Long ago, the City of Capricia was a barren land. However, it was known to be the origin of the Blood Berserkers. The most common feature they had was their Runes tattooed all over their bodies. Their eyes were blood red, and they exuded a slaughter aura.
Blood Berserkers were renowned for their ferocity and ruthlessness, displaying incredible speed, power, and endurance. Even magic had little to no effect on them.
Their strength came from the blood of their enemies; the more foes they slew, the greater benefits they received. Their cultivation methods allowed for rapid growth.
Throughout the continent, they were feared by their enemies, including the immortals. Many nations labeled them warmongers and barbarians. Even a few Berserkers could go toe to toe with an Ascendant. The higher their cultivation, the more they were feared.
Sadly, the Runes engraved on their bodies came with great consequences. It corrupted their minds, lowering their intellectual level. Soon, all they thirsted for was the blood of their enemies. A single Blood Berserker with high cultivation could lay waste to a city and slaughter a million of its residents.
In response, the nations made an extreme decision to exterminate every single Blood Berserker. After a few years, thousands of them were captured and enslaved by the high nobles, subjected to inhumane experiments and used for entertainment.
The City of Capricia was established by the hunters and the High Nobles. After the war, the nobles suffered great losses in terms of money and soldiers. To cope with these losses, they started using the Blood Berserkers for entertainment and betting.
They constructed large colosseums where the Blood Berserkers were forced to fight for their lives. Soon, thousands of slaves were added to the fray, and the Blood Berserkers were eradicated.
Much of their history was destroyed and lost, buried inside the colosseum.
Meanwhile, the only thing remaining in the history of Blood Berserkers was their disgust with shields. It became a taboo within the tribe, epitomizing cowardice and weakness in the eyes of all warriors. The immortals even banned the use of shields throughout the city to pay tribute to the history of the Blood Berserkers. This tradition was passed down over the centuries.
....
When the cloud of arrows descended, those who were quick-thinking managed to survive. However, the arrows continued to rain down relentlessly, and one of the five Awakened was riddled with arrows, becoming the first casualty.
Soon, many rushed faster to reach solid ground, but only less than a hundred of them survived.
When the four Awakened Warriors looked up ahead, they saw two battalions of high-level guards waiting for them. In front of the thousand guards stood two men with menacing auras.
Without a choice, they prepared to fight for their lives.
….
When Zane saw the situation from afar, he had no choice but to act right away.
"Move out!" he roared to the troops.
From a distance, he had witnessed the previous group's struggles with the mud.
"Zane, we'll be sitting ducks like the other group. The mud is too thick, and we'll have a lot of casualties trying to reach solid ground."
Looking at the muddy earth littered with corpses, he had an idea.
"Step on the corpses! We'll use them as stepping stones!"
"Cecilia, lead the group! There's no time to waste!"
Soon, the whole group started following Cecilia. She was nimble in her steps, finding the right corpses to step on and calculating the next moves. Her concentration was in overdrive.
…
When Cecilia and Zane reached solid ground, they found the corpses of the four Awakened Warriors and the rest of the group. None had survived the battle.
Seeing the carnage, Zane gripped his two swords tightly.
…
"Welcome!" a middle-aged man holding a red sword greeted the group with a wide grin.
"It's amazing that you guys were able to get through the mud so fast. Using the corpses to stand was ingenious. Even I didn't expect you guys to be able to do that."
Beyond the man with the red sword, another man spoke. He had grey hair with squinty eyes and a lecherous face.
"Kyahaha. This is great! The fight wasn't even a challenge. I got too bored fighting those four."
"I expect you guys to be more of a challenge. Kyahahah," he licked his lips.
He pointed at Cecilia, "You look more interesting to fight, bandage man. I can see that you have your own fair share of history."
Then, he looked at Zane. He expected fear from him, but Zane's eyes seemed unbothered.
"You boy! I like the way you look. It makes me wanna gouge your eye. Kyahahah"
The middle-aged man rebuked him, "Stop fooling around! We need to finish this as soon as possible!"
Hearing the old man, he spat on the ground.
