Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 238
Chapter 238: Silver vs. Berserk
Ten minutes had passed since the quest began.
The initial wave consisted mostly of corrupted natives wielding melee weapons. Their threat level wasn’t particularly high.
Initially, we focused on Rou, the knight who wielded two shields, and the three of us, myself, Kuro, and Rou, dealt with the situation.
Even when the enemies used advanced skills, their techniques relied heavily on automated assistance. Rou’s reinforced shield techniques easily deflected their sloppy swordsmanship. Exploiting the brief moments of their recovery, I unleashed my skills, reducing them to particles of light.
Their levels were high, around 90. But, to be honest, their strength wasn’t remarkable. I helped with the defense alongside Rou, executing clean parries. Once immobilized, the enemies were swiftly cut down by Kuro’s ?Instant Cut?, turning them into glowing particles.
“We’ve got this.”
“We do, but don’t let your guard down, Kuro.”
“Overconfidence is your greatest enemy. Stay alert, no matter the circumstances.”
“…Got it. I’ll be careful,” Kuro nodded, slicing through an enemy with his katana.
Even if the battle seemed under control, we couldn’t afford to relax until it was truly over. It was like a field trip, you weren’t safe until you were back home. One moment of carelessness could ruin everything.
With that mindset, we continued coordinating, receiving support from the rear. Twenty minutes into the quest, the enemy’s attack patterns shifted, as expected.
In the second wave, archers joined the fray, launching a barrage of arrows from both the ground and higher vantage points, just as we had feared.
As the rain of arrows descended, Shio shielded Setsuna using her knight’s ?Taunt? skill and her shield. Seeing the opportunity, Inori stepped up, bow in hand.
“Too bad for them! My skills are among the strongest of any player!”
With a shot so powerful it seemed to shake the very air, Inori quickly sniped distant enemies, taking them down in rapid succession. Watching enemies’ HP vanish in a single hit was nothing short of breathtaking.
Curious about her bow’s immense power, I used my Insight skill to inspect it.
?? ?Grand Wind Arrow?. A devastating arrowhead crafted with a magic stone imbued with the highest-level enchantments, processed through a level-100 Alchemist’s skill with an incredibly complex procedure. Estimated market price: one million el per arrow.
Th-that’s absurd…!
It’s like turning the main weapon of a frontline warrior into an arrow and shooting it. The magic stone used for the highest-tier enchantments alone costs around 500,000 el each.
Watching Inori casually fire off such outrageously expensive arrows like ordinary ones, I couldn’t help but feel intimidated by this bourgeois alchemist.
“For my friends, no amount of resources or money is too much!” she declared.
The storm-like shot from her bow exploded with violent winds, engulfing and annihilating the enemies trying to evade. Apparently, the wind arrows had a brutal effect, they dragged their targets into a whirlwind.
“Haha! It’s not just Inori, you’ve got me, too! Don’t forget that!”
Spear in hand, Shin, the Mage, unleashed over twenty Fire Arrows. Using near-superhuman control, he precisely pierced through enemy after enemy on the battlefield.
Their combined onslaught, fueled by an unwavering intent to destroy, wiped out all the enemy archers. The sheer overwhelming power of Inori and Shin left even us, their allies, stunned.
With their incredible display, we cleared the 20- to 30-minute wave without difficulty.
As the remaining time dwindled to half…
“…As expected, it showed up. I’ll handle this one.”
From the rear of the enemy line emerged a figure radiating overwhelming pressure.
Unlike the others, this enemy wore a slightly different black robe. The open front revealed jet-black armor of an exceptionally high rarity—SS rank.
Holding two scimitar-like shamshirs in hand and wearing a demon-themed mask, the formidable foe immediately drew Inori’s arrow.
“Not bad, a fine shot.”
With a flawless parry, the enemy completely nullified the arrow’s explosion.
Inori’s arrows fly at over 500 meters per second, making them almost imperceptible even to trained eyes. Yet, this enemy reacted in time to parry it. A skill level that would rival the best gamers in the world.
This was one of the leaders of the Dark Believer that our master had fought before.
My Insight skill revealed their identity:
“Gresil, the Berserk Blade of Twin Scimitars.”
Their level? Unmeasurable. Their profession? A Berserker, something I had never encountered before. Judging by the pressure radiating from them, they were unquestionably above level 100.
Standing as a commander of the cultists, Gresil pointed their blade toward us and declared:
“I am Gresil! In the name of my revered Demon Lord, Lord Shaitan, I shall take your head, Princess Setsuna!”
“I won’t let that happen,” I retorted.
“If you dare stand in my way, I’ll carve you into pieces like the adventurers I’ve already slain!”
