The Scrap Tamer - Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Berserker’s Wrath 2: Awakening
Battered and broken, that was the state of Marcus’ body right now.

The family head was holding back nothing against him and that terrified Marcus. Most of the bones in his body were broken and every movement he tried making sent searing pain through him.

“It seems you really do want to die” Caine’s terrifying voice came “well then, I’d be happy to help, unless of course you awaken the ability first.”

‘This is bullsh*t’ Marcus thought to himself.

He always thought that the process of unlocking the berserker’s wrath was something related to meditation or anything else not related to beating you to death.

“You know,” Caine said as he slowly approached Marcus “I really thought you were one of a kind genius, but I guess I was wrong.”

Marcus clenched his fist as he forced himself to stand, an action which increased the pain he felt.

“But I guess you will soon be replaced by another” Caine stopped a small distance from Marcus “just like the Hale family will be.”

“M-my family?” Marcus managed to mutter out, even speaking took a lot of effort “what does my family have to with this?”

“Ah, they didn’t tell you did they?” Caine said with a light smile on his face “you’re the last chance they had to keep being part of the Wrath family.”

“What….what does that mean?” Marcus asked.

“You see, for the past ten years the Hale family has been producing disappointments at best” he explained “and you were their last chance to save themselves from being exiled.”

Exile?

His family’s future rested entirely on his shoulders?

“You’re lying,” Marcus growel, though the uncertainty in his voice betrayed him. After all, this was information directly from the family head himself.

Caine’s smile widened, like a predator toying with wounded prey “Oh, I wish I was. But you see, the Wrath bloodline doesn’t tolerate weakness. And your family?”

He let out a dramatic sigh. “They’ve been nothing but weak for the last decade.”

Marcus felt something snap inside him—though whether it was another rib or his patience, he wasn’t sure.

His fists clenched, as his nails dug into his palms and his vision switched between rage and pain.

“So,” Caine continued, tilting his head. “If you fail to awaken, they’re done. Cast out. Forgotten. No longer part of the Wrath family, no longer worthy of the name.”

“No longer your family” he leaned down slightly, voice a whisper “but don’t worry, you’ll be dead before all that happens.”

The rage within Marcus started bubbling. His family was his everything.

They were the ones who supported him, the ones who believed in him even when he doubted himself.

And now, Caine was telling him that if he failed—if he died—his family would be exiled?

No.

He couldn’t let that happen, not now, not when their fate hung in his hands. The rage caused Marcus to forget the corner of his mind that considered this a dream or memory.

Unknown to him, a red aura similar to the one around Caine enveloped him, which caused the family head to let out a small smile.

“That’s it,” he let out in an excited tone “control that rage, let’s it power fill you but don’t let it take the reigns.”

Marcus could barely think past the heat coursing through his veins. The heat, although searing, felt comfortable at the same time.

His broken bones, torn muscles and swollen parts fixed themselves the more the heat coursed through his body.

Marcus felt the power bubbling from within, threatening to cause him to lose control of his sanity.

It tempted him to let loose and just go on an uncontrolled rampage. His vision was now tinted red and as the seconds passed, the idea of letting loose sounded more appealing.

He let out what sounded like a beastly growl as he crouched low, keeping his eyes on the family head.

“It seems you’re not able to control it yet” Caine said as he watched Marcus’ white scalera turn red “that’s to be expected,but for now, let’s see how strong you are.”

Marcus could barely hear his words as the rational part of his mind quickly faded and a more primal part started taking over.

Before Caine could say anything else, Marcus lunged, shattering the ground behind him.

For any other tamer, his speed would have been almost untrackable but not for Caine. His movements lacked precision and he moved in a predictable pattern.

Caine crossed his arms as Marcus’ fist connected, sending shockwaves outwards. The force of the attack sent the family head sliding backwards.

“Impressive” he muttered to himself with a smirk, but Marcus had no intention to allow him to recover.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Caine again, his fist aiming for his head this time.

