Berserker's rage was building.
His expression twisted, and his movents began to get sharper. Fury radiated off him like heat.
He hated the Hargraves Bloodline. Every drop of it.
He hated Zagreus, not just because he interrupted the battle, but because he wasn't a warrior.
Zagreus didn't fight with his own strength.
And now he was interrupting his battle with a warrior.
But more than anything, he hated what Naless Death had beco.
Berserker's strikes grew faster and heavier.
His steps shattered the ground.
Naless Death had the potential to beco a true apex death warrior, soone worthy of carrying, of correction Death to the correct path.
But instead of choosing domination and war, Naless Death had backed away from it.
He had picked peace, and coexistence.
Disgusting.
This wasn't just about the fight anymore. Berserker was reminded of 'him'. The one who betrayed what it ant to be Death. The one who preached balance.
That thought sent Berserker's fury over the edge.
Zagreus, moving carefully around the outskirts of the clash, glanced at Naless Death.
"You might wanna back out," he said. "He's losing it, and there's a reason they call him a berserker."
Naless Death didn't reply. He stood his ground.
A second later, it happened.
Berserker's power exploded.
Strength, speed, elental intensity, everything surged. The air around him cracked. Even the ground split into a chasm as he launched forward.
His fist landed squarely against Naless Death's chest.
The force tore through him.
Naless Death was thrown back like a ragdoll, body folding unnaturally as he crashed through several tree trunks.
He skidded across the broken forest floor, leaving a trail of blood and smoke.
Another punch followed, this ti enhanced with Chaos Elentals.
It was headed straight for Naless Death's inner self.
That punch could destroy a Consciousness.
Zagreus moved.
A green bullet shot from his gun and pierced the air. It struck Berserker cleanly in the side.
It was the first ti Berserker's body was actually pierced.
He let out a sudden, high-pitched scream. His flesh rippled, pulsed, then began to shift.
His body mutated violently. His Chaos and Death twisted in unstable patterns. And then—
He exploded.
Just like that, the manifestation of Berserker vanished.
Silence took over the forest.
Smoke rose gently from the crater where Berserker had been standing. Bits of Chaos Elentals drifted in the air, slowly evaporating.
"You killed his manifestation. Now we'll have to waste more ti in this damn Voraka Site." The octopus floating beside Zagreus muttered.
"I wasn't trying to kill him. It's not my fault this blind fuck almost got himself deleted, and I had to step in to save." Zagreus clicked his tongue.
The octopus turned toward him.
"I'll never understand you. On one hand, you never show rcy to enemies, even if they're innocent. But on the other hand, you go out of your way to protect bystanders, even if it costs you the fight."
Zagreus didn't respond. He walked over to the collapsed Naless Death and waited.
As expected, Naless Death regenerated. His form stabilized. His body pulled itself back together without any effort.
The black blood stopped leaking.
The skin resealed.
Zagreus narrowed his eyes.
'Weird. He looks like him but it doesn't look like he is using the blessing to heal. Is the blessing still partially sealed? Or is he just soone who looks like him?'
Zagreus kept his thoughts to himself.
Naless Death recovered his senses. He stared at Zagreus with quiet hostility.
"What do you want?" he asked. "You killed Berserker as you wanted. Now get lost."
Zagreus crouched in front of him, one hand resting on his knee, the other holding his sword like a cane.
"Kiddo," he said in a casual voice. "You do realize he was about to kill your consciousness, right? I saved your life."
Naless Death didn't reply.
"And…" Zagreus tilted his head. "In doing that, I shot myself in the foot. I needed to capture that guy alive for interrogation. Now I have to find another of his manifestations. Great."
Naless Death frowned.
Sothing about Zagreus words rubbed him the wrong way.
It gave him an ominous premonition.
"And?" Naless Death asked.
Zagreus pointed to the back of Naless Death's hand. A number was glowing there.
"That number 100. It's a countdown, isn't it? The ti until Berserker cos for you again."
Naless Death didn't move, but he acknowledged it with a glance.
"That's how that guy works. So since I saved you, you owe . Your paynt is simple. You stay with until he shows up again."
Naless Death stared at him.
"So," he said, flatly, "you want to kill Berserker?"
"Do I look that bored to you?" Zagreus gave him a deadpan stare.
He stood up and stretched, dusting his coat.
"I'm not here to play soldier. I'm here to fix this planet. It's my Shadow Trial, and that bastard was the one who wrecked it in the first place."
