Episode 5: Citizenship / Chapter 84: Musical Chairs (7)
TL: emptycube / ED: Obelisk
The victory banquet continued in the city. Sometimes, there would be a gust of wind which would blow past the banquet feast prepared out in the streets. Although annoying situations like tablecloths being flipped over or salad flying away would occur, even those were fun. While they were unable to become drunk due to karma, the Berserkers went on a spree of eating and drinking. As they were already in a good mood, even if they didn"t get drunk, their moods heated up like drunken men"s. The wind blew again.
Suddenly, a loud explosive sound erupted from a field outside the city.
Booom!
Familiar flames surged upwards immediately after. Blood-red flames burned in the sky before dispersing.
The Berserkers, who had been enjoying themselves to their heart"s content, stood up like a spring. Surprised, the citizens of Nasari stood up after them.
Someone said,
"… Isn"t that leader"s Flaming Wing Dance?"
The Berserkers" eyes cooled to a chill. The heated mood became chilly like the edge of a blade. The festival streets instantly felt menacing as if they were in the middle of a battlefield. The gusts of wind, which previously felt like an enjoyable game, now felt bleak as if hinting at death. This wasn"t a mood colonizers who weren"t used to fighting could endure.
"We… We"re going to die…"
The citizens of Nasari felt death approach the tip of their noses. A warm stench of urine arose as someone had wet themselves. No one laughed.
Tap, tap.
With quiet footsteps, the shadows of a few people shot through the air like arrows. Lee Jinhee, Chu Youngjin, Ryu Hyunsung, as well as other top executives of the Berserkers, had quickly gone to figure out what happened. However, they stopped before they could even leave the city. It was because Choi Hyuk had returned within that short period of time.
His serious expression showed that he was deep in thought. Three people, Richard, his aide, Leah, and Choi Hyuk, had left the city together, but only Choi Hyuk returned.
"Leader, what about the Sovereign of Balance?"
When Lee Jinhee asked, Choi Hyuk replied half-heartedly,
"He left."
"Umm… You didn"t kill him, right?"
Choi Hyuk tilted his head in an obscure manner and replied,
"He wouldn"t die."
Then he said as he pa.s.sed Lee Jinhee,
"Gather once you"ve eaten your fill. Let"s have a meeting in the evening."
Choi Hyuk continued to go further away with a serious look. Looking at his figure, Lee Jinhee shook her head.
Rumors spread wildly. There were many people who had partic.i.p.ated in the banquet that day. They had seen Richard and Choi Hyuk leave together and witnessed Choi Hyuk return by himself after a large commotion. Soon after, a rumor that Richard was seriously wounded to the point of immediately requesting healers spread. Although no one confirmed it publicly, one story went around as fact.
"Richard proposed something to Choi Hyuk, and Choi Hyuk, enraged, attacked Richard!"
Sovereigns, who were already concerned with the Berserkers" forceful actions, looked at the situation this time with gravity.
"To even attack Richard… Does he not distinguish his opponents? He isn"t someone who we can get through to with words."
There were rumors that the Anti-Berserker Alliance was preparing for their second expedition. They said that there were many more sovereigns partic.i.p.ating this time than in Jessie"s first expedition where he failed hopelessly.
{The Berserk Sovereign Choi Hyuk. Savior? Or Demon King?}
{The Sovereign of Paradise Camilla, "He is a warrior who can save the world. This isn"t something we should decide hastily…"}
{Prosecute the Berserkers for their brutality.}
All sorts of articles were published.
While the public opinion of the Berserkers was gradually becoming worse, Choi Hyuk, instead, continued forward with surefooted steps.
Whoosh.
A storm formed in Dragonic as winds were getting fiercer. The white, heavy sky rippled frighteningly. Grddk, grddk. Every time the sky swayed and shook, revealing its ma.s.siveness, a sound which was difficult to describe shook the land. It was incomparable to the sounds of thunder on Earth. "Did an enormous beast swallow us?" Are we being digested in its stomach?" "Is the sky crushing the ground?" Even though they knew it wasn"t true, the sound made all sorts of thoughts cross their minds. That sound and the appearance of the sky rippling, as if it would pour down, brought on a fear exceeding their imaginations. And this fear brought forth an abnormal state of consciousness as if one had been possessed by a spirit. They said that your mind would waver when simply looking at rippling water for a long time. The scene of the sky, which filled their vision, couldn"t help but be on another level as it tossed and turned while screaming… The consciousness of the colonizers was not free from the storm"s influence.
Grrddl. Grrddk.
Below the wailing sky, Choi Hyuk gathered the Berserkers and the citizens of Nasari and declared,
"We leave on an expedition. Until the seven overseers are decided."
Choi Hyuk"s voice pierced through the screams of the sky and clearly rang in people"s ears.
"Those who wish to continue to live in Nasari must partic.i.p.ate in the expedition. I don"t need anyone who does not fight with me in my cities."
