The Berserker's Storm
The war in the Spirit Realm was unfolding exactly as expected. When the situation called for it, Torina charged forward without restraint, living up to her name as the God of War. The sound of fabric and metal tearing echoed sharply—zzzt—crack—boom! Her clothes and armor began to rip and shatter apart.
All that remained was the underwear crafted by the Chief God of the God Realm, an undergarment that amplified divine power. Torina rose from the ground, her body barely covered, exposing nearly everything. Yet she showed no shame whatsoever.
The moment the goddesses had feared finally arrived. Their heads throbbed with sudden headaches. But separate from that discomfort, fighting spirit erupted like a storm through the gaps in her torn clothing, and lightning raced across the earth.
Rumble—rumble—rumble!Crash—boom—roar!Crack—snap—crunch!Crackle—snap—boom!
Her body swelled in size. Muscles bulged and contracted to a degree incomparable to before. From her mouth came not just gritted teeth but the low, feral growl of a wild beast. Her black hair had long since shot skyward, whipped into a vortex by her raging fighting spirit.
On top of that, both her divine power and authorities were exploding in intensity. Clink—clank—snap!Bang—crack—boom!
The Belt of Doubling Strength, Megin gjord, materialized in physical form and wrapped around her waist. From Mjolnir’s handle, iron chains burst forth and coiled around her arms. Those same chains then spread across her entire body, replacing her shredded clothes and armor.
She was transforming into the very image of a berserker. Her fighting spirit ran completely wild. What was even more terrifying was how lightning and storm completely overtook the surroundings, beginning to destroy everything in their path.
Every wraith that entered her domain was instantly reduced to ash and torn to shreds. The goddesses lowered their heads in utter defeat and began to lament.
“It’s the Storm of Berserk—! Is she seriously trying to become the crazy bitch of the God Realm? Couldn’t she at least hold back a little? Why does she always go straight to that?”
“She probably figured she couldn’t suppress them with normal power. Anyway, we’re screwed. How are we supposed to show our faces after this? They’ll definitely see us all at the same level now.”
“We spent months living gracefully, finally building up some dignity as the management goddesses of the God Realm, and she blows it all in one go.”
“Aaaah—! I can already feel their stares. How do we even begin to clean this up?”
It was obvious without looking. The ones turned to ash by lightning and scattered by the storm weren’t only enemies. Everything within the domain of lightning and storm had been destroyed. Even the main gate they were supposed to protect was creaking dangerously.
The God Realm’s defensive barrier trembled under the crackling lightning and warped in the gale. This was closer to a suicidal attack that harmed their own forces.
At the center of it all, Torina—hair wild, clothes almost completely torn—looked like a madwoman, radiating only murderous fighting spirit and killing intent. Not just the enemies, but even the primordial God of War and the other gods of the God Realm waiting behind her stared with wide, rabbit-like eyes of shock.
Those are the exact same fear-filled eyes I saw countless times when I was the Chief God of the God Realm, slaughtering the Lord Gods who dared challenge me.
As battles against the God Realms grew increasingly fierce, she had become more and more like a berserker or a God of Destruction. She had rampaged at the frontlines, drenched in blood, until even her own allies began to fear her.
How could I possibly manage a God Realm that feared and avoided its own Chief God?
Of course everything went wrong. Nothing worked out.
In short, it all fell apart.
Unable to stop the Demon Realm’s invasion, the God Realm had chosen mutual destruction—razing both the enemy realm and the planets themselves. That was why the goddesses had been exiled to the Spirit Realm.
This time, they had all agreed to avoid such extreme measures and live as gracefully as possible. Yet here she was, rampaging like this again.
“Kwaaaaaah—!”
Shoooooo—!
She no longer even shouted the names of her authorities. She simply poured every ounce of her strength into pulverizing the opponent who had insulted her.
Mjolnir, thrown faster than light, struck the colossal goddess before she could even defend herself.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaang—!
The sound that rang out wasn’t flesh and divine energy colliding, but the deafening clash of metal against metal.
“As expected, its durability exceeds even a divine weapon reinforced by divine power!”
“Is her body alone already beyond an Upper Main God?”
“How is this possible for a deity who isn’t even a proper Intermediate Lord God?”
The goddesses were shocked that the enemy hadn’t been shattered by Torina’s full power. But unlike before, this time the colossal goddess couldn’t endure it. She was sent flying like a dry leaf.
By raising destructive power with the authority of extreme lightning, accelerating with the authority of storm, and transcending her limits with the authority of raw strength amplification, she had manifested a level of destructive force that was truly awe-inspiring even for a Lord God.
When combined with the berserker amplification that ignored damage to her own body, it became a lethal blow that even a High Lord God could not ignore.
“Grrrrrrrrr—!”
Clink—clank—rattle—!
The iron chains that had been wrapped around her body unraveled and lashed out, binding the ankle of the colossal goddess who had been sent flying backward. Even in her berserker state, some combat rationality remained. She hadn’t forgotten that if the chains wrapped around her own body, they might be torn apart by her own unimaginable strength.
Moreover, the fact that her limbs were still intact after taking a direct hit from Mjolnir thrown at full power was refreshing her combat senses even further.
Even an Upper Main God would have been finished by a blow like that if taken undefended. She only coughed up a little blood. The arm she reflexively used to block the direct hit only got slightly bruised.
Even through the rage burning all the way to the top of her head, she knew this was not an opponent she could defeat by simply charging in recklessly. But her innate combat instinct quickly found a solution.
“Kaaaaaaaah—!”
Whiiiiiiiiiir—!Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang—!Crackle—snap—boom—!
The defensive barrier of the God Realm shook violently from its very foundation. Torina had swung the chain binding her opponent’s foot and slammed the colossal goddess into the barrier at ultra-high speed.
Swinging her into the ground wouldn’t do much damage to a body like that.
The thought that flashed through her mind was that the most effective target was the barrier itself—the sturdiest structure that inflicted damage on any intruder trying to break through.
After her full-powered strike failed to deliver a fatal blow, a measure of reason returned to Torina. Her voice rang through the air.
“Die—!”
Kwaaaaaang—!Kwaaaaaang—!Kwaaaaaang—!
The elongated iron chain, empowered by her monstrous strength and centrifugal force, repeatedly slammed the colossal goddess’s body into the God Realm’s defensive barrier.
This time, it worked. The barrier of a High Lord God’s realm was designed to inflict additional damage on any being with less than a hundred billion in divine power who tried to force their way through. The body that had withstood Torina’s full-powered strikes began to sustain wounds all over, coughing up blood.
The moment it proved effective, her strength and divine power increased on their own. No—the filthy feeling of defeat from the sudden blow was washed away, and her wild instincts began to stir.
“Kuhahahahaha—!”
Laughing maniacally, Torina swung the chain holding the colossal goddess and slammed her relentlessly into the barrier. As expected, the difference in rank could not be ignored. The impacts and damage were landing properly.
Once the damage reached the point where she was nearly losing consciousness, even her skin began to tear and blacken under the wide-area destruction of lightning and storm.
Torina had been laughing, convinced of an overwhelming victory—until a tremendous impact struck the back of her head, cutting her laughter short.
Thuuuuuuud—!
“Keuuugh—! What the hell?!”
The battle and management goddesses were glaring at her with axe-like eyes. The chain loosened from the impact, and the detestable colossal goddess—who had been on the verge of being smashed apart—broke free and fell back into the enemy camp. Torina shouted in fury.
Normally, a berserker would charge straight in, but even she knew that rushing at all of them at once would only get her beaten half to death. So she could only yell.
“Why did you block me?! Just a little more and it would’ve been over!”
But the reply was ice-cold and razor-sharp. Granraha’s voice was even trembling.
What kind of friend is this? I can’t tell if she’s an ally or an enemy. As fellow lightning gods, we’ve been getting along, but I might need to rethink that.
Even she was terrified at the thought of ever looking like that on the battlefield.
“Is it the God Realm you’re trying to destroy? Or our position? And can’t you put on some proper clothes?! Do you still think you’re the half-naked, poverty-stricken god of a barbaric tribe? Why do you tear up perfectly good clothes and run around in nothing but underwear like in the old days? Is the God Realm on the brink of destruction?! And while we’re at it, can you clean up this wide-area lightning and storm damage?! It’s hitting both the God Realm and us—!”
The endless wave of criticism from the goddesses made her body shrink involuntarily. She had been beaten collectively many times for talking back at moments like this.
Those women don’t forgive losses, friend or not. Of course I’m the same, but when one of us messes up, there’s no mercy or forgiveness.
Because they had met as allies on the battlefield, their relationship was especially brutal. As expected, a barrage of sarcastic, merciless verbal abuse poured down. At least they wouldn’t beat her up on the actual battlefield.
“You’re the management goddess of the God Realm—why are you attacking the God Realm? Have you lost your mind? You walking disaster.”
