Path of the Berserker-Chapter 38Path of the Berserker 5 -

A wave of déjà vu hit me as the fiery redhead taunted me with her piercing crimson eyes.

It was nearly ten years ago for me now, but one look at that wok-like, iron hat and the memories all came flooding back like a tidal wave.

Hin Wu.

The Fire Bird elder who was gunning for me back in the day and in the end, had even offered to marry me to start a whole new branch of the Fire Bird Clan with her.

Were it not for Fia, she might have even had a shot.

Of course, her turning out to be an I’xol’ukz groupie sort of killed the mood too.

I couldn’t remember exactly what Hin Wu looked like, but her sister was close enough in resemblance to be all but identical in my eyes. Tall, statuesque and gorgeous to boot. The fact that she was named Hun Wu hinted they could possibly be twins.

Or were twins.

Wing Lang gave a harrumph. “I know you are not blind, Hun Wu. Except perhaps by revenge. Did you not see the demonstration of power? Are you certain you wish to challenge Brother Max Chun?”

“For honor if nothing else,” she said, and I had to give it to her for not giving off a hint of fear. Inside though, she was shitting herself a little. As well she should be. I couldn’t tell her cultivation level, but I doubted she was much beyond a low to mid-tier Sacred Soul Realm cultivator. And the power I had just displayed was clearly bordering on the Lesser Deity Realm.

I smiled wryly with [Indifference]. “Doesn’t matter to me.”

Although I did wonder how she would have even known I had killed Hin Wu. No one knew that. Not even Lo Feng, until I told him. One thing was for certain, though. There was no doubt she was a dabbler in the fine art of Demonic Cultivation.

I could sense traces of Dark Frenzy on her.

Just like her sister.

Maybe that’s why she thought she stood a chance.

But was she really planning on outing herself in front of this kind of crowd?

Not unless they were all demonic cultivators, that was.

“Very well,” Wing Lang said. “We shall prepare a match. First to concede or die, loses.”

With a clap of his hands, a contingent of Fire Birds cleared a space on the half-burned field. They moved with a practiced efficiency, which gave me the hint that challenges like this were commonplace. Although perhaps not so much on a grand scale such as this.

I took a position opposite Hun Wu on the field, dead center and away from the crowd.

“My sister mentioned you in her letters. A prodigy she called you. Enough to even challenge her master.”

“Oh yeah?” I said, maintaining my neutral composure, but deep down I remembered the scenario clearly. She was looking to partner with me to take out Lo Feng and assume his position. “Can’t say I recall.”

She scoffed. “She never mentioned how bad of a liar you were. Makes me wonder all the more what truly happened. I never received another letter from my sister after that day. Only that you had killed Lo Feng and assumed leadership of that backwater province. I told her nothing good would come from trying to branch out like that.”

I merely shrugged. “Not sure what you’re looking for here, Hun Wu.”

“Just tell me the truth. Did you kill her?”

I could see the look of determination in her eyes.

But desperation also.

She wanted revenge but was yearning for something else too.

Perhaps something more important.

Closure.

I sighed. “Sorry to say, but your sister just wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Hun Wu’s brows lowered in confusion. “What do you mean?”

What the hell, I thought. She might as well know the truth before she died.

“I turned her down and she wanted to turn me into ash. Only one of us was coming out of that kind of disagreement alive. It’s just how it was.”

Hun Wu was silent for a moment, staring into nothingness.

“So, it’s true then,” she said.

It was more a statement than a question. A confirmation of what she already knew. She lowered her gaze to the ground and then a calm seemed to wash over her before she nodded. “Very well. So you admit you fought her to the death. Which means my other suspicion about you must also be true.”

My Flame wobbled a little.

I didn’t like the way she said that. “What suspicion?”

She grinned at me. “We shall soon see.”

Ah hell…

I looked to the dais but Wing Lang already had his hand in the air. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“Commence!”

A whirlwind of flames immediately surrounded me as Hun Wu took to the air in a spin.

“[Vortex of the Nine Hells]!”

The ground beneath me burst into a collum of heat and death, but I was far more skilled than the first time I’d encountered that technique. The [Pain] of the flames did little but fuel the core of my Dantian with fresh Frenzy. I broke through the wall of fire with ease and my sixth sense kicked in, just in time to sense the killing intent of Hin Wu from the side.

I raised my hand to snatch her douli from the air before I even turned my head to see it.

When I did, the look on her face was one of shock.

But then slowly came that grin again, plus a hint of lemonade.

“Impressive.”

“Wish I could say the same for you.” I snorted. “You really want to do this, sis?”

“There is much I wish to do with you.”

Her brows lowered into a glare and with a flick of her hand, she pulled the douli out of my grasp and back to her again. She spun through the air, lighting up the field with multiple vortices while tossing her hat at me in between. I deflected the attacks easily with my bare hands. I felt almost bad for having to kill her now.

She was nowhere near my league.

But I had to end this somehow.

I was just about to turn on the gas when she suddenly stopped in mid air and yelled.

