Path of the Berserker

The screams continued as I made my way to the center of the arena, hyping up the crowd with a lightning bolt and a pumping of my axe. The experience was surreal. The crowd seemed double the size and the lemonade was spilling from the grandstands like a waterfall.

I absorbed it all, cycled the free Frenzy through my body, heightening my reflexes, speed and strength. Remembering to engage my [Devil’s Shadow] technique, I tapped into the essence of my fake lightning core and seasoned my Frenzy with Qi to stay legal in the eyes of the officials.

As I approached Iron Pot Wong, I realized the man was much bigger than I thought.

He had to be at least eight or nine feet tall, his thick black armor perhaps adding a foot to his height and his polearm looked as if it could reach me from a block away.

He drank idly from his gourd as he looked over at me nonplussed.

“About damn time!” he shouted, putting a cork in his gourd. He lifted his glaive as easily as if it were made of bamboo, but clearly the thing had to weigh half a ton being made of iron. “Let’s see what all the fuss is about, Bull Man!”

The crowd responded to the challenge with more screams and a shift in the betting pool began. The challenge resonated with the Flame burning deep within my soul. From what I had seen of him already, I had no idea if I could beat this guy, but that didn’t matter anymore. He was now what stood between me and my goals and just like every challenge before him…

I would overcome it.

As the countdown clock started, I applied [Fear the Flame], slowly removing my overcoat. As I tossed it aside the crowd screamed in delight.

The act of bravado didn’t go unnoticed by Iron Pot Wong, who rumbled with a belly laugh. “Showing off, are we? We’ll see how tough that skin truly is, my friend.”

I pointed at him wordlessly and then gave him a “bring it on” gesture with my hand.

The crowd went wild.

“Challenges have been thrown down by both sides!” the announcer crooned. “Now let’s see which one of them will prevail. For the glory of the 22nd position in the Iron Bracket tournament, I wish you both good luck. Commence!”

The gong sounded and I dumped my cycling Frenzy into speeding my limbs into action, anticipating one of his long-range attacks. Seconds passed. Nothing came. And to my chagrin I saw Wong reaching idly for his gourd again.

What the hell? Was this guy messing with me?

I went through my forms, flanking him from the side and still he didn’t move. I’d gotten used to the aggressiveness of the cultivators in my previous fights, always on the backfoot it seemed. But this was an entirely different kind of battle. He was either goading me, underestimating me or perhaps both.

Ah, screw it, I thought. Only one way to find out for sure.

I powered in with an attack, coming for the side.

Without removing his lips from the gourd, Wong simply turned, but the massive length of his glaive spun with him at incredible speed. It was too quick and wide to dodge, so I blocked with [Third Form] instead, our weapons sending sparks into the air.

The force of his attack lifted me right off the ground and I went spiraling through the air, feet touching briefly as I tumbled end over end towards the arena’s outer wall. I finally slid to a stop, just in time to see Wong following up with another quick slash to the air.

“[Iron cuts the Wind]!”

With a sonic boom, a thin shockwave of energy flew towards me, and I barely had time to raise [Iron Skin] before it cut across my torso. It stung like a whip and were I still made of flesh the thing would have cleanly cut me in half.

“One to me,” Wong bellowed with a laugh and then mocked me with my “bring it on” gesture. “Come on then. Try again, Bull Man.”

“It seems the Iron Bull is being taken to school by Iron Pot Wong,” the announcer said, hamming it up for the crowd. “Let’s see if he will surpass his teacher, or if he will leave the tournament with a failing grade!”

That got more laughs than cheers and Wong reveled in it by taking another celebratory sip from his gourd. I needed to get it together. Something was off about this fight, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Damn it, I thought. I’ll just have to try again.

Cycling my Frenzy, I dove in for another attack. This time I anticipated his counterstrike, and focused all my Frenzy into a parry instead of a block. He came at me vertically rather than horizontally this time, lopping the massive polearm overhead like a giant fishing rod.

I released a cry of fury as I swatted up at his giant weapon, deflecting it away with a massive flash of sparks.

The parry surprised the old man, his weapon flying back upwards at twice the speed that it had come down. Taking advantage of my opening, I rushed in under his guard and went to town on his armored torso. Metal and sparks flew as I hacked away, the scoreboard going wild.

Two hits, three hits, fou—

Wong somehow grabbed me by the throat in the middle of it all, moving faster than I could see. An immeasurable pressure engulfed my neck as he lifted me off my feet. “Not bad! But try again!”

He tossed me into the air like a rag doll, and then with a swift spin, followed up with his pole arm like a batter hitting one out of the park. I braced my body with [Iron Skin] and [Iron Core] and felt every bone in my body cry out in pain as the blow connected.

