「Eagle Company?」
Nidhogg vaguely remembered the middle-aged jailer mentioning the "Eagle Company" before he died, but at the time, he'd been solely focused on escaping. He hadn't paid it any mind. This new quest, however, brought it front and center again. And his habit of checking the Golden Mark's updates confirmed it: the group of men in front of him must be the so-called "Eagle Company."
Nidhogg frowned. The name, mentioned twice now, was starting to stir something in his memory.
It was a distant recollection, fuzzy and unclear. But then his gaze met the eyes beneath the white eagle helm.
Those eyes, sharp and indifferent as an eagle's. That white helmet and armor, bearing a unique, noble quality. The mercenaries surrounding their leader, some burly, some lean... it all clicked into place.
He remembered. Years ago, a friend had tricked him into reading a manga called Kenpu Denki Berserk. The story started strong, then plunged into darkness. The true, horrific climax was the Eclipse at the end of the Golden Age arc.
The sacrifices. The demons. The God Hand. Despair. Pain. The loss of everything...
The central figure of the Eclipse was a young man in a white eagle-helm. His name was Griffith. And the sacrifices he offered were the very members of the Hawk Company who had followed him.
Because he remembered these things, because he recognized the figure before him, Nidhogg broke out in a cold sweat. He finally understood where—when—he had ended up.
Honestly, he would have preferred landing in the actual Middle Ages to waking up in the nightmare world of Berserk. The last thing he wanted was to be anywhere near Griffith and the Hawks!
Damn it! How did this happen?!
Instinct took over. He spun on his heel and, without a moment's hesitation, leaped from the second-story walkway into the chaotic courtyard battle below, landing with a roll.
One of the Hawks, seeing Nidhogg's strange, panicked retreat, naturally assumed he was an enemy. He raised his crossbow, ready to shoot.
But Griffith, the white-helmed leader of the Hawks, raised a hand, stopping him. His gaze followed Nidhogg's fleeing form.
He didn't know why, but in that instant, Griffith sensed something in Nidhogg's eyes. It wasn't the fear of a man about to be captured or killed. It was a deeper, more profound terror.
Griffith could almost feel that Nidhogg wasn't afraid of him, or of the Hawks. He was afraid of something else. Something intimately connected to them.
What could it be? Griffith felt a flicker of curiosity.
Meanwhile, Nidhogg's mind was reeling. He landed hard in the middle of the courtyard, rolled, and scrambled to his feet. He found himself in the dead center of the battlefield.
His location seemed to mark a dividing line. On either side of him, the two armies had clashed.
Only on the peripheries did the fighting continue.
His sudden, dramatic entrance stunned the battlefield into momentary silence. Almost everyone froze, staring.
Nidhogg turned his head to the left.
A towering, imposing man stood there, clad in a round helmet and full plate armor, a bloody battle-axe in his hand. At his feet lay several mutilated corpses, their heads split open, their bodies cleaved apart.
This man was the "Ashen Knight" Jackson. The bastard who had captured him and thrown him in the dungeon!
Jackson had already killed several enemy mercenaries with his axe. Rumors said he could wrestle a bear with his bare hands. His sheer ferocity was enough to intimidate the entire courtyard. No one dared approach him.
The enemy commander had offered a massive reward for Jackson's head, but not a single mercenary had stepped forward.
They were utterly cowed by Jackson's brutality. They had no desire to join the corpses at his feet.
Jackson was swelling with pride. Then, a man suddenly appeared right in front of him. He frowned, then looked closer. He recognized the vagabond knight's armor, and the eyes beneath the helm.
"You... Weren't you in the dungeon?" Jackson was stunned. He finally remembered the prisoner he'd captured days ago. "What are you doing here? How did you get your sword, shield, and armor back?"
To Nidhogg's right, a knight on horseback—the commander of the mercenary army that had breached the gate—clearly misinterpreted the situation.
He lifted his helm's visor, revealing a middle-aged face with a mustache. His expression had been grim, but seeing someone finally step up to answer his bounty, a slight smile tugged at his lips.
"Excellent! His head is yours to take. Once this is over, you'll be richly rewarded!"
Jackson, hearing this, understood.
He assumed Nidhogg was an enemy agent who had infiltrated the castle ahead of time, waiting for the breach to free him. How he'd gotten his gear back no longer mattered.
"Hmph!" Jackson snorted coldly, hefting his massive battle-axe and advancing on Nidhogg. "You want my head? You? A cowardly, sniveling scout who clings to life?"
"I should have killed you before. It's not too late now. I just didn't expect you to be this stupid. You escape, and then you walk right back into my sight to die! I'll chop you to pieces!"
Jackson raised his axe high and brought it crashing down toward Nidhogg's head!
Without a word, Nidhogg was forced into a fight he didn't want. Furious but with no choice, he hurled himself backward.
CRASH!
Jackson's axe slammed into the ground, splitting the stone floor with a deafening crack. A deep gash appeared, making everyone watching flinch.
Nidhogg's heart lurched. He was glad he hadn't tried to block that with his heater shield. A parry wouldn't have saved him. Jackson's raw power would have cleaved right through.
"Run, will you?!"
Jackson wrenched his axe free and charged at Nidhogg again, a wild, bloodthirsty grin on his face.
Nidhogg's mind had been clouded by the terrifying revelation of the Eclipse, but now, with his life literally on the line, he took a deep breath. He pushed all chaotic thoughts aside. His breathing slowed. He grew calm.
Whatever happened in the future, he had to survive the present!
Instead of retreating further, he gripped his sword and shield and ran toward Jackson.
Jackson's grin widened. He didn't take this prisoner seriously at all. If the man had any real skill, he wouldn't have been caught so easily before.
Confident and arrogant, Jackson swung his axe in a massive horizontal arc, aiming to cleave Nidhogg in two!
Nidhogg didn't blink. In that moment of life and death, he entered a state of flow.
He saw the opening. He dropped into a sudden crouch. The axe whistled past, inches above his head.
A narrow miss, but it was enough.
Jackson was thrown off balance by his own momentum. His massive axe was carried wide, and before he could recover, Nidhogg saw it: the man's entire front was wide open. He carried no shield.
And in that instant, the cowering prisoner he remembered was gone. In his place was a man with a fierce, predatory aura, his eyes gleaming like a viper's!
Shit!
Jackson's mind went blank!
Nidhogg didn't hesitate. He surged forward, driving his longsword in a powerful thrust aimed directly at Jackson's throat!
Schlick!
The helm and armor offered some resistance, but the skill-augmented thrust punched through!
Fwoosh!
Nidhogg wrenched the blade free. A spray of arterial blood erupted from the wound!
Jackson stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the sword in Nidhogg's hand, the sword that had just pierced his throat.
Then his eyes rolled back. His bear-like body crumpled, hitting the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up dust and smoke as his lifeblood pumped out onto the stones.
Nidhogg looked down at the corpse. The last shred of fear he'd held for this terrifying "Ashen Knight" finally vanished.
He stood there, breathing steadily.
「Short-term Quest」 Eliminate the "Ashen Knight" Jackson (Completed. Reward: Level Up from LV 7 → LV 12. Acquired: Ashen Knight's Battle Axe)
「Weapon」 Ashen Knight's Battle Axe (Skill: Charge-forged Heavy Strike)
「Short-term Quest」 Eliminate Obstacles on the Castle Battlefield (12) / Encounter Key Members of the Hawk Company (0/6) / Encounter Guts