his gaze and began a rhythmic intonation.

“[Vanguard of the Unyielding Hosts, Atala. Cast your gaze upon your soldier, ignite the signal to the front lines, and bestow the might to crush the tainted….]”
⟨ Atala’s Divine Aura ⟩

“…!”

The cadence of the prayer was hauntingly familiar. A thick, jaundiced energy began to churn around the warrior like a sandstorm.

Kadim’s pupils contracted. He recognized that radiance instantly and knew the devastation that followed the finished rite.

Without hesitation, he sent his axe spinning through the air.

Whirrrrr—crack!

The heavy edge split the man’s forehead and shattered the cranium. Tundal’s balance failed, and he dropped to his knees. Kadim remained vigilant. Channeling the essence of his brand, he prepared to summon the axe back for a finishing blow.

But Kadim wasn’t the only one intervening.

Thwip—splat! Thwip—splat! Thwip—splat!

A barrage of light streaked through the air. Several spears buried themselves deep into Tundal’s torso.

Thud, thump, thud!

The man’s body jerked in violent spasms. Yellow vapor poured out from the split in his skull and the fresh punctures in his chest. His broken frame was a leaking vessel, unable to contain the vast power he had tried to invite in.

“Guh… A, Atala….”

Krrrrrrumble—!

Finally, Tundal’s physical form collapsed inward, dissolving into a heap of gore.

“….”

“….”

It was a repulsive sight, a mess of shattered bone and tattered skin.

Kadim wiped the red spray from his brow. He shifted his gaze to the Atalan soldiers who had launched the spears. They looked just as shaken as anyone else. It wasn’t the shock of the kill that unnerved them; it was the sheer terror of having looked upon something forbidden.

Whoosh, whish, whish—thunk!

Kadim caught his returning weapon and bit out a question.

“What are you people?”

“….”

“How is it possible for you to invoke ‘Atala’s Divine Aura’?”

The soldiers pressed their eyes shut, refusing to speak. The rest of the contingent stood by in a state of confused agitation, trading worried glances.

The mercenary’s stare was sharp enough to cut through the crowd. A heavy, suffocating quiet settled over the clearing, one that made the skin crawl.

Finally, one of the Atalan fighters broke the silence. He stepped forward, his head bowed in a show of contrition.

“Brother, on behalf of our… former leader, who could not stomach his defeat, I offer an apology. The strength he sought is an abomination in a holy duel. By the traditions of the wild, he has paid the ultimate price under Atala’s judgment.”

“That isn’t what I asked you. Are you also capable of summoning ‘Atala’s Divine Aura’?”

“….”

The fighter ground his teeth before forcing the words out.

“…I will not deny it. But we do not have the constitution to hold such overwhelming power. He was the strongest among us, and you see what remains of him. To call upon it is to embrace an immediate death.”

“But the fact remains, you have the knowledge to use it.”

“….”

“Tell me the truth. That isn’t a gift granted to commoners—how can wretches like you tap into ‘Atala’s Divine Aura’?”

Kadim’s eyes burned like hot coals as he pressed the warrior. The man’s face was masked in shadow, but he eventually pulled himself together and answered steadily.

“Brother… It is clear you are far more than a simple sword-for-hire. By winning the trial and taking all that belonged to the fallen, you are now our commander. If you tell us to march into the abyss, we will do so without question.”

“….”

The other Atalan fighters nodded in solemn consensus, though the regular troops flinched as if they’d been struck. The speaker continued, his tone flat.

“Even so, I cannot divulge the origin of that power. We have sworn a blood oath in Atala’s name to keep it secret. I ask for your understanding. To violate that promise… would mean being barred from the eternal hall of battle and celebration.”

“….”

Kadim clicked his tongue in frustration. These stubborn Atalan customs were a headache.

The man was telling the truth. The Atalans lived for the belief that in the afterlife, they would earn a duel with the goddess herself. Even a single scratch landed on her would grant them entry to a paradise of unending war and feasts. But oath-breakers were denied this glory, cast instead into a pit of eternal submission and shame.

Threats of execution rarely worked on people who feared a dishonorable death more than death itself. Still, he had to push.

Whoosh—!

Kadim brought his blade to the soldier’s throat, drawing a thin line of red. The man’s complexion turned ashen.

“If you keep your mouth shut, I’ll send you to that pit right now. Do you understand?”

“….”

A flicker of primal fear and a desperate wish to live passed through the man’s eyes.

Yet, he gave a resolute nod.

The warriors standing behind him followed suit.

“….”

“….”

Kadim slowly pulled the steel away from the man’s neck.

Killing them now would achieve nothing but a waste of manpower. He let out a long, weary sigh and turned his back on them.