“[Heaven’s Cut]!”

I landed on the ground more than fifty feet away, rolling to a stop.

Glancing down at my body, I was already covered in blood, but thankfully my techniques had limited the damage to a surface cut only. Still, it was just a single hit and I was ahead in the score.

Iron Pot Wong vs The Iron Bull

Odds: 4:5

Time - 26:54

Iron Pot Wong

The Iron Bull

2

4

Something must have made him realize the same thing, because he suddenly began twirling his glaive overhead, fast like a helicopter blade. Multiple arcs of razor-sharp shock waves spun outward from him as he announced his technique.

“[Iron Hurricane]!”

I did my best to shield myself, but true to its name, there was nowhere to hide from what felt like a hundred-mile-per-hour debris field flying straight into my face. The cuts weren’t as deep as the single-bladed attack, but they didn’t have to be. When I looked back at the scoreboard my stomach sank.

Iron Pot Wong vs The Iron Bull

Odds: 4:5

Time - 26:54

Iron Pot Wong

The Iron Bull

16

4

Wong took another casual sip from his gourd. “I can do this all day, Bull Man!”

I cursed inwardly as the crowd roared in laughter.

He’d just turned this fight into a battle of attrition that I couldn’t hope to win.

Dammit, I needed that lightning more than ever to even the score.

I refused to give up, though. There had to be a way. I launched at him again, and just like before, he waited for me to attack first before countering. His attacks were relatively slow compared to mine, but with the obscene reach of his glaive he was able to cover massive amounts of real estate from all sides.

It was more like fighting a fortified castle than a cultivator. Frustration built within me, eliciting a small bit of Frenzy from the Flame. And then suddenly I realized what was wrong with this fight. It was almost like I was sparring with Gui Zu. Even though he was my opponent, I couldn’t really bring myself to hate or despise this guy. In fact, I was finding his antics as amusing as everyone else and would probably even laugh myself if I wasn’t on the losing end of it all.

But either way, it was messing with my Frenzy.

Maybe the [Odds were Against Me], but it just didn’t feel like it right now.

My Flame grew weaker as the battle wore on, me getting in a few cheap shots in here and there, but always quickly equalized by a quick Qi Technique or another [Iron Hurricane], filling the air with shrapnel I couldn’t dodge.

I glanced at the scoreboard as we reached the halfway mark.

Iron Pot Wong vs The Iron Bull

Odds: 7:3

Time - 14:44

Iron Pot Wong

The Iron Bull

132

24

This crap wasn’t working. I needed a new plan. As I saw Wong shake his head and go for his gourd again, a crazy idea popped into my head. I needed to get back to my roots and go old school with him.

It was time to show him how a true Berserker raged.

I dropped my stance and casually approached him with [Struggler’s Resolve].

“Iron Pot Wong!” I shouted to him. “I tire of this pointless battle. I don’t want to spend another fifteen minutes flying about like some fairy queen. Let’s settle this fight definitively. As true men!”

The crowd went silent at that and Wong cocked a bushy white eyebrow at me. “A new challenge, eh? What do you propose, Bull Man?”

“Single strikes,” I said. “Blow for blow. Until one of us either yields…or dies.”

The crowd screamed in approval, the odds flying up and down on us like the score board on a pinball machine.

“It seems the Iron Bull has iron balls as well!” the announcer shouted. “Will the great Iron Pot Wong accept the challenge? Or will he concede before it even begins?”

Wong looked up at the scoreboard and let out a huge belly laugh.

“A tremendous idea!” he bellowed, raising his glaive high into the air. “This will be the best fight I’ve had all week! Bull Man, I accept your challenge!”

The crowd was on their feet, whistling and blowing horns.

Holy crap, it worked, I thought. I’d just initiated slap fest 2.0.

But this was no Du Mak I was up against here.

I was facing uncertain death for real.

“Since this was your idea, it wouldn’t be fair to kill you on the first blow,” Wong said with a taunting smile. “You first, Bull Man.”

The odds shifted greatly in his favor after that.

Which meant the [Odds were Against Me] indeed.

I channeled the thought into Frenzy as I sauntered towards Wong, subtly engaging the [Mark of the Giant] technique. There wasn’t much Frenzy I could devote towards it, even if I wanted to, but growing just about an inch taller was all I needed.

“Ready?” I said.

Wong inhaled and puffed out his chest, making the huge pot armor an even bigger target. “Do your worst!”

I channeled deep within and then leapt into the air, striking down at the armor from above with a [Three-Log Chop].

My axe hit the armor like an explosion going off, my blade bouncing off of it with a massive flash of sparks. The force of my hit travelled through him and Wong went crashing into the ground in a massive cloud of dust.

