Chapter 191
Chapter 191: The Berserker of Passion
‘That got blocked?’
Lucilis narrowed his eyes as he watched Shockwave get deflected.
But he didn’t stop there.
“Press the attack!”
“Yes, sir!”
The opponent was just one person. In this situation, finishing it quickly was obviously the best course of action.
“Stop!”
Then came Hardin’s shout from behind.
But Lucilis only poured mana into his sword once more.
At that moment—
“That’s not... Varlach.”
Shhhhaaaaa!
Veritarun’s eyes flared a vivid red as a crimson aura burst out from his massive greatsword in all directions.
The momentum was so overwhelming, it was hard to believe this was the same person as before.
Lucilis’s instincts screamed at him.
‘I—I’m going to die!’
Buuuuuuuuuuuung!
The greatsword swung toward his face.
In the split second that followed, Lucilis’s instincts made him lower his body instead of reaching out with his blade.
“Arghhh!”
“What the hell!”
The gust from the swing sent the knights and soldiers behind him tumbling to the ground.
Tadadat!
Lucilis quickly widened the distance between them.
‘This bastard’s a monster.’
A murderous aura poured out from the man’s entire body.
Lucilis’s body trembled, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
‘I’m... shaking?’
He was the Vice-Captain of the Imperial Knights and a 4-star Expert-level knight.
And yet, even he couldn’t fathom just how insane the strength of the monster in front of him was.
“Knights, go for his flank! Mages, prep your spells! Begin support fire!”
“Yes, sir!”
Everyone moved with tense faces at Lucilis’s command.
And then—
“Uwooooooooh!”
A knight in Veritarun’s blind spot charged in with a roar.
Buuuuuuuuuung! Crack!
“Gahhh!”
The bastard swung his greatsword so fast it was almost invisible, slicing through the knight’s blade and armor in one go.
As easily as slicing bread with a knife.
A scream echoed as crimson blood sprayed into the air, and the body of a 3-star knight collapsed helplessly to the ground.
“Haaah...”
“Dennis!”
Shock and fear spread across the knights’ faces.
Their comrade’s death made them realize it.
The monster before them... might be stronger than every enemy they had ever faced combined.
“Obstructing... Obstructing... You are not Varlach...”
Veritarun shook his head.
And then—
“Get out of my wayyyyy!”
KAAAANG!
He slammed his greatsword into the ground with terrifying force, causing the earth to tremble as if it would collapse.
And right after—
Kkieeeeek!
Kigigigii!
The soil flipped as countless monsters burst out of the ground nearby.
“He can summon... too?”
“Shit, it’s not just him?!”
There were easily close to a hundred of them.
And each monster’s size and aura far surpassed anything they’d fought before.
As everyone's faces went pale in horror, Hardin furrowed his brow in thought.
‘Well, I suppose it’s only natural.’
Even if ages had passed since his sealing, the fact remained that the bastard was a high-ranking demon. Which meant—those elite demons who had once served him must have been sealed alongside him.
Goosebumps crawled all over Lucilis’s body as he looked at the monsters.
‘What should I do? Is this a winnable fight? Should we retreat? Or maybe change our strategy…?’
He couldn’t decide.
He had come this far through countless hardships and ordeals, but facing an enemy so far beyond expectation... this was a first in his life.
His hand gripping the sword trembled, and sweat drenched his forehead.
It was then—
Tuk!
“Get a hold of yourself.”
“…Huh?”
When Hardin patted his back, the dazed consciousness floating far away returned to his body.
“We can’t face that thing’s main body with half-baked fighters.”
Hardin spoke firmly, eyes locked on Veritarun.
‘Even I couldn’t take that on alone right now.’
He held up three fingers.
“Pick your top three elites. We’ll do the same on this side.”
“Then the rest will deal with the underlings?”
“Yeah. There’s no other way anymore.”
Strangely, the trembling stopped. The feverish heat in his head cooled.
“Zetas! Arion!”
“Beryl! Manton!”
The two called out the names of the top knights in their orders.
Without a word, the chosen knights lined up beside Lucilis and Hardin.
“We’re… taking that thing down?”
Beryl asked, his face ashen.
“…This won’t be easy,” said Manton, letting out a deep breath.
Hardin smiled and replied,
“Don’t worry. I’ll spoon-feed it right into his mouth for him.”
Once everyone seemed ready, Hardin spoke to Lucilis.
“We’ll take him head-on and pin him down. You keep hitting from the flank.”
“Are you sure about that? Shouldn’t I be taking the front instead…”
Hardin shook his head and gave a wry smile.
“I know that bastard better than anyone.”
“You know him?”
“Yeah, well… just a feeling.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Puzzled expressions appeared on Lucilis and the knights’ faces.
A hint of bitterness colored Hardin’s.
‘Damn bastard… At least let me be the one to put you down.’
Meanwhile—
“Varlach… Varlach… VarlAAACH…”
Veritarun muttered the name from his past as he stomped forward.
Lucilis looked around and shouted urgently.
“We’ll hold him back! The rest of you, go deal with the remaining monsters!”
“Yes, sir!”
Kkieeeeeeeek!
“Charge!”
Right after, the remaining soldiers and monsters clashed violently.
At the same time—
“Let’s gooo!”
Hardin and Lucilis dashed forward almost simultaneously.
“Young Master!”
“We’re with you!”
The elite knights followed close behind to support them.
Shhaaak! Shhaaak!
Kkieeeeeek!
The path to Veritarun had begun.
The sword strikes unleashed by Hardin and Lucilis spread out from both sides, converging into a single storm.
The charging monsters were torn to shreds, clearing a path forward.
