* * *

There was a technique that Van had always dreamed of attempting ever since he was able to manipulate aura. A skill that would be incredibly powerful if he could pull it off, but unfortunately, one that he felt intimidated to even attempt.

If the technique worked, there was a hundred percent chance he would be consumed by the berserker’s power. That was why Van had never attempted the technique in any battle.

Once a berserker was consumed by its power, there was no guarantee of what happened next. In the past, he had encountered berserkers like himself on a few occasions, and their endings as well.

They were always hungry for blood like ravenous beasts, killing humans and animals alike whenever they wanted. Life had no meaning to them. It was only the call of instinct that had meaning.

Killing machines devoided of personality and self. No being in the world wanted them alive. The berserker who wanted to kill everything, ended up being the one everyone needed to kill.

Their final form was not human, not even beastly. Van didn’t want to be like that. Maybe in the past, but not now, with Cadel. He didn’t want to be that miserable.

So, he gave up on polishing that skill, thinking that someday when he could manage the power of a berserker properly, he might be able to help Commander with that skill. It was all he vaguely expected.

‘But if now.’

Van pulled his mind out of the aura’s grip. The moment Cadel took his hand and pulled him out of the endless darkness, Van could feel another presence coexisting within him.

It was a familiar and terrifying power that was desperate to be dragged along by.

‘If you really want to protect me, fight with your will.’

Most of the memory had faded, but he remembered Cadel’s words clearly.

‘This is my power. It’s my power, and I can use it as I please. Don’t be swayed’

The view of the village from the outside was devastating. Monsters were rampaging through the village, tearing it apart.

Van came out of the barrier, but the Twilight Knight Order was nowhere to be found. If he had seen them, he would have told them to immediately evacuate somewhere to protect themselves.

‘They’re the Knight Order, they should be able to take care of themselves.’

He couldn’t afford that now. Before he forgot this strange, exhilarating sensation of regaining control of his inner world. He was going to end it all.

His eyes glowed red as he gripped his greatsword. In an instant, a red aura colored the surroundings. The aura stretched to the heavens, more than twice as much as usual, but it only pulsed in silence.

All were at his beck and call, following his will.

He had collected enough blood. Unleashing a large amount of his aura, he immediately activated the Blood Flow Sword. A low resonant sound resembling a beast’s cry emanated from the crimson hilt.

[Blood Flow Sword Second Form. River of the Dead]

Van raised his greatsword to the sky.

All by his will. He could do it now.

Tall waves of blood blot out the sky. Upon discovering the massive waves, which must have been more than a hundred meters across, Cadel immediately started his magic to protect the temporary garrison.

‘I never thought he would use the River of the Death.’

Of course, most of Van’s skills were specialized in wide-range attacks. It went without saying that the stronger he got, the more range he could attack.

However, the magnificent technique he witnessed right in front of him was far beyond Cadel’s imagination. The reason he was able to barely move was because he recognized that the technique belonged to Van.

Rumble—

A tidal wave of blood began to wash over the village. Cadel stared through the gaping door as he tightened the barrier around the garrison. The stench of blood, thick enough to make him sick to his stomach, and the aura of killing intent were closing in at a rapid pace.

“He must be a berserker.”

Garuel locked eyes with Cadel, who was looking up at him and tilted his head in disbelief.

“How did you know?”

“Berserkers’ aura reek of blood, and the stronger they are, the thicker the odor……. Indeed, as Sir Cadel said, he seems to be using great technique.”

Of course. [River of the Dead] was a special skill that ranked at the top of Van’s wide-range skills. Van’s attacks would not spare a single monster.

“I take it you’re familiar with berserkers?”

“Yeah. I’ve been through it a few times. The smell of the aura that emanates as strong as now.”

“I see.”

“……Are you trying to abandon your subordinate?”

Cadel’s face crumpled at the question.

“What does that mean?”

“A berserker’s mind cannot withstand this much aura. I remember the few encounters I’ve had with berserkers clearly, and not just because they were strong, but because they died so easily.”

The berserkers Garuel had seen had a cause. They wanted to keep the peace through their own strength and had no hesitation in sacrificing for peace.

And as a result, they recklessly reached for power beyond their reach. In return for drawing power beyond their limits, they went mad and eventually died. A terrible death, unworthy of their holy cause.

If Cadel had a berserker as a subordinate, he’d know it. Nerve-wracking, overwhelming strength and killing intent, clearly beyond human limits.

“I felt it from the first time we met, but Sir Garuel is…….”

Cadel chose his words carefully for a moment, and finally managed to form a sentence free of profanity and accusation.

“You have a tendency to look too far ahead in your own judgment.”

“……Yikes. Am I wrong again?”

“Yes. You’re wrong.”

His subordinate didn’t die.

With a curt reply, the barrier surrounding the garrison shook violently. At the same time, waves of blood pounded the earth, flooding it.

A tidal wave of blood was engulfing everything outside the barrier. Through the strong vibrations that shook the interior, Garuel looked out the door at the crimson landscape beyond.

An unstoppable wave that shook the earth. He could feel the intense flow of aura within it.

‘That’s a lot of aura to pay for without putting your life on the line. And yet…….’

How could this man trust his subordinate’s safety?

It was a blind confidence that was radically different from trusting the members. Was he just trying to deny reality?

A flood of aura in front of him, and the sight of Cadel strengthening the barrier without the slightest agitation. The harmony of the two appearances was hard to comprehend.

“Sir Garuel! Don’t just stand there and stare, help me!”

It was Lumen who roused Garuel from his reverie, shouting in exasperation as he pulled a villager who was about to be thrown against the wall, and Garuel, who had come to his senses late, joined him to help.

The aura threatened to tear the barrier apart. Cadel repaired the barrier with minimal mana, hoping the wave would pass the garrison quickly.

And finally. The moment when the vision-shattering vibrations and body-throbbing shocks faded, and the loud roar faded away.

「Knight ‘Van Herdos’ ’ Awakening Quest Complete!」

「Congratulations! Knight ‘Van Herdos’ has reached the maximum grade.」

「Knight ‘Van Herdos’ ’ favorability and loyalty have been unlocked.」