Path of the Berserker
Book 5: Chapter 22

The royal guests left their dining tables and servants began clearing them, turning the lawn into a battleground. I glanced at Ling Wei who was fidgeting nervously beside me. She couldn’t help with the battle but perhaps she could help with something else.

“Any advice on how I should play this, Ling Wei?”

“Play this? What do you mean?”

“I don’t too much dig the idea of killing fellow legionnaires. So I don’t know how well the Empress is going to take to being disappointed.”

Ling Wei frowned. “I have never met her before, but in my dealings with the upper echelons of society, I would say they value being surprised above all else.”

“Surprised?”

“Things come easily to them. They expect certain outcomes. Should you pleasantly subvert them, that may win you much favor regardless of the actual outcome.”

I thought on that a bit. It made sense.

“Fine,” I said. “The only thing I need to know now is if they expect me to win or lose.”

Ling Wei studied the three cultivators I was about to face. “By the looks of them, I would say lose.”

I huffed out a laugh. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ling Wei.”

But I couldn’t fault her for her observation either. The three cultivators I would be facing looked seasoned. One of them was a tattooed man with a mohawk that looked to be half sullied by his complexion and height. The second was a man who looked in his seventies, slimly built, with a bald head and a long, wispy goatee. The last man had his hair tied in a topknot, clean shaven and was somewhat short compared to the others.

I sensed the experience exuding from them, all of them clearly Sacred Soul Realm Cultivators at least, but I also sensed fear. Although, to their credit they did not let it show on the outside. From the wispy goatee guy, I even got a hint of lemonade. I cultivated it all in preparation for what was to come. I had been anticipating another stomach-churning evening of fine dining, not a fight, but I was getting myself prepared for whatever right now.

The man Di Chu led me and the other three Legionnaires across the lawn.

“There will be no standard tournament rules,” he said. “Her Excellency has assented to a death match. Fight as if your lives depend on it.”

As if? I wanted to say. But there was no time to focus on the jacked-up nature of the whole thing. I needed to find a way around having to slay my own brethren.

I trotted up to the three cultivators as we made our way across the soon-to-be battlefield. “Look, we’re all legionnaires, right? What campaigns were you all in?”

“Don’t try to seek favor with us,” the mohawked guy snapped, without even looking at me. “We are not the same. I haven’t worn these ridiculous robes in decades.”

The man with the topknot let out a laugh. “It’s been over a century for me. I barely remember that damn prison at all. Still hate my father for sending me there. Waste of time.”

I was taken aback.

What the hell kind of legionnaires were these guys?

“I was in the 4983rd Campaign,” the older guy with the wispy goatee said. “Is it true you survived three tours?”

I chuckled. “A hell of a lot more than that, but officially yeah.”

I sensed his lemonade again. “I can not imagine. I still have nightmares to this day from that one hellish night. How did you have the courage to go back two more times?”

I shrugged. “Didn’t have much of a choice. I was marooned on the Hell World for like a month.”

“What?!” he said, his brows shooting upwards in disbelief.

I waved his reaction away dismissively. “Never mind that. What’s your name, senior brother?”

“I’m Wai Chu.”

“Good to meet you.”

“It will be an honor to face you in battle,” he said with a short bow. “To die by the hands of an Imperial Marshal would be a privilege, indeed. Will it not be, brothers?”

I was shocked by what he said, but the guy seemed completely sincere.

“Speak for yourself,” Mohawk said. “And we are not brothers.”

“Yes, not brothers,” Topknot echoed him. “And I’m not planning to die here today either.” He then snorted as he shot a glance at me. “We’ll see if you truly earned that gold trim or not.”

What the hell was with these guys?

And then after studying them a bit more, I got the picture and let out a laugh.

“Ah,” I said. “Now it makes sense. You two assholes were damn token Black Robes, weren’t you?”

“What did you just call us?” Topknot said with a scowl.

“You arrogant bastard!”

I cultivated their anger as the man Wai Chu produced even more lemonade. I could see the difference in the three of them clearly now. Wai Chu had the gaze of someone who had seen the unseen. The other two were Dark Frenzy virgins by the looks of it. They probably hadn’t even experienced the taint of a Bloodmoon much less a Cursed Star.

“At least you’ve made this easier for me now,” I said as I materialized my Axe and Glaive. “There’s only one true Legionnaire amongst you. That means you two chicken shit bastards are as good as dead.”

Again, their anger flared as they went into a tirade.

“Insolent native cur!”

“We’ll show you who is made of chicken shit!”

I ignored them with [Indifference], further heightening their anger as I turned to Wai Chu. “You have nothing to fear from me, brother. You served your term and I’ll honor that.”

“What do you mean?” he said.

“Just stay clear. I’ll figure out the rest on the fly.”

Tense seconds passed as the man Di Chu finally separated us, sending me to the far side of the lawn opposite the other three. It wasn’t the largest of spaces, maybe half a football field wide and the crowd was right on the edge.

Part of me had the idea of driving the fight right into them to take out as many aristocrats as possible, but I doubted that was the kind of subversion of expectations Ling Wei was talking about. I still didn’t know how I was going to play this fully, but one thing was clear.

Wai Chu would survive.

But the other two?

They were going to feel my wrath.

I tapped into [Everyone’s Pain] as I thought about all the lives lost on Fhae I’ung, thanks to that bastard Jai Su Long. An arrogant, posh cultivator like these guys were. In fact, they were probably even worse. By the looks of them, they skipped all the training and just went on the ride to the Hell Worlds and back to earn their jade trim.

Something they neither appreciated nor respected.

Foul bastards, I thought. A pure disgrace to the institution.

My ire peaked, and my Flame began producing tons of Frenzy on its own. The [Odds could still be Against Me], but I didn’t care. Facing three Sacred Soul Realm Cultivators or not, I had to defend the pride of all Legionnaires right now.

For everyone who had sacrificed themselves and died on those Hell Worlds.

And just so these rich assholes can sit in safety and have tea and crumpets while mocking us at the same time? I thought, as my anger steeped. Nah, to hell with that.

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To hell with all of them!

My anger flared as the man, Di Chu, gave the signal for the match to start.

“Commence!”

I shot across the lawn with a massive burst of Frenzy, covering the distance between me and the three cultivators in the blink of an eye.

“[Righteous Fury of the Fallen]!”

As I screamed the slightly modified technique, I suddenly felt my strength increase a hundred-fold, tapping into the righteous indignation of all legionnaires fallen upon the Hell Worlds. I unleased a massive [Three Log Chop] on Topknot, and my axe split him in two from head to groin.

His body exploded with the residual force of my blow, sending a shock wave of blood and gore all over the crowd. My [Bloodlust] triggered, generating even more Frenzy and I used it to surge at my next target—that shithead Mohawk guy.

Everything happened in barely a second and the crowd finally reacted to the violent display of power, crying out in shock and awe. Deep inside, the Struggler was impressed as well. I’d killed that guy like he was a damn mortal, Sacred Soul Realm defenses and all.

But the Demon didn’t have time to celebrate with him.

He was after blood and so was I.

I flew into a rage as I unleased my Axe and Glaive techniques, pressing at Mohawk. He backflipped with qinggong––the same time producing his spectral form and weapons. A huge, superimposed image of what looked like a rhinoceros headed behemoth appeared. It was grayish colored, with jewels and trinkets gleaming from its horn. In his hands, two giant clubs appeared, that seemed to be made of the same ivory as the horn and covered in jewels as well.

“[Brilliant Earth Shatter Form]!”

Mohawk-rhino dude spun as he annunciated his technique, and his skin began to sparkle with what looked like diamonds. It was just in time as my blades struck him and bounced off with a huge cascade of sparks. I had [Diamond Skin] as well, but nothing as fancy looking as his shit.

I pegged him for an Earth aspect cultivator. His aspect was weak compared to mine, but I wasn’t going to go easy on him as a result. I redoubled my efforts, and he met my Axe and Glaive strikes with dual-wielded counters of his own.

We went back and forth, our speed increasing with each bout. I managed to keep pace just barely, but I could sense his superior skill in the martial arts department. I’d never faced a dual club user before and for every two attacks I managed to parry, I got struck by a third.

I gritted my teeth through the pain, cultivating it to bolster my defenses and speed.

“What a cowardly display!” he spat. “Killing a man before he was even prepared for battle?”

“It’s called reality, asshole!” I shot back. “You think a horde of Star-Borne demons are going to wait for you to tie your damn shoes before they attack?” I surged with Frenzy and unleashed a series of [Lightning Arc Strikes]. “You’re the only damn coward here, you spineless shit!”

To my annoyance, the bastard took the blows without even dodging, absorbing the attacks with his diamond hide. Whatever strength cultivator he was, he must have dumped everything into body cultivation.

Something struck me in the side, and I turned to see Wai Chu sending bolts of lightning from his palms. I winced as I felt the pain through my own [Diamond Skin] but I refused to retaliate, especially as the guy was still flooding me with lemonade.

He had a huge grin on his face as he attacked. “Such glorious combat! We are no match! But our deaths will be spectacular.”

I was so taken aback by the oddity of it, that I left myself open for a millisecond too long.

What felt like a mountain crashed on top of me, as Rhino-mohawk double barreled me with both his clubs right to the side of my head. I saw stars as I went flying through the air and hit the ground hard. He followed up quickly, but I reacted with a counter at just the last second, deflecting his clubs as I surged from the ground with my own [Spectral Form].

My Inner Demon emerged in the visage of the red-hued Struggler and as our Sacred Souls collided, a burst of energy exploded and blew us apart. I was thrown back, yet again, but this time I caught myself to end up on my feet.

Rhino glared at me across the distance.

“You’re strong, but there is no way you can harm me,” he said. “My [Brilliant Earth Shatter Form] is impenetrable. Imperial Marshal or not, you’re not looking like anything special to me.”

Damn prick, I thought.

I ignored a couple more lightning blasts from Wai Chu as I contemplated my next move. The aristocrats were on their feet now, eager to see what would take place. I could try pushing harder and test his diamond hide theory, but that could take more time and energy than it was worth.

Plus, this arrogant ass deserved a more fitting end than that.

I could pull out the big guns, use a [Mark] and crack his head wide open just like his buddy Topknot, but in front of a crowd standing this close, I’d out myself as a demonic cultivator right away. There was one other way to hide it all, but that meant doing something I hadn’t been able to do before.

Might as well give it a shot, I thought.

I focused my Frenzy on the meridian sequencing of the [Furnace of the Frenzied Flame] technique as the thought steeped.

It was the Inner World projection technique I had been trying to execute for months now, but its mastery eluded me still. But my motivation was different this time. I didn’t just want to mask the use of my Berserker arts. I actually wanted this bastard to see my Inner World, to see what others had endured, just so he could prance around with the title of legionnaire.

He needed to experience a Hell World.

I tapped into [Everyone’s Rancor] and my Frenzy surged.

As I focused on the tiny sphere of my Inner World in my mind’s eye, I tapped into it, willing it to manifest just like my spectral form in the real world. Thoughts of my struggles flashed through my mind. The pain and torture of the Dark and Cursed Frenzy on my soul. The endless demon hordes. My world did not possess all of that as yet, but there was one image within it that I needed him to see.

The horror of a Cursed Star.

If only for a second.

I flew across the battlefield again, the technique held by a hair trigger. He lowered into a defensive stance, preparing for another Axe and Glaive attack, but I stopped short and unleashed the technique instead.

“[Furnace of the Frenzied Flame]…”

I said it in a whisper, loud enough for only him to hear.

The sudden spike of fear in his soul confirmed that something had happened, and then suddenly, I found myself on the desolate Hell Scape of Fhae I’ung again. Barren, jutting with sharp black shale. A tortuous purple sky, and at the center of it all, the flaring black-centered orb of the Cursed Star.

Rhino screamed as he gazed up at it.

“What madness is this?” he said, stumbling backwards.

I was somewhat shocked myself.

I’d finally done it!

I had broken through to the 8th Teir of the Sacred Soul Realm! But I had no time to celebrate. The technique was a mental and spiritual strain to maintain and was draining my Dantian like crazy. I didn’t have much time. I cultivated Rhino’s primal fears to help replenish my Frenzy.

The image of the Cursed Star alone would not be enough.

It lacked the Cursed Frenzy that came with it in the real world.

But I could provide a taste of it myself.

“This is what you missed out on,” I said as I slowly circled around him. “By sitting back on the transport like the true coward you are, you missed out on the [Furious Flame of the Father].”

As I engaged the technique, my body became engulfed in brilliant red flames. But it was even more powerful than when I had used it before, fueled by the power of my Inner World itself.

Rhino screamed in horror as his mind began to melt.

His spectral form and diamond hide techniques dropped as he fell to his knees, hands atop his head, screaming. I laid on the pressure as I stood over him and readied my axe.

“This is for all the fake ass legionnaires like you. The pampered asshole cultivators who use the system as an easy ride while others bleed and die.” I grimaced at him with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “May your kind never walk the halls of Du Gok Bhong again.”

“Please just kill me!” he screamed. “I can’t exist! I can’t exist knowing all this!”

I collapsed my Inner World as I swung at him with a [One Chop Cleave].

The crowd reappeared just in time to see me decapitate him, his head flying off into the distance. They screamed with first shock and then delight, standing and cheering.

“Kill the last!” someone cried, and they all picked up on it like a chant.

“Kill the last!”

“Kill the last!”

I looked for Wai Chu and saw him falling to his knees already in surrender.

“I accept my fate,” he said as I approached him. “I am no equal.”

As the chanting continued, I looked out at the crowd of bloodthirsty savages clad in their finery and prestige. The core of my twin dao triggered again, my hate for the empire and all it stood for filling my soul with fresh Frenzy as I gazed out at the embodiment of all I despised.

I found the Empress Revenah herself in the midst of them, her head cocked curiously to the side as if pondering what I would do next. Lunalah had said she had invited me for some kind of test. I didn’t know if this was it, but I sucked at school and preparing for exams both.

The only thing I knew was how to be me.

Chun and all.

I raised my axe and pointed it directly at her. “You wanted proof that an Imperial Marshal is worth three legionnaires? First, your math is off, because there’s only one true legionnaire amongst them. And second, your experiment was flawed from the start, because no way would a true legionnaire fight another.”

I said the words with [Torment of the Frenzied Flame] and the impact was instant.

The crowd went silent with gasps, and I sensed a mixture of fear and primal terror flowing from everyone. There was some anger in there as well but I couldn’t give a damn.

I lowered my Axe and helped Wai Chu off the ground. “Be honored brother. You’ve done more for the empire than any of these standing here.”

I then turned back to the crowd. “You’re the ones who chanted for this man’s death. A legionnaire who bravely faced the Hell Worlds of the Cursed Stars to defend the Empire and preserve your way of life. Without his sacrifice, the core worlds would have been overrun by the demonic hordes long ago. And I know because I’ve lived it. I’ve seen the darkness that exists beyond the Stars, and it is terrifying.”

The air literally chilled as I poured even more Frenzy into my technique.

I could tell they were all pissing themselves, confronted with concepts they tossed about casually in everyday life, but in reality, had no clue how to fathom or comprehend. I then flipped my axe in my hand and turned the hilt towards them.

“You want his death, then come and do it yourselves,” I said. “I offer you my very axe to do so. But let only he who has weathered the fires of the Hell Worlds be worthy to take hold. Who will it be then?” I pointed it at random people in the crowd. “You? You?”

One by one they looked away, shame creeping into their souls.

I finally turned to the Empress. “It seems your guests have spoken again, your excellency. It appears they have changed their minds about the death match.”

A burst of lemonade came from her as she smiled and stepped forward.

“It seems they have, Marshal Iron Bull. And what a delight. This match was indeed both exhibition and true. Let us all commend the participants.”

With that she began a round of applause and true lemonade began to emerge beneath the fear. I cultivated it eagerly, replenishing all I had lost and then some. And then, like nothing had happened at all, the servants returned and began clearing away the bodies and replacing the tables, setting them up for a final course of desserts.

Ling Wei found me in the hustle and bustle, as the guests reseated themselves.

“That was ‘well played’ I would say, Marshal Iron Bull,” Ling Wei said. “I think you have won her over.”

“You think so?” I said, with a laugh.

In truth that wasn’t even my goal in the end.

I was just being true to my Flame.

I finally spotted the empress herself approaching, and both Ling Wei and I bowed to her with respect.

“You have earned the right to join me at my table now, Marshal Iron Bull,” she said and then smiled at me in a way that reminded me of Lunalah. Not in a cringey way or with the same carnal intent that Lunalah had, but in form only.

It appeared Lunalah had inherited her mother’s smile.

“Come,” she said. “We have some very important matters to discuss.”