Berserk of Gluttony Vol. 3

by Isshiki Ichika

  Lady Roxy was always too kind…even as calamity closed in around her.

  However, that kindness had saved me. If I’d never met Lady Roxy, if I’d never discovered the truth of the skill I was born with through her intervention, my Gluttony would have by now run rampant, turning me into nothing more than a frenzied, endlessly hungry monster.

  “You just never change, do you?” I said. “You always stick to your beliefs, no matter what…”

  My words were drowned out by the sudden wail of sirens throughout Babylon.

  What…is this?

  I’d never heard such a cacophony before. The crowds erupted into panic. Even if I didn’t understand what was going on, they all knew what the sirens meant, and they responded accordingly. Lady Roxy did as well. The heavy weight of her aura, her readiness for battle, set me on edge.

  Ah, I get it now, I thought.

  I stared out from Babylon toward the south. A black horizon swept toward the sentinel city’s walls like a storm, blotting out the Galian sky. In this air of anxiety and encroaching doom, a holy knight appeared. He pushed through the crowds with a group of hardened adventurers in tow, his blond hair tousled by the breeze.

  Northern Alistair.

  Chapter 22:

  The Death Parade

  NORTHERN GLANCED TOWARD ME with some surprise, but he headed to Lady Roxy.

  “Lady Roxy,” he said. “A large-scale stampede is closing in on the border.”

  Lady Roxy listened, calm and composed, as if she hadn’t just tried to fight me to the last. “A death parade…” she mused. “How large?”

  “It’s on the smaller side, but we estimate around fifteen thousand monsters.”

  “Understood. How long until they reach the border?”

  “At this rate, four hours.”

  “Then we must strike before they arrive. Tell me what measures we’ve taken thus far.”

  Lady Roxy nodded to me and left, discussing plans with Northern. She was ready to lead her army to the border to stop the death parade. This was the very reason she had been posted to Babylon. Her father had lost his life facing just such a threat.

  I had refused her offer to become her mercenary. I would not be part of her preparations.

  Regardless of my place in this battle, I was worried. As I watched Lady Roxy’s back, my eyes met Northern’s. He grinned.

  “That smug bastard,” I muttered.

  I didn’t know what he meant to convey with that grin. Satisfaction that, thus far, I had heeded his warning and done nothing? Or did he think me a coward? Maybe his smile said that his place was by Lady Roxy’s side, and mine wasn’t. It could have meant anything, but it oozed with arrogance, and I didn’t like it one bit.

  Lady Roxy and Northern vanished down the avenue, leaving me on my own. The crowd that had gathered to watch us fight receded, drawn off by the sirens. I watched them flee as Greed spoke to me through Telepathy.

  “What are you going to do now, Fate?”

  “You already know,” I said. “And besides, I’m starving.”

  “Hm. You’re heading out there, are you?”

  There was nothing else to say. As I left, I noticed Eris standing amidst the dispersing crowd, alone in her stillness. Her clear eyes met mine, an unspoken plea. She had never shied from speaking her mind, yet her expression now was timid.

  I can’t waste another moment, but…

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, approaching Eris. “That face isn’t like you.”

  She turned her back to me and took a few steps away. Then, in a voice only a little louder than a whisper, she said, “You shouldn’t go out there.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you say, I’m going no matter what happens.” I hesitated. “But, thank you…for your concern.”

  “You never did listen to good advice.”

  Then, without turning back, Eris ran into the saloon. She’d said from the start that she was only a bystander. She could tell me I strode into danger, but she couldn’t tell me what danger. However, even this vague warning was new information. I now knew the coming death parade was no ordinary stampede. I believed Eris, and I was grateful for whatever she could say.

  It was time to face my future. As I walked toward the city walls, I put my hand on the hilt of the black sword. “Greed, can I ask you something?”

  “What is it now?”

  “You can sense them, can’t you? The others who bear Skills of Mortal Sin and their weapons?”

