Chapter 8 : The Berserker's Arcana, A Blessing or a Curse ?

A/N : An opening because a good read needs to be enjoyed with good music.

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*Hibiki's POV*

I'm currently laying in my bed, looking at the ceiling with an empty stare. In my hands, I was doing differents tricks with a penny in my hand, for exemple, I would pass it in between my fingers then throw it to the other hand.

There's an headphone on my ears playing a song I found on the internet. Hassan was the one to offer it to me, along with my grimoire. He said the first thing I should do with those are pulling my best music. I downloaded some (Don't worry, we made sure they couldn't trace me with Yuri) and played the first of the playlist. And, oh boy, it was good.

//A/N Basically a phone with extra features. Think of the Scroll in RWBY\\

The song was something I genuinely enjoyed, but I was thrown off by my train of thoughts.

The proposal of Rowdy got me thinking at...Let me look at the time on the alarm real quick. Ah yes, at 2 in the morning.

Let me give you the context...

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*A few hours ago*

"With what I can give you, you can become even better." Rowdy said as he came into the room.

"W-what do you mean ?" I asked, clearly surprised. "How could I ever top that ?"

"You can't." He said with a stern voice. "Look at her, a young girl with countless governments going after her strength, her reputation." Then he pointed at me. "And look at you, a amnesic kid no one knew the existence of a few months ago, not even the files of any government. You aren't even supposed to exist in the eyes of the law."

I was already destroyed at that, by all the invisible bullets hitting my heart. But he wasn't done with me. "But the most important point...You do not have a Arcana. That's the biggest difference between the two of you. Everything is suggesting the odds are aganist you, not even mentionning the fact that your existence is kept secret for safety reasons. If you are a genius, she's a monster simply because she has noble blood and has a easier time being blessed."

I stared blankly at him, fully conscious of the problem, and answered. "Do you think I don't know that ? My goal, in the end, is to defeat a God after all."

He stared back and said : "I'm not saying it is impossible, nor that you should give up. But that you are basically doing the Turtle and the Hare story but the Hare isn't lazy." I remember this story. It's one of those which survived the fall of the previous civilisations.

"But I can help you, or to be exact, he can." He said.

That's when I realized when everyone of the Murder told me : "Magic can do everything.", they meant it.

Behind Rowdy, a 2,20m tall armor was summoned, but...

It was alive.

It planted it's Orichalcum Blade in the ground. It was beautiful. The Dark Iron and Orichalcum matched in a magnificent way, and both of them joined each other to form a odd mark. But I saw it on numerous history books.

The Mark of the Beast, the symbol Berserkers. Those warriors who are said to call the strength of Magical Beasts, at the risk of losing their sanity.

A threat to allies and enemies alike.

"His name is Erik, coming straight from the name of the most brutal northern warrior." He said with admiration. 'Erik' seemed satisfied with this name.

But I was still digesting the fact that he wasn't a paladin like I thought he was.

I immediatly checked the depth of my Grimoire and looked for his file, my head going from it to Erik then Rowdy then my Grimoire again. Confusing the both of them who slowly turned their heads to look at eath other.

And I wasn't dreaming. He really was a Paladin. Although, not a normal one.

"But the files are clearly stating that you are a paladin, not a Berserker." I said in a hurry, even showing him my Grimoire.

"Not anymore. Not when I don't need to anymore." He says holding his nose.

"I gave up on that path. Look, this is a hard path without anyone

guide you. I did a lot of this I regret and I don't want to force this on you. But Erik needs someone to inherit his powers, someone young enough to learn. In the position I am in, you are the only one I can leave my legacy to. The best candidate."

I was shocked when he talked this much. He usually is the secret badass type and never reveals what he's thinking about.

I stared at him, at his eyes. They ware staring back at me. His eyes are moist and and red. He was trying to hide the tears. The bad memory part still got me, so I sat down back on the sofa and patted the spot aside of me.

He sighed, sat down on the place I showed, and Erik at on the opposite side, also reducing his size to better fit in.

Huh, convenient.

"I have to do this to earn your trust, right ?" He asked me, with an exausted voice.

"Sorry for forcing this on you, but I have to know what I am going into before engaging myself into this." I answered, feeling guilty.

"Got you." He said in a calm voice, but anyone with ears could hear his breath getting ragged. He was obviously getting anxious.

"It all started long ago..." I would finally hear more about one of those I considered family.

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*Rowdy POV*

10 PM. 29 of Aries.

Me and the boys are resting away the battlefield.

As a Berserker, my job is to protect them while dishing out alot of damage. I trust my teammates and they trust me back.

My greatsword aside of me as I read a book, The Art of War, one of my boys came to address me his worries.

"Captain. One of the scouts surprised the enemy placing traps on the field, and preparing bombs for tomorrow's battle."

He said in a hurry.

I closed my book and pinched my nose, then said : "Tell them to prepare so they can pirate their plan, and tell the other soldiers to sleep through the night. The Deliciaen Convention was kind enough to give them nights to sleep, they deserve them and need to use them."

