Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

Chapter 613 The First Showdown

In a darkness as thick as ink, young Guts held the giant sword tightly in one hand, each step he took was quick and hurried, and his feet stomped frantically on the ground covered with bones.

His eyes were wide open, filled with fear and panic, and he was running forward desperately, as if something extremely terrifying was chasing him.

Behind him, a huge scarlet hand, like a devil's claw reaching out from the abyss, was grabbing towards him at a terrifying speed.

Each finger of that big hand was as thick as a tree trunk, and the nails were sharp and curved, like the claws of a devil. As it swung, it brought up a gust of black air and made a terrifying "whooshing" sound.

Guts could clearly feel the cold breath approaching him rapidly. The breath was like an icy snake, slowly crawling along his back, making all the hairs on his body stand up.

His heart was beating wildly in his chest, as if it was about to burst through his chest, and every beat was accompanied by a sharp pain and fear.

Gus looked back from time to time. The big scarlet hand was getting closer and closer to him, so close that he could even feel the fishy wind it brought blowing on his face.

"No...don't chase me..."

Guts cried out in despair in his heart, but his voice was as thin as a mosquito and was swallowed up mercilessly by the darkness.

When the huge hand was only inches away from him, Guts finally turned around. He raised his two-handed sword high in both hands, his arms bulging with veins due to excessive force, and slashed down fiercely at the big hand.

In an instant, a cold light flashed, and the giant hand collided with the sword, making a muffled "puff" sound. Then the giant hand turned into a pool of blood and slowly disappeared into the darkness.

The blood splashed on Gus's face and body, warm and sticky, making him feel nauseous and scared.

Gus had just breathed a sigh of relief, but before he had time to calm down, a huge figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

It was a huge scarlet monster, its body as tall as a hill, and it exuded a pungent smell of blood.

The monster's body was made up of countless twisted pieces of flesh and blood vessels, with dark red liquid constantly flowing on its surface, as if it would collapse at any time.

It was staring at Guts with its glowing red eyes. Those eyes were like two burning flames, flashing with evil and greedy light. Compared with it, Guts looked so small, like an ant facing a prehistoric beast.

"Hahaha-"

The monster let out a strange laugh, which was so sharp and piercing that it seemed to pierce a person's eardrums.

Then it stretched out its hand towards Guts, its claws like giant sickles, flashing with cold light.

Guts stepped back quickly, his feet sliding on the ground, his body staggering with fear.

At this moment, only one thought flashed wildly in his mind: Escape! Escape! Escape!

However, as soon as he turned around, he saw a familiar figure on the distant mountain made of bones.

The figure was looming in the darkness, like a ghost walking out of hell.

"Gambino!"

Gus finally saw the person opposite him. It was his adoptive father Gambino, who was sitting naked on a worn-out chair.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Gus's eyes. He seemed to have grasped the last straw and hurriedly took two steps forward, asking for help in a trembling voice:

"Gambino, help me! My sword is useless against this monster!"

"Stop saying such silly things."

Gambino slowly stood up, looked down at Gus with a strange smile.

That smile was like the smile of a devil, and it made Guts feel a strong sense of unease.

"Have you forgotten that I died a long time ago? That night, you pierced my body with a sword and caused me to die in agony."

As Gambino spoke, his chest was suddenly torn apart and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Gambino immediately let out a series of screams, which echoed in the darkness and made people shudder.

"Gambino, listen to me, I..."

Gus was so scared that he was about to ask for help, but the next moment, the clawed hand fell from the sky with a powerful force and pressed him to the ground.

Guts felt a sharp pain spread throughout his body. His body was crushed and he couldn't breathe. He struggled desperately with his hands, trying to push away the huge claw.

"what!"

Guts tried his best, his face flushed crimson and the veins on his forehead bulged, but he couldn't break free from the monster's grasp.

He kicked the ground with his legs, but it was all in vain.

"Help me, Gambino!"

Gus shouted with all his might to Gambino in the distance, his voice crying, full of helplessness and pleading.

However, Gambino said as blood gushed from his chest:

"You deserve to die."

At this time, a pile of skeletons around Guts slowly crawled out from the pile of bones on the ground, and their joints made a "cracking" sound.

Then they staggered to their feet and slowly walked towards Guts, shouting:

"You deserve to die..."

The voice echoed in Guts' ears like a ghostly curse, giving Guts goose bumps all over his body.

"Forgive me!"

Guts shouted with all his strength towards the sky where blood was raining. He felt that his world had collapsed and everything around him became so terrifying and strange.

"Gambino, please!"