“Ah—! I really can’t stand being around her. She causes accidents every time and we’re the ones who have to clean up after her.”
“What are we going to do? The barrier and main gate are on the verge of collapse. Let’s dock this from her salary.”
“Her strength is impressive, though. To erode a High Lord God’s barrier and gate all by herself like that. Or is it the weapon that’s strong?”
“It’s her body strength that has surpassed the level of a Lord God. Normal divine weapon attacks were almost completely nullified, so the attack itself was effective… but the result is terrible.”
“We should just brand them as rebel forces helping the enemy. The God Realm’s ego is currently determining whether to register us as enemies after having its gate and barrier destroyed.”
Once Torina’s head cooled and she looked around, she couldn’t help but cough awkwardly at the catastrophe that had unfolded in an instant. The main gate was half-destroyed, its defensive capability now questionable. The surrounding barrier was riddled with holes and damage everywhere.
I didn’t fight a defensive battle. I just broke through like I was attacking the place.
The absurd sight of even the God Realm’s ego analyzing the situation and debating whether to label the goddesses as traitors made the management goddesses panic and step forward to intervene.
“This is driving me insane.”
“It’s not a rebellion, I said—! We don’t even know who they are—!”
Fortunately, their plea seemed to work. A dry judgment was handed down.
Precise judgment in progress regarding distinction between enemy and ally.
Damage inflicted upon the God Realm is acknowledged to be less than damage inflicted upon the enemy and Lord Gods.
Further harm to the God Realm will result in classification as enemy forces.
Only then did Torina fully grasp the situation. With an embarrassed expression, she restored her divine weapons and armor, regained her senses, and stared straight ahead. Hundreds of murderous glares stabbed into the back of her head, but she completely ignored them. What’s done is done. She focused only on the enemy.
If I had been the type to care about things like this, I could never have lived so freely in the past.
Watching the colossal goddess—who had completely lost consciousness from her spectacular and powerful strike—being carried away to the rear, she couldn’t hide her triumphant smile.
That should count as a serious injury. A complete victory. My heart feels so refreshed.
But the next words that reached her ears made cold sweat run down her back.
“That one is only useful if you throw her alone into the middle of the enemy camp. Never keep her among allies. What kind of authority doesn’t distinguish between friend and foe and destroys everything indiscriminately? Can’t she even tell if she’s the God of Light or the God of Destruction?”
“That’s why, even when I step forward and we win big, the damage to allies and enemies ends up about equal. Does she think it’s fine as long as she piles up achievements for herself? I thought she had gained some discernment, but it’s actually gotten worse.”
“You, get to the back. If you step forward and cause trouble one more time, I’ll throw you straight into the enemy lines. And if we have to retreat, you’d better guard the rear properly. By yourself—!”
It was a scolding she had heard many times before.
After hearing this speech several times with no improvement, they had started assigning her the role of bait, which was why Lokina—the one who had become her mortal enemy—would repeat those words until her mouth went dry.
The hostility had risen another level. At least Lokina had never said she would throw her into the enemy camp. And while she had indeed taken on the role of holding back the enemy during retreats, this clearly carried the atmosphere of ordering her to stay behind alone and prepare to die.
The price of completely ignoring the dissatisfied and critical gazes of friends of equal or higher rank was heavy.
In the past, only Lokina and Odin together could handle me. But now there are many Lord Gods here who are my equal.
Even two of them would be enough to beat her senseless. The price of briefly losing herself in the past and going on a rampage was severe. If she didn’t behave herself for a while, they would find any excuse to punish her.
Of course, she had excuses that dated back to the old days.
What do you want me to do about it? I was born this way—! The weak ones are at fault. They should dodge properly.
She used to spit those words out whenever she received such criticism in the past. But now, words that would summon an uncontrollable disaster were rising to the tip of her tongue. She bit down hard and stared straight ahead.
She knew full well that while her wide-area lightning and storm destruction authority had swept away all the wraiths, Lokina had only expended some vitality and suffered almost no damage.
The reason gods who wield magic are so troublesome is that even if you destroy the phenomena created by their magic, you can’t kill the main body unless you strike it directly. And the more time you give them, the more they analyze your weaknesses and come at you even harder.
No one should let their guard down or give them time. That was the shared understanding of all present.
The battle goddesses, having exchanged their wills, began to move. Following the standard tactics of a war between gods, they moved to eliminate the troublesome and threatening magic-wielding Lord God first.