"Sir. Yes Sir." He said before dissapearing and leaving a trail behind him. Jake, a boy I like just like a son.

I turned around and laid my eyes on the official letter the superiors sent me. It reminded me that I should address a letter to my wife, Diana, and kids, Eve and Abel.

"Dear Family,

My troups and me are currently doing well, although we lost many comrades, it was something bound to happen.

If everything goes well, maybe I can be back for Christmas. Please send me what you would like to have for this day.

Oh, and can you make more of this Honey Bread. Everyone think it's delicious, it can last a long time even in open hair and flankly, military food is sickening me. Even Erik agrees with me.

I am making this letter at the last day before the Bastion Assault. Wish me luck.

Your husband and father, Rowdy."

I make it quick, before folding it, placing it in the mailbox, and going to sleep.

The next week was going to be long...Or not...

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*The next day*

It was time for me to motivate the troops before going through a truthfully awful battle.

"SOLDIERS !" I screamed. The anxious chatter immediatly stopped. "This is it. The last battle. We made it so far to reach those bastard who made this country a hellhole of a place. We finally have the opportunity to make them pay back for this tragedy, this travesty of a country they made !"

The soldiers cheered for me, but I wasn't done, not yet.

"But don't forget, we aren't doing this for ourselves, but for future generations. We could die today, all of us, but the sacrifice won't be done in vain. We are soldier, protector of the weak, but we are also fathers, brothers, uncles or even mothers, sisters and aunts. We are all betting our lifes for them."

At this point, the soldiers roared in rage, wrath and anger. But most importantly, they are all MOTIVATED.

"Utplåna och förinta, tills vi dör !"

('Obliterate and Annihilate, until we die' in sweden)

My soldiers cheered and followed me as we ran to the other end of the battlefield, for a war which would mark history in red.

Not too long after we ran, canon shoots could be heard from the other side, and we could see tenths of fireball flying and falling in our direction. I dodged to the left then to the right, dragged a soldier who was in a dangerous position, saving him in extremis from a certain death from bombing.

From far away, the opposing mercenaries could be seen, that meant it was time for me to do my part.

I drew my greatsword and shield,

(Yes, he can do that, the absolute unit. 2,17m for 130kg), then slammed one aganist the other while doing a war cry, activating a skill.

[Support Skill : Bestial Rage Lv MAX]

The most savage instinct, the animal mind of the man, finally released for a moment.

- Boost Physical Stats except for Vitality and Constitution by 150%.

- Only 1/3 of the pain is felt by buffed individuals.

- Buffed individuals are now more sensible to negative emotions.

A support skill I learned after officially being the [Heir of the Brutal Wills]. A real trump card in war. I kept this secret till the end, and I was finally able to use it to the max.

When it activated, every single one of my allies, including myself, screamed again, only to become a stampede, tearing through everything kn it's path.

Humans, construtions or even tamed beasts, everything died.

But it felt so good, like a rush of adrenaline. I grabbed the handle of my greatsword firmly before rushing head first in the heat of the battle, pushing both allies and enemies alike away with great force.

Then I squatted the lowest I could before leaping into the air. Why ? To grab two incoming bombs from landing, with a psychotic smile on my face.

I sent them back where they came from, to the base. They flew in the air even faster and blew up the first wall of their defenses. But I wasn't done with them, not so soon with them fuckers.

I sticked my hand in direction of the ground, making a dirt platform come out of it. I stepped on it and flew in direction of the next wall. We needed to make this quick.

Huh, looks like my boy Jake, the Red Flash, took out the enemy with no trouble, and in such an amount it makes me jealous, so I jumped off the platform.

During the few second between the my jump and my landing, I noticed two guards paying attention to me. I grinned at them, and placed a foot on each of their heads, slamming their skulls in the ground, killing them and causing a shockwave to happen.

I could feel the terrified stares on my back. As I did, I slowly got up and cracked my neck.

"1, 2, 3, 4..." I had this habit of counting my enemies I took in the past with the hunt with Mother. " 37, 38...Seems like that's all. Cute." I said with a smart ass remark. In a fast pace, I ran, totally ignoring my actual weight, with my armir blocking the bullets and magic they threw at me.

No elegance, what a waste.

"G-Get him !" A superior authority screamed in terror.

They seemingly woke up from their trance and rushed at me with a warcry.

I did only one thing in response to this. Pick up my blade. Planted it in the ground.

Want to take care of a band of enemies real quick ?

Do it like me.

[Active Skill : Earth Coating]

Eerth slowly covered my the blade of my sword, making it more look like a thick club.

An [Advenced Tier] skill someone I unlocked not long ago. I needed a testing dummy.

Quicker than they could ever manage to be, a slash split the air, along with blood.

The blood of their friends spattered all over their faces. Making them scream in horror. I took the opportunity to make a rampage out of this place.

One tried to defend herself, but is was useless, as I tightened my fist to make it go through her head. I then grabbed her by the rest of it and threw her in a guy screaming

I could feel my blade running through the bodies of my enemies, just like in butter.