The crowd surged with lemonade in a collective gasp of shock and awe.

“An amazing first strike by the Iron Bull! But surely the great Iron Pot Wong will not be done in so easily!”

As if on cue, Wong rose slowly to his feet coughing and laughing. “Ah!! A true challenge! I was about to go easy on you as a newcomer, but I see you pull no punches. I respect that! So be it then. You shall face my full might!”

This was the part I was both hoping for and dreading. A passage from the orb on [Odds Against Me] flashed through my mind and I focused on it like a mantra as I prepared to take the biggest ass-whooping of my entire life.

“The power of this technique is limitless, bound only by the strength of your foe and your ability to withstand him.”

And withstand him I must, I thought.

“I’m ready.”

I siphoned the Frenzy from within the crowd and channeled every bit of it into [Indifference], [Iron Skin], [Iron Core], and [Struggler’s Resolve]. Sucking in a final breath, I prepared to face either my destiny or my final demise.

Iron Pot Wong danced on the spot, mumbling some phrase in some language I didn’t understand. He whipped himself around in a circle several times, speeding up with each swing. Finally he let out a yell and arched his glaive for a final strike directed at my chest.

“[Heavenly Iron Glaive]!”

Skin, bone, and tissue crimpled under the force of the devastating hit, my entire body shooting backwards like I was just launched from a catapult. Mind-blowing pain lit my brain on fire as every receptor in my body fired at once. I slid on my feet speeding away from him like I was on a runaway train, yet somehow I kept my balance and focus, cycling my Frenzy to stay in control. I endured another mind-numbing blow as my back hit the outer wall and the world went black as I momentarily passed out.

I came to on the ground, finding myself on my hands and knees.

Blood leaked from my mouth and the huge gash in my chest, huge rivulets of sanguine essence leaving my body as the sweet numbness of death took hold. I raged against it.

I could not die. Not yet. Not while I still had this damn match to win!

The thought sparked my inner Flame, fueling [Death’s Door] with Frenzy as it bypassed whatever organs Wong had just decimated with his glaive.

The arena was deadly silent, the crowd on edge.

Patiently waiting to see whether I would yield or die.

Screw all of you, I thought.

Today was not yet my time!

Shakily, I stood to my feet and the crowd responded with a massive wall of cheers. The odds flew in the other direction, favoring me now. But I couldn’t care about any of that. I reached instead for the massive amount of Frenzy being generated by the crowd.

“He’s survived!” the announcer screamed. “Unbelievable! A pinnacle strike from Iron Pot Wong and the Iron Bull is coming back for more.”

I raised my axe in defiance and the Frenzy from the crowd surged even more.

I lapped it all up as I walked my way slowly back to Wong with [Struggler’s Resolve].

To my surprise, the old man had a look of delight on his face instead of dread.

I even sensed a bit of lemonade.

“You survived my highest technique!” he shouted. “Well taken, lad. I’m impressed!”

“Thanks,” I said casually as I squared up on him. “I guess it’s [My Turn] now…”

Diving deep within the core of my Flame, I funneled every ounce of the hit I’d just received into my next blow. I surged with [Mark of the Giant] as I wound up for my attack, taking off the brakes for the few seconds it would take for me to deliver the blow. Muscles and sinew strained and popped as my height grew what had to be six inches or more, healing all my wounds and organs at the same time.

The [Odds were Against Me] like never before, not just for this fight, but against this whole damn empire. If I didn’t win this match, everything was over. I had to do it. I had to win.

The salvation of my people, the freedom of this entire planet, rested on this one…damn…hit!

I released a savage battle cry as I swung into Wong with a [One-Chop Cleave]!

“FOR FREEDOM!”

Frenzy the magnitude of which I’d never felt before surged through my Dantian, like an ocean being forced through a pinhole. Something rattled within my Flame as the compression took place, my Frenzy forced to become something else. Something crystalline.

Something solid.

Instinct and weeks of meridian training kicked in and I directed the solid crystals towards my Jing. A massive arc of bright yellow lightning flashed as my axe hit the armor, resulting in a thunderous kaboom!

The arena echoed with the massive thunderclap as Wong flew away from me in a blossoming ring of shattering iron and steel. He bounced and skipped off the ground several times before careening hard with the outer wall, fracturing it with a resounding crack!

Stunned silence reigned as the thunder echoed and reverberated through the air.

Holy shit…I thought. Did I just do it?

Did I just make frenzied lightning?

Every cell in my body suddenly caught up with reality of my present condition and my knees grew weak. Every ounce of Frenzy I had within me had been expended in that one hit. I’d gone for broke and I had nothing left. I fell to one knee, exhausted. There was no way I could do that again.

