Romance of the Berserk II: Retribution and Millennium

It's been sometime, but I've finally made a start to the sequel of Romance of the Berserk which was my first Berserk X-over. There is still many more battles, demons and tragedy to come as we cover later events in the Three Kingdoms era as well as later arcs in the Berserk canon as well. I'll try my best to tie both series together in this sequel and hopefully give Gat Su (Guts) some more justice. Cannot guarantee regular updates but I do hope some reviews will motivate me to update more often. So for those who've been waiting since the end of the first story, here's Romance of the Berserk II: Retribution and Millennium

Chapter 1

A small cavalry unit had set foot upon the ashes of Jian Ye, the former Wu capital. A slim man with hair as long as a dazzling maiden dismounted his steed and inspected the soil of this annihilated capital.

"It has been more than four years since the day of the 'Blood Moon'. And yet we still haven't recovered any corpses from this barren graveyard."

"That legendary swordsman from the West has still not been recovered." A beautiful woman added as she dismounted her horse. "I doubt the cursed 'Blood Moon' incident could have killed such a demon, we must keep searching until we find that man."

The man nodded. "Our Lord's order must be carried out flawlessly like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, am I right?"

The woman nodded but with an odd glance behind her painted eyelids. "Yes Zhang He, my husband's will is absolute indeed."

TIAN SHUI:

The Western Valleys provided for the life of thousands of young warriors and peasants. As blue armoured pikemen patrolled the city streets like police, children who had yet to be exposed to the grown up world of violence and war laughed and smiled as they ran down the streets. A young officer had been put in charge of a large portion of the city. His warm-hearted disposition and gentle smile made him one of the more popular officers of the otherwise cold-hearted Wei regime. Despite his gentle nature, he had suppressed small rebellions in the past, fulfilling his General's orders. But even this young man could see the toil his kingdom's oppression was causing to the people.

Today, he had met up with a wise old hermit who had invited him for a game of checkers. As they played, the younger man tried to glance past the old man's hat, which he had tilted over his face.

"It has been four years and two and a half months since that day hasn't it young warrior?" The old man spoke with an informed tone.

"Yes it has been quite some time since that grave indecent old man." The younger man concurred as he placed down his piece.

"And yet this board is still divided in three isn't it?" The wise old man began speaking in riddles.

"But Liu Bei's entire force was swallowed along with the Wu capital that day. Only Wei remains on this board."

The wise old man gave a small chuckle as he stroked his long white beard. "In a simple game of checkers, all your pieces are bound to your will, but forming a nation isn't as easy as winning a game of checkers young man." He swept away three more of the younger man's pieces before waiting for his opponent's move. "If these pieces each shared the will of a thousand men, surely you could not possibly move each piece as simply as you are with the stroke of your hand."

"What are you proposing old man?" The young warrior crossed his arms in slight suspicion. "That Wei cannot maintain a unified empire?"

"There is still the smaller, yet just nevertheless fierce Tiger of Wu to the South-East and the Southern People have formed a noose around all of the provinces, tightening around Lord Cao Pi's and Prime Minister Sima Yi's neck as we speak. Can Cao Pi still claim control of the checker board when he is playing against a Tiger and a Snake?"

"I'm getting fed up with this game." The young man rose from his chair and began to depart just as the old man uttered one more revelation.

"He lives you know. The Black Swordsman is still alive."

The young warrior looked quite cynical with his reaction. "Splendid, then I shall celebrate his survival by cutting off his head." And with that, the passionate young officer paced down the street returning to his patrol duties.

The old man sighed as he lifted his hat, revealing a withered face, covered with odd makings. "That young boy is destined to revive the Shu kingdom, he just needs a demon to wake him to that realisation."

MEANWHILE ON THE WESERN BORDER OF TIAN SHUI:

The troops hid amongst the mountain forests; their bamboo armour providing excellent camouflage up until now. Behind the frontier force, the earth softly rumbled to beckon the arrival of an entirely unconventional 'cavalry' unit.

The smelly barbarian general wiped his nose with his tiger hide garb as his warriors assembled behind him. "These imps have been living carelessly here for far too long, they will never anticipate our beasts crushing their petty villages, and their petty lives bwahaha!"


Peace has yet to arrive in this turmoiled state of China. Who can possibly end the chaos now? Don't miss the next chapter!