Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 33

Chapter 33:

The Last Disciple

“THE GREAT CANYON was where the final battle between Kairos and Libra took place,” said Greed.

The black cubes raced to the horizon, running from me. I chased after them as I listened to Greed.

“So that’s where it happened.”

It was the only part of Galia with any sort of natural greenery. I knew it was no ordinary place from the moment I’d stepped foot there.

“It was also the place where Kairos was consumed by his Gluttony.”

I could hear the frustration in Greed’s voice, and I knew they were memories he would rather forget. But he’d opened up to me, saying there was no better time than the present.

Greed said that when Kairos had been consumed by his Gluttony, his last strike had given birth to the great canyon. It had delivered a near-fatal wound upon Libra and left a strange phenomenon upon the world. Greenery flourished there, and monsters seeking salvation were drawn to the place. I’d seen it with my own eyes and knew that, even now, this still continued.

Was it through my connection with Kairos that I had unlocked the ability to liberate souls?

“Have you heard from Kairos?” I asked.

“Nope. Not a thing.”

I tried calling for him myself, but there was no response. Nothing from Rafale, either. I hadn’t been able to feel them watching over me since passing through the Door. It was like something was interfering with their ability to do so.

“Their voices aren’t getting through?”

“Nope. Do you know anything else about liberating souls?”

“Only one thing. It was the only way Kairos could stand up to Libra.”

So that was the only thing that was effective against Libra? I was suddenly relieved. At least I’d acquired the ability before confronting him.

Greed chuckled. “That was what Kairos used, but you don’t have to follow the same path.”

“Greed…”

“The power is indeed effective against Libra. However, it didn’t land a finishing blow. Now listen, because this is important.” Greed spoke quietly. “Kairos is counting on you. He’s always a handful, and he’s never easy to deal with, and he never told you exactly what to do. Do you know why?”

“Because he…”

“Yeah. Because he believes in us.”

The words were out of character for the sword, as was the somewhat embarrassed note in his voice.

Kairos had given me his strength when I had fought my father after he’d turned into the black angel. It wasn’t to tell us what to do but to lead us down the path we needed to walk. That was the kind of person he was.

“Ah… It’s coming into view,” I said.

“The center of this realm.”

We were both seeing it for the very first time. It was a ball of light as incandescent as the sun, but strangely enough, it wasn’t blinding. It absorbed the countless souls that flowed into it, its surface rippling with red as each soul merged, though it was never enough to overpower its natural golden hue. It seemed to deny souls their very existence, handling them as if they were merely cogs in an enormous machine. Even the Gluttony skill didn’t handle its devoured souls this way, instead allowing each soul its individuality.

“So this thing grew this big by acquiring all these souls?”

“Little by little, over four thousand years. It’s bigger than I could have imagined.”

The closer we got, the more overwhelming its size became. I had never seen the two moons that floated in the sky up close, but I couldn’t help thinking that they might be about this big.

“Hey, Greed,” I said.

“What?”

“What would happen if I devoured this massive ball of light?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You know what would happen better than anyone.” The black sword chuckled, but I could hear the worry in his voice. “Fate, are you ready? It’s showtime.”

I clenched the black sword tightly and looked where Greed indicated. There, I found two human figures against a backdrop of gathering human souls that looked like specks against the sun. One of the figures was the crucified Roxy. Next to her was Libra, his eyes closed as he waited quietly for things to begin. He knew Greed and I had arrived because he’d used the black cubes to try to stop us, which had since returned to him.

“Libra!” I shouted.

Libra smiled at the sound of his name. Even now, he wasn’t the least bit flustered. He opened his eyes slowly and set his gaze on me.

He knows I can’t attack him yet.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” said Libra. “What do you think of the place? Wonderful view, wouldn’t you say?”

“What are you trying to do?! Release Roxy!”

“A question and an order simultaneously? Quite a ­conundrum you’ve put me in.”

That son of a…acting all calm and collected…

“Now, now. There’s no need to get so mad. Look, I’ll release the girl.”