…
Zane had seen the two on the platform where Perry died. They were the strongest Awakened Warriors he had scanned. The man with the red sword was even scarier; not only were his stats and level high, but he also possessed something very special.
'Swordsmanship Level 2'
'Damn. He was able to break through the skill barrier? He's only an Awakened.'
Zane looked at Cecilia, "This battle will be hard. Those two's strengths are higher than ours, especially that guy with the red sword. Just by looking, I can assure you that his skill is even beyond what we can imagine."
"I want you to deal with him. Learn from his skills and apply it on your own."
Zane with a stern look, "If you can't do that, our corpses will end up like those four."
"I want you to let loose! Remember that you have the capability to reach greater heights."
He paused and said, "Probably, a slightly close to mine"
Zane smirked. Cecilia smiled.
"Don't worry about the other guy, I will handle him."
Feeling ignored, the man with squinty eyes roared raised his scimitar.
"STOP CHATTING!"
"You will all die today, so there's no need to talk too much!"
Zane ignored him, looking at the group. "We'll deal with the two awakened. Focus on the rest of the guards. Kill the archers."
"If you lack a shield, you know what to grab." As he looked at the other guards.
The others smiled and laughed, "Yes, Boss!"
Zane once again looked ahead. "Then, MOVE!"
The rest of the group yelled with all their might, charging forward with momentum.
…
Soon, Zane and Cecilia reached their targets.
The man with squinty eyes saw that Zane had targeted him, so he laughed. "Good! It's an honor to die by my hands!"
Zane contemplated, 'He seems like a joke, but his level is higher than mine.'
Indeed, the man with squinty eyes appeared comical, but his level surpassed Zane's level 14.
Zane unleashed a barrage of arrows while running, but the enemy effortlessly dodged them.
"Fool! You bring a bow to a sword fight? Pointless!"
He rushed toward Zane and swiftly aimed his short sword at his face.
Feeling the sword's momentum, Zane couldn't help but curse, "It's fast!"
He managed to block the strike with his sword, but a lightning-quick kick landed on his left side, hitting his stomach hard.
Zane couldn't evade it in time, and he tumbled to the ground, gasping for air while clutching his stomach.
"It that all you got? For all the talking you made with your friends, you are very weak."
"Just give up and hand over your head."
Zane cursed the guy. It was the first time he had been kicked in the stomach, and the feeling was unpleasant. The impact seemed to have affected his bowels. He had no choice but to consume a quick healing potion.
As his eyes fell on the potions, they lit up with interest. "Oh, interesting. What's in your hand, boy? Give it up and hand it to me."
Zane ignored the rambling and got back on his feet. He retrieved his fallen sword and looked ahead.
"Oh, fudge it!"
"Blood Berserk skill!"
"If you tell me where you got the poti….." Before the man could finish his sentence, his eyes widened as a sword loomed over his head, poised to strike him down. He blocked the attack with his dagger, but it was swiftly withdrawn and slashed at his side. The move was too quick for him to dodge.
"Great Wind!"
A gust of wind accumulated his feet and pushed him backwards.
The man with squinty eyes looked at Zane in shock, unable to believe what had just happened. He was forced to use his own skill to counter the attack.
Zane, on the other hand, struggled to keep his body functioning. The pain had intensified after activating his Blood Berserk skill. Disappointed with the outcome, he deactivated the skill and collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted.
Witnessing the spectacle, the squinty-eyed man burst into laughter.
"Kyahahah. I must say I am very impressed. From this backwater country, I am surprised to see someone with a gained skill."
"But no matter how hard you try, you will still die by my hand. So hand over your head."
Zane, tired of the man's constant boasting, retorted, "Just shut the fudge up."
He grabbed two intermediate potions and started drinking them.
"Berserk!"
Seeing Zane consume the potions and stand up once again, the man couldn't help but widen his eyes. He had seen such potions being sold in the market and had even tried one himself. While they were revolutionary, they shouldn't provide such a swift recovery.
Now an idea struck him, 'What if there's a stronger version of the potion?'
'It could be a game-changer in the war!'
'If I present it to the Higher Nobles, it could guarantee my Ascension.'
"GIVE ME ALL YOUR POTIONS!"
"Great Wind!" he roared with all his might.