Chapter 32 – BERSERKER
Chapter 32
BERSERKER
Date: Day 25 of Harvestmoon. 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
The split second the world roared back to life, his body moved. He gripped his spear tightly, and then activated his new unique skill.
“BERSERKER!”
The effect was instantaneous and overwhelming. It was a primal thirst for violence.
Hyoren’s muscles swelled. There were streak of reddish vein on his bulging muscle, pulsating with the raw energy of the Aethell. His vision tunneled, his mind wass hazy. He only looked at Elise, then Alpha.
He then moved with speed that mimicked the Alpha
“OUT OF ELISE WAY!!!”
The effect of Berserker made his mind hazy. It clouded his judgment. Stripped away his careful analysis. His tactical thinking. His strategic planning.
And it made him do the unthinkable.
Instead of using the spear in his hands, he tackled the Alpha with a body slam.
The impact was massive.
The Alpha, caught completely off guard, was knocked sideways. Its trajectory sent careening off course.
It tumbled across the ground. Legs flailing. Claws tearing at the earth. Its body crashing end over end.
The charge had failed to reach the stunned, wide-eyed Elise.
The collision had sent Hyoren skidding backward. His heels dug furrows in the grass. His body struggled to maintain balance. But he held his ground. His enhanced legs digging into the earth.
“YOU DAMN OVERSIZED MUTT, YOUR ENEMY IS HERE. DON’T GET CLOSER TO HER!”
Hyoren's physical parameters had exploded. Everything enhanced beyond human limits. But the unique skill had truly changed how he fought.
He lunged at the Alpha. Closing the distance in a heartbeat. His body moving faster than thought.
He slammed the butt end of his spear into the Alpha's side. The impact was brutal. The wood connecting with flesh and bone. A satisfying thud that resonated through his arms.
But it counterattacked instantly. Its claw swept upward. A deep gash appeared on Hyoren's chest.
But he didn't even flinch. He didn’t care. The effect of his skill not only dulled his judgement but also his sense of pain.
“EAT THIS YOU OVERSIZED DOG!”
Hyoren side-stepped. Dodging another lunge from the Alpha. His enhanced reflexes guiding his body.
He swung his spear. The steel tip grazing the Alpha's side. Cutting through fur. Slicing into flesh.
It was a shallow wound—but the change in their state was palpable.
He could finally fight the Alpha toe-to-toe.
No. More than that. He was pushing it back. He was matching its speed. He was trading blows with a monster that had seemed invincible just moments ago.
The Alpha snapped at him. Tried to bite his arm.
He met its jaws with his forearm. The enhanced muscles absorbing the impact. The teeth sinking in but not deep enough.
And he drove his kick into its abdomen. Enhanced legs delivering devastating power.
The Alpha went flying. Its massive body launched through the air. Crashing to the ground several meters away. Tumbling across the grass.
Hyoren stood, panting. He was not winning, but he could fight the Alpha in almost equal footing.
The Alpha shook its head, dazed, its yellow eyes burning with a mix of confusion and rage. It had never faced prey that fought back like this, prey that ignored pain and fear.
But beneath the ecstatic rage, on the back of his head, a cold, pragmatic fear was growing.
This is bad. My mind is so hazy, I can’t think straight, and this skill guzzles my Aethell reserve.
He had minutes, maybe less, before the rage subsided and the debilitating backlash hit him.
I need to finish this fast.
It was a battle of attrition, and Hyoren knew he was on a timer. He was landing blows, but the wolf was tough, its hide thick, its bones like iron.
He needed an opening, a single moment of weakness, but the Alpha was giving him none.
***
Elise watched from the sidelines. Her body trembled. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps.
She felt a desperate need to do something. She couldn't just stand there and watch. She couldn't be useless. She couldn't let him fight alone.
"I need to do something."
Her voice came out as a whisper. Barely audible.
"I don't know what possesses Hyoren. But that state... that fury..."
She watched him. The red veins pulsing on his skin. The way his muscles bulged unnaturally. The mindless roar that tore from his throat.
"He seems to be living on borrowed time. He can't sustain that state for long."
Every blow he took. Every wound he received. Every drop of blood that spilled from his body. It was a miracle he was still standing. Let alone fighting an Alpha toe-to-toe. Let alone pushing it back.
It terrified her. But it also inspired her.
She couldn't just stand by and watch him burn himself out. She had to break the stalemate.