Activating the unique ?Berserker? skill, ?Frenzied Dance?, Gresil surged forward at blinding speed, leaving afterimages. Their movements defied logic, weaving through three-dimensional paths with sharp turns mid-air.
Their erratic mobility was even more challenging than the Hellheim battle axe user I had faced before. But it wasn’t unmanageable.
Gripping my silver sword, I positioned myself between Gresil and Setsuna, intercepting their rapid chain slashes with precise deflections.
“What?!”
“Sei!”
I counterattacked with a downward slash from left to right, aiming to strike them off balance.
“Tch.”
Clicking their tongue, Gresil used the Quick Step technique to leap sideways, narrowly dodging my strike.
“Damn you! Curse you and your self-righteous godly lackeys!”
Raising both weapons, Gresil unleashed a twelve-hit combo from the scimitar category. Spinning like a top, their relentless assault was sharp and fast, leaving no room for error.
But the speed wasn’t beyond what I could handle.
Summoning a gauntlet to my left hand, I focused entirely on parrying and blocking their attacks.
“We will never accept the so-called ‘good’ that you hypocrites pretend to represent!”
“‘Good’ you say? What do you mean by that?”
“Your ignorance makes it even worse! The so-called celestial monsters refused to acknowledge their sins, and that is why the Demon Lord was brought into this world! Your ignorance, your childishness, it’s all unforgivable!”
“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
Their words seemed intended to disrupt my focus, but there was an unnerving weight behind them.
No, I couldn’t let them get to me.
Even with Shio providing backup from the rear, this opponent was on another level. I couldn’t afford to let them pass.
Certain combo techniques not only impose cooldowns but also enforce immobilization periods.
The Twelve-Strike combo should undoubtedly result in immobilization. That’s where I’ll strike.
(Seven, nine, ten, eleven…)
As I prepared to attack after the twelfth strike, the enemy suddenly leapt backward after the eleventh.
Did they read my intentions?
No, this is something else—
The retreating enemy crouched low, locking themselves in a stance that seemed to be charging up power.
A sinister purple aura erupted from their body, and their hawk-like eyes gleamed a piercing crimson.
“Hahaha! After a few exchanges, it’s clear! You’re not an opponent I can defeat by holding back. Then allow me to use this—?Berserk Mode?!”
“Ugh…”
According to what I know, Berserk Mode dulls the user’s thoughts, reducing them to a state where they care about nothing but defeating those around them.
In exchange for continuously draining HP, it boosts all stats, nullifies knockback and skill immobilization, and allows them to rampage until their HP drops to 1. It’s the ultimate enhancement skill of the Berserker class.
This was the Berserker’s strongest trump card: ?Berserk Mode?.
“Guaahhh!”
Accelerating even further, the enemy charged like a cannonball, ignoring damage while closing in and delivering a vicious spinning kick.
I barely blocked it with my gauntlet, but the relentless onslaught didn’t stop.
This half-feral humanoid beast, having lost most of its rationality, was determined to claim my life.
My HP was steadily chipped away. The enemy’s was depleting as well, but at this rate, I would run out first.
If I stayed on the defensive, I’d inevitably lose ground and fall.
It can’t compare to master’s, but it’s still a formidable foe.
“You’re impressive for a leader. Outside of the Katori clan, this is the toughest fight I’ve faced since the Hellheim battle.”
“GROOOOAAAARRRR!”
“But no matter how powerful your berserk state is, with your mind almost gone, you’ll never reach me.”
Fueled by sheer determination and unrelenting will, the enemy lunged forward again.
“Lucifer! You… you above all must never be allowed to approach our Demon Lord!”
So they intend to stop me at all costs. Do they think something will happen if I stand before the Demon Lord again?
I was intrigued, tempted to pause the fight and hear them out. But this wasn’t a solo battlefield. This was an escort mission.
Clicking my tongue in frustration, I made the best decision for the moment.
“—You’re saying some interesting things, but you’re too strong for me to have the luxury of a conversation!”
I simultaneously activated three enhancement skills: attack, defense, and speed.
Dodging an attack from my left, I intercepted the scimitar slash from the right with my gauntlet-clad fist.
Sparks flew as my HP dwindled further. Once it dropped below half, I triggered a piercing skill with my sword—?Strike Sword?.
Sensing imminent danger, Gresil leapt backward to escape. But this wasn’t just any piercing skill.
It was a modified ?Skill United? ability, limited to five uses per day.
By combining the slashing projectile ?Angriff Friegen? with the stored-up power of ?Buster Charge?, I unleashed a supersonic thrust.
“—Pierce through, Burst Strike Fliegen, the spear of vacuum!”
The unleashed ultimate attack skewered the enemy and carried them far into the distance.
Disappearing beyond visible range, they exploded into massive particles of light.