I smashed my shield in the faces of those who tried to get close to me or my mans.

Their screams, their tears, the smell of their blood...

Failed to quench my thirst for more of this red delicacy...

Once there was no more threats, I hear my soldier screaming in rage, still reaping through the enemies.

I decided to leave them, to chase after the ones trying to escape.

My armor covered of blood, I entered the castle with others, including Jake, but leaving most of the army on the battlefield.

It was time for me to settle this war, once and for all.

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Entering the castle, you could tell the person in charge was quite wealthy. Gold and marble everywhere, high end equipment displayed on the walls and the castle was big. Big enough to fit in at least 6 dragons.

It took time, but we explored every nook and cranny of the mansion, searching for those motherfuckers.

And we did, opening the door of what we supposed was the living room.

As we opened it, a vivid smell of almond spread over our noses.

The air seemed heavier all of a sudden. It became almost impossible to breath for my boys.

One of the guys' face even started to become blue but Jack kept an hand on his shoulder to keep him from panicking.

But the one who attracted the most attention was the one in the middle of the room. Sitting in a sofa, enjoying a tea freshly made by a maid.

"Good morning, Rowdy." He said with a overly friendly tone I didn't like. The maid with dead eyes behind him bowed to me, but I didn't care.

"Dieter Winter..." A man who caused our pain, the origin of millions of sufferings.

He made Non-Human Races become slaves, again.

Dirting the name of his family and destroying the little ember trust there was between Non-Humans and Humans.

.....

The one who annihilated my whole race.

"Ah, I knew Andre wouldn't leave this earth without leaving his bloodline a chance." He said as he sipped more of his tea with a calm and condesending tone.

"Keep my and my father's name out of your mouth." I said as anger was rising inside of me.

"Your father and your kind soiled mine. You made humans forget they ARE better than all of you freaks of nature are." He said as frustration.

"And yet, your own kind rejects you." Jack said, no longer wanting to stay silent during this argument.

"THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE SACRIFICIES MY FAMILY MADE FOR THEM ! THEY REJECTED ME, THEIR SAVIOR !" He said as he got up and laughed, in a maniac manner...

Demonic would be a better term...

"Sir..." Jake said as he slowly pulled his rifle off his back. I waited for him to get in position until he pointed his weapon at. I slowly pointed his weapon downward with my left hand.

"Why are you stopping me, look at him ! He definitely used something... Prohibited !" He said as people usually avoid using this term as it usually brings only pain and suffering for the user.

"Not now, I want more information about other camps." He made camps trying to keep in watch the other race, ultimately failing, since all Nations went aganist him, destroying them one by one.

Unfortunately, he kept the secret as where he hid the other ones.

"...I won't be long. You. Are. Finished, Winter. Your family resents you, the world is aganist you, you can count on no one except your slave here we will free too.

Even then when you will have no more money to spend, do you think your slaves will be still following a fallen master ?

"...What can they do aganist me ?" He said, confusing me and my troop.

No....no that....

"What if I couldn't to make a choice ?" They banned them, they shouldn't exist anymore...

He pulled out...

A slave collar. The item feared by all non-Humans.

As it was made to steal everything away from us...

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*3rd Person POV* :

In this moment, Rowdy felt something in him surging, but he tried to contain it a bit longer...

'Koda, just a little more please...' The now desperate man is thinking, communicating with the bestial part of the Berserker...

The Primal Rage, Koda.

'RHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA' Acting like a caged beast, he relentlessly tried to get out, murdering everything on sight.

That was exactly what Winter wanted.

Even if he is a man dream of evil, but supposedly justified meaning, he was also a man with the ability to reason.

His army is in shambles, his budget is empty, his family shattered every bond between them.

He had only one more thing he could rely on. Something he should have never came in contact with.

The thing he sacrified his bloody and bleeding slave on the table forn...

A corrupted mana crystal...

He knew he was going to hell for his actions. But he wanted to go down with honor.

And what is more honorable than dying by the hand of the Berserker himself.

However the man wouldn't let out the beast, he needed a trigger.

He immediatly stared at Jake, glaring back at him.

And suddenly, a demonic grin could be seen on his face as his eyes became fully white. He launched an fast attack at Rowdy, who couldn't fight propertly due to his current prediacament.

Everyone across the room screamed : "ROWDYYYYY !" As the chair came closer to his body every passing second.

And when he came back to his senses, it was already too late.

The body of the boy he considered a son laid on his body...WITH A GAPPING HOLE IN HIS HEART.

"J-Jake ?" He muttered, as he could feel the living corpse aganist his losing it's heat.

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A/N :

Frankly, I took time to get it done because I took a vacation with my family and beyond that, don't get me wrong, I'm still writing this but I didn't know how to approach that little bit of developpement of Rowdy so far. (And I'm not even sure I did it the right way.)

Anyway, I hope you are doing good, see you next time for : "Chapter 9 : A Legacy left behind".

TOBY out !