“…From this moment, stay out of my way. Do not approach me, and do not touch anything I haven’t cleared. Even if you find yourselves surrounded by monsters, do not expect me to turn back. Stay in the rear and clean up the small fry.”

Without waiting for a response, Kadim began walking across the charred landscape.

The group stood paralyzed for a moment. Then, the Atalan warriors fell into a disciplined march behind him, followed by the disorganized scramble of the regular soldiers. The warrior Kadim had threatened hurried to catch up.

“Brother, will you at least tell us our destination?”

Kadim replied with a tone so casual he might have been mentioning he was going for a drink.

“I’m going to beat a demon into the dirt.”

Divine Aura (神氣): A sacred energy bestowed by the heavens upon the faithful. Most people associated this term solely with the radiance granted to the knights of Elga, the deity of order and light.

But Elga was not the only divinity watching the world.

Atala, the mistress of conflict and the untamed wilds, also funneled Divine Aura to those who followed her path. In truth, ‘Atala’s Divine Aura’ was significantly more potent than the light of Elga—once channeled, it could allow even the weakest to stand toe-to-toe with a high-ranking demon.

The catch was its sheer volatility; the human vessel was rarely strong enough to contain it.

It provided a surge of combat prowess befitting a god of war, but the toll on the body was catastrophic.

A normal human would simply detonate upon contact with the energy. Even a hardened veteran would find their body falling apart like a rotting shack within sixty seconds, their skeletal structure and muscles liquefying. Even in Kadim’s previous life, when his physical stats were at their peak, he couldn’t maintain the form for long without the constant consumption of demon blood to stabilize himself.

It was a mechanic from the old game world. It granted total immunity to status ailments and massive stat multipliers, but at the cost of losing thousands of hit points every second.

‘It makes sense why Kadim didn’t start with ‘Atala’s Divine Aura’ as a base skill. Using it at level one would have been a suicide button….’

Furthermore, triggering the aura required specific rituals. In his past life, Kadim only managed to use it after hardening his body through intense trials and finding a cursed relic to act as a conduit.

That made this situation baffling.

How could these unremarkable soldiers be capable of calling it forth, even if it killed them?

And weren’t the shamans of the wilderness supposed to have lost their connection to the divine long ago? The logic was failing. Why would Atala strip power from her priests only to give a suicidal level of might to these random warriors….

“….”

A sudden spark of intuition flared in his mind.

Scattered thoughts began to form a blurry picture. But he lacked the final piece of the puzzle to confirm his theory, and he certainly didn’t have the time to sit and meditate on it.

Kadim shot a look back at the warrior following him.

“Why are you still on my heels? I told you to stay back and deal with the monsters.”

It was the same man who still had the faint mark of Kadim’s scabbard on his throat.

“I intend to help you with the demon, brother. I know my limits, but I can at least serve as a distraction….”

“So you’re choosing to ignore a direct order?”

“….”

The warrior lowered his head and slowed his pace, maintaining a respectful but persistent distance.

“…If you’re going to be that stubborn, you might as well get up front and be a shield.”

“Truly? You have my thanks, brother! I will gladly take the first strike from the beast!”

“….”

Kadim decided it was easier to just ignore him. If the man died, it was his own doing. He’d probably try to summon that Divine Aura the moment things got desperate anyway.

They entered a clearing choked with jagged, woody shrubs. The plants were sharp as glass, scratching at his legs with every step. The thick, oily scent of demonic energy began to saturate the air, heavy enough to cause involuntary shivers. To Kadim, this freezing mist was better than any war horn; it meant the target was close.

He sped up, breathing in the toxic air as he moved. The warrior struggled to keep pace. They didn’t have to search for long.

Past the thickest part of the fog, a massive shadow loomed. The eternal enemy of the Great Warrior, the blight upon the land, and a convenient source of blood.

A demon.

* Past the azure forest stump, the bird’s lament, falling shadows and black wings beating. Beneath the roots, a small body lost while gathering, blue feet watch and wait.
The creature took the form of a titanic tree, its canopy thick and suffocating. It stood as tall and wide as an ancient forest king. From its upper reaches, two massive, obsidian horns curved toward the sky.

‘…Another high-tier demon.’

In the middle of its trunk sat a wet, pulsing mouth. A constant stream of nonsense and fragmented sentences spilled from its gullet. The Atalan warrior behind Kadim turned pale.

“Mercy, a two-horned demon… This is going to be a nightmare.”

“….”

“Other than the mouth and horns, it looks exactly like a ‘goldsteel tree.’ The bark is harder than iron, it ignores fire, and it takes an age to grow even an inch. I can’t fathom how old this thing must be.”

“….”

