The Berserker’s Second Playthrough Novel - Chapter 86

Chapter 86
## Chapter 86: Disciples of the Hidden Deity (8)

The data provided by the criminal leader Kadim had just interrogated detailed the shadowy syndicate that had offered sanctuary to the Night Raven sect. It included a comprehensive directory of every business front and hideout under their jurisdiction.

Acting on these coordinates, Kadim tore through five pubs, a pair of brothels, three dens for contrabandists, a minor illicit marketplace, and the five gangs overseeing them. During this purge, he ran into approximately twenty devotees of the Night Raven sect.

“Sentence the ‘Demon Slayer’ to death!”

“Bring destruction to the ‘Calamity’s Root’!”

*Crunch—thump!*

To his frustration, the high priest was not among the fallen. Nor had he stumbled upon their primary sanctuary.

However, the day wasn’t a total loss. Kadim had refined a much more efficient method for gathering intelligence.

“I am the ‘Demon Slayer.’ Is there anyone here who knows where the Night Raven sect or their weird cultists are hiding?”

“…….”

Announcing himself at the threshold of a den usually sparked an immediate internal crisis for the occupants.

“……What? Is he serious? The actual ‘Demon Slayer’ is here……?”

They would waver between skepticism and sheer terror before eventually blabbing everything they knew.

Alternatively…

“……What the hell? You think we’re idiots, you prick?”

*Crunch—thump!*

“Uh, u-uhhh…….”

In those instances, cave-in the skull of the first arrogant thug to lunge at him produced the exact same results as the first method.

Admittedly, this was less taxing than slaughtering every person in the room, but it still demanded significant stamina. Word of his rampage traveled fast, causing many to bolt the moment they sensed him coming. Very few managed to outrun him before being dragged back.

Before long, the day—heavy with the scent of iron and sweat—was fading into night.

A leaden twilight descended upon the slum districts. Usually, this was the hour when the red-light zones and taverns sparked to life, beckoning those blinded by vice, but today, a heavy, fearful stillness gripped the air. Concerned his momentum might stall, Kadim stepped into the final organization’s headquarters.

It was a baseless worry.

There, he finally struck gold regarding the high priest.

“Th-that disgusting cult leader? That bastard is holed up in the secret tunnels our group dug out! I’ll guide you there personally, just…… just put the axe down for a second…….”

“Speak now, or I swing. Say one more useless word, and I swing.”

“Eek, uh, th-that is…….”

*Bam—!*

“My mistake, I missed. My apologies. The next one is going straight through your scalp.”

“The warehouse next door! It’s right under the warehouse of the neighboring building!! Shift the stacked crates, and the trapdoor is right there!! Please, I’m begging you, let me lead the way, just spare my…….”

It was time to see if the man was lying. Seizing the boss by the collar, Kadim stood up. The man, whose face was a map of jagged scars, dangled as helplessly as a newborn kitten in his grip.

Kadim stopped short as he neared the exit.

He sensed several figures moving stealthily toward the entrance.

*Creeeak—*

The door edged open as if nudged by a light draft. Malicious silhouettes waited in the shadows beyond. Using the boss as a human shield, Kadim whipped his axe through the opening.

*Whirrr—clang!*

“……Guh!”

Instead of the sound of tearing meat, the strike met metal, sending sparks flying. He had angled the throw with the precision of a fisherman hooking a prize. *Clang!* Another metallic impact rang out as the figure at the door stumbled back. Kadim’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t put his full strength into the throw, but for someone to parry it twice was unexpected.

Sprinting out to finish them off, Kadim rammed the door to clear the surrounding attackers and lunged with his sword at the grounded figure.

*Whoosh—halt!*

The edge of the steel stopped a hair’s breadth from the throat.

The face was one he recognized.

“You…….”

“Wait, is that you……?”

It was the one-armed fighter who had chosen to sever his own limb rather than let rot take him. Beside him were the Atalan warriors from the previous hunt.

A thick, uncomfortable silence took hold. Caught off guard by the coincidence, they stared at one another, lost for words. The look in the warriors’ eyes made it clear they had no stomach for this fight.

Kadim didn’t pull back his weapon. Keeping the tip pressed against the one-armed man’s chin, he interrogated them.

“What are you doing here? I thought you followed your commander to Agon.”

“And what about you? You left to hunt the central demon, so why…… No, wait, is the person tearing the underworld apart actually you, Brother Kadim?”

“……?”

“We parted ways with our chief halfway through the journey. We’re here acting as security for the True Society healers who joined our cause. We received reports that a rogue mercenary was causing chaos and were told to neutralize him. We never imagined it would be Brother Kadim…….”

“…….”