Caine just effortlessly moved out of the attack’s path before retaliating with a kick to Marcus’ stomach.

Normally, this would send Marcus reeling backwards but this time, he pulled Caine in through his attack, flinging him to the opposite side of the room.

Caine twisted midair, slamming his foot against the wall to stop his momentum before landing gracefully.

His smirk widened even more, the kid was adapting even though he wasn’t fully in control yet.

But Caine was determined to make Marcus gain control of the form before this training ended, after all, he needed this ability to face that thing out there.

The more the battle continued, the brighter the aura flared around Marcus, and the more he adapted.

He was now actively countering Caine’s attacks without necessarily receiving a hit. It almost seemed as if he was in complete control.

“Not quite there yet” Caine said as he delivered a palm strike to Marcus’ guts “I need you to be in complete control of the form.”

He grabbed Marcus by the face and slammed him into the ground, creating a massive crater in the training hall.

That seemed to do the trick as Marcus’ aura flared brighter than ever, before it was all absorbed into his body.

Slowly, Marcus stood up and if not for his training gear, one would never suspect that he was being thrown around like a ragdoll all this while.

The red aura had receded but his red scalera remained. Glowing red engravings started appearing on his hands taking the form of a dragon before they engraved themselves on his skin.

If he removed the battle suit, one would spot multiple similar engravings on his body. This caused the family head to raise a brow.

‘So this is the form he manifested, how curious’ Caine thought to himself.

He didn’t seem surprised at the turn of events, even though this had never been seen before. Not even their ancestor’s journal held information of these engravings.

“It’s time for round two, family head” Marcus pulled him out of his thoughts, causing the old man to smile.

“Of course” Caine replied and allowed his own aura to flare more.

Marcus didn’t wait for an invitation. With a sharp exhale, he launched himself forward, the ground beneath him fracturing under the sheer force of his movement.

This time, his speed wasn’t just raw aggression—it was calculated. He feinted to the left before twisting mid-air, his fist coated in a red energy as he aimed for Caine’s ribs.

The family head barely had time to block before the impact sent him skidding backward. His feet dug into the floor, leaving deep craters as he absorbed the force from the punch.

A deep, satisfied chuckle escaped his lips “Now we’re talking.”

He retaliated instantly, appearing in front of Marcus in a blur. His fist, coated in the same red energy, shot forward like a cannon.

Marcus reacted on instinct, crossing his arms just in time to block, but the force sent him flying backward. He flipped midair, planting his feet against the wall and kicking off, propelling himself back into the fight.

Their battle became a blur, send shockwaves through the training hall with every clash.

Every strike from Marcus held precision now, his movements similar to that of a battle veteran than his previous reckless ones.

The engravings on his skin glowed brighter as he continued adapting to the family head’s attacks.

Caine noticed it immediately—Marcus was no longer being consumed by the Wrath. He was controlling it.

“You’re adapting fast,” Caine acknowledged between blows. “But can you handle this?”

Without warning, his aura expanded violently, the pressure alone enough to crack the floor beneath them.

He moved in an instant, his palm striking Marcus’ chest with pinpoint force. The impact sent Marcus flying backward, crashing through multiple wooden walls before he finally came to a stop.

For a few moments, it seemed as if that was the end of this fight but Marcus’ aura flared again as he slowly stood up.

This time, blood was dripping from his nose which he just calmly wiped off and looked directly at the family head, who regarded him with a smile.

“Good” Caine commented “you’re ready to face it now, so it’s time for you to wake up.”

Marcus tilted his head in confusion.

Wake up? What did the family head mean by that? Weren’t they both awake?

But that’s when he noticed it. The background around him was no more. He was back in the void once again, but this time, he wasn’t alone.

Standing….. Well, floating right in front of him was the family head who produced an intense glow.

The glow dimmed to reveal a face that Marcus would never forget because the face belonged to none other than…

“Master?”