Kadim produced the container of demon blood. He didn’t care about its botanical classification. It was an aberration, not a plant—he was going to chop it into kindling and burn the remains. He pulled the stopper and downed the bitter liquid in one go.

Right then.

Vicious wooden spikes erupted from the earth with a roar.

――――――Krrrrrrumble—!

The ground was so thoroughly carpeted in thorns there was nowhere to stand.

Kadim didn’t care. He channeled the surge of power into his legs and vaulted into the air. The demon blood working through his system gave him the strength for an impossible jump.

The warrior wasn’t so lucky. Despite his training, a massive spike drove straight through his forearm.

Squish—!

“Gaaaargh!!!”

The demon let out a sound like rustling leaves—a laugh—and pulled the thorns back.

* Two travelers in the shade, throats cut, bones snapped, bellies open and limbs gone, dying in pieces pieces pieces pieces, the guts aren’t so bad, kekekekekekeke.
The warrior held his mangled arm, his teeth bared in agony. Kadim’s eyes narrowed. This wasn’t just a physical wound. A grey, brittle bark was starting to creep outward from the puncture.

‘…I see. That’s the trick.’

He gripped his axe. If he left the man alone, he’d be a wooden statue by sunset, just like the monsters in the village. He needed to end the man’s suffering now.

But the soldier moved first.

Kwach—!

“Guh!”

Without a second thought, he drove his own blade through his arm. Blood sprayed the ground. The bone gave way, leaving only a few ragged strips of muscle holding the limb on. He grabbed the dying hand and tore it away.

Rrip, rrrrip—

“Gaaaaargh!!”

The limb finally detached. The severed arm turned to solid wood the moment it hit the dirt, but the spread of the corruption stopped at the stump. Gasping for air through the blinding pain, the man managed to undo his belt and tie a tourniquet around the remains of his limb.

“Hng! Hah, hah, hah….”

“….”

“Hah, damn it all… I’m sorry… It seems I’m useless here. I lost an arm before I could even touch the damn thing….”

The warrior spat the words out bitterly. Kadim looked at the wooden arm on the ground for a moment, then shook his head.

“Don’t beat yourself up. It wasn’t for nothing. Your mistake gave me the information I needed.”

“…!”

“You’re done here. Get back. Tell the others to stay as far away as possible.”

“….”

“I’ll make sure that tree pays for the arm it took.”

The warrior looked up, appearing dazed by Kadim’s words. Eventually, he nodded fervently and began to retreat, stumbling as he ran.

Now, it was just the demon and the one who drank its blood.

The thing would just hide behind its thorns if he tried to attack from range. Kadim let out a guttural roar and sprinted forward.

“Raaaaagh!!”

The demon continued its rhythmic, unsettling chanting as more spikes burst from the soil.

* Many arms broken by mother in the pit, the coffin of the sister with no head, look and cry. A dark joke with no fear, we snap easier than weeds and run run run….
――――――Krrrrrumble, krrrrrumble—!

Kadim leaped over every wave of wood. Each time he touched down, he swung his axe to shatter any thorns that got too close. A normal warrior would have been impaled a dozen times over, but Kadim navigated the deadly forest with a precision that bordered on the divine.

But without the ability to fly, he couldn’t stay untouched forever.

The attacks were too fast and too numerous to track perfectly from beneath the soil. One spike finally found its mark, piercing through his left arm.

Squish—!

“….”

Krrrrrumble—!

He hacked away the surrounding wood to clear a path, but the transformation had already begun. Bark was rapidly encasing his skin. The demon’s voice rose in a shrill, mocking tone.

* Kekekekekekeke, such a lovely branch of meat, you will root with us too, a growing joy, bone-crushing birch and the smell of fish, kekekekekekekekekeke.
But Kadim’s body didn’t succumb to the wood.

Mimicking the warrior from before, he didn’t hesitate to lop off his own arm.

Crack—split!

The difference was that a fresh limb began to sprout from the stump immediately.

Crunch, crunch….

The regeneration was terrifyingly fast. The brand on his chest glowed a violent crimson as bone, sinew, and skin knitted together in seconds. Kadim flexed the new hand. It functioned perfectly, no different than the limbs he’d regrown during his previous bouts of madness.

He was now only twenty steps from the trunk. The demon’s branches began to shiver. Its voice lost its mockery, replaced by a slight tremor.

* The pit in the spring, the woodcutter with broken legs, the forest that hates the stump, please, no more, don’t come….
With the ‘Hydra Tattoo’ active, death was a distant thought. Kadim’s eyes shone with a predatory red light as he hoisted his axe.

“You talk too much for a pile of firewood.”

――――――Whirrrrrrrrrrack—!

The blade, which usually hungered for life and breath, descended now with the singular, heavy purpose of the woodsman.