I look across the distance and didn’t see Wong moving.

A part of me despaired that I’d actually killed the man.

A few healers in blue robes entered the arena and rushed over to him to check. Before they could even reach him however a loud scream filled the air as Wong shot upright at the waist thrusting both arms into the air.

“Magnificent!” he cried. “Absolutely superb!”

My heart soared and I couldn’t help but let out a laugh of relief.

The stadium laughed with me, roaring with applause as Wong staggered drunkenly back to his feet. He began walking towards me and then suddenly I wasn’t so chuffed that he was still alive anymore.

He wasn’t actually going to continue, was he?

There was no way I could take another hit, or even give another hit for that matter.

“He lives!” the announcer cried. “The infamous Iron Pot Wong has survived the heavens-shattering power of the Iron Bull’s Furious Lightning! His pot however, not so much!”

Laughter broke out as all attention was drawn back to Wong. He indeed was now wearing half the armor he had been, the chest plate gouged with a man-sized gash from top to bottom, through steel that was at least six inches thick. I had expected him to be fat and portly like Hong Feng, but inside the armor, Wong was skinny as a rail. The oddity of it only added to the laughter of the crowd.

Wong staggered from the outer wall towards me, chugging huge gulps from his gourd along the way. I almost wondered if it was some kind of secret technique for regaining strength by the way he went at it.

He had a huge grin on his face as he finally came to a stop in front of me, towering over me in his busted-up armor, his glaive slung casually over his shoulder.

“Iron Bull,” he said. “In the twenty years I have fought in this Bracket, no one has ever broken this armor. Even the hundreds of battles across the countless stars that have I fought, it has remained intact. But today…you have done the impossible. You not just cracked my armor, but have done so in but a single strike!” He then cupped his hands and bowed before me. “You’ve truly demonstrated your heavenly might this day. To you I offer my deepest respect and yield.”

The arena surged with cheers and gushed with lemonade.

“A forfeit by the great Iron Pot Wong!” the announcer cried. “The Iron Bull has advanced! And what another spectacular victory for the newcomer!”

Wong grabbed my wrist and threw my arm in the air like a referee, cheering for my victory as well.

“I don’t know who the hells you are, kid,” he said, sounding more drunk than ever. “But you’re okay with me. Good fight!”

I laughed at that and saluted Wong with a mid-tier bow. “You have my respect also, Master Wong. Good fight.”

“We’ll have to do this again,” he said laughing. “But I’ll bring thicker armor next time! And if you ever decide to take that damn mask off, come look me up at the Golden Spire. I’ll buy you a drink.”

I had no idea where that was, but the offer was tempting. Still I couldn’t reveal who I was quite yet. “Maybe in the future, for sure!”

As the praise and accolades poured in, I tried to process them, but my system was far too spent for that. Still, I had done it somehow.

I had reached the 9th Tier of the Foundation Realm.

I had created solid Frenzy.

* * *

“You keep making me rich,” Bo Ren said after the match, tossing me another purse. “People are going to start hunting me down.”

There were four spirit stones inside it this time. “Wow, thank you!”

“I’d get going while the going is good,” he said, nodding towards the door. “You were the last match tonight. And after a performance like that, everyone’s going to be looking for you.”

Damn, I didn’t think how my notoriety might escalate at the time, but I needed to do what I had to, to win in the ring.

“When’s my next match?” I asked.

Bo Ren checked the board. “Looks like tomorrow. You’re the first match-up.”

“Who’s in the 21st spot?”

“No one,” he said. “21st spot was eliminated by U’Ren Nghi earlier this week. You’ll be up against her for the 20th spot. First-rank qualifier for the Gold Bracket. Congratulations, my friend, you made it into the big leagues.”

Holy shit…the Gold Bracket?

I never really thought about it like that. All this time my only goal for reaching the top twenty in the tournament was for my citizenship. But I didn’t think to considered that if I won, I would become a Gold Bracket contender as well.

“So, my next fight is with the flower girl, huh?”

“Seems so,” Bo Ren said. “You’d better rest up, kid. It won’t be an easy fight. U’Ren Nghi has more tricks up her sleeves than a Tangian whore.”

I only half caught the reference, but I laughed with him anyway.

“Regardless, I’m rooting for you all the way, Bull Man,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “See you tomorrow in the ring.”

As I left out the back with Gui Zu, a new realization rose up inside of me and filled my soul with hope.

Just one more match to win, I thought.

One more match and everything I worked so hard for would finally come true.

For the first time that I could remember, I felt as if I were finally taking control of my own destiny.…able to stand on my own convictions without fear of reprisal or repercussion.

For the first time in a long time, I could actually say…I was nearly free.