“……Look, just put the blade down first. We don’t want to be your enemies. You wouldn’t be doing this without a damn good reason—tell us what’s happening.”

The one-armed man, Perun, lowered the shattered hook he had used to intercept the axe. The other Atalan fighters let their spears and curved blades clatter to the stones.

This wasn’t a trick. They had all seen Kadim humiliate their commander and execute a high-ranking demon. They were men who lived for the thrill of battle, but they knew the difference between bravery and suicide.

Only then did Kadim retract his sword and provide a curt summary.

“I traveled to Galentana to collect my bounty. But some lunatics here tried to kill me and took my friends hostage.”

“……!”

“Followers of the ‘Forgotten God’. These sewer rats were giving them a place to sleep, so I’m beating the location out of them. Understood? Now move. I’m not looking to waste blood on you.”

He didn’t have the patience for a long story. Kadim gave a sharp, menacing nod for them to clear the path.

The warriors looked at one another nervously in the fading light. Retreating meant failing the healers; fighting meant certain death. They turned to Perun for the final word.

Perun shut his eyes, contemplating the situation. After a moment of inner conflict, he looked up with a firm expression.

“Brother, do you require extra blades for this?”

The Atalans looked at Perun in shock.

Kadim’s expression darkened.

“This isn’t your fight. Don’t get in my way and just disappear.”

“Actually, we’ve heard rumors of these ‘Forgotten God’ cultists. Didn’t the Elga Church wipe them out? If they are nesting in the underworld and threatening the peace of Galentana, it’s our duty to step in—for the sake of the city.”

“…….”

“Besides, I’ve felt like a coward for turning back from the demon hunt. We failed to hold the line for you as ordered……. If we assist you now, perhaps it will ease the weight on my conscience.”

“……Don’t be stupid. I was never your actual commander. And if you help me, how will you explain it to the people who sent you to stop me?”

“It’s irrelevant. They wouldn’t have sent us if they knew it was you. And even if you aren’t our ‘true’ chief, we shared the same dirt and blood on the battlefield. In the law of the wastes, nothing is more sacred than standing by a brother who bled beside you.”

“…….”

“I am asking you…… let us use our weapons in a fight that actually matters one more time.”

A burning combat spirit flared in Perun’s gaze. The other Atalans hesitated for a second before aligning with his resolve, their own battle-lust igniting. The more intense they became, the more Kadim’s headache grew.

This was a mess. Eventually, Kadim would have to track down Agon’s Furious Horn, their actual leader. He didn’t want to be burdened by debts or make the future confrontation more complicated.

*’To be honest, without their ‘holy transformation,’ they won’t even be that useful…….’*

But arguing with these stubborn men would cost him more time than it was worth. Letting out a sharp breath, Kadim slung Blood Ghost toward the wall.

*Thwack, thunk—boom!*

“……Gah!”

The axe bit into the wood inches from a man’s face. The gang leader, who had been trying to sneak away during the conversation, froze in place, his pants soaking through. Kadim grabbed him again and looked at the warriors.

“Keep up if you want. But don’t go wasting your lives on enemies I can handle myself.”

“…….”

Perun and his men gripped their gear in a silent vow of agreement.

Led to the warehouse in the adjacent building, it turned out the boss had told the truth. Moving the disorganized crates exposed a dark opening that looked like a deep well.

“Right here! Down this way! This tunnel leads straight to the high priest’s den. I-I’ll leave you to it now…….”

“You’re going first. I need a shield for traps.”

“Eek? Uh…….”

With a blade pressed to his spine, the boss scrambled down the ladder. Kadim, Perun, and the rest of the unit followed behind him.

The interior resembled a parched subterranean drainage system. Small vents to the surface allowed enough light to prevent total blindness. Kadim and the Atalans moved with ease; the boss stumbled around like he’d lost his sight.

The initial trek was uneventful. The real trouble started when the narrow path opened into a massive, high-ceilinged vault.

“……!”

The battle-hardened warriors immediately sensed a threat.

They raised their weapons, but the room appeared empty. They scanned the shadows, confused.

Kadim’s instincts were far sharper. He identified the danger instantly—not from the front or sides, but from above, like shadows detaching from a midnight sky.

*Whirr! Thunk, thunk, splat—!*

“Guhk…….”

A volley of needles rained down. One pierced the gang leader’s skull, and he let out a final croak before collapsing. Kadim crossed his weapons to parry the projectiles. The warriors used their gear or their arms to shield themselves, sustaining only minor grazes.

Dark figures dropped from the ceiling like predatory birds. Golden eyes flickered in the gloom, their voices overlapping in an unsettling chorus.

⚙ CULT CHANT ⚙
“Heh heh heh, you finally arrived, Demon Slayer…… Did you bring these friends along to keep you company in the grave?”
“…….”