She reached for her quiver. She nocked another black shaft arrow.
Aim carefully.
The high-speed battle in front of her wouldn't tolerate a small mistake. One wrong move. And she would hit Hyoren instead.
Aethell started gathering to her arrow. She could feel it. The energy flowing from her core. Through her arms. Into the arrow.
“Charged Magic Arrow.”
Elise shot.
The arrow flew instantly. Not even leaving trails of light. It lodged into the Alpha's flank.
The effect of the Dreambloom pollen stacked with the previous one. The sleeping agent and hallucinogen seeped into the beast's bloodstream. Adding to the toxin already circulating through its system.
The Alpha's movements slowed—just a fraction and its reactions dulled—But it was not enough.
It was not enough to give Hyoren an opening. Elise grit her teeth. Frustration bubbled up inside her.
"I need to do more than this. What can I do?"
She glanced at her quiver. Almost empty.
"I only have my last black shaft arrow."
One shot. One chance.
Then she noticed it.
Her first black shaft arrow. The one she had fired earlier. Buried deep in the Alpha's hind leg. The charged magic arrow she had used to slow it down before. Still lodged in the muscle. Still buried in the flesh.
An idea sparked in her mind.
“That’s it, I need to shoot at the same place to break its stance.”
It was a sliver of a chance. A desperate gambit. The kind of shot that only the greatest archers could make.
But it was all she had.
Elise nocked her arrow. Her last black shaft arrow. Her final trump card.
Her eyes focused on the battle. Analyzing every movement.
Her bow was drawn to maximum. Her muscles burning from the strain.
She then activated her Magic Arrow skill.
She channeled every ounce of her Aethell into this shot. More than her usual amount. More than she had ever used before.
The tip of her arrow glowed spectacularly.
Then she saw it.
The moment when the wolf used the leg she had wounded. The injured hind leg. The one with her arrow still buried inside.
The charge of the Alpha was delayed by a split second. A tiny hitch in its movement. A brief hesitation. The beast favoring its wounded limb without realizing it.
But that was enough for Elise.
“CHARGED MAGIC ARROW!”
The projectile flew. Its pinpoint accuracy met its mark.
The arrow struck the Alpha's knee. The same place as her previous arrow. The same wounded spot.
The second arrow didn't just lodge. It shattered the knee.
The bone gave way with a sickening crack. Audible even over the roar of the battle.
The Alpha lost its momentum. Its leg collapsed beneath it. Its massive body crashing into the ground. The beast tumbled. Its rear leg useless. Its balance destroyed.
It hit the dirt hard. Rolling in a cloud of dust. Yelping in pain. Its golden eyes wide with shock and agony.
Elise's arms fell to her sides. The bow slipped from her fingers. Her entire body trembled.
"You can do this, Hyoren."
Her voice was almost inaudible. A whisper. A prayer.
"May Sylvana grace you with wind of victory."
All of her magic was gone. Drained completely. Coupled with the exhaustion from the fight before. The wounds she had sustained.
Her legs buckled.
She fell to her knees. The ground rushing up to meet her. Her vision flickering.
She couldn't help anymore. She had nothing left to give.
But she knew.
She knew Hyoren would emerge victorious. She trusted him. He would use the chance she had given. He would finish what they started.
***
Hyoren's mind was still clouded by his unique skill.
The red haze of fury. The dulling of rational thought. The primal drive to destroy.
But beneath the rage. He still possessed enough awareness to recognize the opportunity. The chance that Elise had given him.
The moment the Alpha crashed to the dirt. Its leg ruined. Its defenses breached. The beast was vulnerable. A killing opportunity.
He planted his legs firmly into the earth. His enhanced muscles bulging. The ground cracking beneath his feet from the pressure.
He gathered everything he had left. Every scrap of Aethell remaining in his reserves.
He raised his spear high. The steel tip aimed at the struggling Alpha. Aiming at the exposed neck.
The Alpha tried to stand.
Its claws dug into the dirt. Tearing furrows in the earth. Snarling in defiance. Refusing to die.
It finally recovered. As expected of an Apex. Its vitality was monstrous. Its endurance legendary. It wobbled a bit. Its ruined hind leg dragging uselessly behind it. But it stood again. Balanced on three legs. Yellow eyes burning with hatred.
But it was too late.
The tip of Hyoren's spear was already aimed at its neck.
