The sharp stab of pain blood behind his eyes.
He staggered back, almost tripping over a tree root. Red fog began to appear in the forest and converge on him.
Fight. Kill. Murder. War. Evolve. Blood. Attack.
The words crashed through his thoughts, looping again and again.
They didn't feel foreign and instead felt like his own thoughts.
A shudder tore through him. Sothing– soone was forcefully fusing with him.
He dropped to one knee, sweat pouring from his brow.
"This… isn't part of the fusion," he said, gritting his teeth.
All this ti, he'd thought that fusing with the berserk death elental would raise his existence level.
But now that presence was doing the 'fusion', he realized a horrible truth.
The berserk death elental weren't fusing with him. They were erasing him, slowly and thoroughly.
His existence level was not being increased.
His existence was being replaced by a stronger, higher existence.
"Damn it..." He forced himself to his feet. "Were the berserkers of the Alliance faking being a fusion between the person and the berserker death elentals?"
From what he had heard, the berserkers were insane.
But their behavior, their mannerisms, and their aura would be similar to their self before they beca berserker.
"The Berserker Death Elentals took over their existence and then acted like them?"
The thought sickened him.
No Death elental should be capable of this kind of deception. That wasn't in their nature. Death didn't lie. It didn't manipulate. It simply was.
So who was behind this?
Before he could chase that thought any further, the pressure in his skull eased. The foreign thoughts stopped clawing at his mind.
Then the mist in front of him began to stir.
It transford into a hazy, red humnoid figure. Thick, rolling mist, crackled at its edges with flickers of crimson light.
The presence inside his mind was no longer hiding.
"Man…" the figure said, voice half-surprised. "What kind of person did they send this ti that I can't even take over his mind easily?"
Naless Death didn't answer.
He prepared himself for a fight.
The mist ignored his caution and leaned forward, sniffing at the air like a predator that had caught the scent of sothing new.
"Ho?" it said, suddenly intrigued. "What's this? You don't have a Fate."
Its head tilted.
"Is this the technology the people of this era use, or... no. No, this is real. You truly don't have a Fate."
The mist grinned.
"How did the Eternals miss an Ashborn like you?"
That word Eternals slamd into him like a hamr.
Rage surged from deep within him. He didn't know why the na made his soul roar, but it did.
His fists clenched. "You know them?"
The mist pulled back slightly.
"Ho? You rember the na Eternal?" A low chuckle followed. "Ah, I see. You must be a Heavenbreaker. Looks like the people of this era aren't half-shabby after all."
The amusent on its face twisted into a sense of anticipation.
Without warning, it dashed forward.
A fist—larger than it had any right to be—smashed into Naless Death's chest, sending him flying through three trees before he could react.
He crashed into a hillside, dust and bark exploding around him.
The ground shook.
He sprang back to his feet and barely blocked the next strike. His arms trembled from the force. The next punch ca low, then another followed from the side.
Each hit felt like it was ant to tear him apart.
The sensation of battle was jarring.
Naless Death's body reacted on instincts but his technqiues wouldn't co to him.
With nothing else to use, he poured endless World Energy into his body, reinforcing it.
His fists glowed
He dodged one strike and landed a solid blow to the red mist's side. It twisted slightly, then laughed.
"Not bad," it said. "But you're not using all of it. Don't hold back."
Naless Death didn't respond.
He focused, drew in more energy, and pushed his body past its limits.
His movents sharpened, as if he was recalling his battle experiences.
His steps beca faster. He dodged the next punch and landed a series of clean hits.
They exchanged tens of thousands of blows in seconds. Each impact shattered trees, tore into the hills, and left the forest around them in ruins.
But he was still falling behind.
The Berserker didn't slow down. If anything, it beca more aggressive the longer the fight dragged on.
A mad grin stretched on his face as his punch struck Naless Death in the ribs. He flew back again, landing hard, coughing blood.
The Berserker didn't chase him this ti. It floated in place, arms folded.
"You've got potential," it said. "But why aren't you using any Intent techniques? Co on, bring out the big guns."
Naless Death stood up, wiping the blood from his chin. His vision was swimming slightly, but he forced it into focus.
"What are Eternals?" he asked.
The berserker watched him for a second before he replied. "You want answers? Fine. I'll make you a deal."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Entertain . Defeat , and I'll give you answers. All of them."
His eyes lit up with savage glee.
"Though, honestly, the chances are much higher that you'll just beco another na lost to my fists."
Naless Death didn't respond. He lunged forward instead and attacked.
The berserker t him halfway. Their collision shook the air.
What followed wasn't a graceful duel or a contest of refined techniques.
It was raw violence.
The berserker fought like a force of nature, each punch coming with weight enough to shatter bones. And shatter they did.
Naless Death was fast, but it didn't matter.
The berserker was stronger, tougher, and infinitely more savage. His attacks weren't elegant, but they were overwhelming.
A punch to the ribs collapsed one of Naless Death's lungs.
A twist of the arm tore it out of its socket.
A brutal knee shattered his jaw.
Again and again, his throat was torn open, chest caved in, limbs broken only to heal monts later.
Naless Death fought back, but the difference was obvious.
The berserker wasn't just stronger. He was enjoying himself in the dance of savagery.
Naless Death gritted his teeth as he tumbled across the cracked ground.
Blood coated his body, and pain filled every breath.
This wasn't going to work.
Taking hits, healing, and repeating it would only delay the inevitable.
He needed sothing more.
He needed power of his own.
Closing his eyes for a split second, he reached inward towards his Seed of Existence.
The fact that he could heal – rebuild his broken body – ant there had to be sothing inside it.
Perhaps it was a technique, or a Spell, or a Sacred Treasure. Even an Affinity would be fine.
But when he tried to perceive the central layer, he was blocked by a sealed wall.
The berserker noticed his pause. At first, he looked annoyed, as if the fun was ending. But then his brow lifted.
A soft laugh escaped him. "Hah? What's this?"
Naless Death was glowing.
His entire body began to blaze with white fla. Light poured off him like he was being consud from within.
His skin cracked under the pressure, and lines of energy danced across it like veins of lightning.
"You're going to overload yourself? Is that how you are planning to defeat ?" the berserker barked a laugh. "Now that's what I'm talking about! That's the kind of madness I respect!"
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