  “Yes, but right now, only within the bounds of Babylon. Why do you ask? You never cared to know before.”

  Until now, I hadn’t dared ask. I hadn’t wanted to think of the possibility. I feared the others like me—their power, their hostility. I could never stand up to the monstrous strength of someone like Myne. However, it was no longer just my life on the line. My fear was no excuse.

  If Eris had spoken truth, someone out there wanted to use Lady Roxy’s death as a trigger—one that would change the world with hate. I couldn’t help suspecting that this schemer also bore a Skill of Mortal Sin, or a power of similar strength. That person had to be in Babylon.

  “Well, you and Eris are the only ones here in Babylon,” said Greed, reading my emotions. “I don’t sense anyone else.”

  “What? Really?!”

  “Yes, but it could be they’re masking their power. You’re still a rookie, but that’s not so hard for an experienced hand. Just look at Eris. We had no idea she was trailing us. You found her when she wanted you to.”

  So, we couldn’t know either way. The threat remained hidden. Nevertheless, I couldn’t sit around thinking about all the danger I couldn’t see, all the outcomes I couldn’t predict. I clenched my fist.

  “But I will say this,” said Greed. “I’m a little relieved.”

  “What? Why?”

  “If you’d let Eris get into your head, you’d have lost sight of all the other lurking dangers. It’s clear to me now—you’ve gotten a bit stronger.”

  “It’s about time you stopped treating me like some kid. I know I have to be ready to face more than just the Divine Dragon.” Whatever waited for us might well be more dangerous.

  Greed broke out in an uproarious laugh. “You think I treat you like a kid?! Fate, to me, you’re a newborn baby!”

  Okay, okay, you’re a four-thousand-year-old sword, I get it. That extraordinary length of time was probably where all Greed’s quirks came from. It’d make anyone odd. To me, life was still new. But four thousand years of such a regrettable personality? Ugh, it was almost worth feeling sorry for.

  “Hey, Fate.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t do anything reckless.”

  “Now you say that?”

  In the early days of my awakening, I had learned to treat my Gluttony as a threat. Now, it felt unnervingly under control. Present, but balanced. Patient.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “Now, and in the future, I’ll be just fine.”

  I walked down the main street as adventurers passed, one after another. All were decked out in fancy armor, and all ran for the main gates to the north. After Lady Roxy and her army defeated the main wave, these adventurers would hunt the leftovers. Even the mediocre rejects would make a killing mopping up after the kingdom.

  I put a hand to my skull mask and continued south toward the Military Sector.

  “Fate,” said Greed, “the exit is behind you. Remember? The gate? It’s in the opposite direction.”

  “We’ll be fine,” I said. “We’re going this way.”

  The army was on the move, the adventurers were dashing eagerly to their bounties, and the merchants were in a panic. I wanted a path without so many people, and thanks to the death parade, the Military Sector had its hands full. I could move through it with ease, and nobody would get in my way.

  “We’re going to take one hell of a shortcut,” I said.

  Putting my strength stats to good use, I jumped onto the roof of a shop.

  “Ah,” said Gr
eed. “Taking the scenic route?”

  “Exactly!”

  I didn’t intend to head straight to Galia. Once perched on the adamantite walls, I would observe the movements of Lady Roxy’s troops as they led the charge. If they faced an ordinary death parade, they’d win in a clean sweep. I knew this. I’d felt Lady Roxy’s power in our so-called sparring match. She was strong. Immensely strong. My job, then, was to watch over her and her army, positioned to intervene the second I spied anything unusual—or straight-up deadly.

  When I landed atop the walls overlooking Galia, the strength of the wind surprised me. If I lost my footing or let my focus slip, it would blow me away, right back down to the city streets.

  I braced myself against the gale and looked south. The ground and sky were a blanket of darkness. The monsters were still so far away, but the more I stared, the more they came into focus. A death parade, yes, but one that consisted of far more than the fifteen thousand monsters Northern warned us of.