……

Gus slowly opened his eyes. The dazzling sunlight filtered through the cracks in the tent, making him dizzy.

He subconsciously raised his hands to cover himself, and then he found himself lying in a simple but clean tent, covered with a rough but warm quilt.

My head felt like it had been hit by a heavy hammer, and I felt dizzy. There was a buzzing sound in my ears, as if countless bees were flying around.

"hiss……"

Just as he was about to stand up, a sharp pain came from the right side of his chest, as if a red-hot iron clamp had clamped his ribs tightly.

Gus gasped, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. He gritted his teeth and trembled as he lifted the quilt, only to find that his injured area was tightly wrapped in bandages. The knot of the bandage was a little rough, but it held the wound firmly in place.

He stumbled and opened the tent curtain, and a noisy sound hit him in the face.

Then he saw a bustling scene outside. There were tents everywhere, like gray mushrooms scattered on the green grass.

Some of the young people of his age sat together playing cards and having fun, with constant laughter; some were concentrating on wiping their weapons, the blades flashing coldly in the sunlight.

"This is a mercenary camp."

Gus's mind immediately determined where he was.

He scanned the crowd, and then he looked across. The girl who had challenged him in a duel was arguing with a white-haired young man with an angry face.

The girl's eyes were burning with anger, and she kept gesturing with her hands on her hips, while the white-haired young man had a calm face, listening quietly and nodding occasionally.

Then she saw the girl striding towards her.

The girl's eyes were full of hostility. She walked a few steps to Gus and punched him directly in the heart without hesitation.

The punch came so fast and so hard that Gus was completely unprepared. He felt like he was hit by a sledgehammer. He groaned, endured the pain, and knelt down, instinctively covering his chest with his hands.

After walking a few steps, the girl turned back and said:

"I really hope Griffith kills you!"

"What's going on with this guy?"

Gus glared at her back angrily as she left, his fists clenched unconsciously. His chest felt like it was on fire, hurting not only from the wound but also from the anger of being inexplicably attacked.

"That's not surprising at all."

A yellow-haired young man was rubbing a throwing knife nearby and said without raising his head.

"Casca abandoned her identity as a woman and lived a soldier's life with us mercenaries. She is stronger than the rest of us."

"And Griffith ordered her to lie down beside you two days ago to keep you warm from the excessive blood loss. He simply said that it was natural for a woman to keep a man warm."

The yellow-haired young man continued, a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"Are you finally awake? What's your name?"

Just then, the white-haired young man came over.

To Guts, he had a woman's face, especially his smooth white hair that shone like silver in the sun, and his blue pupils were deep and sharp, as if they could see through people's hearts.

Guts realized that this was Griffith.

"Gus."

Gus said calmly, his voice a little hoarse from injury, his eyes revealing a hint of vigilance.

Griffith nodded and handed Guts the two-handed sword.

"It's a good sword, but I can't use it."

Guts didn't understand what was going on. He took the sword and looked at the familiar patterns on the hilt, feeling mixed emotions.

He had also encountered a group of people who came to fight with him. After injuring him, they treated him and returned the weapons to the original owner, but the behavior of the person in front of him made him feel a little puzzled.

"Want to walk with me?"

Griffith invited, his voice low and gentle, yet with an air of urgency.

……

Guts followed Griffith around the camp, his steps unsteady, and with each step, the wound on his chest would sting.

"who are you?"

Gus asked.

"The Eagle Group."

Griffith replied succinctly.

"The Eagle Group?"

"You've heard of us."

"I've heard some rumors."

Guts responded while thinking back to the information he had heard from other mercenaries.

The Eagle Group is a very famous mercenary group in this area recently. Basically, no mercenary wants to see each other in the enemy camp. It is also because of them that the previous siege was delayed from three days to three months.

Their reputation, like a gust of wind, swept across the land, striking fear in their enemies and awe in their companions.

The two then came to a hill where an eagle was soaring in the sky and making a cry.

"why."

Gus finally asked the question in his heart?

"Why don't you kill me?"

Griffith turned his head at this time, and his blue eyes looked at Guts calmly.

"Because I want you, Gus."

His voice is low and magnetic, as if it has an invisible magic.

"what?"

Gus froze, his eyes wide, unable to believe what he heard.

"I witnessed your battle with Bazso in the castle that day. Your performance was quite impressive."

"However, if Bazso's axe had gone down a little further at that time, you would have been beheaded."

"Maybe."

Gus said nonchalantly.

"Very honest. I can see that you have been fighting with your life on the line."

Griffith stood on the cliff of the hill, the breeze blowing his white hair, his figure looked slender.