“[Fire Chamber of My Soul]!”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The vortices she’d been throwing out suddenly converged on me, and the world shifted. Dark Frenzy permeated the air and the sky turned red. It was no stronger than the aura of a Bloodmoon, but it was enough to let me know where the source of her power lay. The crowd quickly melted behind the walls of flames, and I knew I was no longer in reality.

I was in Hun Wu’s Inner World.

“So that’s what you were doing,” I said, rocking my shoulders. “You wanted this to be a private match, huh?”

“Somewhat,” she said, and all about her a red aura began joining her flames.

A familiar peacock-like bird superimposed itself over her body.

Her Sacred Soul.

I recognized it immediately.

It was an identical image of the same monster Hin Wu had turned into.

“Damn,” I said. “I guess you two really were twins.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Speak not of my sister. You face me now!”

She flew at me, feet first, spinning in a dive.

“[Flaming Typhoon Kick]!”

I braced myself with [Diamond Skin] but I needn’t have bothered. Her spinning heel kick struck me with barely enough force for me to feel it. I grabbed her ankle before she could retreat, locking her in place.

“You serious with a weak ass move like that?”

Her eyes narrowed but then she laughed.

“It wasn’t to hurt you. It was to allow me to get close.”

Close?

But before I could think of anything else, she kicked her free foot from beneath herself and twisted like a pretzel, swinging her entire body underneath me. My arm was pulled with her and I found myself doubled over as she wrapped both arms around me from behind, clinging to my back like a spider monkey.

“What in the hell?”

I was finally forced to let go of her ankle as she quickly wrapped both legs around my hips. “If you think that’s something you should see me in bed.”

She let out a cackle and I was taken off guard by both the move and the lewd taunt.

“Now let’s see how truly strong you are. Feel the [Embrace of the Cleansing Flame]!”

The words resonated with my own Flame as their hidden meaning came through loud and clear. Dark Frenzy and blue fire erupted from Hun Wu’s body and my robes instantly melted as she pressed herself into me with a crushing grapple from behind.

It was nothing my body couldn’t take, or my Flame even, but I guarded myself with [Sacred Soul Shield] nonetheless.

“There it is,” she whispered in my ear, amidst the roaring flames. “I know what you are now.”

I prepared for the next words to escape her lips.

For her to call me a Berserker.

I readied [Wrath of a Thousand Slain Souls], amping it up to make her end a quick one.

“You’re a damn thief!”

“What?” I stayed the trigger.

“I know what you took from Hin Wu before you killed her,” she said.

There was nothing to see but blue flames, but I was still totally in the dark.

“It wasn’t her innocence I can tell you that.”

The was a sudden pause and then a sharp laugh filled my ear.

“A surprising one, you are. I can see why she took interest in you.”

The flames receded and Hun Wu flipped off my back to land opposite me.

I did another double take.

She was completely nude, save for the flames wrapped about her body.

“You two really don’t fall too far from the tree, you know?”

“Enough of my sister,” she snapped. “There is no longer a need to play this charade. I can smell the Dark Qi all over you. And I know you can sense mine.”

Here we go, I thought.

“You stole our hidden arts and have used them for yourself. Bastardizing them and calling them your own. The Path of Furious Lightning? What a damn joke.”

I could almost laugh.

It was a damn joke.

But the joke was on her.

Still, I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Being accused of stealing their demonic cultivation techniques was a hell of a lot better than being called out as a Berserker. And it made sense. Why would she think I knew some other secret technique? It made far more sense that I had stolen Lo Feng and Hin Wu’s sacred arts and then killed them to cover my tracks.

I smiled with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Guilty, I guess. So what now?”

Hun Wu dropped her hands onto her hips. “This projection will end soon. When it does, I will support your ascension to First Elder.”

“Think that was happening anyway, wasn’t it?”

“Do not confuse the hierarchy of the Fire Birds with that of our true clan,” she said. “There are many in the shadows, watching and waiting for what I will do next. They need to know if you are truly one of us, or not.”

Many? I thought.

“How many?”

“Enough to matter,” she said. “But you’ll never truly know how many. No one does. We operate this way by design. If one enclave is ever discovered, they can be eradicated without disturbing the rest. It’s how we have survived beneath the emperor’s nose for centuries.” She then chuckled. “It’s fitting I suppose that Lo Feng decided to take his branch to a fringe world like yours to do away with all that secrecy. A chance to spread his wings, he would always say. And my foolish sister believed him. Who’d have thought his plans would be undone by a native?”

She laughed but the dig wasn’t lost on me.

“As strong as you’ve become now though, you can’t continue to wield your power unchecked. You shall report to me as your senior.”

“Say what?”

“There is still much you do not know. If you do not wish to be branded as a demonic cultivator, then you would do well to protect yourself within the safety of the fold.”

“Look, I’m not planning on hanging around here for long, understand? I got a court date to keep and a planet to conquer before that.”

Her eyes widened with interest. “A planet?”