With a grin, Libra snapped his fingers, and the crucifix upon which Roxy hung crumbled into nothingness.

“Roxy!” I shouted.

I caught her in my arms and quickly looked her over. She was still unconscious.

“I’m a man of my word. She’s been released.”

“What did you do to her?!”

“I merely gave Snow an order.”

“No…”

“That is to say, I granted her eternal sleep. She’s bound by her sacred mark, with a little help from Snow. Merging with a holy beast will grant you tremendous powers, but it does come with risks.”

Libra gazed at the sleeping Roxy for a moment, then shifted his eyes to me.

“As someone constantly paying for the use of his power, surely you understand what I’m talking about. That’s simply what happens when you reach for more than you were given. Even this fight of ours is meaningless. I’m sure you’ve heard as much from Micuria already. All of this is part of the pre-established harmony. You coming here all tattered and torn to stand before me? The future has already been decided. You can’t change any of it.”

I pulled Roxy close to me and pointed the black sword at Libra. As expected, Libra still had complete mastery over his black cubes.

“I was born to protect this,” said Libra, pointing at the gigantic golden sphere behind him. “And I’m so very glad I got the chance to see it in person. I must say, it isn’t easy when you don’t even know what you’re supposed to be protecting. Like many of my holy beastfolk brethren, I have lived for far too long. Perhaps it would have been easier to rid myself of my human form and live as a holy beast.”

“Libra… You…”

He nodded, beaming. “But it’s exactly what I expected. It’s amazing, beautiful… So very worthy of protection.”

“What is it?”

“It is God.”

“What? This ball of light…is God?”

“Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that it was God. Everyone is blessed by God equally. They are given skills, level up, and cultivate stats. Upon death, their souls return to God—the place their power came from. They must return to God with offerings, or to put it more accurately, as offerings.”

“Why are there differences in the skills that everyone receives?”

“You know the answer to that already. It all depends on the power of an individual soul. The strong receive strong skills, and the weak receive weak skills. Even you and the other forsaken have your roles to play, you see.” Libra opened his mouth and pretended to chew on something before he went on. “You are monster food. You are provided as nourishment for monsters so they can level up. You know how rookie adventurers start their careers by hunting weaker monsters, like goblins? It’s exactly like that. Monsters start out with easy prey—that is to say, the weak—in order to grow stronger.”

“That’s the whole reason they exist?”

“It’s not particularly fair, is it? But that’s the only way to ensure things are balanced. Monsters were originally humans, anyway. If you look at the big picture, it’s all just humans killing one another. You humans love massacring your fellow man anyway, no? Change your point of view, and it’s no different, really.”

Libra plucked a human soul and a monster soul from where they were drifting nearby and showed them to me for comparison.

“In the beginning, there were only human souls. However, monster souls gave birth to a plethora of different skills, inevitably meaning more and more stats.” Libra threw the two souls at the giant sphere, which changed color slightly before returning to its usual golden state. Libra smiled. “But it’s still far too early. So, I opened the door and invited you in. Do you know why?”

“I doubt we’re welcome here.”

“Right you are. I’m going to have you rest eternally. Best seat in the house, though. Practically at the right hand of God.”

The black cubes that had been drifting around Libra now moved with purpose, each one traveling in formation with the others. 

“Given that this is all predestined, I’m going to do as I see fit. That starts by making sure Gluttony never reappears in the world you call home. I will not allow the same mistakes to keep repeating themselves. Otherwise, people like you will keep on emerging over and over and over.”

“Watch out, Fate.”

“Yeah, I know.”

This force was well beyond what I’d faced against my father. At least the black angel of death had retained a sliver of pity. What I felt from Libra was pure, unadulterated bloodlust despite his expression remaining completely unchanged. The gap between his attitude and appearance struck me as complete opposites.

“I am compelled to fight. It would seem that you are indeed a threat.”

The sacred mark on Libra’s face lit up with a blood-red glimmer.