Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

The Sixth Level

THE HOLE IN THE SKY was like a gaping, bleeding wound. It struck me as something fatal, something beyond repair. What were we going to do about it?

“That will not close until everything ends,” said my father.

He spoke as if he were wholly disconnected from it. None of this had been what he, as an individual, had wanted. His sacred mark had compelled him, forcing him to open the Door to Distant Lands. My father had no choice but to obey. And yet, he had given me a chance to stop the Door, which I had thrown away to be by his side. 

He looked straight into my eyes as he asked, “Fate, will you still go, knowing what you do now?”

“That’s why I came.”

“Then take this with you.”

With a weak, shaky hand, he passed me the black spear, Vanity. I felt its heft as I took it in hand. The weapon was as heavy as my father’s own emotions. Vanity changed form to match its wielder, so the spear was no longer the ominous, aggressive piece of equipment that the black angel had wielded against me. It had returned to the form I was used to seeing all the times I’d encountered my father.

“What form will you have it take?” my father asked. “What power do you want?”

“I…”

I knew that I had been selfish and power hungry in the past. I would have wielded the spear exactly as it was if I’d been the same as I had been back then. But I was different now. I walked my path together with Roxy, Myne, Eris, and Aaron. And not just them, either, but those who served the Barbatos family, the citizens of Hausen—everyone had taught me the power of friendship and camaraderie—as well. 

I knew the power I desired.

“Come to us,” I said.

The black spear dissipated into small black particles, which were absorbed into Greed.

“But this…? Fate…” said Greed. “Aha, I see! Great idea!”

“Vanity’s power will help us to give form to the level Kairos never reached.”

“That it will. We’ll reach a new power—the Sixth Level.”

Unlocking a new level had never felt easier. This time, Greed did not require the usual exorbitant payment. All the power he needed came directly from Vanity.

The Sixth Level slowly began to take shape, transforming to suit Greed as well as my own needs. It was a black spear, and within it was the power I wished for—the power to close the Door that had been opened. Greed wasn’t going to like the way I intended to use the weapon, but he wouldn’t have any choice. The only reason he hadn’t realized it already was his shock at the Sixth Level’s transformation. But he’d understand when the time came.

I didn’t know if everything would go the way I wanted. The only way to know was to try. Nevertheless, I had to go to the Door, no matter what happened.

Dad looked up at the new Greed, impressed, but his face quickly turned serious. “Fate, you must be careful of your other half,” he said.

“The one in my Gluttony?”

“Yes. He’s dangerous, unstable, and violent. His resentment’s only grown over the years he’s been locked away. He may try to take over when you connect with your Gluttony to use its power.”

I thought back to the side of myself that I’d confronted on the spiritual plane. Every time we fought, his hatred of me grew. It was hard to think he would ever be willing to listen to reason, even though the two of us had been a single being at first. It seemed I still had problems of my own I needed to solve.

“I’ll do what I have to,” I said. “Just like always.”

“I don’t have to worry about you,” said my father. “Not after you’ve come this far. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Dad…”

“You’ve given me more redemption than I ever deserved.”

I knew he was putting on an act. I hadn’t realized it when I was a kid. Then, all of a sudden, he was gone. Those painful memories drifted to the forefront of my mind once again. Dad smiled at me as if to brush off my worry. It was the exact same smile he’d used when I was younger, and it meant he was completely free of his sacred mark.

“Now go,” he said, holding out his fist. “Fate! You must go!”

“I will!”

I bumped his fist with my own, then got to my feet and turned away. 

“This is nice,” said Eris, leaning over to look at me. “Things were pretty icy between you two for a while there. And literally freezing for me.”

“You’re much tougher than you look,” I replied.

“Aren’t I just? Go on, hit me with more compliments.”

“Eris…” I said, looking skyward.

“That’s where you want to go, isn’t it?” she asked.

“I’d be there in an instant if I only had proper wings,” I replied.

“But you don’t, so I’ll just have to take you myself.”

“Huh?”

“When I saw you two fight, I realized something. It’s about time that I, too, shed the chains that bind me. I have to accept who I am.”

“Eris? What do you mean?”

“Libra told you himself. I am a mixture of monsters. No matter how I may look, I hope you’ll still treat me like the Eris you’ve always known.”

As she spoke, Eris began to morph into a gigantic white creature with eight enormous wings. No way… This is… The shape of the body wasn’t exactly the same, but the white dragon before me was indeed one I had seen before. The Heavenly Calamity. It was a monster so powerful it had become a creature of myth, the figurehead around which a religion had been built. Eris had turned herself into a dragon, one much more graceful and refined than that which I had fought long ago.

“What do you think?” Eris asked somewhat bashfully for being a giant dragon.

I leaped up on her body and patted her on the head. “I can’t believe how cool you look,” I said. “I never imagined the day would come that I’d get to ride the Heavenly Calamity.”

“The dragon you felled was another of Libra’s experiments. But it lost its human form completely and, unable to turn back, its mind as well. Long ago, there were many like us, but they all died.”

“I see…”

“But I’m glad, all the same. I’m glad this gave me the opportunity to open up to you about all of this.”

“We’re birds of a feather,” I said.

“Our bodies and our hearts differ, but, yes, you’re right. Now, hold on and ready yourself for flight.”

Just before we took off, I turned back to look at my father, who still watched me. We shared a nod in lieu of last words. This was how it had to be, yet I did not feel ready to say goodbye.

Eris opened her wings, and we took off, heading for the red gash in the sky. My father grew distant, and as he did so, tears streamed from my eyes.

“Fate,” said Eris. “Your father’s magical energy. It’s—”

“I know. He’s always been like that. He’s always putting up a strong front.”

“But, if we leave him…”

“We made a decision. And it’s final.”

My father’s energy wavered like the flickering flame of a candle, one so fragile that even the slightest breeze would extinguish it. But I refused to look back. I’d made him a promise. My hands gripped Eris’s horns tighter. She felt my emotions running through them and didn’t say a word.

“Father…” I whispered.

Finally, the flame of my father’s energy trembled and vanished. A voice rang in my head as it did so. It felt far hollower and lonelier than anything I had ever known.

Gluttony skill activated.

My father’s power flowed into me. This was not what I wanted, but as the wielder of Gluttony, it was the nature of battle—the difference between life and death. Eventually, the voice dissipated. I’d barely listened. I didn’t even know how many stats I had received. All I knew was that I had just devoured my own father.

Fate…

I heard my father’s voice echoing somewhere within myself. I couldn’t bear the emotions squeezing my heart. I let out an anguished shout and launched the black spear at the Door to Distant Lands with everything I had.