Path of the Berserker

“The Iron Marshal is down! All bets are off!”

Fia’s heart jumped with fright at the call.

Instantly the gamblers were abuzz with salvaging what could be their lost fortunes as the odds shifted dramatically in Lady Rhe Su Long’s favor. Fia pushed through the midst of them trying to get to the bookies.

“What’s happened?” she cried. “What’s happened to the Iron Marshal?”

But the wall of people ignored her, pushing her out of the way forcefully. Bryce let out a cry and someone turned about with a scowl.

“Get that damn baby out of here!” he shouted in her face. “This is no place for a child, you foolish woman!”

The words bit her deeply, and she felt like slapping the man for insulting her, but then she remembered her simple mummer’s robes and the role she now played. She was no longer Silver Leaf royalty and even if she still was, such a ranking meant almost nothing here.

Desperation filled her as the rumors and speculation continued.

“Is he dead?”

“How did she kill him?”

“She didn’t kill him. Not yet!”

Fia rushed to her mother. “We need to go. We need to go now!”

Rhi Dong looked back at her, face pale, the same as everyone else.

No one expected this. Max was supposed to win.

Master Hei Dong opened his mouth as if to say something, perhaps the obvious—that getting through the gate wouldn’t matter if he’d already lost. If he’d already been killed. But he simply shook his head instead.

Just the thought had tears in her eyes.

“I’ve got to get in there!” Fia cried.

Kel Zhi stared at her for a moment, looked to Tu’lok and then punched him right in the face.

The surprise punch had the big man reeling and holding his nose.

“That’s right!” Kel Zhi screamed, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Try and touch my ass again, you pervert!”

She went into him with body blows and Tu’lok all but curled up with shock and confusion.

“Fight back dammit!” Kel Zhi hissed at him in a whisper between clenched teeth.

He finally did so, punching her on the shoulder. “I didn’t touch your ass! You touched my ass, you whore!!”

That shout got way more attention and the crowd shifted to see the spectacle of the two demon actors duking it out over the most ridiculous claims ever. Jian Yi and Master Hei Dong quickly did their bit, with Jian Yi attempting to break the two up while Master Hei Dong fetched the guards for help.

It was working like magic.

Fia secured Bryce upon her back and grabbed her mother’s hand. “Come! Its time!”

She waited a second more, for the guards to follow behind her father and then made a swift stride towards the gate. They walked quickly and efficiently, not quite a run but enough to get them there fast enough without drawing too much attention.

The Pai Fang loomed over them, the shimmering portal of the Omni Gate just a few feet away.

And then Bryce let out a cry.

The sound immediately drew the attention of one of the guards and he grabbed hold of her robes. “Hey!”

“Run Fia!” Rhi Dong shouted and slammed herself into the guard.

Fia bolted for the gate.

So close!

She got all of three steps before another guard grabbed her and then another. She cried out with agony and frustration as the tips of her fingers touched the veil of the portal.

“These damn people again?” the head guard shouted. “That’s it! Arrest them all! Especially those two fighting!”

“No, please!” Fia cried. “I must get through that gate!”

But the guard ignored her and rounded up her parents along with Jian Yi. Kel Zhi looked about to put up a real fight, but when a second patrol of imperial guards came to join the fray, Master Hei Dong wisely gestured for her to back down.

Tears blurred Fia’s vision as shackles were placed on her wrists.

She couldn’t believe this was happening.

But to the rest of the world the spectacle was now over and they returned to the betting at hand.

“Odds 33:2 in favor of the Little Princess! Who still wants to make a bet?”

“No…” she whispered weakly as all their plans came undone. “Max…”

* * *

I contemplated my fate as Rhe Su Long slithered closer.

My Frenzy reserves were well spent.

I wasn’t out of the game just yet, but the next card I played would determine my destiny.

“A devastating clash of power between these two opponents!” the announcer chimed from above. “But it seems the Little Princess has come out on top. No doubt some disappointment to be had for those curious to see the true power of an Imperial Marshal. I believe the results speak for themselves.”

My anger spiked as Rhe Su Long let out a cackle. “Such a disappointment indeed. I was expecting so much more from someone who supposedly survived the Hell Worlds. Or was that just another fraud? No different than your scheming princess.”

I cultivated the anger in my soul, producing desperately needed Frenzy.

The bitch had already counted me out, same as the damn announcer.

But I couldn’t blame them.

I looked up at the Qi-screen displaying my bruised and battered body and couldn’t deny the tale it told. The entire audience had just seen me shattered by a single technique. But they were my true enemy now, I realized.

This damn crowd.

If I wanted to survive, I needed to rely on my true Berserker strengths.