⚙ CULT CHANT ⚙
“You spent the whole day making a mess of the underworld. You cost us many devoted souls…… But if we recover the relic and end your life, that loss is a small price to pay.”

*Whirr—thunk! Whirr—thunk! Whoosh—halt!*

The copies of Ilenia moved with the predatory speed of hyenas. Confused by the sudden ambush and the identical faces of their foes, the Atalans struggled, their movements stiff as they tried to defend.

Suddenly, Perun’s voice boomed through the chamber.

“Stay focused, brothers! These are nothing but phantoms born of dark cult magic! No shadow can survive the light of Atala’s rage—don’t be afraid! Stand together and strike back!”

He didn’t actually know what they were; it was a shout of pure desperation. But it worked to unify the men. Their war cries filled the vault.

“Perun is right! For Atala!”

“For the Father of the Wastes!!”

*Clang, kreeee, clang!*

Regrouped, the warriors engaged the agile spirits.

Greatswords clashed with short blades; spears intercepted the paths of daggers. The sound of ringing steel echoed through the dim space. Genuine red blood sprayed and mixed with the oily black substance of the copies in a brutal exchange.

*Splat, slash—thud! Crack—thump!*

“Kraaaagh!”

“Grrraaawr…….”

The Atalans were holding their own against the doppelgangers. Perun managed to hook one through the head and take its life with his blade. He looked over at Kadim and yelled.

“Brother Kadim! Leave these monsters to us! Don’t stall here—keep moving forward!”

“…….”

Kadim watched them with a flat expression.

In a different life, he might have been moved by their stand, but not today. Their struggle was just a needless waste of effort.

With a heavy sigh, Kadim gripped the hilt of his sword. In a deep, echoing voice that commanded the room, he spoke.

“Everyone, hit the floor.”

“……!”

The warriors dropped instantly by reflex—

*Crack—thump.*

A crescent of blood carved through the darkness.

*Kraka—gaga—gaga—!*

A violent red wave erupted from the blade.

The crimson energy bisected the entire vault. Any doppelganger that hadn’t reacted in time was sliced perfectly in half.

*Slash—thud, crack—thump!*

“Huuuuh!”

“Gaaarrrgh!”

Kadim moved like a blur, finishing off the few that remained. Red streaks lit up the air, followed by a thick mist of blood. The remains of the copies sizzled like waste in a furnace; the warriors were left kneeling, their hair damp with red spray.

Every doppelganger was gone.

An immediate, heavy silence replaced the noise of the fight.

Kadim glanced at Blood Ghost. Having expelled all the filth it had absorbed from the street thugs, the red steel had turned pale again. He flicked the blade clean with a sharp ring and spoke to the warriors still on the ground.

“I told you not to waste your blood.”

“…….”

Perun and his men could only stare in pure shock.

As Kadim walked away into the darkness, they remained there like ghosts, unable to find the strength to stand.

—

The second floor of Paulownia Hall at Galentana University had been turned upside down, searched thoroughly for hours.

In a cramped storage closet tucked away behind a locked auditorium, Ilenia finally cornered the small man with the goatee.

“Phew, I finally found you…….”

“Eek! Hah, huff…….”

Duncan shook violently, unsheathing his hellfire-infused dagger.

*Whoosh—fwoom!*

“S-stay back, you monster! You caught me off guard before, but I won’t be taken so easily this time!”

“……?”

“D-don’t mess with me! I’m the one who defeated Agon’s Furious Horn! If I’m focused, trash like you is nothing! You hear me? Get lost!”

“…….”

Ilenia stared at him, stunned by his delusion. Pressing a hand to her aching forehead, she groaned.

“Listen, mister…… I don’t know what you’ve been dreaming about. The mercenary told me to find you and give you a message before he leaves. It took me forever to track you down. Seriously, how did you manage to hide this well without making a sound…….”

“Y-you think I’m that stupid? No chance! Duncan, the slayer of Agon’s Furious Horn, won’t be fooled by your lies!”

“……Be quiet. Put the knife down, come out of there, and I’ll give you 1,000 luden.”

“Uh…… are you serious?”

The moment Duncan’s jaw went slack, Ilenia moved like a striking snake. She twisted his arm behind his back, took the dagger, and tucked it into her belt.

Bound up like a prize turkey in a matter of seconds, Duncan could only thrash around uselessly.

“Waaaaaagh!! Kyaaaaaagh!! I knew it, you fake human! B-but you better watch out, the master will chop you up with his axe—let me go and run away while you still can!”

“……Phew.”

Ilenia let out a long, weary sigh, seriously considering just leaving the loud-mouthed merchant in a trash heap and walking away.