"PIERCING THRUST!"
Hyoren activated his trusty spear skill. The familiar surge of power that he had used countless times. The kinetic energy that propelled his attacks.
But this time, something was different.
The Berserker's fury supercharging the Piercing Thrust skill. The spear lunged forward with unprecedented speed.
A sonic boom cracked through the air. A shockwave rippled outward from the point of launch. The grass flattened in a circle around him.
It struck the Alpha's neck with a deafening impact that echoed across the grasslands.
The spear shaft, unable to withstand the colossal force, splintered and shattered. The wood exploded into a shower of fragments. Sharp pieces flying in all directions.
But the steel tip had done its job. It lodged into the Alpha's neck.
But it still wasn't deep enough. It was only a few centimeters away from the spine.
Given enough time, the Alpha could retaliate. Could still kill them both.
The beast's yellow eyes widened. Filled with renewed fury. With desperate survival instinct. To fight back one last time.
Hyoren saw it. Through the haze of his fury. Through the clouding of his mind. He understood.
It wasn't over yet.
I need more. One final push. One last attack!
He used the last of his power.
He drew back his right fist. His enhanced muscles bulging. His broken reserves draining completely. Every scrap of strength he possessed focused into this single blow.
He punched the steel tip.
His fist connected with the embedded spearhead. Driving it deeper. Forcing it through the resistant flesh.
A massive crack sound echoed across the battlefield.
His right fist broken. The bones shattering from the impact.
But at the same time. The force was enough.
The steel tip lodged deep inside the Alpha's spine. Severing it. Cutting through the nervous system. Destroying the connection between brain and body.
The Alpha's eyes went wide with shock.
The light in its yellow eyes flickered. The hatred. The fury. The primal will to survive. All of it fading.
Then, with a final, gurgling whimper. A last breath escaping its massive lungs. The light vanished completely. It collapsed.
The lifeless body crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. The massive frame finally still.
Silence fell over the grasslands.
***
And just as suddenly as it began, it was over.
The Berserker rage vanished.
The fire in Hyoren's veins extinguished. The red haze lifted from his vision. The enhanced strength. The heightened reflexes. The dulled pain. All of it gone.
And then, the pain hit.
“Uugggh… Aaaahhh… ARRRGHHH…..”
A scream tore from his throat—raw and animalistic—the sound of every wound hitting him at once. A soul shattering scream.
The wounds he had ignored during the battle now made themselves known. The gashes from the Alpha's claws. The bite marks on his arms. The broken bones in his right fist. All of it surged to the forefront of his consciousness.
But deeper than that. Was the backlash.
The Berserker skill had pushed his body beyond its limits. Now his body was paying the price.
His legs buckled. Unable to support his own weight. He crumpled to the ground. His vision was fading.
The backlash of his unique skill was going to claim him. But for the last time. Before the darkness took him. He saw her.
Elise…
She was running toward him. Her emerald eyes wide with terror. Her face pale with fear. Her mouth open. Shouting something he couldn't hear.
She was stumbling. Her own exhaustion forgotten in her desperation to reach him. Her wounds ignored. Her fatigue pushed aside.
She was alive. She was safe… Thank you Luminara, Noctynara. Thank you for this gift. I managed to safe her.
The gratitude wasn't just a thought. It was a sincere prayer. To the twin goddesses who had given him the power to protect her.
The worried expression on Elise's face gave Hyoren a final moment of peace.
Finally, he lost consciousness.
***
Elise stood frozen.
Her body was full of wounds. Her Aethell reserves were completely depleted. From the desperate final shot that had brought down the Alpha.
But she had watched the entire, terrifying spectacle.
She had seen Hyoren transform. Seen him become something else. Something beyond human. The red veins pulsing beneath his skin. The bulging muscles. The mindless fury in his eyes.
She also had seen him perform the impossible.
Trading blows with an Apex. Matching its speed. And finally, ultimately, bringing the beast down with his bare hands.
Now, she saw him collapse.
She saw his body convulse with pain she could only imagine. She heard the scream that tore from his throat.
She cautiously approached the massive, still body of the Alpha.
She prodded it with her feet. Her boot connecting with its flank. Its shoulder. Its neck.
Nothing.
The beast didn't twitch. Didn't stir. The light had gone from its yellow eyes. Leaving only a vacant stare. A hollow emptiness.