And that meant revealing dark secrets that would get me executed on the world stage.

“So tell me what you did,” I said, as I subtly cycled my Frenzy. “What Dark Cultivation techniques did you use to cheat the system and nearly ascend to the True Deity Realm?”

Rhe Su Long stopped to hover over me, her enormous body towering into the sky. She pointed the tip of her glaive at my face. “I should ask you the same question. You should have died from that technique, yet you still live. How are you able to wield so much power at your cultivation level? What did you take from that Hell World to make you so strong?”

I grinned as I slowly opened the meridian sequences within my shattered body. “You really want to know? I’d be more than happy to show you.”

A wave a confusion flashed across her face and I knew I had just seconds to act before she would plunge her glaive through my skull.

“[Furnace of the Frenzied Flame]…”

As I invoked the technique, a black shroud enveloped us within the crater.

“What’s this!?” the announcer cried. “A surprise move by the Iron Marshal? He’s just summoned his Inner World! But is it a desperate last attempt or an ultimate move? Let’s see which one of them comes out of this alive?!”

As my hellscape of the Cauldron took form, the deadly rays of the Cursed Star filled the blackened, fire ridden sky with pulses of Cursed Frenzy. Rhe Su Long cried out immediately, screaming at the top of her lungs. The noise from the outside world receded as my full technique took hold. I could maintain it for hours at a time now on a full charge, but now I had just seconds.

“What is this!?” she cried. “Who are you? Who speaks to me? What is this Flame?!”

As she rambled with the words of madness, the darkness that was inside her came out as well. I sensed Cursed Frenzy pouring from her, not Dark. Which made sense, seeing as I had already killed I’xol’ukz.

My Inner World didn’t hold the true power of a Cursed Star, just a fraction of it, otherwise it would have transformed her into a demon instantly. But it was enough to drive her mad and give me an opportunity for one big hit.

“You wanted to see the difference being an Iron Marshal makes? Then there you have it.” I redirected the last of my Frenzy to perform a series of techniques, lining them up one by one. “Not gonna lie. You took me right to [Death’s Door] with that last attack of yours’, but as you can see... [I still Live].”

As I invoked the technique, my power surged. Every ounce of pain and devastation I had endured was now redirected and magnified a hundred fold. I quickly channeled it into something useful.

“What are you? What are you?!” she cried over and over again.

I grinned at her as I slowly rose.

“I am the bane of the One True Flame, the defier of the Greater Will and the protector of mankind…” As I said the words with [Torment of the Frenzied Flame] her screams turned to laughter, the madness fully taking hold. “Count yourself lucky to see the world as it truly is, Little Princess. In fact, I’ll honor you with a ‘twin’ technique of my own.”

I leapt into the air with [Three Fold Frenzy], instantaneously combining my three [Marks] as one.

My body screamed, but I held it together for one last hit.

I swung both my Axe and Glaive in a double-barreled strike.

“[Twin Lightning Splits the Towering Oak]!”

To my surprise she managed to defend herself with her Glaive at just the last second, holding it high above her head in a block.

But it didn’t matter.

My Blue Steeled weapons broke through her own, releasing a massive pulse of energy as the twin headed naginata shattered into pieces. My weapons carried through cleaving both of her arms off in a single stroke.

She cried out with laughter and pain and suddenly my Dantian hit its limits.

My Inner World faded, revealing the massive crowd and Qi-screens again.

There was a hushed pause of shock as both of her massive arms hit the ground in a bloodied mess. I fell to my knees right next to them, my soul and body spent.

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Rhe Su Long went into a fit, the huge tail of her body thrashing about as she squirmed with no arms, looking like a true snake now. Blood gushed and her body lost its power, shrinking back down into a human form. Her loud bellows became shrill cries juxtaposed between unsettling juvenile laughter.

“We will all die!” she cried. “We will all die!!”

Blue-robed cultivators immediately swooped down from the arena platform, rushing to Rhe Su Long’s aid. I could have easily killed her just now, but seeing her in that broken form, especially in a child’s body—had me feeling no compulsion to do something like that. I didn’t have a personal beef with her anyway.

And besides, the damage I’d done to her was probably far worse.

She was likely insane now and even if she did recover, there was no doubt she wouldn’t recall a thing. I stowed my weapons as I struggled back to my feet. I’d managed to get off a berserker-fueled attack with the masses of the empire being none the wiser.

The announcer’s voice then boomed from above.

“Rhe Su Long has been literally disarmed by the Iron Marshal and has reverted to her mortal form! There seems to be no way for her to continue! The match is over! Victory goes to the Iron Marshal!”

I looked to the scoreboard.