A New World II: The Dark Age

𝚟 𝚁 𝚒 𝚃 𝚊 𝙽 𝚒 𝚂.

~Two Years Later in Winter~
Naruto, Guts, and Puck are walking on a hill following the evil energy that's coming from someplace that they're searching for. Two years have passed, Naruto's eighteen years of age, and they've still haven't found anything regarding the God Hand. Naruto was wearing a black scaly knight armor, a large sword almost as big as him was held on his back, his hair was tied back as it had grown longer than before. His hair was no longer blonde, he had dyed it black as he thought it made him look good and it'd fit with the name "Black Swordsmen", as he and Guts were called due to having going from town to town wreaking havoc against the Apostles in hope of finding any information regarding the God Hand. Naruto had grown buffer as well. And he can sure pack a helluva punch. He's as strong as Guts, possibly even more strong.

Ever since the day Naruto slayed the Apostle on the hill two years ago, he hadn't gone through a boost in power, ever. Guts had come to the conclusion that, that power is triggered when he's under distress, angry, or lost control. It's just like his Berserker Armor.

The Berserker Armor is a suit of highly durable body armor forged by dwarves. Wearers of the armor are aptly named Berserkers, due to the superhuman strength and inhuman ferocity they are bestowed. It was forged by a dwarf named Hanarr, who imbued the armor with a violent od purposed for drawing out and manifesting its wearer's negative emotions; particularly fear and rage. Prepare for a long explanation!

The primary function of the Berserker Armor, by way of its od, is to suppress the physiological and subconscious systems of the human body which would normally prevent a person from exerting enough force to injure themselves. The result is a significant augmentation of the wearer's physicality, increasing strength and speed to previously unimaginable levels. The armor does this by eliminating the distress caused by pain; the wearer can still feel pain as a sensation, but the mind does not interpret the pain as being a problem, allowing for it to simply be ignored. It also invokes a tremendous bloodlust in the wearer, amplifying negative emotions like hate, fear, and anger that enable the wearer to fight harder. The armor also temporarily repairs debilitating injuries in the heat of battle. The armor can also repair itself if damaged.

More explanation, sorry folks!

However, the armor's power comes with significant drawbacks, the most important of which is associated with the od that gives the armor its power. If the wearer does not mentally check their negative emotions, the od can consume the wearer's psyche, turning them into a feral, bloodthirsty monster that can no longer differentiate between friend and foe. If this state is entered repeatedly, the wearer's senses will begin to deteriorate until they are lost completely. It can also cause chronic mental deterioration, providing a hotbed for its wearer's inner darkness to fester. In Guts's case, the only currently reliable way to keep him stable while using the armor to its full effect is to reinforce his mind and spirit with a powerful magical presence. Naruto.

Just one more paragraph, bear with me folks!

Upon inducing a berserker rage, the armor's helm takes on a distinct appearance. In Guts' case, the helmet and bevor are shaped like the Beast of Darkness; able to function as a mouth capable of biting enemies. When the armor is active, the helm's eye sockets glow red and Guts' face is completely obstructed; if in control of himself, however, the swordsman's face is partially visible and the helm's eye sockets stop emitting their red glow, instead showing his real eye.

Naruto had a cigarette in his mouth puffing it down without using his hands. He was swaying his arms back and forth as he walked, but then stopped to lean by a tree.

Guts stopped beside him, "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?".

Naruto took the cigarette from his mouth, threw it to the ground and stepped on it putting it out, "Taking a break that's all.", he said reaching for the little pouch beside his waist and took out a pack of cigarettes, he pulled one into his mouth along with a match in his finger as he put away the pack back into his pouch.