Shit, I’d probably said too much.

“What planet?”

“It’s not important. What is important is that I’m my own free agent. I’ve got bigger things to worry about than petty sect politics.”

“Brother Chun, I assure you. In time, you will learn that little else will matter, if you do not abide by the rules. Especially those set by the true inner clan.”

“And if I refuse?”

She smirked. “That would not be in your best interest. We know each other’s secrets now. There’s no need to divulge them. Let’s keep it that way.”

I sighed inwardly.

Not this crap again, but at least she was being nice about it. And being at the center of a couple hundred thousand cultivators, it would probably be better to know the secret handshake rather than not.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll join your little club.”

Hun Wu laughed again.

“Brother Chun, you joined it as soon as you began developing that demonic core of yours. Which is truly impressive by the way. While the patriarchs will be looking for your lightning techniques, I’ll be more interested in what you learned upon the Hell Worlds.”

Ah shit…here we go.

She then chuckled. “You perhaps have no idea how close you’ve come to the source of our strength. You’ve gotten only a cursory glimpse of our true power. But such is to be expected from someone who has mastered merely the techniques without knowledge.”

The irony of it all was almost enough for me to drop some true knowledge on her.

Knowledge that would shatter her mind and break her soul.

She’d taken me for a clueless native who’d stolen something far above his comprehension. And given the circumstances, I supposed that was just fine with me.

Being underestimated, even at this level, was a huge advantage still.

The fiery walls of her Inner World began to dissipate.

“It won’t be long now,” she said. “Quickly, place me in submission.”

“What?”

She dove at me again, and before I knew it, she had pulled me to the ground with her, placing me on top. The illusion of her Inner World faded, and I found myself straddling a beautiful naked woman in front of 200,000 people while being half naked myself.

What the hell…

Hun Wu seemed completely unfazed by it though, and simply yelled out, “I yield!” before slipping from under me to perform a groveling kowtow. I stood, composing myself, and poured on an extra dose of [Indifference] to hide the reaction the situation had caused, especially considering I hadn’t seen my wife in nearly five years.

Hot damn, this woman, I thought as I shoved the other thoughts away.

Thankfully no one in the crowd seemed to notice or care, all of them glued more to the destruction we had caused. I guessed that maybe getting your robes burned off you in a spar was a common Fire Bird thing too.

“Patriarch Wing Lang,” Hun Wu said, with her face to the ground. “I concede to Brother Max Chun’s superior strength. I fully endorse him as a First Elder of the Third Inner Ring.”

Wing Lang had pretty much the same, “well no shit” expression as I did, when she said it. Which meant this shadow sect of Demon Cultivators wasn’t being led by him. But I knew the importance of that statement now.

For better or worse.

I was back with the I’xol’ukz worshipping, Fire Bird shitheads again.

*

*

*

Some lackies brought me and Hun Wu a new set of robes and then after cleaning up the mess, we went through some pageantry where Wing Lang adorned me with a yellow and red striped sash, denoting me as a First Elder.

That brought on some applause, and no one seemed more pleased than Wing Lang himself. The anger it spiked in the other two Patriarchs wasn’t lost on me either and I wondered just how many more rounds to this pissing contest there might be.

As the assembly was dismissed, I was bum rushed by a swarm of lower disciples, all of them kowtowing to me, and begging for me to take them on as my students. Thankfully Wing Lang interceded and shooed them all off.

“Shameless all of you!” he chided. “But I commend your spirit of ambition. Unfortunately, First Elder Chun has important imperial matters to attend to and can spare only a few days with us, I’m told.” He glanced back at Zin Tai as he said it, which meant I probably owed him for another solid. “He is to visit a world not tread upon in centuries.”

Okay, maybe slightly less of a solid.

How much did he tell him? I wondered.

“That sounds interesting,” Hun Wu said, suddenly emerging from the crowd. “I’d very much like to see this planet as well.”

Wing Lang scowled at her. “This is not a clan matter, Third Elder. It is a matter for Brother Chun and Master Zin Tai.”

“Oh?” she said and then grinned at me knowingly. “Then may I have permission to join you… as my senior?”

Damn tricky bitch, I thought. I looked out in the crowd of Fire Birds and tried to decipher which ones were now paying attention for my reply and which ones were not. But the sentiment was clear. She wasn’t asking to join me, she was ordering me to.

If only she knew where I was headed.

But a planet where most people died might not be a bad place to kill a couple of Fire Birds with one stone, so to speak.

“Fine,” I said. “You can come.”

She smiled and a bunch of other Fire Birds all jumped to their feet to beg me to take them as well.

“Enough!” Wing Lang shouted. “Give Elder Chun some space. He will not leave us empty handed.” He then smiled at me. “I’m certain a few days would be more than enough time to transcribe that signature technique of yours. [Lightning Kiln of Fury], was it? Truly impressive.”

Just what I need, I thought. More bullshit.

“Come Brother Chun,” he said. “There is much to show you. And then after that. We will get you some parchment.”