Naless Death didn't respond. He didn't care about this half-dead planet.
Whether it died or healed made no difference to him. It wasn't his problem.
What he focused on was the word 'Shadow Trial.'
So this guy was the one who System had intially wanted him to work together with?
Suddenly, Zagreus said,
"Your consciousness was damaged in that fight, wasn't it?"
Naless Death stopped.
"If you work with ," Zagreus said, his tone finally turning serious, "I'll help you recover it."
That made Naless Death pause.
He turned to him.
Zagreus waited for his answer.
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, Naless Death sighed.
"Good," Zagreus smiled. "You're not as stubborn as I thought."
The two of them left the ruined area behind, stepping past the jagged trees and blackened ground.
As they moved, the residual Chaos Elentals scattered away from them like insects retreating from fire.
They left the Jungle of the Red Silence.
The thick silence of the place disappeared, replaced by open air and a dull breeze.
Zagreus glanced sideways.
"Don't worry," he said, brushing dust off his shoulder. "I have to co back to that jungle later. When you're recovered, we'll return together."
Naless Death didn't comnt. He just kept walking beside him.
After the jungle ca a stretch of barren land.
It was filled with flat rock, occasional plateaus, and long canyons carved through the stone. Nothing lived here. No plants, no beasts, not even insects.
And they moved through it.
For years.
They used teleportation and other techniques like Pseudo Gap when they could, but it seed Zagreus was conserving his energy so they had to move slowly.
During the journey, Naless Death learned a few things.
First—Zagreus cursed. A lot.
He had a vocabulary that could make so bandits blush, and used it with the sa casual ease as breathing.
He didn't always direct it at people.
Sotis it was at rocks. Sotis the weather. Sotis just the general state of the universe.
Second—he was a professional at irritating people.
Zagreus could talked in the language of sarcasm, mockery and he lived to provoke others.
He poked at weaknesses and dug into insecurities with clinical precision, then laughed about it as if it were all a ga.
Naless Death just ignored him most of the ti.
Third—the "100" on the back of Naless Death's hand ant years.
"One hundred years," Zagreus said during their second year of travel. "That's how long you have."
Naless Death looked at him.
"And then that monster cos back for round three. Berserker doesn't give second chances for fun. He's giving you ti so the fight will be more satisfying. So prepare as much as you can."
Naless Death didn't respond. He simply accepted it and moved on.
They walked across valleys of cracked stone. Climbed crumbling plateaus. Crossed dry lakes filled with bones.
Ti passed, slowly at first, then faster as the days blurred into months and years.
Occasionally they stopped to rest, though Zagreus never explained how he chose the places they paused at. They just did.
Six years and seven months into their journey, the terrain shifted.
Before them stood a massive mountain.
Unlike the rest of the barren region, this one wasn't just stone. It pulsed faintly, as if sothing lived inside it.
There were no paths or entrances. No stairs, no ledges.
Just stone.
Zagreus stopped at the base of it and stretched his back with a loud crack. Then he slapped the surface of the mountain like an old friend's shoulder.
"Wake up," he said. "We're here."
The surface shimred slightly, but didn't open.
A few seconds later, a deep voice rumbled from inside the stone.
Who is that with you?
Naless Death raised an eyebrow but didn't speak.
Zagreus stepped forward, casually brushing dirt from his sleeves.
"He's my companion," he said. "I brought him here to recover."
There was silence.
The mountain didn't respond imdiately.
The air around them cooled.
Naless Death remained still, but his gaze stayed on the stone wall.
The fact that it was speaking didn't surprise him.
"Co on. Don't be shy. He's not gonna burn down your inner tunnels." Zagreus crossed his arms.
Another long pause ca and the mountain remained still.
Naless Death glanced sideways.
"What is this place?"
"You will see when we enter," Zagreus snickered. "Believe . It's gonna blow your mind away."
"As much as that sounds fun, I don't think that guy is going to open a path for ."
"Oh, he will. Or I will open it myself."
The mountain rumbled again, this ti with a sound that almost resembled a breath.
If he harms the inner sanctum, it's on your na.
"Yeah, yeah," Zagreus muttered. "Add it to the damn list."
The wall shimred again. This ti, a portion of it dissolved into mist, revealing a tunnel that curved downward. Soft red light glowed from the depths. The air inside was cooler, and fresher.
Zagreus motioned forward.
"After you."
Naless Death didn't hesitate. He stepped inside.
As he moved through the entrance, he noticed sothing different about this place.
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