Berserk: The Prophet

"Get out of my way!!" Kirsten shouted at the Shadow Hands who came to capture him, his years of accumulated killing intent instantly freezing the Shadow Hands in place.

"If you want this old bastard's life, then take it! I will never be a burden to my son!!" After saying this, Kirsten drew the sword from his waist and chose to end his own life, blood splattering everywhere.

Everything happened so fast that Edward had just raised his head to try and stop it when he was splattered with hot blood.

"Ah..." Edward's eye sockets became even more sunken for a moment, and he grabbed his blond hair with both hands, as if he had seen something terrible and irreversible.

Those memories of the past, and the scene of Kirsten rescuing them from the Judas concentration camp, were still vivid in his mind. "Ah..." Edward cried out, no...

...He never intended to kill Kirsten.

"...Hahahahahahaha." With his mouth wide open, Edward helplessly covered his bloodied face and laughed maniacally, as his brain converted extreme sadness and grief into the opposite signal. No one knew whether he was crying or laughing.

This world... is utterly absurd!

How could he not know what he was doing? He simply couldn't bear to lose his mother again. Who could help him? All that talk of righteousness... to hell with it all! Why did everyone have to force him like this?!

The soldiers around him were stunned by the sudden turn of events. Every one of Grant's men knew the name of General Kirsten, a hero of the country!

Ultimately, however, they were merely the army of the nobles who supported the reforms of the Hochne movement, and Kirsten's death had almost no impact on them.

Madwood's eyes widened in disbelief. He never expected Kirsten to be so resolute, choosing to end her life in such a tragic way.

Edward's laughter stopped abruptly. He swayed a few times and almost fell off his horse. His wet eyes were filled with regret and pain. Everything had happened so suddenly.

"General, I... that's not what I meant..." His voice trembled, as if he had lost all his strength in an instant.

...If he could, he really wanted to lie here for a while.

But he absolutely couldn't stop here. He Kun could use his mother as leverage at any moment; how could he bear to let her suffer any more harm? Yes... there was no way out, no turning back...

Edward composed himself briefly and said nonchalantly, "Cut off his head and bury the body on the spot. Looks like I'll have to give my 'good brother' a big gift."

The soldiers exchanged bewildered glances, somewhat surprised by Edward's order, but dared not disobey and had no choice but to comply. A soldier, his hands trembling, raised his longsword and slowly approached Kirsten's corpse, each step feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds. As the sword fell, severing the head, a nauseating stench of blood and a chilling atmosphere filled the air.

Edward suppressed the intense pain in his heart, staring coldly ahead, pretending to be nonchalant, but his slightly trembling lips betrayed his sorrow.

Hickel...I...

No, even she wouldn't forgive herself...

...Perhaps only Edward himself knew that his body had been trembling constantly.

—That is the phantom pain of cutting off a part of your heart with your own hands.

"...The entire army continues its advance towards the Dragon's Nest!!" Edward roared as he gave the order. Now...his mother was all he had left to keep him going.

He led the army forward like a walking corpse, as if following a parallel universe. Though he had gained intelligence and was trying to break free from the threads woven by causality, his actions were no different from the fate script written by the abyss.

The most painful thing is to consciously walk step by step toward the end, trying to change everything, yet unable to change anything...

............

—The border between Nordkahuati and the Dragon's Nest—

——Zhenhuo Palace——

Normally, only a few dozen high priests and sorceresses in training live in the "Fire Palace," but now there are nearly ten more soldiers left behind by Gurenbeldo.

In the room facing the "Fire Palace" sacrificial site, Benedict was resting on the bed while Hickel peeled fruit with a knife, juicy apples being neatly arranged on a plate, one piece after another.

"Don't worry, Gurunberudo will definitely return safely, just like before."

“That doting, silly brother of yours won’t abandon you,” Hickel comforted Benedict by the bedside, placing a plate full of apples on her bedside table.

“...It’s different,” Benedict murmured.

"What's different?" Hickel asked, puzzled.

"This sortie... is different from the past... I saw something related to the fire dragon... What will happen to my brother's fate..."

Benedict recalled the images she had vaguely glimpsed during the psychic session. Now, her mind was completely focused on that matter, her intuition was dulled, and she could no longer foresee the future.

Perhaps for this reason, Benedict did not sense the imminent hostility.

"Aaaaaah...!!" Suddenly, the shrine maidens' mournful cries shattered the silence.

"—!" Hickel stood up alertly.

"Report!" Hikel's men rushed into the room.

"What happened!" Hikel frowned, knowing from the sounds outside that the enemy must be quite large!

"Enemy attack! A group of unidentified individuals has invaded! Battle is currently underway in the central courtyard!" The situation was urgent, and Hikel's subordinate reported concisely.

"How many enemies are there?"

"Not sure, but there should be over a hundred people...!"

The next instant, the soldier who was halfway through his report had his head split open from behind. His skull caved in, and the muscles in his face were torn apart vertically.

The enemy, who silently slipped into the room, was dressed in black animal hide armor, holding a spiked club in his right hand and a broken sword with serrated fangs in his left.

Hickel knew the name of the enemy before him; he was a subordinate of Grand Duke Hokun named Madwushu. Normally, he was just an inconspicuous civil servant who helped the Grand Duke with his official duties, but it seemed that he had another side that no one knew about.

The newcomer seemed hostile, so Heikel immediately drew his sword and clashed with Madwood.

Edward led his Shadow Hands and dozens of soldiers to invade the "Fire Palace," quickly defeating the guards. By the time Edward arrived, there were no men left alive in the "Fire Palace."

Watching the witches scatter in terror and the high priest who had finally overcome his fear and tried to approach them to ask questions, Edward let out a long sigh of relief. He didn't want to make things difficult for these women.

"I'm only looking for Benedict Cumberbatch, where is she?"

Edward's cold, hard voice echoed through the corridors of the Fire Town Palace, and the witches huddled in the corners, silent as if trembling in fear.

The high priest mustered his courage and stepped forward, saying in a trembling voice, “My lord, Miss Benedict is resting in her room at the sacrificial site. You must not disturb her like this; she is a messenger of God.”

Edward ignored their words, dismounted, and led his shadow men and soldiers straight towards the room. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he paused at the doorway, turned, and ordered the soldiers behind him: "No need to follow. Go and tie up these witches and old women!"

"Yes!" The soldiers immediately obeyed and did as ordered. These delicate witches made the men, who rarely saw women all year round, feel restless and eager.

Inside the room, Heikel was at a disadvantage; the cramped space was not conducive to the use of her long-handled two-handed sword.

Madwood's broken blade completely blocked Hekel's offensive; the female centurion's swordsmanship and strength seemed utterly insufficient to him. He used the serrated blade to hook Hekel's sword upwards, then used his other hand's spiked club to attack any openings Hekel made.

"Ugh!" Hikel groaned and staggered backward, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but the armor on his arm had been shattered. A polearm was no match for Madwood's broken blade!