Chapter 95: But There is Still Hope (4) |
My head began to ache when I saw Berserk walking onto the stage.
It was utterly absurd that someone who started traveling after us had arrived before us. We even rode on horses and camels.
That she immediately went to participate as a fighter in this arena was a separate issue.
But for the first ticket we’d bought to be for one of her matches was just ridiculous.
I had no idea where to even start. Was this… to create plausibility…? A way to force Berserk into our party?
“Did she ride a carriage…? No, even if she did, arriving here before us would have been nearly impossible.”
“No, we didn't even see her pass us in the first place. If she’d used the official paths, she would have definitely run into us.”
I leaned my back against the backrest with a disgusted expression on my face. Had I known this would happen, I would have gone somewhere else instead of wasting my time here.
However, the Archmage had urged me not to act alone. I was also in no position to ignore his words because an emergency might happen—the sealing device might not work properly.
“Wow, amazing.”
No, no, now that I thought about it, I didn't actually have a reason to leave this place to begin with.
I was sure Berserk wouldn't jump into the audience and fight me, right? So, this much could be chalked up to coincidence, right?
“Hmm. Does it matter by what means she came here? The important thing is that we no longer have anything to do with her…”
However, something happened before the Archmage even finished speaking.
“Match start-”
Bang!
The moment the referee announced the start of the match, Berserk leaped forward and immediately defeated Omar, who had a red tattoo on her face, in a single blow.
Omar’s raised sword did nothing against that strike.
Berserk’s fist shattered her sword and struck her right in the solar plexus. Her body, blown away by the hit, struck one of the arena’s walls.
“This was extremely disappointing. Next!”
Her platinum-blonde hair and single earring shone a metallic hue in the sunlight.
“…What was that?”
Was it because the match ended too quickly? Even though the results were clear, the referee didn’t open his mouth. The few spectators who came to the match did the same.
Everyone was simply too dazed to even speak.
“Didn’t I say to get the next one, referee?!”
“Erm, the winner is! Berserker!”
“It’s not Berserker, it’s Berserk!!”
Of course, I wasn’t too surprised by the outcome. Rather than knowing Berserk’s level, it was more that I had a vague feeling of ‘Of course she’d win.’
After all, Berserk was also an official character, so how could she be defeated by a mere extra who didn’t even have a special role?
If an official character lost to an extra, one needed to question whether they had some hidden setting or ask the story writer about it.
“And bring out the next person already!”
Meanwhile, Berserk continued to be stubborn. Normally, one would leave the stage after winning or losing, but she just obstinately stood there with no intention of budging even an inch.
“Hurry up! This Berserk hasn’t even gotten started yet!”
And she even pressured them to give her another opponent.
Such complaints wouldn’t work in Ainoxar, since matches were scheduled after getting the mutual agreement.
“…This is vainer than I expected, but I understand how this works now. It seems to be over, so let’s just leave.”
“If you say so, Inquisitor.”
“Wow, is that person still alive? What immense power.”
While Berserk was kicking up a fuss, we prepared to leave.
Since the other audience members were still frozen in shock and completely dumbfounded, the only ones moving were our group, which made us stand out quite a bit.
“…! You!”
What bad luck.
Swish.
Something flew toward where we were walking. It was an attack aimed at me, to be precise.
Catch!
I reflexively raised my right hand to catch it. Looking down at what had come flying at us, I found a piece of a broken blade.
“Hah, you're strong, like I thought!”
“Demon Knight, are you okay?!”
“Mister, are you okay?!”
I ignored those fussing over me and dropped the piece of metal to the floor. My gaze immediately went to the person who’d thrown the blade fragment at me.
She gently lowered her raised leg, apparently having kicked the blade fragment with it.
“This time, you won't back down again, right?”
“What nonsense…”
No, no, no!!! Didn't I just say she wouldn't jump into the audience seats?! What was with this development? She didn't just involve the audience; she straight up picked a fight!
Was Berserk actually a character set up to go so far? Of course, looking at her character story in the original game, you’d see she was a battle fanatic who’d even risk her life for a fight…!
I rubbed my neck as I looked toward Berserk. It felt like some veins were bulging, but I couldn't be sure without looking there directly.
‘Should I kill her?’
How many times had that thought crossed my mind already? Last time, I managed to avoid this situation by using the Archmage stopping me as an excuse, but I seriously wondered if I could also use that right now.
Argh, allowing myself to fall for that provocation would only make Berserk happy, so I wanted to endure if possible.
“Come down here and prove you're not a coward, warrior!”
Hmm. Including what happened last time, this was the third stack of provocation. Even if I could let it go twice, could I really do it thrice?
“Mister, Mister. You're not going to fall for that weirdo’s taunts, right?”
“Demon Knight, there is no need for you to fall to that brute’s level…”
Bang.
I smashed the Zweihänder I was carrying on my back onto the floor. I didn’t plan on killing Berserk, so why would I use this sword?
If I wouldn’t be using it anyway, I could just leave it behind here. My longsword had broken a while ago, so there was nothing else I needed to leave behind.
“I’ll teach you some manners.”
“It’s over…”
“Demon Knight?!”
I’m sooooorry. I’m sorry for having this kind of character settiiiiing.
I went down to the stage, leaving my shocked companions behind. The arena staff trying to drag away Berserk with all their might seemed equally stunned.
“Erm, uhm. We can’t allow any personal fights…”
Even the host, who’d been pretty calm until now, tried giving some cautious warnings. However, they didn’t seem to insist on it much.
That was for the better.
“Finally!”
Berserk’s eyes were now entirely focused on me. I did the same.
“Norda warriors are fair. Since you threw away your sword, I also won’t use any weapons!”
What implications did that have for someone whose whole body was a weapon?
I slowly breathed out as I watched Berserk throw away her halberd.
It was fortunate I was facing Berserk and not Weapon Master, another branch of the Fighter class. That thought appeared only for a moment before disappearing.
“Here I come!”
* * *
* * *
Without any warning—no, she did shout out—Berserk immediately jumped out and punched at me.
Bam!
How could she create such a sound by punching the air with her bare fist? While looking at the arm that barely missed my head, I desperately suppressed the urge to express my slight discomfort.
Instead, I stretched out my hand.
Grab!
I caught the hand aiming for my solar plexus. I was slightly surprised by that, but it wasn’t that big of a problem.
「[Evasive Counterattack] │ A wise warrior knows how to turn an enemy’s attack into an opportunity.
Effect: After successfully evading an attack, you have a 30% chance of utilizing the opponent’s gap in defense.」
Not too long ago, I activated my Evasion and Counterattack skills because I didn’t know what else to spend my points on. I had initially ignored these skills because I could avoid any attack on my own and just attack the enemy right after, but after activating them, I discovered they were quite useful when dealing with an enemy of equal power.
I didn’t know how many opponents I’d meet who were my equal, like Berserk, anyway.
In that vein, I hit Berserk with my shoulder.
“Kahah!””
Ah, don’t laugh. That’s creepy.
I tried to ignore the laughter coming from her. Using my other arm, which was still free, I immediately punched Berserk’s chin.
Like that, I evaded Berserk’s attempt to claw my back with the arm I’d avoided earlier.
After staggering back a few steps, she started to grin. It was truly horrifying.
Bam!
I kicked Berserk. Even as she stumbled back, she had enough presence of mind to cross her arms to guard against my attack. Her massive body dragged against the ground as I slightly pushed her away.
It was about two steps.
“Good, very good!”
As soon as the force pushing her back weakened, she rushed forward. For a second, it seemed like the wind surrounding her became a white stream.
And once the distance between us greatly reduced, Berserk punched out with her fist once more.
I wasn’t sure if it was because she was tenacious or she just didn’t think too deeply about how to fight that she used the same attack again.
I lightly turned to the side to dodge her attack, then stretched out my arm as if to cross hers and struck Berserk right in the face. Crack. It seemed my hit had connected properly, going by that sound similar to a breaking nose.
“Huh.”
However, my fist couldn’t cover her whole face, so I caught a glimpse of her eyes bending into a crazy shape.
Grab!
That person who’d just been hit square in the face with a fist immediately grabbed my arm.
Honestly, I was more scared than ever.
Bang!
Before I could shake off her hand, another fist came flying toward me. Because of our positions, I got hit in the solar plexus instead of my face. The force behind it was quite impressive.
Thanks to my lowered pain level, most pain would just cause a stinging sensation, but this hit really felt like a fist had hit me.
The slightly dull pain that remained afterward was actually more bothersome than what I felt the moment she hit me.
Skrrrr.
The force behind that attack even pushed me back a bit, so I had to plant my feet firmly to barely regain my balance. About three steps. That was how far back I was pushed.
“This is what I call a fight!”
Wow. I wasn’t sure whether this was intentional or a coincidence, but this would rile my character up a lot.
I straightened my bent back, my lips quivering. I still felt some discomfort around my solar plexus, but based on experience, I could tell there were no broken bones.
That was good enough.
I watched my opponent wipe away the blood coming from her nose, and as soon as she lowered her hand, I jumped in front of her.
Bang!
“Kahah, yes! That's how you should come at me!”
Fists against fists and feet against feet. It was a fierce battle, each side aiming for the other's weak spots.
I was fighting a bit sloppily since I’d never properly engaged in close combat with someone equal to me, but that didn't pose much of a problem.
[Survival Instinct]—which always suggested the best ways for me to evade—was a very useful skill, and I also had various Evasion and Counterattacking skills. However, although I knew Berserk was resilient, she was just too resilient.
Hmm, she risked taking my attacks just to get a chance to hit me, completely believing in her sturdy physique.
Of course, I couldn't deny that every blow she dealt to me was pretty threatening. I mean, I really wanted to deal some damage, but attacking her hurt a lot…
Even when I raised my guard to block, the bones in my arms felt sore. I roughly felt like I was receivingextracorporeal shockwave therapy.
So in the end, I had no choice but to make use of my skills and fight back while relying primarily on evasion.
In rare cases, whenever parts of our bodies made contact, shockwaves would spread all around us, the wind pressure blowing up dust.
The ground below our feet was gradually starting to crack.
“Good, very good!”
Seeing the stage becoming an utterly broken mess made me feel even sorrier for the people who would have to clean up after us later. However, I couldn't be considerate of them because I was busy enough with my own problems here.
Bam!
Our arms crossed as we aimed for each other's faces. My fist was right before Berserk, while she barely missed, only grazing my chin and cheek.
My lips were somewhat busted and bled.
I-I still won this exchange of blows, though…! My lips were a bit cut, but it was around my scar, so it wouldn’t be that noticeable. Besides, my opponent was bleeding from both her nostrils!
In cases like these, the one shedding more blood usually lost, so I won! I won, alright!
“Waha, wahahaha!!”
…No, well, I actually lost… What was even the point of winning like that? Wouldn't the one enjoying this the most be considered the winner?
I checked my HP as I watched that person bursting out into loud laughter, seemingly having the time of her life. I couldn't really tell whether it had fallen by a lot or a little for a fistfight.
I just knew that my limbs were throbbing.
“More, let's have more fun-!”
Claaatter!
At that moment, a familiar yet unwelcome sound reached my ears. White and blue chains sprung from the ground and bound us both.
I felt fortunate they didn't wind around my neck, at least.
“Wh-What are those?!”
In Berserk's case, one actually was wrapped around her neck.
“You…”
“Let's leave it at that. Can't you see how troubled the employees are?”
No, if he planned on stopping me like this anyway, why didn't he try stopping me earlier?
I glared at the Archmage while grumbling internally. The Archmage just stared back at me without moving.
“Keeping that person company any longer will only lower your own standards. Stop it and come up.”
Wait a sec, that was just as bad a provocation as ‘you scared?’.
Still, I welcomed it since it gave me an excuse to stop this fight now. My whole body was covered in all sorts of bruises, after all. It just wasn't that noticeable because I was wrapped up in so many bandages.
“…Tsk.”
Therefore, I decided to follow his words obediently.
I clicked my tongue and raised my Arcane Power even more. The moment it became visible to the naked eye as a black haze, the chains broke apart with a clang.
“…!”
Berserk widened her eyes in surprise. But I didn't particularly care about that.
After breaking the chains, I lightly jumped up. While the stage was a bit below the audience seats, it wasn't so high that I couldn't reach it like this.
“Wait, where are you going?! The outcome of our battle hasn't been decided yet!”
Berserk shouted, twisting her whole body as if trying to somehow break free from these chains.
However, she couldn't break them. I didn't really have to worry about her anymore.
I retrieved the sword that I’d previously dropped to the ground.
“My, how remarkable. I tied her up more elaborately than you, yet she is resisting.”
…Oh, it wasn't that she hadn't broken them because she was weaker than me, but because she was bound more tightly, huh?
Well, it was still okay since the others around us wouldn't know.
“It looks like she'll break them soon, so let's leave quickly.”
“Demon Knight, are you fine?”
“Mister…”
The Archmage hurriedly walked away while the kimchi dumpling showed concern over my wellbeing. And the meat dumpling… Hmm. Yeah. I knew he was trying to tell me with that look to do better about keeping my temper in check.
But had he always been like that? Shouldn't he be worrying about me like the kimchi dumpling?
I knew my character setting made me act unlike my age, but this uncle still felt heartbroken, you know…?
“Still, there's one thing I'm glad about.”
Why? Was the meat dumpling gradually losing respect for me?
“While you only raised it by a small amount, the sealing device is still intact after you raised your Arcane Power to fight. You aren't showing any abnormalities, either. I think we can relax a bit now. However, if you do something like this again, that might be a bit of a problem.”
…For some reason, he’d left me alone and only stopped me after seeing enough. Could it be that he did that to test the sealing device?!