Up to this point, things went smoothly, just as planned.
The problem was the bastard waiting beyond.
“VarlAAACH!”
With a scream that pierced the ears, Veritarun swung his greatsword forward in a wide arc.
“Tch!”
Lucilis ducked low and dodged diagonally.
Taking that attack head-on would’ve been suicidal—he knew exactly what would happen.
But then—
“Perfect!”
Hardin could be seen dashing in with a grin.
‘No, stop!’
Lucilis’s face twisted in horror.
If Hardin took Veritarun’s attack head-on, he would be torn to pieces in an instant.
However—
KAAANG!
Hardin’s sword flared with a blue aura and parried the blow.
No—rather than parry…
‘He deflected it.’
For a moment, it looked like the sword bent unnaturally.
Lucilis’s eyes sharpened, and Hardin curled one side of his lip into a smirk.
That technique was…
‘Bora Gunso.’
Low Tide Fifth Style, Bora Gunso.
A defensive technique that twisted the flow of mana to diffuse an attack that exceeded what could be blocked with normal defense.
“VarlAAACH!”
Veritarun roared, swinging his sword again.
KAANG! KAANG!
‘Wolf Turtle.’
Sparks flew from the tip of Hardin’s blade.
‘Black Coral.’
One slip in the deflection would’ve resulted in his entire body being smashed—but still, Hardin continued his blade work without a hint of hesitation.
It was a razor-thin standoff, like walking a tightrope.
In the meantime—
“Let’s go together!”
“Got it!”
Beryl and Mikkelsen launched forward, unleashing Manjo-style sword strikes as they rushed Veritarun’s blind spot.
CRACK! CRACK!
His shoulder was sliced open, and violet blood splattered into the air.
“Tchaaagh!”
The bastard twisted in irritation and swung his sword wildly.
KAAAANG!
But just like Hardin, the two knights unleashed Wave Swordsmanship to absorb the attack and widen the distance.
‘Not just Hardin the Young Master… even those two are wielding swords like that.’
Lucilis clenched his jaw tightly.
Those two looked to be only mid-tier 3-star level at best, and yet they withstood the barrage he himself had been too afraid to face.
‘Damn it…’
A wave of shame rose within him.
So much so that his title of Vice-Captain of the Imperial Knights felt meaningless.
“Haaah!”
Lucilis charged in, igniting a flash on his blade.
With every step he took, blue flashes burst from the ground, accelerating his charge.
Haste.
A technique that released mana the moment one stepped, pushing speed to its limits.
Shzzt! Shzzt! Shzzzzzt!
He added his sword technique to the speed, unleashing a relentless barrage.
Chunks of Veritarun’s flesh were ripped into the air and scattered.
Of course...
SSSSSS!
Each time, smoke burst from the bastard’s body and his flesh regenerated almost instantly.
“Increase the pace! We're going to turn this bastard… into dust!”
“Yes, sir!”
The knights continued to heighten the rhythm of their attacks.
“Obstructing, obstructingggg! Varlach! VarlAAACH!”
Whether it was rage or madness, Veritarun furiously swung his greatsword, utterly unafraid of death.
KAAAANG! KAAANG!
Each time Hardin met that blade, a strange light gleamed in his eyes.
‘Damn bastard… you’ve gotten pathetically weak.’
---
—Varlach! How the hell are you parrying all of this? That’s incredible!
—You crazy bastard! Take it easy, take it easy! Are you trying to kill someone or what?!
---
Back in his prime, every swing of this guy’s sword felt like it carried the weight of a human life.
The Berserker of Blood.
That nickname had never once felt exaggerated. In his prime, this bastard was truly terrifying.
‘Which is exactly why you piss me off even more, you bastard!’
SHLAAAASH!
Sea Ray.
Gritting his teeth, Hardin received the strike and countered with a swift thrust that pierced Veritarun's chest.
“Var…lAAACH!”
Of course, even that didn’t stop the bastard.
“Follow up!”
“Uwooooh!”
SHZAAK! SHZAAAK!
The knights’ chained attacks followed in rapid succession.
If this bastard were any ordinary monster, he’d have long been reduced to ashes.
“Varlach! VarlAAACH!”
But instead, Veritarun let out a maniacal laugh, as if enjoying himself, and once again swung his massive sword.
Yet his attacks still failed to connect.
No matter how berserk he was, this creature’s sword contained no thought or purpose.
It simply moved on instinct…
‘And that’s the end of it.’
Ironically, those were the exact same words Hardin—no, Varlach—had once said to Veritarun in the past.
More than ninety years had passed since that day…
“And yet you’ve still not changed,”
In more ways than one.
Hardin murmured to himself as he continued his sword strikes.
As the trance-like battle dragged on—
“Gyaaaaah!”
“Hold the line!”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw casualties piling up on the battlefield.
With all core forces engaged here, the frontlines had fallen into chaos, and the damage was escalating.
‘Sorry, but… I don’t have time to play anymore.’
At this rate, they were all going to die.
Hardin gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Vice-Captain Lucilis! Can you buy me one minute?!”
Lucilis shouted back as he swung his blade.
“If I do… can you finish this bastard?!”
“Of course I can!”
“Then even if I can’t… I’ll make it happen!”
With that declaration, the five knights charged forward.
TADAAT!
Hardin retreated behind them in perfect sync.
‘Alright then, let’s give them a show.’
A new technique, crafted by fully utilizing his newly developed core.
With this…
“This’ll be more than enough… as a parting gift for your cursed journey to hell, Veritarun.”
A wicked grin crept across Hardin’s face—one that could only be described as belonging to a villain.