  “It’s unbelievable,” I muttered.

  “It’s your first time seeing a death parade, huh? Here’s some advice: don’t kill too many monsters at once. The sudden stat rise will only madden Gluttony.”

  “I’ll be careful. I don’t care to go through that again.”

  I remembered facing my first crowned beast, “The One Named Howl,” all too well. Its soul had been delicious, unlike anything I’d eaten before. The shock sent my Gluttony wild with glee, leaving me overwhelmed and writhing on the ground. I’d struggled to maintain consciousness and bashed my head against a rock.

  I didn’t think on the memory with much fondness.

  If I had to go through that in the middle of battle, the monsters would pounce and send me straight to the afterlife. I’d trained this whole journey to control Gluttony, but this stampede was made up of tens of thousands of monsters as strong as or stronger than The One Named Howl. Tens of thousands of delicious souls. Enough to send me straight into insanity.

  Fortunately, controlling the monsters was up to the kingdom’s army. I didn’t have to tackle the death parade head-on.

  Soon, I spotted them. Lady Roxy directed her troops from atop her white horse. They’d analyzed the trajectory of the death parade and aimed to cut it off at the border.

  The archers and spellcasters took up position to winnow down the enemy numbers from a distance. The main force would meet whatever monster survived at close quarters. They would leave the crowned beasts to Lady Roxy, a holy knight with the power necessary to take them down. I watched as the two forces closed in on each other.

  “Let’s get started,” I said.

  “I’m ready when you are.”

  I drew Greed from his scabbard and transformed him into the black bow. I hadn’t spent the last month killing and devouring monsters for nothing. All of this had been training to push our abilities to their limits.

  Chapter 23:

  Power that Transforms

  THE WAVE OF MONSTERS poured in from the south, colliding with Lady Roxy’s army, which stood ready and waiting. The vast majority of the monsters were green-skinned orcs, but a significant number of crowned beasts ran among them. However, Lady Roxy wasn’t the only holy knight in this battle. The monsters didn’t have the upper hand. Not yet.

  My Gluttony remained quiet. It felt no threat from anything fighting in the battle. I breathed a sigh of relief and continued to watch from my vantage point high above. Then Greed sensed something.

  “There’s something heading this way,” he said. “It’s coming from the east, and it’s coming fast.”

  I turned to look. “There’s nothing there…”

  As far as I could see, it was just barren wasteland.

  “Is it strong?” I asked.

  “It is.”

  “Then there’s no reason for me to hold back any longer.”

  If I couldn’t see it approaching, then I had to make it so I could. It was time to use the skill I’d learned in the battle against Haniel.

  “Were you listening when I told you not to be reckless?” Greed asked.

  “It’s too late for that now.”

  I took a deep breath, calmed my heart, and readied myself. I couldn’t see the incoming threat, but I would devour it. It was me or them. Life or death. I called forth my Gluttony.

  For an instant, my right eye burned with intense heat. I had successfully engaged Gluttony’s half-starved state.

  “You’ve gotten much better at doing that,” Greed remarked.

  “It’s all that training you put me through.”

  “Hah! ‘All that training?’ That was nothing. You’ve still got a long way to go with me.”

  Even in my half-starved state, I felt calm and in control. I could really give it my all now. My eyes traced the flow of magical energy, and I looked eastward again.

  “What is that?”

  Something huge moved under the ground, swimming through the earth as though through water. It was still much too far away to Identify. I scanned the rest of the battlefield, making sure nothing else unexpected was approaching. The field was otherwise clear.

  I turned back to study the swimming shape. If it kept on its current path, it would burrow right underneath Lady Roxy and her troops. Would she sense the monster while locked in battle? It seemed unlikely. Even if she did, there wouldn’t be enough time to warn her soldiers, let alone respond. The sheer size of the monster would cause serious damage. I was looking at the makings of a fatal pincer trap.

  “We have to stop it before it reaches the army,” I said.

  “This is the biggest battle you’ve ever been part of. Don’t lose yourself to it.”