At first, the citizens of Nasari whispered to each other with perplexed expressions. Soon after, once they realized Choi Hyuk"s meaning, "If you don"t partic.i.p.ate, you will be deported from the city," their faces turned deathly pale. They looked towards the Berserkers, whom they had formed friendly relationships over the past few days, and asked what was going on, inquiring whether he would really do that, through their gazes, but the Berserkers showed a "So what?" expression. Endless battles. This was their daily life. In the Berserkers" perspective, they were actually taken aback when the ones who hated fighting were taken aback.
"Some may say this is crazy and swear at us, but don"t worry. Isn"t this the case? This is a world where two to three billion people die within half a month. There"s no way rational thoughts will work in this world that is already as crazy as it gets. Let"s become crazy. Instead, let"s become even crazier."
The rising wind drove into Choi Hyuk"s voice and created a bigger, bleaker echo. Choi Hyuk continued on with a voice similar to that of a G.o.d"s.
"I will make you victorious."
Grrddk. Grrrdddk.
Some felt fear from Choi Hyuk"s words, while others became excited.
That was how a storm began to sweep through Dragonic.
The storm blew. The Berserkers rushed forward along with the storm. Their cheeks were endlessly wet with red rain.
Slice.
"Geu…"
The corpse, which had his head sliced by Ryu Hyunsung"s sword, was swept up by the storm and disappeared. The crowded, heated ground flung corpses that had lost their karma up towards the sky. Ryu Hyunsung and the teams following him were "technicians", who represented the Berserkers. They used the trait "Mind"s Eye" as a foundation and released precise sword strikes at their opponent"s weak points. Even if it felt like there was an even battle, once a few swords suddenly flashed, their enemies would break like scarecrows and be blown away. Even their blood drew beautiful arcs.
Rumble! Rumble!
Chu Youngjin and the teams following him were incarnations of destruction. With a single strike created by exploding their karma like an internal combustion engine, they turned their enemies into blood geysers and mist. As their fighting method wasted a lot of their strength and because they would lose out if they missed even a single time, Chu Youngjin"s team members undoubtedly pushed forward and killed their enemies with a single strike even if it meant getting wounded themselves. A b.l.o.o.d.y charge. Because of their chaotic appearance, this troop was the symbol of the Berserkers.
"Rotate to the right!"
A group of Berserkers followed Lee Jinhee"s shout and ran to the right while stepping on the enemies" shoulders or weapons.
Bang, bang, bang!!
Pushed back by the impact, their enemies" tight formation collapsed.
"Suppress the magicians!"
The dashing groups jumped over or slid past the guards and attacked the long-range attackers behind them. Their enemies simply stumbled at the mobile striking force they had never experienced before, unable to react.
Lee Jinhee and her team were famously known as the world"s fastest speed demons. As someone whose fame increased daily through Alexei"s videos, Lee Jinhee"s team members had an especially large portion of foreigners, and the majority of them had enjoyed extreme sports before awakening their karma. They stood at the very front, jumping over their enemies and attacking their long-range troops, a.s.sa.s.sinating their commanders, and at times, even led a riot to collapse their enemies" formation.
"Director, are you okay?"
Alexei, who slashed at his enemies, read Lee Jinhee"s expression. It was because he knew that she didn"t want people to fight against each other. Lee Jinhee glanced at Alexei and roughly ruffled his hair.
"Lyosha. Are you worried about me? Don"t worry. I already talked with the leader…"
As she said this, she nailed her gladius in her enemy"s forehead. The moment she pulled out her sword, the spurting blood formed a small whirlwind due to the wind. With his eyes still open, the corpse was flung into the wind and disappeared.
Looking at that, Lee Jinhee bitterly said,
"To be honest… I didn"t think they"d be so weak."
"For there to be so much of a difference."
In fact, it wasn"t only Lee Jinhee who thought this. Not only the Berserkers, but even the non-combatant colonizers of their captured cities, and the medium and small clans that felt the same.
The enemies they felt were powerful when they had fought them, now collapsed like scarecrows when fighting the Berserkers.
Even though there was already a large difference in fighting experience, due to the intense successive battles the Berserkers had experienced recently, their senses had reached their peak. In their enemies" perspective, they suffered before their bodies could even warm up. They simply couldn"t stop them. When the Berserkers" swords pierced their enemies" neck and hearts, their enemies" swords were unable to touch them. It felt as though the Berserkers were swinging their swords one step in front of them while they were swinging their swords ten steps away.
"Only two and a half years… We all awakened at the same time, but if there"s such a big difference…"
Lee Jinhee, who sighed bitterly, raised her sword yet again.
"… I wonder if there really is anyone who can stop us."
Lee Jinhee smiled bitterly as she sliced another enemy"s neck.
"Euah… Euaack!"
Another enemy who witnessed this fell into a state of panic and began to flee. That was the start.
"Euaahhh!!"
In various places, their enemies began to retreat like a tide. It definitely wasn"t a wrong choice. The enemies, who were being overwhelmingly crushed since the start of the battle, fled soon after. Then, Choi Hyuk and the Berserkers would leave their fleeing enemies alone and chase the enemy sovereign… capturing and killing him. There were no exceptions.
The Sovereign of Counterattack, the Sovereign of Expectation, the Sovereign of Blood, all were unable to live up to their names and were killed off. In the end, the sovereigns located in the place the Berserkers were advancing to withdrew their application for the seven overseers and began to flee like Nasir.
Dragonic"s storm didn"t cease, and the Berserkers" madness didn"t cease either.
Within three weeks since going to battle starting from Nasari, Choi Hyuk had captured five colonized lands.
As revenge, the enraged colonizers turned the base of the Berserkers, Barhaloleun, to ash and collapsed the Berserkers" residence in Yeouido. Yet, Choi Hyuk didn"t care in the slightest. He simply advanced with the att.i.tude of killing them all. Necessary supplies were handled by the colonized lands he captured. As all citizens who surrendered were thrown into the army whenever he captured a city, the number of his army gradually grew. The concern that all sovereigns would submit to Choi Hyuk was slowly becoming a reality.
Around this time, Choi Hyuk was more often called the Demon King than the Berserk Sovereign. Humans faced repeated, futile defeat against the Demon King. Whether he was a demon king or whatever, since Choi Hyuk continued to be victorious, the wide recognition which vilified the Berserkers as "crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds" changed every day. People wanted to stand on the side of the victor.
There would be a dispute every day.
"To be honest, the Demon King is right."
"Right, my a.s.s… Are you a psychopath? Killing all those people is right?"
"Now, really… Do you really think the world is the same as it was three years ago? Are we in a peaceful time where, if the Demon King doesn"t kill people, no one will die? If anything, if it wasn"t for the Demon King, I bet blood wouldn"t have had time to dry as the sovereigns fought amongst themselves to choose the seven overseers or whatever. The casualties from that would be higher."
"So, are you saying Choi Hyuk is right? You crazy… Is pulling those who were running their business well into the battlefield a good thing to do? If that"s so good, why don"t you go out to the battlefield yourself? Why are you here?"
"Why are you like this? You already know that I fought as much as I should. Also, to be honest, that isn"t normal either. In the end, we"re in a situation where people will have to risk their lives and fight… But does it make sense for only a portion to do that? They both awakened at the same time, yet does it make sense if some can stay at the back and run their business with ease, while others have to deal with missions, the war between clans and fight with their lives on the line every day? When we"re in a situation where we might be annihilated because of monsters?… We all need to fight. Don"t you know that billions of people died during the past advancement evaluations because of those who didn"t partic.i.p.ate?"
"Of course, there was a problem then… Still, this isn"t right. We need to do this rationally, pushing forcefully isn"t everything. Haven"t you heard of division of labor? Everyone has something they"re good at, and if they don"t consider that and just make everyone fight… well, that"s not good."
"f.u.c.k that. Then do those who aren"t good at anything need to fight with their lives on the line while others who are talented in a lot of things can just stay at the back in safety? Even though they are protecting their lives?"
"Why are you getting so emotional? I"m saying this because this is more effective."
"Effectiveness, your mother… If they are so effective, why are they being broken to bits by the Demon King?"
"That"s…!!"
"If that"s more effective, then they need to beat the Demon King! Don"t you see that those who divide labor are being knocked out? Come to your senses. This isn"t just a war between countries but the fight that determines whether humanity becomes extinct or not."
"No, how can you put this so simply…!!"
The voices of those who supported Choi Hyuk became louder every day. It was as if Choi Hyuk"s victories themselves were proof that Choi Hyuk"s method was right.
Would the Demon King continue to unite humanity like this? Was the Demon King Choi Hyuk someone who had the capacity to lead humanity? Was Choi Hyuk"s method truly right?
Even though it seemed wrong, there were no alternatives. The majority who opposed Choi Hyuk simply didn"t know what to do about their growing uneasiness and conflict. It was as if the storm had s.n.a.t.c.hed the people"s cool-headedness.
That was why Richard"s joint agreement created a sensation.
{Sovereigns who will calm the storm in Dragonic sign. We will drive out the Demon King"s army, who slaughter indiscriminately. We promise that sovereigns who sign will be under a mutual non-aggression agreement. We promise to dispatch troops within our power to the allied forces. -Partic.i.p.ating Sovereigns: Richard, Camilla, Baijan, Nasir, Ichiro…}
This was a change to the people who constantly heard news about the Berserkers" victory and their opponent sovereign"s defeat and death. A different wind from before. A new wind that may be able to calm the storm.
"Something is happening."
"It"s different this time."
"Will the Demon King be able to win this time?"
"Which side will we have to take?"
Whether they supported Richard or not, everyone, young, old, male, or female, couldn"t help but be interested in the formation of this large-scale allied force.
Because the reveal of the joint agreement occurred after all under-the-table negotiations had ended, the advance of the allied forces began at the same time as the reveal. The allied forces symbolically trampled through Barhaloleun, which used to be the Berserkers" base, and advanced past Zhiyu, which had previously been Lao Ban"s colonized land.
Hearing news of the allied forces" advance, the Berserkers" army a.s.sembled.
The location they met at happened to be in a desert near where the Berserkers" indiscriminate capturing of colonized lands began, Nasari.
The storm, which had entered its final stages, swept dirt and rain-trees to the right and left, and between them, the Berserkers and the colonizers of the allied forces stared at each other, standing firmly as if they had been nailed to the ground.