Chapter 13 Part 3: The Wrath of a Berserker

The corrupted Troll lifted its hands, seidr magic coiling like a serpent around its limbs. Dark runes ignited across its body, pulsating with a sickly green light. The air grew heavy, and thick with power as the beast chanted in its guttural tongue.

Athenor barely registered the words. His mind was drowning in pure, unfiltered rage.

His breath came out in short, animalistic snarls. His hands twitched with uncontrollable bloodlust. The weight of the Berserker's Madness bore down on him like an unshakable shroud.

Then—the Troll unleashed its spell.

A jagged, seidr-infused shockwave erupted from its body, warping the battlefield with a destructive force meant to obliterate anything in its path. The ground split apart, trees were uprooted, and even the sky seemed to tremble beneath the raw power of the attack.

A direct hit would mean death.

But Athenor didn't move.

He didn't dodge.

He roared.

A sound so raw, so primal, it sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. The Berserker had fully awakened.

His body surged forward. He met the seidr shockwave head-on, his feet digging into the earth as his muscles bulged with raw power. The energy slammed into him, but rather than be consumed by it—he tore through it.

The Troll's glowing eyes widened in horror.

Too late.

Athenor was upon it.

His first strike sent a crater ripping through the ground. His fists, now fueled by his Berserker strength, moved faster than the eye could track. His body was a blur of relentless destruction, every punch landing with bone-shattering force.

The Troll tried to defend—but its arm was broken before it could even react.

It tried to escape—but Athenor seized its leg and slammed it into the ground with a force that sent shockwaves through the battlefield.

The corrupted beast was helpless.

Athenor raised his weapon—the very club the Troll once wielded. His breath was ragged, his vision stained crimson, and his instincts demanded one thing—

Complete and utter annihilation.

He swung.

CRACK!

The club shattered against the Troll's skull.

CRACK!

Again.

CRACK!

And again.

The world faded into nothing but red. Athenor lost himself completely in the berserker trance, his attacks relentless, his fury bottomless.

By the time he stopped, there was nothing left but a bloodied husk of what once was a monster.

Silence.

Athenor's chest heaved. His hands trembled, his entire body still burning with the embers of battle. But as the rush of combat faded, so did his vision. The Berserker's madness began to subside.

He fell to his knees, his fingers digging into the dirt as he tried to catch his breath. His body ached, but beneath the pain, he felt something else.

Strength.

Then—

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[Mission Complete: Defeat the Seidr-Infused Troll]

Objective: Eliminate the corrupted Troll. (✔)

Reward: +20% Template Integration

[Current Template Integration: 46.9%]

Athenor exhaled sharply.

Almost halfway integrated.

His body thrummed with newfound power. He clenched his fists, feeling the raw strength now coursing through his veins. The power of a true Berserker.

But deep down, a part of him couldn't ignore what had just happened.

The loss of control.

The uncontrollable bloodlust.

Athenor slowly rose to his feet, staring down at the ruined battlefield.

The fight had been won.

But the real battle was just beginning.