It was truly dead.
Only when she was certain the threat was gone did she run to Hyoren. Stumbling because of exhaustion.
She fell to her knees beside him.
"Hyoren!"
Her voice cracked.
"Hyoren! Come to me! Why did you scream like your soul is being ripped apart!"
She reached out. But hesitated. Her hands hovering over his trembling form. Afraid to touch him. Afraid to cause more pain. His body was wracked with convulsions. His muscles seizing.
"Hey, wake up! The Alpha is dead! We did it! We're alive!"
No response. His eyes remained closed. His face contorted in agony. His body continued to tremble.
With a desperate need to understand. She began to check his condition. Her eyes scanning his body for any wounds. Looking for anything that might explain the soul-shattering scream.
There was blood everywhere.
His body was full of wounds. The broken right hand. The fingers bent at unnatural angles. The deep gash on his chest. Torn by the Alpha's claws. But shallow enough not to have broken his ribs. His arms were covered in bite marks and claw marks.
All these wounds. While nasty. Didn't seem severe enough to warrant such agony. She had seen adventurers suffer worse. None of them had screamed like that. None of them had convulsed like this.
He is full of wound. Her mind trying to find a solution.
She quickly reached for her supplies bag. She found the green potions. The healing potions.
Only three left.
She pulled out one of the vials. The green liquid sloshing inside.
She poured it onto Hyoren's wounds. The gash on his chest. The broken right hand. The liquid hissed as it hit the open flesh. Reacting with the damaged tissue. Knitting the skin together with visible speed.
But Hyoren still wasn't waking up.
"Hyoren!"
Her voice was desperate. Pleading.
"Wake up! I already treated your wounds… Or do you have internal injuries?"
She didn't know. She couldn't tell. The potions healed external wounds. But if there was damage inside. Damage to his organs. Damage to his brain.
Elise didn't waste any time.
She picked another vial. She popped the cork. Put the content into her mouth. Holding the liquid.
She leaned over him. Her face hovering above his. Her lips parting his. She forced the liquid down his throat. Transferring the potion mouth to mouth. Desperate measures for desperate times.
She massaged his throat. Encouraging him to swallow.
“Please. Please. Please.”
Elise watched all the wounds on Hyoren's body heal. The gashes closing. The bruises fading. The bite marks disappearing. His breathing evened a bit. The convulsions grew less severe. The potions worked. The visible damage vanishing.
But he was still not waking up.
"He should already be healed."
Confusion mixed with her fear.
"Why is he still not waking up? Why is his face still contorted with pain?"
Her mind searched for an explanation.
"Don't tell me... that explosive power he exhibited. A skill? Which has a huge cost to be used?"
She had seen him change. Had seen the red veins. The enhanced muscles. The fury in his eyes. It had to be a skill. But one with a terrible price.
"But I never knew such a skill existed!"
She looked at his face. Even unconscious. Even with his wounds healed. He was still suffering.
What had he done to win? What was the price of that incredible power? What had he sacrificed?
Elise couldn't find the answer, but her immediate concern was the man himself. Not the mystery.
"There's no use worrying about it."
She pushed the thoughts aside. Forced herself to focus on the present.
"I should tend to him carefully."
She tried to make him comfortable. She sat down on the grass. She lifted his head gently. Placing it on her lap. Cradling him like something precious.
Her hands gently wiped the sweat from his brow. Brushing the hair from his face. Stroking his cheek. Comforting him in the only way she could.
The ten minutes that followed were an eternity.
Her entire being focused on the man lying on her lap. The man who had saved her life.
"I'm here, Hyoren."
Her voice was soft. Gentle. A whisper in the silence.
"I'm here. And we won. We killed the Alpha."
She continued to stroke his face. His hair. His brow. Anything to comfort him. Anything to help him through whatever torment he was experiencing.
And then, slowly, gradually.
Hyoren's convulsions stopped entirely.
His breathing evened. The ragged gasps becoming smooth. Steady. Calm.
His face relaxed. The contorted expression smoothing out. The furrowed brow easing. The grimace of pain fading away.
The color began to return to his face. The cold sweat dried on his skin. His body grew still. Peaceful. Resting.
Elise finally heaved a relieved breath.
Her entire body sagged. The tension draining from her muscles. The fear releasing from her heart. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. But she blinked them away.
He was alive. He was going to be okay.
That was all that mattered.