  I could feel it—the strange mix of pressure and excitement in the air. Bloodlust and destiny. This was no ordinary battle. Greed was right. There was a chance I’d lose myself to my Gluttony, no matter how stable it seemed now.

  “Get ready, Greed,” I said.

  “Oh, you want to use that. Very well.”

  This would have been the perfect time to use the black bow’s secret technique, but the Bloody Ptarmigan attack required ten percent of my stats, and I wanted to save as many of those as I could. Orcs wouldn’t bring my stats back up quickly enough. For that reason, I wanted to try a tech-art I’d modified, one that required me to be in my half-starved state.

  I’d gotten inspiration for this tech-art while fighting the undead in Hausen alongside Aaron. My Gluttony had somehow affected him, and he’d experienced a limit break—a phenomenon in which an adventurer broke through their maximum level. I’d wondered whether I could do a similar thing to my own skills. By experimenting, I learned that I could change my tech-arts with my skills, much like I did with my elemental arrows or my orichalcum-enforced scabbard.

  With practice, I developed the modified tech-art I called the Spiral Charge Shot. By itself, Charge Shot increased a bow’s range. With the Spiral Charge Shot, charging the bow with magic meant one’s range increased—accompanied by a drastic increase in the piercing power of the arrow.

  “The most fascinating idea you’ve had,” said Greed, “was adapting the skills you don’t use to match my weapon forms.”

  “Well, I can’t always rely on your secret techniques, or I’ll run out of stats.”

  “Big words, little man.”

  Then I’ll show you, I thought. It’s not words that will fire this arrow.

  Now that one of my eyes was stained crimson, it was all too easy to follow the movements of the massive monster swimming through the earth. I took aim and loaded the bow with magical energy. The black arrow flickered with sparks of electricity, but it wasn’t enough. As I poured more magic into the arrow, the bow itself sparked audibly, and my left hand numbed as I pulled the arrow back. Just a little more.

  The monster dove forward, but I followed even its smallest movements. Then, when the arrow seethed with magic, I fired.

  The arrow did not falter. It pierced the air as it shrieked eastward, cutting a black bolt through the sky
. It vanished into the earth, never slowing as it plunged toward its target.

  After a moment, the earth rocked wildly. Just as I thought the quake was over, the area where my arrow had disappeared erupted. An enormous, translucent monster shaped like a blue whale burst through the crumbling earth and flew into the sky.

  “Did you see that? We got ourselves one hell of a catch!”

  Greed bellowed with laughter. “It’s a big one, all right!”

  “I’ve never caught such a huge monster,” I said, a bit awed.

  Still, it wasn’t dead yet. Before it could dive, I had to reach it, and fast.

  I leapt. As I fell, I kicked the outer wall with all my strength and launched myself through the air, to the east. I couldn’t help laughing as I descended.

  “What’s so funny?” the black sword asked.

  “I was just thinking, ‘What would the old Fate have thought if he saw me throw myself off a giant wall like that?’”

  “You’re going to give me all sorts of grief if you don’t wake up to your potential soon, Fate. You’ll hurt yourself too, soon enough.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

  As I landed, I engaged the full power of my strength and agility, carving up the earth as I ran. The blue whale-like shape still floated in the sky, rippling as it reoriented itself. Each of my steps carried me hundreds of feet. I’d reach my target in about ten paces. Clutching the black bow, I closed in. When I got in range, I used Identify.

  “Show me what you got.” After using Identify, I couldn’t hide my shock. Are you for real?

  “Probably shouldn’t be so surprised,” said Greed. “This kind of thing is common in Galia.”

  “Seriously?”

  It was a crowned beast, yes, but I still couldn’t believe what I saw. Had it gotten so big because of Galian nutrition? All the monsters of this type that I’d seen in the past had been much, much smaller—even cute, in a way.

  As for the monster’s stats, I had to read them a second time before I could accept the truth.

  Chapter 24: